Watch Your Mouth

Reflections on Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a letter that focuses on the need for unity in the church. Over and over, Paul drives home the message that the church must be united as one body in Christ. Each person is responsible for building up and maintaining the unity of the church. The disunity that is present in the church is a scandal. Divisiveness among Christians sends a confusing message to those who are outside of the church. It’s hard for us to talk about peace and love when we fail to exhibit it. We have the resources to be united, with one Lord, one Spirit, one baptism, one faith. We have Holy Communion as a living symbol of our unity in Christ. Yet, our unity is not complete. We are divided. We must ask God to help us be united in one heart and mind.
The passage read for us this morning gives us some instruction on what we can do to build and maintain unity in the church. They are clear and practical. They are simple to understand, but, of course, hard to do. We have to ask God to help us do these things and keep at it without growing weary of doing good. It’s a life time of effort. But if we keep at it, slowly but surely we can do what we are taught to do in this passage. After all, why would we be instructed in these things if it was impossible for us to achieve? So, let’s look at what this scripture instructs us to do.
It starts with the mouth. You’ve heard the old saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” There’s more to it than that, but that’s not a bad way of summarizing what we are being taught about what we say. Listen to what is said about our speech: “Speak the truth to your neighbor; let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.” It has been said that God has given us mouths for two purposes: to give praise to God and to build up others. God forgive us, when we think about what we say that does not fit into those two categories. The Bible has a lot to say about the mouth, and how careful we have to be about what we say. “There is he who is silent, and who is found wise; and there is he that is hated for much speech…” It is a good discipline for all of us to err on the side of saying nothing. The more talkative we are, the more likely we are to say something that is not worthy of being said. John Chrysostom, nick named the “Golden Mouth,” suggested that the seal of the Holy Spirit that we have received we should consider placed over our mouths.
So, to build up and maintain unity as a church, it starts with the mouth. Don’t lie to one another. Do not flatter someone and then turn around and criticize behind their back. Instead, speak truth to one another. Be forthright in your speech. Say what you mean. But say it with humility, appreciating the fact that when you speak to or about someone else, you are speaking about someone who has been sealed with the Holy Spirit and is claimed as one of God’s flock, as you are. It is God’s possession that you are speaking of. And when speaking to another, speak in a way that lifts up and encourages, and does not beat down. We need to encourage one another, not tear down one another. We want to talk to each other in a way that brings us together rather than pushes us apart.
Think about a building made out of brick. As long as the bricks are bound closely together and there are no gaps, then the building is firm and strong. But if gaps start to appear and are left that way, the building becomes weak and, eventually, could collapse. Our words to each other can be the mortar that holds us together and keeps our community strong. Or, our words can push people away and break the bond between us, which threatens the stability of our community. So, we need to be careful, that we speak truthfully to each other and speak in ways that builds up rather than tears down.
This is one reason why our anger toward each other must be dealt with promptly. How often have we said things out of anger that we wish we could take back. Anger is a flare up of passion that needs to be put out as soon as it is kindled. If left to smolder, it will eventually burst into flame and cause great harm to everyone. If we can’t make things right with the person that has angered us, we have to at least give our anger over to God and ask for Him to heal us and calm us down. Again, the quicker we get rid of our anger the better. Depending on when it happens, you can basically stay angry no longer than about eight hours. The sooner you get over your anger, the better for everyone. In fact, this is the next thing that we learn in this passage; the importance of getting rid of the weeds.
Before you plant a garden, you have to pull out the weeds and thorns. This is true for our souls as well. Over time, weeds start popping up within us; weeds like anger, bitterness, wrath, wrangling, slander, malice. We need to pay attention to ourselves, constantly be assessing ourselves and asking God to root out from us all these weeds. It is critical for us to be cleansed from these weeds that crop up within us so that we can be more effective in building up one another. Having these weeds cleared out goes a long way toward improving what comes out of our mouths. It is from the heart that the mouth speaks. With a more pure heart, we have more pure speech. But if our heart becomes filled with the weeds of bitterness, resentment, and anger, it will show by what comes out of our mouths. So, we need to pay attention to ourselves and get rid of the weeds.
But it is not enough to pull out the weeds if good seeds are not planted. What happens after you have pulled up all those weeds and then leave the flowerbed alone? Weeds naturally start growing again if left untended, and eventually you have a bed full of weeds again. So, it is not enough to get rid of the weeds that pop up in our hearts. We have to also plant some good seeds in our hearts. These are the good seeds of kindness toward one another, being tenderhearted, and forgiving each other as God in Christ has forgiven each of us. This is what is so great about this passage. Not only are we instructed what we are not to do, we are also told what we need to do.
John Wesley, when he was establishing his discipleship groups, gave them three simple rules. The first two are: do no harm and do good. It’s not enough just to do no harm. We also have to do good. What good is it for a gardener to be clean cut, not smoking or drinking, being morally upright; and who sits around all day without pulling weeds, watering the flowers and mowing the grass? Refraining from smoking and cussing is nice as far as it goes. But the gardener also is supposed to do something. Just so, it isn’t enough for us to be well behaved, look nice, and then sit around and watch while others are doing good works. Paul uses the example of a thief. The thief must stop stealing. And the thief needs to work honestly with their hands so that they can have something to share with the needy. So, it’s not enough to stop stealing. He also has to contribute to the common good through labor. We all have things that need to be done. To be kind to one another is to do good things for each other. To be tenderhearted is to help each other and be thoughtful when someone is going through a hard time. Being good little boys and girls isn’t sufficient. We all have to participate in the life of the church.
By refraining from doing harm and by doing good, we see the following results. First, unity is maintained. We are each doing our part to have strong, healthy relationships with each other. The stronger those relationships, the stronger will our community be, and the stronger will be the body of Christ, of which we are a part.
Second, Satan gets squeezed out. Where God desires unity and peace, Satan desires division and discord. So, Paul instructs us to not make room for the devil. The closer, the tighter knit, we are to each other, the better. If our bond is solid, there are no gaps for Satan to work his way into, like water that can leak into the cracks of the foundation of a house. By sealing our leaks through strengthening our relationships with each other, we leave no room for the devil to work his mischief in pushing us apart from each other.
Third, by refraining from doing harm and by doing good, we imitate God. God has no bitterness, nor does God slander. God can be angry, and can be filled with wrath. But as the psalm says, God’s wrath is for a day, His loving-kindness is for eternity. Rather, God is kind and tender-hearted, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, allowing the sun to shine on the good and the wicked. His mercy and grace is beyond understanding. When put to death on the cross, Christ did not call down wrath on those who crucified Him, but He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” So, when we are kind, tender-hearted, and forgive those who offend and hurt us unjustly, we imitate God. And isn’t that what we want to do? Children that are beloved by their parents live after their example. If we would dare to consider ourselves to be the beloved children of God, then we would seek to live our lives after the example of our Heavenly Father.
All I have said can be summarized by three words found in Eph. 5:2; “Live in love.” This is our fragrant offering, our sacrifice to God; to love God and to love who God loves. I was visiting with a young man who is exploring whether God may be calling him into ordained ministry or some other ministry of the church. He said he heard this sermon recently. The teacher was talking about how Israel used to offer animal sacrifices, and they would be referred to as a sweet smelling sacrifice. We, too, are called to offer our lives as a sacrifice to God. And so, the preacher asked, “what does your life smell like?” Is there the stench of bitterness, wrangling, and slander? Is there a hint of the sweet smell of kindness and forgiveness? Is there a lack of smell, like that of an empty room that has been sterilized? Does your life have a rich, pungent odor of active engagement, of inner growth and vitality? When Jesus gave himself up for us on the cross, it was a fragrant offering and sacrifice for God. What is the smell of our offering to God? What does this church smell like?

