Christ the King (Cristo El Rey)

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

Juan 18:33-37

Oremos…

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

El evangelio de hoy es parte del relato de Juan sobre el juicio de Jesús ante el gobernador romano de Judea, Poncio Pilato. Jesús ha sido arrestado y ahora se encuentra ante Pilato, quien lo está interrogando. Insatisfecho con las respuestas que recibió cuando preguntó a los líderes judíos por qué lo llevaban ante él, Pilato le pregunta a Jesús:

“¿Qué has hecho?”

Al observar la conmoción de su arresto, muchos espectadores probablemente tuvieron la misma pregunta.

¿Qué había hecho Jesús para que Judas lo traicionara y trajera un destacamento de soldados para arrestarlo en el jardín?

¿Qué había hecho para que Simón Pedro lo negara mientras estaba con otros alrededor de una fogata, calentándose en la  noche fria?

¿Qué había hecho para que los sumos sacerdotes, la aristocracia de Judea, lo entregaran al gobernador romano?

Pilato era un político sofisticado, pero no podía entender qué había hecho Jesús para ser tan despreciado

Por supuesto, sabemos lo que Pilato no sabía.

El evangelio de Juan nos dice que la ira de los sumos sacerdotes y fariseos había estado latentes durante mucho tiempo. Su resentimiento hacia Jesús creció a medida que viajaba por Judea, enseñando y sanando, y luego resucitó a Lázaro (Juan 11) y como un cerillo que se enciende para secarse, su ira se encendió y comenzaron a planear su caída.

Cuando le preguntó a Jesús: "¿Qué has hecho?", el gobernador esperaba una respuesta clara.

Pero Jesús no responde a su pregunta. En lugar de decir lo que había hecho, Jesús le dice a Pilato quién es. Describe el reino de Dios y cómo él es el rey de ese reino, contrastando el poder terrenal y humano con el poder encarnado en Jesús.

En este Domingo de Cristo Rey, se nos pide que recordemos que un reino se define por su rey y que su pueblo debe llevar la imagen del rey.

Hace casi cien años, el Papa Pío onceavo estableció en Roma el Domingo de Cristo Rey. Celebrado el último domingo del año eclesiástico, el Papa lo estableció en un momento en que surgían dictaduras no cristianas en Europa, como las del fascismo y el comunismo. Imitando a los antiguos emperadores romanos que habían tomado el título de Mesías y actuaban como dioses divinos sobre sus reinos, esos dictadores intentaron afirmar su autoridad sobre la Iglesia y su pueblo.

El Papa Pío vinculó la creciente negación de Cristo como rey con el ascendimiento del secularismo. Al escribir que a Cristo nuestro Señor se le ha dado todo el poder en el cielo y en la tierra y, por lo tanto, nada está exento de su imperio, el Papa recordó a los cristianos que Cristo, no los gobernantes terrenales, debe reinar en nuestras mentes, en nuestras voluntades, en nuestros corazones y en nuestros cuerpos (párrafo 33, Quas Primas).

Cada año, cuando proclamamos a Cristo como Rey, debemos hacernos la misma pregunta que Pilato le hizo a Jesús:

“¿Qué has hecho?

¿Cómo has tu – como hemos nosotros  llevado la imagen de nuestro Rey, la plenitud de Dios conocida en Jesús?

En Juan 12, Jesús les dice a sus discípulos:

²⁵ El que ama su vida la perdera, y el que aborrece su vida en este mundo la conservará para la vida eterna. ²⁶ El que me sirve, me debe de seguir, ….

¿Qué has hecho para servir a los que conoces?

En Juan 13, Jesús nos da a todos un mandamiento nuevo, diciéndonos:

³⁴Un mandamiento nuevo os doy: que os améis unos a otros. Como yo os he amado, que también os améis unos a otros. ³⁵En esto conocerán todos que sois mis discípulos, si os amáis unos a otros.

¿Qué has hecho para demostrar el amor abnegado que Jesús mostró a las personas que conoció?

Y en Juan 14, Jesús les dice a sus discípulos:

²¹El que tiene mis mandamientos y los guarda, ése es el que me ama; y el que me ama será amado por mi Padre, y yo lo amaré y me revelaré a él.

¿Qué has hecho para guardar los mandamientos de Dios, para estar en relación con Dios y con los demás de maneras que den vida, sean verdaderas y compasivas?

