13th Sunday after Pentecost
Jeremiah 15:15-21
Psalm 26:1-8
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 16:21-28

Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
 grace and peace to you
 from the one who does things the divine way. Amen
 
Perspective matters. 
 
How we look at things influences what we see.
 The view from the top of a mountain
 and the view from the bottom are very different,
 even though we’re looking at the same mountain.
 
 How I see the world without my glasses
is certainly a lot fuzzier
than when I put in my contacts
 and the world springs back into focus.
 
On a sunny day I change how I see the world
by putting on sunglasses
and the dark lenses allow me to focus
on more than just how bright it is outside.
 
 These are all physical examples of perspective
but perspective also comes into play
in how we understand the world
and like putting on sunglasses
 or climbing a mountain
we can influence to a certain degree
 how we understand and interpret the world around us.
 
Now some things,
our past experiences, our beliefs,
 our place in society
 all impact our perspective
whether we are aware of it or not
 
 and the things that are most deeply ingrained
are the ones we turn to in times of stress,
the ones we go to without thinking about
 and that can get us into trouble.
 
 That’s what happens to Peter
 in our gospel for today
Jesus tells the disciples that “he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’ But [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’”
 
Peter,
when faced with a threat to his teacher and Lord
responds from the human perspective.
 The perspective that holds tightly onto life at all costs,
the perspective that says pain is to be avoided,
the perspective that is more concerned with ourselves and our loved ones
 than the whole world.
 
And Jesus scolds him. 
 
He puts him in his place,
 ‘get behind me’, Jesus says,
 ‘I am the teacher, you are the disciple,
 you’re getting ahead of yourself,
you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
 
And while it is true that Peter is human,
we know that he is capable of seeing from the divine perspective.
 
 Just last week in our gospel
at a retreat in Caesarea Philippi
Peter proclaimed the truth about Jesus,
 that he is the Messiah, the Son of the living God
and Jesus praised him
 for trusting the revelations of God.
 
There Peter had his mind set on divine things.
 
But it only lasts a moment,
 and in seemingly the next breath
Peter is back to human things.
 
Jesus puts Peter in his place
and turns to the disciples
 and spells it out for them
 “If any want to become my followers let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?”
 
To be a disciple of Jesus
 means looking at the world from the divine perspective,
 a way of looking at things
 that at times seems to be exactly the opposite
 of what our instincts tell us we should do
 what the world had taught us makes the most sense.
 
The worldly perspective teaches us to put our lives
 and those of our family
ahead of anyone else,
 
the divine perspective teaches
that a life well lived
is one that is lived in service to others,
even if that means sacrificing our own lives.
 
It’s what Jesus did,
 he lived everything he taught
 he lived the divine way,
 the way that fed people because they were hungry
 and healed people because they were sick
and forgave people because they were sinners.
 
His living the divine way in the world
so upset those in power
 (those who were supposed to be living and teaching the divine things)
that they got together
 to serve out the ultimate punishment of the world,
 death,
the thing there’s no coming back from,
 
 but Jesus did
rising on the third day,
and he promises that joined to him
 death is not the end
his followers are free to live in service of others
following the divine way.
 
But Jesus realizes
that living the divine way
 does not come naturally,
 
that like Peter when we hear something that frightens us
our instinct will be to go back to the way of the world,
 that we will need to be put in our places
 and reminded again and again
that God will take care of judgment
and that we are to view the world from the divine perspective.
 
And while this is difficult,
 Peter shows us that it is possible,
again and again Peter jumps at the chance to follow Jesus,
 and again and again he falls back on the human way of doing things,
 
and yet each time
Jesus puts him in his place,
 reminds him of the divine way,
 forgives him,
and gives him another chance.
 
This is what Jesus does for us,
as we seek to follow him
he calls us to set our mind on divine things
rather than human things
 
and sometimes,
 most times
 it flies in the face of worldly wisdom.
 
As Paul reminds the Romans “Let love be genuine...bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep...Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
 
It takes practice to live in the world
with our minds set on divine things,
 we will mess up,
 and when we do,
Jesus will put us in our place,
remind us of the divine way
 and give us another chance,
and the more we practice
 the easier it becomes
 to look at the world from God’s point of view
 but always Jesus calls us
to set our mind on divine things
 because he knows that when we are frightened or disrupted
we will see the world from the human perspective once again
 and once again we will need to be reminded to set our minds on divine things.
 
Dear people,
 right now as individuals and as a society
we are frightened and disrupted
and we are falling back on the human mindset,
the mindset that draws those with whom we agree closer
and villainizes those who are different from us,
whether the difference comes in the form of politics,
nationality, the color of our skin,
or even how we think we should live together.
 
To get through this we must set our mind on divine things,
before we react,
pause and look at the world through the eyes of Jesus,
 to see how we might live in service to others
 even though it may mean making sacrifices in our lives
 so that others may live.
 
We must overcome evil with good.
 
And yes,
we will make mistakes along the way,
and Jesus will put us in our places,
 
and then he will forgive us,
offering us his broken body and blood poured out,
with bread and wine join us once again to him,
 setting our mind on divine things
then sending us out to try again.
This is the divine way. Amen
 

12th Sunday After Pentecost
Isaiah 51:1-6
Psalm 138
Romans 12:1-8
Matthew 16:13-20
 
Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
 grace and peace to you
 from the one whose salvation is forever. Amen
 
Have you ever had a song pop into your head
 and act kind of like a soundtrack for your life?
 Maybe you’re getting psyched up to do something
 and all of a sudden you hear in your head
 the opening chords of Eye of the Tiger,
bum, bum bum bum, bum bum, bummmmmmmm.
 Do, do de de do do do, de de dum dum dummmmmmmm
 and it really seems to fit.
 
Or perhaps those of you who associated with young children a few years ago
when Frozen was at its height of popularity
 find yourself at times channeling your inner ice queen
when faced with something out of your control
and all of a sudden Elsa is in your head singing “Let it go, Let it gooo” anyone?
 
Well for me sometimes this happens with hymns,
 I read a piece of scripture
and all of a sudden there’s a hymn running through my head,
 many hymns are adaptations of scripture
or reference scripture
 so that’s usually the connection
 
and this is what happened
 when I read the gospel for this week,
Jesus asks the disciples who they say he is
and when Peter responds “You are the messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus praises him and says
“and I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church”
 
upon reading this I heard the opening phrases of the hymn
“Built on a Rock” (of course accompanied by a big pipe organ)
“Built on a rock the church shall stand, even when steeples are falling” 
and these two phrases became the soundtrack to my week,
 I’ve been walking around humming and singing in my head
“built on a rock the church shall stand, even when staples are falling”
 
Now sometimes earworms just get stuck in our heads
 but with this the words were more persistent,
and when I thought about it, it made sense to me
why this hymn connected with this gospel
 kept following me,
 
 they both have to do with identity,
 and the question of who and what defines us
 in the midst of turmoil.
 
Right now this is something that we are all struggling with,
 many of the things we have used to identify ourselves
 both as individuals and as communities
 have disappeared or changed over night,
 
which leaves us wondering who are we now?
If I can’t work who am I now?
 If there is no Husker football who are we as Nebraskans?
Or at least what will we do on Saturdays in the fall?
 if we can’t gather in the same way for worship and fellowship
 who are we as a congregation?
 
