10-20-2024 A Life of Service

Thomas J Parlette
“A Life of Service”
Mark 10: 35-45
10/20/24
           The very first job I ever had was as a gas station attendant at a Mobil station not very far from where I lived in Downingtown, PA.  The station was owned by a guy who went to our little country church. His son worked there, along with a couple of other guys. I was by far the youngest, I think I was about 14 or 15 at the time – right around when the original Star Wars movie came out. I remember reading the reviews in the Philadelphia Inquirer. My job was basically pumping gas.
          Whenever a car pulled up to get gas, I would hustle out and ask would I could get them – usually they said filler-up – and then they’d sit in the car and watch me do my thing.
          I would get the gas flowing, and while they waited, I would check their oil, check the air in the tires and wash their windows. It was a race to get it all done before the tank was filled. It was a great first job.
          In the mid to late seventies, that was the norm. No one pumped their own. All gas stations were full service. Highly trained professionals, like me, would take of everything for you.
          Now, of course, my old job doesn’t exist. Everyone pumps their own gas -  unless you are passing through New Jersey, where it remains illegal to pump your own gas. Now, everything is self-serve.
          That’s the way it is in our modern world. It used to be that you could walk into a full-service bank, any branch you wanted, and make a deposit, take out some cash, start the loan process for a house or new car, get something notarized, or simply get your coins exchanged to paper money. But in recent years, banks have been closing branches more and more. Between 2009 and 2020, the number of branches has fallen 12%. (1)
          It’s not that people don’t need banks anymore – it’s because more and more people turn to online banking for assistance. When they need cash – they go to the ATM. When they want to exchange their pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters – they have to go to a grocery store or a Target and pay a fee to convert their money to bills.
          In addition, people are dining less and less at full-service restaurants, with hostesses who seat you and waiters and waiters serve you and bussers clean up the dishes. As costs rise, people are choosing quick-service restaurants, where they mostly serve themselves and clean-up their own dishes.
          Full-service gas stations, banks and restaurants are dwindling in recent years. They offer a variety of necessary or expected services, and their workers do their best to satisfy their customers. As a consumer, when you enter such an establishment, you expect your needs to be met – you expect a certain level of service.
          So, is that the key to happiness? Is full service, having all your needs met to key to a fulfilling life?
          Not exactly says Jesus.
         In this morning’s passage, Jesus is walking with the disciples on the road heading up to Jerusalem. Two disciples, the sons of Zebedee named James and John, come forward and say to Jesus, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
          Wow! – quite the request! They want Jesus to be a full-service teacher, meeting their needs and satisfying their desires.
          I once saw a Far Side style cartoon that showed Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. From a dark cloud overhead, a huge arm – presumably belonging to God – extended down from the sky. The index finger of the hand was directing the first couple toward the exit. But as this was happening, Adam spoke to God and said, “Can I have a doggie bag for the rest of the apple?” The caption below the cartoon read, “Adam really, really missed the point.” (2)
          That’s pretty much what is happening in this story. James and John had really missed the point. For the third time in the days preceding this event, Jesus had plainly told his disciples what was going to happen in Jerusalem. He was going to suffer and die. It seems that these two brothers had not heard a word that Jesus has said – it went right over their heads.
          At first, Jesus plays along. He asks them, “What is it you want me to do for you.” In other words – “How can I help you? What can I get you?”
          And James and John say, “Appoint us to sit one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” So, they want the most coveted seats in the house, what restaurants sometimes call the “display tables.” These are the seats that are reserved for the celebrities and A-listers that might stop by. These are the seats which, quite literally, put you on display. You are immediately visible to everyone entering. You see everyone, and everyone see you.” That’s the point of display tables – see and be seen.
          James and John want to be seated with Jesus at the “display table” in the Kingdom of God. Maybe they even slipped him a couple of shekels to grease the wheels a bit.
          Noted preaching professor Tom Long once portrayed this story in one of his books. He imagines it as though it were a scene from an old World War I movie. Jesus, as he imagines the scene, is the tough, battle-hardened sergeant, about to order his men into deadly combat. They’re hunkered down in the trenches and the bullets are whizzing overhead,
          But the soldiers in his squad happen to be named, Larry, Curly and Moe. Just as their valiant leader cries “OK boys, over the top!” and begins to climb out of the trench, Curly pulls on the hem of his sergeant’s uniform, and with a goofy grin says – “Look, we have matching ties and blazers, can we sit on either side of you?” (3)
          If you recall the truth Jesus has just revealed to them – that he will suffer and die, their demand is ridiculous to the point of being absurd.
          But how different really, is their request, compared to so many of the prayers we’re inclined to offer up in our less reflective moments?
          Fame and glory. They do sound appealing, don’t they? Are we entitled to such prizes, because we’ve chosen to follow Jesus? The Bible says the other 10 disciples were angry with James and John for asking such a thing. But is that because they think the request is out of line? Or is it because they’re upset they didn’t think of it first? Hard to say.
         Whatever the case may be, Jesus says to the brothers, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
          “Sure,” they say – “that sounds good. We are able.”
          “You will drink the cup and you will receive the baptism, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to appoint – it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
          Jesus predicts that they will suffer just as he will suffer, drinking the same cup and receiving the same baptism. But he goes on to say that he is not the one who will be assigning seats at the tables in the Kingdom of God. Only God prepares the final seating chart. Jesus makes it clear that the Kingdom of God is not a full-service restaurant. You don’t get to make a reservation at the best tables, then have a server meet your needs and satisfy all your requests. Money, power and status do not put you at a display table, where you can see and be seen.
          No, Jesus attaches a very different meaning to full-service. And his meaning is the exact opposite of what most of us expect.
          The 10 other disciples become angry with James and John, probably because they feel that the two of them are pushing ahead of them in line to the Kingdom of God. Jesus calls the disciples together to straighten them out. He says, “You know that among the gentiles those whom they recognize as rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; instead, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.”
          In the kingdoms of the world, power-people are tyrants. They throw their money, status and power around, and put themselves on display. But in the Kingdom of God, power-people are servants. Those who wish to be great must devote themselves to serving the people around them.
          Jesus turns our idea of full-service completely on its head. Full service does not mean that your needs are met and your every request is filled. No – full-service means that you serve others fully.
          Author Anne Lamott admires a friend who picks up litter as they walk together. The woman is 84, short and sturdy, and she puts the small items in a little bag attached to her belt. Her friend says, “I’m just picking up micro litter, little stuff, like bottle caps and bits of wrappers. But I try to help where I can.” (4)
          Once upon a time, there was a great and powerful war horse that came upon a tiny sparrow, lying on its back with its feet in the air, eyes squinched tightly shut with effort. The horse asks, “What are you doing?”
          “I’m trying to hold back the darkness.”
          The horse roars with laughter. “That is so pathetic. What do you weigh, about an ounce?”
          And the sparrow replies, “You do what you can.” (5)
          Trying to help, in ways big and small, is part of living a full-service life. You do what you can.
          Lamott also remembers the love and service shown by her mother. When Anne was growing up, her mother showed love and service by “taking modest bouquets and baked goods to friends in decline. Some had sunk into cranky dementia, alcoholism or depression,” says Lamott. “But my mom showed up for them. She taught me that service makes me happy.” (6)
          Good point – service does make us happy. We think that being served will make us happy, but such happiness is short-lived. We have a great meal, leave a tip for excellent service, and then… the next day we are hungry again. Only serving others gives us a satisfaction that lasts.
          Lamott says, “We know by a certain age the great palace lies of the culture.” Interesting phrase – “the great palace lies.” What she means is the lies that possessions, achievements and positions will make us happy. The “palace lies” are what motivate the rulers of the gentiles to lord it over the people of the land. But Lamott knows that it is a lie to believe that if you buy, do or achieve certain things, you will be happy, rich and fulfilled.
          “Nope,” she concludes. “Love and service make us rich.” (7)
          I think Jesus would agree. A full-service life is an existence devoted completely to service. Happiness and greatness come not from achievement and wealth or sitting at the right or left hand of Jesus. No – true happiness and greatness comes from helping others and making the world a better place. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr once said in one of his last sermons, “The Drum Major Instinct” – “Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.” (8)
          Full-service banks, restaurants and gas stations might be going out of style. But not full-service people, not people who are willing to follow the example of Jesus. He said that “he came not to be served but to serve.” And that kind of life of service will never go out of style.
          May God be praised. Amen.

1. Jan Kiel and Steven Ongena, “The demise of branch banking – Technology, consolidation and bank fragility,” Journal of Banking and Finance, Jan. 2024, www.sciencedirect.com.

2. Stan Purdum, Sermons on Gospel Readings Cycle B, “The Strange Economy of the Kingdom of God,” CSS Publishing Inc. 2005, p337.

3. Homileticsonline, retrieved 10/1/24.

4. Anne Lamott, “A short guide to a full-service life,” The Washington Post, Dec, 24, 2023, A19.

5. Ibid…

6. Ibid…

7. Ibid…

8. Martin Luther King Jr. “The Drum Major Instinct,” preached at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Feb. 4th, 1968.

10-13-2024 Times of Darkness

Thomas J Parlette
“Times of Darkness”
Job 23: 1-9, 16-17.
10/13/24
          A couple of years ago, I was really struggling with my vision. I first noticed it during our COVID shutdown time, when we were filming our services in the Atrium on Thursdays and posting them online. I was starting to have trouble seeing my sermon text.
          Then I noticed that driving at night was becoming more of a challenge. The glare from oncoming traffic bothered me more than it had before. And if it was raining at night – well, I started to get downright afraid to drive.
          So I bought some of those yellow tinted night driving glasses, hoping that would help. They reduced the glare a little bit, but they really didn’t work. I wish had seen the study that recently appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association – the data suggested that “wearing yellow-lens glasses when driving at night does not improve performance. Particularly in the most critical task: detection of pedestrians.” (1)
          So I went to the eye doctor and discovered that I had cataracts starting to form in both my eyes. I wore some prescription glasses for awhile, but my doctor advised me to think about cataract surgery sometime in the near future. I was a few years early for cataract surgery, but I got it done. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be, and afterwards I had 20/20 vision. Finally, when I play golf, I can see where the ball lands – and it’s much easier to drive in darkness.
          In today’s passage, Job is experiencing some problems with darkness as well. Job couldn’t see what was going on in his life at that moment. He couldn’t understand – he had no clarity. All the horrible things that had happened to him were unreasonable and absurd, and definitely unfair. He tried in vain to see through the murkiness – he peered into the darkness and could see nothing. Perhaps he would have been tempted to try some yellow-tinted glasses – but they wouldn’t have helped. So, He crys out to God, “My complaint is bitter!” We can certainly understand that.
          In his darkness, Job wanders in search of answers. He is interested in where God is while he suffers from his afflictions. He goes looking for God – “O that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his dwelling! I would lay my case before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.”
          But Job has a problem. He can’t find God: “If I go forward, he is not there; or backward, I cannot perceive him; on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him; I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.”
          In the 1500’s, St. John of the Cross, coined a phrase, “the dark night of the soul” that has become familiar to many. St. John was a Spanish mystic and Carmelite friar who wrote extensively about his own spiritual journey. He used that phrase, “dark night of the soul”, to describe how he felt when his faith was at a low point, when he struggled with intense periods of doubt and despair – just like Job experienced.
          St. John of the Cross and Job are hardly alone in this struggle with times of darkness.
          The Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh struggled with mental illness throughout his life, which manifested in startling episodes of depression, anxiety and emotional turmoil.
          Fyodor Dostoevsky, the great Russian novelist, best known for works such as Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, also suffered periods of intense doubt and despair, which are reflected in his characters’ inner struggles.
         But of all the figures who have struggled to hang on to their faith in times of darkness, doubt and despair, Job is the poster child for those who wrestle with the complexity of the human experience and the paradoxes of life and darkness that we sometimes have to struggle through.
          Barbra Brown Taylor has long been fascinated by darkness. Indeed, she wrote a book about it. Near the beginning of her book Learning to Walk in the Dark, Taylor writes, “Since I have spent at least half of my life in churches, I am especially aware of how many old-time Christians are looking into the dark right now. Attendance is down, debt is up. Plenty of smaller churches are closing, or at least putting their buildings up for sale. All the divine energy seems to be going to the southern hemisphere, leaving the old-timers up north with a bad case of solar affective disorder. Learning to walk in the dark is an especially valuable skill in times like these – or maybe I should say, remembering how to walk in the dark, since people of faith have deep pockets of wisdom about how to live through long nights in the wilderness. We just forgot, most of us, once we got where we were going and the glory days began.”
          “The remembering takes time, like straightening a bent leg and waiting for the feeling to return. This cannot be rushed, no matter how badly you want to get where you are going. Step 1 of learning to walk in the dark is to give up running the show. Next, you sign the waiver that allows you to bump into some things that may frighten you at first. Finally, you ask darkness to teach you what you need to know…”
          “Meanwhile, here is some good news you can use: even when light fades and darkness falls – as it does every single day, and every single life – God does not turn the world over to some other deity. Even when you cannot see where you are going, and no one answers when you call, this is not sufficient proof that you are alone. There is a divine presence, that transcends all your ideas about it, along with all your language for calling it to your aid, which is not above using darkness as the wrecking ball that brings all your false gods down… Darkness is not dark to God; the night is as bright as the day.” (2)
          Yet, all those people who deal with times of darkness are rarely above picking a fight with God. Job was certainly not afraid to do so. After all, when you’ve lost everything, what do you have to lose if you shake your fist in the face of the Almighty? You’ve lost a child to cancer, your spouse dies, you lose your job or your house, your whole future. You’re down and out, at the end of your rope – you have nothing to lose.
          That is Job here. Listen to how Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message: “I’m not letting up – I’m standing my ground. My complaint is legitimate. God has no right to treat me like this – it isn’t fair. If I knew where on earth to find him, I’d go straight to him. I’d lay my case before him face-to-face, give him all my arguments firsthand. I’d find out exactly what’s going on in his head. Do you think he’d dismiss me or bully me? No, he’d take me seriously.”
          That is what you call giving God the business. Job was so mad he’d make a hornet look cuddly. He wanted to get God’s attention, not realizing that sometimes you should be careful what you ask for. God was indeed listening, and God responds to Job – but that’s a story for another day.
          For now, Job is not happy with how God is running the show, and he wasn’t timid about letting God know about it.
        Former President Ronald Reagan once told a story about an American and a Russian talking about their countries. The American starts to brag – “In my country, I can walk into the Oval Office, slam my fist on the President’s desk and say, “Mr. President, I don’t like the way you’re running this country!”
         The Russian appears unimpressed and says, “We can do that in my country, too.”
          The American says, “Really?”
          “Yes,” says the Russian. “I can walk right into the Kremlin, slam my fist on Gorbachev’s desk and say, “Sir, I don’t like the way President Reagan is running his country.” (3)
          The point to remember when we’re pounding on God’s desk and yelling about how the universe is being run is that God is not without answers. Perhaps, God will be merciful and not put us in our place as God does later with Job.
          We may not be able to find God on our own, but God will always find us – indeed, we discover that God has not lost us. Job admits as much in verse 10 – “But he knows the way that I take, he knows where I am and what I’ve done.” God knows – but do we?
          The story is told that on the eve of the conclave that would elect him as the next Pope, then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, later known as Pope Francis, urged his fellow cardinals to remember that Christians should live by the light of the moon rather than of the sun. Followers of Christ should reflect the source of light rather than acting as if they are the source. With regard to the hierarchy of the religious structure he would soon be elected to lead, he said that the church exists to reflect Christ – as soon as it believes itself to be the light, disaster occurs, and the church becomes an idol.
          Commenting on the story, Vance Morgan wrote on Patheos.com, “While there may be many reasons to fear the dark, times of darkness are part of being human, and spiritual darkness is central to a search for the Divine. The way many people of faith talk about darkness, you would think that it came from a whole different deity, but as Barbara Brown Taylor reminds us, “to be human is to live by sunlight and moonlight, with anxiety and delight, admitting limits and transcending them, falling down and rising up.” (4)
          In the end, for Job, it was all about God. God knows the way. God knows the way for all of us. True, healing is a gradual and nonlinear process, which is why we need to be patient and gentle with ourselves as we go through the ordeal. But success requires something more – faith.
          It took a ton of faith for Job to admit this, but deep in his heart, he knew it was true. God knows the way we take. God knows us. God can track us as though we have a GPS chip implanted in our hearts. As Isaiah puts it, “As a mother comforts her child, God will comfort you.”
          In Jeremiah, there’s an image of a God who is actually anxious to be discovered. In Chapter 29, verses 12-14, we read, “When you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will LET you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes…”
          “I will LET you find me.” What an amazing promise.
         That is precisely what Job, the beleaguered character of text, is looking for. It’s often what we’re looking for as well. We might want some night vision glasses for those dark night of the soul when we cannot see God. But darkness is not dark to God – the night is as bright as the day in the eyes of the God. And God will always let us find him – even in our times of darkness.
          And for that – May God be praised. Amen.
 

1. Hwang, Alex D., Merve Tuccar-Burak and Eli Peli, “Comparison of pedestrian detection with and without yellow-lens glasses during simulated night driving with and without headlight glare.” Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMAnetwork.com, August 1st, 2019.

2. Barbara Brown Taylor, Learning to Walk in the Dark (HarperOne, 2015) p15-16.

3. Homileticsonline, retrieved Oct. 1st, 2024.

4. Vance Morgan, “Let There Be Light (Or Not)”, Patheos.com, March 7th, 2024

10-06-2024 The Original N.I.L.

Thomas J Parlette
“The Original N.I.L.”
Hebrews 1:1-4, 2: 5-12
10/6/24, World Communion
          It has recently become quite profitable to go to college for some student athletes.
          It used to be that collegiate athletes were amateurs, which by definition meant that they couldn’t make any money from anything they did on the football field or the basketball court. They played for the love of the game, basically working for free. Indeed, you could expect the NCAA to come down hard with sanctions if a booster bought a player as much as a hamburger as a gesture of appreciation.
          But all this has changed. Consider the basketball superstar Caitlin Clark. She broke the all-time NCAA scoring record last season at the University of Iowa, and after a run in the NCAA tournament, she announced that she was entering the WNBA draft, and recently joined the Indiana Fever, where she just won Rookie of the Year.
          The irony is that she probably could have made more money had she opted to stay at Iowa for another year. According to some analysts, she’ll make less in the WNBA than she could have made in college. (1) Just consider some of the numbers:
          The average salary for a player in the WNBA is $102,000.
          For a player with 0-2 years of experience, the minimum salary is just over $64,000.
          For a player with 3 or more years of experience, the minimum is $76,500.
         The supermax salary for 2024 – almost $242,000
          And the very highest earners in the WNBA get a salary of around $252,000
          Granted, Caitlin Clark probably makes a lot more than that in sponsorships and endorsements – but analysts think she could have made millions if she had stayed in college another year.
          How is this possible? Three Letters – N. I. L. It stands for Name, Image and Likeness.
          The new NCAA rules that allow student athletes to be compensated for their name, image and likeness is turning a lot of college kids into instant millionaires.
          The Name part of the equation is pretty straightforward – Your name is your name. No one can use it without your consent. Athletes can now sign contracts or endorsements to get paid for companies to use their names
          Image is pretty easy to understand as well. Your image is your photo. A photograph of your face or body cannot be used without permission, and athletes can now sell their image for profit without penalties.
          Likeness is a little trickier. How is “likeness” different from “image.” The easiest way to understand it is with an example. Think of the silhouette of Michael Jordan leaping through the air on the Nike Air Jordan brand clothing and sneakers. Or Arnold Palmer’s signature on Arizona Iced Tea, or even the logo for the PGA that depicts a golfer in the middle of their backswing. The PGA says it’s based on no one in particular, but most golf historians think it’s based on Johnny Miller, although some say Tom Weiskopf, or Jack Nicklaus or maybe even Ben Hogan or Byron Nelson. We’ll never really know. “Likeness” is you – but not really you exactly, it’s a representation. It’s an important distinction in this virtual reality world, because avatars are becoming more and more common. Think of all the popular videogames based on the NFL, NBA and College football and basketball. The players in the games are representations of real players. For the Collegiate videogames, the NCAA profited, but not the athletes being represented – well, not anymore. Now, the athletes will get paid for their “Likeness.”
          In our passage from Hebrews for today, the writer refers to Jesus’ name, image and likeness as our best way of knowing God.
          We know that Jesus has many names in the Bible. When the name “Jesus” as a transliteration of the Hebrew word “Yeshua,” meaning “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.” But we also refer to Jesus as the “Christ”, which comes from the Greek “Christos,” meaning “anointed one”, or “Messiah.” Jesus often referred to himself as the “The Son of Man,”a title found in the Old Testament book of Daniel. Coming up in the season of Advent, we will refer to Jesus as “Emmanuel,” meaning God with us.
          John the Baptist referred to Jesus as “the Lamb of God.” We also know Jesus as the “Savior” of the world. And according to Revelation, Jesus describes himself as the “Alpha and Omega” – the beginning and the end of all things.
          Lots of names. But the reading for today doesn’t refer to Jesus by any of those names – not even Jesus. No, here at the beginning of Hebrews, he is identified as “a Son.” But this is a Son with an extraordinary resume. This Son is:
The heir of all things,
The Creator of the World,
The reflection of God’s glory,
The sustainer of all things
Superior to the angels,
Crowned with glory,
Tasted death for everyone,
And was made perfect through sufferings.
A pretty impressive list. In our modern society, so many people are looking to cash in on their name, their celebrity status. For the writer of Hebrews – this Son has the most powerful name out there.
This brings us to image, this Son known by the name of Jesus is “the exact imprint of God’s very being.” This isn’t the only allusion to this idea that we have in the scriptures – Paul famously wrote that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God.” So, when we see Jesus, we see God - when we know Jesus, we come to know the divine nature in human form.
Writing in his commentary, Hebrews for Everyone, biblical scholar N.T. Wright reminds us that though the ancient world didn’t have printing presses per say, they did have early equivalents that were used, particularly for making coins. The emperor would employ an engraver who carved the royal portrait, and suitable words or abbreviations, on a stamp, or die, made of hard metal. The engraver used the stamp to make a coin, so that the coin gave the exact impression of what was on the stamp.
The word “character” in ancient Greek was widely used to mean just that: the accurate impression left by the stamp on a coin. From there it came to mean both the individual letters that could be produced by this method – the characters of a language – and the “character” in a broader sense of a person or thing. This is what the author of Hebrews is saying about Jesus. It is as though the exact imprint of God’s very nature and glory has been precisely reproduced in the soft metal of the Son’s human nature. And now – there it is for the whole world to see. The image of God in the person of Jesus. (2)
Which then brings us to likeness. Jesus is the image, the exact imprint of God. We see Jesus – we see God. But what is God like?
Again, it’s helpful to turn to Paul, who offers us the wonderful words found in Philippians – “Christ Jesus was in the form of God, but did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.”
So what is God like? God is like a servant, filled with humility, and cares so deeply for us that He would become like one of us – even to the point of tasting death for everyone.
In the life and ministry of Jesus, we see many other examples of what God is like.
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus revealed the heart of God by teaching about love, forgiveness, mercy and righteousness.
In the miracles of healing the sick and raising the dead, changing water into wine and multiplying loaves and fish, Jesus showed us that God loves us, cares for us and wants to provide for our needs. God is concerned for our well-being. This is who God is, that is the likeness of God.
In Jesus’ interactions with people, he shows himself as the “imprint of God’s very being.” For instance, in the story of the prodigal son, Jesus reminds us that God loves us unconditionally and is never happier than when we turn back to God.
On this World Communion Sunday, the writer of Hebrews celebrates God’s Son, the one known as Jesus, “the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being.” It is Jesus’ Name, Image and Likeness that gathers us here to today, to be united with Christians all over the world, and be nourished on our path of discipleship
May God be praised. Amen.

