At lunch yesterday, Gina relayed a comment made by a professor. Seems he wanted to say that Martin Luther was a proponent of predestination. As soon as she asked me about this, Allen reminded everyone to prepare for a ten minute answer. Since I was only allowed ten minutes, I thought I would return to the subject this morning.
Here is what I wanted to say yesterday: Luther wanted no one to ever question the depth of God's love for them. In his own life, he had struggled with this question. He wanted to take off the table issues of whether we have done enough, or believed enough, or thought the right thoughts - with regard to being welcomed into God's salvation. "That is God's decision." And the decision is decidedly "Yes." Remember the scriptures say "While we were yet sinners Christ died for us."
Another German (Rahner) is reported to have said, "Christian Scripture demands that I believe in Hell. My experience of God tells me no one is there." Like Luther, it was his way of taking from Jesus' followers the fear of God, replacing it with the assurance that God loves us, welcomes us, and has forgiven us of our sins. "Stop worrying about this." Hasn't God done enough to convince us that we are not sinners in the hands of an angry God?
All of this came back to me this morning, as I read the appointed second lesson. From 2 Peter 3.1-10 I pulled this verse: "The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." If God has to wait a thousand years, God will wait. God will be patient with us because more than anything God wants us to know that we are loved. If we are worried that we teeter on the edge of condemnation, we fear God rather than love God.
We are predestined. Predestined to be loved by God, welcomed by God, saved by God. Nothing we have done, nothing we could do, can nullify the act of God. Salvation is ours. Now - go on with your life, living in that confidence. This is what has been pre-determined.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Devotion - Tuesday, November 29
After Jesus enters Jerusalem, he enters the Temple. We are told that he is displeased with what he sees. In one version, we are told he fashions a whip out of rope. He drives the money-changers out of the temple. He overturns their tables and says to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you make it a den of robbers."
Jesus understood the Temple to be God's. The use he saw of the Temple was not consistent with what he knew the purpose of that place to be. This angers him. And he responds.
There may have been some there that day who applauded. Others may have seen, as Jesus saw, that the Temple had come to be misused. Others were taken aback. They had become so accustomed to the activities in the Temple that they ceased to evaluate whether it was appropriate. It simply was the way things were.
How does Jesus respond, upon observing our practices? This might be asked of what we do together (as the assembled people of God, in our sanctuaries,) or it might be asked of the conduct of God's children (you and me) in our daily lives. Are we making the use of these things which God would expect?
Worship/prayer - these are opportunities to commune with God. They are times in which we express the concerns of our hearts and lift up the prayers of our hearts. They are also times when God comes to us. These encounters with God inform us in our understanding of who God is and what it is that hopes for us. Surely those encounters need a critical eye - an eye which asks whether it is obviously a house (or time) or prayer, or an encounter beneficial for other interests.
Jesus enters the Temple and acts in such a way as to make all aware of how it is that God intends us to order and structure our surroundings and our lives. As we move into these days of Advent, our task is to invite Jesus to enter. This is difficult work in that welcoming him means being prepared to hear his critique of what he sees when he arrives.
Jesus understood the Temple to be God's. The use he saw of the Temple was not consistent with what he knew the purpose of that place to be. This angers him. And he responds.
There may have been some there that day who applauded. Others may have seen, as Jesus saw, that the Temple had come to be misused. Others were taken aback. They had become so accustomed to the activities in the Temple that they ceased to evaluate whether it was appropriate. It simply was the way things were.
How does Jesus respond, upon observing our practices? This might be asked of what we do together (as the assembled people of God, in our sanctuaries,) or it might be asked of the conduct of God's children (you and me) in our daily lives. Are we making the use of these things which God would expect?
Worship/prayer - these are opportunities to commune with God. They are times in which we express the concerns of our hearts and lift up the prayers of our hearts. They are also times when God comes to us. These encounters with God inform us in our understanding of who God is and what it is that hopes for us. Surely those encounters need a critical eye - an eye which asks whether it is obviously a house (or time) or prayer, or an encounter beneficial for other interests.
Jesus enters the Temple and acts in such a way as to make all aware of how it is that God intends us to order and structure our surroundings and our lives. As we move into these days of Advent, our task is to invite Jesus to enter. This is difficult work in that welcoming him means being prepared to hear his critique of what he sees when he arrives.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Devotion - Monday, November 28
If there is one thing I dislike about campus ministry it is the way in which the academic calendar upsets the liturgical calendar. Lent is interrupted by spring break; Easter is overshadowed by the end of the semester; and Advent is never allowed to be four weeks long. We sometimes hear critiques of young adults as persons with little sense of delayed gratification. Surely the cutting short of Advent adds to the attitude of "We don't have to wait that long, do we?"
Advent is the beginning of our Church Year. Advent I was yesterday. For the next three Sundays we will continue our slow approach to the events of Bethlehem. During these days we are encouraged to wait, watch, and hope.
Waiting, watching, and hoping do not occur naturally in our culture. We are more inclined to find ways to make it happen, to fix the problem, to go out and grab it. Waiting, watching, and hoping are skills which need to be refined.
These skills can only happen in the lives of those willing to consider the voids in their lives. They are only important to those who long for something, and are willing to admit it is something that must come to them from another source. Waiting, watching, and hoping are traits of those who know their need for God's intervention.
You just returned from Thanksgiving Break. You have a ton of work to do before final exams. How, in the midst of all that activity, can you devote time to sitting quietly, waiting? It is tough.
But only those who recognize their need for Messiah will recognize Messiah's arrival. Only those who give voice to their hope will see those hopes realized.
With a profound understanding of the other demands on your time and the countless interruptions in your life, I encourage you to find opportunity to practice the disciplines of Advent - wait, watch, hope. (And remember these are not to be confused with "getting ready for Christmas." They do not involve putting up color lights.) Become aware of your need for God's presence.
Advent is the beginning of our Church Year. Advent I was yesterday. For the next three Sundays we will continue our slow approach to the events of Bethlehem. During these days we are encouraged to wait, watch, and hope.
Waiting, watching, and hoping do not occur naturally in our culture. We are more inclined to find ways to make it happen, to fix the problem, to go out and grab it. Waiting, watching, and hoping are skills which need to be refined.
These skills can only happen in the lives of those willing to consider the voids in their lives. They are only important to those who long for something, and are willing to admit it is something that must come to them from another source. Waiting, watching, and hoping are traits of those who know their need for God's intervention.
You just returned from Thanksgiving Break. You have a ton of work to do before final exams. How, in the midst of all that activity, can you devote time to sitting quietly, waiting? It is tough.
But only those who recognize their need for Messiah will recognize Messiah's arrival. Only those who give voice to their hope will see those hopes realized.
With a profound understanding of the other demands on your time and the countless interruptions in your life, I encourage you to find opportunity to practice the disciplines of Advent - wait, watch, hope. (And remember these are not to be confused with "getting ready for Christmas." They do not involve putting up color lights.) Become aware of your need for God's presence.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Sermon - Advent 1 - November 27, 2011
Advent 1B.11
Mark 13:24-37
Wishing for the Right Messiah
If you read this week’s E-News from UniLu, you probably noticed my attempt at a Thanksgiving devotional. The impetus for that arose during staff meeting. I was sharing updates on my sister’s medical condition, and Donna comforted me by saying that a number of you, when calling the Church Office, had asked about her. Donna also said that a number had acknowledged a lack of information about my family. That struck me as odd; I think I talk about my family more than I should.
This sister of mine (Carolyn) is thirteen years older than me. Because my mother was in such poor health when I was born, Carolyn the sister fell into the role of “mother.” A role she continued throughout most of my life, and the life of my brother. That brother is only four years older than me, meaning Carolyn also has nine years on him. My parents reported being teased that they raised a baby-sitter, then the rest of their family.
Carolyn has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is particularly difficult to treat – as several of you are already aware. She is anxious; she is sad; but she is also doing okay. Throughout her sixty-seven years she has always done okay. In no small part due to her confidence that God is in control and that therefore all things will be right with the world.
Carolyn would have been a pastor, if that was an option for girls finishing high school in 1961. She has always been the best theologian in the family.
I grew up hearing the story of her Christmas wish list at age 5. Given the opportunity to ask for three things, her is what she asked for:
1) that everyone would have a home to live in;
2) that everyone would have food enough to eat; and
3) that everyone would have a mother and a father who loved them as much as her mother and father loved her.
Somewhat taken aback, the teacher who asked for her list wondered why she would ask for those three things. “Because,” Carolyn is reported to have said, “if everyone had these things, no one would go to war or hurt others or feel a need to steal.”
Just think of what it was like to grow up with an older sister who gave those kinds of answers.
It has been wonderful.
It is the time of year, when we are likely to be asked what we would wish for. The season of Advent is all about anticipating what will come our way. The Gospel text speaks of being awake, alert, and ready. Jesus speaks to a population who had grown complacent, to a people who had lowered their expectations. He tells them to observe the signs, so as not to miss the arrival of the one who would respond to that which was lacking in their lives. As we re-hear those words, I can’t help but wonder if we have grown complacent, if we have lowered our expectations. Would we even recognize Messiah’s arrival, were it to come, today?
What would that arrival look like? Many of Jesus’ contemporaries did not find in him the one whom they were seeking. They wanted something else, so they did not line up behind him or the kingdom of which he spoke. The way things played out, and the effect which he achieved was not what they were looking for. Some were looking for political power. Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world. Some wanted to continue their current way of life, and go out to Jesus when they wanted to hear a really good sermon. Jesus came to their city and their homes and announced that he wanted their every thought and their every action to reflect his presence.
