Lectionary 21B

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

Juan 6:56-69 

Oremos...

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

Los Juegos Olímpicos de París terminaron a principios de este mes y, si bien hay muchas historias inspiradoras sobre los atletas que compitieron allí, quiero contarles sobre uno de los gimnastas masculinos estadounidenses. Brody Malone era un gimnasta de la Universidad de Stanford que se lesionó gravemente al caerse durante su rutina de barra alta en marzo de 2023 durante un evento de la Copa del Mundo. Luego, Malone se sometió a tres cirugías para reparar el daño en su rodilla y no regresó a la competencia hasta finales de mayo, hace solo tres meses. Allí ganó su tercer título nacional completo y en junio compitió nuevamente y ganó su lugar en el equipo olímpico masculino de 2024 que ganó la medalla de bronce en París. ¹ El camino de regreso de Malone a los Juegos Olímpicos estuvo marcado por desafíos e interrupciones, pero estaba decidido.

Nuestro evangelio de hoy cuenta una historia sobre Jesús y sus discípulos, y escuchamos acerca de los retos que enfrentan y las trastornos que encuentran mientras siguen a Jesús.

Jesús está enseñando en la sinagoga, explicando lo que significa tener vida eterna. Y sus discípulos son desafiados por sus palabras. El evangelista Juan dice que Jesús los escucha quejarse por la dificultad que están teniendo, y Jesús les pregunta: "¿Esto los ofende?"

Nos queda especular sobre por qué están perturbados u ofendidos.

En el discurso de las últimas cinco semanas en el evangelio, Jesús les ha dicho muchas cosas.

El discurso comenzó con la alimentación de los 5.000.

¿Se ofenden porque dice que nunca rechazará a los que vienen a Él? (6:37)

¿Se ofenden, como los líderes religiosos, porque enseña con autoridad y les dice que vino del cielo cuando recuerdan a sus padres en Galilea? (6:38-42)

¿Se ofenden porque les dice que coman su carne y beban su sangre? (6:54)

¿O se ofenden porque dice que quienes crean permanecerán en Él y Él en nosotros? (6:56)

Después de todo, esperaban que viniera un Mesías que restaurara a Israel y derrotara a quienes los oprimen. ¿Cómo lograrán eso en el comer y en el beber? ¿Dónde están los ejércitos de los justos y la ruina y destrucción de nuestros enemigos? La gente debe estar perpleja ante Jesús.

Lo que aprendemos, por supuesto, es que Jesús no es un general militar y que ser discípulo no significa ser un soldado.

Jesús, el único Hijo de Dios, fue enviado por Dios para vivir entre nosotros, para comer, beber y tener hambre con nosotros, para experimentar toda la vida humana con sus propias desilusiones y sus alegrías, su desamor y sus milagros.

La vida eterna es un regalo que recibimos de Dios porque Dios quiere vivir en relación con su pueblo. Recibir el sacramento es la manera en que somos alimentados y perdonados por Dios, una y otra vez, no porque Dios nos quite nuestro perdón, sino porque nosotros, como los discípulos, a menudo nos alejamos de Dios en tiempos difíciles, quejándonos e insatisfechos.

Lutero escribió en su explicación del sacramento en el Catecismo Menor

Las palabras “dado por ustedes” y “derramado por ustedes para el perdón de los pecados” nos muestran que el perdón de los pecados, la vida y la salvación se nos dan en el sacramento a través de estas palabras, porque donde hay perdón de los pecados, también hay vida y salvación.

[Y estas] palabras, cuando van acompañadas del comer y beber físicamente, son lo esencial del sacramento, y quien cree en estas mismas palabras tiene lo que declaran y afirman, es decir, “el perdón de los pecados”.

Porque “creer”, especialmente en el evangelio de Juan, tiene que ver con estar en relación con Dios, creer que somos perdonados y tenemos nueva vida en Cristo también significa permanecer o morar con Dios, y confiar en que Dios está morando con nosotros.

Después de que algunos de los discípulos se alejaron y dejaron a Jesús, él se volvió hacia los doce que habían estado con él desde el principio de su ministerio y les preguntó: “¿También ustedes quieren irse?” Y es entonces cuando escuchamos la memorable confesión de Pedro. Le responde a Jesús: “Señor, ¿a quién iremos? Tú tienes palabras de vida eterna” (6:68).

Conocemos a Pedro. Sabemos que, si bien tiene este momento brillante, no siempre es tan confiable o comprometido. Sabemos que es excitable e impulsivo y, a veces, tiene miedo y pone sus propios intereses por delante de seguir a Jesús. Pero aquí lo hace bien. Aquí acierta.

Él y los demás apóstoles han observado a Jesús y lo han escuchado. Pedro sabe que Jesús es el propio Hijo de Dios y el único que puede ofrecer perdón, vida y salvación y se compromete a seguir a Jesús y proclamar que Él es el Mesías y el Señor.

