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10resources easter and pentecost.htm Easter & Pentecost
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Easter 5, yr A, 1 Peter 2:1-10. Last week's Gospel lessons held up for us one strong image of God in Christ, the Good Shepherd who knew each member of the flock, and whose voice was known by each of them. Last week's lesson used the image of a shepherd and flock to teach us about the believer's relationship with God. Today's reading from 1st Peter gives us three widely different images to teach more about us and our relationship with God. One of the rules of composition given us by English teachers is not to mix metaphors. I don't know what they would say about 1 Peter. In the reading from 1st Peter we are first compared to new-born babes hungering for breast milk. Then we are called living stones, which are made into a temple. Finally, 1st Peter says we are all Priests called to proclaim the wonderful actions of God. Apparently, these images were used to shore up the faith of people who were being persecuted for their belief in Christ. It seems to me that the author of 1st Peter three metaphors that would would strengthen three central parts of the faith life of these early Christians: We are nurtured by God, we are formed into a community of faith, and we exercise a mission. Like babes at the breast they are fed spiritual milk to nourish them; Like living stones they are built together into a dynamic temple; Like priests they have the mission of proclaiming together the wonderful deeds of the creator. It Judging by these images, it would seem that 1st peter learned from Jesus to see spiritual truths in the everyday things of life. For instance, consider the imagery of a suckling child. I imagine 1st Peter being present in the home of a family to whom a child has just been born. In my mind I hear a woman in this family making the connection between spiritual nurture, and the infant's suckling. Maybe, as the child's mother leaves the room to feed her infant, the grand mother says: "There is a learning in this for us all. We are all like suckling babes feeding on the pure spiritual milk of God." As she did so, the author if 1st Peter responds with enthusiasm: "Aha! That is us, children of God! We are newborn babes thirsting for the pure spiritual milk of God. This reminds me of a situation of malnourished babies in some very poor parts of the world about twenty years ago. At that time a company that sold baby food was attempting to get mothers in developing countries to use infant formula instead of breast milk. To get mother's to abandon breast feeding, they send sales women, dressed as nurses, into villages, to teach mothers of new-borns that the modern way to nourish a child was through infant formula. To help the mothers make the transition from old-fashioned breast feeding to modern formula feeding, the company gave the families free a one-month's supply of infant formula. This could have OK - my own children were not breast-fed. It was not the fashion in Canada to do so, when they were infants. I myself was not breast fed because my mother was not able to breast feed, and I am healthy. However, most families in these poor countries did not have the sanitary facilities at home to prepare infant formula, nor did they have a regular supply of clean water. The result of this was that many babies were getting very sick. Therefore, churches and other Non Government Organizations around the world worked very hard to get this company to stop this practise of encouraging poor families to change from breast feeding to formula feeding. It has since been shown that poor sanitation is not the only problem with using formula. In recent years it has been shown there are a multitude of elements in breast milk, which promote mental, Physical and social health.1. Some studies claim that a child fed breast milk is less likely to develop a number of diseases later in life. I think all of the world's spiritual tradition's would agree that, just as babies are in danger of getting sick from inadequate formula, and dirty water, we all are in danger of being spiritually unwell from unsafe or inadequate spiritual food. The corollary of that is also true: That is, to be fully human, we must be nurtured by the holy source of life. We need what St. Peter calls "pure spiritual milk." We can see many instances of these truths in today's world. For instance, we are encouraged to feed our spirits and minds on the polluted formulae, might is right; or profit is everything. From these formulae we get carpet bombing, tanks smashing homes, and children turned into bombs. Pope John Paul II recently pointed out that a singular focus by drug companies on profits is putting much needed medication out of the reach of sick people in poor nations.2. On the other hand, thankfully, It seems that people are beginning to see the falseness of this. A recent study of Canadian society by Reginald Bibby,3 hows that we are beginning to return to church. Could it be that people are beginning to seek pure spiritual milk, such as: Love God and love your neighbour; and caring for one another is the reason we are on this earth. This image of a mother feeding her baby on her breast or by bottle is a very powerful and evocative way of describing our relationship to God, and to Christ. I wonder if the writer of 1st Peter ever took this image to its logical conclusion, and pictured God as being like a mother. I wonder how many people have read this passage from 1st Peter and said to themselves or to their neighbour, "God is my mother and I am her nursing child. I am tenderly held in the arms of God, and there I feast on the pure spiritual milk that sustains me in life." Then, I wonder how the writer of 1st Peter came to the second image used in this passage, the image of living stones. Maybe in those days when Christianity was made up of small groups meeting in homes, they were taunted by some people of the more established religions. Maybe someone derided them because they had no temple, and said: "You Christians are not a real religion! You have no temple to worship in and you have no priests to contact God for you. How can you claim to be a real religion with no temple or priest." Then, I wonder if this was talked about among the Christian faithful. Maybe it was, and perhaps in that discussion someone said: "We have no need for a temple of stone! We ourselves are a temple. We are a temple built of living stones, with Christ as the Corner!" Then, another person affirmed that saying: "Yes, having been nourished by the pure spiritual milk of God, we have grown to become living stones, formed together into a dynamic temple! Whenever we get together we are a temple of God, and God dwells within us." Is this not an exciting and rich way to think of ourselves? Whenever and wherever we gather, we are a temple wherein God dwells. I think we forget this. I think we may not be as aware as we might be of God being in and around and between us every time all of us or some of us gather. As we prepare for a meeting or a pot luck, or worship, let us anticipate being a temple wherein we experience the grace and love of God. This is a powerful description of ourselves, and we thank 1st Peter for sharing it with us. However, 1st Peter doesn't stop here. In this letter we are also all identified as priests. This concept has become known as "the priesthood of all believers." To me this means a couple of things about our faith. The first and most obvious is that we don't need anyone to contact God on our behalf. The role of a priest is to bring the people's offerings and concerns to the God. 1st Peter says we all are priests, and so have direct access to God's presence. We learn this this from early childhood when we are instructed to say our prayers by ourselves at bedtime. Many times we will pray as a family, or as a church, and we are also free to pour out our heart to God when we alone. This is one part of the priesthood of all believers. A second part of this priesthood, is the calling to pray on behalf of our neighbours and our world. We can do this together or individually. I once had a person tell me that she prayed every evening during the Television News. She prayed for the welfare of the people portrayed there; for the families fleeing war or famine; for those convicted of crime, and those hurt by crime. This is a second part of our priesthood. 1st Peter tells us that a third, central role, of the priesthood to which we belong is that of declaring to the world, the wonderful deeds of God. This also we may do together or alone. May we constantly be on the outlook for polluted formulae which make us sick, and weak, unable to follow Christ, in showing love to God and to neighbour Let us feed on that pure spiritual milk, and be nourished by it to grow continually into a temple of god's presence, and be strengthened by it to carry out our priestly mission. Thanks be to God for this food for our souls, and for this great calling to which we have been called in the name of Christ. 1. Immune Benefits of Breast Milk at a Glance. White Blood Cells in Breast Milk. ... Molecules in Breast Milk. ... www.people.virginia.edu/~rjh9u/brmilk.html - 4k Breast milk makes kids brighter, study suggests. January 5, 1998 Web posted at: 11 ... Description: [CNN.com] Category: News > Online Archives > CNN.com > 1998 > January > Health www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9801/05/mothers.milk/ - 8k 2. Prairie Messenger Vol. 79 No. 40 April 17, 02 www.stpeters.sk.ca/messenger 3 Reginald Bibby, "Restless Gods." Stoddard.
