Legacies

Good morning!  Hope you are all doing well this beautiful fall day.  
The message today is based on chapter 7 from The Story and readings from Judges

This past 10 days, my husband and I visited Ireland for the first time.  And no, neither one of us have a drop of Irish blood in us, even though Charlie does have red hair and blue eyes.   We were asked that many times when we were there.  Lots of people go over to Ireland to find their roots, to reconnect with the past, to see where their families came from, many of them trying to reconnect with old values, old ways, to understand themselves better, to experience the feeling of being connected to something bigger than them.  We didn't have the blood thing going, but we did feel a connection there.  A very strong connection as we visited ancient cathedrals, as we stood on the ancient cliffs of Moher (yes, I actually climbed up there in almost gale force winds; a hurricane was coming our way), a connection with people who were God's children through the ages, knowing that throughout all of history, God has never given up on us humans.  All around us we saw legacies of old civilizations, of places where people lived and worshipped.

Today, we see a people, the Israelites, who have been given a wonderful legacy to hand down to their children.  But, for whatever reason, they have chosen to turn from it.

So the children of Israel are in trouble again.  Chaos, suffering, disobedience.  Same old, same old.  They are in the promised land.  We know from our readings this morning and from the reading of chapter 7 in The Story that they couldn't stay faithful to the covenant they had made with God.  Remember the covenant?  No?  Well, neither did they.  There were the Ten Commandments, rules and reminders of how to love God and each other in practical ways. The love that was described in these commands was filled with values such as loyalty, faithfulness, respect, honor, honesty, meekness.  Meekness being strength without arrogance. Moses' last words to them were, "Seem I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.  For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess."


And they all agreed with a roar of triumph.  They were finally going into the promised land and Joshua, the great soldier would lead them.    And you know from the last chapter they did enter the land under Joshua's leadership.  But then he died.  And they no longer had their hero. As the years went by,  people moved away from the commands God gave them.  Their behavior changed.  Respect and integrity for God, for each other, for the very foundations of spirituality and morality that kept them together and taught the world about the God they served were seen less and less.  These are the values that distinguished them from other nations, that gave a witness to the very nature of the God they served. They began to worship other gods; their values changed.

The saddest part was the legacy they were not leaving for their children.  Their children grew up not knowing the power, the loyalty and faithfulness of God.  They just saw the growing unease and fear that was enveloping their nation.The questions that generation may have asked were:  Who is this God anyway? Why can't we can't see him?  If God is so powerful, why are we experiencing so many problems? Where is God in the misery all around us? And so they turned away and became more and more distant from God.  All the good teachings were disregarded; chaos took over as they embraced the behaviors and the religions of those who lived in the land before they conquered it. The nation weakened and became prey to stronger, better organized nations that surrounded them. Only after they realized how deep into trouble they were, did they even remember there was a God to whom they could turn.


Each time this happened, God would send them a hero, someone to deliver them, someone who could lead them to show power over the enemy, to defeat mighty warriors.  With that feeling of triumph, they would follow the ways of God, under the leadership of their hero because that hero was a living, tangible reminder that God was with them.  But then the hero died and the cycle started all over again because they couldn't fight temptation without a living reminder of the presence and power of God.


Where are we in this story?  As believers of Jesus Christ we've been called to be a holy nation.  How do we stay the course?  We know that, in Christ we do have our deliverer, our hero, the one who leads us each day.  And though he died, he rose to life again. He is here today in our worship, in our sacraments he is present with us. Water, bread, and wine.  Tangibles.  Something we can touch and see. Living reminders that help us to know deep within our hearts that God is near so that we can resist temptation, so that we can stay the course, as difficult as it can be at times.  And we have each other, real people, going through our own difficulties, celebrating joys, growing in faith by trial and error, knowing that we are forgiven.


Yet following Jesus still is not easy, is it?  We have a world all around us that pulls at us from all directions, just like the Israelites.  And what about loving God with all of our hearts and loving our neighbors as ourselves?  Not so easy either, remembering those commands, remembering to be truthful, faithful, not carry hurt, hate, guilt, fear, distrust in our hearts.  Remembering that love is not just a feeling, but an action, a way of life.  When Jesus asked Peter after Jesus' resurrection from the dead, "Do you love me?" he wasn't talking about emotions.  He was asking if Peter was willing to carry on the work Jesus had begun, if Peter was willing to risk his life in order to teach the people of the world about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.   He wanted to know if Peter would hold onto the teachings of Jesus with his heart, his mind, and his spirit.  Could he pick up his cross and follow Jesus?  Could he lose his life in order to gain it?


