The 2nd Sunday after Pentecost - Trusting God to Provide?

Of our three scripture readings this morning the one which stands out is the near-sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham.  The images from this story strike the reader or listener and compel our attention.  The journey on the donkey with the servants, the cut wood, the fire, knife, the altar being built.  Tension builds with each verbal exchange.  The author of this story prefaces it by naming it as a test of Abraham by God.

Abraham and God had a deep relationship.  Beginning in the 12^th chapter of Genesis we read about the calling of Abram—later renamed Abraham by God—and God's promise of blessing.  The author of Genesis tells us that Abram was seventy-five years old when he heard, understood and responded to God's call to leave home and kinfolk in Haran and journey to a place God would reveal to him.

The world of the Abraham differs in almost every way from our world today.  This fact helps us understand why the Bible needs to be interpreted.  Why were these particular events from thousands of years ago remembered and passed on in the oral tradition?  Why were they chosen to be included when the stories from the oral tradition were gathered and written down and then edited in the form received as holy scripture by the Jews.  There is not one answer to these questions, but they are interesting to think about.

But the fact that our modern world differs so much from the world of Abraham also makes interpretation of the stories about him more difficult.  Why would God, who had promised him blessing and offered Abraham a covenant of land and many descendants, ask him to sacrifice his son?  Many modern folks think God's request is outrageous.  The God of love, who offers us blessing, should never ask this!

What we have to focus on to understand this difficult story is the deep relationship between God and Abraham.  One can begin with the 12^th chapter of Genesis and read through the entire Abraham saga which ends with the account of Abraham's death and burial in the 25^th chapter.  In the stories, one sees Abraham living through all sorts of challenging situations.  As he faces these challenges, he makes choices based on his belief that God can be trusted to keep God's promises.

Was Abraham a paragon of virtue—someone who kept all the rules and never did wrong?  No, he wasn't, but he had a relationship with God, based on real trust, which allowed him to say to the servants in this morning's passage:  “ . . .we will worship and we will return.”  The quality of this relationship—a relationship of trust that led to Abraham's awe of God—also made him attentive to Isaac's question of concern about a lamb for sacrifice.  Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”

But doesn't this story also show God being tested?  Not by Abraham, but by all who hear or read the story generation after generation—even by us today.  How clearly, how firmly do we believe in God's reliability in providing for us?

Whenever I read this story of the almost-sacrifice of Isaac, I wonder about two things.  The first thing I wonder about is: am I open and trusting enough to see what God is providing?  Perhaps the ram caught in the thicket was always there.  In the anxiety that mixed with his trust, Abraham may have missed seeing it.  How often do we miss seeing what God provides, because we become anxious about how safe and secure we are?  Our worry about the outcome of a particularly fraught situation may prevent us from noticing how God is redeeming this situation.

Often it is difficult to see God's activity when we are in the midst of a situation.  But we must trust that when we look back, we can indeed see how God has acted.  Of course, the outcome may not be what we hoped for, but we can trust that God will be there with us.  As the psalmist wrote:  “But I put my trust in your mercy;/ my heart is joyful because of your saving help.”

The other thing I wonder about is what would God have done had Abraham said, “No, I won't sacrifice Isaac.”  We know from the story of city of Sodom's destruction that Abraham was willing to challenge and bargain with God. “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” Abraham called God out and bargained to save the city if only ten righteous inhabitants could be found.  Being clever Abraham might have softened his “no” and said, “I will go to the mountain you show me, and there I will build an altar. My son and I will worship you with an unblemished lamb for a sacrifice, because I trust the promise of blessing you have made to me.”

Of course, we cannot know what God would have done had Abraham said either a soft or a harsh “no.”.  But we can wonder about the times when we have said “no” to God.  In our lives there have been times when we have not made the best choices.  There are times when we forget that God offers us forgiveness and redemption of our sinfulness through Jesus' life, death and resurrection.  Even in the convoluted words of the passage we heard from Paul's letters to the Romans today, we can hear clearly the promise of God's grace,  “But now you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification.  The end is eternal life.”