Many of Jesus’ contemporaries did not recognize or were not willing to acknowledge the contours of his kingdom, and so they went away or turned away. Some even joined in the hysterical mob which thought shouting “Crucify him!” would remove from them the pain of knowing that the kingdom had come close to them but that they had chosen something different. They didn’t see what was right before them.
Do we see? Are we prepared to see? Do we even want to see?
I wasn’t here last week; I was at St. Michael, Greenville, helping them with their Stewardship Campaign. But I know the Gospel text you heard last week. It was the story of the separation of the sheep from the goats. They are divided, one from the other, the sheep representing those who do the will of God; the goats those who do not. What they do is feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, heal the sick, and visit those in prison.
That text seems to be a justification of works righteousness (that you get to go to heaven if you do the right things, or are sent to hell for doing the wrong things.) Seems to be, until you get to the line where both the sheep and the goats ask “Lord, when did we see you in such a state, and care for you?” The answer exposes that those who do these things do not do them in order to obtain a reward; they do them because they share the mind and heart of God. They do them because they have understood, accepted, and are living the intentions of their master.
That was the text for Christ the King Sunday – the last Sunday of the Church Year, the Sunday on which everything comes to its ending. As we begin the new Church Year on Advent 1, as we return to the state of anticipation, perhaps that ending ought to direct us in considering what it is that we are to look for. Maybe that ending will help us be prepared to recognize (and follow) the Messiah who does speak the word of God and instruct us in the way of God.
It isn’t that God fails to come. The greater problem is our preference to continue to wait and watch for a Messiah more to our liking.
This One, the One spoken of in scripture, will assure us that we have nothing to fear. That neither life nor death nor anything in all creation will be able to separate us from God’s love. This one will tell us time and again that God’s peace has come upon us. This one will teach us all things and lead us in all things. This one will help us see that the few loaves and fish is enough to feed everyone, if we possess the courage it takes to share. This one will show us that serving others is the path to life. This one will show us all these things; but many will prefer to wait for another, for something different.
Being awake, being alert, being ready might need to start with being honest about what it is that we are looking for. Are we hoping for some jolly fellow in a red suit who will grant us permission to ask for an IPad, or will we be ready to accept the One whose humble beginnings set the stage for the remainder of his life?
We don’t “wish” for things, we pray for them. And what we pray for is that God would make us aware of how everything we need has already been provided. We pray that what is true for God and in God’s kingdom might also be true in our lives.
Be awake; be alert. Be ready to accept the Messiah and be prepared to live according to what he tells us is the way to eternal life.
Amen.
Mark 13:24-37
Wishing for the Right Messiah
If you read this week’s E-News from UniLu, you probably noticed my attempt at a Thanksgiving devotional. The impetus for that arose during staff meeting. I was sharing updates on my sister’s medical condition, and Donna comforted me by saying that a number of you, when calling the Church Office, had asked about her. Donna also said that a number had acknowledged a lack of information about my family. That struck me as odd; I think I talk about my family more than I should.
This sister of mine (Carolyn) is thirteen years older than me. Because my mother was in such poor health when I was born, Carolyn the sister fell into the role of “mother.” A role she continued throughout most of my life, and the life of my brother. That brother is only four years older than me, meaning Carolyn also has nine years on him. My parents reported being teased that they raised a baby-sitter, then the rest of their family.
Carolyn has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is particularly difficult to treat – as several of you are already aware. She is anxious; she is sad; but she is also doing okay. Throughout her sixty-seven years she has always done okay. In no small part due to her confidence that God is in control and that therefore all things will be right with the world.
Carolyn would have been a pastor, if that was an option for girls finishing high school in 1961. She has always been the best theologian in the family.
I grew up hearing the story of her Christmas wish list at age 5. Given the opportunity to ask for three things, her is what she asked for:
1) that everyone would have a home to live in;
2) that everyone would have food enough to eat; and
3) that everyone would have a mother and a father who loved them as much as her mother and father loved her.
Somewhat taken aback, the teacher who asked for her list wondered why she would ask for those three things. “Because,” Carolyn is reported to have said, “if everyone had these things, no one would go to war or hurt others or feel a need to steal.”
Just think of what it was like to grow up with an older sister who gave those kinds of answers.
It has been wonderful.
It is the time of year, when we are likely to be asked what we would wish for. The season of Advent is all about anticipating what will come our way. The Gospel text speaks of being awake, alert, and ready. Jesus speaks to a population who had grown complacent, to a people who had lowered their expectations. He tells them to observe the signs, so as not to miss the arrival of the one who would respond to that which was lacking in their lives. As we re-hear those words, I can’t help but wonder if we have grown complacent, if we have lowered our expectations. Would we even recognize Messiah’s arrival, were it to come, today?
What would that arrival look like? Many of Jesus’ contemporaries did not find in him the one whom they were seeking. They wanted something else, so they did not line up behind him or the kingdom of which he spoke. The way things played out, and the effect which he achieved was not what they were looking for. Some were looking for political power. Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world. Some wanted to continue their current way of life, and go out to Jesus when they wanted to hear a really good sermon. Jesus came to their city and their homes and announced that he wanted their every thought and their every action to reflect his presence.
Many of Jesus’ contemporaries did not recognize or were not willing to acknowledge the contours of his kingdom, and so they went away or turned away. Some even joined in the hysterical mob which thought shouting “Crucify him!” would remove from them the pain of knowing that the kingdom had come close to them but that they had chosen something different. They didn’t see what was right before them.
Do we see? Are we prepared to see? Do we even want to see?
I wasn’t here last week; I was at St. Michael, Greenville, helping them with their Stewardship Campaign. But I know the Gospel text you heard last week. It was the story of the separation of the sheep from the goats. They are divided, one from the other, the sheep representing those who do the will of God; the goats those who do not. What they do is feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, heal the sick, and visit those in prison.
That text seems to be a justification of works righteousness (that you get to go to heaven if you do the right things, or are sent to hell for doing the wrong things.) Seems to be, until you get to the line where both the sheep and the goats ask “Lord, when did we see you in such a state, and care for you?” The answer exposes that those who do these things do not do them in order to obtain a reward; they do them because they share the mind and heart of God. They do them because they have understood, accepted, and are living the intentions of their master.
That was the text for Christ the King Sunday – the last Sunday of the Church Year, the Sunday on which everything comes to its ending. As we begin the new Church Year on Advent 1, as we return to the state of anticipation, perhaps that ending ought to direct us in considering what it is that we are to look for. Maybe that ending will help us be prepared to recognize (and follow) the Messiah who does speak the word of God and instruct us in the way of God.
It isn’t that God fails to come. The greater problem is our preference to continue to wait and watch for a Messiah more to our liking.
This One, the One spoken of in scripture, will assure us that we have nothing to fear. That neither life nor death nor anything in all creation will be able to separate us from God’s love. This one will tell us time and again that God’s peace has come upon us. This one will teach us all things and lead us in all things. This one will help us see that the few loaves and fish is enough to feed everyone, if we possess the courage it takes to share. This one will show us that serving others is the path to life. This one will show us all these things; but many will prefer to wait for another, for something different.
Being awake, being alert, being ready might need to start with being honest about what it is that we are looking for. Are we hoping for some jolly fellow in a red suit who will grant us permission to ask for an IPad, or will we be ready to accept the One whose humble beginnings set the stage for the remainder of his life?
We don’t “wish” for things, we pray for them. And what we pray for is that God would make us aware of how everything we need has already been provided. We pray that what is true for God and in God’s kingdom might also be true in our lives.
Be awake; be alert. Be ready to accept the Messiah and be prepared to live according to what he tells us is the way to eternal life.
Amen.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Devotion - Tuesday, November 22
Thanksgiving break starts today. I wonder how many of you are already packed, and ready to depart. Holidays are reminders that while we might say we "go to Clemson," or "live in Clemson," Clemson is not our "home." Our home is somewhere else.
My wife and I experienced different childhoods in that her "home" shifted a couple of times. Her first home was in the city of Atlanta. That home was sold when she was in middle school and she has only been back to see that home on one, maybe two occasions. The home of my childhood was built on land given to my parents by my grandfather. It is 700 yards down the road from his home, the home where my mother grew up. When my parents died, I inherited that home. My niece lives in it now. I am heading to that home later this afternoon.
We are familiar with the saying, "Home is where the heart is," and certainly heart and home are connected. Where we find comfort and assurance and confidence is where we are at home.
Give thanks, this week, for the home that welcomes you. Realize that not everyone has the security of such a place. Give thanks, and consider well how that home might strengthen and sustain your efforts to create a safe zone for others. How might you be able to transform the gift which has come your way into a blessing by which others might be blessed?
Above all, enjoy these days. And be safe. We will be back together come Monday.
My wife and I experienced different childhoods in that her "home" shifted a couple of times. Her first home was in the city of Atlanta. That home was sold when she was in middle school and she has only been back to see that home on one, maybe two occasions. The home of my childhood was built on land given to my parents by my grandfather. It is 700 yards down the road from his home, the home where my mother grew up. When my parents died, I inherited that home. My niece lives in it now. I am heading to that home later this afternoon.
We are familiar with the saying, "Home is where the heart is," and certainly heart and home are connected. Where we find comfort and assurance and confidence is where we are at home.
Give thanks, this week, for the home that welcomes you. Realize that not everyone has the security of such a place. Give thanks, and consider well how that home might strengthen and sustain your efforts to create a safe zone for others. How might you be able to transform the gift which has come your way into a blessing by which others might be blessed?
