Lentv4C

Lucas 15:1-3, 11b-32

I first preached this sermon in Spanish; the English translation is below.

Oremos… Que las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestros corazones sean gratas a tu vista, Señor, fortaleza y redentor nuestro. Amén. 

Hace unos años, un amigo le presentó a su hija menor la película de 1987 “La princesa prometida”. No recuerdo cuándo vi la película por primera vez, pero una de las frases memorables la dice el personaje de Inigo Montoya después de que Vizzini exclamó “¡Inconcebible!” demasiadas veces. Montoya le dice al otro hombre: “Sigues diciendo esa palabra. Creo que no significa lo que tu piensas que significa”.

Siempre recuerdo esa cita cuando leo el Evangelio de hoy, porque muchas traducciones de la Biblia llaman a este pasaje “El hijo pródigo”. Pero confieso que “pródigo” no significa lo que yo creía. No recuerdo la primera vez que escuché esta historia, pero sé que siempre escuché el énfasis puesto en el regreso del hijo descarriado y la forma en que el “regresa a si mismo.”.

o recupera la cordura y luego practica su disculpa mientras regresa a la casa de su padre. El problema cuando leemos esta historia de esa manera, como escribió Tom Long, profesor de la Escuela de Teología Candler: «El hijo pródigo se convierte en el "jugador de regreso del año". ⁱ

Pero no se le llama hijo pródigo porque regresa.

“Pródigo” significa “desperdiciador, extravagante, imprudente o excesivo”. Los editores que decidieron el título de las diferentes historias bíblicas lo llaman hijo pródigo porque desperdicia su herencia.

Creo que el verdadero pródigo en esta historia es el padre. Después de todo, él es quien, desafiando todas las normas culturales, le da al hijo menor su parte de la herencia cuando este se la pide. Él es quien no duda en darle la bienvenida a su hijo cuando regresa.

De hecho, el padre no solo se reconcilia con él, sino que es él quien les dice a los sirvientes que maten al becerro gordo, animando a toda la casa a celebrar su regreso. Amade manera excesiva. El padre otorga la misma gracia que recibimos de Dios, totalmente inmerecida o no ganada, dada con alegría y sin reservas.

Y no solo al hijo menor. Cuando el hermano mayor confronta a su padre, este le dice: “Hijo, siempre estás conmigo, y todo lo mío es tuyo” (v. 31). Siendo un seguidor de las reglas que demostró lealtad y responsabilidad, el hijo mayor no ha experimentado ninguna alegría al mantener una relación con su padre. Solo ha acumulado resentimiento que estalla al presenciar el amor del padre por el hijo menor. Escuchamos cómo su resentimiento ha distorsionado su visión del mundo cuando se queja con el padre de “este hijo tuyo”. Aunque ambos son hermanos, el resentimiento ha erosionado su vínculo común.

El maestro franciscano Padre Richard Rohr escribe en Respirando Bajo el Agua:

“La muerte de cualquier relación con alguien es tener un sentido de derecho. Cualquier ideade “me lo merezco”, “me lo deben”, “tengo derecho a” o “soy superior a ti” minimiza por completo cualquier noción de fe, esperanza o amor…”.

Es lo que Rohr llama una actitud “destructiva del alma”.ⁱⁱ

El padre le ruega a su hijo mayor que se una a la fiesta que se está celebrando para “este hermano tuyo”, pero Lucas nunca nos dice cómo termina la historia. ¿Se restablece la familia? ¿O continúa el hijo mayor con un comportamiento destructor del alma? ¿Y cómo responde el hijo menor a la gracia que ha recibido?

Esas preguntas quedan a la sagrada imaginación. 

Nuestra manera de escuchar  la historia bíblica siempre se ve afectada por nuestras propias experiencias de vida, por lo que el final que imaginamos  podría estar influenciado por si éramos hermanos menores o mayores, nuestras relaciones con padres y figuras paternas, y nuestras propias experiencias de perdón. 

La buena noticia de este evangelio es que, in importar de dónde nos ubiquemos en la historia, cada uno de nosotros es amado de forma extravagante sin condición por Dios, incluso cuando sentimos que tenemos derecho a nuestro lugar en la familia de Dios; incluso cuando desperdiciamos la generosidad de Dios; incluso cuando abandonamos a Dios en los buenos momentos, solo para regresar cuando estamos desesperados y necesitamos ayuda.

Cada uno de nosotros es amado de forma extravagante y sin condición por Dios, incluso cuando hacemos y decimos todo lo correcto, pero mantenemos nuestros corazones cerrados a la alegría y a los demás frutos del Espíritu de Dios en nuestras vidas; incluso cuando permitimos que el resentimiento y el mal endurezcan nuestros corazones hacia nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Cristo; incluso cuando nos frustramos o nos sentimos insultados por la insensatez de la gracia prodiga de Dios.

Todos somos amados, y Dios esta esperando para darnos la bienvenida en casa como hijos de Dios. En unos minutos com-partiremos la paz de Cristo donde, como el padre abrazando a su hijo, nos reconciliamos con Dios y entre nosotros, y luego, en esta Mesa, en la Santa Comunión, celebraremos un anticipo de la fiesta venidera, disfrutando de la promesa del perdón de Dios por nuestros pecados y de las maneras en que su misericordia se renueva cada día.

Oremos… Dios misericordioso, te damos gracias por el amor redentor que nos das a través de tu hijo Jesús; perdonados y alimentados, envíanos al mundo a compartir tu gracia reconciliadora, para que todos conozcan tu amor. Amén.

[1] Tom Long. “Surprise Party” in Living by the Word, The Christian Century, 2001.

[1] Richard Rohr. Breathing Under Water. 61-62.

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

A few years ago, a friend introduced his youngest daughter to the 1987 movie “The Princess Bride.” I don’t remember when I first saw the film, but one of the memorable lines is delivered by the character Inigo Montoya after Vizzini exclaims, “Inconceivable” one too many times. Montoya tells the other man, “You keep saying that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

I always remember that quote when I read today’s gospel, because many Bible translations name this passage “The Prodigal Son.” But I confess, “prodigal” doesn’t mean what I thought it meant. I don’t remember the first time I heard this story, but I know I always heard the emphasis placed on the return of the wayward son and the way that he “comes to himself” or returns to his senses and then practices his apology as he makes his way back to his father’s house. The problem when we read this story that way, as Candler Divinity School professor Tom Long wrote, “The prodigal son becomes the “comeback player of the year.”[i]

But he isn’t called the prodigal son because he comes back.