All these steeples,
 the things that have pointed to our identity
have seemingly fallen
 and we’re left wondering who we are
 and where we are to turn for answers.
 
But here’s the thing,
while steeples are the most visible points of church buildings,
they are a sign that even from far away proclaims ‘here is a church’
they are not the most important part of the architecture,
that honor falls to the foundation
 the base upon which everything else is constructed
 
and so when those things that point us toward our identity fall
 we must return to the foundation.
 
Isaiah points this out in our first reading
“Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you;”
 
 the prophet is speaking to those in exile
who have been removed from their homeland,
 who are wondering how can we be the people of Israel
if we are separated from Israel?
 
 the prophet exhorts them to go deeper
when searching for identity,
 back to Abraham and Sarah
who never saw the promised land
 but who first received the promise of God
to create from them a great nation.
 
The prophet is reminding the people
 that even when it seems like everything normal is gone
 there is a deeper identity and promise,
 the promise from God that
 “my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended.”
 
This is the foundation Jesus is building for his disciples
as he sits them down in Caesarea Philippi,
he knows that he will soon be heading to Jerusalem, and his death
 
 at which time
 all the disciples’ points of reference for their identity
 will crumble around them
 
 so he starts to put who he is in perspective,
 first he asks “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
 and the responses he gets are the equivalent of spires,
 people who point to God but who are not God,
 “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets”
 
the people on the outside
focus on the most visible parts of Jesus,
but then he turns to the disciples,
the ones who have gotten to know him intimately,
 who have heard him teach without the great crowds around
and he presses them “But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered, ‘you are the messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.’” 
 
Peter gives the right answer as to who Jesus is,
 but note that Jesus is quick to point out
 that Peter didn’t come up with it on his own,
 the truth was revealed to Peter by God the Father
and the faith given to Peter by the father
allowed him to speak the truth.
 
This faith is what Jesus is going to use
 as the foundation of the community that gathers in his name,
 faith that comes as a gift from God.
As Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8  “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God”
 
God gives faith,
and Peter trusted God
with a trust that Jesus could build on,
 trust that accepted the truth
even when it didn’t make sense. 
 
Faith,
a gift from God,
 is the foundation 
 
And our soundtrack hymn notes this,
while it begins “built on a rock the church shall stand, even when steeples are falling;”
it continues
“crumbled have spires in ev’ry land, bells still are chiming and calling calling the young and old to rest, calling the souls of those distressed, longing for life everlasting.”
 
Yes the spires that point to identity may fall
 but they are not everything,
 as Paul Westermeyer remarks in the Hymnal Companion to Evangelical Lutheran Worship:
 
“The church bells in stanzas 1 and 5 provide the frame and point to the center. The clue is in the bells the hymn references, both in a general and a specific sense. What church bells do generally lie behind the hymn, as, for example, in the inscription on the Danish church bell that was rung in West Denmark Lutheran Church, Luck, Wisconsin from 1937 until a fire in 1985. It tells what church bells are ‘chiming and calling’ about.
            To the bath and the table,
            To the prayers and the word,
            I call every seeking soul.”(Hymnal Companion 501-502)
 
 
The font and table,
prayer and word,
these are the rock from which we were hewn,
and the quarry from which we were dug,
 
 at the font God washes us,
 adopts us,
promises that nothing will separate us from the love of God.
Giving us our primary identity as child of God
 
At the table God reminds us of that identity
 forgives us for our shortcoming,
feeds us to strengthen us
 and sends us out into the world.
 
In the word God speaks to us
reminding us of the promises of God,
 the promise of salvation,
salvation that lasts despite exile, destruction, pandemics,
 salvation that lasts forever.
 
Salvation, the gift to us from Christ,
The Rock on whom we stand.
 
1    Built on a rock the church shall stand,
      even when steeples are falling;
      crumbled have spires in ev'ry land,
      bells still are chiming and calling--
      calling the young and old to rest,
      calling the souls of those distressed,
      longing for life everlasting.
 
2    Surely, in temples made with hands
      God the Most High is not dwelling--
      high in the heav'ns his temple stands,
      all earthly temples excelling.
      Yet he who dwells in heav'n above
      deigns to abide with us in love,
      making our bodies his temple.
 
3    Christ builds a house of living stones:
      we are his own habitation;
      he fills our hearts, his humble thrones,
      granting us life and salvation.
      Where two or three will seek his face,
      he in their midst will show his grace,
      blessings upon them bestowing.
 
4    Yet in this house, an earthly frame,
      Jesus the children is blessing;
      hither we come to praise his name,
      faith in our Savior confessing.
      Jesus to us his Spirit sent,
      making with us his covenant,
      granting his children the kingdom.
 
5    Through all the passing years, O Lord,
      grant that, when church bells are ringing,
      many may come to hear your Word,
      who here this promise is bringing:
      "I know my own, my own know me;
      you, not the world, my face shall see;
      my peace I leave with you. Amen."
 

10th Sunday After Pentecost
1 Kings 19:9-18
Psalm 85:8-13
Romans 10:5-15
Matthew 14:22-33

Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
 grace and peace to you from
the one who comes to us in the midst of storms. Amen
 
Today we have the story of the miracle of Jesus walking on water,
 and after spending time with this story this week
I actually think that part is the least interesting thing about it,
the walking on water was a means to an end,
 rather what I’ve found exciting
 is that in this short story is found the whole of a life of faith.
 
Now this story isn’t an isolated event
 and much meaning comes from what happens in the life of Jesus
and the disciples
before we get to this point.
 
Jesus is baptized by John
starts his public ministry
 and gains wide acclaim as a teacher and healer,
 
 but then he goes home to Nazareth
 the folks in his home town reject him
 and he is unable to do many deeds of power among them,
 
right after this rejection
 he hears of the death of John the Baptist,
 beheaded in prison,
and he needs some time alone to grieve and pray,
so he gets in a boat
and sets sail across the sea
intending to go out to the wilderness alone.
 
But the people get wind of what he is up to
 and they go by land
 so that by the time Jesus reaches the other shore
 he is met with a great crowd
 who need healing and guidance,
 
and he has compassion for them
and so works among them,
 at the end of the day the disciples point out
 that the crowds need something to eat
and with five loaves of bread and two fish
the vast crowds eat until they are full.
 
 And that’s where our story today picks up,
Jesus still needs that time alone with God
and so we are told that
 “Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.”
 
Our English translation sounds like Jesus strongly suggested
 the disciples get into the boat
 but the Greek paints a stronger picture, 
 what we hear as “made”
can also be translated as “compel or necessitate, drive by force or threats”.
 
Jesus makes the disciples get into the boat
 in the same way a parent makes a reluctant toddler go to bed
and once he’s gotten them into the boat
and on their way
 he dismisses the crowds
and finally has time to pray.
 
Now while Jesus is off praying
 the disciples are in the boat out on the water,
 and a storm has come up,
 
the boat is being tossed about by the waves
and the wind is driving them farther and farther from Jesus
 to a point far from the land,
 so far that the separation now seems permanent.
The disciples are afraid.
 