So are we able to pick up our crosses and follow Jesus?  Are we ready to lose our lives in order to gain a new life with him?  Are we able to look past our own selves and see the needs of others, to be brave and bold and listen to the Spirit of God leading us?


Following Jesus doesn't mean we all have to keep in perfect step with each other, like those North Korean army parades we see on the news.  No expression on our faces and our weapons in our hands.  Total uniformity.  A show of power, power that chills, power that divides. No.  We don't lose ourselves; in following Jesus we find ourselves.  We have all been made in the image of God, yet we are all different.  Each of us is special in our own way.  Each of us is loved by God.  That love is also full of respect, loyalty, faithfulness, honesty, and amazing strength without arrogance.  We are not just pieces on a chess board; we are not domestic pets to be herded around and shown affection whenever the owner feels like it.  God's image.  That's us.


And that's the legacy we are charged with to hand down to our children, to the generations that follow us.  That's the legacy that we offer to others who don't know our merciful and grace-filled God.  We can teach them about leading a life of purpose, not rebellion.  We can teach them how to let go of those things that keep us from growing in faith.  We can teach them how to live each day with joy and thanksgiving.  We can teach them that God's presence is still with us and always will be.  Think and pray about that this coming week.  Are we willing to take on the work that Jesus began all those years ago?  Can we love God, our neighbor, even our enemy in a way that witnesses to the power, sovereignty, and incredible love that God still has for us all?  Amen.

Wandering

Hi! Good morning and blessings to you all on this frosty, fall day.  The message today is based on chapter 6 from The Story and Number 11:4-15, Deuteronomy 8:11-20.

 

Tonight Charlie and I leave for a trip to Ireland.  We've been planning this trip for 6 months.  We  have our passports, our Euros, reservations, plane tickets, train reservations for our transportation from one city to another.  We have written out an itinerary and have a good idea where we will be each day and where the best places to eat are. We’ve scoped out the pubs, too.  I’ve heard it on good authority that you can’t go to Ireland and not visit a few pubs.

 I wish my life was so planned out.  But it isn’t.  Not for me, not really for anyone.  We can do our best to plan ahead, but those unforeseen things can pop up very easily and we find ourselves wandering in a place we never expected to be, whether it is physical, emotional, mental.  We never know how we will react until we are actually in that position. 

Today we will talk about a group that is in a place they never expected to be.  It’s the children of Israel.  Remember them? We’ve been following their progress.  Now they are wandering all over the desert.  Complaining, disobeying, trying to go off in their own direction, not satisfied with anything God is doing. Always anxious about something. Today in our 1^st reading, we heard that they are not happy with what is on the menu.  They’re bored with what God has provided for them.  They are sobbing to Moses, the man who faced down Pharaoh many times to get them out of Egypt, “If only we had meat to eat!  We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” Numbers 11:4-6. 

What short memories they have.  For years and years the children of Israel cried out to God to deliver them from their bondage to slavery.  So God did the impossible and got over a million people out of the country on foot with an army on horses after them.  They even crossed through a river and didn’t get wet.  Now they are looking around at the dismal landscape, the boring food and are wondering if freedom from slavery was worth the price they were paying.

Poor Moses.  He’s still wondering why God chose him to lead this ungrateful and unruly bunch out of Egypt.  In desperation, frustration, and exasperation, he cries out to the LORD, “Why have you treated your servant so badly?  Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all these people on me?...........I am not able to carry all these people alone, for they are too heavy for me.  If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once.” Numbers 11:11,14,15.

Nobody is very happy with God right now.  The people are way more than angry over their circumstances, stuck out in the middle of nowhere and Moses would rather be dead than spend one more day with them.  Because nobody can see past their present circumstances.  I guess you could say their vision is impaired, nearsighted.  They can see what is right in front of them, but can’t see into the distance.  God’s vision for their future as a holy nation is too far away for them to focus on.  The here and now is what is important to them.  So instead of asking God to help them to see their circumstances through God’s eyes, to help them to adjust their vision, they just all whine and complain and think about the good ole days that never were.

