What does the Lord require?

Loosely inspired by Psalm 15 and Micah 6:8

O Lord, 

who can live with you?

Who can approach - be close - 

Who can stand with you?

Give us the strength to obey 

To live a life you require of us. 

To do what is right. 

To speak the truth from a 

 new heart.

What does the Lord require? 

To do justice 

To love kindness 

To walk humbly.

Help us to not lie about others 

Guide us as we seek to do no evil 

 to friends, to enemies. 

Shame us if we embarrass others.

What does the Lord require? 

To do justice 

To love kindness 

To walk humbly.

Give us eyes like yours, 

Eyes that see beyond the sin of others 

Even through our own sin, 

May we honor our neighbors 

May we stand for the truth, 

even when it has consequences.

What does the Lord require? 

To do justice 

To love kindness 

To walk humbly.

You desire that we do not 

take advantage of others, 

that we lift up the oppressed, 

that we do not deal with others with dishonesty. 

Give us this strength.

What does the Lord require? 

To do justice 

To love kindness 

To walk humbly.

And, o Lord, grant us grace when we fail. 

Give us courage to try again.

 

In Darkness

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.  For the yoke of their burden and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. (Isaiah  9:2-4)

Several years ago, when our boys were still young, we took a day trip to Carter Caves. Josh was still young enough that he rode in a carrier on Steve’s back. While we were there, we went on a tour of one of the caves. The tour guide admonished us to be very careful – don’t touch the walls because the mineral deposits – the stalactites and stalagmites – are very fragile. And be careful; the floor can be slick if it is wet. And, hey, let me show you what darkness is really like when I TURN OFF ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE CAVE.

We live in a world that can sometimes be dark. There are dangerous obstacles around us that can make our journeys hard to navigate. Surrounding us are parts of the world that can be broken or even shattered. And we are holding on with love to the people who are around us – those for whom we are responsible. Those who we love more than we love ourselves.  The world can be a dark and scary place.  It’s no wonder we need God.

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Great will be his authority, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Please don’t forget that when the world seems the darkest, when the ground underneath your feet is slick and unsteady, when everything seems fragile and frightening, and even when you worry about those you love, remember that a child has been born into your world. That child, the Prince of Peace, is so great a light that you can see your way. In that great light, you can see the presence of God. 

Don’t forget.

Prayer: Loving God, thank you for the light. Open our eyes to your presence so that we realize we are not in darkness.  Help us to remember. Amen.

Kim Matthews 

Advent in Scripture, Week 3

Centering Prayer 

O God, our God, my God, you are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Amen. ( inspired by Psalm 46)

Please Read

Luke 1:46b-55

"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name; indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Isaiah 35:3-7

Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees.  Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you."  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp; the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

Questions to Consider

• The passage from Luke is known as Mary’s Magnificat. Imagine Mary singing it as she realizes what is happening in her life. What reality of the world around her does she declare needs the intervention of God?
• What does this tell us that God values in her world (and our world)?
• In a world with people desperate for the presence of God, as described in Isaiah 35, how can we say to the fearful, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.”

Closing Prayer

O God, if you are with us, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Thank you for surrounding us with your love. Amen.    (inspired by Psalm 46)

Advent in Scripture, Week 2

 On the Fridays in Advent, I'm posting an "Advent in Scripture" passage, looking at one or two of the Revised Common Lectionary passages for the coming Sunday, along with questions to consider and a couple of short prayers.  I pray you have a blessed Advent.  

Centering Prayer

O God, our God, my God, I have calmed and quieted myself. Open my spirit to hear your Word. Amen.  (Inspired by Psalm 131)

 

Please Read

Isaiah 11:6-10

The wolf shall live with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.

They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

 

Matthew 3:1-3

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'"

Questions to Consider

1. The kingdom described in Isaiah 6-10 sounds beautiful – the very description of peace. If  the Kingdom of God is now and not yet, do you believe the kingdom as described is possible?
2.  Slowly reread Isaiah 6-10 again. Imagine what is described. What gets in the way of this kind of peace?
3.  In Matthew, John the Baptist is calling for repentance. He says that the one coming is the one Isaiah described as the voice of one crying out to prepare the way of the Lord.” How can you prepare the way of the Lord so that the peace described in Isaiah 11 can come to be?

 

Closing Prayer

O God, it is hard for me to imagine peace. Forgive me when I am an obstacle to your work in the world, and help me to prepare a way for you. In your son’s name, Amen.