Letting Go Certainties, Living by the Spirit. ecclesicakes A434 Easter 7, Yr. A. Acts 1:6-14 How many times have you chosen change because you were ready to move on to the next stage in life or to a fresh challenge? Or how many times have you had to face a change that came to you and you had no choice but to face it? I know that pretty well all of you have faced alterations in your life, some of which you chose, and some of which you could not avoid. Retirement was for me, one of those changes that is both a choice and something I couldn't avoid. For married women, widowhood is such a thing. I suspect that most married women know that there is a very high likelihood that they will become widows. It will be a stage of life, which you will encounter, and it will be a time of letting go of some certainties and moving on into the future with God's Spirit as your companion. Of course all change also means loss of something. Many times I've witnessed a scene in a play in which a groom says goodbye to a long time friend, knowing that after the wedding their relationship will change forever. I thought that I was ready for retirement, and the challenges and opportunities God would set before me. There was a time when I wanted very much to be an ordained minister. To become one, I was willing to give up a secure job, go back to school, study and work very hard for seven years. I also asked my family to help me by making sacrifices. Being a minister has taken most of my time and energy for over thirty years. I ate and slept my responsibilities as an ordained minister - it consumed me and it fed me. Then there came the day when I had nothing in my appointment book for any day after June 30. I have known a number of people who found the transition to retirement to be very a difficult. At times, I wondered how it would be for me. However, as retirement neared, I found that I was looking forward to what God has in store for me. This brings me to the passage from Acts that we read this morning. This passage is all about being ready for the next challenge and opportunity that God has in store for us in all our life: as individuals, as families, and as congregations. This is a Sunday that calls us to consider this whole area of moving on to the next challenge and opportunity God has for us. The New Testament scripture lessons tell of a moment of great change in the life of the friends of Jesus. They are about to lose the last fragment of security, which they found in the presence Jesus, and are called to change themselves, and to be agents of change in their world. For three years, with Jesus in there midst these men, women and children had formed a small community of hope, based on the love and grace. They had given up much of their past life to join this community, and they enjoyed being together in their travelling congregation, spreading the Good News. They also had great hopes for the future. With Jesus among them, the things that humanity had longed for centuries seemed now possible. Some of the even thought God would come with an army of angels and make Jesus to both Emperor, and High Priest. The reign of God's shalom was about to come. But then, Jesus was swiftly arrested and executed, and it all seemed over, but it wasn't over. First, they continued to meet even with Jesus gone. This itself worth noting. They discovered that love and grace had cemented them together. The shepherd had been slain, but the flock did not disperse. So, this was another stage of their life together. They found that when they came together, the presence of Jesus was with them. They had lost the earthly Jesus and gained the Risen Christ. These were two potent learnings for the church. The Grace and Love of God bonded them to one another, and whenever they met, Christ was in their midst. This phase lasted for forty day. Maybe, the church could have stayed at this point; meet regularly to care for one another, and experience the presence of Christ. We have all, I am sure, known this: coming to church, meeting the people you like, enjoying the music, feeling really good about being here. The first church might have been satisfied with the compensations of Easter. If so, it would have added one more religious organisation to a world that already had many of those. Churches that stay in Easter are actually quite popular. They are give comfortable answers, and don't ask for change. The first Christians may have wanted to stay with Easter, but the Creator had other plans. In the Christian story, Easter ends 40 days after the morning of the empty tomb. At that moment two things happen simultaneously: first, Christ is taken into heaven to be seated at the right hand of God; secondly, the believers are commissioned to go out into the world as witnesses to the love and Grace of God that they experienced in Jesus. This means two big changes for the Friends of Jesus; there will be no more appearances of Jesus. The mission that God began at Christmas is over. Christ has come, Christ has ministered, and Christ has gone. The second big change is this - the Friends of Jesus are given a mission statement. They are to leave the cocoon of Easter and go out into the world and tell everyone they meet about the Love and Grace of God, which have experienced and learned through Jesus. This is the challenge that faces the church today. We are to get up out of our pews, and go into that scary world and testify to the faith that is in us. We are always tempted to accommodate ourselves to a comfortable rut, even a rut of discomfort. Just staying in rut, even if we are not going anywhere, can be a compensation. We may not want to give up our nest even if it has some barbs in it. It may be that at our age, we who are elders will say that we have nothing more to learn, and no more growth to anticipate. I myself feel that that is not so. Almost every year, the Gospel calls us to greater degrees of grace, and it is quite usual for me to want to resist that greater degree of grace because of the change it calls for. Mainly, I feel the Creator daring me to have faith, and to trust the Spirit. If you think you can't do it, come back next week and we will be reminded that God gives us the Spirit we need. But once we rouse ourselves, we find lots of opportunities for growth and many ways to enact our mission: acts of love, telling people what the faith means to us, standing with those who are in deep need. Recently this congregation received a letter of thanks for our response to the recent earthquake in Central America. At the same this congregation reached out to our local community by co-operating with the neighbouring churches to hold worship services in the community hall, and by raising money for a family in which the father was hospitalized in a terrible accident. Allow me to tell about my Aunt Florence. She was a nurse during the second word war II. She was one of those hands-on nurses. She told me once of her training, and how one particular teacher was her inspiration. Shortly after she graduated, war broke out. After Pearl Harbour was bombed and the Japanese took many of the the Canadian defenders of China as prisoners, Japanese Canadians became objects of hatred. The government moved several hundred Canadians of Japanese origin into Greenwood, B.C., a town near where my aunt grew up. They needed a nurse to run a hospital in that town. There were several nurses among the Japanese Canadians, but they were not trusted. So, where would they get a non-Japanese nurse to show care and compassion to this hated yellow race? Even though a war was going on Aunt Florence was relatively untouched by it. She had a good position in a hospital in Vancouver. She had decided to volunteer for overseas duty, then, one day learned of the need of these displaced Japanese Canadians, and she found herself volunteering to be the matron of their hospital in Greenwood where she would serve people considered to be her enemy and where the nearest doctor was an hour away. Aunt Florence worked in community with Japanese Canadian nurses, some of whom were Christian. My aunt would have considered herself a Christian, although she rarely attended church. I know that the Spirit was with her in that hospital as she showed love to people the whole country had decided to hate and reject. I never heard her boast of doing so, but always spoke of the people she worked beside with affection. Yet, for all that the real heroes of this story are those Candians of Japanese heritage who were able to love those who had made them enemies. They loved us enough to stay here after the war, and enough to force a later Canadian government to admit that a wrong had been done - thus setting a precedent that makes Canadian society a safer place for us all.
I could talk of other stories which I see acted out every day in our congregation; the stories of people who once were strong leaders in the church and community, but who are not able to be that any longer due to failing health and wearing down of age. Yet, I am continually being inspired by these people, their faith, and what they have stood for all their lives. I see in this story of Aunt Florence, and in these other stories of our parishioners, what we are invited to beyond Easter. Beyond Easter we are invited to be daring; daring to be that person, and that community of faith which will face the challenges and changes that go with being the Body of Christ. We let go and move on with the love of God, the moral authority of Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. ----0000---- Footnote: 1. Fortunately for me, retirement has been a good experience. For one thing, I have a small but adequate pension. This has given me time to be a father and grandfather (One grandchild, and two great grandchildren were born about this time). Retirement has enabled me to write, and to compose a family history. I have enjoyed learning to use a new computer, and manage a web site. I have good health. I had a heart attack a few months ago, but fortunately I was able to get to a hospital within an hour. So, life in retirement has turned out to be very good. 2. When we turn to the Gospel we find that it is about moving on; moving our lives toward the holy. Allowing the hand of the Creator to shape our living and our being day by day. This surely is gain, and it may also be loss, at least letting go of what we had before. It has been said that to be a Christian is like a plant growing from a seed into a seedling, then into a flowing plant, then into a fruit bearing stage, and then producing more seeds. To be a Christian is to be constantly growing till God plucks us up.