Rooted and Grounded in Love

Reflections on Ephesians 3:14-21

I want to share with you a story about two old men who had dedicated themselves to being serious Christians for many, many years. One is named Epiphanius and the other Hilarion. I came across this story in a wonderful book by a professor of mine, Roberta Bondi, who wrote To Love as God Loves.
One day Saint Epiphanius sent someone to Abba Hilarion with this request, “Come, let us see one another before we depart from the body.” When he came, they rejoiced in each other’s company. During their meal, they were brought a fowl; Epiphanius took it and gave it to Hilarion. Then the old man said to him, “Forgive me, but since I received the habit I have not eaten meat that has been killed.” Then the bishop answered, “Since I took the habit, I have not allowed anyone to go to sleep with a complaint against me and I have not gone to rest with a complaint against anyone.” The old man replied, “Forgive me, your way of life is better than mine.”
Which was a better way of life, refusing to eat meat, or forgiving others and making things right with those you have offended? Dr. Bondi comments, “No amount of pious behavior or Christian discipline can replace love.”
Love is essential in our life. It is human nature to love. To love badly, as many of us do most of the time, is not natural. It’s a sign of how far we have fallen from our original design, as those made in the image of God, who is Love. Remember what Saint Paul wrote, “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” To love is what our life in Christ is all about.
It is only for love that we can stay strong in our faith and resist the temptation to give up on being a Christian. It is only for love that we can sacrifice our own wants for the sake of those who we love. It is only for love that we keep doing what is right when all we seem to get for our effort is frustration and rejection. I remember hearing a musician who has been very successful say that when he is talking to those just starting in the music industry, he tells them that if they don’t love the pursuit of fame, then they won’t make it. Fame, for him, was frosting on the cake. His love, his passion, was making music and sharing it with others. Going platinum and selling out arenas was more than he ever dreamed of, and he knows that kind of fame is fleeting. Our love is in the pursuit of being like Christ. Whether or not we become the next Billy Graham or Mother Teresa is peripheral to the pursuit of being like Christ. That’s all we should really be passionate about, loving like Christ loved.
Paul prayed that the Ephesians be rooted and grounded in love. To be rooted in love means receiving nourishment for your soul. The root is what feeds the plant. To be rooted in love is to be nourished by love, to gain and maintain a soft, compassionate and forgiving heart. Without being nourished by love, our hearts will ossify, will become jaded hearts of stone. Without being rooted in love, we die.
To be grounded in love is to be able to hold on in times of chaos and uncertainty. When you are grounded in love and you are in a situation where you don’t know what to do, then love. When everything else has failed, love. When faced with a confusing situation, or you feel trapped by circumstance and your back is against the wall, love. When problems mount and you don’t know which way to turn, love. For those grounded in love, the default action in every situation is to love, to do what love requires in the moment.
So, the goal of the Christian life is to increase our understanding of the breadth, length, height and depth of God’s love. The breadth of God’s love extends to all people. The length of God’s love extends across all time. The height of God’s love fills the heavens and lifts us to the heights of joy. And the depth of God’s love stretches down to those who are at their lowest point, and even into hell. Yes, God’s love is even in hell. God’s love remains for the unrepentant sinner. For those who long to be in the love of God will be in bliss, while those who have rejected the love of God will find that even after death it cannot be escaped, for neither life or death can separate us from the love of God. And so while those who sought to love in this life enjoy the fruits of their labor in paradise, spending eternity with those they love and with the God of love, those who rejected love in this life will be in torment, for from a distance they will eternally gaze on those who loved them, and God who loved them, and will realize what they lost. This is what Saint Isaac the Syrian said about God’s love many centuries ago:
“I also maintain that those who are punished in Hell are scourged by the scourge of love; what is so bitter and vehement as the torment of love? It would be improper for a person to think that sinners in Hell are deprived of the love of God. The power of love works in two ways. It torments sinners and thus, I say, this is the torment of Hell; bitter regret.”
It is hard for us to comprehend that God’s love even extends into the pits of hell. It is hard for us to contemplate that while we were yet sinners, enemies of God, unaware of God, that God loved us even then. It is hard for us to understand that God allows the rain to fall on the good and the bad, that God allows those He loves to be tested while those who turn their back on God, He seems to favor. It is hard for us to understand how it is that God gives blessings to those who surrender to His love at the moment of their death as well as for those who have served God for many years. We don’t understand how it is that God throws a big party and pulls out all the stops for a repentant son while those who are always faithful receive no special recognition. But the greater our comprehension of the mystery of God’s love, the greater capacity we have to love God, one another, and ourselves. As we find in Scripture, “We love because God first loved us.” As we look at the heroes of the faith, those we look up to as role models for how to live the Christian life, we find that their deepest desire was to love God and love people. The Christians we most look up to are those who have an amazing capacity to love; to love God, to love others, to love life. If we dare to try to live up to the examples before us of the true Christian, the place to begin is to contemplate the breadth, length, height, and depth of God’s love for us and for all creation.
The Holy Spirit helps us. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the Church in order to guide us into all truth. So it is the Holy Spirit that assists us in comprehending what is incomprehensible. It is the Holy Spirit within us that enlarges our heart so that we can be filled with the fullness of God, that we might contain the uncontainable, just like Mary who carried in her womb the one who contains within himself the universe. Our bodies wear out. But our minds and our hearts can continue to expand in the capacity to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul.
God’s power is at work within us. And with this power within us, God can accomplish exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ask or imagine. We may not think we can love our enemies. We may not ask for God to let us love those who spitefully use us or betray us. We may not want to be delivered from the grudges we carry. We may look at people like Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela and think, “I could never love like that.” Don’t be so sure, for the power of God at work within us is able to accomplish exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ask or even imagine. To God be the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

