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Lectionary Readings – (Last Sunday after the Epiphany)

Some of you may remember the comic strip called Calvin and Hobbes, which follows a young boy named Calvin and his talking tiger, named Hobbes. In a series of strips, the creator of the comic, Bill Watterson, plays with the idea of a transmogrifier, which starts out with Calvin coming up to Hobbes and asking him if he wants to see his transmogrifier. Hobbes, getting off the swing he was sitting on, follows Calvin and says, “I didn’t even know you had a transmogrifier,” to which Calvin responds, “I just got it.” When they get to the device, Calvin explains that “You step into this chamber, set the appropriate dials, and it turns you into whatever you’d like to be,” while pointing at the device. Hobbes, a little less than impressed, responds, “It’s amazing what they do with corrugated cardboard these days.” And Calvin responds, “Isn’t it?”

For a few episodes after that, Calvin is turning himself into whatever he wants. At one point, he’s a tiger, at another a dinosaur, and at one point, Hobbes makes a mistake with the dials and turns Calvin into a frog.

For those of you who’ve spent any length of time in liturgical churches, you’re probably thinking, “Wait a minute, doesn’t the Last Sunday in the Epiphany always deal with the TransFIGURATION of Christ? I think Mike has his words mixed up.”

And you would be right – at least about the Last Sunday in the Epiphany always dealing with the Transfiguration of Christ.

The Gospel today tells us that Jesus took Peter, John and James with him as he went up to the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face change and his clothes became dazzling white. Then Moses and Elijah came and talked to him about what he would accomplish in Jerusalem in the coming days. The three disciples were confused, and Peter even said they could build some dwellings for the three men without really knowing what he was saying.

As he’s saying this, a cloud descended <arm movements> from heaven and overshadowed them, and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that declared, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”

Despite this display of God’s glory to the disciples, we see that they didn’t fully understand what they had seen, and kept quiet about it.

Why would they do that? Keep quiet about such a display of God’s Glory?

We get our answer from Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, which you can find in your bulletin.

It’s fairly obvious from this passage that Paul can sometimes be confusing. He uses imagery and metaphors that at first glance don’t seem to make much sense, and this passage isn’t any different.

When Paul talks about a veil, he is telling us that people’s hearts and minds are kept from understanding God’s glory and understanding Christ as the Son of God. They have a mental block that keeps them from seeing God’s glory in it’s fullness. What’s more, Paul shifts gears and suddenly starts talking about how even though we – as Christians – do not have that veil or mental block – we still only see God’s glory in part. He does this by invoking the image of a mirror.

In Paul’s time, a mirror would not be like what we have today, instead, it would have been a highly polished piece of metal, either bronze or silver, and the image that was reflected would be less than fully clear. 

In this, Paul is making two points. One is that we ourselves do not fully understand God’s revelation, and that is why we sometimes don’t understand all of what God intends for this world and for us. The second is that we ourselves are being “transformed into the same image [of Christ] from one degree of glory to another.” And what he means by that is that we ourselves are being transformed into the reflection of Christ in this world. Or, more to the point, we are to be the reflection of Christ to the world around us; and we can only do that when God reveals Himself to us and removes any veil of misunderstanding that might block us from fully understanding His Glory.

It also means that our lack of understanding of God can provide a poor reflection of Christ to the world around us.

<Lift up the mirror with all veils covering it.>

When people look at us, do they see the reflection of Christ? Or do they see an image of God veiled by our own agendas, our own lack of understanding of God’s grace, or our own decisions as to who can fully participate in God’s plans in His ministry to and in the world around us?

Let’s jump back to Calvin and Hobbs for a moment. Wouldn’t a Transmogrifier be nice? To transform into something new by stepping into a device and turning the appropriate dials to become what we wish to become? I for one, would really like a Transmogrifier.

But Paul tells us this is not how it works. Instead, we are transformed from one degree of Glory to another. As God reveals Himself to us, the veil is lifted from our lack of understanding and we are transformed into a more perfect reflection of Christ. 

Transmogrification is simply the act or process of being transformed from one form to another, and while Calvin had a cardboard box that turned him into whatever he wanted to turn himself into, Paul talks about how we are transformed from glory to glory, into what God wants us to be.

Let’s look at a few examples of transformation from scripture.

From Paul’s own life, we see that he had been persecuting Christians, and seeking them out to have them killed. Then, as he was traveling to Damascus, Christ appeared to him in his glory telling him that it was Jesus whom Paul was persecuting. Paul was struck blind. After three days Ananias came to Paul – even though Ananias didn’t really want to – and told him that Jesus had sent him to Paul that Paul might be filled with the Holy Spirit. At that moment, something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. And Paul realized “I am accepted. I am loved, despite what I might have done before.” 

Do we realize this amazing gift? The joy that comes from that alone should turn us into a more clear reflection of Christ. And by accepting that we more clearly reflect Christ’s Love for all the world. Through God’s revelation to him, a veil that clouded Paul’s understanding was removed and he more fully reflected God’s glory to the world.

From the life of Peter, we know that Peter had a dream of animals that were unclean for Jews to eat, and God told him that what he had declared clean, no one should declare unclean. Shortly thereafter, Peter was called to Caesarea by a man named Cornelius, a gentile. Peter told Cornelius that Jewish law forbade Jews to associate with Gentiles, but that God had revealed to him that no one should be called impure or unclean. After telling the gentiles gathered at Cornelius’ house about Jesus’s death and resurrection, the gentiles were baptized with the Holy Spirit and Peter realized that God’s love was not just for the Jews, but for all people. 

While for Peter the distinction might have been between Jews and Gentiles, for us in our time, the distinction might be between Conservatives and Liberals, Republicans and Democrats, United Methodists and Episcopalians. 

Our job is clearly defined: Love God, and love your neighbor.

And our neighbor is everyone.