The lectionary for this season of Year C brings us to three Christian books which come from a period about 90 years or more after the death of Jesus. This was a time when the church was being noticed by the society at large. Many scholars would argue that these texts were written to meet the needs and certain questions of the times and were influenced by the environment of those times and by certain theological questions in the churches of those times. 1. This sermon series will assume that this is a correct way to approach the lessons for these Sundays and will seek to show how these texts are pertinent to questions of our day. Acts. Written 90 years (three generations) after the death of Jesus. In this work Luke sets out to account for the expansion of the church from Jerusalem through the empire to Rome and from its Hebrew roots to a valuable institution of Hellenistic society. Burton Mack describes it as a fiction of "absolute genius."2. I would call it a theological history of the development of the church based on texts and traditions and apostolic legends available to the author. Luke attributes this progression to the Holy Spirit and the presence of the Risen Christ moving the 12 apostles, Paul, and others who embrace Christ and form communities of faith. Of all the Jesus movements that existed at the time, Luke adheres to the centrist position which came to dominate Christendom - therefore, not Johnian. The lection covers some of what Luke gives as the main turning points of this development after Pentecost: the inspired, determined, effective ministry of the 12; the formation of communities of the Way in and beyond Jerusalem; the acceptance of uncircumcised Gentiles; the successful mission to both Jews and Gentiles in the wider empire; the leadership role of women outside Jerusalem. It is curious that the women of Luke's Gospel ( 8:1; 23:49-55; 24:1-12), especially Mary Magdalene, get no mention in Luke's Acts. Revelation to John was written about 118 AD to communicate a vision of warning, encouragement, and hope for seven churches of Asia Minor which were known to John. At this time the church was becoming an identifiable body, distinct from the synagogue, just at thew time when the empire began to require citizens (other than Jews) to participate in the cult of a divine emperor on pain of death. 3. John considered it anathema to either acknowledge the emperor's divinity or return to the synagogue. However, to those who remained faithful even through death were promised membership in the New Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Christ opened a scroll of seven seals to reveal the horrors that would come before the New Jerusalem descended from Heaven. Burton L. Mack considers John's horrors to be an over reaction with too much blood and torture. 4. However, I think that one has only to read the daily paper (and recent history) to see the many horrors that powers of various kinds are quite happy to bestow on those who follow a different god or philosophy, or who dare to challenge the authority of gun or capital. My biggest problem with John is his attribution of these horrors to the will of God. The lectionary visits six defining passages (Jumping over most of the horrors): a declaration of what Christ has accomplished; universal praise for Christ the one who shed blood for our salvation (and is therefore our model in undergoing redemptive pain); a multitude from every people (may we say every time?) who have come through the great ordeal; The New Heaven and Earth; the New Jerusalem; the River of Life. The Gospel according to John was probably written in the 90s in a community whose interest in Jesus was to know Jesus as a manifestation of the cosmic Christ who comes to Earth with signs (seven miracles) and whose mission is to save humankind through their becoming one with the Christ and by accepting the salvation which Christ wrought through the Cross. The lectionary passages for this season of Easter all pertain to being the community of Christ after the the Cross and the time of the appearances of the Risen Christ: The Upper room appearance, commissioning, bestowing the Holy Spirit and appearance to Thomas; at the Sea side -providing nourishment and instructing "cast your nets on the other side"; my sheep know my voice; a new commandment; I go to prepare a place for you; payer for the disciples that all may be one as Christ and Creator are one. Summary: It seems to me that all three of the above lectionary passages have to with being a community of faith, living with Christ and as Christ in the trials and times after the ministry of Jesus and in active waiting for the Realm of God in which we have membership.
1. Who Wrote the New Testament, Burton L. Mack.
Harper Collins 1989
Behold the wounds and believe in resurrection Easter Teaching device: Introduction to an Egg symbol activity: The egg is an an ancient symbol of Easter: the resurrection of Christ and of the new life and hope of Spring. At the beginning of each of the next three Sunday services, open a large "Easter egg" (it could be simply a decorated file folder) and from it pull out a symbol or picture for the theme of the that Service. The tomb in which Christ was laid was to be a place of decay, rotting flesh, the end of Jesus and the people's hope he represented. Instead, we might say, it became an egg. When it was opened out came the risen Christ calling humanity to new life and possibility. So, for the next few Sundays after Easter we will be using this egg as a symbol of the our interpretation of the resurrection story for that Sunday. So, today the picture/symbol is a representation of the wounded hands of Christ and the wounded Earth. (This could be as simple as a drawing with a wounded hand on one side and a wounded Earth on the other) To go other Easter notes click: Easter2; Easter3; Easter4 Sermon notes, John 20:27 This coming Thursday is Earth Day, a day designated for honoring the Earth. In this sermon I want to bring together Easter and Earth Day; the wound s of Christ and the wounds of the Earth the resurrection of Christ and hope for the Earth. I will bring together two things that at first glimpse may seem to have nothing to do with one another, Christ and the Earth. Christ and the Earth are two precious gifts from God. Both give us life, and both have been deeply wounded by humankind. Belief in the resurrection of Christ gives us hope of the victory of life over death, of goodness over evil. I believe that in these days the Holy Spirit is calling us to believe also in the resurrection of the earth, the victory of life over death, nurture over pollution, of habitat over bareness. Todays resurrection story tells of the the wounded Christ appearing to Thomas. You remember that Thomas said he would not believe unless he saw and touched the wounds. So, Christ came to him and said: touch and believe. Today we live in a time when the Earth is close to being mortally wounded. The list of God's creatures who are near to extermination is growing rapidly. This is mostly because because we humans have destroyed and consumed their habitat. Just recently a report on the Discovery channel showed that the tons of plastic we throw away are collecting in the oceans. The seas have already become cesspools of human Garbage. The Spirit is urging us to touch Earth's wounds and believe in her resurrection. I believe that bringing these two together - the wounds of Christ and the wounds of the Earth, is the work of the Holy Spirit. More and more theologians 1. and people of the Spirit are seeing that for our time this is a major spiritual issue. As Christians we need to see the connection between Jesus and the Earth. Jesus taught that God sees the Sparrow fall. What if this is more than an illustration of how God cares for us? What if it means just what it say: God sees what is happening to creation? What if it means that God is pained by the poisoning the home of the fishes and great sea animals and that God weeps for the poisoning of the air, and the eviction of the great apes from their mountain home? Or what if we take the view of John's gospel, that Creation is Christ's work (1:3). Creation and Christ are inseparably connected. In our wounding the Earth, we are undoing the work of the cosmic Christ. Remember also: God so loved the world that God sent the only begotten one into the world to save it. Jesus is creation incarnate. When we wound the creation we wound again the creator. So, to believe in the creator's victory over death in Christ calls us to follow the Risen Christ in victory over the the death of the earth. Another way to see is to say that Thomas' relationship with Christ is like our relationship with the Earth. Thomas and the other friends of Jesus were faced with an ultimate question, Will we believe in a dead Christ or a living Christ? What if they had chosen to believe in a dead Christ who once was but is no more? And what if we shrug our shoulders and say we will live with dead Earth that once was but is no more? There are those who seem to be saying that this is just the way of the world. As the dinosaurs disappeared so must all these things. Besides it is expedient that some of the earth should die for human progress and profit. But on the other side there is a long heritage that values creation as a gift from God which we must care for. This heritage goes all the way back to the writers of the creation stories in the Bible. It includes St. Francis of Assisi who communed with the birds, and Rachel,Carson who warned us of the death of creation in her book, Silent Spring in 1962. As Thomas touched the wounds of Christ and believed in Christ's resurrection, so too we must touch the wounds of the earth, and believe in its resurrection, and let that beliefe guide our love for her in all we do. 1.Mathew Fox, Creation Spirituality; and Scott Hoezee, Remember Creation.
Acts 16. Here there is no mention of the synagogue or Judaism. Luke, writing to a mainly Greek/Roman audience in about the year 90, brings together three Paul stories which illustrate Paul as a Roman citizen bringing a positive message and opportunity to the people of a city of the empire. There is no challenge to Roman authority, rather Paul invokes Rome to legitimate himself as person and by way of implication, his mission when he us opposed by those who were abusing a troubled child whom he set free. In jail, he and Silas are model inmates. Two households of prominent families accept the Gospel and are baptized to good effect. Clearly Luke shows the the Gospel to be a good espoused by honorable citizens and rejected only by those who would misuse the weak. Psalm 97. Luke could have had this psalm in mind as he wrote Acts 16. Here the God of the Psalmist declares there is only one true God, and that God is a god of righteousness and justice who guards the lives of the faithful. That this the nature of the one true God is reason for rejoicing. Revelations 22:12-21. John's picture of the Holy City is an exclusive "gated community. " On the inside are the cleansed who have access to the tree of life. Everyone else in on the outside. It makes me wonder if this is the origin of the phrase, "the great unwashed." In John's pessimistic anthropology there is now and always will be those who are outside the reach of grace. John's god has failed to win over all of humankind. We need to be careful that we don't allow this vision to limit our goal for mission and become our model for city. John 17:20-26. Using the form of Jesus at prayer, John sets out for his audience the central importance of the discipline of faithful unity. At its root this unity is the spiritual oneness of Christ, the "Father" and the believers.
