Easter Sunday

Matthew 28:1-10

When we witness the two women at the tomb in that early dawn, we can imagine their sorrow. They went to visit the tomb of their friend and teacher Jesus, the one they believed to be the Messiah. But for all appearances, Jesus had been crucified and buried and all logic and understanding said that was the end.

And then, Matthew tells us that suddenly the earth shook, and an angel appeared, and the women learned that Jesus lives.

Today we celebrate with those first witnesses to the Resurrection that Jesus is risen from the dead, that He has broken the tomb wide open and that He has come back to life and is with us. And then, like the two women named Mary and the other disciples who met Jesus in Galilee, we have to ask, how will we respond to the Risen Christ?

If we are like the disciples in Matthew’s gospel, we will respond with some mixture of fear, joy and obedience. It’s a good reminder that there is more than one way to respond faithfully to God.

Throughout Scripture we hear God and messengers from God tell us, “Fear not” and “Do not be afraid”. The messengers are fulfilling ancient prophecy, they are delivering good news of great joy, they are there to reassure the people of God’s comforting presence in the midst of uncertainty and confusion. Fear is a natural, human response to what we don’t know or understand.

I learned during my Spanish lesson this week that when we say we like something in English we only have one word for that, but in Spanish there are two different words that mean “to like.” If you want to say that you like tamales, you would say, “Me gustan tamales” but if you want to say that you like your pastors, you would say, “Me caen bien los pastors.”

In the same way, in English, when we say we fear something, we often mean we have a phobia or fear of something, like a fear of snakes or thunderstorms or the unknown. (φόβου Matt. 28:4 BGT) 

But we use the same word in English and in Greek when our fear is not a state of being filled with terror, as much as it is being filled with awe. The meaning changes but you have to understand the context to know that.

We hear this meaning of fear in Psalm 139 when the psalmist declares, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” And again in Martin Luther’s Small Catechism where he began each explanation of the commandments with the words, “We are to fear and love God…” Luther wasn’t trying to strike terror in our hearts, but he did want us to respond to the extraordinary love of God.

So, when the angel tells the women, “Do not be afraid” (v. 5), he is comforting them in their genuine fear of what they cannot understand: the earthquake, the angel’s appearance, Jesus’ absence from the tomb.

But when they leave the tomb with “fear and great joy” (v. 8),

their fear has been transformed and they are in awe of what God has done.

Lutheran pastor Mark Allan Powell writes that, “Joy transforms fear into worship.”[i]

Here, joy is more than fleeting happiness.

It is the joy that the prophet Nehemiah promises Israel saying, “The joy of the Lord will be your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10) and that the psalmists say is found in God’s presence (Psalm 16:11).

It is the joy that the magi experience in the presence of the infant Jesus at the Nativity. “Joy is a fruit of the [Holy] Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and a mark of those who love the Lord Jesus. (1 Peter 1:8).”[ii]

This joy is from God, and it is enduring. 

This Easter morning our response to the Risen Christ is joy-filled worship. We adorn the cross with butterflies to celebrate the promise of new life, of the transformative power of God. Our melodies ring throughout the church, and with shouts of Alleluia, we rejoice because Jesus is risen from the dead, He has broken the tomb wide open, and He has come back to life and is with us. After the foot washing and the last supper, the crucifixion and the despair of Holy Saturday, “Easter means that hope prevails over despair.”[iii]

And yet, while our joy endures, we cannot stand still. The two women named Mary obediently follow the commands they’re given first by the angel of the Lord and then by Jesus. As witnesses to the Resurrection and disciples of Jesus, we too are called not only to “come and see” but to “go and tell” what God has done.

Every day we are called to share God’s love in our words and our actions and certainly, our care for each other and for our neighbors is one way of telling what God has done.

But if you want to try something new, the Easter season is fifty days long so each day, you could write down one way you saw God in the world and then share what you have seen with a friend.

You could tell someone the story of how your faith was formed.