And that’s when Jesus comes to them,
 defying all logic and the laws of nature
to be with them in the midst of the storm,
 
but when they see him they are terrified,
 they think he’s a ghost,
 they cry out in fear
 
“But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘take heart, it is I; do not be afraid’”
 
Jesus speaks peace into the midst of their terror
and he uses the name of God,
 or at least the name God gave Moses
 all the way back at the burning bush.
 
 Remember God appears to Moses
in a bush that is burning but not consumed by the fire,
and God tells Moses to go free the Israelites
 from Egypt on God’s behalf
and Moses reluctantly agrees but says,
 who shall I say sent me
and God replies “tell them I Am sent you”.
 
So anytime we hear Jesus say I Am,
he is revealing his divinity,
 his intimacy with God.
 
This is what Jesus says to the terrified disciples
in the midst of the storm,
 and these words produce great faith.
 
 Peter hears these words and he says
 “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
 Now here again is a nuance of translation,
 we hear the ‘if’ as Peter testing Jesus
 but the sense of it is more ‘because’,
 
 Jesus’ word of revelation moves Peter to great faith
and so he cries out “Lord, because it is you,
 command me to come to you on the water”
Because you are Lord
I believe that I can do the impossible.
 
And Jesus says “come”
and Peter gets out of the boat
and he walks on the water to Jesus,
 
That is until he loses focus,
 he takes his eyes off Jesus
 and he notices the wind and the waves
and he realizes that he can’t walk on water
 
  and he becomes frightened
 and begins to sink
 and cries out “Lord, save me!”
 
“Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him.”
and together they climb back into the boat
and at this point the storm stops,
 and in the calm after the storm
the disciples worship Jesus saying ‘truly you are the Son of God.’
 
The disciples’ experience
 is the life of faith in a nutshell.
 
Jesus has called them
and they have followed him,
 seen him do great things,
 even worked with him to do some great things
and then just when they’ve seen an amazing sight,
 Jesus puts them in a boat and sends them away.
 
So there they are,
 in a boat that they don’t want to be in,
and circumstances out of their control
are driving them away from the one they want to be with
 to a point where the gap seems to great to bridge,
 feeling alone, maybe a little abandoned,
and probably more than a little bit scared.
 
And when Jesus comes to them
 in a seemingly impossible manner
 they are terrified and don’t recognize him,
 until he identifies himself and offers peace,
 
And then their faith is stronger than before,
 so strong as to be able to do the impossible,
and they want to do the impossible
so they try and they’re doing it!
 
Until they look around
and notice all the reasons they shouldn’t be doing what they’re doing
and they get scared and start to sink,
and they cry out to Jesus ‘save me’
 and Jesus reaches out,
catches them,
 brings them to safety
 and as the storm is calmed
and the disciples’ faith is strengthened once again
with the realization of the greatness of the one in their midst.
 
We’ve all had times like this,
 where we’re following Jesus
who has called us,
and things seems to be going really well,
 
and then all of a sudden,
it seems like Jesus is sending us away,
Jesus is putting us in a place we don’t really want to be,
sending us somewhere we don’t really want to go
 amid circumstances that seem to separate us from God.
 
 Maybe it has been a time of learning and growth that challenges us,
 or maybe it has been a time of sickness of body or relationship,
 now to be clear
I don’t think Jesus ever causes illness
 but it is are certainly a time
where we are in the midst of something we don’t want to be a part of
and circumstances seem to drive us far away from God.
 
So there we are out in our boat
 And just as we’ve been battered about by the waves
 and think that we have been permanently separated from God,
 Jesus comes to us,
 
often we don’t recognize him at first
and we are afraid,
 but then Jesus reveals himself
 speaking peace into our fear
and our faith surges
 
and even though the storm is still raging
we get out of the boat
 to go toward Jesus.
 
Have you ever seen someone going through a difficult time
 and wondered just how they are able to handle it with grace and strength?
I’d say they are at this point in their life of faith,
 where Jesus has spoken peace to them
giving them the strength to get out of the boat.
 
 Maybe you’ve experienced this yourself,
 the peace of Christ to move forward
through a seemingly impossible situation
and others around you are telling you
‘I don’t know how you do it’
but you are able to with the call of Jesus.
 
And then of course there are those times in our life of faith
where we look around at all that is going on
 and we begin to sink,
where our faith is overwhelmed
by the pain and chaos of the world around us
and yet, when we cry out to Jesus,
he reaches out to catch us
 and brings us to a place of calm.
 
The life of faith is a journey,
there are times that we experience great joy,
 and times when we are terrified
and feel separate from God,
 
 and no matter how terrified,
or far away we feel,
even when we lose focus,
Jesus comes to us,
Jesus catches us,
 reveals himself to us
and brings us to a place of peace.
 
So wherever you are on your journey of faith,
take heart,
 and may the peace of Christ be with you. Amen
 

9th Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 55:1-5
Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21
Romans 9:1-5
Matthew 14:13-21

Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
grace and peace to you
 from the one who does the most with next to nothing. Amen
 
When we join Jesus today in the gospel 
he is going through a rough patch in his ministry.
 It all started out well, 
preaching, teaching and healing the crowds who have loved him,
 
 until he goes home to Nazareth, 
where the people look at him and say 
‘isn’t that Joseph and Mary’s boy? 
The one we used to see running around with all the other kids? 
We know he’s not special’ 
and they won’t listen to him, 
 
and he is unable to do many deeds of power among them 
because of their disbelief. 
He expected this would happen, 
prophets being without honor in their own country and all,
 but it still had to hurt
 
 and then on top of this rejection 
he hears the news of the death of John the Baptist, 
beheaded in prison by Herod 
and it’s too much 
he needs some time alone to grieve and pray
 
So “he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
 
But when the crowds heard it, 
they followed him on foot from the towns.”
 
It seems like Jesus only gets the time in the boat to himself 
because we are told that  “when he went ashore, he saw a great crowd” 
and though we know that Jesus is tired and sad and needing time to pray
 when he saw the crowds that greeted him 
“he had compassion for them and cured their sick.”
 
Now ‘compassion’ is a weak translation of the greek. 
What Jesus feels is a visceral, gut wrenching reaction to the crowds,
 he feels their pain and need in his body
 and he responds to their need with the care they seek. 
 
It’s a big crowd so he’s busy all day. 
His disciples have caught up with him 
and they’re helping as they usually do
 but when it gets to be evening they’re getting tired and are ready to be done 
they say to Jesus ‘look we’re in the middle of nowhere and it’s getting late, 
send the people away, they uh, they need to eat, 
yah maybe if we put our request out of care for the crowd we can get a break.’
 
But Jesus responds “They need not go away; you give them something to eat. 
They replied, ‘we have nothing here, but five loaves and two fish; 
and he said bring them here to me” 
 
and Jesus blesses and breaks the bread 
and gives it to the disciples to distribute
 “and all ate and were filled; and they took up what was leftover of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.”
 
Jesus takes the scraps,
 what the disciples call ‘nothing’ 
and turns it into an abundant feast.
 
When Jesus tells the disciples to give the crowds something to eat,
 their immediate reaction is to say ‘we have nothing.’ 
 
