tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48739078489218348852024-03-27T19:55:09.550-04:00Pastor Christina AuchMy sermons and reflections. I am a pastor in the ELCA. Posts before June 2014 are reflections on life during my theological education and internship (2008-2013). Posts from June 2014 - January 2022 are my sermons from Ascension Lutheran Church in Shelby, NC. I began serving at Grace Lutheran Church in Hendersonville, NC in February 2022.Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.comBlogger427125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-55458905716438359672024-03-24T10:00:00.003-04:002024-03-24T13:58:27.347-04:00Palm Sunday<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Mark+11:1-11" target="_blank">Mark 11:1-11</a></span></p><p></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext;">Whenever we have a familiar story from the Bible, it’s a
challenge to hear it anew. Today is one of those times; we hear some version of
this story every year on Palm Sunday. Earlier we participated in what’s known
as the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where people laid down their leafy
branches ahead of Jesus’ arrival, and we <i>think</i> we know what’s coming
next. But often, as with the Christmas story, we often conflate or combine
elements of the different stories into one.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In Matthew and Luke’s gospel, the entry is even more grand
and when Jesus goes to the temple, he immediately he confronts the
moneychangers and drives them out. But that <i>isn’t</i> what happens in Mark’s
gospel, and that difference makes me curious.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext;">In <i>his</i> gospel, Mark says, “</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">Then
[Jesus] entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked
around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the
twelve.”</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"> (Mark 11:11)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">According
to Mark, he </span><i><span style="color: #1d1b11;">does</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11;"> return to the temple the next day, but right now, </span><i><span style="color: #1d1b11;">in this
moment</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11;">, </span><b><span style="color: #1d1b11;">Je</span></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11;">s</span></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11;">us stops and looks </span></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11;">around </span></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11;">at
everything.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Often, I think we hear “Temple” and think “church”, and we
imagine Jesus entering a darkened, peaceful sanctuary, but the Temple grounds
were massive, covering acres of land. The Temple was divided into courts, and
there were guards. Even if the people who were there to sell animals for
sacrifice and change money were gone because of the late hour, there would have
been litter or debris from the crowds who had been there earlier in the day and
the lingering smell of throngs of people, burnt offerings and animal dung.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was <i>not</i> a quiet, meditative place.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Jesus had been there before, as it was Jewish custom to
travel to Jerusalem for the Passover. Surely, he would have known what to
expect. And yet, <b>this time was different.</b></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext;">And, he stopped and looked around at everything.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Maybe, he was reflecting on the Passover visit to the Temple
when he was a boy, when his parents found him, “sitting among the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions.” (Luke 2:46) Maybe, like any of us
who have gone back to a place we knew in childhood, he wondered at how
different it was from his memories.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext;">Maybe, he was reflecting on his years of ministry in Galilee,
teaching and healing and upending people’s expectations of what, or who, a
Messiah is. Jesus must have known that <i>this</i> time, his arrival in the city
would provoke its leaders and that as he continued to invite people to be
transformed, he would make a lot of people angry.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As one preacher said, Jesus wasn’t crucified because he told
people to love one other.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He embodied the unbounded love of God and welcomed all, but
he didn’t stop there. He challenged their understanding of authority and
salvation, wrenching it from the hands of the emperor and returning it to its
rightful place with God. He challenged their institutions and norms, where they
found their security and control, and pointed them away from manmade things to
God.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Today, as we enter Holy Week, we accompany Jesus first in his
triumphal entry into Jerusalem and now to the temple. When <i>we</i> stop and
look around at everything, what do <i>we</i> see?</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Surely, we see that our congregations look different from the
past. While some of that is sentimental longing, some of it is concrete and
measurable. Decades ago, in many communities, certainly here in the South, the church
was at the center of life, and traditions and friendships and activities were
all built around it. There are a lot of reasons that’s no longer true and many
are positive, despite the changes they’ve brought, but it <i>is</i> different
now.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Surely, we see the divisiveness that seems to run like an
electric current through conversations locally, nationally and in the world.
Divisions have always been there, but they feel more intractable, and the
chasms seem wider, especially in a year with a presidential election, and
especially in times when there is war in Ukraine and the Holy Land.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span><i style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext;">I</span></i><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;"> hope that when we
stop and look around at everything,</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">we do not cling to what was, or despair at the challenges
that are part of our lives,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">but we see each other as God’s beloved;<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">we see the strengths of this community of Jesus-followers;
and, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">we see the hope that the Gospel brings,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">to anyone who has been pushed aside or been afraid, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">to anyone who has been spinning because of the pace of change
around them, or <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">to anyone who has felt the weight of the world on their
shoulders and thought they would falter.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I hope when we stop and look around at everything, we can
take a deep breath, breathing in God’s peace and the assurance of God’s
presence in <i>all that is to come</i>. I wonder if that is what Jesus did,
too.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Throughout this week, we will walk beside Jesus, as the
crowds grow smaller and smaller, and the rest of his disciples choose whether
to stay or to leave.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This week, and always, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I pray that we will not balk<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">at the invitation to be transformed by God’s love, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">even when it means challenging our expectations,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">or changing our understanding of what it means to be
faithful. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I pray we will keep our eyes on God, and not the world, and
follow.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Amen.</span></span></p><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-46511679048155677732024-03-17T11:00:00.009-04:002024-03-17T16:19:31.385-04:00Fifth Sunday in Lent<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> John12:20-33</span></p><p></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Throughout Lent, we
have been listening to God to learn how we might practice forgiveness with all
our heart, soul, and mind. Forgiveness is rooted in <u>relationship</u>:
recognizing that God’s abundant forgiveness is ours because of the <i>relationship</i>
we have with God because we are God’s children; and being empowered through
God’s grace for us, to forgive ourselves and others with whom we are in <i>relationship</i>.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Practicing forgiveness
also helps us remember that faith is never an individual or solo endeavor. It
is inherently communal, and while it is personal, it is not private. We are in <i>relationship</i>
with God, with each other and with our neighbors beyond our doors. And the
fullness of our faith is diminished when our relationships are broken.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But, forgiveness is <i>not</i>
a new idea. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> T</span></o:p></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">he prophet Jeremiah
reminds us that God formed covenants - or relationships - with our ancestors in
faith. There was the covenant with Noah, and then with Abram, and then with
Moses and the whole people of Israel. But when the Law was given in stone, the
tablets were later broken, and when forgiveness was given, it was later rejected.</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Jeremiah says <i>this</i>
time will be different. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="color: windowtext;">This</span></i><span style="color: windowtext;"> time there will be a <i>new</i>
covenant.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The covenant is still
grounded in forgiveness but, <i>this time</i>, the prophet declares, it will be
written <b>on our hearts</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: windowtext;">By grace, God writes
over whatever pain or wounds we have suffered (even the ones that are self-inflicted),
cleanses our sin-scarred hearts, and makes us new and whole.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">For us
as Christians</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">,</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"> we see this new covenant manifest in the person of Jesus
Christ. It is in </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">Jesus</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11;"> that
we see God make people whole, restore their relationships and return them to
their families and communities. It is in Jesus that we see justice – the
addressing of wrong actions – enacted, and we see man-made or contrived
boundaries, barriers and categories broken down.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">And
that is why, as we approach Palm Sunday and Holy Week, the religious
authorities were plotting to kill Jesus.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">But in
the gospel text, it is </span><i><span style="color: #1d1b11;">also</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11;"> why Greeks were coming
to the disciples, and </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">say</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">ing, </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">“We
wish to see Jesus.”</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">It’s
most likely that these Greeks were Gentiles, outsiders to the old covenant, and
yet, here they were coming to see the Messiah, the Son of God who had come into
the world.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">Once
upon a time, </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">the </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">words </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">“We wish to see Jesus” </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">were carved into pulpits,
that we preachers would remember our task. But I think I’d like to see th</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">os</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">e words
carved into the lintel and doorposts at the entrance to </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">every </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">sanctuary,
so that all of us, as we leave after worship, might remember that, for some, </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">we are the only Jesus a person may meet.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">The
Evangelist tells us that Philip went to Andrew and then, together, they went to
tell Jesus about the Greeks who had come, but after that, the gospel account
takes a turn</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">, </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">and we never even learn whether they got to see Jesus.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">Maybe</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11;"> they only got to meet the disciples and see Jesus by hearing </span><i><span style="color: #1d1b11;">their</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11;">
stories of why </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">they</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11;">
followed Jesus and watching what </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">their </span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11;">journey
looked like.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A few years ago, at a gathering of chaplains at Hood
Seminary, I listened as the brigadier general who was, at that time, leading the
Army and Air National Guard Chaplain Corps spoke.<br /><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Chaplain
Chisolm told his story of growing up in Mississippi in a town where his daddy
was the school superintendent, and, as he told his story, he told us about the
man he called Brother Wallace, who lived next door to the church where he grew
up, which was just across the street from his own house. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That
meant Brother Wallace was a witness to all the mischief he and his brothers and
sisters got into, but Chaplain Chisolm said that, even in those years when as a
teenager he didn’t think much about God or faith, Brother Wallace remained a
constant presence in his life. Not cajoling or coercing or chastising him but
just staying connected and interested. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At 18
Chisolm enlisted in the Air National Guard and, a few weeks after he graduated
from high school, he moved farther away from home, and from his parents, than
he had ever gone before - to Texas for basic training. The chaplain told the
story of how there, in the old World War 2 barracks at Lackland Air Force Base,
he heard God speak to him and as he wrestled with what that meant, he wrote a
letter to Brother Wallace. He didn’t know what to do next, but he knew Brother
Wallace was someone he could trust with his questions, and who could help him
see God more clearly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">More
than thirty years later, when Chisolm returned home for his father’s funeral,
he was speaking again with Brother Wallace, and the older gentleman reached
into his coat pocket and pulled out that letter written by the young recruit in
a complex time of uncertainty.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">“We wish to see Jesus.</span></b></span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">It is a
plea that </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">each one of us</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"> has probably made in our lifetimes, and that
our neighbors, young </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">and</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11;"> old,
may only have answered in </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">our</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11;">
openness to accompany them and listen to their stories;</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">in </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">our</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11;"> “healing actions or attitudes that [affirm] that all people are
created in the image of a loving God and, therefore, need and </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">merit, respect and dignity</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11;">;”</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">[i]</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">or in </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">our willingness</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11;"> to show up and be “a
visible sign of the Holy” in a volatile and unpredictable world. </span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">[ii]</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">As we
near the end of this Lenten season, I wonder how we can help the people around
us see Jesus reflected in our words and actions.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">Let us
pray.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">Covenant
God, </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">You see
us for what we are, but in mercy You do not cast us aside. In your steadfast
love you forgive us our sin.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">May we
bear your love and mercy into a hurting world in such a way that they will see
You in our words and actions.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">We pray
in the name of Your Son Jesus,</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">Amen.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><!--[if !supportEndnotes]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><br clear="all" />
</span><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Dr. Vergel Lattimore,
Hood Theological Seminary, Salisbury, NC. 2018. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Chaplain Brig. Gen. J. Steven
Chisolm speaking at Hood Theological Seminary, Salisbury, NC. 2018. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div><br /><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-75741647023194593742024-03-10T11:15:00.012-04:002024-03-17T16:19:49.028-04:00Fourth Sunday in Lent (El cuarto domingo de Cuaresma)<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Efesios%202%3A1-10&version=RVR1960" target="_blank">Efesios 2:1-10</a></span></p><p><i style="font-family: arial;">I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below. </i></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oremos…<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Que las
palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestros corazones sean aceptables a
tu vista, oh Señor nuestra fuerza y nuestro redentor. Amén.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Una de
mis frases favoritas en las Escrituras aparece en la Epístola, o Carta de hoy a
la Iglesia en Éfeso. La frase en inglés es “But God”. En español, la frase
cambia, pero el significado es la mismo. "<b><u>pero Dios</u></b>".</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">¿Recuerdas
cuando Jose confronta a sus hermanos cuando la hambruna golpea a Israel y
vienen a Egipto en busca de ayuda? Él les dice, <sup>8</sup> pues, no me enviaron
ustedes acá , <b><u>sino Dios</u></b>, que me ha puesto por padre de Faraón, y por
señor de toda su casa y gobernador en toda la tierra de Egipto. (Gen. 45: 8 RVR1960)
y, más tarde les dice,</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><sup><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;">20</span></sup><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"> Vosotros
pensasteis mal contra mí, mas Dios lo encaminó a bien, para hacer lo que vemos
hoy, para mantener en vida a a mucho pueblo. </span><span style="line-height: 110%;">(Génesis 50:20 RVR1960)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cuando
el escritor de los Hechos habla a los israelitas sobre Jesús, recordándoles que
lo habían matado, dice,</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><sup><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;">24</span></sup><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"> <b><u>al
cual Dios</u></b> levantó, sueltos los dolores de la muerte, por cuanto era
imposible que fuese retenido por ella. (Hechos 2:24 RVR1960)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">Y
en la carta de Pablo a los romanos, escribe,</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><sup><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;">7</span></sup><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;">
... Ciertamente, apenas morirá alguno por un justo...<sup> 8</sup> <b><u>Mas
Dios </u></b>muestra su amor para con nosotros, en que, siendo aún pecadores,
Cristo murió por nosotros. (Rom. 5: 7-8 RVR1960)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext">Una
y otra vez, estamos viendo cómo se desarrolla la historia y creemos que sabemos
lo que sucederá después, "</span><b style="color: windowtext;"><u>pero Dios</u></b><span color="windowtext">" actúa y la
historia cambia.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">Entonces,
quiero que veamos lo que sucede cuando escuchamos estas palabras en efesios.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cuando
leemos las epístolas, y particularmente los efesios, es útil recordar tres
cosas.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Primero,
estamos escuchando la conversación de otras persona.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">Estas
cartas fueron enviadas a comunidades de creyentes y luego se compartieron en
voz alta en una reunión. Por lo general, fueron escritas en respuesta a algo
conocido por el autor, pero oculto para nosotros mientras escuchamos su
conversación dos mil años después.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext">Y
segundo, aunque los efesios es una de las letras paulinas, es lo que se llama
una "carta en disputa". Es más probable que uno de los propios
discípulos de Pablo que querían escribir en la misma tradición o estilo que Pablo
lo haya escrito. Eso nos ayuda a comprender por qué Pablo a veces suena como un
radical y otras veces un conservador y otros aún un reaccionario.</span><sup style="color: windowtext;"> i</sup></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">El
primer capítulo de Efesios es el saludo del autor a la comunidad en la isla
griega de Éfeso.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">La
carta luego se acelera, y la porción que escuchamos hoy describe rápidamente a
las personas como "estabais muertos en vuestros delitos y pecados, en los
cuales anduvisteis " (v.1-2, RVR1960)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext">El
escritor dice que estaban siguiendo poderes malévolos, incluidos "este
mundo", “el príncipe de la potestad del aire" y </span><span color="windowtext"> </span><span color="windowtext">“la carne”. (v. 2-3, RVR1960) No necesitamos
saber la naturaleza exacta de su pecado. </span><b style="color: windowtext;">Sabemos que el pecado nos separa de
Dios, y sabemos que, debido a nuestra condición humana, todos pecamos
diariamente y necesitamos el perdón de Dios.<sup> ii</sup></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext">El
escritor dice: "</span><b style="color: windowtext;"><u>Pero Dios</u></b><span color="windowtext">" (2: 4)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">Y
con esas dos palabras, sabemos que no todo está perdido.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dios
interviene.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dios
actúa.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dios
salva.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext">Él
escribe: "</span><b style="color: windowtext;"><u>Pero Dios</u></b><span color="windowtext">, que es rico en misericordia, por su
gran amor con que nos amó ... nos dio vida juntamente con Cristo ...". (v.
4-5, RVR1960)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">Estábamos
muertos, pero ahora estamos vivos.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Éramos
esclavos del pecado, pero ahora somos liberados en Cristo.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Éramos
"hijos de la ira" (v.3, RVR1960) pero ahora somos agentes de gracia.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext">Espero
que cada uno de ustedes sepa que las palabras de Dios son para ti. </span><b style="color: windowtext;">Nadie
está fuera de la rica misericordia de Dios y su gran amor.</b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cuando
vivimos con confianza de que estamos en el abrazo de Dios, ya no nos condenamos
a nosotros mismos ni a los demás, sino que buscamos cómo podemos compartir el
amor de Dios con los demás. Estamos dotados de la vida en Cristo para poder
compartir esa vida con los demás, con nuestra iglesia, nuestros vecinos y la
comunidad.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">Podemos
ser Cristo para los demás a través de actos de servicio, como lo haremos el
próximo mes cuando tengamos el sábado de servicio.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pero
a veces, es justo en casa donde necesitamos mostrar el mismo tipo de amor y
misericordia que hemos recibido por primera vez. Está en nuestra relación con
un cónyuge, un hermano, un niño o incluso un padre.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext">Lutero
nos recuerda que "así como pecamos mucho contra Dios todos los días y, sin
embargo, nos perdona a través de toda gracia, así siempre debemos perdonar a
nuestro prójimo que nos hace daño, violencia e injusticia ...".</span><sup style="color: windowtext;">iii</sup></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">El
perdón es un trabajo duro. Pero aferrarse al resentimiento, la ira o el dolor
simplemente perpetúa el daño. A lo largo de esta temporada de Cuaresma, estamos
escuchando en las Escrituras y aprendiendo cómo perdonarnos a nosotros mismos y
a los demás,</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">y
cómo liberar y dejar a un lado el peso de la falta de perdón.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cuando
llegamos a saber lo que necesitamos, podemos confiar en que Dios responderá, y
no dependerá de nuestros propio trabajo o esfuerzos. Y lo mismo es cierto para
esta tarea. Debemos entregar nuestra ira a Dios y confiar en Dios para que
trabaje para ayudarnos a perdonar.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oremos…</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dios
bueno y amable<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gracias
por tu rica misericordia y gran amor por nosotros.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ayúdanos
a poner nuestros ojos en ti y poner nuestra mente en ti,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Recordando
que te pertenecemos.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Haznos
agentes de gracia para <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">que
todos sepan <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>de tu abundante gracia.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oramos
en el nombre de tu Hijo, nuestro Señor y Salvador, Jesucristo.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Amén.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span> John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg. <i>The First
Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary behind the Church’s Conservative Icon</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span><!--[endif]--></span> Martin Luther. <i>Small
Catechism</i>. 39.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[iii]</span><!--[endif]--></span> Martin Luther. <i>Large
Catechism</i>, 453, 94.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=480980386" target="_blank">Ephesians 2:1-10</a></span></p><p>
</p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 122.65pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;">Let us pray…<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;">May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts
be </span></i><i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">acceptable in your sight, O Lord our strength
and our redeemer. </span></i><i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Amen.</span></i></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One of
my favorite phrases in Scripture shows up in today’s epistle, or letter, to the
church at Ephesus. The phrase is “But God”.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;">Do you
remember when Joseph confronts his brothers when the </span><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;">famine strikes Israel
and they come to Egypt for help? He tells them, </span><sup><span style="line-height: 110%;">8</span></sup><span style="line-height: 110%;"> So it was not you who sent me
here, <b><u>but God</u></b>; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of
all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. (Gen. 45:8 NRS) And, later
he tells them, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><sup><span style="line-height: 110%;">20</span></sup><span style="line-height: 110%;"> Even though you intended to
do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous
people, as he is doing today. (Gen. 50:20 NRS)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When the author of Acts speaks
to the Israelites about Jesus, reminding them that they had killed him, he
says, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><sup><span style="line-height: 110%;">24</span></sup><span style="line-height: 110%;"> <b><u>But God</u></b> raised
him up, having freed him from death,<sup> </sup>because it was impossible for
him to be held in its power. (Act 2:24 NRS)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And in Paul’s letter to the
Romans, he writes, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><sup>7</sup> …rarely will anyone die for a righteous person… <sup>8</sup>
<b><u>But God</u></b> proves his love for us in that while we still were
sinners Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:7-8 NRS)</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Again and again, we
are watching the story unfold and we <i>think</i> we know what will happen
next, “<b><u>but God</u></b>” acts and the story changes.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, I want us to look
at what happens when we hear these words in Ephesians.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;">When we read the
epistles, and particularly Ephesians, it’s helpful to</span><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"> remember
three things.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">First,
we are eavesdropping on someone else’s conversation. These letters were sent to
communities of believers and then shared aloud at a gathering. Usually, they
were written in response to something known to the author but hidden from us as
we listen in on their conversation two thousand years later.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And second,
while Ephesians is one of the Pauline letters, it is what’s called a “disputed
letter”. It was more likely written by one of Paul’s own disciples who wanted
to write in the same tradition or style as Paul had written. That helps us
understand why Paul sometimes sounds like a radical and other times a
conservative and still others a reactionary.<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The
first chapter of Ephesians is the author’s greeting to the community on the
Greek island of Ephesus. The letter then picks up speed, and the portion we
hear today swiftly describes the people as having “been dead through the
trespasses and sins in which they once lived” (v.1-2)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The
writer says they were following malevolent powers including “this world”, the
ruler of the power of the air” and “the flesh”. (v. 2-3) We don’t need to know
the exact nature of their sin. <b>We know that sin separates us from God, <i>and</i>
we know that because of our human condition, we all sin daily and need God’s
forgiveness.<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">[ii]</b></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The
writer then says, “<b><u>But God</u></b>,” (2:4)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And
with those two words, we know that all is <u>not</u> lost.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">God
intervenes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">God
acts. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">God
saves.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He
writes, “But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which God
loved us… made us alive together with Christ….” (v. 4-5)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We
were dead but now we are alive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We
were slaves to sin but now we are freed in Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We
were “children of wrath” (v.3) but now we are agents of grace.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I hope
each of you knows that God’s words are for you. <b>No one is outside of God’s
rich mercy and great love.</b></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When
we live with confidence that we are held in God’s embrace, we no longer condemn
ourselves or others, but look for how we can share God’s love with others. We
are gifted with life in Christ so that we can share that life with others, with
our church, our neighbors and community.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We can
be Christ to others through acts of service, like we will do next month when we
have Servant Saturday.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But
sometimes, it’s right at home where we need to show the same kind of love and
mercy that we have first received. It is in our relationship with a spouse, a
sibling, a child or even a parent.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Luther
reminds us that “Just as we sin greatly against God every day and yet he
forgives us through all grace, so we must always forgive our neighbor who does
us harm, violence and injustice,….”<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[iii]</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Forgiveness
is hard work. But holding onto resentment, anger or pain just perpetuates the
harm. Throughout this season of Lent, we are listening in Scripture and learning
how to forgive ourselves and others, and how to release and let go of the
weight of unforgiveness.</span></span><span color="windowtext" style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When
we come to an awareness of what we need, we can trust that God will respond,
and not depend on our own works or efforts. And the same is true for this task.
