Devotion - Thursday, August 30

I am reading the chapters of The Book of Judges that tell of Samson.  The stories of Samson we are most likely to remember are toward the end.  Some of the information early in the 14th chapter, we tend to overlook.  They aren't the kind of stories teachers of children like to address in Sunday Church School.

Samson wants a wife from among the Philistines.  It is the Philistines who have dominion over Israel.  Samson's strength will be used against the Philistines - in those stories which are told to small children on Sunday mornings.  His father and mother would prefer he take a wife from among their own kinsmen, but they do as their son requests.

Then comes the wedding banquet.  A celebration which lasts for seven days. 

During the banquet, Samson puts a riddle before his Philistine guests.  It is a riddle they would never be able to solve, without help.  So they get Samson's new wife to find the answer and tell them.

When Samson looses the wager associated with the riddle, in order to pay up he goes to a neighboring village and murders thirty men, taking their festival garments.  

This is not the kind of story which is easy for small children to understand.  It is a story difficult for pastors with thirty years experience.

What this thirty-year veteran of Biblical teaching would tell you about this story is that it is a perfect example of how honest the Bible really is.  Unlike slick, well rehearsed peddlers of piety, the Bible makes known the complexity of human life and the complexity of the servants of God.

Samson is one of God's Judges.  But Samson's actions reveal that Samson is very much a real person, human in that his service of God occurs among and around actions which are less than ideal.

God uses such persons.  This is our confidence that God can also use us.  Are we not more aware of our human failings than we are of our divine calling?  Learn to see more than the former; it is the latter which denotes us as children of God and disciples of Christ.

Devotion - Wednesday, August 29

One approach to "knowing our Bibles better" is to learn the significant stories in the Bible.  This is not meant to say that some of the stories aren't important, merely that some stories allow us to create a framework on which we can hang the other stories - thus come to understand the whole.

The story of Stephen (in my opinion) would be one of these.  It is in the 6th chapter of Acts.

Stephen is the first martyr.  He is the first person, in the New Testament, who is executed because of his devotion to Christ.  Many will follow.  I consider the story of Stephen one of the "significant" stories because of his martyrdom.  We need to know that following Jesus brought many to their deaths.

We probably won't (though we might) face death as a result of our following Jesus, but we will need to make choices.  And those choices will put us out of step with those around us.  Being out of step with those around us will open us to ridicule.  We need to know the story of Stephen, in order to be prepared to stand for the Truth, even when the Truth isn't popular.  The followers of Jesus will forever be called to some degree of martyrdom.

The other part of the story which makes it significant (in my eyes) is the way in which Stephen is singled out.  His name arises when the assembled fellowship needs someone to wait tables.  Yes, Stephen's appointed task among the faithful was to serve the evening meal and clean up the dishes.

The tasks to which we are called are many and varied.  The tasks to which we are called are our offering to God.  The Apostles select Stephen (and six others) to be waiters, so that they (the Apostles) can "preach the word."  

No task, in the Kingdom of God, is unimportant.  Sometimes it is those in (what might seem to us to be) the lowest of stations who become the greatest witness to Christ.  And when we are looking for persons to emulate and admire, we need to remember that they are seldom the one standing up front or in the higher seats.  It is the ones whom Jesus refers to as "the least among us."

If you don't know Stephen's story, take three minutes and read it, in Acts 6.  It is a story helpful to know.

Devotion - Tuesday, August 28

I am making my way through the Book of Judges.  There are confusing stories in here; the types of stories that some read and wonder, "Is this the way God is active in the world?"  There is a lot of conflict and warfare and destruction.

But the overall theme of these stories remains constant:  The people of God turn from God; God appoints someone to aid them in their return.

I am now in Chapter 13, where the stories of Samson begin to appear.

The first of these stories is about Samson's parents.  There is a visit to his mother by a messenger.  His father seeks this messenger and wants to hear for himself the prophesy.  Before we read about Samson, we learn of the events which shaped the lives of his parents.  

