Tuesday, November 19, 2013

"We Give Thanks for Salvation Stories"

Luke 23:33-43

Nothing says the end of the church liturgical year like this scripture reading. This visceral reminder that the world with all its frailties put Jesus to death on a cross. The mocking words of the soldiers, "He saved others, let him save himself..." and "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."

On this Christ the King Sunday, it is almost strange to even think of earthly kings. There are very few around today and the ones we do have are often figure-heads, like the King of England, with lots of power in the tradition of the throne, but very little real power in terms of governing the people.  So, we don't even know what to make of a phrase like Christ the King.

So, it is better, perhaps, to focus on the acts that happen in this text. Jesus being nailed to a cross and mocked as a King. Jesus being ridiculed for saving people, but choosing not to save himself. What kind of King is he, if he allows himself to be crucified?

Today we give thanks for selfless acts of salvation.  Jesus who became the Christ in his selfless act of salvation, by choosing to not allow the rule of a governing body to affect his loving ministry to people in need.  And, in all of our holy and sacred everyday moments, we, too have salvation stories to share.

I have heard a few of your stories.  Stories of one who performed the Heimlich maneuver and saved a grandson's life, of a newlywed husband who saved his drowning bride, of parents who pull their adult children out of harm's way in abusive relationships, of out-of-body near death experiences where somehow, someway the body managed to save itself.  Amazing stuff. Powerful testimony of that instinct we all have to save each other and save ourselves in moments of crisis.

I have to think that Jesus, the fully human side of Jesus, wanted to save himself, and yet the loving, far-reaching visionary Jesus, wanted to save us more.  Jesus could see that giving in to the laws and rules of a short-sighted society would not lead anywhere, but choosing to pour God's love and compassion onto the world, no matter the consequences might indeed be life-saving for even him.

If it feels like Resurrection, like Easter, it is. The last day of the liturgical calendar is Easter all over again. To remind us why we will begin to wait with earnest for the baby in the manger next week. To remind us why it is important for that Child to come over and over again.  To remind us THAT salvation story begins not on a cross, but with a mother's obedient answer to God's call.

What salvation stories can you share?  Why are these important in our culture?  Email me or comment below.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

We give thanks for new sight.

Matthew 7:1-8


This week we give thanks for glasses, contacts, bifocals, night goggles, 3-D glasses... all those tools we use to see the world in a whole new way. How thankful we are that we don't have to just see things in our blurred views of the world, but can have instruments available to us that can give us a whole new view of things?

A couple of months ago, Todd and I went to see the 75th anniversary re-release of The Wizard of Oz in theaters.  This time the movie wasn't like I had seen it before. It was in IMAX 3-D.  Unlike anything you have ever thought that movie could be.  The Wicked Witch of the West on a giant screen and a little popped out in 3-D.  Intense.  Very intense.  But the 3-D IMAXness of it all gave me new vision and new insights into some of the imagery in the movie that I had never noticed before, so it was like seeing the movie again for the first time.

If you got eyeglasses as a child because of poor vision, you can relate to this, as well. Remember what happened the first time you put on a pair of glasses and could ACTUALLY see the world? I felt like someone had cleaned up Knoxville, Tennessee for me. I was amazed at how different the world looked. So amazed. I can still see that scene in my mind's eye even today. And that was 35 years ago.

Today's gospel lesson speaks to us of what we see and don't see in the world around us. It reminds us to be careful what we notice about those around us... to take caution that we are fist noticing what is going on with OURSELVES before we decide to judge too harshly our neighbors.

Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your neighbor, "Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye. 

That speck that we complain about in our neighbor's eye may be a problem for you, maybe even a problem for many, but this reminds us that our first order of business as those who want to model the way of Christ is to notice what logs we have in our own eyes first.  Kind of like putting on the oxygen mask before you offer help to another.  Notice what you need to do for your own 'stuff' first before railing on someone else's 'stuff.'

A few weeks ago I struggled all day long with a little tear in a contact lens. Those of you who wear them know that a tiny tear might be smaller than a speck, but feels like a log in the eye. I told Anna, the office admin, that I should really just sit down that very day and write the sermon about the log in my own eye.  The burden and the aggravation I was carrying around by not dealing with that contact lens IS a parallel to the burden and aggravation we carry around when we don't deal with the stuff that keeps us from being the Christians we are called to be.  The next part of this scripture reminds us to ask, seek, and knock and doors will open for us.  To be open to the Spirit moving in our lives will help us to take the log away for good.

What new vision or new insights into the world have you had? What was life like for you once you got a new pair of glasses, either in reality or metaphorically?  Email me or comment below.




Tuesday, November 5, 2013

We are thankful for turkey day traditions

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

One Thanksgiving tradition that we almost always observe is watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on TV. A couple of times we have been traveling or vacationing and have not been able to do this, but most of the time, that's where you can find us on Thanksgiving morning.  In front of the TV, watching the parade.  I leave between commercial breaks to stir a pot, or baste the bird. It is just a wonderful, lovely tradition that we have of being together on parade morning.

A few years ago, we went to NYC the days before Thanksgiving and left on Thanksgiving morning before the big event. We were flying out of town as the parade was beginning.  But the night before we went up to the area of Manhattan where the parade workers begin inflating the balloons and took a good close up look at some of them.  That was certainly an interesting take on our yearly tradition.

This week's epistle lesson speaks of tradition in this way:
But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.

We are chosen by God to offer 'first fruits' (the best we have) as we work in tangent with God to save the world.  We have been called to share the good news. One way we do that is by remembering all we have learned and holding fast to the traditions that bind us together. The traditions we learned will carry us into the next generation and spread the good news to a new people.

There is a lot of talk in the church these days about 'the dying church' and the need to remodel or refashion the existing church.  Some of that talk is accurate and some of it is, frankly, alarmist.  The church of tomorrow will likely be smaller than the church of today.  Its numbers are contracting, that's true.  But the traditions that have held us steadfast for generations will continue to hold us tomorrow.

Like our turkey day traditions.  Just because we all have ereaders and tablets and iPhones nowadays doesn't mean that there isn't something strong and valuable and beautiful about gathering in front of a TV to watch a parade. Just because you can virtually play football on your Xbox doesn't mean you won't watch the big game. You know?  We owe it to our future to hold fast to the traditions of of our past.

What traditions are important in your family? Why are they so valuable to you and yours?

Email me or comment below.