We must surrender our anger to God and trust God to work to help us forgive.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let us
pray…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Good
and gracious God,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank
you for your rich mercy and great love for us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Help
us fix our eyes on you and set our minds on you, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">remembering
we belong to you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Make
us agents of grace <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">that
everyone would know your abundant grace.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We
pray in the name of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><!--[if !supportEndnotes]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><br clear="all" />
</span><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg. <i>The First
Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary behind the Church’s Conservative Icon</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Martin Luther. <i>Small
Catechism</i>. 39.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn3" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[iii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Martin Luther. <i>Large
Catechism</i>, 453, 94.</span></p></div></div><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-51959691493178572892024-02-25T11:15:00.051-05:002024-02-25T17:44:44.922-05:00Second Sunday in Lent (El segundo domingo de Cuaresma)<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Marcos%208%3A31-38&version=RVR1960" target="_blank">Marcos 8:31-38</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below. </span></p><div><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oremos…</span></span></div><div><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Que
las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestros corazones sean
aceptables a tu vista, oh Señor nuestra fuerza y nuestro redentor. Amén.</span></span></div><p>
</p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">No
es sorprendente si tienes un latigazo espiritual esta semana. Durante los
últimos tres domingos, hemos subido a la cima de la montaña de Jesús y sus
discípulos Pedro, Santiago y Juan para la transfiguración y luego regresamos al
río Jordan para el bautismo de Jesús. Y ahora estamos al final de su ministerio
en Galilea.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">El
hilo común a lo largo de estos eventos es la tentación primero de Pedro, y
luego de Jesús, y ahora nuevamente de Pedro para buscar primero, no el reino de
Dios, sino la gloria del mundo.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">En
la transfiguración, Pedro propuso que pudieran quedarse allí en la cima de la
cima de Moisés, Elías y Jesús. Después del bautismo de Jesús, Marcos dice que
en el desierto, Jesús fue tentado por Satanás. Y ahora, después de escuchar la
dura verdad sobre el costo del discipulado, Pedro nuevamente sugiere una manera
más cómoda, reprendiendo a Jesús por decirles que el camino de la cruz será de
sufrimiento. Aunque Pedro había confesado que Jesús es el Mesías (v.29) solo
unos minutos antes, él y los discípulos todavía estaban pensando en el reino y
el Mesías en términos del mundo. No entendieron que Cristo el rey era un rey servidor,
no imperial, con todas las trampas de los emperadores que ya conocían.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Y
cuando Pedro discute con Jesús, puedes escucharlo decir "¡Jesús, di que no
es así!" Pero Jesús no vacila. A su vez, reprende severamente a Pedro,
diciendo "¡Ponte detrás de mí, Satanás!" (v. 33)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cuando
escuché por primera vez su reprensión, imaginé que Jesús se dirigía a Pedro
como si fuera la encarnación de Satanás. A menudo no hablamos sobre la
encarnación del diablo o Satanás fuera de los libros o películas, pero esa es
la imagen que tenía. Otros dicen que Jesús estaba señalando la tentación que
Pedro representaba: la tentación de conformarse al mundo, y "tener [su]
mente en las cosas humanas" (v. 33) La reprensión de Pedro era otra
versión de la tentación que Jesús había enfrentado en el desierto al comienzo
del evangelio de Marcos.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Y
hay un segundo significado en sus palabras. Pedro era un discípulo de Jesús. Y
un discípulo es un aprendiz o estudiante de su maestro; ellos lo siguen. No
deben precipitarse hacia adelante como Pedro a menudo lo hace impulsivamente en
los Evangelios. Necesitan "respaldar" literalmente y físicamente al
maestro. Por lo menos, esa posición exige una medida de humildad.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Lo
que Jesús exige es aún más desafiante;</span></b><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">
él dice: "Si alguno quiere convertirse en mis seguidores, que se nieguen a
sí mismos y tomen su cruz y síganme". (v. 34)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aunque
hay tradiciones religiosas que creen que la autonegaciono el ascetismo es una
práctica espiritual necesaria de abstinencia de las cosas que traen satisfacción,
no leo las palabras de Cristo de la misma manera.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Otra
interpretación de negarnos a nosotros mismos sería negar nuestra propia
personalidad, pero recuerdo la advertencia de Cristo en el sermón del monte
donde dijo,</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nadie después de encender una lámpara la
pone debajo de un cajón, sino sobre el candelero, y asi le da luz a todos en la
casa. De la misma manera, deja que tu luz brille ante los demás, para que
puedan ver tus buenas obras y dar gloria a tu Padre en el cielo. (Mateo 5:
15-16)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Así
que tampoco creo que eso sea lo que El quiere decir al negarnos a nosotros
mismos.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hace
unos años, fui parte de un grupo de personas de la iglesia en un retiro, y al
lado de las etiquetas con los nombres había un letrero que decía: "Deja
tus títulos en la puerta". Todos estábamos allí para aprender unos de
otros y de otros mismos. No estábamos allí debido a nuestros títulos o
credenciales; estábamos allí porque queríamos profundizar nuestra fe.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A
menudo en nuestro mundo moderno, la primera pregunta que hacemos a un nuevo
conocido es: "¿A qué te dedicas?" Sé que sería contracultural, pero
creo que Jesús estaría feliz si respondiéramos: "Sigo a Jesús".</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Creo
que esto es lo que Cristo quiere decir cuando nos dice que nos neguemos a
nosotros mismos, y que tengamos nuestras mentes en cosas divinas y no en cosas
humanas. (v.34-35) Seguir a Jesús significa realinearnos con él y recalibrar
nuestras formas de pensar y actuar para que Jesús nos esté guiando en todos los
aspectos de nuestras vidas. </span><b><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Significa elegir a Jesús primero.</span></b><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"> Y es difícil.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Negarme
a mí mismo significa que tengo que pensar en el bienestar de los demás, y no
solo en mis deseos. Negarme a mí mismo significa que tengo que pensar en cómo
hacer las cosas de manera que construyan a la comunidad, y no solo me beneficie
yo. Negarme a mí mismo significa derribar las defensas que me ayudan a mantener
a los demás a distancia y a invitar a otros a compartir la vida juntos</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Uno
de mis profesores de predicación, Karoline Lewis, escribió,</span></span></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin: 0in -0.25in 0in 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Negarse asimismo y tomar tu
cruz" nos invita a lo que la cruz también puede significar, no solo la
muerte y el sufrimiento, sino que Dios eligiendo las relaciones humanas. La
cruz representa el compromiso de Dios con la humanidad. La cruz representa lo
que hacemos cuando no estamos en relación con el otro y pensamos solo en
nosotros mismos.</span><span lang="ES" style="line-height: 110%;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Porque
ser nosotros mismos es estar seguro de nuestra conexión.</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></span></p></blockquote>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: -.25in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: -.25in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Esta comprensión de tomar nuestra cruz y
negarnos a nosotros mismos nos reta a recordar que no somos seres solitarios.
En el bautismo, somos adoptados en la familia de Dios y nuestra identidad no es
solo nuestra. "Estamos conectados con Cristo y con una comunidad de
creyentes".</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">
Entonces, esta Cuaresma podemos negarnos a la noción de que no necesitamos
comunidad, que no necesitamos relaciones y que no necesitamos un lugar donde
pertenecemos y somos amados.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oremos…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Dios
bueno y lleno de gracia, <br /></span><span style="color: windowtext;">Gracias
por tu amor que nos mostraste en Jesucristo. Gracias por elegirnos y liberarnos
del pecado y la muerte. Fortalécenos por tu Espíritu para negarnos a nosotros
mismos y seguir a Jesús, para negarnos a nosotros mismos y confiar en tu
abundante amor y misericordia por nosotros. Oramos en el nombre de Jesús.<br /></span><span style="color: windowtext;">Amén.</span></span></p><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;">
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Karoline Lewis. “A
Different Kind of Denial”, Dear Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> ibid</span></p><p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Mark+8:31-38" target="_blank">Mark 8:31-38</a></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is
not surprising if you have some spiritual whiplash this week. Over the past
three Sundays we have climbed to the mountaintop with Jesus and his disciples
Peter, James, and John for the transfiguration and then gone back to the river
Jordan for Jesus’ baptism. And now we’re at the end of his ministry in Galilee.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The
common thread throughout these events is the temptation first of Peter, and
then of Jesus, and now again of Peter to seek first, not the kingdom of God,
but the glory of the world.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At the
transfiguration, Peter proposed that they could stay there on the mountaintop
with Moses, Elijah and Jesus. After Jesus’ baptism, Mark says that in the
wilderness, Jesus was tempted by Satan. And now, after hearing the hard truth
about the cost of discipleship, Peter again suggests a more comfortable way,
rebuking Jesus for telling them that the way the cross will be one of
suffering. Although Peter had confessed that Jesus is the Messiah (v.29) just
minutes earlier, he and the disciples were still thinking of the Kingdom and
the Messiah in worldly terms. They did not understand that Christ the King was
a servant-king, not an imperial one, with all the trappings of the emperors
they already knew.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And
when Peter argues with Jesus – you can hear him saying “Jesus , say it’s not
so!” But Jesus doesn’t falter. He in turn rebukes Peter harshly, saying “Get
behind me, Satan!” (v. 33)</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I
first heard his rebuke, I imagined Jesus was addressing Peter as if he were the
embodiment of Satan. We don’t often talk about the embodiment of the devil or
Satan outside books or movies, but that’s the image I had. Others say that
Jesus was calling out the temptation that Peter represented – the temptation to
conform to the world, and “set [his] mind on human things” (v. 33) Peter’s
rebuke was another version of the temptation Jesus had faced in the wilderness
at the beginning of Mark’s gospel.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And
there is a second meaning to his words. Peter was a disciple of Jesus. And a
disciple is an apprentice or student of their master; they follow them. They
should not charge ahead as Peter impulsively does so often in the gospels. They
need to literally and physically “get behind” the master. At the very least,
that position demands a measure of humility.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">What
Jesus demands is even more challenging</span></b><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">; he says, “If any
want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross
and follow me.” (v. 34)</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While
there are religious traditions that believe that self-denial or asceticism is a
necessary spiritual practice of abstinence from things that bring enjoyment, I
don’t read Christ’s words in the same way.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another understanding
of denying ourselves would be to deny our very personhood, but I remember
Christ’s admonition in the Sermon on the Mount where he said, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">No one
after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand,
and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine
before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your
Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:15-16)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So I
don’t think that’s what he means by denying ourselves either.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A few
years ago, I was part of a group of church people on a retreat, and next to the
nametags was a sign that said, “Leave your titles at the door.” We were all
there to learn with and from each other. We weren’t there because of our titles
or credentials; we were there because we wanted to deepen our faith.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Often
in our modern world, the first question we ask a new acquaintance is, “What do
you do?” I know it would be counter-cultural, but I think Jesus would be
pleased if we responded with, “I follow Jesus.”</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I
think this is what Christ means when he tells us to deny ourselves, and to set
our minds on divine things and not on human things. (v.34-35) Following Jesus
means realigning ourselves with Him and recalibrating our ways of thinking and
acting so that Jesus is leading us in <i>all</i> aspects of our lives. <b>It
means choosing Jesus first.</b> And it’s hard.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To
deny myself means that I have to think of the wellbeing of others, and not only
my desires. To deny myself means that I have to think about how to do things in
ways that build community, and not just benefit me. To deny myself means
breaking down the defenses that help me keep others at arms-length and invite
others into life together.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One of
my preaching professors, Karoline Lewis, wrote, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To “deny yourself and take up your cross” invites us into
what the cross can also mean -- not just death and suffering, but God choosing
human relationships. The cross represents God’s commitment to humanity. The
cross represents what we do when we are not in relationship with the other and
think only for ourselves. Because to be ourselves is to be certain of our
connectedness.<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span></span></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This
understanding of taking up our cross and denying ourselves challenges us to
remember that we are not solitary beings. In baptism we are adopted into God’s
family and our identity is not ours alone. “We are connected to Christ and to a
community of believers.”<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span><!--[endif]--></span> So this
Lent we can deny ourselves the notion that we don’t need community, that we
don’t need relationships, and that we don’t need a place where we belong and
are loved.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let us
pray…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Good
and gracious God, <br /></span></span><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank
you for your love shown us in Jesus Christ. </span></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">Thank
you for choosing us and freeing us from sin and death. </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">Strengthen
us by your Spirit to deny ourselves and follow Jesus, to deny ourselves and
trust in Your abundant love and mercy for us. </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">We
pray in Jesus’ name. <br />Amen.</span></p><div><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="edn1">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span> Karoline Lewis. “A
Different Kind of Denial”, Dear Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn2">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span><!--[endif]--></span> ibid </span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div></div></div><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-91703769300654162852024-02-18T09:00:00.009-05:002024-02-18T22:01:51.482-05:00First Sunday in Lent<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> Mark 1:9-15</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For the preacher
it’s always a challenge to preach a well-known text. Because as you are hearing
the text, you think you already know the story. And in a year like this one
when we heard this text just six weeks ago for the Baptism of our Lord, and
we’ve already explored what it means to hear God’s voice speaking, the
challenge only grows. So, what is God saying to us <u>this </u>time?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In baptism we see
how we are loved by God and by God’s grace, we are set free to live as God’s
children. But <b>it isn’t always going to be comfortable.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Often in his
ministry Jesus goes off to a deserted place, and we imagine a place of quiet
solitude and peace, where he soaks in prayerful silence, seeking comfort and
guidance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What happens here
in Mark, after his own baptism <u>isn’t</u> that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 110%;">Mark tells us
that the Spirit <i>drove Jesus out </i>into the wilderness.(1:12) It could be
translated as the Spirit <i>threw</i> Jesus or <i>cast</i> him out. The
Spirit’s action wa</span><span style="line-height: 110%;">sn’t a gentle, quiet leading; it was <u>forceful and unyielding</u>.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As I read this
text, I think we are meant to remember other times when God’s followers were in
the wilderness. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hagar wandered in
the wilderness with her son Ishmael. (Genesis 21:14) Joseph’s brothers threw
him into a pit in the wilderness. (Genesis 37:22) Moses was with his flock in
the wilderness when he encountered God in the blazing bush (Exodus 3:1-2) The
Israelites were in the wilderness after Moses brought them out of Egypt.
(Exodus 13:20; Numbers 32:13) And then they were in the wilderness again during
the years of exile in Babylon. (Isaiah and Jeremiah)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Throughout the
history of our ancestors in faith, “wilderness” has been synonymous with times
of testing, training and preparation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I don’t subscribe
to the idea that “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle” but I <i>do</i>
believe that God is with us in all that we face. God doesn’t make it easy, or
comfortable, but helps us make our way through difficulties.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Jesus goes
into the wilderness, he is separated from everything and everyone he has known,
<u>except God</u>. It had to be disruptive and disorienting.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mark doesn’t give
us any of the details about the temptations; we have to go to Luke and Matthew
to get those. (Luke 4; Matthew 4) But writing about the temptations, German
theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “[All of the temptations] are <i>one</i>
temptation – to separate Jesus from the Word of God.”<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What futility!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus <u>cannot
be separated</u> from God’s Word. As John’s prologue tells us:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><sup><span style="line-height: 110%;">1</span></sup><span style="line-height: 110%;"> In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.<sup>
2 </sup>He was in the beginning with God.<sup> 3</sup> All things came into
being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. (John 1:1-3)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, of course, they
fail. Neither the devil, nor the temptations, nor the wilderness and its wild beasts
can defeat God.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the
wilderness, Jesus survived through obedience to God’s Word. And, so do we.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the
wilderness, when life is disrupted and disorienting, and everything else is
stripped away,<b> we remember whose we are and live into our identity as God’s
children.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In “Go to the
Limits of your Longing” which reads as if God is speaking, the Austrian poet
Rainer Marie Rilke [ry nr mr ee uh reel kuh] writes, “Don’t let yourself lose
me.”<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It would be easy
in the wilderness to forget God’s way and look for the easy path, to look for a
way out or a shortcut, well-worn by others. But, instead, we return again and
again to God’s Word, which challenges and convicts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Confronted by the
Law found there, we must wrestle with our sin, our weakness and our failings. But
thanks be to God, that’s not where the story ends. God never leaves us in
despair. In God’s Word we experience the Good News of Jesus Christ. (Mark 1:1) and
God’s love for us renews us and strengthens us for all that lies ahead. We face
temptation and choose Christ anyway. We pray and we choose the way of
forgiveness and mercy for ourselves and for others.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The late Catholic priest Edward
Hays wrote prayers for pilgrimages and one of the wild places he wrote about is
the human heart. Writing about God’s gift of pardon, he said,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have
searched for it in every pocket and hiding place;<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I cannot
find it, your gift of Self.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I know it
is here, buried beneath my pain, somewhere in a back corner of my heart:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">but for
now it is lost.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p> </o:p>And then he continued,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Remind me
ten times and more of all that you have forgiven me – without even waiting for
my sorrow, the very instant that I slipped and sinned.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Remind me
ten thousand times and more of your endless absolution, not even sorrow
required on my part, so broad the bounty of your love.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, I
can—I will—forgive as you have forgiven me.<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[iii]</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hays reminds us that God accompanies
us and reminds us of whose we are and what it looks like to embody God’s love.
We come <i>through</i> the wilderness <b>changed and transformed</b>.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oh, yes, I said it, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">we come through <u>changed</u>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">How can we not?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When the Spirit drives us into
the wilderness, it can’t be for nothing. As one preacher said, “If we wanted to
go, the Spirit wouldn’t be needed!”<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[iv]</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, this Lent as we remember how
the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness, I wonder where the Spirit is
pushing us to go? As a congregation and individually, what are we resisting?
And how will we respond?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let us pray…<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[v]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Good and Gracious
God, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you for
your Son’s obedience, even to the cross,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">that we would
know Your love for us all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Help us cling to
our baptisms, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">where we are
drowned and reborn by the water and fire of your Spirit. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sustain us with
Your Word and comfort us with Your presence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Driven by your
Spirit, make us unafraid of what lies ahead. Amen.</span></span></p><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;">
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Dietrich Bonhoeffer. <i>Creation
and Fall</i>. 105.</span></p><p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;">[ii] https://onbeing.org/poetry/go-to-the-limits-of-your-longing</span></p><p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;">[iii] Edward Hays. “Psalm of Pardon”, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. Ave Maria Press. 2008. 227.</span></p></div>
<div id="edn4" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[iv]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Delmer Chilton and John
Fairless, Lectionary Lab Lent Workshop.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn5" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[v]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Adapted from Stanley Hauerwas, <i>Prayers Plainly Spoken</i> (Wipf & Stock,
2003), p.21.</span></p></div></div><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-48770708479774483982024-02-14T12:15:00.033-05:002024-02-15T09:58:05.406-05:00Ash Wednesday<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> Psalm 51</span></p><p></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In his book </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Tales of the Hasidim</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, the late Jewish
philosopher Martin Buber recalls the writings of Rabbi Simcha Bunin, a Polish
Hasidic leader of the nineteenth century. Bunim wrote,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Everyone
must have two pockets, with a note in each pocket, so that [you] can reach into
one or the other, depending on the need. When feeling lowly and depressed,
discouraged or disconsolate, one should reach into the right pocket, and there,
find the words: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="line-height: 110%;">Bish'vili
nivra ha'olam </span></i><span style="line-height: 110%;">(bish-vil-lee nee-vRAH ha-oh-l’arm)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“The
world was created for me” (BT Sanhedrin 37B). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But
when feeling high and mighty one should reach into the left pocket and find the
words: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“<i>V'anokhi
afar v'efer”</i> (vah-no-khee a-far a-fair)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“I
am but dust and ashes”(Gen. 18:27). <span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"<u>Today</u>
is the day when Christians around the world dig into the left pocket to see
what realizations, and shadowed blessings, may be found there."<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><u style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 110%;">Today</span></u><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">
is the day when we follow the prophet Joel's instruction:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Return
to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and
abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing." (2:13) <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At the very <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">least</i>, <u>today</u> is a day to <u>begin</u>
to reorient ourselves toward God and to <u>begin</u> to draw near to God, as we
enter into Lent.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lent is a season
of self-examination and repentance, and, before we say, "We follow Jesus.
For what do </span><i style="font-family: arial;">we</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> need to repent?"
let's dig a little deeper into that pocket and examine what we find, as we
reflect on the words of Psalm 51.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Most scholars
agree that the psalms were not written by David and the superscriptions - the
words that tell us about the psalm’s purpose or who its author was - were added
much later by editors. Those editors chose to associate particular psalms with
events in David's life, and while sometimes connections between sacred texts
and narratives can be vague or tenuous, Psalm 51 certainly provides the
response we would </span><u style="font-family: arial;">hope</u><span style="font-family: arial;"> the king would have had after Nathan confronted
him about his adultery with Bathsheba and his complicity in Uriah's murder.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the
patterns we see in the psalms is that say what we already know to be true about
God, and then they tell God what’s wrong and then they ask God to respond.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here, the
psalmist begins his plea to God by acknowledging God's steadfast love and
abundant mercy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And then he
confesses his sin, and importantly, he doesn't confess one particular action,
but he confesses his condition of being a sinner, saying, “I was born guilty, a
sinner when my mother conceived me." (51:5) That language makes us
uncomfortable because it implicates even the youngest children among us. And it
exposes us when we like to think we can get away with “ignoring or hiding the
unpolished parts of our lives.”</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[iii]</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But, as Lutherans
we believe that we <u>are</u> "wholly saint <u>and</u> wholly sinner"
at the same time, from the day we are born. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Confession was
never intended to be torturous or punishing. Instead, in confession, we acknowledge
our sin before the God who has known us since we were knitted together in our
mothers’ wombs, (Psalms 139:13-14) because we have confidence in God's
immeasurable grace and forgiveness.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The psalmist recognizes
this too, addressing God and saying, "You desire truth in the inward
being..." (v. 6) God doesn't want us to play games; God wants our honest
reflection and repentance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The psalm
continues, asking God for God to act in accordance with who we know God to be.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Just as at the
font we mark ourselves with the sign of the cross and remember that in our
baptism we were adopted into the family of God, today we are marked with
crosses of ash, to remember that God washes our dusty selves and sanctifies us.