Estar en relación con Dios, permanecer en Dios y aceptar la presencia y la voluntad de Dios para nuestras vidas es una tarea continua y diaria. Si bien somos salvados por Dios y perdonados por Dios, y nada nos separa del amor de Dios, siempre seremos desafiados a alejarnos de Dios porque el mal, los poderes y los principados aún existen en el mundo, tratando de convencernos de que nos alejemos de Dios, mintiéndonos sobre quiénes somos y a quién pertenecemos.

El desafío del discipulado de seguir a Jesús de todas maneras.

En el Encuentro de Jóvenes de la ELCA, la Dra. Jacquelyn Bussie habló desde el escenario principal y contó su historia de cómo quedó viuda de repente y descubrió el amor y la alegría de todos modos a pesar de la trágica experiencia y la tremenda pérdida.

En la vida habrá obstáculos, desafíos y decepciones. Una invitación al discipulado no es una invitación a la tranquilidad y a la liberación de las preocupaciones. Es una invitación a vivir en espacios sagrados y a caminar con el Dios que te conoce, te ama y te perdona. Es una invitación a encontrar una nueva vida cuando todo esta boca abajo y nada va como lo habías planeado, y a vivir en  fe de todos modos. Porque, como preguntó Pedro, ¿a dónde más podemos ir?

Oremos.

Dios bueno y misericordioso,

Gracias por tu Hijo Jesús y por el don de la vida eterna que nos has dado como tus hijos. Ayúdanos a resistir aquellas cosas en nuestras vidas que nos alejan de Ti o tratan de separarnos de Ti. Llénanos con Tu Espíritu Santo y capacítanos para seguirte incluso cuando sea desafiante o difícil. Oramos en el nombre de Jesús. Amén.

 

John 6:56-69

The Paris Olympics finished earlier this month and while there are lots of inspiring stories about the athletes who were there competing, I want to tell you about one of the American men’s gymnasts. Brody Malone was a Stanford University gymnast who was seriously injured in a fall during his high bar routine in March 2023 during a World Cup event. Malone then had three surgeries to repair damage in his knee and didn’t return to competition until the end of May, just three months ago. There he earned his third all around national title and in June he competed again and won his spot on the 2024 Men’s Olympic team that won the bronze medal in Paris.[i] Malone’s road back to the Olympics was marked by challenges and disruptions, but he was committed.

Our gospel today tells a story about Jesus and his disciples, and we hear about challenges they face and disruptions they encounter as they follow Jesus.

Jesus is teaching in the synagogue, explaining what it means to have eternal life. And his disciples are challenged by his words. The evangelist John says that Jesus hears them grumbling about the difficulty they are having, and Jesus asks them, “Does this offend you?”

We are left to speculate about why they are disturbed or offended.

In the discourse over the last five weeks in the gospel, Jesus has told them many things.

The discourse began with the feeding of the 5,000.

Are they offended because he says he will never drive away those who come to Him? (6:37)

Are they, like the religious leaders, offended because he teaches with authority and tells them that he came from heaven when they remember his parents in Galilee? (6:38-42)

Are they offended because he tells them to eat his flesh and drink his blood? (6:54)

Or are they offended because he says that those who believe will abide in Him and He in us? (6:56)

After all they have expected a Messiah to come and restore Israel and defeat those who oppress them. How will eating and drinking do that? Where are the armies of the righteous and the ruin and destruction of our enemies? The people must be perplexed by Jesus.

What we learn, of course, is that Jesus isn’t a military general, and that being a disciple is not about being a soldier.

Jesus, God’s only Son, was sent by God to live among us, to eat and drink and hunger with us, to experience all of human life with its own disappointments and its joys, its heartbreak and its miracles.

Eternal life is a gift we receive from God because God wants to live in relationship with God’s people. Receiving the sacrament is how we are fed and forgiven by God, again and again — not because God takes away our forgiveness, but because we, like the disciples, often turn away from God in hard times, grumbling and dissatisfied.

Luther wrote in his explanation of the sacrament in the Small Catechism

The words “given for you” and “shed for you for the forgiveness of sin” show us that forgiveness of sin, life, and salvation are given to us in the sacrament through these words, because where there is forgiveness of sin, there is also life and salvation.

[And these] words, when accompanied by the physical eating and drinking, are the essential thing in the sacrament, and whoever believes these very words has what they declare and state, namely, “forgiveness of sin.”

Because “believing”, especially in John’s gospel, is about being in relationship with God, believing we are forgiven and have new life in Christ also means abiding or dwelling with God, and trusting that God is abiding with us.

After some of the disciples turned away and left Jesus, he turned to the twelve who had been with him from the beginning of his ministry, and asked them, “Do you also wish to go away?” And that’s when we hear Peter’s memorable confession. He answers Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (6:68)

We know Peter. We know that while he has this shining moment, he is not always so dependable or committed. We know he is excitable and impulsive and sometimes he is afraid and puts his own interests ahead of following Jesus. But here he does well. Here he gets it right.

He and the other apostles have watched Jesus and listened to Him. Peter knows that Jesus is God’s own Son and the only One who can offer forgiveness, life and salvation and he commits himself to following Jesus and proclaiming He is Messiah and Lord.

