Devotion - Wed, Jan 30

At night, I have been reading Khled Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. Author of The Kite Runner, Hosseini is once again telling the story of life in Afghanistan during the years of Russian domination, the rise of the Taliban, and the eventual arrival of US military. It is a wonderfully written book; it is a painful depiction of despair and hardship. And yet, the characters go on. They find happiness. They find opportunity for joy.

For the past three mornings, I have been reading Psalm 27:7-14. It speaks of deliverance, of God's deliverance.

It is the concluding verse which links my readings together:

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the Lord!

The Psalmist offers a prayer in which he locates his reasons for trust in God not only in eventual, eternal salvation - but in a deliverance which comes "in the land of the living."

The invitation (and promise) from our God is that we will find our lives redeemed. We will discover ourselves being lifted up. We will see the goodness of our Lord. And we will experience these things in our lives, now.

There will remain hardship; there will be suffering; there will be heartbreak. But the presence of these things in our lives now, should not prevent us from looking for the blessings of God's hand, on this side of the resurrection.

God is with us. God is for us. God will care for us and lift us up, removing our sorry and wiping away our tears.

Pastor Chris

Devotion - Tuesday, Jan 29

Our Sunday Morning discussion group arrived too late in the hour at the section on "Free Will." Too late, in that there wasn't nearly enough time to digest the information and come to some understanding of what the author was saying.

How providencial it is, that today's appointed reading is Philippians 2:12-13. Here, Paul speaks to the two things we were talking about on Sunday when the bell rang and class ended.

St. Paul writes: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure."

We have been taught, carefully taught, that we are free to choose. Free to choose to do the right thing, do the wrong thing, do nothing when something ought to have been done. We must, work out our salvation. We must take the steps, make the decisions, complete the actions which connect us to God and God's mission.

But if we convince ourselves that we do so as a result of the strength of our own conviction or strength of will, we are guilty of the arrogance associated with self-pride. We put our own work in the place where the work of Christ belongs. It is God, at work in us, which makes it possible for us to will and to work.

The snag which is always thrown into such discussions is, "What about those those who don't will or work. Why is it that God doesn't move them to action?" I don't know. I have never heard an answer which completely satisfies. What I have discovered is that I am less helpful to those persons when I blame them for failing to act and more productive when I speak to them of allowing God to work through them. In the latter case, they are free to respond to God without having to set aside a heavy load of guilt.

It is essential that each of us examine our thoughts, words, and actions. We must work to set aside all that does not reflect the presence of Christ in our lives. We embark upon this course confident that we will succeed. Confident, because God is already at work within us, enabling us.

Pastor Chris

Devotions - Monday, Jan 28

I am not sure of the strength of knowledge with regard to Judges. These are Biblical characters seem not to get as much air time as they did I was a child.

Part of that may be the complexity of their stories. Sampson is known as the strong guy to brought down the fortresses of the enemies of Israel, but he is also the one who murders in order to pay off a bet. In our day we seem to like "hero" stories better than stories of persons who do the heroic thing.

This morning I was reading from Judges 6, the story of Gideon. Yes, this is the Gideon from which The Gideon's get their name. But standing on the corner and handing out Bibles once a year isn't what Gideon, The Judge, is known for.

Judges 6:11-24 is Gideon's call story - the story of how he hears God's invitation to serve. What impresses me about the story is the way it preserves Gideon's humanity, thus allowing me to more easily identify with him. Gideon does what we are told we have no right to do - he won't follow God till he has a sign.

In case you are curious about the sign - Gideon prepares a feast for the visitor who came to issue God's call. When the feast is ready, the visitor tells him to put in on the rocks. The visitor touches the rock and the offering is consumed.

Gideon is like us, he hears the invitation to serve God, but he worries that it might not be real or that it might be a mistake. He won't do as God says till he has a sign.

It would be wrong for us to draw from this a more stubborn attitude toward God - demanding signs before we act. We should learn from Gideon's story that even reluctant servants go on to serve God faithfully.

To what is God calling you? Is it to care for the person who sits all alone in class? Maybe it is to be the voice which calls trash talk into question. Perhaps God is inviting you to use your education in service to others, even if it means a lower paying job.