 1. Weston Blasi, “Caitlin Clark is turning pro. Why she could make more money staying in college one more year.” Marketwatch.com, March 4, 2024.

2. N.T. Wright, Hebrews for Everyone (SPCK, 2004) p.2.

09-29-24 The Biblical Wonder Woman

Thomas J Parlette
“The Biblical Wonder Woman”
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
9/29/24
          In 2017, the world was re-introduced to the character of Wonder Woman. She started out as a comic book hero in the 1940’s, making the leap to the small screen as a television series in 1975. Some of you might remember that show starred Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman alongside Lyle Waggoner.
          From there, Wonder Woman became an animated superhero for the Saturday morning cartoon show The Justice League. She teamed up with Batman, Superman and Aquaman to keep the world safe. Wonder Woman had some of the coolest super-hero gadgets as well – no one had more toys that Batman, but Wonder Woman had some memorable crime-fighting tools of her own.
          She had the Lasso of Truth, those magic bracelets to deflect bullets and her royal tiara that became kid of a lethal boomerang when she needed it. And who can forget her invisible plane. As a kid, hopped up on Captain Crunch on Saturday mornings, I always wondered – was she invisible when she was inside her invisible plane, or did people see her just sitting there in mid-air flying around. I don’t have the answer, but I’m sure it’s a hotly debated question in Comic Book stores to this day.
          In 2017, Wonder Woman got a very successful re-boot as Gal Gadot took over the role. Wonder Woman: Rise of the Warrior would go on to become the highest grossing superhero origin film to that date. (1) The follow-up, Wonder Woman 1984, didn’t do nearly as well, but it did come out in December 2020, right during COVID, so that probably had an effect.
         Today, we visit the story of another female action hero figure – a biblical version of Wonder Woman, if you will. And her name is Esther.
          This is the only time that anything from the Book of Esther shows up in our 3-year lectionary cycle, so it’s a good time to consider her story. Unfortunately, the chapter and verses we hear from today leave out one very important character – the character of Vashti.
          I would be willing to bet that not many of you know much about Vashti – Esther’s predecessor in the role of Queen. Vashti was the brave woman who said “no” to her husband, the King, in a time when that just wasn’t done. The King was partying with some of his friends, and commanded his wife, Queen Vashti to come entertain his friends with her beauty. The Queen was entertaining guests of her own and said “No”. This infuriated the King, and he basically banned her from the Court, effectively banishing her.
          This is where Esther enters the story. Esther wins a beauty pageant, if you want to call it that, and she gets the honor of becoming the new Queen. Now, everyone knew what happened to the last Queen, so Esther knew she was treading and thin ice. Perhaps Esther was inspired by Vashti’s example to stand up to the King and his court, but in a more subtle way.
          Esther can be thought of as a Wonder Woman, because she finds a way to save her people, the Jewish people, from destruction. Never did so much depend for so many upon one woman. Of all the female biblical heroes, Deborah might also be in the Wonder Woman conversation, but the scope of the salvation brought about by the daring Esther is unmatched in Hebrew canonical literature. So that’s one of the first things to note about Esther – she is a female hero in an era of hard-core, overwhelmingly male, patriarchal, testosterone-driven good-ole boys.
          The second thing to note about the Book of Esther is that God is not mentioned in Esther. There are only two books in the Bible where the name of God is not to be found – Song of Songs, Song of Solomon, and Esther. So, where is God in all this. Many scholars down through time have argued that is reason enough not to include Esther in Holy Scripture – God isn’t even mentioned. But here it is in our Bibles.
          The third thing to note about the Book of Esther is the total absence of any Jewish religious practices in this story. There is an argument to made that the mention of fasting in chapter 4, verse 16, is the exception, but the fasting there seems to come more as a request from Esther before she appears before the King. It is more of a “wish me good luck” gesture that a reference to a Jewish religious practice.
          So, why include Esther in the Bible at all? It’s an exciting story, to be sure. In 1960, it was even made into a Hollywood movie starring Joan Collins and Richard Egan. But without a single reference to Yahweh or any mention of religious practice, shouldn’t we move Esther to the Jewish extra-canonical, apocryphal literature alongside similar stories like Judith, for example, who uses her beauty and her flirty personality to save Israel from destruction by decapitating the Assyrian General Holofernes?
          Here’s one possible reason that Esther was included in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. When Esther was written, Jews were not living in their homeland. They were dispersed and living in exile. So, Esther is what scholars call a diaspora story, right alongside Daniel, for instance.
          So the question for the exiled Jew becomes – How do I live as a Jew away from the Temple, my homeland and my people?
          Esther offers some insight, and that’s probably why it has remained in the Bible. The purpose of Esther is to remind post-exilic Jews that one can prosper in a foreign land as an exile without giving up one’s identity as a Jew.
         In other words – if Esther can do it – so can you. After all, there were many forces positioned against her. She was a woman, and as such, essentially powerless and marginalized. As a female, you couldn’t just seek power in a male-dominated culture – you had to find a work-around.
          In this respect, Esther was like all Jewish people of her time. They were marginalized, disenfranchised and without power. But Esther, by winning that beauty contest, and using her smarts and relying on her guts, saves her people and in doing so demonstrates to the Jewish exiles that they, too, can not only survive but thrive if they play their cards right.
          The exiles also learn from Esther that they don’t need to be conspicuously religious to survive in a foreign country. God is not mentioned in this story. Religious practices are also absent. So, Jewish identity is essentially ethnic, not primarily religious. Dr. Sidnie Crawford, President of the W.F. Albright Institute of Archeological Research in Jerusalem, notes, “It is who Esther is that makes her Jewish, rather than that what she practices or believes.” (2)
          The message to the exiles who cannot worship in the Temple and therefore cannot be religious Jews is that they can certainly retain their ethnicity and avoid assimilation into the “melting pot of the ancient Near East.”
          As I mentioned earlier, Esther is a diaspora story – a story told to the Jewish people who have been scattered after the destruction of Jerusalem. It is in the Bible, not because it is overtly religious, as Daniel is, another diaspora story. Esther is in the Bible because the title character and the story itself serve as reminders that God’s people could live and survive without a Temple, and without a homeland.
          If there is any book in the Bible – with the possible exception of Jude – that elicits the question, “So What?” it’s Esther. It’s a great story, sure – a riveting plot, fascinating characters, but really, what’s in it for me? – what’s in it for us? What is the takeaway from Esther? Most sermons about Esther insert God where God is absent, or talk about the importance of taking a well-timed risk, or that God, even when absent, has a plan for us. But perhaps it makes more sense, and maybe it’s truer to the text itself, to discuss the relevance of Esther to our lives without bringing God into the picture.
          In that case, here is Takeaway #1 from Esther:
         Esther is a reality check when it comes to our relationship with the world. As Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon reminded us some 25 years ago, we are “resident aliens.” (3) We are like immigrants in this world. The biblical idea is that as Christians, we are passing through this land, en route “to the city that has its foundations in God,” as Augustine talked about. Esther is a reminder of that idea. We can’t forget where we came from, or where we are ultimately going.
          Takeaway #2:
         Esther reminds us that it is possible to live as a Christian in times that are unfavorable, even hostile to us as believers and followers of Jesus. Just think about our recent history.
          Like Esther, we were unable to gather for worship for 15 months during the COVID pandemic. But the closing of church doors did not spell the end of the church, as many thought it would. We are different now, but we’re still here. We found our own work-arounds as we moved online – and now we have almost 360 subscribers to our church YouTube Channel and right around 30 people join us each week live from their homes.
          Many others thought that the scandals of sexual misconduct or financial impropriety would bring down the church – but it hasn’t. We’re still here.
          Even though they are many more unchurched people than ever before – we hold to our mission of binding up the broken hearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners and proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor.
          Like Esther, we are encouraged to challenge authorities, speak truth to power and take risks.
          Esther was truly a wonder woman in her own time – going up against the most powerful authorities in her world. She dared to stand before the King and speak truth to power. She didn’t have access to the cool tools that comic book Wonder Woman had – but she used what she had to save her people.
          Like Esther, we can find a way to adapt to whatever situation we face, whether it’s a health crisis, an economic crisis, or the challenge of a divided nation. Even when God appears to be hidden, we can be confident that God is watching from the wings, just offstage, to protect and guide us.
          And for that – May God be praised. Amen.
1. Mark Hughes, “Wonder Woman” is officially the highest-grossing superhero origin film,” Forbes.com, Nov. 2nd, 2017.

2. Homileticsonline, retrieved 9/2/24.

3. Stanley Hauerwas, William Willimon, Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony, Abingdon Press, 2014.

09-22-2024 Trees Planted by Streams of Water

Thomas J Parlette
“Trees Planted by Streams of Water”
Psalm 1
9/22/24

         One of the great Christian storytellers of the 20th century was a Jesuit priest from India named Anthony de Mello. One of de Mello’s may parables is about a woman in coma, slowly dying. She’s barely aware of her surroundings as she lies on her sickbed. But she suddenly has the impression she’s been taken up to heaven and is standing before the judgment seat of God.

          She sees nothing but clouds of dark smoke. Out of the ponderous silence comes a voice. “Who are you”, asks the voice.
          Not knowing what to say, she turns to the answer she has used most often in life – “I’m the wife of the mayor.”
          “I did not ask whose wife you are, but who you are.”
          “I’m the mother of four children.”
          She hears a similar response – “I did not ask whose mother you are, but who you are.”
          “I’m a schoolteacher,” she says.
          “I did not ask what your profession is, but who you are.”
          And so it goes, over and over – but no matter what the woman says, her answer is unacceptable.
          Finally she tries another answer. “I’m a Christian.”
          “I did not ask what your religion is, but who you are.”
          “I’m the one who went to church every week, and always helped the poor and needy,” she says.
          “I did not ask what you did, but who you are.”

          De Mello concludes his parable by observing that the woman evidently fails the examination, because she is sent back to Earth. Soon after, she awakens from her coma and resumes her life. But something is different. Something has changed about her. From that day forward, this woman resolved to discover who she was. And that, the storyteller concludes, has made all the difference. (1)

          So, who are you – really? Strip away all those layers you have spent your life carefully building up – all the labels, titles, degrees, certifications – and what’s left? What is the essential core of You?
          That was the question behind one of the most well-known songs from the rock band The Who. Pete Townsend, the lead guitarist, wrote the lyrics that repeated over and over – “who are you, I’d really like to know, who are you…” It’s song really addressed to himself. Townsend had just had an 11 hour, highly contentious meeting with a record producer about his royalties. When all was said and done, the walked away with a big paycheck, but he also had a nagging feeling that he and the band had sold out. They weren’t the rebellious rock stars anymore, he wondered to himself, am I just a member of the corporate music industry now. So the song “Who are you”, is really Pete Townsend asking himself if he is a hypocrite, a sell-out.
          Or consider the story of Alex Haley. He was retired from the military, safe and secure after 20-plus years in the service, living on a comfortable pension. He’d achieved a standard of living higher than his parent’s wildest dreams. By all accounts, he should have been quite happy. But he was not. He felt like something was missing.
          Alex Haley longed to know where he had come from. So, he set out to discover his roots.
          Everyone he told about his quest said he was crazy. How could an African/American, a descendant of slaves, trace his family back across the ocean? There were few written records of black people in America’s courthouses. For many years, the official line had been that slaves were not people – they were property. Most of them had no last name, and if they did, it was the name of the master.
          But Haley had listened well to the stories of his family, the lore passed down from generation to generation. He’d heard about a man from an earlier generation who did not have his own name – Kunta Kinte, who was captured by slave traders and torn away from his homeland in West Africa. Inspired by the power of that name, and by the conviction that there had been a living, breathing human being behind all those stories – Haley managed to do what everyone thought was impossible. He traced his family roots back, generation by generation, all the way to Africa. The book he wrote, Roots, tells his family’s story (2) It became a bestseller that spawned several television miniseries. It also sparked a genealogy craze that hasn’t died down since.
          Although Haley was criticized for some errors he made in his research and for plagiarizing some details of the African portion of his story from another novelist – no one doubts that his book is a triumph of imagination that captures the experience of an entire people. Alex Haley’s Roots has helped countless Americans of African heritage remember who they are.
          There is a rich tradition in the Hebrew Scriptures that specializes in helping people uncover who they are. It is known as Wisdom Literature. The heart of Wisdom literature is the Book of Psalms, the hymnbook of ancient Israel. There’s a lovely song in the very beginning that looks at human life and what it means. Psalm 1 has long been a favorite of Rabbis, who like to use it with their very youngest students, the children just starting to study the Scriptures. Psalm 1 provides a road map of what’s ahead, frames the picture, and defines the boundaries of the spiritual life.
          It starts out on a positive note – “Happy are those…” Lots of word would fit here, “fortunate, blessed, rich” would also work, but happy is a good choice. “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked.” That would seem pretty obvious. Who wants to be on the wrong side – to be one of the villian’s henchmen or henchwomen? I don’t know many people who watch Star Wars and yearn to be an Imperial Storm Trooper. Who watches The Wizard of Oz and thinks, “I”d sure like to be one of those flying monkeys.” Most people who watch the Harry Potter movies want to be a Gryffindor, not a Slytherin.
          The advice of the wicked is easy to shun when it comes from movie villians dressed in black, rubbing their hands together and hissing when they speak. The problem is that real-world wickedness rarely wears black. Most of the time it is attractive, appealing, even comfortable.
          The advice of the wicked refers to the prevailing value system promoted by our secular culture. It’s sort of message we hear every day, especially in big-budget advertising. We’ve all heard the tempting songs:
         Acquire more stuff, be more successful, look younger and sexier, pursue personal happiness as the highest value, use other people to get what you want, get ahead at all costs.
         These are the sorts of things that the Psalmist means by “the advice of the wicked.”

        “Happy are those who do not take the path that sinners tread.” This phrase is just slightly different from the previous admonition, in that it’s not about who you listen to, but who you emulate – who you actually follow.
          The Hebrew word for “sinner” used here by the Psalmist doesn’t refer to a person who is bad to the core. It literally means a person who has missed the mark, like an archer who aimed for the target, but sent to arrow flying off into the woods.
          We don’t have to look far to see plenty of people who are missing the mark these days. They’re shooting at the wrong targets and pursuing the wrong goals. They’re caught up in the rat race of material achievement – of seeking pleasure and power for themselves, no matter what it may cost those other people around them. The impulse to follow the crowd can be powerful. If we sit on the sidelines or take another path, it might feel like we’re falling behind. So we do what everyone else does. That’s what it means to take the path that sinners tread.
          There’s a third step in the slow, downward spiral laid out by the Psalmist – “to sit in the seat of scoffers.” Scoffers are cynics, those who, in the words of Oscar Wilde, “know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
          Few things are easier in life than sitting back and mocking things that have true value. There are some among our society who mock what we do, see no value in worship, and are quick to question the motives of those who seek to do good for others. Boldly they proclaim that they avoid church because there are too many hypocrites in it. When they hear Christians speak publicly of their faith, scoffers deride them as holier-than-thou. Eagerly they pounce on every social media story of a religious leader who falls into sin, imagining that this somehow discredits the whole Christian faith – forgetting that Christianity has always proclaimed that sin is, by its very nature, seductive and dangerous – and no one is immune to its effects.
          The cynic’s mocking song can be so appealing that we may even find ourselves humming right along. It’s an appealing little ditty, even if it is utterly wrong.
          It’s an easy, gently sloping road from heeding the advice of the wicked to following the path that sinners tread and sitting in the seat of the scoffers. But one good thing about that road is that’s a two-way street. It is always possible to repent, turn around and head back in the opposite direction.
          The rest of Psalm 1 is mostly about how to take the opposite direction – to act positively to strengthen our spiritual lives. The people that are truly happy or blessed are those “whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and on that law they meditate, day and night.”
          The Psalmist provides a beautiful, deeply poetic image in verse 3 that captures what it means to be a person of God:
          “They are like trees planted by streams of water,
          Which yield their fruit in its season,
          And their leaves do not whither.
          In all that they do, they prosper.”
          Do you know the most important part of a tree? Ask any landscaper, and they will tell you – it’s the roots. Landscapers go to great lengths to make sure the root-ball stays tightly packed and moist, and that it gets planted in the right kind of soil at the right depth, at the right time. All kinds of damage can occur to the trunk, branches or leaves, but as long as the roots are intact, there’s hope for recovery and growth. But if the roots are destroyed, the tree will probably
die.
          The Psalmist sings of a tree planted by streams of water. Its roots are sunk in the best possible place. They drink up the life-giving water, and even if a drought comes along, this tree will survive and flourish.
          It’s a clear, and beautiful metaphor for the spiritual life. Ancient Rabbi’s understood this well, and they turned to Psalm number 1 as the starting place for teaching their youngest students. The Psalmist says to meditate upon it. The Hebrew word for “meditate” is derived from the word “murmur.” It refers to the practice of repeating a biblical text over and over to oneself, to commit it to memory – as Orthodox Jews do in their worship even today.
          What kinds of meditations fill your mind each day? Is it your shopping list? Your To-Do list? The test coming up next week? The memo your boss sent around? When was the last time most of us truly pondered and reflected on God’s word, and made meditation and reflection a major part of our daily life.
          That is the goal of worship – to meditate on God’s word together – to plant ourselves by streams of God’s life-giving water so we can be nourished. No single worship service is going to fix everything in your spiritual life – it’s the cumulative effect of a healthy root system, nourished by streams of water that gives our faith staying power. With a  good root system, there is always hope for recovery, renewal and growth.
          So happens if we ignore our roots, neglect God’s word and forgo the discipline of worship and meditation?
         Well, as the Psalmist notes, there are consequences. “The wicked” – the ones who neglect God’s word- “are like chaff that the wind drives away.”
          Chaff is an interesting word here. Unless you grew up on a wheat farm, you probably not too familiar with chaff. But for the ancient Israelites, chaff was a part of everyday life. When wheat was harvested, it was threshed. The sheaves of wheat were dumped out on a stone slab called a threshing floor, where the villagers would beat it with sticks. Then, someone threw it up in the air with a pitchfork. As it hung in the air, the wind would carry away a fine dust, called chaff – indigestible stuff that was no good to eat.
          Here’s how one fellow preacher described the contemporary threshing process:
          “I don’t think city folks understand chaff. In Montana, every fall we had harvesters who came around with a threshing rig. The bundles of wheat would be thrown into this machine. The straw would be blown out into the stack and the wheat would come dribbling out to be poured into trucks or wagons and taken away to the granary. But floating around in the air everywhere was chaff. It was the worst stuff you ever saw. It stuck to the skin wherever you sweat, on the back of your neck and down your shirt. It created frightful itching. It was universally regarded as the most worthless stuff there ever was.” (3)
          That, says the Psalmist, is the result of a life that never focuses consistently on God’s word. It may look like a great life – following the crowd towards success and luxury, but ultimately that life is barren and empty, like chaff blown away by the wind.
          But if we live our lives like trees planted by streams of water, our spiritual roots will grow strong, we will bear fruit in due time, and we will prosper in everything we do.
         And for that, may God be praised. Amen.

