Called, Gathered, Sent

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” 17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” 18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

As the “Pete Is So Awesome” Tour heads to a new city, we have a text that speaks of the call to reach out with the Good News of the Kingdom. This seems to me a text that might well call for us to speak of the priesthood of all believers.
I wonder, sometimes, at the talk of “leadership.” I think of Forde’s line, “beware of ship words.” Or the title of that Dilbert book, “Don’t Step in the Leadership.” Do faith communities that reach out well in the name of Christ benefit from excellent leadership, or faithful followership?
I like this in Willimon’s blog entry on the Xian Century site. He riffs off of the second lesson, then moves to the Gospel:

...suddenly, in mid-diatribe, Paul asserts, “Now you are the body of Christ.”
Really? This forlorn conglomeration of inept hangers-on, they are the body of Christ? It’s outrageous for Jesus Christ to so limit himself in such a lousy body. Alas, that’s the way this God works.
Let’s first agree that God can do anything, anywhere, anytime God wants. Self-sufficient omnipotence is the very essence of deity? Right?
Wrong.
There is something about the Trinity that refuses to work alone. One of the medieval rabbis, in his commentary on the Exodus, stood amazed that Yahweh refused to work wonders without Israel. The Creator of the Universe needs help? Whatever God wants to do for the world, God chooses a ragtag family like Israel to do it. Though God does not need Israel or anybody else to work wonders, something in this God desires to work synergistically.

Later, he has this great line

It takes a great God to stoop to work through little people like us.

The Preaching Peace people see this text as a call to proclaim a message in keeping with their Girardian read on the Gospel: “Peace to this house” “The Kingdom is near”
Mary Hinkle’s blog has some good stuff quoting from Richard Lischer

"In a culture obsessed with self-improvement, preaching speaks an eschatological word. It announces God’s open future that has broken into time in Jesus Christ. …
"The sermon participates in something larger than improvement, the reality of which is hard to put into words and whose end cannot be seen. In Luke 10 after Jesus sends out the Seventy, they return with glowing reports of their success. The Lord replies in an eschatological non sequitur, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.' What we see in our parishes is improvements and setbacks; he sees on our behalf what is the beginning of a whole new age (pp. 178-9)."
Richard A. Lischer, "The Interrupted Sermon," © Interpretation 50 (1996) : 169-81.
She says:
Perhaps it works to say that Jesus sees the beginning of a whole new age in our lives together as well as our congregational life together? If that is true, and if preaching is indeed the strange language that communicates the transformed future that has broken into time in Jesus Christ, then preaching could also be described as the proclamation of what Jesus sees.

What does Jesus see when Jesus looks at us? Those through whom God has elected to work with to bring God’s peace to this world in need?

He set his face to go to Jerusalem

Luke 9: 51-62
51"When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" 55But he turned and rebuked them. 56Then they went on to another village.
57As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 59To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Here we have the “Purpose Driven” Jesus. Jesus is singled minded, courageous, steely, steadfast and resolved to go to Jerusalem. What does it mean to “set one’s face” to something ? William Willimon writes, Two roads diverged, one led back to Galilee (peace, a haven, safety, a home) and another to Jerusalem (suffering and death). Can you see him hesitating a moment before those divergent roads ? The choices of safety and peril ? He was tempted all the way there. His face, hard set, met inhospitality, rejection and suffering. So what drove him ? What would drive any of us to follow where Jesus calls us ? Could it possibly be love ? Crazy..divine love ? Willimon shares a story told by George Buttrick: Some years ago there was a newspaper account of two men coming down a factory staircase and of one of them flinging the lighted end of a cigarette into what he thought was a fire bucket filled with water. The water proved to be gasoline. There was a sudden spurt of flame. And one youth instinctively, ran dowstairs to save his own skin. The other, just as instinctively ran upstairs to warn the people working in the factory floor above him. Which self takes over in such a time ? The self-preserving downstairs self ? Or the upstairs self ? The Galilee self ? Or the Jerusalem self ? My instinct is like those in the text… “First let me…..then I will follow.” Is this divine, sacrificial love so powerful so as to include me ? Is grace and faith sufficient enough to help me put my hand to the plow and not look back long enough to take the easy way out rather than to face the struggle…the cross ?

Legion - That’s like a whole bunch, isn’t it?

Luke 8:26-39
Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me"-- for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you. " So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

This is one of those texts that has so many possibilities I begin to feel immobilized at the thought of where to go with it. There are so many directions one can follow

- demons - tombs - “opposite Galilee” - bound - legion - healed/in his right mind -
- reject Jesus - “seized with great fear” -

All that, not to mention the pigs, nor, for that matter, what might be most interesting, the man begging to go with Jesus, and Jesus giving him a mission with those very people who had marginalized him. . .
Mary W. Anderson has a real nice sermon on that, titled: “Stay and Follow”
Read that. I can’t top it. http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=645
I wonder if my sense of being overwhelmed by the homiletical task here might mirror the sense of being overwhelmed that we all have in our lives. There are so many choices, so many directions to go. We become caught up in lives of busy-ness, and fail to live the lives we desire, or the lives to which God calls us. The options/possibilities/challenges are legion.
I’m not sure we need to de-mythologize the possession of this unfortunate man all that much.
“What ails you?”
“Where do I begin?” “Legion”
Jesus steps into our lives of quiet desperation, and casts out
- what -
alienation, fear, death and the devil...
Jesus doesn’t stop there.
“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you. . . “
As Forde liked to say The real question isn't "are you saved?" it is "What are you saved for?" For your neighbor.

I Heard It, But I Didn’t Understand

John 16:12–15
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

In one of his stories from Lake Wobegon, G. Keillor tells of the priest at Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility Parish, who, in a move that he realizes was clearly a mistake, forms a worship committee. The committee installs bright lights in the sanctuary.
In a comical scene, he disables the lights the night before Easter.
Keillor says that the priest doesn’t like the bright lights, they remove mystery. He says the priest “always thought the Lutherans wanted to do away with mystery altogether.”
hmmmmmmm
I collect quotes. Mostly one or two lines. . . don’t want to go beyond my attention span. . .
Here’s a few

To try to deny the Trinity endangers your salvation, to try to comprehend the Trinity endangers your sanity." Martin Luther

I realize that the only time the church is really sufferable is when it is at prayer. When it talks, it claims too much for itself. Reinhold Niebuhr

I wonder if we make the mistake of addressing the Trinity as a problem to be solved, rather than a mystery with which we are called to live. A truth given to us to inspire wonder.
I suspect that Niebuhr is spot on about most of our explanations of the Trinity. I could probably simply say - about most of our explanations.