(51:7b)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our plea
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within
me." (51:10) recognizes God's power in our lives to forgive us and create
new life for us. Creating us anew, God uses the old stuff, and we see how what
we've experienced and who we have been remain a part of who we are today,
redeemed by God's love and mercy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Redemption and
reconciliation are possible only because of God’s love for us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This Lenten
season, as a congregation we are seeking to live well in Christ and to practice
forgiveness with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, exploring what it
means to have the steadfast assurance that God’s mercies are new every
morning,(Lamentations 3:23) and that forgiveness is ours to give away.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Just as we come
today to confess our sin, receive forgiveness and remember God’s grace because
we love God, we want to pursue forgiveness of ourselves and others, not because
we are motivated by obligation or fear, but by love.</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[iv]</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And as we
recognize the ways that Christ’s love transforms us, I wonder if we can name
the old things that are being made new and see how parts of our stories find
new purpose when we see them as part of our story with Christ.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span color="windowtext" style="font-family: arial;">Let us pray…</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext" style="line-height: 110%;">God of life and death, of forgiveness and blessing,<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Have
mercy on us, according to your steadfast love<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">according
to your abundant mercy, blot out our transgressions.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Wash
us thoroughly from our iniquity and cleanse us from our sin.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Help
us return to you to repent and to release.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Crack
open our tired, aching, chained up hearts to Your mystery and healing hope.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">We
know we are dust, and to dust we shall return,<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">and
in the midst of all of that, we return to You.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Come,
O God, make haste to save us.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Amen.</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[v]</span></span></p><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> “Two
Pockets," <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Book Two: The Later
Masters</i> [New York: Schocken Books, 1947], pp. 249-250).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Sundays and Seasons
Resources for Ash Wednesday.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn3" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[iii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Eric Mathis. Commentary
on Psalm 51:1-17. Workingpreacher.org.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn4" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[iv]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> “The ‘Why’ of Love and
Forgiveness’, <i>Practicing Forgiveness with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength and
Mind.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn5" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[v]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> adapted from Psalm 51, RevGalBlogPals
Wednesday praye</span></p></div></div><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-48213783901342289222024-02-11T11:15:00.003-05:002024-02-11T19:37:03.777-05:00Transfiguration Sunday (El Domingo de Transfiguración)<p><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Marcos%209%3A2-9&version=RVR1960" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Marcos 9:2-9</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below. </span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Oremos…</span></i><i><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Que las palabras de mi boca y las
meditaciones de nuestros corazones sean aceptables a tu vista, oh Señor nuestra
fuerza y nuestro redentor. Amén.</span></i></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext;">La semana pasada, los padres publicaron fotos de niños escolares que
marcaban cien días de escuela. En una foto, las niñas se vestían como si
tuvieran cien años, usando </span><span style="color: windowtext;"> </span><span style="color: windowtext;">andadores,
pelucas grises y lentes muy grandes. En otra imagen, un estudiante llevaba una
camisa pintada brillantemente con el número cien.. Hubo fiestas escolares con
globos. El año escolar tradicional tiene ciento ochenta y cinco días, por lo
que estos estudiantes están apenas pasando la mitad del año escolar. Fue un momento
crucial.</span><span style="color: windowtext;"> </span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">No tenemos disfraces ni globos para conmemorar
el domingo de la transfiguración, pero también es un momento crucial. </span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Está en la mitad del evangelio de Marcos,
y mientras que en los primeros ocho capítulos de este evangelio, Jesús y los
discípulos han viajado por toda Galilea, yendo inmediatamente de un lugar a
otro, ahora se regresaran hacia Jerusalén y el tiempo avanzara despacio.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Hoy, Marcos nos dice que Jesús, Pedro, Santiago
y Juan dejaron a los demás y han subido a una montaña. Y allí, apartados de las
multitudes, son testigos de que Jesús es transfigurado, y Marcos nos dice:
"Estaban aterrorizados". (9: 6)</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Se han escrito muchos sermones para
tratar de explicar el significado de esta escena, o para determinar por qué
Pedro, Santiago y Juan fueron los que acompañaron a Jesús, o por qué
aparecieron Elias y Moisés y no otros personajes bíblicos como Abraham o
Joseph,</span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"> p</span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">ero no creo que descubrir las respuestas
a esas preguntas sea lo importante de este texto, o por qué escuchamos esta
historia de uno de los Evangelios, cada año antes del Miércoles de Ceniza.</span><span style="color: windowtext;"> </span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Estoy de acuerdo con el teólogo suizo
Karl Barth, quien dijo que lo único que sabemos sobre Dios es que Dios es
incomprensible. Solo podemos conocer a Dios cuando Dios viene a nosotros en un
acto de revelacion. Tenemos que aceptar que Dios está envuelto en misterio y
milagro.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Donde quiero concentrarme primero es, en cómo Dios llama la atención de los
discípulos. <u>Dejan atrás a las multitudes. Siguen a Jesús lejos de toda el
ruido y distracción.</u></span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"> Las montañas son a menudo los lugares de la Biblia donde Dios se acerca o
donde escuchamos a Dios hablar. Son los lugares donde la distancia entre la
Tierra y los cielos se vuelve mas corta.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: -.25in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: -.25in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Entonces, mientras miramos hacia la Cuaresma, me pregunto,</span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">¿Cómo llamara Dios su atención?</span></b><b><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">¿A dónde puedes ir para que puedas
concentrarte en Dios sin distracción?</span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">¿Qué personas, o actividades, podrías
dejar atrás por una temporada?</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Si estamos de acuerdo con Barth, solo
podemos conocer a Dios cuando Dios viene a nosotros en un acto de revelación, y
no experimentaremos la revelación a menos que estemos prestando atención.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">En segundo lugar, quiero centrarme en
Dios hablando. La voz de la nube dice a los discípulos: “Este es mi hijo amado;
¡a El oid!" </span><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">(9: 7)</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Tenemos muchas voces en competencia en
nuestras vidas. </span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">T</span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">enemos responsabilidades con la familia, en nuestro
trabajo o escuela, con las otras personas con las que compartimos la vida. Y
esas son las voces familiares. Agregue
los comerciales de televisión, anuncios en plataformas de transmisión, carteles
publicitarios y basura de correo electrónico,
y hay mucha competencia por nuestro tiempo y atención. </span><b><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Esta historia de Dios que habla nos
ayuda a priorizar la voz de Dios en nuestras vidas.</span></b><span style="color: windowtext;"> </span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">A medida que se acerca la Cuaresma, me
pregunto: “¿Qué necesitamos escuchar? ¿Qué nos está siendo revelado? Esta
temporada me recuerda que la Palabra de Dios siempre es una palabra viva, nunca
terminada o estática. Esta temporada, escuchemos bien para que conozcamos a
Dios y sepamos quién Dios nos llama a cada uno de nosotros a ser.</span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Y finalmente, me pregunto: "¿Cómo responderemos?"</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: -.25in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: -9.0pt; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">La primera reacción de Pedro es de miedo, pero inmediatamente después de
eso, quiere quedarse allí en la montaña, disfrutando de la gloria de la
transfiguración.</span><span style="color: windowtext;"> </span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Pero, y esto fue nuevo para mí, ¿has
notado lo que dice Jesús, cada vez que otros quieren felicitarlo y elevarlo?</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Escuchamos su respuesta a los demonios que expulsa y al hombre sordo que le
devuelve el oir, y nuevamente aquí en la montaña; ordenan a aquellos que han
sido testigos de estos eventos extraordinarios que no le cuenten a nadie hasta
después de la resurrección. (9:9)</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Porque la historia de la cruz no es una
historia de gloria. Es la historia del amor de Dios por todo el mundo, que no
perezcamos sino para que tengamos vida eterna, pero el único camino a través de
esa historia es el camino de la cruz, que exige la muerte. Muerte al pecado y
muerte a uno mismo, para que podamos vivir solo</span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"> </span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">para Dios.</span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oremos…</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Santo Dios,<br /></span><span style="color: windowtext;">Gracias por mostrarnos su gloria y por
nunca dejarnos.<br /></span><span style="color: windowtext;">No nos dejes aferrarnos a los momentos
sagrados,<br /></span><span style="color: windowtext;">pero a escuchar a tu hijo<br /></span><span style="color: windowtext;">y a seguirlo desde los lugares de revelación
hasta los lugares de misión.<br /></span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Oramos en el nombre de Jesús.</span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"> <br /></span><span style="color: windowtext;">Amén.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><a href="http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=101666124" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mark 9:2-9</span></a></p><p>
</p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">This past week, parents posted pictures of schoolchildren
marking one hundred days of school. In one picture the little girls were
dressed as one hundred-year old women, complete with walkers, grey wigs and
oversized eyeglasses. In another picture, a student wore a shirt brightly
painted with the number one hundred on it. There were school parties with
balloons. The traditional school year has one hundred eighty-five days, so
these students are just past its halfway point. It was a turning point.</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">We don’t have costumes or balloons to mark Transfiguration
Sunday, but it is also a turning point. It is halfway through Mark’s gospel,
and while in the first eight chapters of this gospel, Jesus and the disciples
have traveled throughout Galilee, going immediately from one place to another, now
they will turn toward Jerusalem and time will slow down.</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">Today, Mark tells us that Jesus, Peter, James and John left
the others and they have climbed a mountain. And there, apart from the crowds,
they witness Jesus being transfigured, and Mark tells us, “they were
terrified.” (9:6)</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">A lot of sermons have been written to try to explain the
meaning of this scene, or to determine why Peter, James and John were the ones
who accompanied Jesus, or why Elijah and Moses appeared and not other biblical
characters like Abraham or Joseph, but I don’t think figuring out the answers
to those questions are what’s important about this text, or why we hear this
story from one of the gospels, every year before Ash Wednesday.</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">I agree with the Swiss theologian Karl Barth who said that
the only thing we know about God is that God is </span><u style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">incomprehensible</span></u><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">. We can only
know God when God comes to us in an act of revelation. We have to accept that
God is encompassed in mystery and miracle.</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">Where I want to focus first is how God gets the attention of
the disciples. </span><u style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">They
leave the crowds behind. They follow Jesus away from all the chatter and
distraction.</span></u><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;"> </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">Mountains
are often the places in the Bible where God draws near or where we hear God
speak. They are the places where the distance between earth and the heavens
becomes thin.</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">So, as we look ahead to Lent, I wonder,</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">How will God get your attention? </span></b><b><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Where can you go so that you can focus on God without
distraction?</span><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Which people, or activities, might you leave behind for a
season?</span><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">If we agree with Barth, we can only know God when God comes
to us in an act of revelation, and we won’t experience revelation unless we are
paying attention.</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">Second, I want to focus on God speaking. The voice from the
cloud says to the disciples, “This is my Son, the beloved; listen to him!”
(9:7)</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">We have a lot of competing voices in our lives. We have
responsibilities to family, to our work or school, to the other people with
whom we share life. And those are the </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">familiar</span></u><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"> voices. Add to that
television commercials, advertisements on streaming platforms, billboards and
junk mail, and there is a lot of competition for our time and attention. </span><b><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">This story of God speaking helps us prioritize God’s voice in
our lives. </span></b><b><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">As Lent approaches, I wonder, “What do we need to hear? What
is being revealed to us?” I am reminded that God’s Word is always a Living
Word, never finished or static. This season, let’s listen well that we may know
God and know who God is calling each of us to be.</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">And finally, I wonder, “How we will respond?” Peter’s first
reaction is one of fear, but immediately after that, he wants to stay right
there on the mountain, basking in the glory of the transfiguration. But, and
this was new to me, have you noticed what Jesus says, every time others want to
congratulate and elevate him? We hear his response to the demons he casts out
and to the deaf man whose hearing he restores, and again here on the mountain;
he orders those who have been witnesses to these extraordinary events </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">not to tell anyone</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;"> </span><u style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">until after</span></u><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;"> the resurrection. (9:9)</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">Because the story of the cross isn’t a story of glory. It is the
story of the love of God for the whole world, that we may not perish but have
eternal life, but the only way through that story is the way of the cross,
which demands death. Death to sin and death to self, that we may live for God
alone.</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">Let us pray…</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">Holy God,<br /></span></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">Thank you for showing us Your glory and for never leaving us.<br /></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">Do not </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">let us </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">cling to the holy moments,<br /></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">but listen to </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">Your Son<br /></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">and follow him<br /></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">from the places of revelation</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;"> </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">to the places of mission.<br /></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">We pray in Jesus’ name.<br /></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: arial;">Amen.</span></p><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-86354403636081158322024-02-04T10:00:00.003-05:002024-02-04T15:26:36.663-05:00Epiphany 5B<p><a href="http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=188385467" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mark 1:29-39</span></a></p><p></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Today’s gospel picks up immediately where we left off last
week, with the disciples and Jesus leaving the synagogue in Galilee and
traveling to the house of Simon and Andrew.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And here we witness another healing. In the synagogue Jesus
had ordered the unclean spirit out of a man, and here, he meets Simon’s
mother-in-law, who has been in bed with a fever.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To our hearing, it may sound dramatic to say that the woman was
at the brink of death, but two thousand years ago there were no antibiotics or
medicines available to bring down fever. There was really no understanding of
what caused illnesses. So, we can appreciate how worrisome her illness was,
with an unknown cause and no way to bring relief. We can imagine the joy that
her family and friends experienced when they saw Jesus take her by the hand and
lift her up and the fever left her. And we can understand the gratitude she
herself felt at being restored to wholeness.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The healings show us how God is with us in our suffering, and
they demonstrate the power of God to set things right. But there is more to
this story than the physical healing that takes place.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">When she is healed, the woman begins to serve those around
her. (1:31) The word here is the same word that we hear earlier in this
chapter, when Jesus is in the wilderness and Mark says, “the angels waited on
him.” (1:13) Although some traditions have used this story to “put women in
their place”, </span><span lang="EL" style="line-height: 110%;">διακονέω</span><span lang="EL" style="line-height: 110%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 110%;">(dee-ah-koh-<b>nay</b>-oh)
</span><span style="line-height: 110%;">is <u>the beginning of the diaconate</u>, the ministry of
service to which we ordain mean and women as deacons today.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Her healing allowed this woman – who like so many women in
Scripture is unnamed apart from her relationship to Simon – to fully be
herself, to use her gifts in service to God. It happens that her gifts were
those of welcome and hospitality, in caring for the needs of her guests. But
she just as easily could have been like Lydia who financially supported the
disciples’ gospel ministry in Acts 16 (Acts 16:14) or like the prophet Anna who
worshiped at the temple in Jerusalem </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">with fasting and
prayer night and day and whom we hear about when Jesus is presented at the
temple as a boy in Luke 2. (Luke 2:37)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">If you have ever been at the brink, at your wits’ end, at the
edge of despair, or uncertainty, you share this woman’s story. </span><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">It is the story of God breaking into our lives to call us to
being fully who God created us to be.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">These Epiphany stories remind us again and again that all things
are under God’s authority, and we can be confident that God is with us in the
messiness of our lives and the world we live in.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">And we can be just as certain that God has created us and calls
us to be witnesses of the love and grace shown us in Christ Jesus </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">in this place</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">I share this woman’s story. When I had been working in nonprofit
fundraising for almost ten years, I was working with a founding executive
director who wanted me to follow in his footsteps. I went to a workshop and as
we talked about the stories that were most important to us, I realized that as
much as I appreciated the work we were doing, that was </span><i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">not</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> the most important story to me, and
it wasn’t the story I wanted to spend the next twenty-five years telling. That
realization sent me into a tailspin. I didn’t know what to do next. But I began
talking with my husband Jamie, and with my pastor, and later that year, after
many more conversations, I entered the candidacy process in the North Carolina
Synod to become an ordained pastor.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">It was </span></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">one</span></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> step toward becoming the person God created me to be.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Growing up, w</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">e often think that </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">our </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">progression </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">through life </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">is a straight line</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">, right? Childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, adulthood.
Primary school, middle school, high school, and then maybe college, or maybe
not. But I think we have enough experience in this room to know that far more
often, life resembles a roller coaster with more than one ‘loop de loop’ along
the way.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">And when we are hanging on for dear life, faith helps us know we
are not alone, and the journey is not in vain. </span><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">God is there, with us,</span></b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> </span><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">help</span></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">i</span></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">ng us become</span></b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> </span><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">fully who God created us to be.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">When we catch our breath or regain our balance, we can ask, “Who
is God calling me to be?” and “What is God calling me to do?” and listen for
God’s answers. </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Faith gives us the freedom to respond to God with our whole
selves and serve with the gifts we’ve been given.</span></span></b></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Let us pray…</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Good and gracious God, </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">We give you thanks for Your love and grace shown us through
Jesus all through this Epiphany season.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Thank you for saving us and healing us that we may be your
witnesses in the world.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Help us respond to your presence in our lives and fully become
the person that you created us to be, so that others may know You.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">We pray in the name of your Son Jesus. </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Amen.</span></span></p><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-53451076025329919202024-01-28T11:15:00.006-05:002024-01-28T21:34:26.599-05:00Epiphany 4B (El cuarto domingo después de Epifanía)<p><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Marcos%201%3A21-28&version=RVR1960" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Marcos 1:21-28</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below. </span></p><p></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 107%;">Oremos…</span></i><i><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Que
las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestro corazón sean aceptables
ante tus ojos, oh Señor, fortaleza nuestra y redentor nuestro. Amén.</span></span></i></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 107%;">Me
da gusto</span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 107%;"> estar de regreso en la adoración con todos ustedes. Ha
pasado un mes desde Navidad, pero debido a mi ausencia, me he perdido mucho de
esta temporada de </span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 107%;">Epifania</span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 107%;">.
Mientras me preparaba para la adoración de esta semana, me ayudó recordar que
esta es una temporada de revelación, que nos muestra quién es Jesús.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 107%;">Comenzamos
con el bautismo de Jesús por su primo Juan cuando escuchamos por primera vez la
voz del cielo proclamar: “Tú eres mi Hijo amado; </span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 107%;">En
ti tengo complacencia”</span><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 107%;">(Marcos 1:11)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Luego
fuimos testigos de cómo Jesús llamó a los primeros discípulos y les mostró cómo
usar sus dones para el Reino de Dios.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: windowtext; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pescar
con red para la cena era importante, pero Jesús también les mostró dónde
encontrar alimento espiritual.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Y
hoy Marcos nos cuenta cómo enseñ</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">aba</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"> Jesús. Nunca </span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">supimos</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"> qué
dijo, si estaba enseñando sobre </span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">el</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"> Torá o sobre los profetas o algo más. Pero
lo que sí escuchamos es que enseñaba “como quien tiene autoridad” y que su
forma de enseñar lo diferenciaba. Era “diferente de los escribas” que eran
expertos en la ley. Si bien pudo haber sido su estilo de enseñanza, creo que la
diferencia fue más sustancial que eso. La palabra autoridad también puede
traducirse como poder. Otros lo han interpretado en el sentido de que Jesús era
auténtico o enseñaba desde el corazón.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Cuando
el hombre con un espíritu inmundo se encuentra con Jesús, grita:</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">“¿Qué
tienes que ver con nosotros, Jesús de Nazaret? ¿Has venido a destruirnos? Sé
quién eres, el Santo de Dios”. </span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">(Marcos 1:24-25)<br clear="all" style="mso-column-break-before: always;" />
</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">En
respuesta, Jesús reprende al espíritu y le ordena que calle y salga del hombre,
y, con much</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">o</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">revuelo</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">, lo
hace. Y la gente nuevamente queda asombrada y comenta la autoridad con la que
Jesús enseña y actúa.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 9.0pt;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lo
primero que noto es que este hombre con el espíritu inmundo está en la
sinagoga. A veces Jesús sana a personas marginadas de la sociedad o a quienes
viven en las zonas fronterizas. Forasteros. Pero este hombre estaba en la
sinagoga. No podemos saber qué era el espíritu inmundo; lo que sabemos es que
estaba causando sufrimiento. Tal vez podría enmascarar su comportamiento para
que nadie viera nada inusual. Tal vez había estado afligido durante tanto
tiempo que nadie notó nada diferente.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 9.0pt;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lo
segundo que noto es que si bien las personas que escuchaban a Jesús podían ver
que Jesús enseñaba con autoridad y que era diferente, no son ellos los que se
arrodillan ante la presencia de Jesús.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">El
que identifica a Jesús como “el Santo de Dios” es el espíritu inmundo. Es el
que está causando confusión o infligiendo dolor el que sabe que Jesús no
permitirá que las cosas continúen como hasta ahora. </span><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">En
Jesús, todas las cosas están bajo la autoridad de Dios</span></b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"> y
los poderes y principados que desafían a Dios son derrotados.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Al
reflexionar sobre este texto, Karoline Lewis, una de mis profesoras de
predicación en el seminario, nos pide que nos preguntemos:</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“¿Dónde
está Dios en todo lo que me posee?”</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">El
diablo, el pecado y esas fuerzas que desafían a Dios son los que me separan de
Dios.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Son
las cosas que se apoderan de mis pensamientos y acciones y me alejan de Dios,
que me llevan a vivir de maneras que no son santas ni amables.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Cuando
me encuentro “en los lugares y espacios donde parece que Dios nunca podría
estar”, Marcos nos dice que ni siquiera esos lugares son rival</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">es</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">
para Dios y el amor que nos muestra en Jesús. </span><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">En
Jesús, todas las cosas están bajo la autoridad de Dios</span></b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"> y
los poderes y principados que desafían a Dios son derrotados.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Sé
que es difícil de creer. Recibo un correo electrónico semanal llamado “Noticias
mundiales esta semana en oración” y nos in</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">cita</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"> a
orar por muchos lugares diferentes en el mundo donde hay guerras, enfermedades
u otros tipos de sufrimiento. Puede resultar abrumador darnos cuenta de lo
destrozado que está el mundo y de la frecuencia con la que no logramos vivir el
reino de Dios aquí en la tierra. Clamamos por justicia ahor</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">ita</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"> y
queremos que la respuesta de Dios </span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">llegue cuando nosotros queremos</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Pero
este evangelio es una de las razones por las que seguimos orando. Nuestra fe
nos dice que Dios está presente y activo.</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dios
está rompiendo barreras y límites y yendo a lugares donde nadie espera que Dios
aparezca.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">¿Has
oído a los ingleses decir: “Allí, si no fuera por la gracia de Dios, iré”?</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Al
parecer, el reformador del siglo dieciséis, John Bradford, dijo esas palabras
mientras observaba cómo conducían a un grupo de prisioneros a la ejecución.
Como muchos otros, recordaba esas palabras cada vez que presenciaba tragedias.
Pero hace una docena de años estaba trabajando como voluntari</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">a</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"> en
un refugio </span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">de dia </span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>para
nuestros vecinos que no tienen </span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">casas</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">, y entonces se me ocurrió, mientras
escuchaba sus historias, que la gracia de Dios estaba con ellos.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Eso no fue lo que hizo que nuestras circunstancias fueran
diferentes. Lo que marcó la diferencia fue que tenía abuelos que pagaron mi
educación universitaria, y cuando tuve cáncer cuando era joven, ellos pagaron
mis </span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">gastos</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"> médic</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">o</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">s; </span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">t</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">e</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">nía un trabajo con un seguro médico para poder </span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">recibir</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">
medicamentos para mi depresión crónica.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Dios está presente en el desorden de todas nuestras
vidas, y tal vez sea la gracia de Dios la que nos ayuda a conectarnos con otros
que escucharán nuestras historias y nos darán la bienvenida a la comunidad a
pesar de nuestras fal</span></b><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">tas</span></b><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Esta Escritura de la temporada de Epifanía revela quién
es Jesús y hoy recordamos que él es quien demuestra que todas las cosas están
bajo la autoridad de Dios y no permitirá que nada nos separe de Dios.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Demos g</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">racias a
Dios.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Mark+1:21-28" target="_blank">Mark 1:21-28</a></span></span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 122.65pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let us pray…<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span></i></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts
be </span></i><i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">acceptable in your sight, O Lord our strength
and our redeemer. </span></i><i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Amen.</span></i></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is good to be back in worship with you all. It’s been a
month since Christmas but because of my absence, I’ve missed a lot of this
Epiphany season. It helped me as I prepared for worship this week to remember
that this is a season of revelation, showing us who Jesus is.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We began with Jesus’ own baptism by his cousin John when we
first heard the voice from heaven proclaim, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with
you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then we witnessed Jesus calling the first disciples, showing
them how to use their gifts for the Kingdom of God. Netting fish for dinner was
important, but Jesus showed them where to find spiritual nourishment too.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">And today Mark tells us </span><i><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">how</span></i><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"> Jesus taught. We never find out </span><i><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">what </span></i><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">he said, whether he was
teaching from the Torah or about the prophets or something else. But what we do
hear is that he taught “as one having authority” and that his way of teaching
set him apart. He was “different from the scribes” who were the experts in the
law. While it may have been his teaching style, I think the difference was more
substantial than that. The word authority can also be translated as power.
