Are you Martha, Mary or Lazarus?

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.


Are you Martha, Mary or Lazarus?


Each one of them is loved by Jesus. Each one is the friend of Jesus. They are all very different.


Martha – hardworking, detail oriented, knows what needs to be done and does it. Many people believe that Martha represents the organizers of the early church. She is the one who provided the space, gathered the people, and made it possible for worship to happen. Martha exemplifies the leader of a house-church or small worshiping community that met in someone’s home. She is the combination of the ACW, Altar Guild, Lay Reader, communion administrator, warden, and landlord all rolled into one efficient package. She either has a rich husband or comes from a rich family. She would need this backing because her house-church is a full time job plus some.

This very tiring picture is the up-side of Martha. The downside is that she is so busy that she has forgotten why she’s doing it all. She never takes time to just sit back and think about the big picture.


Mary is a visionary. Mary is consumed with the big picture. She looks around her and just knows what is important. She knows ahead of time that Jesus is going to die, either because she understood what he was saying (which pretty much no-one did) or maybe because she was a prophet. We don’t really know why Mary knew, but she did. Mary, to me, represents the response of the church. She sees a need and takes action, regardless of the cost. She knows that our response needs to be one of generosity. She is the why of the church. She shows us were we should be going.

Mary also has her down-side. Mary is response oriented. If the church were run by her, very little would get done. It would be all outreach with no fundraising to back it up. Nothing would ever be set up in time for worship. People would never know when to be there. There would be no organization.


Lazarus seems to have the easy job. He doesn’t have to do much. He just has to be there. I see him as the average church goer (which doesn’t actually exist). He is consistent. He provides support for both Martha and Mary. He listens to what they have to say and adds his own input. Without him, neither Martha nor Mary have anything to do. Martha has no congregation to prepare for, no meetings to organize, no books to keep, no meals to prepare. Without him Mary has no resources to respond to needs, no one to listen to her when she describes her understanding of God and God’s call.

Oh – and Lazarus has to give up his life for Christ. Lazarus has to be so devoted to his calling that he is willing to die so that Jesus can show the world that death no longer has any power.


Together, these three people make up a healthy church. If any one of them is missing the church is in trouble.


But there is more to it than that. Each of these people is a reflection of the trinity of the Christian brand.

Martha is stewardship. She manages and takes care of God’s gifts. She uses what she needs and is very conscious of her responsibility for it all. She lives simply.

Lazarus is humanity. He is called to be alive, to live as Christ teaches him. He simply lives.

Mary helps others to live as Christ teaches us. She observes her world and responds to any need that she sees.


I believe that every one of us is a mix of all three. Each of us has our strengths and our weaknesses, but they are all there.

I know that I have a large portion of Mary in me. My weak side is Martha. I have to work very hard at the organization, at making sure that all of the work gets done. I am easily distracted when I see a need, any need. I get caught up in responding when I need to be planning or preparing.

I think that it is important for us to know ourselves. To know where our strengths lie, where our weaknesses are. To make the best use of our strengths and to work on our weaknesses. To become more complete as human beings.

When we know our own strengths, we can recognize them in others. We can seek out people with complementary strengths and work together. We can help each other with our weaknesses.

This is the good news today. This is the grace of God. Individually, we are incomplete, imperfect, not capable, or unworthy as our translations say. Together, we are complete. Together we are, as our Bible says, perfect.

Thanks be to God.

Why?

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.


Last week I talked about the trinity of the Christian brand. Do you remember what it is?


God the Creator – Living simply. This is about stewardship. Responsibly using and taking care of what God has given to us.

God the Son – Simply living. We are created as reflections of God. God cares so much for us that he lived and died as one of us. We need to discover that reflection of God within ourselves and make that reflection the centre of our being. This is about recognising our gifts and using them.

God the Sustainer – Helping others with the first two. Just as God through the Holy Spirit helps us, we are sent by God to help others.

Over the next few weeks I am going to be returning to this trinity. Today’s Gospel reading speaks directly to both this trinity and to things that have been happening in the world recently.


So what is today’s Gospel telling us? What does it say about how the world works? About how God works? And about our responsibility in this picture?

“Do you think that because these Haitians suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Haitians?” The answer is a definite NO. What does Jesus say next? “But unless you repent, you will all perish as they did!” This story is talking about what we call natural disasters. We have just had two major earthquakes in the world. The earthquake that hit Haiti was a magnitude seven. It was devastating. More than two hundred thousand people are dead, three hundred thousand injured, and over one million homeless. The second earthquake was even larger; a magnitude of eight point eight. There are an estimated two million people affected by this earthquake. How many dead? Five hundred and twenty-eight.

