Giving thanks.

It's that time of year, when we specifically think about giving thanks. 
In less than a week, we will be (if we aren't already) surrounded by Christmas carols, store sales and the hustle and bustle of the approaching Christmas season.  Yet, in this week, before the season of Advent begins, we have time to pause and give thanks. 

I am so thankful for a wonderful weekend.  My parents came down from Connecticut to surprise my sister as she ran the Philadelphia marathon.  They arrived on Friday evening and we enjoyed making dinner in the new kitchen, talking and just catching up. 

Saturday I ran a little with my mom, and she and dad ran a bit on their own. (At that point I was struggling with a cold, and if the daily meds couldn't get rid of it I was hoping to run it out of my system! Alas, that did not work.)

Saturday afternoon I had the pleasure of swapping ornaments and enjoying a late afternoon tea with some of the ladies at Trinity.  Such wonderful fellowship as we gathered around the table to talk and to laugh. 

Saturday evening I was able to worship with my family.  Billy, mom, dad and I worshiped together and enjoyed some fellowship at church before heading home for a family dinner. 

We were up super early on Sunday to make it into Philadelphia before they closed the roads around the race route at 6am.  We made it to the race start to meet up with my sister pre-race.  I also ran into Darrell and his kids before the start.  Isn't that a wild thing?  Thousands of runners and spectators and I run into folks from Trinity!  Crazy, but wonderful.  I was able to look for and spot Allison a few times during the race.  Fun times! 

Post-race....the whole family went to a funky Irish restaurant in Philadelphia for dinner.  As we gathered around that tiny table, we were together....celebrating family and marathon runners...giving thanks for that opportunity to all be together for that brief moment in time.  Who knows when we will gather together again.  Mom and dad hope to come down for Christmas, but my sister will be with her husband's family up in New Hampshire.  And that's the way family works.  There are times and places that we are blessed to be together and other times when we are apart.  But for those times we are together, I give thanks to God, for safe travels, for the opportunity for each of us to have time off, for the gift of time to be together. 

As this Thanksgiving draws near, I am thankful to God for so many things.  For safe travels throughout the year.  For my family at Trinity who has welcomed me in and continues to support and nurture me. For the opportunity for my family to see my joy and happiness. For the opportunity to run 13.1 miles with my mom.  For the opportunity to meet someone special and share many fun times together.  For the opportunity to be apart of the ministry that God is so busy with at Trinity.  For the opportunities for new and wonderful things in the coming year.

For what do you give thanks?

Take time to pause this Thanksgiving...around the table....with friends and family...to give thanks to God for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon you.  They are bountiful.  They are wonderful.  May we all continue to be blessed by God in the coming years....

 +paz

Remembering all the saints...then and now.

November 6, 2011

All Saints Sunday

Revelation 7:9-17

Psalm 34:1-10, 22

1 John 3:1-3

Matthew 5:1-12

Please pray with me,

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen. 

¹ What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also why the world doesn't recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he's up to.

 ^2-3But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus' life as a model for our own.

That’s it really.  We are children of God!  God love us!  God saves us!  We go on to live and love others in that glory.  Amen.

Just kidding…In a nut shell, it is that simple.  That in this passage, we hear that we are God’s children.  That God loves and saves us.  That God loves us so much, that before we were here, God sent Jesus into the world, to live with us, to teach us and to die for us. 

Pastor Bill often says in confirmation (and perhaps even first communion) that your parents are the only ones in your life who will take a bullet for you.  Maybe I didn’t get the quote just right, but you get the idea, that a parent’s love for a child is like no other. 

A parent’s love for a child has nothing to do with how the child acts or how the child behaves.  That love is there…it is constant…it is never-ending….no matter what.  It is the love that naturally flows out of a parent’s heart. 

I would be naïve if that meant that all experiences between parents and their children were happy and smooth and easy and involved no arguments or fights.  If you are a parent or a child, you know that the relationship isn’t perfect.  In reality, we are human, we do our best to be the best that we can, but we mess up, we make mistakes, we fall short of being the amazing people that God calls us to be. 

But that’s the amazing thing about being children of God, God loves us for who we are, for who God created us to be….even if were aren’t acting up to our full potential.  Do you get that?  That God’s love is all encompassing and all embracing…so that at our best moments and at our worst, God continues to love us and save us no matter what. 