You could find out the story behind your favorite hymn and tell someone else what you learned.

You could – and I know what I’m asking –

but you could invite someone to come and worship here with you at Grace!

Church, Jesus is risen from the dead, He has broken the tomb wide open, and He has come back to life and is with us. God has done this because God’s love is for the whole world, so do not be afraid, come and see, and go and tell! 

Let us pray….[iv]

God of the empty tomb, Risen Lord,

On Easter Sunday you give us new life and

a renewed hunger for faith.

We know that Easter does not mean the work of seeking stops. Instead, you are now on the loose—out in the world, anywhere

and everywhere.

So our seeking only continues

as we look for your fingerprints all around us.

Give us clarity for the things we seek,

and the courage to continue the work with awe, joy and obedience. Amen.

---

[i] Mark Allan Powell. Loving Jesus, 121.

[ii] Powell, 119.

[iii] Desmond Tutu.

[iv] Adapted from prayers by The Rev. Sarah A. Speed, A Sanctified Art.

Trinity Sunday

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Psalm 8

So, I have a question for you this morning: What do a three-leaf clover, an ice cube and the sun all have in common?

They all fall short as ways of explaining the Holy Trinity – the doctrine that says that God is three distinct persons in One. All three of these analogies stumble into a heresy –a belief that’s contrary to Christian tradition – known as modalism that says God exists in different forms or modes but isn’t actually three distinct persons. If you insist on having an explanation, the best one I have come across says that “the Bible says that when it comes to God, 1 + 1+ 1 = 1.”[i] Of course, in the math we learn in school, that doesn’t work either.

And maybe that’s the best way to answer questions about the Trinity - to name that it is beyond our comprehension, rationale or logic. God doesn’t follow any of our careful plans or fit into neat boxes or formulas that add up. In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” (16:12) There simply are truths about God and God’s actions that we cannot understand.

What Scripture provides isn’t answers or explanations, but inspiration, that helps us know who God is and who we are as God’s people.

Before I ever went to seminary, I went on a women’s retreat with my home congregation, and I remember the Bible studies throughout the retreat looked at passages that offered language for God that was different than Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Some of the participants were uncomfortable with Matthew’s image of God as a mothering hen (Matthew 23) or Isaiah’s illustration of God as a laboring mother (Isaiah 42). Imagining God - when God is beyond our understanding - is challenging.

Being attentive to the language we use for God isn’t about replacing or dismissing traditional language. Instead, the many scriptural images for God help us expand our understanding of who God is. Liturgical scholar and author Gail Ramshaw describes the images in Scripture as treasures, writing that

some of the treasure is old and some new. Treasure that is old is often of more value than that which is new, just as old images might be layered with more meaning for the self and the community than new images. [If we] think that only old treasures are valuable [we] forget that God's Spirit continues each week to offer our world signs of divine mercy.[ii]

The different words to describe God can feel strange in our mouths, but for the person who has suffered abuse by an earthly parent or bullying in school, finding God as a fortress and avenger in the Psalms or as a refuge in Jeremiah may bring comfort. For anyone who is awed by the beauty of our natural world, seeing God as a dove and an eagle in Mark and Deuteronomy or as rain and thunder in Hosea and Exodus helps us connect with our Creator God.

Today’s reading from Proverbs 8 invites us to expand our understanding of God to include Woman Wisdom. In Scripture, the feminine Sophia or wisdom can refer to the Holy Spirit and, in these verses, we hear her testify that she was there “at the beginning of God’s creating work.” (v. 22) As God’s companion, she was there “at the first, before the beginning of the earth.” (v. 23)

Some hear this text echoed in the prologue of John’s gospel where the Evangelist John says, “¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²

He was in the beginning with God.”

The Trinity is Father, Son and Holy Spirit and
the Trinity is God, Jesus and Wisdom.

