Our Gospel readings for February tell us of some of Jesus’ miracles of healing – of a man in with an unclean spirit, of Peter’s mother-in-law, of a leper. In some cases, these individuals went out and told others of their healing, so that many were drawn to seek out this teacher, whose words had divine authority to bring wholeness even to the most broken of lives.
We here at Emanuel can give testimony that Jesus still has power to heal, and power to save. Through the most difficult of circumstances – bereavement, illness, loss of employment, family strife – in our darkest hours we can turn to Jesus. The Risen Christ brings peace to our hearts that the world can neither give nor take away.
And like those first individuals whom Jesus healed, we too can spread the message that Christ has power to heal the brokenness of our lives, and that this healing power is available here at Emanuel Church. Words have power – power to break, and power to mend. May our words be a source of hope and strength to everyone we meet on our journey through life.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Fishing
Our Gospel reading for January 25 (Mark 1:14-20) reports the beginnings of Jesus' ministry. Jesus begins to preach and recruit disciples. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the good news.” He invites his hearers to repent – to turn their lives around to God’s way – and believe.
And then we get some examples of what this looks like. He encounters Simon Peter and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea. Jesus says, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” Scripture says that “immediately” they left their nets and followed. Then Jesus encountered James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus called them, and they dropped everything, left their father in the boat with the hired men, and followed Jesus.
“Immediately” “Dropped everything” As we listen to this story, we wonder how we would have responded. I suspect that if someone came up to me and said, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people” I’d probably tell them to go away, to hit the bricks. I have a job and a life, thank you very much. Why would I want to uproot all that and follow someone I just met?
All true. But this doesn’t take into account God’s miraculous power to cut through our defenses, to grab us and shake us up and take us in directions we’d never expected to go. The response of Simon and Andrew and James and John didn’t come because Jesus’ words were especially eloquent, but because of the power of God working in the hearts of his listeners.
God seeks to touch our hearts as well. The Risen Christ has power to cut through the clutter and noise of our daily lives with the words, "Follow me." May God grant us ears to hear, and open our hearts to respond.
And then we get some examples of what this looks like. He encounters Simon Peter and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea. Jesus says, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” Scripture says that “immediately” they left their nets and followed. Then Jesus encountered James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus called them, and they dropped everything, left their father in the boat with the hired men, and followed Jesus.
“Immediately” “Dropped everything” As we listen to this story, we wonder how we would have responded. I suspect that if someone came up to me and said, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people” I’d probably tell them to go away, to hit the bricks. I have a job and a life, thank you very much. Why would I want to uproot all that and follow someone I just met?
All true. But this doesn’t take into account God’s miraculous power to cut through our defenses, to grab us and shake us up and take us in directions we’d never expected to go. The response of Simon and Andrew and James and John didn’t come because Jesus’ words were especially eloquent, but because of the power of God working in the hearts of his listeners.
God seeks to touch our hearts as well. The Risen Christ has power to cut through the clutter and noise of our daily lives with the words, "Follow me." May God grant us ears to hear, and open our hearts to respond.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Come and See
It’s been quite a year for sports in Philadelphia! The Phillies, for the first time since 1980, won the World Series, breaking a long, long dry spell. There were some years after 1980 when the Phillies got really close – I remember 1993, when Philly won the national league championship and Dykstra and Daulton and Kruk and Williams and Schilling and the others got so close to a victory – but they seemed to choke near the end. After a while, we could perhaps be forgiven for figuring “why bother getting our hopes up. The Phillies always choke at the end. Must be something in the water….” But seemingly 2008 was the year the curse was lifted, as the Fighting Phils went all the way.
Sunday’s Gospel reading reminded me a little of the Phillies. Jesus went for a walk in Galilee, and met Philip, who became a follower. Philip, full of excitement over having met Jesus, goes to Nathanael and says, “We have found him of whom Moses and the prophets spoke, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth. Nathanael finds little reason to get his hopes up, and mutters, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth.” Philip says, “Come and see.” So Nathanael follows Philip to Jesus, who says, “Here comes an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Nathanael says, “where did you come to know me?” Jesus said, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael does a 180 degree turn and says, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God, the King of Israel.” Jesus said, “Do you believe because I saw you under the fig tree? You’ll see greater things than these.” Or, to put it in today’s terms, “you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
I think sometimes we who live in Philadelphia can be a little like Nathanael before his meeting with Jesus. We remember that some amazing things happened downtown at Independence Hall some years back, but 1776 was a long time ago. We don’t see much of that vision of Philadelphia anymore – what we see now more resembles journalist Lincoln Steffans’ description of Philadelphia – “corrupt and contented.” When people from the suburbs think of Philadelphia, probably the first things that come to their minds are “crime and taxes”. And those things are on our minds as well. Even here in Bridesburg, police officers have been gunned down not that far from where we live, and incidents of petty vandalism seem to be a daily occurrence. And we read on a daily basis about huge city budget deficits, and worry about what police and fire and recreation center services will be cut in order to balance the budget. And all that is in addition to our own personal struggles. We can sometimes get to feeling beaten down by life, and it may sometimes be hard to feel much hope for the future.