The Scriptures help us to realize that no one's story is complete without looking at the stories of those around them.  We can't understand Samson unless we know of the events which happened to his parents.  Samson is not bound and incapable of acting independently, but his actions are rooted in what has gone before.

I share this reflection with you as a way of encouraging you to think about the history of God's presence in your life.  How has the faith of your parents (or possibly the non-faith of your parents) impacted your own spiritual journey?  In what ways has your pilgrimage been affected by the path they have followed.  Think not only of your parents, but of your grandparents.  And we should include the faith-stories of your friends and teachers.  

Christians are not solitary creatures.  Jesus calls us to join his band of disciples.  We learn His will as we come together in His name.  We pass on what was first given to us.

You are not bound by what has happened before, but you are affected by it.  Reflect on your past, give thanks to those who received the word of God's messengers, and see yourself as a link in a history that stretches from the beginning of time to the eternity of which Jesus speaks.

Devotion - Monday, August 27

John 3 is the story of Nicodemus' visit to Jesus.  This encounter includes what is probably the most quoted verse in all of scripture.  3:16 is: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son."

The context of this verse is important.

Nicodemus is a leader of the Temple.  He is a Pharisee.  He comes to Jesus at night - a significant notation.  No doubt, Nicodemus didn't want the other Pharisees to see him making this visit.  Later in the Gospel, the Pharisees will figure heavily into Jesus' condemnation and death.  

Jesus does his best to help Nicodemus understand.  And the full story assures us that he does.  When Jesus has died, it is Nicodemus who goes to claim the body of Jesus.

But this first encounter is at night; under the cover of darkness.  

Near the end of the visit, Jesus speaks of himself as "the light" that has "come into the world."  But many prefer the darkness and will not come to the light, "because their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God."

This is my simple test of Christian ethics.  Am I willing for others to see?  Or do I hide my actions?  Will I share my thoughts? Or do I conceal them?

Nicodemus used the cover of darkness in his first encounter with Jesus.  When Jesus spoke to him, he realized the need to come out from the darkness and live in the light.  

May our encounter with Jesus and with his Word allow us to live in the light - leaving behind the shadows.

Sermon - August 26, 2012

13th Sunday after Pentecost    

John 6:60-69                                                               

                                                     “The Marvelous Peace of God”

            Today is an important day here at UniLu.  It is LCM Welcome Back; it is Rally day for Sunday Church School.  Today is all about new beginnings and new starts.  Today is given over to reaching out and inviting persons into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and the community which bears His name.  This is an important task; this is a very significant day.  We want everything to go right; we are working to put our best foot forward.

            The danger, in putting one’s best foot forward, is the temptation to hide, or disguise, or at least leave till later the other foot.  You know, as in “When the shoe drops;” or, “On the other hand.”  Whenever the people of God are putting on their best face, we ought to make sure that our other face isn’t hidden too completely.  We need to make sure that we accurately and completely make known what it means to move into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and the community with does bear his name.  It is an opportunity beyond compare; it is the invitation to live.  This life is ours as the result of a willingness to die.

            John 6:66 lays it all out for us:  “Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer when about with him.”  “They,” the ones who turned back and no longer went about with him, “they” had been confronted with the realities beyond the simple presentation.  “They” had eaten their fill of the loaves and fish, in events recorded earlier in John, Chapter 6.  Jesus feeds a crowd of 5,000 with the simple offering of a little boy’s lunch.  Jesus was teaching them things, and healing their sick, and “they” thought they would never be able to get enough.  Until Jesus began to speak of the life which was so freely flowing from him and through him and into “them.”  He tells them that this life will come through his own body.  That it is death which will complete the offering.  And that in order to receive this life they will need to eat of the bread which he will give.

            It is upon hearing all of this that “they” begin to complain and slowly to fall away.  Finally, Jesus looks at the twelve (these would have been the disciples who were following before the whole feeding of the 5,000 began,) Jesus turns even to this inner circle and asks them, "Do you also wish to go away?" 