Easter 6, YrC, Rev. 21, God is in the City
THIS MORNING'S PASSAGE FROM REVELATIONS REMINDS US
THAT CITY'S ARE IMPORTANT TO OUR FAITH. THE BIBLE BEGINS IN A GARDEN
AND ENDS IN A CITY. WE LIKE TO GO TO CITIES. PEOPLE PROM WINNIPEG TRAVEL TO NEW YORK OR LONDON. WHEN I WAS I REMEMBER GOING TO THE CITY OF VANCOUVER TO SPEND A MONTH WITH MY FATHER. I CAME FROM A SMALL TOWN IN NORTH CENTRAL BRITISH COLUMBIA AND I FOUND THE CITY TO BE A FASCINATING PLACE. I WAS FASCINATED BY THE PLACE AND ITS BUILDINGS AND PEOPLE, STORES AND PARK AND OCEAN, UNIVERSITY AND CHURCHES, THE STREETS FULL OF PEOPLE PEOPLE WORKING AND PLAYING AND ALSO THE DANGER AND DESPAIR. - PEOPLE ON STREET CORNERS, OVERCOME BY HOPELESSNESS AND THERE WAS ROBBERY AND MURDER. MY FATHER LIVED DOWNTOWN, SO ON MY FIRST NIGHT I LAY ON MY PILLOW LISTENING TO AL THE NIGHT SOUNDS OF A CITY.
LATER UPON REFLECTION I REALIZE THAT VANCOUVER HAS
THREE FACES FOR ME: I HAVE ALSO COME TO SEE THAT THE CITY IS IMPORTANT IN OUR FAITH THE BIBLE BEGINS WITH A RURAL SETTING, THE GARDEN OF EDEN. BUT IT ENDS WITH SALVATION FOUND IN A CITY, A GARDEN CITY WHERE GOD DWELLS. THIS BEGINS WITH DAVID MAKING JERUSALEM, THE CAPITAL OF THE HEBREWS A THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE CHRIST. THEN DAVID'S SON SOLOMON BUILT A TEMPLE THERE, AND IT BECAME THE HOLY CITY, FOR THE TEMPLE IN THE CITY WAS THE PLACE WHERE GOD WAS FOUND. HOWEVER THE BIBLE RECOGNIZES TWO FACES OF THE CITY AND GIVES NAMES TO THESE FACES: JERUSALEM REPRESENTS THE HOLY CITY, WHERE GOD IS FOUND AND BABYLON STANDS WHICH IS RULED BY SATAN. THESE TWO EXIST IN THE SAME PLACE AND TIME WHEREVER HUMANS LIVE TOGETHER IN CITY. THE CHRISTIAN MISSION IS TO BRING EVERY CITY A CLOSER TO BEING JERUSALEM, AND FURTHER FROM BEING THE CITY OF BABYLON. IN JOHN'S GOSPEL JESUS MAKES SEVERAL TRIPS TO THE CITY OF JERUSALEM CALLING IT TO A RENEWED FAITH IN GOD THE GOSPEL SHOWS US THAT THE TOWN OF JERUSALEM WAS ACTUALLY VERY MUCH BABYLON - EVEN THE TEMPLE WHICH HAD SPACE DEDICATED TO THE HOLY OF HOLIES WAS IN FACT INFECTED WITH BABYLON. THE PALM SUNDAY PICTURE OF JESUS GOING INTO THE CITY, AND CARRYING THE GOSPEL INTO THE TEMPLE IS A PICTURE OF THE MISSION WE ARE CALLED TO. AN IMPORTANT PART OF THAT PICTURE IS THE COMMUNITY OF OF FAITH OF WHICH JESUS WAS THE HEAD. IT IS THE SEED FROM WHICH THE JERUSALEM WILL GROW. JESUS AND FRIENDS ARE CITIZENS OF THE NEW WAY TO. LIVE TOGETHER IN CITY. AFTER JESUS WAS NO LONGER WITH THEM, THEY STAYED IN THE CITY, CONTINUING TO BRING THE GOOD NEWS OF THE NEW JERUSALEM IN THE HEART OF THE OLD JERUSALEM, AN ALTERNATIVE TO BABYLON. SOON, THEY WENT TO OTHER CITIES OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, AND NO MATTER WHAT CITY THEY WENT INTO THEY TOOK WITH THEM THEIR CITIZENSHIP IN THE NEW JERUSALEM. IN THE PASSAGE FROM ACTS THAT WE READ THIS MORNING WE SAW PAUL AND LUKE IN THE ROMA CITY, PHILLIPI, BRINGING THE GOSPEL TO IT. LYDIA, A WOMAN OF THAT CITY, WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO EMBRACE THIS VISION, AND SHE MADE HER HOME THE HEADQUARTERS FOR THE NEW JERUSALEM IN PHILLIPI. THIS IS HOW THE GOSPEL WAS SPREAD, FROM CITY TO CITY THE IDEA WAS TO START A SMALL SEED BED OF THE GOSPEL IN ONE CORNER OF A CITY, AND HAVE IT GROW AND SPREAD ACROSS THE WHOLE CITY THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS CLOSES WITH A VISION OF CITY A COMPLETELY GIVEN OVER TO FAITH, A CITY WHERE GOD'S PRESENCE IS IN THE VERY AIR. JOHN NAMES THIS CITY THE NEW JERUSALEM. THE NEW JERUSALEM IS THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. IN CHRISTIAN LEADERS SUCH AS AUGISTINE AND JOHN CALVIN HAVE HAD VISIONS OF THE CITY AS PLACES WHERE GOD WHERE THE MERCY AND JUSTICE OF GOD DWELLS. TODAY, YOU AND I ARE CALLED TO BE CITIZENS OF THE NEW JERUSALEM, TO ENJOY ALL THE BENEFITS OF LIVING IN COMMUNION WITH THE HOLY, TO BE A SEED BED OF THE NEW JERUSALEM IN WINNIPEG. DO YOU PICTURE YOURSELF CITIZEN OF THE NEW JERUSALEM IN THE CITY IN WHICH YOU DWELL? TO BE A CITIZEN OF THE NEW JERUSALEM IS TO KNOW IN YOUR OWN HEART THAT YOU ARE WORTHY, THAT YOU ARE LOVED. BY BAPTISM AND OUR RESPONSE TO THE SPIRIT, GOD HAS MADE US CITIZENS OF THE HOLY CITY, AND WE ENJOY ITS BENEFITS, LIVING IN COMMUNION WITH THE HOLY, AND IN LOVE WITH OUR NEIGHBOUR. CAN YOU PICTURE YOUR CITY AS THE NEW JERUSALEM? CAN THIS BE A CITY WHERE LIFE AND HEALING ABOUND? [JOHN'S VISION OF THE NEW JERUSALEM LOOKS A BIT LIKE MY CITY. HE PICTURES A CITY WITH A RIVER LINED WITH TREES RUNNING THROUGH IT. I ENJOY VISITING PARISHIONERS WHO LIVE IN HIGH-RISES. WHEN ONE LOOKS OUT ONTO WINNIPEG FROM THE 12TH FLOOR, ONE SEES A FOREST OR A PARK, WITH RIVERS RUNNING THROUGH IT. THE RIVER OF THE NEW JERUSALEM RUNS WITH THE WATER OF LIFE, AND ON EACH SIDE OF THE RIVER THERE ARE TREES OF LIFE WHICH PRODUCE FRUIT EVERY MONTH, AND WHOSE LEAVES BRING HEALING.] THE BIBLE BEGINS WITH A RURAL GARDEN OF EDEN AND ENDS WITH AN URBAN GARDEN CITY. LET US LOOK FOR SIGNS IN THIS CITY THAT SHOW IT TO BE A HOLY GARDEN CITY. LET US LOOK FOR SIGNS THAT FAIRNESS, EQUITY, GOOD WORK, PLAY, AND LOVE ABOUND. AND LET US BE AWARE OF THE SIGNS THAT BABYLON ALSO EXISTS HERE IN THE FEAR, AND EVIL, AND UNHOLY ASPECTS OF OUR CITY. BABYLON IS THAT ASPECT OF OUR LIFE TOGETHER IN WHICH WE AND OUR LEADERS VALUE THE OPPOSITE OF THE GOSPEL: MATERIALISM, INJUSTICE, UNFAIRNESS, BIGOTRY, RACISM, ABUSE. BABYLON IS THE SOUL-DESTROYING ASPECTS OF OUR CITY IN EVERY NEIGHBOURHOOD OF OUR CITY.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE LOVE OF GOD FLOWS INTO THE
CITY AS A LIFE-GIVING RIVER, AND THE GRACE OF GOD IS PRESENT LIKE an
ABUNDANT GROWTH OF HEALING PLANTS. LET US BE JOYFUL, HOPEFUL
WITNESS TO THIS PRESENCE OF GOD AND ENJOY OUR HOLY CITIZENSHIP,
TAKING REFRESHMENT FROM IT AS WE JOIN HANDS WITH OTHERS WHO ALSO ARE
AGENTS OF THE SPIRIT.