In a marvelous sermon - “So Explain It To Me” - colleague Mary W. Anderson (anybody know her? I like her stuff) says:

Yet how important is it to explain the mystery of God revealed to us in three distinct ways? Mysteries explained cease to be mysteries, don't they? Perhaps the doctrine of the Trinity challenges our secret wish to know God fully and eliminate all mystery. This, after all, was the burning desire of our first parents in the Garden, a desire that ultimately caused them to fall from grace. Does this temptation to dispel all mystery still burn within us?

I haven’t even touched on Trinity as relationship, etc. etc.
One last quote:

God tends to confound, astonish and flabbergast. A Bethlehem stable, a Roman cross, an empty garden tomb. We might as well reconcile ourselves to the fact that God's truth often turns up in ways we don't expect. - Sue Monk Kidd

DID YOU HEAR THAT?

John 14:8–17, 25–27

Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
15 If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
25 I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

Last week opened with an I statement
“I frickin hate preaching on this passage.”
How about another I statement -
“I don't know what the heck to do with Pentecost.”

I think, in part, that we make a mistake.
We read Pentecost as a Power Event.
We are empowered by the Spirit.
Yet, this is the Gospel we're talking about.
Forgiveness. Love. Not power.
Is it, instead, a learning event?
I know, stated that way it sounds a bit flaccid, but a learning event as in being informed and renewed by a vision of God who is for you, and for you in a particular way, and sends you into the world to be for the world in the same way.
I know that we say that knowledge is power, but. . .
Well, I like the suggestion by Edmund Steimle that the miracle of Pentecost is the hearing. "And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?”

We have a hearing problem at my house.
It resides - most irritatingly and obviously - in my 5 year old.
I will say to him. "Don't do - - - ."
He then does it.
I will then say to him "Did you hear me say, 'Don't do - - - ?'"
"Yes" he will say.
Then why did you do it?
"I don't know."
Come to think of it.
That's not a hearing problem, is it?
hmmmmmm
I digress.

I like the suggestion that the miracle of Pentecost is that one would hear the Good News.
Let me quote from a sermon by Jim Callahan, from the Christian Century, May 2000. I linked to this on textweek.com.

Some call Pentecost the "birthday of the church." I disagree. I sense that the church was born on Good Friday when Jesus, "just hanging around," as Robert Capon stunningly puts it, asked the Father to forgive us, and a few bewildered, broken-hearted women and men wandered off wondering how they were going to live with that. Pentecost was the day they got their answer: with great joy, and with wind and fire and Spirit, making them look like a bunch of happy drunks in the midst of a numbingly sober and sour world. At last they knew that they were God’s -- every last one of them -- and that God was Love, not just in poetic theory but in palpable fact. They learned that in belonging to God they belonged also to each other. The joy derived from their trusting contained power, power not only to gladden but also to heal and redeem.

Here’s a true miracle of the Spirit - that we should believe - that we should hear this Good News - that we should become a part of Jesus' mission of loving the world to the end.
Here’s a true miracle of the Spirit - that we should be forgiven, that we should do greater works than Jesus. How greater? Greater in that the love which Jesus has unleashed, should go to the ends of the earth - borne by disciples who will hear the call to take up their cross and will in their own, halting and half hearted ways, follow this one who gave his life for the world. . .

The One Campaign

John 17: 20-26
20 "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

25 Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

Let me start with an "I statement." I frickin hate preaching on this passage.

Remember "The Concordat?" The debate surrounding it was at its height during my internship year which I spent in the NW WA Synod. At its Synod Assembly, a resolution against "The Concordat" was being debated. Speaking in favor of "The Concordat" one pastor said something like: "In John 17 Jesus prayed for the unity of the Church. Vote for 'The Concordat' and help fulfill his prayer."

Then I read or heard a statement by Luther Sem. prof David Frederickson who stated that Jesus was not talking about the "big church" in John 17. Jesus was talking about individual congregations. I prefer Frederickson's take.

I am reading a book by Peter Steinke-- Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times: Being Calm and Courageous No Matter What. In a chapter titled "The Leader's Challenge" (and on page 108) he writes about what church leaders can do during times of conflict to harness the good that can come out of the conflicted time. Introducing this theme he writes some good stuff that I would like us to ramble on. I'm not sure what this has to do with preaching; maybe it will help our thinking on this painful to preach on text.

A conflict-free congregation is incongruent not only with reality but even more with biblical theology. Jesus upset many people emotionally. The life of Jesus takes place against a backdrop of suspicion, opposition, and crucifixion. The Christian story is underlined with conflict. Early on, we encounter the emotional reactivity of the religious leaders, who see Jesus as a threat to their authority and belief system. Eventually the tension between the roaming preacher and the established religious order comes to a dramatic point. Tension leads to crucifixion.

The church has had divisions from its inception. No doubt, it has fought senseless battles, squandered its resources on frivolous issues, sent negative signals to society, shattered its unity, and forfeited chances to share its goodwill. Some churches work through the reactive period and emerge stronger. Others shuffle from crisis to crisis. What makes the difference in outcomes?

Nowhere in the Bible is tranquility preferred to truth or harmony to justice. Certainly reconciliation is the goal of the gospel, yet seldom is reconciliation an immediate result. If people believe the Holy Spirit is directing the congregation into the truth, wouldn't this alone encourage Christians who have differing notions to grapple with issues respectfully, lovingly, and responsively? If potent issues are avoided because they might divide the community, what type of witness is the congregation to the pursuit of truth?

What's Love Got to Do With It?

John 14:23–29
Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.
25 I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.