“Prodigal” means “wasteful, extravagant, reckless, or excessive.” The editors who decided what to title the different bible stories call him the prodigal son because he wastes his inheritance.

I believe the true prodigal in this story is the father. After all he is the one who, in defiance of all cultural norms, gives the younger son his share of the inheritance when he asks for it. He is the one who doesn’t hesitate to welcome the son back when he returns. In fact, not only does the father reconcile with him but he is the one who tells the servants to kill the fatted calf, encouraging the whole household to celebrate his return. He loves excessively. The father delivers the same grace we receive from God, wholly unmerited or unearned, given joyfully and without reservation.

And not only to the younger son. When the older brother confronts his father, the father says, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.” (v. 31) A rule follower who demonstrated loyalty and responsibility, the older son hasn’t experienced any joy from remaining in a relationship with his father. He has accumulated only resentment that boils over when he witnesses the father’s love for the younger son. We hear how his resentment has warped his view of the world when he complains to the father about “this son of yours.” Although the two are brothers their common bond has been eaten away by resentment.

Franciscan teacher Father Richard Rohr writes in Breathing Under Water,

“The death of any relationship with anyone is to have a sense of entitlement. Any notion that “I deserve,” “I am owed,” “I have a right to,” or “I am higher than you” absolutely undermines any notion of faith, hope or love…”

It is what Rohr calls a “soul-destructive” attitude.[ii]

The father pleads with the older son to join the party being thrown for “this brother of yours” but Luke never tells us how the story ends. Is the family restored? Or does the older son continue to engage in soul-destructive behavior? And how does the younger son respond to the grace he has received?

Those questions are left to holy imagination. Our hearing of the biblical story always is affected by our own life experiences, so the ending we might picture could be influenced by whether we were younger siblings or older, our relationships with fathers and father-figures, and our own experiences of forgiveness.

The good news of this gospel is that, regardless of where we locate ourselves in the story,

each one of us is loved extravagantly and recklessly by God —

even when we feel entitled to our place in God’s family;

even when we squander God’s generosity;

even when we abandon God in good times, only to return when we are desperate and need help.

Each one of us is loved extravagantly and recklessly by God — even when we do and say all the right things but keep our hearts closed to joy and the other fruits of God’s Spirit in our lives;

even when we let resentment and evil harden our hearts to our brothers and sisters in Christ;

even when we get frustrated or insulted at the foolishness of our prodigal God’s grace.

We are all loved, and God is waiting to welcome us home as God’s children. In a few minutes we’ll share the peace of Christ where, like the father embracing his son, we are reconciled to God and with one another, and then, at this Table, in Holy Communion, we will celebrate a foretaste of the feast to come, enjoying the promise of God’s forgiveness for our sin and the ways God’s mercy is new every day.

Let us pray…

Merciful God,

We give you thanks for the redemptive love that you give us through your son Jesus;

Forgiven and fed send us out in the world to share your reconciling grace, that everyone would know your love.

Amen.

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[i] Tom Long. “Surprise Party” in Living by the Word, The Christian Century, 2001.

[ii] Richard Rohr. Breathing Under Water. 61-62.

Lent 3C

Isaías 55:1-13  Lucas 13:1-9

I first preached this sermon in Spanish; the English translation is below.

Oremos… Que las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciónes de nuestros corazones sean gratas a tu vista, Señor, fortaleza y redentor nuestro. Amén.

Hace apenas tres semanas, comenzamos la Cuaresma con una cruz de cenizas en la frente y las palabras: “Polvo eres y al polvo regresaras”. Enfrentar nuestra mortalidad puede ser desconcertante al recordar a los santos que nos precedieron o al presenciar a un niño pequeño recibir la cruz de cenizas. Pero las cenizas no solo representan la muerte. En Cuaresma, «lo que parece un final es en realidad una invitación a hacer de cada día un nuevo comienzo, en el que somos lavadosen la misericordia y el perdón de Dios.” ⁱ

Cuando el Monte Santa Elena entró en erupción en mayo de 1980, la ceniza se desplazó hacia el este y, en muchos lugares, causó un desastre terrible. Pero, para sorpresa de los agricultores, los cultivos del granero del noroeste prosperaron. Resultó que cuando la ceniza caía sobre los campos de trigo, sellaba la humedad de la tierra para las jóvenes plantas sedientas.

There was more happening there than they could see.

Allí sucedía algo más de lo que podían ver.

Esta mañana, en Isaías y de nuevo en el Evangelio, escuchamos ecos del llamado del Miércoles de Ceniza del profeta Joel para que el pueblo de Dios se vuelva a Dios con todo su corazón. Primero, el Señor habla a través del profeta Isaías a los exiliados en el cautiverio babilónico, diciéndoles: “6 Busquen al Señor mientras puede ser hallado, invóquenlo mientras está cercano; 7 que el impio dejesu camino, y el inicuo sus pensamientos; vuélvanse al Señor, para que él tenga misericordia de ellos, y a nuestro Dios, el cual será amplio en perdonar."

Luego, hablando a los galileos, Jesús dice: “Si no se arrepienten, todos perecerán…”.

Al igual que la muerte, el arrepentimiento es una de esas palabras que nos incomoda; después de todo, ¿quién quiere admitir que hemos fallado, que hemos sido injustos o malvados, y que necesitamos cambiar de rumbo?

Las Buenas Nuevas de hoy es que incluso cuando confesamos nuestro pecado —lo que hemos hecho y lo que hemos dejado de hacer, o las formas en que nos hemos encerrado en nosotros mismos - y nos arrepentimos – dándonos la vuelta y cambiando de rumbo - hay más sucediendo allí de lo que podemos ver.

Creo que por eso Jesús les dice a los Parábola que sigue.

Recuerden, las parábolas son las historias que Jesús cuenta y que usan aspectos familiares de la vida de su audiencia para enseñarles sobre Dios. Quizás sea parte de la naturaleza humana, pero cuando escuchamos parábolas, a menudo nos identificamos con uno de los personajes y asignamos un personaje a Dios.