Acts 16:6-15- Luke portrays the mission of Paul being directed by the Spirit of Jesus to establish a congregation of Greek (non Jewish) believers in Philippi. On the Sabbath they go not to the synagogue, but to the riverside in search of a local place of prayer (a natural pagan sacred place?). There they meet Lydia a Greek believer in God whose heart is open to the Gospel. Her household is subsequently baptized and she offers her home as their base. Psalm 67- Behind this psalm is the assumption that Israel's God is god of all people and judges them with equality. Therefore people are called to praise God. Rev. 21:10, 22 - 22:5- The lectionary temps us to celebrate the New Jerusalem and to ignore the horror that precedes it and clears the way for it. It seems to me that rather than ignore the chapters leading up to the New Jerusalem, we must deal with the question: Does Christ call us to embrace or denounce them? Revelations reminds me of many a tyrant's vision of a perfect world after all those who differ or who are considered unclean have been eliminated. Is this the way to a New Jerusalem in our time? Just a few weeks ago, the Dahli Lama visited Canada and offered a vision of a new world born of the view that all people are one in their basic longing for peace and goodness.
John 14:22-29- It helps me understand this passage if I read it as a
response to the question of verse 22, which is posed 90 years into
the life of the church where John resides. Symbol for today: a human figure with "Welcome Home" written on its breast. Sermon notes John 14:24 How Come? I am going to begin by asking you to come back in time with me to a crucial point in the development of Christian faith. I am doing this because I see a connection between then and now. As we understand how the faith related to then, we can better see it relating to us, now. So, I ask your patience. The Gospel reading for today takes us us through time to a date about 90 years into the formation of the Christian Church in Asia minor; 90 years after the first Easter. Up to this time the believers in Jesus have been a small group within Judaism. By the year 90 however, the church and the synagogue are starting to go their separate ways. A very important factor in this separation was the disappearance of the Temple in Jerusalem. In the year 70 the Jews in Jerusalem revolted against Roman rule and were completely crushed. Even worse, the Romans tore down the Temple, scattered the priests and erased the whole system of temple worship. This meant that Jews were set adrift. With the temple gone, the synagogue had to take over as the main location of Jewish faith. At this point a small group of Jews who believed that Jesus was the Son of God, said: It's OK! The temple wasn't needed any more because we have Christ. It turned out that very few Jews wanted anything to do with this Christian notion. So twenty years after the temple was destroyed, the Christ-believers were still a tiny minority who were not wanted in the synagogue, so they left. This caused a crisis for the Christ believers. Many of them were now separated from Jewish family and friends. The Rabbi's were calling them the unfaithful. Some Christians themselves started asking probing questions, like: How is it that you reveal yourself to us but not to the world? How come we see you but the world doesn't? It was at this time of crisis that the Gospel of John was written. John's Gospel was written to support the faith of the tiny isolated Christian minority by explaining how Christ really was God among us even if no one else thought so. This makes John's Gospel relevant to many church people today. Our situation is somewhat like that of those Christian congregations of the year 90. We live in a world in which fewer and fewer people believe as we do. We too ask: How come? How is that you reveal yourself to us but not to the world? John's answer to this question is our gospel lesson for today. John's response to that question is simply that Christ will make a home in the heart of the believer and will send the Holy Spirit as an advocate and teacher. You may be scratching your head at this. It doesn't sound like an answer to the question: How come others don't see you? When you and I give an answer to that question we might say things like: They don't see you because they are too worldly, or they don't see you because we have made church too dull and boring. Our answers often blame others for being blind to Christ, or we blame ourselves for hiding the light. The answer in John is quite different. John seems to be saying, don't worry about other people's faith, or why they don't come to church, just love Christ yourself and as you do that, God will make a home in you. Not only that God will send you the Holy Spirit as Advocate and teacher. This is all we need be concerned about - our love for Christ. Our love for Christ will lead to lots of other good things such as love for one another, then love for neighbour - even love for "enemy." This kept the church vital and real in the year 90 and ever since. I see many people in our community today with God at home in their hearts. In our time it can lead things John never dreamed of. God at home in our hearts also leads to joining in spiritual communion with people of other faiths. A few weeks ago the Dahli Lama and Bishop Tutu received doctorates for the University of British Columbia. As I watched TV clips of this event, I was struck by the joy both these religious leaders too in one another. I am sure that this is the work of the Holy Spirit, and it is keeping with the psalm for today - a psalm which sees God as concerned for all people's and nations. So let us do just one thing, love God and see where the Holy Spirit will lead us.
Visions of the Beast and of a New Heaven and Earth The scripture passages for today are among the most evocative of God's grace and love for humankind in the Christian Holy Scriptures. Psalm 148 calls all of creation to join in the praise of their creator. It is significant that this is not an invitation to those who might be considered righteous by some human standard, or who are "members." No, the door is swung wide for all to participate. No part of creation is excluded or considered unclean. Acts 11:1-18 Peter's vision of the sheet let down bears witness a similar to Psalm 148. The author of Acts uses this story to celebrate the religious and spiritual notion that none are to be considered unclean and unwelcome in the Realm of God. By the time Acts was written, there many non-Jewish males in the church who had not been circumcised. Everyone did not condone this. This passage declares circumcision and dietary laws to be unnecessary and gives credibility to this beak-through by attributing it to God, acting through Peter the chief of the apostles. Rev. 21:1-6 This passage and those for Easter 6 & 7 (inspired by Isaiah 65:17-25) flood the soul with a brilliant light, after the darkness of the earlier chapters of bloody anger and punishment. John's vision is that the New Heaven and New Earth can come only after there has been a complete destruction of the Beasts, and burning in a lake of fire meted out to those who have been deceived by Satan (13; 20:8). Regarding the punishment I can only think that is a dangerous notion and itself is an enemy of the Good News. There have been times when the church followed this line of thinking and burned sinners at the stake or shunned them from the meeting hall, or called them Christ-killers. However, I would propose that for the most part the church has progressed on the wings of healing grace, and certainly must do so today - being inspired and filled with hope by Isaiah and John's visions of the new heaven and earth, and letting go the angry judgement and merciless punishment of individuals.
As to the Beasts, John's vision is strongly relevant
to our times. The film, the Corporation, by Jennifer Abbott
and Mark Achbar, and the writing of Walter Wink1.