I really don’t love the Gospel of John. I may love Jesus, but John? Not so much.
To my ears, in John, Jesus sometimes sounds kinda like a cult leader. “If you loved me...” "Those who love me...” “the word that you hear is not mine...” “Whoever does not love me...” “here, drink this Kool Aid...”
I suspect that the question to ask would be “Is the problem the Gospel of John? Or me?”
I resent that.
At the same time, Jesus calls us to receive the gifts that he brings, poured forth by God, through the Spirit.
While most everything I see addressing this text talks on and on about the Advocate. While that may well be central to this text, I am interested in the line: “ I do not give to you as the world gives.”
Am I starting to sound like Hauerwas or something? I don’t know.
The Rev. Dr. P. d’Basement will ask where the promise is in a text.
For me, there is rich promise in Jesus’ proclamation that he gives in ways quite different from the world. . .
I still don’t like John. I do love Jesus. You, the jury’s out.
My problems with this Gospel notwithstanding, there seems to be a path here to invite others to live in the promise. . .

The Glory of True Love

John 13:31–35

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

The two words which have grabbed my attention are “glory” and “love.” Song writers have tried to put them together. The group Chicago (lead: Peter Cetera) wrote a song called, The Glory of Love, which was used in one of the Karate Kid movies. It was a sappy love story where “The Kid” (the knight in shining armor) fights for his and his girl friend’s honor. “…knowing together that we did it all for the glory of love…” Balladeer, John Prine wrote a song with Roger Cook called, “The Glory of True Love.” The opening line goes,
Oh the glory of true love Is a wild and precious thing It don’t grow on old magnolias Or only blossom in the spring No the glory of true love Is it will last your whole life through Never will go out of fashion Always will look good on you.

In the thirteenth chapter of John we have Jesus washing his disciple’s feet..which is followed by the prediction of the betrayal by Judas…which is followed by Jesus’ announcing his departure and his commandment to love one another …which is followed by his prediction of Peter’s betrayal. Love and rejection emerges as a pattern here. The glory of true love (agape) in John’s gospel is Jesus on a cross. Lutheran N.T. professor, Barbara Rossing writes, “The disciples will participate in Jesus’ glorification through their participation in his love.” We are so deeply rooted in our own self interests that it is nearly impossible to preach and live this selfless love that Jesus demonstrated. We tend to glorify love and sing about it in our own sappy ways. I wonder how we might preach this kind of love not so much as obligation but as promise. “Oh the glory of true love Is a wild and precious thing It don’t grow on old magnolias Or only blossom in the spring No the glory of true love Is it will last your whole life through….." Certainly, God’s love as promise will last our whole life through…..

The Problem with Belonging

22 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." 25 Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. 30 The Father and I are one."

Jesus response to the request of the Jews is troubling: "You do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep." How does one get into the "belonging with Jesus and his sheep" section of society? The church and our catechism dish out the answers about baptism and such-- a doable task. But here Jesus makes belonging sound like it has more to do with God's initiative. So, is it God's initiative that some humans do not belong? Such a possibility could make one want to throw stones at God. The Old Adam/Eve has some pretty big pockets for rocks.

What gives me hope here is that Jesus does not conclude with "you do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep." He continues by proclaiming the good news to those standing around him for whom trusting Jesus' words and deeds as messiah-like is a struggle. "I give my sheep eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand."

Jesus' move in this text makes room for the preacher to pull a Forde and directly declare the good news to the hearer. Faith would be created by hearing and the sheep would be hearing the shepherds voice. I am inclined to head that direction, if it weren't for that Lose guy who was trying to give us some other options, so as not to get stuck in the rut of ending every sermon with something like "God loves you."

Could we discuss what some of those other options might be? How do we leave the pulpit on Sunday feeling like we've preached creatively and courageously in such a way that the hearers in the pews picture themselves in the fold of Christ who holds them in his hand.

Our Resident Poet at Work

screwed up *

by H. R. Berg [pen name in case deniability becomes an issue]

everybody's screwed up
it's just a matter of degree

someone might seem normal
until you know the whole sad story

all are victims
all are victimizers

the wise are often foolish
and the powerful often destructive

the best are deeply flawed
and the worst defy description

everybody's screwed up
it's just a matter of degree

* Disclaimer: Author is not ruminatively associated with any mental health organization.

Love Hurts

Gone Fishin’ Tryin’ to Forget - Interrupted by Forgiveness

John 21:1-19
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. 9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19 (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

What a great story.
Last Sunday, I touched on Dr. PayNoToll’s insight that Thomas shows us that faith can be difficult. Does this story show that faith can be painful? - or that forgiveness can be painful? both?
I sometimes suspect that talking about a story like this begins to undo what the story does. A certain “paralysis by analysis” that moves us out of the drama, and into our heads, moves us away form experiencing with Peter the transformative power of forgiveness and call, and gets us thinking ABOUT it all..
I think, in preaching this text, I’ll wonder a bit about why those guys went fishing. Were they trying to forget? Were they hungry? Why go fishing? Was there no baseball game on ESPN?
Let me add this fitting line which I had forgotten is from Stephen Wright:
“There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.”
Whatever the reason, the risen Jesus interrupts their fruitless fishing, gives birth to an extraordinary catch, and commissions Peter to a life of love.

I had someone call me yesterday. She has a disorder that makes it impossible for her to eat wheat. Celiac or something. Even a little communion wafer renders her quite out of sorts.
Googled and found a recipe for wafers made with rice flour. In the midst of all that, were articles about how the Catholic Church has responded to people with such allergies by telling them they cannot receive the sacrament - that there HAS TO BE wheat in the communion wafer - and that men with such disorders will not be accepted into the priesthood. It’s easy to bust on the RC’s, but we all lose sight of love at times. Not to overstate it all, but this Peter story seems to suggest that rice flour might be acceptable to our Lord and Savior. (But only in extreme cases!!!!!!)

Does forgiveness give rise to action? Does the encounter with the risen Jesus go hand in hand with a sending to share and tell, to live and love?

Idle Tails and Linen Cloths

Luke 24: 1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again." Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Believing in the resurrection of Jesus is a mixed bag. It is important and, I would say, even necessary for Christians to have this belief. What I think I might be interested in is: how does that faith happen?

Lutherans make a big deal about promises. Jesus promises he will rise again, therefore he will. Is that enough for faith? For the women first at the tomb two things came together to give them faith: seeing the empty tomb and being reminded of Jesus' promises.

Humans don't always put much stock in promises. When the women returned to the other disciples and told them of their experience, no doubt including a reminder of the resurrection promise of Jesus, the other disciples thought they were talking crap-- doing a little April Fools Day.