Así, cuando se narra esta parábola sobre la higuera estéril, se describe al dueño de la viña como Dios.

Pero esa interpretación hace que Dios se impaciente, incluso enojado y distante.

También hace que Aquel que en Génesis llamó a todas las cosas creadas "muy buenas" se pregunte: "¿Por qué [este árbol estéril] estaría desperdiciando la tierra?".

Eso no suena como el Dios misericordioso que conocemos por su actividad en el mundo ni como el Dios firme cuyas promesas nos sirven de esperanza en lugares desolados.

Entonces, ¿qué cambia si, en cambio, identificamos al hombre con el mundo en el que vivimos? ¿No es más propio del mundo ser el impaciente, el que espera mayor productividad y resultados más rápidos? ¿Quién llama a algo o a alguien un desperdicio de espacio o tiempo y amenaza con cortarlo o destruirlo?

La higuera en sí misma representa el Reino de Dios, la manera en que vivimos la plenitud de quienes Dios nos creó para ser como pueblo suyo y proclamamos su abundante misericordia y perdón a todos. Sabemos que seguir a Jesús requiere tiempo y paciencia, y a veces parece que no sucede gran cosa.

Entendiendo la parábola de esta manera, creo que el jardinero cuidadoso que ha nutrido y cuidado la higuera, observando sus señales de vida y crecimiento, representa mejor al Dios que conocemos en las Escrituras, Aquel que comprende que allí suceden más cosas de las que el mundo puede ver.

Respondiendo al llamado de Jesús a volver a Dios —al arrepentimiento—, la parábola nos anima a renovar nuestra confianza en las promesas de Dios, creyendo que Dios es fiel y hará lo que hace: traer vida de la esterilidad y restaurar la esperanza.

No nos corresponde a nosotros saber cómo. Como continúa el Señor en la lectura de Isaías:

⁸Porque mis pensamientos no son vuestros pensamientos, ni vuestros caminos mis caminos, dice el Señor. ⁹Porque como son más altos los cielos que la tierra, así son mis caminos más altos que vuestros caminos, y mis pensamientos más que vuestros pensamientos.

Lo que sí sabemos es que en las aguas del bautismo la misericordia de Dios se renueva cada día, y en la Mesa somos nutridos para el camino del discipulado, mientras nos esforzamos por vivir nuestras promesas bautismales: “Vivir entre el pueblo fiel de Dios, acercarnos a la palabra de Dios y a la santa cena, nutrirnos en la fe y la oración, aprender a confiar en Dios, proclamar a Cristo con palabras y obras, cuidar de los demás y del mundo que Dios creó, y trabajar por la justicia y la paz entre todas las personas”. ⁱⁱ

Nuestra confianza en las promesas restauradoras y vivificantes de Dios nos distingue de un mundo donde la división deteriora las relaciones y corroe las comunidades, y nos llama a responder a nuestro prójimo con la misma ternura y misericordia que Dios nos da primero, confiados en que allí está sucediendo más de lo que podemos ver.

Oremos…

Dios santo y sustentador,

Gracias por tu tierno cuidado y por el gozo de la salvación que tenemos en la fe.

Nos llamas al arrepentimiento y al retorno a ti; por tu Espíritu Santo, haznos obedientes.

Enséñanos humildad y paciencia para que, como discípulos tuyos, llevemos tu misericordia y amor al mundo.

Oramos en el nombre de tu Hijo Jesús.

Amén.

[i] “Introduction, Ash Wednesday,” Sundays and Seasons.

[ii] “Affirmation of Baptism,” ELW.

Lent 2C

Luke 13:31-35; Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Our gospel takes place after Jesus set out for Jerusalem (9:51),

but before the final week that will lead to his arrest and crucifixion. His enemies have already made themselves known, criticizing him and his teaching (5:30, 5:33, 6:2, 15:2), grumbling about his healing on the Sabbath (6:7, 13:14, 14:1-3) and questioning his authority (7:49).

It isn’t clear whether the Pharisees, who were the religious experts, were genuine in their concern for Jesus, warning him that Herod Antipas wanted to kill him, or whether they were scheming to manipulate Jesus.

But Jesus responds with the same steely resolve he adopted when he turned toward Jerusalem. He is going to continue to do his Kingdom work – “casting out demons and performing cures” (13:32) – and he will complete his journey to Jerusalem on his own time.

But even as he dismisses his enemies,

and fully knowing what awaits him in Jerusalem,

Jesus offers a lament for the city and its people. He cries out for God’s beloved because he knows they have turned away from God and God’s “unwavering love for [them.]”[i]

This is the choice God’s people make over and over again.

Returning to our first reading in Genesis, we hear Abram in conversation with God. It’s not the first encounter Abram has had with God. It was in Genesis 12 in the land of Ur that the Lord first promised Abram,

² I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Since then, Abram and Sarai have journeyed faithfully, trusting God’s promises, but they remain childless and dispossessed of any land of their own.  

But now the Lord comes to Abram and says, “Do not be afraid.”

For the ancient Israelites hearing this story, and for us today, those words carry a promise. Those words mean good things are coming.

Just in Genesis, we hear them when Hagar thinks Ishmael will die in the desert (21:17); when Isaac and Rebekah are in Beersheba (26:24); and when Israel, who is renamed Jacob, is traveling with his sons and their children and wives to Egypt to escape the famine in Canaan. (46:3)

But this time Abram doesn’t take God’s Word at face value.

This time, he has questions.

He is skeptical, asking, “What will you give me?” (15:2) and “How am I to know?” (15:8) because the promises God gave him in Ur haven’t been realized yet.

Abram isn’t simply impatient or fickle. He has been faithful, but he was 75 when the promises were made and with each passing year, they are harder to believe.

“Amazingly, God continues to be patient with him.”[ii] God continues to be steadfast and present, ready to bless Abram, despite his doubt and uncertainty.

God repeats God’s promise to Abram, saying, “Look toward the heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them...So shall your descendants be.” (15:5) and then he tells Abram “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.” (15”18)

And just as God gave Noah a sign of the covenant by placing a bow in the sky (9:17), God makes a covenant with Abram. God’s presence with the Israelites on that day appeared as a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch, and represented by those objects, God passed between the cleaved livestock as a sign of God’s commitment to fulfill the promises God has made to Abram.

