“Tempting Choices”

Luke 4:1-15

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.

It is hard to believe, but just as soon as Jesus has his wonderful baptism moment he’s led to face harsh tests. He is baptized into the messiness of ministry in the world, and the dove of peace alights on his head, and now he’s being tempted by the devil.

It’s like God never cuts us a break, right? We do something really grand like publicly vowing our love for God and our desire to do God’s work in a new way in the world, and then BAM immediately we are in the desert suffering.

Like most people whose stories end up being worth sharing, whose movement ends up being worth following, Jesus has to be tested, to face trials, to see where this power he has been bestowed by God will take him.

And, though the force of evil, the Devil, (or whatever language you want to use to describe the tempter in this story), is strong and very tempting, Jesus is able to persevere. He is not a show-off and he isn’t interested in any shortcuts.  He doesn’t need to prove anything to anybody. He is able to remain steadfast to God.

Through a time of intentional fast in the desert, through the many temptations that pile up, Jesus keeps his eye on God, on his role, on his ultimate power through sharing love to the world.

McLaren writes, “So he will not use his power for personal comfort and pleasure. He will refuse unscrupulous means to achieve just and peaceful ends. He will not reach for spectacle over substance.”  When do we use our privilege and power to remain comfortable? Fill in the blank with any personal, corporate or political failings here. When do we think showy or gaining praise for our ‘event’ or what we do at church is better than touching the heart of God?

Jesus reminds us in this passage that following God, says McLaren, is “not driven by a human lust for pleasure, power, or prestige, but empowered by the Spirit. And of course if we want to join Jesus in his great work, we must face our own inner demons and discover the same Spirit-empowerment.”

The next part of the passage discusses how Jesus goes to his hometown saying the scripture is being fulfilled here and now… and the people cannot deal with that and nearly run him off a cliff. They actually are seething with rage that Jesus would suggest that the time is NOW for the scripture’s prophesies to be fulfilled.  So, he goes from fasting to temptation to near death… and he hasn’t even started his public ministry yet… he’s still a ministry candidate, so to speak…

Two things here stand out.  One is the idea that we can be so captivated by the lure of recognition and influence and power that we walk away from God, even in the realm of church work.  We want the praise for singing in the choir, or having a good sermon or delivering food to the OUR Center, and so we get intoxicated by the way praise feels, rather than working solely for God’s message to reach our community.

At the same time, we get so paralyzed by the thought of being rejected by those who criticize the church and what it stands for, and so we allow our harshest critics to ‘run us off a cliff’ rather than standing strong and working solely for God’s message to reach our community.

How DO we prepare to face God’s work in our lives? How might intentional fasting, or centering prayer, or meditation, or some other spiritual discipline help you to focus yoru mind more fully on God?

How do we rid ourselves of the temptation to seek praise and honor for what we do?  How do we stand firm and follow through with sharing God’s love with the world beyond our doors? How do we BECOME disciples and CREATE disciples?

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"Water+Prophet=Spirit Infusion"

Luke 3: 10-23;  Ch 19 We Make the Road by Walking by Brian McLaren

So, Jesus is grown now.  And so is his cousin, blessed offspring of Elizabeth and Zechariah.  I really wish we had more stories about both of this men during their "coming of age" years, but alas, we don't.  And it's a shame because it's such an interesting stage of life...  I'd love to know how they got from their childhood years to the point see them meeting today.

As Brian McLaren tells us in Ch 19 of We Make the Road by Walking, John, cousin of Jesus, would have lived a privileged and comfortable life as the son of a priest. One assumes he will follow his father into Temple work, performing and officiating at the rituals of Jewish life... offering sacrifices, officiating at religious festivals, and performing ritual cleansings called baptisms.

Baptisms were performed to make one ritually clean because pilgrims coming to the temple might have been in contact with other people from other religions and cultures. So special bathing places were constructed so those entering could ceremoniously cleanse before they presented themselves to God in the temple.  It isn't as xenophobic as it sounds to us now because this was a group of people who were marginalized and occupied... they were trying to preserve their own religious identity in any way they could.

