Seeing Jesus Sermon #2 Cynthia O’Brien
In Search of the Historical Jesus April 17, 2005
ISA 53:1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
ISA 53:2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
ISA 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Mark 6:1-6
MK 6:1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
MK 6:4 Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
What was Jesus really like?
Tall? Short? Overweight?
Handsome? Maybe, but maybe not. Isaiah 53, which the Bible seems to indicate describes Jesus, says “He had no beauty or majesty, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.”
You see a lot of pictures of Jesus with blue eyes and sandy hair. But Jesus was thoroughly Jewish. What if he looked more like someone from Iraq or Saudi Arabia? Would that bother you?
Philip Yancey, in his book The Jesus I Never Knew writes that someone in the 16th century forged a document under the name of Publius Lentulus, the Roman governor who succeeded Pontius Pilate, which contained this description of Jesus:
"He is a tall man, well shaped and of an amiable and reverend aspect; his hair is of a color that can hardly be matched, falling into graceful curls... parted on the crown of his head, running as a stream to the front after the fashion of the Nazarites; his forehead high, large and imposing; his cheeks without spot or wrinkle, beautiful with a lovely red; his nose and mouth formed with exquisite symmetry; his beard, and of a color suitable to his hair, reaching below his chin and parted in the middle like a fork; his eyes bright blue, clear and serene...
Yancey continues: "I recognize that Jesus from the oil paintings hanging on the concrete-block walls of my childhood church. The forger gave himself away, however, with his next sentence: No man has seen him laugh."
Some movies about Jesus have given us that very image, where he is portrayed as having an otherworldly quality. But in the gospels, we see that Jesus was a person of humor. See him performing his first miracle at a wedding, giving playful nicknames to his disciples, and gaining a reputation as a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber..." (Yancey, p. 86)
There’s much we don’t know about Jesus. But for a long time scholars have been asking the question, who was the historical Jesus? Who was the pre-Easter Jesus? What did he say? What did he really do? What did he know and when did he know it?
In Mark, there’s much that we learn in these few short verses.
Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
MK 6:4 Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
He was amazed. Surprised. Truly.
We often ascribe to Jesus total omniscience, as if he knew everything that was going to happen. But if he was fully human, how could he know?
Maybe you can think of a time you were successful…
but when you came home…
Imagine if the Gresham Gophers won three away games in a row, then came back for a home game, and started to play an amazing game but people didn’t cheer.
Or like, remember last year, Josh, when your Gresham High School choir traveled to New York and won the national choral competition, what would it have been like if you came home, did your home concert and people said, “Oh, it’s just Josh Taylor and his friends, we know him, that competition must not have been as hard as we thought."
Jesus had just returned to his hometown from a very successful string of events. (Mark 5) He healed someone of a long term illness, he had shown power over a demon, and he had even raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead.
He then returns to his home town.
Maybe you’ve had this experience, when you went away to college and gained valuable education and skills and grew in wisdom, only to have people not appreciate it.
At my 10 year high school reunion, a group of us were commenting on how radically some people had changed. Then Linda, who looked exactly the same as she had 10 years before, pointed around the circle and said “You’re the same, you’re the same, you’re the same” and to me “you’re the same.”
I wasn’t the same!
I remember before I came here, looking for a pastoral position, and the way the Presbyterians do it, churches and pastors are free to contact each other and choose whomever they want as long as the final choice is approved by the presbytery. In addition to that, we have a kind of computer dating. A pastor seeking a church will put his or her resume in the system, then all the churches seeking pastors put their resumes in the system, and there’s a computer matching based on certain qualifications and interests.
If a pastor sends a resume to the church, you probably should acknowledge it, but if the computer dating gives you a pastor’s name, you don’t have to contact that pastor.
So I was surprised to get a terse letter from my home church, the church where I was a high schooler and on the leadership team in the college group, where I taught young adult Bible study and sang in the adult choir and directed the Spanish speaking choir, and the letter said, we have received your resume for Associate Pastor and we’re sorry but your gifts don’t meet our needs at this time. (which is how they usually say that Puerto Vallarta will freeze over before they'll consider you.)
I couldn’t understand why they would bother, until I read the signature of the chair of the associate pastor seeking committee – it was the sister of one of my classmates.
Then all my teenage stuff came back to me and I thought, even though this church trained me for the ministry, they could never see me as one of their pastors.
This is not all that hard to believe.
Would you want to go to a church where your son or daughter was the pastor? Probably not.
I do know of an exception. Last year you might remember we did the 40 Days of Purpose and studied the book The Purpose Driven Life, and I was working with Pastor Reed Mueller from Columbia Ridge church in Troutdale. I had a few conversations with a woman from that church, Dawn is her name, and about the second or third time we talked, she said, “You may not know that I’m Reed’s mother.”
I said, “You go to church where your son is the pastor?”