A Big House

Reflections on Ephesians 2:11-22

“All walls serve a purpose, but not all walls serve the purposes of God.” This is a quote from Kevin Baker, reflecting on the passage before us this morning. Walls are necessary at times. We need walls to hold up a ceiling. We need walls to mark off property. We need walls to protect us from wind and to provide security. Walls provide boundary markers. Boundaries are needed in order to define identity, to establish limits. Everything has limits. Our bodies have limits. Land and water establish limits. Buildings have limits. Cities have limits. Communities have limits. The Church has limits.
But not all limits, not all walls, serve the purposes of God. Denying participation in the life of the church based on race, on ethnicity, on gender, on sexual orientation, on age, on social class, none of these walls serve God’s purposes. Walls that divide people based on distinctions that people have no choice about are contrary to God’s purposes. We must be aware of and dismantle walls that divide people based on that which they have no control over. No one has control over their race or ethnicity, their gender or sexual orientation. Age and social class have no bearing on our participation in the life of the Church either. These barriers need to be removed because they do not serve the purposes of God.
God’s purpose is that all things be brought together in Christ, including all people. It is God’s purpose that all people be saved, be incorporated into the Body of Christ, which is the Church. The Church is truly a universal fellowship, where all nations and peoples of every persuasion are brought together through a common faith in Christ.
What are the implications of this unity? One is that our differences as individuals and all the other external and internal differences we have by birth are secondary to what we have in common. We have all been reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are all loved by God. The door to God has been opened to all of us and the Holy Spirit is trying to lead all of us through that door. When I say “we”, I am talking about all people everywhere, not just us gathered here this morning. The work of Jesus Christ was not just for some of us, but for all people for all time. There is a fundamental unity that already exists and can be embraced.
But there are limits. Jesus saves all people, but obviously not everyone believes that or accepts it. The door is open to all, but not everyone walks in. Many have not heard of the door. Others refuse to believe there is a door or refuse to go in. Some have gone through the door, but later chose to walk back out. Our claim that Christ died for all and saves all comes across to some as profoundly arrogant and presumptuous. The good news we share, for some, is a great offense.
Then there are the internal divisions that we must deal with. From the beginning, there were competing groups and divisiveness in the one body of Christ. Paul complained about this when he said, “Some say they follow Paul, others Apollos, others Christ.” We continue the reality of disagreement and division, which sometimes can be very painful. A recent example is what has taken place in the Episcopal church. At their general convention, by a large majority, the church declared that God may call gay and lesbian people who are in a life-long monogamous relationship to every ministry in the church, including ordination and even the ministry of bishop. Further, they are researching to produce prayers that can be used to bless same-sex partnerships. They also affirm their desire to remain in connection with the rest of the Anglican communion. However, these decisions strain deeply this connection. For some, these pronouncements are received with great joy and affirmation. For others, profound sadness and distress.
What are we to do?
First, we must be committed to building relationships with all people, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. Unity, inside and outside the church, is not achieved by decree, but in one-on-one relationships. Again and again, we are taught by the church to love one another, forgive one another, serve one another. As Christians, we are to be deeply relational. We believe God is relational in His essence as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three Persons in one perfect unity. Our unity is manifested in our relationships, one-on-one, person to person, church to church, community to community.
So, while not denying our differences and disagreements, we must also affirm our oneness in Christ, with humility and gentleness, seeking peace. Looking again at what is happening in the Episcopal church, there is presently profound differences. Yet, the claim is made that there is still unity around their Book of Common Prayer, as well as faithfulness to the Apostolic faith, although both of these claims are challenged by those within and outside of the Episcopal church. Episcopalians still confess the historic creeds of the church. It is certainly my hope that in the years ahead a spirit of humility and gentleness will prevail among Episcopalians as the impact of these decisions play out. We can pray that peace will be sought, along with an appeal for God’s mercy. The struggles, pain, and divisiveness that the Episcopalians and the Anglican communion are experiencing are not theirs alone. Divisiveness, schism, heresy, misunderstanding, is present throughout the Church and has always been so. We all must stay true to our beliefs and convictions, to what by God’s grace has been revealed to us, while at the same time embrace a spirit of humility, relying not on our rightness, but on God’s mercy.
Finally, in spite of the potential to offend, we must live Christologically and keep our arms open, awaiting for the embrace of those who have not yet come to belief. As Christians, we make the claim that salvation is in Christ alone, that no one comes to the Father except through the Son. This is an exclusivistic claim. Not all paths lead to God. Not all religions are the same. We believe God has acted in a particular way. For those who do not accept this, our claims will be perceived as arrogant and presumptuous. Still, as Christians, we believe that Christ truly died and rose from the dead so that all humanity is delivered from death. God sent His Son so that the world, the entire cosmos, would be saved, healed, made whole. So, we relate to all people as those for whom Christ redeems, whether they believe it or not. We are bricks in a wall, a wall constructed by God, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. We are part of a building, a holy temple where the fullness of Christ dwells. And the door, which is Christ, is wide open for all who would come. Some walls need to be torn down. But some walls remain, walls so strong that not even the powers of hell can knock them down. These are the walls God has built. As Christians, we are bricks in these walls. And God has not finished building these walls. The temple God is building is still expanding. Let each of us be content to be bricks in these walls, and hold fast to each other, and to the Bricklayer who has incorporated us into His building project, the Big House that will eventually contain the universe.

