Devotion - Monday, April 30

In the Gospel of John, chapter after chapter is given over to Jesus' good-bye comments.  The process of saying good-bye involves remembering what has been said before, calling attention to what must be remembered, and expressing a hope for what the future will bring.  It is a process, not a moment in time.

Yesterday, we began the process of saying good-bye to departing students.  Over lunch, stories were shared.  Among these departing students are the last who remember our meals in the LCM Lounge.  They shared how much things have changed in the span of five years.

But regardless of where we take our meals, and no matter who was there to share them, the same Christ has been our host and the same Spirit has been among us.  This message was well received by the incoming Leadership Team who met last night to shore up plans for the fall semester.

There were tears shared yesterday.  But also a great deal of pride.  Those departing are heading off to teach high school math, to guide youth at camp (Church camp and Scout camp,) to design new products, and to build great buildings.  The planet we all share will be a better place as a result of the departing class of 2012.

I offer this morning's reflection in order to give us all permission to continue the process of saying good-bye.  We need to learn to mimic Jesus' style, from the Gospel of John.  Saying good-bye involves remembering, highlighting, and expressing a hope for the future.  That future will be directed by God, as was our past.  That future will bring other opportunities to experience community founded in God's goodness.

Say good-bye well.  Do not shy away from the sadness associated with it, but neither should you allow your sadness to overshadow the hope which permeates the relationships which are now coming to an end.  That hope remains our hope for what God will do in our lives, next.

Sermon - April 29, 2012

Easter 4 - Year B                                                                                                     

John 10:11-18

Shepherding – Good Shepherding 

With all that is going on in today’s worship service, it might be easy to forget that today is the Fourth Sunday of Easter.  There are only a precious few of these Sundays during which we make front and center THE event which defines us as followers of the Risen Christ. 

Christ is Risen!  Christ is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia! 

On this the Fourth Sunday of Easter, we diverge for the first time from the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus.  Easter 2 was the story of “Doubting Thomas,” the Easter 3 gospel involved Jesus proving he wasn’t a ghost.  Even with last week’s reading, it was a bit tough to remember that we were still reading of events which happen on the same day as the empty tomb is discovered.   

Then we come to Easter 4 – and on Easter 4 we don’t read about the post-resurrected Jesus; we read about the teacher Jesus.  We begin to look back and to examine what it was that Jesus said to us while he was still with us.  We turn back there in order to understand what it is that the Resurrected Jesus wants us to do.  And where we turn to – first – is to his comments about good shepherds.

“I am the Good Shepherd.”  Jesus says.  And he proves this.  He cares for the sheep – the remainder of the Gospel story is all about his care.  The end of the Gospels is his final act – his laying down his life for us – the sheep who are gathered into his pasture.

The Resurrected Jesus – the Good Shepherd – calls upon his followers to be good shepherds, too.

In all honesty, Jesus does not speak of “good shepherds” and “bad shepherds.”  It is almost as if he refuses to even think of those who fail the sheep as “shepherds.”  Instead he refers to them as “hired hands.”  Jesus notes that the difference between a good shepherd and the hireling is that the latter don’t “love” the sheep – they love what they are going to get as a result of caring for the sheep.  They love their pay.  Or maybe they love some perceived “heavenly reward.”  Whatever it is that drives them, it is not love for the sheep.  When given the choice between finding another job and risking their own safety, they abandon the sheep and move on.   

Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  Jesus sets us an example of what it means to be shepherds.  And the post-resurrection Jesus sends us forth to tend the lambs and to feed the sheep.  We are to become the “Good Shepherds” who look out after the flock. 

Today’s busy worship service(s) provides us an opportunity to critique ourselves – as shepherds or hirelings.  We have the chance to evaluate our adherence to Jesus’ hope for us.   

Let’s start with Ethan, and the Rite of Confirmation.  Ethan was baptized in this congregation.  That service, that liturgy, is important for all of us, not just for Ethan.  The promises made that day began with God’s promise to Ethan; next were promises on the part of his sponsors and parents; and finally there were promises made by us, the gathered people of God.  We took on a shared responsibility that day to care for him, to teach him, and to guide him.   

This ought to make Ethan feel special, but no more special than all the others to whom we have made this promise.  Occasionally baptisms happen with only a few family members present, but we try really hard to avoid those.  Baptism is not a private affair – it is a promise of the whole people of God to pass on what it is that we have first received. 

When Ethan was baptized, we stepped into the role of shepherd.  We agreed that we would love him, care for him, and watch over him.  Today, at his confirmation, he steps more fully into his baptismal promise, and promises that he too will assist in caring for others.  But every baptism, every confirmation, is an opportunity to evaluate whether we have proven to be shepherds or hirelings.  And every interaction with a fellow member of the congregation is a chance to hone our skills. 