Well it turns out that Reed and his family had been attending that church for a while, and he had stepped up out of the congregation to become the pastor. And Dawn loved Reed’s teaching and thought he was a great pastor and had no problem with it.
This is how it should have been for Jesus. The people who knew Jesus best should have been the first to follow him. But they asked, “Whose son is this?” And it may just have been an insult. They were scandalized by his human origins.
The truth is that this happens in families all the time we may be highly skilled in solving all kinds of problems, but we can’t fix our own families. And we’re very familiar with the idea of a prophet being without honor in his or her hometown.
So the question will be: Will Jesus’ family believe? Will those who already have social ties to Jesus, will they believe?
And will you and I, who have such close ties to Jesus already, when God is doing a new thing, will we believe?
Monday, April 18, 2005
Monday, April 11, 2005
Sermon: Holy Humor
“A Reason to Laugh” Cynthia O’Brien
Luke 15 April 10, 2005
This Gospel reading was straight from the version you have in the pew. But sometimes a different translation can help you understand it better.
For example, the story of the Forgiving Father… in the key of F.
“Melody in F”
The story of the Prodigal Son in the Key of F
from “Greatest Skits on Earth, vol. 2” by Wayne Rice and Mike Yaconelli
Feeling Foot-loose and Frisky, a Feather-brained Fellow
Forced his Fond Father to Fork over the Farthings,
And Flew Far to Foreign Fields
And Frittered his Fortune Feasting Fabulously with Faithless Friends.
Fleeced by his Fellows in Folly, and Facing Famine,
He Found himself A Feed Flinger in a Filthy Farmyard.
Fairly Famishing, He Fain would’ve Filled his Frame
With Foraged Food from Fodder Fragments.
“Fooey, my Father’s Flunkies Fare Far Finer,”
The Frazzled Fugitive Forlornly Fumbled, Frankly Facing Facts.
Frustrated by Failure, and Filled with Foreboding,
He Fled Forthwith to his Family.
Falling at his Father’s Feet, he Forlornly Fumbled,
“Father, I’ve Flunked.
And Fruitlessly Forfeited Family Favor.”
The Far-sighted Father, Forestalling Further Flinching,
Frantically Flagged the Flunkies to
Fetch a Fatling from the Flock and Fix a Feast.
The Fugitive’s Fault-Finding brother Frowned on
Fickle Forgiveness of Former Folderol.
But the Faithful Father Figured,
“Filial Fidelity is Fine, but the Fugitive is Found!
What Forbids Fervent Festivity?
Let Flags be un-Furled! Let Fanfares Flare!”
Father’s Forgiveness Formed the Foundation
For the Former Fugitive’s Future Fortitude.
_____________________________________________
Why did Jesus tell these outrageous stories? Why didn’t he tell about perfect families with brothers who get along with each other and who respect their father? Why did he tell about banquets where everything goes wrong, unjust judges and unmerciful slaves?
Maybe because God has a sense of humor. Read the Bible this way and you’ll get it. From the very beginning, people are being funny.
God told Adam " I could create you a partner, that will always adore you, serve you, never be angry and treat you as a King, the only problem is that you must give up an arn or an leg for it" Adam "Hmmm, I don’t know - what can I get for a rib?"
OK, that’s not in the Bible, but you see Eve doing exactly what she shouldn’t, then she cons Adam into it, then when they get caught, Adam blames Eve and God (it was the woman you gave me) and all of a sudden being naked is a bad thing. You can just imagine God slapping God’s forehead and saying, “OK, here we go.”
Abraham and Sarah.
(Frederick Buechner, The Gospel as Comedy)
They are laughing at the idea of a baby’s being born in the geriatric ward and Medicare’s picking up the tab. They are laughing because with part of themselves they do believe it. They are laughing because with another part of themselves they know it would take a fool to believe it. They are laughing because laughing is better than crying and maybe not even all that different. They are laughing because if by some crazy chance it should just happen to come true, then they would really have something to laugh about. They are laughing at God and with God, and they are laughing at themselves too because laughter has that in common with weeping. No matter what the immediate occasion is of either your laughter or your tears, the object of both ends up being yourself and your own life.
God asked about Sarah’s laughter, and Sarah was scared stiff and denied the whole thing. Then God said, “No but you did laugh,” and of course, he was right. Maybe the most interesting part of it all is that far from getting angry at them for laughing, God told them that when the baby was born he wanted them to name him Isaac, which in Hebrew means laughter. So you can say that god not only tolerated their laughter but blessed it and in a sense joined in it himself, which makes it a very special laughter indeed – God and man laughing together, sharing a glorious joke in which both of them are involved.
Jesus shares these kinds of stories.
Take the story of the prodigal son.
This isn’t a story about two brothers who get along perfectly and their successful father. If it were, it would be impossible for us to live with the brothers and fathers and sons that we have. But in the humor of this fractured family, we can find hope for our own families.