1.  Anthony de Mello, The Prayer of the Frog, Prakash Publishing, 1988.

2. Alex Haley, Roots: The Story of an American Family, DeCapo Press, 2016.

3. Ray Stedman, “A Song of Foundations”, www.raystedman.org.

09-15-2024 The Power and Peril of Words

Thomas J Parlette
“The Power and Peril of Words”
James 3: 1-12
9/15/24

       “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” A simple childhood rhyme that we all know, designed to get us through those bouts of teasing and name-calling that inevitably happen as we grow up. You get teased at school and when you get home, mom says, “Don’t worry honey, sticks and stones… now sit down and have some cookies.”
          And yet, as well-meaning as that rhyme is – we all know it’s entirely true.
          Words are not harmless. Words have power.
          They have the power to hurt, but also the power to heal.
          Words have the power to build up, but also the power to tear down.
          As the Chinese proverb says: “A bad word whispered will echo a hundred miles.” (1)
 
          There’s an old story about the famous nineteenth-century preacher, Henry Ward Beecher. One Sunday, he climbed into the imposing pulpit of Boston’s Plymouth Congregational Church, and there he found a note waiting for him. Beecher glanced at the note, and then announced, “I received a letter from one of you this morning. It states quite simply, “Fool.” Beecher paused, then grinned and said, “I often receive letters from people who forget to sign their names, but this is the first time someone has signed their name and forgotten to write the letter.” (2)
          Beecher, quick on his feet, found a snappy comeback, but even or him, the criticism must have stung. Even though the word missed it’s mark, it was still meant to wound.
          But words also have the power to heal us and save us. Consider the story of Georgie Fletcher and Beth Legler. Georgie, from West Virginia, and Beth, from Australia were playing an online game where you could text message back and forth while you played. During their game, Georgie’s husband in West Virginia began experiencing weird sensations in his chest and left arm. Georgie mentioned this in passing to her gaming partner thousands of miles away in Australia – who in turn mentioned the symptoms to her husband, who just happened to be a doctor. Beth’s husband recognized that Georgie’s husband was experiencing symptoms of a heart attack, and insisted through text messages that he go to the hospital immediately. Which he did, as it turned out, just in time. He had a 99% blockage near his heart.
          After this incident, Beth said, “Had we not gotten that message, I don’t think my husband would have gone to the doctor that day.
          Today, Beth’s husband us alive and well, because of a few words over a text message. (3)
          It has been said that “a bad word whispered will echo a hundred miles.” But perhaps we could also say, “good word whispered can save a life.”
          There is an elementary school teacher in Minneapolis named Natalie Ringold, who has gone viral with a lesson that she teaches her 4th grade students. She teaches her students that kindness matters, their words matter. As she says, “If somebody can’t change something about themselves in 30 seconds or less, then you shouldn’t be mentioning it to them. It’s okay to tell someone that their shoe is untied, or they have a little something on their shirt, they can change those things in 30 seconds or less. But if you comment on someone’s hair color or hair texture or something about their body, they cannot change that very quickly. Your words have power. If you say something that someone can’t change in 30 seconds or less, you don’t say those things.” (4)
          The power and peril of words is the subject of our passage from James today. At the beginning of his letter, a letter that some scholars call “the New Testament version of Proverbs,” James lays out an overview of what true wisdom looks like:
1. taking care in how we speak,
2. giving care to those in distress,
3. and being careful about what we let into our lives.
 
          The rest of the letter, or perhaps we should think of it more like a sermon or a piece of wisdom literature, elaborates on what becoming wise looks like. Last week, we considered James’ direction about giving care to those in need as we read his well-known statement that “faith, if it has no works, is dead.” Today, we deal with one of the other bits of wisdom the Book of James is built on – “take care in how you speak.” Or, as James so eloquently puts it, “… the tongue is a small thing, yet it boasts of great exploits.” I love that phrase.
          Barbara Brown Taylor notes that wisdom writers typically look to the natural world for demonstrations of divine truth. James certainly does that. He has a bag full of metaphors to help him make his case.
          He points to the need to bridle the tongue, so it remains under control, as you would a donkey or a camel.
          He uses the example of a small rudder controlling the direction of a large ship.
          He talks about small fires growing into raging infernos, springs bringing forth two kinds of water, fig trees producing olives instead of figs.
          All these metaphors are used to show that our words have great power, and come with great peril. The tongue can be used for blessings and curses. This should not be true. The truly wise must learn to hold their tongue.
          As Mark Twain once said: “The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.” (5)
          The truly wise know that. Words have power. A bad word whispered can echo a hundred miles.
          There is an old story from Eastern Europe that tells about a woman whose tongue was sharp and unkind. She was known in her village for being the source of many hurtful rumors. One day, she was brought before the village Rabbi for judgment.
          She defended herself by saying, “The things I say are only in jest. I don’t mean any harm. Other people go off and spread the rumors. Blame them, not me.”
          But her victims cried out for justice, “You’ve ruined our reputations! You must be punished.”
          “Wait, wait – I can make it up to you,” said the woman. “I will take back my words and everything will be fine.”
          The Rabbi listened to what the woman had to say and sadly shook his head. “You don’t understand what you’ve done.” Then the Rabbi called out, “Bring my feather pillow to the market square.”
          Someone ran to the Rabbi’s house and brought back his pillow. Standing in the bustling town square, the Rabbi cut open his pillow and cast the feathers to the wind. He said to the woman, “Your careless words can not be forgiven until you bring me back my fathers – every last one.”
          The woman reluctantly agreed, but thought to herself, “the wise old Rabbi is out of his mind!”
          But to humor him, she dashed off to chase down every last feather. She ran to every corner of town. She weaved down every city street. She leaped and grabbed and snatched feathers out of mid-air – even took one right out of a dog’s mouth. But at the end of the day, she had only a small part of the pillow filled. (6)
          She went back to the Rabbi with a new awareness of the power, and the peril of her words. Words are like feathers in the wind. Once they are released, we can never get them back. A bad word whispered can echo a hundred miles.
          But the opposite is also true. A good word whispered can echo in your heart for a lifetime.
          Twenty-seven years ago, a man named Bob Greene wrote a piece that appeared in the Chicago Tribune. He wrote how he once overheard a mother say to her little boy, in a moment of exasperation – “Are you too stupid to do anything right?” Those words got him thinking:
          “A few words spoken in the heat of the moment – words that seem to mean little at the time to the people responsible for them – can have enormous power. Words like that can echo.”
          But so can words of the other kind.
          That experience makes me think of a story I heard once from a man named Malcolm Dalkoff. He’s 48 years old, and for the last 24 years he has been a professional writer, mostly in the advertising industry. Here is what he told me:
          “As a boy in Rock Island, Illinois, he was terribly insecure and shy. He was quiet, he was scared, he mostly stayed to himself. He had few friends, and so sense of self-confidence.
          In October of 1965, his English teacher at Rock Island High School, Mrs. Brauch, gave the class an assignment. The students had been reading To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. The assignment was to write a chapter that would follow the last chapter of the novel. Their own chapter.
          Malcolm wrote his last chapter and turned it in. Today, he cannot recall feeling anything about the act of writing that chapter, or the grade that he got.
          What he does remember – what he will never forget – are the four words his teacher wrote in the margins of the paper: “This is good writing.”
          Four words – and they changed his life.
          Up until those words, I had no idea of who I was or what I was going to be, he said. “But after reading those words, I went home and I wrote a short story – something I had always dreamed of doing but never really believed I could do.”
          Over the rest of the school year, he wrote many short stories, always bringing them to school for Mrs. Brauch to look at and evaluate. She was encouraging, but she was also tough and honest. “She was just what I needed,” says Dalkoff.
          Later in his high school career, Dalkoff was named co-editor of the school newspaper. His confidence grew, his horizons broadened, he started off on a successful and fulfilling life. And he is convinced that none of that would have happened had his English teacher not written those four words in the margin of his paper.” (7)
          Just a few words.
          “Are you too stupid to do anything right,” as opposed to
          “This is good writing.”
          Just a few words, but they can last forever. They can change everything. As James reminds us this morning – the wise know the power and peril of their words. The wise understand that a bad word whispered can echo a hundred miles. They are like feathers in the wind – you can never get them back.
          But those who are wise also know that a good word whispered can echo in your heart for a lifetime. So, I ask you – what words will you write in the margins of the people you meet?
          May God be praised. Amen.
1. Dynamic Preaching, Vol XXVIII, No. 4.
2. Ibid…

3. Ibid…

4. retrieved from online newsletter “Nice News” Sept. 9th, 2024.

5. Dynamic Preaching, Vol. XXVIII, No.4.

6. Ibid…

7. Ibid…

09-08-2024 Can't Have One Without the Other

Thomas J Parlette
“Can’t Have One Without the Other”
James 2: 1-17
9/8/24
          It is said that in Hollywood there is an exclusive school attended by the children of movie stars, directors and film producers. One day a teacher in that school asked her very privileged students to write a story on the subject of poverty. One little girl started her story like this: Once there was a poor little girl. Her father was poor, her mother was poor, her nanny was poor, her chauffer was poor, and her butler was poor. In fact, everyone in the house was very, very poor.” (1)
          Somehow I don’t think that little girl had ever been around anyone who was truly poor. If she did meet someone who was really poor, I’m not sure she would even know what to do. In all likelihood, she would have been right at home in the assembly that James describes this morning.
          James begins chapter two of his epistle with the story of an usher in a Christian assembly. If someone with gold rings and fine clothes shows up for church, this usher shows him to the best seats in the house, right in the center where the light is good and everybody takes notice. It’s not too hot, it’s not too cold and the cushions are comfortable. But when a poor person comes in with ragged clothes, smelling like yesterday’s socks, this usher shows him to a corner seat, way in the back, dark and out of the way, where the only seats are on the cold, hard floor. Like that little girl in Hollywood, this usher doesn’t know how to treat the poor person, and clearly gives preferential treatment to the rich worshipper.
          But listen, says James, God has chosen the poor of the world to be rich in faith – don’t dishonor the poor. You would do well to live by the royal, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If you favor one over another like this, you’re breaking that law. Show mercy – mercy triumphs over judgment.
          And James goes on to write some of his most well-known words: And about this faith you say you have, what good is it if you have no works. Can faith save you? Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. For James – faith and works go together, you can’t have one without the other.
          The folk theologian, Charles Schulz, captured the spirit of James in a nutshell in his Peanuts comic strip. Snoopy is shivering out in a snowstorm beside his empty food dish. He looks longingly toward the house, from whence his food doth come. Lucy comes out, and instead of putting anything in Snoopy’s dish, Lucy says – “Go in peace, be warmed and filled.” And then she turns, goes back into the house and slams the door. In the last frame, there’s Snoopy looking toward the house, shivering and hungry and utterly baffled (2) That’s James in a nutshell. Faith, by itself, if it has no works, is dead. You can’t have one without the other.
          That theme is probably why the Epistle of James is a favorite for so many. If you are at all interested in mission, you probably like what James has to say. If you call yourself a Christian, then do something about it. Faith without works is dead. You can’t have one without the other.
          I imagine that none of us would argue with that. That makes perfect sense.
          And yet, the great reformer Martin Luther himself, really did not like James at all. He didn’t think it should be in the Bible. He famously dismissed it as “an epistle of straw.”
          You Pauline scholars out there probably know why Luther felt that way. Luther was very influenced by Paul’s letter to the Romans. It was there that Martin Luther found the core of his teaching – we are saved by our faith, not by our works. There is nothing we can do to earn our way into heaven – salvation is a gift from God. We are saved by our faith. That is one of the cornerstones of our Reformed faith.
          So when James asks his rhetorical question, “Can faith save you” – Martin Luther may have stood up and shouted “Are you kidding me! Yes! We are saved by our faith.” This apparent theological contradiction is why Luther had very little use for the Epistle of James.
          And yet, I don’t think James and Paul are really at odds. Faith is still important for James. We are saved by our faith, but for James, what good is it to say we have faith, but do nothing about it. What good is it to show up for worship, say all the right things, but then continue to live in ways contrary to the gospel. For James, talk is cheap. Saying you have faith is not enough. You need to act on your faith. You need to provide for the needs you see all around you, in the best way you can. Love your neighbor as yourself. Show compassion. Show mercy. Then your faith means something.
          I prefer to believe that James actually builds on what Paul has to say. We are saved by our faith – true – but we are still called to do good. The question is WHY do we do the good deeds. It’s a question of motivation. Do we care for the needs we see around us so we can earn a place in heaven? Or, do we care for the needs we see around us because we are grateful to God that we already have a placed reserved for us in heaven through our faith in Jesus Christ.
          Paul deals with the question of HOW we receive salvation. We receive salvation through our faith, as a gift from God.
         James builds on that and tackles the question of WHAT do we DO once we have this salvation. Do we keep our faith to ourselves and keep quiet about it? No – for James, once you have faith, it is only useful if you do something with it. Faith, by itself, with no works, is dead. It means nothing. You need both faith and works – you can’t have without the other. James calls us to risk doing the things we say we believe.
          For instance, here’s how one family answered that call. Kevin Salwen was driving home with his daughter Hannah, who was 14 at the time, and they came to a stoplight where Hannah noticed a homeless man panhandling while nearby, just a few feet away, an expensive Mercedes was idling, waiting for the light to turn green. She wondered aloud why the guy in the big, fancy car didn’t sell it and use the money to provide meals for the poor.
           At home that night and for many subsequent nights, a discussion ensued and then a debate emerged. Finally, Hannah’s mother Joan had had enough and she blurted out, “What do you want us to do? Sell the house?” Their house was worth 1.5 million dollars.
          Long story short, that’s exactly what the Selwen family did. They sold their 1.5 million dollar house and downsized to a house half that price. Then they donated 800,000 dollars to The Hunger Project to help a village in Ghana. Later, the entire family went to Ghana to visit the village and it was a life changing experience. You can read the whole story in the book The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back. (3)
          I admit that’s a pretty daring thing to do – and clearly not something that everyone is in a position to do. But that story can challenge us to think creatively about other possibilities that might be within our reach. How can you put your faith into action? How can you love your neighbors and show mercy and compassion?
          There is a Pulitzer Prize-winning sociologist at Princeton University, named Matthew Desmond. He has been exploring the subject of poverty in America. His latest book, released just last year is called Poverty, by America. It lays out why there is so much poverty in the United States, and it offers suggestions about how we can eliminate it. The numbers he has compiled are staggering:
         3 million children are homeless.
-         5% of the population lives in poverty.
-         3 million people get by on $4 a day.
Desmond says, “If America’s poor founded a country, that country would have a population bigger than Australia or Venezuela.”
So, what can we do about it? Desmond says that if we decided, as a country to invest in ending poverty, the price tag would be $177 billion dollars. This would ensure that every American had a safe and affordable place to live, hunger would be eliminated, and every child would have a good shot at security and success.
I know $177 billion dollars sounds like a lot of money – because it is a lot of money. But the United States could find the funds if it wanted to, according to Matthew Desmond. Eliminating tax cheats alone would generate $1 trillion dollars. Not $1 billion, but $1 trillion. Enough to cover the bill.
But here’s the problem. Desmond points out that many Americans are opposed to the expansion of public services. Half the population believes that social benefits from the government make people lazy. They feel that aid to the poor is does more harm than good. (4)
But then we run into James today.  “What good is it to say you have faith, but have no works. If you do nothing for those in need, what good is your faith? Faith without works is dead.” You need both – you can’t have one without the other.
Once upon a time, there was a wealthy and devout business who decided to take a walk and enjoy his lunch outside. He strolled through a park, bought a hot dog and a soda, and enjoyed the day. As he walked. Two different people approached him with the same request – “Can you help me out, I’m hungry?”
Both times, the businessman waved them away and kept walking. On his way back to his office, he decided to stop into a bakery and get a chocolate éclair for dessert. But just as he was about to take the first bite, a young man on a skateboard zoomed by and accidentally knocked the éclair to the ground. The business tried to clean the dirt of, you know, five second rule and all, but it was no use – the éclair was just too dirty.
Just then, he saw one of the men who approached him before, asking for help. The businessman handed over the éclair, and said, “Here you go, my friend, enjoy.” And the businessman walked back to his office proud of himself for his good deed.
But that night, the man had a dream. He was sitting in a large and crowded café. Waiters were busy serving all manner of food and treats but no one took notice of the businessman, despite him waving his arms and asking for service.
Finally, one waiter took notice and came over to take the businessman’s order – “just bring me whatever you have on special, I’m very hungry.”
A few minutes later, the waiter returned with a dirty, gross-looking piece of something resembling a pastry
The businessman was livid – “How dare you serve me this. You can’t treat me this way. I expect good service and good food for my money. What kind of a café is this this?”
The waiter responded – “Sir, you don’t seem to understand. You can’t buy anything here, we don’t accept money. You have arrived in heaven and all you can order here is what you sent ahead while you were on earth. I checked our records and the only thing we have for you is his dirty éclair.”
He learned the hard way about the truth of James’ words – “Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” Faith and good deeds go together – you can’t have one without the other.
May God be praised. Amen.
1. Dynamic Preaching, Vol. XXVIII, No. 3, p 53.