It’s not about how many good deeds we can do so we ‘qualify’ for God’s love.  But it’s about opening ourselves up to receive the love that God gives…which then flows out of us. 

We are a fallen humanity.  We are sinful beings.  We confess that at the beginning of worship together….only to be graced with the unconditional love of God as we step up to this table.  Just like children being called in from playtime outside to the dinner table, we are called together, to this table. 

Remember with me, if you will….back in the day.  Long, warm summer days.  Playing outside in the yard or the neighborhood with your friends.  You’d all be outside playing ball, tag, riding bikes, or jumping rope…perhaps even drawing creations on the sidewalk and driveway with chalk.  And then you hear your name….mom or dad is calling you in for dinner.  You hear similar shouts throughout the neighborhood…the names of your friends being called in…from a time of play, to a time to share a meal around the table with family.  And no doubt you said….Coming! 

Because who around here, in Berks county especially, would not answer positively when called to a meal?  When called, we respond. 

That’s exactly what happens in this place and at this table. 

Just as you have been called in to the table by mom or dad or grandma or grandpa as you grew up….God still calls us to this table.  To this meal of bread and wine.  A simple meal that strengthens us and nourishes us for service and love in the world around us. 

It is God who invited us to this table through the waters of baptism…and it is God who calls us this day to this place….It is God’s words calling…let us give thanks to the Lord our God and you all say “Coming!!! As you respond with it is right to give our thanks and praise.”  It is you who reply…with the whole company of heaven and with all the saints who have gone before us. 

As we gather together to celebrate All Saints Day.  We remember those who have gone before us.  Who are already at the heavenly banquet….they answer God’s call, and sing with us too….this is the time when our voices unite who those who have sung with us on earth…we sing together with all the saints…with all who have gone before us…with…

                                                                     

We also remember, this All Saints Day, that we, too are called as Saints…to this table.  To celebrate this Holy Meal with those who surround us now, and those who have gone before us. 

As you come forward for communion this day, you are invited to take space around you at the railing…to allow space for those saints who have gone before us to join us at this feast.  Take time at the railing to remember the meals you shared with them…at this table and at others.  May our time at this table today, remind us of all who have gone before us in the faith, all the Children of God who are in God’s heavenly home. 

And  as you depart from this table…I invite you see the saints around you in this place…those who live and journey with us now.  Those who are not yet in this space who have yet to hear of God’s love and grace…of those who have yet to join us at the Lord’s Table…or those who have not graced God’s table in a month, a few months a year or more…take time this week to pray for, to call and to invite those saints back into our midst.

At this table is a place for you. 

At this table is forgiveness, grace and love, for you. 

And there is room at this table, for all. 

Until that day, when we are all united with all the saints who have gone before us, let us celebrate this meal, this foretaste of the great feast to come. 

May it strengthen those who are weak. 

May it comfort those who mourn.

May it offer forgiveness to all.

And may it strengthen in us, our call to invite others to this table, to share that same love and grace that God has bestowed upon us. 

And now may the peace which passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and let all God’s people say, amen. 

amazing weekend!

I had the most amazing experience this past weekend. 
I traveled home to visit my parents and my mom and I completed the Hartford 1/2 Marathon together. 
We started together....and stayed together until we crossed the finish line - together. 
I am so blessed to have such a close relationship with my mom.  It was such an honor to see the results of her training as we finished the race. 

It's a moment I will never forget.  I thank God for my mom, for the relationship we have and for the memories we are blessed to share.  I know there are other mothers and daughters that have relationships like we do...and those who do not.  I should also say that it was great to have the opportunity to worship with the congregation where I worshipped as a kid and young adult.  Stepping into that building is coming home.  The people there are family, whether they knew me as a kid or just met me this past weekend, that community in Christ helped me become the woman I am today, the woman God created me to be.  There are so many women in that congregation who I could call mom.  So many women who impacted my life in little, yet important ways to help me become who I am today and who I continue to be. 

I feel that way at Trinity, too.  The sense of family, the feeling that people here are my family, just as my mom, dad and sister in New England are, just as my family at First Lutheran in Ellington is....The blessings found in the family of a congregation are amazing.  I pray that people find that congregation that teaches, nurtures and encourages them to grow in faith and in life. 

Find that congregation, worship with that congregation, pray with them, sing with them, fellowship with them, share highs and lows with them and be there for them.  It's an amazing thing, a church family, I hope others can experience God's grace and love through the actions and love of a congregation.