Peter was intrigued enough to go to the tomb. He found it empty and the sight of the linen cloths somehow triggered in him amazement-- which I take to be belief.

What causes faith in a Jesus risen from the dead?

Sir Underminer shares a story for its humor:

A small town had a community-wide Easter pageant one year. Different towns-people were given the various parts. The character of Jesus went to a most unlikely person - a big, burly, barroom brawler, an oilfield worker, the most unlikely person to play Jesus our Lord. After several weeks of rehearsals, the day of the Easter Pageant finally arrived.

When they came to the part of the play where Jesus was being led away to be crucified, one little man, filling in as a part of the crowd, was yelling the shouts of "Crucify him! Crucify him!" as Jesus was led away toward Calvary. In the midst of shouting insults at this man, he accidentally sprayed some spit in the face of the man playing Jesus. The oilfield worker stopped in his tracks, reached up and wiped his face dry. And then he looked at the little man and said: "I'll be back to take care of you after the resurrection."

Something happens in the resurrection that makes it possible for the burly Jesus to say this. The resurrection is Jesus not held down by human limits. The resurrection is: God stronger than death. Jesus taking care of us without death holding him down.

The resurrected Jesus is the object and source of our believing. Resurrected from the dead, he's no longer in the tomb, he is in us.

That's not going to preach, but will it get us somewhere in our rambling?

Echoes of Christmas Angels

28 After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said, “The Lord needs it.” 35 Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

"Remember merciful Jesu, that I am the cause of your journey." Mozart's Requiem

Is it just my recent experience, or does Jesus encounter conflict and opposition every time something goes well?
One might well wonder at how Jesus experienced the triumphal entry.
Was he joyful, fully a part of the celebration?
Or, was it quite something else for him?
It is interesting that this reading is followed in vs. 41 & 42 “As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”
Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”
Peace and glory, conflict and tears.
It is an intriguing story, and one which is hard to ever comprehend. I suspect that each time we celebrate Palm Sunday, we have to wave the branches, rejoice a bit, and remind one another that the peace which Jesus brings, comes through the terrible conflict of the cross.

Smells Like Money - No Something Else

John 12:1-8
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, & Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, & wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii & the money given to the poor?" 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse & used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

I don’t know
That has to be said in reaction to this text.
What’s going on here? I don’t know.
But I do know that I can get a strong whiff of something. . .
Is that hypocrisy there, Mr. Let’s Care for the Poor?
Is that a fair assessment, Mr. Accuse Judas Now That He Can’t Defend Himself?
Is that foreshadowing when Jesus is anointed “for the day of my burial”?
Is that a seed of hope when Lazarus “whom he had raised” is there at the table?
Can there be echoes of a future event?
If so
The washing of the Disciples feet? Is that echoed by Mary?
The resurrection, is that echoed by Lazarus?
The betrayal, is that echoed by Judas?

The Rev. Dr. Pay No Toll has influenced me more than is wise, this is true. Yet, among his rich insights is the insight on the story of the Syrophonecian Woman - that we tend to pay too much attention to her. For her, the story is about Jesus.
When commentators who go on and on about Mary, or about Judas, or about the poor, is that who it is about?
I suspect it is more about Jesus. . .
That being said, I still don’t know what’s going on here.
Anointing for burial.
Discipleship as service; “Christians are people who do feet...”
The Gospel made real and present through “opposites” - God working life and salvation through suffering and death.
What’s that smell?
Smells like death is at the door, but that perfume, hints at more than death, there is resurrection and life as well. . .

Pea Pods and Prostitutes

There are two pieces I have read in preparation for this post. The first is a 1994 Christian Century article by A. Katherine Grieb at religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=2969 . The other is a sermon by Robert Capon at csec.org/csec/sermon/Capon_4414.htm. Both challenge the typical reading of this text that leads to giving the story the title "The Prodigal Son." Both articles are excellent, and you would do well to stop reading this right now and read just them.

What I am interested in is the context of this story. It is part of a response to verses 1-3 which describe the context of Jesus storytelling-- namely, tax collectors and sinners were flocking to Jesus to listen to him. Jesus even dined with them. And this upset the Pharisees. They refused to celebrate the grace of it all.

So Jesus tells two parables. The first (which is not read this Sunday) is designed to justify his affection for sinners, and communicate God's happiness in finding one who once was lost-- "Rejoice with me, for I have found the sheep/coin that was lost." Heaven parties when a sinner repents. (Or a sinner joins the partying of heaven in the act of repentance.)

The second parable is this Sunday's reading. This parable goes beyond showing the happiness of the father to displaying the ugliness of the older son's indignation and beyond that to the relentless loving presence of the father with that older son. Clearly the older son is just as bad off or worse than his little ho of a brother. As Capon points out, the parable ends with the father and the older son. Not much is resolved,

But nonetheless, the point is that you can never get away from the love that will not let you go and the elder brother standing there in the courtyard in his own hell is never going to get away from the Jesus who seeks him and wills to raise him from the dead.

The Pharisees ugliness is thrown back in their face, but Jesus reminds them that he will not leave them in their hell.

Let it Alone

Luke 13: 1-9

"At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them — do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did." 6Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' 8He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Here in Luke – the unfruitful fig tree is given more time and nurture in order that it will once again produce fruit. Can we say that it is a parable of grace or judgment ? Both ? The vineyard owner’s patience had worn out (3 years of waiting for fruit). He wanted to be rid of this fruitless tree…but the gardener appealed for mercy. “Sir, let it alone [Grk.= aphesis] for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it..” I wonder why it was that Jesus has the gardener being the messenger of grace and not the owner of the vineyard ? Are both the vineyard owner and the gardener divine figures in the story ? [Grk.= aphesis] translates Let it alone….let it be…suffer, pardon, forgive. This is the same word which Jesus speaks from the cross – “Father, forgive (aphesis) them, for they know not what they do.” (Lk. 23: 34) In his book, The Parables of Grace, Robert Capon writes: “ The world lives, as the fig tree lives, under the rubric of forgiveness. The world, of course, thinks otherwise. In it’s blind wisdom, it thinks it lives by merit and reward.” (pg. 97)

Last week, Pay No Toll raised the question, How determined or stubborn is God ? Perhaps the question here is How far will God's patience extend ? How much time will God allow for us to repent...to turn back....before judgment comes - chop it down. Patience...let it be....let it alone. We live, as Capon says, like the fig tree lives...under the rubric of forgiveness. Isn't patience like forgiveness ? Hey, guys...thanks for putting up with me !