It can be difficult to follow God. Even some of the most noted followers were reluctant, at first. But they, like yourself, found the ability to trust and to believe and to follow.

Pastor Chris

Sermon - Jan 27, 2008

Third Sunday after the Epiphany - Year A
January 27, 2008
Matthew 4:12-23

No Two Are Alike

The story is quite casual, when it informs us of Jesus’ selection of his disciples. He is walking along the Sea of Galilee and he sees two brothers, Simon and Andrew. He says to them, “Follow me.” He goes a little further and he sees two more brothers, James and John, and he calls them also. We can’t tell, from the story, whether Jesus went out there intentionally looking for these four men or if he simply looked up, saw them, and thought, “They will do.”

None of us wants to believe that the selection of the disciples was “accidental,” or “whimsical.” We prefer to think that these men were carefully selected and evaluated. That is the way important institutions select their leaders and models, isn’t it? We have had two weeks of Katie-bar-the-door campaigning by Republican and Democratic Presidential candidates. Each one of them, and all the commentators, doing their best to frighten us into believing there is only one right person for the job. If we put this much energy and deliberation into selecting the person who will be one of many in a long line of temporary leaders of one of the world’s current organized countries – shouldn’t much greater consideration be given to the selection of the twelve individuals who, with their leader, will re-shape all of human history? You would think so.

And yet, Matthew doesn’t seem to see it that way. Jesus is walking along the beach and he sees a couple of guys and invites them to become the most well-known names in history.

And they would change history.

Peter (or Simon, or Cephas as he is referred to in the reading from I Corinthians) is the one whose personal traits are most noted in the story which follows. He is the impulsive one. He is the one eager to serve but a bit clumsy in doing so. Peter is the principal opponent, at least at first, to allowing non-Jews to become a part of this whole new way. His beliefs and thoughts and actions affect and direct the Church which would emerge from Jesus’ life and ministry. It is upon his confession that the Church is built. It is his denial of Jesus which stands as the eternal reference point of what it means to talk the talk but then fail to walk the walk.

I am not attempting to trash Peter. I am using him as an example of how drastically things can be changed depending upon who it is that steps into the role of protector and teacher of Jesus’ message.

Paul would later step into that role. He is the follower who, when given a chance to lead, leads in such a way as to make the Jesus story palatable to western thought. Paul’s style of preaching reflects western linear thought. He sets forth reasonable arguments for the things Jesus said, “Do.” His writing gives rise to the theological teachings so important to our tradition. Paul is the one who moves talk of “faith” into the place where Peter might have been more inclined to place “observance.”

Paul understands the impact of his life and the life of Peter on the young church. So much so that in that reading from I Corinthians he warns the fellowship against becoming overly committed to the subtitles of one’s teaching as opposed to the other. “You were baptized in the name of Christ,” Paul reminds the faithful.

Jesus had to have known, in selecting these particular men, that their personalities and past experiences would influence the way in which the story to follow would unfold. Whether he had given it long and careful thought, or acted on a whim, surely he understood that once the twelve got involved there would be also be twelve varieties of expression.

All of this came home for me on Friday, as I shared in leading the Ecumenical Prayer Service at the close of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. There weren’t many of us there. Very few, in fact. Eleven, twelve if you count the guy running the sound system. Thirteen if you include the woman walking laps above us, on the exercise level of First Baptist’s Family Life Center. In that setting, it struck me how differently our particular expression of the church looks, based on the preferences and perceptions of those who are leading.

The Baptist pastor was praying from the heart; the Roman Catholic expressed faith using the eloquent words of the ancients; the UCC pastor told a story of how God comes to life in the service of others. My “Lutheran” contribution certainly had overtones of open-ended grace. It is possible to describe the theological positions taken by our various denominations as an outgrowth and expression of those who gave rise to each. You could argue that the issues which became important enough to separate us one from another were issues of paramount importance in the life of the one whose actions got the rest of us moving in a new direction.

I don’t want to say that our various theological positions are whimsical, and unimportant. But I do want us to consider how differently the Church looks, depending entirely upon the one who sets the tone. And it is inevitable that this would be true. As soon as you introduce humans into the process, there will differences as varied as the individuals who graciously accept the call to lead.

