looking at death in light of the resurrection...what are we celebrating?

So thankful I had the chance to go for a run yesterday morning, because I had a long day ahead of me and needed some time and space because I had a lot on my mind. 

I'm still breathing, praying and reacting to the global events of the few days...

I wish I had some deep insight...because I struggle with the jubilation that surrounds the death of someone.  I know that Bin Laden's actions and activities caused harm and death and loss and grief for so many people...that is what needed to come to an end, not his life.  I can't celebrate the death of anyone.

I was talking about this with the 5th & 6th graders in our after school program.  Some were happy because they knew he was a bad man...and knew of all the people who died on 9-11.  Others just thought is was sad that more people had to die.  It was moving to see the range of responses from this group of young people...and all while we were making paper beads.  

I think at this point I'm just sad.  Sad that many ways human beings react to violence and being hurt is to turn around and hurt others.  It sad to see in our communities in the case of abuse in a home or in our towns and nation...but when it begins to span the globe it becomes down right scary.  Because it seems to me that as the playing field gets bigger and bigger more and more people enter in...some level headed and others not...not a good thing.

And here we are...at the beginning of the Easter season.  Meeting up with Jesus as he made those first appearances to Mary and the disciples...a week ago, heck, even this past Sunday, I felt the reminder and the promise of new life, of a fresh start as we remembered/remember God's victory over death.  And now it feels as if there is much rejoicing over death.

At this time, I'm truly thankful for my faith community. While we will have different opinions and different reactions...I continue to pray that our words, responses and actions will stem from our call to live our lives as God calls us to.  That in the midst of a world in pain....the light of Christ will continue to shine through the darkness to illuminate the world.  I am thankful for the moments of laughter and joy, of fellowship and prayer that I shared with many different people of all ages the past few days.
+paz

Sunday's Sermon

May 1, 2011

Second Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14a-22-32

Psalm 16

1 Peter 1:3-9

John 20:19-31

Please pray with me,

May the word 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!)

Happy Easter!   I love that the season of Easter is 50 days!  We celebrate and walk in the glow of the empty tomb and promise of new life given to us through the resurrection of Jesus for a whole 50 days!  

And today, we see and hear about those first appearances that Jesus made after he was raised from the dead.  We hear about actual appearances that he made to his disciples in those first weeks following that first Easter day. 

Every year, the week after Easter, we hear this text.  Poor Thomas, talk about getting a bad rap… so often when we think of Thomas, we think of Doubting Thomas. 

This is probably Thomas’s most well-known moment.  That he must see the marks on Jesus’ hands and put his hands in the hole in his side.  Poor Thomas, seen as a doubter, one who is not so sure that Jesus is risen from the dead until he sees living proof. 

Yet, is he asking for more than the other disciples?  Yes, they were present when Jesus visited with them…saying peace be with you.  Yet, they were in hiding.  So how did they receive the news from Mary?  She had seen the risen Lord and told others about it, but they still hid.  They seemed to not believe either, until they saw the risen Christ. 

Poor Thomas…given a bad rap, and often his deep words of insight that we heard just three weeks ago have faded from our memories.  Do you remember the story of how Jesus went to raise Lazarus from the dead?  When Jesus talks about going to Judea where Lazarus is dead, Thomas says, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Poor Thomas…he knows what is coming, he knows what the future holds for Jesus, yet he is willing to go with him, into Judea, into the place where people wish him harm, knowing that is where Jesus is called to be. 

So, if Thomas knew what was coming…if he had an idea of what was to come...when Jesus first came to see the disciples, where was Thomas?  Some theologians have said that perhaps he was out looking for Jesus.  That would definitely make sense, right?  That Thomas’ actions were driven by this knowledge or this desire to seek out the risen Lord.  So maybe is truly out there seeking proof of the risen Lord, but perhaps it is because he already knows that Jesus has been raised from the dead. 

How often are we taken captive by our faith…and driven to look for the resurrected Christ in our midst? 

I read this week that, ‘Faith is not really about what we believe, but what difference it makes in our lives that we believe.’  (Brian Stoffregen)

‘Faith is not really about what we believe, but what difference it makes in our lives that we believe.’

My friend Mindy is a nurse at an elementary school.  This week in her office a 7 year old child said to an autistic 7 year old, "Are you autistic, because my cousin is and you act just like him."

Mindy and the other adult in the room, felt horrified for a second, "oh no...what do we say?"

With no hesitation the autistic child responded, "You mean like THIS?!" She proceeded to do a wild, happy dance in the nursing office. 