We tend to exaggerate 
when it comes to counting our resources, 
we often discount or pass over the last little bits, 
the five loaves and two fish, 
because we see them as not enough, 
‘it might as well be nothing for all the good it will do’
 we are programmed to think 
and so we don’t immediately count it, 
 
but when we pause and take stock, 
and it turns out we do have at least a little bit, 
Jesus says, ‘bring them here to me’ 
and Jesus blesses our leftovers,
 then gives them back to us to distribute, to work with.
 
 Did you notice that? 
The disciples point out the problem
 of the crowds of people needing food 
and Jesus turns it right back around to the disciples, 
they are capable of fixing the problem that they’ve noticed he seems to say. 
 
This seems impossible to the disciples, 
but when they bring what they have to Jesus, 
he makes it possible for the disciples to feed the whole crowd.
 
This is how Jesus works, 
Jesus takes what we call ‘nothing’, 
our leftovers that we forget about or discount, 
creates new life and then hands it back to us to distribute in the world, 
 
and he does it with more than just loaves and fish, 
we see this throughout Jesus’ ministry. 
He comes as a baby to a people that pretty much count for nothing 
in the grand scheme of the Roman Empire, 
 
he grows up in a little town 
where people ask if anything good can come from there 
and when he starts his ministry 
he goes out to the desert where people are so desperate for hope
 that they have gathered around a man dressed in camel’s hair 
who dines on locusts and wild honey.
 
 After he is baptized 
he takes the leftover people, 
those whom society counts as nothing 
and turns them into disciples, 
blesses them and sends them back out into the world 
to share the good news with even more people.
 
 He teaches them how to live 
so that they bear good fruit, 
and when people bring Jesus those who are sick 
and therefore at that time counted as unclean, 
Jesus heals them, 
he even heals based on the request of friends
 who come to Jesus and say, I trust that if you just say the word my friend will be healed 
and based on this belief Jesus heals.
 
The leftovers, the next to nothings, the small things 
are Jesus’ favorite things to work with,
 last week we heard Jesus’ teaching 
about faith the size of a mustard seed 
and how the kingdom of heaven is like yeast, 
just a little bit will make a whole lot of bread. 
 
Jesus works with the smallest of things 
The things that are overlooked or discounted as not enough 
in his hands they change the world. 
 
This applies to us as well, 
when we’re on our last nerve, 
or our patience is wearing thin, 
or the world has told us we’re lacking in some way, 
if we don’t think we can go on because we are weary,
 if we have come to believe that we have nothing to give. 
Jesus still finds something to work with in us.
 
As a world, as a country, 
we are going through a rough patch right now, 
a time when it seems like there is not enough all around us, 
whether it is medical equipment,
 support for families or even normalcy 
and it is frustrating and disheartening 
and Jesus is with us.
 
Jesus hears us when we cry to him.
 When we pour out our pain and suffering 
Jesus hears us and has compassion for us, 
 
and then takes what little we have left 
and uses it to change the world, 
even if it is just our small piece of the world, 
and the kingdom of God comes near.
 
Jesus will gladly take the scraps we bring to him 
and turn them into new life, 
that’s what he does 
 
but we shouldn’t be surprised 
when Jesus turns it back around on us 
saying “you give them something to eat” 
because in Christ, we are more than enough. 
And Jesus will take us
And turn us into abundant life. Amen

8th Sunday after Pentecost
1 Kings 3:5-12
Psalm 119:129-136
Romans 8:26-39
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
 grace and peace to you from the one who intercedes for us. Amen
 
“Have you understood all this?” Jesus asks the disciples
“Yes” They answer
 
Really disciples?
 Do you really understand? 
You understand how the kingdom of God
 is like a mustard seed, and yeast, 
like a treasure hidden in a field 
and a merchant in search of fine pearls, 
like a net cast into the sea that caught all kinds of fish that were then sorted.
 
“Have you understood all this?” 
“Yes”
 
Some how I doubt it, 
at text study this week 
the other pastors and I got a kick out of this yes, 
it reminded us of the “yes” we get at the end of a particularly confusing confirmation class 
where the kids are tired and just want to go home. 
So you understand the mystery of the sacraments? 
Yes Pastor. 
 
Or maybe it’s like one of those user agreements, 
where all this fine print legalese is presented
 and at the end it asks you to sign that you have read and understood the document, 
and you sign your name “yes” 
because otherwise you don’t get to use whatever service is on offer, 
yes I get it, just let me use your app.
 
But then there are other times, 
the more serious times, 
like the time at the doctor’s office 
where you haven’t heard a word the doctor has said after “diagnosis” 
because your heart has dropped and your tongue gone numb 
“do you understand all of this?” they ask, 
and you nod your head “yes”
 
 There are a lot of things we agree to, 
to move life forward, 
that we simply do not understand. 
 
And of course a good confirmation teacher 
knows the mystery of the sacraments 
will never be taught in one session, 
or even understood in a lifetime, 
 
and a compassionate doctor
 knows that their patient didn’t hear anything after diagnosis 
and so will provide literature and other sessions for explanation. 
 
The user agreements, 
that one I think we’re just stuck with, 
but the point being that it seems like our automatic response 
to the question ‘do you understand?’ is ‘yes’ 
and it takes conscious effort and humility to answer ‘no’ 
to admit that we lack understanding,
 or that we’re in over our heads, 
but when we do, life opens up.
 
We saw this with Solomon in our first reading. 
God comes to Solomon in a dream and offers him, anything,
 and Solomon who has just been made King after his father David, 
realizes that this offer is being made 
because David and God had such a good relationship,
 and that he’s only King because of that relationship and the goodness of God.
 
 So Solomon responds “O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen...Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern your people?” 
 
He’s already got the job, 
but he is brave enough to admit just how little he knows 
and so when he is offered literally anything by God, 
he asks for wisdom to better serve God in leading the people of God. 
 
And God is pleased by this selflessness,
 God realizes that Solomon could have easily asked for a long life 
or riches or victory in battle 
but instead he asks for wisdom to better serve God, 
so God gives him a wise and discerning mind.
 
It struck me that this passage, 
where Solomon admits how little he knows 
and asks for understanding 
to be able to discern between good and evil, 
has been, I think is 
the prayer of anyone in leadership faced with making decisions these days.
 
 I know it’s been my prayer, 
and I suspect the prayer of those on school boards,
 superintendents and principles, elected officials and coaches. 
O God, give us understanding to discern good from evil, 
we need some help as we make our way through this unknown territory.
 
the Israelites were in an unknown territory, 
both literally in their wandering and in their freedom 
after God led them out of Egypt.
 
 They didn’t know where they were 
and they didn’t understand how to live in freedom.
So God provided for them, 
manna and quail for food,
 and the commandments to give them understanding 
for how to discern good from evil as free people.
 
 God gave the commandments as a gift 
for times when the unknown is greater than the known, 
which is why the psalmist cries out “your decrees are wonderful; therefore I obey them with all my heart… Let your face shine upon your servant and teach me your statutes.” 
 
and praises God for the understanding the laws of God bring 
and weeps for the people who do not follow God’s laws.
 
The difficult part is that the laws of God 
do not address every specific problem we may face, 
the Bible is not a How To Manuel, 
or even a Self- Help Book, 
 
rather it is full of stories of people and God, 
stories of God guiding people 
and how people respond to that guidance,
 some like Abraham follow God,
 and others like Jonah run the other direction.
 But no matter what the people do, 
God is there, 
God doesn’t give up.
 