Being in relationship with God, abiding in God and accepting God’s presence and will for our lives, is an ongoing and daily task. While we are saved by God and forgiven by God, and nothing separates us from God’s love, we are always going to be challenged to turn away from God because evil and powers and principalities still exist in the world, trying to convince us to walk away from God, lying to us about who we are and to whom we belong.

The challenge of discipleship to follow Jesus anyway.

At the ELCA Youth Gathering, Dr. Jacquelyn Bussie spoke from the main stage and told her story of being widowed suddenly and discovering love and joy anyway despite the tragic experience and tremendous loss.

In life, there will be obstacles. There will be challenges. There will be disappointments. An invitation to discipleship is not an invitation to ease and freedom from worries. It is an invitation to dwell in holy spaces and journey with the God who knows you, loves you and forgives you. It is an invitation to find new life when everything has turned upside down and nothing is going as you planned and live in faith anyway. For, as Peter asked, where else can we go?

Let us pray.

Good and gracious God,
Thank you for your Son Jesus and for the gift of eternal life given to us, as your children. Help us resist those things in our lives that draw us away from You or try to separate us from You. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit and empower us to follow you even when it is challenging or difficult. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brody_Malone, accessed August 24, 2024.

"N is for Nicodemus" The Good Book Summer Series

 John 3:1-10

Today we are finishing our Good Book summer sermon series. We have heard eight stories from the Bible that we don’t hear in the lectionary readings, or we’ve heard something new in a story we thought was familiar.

This morning falls into the latter category. We hear about Nicodemus a lot in the lectionary. He’s no stranger. In some years, he shows up in Lent and in others, on Trinity Sunday, and now we’re hearing his story again.

I like to remember that Scripture is a living Word, so whenever you hear a Bible story, even if it’s familiar, you are different, the Holy Spirit speaking to you through God’s Word is different and so you may expect to hear something new in it.

The evangelist John tells us that Nicodemus comes by night to Jesus. He is a religious leader of the Jews, a Pharisee, but even with all of his “book-learning”, hearing about Jesus has him asking new questions.

John doesn’t tell us why he comes by night, under the cover of darkness. And we don’t hear anything more from Nicodemus until he speaks up briefly during a heated debate among the Pharisees in the 7^th chapter of John’s gospel.  And then he goes dark. He’s silent, and absent from the Jesus story, until after the crucifixion, when he brings one hundred pounds of spices to anoint Jesus’ body at his burial.

As Dr. Anna Carter Florence wrote, it was “too much, too late”.[i] She asks us to wonder “what might have been, if Nicodemus had acted on his first conversation with Jesus.”[ii]

Instead of wringing his hands and deciding it was wiser to wait.

Instead of being silenced by critics or bullies.

Instead of preserving his own comfort, his own status, and his own privilege.

Speaking up is never easy. It is never comfortable. It takes courage and steadfastness.

So does discipleship.

Remember, in the waters of baptism, every one of us is claimed by God and “sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.”[iii]

So, when Jesus says in verses 7 and 8:

Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit...

he isn’t talking about someone else, but each one of us.

The Holy Spirit is “the very breath of our life”.[iv]

The Greek word used for Holy Spirit – pneuma – is the same as the word for wind and breath. Like wind and breath, the Holy Spirit isn’t something we can see or touch, but we recognize its presence, and we can respond to its movement in our lives.

This story challenges us to believe in what we cannot see, just as we do when the wind rustles through the trees or our breath rises in a puff on a cold morning.

In God’s Holy Spirit, we have this living presence with us. And just as with a living Word, it does not leave us unchanged.  “The experience of God’s Spirit is never merely an inward experience of God’s presence” though.[v]

The Holy Spirit is a creative and life-giving power, and like the other gifts we receive from God, it is not for us to “hide under a bushel.” (Mt. 5:15)

It is not ours for our own sake, but, as Luther’s Small Catechism says in the explanation to the third article,

the Holy Spirit has called [us] through the gospel, enlightened [us] with his gifts, made [us] holy and kept [us] in the true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one common, true faith.[vi]

The Spirit is ours in community and leads us out and into mission beyond our doors.

As I reflected on the things we cannot see or touch, but we believe are there, in addition to wind and breath and Spirit, I considered love. You see love when it is put into action, when as Stephen Ministers say it has “skin on it”. It is the idea behind saying, “We are God’s hands and feet in the world,” or “You may be the only Jesus someone meets.” We are commanded to love our neighbors. (Mark 12; Matthew 22)

When we remember “God’s Spirit is with us wherever we go and in everything we do” we love our neighbor well, finding the courage to speak up against injustice, to risk our comfort or status for the sake of those who do not have a voice, and to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to others.

As disciples we must be focused on who Jesus is and what Jesus has done – given us new life, fed us and forgiven us – and respond to the Spirit moving in us and among us.

Let us pray…

Good and gracious God,

We give you thanks for giving us Your Son Jesus to lead us.

Help us follow with boldness, using our voices to speak up for those who cannot.

May we respond to Your Holy Spirit with openness and not fear.

