"When storms rage..."

This is the manuscript from the sermon preached on June 23/24.  The supporting Gospel text is Mark 4:35-41.

It was time for a change.  At least Jesus thought so.  We don’t know how long he had been wandering the countryside in and around Capernaum and Galilee before he sensed it was time to move on, time to extend his ministry field.  Mark gives us no indication of time, no clue as to how long Jesus had been on the move teaching and healing and telling parables.  It could have been months, perhaps even a year, who knows.  But at some point, “on that day, when it was evening,” Mark tells us, Jesus knew that it was time for a change.  He has his eyes set on the horizon.  He is looking east, over the lake, when he turns to speak to his disciples.   

“Let us go across to the other side.”  It’s not so much an order from Jesus as it is an invitation or a suggestion, as if Jesus were inviting his disciples to go to the store with him or suggesting that they go to Carrabba’s for supper after a long day of teaching.  Jesus does not ask or plead or command.  “Let us go across to the other side,” Jesus says.  And so the disciples make ready for the trip.

The first clue that this is anything but a typical journey comes with the details used to describe their destination.  They’re rather sparse are they not?  No town is named.  No port to aim for.  Jesus simply tells the disciples, “Let us go across to the other side.”  Jesus uses a vague description of where they are going, the other side, which may be lost on us if we do not know what’s on the other side.  Remember that they are on the western edge of the Sea of Galilee and so far in Jesus’ ministry they have traveling through Jewish country.  Jesus has been healing and teaching and storytelling among the children of Israel.  The home crowd so to speak.  They have been in a familiar setting for the whole journey thus far.  But the other side, that’s a different story all together.

You see, on the other side lies the home of the Gentiles.  The outsiders.  The unclean.  They are not part of the family.  One does not simply visit the Gentiles on a whim.  You could be made unclean or worst.  You just don’t go to the other side.  Or perhaps put into terms that we recognize: The other side of the tracks.  The south side.  The west side.  Tin pan alley, the roughest place in town.  The place your mother warns you about when you are a kid.  You just don’t go to the other side.  But that’s exactly where Jesus wants to go because Jesus knows that the kingdom of God is not just for the hometown crowd.  The kingdom of God is not just for the children of Israel.  Jesus knows that God’s kingdom is not about us and them, insiders or outsiders, this side versus the other side, there is only God’s love that is for all people.  God’s kingdom is for all people and the next leg of Jesus’ earthy ministry is to break down this “us and them” mentality and proclaim the God’s kingdom is for all people. 

So perhaps the disciples, even before they set out, are nervous.  They know exactly what the other side means.  They know the legends.  They know the stories.  They know the law.  The other side, where the Gentiles live, is a place of the unclean, not fit for a proper Jew.  But that’s where Jesus wants to go, so without a word they set out. 

And then it strikes, the storm of the century, a storm that has four fishermen on their knees in fear.  Sure, if the tax collector had been on his knees praying, no one would have taken notice, he is a landlubber who is out of his comfort zone.  But they are all afraid, even the men who knew the Sea of Galilee and had called it home in their previous lives, the fishermen are out of their minds with fear.  And well, they should be.

Water is coming over the sides, the boat is being swamped, there aren’t enough buckets to go around and there is no hope to bail out the incoming water.  In their frantic frenzy they look to the only who doesn’t seem to notice, who is still asleep in the stern, who may have the power to save them all.  They run to Jesus and wake him up crying, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?!”

The mission appears to be failing.  The boat is sinking.  Whatever desire that Jesus had in going to the other side seems to be meeting chaotic resistance.  The disciples are in a panic and want nothing more than to save their own skin.  But Jesus will have none of it.  He is immediately on his feat, rebuking the wind and calming the sea, and in an instant all is at peace once more.  The storm had been calmed.   

Of all the miracles and healings that happen in the Gospels, this is one of the harder ones for us to wrap our heads around.  In a world of 24 hours weather channels and updates it is hard to image Jesus stilling a raging storm, but I believe that Mark is trying to tell us something deeper. 

Any trip to the other side, any attempt to extend the boundaries of the kingdom of God is going to meet resistance.  The winds of chaos and the storms of opposition will do their best to put a stop to God’s kingdom breaking into our world, but Jesus will have none of it.  Jesus’ mission to the other side will not be stopped.  God’s kingdom will not be denied, God’s purpose will not be thwarted.  The winds of chaos and disorder, silenced by God before creation, and again at the Reed Sea, will not get in the way of Jesus’ ministry.  The kingdom of God is for all people and Jesus is the one who will lay the groundwork for us to follow. 