On Mark 6:1-13

The reflections below are very specific to issues that the congregation I am pastoring face. They may or may not relate to your situation. However, there may be something helpful for you. If anything else, these reflections give you an insight into what the congregation I pastor faces these days.

As we celebrate our independence as a nation this weekend, we celebrate while in the midst of hard economic times. Some communities went without a big fireworks display. Ours in Mt. Healthy seemed shorter this year. The national unemployment rate is now at 9.5%, the highest level in 26 years. Our economy is still dragging. Many states have huge budget deficits they have to contend with, forced to pass balanced budgets. California is issuing IOUs. Our state’s budget is forcing our government to have to make some painful cuts and concessions. Townships and cities are also having to tighten their belts. Our congregation faces similar challenges because we don’t receive enough in offerings to cover all our expenses and our endowment funds are dwindling. We have begun to make adjustments to our spending and will continue to do so while we look for more creative ways to increase our income. The Kroger card program has been a real shot in the arm for us and I encourage all of you to be involved in this simple fundraiser. The extra income is a help, but we still have some belt tightening to do around here so that as a congregation we are more sustainable financially.
So these are anxious times. Downsizing and sacrificing are difficult. Not knowing how much to cut because of the uncertainty of how much income you might receive makes decision making a sort of gamble on the future. Then the question arises as to whether there is even enough for basic expenses. Financial uncertainty definitely creates anxiety. But, these times are also an opportunity to focus on the basics, to get lean, to commit to being servants rather than being served, and to be creative about accomplishing our purpose in ways that require fewer material resources.
Our purpose as a congregation is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Our challenge is to accomplish this purpose with fewer material resources and money. The Scriptures give us examples of what is possible with little resources.
The disciples traveled light. When Jesus left his hometown, where he was not able to do much because he was too familiar with the people, he went to the nearby villages to preach and heal. In order to cover more territory, he sent out his disciples two by two. He commanded them to travel light. No money. No bag. One cloak. One staff. As far as material possessions went, the disciples had very little. But Jesus did give them something that is more priceless than anything else, a great treasure that cannot be stolen, rust or fade. Jesus gave His disciples the Holy Spirit.
And the disciples did awesome ministry. They fulfilled their purpose of proclaiming the message that the kingdom of God was near and that people need to repent. They healed people and cast out demons. They bore much fruit, healing people and transforming lives. And it cost virtually nothing. Because what made things happen was the power and authority they had been granted and their faithfulness to the command they had been given.
What lesson is there for us as we struggle financially as a congregation?
We do not have a lot of material wealth in comparison to other churches or in comparison to what we used to have. As a congregation we are smaller and poorer; although it must be said that, in comparison to other congregations, we have a lot of people and resources. Size is relative. We do have wealth, just not as much as we used to and we will likely shed even more resources in the next few years. However, we do have something that cannot be taken away or lost or liquidated. It is a great treasure, a pearl of great price, the very life of this congregation. We do have the Holy Spirit and the authority to speak and act in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that counts for something. The power and authority of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon us as a congregation is the greatest treasure we possess. It is the Holy Spirit that is the real engine that drives this congregation. With the Holy Spirit we can speak, we can touch, we can pray for healing, we can come alongside those that are hurting and are possessed by demons. We can become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ and participate in the transformation of the world without a lot of material resources. Lack of resources does not equal lack of effectiveness. It means that we live out our discipleship as Christians in ways that don’t require money. Talking to people doesn’t take money. Coming alongside people who are lonely or struggling doesn’t take money. Praying for people and for our community doesn’t take money. Treating every person with the dignity they possess as ones created in the image and likeness of God, that doesn’t take any money but has the power to transform lives and transform the world. Really, it is amazing to realize what a difference it can make in our world if we treated every person with the dignity each is due as ones made in the image of God.
There is another part of the scripture reading for today that we need to take note of. Notice how Jesus’ ministry effectiveness was limited when he was among familiar surroundings and around people who knew Jesus when he was a kid. It really is amazing that in this community, where Jesus was too familiar, too well known, that He couldn’t be heard and could heal only a few. Jesus displayed great power outside the familiar surroundings of home. But here, it just wasn’t happening. Jesus himself was amazed. It seems the people, who knew Jesus when he was kid, knew where he came from as a carpenter, they just couldn’t get past that to allow for the possibility that Jesus was anything other than Joseph the carpenter’s son. Their familiarity with Jesus had locked him in a box which limited his effectiveness among them. He was too well known.
Perhaps here is a lesson for us. Perhaps we would be more fruitful, more powerful, in our ministry as disciples of Jesus if we were engaging with strangers rather than always relating to family and friends. Perhaps we would discover that if we take the care, concern, and support that we give to our family and friends and make it available to strangers, that we might participate in the transformation of lives. It is possible that there are people outside of our family and social networks who don’t have any support, who are sort of out there on their own. They don’t have anybody who really cares about them. They are lost, like the sheep who strayed from the 99. Could it be that if each of us were more willing to build relationships with strangers rather than spending our time only with family and friends, that we might make a greater difference in the world? We may be surprised at how influential we can be in the lives of others who aren’t familiar with us. Among family and friends we are known as a buddy, a brother, or so and so’s daughter. To a stranger whom we have reached out to and blessed, we become known as a life saver, a saint, a woman of God, a hero.
The scripture also teaches this morning that when we get out there among strange, unfamiliar surroundings, that we should go two by two. Doing ministry or helping people out all by yourself has some unnecessary risk attached to it. You might get caught in a compromising situation. You could more easily be taken advantage of. Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs for a couple reasons. One was so that they could encourage each other and remind each other why they were doing this. The other was so that they could hold each other accountable for what they say and do. Besides, it is both safer and more fun exploring new and strange territory with a friend.
So, let’s pull this all together. As a Christian, having been baptized, you have received the Holy Spirit. You have the authority to participate in the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. With the Holy Spirit, you have the power to speak and to act in order to fulfill the mission. You are sent out to the surrounding villages outside of your familiar home to share the good news and to heal the sick. Your faithfulness is the question that you must answer. The question is not about money. It is not about your skill set or physical health. The question is not about your intellectual ability. The question to be answered is how faithful are you able to be. With the Holy Spirit, the grace of God, and with your brothers and sisters in Christ, you have what you need. The mission, to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world is clear. How will you respond? This is the question that you must answer and will be judged by. Will you be faithful?