I’d invite anyone reading this blog to “come and see” what God is up to in Bridesburg. God is with us here in Philadelphia, here in Bridesburg, here at Emanuel Church on Fillmore Street. As Jesus saw Nathanael under a fig tree, before Philip called him, so God sees each one of us, every day. And God has plans for each of us that would blow our minds, were we to be able to see the future. God is at work in all the churches in Bridesburg – All Saints, Bridesburg Methodist, the Presbyterians, Baptists…certainly at Emanuel United Church of Christ. If you’re attending elsewhere and are being fed spiritually – praise God! We’d love for you to visit at Emanuel, but we have no desire to poach members from other congregations. But (here comes my bloggy version of an altar call) if you’re looking for a spiritual home, for a community of faith, and haven’t found one elsewhere, “come and see” us here at Emanuel Church some Sunday at 10 a.m. We’re a small congregation, but we’re good at welcoming people – and who knows, along with the coffee and cake afterward, you could have a life-changing (even life-saving) experience with God. Come and see.
Sunday’s Gospel reading reminded me a little of the Phillies. Jesus went for a walk in Galilee, and met Philip, who became a follower. Philip, full of excitement over having met Jesus, goes to Nathanael and says, “We have found him of whom Moses and the prophets spoke, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth. Nathanael finds little reason to get his hopes up, and mutters, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth.” Philip says, “Come and see.” So Nathanael follows Philip to Jesus, who says, “Here comes an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Nathanael says, “where did you come to know me?” Jesus said, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael does a 180 degree turn and says, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God, the King of Israel.” Jesus said, “Do you believe because I saw you under the fig tree? You’ll see greater things than these.” Or, to put it in today’s terms, “you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
I think sometimes we who live in Philadelphia can be a little like Nathanael before his meeting with Jesus. We remember that some amazing things happened downtown at Independence Hall some years back, but 1776 was a long time ago. We don’t see much of that vision of Philadelphia anymore – what we see now more resembles journalist Lincoln Steffans’ description of Philadelphia – “corrupt and contented.” When people from the suburbs think of Philadelphia, probably the first things that come to their minds are “crime and taxes”. And those things are on our minds as well. Even here in Bridesburg, police officers have been gunned down not that far from where we live, and incidents of petty vandalism seem to be a daily occurrence. And we read on a daily basis about huge city budget deficits, and worry about what police and fire and recreation center services will be cut in order to balance the budget. And all that is in addition to our own personal struggles. We can sometimes get to feeling beaten down by life, and it may sometimes be hard to feel much hope for the future.
I’d invite anyone reading this blog to “come and see” what God is up to in Bridesburg. God is with us here in Philadelphia, here in Bridesburg, here at Emanuel Church on Fillmore Street. As Jesus saw Nathanael under a fig tree, before Philip called him, so God sees each one of us, every day. And God has plans for each of us that would blow our minds, were we to be able to see the future. God is at work in all the churches in Bridesburg – All Saints, Bridesburg Methodist, the Presbyterians, Baptists…certainly at Emanuel United Church of Christ. If you’re attending elsewhere and are being fed spiritually – praise God! We’d love for you to visit at Emanuel, but we have no desire to poach members from other congregations. But (here comes my bloggy version of an altar call) if you’re looking for a spiritual home, for a community of faith, and haven’t found one elsewhere, “come and see” us here at Emanuel Church some Sunday at 10 a.m. We’re a small congregation, but we’re good at welcoming people – and who knows, along with the coffee and cake afterward, you could have a life-changing (even life-saving) experience with God. Come and see.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Beloved Son
The early Celtic or Irish Christians used the name “thin places” for places in nature where they felt especially close to God – often places that were especially beautiful, where the grass was especially green or the view especially inspiring. They felt that in these places, the wall separating them from God was thinner than in most places. Today’s Gospel reading (Mark 1:4-11 – the baptism of Jesus) describes a sort of “thin place”, where we’re told that not only was the separation between humanity and God thinner than normal, but that God tore open the heavens to be part of the moment.
