"Unbinding and Moving Forward"

John 11:32-44

When Jesus comes to the home of his dear friend Lazarus and discovers he has died, he weeps.  He cries, as any of us would, over the death of a dear friend.  Some suggest that Jesus, who just healed a blind man, should have been there earlier to keep Lazarus alive.

Jesus hears unbelief and lack of faith in their tone.

Jesus goes to the tomb of Lazarus and asks the stone to be rolled away and for Lazarus to come out.  Then he says to those gathered, "Unbind him and let him go."

This is a miracle story. The raising of Lazarus. And we are tempted to either disbelieve this story or to wonder why Jesus can't resurrect those who have died that we love. We are skeptics.

But this story has layers of reality, of stark truth, of grace...

When we lose those we love, we sometimes lose faith. It is hard to see past the reality of our loss. It is hard to understand, especially in the case of sudden loss, death or otherwise, what is going to happen next and how our lives could ever feel good again.

 Jesus, in his raising of Lazarus says, "Unbind him and let him go." We, too, must unbind that which wraps us up in our own 'burial clothes.' We must be willing to let go of what is in the past and move into what lies in the future.

We must be willing to let die that which has died and to embrace whatever forms of new life come out of our time of grieving.

On All Saints' Sunday this year, we will remember those saints of our church and our lives who have gone before us.  We will call out their names, we will take a look around at those memorials that we have within our walls, we will light candles to remember the saints of our lives, we will bring their memories with us as we come to receive the Holy Meal.

But we mustn't hold too tightly to the past. We must allow the great cloud of witnesses that has gone before us to lift us upward, lift us to new heights, new journeys, and new promise.  Those who came before us lived their lives in the hopes that those who came after them would continue that great journey toward a new heaven and a new earth, here and now.

What stories of loved ones do you like remembering? What do you think those who have gone before us would want us to be dreaming of doing here now?  Email me or comment below.

Jesus so loved the world

Hebrews 7:23-28

This scripture tells us that Jesus "always lives to make intercession" for us.  The ministry of Jesus included always thinking of the other person, being inclusive of all people and setting a great example of what it means to love all people.  It says that he does not need to offer daily sacrifices, which was a common temple practice we might equate with our weekly offering.  He does not need to do so because he has offered his life as a sacrifice, and thus made perfect forever.

This does not mean Jesus is perfect. It does not mean Jesus made no mistakes or treated everyone nicely every single time he walked out the door. Instead it means that Jesus understood that being a living sacrifice is understanding that rules don't matter as much as people, that service doesn't mean anything if done for show, that love can only truly be passed from person to person when no one is 'in it' for any reason other than to praise God as a God of love.

In Mark 10, Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, calls to Jesus... "son of David, have mercy on me." Jesus is stopped abruptly by these words. He is stopped by the realization that Bartimaeus understands Jesus is indeed the savior, the chosen son of David.  He tells Bartimaeus he is healed but it is his own faith that has made him well.  Bartimaeus understood that having sight wouldn't heal him if he didn't have his sights set on following God's way.

How do we even begin to love as Jesus loved the world?  Isn't it impossible?  Only if we let it be. We are supposedly created in God's image, in Christ's image, so therefore we should be able to love as Christ loved us.

Jesus so loved the world that he walked a path of complicated, difficult choices. He walked a path that included turning his back on the authorities, being with those the world shunned, and offering people a healing hand, a world of mercy and love, no matter what the rules of the day said he should do instead.

How often do we become radical like this Jesus we claim to love? When was the last time you walked a path that was sure to cause you scorn just so that you could continue to love the world with all your heart?  Do we ever truly love the world with all our hearts?  Email me or comment below.

I So Loved My Place In This World

Mark 10:35-45

"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you... Grant one of us to sit at your right hand and one at your left."

These disciples, James and John, are asking Jesus to sit beside of him, to be important in the land of Disciple.... And Jesus flips things around on them by telling them at the end of this scripture...

"... whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all."

Not exactly what they probably had in mind.