The intention behind the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is to celebrate our common calling as followers of Jesus. It is an invitation to dislodge our mistrust and our critiques of one another. The Week of Prayer is a time to come together and show the world that we are brothers and sisters. 2008 is the centennial year of the ecumenical movement. For 100 years Christians have been coming together to proclaim the Word of Christ and set aside our theological and liturgical differences. We have been trying, but sometimes the road is hard and the way is tough. We are back there in Corinth, claiming to belong to Zwingli, or Smith, or Luther. When it is in the name of Christ that we were baptized. Jesus is the one who was crucified and raised from the grave.

Between our Sunday services, I lead a Sunday School class. The text we are using is Lutheran Questions, Lutheran Answers. The subtitle is “Exploring Christian Faith.” The book is offered as an examination of main theological tenets. In speaking to these, the author points out what is unique or distinctive about the “Lutheran” response to the topic. I am very proud, and quite defensive, of the Lutheran voice and line of reasoning. But it is only our voice, not our being. Our being belongs to Christ. There is a quote from Martin Luther in the opening pages of the Book of Concord in which Luther reminds states clearly, “Who is Luther that you might be known by that name? There is only one name by which you should be known and that is the name of Christ.” We didn’t call ourselves “Lutherans.” It was a tag pined on us by others.

As soon as Jesus selected others to help him in his mission that mission began to take on a multiplicity of flavors. There were differences between the way Peter told the story and the way in which James lived out the faith. There is no way around it. What can be avoided allowing those differences to divide us.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity stretches from the Feast Day of the Confession of St. Peter to the Feast Day of the Conversion of St. Paul. The two persons most responsible for the form taken by the Church bracket this opportunity to see ourselves as one people, united in Christ. Each denomination has unique gifts to offer; let us offer these gifts to the whole of Christendom. May they be used as a way to strengthen the body of Christ, not used to divide it.

Amen.

Devotions - Thursday, Jan 24

At Tuesday's bible study, we noted how quickly the story (in Matthew) shifts from the infant Jesus to the adult Jesus. Look at the end of chapter 2 and the start of chapter 3. There is no transition, just a launching into the story of John the Baptist and Jesus' arrival at the place were John is baptizing.

The same has happened in our Sunday morning readings. This week, only three weeks after reading infant stories, we have the adult Jesus selecting disciples. He has gone, very quickly, from being a babe in arms to being a Rabbi with followers.

Those who followed Jesus were an odd lot. We know that several of them were fishermen. There were also accountants. Their previous life remained a part of who they were, but they took on a new identity and this new identity is the reason why their names are known.

You are studying to enter a wide range of careers. Some of you will be accountants. Probably no professional fishers, but it may be a hobby. There will be teachers and engineers; architects and nurses. You will do well, serve God through your work, and be known for the accomplishments you make along the way.

You are also a disciple of Jesus. You, no less than those of the first century, are a follower of this gracious and wise Rabbi. Your identity as a disciple, will also be part of the memory of you. It is your assurance that with the passage of time you will be remembered, and celebrated. As a follower of Christ, God has your name in His heart.

Jesus calls us as disciples. Our answer to that call enables the story of Jesus' life and gift to go on. As you hear this Sunday's lessons, realize that the writer isn't talking about James and John only - he is also talking about you.

Pastor Chris

Devotions - Wednesday, Jan 23

One of the traits lifted up by Biblical and spiritual writers is dependence upon God. The medieval tradition of monks who owned nothing but depended entirely on the charity of others, arose out of an attempt to depend upon God.

The Psalm appointed for these days is Psalm 40:6-17. Here is the closing verse:

As for me, I am poor and needy,

but the Lord takes thought for me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

do not delay, O my God.

When we have plenty, we become self-sufficient. When we are on the top of our game, we feel pretty good about our ability to take care of ourselves. It is when we are beaten down that we look, with anticipation, to our Creator.

The Psalmist speaks of living life in a state of need. He writes of being poor and needy. The Psalmist finds his hope, not in what he is able to do, but that the Lord takes thought of him.

When the scriptures say, "Blessed are the poor," this is what is going on. Those with few personal resources look to God for help and assistance. They turn to God, asking that there be no delay.