What did the people of Haiti do to anger God? … Why did God spare the people of Chile?

“Or those eighteen who were killed when the towers of Port-Au-Prince fell on them – do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Chile?” And the emphatic answer is NO! “But unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”


Jesus makes it very clear. Those who are killed by disasters are not being punished by God. Those who survive are not spared. God is not responsible for these deaths. God is not favouring Chile over Haiti. Every single person on earth is the chosen of God.

So what is the difference between Chile and Haiti? Both countries are devastated. But why are so many dead in Haiti? Why so few in Chile?


In one word … stewardship.

In Chile, buildings were destroyed. They are no longer usable. But people were able to walk out of them. In Haiti this was not the case. The buildings were not damaged beyond use, they were utterly destroyed. Why is this? Whose fault is it?

It is our fault. Not specifically yours or mine, but ours none the less. Haiti has been systematically stripped of her natural resources by an attitude toward stewardship. By the belief that the earth belongs to us. It is ours to use as we see fit. All of the materials that could have been used to build structures that would resist the effects of an earthquake are long gone. The metals were taken by her colonizers. She was left so impoverished that her people were driven to cut down her trees to heat their homes and cook their food. No wood. No steel. The two building materials which stand up when everything else falls down.

Those who were killed when the towers of Port-au-Prince fell on them were not responsible for it falling down.


For the past generation we have been being shown over and over again the huge cost of bad stewardship; of taking more than we need or giving less than we could. The cost of living grandly is much greater than the interest on a bank loan.

For the past generation we have been being shown over and over again the huge cost of not helping our neighbours; of not investing our time and money in those less fortunate than ourselves; of not investing our time and money in future generations.


Is there any good news in this message?

Then 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. So 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?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good,; but if not, you can cut it down.”

I believe that this attitude has already started to change. More and more people are realizing that we do not own the earth. More and more people are realizing that if we don’t care for it, it cannot care for us. The good news is that God wants us to succeed. When we try to be good stewards, when we try to help others, when we try to be reflections of God, God will help us. We are responsible for the world, but we are not alone. God is with us.

The Christian Brand

Revealing God, show us the path to your Kingdom. Help us to walk that path. Guide our feet into the light that we may see your presence. Amen.


When I say the word “Electrolux” what comes to mind?

“Electrolux Sux.” If you buy an Electrolux you don’t expect to get a car. You don’t even expect to get a Dust-Buster. You expect to get a vacuum that you can use to clean your whole house.


Let’s try one a little bit harder: “Kodak.”

In it’s early days, Kodak, or Eastman Kodak, was all about photographic film. Kodak was known to produce film and photographic paper that produce consistent images. Many of you may remember Kodachrome film which made color photography much easier (they just stopped making it last year). What is Kodak best known for now? Photo printers, cameras, and photo sharing. But even more than that, Kodak is known for consistently good photographic products and reasonable prices.


Brand image is very powerful. Just the name of a brand can become associated with significant expectations. Sometimes those expectations are unrealistic. Sometimes things happen to damage that image. Take for instance Toyota’s recent problems. Toyota has always prided itself on exceptional safety of its products. It looks like brand image was so important to Toyota that safety may have taken a back seat to the image of safety. Toyota has a long road ahead of them to repair their image.


Today’s Gospel is all about brand image.


Christian.


Jesus is talking about what it takes to be associated with his brand. Who claims to represent it. Who actually represents it. And who owns it.

We’ll start with the last of those. Who owns Christ’s image? “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” Hard to believe, but this is a statement of brand ownership. What is Jesus saying here?

Herod has been trying to kill Jesus since before he was born without success. Herod has no claim on Jesus. Jerusalem is the ‘city of God’ where you can find God’s house – the temple. The brand of Jesus belongs to God and to no earthly power.


What do we know about those who represent brands?

I’m only going to use one example here (with two brands). Who here has heard of Tiger Woods? What brands does or did he represent?

Chrysler and Nike. Tiger has been kept as a representative by one of these brands and dropped by the other. Do you know which kept him? And why?

Well, Chrysler dropped Tiger. Chrysler works very hard to maintain a clean image. They target successful executives, often with families. Professional images without a hint of scandal are very important for these prospective buyers.

Nike on the other hand named itself after the Greek goddess of victory. Their image is all about being the best of the best at sport. No one questions that Tiger is still there. Nike’s image has nothing to do with being politically correct or keeping your word – it is all about success – victory or nothing. Though I think Tiger took their slogan a bit too literally.


Back to our Gospel. “Jesus has warned that few who have eaten with him will enter the Kingdom: many apparently pious people will be excluded. Many others, from across the world, will eat with him.”

