"For the Good of All!"

Today I was in Fremont at Sinai Lutheran to install Pr. Al Duminy.  Several folks from my years at Midland were there as well.  It was fun to see them.  Pr. Al's installation, my first as Assistant to the Bishop, went well.  Here is the message I brought for the people at Sinai.

"For the Good of All"
I Corinthians 12: 1 - 11

George was a person with a big heart and a wonderful sense of humor.  George claimed that he was “so tender hearted that he cries at supermarket openings.”  At church, everyone loved George and he was respected at the hospital where he worked.  So many people loved George because he was always kind and respectful to everyone.

His children vividly remember the days George spent in the hospital before his death.  The president of the hospital paid him a visit.  They spoke like they were old friends.  A few minutes later one of the janitors came to visit George.  They too had a nice visit like old friends.  When the janitor left, one of George’s children said, “Dad, did you realize that you treated the president of the hospital and the janitor alike?”

George smiled and chuckled at the remark.  “Let me ask you something,” he said.  “If the president left for two weeks and the janitor left for two weeks, which one do you think would be missed the most?

People, positions and gifts can cause problems if we think one is more important than another.  (James Moore, “When All Else Fails”, pg. 78)

When we get to the 12^th Chapter of I Corinthians and read what St. Paul has to say to the little church over there in Corinth, it appears that there were some special problems developing by the way the people were understanding of the gifts of the spirit.  Some activities seem to have been rated more highly than others – leading a prayer group seems to have been more “spiritual” and therefore “more important” than clean up work.  St. Paul’s reflections here are probably sparked by the matter of “speaking in tongues” – a religious practice in Corinth even before Paul first arrived there.  But, it appears that issues had grown to the place where some spiritual gifts were considered more important than others.  The issue may have been compounded by those who “privatized” their spiritual gifts and used them only for their own good.

In response to this issue (much of what Paul writes in his letters are in response to local issues), Paul starts with the most important thing – the gift of the Spirit gives the ability to confess, “Jesus is Lord.”  The primary gift of the Holy Spirit is to lead us to our Lord.  For those of us who memorized the catechism, we remember Martin Luther’s teaching on the Third Article:  “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.”

What is primary in our discussion is that the Holy Spirit leads us into relationship with Jesus and keeps us in relationship with Jesus.  This is not only personal, but communal.

Along that same line we can note that of equal importance is not the list of gifts, but that the Holy Spirit gives all gifts to the community of faith. The notation is that each person has a special gift to serve.  God activates the gifts in each person to carry out the ministry.  This is not random.  This is not helter-skelter, but systematic as the Holy Spirit chooses for the church.

I want to be clear.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit are NOT innate abilities like artistic talent, like the gift of gab, like an inborn ear for music, like a big heart or a listening ear.  These gifts and talents are important and God uses them all for ministry.  In what has been given, God moves, God acts and God multiplies.

The line of thinking is this:  God gives the Holy Spirit to lead us into relationship with Jesus.  The Holy Spirit brings gifts to the community and for the community.  The gifts are activated in the community, not for personal consumption, not to make us better disciples, but for the God of all.

Spiritual Gifts are given for the good of all.  Those in whom God has activated the gifts of the spirit are intended to be rivers, not reservoirs.  In some ways the best way to see a gift of the spirit is to look for what elevates and lifts up the others in the church.

A parable.  A king who wanted to demonstrate the power of the people in the kingdom when then united together to share their gifts for the good of all. 

So, this king invited all of his subjects to bring a glass of milk and pour it into a large vat.  His subjects lined up with filled glasses in hand.  The stream of people poured their full glasses over the edge of the vat, which was overhead height. 

When all had finished the king went to the vat to begin distributing the milk to the needy.  What the king drew were glasses of pure water. 

You see, each person felt that their part in the program wasn’t very important.  Each person decided somehow that what they had to offer wasn’t for the good of all.  The gifts of the spirit in each one had not been activated to build the kingdom, to bless the kingdom.

There is always a temptation to hide in the crowd.  There is always the temptation to think that my part isn’t important.  There is always the temptation to count on the efforts of someone else. 