In these verses, Woman Wisdom calls out “to all that live” as she retells the creation story and how she rejoiced with God and delighted in the inhabited world and in the human race. (8:30-31) The Hebrew verb there is not “rejoice” but “play” so Old Testament scholar Robert Altar translates verses 30 and 31 as

I was His delight day after day, playing before Him at all times, playing in the world, His earth, and my delight with humankind.[iii]

Author David Weiss has written a version of the creation story where he pictures the Creator giggling as She imagines all the things she will make, and humming as She scoops up the “softest, nicest-smelling Earth,” and makes “Humus Beings.” The delight and joy is contagious.

And the object of this divine delight is us. We delight God.

Let me say that again. You and I delight God.

In a world that measures success by productivity, it’s easy to forget that play, delight and joy are all part of a well-ordered world, but they are.

And in our modern world filled with division, cynicism and conflict, it’s easy to lose sight of one another as beings in whom God delights, but we are.

Psalm 8 continues this theme of divine joy and delight.

The psalmist asks, in verse 4, “What are mere mortals that you should be mindful of them, human beings that you should care for them?”

The psalm assures us that God knows and remembers each one of us, “[making us] little less than divine” [crowned with glory and honor].” (verse 5)

And then it acknowledges how God has entrusted us with care for each other and all the works of God’s hands.

The same God who delights in us invites us
to care for the awesome creation we enjoy,
to see God’s majesty in it, and
to find joy and delight in that trust and care.

May our lives honor God’s invitation into life together, and may we find joy and delight in it.

Let us pray.

Holy God,

In the beginning, You were there, and the Word was there, and Wisdom was there.

And from the beginning you delighted in humankind and have shown us your majesty and your mercy.

Open our ears and our hearts to hear You call to us and to respond to your Word and Spirit, Your Son and Wisdom.

Amen.

[i] Tim Beilharz. “Why analogies of the Trinity fail.” Youthworks. https://youthworks.net/articles/analogies-of-the-trinity, accessed June 10, 2022.

[ii] Gail Ramshaw. Treasures Old and New. Kindle Edition. 36.

[iii] Robert Altar. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary. 379-380.

Easter Sunday

Matthew 28:1-10

Grace and peace to you.

Have you ever wondered why the two women went to see the tomb early that morning? Maybe, like me, you have harmonized the different gospel stories and recall that Mark and Luke say they took spices in order to anoint Jesus, but neither Matthew nor John say that in their gospels.

So, it’s possible there were other reasons. Maybe they went for the same reasons we visit cemeteries and columbariums where our beloved rest, or that we visit monuments and public memorials as witnesses to those who died.

Perhaps they visited the tomb with eager and confident anticipation, fully expecting to meet the resurrected Christ, or maybe they vacillated between despair at the crucifixion and belief in the foretelling of his death that Jesus had made, and they went, cautiously hopeful, to the tomb.

Devotion, remembrance, witness. Despair, excitement and hope. All of these are part of the Easter story.

This Easter morning throughout the world Christians are celebrating Easter differently than we have in the past.

At Ascension, the flower cross that usually stands outside the church on Easter morning is waiting to make its appearance when we are no longer asked to stay home.

The organ is still, and no one is singing in the sanctuary.

The elements of bread and wine for Holy Communion are reserved for the day when we can gather in person again.

The kitchen is quiet and dark, without any biscuit or gravy, eggs, sausage or even coffee!

Maybe you’re thinking it doesn’t feel or sound or look like Easter.

Nearly eighty years ago when Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned in Germany, he wrote a letter to his parents, saying,

“I do want you to know that I am having a happy Easter in spite of everything. One of the advantages of Good Friday and Easter Day is that they take us out of ourselves, and make us think of other things, of life and its meaning, and its suffering and events. It gives us such a lot to hope for.”[i]

Especially today when I despair that we are not gathered together in person, I hear the angel tell Mary, “I know you are looking for Jesus… he is not here…he is going ahead of you.” (v. 5-7)

And I can let out the breath I didn’t even realize I have been holding, and be hopeful, because no matter where we are today, this is the day that the Lord has made, and Jesus has gone ahead of us.