Jesus calls us to be shepherds; not hirelings. 

Today is also LCM Farewell and Godspeed.  No, these “children” were not baptized here.  They chose to come here, as adults.  They presented themselves, seeking a home (a spiritual home) in this new place where they live and study and continue their maturation into adult life.   

I am not only employed by Lutheran Campus Ministry, I am a product of Lutheran Campus Ministry.  When I went to college, I thought I knew what I wanted to do and how I would get there.  But it was a patient and loving campus pastor and a host congregation who allowed me to struggle with my questions and made it safe for me to experiment with new thoughts.  I feared that if my parents knew I was questioning the things I thought I had been taught in Sunday School they would disown me.  But the congregation of Holy Trinity held me all the more tightly and encouraged me to come to a faith of my own. 

“Shepherding” these students is not accomplished when their only contact is with a campus pastor.  (Remember – I am a hireling.)  “Shepherding” is accomplished when they hear Herm & Carol Spitzer speak to them about marriage and intimacy.  “Shepherding” occurs when George and Martha Harris sit with them at a Wednesday dinner and speak of how they see in each student attending UniLu a glimmer of the son they lost way too early in life.  “Shepherding” occurs when they see their math teacher, Chris Cox, stand before the congregation and speak of a mission greater than academia. 

Students – do not allow yourselves to hear this message as one going above you or beyond you.  It is aimed directly at you.  Good Shepherds are trained, not in some classroom but in the working fields.  If you have any appreciation for the years you have been in Clemson and at UniLu, this appreciation ought to be seen in the way you live your life after you have left this place.  You have had a unique experience which uniquely qualifies you to assist in shepherding those little lambs who are maturing into adults. 

We are called to be shepherds – not hirelings. 

We have one more opportunity to understand ourselves as shepherds, and move away from acting like hirelings.  It involves the “Growing in God’s Mission” campaign.  I was interviewed by the consulting firm who aided the SC Synod in putting together the campaign.  I encouraged them to proceed and here is why:  without a wider understanding of the Church, University Lutheran and Lutheran Campus Ministry – Clemson would quickly whither on the vine. 

Smith and Chris are the only two names on the list of graduating students who have been with us longer than the years they were in college.  And even both of them were baptized in a differing congregation.  Tommy Bridges’ death was a terrible loss to us all.  But as the family thought of funeral plans they thought first of all about a service at the church where he spent most of his life; then they decided to have a service here, too.  This is to be expected, of most of us.  Most of us have “homes” somewhere other than here.  When I die, I won’t be buried here – I will go back to Cedar Grove Lutheran, in Vale, NC. 

“God’s Mission” is a terribly limited thing if it only applies to what we do here, in this one building, in this single congregation, in this little-bitty town.  Of course we are a part of a large mission.  We benefit from that mission every day.  And so it is very important that we support that mission.   

This summer, Maglin Halsey has plans to travel to Tanzania.  She would be placed in the Lutheran Hospital in Mybea.  This is the city where our group traveled during our first mission trip to the SW Dioceses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.  Daniel Locke is heading to Lincolnton, NC, where he will participate in an immersion experience funded by Project Connect – an effort on the part of our ELCA Seminaries to expose young adults to a call to public ministry.  Josh Kestner will move to Jerusalem this August.  As a staff member with Global Mission, he will be about the work of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan.  I think there are seven or so LCM students who will spend the summer working as counselors at Lutheridge Church Camp?  And, absolutely most important of all, are the dozens of young adults who will show up in congregations across the southeast, enthused and eager to say, “The church does have something to say to twenty-year olds.” 

We are shepherds.  Not hirelings.  We carefully tend each of the baptized, assisting them in their faith journey.  As they grow into adulthood, we provide models of what it means to love and serve Jesus in the business world, in the academic world, in the various worlds in which God’s people live.  And, in celebration of the wider expression of the Church of Jesus Christ, we join with others in order to provide the resources needed to proclaim the word and equip the saints.

Jesus is the first of the Good Shepherds.  Jesus calls upon you and I to share in the duty and the opportunity to shepherd others.

Amen.

Devotion - Thursday, April 25

The lectionary I follow directed me this morning to Exodus 20:1-21.  Here, we read The Decalogue, or what we more commonly refer to as The Ten  Commandments.

The Ten Commandments are a staple for Protestant Churches.  We see them posted on the walls of Sunday Church School rooms, we find them on leaflets inserted into bibles or hymnals, and there is the constant battles over posting them in public places like schools or courtrooms.