En este Domingo de Cristo Rey, se nos pide que recordemos que nuestro primer llamado es vivir como ciudadanos del reino de Dios y llevar el amor de Dios al mundo.

Oremos.

Dios Santo,

Gracias por tu Hijo Jesús, quien nos muestra la plenitud de tu amor y misericordia y nos otorga la ciudadanía en tu reino.

Muéstranos cómo seguirlo y servir a los demás a medida que nos acercamos a ti. Guíanos por tu Espíritu Santo.

Oramos en el nombre de tu Hijo, nuestro Salvador y Señor, Jesucristo. 

Amén.

John 18:33-37

The gospel for today is part of John’s account of Jesus’ trial before the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate. Jesus has been arrested and now stands before Pilate, who is questioning him. Unsatisfied with the answers that were given to him when he asked the Jewish leaders why they were bringing Jesus to him, Pilate asks Jesus,

“What have you done?”

Watching the commotion of his arrest, many onlookers probably had the same question.

What had Jesus done so that Judas betrayed him and brought a detachment of soldiers to arrest him in the garden?

What had he done so that Simon Peter denied him as he stood with others around a fire, warming himself in the cold night?

What had he done so that the high priests, the aristocracy of Judea, turned him over to the Roman governor?

Pilate was a sophisticated politician, but he couldn’t understand what Jesus had done to be so despised.

Of course, we know what Pilate didn’t.

John’s gospel tells us that the anger of the chief priests and Pharisees had been smoldering for a long time. Their resentment of Jesus built as he traveled throughout Judea, teaching and healing, and then he raised Lazarus (John 11) and like a match touched to dry kindling, their rage flared, and they began to plan his downfall.

When he asked Jesus, “What have you done?” the governor was hoping for a clear answer.

But Jesus doesn’t answer his question. Instead of saying what he had done, Jesus tells Pilate who he is. He describes God’s kingdom and how he is the king of that kingdom, contrasting earthly, human power with the power embodied in Jesus.

On this Christ the King Sunday, we are asked to remember that a kingdom is defined by its king and its people are meant to bear the image of the king.

Almost one hundred years ago, Pope Pius the 11th in Rome established Christ the King Sunday. Celebrated on the last Sunday of the church year, the Pope established it at a time when non-Christian dictatorships in Europe, like those of fascism and communism, were rising. Mimicking the ancient Roman emperors who had taken the title Messiah and acted as divine gods over their kingdoms, those dictators attempted to assert their authority over the Church and its people. Pope Pius connected the increasing denial of Christ as king to the rise of secularism. Writing that Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth and therefore, nothing is exempt from his empire, the pope reminded Christians that Christ, not earthly rulers, must reign in our minds, in our wills, in our hearts and in our bodies (paragraph 33, Quas Primas).

Every year, when we proclaim Christ is King, we must ask ourselves the same question Pilate asked Jesus:

“What have you done?

How have you- how have we - born the image of our King, the fullness of God known in Jesus?

In John 12, Jesus tells his disciples,

²⁵ Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me, ….

What have you done to be of service to those who you know?

In John 13, Jesus gives us all a new commandment, telling us,

³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

What have you done to show the self-giving love that Jesus showed to the people he met?

And in John 14, Jesus tells his disciples,

²¹ They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me, and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

What have you done to keep God’s commandments – to be in relationship with God and with each other in ways that are life-giving and true and compassionate?

On this Christ the King Sunday, we are asked to remember our first calling is to live as citizens of God’s kingdom and to bear God’s love in the world.

Let us pray.

Holy God,

Thank you for your Son Jesus who shows us the fullness of your love and mercy and gives us citizenship in Your kingdom.

Show us how to follow him and serve others as we draw near to You. Guide us by your Holy Spirit.

We pray in the name of Your Son, our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. 

Amen.

Lectionary 15B

Marcos 6:14-19

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

Oremos…

Que las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestros corazones sean aceptables a tu vista, Seño, nuestra fuerza y nuestro redentor. Amén.

Nuestro evangelio de hoy es la mitad de lo que se conoce en los estudios bíblicos como un "sándwich de Marcos". Se llama así porque Marcos pone una historia no relacionada entre dos mitades de otra historia, como la carne entre dos piezas de pan.

Inmediatamente antes del evangelio de hoy, Jesús envió a los discípulos a expulsar a los demonios y sanar a los enfermos. E inmediatamente después de estos versículos, los discípulos regresarán y le dirán a Jesús todo lo que han hecho.