We pray in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

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[i] Anna Carter Florence. A is for Alabaster. 169-170.

[ii] ibid, 170.

[iii] “Holy Baptism”. ELW.

[iv] Lois Malcolm. Holy Spirit. 12.

[v] ibid, 11.

[vi] “Luther’s Small Catechism”. ELW.

Lectionary 19B

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

Juan 6:35-51 

Oremos…

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

En las primeras palabras del evangelio de hoy, escuchamos a Jesús relacionar el pasado de Israel con el presente. El evangelista Mateo a menudo compara a Jesús con el profeta Moisés, y Juan evoca una comparación similar en esta parte de su evangelio.

Con la señal que se muestra en la alimentación de los cinco miles que precede a estos versículos, se pretende que recordemos la alimentación de los israelitas en el desierto, cuando comieron el maná que Dios les proporcionó.

La profesora del Nuevo Testamento Susan Hylen escribió: “El recuerdo de la historia del maná no era simplemente que Dios alimentó a Israel, sino que comer maná [simbolizaba] aprender la sabiduría de Dios y cumplir la ley de Dios”. ⁱ

Pero

donde Moisés era el profeta de Dios,

Jesús es el Hijo de Dios;

donde el maná era alimento para el cuerpo,

el “pan del cielo” alimenta tanto al cuerpo como al Espíritu;

donde el maná era perecedero,

el “pan de vida” es eterno.

En el evangelio de Juan, ya no miramos hacia atrás, hacia nuestros antepasados ​​y los acontecimientos del pasado, sino que nos dirigimos hacia Dios Padre y el aquí y ahora.

La predicadora y maestra luterana Karoline Lewis dice:

Creer en Jesús aquí es hacer la conexión de que él es tanto el pan que Dios provee que da vida como también la fuente del pan. ⁱⁱ

En el evangelio de Juan, creer en Jesús siempre tiene que ver con estar en relación con Jesús.

Y negarse a creer —rechazar la relación— significa muerte y separación de Dios. Rechazar el pan del cielo es lo mismo que rechazar a Jesús.

Al escuchar a Jesús hablar, primero con la multitud que interactuaba con él y estaba agradecida, y luego con los líderes religiosos que eran más escépticos con respecto a él y su enseñanza, lo que le oímos decir es: “en mí ven a Dios de una manera en que nunca antes lo habían visto”.ⁱⁱⁱ

Jesús no ignora sus dudas, su falta de comprensión o su incertidumbre. Él reconoce la humanidad expresada en su respuesta.

Pero con la paciencia de un maestro, Él se explica una y otra vez, invitando a su curiosidad y llevando a la gente más profundamente a una nueva comprensión de quién es él a lo largo de este discurso.

Es importante destacar que Jesús no estaba reemplazando lo que los israelitas creían acerca del Mesías. Lewis escribe nuevamente:

“[Él] está tratando de demostrar que todo lo que los judíos saben acerca de su historia, lo que está registrado en las Escrituras y en los profetas, cómo han oído y aprendido de Dios” se encuentra en su revelación de haber sido enviado por Dios el Padre. ^iv

En mayor contraste con Moisés, Jesús promete que nada ni nadie se perderá por él. (v. 39) Su audiencia recordaría que toda una generación de israelitas se perdió en el desierto durante el éxodo cuando Moisés los guió desde Egipto hasta el río Jordán. Pero aquí Jesús está diciendo que “la presencia de Dios está dondequiera que esté el creyente”. ^v

Incluso cuando está en un desierto, en un tiempo seco y desértico donde la conexión con Dios parece tenue o incluso ausente;

o cuando las distracciones nos impiden pasar tiempo con Dios de maneras que alimenten nuestra hambre de Dios o hagan crecer nuestra fe;

o cuando los desafíos nos hacen preguntarnos dónde está Dios y si Dios escucha nuestras oraciones o todavía nos ve o nos conoce;

o cuando nos sentimos tan mal que no creemos merecer el amor de Dios.

En todos estos casos, la promesa de Dios es que Él está presente y activo en nuestras vidas y en nuestro mundo, proveyendo para nosotros y para una vida abundante en Cristo. Dios nos envía a Jesús para que esté con nosotros, para alimentarnos y cuidarnos.

Amén.

John 6:35-51

Let us pray…

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

In the first words of the gospel today, we hear Jesus connect Israel’s past to the present. The evangelist Matthew often compares Jesus to the prophet Moses, and John evokes a similar comparison in this part of his gospel.

With the sign shown in the feeding of the 5,000 that precedes these verses, we are meant to recall the feeding of the Israelites in the wilderness, when they ate the manna that God provided for them.

New Testament professor Susan Hylen wrote, “The memory of the manna story was not simply that God fed Israel, but that eating manna [symbolized] learning God’s wisdom and abiding by God’s law.”[i]

But

where Moses was God’s prophet,

Jesus is God’s Son;

where the manna was food for the body,

the “bread from heaven” feeds both body and Spirit;

where the manna was perishable,

the “bread of life” is eternal.