While our sanctuary, our worship liturgies and rituals and our fellowship together are places where we find Jesus, especially on Easter morning, the angel’s words remind us there is no place that God’s love and presence does not reach and there is no death that Jesus does not conquer.

Thanks be to God. Alleluia. Alleluia.

[i] Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Letters and Papers from Prison, April 25, 1943.

Third Wednesday in Lent - "Joyful Humility"

Philippians 2:5-11

We continue reading tonight from Paul’s letter to the Philippians with Chapter 2 verses 5 to 11, and I am reading from the English Standard Version translation:

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Have you ever read a book and discovered the words of the title in the prose? Recently, I noticed it when I read Where the Crawdads Sing and again in The Ragged Edge of Night. When you notice it, it can feel like the author has written that sentence just for you to find. Sometimes, preachers do this too; last May when Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preached at the royal wedding for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, he included the words from the well-known hymn “There is a Balm in Gilead’ in his sermon. In these six verses that we just heard from Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, scholars think the apostle is quoting “an early Christian hymn or confession of faith.” [i]

It’s helpful to learn a little more about Philippi as we read more of Paul’s letter. Remember, he is writing to one of the scattered Christian communities in the Roman Empire. In 42 BCE the city had been the site of a Roman civil war. Caesar’s armies had triumphed and awarded land to loyal Roman soldiers and later Caesar colonized the city. At the time Paul is writing, closer to the middle of the first century CE, the city’s leaders are the descendants of those Romans.

As we will hear later in Paul’s letter, one of the reasons he is writing is because the congregation at Philippi is divided. Two people in the congregation, Euodia and Syntyche, are at odds and the congregation is suffering.[ii] Here, Paul is calling for unity because of their common bond in Christ Jesus. Much as he would write later in his letter to the Romans, he urges the Philippians to pattern their lives in the way of Jesus and not the world they lived in, which was one of Roman empire, might and the lordship of Caesar.

The verses of the “Christ Hymn” describe Christ as an obedient servant, contrasting divinity and humanity; death and life; humiliation and exultation; bending and raising; heaven and earth and things above and below.[iii]

Some may cry out at the futility of imitating Christ, but Paul encourages us that we can pattern our words, actions and thoughts after Him.

Following Christ in this way becomes a self-emptying practice, where we surrender everything selfish and self-serving so that we may be filled and animated by God’s Holy Spirit, for the sake of the world. And in the freedom our faith gives us, we live in service and in accompaniment with others, not for own sake, but for the joy of seeing Christ in each other.

Christ-like humility can be manifest in care and support, physical presence and service. But it isn’t only in acts of self-giving service that Christ shows humility.

In the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell the story of people bringing their children to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray for them. The disciples speak out sternly against them to discourage them, but Jesus rebukes the disciples and tells them, “Let the little children come to me.” [iv]  It easy to forget that in the first century, children were not valued in the same way they are today, but Jesus insists that no one is excluded from God’s love.

Another example of Christ’s humility is seen in Matthew and Mark when Jesus encounters the Syrophoenician woman in the district of Tyre and Sidon, and she pleads for his mercy. At first he is dismissive, answering, “It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.” but when she challenges him, saying, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” Jesus relents and shows mercy.[v] He allows himself to learn both from a woman and a person who worshiped a different God, a person who had no status in his culture.

In Because of This I Rejoice, Methodist pastor and author Max O. Vincent writes, “Humility puts the interest of others before self-interest.” Christian unity grows out of this self-emptying practice that empowers us to seek the presence of God in each other, despite our differences. Importantly, unity does not mean uniformity; God creates us in all of our diversity and we celebrate everything God has made as good. Paul’s letter calls us to remember that regardless of our differences, above all, we are Christ’s.

Let us pray…
Holy God,
We give thanks for the self-emptying love Your Son gave us, taking on all of our sin and brokenness that we would be redeemed and called Your beloved children.
Give us courage to humble ourselves for the sake of the world.
By Your Spirit animate our lives that we are witnesses to your love and mercy.
We pray in the name of your Son Jesus.
Amen.

