(Note: Services at Emanuel United Church of Christ are cancelled tomorrow, January 30, 2011, due to the icy streets and lack of cleared parking near the church. In lieu of a sermon, the article below is from Emanuel's February 2011 newsletter.)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ –
"When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them.” Matthew 5:1-2"
Our Gospels for the month of February all come from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, found in the 5th through 7th chapters of Matthew’s Gospel. This sermon contains many well-known, beloved passages of Scripture, such as the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-11) and the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). It also contains some words that may make us very uncomfortable, such as “But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:22) It contains many challenging words about the difficult demands of being a disciple of Jesus: turning the other cheek, going the second mile, praying for enemies (Matthew 5:38-48). Perhaps a summary of the sermon can be found in Matthew 5:48: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Jesus’ words called his disciples to a way of life radically different both from that of the religious establishment of the day and that of the Roman empire which occupied and exploited the residents of Galilee and Judah. Likewise, Jesus calls us, who read these words some 2,000 years later, to a way of life radically different from that of our neighbors. We should not read them as a call to try to work our way into heaven – that work was done by Jesus at the cross, and God’s grace is sufficient. On the other hand, these words call us to reject the “easy believism” of our day which says that if we make an occasional “nod to God” prayer, we can be as arrogant, angry, greedy, gluttonous, lustful, ______ (fill in the blank) as we want, confident that God will let us off the hook in the end. To this way of thinking, Jesus responds, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) Perhaps these words from the Apostle Paul will help us interpret Jesus’ words: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2) It’s about letting go of our own will and our own agendas, and letting God transform our lives. In the words of the old hymn, “Have thine own way, Lord, have thine own way/Thou art the potter, I am the clay….” And when we stumble and need forgiveness, we can be reminded that “God isn’t done with us yet.”
While Jesus’ words give us much to ponder, for our small congregation, Jesus’ call for us to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16) can both challenge and encourage us. A small amount of salt can preserve meat and add flavor to our dinner. A small candle can bring light in the darkness, as we demonstrate every Christmas Eve when we sing “Silent Night” and hold up our small candles. And, as we’ve discovered (perhaps to our frustration) this winter, many small snowflakes can have a big impact! In the same way, God can use our congregation for good in ways much larger than our small membership would indicate. The challenge is not to hide our light under a bushel – not to despair at our small numbers – but to be faithful with what God has given us, and to surrender ourselves to God’s service.
See you in church! (but not on Jan 30!)
Pastor Dave
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Fishing
(Scriptures: Isaiah 9:1-4, I Corinthians 1:10-18,Matthew 4:12-23)
Today’s Gospel reading gives Matthew’s account of the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. The preceding Scriptures have built up to this point – Matthew’s birth narrative, the angels’ proclamation to Mary, the visit of the Magi, the flight to Egypt to escape Herod, the baptism by John, Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, which we’ll read about a few weeks from now in Lent…all these are ways in which God the Father prepared Jesus for ministry. So much of God’s grace has poured into Jesus, and now Jesus begins to pour out that grace for humankind as he begins his earthly ministry.
For Matthew, apparently John’s arrest was the catalyst for Jesus beginning his own ministry. Matthew brushes past it so quickly – “now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested” – but we’re not only given a note about the news of the day, but also a foreshadowing of coming danger, a sense that the danger faced by John will later be faced by Jesus. Jesus responds to the news by moving from his childhood home of Nazareth, to move to Capernaum, along the sea of Galilee. The events of the day lead Jesus out of his comfort zone and into unfamiliar territory – but Matthew also tells us that God’s hand is in all this, as the areas formerly settled by the Hebrew tribes of Zebulon and Naphthali, which had centuries ago been overrun by the Assyrians and were considered “Galilee of the Gentiles” have seen the great light of Jesus. As so often happens, what the human powers that be intended for evil, God used for good. And as Matthew tells the story, Jesus’ preaching picks up where John the Baptist’s preaching left off – “repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
And then Jesus, who by John’s arrest was led out of his comfort zone, proceeds to call others out of their comfort zones. He encounters the brothers Simon and Andrew casting a net into the sea. There’s no mention of a boat, so perhaps we’re to understand that they have none. They’re just doing what they do every day for a living. That day was unfolding like the day before and the day before that….until along came Jesus, telling them, “follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” We’re told that immediately – no hesitation – they left their nets and followed Jesus. The three encounter the brothers James and John. We’re told that they’re in a boat with their father, Zebedee – Mark’s version of the story also mentions hired men – so perhaps we’re to understand that this family is a bit better off than Simon and Andrew’s family. Again the call from Jesus, and again they immediately leave everything – the hired men, the boat, their father – immediately, no hesitation - leave all that’s familiar to follow Jesus.