One thing to note is that not all Christians number these the same.  In particular, most Protestants follow a numbering scheme developed in the first century by Josephus.  Lutherans and Roman Catholics prefer the order of Augustine, who lived in the fifth century.  The previous has as commandment two - You shall not make any graven images; which the latter includes as part of You shall have no other gods.  Lutherans gain a tenth by dividing the verse on coveting into two separate commands.

A few years back, our spring GALSM Retreat had as a theme the Seven Deadly Sins.  A student presenter shared with us that as the Reformers were shaking off the trappings of Catholicism, they laid hold of the Ten Commandments as a way to shift attention from the Seven Sins.  In the centuries before, the Ten Commandments had not received as prominent a role in the everyday life of the Church.  Which is helpful to remember.

The Decalogue is an important section in our Bibles.  The giving of the Law sets the people of Israel apart from their neighbors.  Most importantly, it serves as the covenant between God and those whom God claims as his people.  It is this claiming, the establishment of a covenant, which obeying the Law was to symbolize.

This is not to say that God didn't care whether his people did these things.  They are God's commands.  It is to lift the subtle but all important realization that what wants more than our obedience is our devotion.  God seeks a relationship with us.  In that relationship, we change our lives and we alter our behaviors.  The Ten Commandments are the beginning of how our lives are different.  

Lutheran confirmation ministry typically involves learning the Ten Commandments and Martin Luther's explanations in the Small Catechism.  If you find your memory fading on these, I encourage you to return to them.  Luther helps us to realize that they are more than prohibitions, they not only direct as to what we are to avoid, they also instruct us on what is expected of us.  Thus, reminding us, that the Commandments are more than a set of rules; they are a way of living.  A way of life which reflects God's having chosen us; a way of life which makes known to the world our devotion to God.

Devotion - Wednesday, April 25

To a greater or lesser degree, each of the accounts of Jesus' baptism refer to the awkwardness of John being the one who baptizes Jesus.  The baptism over which John officiated is a baptism of repentance.  In what way did Jesus need to "turn his life around"?  What were the sins of which he was guilty?

Today's Gospel text is Matthew 3:13-17.  When John protests, Jesus says to him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."

I want to say a few things about sacraments, taking a start from Jesus' comments here.

A belief in a sacrament is an acknowledgement that there are things which God does which we cannot understand.  We don't know how it is that God forgives us of our sins or claims us as children as a result of the water and the Word.  But as we live our lives, remembering our baptism, we come to understand the significance of that unqualified acceptance of us.  Knowing that God has reached out to us, without any merit on our part, affirms in us our understanding of what it means to not only obey God but to love God.

Neither do we understand how a small piece of bread and a sip of wine can fill us so completely; how such a small portion can give us the strength to live our week, grant us the confidence to face whatever may come our way. But this is exactly what happens, as we return time and time again for the weekly Eucharist.

Jesus commands John to proceed with the baptism.  "For this it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Following Jesus' command, John sets in motion the remainder of the story of salvation.

Jesus commands us - go and baptize; take and eat.  As we follow this command, our lives unfold and take on significance and find their meaning.  How?  Who knows.  But we obey.  And our obedience positions us to receive the outpouring of God's grace.

Devotion - Tuesday, April 24

I have but one re-occurring conversation these days:  How many exams/projects do you have left to complete?  The replies expose something of how folks fell about the work yet to be done.

Some move immediately to what it is that they still need to learn.  For them, the exams are a commitment to master a subject or accomplish a task.

For others, it is a looming evaluation - not merely of their knowledge but of their whole person.

In Matthew 3:7-12, Jesus warns the Pharisees and Sadducees of God's judgement.  They had come out to him, to where he is baptizing, and Jesus informs them that they are to bear the fruits the befits repentance.  His words are spoken to a particular sub-set of those who came to the river Jordan; but they are to be heard by all those who still listen for his instructions.

God will judge and does judge.  God sees what we do and what we fail to do.  Through scripture and through the pastoral support of our fellow pilgrims, we discover the places where that judgement has opportunity to establish a finger hold in our lives.  

This is not some divine evaluation of our actions and our person so much as it is God's work to mold us into the persons God would have us to be.  It is God's way of guiding us into that which we still need to learn, master, and integrate into our lives.

These days can be stressful.  They are less so when we remember that end we seek is not the one immediately before us, but one which lies out there in the future.  By setting our eyes on that final destination, the steps which move us from here to there come more naturally.

Devotion - Monday, April 23

I received enough positive responses to last week's attempts to lead us through I Peter, that I thought I would continue today, with the final reading from this short pastoral epistle.