Cry Baby

or - Nobody Here But us Chickens

Luke 13:31-35
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

I’ve told a few people this great story. After worship on Wednesday, I was home, and my 5 year old was curious about the cross on my forehead. He asked me about why it was there.
A few minutes later he said, “Dad, that cross makes you look smart!”
Yup.
As Dr. No Toll said in response to this insight, we are smart when we admit that we do not know.

I wonder at the metaphors we use, the images we live by.
Just saw a bumper sticker. US Flag, with big letters STANDING TALL.
What if standing tall simply puts you in the line of fire?

You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, and marked with the cross of Christ forever.

The images Jesus chooses are telling.
Herod is a fox.
No Lion. No Bear. Not a Panther or a Jaguar.
Nothing so noble and ferocious.
Not even a wily Coyote.
A sneaky fox.
Heck, even a Bobcat seems powerful in comparison.

Jesus puts Herod in his place. Remember, this is territory under Roman rule. There is no freedom of speech. No internet, with its mocking of our leaders. If Herod were to hear that insult, Jesus would pay dearly.

Yes, Herod is a fox, and what is Jesus?
This fox defeater?
This adversary of Herod’s?
A Chicken.
No powerful metaphor here.
Fox food.
No wonder we haven’t really done much with this image.
Isn't the chicken a sign of Peter's denial?
Yes, the chicken that crows. Yet, even the Rooster can seem somehow noble.
Or at least loud. . .

The Mother Hen? An odd metaphor. A sad symbol. Anything but regal/powerful/inviting - or victorious. . .
Gathering her brood. Spreading her wings. Protecting and watching over her little chicks. Her best defense in the face of the fox's teeth?
Self-sacrifice.
Herod gets the metaphor of fox.
Us?
Defenseless chicks.
Fox snacks. Chick-filet.

"Perhaps" - suggests ethicist Jim Perkinson in his essay - Learning to Cry, Struggling to See - in the face of the oppression being visited by the powerful, by the foxes of our day, "Perhaps our primary task today [is] learning to weep..."
Weeping Mother Hens.
To quote Dave Barry - that would be a good name for a rock band.
I'd have to add, that I'd hate to have to design the t-shirts for their next tour SUMMER 2007 TOUR SNIVELING CHICKENS!

In our faith communities today, many who take the faith seriously, sadly take themselves too seriously. (We are probably often more similar to them than we'd care to admit.) When we align ourselves with this self important path, our metaphors are too settled. Too aligned with the fox. Too violent. Too prosperous. Too blind to the poor. And if there is any cross at all, it is a quite pretty one, and has never in the remotest way, borne the pain of the world. Unless you consider the pain of the laborers who mined the gold, or. . .

Grace is to be found, in the suffering one. The one who will hear those cries, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
Which metaphors will point us to following this one?
The BEAST-devouring-666-defeating-vengeance-wreaking Jesus of strange imaginations?
This surely is not who we encounter here in Luke 13.
The Sniveling Chicken.
Perkinson suggests that a good test would be to ask "the last time we cried, what did we cry for?"

Fellow Lenten travelers
- that cross on your forehead -
makes you look smart.
Or something.
Those tears running down your cheeks, they make you look like you share in God's love for this planet and all its inhabitants in need of salvation. . .

No Baby

Luke 4:1-13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

When I hear this story, I don’t find the temptations all that tempting. All the more, when I read folks who write at length about temptation, it seems that whatever it is that tempts them doesn’t really appeal.
Hmmmm.
Part of the problem for me is that we don’t really think in such categories. With the way we look at our world, there aren’t really any temptations. Just different choices. (You may now go off on your own “self as project” direction - that would lead me too far afield, I have a meeting in a few minutes...)

Stoffregen in his text work concludes with this quote and comment

Keith Nickle (Preaching the Gospel of Luke) concludes his comments on this text with these words:
Without trivializing the intensity of Jesus' wilderness encounter, it is nonetheless appropriate to point out that all Christians find themselves struggling with similar temptations to dilute the quality and even exchange the object of their commitment during the course of their pilgrimage. There are times when they too, in response to the call of God, are tempted to be satisfied with offering the adequate rather than the best that their disciplined service can offer ... or, having caught the vision, to succumb to impatience and seek to accomplish God's purposes by means alien to God's character ... or, to seek to coerce God by taking shortcuts to success. [p. 40]
I have seen it happen often in congregations: They strive for mediocrity and usually reach it. Is that succumbing to the temptation to give God less than our best?

I find that a little less compelling than Stoffregen does. . .
It seems that these approaches are all about our commitments, our choices, our best, all that we do.
Yes, to speak of temptation is to venture into the area of the things that we do and the choices we make and, thus, the lives that we lead, but what is the ground of our choices - when they are “best”?

Elsewhere, Craig B. Adams shares the insight of a Jewish psychiatrist in his community (an insight I suspect articulated elsewhere) that “the mature religious person is one who can embrace ambiguity.”
Oddly, while the stuff I’ve read on this text wants to admit to the ambiguities of temptation, they seem to lack any ambiguity their own dang selves.
Few deal with the fact that Jesus finds himself in the Wilderness of Temptation driven by the Spirit.
Hmmmmm.
Baptized into Christ, you, too, bear that same Spirit.
Perhaps all does not depend on your making the correct decisions, but in trusting that come what may, the Spirit is with you, and will guide you into God’s loving embrace, restore you to God’s presence (Ps. 51) forgive you, and send you into the world to bear your cross. . .
I don’t know what the heck I’ve just written, if this doesn't make sense to you eaither, let's just say that I'm willing to embrace ambiguity. That way I can pretend I know what I’m talking about.

Wow Baby!