Upon what (or whom) do you depend? Is it yourself? Is it your resources? Is it God? That upon which we depend is (to paraphrase Martin Luther) our god.

Pastor Chris

Devotions - Tuesday, Jan 22

Our Sunday morning class has been reading through a book by Martin Marty (ELCA Pastor and Professor of History at University of Chicago) titled Lutheran Questions: Lutheran Answers. Week before last, we were discussing "Why Jesus had to die." I remembered that discussion as I read this morning's passage from Isaiah 53.

Contained in Isaiah are four sections referred to as the "Servant Songs." In these, the prophet outlines what it means to be God's chosen one. The chosen one is a servant.

You might want to read these "songs." They are contained in Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.

In Isaiah 53, there are familiar images, associated with the death of Jesus. "He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth." "They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich."

Jesus dies because he will not take back the things he has said. Jesus dies because he will do nothing other than what God has commanded. Jesus dies because he refuses to fight back. He dies because he will not abandon his message of mercy.

God's chosen, in Isaiah, is a servant. God has chosen us, too. And service is the way we reveal this selection. We are not to seek position or prestige. Instead, we are to seek opportunities to do mercy.

Pastor Chris

Devotions - Monday, Jan 21

Today is the ML King Holiday. The students at Clemson have the day off from school, in observance of Dr. King's contribution to society. It is also a "day on," a day on which everyone is encouraged to make their own contribution to the betterment of our world. Over 300 students, faculty, staff, and community members will join in the ML King Day of Service. A group of us from LCM-C are heading out to the Habitat house, to do some plumbing.

We remember Dr. King and his statements on race. What isn't talked about so much any more were his critiques of the War in Vietnam. One of the speeches he gave near the end of his life spoke of the "unholy trinity" of racism, materialism, and militarism. His talk of such things reduced his popularity even further than it already was. When he began to link the attraction to military might to an avoidance of addressing individual rights, he was shunned and even ridiculed.

I wonder, in honoring his legacy today, if his thoughts on war might not be those most needing to be repeated.

Rev. King drew from scriptures a deep appreciation for the challenge (and the gift) of loving one's neighbors. One of his books is titled, The Strength to Love. In it, he points out that it is easy hate those who oppose us; we might say that it is easy to destroy those who oppose us. What takes the greatest strength is the ability to love. Jesus knew this. Jesus gave his life rather than give up his love.

I have heard all the arguments for why war is "necessary." And I have been in many, many discussions about the current wars in which my country is engaged. But all the saber rattling of the past six years has done nothing to reduce the hype and the fear of "terrorism." Maybe it is time to develop the strength to love. Maybe it is time to listen to and follow the way of Jesus.

My attempts to give over this day to making the world a better place include a few hours of crawling around in the dirt and gluing some pipe together. It will also include prayers that - with God's help - we might grow in our ability to love others, particularly our ability to love those who (for whatever reason) might hate us.

Pastor Chris

Devotions - Wednesday, Jan 16

If you missed last night's bible study, you didn't miss much - I mean you didn't miss many verses. We didn't get very far into Matthew's Gospel.

As we talked, one participant or another kept asking questions about this verse or that. We realized how compact the story is and how much is contained in every reference.

Take the verse which informs us that, upon learning that Mary is with child, Joseph decides to deal quietly with the issue. First, he learns that she is expecting a child before he has the dream in which more of the story is revealed to him. Second, in making this decision, he is also deciding to set aside the Law. The Law called for execution of an unfaithful bride. The stage is set for the conflict between those who would turn to the Law and those who would live out mercy and compassion.

When you pick up a bible, you think, "This is a thick book. Surely there is some fluff in there." And, there might be. But little of it. Each book of the Bible is a wonder to experience. Each chapter written for a purpose. Each verse rich with meaning and insight. Most of the time, I read my bible looking for the big picture. What a joy it is to sit with others and mine each line for all it is worth. I hope that you make time in the course of your day to do just a little bit of digging.

Pastor Chris

Devotions - Tuesday, Jan 15

Sunday's observance of the Baptism of our Lord repeated for us the call of Jesus. As the dove descended upon him, he hears the words, "you are my beloved."