+paz

God's joy wins....(C.S. Lewis)

October 9, 2011

Isaiah 25:1-9

Psalm 23

Philippians 4:1-9

Matthew 22:1-14

Please pray with me,

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God, our rock and our redeemer, amen. 

Today in our gospel reading, we come to the end of a trilogy…a trilogy of parables, that is.  The past two weeks we have heard Jesus telling parables, and today is no different….but as we hear about this king and the wedding feast he prepares, it is helpful if we hear it in the context of the other parables. 

This section started off with the chief priests and the elders questioning Jesus’ authority.  Jesus shares a parable about the two sons and a father who asked them to work in the vineyard.  One says he will, but then decides not to, and the other says he won’t but changes his mind and does end up working that day.  A challenge for those in authority to hear that tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom before they will. 

The second parable we heard last week.  About the absentee vineyard owner who sends slaves to collect the rent…the slaves are beaten and killed….so the owner sends his son.  The tenants of the vineyard treat the son the same way, in hopes that by killing the heir, they will inherit the vineyard. 

After this parable, the chief priests and Pharisees realize that Jesus is talking about them.  They want to arrest Jesus, but have a fear of the crowds, so they do not. 

Today’s parable follows those two…and speaks about this wedding banquet that a king prepared for his son.  Those surrounding Jesus, especially the chief priests and the Pharisees, know that this is directed at them.  They would have heard that God has prepared and elegant banquet for his Son, but those who were invited have chosen not to attend.  For whatever reason, they are not going to the banquet.  So the king has sent his slaves out to the main streets to gather whomever they can find to come to the banquet.  In the Greek, the word for main streets translates more as cross roads, not necessarily the main streets in town, but the cross roads where the main roads diverges to other cities.  These slaves are being sent out, out of the city, out of the inner circle, to see who they can find to invite.  And…they invited both the bad and the good.  (Get that….everyone is invited!  Everyone!) 

But then comes the unsettling part of this parable.  In the midst of the celebration, there is one guest who is not clothed appropriately.  In Jesus’ time, at special banquets and celebrations, clothing was available at from the host, so everyone would be dressed appropriately.  Kind of like those fancy restaurants where a jacket is required…they usually have a few on hand in case the diners didn’t know the dress code in advance.  Yet this one guest just doesn’t’ have the robe, and doesn’t have a reason for not having one either.  He’s speechless. 

So the king has him bound and thrown into the outer darkness…where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth….the gospel of the Lord? 

Really?  This is the last parable in this trilogy?  Again, here I am looking for the happy ending…and this guy has been thrown out of the banquet because many are called but few are chosen.  Ugh. 

But think about this.  You’ve been at a party where someone is not having a good time.  They came to the wedding and they are at the reception, but they are a bump on a log.  They are not happy.  And you just can’t seem to get them to have a good time.  They don’t want to dance, they don’t want to talk, they’d rather just sit there.  The joy is there….the fun surrounds them….but they don’t see it…or don’t want to let it break into their hearts….and change them. 

But I’m here to tell you that God’s joy will win out in the end. 

All of these parables speak to us, about the kingdom of God.  When we think about the kingdom of God we often think about what happens after we die.  We think about heaven…..and hell.  We wonder what will happen after we die….or where we will end up. 

If you’re looking for the difference between heaven and hell, here it is.  In hell, there is a huge feast laid out on the table, but everyone's knives and forks are so long that they can't get the food to their own mouths. Struggle as they may, in the face of all this food, they starve.

In heaven, the story is almost exactly the same. There is a wonderful feast laid out. The knives and forks are so long that you can't get your food to your own mouth. The difference is that, in heaven, the people stop trying to feed themselves and instead use their long knives and forks to feed each other. No problem!

Now…take that next step with me.  The kingdom of God is here and now.  No, seriously it is. 

So how are we called to live in the kingdom here and now? 

How are we called to be embraced by God’s love and joy? 

How does the joy of God break into our hearts….and shine forth in what we do and say? 

Here are a few examples: 

“Tonight I lectured on my passion! Assistive Technology. I do this every week in the Fall but tonight I felt my passion speaking out as I taught six students how to write by scanning using a switch to type a sentence 1 letter by 1 letter on an onscreen keyboard. I thank God every day that he gave me this passion and joy is sharing it. One day I will help kids succeed in their school and environment again. But until that day I will continue to watch people become amazed at what the possibilities are. I love assistive technology!!!”