Where are we in this story?  Because this story is about us, too.  We go through these desert periods, too.  We know that God is with us, we know that the scripture says that all things work for the good for those who love God.  We know that Jesus, our Savior died so that we may live new and transformed lives, empowered by the Holy Spirit.  We know that our sins are forgiven, we don’t have to carry around a suitcase full of guilt and shame over anything we did or didn’t do in our lives.  We know there is a higher purpose for our lives.  We know we are to serve as a light to the world, a witness of the justice, mercy, and power of the living God.  We are to stand up for the helpless, to feed the hungry, to help the poor.

And then something happens; life changes for some reason.  Joblessness, health crisis, family problem, addiction, accident, sudden death of a loved one.   We find ourselves out in a desolate place and we can’t see that vision anymore.  All we can see is what is in front of us and somehow we step off the path.  And the more we focus on what is in front of us, the bigger it gets until everything else is obliterated.  You might notice something in your peripheral vision, but not enough to command your attention.  Fear and anxiety take over.  And we get lost….and angry.  At ourselves, at God, at other people in our lives.

How do we make it through the hard times without turning from God?  Because God never abandons us; it’s usually the other way around.  How do we remember who we are in the hard times?  The children of Israel were punished by God for their disobedience and their lack of trust in God.  Not one of them who  were over 20 years old when they left Egypt would enter the promised land.  They would die in the wilderness.  They didn’t get to see the land of milk and honey.  Was this unfair of God?   Maybe a little too harsh?  They had turned their back on God’s plan for them. 

How do we escape their fate in the desert places of our lives, when our lives are off course, when our itinerary for life’s journey just went down the toilet?   Do you feel like you are wandering in your own wilderness right now and would love some clear direction as to which way you need to be going?  Are you worried that maybe you missed the entrance into the promised land because of fear and distrust and now disconnected from God and can’t seem to find your way back? And if and when you do find your way back, will God even want you anymore?

Take heart!  You might feel lost, but you’re still in God’s sight.  You might feel alone…….but you’re not.  The children of Israel finally did enter the promised land.  They might not have been happy with the food and accommodations along the way, but their clothes never wore out, their shoes protected their feet all those years. Clothes are protection and shoes help our feet to move forward.  God protected  and guided them throughout their desert experience.  They could not go onto harder things, like the actual taking of the land, until they trusted and loved God.  Their desert experienced turned them into a nation.

No matter what your circumstances, in the good times, in the bad times, remember who you are.  You have been made in the image of God.  You are loved.  There are no places in your life that are hidden from God so don’t even try to hide from the one who created all things in the first place.  Through Jesus Christ, we have entered into freedom, into a place of grace and forgiveness.  If you feel like you’ve lost your way, remember, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39.

Stop running….stop feeling guilty……stop isolating yourself.  You are not lost.  God is now in charge of your itinerary and has a new destination for you that lines up with his vision for your life.  You might even need a new passport for the journey.  Remember always that Jesus loves you and so do your brothers and sisters in Christ.  Come on back.   Amen.

 

New Commands and a New Covenant

Good morning! Hope you are all enjoying our intro to winter this weekend. The message today is based on readings from Exodus chapters 19 and 20 and the 5th chapter of the Story.

Maybe you haven't noticed that human beings are by nature rebellious? There are some of us who are openly rebellious to rules. Anybody here? There are others who follow rules but grumble and rebel inside where it can't be seen. Right? I will admit to being one of the second group. An example is when, as a student, I was given instructions on an assignment. I had this terrible habit of looking like I was listening, but was really zoning out. Didn't hear any of it. It was instinctive. Not good when you have an important assignment and have no clue what you're supposed to do. By outward appearance it seemed like I was sitting there taking it all in, being an obedient student, but inside, my rebellious heart was beating loudly.

In our story today, we see rebelliousness in the people Moses, our reluctant hero, delivered out of slavery. Moses' problems are clearly not over. They're complaining and complaining and complaining. He might have prevailed over Pharaoh, but now he's in charge of people he doesn't know and they don't know him. And none of them, including Moses really know much about God.