In these temptations, God blesses us with the power of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit unites us and blesses us.  As one people with knit together with the power of the Holy Spirit, we are activated by God with everything that is necessary for the common good.  In the gift of the Spirit, the kingdom of God is blessed as each one of us finds our place as laborers together with God.

On this day that marks the formal beginning in the life of this congregation, I offer this encouragement.  

People of Sinai:  keep in mind that your gifts aren’t any more important than Pr. Al’s gifts.  You’ve been gifted to play a part in the Kingdom ministry in this place. Your gifts compliment his.  As your gifts are shared together, God activates them for the Kingdom and for your mission and ministry in the Kingdom.

Pr. Al:  Keep in mind that your gifts aren’t any more important than the gifts of this congregation.  You’ve been gifted to play a part in the Kingdom ministry in this place.  Your gifts compliment those of the people of Sinai (collectively and individually).  As all the gifts are shared together, God activates them for the good of all, for the Kingdom and for your corporate and communal mission and ministry in God’s kingdom.

This is a homey little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.

         There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. 

         Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. 

         Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. 

         Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.

         It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

In line with this little story, let me say this:  Everybody can’t do Somebody’s job.  But Everybody has gifts for the good of the whole, gifts given and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  With Everybody doing their part Nobody will ever depend on Somebody to do what Anybody believes needs to be done.

May God bless your ministry!

 

Amen.

At "Antioch in Psidia"

By day 7 of our trip we reached the area of Pisidia (more accurately Phrygia) and the city of Antioch which is mentioned several times in the book of acts (chapters 13 and 14) and in Galatians (1:1-2) and 2 Timothy (3:11).  The ruins of the city, largely excavated, are on a hillside just outside the modern town of Yalvac.  The mountain range in the background of some pictures is the Sultan mountains.

Visible along our tour are remains of the ancient streets, the theater, in not so good repair, which seated about 15,000 people. and what is known as the "Church of St. Paul", one of the largest basilicas in Asia Minor.  Remaining there is a 6th century font, inscribed with the words, "St. Paul", a discovery which lead to the designation "Church of St. Paul." 

Also visible along our tour was what remains of the Temple of Augustus, which was at the high point of the city.  It was 85' by 50' and was cut into a rock cliff at the highest point of the city.  150 columns supported the second story.  All that is visible today is the floor and the walls that remain near the rock cliffs.

This was the day that our camera was having some problems, so I've included some shots by our tour companion, Pr. Jeff.  Thanks, Jeff, for such great pictures...  And remember you can click on a picture for better viewing.

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Looking down the hillside to the Sultan Mountains.  The remaining walls of the Church of St. Paul are in the foreground.  The "apse" (semi circular recess at the front of the church, where the altar is) is to the right.

Street up into the city.  Notice wheel ruts in the stone.

Theater ruins.

A "side" street.

The "Apse" of St. Paul's Church

Tourists and Pilgrims still gather for prayer and worship

The interior of the church.  Baptismal Font near center of picture.

The Baptismal Font.  Appears to have originally had a "wall" around it.

"'Godspeed' Living"

Here are the words of encouragement I brought to the people of First Lutheran, Omaha today.  The words of God for the people are recorded in Isaiah 43: 1 - 7. 

Great padding had become a necessity these days.  Right up with food, shelter, clothing, lightening fast Internet service and the latest techno gadget, great padding has come to be a key to quality existence.

Now, I may be exaggerating a bit, but I’ll confess my own behavior on this one.  Our 10-year old mattress has developed some lumps.  The “pillow top” that we began with isn’t so pillowy any more.  It seems that our sleep patterns are affected.  So, we headed to “The Mart”, right? 

What I found in meeting with sales people is that there is a whole new generation of “pillow tops”; mostly manufactured with the latest in “memory foam” for an amazingly soft and restful sleep.  We were told, of course, the better the memory foam, the better the sleep! AND the higher the price.  We bought one of these great padding, better sleep mattresses.  But, it had to be ordered, delivery sometime in late Jan. 