            Tone of voice is everything.  And we can only imagine the tone with which Jesus asks this question.  Was he calm and sincere?  Did he ask a question for which he didn’t already know the answer?  Was he asking but also pleading with them to remain?  As in, “Are you going to leave me too?”

            Or is he defiant?  Does he chide anyone who is having any such thoughts?  Is it with a chip on his shoulder, or with the tone of a soccer coach whose team is done 2-0 that he asks them whether they just want stick their tail between their legs and go back to what they were doing before?

            Which tone do you hear?  In Jesus’ question? And, of course, the never exhaustive whole range of human emotions means there are many, many other possibilities.

             Verse 60 raises the question at hand.  It was when the crowd heard Jesus speak of himself as the living bread, come down from heaven, which they must eat if they are to have this new life, that many of “them” began to murmur, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?”

            In the verses immediately preceding those appointed for today, Jesus lays it out for them.  "I am the living bread that came down from heaven,"  he says.  "Whoever eats of this bread will live forev­er;  and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

            Let’s consider at least two reasons why this is so difficult.  First, there is this matter of “eating this flesh.  The actual Greek word would be better translated as "chew" or "gnaw."  There is a mutilation involved here and Jesus is in the middle of it.  Forget all the cute pictures of Jesus cuddling the little chil­dren on his lap or gently holding a lamb in his arms.  This is a terrible thing.  Jesus will not go gently in to that great good-night.  He will be rejected, betrayed, murdered.  There is a mutilation involved here.  The “chewing” or “gnawing” reference is precisely the image which informs us that following Jesus means passing through the Cross.

            Second, is the disappointment factor.  In the face of hostility; in the encounter with un-repentant forces; Jesus will not fight.  "The bread THAT I WILL GIVE ... is my flesh." he says.  We humans are often prepared to defend our ideals and beliefs to the death.  But we do so with all of the strength and courage we can muster.  Jesus, on the other hand, simply folds his cards.  He yields his life so that we might have this bread.

            "This teaching is difficult;  who can accept it?"   Many of those who had followed him begin to turn back and no longer go about with him.

            Jesus sees what is happening.  I would venture to say that he understands what is happening and why.  He watches, observes, and then his eye catches the twelve.  So he asks them, "Do you also wish to go away?"  "Here's your chance," he says.  "If you want to go, go."  Again; tone is everything. 

            Then comes Simon’s answer.  And if tone was important in what Jesus said, how much more so in the reply offered by the bumbling, fire-brand of a disciple whom Jesus renames “Peter” (that name which means “Rock.”)

            “Lord, to whom can we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  I think Peter is admitting that if there were another place to go, where they could find the life they have witnessed in Jesus, he might consider going there.  But there is no other place.  Jesus put his best foot forward when he healed the sick and fed the 5,000 and even when the other shoe drops Peter can see that this the one opportunity he has to be part of that which is truly life-giving and of God.

            “Lord, to whom can we go?”  Nowhere else are we going to be able to find the life which you have to offer.

            This is precisely what we are attempting to do, through our Rally Day for Sunday Church School, and through our Welcome Back to the college students.  We want to invite all persons into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and the community which carries forth his name, his message, and his gift.  We do so, acknowledging the wonder of following where he has lead the way; while admitting that it is a way which will change lives – mostly the lives of those who follow.

            I want to close with the lyrics to a hymn which was in the old Green Hymnal but didn’t make it into the new red one.  It is a poem which captures the significance of what happens to those who did not turn away from Jesus; it prepares us for what is likely to happen to us, too.  Had I been better prepared, I would have had hard copies for all of you when you came in.  You can cut and paste them from the blog where I post my sermons, or find the words on-line.  The poem is “They Cast Their Nets.”

They cast their nets in Galilee

just off the hills of brown;

such happy, simple fisherfolk,

before the Lord came down.

Before the Lord came down.

Contented, peaceful fishermen,

before they ever knew

the peace of God that filled their hearts

brimful, and broke them too.