Our reading starts with John the Baptist’s ministry in the wilderness. Those who came to John went into the water as a sign of their desire to be cleansed of their sins. John baptized in the river Jordan, which for John’s listeners would have brought to mind all manner of communal memories, just as Independence Hall does for us living in Philadelphia. It was by the Jordan River at Jericho that Moses expounded the law, as recorded in the book of Deuteronomy. The Hebrews crossed the river Jordan in order to enter the Promised Land. On the banks of the Jordan Elijah was carried into heaven, and the mantle of Elijah fell on Elisha. Naaman’s leprosy was cured when, at the direction of Elisha, he dipped in the river Jordan. So the Jordan is a boundary, marking the transition from “the wilderness” to “the promised land”. It’s a place of cleansing – for Naaman, from leprosy; for John, from sin. According to Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann, in noting the location of the baptism at the Jordan river, Mark is calling to mind all this communal memory in Jesus’ acceptance of John’s baptism.
Jesus also came to be baptized – but here we have a little theological problem on our hands. The church has taught that Jesus is fully divine and fully human…in the words of the Epistle to the Hebrews, that Jesus in every respect was tested as all of us are, and yet was without sin. And yet here comes Jesus asking John for a baptism of repentance from sin. What did Jesus have to repent for? And indeed, in Matthew’s version of this story, John the Baptist himself sees the problem and balks, telling Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you, not the other way around.” But Jesus’ baptism was not for Jesus, but for us. Jesus’ baptism is a radical act of identification with fallen humanity – even though he was without sin, he was baptized as an act of standing with us even in our sinful condition. Theologian James Cone has written that, “Jesus embraces the condition of sinners, affirming their existence as his own.” God enters the scene by tearing open the heavens, as the Spirit descended like a dove and a voice proclaimed, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
While we baptize by sprinkling at Emanuel UCC, symbolically our sinful nature is drowned in the waters of baptism, and we come up out of the water into the new life Christ offers. The baptized person becomes part of a new, much larger family of faith, and is addressed by name as “child of God, disciple of Christ, member of Christ’s church”. At our baptism, God symbolically says to each of us, “you are my beloved son….you are my beloved daughter; with you I am well pleased.”
And just as Jesus’ baptism was a preparation for ministry, so it is for us. Emanuel church has many ministers – all the members and friends of the congregation, not just the pastor – and our authorization for our various ministries comes at our baptism. Because of our baptismal authorization for ministry, we can’t keep our faith within the confines of this building, as if we were a sort of Sunday morning holy club, but have to go out into the world to minister, under the sign and seal of baptism.
No matter who we are, or where we are on our journey through life, we are called to remember that God has claimed us for himself as his beloved sons and daughters – that, in the old words of the Heidelberg Catechism that some of us grew up with, we belong, body and soul, in life and in death, not to ourselves, but to our faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ, who through the water of baptism has claimed us for his own.
Our reading starts with John the Baptist’s ministry in the wilderness. Those who came to John went into the water as a sign of their desire to be cleansed of their sins. John baptized in the river Jordan, which for John’s listeners would have brought to mind all manner of communal memories, just as Independence Hall does for us living in Philadelphia. It was by the Jordan River at Jericho that Moses expounded the law, as recorded in the book of Deuteronomy. The Hebrews crossed the river Jordan in order to enter the Promised Land. On the banks of the Jordan Elijah was carried into heaven, and the mantle of Elijah fell on Elisha. Naaman’s leprosy was cured when, at the direction of Elisha, he dipped in the river Jordan. So the Jordan is a boundary, marking the transition from “the wilderness” to “the promised land”. It’s a place of cleansing – for Naaman, from leprosy; for John, from sin. According to Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann, in noting the location of the baptism at the Jordan river, Mark is calling to mind all this communal memory in Jesus’ acceptance of John’s baptism.
Jesus also came to be baptized – but here we have a little theological problem on our hands. The church has taught that Jesus is fully divine and fully human…in the words of the Epistle to the Hebrews, that Jesus in every respect was tested as all of us are, and yet was without sin. And yet here comes Jesus asking John for a baptism of repentance from sin. What did Jesus have to repent for? And indeed, in Matthew’s version of this story, John the Baptist himself sees the problem and balks, telling Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you, not the other way around.” But Jesus’ baptism was not for Jesus, but for us. Jesus’ baptism is a radical act of identification with fallen humanity – even though he was without sin, he was baptized as an act of standing with us even in our sinful condition. Theologian James Cone has written that, “Jesus embraces the condition of sinners, affirming their existence as his own.” God enters the scene by tearing open the heavens, as the Spirit descended like a dove and a voice proclaimed, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
While we baptize by sprinkling at Emanuel UCC, symbolically our sinful nature is drowned in the waters of baptism, and we come up out of the water into the new life Christ offers. The baptized person becomes part of a new, much larger family of faith, and is addressed by name as “child of God, disciple of Christ, member of Christ’s church”. At our baptism, God symbolically says to each of us, “you are my beloved son….you are my beloved daughter; with you I am well pleased.”