Above all, enjoy these days. And be safe. We will be back together come Monday.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Devotion - Monday, November 21
The significance of these weeks on the liturgical calendar are too often lost to the secular calendar. Talk of shopping on Black Friday, or the exciting football games on Rivalry Weekend, or cooking the perfect Thanksgiving turkey overrun and overshadow all talk about Christ the King and/or the beginning of Advent. As I read Maggie's devotion for this past Friday, I realized the importance of her commitment - that we are moving into a culture where being a Christian takes us out of step with what is going on around us.
Christ the King Sunday is the culmination of a year's worth of work. On Christ the King we remember the whole cycle of God's interaction with us - we revisit the hope and expectation of Advent, the joy of Christmas, the darkness of Lent, and finally the exhilaration of Easter. The Pentecost Season has allowed us to step back and recall all of Jesus' instructions to us and now, on Christ the King, we are prepared to celebrate Christ as our King. The celebration is an opportunity for dedication. It is our chance to say, "Yes, Lord Jesus. Come into my life as I give my life to you."
It is a short-lived celebration. On the following Sunday (Advent I) we begin the cycle all over again.
Christian faith is always on the move. It seldom sits down or stops. It is therefore appropriate that the self-centered celebrations of Christ the King occupy no more than seven days of our liturgical year. But I hope they will get their due and be remembered, during these seven days.
And what a difference remembering Christ the King can make, on these seven days.
We gather at Thanksgiving to give thanks. The traditions in our particular family may vary, but the underlying theme is giving thanks to God, to our Lord. Rivalry football games are fun, but let's keep them in perspective - they are only a game, and certainly not an occasion to make disparaging remarks about the opponent. And what of all that shopping? My sister, who has taught me so much throughout my life, has recently taught me that if I really want to do something to bring joy into her life, help her to bring food to the bellies of those with too little to eat. "Send a check to the Food Pantry (where she spends so many days fixing meals.)" It is the perfect way to demonstrate your love; by showing that our love is focused in the same direction.
Yes, Christ the King makes a difference in so many ways. Christ, or King, makes all the difference.
Christ the King Sunday is the culmination of a year's worth of work. On Christ the King we remember the whole cycle of God's interaction with us - we revisit the hope and expectation of Advent, the joy of Christmas, the darkness of Lent, and finally the exhilaration of Easter. The Pentecost Season has allowed us to step back and recall all of Jesus' instructions to us and now, on Christ the King, we are prepared to celebrate Christ as our King. The celebration is an opportunity for dedication. It is our chance to say, "Yes, Lord Jesus. Come into my life as I give my life to you."
It is a short-lived celebration. On the following Sunday (Advent I) we begin the cycle all over again.
Christian faith is always on the move. It seldom sits down or stops. It is therefore appropriate that the self-centered celebrations of Christ the King occupy no more than seven days of our liturgical year. But I hope they will get their due and be remembered, during these seven days.
And what a difference remembering Christ the King can make, on these seven days.
We gather at Thanksgiving to give thanks. The traditions in our particular family may vary, but the underlying theme is giving thanks to God, to our Lord. Rivalry football games are fun, but let's keep them in perspective - they are only a game, and certainly not an occasion to make disparaging remarks about the opponent. And what of all that shopping? My sister, who has taught me so much throughout my life, has recently taught me that if I really want to do something to bring joy into her life, help her to bring food to the bellies of those with too little to eat. "Send a check to the Food Pantry (where she spends so many days fixing meals.)" It is the perfect way to demonstrate your love; by showing that our love is focused in the same direction.
Yes, Christ the King makes a difference in so many ways. Christ, or King, makes all the difference.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Christ the King - November 20, 2011
Note: I was asked to assist St. Michael Lutheran with their Stewardship Program. This is the sermon I have prepared for the conclusion of that process.
Christ the King - Year A
November 20, 2011
St. Michael, Greenville
Matthew 25:31-46
Consecration Sunday
A couple of “thank you’s” are in order. I wasn’t sure where they ought to be inserted into the service, so it seems this is as a good a time as any.
The first thank you is to all of you, who accepted the change in schedule, who responded favorably to the invitation to lunch. Change is never easy and seldom welcomed. Thank you for becoming a part of Consecration Sunday and for being here today. I pray that as the morning develops you will come to understand even more clearly why it was so important for all of us to be together, today.
The second thank you is to the Consecration Sunday Team. I began meeting with them on October 17. They had done much work prior to that meeting and they have worked tirelessly since. We all owe them our gratitude and we have all benefitted from their service.
A final thank you is a personal one. I want to thank you all, for allowing me this glimpse into your congregation, into your ministry, and into your lives together. It has been a blessing to me, far beyond the ability of words to express. Thank you. Thank all of you. While my glances from afar had indicated the health and vitality of this congregation, my six weeks working with you have confirmed the wondrous ways in which St. Michael is a community centered on the Gospel and committed to the ministry of Christ.
There is a certain amount of what is going to happen today which is the result of careful planning and meticulous attention to detail. That is why we needed to say “Thank you” to the Planning Team. They have done their tasks well. But their careful planning and their attention to detail could only accomplish so much. What comes after that, the deepest blessings of this day, come our way as a result of plans larger than our own. I asked the Team, at our meeting last Sunday evening, whether their planning had intended for Consecration Sunday to fall on Christ the King Sunday. The answer was “No, not really.” It was more a matter of trying to complete all this before the busyness of Thanksgiving and Advent. Plans larger than our own were at work in making these two coincide. And I want to take a few minutes to point out how appropriate it is that this has occurred.
By now you should have a reasonably good understanding of Consecration Sunday. Even if you missed the temple talks of the past three weeks, your presence here, at 10:00 am rather than 8:30 or 11:00 means you know something about what is going on. Consecration Sunday is an opportunity for us to come together as a community, for us all to come together, and consider what it is that God calling upon us to do. What we will be able to do, as a congregation, is to be built upon what it is that God is calling each of us, as individuals to do. Consecration Sunday shifts the locus of action. Rather than saying, “This is what St. Michael will be doing in the coming year – can you join the effort.” We ask, “What is God calling you to give?” and build the ministry of St. Michael around those offerings. This morning we encourage you to see yourself as one who has been consecrated, for service to God. This morning we will ask you to consecrate your financial resources, making them an instrument for the work of God’s Kingdom.
That is what Consecration Sunday is about.
But today is also Christ the King Sunday. And long before there was a Consecration Sunday, Christ the King Sunday as been on our liturgical calendar as a time to come together and do the same thing. We assemble on Christ the King in order to look back over the previous year, consider all that God has done for us, and then decide whether all of this is going to make any difference in the way we live our lives. The liturgy of Christ the King Sunday forms around the question of whether we will proclaim Christ as our King? Or will we go off looking for another?
Christ the King is a “consecration Sunday,” whether or not it happens to coincide with the Stewardship Committee’s planning.
Consecration Sunday provides us with the opportunity to make tangible our devotion to the one we affirm as our Lord and Master, our devotion to Christ the King.
Neither of these is a gimmick or trick. We are not setting up some sort of “show” for our giving, and we are clearly not in the business of setting up measuring sticks for faithfulness. No one is to feel pressured into doing more than they know they are capable of doing. The presence of any such emotions would mean that all of this is a colossal failure. And let me repeat what you have heard many times already - determining our response to God with regard to financial sacrifice is not to be taken as some sort of test of how deeply we love God. We will have done a disservice to Consecration Sunday and to Christ the King Sunday if any such thoughts are present among us.
That is the disclaimer. Let me return to the main message. Your devotion to Christ is shown through your participation in worship, your personal prayers, and your service to others. Using the image from today’s Gospel reading, we become the sheep of God’s fold, who go about these tasks without ever stepping back to consider them, or perhaps even to realize that they are indicators of our consecration. Today we want to pull ourselves back a bit from the activity and consider the match between what God has entrusted to us and what we are capable of giving back.
In the Gospel lesson, the Son of Man comes and he sits on his throne and he separates people, one from another. At first, those being separated don’t understand why they are being put into one group or another. Notice that both groups ask, “Lord when?” Those who have done the will of their father ask. Those who have failed to care for the least among us also ask. Neither group engaged in their actions with the intention of obtaining a particular reward. Both were living out their lives in accordance with what they considered to be important. When the Son of Man comes, he sits down among them and allows their actions to reveal what they truly value.
The reason for Consecration and for Christ the King is to make sure that we are aware of how our actions reveal what it is that we value in our lives. We need to be encouraged to consider what our behavior says about what we hold dear.
I have said my “Thank yous” and I would never take any of them back. But I hope I won’t offend anyone by saying that in these last four days a few of the well-laid plans were abandoned. As much energy and effort as had been put into Consecration Sunday, and as important as the events of this day are to all of us, everything shifted on Tuesday with the death of Lum Leonard. Nothing we had planned for this morning would be allowed to take precedence over celebrating the life of our brother in Christ and making sure that the news of his resurrection was proclaimed. All of this special stuff we had planned was set aside so we could go back to what it is that we do every day of every week of every year. The “sheep” gathered yesterday to acknowledge one of their own. Yesterday’s gathering is the true consecration, the powerful celebration of Christ as King. Today’s events affirm that we are committed to continuing to do what it is that we have done so well in the past four days.
God has done much. Exceedingly much. Embarrassingly too much. What are we able and prepared to do in return? On Consecration Sunday we have the opportunity to decide. On Christ the King Sunday we join our responses with those of God’s children in every time and every place.
Amen.
Christ the King - Year A
November 20, 2011
St. Michael, Greenville
Matthew 25:31-46
Consecration Sunday
A couple of “thank you’s” are in order. I wasn’t sure where they ought to be inserted into the service, so it seems this is as a good a time as any.
