A Sermon - Third Sunday after Epiphany

Third Sunday after Epiphany - Cycle C
Gospel: Luke 4:14-21
SERMON
MOVE 1: TODAY THIS SCRIPTURE IS FULFILLED
“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in you hearing.” Amen… So be it! Right on! Jesus IS the anointed one, bringing good news to the poor, proclaiming release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. The oppressed will go free.
And... What a shocking revelation for the people who were used to working with Jesus as a Carpenter.
A shocked local farmer was thinking “Jesus? The Anointed one? Isn’t this the guy that just helped me build that barn?
A shocked local restaurant owner was thinking “Jesus? The Anointed one? Isn’t he the guy that just built the outhouse on my restaurant?
A shocked childhood friend of Jesus was now wondering what it all meant. Was Jesus going to be something special? Because they grew up together, played together, ate together, lived together.
People would be shocked that right there, a person who was with them for so long, a person who worked with them, a person who played with them… a person who was over for coffee suddenly was revealed to be the anointed one of God.
Suddenly on that day that seemed to be just another Saturday - Just another trip to Synagogue to discuss the scriptures and the days events - just another gathering of neighbors becomes something so much more as the presence of God is suddenly experienced in a whole new way. The Word of God breaks out all around. Perspectives, Understandings, ways of living are suddenly seen anew in a brand new light - God breaks into the world. ///
And this is how it goes in the world. In Celtic Christian Spirituality they have a concept of ‘thin spaces.’ A thin space is a place where our sense of the divine, the spiritual otherness, God - seems so close that the presence of the divine is almost tangible.
Hiking in the mountains and surrounded by the majesty of God’s creation can be a thin space.
Walking along a quiet lake, the loons calling and Northern Lights dancing, God can seem so close, this can be a thin space.
The embrace of a friend at a wedding - when all of life seems so full of joy, and the potential of all that might be is held up and celebrated - this can be a thin space.
At the birth of a child, when new life takes it’s first few gasps and all the problems of life drift away in the joy of the moment of meeting a new person for the first time - this can be a thin space.
The Word of God proclaimed - the Prayers said and the Table set - when we gather as a community to celebrate the life and death and resurrection of Christ. When we hear the words of Forgiveness proclaimed in our liturgy, when we Eat the Bread and Drink the Wine that proclaims that we are a part of God and God loves us - this is a thin space. ///
When that cheque finally comes, that promotion is finally obtained, when that issues that has been weighing us down is finally resolved, when unexpected good fortune comes our way, when we finally see and understand the people around us, it is Good.
It is during these ‘thin space’ experiences that we can so confidently say “Today in our midst, all scripture has been fulfilled.”

MOVE 2 - HARD TO HEAR (Thick spaces)
As awesome and powerful as these thin spaces can be. It’s also very possible to run into some “thick spaces.” Some time and place where the love of God seems distant, where the logic of God is incomprehensible, where trusting in God’s promises seems impossible. Hospitals, morgues, family court, nursing homes… These can be some pretty thick spaces.
Trusting God is with us is hard in the face of the the fear of global terrorism. News reports filtering in that show us 10s of 1000’s of people killed in the many wars that are raging today. This bad news is uncomfortable - it thickens the air in the room.
Trusting God is with us is hard in the face of the shame that comes from not measuring up to the community standard. When neighbor looks at neighbor suspiciously, distrusting others motives. This tension is thick.
Trusting God is with us is hard when physical health starts to leave. Losing the ability to make it up that set of stairs, remember that phone number, drive that car. The loss of freedom leaves a cloud of thickness.
Trusting God is with us is hard when our loved ones leave - when death enters our lives - when we really want to know that there is a reason for the mess that we see around this world - it’s hard to breath sometimes the air is so thick.
A Thick space leaves us feeling lonely, small, afraid, doubtful, untrusting.

FINAL MOVE: WORD OF GOD BREAKS IN IMAGINATIVELY.
In Thick and Thin, the activity of God becomes the central focus. On one extreme we are in awe of the majesty of God and wonders of all creation. On the other extreme we are searching for and questioning God. We look to God in thick and thin.
The Word of God is breaking in all around us.
And when I say the Word of God I don’t mean just the words we read from the Gospel every week (but this is part of it)
When I say the Word of God I don’t mean the text of the bible (but that is also part of it)
When I say Word of God, I don’t just mean Christ’s Body - the Christian Church - the place where the words of God are spoken and the sacraments are taken. (But this is a big part of what I mean.
No.
When I say the Word of God, I mean the Word - the entirety of God. I mean the Word that was God. I mean the fully divine person of Jesus Christ who walked on this earth - The fully human person of Jesus Christ who died on this Earth. I mean the Gospel - the good news that comes from the fact that even when all humanity is ready to say ‘see you later God - or - We don’t need you God - or - We’ll do it our own way God - … When all humanity is ready to say - Just go away and die God - God does the opposite. Rising from the grave and saying loudly for all time that I AM God - and I love you - lonely, small, afraid, doubtful, untrusting.
I love you warts and all. And I will not leave you alone.

Who could have imagined that a Carpenter from a back water town would be the very Son of God? God imagined this.
Who could have imagined that gathering and eating bread and drinking wine would become the central way that God is known to be with us? God imagined this.
Who could have imagined that in that crisis, that moment of terrible loss, fire, tsunami, wars - that a community would be able to pour our so much - Money sent - Food Prepared - Labour donated - A community come together in tragedy to aid. - God imagined a group of people that would pour themselves out.
And in the attitudes that are changed. 50 years ago could you have imagined that the Lutheran Pastor would be meeting with the Mennonite pastors? Could you have imagined that they would be meeting together for fellowship and mutual support? Could you have imagined that your specific church background would not be a barrier to who you called friend? God imagines this and it happens. The word breaks in.
God imagined all of this. The free space where we live that is full of thick and thin spaces. God is always dreaming, always breaking in with new surprises.
And it is Good news that God is doing this creative work. It is Good news that God is not resting and doing nothing. It is Good news that we are called to be a part of this. To know God. To practice seeing God. To join in the imagination of God.
Praise be to God, who does not sleep. Who is with us. Who has dreams for us.
Amen.