Brimful, and broke them too.

Young John who trimmed

the flapping sail,

homeless in Patmos died,

Peter, who hauled the teeming net,

head-down was crucified.

Head-down was crucified.

The peace of God, it is no peace,

but strife closed in the sod,

Yet let us pray for but one thing—

the marvelous peace of God.

The marvelous peace of God.

Amen.

Devotion - Friday, August 23

I am reading from the Book of Judges.  For the past several days I have been reading of the events which occurred during the service of Gideon.

Gideon's time as a judge over Israel was a time of warfare.  Others of the judges offered differing gifts.  Gideon is able with few soldiers to overthrow the armies of Midian.  When the battles are finished, the people come and want to make Gideon their king.  Gideon refuses.

Gideon says to the people, "I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you;  the Lord will rule over you."

In his first sermon, preached in Trinity Church, Berlin, after Hitler's take over of Germany, Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Gideon is victorious, the church is victorious, because faith alone is victorious.  But Gideon does not overcome, the church does not overcome, we do not overcome, but God shall overcome.  And the victory of God means our defeat."

God is able to be victorious, God shall overcome, when we cease to take pride in what we are able to do and remember instead what it is that God is doing through us.

Judges 8 reports that after Gideon's death, the people turned again from God.  How did this happen?  They had been set free from the oppressive rule of the Midianites.  They were no longer punished for following their own God and their own observances.  Perhaps it was because they lacked the witness of one who would remind them that it is God's action which saves us and not our own.  As mighty as Gideon may have been on the battlefield, it was the strength of his faith and his insistence that no one but God be lift up which made possible the renewal of Israel and all her people.

"The victory of God means our defeat."  The victory of God occurs when we turn not to our own strengths or resources but to the One who created us and sustains us and invites to be His children.

Devotion - Wednesday, August 22

For those of you new to the list (or whom I haven't previously told) I follow an appointed set of readings.  Established by the Church, and shared across the decades and around the world, these appointed readings ensure that one does not pick and choose their favorite verses, but in a systematic way move through all of scripture.  Sometimes, as for today, there is a coming together of appointed texts and the events which lie before us.

The appointed Gospel reading for today is John 1:29-42.  It is about the first disciples.  

John is one who has been sent by God, to prepare the way for Messiah.  When he sees Jesus, he sees the One for whom he has been waiting.  He tells two of his disciples, "That is him."  These two approach Jesus.  

Jesus asks them, "What do you seek?"  The reply they give is "Where are you staying?"  He says to them, "Come and see."

With no more of an induction, with no question with regard to what they believe, they become Jesus' first disciples.  They stay with him that first day and all the days which follow.

I am a strong believer in study and learning.  We need to learn as much as we can about Jesus, about God, and about God's Word.  But the mark of discipleship is simply following.  It is being in the presence of Jesus.

I have spoken of this reality so many times in the past few days, as I welcome new students to Clemson and as I spoke with returning students about their eagerness to be reunited at campus ministry events.  It is not believing the right things or saying the appropriate phrases that defines Jesus' disciples - it is following.  We learn, as we follow, what he does and what he seeks to teach us.

Upset and hurt by events in these first few days back, a student said to me, "I just need to find some new friends."  They need not be "new," but the friends we keep ought to be those who will help us live into the future God has for us.

"Come and see."  This was Jesus' invitation.  This is our invitation.  This is our opportunity to discover the wonder and the grace which God has in store for us.

Devotion - Tuesday, August 21

Acts, Chapter 3 begins with a healing story.  Peter and John are entering the Temple, when they see a man who has been unable to walk since birth.  

The man's friends are carrying out their daily routine of positioning him by the Temple gate so he can beg for alms.  

 

Peter and John have compassion upon him, so they stop those who are carrying the man and Peter says to him, "I have no silver or gold, but I give you what I have."  Peter gives this man his confidence in Jesus.  

