Even This.

A sermon for Good Friday.
Listen here.

Good Friday 2016

March 25, 2016

Mark 15:16-39

Grace to you and Peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Pilate asked, “Are you king?”

The people mocked “Hail, King of the Jews!”

The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”

They knew he saved others… they thought the King of Israel could not save himself.

What kind of King is this? In what kind of kingdom does he reign?

From Mark chapter 1: “Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’

Where is God’s kingdom now?

All of these questions swirl around as we hear the story.  The story of Jesus the King, who triumphantly rode into Jerusalem, then offered his own life as the new covenant, and ends up here, on a cross. 

We can’t help but ask: Why?

Why is this how it has to end? What was God thinking? Is this God’s will?

Our king hanging on a cross.  The defeat of God’s kingdom could not be more clearly defined. 

So is this defeat of God’s ways in the world?  This cross on which our king hangs?  Has evil had the last word?  Have we been right to fear death all along? 

As we discovered last night, memory matters when it comes to God’s will.  We need to know what God has done in the past to see what God might be doing now… or to determine what God might do in the future.  This is the struggle: to seek God’s will, to seek God’s kingdom over and above the evil forces of the world that seek to destroy people, relationships and community.

What we know from our remembering of the Passover, and the whole Israelite story since the garden of Eden, is that God’s will is to make and fulfill promises.  We re-member the covenants, the promises, God has made with God’s people.  The covenant marked by the Passover in Egypt and the new covenant Jesus is enacting this holy week. And in between, God wills the covenant over and over again. God finds ways to wake us up – to open our eyes – to the ways in which God is already working in our world.  Working to redeem creation to the harmony for which it was made.  Working to bring us back, again and again from the selfish, broken state we cannot escape.

I was reminded of this during the recent tragedy of a police officer killed on the Pike.  There is no good explanation for this tragic death than that humans are broken people.

I was reminded of this when I heard of the fire at the publick house, most likely set ablaze by a cigarette butt somewhere.  Humans fail to be vigilant. 

I was reminded of it with the latest attack in Brussels… there is evil in the world, and it is easy, it is natural, it is sadly normal, for us humans to be lured into it.

I am reminded of it every time I hear public figures in our place and time talk about registering people of one religion, and torturing people God has created, and killing wives and children of people who commit heinous crimes, and refer to women as if they are objects.  As in Jesus time, our public conversation is looking for someone or something to hang on a cross.  We want it to be true that if we just pinpoint the cause of our fear, anxiety and pain… someone or something… that we can get rid of our struggle with evil.

But, then, I am reminded of Paul’s words to the Romans… “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”

Tonight, of all nights, is the moment in our sacred story that we face evil, the evil even within us.  We learn that God’s will is that evil may never win, and yet it does.  For God allows the brokenness and sin of humanity to continue to exist.  Remember when he promised not to wipe it out again after the flood?  God just keeps acting into our war-torn world with persistent love.  God keeps moving so that we might have hope.  God keeps using those who trust him, and even those who don’t, to show grace and goodness in the world.  On the day Jesus died, evil won… or thought it did.  Evil killed Jesus, the insane, consistent, persistent evil that catches us all up in the mockers and murderers and leaves blood on our hands. 

But that blood, put there by evil is just one more tool for God.  For God takes this death, this humiliation, this horrifying reality that we continue to recreate in our world throughout history: in Syria, Libya, Iraq, every country, just as much in the United States.  We hang our brothers and sisters on the lynching tree and though God never intended the violence, God takes that violence and does something we could never do: transforms it, and transforms us with it.  For we stand with the Centurion at the foot of the cross, or at the site of a car crash, or watching a building burn to the ground, or hear that mean-spirited talk, and we look for God.  We see God, right in the middle of the violence and destruction, dying with those who have been robbed of their lives.  There is God, at the side of every hurt, every injury and death, of every grief and pain.  There is God, dying along with us… For in dying himself God shows us the way to new life. 

This is a night of deep despair, and we must allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by it.  Overwhelmed by the brokenness and human pride.  The conceited idiocy that led to this beautiful man being killed.  Because we could not stand the possibility that God’s kingdom is for more than just me.  That God’s kingdom is for more than just my family and my people.  What Jesus taught throughout his life: that all people are loved by God.  That teaching disrupted the society in his day, just as much as it does ours.  Because if we actually live as if everyone is loved by God, we have to examine our assumptions and tendencies and our judgement of others.  So instead we kill the one who is more than the messenger, he is the message.  We kill the one who embodies the wholeness, the healing, the love of God’s kingdom.  And with our violence, we help along the purpose for which he came.  Because in his death, Jesus the king proclaims once again, this is How Much God Loves You and you and you and you and you and everyone.  This is how much God loves you and wants you back on the side of blessing the world with his love. 

In being the king who suffers, sacrifices and dies, God says… even this.  EVEN THIS.  Even THIS I will use.  Even This I WILL Redeem.  Even this I will make NEW.  Even this I will turn around.  Even this I will make into more than you ever intended.  Even this I will turn… just wait and see.  This is God’s great and gracious will. 

Where is God’s kingdom?  Hanging on that cross.

The kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe in the good news that even this horrifying scene, God will make new.

Amen.

Holy Joy... in Holy Week.

Listen Here. 