So, that left us with our now less than pillowy mattress for a while.  The down side now is that we know how amazingly soft and restful our mattress could be.  That prompted a discussion about how our current mattress is still actually the best one in the house and prime for the guest room.  Blah, blah, blah.   Then, low and behold while cruising through Costco on the way to the fruits and vegetables, guess what jumped into our cart?  It was a wonderful, memory foam mattress topper.  Now, while waiting for our amazingly padded better sleep mattress, we have the next best thing – our less than pillowy mattress, rejuvenated for a better sleep.  And, I have to say, I think it really is.

When I think about it, it is amazing what we are willing to do for better padding and deeper comfort.  Our desire for deep comfort padding spills over to how we look at seats in theaters, restaurants, clubs, sports venues and, yes, even, churches.  But what about peace of heart, peace of soul or peace of spirit?

What we hear today, from the prophet Isaiah, are words of profound comfort.  These words are to people who are in dire need.  People whose despair is driven by truly earthshaking concerns.  Their nation has been broken and scattered.  Their homeland, community and families are in dancer.  Even their very lives are in danger.  They are in exile, packed up and carted away to a foreign place.  Their hardship is like being in raging waters and scorching fires.  Their exile has them broken and overwhelmed. 

God’s word of comfort for this hurting community is “do not fear.”  God’s vision for a plush restful time, even in the middle of hardship has to do with trusting God’s action and promise.

We, you and I, may not be “exiled” in the same way as the Israelites were in this historical situation—that is captured, separated from home, family routines in a foreign place.  But we live in our own “exiles”, the ones we create when we separate ourselves from God or when we just want to curl up in our own cocoon and take care of ourselves.  There are our own “exiles”, the exile we create for ourselves from God and others, when we just want to curl up and forget about the hardships of life, content in our own world.

On another level, lest we lose perspective, there are those, maybe even us, who are experiencing raging waters and scorching fires.  There are those seeking just to survive while trying to find something, someone pillowy to support them.

There are the overwhelming and raging rivers of divorce, death, depression and job disillusionment.  There are fractured relationships, killing cancer and an economic roller coaster. 

There are the fires of life, the flames of family conflict, abuse, and life threatening health concerns.  There are those who are wasting away because there is nowhere else to turn. 

What that all boils down to is this:  whether we know it or not, one of our quests is for comfort for our souls.  The comfort we seek can only come from God who speaks promises through the words of Isaiah – words of as much comfort today as several thousand years ago.

God’s good news is that we start in a privileged position.  As the baptized, as the chosen, we start with the fact that God has created us.  God formed us, called us, and redeemed us.  No matter how bad life gets, no matter how raging the waters, not matter how hot the fires, no matter how many disillusionments and disappointments we live through, nothing, not one thing, is going to change the connection we’ve been given. 

God’s permanent commitment to us is that we are precious, special, honored and elevated and loved. 

The part that really gets deep in my spirit is to think about what God tells the Israelites about their ‘redemption’.  Redemption is about “buying back.”  God says that his people are so honored and special that God will trade off even the strongest and biggest nations of the world (Egypt, Sheba) to get his people back.  Hopefully you see in that shadows the fact that God gave something even more precious, his own Son, Jesus, to buy us back from the grave, from the powers of the devil.  God is willing to go to whatever extent necessary to keep us in his fold, to comfort us as his people.

Some 405 years ago there was a ship that brought colonists to Jamestown, Virginia.  The ship’s name was “Godspeed.”  It wasn’t any kind of a cruise ship.  Those colonists, cramped on that ship, endured intolerable conditions.  It took them 5 months to cross the Atlantic, six weeks just to clear the English Channel. 

It is clear that ‘Godspeed’ has nothing to do with velocity.  The ship had a top speed of about 4 mph, joggers go faster than that.  “Speed” means “prosper.”  So “Godspeed”, a blessing we often use, is a prayer for God to help someone to prosper or to succeed.

To live with a “Godspeed” attitude is to understand that God’s promises are active.  It is to trust and rely on God to be at work building new opportunities and renewing hope, even in raging waters, scorching fire!

Consider this truth:  Calm waters are often a respite and a relief from the storm, from the trials and challenges.  But the fact of the mater is a sailor can’t get very far in calm waters. 