As I read this, I’m struck by the use of the word immediately. Just like that, they drop everything and follow Jesus. I try to imagine Jesus stopping by the accounting department and saying, “Follow me, and instead of counting beans you’ll be counting new believers.” Or imagine Jesus stopping by your workplaces – the lab, the tax office, the collection agency, the insurance company – with the call, “Follow me.” We’re risk-averse, cautious….likely before following Jesus, many of us would be tempted to start asking about life insurance and health insurance and a retirement plan. “Hey Jesus, do you offer a 401K?” But from Andrew and Simon and James and John, none of that – just willingness to drop everything and follow. Perhaps the call of Andrew and Simon and James and John is a sort of visual demonstration of the Isaiah text “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” They were just fishing, just doing what they did every day – and then Jesus came, the light dawned, they followed the light, and their lives were never the same.
Like Simon and Andrew and James and John, Jesus likewise calls for us here at Emanuel to fish for people. We’re called to gather disciples for Christ. It would be nice if people would just walk in the door – and truth to tell, a few do, now and then – but often expecting people to just find their way to us would be like Simon and Andrew standing on the shore with their net spread out on the sand, waiting for the fish to jump out of the water toward the beach and land in their nets. Fishing doesn’t work that way – the net has to be where the fish are. And if we are to attract people to Christ, we need to be where they are….which may mean leaving our comfort zones….leaving the beach, venturing out into deep water, and letting down our nets.
What does it look like, to leave everything behind and follow Jesus? I think of the young couple from Denver, Colorado, Patrick and Kim Bentrott, whom the UCC had sent as medical missionaries to Haiti, and who were there during last year’s earthquake. Their website address was in the bulletin for a month or so last year. Their lives in Haiti literally turned upside down as the tremors crumbled nearly all of facilities at the medical clinic they served, and they often felt completely overwhelmed at the magnitude of the need in front of them – but they were where God needed them, and they touched many lives. A year later, they’re back in the United States, with two adopted Haitian children, but keep in frequent contact with the land they served and loved intensely.
We read accounts like that of the Bentrott’s ministry in Haiti, and think that it’s so far outside our experience that we can’t hope to do anything like that. To which I’d respond, not necessarily so. Today we see the beginnings of Andrew’s and Simon’s and James’ and John’s walk with Jesus. We know that at the end of the path were the beginnings of the early church, and martyrs’ deaths for all but maybe John. But in between those first steps of obedience in today’s Gospel and the end of their path, were countless small steps of obedience, countless small acts of stepping out in faith, of taking small risks that led to taking greater risks. And there were many missteps and stumbles along the way – James and John trying to get the seats next to Christ in glory, Peter denying Christ. And after every stumble, they picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and started out anew on their journey with Jesus. All of this came through the prompting of the Spirit – and yet these followers of Christ had hearts open to the Spirit’s leading.
A small personal testimony: my journey to serving here at Emanuel and to seminary has been a very gradual one – joining Old First church downtown – and I used to take the train in from the suburbs - slowly trusting the members there enough to become active, eventually taking on some roles leading worship and serving on their governing board, risking doing some hospital visitation even though I wasn’t sure I could handle standing next to someone on his deathbed, taking some licensed ministry courses, hanging out here at Emanuel, and eventually taking a big deep breath and enrolling in seminary. A long journey, over 20 years or more, with lots of self-doubt along the way – am I really called to be a pastor....I can’t go back to school, I’m almost the oldest person in my classes; my mind can’t pick up and retain all this new material like it could when I was in my 20’s. Back then I had a mind like a sponge; now it's like trying to soak up water with a brick. And yet trusting God that, if this is what God’s calling me to do, God will make a way for it to happen.
And so I’d challenge each of us, and challenge us as a congregation to take some risks, venture out of our comfort zones, and follow Jesus, and allow Jesus to teach us to fish for people. It doesn’t mean we all have to pick up and move to Haiti or Timbuktu or wherever. It may mean something as simple and as crucial as inviting a friend or family member to church – something as simple and beautiful as standing by someone going through a difficult time and offering a word of hope when all they feel is despair – as simple and as caring as visiting a sick friend and reminding them that Jesus loves them.
“The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned.” May we at Emanuel Church carry the light of Christ to our families, our friends, our neighbors, and especially to our beloved neighborhood of Bridesburg. Amen.
*************
Please join us at Emanuel United Church of Christ on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. We're at 2628 Fillmore Street (off Thompson)
Today’s Gospel reading gives Matthew’s account of the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. The preceding Scriptures have built up to this point – Matthew’s birth narrative, the angels’ proclamation to Mary, the visit of the Magi, the flight to Egypt to escape Herod, the baptism by John, Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, which we’ll read about a few weeks from now in Lent…all these are ways in which God the Father prepared Jesus for ministry. So much of God’s grace has poured into Jesus, and now Jesus begins to pour out that grace for humankind as he begins his earthly ministry.