Braiden and Elijah's first orthopraxy debate.

I never thought that the debate for orthorpraxy would start so young.

Witness Eli (3) B-ray (4) - engaged and enthralled with the battle on how to pray for the meal. The debate ranges from exact phrasing "Thank you God for our food. Amen" Vs God Bless Mommy, and Daddy and etc etc...

Should the hands be together? Should the finger interlock? These are important issues. It was quite a heated debate...

Ridiculous... but a glimpse of human nature.

Let's put God in a box...

The Tiger Within

I'll tell you what I was thinking... I wasn't.

The puck is in our end of the ice. There is a scrum in front of the net... the puck goes away. I hear my goalie exchange words with one of the opposing players… Not nice words… the beast inside growls… I lose interest in the game itself.

The puck is shot in from the point… my goalie makes the save… the whistle goes… this player runs the goalie (or at least tries to… I mean, there were a few people there and it wasn’t much of a run but I know the intent). I don't think... I pounce.

237 pounds of Sean comes crashing down behind my right hook which lands square in his face mask… a scuffle ensues… someone pulls me off.

2 minutes for roughing (the secret is to hit once, and leave the gloves on - with a little more luck, it might have looked like I merely fell - although the fans tell me that it was pretty clear that I was hitting him.) He got two minutes for roughing the goalie.

I wouldn’t describe myself as an angry person… in fact… I don’t think that I actually hit him out of anger… I think that I hit him out of some deep code embedded into all defencemen… I didn't have to think... my goalie was hit and there was only one course... If I were in minor hockey, my coach would have praised me when I got back to the bench... but what I am impressed with is how quickly it all happened. One second we are playing hockey… the next I’m pouncing. Perhaps it’s just a cultural thing and not an anger thing at all. He got the message and there was no more trash talk with the goalie after that so perhaps it was just my way of saying ‘don’t do that.’

I wonder if these skills can transfer over into church council meetings?

No Sleep

4:30am - wake up to screaming child. The ugly realization that this isn’t a go back to sleep situation slowly sinks in. Grrr...

4:45am - take Daughter to potty. Not effective but new diaper put on.

4:50am - Sick wife returns to bed - take children to play room.

6:45am - Having thoroughly exhausted all the possibilites of colouring a cardboard box, knocking over wooden blocks, driving cars on heads, and reading stories that are either too boring for the 3 year old or way beyond the 1 year old - I make breakfast.

7:00am- children happily munching on Christmas oranges - then eggs with milk - then yogurt.

7:30am - Then I lose it. In a bough of insanity I decide to get in a power struggle with a one year old - this must be a ridiculous sight to the well slept and thinking among us - I’m pulling the spoon, she is pulling the spoon - the yogurt is flying - no one is backing down - the noise level escalates and the sick/tired wife is awoken.

7:35am - 3 year old is playing video games. Dad is standing in kitchen… can’t return to bed - 3 year old will destroy the world. Can’t give wife sleep - that battle is lost. Quick! Look busy… clean kitchen, empty litter. To tired… can’t think…

7:50am - sitting beside 3 year old, playing video games… I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s going to be a long day...

MAC cult member

I’ve become a walking MAC advertiser. I don’t know how it happened but in a kind benevolent sort of way I’ve begun to compassionately listen in a patronizing way to people as they relate there computer problems. Of course in the conversation I’ll slip in how it’s not a problem for me as I try to give good advice on how to deal with the problem.
I’m sitting in Tim Hortons in a highly visible place and I can see the envy of people as they look over and see my white baby sitting here. They are sitting without MACs. I have MAC.
How did I get in this cult? Don’t know… but I really don’t want out.
I wonder if there is a special rite in the Cranberry for the ‘blessing of a MAC?’

Florence

I think that feelings waste themselves in words; they ought to be distilled into actions, and into actions which bring results.
-Florence Nightingale

Be the Church

What does this mean? Was ist das? The great Lutheran question that gets at the deep meaning.

But do we now ask the question “What did this mean?” Do we stop at an intellectual belief?
We need to work towards “Who am I.”

Now, read “Lest Innocent Blood be Shed” by Philip Hallie. This is what it means to be church.


Be Church!!

I once got caught in a lie, and I learned an important lesson that day about lying more convincingly.
- Brent Butt

A reason to go to church

In Sunday School 101 we learned that Jesus loves us.
Then life happened and many days it's impossible to remember to Love God, Love them, and Love yourself so the message seemed trite.
So then there is the Liturgy and Church.
On that day that you can't forgive yourself, there is a group of people saying that you are forgiven.
On that day when you can't see the love of God, there is a group of people that will proclaim it for you.
When you can't forgive, you spin around and face that nieghbor and share the peace that passes all understanding.
If life were easy, we'd only need Sunday School 101.
Thanks be to God for the gift of community and the body of Christ.

Listening

People aren't good listeners.

Tonight, I wasn't a good listener. I had something to say and I wanted to say it so I looked for someone to say it too. I found someone but the problem was that they also had something that they wanted to say so we both said what we had to say. I think we were both left with that feeling of not being heard... it was pretty insatisfying.

Anyway... I don't want to be a one issue person who has the same one thing to say on every issue. I think I want to be a listener.