At our most basic level,
 I think we all want to follow God, 
we want to understand,
 we look for guidance, ways to discern good from evil,
 we even pretend we understand, 
the old fake it ‘til you make it approach, 
and yet in our hearts we know that we don’t understand, 
we don’t even know how to pray.
 
But thanks be to God 
who gives us the gift of the Spirit 
who intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 
The gift of the spirit who searches our heart, 
who knows us better than we know ourselves and brings it all to God.
 
And thanks be to God, for the gift of the Son, 
Jesus who summed up all the law
Love your God with all your heart and mind and might, and your neighbor as yourself,
Jesus who God gave up for all of us, 
who God made the firstborn within a large family,
 so that joined to Christ we are all members of that large family 
and now Christ the firstborn sits at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.
 
God has claimed us. 
We are God’s.
 Even in the midst of the uncertainty and chaos of the world, 
even when we don’t understand 
and struggle to discern good from evil, 
even when we don’t know how to pray,
 even when we are unsure how God is working or if God is even there. 
 
We are God’s. 
we don’t have to understand how this works for it to be true, 
nor do we have to do anything. 
God doesn’t need us, God has acted.
 
 And God has given us signs to remind us
Water to remember our baptisms by
Bread and wind, body and blood
To be forgiven, nourished and strengthened
Joined again to God.
 
And so cleansed, fed and forgiven we proclaim with Paul “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 
 
It is with this conviction we are able to move forward through the wilderness times
 and when God comes to us and says,
 ‘you are my children, have you understood?’ 
We answer with a resounding. ‘Yes.’ Amen
 

7th Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 44:6-8
Psalm 86:11-17
Romans 8:12-25
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
grace and peace to you from the one who tells us to wait in hope. Amen
 
It’s hard to wait when we know what is possible.
 
That’s the reality of our lives right now
 and that is the reality that our lessons address today
 along with the promise that the waiting is worthwhile, necessary even.
 
Jesus starts us off with a parable, 
a farmer who has prepared their fields for planting
 sows good seed. 
 
From the preparations they have made
 they have every expectation 
that when the seeds sprout
 it will be a field full of the best wheat. 
 
But we are told,
 an enemy comes in the night 
and scatters weeds in the field. 
 
When the plants come up
 the workers realize that there are weeds among the wheat, 
they are confused,
 they say “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then did these weeds come from?” 
 
and the Master, the farmer, responds, 
it must have been an enemy who did this,
 and at this the workers are galvanized for action, 
they are ready to go out into the field 
and get those weeds out of there, 
defeat the enemy and return the field to the way it was intended 
full of only good wheat. 
 
But the Farmer stops them saying “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”

It goes against our instincts
 to leave the weeds in with the wheat.
 When we see something whether it is a field, a garden, or even a community
 that is not growing as we know it could be, 
or even as we think it should be, 
our first instinct is to go in and root out what is not supposed to be there 
 
but the hazard of that is there is often collateral damage, 
in our quest to get rid of the weeds 
we also rip up some of the wheat, 
we cause harm to members of our community. 
Weeding disturbs more than just the weeds.
 
I know in my own garden
 I’ve pulled up many a little carrot or beet 
that has just barely begun to form 
in the process of my weeding, 
and I’ve even accidentally stepped on other plants
 in my quest to rip out that hunk of crabgrass. 
 
These accidents are not ideal 
but I prepared for them,
 I planted more than enough seeds, 
knowing that some would not grow and some would be pulled with the weeds,
 I’m willing to take that risk with my garden.
 
Jesus is not willing to take that risk in his garden. 
Jesus’ grace means that he’d rather let the weeds grow with the wheat
 than to risk hurting any of the wheat in the process.
 
 Jesus is willing to settle for less than perfection 
to protect the wheat. 
But just because he’s willing to let the weeds grow for the sake of the wheat 
doesn’t mean that in the end 
the weeds will be treated the same as the wheat.
 
 When it’s time for the harvest, 
the whole point of growing the field in the first place,
 the weeds will be separated out from the wheat 
and while the wheat will become food for the world, 
the weeds will be burned
 but until that time he tells us to wait.
 
Waiting is hard,
 especially when we know what could be 
and especially if we think we know a way that we could act, 
but Jesus has cautioned us to wait 
and promised that at the right time, 
God’s time, it will end as it should. 
But it’s still frustrating.
 
That frustration is what Paul is speaking to 
when he writes: “We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” 
 
As children of God we know what God has promised, 
the vision for the future 
which means that we are even more aware 
of how this world falls short of that promise 
and in a way that adds to our frustration, our suffering,
 it’s almost enough to ask why God would even make us aware of the difference.
 
Why? Because we come to this awareness through the gift of grace, 
God’s love for us that is already transforming our lives. 
You see each of us are like the field in the parable, 
while God created us good,
 the evil one has sown weeds in us, 
weeds that tell us that it is okay to only care about ourselves, 
weeds that turn us away from God and in on ourselves, 
weeds that tell us the lie that we are supposed to be the judge of others. 
 
All these weeds are in us along with the wheat, the gifts of the spirit,
 and God refuses to reject us because of our weeds. 
 
This is grace, 
that even though we are less than perfect, 
less than we could be 
and even less than we should be, 
God loves us.
 
 and that love gives us hope. 
As Paul says “For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” 
  
Grace leads to hope,
 hope leads to patience.
 
Now remember hope is not optimism, 
where optimism says I think things will just turn out okay, 
hope looks at the reality of the world, 
the despair and seemingly insurmountable obstacles,
 and says, nevertheless I believe that God will bring new life. 
 
We have hope because we have Jesus, 
who faced the most insurmountable obstacle, death, 
and three days later appeared to the disciples, 
proclaiming that death had been defeated.
 
And joined to Christ in our baptisms’
 we have been joined to his death and resurrection,
 assured that in the end where Christ is, there we will be,
 that nothing can separate us from the love of God,
 not even the weeds within and around us 
 
and when we have this, 
this grace,
 this new life that we get glimpses of along the way,
 we can wait.
 
As Paul says “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.” 
We are well aware of the imperfections of the world, 
all the things that could be and should be, 
 
and Jesus has promised
 that in the end there will be new life, 
even if, especially if,
 it is nothing like we imagine
 and so we have hope,
 and in hope we wait. Amen
 

5th Sunday After Pentecost
Zecheriah 9:9-12
Psalm 145:8-14
Romans 7:15-25a
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
grace and peace to you
 from the one who offers to teach us another way Amen.
 
Life is full of contradictions,
 some are as simple as the fact
 that chocolate cake tastes better than broccoli,
 but it is far healthier for us to eat broccoli
 than it is to eat chocolate cake. 
 
Other contradictions are more sinister
 like the fact that those who gain positions of power
In order to work on behalf of many people 
often use that power to work only for themselves.
 
whatever the example 
it seems that as humans, 
even if we are aware of the conflict 
and which is the better part, 
we almost always seem to choose to do more of the thing
 that is less beneficial to ourselves 
 
and even when we try to regulate our actions
 with outside rules and laws,
 we invariably seem to return to that chocolate cake 
even though we know we need to eat the broccoli.
 