You may disagree with your neighbor, you may even argue with them and try to convince them that your understanding of God is the correct one. But never forget that God loves you, and God also loves that irritating neighbor of yours who just can’t seem to get it through their thick head that you are right. God loves them even if you think that their reflection of Christ is a poor one, obscured by several layers of veils and misunderstandings.

Remember also that Peter had been on the mountain with Jesus and seen his transfiguration, and it still took this vision for him to understand that God’s gift is for everyone, not just the Jews, and that God loves everyone. When this veil was lifted from Peter’s mind, he more clearly reflected Christ’s love in this world. 

<Lift veil two.>

Finally, we see the followers of Jesus holed up in an upstairs apartment in Jerusalem after his crucifixion. We are told that they were up there for fear of the Jews – <pause> – if a wonderful and powerful teacher like Jesus could be crucified by the authorities, then what would happen to someone like them, who merely followed his teachings? We know that Christ gave them the Holy Spirit, and because of that the Apostles went out into the world to share the news of Christ to all they met, so that even we could hear about it all these centuries later. 

And remember that among these disciples hidden away in that upstairs room were James, John, and Peter, who had seen Christ transfigured before them. It took yet another revelation of God to remove the veil of misunderstanding from their eyes and allow them to move beyond their fear and act upon what God revealed to them that day. And when God did so, they more fully reflected God’s glory to the world around them.

<Lift veil three>

Now, definitely, these transformations are incredible revelations of God. We are unlikely to experience such mighty acts of revelation in our own lives today.

But they still happen, they just happen on a smaller scale. And only if we are open to the possibility.

On your bulletins today, you will see the words “Experience God, transform the world.” I can tell you two things that are true. The first truth is that this church has multiple avenues for you to experience God, from Bible Studies, to Fr. Fred’s forum, to volunteering for one of our many ministries. Each of these opportunities allows God to reveal Himself to you more fully. And the second truth is that it is entirely impossible to transform the world if we do not take the revelation we have received of God’s glory out into the world around us.

We are entering into Lent, and often we use Lent to as a means to deny ourselves some simple pleasures, or to stick to a diet or exercise plan. 

As we enter into this Lenten season, I urge you to consider using these 40 days of Lent as your virtual Transmogrifier not to adjust some dials and turn yourself into something that you wish to become, but that you ask God to reveal His glory to you in some new way, so that He can transform you into what He wants you to be.

I guarantee that God will answer that prayer.

He will provide the revelations that will transform each of us into what He wants for us: a transformation into his likeness, which is the reflection of His Love, His Love for all people.

What do people see when they look at us?

Is it a clear reflection of Love?

<Put all three veils back.>

Or is it something else?

[This sermon was delivered at Christ the King Episcopal Church in Tucson, AZ on March 3, 2019. Listen Here.]

Lectionary Readings – (Third Sunday of Advent)

According to Greek tradition, Apollo had been taunting Eros, the God of Love by telling him that Eros’ little bow and arrow could never match his accomplishments as a warrior. So Eros shot Apollo with a golden arrow which made him burn with passion for Daphne, a river nymph. Eros then shot Daphne with a lead arrow which made her burn with utter hatred for Apollo.

Apollo chased Daphne, and yet Daphne always managed to get away. This went on for quite some time and finally Eros felt bad for Apollo and helped him catch up to Daphne. When Daphne saw that she was about to be taken, she called out to her father who then turned her into a laurel tree.

Because Apollo still burned with passion for Daphne, he vowed that she would always be a part of him, and so he cut a branch of the laurel tree and formed from it a laurel wreath. This is why Apollo is most often depicted wearing a laurel wreath.

Fast forward a few years in Greek history, and we see the rise of something called the Pythian Games – a forerunner to the Olympics – that honored Apollo the warrior. Because these games were in honor of Apollo, all the victors in the events were given a laurel wreath to wear to have a physical sign of their victory. A laurel wreath was a sign of respect, and the victors could trade in favors upon the respect they had earned.

Fast forward a few more years to the Roman Empire. The Romans, who liked very much to take ideas from the Greeks and turn them into their own, saw the symbolism of the laurel wreath, and when their generals were triumphant in battle, they bestowed upon those generals the honor of wearing a laurel wreath.

One of Rome’s greatest generals – even though he did say so himself – was Julius Caesar, and this is why we often see him depicted wearing a laurel wreath as well: Caesar intended to let everyone know of his victories in battle so that he could use it to his own political advantage.

Now, I know that at this point some of you are thinking, “What on earth does a laurel wreath have to do with the Gospel reading for today? Wasn’t there something about John the Baptist yelling at a bunch of people and calling them snakes? A brood of vipers?”

The key is in what John says:

“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.”

You see, many of those present counted themselves among the people of Israel, and because of their heritage they believed that that was good enough to allow them to receive all the promises that God had in store for the children of Abraham.

But John is not saying that at all. He continues on, telling them that “even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

John is essentially telling them that they have been deceiving themselves, thinking that their heritage merits any kind of special treatment for them; it does not. Instead, the people are to repent, to seek how they might turn their lives around and begin to bear good fruit. Trees that do not bear good fruit are cut down, and they are thrown into the fire.

Resting upon our own accomplishments never goes well for us. If you’ve read any history, or read any Shakespeare, you know that by consistently using his own accomplishments for his own advantage, even those closest to him finally gave in to their darkest emotions and murdered Julius Caesar.

It turns out even worse when we rest upon things that we did nothing to achieve, or had no control over, like what family or tribe we are born into. The Israelites wanted to use their family lineage of being a part of the tribe of Abraham as a get out of jail free card, but John would not let them off the hook.

If you’ve spent any time reading the old testament, you know why John the Baptist is put into the tradition of the prophets. In the Old Testament, the prophets were always calling people to repentance, because God only had some simple requirements for the people of Israel – those who counted Abraham as their father. They were:

Love god and follow his commandments.

Love god and follow his commandments.