So how strange that Zechariah's son starts performing baptisms not like his father,  within the safe confines of the temple, but way out away from the temple... not in the holy baths... but out in the public in the river!  This in and of itself is a scandalous way to do ministry.  And he has traded his priestly robes and stoles for the fur of animals, the 'rough garments of a  beggar,' as McLaren calls them.

A clear protest against status-quo ritual.  A new baptism with a new intent is what John is offering. People don't need to move the temple out to the country, but to move themselves out of the temple.
And, in the words he utters in this text in Luke 3, we hear of what he expects them to do outside the temple... share their wealth and possessions with others, feed those who are hungry, treat people with equality and dignity.  He offers repentance (rethinking). He offers repentance (question your assumptions).  He offers repentance (turnaround). Don't look at baptism as a way to make yourself spiritually pure and cleansed so that you can be superior.. quite the opposite... baptize yourself and repent so that you might best be in solidarity with everyone, everywhere.

And, wonderfully, beautifully, in this setting... in this context... under these parameters and conditions, Jesus walks up to identify himself with this movement. To be baptize into this belief system. To begin his ministry by following the words of his cousin John.

And God is obviously pleased. Something descends from the sky like a dove and lands on his head (although, ohmygosh this scares the daylights out of me to think about...). And a voice from what seems to be On High says, "You are my son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

At 12, Jesus understood God as Father. Now here at age 30, Jesus is being recognized publicly by God as son.  This connection has gone public. And soon it will go viral.  The dove shows that peace is what this relationship ushers in... but of course the context and the words that John utters about repentance earlier suggest that won't be easy to come by.

So, John comes of age and becomes a prophet.  He leaves the holy water of the church behind and finds his ministry offering baptism waters out in the messy world. And Jesus, who stayed behind at the Temple as a 12-year old, now ventures outside too, to receive his own marching orders.  And God blesses this adventurous baptism.  The Spirit descends to offer peace.  And, in the words of the great Maurice Sendak,  "Let the wild rumpus start."

God wants us to create Peace on Earth, but not in the safety of our sanctuaries.  What on earth, then, are we to do with this instruction?  How do we repent (rethink, question our assumptions, and turn around)?  Why does it have to be so hard?

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“Destined to Shake Things Up”

Luke 2:39-­52 / Chapter Nineteen of We Make the Road By Walking by Brian McLaren)

THIS SUNDAY WE RECOGNIZE TWO IMPORTANT DAYS:

Human Relations Sunday and Human-Trafficking Awareness Sunday

January has been declared Human Trafficking Awareness month by President Obama for the past several years. In recognition of this, the Anti­Trafficking Task Force of Boulder will be hosting fellowship time after church on Sunday, January 18, 2015 with informational posters and books to peruse. Thanks to Linda Thompson for organizing this time of awareness. We hope to do more in the coming year to support this work.

What were you like at age 12? Are you much the same as you were then or VERY different?  Sadly, this week's scripture is the only glimpse we get into the childhood of one Jesus of Nazareth. Plenty of fictional accounts have been written of Jesus' growing up years, but this is the only biblical account we have.

The family of Mary, Joseph and young 12-year old Jesus (and likely some other children) was on the annual pilgrimage to Passover at the Temple in Jerusalem. It seems to be a large group traveling together, relatives, neighbors, friends, fellow villagers, traveling from Nazareth for the High Holy Days. This is a journey of some distance---over 60 miles-- not a short or quick trip, but a trip that likely took nearly a week each way. The large group all traveled together, though, so at first Mary and Joseph did not notice he wasn't with them. When they looked among the crowd and realized he wasn't there they did what any of us would do in the same situation. They panicked and began to frantically search everywhere for him.

Which brings to mind the fact that this is a real emotion happening right now with many families. A child has gone missing and they don't know where the child has gone.  Unfortunately, a very real problem in our society is often not talked about or only whispered about, but it is becoming more prevalent all the time.  That is the problem of human-trafficking... young girls and also young boys kidnapped or lured away and sold into human-trafficking enterprises, as slaves or prostitutes.  This day we are recognizing this very real concern and I ask that we pray for ways we can possibly help.  Denver is a hot spot for such crimes because it has intersecting interstates in I-25 and I-70 that crisscross the country. Children are lost each day in this horrible criminal way.  Churches can be voices for those who have none, offering to seek justice and change through whatever means we can.