In John’s gospel, we are no longer looking backward toward our ancestors and the events of the past, but we are directed forward toward God the Father and the here and now.

Lutheran preacher and teacher Karoline Lewis says,

To believe in Jesus here is to make the connection that he is both the bread God provides that gives life and also the source of the bread.[ii]

In John’s gospel, believing in Jesus is always about being in relationship with Jesus.

And refusing to believe — refusing relationship — does mean death and separation from God. Rejecting the bread from heaven is the same as rejecting Jesus.

As we listen to Jesus’ talking, first with the crowd who engaged with him and was grateful, and then with the religious leaders who were more skeptical of him and his teaching, what we hear him say is, “in me you do see God in a way you have never seen God before.”[iii]

Jesus doesn’t dismiss their wondering, their lack of understanding or their uncertainty. He recognizes the humanity expressed in their response.

But with a teacher’s patience, he explains himself again and again, inviting their curiosity and drawing people more deeply into a new understanding of who he is throughout this discourse.

Importantly, Jesus wasn’t replacing what was believed by the Israelites about the Messiah. Lewis again writes,

“[He] is trying to make the case that what the Jews know about their history, what is recorded in scripture and in the prophets, how they have heard and learned from God” is all located is his revelation of being sent from God the Father.[iv]

In further contrast to Moses, Jesus promises that nothing and no one will be lost by him. (v. 39) His audience would remember that a whole generation of Israelites were lost in the wilderness during the exodus when Moses led them from Egypt to the Jordan river. But here Jesus is saying that “God’s presence is wherever the believer is.”[v]

Even when it is a wilderness – a dry and desert-like time where connection to God seems tenuous or even absent;

or when distractions mean we don’t spend time with God in ways that feed our hunger for God or grow our faith;

or when challenges have us wondering where God is and whether God hears our prayers or still sees us or knows us;

or when we feel so low that we don’t think we deserve God’s love.

In all of these, God’s promise is that God is present and active in our lives and world, providing for us and for abundant life in Christ. God sends us Jesus to be with us, to feed us and care for us.

Amen.

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[i] Susan Hylen. Commentary on John 6:35, 41-51.Working Preacher. Luther Seminary.

[ii] Lewis, Karoline M. John: Fortress Biblical Preaching Commentaries (p. 90). Fortress Press. Kindle Edition.

[iii] ibid, p. 92.

[iv] ibid

[v] Lewis, p. 91.

Lectionary 17B

Juan 6:1-21

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, Señor, nuestra fuerza y nuestro Redentor. Amén.

Érase una vez, un hombre escribió una carta al editor del periódico, pidiéndole a la ciudad que traslade una señal de "cruce de ciervos" a un área con menos tráfico porque muchos de los animales están siendo golpeados por automóviles en su ubicación actual.

No podemos saber si el escritor de cartas era serio o no, pero la historia ilustra útilmente que las señales apuntan a otra cosa.

En el Evangelio de Juan, somos testigos de signos de ese punto más allá del evento del momento, a quién es Jesús, al poder y la presencia de Dios en Él. ⁱ Hay siete juntos; El primero sucedió en la boda en Cana cuando Jesús convirtió el agua en vino; El segundo y el tercero fueron la curación del hijo del funcionario real y la curación del hombre paralizado en el grupo de Bethesda; Y hoy escuchamos sobre el cuarto.

Nuestra lectura del Evangelio recoge la historia que el Leccionario se saltó en el Evangelio de Mark: la alimentación de los 5,000. Es la única historia milagrosa que los cuatro escritores del evangelio incluyen en sus relatos del ministerio de Jesús.

Viajando por Judea y Samaria, Jesús y los discípulos han atraído a grandes multitudes y ahora están en una ladera de la montaña en la costa norte del Mar de Galilea cuando Jesús les pregunta a sus discípulos cómo alimentarán a las personas que se han reunido allí para verlo. Enfermo y escúchalo enseñar.

Los oyentes de John habrían escuchado un eco de la historia de Moisés, durante el desierto deambulando por los israelitas, cuando le preguntó a Dios: "¿Dónde debo que la carne diera a todas esta gente? Porque vienen llorando a mí y dicen: "¡Danos carne para comer!" (Números 11:13 NRS)

Pero donde Moisés estaba realmente perdido, Jesús sabía lo que sucedería. Su pregunta fue retórica. Juan llega a decir que Jesús estaba probando a sus discípulos.

Y los discípulos, los mismos que han estado viajando con él y presenciaron esos signos anteriores, responden ansiosamente, centrados solo en la escasez de lo que está a la vista y lo que pueden sostener en sus manos. No hay nada en sus palabras o acciones que sean testigos de lo que han visto hacer a Jesús o quién creen que es Jesús.

Me pregunto si podemos relacionarnos con los discípulos que estaban abrumados por la necesidad que vieron.

La semana pasada, escuché una entrevista con un pastor de Atlanta que trabajaba hace cuarenta años para abordar las necesidades de los desanimados entonces, y optimista había pensado que resolverían el problema en unos pocos años. Ella lamentó cuánto peor es la situación hoy.