The first thank you is to all of you, who accepted the change in schedule, who responded favorably to the invitation to lunch. Change is never easy and seldom welcomed. Thank you for becoming a part of Consecration Sunday and for being here today. I pray that as the morning develops you will come to understand even more clearly why it was so important for all of us to be together, today.
The second thank you is to the Consecration Sunday Team. I began meeting with them on October 17. They had done much work prior to that meeting and they have worked tirelessly since. We all owe them our gratitude and we have all benefitted from their service.
A final thank you is a personal one. I want to thank you all, for allowing me this glimpse into your congregation, into your ministry, and into your lives together. It has been a blessing to me, far beyond the ability of words to express. Thank you. Thank all of you. While my glances from afar had indicated the health and vitality of this congregation, my six weeks working with you have confirmed the wondrous ways in which St. Michael is a community centered on the Gospel and committed to the ministry of Christ.
There is a certain amount of what is going to happen today which is the result of careful planning and meticulous attention to detail. That is why we needed to say “Thank you” to the Planning Team. They have done their tasks well. But their careful planning and their attention to detail could only accomplish so much. What comes after that, the deepest blessings of this day, come our way as a result of plans larger than our own. I asked the Team, at our meeting last Sunday evening, whether their planning had intended for Consecration Sunday to fall on Christ the King Sunday. The answer was “No, not really.” It was more a matter of trying to complete all this before the busyness of Thanksgiving and Advent. Plans larger than our own were at work in making these two coincide. And I want to take a few minutes to point out how appropriate it is that this has occurred.
By now you should have a reasonably good understanding of Consecration Sunday. Even if you missed the temple talks of the past three weeks, your presence here, at 10:00 am rather than 8:30 or 11:00 means you know something about what is going on. Consecration Sunday is an opportunity for us to come together as a community, for us all to come together, and consider what it is that God calling upon us to do. What we will be able to do, as a congregation, is to be built upon what it is that God is calling each of us, as individuals to do. Consecration Sunday shifts the locus of action. Rather than saying, “This is what St. Michael will be doing in the coming year – can you join the effort.” We ask, “What is God calling you to give?” and build the ministry of St. Michael around those offerings. This morning we encourage you to see yourself as one who has been consecrated, for service to God. This morning we will ask you to consecrate your financial resources, making them an instrument for the work of God’s Kingdom.
That is what Consecration Sunday is about.
But today is also Christ the King Sunday. And long before there was a Consecration Sunday, Christ the King Sunday as been on our liturgical calendar as a time to come together and do the same thing. We assemble on Christ the King in order to look back over the previous year, consider all that God has done for us, and then decide whether all of this is going to make any difference in the way we live our lives. The liturgy of Christ the King Sunday forms around the question of whether we will proclaim Christ as our King? Or will we go off looking for another?
Christ the King is a “consecration Sunday,” whether or not it happens to coincide with the Stewardship Committee’s planning.
Consecration Sunday provides us with the opportunity to make tangible our devotion to the one we affirm as our Lord and Master, our devotion to Christ the King.
Neither of these is a gimmick or trick. We are not setting up some sort of “show” for our giving, and we are clearly not in the business of setting up measuring sticks for faithfulness. No one is to feel pressured into doing more than they know they are capable of doing. The presence of any such emotions would mean that all of this is a colossal failure. And let me repeat what you have heard many times already - determining our response to God with regard to financial sacrifice is not to be taken as some sort of test of how deeply we love God. We will have done a disservice to Consecration Sunday and to Christ the King Sunday if any such thoughts are present among us.
That is the disclaimer. Let me return to the main message. Your devotion to Christ is shown through your participation in worship, your personal prayers, and your service to others. Using the image from today’s Gospel reading, we become the sheep of God’s fold, who go about these tasks without ever stepping back to consider them, or perhaps even to realize that they are indicators of our consecration. Today we want to pull ourselves back a bit from the activity and consider the match between what God has entrusted to us and what we are capable of giving back.
In the Gospel lesson, the Son of Man comes and he sits on his throne and he separates people, one from another. At first, those being separated don’t understand why they are being put into one group or another. Notice that both groups ask, “Lord when?” Those who have done the will of their father ask. Those who have failed to care for the least among us also ask. Neither group engaged in their actions with the intention of obtaining a particular reward. Both were living out their lives in accordance with what they considered to be important. When the Son of Man comes, he sits down among them and allows their actions to reveal what they truly value.
The reason for Consecration and for Christ the King is to make sure that we are aware of how our actions reveal what it is that we value in our lives. We need to be encouraged to consider what our behavior says about what we hold dear.
I have said my “Thank yous” and I would never take any of them back. But I hope I won’t offend anyone by saying that in these last four days a few of the well-laid plans were abandoned. As much energy and effort as had been put into Consecration Sunday, and as important as the events of this day are to all of us, everything shifted on Tuesday with the death of Lum Leonard. Nothing we had planned for this morning would be allowed to take precedence over celebrating the life of our brother in Christ and making sure that the news of his resurrection was proclaimed. All of this special stuff we had planned was set aside so we could go back to what it is that we do every day of every week of every year. The “sheep” gathered yesterday to acknowledge one of their own. Yesterday’s gathering is the true consecration, the powerful celebration of Christ as King. Today’s events affirm that we are committed to continuing to do what it is that we have done so well in the past four days.
God has done much. Exceedingly much. Embarrassingly too much. What are we able and prepared to do in return? On Consecration Sunday we have the opportunity to decide. On Christ the King Sunday we join our responses with those of God’s children in every time and every place.
Amen.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Devotion - Thursday, November 17
It is getting to be that time of the year - the time when we see the stress levels go up and the self care going down. I feel it too. I realize that when you are the busiest, I tend to get busy, too. I think it is something in the air that affects us all. We fail, during this time of the year, to allow ourselves to find our rest in God.
I not only write a morning thought, I read a couple. This one spoke to me, and I thought it worth sharing with you. It is, as you will be able to tell, part of a short series - on mysticism - and it addresses allowing ourselves to find that rest, in God.
The final experience of mysticism, after the optimistic explosion that we usually call hope, and the ensuing sense of safety, is of deep rest. It’s the verb I’m told that is most used by the mystics: “resting in God.” All this striving and this need to perform, climb, and achieve becomes, on some very real level, unnecessary. It’s already here, now. I can stop all this overproduction and over-proving of myself. That’s Western and American culture. It’s not the Gospel at all.
We’ve all imbibed the culture of unrest so deeply. We just cannot believe that we could be respected or admired or received or loved without some level of performance. We are all performers and overachievers, and we think “when we do that” we will finally be lovable. Once you ride on the performance principle, you don’t even allow yourself to achieve it. Even when you “achieve” a good day of “performing,” it will never be enough, because it is inherently self-advancing and therefore self-defeating. You might call it “spiritual capitalism.”
I not only write a morning thought, I read a couple. This one spoke to me, and I thought it worth sharing with you. It is, as you will be able to tell, part of a short series - on mysticism - and it addresses allowing ourselves to find that rest, in God.
The final experience of mysticism, after the optimistic explosion that we usually call hope, and the ensuing sense of safety, is of deep rest. It’s the verb I’m told that is most used by the mystics: “resting in God.” All this striving and this need to perform, climb, and achieve becomes, on some very real level, unnecessary. It’s already here, now. I can stop all this overproduction and over-proving of myself. That’s Western and American culture. It’s not the Gospel at all.
We’ve all imbibed the culture of unrest so deeply. We just cannot believe that we could be respected or admired or received or loved without some level of performance. We are all performers and overachievers, and we think “when we do that” we will finally be lovable. Once you ride on the performance principle, you don’t even allow yourself to achieve it. Even when you “achieve” a good day of “performing,” it will never be enough, because it is inherently self-advancing and therefore self-defeating. You might call it “spiritual capitalism.”
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Devotion - Wednesday, November 16
Our Tuesday night bible study group has completed the chapters associated with the Old Testament. Our study guide is an overview, introduction to the whole bible. It is a wide swipe, but it is allowing us to get the basic story line, and to note what are referred to as the Major 31 stories in the Bible.
The OT summary spoke of the stories in general terms. The topic which occupied us the most last night was "Called and Claimed." Not dissimilar to one of our Sunday Morning discussions, we talked about what it means to be called by God, what a call is like, and how specific any such call would be. "Does a call from God mean that there is a particular plan for my life?" "Would that call identify for me my job choice, or even better the particular company with whom I would be employed."
Would that our call from God were that specific. It rarely is.
I have shared with you that there are multiple Greed words in the New Testament which are associated with the concept of faith. The one most applicable to this discussion is the one visio. It is a way of encouraging us to see (vision) the world as Christ sees the world. Our call from God is to look at the world as if we were looking through the eyes of Jesus.
This call, is a call from God to see. It is a call to observe. It is a call to perceive things from the position of Jesus.
As a result of this call, we approach the world with compassion. As a result of this call, we are aware of injustice. As a result of this call, we are prepared to make the sacrifices necessary for the betterment of the kingdom.
God has called each of us. God has claimed us as sons and daughters. This call, that claim lie behind and under every decision we will make. It won't tell us where to plant our foot (what our next step will be) but it will tell us where to focus our eyes.
The OT summary spoke of the stories in general terms. The topic which occupied us the most last night was "Called and Claimed." Not dissimilar to one of our Sunday Morning discussions, we talked about what it means to be called by God, what a call is like, and how specific any such call would be. "Does a call from God mean that there is a particular plan for my life?" "Would that call identify for me my job choice, or even better the particular company with whom I would be employed."
Would that our call from God were that specific. It rarely is.