For Matthew, apparently John’s arrest was the catalyst for Jesus beginning his own ministry. Matthew brushes past it so quickly – “now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested” – but we’re not only given a note about the news of the day, but also a foreshadowing of coming danger, a sense that the danger faced by John will later be faced by Jesus. Jesus responds to the news by moving from his childhood home of Nazareth, to move to Capernaum, along the sea of Galilee. The events of the day lead Jesus out of his comfort zone and into unfamiliar territory – but Matthew also tells us that God’s hand is in all this, as the areas formerly settled by the Hebrew tribes of Zebulon and Naphthali, which had centuries ago been overrun by the Assyrians and were considered “Galilee of the Gentiles” have seen the great light of Jesus. As so often happens, what the human powers that be intended for evil, God used for good. And as Matthew tells the story, Jesus’ preaching picks up where John the Baptist’s preaching left off – “repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
And then Jesus, who by John’s arrest was led out of his comfort zone, proceeds to call others out of their comfort zones. He encounters the brothers Simon and Andrew casting a net into the sea. There’s no mention of a boat, so perhaps we’re to understand that they have none. They’re just doing what they do every day for a living. That day was unfolding like the day before and the day before that….until along came Jesus, telling them, “follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” We’re told that immediately – no hesitation – they left their nets and followed Jesus. The three encounter the brothers James and John. We’re told that they’re in a boat with their father, Zebedee – Mark’s version of the story also mentions hired men – so perhaps we’re to understand that this family is a bit better off than Simon and Andrew’s family. Again the call from Jesus, and again they immediately leave everything – the hired men, the boat, their father – immediately, no hesitation - leave all that’s familiar to follow Jesus.
As I read this, I’m struck by the use of the word immediately. Just like that, they drop everything and follow Jesus. I try to imagine Jesus stopping by the accounting department and saying, “Follow me, and instead of counting beans you’ll be counting new believers.” Or imagine Jesus stopping by your workplaces – the lab, the tax office, the collection agency, the insurance company – with the call, “Follow me.” We’re risk-averse, cautious….likely before following Jesus, many of us would be tempted to start asking about life insurance and health insurance and a retirement plan. “Hey Jesus, do you offer a 401K?” But from Andrew and Simon and James and John, none of that – just willingness to drop everything and follow. Perhaps the call of Andrew and Simon and James and John is a sort of visual demonstration of the Isaiah text “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.” They were just fishing, just doing what they did every day – and then Jesus came, the light dawned, they followed the light, and their lives were never the same.
Like Simon and Andrew and James and John, Jesus likewise calls for us here at Emanuel to fish for people. We’re called to gather disciples for Christ. It would be nice if people would just walk in the door – and truth to tell, a few do, now and then – but often expecting people to just find their way to us would be like Simon and Andrew standing on the shore with their net spread out on the sand, waiting for the fish to jump out of the water toward the beach and land in their nets. Fishing doesn’t work that way – the net has to be where the fish are. And if we are to attract people to Christ, we need to be where they are….which may mean leaving our comfort zones….leaving the beach, venturing out into deep water, and letting down our nets.
What does it look like, to leave everything behind and follow Jesus? I think of the young couple from Denver, Colorado, Patrick and Kim Bentrott, whom the UCC had sent as medical missionaries to Haiti, and who were there during last year’s earthquake. Their website address was in the bulletin for a month or so last year. Their lives in Haiti literally turned upside down as the tremors crumbled nearly all of facilities at the medical clinic they served, and they often felt completely overwhelmed at the magnitude of the need in front of them – but they were where God needed them, and they touched many lives. A year later, they’re back in the United States, with two adopted Haitian children, but keep in frequent contact with the land they served and loved intensely.
We read accounts like that of the Bentrott’s ministry in Haiti, and think that it’s so far outside our experience that we can’t hope to do anything like that. To which I’d respond, not necessarily so. Today we see the beginnings of Andrew’s and Simon’s and James’ and John’s walk with Jesus. We know that at the end of the path were the beginnings of the early church, and martyrs’ deaths for all but maybe John. But in between those first steps of obedience in today’s Gospel and the end of their path, were countless small steps of obedience, countless small acts of stepping out in faith, of taking small risks that led to taking greater risks. And there were many missteps and stumbles along the way – James and John trying to get the seats next to Christ in glory, Peter denying Christ. And after every stumble, they picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and started out anew on their journey with Jesus. All of this came through the prompting of the Spirit – and yet these followers of Christ had hearts open to the Spirit’s leading.
A small personal testimony: my journey to serving here at Emanuel and to seminary has been a very gradual one – joining Old First church downtown – and I used to take the train in from the suburbs - slowly trusting the members there enough to become active, eventually taking on some roles leading worship and serving on their governing board, risking doing some hospital visitation even though I wasn’t sure I could handle standing next to someone on his deathbed, taking some licensed ministry courses, hanging out here at Emanuel, and eventually taking a big deep breath and enrolling in seminary. A long journey, over 20 years or more, with lots of self-doubt along the way – am I really called to be a pastor....I can’t go back to school, I’m almost the oldest person in my classes; my mind can’t pick up and retain all this new material like it could when I was in my 20’s. Back then I had a mind like a sponge; now it's like trying to soak up water with a brick. And yet trusting God that, if this is what God’s calling me to do, God will make a way for it to happen.