I remember being in Seattle on a mission trip in high school and the crew I was a part of had been assigned the project of installing a new set of steps at one of the houses across town.  We were headed to the other side.  The community spoke mostly Spanish, most of them probably recent immigrants to the area.  Separated by boundaries of language and culture, we set to work taking out the old steps and putting in the supports for the new ones.  The water company had come out earlier in the week and marked all the major water lines for us so we steered clear of the pink markers on the ground.  We were finishing the hole to set the last post when the storm struck.  With what was supposed to be the final thrust of my shovel, a strange crunching sound erupted from the hole.  I had struck the water line and watched in horror as a geyser 10 feet tall formed in the front yard.  The house emptied out to witness this chaotic sight.  I tried to explain in broken Spanish that not all was lost, but my face was covered in a fear that I saw matched by the woman of the house.  We were kind strangers, but the mission was failing.  “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?!”  It was one of those kinds of moments.  Jesus we came here to do you will, what gives?!  After a few phone calls we got the water shut off and a crew came out to fix the pipe.  We came back to the sight the next day, expecting to be asked to leave, but we were met with a smile.  The mission could continue, the storm had been calmed. 

Friends, when follow in the footsteps of Jesus we are not promised that all will be clear.  Getting into the boat with Jesus is not like getting onto a cruise ship.  The winds of chaos will come and the storms of destruction will threaten to stop us in our tracks.  But remember that we are not alone.  Jesus journeys with us and through his love and power we can weather the storms.  Jesus, the one who calmed winds of the sea, the one who broke the sting of death when the winds of chaos raged on Good Friday, is the one who brought a word of peace and a promise of new life through his resurrection and he is still in our boat today.  With peace and power and healing in his wings he goes with as we spread the good news of God’s love. 

“Get your hands dirty”

This is the sermon manuscript from the sermon preached on June 16/17 2012, the 3^rd Sunday after Pentecost.  The supporting scripture text is Mark 4:26-34.

So God made a farmer.  He wore overalls, carried a tooth pick in his mouth, and had dirt under his fingernails.  His hands were calloused from years of nurturing crops; trying to convince plants that they could indeed grow in the hot July heat of Texas.  He worked the earth, the rich black soil of Texas that had been worked by his forefathers before him.  His eyes spoke of experience and conveyed a knowledge that can only be earned through sweat and time.  He prayed for rain when the dust got too thick and cussed when it was too wet to plow.  The lines in his face could tell stories of forgotten times and patience, the patience of a farmer.  So God made a farmer and his name is Popo.  And I am blessed to have him as my grandpa.

            I just know that there was a man like Popo at the feet of Jesus in the story we hear from Mark today.  I just know that he was in the crowd that afternoon, sitting on the hillside listening to Jesus speak of sowing seed and watching it take root and grow.  It is one of the remarkable traits of Jesus, that he takes time for the common folk.  Jesus took the time to talk with the shopkeepers, and fishermen, and farmers, and mothers and sisters, and second cousins, the people that we meet when we go to the store or stand in line with at the bank.  Jesus took the time to meet people like Popo, and people like you and me.

Now remember, Mark’s story of Jesus moves very quickly.  Mark does not waste much time in getting Jesus out on the road and up to his elbows in ministry.  In chapter 4, where we meet Jesus today, he is moving through the countryside, stopping in the little towns and villages.  He would heal the sick and tend to those in need.  He would tell the gathered crowds stories of how kingdom of God was breaking into the world before their very eyes.  He would tell them parables using words they would understand and images to which they could relate.  And so for those in the crown who knew the rhythms of farming he would spin a tale of scattering seed and the mystery of growth. 

And perhaps the farmers would all have nodded in agreement as Jesus talked mystery of how the seed produced its fruit.  They all knew that once the seed was in the ground, all one could do was watch and pray, sleep and rise and repeat.  In time the seed would bear fruit, God willing, and then the moment to harvest would come.  But the growth of the seed remained a mystery.  The farmers could no more control the growth than they could control the rising and setting of the sun.  They didn’t have modern methods of irrigation and watering their fields, they waited and prayed that the rain would fall.  They hoped that the seed would take root.  But in the end, all they could do was scatter the seed on the ground and wait.  They could only sleep and rise and repeat as the seed did the growing.  Jesus wasn’t telling them anything they did not already know about farming.  He wasn’t talking of new methods for getting seeds to grow.  So perhaps he was telling them something deeper. 