For trans-Atlantic sailors, there is an area somewhere between Africa and the Bahamas, the ‘doldrums’, where it is often calm.  It is serene when calm, but a place where no progress can be made.  In the doldrums, a sailor aches for, looks for, lays awake at night hoping for a breath of breeze, or even a gust or gale to be able to move on.

You see, it is in the rough waters that one learns about God.  It is the trials, the hardships, the exile times, that we are most able to see God in action, moving us with the wind of the spirit to move forward to prosper, to succeed, to discover God in action, continually forming us and shaping us for God’s blessing, the pillowy security of God’s blessing!

In the waters, in the fires, claimed and named, we can focus on being God’s people, focus on God’s care and peace, live in God’s revealing in the rough waters and God’s offer of fortune.     

Amen.

Brokenness Repaired

The Bible says, "We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this unsurpassed glory is from God and not from us." (II Corinthians 4: 7)

Henri Nouen said:  "The great mystery of God’s love is that we are not asked to live as if we are not hurting, as if we are not broken. In fact, we are invited to recognize our brokenness as a brokenness in which we can come in touch with the unique way that God loves us. The great invitation is to live your brokenness under the blessing. I cannot take people’s brokenness away and people cannot take my brokenness away. But how do you live in your brokenness? Do you live your brokenness under the blessing or under the curse? The great call of Jesus is to put your brokenness under the blessing." 

These are all great words.  They express something we want to under stand and picture.  I don' t know about you, but I have always had a hard time picturing how God's repair of my brokenness could be a wonderful blessing to show "unsurpassed glory".  

Then I found this picture of "kintsukuroi".  I guess that says it all.

  Thanks for stopping by today.

Tomorrow I'll post my sermon for First Lutheran, Omaha.  Then I hope to give you some more pictures from Turkey.  -->

"Your Light Shines!"

Today I was honored to bring the message to the people of Holy Cross Lutheran in Omaha.  Today is the Day of Epiphany, the day that tradition holds that the wise men arrived "at the house where Jesus was" to pay homage and to honor Jesus with their gifts.  It is the 12th day of Christmas on falls on a Sunday only occasionally.  2018 will be the next time this occurs.  From Isaiah 60 and Matthew 2, these were my reflections around the theme of "light".

We were anchored in Trellis Bay along the northeast edge of Beef Island, off Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.  On shore, along the east end of Beef Island is “Upper Bluff” rising almost 800 feet above the water, offering beauty and protection to the bay.  The six people on our boat were on deck basking in the waning sun, watching the sunset, watching the colors of the sky, watching the beauty of the creation.  We were enjoying fellowship, chatting, laughing and relaxing.

As the night came and the darkness grew deeper, our eyes were drawn away from the setting sun to the opposite horizon, where, over the Upper Bluff, the full moon was rising.  We were expecting to watch the moon rise.  But we weren’t expecting to hear the strains of a Bagpiper warming up the pipes on the shore.  In a hushed but excited whisper, someone said, “Here it comes!!”  And then we watched, quietly, reverently, for the next ten or so minutes while God, who had just minutes before darkened the earth with the setting sun, now silently covered the earth with the light of the full moon.  It was moving. 

But then the Bagpiper fully warmed up, moved into the strains of “Amazing Grace”.  Amazing grace from the bagpipe announced the light of the full moon.  And when it was done, we applauded. Everyone in the harbor applauded. Applauded God who is incredibly powerful.  Applauded God’s grace, a grace that is gently gracious.  Applauded the bagpiper who in such a gentle way awakened in us a sense of awe.

That moonrise will be etched forever in my memory. 

In my spirit eye, I think that somehow the light of Christ, born in the darkness of a first century world, for the darkness of a 21^st century world, was something like that.  Somehow the visit of the Magi must have been something like that.  “Your light has come.”

Certainly, from as far back as the prophet Isaiah, it was like that.  “Arise!  Shine!  Your Light has come!” the prophet announces.  “The glory of the Lord has risen on you!”  Isaiah proclaims. 

In the context, Isaiah was announcing that the long years of the darkness of exile were over.  The exile in Babylon is ended.  Soon there will be a return to the city of Jerusalem where God’s light, reflected in Israel, will draw caravans bearing treasure from all the nations—nations that will freely praise the Lord for God’s wonderful deeds.