This is what Paul is struggling with in our second reading 
remarking that even though he logically knows
 what he should do, and he wants to do it
when it comes time to do it, 
he invariably does the opposite, 
 
he says “I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not what is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.” 
 
Here he names the greatest contradiction we experience, 
that even as we have free will to act,
 there is another force working against us, 
sin, 
that embeds itself in the fabric of life 
so even as we try to do what is right, 
we are led astray. 
 
The buzz word for this right now is “systemic”
 we talk about systemic racism, 
where racism is so embedded in how we live 
that as individuals we are unable to extract ourselves
 because the everyday options available to us
 within the established way of life have sin woven into the fabric 
such that it is impossible to separate out the individual threads.
 
 Jesus, teaching the disciples
 points out another contradiction with humans, 
the inability to make everyone happy, 
he observes that when John the Baptist came 
fasting as part of his religious experience
 people claimed he had a demon 
 
and when Jesus himself came eating and drinking 
and interacting with normal everyday people
 the people say ‘look a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 
These are the two main options for a messianic figure 
and yet people have rejected them both.
 
 Lately, the best example of this has to do with face masks, 
on the one hand there are people who refuse to go anywhere
 they are not required, 
on the other hand there are people who refuse to go anywhere 
they are required. 
 
Confronted with the contradictions within ourselves and humanity, 
it’s enough to drive us mad, 
so what are we to do? 
 
Paul himself throws up his hands and cries
 “Wretched man that I am, who will save me from this body of death?” 
and there is the key,
 to acknowledge that we need help,
 
 and Paul immediately follows with
 “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord” 
Jesus is God’s answer to the contradictions of life.
 
Jesus himself is a living contradiction, 
God and human,
 who lived among and experienced first hand 
the contradictions of humanity
 the reality that it’s impossible to please everyone. 
 
Observing the contradictions in the gospel
 he concludes ‘yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds’ 
he knows that time will tell 
who was wise and made the better choice 
and which was the wrong decision 
 
and then he offers to help in making those choices
 “He says all things have been handed over to me by my father” 
Jesus has the inside scoop 
and he offers to share that with everyone, 
but unlike those get rich quick scheme infomercials 
Jesus offers this for free:
 
He says “come to me all, you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon, you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
 
What Jesus is offering is not a quick fix scheme, 
a magic wand that with a flick of the wrist makes all trouble disappear,
 what he offers is an invitation to self-reflection and the pursuit of wisdom,
 he offers to teach us another way 
to deal with the contradictions of life.
 
 The yoke, was a common image in rabbinic literature 
that referred to obeying the Torah (working preacher), 
the law that God gave as a gift
 to help humans live with one another. 
 
Jesus is a teacher of the law, 
and he has said that he’s not come to abolish the law, 
but he has seen how the pharisees and sadducees 
have taken to following the law for the sake of following the rules
 and not for the original intent of the gift of the law, 
for abundant life of the people. 
 
Following the letter of the law
 has gotten in the way with the spirit of the law 
and so Jesus offers another way, 
one that is lighter, that can be summed up as
 “love the lord your God with all your heart and soul and might, and your neighbor as yourself.” 
 
Jesus offers a gentler way, 
and even then 
he sees how impossible it is
 for humans to do the right thing, 
 
which is why Jesus goes to the cross for us, 
to make us right with God, 
to offer us forgiveness 
for when despite our best efforts we mess up, 
when we continually choose the chocolate cake instead of the broccoli.
 
 “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Paul has named it, 
we can’t dig ourselves out of the hole we’ve created, 
we need help, 
and Jesus is that help. 
 
Now that doesn’t mean that we should keep intentionally digging holes 
for Jesus to get us out of, 
but when we invariably do 
Jesus is gentle with us, 
and again and again helps us out of the pit 
and shows us another way, 
one where burdens are shared and wisdom is revealed.
 
This doesn’t mean that life will be easy 
or without contradictions,
 Jesus did after all instruct his disciples
 to take up the cross and follow him, 
 
but what it does mean 
is that we have a way to navigate the contradictions of life, 
One where we share one another’s burdens, 
where we strive to live lives turned toward God and neighbor, 
 
where we know that because we live in Christ 
we are not condemned by our failures 
no matter how deeply entwined they are.
 
We have been set free, 
free to live the lighter path of gentleness and humility,
 of wisdom that carries on 
through the midst of the contradictions of life. Amen
 

Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
Jeremiah 28:5-9
Psalm 89:1-4, 15-19
Romans 6:12-23
Matthew 10:40-42

Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
 grace and peace to you from the one who welcomes us. Amen
 
Today we have a very short gospel text 
where the word welcome 
is repeated over and over.
 
 Now when we hear this word
 we perk up a bit because “welcome” 
is such an important concept in Christianity, 
particularly because we are called
 to keep expanding the community
Sharing the message of Christ
Growing the community
 
So when we hear this passage 
as Professor Rolf Jacobson remarks
we hear it as a command. 
 
We place ourselves in the role of the welcomers 
who will receive the reward that Jesus is talking about
 and yet when we back up 
and look at the whole passage that this little chunk of gospel is a part of, 
we realize that rather than a command, 
this passage is a promise 
and the disciples are not the ones who will be doing the welcoming, 
rather they will be the welcomed.
 
Our gospel for today
 comes at the end of what is known as The Missionary Discourse, 
we’ve heard parts of it over the past two weeks. 
 
Jesus summons his twelve disciples, 
gives them power over unclean spirits 
and then he sends them out
 
 instructing them to travel light, 
not to pack extra sandals or clothes
not even food.
  
 as they travel they are to proclaim the good news 
that the kingdom of God has come near
 and to rely on the hospitality 
of those they encounter for their livelihood, 
 
it’s a very vulnerable position 
and Jesus tells them up front 
that it’s not going to be easy, 
“see I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves” he tells them,
 and predicts that they will be beaten and driven out of towns 
that the message they bring will divide families, 
that as disciples they are to take up the cross 
and in following Jesus expecting to lose their lives,
 
 but do not be afraid Jesus tells them, 
this is something bigger than just yourselves 
and at the very end, our gospel for today, 
Jesus promises that despite all the hardships 
the disciples can expect
 there will be those they encounter 
who will welcome them and take care of them 
 
and in doing so these people they encounter
 are welcoming Jesus and his father. 
The disciples represent the full presence 
of the one who sends them. 
 Those who welcome the disciples
 are the ones who will receive the reward.
 
Jesus’ call to discipleship
 is first and foremost a call to vulnerability,
 to dependence on others,
 a call to be present with others, 
to accept their hospitality 
and in that way bring the presence of God.
 
Now this is a very different picture of discipleship 
and even evangelism than we are used to,
 we’re used to being on the action end of things, 
of going out and making things happen
Of doing things for people, 
which sometimes turns into doing things to people,
 
 We generally think it’s others 
who are supposed to accept our message 
and way of doing things.
 
But that’s not what Jesus tells the disciples,
 he tells them simply, go and be among people, 
to offer the message of the kingdom of God
 and to expect that most people will reject it and you, 
but some will receive it and you, 
and that makes the whole thing worthwhile.
 