2. Ibid… p 53.

3. Homiletics, Vol. 24, No 5, p 20-21.

4. Matthew Desmond, Poverty, by America (New York, Crown, 2023). P 18, 85-86, 124-125.

09-01-2024 The Raciest Book in the Bible

Thomas J Parlette
“The Raciest Book in the Bible”
Song of Solomon 2: 8-13
9/1/24

         Once upon a time – this story actually happened. It happened in a local high school in Toms River, New Jersey, in the early 1960s, before the Supreme Court ruling that banned Bible reading in public schools.
          Back in those days, the school’s opening exercises included a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, daily announcements, and a selection from the Bible read by a student over the PA system. According to school tradition, it was up to the student to choose the Bible reading.
          Students sat sleepily at their homeroom desks most days, only half-listening as the opening exercises droned on, even the teachers sipped their coffee and read their newspapers as they waited for the day to officially begin – until one particular morning that would be forever etched into local history.
          On that morning, one by one, the students in homeroom sat up straight and paid close attention to the words of the Bible reading from the venerable King James Version:
          “How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O price’s daughter!
          The joints of thy thighs are like jewels.
          Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor:
          Thy belly is like a heap of wheat set about with lilies.
          Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.
          Thy neck is like a tower of ivory…”

          Then the PA system and whistled and crackled, and suddenly went dead – as you could hear the principal shout, “That’s enough of that!!”
          The effect of those words on a school full of adolescents first thing in the morning was, to say the least, memorable. So memorable that the townsfolk still tell the story decades later.
          As you might imagine – by order of the principal himself, the student leader was replaced, despite his fervent protests that all he had been doing was reading from the Bible! From that day forward, at least until the Supreme Court banned Bible reading in public schools on June 17th, 1963, the principal chose the Bible passages for the opening exercises. (1)
          Dangerous, scandalous stuff those bible verses!
          The offending student was reading from the Song of Solomon in Chapter 7, that sensuous love-poem sandwiched between the stern philosophy of Ecclesiastes and the soaring prophecies of Isaiah.
          To generations of Christians, the Song of Solomon – or the “Song of Songs” as it is sometimes called – has been a bit of an embarrassment. It is without a doubt the raciest book in the Bible, and it’s one of only two books in the Bible that don’t mention God by name. Esther is the other one, by the way.
          Back in the Middle Ages, Bible scholars went to elaborate lengths to interpret this book as highly symbolic. Some taught that this explicit love poetry was really about the soul’s relationship to God. Others claimed that it was about God’s love for the Virgin Mary, and she for God. If you think you’re hearing lovers sighing to each other in a moonlit glade, then think again, say these medieval scholars. When you the woman’s voice crooning, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine,” – well all that lovey-dovey romantic talk is like a secret code for an earnest and devout, and thoroughly chaste, piety.
          I know that sounds pretty far-fetched. What possible reason could the author have for hiding religious sentiment behind steamy love poetry? It’s more faithful to take the Song of Solomon at face value. It’s a joyous celebration of committed love – in every respect, including the physical – as a wonderful gift of God.
          But still, something about the Song of Solomon makes many of us feel uneasy. This has as much to do with the hang-ups of our society as with the book itself.
          Our society tends to understand human love in a binary way. Love is either idealized and spiritual – or it is sensual and physical – but never both. On the one hand, you have lacy valentine hearts and bouquets of roses. On the other is graphic content from the darkest corners of the internet. One extreme, according to our culture is good – the other bad. There is no middle ground.
          But in the Song of Solomon, there is no separation between the physical and the spiritual. “Love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave,” the poet writes in chapter 8 “Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame.” The author sees no need to construct a wall between the spiritual and the physical. To this divinely inspired poet, they’re two sides of the same coin.
          So what are we to do with the Song of Solomon, this most racy of books in the Bible? This is where it becomes helpful to read this passage alongside the one from James for this morning. There we’ll find a principle for interpreting the Hebrew scriptures. One of the wonderful things about the lectionary – those readings recommended for each Sunday – is often the Scriptural texts have conceptual links between them. They often elaborate or interpret each other. Not always – but sometimes. Today, the lectionary works out pretty well.
          In James 1: 19, we hear these words… “Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger…” When we hold that text up next to the love poem from Song of Solomon, it gives us a new perspective. If there’s one thing the two impassioned lovers have elevated to a fine art, it’s the skill of listening to one another.
          Listen to how Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message:
          “Look! Listen! There’s my lover!
          Do you see him coming?
          Vaulting the mountains,
          Leaping the hills.
          My lover is like a gazelle, graceful;
          Like a young stag, virile.
          Look at him there, on tiptoe at the gate,
          All ears, all eyes – ready!
          My lover has arrived
          And he’s speaking to me!”
          The Song of Solomon is one of the few places in Scripture where we hear a woman’s voice. The voice in this song is listening attentively for her lover – every thought, every action is attuned to his return. When she hears the sound of his footsteps, and moments later his voice, “Get up, my dear friend, fair and beautiful lover – come to me,” her heart is thrilled.
          In today’s epistle reading, James advises everyone to be “quick to listen” Listen like the woman who sings this song about her lover. Listen intently just as she does.
          We all know that when a relationship is young, listening comes pretty easy. We can’t wait to hear each other’s stories and listen for our loved one’s opinions and feelings. Yet, as the years go by and loving relationships mature, whether it’s marriages or long-term friendships, we reach a point when we’ve heard the stories, perhaps many times. We’ve heard our loved one’s feelings and opinions maybe too often. The what becomes of listening?
          You may have seen the classic cartoon that depicts a husband reading from his newspaper. “Honey, it says here that one of the reasons for marital problems is that couples don’t really listen to each other.” Then you look over to the where the wife ought to be sitting, and you see an empty chair. Turns out she got up and walked out of the room some time ago, but her husband never noticed. Such are the challenges of love that’s no longer new.
          Listening is in fact, one of the greatest gifts we can give to those we love – or anyone else, for that matter. There’s a universal human need to be listened to. Listening is a wonderfully easy gift to give. Anyone can do it – but it does take conscious effort, and some practice. Once you figure out how to do it, you discover, as writer Fran Lebowitz points out, “The opposite of talking isn’t listening… but waiting.” (2) All you need to do to be a good listener is open up some space and give the other person time. The space will get filled. As the bumper sticker says – “When I listen, people speak.”
          The late psychologist Carl Rogers was an expert at attentive listening. The non-directive school of psychotherapy he developed is all about waiting, reflecting, and opening a gracious space for clients to share what’s on their hearts. Here’s what he had to say:
          “Hearing has consequences. When I truly hear a person and the meanings that are important to them at the moment, hearing not simply their words, but them… many things happen. There is first of all, a grateful look. They feel released… Almost always, when a person realizes they have been heard, their eyes moisten. I think in some real sense they are weeping for joy. It is as though they are saying, “Thank God, somebody has heard me. Someone knows what is like to be me.” (3)
          One of the marvelous aspects of being in love is precisely that feeling of being heard – the certainty that someone else “knows what it’s like to be me.” Jesus assures us many times that God listens to us when we pray. And Jesus certainly knows what it’s like to one of us. Look back to the very first human, Adam – in Genesis 2, he looks at Eve for the first time and says, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” Someone who knows what it’s like to be me.
          The Song of Solomon, for all its racy bits, revels in this sort of meticulous attention – this exuberant recognition and naming of another. In Song number 4, the man says of the woman:
         “You’re so beautiful, darling,
So beautiful, and you dove eyes are veiled
By your hair as it flows and shimmers,
Like a flock of goats in the distance
Streaming down a hillside in the sunshine.”
          And in Song 5, the woman describes the man as,
          “Strong and deep-rooted, a rugged mountain of a man,
          Aromatic with wood and stone.
          His words are kisses, his kisses words.
          Everything about him delights me, thrills me
          Through and through!”
          The rich cascade of metaphors (some of them odd, I admit), tumbling down one upon the other sound almost ridiculous after a while – but whoever said two people in love are the picture of dignity. Remember that time when Tom Cruise was on the Oprah Winfrey talk show and jumped up and down when talking about his love for Katie Holmes? Not very dignified.
          The point is, lovers demonstrate a high degree of very focused attention for each other, and it is this attention that makes love wondrously renewing – both the kind of love we experience in our personal relationships, and the love and intimacy with God that we experience in our spiritual relationship.
          “Let everyone be quick to listen,” says James. The couple in the Song of Solomon has no trouble with that.
         It may be the raciest book in the Bible – but it does show us how much God cares for and listens to us, and how much we should care for and listen to God. To re-word song 5 just a bit – “Everything about God should delight us, thrill us, through and through.
          May God be praised. Amen.
1. Homileticsonline.com, retrieved 8/5/24. Used with permission.
2. Ibid…

3. Carl Ransom Rogers, A Way of Being (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1995), p 10.

08-24-2024 Words That Live

Thomas J Parlette
“Words that Live”
John 6: 56-69
8/25/24

          This morning we come to the end of our long journey through John, Chapter 6, where we have come to know Jesus as the “Bread Guy.” For the last six weeks, Jesus has been describing himself as the Bread of Heaven. Today, he pushes the metaphor even further as says, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them.”
          It’s quite shocking when you think about it. I’m sure there were some gasps and a lot of murmured questions among the disciples when they heard Jesus say this. This was one of the verses that really caused the early believers some trouble, because people outside their fellowship thought they were some weird, cannibalistic cult or something. Eating flesh and drinking blood – no thank you.
          Finally, the murmurs subside and one of the disciples says, “This teaching is difficult, who can accept it.”
          And Jesus answers, “Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
          There are many ways we could approach this passage from John:    - We could focus on the eating of flesh and drinking of blood part, emphasizing that the Reformed view is that is meant symbolically, not literally.
-         We could focus on the eating of this bread from heaven resulting in life-everlasting.
-         We could take a deep dive into Jesus knowing that there are some who do not believe and no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father. Seems like some pre-destination going on there for sure.
-         We could look at the disciples who evidently gave up and left the fellowship – or Simon Peter’s statement to Jesus, “Where are we going to go, you have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
But today, let’s think some more about Jesus’ words “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” Jesus words are words that live. We have an opportunity today to think about how we should approach Jesus’ words, how we should approach reading and interpreting the Bible.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks has written: “Every text needs interpretation. Every interpretation needs wisdom. Every wisdom needs careful negotiation between the timeless and time. Fundamentalism reads texts as if God were as simple as we are. That is unlikely to be true.” (1)
The problem is biblical illiteracy is quite common. Many people in our society place a great deal of importance on the words of scripture. But the majority of those people don’t really read or interact with the Bible. In her book, The Preaching Life, Barbara Brown Taylor writes: “My relationship with the Bible is not a romance but a marriage, one I am willing to work on in all the usual ways: by living with the text day in and day out, by listening to it and talking back to it, by making sure I know what is behind the words it speaks to me and being certain I have heard it properly, by refusing to distance myself from the parts of it I do not like or understand, by letting my love for it show up in the everyday acts of my life.” (2)
Not everyone approaches the Bible in that way. It’s much more common for people to digest small morsels of scripture. They look for verses that function as a slogan for their lives, and commit those to memory, or perhaps have them tattooed on their arms or torsos. But memorizing a couple of verses doesn’t really fit into the broader framework of the scriptural narrative.
Another touchy area is topical bible study. Too often we look through scripture or perhaps ask a pastor to explain what the Bible says about a current event or a social issue. It’s tempting to pluck out a couple of verses that seem to address the concern and overlook the big picture of what scripture says.
For example, Yale University religion professor Stephen Prothero addresses both these areas when tells a story about a controversial case a few years back involving a death penalty verdict in Colorado. A judge overturned the guilty verdict on appeal because, at the original trial, members of the jury had brought Bibles with them into the jury room. They had done so because they wanted to read and discuss the biblical phrase, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”
The Christian-right group Focus on the Family – which favors the death penalty – was outraged at the judge’s ruling. They made national headlines when they blasted the judge for turning away from what they consider America’s core biblical values. A spokesperson said, “It’s a sad day when the Bible is banned from the jury room.”
The only problem is, the one place Jesus mentions “an eye for an eye” is in Matthew 5:38, from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus begins by quoting that verse from Leviticus and Deuteronomy  - “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth…” But then he goes on to say “But I say to you, “Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” He completely contradicts the old way of thinking.
Professor Prothero points out that both the jury members and the Focus on the Family lobbyists completely misrepresented what Jesus says. What Jesus means is “Don’t follow the ancient law. Don’t seek revenge. It goes against my teachings of compassion and mercy.” (3)
Taking that scripture out of context, it may seem, to proponents of the death penalty, that it helps their case. Yet, examine the phrase in its full context, paying attention to how Jesus uses it, and you see that it’s completely opposite to what he is saying. Context matters. Interpretation is vital.
It is a rather modern development, since about the early 1900’s, that we read the Bible as God’s word to us as individuals – what is God saying to me personally. But both the Old and New Testaments were not originally written to be read like that. The Bible is about God’s forming of a community of people. Throughout most of the New Testament, the pronouns “you” and “your” refer to communities, gatherings of individuals – no one had their own private copies of the Gospels or Paul’s letters that they read by themselves by candlelight. They heard the scriptures read or told to them as a group. When you begin to see scripture through it’s intended communal lenses, it drastically changes how you interpret it.
As Jayson Bradley writes in a blog post on Patheos.com from February 26th, 2019:
“If you think the Bible always agrees with you, that’s one of the biggest signs that you are biblically malnourished. Real familiarity with scripture should lead us to deeper self-reflection and acceptance. If it helps to fuel an “Us vs Them” worldview or a culture war construct, you’re doing it wrong.” (4)
Notice that Jesus says – “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” The words that Jesus speaks bring life. Not the words written on ancient papyrus – the words that Jesus himself speaks, right now. Those are the words that live. Those are the words that are spirit and life.
So, how should we go about reading and studying the Bible? How do we open ourselves to these words that are spirit and life?
Well, a couple of basic thoughts.
First, I know it’s tempting to simply start at the beginning with Genesis. After all, that’s the way we’ve been trained to read. Start with chapter 1. And there are, of course lots of great stories in Genesis and Exodus. But eventually, we get into Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, with all the laws and bloody battles and it gets difficult to read. That’s where a lot of people get bogged down and quit reading.
When setting out to read the Bible, I think it might be better to start with a simple, straightforward book – like the Gospel of Mark. You could read that comfortably in an afternoon if you’d like. And then you can move on to some of Paul’s shorter letters – like Philippians, for instance – before diving into the complicated theology of Romans and Corinthians.
Secondly, feel free to take your time. You don’t have to read a whole book straight through, not even the Gospel of Mark, in one sitting. Focus instead on manageable chunks – a couple of paragraphs or so is fine. Most modern Bibles divide chapters into chunks using bold-faced headings that summarize the story – use those as your guide. When you’re done with a passage – read it again and make a note or two about what stands out to you- a concept, a particular character maybe, a word or a phrase that caught your attention.
And lastly, it is always helpful to read the Bible with other people. Could be a friend or two, maybe a family member, or one of the Bible study groups that meet here at church. It’s a great opportunity to hear what someone else takes away from a biblical story. You don’t have to agree about what the story says, you are not looking for the one, right answer – you are looking for what God is saying through scripture. And God speaks to all of us in different ways.
As Jesus says today – “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
May God be praised for Jesus’ words that live. Amen.

1. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence (Schocken, 2017) p 207.

2. Barbara Brown Taylor, The Preaching Life (Cowley, 1993) p 56.

3. Stephen Prothero, Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know – And Doesn’t (HaperOne, 2008).

4. Jayson D. Bradley, “Biblical Illiteracy Is a Big Problem – for Christians,” Patheos.com, February 26th, 2019.

08-18-2024 At All Times and for Everything

Thomas J Parlette
At all times and for everything”
Eph. 5: 15-20
8/18/24
          What would you take with you if you might never come back?
          That was the question residents of Greenville, California faced in July 2021, hours before the Dixie Fire – the most expensive wildfire in American History in terms of fire-fighting costs.
          After the flames roared through Greenville, everything was utterly destroyed.
          When the evacuation order came, the locals had just a few hours to decide what to take with them as they fled for their lives. In an article from August 14th, 2021, a couple reporters from the Washington Post caught up with some of the evacuees and asked them to show them the things they had decided to take with them, and why.
          Stephanie Fairbanks, age 33, took the ashes of her two deceased dogs, some antique meat grinders and some antique bottles and cans she’d collected.
          Brianna Angel, age 10, was given the job of rounding up the family cat, which she did. Then she packed her guitar, a few favorite books, a polaroid camera and a photo album with pictures of her friends’ birthday parties. She also brought her Pokemon card collection.
          John Olson, age 32, rescued his grandmother’s antique sewing table, because he knew how much it meant to his mother.
          Teresa Hatch, age 61, carried out her Jack Russell Terrier, a few bags of clothes, her mother’s ashes and a rosary she wears around her neck. “Just talking to God makes it a little bit easier to forget about the fear,” she said, “the what if, where are you going to go, what are you going to do. God told me that I’d be fine, just give it time.”
          Mary Joseph, age 44 – a Native American of the Maidu people – brought an antique baby basket in which she and each of her sisters had once slept.
          And Mary Smith, age 69, carried out her family photos. “I can’t replace any of these,” she explained. “Everything else in the house, I can replace.” (1)
          What would you take if you only had a couple of hours to decide, and you knew you might never come back?
          It’s a question of profound spiritual importance. Disasters have a way of focusing our priorities in life
          In Today’s passage from Ephesians, we hear talk about “giving thanks to God at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
         When you first hear those words, you may say to yourself, “Yea, I’ve heard that before. Giving thanks to God… Isn’t that what every Christian is supposed to do?”
          Yes, but there is a little more to it than that. Notice that Paul says, “at all times and for everything.” That’s the challenge in this passage – Paul is raising the stakes here much more than just being thankful. We are called to give thanks at all times and for everything.
          You might be wondering – “Is Paul serious here? Are we really supposed to give thanks constantly? Do we really have to give thanks for everything – what about those people running from the wildfire, are they really supposed to be thankful for that. Maybe you have the voice of John McEnroe in your head saying – “You can not be serious!”
          I mean, come on - isn’t Paul engaging in a little “holy hyperbole” here.
          No – not a chance. Paul is setting the bar pretty high, that’s true, but just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Giving thanks – at all times and for everything is certainly tough – but that the goal of the Christian life.
          Of course, that does mean, we’re going to have to give up some things – some things like complaining.
          Complaining is an odd thing. In a backhanded way, it makes us feel good – you know, “misery loves company” kind of thing. Of course we would prefer that that huge problem looming over us would just go away. But if it shows no signs of doing that, we’ll settle for the next best thing – we’ll milk it for all it’s worth. Complain to anyone who will listen.
          We’ve all known chronic complainers – folks who hardly ever have a good word to say about anything or anyone, just a whole lot of negative comments about whatever topic that comes up. People like that can certainly be challenging. Sure, there are times in life when complaints are in order, but when complaints and negativity become a constant habit, a state of being, the only thing it accomplishes is to drag us further down, sometimes taking everyone around us down as well.
          The only antidote is developing the discipline of giving thanks. On the wall above our staircase leading downstairs, we have a sign that serves as a reminder – “Find the wonderful in today.” A constant reminder that giving thanks at all times and for everything is a discipline that you have to work on each day.
          An Army chaplain once told the tale of being out on a training exercise with a battalion of soldiers. He was assigned to the Signal Corps. In those days before satellite phones and GPS, these were the soldiers who set up radio antennas and other communications gear so the generals could communicate with their officers in the field. Once they’d set up the antennas, they divided up into little teams and lived out of their trucks as they maintained the equipment.
          This Chaplain was out visiting one of these communication posts when he happened upon a soldier with a notably sour attitude. “Soldier, how’s it going today?” asked the Chaplain.
          “Chaplain – it’s’ pretty bad day.”
          The Chaplain went on to talk with the soldier about all the things that were bothering him. None of them had anything to do with the field exercise, which actually was going very well. The complaints were all of a personal nature.
          The next day, the Chaplain moved on to another installation. He knocked on the door of the truck, and to his surprise, the same soldier opened the door. He had moved during the night.
         “Well, how’s going today?
          “Well, Chaplain, it’s’ pretty bad day. And the soldier recounted the same down-in-the-mouth, doom and gloom litany as before.
          The third day, to his surprise, the Chaplain ran into the same soldier yet again. And you can guess what happened – same question, same laundry list of complaints.
          “You know,” said the Chaplain, “I met you yesterday and it was bad day. I met you the day before that, and that was a bad day too. Same thing today. It seems to me that if this continues, someday you’re going to stand before your Maker, who’s going to ask, “So, how was your life?” I’ve got a feeling the only answer you’ll be able to give is “It was a pretty bad life.” Maybe there’s something you should do about that.”
After a moment of hesitation, the soldier smiled and nodded his head. “I see your point, Padre, I see your point.” (2)
          Paul also advises us to give thanks for everything. That’s the really tough part of this passage. Give thanks for everything. Not only are we supposed to giving thanks at all times, but also for everything that happens. That can be tough.
          It’s one thing to thank God for the good stuff – the promotion at work, or friends who are there when we need them. But it’s quite another thing to thank God when we get a pink slip, or the doctor walks in with bad test results. There are certainly circumstances when thanksgiving does not come easily, when the act of saying “Thank You, Lord,” is a spiritual challenge.
          Yet that is what our text instructs us to do: Give thanks for everything.
          The storyteller Kathy Culmer tells a fable about two good friends who are on a journey. One man is a believer, the other is not. The two friends love to debate one another, especially on the question of whether there is a God and whether God is good.
          Besides their packs, they have three things with them: a donkey for carrying their packs, a torch to provide light at night and a rooster.
          Stopping at a village, they find no one willing to rent them a room, so they set up camp just outside the little town. The one man has just been telling his friend how good God is. His friend replies, “If God is so good, then why could we find no room in the village?
          “I still believe God is good and I give thanks. God has decided that this campsite is a better place for us to be this night.”
          Just then they hear a terrible sound. A lion has killed their donkey and is dragging it off.
          “Do you still believe your God is good?
          “Yes I do. I give thanks that the lion took our donkey and didn’t come after us.”
          Just then they heard another terrible noise – the rooster crying out in terror. They grabbed the lighted torch and climbed a tree – just in time to see a bobcat carrying off the rooster.
          “Do you still believe God is good?”
          “Yes, I do. I’m thankful that the bobcat took the rooster and didn’t attack us.”
          Moments later, a powerful wind came up and blew out their torch, their only source of comfort in the dark night.
          “Where is your God now?” demands his friend from the pitch black night.
          To this, the man of faith has no answer, but he continues to insist God is good.