And when the people of Israel did not do so, a prophet would arise and tell people that they needed to repent and return to following the ways of God or some calamity would befall them. Most of the time they did not, instead they continued to believe that their membership in the the Tribe of Abraham would warrant them favor with God, even when their behavior clearly did not.

Until their membership card no longer worked.

Until calamity befell them.

Oh, then they would fall all over themselves trying to right themselves with God, calling out for mercy and help. And, because God is loving, he would forgive them and take them back.

Do we ever do the same thing as the Israelites? Do we ever do the same as the people who came to hear John preach at the the Jordan River? Do we ever rely on the fact that we go to church, that we’re good people, or – perhaps in more Episcopalian terms – “members in good standing?”

John the Baptist tells us that this is simply not good enough.

And, because we are unlikely to see prophets arise during our lifetimes, like they did in the days before Christ, the Church in her infinite wisdom provided us with times of penitential seasons during Advent and Lent.

Every year, just before Christmas, we enter into a period of waiting, a period of preparation for the arrival of Christ. And during this time we are asked to prepare ourselves both mentally and spiritually for the significance of that birth.

It used to be that during Advent, just as in Lent, people were expected to fast and pray in preparation for the coming of the lord, but as time has progressed, and as Advent generally falls between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the only things we have time for is running around making preparations for the big day, purchasing gifts, going to holiday events at work or with friends and thinking of all the many things we have to get accomplished before the big day.

The people in today’s Gospel heard John the Baptist’s message. They understood that <point to laurel wreath> simply being a part of the tribe of Abraham was not good enough to warrant their own salvation. They heard his message of repentance and they asked him, “What then should we do?”

Some of his responses are recorded. “If you have more than you need, give some away.” Or, to the tax collectors: “Don’t steal from others.” And to the soldiers: “Don’t extort people and be satisfied with what you earn.”

If we were standing at the River Jordan, what do you think John would tell you to change? What do I think he would tell me?

The season of Advent is there to remind us to examine our own hearts, and remind us that we ought not to rely on any past accomplishments – especially when we cannot take credit for them – but we ought always to look for ways to draw ever closer to God, even as the day of the celebration of his birth draws near.

If we were standing at the River Jordan, what do you think John would tell you to change? What do I think he would tell me?

Now, you might see that today we have Rose colored vestments on the altar. Once again, the church in her infinite wisdom realized that if you have people focusing on their sins during these seasons of penitence, things get a little gloomy and dark. And so, on the third Sunday in Advent, and the fourth Sunday in Lent, we are given a reprieve from our introspection and fasting, and our self-flagellation for a single Sunday to remind ourselves about what we are waiting for, and what that might mean to us. It is intended to bring us Joy in the midst of suffering. In fact, today is called “Gaudete Sunday,” and “Gaudete” literally just means, “Rejoice.”

In Advent, we prepare specifically for the celebration of the Birth of Christ, and when we finally come to Christmas we are reminded that God Himself chose to be born a mortal and spend time with us on this earth: “Emmanuel.” Or, “God with us.”

And yet, because we are privy to the whole story of the Christ, and are taken through it every year as we go through the seasons of the church, we understand that God would would not only humble himself to the point of being born to a human, but he would eventually also die for us on a cross.

Just after Pontius Pilate had judged Jesus and released him into the custody of the soldiers, these soldiers took him to the palace courtyard and there they covered him in a purple cloak, and they twisted together a wreath of thorns to put upon his head.

They intended that wreath of thorns as a mockery, to indicate that he was not a victorious military commander and was not, in fact, the king of the Jews, but instead a loser who would die a miserable death on the cross like the lowest of criminals.

But we know that at the moment of his death the curtain separating the holy of holies in the temple was torn asunder and the sky went dark because at that very moment the only battle of any significance – a battle in which we played no part – was won.

And it was won with finality in eternity.

This wreath of thorns, intended for mockery, became a wreath of victory.

If that doesn’t make you want to say “Rejoice!” I don’t know what will.

If we ever feel like we can wear one of these laurel wreaths <put on laurels> for reasons that we have no control over, then we must remember that the only reason we can even wear one is because someone who loves us wore a wreath of thorns <put on thorns>.

So rejoice and be glad!

[This sermon was delivered at Christ the King Episcopal Church in Tucson, AZ on December 16, 2018. Listen Here.]

Lectionary Readings – (23rd Sunday after Pentecost)

Currently, I work for a company called Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired, which is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When I have to go in to the office, I am reminded each time by the staff that the majority of our employees are blind, and that I should make them aware that I am coming down the hall, or exiting a doorway where others might be trying to enter. Things like, “Hello there, this is Mike, I’m coming up behind you,” or “This is Mike, I’m standing off to your right side, down the hall a bit.”

Now, imagine if one of the blind employees I’ve never met before were to call out to me from down the hallway and say, “Hey, Mike, son of Wolf and Hildegard, and programmer from the IT department, I need to talk to you.” I would probably spin my head around in confusion and surprise and so would the others who hear it, because how on earth did that employee know who I was, and know where I was at that moment?

Now, this is the kind of surprise that most people probably experienced when they saw Bartimaeus calling out to Jesus. Now, it’s true that Bartimaeus knew that it was Jesus of Nazareth because others had told him that, but instead of calling out with that name, Bartimaeus called Jesus “Son of David.” That name, “Son of David” is a messianic title, and we are told that many people tried to get him to quiet down. Nevertheless, he persisted. The others around the blind man – the scribes, pharisees, and the general population – had not seen the spiritual truth about Jesus, but this blind man, Bartimaeus, had. He saw that Jesus was the coming Messiah, and the King of Israel. And Jesus, hearing someone who had never met him before calling him by a title that truly indicated who Jesus was, stood still <pause> and then commanded that Bartimaeus come to him.

So, after Bartimaeus has come to him, Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And Bartimaeus of course, asks to regain his eyesight. And Jesus complies, telling Bartimaeus that his faith has made him well.