Since we missed Friday and Saturday, let me comment briefly on the material in those appointed readings.

One of the things we missed is Peter's statement of the role of baptism.  Peter likens it to the waters of the flood.  Those waters cleansed God's people for a new beginning.  In the water's of baptism, a new beginning is set before us.  Martin Luther instructed his students to remember their baptism at the start of every day and as often as they were face with temptations.  

Peter also wrote about suffering.  Noting that "The end of all things is near," he encouraged those who suffered for doing the right thing.  Suffering which comes for wrong doing does not purge us - but suffering as a result of our faithful to Christ aligns us with the Messiah whom we follow.

In the fifth and final chapter, Peter begins by encouraging the young to respect their elders.  I like that part; thinking of the years I have on so many of you.  But then I remember how important it is for me to continually hear the advise of my elders, of those who have instructed me, those whose witness continues to guide my thoughts and my words.  

Do you tire of hearing me say, "My professor said...," or "My campus Pastor told us..," or "Martin Luther taught..."?  I do so as a way of acknowledging that practically anything I have to say (and in particular anything good I have to say) is something that a mentor has first taught me.  

I don't want you to leave the conversation thinking "Chris Heavner knew this or that."  Rather, it is my hope, you would depart with the realization that I stand in a long line of those who have passed on to you what has first been given.  And I hope you leave realizing that you are the next link in that chain and it now becomes your task to pass on to the next person.

Peter closes his book by acknowledging the hardships being faced by his readers.  While it would be wrong to assume that none of us suffer for our faith, we tend not to do so at the hands of the authority structures.  Our suffering is a  more a result of social and peer circles.  Never-the-less, it is important that we do remain firm, that we do not keep silent or become silent as a result of what the world expects from us.

Peter wrote to a church that lacked many of the faith statements and traditions which guide our life in the modern church.  Yet, he writes to us, of the way we are to live our lives and follow Christ.  We will not, together, continue into II Peter, but I encourage you to read it yourself.  And, as you do so, feel free to send me questions about interpretations of verses or chapters.  God guide you in your reading.

Sermon - Easter 3 - April 22, 2012

Luke 24:36b-48

  Moving Beyond Knowing the Story to Telling the Story

“While they were still talking about this….” That is how today’s Gospel lesson begins. “While they were still talking about this….” What were they talking about – do you know? Can anyone guess?

It is fair to take into consideration the information contained in the reading. Jesus shows them his wounds, they think he might be a ghost, so we know that all this is taking place after the Resurrection. Course, we could also infer that by simply noting the chapter - #25. We are getting close to the end of Luke’s account. But still there is this reference to the disciples talking about something – what is it? And does it matter, whatever it is they were talking about, to the story which is our Gospel lesson?

I have been stalling for time. Any of you with a bible had time to look up Luke 25 and find out what it was that “they were talking about”? and “Yes,” I do think it matters to the events which unfold in this encounter between the resurrected Jesus and the disciples. They were talking about the prior visits of the resurrected Jesus. Not merely accounts of Jesus having been seen, but about their having seen Jesus.

Two of the disciples had left Jerusalem on the day that Jesus had emerged from the tomb. As they were walking on the road to Emmaus, Jesus comes and joins them. Only, they don’t recognize him. They, once again, were talking about all that had happened that morning. Pretending not to know about the events of which they spoke, Jesus got them to tell him what had happened. As they came to the end of their story, it is obvious that they can retell the events, but that they are incapable of explaining what all this means. As they continue to walk, Jesus (still unrecognized by them) begins to explain everything to them.

In practically the same language used in today’s reading, Jesus opens their minds to understand the scriptures. He helps them understand, but they still don’t recognize him. It is only when they have convinced him to spend the night with them and they sit down to dinner, and Jesus assumes the role of host, and breaks the bread that the see him for who he is. These two disciples get up and return to Jerusalem. They find the other disciples. The other disciples are eagerly discussing a visit to Peter, from Jesus. These two Emmaus travelers share their story.

This is what they are talking about, when Jesus himself stood among them. And yet, still, they seem not to be prepared to see him for who he is. Luke reports, they were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. They were frightened and doubts arose in their hearts. The women had reported the empty grave. They told of having seen the two men in dazzling clothes, who told them that Jesus has risen. Jesus came and walked alongside the two disciples on the way to Emmaus. Jesus seems to have appeared to Simon Peter, though Luke has no written record of that encounter. Even still, these disciples, Jesus’ closest followers, are frightened and unsure. They are unprepared to see him for who he is.