Why is it we often wish to have a high standing among everyone else we are around? Why is it we secretly want to be recognized for doing good and feel hurt and slighted when our good work seems to go unrecognized by others?  Why is it we get jealous or envious of others who seem to 'have it all' when we sure don't.

I so loved my place in this world, O God. I so loved my place in this world that I forgot that my standing among everyone and everything in life is truly for naught if I don't first learn to love.  That golden rule is ever golden: treat others as you would want to be treated.  Show love.  Just do it.

And yet, we can't even really identify lots of times what that might mean. People say that they want this or that from their church, but does God really need for us to 'want' the church to 'give' us anything?  What is church for?  If we answer that church is for showing our love for God and neighbor, then that pretty much does away with whatever we think we are supposed to get out of it.

But, of course, it isn't so easy, is it?  We all have wants and needs from relationships and from institutions and so when we feel unfulfilled, it is easy to look elsewhere and seek something different.  Jesus clearly calls us to love without seeking a higher reward, without seeking a certificate of praise, without wanting to be #1.

What is this scripture telling us about the true job of being a part of the body of Christ?  How do we begin to do that?  Email me or comment below.

Are We Changing Lives... Through Love?

Hello friends,
This Sunday we are blessed to have my dear friend and colleague, the Rev. Jerry Herships, as our guest preacher. He serves as the pastor of a new church start called AfterHours Denver. 

Jerry and I had our first ever seminary class together at Iliff School of Theology in the fall of 2004 and we have been the best of friends ever since. It has been an interesting journey, full of twists and turns, as we have watched our ministries unfold. He probably never expected to see me so fulfilled in the local church setting, and I certainly never pictured him on the streets of Denver serving communion to the homeless.  God has an interesting way of putting us where we should be, especially when we can't see ourselves there.

Please join me in welcoming Jerry. I can't wait to hear his sermon... (he's a great preacher) and I look forward to our time together. We will likely learn from him how those most in need are often the ones who most know how to show love for one another.

As we move through our October sermon series on "Learning to Love," I pray our hearts and minds are open to learn from those unexpected and surprising people and places.

**A reminder please bring new socks for Jerry to take to the homeless he serves.  It's a small way to show love that makes a huge impact on someone who is unable to regularly bathe.

Go out and love someone today.

God so loved the WORLD

Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12

God so loved the world... the world God created.  Jesus follows a path that leads to suffering and death, a choice that comes with the highest of price tags, so that he can live into what he believes is his fullest sense of the humanity God has given him. He is called the Son of God because he lives in such a way.

If we are, as the scripture says, just a "little lower than the angels," then why aren't we better at loving one another?  Why aren't we better at loving God?  God gives us free will, nothing is left out of our control in this earthly realm, says the author of Hebrews, and yet we often fail to praise God and give God our glory and honor. We sometimes choose instead to relegate God's working in our lives to the same position we might hold 'luck' or 'great timing' or 'our own good sense.'  And if things go poorly, we fail to see how God is working in all things.

It is difficult stuff, this business of loving God and believing God loves us. It might even be harder stuff than the stuff it takes to love our fellow human beings.  I mean, it is easy for me to understand what loving my son, or my spouse, or my cat should look and feel like... but loving God? It seems so far beyond my reach or my comprehension, the actual physical act of loving my God.

Perhaps it is best, then, that we start with all God created for humans to love. Perhaps we start by loving  all of the earthly created order that God has given us and then try to move closer to "God love" in the process.

This Sunday is World Communion Sunday. A Sunday when all across the globe, Christians celebrate the Sacrament of Word and Table together.  When we break bread, someone else across the globe breaks it with us in the same spirit of worldwide Christian community.  Perhaps we should take a moment to consider someone across the globe who needs our prayers and our love.

In our community, it is also Blessing of the Animals Sunday. A time when we gather as a faith community and invite our ENTIRE community to join us at the Longmont Humane Society for a blessing of all the animal friends in our lives.  We meet at 2 pm for a liturgy, some singing, some snacks, and lots of pet hugs and blessings.  We thank the LHS for sponsoring this event with us for the second straight year.