Today is also Human Relations Sunday in the church. We recognize the work on behalf of marginalized and minority populations that goes on each day.  We recognize the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and others that led to the Civil Rights Act in this country and continued the slow crawl toward equality for all people. Recent events have perhaps led us to believe that we are headed backward instead of forward, but on this day we celebrate the legacy of those who have worked for human relations by vowing to do all we can to continue moving forward to a day when all people are treated equally and with the same dignity.

Mary and Joseph were terrorized, of course, when they couldn't find the boy Jesus on the road with the others. After three long days of searching, they found him in the Temple sitting among the leaders... They scold him the way any of us would "Why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried sick. We've been looking everywhere for you." Jesus very calmly replies "Didn't you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father's house?"  People often marvel here at this point in the scripture about the maturity of Jesus, sitting among the scholars, growing in wisdom by listening, learning, asking questions, seeking more information and new understandings.  I see it in a theoretical way, but the parent in me still wants to ground him for a month.... "LET US KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING, young man," I want to shout! We Of course, we know NOW that Jesus was destined to shake things up, and I suppose this is his first foray into consciously doing that.

At least Jesus is safe. And growing and learning in all the ways we want a child to be safe and grow and learn. At least he is protected here and was protected earlier when his family fled to Egypt to avoid Herod's wrath.  This is the kind of protection we want for all our kids.  And why we are called to protect and reach out to those who aren't in a safe place where they can grow in wisdom.  We want to create the kind of world where kids aren't picked out of crowd and criminalized, where kids aren't profiled for the color of their skin, where everyone feels safe and secure.

Lofty dream, perhaps. But we who are called Christian have signed on for being people who dream big. Like MLK, Jr and all those in the Civil Rights movement, like those who still fight battles for freedom from oppression today, we are called to make the world a Peaceable Kingdom. We are the people, followers of Jesus, who are destined to shake things up, just like those who came before us.

Jesus the boy was in the temple learning. In a sanctuary. Safe. Thank God. I still hope he got in some trouble for it, even if he felt called to be there. :)  But sometimes those destined to shake things up begin by coloring outside the lines or doing the unexpected. And that is a good thing. Even when it's hard to recognize. 

What are your impressions of the boy Jesus?  How can you grow in wisdom in the days ahead? To whom or about what do you need to listen, learn, ask questions and seek more information and new understandings? Email me or comment below.

Savior Child, Child Savior

Luke 2: 25-38

If you want a book to read for scripture study during this year, pick up a copy of We Make the Road by Walking by Brian McLaren. My sermons for all of this year are based on the 52 weeks of material he has in this book. (This week's material is from Chapter 18 Sharing Gifts, mostly the second half)

This week's scripture is from Luke 2, where Joseph and Mary bring the newborn Jesus to the temple for circumcision and blessing where Simeon and Anna encounter the child. Simeon has prophesied that he will see the Messiah before his death and then he glimpses him in the form of this newborn babe.   Simeon grabs the child from the arms of his mother and holds him up declaring him to be a light to all, including the Gentiles. An interesting statement to make about a baby who is being brought to the temple for circumcision, a clear ritual of Jewish identity.

This event, told to us by the gospel writer of Luke, is meant to show us the way Christ can hold us all together... can be a beacon of love for us all... not a way of creating an us against them world, but a way of creating and saving the world for ONE community, serving God together.

I think this passage is about the unifying gifts we all share. Nothing unifies a group of people like a baby. Babies get our attention. They are beautiful, mesmerizing to look at, soft to touch, just little beacons of love. Even when they are crying, they are still such wonderful creatures, I think. Babies aren't labeled yet, the way we label ourselves later.  They aren't 'damaged goods' quite yet.

Perhaps we can look at the children around us and the wisdom they have to offer us as unifying means of grace for us. The way children play together, not needing to even speak each others' languages, is a sure sign of the unifying nature of God we see in the childlike faith of children.


Perhaps if we could view the 'other' in our lives as children view the world around them, we might be able to cross the barriers that hold us back from one another.  How do we refuse to accept one another based on a wide variety of labels? How might we erase the labels and get back a child-like faith that helps us love and accept all people? How can we allow the children around us to 'save' us so that we might be a stronger, better church tomorrow?

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