reminder me that systems and powers which espouse ends and and
methods contrary to the Gospel exist in our age too. Rather
than being careful not to offend them, as the church too often does,
we need to become God's voice in challenging these powers who hold so
many of our members in thrall. This Sunday could well be a time to
identify God's New Heaven and Earth as a call to an alternate world. John 13:31-35 After a few passages in which John distances and/or compares Jesus and Moses the law-giver (1:17; 6:32; 7:19; 9:28), we have Jesus giving a "new" commandment (law?), love one another. This is the hallmark of the Realm of God. Also, while the works of Jesus signify that Jesus is from God (10:38), the sign that shows the disciples to be of Jesus is their love for one another. Symbols for today - A corporate ad with its promise, ie carpets: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/conference/ei11/toxics/mulholland.pdf and a photo of work done by your church's mission, the U.N. or other NGO, and its vision.www.unchr.ch Sermon notes: Rev. 1:1-6 Visions of the Beast and a New Heaven and Earth. All of today's readings, one way or another, call us to be open to participating in what Revelations calls God's gift of a New Heaven and Earth. They portray a heaven that accepts us all as God's beloved creators, and an Earth that reflects this acceptance through love for one another. In Revelations his New Heaven and New Earth do not come easy. They burst into being only after a cosmic struggle between the Creator and powerful forces which seek to wrestle creation away from the Creator. This vision calls me to believe that this gift of a New Heaven and Earth is in the process of unfolding today. Which also means that the cosmic struggle between God and the powers is going on right now all around us. Let me share with you a number of recent experiences in which I have seen signs of this struggle, and "visions" of the New Heaven and New Earth. When I started being open to "revelatins" of this struggle I was amazed at the number of front lines where these two world views are in contest with one another. [without mentioning Iraq, Afghanistan, or Palestine] The first of these experiences was one common to retired people, like me. It was a conversation with a friend about the state of the world. This friend and I talked about the troubles in the world. My friend observed that these troubles are often stem from attitudes found in religion. That caused us to pause and reflect soberly. The truth as we saw it, is that religious people and their leaders often reject the notion that all of us are God's children. We continue to belive that our way is the only true way. So, the religous often reject the vision of psalm 148 and of St. Peter which invites all of creation to worship God. My friend and I had to confess that we ourselves harbored some of these views - that our religion is best. We spoke also of those whom we saw working in cooperation with the Creator to bring hope, harmony and equity into our world. We named church outreach programs and Non Government Organizations which we saw as bravely seeking to bring these things into being. Now, let me share with you another recent experience which I came to me as partcipant of a program of the local UN Association. As you might expect, the UNA includes people of many faiths. Just a few days ago I was privileged to hear Dr. Sarab Abizeda speak of how the UN could be improved according to the teachings of Baha'i. He began his lecture with the foundation of Baha'i, which is: the Oneness of God, the Oneness of Religion, the Oneness of Humanity. As I listened I heard a voice saying, "The world would be a much better place if these three principles were applied to the way humans live together on this planet, including the way they share the resources God has provided. "The only thing I would add to these Baha'i Oneness principles would be: The Oneness of all Creation. The pain of the world is a bottom due to the way we treat the earth, and non- human creatures. Thank God for those who advocate for those creatures who have no access to the media."1. Then we were stransported to a theatre to see the film, the Corporation. This documentary style film-sermon spoke a strong message similar to the Revelation to John. First, like John, it names the Beast who enslaves humankind, and who crucifies the source of life on this planet. This film, "the Corporation," describes how we have become slaves to consumption and have allowed profit to be very highest of values to govern the way we live together. In this world consumption has become the the purpose for living,and profits have risen to be the one value that trumps all other values.2. After some reflection my friend and I saw that most church members in the the West owe allegiance to those powers who claim ownership of the word's resources. We also realized that we fit into that category since we both receive a pension supported by corporate investments. But this film doesn't end with despair. Again, like John, and like every good sermon, the Corporation also offers the hope of a New Heaven and a New Earth as the people (including those who are CEO's of corporations) rise up to reclaim the earth, and begin again to live for love, justice, harmony and peace with the all creation.. In Christian terms, to become members of the Kingdom of Heaven in which there is a New Heaven and a New Earth. This film is not just another form of entertainment. Again, like all good sermons it declares itself to be "A CALL TO ACTION." It calls us to rise up out our passivity, and be among those who follow the earth's agenda. As a Christian, I found it a challenge to my allowing corporations to claim they own God's creation and all it resources, and to shake off my passivity in allowing the profits of corporations to trump the Good News. Then we were transported to the local mall we I found the Humane Society with a booth crying out for humane treatment of farm animals- partcularly breeding sows kept in 2 x 4 cage all their adult lives. (www.quitstalling.ca). Next, I found myself doing my morning exercise in front of the television. There I listened to an interview of Alex Neve of Amnesty International (www.amnesty.ca/urgent action). Amnesty is seeking to end the use of torture in the world's justice systems. He revealed that 80 nations, many of them Canada's allies, routinely use torture while Canada is reluctant to say anything so as not to offend. I was shown over a thousand people around the world who will not let us forget. Next I found myself in a room with my friend Grace and a dozen women, laughing and chatting a s they madeTeddy Bears for Doctors Without Borders.In a moment these cuddly creations took me by the hand and transported me to a crude and dark hospital room filled with children. As I watched the soft toys dispersed themselves ino the arms of the children, who smiled as each embraced a teddy still warm from the hands of Grace and her companions. www.msn.ca This is not anywhere near the full list of front lines of the New Heaven and Earth that were shown to me. For instance, I also saw South Africa where privatized water systems block many families from access to safe water. And I was taken to places in the world where people put their lives on the line to take their water back. www.cbc.fifth I will close by sharing two experiences of an other kind: reading an Easter message from Peter Short, the moderator of my denomination,4. and going to church on Easter Sunday. Both these experiences remind me that the basis of all Christian motivation and hope for these struggles are the "rising" of Jesus Christ. Short writes, "It is not about getting back what you once were. Is about being transformed by the hand of God." John's revelation is rooted in this transforming "rising" and so are we today. In the Easter service I was recruited once again to be in the service of the Risen One in company will all those who are on the front line of a New Heaven and Earth.
1.The Creed of the United Church of Canada: To live
with respect in creation. http://www.united-church.ca/
A Messiah for the world John 10: 22-30 -Both John's content and the intensity of John's writing convince me that this gospel is written in defense of Christian faith in opposition to the synagogue seen by John (and contemporaries?) as enemy of Christ. Chapter 10 is a pivotal point in John's argument. It is where John draws a line in the sand. From this point on people are either with Jesus, acknowledging him as the messiah, or against him calling him a blasphemer. Only those who believe are members of the flock of which Jesus is the shepherd. At 10:24 John portrays "the Jews' (religious officials?) as raising the essential question - are you the Messiah? - if you are, tell us. In the first nine chapters John gives us a list of those who see Jesus as Messiah: John the Baptizer, Jews, Greeks, Samaritans. In chapter 10 Jesus refers to his works as proof that he is from "the Father." After chapter 10 John moves toward John Baptizer's opening assertion that Jesus is the Lamb of God (1:29) and into Jesus own declaration that he is "the resurrection" (11:25). Martha is the epitome of believers when she declares, "you are the Messiah." Sermon notes: John 10:22-31 It seems to me that John's gospel raises a key question for our time as well as his own. Is Jesus the Messiah? More especially, is Jesus the messiah for you and I and is Jesus the Messiah for our society? The Gospel of John was written about 90 years after the death of Jesus. At that time the church was emerging as an institution of some note in society, boldly claiming that its lord was a saviour of all humankind. John's gospel asserts this by the use of a Jewish name for especially great spiritual leaders ordained by God. This Jewish term was Messiah. Messiah was a leader who carried to fruition God's will, and the hopes and dreams of faithful people. In times of distress the people looked to God to send them a messiah to bring peace. John's gospel asserts that Jesus is Messiah. Messiah not only for Jews but for all humankind - the messiah to end all messiah's. This is an astounding claim! We might wonder how that claim would be hears to day. Except for Christian religious enthusiasts, does anyone today believe that Jesus is the Messiah? Does anyone care? Does anyone belive that Jesus is the one sent by God to bring peace to the Earth. As I think about this question another question comes to my mind. That is, what is meant by the term Messiah today? If Jesus is the Messiah what does that say about him, and what does it say about Jesus' work? Just before Easter a local "evangelical" church put up a huge billboard overlooking our main street. It declared, Christ Died and Rose for your salvation. I am sure that for the people who put up that sign, Jesus is Messiah and for them the work of Messiah is to save our souls from sin so that we will be welcome in Heaven. That is one current definition of messiah. Others have other definitions of Messiah and the work of Messiah. This winter the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. gave two hours to a live program on homelessness in Canada. We won't be surprised to find that many of those who give food and shelter to the hornless are Christian. These people are often working out of a particular definition of messiah. For them, the Messiah is one who cares for those who are poor. The work of the Messiah is to give the homeless shelter, and to change society so that it reflects God's love and everyone has access to affordable housing. So there we have two visions of Messiah: One who saves the souls of sinners and one who would radically change the world. There will be those who actually hold both these views of Messiah. I think that more and more "evangelical" Christians are moving in this direction. I see that Roman Catholics and some Mennonites hold together these views of Messiah as saver of souls and as redeemer of society. I think churches like the United Church of Canada tend to see that the Messiah brings God's love and justice to the individual and to the body of humankind. I think I can identify also a third understanding of Messiah - messiah as understood by the average Canadian church-goer or descendent of church goers. These are people do not think about Messiah - except maybe a Christmas when they hear some carols or gospel lesson. I think if were to ask them what comes to mind when they hears Messiah at Christmas or Easter, these majority of Canadians might say something like: Messiah represents goodness, decency and hope. Messiah for them probably represents things like: people getting along together, everyone sharing in the load and in the rewards of life; every child loved and having school; every family having the housing and food it needs; every person having feeling safe and with someone to love and care about them. To me, that would be as valid a definition of Messiah as the other two. It seems to me that these three definitions of Messiah can be held together - support one another. I don't think that this contradicts the gospels. Together these three may make up the Kingdom of God. Is Jesus such a Messiah for you and me? The answer to that question is probably some kind of yes. In the world today many people are working together on these messianic missions. They do not all claim Jesus as the inspiration for their work. Maybe most have no Messiah, but they do share with Jesus a love for the individual person and their struggle and goals and needs, and they also share with Jesus a vision of the world in which we all are sisters and brothers. Praise be to God. May the messiah be with us all.