[i] “Christ Hymn of Philippians.” Enter The Bible. Luther Seminary. https://www.enterthebible.org/Controls/feature/tool_etb_resource_display/resourcebox.aspx?selected_rid=248&original_id=9, accessed 3/25/2019.
[ii] Sharon H. Ringe. “Commentary on Philippians 2:5-11.” Working Preacher Commentary. Luther Seminary.
[iii] C. Clifton Black. “Commentary on Philippians 2:5-11.” Working Preacher Commentary. Luther Seminary.
[iv] Matthew 19:13-14; Mark 10, 13-14; Luke 18:15-16
[v] Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30

Second Wednesday in Lent - "Joyful Witness"

Philippians 1:12-26

We continue reading tonight from Paul’s letter to the Philippians with Chapter 1, verses 12 to 26, and I am reading from the English Standard Version translation:

12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear

15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

In this part of his letter, Paul tells the church in Philippi that the Gospel has gone farther, or reached more people, because of his imprisonment.  Even in chains, he is a witness to the power of faith in Jesus Christ.  And in these verses, he is rejoicing in the progress of the Gospel.

Paul persuades us that evangelism – sharing the Good News – can happen under any circumstances.

Rob Bell, an evangelical pastor and author, tells the story of going to a concert with some of his friends and hearing a man shouting at the crowd. He catches the words, “burn”, “sin”, “hell” and “repent” and then he hears the word “Jesus”. The man was shouting in a bullhorn and waving paper pamphlets, telling people if they don’t change their ways and do better, they will face eternal damnation and the fires of hell. He was using Bible passages to hammer home his threats.

Unfortunately, whether it’s from our experience at a concert venue, main street, or television, the man who Bell nicknames “Bullhorn Guy” is what comes to mind for many of us when we hear the word “evangelism.” The word that literally means “the Good News” is now associated with arrogance, coercion and condemnation. And even if you have a more benign or neutral view of evangelism, you might think, like one person said in Bible study on Monday, “we’re Lutheran, we don’t do that.”

And while we don’t often canvas neighborhoods knocking on doors or go on beach trips with Four Spiritual Laws booklets tucked into our pockets, we are each equipped as evangelists because of the faith we have in Christ to be witnesses to the Gospel. And, tonight, I want us to reclaim the practice of evangelism, if not the word itself.

In his book about Philippians Because of This I Rejoice, Max Vincent tells a story from when he was in the third grade and a friend on the school bus asked him, “What is your witness?” After a minute of panic, he told the boy that he knew God loved him even though God knew the bad things he had done. That was a new idea to the boy and their conversation continued from there.

Importantly, God has to be the subject when we are sharing the Good News.

Tonight is a great example; you have chosen to gather for worship and for prayer because it means something to you to be part of the Body of Christ, to hear God’s Word spoken and preached, or to take time apart from the rest of your day to encounter God. If someone asked you, “What did you do Wednesday night?” what would you say? Is Lenten worship a joyful practice for you? Why?

Remembering that God creates us for relationship and doesn’t want us to be alone, maybe you could talk about your gratitude for sharing a table with friends or the importance of the relationships you have here.

Or, remembering that God is revealed in the Word and the Spirit gathers us as God’s people, you could explain that worship nourishes you and strengthens you for the challenges you face the rest of the week or how the music lifts your spirit.

Often our personal experiences can be a reference point for our witness of the Gospel, but we can also tell the stories of what is happening around the world remembering that we are one part of the Body of Christ the whole world over. Then we get to celebrate when congregations partner together to provide housing to the homeless or offer disaster relief to flooded communities like those in eastern North Carolina or Nebraska, or we hear about the young adults in global mission working in other countries to share God’s love with the world.

Vincent challenges us to identify where Christ is at the center of our lives and to share why we make the choices we make when we are in conversation with others.