The Genesis text tells us that even as God was repeating God’s promises and even as Abram was questioning God and asking for signs of God’s faithfulness, Abram believed what God was saying. (15:6)

Faith does not mean relinquishing questions and doubts.

But just as God demonstrates God’s patience for Abram, God patiently waits on us, hoping for our trust.

Importantly, our response does not change God’s faithfulness.

God continues to be the God of promise known to our ancestors in faith, and God continues to be the God of grace and mercy whom we know in the person of Jesus Christ - the same Christ who laments when God’s people turn away from God, when we forget that we are connected to one another as God’s children and when we are unwilling to love another without exception.

We are invited to wrestle with the uncertainty and challenges we face in life and to have hard conversations with confidence that God’s love is unchanging.

Let us pray…[iii]

Holy God,

Thank you for promising us that we have nothing to fear.

You made a lasting covenant with Abraham and with all Your children;

help us trust in your steadfast presence as we wait on You,

confident that nothing separates us from your unwavering love.

We pray in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

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[i] Bartlett, David L.; Barbara Brown Bartlett. Feasting on the Word: Year C, Volume 2: Lent through Eastertide . Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.

[ii] Bartlett, David L.; Barbara Brown Bartlett. Feasting on the Word: Year C, Volume 2: Lent through Eastertide . Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.

[iii] Laughing Bird Liturgical Resources.

Lent 1C

Lucas 4:1-13

I first preached this sermon in Spanish; the English translation is below.

Oremos…Que las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestro corazón sean aceptables delante de ti, Señor, fortaleza nuestra y redentor nuestro. Amén.

Mi difunto padre era un admirador del teólogo británico C.S. Lewis. Lewis, conocido popularmente por los libros de Narnia, entre los que se incluyen “El león, la bruja y el armario”, también escribió un libro llamado “Cartas de Screwtape”. “Screwtape” es un personaje que Lewis presenta como un asistente de alto rango de Satanás, y el libro está compuesto por sus cartas a su sobrino “Wormwood” en las que guía al joven demonio e inexperto para que corrompa a un joven que conoce. Es un relato ficticio que muestra cómo Satanás, el adversario de Dios, intenta corromper a los humanos en cada oportunidad posible.

En nuestro evangelio, Lucas dice que durante sus cuarenta días y noches en el desierto, Jesús fue tentado o puesto a prueba por diabolos o “el diablo”. El diablo es un calumniador, un engañador y un mentiroso malicioso.

Ya sea Satanás o uno de sus sirvientes, este personaje emplea un arsenal de trucos para sembrar dudas, incertidumbre, miedo y desconfianza en cada oportunidad disponible.

Los Evangelios nos dicen que la prueba de Jesús tuvieron lugardurante cuarenta días, una descripción que se utiliza en las Escrituras para decirnos que estos eventos sucedieron durante un largo período de tiempo y una señal que nos ayuda a conectar la historia de Jesús en el desierto con la de los peregrinajes de los israelitas en el desierto durante el éxodo, y también con el viaje solitario de Moisés en el desierto del Sinaí antes de recibir los Mandamientos de Dios.

Seguir el llamado de Dios significa soportar tiempos de aislamiento, pruebas y dificultades. Es importante destacar que el Espíritu Santo está guiando y acompañando a Jesús durante todo este tiempo y, como él, no estamos solos para enfrentar pruebas y desafíos.

Si bien las pruebas y tentaciones de Jesús ocurren a lo largo de cuarenta días, Lucas nos habla de las tres pruebas finales que enfrenta y cómo responde a ellas. En cada ocasión, Jesús, un judío practicante y observante delTorá, recurre a su conocimiento de la Biblia hebrea, y en particular del Deuteronomio, y utiliza las Escrituras para rechazar las burlas del diablo, encontrando las palabras para expresar su confianza en Dios y su dependencia de Él para su identidad y su futuro.ⁱ

Si me detuviera allí, todo lo que podríamos escuchar es que necesitamos confiar más, o al menos memorizar más versículos bíblicos, para poder responder con la misma facilidad con la que lo hizo Jesús.

Pero yo no creo que eso sea todo lo que hay que escuchar.

Al final del pasaje, Lucas escribe que el diablo “se alejó de [Jesús] hasta un momento oportuno” (v. 13).

Al igual que los tiempos de aislamiento, pruebas y dificultades, la tentación es parte de nuestra vida como cristianos. En nuestro bautismo, prometemos renunciar al mal, al diablo y a los poderes de este mundo que desafían a Dios, se rebelan contra Él y nos alejan de Él.

Con estas palabras, reconocemos que hay fuerzas que trabajan activamente contra Dios, y que vivir como pueblo de Dios significará vivir en oposición a esos adversarios.

Una de las armas de nuestro arsenal es nuestra confianza en Dios. “La confianza está en el corazón de nuestra relación con Dios... [Pero] la confianza, como cualquier otra cosa, se fortalece con la práctica”ⁱⁱ

Ayer, me presentaron un himno que no conocía. Eso noes una sorpresa, pero me sorprendió saber que su autor enseña en el colegio de Brevard. En el himno “Dios está llamando a través del susurro”, cada verso pregunta si podemos escuchar la voz de Dios en lo que presenciamos a nuestro alrededor.ⁱⁱⁱ Y ayer, mientras leíamos el texto y cantábamos los versos, hablamos sobre las formas en que somos tentados, opuestos a prueba, a alejarnos de Dios.

Por eso, hoy, quiero compartir las palabras con todos ustedes. Mientras leen estas palabras, los invito a reflexionar sobre las formas en que somos tentados a alejarnos de Dios y cómo podemos resistir esas tentaciones.

El primer verso describe los suspiros profundos del Espíritu, la belleza repentina de la tierra y el silencio de la quietud, y me pregunto cómo llenamos nuestro tiempo, espacio y agendas con ruido y actividades apresuradas. ¿Con qué frecuencia me olvido de levantar la vista de lo que demanda mi atención y prestar atención a dónde está Dios obrando? ¿Cuándo he recibido el don de presenciar algo santo y lo he ignorado?