At this point, the tone can shift in one of two very differing directions. We can either berate them for their unbelief, or we can acknowledge how difficult it is for any to believe. There is some advantage to taking a few steps down both paths.

It is difficult to believe. God is God, and God can do anything that God chooses to do. But raising someone from the dead? That is a bit much, isn’t it? Even without our modern knowledge of biology and cellular structure it is a lot to accept. How does tissue which has died and begun to decay become re-animated? And it is a resurrected Jesus who returns, not a “ghost.” This story in Luke is insistent that Jesus is not only able to allow persons to touch him and his wounds, he is capable of eating, perhaps still experiencing hunger.

Difficult to believe. Certainly tough to explain. No wonder the disciples (ancient and modern) are inclined to seclude themselves inside the walls of their meeting space rather than venture out into the world, to serve as witnesses of these things.

If we are going to berate those ancient disciples for their unbelief, we need to be prepared to accept the criticism ourselves. Do not we, like them, all too often find ourselves paralyzed by the doubts which arise from within us? It is tough, for any of us, to comprehend what has happened. It is no easy task to digest the information and easily report to others what it is that we have seen and experienced.

But this is precisely where the story ends. It concludes with Jesus reminding his disciples that it is their task (our task) to be the witnesses of these things. If the story is going to be told, it has to be told by us.

While they were still talking about (all that had taken place), Jesus himself came and stood among them.

Something more was needed for these disciples to move from talking among themselves and to begin to talk to others. They had learned the stories and they had repeated them among themselves, now it was time for them to begin to tell others.

You have been in worship enough - you know the story. There has been a sufficient amount of time for you to collect the data. With this great storehouse of knowledge it is now incumbent upon you to tell others. To share not only how magnificently we worshipped on Easter morning but to give witness to whom it was that we gathered to worship.

It is a frightening jump, to move from recipient of the news to one who proclaims the news. But until one tells the story for themselves, it isn’t really their story, it remains someone else’s. Once it has become our story, the fright and the doubts are driven out from within.

Amen.

Devotion - Thursday, April 19

On Monday I said of I Peter that is it among the "Pastoral Epistles." This is because of the book's pastoral advise, to a young congregation, to a people who were just beginning to set the traditions and expectations for the community of Christ.

This morning's section (I Peter 2:11-3:12) covers a range of issues from the passions which wage war on our souls, to being subservient to powers, to advise for couples.

Among and within it all is the realization that what we believe and think (an internal act) ought to be reflected in how we conduct ourselves in the world (the "us" whom other see.) What others see informs them as to what we believe and think; others are given an example of behavior which - when emulated - pleases God.

There are a number of expressions which address the need for the internal and the external to be consistent. An application for summer camp staff asked whether the applicant both "walked the walk and talked the talk." There was a 70's song (by Up With People) which said "You can't think crooked and live straight." What we think and believe will be seen by those around us. If there is opportunity for our actions to be a misreading of our thoughts and beliefs, we need to alter our actions. Our intentions are not the final determination of what is right and what is wrong. It is how our actions will be received that ought to guide our interactions with others.

We do tend to mimic those around us. Even if we don't normally think of ourselves as one to whom others look, our actions are seen. Another sound piece of pastoral advise is to be aware of how our actions might cause another to stumble. Jesus speaks of millstones tied around necks and persons cast into the sea. It may not be you, individually, to whom another looks. They may only see you as one among a crowd. So allowing yourself to be caught up in a crowd, which acts in a way unacceptable to God, may be opportunity for one of God's precious children to stumble.

There are some limitations to being an older campus pastor. I don't sleep as well as I used to on retreats; I was an easy target at last night's LCM 4-Square Tournament. One advantage is the seriousness with which my pastoral advise is often heard. I am grateful for this. And I am pleased that I have I Peter, the chapters and verses of which provide so many insights. These books of the Bible are not digested with as much vigor as Romans or John. What a shame.

Devotion - Wednesday, April 18

Today's reading from I Peter contains the verse most commonly remembered among our circles. Peter writes in 2:9 - "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people."

What wonderful news! Using images from the ancient writings of Hosea, Peter speaks of those who once were "no people," becoming "God's people." He says that those who "had not received mercy" have now "received mercy."

We are God's own people. A royal priesthood. A holy nation. A chosen race.

How differently one's attitude about oneself makes in the way that one lives our their life. Knowing the contours of our true self, we seek to live into that self.

Too often we are defined by those who seek to dominate us, or segregate us. Too seldom do we allow God's designation of us to be the one which guides us and enlivens us.

As you face the challenges of this day, encounter them with the assurance that you are "chosen." Whenever your self-worth is challenged, remember that you possess royalty. And should you feel alone or lonely or left out, know that you have a place among God's people.