God's Love in Isaiah

Read Isaiah 65:17-25. Here are verses 17-19:

For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating, for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it or the cry of distress.

This passage is part of the lectionary readings for next Sunday. I haven't done any research on the passage, but I imagine it was directed to the exiled kingdom of Judah to offer them hope. As I read it, what struck me is the excitement of the vision. I read it as if hearing it from what God might say. The passage is full of this wonderful vision of a time without mourning or death, a time without war or tears.

Verse 25:

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, but the serpent--its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.

As I read it, I could hear God's hope and excitement in a new heaven and a new earth for his creation. How wonderful it would be for God if we were able to live into that vision?

Imagine when you are thinking about your children and the future of goodness and hope you wish for them - how you yearn for it. You love them so much, and you want the best for them. You want happiness and peace for them. I was struck with how in this vision that God is sharing with Isaiah, I can hear how much God wants this to be true for his people.

Don't you think seeing it like that makes you feel loved?

 

Changing His Mind

Over the past five sermon posts, we have been talking about Jeremiah and the potter.  We've looked at an interpretation of the scripture that sees the passage as a communal one - not how God is shaping you or me, but how God is shaping all of us - the community.  I used it to talk about how God shapes the Church.

There was another part of what I read that talks about another aspect of the passage.  Remember that this is Jeremiah, and he speaks to the community in exile.  I imagine it was a desperate time, wondering if God had abandoned them or if God were just now powerful enough to save them.

But look at Jeremiah 18:7-8

At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. 

God might change God's mind.

We hear it often said that God is unchanging. That God is constant.  With that kind of faith, God would have a law, and when it was broken, God's response would be predictable and unchanging.  For the nation of Israel, it meant exile.

But what if God will change God's mind?

It's grace, isn't it?

Yes, I see the part that says the nation must "turn from its evil," but I think a God that never changes, that fiercely imposes the rules, would never turn back - would desert us and leave us. A God that changes would offer grace.

Thank God for grace.

Sermon - The Way, Part 5

 Each Sunday, we share a Breakthrough Prayer together.  This is a time when we invite God, through prayer, to mold and shape us as a church.  That prayer is printed in your bulletin – take it home with you and pray that prayer this week. As a community, as a church, let’s pray together.

We hear this passage from Acts, and maybe we long for God to add to our church day by day, but an increase in members is a symptom of a church that is on the way, following God. Increases in membership is not the goal – the goal is to be open to the leading of God and to be reshaped into the church God intends us to be. If we can do that – through opening ourselves up to the means of grace God offers through study, fellowship, communion, and prayer – then I believe we will find “success” in God’s eyes as a church.

Everyday, our church community makes decisions – will we follow God and allow God to reshape us or will we resist the work of the Potter?  Sometimes, as I mentioned before, there are watershed moments when the community faces choices that have a profound impact on its future life.  I can imagine for this church that when we decided, as a church, in 1844, to be a Methodist Episcopal Church, South in support of slavery, that the decision was a watershed moment.  One for which we should repent. Who knows what damage was done to God’s children as a result of that decision.

In July of 2015, our church voted by an overwhelming margin to become a Reconciling Ministries Church, stating out loud that our doors are open to everyone.  I think that was a watershed moment for us. I hope it has brought grace and hope to many.

In 1927, Fairlawn Community Methodist Episcopal Church laid a cornerstone that, along with bulletins and buffalo nickels, held hate and racism. I’m grateful that when the church closed, the misshapen clay was not hidden, but reshaped into repentance. I’m grateful that around $400,000 was added to the In Our Time Fund at their Foundation to work for racial justice. It seems to me to be a fitting turning back to The Way.

What will our next watershed moment be? I don’t know. Maybe it will be something huge, like our alignment as a denomination was in the 1844. Or maybe it will be opening our doors and our hearts to one person – one person who needs the grace of God who we can help.

May we clear the way to be clay that can be shaped by God into the church we should become.

Sermon - The Way, Part 3

This is an image to help Jeremiah understand that Israel is in God’s hands. This is a communal passage, not an individual one.  I don’t think this is about God, the potter, reshaping you and me as individuals, but God the potter in action in the community – and for us, I would say, God will be acting within our church communities.

If we think about Wellspring United Methodist Church again, I think the action of the Annual Conference in turning the assets of the closed church into something redemptive is evidence of God at work in this community. From 1927 until 2020, the church in New England had been remolded and transformed so that they felt a need to correct what the 1927 church had done. God’s reshaping work.