So it's time for them to be introduced to their God. On the first day of the third month, they arrive at the Sinai Desert and are camped at the foot of the mountain. Moses goes up the mountain to speak to God. God says to Moses, "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites".

It was a common practice in those days for nations to enter into covenants or treaties with each other. Usually the smaller nations were forced into it with a larger more powerful nation. If the smaller nation obeyed the rules or terms set by the larger one and acknowledged the other's power over it, the larger power would not invade and would protect it against other invaders. The smaller nations entered into these in fear that their nations would be destroyed if they refused the covenant.

This is not the covenant God is proposing. Yes, God is definitely more powerful than they are. But this covenant will not mean enslavement again for them; this covenant will set them free to be a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. Sounds good.......but what does that mean? And what are are the terms of this covenant?

The nation of Israel is soon to find out. Moses gathers them altogether for the holy moment of their meeting with God. They're all cleaned up and begin to tremble when the thunder and lightning begin. Then when God descends on the mountain, there is billowing smoke and fire. Very dramatic. The ground even shakes. It literally puts the fear of God in them.

God calls Moses up to the top of Mount Sinai and gives Moses what we know as the Ten Commandments. The commandments are the first set of terms in this new covenant between God and Israel. The first commandments teach us how to honor God. "I am The Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have not other gods before me." Then they are warned not to make any idols or to worship them, not to make wrongful use of God's name, and to observe one day a week as a holy day, a day of rest.

In the rest the commandments, God is teaching them how to recognize destructive behavior, we call it sin, and to refrain from it. Simply put, these are all practical ways in which they learn how to care about each other in their daily lives. They are all about building healthy relationships, with God and with each other, about staying faithful and loyal to the one true God and treating each other with dignity and respect. That is what authentic holiness is all about.

Moses goes back to the people, tells them about his meeting with God, and they promise that they will do everything the God has said. "No problem, God. You said it, we''ll do it!" Moses builds an altar at the foot of the mountain where they sacrifice young bulls. Moses takes half of the blood and puts it in bowls and then splashes the other half on the altar. Then he splashes blood on the people and says, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words." In this way, the covenant was sealed between God and the children of Israel. They were now a holy nation of the one true God. At least, they were supposed to be. Unfortunately, they had the commandments, but their hearts were not changed and they were unable to live out this covenant in spirit and in truth. That old rebelliousness hadn't been routed out of their hearts.

What about us today? Where do we fit into this story? Are we part of this covenant, too? Yes.......No. Huh? Well, these commandments are still very much a part of our lives. They still point out to us where the sin is in our lives, how we fall short in our lives; they still teach us in a practical, no nonsense kind of way how to love God and each other. They still teach us how to treat others with dignity and respect. Yes to all that. But now, we have entered into a new covenant that does not do away with the old one, but helps us to understand more deeply what those commandments are all about. In this new covenant, we are empowered to live them fully out of love for God and each other, not just obey them because we don't want to be punished. Our very hearts are changed and our lives transformed. The blood that seals this covenant is not from a bull or any other four-legged animal. The blood that seals this holy covenant with God is the blood of Jesus, the Christ. Jesus who loves us passionately and powerfully. Jesus who heals us and brings us out of the darkness of this world and our own natures.

We will be hearing Jesus' own words soon as we receive Holy Communion. "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood." (Luke 22:20b) The new covenant in my blood. In baptism, we enter into this new covenant with the living God. No, this morning there won't be smoke billowing, no flames of fire. There won't be a thundering voice. Yet God's mighty power will be here. The very presence of the living God will be with us in the sacrament, in the bread and the wine. The forgiving, transformative power of God working within us, through us in this world. In this new covenant we do not have to be slaves to our own nature, that old rebellious nature. We are a new creation; the old has passed away. That's great news. It gives us hope for a new life in Christ. Rejoice! Amen.

Deliverance

 

 

                                                              

 Good morning!! Hope you are enjoying our beautiful early fall weather.  The message today is based on Chapter 4 of The Story.