This is a hard for message for us
 who are so individualistic, 
who love to depend on ourselves, 
who like to make things happen, 
but sometimes it just doesn’t work that way.
 
 Sometimes change, 
of mind, of way of being 
takes the small everyday presence of many people.
 
I’ve experienced this a little bit myself, 
as a woman pastor. 
This week marked the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women 
in the predecessor bodies of the ELCA 
and it took ten more years before a woman of color was ordained. 
 
The big decision was made 50 years ago
 but the culture didn’t change overnight, 
it took years of my foremothers serving
 to get to the place where I could pursue ordination
 without my gender being the primary focus of my resume. 
 
And yet along the way 
there have been reminders 
that it was not always so, 
 
my seminary was built in the 1960s, 
they didn’t anticipate female students, 
so on the main classroom floor 
while the men’s bathroom was just across the hall 
the women’s bathroom was tucked back in a corner
 by the office section, 
and not all denominations ordain women, 
I’ve been in some places
 where I’ve been the first female clergy that people have encountered
 and they haven’t quite known what to do with me, 
especially on CPE where most of the patients in the hospital 
were either Baptist or Catholic,
 I often got ‘are you a nun?’ and ‘what do I call you? Mother?’ 
And I would tell them what to call me
And go on with my job.
My presence a stronger argument than any words
For women serving as pastors.
 
Some interactions are not so mild, 
one of my friends,
 upon meeting a new colleague out in the community, 
(she wasn’t wearing clergy attire at the time,)
 introduced herself and was treated warmly
 but as soon as she got to the part 
where she explained that she was the new pastor 
the colleague withdrew his hand from the handshake 
and refused to acknowledge her existence, 
but her presence in that community
 was a living testament to what the colleague rejected.
 
 Jesus gives each of the disciples gifts 
then sends them out to be the presence of God wherever they go. 
 
Jesus gives each of us gifts
 and calls us to be the presence of God wherever we go, 
 
discipleship, evangelism is a way of life, 
it’s not something we do on Sunday mornings 
or at special times 
and then go back to doing whatever we want, 
 
who we are, how we live, 
the way we treat others
 all show those around us what it means,
 for us at least,
 to be in relationship with God 
and when our actions fail to reflect the ways of God
 people notice. 
 
One of the major critiques of religion
is the hypocrisy of those who practice it imperfectly.
People notice how we live
 
And yet if the expectation to live perfectly sounds impossible, 
you’d be correct,
 no matter how hard we try
 we will never be perfect, 
 
God knows this 
which is why God offers us grace
 in Christ who is perfect, 
Offering forgiveness when we mess up and confess and repent, 
allowing us the chance to grow in faith and life with God, 
sending others into our lives,
 to bring the presence of God
 with their own God given gifts 
To bring the kingdom of God near to us.
 
this is the life that Jesus calls us to live,
 lives that give witness to the grace of God 
who receives us as we are 
and who encourages us to witness
 to the kingdom of God with our whole selves
 even as we are called to grow and be changed
 by the witness of others we encounter along the way. 
 
Rather than attempted perfection
I think the opportunity for forgiveness
and the commitment to growth, to do better
 is a much more compelling way of life 
 
The grace of God sets us free from the need to be perfect 
and the accompanying fear of failure
The grace of God calls us to be vulnerable
To dare to be the presence of God
And to allow others 
to be the presence of God ,
with their own God given gifts, to us
 
And Jesus knows that at times this is difficult
 that some we encounter will expect perfection immediately,
 or will reject the message of grace,
That in the process of living this way
we will lose our lives, 
the lives where we’ve always done it this way, 
 
but in losing our lives we will find new life, 
and God promises
 that there will be people along the way who will welcome us, 
and encourage us,
 even if it’s as simple as offering us a cold cup of water.
 
All this is possible because Christ first welcomes us,
Forgives us,
And sends us out.
 
The kingdom of God has come near. Amen

3rd Sunday After Pentecost
Jeremiah 20:7-13
Psalm 69:7-10, 16-18
Romans 6:1-11
Matthew 10:24-39

Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
grace and peace to you
 from the one who calls us
 to take up the cross and follow him. Amen
 
Jesus does not hold back in our gospel for today 
as he teaches about discipleship,
 what it truly means to follow him.
 
 to be a disciple says Jesus
 means uncovering the things
 that society would rather keep secret, 
it means that some will want to do bodily harm to you,
 that families will be divided, 
That you will lose your life.
 
Jesus clearly wasn’t working with a PR firm
 on his marketing for recruiting disciples.
 It is not an attractive picture he paints
 and I’ll admit in the past I’ve struggled with this passage.
 
 And yet this year, 
in the midst of all that is going on in our society and world,
 I found this passage oddly comforting.
perhaps because the world is so uncomfortable now
 and at its heart the gospel is meant to comfort the distressed 
and to disturb the comfortable
And my life is generally speaking, comfortable.
 
But Jesus knows
 that in the way of the world 
comfort of one individual or group is achieved 
at the expense of another individual or group
 and the systems that are comfortable
 will fight to the death to preserve their comfort.
 
Jesus has come to bring abundant life for all
And that means dismantling the systems that oppress people.
And the first step in that 
is to bring out into the open 
the things those in power would rather cover up. 
“For nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered proclaim from the housetops”
 
We are in a time of uncovering right now, 
what was remarkable about George Flyod’s death 
was sadly not the way he was treated
 but that it was recorded for all to see. 
 
The holiday Juneteenth 
has been observed since 1866 
and yet many people are only learning about it this year
Scholars and epidemiologists have studied for years
 in preparation for a global pandemic 
and now after the proverbial horse has escaped the barn 
the results of their studies are being widely disseminated. 
 
And while it may be uncomfortable
 for those of us hearing about these things for the first time,
 imagine the relief of those who have known all along 
who have been reduced to whispering in the past 
that now are able to proclaim from the housetops. 
 
Jesus lets us know 
that no matter how hard we try to avoid certain topics of conversation, 
they will eventually be brought out into the open,
 and that is liberating, for everyone. 
What we are experiencing is the next step on the arc toward the liberation of all. 
And Jesus knows that this will divide people.
 
That’s what Jesus means when he says
 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth, I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” 
 
The sword, 
The liberating message of Jesus
has two edges, law and gospel, 
the law to show us how we have fallen short 
and the gospel to comfort, 
 
and actually these two are often the same message, 
how it is understood depends on who hears them, 
for those who have been comfortable at the expense of others 
Jesus’ message of liberation will sound like law,
 for those who have been oppressed
 the message will sound like gospel, good news. 
 
Jesus says that to be a disciple 
we must take the side of the oppressed, 
This is what the call to take up the cross means
 
the cross, was an instrument of state terror 
designed to make a horrifically painful example
 of anyone who tried to defy the empire,
Those who were crucified were killed
Because they were seen as a threat to the status quo
A threat to the comfort of those in power.
 
This is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus
To openly talk about the secrets of society
To take the side of the oppressed
To take on the powers of the world.
Why would we want to be a disciple?
 