          The next day, they walk back to the village hoping to find food, only to find that a band of thieves has attacked it during the night and stolen everything from the villagers. The man of faith shared his outlook, “If we had stayed in the village, they would have stolen everything from us too. And even if we’d been at our campsite, the thieves would have seen the light of our torch and come after us as well. You see, my friend, God is good.” (3)
          So, give thanks at all times and for everything – even when things look bleak. It might be hard in the moment, but the old saying is true – “every cloud has a silver lining.”
          In the meantime, consider offering this simple prayer, “Lord, I don’t know what you’re doing with this situation, but we give me the faith to thank you for it anyway.”
          There’s a great old story about St Teresa of Avila, a notable spiritual leader of the medieval church. One day, Teresa was out for a walk with several of the sisters from her order, when they happened to cross a rickety, old footbridge. Halfway across, the bridge began to swing and sway, and before long, Teresa and her sisters found themselves knee deep in the frigid waters of the stream they were trying to cross. Teresa is said to have offered this prayer – “Lord, I know you have promised never to give us more than we can handle, but sometimes I wish you didn’t trust me so much!” (4)
          It may not look much like a prayer of thanksgiving – but you have to admit, it comes from a stubbornly thankful place. A place we would do well to dwell in. So, I encourage you to remember and practice Paul’s words for this morning – “Give thanks always and for everything.”
         May God be praised. Amen.
 

1. Marlena Sloss and Marisa Iati, “What they saved from the flames”, The Washington Post, August 14, 2021.

2. Homileticsonline, retrieved 7/13/24.

3. Ibid…

4. Ibid…

08-11-2024 Loopholes for the Devil

Thomas J Parlette
“Loopholes for the Devil”
Ephesians 4: 25 – 5:2
8/11/24
          I have a soft spot for real estate shows. You can find them everywhere – from House Hunters to Beach Front Bargain Hunt, from First Time Buyer to Selling Sunset. There is something to suit everyone’s taste.
          My favorite is Million Dollar Listing on Bravo. There have one series that takes place in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. I enjoy them because you get a chance to see some houses that I could never have guessed existed. They are truly mind-boggling. Floor to ceiling, sliding glass windows and doors, infinity pools, kitchens fit for a chef , all in Italian marble, and 10 car garages that make you feel like Batman.
          And these houses have a room for everything. Workout room – check. Sauna – check. Home theater, seating 20 – check. A wine cellar – check. Perhaps you prefer an English pub – check. Maybe a golf simulator room – yep, we can do that. A Primary bedroom with a walk-in closet that looks like a high end department store, with 8 guestrooms, all with their own en-suite bathrooms. Mind-boggling. I can’t imagine living in a home like that – but it sure is fun to look at!
          But in all these episodes featuring high end real estate, there is one room that none of these houses ever have. A room for the Devil. Perhaps they are following the wise words that we hear from Paul in today’s passage from Ephesians: “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.”
          The letter to the Ephesians was probably written by Paul, but there is some scholarly debate on that point – some think it was one of Paul’s associates that may have written the letter, a common practice in the ancient world. The letter can be broadly divided into two sections. First, there is the teaching or theological section that consumes the first three chapters. Paul opens by pointing out God’s choice for us to be God’s people, and he talks about Christ’s achievement in bringing us to salvation. He gives a quick historical overview of how humanity was once separated from God, but now, through Christ, we have brought back into a relationship with God. Then Paul talks about the unity of the Church and offers his prayers for the Church.
          Section Two starts with Chapter 4, as Paul turns his attention to how to live together as a new creation. He focuses very much on day-to-day, face-to-face relationships. And he is pretty direct, he does not pull any punches. Martin Luther once described the list of behaviors to avoid listed here as a “domestic bulletin board,” (1) much like a job board or post-it notes on the refrigerator of chores that need to be done:
         “Put away falsehood.
         Put away anger.
          Put away stealing.
          Put away unwholesome talk.
          Put away every form of malice.”
          These are the household chores to be done to live as a new creation.
          Perhaps some of you remember Dikembe Mutumbo. Mutumbo was an NBA basketball player in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. At 7 foot 2, his specially was blocking shots. But his greatest claim to fame was probably the commercials he made for Geico Insurance, where he would block accidents from happening like he would block a basketball shot – and follow up with his trademark finger wag, saying, “Not in my house, No, No, No.”
          Paul seems to be channeling Mutumbo in his words to the Ephesians – lies, anger, stealing, gossip – I don’t think so. Not in my house, no,no,no.
          Keep in mind, Ephesus was a major port city, with a thriving shipping industry, right up there with the city of Corinth. Goods and people from all over the known world passed through Ephesus – you could get literally anything you wanted. And people took advantage of this. Pagan temples were on every street corner, dishonest merchants and thieves lurked in every alleyway and the brothels and bars were well-populated.
          It’s not too surprising that many of the new converts joining the fellowship in Ephesus were a bit lax in some of their morals and ethics. Paul will have none of this, not in this house, no, no, no. All these behaviors run the risk of making room for the Devil.
          The trouble is, we don’t take the Devil very seriously in modern times. When we talk of the Devil, we do so a bit tongue in cheek. You probably remember the well-known quote from Charles Baudelaire, who said, “The greatest trick the Devil ever played was convincing the world he did not exist.” To a large degree, in our modern world, it appears the trick has worked. A man named Ken Ammi, added to Baudelaire’s thought when he wrote “The second greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he was a good guy.” Another trick that has worked.
          But if we take Paul at face value, on his own terms, we must take the Devil and his influence seriously. The whole letter to the Ephesians is meant to show how different life as the body of Christ should be from the pagan life previously led by the Gentile Christians, the life they saw all around them in the city of Ephesus. This means that we must not make room for the Devil.
          When studying the Bible, it’s always interesting to compare translations, especially with this text this morning. In our NRSV translation, the word used is “room” – as in a resting place. Give no resting place to the Devil - “Not in my house, no, no, no, you can’t stay here.”
          In the New International Version. The word for room is translated as “a foothold” – don’t allow the devil to get a foothold, meaning a secure grip or vantage point in spiritual terms. It signifies any area of life where temptation can gain influence or control. As Arnold Glasow once said, “Temptation usually comes in by a door that has been deliberately left open.” (2)
          The New English Bible has probably my favorite translations of the phrase Paul uses here. It says, “Leave no loophole for the Devil.” A loophole suggests a gap, a potential vulnerability that might allow negative or harmful forces to enter one’s life. A loophole is an opening in a system of defense or policy that can be exploited to our advantage, even when we know in our hearts that our behavior is violating the spirit of the law we’re trying to get around. Simply put, a loophole is a workaround. For accountant’s, this is part of their job, especially at tax time. Nothing unethical about it – they just want to give their clients every advantage under the law they can.
          But in our context, Paul cautions us not to look for loopholes or work-arounds when it comes to moral, ethical or spiritual behavior. We must resist the temptation to rationalize taking advantage of others.
          Henry Beard has written an interesting book called Rationalizations to Live By. He points out the many and varied rationalizations we come up with to cut corners in life. For instance, in golf – “I’m only moving the ball to where it should have landed.” Or, my favorite – “The course owes me a better score.” I know better, the course owes me nothing. Here are some other examples you might recognize:
          “All this shopping is good for the economy.”
          When booking an expensive flight – “I’m earning frequent flier miles.”
          “All those video games are good for my kid’s motor skills.”
          “Picasso didn’t do his best work until he was 70.”
          “I only smoke at parties.”
          And the classic – “Everybody does it.” (3)
          These rationalizations open up subtle loopholes for the Devil. The comedian George Carlin once said: “I’m not concerned about ALL hell breaking loose. I’m concerned that a part of hell will break loose. It’ll be much harder to detect.” (4) Exactly Paul’s point.
          The original Revised Standard Version of the Bible translates this passage as “Give no opportunity to the Devil.” That word opportunity comes to us directly from the Latin Opportunus, meaning “fit, convenient, suitable, favorable.”          These translations of opportunus derive from the interesting phrase ob portum veniens, which means “coming toward the port” – a reference to an approach to a harbor – especially appropriate given that Ephesus was a port city. (5)
          So when Paul warns us to give no opportunity to the Devil, he is invoking a metaphor from the maritime world – Don’t give the Devil a compass heading to your port. Do not, at all costs, allow the Devil to drop anchor in your harbor.
          We’ve covered a lot of “don’ts” this morning – it’s time to talk about some “do’s.” In this passage, we are called to be imitators of God. As Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message – “Watch what God does, and then you do it… Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with God and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.”
          When it comes to directions about how we should live as children of God – I have two favorite verses that I think sum it up perfectly.
         First, is the passage from Micah: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with you God.”
          My other favorite are these words from Ephesians. Let’s sing that song again, because if you take nothing away with you today but that camp song, well, the morning has been worthwhile. 
“Be ye kind, one unto another,
Tender-hearted, forgiving one another,
Even as God, in Christ’s name has forgiven you.
Do, Do, Doodle – Dee, Do. Ephesians 4: 32”
          I think you’ll be humming that song for the rest of the day…
          And for that, May God be praised. Amen.

1. Harold Warlick, “Sweet-Smelling Fragrance”, Sermons on The Second Readings, CSS Publishing Company, 2002, p. 314.

2. Homileticsonline, retrieved 7/8/24.

3. Ibid…

4. Ibid…

5. Ibid…

08-04-24 The Jesus Diet

Thomas J Parlette
“The Jesus Diet”
John 6: 24-35
8/4/24
 
          If you’ve been thinking about trying to drop some of those unwanted pounds, you certainly have no lack of options. Just google “best weight loss programs”, and you’ll get lots of suggestions. Noom, Simple, Reverse Health, Weight Watchers, Keto Cycle, Better Me and Nutrisystem are just some of the programs that you can subscribe to to help you lose weight.
         Many people aren’t so keen and subscribing to programs though, and opt to follow some basic dietary principles in their quest to slim down. Again, the options are numerous. You can follow a Keto diet, which stresses high amounts of fat, moderate amounts of protein and very few carbohydrates. Typically, a keto diet will be heavy on things like butter, cheese, eggs, meat, nuts and oil. That may sound good, but keto is also very low on fruits and vegetables, potatoes or any other carbohydrate – rich foods.
          Others may prefer a Paleolithic diet, or caveman diet. It’s based on the idea that obesity is caused by eating modern food loaded with sugar, fat and highly processed ingredients. Instead, we should get back to how our ancient hunter/gatherer ancestors ate – meat, vegetables and fruits.
          Lately another option for dieting has popped up called Intermittent Fasting. IF, as it’s known, is a dietary routine that regularly alternates between periods of eating, and periods of fasting- sometimes for to 40 hours at a time.
          Because I’m on a variety of mailing lists, every once in awhile I get an email about the Biblical diet, or sometimes the Christian diet. In one of these emails, a dietician noted that, “you can’t go wrong eating foods we find mentioned in the Bible, like fish, grapes, olives, olive oil, flax, whole grain bread, pomegranates and figs.”
          It would be very similar to the Mediterranean diet, that many people try to follow – heavy on fish, fruits and vegetables and olive oil and low on red meat and carbs. Add some bread and that might be pretty close to the way Jesus and his followers actually ate in the first century.
          Today, we have the well-known story of Jesus describing himself as the “bread of heaven.” This part of the “Bread Discourse” as scholars have nicknamed it, follows right on the heels of Jesus feeding the 5,000. In that story, we are introduced to the Jesus diet – a simple eating plan, bread and fish.
          At the end of the meal, the disciples gathered up 12 baskets full of the leftover barley loaves, and presumably left them for the people to eat later. That night, they crossed back over the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, and the disciples witnessed another sign – Jesus walking on the water.
         Our story for today picks up the next morning, when we see that the people from the picnic have found Jesus again. But Jesus does not appear too impressed that they’ve shown up again. They ask, “Rabbi, when did you get here,” and Jesus answers, You’re not interested in signs or in any of the work I’ve done – you’re just looking for more bread.”
          Maybe so. That could be why the crowd followed him. They wanted to see what else might be on the Jesus diet menu. Moses fed the people quail and manna in the wilderness, so what might Jesus have in store for them.
         Then Jesus gets a bit philosophical – “Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food. Work for food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your whole life, food the Son of Man provides. That food will last.”
To that the crowd says, “Well, what do we do then to get in on God’s works.”
          “That’s easy,” says Jesus, “Listen closely – Throw your lot in with the One that God has sent. That kind of commitment gets you in on God’s works.”
          The crowd then asks for a sign again – they want some proof. As Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message – “Why don’t you give us a clue about who you are, just a hint of what’s going? When we see what’s up, we’ll commit ourselves. Show us what you can do. Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. What have you got for us?”
          Then Jesus offers an explanation for what happened in the desert. “The real significance of the Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread from heaven, but that God is, right now offering you bread from heaven, the real bread,” said Jesus, as I imagine he tapped both hands on his chest, to signify – “Me.” But they didn’t get it.
          “The Bread of God came down out of heaven and is giving life to the world.”
          “Give us this bread always.”
          As I picture it, Jesus leans back a little, hands on his knees, and takes a deep breath. He takes a long, look around, catching everybody’s eyes, and slowly says – “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns themselves with me will never be hungry, whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
          Jesus’ identity as “the bread of life” is very important to John. He spends a whole chapter on developing this part of who Jesus is. John 6 has always held a special place in the hearts of theologians. St. Augustine once described the significance of the things recounted in John 6 as in magno sacramento, “a grand symbolism.” (1)
          And what does this grand symbolism mean. What does it mean to say that Jesus is the bread of life. St. John Chrysostom, the “golden-tongued” preacher of antiquity once said of Jesus’ words here – “By his words, he was all but saying this, “It is not the miracle of the loaves that has struck you with wonder, but the sense of being filled.” (2)
          As O. Benjamin Sparks writes in Feasting on the Word, “As a Christian church, what we have to offer – on Christ and by Christ and because of Christ – first and foremost is “soul food.” Food that lasts forever and does not change with the changing circumstances of the church or the world. It is this soul food, the bread of heaven, that we desire, and it is this soul food in which we will rejoice, long after our bellies are full.” (3)
          So it is not the quenching of hunger or thirst that Jesus is talking about here – it’s more about meeting the emptiness we face even after we’ve had our fill. The Bread of Life continues to meet the needs we have beyond mere rumblings in the tummy.
          Sara Miles is someone who has found this to be true. In the prologue to her book “Take This Bread”, Miles wrote about the time she wandered into a church one cloudy day when she was 46 years old – ate a piece of bread and took a sip of wine. “A routine Sunday activity for tens of millions of Americans – except that up to that moment I’d led a thoroughly secular life, at best indifferent to religion, more often appalled by its fundamentalist crusades. This was my first communion. It changed everything.”
          “Eating Jesus, as I did that day to my great astonishment, led me against all my expectations to a faith I’d scorned and work I’d never imagined. The mysterious sacrament turned out to be not a symbolic wafer at all but actual food – indeed, the bread of life. In that shocking moment of communion, filled with a deep desire to reach for and become part of a body, I realized that what I’d been doing with my life all along was what I was meant to do – feed people.”
          “And so I did. I took communion, I passed the bread to others, and then I kept going, compelled to find new ways to share what I had experienced. I started a food pantry and gave away literally tons of fruit, vegetables and cereal around the same altar where I’d first received the body of Christ. I organized new pantries all over my city to provide hundreds and hundreds of hungry families with free groceries each week. Without committees or meetings or even an official phone number, I recruited scores of volunteers and raised hundreds and thousands of dollars.” (4)
          And so begins the unlikely spiritual memoir of one 21st century Christian. And it all started with communion. The great Reformer John Calvin was once asked to explain the Eucharist, what we call Communion, and he said that he would “rather experience it than understand it.” (5) And when we do, we are empowered for great things.
          The Jesus diet of the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation is what nourishes us for the life of faith, and empowers us to do great things for God in this world. So, let us come to the table and share the Bread of Heaven.
        May God be praised. Amen.

1. Christopher Morse, Feasting on the Word, Year B, Vol. 3, Westminster John Knox Press, p310.

2. Ibid… p310.

3. O. Benjamin Sparks, Feasting on the Word, Year B, Vol. 3, Westminster John Knox Press, p310.

4. William Willimon, Feasting on the Word, Year B, Vol. 3, Westminster John Knox Press, p313.

5. Sara Miles “Take This Bread”, Ballantine Books, 2007, prologue xi-xii.

07-14-2024 Back to Basics

Thomas J Parlette
“Back to Basics”
2nd Samuel 6: 1-15, 12-19
7/14/24

          Before Caitlin Clark, before Kevin Durant, before LeBron James, before Kobe Bryant, before Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson or Larry Bird – there were two other basketball players that dominated the conversation when sports fans began talking about who was the best ever. Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.
          One big advantage that Russell always had over Chamberlain was the fact that he led his team, the Boston Celtics, to 11 championships in 13 years – a record that will probably never be equaled.
          Once, in the deciding game of the NBA Championship, the Boston big man stepped to the line for a pair of crucial free throws. The crowd went silent. If Russell made the two shots, the Celtics would once again be on their way to another championship.
          As he was about to shoot, one of his teammates, Larry Siegfried came over and whispered something to the giant center. Russell grinned, then sank both shots, and once again the Celtics were champions. After the game, a reporter asked Siegfried what he said to Bill Russell at the free throw line. The Celtic guard replied, “Well, sometimes Russ forgets to bend his knees. I just gave him a quick reminder.”
          There is nothing more basic to shooting free throws than bending your knees. Even one of the greatest basketball players of all time needed to be reminded of one of the basics of the game.
          Back to basics. Not a bad strategy. It worked for Bill Russell, and it worked for King David as well, as he tried to work through a crucial time in the establishment of his dynasty. David had been anointed, he had defeated the great warrior Goliath of Gath, and now he has been rightfully installed as the King of the Israelites. He has made Jerusalem his capital and established it as the center of his young nation’s spiritual life.
          David’s problem now was – how do you unify a people that have never been unified before? How do you bring a nomadic people, loosely bound in a scattered tribal governmental system, into a people bound together and unified, with one King, one capital, one government and one worship center? It was the emerging and clashing of two ages. Out with the old and in with the new. As history shows, when one age bumps up against another, when one era begins to crowd another out – there is almost always hostility and chaos.
          For example, when our own nation made the transition from an agricultural, agrarian society, represented by the South – to an industrial culture, like the North, look what happened. We had the Civil War. David faces a similar problem. How do you unify a people who are not unified? How do you make the transition from one era to another with a minimum of discomfort?
          In response, David had a stroke of pure genius. He brought back the long neglected Ark of the Covenant. The Ark, a symbol of the power and presence of God, was the symbol that helped unify God’s people during their wilderness wanderings in the desert. In bringing back the Ark, David sought to avoid the chaos and conflict that often occurs when one era bumps into another.
          The church is no stranger to these sort of clashes. When it comes to worship style, one era has definitely been banging into another. Traditional, liturgical, organ-led worship is slowly being crowded out by praise-oriented services led by contemporary rock bands and large screens set up in worship centers that look more like theaters than traditional sanctuaries. In our post-modern era, denominationalism has been slowly declining for years. “Brand loyalty” – identifying oneself as a Presbyterian, or a Methodist, or an Episcopalian, is getting to be a thing of the past as denominational lines become more and more blurry. Mainline denominations are on the decline, while independent, evangelical and charismatic groups continue to grow. And more and more people identify themselves as “Nones” – not belonging to any faith tradition. They describe themselves as “spiritual, but not religious.” For many people, church was something they did as a kid, but they participate as an adult.
          This is really nothing new. The church and Christianity itself has gone through transition before. Even the early church wrestled with growth and change. We see the questions throughout the Book of Acts. “Do you have to become a Jew first in order to become a Christian? Is it by grace or obedience to the law of Moses that we are saved? The move from Jewish to Gentile Christianity was a painful and chaotic time for the early church, but they lived through it.
          Then for over 1,00 years the Gospel was the exclusive property of the church. One was a Christian because of membership in the Church. Then the printing press came along and voices like Martin Luther and John Calvin began saying, “We are saved by grace,” and that the essence of Christianity was not the Church as an institution, but faith in Jesus Christ. That’s what made you a Christian. One era overlapping into another – we call it the Reformation.
          History has its cyclical nature and certainly David’s problems were not unique to him. But overcoming the problem of unity was crucial to David, and to God’s overall long range purposes. How could David make a more peaceful transition from one era to another and establish Jerusalem as the spiritual heart and center of this new nation? Do his methods have any implications for us as we seek to navigate through these fast flowing transitional waters? How did David do it? How can we do it, since we do live in rapidly changing times.
          Well, first, David preserved the best from the past. He didn’t ditch everything. He didn’t throw out the old ways completely. In bringing back the Ark of the Covenant, David enlisted even the most conservative of Israel’s leadership in the establishment of his monarchy. How could anyone net revere and respect the sacred objects contained in the Ark? How could anyone speak against the Ten Commandments? Whether you’re the star center of the Boston Celtics or a shrewd political King, a resolve to get back to the basics is often a good move.
          There is an old story told in football circles, some say it was Vince Lombardi, some say it was Herman Hickman, the coach at Yale in the 1940’s – but the story goes that one day a practice session was not going well. The timing was off, the tackling was atrocious, and the blocking was non-existent. The coach called the squad together and said, “Everything is going wrong. So we are going to start at the very bottom and work on fundamentals.” The he held up a football for everyone to see, and carefully and precisely said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” And one of the veterans was quick to respond – “Not so fast coach, not so fast.” Back to the basics – never a bad idea.
          Second, in bringing back the Ark, David also helped his people to rediscover a fresh awakening of the presence and power of God. The Ark was the ancient symbol of “God with us”, as it accompanied the children of Israel from Mount Sinai. With the Ark, they had walked around the walls of Jericho and saw God’s power displayed as the walls came tumbling down and the city was conquered. The Ark was a constant reminder of God’s presence in many other battles, especially during the time of Eli, always guaranteeing success for Israel.
          We have the opportunity to become Christians today because generations of believers past have preserved the best of our tradition. As John Claypool once said, “God has no grandchildren, only children.” Every generation is connected directly to God, and comes to know God personally through as awareness of God’s presence and power. By bringing back the Ark, David was reminding his generation that the very same God who had led their ancestors out of Egypt and into the Promised land, was now with them as well. That very same God speaks to us today and reminds us that God’s power is not diminished.
          Third, David not only preserved the best of the past, and gave his people a fresh vision of the presence and power of Go – he also threw a party! As Walter Brueggemann writes, “David staged an event that evoked extravagance. This is a party. This is excess. This is extravagant.” David threw caution and cost to the wind. Did it really take 30,000 men to carry a small box – probably not. Was it a bit excessive to sacrifice a bull and a fatted calf every 6 steps? Yes , it was. And what about all those other burnt offerings that David sacrificed? And there’s David’s dancing. Was that appropriate for a King? His wife Michal didn’t think so – she thought he took his dance a bit too far. Was all this really necessary?
          But David wasn’t finished. After all this extravagance, David gave each person a loaf of bread, a portion of meat and a cake of raisins, “And all the people went to their homes.” So, even though they were all in their homes, the people were unified around a common meal from a common source – a bit reminiscent of communion, as we gather to remember and celebrate around the Lord’s table.
         So what was David trying to do here? What’s the point of all this?
          David’s excess in this passage gives us a window into the nature of God – it shows us how excessive and extravagant God can be showing love for us. After all, most reasonable people would deem it terribly excessive for a father to sacrifice his son for a bunch of sinners – and yet that is exactly what God did.
          There was once a young man who grew up on a farm during the Great Depression. It was a long-honored tradition within his large family that as they gathered around the table for the evening meal, his father would parade in from the barn with fresh milk drawn from one of the family’s cows. With every eye fixed on dad, he would strain the milk and first pour a glass for his wife. Then he would dance around the table and fill all the children’s glasses up to the brim. Then his father would turn his back to the family, pour what little was left into his own glass, and top it off with water so it looked like his glass was full too.
          Many years later, when this man learned the truth behind his father’s elaborate dance, it dawned on the now grown man with a family of his own, just how much love and sacrifice had come through his father’s generous act.
          Love’s excess and extravagance can take many forms – from an empty pitcher of milk, to a cross in a place called Golgotha.
          That’s really the most basic aspect of our faith. When we “get back to the basics”, we talk about God’s excessive, limitless, generous love in sending Jesus Christ. As our church and our community changes, sometimes faster than we would like, we would do well to remember what David did here in this passage from 2nd Samuel:
          He preserved the best of the past.
          He put forth a fresh vision of what God might have in store.
          And he celebrated God’s extravagant love for God’s people.
          May God be praised. Amen.