Others have interpreted it to mean that Jesus was authentic or taught from the
heart.</span><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">When the </span><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">man with an unclean spirit</span><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"> encounters Jesus, he cries out,</span><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">“</span><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come
to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.</span><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">”</span><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"> (Mk</span><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;">.</span><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"> 1:24-25)</span><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">In response, </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Jesus rebukes the spirit and
orders him to be silent and come out of the man, and, with a lot of commotion,
it does.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> And the people again are amazed and remark on the authority
with which Jesus teaches and acts.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">The first thing I notice is that this man with the unclean
spirit is </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">in</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> the synagogue. Sometimes Jesus heals people on the margins of
society or those who live in the borderlands. Outsiders. But this man was </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">in</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> the
synagogue. We cannot know what the unclean spirit was; what we know is that it
was causing suffering. Maybe he could mask his behavior so that nobody saw
anything unusual. Maybe he had been afflicted for so long, nobody noticed
anything different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">The second thing I notice is that while the people listening to
Jesus could see that Jesus taught with authority and that he was different,
they aren’t the ones who are brought to their knees by Jesus’ presence. The one
who identifies Jesus as “the Holy one of God” is the unclean spirit. It is the
one who is causing turmoil or who is inflicting pain that knows Jesus isn’t
going to let things continue as they have been. </span><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">In Jesus,</span></b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> </span><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">all things are under God’s authority</span></b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> and the powers and principalities that defy God are </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">defeated</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Reflecting on this text, Karoline Lewis, one of my preaching
professors from seminary asks us to wonder, “Where is God in all that possesses
me?”</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">[i]</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">The devil, sin and those forces that defy God are what separate
me from God. They are the things that seize possession of my thoughts and
actions and turn me away from God, that lead me to live in ways that are not
holy and not lovable. When I find myself “in </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">the places
and spaces where it seems God could never be</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">”, Mark tells us
that even those places are no match for God and the love shown us in Jesus.</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">[ii]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> </span><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">In Jesus, all things are under God’s
authority</span></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> </span></b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">and the
powers and principalities that defy God are </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">defeated</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">I know</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> that is hard to believe. I receive
a weekly email called “World News This Week in Prayer” and it prompts us to
pray for many, different places in the world where there is war, illness or
other kinds of suffering. It can be overwhelming to realize how broken the
world is and how often we fail to live out God’s kingdom here on earth. We cry
out for justice now and we want God’s response to be on our timeline. But this
gospel is one reason we keep praying. Our faith tells us that God </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">is</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> present and
active. God is breaking barriers and boundaries and going places where no one
expects God to show up.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Have you heard the English saying, “There but for the grace of
God go I”?</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Apparently the sixteenth century reformer John Bradford said
those words as he watched a group of prisoners being led to execution.</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">[iii]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> Like many others, I recalled those words whenever I witnessed
tragedies. But a dozen years ago I was volunteering at a day shelter for our
neighbors who are unhoused, and it occurred to me then, as I listened to their
stories, that God’s grace </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">was</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> with them. That </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">wasn’t</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> what made our circumstances different. What made the difference
was I had grandparents who paid for my college education, and when I had cancer
as a young woman, they paid my medical bills; I had a job with health insurance
so I could get medication for my chronic depression. </span><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">God is present in the messiness of all our lives</span></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">, and perhaps it is God’s grace that helps us </span></b><b><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">connect</span></u></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> with others who will listen to our stories and welcome us into
community despite our faults</span></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This Epiphany season Scripture reveals who Jesus is and today we
remember that he is the one who demonstrates that all things are under God’s
authority and will not let anything separate us from God.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Thanks be to God.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><!--[if !supportEndnotes]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><br clear="all" />
</span><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Karoline
Lewis. “Exorcisms for our Day.” workingpreacher.org<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> ibid <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn3" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[iii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Wiktionary.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/there_but_for_the_grace_of_God_go_I#:~:text=It%20has%20also%20been%20attributed,prisoners%20being%20led%20to%20execution
, accessed 1/26/24.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div><br /><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-16784787425513447902023-12-25T10:00:00.002-05:002023-12-25T11:43:07.705-05:00Christmas Day 2023 (Nativity of our Lord II)<p><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=257232322" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Luke 2:8-20</span></a></p><p></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, <br />
and merry Christmas!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This morning, like the shepherds who were visited
by the angel of the Lord we too have heard the proclamation of the birth of the
Christ Child in song and Word, and we are <u>witnesses</u> to the birth of
Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And while they were terrified at first and wondered
what it could mean, their fear quickly turned to wonder, curiosity and awe.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, together, we can wonder, what child is this? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Born of the Holy Spirit, to a young mother and her
husband, <br />
in a place far from their home, <br />
without warmth or comfort.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Instead of an imperial monarch wielding sovereign
will and power, Jesus comes into the world as a vulnerable baby, <br />
wrapped in bands of cloth, not ermine or mink, <br />
and laying in a manger on a bed of straw. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Through Jesus, <br />
God makes the Good News of God’s love known to <u>us</u>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">God’s only Son comes into the world, as John says,
not to condemn but to save. To save us from our sin and from ourselves, from
our pride and our self-centeredness, or what Martin Luther described as “being
curved in on ourselves.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With the birth of Jesus, we wonder anew at what God
has done and is doing in the world, recognizing that God turns our expectations
upside down and offers us grace upon grace, out of the fullness of God’s love
for us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the prologue of John’s Gospel, the Evangelist
says, “the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory,
the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.” (1:14)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On this Christmas morning, we are filled with the
goodness of God’s grace and truth and invited, like the shepherds, to return to
our vocations, to our families and to our communities, glorifying and praising
God for all we have heard and seen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let us pray. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Good and gracious God, thank you for your Son,
Christ Jesus, born as a Messiah and Savior for us all. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Send us out, glorifying and praising You for all
you have done. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">By your Holy Spirit, make the good news known to us
and through us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We pray in your Holy Name. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-19705528044563807292023-12-24T19:00:00.003-05:002023-12-25T11:40:52.817-05:00Christmas Eve 2023 (Nativity of our Lord I)<p><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=568816394" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Luke 2:1-20</span></a></p><p></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our beloved Christmas story from Luke’s Gospel
takes place in Bethlehem some six miles south of Jerusalem, in the hill country
of what is known today as the West Bank in the Holy Land. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At the time of the holy birth of Jesus, Bethlehem
was the setting for throngs of people coming for the emperor’s census, to be
counted by the Roman authorities. The Holy Family were pilgrims of a sort,
travelers on a journey to a place far away from home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the centuries since then, all through the year
but especially at Christmas, other pilgrims have made their way to celebrate
and remember the birth of Jesus, following a route to the Church of the
Nativity which was built over the spot where it’s believed that Jesus was born.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1865, one of the pilgrims was an Episcopal
priest named Phillip Brooks. In a letter to his father, Brooks wrote that,
while in the Holy Land, he traveled by horseback from Jerusalem to the Church
of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. In his letter, he recalled, <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">how he stood in the
old church at Bethlehem, close to the spot where Jesus was born, when the whole
church was ringing hour after hour with the splendid hymns of praise to God,
how again and again it seemed as if he could hear voices that he knew well,
telling each of the ‘Wonderful Night’ of the Savior’s birth. <span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="border: none;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span>
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Several years later, Brooks published the words to
the carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” In its first stanza, Brooks writes of “the
everlasting light that shines in the dark streets of Bethlehem.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This year, as war wages on in Israel and Gaza, the
Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem are muted, the streets are dark, and the
town truly lies still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of the
war, tourists and pilgrims who make their way to Bethlehem are absent, and the
Christian congregations who are located there are gathering instead in prayer
for the hostages still in captivity, for the innocent victims of war and for
peace to come to the region. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in
Bethlehem, the creche shows the baby Jesus surrounded by rubble. Describing it,
the church’s pastor explained how in this image of Jesus “[they] see a light of
hope and life coming out of destruction, life coming out of death.”<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="border: none;">[ii]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span>
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That is one of the truths of the Gospel: that God
comes to us in the most forlorn places, bringing hope and life into our lives. <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Brooks’ carol echoes that message, declaring, “the
hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><b><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The hopes and fears of all the years. <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We all have hopes. Simple ones for a white
Christmas, or to see the joy on children’s or grandchildren’s faces. And more
complex ones, like peace in the Holy Land and on the whole earth. It’s easy to
name our hopes, big and small.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But we also are invited to name our fears - whether
they are fears of things that go bump in the night, or fears about the future
and what the world is becoming. We are invited to place our fears in the manger
with the Christ child. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Often, in times of fear or sorrow, I pray that
God’s peace will settle upon us, like a blanket of new fallen snow, calming our
racing hearts, quieting the competing demands for our time and attention,
helping us draw near to God with confidence in God’s grace and mercy, and
comfort in God’s presence. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After all, <u>peace</u> is what is promised by the
prophet Isaiah when he declared that “the child [who] has been born for us is
named …Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) And <u>peace</u> is what the angel of the
Lord proclaimed to the shepherds when they were watching their flocks by night.
(Luke 2:8) <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As we hear the Christmas story this year we are
invited to join with Mary, Joseph and the shepherds in pondering what God has
done and join with the Christians in Bethlehem praying that God grants us all
peace.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Amen.</span></span></p><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/da2e233e-6c0a-4239-8b15-63d40119e116/downloads/1c02f5svp_630072.pdf?ver=1702898697613<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> https://religionunplugged.com/news/2023/12/11/nativity-crche-in-bethlehem-places-baby-jesus-in-gazas-rubble</span></p></div></div><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-37476155843053013302023-12-10T11:15:00.001-05:002023-12-10T14:23:35.580-05:00Advent 2B (El Segundo Domingo de Advenimiento)<p><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Pedro%203%3A8-15&version=RVR1960" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 Pedro 3:8-9, 13-15a</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below. </span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Oremos…</span></i><i><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Que las palabras de mi boca
y las meditaciones de nuestro corazón sean aceptables ante tus ojos, oh Señor,
fortaleza nuestra y redentor nuestro. Amén.</span></span></i></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">No sabemos mucho sobre el
autor de la epístola que escuchamos hoy. Si bien el evangelio de Marcos es el
texto evangélico más antiguo, escrito alrededor del año 70 EC, Segunda de Pedro
fue escrita más de setenta años después de la Ascensión y el fin del ministerio
de Jesús en la tierra.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Su audiencia se preguntaba
cuándo regresará Jesús. Los discípulos que estaban con Jesús en Galilea y
Jerusalén habían pensado que regresaría pronto, pero no fue así. Y puedes
imaginar la duda y la incertidumbre que comenzaron a plagar a los creyentes con
cada año o década que pasaba.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Y así es como comienza el
autor,</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">“Para el Señor un día es
como mil años, y mil</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Los años son como un día”.
(3:8)</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Luego, el autor de la
epístola asegura a los oyentes que Dios no ha olvidado sus promesas. Jesús
regresará. Pero el tiempo de Dios no es el nuestro. Dios no está esperando ni
demorando porque quiere que suframos con duda o miedo. En cambio, </span><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Dios está
esperando pacientemente el momento en que todos lleguen al arrepentimiento</span></b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">. Recordamos
del evangelio de Juan que:</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Porque tanto amó Dios al mundo que dio a su
Hijo único, para que todo aquel que cree en él no perezca, sino que tenga vida
eterna. En efecto, Dios no envió al Hijo al mundo para condenar al mundo, sino
para que el mundo sea salvo por él.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesús había prometido
regresar, pero la promesa aún no se había cumplido. Estaban impacientes, pero
también se escuchan las preguntas no grabadas, la preocupación de que han
perdido su confianza.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Al reflexionar sobre la
carta de Peter, la predicadora Lucy Lind Hogan imaginó la conversación de la
“hora del café” entre creyentes que estaban cansados de esperar. Puedes
escuchar las voces en competencia:</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">“¿Realmente crees en ese
mito?”</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">"Hemos esperado todos
estos años y no tenemos nada que mostrar".</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Si Jesús iba a regresar,
¿por qué no ha aparecido todavía? Hay tantos problemas en el mundo ahora. ¿Qué
está esperando?</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Todas las voces se centran
en nuestro interior, en lo que creemos, en nuestros miedos y luchas humanas y
en nuestra frustración. </span><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Y olvidan que el regreso de Jesús se trata
de lo que Dios está haciendo.</span></b></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Me enseñaron que en las
Escrituras, Dios siempre recibe todos los verbos o, como dice el obispo y predicador
metodista retirado Will Wil</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">li</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">mon: "Las Escrituras siempre y en
todas partes hablan de Dios".</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Recordando que Dios sigue
con nosotros y esperando,</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">la pregunta luego cambia de
"¿Cuándo regresará Jesús?" a</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“¿Cómo viviremos mientras
esperamos?”</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Y el autor de la epístola
nos dice,</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Esforzaos por ser hallados
por [Dios] en paz, sin mancha ni defecto; y considerad la paciencia de nuestro
Señor como salvación”.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Debemos vivir con esperanza
y en paz, y debemos vivir expectantes y atentos a las acciones de Dios a
nuestro alrededor y en nuestras vidas.</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Dios no espera perfección
de nosotros, por eso entiendo que la referencia a “manchas o imperfecciones”
significa pecado. </span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Sabemos que Dios promete perdón cuando confesamos nuestros pecados. Lejos
de llamarnos a vivir una vida perfecta, la epístola nos llama al
arrepentimiento para que Dios pueda restaurarnos y renovarnos. Y
afortunadamente, tenemos la promesa de Dios de que la misericordia de Dios es
nueva cada mañana. (Lamentaciones 3:22-23)</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">También debemos sentirnos
alentados por la instrucción de considerar “la paciencia de nuestro Señor como
salvación”. (15:a) Tenemos un “Dios implacablemente redentor” que anhela tener
una relación con nosotros y nos espera.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mientras el mundo
apresurado se apresura y despotrica contra la inflación, el tráfico y los males
de la vida moderna, estamos invitados a retirarnos y esperar con Dios, reconfortados
por las promesas de Dios para nosotros, con la confianza de que Dios cumplirá
esas promesas en su tiempo, no en el nuestro.</span></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;">Gracias a Dios.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></p><p><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=94023957#:~:text=But%20do%20not%20ignore%20this,all%20to%20come%20to%20repentance." target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 Peter 3:8-9, 13-15a</span></a></p><p></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">We don’t know a lot about the author of the
epistle we heard today. While Mark’s gospel is the oldest of the gospel texts, written
sometime around 70 CE, Second Peter was written more than seventy years after
the Ascension and the end of Jesus’ ministry on earth.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">His audience was wondering when Jesus will
return. The disciples who were in Galilee and Jerusalem with Jesus had thought
he would return quickly, but he didn’t. And you can imagine the doubt and
uncertainty that began to plague believers with each passing year or decade.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">And so it is that the author begins, </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">“</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">years are like one day.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">” (3:8)</span></span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">The author of the epistle then reassures the
listeners that, God has not forgotten God’s promises. </span><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Jesus </span></b><b><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">will</span></u></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> return.</span></b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> But God’s timing is </span><i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">not</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> ours. God
is not waiting or delaying because God wants us to suffer in doubt or in fear.
Instead, </span><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">God is patiently
waiting for the time when </span></b><b><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">all</span></u></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> may come to repentance.</span></b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> We remember from John’s gospel, that:<br /><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">For God so
loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him
may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into
the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved
through him.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Jesus had promised to return, but the promise
was not yet fulfilled. They were impatient, but you can also hear the unrecorded
questions, the worry, that they have misplaced their trust.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Reflecting on Peter’s letter, preacher Lucy Lind
Hogan imagined the “coffee hour” talk happening among believers who were tired
of waiting.</span><a href="file:///D:/Sermons/Advent%202B/Sermon%20December%2010%202023.docx#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> You can hear the competing voices:</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">“Do you really believe that myth?”</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">“We’ve waited all these years and have nothing
to show for it.”</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">“If Jesus was coming back, why hasn’t he shown
up yet? There is so much trouble in the world now. What is he waiting for?”</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">The voices are all focused inward, on what we
believe, on our human fears and struggles, and on our frustration. </span><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">And they forget that Jesus returning is about
what God is doing.</span></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> </span></b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">I was taught that in Scripture, God always gets
all the verbs</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> or as retired
Methodist bishop and preacher Will Willimon says,</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">“Scripture always
and everywhere talks about God.”</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">[ii]</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Remembering that God is still with us and
waiting, </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">the question then changes from “When is Jesus
returning?” to </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">“How will we live while we wait?”</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">And the author of the epistle tells us, </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">“</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">strive to be found by </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">[God]</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> at peace,
without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">”</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">We are to live with hopefulness and in peace, and
we are to live expectantly and watchful for God’s actions around us and in our
lives.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">God doesn’t expect perfection from us, so I
understand the reference to “spots or blemishes” to mean sin. We know that God
promises forgiveness when we confess our sins. So far from calling us to live
perfect lives, the epistle calls us to repentance so that God can restore us
and renew us. And thankfully, we have God’s promise that God’s mercy is new
every morning. (</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Lamentations
3:22-23</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">)</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">We are to be encouraged too by the instruction
to regard “the patience of our Lord as salvation.” (15:a) We have a
“relentlessly redemptive God” who longs to be in relationship with us and waits
for us.</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">[iii]</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">While the hurried world rushes and rants at
inflation and traffic and the woes of modern life, we are invited to retreat
and wait with God, comforted by God’s promises for us, with confidence that God
will fulfill those promises in God’s time, not ours.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Thanks be to God.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><!--[if !supportEndnotes]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><br clear="all" />
</span><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Lucy
Lind Hogan. “Commentary on 2 Peter 3:8-15a” Luther seminary.