And so I’d challenge each of us, and challenge us as a congregation to take some risks, venture out of our comfort zones, and follow Jesus, and allow Jesus to teach us to fish for people. It doesn’t mean we all have to pick up and move to Haiti or Timbuktu or wherever. It may mean something as simple and as crucial as inviting a friend or family member to church – something as simple and beautiful as standing by someone going through a difficult time and offering a word of hope when all they feel is despair – as simple and as caring as visiting a sick friend and reminding them that Jesus loves them.
“The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned.” May we at Emanuel Church carry the light of Christ to our families, our friends, our neighbors, and especially to our beloved neighborhood of Bridesburg. Amen.
*************
Please join us at Emanuel United Church of Christ on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. We're at 2628 Fillmore Street (off Thompson)
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Wise Men (and Women) Still Seek Him
Note: Today, January 16, Emanuel UCC is hosting a guest speaker, who will tell us of the challenges faced by Christians in Iraq. Guests are most welcome!! In place of a sermon, here's a message from Emanuel's January 2011 newsletter.
And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17
Happy 2011! As this newsletter goes to press, we give thanks to God for carrying us through the joys and challenges of 2010, and pray for God’s blessing in 2011. On the church calendar, it is the season of Epiphany, the revelation of Jesus to the world. In Matthew’s Gospel, Epiphany’s revelations begin with the visit of the Magi, Gentile “wise men” who came to pay homage to the Christ child. These revelations continue with the account of Jesus’ baptism, when a voice from heaven publicly proclaims Jesus to be God’s Son, the beloved, in whom God is well-pleased. We detour into John’s Gospel for a week, in which Jesus invites two of John the Baptist’s disciples to “come and see” where Jesus was staying, and where Jesus revealed Simon’s character by calling him Peter, meaning “Rock”. While Simon Peter’s character more often resembled shifting sand during the years in which Jesus walked the earth, after Christ’s resurrection, Peter did indeed become a rock of strength, a model of steadfast faith for the early church.
That’s often how it is for those seeking a deeper connection to their faith. We invite friends or neighbors to Emanuel Church, telling these friends to “come and see”. When these seekers “come and see” what God is doing at Emanuel Church, they may also gain new insight about their own lives, as they learn who they are and (more importantly) Whose they are. And like the Magi, they will not return by the same road they came. They cannot go back to their old lives and their old survival strategies. God will lead them on their journey of faith by another way. And perhaps, having “come and seen,” they will “go and tell” how God has blessed their lives.
And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17
Happy 2011! As this newsletter goes to press, we give thanks to God for carrying us through the joys and challenges of 2010, and pray for God’s blessing in 2011. On the church calendar, it is the season of Epiphany, the revelation of Jesus to the world. In Matthew’s Gospel, Epiphany’s revelations begin with the visit of the Magi, Gentile “wise men” who came to pay homage to the Christ child. These revelations continue with the account of Jesus’ baptism, when a voice from heaven publicly proclaims Jesus to be God’s Son, the beloved, in whom God is well-pleased. We detour into John’s Gospel for a week, in which Jesus invites two of John the Baptist’s disciples to “come and see” where Jesus was staying, and where Jesus revealed Simon’s character by calling him Peter, meaning “Rock”. While Simon Peter’s character more often resembled shifting sand during the years in which Jesus walked the earth, after Christ’s resurrection, Peter did indeed become a rock of strength, a model of steadfast faith for the early church.
That’s often how it is for those seeking a deeper connection to their faith. We invite friends or neighbors to Emanuel Church, telling these friends to “come and see”. When these seekers “come and see” what God is doing at Emanuel Church, they may also gain new insight about their own lives, as they learn who they are and (more importantly) Whose they are. And like the Magi, they will not return by the same road they came. They cannot go back to their old lives and their old survival strategies. God will lead them on their journey of faith by another way. And perhaps, having “come and seen,” they will “go and tell” how God has blessed their lives.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Beloved Son
(Scriptures: Isaiah 42:1-9, Psalm 29, Acts 10:34-43, Matthew 3:13-17)
** Due to snow, Emanuel UCC has cancelled worship for Sunday, January 9. Worship will resume on January 16**
We continue in the season of Epiphany, the season in which Jesus is revealed to the world at large. Last Sunday, we remembered the visit of the Wise Men, who represented those outside of Jesus’ community coming to pay homage. This Sunday’s text lifts up the baptism of Jesus, at which we receive a further revelation of Jesus’ identity. And perhaps in understanding Jesus’ identity, we can come to a greater understanding and appreciation, not only of Jesus’ identity, but of our identity as disciples of the Risen Christ.