07-07-2024 What? No Plan B?

Thomas J Parlette
“What? No Plan B?”
Mark 6: 1-13
7/7/24

Today marks a homecoming for Jesus. Today we hear about how Jesus preached to the people of his home town synagogue in Nazareth.And some people did not take his message very well. One of the reasons for this rejection was apparently over-familiarity – they just knew him too well. Jesus was going around healing, casting out demons and preaching about the need for repentance. Some people rejoiced over this. But apparently some were offended. They knew who Jesus was, or at least what he had been like as a boy. They had watched him grow up. He was the son of Joseph, a local carpenter. Sure, he was an energetic,sensitive and intelligent young man, but there was nothing special about him. He played with the other kids in town and got into his share of trouble, just like every other little boy. So, there were those in town who weren’t all that interested in listening to him telling them they needed to change their ways and repent.
So, Jesus was rejected in his own home town. In response, Jesus made plans to send out some of his followers to preach the message of repentance. Verse six of today’s passage says, “he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching, village to village. Calling the twelve, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.”
When Jesus was rejected in Nazareth, he saw it as a sign of what was to come – his suffering, death and resurrection. When he was gone, others would have to carry on the work of salvation by offering healing,
lasting out demons and preaching the gospel. Jesus began to execute a new plan by sending out the twelve disciples two by two. Later, he would send out seventy and then commission the whole church to go and make disciples. The plan of bringing salvation would be the same plan Jesus followed. His followers are called to heal the sick, cast out demons and preach about repentance and forgiveness, just as Jesus himself did – but before receiving the Good News, people would need to be aware of their need for salvation.
I know that sounds like a pretty self-explanatory situation. Of course people would have to identify a need before looking for salvation. People need to know they are sick before they start looking for a cure. Before anyone can accept salvation, they must be aware of their predicament. In a sermon to the graduates of Union Theological Seminary in New York City, Paul Tillich once preached on the theme of healing,casting out demons and leading people to faith. He told the graduating seminarians that they would experience difficulties as they went to their new parishes with this message. Why would there be difficulties?
Because, many people think they do not need to be healed; many laugh at the absurdity of casting out the demons that rule their lives; and many reject the notion that they need to trust in Jesus for salvation.
“Therefore,” said Tillich, “the first task of the pastor is to make people aware of their predicament.”
It’s hard enough to heal people who know they are sick, harder still to heal those who don’t believe they are sick. It’s hard to heal someone else when you yourself are sick as well. It is so hard, in fact, that no one
can accomplish that feat – at least not by human power alone. Healing and cleansing are the work of God.
Some of the difficulty with this predicament comes from the many misunderstandings we have about healing.

One misunderstanding comes from how you define healing. The Bible defines healing in terms of
salvation. To be saved doesn’t just mean you’re going to heaven. Salvation means wholeness. And wholeness includes the body, as well as the soul. The Bible thinks of healing in wholistic terms.
Another misunderstanding comes from establishing who is to do this healing. Jesus’ view is that healing is not limited to health professionals. Jesus sent his followers out to heal. Some people see
healing as limited to the body, physical ailments. They are aware of physical pain and suffering, and see doctors, nurses and hospitals as the only means of dealing with their sickness. Some people are not as aware of the mental and spiritual sides of healing, and some are not aware of the fact that faith can play a major role in healing. Disease literally means “not at ease.” Disease is disharmony, disturbance, dysfunction or disunity in the parts of the whole person. Healing means restoration of the unity of the body, mind and spirit. The disease that seems physical may be mental at its root; the disease which
seems mental may actually be spiritual; the disease which seems individual may be social at the same time. The human spirit must be reunited with God’s divine spirit for true wholeness to be restored.
That’s why repentance is mentioned alongside healing in this passage. “Heal the sick” means to help people regain their lives as a whole, not just cure a specific illness. For example, standing in front of a
starving man while preaching the gospel, but neglecting to give him something to eat, adds to his sickness. For a medical doctor to remove a stomach ulcer, but neglect the condition that caused the ulcer – whether its spiritual, psychological or social – is far less that the healing Jesus calls for. Healers in Jesus’ name are called to do more. Miracle healings occur – yes, but that’s not the central meaning of Jesus’ command that we should go forth and heal people. The meaning is deeper and wider than that. Healing in this instance is the act of reuniting the physical, mental and spiritual dimensions of life.

Dr. Lou Kettel, the one-time dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona once described wholistic medicine this way –“The patient’s physical well-being, mental well-being and spiritual well-being are the three traditional aspects of whole person care. Regardless of who treats the patient, all who care must deal with the whole patient.” Healing is a ministry of God. Jesus commanded that we bring healing to one another by his power. Sometimes we protest, “I can’t do that, I’m not qualified. I’ve gotten problems of my own, I can’t heal someone else.” But even with our flaws, we, like the original 12 disciples, are sent to bring healing to the body, mind and spirit. Now, God is actually the one who brings healing, to us, and then by extension,
to others, through us. Henri Nouwen is famous for saying that we are all “wounded healers,” healers in need of healing ourselves, casting out evil forces and at the same time in need of our own cleansing. That is our predicament.
That is why we need Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus sends his followers but to heal, facing the predicament of sickness. He also sends us to cast out demons, facing another predicament – the predicament of evil. We don’t fully understand the nature of demons or how they work in this world. But we know that they exist. Maybe not in a bodily form, but more as a spiritual entity. We can see their results of their work. How often do we come across a story on the news about some upstanding member of society that succumbs to temptation – drink, drugs, gambling, violence, adultery, what have you – and everyone in
town says the same thing…“I can’t believe it – He was such a nice guy, she was such a good person.”
Demons are real – they get the best of people sometimes. That kind of division within our human nature is a sign of demons. It doesn’t mean we’re all possessed, but it does require us to be alert and vigilant, so that demons don’t overrun our better nature. We may not fully understand the nature of these demons – but Jesus does. And he has come to cast out the demons that plague us. Let’s consider some of these demons for a moment…

Resentment, for instance – that’s a demon that almost all of us have wrestled with. Resentment can be thought of as internalized anger. If we have a resentment for a short time, after something unjust or unfair happens to us or a loved one – that is natural. But if we cling to a resentment for months or even years, we can do serious damage to our health. The demon gets us, and division sets in.
Revenge is another powerful demon – closely tied to resentment. Revenge can be resentment taking action. Revenge can take possession of us, driving us on and controlling us. “We have a right to revenge,” weconvince ourselves. “Look at what so and so has done to me – they should pay.” Revenge gets a foothold, encourages us to hold on for the ride and begins to take possession of our life, until eventually the demon whispers, “You are mine now, you belong to me.” Unless this demon is cast out, division sets in.
Lust can be a demon too. It starts naturally enough, a healthy attraction to a loved one – but it can get out of control, taking over a person’s every thought and action.

Lust can ruin your life if you let it. Martin Luther once said – “You can’t keep the birds of temptation from flying over head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” Lust can become a demon and take over your life. It can divide from the inside and make you sick. Jesus says – “Cast out demons.” We reply, “but we can’t do that.”
And Jesus says, “You’re right, you can’t. Demons are too strong for you. So, I’ll do it. First, I will heal you, then I will heal others through you. And you don’t have to do it alone. You are called to work
together.”

You noticed, I hope, that Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs, two by two, so they could work together to bring healing. People might scoff at us we go forth to fight the predicament of evil like so many Don Quixotes, swinging at windmills, trying to bring good and failing so often, seeking treasure where others see only trash, seeking beauty where others see only ugliness, seeking to cleanse evil spirits where other see none at all. Many people are not even aware of their predicament with the powers of evil, and many people simply don’t acknowledge their predicament of sin.
That’s what happened to Jesus in Nazareth. The people of Jesus’hometown refused to acknowledge their sin and sickness, and therefore saw no need to repent, much less look for a savior. Those kind of people are still around today. They don’t see the need for repentance or a Savior, because they don’t see their sickness, they don’t see their own need.
Jesus told the 12 to go out for him, healing and casting out demons. He also told them to preach the gospel of repentance, by casting out the demon of unbelief – one he himself faced in Nazareth. Hearing
Jesus’ call, the 12 went out and preached Jesus’ message of repentance.The followed Jesus’ plan.
The plan was go out and talk up repentance. “Now is the time to turn back to God,” that’s your message, says Jesus. “Do it together, with a partner, because you’re going to need each other’s help. And don’t
worry whether you can do it, or if you’re qualified enough, because I will empower you with the Spirit. Don’t worry about your own flaws and weaknesses. God’s power, through me, will overcome all that.”
A story is told about what happened in heaven after Jesus ascended. Jesus told some of the angels about his plan to have his disciples go out in his name to heal, cast out demons and preach the Good News. The angels listened politely, then one of them spoke up.“You mean those guys, down there. The ones who don’t understand anything you tell them and get all the answers wrong. Those guys.”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“Well, that’s a nice idea, Jesus – but they’ll never be able to do it. They’re not up to it. They’re too sinful, they’re too weak, too many character flaws. I think you’re going to need a back-up. What’s your
Plan B.”
“There is no Plan B,” said Jesus. Sending out my followers in my name is the only plan I’ve got.”

Jesus repeatedly says “Come to me” throughout the scriptures. We’ve heard that many times. But today, Jesus says something else. “Go for me.” The church is not only called to be a welcoming place, it is also
called to a sending place. Jesus’ plan is to welcome sinners into the church – and then send them out into the world. Jesus says, “Heal the sick, cast out the demons and preach the Good News. Do it together so
you don’t get too discouraged. Do it by my power, because your power is insufficient, I know that – but do it anyway.”
That’s the plan. There is no back-up. There is no Plan B. We are the plan. We are the ones, healed by God and sent by Jesus to tell the world that the time has come to turn around and head back to God.
May God be praised. Amen.

06-23-2024 It is what it is... or is it?

Thomas J Parlette
It is what is it is… or is it?
2nd Cor. 6: 1-13
6/23/24
 

         The New England Patriots former head coach once took the podium in Gillette Stadium to face reporters before an upcoming game with the Buffalo Bills. He was asked if he expected the Bills to do anything differently. The coach said – “I think relative to Buffalo, they’re Buffalo.”
         In other words – it is what it is.
         Later, when he was asked if he was proud of what the team had been able to do in the post Tom Brady era, he said, “Whatever happened in the past, whatever it is, it is… Nothing we can do about it. We’re moving on.”
         In other words – it is what it is.
         That expression has been around for quite a while. In 1949, an article appeared in The Nebraska State Journal in which J.E. Lawrence used a phrase unknown to that point in English journalism or literature. He was describing the difficulty faced during the frontier-era life in rural Nebraska – “New land is harsh, and vigorous, and sturdy. It scorns evidence of weakness. There is nothing of sham or hypocrisy in it. It is what it is, without apology.” (1)
         That phrase lay dormant for about 50 years before gathering steam in the early 2000’s. It was used frequently in sports.
         In 2004, President George W. Bush was told by an aide that his opponent, John Kerry was leading in the polls. He responded with a shrug and said, “It is what it is.” (2)
         That phrase is now used in all walks of life – psychology, business, the military and even from the pulpit. One observer notes – “Throughout these contexts, “it is what it is” is used as a kind of verbal shrug signaling resigned acceptance of an unchangeable situation.”
         Someone once posted this question on an online bulletin board: “What does “It is what it is” mean. The responses were varied and interested. Some liked the phrase:
         “To me, it has a connotation of “letting go”, of accepting a circumstance for what it is, and moving on, or going with the flow.”
         “For me, it means, “That’s life. You can’t change the situation, problem or reality. No sense talking about it or getting too stressed out. You have to make peace with reality and keep going.”
         Or this, probably my favorite – “It means, I wish the tree hadn’t fallen across the road, but it is what it is. No point in raging or crying about it. Time to break out the chain saw and get to work.”
         Other people really hated the phrase.
         “It’s used as an excuse to be complacent, for whatever reason.”
         “What does the expression “It is what it is” mean? Generally, it means the person using it has no explanation for why something has happened, but wants to sound wise. My usual response, mostly suppressed, is to punch them. Its meaningless drivel intended to make the speaker sound profound.” (3) Wow – ok, strong reaction.
          Perhaps people are tired of over analyzing life. I guess it’s possible that, in this world of ever-changing realities, we are simply getting more comfortable with change and the unknown, and see no need to worry, resist or change anything. After all, it is what it is.
         Or maybe we’re just throwing up our hands, resigning ourselves to what is. We give up. We keep a stiff upper lip, keep calm and carry on. As Jimmy Buffet once said – “Is it ignorance or apathy? Hey, I don’t know, and I don’t care.”
         John McWhorter, writing in an op-ed piece in the New York Times, admits that he is not in love with the phrase, but notes that many people don’t have a problem with it, saying that it means “that one must sometimes make one’s peace with misfortune or difficulty rather than get torn up about it.” (4) With that interpretation, “it is what it is” is essentially an English version of ‘que sera sera’ – whatever will be, will be. A kind of verbal shrug.
         You are essentially helpless. There is nothing further that can be done. And moreover, I don’t care.
         It is what it is – or is it?
         The apostle Paul encountered more than his fair share of adversity. “As servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way; through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights and hunger.” Paul’s list of tests and trials clearly shows that he did not take an “it is what is” view of life. For him – it isn’t what it is. Punished – but not killed. Sorrowful – but rejoicing. Poor – yet making many rich.
         Paul would not and did not say to others – “It is what it is.” And he wasn’t ready to fatalistically say that about his own life either. He was realistic, for sure – but he always saw beyond the obvious nature of his circumstances.
         Perhaps Paul is suggesting that it is not always what we think it is. What is happening to us is not biologically determined, nor is it in anyway inevitable. “See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!” Here, Paul cites Isaiah 49: 8, in which Isaiah predicts that the time will come when Judah will be brought back from exile. What we now see as an interminable situation is not that at all. This is why we’re better off thinking, “it is not what it seems,” rather than “it is what it is.”
         If you ask a young man named Cole Fitzgerald what it is like to face childhood cancer for a second time – years after his first rare cancer diagnosis – he will say – “It is what it is.”
         And what it is in his case is a second bout with Pancreatoblastoma, a type of cancer that has been documented only 50 times and just once following a neuroblastoma diagnosis. That one case? – That’s Cole Fitzgerald.
         “It definitely came out of left field,” says Cole. “I definitely didn’t see it coming. Nobody saw it coming. And it brought a lot of frustration, anger and confusion because I’ve been clean for the past 15 years,”
         Before Cole’s second diagnosis, he was slated to move into the dorms at Temple University; now all that is on hold.
         “It’s hard living in a world where other kids aren’t cancer survivors, says Cole. “It’s hard to relate to other people. It’s like you stand out. I have some moments when I’m stereotyped with being a childhood cancer survivor. It’s a blessing and curse in a way.” 
         Through it all, Cole kept going – excelling in school and pursuing his dream of working in athletics while serving as a high school football team manager.
         Pancreatoblastoma is so rare there is no standard of care and virtually no research specific to his disease. But even though it is what it is – Cole and his family have hope and continue to fight.
          As Cole says -“You know it’s almost like when you are driving your car on a paced road and there’s a pothole. I’ve had a lot of potholes in my life, and sometimes I have to go around them. But sometimes I have had to drive straight toward them. And this one, I am driving toward it at full speed. No matter the pain of chemo, the frustration of not being in school, not living a normal life, it is all going to be worth it when I get that scan says I am free.” (5)
         It is what it is… or is it?
         Too often when we say “It is what it is”, we are suggesting that there is nothing that can be done. But Paul would not agree. Paul would stand with Cole Fitzgerald. There was nothing in Paul’s faith that inclined him to accept what was apparently his fate. Although others saw their lives from a ground-level perspective, Paul was able to see his life from a 40,000 feet perspective. Even as forces beyond his control tugged at him, he assessed the situation as one who was above the fray. To casually accept what was happening to him with a verbal shrug of his shoulders, was completely foreign to Paul.
         Paul’s words today suggest some ways that we might push back against the fatalistic aspect of “It is what it is.”
         First, Paul points out that there is no time like the present – “Now is the acceptable time; Now is the day of salvation.” Now is the time to get a new outlook at what your obstacles and challenges might be. Obstacles are simply challenges to take on.
         Second – keep in mind that others have successfully overcome difficulties and adversity. Paul uses himself as an example.
         Third, Paul makes it clear that we shouldn’t get hung up on what others say or think. As he puts it; “We are treated as imposters, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see, we are alive… as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”
         And, never forget the value of community. We are not meant to navigate the storms and obstacles of life alone. Our community of family, friends and fellow believers, plays a vital role in helping us overcome adversity.
         That is the essence of the gospel. We are called to proclaim to the world that “It is not what it is.” Things are not what they seem. Obstacles and adversity are simply opportunities to grow. Instead, we are reminded that the Good News is all about rebirth, fresh starts, being born again, being alive once dead, walking in light rather than darkness, restoration, regeneration and renewal. With this outlook, obstacles move from hardships to challenges.
         There is an old Zen story about a King, whose people had grown soft and entitled. Unsatisfied with this state of affairs, he hoped to teach them a lesson. His plan was simple – he would place a large boulder in the middle of the main road, completely blocking entry into the city. He would then hide nearby and observe their reactions.
         The king watched as subject after subject came to this obstacle and turned away. Or at best, tried half-heartedly before giving up. Many openly complained or cursed the King, bemoaning the inconvenience, but none managed to do anything about it.
         After several days, a lone peasant came along on his way to town. He did not turn away. Instead, he strained and strained, trying to push the boulder out of the way. Then an idea came to him – he scrambled into the nearby woods to find something he could use for leverage. He came back with a large branch he had crafted into a lever and used it to dislodge the massive rock from the road.
        Beneath the rock was a purse of gold coins and a note from the King, which said, “The obstacle on the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.” (6)
         It is what it is… or is it? There might be an obstacle before us, and it is what it is – but it is also an opportunity.
         Coach Belichick told reporters: “Whatever happened in the past, whatever it is, it is… Nothing we can do about it. We’re moving on.”
         Coach Paul expresses the idea even better in a letter he wrote to the Philippians: “This one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
         The past - with all its struggles, mistakes, adversity and pain – is what it is.
         The future – is moving on. It’s straining forward, and pressing on, as Paul says
         Whenever we are tempted to utter “It is what it is” – let us always follow it with the question – “is it?
         That be so for you and for me.
May God be praised. Amen.