workingpreacher.org<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Will
Willimon, <i>Heaven and Earth: Advent and the Incarnation.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn3" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[iii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> ibid</span></p></div></div><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-32336976319654914132023-11-26T11:15:00.013-05:002023-11-26T11:15:00.155-05:00Christ the King Sunday (Domingo de Cristo El Rey)<p><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mateo%2025%3A31-46&version=RVR1960" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mateo 25:31-46</span></a></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: arial;">I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below. </span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><i>Oremos…<br />Que las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestros corazones sean aceptables a tu vista, oh Señor nuestra fuerza y nuestro redentor. Amén.<br /></i><br />En el Evangelio de hoy, escuchamos sobre ovejas y cabras y si fuera agricultor, tal vez tendría más información sobre lo que separa a las dos. Pero no soy agricultor. Y no creo que Jesús hable sobre ovejas y cabras porque quiere que nos convertamos en expertos sobre animales de granja. Entonces, en lugar de pensar demasiado sobre las diferencias entre las dos, dirigí mi atención a cómo los dos grupos son iguales. <br /><br />Cuando el rey le dice a cada grupo lo que habían hecho, no hay argumento ni protesta. Es preciso. Saben lo que hicieron, o en el caso del segundo grupo, lo que no hicieron. Pero ambos grupos preguntan: "¿Cuándo fue que te vimos?" <br /><br />A medida que pasamos por la vida, ¿con qué frecuencia nos sorprenderíamos también nosotros si nos dijeran que Dios hubiera estado allí con nosotros? <br /><br />Declaramos rápidamente que todo en la creación pertenece a Dios, pero a menudo, en la práctica, respondemos como si Dios fuera un relojero divino, poniendo las cosas en movimiento y observando desde la distancia, en algún lugar en los altos cielos. <br /><br />Acabo de terminar de leer la historia de los niños "El Jardín Secreto " que cuenta la historia de una niña que es enviada a vivir con un tío en Inglaterra y mientras vive en la gran casa grande, descubre dos secretos. El primero es un jardín que había sido abandonado, y el segundo es un niño, su primo, que también había sido abandonado. La madre del niño había muerto cuando era muy joven, y su padre había sido abrumado por el dolor y el miedo y lo abandonó al cuidado de los demás. <br /><br />Creo que a veces pensamos en Dios así, como un Padre distante o ausente, y olvidamos que Dios está con nosotros todos los días. <br /><br />Pero, en nuestras vidas de fe, estamos en relación con Dios, y las demandas de la relación aparecen. Requiere presencia. <br /><br />Afortunadamente, hay un final feliz para la historia de los niños, y tenemos una feliz confianza de que Dios tampoco nos abandona. <br /><br />La segunda forma en que los dos grupos son los mismos es que ninguno pensó mucho en cómo habían tratado a las personas a su alrededor. <br /><br />Solo podemos adivinar por qué un grupo eligió alimentar a los hambrientos, calmar la sed del sediento, dio la bienvenida al extranjero, vestía a los desnudos, atendió a los enfermos o visitó al prisionero. <br /><br />Una interpretación esperanzadora es que el primer grupo estaba haciendo lo que era natural para ellos, como un árbol que tiene buenas frutas. No se les ocurrió examinar por qué hicieron lo que hicieron. <br /><br />Y de la misma manera, solo podemos adivinar por qué el segundo grupo decidió no cuidar a sus vecinos. Recuerdo la idea de "pecados de comisión" y "pecados de omisión" y nuestro rito de confesión donde confesamos "hemos pecado contra [Dios] por lo que hemos hecho y por lo que hemos dejado de hacer". Uno podría adivinar que realmente no vieron a las personas o sus necesidades. <br /><br />Martin Luther describió a nuestro estado como pecadores diciendo que "[el hombre] está tan curvado sobre sí mismo que usa no solo bienes físicos sino incluso espirituales para sus propios beneficios y en todas las cosas busca solo a sí mismo". <br /><br />No es extraño que en esa condición luchemos por ver a otros o reconocer sus necesidades. <br /><br />"El mas pequeño de estos" (v.45) son aquellos a quienes ignoramos, pasamos por alto o incluso rechazamos. <br /><br />Si bien esperamos ver de inmediato a nuestros vecinos como hijos queridos de Dios, confesamos que a veces no lo hacemos. Las palabras de Jesús ayudan a dirigir nuestra atención hacia ellos y abrir nuestros ojos para ver a Jesús en ellos. Cuando entramos en una relación con nuestros projimos, comenzamos a presentarnos el uno al otro. Y es en la comunidad y la relación, que aprendemos las historias de los demás y reconocemos las necesidades que existen. <br /><br />Y así, en lugar de sorprendernos, podemos preguntarle a Dios: "¿Cuándo fue que te vimos?" con curiosidad y asombro,confiando en que hemos visto a Dios en los rostros de los que conocemos. <br /><br />Hemos visto a Dios en la mujer llevando de una maleta con todo lo que posee por la calle helada en Fleming Street y en el hombre que sostiene su letrero de cartón cerca de la carretera interestatal. Hemos visto a Dios en las salas de espera en el hospital y en el centro de detención. Hemos visto a Dios en los rostros de las personas que reciben paquetes de ropas nuevas en los centros de hospitalidad para los refugiados. Hemos visto a Dios en los projimos que recibirán nuevos abrigos de invierno y las bendiciones en cajas esta Navidad. <br /><br />Al entrar en las próximas temporadas de Adviento y Navidad, que veamos y preguntemos dónde más, y en quién, podemos ver a Dios. <br /><br />Amén. <br /><br /><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Matthew+25:31-46" target="_blank">Matthew 25:31-46</a></span></p><p></p><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;">In today’s gospel, we hear about sheep and goats and if I were a farmer, maybe I’d have more insight into what separates the two. But I am not a farmer. And I don’t think that Jesus talks about sheep and goats because he wants us to become experts about farm animals. So instead of thinking too much about the differences between the two, I turned my attention to how the two groups are the same. <br /><br />When the king tells each group what they had done, there’s no argument or protest. He’s accurate. They know what they did, or in the case of the second group, what they did not do. But both groups ask, “When was it that we saw you?” <br /><br />As we go through life, how often would we, too, be caught by surprise if we were told God had been there with us? <br /><br />We are quick to declare that everything in creation belongs to God, but often, in practice, we respond as if God were a divine clockmaker, setting things into motion and watching from a distance, somewhere in the lofty heavens. <br /><br />I just finished reading the children’s story “The Secret Garden” that tells the story of a girl who is sent to live with an uncle in England and while she is living in the great big house, she discovers two secrets. The first is a garden that had been deserted, and the second is a boy, her cousin, who had been deserted, as well. The boy’s mother had died when he was very young, and his father had been overwhelmed by grief and fear and abandoned him to the care of others. <br /><br />I think sometimes we think of God like that, as an aloof or absent father, and we forget that God is with us every day. <br /><br />But, in our lives of faith, we are in relationship with God, and relationship demands showing up. It requires presence. <br /><br />Thankfully, there is a happy ending to the children’s story, and we have a happy confidence that God does not abandon us either. <br /><br />The second way the two groups are the same is that neither gave much thought to how they had treated the people around them. <br /><br />We can only guess why one group chose to feed the hungry, quench the thirst of the parched, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, tended the sick or visited the prisoner. A hopeful interpretation is that the first group was doing what came naturally to them, like a tree bearing good fruit. It didn’t occur to them to examine why they did what they did. <br /><br />And likewise, we can only guess why the second group chose not to care for their neighbors. I am reminded of the idea of “sins of commission” and “sins of omission” and our rite of confession where we confess “we have sinned against [God] by what we have done and by what we have left undone.” One might guess that they didn’t really see the people or their needs. <br /><br />Martin Luther described our state as sinners saying that “[man is] so curved in upon himself that he uses not only physical but even spiritual goods for his own purposes and in all things seeks only himself.”[i] It is no wonder that in that state we struggle to see others or recognize their needs. <br /><br />“The least of these” (v.45) are those who we disregard, overlook or even dismiss. <br /><br />While we hope we would immediately see our neighbors as beloved children of God, we confess sometimes we don’t. Jesus’ words help direct our attention to them and open our eyes to see Jesus in them. When we enter into relationship with our neighbors, we begin to show up for each other. And it is in community and relationship, that we learn each other’s stories and recognize the needs that exist. <br /><br />And so, instead of being surprised, we can ask God, “When was it that we saw you?” with curiosity and wonder, trusting that we have seen God in the faces of those we meet. <br /><br />We have seen God in the woman pulling a suitcase with all that she owns down the frosty sidewalk on Fleming Street and in the man holding his cardboard sign on the median near the interstate. We have seen God in the waiting rooms at the hospital and at the detention center. We have seen God in the faces of the people receiving Fresh Change bundles at hospitality centers for refugees. We have seen God in the neighbors who will receive new winter coats and the blessings in boxes this Christmas. <br /><br />As we enter into the coming Advent and Christmas seasons, may we watch and wonder where else, and in whom, we may see God. <br /><br />Amen.<br /><br />[i] Luther’s Works, vol. 25, p. 345, see also pp. 291-92. </span><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-46835054900010926522023-11-19T09:15:00.005-05:002023-11-19T13:22:56.037-05:00Lectionary 33A<p><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Matthew+25:14-30" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Matthew 25:14-30</span></a><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />Remembering that God is always the actor in Scripture, we read Matthew’s text and ask, “What does this parable tell us about God?”<br /><br />I don’t think it works as allegory. It falls apart if the Master is God because the one slave describes this Master as “a harsh man, reaping where he does not sow and gathering where he does not scatter seed.” (v. 24). Maybe that could be dismissed as the slave’s perception or misperception, but, upon his return, this Master rebukes the slave and orders him “thrown into the outer darkness.” (v. 30)<br /><br />The first problem we have with identifying the Master of the parable as God is that everything in creation, and everything we reap, belongs to our Creator God.<br /><br /> And the second problem is that just a few chapters later, Jesus promises his disciples, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (28:20) And later still, we have Paul, too, who teaches that “[nothing] in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)<br /><br />So, if it’s not allegory, I wonder, why does Jesus tell this story?<br /><br />I wonder if Jesus tells this parable because he knows how often we look at what we have been given through a lens of scarcity and fear, instead of abundance. And he wants to remind us of the vision God has for God’s kingdom.<br /><br />The first two slaves take what is given to them and they find ways to increase the extravagant abundance. But the third slave buries what he was given, refusing to do anything with it. He is filled with fear.</span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">This month, I have been spending time with Psalm 5 and
particularly with a paraphrase written by </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Nan Merrill </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">in her volume titled </span><i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Psalms for Praying</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">. Her words came back to me as I read the parable. She writes,</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">Lead me, O
my Beloved, </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">in your
mercy</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"> </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">lighten my fears;</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">make my way
straight before me</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"> </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">that I may follow.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">For there is
no truth in fear;</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"> </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">it leads to downfall;</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">it opens the
door to loneliness;</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"> </span><span style="color: #1d1b11;">it speaks not with integrity,</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">but out of
ignorance.</span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">“There is no truth in fear.”</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Merrill says fear speaks out of ignorance and not out of
integrity. I’d add that fear squelches imagination, compassion and ultimately,
mercy.</span></b><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;">If you haven’t been at the Wednesday night Oasis this past two
weeks, you’ve missed Pastor Jonathan’s introduction to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and
his writings.</span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;">You can listen to the podcast episodes on Ground Up Faith, but
to summarize, Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran theologian and teacher in the
1930s, as Hitler was rising in power. He criticized Hitler, which as you can
probably guess, isn’t the way to gain a dictator’s favor. In 1930 Bonhoeffer
came to the United States, but he returned to Germany in 1931 and continued his
opposition to Hitler and Nazi power. He became a professor in the underground
seminary, training pastors for the confessing church. And in 1938 he traveled
again to the United States and relative safety, but almost immediately, he
returned to Germany.</span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">Returning to Nazi Germany, </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">Bonhoeffer said,</span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">I must live through this
difficult period in our national history along with the people of Germany. I
will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in
Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people…</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;">I wanted to retell that piece of Bonhoeffer’s story because
today's gospel is a parable that invites our response.</span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;">Both Pastor Jonathan and I have spoken often of faith as
something we live out in community. It is never a solitary, private thing
that’s only about me, my Bible and Jesus. </span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;">When we are living out our faith, and we respond in fear, we
take the gifts that God has given us, we take the ways God has equipped us to
bear God’s love to our neighbors and we bury them.</span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;">Surely, we think, it is safer to do nothing, to hold onto what
we have and wait. Nothing will be gained, but nothing will be lost either.</span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Except it will.</span></b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> Our complacency<a name="_Hlk151042383"> – </a>our failure to imagine a different future and our
failure to act with compassion – exacts a cost from everyone who needs mercy </span><u><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">right now</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">. </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">For the beloved people who need to know the extravagant love of
our generous and life-giving God, it costs them hope. It costs them love. It
costs them faith. </span></b></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">I’m not saying that God can’t still act. Surely</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">,</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;"> God can and does.</span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">
And I’m not saying that faith comes from us. It is in Christ alone.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">But God </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">uses </span><u style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">us</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">, the Church, to show the world who God is</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">. </span><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">God uses our hands and
feet and hearts to bear witness to God’s love.</span></b></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;">And when we allow fear to paralyze us and choose safety and
security over compassion and mercy, we reject the gifts God has entrusted to us
for the sake of the world. We reject the invitation to participate in God’s
kingdom and make that kingdom a reality here on earth.</span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;">Our fear curves us in on ourselves – turning away from the
opportunities to show others how God so loves the world – and it’s that curving
in on ourselves that Luther calls sin,<br /></span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;">sin that separates us from God.</span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;">And what’s astonishing to me is that when we sin,</span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">
God </span><i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">doesn’t</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> call us worthless and
throw us into the outer darkness. </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Do you know what God does?</span></b></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">In that same paraphrase of Psalm 5, Merrill writes, “</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">tears from your Heart fall on those</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;"> </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">separated from You by
fear.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">”</span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">When God sees what we have done, God weeps.</span></b></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;">The God who sees his Son Jesus crucified weeps </span><u style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">for us</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial; line-height: 110%;"> and continues to call us beloved children of God and entrust
kingdom work to us, calling us to respond faithfully with compassion and mercy.</span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;">Let us pray…</span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Good and gracious God, </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Thank you for showing us how much you so love
the world.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">You wept for your crucified Son,</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">and you weep for us when we turn away from
you.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Draw us to You, confident in your love.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Help us live out our faith in words and
actions that reflect the extravagant grace you give each one of us.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Empower us by your Holy Spirit to share your
compassion and mercy with the whole world.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">We pray in Jesus’ name.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p>
</p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Amen.</span></span></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-77984210601888845002023-11-12T11:15:00.004-05:002023-11-12T18:05:17.786-05:00Lectionary 32A (el vigésimo cuatro domingo después de Pentecostés)<p><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mateo%2025%3A1-13&version=RVR1960" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mateo 25:1-13</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below. </span></p><p></p><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Oremos …<br />
Que las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestro corazón sean
aceptables ante tus ojos, oh Señor, fortaleza nuestra y redentor nuestro. Amén.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">La parábola del evangelio de hoy es difícil de escuchar.
No suena como el Jesús que predicó el Sermón del Monte o hizo que los
discípulos compartieran lo que tenían para que todos fueran alimentados.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">En cambio, aquí la palabra de juicio resuena con fuerza.
Cinco damas de honor son llamadas tontas. Y con esa declaración, nuestro
corazón se aprieta porque ninguno de nosotros quiere ser visto como un tonto,
¿verdad?</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Por supuesto que no. Queremos ser como los sabios
personajes de esta parábola. Queremos saber lo que sabían, hacer lo que
hicieron y ser aprobados por Jesús.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Pero eso también es problemático, ¿no?</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">La gracia, por definición, es inmerecida (no ganada y
dada gratuitamente por Dios), por lo que lo que hacemos, o quizás más
importante, lo que dejamos de hacer, no cambia la medida de la gracia que
recibimos.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Entonces, ¿por qué Jesús cuenta esta historia?</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">En la parábola. Jesús dice que las damas de honor estaban
esperando para encontrarse con el novio. Este no fue un episodio de televisión
de realidad en el que alguien espera una llegada sorpresa desde fuera del
escenario. “En las costumbres matrimoniales palestinas del primer siglo,… el
novio iba a la casa familiar de su novia para completar los arreglos
[matrimoniales] y la llevaba a su propia casa… donde se llevaba a cabo una
celebración”.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Según la parábola y la costumbre, estas mujeres esperaban
la llegada del novio. Puedes imaginarlos mirando por una puerta o ventana,
llenos de anticipación, pero, a medida que la tarde se alargaba, se
adormecieron y se durmieron, aun cuando sus lámparas seguían encendidas. ¡Y
entonces, </span><b><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">un grito</span></u></b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;"> los
sobresaltó y los despertó!</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">El novio había llegado. Su tarea estaba al alcance de la
mano. Estaban allí para recibir al novio. ¡Este era su momento, el tiempo que
habían esperado y preparado!</span></span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Pero en lugar de darle la bienvenida al novio, cinco de
ellas fueron a buscar más aceite para que sus lámparas ardieran tan
intensamente como las de las demás.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">A estos cinco se les llama tontos. Sí, les hubiera venido
bien estar mejor preparados y llevar un frasco extra de aceite, pero </span><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">no son tontos porque se equivocaron.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Son </span><i><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">tontos</span></i><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;"> porque se distrajeron de su </span><i><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">único</span></i><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">
trabajo:</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">para recibir al novio!</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Como seguidores de Jesús, nuestra única tarea es permitir
que el mundo vea a Jesús en nosotros; </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">mostrar el amor de Dios por cada cosa
creada mediante nuestras palabras y acciones.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Al igual que las damas de honor
que partieron en busca de más aceite, es fácil distraerse con las
particularidades de nuestro trabajo como discípulos.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Pero, como dijo el autor de
negocios Steven Covey, “lo principal es mantener lo principal como principal”.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Lo que es más, las llamadas
damas de honor “sabias” también fracasaron en el discipulado, ¿no es así?</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Claro, estaban allí para
recibir al novio, pero la bienvenida se vio disminuida por la ausencia de los
demás, a quienes enviaron a medianoche a buscar más aceite para ellos.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">La celebración hubiera sido más
plena si hubieran sido menos tacaños o egoístas con lo que tenían; si no
hubieran tenido miedo a la escasez o a no tener suficiente, toda la comunidad
habría estado junta para la celebración.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">El evangelio nos recuerda que estamos reunidos como
comunidad de creyentes y que vivimos </span></b><b><i><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">juntos</span></i></b><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">
como seguidores de Jesús.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Nos recuerda que ser discípulos no significa ser
perfectos, pero sí significa saber que </span><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">somos perfectamente amados por Dios en su abundante
gracia.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Nos recuerda que si bien apreciamos nuestro entorno de
vidrieras y velas o nuestra meditación tranquila, la adoración no se trata de
la belleza de los paramentos, de cantar en el tono correcto, de pronunciar las
palabras correctamente o de orar con elocuencia. </span><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">La adoración se trata de estar reunidos en la presencia
de Dios, incluso mientras nos limpiamos el sueño de los ojos.</span></b></span><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Y finalmente, el evangelio nos recuerda que </span><i><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">no</span></i><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">
estamos llamados a celebrar lo bien que hemos hecho nuestro trabajo o lo
cuidadosamente que nos hemos preparado, sino </span><b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">a celebrar al Dios que nos llama y nos envía para que el
mundo conozca el amor de Dios.</span></b><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; font-family: arial;">Entonces, tal vez esta parábola se parezca al Jesús que conocemos,
después de todo.</span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">El Jesús que predica en su Sermón de la Montaña, “no
rechaces a nadie que quiera pedir prestado de ti”. El mismo Jesús que enseñó:
“No juzguéis, para que no seáis juzgados”. Y el mismo Jesús que dijo a sus
discípulos,</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 9.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in 9pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><sup><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">37</span></sup><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;"> 'Amarás al Señor tu Dios con todo tu corazón, y con toda
tu alma, y con toda tu mente.' </span><sup><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">38</span></sup><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;"> Este es el mayor y el primer mandamiento. </span><sup><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">39</span></sup><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;"> Y
un segundo es parecido: 'Amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo'.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Oremos…</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Dios de luz y amor,</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Gracias por tu gracia abundante, dada a nosotros como don
inmerecido, y por tu amor que nunca se agota, sino que siempre es abundante;</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Gracias por el don de tu Hijo Jesús que nos muestra la
necedad de la cruz en un mundo que se aleja de ella;</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;">Por el Espíritu Santo, danos sabiduría para compartir tu
amor y misericordia en un mundo que no te recibe.</span><span lang="ES" style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">Amén.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Matthew+25:1-13" target="_blank">Matthew 25:1-13</a></span></div><div><p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">The parable in today’s gospel is hard to hear. It doesn’t sound
like the Jesus who preached the Sermon on the Mount or had the disciples share
what they had so that all would be fed.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Instead, here the word of judgment resonates loudly. Five
bridesmaids are called </span><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">foolish</span></u><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">. And with that
declaration, our hearts clench because none of us wants to be seen as foolish,
do we?</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Of course not. We want to be like the </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">wise</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> characters in this parable. We want to know what they knew, do
what they did and be </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">approved</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> by Jesus.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">But that’s problematic, too, isn’t it? Grace by definition is
unmerited – unearned and given freely by God – so what we do, or perhaps more
importantly, what we have left undone doesn’t change the measure of grace that
we receive.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">So why </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">does</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> Jesus tell this story?</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">In the parable. Jesus says that the bridesmaids were waiting to
meet the bridegroom. This wasn’t an episode of reality tv where someone waits
for a surprise arrival from off-stage. “In first-century Palestinian marriage
customs, …the groom would go to his bride’s family home to complete [the
marriage] arrangements and bring her to his own house …where a celebration
would take place.”</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">[i]</span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">According to the parable, and the custom, these women were
waiting for the bridegroom’s arrival. You can imagine them watching out a door
or window, filled with anticipation, but, as the evening lengthened, they
became drowsy and slept, even as their lamps continued to burn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then, </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">a shout</span></u></b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> startled and woke them!</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">The bridegroom had arrived. Their task was at hand. They were
there to welcome the bridegroom. </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">This</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> was their moment, the
time that they had awaited and prepared for!</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">But instead of welcoming the bridegroom, five of them left to
find more oil so their lamps would burn as brightly as the others’.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">These five are called fools. Yes, it would have been good for
them to have been better prepared and to have carried an extra flask of oil,
but </span><b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">they are not fools because they made a mistake</span></b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">They are fools</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> because they were
distracted from </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">their one job</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">: </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">to welcome the bridegroom!</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">As followers of Jesus, our </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">one </span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">job is to let the world
see Jesus in us; to show God’s love for every created thing by our words and
actions.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Like the bridesmaids who left to find more oil, it’s easy to be
distracted by the particularities of our work as disciples.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">But, as business author Steven Covey has said, “The main thing
is to keep the main thing the main thing.”</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">But</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">, the so-called “wise”
bridesmaids failed at discipleship, too, didn’t they?</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Sure, they were there to welcome the bridegroom, but the welcome
was diminished by the absence of the others who they sent out at midnight to
find more oil for themselves.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">The celebration would have been more full if they had been less
stingy or selfish with what they had; if they had not been afraid of scarcity
or of not having </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">enough</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">, the </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">whole</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> community would have been together for the celebration.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">The gospel reminds us that we are gathered as a community of
believers and that we live as followers of Jesus in life </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">together</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">It reminds us that being disciples does </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">not</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> mean being perfect, but it </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">does </span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">mean knowing </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">we are perfectly loved by
God in God’s abundant grace.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">It reminds us that while we appreciate our setting of stained
glass and candles or quiet meditation, worship is </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">not</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> about the beauty of the
paraments, singing in the right key, pronouncing the words correctly, or
praying with eloquence. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u style="text-underline: #1D1B11;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Worship</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> is about being gathered
together in God’s presence, even as we wipe the sleep from our eyes.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">And finally, the gospel reminds us that we are </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">not</span></i><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> called together to celebrate how well we have done our work or
how carefully we have prepared, but to celebrate the God who </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">calls us and sends us
that the world may know God’s love</span></b><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">.</span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">So maybe this parable
sounds like the Jesus we know after all. The Jesus who preaches in his Sermon
on the Mount, “do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.”</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">[ii]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> The same Jesus who taught, “Do not judge, so that you may not
be judged.”</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">[iii]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"> And the same Jesus who told his disciples, </span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><sup><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">37 </span></sup><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">'You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' </span><sup><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">38 </span></sup><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">This is the greatest and
first commandment. </span><sup><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">39 </span></sup><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.'</span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="color: #1d1b11;">[iv]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Let us pray…</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">God of light and love,</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: -9.0pt; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Thank you for your
abundant grace, given to us as an unmerited gift, and for your love that never runs
out, but is always plentiful;</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus who shows us the
foolishness of the cross in a world that walks away from it;</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">By the Holy Spirit give us wisdom to share your love and mercy
in a world that fails to welcome you.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="BodyA" style="line-height: 110%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;">Amen.</span><span style="color: #1d1b11; line-height: 110%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><!--[if !supportEndnotes]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><br clear="all" />
</span><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Donald
Senior. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Matthew</i>. 274.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;"><p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference" style="font-family: arial;">[ii]</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Matthew
5:42<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn3" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[iii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Matthew
7:1<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn4" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[iv]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Matthew
22:37-39<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div><br /></div>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.540227514.164472147481085 -117.6964775 56.375900652518915 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-41607976151471805722023-10-29T10:00:00.002-04:002023-10-29T13:23:08.919-04:00Reformation Sunday<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=John+8:31-36" target="_blank">John 8:31-36</a></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">So this Reformation Sunday,
there is an embarrassment of riches for the preacher.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here at Grace, on Reformation
Sunday, we have a tradition of celebrating the affirmation of baptism for our
students who have completed three years of formation and instruction in
confirmation. Earlier we heard Emily Karen, Nyles and Katya share their memory
verses. And in the bulletin, you can read more about why those verses are
meaningful to them. Later in the worship service, they will commit themselves
to the promises that were made for them at baptism, and as a congregation, we
will promise to support them in their lives in Christ and pray for them. I
could talk more about these three youth and what we have learned together, but <b>baptism
<i>isn’t</i> about what we have done, but what God does for us.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another sermon would talk
about our favorite reformer Martin Luther and the work of the Protestant
Reformation that happened a little over five hundred years ago. It’s the story
of his being thunderstruck and becoming a monk and a professor. And even then,
he had questions about God and faith, so he read and he studied and in reading
Paul, discovered that <b>God’s grace is a free gift given to us all</b>,
through <u>no</u> works of our own, but through the redemption we have in
Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:24) When Luther witnessed corruption in the Roman
Catholic Church, he became an advocate for change and wrote and shared his 95
Theses calling for reform. He was called a heretic and eventually he was forced
into hiding because he took a stand. But this <i>isn’t</i> “Luther Sunday”, and
the story of our faith isn’t <u>simply</u> a historical account of what
happened centuries ago. <b>It is a story that continues today because God’s
activity in our lives continues today.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And, while we are <i>Lutheran</i>,
we do not worship Martin Luther, but Jesus Christ.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">So I am going to focus on
Jesus’ words in our gospel today.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While John’s gospel often
uses a phrase translated “the Jews”, it’s helpful to understand that he is
referring to a specific group of people – Judeans, and not even to the general
population, but most likely to the religious leaders of Judea.<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">John reveals that Jesus has
been speaking to Judeans whose opinions are divided. Some are complaining about
him (6:43) and want to arrest him (7:44) but others believe in him. (8:30).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In John’s gospel belief in
Jesus isn’t an intellectual exercise; it means being in relationship with
Jesus. <b>It isn’t a matter of the head, but of the heart.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And Jesus encourages those
who have believed in him, saying, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my
disciples.” (8:31)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">There is a note for Bible
geeks here. In Greek, the word Jesus uses for “continue” comes from <i>meno</i>
<b><span lang="EL">μένω</span></b><b><span lang="EL"> </span></b>and another way to translate <b><span lang="EL">μένω</span></b><b><span lang="EL"> </span></b>is “to remain” or “to abide”. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In John 5, after he heals a man on the Sabbath, Jesus speaks
to the Judeans about God’s Word abiding in those who believe. (5:38) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And again, when he teaches about the “bread from heaven
in John 6, he says, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and
I in them.” (6:56)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When he describes himself as a vine and God as the
vinegrower, he commands his followers, “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as
the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither
can you unless you abide in me.” (15:4)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And then he says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have
loved you; abide in my love. (15:9)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Jesus
says we are to continue, or remain, or abide <u>in “his word”</u>, we are meant
to remember the prologue at the very beginning of John when Jesus says, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">“In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (1:1)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">“The
Word”, in Greek the <b><span lang="EL">λόγος</span></b><b><span lang="EL"> </span></b><u>is</u> God, <u>is</u> Jesus. So when he says “continue in my word” he is saying,
“abide in me”, <u>stay</u> in this <u>relationship</u>. <b>Because it is in
relationship with Jesus that we experience the truth of God revealed in Him,
and in relationship that we experience God’s free gift of abundant grace and
love.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And <u>that</u> is the truth
that sets us free. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Free to explore the world
where we live and become the person God has created us to be. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Free to try and fail. Free to
mess up and be forgiven. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Free to stop navel gazing,
curved in on ourselves, and serve and love others.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Today as we celebrate with
Emily Karen, Nyles and Katya, our confirmands on this Reformation Sunday, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">we remember that we are
always <u>becoming</u> the disciples that God desires;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">we recognize that our history
and tradition provide guideposts for how we practice our faith;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">and we give thanks for the
truth and freedom we know in Christ.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><!--[if !supportEndnotes]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><br clear="all" />
</span><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Judith
Jones. “Commentary on John 8:31-36”. workingpreacher,org. Luther Seminary.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div><br /><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.540227523.83683057595929 -117.69647750000001 46.70354222404071 -47.383977499999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-72334662469138738832023-10-22T11:15:00.023-04:002023-10-22T11:15:00.136-04:00Lectionary 29A (el vigésimo primer domingo después de Pentecostés)<p><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mateo%2022%3A15-22&version=RVR1960" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">Mateo 22:15-22</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below. </i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span lang="ES">Oremos</span></i><span lang="ES">…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Que las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestro corazón sean
aceptables ante tus ojos, Señor, nuestra fortaleza y nuestro redentor. Amén.</span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">En nuestra lectura del evangelio. Mateo describe una escena que tiene lugar
en el templo. Jesús ha estado enseñando y ahora los líderes religiosos que
sospechan de Jesús y quieren arrestarlo están tratando de desacreditarlo.