Perhaps this is the perfect first place to start, with the animals God has entrusted to our care. Animals that need us and love us, unconditionally (well, except maybe for the cats...), and who share our lives in an kind of interdependence that feeds our souls.  Our glorious opportunity to extend Christ's table to the humane society blessing is exactly what Jesus has in mind when he says, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you." (Heb. 2: 12)

Do you know how to truly love God? What would that look like in your world?  How do you show the sacrificial love of Christ to your neighbors?  Email me or comment below.

Stumbling Blocks

Mark 9:38-50

For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea...Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.

What stumbling blocks have you encountered along life's way?  An illness, unemployment, unexpected death or loss, a lack of funds, no health insurance, a disgruntled family member?  The list is long and mighty of those things we might call stumbling blocks that keep us from staying on the divine path.

And when that happens, we are prone to throw our hands up in the air and say, "Forget it! This is just too hard!"  And often we do. But more often than not, we dig deep and find the resources to turn those stumbling blocks into character building fodder for the journey.

What happens sometimes that we are less aware of, though, is our own 'stumbling block' throwing.  Times when we throw stumbling blocks in someone else's journey, in the way of someone else's divine path. We do it for all kinds of crazy reasons.  Jealousy, anger, greed, frustration, disappointment, grief, pettiness, ambition. And when we do it, it is sin. I think, in fact, that is what most of the Bible would define as the purest example of sin... things thrown in the way that prevent people from being able to stay on the divine path.  And when we are the 'block casters', well, that is tragic. This scripture above says it is as if we tied a huge rock around our necks and hurled ourselves into the sea. The worst of the worst.

So, what do we do to improve our flaws of character? What do we do to prevent pettiness and anger and greed and ambition and 'stumbling block casting' in our lives?  Jesus ends this scripture by saying "Be at peace with one another." Realize the saltiness, the seasoning, that God has given you to flavor the earth and believe in it. When you believe in your own specialness, then you are more likely to offer peace to the earth.

We sing a song called  "Let There Be Peace On Earth" that most of us love. The best line in it of course is 'and let it begin with me.' It's how the song begins and ends. And it is how our lives should begin and end.  "Let There Be Peace On Earth and let it begin with ME."

What do you do that casts stumbling blocks on the paths of others?  What do you do when they are cast your direction? Think of all the things that you can do to create paths of peace instead. 

Comments? Email me or comment below.

Underlying Issues

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8; Mark 9:30-37

We all have them. Issues.  Stuff we leave unresolved or lying around somewhere in the corners of our minds that reaches out to get us when we least expect it. Baggage. Left unresolved or unattended for very long can lead to anger and resentment.

In the James passage, we read of what happens when we are unsatisfied with ourselves. We try to find happiness in nonspiritual ways and forget to seek that peace that comes from above. We get into conflicts and disputes and other wickedness because we submit to greed and worldly pleasures and not to God.

In the Mark passage, we read of the disciples arguing with themselves about who is the greatest.  Sounds almost like a presidential debate.  Ugh.  And Jesus says, very succinctly, that the one wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.

Going on, he says if you really want to 'get it,' you will learn that whoever welcomes a child, also welcomes him.  A child was thought of as little more than property. Bottom of the barrel in that society. And Jesus says we are to think of children as our most welcome of all. Which pretty much takes whatever we might want for ourselves out of the equation.

We have so much internal stuff we deal with, inside and outside the church.  We have those who 'want it done the way it always has been done;' we have those who 'have already done their fair share;' and we have those who 'would love to but can't commit to it' within our ranks.  We have those who get paid to do the work and those who would never dream of being paid to do the work.  And sometimes, all that creates a sort of tension, an awareness of a set of underlying issues, that needs addressing, mending, sorting, and maybe even re-creating.

How are the underlying issues in your own life affecting you today? How are the church's or society's underlying issues affecting you? When they do affect you, what do you do? Do you put your head in the sand? Do you walk away? Do you resolve to work out something that works for you? Do you resolve to follow your gut/God instinct no matter what?

Email me or comment below.