We also see Jesus stepping forward for the first time into his public ministry. Remember that we’ve read the birth narrative, the visit of the Wise Men, the flight to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod, and the return to Nazareth. At this point, Jesus drops out of the narrative for a short time, and the focus shifts to the ministry of John the Baptist. John the Baptist, out in the wilderness, preaching repentance, and baptizing in the river Jordan. He’s preaching about repentance, and God’s wrath, and fire, unquenchable fire. And then Jesus comes to John for baptism. While John had no hesitancy in chewing out the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to see him, he is much more deferential to Jesus. John says, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus responded, “Let it be so for now.” So John baptized Jesus. As Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descend like a dove and rest on him. All present heard a voice from heaven, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
It is striking that immediately following this story, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted by Satan. Do you remember the temptations? Satan tempted Jesus, who had fasted for forty days, to use his powers to turn the surrounding stones into bread, to make a public display of himself by leaping off a cliff and letting God bear him up, and to worship Satan, in exchange for power over all the kingdoms of the world, and all worldly glory. Each of these temptations – to use his power for his own self-gratification, to make his ministry about public spectacles, to seek worldly power – each of these temptations was ultimately about what Jesus’ ministry will look like, and, ultimately, about who Jesus is. And Jesus was able to resist these temptations by remembering who he was, by remembering the identity proclaimed at his baptism: “God’s Son, the Beloved, with whom God is well pleased.”
In our tradition, most who are baptized do not come of their own choice, but are brought as infants to the church to be baptized – though some do come as adults. For many parents, having their child baptized is sort of like checking off a box on a list of “to do’s” for raising their child. Perhaps it’s done in the same spirit that parents take their children to the doctor for childhood vaccinations; the baptism may be seen as a sort of one-time, lifelong vaccination against sin. And that may come close to capturing part of the meaning of baptism, in which our sinful nature is drowned in the water of baptism. But it is far more: it is taking on – or having conferred by the actions of our parents in bringing us as infants for baptism and taking our baptismal vows on our behalf – it is taking on an identity as “child of God, disciple of Christ, member of Christ’s church.” Just as the voice from heaven claimed Jesus as God’s son, the beloved, through baptism the church claims each of us as beloved sons and daughters of God – and this becomes our central identity.
Like Jesus, we may find ourselves tempted to base our identity on other things. After all, each of us plays many roles throughout the day – spouse, parent, child, sibling, employee, producer, consumer, taxpayer, patient, leader, follower, supporter, opponent….on and on. As Jesus was tempted to distort his earthly ministry by becoming a miracle worker, a creator of spectacles, a worldly power-broker, so the world tempts us to distort our identity by basing our self-esteem and self-worth on looks, our physical stamina, our job, our family ties, our position in the community, our level of education. And ultimately, all these things will let us down: our looks will fade, our physical stamina will plateau and ultimately decline; the knowledge represented by our diplomas will grow outdated, unless we commit to be lifelong learners. Many who base their identity on their employment or status in the community have no idea who they are after they have retired. When everything else passes away, it is ultimately our baptismal identity: “child of God, disciple of Christ, member of Christ’s church” that marks who we are, and whose we are.
Jesus’ identity as God’s beloved Son did not shield Him from all harm; instead, it put Christ in the midst of spiritual battle. In the same way, our status, our central identity as beloved sons and daughters of God will not guarantee us a calm, carefree life. But we have the promise of God’s presence through whatever comforts and afflictions life offers us.
I’ve told the story before of Martin Luther’s passionate insistence on his baptismal identity. Luther was often beset by periods of overwhelming depression. In these “dark nights of the soul” – and he had many – he would say to himself, “But I am baptized. I am baptized. I am baptized. When Luther was tempted to tell himself that all was lost, it was Luther’s baptismal identity that sustained him through the worst his society and even the worst his church offered him.
In our moments of despair, we, too, can cling to our baptismal identity. Through baptism, we are marked forever as God’s beloved children. May we say, in the words of the old Heidelberg Catechism with which many of us grew up, that our only comfort, in life and death, is that we belong, not to ourselves, but to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, who through the waters of baptism has claimed us for his very own. Amen.
** Due to snow, Emanuel UCC has cancelled worship for Sunday, January 9. Worship will resume on January 16**
We continue in the season of Epiphany, the season in which Jesus is revealed to the world at large. Last Sunday, we remembered the visit of the Wise Men, who represented those outside of Jesus’ community coming to pay homage. This Sunday’s text lifts up the baptism of Jesus, at which we receive a further revelation of Jesus’ identity. And perhaps in understanding Jesus’ identity, we can come to a greater understanding and appreciation, not only of Jesus’ identity, but of our identity as disciples of the Risen Christ.
We also see Jesus stepping forward for the first time into his public ministry. Remember that we’ve read the birth narrative, the visit of the Wise Men, the flight to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod, and the return to Nazareth. At this point, Jesus drops out of the narrative for a short time, and the focus shifts to the ministry of John the Baptist. John the Baptist, out in the wilderness, preaching repentance, and baptizing in the river Jordan. He’s preaching about repentance, and God’s wrath, and fire, unquenchable fire. And then Jesus comes to John for baptism. While John had no hesitancy in chewing out the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to see him, he is much more deferential to Jesus. John says, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus responded, “Let it be so for now.” So John baptized Jesus. As Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descend like a dove and rest on him. All present heard a voice from heaven, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
It is striking that immediately following this story, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted by Satan. Do you remember the temptations? Satan tempted Jesus, who had fasted for forty days, to use his powers to turn the surrounding stones into bread, to make a public display of himself by leaping off a cliff and letting God bear him up, and to worship Satan, in exchange for power over all the kingdoms of the world, and all worldly glory. Each of these temptations – to use his power for his own self-gratification, to make his ministry about public spectacles, to seek worldly power – each of these temptations was ultimately about what Jesus’ ministry will look like, and, ultimately, about who Jesus is. And Jesus was able to resist these temptations by remembering who he was, by remembering the identity proclaimed at his baptism: “God’s Son, the Beloved, with whom God is well pleased.”