It was the beginning of a new year when they found that borrowed room. The Jewish year begins with The Passover.  A holiday of Holy Joy!  The holiday that celebrates the great liberation God has given.  It sounds quite strange to our ears, especially the bloodiness of the remembering. The moment itself, the moment of freedom was surely mixed with anxiety and fear as the people awaited on God’s promise.  We might feel the same, for in the re-membering, the re-living of this historical moment of freedom, we know the end of the story: both the evil of the cross and the final great victory over death.  The covenant that God makes with God’s people: first in the Passover, then again in Jesus.  For us, a life of promise and hope, a life of justice and breaking oppressive forces.  A life of joy and freedom!  To get to the fullness of that promise, we must understand something of what the Passover was like for Jesus and the disciples. 

As we hear in Exodus, that first Passover was a meal, but it was far more.  Each household slaughtered a first born unblemished lamb.  The innocence, perfection and value of the animal mattered. They carefully drained the animal of its blood out of respect for the life of the animal.  The blood was seen as the source of life – literally “lifeblood” – as we say.  The blood was used for a sacred purpose.  They put some of the blood on their doorframe.  They marked the entrance to the house they lived in so that the angel of death would know that God’s faithful people were there.  Who would do this if they were not trusting in God to save them?  It was an outward sign of the invisible God.  A foretelling of the covenant that named and claimed them as God’s people.  This is the night they remembered their identity.  With this lifeblood, marking the doorway to their homes, they claimed the promise God made to them: that they would be set free! 

It is helpful to remember that this festival is full of anticipation and joy!  It is easy to lose this feeling tonight.  It all sounds very earthy, and maybe horrifying to us.  But we hold the same sacred attitude towards blood, if you think about it.  A bloody scene makes us recoil, it tells us that life is in danger here, and we move immediately to keep the blood where it belongs.  This act of using animal blood was a great sacrifice, an act not in one’s own self-interest if you wanted to keep your flock growing.  This very human act was not for the sake of gore, but a sacrificial offering to honor God as the one who gives us life in the first place.

The blood was first put on the doorways the night that God showed God’s power with the 10^th plague.  It was extreme.  But it was the 10^th.  Nine signs had been given before this to Pharoah and to the whole people of Egypt.  God commanded that the oppressors stop oppressing.  God demanded that the slaves be let free.  And God showed God’s power 9 different ways before this so that they might be sufficiently warned.  So that they might clearly understand that God meant for the command of freedom to be obeyed.  A parent warning a child 9 times is either ineffective or incredibly patient.  In either case, grace, not punishment, is clearly the goal.  And so on the 10^th plague, arguably the most horrific of God’s actions in scripture.  God allows the killing of all the oldest sons in every household in Egypt.  Every household who does not have the blood on a lamb on their doorframe.  Every household who is not faithful to God’s command of justice, freedom, grace and love.

The blood in itself is a powerful reminder of salvation from this death toll.  Yet, the remembering doesn’t stop there.  In this holiday called The Passover, the Jewish people roast the lamb and eat a very special meal where each dish on the table symbolized the experience of the people.  They eat bitter herbs which represent the bitterness of the slavery in which the faithful people are trapped.  They eat flatbread, because there is no time for waiting on yeast to rise when they await the call to flee.  They drink from four cups of wine, at the beginning, the middle, the end of the meal – each time focusing on what God is about to do.  The lamb itself is consumed, every bit of it, any leftovers are to be burned, for this is a sacred meal, not to be boxed up in Tupperware for the next day.  There is no next day in this memory.  Only this moment of faithfulness. 

There is no next day in this place.  Not even time for yeast to rise!  No tomorrow in the depths of hell on earth.  Tonight we will be set free.  Tonight we will escape the trap of our bondage.  Tonight we will leave this existence where we are worked to death and broken by the oppressive forces that hold us back from seeing God’s created humanity in one another.  Tonight we will leave Egypt.

This is the meal that Jesus was eating for his Last Supper as we call it.  This is the remembrance he and his disciples were enacting.  Faithfully, they lived again the moment of salvation.  The moment when God took away the chains of hopelessness and despair and gave them a new life! 

This is the bread that was on Jesus’ table.  These are the cups that were poured out.  This is the blood that the disciples had drained from the lamb. 

The same bread of life Jesus gave to them, saying this is MY BODY.  Now this is more than bread in a hurry. This is bread that graces our table with the urgency of the new life that is coming !  This bread that nourishes your body, your actual body, and our actual community.  

The same cup of life Jesus lifted up, saying this is MY BLOOD of the covenant, poured out for you.  Now this is more than blood from a precious lamb.  [More than the blood of the Saini covenant for Atonement.]  This is blood from God’s firstborn.  Now this cup is more than remembering the salvation of God from Egypt, it is the salvation of God for the slavery to sin. 

{Joy} In this meal Jesus brings us in to experience the Passover of the plague and freedom from Egypt by his Passover from the death which is on our doorstep to the new life that is promised, once again. In this meal, Jesus transforms US.  By eating and drinking his very body and blood, a thing we would never do otherwise, this is what makes us one with the one who embodies the kingdom.  This is where we know God shows up – each time we gather around Christ’s table. By eating and drinking we become the Body of Christ in the world!

Standing at the door, waiting to take a life, is the evil that God has not stopped.  The killing in which God will not intervene.  The violence that God has entered with a body just like ours.   God’s very kingdom has come near to the earth in flesh and blood, and yet we have rejected it.  Betrayed it with 30 pieces of silver and a kiss on the very night when the joyous kingdom is lived out in this Meal!  Fell asleep when we were to keep awake for this kingdom.  Denied the kingdom three times while it was on trial.  Shown our allegiance is still handcuffed to the belief that we know best.  Our loyalty is found where our security is best served, rather than our neighbors. 