Sally Brown, in Feasting on the Word, says, “Jeremiah here is addressing primarily the life of the community, not the individual.  God means to shape the community of faith in its collective social, religious and political life to serve divine purposes.”  She goes on to describe three characteristics of God the potter.  First, God is invested in all common life – the potter has a purpose in what he is doing.  Secondly, the relationship between the potter and the community is robustly dynamic. The clay can resist the hand of the potter. The clay – the community – does not have to be reshaped. Thirdly, there are moments when the pot is removed from the wheel because the future shape is set – in other words, there are watershed moments when the community faces choices that have a profound impact on its future life.  We’re going to come back to that thought.

Have you ever held a piece of clay or even playdough and just shaped and reshaped it randomly? Just for the feel of it or out of boredom? That’s not what this is. This is God working within the community to shape it into the potential it has. As Wesleyan Christians, we often talk about “moving onto perfection” as an individual – being sanctified by God’s grace into who we were meant to be. That’s what this is – but it is sanctification for the community – for the church.  It’s God molding the church into what it was meant to be.

And what is that?  What image can we use to understand that? And how can we prepare for God’s work rather than resist it?

The Way - Part 2

Let’s start with the passage Jeremiah 18-1-11.

18 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” ³ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. ⁴ The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.

 

⁵ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁶ Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. ⁷ At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, ⁸ but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. ⁹ And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, ¹⁰ but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. ¹¹ Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you, from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.

I think in order to explore it best, it’s good to understand the background against which it was written.  The writings we call Jeremiah were written during a time of political unrest. The book strives to come to terms with the destruction and exile of Judah in 597-582 BCE. In 597, Judah revolted against Babylon and provoked the first of three invasions and deportations.  Jerusalem, the city walls, the king’s palace, and the temple were all destroyed, as were the lives of many. 

It was turmoil. Imagine the questions that haunted the people who were exiled or who remained.  Had God forgotten his people? How could God allow this devastation? Had God turned away from the covenant? Was God less powerful than the gods of Babylon? How could the community survive?

In Chapter 18 God calls Jeremiah to the Potter’s House to watch the potter work.  I think when we hear or read this passage, we often think of how God shapes our lives. We hear about the potter being displeased with his work, reworking it into something that is pleasing to him, and we think about ourselves.  Is God pleased with us? Is God going to act as a potter in our lives, mashing the clay together and reshaping something more pleasing?

Can we set that interpretation aside for a bit?  Pay attention to verses 5 and 6: “Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Can I not do with you, O House of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”

This is an image to help Jeremiah understand that Israel is in God’s hands. This is a communal passage, not an individual one.  I don’t think this is about God, the potter, reshaping you and me as individuals, but God the potter in action in the community – and for us, I would say, God will be acting within our church communities.

The Way - Part 1

The next few posts will be a sermon I preached late this summer.

On January 16, 1927 – less than 100 years ago – a church in Shrewsberry, Massachusetts, named Fairlawn Community Methodist Episcopal Church, laid a cornerstone.  In it, they stored items that were important to their church’s story.

Decades later, after the church had become Wellspring Community UMC, they were preparing to move to a new building. They dug up the cornerstone to move it to the new location, and they discovered what was inside the “time capsule” of the cornerstone.  Most of the contents was what you might expect: Conference Journals, some 1926 change, including a buffalo nickel, newspaper articles, bulletins, and list of the founding members.  Along with these expected items were multiple pamphlets and magazine published by the Ku Klux Klan.

The church decided to keep the information about their discovery to themselves.

In 2020, the Wellspring Community UMC members voted to close the church. In July of that year, their District Superintendent was gathering information from the church for the Conference Archives and found the contents of the cornerstone. She told Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, who later said, “Fighting racism requires truth telling, confession, and repentance from us all.  We lift up this church’s history not to shame them, but as a lesson for all of us in the importance of facing the past and reconciling with it. We must start by understanding our past; that is the only way we can hope to create a present where there is true racial justice.”

A resolution was passed at the 2020 New England Annual Conference to close the church and to place the assets of the church in a fund at the United Methodist Foundation of New England called the In Our Time Fund.  The purpose of the fund is to support and sustain anti-racism work.  In addition, a project called “Cornerstone: Claiming our past, building a better future” was established and led by the former church’s district to focus on racial justice and repentance.

I tell you this story because today I want to focus on how God works with and through churches like Wellspring United Methodist Church, the New England Annual Conference, and our church to bring about transformation in the world.