What about the apostles? What changed Jesus’ disciples after the crucifixion from a scattered, frightened band of fugitives into the most remarkable collection of human beings the world has ever seen?
Luke 24:51-52 “Now it came to pass, while Jesus blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”
Sherwood Wliot Wirt says: “Joy was what changed them. .. Joy was the atmosphere in the early church. It was euphoria, hilarity, unspeakable gladness. The believers had become aware that the bars of nature had been broken through by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.” [1]
Then Paul writes to the Corinthians about being fools for Christ.
1 Corinthians
“We are fools for Christ’s sake. God is foolish too. God is foolish to choose for his holy work in the world the kind of lamebrains and misfits and nit-pickers and odd ducks and stuffed shirts and egomaniacs and milquetoasts and closet sensualists as are vividly represented by us all.
Frederick Buechner:
“God is foolish to send us out to speak hope to a world that slogs along heart-deep in the conviction that things can only get worse.. He is foolish to have us speak of loving our enemies when we have a hard enough time just loving our friends… God is foolish to have us proclaim eternal life to a world that is half I love with death… God is foolish to send us out on a journey for which there are not maps, and to aim us in the direction of a goal we can never know until we get there. Such is the foolishness of God. And yet, and yet, Paul says, ‘the foolishness of God is wiser than men.’ ”
The followers of Jesus met regularly to share food, to celebrate, to worship. Sharing in the Lord’s supper was a grateful thanksgiving.
In the early Greek Orthodox tradition, an Easter custom developed, in which on the day after Easter, clergy and laity gathered to tell jokes and stories. The theology behind this was that they were celebrating the greatest joke of all, the joke God had pulled on the devil – the Resurrection. Theologians called it Riscus paschalis, the Easter laugh.
We can so easily miss our Easter joy. Once the comedian Groucho Marx was getting off an elevator and he happened to meet a clergyman. The clergyman came up to him, put out his hand and said, “I want to thank you for all the joy you’ve put into the world.” Groucho shook his hand and replied, “Thank you, Reverend. I want to thank you for all the joy you’ve taken out of it.” [2] How often do we go around looking like Easter never happened?
I learned from Jim Moiso that in 390, Chrysostom preached a sermon against it. He said, “This world is not a theatre in which we can laugh, and we are not assembled together in order to burst into peals of laughter, but to weep for our sins… It is not God who gives us the chance to play, but the devil.” [3]
But many Christian theologians through the ages have had a joyful point of view. Martin Luther, a very serious professor and reformer, was also a fun loving spirit and said that the Christian can and should be a joyful person.
Evangelist Paul Rader, pastor of Moody Church in Chicago in the 1920’s, said that laughter is from God. He said, “When God chooses a man, he puts laughter into his life. God is delighted to fill the hearts of men with laughter. The anointing oil that was poured upon the head of David put laughter into David’s life…. It is the oil of Jesus’ presence that makes holy laughter in life – not only in the disposition to laugh at a joke, but the ability to laugh at calamity, to laugh at death, to laugh at the victory which the devil thought he had won.” [4]
Do you laugh at death? Neither do I, but that’s not exactly what is being said here. It’s more of a life attitude, a confidence in knowing you are in God’s hands.
Last Thursday I was driving with Rachel and Laurel when a 4x4 truck hit us. The young man, driving without a license, made a quick turn, didn’t see me and my first view of him was the front of his truck coming right at my window. It was a terrible crash, glass everywhere, pushed us into the curb and totaled my 96 Taurus. This is where you ask me if we’re all OK. Yes, I got the worst of it but the doctor thinks I’ll be better in just a couple of weeks, and the girls are fine.
One thing that was odd is that I wasn’t hysterical after it happened. When the other driver came up to me and told me he was the one who hit us, the first words out of my mouth were “God bless you.” After that, he pretty much avoided me.
If there’s ever a legitimate time for cussing, that was probably it, but I missed the opportunity, maybe because I am just a different person. I’m not laughing, but I know that I’m in God’s hands, and my automatic response this time was thankfulness. If it had been worse, I don’t know what I would have done. But when there’s laughter in your life on a regular basis, when you are enjoying God, when you have the hope that God is good and that God loves you, you handle everything differently.
I am reading this book by Philip Yancey, “The Jesus I Never Knew” – the one we are going to have the study on Monday nights --
He talks about people who had hope. Like the slaves on the plantation, who could keep going because they had hope in God.
Yancey writes, “My wife, Janet, worked with senior citizens near a Chicago housing project judged the poorest community in the United States. About half her clients were white, half were black. All of them had lived through harsh times – two world ward, the Great Depression, social upheavals – and all of them, in their seventies and eighties, lived in awareness of death. Yet Janet noted a striking difference in the way the whites and the balcks faced death. There were exceptions, of course, but the trend was this: many of the whites became increasingly fearful and anxious. They complained about their lives, their families, and their deteriorating health. The blacks, in contrast, maintained a good humor and triumphant spirit even though they had more aparent reason for bitterness and despair.