Sabiendo que el gobierno romano exige impuestos a los ciudadanos, le preguntan
a Jesús: “¿Es lícito pagar impuestos al emperador, o no?”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Es una pregunta capciosa, por supuesto. Si Jesús les dice a los ciudadanos
que no paguen el impuesto, las autoridades romanas podrían arrestarlo. Y si
dice que el impuesto es legal, entonces va en contra de la opinión popular del
pueblo judío y potencialmente en contra de los códigos religiosos.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES">Entonces, cuando Jesús responde, denuncia su hipocresía y su malicia hacia
él. </span>Pero luego les hace su propia
pregunta.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Primero, Jesús les dice a los líderes que le muestren una de las monedas
utilizadas para el impuesto del emperador. Y alguien le trae la moneda que
habría sido una moneda de plata romana llamada denario. En un lado habría un
grabado con la imagen del emperador romano Tiberio, hijo de Augusto César. Y
por otro habría llamado a Tiberio Sumo Sacerdote.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Había cambiadores de dinero en el templo que cambiaban monedas romanas por
las monedas utilizadas para comprar sacrificios en el templo, pero estas
monedas romanas todavía estaban en los bolsillos de los líderes religiosos.
Cuando le llevaron una de las monedas romanas a Jesús, le revelaron que
participan en la economía del imperio.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Y eso los preparó para la pregunta de Jesús, que era: "¿De quién es
esta cabeza y de quién es el título?"</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Por supuesto, era del emperador. Entonces Jesús les dice: “Dad, pues, al
emperador lo que es del emperador y a Dios lo que es de Dios”.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lo que no se dice, pero lo que Jesús sabía, y los líderes religiosos
deberían haber recordado, es que todas las cosas pertenecen a Dios primero.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cuando lo olvidamos, permitimos que otros ídolos, íconos e imágenes
reclamen nuestras vidas, nuestra lealtad y nuestro tiempo. Nos alejamos de Dios
y de las cosas de Dios y actuamos como si pudiéramos elegir lo que le pertenece
a Dios.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Esta tendencia a rechazar la soberanía de Dios y tratar de controlar lo que
sucede es parte del ser humano. En el Salmo 96, el salmista nos recuerda que:
“Porque todos los dioses de los pueblos son ídolos, pero Jehová hizo los
cielos”. (96:5 NVI) y en la carta de Pablo a los Tesalonicenses, escribe que la
gente allí se había “convertido de los ídolos a Dios”. (1:9)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nuestra lectura de Isaías tiene lugar mientras Dios se prepara para sacar a
los israelitas del exilio. El rey persa Ciro ha sido ungido por Dios para
permitir que los judíos regresen a su hogar en Jerusalén, y comenzando en el
versículo 5,</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dios está relatando las formas en que Dios ha actuado a lo largo de la
historia, incluso en la creación de la luz y las tinieblas, y de “bienes y
ayes” o bienestar y destrucción. El poder para hacer todo esto está en manos de
Dios, no de los humanos.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">La soberanía de Dios no es una cuestión de elección ni de opinión. Es una
declaración de hecho. Y podemos ignorarlo bajo nuestro propio riesgo, o podemos
bendecir el nombre del Señor y adorarlo, confiando en que Dios es un rey y juez
misericordioso.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">En nuestras vidas, es fácil caer cautivo de la tentación de tomar el
control, de esforzarnos por crear nuestra propia seguridad, de trabajar por la
aprobación de los demás.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Una de las prácticas que tengo cuando sé que mi ansiedad aumenta en torno
al control, la seguridad, la aprobación o la estima es una oración que enseña
el difunto padre Thomas Keating, un monje y sacerdote católico. Llamada Oración
de Bienvenida, es una forma de abrirme a la presencia y actividad de Dios en mi
vida y mis actividades diarias. Es solo una frase:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Dejo ir mi deseo de seguridad, afecto, control y acepto este momento tal
como es”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">La soberanía de Dios nos ofrece libertad de esos deseos y nos invita a
confiar en que Dios actuará con justicia (Salmo 96), que Dios irá delante de
nosotros y nivelará las montañas y los obstáculos que tenemos por delante
(Isaías 45:3), y que Dios nos elige y nos llama. amados. (1 Tes. 1:4)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oremos…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dios bueno y misericordioso, te damos gracias por tu Hijo Jesús, que nos
muestra la plenitud de tu amor por nosotros.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Danos confianza en tu soberanía, poder, fortaleza, amor y misericordia.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ayúdanos a ser imitadores de Jesús y generosos con nuestro amor y servicio.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oramos en el nombre de Jesús.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Amén.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Matthew+22:15-22" target="_blank">Matthew 22:15-22</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In our gospel reading.
Matthew describes a scene that takes place in the temple. Jesus has been
teaching, and now the religious leaders who are suspicious of Jesus and want to
arrest him are trying to discredit him. Knowing that the Roman government
requires taxes from the citizens, they ask Jesus, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to
the emperor, or not?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's a trick question of
course. If Jesus tells the citizens not to pay the tax, he could be arrested by
the Roman authorities. And if he says the tax is lawful, then he goes against
the popular opinion of the Jewish people and potentially against the religious
codes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, when Jesus answers, he
calls out their hypocrisy and their malice towards him. But then he asks them a
question of his own.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">First, Jesus tells the leaders
to show him one of the coins used for the emperor’s tax. And someone brings him
the coin which would have been a Roman silver coin called a denarius. On one
side, there would have been an engraving of the likeness of the Roman emperor
Tiberius, son of Augustus Caesar. And on the other it would have called
Tiberius the High Priest.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">There were money exchangers
at the temple who exchanged Roman currency for the coins used to purchase
sacrifices at the temple, but these Roman coins were still in the pockets of
the religious leaders. When they brought one of the Roman coins to Jesus, they
revealed that they participate in the economy of the empire.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And that set them up for
Jesus’ question, which was, “Whose head is this, and whose title?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was of course, the
emperor’s. Jesus then tells them, “Give therefore the things to the emperor
that are the emperor’s and to God the things that are God’s.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">What goes unsaid, but what
Jesus knew, and the religious leaders should have remembered, is that <u>all</u>
things belong to God first.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">When we forget that, we allow
other idols, icons and images to stake a claim on our lives, our loyalty and
our time. We turn away from God and the things of God and act as if we can
choose what belongs to God.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This tendency to reject God’s
sovereignty and try to control what happens is part of being human. In Psalm
96, the Psalmist reminds us that, “For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.” (96:5 NRS) and in Paul’s letter to the
Thessalonians, he writes that the people there had “turned to God from idols.”
(1:9</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our reading from Isaiah takes
place as God is preparing to bring the Israelites out of exile. The Persian
king Cyrus has been anointed by God to allow the Jews to go home to Jerusalem,
and beginning in verse 5, God is recounting the ways God has acted throughout
history, including in creation of light and darkness, and of “weal and woe” or
well-being and destruction. The power to do all of this is in God’s hands, not
human ones.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">God’s sovereignty isn’t a
matter of choice or an opinion. It’s a statement of fact. And we can ignore it
to our peril, or we can bless the Lord’s name and worship the Lord, confident God
<u>is</u> a merciful king and judge.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In our lives, it’s easy to
fall captive to the temptation to take control, to strive to create our own
security, to work for the approval of others. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the practices I have
when I know my anxiety is rising around control, security or approval or esteem,
is a prayer that’s taught by the late Father Thomas Keating, a Catholic monk
and priest. Called the Welcoming Prayer, it’s a way of opening myself to God’s
presence and activity in my life and daily activities. It’s just one sentence:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">“I let go of my desire for
security, affection, control and embrace this moment as it is.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">God’s sovereignty offers us
freedom from those desires and invites us to trust God will act justly (Psalm
96), that God will go before us and level the mountains and obstacles ahead (Isaiah
45:3), and that God chooses us and calls us beloved. (1 Thess. 1:4)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let us pray…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Good and gracious God, we
give you thanks for your Son Jesus who shows us the fullness of your love for
us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Give us confidence in your
sovereignty and power and might, love and mercy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Help us be imitators of Jesus
and generous with our love and service.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">We pray in Jesus’ name. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Amen.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-27926792492295171602023-10-15T09:00:00.024-04:002023-10-15T16:36:38.903-04:00Lectionary 28A<p><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Matthew+22:1-14" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Matthew 22:1-14</span></a></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In Matthew’s gospel, we are
in Holy Week. A day or so after Jesus entered Jerusalem heralded as the
Messiah, he is talking to the crowd, including religious leaders, in parables.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Remember parables are like short
stories that tell us about God and God’s kingdom. Jesus uses familiar images
like kings and rulers, weddings, families, crops and vineyards to teach his
audience.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In this week’s parable, Jesus
compares the kingdom of heaven to a king who has thrown a wedding banquet for
his son. Imagine the elaborate preparations that a royal wedding would involve.
And then consider that, in ancient Israel, weddings were joyful celebrations
that took place over days of festivities. Remember the story of the wedding at
Cana in John’s gospel? There were vats of wine. And here the king says he has
slaughtered his oxen and fatted calves. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This would be the party to end all parties. And, everyone loves a party,
right?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">But when the king sends his
slaves out to invite the guests, the guests don’t respond with enthusiasm, gratitude,
or joy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Instead, some of them are
dismissive and others are murderous, killing the messengers who had brought
their invitations. And in the spirit of “taking an eye for an eye” (Leviticus
4:19-21), the king responds to their violence with his own vengeance, ordering
his army to kill the murderers and burn their city to the ground.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now, Matthew was writing to a Jewish audience sometime
after 80 CE, <i>after</i> the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 CE.
Living under Roman occupation, his listeners would have known about rulers who
destroy cities and oppress people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They also would have known the Isaiah text we heard
earlier. We divide the writings of the prophet Isaiah into three parts, and
that text is in what we call First Isaiah. It is set in the time <i>before</i>
the destruction of the <u>first</u> temple in Jerusalem, and <i>before </i>the
exile under the Babylonian empire.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the text, the prophet describes a city that has
been destroyed, a place where ruthless nations had ruled. And then he
acknowledges how God has responded to God’s people, providing refuge to the
poor and to the needy. And he makes a promise that <i>eventually</i> there <u>will
be</u> a great banquet or feast for <u>all</u> people. And that the Lord of
hosts, the God of Israel, will save his people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, returning to our gospel, we have heard how the
city was destroyed and we have heard how the ruthless murderers have been
killed. So we are ready to hear about the great banquet or feast for all people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And in the parable, that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> what comes next. The king sends out more slaves, and this time
they are told to invite <i>everyone they find</i> to the wedding banquet. The
invitation is no longer limited; it is wide open and <u>all</u> are invited.
And the slaves do what they’re told, and the wedding hall is filled with
people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But then we get a twist. And this appears to be Matthew’s
addition because the same parable appears in Luke, but Luke ends it after the
slaves go out a second time, with the king saying, “For I tell you, none of
those who were invited will taste my dinner.” (Luke 4:24)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Matthew concludes the parable with an encounter
between the king and a wedding guest. Apparently, the guest, whom the king
calls “friend”, isn’t clothed appropriately. We may be curious about the word “friend”,
because it’s the same word used by the vineyard owner when he speaks to the laborers
who complained about their wages (Matthew 20) <u>and</u> it’s the same word
that Jesus uses when he addresses Judas Iscariot in Gesthemane when Judas
arrives to betray him. (Matthew 26)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although the king had told the slaves to invite
everyone, he has a problem with this guest. After questioning the wedding guest
about how he got into the banquet, the king orders him bound and thrown into
the outer darkness where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (v.
14).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is a phrase Matthew uses six times and Luke only
uses once, and it doesn’t appear anywhere else in Scripture. It reflects the
theme of judgment that we hear in Matthew’s gospel alongside the call to discipleship
and bearing fruit. However, the judgment isn’t about who gets to come to the
banquet. Everyone is invited.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Instead, Matthew “repeatedly calls his community to
responsible obedience.”<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span>
When we become disciples and follow Jesus, we have a responsibility to our
neighbors and the world, and we are accountable for how we bear witness to who
God is.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As we remember in our thanksgiving for baptism, when
we are joined to Christ in the waters of baptism, we are clothed with God's
mercy and forgiveness. As Paul writes in Ephesians, Galatians and Colossians,
we are transformed when we put on Christ, a new self. I understand that the<i> </i>wedding
guest who is cast out of the banquet in Matthew’s parable illustrates that
discipleship is not only showing up, but living out our faith in our actions
and words throughout our lives.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Echoing his message about the narrow gate (Matthew
7:13; Luke 13:23) and the difficulty of a rich person entering the kingdom of
God (Matthew 19:24), Matthew ends his parable saying, “For many are called, but
few are chosen.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">So where is the good news? And what is Jesus telling
us about God and the kingdom of heaven?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The text has several problems, and it challenges us
and in places, it makes us uncomfortable. It’s ok for us to admit that.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">First, if we have been thinking that the king
represents God, we have a vengeful and violent God. And that isn’t good news.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A second problem comes from our tendency to see
ourselves in the role of the hero in the parables that Jesus tells. Honestly, we
usually aren’t. Instead, we are much more likely to be the ones who respond
with stubborn and hardened hearts and the ones who ignore the generosity we
witness. So in this parable, that would make <u>us</u> the ones whom the king
destroys. Still no good news.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And third, it’s important to say aloud that
anti-Semitic interpretations of this parable that see the two groups of guests
as plan A and plan B, the Jews and the Gentiles, is also problematic.
Christians do not <u>replace</u> the Jewish people; we are included in the
invitation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I think Martin Luther is helpful for our understanding
of this parable. Referring to Christ’s return, Luther is quoted as saying, “There
are two days in my calendar: This day and that Day.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“This day” is today.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And “that Day” is the day or the messianic banquet or
the great feast for all people when God will wipe away the tears from all
faces. (Isaiah 25:8) It is the wedding banquet where everyone is invited.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Luther recognized that <b>what is important is today ̶</b>
not dwelling in the past or worrying about the unknown future. <u>Today</u>, we
can follow Christ and <u>today</u> we can love our neighbor.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And meanwhile, with those listening to Jesus tell this
parable, we trust that Isaiah’s words will be fulfilled and there <u>will be</u>
a great feast for all people when the Lord God will swallow up death forever
and wipe away the tears from all faces. (Isaiah 25:8-9) And our expectation of
that Day <u>shapes</u> how we live This day. “We live today, as those who are
waiting for Jesus’ return.”<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let us pray. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Good and gracious God, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you for your grace and mercy and the invitation
to live in your kingdom. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you for clothing us in righteousness at our
baptism and teaching us how to live our lives in Christ, as disciples
transformed by your generous love.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Help us put on Christ daily, bearing fruit and
preparing for the great feast that is to come.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We pray in Jesus’ name. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 463.35pt right 6.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Amen.</span></p><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;">
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> James
Boyce. “Theological Themes in Matthew.” Enter the Bible. Luther Seminary.. https://enterthebible.org/courses/matthew/lessons/theological-themes-in-matthew,
accessed 10/12/23.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[ii]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> Lewis
Guest IV. “This Day and That Day: The Pressures of Today and the Returning
King. “ DesiringGod.org. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/this-day-and-that-day,
accessed 10/12/23.</span></p></div></div><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-25650070183055060832023-10-08T11:15:00.007-04:002023-10-08T11:15:00.154-04:00Lectionary 27A (el decimonoveno domingo después de Pentecostés)<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Filipenses%203%3A4-14&version=RVR1960" target="_blank">Filipenses 3:4b-14</a></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below. </i></span></p><p><i><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oremos…</span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Que las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestros corazónes sean
aceptables ante tus ojos, Señor, nuestra fortaleza y nuestro redentor. Amén.</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Al final de nuestra lectura de la carta de Pablo a la iglesia en Filipos, el
dice:</span> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Olvidándome de lo que queda atrás y esforzándome por alcanzar lo que está
por delante, prosigo hacia la meta, para alcanzar el premio del llamado
celestial de Dios en Cristo Jesús. (v. 13-14)</span></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Y tal vez sea porque la gimnasta Simone Biles acaba de ganar su vigésimo
título mundial, pero la palabra “premio” me llamó la atención.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A menudo, cuando la gente habla de vivir una vida fiel, parece que estamos
tratando de ganar un premio. El premio es el cielo, ¿verdad? Es "el lugar
bueno": una ciudad celestial con calles doradas y puertas de perlas. Y
sólo necesitamos ser lo suficientemente buenos o trabajar lo suficientemente
duro para llegar allí.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pero el premio que Pablo nombra no es el cielo, o al menos no es como se ve
el cielo en las películas o en la televisión.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">A diferencia de su carta a los Gálatas, donde Pablo aborda un conflicto en
su iglesia y comunidad, o su carta a los romanos, donde presenta muchas de las
principales enseñanzas del cristianismo a su audiencia, la carta de Pablo a los
Filipenses anima a sus oyentes a regocijarse en su conocimiento de Cristo.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Seguir a Jesús o vivir como discípulo se trata de vivir con alegría, unidos
en Cristo.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Filipos era una colonia romana y muchos de sus residentes eran veteranos
del ejército romano. Estos mismos soldados podrían haber perseguido a la
Iglesia primitiva en los lugares bajo ocupación romana. Y Pablo les recuerda
que él también era un líder judío, un fariseo celoso que perseguía a la
Iglesia, pero todo eso desapareció cuando se encontró con Cristo Jesús.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Todo el comportamiento y pensamiento deshonroso y pecaminoso que marcó
nuestras vidas antes de Cristo eseliminado, en la fe. Como hace referencia
Pablo en el v. 9, para cada uno de nosotros, Jesús hace lo que se puede llamar
“un intercambio feliz”, quitando todo nuestro pecado y dándonos su justificacion.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">El “premio” al que hace referencia Pablo no es una medalla bañada en oro ni
un premio mayor de lotería; es vida en relación con Dios.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Vivimos como discípulos imitando a Cristo y volviéndonos más semejantes a
Cristo. No es algo que podamos lograr con nuestros propios esfuerzos, sino una
meta por la que trabajar mientras vivimos nuestras promesas bautismales.