Our trust in God's steadfastness and blessing can now be based on what we know of Jesus.  We believe that God became fully human in Jesus.  Our being open to what God has provided—and will continue to provide—arises from our faith in Jesus.  Our assurance of God's love and blessing—even when we push God away with our missteps and poor choices—arises from our faith in Jesus.  Abraham had a deep, faithful relationship with God directly, and his faith was accounted to him as righteousness.  We place our faith in God, because we know Jesus Christ as Lord.  And for this we give thanks!

Trinity Sunday - God in Three Persons and Us

Besides having the occasion to sing that stirring Trinity hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” what difference does having a Trinity Sunday make?  This question may be approached from two points of view.

One point of view begins by questioning what academic theology has to do with real life. Steven Eason, as Presbyterian pastor, lists a number of life difficulties facing people—unemployment, serious illness, divorce, unplanned pregnancy or infertility—and offers this opinion: “Does it really matter to them that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit? They just want to know that God is God and that God somehow knows who they are, where they are, what they are doing [or coping with] and what they need.”

The other point of view believes that the doctrine of the Trinity was created by real people dealing with the stresses of living a life following the teachings of Jesus Christ.  Thomas Long, a professor of preaching, offers this observation: “The doctrine of the Trinity was not dreamed up in a theological think tank but was articulated by worshipping and serving Christians who, under stress and in the face of questions and challenges, were sweating it out to say with clarity just why they were willing to live a life that looked foolish to others, caring for widows and orphans, suffering persecution, and spilling their own blood—all of it for the wild notion that the Spirit had gathered them into the life of God, the God who in Christ was making peace with the world.”

Seeking clarity about who God is, who Jesus or the Messiah is and who the Spirit is began from Abraham's leaving Ur to follow what he believed was a call leave his land and journey to another land.  Abraham's faith in following the call came from his trust in the God he worshipped.  We see particular evidence of the effort to seek clarity about God's nature in the Gospel of John, in sermons by Peter recorded in the books of the Acts of the Apostles, and in the letters of St. Paul.

Every Sunday we say together the Nicene Creed which represents the efforts of church leaders to clarify what the members of the church should believe about God.  From 325 AD through 451 AD three church councils were held to create a statement of belief about God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that would unify the church.  The history of this time could not be messier or more fraught with conflict.  The fourth century emperor, Constantine, had ended the persecution of Christians.  In doing so, he hoped that church leaders could agree about what they believed and the church would serve as a source of unity for the empire.  Things did not work out as Constantine had hoped.  The leaders who lost did not give up the fight.  Unity was not achieved—eventually, those who lost at the councils of Nicea, Constantinople, and Chalcedon were declared heretics.

But out of this messiness the gift of the Nicene Creed has been passed on to us as one of our most treasured traditions.  In the late 19^th century, the Episcopal Church and the Church of England declared that this creed, along with the Apostles Creed, is a source of Christian unity.  The very long list of churches accepting the Nicene Creed as authoritative speaks to a type of unity that those Christian leaders of the 4^th and 5^th centuries strived for.

But we need to return to the two points of view expressed earlier:  does the doctrine of the Trinity, expressed in the Nicene Creed, make one bit of difference in our lives right now, in what we would be willing to live and die for, and in what we hope for after our death.  I think is does.

 Remember that Jesus taught us two great commandments—to love God and to love each other.  What we believe in our heart of hearts about God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit will inform our efforts to follow Jesus' teaching.  Our belief about the Trinity will inform how we respond to the messiness of our own lives.  Our belief about one God in three Persons will inform our hope for eternal life.

What part of the Creed, what part of the Trinity speaks to your heart and serves as a guide as you try to follow Jesus in all the ups and downs of life?  Each us believes in God in individual ways; yet we are joined by the Creed in a community of faith that gives us strength and hope in difficult times.  In addition the Trinity provides a space for us, through Jesus, to draw close to God.  [I referred to a copy of the Rublev icon of the Trinity, which I showed to the congregation and encouraged them to look at it more closely during coffee hour.]

I experienced the Creed as a way to express my love of God and understand God's love for me when I learned a tune in our hymnal that sets the Creed to music.  Please join me in singing S 105 in our Hymnal.  I have found this to be a love song to the Triune God with whom we can trust our lives now and for eternity.