What caused the difference in outlooks? Janet concluded the answer was hope, a hope that traced directly to the blacks’ bedrock belief in heaven. (Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew)
Pope John Paul II was speaking in Trent, Italy, to a crowd of several thousand rain-soaked young people. After warming up the crowd with some jokes, he said,
“Don’t tell your colleagues, and above all the press, that the pope made jokes instead of making a serious meditation on the council… Being holy means living in profound communion with the God of joy, having a heart free from sin and from the sadness of the world.”
[1] Sherwood Eliot Wirt in More Holy Humor P. 175
[2] Joyful Noiseletter 4/2000, p. 7
[3] And God Created Laughter, p. 26
[4] Paul Rader, quoted by Sherwood Eliot Wirt, quoted by Cal Samra, More Holy Humor, page ix
Luke 15 April 10, 2005
This Gospel reading was straight from the version you have in the pew. But sometimes a different translation can help you understand it better.
For example, the story of the Forgiving Father… in the key of F.
“Melody in F”
The story of the Prodigal Son in the Key of F
from “Greatest Skits on Earth, vol. 2” by Wayne Rice and Mike Yaconelli
Feeling Foot-loose and Frisky, a Feather-brained Fellow
Forced his Fond Father to Fork over the Farthings,
And Flew Far to Foreign Fields
And Frittered his Fortune Feasting Fabulously with Faithless Friends.
Fleeced by his Fellows in Folly, and Facing Famine,
He Found himself A Feed Flinger in a Filthy Farmyard.
Fairly Famishing, He Fain would’ve Filled his Frame
With Foraged Food from Fodder Fragments.
“Fooey, my Father’s Flunkies Fare Far Finer,”
The Frazzled Fugitive Forlornly Fumbled, Frankly Facing Facts.
Frustrated by Failure, and Filled with Foreboding,
He Fled Forthwith to his Family.
Falling at his Father’s Feet, he Forlornly Fumbled,
“Father, I’ve Flunked.
And Fruitlessly Forfeited Family Favor.”
The Far-sighted Father, Forestalling Further Flinching,
Frantically Flagged the Flunkies to
Fetch a Fatling from the Flock and Fix a Feast.
The Fugitive’s Fault-Finding brother Frowned on
Fickle Forgiveness of Former Folderol.
But the Faithful Father Figured,
“Filial Fidelity is Fine, but the Fugitive is Found!
What Forbids Fervent Festivity?
Let Flags be un-Furled! Let Fanfares Flare!”
Father’s Forgiveness Formed the Foundation
For the Former Fugitive’s Future Fortitude.
_____________________________________________
Why did Jesus tell these outrageous stories? Why didn’t he tell about perfect families with brothers who get along with each other and who respect their father? Why did he tell about banquets where everything goes wrong, unjust judges and unmerciful slaves?
Maybe because God has a sense of humor. Read the Bible this way and you’ll get it. From the very beginning, people are being funny.
God told Adam " I could create you a partner, that will always adore you, serve you, never be angry and treat you as a King, the only problem is that you must give up an arn or an leg for it" Adam "Hmmm, I don’t know - what can I get for a rib?"
OK, that’s not in the Bible, but you see Eve doing exactly what she shouldn’t, then she cons Adam into it, then when they get caught, Adam blames Eve and God (it was the woman you gave me) and all of a sudden being naked is a bad thing. You can just imagine God slapping God’s forehead and saying, “OK, here we go.”
Abraham and Sarah.
(Frederick Buechner, The Gospel as Comedy)
They are laughing at the idea of a baby’s being born in the geriatric ward and Medicare’s picking up the tab. They are laughing because with part of themselves they do believe it. They are laughing because with another part of themselves they know it would take a fool to believe it. They are laughing because laughing is better than crying and maybe not even all that different. They are laughing because if by some crazy chance it should just happen to come true, then they would really have something to laugh about. They are laughing at God and with God, and they are laughing at themselves too because laughter has that in common with weeping. No matter what the immediate occasion is of either your laughter or your tears, the object of both ends up being yourself and your own life.
God asked about Sarah’s laughter, and Sarah was scared stiff and denied the whole thing. Then God said, “No but you did laugh,” and of course, he was right. Maybe the most interesting part of it all is that far from getting angry at them for laughing, God told them that when the baby was born he wanted them to name him Isaac, which in Hebrew means laughter. So you can say that god not only tolerated their laughter but blessed it and in a sense joined in it himself, which makes it a very special laughter indeed – God and man laughing together, sharing a glorious joke in which both of them are involved.
Jesus shares these kinds of stories.
Take the story of the prodigal son.
This isn’t a story about two brothers who get along perfectly and their successful father. If it were, it would be impossible for us to live with the brothers and fathers and sons that we have. But in the humor of this fractured family, we can find hope for our own families.