Because to be a disciple
Also means that we are known and valued by God
Jesus knows his message is difficult,
 three times in this passage he says do not be afraid 
and in the end affirms the value of each individual disciples,
 “even the hairs of your head are all counted, so do not be afraid.” 
 
to be a part of the Jesus movement 
is to be a part of something much larger than yourself 
and at the same time be known and valued for your own individual gifts and talents,
 and it is because we are so valued 
that we are able to take risks for others.
 
Paul picks up a variation on this theme in his letter to the Romans.
Writing looking back through the lens of the crucifixion and resurrection
He says “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life...The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
 
Christ died and rose for us
To set us free from sin
being turned in on ourselves, 
taking care of our own comfort at the expense of others.
 In relation to God
 the matter of sin has been taken care of by Jesus
 
 but just because God forgives us 
does not mean that we keep sinning 
rather it means that we try to live without sin 
and this is a daily struggle. 
 
This is the essence of the baptismal life
The daily dying to sin
And rising to new life in Christ
All because God has unequivocally claimed us.
 
Today happens to be my baptism birthday, 
33 years ago my parents brought me to the font
And God claimed me.
 
 While it’s hard to believe 
that that baby needed to be forgiven for anything, 
what that moment did was start a lifelong journey
to live a life bigger than myself
 
 and sometimes that means 
setting aside my own comfort and security for the sake of others
 just as Jesus set aside his own comfort and security 
as he went to the cross for the sake of the whole world. 
 
This is Jesus’ call to all of us, 
to face discomfort, division and fear, 
not because it might save us, 
but that it might save someone else.
 
 Jesus expects this of us 
because it is exactly what Jesus himself did 
but we do this 
secure in the fact that we are known by God, 
who values us and knows every last detail about us, 
down to the number of hairs on our head.
 
We are in a moment in time 
where we are being called to set aside our own comfort
 and act for the sake of others
 whether it is wearing a mask in public,
 or taking the time to learn about 
how the sin of racism infects the ways of the world, 
challenging the powers that say some are more valuable than others. 
 
And we are up for the challenge
Not because we are particularly brave
But because we are so thoroughly loved by God. Amen
 

Holy Trinity Sunday
Genesis 1:1-2:4
Psalm 8
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Matthew 28:16-20

Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
grace and peace to you from the community of God. Amen
 
Today is Holy Trinity Sunday, 
it’s an odd little festival
 that is crammed in between Pentecost 
and the long stretch of ordinary time 
that takes us to the end of the Church year
 
 it’s odd because it is the only festival 
that is dedicated to a doctrine or teaching of the church,
 you see, the doctrine of the trinity,
 the idea that God is one in three, three in one
 doesn’t appear explicitly in the Bible.
 
 We do hear the trinitarian formula
 at the end of the gospel of Matthew, 
we heard that just a moment ago, 
but as a description rather than a teaching. 
 
because while the math doesn’t work 
and the concept is confusing, 
how can God be one and three at the same time? 
In the end we have found that the trinity 
is the best description we can come up with
 for our experience of God. 
 
We have experienced and believe in God the creator, 
the one who, as we heard in our first reading 
created the heavens and the earth, 
 
and we have experienced Jesus 
who in the beginning was the Word
 and the Word was with God and the word was God.
 Jesus who told his disciples 
that in seeing him they had seen the one who sent him, 
who rose from the dead 
 
and we have experienced the Holy Spirit, 
the wind that swept over the waters at creation, 
who descended upon Jesus at his baptism in the form of a dove,
 the advocate who Jesus promised to send 
who with a rush of wind 
blew the disciples out into the streets
 with tongues of fire above their head
 and all the languages of the world 
coming from their mouths, 
 
We have experienced all three 
and yet we believe that to experience each of these members of the trinity
 is to fully experience one God, 
the God of Abraham and Jacob, 
the God of Moses who led the people out of slavery in Egypt to freedom in the promised land, the God who sent his son to once and for all redeem the world, 
who promises to be with us to the end of the age.
 
Our one God is a community within Godself. 
The various experiences of God 
working together to become the full expression of God.
 and yes how exactly that happens is a holy mystery, 
when we try to explain every single aspect 
we invariably get into trouble 
because our explanations fall short of reality
 but we know what we have experienced, 
our God is communal. 
 
Last week we talked about the beginning of the church
 and how it is like a body, one body many members, 
and the one body needs a diversity of parts to create the whole. 
This week we discover that in a way 
the same thing is true for God, 
that even God needs diversity within unity to be whole.
 
 So what does this mean?
(Remember our Pentecost question?) 
 
What the trinity means for us
 is that diversity is essential to existence, 
even the existence of God. 
 
The way God created the world 
means that we need a diversity of people
 to be whole as humanity. 
We need people that look different 
and think and move and communicate differently, 
variety is a strength 
and we will never be whole
while some differences are valued higher than others,
 while some differences hold more power than others. 
 
Until that is acknowledged
 there will always be something missing in the experience of humanity. 
That’s the march toward justice that we have seen break out, 
the acknowledgment of pain of division and the desire to be whole.
 
What the trinity means
 is that the lie of individuality is exposed, 
our wellbeing is inextricably linked to the wellbeing of all 
and when one person or group is hurting, we hurt too. 
 
The same applies to our faith, 
our faith is communal, 
it grows and flourishes when in relationship with God and others,
 and this is so because our God is a communal God.
 
What the trinity means
 is that we are to set aside our own advantages and privileges 
In our quest for the wellbeing of all
because we have a God who set aside the privileges of being God,
 but took on flesh, and in the words of the Christ hymn from Philippians:
6who, though he was in the form of God,
 did not regard equality with God
 as something to be exploited,
 7but emptied himself,
 taking the form of a slave,
 being born in human likeness.
 And being found in human form,
 8he humbled himself
 and became obedient to the point of death --
 even death on a cross.
 9Therefore God also highly exalted him
 and gave him the name
 that is above every name,
 10so that at the name of Jesus
 every knee should bend,
 in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 11and every tongue should confess
 that Jesus Christ is Lord,
 to the glory of God the Father.
 
What the trinity means
 is that we have a God who works in the world through us. 
We heard in our gospel Jesus’ last words to the disciples his last command:
 
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”
 
God comes into our lives and claims us 
through the community of God, 
the parents that bring the child to the font, 
the sponsors and Sunday school teachers and classmates,
 the people who gather together linked by their own baptisms.
 
What the trinity means 
is that joined to God in baptism 
we are never done learning, 
the baptismal journey
 is one whose whole length 
is spent learning to obey the commands of God, 
all summed up in the greatest commandment,
 love the lord your god with all your heart and soul and strength and your neighbor as yourself. 
 
And yes because we are always learning and growing 
we will make mistakes along the way,
 and when we do, 
when we acknowledge our sins and repent,
 we are forgiven and freed to continue to learn and grow
 
What the trinity means 
is that in community with one another and God 
we are never alone, 
Jesus’ last words before he ascended were a promise: 
“And remember, I am with you always to the end of the age.”  
 
God the creator is with us always 
in the diversity of creation that God made and called good. 
 
Jesus the Son is with us always
 in the Church, the body of Christ on earth, 
 
The Holy Spirit is with us always, 
blowing through our lives, 
calling, gathering, enlightening and sending us in the world. 
 
Three experiences, 
one God, 
with us forever. Amen.