Now, whenever this passage comes up, those of us who preach normally tend to pull out all the stops and go for an evangelistic sermon, to convince those that may not have ever seen the spiritual truth of Jesus to come to see the light and accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. And at the end of that sermon, we might make an altar call, or tell people that they should speak to one of the ushers or ministers after the sermon so that they could come to accept Christ on their own.

But this group of people – all of us – I think have already made that commitment, and so a sermon of that nature would be unnecessary. Our faith in Christ has already made us well in the sense that we have accepted our salvation.

However, Bartimaeus is an example, not just for those who have yet to accept Christ, but also for those of us who already know him. Out of all the people in Mark’s gospel, Bartimaeus is the only person who received healing at Jesus’ hands that then followed Jesus. The last verse of today’s gospel tells us the “he received his sight, and then followed Jesus on the way.” 

Now, the very next passage in Mark’s gospel is the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Think about this. Bartimaeus understands the spiritual significance of Jesus, calls out to him, receives his sight back, becomes a follower and then immediately sees Jesus going through incredible hardships that culminate in his death on the cross. To think of Jesus as the Son of David, the coming messiah, and expect a physical salvation of the people of Israel, only to watch Jesus die on the cross would test anyone’s faith.

But, because Mark included Bartimaeus by name in the gospel story, I can only assume – granted, completely without physical proof (on faith as it were) – that he made it through the struggles of faith and ended up as one of the followers we find in Jerusalem in the book of Acts.

I like to think he persisted in his faith, despite what he saw happening to Jesus. In other words, his continued faith – in the face of doubts and fears – continued to make him well. We ought to look to Bartimaeus as an example when we face our own trials and difficulties which hen-peck at our disbelief and feed our doubts with things that are not a part of God’s truth.

In his weekly radio hour, the Catholic Archbishop Fulton Sheen had these four things to say about our faith:

1) Faith Perfects your Reason: Faith “opens up vaster fields of vision and new worlds, which before were hidden and unknown,” and “Faith is an education. God is our teacher,” and also, “Unless you know why you are living, there is not much purpose in living.” He then goes on to say that once we have seen the light of God, God will reveal more and more to us so that we come to understand more of the world; specifically, God will reveal to us why we are living, so that we can have a purpose to our life that is greater than just ourselves. In other words, we are not just believers in the truth of Christ, but active participants in the God’s work in the world.

I can imagine that as soon as Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way, he received a great amount of education in the faith, simply by listening to Jesus and seeing the examples of the others who followed Christ.

2) Faith will perfect your freedom: The more you know about something, the more free you are to do those things. For example, Bishop Sheen said “if you know the truth about an airplane, you are free to fly it.” And the more we understand about our faith, the more easily we can act upon it; the more easily we can put into practice that which we know to be true.

The flipside is also true. The more we know about our faith, the freer we become when things come at us and cause us to grapple with doubt. Simply knowing the truth of God’s promises can cause us to respond to those doubts with a calm understanding of a reality that sits beyond our immediate reason and what we can understand with our senses.

I’m sure that every day, Bartimaeus saw and learned things that continued to expand his knowledge and freed him up to respond to the world with more faith. Seeing the trials that Jesus was going through, but being able to remain with the other followers must have opened up his spiritual eyes more and more each day.

If we want our faith to free us, we must push in, and find opportunities to understand our faith on a deeper level, both with others, and on our own.

3) Faith assures equality to all: Bishop Sheen gave this talk on Faith in January of 1945, while World War II still continued, and he often spoke in his talks about racism and the violence that was being spread on account of that message. Both physical violence, and violence of the soul.

He said that “you cannot point to a single person who truly loves God who is mean to his fellow man. A man who does not believe in God, will soon cease to believe in man. … Faith teaches us that all [men], however poor, or ignorant, or crippled, however maimed, ugly, or degraded they may be, all bear within themselves the image of God, and have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. As this truth is forgotten, [people] are valued only because of what they can do, not because of what they are.”

That means that once we stop believing in the goodness of our fellow human beings, we begin to look for ways tear others down, and to puff ourselves up; we look for ways to use people for our own gains; when we look upon other people, we no longer see someone formed in the image of God, but rather a tool, to be used for our own desires, things that sit outside the truth of God’s word.

If Bartimaeus was among the disciples that followed Jesus into Jerusalem, he would have seen Jesus’ response to those who beat him and ridiculed him and seen Jesus reacting in love, rather than hate; he would have seen Jesus looking beyond what people were doing to him, and instead looking at them as people who didn’t know what they were doing, and worthy of his forgiveness.

If we are to grow in faith, we must also grow in love. Love for those around us.

4) Finally, Bishop Sheen said that Faith will give us peace of soul. It may not have happened immediately for Bartimaeus, but as he and the other followers of Jesus witnessed his crucifixion, and then grew into the knowledge of Christ as a spiritual savior and not a earthly savior of the Jewish people, he would have come incorporate that spiritual truth into his life and ultimately his soul. And with that would have come a peace that went beyond the reality of what he and the others were experiencing in those dark days following Jesus’ death. 

In today’s collect we pray that God would “increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command.”

That collect carries with it an unspoken promise. Namely that God sees that we can, indeed, grow in faith, hope and charity. God sees the potential that we can, in fact, obtain those promises that He has prepared for us.

If there is any spiritual blindness in us, it is most likely the blindness of not seeing that potential. 

We have already seen the light, as it were, and become followers of Christ, but if we wish to grow in faith to the point where we “love what God commands” and obtain that full promise of our potential and a true peace of the soul, then we must be willing to follow Jesus into Jerusalem. We must be willing to witness him both glorified and crucified.

[This sermon was delivered at Christ the King Episcopal Church in Tucson, AZ on October 28, 2018. Listen Here.]

Lectionary Readings – (17th Sunday after Pentecost)

Do you have any idea who I am?

Several years ago, I read a news report of a celebrity who had been pulled over by the police for driving under the influence. The celebrity questioned the police and asked “Do you have any idea who I am?” hoping to get out of the ticket. The fact remained, though, that the celebrity was driving under the influence, so the question of identity really didn’t matter much.