I have shared with you that there are multiple Greed words in the New Testament which are associated with the concept of faith. The one most applicable to this discussion is the one visio. It is a way of encouraging us to see (vision) the world as Christ sees the world. Our call from God is to look at the world as if we were looking through the eyes of Jesus.
This call, is a call from God to see. It is a call to observe. It is a call to perceive things from the position of Jesus.
As a result of this call, we approach the world with compassion. As a result of this call, we are aware of injustice. As a result of this call, we are prepared to make the sacrifices necessary for the betterment of the kingdom.
God has called each of us. God has claimed us as sons and daughters. This call, that claim lie behind and under every decision we will make. It won't tell us where to plant our foot (what our next step will be) but it will tell us where to focus our eyes.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Devotion - Tuesday, November 15
I wrote to you yesterday of Jesus sending out the disciples. Continuing to read from Matthew 10, we realize that his instructions to them included words of warning. (I probably should have included something about that along with yesterday's encouragement for you to "Go.") He tells them that the going would not be easy.
One of the quandaries we face is whether it was only those first disciples who faced rejection, betrayal, and death, or if it is a warning that remains in effect for us modern-day disciples. Is the danger over? Or is there something about the message of Jesus which continues to make his disciples targets?
Maybe you can arrive at an answer to that question by considering whether the culture around us accurately reflects the vision Jesus has for us?
We have had two deaths in our student population in the past two weeks. The circumstances of the first has not been disclosed; the second is rumored to be the result of alcohol poisoning. We can distance ourselves from that and say, "I am not part of that crowd," but these individuals and their crowd are our community.
South Carolina has a new law regarding undocumented persons. Setting aside the mood or intention of the law itself, the language being used by those discussing the law is painful to hear. These are humans, children of God, yet we speak of them with horrific words.
The first disciples of Jesus faced physical beatings, imprisonment, execution. We may not face these same threats, but speaking the Word of God continues to make us suspect, unpopular, even shunned. The world may say that it "loves Jesus" and "believes in Jesus," but we have a ways to go when it comes to following Jesus.
Until that time comes, those who speak on behalf of Jesus are likely to continue to feel as if we are sent out as "sheep in the midst of wolves." (Matthew 10:16)
One of the quandaries we face is whether it was only those first disciples who faced rejection, betrayal, and death, or if it is a warning that remains in effect for us modern-day disciples. Is the danger over? Or is there something about the message of Jesus which continues to make his disciples targets?
Maybe you can arrive at an answer to that question by considering whether the culture around us accurately reflects the vision Jesus has for us?
We have had two deaths in our student population in the past two weeks. The circumstances of the first has not been disclosed; the second is rumored to be the result of alcohol poisoning. We can distance ourselves from that and say, "I am not part of that crowd," but these individuals and their crowd are our community.
South Carolina has a new law regarding undocumented persons. Setting aside the mood or intention of the law itself, the language being used by those discussing the law is painful to hear. These are humans, children of God, yet we speak of them with horrific words.
The first disciples of Jesus faced physical beatings, imprisonment, execution. We may not face these same threats, but speaking the Word of God continues to make us suspect, unpopular, even shunned. The world may say that it "loves Jesus" and "believes in Jesus," but we have a ways to go when it comes to following Jesus.
Until that time comes, those who speak on behalf of Jesus are likely to continue to feel as if we are sent out as "sheep in the midst of wolves." (Matthew 10:16)
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sermon - November 13, 2011
Matthew 25:14-30
No Instructions - Just Gifts
Jesus is talking about the “Kingdom of heaven.” It isn’t immediately apparent that this is the context for today’s Gospel reading. The 25th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel is all about the Kingdom. The previous parable was introduced with the words, “The kingdom of heaven will be like….” When he finishes that first parable, he moves on to a second. Like the first, it is about the kingdom. Like other places in the Gospel, where Jesus is speaking of the kingdom, he again uses grandiose images and outrageous comparisons.
The kingdom of heaven is as if a man, going on a journey, were to summon his slaves and entrust them with his property. The end of the story answers a question one would surely ask before taking such action – “Are these slaves meritorious enough to be entrusted with the man’s possessions?” Two will prove to be; one will not. At the beginning of the story, we don’t know this. All know is that the master entrusts them with his possessions. And the amounts with which he entrusts them would suggest that he has great hopes for them.
We might miss this point in the story, unless we are familiar enough with units of measure in the times of Jesus’ life. Can anyone convert 5 talents, or 3 talents, or 1 talent into modern-day sums of money? You need to be able to convert the amount in order to realize that in this parable we are talking about a master who entrusts to his servants with a tremendous treasurer. In order for the parable to speak to us, the modern-day servants who oversee the kingdom, we need to be able to understand the worth of that which God has entrusted to us.
I have been stalling. Giving you time. Has any one come up with the conversion? I have done this math with you before, in other sermons. Start with a denarii. A denarii is the amount of money a laborer would earn in the course of a day. A talent was equal to about 6,000 denarii. A talent would represent the amount of money a laborer (a slave or servant) could earn in about 20 years.
To turn this into an actual number, let’s use $7.50 as an hourly wage. In 8 hours they would earn about $60. If we set $60 as the value of a denarii, then a talent would be worth approximately $360,000. The kingdom is as if a man going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave $1.8 million, another $720,000, to another $360,000.
Now, we are an affluent congregation. It might be the case that some of our children work minimum wage jobs, while they are in school, but most of us are far removed from jobs than pay $7.50 an hour. As a result, these numbers might not be as impressive to us as they were for Jesus’ immediate hearers, or as they would be to the households meeting at some of the country churches around Pickens County. So work the math using your own ideas of annual income. 20 years of wages is the amount Jesus is talking about. This is the amount (times five in one instance, times two in another) that he gives to the servants – without so much as a suggestion of what they are to do with it.
How can this be like the kingdom?
The kingdom of which Jesus speaks is known for its grandiose nature and its outlandish gifts. The kingdom of which Jesus speaks is that place where God comes to us and invites us in as sons and daughters. In this kingdom, our sins are forgiven, we are assured of salvation, and promised that nothing will ever separate us from the love of God. That which is entrusted to us, placed in our hands as the waters of baptism are poured over our heads, is a treasure of unimaginable worth. Our master has only “gone away” in the sense that the physical Jesus has been transformed into the resurrected Jesus. As this transformation was taking place he said to you, “Go and teach all persons… baptize them,” and welcome them into the kingdom.
Understanding the value of the talents the master leaves with the servants in the parable helps us to understand the value of that which God has entrusted to us.
These gifts, this treasure, is ours on two levels. It encourages us to think of what God has given us as individuals and what God has given us as a community. In either instance, the point remains the same – our master has given us much, so much, an insane amount of much, and then steps back to see what we will do with it.
What will we do? What have you done? With that which God has entrusted to you?
In the parable, two of the three do as their master had hoped – they make good use of that which they had been given. They double the initial gift. In acknowledging their accomplishments, the master tells them that since they have been trustworthy in a few things, he will put them in charge of many things. They are to enter into the joy of their master.
Given the grandiose nature of the initial gifts – 100 years of wages for the first, 60 years of wages for the second – it is difficult to imagine what more the master might have to give. Perhaps it is a reference to the treasures which are not measureable in coin or hours but rather in things eternal. These two servants are acknowledged for taking what they had been given and putting it to good work. They are good and faithful servants. They are the kind of persons Jesus hopes will be found at every turn in the kingdom.
But what of the other servant. It isn’t that he did anything wrong, does he? He protects that which belongs to the master and is capable, upon the master’s return, of giving back to him all that he given. But this is not what the master had hoped he would do with it.
Any time there is mention of weeping and gnashing of teeth, we can be pretty sure this is not where we want to be. We do not want to find ourselves in the position of the one who fails to make use of that which God has given us. We can be sure that this is not the end toward which we ought to be moving. It is best to avoid the disappointment of the one who has given us that which is nothing short of an absolutely amazing gift.
I started out trying to help you understand a modern day conversion for a “talent.” The other direction that conversation could have gone is to explain how the popularity of this story contributed to the middle ages adaptation of this word as a reference to one’s God-given abilities. It isn’t always money which is left in our care – it is also our ability to tell a story, to communicate the things which are of value, or to be the one who provides love and compassion. These “talents,” as well as our ability to solve a math problem, or build a turbine engine, or keep the accounts of a number of share-holders, are the things which God has given us, to see how we will use them – to discover how these talents might increase the goodness of God’s creation.
Each and every one of us, sitting here today, has been handed at least one talent. Each and every one of us has been entrusted, by our master, with an unimaginable treasure. Each and every one of us struggles to know what to do with our talents. God is the one who gave them to us; but in most cases God has not handed us an instruction manual. I don’t believe that God is “testing” us, so much as God wants to give us the freedom to choose how we will make use of the things he has provided. And his reaction to the third servant may have arisen out of disappointment, or been a reaction to the uncharitable opinion that third servant had of his master. He is pretty harsh in his description of a man who had handed him 20 years of wages. God has handed you and I these talents, and God is watching what we will do.
What will you do?
Amen.
No Instructions - Just Gifts
Jesus is talking about the “Kingdom of heaven.” It isn’t immediately apparent that this is the context for today’s Gospel reading. The 25th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel is all about the Kingdom. The previous parable was introduced with the words, “The kingdom of heaven will be like….” When he finishes that first parable, he moves on to a second. Like the first, it is about the kingdom. Like other places in the Gospel, where Jesus is speaking of the kingdom, he again uses grandiose images and outrageous comparisons.