Mientras tanto, Marcos nos dice que Herodes ha escuchado lo que Jesús y sus seguidores están haciendo, y que cuando Herodes escuchó sobre Jesús, pensó que Juan [el bautista] a quien había decapitado había sido resucitado de entre los muertos.

En las Escrituras tenemos historias que han sido etiquetadas como "Textos de terror".

Algunos de estos aparecen en nuestras lecturas leccionarias, mientras que otros no. Hace cuarenta años, la teóloga y autora Phyllis Trible escribió sobre cuatro de estas historias que se centraron en la violencia contra las mujeres. En términos más generales, la categoría incluye aquellas como nuestro Evangelio de hoy, historias de abuso y explotación, historias donde los poderosos y con poder oprimen la justicia. Las historias nos recuerdan humildemente que el reino de Dios es ahora y aún no. Reflexionando sobre estos textos, un autor escribió,

[Historias tristes] nos obligan a luchar con el mundo como es el mundo, con Dios como es Dios, y con la Biblia como es la Biblia, no como deseamos que fueran.ⁱ

Después de que Marcos nos dice que Herodes cree que Juan el Bautista ha sido resucitado de entre los muertos, escuchamos cómo murió Juan.

Juan se metió en problemas con Herodes porque llamó a una cosa lo que era. La esposa de Herodes estaba enojada con Juan porque había criticado a Herodes por casarse con ella cuando ella era la esposa de su hermano.

Un predicador bromeó que Juan debe haber sido luterano; En su disputa de Heidelberg, Martin Luther escribió: “Una teología de la gloria llama al mal bien y al bien mal. Una teología de la cruz llama a la cosa lo que realmente es ". Cuando seguimos a Jesús, no podemos equivocarnos cuando nos enfrentamos al bien y al mal; [Debemos] llamar a la cosa lo que es. ⁱⁱ

Para apaciguar a su esposa, Herodes había arrestado a Juan, pero Herodes se negó a matarlo. Marcos dice que "Herodes temía a Juan, sabiendo que era un hombre justo y santo". (6:20)

Pero lamentablemente, la justicia y la santidad de Juan no lo mantuvieron vivo.

Lo que quizás no reconocemos, pero seguramente los oyentes de Marcos sabían, es que estas son las mismas palabras que escuchamos al rey decir a Ester en su historia. (Esther 5: 3)

El Libro de Ester no aparece a menudo en el Leccionario; Solo hay un domingo cada tres años cuando escuchamos su historia, por lo que puede no ser familiar, pero hay similitudes con la historia de Herodes y Juan. En la historia de Ester, el rey tenía un banquete, y Ester se unió a las otras mujeres jóvenes en el palacio mientras el rey buscaba a una nueva esposa. Cuando el rey conoció a Ester, él estaba contento, y ella se convirtió en la nueva reina. Más tarde, uno de sus oficiales, sin saber que Ester era judía, conspiro para matar a todo el pueblo judío.

Pronto Ester tuvo la oportunidad de aparecer ante el rey y fue entonces cuando el rey le dijo a Ester: “¿Qué pasa, reina Ester? ¿Cuál es tu solicitud? Se te dará, incluso la mitad de mi reino ". (Esther 5: 3)

Pero las similitudes terminan ahí.

La reina Esther hizo una súplica compasiva por la seguridad de su gente; en contraste, la hija de Herodes fue a su madre para averiguar qué debía pedir, y decidieron que pediría la cabeza de Juan el Bautista.

Y Marcos nos dice: “El rey estaba profundamente afligido; Sin embargo, por respeto a sus juramentos y por los invitados, no quería rechazarla”. (6:26)

Entonces, Herodes mata a Juan y entrega su cabeza sobre un plato a su hija.

Me pregunto si podemos relacionarnos con la lucha que enfrentó Herodes. Sabemos que todos pecamos y tomamos decisiones que nos alejan de Dios.

Herodes quería cumplir su promesa, tan imprudente como era. Tenía miedo de parecer débil frente a las personas sobre las que disfrutaba tener poder. Tenía miedo de decepcionar a su hija y su esposa. Y así, sacrificó a un ser humano, incluso cuando sabía que Juan era justo y santo s y las acciones de Herodes le causaron dolor.