Can you feel that passion?  Can you feel God’s joy breaking through the heart of this person?  Can you see the joy?  It’s here and now. 

This past week, I had the opportunity to visit a parishioner at the hospital.  The first day I visited was his birthday.  Due to his liquid only diet, he did not get the hospital birthday cupcake :( nor did he get to go to Shady Maple Smorgasbord for his free birthday meal.  I was there as 3 staff came in to get an x-ray and they were laughing and talking with all of us, and genuinely enjoying their vocation. 

I got to visit again the next day and the wife of the patient said, "You know what one of the nurses did, Pastor?"  "No...." I replied. 

She said, "The nurse called Shady Maple to see if the hospital could send a note so he could get his free meal when he gets out of the hospital.  The restaurant said no, they used to do that but too many people worked the system that they had to stop." 

But the nurse took that extra time.....to see beyond herself, to see the patient as more than just a patient, but as someone in community with her. There is love, there is joy and there is abundance here and now. 

Can you see it? 

How are you called into daily vocation, living your life in the kingdom…at the wedding banquet here and now… sitting at a bountiful table, surrounded by God’s blessings of family and friends, of food and shelter, of companionship and support….how are you feeding others around you? 

C.S. Lewis writes in his book, The Great Divorce, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell . No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened.”

No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it….

Look for those ways to see God at work through you. 

Tell others about those amazing experiences.

Share that joy in your heart, in your life and in your community. 

And now may the peace, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and let all God’s people say, amen. 

God is God, all the time.

October 2, 2011

Isaiah 5:1-7

Psalm 80:7-15

Philippians 3:4b-14

Matthew 21:33-46

Please pray with me,

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God, our rock and our redeemer, amen. 

Alleluia! Christ is risen! 

He is risen, indeed, Alleluia!

Don’t worry, your pastor hasn’t completely lost it….by beginning her sermon with an Easter greeting in the middle of the Sundays following Pentecost.  And most likely I won’t be wishing you all a Merry Christmas next week.  I know it’s not Easter.  But as we talked through this text at our clergy Bible study this week, one of my colleagues said, in essence, this is an Easter text. 

It’s a challenging text for us to read and hear.  I don’t know about you, but I love a happy ending.  I like it when all the loose ends are tied up…in the movie world, the villain gets caught, the love interests are resolved and the goofy friend continues to make everyone laugh. 

Yet in today’s parable, it seems to be anything but a happy ending.  NT Wright says, “There is no happy ending to this story.  It is pure tragedy.” 

The parable begins with a situation that was business as usual in Roman-occupied Palestine. A landowner established a vineyard complete with a fence, a winepress, and even a watchtower.

He then became an absentee landowner, returning to his own country as often happened in the far-flung territories of the Roman Empire. Tenants were in charge of overseeing the productivity of the vineyard and paying their rent to the owner at harvest time, in the form of a share of the produce.

In this case, though, when the owner's slaves arrived to collect his share of the produce, the tenants attacked them, even beating one and killing another. The owner of the vineyard then simply sent another delegation of slaves to collect the rent.

Those slaves were treated even worse than the first. Surely by now the owner would send in troops or some form of armed enforcement of his rights!

I mean, think about it, you’re the landowner…you’ve sent some of your slaves to collect what is due and the tenants have beaten some and killed others…who would you send now?  Certainly, not your son.  After seeing how the others were treated and killed, would you be willing to send your son into that?  No way! 

But the tenant does, perhaps hoping and praying that the tenants will respect him.  Which we know does not happen, they kill the son somehow thinking that they will get his inheritance. 

In sharing this parable, Jesus seems to be addressing those who are tending to the vineyard, and people of Jesus time would have thought of Israel as the vineyard. 

We are reminded of that connection in our reading from Isaiah this day.  In Isaiah, however, it is Israel itself that is blamed for not producing fruit.  Yet, as Jesus tells this parable it is not the vineyard that is the problem, but those who are tending it, those in charge. 

So if we follow this parable to the end, we hear that those who are tending the vineyard, will kill the son of the heir.  Jesus is telling the story of his own life….and death….he is predicting his own death: such an unhappy ending. 

So where is the good news in this passage?  Where is the promise of God’s love in our lives?  Where is the good news of promise and hope?  Where is the happy ending? 