And so the story of Jesus and his followers continues tomorrow… the story of what happened when God’s heavenly kingdom showed up on earth. The story of God making yet one more cosmic covenant with us: the promise of freedom, redemption and hope.  Let us listen, receive and pray…

Holy and Gracious God you have given us the gift of this new covenant in your blood.  You have given us the story of your people and grafted us into it, even us who were not of Abraham’s line until the baptismal waters hit our head.  Thank you for making us your people.  Thank you for your continual promises that evidence your deep and abiding love. 

Amen.  

A Letter to Bethlehem, A Shining Star

Pastor's Annual Report of 2015

⁶For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. - 2 Corinthians 4:6

Dear Beloved Bethlehem,

Two things.  The first is: you are amazing.  And I love you.  I have been honored to rejoice with you this year as this congregation grows by leaps and bounds.  We grow with love for one another, especially in our prayer requests.  We grow in our understanding of scripture and our faith, especially in our adult study groups.  We grow in evangelism as we baptized one adult in 2015, and two more in Jan 2016.  We grow in community as we learn and celebrate our 30 years of history.  We grow in our outreach to young families who just keep showing up!  I experience a tiny glimpse of God’s delight over you, and I am overwhelmed. 

Next, I want to acknowledge that I am riding a very thin line in the rest of this conversation.  Let me be clear: I do not want to sway the vote for either budget in any way.  This vote is not about me, it is about Bethlehem’s future.  Therefore, I have written the rest of this report to “you” as a congregation, with me in the most neutral place possible.  Hopefully it is clear that as your pastor, I am doing my best to guide you spiritually at this difficult time, but not on the specifics of your financial decisions. 

The second thing is: I have a tough question for you to consider.  Whether you have a half-time pastor or a full time pastor matters, of course.  But this question matters more.  Do you, as a congregation, have as your top goal being a stable congregation?  Or rather, is your top goal being a congregation that exists to do God’s work in this world?  Yes, this matters.  It matters a lot.  Because no matter what the outcome of this meeting (part-time pastor or full-time pastor), if it is simply a better strategy for stability, then we are setting ourselves up to fail.  Let me be clear, seeking stability alone, is not trusting God.  It is pretending that we can control the long-term future of this place, and is dangerous to our spiritual health if we do so only to serve our own needs.  Rather, we live faithful to God’s will and live out that will as Christ’s body.  Seeking stability must be only for the purpose of stewarding well God’s gifts to us so that we can live in faith, giving ourselves away. 

We have talked a lot for the last few years about what God’s purpose is for our existence, and I am sorry to say that “stability,” in itself, is not God’s purpose for us.  We have done our best to name what we do understand about God’s purpose is for us in the Vision, Mission and Values of this congregation:

Vision:

To shine the light of Christ so brightly that everyone is

drawn in to God’s love through this community.

Mission:

Welcoming all through the light of Christ by

feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and being a place of shelter.

(Inspired by the Holy Spirit through Matthew 25:35-36)

Values:

The Illuminating Word of God
Seeing all People and Perspectives
Serving our Communities with Delight
Opening the Eyes of Faith at Every Age

Now it is time that I, as your shepherd, ask this tough question, once again: Why does Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Sturbridge exist? 

Let me give you examples. These are answers that I have heard from you over the past three years.  One good reason to exist is to be a place of shelter and solace for those who need it.  This reason is reflected in the tail end of the Mission Statement as well as the first value, the illuminating Word of God.  Because it is God alone, and God’s Word for us that supplies the only real solace we have in this sin-bound life.  God’s Word shines a light on us and through us to the world to say: “You. Are. Loved.  By a God who created the whole world.  You matter that much.  Every broken thing about you, that you have done or has been done to you, every broken thing, is made whole in Jesus Christ.”  Is this why you exist Bethlehem?  Is this work the work that lights you up inside? And if so, how do you throw your whole selves into the ministry of this place?  Do you offer more healing services?  Do you create a care team that brings this Word to the members and friends among us who do not hear it in worship, through cards or phone calls? 

Another good reason to exist is to be a community.  An honest, authentic, community that trusts God and one another.  How will you build community for each other?  One on one conversations?  Monthly Dinner Clubs?  Do you build the kind of trust that can hold difficult conversations about the issues that impact people’s lives in our congregation: racism, caring for aging parents, caring for the foster children in our state or caring for immigrants?  Will you build a community that can respect each other even when we completely disagree (because we will, the CAT taught us that, and that’s ok!) and be open and loving about it?  Is this a purpose for which it is worth existing – a kingdom of God purpose?

When we ask why do we exist, we ask: What lights you up inside?  Many people in this congregation have named and claimed the mission to feed, clothe and shelter from Matthew 25.   And there is no question that you are doing this in a major way at Bethlehem’s Closet.  And this ministry is beautiful.  Absolutely beautiful.  This ministry is a way for us to provide clothing with compassion and dignity to those who are struggling to make ends meet.  But again, is this why you exist, Bethlehem?  And if so, what are you doing as a member of this congregation to make this mission happen?  Are you lit up about it to the point that you will support it with your time, talent and treasure? You may want to ask the same questions about the new garden.  What lights you up with God’s joy and love?