The Big Picture

Reflections on Ephesians 1:3-14

There once was a community of fish that lived in a small puddle. The puddle fish spent their days swimming around in circles, resting at night. One day, a strange thing happened. A fish they never saw before splashed into their puddle. The fish had many colors, like a rainbow. The rainbow fish told the puddle fish a strange story about there being more out there than the puddle they were swimming in. There was a river that flowed right by the puddle. And this river hooked up to another, wider river. And if a fish swam down that mighty river, he would end up in a vast ocean. The puddle fish could not believe what the rainbow fish was telling them. The rainbow fish said, “All you have to do is jump out of this puddle and you’ll land in the river.” But the puddle fish were not willing to do that. They knew what they knew. They only knew of the puddle and had never seen or heard of what the rainbow fish was saying. It was too strange. So they all ignored the rainbow fish and continued to swim around in their puddle. Sadly, the rainbow fish sighed and then jumped out of the puddle back into the river and swam off. None of the puddle fish saw him jump out and before the day was done, they had forgotten all about that strange fish and his strange story about rivers and oceans.
What we believe determines our reality. Our reality shapes our identity and our behavior. If we will not accept a reality that is told us, then we can’t live in the reality that we rejected. The puddle fish would not leave their puddle because they rejected the reality being described by the rainbow fish. So they lived happily ever after in their puddle, while the rainbow fish swam to the ocean. The reality of the puddle fish and of the rainbow fish informed their identity and behavior.
The author of Ephesians, either written by Paul or by a student of Paul, is describing a reality. And the reality he describes, the big picture, is one that, if believed, impacts one’s identity and behavior. What is the reality that the author of Ephesians describes?
He says that there is a God who has given us a destiny. It’s not fate, for we don’t have to follow our destiny. But there is a destiny set for us by God. The creator of all that is has a destiny determined for us. And what is our destiny?
It is our destiny to be holy and blameless before Christ in love. To be holy means to be set apart for a special purpose. So, our destiny is to be set apart for a special purpose. We are also destined to be blameless before Christ. This is our destiny, not our present reality. None of us are blameless. All of us are guilty. We all have issues. Yet, our destiny remains…one day we will stand blameless before Christ by the grace of God, who wills this to be so. God loves us so much that He is willing to forgive us of everything. It is grace beyond comprehension. And the longer we live, the greater God’s grace becomes for us.
It is our destiny to be adopted by God as His sons and daughters. We are not merely part of God’s creation. We are His children. This makes us co-heirs with His Son Jesus Christ. This makes Jesus our elder brother. We are chosen to be God’s children, with all the benefits and responsibility that come with it. Jesus Christ is the king, Mary is the Queen mother, and we are princes and princesses. This is our destiny.
We are presently redeemed from bondage to sin and corruption. Our redemption was achieved when Jesus defeated the power of death. And since Jesus was a man, He defeated death for us. We are being forgiven of sin, of our weakness and shortcomings. We are being made right with God through Christ. This is the grace of God, being lavished on us. God is favoring us. God is not leaving us in our mess. God is patiently pointing us in the right direction and encouraging us to get better and be better, to achieve the destiny that God has determined for us.
God has revealed to us a secret. It is the secret of His will. It is something that the people of the Old Testament did not know. The prophets had some hints. They had some insights or feelings of what God was up to. But now, God’s hidden purpose is revealed to us. God’s secret is out.
This is not a secret that we keep to ourselves. We are not to hold tightly to this secret as special knowledge that only certain people are entitled to receive after going through tests to prove their worth. It is an open secret. We share the secret of God’s will openly for all to hear, and for those with ears to hear, they will receive it.
God’s secret, the mystery of God’s will that is revealed to us, is the mystery of salvation. God’s hidden purpose now revealed is that all things visible and invisible will be gathered up in Christ Jesus. Where there is now brokenness, division, and discord; chaos and confusion; all will be made right and put back together. The shattered glass of creation will be pieced back together again. Jesus Christ is the frame that will hold everything together.
Christ has already initiated this gathering up in Himself, for He is the god-man, who has the visible and invisible bound up in Himself. He is visible and invisible. He is comprehensible and incomprehensible. He is timeless and exists in time and space. He is fully human and fully divine. He has always existed and was born of a woman. In Christ, the creator and the created are in perfect harmony. The division between God and creation is healed in Christ, and by God’s grace, we will be healed also, as the division between us and God will eventually dissolve.
The Church is an example, a foretaste or foreshadowing of what will come to pass. The Church is comprised of all nations, all peoples, across centuries. It is not only a global reality, it includes those who have faithfully lived and died. The Church is a body, a physical, visible entity with Jesus Christ as the head.
The Church is a heavenly reality, not a man-made institution. The Church was founded by God, established by Christ, held together by the Holy Spirit, of which the powers of hell can not destroy. People may be a part of the church or outside of the church, but the church will always be because it is the vehicle by which God’s plan of bringing everything into unity in Christ is unfolding. And we are participants of the unfolding of God’s will. When we participate in the life of the Church, we live out our identity as members of the body of Christ. When we see others as brothers and sisters in Christ, or potential brothers and sisters in Christ, then we are participating in the unfolding of God’s will. Holy Communion is a symbol of that unity that we embody as members of the Church, the living, visible body of Christ on earth. In short, we are at the center of God’s plan for the salvation of the world, embodying a global community of unity and love for each other.
We have been marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit. When we said, “Lord, I believe,” the Holy Spirit came upon us. This seal of the Holy Spirit, it is like an invisible mark that God can see. We may all look like puddle fish, but God sees rainbow fish in us. This Holy Spirit that is in us is working on us from the inside, slowly but surely transforming us from puddle fish into rainbow fish.