Alleluia, Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed, alleluia!

Why the Easter refrain?  Because in this passage, as Jesus predicts his own death, God’s love is revealed to us.  Through the life, the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s love is revealed to us and to the whole world.  That, my friends, is good news.  Jesus knows what is going to happen and Jesus knows that his death and resurrection is part of that plan.  Through his own death and resurrection, the world will be saved. 

How heart wrenching to hear Jesus predict the saving event for all peoples. 

Last month, my childhood friend, Liesl was diagnosed with IBC, Inflammatory Breast Cancer.  The diagnosis was a complete surprise, but the love and support from friends and family was not.  This weekend, the Lutherans for Liesl team will be walking to raise money for IBC research.  They have already surpassed their goal of $20,000.  As the testing and treatments continue, friends and family are holding Liesl, her husband and their two little girls in prayer. 

We are praying and hoping for a happy ending. 

But the reality is that we don’t know what the future will bring. 

We don’t know how things will pan out and we’re not the only ones facing situations like this. 

There are other families facing futures unknown because of cancer or other life threatening diseases.  There are other families facing futures unknown because of financial problems.  There are other families facing unknown futures because of wounded or broken relationships. 

The reality is that we live in a world where things are not perfect and we, as humanity, cannot make things perfect. 

Yet in the midst of an imperfect world, God sent Jesus to live with us, to teach us, and to die for us.  Jesus rose from the dead to save us from all these imperfections, all these struggles and all the strife we face in this world. 

God didn’t send Jesus into the world to take all of this away….but so that we may know God’s love and grace in our lives here and now. 

We are invited into the kingdom here and now.  We are saved and loved by God….and therefore we are a changed people. 

Alleluia, Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

We are free to love and serve one another. 

We are free to see outside of ourselves.

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we know of God’s abundant love and grace in our lives….that changes us. 

So as you go from this place, let that message of love and hope and good news change you. 

May it be seen in your words, deeds and actions.  May the freedom from sin and death show forth in all that you do and say. 

You are loved.

You are saved.

Let that be seen in all that you do and say. 

And now may the peace, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and let all God’s people say, amen.

PS.  At the Crossfire (Trinity's Contemporary Worship Service) last night, I added in a different call and response:  God is God, all the time.  and All the time, God is God.  You see, the one I orginally heard was God is Good, all the time and all the time God is Good.  In light of today's gospel reading, God did not send Jesus into the world to make it all sunshine and roses...not to take away all the struggles and tribulations, but so that we may know God's presence with us amidst life as it happens.  Because when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, how can you say, God is good?  When your home is foreclosed upon and your family must relocate, how can you say, God is good?  But in the midst of that...you can say, God is God.  You can say God is in the midst of this and cannot be moved.  You can be certain of God's love and grace in your life in the midst of the hardships, illness and distress....and that, my friends, is good news.   

Reflections on forgiveness



Sermon from Saturday evening.

 

September 10, 2011

Genesis 50:15-21

Psalm 103:[1-7] 8-13

Romans 14:1-12

Matthew 18:21-35

Please pray with me,

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight O God, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen. 

There’s something unique about this service, isn’t there…okay maybe it’s not just one thing…and maybe the service isn’t too unique, but because of a few simple differences this service allows us to deeply connect with today’s Gospel lesson. 

The basic order of service is the same as Sunday, and it can be simplified to 4 parts. 

Gathering: we gather together in confession and song

Word: we hear God’s word

Meal: we come forward for the Lord’s Supper

Sending:  we are sent from this place…back into the world.

But the gathering is where this service is just a little different. 

Immediately following the confession and forgiveness, we pass the peace. 

Now that’s a bit different.  And truth be told, it’s tripped me up a few times….but today, when our lessons revolved around forgiveness….how many times should we forgive? 

Here’s a comic to illustrate today’s lesson, from Agnus Dei…

(Above is the weekly lectionary based comic from Agnus Day.)

We’re left with the sheep to ponder…really, how many times are we to forgive…and is it really as easy as the click of a mouse?  Probably not…

And like last week…this whole forgiveness thing isn’t about making life easier for you or me individually…it’s not about forgiving so you can forget what happened, it’s for the sake of the larger community. 

This is a tricky parable we come upon this weekend…and it’s a weekend that calls us to think about the past, about actions we have taken not only as individuals but also as a community and as a nation.  How are we to forgive those who have purposely hurt us? 