He is not the only one called by God to do God's work. He stands in a long line of such persons.

This morning I was directed to Jeremiah 1:4-10. Here we read of the call of this young prophet. And, he is quite young. He protests, "But I am only a boy." God tells Jeremiah not to say that he is only a child, for God will go with him and help him to know what to say and do.

As I grow older, I also grow in my appreciation for maturity. There is something about living a number of years which helps one to see and to understand. I think this is true, in my case. But the "something" may have less to do with accumulated knowledge and more to do with lived experience. I have now lived long enough to have confidence in the promise that God gave to Jeremiah, I have experienced God's presence with me and am better prepared to trust in it and to call upon it.

We all need to respect wisdom and knowledge. And, these do grow over time, so those older have had more opportunity to accumulate. But, it isn't the passage of time which makes this happen - it is an openness to experiencing and trusting in God's guidance. Respect those to whom respect is due. Begin now to trust in God's presence and guidance, and do not be afraid to offer the insights and truths which come as a result of God's call to you and God's presence in you life. Acknowledging and using this gift begins to build your own base of confidence.

Pastor Chris

Devotions - Monday, Jan 14

This morning I was reading from Acts 10:44-48. This is one of the stories in which we see the original followers of Jesus opening up to the inclusion of those who were not already practitioners of the Jewish faith. While we my know, somewhere deep in our minds, that this was the case, it helps to be reminded every now and then.

In this instance, it is Peter who makes a pronouncement. He is speaking, and as he is doing so "the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word... (they began) speaking in tongues and extolling God."

Peter then says, "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"

I said earlier that there was an opening up of The Way, to include Gentiles. And it is a long process. This section of Acts is one step. From it we can draw two lessons for today: One - the Holy Spirit moves where it wills. And, there seem to be few limits on where it goes. We should keep that in mind the next time we are tempted to say who is and who is not a part of God's family. Second, the presence of the Spirit is revealed in the lives of those who receive it.

We were talking about this latter point yesterday, in our LCM class. It is unthinkable that God would move our hearts and that our hands and voices would not make that movement known.

No doubt, those first Gentiles realized that they had been invited where few had gone before. They understood the honor associated with inclusion. If we could remember what it is like to be the outsider who has become the insider we might more often display the signs of inclusion.

Pastor Chris

Sermon - Jan 6, 2008

Epiphany - Year A
January 6, 2008
University Lutheran, Clemson
Matthew 2:1-12

Not a Private Matter
This Christmas has been very relaxing for me. I have been burning up accumulated vacation days as if they were fall leaves. Most of the time has been spent at home, getting ready to say good-bye to Kat, as she departs for Germany. A fair amount of time has been spent in North Carolina, with my momma, my brother and sister, and all their children. They have more children than me – when you consider that they are all married or about to be married. And they are all starting to have babies. Babies are everywhere. We have commented that all of those babies might be one of the reasons why Mom is doing as well as she is. There is just so much excitement associated with their comings and goings.

You also realize, sitting there and observing these cousins, how differently they feel about their babies and the way in which others interact with them. Malia is likely to dump her son (Jay) in your lap and leave the premises all together. Scott would never consider such a thing. He hardly wants Josh and Luke to be out of his sight. Rushy’s son is the most delicate. In fact, Landon spent three nights in the hospital between Christmas and New Year’s. There is no reluctance to let others hold the little feller, but he is so small and sickly. His mother keeps a pretty close eye on him at all times. Children are a precious gift. And each of us arrives at our own level of comfort with regard to others handling, holding, or feeding. Way too often, the assumption is made that a baby is a public invitation to offer advice or comment. All too seldom, we treat children as if they were public property; forgetting that mothers and daddies quite often want everyone to leave them and their off-spring alone.

I wonder, in re-considering Matthew’s story of the visit of the three wisemen, what sort of thoughts or feelings might have been running through the minds of Mary and Joseph. They are in their own home, minding their own business, when these strangers from the east came knocking on the door. It is only in Luke’s gospel that Jesus is born in a barn. Here, in Matthew, Jesus is quite comfortable with his mother and father in the “house.” (Check out verse 11 if you have never noticed this divergence from Luke’s more popular recounting of the birth.) Of course, it is entirely possible that the visit of these learned men comes days, weeks, or perhaps even months after Jesus’ birth. These “astrologers,” most likely having come to Israel from Persia, come to the place where Mary is staying and assume that they have every right in the world to be there. Every right to consider the baby’s first days a public event.