Now, even though I haven’t mentioned the celebrity’s name, you’re probably thinking of someone in particular. And I bet that it isn’t the same person that I am thinking of, because this story repeats itself over and over again, whether it’s a actor, a musician, or even a politician. 

The meaning behind a question like “Do you have any idea who I am?” is fairly obvious to most of us: namely that the person asking the question thinks that they are important.  <pause> Important enough that they should get some special treatment from the other, more “normal” people. <pause> Important enough that they can in some way manipulate the outcome in their favor.

It’s a case of an over-developed sense of self-importance.

“Who do you think you are?”

In today’s Gospel reading, we hear of Jesus and his disciples walking toward the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and on the way he asks his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”

Now, this is a straightforward question to pose to his disciples. I mean, Jesus has been making his way around the country, speaking, and performing miracles. In a way, Jesus was a bit of a celebrity, and therefore people were talking about him. And so the disciples responded to him and said that some people though that he was John the Baptist, some that he was Elijah, and others said that he was one of the prophets. 

John the Baptist was only recently on the scene until Herod had him beheaded, and some people thought that Jesus was John the Baptist brought back to life – and that that was the source of his miracles. <pause> Elijah was a miracle working prophet who was thought would bring news of the coming Messiah. The prophets were those who always came to call the Israelites to repentance so that God could redeem his people. So, you see comparing Jesus to Elijah or one of the prophets makes perfect sense for those that might know him only through his teaching and miracles.

We’re going to step away from this question of “who do people say that I am” for a moment because there is another question that is lurking behind this question Jesus just asked his disciples. <pause> Not another question that Jesus is asking his disciples, but one that the Jewish leadership – the scribes and the Pharisees were asking Jesus.

Up to this point in the Gospel of Mark, the scribes and pharisees have been following Jesus around as he taught and performed miracles, because, as we see in Chapter 1, the people noticed that when he taught, he “taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

Again, in Chapter 3, the scribes and pharisees were watching him intently on a Sabbath, to see if he would heal someone. He asked them if it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath, but they remained silent, so he healed the man, and it says, “Immediately the Pharisees went out and conspired against him with the Herodians, how to destroy him.” From that point on, all the interactions between Jesus and the Pharisees were intended to entrap him, to catch him in an act that went against the Jewish teachings and law.

If you were here a few weeks ago, you remember Mtr. Anita’s sermon about traditions, and how the Pharisees questioned Jesus about why his disciples ate food without washing their hands first. And just a few verses before where we pick up the Gospel today, the Pharisees are again questioning Jesus, asking him for a sign to prove that he had any kind of authority to teach and perform the miracles he was performing.

Each of those attempts to test Jesus really had only one question behind all of them.

That question is: “Who do you think you are?”

The scribes and the pharisees held important positions in the Jewish community. And so naturally, they thought that they were important. <pause> That they were important enough that they were to be treated differently than other, more “normal” people. <pause> That they were important enough in some way to manipulate any situation in their favor. 

But instead, people are following Jesus around, listening to his words, and following his example. <pause> Everything about how Jesus acted and behaved questioned their importance in the pecking order that was first century Israel. <pause> Of course they were a little angry; angry enough to question Jesus’ authority – because Jesus’ actions dared to question their authority.

They too had an over-developed case of self-importance. 

“Who do you say that I am?”

So, now, let’s go back to the Gospel reading for today. After asking his disciples to tell him who other people thought Jesus was, and hearing their response, he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Now, we don’t really know if any of the other disciples answered this question, but we do know that Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

Given the cultural context of the Jewish people at the time – under the Roman thumb – they were expecting a savior, a king who would bring them out from under the rule of the Romans and make their people free again, which is why some of the people – as we heard before – had thought him to be Elijah or one of the prophets. So Peter’s response is perfectly acceptable, and, notably, Jesus doesn’t correct him or say otherwise.

Instead, Jesus starts telling the disciples how the Son of Man will be tortured, will be rejected by the religious leaders of the country, will be killed, but will rise from the dead again after three days.

Not quite the hero who would save the Israelites from the Romans, now is it?

Peter didn’t think so either. <move stand> And it says that he pulled Jesus aside and began to rebuke him. Peter rebuked Jesus for talking like someone who wouldn’t be the strong hero to free the Israelites from the hand of the Romans, someone who wouldn’t be the Messiah that Peter wanted him to be…

In other words, Peter was looking at Jesus and saying, “Who do you think you are?”

Now, here’s at least one take-away from this sermon: Don’t ever ask God “Who do you think you are?” unless you really want the answer to that….

Jesus simply turns from Peter <turn back on stand> and rebukes him. “Get behind me Satan!”

Why?

Because Peter was focusing on the things of this world, and not on the things of God. Peter was focusing on his own desires for who Jesus might be and ought to be, and not on God’s greater plan for Jesus, the Jewish people, and for all the world – including us – you & me.

Jesus knew that when he asked his disciples “But who do you say that I am?” they would have to ask some simple questions of themselves:

“Who am I? And who do I want Jesus to be?”

When you start to ask the question of who Christ is to you, you begin to see where your motivations truly lie. 

For Peter, that meant a Messiah different from the one that Jesus started talking about. For Peter, it meant a Messiah that would not have to endure what Jesus said the Messiah must endure. And Peter thought that by rebuking Jesus he could somehow manipulate the outcome in his own favor. Peter wanted Jesus to focus on what Peter wanted.

Again, a case of an over-developed sense of self-importance.

Your own question: Who do I want Jesus to be?

In the next few verses, Jesus makes the life of a disciple pretty clear. He says that anyone that wants to become his follower must deny themselves, pick up their cross and follow him.

Those who try to save their own life will lose it.

Those who lose their life for Jesus’ sake, and the sake of the Gospel, will save it.