Me pregunto

lo que sacrificamos para mantener las apariencias;

Me pregunto

cuando tomamos una decisión sabiendo que alguien más pagara  el costo, y no nosotros;

Me pregunto

qué acciones hemos tomado que lamentamos.

Un ejemplo en el que pienso es en nuestro cuidado por la creación. Está lleno de opciones que se hacen más fáciles porque probablemente no viviremos para ver las consecuencias:

regando césped en el calor del verano en lugar de dejar que se vuelvan cafés;

utilizando plásticos de un solo uso por conveniencia, incluso cuando estamos aprendiendo más sobre los micro plásticos en nuestros océanos y vías fluviales;

rociando pesticidas y herbicidas que matan a las plantas polinizandas y amenazan las abejas.

Hay muchas maneras de elegir de manera diferente para mantener la buena creación de Dios, pero a menudo no lo hacemos. O al menos no lo hago.

La buena noticia es que en la familia de Dios, se nos dan alternativas a lo que ofrece el mundo.

Creemos que "[Dios] me defiende contra todo el peligro y los guardias y me protege de todo mal". Y que el Espíritu Santo nos santifica y nos hace santos, "iluminados con los dones de Dios". ⁱⁱⁱ Pero debemos detenernos y escuchar la guía de Dios antes de actuar.
Cuando contrastamos el reino de Herodes con el reino de Dios, podemos ver que Herodes vivió en un reino romano basado en quid pro quo, donde hago algo por ti, y luego haces algo por mí, pero el reino de Dios se basa en Gracia solamente.

Por la gracia de Dios, el favor que no merecemos  de Dios, dado libremente a nosotros y para nosotros, somos adoptados en la familia de Dios y hechos hijos de Dios. Ninguna otra relación o identidad es más importante que esa.

Y, como dijo otro predicador, "[en gracia] lo que nos entregó no es la cabeza de Juan en un plato, sino el propio cuerpo y sangre de Cristo", dada y derramada por nosotros, para que pudiéramos tener vida eterna.

En Cristo, tenemos la libertad de elegir vivir primero para el reino de Dios y no por nuestras propias prioridades, y estar motivados por el amor y no por el miedo mientras vivimos nuestra fe en el mundo.

Gracias a Dios.

Amén.

Mark 6:14-29

Our gospel today is the middle of what’s known in biblical studies as a “Markan sandwich”. It’s called that because Mark puts one unrelated story between two halves of another story, like meat between two pieces of bread.

Immediately before today’s gospel, Jesus sent the disciples out to cast out demons and heal the sick. And immediately after these verses, the disciples will return and tell Jesus all that they have done.

Meanwhile, Mark tells us that Herod has heard what Jesus and his followers are doing, and that when Herod heard about Jesus, he thought that John [ the Baptist] whom he had beheaded had been raised from the dead.

In Scripture we have stories that have been labeled “texts of terror”.

Some of these show up in our lectionary readings, while others don’t. Forty years ago, theologian and author Phyllis Trible wrote about four of these stories that were all centered on violence against women. More broadly, the category includes ones like our gospel today, stories of abuse and exploitation, stories where the mighty and powerful oppress justice. The stories humbly remind us that God’s kingdom is both now and not yet. Reflecting on these texts, one author wrote,

[Sad stories] force us to wrestle with the world as the world is, with God as God is, and with the Bible as the Bible is – not as we wish those things would be.[i]

After Mark tells us that Herod thinks John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, we hear how John died.

John got in trouble with Herod because he called a thing what it was. Herod’s wife was angry with John because he had criticized Herod for marrying her when she was his brother’s wife.

One preacher joked that John must have been Lutheran; in his Heidelberg Disputation, Martin Luther wrote, “A theology of glory calls evil good and good evil. A theology of the cross calls the thing what it actually is.” When we follow Jesus, [we] cannot equivocate when faced with good and evil; [we] must call a thing what it is.[ii]

To appease his wife, Herod had arrested John, but Herod refused to kill him. Mark says that “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man.” (6:20)

But sadly, John’s righteousness and holiness did not keep him alive.

There was a party, a banquet, for Herod’s birthday, and Mark tells us his daughter came and danced for Herod and the political and religious leaders who were there. And Herod was so pleased that he said to the girl,

“Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” (6:23)

What we might not recognize, but surely Mark’s listeners would have known, is that these are the same words that we hear the king say to Esther in her story. (Esther 5:3)

The book of Esther doesn’t appear often in the lectionary; there’s only one Sunday every three years when we hear her story, so it may not be familiar, but there are similarities with the story of Herod and John. In Esther’s story, the king had a banquet, and Esther joined the other young women at the palace while the king searched a for a new wife. When the king met Esther, he was pleased, and she became the new queen. Later, one of his officers, not knowing that Esther was Jewish, plotted to kill all the Jewish people.

