Fear Not, Hang On.

11-17-19

Grace and peace to you from God our creator and from our lord and savior Jesus the Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, amen.

The Holidays seem to begin a little bit earlier every year. The Halloween candy aisle cropping up like fields of some sort of massive sugar harvest… in August. Blowup and light up pumpkins in yards in September. Sales on cranberry sauce and turkeys in October. The morning after Halloween, on All Saints Day, some places are fully decked out for Christmas. Already, pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks are “over” and done with– it’s not even thanksgiving and they are already pushing “winter holiday” drinks, like peppermint and gingerbread.

It’s almost as if by starting early we can make the holidays come a little faster. Or maybe our rush comes from the struggle to have everything ready and perfect for the holidays. We think that if we can just start a little earlier, we would feel just a little less stressed this year. All I know is, this year is going fast enough without the help of Elf on the Shelf and Christmas trees before Thanksgiving, thank you very much.

But looking back on last year, it might really be a GOOD PLAN to get a jump on some holiday shopping, before it REALLY gets crazy. Because plans are good. We like plans. They help us be organized and get stuff done. We’ve made all sorts of pithy quotes about plans: “A failure to plan is a plan to fail.” “Plan ahead: it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.” “To be prepared is half the victory.” “A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.” “A man; a plan; a canal; Panama!” Actually, that last one is the same backwards as it is forwards, now THAT is planning!

But while the rest of the world is gearing up for Christmas, making plans and preparing, fussing and bustling, Jesus is talking about the end of the world. And, incredibly, he’s also telling us not to worry about it.

This week especially it seems like Jesus was quoting from last week’s newspaper as he is talking to his disciples. And then he says, don’t be terrified. Really, though, Jesus, it’s hard not to be at least a little freaked out when reading the newspaper headlines lately. The swirling chaos of the world going on around us and Jesus harsh words about what is in store for believers would make anyone want to shut the newspaper, turn off CNN or NPR, and hide under the bed until Jesus comes back and fixes everything.

But we MIGHT come out from under the bed, Jesus, if you would just tell us your timetable about things, in order to take the guess work out of it. Could you just be a little more specific?

But Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. Jesus knows our tendency to take the littlest hint and make it into a fixed event in time to plan for. He knew that there would be people making predictions, writing books about being “left behind,” and that Hollywood would make blockbuster movies about the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012. Remember that? That was over 5 years ago!

But at the same time, Jesus wanted to give his followers a heads up on SOME things – like how following him would not be all snowflakes and lattes. By the time followers of Jesus were reading the Gospel of Luke for the first time, it was already pretty tough going for them. What Jesus was describing as future events were actually happening to those who joined this Jesus movement. They were getting called out and put on the spot, and were being treated in ways that we find hard to imagine withstanding today. The people of the early church, listening to Luke’s account of Jesus, needed some encouragement for living in the while waiting for Jesus to come back. They needed strength in order to continue to share their faith in Jesus despite all that stood against them.

And we’re still at it, two thousand years later, still trying to figure out what it means to live while we wait. And we need just as much encouragement and support from Jesus.

So when asked point-blank about the timetable of the end of the world, Jesus didn’t take the bait. Instead, Jesus echoed the refrain – fear not – found throughout the Gospel of Luke that began with an angelic baby announcement to a childless priest and his wife, announcing that Jesus’s cousin, John the Baptist was on his way. The message “Fear Not” continued when an unexpected visitor came to an unsuspecting teenaged girl to announce a second unexpected pregnancy – this time, Jesus. The message “Fear Not” continued through the sky with the angel host who scared the pants off some shepherds on the night shift the night that this baby was born. And Jesus says it over and over again to his bewildered and beleaguered followers, both then and now: “Fear not. Do not be afraid.”

There is so much to be afraid of in this world. And so, we make plans in order to be ready, and to help us feel safer. But we would drive ourselves crazy if we tried to cover every contingency. We would simply end up spending our lives under the bed, too afraid to come out.

At the same time, we can’t expect Jesus to do all the work. Sometimes, most of the time, doing God’s work is just about showing up or taking the chance to open your mouth.

But it’s really hard to live between those two realities. It’s daunting, and it’s exhausting, and we’ll still want to give up. But it’s sometimes the tiniest things that God decides to use, the smallest action that you never think about again, but changes someone’s life.