1. Homileticsonline, retrieved 5/30/24.

2. Ibid…

3. Ibid…

4. Ibid…

5. Ibid…

6. Ibid…

06-16-2024 Seeds, Seeds, and More Seeds

Thomas J Parlette
“Seeds, Seeds, and More Seeds”
Mark 4: 26-34
6/16/24
          The kingdom of God is like the eruption of a massive solar storm, causing the collapse of modern civilization. Computers stop working, phones go dead, machinery grinds to a halt and airplanes fall out of the sky. About the only people who have the resources to survive are the Amish, who do not rely on modern technology.
          No, this frightening story was not a parable told by Jesus. It sounds more like the plot of a summer block-buster movie, coming to your favorite streaming platform soon. No, it’s actually the plot of a novel, written by a Presbyterian pastor named David Williams, called When the English Fall. Of course the Amish call all non-Amish people, “the English.” The English really suffer when their technology fails. The premise sounds kinda interesting – I might add When the English Fall to my summer reading list.
          The novel is a parable – a story that holds up a mirror for us, helping to see ourselves in a new way. Based on reviews, the tension in the book increases when the English become desperate and start to go after the Amish and their food supplies. Facing the threat of invasion, the non-violent Amish must decide how to respond as Christians. How much are they obligated to share their resources? And, they wonder, when is violence an appropriate response to aggression? (1)
          These are questions not just for the Amish, but for all of us. They give us a mirror, which helps us discover how we should respond as followers of Christ. This parable invites us to wonder about the nature of the kingdom of God.
          As you know, Jesus loved parables, he told them throughout his ministry. In the fourth chapter of Mary, Jesus tells a trio of parables that revolve around seeds – the parable of the sower, the parable of the growing seed and the parable of the mustard seed. All of them are stories that help us see ourselves more clearly, but for today, we are just dealing with the growing seed and the mustard seed – we’ll leave the sower for another day.
          In the parable of the growing seed, Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.
          In this story, we see the growth of the kingdom as something automatic, something that is not dependent on our efforts. In fact, in verse 28, it says, “The earth produces of itself.” The Greek for the phrase “Of itself”, is automate. We are invited to scatter seed, go to sleep, and when we rise, we will see the seeds of the kingdom sprouting and growing. We do not know how the emergence happened, except that Jesus says it happens on its own, automatically.
          Then Jesus tells the parable of the mustard seed. He begins with a question. You can almost see him looking around rubbing his chin and wonders out loud, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, what parable can we use for it – hmmm let’s see? I know, it’s like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
          Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is like one of the smallest of seeds. It is not impressive to look at, but once it is sown it becomes a shrub large enough to put forth large branches. These branches become places of safety and hospitality, where the birds of the air can make their homes.
          These parables help us see ourselves and the kingdom of God in a new way. Mark tells us that Jesus did not speak the word to the crowds of people “except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
          So, what do these parables teach us?
First, the emergence of God kingdom will happen on its own if we plant the right seeds and trust good things will happen.
Second, the seed of the kingdom is often small and unimpressive when you first see it, but it grows into something large that can be a much-needed place of safety and hospitality.
We need the growth of the Kingdom now, more than ever. In the past 25 years, about 40 million Americans have stopped going to church. That’s about 12% of the population. Writing in the Atlantic, Isabel Fattal says, “Contemporary America simply isn’t set up to promote mutuality, care or common life. Rather, it is designed to maximize individual accomplishment as defined by professional and financial success. (2)
In America today, large numbers of people simply aren’t that interested in mutuality, care or common life. They have left the church because they don’t they need it – they don’t see the point. They are like birds of the air who fly away from the branches of the mustard shrub, not taking the time to make nests in its shade.
Our culture has told people that the priority is individual accomplishment, defined by professional and financial success. Get a good education, work long hours and make it on your own. Many people are finding their identity more in individual accomplishment than in community participation.
On this Father’s Day, we are certainly grateful to all the “father figures” in our lives who have been good role models for us. But we also know that many of them have fallen into the trap of defining their worth in terms of professional accomplishments and financial success. And it’s not just the men, either – lots of women fall into this trap as well. This can lead to some great and satisfying highs, but there is also a risk of a deep sense of despair as well if we define ourselves in terms of professional accomplishments and financial position.
Writer Derek Thompson coined the term workism in 2019. He uses the term to describe how work has morphed into a kind of religion, promising identity, transcendence, and community.” (3) People think that work will provide them with a sense of identity, an opportunity to go beyond normal human experiences, and a deep sense of connection with people around them.
But I’m not sure about that. Workism doesn’t really deliver on those promises. The problem with workism is that there is no automatic growth provided by God. Workism looks down on things that are small and unimpressive, like a mustard seed. And workism does not provide a safe and hospitable environment, one in which people can nest in safety and security. Workism is, at its core, kind of a selfish concept – everything revolves around us and our efforts.
What people need to hear today is a new story- the parable of the growing church. This is a 21st century story of how the Christian community might better serve its members and its neighbors. When we look in this mirror, we gain a new understanding of Christian identity, transcendence and community. Like the parables of Jesus, it reveals to us the kingdom of God.
The story begins with identity. Picture this – In a growing church, people see themselves as followers of Jesus, not as workers in a global economy. They consider themselves to be disciples of Christ, trying to love as Jesus loved and serve as Jesus served. They see themselves and others as precious children of God, valuable for who they are, not for what they do. In a growing church, members identify themselves as being made in the image and likeness of God.
Next comes transcendence. A growing church provides opportunities for transcendence in worship, bible study and spiritual growth activities. This means that people go beyond normal human experience and gain a sense of God’s nature and power. “A vibrant, life-giving church,” writes Jake Meador, “asks people to prioritize one another over career, to prioritize prayer and time reading Scripture over achievement.” (4) When we do these things, we go beyond workism and have an opportunity to grow closer to God. We discover that the kingdom of God really does grow automatically, on its own, without any effort from us, if we let it do so.
Finally, the parable includes community. The tragedy of contemporary American life is that it does not support care, mutuality or common life. Isolation is on the rise in the United States today, and loneliness is a big problem. I’ve referenced it before, that the Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy calls it an epidemic. But he also says that churches can combat isolation and build neighborly bonds. He writes, “Religious or faith-based groups can be a source for regular social contact, serving as a community of support, providing meaning and purpose and creating a sense of belonging around shared values and beliefs.” (5)
In growing churches, congregations focus on providing people with a safe and welcoming community of faith. Like the mustard shrub that provides branches and shade for the making of nests, churches offer their members and neighbors a place of security and comfort. Churches can be better, truer sorts of communities, says Jake Meador, “ones in which the hungry are fed, the weak lifted up, and the proud cast down.” (6) Like the Amish in the novel, When the English Fall, we are challenged to respond as Christians to the needs of the world around us.
Stories can change our perspective, and the parable of the growing church helps us to see ourselves in the kingdom of God. Each of us can help provide much needed identity, transcendence and community, for ourselves and for our neighbors. We don’t have to be a part of a megachurch – remember, the small mustard seed becomes the greatest of shrubs. And we don’t have to do it all on our own – remember, the seed of the kingdom grows automatically, through the power of God.
The challenge for each of us is to put our trust in the work of God’s kingdom, not in the workism of the world. The parable of the growing church is a story that we can bring to life. Together, we can provide identity, transcendence and community, but only if we let the seeds of God’s kingdom grow among us.
May God be praised. Amen.
 

1. Homileticsonline, retrieved 5/23/24.

2. Ibid…

3. Ibid…

4. Ibid…

5. Ibid…

6. Ibid…

06-09-2024 Inside Out: The Jesus Way

Thomas J Parlette
“Inside Out: The Jesus Way”
Mark 3: 20-35
6/9/24
           Something I often do before sitting down to write a sermon is go back through my Pastoral Record and see if I’ve preached a certain passage before. So, I did that for this week, I found out that I have never preached this passage from Mark.
          In my 34 years of ministry, I’ve preached my way through the lectionary cycle 11 times – you would think I would have run out of things to say by now – but somehow the Holy Spirit always points out something new.
          But for some reason unknown to me, I have possibly unconsciously avoided this passage from Mark 3. The other texts that show up this Sunday are where I have tended to land. The Genesis passage about Adam and Eve with the serpent in the Garden of Eden has been a popular pick, as has the passage from 2nd Corinthians about our “outer nature wasting away, but our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” I’ve preached those passages on numerous occasions.
          So, for today, I decided to stretch a little bit and try a new passage. I suppose I’ve avoided it because it’s a little troublesome. Whenever Jesus shows emotion in our scriptures, it can be a difficult to handle. Many of us picture Jesus as eternally calm and pious, almost detached, always in control, even-keel, never out of control or angry or upset. But there are moments when Jesus shows emotion.
          The 3rd Chapter of Mark opens with the story of Jesus healing the withered hand of a worshipper at the synagogue, on the Sabbath, no less. The leaders of the synagogue are watching closely to see if they might be able to accuse him of wrong-doing, and Jesus reacts with anger. Then the passage tells us that he was “grieved at their hardness of heart” – disgust is a word that would probably work as well.
          Right after that incident, Jesus went to the Sea of Galilee and a large crowd followed him. On the way to his boat, unclean spirits would fall down before him and shout, “You are the Son of God.” And Mark tells us that Jesus sternly ordered them not to make him known.
          Then Jesus commissions his disciples to go do some healing of their own, and he gives them the authority to cast out demons. In this, Jesus shows another emotion - compassion
          So before we get to the encounter we hear about this morning, we have seen Jesus show anger, disgust, and a stern tone of voice, maybe bordering on anger again and a sense of compassion.
          And then Jesus’ family shows up, because they have heard about what’s been going on. And they are experiencing lots of emotions – anxiety about the waves Jesus is creating; embarrassment about the things Jesus’ was doing and saying; and downright fear that Jesus was going to get himself arrested, or they themselves might get arrested. So Jesus’ family shows up to “restrain him,” as Mark says.
          Lots of emotions on display in the 3rd Chapter of Mark -  anger, disgust, compassion, anxiety, embarrassment and fear.
          Perhaps you’re familiar with a Pixar movie that came out in 2015 – Inside Out. There’s a sequel coming out next week. The original movie told the story of Riley, a happy, hockey-loving 11 year- old girl. One day, her world was turned upside down when she and her parents move to San Francisco. At first she tries to navigate the transition with Joy, but the stress of the move puts Sadness in control. Then Joy and Sadness get replaced with Anger, Fear and Disgust. All of these emotions are portrayed as different characters.
          When the family moves to San Francisco, Fear says to Joy, “I sure am glad you told me earthquakes are a myth.” Fear has more than a few worries about their new location.
          On their way to their new home, Joy imagines that Riley will live in a house from a fairytale, made of different desserts. Disgust registers his opinion, “Joy, for the last time, she cannot live in a cookie.”
          But there is more to this movie than just laughs. The emotion Sadness is initially seen as a troublesome character, but in time she reveals her wisdom. At one point, Sadness says, “Crying helps me slow down.” That’s something that everyone needs to learn isn’t it. Crying gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect, sometimes about the more difficult aspects of life. (1)
          Josh Larsen wrote about “Inside Out and the Theology of Sadness” on the think Christian website. He wrote:
          “Inside Out is about learning to reconcile joy and sadness, whether you’re a tween forced to move away from friends, as Riley is, or a parent who can no longer protect your child from life’s hardships. It’s a rich subject – one mined with Pixar’s usual combination of wit, intelligence and emotional resonance to – not in denial of – deep sadness.”
          He goes on: “Writing earlier, I referenced a Frederick Buechner quote on joy from his book The Hungering Dark. “Joy is a mystery because it can happen anywhere, anytime, even under the most unpromising circumstances, even in the midst of suffering, with tears in your eyes.” (2)
          Author James Grebey writes that the first film shows what things are like inside a young girl’s head. So, how do you raise the stakes for the sequel, Inside Out 2? Gerbey’s answer – “go inside a teenager’s head, of course. Inside Out 2 will revisit Riley that she’s older, and it will fittingly introduce a host of new emotions.” (3)
          In addition to the original five emotions, the sequel will introduce Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy and Ennui – meaning weariness or unsatisfaction.
          So, the third chapter of Mark might be called Inside Out: The Jesus Way, as we see lots of emotions on display – from Jesus, his family, and from the people listening to him.
          Reports are circulating that Jesus has gone out of his mind. His emotions they say, are out of control.
          A group of religious leaders from Jerusalem, the scribes, use this moment to go on the attack. They say, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” In essence they are saying – It takes one to know one.” If Jesus can communicate with demons, and demonstrates control over them, well – he must be a demon himself.
          No doubt Jesus feels another wave of anger and frustration building as he points out the ridiculousness of this argument. “Why would Satan cast out Satan. If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. It doesn’t make any sense. Why would Satan undermine his own power?
          Jesus then shifts gears and compares himself to a man entering a strong man’s house, and tying up the strong man before plundering his property. This is Jesus’ way of showing he has come to defeat Satan, literally tie him up and take control of this world. I suppose this could be another reason I have avoided this passage in the past – I don’t like to think of Jesus entering a house and tying someone up to plunder the house. But the point is clear, if a bit unpalatable – Jesus has come to defeat the strong man Satan and take control of this world in the name of God.
          Then the family of Jesus arrives at the house. They call for Jesus and the crowd reports to Jesus that his family is here and they are calling him. Jesus looks out the window and he sees a teachable moment.
          Jesus turns to the crowd and says, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” The crowd was probably wondering what he was talking about as they motion outside – “they’re right over there Jesus, what are you talking about?”
          Then, looking around at those who are sitting around him in the house, Jesus says, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
          In the movie Inside Out, the emotion Joy asks the question, “Do you ever look at someone and wonder?” That’s what people were doing as they looked at Jesus in that house in Capernaum. They were wondering, “What does it mean to do the will of God? What would it mean for me to be part of the family of Jesus?”
         Jesus makes it very clear that his true family is whoever does the will of God.
          Inside Out: The Jesus Way is full of deep and powerful emotions, Grief, Compassion, Hope, Anger, Frustration and Disgust. Jesus felt them all, and we should not be afraid of feeling them as well. Our lives as disciples of Christ should not be lived in a cold and completely intellectual way, separate from the pain and struggles that are part of every human life. Jesus wants us to put our hearts into discipleship, not just our heads, allowing our emotions to be part of doing the will of God.
          In a commencement address to the Class of 2021 of Boston College, David Brooks said: “People talk about emotional intelligence. But being a respectful and considerate person is not an intelligence; it’s a skill you learn with practice. It’s the skill of taking time to label your emotions as you feel them, to understand them and be able to tell them apart. That’s knowing the difference between angry, aggravated, alarmed, spiteful and grumpy. It’s the skill of knowing how to express your emotions openly, and in that naming, to regulate them… There is one thing that I have learned. You have more to fear from your inhibitions than you do your vulnerabilities. More lives are wrecked by the slow and frigid death of emotional closedness than by the short and glowing risk of emotional openness. (4)
          In this 3rd Chapter of Mark, Inside Out: The Jesus Way, Jesus demonstrates that emotional openness has a vital role in faithful discipleship. Jesus encourages us to listen to our hearts, including our emotions, as well as our heads as we live as disciples of Jesus.
          May that be true of us all.
          May be praised. Amen.

1. Homileticsonline, retrieved 5/5/24.

2. Ibid…

3. Ibid…

4. Ibid…

05-19-2024 The Many Ways to Spell "Church"

Thomas J Parlette
“The Many Ways to Spell “Church”
Acts 2: 1-21
5/19/24
          Let’s start off this morning with a little test. Or perhaps an interesting experiment, or maybe sort of a brain teaser would be a better way to describe it. I wonder if you would join me in reading the short passage that is under the sermon title for today.
          “According to researchers at Cambridge University, it doesn’t matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter are in the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without problems. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole.” (1)
So how was that? Did it get easier as we went along? You may have run across this statement before, it was a pretty popular meme on the internet. A writer followed up by contacting some researchers at Cambridge University, and none of them had heard of any such research taking place – so it’s probably a hoax. But it sounds like it could be true, doesn’t it? It has that ring of “truthiness”, as Stephen Colbert might say.
          But in reality it is totally false. The order of the letters in a word does matter. Let’s take a look at the second sentence in your bulletin this morning. Have you already been trying to read it? Let’s see how this one goes:
          “Baseball players performing similarly absolutely deserve comparable compensation.”
          Raise your hand if you already figured that one out ahead of time.
          Don’t worry if all this sounds confusing. That’s kind of the point on this Pentecost Sunday. It’s hard to commemorate the birthday of the church with a nod to the confusion and chaos that was a big part of that day. 2000 years ago, the universal church came into being – so this is good day to consider how we understand church – how do we spell “church.” Today is also a good time to consider how we can do church with a proper beginning and good ending – even when the middle can, at times, be a confusing mess.
          In New Testament Greek, the word for church is “ekklesia.” It’s usually translated “church”, but it can also mean “assembly, congregation or meeting.” The Greek literally means “called out ones” from ek – meaning “out” and kaleo – meaning “to call.” Some scholars have stressed that this “called out” sense of the word provides a hint as to how we should understand the church: “an assembly of those who have been called out, or separated, for a special purpose or called out from the world to live godly lives” (2) – something we are celebrating today as we recognize our confirmation class.
          So, how might we spell “church” in English? We could do it as an acrostic, as you see in your bulletin:
C – Charis
H – Healing, Hopeful or Healthy
U – United
R – Radical
C – Compassionate
H – Hospitable, Honest or Helpful. (3)
          Let’s start with Charis – another Greek word. It appears more than 100 times in the New Testament and is usually translated as “grace.” It emphasizes goodwill, kindness and favor. Certainly a good place to start when describing what it means to do church. Not only is this a gift extended to us by God, but it is a quality that the church offers to the world. It is the mark of a Christian. Charis refers to that which offers joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness and the grace of speech that is seasoned and moderate, resulting in harmonious fellowship.(4)
          Then there’s the letter “H” – Healing, Hopeful or Healthy, any of those words would work well in thinking about church. After Peter preached his sermon recorded in the passage for today, he performed his first act of healing. Jesus was not there anymore, so when a beggar approached asking for money, Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” The church has always been known as a movement concerned not only with spiritual healing, but with the healing of the body as well. So it makes perfect sense that so many hospitals around the world, including the world famous Mayo Clinic, were established by the institutional church to alleviate suffering and pain.
          But the church has also been characterized by our sense of hope. The hope of the church is grounded in the faithfulness of God. Therefore, as Paul notes, we have hope: “Character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
          The church also strives to be healthy. It always distressed Paul when he had to scold a congregation because of it’s in-fighting, quarrelling and disagreements. On the other hand, his joy knew no bounds when believers were strong and vigorous, fulfilling the church’s mission. Notice his affection for the church in Philippi: “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.”
          Which leads us to the word “United.” This is a prickly one to be sure, especially in our current social climate. It’s difficult to see how we can be united about anything. How can we possibly create unity amidst all the various values, theologies, rituals, ideals, causes, institutional agendas and ideological “isms” that we champion, or protest, or rail against on social media. That difficulty in finding unity extends to the church as well. Put 100 Christians in a room and ask them to agree on something, and, as they say in Texas, you might as well try to put socks on a rooster.
          And yet, the bible tells us that unity is possible. We can disagree, but we are called to do so in love. We may not agree on whether we use debts or trespasses in the Lord’s prayer, but we can still treat each other with respect, kindness, gentleness, patience and love. That’s the kind of unity that is possible through the Holy Spirit.
          In the September 22nd, 2020 issue of Stewardship Kaleidoscope e-newsletter, Princeton Theological Seminary Professor Eric Barreto observes that, at Pentecost, God does not give us a new, perfect universal language. Instead, God enables us to understand each other’s languages. Rather than reversing what happened at the Tower of Babel, when people were scattered and given different languages so they couldn’t understand one another, on Pentecost God enables us to understand one another’s languages. The change is in us. The curse of Babel is our desire for uniformity. What God gives us at Pentecost is the gift of unity (5) – the gathered believers given the Holy Spirit.
          We have some other words and letters that help us spell church. The “R” world might rub some people the wrong way. The word “Radical” is another tricky one because it has been co-opted to insult and demean people for their political beliefs. But when you consider the call Jesus extends – to live according to the will of God, not the ways of the world, to be guided by the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the demands and expectations of our society – you can’t deny that it is a radical way to live life.
          To treat everyone we meet with “Compassion” is also a hallmark of what we are called to be as a church. It’s difficult to spell church without compassion.
          And finally, we have another “H”. This could be Hospitable, Honest or Helpful. We are definitely called to hospitable, or welcoming to people. There is no “if” or “when” attached to being part of the church. You are welcomed and loved as you are – not if you measure up or when you believe a certain way or live in such a way.
          To spell church, we begin with a “C”, for Charis – a sense of grace, goodwill and kindness – because we believe that God loves us and has found favor with us. And we end with an “H”, for either Hope or Hospitality, both are important parts of what it means to be and do church.
          There are many ways to spell church these days. After the gift of the Holy Spirit swept through the early church, they continued to do and be the church around 5 simple practices, which we still do today. They didn’t come to a stone building with beautiful stained glass windows like we do – more than likely they gathered in people’s homes, or sometimes they gathered in the catacombs in the interest of safety. But the practices are ones we would recognize:
          1. They would hear some teaching.
          2. They would experience fellowship, probably not coffee and donuts, but I imagine they had their own version of delectable treats.
          3. There was breaking of bread, which may have been similar to communion, or maybe the first century equivalent of hot dish and bars – the archealogical evidence is sketchy.
          4. There most certainly was praying at their gatherings.
          5. And Paul mentions singing and encourages the early Christian community to “Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts.”
          There are many ways to spell church these days – but if we start with grace and wrap in kindness, gentleness, compassion and hospitality, and gather for fellowship, teaching, breaking of the bread, praying and singing, we aren’t going to go too far wrong. Gifted with the Holy Spirit, that power from above, we can continue to be the church that Jesus intended.
          May God be praised. Amen.
 