This is about who claims to represent his brand and who actually does. Who really holds God’s endorsement?

Earlier in the twenty-third chapter of Luke Jesus talks about who will be able to enter the Kingdom. He makes it clear that following him is not a free pass. This is not quite about salvation. It is about bringing the Kingdom of God into its fullness. Eating at his table or going to church is not enough. In fact, many who have never heard of Jesus will help to bring about the Kingdom. If church is not the answer, what does it take to be one of these people.

In other words, what does the brand “Christian” stand for?


This is what the entire Gospel is all about. This is the good news. Jesus has set out very clearly what is acceptable and what is expected of those who represent the Christian brand.

It is not about money. You don’t have to be rich or poor to be a Christian. There are advantages to both.

It is not about being saved. You don’t have to be Christian to be saved. Christ died for everyone.

It is not about piety. You don’t have to pray to be a Christian. But it helps.

It is not about going to church. Many people who go to church are not Christian. Many Christians do not go to church. But it helps.

It is not about reading the Bible. Many Christians never even have the opportunity to read a Bible. But it helps.

Being Christian is about three very important things.

Number one. Living simply. We are called to be good stewards of creation. To make use of what we need and to care for the rest.

Number two. Simply living. We are called to be human. To be everything that God made us to be. To use the gifts that we have been given.

Number three. To help others to do the same. To help others learn about what it means to be good stewards. To help others to discover and use their gifts.

This is the trinity of the Christian brand. Stewardship, humanity, service. God the creator, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. By the grace of God, we can represent this brand. We were created in its image. Thanks be to God.

What is Lent anyway?

What is shrove Tuesday?
- Shrove – shrive – confess
- Mardi Gras – fat Tuesday – give up meat, fat, dairy, fish
o Use them up before lent
o Last chance to party

When did lent first get celebrated?
- 4th century
- Ash Wednesday

What does the word “lent” mean anyway?
- Spring

What do we do during lent?
- give things up
o TV
o Desert
o Video games
o Food – remember, meat, fat dairy, fish

- do things we usually forget to do
o pray
o go to church
o say grace at meals
o be nice to people
o obey our parents

Why do we do this?
- To show that we can do it ourselves? (no)
- To open ourselves to the holy spirit.
- To show ourselves that we need help
o Open to the holy spirit
o We need God
o Jesus went through everything that we do
 Birth
 Death
 Temptation
 Eating
 Sleeping
 Resurrection
• Yes we go through that too


Do you remember what baptism means?
- We are baptised into Christ’s death
- Our old life dies at baptism
- We are reborn as members of the Body of Christ
- Members of the church
- Resurrection – life


Do you know when you were baptised?
- Who are your godparents?
- What are godparents supposed to do?
- What do we promise in baptism?
- What do you do to keep those promises?


Repeat after me prayer:

Holy and gracious God,
We come to you on our journey.
Help us in this time of lent
To remember that you are with us.
Help us to remember
To ask you for help.
Help us to remember
That we cannot do it ourselves.
Help us to remember
That we are not alone.
We have chosen
To accept you in our lives.
Help us to remember.
Amen.

Lenten Message

Let us pray,

Holy and Gracious God, guide us in this season of lent. Help us to find reflections of you within ourselves and in those around us. Lead us into the light of your resurrection. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Today we begin our own road to Emmaus. We begin our pilgrimage to witness the resurrection. During this season of lent many people will make special efforts to be self sacrificing; giving up something which is dear to them for the season. I encourage you to try something different this year. Rather than giving something up for lent, take something on. Pick something that you know you should be doing to live your life as one of Christ’s disciples and make a special effort to do this throughout lent. Some possibilities are daily prayer, both personal and as a family, saying something kind to each person you meet throughout the day, or even bringing your children to church every Sunday in lent. Taking on such a discipline can help us to enter into the Easter light.


I ask you in this next moment of quiet to make your personal commitment silently to God.

Meditation on the Transfiguration of Jesus

May the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O God. And may the holy spirit lead us towards greater understanding of your image reflected in us. Amen.

Please make sure that the copies of this icon are spread evenly throughout all of you. Pass them around so that everyone spends some time holding one and looking closely at it. Feel free to move around during this meditation and come up to look at the original. The Gospel will be read as part of this meditation.

As we prepare to start our journey through lent, we are called to examine ourselves. We are called not to give up something that is part of us, but to discover and bring out that which is truly us.


Let us pray.

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.

Jesus often went to mountains or to the wilderness to pray. Mountains were seen as places where you came closer to God. The wilderness was a place of self discovery. Both were places to go to be away from all distractions.