How are we to forgive those who have taken lives who have hurt families who have instilled in us a sense of fear? 

I don’t have a clear answer for you.  That’s the truth.

Maybe the other truth is the reality that maybe we cannot forgive. 

Every time we speak the words of the Lord’s Prayer we speak forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. 

We continually pray for forgiveness…for new starts, for fresh beginnings, for the opportunity to have a clean slate.  And time and time again….God reaches in with a hand and a promise that we are forgiven.   We are freed to see outside of our own hearts and lives to see each other and the impacts we have in all our relationships. 

So here we are…forgiven.  A new people.  A new creation. 

Pretty amazing, huh? 

So how do we live in a world full of hate and revenge as people walking in the light of Christ…as a people united by the cross…washed in the waters of baptism…and forgiven and freed to love one another? 

It could be that we don’t think we deserve this unconditional love from God that we are only human, and we don’t deserve this love and grace. 

Yet we begin worship each week with this gracious reminder…

And at this service it is immediately followed by the passing of the peace…

Not a time to catch up with each other on the week’s gossip,

Not a time to find someone to volunteer for a new committee or project…

But the passing of the peace of the Lord…

It’s a time in the service where we make amends with one another…

It’s a time for us to forgive others…

It’s a time that helps us prepare to come forward to the Lord’s table…not focused on one another. 

Not worried about our own issues or someone else’s problems…or gossip or hurtful words, coming up to this table is that second reminder of God’s amazing grace and forgiveness…that we are welcome here no matter what. 

Think about that…

No matter who you are, you are loved.

No matter who you are, you are forgiven.

No matter who you are, you are free….to share that love and forgiveness. 

So what does that mean for us…here and now? 

Within the walls of Trinity, within the community of Robesonia…and as a nation? 

How does who we are as a chosen, loved and forgiven people impact the world around us? 

How does that change how we respond to war, pain, suffering, attacks, world hunger, broken families, sickness and death? 

I’ve heard it said that the heart of God is cross shaped. 

Pretty cool, huh?

The heart of God is cross shaped….because that’s where God’s unconditional love was and is shown for us as Jesus died on the cross.  That’s how much love god has foe us…so as a new people, as a chosen, loved and forgiven people, how do we point out God at work in the world…even in the suffering and the pain, in the remembering and the reconciling….

There’s this well-known tag line, or call and response that says, God is good…all the time. 

All the time….God is good. 

I’m not sure if I can agree with that…God is good in the midst of war?  In the midst of famine?  In the hurricanes, storms, floods?  In the political arguments?  In the economic struggles?  God is good? 

What I can stand behind I that God is God.  All the time….

And all the time God is God. 

God is with us in the midst of all that happens…loving and saving us and watching us mess up and continuing to love and save us…throughout history…this cycle seems to repeat itself. 

That won’t make life any smoother…

That won’t take away the pain and suffering in the world…

That isn’t a go directly to go and collect $200….it means we are still a vital part of this world, this church and this community. 

But knowing God is active in our lives each and every day changes who we are in the world. 

So as you leave from this place, this day…hear and know this:

God is with you. 

God loves you. 

God forgives you. 

And may those words of forgiveness remind us of the new creation we are in Christ.  . 

May God’s amazing grace in our lives change us, move us and free us to love and serve and forgive….

And now may the peace, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, and let all God’s people say amen. 

It's the cross that unites us.

(Just a note: the illustration for this sermon is the short story by Dr. Suess, The Zax.  It is found in the book The Sneetches and other stories.  If you haven't read it, please, check it out, I have a copy you can borrow.)

September 4, 2011

12^th Sunday after Pentecost

Ezekiel 33:7-11

Psalm 119:33-40

Romans 13:8-14

Matthew 18:15-20

Please pray with me,

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen.

The North-going Zax and the South-going Zax…both set in their ways. 

Both certain that they are doing exactly what they are supposed to do be doing.

Both unwilling to budge, even in the least. 

You don’t know anyone like that do you?  

I love this story because it takes a common occurrence, a disagreement between two individuals and takes it to the ridiculous!  I mean really, have any of us not budged from one spot for 59 years….or more? 