El segundo verso parece más fácil. ¿Acaso no queremos todos responder a los anhelos y oraciones de nuestros prójimos? Pero amar a mi prójimo significa poner el amor en acción. Son los amigos del hombre paralítico quienes cortan un agujero en el techo de la casa para que Jesús pudiera sanarlo (Marcos 2:4) y el buen samaritano quien venda las heridas del hombre herido y paga su alojamiento hasta que se recupere (Lucas 10). No podemos amar a nuestro prójimo desde una distancia “segura”.

Y luego el tercer verso nos invita a encarnar la alegría de la alabanza, a hacer ruido alegre. No es indulgente hacer música, cantar y bailar; las Escrituras están llenas de historias del pueblo de Dios cantando y proclamando con acción de gracias.

Pero en algún momento del camino, la mayoría de nosotros dejamos de hacerlo. Porque alguien dijo que no era bueno ser ruidoso, desordenado o peculiar Y la música, la pintura y el juego no son “productivos”. Pero los cielos pintados con la obra de Dios, las complejidades de nuestros cuerpos humanos y los campos cubiertos de flores silvestres dan testimonio de la obra continua de nuestro Dios creativo.

En cada paso, el diablo puede encontrar una oportunidad para ponernos a prueba, pero nosotros tenemos la oportunidad de notar la presencia de Dios, de habitaren la bondad de Dios, de maravillarnos ante el poder y la majestad de Dios, y de confiar en el amor constante y abundante de Dios por todos nosotros.

No tenemos que tener versículos de memoria o respuestas fáciles cuando somos puestos a prueba, tenemos el amor de Dios, profundamente dentro de nosotros, y el Espíritu de Dios llenándonos.

Así que, en esta Cuaresma, practiquemos juntos y profundicemos nuestra relación con Dios, para que nuestra confianza, que esta en el corazón de esa relación, sea fortalecida.

Amén.

---

[i] David Lose. “Dear Working Preacher.” Luther Seminary. February 10, 2013.

[ii] ibid

[iii] Dr. Mary Louise “Mel” Bringle. “God is Calling Through the Whisper.” GIA Publications, Inc. 2006. https://hymnary.org/text/god_is_calling_through_the_whisper

Luke 4:1-13

My late father was an admirer of the British theologian C.S. Lewis. Lewis who is popularly known for the Narnia books that include “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, also wrote a book called “Screwtape Letters”. “Screwtape” is a character that Lewis portrays as a highly placed assistant to Satan, and the book is composed of his letters to his nephew “Wormwood” as he directs the younger inexperienced demon to corrupt a young man he knows. It’s a fictional account that shows how Satan, an adversary of God, attempts to corrupt humans at every available opportunity.

In our gospel, Luke says that during his forty wilderness days and nights, Jesus was tempted, or tested, by diabolos or “the devil”.  The devil is a slanderer, a deceiver and a malicious liar. Whether Satan or one of Satan’s minions, this character employs an arsenal of tricks to sow doubt, uncertainty, fear and mistrust at every available opportunity.

The Gospels tell us that Jesus’ testing takes place over forty days – a description used in Scripture to tell us these events happened over a long period of time, and a signpost that helps us connect Jesus’ wilderness story with that of the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings during the exodus, and also with Moses’ isolated journey in the Sinai wilderness before he received the Commandments from God.

Following God’s call means enduring times of isolation, testing, and hardship. Importantly, the Holy Spirit is leading and accompanying Jesus throughout this time, and like him, we are not left alone to face trials and challenges.

While Jesus’ testing and temptations happen throughout the forty days, Luke tells us about the final three tests that he faces and how he responds to them. Each time, Jesus, a practicing and Torah-observant Jew, draws on his knowledge of the Hebrew Bible, and particularly of Deuteronomy, and he uses Scripture to rebuff the devil’s taunts, finding the words to give voice to his trust in – and dependence on - God for his identity and his future.[i]

If I stopped there, all we might hear is how we need to trust more, or at least have more Bible verses memorized, so we could answer as glibly as Jesus did.

But I don’t think that’s all there is to hear.

At the end of the passage, Luke writes that the devil “departed from [Jesus] until an opportune time.” (v. 13)

Like times of isolation, testing and hardship, temptation is part of our lives as Christians. At our baptism, we promise to renounce evil, the devil, and the powers of this world that defy God, rebel against God and draw us away from God.

With these words, we acknowledge that there are forces actively working against God, and that living as God’s people will mean living in opposition to those adversaries.

One of the weapons in our arsenal is our trust in God. “Trust is at the heart of our relationship with God... [But] trust, like anything else, is strengthened through practice.” [ii]

Yesterday, I was introduced to a hymn I didn’t know. That’s not a surprise, but I was surprised to learn that its author teaches at Brevard College. In the hymn “God is Calling Through the Whisper” each verse asks if we can hear God’s voice in what we witness around us.[iii] And yesterday, as we read the text and sang the verses, we talked about the ways that we are tempted, or tested, to turn away from God.

So today, I want to share the words with all of you. As you read the words, I invite you to reflect on the ways in which we are tempted to turn away from God, and how we might resist those temptations.

The first verse describes the Spirit’s deep sighs, the earth’s sudden beauty and the hush of stillness, and I wonder how we fill up our time, space and schedules with noise and busy-ness. How often do I forget to look up from whatever is demanding my attention, and pay attention to where God is at work? When have I been given the gift of witnessing something holy and ignored it?

The second verse seems easier. Don’t we all want to respond to the longings and prayers of our neighbors? But loving my neighbor means putting love into action. It is the friends of the paralyzed man cutting a hole in the roof of the house so Jesus could heal him (Mark 2:4) and the good Samaritan bandaging the wounds of the injured man and paying for his lodging until he was well. (Luke 10) We cannot love our neighbors from a “safe” distance.

And then the third verse invites us to embody the joy of praise, to make a joyful noise. It is not indulgent to make music, to sing and to dance; Scripture is full of stories of God’s people singing and shouting with thanksgiving. But somewhere along the way, we mostly stopped. Because someone said it wasn’t good to be noisy or messy or whimsical. And music and painting and play aren’t “productive”. But skies painted with God’s handiwork, the intricacies of our human bodies, and fields that are blankets of wildflowers all testify to the ongoing work of our creative God.