Gospel Luke 9:28–36

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" — not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen listen to him!" 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Years ago, a friend in a far away state, (I won’t say where, but it rhymes with Halifornia) told me that he had his associate pastor preach on Transfiguration, because he‘s done so poorly with this lesson so often, that he gets depressed thinking about preaching on it again. He went on to go through the usual - “you can’t stay on the mountaintop, you gotta get back to work” - interpretation. . .
I wonder if there isn’t a totally different direction to go.
The glory is surely an integral part of the story. And there is that hymn, “How Good Lord to Be Here.” Yet our story has the command from “the voice” , "This is my Son, my Chosen listen to him!"
What is it that we are to listen to?
Is it all of Jesus’ teaching? Are we to be “red letter Christians”?
I have a suspicion that the Transfiguration is the glory that leads to the cross.
Could the experience of the glory be a gift - primarily, to Jesus, and only tangentially to the disciples - so that he might have a certain strength for the coming journey, when the glory will be entirely hidden in suffering and the cross?
That is what the disciples are to “listen” to. To the one who exercises the power of God in the weakness of the suffering and death on the cross.

Here is a rich line from a sermon by Barbara Brown Taylor:

Later, when Jesus’ exodus got under way and they saw what it meant for him -- when they saw that shining face bloodied and spat upon, those dazzling clothes torn into souvenir rags -- I’ll bet they had to rethink what that glory was all about.

As we come to the end of the season of Epiphany, and look ahead to Lent, we have a whole season of rethinking what God’s glory is about. . . and of seeking again, to see that God has hidden God’s greatest glory in the life, and the teaching and the suffering and dying and rising, of this one born in a stable in Bethlehem.
Wow Baby. . .

Woe Baby- 6 Epiphany

Luke 6: 17-26
6:17 Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.
6:18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.
6:19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
6:20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
6:21 "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
6:22 "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.
6:23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
6:24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
6:25 "Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. "Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
6:26 "Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets."

Each week I get an e-mail from an ELCA pastor, Brian Stoffregen, which is his commentary on the gospel reading. It's a good start. I posted his comments on this text here: http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dhm78cxk_22fqw47s if you would like to look at them.

There are two things that I want to discuss. The first is that in this text Jesus comes out on the side of the underdog-- (that why the dang Bears should have won last Sunday). Actually underdog isn't the right word. I'm not sure what the word would be-- something describing being crapped upon by life and the world. Jesus addresses specifically the poor, the famished, those who weep, and disciples who are hated for following Christ. The world normally sees these people as cursed. They are not strong enough or self-sufficient enough to get help. They need to get on the right medication or stop taking out loans at the fricking Payday Loan places. In the world's darwinian system of ranking, their problems are evidence that they are not blessed. God has frowned on them. But in this sermon Jesus reveals God's preference for losers. God's love is for them. In Jesus the world is turned upside down. (This means that the winners will not be blessed but cursed.) How does one keep from turning this text into a moral lesson, if one is wary of moral lessons?

Second, promises are a strong theme in this text. Jesus makes promises both to the losers and the winners. He promises justice: good for the losers, bad for the winners. What is that quote? "God's word creates what it says/promises?"

So how does one preach a "God for us" from this text? Sure we cry now and then but we're not hungry or poor. Rather, we make decent money, eat too much, enjoy laughter, and fall prey to appreciating "Pastor Appreciation Sunday." We're screwed. But do we want to preach that? Where's the gospel for winners?

Another NOT SO Super Bowl

Is there some theological point that can be drawn from the fact that this year's Super Bowl game, like so many other of these 41 contests, was about as "Super" as one of our choirs' anthems?
Just wondering

Epiphany 5 C - Luke 5: 1 - 11

I'm Not Worthy !!!

Luke 5: 1 - 11
Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, 2he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." 5Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets." 6When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" 9For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; 10and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." 11When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

I was struck by a theme which arose from the readings as well as the Gospel. The theme of one's un-worthiness when confronted by the epiphany. Isaiah..."Woe is me...I'm lost..I'm a man of unclean lips." Paul..."I'm the least of the apostles...unfit to be called one..." Simon Peter.."Go away from me, Lord, for I'm a sinful man." When confronted by the presence of these differing epiphanies...by holiness... all these are reduced to "I'm not worthy !!" There certainly are true & false senses of humility which we manifest in our life experience. Paul's line in 1 Cor. 15..."But for the grace of God I am what I am..." sums up what makes one worthy to receive anything from God. The realization that one is captured...drawn into..and touched by God's grace. God touched Isaiah and his guilt & sin were 'blotted out." Jesus had more work to be done...and Simon Peter, James, John & the sons of Zebedee...left all to be involved. Can I get a witness ?

That Offends Me!

Luke 4
21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” 24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

Last week, we touched on the theme of temptation and Luke 4.
This week, we have the second half of the story of Jesus sermon in his hometown.
It seems a story of Jesus provoking people, and the people overreacting to what they do not want to hear.
It might make sense to write him off, to no longer let him read at worship. No longer attend his rallies, quit going to his class. But take him bungee jumping with no bungee? Folks are a bit on edge.
And yet, when a people are oppressed, attacked, made to feel vulnerable and in danger. . .
I think of the reaction, post 9/11, to anyone who said something like “you know, it is terrible what those terrorists did, but maybe we should ask why they hate us so, and wonder if there is anything we should do to change in our own selves.”
Don’t go there!
I’m not sure what to do with Jesus who is so offensive. It is my sense, that a Lutheran hermeneutic leads us to explore how Jesus offends me and all who hear him. (not just Lutheran of course. . . )
It seems, in looking at a few commentators, that the temptation is to put ourselves in Jesus’ place here.
“See, a prophet is not without honor, no wonder the people in my congregation will not see everything my way. No wonder they don’t - become liberal democrats - read the cross the way I do - embrace my vision / leadership / righteousness.”
What offense does Jesus bring to the table here, an offense with which it might be good for me to be offended?

Epiphany 3

Luke 4:14-21

4:14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.

4:15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

4:16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read,

4:17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,

4:19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

4:20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.

4:21 Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

This text is lodged in the middle of a larger story going on in Luke 4. One of the themes of the story is temptation and the word of God. Prior to our text, in Luke 4: 1-13, Jesus is in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan and defending himself with the word. This use of the word saves him from Satan's attack.

Following this week's text we see Jesus among his hometown neighbors. He predicts the temptations they will throw his way (doing miracles in Nazareth like he did in Capernaum, seemingly to impress the crowd). He counters these predicted temptations and the complications of being in his hometown with the word-- scripture quotes showing God's interest in Gentiles. This use of the word upsets his neighbors; they almost kill him.