Pentecost Sunday - Streams of Living Water and God's Spirit

Spirit . . .Spirit of God . . . Holy Spirit—today we celebrate the divine presence in our midst and within us: God's creative power—God's comforting love—God's encouraging advocate.  How do we know God?  We know God, because we know Jesus whose life, teachings, death and resurrection are reported in Holy Scripture.  We also know God, because we experience the Holy Spirit. And yet our experience of the Holy Spirit can be so different from time to time and from person to person. Today  let us  meditate on how the God's Spirit has been present, is present, and will be present in us and in our world.

From the first chapter of Genesis:   “. . . the earth was a formless void, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while the spirit of God swept over the water.”

From Psalm 104:  “You send forth your Spirit and they are created; and so you renew the face of the earth.”

O, Holy Spirit, agent of creation, there has never been a time when you were absent.  But sometimes we have not allowed ourselves to be open to your creative presence.  Help us see your work in nature and participate in protecting the beauty you have given us.

From the first chapter of the Gospel of John:  “And John [the Baptizer] testified, 'I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him [Jesus]. . . the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”  And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.'”

O, Holy Spirit, agent of revelation, there has never been a time when you were absent.  Have we been paying attention? Help us open the eyes of our hearts to see the one whom God sent to be our Savior—his only begotten Son.  So when we see Christ more clearly, we will love Christ more dearly.

From the second chapter of Acts:  “And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they [the disciples] were sitting. . . All of them were filled with the Holy Spirt and began speaking other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”

O, Holy Spirit, agent of spiritual power, there has never been a time when you were absent.  Have we been afraid to claim what you offer us?  May we find the words we need to speak about our faith. For you will give us both flexibility and courage when we are called to defend the hope you have placed in our hearts.

From the twelfth chapter of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.  To each is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

O, Holy Spirit, giver of all talents and abilities, there has never been a time when you were absent. How often do we fail to honor that which makes us special and also fail to  respect gifts others have received.  Transform our work for the church into work for your coming reign.  For in that reign all will have a place—even those who seem to be sorely lacking in gifts.  Indeed, God knows what each of has to offer and will accept it.

From the seventh chapter of the Gospel of John:  [Jesus quoted this scripture]: “'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'  Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in Him were to receive.”

O, Holy Spirit, creator of community who incorporates each of us into a new life in Christ, there has never been a time when you were absent.  Have we simply forgotten the new life within us?  Or have we made a built a moat to keep all that living water for ourselves?  Remind us that this living water comes from you and flows out through our words and deeds to others.  May we always be a smooth flowing channel for your living water, your love.

Nanette Sawyer, now a Presbyterian pastor and author, discovered at 37 she had not been baptized.  She describes her baptism during which she knelt next to a small plastic pool and had water poured over head. The first splash of water for the Creator, the second splash for the Son.  Then she said, “. . .the one splash for the Holy Spirit became a long pouring of water.  It kept coming and coming, gushing over my face . . . I had not anticipated this moment.  The Spirit became overwhelming and seemingly out of control . . . For a moment I wondered if I would inhale it accidentally. Would I drown here?  A wave of fear passed through me . . .”  Finally the pouring water stopped, and a towel placed around her absorbed the dripping water.

What came next surprised her even more.  In her church after a person was baptized, if she was old enough she was supposed to sing “I have decided to follow Jesus.”  In the emotion of the moment Nanette began to sing, but her voice broke and she began to cry.  As she struggled, the congregation began to hum and then to sing the words for her.

She reflected on what happened, “They sang for me when I couldn't sing.  They sang when I felt overwhelmed by my own smallness and the vastness of God.  They sang when I felt daunted by the task of following Jesus. . . They sang while I healed, and after a while I could sing again.  That is what we do for each other. That is what it means to be the body Christ and baptized into it by the Holy Spirit of a Creator God.  We sing for each other.”[1]

O, Holy Spirit, there has never a time when you were absent. You are present today in each of us gathered here.  You are present in those who are away today.  You will be present in our lives, in the life of this community of St. Nicholas', and in all the world.  Give us signs of your presence, both gentle and strong. May the gifts you have given each of us be honored and used for your glory.  And may rivers of living water flow from our hearts to refresh and renew the place where we have been planted and the people who share our lives. 

And let's also remember to sing for each other!

---

[1] “Living by the Word,” Christian Century, June 14, 2011, p. 20.