Instead of feeling embarrassed, she owned that moment and made it positive.

‘Faith is not really about what we believe, but what difference it makes in our lives that we believe.’

Think about it…how we live our lives, the words that we speak, the actions we take, they all begin with our belief in God and that we know God raised Christ from the dead.  And that makes all the difference!  Think about waking up every day, knowing that you have died to sin each day, you are born again and again and again through the waters of baptism.  In essence, you have nothing to worry about.  God has got this…really and truly! 

But then we have our own doubts, just like Mindy and her friend did, worrying about how to react in a situation, or what to say to a child when they ask a question.  Sometimes, it’s bigger than that, it could be that something happens in our daily lives, the loss of a job or the loss of a loved one, the reality of life threatening diseases that hit far too close to home, the impact of a changing economy, failing an exam that you felt prepared for, a friend getting injured in the midst of a sporting event, you name it…something happens that makes us wonder about the true presence of the risen Christ in our lives and in our world. 

We, like Thomas, are eager to see that presence…we look for the risen Christ within our midst, we want to believe…and sometimes we want to see Christ in our midst here and now.  We desire that reminder and that promise of new life in the midst of this hostile and sometimes crappy life. 

It is in the midst of the muck and the mire that God is revealed to us through the risen Christ.  It is in the midst of struggles, challenges, loss and grief that God comes to us.  We know God’s love for us because God sent Jesus to die for us! 

Mindy and her friend saw the dancing, resurrected Christ in the presence of that autistic child.  Their doubt was washed away, as they saw the joy and love in that child. 

Alleluia! Christ is risen!  (He is risen indeed!)

Easter is not just one day...Easter is not just coming to a wonderful, inspiring worship service, picking up your flowers and being on your merry way.  Easter is coming into worship, being immersed in God’s word, joining in the fellowship at the Lord’s table, sharing in this holy meal, only to be sent back into the hostile world, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to bear witness to the identity of God as revealed in Jesus and given the experience of Mary and her witness and the disciples and their witness to Thomas, we could expect that people will not believe us. 

And that’s the challenge, isn’t it…sharing the joy in this place, looking around and seeing that people who squished into pews with us last week, aren’t here this week.  Seeing that those who celebrated that joy of the empty tomb last week have gone back to their everyday lives missing the joy and the strength and the support that is felt in this place week after week after week. 

I pray that those who were gathered for worship together throughout this past week have the opportunity to gather again and again and again.  I pray that the community in Christ we feel in this place is what drives us out to tell others about the new life in Christ.  I pray that this community continues to reach out and welcome all to hear the good news that Christ is Risen!  He is risen indeed!

And while I hold this in prayer, it is that old camp song that goes…and they’ll know we are Christians by our love…not just our prayers…and I would say not just our love but our actions in our day to day lives. 

How you live your life, do your job, are active on a sports team or musical group….that shows the world around you your faith and God’s love active in the world. 

How you show your family, co-workers and community members that Christ has indeed been raised from the dead is the message that the world is longing to hear. 

In Bishop Mark Hanson’s Easter message he states, “The world aches to hear the message we have to tell.” 

What we hear and the meal we share in this place…strengthens us for the rest of our lives.  We know we can handle the roughest of days because death has been conquered.  And it is in that knowledge, that we long for others to hear this good news, to know of God’s amazing grace, and to be surrounded by the amazing community that is gathered in this space week after week. 

We know this amazing news as we will sing/just sang in one of my favorite Easter hymns…

Christ is Risen! Earth and heaven nevermore shall be the same.

Bread the bread of new creation where the world is still in pain. 

Tell its grim demonic chorus: “Christ is risen! Get you gone!”

God the First and Last is with us.  Sing Hosanna everyone! 

We are here, breaking the bread of the new creation…where, yes, the world is still in pain, but we are able to do so because God has conquered death.

How wonderful is that news?!?! 

It’s the news that Mary rushed to tell the disciples.

It’s the news that the disciples eagerly told Thomas. 

It’s the news that we are called to share outside the walls of this place to a world that is still in pain….and longs to hear this joyful message of forgiveness, love and amazing grace. 

Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed!

So go…and tell…and may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and let all God’s people say, Amen!

Easter Sunday, come and gone, now what?

What a blessing it was NOT to have an alarm wake me up yesterday morning.  Holy Week, from the Seder Meal, to celebrating first Communion on Maundy Thursday, to the living drama on Good Friday.  All were experiences that helped me along through the Passion story of Jesus. 