Matthew, though, found in this ancient language a likeness for the radiant glory of a star that was used to announce to the nations—even to the Far East—the birth of Christ.  And in the story of the Kings we have the battle of light and darkness—the dark sinister Herod standing in opposition to the Light of the World born in Bethlehem and to the star that has so wonderfully guided the magi from the East.  In symbolic language, the “star” (the Glory of the Lord) pierced the ‘darkness’ of the centuries to bring Kings to its light bearing “gold and frankincense and myrrh”.

That night, on Trellis Bay, I noticed something I’ve seen on the water ever so many times with the light of the moon.  You’ll know what I’m thinking about.  The moonbeam, when it shines across the water, leaves a path of light directly to me, to you, to whoever is looking.  There is always within the light that bathes the whole world, that little beam of light, sparkling off the water, shining as though it is intended only for the one person.  No matter where one moves along the water, the special beam follows.  It exists for just one person--the person looking!

I understand the light of Jesus in the same way.  A couple of thousand years ago--when Jesus was born, when the Kings came to behold him, when the people began to understand the miracle that had occurred the light of the world dawned on high--the light of the World crept into the back streets of Bethlehem, where the Son of God was born.  And in that moment, God’s light covered the whole earth, bathed the whole earth in light, the light that brings salvation, and lightens the darkness of sin, death, and the power of the devil.  God came in Christ to bathe the world, en masse, the whole world, in forgiveness and love.  In that moment, God’s amazing grace was fulfilled.

And yet, the light of Jesus has for each and every one of us it’s own personal beam -- a beam that shines personally into our lives.  A beam that individually lights our paths into the way of truth, the way to hope and the way of salvation.  This light comes to shine on us to be our inner light, the Inner light of life.

But it doesn’t end there.  In fact, that is just the beginning.  Just as dozens of sailors rose with applause to the light of the moon, Isaiah called for all to rise and shine.  Rise and shine because light has come.  The first to receive the light are to be the first to reflect it.  The light that shines on is to be reflected by us.

Just as Israel was called to shine so each of us has been called to stand up, stand out, stand firm and sound out.   Your calling is to receive the light and to reflect it brightly.  Epiphany is about shining light in all directions!  By the way, how’s your receiving and reflecting going?

I may have shared this story before, but it is so to the point I share it again.  I’M ONLY A MIRROR FRAGMENT:

"ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN" by Robert Fulghum shares a story about a very interesting well-educated Greek philosopher whose name is Dr. Alexander Popaderos.  And Dr. Popaderos every summer on the island of Crete taught a class on ethics for two weeks.  And this particular summer just as he was getting ready to close the class, the last few minutes of the class, he said, “Now are there any questions before we go?” 

And just as he was getting ready to say, “OK then you’re dismissed,” a little man in the back of the room, a rather timid looking man, sort of carefully raised his hand and said, “Dr. Popaderos,”

 “Yes”

“I have a question” 

“Yes, what is it?” 

He said, “I’d like to know, what is the meaning of life?”

As you can imagine, people were ready to go home, and they were very irritated by this little fellow’s heavy question!

Dr. Popaderos very quickly quieted the group; he said to the class, “You know, if you don’t mind I’d like to answer that question.”  He reached into his back pocket, and took out his wallet.  He took out of the wallet a little mirror about the size of a fifty-cent piece, honed down on the edges, kind of sparkling.  And then he told this tale, he said, “When I was a child, I began to realize that I could have so much fun with that mirror.  I would simply catch the glint of the Sun, and shine that mirror into an otherwise darkened place.  As I grew older I began to learn that this is no child’s toy.  This is really a metaphor for my life.  Now I am not the light—I am not the source of the light.  I am simply a broken mirror fragment.  But if I allow the sun to shine on my mirror fragment, it is amazing what light I can bring into darkness.”  Then he said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, that is the meaning of life.”

Each of us is a mirror fragment.  We are not the Light.  We are not the source of the Light.  We are simply a broken mirror fragment.  But when we permit the SON to hit our mirror fragment, and then bounce off into the dark corners of the world, it is then that light shines, and God’s amazing grace is revealed as a light beam to lives around us.

Amen.