In this week's text Jesus' activity with the word is more "pious." He's in the synagogue reading from scripture. He makes some comments. Things become fishy when he implies a connection between that text and his identity-- that he may be the anointed one, bringing good new to the poor, etc.

Jesus and the word-- what can we say about this theme? It is a tool of God to fight evil-- both its outright attacks and more subtle corrupting effects. But It becomes a Person, filled with the Spirit and delivering good news-- embodying good news, doing good news.

Anything more we can say about temptation?

That's what I have at this point. . .

Rambling on Water, Wine and Grace in Abundance

John 2:1-11
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. 9 When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Is the point of the story that Jesus wants to , as I read somewhere, “help individuals and make them happy”? Then why am I so d*** grumpy?
well, this is a sign, and it points to . . .
What does it point to?
• Surely, as the first miracle in John, it is a key sign that the values of the kingdom are different and unexpected. Here, the last is first. The good wine is served at the last. (lots of it too!)
Marcus Borg says it this way. . . "What is the gospel--the good news-–of Jesus about? John’s answer: It’s about a wedding banquet at which the wine never runs out, and where the best is saved for last."

• Here’s an interesting point: Jesus feels that the time is not right for him to perform any sign, and yet, his mom thinks otherwise. How often are we sure that we need to schedule things better, make some lists, get things organized, then we’ll be able to get things done the way we want to. We need to order our life better to reach our potential, and get the most out of life. Jesus is not so different. Jesus finds himself performing the first of his signs before his hour has come . . . hmmm

• From Wendell Berry
The miraculous is not extraordinary but the common mode of existence. It is our daily bread. Whoever really has considered the lilies of the field or the birds of the air and pondered the improbability of their existence in this warm world within the cold and empty stellar distances will hardly balk at the turning of water into wine - which was, after all, a very small miracle. We forget the greater and still continuing miracle by which water (with soil and sunlight) is turned into grapes. Source: "Sex, Economy, Freedom, and Community"

• I’ve saved this for last. . . an article - mostly of the absurdities of people claiming Jesus was a teetotaler concludes with this postscript:
"All the angels dancing on the head of this particular pin might be moot, since some historians think Jesus might actually have been a beer drinker. Wine was the drink of the Romanized elite in the Middle East of that era, while beer was the preferred drink of the common people. Historians have found it odd that the populist Jesus would have chosen the drink of the rich and powerful above the humble beer of the people."
• Could we suggest that it is not odd at all? That Jesus is subverting the whole system here, providing excellent wine to those whom many would deem unworthy?

Baptism of the Lord

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

3:15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,
3:16 John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
3:17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened,
3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Forgive me. I dislike this text. It's sorta weird. What can you do with it?

I remember one of Forde's things was to talk about "doing the text" to the hearers of the sermon. For me this has become a method of distilling the text into one sentence. And it is generally a sentence of clear gospel or law. This Sunday's text can't be messed with too much; it seems like a good occasion to "do the text."

A text on Jesus' baptism gives us a good opportunity to talk about our regular-person baptism. Perhaps we could describe it in such a way that hits hard on the externality of it. It is something that happens to us. It is God's work. The Holy Spirit falls upon us (or whatever verb you think you would be more appropriate). God makes his decision about us publicly known.

This discussion of baptism could then lead to the doing of the text in the strong proclamation to the hearers: God says, "You are my child, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Ramble away please.

Rambling on Christmas 1 The Holy Family

Luke 2:41-52
Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43 When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” 49 He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he said to them. 51 Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

Merry Christmas!
Three years ago, when I preached on this text, I called it “Family Treatment.”
“Holy Family Sunday” bears an interesting text for us, doesn’t it?
It seems to me that this is often read as some sort of ideal family kind of moment, when in actuality, it is more a "Home Alone" sort of story that might well have the Social Service folks stopping by the house in the next week, "just to check on things."
Mary's line "Why have you treated us like this?" speaks volumes. As William Loader notes, the excuse that Jesus is "about his father’s business" would not wash with most parents of an almost-teenager. I have suggested that Luke's note that Jesus was "obedient to them" might go without saying, since Jesus was probably grounded to the kitchen for the next three months.
I suspect that this passage offers us opportunities to speak about family in ways that we rarely do anywhere in our culture. We can talk a bit about how families are not without their tensions and their times of losing one another. If there had been no family tensions, no tension between son and mother, would we really be able to say that Jesus had fully entered our humanity?
Further, we might take note that Jesus was one whose parents brought him to the Temple. They shaped his faith and therefore our faith.
There might well be plenty there for a whole sermon series, without waxing poetic about “the ideal family” or any of that sort of baloney.

Rambling on the Wonder

As we look ahead to Christmas Eve, we make a brief stop for 4 Advent and listen in on Mary.

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant."

Luther, in his work on the Magnificat, LW 21, suggests that God’s high regard toward Mary, is rooted in nothing in herself, but, rather, in God’s grace alone. If anything of Mary is to be praised, it is her lowliness, a lowliness perhaps shared by us all in our seeming insignificance.
As Luther states it; “. . . not her humility but God’s regard is to be praised.” p. 314

As we prepare to proclaim the Gospel on this coming Sunday, will it be the magnificence of the Godhead entering our world, or the wonder of God’s condecension that will mostly truly conveigh the Good News of the incarnation, the true wonder of the Gospel?

I deeply appreciate the emphasis of a renowned Mill Creek theologian and practitioner of Celebratory Pietism who - when speaking of Christmas preaching - points primarily to the Kenosis named in Philippians 2:

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross.

As we venture forth in our preparations for Christmas proclamation, I wonder at this. That no matter how much stuff gets tacked on to Christmas, in the end, what shines through, is the utter humility of God entering our world in this way.
Peace to you this Christmas!

Do Less Harm

Gadzooks. Fear, paranoia run rampant. Where are the little red books? I've heard they are late. But this late? Am I the only one without one? Will the world end soon? Will time as we know it come to a halt? What kind of destabilizing conspiracy is this? arggggg.