How does this view of reality impact us? One way is that embracing such a reality compels us to worship and give praise to God for His grace. We didn’t do anything. God made this happen. God gave us this destiny. God has blessed us. It is only right and natural then to give glory to God for what God has done for us, to live a life of praise and gratitude. Anything less is short of where we should be. If we truly embraced the reality that is being laid before us in Ephesians, how could we not help but praise God and be grateful and humbled by the blessing and grace God has lavished on us.
We are also motivated to live a life of grace, of beauty, of love, and to seek unity, to seek to live in harmony, so that we can be a living witness, a reflection of what God is bringing to pass. By our manner of living, each of us can participate and reflect what God’s intentions are for creation. We can choose to extend grace to others. We can choose to create beauty rather than be satisfied with ugliness and mess. We can choose to love rather than turn our backs on others. We can choose to find common ground and build a sense of unity rather than focus on what divides and separates, building walls that keep people apart. We can choose to go with the flow in our lives, to not resist but bend with what is happening, to not force our will but harmonize with our surroundings, to constantly be in tune with what is happening and seek ways to make things better, to surf the wave rather than try to stop waves from coming.
This is what we seek to manifest in our lives, a life of order, harmony and beauty that reflects who we understand God to be about. God brought order out of chaos. God is an abundant creator, diverse and extravagant in His creation. Why can’t we try to bring about order in a chaotic world? Why can’t we try to highlight the beauty of what God has made?
We don’t confine our lives to the mess, disorder, division, and turmoil around us. We know there is more than our little puddle. There is a river and a vast ocean. Our vision is much higher than our present situation. We live in a puddle but our eyes are on the river that leads to the ocean. And what we see, we begin to realize. We can try to manifest what we keep our eyes on. We can live as rainbow fish while we are swimming in the puddle, until our time comes to jump out of the puddle and swim down the river to the ocean. We can manifest a divine discontent with how things are because we know that the way things are is not the way things are destined to be. We know that our puddle, one day, will merge with the river.
We manifest a different spirit, a spirit of life and not death, of joy and not indifference, of peace and not mean-spiritedness, a spirit that is influenced by the Holy Spirit that animates us, motivates and enables us to be who we are destined to be, destined to be bearers of God’s glory, destined to stand before the glory of God in complete unity with God.
This is our destiny. It is a destiny that is beyond belief. It is a destiny that is greater than our ability to fully comprehend. It is the destiny that God has granted to us. But destiny is not fate. Destiny can be denied. The author of Ephesians, the Scriptures and the teaching of the church through the ages describes for us our destiny…your destiny. Will you follow your destiny and keep your eyes on your destiny? Will you chase after your destiny? Or will you deny your destiny and choose your own path or let others choose your path for you? The choice is yours.