Perseguir este objetivo de una vida fiel implica escuchar a Dios y seguir su
llamado en nuestras vidas a amarnos y servirnos unos a otros.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Como escribe Pablo, dice que Cristo Jesús lo agarró o lo hizo suyo. (v 12)
Y me pregunto, ¿cuándo en tu vida, has sido agarrado por Cristo Jesús?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">A menudo cuento la historia de cómo regresé a la iglesia. Estaba en la
universidad y un amigo me invitó a una reunión ministerial universitaria. Algún
tiempo después, el grupo estaba planeando un viaje a la playa para las
vacaciones de primavera y yo me inscribí. Fue un retiro, con conferencistas,
música y adoración. La gente allí describió a Dios y el amor de Dios por mí de
una manera que no recordaba haber escuchado antes. Y regresé a la iglesia y
comencé a aprender más sobre cómo vivir una vida fiel, fundada en Jesús.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Otro momento en el que pensamos en que Jesús nos atrape o llame nuestra
atención podría ser en el bautismo. Allí hablamos de cómo Dios nos renombra
hijos de Dios. El Dios que nos conoce desde antes de que naciéramos nos
reconoce y nos reclama.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES">Y <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>otro momento puede ser cuando
estemos en crisis, cuando describamos cómo Dios nos sostiene y nos consuela. En
Isaías 40, tenemos la imagen de Dios como un pastor, cargando a sus corderos en
sus brazos y en Mateo 23 y Lucas 13 tenemos la imagen de Dios como una gallina
maternal,</span><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES;"> </span><span lang="ES">juntando sus polluelos
bajo sus alas. Hay seguridad en la presencia de Dios.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cualesquiera que sean las circunstancias, algo sucede y tenemos lo que
Pablo describe como una revelación, una nueva comprensión de lo que Dios está
haciendo en nuestras vidas.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Y Pablo es honesto aquí, incluso después de su experiencia de encontrar a
Cristo, incluso con todo su conocimiento de las Escrituras y de nuestro
Salvador, todavía no ha logrado su objetivo.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Él sabe que somos santos y pecadores, justificados y santificados por
Cristo, y aún así, debido a nuestra condición humana, pecadores. Lutero llamó
al pecado volverse hacia nosotros mismos, y cuando estamos encerrados en
nosotros mismos, es muy difícil ver a alguien más, amar a alguien o servir a
alguien más.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pero Dios también lo sabe y Dios continúa esperándonos, continúa morando
con nosotros y continúa amándonos, y por esa misericordia, ¡nos regocijamos!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gracias a Dios.</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=324280940#:~:text=Beloved%2C%20I%20do%20not%20consider,of%20God%20in%20Christ%20Jesus." target="_blank"><br /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=324280940#:~:text=Beloved%2C%20I%20do%20not%20consider,of%20God%20in%20Christ%20Jesus." target="_blank">Philippians 3:4b-14</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="Body"><span style="font-family: arial;">At the end of our reading from
Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, he says,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">forgetting
what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward
the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. (v. 13-14)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And maybe it’s because the
gymnast Simone Biles just won her twentieth world championship title, but the
word “prize” grabbed my attention.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Often, when people talk about
living a faithful life, it sounds like we are trying to win a prize. The prize
is heaven, right? It’s “the good place” - a celestial city with golden streets
and pearly gates. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we only need to be
good enough or work hard enough to get there.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">But the prize that Paul names
<i>isn’t</i> heaven, or at least it’s not what heaven looks like in movies or
on television.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Unlike his letter to the Galatians
where Paul addresses a conflict in their church and community, or his letter to
the Romans where he presents many of the main teachings of Christianity to his audience,
Paul’s letter to the Philippians encourages his hearers to rejoice in their
knowledge of Christ.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Following Jesus or living
as a disciple is about living joyfully, united in Christ.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Philippi was a Roman colony, and
many of its residents were veterans of the Roman army. These same soldiers
might have persecuted the early Church in the places under Roman occupation. And
Paul reminds them that he too, was a Jewish leader, a zealous Pharisee who
persecuted the Church, but <u>all of that</u> fell away when he encountered
Christ Jesus.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">All of the dishonorable and
sinful behavior and thinking that marked our lives before Christ is discarded,
in faith. As Paul references in v. 9, for every one of us, Jesus makes what can
be called “a happy exchange”, taking all of our sin away and giving us his righteousness.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The “prize” that Paul
references isn’t a gold-plated medal or a lottery jackpot; <b>it is life in
relationship with God.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">We live as disciples by
imitating Christ and becoming more Christ-like. It’s not something we can
achieve by our own efforts, but a goal to work toward as we live into our
baptismal promises. Pursuing this goal of a faithful life is about listening to
God and following God’s call on our lives to love and serve one another.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">As Paul writes, he says
Christ Jesus has grabbed him or made him his own. (v 12) And I wonder, when in
your life, have you been <u>grabbed by</u> Christ Jesus?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I often tell the story of how
I returned to the church. I was in college and a friend invited me to a campus
ministry meeting. Sometime later the group was planning a beach trip for spring
break, and I signed up. It was a retreat, with speakers and music and worship. The
people there described God and God’s love for me in ways that I didn’t remember
hearing before. And I came back to church and began to learn more about living
a faithful life, grounded in Jesus.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another time when we think
about Jesus grabbing us or getting our attention might be at baptism. There we
talk about how God renames us children of God. The God who has known us since
before we were born recognizes us and claims us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And still another time may be
when we are in crisis, when we describe how God holds us and comforts us. In
Isaiah 40, we have the image of God as a shepherd, carrying his lambs in his
arms and in Matthew 23 and Luke 13 we have the image of God as a mothering hen,
gathering her chicks under her wings. There is security in God’s presence.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whatever the circumstances
are, something happens, and we have what Paul describes as a revelation, a new
understanding of what God is doing in our lives.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And Paul is honest here, even
after his experience of encountering Christ, even with all of his knowledge of
Scripture and our Savior, he <u>still</u> hasn’t achieved his goal.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">He knows that we are both
saint and sinner, justified and sanctified by Christ, and still, because of our
human condition, sinful. Luther called sin being turned in on ourselves, and
when we are turned in on ourselves, it is very difficult to see anyone else, to
love anyone else or to serve anyone else.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">But God knows this too and
God continues to wait for us, continues to abide with us and continues to love
us, and for that mercy, we rejoice!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thanks be to God.</span></p><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-6981411862726053622023-09-24T11:15:00.004-04:002023-10-22T08:27:23.562-04:00Lectionary 25A (el decimoséptimo domingo después de Pentecostés)<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Filipenses1%3A21-30&version=RVR1960" target="_blank">Filipenses1:21-30</a></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mateo%2020%3A1-16&version=RVR1960" target="_blank">Mateo 20:1-16</a></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below. </i></span></p><p><i><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oremos…</span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="ES">Que las palabras de mi
boca y las meditaciones de nuestro corazón sean aceptables ante tus ojos,
Señor, nuestra fortaleza y nuestro redentor. Amén.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="ES"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">En su carta a la iglesia de Filipos, Pablo emite
un mandato que me llamó la atención en mi lectura de esta semana. Él escribe:
"Vive tu vida de una manera digna del evangelio de Cristo". (1:27)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES">La palabra griega “axios” (</span>ἀξίως<span lang="ES">) o “digno” aparece cinco veces en las cartas de Pablo a la Iglesia
primitiva. Hablar de “dignidad” con razón hace saltar nuestras alarmas sobre la
justicia por obras: la idea de que la salvación depende de ser “suficientemente
bueno”. Sin embargo, nuestra lectura del evangelio nos recuerda que la gracia
de Dios es abundante y no depende de cuánto o qué tan duro trabajemos. No es </span><i><span lang="ES">nuestro esfuerzo</span></i><span lang="ES">
sino <u>el amor de Dios por nosotros</u> lo que nos salva.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cuando Pablo anima a los cristianos a
"vivir de una manera digna del evangelio", primero nos está diciendo
"que vivamos como ciudadanos" – estar comprometidos y activos en la
vida pública, tal como prometemos en el bautismo:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES">“anunciar a Cristo con palabras y obras,cuidar
de los demás y del mundo que Dios creó, y trabajar por la justicia y la paz”. </span><span lang="ES"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Y luego define cómo es vivir de una manera digna
del evangelio. Lo describe como “permanecer firmes en un mismo espíritu” y
“luchar codo a codo con una sola mente”. (1:27) Un Dios, un Salvador, un
Espíritu, una mente.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Recuerde que Pablo escribió cartas a la iglesia
cuando la gente estaba en algún tipo de conflicto. Solo escuchamos su
respuesta, por lo que nos perdemos la mitad de la conversación, pero aquí
podemos imaginar que la iglesia en Filipos estaba experimentando trastornos y
Pablo les anima a mirar más allá de sus diferencias y permanecer enfocados en
la Buenas Nuevas de Cristo Jesús. En Cristo encontramos nuestra verdadera
identidad y pertenencia, no a una facción política o ideológica u otra, sino a
la familia de Dios, como hijos de Dios.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cuando hablo de desacuerdos en la Iglesia, a
menudo digo que si podemos estar de acuerdo desde el principio en que Jesús nos
ama a todos, entonces tendremos puntos en común, un punto de partida
compartido.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lo admito, lamentablemente eso no siempre es
posible, pero cuando lo es, nos ayuda a abrir los ojos y los oídos para ver el
amor de Dios encarnado en la otra persona, en nuestro oponente e incluso en
nuestro enemigo.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Creo que esto es lo hermoso del trabajo que
involucra a más de una congregación, una denominación o incluso una religión.
Pienso en lugares como Marruecos, donde miles de personas murieron a causa de
terremotos, o en Libia que sufrió pérdidas similares por inundaciones
catastróficas. En ambos lugares, decenas de miles de supervivientes están
desplazados, y se están organizando trabajadores humanitarios y asistencia para
brindar ayuda. En estos lugares, fácilmente miramos más allá de nuestras
diferencias para ver la amada comunidad creada por Dios y cuidar de ella.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nuestro Lutheran World Relief trabaja junto con
otras organizaciones, y la atención se centra no en dónde no estamos de
acuerdo, sino en cómo podemos lograr el objetivo de brindar servicios y
apoyarnos mutuamente para lograr el mayor bienestar.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Volviendo a nuestro evangelio de hoy, que nos
habla del amor extravagante y generoso de Dios, los trabajadores de la viña descontentos
no pueden ver a los que llegan tarde como dignos o amados. Mateo no hace ningún
juicio sobre por qué los trabajadores todavía estaban de pie por la tarde.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Podemos imaginar que tal vez eran mayores o más
frágiles que los que fueron contratados primero. Quizás su apariencia fuera
desconcertante.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -4.5pt;"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cualquiera que sea
la razón, los trabajadores que iban temprano al campo y trabajaban en el calor
del día estaban resentidos.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Y juntos estos textos me hacen preguntarme,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">¿A quién descuido o resiento?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">¿Cuándo juzgo quién es digno de recibir el amor
de Dios?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">¿Y a quién descarto porque no puedo ver más allá
de nuestras diferencias?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">No me gustan estas preguntas. Porque sé que me
comporto de esta maneras:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Me siento frustrada con la gente que no apoya un
salario mínimo más alto para los trabajadores.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Estoy decepcionada con la gente que adora en un
lugar donde no se invita a las mujeres a ser liderares.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Estoy enojada porque tenemos legisladores en
nuestro estado y nación que han creado leyes que hacen que las personas que amo
se sientan <u>inseguras</u>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Y hay un lugar para mi frustración, mi
desilusión y mi enojo, pero no puedo convertirlos en una línea de division y
pretender que “esas personas” están fuera del amor de Dios.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Porque no estan.</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cada vez que trazo una línea en la arena, Jesús
la cruzará.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">En ambas direcciones.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES">El dio la bienvenida tanto al fariseo Nicodemo
(Juan 3) como al recaudador de impuestos Zaqueo. (Lucas 19). </span><i><span lang="ES">Ambos</span></i><span lang="ES">
compartieron una comida sabática con el líder de los fariseos (Lucas 14) </span><i><span lang="ES">y</span></i><span lang="ES"> cenó con
recaudadores de impuestos y pecadores. (Mateo 9)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Así es como se ve el amor extravagante de Dios.
Todos juntos, unidos como amados de Dios, incluso con nuestras propias
opiniones y creencias.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gracias a Dios.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?version=AV&passage=Philippians%201:21-30" target="_blank">Philippians 1:21-30</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=467133253" target="_blank">Matthew 20:1-16</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In his letter to the church in Phillipi, Paul issues a command that
stood out to me in my reading this week. He writes, “Live your life in a manner
worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (1:27)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Greek word “axios” ( <span lang="EL">ἀξίως</span><span lang="EL"> </span>)or “worthy” appears
five times in Paul’s letters to the early Church. Talk of “worthiness” rightly
trips our alarms about works righteousness – the idea that salvation is
dependent on being “good enough”. However, our gospel reading reminds us that
God’s grace is abundant, and it is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> dependent on how much or how hard we
work. It is not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our effort</i> but <u>God’s love for us</u> that
saves us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Paul encourages Christians to “live in a manner worthy of the
gospel” he first is telling us “to live as citizens” – to be engaged and active
in public life, just as we promise at baptism: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">“to proclaim Christ through word and deed,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">care for others and the world God made,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">and work for justice and peace.” (ELW)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And then he defines what living in a manner worthy of the gospel looks
like. He describes it as “standing firm in one spirit” and “striving side by
side with one mind”. (1:27) One God, one Savior, one Spirit, one mind.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Remember Paul wrote letters to the church when the people were in
conflict of some kind. We only hear his response so we’re missing half of the
conversation, but here we can imagine that the church in Philippi was
experiencing disruption, and Paul is urging them to look beyond their
differences and remain focused on the Good News of Christ Jesus. In Christ, we
find our true identity and belonging, not in one political or ideological
faction or another, but in the family of God, as God’s children.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I talk about disagreements in the Church, I often say that if we
can agree at the beginning that Jesus loves us all, then we have common ground,
a shared starting place.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I admit, unfortunately that isn’t always possible, but when it is, it
helps us open our eyes and our ears to see the love of God embodied in the
other person, in our opponent, and even in our enemy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I think this is what is beautiful with work that involves more than one
congregation, one denomination or even one religion. I think of places like
Morocco where thousands were killed by earthquakes, or Libya suffered similar
losses from catastrophic flooding. In both places, tens of thousands of
survivors are displaced, and aid workers and assistance are being organized to
provide relief. In these places, we easily look past our differences to see the
beloved community created by God and to care for them. Our Lutheran World
Relief works beside other organizations, and the focus is not on where we disagree,
but on how we can accomplish the goal of providing services and support each
other to accomplish the greatest good.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Returning to our gospel today, which tells us about the extravagant, generous
love of God, the grumbling vineyard workers cannot see the late arrivals as
worthy or beloved. Matthew doesn’t make any judgment about why the laborers
were still standing around in the afternoon. We can imagine that perhaps they
were older or frailer than the ones who were hired first. Maybe their
appearance was disconcerting. Whatever the reason, the workers who went to the
fields early and worked in the heat of the day resented them.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And together these texts make me wonder, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">who do I neglect or resent? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">when do I judge who is worthy to receive God’s love?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And who do I dismiss because I can’t see past our differences?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I don’t like these questions. Because I know I behave in these ways: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I get frustrated with people who won’t support a higher minimum wage
for workers. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I am disappointed with people who worship in a place where women are
not invited to lead.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I am angry that we have lawmakers in our state and nation who have
created laws that make people whom I love feel <u>unsafe</u>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And there is a place for my frustration, my disappointment, and my
anger, but I cannot make them a dividing line and pretend that “those people”
are outside God’s love.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Because they aren’t.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Anytime I draw a line in the sand, Jesus is going to cross it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In both directions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">He welcomed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">both</i> the pharisee Nicodemus (John 3) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> the tax collector
Zaccheus.(Luke 19)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">He <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">both </i>shared a sabbath meal with the leader of the Pharisees (Luke 14) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> he had dinner
with tax collectors and sinners. (Matthew 9)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That is what the extravagant love of God looks like. All of us
together, united as God’s beloved, even with our own opinions and beliefs.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thanks be to God.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-84444539409931994072023-09-17T09:00:00.014-04:002023-09-17T16:18:00.846-04:00"Stewardship is Worship"<div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=462169707" target="_blank">Genesis 28:10-19</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Psalm+96:1-9" target="_blank">Psalm 96:1-9</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=2%20Timothy%201:1-12&version=nrsv" target="_blank">2 Timothy 1:1-12</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=291317354" target="_blank">John 12:1-8</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">A few weeks ago, when we were talking about funeral planning, I
explained that throughout my professional life, I have made a habit of breaking
taboos. My first career was fundraising, where we talked about money </span><i style="font-family: arial; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a
lot</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. And then I became a pastor and part of my </span><i style="font-family: arial; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">job</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> is to talk about
God and religious tradition. And I also worked as a hospital chaplain where I
had holy conversations about death. Money, religion and dying - all things that
are generally </span><i style="font-family: arial; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">excluded </i><span style="font-family: arial;">from “polite conversation.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">But when I was fundraising, I got to have conversations with people
about what kind of legacy they wanted to leave, and how they wanted to use
their charitable giving to tell a story about their lives or values. One
conversation I remember was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> with donors, but among the staff in
our advancement office. As we were thinking about how we would ask people for
contributions, we talked about <u>why</u> people give. This was not in a
church, but another non-profit, and some of the reasons included “recognition”,
“duty”, “loyalty” and even “guilt”.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And while those reasons <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">may</i> be part of why you give,<br /> <o:p></o:p>in the Church, we teach that our giving is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a response</i> to what we have
first been given;<br /> <o:p></o:p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a response </i>to the abundant grace and forgiveness
of God;<br /> <o:p></o:p>and, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a response</i> to the fullness of life we have, that
especially here in our congregation, we have roofs over our heads, clothes on
our backs, and food in our bellies.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">As Pastor Jonathan preached last week, when we rightly recognize that
everything we have belongs to God, the question we ask isn’t “How much are we
giving?” as much as it is, “What are we withholding or keeping back from God?”<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">During this season, as you reflect on how you will go deeper in your
faith and what that may look like as you make choices about your time,
financial resources and the gifts you share with our congregation, neighbors
and world, I want to offer another way to think about being stewards of what
God first has given us.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I truly believe that stewardship - planning how we will respond to what God
has first given us - <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i></b> worship and that <b>giving is joyful</b>.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In our Lutheran tradition, “Worship is fundamentally about what God is
doing and our response to God's action. Worship is an encounter with God, who
saves us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]<br /></span></span></span><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Looking at today’s texts, we see where <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our response</i> to God is gratitude,
and where <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our </i>response to God’s generosity to us is praise. It <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> worship.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In Genesis, Jacob receives a vision where the Lord speaks to him. And <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in
response</i>, Jacob awakes and says, “Surely the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span>
is in this place” and “How awesome is this place!” and he takes a stone, sets it
up as a pillar and pours oil over it, creating an altar to the <a name="_Hlk145697872"><span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span></a>.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And in Psalm 96, the psalmist commands us “Sing to the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord, </span>bless his name…declare his glory….”
And then says, “Bring an offering,…worship the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord
</span>in holy splendor.<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">” </span>Our song
and our worship is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our response</i> to the greatness
of the<span style="font-variant: small-caps;"> Lord</span>.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In Second Timothy, the author states his gratitude to God (1:3) and
remembers the gifts that God has given them – “the spirit of power and of love
and of self-discipline.” (1:7) And then he asks Timothy to guard the treasure –
which in this context is not gold or silver, but faith and love in Christ Jesus
– that was entrusted to him, and to depend on the Holy Spirit for help. (1:13-14)
One of the places where we remember the faith we have been given and where we
ask for God’s help is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">here</i>, in worship.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And finally, we have the Gospel text where we witness the extravagant
gift that Mary gives to Jesus. Jesus is with his friends at the home of Lazarus
in Bethany at a Passover dinner, and the Evangelist John tells us that “Mary
took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and
wiped them with her hair.” (12:3)<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We’re not surprised when Judas Iscariot objects, and maybe a part of us
even agrees with him that her action is reckless or excessive. But Jesus doesn’t.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">He praises Mary, recognizing her gift as a gift of love. Mary was
delighted to pour out this treasure for Jesus. Her action was an expression of
her love and adoration of Jesus. It was an offering, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> it was worship.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I have said before that God is always the actor in our Bible stories
and in our lives of faith. We are called to live in response to what God has
already done. And so, our gratitude and praise for God who abundantly loves us
and has set us free from sin is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why</i> we give.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Our giving is joyful because, like Mary, it is an expression of our
delight and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our response</i> to all that we
have first been given, and worshiping God – responding to what God has done - is
central to our life of faith and following Jesus.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Let us pray…<br />Good and gracious God,<br /> Thank you for all you have given us.<br />May we delight in your love for us, and<br />may we depend on your Holy Spirit to help us respond faithfully,<br /> with glad and generous hearts.<br />We pray in Jesus’ name.<br /> Amen.</span><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span> https://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Congregations-and-Synods/Worship#:~:text=Worship%20is%20fundamentally%20about%20what,and%20resurrection%20of%20Jesus%20Christ.</span></div><p>
</p><div style="mso-element: endnote-list;"><!--[if !supportEndnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<p class="MsoEndnoteText"><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div><span face="Interstate, Lucida Grande, Lucida Sans Unicode, Lucida Sans, Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"></span></span><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-13068831078153367742023-09-03T10:00:00.001-04:002023-09-17T16:10:38.991-04:00"Season of Creation"<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=181012725" target="_blank">Joel 1:8-10, 17-20</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=451615101" target="_blank">Psalm 18:6-7, 10-13, 16-19</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=393748582" target="_blank">Romans 8:18-27</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=291879771" target="_blank">Mark 1:9-13</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Throughout today’s readings we hear about wilderness.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">First, in Joel, it is a lonely and desolate place, barren and forsaken;
a place where fields are devastated, seeds shrivel and the animals groan.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And then again in Romans, in a passage that we often hear at funerals because
it speaks to how God’s Spirit helps us in our weakness with “sighs too deep for
words.”</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And finally in the gospel which tells the story of Jesus’ baptism and
how the Spirit drove him into the wilderness.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Scripture speaks of the wilderness often. In Genesis, Abraham journeys
in the wilderness and in Exodus it is the Israelites who wander in wilderness
for 40 years. In other places in the Old Testament, the wilderness refers to
the outer edge of what is known to the people; it is the wild or untamed place
beyond the towns and settlements. (Numbers, Chronicles, Judges) The prophet Isaiah
promises that, when God’s spirit is poured out, the wilderness will become a
fruitful field. (Isa. 32:15)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In all three of today’s readings, the wilderness is a place of physical
and spiritual challenge. And yet, in Joel we are told that it is the wilderness
that the prophet calls upon the Lord; in Romans, we are told the Spirit helps
us in desolation; and Mark says that the angels waited on Jesus in the
wilderness. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Returning to Romans, where Paul is writing about the hope found in
being children of God, we are reminded that the hope found in Jesus isn’t just about
“me and Jesus”. <b>It is a hope for the entire earth and creation, a hope of
restoration and new life that goes beyond our human community and includes </b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all
</i></b><b>creation.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Today and throughout September we at Grace we are joining with other
congregations and denominations across the (capital-C) Church in celebrating the
work of God the Creator as part of the annual season of creation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The season invites us to reflect not only on the God we know in Jesus
and in the Holy Spirit, but also the God who created the heavens and the earth
(Genesis 1:1) and all the living creatures of every kind that are in it
(Genesis 1:24).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">When we promise at baptism to “care for others and the world God made and
work for justice and peace” we are not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only</i> promising to care
for our human siblings, as important as that is. <b>We are promising to care
for the </b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">whole</i></b><b> world.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In addition to planning a walk at Bullington Gardens later this month,
a blessing of the animals on October 1, and sharing educational information in
the reception area, Grace’s justice and advocacy ministry has created a
calendar for the whole month with creation themes for each week. You can find this
resource in the weekly e-news with clickable links to learn more about the
different topics, and we have paper copies also. The hope is that as you engage
in your own devotion practices this month that these prompts will deepen your
own understanding of how caring for creation is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">one</i> aspect of our
faith in action.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Before I was a pastor, twenty years ago, I worked for the Appalachian
Trail Conservancy, a nonprofit that works with volunteers to preserve and
maintain the Appalachian Trail. The longest and skinniest national park, its
mileage changes because the route moves to protect against erosion and other detriments,
but at that time, it was 2,173 miles of trail from Springer Mountain in north Georgia
to Mt. Katahdin in Maine. The idea for the trail came from a forester named
Benton MacKaye more than one hundred years ago. He was appreciative of the
great national parks in the west but believed that we who live in the east
needed a refuge from civilization, which was becoming too mechanized and
pervasive. MacKaye said:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">…we need this thing wilderness far more
than it needs us. Civilizations (like glaciers) come and go, but the mountain
and its forest continue the course of creation's destiny.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul describes creation’s destiny in these verses we have today from
his letter to the Romans. The imagery Paul employs is first that “creation waits
with eager longing” (8:19) for the redemption and hope that God promises. He then
says that “creation itself will be set free from its bondage” (8:21). While we
often describe bondage to sin as a human condition, its consequences are not
only limited to human communities. Paul continues, saying that “the whole creation
has been groaning in labor pains”(8:22), waiting for the hope that we have been
promised.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">As I reflected on Paul’s words, I also heard the encouraging report
this week that at its roots, the one hundred- and fifty-year-old banyan tree in
Lahaina on Maui has signs of new life after suffering the devastating wildfire
there. And I was reminded that in every wilderness story we have in Scripture,<b>
God is present and active</b>. <b>There is no place beyond God’s reach or God’s
love</b>, and as God’s people, we have the privilege to be invited into life
together. We are uniquely equipped to be God’s hands and feet in the world and take
action to care for the earth and its creatures.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let us pray…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Good and gracious God, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you for your abundant love and care for us, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">and for giving us this earth and its creatures to care for. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Show us where our actions harm our neighbors and deliver us from our
bondage to sin and self-centeredness. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Help us make our community and world a place where everyone is welcome
and where we acknowledge your grace at work in the ways of one another.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">We pray in your Holy Name.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Amen.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-1613385821259273052023-08-27T11:15:00.006-04:002023-08-27T12:39:39.650-04:00Lectionary 21A (Decimotercero domingo después de Pentecostés)<p><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mateo%2016%3A13-20&version=RVR1960" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mateo 16:13-20</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below. </i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Oremos…</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Que las palabras de mi
boca y las meditaciones de nuestro corazón sean gratas a tus ojos, Señor,
nuestra fortaleza y nuestro redentor. Amén.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Me gusta la pregunta que hace Jesús. Pregunta a
sus discípulos: "¿Quién dicen los hombres que es el Hijo del Hombre?"