You see, Bethlehem, I am a very poor reflection of our God’s love for you, and I love you a lot.  And it pains me to see that your future is uncertain right now.  And the certainty of that future is not about which budget you pass.  The only certainty we have, as individuals and as a community, is simply our certainty in God’s love for us.  If you want this congregation to survive, to be stable, and that is all you are hoping for, you hope for far, far too little.  God wants more for his church.  God wants Christ’s body in the world to thrive, to be healthy, alive and kicking!  God is seen through you!  Christ’s body in the world!  And God is showing up here, every week, to nourish this little piece of the body with generous, abundant bread and wine and Word.  Trust it.  Fall into that underserved grace.  Grip tightly to the Promise.  You are God’s children, and God has a future for you.

God holds a future where we show this darkened world what a community looks like when we live together and love each other, even when we have incredibly different ideas about society and faith – to live as Christ’s community inside and outside this building. God holds a future where our light shines so brightly that everyone in our community is drawn in to God.  Drawn to God by the Bethlehem star that shines beyond and through everything that might get in the way.  We are the shining light of Christ… because only in God is our future, our existence, our very life.  – Modified from the Vision, Mission, Values presentation.

In Christ’s Light,

Pastor Kirsten

The Rev. Kirsten Nelson Roenfeldt

pastorkirsten@bethlehemsturbridge.org

774.318.9306 (mobile)

God's Kingdom Shining Through

A Epiphany1 2016

January 10, 2016

Mark 1:1-20

  

Narrator: The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

Prophet: See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’

Narrator: John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed,

John: The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

Narrator: In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.  [Tearing/ripping sound effect] And a voice came from heaven,

Voice: You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.

Narrator: And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying,

Jesus: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.

Narrator: As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them,

Jesus: Follow me and I will make you fish for people.

Narrator: And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

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Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Grace to you and Peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Wow!  What a day! How often do we have eight brand new family members to celebrate at once!  It’s a big day for Sarah, Eli, Quinn, Adam and Evan – being welcomed into God’s family!… and we have three new members of this congregation affirming their baptisms: Ryan, David and Melody!  Welcome!  We are so thrilled to have you with us in this gathering of God’s family!

Today we read the sacred story of Jesus own baptism from the Gospel of Mark.  Mark is the book of the Bible we will be reading through from now until Easter.  And today’s reading is an important one – it sets us up for the whole story Mark tells, the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. 

Out of the four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – this is the gospel story that starts, not with a baby in a manger, but with baptism!  The same place we enter into our new life of faith.  The wild-man John baptized a lot of people.  All of them coming to him because they wanted to start a new life, a life of faithfully living with God.  And then, here’s Jesus, already fully faithful to God’s will – Walking into the river Jordan for John’s baptism.  Jesus may not have needed his sins washed away, but he knew we did.  And so God gave us this great gift!  This sacred moment – this sacrament – where God shows up.  Pouring out grace on us claiming us in the same words, “You are my son, You are my daughter, the beloved; with whom I am well pleased.”

And Jesus’ baptism is just the beginning of the beginning… though Jesus may not have needed the reassurance of God’s closeness, baptism does mark a new beginning for him too... Jesus starts his new life!  His life of caring for the neighbor, his life of feeding people… his life of publicly living as God would have him live.

Jesus begins his new life with these words, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”  The same words that his baptizer proclaimed.  The words that define everything Jesus is about to do and everything we are about to get ourselves into again with Adam and Sarah… this time, this new life, living in God’s kingdom, repenting, believing.   It is in this verse from chapter one, verse five: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”  This is where we get our theme for the season of Epiphany this year: God’s Kingdom Shining Through.  God’s kingdom – God’s reign over us starts now! 

For baptism is more than just a day, more than just a ritual, more than just this one time that we are assured God shows up, tearing open the heavens to get to us.  Baptism is a whole new way of living.  In these waters we get the gift of life from God!  The life where we follow Jesus.  The life where we have freedom from sin, where death has no hold on us.  What kind of life? A life of grace, a life of sharing, a life of Community. 

Here, TOGETHER, in this place, we live this life God has promised.  We are knit together by the gifts of Jesus’ sacrifice.  God looks at each one of us and sees the very same thing: Jesus, who has conquered sin and death for us.  And so we, we live here, and now and we band together as one body… as Jesus body, and we share this gift!  We share this good news!  We share this life with anyone and everyone around us!

This fall the council has been talking about how we might continue to do this better.  Be a community that is more faithful to what God is calling us to be.  And it has come down to this: building relationships.  This congregation is a warm and welcoming place.  But there are times and there are people who have slipped away because we do not know each other well.  We slip away from each other in this body if we are not fully engaged, and not holding one another up… which we want – for every one of you!  We want to be a congregation of people who are faithful to God and faithful to each other.  Who call to say that you are missed, who visit when you are sick, who pray for you in your sickness and in your joy!  And since that is what we believe God wants us to be, we are working on how to get there.

In fact, right now, our Stewardship team, and our Forward Leadership team, and our council are ALL talking about it!: How to build stronger relationships among members here at Bethlehem.  In the near future, you will receive an invitation to build relationships with more of the people sitting around you.  To continue to build up together a community of people who reflect the light of God’s love for each and every one of you, and for the world.

That love of God… that’s right here.  In this water, this bread and wine, and in these people who are Christ’s body.  That love of God, it’s gotten loose in the world.  You know, when the heavens ripped open [tear cloth], there was no putting them heavens back in some faraway place.  Later in Mark we will hear of another ripping… the tearing of the temple curtain at the time of Jesus’ death.  These two violent ruptures of “God in God’s proper place” bookend Jesus ministry.  They tell us that something radical is happening, the old rules don’t apply in the same way anymore.  The Spirit is loose in the world, our world is altered forever.