The Power of Desperation

Reflections on Mark 5:21-43

There is nothing like desperation to give a person motivation to act and some focus. I don’t know how the term “deadline” came to be, but it’s a term I’m familiar with. How about you? It’s a great term. If you cross the line marked on the calendar without the assignment complete, you are figuratively dead. And it is amazing how focused and motivated one can be when faced with the potential of losing one’s life. And when time is running out, and your back is against the wall, this generates the state of desperation. And in the state of desperation, life can get really interesting.
In the scripture passage read this morning, we have accounts of two people who are desperate. They are at their wits end and are struggling to make things right. They find their options limited and filled with risk. But out of desperation, they must act, and act with swiftness, with firmness, and without concern of what the ramifications may be for themselves or others.
Jairus was the leader of a synagogue. Being so, he was looked upon to be the guardian of the tradition. Those who guard the tradition tend to be those who are most vociferous of their denunciation of renegades and rebels, those who break off from the tradition or push back against it, people like Jesus. Yes, Jesus was a miracle worker. But he did things and said things that did not conform to the tradition. Not only that, there was word that he perhaps was making claims about his relationship with the Almighty that bordered on blasphemy. Yet, he was drawing a crowd. And people were being healed.
Jairus knew his position. He knew what he was putting at risk as the leader of the synagogue if he ran to this renegade Jesus to get help for his young daughter who was dying. But in this state of desperation, with the life of his daughter on the line, concerns about his own standing with the people, concerns about being a guardian of the tradition, concerns about maintaining his own integrity as a faithful Jew, all of that was laid aside by putting his hope in Jesus, the man who could heal, and, hope against hope, would be willing to heal the daughter of one who opposed Jesus and even denounced him to the people. What an act of humility. What an act of self-sacrifice out of love for his daughter. What an act of desperation. And Jesus knows Jairus’ heart. Although he had somewhere else to go, Jesus responded to this need expressed by a loving father who cared only for his daughter. After all, Jesus knew something about humility and self-sacrifice for the sake of love and the hope to bring healing. Jesus saw in Jairus something of himself.
As they hurry to Jairus’ house, crowd in tow, we are introduced to another person who was in a state of desperation. This unnamed woman with the blood flow has a story and is desperate in a way that is common in these days. How many of us can relate or can sympathize with her story? She has had this medical condition for twelve years, spent all she had on doctors, following their prescriptions for health. And she has gotten worse rather than better. Her hope and faith in doctors has failed her and she is bankrupt as a result. Suddenly, an opportunity falls into her lap. Jesus the miracle worker is coming by. The woman can’t believe her luck. And out of desperation, she hatches a plan of stealth, but also of sensitivity. She wants to get healed, but she is hoping that in doing so, she won’t be noticed, and that will save Jesus from the hassle. The hassle would be causing Jesus to become declared ritually impure. Since she had this hemorrhage, she was ritually impure and anyone who touched her would be the same. She had hope that Jesus would be able to heal her if she but touched the hem of his garment. And, hopefully, if she did it without being noticed, then neither Jesus or anyone else would be the wiser, and, although Jesus would be technically unclean, he wouldn’t know and would not be inconvenienced. So, out of desperation, grateful for her luck, and acting in a way that seemed most responsible, she slips through the crowd to touch Jesus with the hope of being healed.
To be in a state of desperation is not a state we long for. To be desperate drains us. Daily life becomes distorted as we obsess over what we need or long for and the odds that stand in our way. Desperation and fear go hand in hand. The sense of powerlessness can be overwhelming. Anger lurks underneath the surface, occasionally exploding, lashing out at those we love or turning it inward on ourselves. In times of desperation, there is a thin line between desperation and despair. The temptation to give up, to surrender to fate, can loom large. Whatever our hopes were for something better, or for a better day, drifts away like mist. Doom is certain. To continue to hope would be a fool’s hope.
However, it can’t be denied that there is something powerful about being in the state of desperation. This is when miracles happen. In all the great stories of heroes, it is desperation that drives them. It is in a state of desperation that life becomes most basic. In this state, we discover a lot about ourselves. We discover where our moral and ethical limits are. We discover how courageous we can be. We find inner resources, an inner strength and durability we did not know we had. It can call forth humility and self-sacrifice. Desperation can call forth the hero in us.
And what prevents desperation from leading into despair is faith, hope, and love. Jairus and the unnamed woman put their hope, perhaps a fool’s hope, in Jesus. They hoped against hope that this miracle worker would work for them, to whom they had nothing to offer in return. They put their faith in the miracle worker. And Jairus demonstrated the love he had for his daughter by publicly begging, in spite of how it looked, for the sake of his daughter. Despair could have won the day in both of their lives. Jairus, not allowing himself to ask for help from the renegade, could have passed it up and succumbed to the fate that his daughter would die. The woman, had she not had just a little more strength to try one last thing, to reach out to Jesus, would have succumbed to her illness and died, having spent the last twelve years of her life having not been physically touched. But, no. In them faith and hope remained. Love for his daughter was strong enough. And these two people, out of desperation, responded as heroes.
Do we live in desperate times? In degrees, yes, we do. Some of us are experiencing desperation more than others. And it could well be that in the years ahead, desperation will become a greater reality for more of us. Denial, of course, is a wonderful defense mechanism and an excuse not to act. But denial will only go so far and all of us, in our sober moments, will look around us, look at our own situations, and that gnawing sensation of desperation may begin to surface.
Well, when we acknowledge the desperation that we are in, if Jesus were here, you know what he would say. “Do not be afraid.” Times of desperation are also times of renewed commitment to what we value, times of self-sacrifice, times of serving a greater cause than one’s self interest, for when everything is on the line, personal self-interest can become secondary to the greater cause of mutual survival. Times of desperation are times when new partnerships are forged, or broken partnerships are mended. Times of desperation are times of heroics. Times of desperation are the times of miracles, times when stories are written, legends are born, and the virtues of faith, hope, and love have the greatest potential to shine like bright lights in the gathering clouds of doom: faith in God who holds our lives in His hands, hope for better times, and love that will not allow us to give up.

Fear or Faith?