Like Paul who rejoiced despite his imprisonment, invite people to be curious about your faith. Who knows - we may be surprised at the unexpected ways God uses us and our circumstances to further the reach of the Gospel.

Let us pray…
Holy God, We give you thanks for Your Son Jesus and the gift of salvation You have given each of us.
May we always be joyful remembering Your abundant love and mercy for us.
Give us courage to witness to your redeeming love.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

First Wednesday in Lent - "Joyful Prayer"

Philippians 1:1-13

Our reading tonight is from Paul’s letter to the Philippians and I am reading from the English Standard Version translation:

 1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,
 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.
 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,
 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

These words are the beginning of Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, one of the congregations he planted in the eastern and northern Mediterranean during his missionary travels. It is one of his prison letters, written sometime between 50 and 60 CE. We know that Paul was imprisoned in Jerusalem and in Rome several different times during the years that he traveled, and “although his death is not recorded in the Bible, later traditions say that he was martyred near Rome, probably between 60-64 C.E., during Emperor Nero's reign.”[i]

As you listen to the words he has written, imagine that he is sitting in what was likely a crudely dug hole in the ground that served as a prison. He would have been dependent upon people who knew him to provide him with food and to be couriers for his correspondence.

But uncertainty and anxiety are not the emotions we hear in Paul’s words. Instead, his letters characteristically begin with thanksgiving. He gives thanks first to “all the saints” – not the ones who will be canonized in the church in future centuries, and not the ancient heroes of the faith whose names would have been known then, but the living and gathered saints who are all the people of this congregation right now.

He is in prison, locked up and separated from those whom he loves, but he has a deep well of thanksgiving that is grounded in their common Lord Jesus Christ.

Continuing his letter, Paul tells the Philippians that he is making his prayers for them with joy.

Beginning with the ashes we put on last Wednesday, traditionally, the season of Lent involves sober reflection, confession and repentance. In a Family Circus comic strip, Dorothy sees her mother holding a crucifix, where Jesus is hanging on the cross, and says, “I liked seeing Jesus in the manger better.”  We expect joy in the Christmas story and certainly at Easter, after the resurrection, but reading Philippians, Methodist pastor and author Max Vincent suggests that joy belongs in Lent, too.

What do you think Paul means when he says he is praying with joy? (pause) Is it joy because they’re such wonderful friends, or because prayer is his favorite way to pass the time?

If I’m honest with myself, remembering that God already knows my heart, joy isn’t immediately what comes to mind when I think or talk about prayer. Sometimes, when I pray, it is with an agenda – God, please fix this situation or heal that person; other times, I pray because I promised I would and now I’m checking it off the to-do list. Other times, I might pray a familiar prayer like the Lord’s Prayer and my mind wanders or I worry if I’m saying the words everyone else knows. In another Family Circus comic, little Billy is on his knees praying when he tells his mother, “In case God is tired of the same old prayer, I recited Humpty Dumpty [tonight].”

Importantly, Paul’s pattern of joyful prayer begins and ends with God.[ii] He has witnessed how God is working already in the lives of his friends and he has confidence that God will continue to accomplish good work through them. His ability to give thanks and pray joyfully flows out of unity in Christ with the people in Philippi and in their shared partnership in the gospel.

This week, come before the Lord with joy as you make your prayers; maybe you can adopt a prayer of thanksgiving like Paul’s, or try another prayer practice just for this Lenten season.

Throughout Lent we will be reading Philippians together, learning more about the joy that Paul experiences in faith and expresses in this letter.  Each week we’ll hear about a different discipline that Paul carries out – prayer, witness, humility, hospitality, asceticism and giving – and challenge ourselves to come to our discipline of Lent joyfully.