In our tradition, most who are baptized do not come of their own choice, but are brought as infants to the church to be baptized – though some do come as adults. For many parents, having their child baptized is sort of like checking off a box on a list of “to do’s” for raising their child. Perhaps it’s done in the same spirit that parents take their children to the doctor for childhood vaccinations; the baptism may be seen as a sort of one-time, lifelong vaccination against sin. And that may come close to capturing part of the meaning of baptism, in which our sinful nature is drowned in the water of baptism. But it is far more: it is taking on – or having conferred by the actions of our parents in bringing us as infants for baptism and taking our baptismal vows on our behalf – it is taking on an identity as “child of God, disciple of Christ, member of Christ’s church.” Just as the voice from heaven claimed Jesus as God’s son, the beloved, through baptism the church claims each of us as beloved sons and daughters of God – and this becomes our central identity.
Like Jesus, we may find ourselves tempted to base our identity on other things. After all, each of us plays many roles throughout the day – spouse, parent, child, sibling, employee, producer, consumer, taxpayer, patient, leader, follower, supporter, opponent….on and on. As Jesus was tempted to distort his earthly ministry by becoming a miracle worker, a creator of spectacles, a worldly power-broker, so the world tempts us to distort our identity by basing our self-esteem and self-worth on looks, our physical stamina, our job, our family ties, our position in the community, our level of education. And ultimately, all these things will let us down: our looks will fade, our physical stamina will plateau and ultimately decline; the knowledge represented by our diplomas will grow outdated, unless we commit to be lifelong learners. Many who base their identity on their employment or status in the community have no idea who they are after they have retired. When everything else passes away, it is ultimately our baptismal identity: “child of God, disciple of Christ, member of Christ’s church” that marks who we are, and whose we are.
Jesus’ identity as God’s beloved Son did not shield Him from all harm; instead, it put Christ in the midst of spiritual battle. In the same way, our status, our central identity as beloved sons and daughters of God will not guarantee us a calm, carefree life. But we have the promise of God’s presence through whatever comforts and afflictions life offers us.
I’ve told the story before of Martin Luther’s passionate insistence on his baptismal identity. Luther was often beset by periods of overwhelming depression. In these “dark nights of the soul” – and he had many – he would say to himself, “But I am baptized. I am baptized. I am baptized. When Luther was tempted to tell himself that all was lost, it was Luther’s baptismal identity that sustained him through the worst his society and even the worst his church offered him.
In our moments of despair, we, too, can cling to our baptismal identity. Through baptism, we are marked forever as God’s beloved children. May we say, in the words of the old Heidelberg Catechism with which many of us grew up, that our only comfort, in life and death, is that we belong, not to ourselves, but to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, who through the waters of baptism has claimed us for his very own. Amen.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Coming and Going
Happy 2011! After our snow day last week, it’s great to be back at Emanuel, starting the New Year out right by spending time in worship. Since we were snowed out last week, today’s service includes elements of Christmas – the birth of Jesus – as well as Epiphany. So our service has included both Christmas carols and Epiphany hymns, and my sermon likewise has one foot in Christmas, and the other in Epiphany.
In the church’s liturgical calendar, today is Epiphany Sunday, which celebrates the revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles, which, I’d guess, is most or all of us. Remember that up to this point, everyone who encounters Jesus in the story – Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, presumably the shepherds, Jesus himself – are all Jews. But on Epiphany Sunday, we give thanks that this revelation spread to the world at large. The word “epiphany” has made its way into our secular language to describe those occasional “Aha” moments we all have, those moments when we understand something for the first time or connect the dots for the first time, when, figuratively speaking, the little light bulb over our head goes on, and we say that we’ve had an epiphany.
Our Old Testament reading sets the stage. Part of God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis was not only that God would bless Abraham by making his descendents a great nation, but that great nation of Abraham’s descendents would become a blessing to the other nations. Our reading from Isaiah recalls this promise: the surrounding nations would come to Judah, to Jerusalem, seeking God’s glory. And they would come to Judah, to Jerusalem bearing gifts – the abundance of the sea, the wealth of nations…and, specifically, gold and frankincense. Matthew’s Gospel portrays the Isaiah reading come to life, in the form of – the Magi, or wise men, watchers of the skies who came from Persia, with gifts for a king. More than a little naively, they traveled to Jerusalem, the Jewish capital – where else would a "King of the Jews" be born, they supposed, asking “where is He who has been born King of the Jews, for we have seen His star, and have come to worship.”