Soon Esther had an opportunity to appear before the king and it was then that the king said to Esther, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” (Esther 5:3)

But the similarities end there.

Queen Esther made a compassionate plea for the safety of her people; in contrast, Herod’s daughter went to her mother to find out what she should ask for, and they decided she would ask for the head of John the Baptist.

And Mark tells us, “The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her.” (6:26)

So, Herod kills John and delivers his head on a platter to his daughter.

I wonder if we can relate to the struggle that Herod faced. We know that we all sin and make decisions that turn us away from God.

Herod wanted to follow through on his promise, as reckless as it was. He was afraid of appearing weak in front of the people over whom he enjoyed having power. He was afraid of disappointing his daughter and his wife. And so, he sacrificed a human being, even when he knew John was righteous and holy and Herod’s actions caused him grief.

I wonder

what we sacrifice to keep up appearances;

I wonder

when we make a choice knowing that someone else will bear the cost, and not us;

I wonder

what actions we’ve taken that we grieve.

One example I think about is our care for creation. It’s full of choices that are made easier because we likely won’t live to see the consequences:

watering grass lawns in the summer heat instead of letting them turn brown;

using single-use plastics for the convenience even as we are learning more about microplastics in our oceans and waterways;

spraying pesticides and herbicides that kill off pollinating plants and threaten the honeybees.

There are so many ways we could choose differently to uphold God’s good creation, but often we don’t. Or at least I don’t.

The good news is that in the family of God, we are given alternatives to what the world offers.

We believe “[God] defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil.” And that the Holy Spirit sanctifies us and makes us holy, “enlightened with God’s gifts”.[iii] But we must stop and listen for God’s guiding before we act.

When we contrast the kingdom of Herod with the kingdom of God, we can see that Herod lived in a Roman kingdom based in quid pro quo – where I do something for you, and then you do something for me – but God’s kingdom is based on grace alone.

By God’s grace - God’s unmerited favor, freely given to us and for us - we are adopted into God’s family and made children of God. No other relationship or identity is more important than that one.

And, as another preacher said, “[in grace] what’s handed to us is not John’s head on a platter, but Christ’s own body and blood”, given and poured out for us, that we might have eternal life.

In Christ, we have the freedom to choose to live first for God’s kingdom and not our own priorities, and to be motivated by love and not by fear as we live out our faith in the world. 

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

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[i] Paul Anthony. “A Brief Review: Texts of Terror  by Phyllis Trible”. https://disorientedtheology.wordpress.com/2018/09/05/a-brief-review-texts-of-terror-by-phyllis-trible/ , accessed 7/13/2024

[ii] Cameron Howard. “Calling a Thing What It Actually Is.” https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/calling-a-thing-what-it-actually-is , accessed 7/13/2024

[iii] Luther’s Small Catechism

Epiphany 4B (El cuarto domingo después de Epifanía)

Marcos 1:21-28

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

Oremos…

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.

Me da gusto 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 Epifania. 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.

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; En ti tengo complacencia”(Marcos 1:11)

Luego fuimos testigos de cómo Jesús llamó a los primeros discípulos y les mostró cómo usar sus dones para el Reino de Dios.

Pescar con red para la cena era importante, pero Jesús también les mostró dónde encontrar alimento espiritual.

Y hoy Marcos nos cuenta cómo enseñaba Jesús. Nunca supimos qué dijo, si estaba enseñando sobre el 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.

Cuando el hombre con un espíritu inmundo se encuentra con Jesús, grita:

“¿Qué tienes que ver con nosotros, Jesús de Nazaret? ¿Has venido a destruirnos? Sé quién eres, el Santo de Dios”. (Marcos 1:24-25)
En respuesta, Jesús reprende al espíritu y le ordena que calle y salga del hombre, y, con mucho revuelo, lo hace. Y la gente nuevamente queda asombrada y comenta la autoridad con la que Jesús enseña y actúa.

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.

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.

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. En Jesús, todas las cosas están bajo la autoridad de Dios y los poderes y principados que desafían a Dios son derrotados.