For God has called you "out of darkness into his marvelous light."

Devotion - Tuesday, April 17

We continue our reading from I Peter. This morning, Chapter 1, verses 13-25.

The section begins with a theme common to all of the New Testament. "Set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you." It is grace which saves us; it is grace which lifts us; it is grace which defines God's interactions with us.

Having set our hope fully upon that grace, we respond in a way which shows our gratitude. "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'"

The life of one who has experienced God's grace takes on a new character and form. The life of one whose hope is found in God's grace has a "confidence in God, who raised (Christ) from the dead."

We do not earn God's love by living a righteous life. God is not some cosmic Santa Claus who keeps track of who is naughty and nice and distributes gifts accordingly. It is by grace that we are saved, not by our works, lest any should boast. But it is absolutely impossible that anyone could be touched by God's grace and not be transformed in the way they live their lives.

What are the changes which need to come into your life? How are you living differently as a result of having experienced God's grace?

Devotion - Monday, April 16

As we were planning for the fall, one member of the LCM Leadership Team asked if our Bible study might look at a New Testament book which wasn't a Gospel or written by Paul. "What might there be to learn from the others?" was the request.

This morning, my devotional guide has me starting one of those books: I Peter. Over the next couple of days, I will reflect on this book and invite you to read along each day. Today's section is I Peter 1:1-12.

This book is written to one who is experiencing difficulty. Peter writes to assure us that, even "though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trails." Peter wants to assure the reader that these "trials" are but temporary while God's love and God's gifts are eternal.

He tells us, "You have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." This living hope is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.

One of the advantages of regularly reading our bibles are the stories of those who have endured hardships, only to emerge later. We are allowed to gain the perspective of those who have a longer view of history and of God's interactions with us. Living in a ghetto, sometimes called a University, we are surrounded by persons our own age and too seldom provided opportunities to benefit from those who have lived a bit longer; those who have had the experience of months, or years, or even decades of "trials," only to see these fade and that which is eternal take center stage.

Peter writes to such an audience. He writes to encourage us to hold fast and not to forsake that which truly does have the ability to endure.

Devotion - Thursday, April 12

Our following of Jesus remains (yes - remains) a mixture of certainty and doubt. To "walk by faith" is to move, to make progress, to advance, but to do so with trust or a confidence which is built on something other than objective knowledge.

We do our research and we spend hours studying, and we come to KNOW certain things about God, about how God interacts with us, and how the presence of God affects and changes our lives and our world.

But there remain those moments, those instances, those situations in which we wonder.

The appointed Gospel reading for today is Matthew 28:16-20. This is one of the verses you probably have memorized. Ironically, it was one of the verses in Tuesday's bible study. Sometimes called "The Great Commission," it is Jesus' instructions to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I (Jesus) has commanded you."

There is also a promise, in these verses. As they go, Jesus promises "and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." They needed that assurance. They would depend on this promise.

I have read these verses many times. I have read the verses which set the stage. The eleven disciples go to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. It is here that he gives them the great commission. When they come down from that mountain, they will go. And as a result of their going the nations of the world will come to know the name of Jesus.

This morning I noticed one little phrase, in these powerful verses. When the disciples arrive on the mountain, and they see Jesus, Matthew allows to realize that the eleven were certain, but that they also had doubts. Matthew writes, "And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted."

I want your doubt to be removed from you. The desire is that each of us would come to possess a greater certainty in our lives. However, when we find ourselves experiencing doubt, we should not hide it away (or hide ourselves away) as if we are no longer worthy of being a part of Jesus' family. The lives of God's children is a mixture of certainty and doubt. We share our insecurities in the midst of the community so that those who are in a more certain place might remind us of what it is like to be there - while themselves remembering the times when they, too, were wondering or wandering.

Devotion - Wednesday, April 11

As we continue to recall and to rejoice in Sunday's Easter celebration, my devotional guide takes me back to the verses of scripture which tell the story and speak of its' significance.

I am reading the latter chapters of I Corinthians. Paul continues to speak of the meaning of baptism. Today's section (15:29-41) points out that there is no reason to be baptized on behalf of one who is dead. "Why would we baptize in the name of Jesus if Jesus were not alive?" he asks. We are baptized into Jesus death, so that we might share in Jesus' eternal life. Our baptism is a death to our old self, as surely as it is a resurrection to a new life, a life of living among God's people and doing God's will.

Matthew's retelling of the Easter morning events differs from Mark. Mark was the text we read this year, on Easter morning. In Matthew, as the women are approaching the tomb there is a great earthquake. The verses leave open the possibility that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary may have watched as "an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat on it." The guards go and report this to the Chief Priests who bribe them to say that it was Jesus' followers who came and took Jesus' body.