Probablemente, cada uno de nosotros puede nombrar un problema social que solo se ha vuelto más complejo y más desafiante en nuestras vidas, o una región del mundo que parece haberse hundido más profundamente en la desesperación. No sería sorprendente si nos rindiéramos, sacudimos la cabeza y se encogió de hombros, sin esperanza e indefenso.

Pero a veces tenemos la oportunidad de conocer a una persona y escuchar su historia, y ahora tenemos una cara y un nombre. Y cualquiera que sea el problema, ya no es un problema distante, impersonal o abstracto; Es parte de la historia de otro ser humano, a quien conocemos, y amamos, y aún más importante, a quien Dios ve, y conoce y ama, como aquellas personas que se encuentran con Jesús y los discípulos en la ladera de la montaña.

E, incluso entonces, como los discípulos, a menudo miramos los recursos que tenemos en la mano, y nos burlamos rápidamente de identificar por qué algo es imposible, por qué no puede funcionar y por qué no tiene sentido intentarlo.

Tal vez incluso descartamos la noción de milagros como obsoletos porque no hemos presenciado uno nosotros mismos. Traemos nuestro escepticismo y nuestro conocimiento del mundo y sus hechos y números a la mesa. Y al igual que los discípulos, descartamos lo que sabemos sobre quién es Dios y qué promete Dios.

El fallecido Harry Emerson Fosdick, una vez que el pastor de la Iglesia de Riverside en la ciudad de Nueva York, escribió: “La impresión común es que son los ininteligentes quienes creen en los milagros, pero el hecho es que son las grandes mentes las que creen más fervientemente en la falta de fusión posibilidades”.

Nos recuerda que Dios es un dios de los milagros. Dios es un Dios de lo imposible.

Y, afortunadamente, Dios trabaja de maneras inexplicables, entonces y ahora. Jesús instruyó a los discípulos para que la gente se sentara y él tomó los cinco panes de cebada y los dos pescan a la multitud y los alimentó.

Jesús sabía lo que los discípulos no: el conocimiento es verdad, pero el conocimiento es más que una acumulación de datos. En el evangelio de Juan, especialmente, el conocimiento se trata de la relación.

Relación con un dios que ve el hambre que existe en este mundo: el hambre de pan real para llenar las barrigas vacías y el hambre de esperanza y curación para llenar corazones devastados.

Y este Dios es el mismo que nos conoce en esos lugares superpoblados donde la necesidad es abrumadora y satisface nuestro hambre.

De hecho, el texto dice que la multitud tenía todo lo que querían y estaban satisfechos, y cuando los discípulos reunieron las sobras, llenaron doce cestas. El amor se multiplica. ⁱⁱ Y se recrea y se renueva en lugares de sufrimiento y necesidad, pero no sucede por magia. Cada uno de nosotros está llamado a seguir a Jesús al mundo y vivir entre el pueblo de Dios, compartiendo las buenas noticias de lo que Dios hace posible.

Mirando la inmensa necesidad que existe en el mundo, no nos desesperamos, pero reclamamos la esperanza que tenemos en el poder de Dios y el amor reconciliador, recordando el poder victorioso de Jesús que superó la muerte y la tumba para traer nueva vida a cada uno de nosotros. .

Algunos de ustedes han oído hablar de la vivienda en Winston-Salem. Nuestros jóvenes han viajado allí dos veranos seguidos, y tenemos estudiantes universitarios que sirven allí en este momento. Su principal pastor Emily Harkins pudo contar una historia de su comunidad desde el escenario principal de la reunión en Nueva Orleans. Ella contó la historia de trabajar con un hombre desanimado, conocido como "el alcalde no oficial" en la vivienda.

Las personas no vistas enfrentan muchos obstáculos. Sin identificación o una dirección permanente, puede ser imposible solicitar empleos o asistencia pública. Como dijo el pastor Emily en la reunión: "Y para obtener una identificación, debes tener una identificación, algo oficial que confirme al mundo quién eres".ⁱⁱⁱ

Pero durante varias semanas, ella y "El alcalde" habían trabajado para obtener los documentos que necesitaba, y un día, entró en el DMV y salió con una identificación con su nombre. Lamentablemente, unos meses después, murió tratando de cruzar un río para llegar a su tienda.

Pero cuando lo encontraron, él tenía su identificación sobre él. No era desconocido. No estaba no identificado. No estaba sin nombre. Tenía un nombre y un lugar donde pertenecía, y donde era amado.

La vivienda es un lugar donde ocurren los milagros.

Pero hay milagros que suceden todos los días. Que siempre miremos y escuchemos a ver dónde Dios ha venido a encontrarnos, recordando que, a menudo, son las ideas aparentemente tontas, las probabilidades absurdas e incluso los recursos inadecuados, lo que conducen a milagros.^iv

Oremos…^v

Amando a Dios,

Gracias por el sorprendente regalo de su hijo en el que habita su amor y presencia.

Nutrir y fortalecer a todos los que te miran.

Que nos ofrezcamos al mundo para que todos puedan conocer su abundante misericordia.