What does it profit someone to gain the whole world, but lose their own soul?

Or, even more to the point, what will people give up in exchange for their soul?

We, ourselves, can only answer all of these questions when we answer “Who is Jesus to me?”

In the recent Philippianns Bible Study, we talked about Paul’s desire to “share in the suffering of Jesus.” The general idea of that sentiment is what Jesus is expressing here: You cannot share in someone’s suffering if you do not know who they are. The closer you are to someone, the more real their joys and their pains become to you. The closer you are to someone, the more you celebrate with them in their successes, and you cry with them in their struggles. The closer you are with someone, the more you become like them. The closer you are with someone, the more their desires become your desires, and their goals, your goals.

In the case of Jesus, and the goal of spreading the Good News of his death and resurrection, there is simply no space for our own self-importance.

We pray this prayer during each Eucharist:

Your kingdom come, your will be done. On earth, just as it is in heaven

When God makes his will known to us in our own lives, will we do as Peter did and pull Jesus aside to rebuke him in our own way?

Or will we deny ourselves the pleasure of our own self-importance, pick up our cross and lose ourselves for the sake of Christ and the Gospel?

Who is Jesus to you?

Your answer to that can save your life.

[This was preached at Christ the King Episcopal Church on September 16, 2018. Listen here.]

Lectionary Readings – (Sixth Sunday after Pentecost)

Years ago, while living in the Seattle area, I had told one of my friends about something called cash flow, and how to add a second income stream to your life. Then I moved away from Seattle to Los Angeles area for seminary, and spent about 7 years in LA before heading back to the Northwest. When I returned to the Northwest, my friend helped me find a place to live, and so it happened that we were neighbors. In catching up, I discovered that he had purchased a bar and was working there in the evenings and weekends when he wasn’t doing his regular work as a high school teacher. I commented on what an excellent choice that had been – adding a second income stream – and that’s when he told me it was because of the conversation he had had with me all those years ago.

Now, once I moved to Tucson, I told my dad this story on one of our regular walks, and after I had explained both what my friend had done, and the underlying principles, my dad asked me why I hadn’t done anything similar.

At first, I gave excuses, like “I was in grad school, I didn’t have time to do anything other than my regular job,” and “I was in grad school – I was mostly broke.” But then as we continued our walk, I finally admitted that if I had truly believed in the knowledge I shared with my friend at the time, then I too would have followed through. But clearly I hadn’t fully believed my own advice. Because – IF I HAD BELIEVED – I would have put my knowledge into action.

Today’s Gospel talks about Faith, and the dictionary defines Faith as “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” The Bible itself, in the book of Hebrews chapter 11 tells us about faith by giving us examples:

11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see….
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. …
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going…
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.…23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict…

Now, I could go on in the passage, but what we discover from these definitions is that Faith is not simply knowing something, but also acting upon that knowledge. 

Isaac Asimov, the very prolific science fiction writer, wrote a two-volume book on the Bible, and for that he had to read and re-read the Bible from cover to cover and dig into the history surrounding the Bible so that he could put the Bible into its historical context. He knew an enormous amount about the Bible and the context in which it was written.

But Asimov was a life-long avowed atheist.

He never turned the knowledge of what he learned from the Bible into faith in God.

His actions in his life were never motivated by the knowledge he had acquired of the Bible.

Having knowledge of something – even huge portions of the Bible – doe not equate to having faith.

Two Different Acts of Faith

In today’s Gospel, we hear the story of a man and a woman who reached out to Jesus based on what they had heard of him.

The first person we hear about is the ruler of the synagogue, whose daughter is sick. He approaches Jesus and falls at his feet and begs him to come to heal his daughter: “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.”   The Gospel says very simply, “And Jesus went with him.”

Just like that. 

Jesus heard the man’s plea and followed him because the man acted on his faith.

On the way to the man’s house, Jesus is surrounded by a large crowd of people who “thronged him.” <pause> Think of a red carpet type event, or a concert where people are trying in any way to get near a celebrity. <pause> That’s what this would be like. Jesus the star, surrounded by fans.

And in this throng of people, we hear of a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, who told herself that “if I could only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” And so she came up behind him – <make pushing motions> pushing through others, I’m sure, just to be able to get close enough to even touch his cloak. <pause> And when she did so, it says that “Immediately her fount of blood was dried. up.”

Now this part is interesting. Jesus turns around and in this huge crowd of people says, “Who touched me?!”

I can imagine a wave of people suddenly backing off from Jesus and probably at least one person saying, “I’m not touching you,” just like we did when we were kids.

Even his disciples are confused. “You see the multitude thronging you, and you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” I mean, come on, Lord, e v e r y o n e is touching you.

But the touch that Jesus was referring to was a touch that wasn’t based on his celebrity status, it was a person who touched him with purpose. 

We know that he must have said this forcefully, because this woman came up to him “fearing and trembling,” and then she explained her actions to him.

And Jesus responds, “Your Faith has made you well. Go in Peace and be healed.”

And that is where we leave the story of the woman. She quite literally reached out to Jesus for healing, because her knowledge of him moved her to action, and Jesus healed her.

And as Jesus was still talking to the woman, some people from the man’s household came up to him and told him that his daughter had already died, and, “Why trouble the teacher any further?”

That’s a reasonable and logical conclusion, right? “Your daughter is dead. There’s no need to trouble the teacher for any more of his time.” The people were only thinking logically, and thinking of the best of all people involved in the scenario. “Don’t bother the good man.”

Jesus clearly must have noticed the man’s reaction to that news – most likely fear, and quite probably a wavering in his faith for a moment – because as soon as he heard the words from these people from the man’s household he turns to the man and tells him, “Do not be afraid. Only believe.”

And he man too chose to believe and not to be afraid. He could easily have said, “OK. Thank you, Jesus, for being willing to help me, but now that my child is dead, nothing more can be done.” He could have hung his head and acted upon what he knew to be true, rather than what he hoped for: the healing of his child. 