The stories and the teachings attempt to clear up the confusion which arises from all of this. And it is very confusing. To think of a person who is dead living again; to understand the transcending of heavenly beings with earthly places - these are confusing. Scripture attempts to help us understand. Understanding may come, with regard to the events. But the understanding which matters most is with regard to meaning. What do these events mean to us? What do they mean to you?

The prayer in my devotional guide speaks of God's spirit which "quicken us also." The events of Easter have the potential to bring us to life in a way which we previously had not experienced. The next line in the prayer is the one that remains with me. It expresses the hope of Easter, "That we may rise to newness of life and have a part in the working out of they purpose of good for the world."

Easter serves to "quicken" us; to bring us to life in a way which previously we had not experienced. And this awakening makes it possible for us to go and tell, to go and share, to go and live a life which attracts others to the Good News of God's grace and God's salvation.

Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen indeed!

Let us live this and let us share this.

Devotion - Tuesday, April 10

One of the replies I received to yesterday's devotion encouraged me to not skip so quickly over that first difference Jesus' resurrection means in our lives. The reply reminded me that young adults (no less than their aging parents and grandparents) cling tightly to the promise of our resurrection. Other notes spoke of grandmothers having surgery and of mothers in ICU. No, we cannot and should not fail to lift up the promised resurrection of all God's children. You and me included.

The appointed reading for this morning is from I Corinthians 15:12-28. Here, Paul lays before us the importance of speaking of the resurrection. He begins, "Now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection?" Remember that Paul writes to the emerging Church, one in which there are no creeds or doctrines to guide the believers. He isn't so much concerned with orthodoxy as he is with confidence. He does not want his readers to be misinformed, or to fear needlessly.

He continues, "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all persons most to be pitied."

I like the way my seminary teacher explained these words. Dr. Sittler said, "Considering how wonderful God has been to me in this life, how can I do anything but anticipate with great joy that which awaits me after death?"

It is our Easter mantra - and may it respond throughout all our lives! Again, in this section of I Corinthians, we are reminded, "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep."

Devotion - Monday, April 9

I appreciated the question, left open-ended, in Pastor Shealy's sermon yesterday. It was her seven year old son who asked the question. It began with "Mom, if Jesus had not died would we still be here?" "Yes we would." Then came the real question, "Then what difference does it make that he died?"

What difference does it make?

It may have made a difference in your weekend. Some of you had visits from your parents, due to their Easter vacations. Others of you traveled to be with family and hustled back last night. A larger percentage than normal got up yesterday morning and found a place of worship. But these differences are not what seven year old Zachary was asking about.

What difference does it make?

The first answer is likely to be "Eternal life." As a result of Jesus' resurrection, we find hope for our own. This promise is very much at the center of our Christian teachings and life. Young adults know this, and confess this. But death seems to far away (seems so far away) that college students typically don't worry that much about dying and thus needing a resurrected life.

What difference does it make? In your life, now?

I would prefer not to answer the question, but to leave it with you and ask you to send me your replies. Would you do that? To get you started let me share what I most often find to be the differences which proves to be most appreciated by your classmates and peers.

In dying, Jesus destroyed more than merely death. He destroyed all those things which would seek our undoing. He showed us that being true and honest is better than scheming and advancing ourselves above others. Jesus' path to the cross allows us to see that betrayal and rejection are overcome by affection and forgiveness. Jesus' willingness to forgive (even to forgive Peter) meant that nothing was able to separate him from those whom God had given him as friends. One more difference: Jesus dies and even the clothes on his back are taken by someone else. He has nothing. And yet, who has ever had more? Jesus' death makes it crystal clear that it is not the things we own but the people we love who determine the worth of our lives.

Someday, the promise of eternal life will be higher on our lists of the difference Jesus' death makes. Today, on my list, I find the significance that death makes in all my relationships, with the way I look at the world, and the confidence with which I move through my day.

What difference does it make? It makes all the difference in the world. And as one who has been allowed to see and perceive this difference, I seek to make known these differences in everything I do and in everything I say.

Devotion - Thursday of Holy Week

"Maundy" is a derivative of an older word for "commandment." This day takes its name from Jesus' commandment to love one another as he has loved us.

This is his instructions, to the disciples, on the last occasion of their being together.

How often is "Loving one another" listed among the essential (required?) marks of being considered one of Jesus' followers?

When we do speak of "loving one another - do we cast the net as wide as Jesus did (remember the parable of the Good Samaritan) or do we limit the scope to the members of our group, or congregation, or denomination?