What about the apostles? What changed Jesus’ disciples after the crucifixion from a scattered, frightened band of fugitives into the most remarkable collection of human beings the world has ever seen?
Luke 24:51-52 “Now it came to pass, while Jesus blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”
Sherwood Wliot Wirt says: “Joy was what changed them. .. Joy was the atmosphere in the early church. It was euphoria, hilarity, unspeakable gladness. The believers had become aware that the bars of nature had been broken through by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.” [1]
Then Paul writes to the Corinthians about being fools for Christ.
1 Corinthians
“We are fools for Christ’s sake. God is foolish too. God is foolish to choose for his holy work in the world the kind of lamebrains and misfits and nit-pickers and odd ducks and stuffed shirts and egomaniacs and milquetoasts and closet sensualists as are vividly represented by us all.
Frederick Buechner:
“God is foolish to send us out to speak hope to a world that slogs along heart-deep in the conviction that things can only get worse.. He is foolish to have us speak of loving our enemies when we have a hard enough time just loving our friends… God is foolish to have us proclaim eternal life to a world that is half I love with death… God is foolish to send us out on a journey for which there are not maps, and to aim us in the direction of a goal we can never know until we get there. Such is the foolishness of God. And yet, and yet, Paul says, ‘the foolishness of God is wiser than men.’ ”
The followers of Jesus met regularly to share food, to celebrate, to worship. Sharing in the Lord’s supper was a grateful thanksgiving.
In the early Greek Orthodox tradition, an Easter custom developed, in which on the day after Easter, clergy and laity gathered to tell jokes and stories. The theology behind this was that they were celebrating the greatest joke of all, the joke God had pulled on the devil – the Resurrection. Theologians called it Riscus paschalis, the Easter laugh.
We can so easily miss our Easter joy. Once the comedian Groucho Marx was getting off an elevator and he happened to meet a clergyman. The clergyman came up to him, put out his hand and said, “I want to thank you for all the joy you’ve put into the world.” Groucho shook his hand and replied, “Thank you, Reverend. I want to thank you for all the joy you’ve taken out of it.” [2] How often do we go around looking like Easter never happened?
I learned from Jim Moiso that in 390, Chrysostom preached a sermon against it. He said, “This world is not a theatre in which we can laugh, and we are not assembled together in order to burst into peals of laughter, but to weep for our sins… It is not God who gives us the chance to play, but the devil.” [3]
But many Christian theologians through the ages have had a joyful point of view. Martin Luther, a very serious professor and reformer, was also a fun loving spirit and said that the Christian can and should be a joyful person.
Evangelist Paul Rader, pastor of Moody Church in Chicago in the 1920’s, said that laughter is from God. He said, “When God chooses a man, he puts laughter into his life. God is delighted to fill the hearts of men with laughter. The anointing oil that was poured upon the head of David put laughter into David’s life…. It is the oil of Jesus’ presence that makes holy laughter in life – not only in the disposition to laugh at a joke, but the ability to laugh at calamity, to laugh at death, to laugh at the victory which the devil thought he had won.” [4]
Do you laugh at death? Neither do I, but that’s not exactly what is being said here. It’s more of a life attitude, a confidence in knowing you are in God’s hands.
Last Thursday I was driving with Rachel and Laurel when a 4x4 truck hit us. The young man, driving without a license, made a quick turn, didn’t see me and my first view of him was the front of his truck coming right at my window. It was a terrible crash, glass everywhere, pushed us into the curb and totaled my 96 Taurus. This is where you ask me if we’re all OK. Yes, I got the worst of it but the doctor thinks I’ll be better in just a couple of weeks, and the girls are fine.
One thing that was odd is that I wasn’t hysterical after it happened. When the other driver came up to me and told me he was the one who hit us, the first words out of my mouth were “God bless you.” After that, he pretty much avoided me.
If there’s ever a legitimate time for cussing, that was probably it, but I missed the opportunity, maybe because I am just a different person. I’m not laughing, but I know that I’m in God’s hands, and my automatic response this time was thankfulness. If it had been worse, I don’t know what I would have done. But when there’s laughter in your life on a regular basis, when you are enjoying God, when you have the hope that God is good and that God loves you, you handle everything differently.
I am reading this book by Philip Yancey, “The Jesus I Never Knew” – the one we are going to have the study on Monday nights --
He talks about people who had hope. Like the slaves on the plantation, who could keep going because they had hope in God.
Yancey writes, “My wife, Janet, worked with senior citizens near a Chicago housing project judged the poorest community in the United States. About half her clients were white, half were black. All of them had lived through harsh times – two world ward, the Great Depression, social upheavals – and all of them, in their seventies and eighties, lived in awareness of death. Yet Janet noted a striking difference in the way the whites and the balcks faced death. There were exceptions, of course, but the trend was this: many of the whites became increasingly fearful and anxious. They complained about their lives, their families, and their deteriorating health. The blacks, in contrast, maintained a good humor and triumphant spirit even though they had more aparent reason for bitterness and despair.