Here at Jesus’ baptism, God’s kingdom fell right into our world – like the bright shining light and angels singing – the kingdom streaming in with wide beams of light – shining into Jesus.  Shining into us.  Shining into the world through us.  God’s kingdom… shining through.

Amen.

The Kingdom of Hope

For AUDIO Click Here.

B Christ the King 2015

November 22, 2015

Isaiah 11:1-3

Matthew 25:34-40

The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. [Glory to you O Lord]

34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

The Gospel of the Lord [Praise to you O Christ].

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Grace to you and Peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”

With these words, Isaiah is prophesying to the broken kingdom of Israel that is seeking hope. We, following in the footsteps of the sacred story, continue to be a broken people seeking hope. 

Isaiah speaks to a people who have been cut down to a stump – who’s earthly kingdom that had started so hopefully with David, has been chopped down at the root.  At this point in the sacred story, David’s people have been spread across the world because their home is no longer safe for them.  We know their sense of lostness and loneliness and homelessness; the same as we feel when our sense of safety is suddenly questioned, like those in France are feeling now. 

Having heard the stories, we can remember what it was like to be homeless, like Abraham and Sarah awaiting the promise, like Jacob seeking forgiveness from his brother, like Ruth and Naomi seeking shelter, like the people without homes today, whether they are refugees from Syria or the people of Cathedral in the Night in Northhampton where the youth and families went to worship and eat last Sunday evening.

We, as broken people in a broken world, are gifted with the promise of a branch growing out of the root.  We bear the promise of the king who reigns today, and who is coming in Advent, the new shoot named Jesus.  This new king for God’s new kingdom.  After the kingdoms of Israel have divided and fallen, we are given a new kingdom of hope.  Hope that God’s promises will be fulfilled, hope that in this kingdom citizens might take each other in, even us, who are lost, lonely and homeless.  HOPE in a kingdom that is DIFFERENT from the brokenness around us… this is a kingdom of WHOLENESS!  A kingdom where love sits on the throne.

Today, as we celebrate Christ the King Sunday, we consider what it means to be a part of God’s kingdom.  Isaiah helps us to remember that God’s design for a kingdom was never the earthly tyrant on the throne, even though that’s what humans usually deliver.  God’s design is a persistent hope.  A persistent love in the face of fear.  A persistent bravery. 

And that gift, the gift of that love-filled, hopeful, brave kingdom, is for us.  We, Bethlehem, who already live in that gift of hope through the waters of baptism and the sustenance of the holy meal. Each time we open our empty hands to receive communion, we have already accepted the invitation to live in God’s kingdom! 

And this gift of hope in love is for us and, through us, for the world.  We, citizens of this kingdom, Bethlehem, exist for the world.  God’s persistent movement to give each and every person hope by showing them love through the hands and feet of their neighbors.

So, I have asked our leaders to help me talk about this kingdom we are a part of today. And what the kingdom looks like, specifically in this place and when we are gathered and sent.  The council has been doing some thinking about this congregation, how and why it is that we gather together, and what is our value in this place. 

We know that we, Bethlehem, have been brought into existence because God wanted it to be so.  We heard that over and over again in the memories at our 30^th anniversary a couple of weeks ago.  We know that it is only by God’s power that we are here. 

So then, Why has God placed us here?  What does God have for us to do in this kingdom of persistent hope?  What witness or ministry does God intend to have happen in this very place?

Why does Bethlehem’s existence…why does Bethlehem’s ministry matter?

Bethlehem's ministry matters for one simple reason; to share the word of God's Grace.  In our congregation, we all hear God's word every Sunday and in the community we help others hear and see the word. We do this by inviting people into our church family and actively working in the community through different mission projects, Bethlehem's closet being the best example. – Thad Darger, President

Bethlehem's existence invites, embraces and perpetuates the word and love of God through Jesus Christ. We continually learn and we do our best to carry out his goodwill in our daily lives. – Pete Maertens, Secretary

Referring directly to our gospel for today Matt Maselli, Property Chairperson said, “We exist to care for the least of us, and need to look into our hearts to know if we are truly doing what we can.” – Matt Maselli, Property Chairperson

Bethlehem's existence matters because it is a place that continually teaches me how to live with compassion. Its presence is a gentle reminder to look beyond myself so that I do not look beyond my neighbor. When I see someone struggling to open a door, or a cashier asks if I'd like to donate to a community service initiative, or it looks like someone could use a kind word or two, it is Bethlehem at work when I extend my hand or voice. – Johanna Webb, Vice President

Bethlehem provides a gathering place where ALL are included.  'Seasoned' citizens share the pews with infants; teens and toddlers commune together; young families share fellowship with grandparents.  First time visitors are welcomed as though they were charter members.  This inclusiveness, this sense of welcome [and] belonging is indeed a rare thing.  It doesn't happen everywhere; Bethlehem is a SPECIAL place! – Tom Houston, Worship Chairperson & Youth Minister

Bethlehem is a place, and a congregation, unique in some aspects.  The community brought together here shares a spirit and heritage of faith that could not be exactly duplicated anywhere else as it began not that long ago as a mission church.  It is evidence of God working here to bring together this varied group of Christians, united in their faith and desire to be "the hands of Christ" in this community.  This country, and the world for that matter, need more, not fewer, voices of faith speaking loudly about how to live together as children of God. – Ann Carlson, Stewardship Chairperson