Oramos en el nombre de Jesús.

Amén.

John 6:1-21

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

Once upon a time, a man wrote a letter to the newspaper editor, asking the city to move a “deer crossing” sign to an area with less traffic because too many of the animals were being struck by automobiles at its current location.

We can’t know whether the letter writer was serious or not, but the story helpfully illustrates that signs point to something else.

In John’s gospel, we witness signs that point beyond the event of the moment, to who Jesus is, to the power and presence of God in Him.[i] There are seven all together; the first happened at the wedding at Cana when Jesus turned water into wine; the second and third were the healing of the royal official’s son and the healing of the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda; and today we hear about the fourth.

Our gospel reading picks up with the story that the lectionary skipped in Mark’s gospel – the feeding of the 5,000. It is the only miracle story that all four gospel writers include in their accounts of Jesus’ ministry.

Traveling across Judea and Samaria, Jesus and the disciples have drawn large crowds and now they are on a mountainside on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee when Jesus asks his disciples how they will feed the people who have gathered there to watch him heal the sick and listen to him teach.

John’s listeners would have heard an echo of the story of Moses, during the wilderness wandering with the Israelites, when he asked God, “Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, 'Give us meat to eat!' (Numbers 11:13 NRS)

But where Moses was truly at a loss, Jesus knew what would happen. His question was rhetorical. John goes as far as to say Jesus was testing his disciples.

And the disciples — the very same ones who have been traveling with him and witnessed those earlier signs — respond anxiously, focused only on the scarcity of what is in plain sight and what they can hold in their hands. There is nothing in their words or actions that witnesses to what they have seen Jesus do or who they believe Jesus is.

I wonder if we can relate to the disciples who were overwhelmed by the need they saw.

Last week, I heard an interview with a pastor from Atlanta who was working forty years ago to address the needs of the unhoused then, and optimistically had thought they would solve the problem within a few years. She lamented how much worse the situation is today.

Each of us can probably name a societal issue that has only gotten more complex and more challenging in our lifetimes, or a region of the world that seems to have sunk deeper into despair. It would not be surprising if we gave up, shook our heads and shrugged our shoulders, hopeless and helpless.

But sometimes we have a chance to meet a person and hear their story, and now we have a face and a name. And whatever the issue is, it’s no longer a distant, impersonal or abstract problem; it is part of the story of another human being, whom we know, and love, and even more importantly, whom God sees, and knows and loves, like those people standing with Jesus and the disciples on the mountainside.

And, even then, like the disciples, we often look at the resources we have in hand, and we scoff, quick to identify why something is impossible, why it can’t work and why it’s pointless to try. Maybe we even dismiss the notion of miracles as obsolete because we haven’t witnessed one ourselves. We bring our skepticism and our knowledge of the world and its facts and numbers to the table. And like the disciples, we discount what we know about who God is and what God promises.

The late Harry Emerson Fosdick, once the pastor of Riverside Church in New York City, wrote, “The common impression is that it is the unintelligent who believe in miracles, but the fact is that it is the great minds who believe most fervently in unforeseen possibilities.”

He reminds us that God is a God of miracles. God is a God of the impossible.

And, thankfully, God works in unexplained ways, then and now. Jesus instructed the disciples to have the people sit down and he took the five barley loaves and the two fish out into the crowd and he fed them.

Jesus knew what the disciples didn’t: knowledge is truth, but knowledge is more than an accumulation of data. In John’s gospel, especially, knowledge is about relationship.

Relationship with a God who sees the hunger that exists in this world: hunger for real bread to fill empty tummies, and hunger for hope and healing to fill ravaged hearts.

And this God is the same one who meets us in those overcrowded places where the need is overwhelming and satisfies our hunger.

Indeed, the text says the crowds had as much as they wanted and were satisfied, and when the disciples gathered up the leftovers, they filled twelve baskets. Love multiplies. [ii] And it recreates and renews in places of suffering and need, but it doesn’t happen by magic. Each of us is called to follow Jesus out into the world and live among God’s people, sharing the Good News of what God makes possible.

Looking at the immense need that exists in the world, we do not despair, but claim the hope that we have in God’s power and reconciling love, remembering the victorious power of Jesus who overcame death and the grave to bring new life to each of us. 

Some of you have heard about the Dwelling in Winston-Salem. Our youth have traveled there two summers in a row, and we have college students serving there right now. Their lead Pastor Emily Harkins got to tell a story from their community from the main stage at the Gathering in New Orleans. She told the story of working with an unhoused man, who was known as “the unofficial mayor” at The Dwelling.

Unhoused people face a lot of obstacles. Without identification or a permanent address, it can be impossible to apply for jobs or for public assistance. As Pastor Emily said at the Gathering, “And to get an ID, you have to have an ID – something official that confirms to the world who you are.”[iii] But over several weeks, she and “the mayor” had worked to get the documents he needed, and one day, he went into the DMV and walked out with an ID with his name on it. Sadly, a few months later, he died trying to cross a river to get to his tent. But when they found him, he had his ID on him. He was not unknown. He was not unidentified. He was not unnamed. He had a name and a place where he belonged, and where he was loved.