I worked at a Lutheran Bible camp, like Crossroads, in Wisconsin for three summers. My third summer I was on the leadership staff, so we came early to welcome all the regular counselors for staff training. The morning they were all due to arrive, I don’t remember why I was in a bad mood, but I just remember feeling terribly grumpy about something. irritated that I had to be cheerful and welcome all these first-year counselors. But I put on my big girl pants, showed up, and did my job.

Much later in the summer, I got a note from one of these “chipper first year counselors,” telling me that when she had first pulled up to the camp, anxious about this new experience, I was the one who greeted her, and put her at ease.

And miraculously, just this last week, I got a note in the mail from another person, whom I had not seen or talk directly to in many years, saying, “if you ever wonder if being a pastor has made a difference in somebody’s life and faith, keep this [note] somewhere where you can find it. You made a difference in my life and faith journey.” This was someone who had remained connected, though eventually being on different parts of the country. Over the years, my friend has been through many rough patches, but had seen the ministry work I had posted about on Facebook, and had inspired him from a distance.

Siblings, do not be weary in doing what is right. Whether the world itself is falling apart around you, or you are just having a bad day, by your endurance you will gain your souls – or, in the words of another translation - by holding fast, you will gain your lives. By holding fast to what? Jesus, of course. And we can’t do that with our hands full of fear.

We let go of fear and hold fast to the hope that there will be a day where what is evil in the world will be burned up and blow away like paper… where evil will have not a root or branch to grow from. It is by holding fast to the name of Jesus, who  will give us the strength to face the next sunrise, no matter what it brings. Amen.

"Bring the wine, eternal life is mine!"

11-10-19

Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and from our Lord and savior Jesus the Christ by the power of the holy Spirit, amen.

When I was in seminary, I did my “field education” at a church that was made up of about half social justice-passionate white retirees, and half first- and second-generation immigrants from Ethiopia and Eritrea. One year we went on a women’s retreat, where I learned that after marriage, women in these two countries traditionally retained their last names, and secretly laughed at the still-popular tradition or assumption of American women to take their new husband’s last name. These Ethiopian and Eritrean women thought the irony particularly funny. 

It’s funny, because there are also plenty of grown-up shirts out there targeted to brides that say things like “pop the champagne, I’m taking his last name” or “bring the wine, his last name is mine!” Which is cute and funny, until these brides find themselves standing in the slow line at the DMV with their 6 points of legal identification in order to “make his last name theirs” on their driver’s license. Bring the wine, indeed.

We are about to embark on a deep dive into some marriage practices that are going to seem very surprising to us… and then we are going to explore how this is actually a red herring. Buckle up, we’re about to get nerdy.

Luke chapter 20 begins with some of Jesus’ opponents questioning his authority, like a big game of “Stump the Savior.” Enter the Sadducees – who are not “sad you see” because they don’t believe in the resurrection, but perhaps because they’re branch of Judaism was not the one that survived to this day. The Sadducees were a group within the Jewish faith that were well-educated and well-connected to those in political power – meaning the Romans.

They also knew their Torah, but rejected the idea of the resurrection - and to play “stump the savior” by asking a question that has no “right” answer. It’s like imagining that in heaven there was a game show going on called, “will the real husband please stand up?” where this woman gets to pick which one of her seven husbands will be her husband in the resurrection. "First up is Greg! Oh, no, Greg - we have video footage of you putting an empty milk carton back in the fridge and never once doing the dishes. Husband number 1, you're not it!” BZZZZZZT!

It was a silly scene that came from a real practice, though… in fact, one of Jesus’ own ancestors was someone caught in this type of situation, known in history as “levirate marriage.” Her name was Tamar (Gen. 38), daughter in law of Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. You may not have heard of her, since this story gets left out of pretty much every Sunday School curriculum. When Judah’s son – Tamar’s husband – dies without Tamar having a son, Tamar’s brother in law was legally obligated to marry her, and their first born would be considered her first husband’s son and heir. But… that’s not exactly what happens……when the second son dies, Judah is reluctant to wed her to his last son… so she literally has no status and no place. Instead, she tricks Judah into making her pregnant, does have a son, and secures her future…. Thanks to her father-in-law. Yes, not everything in the Bible is rated PG.  

Tamar put up with this – and used it to her advantage - because she had nowhere else to go. Levirate marriage – one of MANY versions of “biblical” marriage, was a deeply flaw solution to an incredibly unjust system, where childless widows literally had no place – they had no place with their in-laws, and yet, she could not go back to her family of origin and be “marriageable” again. This was the only way that women like Tamar had a shot at eternal life – in a world where having sons was the only way to leave a legacy behind, to have your name live on forever.