Monday, December 11, 2006 Advent 3 C - - Ramblings on Luke 3: 7 - 18

7 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." 10And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" 11In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." 12Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" 13He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." 14Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages." 15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." 18So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

As we get closer to Christmas we tend to get more calls at the church from the needy asking for help. The welfare checks just do not seem to include enough money for the Christmas presents for the kids in the household. Luke's message clearly was one that has emphasis on including the poor and the marginalized. John the Baptist addresses groups of people (ie. crowds, soldiers, tax collectors, people, etc.) who ask, "What shall we do ?" He says, specific to their positions of influence & power, "bear good fruit !" Repentance means a new attitude and actions. So, is this passage only good news for the needy - - poor ? Can some of us pat ourselves on the back for being a bit more generous this time of year ? Episcopalian priest & writer, Tom Ehrich (On a Journey) writes: "John was proof that our call isn't to tell people what they want to hear, but to draw them closer to what God wants them to see."

Advent 2-- Ramblings on Luke 3: 1-6

1) In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2) during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3) He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4) as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5) Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; 6) and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' "

Advent in my church is like. . . a mass exodus to the nearby big city so everyone can shop rather than worship.

This Sunday's gospel text is about John the Baptist. His function in Jesus' story is to "prepare the way of the Lord." He does this by challenging people to repent, receiving his baptism as a sign of this repentance. The forgiveness of their sins is dependent on this repentance.
Luke links John's work to Isaiah 40:3-5 which states that preparation of the Lord will happen like a highway is built. The preparer will raise, lower, smooth, and straighten so that the Lord's way will be straight and easy.

I struggle with the purpose of John the Baptist in the gospel. At times I think he's more of a crazy cousin who worms his way into the story than he is helpful to it. What is accomplished through him? How does he function in the story? What is the purpose of this character? Does the Lord need somebody to prepare his way? If all the sinners are going to get fixed before Jesus shows up, then why does Jesus need to show up?

I suppose one could take advantage of the preparation theme of this text. It does fit nicely with Advent. And one could hit hard on the theme of repentance. But is John the Baptist necessary for those themes?

Those are my suspicions. I want to focus on repentance (turning away from sin). It is helpful to link it with baptism. Luther wrote in the Small Catechism: Baptism signifies that daily the old person in us with all our sins and evil desires is to be drowned through sorrow for sin and repentance, and that daily a new person is to come forth and rise up to live before God in righteousness and purity forever. I am intrigued by how closely linked baptism and repentance are and by how much they need each other. We give baptism priority since it is a sacrament; but where would baptism be without repentance? Repentance plays a huge role in shaping the baptized's day-to-day lives. Repentance is the big correcting work of the Spirit which helps to make us different from the world. It helps to give light to our souls so that they do shine before others. It helps the bearing of fruit. It allows us to love God and neighbor rather than just the self. In this way repentance is a gift and offers us hope that we won't always be such assholes.
Baptism without repentance is like those instances where some of our baptismal practices are a bit liberal. Have you ever had people in your churches ask you to baptism one of their relatives kids? They live in far off states and travel thousands of miles to have their kids baptized in our churches where neighbors won't see them. When they return home, who knows what life is lived. (Not that I've ever performed such a baptism. . . but. . .). I'd quote Bonhoeffer here by I loaned my Cost of Discipleship out; maybe one of you could.

If I preach on this I will need to get into an explanation of baptism for daily living as opposed to the typical discussion of baptism being adoption into God's family. Ramble away please. . .

advent 1 ramblings

the vicarofvice is in the house

Advent 1 Rambling on Luke 21

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” 29 Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 34 “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

I’ve thought about this for some time:
It matters how we take leave from places and communities.
We’ve all experienced a number of times, when people leave poorly, there is often significant collateral damage. . .
How about entrances?
As we enter the new year, how do we want to proceed?
The Lectionary seems to point us to hopeful expectation...

Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

In his book Loving Jesus, Mark Allen Powell, says a most interesting thing. He wants to suggest that you and I should live in eager anticipation of Jesus’ return. He even speaks of “waiting for that day with breathless anticipation” and of looking to the sky when the liturgy has the congregation say “Amen! Come Lord Jesus!”
While that is a bit whacky, there is something there.

Here are a few quotes from Loving Jesus.

Recognizing the absence of Jesus arouses urgent anticipation of his return. The Bible encourages this, indeed, I think it encourages us to expect Jesus to return soon, within our own lifetimes. . . .

interesting. He concludes this paragraph

I think that death, if it comes, should take us by surprise. We do not expect to die - we expect Jesus to come for us. Such an expectation is not based on doctrine or intellectual speculation. It has nothing to do with prophecies being fulfilled over in Israel. It is more an expression of attitude or hope - a matter of the heart. pg. 61

Here is where this is kind of interesting for preaching:

Expecting Jesus to return soon is part of the poetry of faith. It is piety, not theology or doctrine. Poetry does no follow the rules of grammar, and piety does not always follow the rules of reason, but both make sense in ways that transcend such rules. Expecting Jesus to return soon is a matter of the heart, an expression of the poetic language of love that sustains our relationship with the one who is both present with us and absent from us. pg. 63-64

There is poetry to the season of Advent, and we enter the season with this word from the Gospel of Luke. . . How do we work the poetry of this text, and proclaim the promise that gives hope?
I wonder if one might well work with Powell’s emphasis that the absence of Jesus arouses anticipation. Anticipation of what? A Merry Christmas? Or, that God is at work in this world, and “your redemption is drawing near.”
The Underminer:
Whose intro line in The Incredibles is: “I live underneath you, but nothing is underneath me!”

DoLessHarm goes for Textweek Status

It seemed to me that we weren't really "blogging" on our blog.
I'd like to see us work at changing that.
SOOOOOOO
I've changed the template, to see what you might think of that, and starting with the new year, I'm hoping we could have a sort of virtual text study. . .
a bit of Rambling on the Gospel!
LET'S GET READY TO RAMBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Church Sign

  

More Spiritual PJs

armorofgodpjs.com

Hymn 385

A minister was completing a Temperance sermon. With great emphasis he said, "If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river."

With even greater emphasis he said, "And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river."

And then finally, shaking his fist in the air, he said, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river."
Sermon complete, he sat down.

The song leader stood very cautiously and announced with a smile, nearly laughing, "For our closing song, let us sing Hymn #385, "Shall We Gather at the River."

Is this Diplomacy Rambalalia?

Or just absolute idiocy. . .

Bush caught on tape swearing about Syria

Footprints in the Sand

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD. When the last scene of his life flashed before him he looked back, at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it: "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me." The LORD replied: "Beaches freak me out."