Y luego pregunta: “Y vosotros ¿Quién decís que soy yo?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Has oído esta historia. Mateo, Marcos y Lucas lo
incluyen en sus evangelios.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Simón Pedro –el mismo hombre que vimos hundirse
en el agua, el mismo que sabemos que negará a Jesús tres veces en su arresto–
confiesa que Jesús es el Mesías, el ungido.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Escuchando a
Pedro, me pregunto cómo responderíamos a Jesús. Creo que es una pregunta
devocional interesante, que podemos plantearnos durante momentos de meditación
y reflexión.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pero también creo que la pregunta es una
distracción.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Porque, como señaló irónicamente un colega, no
importaba si Pedro respondía bien o no. <u>Nuestra opinión</u> no cambia <u>quién
es Jesús</u>. <b>La identidad de Jesús se encuentra en quién Dios dice que es.</b></span><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">En el evangelio de Mateo, Jesús responde a la
confesión de Simón Pedro, alabándolo y diciéndole que él será la roca sobre la
cual se edificará la iglesia.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pero Lucas y Marcos sólo registran la severa
advertencia y el mandato de Jesús a los discípulos de no contarle a nadie
acerca de él.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nunca aprendemos
por qué Jesús alentó en ocasiones la discreción o incluso el secreto por parte
de sus seguidores. Cuando cura al leproso (Mateo 8, Marcos 1, Lucas 5) les dice
que no se lo diga a nadie excepto al sacerdote. Y nuevamente, después del
evento de la transfiguración (Mateo 17, Marcos 9, Lucas 9), </span><span style="font-family: arial;">advierte a sus
discípulos que no le hablen a nadie sobre el Mesías.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -4.5pt;"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Los acontecimientos del evangelio de hoy
tuvieron lugar en Cesárea de Filipo, una ciudad grecorromana donde</span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">había un santuario
dedicado a Pan, que era el dios griego de los pastores y los rebaños. Me
imagino las escenas de algunas de las películas ambientadas en el mundo antiguo
y puedo imaginar el ruido y el caos de la escena.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Entonces, tal vez Jesús no quería provocar a los
líderes religiosos o políticos todavía, o tal vez sabía la violencia que
enfrentarían más tarde y estaba tratando de proteger a sus seguidores hasta que
estuvieran mejor equipados para liderar a otros y enfrentar la oposición.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">En cualquier caso, la confesión de Pedro es un
punto muy importante. De ahora en adelante Jesús será más directo en sus
explicaciones del sufrimiento y la muerte que le espera como Mesías.</span><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Por hoy, </span><b style="font-family: arial;">creo que lo que importa es nuestra
comprensión de lo que significa decir en voz alta que Jesús es el Mesías, el
Hijo de Dios.</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesús no sólo fue un buen rabino o maestro.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">No fue uno de los profetas antiguos, como Elías
o Jeremías, que confrontaron al pueblo con su infidelidad.</span><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Y no fue Juan el Bautista quien llamó al pueblo
al arrepentimiento.</span><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cuando proclamamos a Jesús como el Mesías, el
ungido, proclamamos que </span><b style="font-family: arial;">él es el enviado de Dios para nuestro bien.</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Cuando llamamos a Jesús Mesías, lo nombramos <b>como
quien revela el amor de Dios por todos nosotros.</b></span><b><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Y, cuando llamamos a Jesús Mesías, <b>también
estamos nombrando nuestra dependencia de él, para la salvación y para la vida.</b></span><b><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Y si <u>eso</u> es lo que significa llamar a
Jesús Mesías, <u>también</u> significa que <u>no</u> estamos buscando esas
cosas en alguien o en algo más. Significa que no escuchamos cuando voces en
competencia intentan captar nuestra atención y lealtad, y los poderes de
nuestro mundo intentan decirnos que no necesitamos a Jesús ni la fe.</span><span lang="ES" style="mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Hace unos años participé en un grupo de personas
que pasaban tiempo juntas en oración y silencio. y una de</span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span><span lang="ES" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: ES; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">mis prácticas favorita era que nos pedian que
dejáramos nuestros títulos en la puerta. En ese espacio no importaba saber
quién era pastor, maestro, músico o quién tenía un doctorado. Fue un
recordatorio regular de que nuestra identidad no se encuentra en nuestros
logros, nuestro trabajo o incluso nuestras familias. <b>Nuestra identidad
proviene de lo que Dios dice que somos: hijos amados, amados y perdonados.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gracias a Dios.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Matthew+16:21-30" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Matthew+16:21-30" target="_blank">Matthew 16:13-20</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I like the question Jesus asks. He asks his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And then he asks, “Who do </span><i style="font-family: arial;">you</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> say that I am?”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">You have heard this story. Matthew, Mark and Luke, all include it in their gospels.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Simon Peter – the same man who we watched sink into the water, the same one who we know will deny Jesus three times at his arrest – confesses Jesus <u>is</u> the Messiah, the anointed one. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Listening to Peter, I wonder how we would answer Jesus. I think it’s an interesting devotional question, one we can ask ourselves during times of meditation and reflection.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">But I also think that the question is a distraction.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because as one colleague wryly noted, it didn’t matter whether Peter answered well or not. <u>Our opinion</u> doesn’t change <u>who Jesus is</u>. <b>Jesus’ identity is found in who God says he is.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus responds to Simon Peter’s confession, praising him and telling him that he will be the rock on which the church will be built.<span style="text-align: right;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Luke and Mark only record Jesus’ stern warning and command to the disciples not to tell anyone about him.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">We never learn why Jesus encouraged discretion or even secrecy from his followers at times. When he heals the leper (Matt. 8, Mark 1, Luke 5) he tells him not to tell anyone except the priest. And again, after the event of the transfiguration (Matt. 17, Mark 9, Luke 9), he warns his disciples not to tell anyone about the Messiah.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The events of today’s gospel took place in Caesarea Philippi, a Greco-Roman city where there was a shrine dedicated to Pan who was the Greek god of the shepherds and flocks. I imagine the scenes from some of the movies that have been set in the ancient world and can picture the noise and chaos of the scene.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">So perhaps Jesus didn’t want to provoke the religious or political leaders just yet, or perhaps he knew the violence they would face later and he was trying to protect his followers until they were better equipped to lead others and face opposition.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In any case, Peter’s confession is a turning point. From now on Jesus will become more direct in his explanations of the suffering and death that awaits him as the Messiah.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">For today, <b>I think what matters is our understanding of what it means to say aloud that Jesus is Messiah, Son of God.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus was not only a good rabbi or teacher.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">He was not one of the ancient prophets, like Elijah or Jeremiah, who confronted the people with their faithlessness.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And he was not John the Baptist, who called people to repentance.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">When we proclaim Jesus as Messiah, the anointed one, we proclaim <b>he is the One sent by God for our sake</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">When we call Jesus Messiah, we are naming Him as <b>the one who reveals God’s love for us all</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And, when we call Jesus Messiah, we are also naming <b>our dependence upon him, for salvation and for life</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And if <u>that</u> is what it means to call Jesus Messiah, it <u>also</u> means we are <u>not</u> looking for those things in someone or something else. It means we don’t listen when competing voices try to capture our attention and loyalty, and powers in our world try to tell us we don’t need Jesus or faith.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">A few years ago I participated in a group of folks who spent time together in centering prayer and silence. And one of my favorite practices was that we were asked to leave our titles at the door. In that space, it wasn’t important to know who was a pastor, a teacher, a musician, or who had a doctoral degree. It was a regular reminder that our identity <u>is</u> not found in our achievements, our work, or even our families. <b>Our identity comes from who God says we are – beloved children, loved and forgiven.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thanks be to God.</span></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-12972241469292615532023-08-20T09:00:00.006-04:002023-08-30T09:23:24.134-04:00Lectionary 20A<div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=464439040" target="_blank">Matthew 15:21-28</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=464439040" target="_blank"><br /></a>Listening to Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman, I wonder what
Jesus means when he says, “Woman, great is your faith!” (15:28)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus talks a lot about the measure of faith.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Addressing the disciples, he tells the parable of the mustard seed
(13:31) and later he says, “…if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you
will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and
nothing will be impossible for you." (17:20)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>But he also scolds the disciples for having “little faith” when they
are afraid of the storm that swamps their boat (8:26);<br /> he accuses Peter of having little faith when he tests Jesus on the
water (14:31); and,<br /> he faults the disciples for having “little faith” when they don’t’
understand his teaching. (16:8)<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Jesus shows more compassion to others though.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>When the Roman centurion came to Jesus and asked for him to heal his
servant, Jesus said with amazement that he knew no one in Israel with such
faith as the soldier demonstrated. (8:10)<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>In his hometown when friends brought a paralyzed man to Jesus to be healed,
Matthew says, “When [Jesus] saw their faith”, the man was healed. (9:2)<br />When a hemorrhaging woman reached out to Jesus and touched the hem of
his cloak, Jesus said to her, “your faith has made you well.” (9:22)<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>So, is the measure of faith what matters to Jesus?<br /> Or is it something else?<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>I think the moments where Jesus criticizes his followers for having
“little faith” are situations <b>when we forget who Jesus is and what Jesus
does</b>. For me, the language of mountains and seas recall images of creation
and I’m reminded of the creation story in Genesis 1 when we hear that God is
the one who “called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered
together he called Seas.” (Gen. 1:10 NRS) Our God is a mighty God , whose works
are powerful and unexpected.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Often, when we hear the stories of Jesus in the Bible, we see ourselves
as the ones who are righteous, thinking, “We would never make that mistake…” And,
other times, we make God small, or we understand God as made in our image,
instead of the other way around.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><b>In today’s Gospel, even Jesus starts out with a narrow vision for what
God’s kingdom is about.<br /></b><b><o:p> <br /></o:p></b>He is traveling with his disciples when he hears someone shouting. Loud
and disruptive. You can picture the scene, right? There’s a bunch of noise
coming from the other side of the street. Are you one of the people who inches
closer to see what the ruckus is, or do you avert your eyes and look anywhere
else, trying to ignore the trouble?<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Jesus looks and sees who’s causing the disturbance. It isn’t one of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">his</i> followers. No,
instead it’s a woman, and a “foreigner” at that. She’s yelling something about
her daughter needing help.<br /> <o:p></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>His friends urge him to send her away, and Jesus dismisses her, telling
her that he is only there for “the lost sheep of Israel”. (15:24)<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>She is an unnamed woman, who isn’t Jewish and doesn’t worship the God
of Israel. He doesn’t pretend not to hear her or see her; he just doesn’t think
she’s worth his time.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Ouch.<br /> </b><o:p> <br /></o:p>I admit that this isn’t my favorite portrayal of Jesus. It’s devoid of
the compassion and care we come to expect from him.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>But the woman doesn’t slink away, and she doesn’t apologize. Instead,
she says, “Lord, help me.”<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>And it’s not a coincidence or our imagination; we are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">meant</i> to hear the echo
of Peter’s words from last week, “Lord, save me.”<br /> <o:p></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>Her initial plea doesn’t convince Jesus though and he says again that
he’s not there for her. But when she speaks again, it appears that Jesus
changes his mind, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that’s</i> when he makes the declaration, “Woman,
great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was
healed.” (15:28)<br /><o:p></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>Today’s gospel reminds us that moments of “great faith” are not grand
gestures or extravagant sacrifices. We show great faith when we show up in
everyday life and name our need for compassion and healing. <b>Because in these
times of need, our faith reveals what we believe about who God is and what God
does.<br /></b><o:p> <br /></o:p>For anyone who has prayed for healing or God’s help and wondered
whether God heard or answered your prayer, I want to say explicitly that <b>suffering,
and the absence of physical healing are </b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i></b><b> caused by “too
little faith.”<br /> <o:p></o:p></b>And, as importantly, <b>the opposite of faith is not doubt or despair.</b>
(Paul Tillich, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Courage to Be</i>).<br /> <o:p></o:p><o:p> <br /></o:p>Those were popular beliefs in the ancient world - that sin or some
paucity of faith was the cause of a person’s illness or suffering. And it
persists in whispered gossip and sideways looks in our modern world.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Instead, <b>faith says that God sees our suffering and accompanies us
in those exact moments when we feel abandoned or rejected.<br /> <o:p></o:p></b><b><o:p> <br /></o:p></b>Martin Luther writes that, “Faith is a living, bold trust in God's
grace, so certain of God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times
trusting in it.”<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">[i]</span><!--[endif]--></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is trusting that God is greater than our
understanding and is acting in unexpected ways for our good.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p>Let us pray…<br />Good and gracious God,<br />
Thank you for your Son Jesus who shows us how to widen our understanding of
your love for the world.<br />Help us have courage to come to you in our every need and to ask for
your help.<br />Sustain us with your presence and invite us to share your compassion
with our neighbors.<br />We pray in Jesus’ name.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div>Amen.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>[i] Martin Luther, “An Introduction to St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans,” <i>Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings</i>, Ed. Timothy Lull (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2005), 101.</div><div><br /></div></span></div>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4873907848921834885.post-17749475318101874102023-08-13T11:15:00.004-04:002023-08-27T16:23:46.725-04:00Lectionary 19A<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=MATTHEW%2014:22-33" target="_blank">Matthew 14:22-33</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I have never witnessed a tornado, but a popular warning is that the
rotating winds sound like a freight train coming through the trees and
buildings. Often we think of wind as something we hear – the wind whistles and
blows, it gusts and howls. But in today’s gospel, the disciples, including
Peter, see the <i>force</i> of the wind in the waves battering
their boat at sea. They <i>see</i> the strength of what is against them,
and they are afraid. Not merely afraid, but terrified.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Jesus walks out to them, unaffected by the waves and wind, and
says, “It is I, do not be afraid.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Peter alone puts the Lord to the test, asking him to command him to
come out to him. And it is in testing God that Peter betrays his faith.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have been thinking about what makes us afraid and what makes us
doubt. I wonder what threats or obstacles to faith we encounter?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Certainly, there are physical threats. Last Sunday, a friend of our
family lost her home in a fire. Thankfully, everyone was safely evacuated, but
when you lose everything you own in a disaster, it’s natural to ask why, and to
wonder what a faithful response to the loss and trauma looks like.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Similarly, as Christians in the United States we are less likely to be
persecuted for our faith, but just last week, in Haiti, a mother and child from
a Christian organization were kidnapped. Thankfully they are safe now, but
again, our human response is to question.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thankfully, our faith has something to say about the presence of evil
in the world. We recognize that wind and fire are natural forces and that
chaotic weather events happen. We also accept that in our human condition we
are both saint <u>and</u> sinner, and that there are people whose brokenness
and desperation lead to destructive activities and corrupt behavior.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">At other times, it may be the death of a beloved or a financial
hardship – situations that threaten our emotional or spiritual well-being -
that prompt doubt and make it difficult to find peace.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">We know that our faith does not shield us or protect us like an
invisible bubble. Instead, it is <u>because</u> we have faith that we also have
confidence that God is still working to restore justice and righteousness.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Fears, doubts and challenges are part of a full life. So, when we
encounter the strong winds in our own lives, when we see what or who is against
us, <b>we have a choice to make about how we will respond.</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Can we hear God’s assurances and promises and have confidence in who
God is, and how God has acted in the past?</b> The psalms are helpful here. Often a
psalm begins with a complaint and then the writer will name the characteristics
of God as they have been seen in history and then the psalmist returns to the
current problem and asks God to again act in favor of God’s people.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Sometimes we struggle</b> though. Perhaps our hearts are hardened,
or our ears are blocked but we’re unable to trust God in that moment. There’s
an English proverb that says, “Trust but verify.” That appears to be what Peter
attempts to do. But in Deuteronomy we are commanded, “Do not put the LORD your
God to the test…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Deuteronomy 6:16 NRS)
God promises to be Emmanuel, God with us, and we know God’s merciful love and
forgiveness is <u>for</u> us. And yet, we stumble and sink, trying to step out
on our own.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thanks be to God, that even then, <b>God reaches out and catches us,
saving us from the depths.</b> (Matthew 14:31)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I think it’s important that, in today’s gospel, the wind doesn’t cease
until Jesus and Peter get into the boat with the others. While jokes are made
about Peter, whom Jesus called the “rock” sinking in the water, the story isn’t
just about Peter. <u>All</u> the disciples were afraid. They all had to choose
how they would respond in the midst of their fear. And watching them, I wonder,
when we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are</i> confident in our faith, how do we protect those who are vulnerable? Do
we come alongside them, or do we leave them to make their own mistakes and risk
sinking?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I think today’s gospel reminds us that while faith is personal, it is
never private. It is never only about me and God. Faith in its fullest
expression is <u>communal</u>. We gather <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">together</i> to hear God’s
Word spoken or read. We gather <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">together</i> at God’s table to receive Holy
Communion. We gather <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">together</i> to welcome the newly baptized and to
bury the dead. And when we make mistakes, we are forgiven and welcomed back
into fellowship <i>together</i>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let us pray…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Good and gracious God, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you for your Son Jesus who comes to us when we are afraid. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Help us hear your promises of steadfast presence and faithfulness, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And help us welcome others into life together.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">We pray in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Amen.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I originally planned to preach this in Spanish, so the Spanish is included below.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mateo+14%3A22-33&version=RVR1960" target="_blank">Mateo 14:22-33</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="ES">Oremos… </span></i><i><span lang="ES">Que las palabras de mi
boca y las meditaciones de nuestro corazón sean gratas a tus ojos, Señor,
nuestra fortaleza y nuestro redentor. Amén.</span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nunca he sido testigo de un tornado, pero una
advertencia popular es que los vientos giratorios suenan como un tren de carga
atravesando árboles y edificios. A menudo pensamos en el viento como algo que
escuchamos: el viento silba y sopla, ráfagas y aullidos. Pero en el evangelio
de hoy, los discípulos, incluido Pedro, ven la fuerza del viento en las olas
golpeando su bote en el mar. Ven la fuerza de lo que está contra ellos, y
tienen miedo. No solo asustado, sino aterrorizado.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pero Jesús se acerca a ellos, sin que le afecten
las olas ni el viento, y les dice: “Soy yo, no tengáis miedo”.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sólo Pedro pone a prueba al Señor, pidiéndole
que le mande salir a él. Y es al probar a Dios que Pedro traiciona su fe.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">He estado pensando en lo que nos da miedo y lo
que nos hace dudar. Me pregunto qué amenazas u obstáculos para la fe
encontramos.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ciertamente, hay amenazas físicas. El domingo
pasado, una amiga de nuestra familia perdió su casa en un incendio.
Afortunadamente, todos fueron evacuados de manera segura, pero cuando pierde
todo lo que posee en un desastre, es natural preguntarse por qué y preguntarse
cómo sería una respuesta fiel a la pérdida y el trauma.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">De manera similar, como cristianos en los
Estados Unidos, es menos probable que seamos perseguidos por nuestra fe, pero
la semana pasada, en Haití, una madre y su hijo de una organización cristiana
fueron secuestrados. Afortunadamente ahora están a salvo, pero nuevamente,
nuestra respuesta humana es cuestionar.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Afortunadamente, nuestra fe tiene algo que decir
sobre la presencia del mal en el mundo. Reconocemos que el viento y el fuego
son fuerzas naturales y que ocurren eventos climáticos caóticos.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">También aceptamos que en nuestra condición
humana somos tanto santos como pecadores, y que hay personas cuyo
quebrantamiento y desesperación conducen a actividades destructivas y conductas
corruptas.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">En otros momentos, puede ser la muerte de un ser
querido o una dificultad económica -situaciones que amenazan nuestro bienestar
emocional o espiritual- que suscitan dudas y dificultan encontrar la paz.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sabemos que nuestra fe no nos escuda ni nos
protege como una burbuja invisible. En cambio, es porque tenemos fe que también
tenemos confianza en que Dios todavía está trabajando para restaurar la
justicia y la rectitud.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Los miedos, las dudas y los desafíos son parte
de una vida plena. Entonces, cuando nos encontramos con los fuertes vientos en
nuestras propias vidas, cuando vemos qué o quién está en nuestra contra, <b>tenemos
que elegir cómo responderemos.</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span lang="ES">¿Podemos
escuchar las garantías y promesas de Dios y tener confianza en quién es Dios y
cómo ha actuado en el pasado?</span></b><span lang="ES"> Los salmos son
útiles aquí. A menudo, un salmo comienza con una queja y luego el escritor
nombrará las características de Dios como se han visto en la historia y luego
el salmista vuelve al problema actual y le pide a Dios que actúe nuevamente a
favor del pueblo de Dios.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -9.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES">Aunque <b>a veces
luchamos</b>. Tal vez nuestros corazones están endurecidos o nuestros oídos
están tapados, pero no podemos confiar en Dios en ese momento. Hay un proverbio
inglés que dice: "Confía pero verifica". </span>Eso parece ser lo
que Peter intenta hacer. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -9.0pt;"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pero en
Deuteronomio se nos ordena: “No tentaréis a Jehová vuestro Dios…” (Deuteronomio
6:16 NVI) Dios promete ser Emanuel, Dios con nosotros, y sabemos que el amor
misericordioso y el perdón de Dios son para nosotros. Y, sin embargo,
tropezamos y nos hundimos, tratando de salir solos.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gracias a Dios, que aún así, <b>Dios se extiende
y nos atrapa, salvándonos de las profundidades.</b> (Mateo 14:31)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Creo que es importante que, en el evangelio de
hoy, el viento no cesa hasta que Jesús y Pedro suben a la barca con los demás.
Si bien se hacen bromas sobre Pedro, a quien Jesús llamó la "roca"
que se hunde en el agua, la historia no se trata solo de Pedro. Todos los
discípulos tenían miedo. <b>Todos tenían que elegir cómo responderían en medio
de su miedo.</b> Y viéndolos, me pregunto, cuando confiamos en nuestra fe,
¿cómo protegemos a los que son vulnerables?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">¿Vamos con ellos o los dejamos para que cometan
sus propios errores y se arriesguen a hundirse?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Creo que el evangelio de hoy nos recuerda que si
bien la fe es personal, nunca es privada. Nunca se trata sólo de mí y de Dios.
La fe en su máxima expresión es comunitaria. Nos reunimos para escuchar la
Palabra de Dios hablada o leída.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES">Nos reunimos en la mesa de Dios para recibir la
Sagrada Comunión. Nos reunimos para recibir a los recién bautizados y enterrar
a los muertos. Y cuando cometemos errores, somos perdonados y bienvenidos de
nuevo a la comunión.</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oremos…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="ES">Dios bueno y misericordioso, Gracias por tu Hijo
Jesús que viene a nosotros cuando tenemos miedo. Ayúdanos a escuchar tus
promesas de presencia constante y fidelidad, Y ayúdanos a acoger a otros en la
vida juntos. Oramos en el nombre de Jesús, nuestro Señor y Salvador. </span>Amén.</span></p><p></p>Pastor Christina Auchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04182468498242076610noreply@blogger.com0Laurel Park, NC 28739, USA35.2701864 -82.54022756.9599525638211546 -117.6964775 63.580420236178846 -47.3839775