Let us pray…
Holy God,
Fill our mouths with laughter and our tongues with joy as we remember all you have done; (Ps. 126)
We come before you with thanksgiving for your Son Jesus Christ, and for your abundant mercy.
Help us know the joy we all have in salvation and teach us to rejoice with all Your saints, confident You are present with us in all circumstances.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

[i] “Paul.” enterthebible.org Luther Seminary. http://www.enterthebible.org/newtestament.aspx?rid=9, accessed 3/12/2109
[ii] Max O. Vincent. Because of This I Rejoice. 34.

Second Sunday after Epiphany

John 2:1-11

I feel like I should be using a stage whisper to read this gospel. The scene we have in John’s gospel feels like it takes place backstage, behind the scenes or at least downstairs if it had happened in the days of Victorian England. Certainly, only a handful of people even know what has taken place. The rest of the wedding guests, the bride and even the bridegroom and his closest friends never suspect anything unusual has occurred.

We’ve probably all attended at least one wedding; the most intimate one I remember is my mother’s wedding to my stepfather, with family gathered around, while the most grand would be one of the royal weddings broadcast around the world. Our memories and experiences shape how we hear the biblical story and provide a starting place for understanding what was happening, but paying attention to the local context is important, too. Jewish wedding customs in the first century would have included a procession from the bride’s house to the groom’s, and a wedding feast that could have lasted seven days.[i]  It would have been raucous, and the entire village would have been invited. And it is in the midst of that boisterous cacophony of music and voices joined in celebration and conversation that John records a side conversation between Jesus and his mother, his instructions to the servants, and the steward’s conversation with the bridegroom that follows.

It’s easy to dismiss Mary as a busybody when she tells Jesus, “They have no wine.” Especially when we hear his unsympathetic reply, “What concern is that to you or me?”

But the story doesn’t end with his refusal to get involved.

I’ve wondered if, like in his encounter with the Syrophoenician woman who asked for her daughter to be healed, Jesus was persuaded by his mother’s pleading, but it’s more likely that John includes their exchange to emphasize the sovereignty or authority of God in Jesus. For the Evangelist John, Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise of the Messiah.

When the story continues we hear his instructions to the servants and watch as the chief steward, the person put in charge of all the details of the festivities, tastes the drawn cup and then addresses the bridegroom. It is only then that we hear about the very good wine that has come from the jars that had held water.

Throughout Scripture, “the joys of a feast are gift from God” and wine often is a symbol of joy, given in abundance by God. [ii] Spiritual joy is not simply happiness though ; it is a fruit of the Spirit of God made evident in a disciple’s life.

There’s a story about Saint Francis where he tells his brotherd at the monastery about the nature of true joy. Francis describes returning to the friary on a bitterly cold winter night, the kind of night where icicles had formed on the muddy hem of his habit and cut at his legs. Francis approaches the gate and knocks for a long time. One of his brothers eventually comes to the door and angrily demands that he identify himself. Francis gives his name and begs for entrance for the love of Christ. But the gatekeeper refuses him admission, curses him and then begins to beat Francis around the head and shoulders. Francis says to the brother hearing the story for the first time, “I tell you that if I kept patience and was not upset- that is true joy and true virtue and the salvation of the soul.”[iii]

David Rensberger writes about this story in his article “True and Perfect Joy” saying Francis’ joy arises from remaining intent on Christ through pain and difficulty and betrayal.”[iv]

Joy is found in the vision of Jesus’ perfect love for each of us.

When you substitute the word “joy” for wine in the gospel, the meaning of Mary’s words changes. She’s no longer preoccupied with avoiding the scandal of a poorly prepared feast or intruding where she doesn’t belong. She has seen the poverty of joy all around her and she knows Jesus can intercede.

The purification jars become what one preacher called “vessels of transformation” as Jesus provides an overflowing abundance of joy to the wedding guests. Some of them won’t ever notice that Jesus was even there or know that he changed their circumstances. Others will be skeptical, even after having seen his miracle and question what happened and why. But John tells us that at least the disciples believed in him.

But, what would have happened if Mary had stayed silent?

What if she had just watched quietly from the back of the room while the wine ran out and the celebration faded as people grew more and more unsettled?