Have you Heard the Good News?

 

Inspired by Zephaniah 3:14-20

Why do you lower your head in the shame of your sin? 

Why do you hide? 

Have you heard the good news?

Shout to the heavens; 

Share the joy! 

God has taken away the judgements against you, 

God has turned away your enemies, 

God is here.

Why are you afraid? 

Why do you feel weak in your sin? 

Have you heard the good news?

God is here, and God brings you victory. 

God will rejoice over you with gladness; 

God will make you new in love!

God is singing over you!

Why do you worry about the disaster of your sin? 

Why do you suffer about what others will say about you? 

Have you heard the good news?

God is here. 

God is stronger than what presses you down. 

God is turning your shame into praise.

God will bring you home. 

God will gather you, 

God will restore you. 

God will forgive your sin, 

God loved you yesterday, today, 

And God will love you forever.

Logos: Job

Then Job answered: "Today also my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy despite my groaning.  Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his dwelling! I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would learn what he would answer me and understand what he would say to me.  Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No, but he would give heed to me.  There the upright could reason with him, and I should be acquitted forever by my judge.  (Job 23:1-7)

Does anything strike you about this passage from Job? I am interested in the courage Job shows to make his case before God. He is searching for God, and when Job finds God, he is going to ask God why all of this horribleness has happened to him. He doesn't feel greater than God, but he does believe that God will at least listen to him. He's groaning for answers for his pain and loss.

I have spoken to people who believe it is sinful to doubt God or to question God. They believe that whatever has happened is God's will and part of God's plan. I think Job has the way of things. I think God wants us to "lay our case before" God and ask for meaning or at least understanding. I think God wants us to bring our grief and pain to the relationship.

I know that later God comes to Job - God doesn't provide answers, and even reminds Job that he is not God. But God does come to Job and speak with him. God does speak with Job, and I think that would be important to Job. And to us.

 

Waiting Upon the Lord

 

But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,

they shall mount up with wings like eagles,

they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint

-Isaiah 40:31

Walter Breuggemann wrote, "It is such an intellectual travesty, such an act of chutzpah, such a subversive poetic utterance that dumps a poem in the midst of resignation." 

How does this poem fit into our world? Into our lives? Is it an intellectual travesty - a misplacement of hope - a strange optimism when compared to what surrounds us? War, political unrest, religious division, addiction, hate, horror?  In other words, can we even imagine mounting up with wings like eagles?

It is a beautiful image, a lovely poem, but is the hope real? I'm not asking you if God is real; I'm asking if the hope is imaginable?

I think when you experience it, when you are in the midst of grief or pain, and you call upon the Lord, and find God, then the hope is real. The experience reminds us of the truth of the hope.

I live in a world where political candidates are literally declaring in television ads that it is our "God-given right to own a gun."  It's the worst kind of religious nationalism.  I can't imagine how people or beliefs can be reconciled. And yet, there is this hope that when we wait upon the Lord, unimagined things happen.

Covenant

One of the lectionary readings during Lent is Jeremiah 31:31-34.  I don't usually include a whole scripture passage in a post, but this one is beautiful, so take a moment to read it:

The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.  It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt--a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD.  But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:31-34, NRSV)

As I read this, and think about covenant, a list of what is promised and described in the scripture formed in my mind:

• "The days are surely coming" - This covenant, while it is a hope for the future, isn't a wish.  It is surely coming.
• It is a new covenant - not an old one, not something remade - something new is spring forth.
• It is a different covenant - we're leaving the old behind.
• This covenant isn't something external - it is placed in our hearts by God.
• God will be our God, and we will be God's people. 
• When this covenant is fulfilled, we will ALL know God.  We won't have to tell each other about God, because all of us will be part of this covenant.
• Part of this covenant is that God will forgive our sins - and will remember them no more.

Could we dare dream of this?

Could we dare dream of this?

Darkness

Cold, silent loneliness.

We walk in darkness.

Above us, the stars are silent

In their wandering across the sky.

Unmindful of us.

The streets are dark,

With no echo of hope.

Of what do we dream?

What impossible thought walks with us?

We walk in a land of deep darkness

And we can barely believe our eyes

We are startled by the light,

Shining onto us.

Shining into us.

Shining through us.

In a small forgotten village

Among a people never forgotten by their God

Was born a savior.

A baby.

A child of man born to save the children of God.

How can it be?

Could we dare to dream of this?