And just as Jesus’ baptism was a preparation for ministry, so it is for us. Emanuel church has many ministers – all the members and friends of the congregation, not just the pastor – and our authorization for our various ministries comes at our baptism. Because of our baptismal authorization for ministry, we can’t keep our faith within the confines of this building, as if we were a sort of Sunday morning holy club, but have to go out into the world to minister, under the sign and seal of baptism.
No matter who we are, or where we are on our journey through life, we are called to remember that God has claimed us for himself as his beloved sons and daughters – that, in the old words of the Heidelberg Catechism that some of us grew up with, we belong, body and soul, in life and in death, not to ourselves, but to our faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ, who through the water of baptism has claimed us for his own.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Wise Men and Women Still Seek Him - part 2
From the children’s book Alice in Wonderland: In her travels, Alice encounters a Cheshire cat, which has the annoying habit of appearing and disappearing at random moments in the story. Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” `That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat. `I don't much care where--' said Alice. `Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat. `--so long as I get SOMEWHERE,' Alice added as an explanation. `Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, `if you only walk long enough.'
The wise men in today’s Gospel took a rather more focused approach in their travels than Alice did. Our reading from Matthew’s Gospel tells us that the wise men – we don’t really know how many there were; tradition puts the number at three – approached King Herod, explaining that they had been following a star that marked the birth of a new king of the Jews. They would have come from quite a distance – Bible scholars think they’d likely have been seers and astrologers from the regions we now call Iran or Iraq. Their visit would not have gladdened the heart of Herod; so far as he was concerned, Herod was King of the Jews, and any purported new king would have been a threat. But Herod forces a smile, calls together his advisors, and sends the wise men on their way, requesting that when they find the babe, they bring Herod word so he may come and, er…. worship him. Worship….yeah, that’s the ticket.
In Matthew’s Gospel, up until this point in the story, the birth narrative has pretty much been a family affair within Judaism. Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, likely the shepherds, everyone we’ve encountered up to this point is of the chosen people. Jews one and all. Epiphany marks the revelation of Jesus to the nations, to the wider world. Ultimately, Epiphany is where we become a part of the Christmas story. This is why, in a number of the eastern orthodox Christian traditions, Epiphany or “little Christmas” is where the real Christmas celebration begins.
As the bumper sticker says, “Wise men still seek him.” I have it on good authority that wise women do as well. So what do we search for when we search for Christ. The traditional answer is salvation. If we ask “Salvation from what?” most good church folk would respond “from sin”
But we live in a society today that, for the most part, doesn’t feel the overwhelming sense of guilt bearing down on us that some of us grew up with. This doesn’t mean that we don’t need Jesus, or that we’ve given up on searching for Christ. Rather, we may experience our need for Christ in different ways.
For many, our search for Christ is a search for meaning, a search for a sense that our life matters, that living by the saying “he who dies with the most toys, wins” is a prescription for emptiness and a hollowed-out life, that life is more than possessions. We want to be a part of something larger than ourselves, want to feel that the world is better off for our having been here. For still others, it’s a search for companionship when family members have passed on and friends are at a distance. Jesus is our companion on the road. For others, it’s a search for comfort, a search for shelter from the pain that life offers; or a search for assistance, for freedom from hunger and destitution. For yet others, it’s a very real search for safety, literally for sanctuary. For youth from violent homes, church can be the place they know that if they go there, nobody will hit them; the church bells the voice of God reminding them that God will never forsake nor abandon them. At heart, all of these problems – lack of meaning, isolation, pain, hunger, and violence are consequences of sin, personal or societal. So all of these searches are at heart searches for salvation; at heart, all are searches for what only God can provide.
In Matthew’s Gospel, up until this point in the story, the birth narrative has pretty much been a family affair within Judaism. Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, likely the shepherds, everyone we’ve encountered up to this point is of the chosen people. Jews one and all. Epiphany marks the revelation of Jesus to the nations, to the wider world. Ultimately, Epiphany is where we become a part of the Christmas story. This is why, in a number of the eastern orthodox Christian traditions, Epiphany or “little Christmas” is where the real Christmas celebration begins.