Reflection on Mark 4:35-41

Several people have asked me, “How was Annual Conference?” I’m going to put together a report soon to give all of you a general sense of what happened there. But what is really neat is that you can see for yourself what annual conference was like. We have a web site. The address is www.2009annualconference.org. Those of you that are receiving a weekly email from me got the link. If there are any of you with email that have not been receiving emails from me, call the church office and let Bridget know what your email address is so that you can get them.
At this website, the best part is a collection of videos. There are the ministry moment video clips, which share different ways that we are in ministry. You will find the bishop’s address, the worship services, and the teaching times, including the one given by Mike Slaughter of Ginghamsburg church. It was his teaching where he shared the story about how their church is responding to Darfur that I had mentioned last week. I encourage you to hear the story for yourself. But I also encourage all of you who are able to watch the last video in the collection. It is the report of the District Superintendents. But really it was a testimony shared by Duane Anders, who is going off this year as the District Superintendent of the Miami Valley district. He shares about an experience he had jumping off a bridge in South Africa, sitting on a bungee swing.
To give you a condensed version of his story: A couple years back, Duane lived through the deaths of several people close to his life, beginning with his brother. It was a wave of grief that he had never experienced. To get away from it all, the family went to Africa to visit mission partners and friends. Something that he had always wanted to do was bungee jump off a bridge. But he knew that if he survived the jump, his wife would kill him. Well, near the end of the trip, they were in South Africa. They were made aware of an outfit that does bungee jumping. Duane wanted to do it and, surprising to all, his wife said, “If you want to jump, jump.” His 8 year old son said, “I’ll jump with you, dad!” He looked at his wife and said, “Really?” And she said, “If he wants to jump, let him jump.” So they went up there and Duane asked which of the three options were the scariest. They told him it would be the bungee swing. So that’s what they did.
Getting ready for the jump seemed like hours. After receiving their instructions by the 18 year old “expert,” then they had to get on all the safety gear and then wait their turn. Finally, it was time for Duane and his son to take their position on the edge of the bridge, having been firmly attached to a swing from which they would plunge hundreds of feet down and then swing high into the air. Duane’s son was getting nervous and Duane tried to laugh it off. Before they jumped, by the way, the jump is video taped and you can watch it on the web site. Before they jumped, they were asked if there was anything they wanted to say to the camera. Duane looked at the camera and said, “I love you all.” His son didn’t want to say anything. They are led into the position. They are instructed to step off the bridge left foot first. The gate is lifted, they count down, “three…two…one…” and then they are lightly pushed off the bridge, Duane screaming all the way down as they plunge toward the river. Within feet of the river the swing lifts them high in the air. Back and forth they swing for at least a minute, suspended in the air. Then, slowly the swing stops and they are led over to the side of the river, where someone is there to gently place them back down on the ground. They are unhooked and look up toward the bridge waving their arms in victory.
Duane said he wanted to jump off the bridge, even though it was scary, because he wanted to know he was still alive. Life had been so full of grief and loss and confusion, that he needed to exercise a heavy dose of courage, of acting in spite of his fear. He said that sometimes you have to stop being the one sitting on the sidelines watching others have all the fun. The line that really stuck with me throughout this presentation, however, was what his wife told him after he joined her back at the top of the bridge. He asked her what she thought, and she said, “It was scarier watching from the bridge.”
That is true. Fear is at its greatest intensity when you are anticipating something will happen, but you don’t know what or you don’t know when. The fear was standing at the edge of the bridge looking down, more than the jump itself. When the jump happened, you just get carried along, enveloped in the adrenalin rush of the experience. I imagine it’s the same with jumping out of an airplane. The fear must most definitely be waiting to jump out, but, I’ve been told that the exhilaration of free falling simply cannot be put into words. Of course, there is one little thing about this bungee jumping and parachuting out of planes that makes the actual experience a rush, and not one of sheer terror. You are trained. You are prepared with all kinds of safety harnesses or a parachute. And you know that someone will be there to meet you when you get to the ground. Yes, there is some risk. Duane says that before the jump they had to sign their life away. But you know that people have done it before and lived to tell the story. So, even though its scary, you have faith that it’s all going to end well.
The fear is completely understandable, however. Duane thought to himself, while his anxiety level increased, “What we are doing right now is stupid!” It’s not natural, it’s not second nature, to jump off of bridges. It’s counter-intuitive, if you will. Fear is one way our brain tells us that our bodies are in danger. Fear is a good thing, so that you don’t go off and do something rash.
Yet, we have this phrase repeatedly in the gospel. Either Jesus or an angel says “Do not be afraid.” There are several instances in the gospels where people are afraid. They are faced with something beyond their control or understanding, and the natural response of fear kicks in. Yet, they are told, “do not be afraid.” On hearing this, a tension is established. Try as you might, it’s really hard to will away fear. But fear can be overcome. The paralyzing nature of fear can be overcome by acting in spite of your fear, and this is what courage is. And we find our courage if we have hope that things will work out somehow, that we will survive. Duane could have the courage to jump because he knew he was prepared, every safety concern was addressed, and there would be someone at the bottom to meet him. As Christians, we can act even though we are afraid because we know that God is with us and wills good things for us, and that although our lives and everything in this world pass away, that our souls will be with God for an eternity. So although we are afraid at times, we have a deep faith and abiding hope in God who holds our lives in His hands. We know this, but the disciples were not so sure.
Isn’t it strange that these seaworthy disciples were afraid? The Mediterranean Sea is known for storm squalls to come out of nowhere, and surely these fisherman disciples had faced their share of storms. They knew what to do. They knew how to bail water. And yet, this time, they are afraid, thinking their going to die even. They run to wake up Jesus who amazingly is sleeping through all of this. Instead of asking him to give them a hand in bailing water, they accuse him of not caring that they’re all going to die. What a strange accusation. Why would they draw the rash conclusion that Jesus didn’t care? Clearly, they had no idea who Jesus was.
The disciples lacked faith in Jesus, because they did not understand who Jesus is. They did not understand that this man, Jesus, was also God. They did not know that God was with them in the flesh. If they had known, they would have had no fear. Well, yes, they would have been afraid. If you were on a boat being battered by wind and waves, taking on water and appearing to sink, would you not have been afraid even if Jesus was with you and you knew you would be o.k.? I think I would. Fear is natural. But you and I wouldn’t accuse Jesus of not caring. Maybe we would have asked Jesus to give us a hand in bailing water or asking Jesus what we should do to survive this storm.
What storms are we in these days? We are all in a storm. We are in a financial storm. Some of us are facing storms of failing health or of trying to take care of parents or strained family relationships. We as a society as well as Christians, are going through a stormy period of history. A great transformation is happening, not only socially but also in how Christianity is expressed. We are going through a time of transformation equivalent to the days of the Great Reformation of the 15th-16th centuries. Our children and grandchildren will live in a world and will be in a church that will look profoundly different from what we know. When the storm settles, and Christianity adjusts, it will look different. For right now, we are fated to be faithful in the midst of a storm, and our boat is taking on water.
But God is with us. God is still the master of all. Sometimes God will still the wind and the waves, and we experience moments of peace. But for us, we must ride through the storm, bailing water as we go, watching parts of our boat fall away while we hold on to the parts of the boat that are most firm, most “seaworthy.” And we hold on, having faith and hope, that God, the master of all, will see us safely to the other side, a place where we have no knowledge, but a place that we all need to be, for as God has said before in past ages, God is saying again, not just to us Christians, but to the whole world, “Let us go to the other side.”