I do have to admit, Easter Day was a whirlwind...no doubt fueled by the Holy Spirit. 
4 services...back to back took me away!  After the first service and breakfast, there was no slowing down.  I'm so happy that I dug out my trumpet to play with other brass folks at the later services.  And singing with the choir, is always fun!  I felt a joy and an energy that carried me through the morning.  I hope those who came to worship...felt that joy, that surprise, that excitement of the empty tomb.  I hope that people left looking for and seeing the Living Christ within their midst...that folks have the opportunity to celebrate the 50 days of the Easter Season.  That new life is seen and celebrated everyday...as we die to sin thanks to God's amazing gift to us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

I hope, too, that worship is a place where people feel compelled to return to.  Being present in worship year round, I can see the ebb and flow of worship attendance.  And when the sanctuary is filled to the gills on Easter I celebrate that...am I frustrated that people don't attend more regularly...well....I don't think frustrated is the word, I think sad is more the feeling.  I love worship, hearing God's word, being reminded through the confession and forgiveness that God loves me and forgives me...and I celebrate the meal at the Lord's Table as yet another reminder of God's unconditional love and grace and the promise that there is room for everyone.  I think what saddens me is that not everyone feels that joy or feels the draw to be strengthened and nourished in body, mind and spirit each week. 

I don't know where I would be without my faith community.  They celebrate the good times and help carry me through the tough times, all because that is who God calls us to be. 

I was talking with my friend a few weeks ago about being strong.  She said, "You are strong...remember, you just moved 1/2 way across the country to a new home, a new congregation a new beginning....and you did it on your own!"  That's true, to an extent, that it was just me and the cat who moved, yet it was the faith community at Trinity that was carrying me and transporting me to this new place.  There were 1,400 people praying for me, preparing the way for me, and some of them even came out to Indiana to get me.  There was and is a faith community in place...and I felt it from the first card I received in Indiana...and the first facebook friend request.  I knew God was calling me here...because people here were extending the love and grace of God to me by the way I was and am continued to be welcomed in this place. 

I pray that those who were gathered for worship together throughout this past week have the opportunity to gather again and again and again.  I pray that the community in Christ we feel in this place is what drives us out to tell others about the new life in Christ.  I pray that this community continues to reach out and welcome all to hear the good news that Christ is Risen!  He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

+paz

holy and humbling moments.

This past Sunday seemed to offer a mix of very holy and very humbling moments. 

There was something about the 10:45 service...a full sanctuary (which means several hundred people) and lots of palms.  During the Great Thanksgiving as we chanted back and forth I felt embraced by the Body of Christ, that there was this gentle back and forth that we were gathered together by the Holy Spirit and we were able to just be. 

As I spoke the words of institution, I saw individual faces...I didn't see a room full of hundreds of people, it was an intimate gathering among those who know one another, care for one another and are called to serve one another.  The tears well up in my eyes as I remember how beautiful that moment felt, but also the reality that the moment would be just that...we would move on together to share in the Lord's Supper and then be sent on our way.  Talk about the triumph and the tragedy of Holy Week.  The joyous, celebratory moments are the ones you love to live in and hold on to...yet we were all sent from that place on Sunday...back into the community, back to our lives, back to continue to tell the story that we journey through this week, knowing that the joy on this coming Sunday comes after a last meal with Jesus, a reminder of his service to others, and to see him die on the cross for you and for me....it is after all that that we arrive at the empty tomb....but until that early morning...until we see the stone rolled away, we experience Jesus in our everyday lives here and now. 

And that is what happened to me on Sunday afternoon. 
With a free afternoon, I pulled out the mountain bike for a trail ride.  I veered off my regular path and realized that I am much more of a rails to trails biker than a mountain biker.  You see, I had to walk up the first hill....it was both steep and gravel.  (2 non-favorites rolled into one)  I biked out for a while and did better as it turned to more of a gentle, dirt path.  On my return trip, I had to come back down that first hill.  I thought it would be better to ride on the side (dirt/grass) rather than chance wiping out on the gravel.  So I went down slowly....I worry about going downhill too quickly.  Apparently one can also go too slowly....you see as I crawled down the hill, I got stuck in a divot and just fell over.  Still on the bike.  I got myself up, moved over to the gravel and continued on down. (fall free)  But as I sat there, on my bike, in the grass I thought, ugh.  This is not my forte, give me my road bike and all the hills in the world, that I can do...but this...not so much.  I guess I had thought that being on my bike everyday this month had magically turned me into a biker who could handle anything...not the case. 