And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.

Jesus was not changed. A greater truth about him was revealed to Peter, John, and James. This is called the Transfiguration of Jesus. Transfiguration is not a change in fact. It is a change in perspective. A change in how we perceive the world. Transfiguration shows us a deeper truth about now. This is different from revelation which shows us a truth which may be partly true now but is rooted in the future. Such as the revelation of the Kingdom of God.


Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

In Jesus Christ the prophesies of Moses and Elijah are fulfilled. The prophets deliver those prophesies directly to Jesus.


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.

We resist seeing transfiguration. We are much more comfortable seeing the world as we know it to be especially when we are confronted with a reality which is different from our understanding.


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.

Even when we keep our eyes open, we are often unable to understand what is shown to us by God.


While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.

We are not capable of understanding the full image of God. Every time God interacts directly with people in the Bible God is either obscured, partially hidden, or represented by something else such as a pillar of fire. The face, or image of God is not within the capabilities of our perception. Transfiguration allows us to stretch the abilities of our perception and to grow in understanding.


Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"

God speaks to us directly.


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.

Witnessing a transfiguration is a very personal event. It is a personal glimpse of God’s message to us. It is a command to share not the event itself, but the truth which it revealed.

Fishers of Men

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.


Today we have a story about some fishermen. I’m sure the beginning of this story would be very familiar to many if not all of you. These fishermen have two boats. They have just gotten in from a hard day of fishing with little luck. This is not surprising. They are trying to catch fish in the Lake of Gennesaret, which you might know better as the Sea of Galilee. There weren’t many fish in the Sea of Galilee. The fishermen were some of the poorest members of society. If you had no other way of feeding your family, you would try fishing. It wouldn’t make you rich but you might be able to eat.

Along comes Jesus. He is as popular in this story as he was unpopular in the story before. Do you remember last week? The crowd there wanted to push him off a cliff for claiming to be a prophet. Now the crowds are pressing around him and pushing him towards the water not to do him harm but because they don’t want to miss a word he might say. Kind of like paparazzi.

Well, anyway … Jesus sees these two boats. He has an epiphany. “If I go out a bit in the boat, the water will keep them back and I’ll actually be able to talk.” The boat served kind of like this pulpit, keeping Jesus safe from the mob hanging on his every word. Then Jesus thinks a moment … “I need to do something to show them what I mean.” So he has the fishermen let out their nets into the barren waters. Simon says “There aren’t any fish here but you’re the teacher. So here goes.” Simon didn’t believe they would get any fish. Down go the nets. Up come the fish. So many fish that they can’t haul them all in. Even with two boats, there are too many fish.

Hallelujah, the fishery is saved. Or is it? Do the fishermen say thank you to Jesus, sell their fish, and head back out to catch more? No.

These fishermen haul in their catch, pull their boats up onto the shore, and walk away from it all.


What is going on here? Obviously Jesus is turning everything upside down again, but what does it mean?

Back around the time of Jesus they had a saying – they said that teachers went fishing for students. But they didn’t mean that they literally went fishing. I think Jesus is playing with this idea of fishing for students to tell us something very important. Maybe even a number of very important things.

Jesus has a mob of people following him, trying to hear every word he says. This throng may be following Jesus but they are not his followers. Coming to hear the message isn’t enough. If the message of Christ does not change them in some way, they might be hearing the words, but the words don’t mean anything. In this story only the fishermen are changed and they are the ones who are still there at the end of this story and in stories to come. The message of Christ has not lost its power. His message continues to change us; to change the way that we see the world.

Jesus came into the lives of these fishermen. He went to their place of work. He showed them what they had to gain from following him in terms that they could understand. He gave them a catch beyond their wildest imaginings. Then he showed them what they should be doing. He showed them what was really important. And because they had already come to trust him, they let their old ways fall from them and took up Christ’s way. Jesus does this for us, too. The words of Christ, his message, has meaning in our everyday lives. Jesus meets us where we work. Then he shows us where we can make a difference in the world. What we have to give to his cause. And when we give what we can, we end up richer for the giving.

The final message that I see in this passage is, I believe, the most important. Simon Peter fell down at Jesus’ knees. He said “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” And Jesus said “Do not be afraid” and gave him his new job to do. Jesus knew that Simon Peter was a sinful man. That didn’t matter to him. Jesus forgave him and accepted him for who he was. This is where grace is found in this message. We are all sinful. We pull away from God. We test God. We try to avoid God’s call. And when we take a moment away from our struggle, God is still there. God is still calling, telling us what our job is. God is still there. Telling us that we are his beloved. God is still there. Telling us that we are forgiven.