Remember how Jesus introduces the parable, “the kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground…”    This is a story about how the kingdom of God breaks into our world.  A story of how God’s reign is present in our midst.  A story of how God’s love for all people is manifest in our lives.  And the seed becomes the object through which the reign of God comes into our midst. 

Notice that it is the seed take the prominent acting role in the parable.  It is not the farmer who scatters the seed and then goes to sleep who takes the lead.  The leading actor is the seed.  The seed sprouts and grows beyond the knowledge and actions of the farmer.  The seed is placed in the earth where it sprouts a stalk eventually a head a grain.  It is the seed that does all of the work to produce the harvest while the farmer sleeps and rises and waits.  The seed is the catalyst of God’s kingdom breaking into our lives.  And what could be a more powerful means of bringing God’s kingdom into our lives than Jesus Christ.  His life was not about teaching the good news, his life was living it.  The life of Jesus Christ is the seed of the kingdom that takes root and grows beyond the farmer’s ability to control.  Jesus is the seed of the good news of God that continues to break into our lives today.  Jesus is the seed of the kingdom planted in each of us who have been baptized into his name.

I can remember riding a tour bus into Leipzig Germany.  It was a rather grey day which when mixed with the block soviet architecture made for a gloomy entrance into that historic city.  Our tour guide told us the story of the Nicolaikirche, and 800 year old Lutheran church in downtown.  During the 1980s the Nicolaikirche played host to Monday prayer gatherings that met weekly for almost a decade.  Some nights there were less than a dozen people present, but the group carried on with prayer and talks of politics and hoped for a future where there was no divide between East and West Germany, a life where there was no wall and no fear.  On October 9^th the crowd swelled to almost 100,000 people.  They moved into the streets, facing armed guards and the threat of a violent stop to the marches.  But the seeds of the kingdom of God had been planted in those people.  Perhaps for some the seed of the kingdom had been germinating for a lifetime and in that moment the seeds of the kingdom were bearing fruit for the world to see.  The crowd double every week and the wall finally came down just five weeks later.  The healing could finally begin.  The kingdom of God broke into the world in that moment through people like you and me who stood up for love and peace.  The kingdom of God breaks into our world through the seeds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ planted in you and me. 

In baptism you and I become farmers of sorts.  We are entrusted with the seed of the good news and called to scattered this seed where ever we walk through this world.  It’s what we have been doing all week.  During Vacation Bible School we have been scattering seed amongst those who came through these doors and there is no telling what God will do with their lives.  In child and adult alike we have been scattering the seeds of the kingdom.  Every night we shared the story of who God is and of what God’s love will do in our lives.  Every night we proclaimed the world changing message of God’s love for the world poured out through Jesus Christ.  The good news that we proclaim can change the world. 

Dear people, we are entrusted with the seed of the kingdom and where ever we take this seed, it’s going to grow.  Regardless of what we do, it’s going to grow.  The seed of the good news of God will grow not because of who we are but because of who God is and God’s love will bear fruit in due season.  We who are called to be farmers are not in charge of the growth of the seed; we are simply called to spread it as we go.  So roll up your sleeves children of God and get your hands dirty with the seeds of the kingdom.  Take on the patience of a farmer, the patience I saw Popo live out over and over again as he planted seed and hoped for the harvest.  Take the seed of the kingdom and spread it far.  Spread it where ever you go and sleep and rise and watch as the Kingdom of God springs for around us.         

Pentecost

This is the sermon manuscript from the sermon preached day of Pentecost.  The supporting scripture text is Acts 2:1-21(43-47).

So we have arrived at Pentecost, the day that has become known as the birthday of the church.  Today is a joyous occasion.  We break out the red dressings for the sanctuary.  We celebrate with gusto the workings of the church and the moving of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We celebrate with a great deal of joy on Pentecost.  A joy that I don’t think was present in that room with the apostles on that Pentecost day we hear about in Acts.  I don’t think they were having a birthday party.         

After they watched Jesus ascend into heaven, after they had replaced Judas with Matthias, the apostles were all gathered together in one place.  I am sure that they were struggling with fear and doubt because they had no idea where to go next.  Jesus was gone.  The promised spirit had not come.  They were still under threat of persecution from both Rome and the leaders of the Jewish leaders.  At that moment there were more questions than answers.