While they may have been wise in tracking the movements of the stars in the heavens, perhaps they weren’t so wise in the ways of worldly politics. For in coming to Jerusalem and making their inquiry, they set off the paranoia of Herod, the local puppet ruler propped up by Rome – because as far as Herod was concerned, there was already a King of the Jews, and Herod was his name. No others need apply. To borrow some language from the old western movies, Jerusalem and Judah weren’t big enough for two kings of the Jews. But Herod forced a smile, consulted his religious advisors – who said the king would be born not in Jerusalem, but in Bethlehem, a few miles down the road from Jerusalem. Herod sent them on their way, telling them to come back when they’d found the baby, so that Herod could also come and….worship. Yeah, worship, that’s the ticket. Of course, the rest of our Gospel reading tells us that Herod had, not worship, but murder on his mind.
Jesus’ birth was revealed to the Wise men, and they traveled for many miles to worship. Jesus’ birth was also revealed – by the wise men – to Herod, and he sent his men many miles to murder. And likewise, Jesus’ birth is revealed to all of us, and to our neighbors.
How will we respond? When we come to worship, what gift will we offer? And by what road will we depart? As we mark the turning of the calendar and the beginning of the new year, these are questions to contemplate.
On Friday night, I took the train into the city to spend part of New Years’ Eve at my home congregation, Old First, at 4th & Race Streets in Center City, for their New Years’ Eve Watchnight Service. While this is not a tradition in our churches – and in fact it’s only the 2nd time Old First held such a service - it’s a strong tradition in the African-American community. I’m told it came out of the time of emancipation, when on December 31, 1862, New Year’s Eve, slaves were counting down the hours and minutes until January 1, 1863, when Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation would take effect, and, on paper at least, they had freedom, glorious freedom. Pastor Michael, the pastor at Old First, who once served a congregation in NYC primarily of immigrants from the islands of the West Indies, also told us that there is a West Indies tradition that the way you bring in the New Year’s Eve will determine how you spend the whole year. In some West Indies communities, New Years Eve watchnight services are bigger than Christmas Eve service. Old First’s service didn’t actually run until midnight – we started at 7 pm and ran till about 8:30 – but it gave the feel of awaiting the New Year, in the presence of God and among the folks who for 20 years had been my church family week in and week out. It was a small group, about 15 of us gathered in a circle at the front of the church – though I told them that at Emanuel, it would be considered a good Sunday attendance. It was a meditative time for the 15 of us who were there, a time to consider the joys and struggles of the past year, to confess and ask God to forgive us our past failings and to help us to be more faithful in the coming year, to share our hopes and dreams for 2011. And, of course, I lifted up a prayer for Bridesburg, and for Emanuel Church, that we here can be a place of hope and love and peace for the beloved neighborhood of Bridesburg in which God has planted us.
Which path will we follow in the coming year? It’s tempting for us, as it was tempting for the Wise men, to go back to Herod, to give lip service to worshipping Jesus while living in ways which, though greed and gluttony and fear and hate, through our personal choices as well as our choices of how we participate in the wider society, bring death to our neighbors, or ultimately even ourselves. It’s the road many of our neighbors travel; perhaps it’s the road on which we found ourselves all too often in the past, and it’s tempting to return to what we know, to what’s familiar.
Or, like the Wise Men, we can turn from the failings of our past and follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit within us, and, having come to worship the newborn King, depart by another road, rejoicing and giving thanks for all we had heard and seen. We can follow in the way of Jesus, the way of love for God and neighbor. We can follow in the way of Jesus, being open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, embracing the future God has in store for us. For our congregation, celebrating our 150th year of service to this community, we can move out of the shadows of fear and discouragement, to say “yes” to the ways in which God is calling us to glorify God and serve our neighbors, to say “yes” to God’s call for us to say “welcome home” to those feel spiritually orphaned and homeless, to say “yes” to being the place of faith, hope, love, and peace that God is calling us congregation to be.
As we come forward in a few moments to the Lord’s table, may our souls be fed and our spirits strengthened, so that we can depart, rejoicing, to say “yes” to God in the coming year. May we, like the Wise Men, have our ears open to hear the voice of Jesus, our hearts open to feel the prompting of the Spirit. Where God leads, may we follow. Amen.
****************
Wise men and women still seek Jesus. Please join us at Emanuel United Church of Christ on Sundays at 10 a.m. We're on Fillmore Street (off Thompson). www.emanuelphila.org
In the church’s liturgical calendar, today is Epiphany Sunday, which celebrates the revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles, which, I’d guess, is most or all of us. Remember that up to this point, everyone who encounters Jesus in the story – Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, presumably the shepherds, Jesus himself – are all Jews. But on Epiphany Sunday, we give thanks that this revelation spread to the world at large. The word “epiphany” has made its way into our secular language to describe those occasional “Aha” moments we all have, those moments when we understand something for the first time or connect the dots for the first time, when, figuratively speaking, the little light bulb over our head goes on, and we say that we’ve had an epiphany.