So there you have it...a day of holy and humbling moments...and me at the end of it thanking God for creating me just as I am....and loving me for being that person. 

+paz

what helps us grow?

I can't stop thinking about the altar at the 10:45 worship service yesterday.  Here we are in the middle of Lent, which is often a time when congregations refrain from the weekly flowers on the altar as we think of a time that is pensive and less fancy.  Yet yesterday, the altar was full! 

Here is what it looked like: 

Now for some explanation....because this sight was only seen at the late service on Sunday. 

Saturday evening, there were arrangements in front of the altar from that day's funeral service. 

Sunday morning, during the Lenten Fair, the Sunday School youth decorated flower pedals that were transformed into flowers....which are beautiful...which were added to the altar for the 10:45 service. 

During that service, the children came forward for the children's message and blessed over 100 school kits for Lutheran World Relief.  :)  They are at the base of the altar. 

As you look at all the color, the flowers, the bags....what an abundance of life!  For me, I see the Sunday School flowers sprouting from the funeral arrangements.  How true is it that the all the saints who have gone before us continue to help us grow and bloom.  And the bags that surround all the flowers, show that we here at Trinity, not only grow up in our faith, but also share that faith and abundance with youth all around the world. 

What a blessing worship was yesterday...surrounded by abundance, being unbound by each other...freed to live and serve.  Amen.

new life...new beginnings...

So there is a styrofoam cup sitting on the windowsill in my office.  It has a smiley face on it...and the other day I noticed 3 blades of grass sprouting out. 

I love spring...new beginnings, fresh starts and all the new growth.  Everything seems to come out of its winter hibernation.  Trees begin to bud, daffodils are blooming...all sorts of other spring flowers are bringing colors to walkways, gardens and yards. 

As we continue this Lenten journey to the cross, to the death of Jesus and eagerly await his resurrection, we are moving through a winter time ourselves...we know what is coming.  We know that Christ has been raised from the dead, we know that God conquered death to free us from our sins and to bring us to everlasting life, yet in the midst of waiting...we struggle with here and now. 

We face natural disasters impacting Japan more than once...earthquakes around the globe, and close to home, we have said goodbye to people within our own community.  We live in the promise of the resurrection, we walk in the hope and promise of Jesus, knowing that God did not send Jesus into the world to make it smooth sailing for us, but so that we may know that God is with us through thick and thin.  It is easy to become overwhelmed by all that is going on in our lives and our world.  When we feel like we have hit rock bottom, God is still present with us. 

One of my seminary professors said it best as he shared the story of the loss of his wife to cancer.  He truly struggled to pick up the pieces.  His friends said to him, it's okay if you don't believe right now, we will believe for you. 

That community, the community in the body of Christ, in the communion of saints, helps sustain us and nurture us when we feel weak and overwhelmed.  The presence of God through the company of one another is God at work in our world, here and now.  As you see others hurting, aching, grieving...just being near them is a comfort. 

As we continue this journey together, be present with one another, around meals at your dinner table, gathered in the auditorium or bleachers, and gathered in the presence of one another around the Lord's Table...sharing the peace, singing hymns and praying together.  Make your presence known to others...it may be the smile, touch or simple presence that lifts them up this day. 

+paz

amen...er.....woohoo!

This past weekend's sermon....again, probably not word for word what you heard if you were with us this weekend...but the message is the same.

I believe the message was inhanced by the skit during the children's sermon, so I give great thanks to the four youth who acted out the withholding and the sharing of God's love.  (woo hoo!)

April 3, 2011

4^th Sunday in Lent

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Psalm 23

Ephesians 5:8-14

John 9:1-41

Please pray with me,

 As you led the Israelites through the wilderness, as you were with Joseph and Mary as they journeyed to Bethlehem, and as you journeyed with Jesus to the cross….you journey with us now.  Guide our hearts, minds and bodies on this Lenten journey.  Continue to turn us toward you, our light and our path, guiding us every step of the way.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

As our Lenten journey continues, we are invited into another encounter with Jesus.  Another one on one interaction with the Messiah.  Last week it was at the well with the Samaritan woman, this week it is a man who has been blind since birth. 

It was brought to my attention this week at our weekly clergy Bible study that these encounters are a little bit different than our expectation of Lenten passages.  We enter this season, a season of repentance, of turning – away from sin, away from ourselves…and back to God…and God’s mission in our lives.  These passages, however, these intimate and personal encounters shape us in a different way this Lent, don’t they?