What caused the difference in outlooks? Janet concluded the answer was hope, a hope that traced directly to the blacks’ bedrock belief in heaven. (Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew)
Pope John Paul II was speaking in Trent, Italy, to a crowd of several thousand rain-soaked young people. After warming up the crowd with some jokes, he said,
“Don’t tell your colleagues, and above all the press, that the pope made jokes instead of making a serious meditation on the council… Being holy means living in profound communion with the God of joy, having a heart free from sin and from the sadness of the world.”
[1] Sherwood Eliot Wirt in More Holy Humor P. 175
[2] Joyful Noiseletter 4/2000, p. 7
[3] And God Created Laughter, p. 26
[4] Paul Rader, quoted by Sherwood Eliot Wirt, quoted by Cal Samra, More Holy Humor, page ix
Monday, April 04, 2005
Sermon: Doubting and Believing
John 20:19-31 Cynthia O'Brien
April 3, 2005 SMPC
JN 20:19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
JN 20:21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
JN 20:24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
JN 20:26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
JN 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
JN 20:29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Thomas is one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, neither the greatest nor the least, but mentioned in the list somewhere in the middle. He is known to Greek-speaking Christians as Didymus -- His name means "The Twin," but we have no idea who his twin brother or sister is, or whether that person is also a disciple. Tradition holds that Thomas is a carpenter, like Jesus.
When Jesus is crucified, this is no surprise to Thomas. Why? Because Thomas is a realistic person. He has known all along that this would happen. Let's flash back to earlier in the story, in John chapter 11.
Jesus and the disciples have just heard that Jesus' good friend Lazarus has died in Bethany. After two days, Jesus says to the disciples, "It's time to go to see Lazarus."
Thomas is a realistic person. He knows that Bethany is only two miles from Jerusalem. And he remembers that the last time they were up that way, Jesus was nearly killed by having rocks thrown at him. So Thomas and the other disciples say to Jesus, "The Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?" But Jesus is determined, and he says, "Let us go to him."
Considering the circumstances, I don't think I would be so excited about going. But it is Thomas who turns to his fellow disciples and says, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
Thomas is the realist of the group. He is certain that if they go to Jerusalem, it will mean the end of this little traveling band. But he is also loyal and completely devoted to Jesus, and he is determined to share whatever danger awaits his Master. (I wish I could be that courageous.)
When the time comes that Jesus is crucified, it is no surprise to Thomas.
Thomas is not only realistic -- perhaps pessimistic -- and yet loyal, he is also a little slow to understand things. But he is honest about it. In John 14, Jesus is explaining to the disciples that he is going away. The verses are familiar to us today:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. {2} In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? {3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. {4} And you know the way to the place where I am going."
{5} Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" {6} Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Children – When you are confused or don’t understand, how often do you speak up? Sometimes? Most of the time? Never?
Many of you remember Eloise Winklebleck. For those of you who don’t know, she taught Sunday School for not just one or two years, but more like 40. Eloise used to say that her best classes were the ones where everyone asked lots of questions. We want our students to ask questions. We want them to understand. And yet, when we are students in a class, we don’t want to stand out. We don’t want to reveal that we are ignorant. I am much more inclined to follow a saying of Abraham Lincoln, which goes something like this:
"Better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt."
But removing doubt is what Thomas is in the business of doing. When Jesus says, "You know the way to the place where I am going," Thomas speaks up. Of the whole group, Thomas is the one who is honest about his ignorance. He really wants to know what Jesus means. He wants to understand his Master. (I would like to be this honest in exploring my faith.)
Thomas wants to know the way to where Jesus is going. Why? So he can go with him. Thomas loves Jesus enough to be willing to go to Jerusalem and die with him, when the other disciples are hesitant and afraid.
Thomas is honest, down-to-earth, and completely loyal. But don't forget his well-founded pessimism. He knows that Jesus is going to come to a tragic end.
Now return from our flashbacks to the present moment in our Scripture reading. Jesus has been crucified, and this is no surprise to Thomas. What he expected has happened, and despite his predictions, Thomas is still brokenhearted. So much that he takes off to be by himself, to be alone with his sorrow.
King George V used to say that one of his rules of life was this: "If I have to suffer, let me be like a well-bred animal, and let me go and suffer alone."
This is where I would not like to imitate Thomas, but where a lot of us do. Just when sadness comes, we withdraw from the Christian community. We look for loneliness rather than togetherness. I do this; I'm sure you've done this too.
Nevertheless, Thomas goes away to be alone with his sorrow. So it happens that when Jesus comes back again, Thomas, who loved Jesus so much, is not there to see it. This is the problem when we separate ourselves from the Christian fellowship -- we miss the good things that happen to us within the fellowship of the church -- good things that don't happen when we are alone. The time when we are hurting is the very tie when, in spite of our sorrow, we should seek the fellowship of God's people, for that's where we are the likeliest to meet Jesus face to face.