Instead, he disregarded the naysayers and continued on to his house with Jesus because Jesus told him not to be afraid. At his house, Jesus tells the people that the girl is only asleep, and again, the naysayers step in to cast doubt upon the situation. Jesus tells them all to leave, reaches out and takes the girls hand and tells her to get up, which she does.

And everyone is amazed. 

A father’s faith made his daughter well.

Now, both of these stories that we heard today revolved around people who reached out to Jesus regarding something that they wanted. The man wanted his daughter to be healed, and the woman wanted to be healed, and in faith, they acted upon their knowledge of God with a sense of purpose by approaching Jesus and making their desires known.

If we stopped right there, we could have a wonderful Positive Thinking type sermon about going after things we want and desire with strong conviction and purpose; one particular speaker’s mantra comes to my mind: “If you believe, you will achieve.” 

If we did stop here, we would have a great motivational speech, but only half of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Faith in Christ involves action, and sometimes God will answer our desires that we make known to him, but that’s not the complete picture of faith.

If we stop here, and focus on God providing our desires because we persist in faith, then we very clearly run the risk of viewing God as nothing more than our servant, who is tasked with fulfillng our desires because we prove how faithful and persistent we can be.

If we stop here, and focus on a God who fulfills our desires and wants, then when those prayers go unanswered, or what God provides is not quite what we had desired, then we are left to question either the strength of our own faith, or question whether God really cares for us. 

Or worse, maybe we begin to question if God really exists.

But going back to the Bible’s own definition of faith, we hear again about Abraham. 

Abraham moved from his home, on a promise, without knowing where God would take him. Purely on faith, Abraham took his own son out to be sacrificed on an altar, not knowing in advance what would happen. Abraham, who had thought that he would never have a son, was given one by God, and then asked to sacrifice that child – and he followed through on the commandment, despite his fear of losing his own son.

This teaches us that Faith is acting upon what we know to be true, even when it is what we don’t want. When it goes against our desires. It is confidence in what we hope for, and assurance of things we don’t see – even when what we see seems like nothing we want or need.

God’s desire for our Faith is more than just believing for things that we think we need, but believing for everything, regardless of what can be seen. 

Or – when what can be seen looks difficult or frightening

Especially when things look frightening.

Faith is believing for what we want – and it is acting upon what we know to be true – even when we don’t want it – simply because God has commanded it.

If we stop there, we have a good understanding of faith. But even stopping here does not give us a full understanding of how we are to live our lives in relation to God, because stopping here leaves us framing Faith in the context of our desires. That is – what we WANT and what we DON’T WANT. It’s definitely a better understanding of faith, but it still puts the focus on us.

There’s a story of a young boy and his father out hiking and exploring. As they were exploring, they ended up taking a wrong turn and ended up on a ledge, without a clear path for how they could get down back to the trail below. Finally, the dad decided that he needed to get down in some way, and told his son to stay put while he searched for a way to get there. After a while, the father was down on the trail, and called out to his son that the boy should jump, and that he would catch him.

The boy responded with, “But dad, where are you? I can’t see you.”

To which the father responded, “It’s OK to jump son, because I can see you.”

And the boy jumped – right into his father’s arms.

This is what living in faith looks like. 

This boy knew his father. He knew his father would not let any harm come to him. He knew that his father wanted what was best for him – and that assurance led him to jump off that cliff into his father’s arms even though he was afraid.

Now, where does that leave us? 

Sometimes we need to exercise our faith by asking God for something we desire and want and persisting in our faith that God can bring that about.

Sometimes we need to exercise our faith by hearing what God has to say, and acting on that commandment even when we are afraid or do not want to do what we have been commanded.

God wants us our relationship to be so strong that we understand that every answered prayer – every unanswered prayer – every command – every correction – is guided by the desire that God wants what is best for us.

God desires that our faith is so strong that we would figuratively <air quotes>jump off a cliff,</air quotes> just like that boy did in the story, simply because we believe that God’s will for our lives is what is best for us. 

That truly is confidence in what we hope for and assurance of what we do not see.…

[This sermon was delivered at Christ the King Episcopal Church in Tucson, AZ on July 1, 2018. Listen here.]

Lectionary Readings – (Sixth Sunday in Easter)

If you’ve been watching television since 1966, then you’ve most likely heard of Captain Kirk, the United Federation of Planets, Starfleet, and the Starship Enterprise.  If you only started watching television in the 80’s then you probably managed to see the Next Generation with Captain Picard, or Deep Space Nine, or Voyager, Enterprise, or even the latest show: Discovery.

If you’re a real fan, you’ve probably watched every episode of every franchise, all of the movies, and you might even be able to speak a few words in Klingon (though I will neither confirm nor deny any such allegations).

Even if you’re not a fan, you’ve probably run across the show at one point or another, and heard the characters talking about something called the Prime Directive. For those of you who might not have heard of this, the simple paraphrase is this:

No Starfleet personnel may interfere with the normal and healthy development of alien life and culture.

Captain Picard once said that “The Prime Directive is not just a set of rules. It is a philosophy, and a very correct one. History has proved again and again that whenever mankind interferes with a less developed civilization, no matter how well intentioned that interference may be, the results are invariably disastrous.”

And then, of course, every one of the franchises has an episode where they go through a painstaking decision making process to determine if they would really be breaking the directive by helping out another culture, and usually things end up going sideways.

It’s a simple concept, but one that is not always easy for the characters to follow.

The Christian Prime Directive

These characters in Star Trek had this philosophy that infused their entire life, which they had sworn to uphold, even to death.

We too have been given a simple set of commandments that are to guide our lives. 

In today’s Gospel reading we hear Jesus telling his disciples that “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.”  Or, as he says in various other places in John, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” And he also tells the disciples “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

Looking at these commandments we see that this is a simply a different form of the Greatest Commandment:

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

These are the Christian Prime Directive

Everything that we need to know about living out our lives with God and community can be handled through those two commandments.