Bethlehem matters because God says it matters.  Where two or more of you are gathered... It matters because we are human and broken and we need a community that celebrates with us, centers us and heals us and grieves with us. It matters because we have already mattered and those folks we matter to are still here. And we matter for all those who have yet to know us and how we can shine God's light in their direction. – Karen Bodamer, Mission Chairperson

I would say [Bethlehem] matters for the same reason anything matters; because it makes a difference in someone's life. It is a presence for our members and matters to us. It provides food and clothing through just a couple of our ministries and that matters to the community, especially the recipients. It matters because without it there would be a void in the lives of all these people that it currently serves. – Christine Jensen, Faith Formation Chairperson

There are places in our world where people are being taught to harm others.  Look at Paris last weekend.  God needs our help in this world to teach love and to pray for our enemies so that they might know God's love.  These so-called enemies do not know our God of love and forgiveness. Bethlehem is a place to share God's love, His truth, His light so we can go out in the world and be His Light to all who we meet.  In our global world where people do not know our God, it is our job to share Him.—Melany Gronski, Past President

Why do we exist?  We exist for all these things – summed up in a phrase, God’s kingdom.  Beyond our congregation and here for each other.  And notice, I said Congregation.  We congregate here because it is in our gathering that the kingdom exists!  It is in our congregating that each of us participate, we see God’s love working in our neighbors and we love our neighbors; we see God’s love working to save us because of what these very people around us are being!  Your presence here, your investment of time, your investment of your whole self, matters – because you are Bethlehem Lutheran church.  You, People of God, are the church.  We are all ministers of Jesus Christ in this place.  Working together as people of hope. 

We will be talking about money at the end of worship today, so I would be remiss not to make this connection clear.  Our money is a significant tool to use for the kingdom.   Money is your “minted self” – it is your concerns and values – the way you make more of those good things happen[i].  Just think what God can do with it!  So now that you are in God’s kingdom, God has every intention of using your whole self, including your money to create persistent hope in the world. 

This is our ministry!  As people named House of Bread, that we might feed, shelter and clothe those in need of hope as our gospel says today.  We show up here, and in our every day lives to live differently than the world around us.  We show up to live not in the American kingdom or the Western kingdom or even the global kingdom – all these are cut to the root, despairing and grasping in their fear, grabbing for control, searching desperately for some measure of comfort. 

We show up to live as brave citizens of God’s kingdom of hope.  God’s shoot of hope, growing out of a stump of despair.  Hope because the Word of God has illumined our way.  Hope that sees all people and perspectives.  Hope that serves our communities with delight and Hope that opens the eyes of faith at every age.   Hope shining through the trees.

Bethlehem, this is God’s loving, hopeful kingdom. Shine God’s love.  Risk for hope.  Be brave.  Because you know it and I know it, the only way we live in God’s kingdom of wholeness is to live knowing/ that on Easter morning… love wins.  

Amen.

---

[i] Ray Kask (Assoc. to the Bishop)

God's Broken Heart

B Pentecost25 2015

November 15, 2015

Hosea 11:1-9

(Mark 10:13-14)

Reader: Narrator 1, Narrator 2

Narrator 1: When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols.

Narrator 2: Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.

Narrator 1: They shall return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me. The sword rages in their cities, it consumes their oracle-priests, and devours because of their schemes. My people are bent on turning away from me. To the Baals they call, but he does not raise them up at all.

Narrator 2: How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.

+          +          +

The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark. [Glory to you O Lord]

¹³People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”

The Gospel of the Lord [Praise to you O Christ].

Grace to you and Peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

[Carter, 1 year old, stayed up front with his mom and dad, as our visual.]  

When Israel was a child,

I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

²The more I called them, the more they went from me;

they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols.

³Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms;

 but they did not know that I healed them.

 ⁴I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love.

I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.

How old were you when you realized what your parents had done for you?  When did you realize that these people actually taught you to walk, to eat and made sure you survived childhood?

If you became a parent yourself, then, maybe you understood something about their tired eyes in the morning, or their flaring anger when one of you hurt your brother or sister.

All parents are doing the best with what they have, and though we wish it were not true, sometimes what we have as parents is not enough to change the course our child has chosen. 

Even with the most loving of parents…Sometimes children grow into the hard way of doing things… some of our children rebel … some of our children are crippled by a mental illness for a while…   or struggle with addiction.  I have known many parents, who, with deep, deep love for their children had to make the decision not to rescue them anymore.  To leave that child in the jail cell, or to not let them back in the house, to let alone their child’s choice of relationships, no matter how destructive… Parents that have had their hearts broken so completely, they reach a point of letting go.

Have you had your heart broken like that, to the point you had to let go?

Hosea’s oracle here is the story of a loving parent, doing all they can to set their beloved child up for success – for the real success of true joy and a life of wholeness.  And at every turn, that child seems bound and determined to choose hurt, humiliation and blame. 

God’s children have separated themselves, they hold grudges against one another, they turn away from the family values that have held them together. They offer up sacrifices to false gods… which wouldn’t seem so harmful, seeing as they are, indeed, FALSE gods.   But those gods demand our blood to pour, like the false prophets of Baal last week… self-inflicting injuries… gods demanding captivity instead of freedom, even human sacrifice.  They really are not so far off from the gods we turn to today… the idols of image that starve us, the worshipping of personal security that leave us stingy, the god of opiods that drain our life and community, the god of guilt that chains us to unhealthy relationships. 