At each turn, the devil may find an opportunity to test us, but we have an opportunity to notice God’s presence, to dwell in God’s goodness, to wonder at God’s power and majesty, and to trust in God’s steadfast and abundant love for us all.

We don’t have to have memory verses or glib answers when we are tested, we have God’s love, deep within us, and God’s Spirit filling us.

So this Lent, let’s practice together and deepen our relationship with God, that our trust, at the heart of that relationship will be strengthened.

Amen.

---

[i] David Lose. “Dear Working Preacher.” Luther Seminary. February 10, 2013.

[ii] ibid

[iii] Dr. Mary Louise “Mel” Bringle. “God is Calling Through the Whisper.” GIA Publications, Inc. 2006. https://hymnary.org/text/god_is_calling_through_the_whisper

Transfiguration Sunday

Luke 9:28-36

Every year on Transfiguration Sunday, we hear one of the Gospel stories of how Jesus took Peter, James and John and went up on a mountain; how Jesus’ own face and appearance changed. The Gospels tell us that the group encountered two men, whom Scripture says were Moses and Elijah and heard God speak, and then they describe how the disciples responded to this experience of the holy.
 
Luke’s account emphasizes that Jesus and the disciples went up the mountain to pray, and that the transfiguration – the transformation of Jesus’ face and clothing – happened while he was praying.
 
In Luke, prayer often “sets the stage for major events, decisions and ministry moments.”[i] Jesus was praying after his baptism when the heavens opened, and he heard God’s voice speaking. (3:21) And he spent all night praying on a mountain before he gathered the disciples to him and called the twelve apostles. (6:12) Jesus will be praying when the disciples come to him to ask him to teach them to pray. (11:1) and again on the Mount of Olives before his arrest. (22:39-46)
 
On this last Sunday before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, with its own distinctive call to fasting, prayer and charity, the Gospel draws our attention to the central role that prayer plays in our lives with Jesus.
 
In his Small Catechism, in addition to his explanation of the Lord’s Prayer, Martin Luther provides morning and evening blessings, encouraging us to spend time with God and pray before going “to work joyfully” and going “to sleep quickly and cheerfully.”
 
Jesus often goes away from the crowds and the people clamoring for his attention and ministry to spend time with God, to find silence and to seek wisdom. He prays after changes in circumstances, before big decisions and in the face of challenges.
 
And sometimes he takes his disciples - his friends – with him.
 
Like Jesus and his disciples, we are a faith community, a community practicing faith together, in prayer, in worship, in fellowship.
 
I hear how the disciples responded to Jesus’ transformation, and I wonder what their story teaches us
as we too are journeying with Jesus, listening to his teaching, and learning from His Word.
 
One of my questions is what Luke means when he tells us that the two men appeared in glory, and when he writes that Peter and his companions saw [Jesus] in his glory.
 
The last time Luke talked about the glory of God was when “an angel of the Lord” appeared to the shepherds on the night Jesus was born and “the glory of the Lord shone all around them”. (2:9)
 
Was this scene like that one? 
 
Luke’s reference to Moses reminds us that Moses’ own face was shining after he came down from Sinai with the second set of tablets from God. (Exodus 34:29) His face was illuminated because he had encountered the Holy.
 
When I imagine seeing the brightness with which Jesus’ face and clothes shone, I think of the way morning sunlight catches me at just the right angle, blinding me to whatever else is ahead of me. It’s disorienting, and I must slow down and wait. I can’t just charge ahead on my own.
 
But the image of brightness also brings to mind people I have known who beautifully and humbly reflect God’s love and who are beacons of light in hard times.
 
So, I wonder, when have you glimpsed “the glory of the Lord”? (pause)
 
Was it in the face of another person?
 
Or perhaps, it was in a physical place
 
or a particular experience?
 
When I hear the story of what the disciples saw and heard, and witness Peter’s eagerness to stay there on the mountaintop with Jesus and the others, I imagine Peter’s experience of the glory isn’t just what he has seen with his eyes, but the fullness of being there with Jesus, of knowing God’s presence with him, and of wanting to hold on to that majesty and awe for as long as possible.
 
We call them mountaintop experiences because we have heard the stories of our ancestors in faith before us. Peter’s wasn’t the first, or the last. Maybe you have one to share, too.
 
Meanwhile, Luke teaches us that following Jesus means being called back down the mountain, to return to the everyday work, ministry and rhythms of our lives.
 
We carry the witness of God’s transformative power with us.
 
We proceed with confidence that God is not only accompanying us, but actively present and engaged in our lives.
 
And we continue to pray, spending time with God, finding silence and seeking wisdom.
 
Let us pray…
Holy God,
Thank you for your abundant mercy and grace,
known in Your Son Jesus.
Help us glimpse Your glory every day
as we practice our faith in community and relationship.
Draw us to You in prayer
so that we seek Your presence and guidance in all things.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

---

[i] Troy Troftgruben. “Commentary on Luke 9:28-36. Luther Seminary.workingpreacher.org

Epiphany 7C

Lucas 6:17-38

I first preached this sermon in Spanish; the English translation is below.

Oremos…

Que las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestro corazón sean aceptables delante de ti, Señor, fortaleza nuestra y redentor nuestro. Amén.

Nuestro Evangelio de esta semana es parte del Sermón en la Llanura de Lucas, un texto que es paralelo al Sermón del Montede Mateo. En ambos evangelios, Jesús está enseñando a una multitud, incluidos sus discípulos.

El Sermón del Monte de Mateo incluye un conjunto de bienaventuranzas, pero en Lucas, las palabras de Jesús son un poco diferentes. Las bienaventuranzas comenzaron en el evangelio de la semana pasada con las conocidas palabras: “Bienaventurados los”. Pero Jesús no se detuvo cuando nombró a los bienaventurados: los pobres, los hambrientos, los que lloran y los que son odiados; Jesús continuó enseñando y dijo: “¡Ay de aquellos que son ricos” que están bien alimentados, los que ríen y de los que se habla bien de ellos.