The First Commandment

The first commandment is straightforward and simple. Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  The “heart” in this passage doesn’t actually mean your passions or drive, motivation, etc. Here it refers to your center of logic, your thinking parts, your brain.

The Soul refers to that sense of passion, those things that make you unique and make you you. 

The Mind refers to something more like your “conscience.” In other words, something that takes the passions you have and the logic you’re thinking and makes a decision between on what you know to be true, and what you want or desire. 

We can follow this simple commandment by coming to church and hearing God’s word, listening to sermons, taking part in Bible Studies in the evening, or the Sunday Schools between services. We can spend time talking with other believers about God, and thereby getting deeper knowledge of the Word. In other words, Seeking God.

Sometimes, though, we may find that our passions have a different idea, and we might want to skip Church altogether and watch football on TV, or skip church and take a 4 hour motorcycle ride through the mountains. Or maybe we feel that God is trying to draw us to volunteer activity, and we would rather watch movies or work on our hobbies, or spend time doing anything else that furthers our own agenda.

Now, I’m not saying that these things above are always wrong. Not at all. We may need to grant ourselves these things occasionally to take care of ourselves spiritually. <pause> Only you can decide for yourself what your motivation for doing these things really is. If we choose too often to follow our own passions, rather than making the decision to follow this commandment to love God with – essentially – our entire being, we may find soon enough that we have developed an idol of our own making – something more important to us than our relationship with God.

Love God. Keep his commandments. Simple; but not always easy. 

At least not when there’s motorcycles to ride and mountains nearby.

Second Commandment

Now, the second commandment is to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Or, in John’s words, “Love one another.” It seems simple enough, doesn’t it?

For those of you who have attending “The Story” Bible Study, you’ve probably heard me tell the story about a shooting at an Amish schoolhouse in (Nickel Mines) Pennsylvania in 2006. This story has stuck with me since I first heard it:  A man barged into a schoolhouse and shot ten 10 young girls, killing 5 of those girls. Then he shot himself.

These Amish people, only one day after having performed the funeral services for their own daughters, attended the funeral service of the man who had killed their children. They all hugged the widow, and the man’s children. Later on, they raised money to support this man’s family.

Now, people being people, the Amish were accused of not caring that their own kids died, since they had “Gotten over the tragedy too quickly.” The Amish, however, responded that they were still grieving for their own children, but that the family of the shooter had lost a husband and a father, and that they were grieving too.

When asked how they could possible forgive someone who had killed their children and love the family of that same man, the Amish responded: “God has commanded us to love one another. That is what we are doing.” When asked if it was difficult, the answer was, “Of course it is difficult. We grieve for our loss every day, but we have been commanded to forgive sins and to love one another. That is a choice we have to make every single day.”

Now, to me, while it doesn’t involve an actual death, it feels to me like these Amish people are embodying Jesus’ words from today’s Gospel that “Greater love has no one than to lay down their lives for another.” They are acting upon the commandment to love one another by choosing to lay down their own lives and feelings to show love to the grieving family of the shooter.

This, I believe, where the second portion of the Second Commandment comes into play. The second portion states that we are to “Love our neighbors, as we love ourselves.”

 If we know that we are forgiven by Christ, then we know that we can forgive those who harm us by accepting our forgiveness.

If we know that we are loved by God, then we can know that we can muster the love to give to others, by accepting and internalizing the Love God has for us. 

If we know that we have the promise of eternal life, then death has no power over us and we are free to live out our lives showing God’s love to others, regardless of the consequences.

The Amish internalized their forgiveness through Christ, they internalized the love they received from God, and they chose to live out that love at personal cost.

Love One Another. Simple; but not always easy.

Joy May be Made Complete

Now, I don’t know about you, but I prefer the whole idea that Love is a warm fuzzy feeling. That would be a whole lot easier because then I could just love those who love me and collect that reward like a good tax collector. Unfortunately, not even psychology is on my side.

The psychologist Erich Fromm said this about Love:

Love is a decision, it is a judgment, it is a promise. If love were only a feeling, there would be no basis for the promise to love each other forever. A feeling comes and it may go. How can I judge that it will stay forever, when my act does not involve judgment and decision

So where do we go from here? 

In the Gospel of Matthew, in the Sermon on the mount, Jesus says, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you… If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Isn’t that what the tax collectors do too?” If you only love those who love you, you already get the reward that everyone else does, which is happy feelings that may come and which may go.

The good news is that Jesus told his disciples to Love him and keep his commandments and to love one another so that their joy might be complete! 

I figure that Jesus wouldn’t have told his disciples to love their enemies unless he knew that the command to love those who didn’t love them would bring them joy…

Another psychologist, William James, said, “Action seems to follow feeling, but really, actions and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not.”

Or, in other words, “Feelings come from action.” Or, “What we do, we come to feel.”

Don’t quite feel like keeping God’s commandments? Choose to do it anyway – even through clenched teeth if you have to. Love is a choice. Act on that choice and the feelings will follow. 

Jesus said that if we kept his commandments, we would remain in his Love. Earlier, in Chapter 8, Jesus tells his disciples that if they keep his commandments, that they would live in Truth, and the truth would set them free. In Chapter 7 he told them that from the hearts of believers would spring forth rivers of living water. And then here again, he tells them that if they keep his commandments and love one another, their joy would be complete.

Seriously!

Those are some fantastic promises.

• Out of our hearts will come rivers of living water.
• We will live in truth and the truth will set us free.
• We will remain in God’s love. 
• Our joy will be complete.

For me here, I see images of a little child bubbling over with excitement that she simply can’t hold it in and wants to tell everyone about the awesome thing she has 

Or the awesome thing she found or learned or did or….

We can have all of that.

All it takes is to make a choice – to Love at every opportunity.

Simple.

[This sermon was preached at Christ the King Episcopal Church in Tucson, AZ on May 6, 2018 – Listen Here.]