 

My meditation this morning began with a reflection on how the man and his friends had settled for what considered to be the best they could hope for.  They were prepared to spend this day as they had spent so many earlier days, finding a way to survive.  They were prepared to be content with a few coins and enough food to fill their bellies.  

 

How often do we settle?  How frequently do we reach some plateau and fail to strive for even more?  This can be particularly true with regard to our spiritual quest or journey.

The next part of my morning meditation picks up on the words of Peter.  He has no "silver or gold," but he does have something to give.

You will be going through a lot of silver and gold these days.  Tuition and housing have been paid, but you are likely still buying books, a  Clemson T-shirt or two, supplies for your newly established house, and all those meals which mom and dad pay for when you are at home with them.  You will have silver and gold on your mind.

But don't overlook the other wealth in your life.  Don't fail to realize that what you have which is of greatest value is that which you can give freely and never diminish.  Do not fail to offer and to redistribute your awareness of God's goodness, God's grace, and God's hope for us all.

You will observe many in these days of adjusting to life at school who will be content with where they are and think there is nothing more for them.  Enter into their misconceived complacency and share with them the Good News.

Devotion - Monday, August 20

The Gospel of John begins by setting the stage.  Long before we hear any of Jesus' words, before there are any miracles or any instructions, John makes us aware of the significance of what has happened.  

"The Word became flesh."

The Word (God's own self-expression) is not something which lies beyond where we live and move and have our being.  The Word is among us; sharing our space and filling our minutes.

Too often there is an attempt to once more remove The Word (and God's self-expression) from among us.  We allow ourselves to think that God can be contained in boxes (sometimes called church buildings) and stored in convenient locations (at the other end of the street, where it won't get soiled by the activities of our day.)

But our attempts cannot overpower God's action.

"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."

If your move-in activity precluded you from being at 111 Sloan Street yesterday morning, don't worry.  God is with you in 123 Byrnes.  If you haven't had opportunity to open your Bible, you can read God's story in Brackett 204.  

"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth;  we have beheld is glory."  

And we continue to behold God's glory, in every place we go and every encounter.  God is with us.  That is the Good News of John 1 and following.

Sermon - August 12, 2012

Pentecost 11 - Year B                                                                                       

August 8, 2012                                                                                   

Psalm 127, John 6:35, 41-51                                                  

                                                    Receiving the Bread that Satisfies

I don’t know whether you all heard about the flood we had this week.  There was a break in the supply line to the toilet in the women’s restroom in the Educational building.  I was away when all this happen.  Donna started hearing water.  When she went to investigate there was water coming through the ceiling on the Office level, into my office and the office of Pastor Shealy.  Donna literally had to hold an umbrella over my computer while the kids here for the “Robotic Challenge Camp” grabbed all the components and moved them to higher ground.

Let me just say, that a flood in the offices was about the last thing we needed around here.  It was a full week. With Maryln Thompson being admitted to the hospital; Gene Copenhaver deciding that four days after back surgery he would drive to VA for a family reunion; reeling from farewells to the Werner family and Summers family; trying to get the LCM Newsletters out to incoming students; AND all three of my own children moving.  It was a full week.  And then, the water pipe breaks and one day is spent cleaning up water, the next putting offices back together. 

But God is good – all the time.  All the time – God is good.  And that goodness revealed itself in the Psalm appointed for daily reading during these hectic days.  It is Psalm 127.  Which is what ought to be printed on our bulletin.  But you just sang it, so it ought to be familiar to you.

Look at it again, with me:

¹Unless the Lord builds the house, their labor is in vain who build it.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, In vain the sentinel keeps vigil.

(That is very comforting, picturesque.  But it is the next verse which exposes God’s goodness:)

²It is vain to rise so early and go to bed so late;

Vain, too, to eat the bread of toil (the NRSV calls it “anxious toil”);

for you, Lord, give sleep to your beloved.

There is an alternative interpretation for the Hebrew contained in that last line which makes the point more pointedly.  The line could also read, "For God provides for his beloved during sleep."  God provides for his beloved during sleep!!!  If these words are not a justification for late mornings and afternoon naps, what is?