Haven’t we faced circumstances when we’d rather stay silent?
When we don’t want to trouble the waters or rock the boat?

The wedding at Cana reminds us that we, too, know Jesus is the Messiah, and we know the sovereignty of God — that God is God, and we are not.

We know what we cannot do — we cannot turn water into wine or perform miracles.

But we can and must speak up and name the places where we see God at work in our midst;
we must name the sin that infects our own lives and confess our self-centeredness and selfishness;
we must name the brokenness that fragments our community and ask God to intervene.

With the psalmist whose words from Psalm 51we sing at the offertory, we can call out,

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.[v]

With God’s Spirit renewing us and strengthening us, we disciples, like the ones who accompanied Jesus in Cana, are called to witness to the abundant joy that God supplies.

Let us pray…
Loving God,
Thank you for the gift of Your Son who comes into our lives unexpectedly and often unnoticed;
You grant us the joy of salvation and ask us not to be silent about the abundant life we have in Your grace.
Give us courage to speak up so that others can share in the abundance you give us all.
We pray in the name of Jesus,
Amen.

[i] Raymond Brown. The Gospel According to John I-XII.  Yale: Anchor Press. 97-98.

[ii] Gail Ramshaw. Treasures Old and New: Images in the Lectionary. Kindle Edition. 183.

[iii] Lisa Cressman Backstory Preaching. 95.

[iv] As quoted by Lisa Cressman, 96.

[v] Psalm 51:10-12 (NRS)

Bearing Hope

A week ago I sat parked outside the Greyhound station in Charlotte waiting for a bus to bring a visitor for the Thanksgiving holiday. It was dark and wet and I sat in the car with the engine running and the windows closed, watching the station exit.While I was waiting an older man walked by on the sidewalk. His long coat hung on his frame and his whiskers were gray. He pantomimed asking if I would give him anything.

I don't carry cash, so I really didn't have anything to give, and, besides, after dark in a neighborhood I don't know isn't where I strike up conversations with people I don't know. I shook my head. He walked in front of the car to get my attention again and when he reached my side of the car, he stood and saluted to the street, in a pantomime of a soldier. I shrugged my shoulders helplessly and said through the window that "Thank you, but I don't have anything I can give you." He looked irritated and stomped away down the street behind where I was parked. Eventually I couldn't see him any longer.

It left me feeling like I had failed. I didn't welcome a stranger. I didn't feed the hungry. I tuned inward and isolated myself from the world outside. And that isn't what following Jesus looks like.

More than a year ago, I had talked about putting some items in the car for people I meet on the street, but I had never gotten around to it. That Thanksgiving eve encounter renewed my resolve not to turn a person away empty-handed again. There are any number of "supply lists" for providing for the homeless on the web, but one I had saved. suggested the following items are appreciated:

shampoo	conditioner	comb
toothpaste	toothbrush	deodorant
razor	chapstick	hand lotion
hat	scarf	gloves
thermal socks	lightweight snacks	small bottle of water
small first aid kit	gift cards(small amounts)	words of encouragement

Near its assortment of trial and travel size toiletries, the big box store had convenient 10-piece travel kits for $5.97. Both the men's and women's zippered plastic bags contain an extra zip-top bag, toothpaste and a toothbrush, a comb, shampoo, conditioner and deodorant. Men also get mouthwash, shaving cream and a razor while women get hand lotion and floss picks.

I took the packaging out, and to this foundation I added a bottle of water, two packages of peanut butter crackers, chewing gum, loose bandaids, a pocket size package of Kleenex tissues, a small tube of petroleum jelly, a pair of winter gloves, a washcloth, mouthwash and a razor for the women and lotion for the men.

And then it all went into a zip top gallon size plastic bag, and into the car for the next person I meet.

In this Advent season when God breaks into our world and reminds us of the promises we have been given and shows us how to have hope, courage, love and joy, this is one way I can show others glimpses of the gifts faith  gives me each day.