Our Old Testament reading sets the stage. Part of God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis was not only that God would bless Abraham by making his descendents a great nation, but that great nation of Abraham’s descendents would become a blessing to the other nations. Our reading from Isaiah recalls this promise: the surrounding nations would come to Judah, to Jerusalem, seeking God’s glory. And they would come to Judah, to Jerusalem bearing gifts – the abundance of the sea, the wealth of nations…and, specifically, gold and frankincense. Matthew’s Gospel portrays the Isaiah reading come to life, in the form of – the Magi, or wise men, watchers of the skies who came from Persia, with gifts for a king. More than a little naively, they traveled to Jerusalem, the Jewish capital – where else would a "King of the Jews" be born, they supposed, asking “where is He who has been born King of the Jews, for we have seen His star, and have come to worship.”
While they may have been wise in tracking the movements of the stars in the heavens, perhaps they weren’t so wise in the ways of worldly politics. For in coming to Jerusalem and making their inquiry, they set off the paranoia of Herod, the local puppet ruler propped up by Rome – because as far as Herod was concerned, there was already a King of the Jews, and Herod was his name. No others need apply. To borrow some language from the old western movies, Jerusalem and Judah weren’t big enough for two kings of the Jews. But Herod forced a smile, consulted his religious advisors – who said the king would be born not in Jerusalem, but in Bethlehem, a few miles down the road from Jerusalem. Herod sent them on their way, telling them to come back when they’d found the baby, so that Herod could also come and….worship. Yeah, worship, that’s the ticket. Of course, the rest of our Gospel reading tells us that Herod had, not worship, but murder on his mind.
Jesus’ birth was revealed to the Wise men, and they traveled for many miles to worship. Jesus’ birth was also revealed – by the wise men – to Herod, and he sent his men many miles to murder. And likewise, Jesus’ birth is revealed to all of us, and to our neighbors.
How will we respond? When we come to worship, what gift will we offer? And by what road will we depart? As we mark the turning of the calendar and the beginning of the new year, these are questions to contemplate.
On Friday night, I took the train into the city to spend part of New Years’ Eve at my home congregation, Old First, at 4th & Race Streets in Center City, for their New Years’ Eve Watchnight Service. While this is not a tradition in our churches – and in fact it’s only the 2nd time Old First held such a service - it’s a strong tradition in the African-American community. I’m told it came out of the time of emancipation, when on December 31, 1862, New Year’s Eve, slaves were counting down the hours and minutes until January 1, 1863, when Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation would take effect, and, on paper at least, they had freedom, glorious freedom. Pastor Michael, the pastor at Old First, who once served a congregation in NYC primarily of immigrants from the islands of the West Indies, also told us that there is a West Indies tradition that the way you bring in the New Year’s Eve will determine how you spend the whole year. In some West Indies communities, New Years Eve watchnight services are bigger than Christmas Eve service. Old First’s service didn’t actually run until midnight – we started at 7 pm and ran till about 8:30 – but it gave the feel of awaiting the New Year, in the presence of God and among the folks who for 20 years had been my church family week in and week out. It was a small group, about 15 of us gathered in a circle at the front of the church – though I told them that at Emanuel, it would be considered a good Sunday attendance. It was a meditative time for the 15 of us who were there, a time to consider the joys and struggles of the past year, to confess and ask God to forgive us our past failings and to help us to be more faithful in the coming year, to share our hopes and dreams for 2011. And, of course, I lifted up a prayer for Bridesburg, and for Emanuel Church, that we here can be a place of hope and love and peace for the beloved neighborhood of Bridesburg in which God has planted us.
Which path will we follow in the coming year? It’s tempting for us, as it was tempting for the Wise men, to go back to Herod, to give lip service to worshipping Jesus while living in ways which, though greed and gluttony and fear and hate, through our personal choices as well as our choices of how we participate in the wider society, bring death to our neighbors, or ultimately even ourselves. It’s the road many of our neighbors travel; perhaps it’s the road on which we found ourselves all too often in the past, and it’s tempting to return to what we know, to what’s familiar.
Or, like the Wise Men, we can turn from the failings of our past and follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit within us, and, having come to worship the newborn King, depart by another road, rejoicing and giving thanks for all we had heard and seen. We can follow in the way of Jesus, the way of love for God and neighbor. We can follow in the way of Jesus, being open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, embracing the future God has in store for us. For our congregation, celebrating our 150th year of service to this community, we can move out of the shadows of fear and discouragement, to say “yes” to the ways in which God is calling us to glorify God and serve our neighbors, to say “yes” to God’s call for us to say “welcome home” to those feel spiritually orphaned and homeless, to say “yes” to being the place of faith, hope, love, and peace that God is calling us congregation to be.
As we come forward in a few moments to the Lord’s table, may our souls be fed and our spirits strengthened, so that we can depart, rejoicing, to say “yes” to God in the coming year. May we, like the Wise Men, have our ears open to hear the voice of Jesus, our hearts open to feel the prompting of the Spirit. Where God leads, may we follow. Amen.
****************
Wise men and women still seek Jesus. Please join us at Emanuel United Church of Christ on Sundays at 10 a.m. We're on Fillmore Street (off Thompson). www.emanuelphila.org
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