And so the loving mother – God says to those she once nursed, “How can this be?” The loving father – God says to those he helped to take their first steps, “This is not who you are!” 

The emotion may be angry, but the root is love.

Think about the last time you were bothered enough to be angry.  Was it because you cared enough… because you loved enough to want something to be different?

This kind of love exists from parent to child and child to parent; from God to Israel… and from God to us…God looks at God’s children, remembers the time we learned to walk, remembers the child who nursed at God’s bosom, remembers the time God lifted us up to rub noses…

That’s where we enter the story today. The God who loves us so deeply that God’s heart is breaking over the violence we do to each other, the sacrifice we have made of our neighbors, the pain we have continued to bring into the world, and the pain of others that we ignore.  We are all in this human family together.  Today God is angry along with us over Paris and Beirut and Ramallah and Bahgdad.  God has fierce anger over these injustices. But God promises in Hosea, just like in Genesis where the Rainbow came after the flood, that God’s way is not one of destruction. God’s way is one of life.  We may use the name Allah or YHWY, either way, God’s call to faithfulness is about devotion to a way of life of service in love, and that is the opposite of terror.  

The book of Hosea is really a very sad story.  Hosea is God’s faithful prophet in the midst of a very unfaithful people – the northern kingdom, he calls them “Ephraim” for short – Ephraim, the biggest tribe in the north.  Hosea tells us today that even though God has every covenantal right to kick us out of the family, even though we humans have broken every promise and continue to choose death and destruction over the far more powerful love and life, even though God’s heart is breaking over us… God doesn’t let go. 

Even though there comes a time when we must let go of destructive relationships…

God does not.  God holds onto us, whether we are the bullied or the bully, the abused, or even the abuser, the brokenhearted, the addicted, the sober, the clean.  God holds onto those who have broken our hearts, and holds onto us, NO MATTER WHAT. 

Calling us sons and daughters at the font, Teaching us the way to walk with Jesus, Lifting us up to God’s own face, Feeding us with God’s very self, and Binding up the broken pieces of our hearts with love… God will not let us go. 

Amen. 

Brave Saints

B All Saints 2015

November 1, 2015

1 Kings 12:1-17

Readers: Narrator, One, Two, Congregation

Narrator: In the days of King Rehoboam:

Congregation: All kings eventually go to sleep with their ancestors.

Narrator: As it had been with Saul, the first king over Israel, so it was with David, the shepherd-king.

One: David’s son Solomon came to reign. For the building of the temple, he levied taxes and forced their labor. For building his own house, he levied taxes and forced their labor.

Two: Four hundred and eighty years after the Israelites had been led out of slavery in Egypt, their laborers and craftsmen were conscripted for monumental construction projects.

Narrator: As the years passed, Solomon fell away from the ways of the Lord, and there was trouble in the land; rebellion and division.

Congregation: But all kings eventually go to sleep with their ancestors.

Narrator: As it had been with Saul, it was with David. As it had been with David, so it was with Solomon.

One: Word went out that Solomon was dead, and those who had rebelled against his rule made their way home. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, went to Shechem, where the nation had come to make him king.

Two: Led by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had ten of the twelve tribes of Israel in the palm of his hand, all the assembly came and said to Rehoboam, the not-yet-king,

Congregation: During your father’s time, he weighed us down with heavy workloads and we suffered because of him. We have come here to ask you to lighten the load your father laid upon us. If you do so, we will be your willing servants.

One: He said to them, “I need time to think this over. Go away for three days, then come again to me.” So the people went away.

Two: Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the older men who had attended his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”

One: They answered him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.”

Narrator: And the pleas of the people rang heavy in his ears.

Congregation: We have come here to ask you to lighten the load your father laid upon us. If you do so, we will be your willing servants.

Two: Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the younger men who had grown up with him, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”

One: They answered him, “If you will exercise your authority and punish them with whips and even scorpions, then they must be your servants forever.”

Narrator: And so Rehoboam met with the assembly on the third day.

Two: And King Rehoboam punished the people, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke.”

Narrator: So the king did not listen to the people.

Congregation: But all kings eventually go to sleep with their ancestors.

One: Those assembled feared for their lives.

Two: They fled with their tents, while Rehoboam ruled with a heavy hand all who remained in the towns.

Narrator: And so the kingdom was divided.

Congregation: But all kings eventually go to sleep with their ancestors.

+          +          +

Grace to you and Peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Let me tell you a story of God and God’s people… starting from when they entered the promised land.  You will remember they had been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years after God had freed them from Egypt. After Moses died they entered the promised land, and for the generations who lived then, every move they made was with God’s promises at the center of their lives.  And God himself moved with them.  They made a tabernacle, a tent, where God’s word was kept in the ark of the covenant, that treasure box we talked about in the children’s sermon last week.  And in this tent, God promised to sit, like a king on a throne, and priests and judges would take the place of Moses, communicating on God’s behalf directly to the people.

But the people didn’t like this much.  Who knows if it was simply wanting to be like their neighbors or more nefarious desires to be free of God’s way of life… but the people demanded a king.  God as their king was not enough for them.  They wanted a human, earthly, kingdom.  And so God, being the generous, loving God who does not force people to love him back… gave them a king. 

They thought only a human king they could see could be their protector from outside enemies.  They forgot that God had done that for generations.  They thought they needed a king to be brave.  They forgot that God had given them fantastically brave military leaders in the judges and before that, the bravery to escape Egypt!  So even though they had lived for generations growing and thriving as a people - loving God and loving neighbor … it wasn’t enough. 

