From Darkeness to Light

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.

Our journey through Lent is almost over for another year.  For the past five weeks, we have been talking about the ministry of the baptized and baptismal living.  We have been talking about what it means to be called by God; what our responsibilities are and how God will help us.

In each our services, we have emphasized penitence.  We did this because, during Lent, we remember that we are broken.  We are human.  We are flawed and we make mistakes.  Through God’s grace and the sacrifice of Jesus, we are called back into the love of God.  When we acknowledge our brokenness, our sins, and turn away from them and back to God, our sins are forgiven.  When we share that forgiveness with others, we share God’s grace and live God’s call.  We live into our baptism.

The forty days of Lent culminate with the final days before Easter. During this last week of Lent, “Holy Week,” we walk with Jesus’ disciples as they live out Jesus’ final days before his death. We parade with them, eat with them, flee with them, watch with them, mourn with them. After all this, we celebrate with them on Easter when our Lord is resurrected from the dead. And this celebration on Easter is that much sweeter because we have walked through the darkness that, in the end, does not overcome the light.  (From Palm Sunday to Easter, The Rev. Adam Thomas 2011)

Today we celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  Jesus went into Jerusalem knowing full well what was in store for him.  He knew that the meal he shared with his disciples that night would be the last one they shared before he died.  That last meal is what we celebrate every time we share the Eucharist together.  This meal, maybe even more than baptism, is the centre of our faith.  In the Eucharist, or Communion, we share in Jesus’ promise to his disciples:

“While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take: this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it.  He said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.  Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.’”  (Mark 14:22-25 NRSV)

There are many things that Jesus sent the disciples out to do, but the one thing he told them to do together was to share that meal; to share the promise of salvation through his sacrifice for us; to share the in his pain and in his death.

This week, we journey with Christ into the darkness of death upon the cross.  This week, we are called to share that dark road.  We are called to lay ourselves bare.  We are called to find that brokenness within ourselves and share it with God.

Only by opening ourselves to God in this way can we emerge into the light next week.  Only by stripping ourselves bare, as we strip the church bare this week, can we share in the amazing grace that God shows us on Easter Day.  Only by giving ourselves fully to God, can we share in the eternal hope of Jesus’ resurrection.

Pray for me and for each other this week as I pray for you.  Pray that we may all find that light within ourselves and in those around us.  Pray that the grace of God may be revealed to us in the life, death, and resurrection of His son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Living I BELIEVE

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable to You, O God, our Rock and our Redeemer.  Amen.

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks.  They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” (John 12:20-21)

It seems so easy, but when the strangers came to Philip and asked to see Jesus, what were they really asking?  In the Gospel of John seeing is never easy.  John is all about light and darkness, seeing and being blind.  Many people who were right there in Jesus’ presence could not “see” him.  The Greeks who came to Philip were asking for much more than the chance to lay eyes on Jesus.  They were asking what Jesus was all about.

For John, the world was mostly in darkness and only a select few were in the light.  Even those who were closest to Jesus had trouble seeing.

Why is it so hard to see Jesus?

“Now my soul is troubled, And what should I say – ‘Father, save me from this hour’?  No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.  Father, glorify your name.”  (John 12:27-28a)

It is so easy to stay in the darkness.  If we stay in the darkness, we don’t have to look too carefully at ourselves.  Seeing Christ means much more than saying “I believe.”  It means living I BELIEVE.

But what does it mean to live I BELIEVE?  That is something that each person has to work out for themselves.  There are many right answers.  If you would take out your insert, I am going to play a song by Take 6.  I believe this song is a good spot to start.

[play Gold Mine by Take 6]

I believe.  Every once in a while the clouds part and I hope I walk in the light and SEE Jesus.

Thanks be to God.

Ministry of the Baptised - part 2

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 read an article for you about the ministry of the baptized.  Today I am going to focus on two of her main points.  First we are going to look at her ideas about church organization.  Does anyone remember the word they used where we would use “diocese?” – It doesn’t really matter, but the word was “judicatory.”

The authors say that church structure needs to change so that it can respond to the new reality facing ever smaller churches.  The old model where those at the top say how it is to be done and all the churches follow those instructions no longer working.  More and more, every church is finding that it needs to be different than other churches, even churches of the same denomination.

Some dioceses within the Anglican Church of Canada are not responding to this reality very well.  Since I know it well, I will use the Diocese of New Westminster as an example.  In that diocese, there is a list of criteria that a church must meet to be deemed “sustainable.”  If you don’t meet those criteria, the diocese will provide some limited support to try and get there.  One criterion has to do with average attendance.  Can anyone guess what the minimum is?  -- 70.  And I was told at VST that a more realistic minimum was 100.  How many churches in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have an average attendance of 100?  Or even 70?  Not many.  They are also very reluctant to have priests serve more than one church.  A church should be able to support at least one full-time priest.