When the news reaches Thomas, it seems too good to be true. Remember, he is a realist, so he says that he won't believe that Jesus has risen until he sees and handles the nail prints in his hands and puts his hand in the wound the spear made in Jesus' side. This is not so bad -- remember, Thomas is honest. He hasn't seen what they have seen.
When I was a kid we used to play a card game called “I Doubt It.” Something about how I say I have a certain card, maybe I do, maybe I’m bluffing, and somebody else challenges me by saying “I Doubt It.” In real life, you wouldn’t want people to challenge what you say, would you? Isn’t that like calling you a liar?
When the disciples say they have seen the Lord, Thomas says, in effect, "I doubt it." So is he calling them liars? Is it a challenge? Is he trying to call a bluff? Or is it the honest questioning of someone who really wants to be sure? This disciple is simple, honest, matter-of-fact – he refuses to be rushed into believing, even though he wants to believe with all his heart that he was wrong about the end.
A week goes by and Jesus comes back again; this time, Thomas is there. Jesus knows what Thomas wants, and so he repeats Thomas' own words, and invites him to make the test.
Thomas -- simple and slow to understand. Thomas -- pessimistic, grounded in reality. Thomas -- devoted and loyal enough to want to die with Jesus. Thomas is overcome. You'd think he would be speechless, but he blurts out the words which are the highest statement of faith in Scripture, words that are to become the very heart of the Christian Church:
"My Lord and my God."
Doubting Thomas isn't Doubting Thomas at all -- he is Believing Thomas.
Do you have doubts? About your future? About your faith? Because at the end of the story, Jesus gives the final beatitude of the Gospels:
"You have seen and so you believe. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
Why does Jesus say this? To rebuke Thomas? Maybe. But maybe Jesus is pointing forward to the multitudes who will later believe and make the same confession without requiring such visible proof.
Tradition says that when the Apostles took the good news into all the world, that Thomas went to India. We can't prove that, but there are ancient books which tell of his ministry in India. The present-day Christians in St. Thomas of India claim that they are descended from his preaching. Thomas, who finally came to a full, believing faith, took his belief into the world.
When in doubt, remember Thomas. Not afraid to ask, not afraid to show his ignorance, not afraid to reach out and touch Jesus, not afraid to believe, not afraid to go into the world. He asked, he saw, he believed, and he went.
Jesus says you and I are blessed because we have not seen, and yet have believed. In these next few weeks, we will look for Jesus together. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to reach out. Don’t be afraid to believe.
April 3, 2005 SMPC
JN 20:19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
JN 20:21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
JN 20:24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
JN 20:26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
JN 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
JN 20:29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Thomas is one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, neither the greatest nor the least, but mentioned in the list somewhere in the middle. He is known to Greek-speaking Christians as Didymus -- His name means "The Twin," but we have no idea who his twin brother or sister is, or whether that person is also a disciple. Tradition holds that Thomas is a carpenter, like Jesus.
When Jesus is crucified, this is no surprise to Thomas. Why? Because Thomas is a realistic person. He has known all along that this would happen. Let's flash back to earlier in the story, in John chapter 11.
Jesus and the disciples have just heard that Jesus' good friend Lazarus has died in Bethany. After two days, Jesus says to the disciples, "It's time to go to see Lazarus."
Thomas is a realistic person. He knows that Bethany is only two miles from Jerusalem. And he remembers that the last time they were up that way, Jesus was nearly killed by having rocks thrown at him. So Thomas and the other disciples say to Jesus, "The Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?" But Jesus is determined, and he says, "Let us go to him."
Considering the circumstances, I don't think I would be so excited about going. But it is Thomas who turns to his fellow disciples and says, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
Thomas is the realist of the group. He is certain that if they go to Jerusalem, it will mean the end of this little traveling band. But he is also loyal and completely devoted to Jesus, and he is determined to share whatever danger awaits his Master. (I wish I could be that courageous.)
When the time comes that Jesus is crucified, it is no surprise to Thomas.
Thomas is not only realistic -- perhaps pessimistic -- and yet loyal, he is also a little slow to understand things. But he is honest about it. In John 14, Jesus is explaining to the disciples that he is going away. The verses are familiar to us today:
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. {2} In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? {3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. {4} And you know the way to the place where I am going."
{5} Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" {6} Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Children – When you are confused or don’t understand, how often do you speak up? Sometimes? Most of the time? Never?
Many of you remember Eloise Winklebleck. For those of you who don’t know, she taught Sunday School for not just one or two years, but more like 40. Eloise used to say that her best classes were the ones where everyone asked lots of questions. We want our students to ask questions. We want them to understand. And yet, when we are students in a class, we don’t want to stand out. We don’t want to reveal that we are ignorant. I am much more inclined to follow a saying of Abraham Lincoln, which goes something like this:
"Better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt."