Al reflexionar sobre este texto, Karoline Lewis, una de mis profesoras de predicación en el seminario, nos pide que nos preguntemos:

“¿Dónde está Dios en todo lo que me posee?”

El diablo, el pecado y esas fuerzas que desafían a Dios son los que me separan de Dios.

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.

Cuando me encuentro “en los lugares y espacios donde parece que Dios nunca podría estar”, Marcos nos dice que ni siquiera esos lugares son rivales para Dios y el amor que nos muestra en Jesús. En Jesús, todas las cosas están bajo la autoridad de Dios y los poderes y principados que desafían a Dios son derrotados.

Sé que es difícil de creer. Recibo un correo electrónico semanal llamado “Noticias mundiales esta semana en oración” y nos incita 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 ahorita y queremos que la respuesta de Dios llegue cuando nosotros queremos.

Pero este evangelio es una de las razones por las que seguimos orando. Nuestra fe nos dice que Dios está presente y activo.

Dios está rompiendo barreras y límites y yendo a lugares donde nadie espera que Dios aparezca.

¿Has oído a los ingleses decir: “Allí, si no fuera por la gracia de Dios, iré”?

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 voluntaria en un refugio de dia  para nuestros vecinos que no tienen casas, y entonces se me ocurrió, mientras escuchaba sus historias, que la gracia de Dios estaba con ellos.

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 gastos médicos; tenía un trabajo con un seguro médico para poder recibir medicamentos para mi depresión crónica.

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 faltas.

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.

Demos gracias a Dios.

Mark 1:21-28

Let us pray…        

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

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.

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)

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.

And today Mark tells us how Jesus taught. We never find out what 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.

When the man with an unclean spirit encounters Jesus, he cries out,

“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.” (Mk. 1:24-25)

In response, Jesus rebukes the spirit and orders him to be silent and come out of the man, and, with a lot of commotion, it does. And the people again are amazed and remark on the authority with which Jesus teaches and acts.

The first thing I notice is that this man with the unclean spirit is in the synagogue. Sometimes Jesus heals people on the margins of society or those who live in the borderlands. Outsiders. But this man was in 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. 

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. In Jesus, all things are under God’s authority and the powers and principalities that defy God are defeated.

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?”[i]

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 the places and spaces where it seems God could never be”, Mark tells us that even those places are no match for God and the love shown us in Jesus.[ii] In Jesus, all things are under God’s authority and the powers and principalities that defy God are defeated.

I know 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 is present and active. God is breaking barriers and boundaries and going places where no one expects God to show up.

Have you heard the English saying, “There but for the grace of God go I”?

Apparently the sixteenth century reformer John Bradford said those words as he watched a group of prisoners being led to execution.[iii] 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 was with them. That wasn’t 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. God is present in the messiness of all our lives, and perhaps it is God’s grace that helps us connect with others who will listen to our stories and welcome us into community despite our faults.

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.

Thanks be to God.

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[i] Karoline Lewis. “Exorcisms for our Day.” workingpreacher.org

[ii] ibid

[iii] Wiktionary.  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.

Lectionary 28A

Matthew 22:1-14

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.

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.

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. 

This would be the party to end all parties. And, everyone loves a party, right?

But when the king sends his slaves out to invite the guests, the guests don’t respond with enthusiasm, gratitude, or joy.

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.

Now, Matthew was writing to a Jewish audience sometime after 80 CE, after 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.

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 before the destruction of the first temple in Jerusalem, and before the exile under the Babylonian empire.

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 eventually there will be a great banquet or feast for all people. And that the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, will save his people.

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.

And in the parable, that is what comes next. The king sends out more slaves, and this time they are told to invite everyone they find to the wedding banquet. The invitation is no longer limited; it is wide open and all are invited. And the slaves do what they’re told, and the wedding hall is filled with people.

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)

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) and it’s the same word that Jesus uses when he addresses Judas Iscariot in Gesthemane when Judas arrives to betray him. (Matthew 26)

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).

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.

Instead, Matthew “repeatedly calls his community to responsible obedience.”[i] 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.

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 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.

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.”

So where is the good news? And what is Jesus telling us about God and the kingdom of heaven?

The text has several problems, and it challenges us and in places, it makes us uncomfortable. It’s ok for us to admit that.

First, if we have been thinking that the king represents God, we have a vengeful and violent God. And that isn’t good news.