As the bumper sticker says, “Wise men still seek him.” I have it on good authority that wise women do as well. So what do we search for when we search for Christ. The traditional answer is salvation. If we ask “Salvation from what?” most good church folk would respond “from sin”
But we live in a society today that, for the most part, doesn’t feel the overwhelming sense of guilt bearing down on us that some of us grew up with. This doesn’t mean that we don’t need Jesus, or that we’ve given up on searching for Christ. Rather, we may experience our need for Christ in different ways.
For many, our search for Christ is a search for meaning, a search for a sense that our life matters, that living by the saying “he who dies with the most toys, wins” is a prescription for emptiness and a hollowed-out life, that life is more than possessions. We want to be a part of something larger than ourselves, want to feel that the world is better off for our having been here. For still others, it’s a search for companionship when family members have passed on and friends are at a distance. Jesus is our companion on the road. For others, it’s a search for comfort, a search for shelter from the pain that life offers; or a search for assistance, for freedom from hunger and destitution. For yet others, it’s a very real search for safety, literally for sanctuary. For youth from violent homes, church can be the place they know that if they go there, nobody will hit them; the church bells the voice of God reminding them that God will never forsake nor abandon them. At heart, all of these problems – lack of meaning, isolation, pain, hunger, and violence are consequences of sin, personal or societal. So all of these searches are at heart searches for salvation; at heart, all are searches for what only God can provide.
Wise men and women still seek Him - part 1
“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’" These well-loved words mark the season of Epiphany, the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles. These wise men – priests, seers, astrologers - likely came from what is present-day Iran and Iraq. They look harmless enough when we see pictures of them on Hallmark greeting cards, or when children dress up in bathrobes to portray them in Christmas pageants, but Mary and Joseph probably reacted as we would react if someone newly arrived from Iran or Iraq landed on our doorstep – with surprise, puzzlement, perhaps (depending on our temperament) suspicion.
And, indeed, Mary and Joseph had lots to worry about, but not from the Wise Men. Rather, they had reason to fear King Herod, the Roman puppet ruler who had been in power for decades. The questions of the wise men about the coming of a new king were enough to set off the paranoid fury of this puppet king. When he couldn’t fool the wise men into leading him to Jesus, he responded with what is now called the massacre of the innocents, murdering all male infants 2 years of age or younger.
We still live in the time of King Herod. Theologian Walter Brueggemann has written that King Herod represents our world’s culture of domination and oppression, the “powers that be” – the economy of scarcity that leaves some in our society fantastically wealthy while others go hungry - leaves some in our society sleeping in mansions while others sleep on heating grates. The new, abundant life Jesus offers is profoundly counter-cultural. The kingdom of heaven threatens the powers that be, and those powers will respond by trying to control the message – and maybe kill the messenger. The powers that be will try to co-opt us, as Herod tried to co-opt the wise men, into proclaiming a safe, “pie in the sky by and by” gospel that supports the status quo. Like the wise men, we must resist being fooled by Herod, and return to our own country – the kingdom of Heaven – by another way.
And, indeed, Mary and Joseph had lots to worry about, but not from the Wise Men. Rather, they had reason to fear King Herod, the Roman puppet ruler who had been in power for decades. The questions of the wise men about the coming of a new king were enough to set off the paranoid fury of this puppet king. When he couldn’t fool the wise men into leading him to Jesus, he responded with what is now called the massacre of the innocents, murdering all male infants 2 years of age or younger.
We still live in the time of King Herod. Theologian Walter Brueggemann has written that King Herod represents our world’s culture of domination and oppression, the “powers that be” – the economy of scarcity that leaves some in our society fantastically wealthy while others go hungry - leaves some in our society sleeping in mansions while others sleep on heating grates. The new, abundant life Jesus offers is profoundly counter-cultural. The kingdom of heaven threatens the powers that be, and those powers will respond by trying to control the message – and maybe kill the messenger. The powers that be will try to co-opt us, as Herod tried to co-opt the wise men, into proclaiming a safe, “pie in the sky by and by” gospel that supports the status quo. Like the wise men, we must resist being fooled by Herod, and return to our own country – the kingdom of Heaven – by another way.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
By the grace of God, we've lived through 2008 and have been granted a New Year. 2009 will bring new opportunities to experience God's love and grace, and new opportunities to spread the Good News.
Best wishes from Emanuel United Church of Christ for God's richest blessings! A happy and healthy 2009 to all!
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