Fast forward to her great something Grandson Jesus, who was clearly following his trickster Grandma Tamar’s footsteps. In Advent we will be changing from the year of Luke to the Year of Matthew, where Matthew records’ Jesus’s lineage… including Tamar as one of 5 amazing women of faith listed (Matthew 1). Like Grandma Tamar, Jesus flips expectations upside down.

Jesus knew that this wasn’t really about marriage… or Moses…. Or even what happens to us after we die. Levirate marriage wasn’t even being practiced at this time. So Jesus does what he does best… turns the tables and uses their best and most clever arguments against them.

At her death of this theoretical woman, Jesus assured the Sadducees that she would be no man’s property. She isn’t going to spend all of eternity as a the wife of brother A, B, C, D, E, F, or G… she’s going to spend it as a beloved child of God, first and foremost. That is the identity that will define her – and all of us – in the age to come. Not by who’s last name she has, or whether or not she has a son. … the wrong question is “whose wife will she be?” and the right question is, “Whose child is she? And who loves her?”

So, for Jesus – and for us – “Whose wife will she be?” is 100% the wrong question. Jesus clearly separates marital status from resurrection status. Marriage is a human institution, created and sanctioned by God, but not made permanent in eternal perpetuity once you “put a ring on it.” At death “marital status” will never determine our eternal status.

As God was creating the beautiful and complex world that we live in, God did not just create one human being to be in charge, all alone. God created another person, and they in turn created other people, and that means we are created be in relationships with one another – spouses, parents, sons and daughters, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and our adopted family in the form of friendships too. We can’t help ourselves. It’s in our DNA.

We believe in a God who sent his son into our world to experience what we experience - not just the good and happy parts of life, but also suffering and pain, anxiety and grief. But over and over again, Jesus promises his followers that he will be with them, and he is also promising to be with us, as God’s beloved children, here and now. We are people of the resurrection, children of God, who put our hope in a God of the living, a God who IS alive… who has a relationship with us… and created us to be in relationship with one another, in many forms.

God delights in our relationships, and brings us together, and then promises to be present with us in those relationships in all their complexities, in all the ups and downs, on the good days and on the bad days…. Even in suffering, and even death. Because nothing can take away our “child of God” status - not our last name, not the suffering we have endured, not the mistakes we’ve made.

As one wise pastor wrote: “We are meant to be whole and complete in our relationships, all of our relationships, whether they are relationships between neighbors, friends, family members or spouses. We are meant to be able to treat others as they should be, and we are meant to be treated in the same way.” I think that is why we hear the “1 Corinthians love passage” at so many weddings: we strive for the eternal ideal of love in our pre-resurrection life as we will be able to achieve in our post-resurrection.

Living this type of stubborn, persistent love here on earth is a challenge ….But, of course, God will outstrip us all in the stubborn love department now, and in the life to come. Because our God is good, and God’s steadfast, stubborn, unrelenting love will stretch on forever. This love will never cease, not even in parting or death, not also long as God has created days for us to live. The love we have for one another is powerful, but it is only a small manifestation of the love that God has given us. Life is not endless or certain, but the love of God is both certain and endless. No matter where life brings us, love will be there. Love is here, with you and with me. Love is here today… but not just this day only. Love with be with us today, tomorrow, and always, in this life and the next, whatever that may look like. Thanks be to God, amen. 

Our All Saints Stories

11-3-19

Grace to you and Peace from God our Creator and from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Sometimes I feel that my life is one big story, and I have yet to figure out of it’s a comedy, tragedy, drama, fantasy, or all of the above. Most people, I believe, can easily see themselves as the protagonist of their own life story, as the hero or heroine struggling valiantly against adversity, a mystery to be solved, or even as the comic relief for others. Perhaps this is why we are so drawn to a good story. We can sit for hours binge watching shows on Netfix auto-play, or read a page turning book until the wee hours of the morning, and spend hundreds of dollars to go see Hamilton.

We do this, because we know that, at the finish, all the loose ends will be tied up – the villains will get what’s coming to them, the romantic leads get married, and all the world is as it should be. Depth and meaning have come from their sufferings and turned them into something beautiful and inspiring for our viewing pleasure.

One of my favorite classes I took in college was called Mythology and Folklore, where we discussed the underlying cultural patterns found in the writings of many cultures, including our own. One such pattern is called “The Hero’s myth.” The hero myth structure goes something like this: the hero or heroine is called to leave his or her community to go on some sort of journey or quest, leaving the familiar for the unknown. After the departure come the initiation of adventures, trials, tests, and temptation for our hero, where she or he will reveal their true mettle and become a new person. Then our hero or heroine returns to the community and is celebrated for the new skills and abilities earned along the way.