And then it happened.  A violent wind came from heaven and filled the room where the apostles are gathered.  Tongues of fire appeared among them, resting on each of them, and everyone began to speak.  Filled with the Holy Spirit, the apostles began to speak in every language under the sun; or at least every language spoken by those who had come to Jerusalem for the festival of Pentecost.  Parthians, Medes, Cappadocians, Egyptians, and a whole host of others from all over the Mediterranean hear about God’s deeds of power in their own language.  All were amazed and perplexed.  Some make snide comments about drinking too much wine.  Peter preached.   People repented and were baptized.  Three thousand people joined the movement that day. 

It’s a wild and thrilling tale to be sure.  We hear it every year.  We talk about the rushing of the spirit and tongues of fire.  But what exactly is Pentecost?  I don’t think it is a birthday, but part of something much bigger.  Something found deeper in the heart of God.  So what is Pentecost?  We use it as a label for this day in the church year, but what does it mean?  For starters is means “fifty” in Greek.  We are fifty days from Easter.  Fifty days after the resurrection.  Fifty days after the Jewish festival of Passover. 

That’s where Pentecost has its roots, as a Jewish festival.  Seven weeks after the Passover the Jews would gather for the “Festival of Weeks.”  It was a festival of thanksgiving, originally a harvest festival to give thanks for the crops brought in from the fields.  If you look in Leviticus chapter 23 you will find a list of the sacrifices to be brought to the priest.  Bread offerings made with a measure of the best grain.  Year old goats and lambs without blemish to be given to the Lord.  The day shall be one of rest from work, a statute to be honored forever in all the settlements.  And then God calls the people to move from thanksgiving to justice. 

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God (Lev. 23:22).”  There at the edges of the field God was giving life.  God was reminding the people that they too had once been the poor and the stranger and had survived off of the gifts of someone else’s land.  God tells them to leave some grain on the stalks and some grapes on the vine for the poor and for the stranger who wandered at the edges of community.  In their abundance, the people of God are to remember that they have the means to help those in need.  That’s the heart of Pentecost. 

And so on that Pentecost day in Acts there was that little band of apostles who had more questions than answers.  There were Jews from all over the Mediterranean gathered to celebrate the Festival of Weeks.  And there in the midst of question and strangers gathered from the edges, the Spirit of God moves. 

And yes there was a wind from heaven.  Yes there were tongues of fire.  Yes those first apostles, the country folk from Galilee, spoke as though they had Ph. D’s in languages they had never heard.  The powerful deeds of God were told in every language that could be heard and three thousand people joined the movement.  But that’s not the end of the story.  That’s not all there is to Pentecost.  Let’s look at how this second chapter of Acts ends. 

“Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

You see, when we stop reading the story before it is finished we are left only with the wonder of wind and fire and languages.  It’s a thrilling tale, but it’s not the whole story.  After the wind from heaven and the tongues of fire, the good news of Jesus Christ settled on those who heard the word.  The Holy Spirit moved through the community, filling folks with the love of God.  God’s love overflowed in their lives until they were full and could do nothing but help to fill up others in their midst.  They took up the call to share their blessings with others.  The old call from God was renewed.  The edges of the field were once again left for those who were poor and a stranger.  The spirit of God moved through those gathered on that Pentecost day and confirmed what God has been doing all along, giving life to those in need.  In their abundance, the people of God are to remember that they have the means to help those in need.  That’s the heart of Pentecost. 

Today we gather with three young men as we celebrate confirmation.  Today we affirm their faith and recognize how far they have come along the way.  We reach back to the waters of Baptism and the promise of God.  We remember what God has already done for them and for us through Jesus Christ.  Today we affirm our faith in the risen Christ and look to where he is calling us to follow in the world.  Today we remember that the Holy Spirit is still at work in our lives. 

Just this week a group of us took a tour of the Pace School for girls, just a stone’s throw from this building.  We learned about the amazing ministry being done for girls who have been cast to edges of the school system.  We got to see how resources are being pooled together and used to give life back to not only the girls who had lost their way, but also to their families.  Perhaps for the first time, families are learning how to celebrate with one another over the little victories of learning how to read and succeed in school.  We, who are witnesses to Jesus Christ in our world, have the opportunity to participate in this life giving ministry.  When we remember to leave the edges of our fields to those who are in need, when we remember to share what we have with those in need, we participate in what God has been doing all along.

On this day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit is on the move in our midst.  Moving and shaking and confirming and affirming and calling and disrupting and inviting.  Igniting our hearts and our lives.  That’s the heart of Pentecost.  Happy Pentecost to you, people of God.