They imagined a human king who would treat them justly, who would be the brave and kind hero you might see in an idealistic Hollywood movie: Superman – just the right humility of Clark Kent, nonchalant bravery, superhuman powers, an inclination to save their Metropolis, and a good dose of handsomeness.  …David was that superhero king!  David was a brave warrior for them, against human enemies and against other gods.  David too had his kryptonite, he was only a man after all.  But the secret of David’s superhuman might, was not a result of his own power… the only superpower at work/ was God’s.

It was God that made David brave.  David put the Word of God at the center of the people’s lives; that treasure box, called the ark, where God’s word was kept.  David retrieved the ark that contained the commandments of God and brought it back from the outskirts of Israel’s land. David brought the Word of God back, literally, to the center of their lives – to Jerusalem, the neutral capital city like Washington DC – where the people re-membered their worship and their lives in God.  Just like Abraham and Sarah, and like the people freed from Egypt, God renewed the covenant with them.  Even when his own people/ betrayed his rule over their lives /by insisting on a king…

But then things went sour.

Solomon, David’s son, was quite a successful king to start off with.  He is the one, you may have heard, who asked God above all for wisdom. And Solomon built the temple.  He was off to a good start in God’s eyes.  Yet, as Solomon’s kingship went on, things did not go as God would have hoped.  Solomon intermarried with many different nations, building alliances that may have kept Israel from war, but which threatened their safety in God. Solomon built not just a temple to the LORD, /but to every /one/ of the gods of his wives.  The One God, the Lord alone, the God who loved them and whom they loved solely, was no longer at the center of the life of Israel.

And… Solomon fell prey to the lavish kingly lifestyle… he became what all earthly powers threaten to become – an exploiter.  To the people who had once been slaves in Eqypt, the people whom God had freed from such a harsh life, to those same people, Solomon (their king!) made them slaves again.  He made them slaves for his own building projects: for the temple itself and for his own home. His grand castle for his many wives and their children.  Solomon, and the people, forgot God and forgot God’s ways of freedom and love.  And so this dream of a kingdom where the brave king would keep them safe was no longer the reality when Solomon died.

And so, as the people get ready to crown a new king, Rahaboam, they ask this life-changing question.  They want to know how is it that this king will treat them?  Will he be a king of David, and a king of God’s Word, or will he be a king like Solomon became, that treats them harshly for his own royal benefit.  And we heard Rahaboam’s answer.  And the people wept over David and it became both bitter and a comforting promise that All kings eventually go to sleep with their ancestors.

Rahaboam ruled as he promised; and God, the loving God who wanted none of this, keeps his promise to David to allow his line to continue in the kingship.  But, just like any nation ruled by fear, Israel splits.  The kingdom divides and Rahaboam rules only a small part, but a part that includes Jerusalem.  Jeraboam, rules the rest of the 12 tribes of Israel. 

God’s beloved nation becomes damaged by its kings.  God’s beloved people are ruled by the tyranny God never wanted for them.  It’s the old, old, story, of God letting us have our way, even when our way is not the best that God has to offer. But God, persistently, sleeplessly, finds a way to save us from ourselves.

Generations later, after the kingdom is conquered and dissolves.  After God’s people have been scattered by tyrants and allowed to return by kinder oppressors… God puts a new king on the throne. A throne with no official political power, but with the power of remembering – remembering us, remembering the promises, remembering love for God and neighbor.

God comes to sit on that cross-shaped throne himself, and to reign from there eternally.  Christ shows up as the brave king.  The king that is brave enough to live for others, the king that is brave enough to die… for the ones he loves.  God reigns to give us a new kingdom where we are all beloved and brave.

This kingdom we are now is a completely unique kingdom!  We who are grafted in to the nation of Israel, we are brought into God’s kingdom, not by a citizenship test, but a declaration of faith, of trust in the one God who has made us brave in the midst of a fearful world.  

Brave to do hard things like living in community with people who are flawed, and like giving myself away.  Brave things like reaching out to those who hurt us and brave things like asking for forgiveness.  That is the kind of bravery this new ruler gives us. 

This kind of bravery is all it takes to be God’s saints.  So we remember our ancestors today, those who were braver than these pitiful, tyrant kings – those brave saints of God – the ones who showed us what the bravery of faith looks like.  Who trusted in God, above any human authority.  Who may or may not have had superhuman powers, but who loved God and us with superhuman might.  The ones who are completely safe now, resting in God’s arms until we are reunited on the last day. 

Today we will remember all those saints with these strips of cloth.  And when we dedicate our woven cross that is in the narthex at the end of worship, we will have woven in all of their names.  We will hold, for a time, their brave witness of love to us.  Their witness of God’s kingdom here on earth and forever in heaven.  During the sacred space time, come up and write the name of a saint in your life, living or dead.  Come up and light a candle for all those you remember today.  Then go to the cross in the narthex and weave it in so that by the end of worship, when we dedicate that cross as a work of God among us, it will also show our remembering the brave saints of God. 

All kings eventually go to sleep with their ancestors.  But God does not.  God gives us the divine and perfect kingdom.  The kingdom where the yoke of love is light for all, where all have enough and all are beloved.  Praise be to God, we get to live in that kingdom now!  Trusting in God, which gives us a bravery beyond ourselves, to live in love for all our neighbors, near and far. Amen.