Peter Finds New Direction Acts 9:1-6 Conversion of Saul and the gift of the Holy Spirit through the community Psalm 30 Thanks to God for deliverance from death Rev. 5:11-14 Only the Lamb who was slain can open the 7 seals to reveal what is to come John21:1-19 Risen Christ appears to those who have gone back to fishing: Cast your net on the other side Teaching device click here Suggested symbol for today's service > a map, sign post. or direction indicator, compass Sermon notes - John 21:1-19 Have you ever been stuck in life, not sure how to go forward? Sometimes as people of faith we are not sure what God wants us to do next - especially after a significant event in your life: a birth or a death, the beginning of something or the end of something,a deepening, a new insight, a disappointment. In response to the Gospel lesson for today I would invite us to apply to our living St. Peter's formula for getting on with life and faith when we feel challenged or stuck and can't find the way forward. Here's St. Peter's formula as I see it: cast your net on the other side, jump in and get wet, move on affirmed in who you are. I see this the Easter story we read this morning in John's Gospel. Let me retell it in my own words: Peter and his friends are convinced that it is all over. The adventure on which they had set out that day when Jesus called them to be fishers of men had come to a disappointing end. After the execution of Jesus and the religious high of the the resurrection - whatever that was- it was now all over. They were lucky to have gotten away with their lives. None of them seem to know what to do now, or which direction to take. No one spoke of it, but they all knew that Peter was carrying a burden of guilt for the three times he denied Christ while Jesus was on trial. So now it was back to fishing - the life they knew before they met Jesus. It was in some ways comforting to be back in the boat and the nets but their heart was not in it. As well, the fishing was fruitless. They had fished all night - night was when fishers went out on the Sea of Galilee. In the morning they would return with fresh fish for the market. But this night they cast they nets until their backs were sore but caught nothing. Then just at dawn as they were pulling in their nets for the last time, they heard a voice calling them from shore: Hello! Hello fishers! They turned to look. A stranger stood on the beach by a small fire. Cast you nets over there, he called, on the other side! What fool is this? they muttered, but the voice persisted: On the other side, cast your net on the other side! So they did what the stranger asked. With a great heave of his weary arms Peter cast the net on the other side of the boat. Lo and behold the net came up filled with fish, so many that they could barely pull it into the boat. In astonishment Peter looks toward the stranger. In the growing morning light he recognizes Jesus. In a barely audible whisper he exclaims, It is the Lord, and dives into the sea to swim for shore. There he finds that Jesus has prepared a fire on which they can cook some of the fish for breakfast for them. After they have eaten Peter is given an opportunity to take back the three times he denied Christ, and Jesus gives him a purpose, a mission. The Risen Christ took Peter aside and asked him, "Peter do you love me?" The question was put three times - as many times as Peter had denied being a disciple. Now, each times this question was put to him, Peter fervently replied, "Yes, Lord!" And each time Peter declared his love for Christ, the Christ gave him a purpose and mission: "Feed my sheep." From that morning on, Peter and his friends never went back into the boats. From that morning on they knew that their purpose was to go into the world and cast the net of the Gospel to see how many people would be caught by God's Love and grace. fini I believe this story apply to my life or yours, or to us as a community of faith? It says something to us when we, like the disciples in this story, are stuck at some point in our life. I would suggest that in the lives of each of us and all of us there comes a time to choosing and deciding; when acting or not to acting will determine how our life will unfold from that moment on. Often a feature of those times will be a feeling of an empty net, or maybe a net that is catching fish you don't want. Christ called out to Peter at such a moment: Cast your net on the other side. This is probably the moment of greatest risk - it is not possible always to see the result. What if you do that and still have an empty net, or worse yet, your net gets torn? Or it may be that casting you net on the other side will mean much more satisfaction and fulfillment. Sometimes when you cast your net on the other side you can't go back to the first side. Peter took that risk. What would it mean for you right now? Peter's second act was to dive into the water to swim toward that stranger who called out to him. This story could have ended with the miracle of casting the net on the other side, a success story. However, Peter wants more - Peter wants a deeper union, a deeper union within himself and with himself and Christ. This probably is what we want too. When we make our next move we want to move toward fulfillment within ourselves and a deeper union with that which we value most. In my experience such moments are times when I feel uneasy about myself, and I feel a longing to fulfill something deep within. For un as Christians that something within which speaks to us may be called the Living Christ, or the Spirit of God; the Creator calling to us from the centre of our being. When Peter reaches the shore he is nourished, given an opportunity to affirm himself, and a direction. Applying this story to ourselves, we might say it concludes by showing that taking the risk of moving in a new way is not just a demand on our energy and out time, but rather is a moment that will nourish our deepest being and affirms us as worthy persons with Good News to share with the community. Let us be assured that God is with us at such moments. Amen.
A People Inspired and Courageous Acts 5:27-32 Inspired by their experience of the Resurrected Christ and the Holy Spirit, the apostles refuse an order to stop teaching about Jesus. God supports them in this by sending an angel to set them free from prison. Psalm 118:14-29 A celebration of victory over death, a passage which the church saw as referring to the RisenChrist. Revelations 1:4-8 John announces peace and grace to the churches from the enthroned eternal Christ who is ruler over the kings of the earth and who makes "us" into a kingdom of priests. John 20:19-31 Risen Christ appears to announce peace to the apostles who are in hiding and appears again when Thomas, who will not beleieve unless he touches Christ's wounds, is with them. (see also Bob's story, "Doubting Thomas" A426). For Easter Teaching device click here. Symbol for today might be a representaion of the new community initiated by the Spirit. Sermon notes Acts 5:27-32 Do you know of anyone who is able to take an idea and run with it. Do you know people who are able to make things happen, the kind of people you would ask to be chair of a building committee, or a fall tea. In any successful project, there will be someone at the centre who knows how to get things done, and has the determination to see it through even when the times are tough. The story of the establishment of the Dr. Jessie Saulteaux Centre is filled with such people. Dr. Jessie Saulteaux was an aboriginal woman of Carry the Kettle Reserve in the Canadian prairie province of Saskatchewan. Jessie and other elders of the north dreamed of their people having a special place where they could be trained for ministry, and talked of this dream often. After many years Their dream caught the attention of others who were inspired by them, and who were called by God to make this dream a reality. As you can imagine, they soon found that setting up a school for the training of aboriginal ministers would not be easy. They had to convince the church of the need for such a school, they had to raise money for all the things a school would need and they had to find a place for it. They wanted a space near a city, yet where the students could be close to nature. They also had to overcome racism. Some people could not tolerate the idea of having a bunch of Indians in their neighbourhood. So, they planned and struggled and held classes even before they had money or permanent place. Finally, they found wooded place near a small river that where they would be welcome. They named their school the Dr.Jessie Saulteaux Centre.1. Now, two decades or more after it incorporation, the school is flourishing as a college of the United Church of Canada. They still have struggles, but they have students coming from far and near - both aboriginal and no-aboriginal. They done ground-breaking work in developing training methods. They still need people with vision, and continue to rely on people who know how to get things done, and who will not give up when the going gets tough. Surely, the Spirit of God and the presence of the Risen Christ inspired and led them in this work and continues to do so. You probably know such people. Luke portrays St. Peter as having such vision, determination and courage. Luke tells us that Peter and Andrew and James, and John, and Mary of Magdala and other women of the first congregation were such people. They were inspired by the presence of Christ and by the Spirit. God gave them the gifts to get things done and the vision, courage and determination to let nothing stop them - not even being thrown into jail. Luke pictures the apostles as defeated and dejected after the death of Jesus. I imagine Luke sitting down to write his story of the beginning of the church. Luke realizes that it never would have gotten off the ground if the friends of Jesus had not experienced the Risen Christ. Luke also saw that there would be no Jesus movement or advocacy of Jesus' teaching without the strong presence of the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, he is convinced that the Gospel would have died with Jesus if the friends of Jesus had not been a community of courage, vision and determination. So Luke gives us an account of the first days of the church that has all these elements: Risen Christ, Holy Spirit, and a community of courage, vision and determination. I say community of courage because from the beginning they had one another. Of course Luke was writing this little book for the people who were the church 90 years after it began. Maybe after three generations the people of the church were staring to take the Gospel for granted. So, I think Luke is telling the people of his own time: Look! this is what it took to begin the church, and this is what it will take to continue to spread the Good News. We too must be a people of the Risen Christ; we too must be a people inspired by the Holy Spirit; we too must be a community with hearts of courage, vision and determination. We could also take Luke to be writing for the generations yet to come - including ourselves! For us to espouse the teachings of Jesus today we too must be inspired by the Risen Christ, led by the Holy Spirit and we must be a community with hearts of courage. We can see the truth of this all around us. If we open our eyes to see we will find that the Risen Christ is calling men and women to give themselves to God's love and justice. When we look for it we find there are many people in the world in whom the Holy Spirit is moving to save the planet and it creatures. Everywhere we find people of courage and determination forming communities of hope. For me the Risen Christ is a symbol for the work of God's grace and justice against the powers which oppress and demean. For me, the Holy Spirit is found wherever people are moved to be engaged in work of grace and justice. I see then, the Risen Christ and the Holy Spirit in my neigbour who wants peace and love and equity for his or her neighbour. This includes pretty well everyone I know. The Risen Christ is to be seen in all of us, and all of us in some way are moved to be involved in this work. Pretty well all of us want a world in which every child has access to food and school, home and love. So, why do we not have such a world? I am not sure that I can answer r that question, but what I see in the world is a lack in the third charcteristic which Luke portrays in the first apostles. I think that we have the world we have because we allow out leaders to stop short of making it happen. It seems to me that greed and love of power take over the human heart so that as a a world we fail to follow Christ or be guided by the Holy Spirit. How else can we explain the world's failure the make medicine available to the many children in Africa who are suffering from AIDS? We all know what is right to do, but as a world we do not do it. Yet, all is not lost, there are many whose lives are signs of resurrection and the Holy Spirit, both inside the church and in the secular world. In such people there is hope. Lloyd Axeworthy, sees hope in the rise and growth of many Non Government Agencies which have come into being in the past decade and who are becoming influential in how the world governs itself and uses God's resources. In each of these so-called NGOs there people who go to the front lines and each of these NGOs is supported by hundreds of people who give time and money to their work. Just thois past week I met three such people on the main street of my city. They were four young adult Christain Peace-keepers placarding a Canadian oil company for it compliance with those who are making money from the current troubles of the Iraquie people. Today a friend of mine showed me teddy bears she ahnd her friends are making for Doctors Without Borders to be given to the children in thier care. The doctors have asked for teddy bears saying that the teddy bears often do more for the child receiving it than the medicines they get. For me, such phenomena are clear signs that Christ is Risen, the Holy Spirit is active in the world, and there are many people who, like apostles portrayed by Luke, have hearts of determination, courage and generosity. Christ is Risen!