The 7th Sunday of Easter - Being One in Christ

Temptation crossed my path on Saturday at the end of our very successful yard sale--and my parishioner did not help me resist.  Temptation came in the form of a personal-sized trampoline—a circle just large enough to jump up and down on a bit, but not big enough for any dangerous tricks.  I was consumed by the thought that I might be able to demonstrate how Christ's ascension began right in the middle of my sermon.  My parishioner even suggested that I preach the whole time from the trampoline, just bouncing gently.  You'll be pleased to know I resisted not only my outrageous imagining, but also her suggestion to deliver my sermon several inches off solid ground.

Now to get back to the serious stuff.  The Feast of the Ascension occurred this past Thursday.  The feast celebrates Christ's completing his time on earth and rejoining the Holy Father, the Godhead. Pentecost comes next Sunday when we remember how the Holy Spirit came to liberate the disciples from their fears and to empower them to go into the world to make disciples.

So as we reflect on this in-between time, we may have some sense of what Jesus followers felt as they realized Jesus was no longer with them.  His absence after the power of his post-resurrection appearances must have troubled them.  Perhaps they not only felt abandoned by this charismatic figure who been the center of their lives, they also may have felt their trust in him ebbing away.  Who was Jesus—REALLY, who was he—and what are we supposed to believe and do now he has departed?  Was their fear that Jesus and his promises could not be trusted?  There isn't a more devastating feeling than betrayal, is there?  Would the promised Advocate and Guide come?

When the writer of John's gospel tried to sort this out quite a few years later, he told about Jesus' saying farewell to his disciples and then praying to the Holy Father.  Through Jesus' farewell remarks and his high priestly prayer, we see the struggle of Jesus' trying to explain a mystery—how he could be both fully a person and truly God—all at the same time—and what that meant for those who follow him.  One time I heard a witty pastor exclaim about this passage from the 17^th chapter:  “After all, he was [and is] God. Surely he could have explained things a little more clearly!”

Mysteries, particularly holy ones, cannot—by definition—be explained clearly.  Nancy Ramsey, a divinity school professor, offered this opinion about John 17.  She said, “[Jesus'] final hopes are not a celebration of himself, but the recognition that his life and ministry are windows into God's love and saving purposes.”  If Jesus' disciples could know God through Jesus' life, they would find themselves with changed hearts—hearts ready to risk what he asked of them.


What he asked was, in his absence, to continue the work of reconciliation he had begun.  He prayed to the Holy Father, “Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words you have given to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.”

Jesus wanted his disciples, both then and now, to understand that the Holy Father and he are the same and yet distinct.  In a couple of weeks we will celebrate the concept of divine unity in separate persons (the Trinity) that begins to take its shape here in the Gospel of John.

But Jesus also wanted his followers to know that they are to emulate the unity of persons in the Godhead, to mirror the relationship of the Holy Father and Christ.  He prayed, “Holy Father, protect them [the disciples] in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

In the Ascension, Jesus Christ returns to the unity of God, leaving us a very difficult task:  in our relationships we, Christ's followers, should be a unity.  In his first letter to the Corinthians, written well before the Gospel of John, St. Paul compares the member of the Christian community to various parts of the body of Christ.  The unity he speaks about arises from the different spiritual gifts given to the various members of the community and—this is important—the necessity for each person to honor the gifts of the others.

So being a unity does not mean enforced conformity.  Rather I believe unity in Christ comes from a willingness to engage—with respect and compassion—those folks with whom we find ourselves in the body of Christ, the church.  Make no mistake about this, however, Jesus was not asking us to do something easy.  The history of the followers of Jesus shows that we have a very difficult time dealing with other folks who see things differently than we do—from the conflict between St. Peter and St. Paul about the inclusion of gentiles in the Christian community on through the centuries to our conflicts in the church today.

Finding ways to live together in our Christian communities—in ways that honor consensus rather than raw power, in ways that honor what our “weaker” members bring to the community, as well as what our “stronger” ones bring:  truly this is difficult, but Christ expects nothing less.

So had I set that trampoline in our midst this morning and started bouncing, what would you have done?  Perhaps even while rolling your eyes and thinking, “Here she goes again,” you would hold our relationship in prayer—a prayer that the Holy Father, to whom Jesus prayed, would bless our relationship and make it fruitful for the coming of the Christ's reign.