And, I guess you would have to say, that they do.

The visit of the Magi is Matthew’s way of letting us know that this child has significance beyond what it is that individual believers choose to believe about him. The visit of these learned men exposes Jesus as something more than the cute little first-born of Mary and Joseph. While this child may go on to become a powerful preacher and do amazing things on the way to his execution and eventual resurrection, his significance is not dependant upon those actions of his adult life. This child’s impact on the world begins at the moment of his birth. They come, and their arrival makes it clear that the birth of this baby is an event which has implications for the whole of God’s creation. They, and all the world, has a right to be there. Because of this birth, life on earth will never be the same again.

We have allowed the story of Jesus’ birth to follow the path so often taken when we speak of religious life in general. We have sat passively to one side while Jesus’ birth is turned into some privatized event or feeling. As with the whole of Christian faith, we have begun to think of it as a matter of individual consequence – something which has meaning only because of what we do on our own when we are all alone.

However, the birth of Jesus is not this kind of an event. Maybe if we only had Luke’s version, where a poetic mother speaks of the lifting up of those or low degree. Perhaps if the only parts of the story to be told were Zachariah’s solitude experience in the temple or the moving of Elizabeth’s fetus. Maybe then we would be somewhat justified in thinking of this birth as some cute and quaint event affecting a few traveling peasants. But, there is more to the story. Moreover, these other parts make us aware that the birth of Jesus is not something which we can choose to acknowledge or choose to ignore. The birth of Jesus is not that kind of an event.

A star appears in the east. Learned men from a foreign land observe this star. They come to pay homage to the king whose birth the cosmos has announced. They know that this birth isn’t something of consequence only for those who happen to be living in the small villages on the banks of the Jordan. The ruler of the universe presses the heavens into service. The one who made the stars is announcing a birth which has implications for us all.

And, so, these visitors come. And they barge in. And they have no regard for Mary’s privacy. They realize that this birth belongs to them, too. The retelling of their story is an announcement that it has implications for everyone else.

We tend to allow the birth of Jesus to reinforce the mistaken notion that religion is a private matter. We have moved the experience of God out of that which is communal and carefully stored it in the category of things which are between me and God and no one else. It is common, in our day, to speak as if God has significance only for those who choose to call upon Him in prayer, praise and thanksgiving. We have been hoodwinked into believing that God is a factor only if I choose Him to be. The story of Epiphany is a reminder that what has happened has happened because of what God has chosen to do. Whether we choose to believe or not – the action remains the same. God has come into the world. The creator of the cosmos has made use of the heaven’s stars in order to say to the whole of creation “I have come.” There is nothing private about this. There is nothing left to the whimsicalness of human reaction.

Governments and political systems remain relevant for only as long as the population supports them. Ideologies run their course and are replaced by the next fad. What happened in Bethlehem isn’t that kind of an event. These events remain relevant even if all of its devotees were to fall away.

I am as caught up as any in the struggle to understand my faith in the context of a shrinking world. I don’t have answers to those who ask why the teachings of Islam or Judaism should have a lesser impact upon my life than the words of Jesus. But the story we gather this day to retell is one which says to us that these images and these occurrences have significance beyond the importance we, as individuals, may choose to assign to them. God is the actor. God is the one who decided the course of human history. I struggle to understand my faith in the context of a shrinking world because while I respect what God has done in other places at other times I must not overlook the significance of what God did in Bethlehem.

When a cute little baby is born, the mother has her right to privacy. She needs time alone so she can nurse and care for the child. The baby born to Mary needed that kind of support too, but his life also had another dimension to it. God had already decided what the birth of this child would mean.

We are at the beginning of our Church year. During the weeks and months to come we will have opportunity to learn, from what Jesus says and from what he does, exactly how our lives and our world have been changed. God has acted. Things are going to be different.

Amen.