Our own diocese is leading the way in responding to the changes facing our church.  In the past, our structure was set up so that the individual churches supported the ministry of the diocese.  At our last synod, we made big changes to our structure so that we could turn this around.  It is now the work of the diocese to support ministry in the parishes.  The changes that were made make it possible for the diocese to respond much more quickly when new needs come up throughout the diocese.  Instead of needing to wait until the next synod, diocesan council can set up new programs and working groups as the needs arise.  One of the major sources of funding in the diocese, which was reserved exclusively for new buildings, now has funds available for supporting new ministries in existing parishes.  Some of this money could easily be available to us for the repairs and upgrades that need to be done on our parish buildings as long as we focus on the ministry that we could be doing from them instead of merely trying to keep them standing for another generation.

So is our diocese changing as the authors of last week’s article say it needs to?  I think it is.  As with any change, it is a slow process and it has its problems.  But the change is happening.

The second point in the article that I wanted to talk about has to do with how we look at life and change.  I’m going to read again the quote from Jim Kelsey.  Jim Kelsey was the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan.

"This is something I have found to be true without exception: that when we, any of us, focus on things in our lives that are passing away, we get scared, we get anxious, we get depressed, we lose hope; and when we focus on things that are being birthed and are coming newly into creation, we get excited, we get imaginative, we get optimistic, we feel drawn closer to one another, we feel as if we have meaning and purpose in this life, and we have joy. . . . we are given change as an ingredient in life. We can be frightened and anxious and resistant to it or we can embrace it as a tool to transform us." —Jim Kelsey (1952–2007)

 

We are facing a time of change here in this parish.  It is not something that is sudden or unexpected.  It is not something that is unique to us here in this parish.  For many years attendance at our churches has been steadily declining.  At the same time, expenses have been going up and the money available to provide ministry here has been going down.  Many other churches in this diocese are facing the same realities that we are.

There are essentially two ways we can face our current situation.  We can respond with fear.  We can get depressed because we can see that what we are doing is not working.  We can lose hope about being able to pass our faith and our church on to future generations. 

If we go down this path, I can assure you that it will come true.

Our other option is to look for new meaning.  We can look at our own needs and the needs of our community and bring them together to give us new purpose.  Our faith teaches us that our purpose is to minister to those around us.  As we address the needs we have in this parish, this is where we need to spend most of our attention.  It is from our ministry that we will find new birth.  Our buildings do not define our ministry.  It is our ministry that should define our buildings.

 

Remember: “when we focus on things that are being birthed and are coming newly into creation, we get excited, we get imaginative, we get optimistic, we feel drawn closer to one another, we feel as if we have meaning and purpose in this life, and we have joy. . . . we are given change as an ingredient in life. We can be frightened and anxious and resistant to it or we can embrace it as a tool to transform us.”

 

Thanks be to God.

Ministry of the Baptised

Today I’m going to read an aritical by Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook about today’s church and baptismal ministry.  Before I start, there is a work she uses which you might not know.  I didn’t.  This word is judicatory.  A judicatory is an organization of churches of the same denomination working together for greater mission.  In the Anglican or Roman Catholic Church that would be a diocese.  In the United Church, it would be Presbytery.

http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=9010

Here in our own church, I would like to celebrate the baptismal ministry of a group in our midst.  Today we are going to commission the vestry for their ministry in this congregation.  If all of the members of our newly elected vestry would please come up ….

Ash Wednesday Message - 2012

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 anew our own road to Emmaus.  We begin anew 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.  Others will take on new disciplines; make new efforts to live the Christian message.  I encourage you to commit yourselves to an effort to live your lives as 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.  If you plan to give something up, choose something that pulls you away from Christ.  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.

Hope for the hopeless

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.

How many of you came here today in a car or truck? – I did too.  Did you take a moment this morning to check out the engine?  To make sure the battery was fully charged?  To do any kind of check that your car was going to work right this morning?  Neither did I.  Cars today work so well that we just get in and expect them to work, and then we get quite upset when the don’t.

Compared to our bodies, cars are relatively simple machines.  So many things have to happen just right in our bodies every day that if something goes wrong, we can’t just go to the mechanic (or doctor), we have to go to the mechanic who only works on fuel pumps (or our hearts).  That doctor doesn’t work on any other part of the body.  And when something does go wrong, do you think “well, everything has been working so well it makes sense that something would have to break down eventually?”  Neither do I.  I usually think “why did this have to happen to me?  And why now of all times?”

In our gospel today we have a leper; a man who got a skin disease.  He wasn’t born with it.  Earlier in his life, he had been an active member of his community.  He was healthy, respected, had a family.