"Loving as we love ourselves" means providing the same for the other as we provide for ourselves. How often do we head over to Spill the Beans for an ice-cream; how seldom do we contribute $5 toward Dance Marathon or Walk for Water?

I traveled this week for the burial of a dear friend and member of the congregation. I was attempting to get on the shuttle bus to the airport. The bus only accepted correct change. At the entry to the bus were myself, an Ultra-Orthodox Jew, and a man of African decent. So much about our individual and shared culture encouraged us to be suspicious of one another. Never-the-less, we opened our pockets, pooled our money, and all were able to ride the bus. A moment of grace which reminded me how seldom we abandon individual ownership over the resources God has provided.

Maundy means command. Jesus commands us to love one another. He teaches us that this love is not to be restricted.

In a few hours Jesus will be put to death by a world that would not allow him to continually remind us of his teachings. It is easier to pick and choose what we want to remember of his words when he is not there to say, "Don't forget that this is also something I said!" In a few hours, he will be arrested by those who wanted to make religious practice more important than Jesus-like living. And he will be executed by government authorities for whom boundaries and allegiances are more important than following the Lord who loves all the earth and all its inhabitants.

Maundy means command. Jesus commands us to love one another.

Devotion - Wednesday of Holy Week

When Jesus enters Jerusalem, he knows what awaits him. He had told the disciples. Peter had spoken out against this.

And yet, he has compassion for the city and for its inhabitants. In Matthew 23:37 he acknowledges the city for what it is. He says, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!" It isn't only he who fares badly here. But this does not reduce his love, his concern, his compassion. He goes on to say, "How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!"

Jesus knows how Jerusalem treats those whom God sends. He realizes how they will treat him. And yet he is overcome with compassion and care for them.

During our bible study last night we spoke of Jesus as the one who conquers by refusing to enter the fight. He overcomes evil and hatred by not allowing evil and hatred to rule his life. Following Jesus means doing the same in our lives. It means never allowing our enemies to pull us into their ways. Jesus dies because he would not call forth the legions to fight on his behalf.

Before we turn to the introspective days of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, today gives us the opportunity to think of Jesus' mission. And to compare his mission with our own life path. Telling others of his life and death is surely part of what it means to be a follower - but so is living as he lived. Surely it involves the same sort of refusal to accept a world in which hatred and murder are tolerated.

Devotion - Tuesday of Holy Week

Yesterday I wrote of how the crowd turned against Jesus - today I
wanted to acknowledge that the religious leaders did the same.

It is too simple a thing for us to claim that these leaders were
ill-informed or represented an old, out-dated covenant. The truth is
that Jesus represents a threat to any who would try to make of the
faith experience a religious system or structure.

Don't mishear me. I am a HUGE fan of Church and churches. What I
oppose, and those who opposed Jesus, were those more concerned with
preserving the structures than with providing a place where faith
journeys could occur.

The leaders opposed Jesus because Jesus was reminding people that God
came to establish a relationship with us, not merely give us a set of
rules or obligations. The leaders knew that Jesus was a threat to
their way of organizing and to involving the children of God.

Jesus is a disruption to the structures preferred by those who want
keep us in line and who want to fall in line.

The religious leaders of our day (of which I am in constant danger of
becoming one) need to continually be on guard to work to advance the
message of Jesus rather than build cathedrals to ourselves.

Every follower needs to make sure they are following Jesus, and not
merely attracted to one of those impressive cathedrals.

Devotion - Monday of Holy Week

Yesterday's liturgy makes us aware of the difference between being attracted to Jesus and being willing to life the life that Jesus asks of us.

The crowd, many of whom had gone out to the wilderness to hear Jesus preach, some of whom may have experienced one of the miracles, this crowd is excited when they realize that their next trip to see Jesus will involve a shorter travel time. HE IS HERE! They exclaim. And they strew his way with branches of palm.

But his arrival in town quickly turns. In the place where they live, Jesus sees not merely their desire to know more. He sees, quite clearly, how they are living their lives. In today's reading, he notices how they have allowed the Temple to become a place of trade rather than a house of worship.

Many are attracted to Jesus - to what he says and to what he is able to do. But Jesus isn't asking us to be attracted - Jesus is inviting us to live our lives differently.

We like our lives - unfortunately. We are content with the way things are - really. And the thought of following Jesus, as attractive as it is, frightens us. It means opening our lives and our homes to the poor. It means welcoming in the stranger and caring for those beaten and left for dead.

The crowd welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with palm branches because they liked what he said. They were not so eager to change their lives. How willing are we?