We are moved away from thinking about the traditional Lenten disciplines…of prayer, fasting (which I think is nearly impossible at Berks county, let alone at Trinity) and giving of alms.  Instead, this Lent, we are being turned and shaped by ways that Jesus interacts not only with people throughout scripture, but also looking at ways Jesus meets us here and now. 

Both last week and this week, we have these individuals encountering Jesus.  Neither one of these people were seeking Jesus…Jesus came to each of them.  Jesus came to the woman at the well.  Jesus sought out this Blind Man, well, now formerly blind man not just once…but twice. 

Jesus comes to the blind man, puts mud on his eyes and sends him away….to wash and that’s when his sight is recovered. 

After this miracle this man begins to share this story…because people see a difference in him…now he can see!  But some people don’t believe that he used to be blind…they say this guy just looks like the blind man.  Neighbors, people in the community, even the Pharisees want to know who did this to him.  Well, really people, how is he to know who did this…he was blind…and had not seen Jesus. 

How quickly the doubts and the questions and the disbelief overpower the miracle. 

Yet each time this formerly blind man is asked about the healing…how it happened does not change, but the description of who did it, does change.  We see change and growth in the way that the blind man comes to know and describe Jesus. 

It is through his telling of the story, that he learns more about who Jesus is … and what the good news is that Jesus brings.   

I think some of the frustration that may come from this story is that this man…recently healed…tells this story over and over to disbelieving crowds.  It’s as if the miracle is too great to believe.  Who could do such a thing?  How can someone who does work on the Sabbath actually do such a thing?  The people who hear this story, who see a man who had been blind all of his life, seem to keep the blinders on themselves from being able to see Jesus for who he is, the Son of God, the Messiah. 

Hearing this story, here and now, we may be tempted to say, how could you ignore such a miracle, how could you not believe?  But if we saw such a miracle today, how many of us would be in disbelief? 

I think the Pharisees capture our thoughts exactly when they ask, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 

Surely, we are not blind, are we? 

Why is it so hard for the others in our passage this day to see…to really see Jesus for who he is, for the message he brings, through the acts he does? 

Surely, we are not blind, are we? 

The Pharisees are blinded by their adherence to the rules and the laws.  The Sabbath was for them a day of rest.  No work was to be done on that day…even a healing miracle.  They probably thought, well, this man has been blind from birth, what difference would one more day make.  Since the healing was done on the Sabbath, it must be a sinner who has done this, because he has not honored the Sabbath. 

  

They are unable to see Jesus for who he is…for the message he brings…and for the grace of God that he extends to the world. 

Surely, we are not blind, are we?

What keeps us from seeing God in the world around us?  What keeps us from seeing miracles every day?  What keeps us from feeling that wonderful feeling that the Samaritan woman had at the well?  What keeps us from having our eyes opened like the man in our text today? 

Okay, maybe that’s one question too many…but seriously…so often we are blind to the grace of God in our lives.  It’s as if we go through our lives with blinders on…focused on living our lives, just trying to get by day to day…hoping and praying that God will enter into our world…with a moment of grace, love and hope.  Yet we are blind to the ways that God breaks into our hearts and our lives every single day. 

I truly hope that you are taking advantage of the Lenten Devotional.  Each day, someone shares an example of how God has broken into their hearts and their lives.  Each devotion is a distinct “kingdom moment”: an example of a time and place where God has extended grace, mercy and presence to different people within the congregation. 

In each of these devotions…Jesus comes to us here and now…as we share in this kingdom moment. 

And while some of these readings may speak to you, and others may not, the writers have been changed through the sharing of their stories…these seemingly simple, yet profound and precious moments continue to shape each person who experienced it. 

We may be blind to all the wonderful things that God is doing in our world and in our lives just because we are looking in the wrong place, or because we are looking for something huge and spectacular like a blind person receiving sight. 

Surely, we are not blind, are we? 

In seeing the simple moments around us, and in sharing them, we are transformed.  Our lives are changed…our faith grows as it is shared with others. 

Look at how the formerly blind man’s faith changes as he continually tells others how he was given the gift of sight.  His final words in this passage are, “Lord, I believe.” 

He has been given sight in more ways than one…he can now see the world around him, and also see who Jesus is, the Messiah. 

As we continue our journey, may we share in these God moments.  Take time to look for where God is at work in your life, in your job, in your family and community.  Then take a moment to share that with someone…post it on the church facebook page, tell a friend about it, share it with someone at work, or someone at the gym…not only are more seeds planted when we do that…but we are changed, too.  Our eyes are opened…our faith is deepened and the community in which we worship and live grows as well. 

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.