But do our lives have a plot, whether or not it falls within the “hero’s journey”?  All too often it seems that things happen for no reason. There is not necessarily a dastardly villain out to get us. But still, calamities befall our friends and families. People get sick, lose their jobs, move away, or die suddenly, get bullied at school. And often there seems to be no happy ending in sight. That’s where the metaphor breaks down.

Life is not a simple narrative from Point A to Point B, populated with incidental characters. Unlike happy endings in novels, movies, and nexflix, life does not wrap up neatly and fade to black and the end credits.  Life is messy. Life is painful. But life is full of joy too.

This All Saints Day might you might find yourself in a difficult part of your own story. We might have lost someone we dearly loved in the last year or are missing someone special who has been gone for a while, though their loss still feels fresh. It may be hard for us to see that our stories not only have a point, but also have a direction, when things seem stuck or uncertain.

This good thing is that God has a story too. It’s full of love and grace that God wants to share with us. The Bible tells us the story of God’s people – not perfect characters by any means – struggling and living and being saved by God.

All the people of the Bible were once people like us. These people are part of God’s story, they are part of our story as people of faith – the heroes and heroines we look up to and strive to be like. But God wants US o be part of this story too, to share in the love and forgiveness and freedom that faith and trust in God gives us. This is what faith is all about – trusting that, when thing in life don’t make sense to us, and the plot goes askew, we are still loved by a God who continues to make meaning out of these plots.

Jesus the place where God’s story and our story intersect most clearly intimately. Jesus is God revealed in a person who could heal through the power of touch, who could be heard through real vocal cords, and who’s actual blood saved us.

The people that Jesus was talking while he preached this day might have felt stuck in a story they didn’t want to be in – not just his disciples were present - he was speaking to great crowds of people who were forgotten and ignored by anyone with power, influence, or authority, political or religious. Jesus turns the values and “rule” of his world – and ours on their head with his blessing and woes. In God’s reign, what sounds like blessing are actually woes, and vice versa.

But what is a “Woe”? I think we can get a clearer picture from “The message” translation, which reads: “But it’s trouble ahead if you think you have it made. What you have is all you’ll ever get. ….And it’s trouble ahead if you’re satisfied with yourself. Your self will not satisfy you for long.  ….. And it’s trouble ahead if you think life’s all fun and games. There’s suffering to be met, and you’re going to meet it.”

For the blessings, Jesus might have used the same words as a friend of mine did, as she rewrote some of them for modern ears, for people who don’t feel blessed:  she shared, “Blessed are you when you come to church looking like a mess, hoping for gas money, for yours is the kingdom of God.  ….. Blessed are you when you’re feeding your kids unhealthy food because it’s also the cheapest and what you can afford, for you will be filled.……Blessed are you when your throat closes up when you try to pray because your grief is overwhelming, for you will laugh.”

As we live through the pages of our time here on earth, as we face challenges and make difficult decisions, we are never alone. In the world of literature these helpers take the form of people like Samwise Gamgee, Hermione Granger, and others. In our real lives, they can take the for of parents, mentors, siblings, and friends. Some of these people have gone on ahead of us to become the cloud of witnesses, whose names we will hear read and candles will be lit in their memory in just a few minutes. Some have even died in the last year… as recent as just a few weeks ago. Even though we miss them, we take comfort in that God has claimed them as beloved children, and they have received in full the inheritance of eternal life that are promised to all of us in baptism. And we also remember, just as we ourselves are far from perfect, these saints are also sinner’s of God redeeming.

As I have walked my own journey, one special prayer has given me comfort over the years – it’s called the Servant’s Prayer, and it goes like this: “O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us.”

I have prayed this prayer many times in my life, because it reminds me that God is there to help and guide us. No matter where I am, God is here with me. God accompanies me through this life and never leaves my side. No matter what part of the journey we are one, we are never alone. And our journeys are far from over.

We will meet people who will change our lives. We may be challenged; we may be changed. What we think are blessings might be struggles or troubles. Living through trouble and struggles might end up blessing us in the end.  We may not know how the next book, chapter, paragraph, or even the next sentence of our lives might work out, but we know who is going on our journey with us, every step of the way – the Author of our Lives. Thanks be to God. Amen.