We sleep, while angels watch

We doubt, while heavenly hosts praise the glory of the birth.

Even the stars sing of this holy appearance of hope.

We dare not hope,

And yet we pray,

That our sin would be removed.

That light would enter into our lives

As the baby was born into a stable.

For a child is born

Unto us, a people in darkness.

His son is given to us.

How can it be?

Could we ever dream of this?

We dare not speak his name,

And yet it whispers in our hearts,

And explodes from our mouths.

Wonderful Counselor

Mighty God

Everlasting Father

Prince of Peace.

Tiny, tiny baby.

Savior of the world.

The light shines.

Born of Mary,

Born of God.

And with him peace is born

Peace beyond our understanding

Peace.

On his shoulders rides

Justice and righteousness

And we are brought into eternal light

By his love.

Could we ever have dreamed it?

Could we ever have imagined such a hope?

Come to us,

Abide with us

Our Lord, Emmanuel

Inspired by Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 and O Little Town of Bethlehem. 

Preparation

Hear these words from Isaiah 40:1-5:

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Many years ago, I was standing in the hallway of the building where I worked - this was way before the Foundation; I was working in medical research at the time. I was standing in the hallway talking to a couple of co-workers. I don't know how we ventured into the topic of church, but one of the women I was speaking with said she had grown up as a Presbyterian, but that she didn't go to church anymore. Her reason for not going to church was that she needed to be "better" before she went back. Church was only for "good" people, and she needed to get back to being "good" before she went back to church.

I don't remember what I said to her; I hope it was something that helped her to see that church wasn't for the "good" people - it was for all people. I don't imagine anything I said convinced her to go back because she didn't. We were only co-workers - not close friends, so I don't know if there was anything I could have said to her that would have changed her mind, but I still regret my lack of helpful response.

In the passage from Isaiah, we hear a call to prepare the way for the Lord. To make a straight path for God to return. I wonder if this means helping people to remove the obstacles that stand between them (or us) and God. How do we do that? How could I have done that for my co-worker?

In Mark 1, we hear about John the Baptist, who had figured out how to clear the path for God. Verses 1-5:

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'" John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

It might be helpful to look at John and to see how he approached being a messenger. Three things strike me in this passage and in the verses beyond it:

1. John didn't live by societal norms. He dressed in camel's hair and ate locusts; maybe that was regular sportwear at the time, but I doubt it. It's OK to be different than everyone else.
2. John appeared in the wilderness - and this is where the people who needed what he had to offer came to find him. I don't know why the wilderness is important in this passage, but it seems it is important to be where the people are or where they will come to find you.
3. John said, "The one who is more powerful that I is coming after me: I am not worthy to stoop down and until the thong of his sandals." John realized he was not God; we need to realize that, too, and to approach our ministry with humility.

We are not God, but we are God's messengers, and I pray we are able to clear the path for others to reach God and for God to reach those in need.  

Never Ending Joy

The desert, with its sharp, blowing sand,

will be kind and full of gladness.

The places that are lost

will bloom with beauty.

They will sing with joy

and receive glory and splendor

like we have never seen before.

The land will see the Glory of the Lord

and will make it known to all.

Hold those who are weak,

Strengthen their hands,

steady their walk.

Assure those who are afraid.

"Be strong.  Put aside your fear.

God is coming.

He brings grace and salvation

in unexpected abundance,

in unprecedented abundance."

If you are blind, you will see.

If you are deaf, you will hear.

If you struggle to walk, you will jump with joy.

If you are speechless, you will sing.

Even in the desert, we will see streams of running, fresh water.

Pools of refreshing coolness.

What has been thirsty will fountain up water to share.

Weeds will turn into wheat,

And we will all find our way.

No one will be lost on it.

No one will be afraid.

There will be nothing to fear.

We will return to Zion, singing of the Lord.

Joy will be forever.

Grief and tears will fade away, and

happiness and gladness will be never ending.

Inspired by Isaiah 35:1-10

 

Don't you see it?

Inspired by Isaiah 43:16-21

Almighty, All loving, all knowing God,

The God who parts the sea

Who divides the ocean

Who makes a dry path in water,

The God who is more powerful than 

anything we can imagine, 

anything we describe,

tell us...

Forget about the way it used to be

Stop thinking about the past.

Focus instead on what I am about to do.

I, the God who created the universe out of nothing,

is doing a new thing.

I have done it, 

Don't you see it?

I, the God of the lost and forsaken,

have made a path in the wilderness.