No estaba amenazando ni maldiciendo a nadie. Pero Jesús estaba advirtiendo a la gente que nosotros elegimos dónde depositar nuestra confianza y cómo medir nuestro valor, y Dios es firme donde las cosas de este mundo pueden fallar o incluso traicionarnos. [i]

Y ese tema de elegir cómo vivir en el mundo continúa esta semana. El mundo nos diría que seamos defensivos, que estemos listos para “dar como recibimos” y que contraataquemos a quienes nos atacan.

Pero Jesús nos dice que elijamos de manera diferente.

Dos veces en esta lectura del evangelio nos dice: “Amen a sus enemigos”. Es una enseñanza difícil.

Primero, mientras que más adelante en el evangelio de Lucas, un experto religioso le pregunta a Jesús: “¿Quién es mi prójimo?” (10:29), nunca escuchamos la pregunta: “¿Quién es mi enemigo?”.

Nuestra teología luterana que nos enseña que somos tanto santos como pecadores no hace que esta pregunta sea más fácil. Debido a que somos pecadores por naturaleza y recibimos justicia de Dios, ¿quiénes somos nosotros para señalar a otra persona, creada y amada por Dios, y decir que son malvados y no puede ser redimidos? El mal es un poder en el mundo que infecta a los humanos y nos aleja de Dios, pero cada persona sigue siendo de Dios.

Tal vez, en el antiguo Israel, donde las ciudades se construían con murallas para rechazar a los invasores y los soldados romanos ocupaban las mismas calles que los pordioseros, era más obvio quién era el enemigo.

Y tal vez, viviendo aquí en los Estados Unidos, donde hemos estado más aislados de la guerra y la violencia, y donde hemos podido confiar en la democracia para mantener el buen orden, no es tan claro.

Cuando pienso en quiénes son mis enemigos, no creo que haya grupos o individuos que quieran hacerme daño o matarme personalmente.

Hay personas y grupos que están enojados con nuestro país y nuestro gobierno y otros que no estarían de acuerdo con que yo soy pastora porque soy mujer. Y ciertamente hay amenazas y fuerzas que debilitarían o dañarían e incluso derribarían o destruirían no solo ideas, sino personas, que son importantes para mí.

Y puedo imaginar un momento en el que, como una mamá osa que protege a su cachorro, los vería como enemigos.

Pero incluso si puedo nombrar quién es mi enemigo, entonces debo escuchar a Jesús, no una sino dos veces, exhortarme: “Ama a tu enemigo”. Y mientras habla sobre cómo se ve este amor y lo difícil que será, dice:

“Sean misericordiosos como su Padre es misericordioso.

El tema a lo largo del Sermón de la Llanura es el de revelar quién es Dios para que el pueblo de Dios pueda saber quiénes somos nosotros. Encontramos nuestra identidad en Dios, quien es misericordioso, generoso y amoroso. Y depositamos nuestra confianza en el mismo Dios.

Es una enseñanza difícil, en parte, porque tenemos que ceder el control. No podemos arrebatarle el juicio a Dios. Recordamos a Jonás, que no quería ir a Nínive porque sabía que Dios sería misericordioso con la gente de allí. Amar a nuestros enemigos requiere que creamos que el amor de Dios puede cambiar corazones y mentes.

Amar a nuestros enemigos requiere confiar en que Dios es más fuerte y más poderoso que el mal, incluso en ausencia de evidencia.

No somos nosotros los que ocupamos el tribunal, sino Dios. Amar a nuestros enemigos requiere que admitamos que no podemos saber cuál será el juicio de Dios, y que creamos que Dios, que ama la misericordia y la justicia y defiende a las viudas, los huérfanos y los extranjeros, actuará conforme a la propia Palabra de Dios y cumplirá las promesas que nos hizo.

Amar a nuestros enemigos requiere que creamos que Dios es Dios y que nosotros no lo somos.

Y es nuestro propio pecado el que nos dice lo contrario y nos insta a estar dispuestos a “dar lo que recibimos”.

Las instrucciones de Jesús no son un llamado a aceptar pasivamente el abuso o ignorar las malas acciones, sino un llamado a confiar en Dios y a encontrar dirección y guía en el carácter de Dios, confiando en que Dios está con nosotros tanto en las cimas de las montañas como en las llanuras de la vida.

Oremos…

Dios bueno y bondadoso,

Gracias por tu misericordia para todos nosotros, pecadores.

Que siempre te busquemos,

confiando en ti para nuestra seguridad y salvación.

Que tu Espíritu nos fortalezca y nos haga misericordiosos como Tú eres misericordioso.

Oramos en el nombre de Jesús.

Amén.

---

[i] Mary Hinkle Shore. Working Preacher Commentary on Luke 6:17-26. Luther Seminary. https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/sixth-sunday-after-epiphany-3/commentary-on-luke-617-26-3

Luke 6:17-38

Our Gospel this week is part of Luke’s Sermon on the Plain, a text that parallels Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. In both gospels, Jesus is teaching to a crowd, including his disciples.

Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount includes one set of beatitudes, but in Luke, Jesus’ words are slightly different. The beatitudes began in last week’s gospel with the familiar words, “Blessed are those”. But Jesus didn’t stop when he named those who are blessed – the poor, the hungry, those who weep and those who are hated; Jesus continued teaching and said, “Woe to those” who are rich, well-fed, those who laugh and those who are spoken well of.

He wasn’t threatening or cursing anyone. But he was warning people that we choose where to place our trust and how to measure our worth, and God is steadfast where things of this world may fail or even betray us.[i]

And that theme of choosing how to live in the world continues this week. The world would tell us to be defensive, to be ready to “give as good as we get”, and to strike back against those who strike us.

But Jesus tells us to choose differently.

Twice in this gospel reading he tells us, “Love your enemies”. It’s difficult teaching.

First, while later in Luke’s gospel, a religious expert asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” (10:29) we never hear the question, “Who is my enemy?”

Our Lutheran theology that teaches us we are both saint and sinner doesn’t make this question any easier. Because we are both sinful by nature and receive righteousness from God, who are we to point to another person, created and loved by God, and say they are evil and cannot be redeemed? Evil is a power in the world that infects humans and draws us away from God, but each person is still God’s.

Perhaps, in ancient Israel, where cities were built with walls to repel invaders, and Roman soldiers occupied the same streets as beggars, it was more obvious who the enemy was.