Today we look at the story of the Exodus. Most of us are familiar with it. Moses goes down to Egypt to bring out the Israelites. Before that happens God sends plagues on Egypt to 'encourage' the Pharaoh to let the enslaved Israelites go....locusts, flies, frogs....other equally hideous things. This fall season seems to be a good time to talk about the plagues of Egypt what with the invasion of the very strange looking stink bugs (which I'm convinced crawled out of the pits of hell along with cockroaches and mosquitos) and those darn Canadian geese making such a ruckus on their flight down south. And how about those squirrels. They are absolutely manic about now. I seem to spend most of my time behind the wheel trying not to kill one of those varmints who seem set on jumping under my tires.  In fact, I almost flattened one this morning on my way to work.

Except......we are not going to be talking about those plagues at all today. Instead we will be looking a plague that many of us fight and that is lack of confidence in the gifts God has given us.  This plague causes spiritual paralysis and keeps us sitting on the sidelines instead of actively joining in the work of the Holy Spirit in the world.  The whole Exodus story almost didn't happen because the person God chose to lead the people out decided to focus on his weaknesses and not on God's own strength.

Just a little history first......The children of Israel weren't from a country called Israel. They were all descended from a man called Israel, who we also know as Jacob, son of Isaac who was the son of Abraham. I'm sure you remember that God made a promise to Abraham that from him God would build a great nation. So here they are. Abraham's descendants; a mighty nation, strong and powerful. Except........no......... they aren't......not even close. Instead they are in bondage. They have been living in Egypt for several hundred years and have been enslaved by the Egyptians. They are in misery, suffering, crying out to God for deliverance. Looks like God's promise has not come to pass. Could Abraham have been mistaken, after all?

Nope. Not at all. It is now time for action. We read that God speaks to Moses and asks him to speak to Pharaoh, to tell him to let the children of Israel go. "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land.....so come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites out of Egypt." Exodus 3:7,8, 10.

I would like to tell you that Moses is thrilled and honored to be the one God was sending with such an awesome responsibility. Here's a big job to do and God goes looking for Moses,who is probably standing at that very moment knee deep in sheep dung. Right? It shouldn't be surprising. If you read through the Bible, you see that is how God calls people, right out of their ordinary, everyday lives.

But....that's not what happens. Too bad. There are a lot of people who desperately need help. While God has chosen Moses as the perfect person for the job, the perfect person replies, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" Exodus 3:11. Which is Bible speak for "Send someone else, I can't do it." Ouch..... Moses further elaborates in Ex 4:10, "O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."

It sounds as if Moses looks at what he perceives as his lack of abilities and totally ignores the fact that he is made in God's own image, and that he has all he needs to accomplish the formidable task that is set before him. There is not one of us here today reading this that can honestly judge Moses for refusing. Moses isn't a coward; he isn't disrespectful. He knows that this is a monumental job and he doesn't think he has the ability to save all these people. In his own misguided way, he is being honest with God.

The problem here isn't just Moses' lack of confidence in himself; he didn't listen carefully to God. Let's go back to God's call to Moses. "I have heard their cry.......and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians." God is going to deliver them. God. Almighty, everlasting, creator of all things. And here Moses is worrying because he is not eloquent and won't b able to get the job done.

So here we are today in 2014. Baptized, marked with the cross of Christ forever, sealed with the Holy Spirit. We've been set free from the bondage of sin and death by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have been invited into relationship with the living God. Yet, how many times when we look in the mirror do we see the reflection of all we are not, instead of the reflection of all we are in Christ? Focusing on the negatives not only in our own characters, but in those around us and not the positives can certainly limit what we can accomplish in this life. Not only do we not value the gifts we've been given, we don't even take the time to find out what they are. Instead we lament the gifts we don’t have. 

The problem with thinking like this is that when we are challenged to do something out of our comfort zone, we ask God to send someone else, like Moses did. We have a much better example to follow. Jesus. He didn't ask God to send someone else. His humanity didn't stop him from doing the work set out before him. He had faith, like Abraham, that God was fully able to accomplish what God had promised. There are people all over the world who are crying out to God. People suffering, living in misery. Needing deliverance. And we are the ones being sent out to deliver them. That is, if we will move our feet and take the first step in faith.

God is working in this world through us. Us. Not aliens from outer space. Us. Humans. Full of weaknesses, yet full of strengths. We are called just as we are, all of us gifted in different ways. The challenge for us this week, which I pass on to you, is to trust that God sees in us the reflection of Jesus, bold and faithful. And that those traits that we hate in ourselves will be turned around so that they'll be a blessing to others.

Amen.