Maybe we need to think outside of the box on this one…not just about two people going in conflicting directions physically, but what about the differences that spring up between us on our everyday lives.  Think for just a moment about a time when you have disagreed with someone…when you’ve not seen eye to eye, perhaps it was something at home, or something at work…or perhaps something here at church. 

It’s so easy to get stuck in our own ways…that’s human nature…that is sin…to turn in on ourselves, to turn away from God and others and in on ourselves. 

We live in a society that promotes me, myself and I. 

We live in a society that glorifies the isolated individual and marginalizes God. 

It’s a tough world out there…and it’s a world that will keep going on…so how are we to break out of ourselves, to see each other…to see God in our midst and to be open to the bigger community? 

Well, I think that’s where Matthew’s passage speaks to us today. 

I’d like to read the first part of that passage again, but this time from the New Revised Version, it’s just a little different than what’s printed in our bulletins so give it a listen,

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”  

Jesus is speaking to his disciples, and almost warning them about the disagreements that can and will come up in the midst of their community.  He gives them these guidelines as a reminder that their identity is communal.  And while disagreements and sins arise within our midst there are ways to address them for the sake of the community. 

So if something comes up, Jesus recommends face to face conversation about with the person who you feel wronged you.  Don’t go to three other people first, talk with that person about it.  If, at that point you don’t see eye to eye, then bring a few people with you.  

I don’t think that you are purposely headed out with a posse behind you to drive your side home, but they are there to see the interaction, to see with new eyes both sides of the story, to hear with fresh ears how both people feel.  Again, it is for the sake of the greater community.  

If there is still a struggle, then bring into account the whole church, the whole body who is being affected by this disagreement….and if that doesn’t work…Jesus tells them to treat that person as a Gentile or tax collector: two of the types of people that Jesus continually reached out to and repeatedly welcomed in.

Because, again, that’s what it’s all about…continually inviting and welcoming all to hear the good news in Christ Jesus and to share God’s love and grace with everyone. 

Who we are in this place, in the context of Trinity Lutheran, is because of our unity through baptism, through the cross on our forehead and together we are brought to the cross of Christ. 

Maybe you have come to this congregation because of the fellowship, or because of the Bible Studies or because of the activities that connect us to the greater community.  You may have been drawn in by this space…by the liturgy and the hymns or because this is where your friends go to church. 

While these are all things that bring us together or that open the door to welcome in others…it is the waters of baptism that truly draw us in…and it is the cross of Christ that binds us together.  Truly it is the remembrance that God in Christ Jesus died for each and every one of us…that unites us, that defines us and is the reason we are here. 

So, in that same vein there may be things that you don’t like in this place. 

You may not like some of the hymns we sing…(all a million verses of them) you may not like all of the community activities Trinity is involved with, you may not like how an event is planned and implemented, you may not like how a project is developed and seen through…but that’s not what the deciding factor should be…there may be things that bother you in this place, attitudes and even people… 

But while there are peripheral things that bring us together…there are also those peripheral things that cause division….and you can live in that division if you want…just like those two Zax did…until the end of time…they held onto that grudge. 

But here Jesus reminds us that whatever we bind here on earth will be bound in heaven and what we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 

You can hold on to whatever grudge you want, but what will that do? 

Because here’s the thing, today’s gospel passage, all our readings today, actually guide us to and remind us of life in community. 

We are called to live with one another, the body of Christ is a life in community.  And our call, is to remember that bigger picture….

Our identity is communal. 

Our life is a life together and our life together surrounds and is surrounded by God. 

Coming together in this space affirms that our life is life together.

In this space, the word of God is proclaimed, Jesus is present in the wine and the bread….the waters of baptism wash over us, unite us and bring us ever humbled to the Cross of Christ where forgiveness and love and grace abound. 

Let us pray,

We give you thanks O God, for each other and for your presence with us.  We celebrate the experience of community that build us and others up. 

We especially seek your guiding hand and wise spirit when we find ourselves at cross purposes with one another.  Help us to be grateful, and not fearful, of honest encounters that enlarge our lives. 

May we not fail to listen for your Spirit’s stirring in our lives for the good through the voice of others. 

May we not fail to speak, when it is through us that you would speak truth, and seek justice and build up one another. 

We give thanks for each other’s prayers that accompany our days.  We give thanks for shared laughter and tears signs of true community in you.

And may the peace which passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and let all God’s people say, amen. 

* The closing prayer is adapted from a preaching resource The Minister’s Annual Manual.