And then he got leprosy.  In the Bible, leprosy is really a fate worse than death.  Once you get it, you are totally isolated from the rest of society.  You don’t get to go to temple.  You don’t get to work.  You don’t even get to touch another human being.  If you see a healthy person coming towards you, you have to shout “unclean, unclean” so that they don’t accidentally touch you.

Our leper has no hope.

And then he sees Jesus.  Not only does he see Jesus, but he recognizes him.  He kneels at Jesus’ feet and says “If you choose, you can make me clean.”  He is so depressed by his situation that he doesn’t actually ask to be healed.  He leaves that decision up to Jesus.  Does Jesus heal him?

Yes.

But in our reading, Mark tells us something more than the power of Jesus to heal even leprosy.

Jesus was “moved with pity.”  That short phrase warms my heart.  This is what most modern translations say.  Some ancient translations say something quite different.  “Being angry, he stretched out his hand.”  This is another possible translation of the same words (which by the way are directly translated as “moved as to his bowels.”)  Why would Jesus be angry?

Would he be angry at the leper for coming up to him?  I don’t think so.  That wouldn’t fit with anything else in the gospels.

Was he angry that, once again, he was being asked to heal?  I don’t think that’s it either.  Jesus sometimes looked for time alone, but even then he healed when asked.

I think that Jesus was angered by the inhuman way that this man and others like him had to live.  Jesus was angry about a world where someone had to live with no hope.

So Jesus did the one thing that society told him he couldn’t do.  He touched the leper.  In other healing stories, Jesus sometimes just used words to heal.  But in this one, he touched the unclean man and made him clean.



We don’t see a lot of leprosy around here, but we do have diseases that leave people without hope, diseases that isolate people, diseases that we are sure we will never get.

We may not have the power to heal the disease as Jesus did, but we do have the power to heal the hopelessness and isolation.

We have the power to reach out and touch those who are pushed aside by society and show them the hope which comes from the love of God.



And when that day comes when you feel like there is no hope, when I feel like there is no hope, ….



That is when we give thanks that we are all people of God.  That is when we give thanks that we live as Christ taught us to live.  That is when we give thanks for the love that we share with each other and with all of God’s people.



Amen.

Knowledge Puffs Us Up, Love Builds Us Up

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.

Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.”  Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  (1 cor 8:1)

Our reading from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians today is packed with wisdom.  It’s a little hard to understand though.  It is all buried in an argument about eating food sacrificed to idols.  A practice that is not that common around here anymore.

So let’s try to unpack it a bit.  In Paul’s time (and in ours) it was against Jewish law to eat food sacrificed to idols or to gods other than Yahweh.  The temptation was that this food was free.  If you went to a worship service for one of these false gods, this food was shared as part of the ceremony.  So if you believed that these gods had any power, you were worshiping them.

Earlier this year we already talked about how some members of the church in Corinth were interpreting the law.  “All things are lawful for me.”  Here they are saying, “We know that no idol in the world really exists.  There is no God but one.  So this food sacrificed to false gods can have no power over us.  It is safe for us to eat it.  It can neither help us nor hurt us.”

Once again Paul says “you are right … but ….”

Knowledge puffs up, love builds up.

You are the leaders of your church.  What happens if another member of your church, one who does not understand that the food has no power, follows your example and eats?  In their hearts, they will believe that they have sinned against God.  They will be pulled away from loving God.  And they have done this by following your example.  “But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.

Can any of you think of a modern example of this?

For me a Nicorette commercial comes to mind.  In fact, many Nicorette commercials come to mind.  There are three guys sitting together.  Both the one on the left and the one on the right pull out cigarettes.  The one in the middle first looks very worried and then he smiled and pulls out his pack of Nicorettes.

Smoking is not illegal, but if those are his friends, they are friends he could do without.

Knowledge puffs us up, love builds us up.

Paul is telling us that any time we knowingly cause someone else to be weak; we sin against them and against Christ.  Any time we cause someone else to do something that is wrong for them, even if it is okay or right for us, we sin against them and against Christ.

But there is a good side to his message too.

Radical love!

“Therefor, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause them to fall.”

Paul would rather eat the gruel of those in poverty than tempt one follower of Christ away from their love of God.

Love builds up!

Instead of having a cigarette next to their friend who is trying to quit, how about sharing a Nicorette?

When someone we know is trying to do something hard for them, Paul is telling us to lovingly build them up.  Give support and helpful advice; even criticism if it is constructive and caring.  When we use our own knowledge to point out someone else’s faults, no matter how real those faults might be, we sin against them and against Christ.

There is a lot of love here in this community.  Let’s remember to share that love with each other and build each other up.

I love you.  Thanks be to God.