 

"It is vain to rise so early and go to bed so late; eating the bread of anxious toil."  Words I needed to hear, during this week in which so many things were happening and so many more are looming just around the corner.  "It is vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil."  Why didn’t God just come right out and tell us that all of our efforts and all of that dedication to hard work would get us absolutely nowhere.  Benjamin Franklin is the promoter of “the early bird gets the worm.”  God is a fan of early bed times AND late morning risers. 

The bread of anxious toil.  I have eaten more than my share from that loaf.  I image that many of you have too.  And if we are what we eat, then I guess we can also figure out what a constant diet of this anxious food will produce.  How differently our lives would be, if instead of eating from the loaf of anxious toil we were to allow ourselves eat the bread which Jesus gives us.  Jesus brings to us, not a loaf of anxious toil, but the Bread of Life.

Perhaps you have realized that we are in the midst of five consecutive Sundays for which portions of John, chapter 6, serve as the Gospel lesson.  Do you remember the initial story which began this chapter?  It is the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with only a few loaves and fish.  Those events lie behind Jesus’ continuing to ask the disciples why it is that they are following him.  Is it because they ate their fill of the loaves and the fish or is it because they seek this bread of life?  Jesus challenges them with the basic question of whether they are striving to be in the right place at the right time so as to receive their little piece of the pie, or whether their following him means that they are truly open to receiving the Bread of Life.

Psalm 127:2 notwithstanding, receiving is difficult.  It really is a lot more difficult than earning.  Earning involves deciding what you want and coming up with a plan to get it.  A leads to B, which leads to C, and so forth.  Earning we can control; we can earn through our anxious toil.  Receiving - well that is a different matter.  Receiving means acknowl­edging a need and then waiting to see if there will be a response.  Receiving involves trust; it means that we must have hope; and, it brings with it the necessity of faith.  These skills are not as easy to develop as are competency, dedication and good work habits.  Receiv­ing is difficult.

The leaders of the religious establishment were unwilling to receive - they wanted a much cleaner means of obtaining.  John records that they began to complain about (Jesus) because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."  They wanted to put him in his place by locating him in the pecking order of laborers.  They ask, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?"  It is as if they are saying, 'He couldn't have worked hard enough or long enough to have climbed the ladder this far.  If he wants to claim to speak the Word of God then he had better go through the appropriate steps.  He must earn the right to be God's spokesperson.'  It is inconceivable to them that Jesus might have merely received God's Word.

Receiving is difficult.  Receiving means that we let go of our illusions of self-suffi­ciency.  Receiving means that we trust another - even more than we trust ourselves.  Receiving means that we come with our hands empty and open.  Receiving means that we go early to bed and are late to rise, allowing God to provide for his beloved during sleep.

Obviously, I am having a little fun with this image from Psalm 127.  But as I spent the week wrestling with its meaning and at the same time trying to understand Jesus’ admission that he is the Bread of Life, I wondered how different life would be if we were to trust God more and depend less upon our own capabilities.  What would my ministry look like, if rather than eating the bread of anxious toil I were to enjoy a few more morsels of the Bread of Life?  

I am convinced that Jesus wants us to eat, leisurely, from this gracious loaf.  I am convinced that God wants us to relax, to enjoy ourselves, our lives, our loves.  I am convinced of these things - and yet I live my life as if it is my job to save to the world.  I don’t want to live my life that way.  And I don’t want you to leave this building today thinking that God wants you to live your life that way, either.  That is the way that too many generations have lived their lives.  Our ancestors ate of that loaf and look where it got them - they are all dead.  Jesus has invited us to come and eat from a different loaf. 

Hear, again Jesus’ promise:

“I am the bread of life...This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 

Stop eating from that bread of anxious toil.  Allow God to build your house and allow God to guard your city.  Take your rest and allow God to provide for you during your sleep.

Amen.