The kingdom of heaven is as if a man, going on a journey, were to summon his slaves and entrust them with his property. The end of the story answers a question one would surely ask before taking such action – “Are these slaves meritorious enough to be entrusted with the man’s possessions?” Two will prove to be; one will not. At the beginning of the story, we don’t know this. All know is that the master entrusts them with his possessions. And the amounts with which he entrusts them would suggest that he has great hopes for them.
We might miss this point in the story, unless we are familiar enough with units of measure in the times of Jesus’ life. Can anyone convert 5 talents, or 3 talents, or 1 talent into modern-day sums of money? You need to be able to convert the amount in order to realize that in this parable we are talking about a master who entrusts to his servants with a tremendous treasurer. In order for the parable to speak to us, the modern-day servants who oversee the kingdom, we need to be able to understand the worth of that which God has entrusted to us.
I have been stalling. Giving you time. Has any one come up with the conversion? I have done this math with you before, in other sermons. Start with a denarii. A denarii is the amount of money a laborer would earn in the course of a day. A talent was equal to about 6,000 denarii. A talent would represent the amount of money a laborer (a slave or servant) could earn in about 20 years.
To turn this into an actual number, let’s use $7.50 as an hourly wage. In 8 hours they would earn about $60. If we set $60 as the value of a denarii, then a talent would be worth approximately $360,000. The kingdom is as if a man going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave $1.8 million, another $720,000, to another $360,000.
Now, we are an affluent congregation. It might be the case that some of our children work minimum wage jobs, while they are in school, but most of us are far removed from jobs than pay $7.50 an hour. As a result, these numbers might not be as impressive to us as they were for Jesus’ immediate hearers, or as they would be to the households meeting at some of the country churches around Pickens County. So work the math using your own ideas of annual income. 20 years of wages is the amount Jesus is talking about. This is the amount (times five in one instance, times two in another) that he gives to the servants – without so much as a suggestion of what they are to do with it.
How can this be like the kingdom?
The kingdom of which Jesus speaks is known for its grandiose nature and its outlandish gifts. The kingdom of which Jesus speaks is that place where God comes to us and invites us in as sons and daughters. In this kingdom, our sins are forgiven, we are assured of salvation, and promised that nothing will ever separate us from the love of God. That which is entrusted to us, placed in our hands as the waters of baptism are poured over our heads, is a treasure of unimaginable worth. Our master has only “gone away” in the sense that the physical Jesus has been transformed into the resurrected Jesus. As this transformation was taking place he said to you, “Go and teach all persons… baptize them,” and welcome them into the kingdom.
Understanding the value of the talents the master leaves with the servants in the parable helps us to understand the value of that which God has entrusted to us.
These gifts, this treasure, is ours on two levels. It encourages us to think of what God has given us as individuals and what God has given us as a community. In either instance, the point remains the same – our master has given us much, so much, an insane amount of much, and then steps back to see what we will do with it.
What will we do? What have you done? With that which God has entrusted to you?
In the parable, two of the three do as their master had hoped – they make good use of that which they had been given. They double the initial gift. In acknowledging their accomplishments, the master tells them that since they have been trustworthy in a few things, he will put them in charge of many things. They are to enter into the joy of their master.
Given the grandiose nature of the initial gifts – 100 years of wages for the first, 60 years of wages for the second – it is difficult to imagine what more the master might have to give. Perhaps it is a reference to the treasures which are not measureable in coin or hours but rather in things eternal. These two servants are acknowledged for taking what they had been given and putting it to good work. They are good and faithful servants. They are the kind of persons Jesus hopes will be found at every turn in the kingdom.
But what of the other servant. It isn’t that he did anything wrong, does he? He protects that which belongs to the master and is capable, upon the master’s return, of giving back to him all that he given. But this is not what the master had hoped he would do with it.
Any time there is mention of weeping and gnashing of teeth, we can be pretty sure this is not where we want to be. We do not want to find ourselves in the position of the one who fails to make use of that which God has given us. We can be sure that this is not the end toward which we ought to be moving. It is best to avoid the disappointment of the one who has given us that which is nothing short of an absolutely amazing gift.
I started out trying to help you understand a modern day conversion for a “talent.” The other direction that conversation could have gone is to explain how the popularity of this story contributed to the middle ages adaptation of this word as a reference to one’s God-given abilities. It isn’t always money which is left in our care – it is also our ability to tell a story, to communicate the things which are of value, or to be the one who provides love and compassion. These “talents,” as well as our ability to solve a math problem, or build a turbine engine, or keep the accounts of a number of share-holders, are the things which God has given us, to see how we will use them – to discover how these talents might increase the goodness of God’s creation.
Each and every one of us, sitting here today, has been handed at least one talent. Each and every one of us has been entrusted, by our master, with an unimaginable treasure. Each and every one of us struggles to know what to do with our talents. God is the one who gave them to us; but in most cases God has not handed us an instruction manual. I don’t believe that God is “testing” us, so much as God wants to give us the freedom to choose how we will make use of the things he has provided. And his reaction to the third servant may have arisen out of disappointment, or been a reaction to the uncharitable opinion that third servant had of his master. He is pretty harsh in his description of a man who had handed him 20 years of wages. God has handed you and I these talents, and God is watching what we will do.
What will you do?
Amen.
Devotion - Monday, November 14
Once Jesus has called his disciples, and spent some time with them, he sends them out into the world. He instructs them to preach as they go; heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. (Matthew 10:5ff) From this, we might come to understand that the prime activity of Jesus' followers is to be out there, somewhere, telling others.
Why has this changed so much?
I was with a wonderful group of individuals last night. Among them were parents of one of our current students; among them were parents of an individual I hope will choose to come to Clemson in 2013. I spoke to these parents of our efforts to welcome students and encourage them to become involved in the worship life at University Lutheran and the programs of Lutheran Campus Ministry-Clemson. I stumbled back over that conversation this morning, as I turned to the bookmark in my bible and read the appointed Gospel lesson. Jesus sent the disciples out; we are stopping short of his expectations when all we do is welcome them in.
Perhaps it has to do with the suggestion (suggestion - not fact) that we live in a "Christian Nation." The assumption is that everyone has heard the story and everyone has had at least a dozen invitations to learn all they want to know about God's grace. Perhaps.
Maybe it has to do with our nervousness. We are fearful that someone will ask us a question or challenge our comments and we won't know how to respond. Maybe.
Unfortunately, the result remains unchanged. We may be very involved in the community which bears the name of Jesus, but choose to remain comfortable inside that community, rather than reach out to others.
After looking inward for a long period of time we may even forget the call to look outward.
Jesus sends his disciples out. They are told to "go." They are discouraged from making a lot of preparations. Just go, and see what happens.
I leave those same instructions with you. "Go." You don't need to have all the answers - it fact it is more helpful when you do not. You need not have a reply for every possible response, you only need one replay. What I find most truthful and most helpful is merely to say, "I have peace and a contentment in my life."
Go.
Why has this changed so much?
I was with a wonderful group of individuals last night. Among them were parents of one of our current students; among them were parents of an individual I hope will choose to come to Clemson in 2013. I spoke to these parents of our efforts to welcome students and encourage them to become involved in the worship life at University Lutheran and the programs of Lutheran Campus Ministry-Clemson. I stumbled back over that conversation this morning, as I turned to the bookmark in my bible and read the appointed Gospel lesson. Jesus sent the disciples out; we are stopping short of his expectations when all we do is welcome them in.
Perhaps it has to do with the suggestion (suggestion - not fact) that we live in a "Christian Nation." The assumption is that everyone has heard the story and everyone has had at least a dozen invitations to learn all they want to know about God's grace. Perhaps.
Maybe it has to do with our nervousness. We are fearful that someone will ask us a question or challenge our comments and we won't know how to respond. Maybe.
Unfortunately, the result remains unchanged. We may be very involved in the community which bears the name of Jesus, but choose to remain comfortable inside that community, rather than reach out to others.
After looking inward for a long period of time we may even forget the call to look outward.
Jesus sends his disciples out. They are told to "go." They are discouraged from making a lot of preparations. Just go, and see what happens.
I leave those same instructions with you. "Go." You don't need to have all the answers - it fact it is more helpful when you do not. You need not have a reply for every possible response, you only need one replay. What I find most truthful and most helpful is merely to say, "I have peace and a contentment in my life."
Go.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Devotion - Thursday, November 10
In Matthew 9, Jesus is approached by a man, whose daughter has died. Jesus goes to the man's house. When he arrives, the "flute players" are already there - the community has begun to gather in order to mourn the child's passing, to prepare her body for burial, and to support the family in their grief. Jesus tells them they are premature, that "the girl is not dead but sleeping." They laugh at him.
Before I go on, I need to share a note from my seminary course on Matthew. It was a part of the culture at the time that the flute players showed up, uninvited, when a death occurred. They would play their instruments, and then then they would expect payment. So, when Jesus speaks of the girl not being dead, their laughter may have been somewhat motivated by the suggestion that they were going to be denied the opportunity to collect their coins. They were a part of the death ritual of the community, but they were there to profit from the death, not genuinely mourn the girl's passing. There is a lesson here - that not eveyone is sad to see a death; that some see death as an opportunity and they seek to exploit it.
Jesus knows that life is God's to give; Jesus knows that even where and when death is all that others can see - he finds life.
Think not so much about those in your family or circle of friends who have been buried. Think of those (perhaps even yourself) who continue to draw breath, but who have ceased to experience the fullness and the promise of the life God has for us. Think of those persons (hopefully not yourself) who fail to see the opportunities set before them but choose instead to face corners and remain tethered. They may not be there totally of their own choosing. Like the ancient flute players, there are persons in the world who look enthusiastically for those susceptible to the suggestion to be dead rather than to live. They attempt to keep us in the places where death is the choice to be made.