1. For more information ask browser to find Jessie Saulteaux.
John 20:1-18 last revision, March 20 , 04 The gospel lesson before us this morning is that of Mary of Magdala encountering the Risen Christ 2000 years ago. In this sermon I am asking us to fast forward in time to Mary of today encountering the Risen Christ. It is important to do this because our faith is not Christ was risen, but rather Christ is risen! If Christ Risen is to mean anything it must be a current reality in every time - including our time. This raises a very important spiritual and theological issue. That is: Mary of Magdala and Mary of today live in very different worlds. In every area of life, the world is different for these two Marys. These differences beg the question: do they mean that the spiritual crisis of the first century is different from the spiritual crisis we face today? For instance, human understanding of the cosmos is now completely different from then. For Mary of Magdala the world was not a ball, it was flat, like a serving dish with a cover over it. The dish was was the earth, the cover was the sky in which were set the moon, and the sun. The God who crafted this world was sitting on throne just outside this serving dish. The spiritual crisis of her day in relation to the cosmos was: What is the worth of the ordinary humans on this earth who are mostly poor, considered to be sinners and living in demeaning servitude subject to the anger of the gods? For Mary of Magdala the Risen Christ was the answer to this question. Her answer to this spiritual crisis was: Each of us is of great worth, such great worth that God came among us to give God's own self for each of us and for all of us. The evil of this world tried to be rid of this Christ, but God raised him victorious over sin and death so that he now reigns at God's right hand. God invites each of us and all of us, as persons of great value, to accept from God freely offered citizenship in God's holy gracious kingdom. For the Mary of today the cosmos is very different. For her the earth is not a flat covered plate over which the sun shines. Rather for her the earth is a very tiny planet travelling around a small star on the edge of an immense galaxy which came into being with a big bang billions of years ago. The spiritual crisis for the people of who live in this cosmos is: What is our worth in all this vastness? Is a single human being of any value, living a brief hour on this tiny chunk of rock among these innumerable heavenly bodies? Is there a God who cares about this planet and the life-forms on it which may be extinquished at any moment? We see this spiritual crisis in present human behaviour which speaks of despair. We see the effects of this despair all around us. We see despair in the spread of pornography. We see it in recreational drug use and we see it in capitalism our materialistic religion. Pornography occupies the majority of sites on the world wide web - which is the debasement of women. Recreational drug use is pornography's companion . New cheap drugs are capturing the lives of people, young and old, in every city and hamlet the world over. I think that the spread of pornography and drug use are a clear sign that despair has captured the lives of many of us. Thirdly materialistic capitalism has become the value above all values - a god who increasingly bestows riches on the few, and poverty on the many. I would say that despair is the problem and the drugs, porn and capitalism are the symptoms. How does the 'Mary' of today bring the Risen Christ to today's spiritual crises? Let me share with you how I see her and her companions responding to today's spiritual crisis of despair. One of effects of the change in how we see the cosmos is an interet in finding God close at hand within creation and within the community of human beings. For instance, one modern Christian 'Mary' (not her real name) whom I know, is a minister in a church drop-in centre for street people, including youth. She tells me that in today's world, she doesn't look to find God out in the cosmos somewhere. Rather she says she finds God in the people who come to the drop in, and in the volunteers who greet and befriend them. She tries to treat the people who come to the program as if she were meeting Christ. In this way, as each person is so treated they are encouraged to move away from despair and to know themselves to be of great worth. Rita Nakoshima Brock, theologian and director of Bunting Instute Radcliffe College, "leads us to the questions: how can I be myself, understanding that Christ lives in me and in all people? what is my relationship to God, Christ, others and all creation? what can I do to lessen the pain and suffering we all experience in different ways?"1. Letty Russell, theologion and Presbyterian pastor, would have us locate Christ in the community of the faithful, around a common table.2. This not a novel place to look for God. According to Matthew, Jesus taught: "Where two or more are gathered together, there am I among them" (Mt18:20). Again Matthew records that Jesus taught; "As you do to the least of these little ones you do to me." In theological terms this is known finding God to be immanent. This is a way for you and I to have a real experience of the Risen Christ. For instance, when giving a funeral address I always begin by saying: I believe that God speaks to us in and through every other person, so let us remember how God was present to us in the life of this person whose life we are celebrating. Looking for God's presence close to us also leads to seeing the Risen Christ in Christian's gathered and also in Christ-like people of the world. We find Christ Risen in those who stand on the front lines proclaiming by word and action that that the.powers who sow despair do not have the victory. And we find the Risen Christ in those who cannot go to the front lines, but who support those who can. So, modern Marys and their friends see the Risen Christ in places where goodness triumphs over hurt and pain - even when the actors are not Christian. An example would Doctors without Borders.* I find this message proclaimed also in the secular media. One such place is a recent film titled, "Second hand Lions."** In this film an young boy asks his great uncle about truth and what to believe. His uncle replies that one should believe fervently in two things this even if they cannot be proven to exist. This two are: True love never dies and goodness always triumphs over evil. Lloyd Axworthy a former Canadian minister of foreign affairs and lay member of the United Church of Canada, and now social activist, expresses resurrection hope in his recent book, "Navigating a New World."*** He has become one who advocates a world order in which the key value is Human Security. In Human Security the safety of the individual as expressed in access to food, education, employment and health care for all takes precedence over the singular well-being of those who have power and wealth. This is a modern call to all people's to join in the Kingdom of God, Christ is Risen! May we too see God in our neighbours, and declare Christ is Risen through values by which we live each day. ----0000---- 1. Journey by Heart, Rita Nakashima Brock. Crossroad 1991. Quote from a review found at amazon.com/books 2. Household of Faith, Letty Russell. Westminster. *For information about Drs. Without Borders see www.msf.ca **Second Hand Lions," starring Haley Joel Osment, Robert Duvall, Michael Caine, Kyra Sedgwick . Written and Directed by Tim McCanlies. Home Line Entertainment. ***Navigating a New World, Knopf Canada, 2003. Lloyd Axworthy.
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