And perhaps, living here in the United States, where we have been more insulated from war and violence, and where we have been able to rely on democracy to maintain good order, it is not as clear.

When I consider who my enemies are, I don’t think there are groups or individuals who want to hurt or kill me personally. There are people and groups who are angry with our country and government and others who would not agree with me being a pastor because I am a woman. And there are certainly threats and forces that would weaken or harm and even tear down or destroy not only ideas, but people, that are important to me.

And I can imagine a point when, like a mama bear protecting her cub, I would see them as enemies.

But even if I can name who my enemy is, then I must hear Jesus, not once but twice, urge me, “Love your enemy.” And as he talks about what this love looks like, and how difficult it will be, he says,

“Be merciful even as your Father is merciful. (6:36)

The theme throughout the Sermon on the Plain is one of revealing who God is so that God’s people can know who we are. We find our identity in God, who is merciful, generous and loving. And we place our trust in the same God.

It’s difficult teaching, in part, because we have to cede control. We cannot wrest the judgment back from God. We remember Jonah who did not want to go to Nineveh because he knew God would be merciful to the people there. Loving our enemies requires us to believe that God’s love can change hearts and minds.

Loving our enemies requires trusting that God is stronger and more powerful than evil, even in the absence of evidence. We do not occupy the judgment seat; God does. Loving our enemies requires us to admit that we cannot know what God’s judgment will be, and to believe that God, who loves mercy and justice and defends the widows, orphans and strangers, will act according to God’s own Word and fulfill God’s own promises to us. Loving our enemies requires us to believe that God is God, and we are not.

And it is our own sin that argues otherwise and urges us to be ready to “give as good as we get.”

Jesus’ instructions aren’t a call to passively take abuse or ignore wrongdoing, but they are a call to trust God and find direction and guidance in the character of God, trusting that God is with us on both the mountaintops and on the plains of life.

Let us pray…

Good and gracious God,

Thank you for your mercy for all of us sinners.

May we always seek you,

trusting in you for our security and salvation.

May your Spirit strengthen us and make us merciful as You are merciful.

We pray in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

---

[i] Mary Hinkle Shore. Working Preacher Commentary on Luke 6:17-26. Luther Seminary. https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/sixth-sunday-after-epiphany-3/commentary-on-luke-617-26-3

Epiphany 6C

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Jeremiah, whose words we heard in our first reading, was a priest of the tribe of Benjamin, from a walled town a few miles northeast of Jerusalem.

After the fall of the northern Kingdom of Israel to Assyria in 721,

Judah, the southern Kingdom, was squeezed between Egypt to the south and Assyria to the north. They were afraid, assaulted by enemies closing in all around them.

As a prophet, Jeremiah was active from the 13th year of King Josiah of Judah around 626 BCE, through the rule of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah.

King Josiah has been called Judah’s last pious King.

During his reign, Judah stopped paying homage to Assyria,

and sought to reestablish the empire of David and Solomon that had crumbled centuries earlier,

launching religious reforms that reaffirmed the covenant of Moses

and centralized worship of Yahweh in Jerusalem.

But those reforms died with King Josiah in 609 BCE.

When we hear Jeremiah’s words here, rebellions against Babylon by the subsequent kings have failed and the armies of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, are advancing on Jerusalem.

Jeremiah continues to urge Israelites to return to faithful obedience to the covenant they have with God, and in these verses, we hear the prophet’s description of what disobedience will look like and the contrasting vision of what obedience will look like.

As we hear elsewhere in Proverbs and in today’s psalm, Jeremiah presents a clear choice to be made by humans,

a fork in the road,

where we can choose to draw near to God

or turn away from God.

Importantly, the choice does not change how God responds.

God refuses to turn away from us and continues to offer God’s people new opportunities to choose to live in relationship with the One who created and loves us.

But there are consequences for turning away from what God offers, and we hear those described here. Jeremiah describes those who trust in mortals, instead of God, as parched shrubs in the arid desert, and the psalmist describes them as chaff that is blown away in the wind.

In contrast, Jeremiah describes those who trust in the Lord as trees planted by water, fortified against heat and drought, flourishing and bearing fruit, an image that echoes the psalm.

The descriptions of trees planted by streams of water, full of green leaves and fruit, recall the first garden - Eden - in Genesis and invite us to remember that in the beginning, God gave life to creation, and God continues to nurture us for life in community.

Of course, then, as now, humans choose to turn away from God.

While I expect most of us easily hear the Law in Jeremiah’s words where there is a clear choice between trusting in ourselves or others or trusting in the Lord, I hope we also hear the Gospel. While the Law convicts us of our sin and shows us where we fall short of God’s commands, the Gospel is what tells us about God’s actions for us.

There is a promise here that even in the desert, relief will come, and life, although it may be difficult, will continue in the places that appear forsaken.  

And before anyone thinks that Jeremiah is promising a carefree life for those who trust God, he tells us that even when we draw near to God,

there will be times of scorching heat and drought –

times of challenge and even disaster.

The point isn’t that faithful people will be worry-free. The point is that God will be faithful. As one writer put it,

We as Christians are like trees, watered at baptism and not branches broken off from the main trunk, which is the cross of Christ.[i]

As both the psalm and this passage in Jeremiah continue, we are reminded that judgment is not ours but God’s (Psalm 1:6 and Jeremiah 17:9-10). The Lord will search the minds and hearts of God’s people, and the Lord knows the difference between the righteous and the wicked.

That’s important for all of us who get distracted by the human sinfulness we witness around us, who experience the temptation to look first at others, and not ourselves. “If I believe that God loves me [so much that I am forgiven and saved by grace through faith], then I have to believe that God loves everyone else like that [too].”[ii]

It's God’s promises, known in God’s Word and actions for us, that sustain us each and every day.

Let us pray…

Holy God,

You created the world and all that live in it.
You called us to trust you, and to put down our roots
alongside the life-giving stream of your Word. 
Help us follow Your Son Jesus faithfully,
and share the fruit of Your abundant mercy and love in the world.
We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

---

[i] Sundays and Seasons, Day Resources

[ii] The Rev. Dr. Justin Nickel, Advanced Lay Ministry Intensive