Into those lives (and into your own) Jesus comes to announce that life is there, that life is ours, that while others may see death his vision is one of the living.
In Matthew 9, there are no fancy words or actions, nor even a prayerful outcry. Jesus simply takes the girl by the hand, "and the girl arose." Simple, really.
Just as simply, Jesus takes our hand. Just as simply, from him and into us flows the life which is God's gift to us.
Before I go on, I need to share a note from my seminary course on Matthew. It was a part of the culture at the time that the flute players showed up, uninvited, when a death occurred. They would play their instruments, and then then they would expect payment. So, when Jesus speaks of the girl not being dead, their laughter may have been somewhat motivated by the suggestion that they were going to be denied the opportunity to collect their coins. They were a part of the death ritual of the community, but they were there to profit from the death, not genuinely mourn the girl's passing. There is a lesson here - that not eveyone is sad to see a death; that some see death as an opportunity and they seek to exploit it.
Jesus knows that life is God's to give; Jesus knows that even where and when death is all that others can see - he finds life.
Think not so much about those in your family or circle of friends who have been buried. Think of those (perhaps even yourself) who continue to draw breath, but who have ceased to experience the fullness and the promise of the life God has for us. Think of those persons (hopefully not yourself) who fail to see the opportunities set before them but choose instead to face corners and remain tethered. They may not be there totally of their own choosing. Like the ancient flute players, there are persons in the world who look enthusiastically for those susceptible to the suggestion to be dead rather than to live. They attempt to keep us in the places where death is the choice to be made.
Into those lives (and into your own) Jesus comes to announce that life is there, that life is ours, that while others may see death his vision is one of the living.
In Matthew 9, there are no fancy words or actions, nor even a prayerful outcry. Jesus simply takes the girl by the hand, "and the girl arose." Simple, really.
Just as simply, Jesus takes our hand. Just as simply, from him and into us flows the life which is God's gift to us.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Devotion - Wednesday, November 9
I was reading this morning from Matthew 9. Jesus calls Matthew as a disciple; he ends up sharing dinner with a number of tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees comment on this. Jesus says to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician."
Does this story speak to us in any way? Are we so far removed in time and context that we fail to grasp what is going on here? A fear is that we have become so comfortable with our inclusion in the community of Christ that we no longer hear those words which are meant to shake up that community.
One of last evening's Bible study participants correctly pointed out that we are "all sinners." Perhaps it is our willingness to admit our shortcomings which contribute to our reading Matthew 9 and seeing ourselves in the role of those whose presence with Jesus is questioned. We continue to think of ourselves as the unlikely recipients of God's gracious invitation to sit at his table. And thus we should see ourselves. But we are also those whose names appear on the list of temple keepers; are not many of us among those who arrange the chairs at the table and send out the notices that the meal is being served? We share traits with those who already have a place in the house and around the table. We may be one of the sinners who Jesus beckons to join him; but we are also one of the established guard reluctant to give up our status.
We need to continually understand ourselves to be sinners, welcomed to the table by a gracious and loving master. But we must also be on the lookout for those who are being called to the table, and do not consider themselves worthy. We need to be helpful to Jesus, in making them feel welcome and not part of the reason they feel excluded.
Look around you for the most unlikely of candidates for God's invitation. Look at them with differing eyes, with the eyes of Jesus, and through the experience adjust your understanding of why Jesus came and to whom he came. Allow this to alter the way in which you reach out to those persons and the ways in which you speak to them of God's invitation.
Does this story speak to us in any way? Are we so far removed in time and context that we fail to grasp what is going on here? A fear is that we have become so comfortable with our inclusion in the community of Christ that we no longer hear those words which are meant to shake up that community.
One of last evening's Bible study participants correctly pointed out that we are "all sinners." Perhaps it is our willingness to admit our shortcomings which contribute to our reading Matthew 9 and seeing ourselves in the role of those whose presence with Jesus is questioned. We continue to think of ourselves as the unlikely recipients of God's gracious invitation to sit at his table. And thus we should see ourselves. But we are also those whose names appear on the list of temple keepers; are not many of us among those who arrange the chairs at the table and send out the notices that the meal is being served? We share traits with those who already have a place in the house and around the table. We may be one of the sinners who Jesus beckons to join him; but we are also one of the established guard reluctant to give up our status.
We need to continually understand ourselves to be sinners, welcomed to the table by a gracious and loving master. But we must also be on the lookout for those who are being called to the table, and do not consider themselves worthy. We need to be helpful to Jesus, in making them feel welcome and not part of the reason they feel excluded.
Look around you for the most unlikely of candidates for God's invitation. Look at them with differing eyes, with the eyes of Jesus, and through the experience adjust your understanding of why Jesus came and to whom he came. Allow this to alter the way in which you reach out to those persons and the ways in which you speak to them of God's invitation.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Devotion - Tuesday, November 8
Matthew 9:1-8 retells an encounter between Jesus and the scribes.
It begins with a healing, of which the scribes are critical of Jesus. When he sees the paralytic, lying on his bed, Jesus says to him, "Your sins are forgiven." This is the reason for their criticism. They would point out that only God can forgive sins. Their opposition to Jesus is that he would announce the forgiveness of sins.
The reply Jesus gives them is intended to show that he does have this authority; it is a message for the early Church that Jesus is the Son of God. But this morning I found something else in his words which stuck with me.
Jesus asks these scribes, "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk?'" Having been criticized for announcing the forgiveness of sins, Jesus now gives the command to stand and walk.
Again, this story's purpose in scriptures is to assure us of Jesus' authority. But this morning, with these verses fresh in my head, as I prayed for those of you facing various illnesses and diseases, I found myself thinking how impressed we would be were healing to occur, and yet we overlook the miracle of the forgiveness of our sins.
I don't want to pretend that it is easy to heal someone. Many times disease takes a strong hold of us and will not let us go. But the scribes appropriately understand that healing is in no way comparable to forgiveness. One is an option for many; the other is solely the realm of God.
My prayers will continue to include petitions for healing. May God's grace be with each who suffer in body or spirit. The assurance we have is that our suffering is not a result of unforgiven sin. We can face our challenges confident that Jesus has looked upon us and that he has also said to us, "Your sins are forgiven."
It begins with a healing, of which the scribes are critical of Jesus. When he sees the paralytic, lying on his bed, Jesus says to him, "Your sins are forgiven." This is the reason for their criticism. They would point out that only God can forgive sins. Their opposition to Jesus is that he would announce the forgiveness of sins.
The reply Jesus gives them is intended to show that he does have this authority; it is a message for the early Church that Jesus is the Son of God. But this morning I found something else in his words which stuck with me.
Jesus asks these scribes, "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk?'" Having been criticized for announcing the forgiveness of sins, Jesus now gives the command to stand and walk.
Again, this story's purpose in scriptures is to assure us of Jesus' authority. But this morning, with these verses fresh in my head, as I prayed for those of you facing various illnesses and diseases, I found myself thinking how impressed we would be were healing to occur, and yet we overlook the miracle of the forgiveness of our sins.
I don't want to pretend that it is easy to heal someone. Many times disease takes a strong hold of us and will not let us go. But the scribes appropriately understand that healing is in no way comparable to forgiveness. One is an option for many; the other is solely the realm of God.
My prayers will continue to include petitions for healing. May God's grace be with each who suffer in body or spirit. The assurance we have is that our suffering is not a result of unforgiven sin. We can face our challenges confident that Jesus has looked upon us and that he has also said to us, "Your sins are forgiven."
Monday, November 7, 2011
Devotion - Monday, November 7
Some of Paul's words have been fully and completely heard, accepted, and applied to our lives. Some of what he says, we have truly taken to heart and made a part of our daily lives.
Take, for example, his instructions on eating meat offered to idols. When was the last time you worried (or even considered) whether a meal you were consuming had previously been part of some ritual sacrifice? In I Corinthians 10, Paul gives instructions on how one is to respond, when invited to the house of another. If the meat we are offered does not offend us, then go ahead and eat it. He says.
Have you not applied this to your life? Don't you eat, without concern, as to where the meat was offered?
Perhaps you are thinking, "Sacrifice to other gods is no longer practiced." Perhaps true, but I am anticipating a lot of fires and sacrificial offerings come Saturday as those eighty some thousand gather to adore (if not worship) the god of Clemson football.
I am not attempting to build an argument that we have turned college football into the god upon which we lavish our gifts and devote our time (any attempts to do this would leave me open to questions about my devotion to NASCAR.) But as I read I Corinthians 10 this morning, I thought of all this. Particularly when I got to the first verse of the 11th chapter. "Give no offense... Just as I try to please all.... not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved."
How offensive ought it be that we can turn out 80K+ for a football game, but have a tough time getting 300 to participate in the CROP Walk for World Hunger? What is the value of all those tailgating tents, seen on game day? And why do we find it so difficult to raise enough money to pay for the Homecoming Habitat House?
It might be offensive, to some, when they observe the resources we devote to entertaining ourselves as compared to the resources given to save others.
Some of Paul's words we have heard, accepted, and applied to our lives. Others - well, we might have a ways to go.
Take, for example, his instructions on eating meat offered to idols. When was the last time you worried (or even considered) whether a meal you were consuming had previously been part of some ritual sacrifice? In I Corinthians 10, Paul gives instructions on how one is to respond, when invited to the house of another. If the meat we are offered does not offend us, then go ahead and eat it. He says.
Have you not applied this to your life? Don't you eat, without concern, as to where the meat was offered?