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 us the ones whom the king destroys. Still no good news.

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 replace the Jewish people; we are included in the invitation.

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.”

“This day” is today.

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.

Luther recognized that what is important is today ̶ not dwelling in the past or worrying about the unknown future. Today, we can follow Christ and today we can love our neighbor.

And meanwhile, with those listening to Jesus tell this parable, we trust that Isaiah’s words will be fulfilled and there will be 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 shapes how we live This day. “We live today, as those who are waiting for Jesus’ return.”[ii]

Let us pray.

Good and gracious God,

Thank you for your grace and mercy and the invitation to live in your kingdom.

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.

Help us put on Christ daily, bearing fruit and preparing for the great feast that is to come.

We pray in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

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[i] 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.

[ii] 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.

Christ the King Sunday

John 8:31-37

Today, on the last Sunday of the Church year, Christ the King Sunday, we are in John’s gospel, where we hear Jesus speaking to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor over Judea. The scene is from when Pilate is questioning him after his arrest. And Jesus tells Pilate,

My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over ... But as it is, my kingdom is not from here. (John 18:36 NRS)

Here in the U.S. most of our images of kings and kingdoms come from mythology, literature, movies or plays: we know Shakespeare’s King Lear, Olivier’s Zeus, Sean Connery’s King Arthur, or more recently Jonathan Groff’s King George in “Hamilton.” Beyond those references, most of us don’t have a working understanding of kings and kingdoms.

But Jesus and Pilate understood both, and they understood power.

The late Marcus Borg, a theologian and scholar who wrote about the historical Jesus in a number of books including one titled The Last Week, described what took place just a few days before this scene, on what we celebrate as Palm Sunday at the beginning of Holy Week.

In Jerusalem, it was the beginning of the week of Passover, the “festival that celebrated the Jewish people’s liberation from” Pharaoh who had enslaved the people of Israel centuries earlier.

The Roman governors of the region lived nearer to the Mediterranean coast, but for the major Jewish festivals, they regularly traveled to Jerusalem. Proceeding down the western Watershed Ridge, Pilate and the imperial army would have approached Jerusalem in a mighty procession with armored foot soldiers, the cavalry on horses, weapons, banners and all the sounds of a conquering army.[i]

In contrast, instead of riding high atop a warhorse, Jesus rode into town on a donkey, not as a conquering hero, but as a humble servant king.[ii] For Roman citizens familiar with the governors’ triumphant marches, Jesus’ arrival would have been a clear and obvious challenge to the status quo.

And that is the challenge Jesus presents to Pilate in this scene. Jesus is not saying that His kingdom is other-worldly or heavenly, but that His kingdom doesn’t follow the rules known to society and the world.

He is saying,

My kingdom is neither of nor from this world. It is completely unrecognizable to you because your position and power come from human institutions and structures, and your security is found in soldiers and battalions. Your future relies on the strength of the empire.

That was, after all, the understanding of empire, kingship and kingdom in the first century, and it is persistent. It’s the origin of sayings like “might makes right” and “history is written by the victors.” As King George sings in “Hamilton”, “When push comes to shove, I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love!”

Thanks be to God that in Jesus we know a different kind of king, and in Scripture we have the promise of a different kind of kingdom and might.

The King we have in Christ is humble and has a servant’s heart, and in His Kingdom, where we are co-heirs with Him, we are called not to earthly power or privilege, but to love.

The Feast of Christ the King is a reminder to us all that Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth and therefore, nothing is exempt from his empire. Establishing this festival day for the Church in 1925, Pope Pius XI (11^th) reminded Christians that Christ, not earthly rulers, must reign in our minds, in our wills, in our hearts and in our bodies (paragraph 33, Quas Primas).

In a few months, Ascension will celebrate our 99^th year as a congregation. Back in 1923, a group of folks decided that Shelby needed a Lutheran congregation. They knew that in a world drowning in bad news, the Church had Good News to proclaim to our neighbors and community, news of a Lord and Savior who is not subject to any other authority; news of a King whose weapons are love and compassion, forgiveness and mercy; news of a Kingdom where love reigns and grace is abundant. As we enter into a new Church year, may we remember who our King is and live as kingdom people here on earth.

Amen.

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[i] Marcus Borg. The Last Week. 2-3.

[ii] “Passion/Palm Sunday, March 25, 2018.” https://bishopmike.com/, accessed 3/22/2018.