I, the God of the parched

have brought rivers to the desert.

The wild animals recognize it,

they see what I have done,

and they honor me.

I bring water where they never expected to find it.

I quench their thirst.

And to you, too,

the ones I created,

the ones I love,

the new thing,

sprung up in the unexpected places

is for you.

Don't you see it?

Thirst and Life, Part 4

Steve and I have become interested in a live Youtube feed from a bald eagles’ nest in California.  The nest belongs to a breeding pair of eagles – Jackie, the female, and Shadow, the male.  Jackie laid two eggs this year, and everyone watching the live feed has been holding their collective breath, hoping the eggs would hatch.  Last year, the egg Jackie laid did not hatch – everyone was hoping for a better outcome this year.  It’s fascinating to watch this pair of eagles care for these eggs.  They take turns on the nest, bringing food to each other.  They run potential predators away, they keep the eggs warm in the snow, they gently turn them – they haven’t given up.  

Happily, one of the eggs has hatched, and the pair is caring for their eaglet together.  But they are still caring for the unhatched egg – an egg that will probably never hatch.  The egg is much older now than the average incubation time for an egg.  We, as logical humans, know it will never hatch, but the eagles ignore logic, and keep the unhatched egg in the nest with their new eaglet.  

We live a life of sin.  We fail to love our neighbors, especially those who don’t agree with us.  We put other gods before our God.  We turn away, and we are so thirsty that we don’t even recognize what we need, even though it is offered to us in abundance.

But God doesn’t give up on us.  God is standing with us, urging us to turn around, and return.  

I found a poem by Jan Richardson this week in a book called Circle of Grace.  I think it applies.  (Note: please see the book for the text of the poem - I don't feel right about printing it here).

God is waiting for us to return.  To be fruitful.  To recognize the dryness of our lives and seek living water.  Will you seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near?  Will you return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on you? 

Will you step into the rest of your story? Will you return?

Thirst and Life, Part 3

This, the posts before it, and one that follows are from a sermon I delivered at Bethesda UMC, based on Isaiah 55:1-9 and Luke 13:1-9.

The gospel reading for today is from Luke 13:1-9.  The very first line says, “At that very time there were some present who told him…”  People were coming to Jesus and telling him news or rumors out of Jerusalem.  They told about Galileans who Pilate ordered to be killed while they were in the temple worshipping God with their sacrifices.  

When you hear this scripture, did you wonder, “Why did they tell Jesus this story?”

Did they just want to make sure he was well informed? Or could it be that they hoped he would take a political stand?  Maybe they were zealots who hoped Jesus would support their revolutionary agenda against Rome.  Maybe they were looking at someone else, assuming the other person had sinned, and they were hoping Jesus could tell them what those people had done to deserve such a fate, so that they themselves could feel safer. 

Sometimes seeing someone else’s sin makes us forget our own.

But Jesus won’t get involved in the political debate.  He won’t point fingers at Rome or at Pilate.  And he didn’t accuse the other people – the ones who had died, or the ones who had killed them, of sin.  Instead, he says, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.”

They are looking in the wrong direction.  They are looking away from themselves.  And Jesus says, “You are the ones who needs to repent.”  

And then he tells them the rest of the story.  He tells them a parable about a fig tree that isn’t producing figs.  A man had planted a fig tree three years ago.  It has not been fruitful, so the man tells the gardener to cut it down.  Everyone listening to the story would have understood the man’s request – three years is long enough to wait for the fig tree to bear fruit.  But the gardener convinces the owner to give the tree one more year.  The gardener is going to nurture the tree, put manure on it, give it one more chance.  

But what stops us from recognizing our own sin, our own thirst, and our need of God’s grace? One commentator I read said the clue may be in the treatment the gardener suggests for the fig tree – he plans to dig around it and put manure on it.  The commentator suggests that we should read “manure” as humility – there is nothing much more humble than manure, is there?

When Josh was in elementary school, he brought his class picture home.  The picture showed him with his arm bent, posed for the camera.  He insisted that his arm hadn’t been held like that when they took the picture.  If you asked him today – at 25 years old – he would still insist that his arm had been held different – all evidence to the contrary.  

We are proud.  We can be arrogant.  We certainly don’t want to be wrong.  We all, I think, close our minds even to what God might be trying to tell us.  

We love to tell the latest gossip, share the Facebook post that we agree with, even while not seeing if it is true. We insist we are right, because anything else would require humility.

But there is more to the story.