1. Homileticsonline, retrieved 5/1/24.

2. Ibid…

3. Ibid…

4. Ibid…

5. Ibid…

05-12-2024 Power from on High

Thomas J Parlette
“Power from on High”
Luke 24: 44-53
5/12/24

          Jesus had a lot to say about a lot of things during his life on earth. His most beloved sayings have come down to us, faithfully preserved by the gospel-writers. You probably have your favorites, perhaps they are among these all-time greats:
          “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
          “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
          “I am the resurrection and the life.”
“Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.”
We could go on, of course – there’s no shortage of wise sayings by Jesus. But have you ever wondered about Jesus’ last words – the final thing Jesus said before he ascended into heaven?
For Matthew, the Lord’s last words are the last part of the great commission. After Jesus charged his disciples to spread the good news and baptize in his name, he concludes, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Mark’s gospel – at least in its shorter, original ending – contains no last words of the resurrected Jesus. The disciples simply discover his empty tomb. The nook ends inconclusively: “Terror and amazement had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
Sometime later, another writer, uncomfortable with the ambiguity, tacked on an alternate ending in an attempt to bring things full circle. That writer followed Matthew’s lead, having Jesus commission the disciples. And then he promises them some superpowers. This comes in a verse most people avoid, because it sounds so strange: “And these signs will accompany those who believe: using my name will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” In the backwoods of Appalachia, there are “snake-handling” churches that gravitate to that verse. Their members court disaster by passing around live rattlesnakes to one another during worship services. Those who don’t get bitten are considered particularly blessed. There is certainly no shortage of strange things in the world of religious expression.
According to the gospel of John, Jesus’ final words include speaking to Peter about the “beloved disciple,” who may have been John himself. Jesus says, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
But onward to Luke, our focus for today. Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus promises his disciples, “And see, I am sending upon you what my father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” After that, Luke continues his narrative for a few more verses, telling how Jesus lifts up his hands and blesses the disciples. Those words of final blessing are a mystery. So, Jesus’ last-known words are a promise of “power from high”, as Luke tells the story.
Power is a source of endless fascination. Our earliest years are characterized by a burgeoning search for power. First, it’s power over our own bodies, as we learn to move and walk on our own. Then it’s power over others, in the motional wrestling matches that define the “terrible twos.” It’s not long before we learn that tantrums aren’t the best way of achieving lasting power.
For many of us, our choice of occupation may be swayed by our desire for power. Lots of daydreams about becoming wealthy are really about power. It’s true that money can’t buy happiness, but it can certainly buy power. Some people even choose career options because of the power the job promises. Anyone who aspires to a job in politics or management or even your own small business must contend with the lure of power – over other people or just power over your own schedule. Everyone must reckon not only what the desire for power can do to us, but also to those around us.
As our personal power grows, there’s an adverse spiritual transformation that can ambush us of we’re not careful. The Jewish theologian Martin Buber once wrote about this topic. He observes that power can be handled safely only so long as it remains “bound to the goal, to the work, to the calling.” If powerful people lose track of that essential connection – if they begin to think of power as their personal privilege, their perk, their possession, then Buber says power becomes “evil; it is power withdrawn from responsibility, power which betrays the spirit, power in and of itself.” (1)
You’ve probably heard the proverb spoken by the British aristocrat Lord Acton in the Victorian era: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” A century before, on our side of the Atlantic, the former President James Madison said something similar: Power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.” (2) Years earlier, as he was contributing to the writing of the U.S. Constitution, that same insight inspired Madison to set up a system of checks and balances, making it difficult for government officials to abuse power.
But is this the sort of power Jesus is promising his disciples in his last words in Luke’s gospel? No, it’s not. Jesus is promising them something other than human power, Jesus promises “power from on high.”
What does he mean by that? The word for “power” that Jesus uses here is “dunamis”, in the Greek. That same word inspired the Norwegian inventor Alfred Nobel as he sought to name a new explosive he’d invented – dynamite. But Jesus doesn’t use the word “dunamis” here without qualification. He modifies it with the words, “from on high.” If such power originates on high – with God- and comes to us as a divine gift, then it’s impossible to misdirect it towards selfish ends.
Nobel’s dynamite can be used for peaceful purposes, like blasting through bedrock to tunnel under a mountain. But it can also be used to destroy and kill. Not so with power from on high. Godly power – if it is truly Godly – is only capable of being used for good.
There are two kinds of power in this world – destructive power and creative power. A stick of dynamite blasts a tree stump to smithereens. That’s destructive power. A growing tree root presses up against a slab of concrete walkway, slowly and methodically heaving it up as though it were a piece of Styrofoam - that’s creative power. One type of power is short, intense and loud. The other is slow, persistent and silent. Of the two, creative power is the strongest by far, and the promise of our faith is that this power wins out in the end. But let’s be honest – destructive power too often reigns supreme in this present age. In the wrong hands, it threatens to demolish all that’s good and kind and lovely.
There’s a scene in Steven Spielberg’s movie, Schindler’s List, when Oscar Schindler – the factory owner who convinced the Nazi’s to give him the Jewish people being sent to concentration camps, so he could put them to work in his factory – arguing with the brutish Nazi commandant, trying to get him to release yet another group of prisoners for his business. The commandant is an inhuman monster. For entertainment, he sits at the window of his quarters and randomly shoots Jewish prisoners with a high-powered rifle.
Still, Schindler seeks to reason with this barbarian. He argues that the commandant’s life –and-and death authority is not real power. Real power, Schindler argues, is the power not to deal out death indiscriminately, but to hold back – to restrain oneself. Real power is the power to forgive.
Eventually, Schindler gets his workers, and for a few days the commandant cleans up his act. He gets a sort of perverse satisfaction out of pardoning prisoners. But before long, brutality triumphs over reason, and he’s back to his murderous ways. He fails at forgiveness because to truly forgive others you must feel something for them – sympathy, compassion, love. But this Nazi officer doesn’t feel a thing for the Jews, or perhaps anyone – maybe not even himself. (3)
Peter writes in his first epistle that “Like a roaring lion, your adversary, the devil, prowls around, looking for someone to devour.” There are too many in this world that fit that description, people who build their lives around grabbing as much of this sort of power as they can. “Do unto others BEFORE they do unto you,” seems to be their motto.
The convicted Watergate conspirator G. Gordon Liddy once gave a lecture on a college campus in Missouri. Throughout the evening, Liddy, who had just been released from prison, harangued his audience with the idea that only force, brute strength and iron will could earn the respect of friends and foes in this “real world which is, in fact, a very tough neighborhood.”
During the question and answer period, one of the college professors rose to speak. Rather timidly, he objected to what he’d just heard. “In our country, most people, after all, do base their ethics on the teachings of Jesus… and this doesn’t sound much like the teachings of Jesus.”
Liddy is said to have glared for a moment before taking a deep breath and bellowing, “Yeah – and look what happened to Jesus. They crucified him!” For Liddy, the case was closed. The audience responded to his put-down with laughter and thunderous applause. (4)
G. Gordon Liddy was right. We’ve all heard the story of how Jesus stood before the terrible power of Rome in courageous, virtuous silence. And that power rose up and crushed him.
To the likes of G. Gordon Liddy – and Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas. Herod and even the emperor of Rome – that should have been the end of the story. But we all know it wasn’t. There was another power at work in the life and death of Jesus. A power from on high.
That creative, life-giving power began its work in the cool silence of the tomb. This power worked a lot quicker on that occasion than it usually does in this world. A mere three days later, life coursed through Jesus’ veins again.
Ever since that day, the power of life so active in Jesus has continued to grapple with the power of death. It’s a long, slow struggle – but the witness of our faith is that life is winning and will one day triumph.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks once wrote about power in his book Lessons in Leadership. He wrote: “Power works by division, influence works by multiplication. Power, in other words, is a zero-sum game: the more you share, the less you have. Influence is a non-zero- sum game: the more you share, the more you have…”
“The most important forms of leadership come not with position, title, or robes of office, not with prestige and power, but with the willingness to work with others to achieve what we cannot do alone; to speak, to listen, to teach, to learn, to treat other people’s views with respect even if they disagree with us; to explain patiently and cogently why we believe and do what we do; to encourage others, praise their best endeavours, and challenge them to do better still. Always choose influence rather than power. It helps change people into people who can change the world.” (5)
The power from on high is the power of influence, the power to help change the early Christian community into a group who would change the world.
Today, we wrap up Volume 1 of Luke’s gospel. The story ends with a promise made – the promise of a power from on high. Next week, we will shift our focus to Volume 2 of Luke’s story. Next week is Pentecost, when we will hear how the promise made today will be fulfilled for the early church. The power from on high, the Holy Spirit will descend upon that little band of followers and so transform their lives that they were able to change the world.
So, stay tuned.
May God be praised. Amen.
 

1. Homileticsonline, retrieved 4/10/24.

2. Ibid…

3. Ibid…

4. Ibid…

5. Ibid…

05-05024 To Conquer the World

Thomas J Parlette
“To Conquer the World”
1 John 5: 1-6
5/5/24
          “He came from nothing. He conquered everything.” That’s the tagline for Ridley Scott’s film Napoleon, that recently started streaming on Apple TV. Most reviewers gave it pretty good marks, including Joaqin Phoenix’s understated performance as the French general who terrorized Europe in the early part of the 19th century, after literally crowning himself emperor of France.
          Napoleon really did come from nothing, or pretty close to it. Born on the remote Mediterranean island of Corsica, he faced discrimination as a young army officer. He had an Italian name: Buonaparte (he later changed it to the French sounding Bonaparte.) Because he’d spent the early part of his career on the fringes of respectability, he found himself one of the few military officers still standing after the carnage of the French Revolution.
          Napoleon never saw a power vacuum he didn’t want to fill – and there was a huge power vacuum in France after so many leaders had gone to the guillotine during the Reign of Terror. When the few remaining royalists seized the moment to push back against the Revolution and restore themselves to power, Napoleon ordered his men to load their canons with grapeshot and turn them on the mob of aristocrats. The cobblestones of Paris literally ran red with blood. After the smoke cleared, this fierce Corsican military officer was the most powerful man in France.
          Napoleon seized the moment. In the coming years, his army would overrun nearly all of continental Europe. By 1812, his empire stretched from Spain in the West to Poland and Austria in the East.
          But the juggernaut of conquest, once set in motion, was too hard to stop. Rather than quitting while he was ahead, Napoleon boldly sent his army into Russia in late summer, expecting a swift victory. Who could defeat him – he was the great Napoleon.
          The Russians like to say it was General Winter who defeated him. His overconfident soldiers outran their supply lines. Many of them, still wearing their summer uniforms, starved to death in the snowbanks. The elusive Russian soldiers, bundled in heavy fur coats, came out of their hiding places and made short work of the survivors. After a brief return to power and his legendary defeat at Waterloo by the British general Wellington, Napoleon lived out his days on a remote and rocky island in the South Atlantic, the world’s most notorious prisoner.
          In Napoleon’s heyday, it looked like he was a man who could conquer the world. But in the end, he couldn’t do it. No one ever has.
          The writer of 1 John might beg to differ. “Who is it that conquers the world,” he declares, “but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
          We are soon to enter the season of graduations – both high school and colleges. Noted speakers will soon be addressing eager graduates in their caps and gowns, delivering a message along the lines of – “If you believe in yourself, you, too, can conquer the world.” But apart from a few Christian colleges – commencement speeches rarely have anything to do with religion or believing in Jesus.
          They’re much more likely to have something to do with achieving success, especially financial success. Maybe you’ve seen the 1967 classic movie, The Graduate. In one scene, the title character Ben Braddock, played by Dustin Hoffman, is taken aside by an older man at a party. This businessman, Mr. McGuire, whispers to the promising young college graduate, “I just want to say one word to you. Just one word.”
          “Yes sir,” says Ben.
          “Are you listening?” asks McGuire.
          “Yes, I am.”
          McGuire looks around like someone might be eavesdropping, and then whispers, “Plastics.”
          “Exactly what do you mean?”
          “There’s a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?” (1)
          Plastics manufacturing was just taking off in 1967 – it looked like a promising field. They were making all sorts of things out of plastic, and hardly anybody had ever heard the word “recycling.” Graduate from a top school, get your foot in the door of the new plastics industry, and who knows how fast and how high you might climb. Who knows – you might even conquer the world.
          Coincidently, the same year that Ben Braddock was hearing the whispered mantra, “Plastics,” a young teenager named Bill was learning how to play tic-tac-toe on a school computer. Back then, a game of computer tic-tac-toe demanded a whole lunch period to come clattering out of a dot-matrix printer – they didn’t have monitors back then, let alone smartphones. But Bill wasn’t giving up his lunch periods for nothing – he was enough of a visionary, even at that young age, to realize that computers wouldn’t be that slow forever.
          When Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard eight years later and joined with his friend Paul Allen in starting a little company called Microsoft, no one ever dreamed he’d become the next Andrew Carnegie or John D. Rockefeller – but that’s exactly what happened. If you want to talk about someone conquering the world in our day, you’d have to put Bill Gates on the short-list. (2)
          But that’s not the sort of conquest the author of 1st John has in mind. “Who is that conquers the world but the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God?” That statement’s not about accumulating vast wealth or enormous political power. The author of this letter knew perfectly well there was only one person in that day who could fit that description of “conquerer” – and that was the Emperor of Rome. It was the sort of role Napoleon sought for himself, but he couldn’t make it stick.
          No, the sort of world conquest this ancient disciple is describing is very different. It’s more of a spiritual reality. Let’s consider what it means when we say “Jesus is the Son of God”, and seek to follow him.
          For many years, the church has rolled out three great words to describe the person and work of Jesus Christ – prophet, priest and king.
          First, Jesus was a prophet. Now that may sound strange to say when so many of us think of prophets as people who predict the future, but there’s a lot more to being a prophet than that. Prophets foretell the future, but they also speak powerfully to the present. Prophets are those rare individuals who defy convention, challenge injustice and raise a cry of protest when every other voice in the land is silent.
          Prophets have vision – not so much of future events, although that may be part of it, but of the world as God created it to be. If Jesus is our prophet, it means he’s continually calling us to share his vision of things as they could be – always pulling us out of complacency and cynicism, so we can make our little corner of the world a better place.
          Second, Christ is our priest. In the days of Hebrews, priests were those who made public sacrifices. Killing a prized sheep or goat, then roasting it upon an altar, that was how you kept God happy – or so the people thought. The high priest of Israel had an especially important role. On the Day of Atonement, only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies and perform the sacrifice for the sins of an entire people.
          The letter to the Hebrews famously identifies Jesus as a “high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” In going to the cross for us, Jesus has entered the Holy of Holies, that inner sanctum of the temple. There he made a sacrifice for the sins of the world, not with a sacrificial animal, but with his own body and blood. Unlike the high priest of Israel – who had to make the sacrifice every year – Jesus’ high priestly sacrifice is once and for all.
          The biblical accounts of the crucifixion tell how, as Jesus breathed his last, the veil of the Temple was torn in two. The temple veil was a huge, floor-to-ceiling curtain that served as a gateway to the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest was permitted to venture through it, no one else.
          When the gospel-writers describe the rending of the temple veil after Jesus’ death on the cross, the symbolism is powerful. No longer do we need the offices of a priest to make sacrifices for us. Christ, the great high priest, has already done that. Whenever we turn to God and confess our sin – in worship or in private – we can assure ourselves of God’s forgiveness, knowing that Christ has paid the price.
          To live our lives with Christ as our priest means that when life deals us low blows and we sink into suffering, Jesus is right there for us. Jesus knows what it means to suffer pain, to endure indignity and heartache. And even more than that, in his resurrection, Jesus has triumphed over every human limitation – even death itself.
          Finally, Christ is our king. Now, this is no easy concept to take in – especially since we don’t have that many real kings in the world today. We don’t really have a modern example to point to. What our tradition means to say, in talking about kingship, is that Jesus, in being raised from the dead, has been exalted and rules the world from God’s right hand.
          Of course, this vision of kingship is not only unfamiliar. It seems at odds with the ways we usually see Jesus. Most people would like to see Jesus as a wise teacher, an extremely spiritual person who was closer to God than anyone else. Such people enjoy the lively vision of his parables and profess to follow his ethic of loving neighbor as self – but there is no room in their worldview for one who is Lord and Master. They prefer a spiritual sage, whose teachings they can take or leave, as it suits them.
          In his classic book Mere Christianity, CS Lewis has this to say about the impossibility of separating Jesus’ teaching from his kingly rule: “A man who was merely a man and said the things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” (3)
          Christ, then, is the Son of God. He is our prophet, priest and king – born in a manger, died on a cross and rose to defeat death itself.
“He came from nothing. He conquered everything.”
          But what does it mean, in this ancient disciple’s understanding, to conquer the world? Most of our Lord’s victory is yet to be realized. It won’t be revealed until he returns one day or we find ourselves face-to-face with God. But in the meantime, we can take assurance in the promise that, if Christ is on our side, the world will never conquer us.
          Sometimes it may appear that, in the great struggle of life, the world is winning. But those struggles are only temporary. As Paul famously writes in the second letter to the Corinthians:
“We are afflicted in every way – but not crushed.
Perplexed – but not driven to despair.
Persecuted – but not forsaken.
Struck down – but not destroyed.
Always carrying in the body the death of Jesus – so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.”
          To conquer the world, in Christ, doesn’t mean we get everything we’ve ever desired. It doesn’t mean we can crown ourselves anything. It doesn’t mean we’ll all become software barons, Wall Street tycoons or even emperor of France.
          It does mean that in the daily struggles we undergo and persistent challenges we face, the world has no power to master us. How could it? For we are not our own masters. We belong not to ourselves, but to Jesus Christ. And he has already conquered everything.
          Mother Teresa used to say:
 “People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives – be kind anyway.
          If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies – succeed anyway.
          If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you – be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight – build anyway.
          If you find eternity and happiness, they may be jealous – be happy anyway.
          The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow – do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough – give the world your best anyway.
          You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God – it was never between you and them anyway.” (4)
          That’s what it means to conquer the world.
          May God be praised. Amen.

Homileticsonline, retrieved 4/1/24

2. Ibid…

3. Ibid…

4. Ibid…