Perhaps you are thinking, "Sacrifice to other gods is no longer practiced." Perhaps true, but I am anticipating a lot of fires and sacrificial offerings come Saturday as those eighty some thousand gather to adore (if not worship) the god of Clemson football.
I am not attempting to build an argument that we have turned college football into the god upon which we lavish our gifts and devote our time (any attempts to do this would leave me open to questions about my devotion to NASCAR.) But as I read I Corinthians 10 this morning, I thought of all this. Particularly when I got to the first verse of the 11th chapter. "Give no offense... Just as I try to please all.... not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved."
How offensive ought it be that we can turn out 80K+ for a football game, but have a tough time getting 300 to participate in the CROP Walk for World Hunger? What is the value of all those tailgating tents, seen on game day? And why do we find it so difficult to raise enough money to pay for the Homecoming Habitat House?
It might be offensive, to some, when they observe the resources we devote to entertaining ourselves as compared to the resources given to save others.
Some of Paul's words we have heard, accepted, and applied to our lives. Others - well, we might have a ways to go.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Devotion - Thursday, November 3
Jesus ends his Sermon on the Mount with a comparison between the person who builds their house upon the sand, and a person who builds their house upon rock. The analogy is that the house built upon the sand is easily washed away when the rains and the floods come. The house built upon the rock stands firm.
Jesus has finished presenting the bedrock of his teachings. He has told us, in the preceding three chapters, what we are to believe and how we are to act. "Follow these," he seems to be saying, "and you will be like the one who builds on rock."
But what if my house is already built? And what if it isn't built on rock? What am I to do?
Most of you are aware of my role in the Clemson Habitat houses. We build the house on campus, on a temporary foundation. The house is then moved to its permanent location. That sounds simple, but it is a lot of work. A lot of work. Moving a house is not easy.
So if I discover (or admit) that my house is not built where it is secure from the rains and the floods, what am I to do? Relocating the house will take a lot of work. A lot of work.
They guys who move our Habitat houses are slick. They have their own set of codes (they whistle instructions.) They go about tasks which seem minor to me, but when it all comes together you can see the reason why they completed that step. Their style might be a model for those wishing to relocate their "house."
First, think about the move. What will it take? Where will the move get you? How can you make sure that the new foundation is secure.
Next, go about it in small steps, not large ones. Few of us will have the opportunity or the desire to pick up, pack up and completely relocate.
Finally, enlist the help of others. Telling them of your desire to relocate and asking for their assistance in completing the task.
Jesus tells us about the foundation which is secure. Sometimes we reside there, happily. Others of us have to move. Moving is possible. It is a lot of work; but it is doable.
Jesus has finished presenting the bedrock of his teachings. He has told us, in the preceding three chapters, what we are to believe and how we are to act. "Follow these," he seems to be saying, "and you will be like the one who builds on rock."
But what if my house is already built? And what if it isn't built on rock? What am I to do?
Most of you are aware of my role in the Clemson Habitat houses. We build the house on campus, on a temporary foundation. The house is then moved to its permanent location. That sounds simple, but it is a lot of work. A lot of work. Moving a house is not easy.
So if I discover (or admit) that my house is not built where it is secure from the rains and the floods, what am I to do? Relocating the house will take a lot of work. A lot of work.
They guys who move our Habitat houses are slick. They have their own set of codes (they whistle instructions.) They go about tasks which seem minor to me, but when it all comes together you can see the reason why they completed that step. Their style might be a model for those wishing to relocate their "house."
First, think about the move. What will it take? Where will the move get you? How can you make sure that the new foundation is secure.
Next, go about it in small steps, not large ones. Few of us will have the opportunity or the desire to pick up, pack up and completely relocate.
Finally, enlist the help of others. Telling them of your desire to relocate and asking for their assistance in completing the task.
Jesus tells us about the foundation which is secure. Sometimes we reside there, happily. Others of us have to move. Moving is possible. It is a lot of work; but it is doable.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Devotion - Wednesday, November 2
Having written about Reformation and All Saints', it seemed appropriate to continue the series and comment on today's festival - even though it is a festival observed by neighbors more than by us.
In Mexico, today is observed as the Day of the Dead. On this day, family members will make special pilgrimages to the graves of their family members. They will take with them the foods or drink enjoyed by the departed, leaving these on the graves.
Laura and I made our first trip to Mexico some six years ago. It was for the wedding of LCM Alums. It was an October wedding, weeks before Day of the Dead. We ventured into town and discovered all the decorations on sale for the upcoming holiday. We didn't know much about the tradition, by were intrigued by the skeletons dressed up to symbolize various professions, and numerous famous persons.
You might think it odd, but on that same visit, we left the hotel and walked behind the walled cemetery. What we found there was stark contrast to the orderly, sanitized cemeteries we have in the US. The graves were arranged somewhat haphazardly. The markers were not fancy, carved granite but hand poured concrete with names and dates carved with a stick. Some graves were like a mausoleum; elaborate brickwork with glass enclosures protecting photos or personal items we assumed were put there to acknowledge the life of the deceased.
While we were walking around, we came upon a burial. The casket was small, probably that of a child. The mourners were not only carrying the casket, but also shovels. No attempts at denying death or burial; no professional funeral directors; here was a family doing what needed to be done for the one who had died. It was a terrifying scene; the thought of the loss experienced by the family. But at the same time it was very comforting; to see those who loved the one who had died caring for the body and placing it in the ground.
I don't know as much about the Day of the Dead as I would like. What I do know is that we do it a disservice when we buy our trinkets and see it as a day to party. Like All Saints Eve (Halloween), it is a day which brackets All Saints Day and draws its origins from the necessity of acknowledging death.
The promise of Christian faith is that death has lost its sting. That sting is not removed as a result of denying death, but as we look death squarely in the face. Day of the Dead seems to be a wonderful way of acknowledging how it is that those who have gone before us have shown us how to live. They may have died, but their presence continues to be felt and experienced every day of our lives. On one day, November 2, we visit their graves in order to acknowledge them as an ongoing part of our lives.
In Mexico, today is observed as the Day of the Dead. On this day, family members will make special pilgrimages to the graves of their family members. They will take with them the foods or drink enjoyed by the departed, leaving these on the graves.
Laura and I made our first trip to Mexico some six years ago. It was for the wedding of LCM Alums. It was an October wedding, weeks before Day of the Dead. We ventured into town and discovered all the decorations on sale for the upcoming holiday. We didn't know much about the tradition, by were intrigued by the skeletons dressed up to symbolize various professions, and numerous famous persons.
You might think it odd, but on that same visit, we left the hotel and walked behind the walled cemetery. What we found there was stark contrast to the orderly, sanitized cemeteries we have in the US. The graves were arranged somewhat haphazardly. The markers were not fancy, carved granite but hand poured concrete with names and dates carved with a stick. Some graves were like a mausoleum; elaborate brickwork with glass enclosures protecting photos or personal items we assumed were put there to acknowledge the life of the deceased.
While we were walking around, we came upon a burial. The casket was small, probably that of a child. The mourners were not only carrying the casket, but also shovels. No attempts at denying death or burial; no professional funeral directors; here was a family doing what needed to be done for the one who had died. It was a terrifying scene; the thought of the loss experienced by the family. But at the same time it was very comforting; to see those who loved the one who had died caring for the body and placing it in the ground.
I don't know as much about the Day of the Dead as I would like. What I do know is that we do it a disservice when we buy our trinkets and see it as a day to party. Like All Saints Eve (Halloween), it is a day which brackets All Saints Day and draws its origins from the necessity of acknowledging death.
The promise of Christian faith is that death has lost its sting. That sting is not removed as a result of denying death, but as we look death squarely in the face. Day of the Dead seems to be a wonderful way of acknowledging how it is that those who have gone before us have shown us how to live. They may have died, but their presence continues to be felt and experienced every day of our lives. On one day, November 2, we visit their graves in order to acknowledge them as an ongoing part of our lives.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Devotion - Tuesday, November 1
"The dearly departed," "The Saints Triumphant," there are any number of ways of referring to those who have been for us models of the faith, but now now "rest from their labors." They are the "Saints of the Church," and they serve to inspire us; their service builds up the people of God.
On this day, we pick up where their labors left off. On this day, we become the models of prayer. We remember them before God and we pray that their witness will not have been in vain. On this day we give thanks for All the Saints, and we petition God to assure us that they are aware of our love and that they are comforted by our remembrance.
A tradition on All Saints' Sunday is to name those who have left us in the past year. Among those, for me, are my mother-in-law and my campus pastor. Representing the two aspects of my life (home and vocation) their deaths left huge voids. On this day of prayer and remembrance, I will remember all the things they gave me and all that they taught me in the hope that I can draw from these the wisdom to live in this family and to work among God's people.
Remember and give thanks for those who have guided your life of faith. Remember and give thanks for their presence among you and for their role in shaping your own life. Remember and give thanks for All the Saints.
On this day, we pick up where their labors left off. On this day, we become the models of prayer. We remember them before God and we pray that their witness will not have been in vain. On this day we give thanks for All the Saints, and we petition God to assure us that they are aware of our love and that they are comforted by our remembrance.
A tradition on All Saints' Sunday is to name those who have left us in the past year. Among those, for me, are my mother-in-law and my campus pastor. Representing the two aspects of my life (home and vocation) their deaths left huge voids. On this day of prayer and remembrance, I will remember all the things they gave me and all that they taught me in the hope that I can draw from these the wisdom to live in this family and to work among God's people.
Remember and give thanks for those who have guided your life of faith. Remember and give thanks for their presence among you and for their role in shaping your own life. Remember and give thanks for All the Saints.
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