The Dwelling is one place where miracles happen.

But there are miracles that happen every day. May we always look and listen to see where God has come to meet us, remembering that, often, it is the seemingly foolish ideas, absurd odds, and even inadequate resources, that lead to miracles.[iv]

Let us pray…[v]

Loving God,

Thank you for the surprising gift of Your Son in whom Your love and presence dwells.

Nurture and strengthen all who look to You.

May we offer ourselves to the world that all may know Your abundant mercy.

We pray in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

---

[i] Craig Koester. “Theological Themes in John.” Enter the Bible. Luther Seminary. https://enterthebible.org/courses/john/lessons/theological-themes-in-john, accessed 7/26/24.

[ii] Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season after Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16) (Feasting on the Word: Year B volume) (Kindle Locations 10248-10249). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.

[iii] Pastor Emily Harkins. ELCA Youth Gathering, New Orleans.

[iv] Pulpit Fiction, Tenth Sunday after Pentecost.

[v] Adapted from Laughing Bird Liturgical Resources, http://laughingbird.net/

Lectionary 16B

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

For most of the last week, I’ve been fighting a summer cold, 
armed with hot tea and honey.

So, perhaps that’s why, as I listened to this week’s gospel, what caught my attention was how the crowds chased after Jesus and the disciples, reaching the shores ahead of them to be in their presence, clamoring to be heard and scrambling to touch even the fringe of Jesus’ cloak, so that they would be healed.

And I remembered that in Greek, the word translated here as “healed”, as in “all who touched it were healed” is the same word as “saved”. All those who touched the fringe of his cloak were saved.

I thought about all the different reasons we search for healing. Just within the gospel text, we see different examples.

Many of the people coming to Jesus were physically ailing, but some may have also been suffering mental illness. And the disciples themselves were trying to retreat for renewal after their ministry work had left them with no time for rest, or even a meal.

Sometimes we look for healing because like the crowds chasing Jesus and the disciples, we’re physically hurt or we’re sick: with cancer, with chronic pain, with addiction.

Sometimes we seek healing because we’ve experienced trauma, abuse or neglect, or, like the disciples, we are exhausted or burnt-out.

And sometimes we seek healing because we are grieving broken or difficult relationships.

And as I thought about all the reasons why we seek healing, I thought about all the places where we look for healing.

Maybe, we’re lucky and we find our way to a twelve-step meeting in a church basement, or maybe we find peace in the sanctuary of a professional therapist’s office. Unfortunately, too often, when people are desperate to find healing, they try to find a faster way or a shortcut and fall victim to schemes.

When Luther went to Rome he was disgusted by priests like Johann Tetzel, who reportedly “preached to the faithful that the purchase of a letter of indulgence entailed the forgiveness of sins.”[i] People who were afraid of being cast out of God’s love and mercy would pay money to buy a so-called assurance of their salvation.

And the practice didn’t end with the Reformation.

There are modern accounts by the Lutheran World Federation of “people pay[ing] the pastor for praying for them to be cured from illness” in India, and just a few years ago, “People apparently paid 100,000 Namibian dollars to sit next to [a preacher called “the prophet of Namibia”], because they hoped to be healed.[ii] 

Certainly, as with any scam, education reduces the risk that vulnerable people will be harmed by people who would exploit them. But why are they so desperate that they are compelled to look for healing there in the first place?

There’s an old saying, sometimes attributed to Bishop Desmond Tutu, that says,

There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.

The hope we have from today’s gospel is that hurting people will find Christ’s healing presence in our congregations and faith communities   ̶

that God’s people will communicate the good news of God’s healing grace to everyone who walks through our doors;

that we would see their pain or sadness,

and we would have compassion for them.

But the conviction I have from today’s gospel is that too often,

they don’t.

And too often, we don’t.

Ouch. Believe me, I’m right there, wanting to say, “not my church.” “not my congregation.” But I know I need to check myself when I get defensive, because I also know I can name times when my first response wasn’t compassion, it wasn’t what Jesus models.

Too often, the vulnerable show up in our churches and find judgment and suspicion, and even rejection and hostility. And instead of being told they are children of God who are loved and saved by God’s grace, they hear that they don’t belong or aren’t welcome.

That’s not Jesus.

Jesus sees the crowd and has compassion for them.

He is moved, by their presence, by their suffering and by their need, to be with them where they are.

He stretches out his hands to them and gathers them in, teaching and healing them.

He offers them belonging first.

God loves us, and God’s mercy is new every day, so today we can repent for the times when we have failed to show compassion, and the times when we have not welcomed the stranger or loved our neighbor as God loves them. It is never too late to start.

May we stretch ourselves to reach for those who are reaching for Jesus’ healing grace and gather them into God’s family.

Amen.

---

[i] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther/The-indulgences-controversy , accessed 7/20/2024

[ii] https://2017.lwfassembly.org/en/news/regional-stories/false-promises-salvation, accessed 7/20/24.

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