But removing doubt is what Thomas is in the business of doing. When Jesus says, "You know the way to the place where I am going," Thomas speaks up. Of the whole group, Thomas is the one who is honest about his ignorance. He really wants to know what Jesus means. He wants to understand his Master. (I would like to be this honest in exploring my faith.)
Thomas wants to know the way to where Jesus is going. Why? So he can go with him. Thomas loves Jesus enough to be willing to go to Jerusalem and die with him, when the other disciples are hesitant and afraid.
Thomas is honest, down-to-earth, and completely loyal. But don't forget his well-founded pessimism. He knows that Jesus is going to come to a tragic end.
Now return from our flashbacks to the present moment in our Scripture reading. Jesus has been crucified, and this is no surprise to Thomas. What he expected has happened, and despite his predictions, Thomas is still brokenhearted. So much that he takes off to be by himself, to be alone with his sorrow.
King George V used to say that one of his rules of life was this: "If I have to suffer, let me be like a well-bred animal, and let me go and suffer alone."
This is where I would not like to imitate Thomas, but where a lot of us do. Just when sadness comes, we withdraw from the Christian community. We look for loneliness rather than togetherness. I do this; I'm sure you've done this too.
Nevertheless, Thomas goes away to be alone with his sorrow. So it happens that when Jesus comes back again, Thomas, who loved Jesus so much, is not there to see it. This is the problem when we separate ourselves from the Christian fellowship -- we miss the good things that happen to us within the fellowship of the church -- good things that don't happen when we are alone. The time when we are hurting is the very tie when, in spite of our sorrow, we should seek the fellowship of God's people, for that's where we are the likeliest to meet Jesus face to face.
When the news reaches Thomas, it seems too good to be true. Remember, he is a realist, so he says that he won't believe that Jesus has risen until he sees and handles the nail prints in his hands and puts his hand in the wound the spear made in Jesus' side. This is not so bad -- remember, Thomas is honest. He hasn't seen what they have seen.
When I was a kid we used to play a card game called “I Doubt It.” Something about how I say I have a certain card, maybe I do, maybe I’m bluffing, and somebody else challenges me by saying “I Doubt It.” In real life, you wouldn’t want people to challenge what you say, would you? Isn’t that like calling you a liar?
When the disciples say they have seen the Lord, Thomas says, in effect, "I doubt it." So is he calling them liars? Is it a challenge? Is he trying to call a bluff? Or is it the honest questioning of someone who really wants to be sure? This disciple is simple, honest, matter-of-fact – he refuses to be rushed into believing, even though he wants to believe with all his heart that he was wrong about the end.
A week goes by and Jesus comes back again; this time, Thomas is there. Jesus knows what Thomas wants, and so he repeats Thomas' own words, and invites him to make the test.
Thomas -- simple and slow to understand. Thomas -- pessimistic, grounded in reality. Thomas -- devoted and loyal enough to want to die with Jesus. Thomas is overcome. You'd think he would be speechless, but he blurts out the words which are the highest statement of faith in Scripture, words that are to become the very heart of the Christian Church:
"My Lord and my God."
Doubting Thomas isn't Doubting Thomas at all -- he is Believing Thomas.
Do you have doubts? About your future? About your faith? Because at the end of the story, Jesus gives the final beatitude of the Gospels:
"You have seen and so you believe. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
Why does Jesus say this? To rebuke Thomas? Maybe. But maybe Jesus is pointing forward to the multitudes who will later believe and make the same confession without requiring such visible proof.
Tradition says that when the Apostles took the good news into all the world, that Thomas went to India. We can't prove that, but there are ancient books which tell of his ministry in India. The present-day Christians in St. Thomas of India claim that they are descended from his preaching. Thomas, who finally came to a full, believing faith, took his belief into the world.
When in doubt, remember Thomas. Not afraid to ask, not afraid to show his ignorance, not afraid to reach out and touch Jesus, not afraid to believe, not afraid to go into the world. He asked, he saw, he believed, and he went.
Jesus says you and I are blessed because we have not seen, and yet have believed. In these next few weeks, we will look for Jesus together. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to reach out. Don’t be afraid to believe.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Easter sermon: Christus Victor
Matthew 28:1-10
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: `He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
1 Corinthians 15:50-56
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Many of you know what it feels like the first few days after a loved one has died. So you can imagine the women at the tomb, after Jesus has died. It seems surreal. Only a week earlier, Jesus had entered Jerusalem with crowds shouting blessings on him. But now he is dead, crucified with common thieves. All that is left for the women to do is visit the grave and take care of any further arrangements.
At the moment of their deepest grief, when things look the bleakest, things get worse: a violent earthquake shakes the cemetery. You may remember that the earth shook at the moment of Jesus’ death. Now it shakes again at his rising. There is a blinding light. The Roman guards faint dead away. An angel rolls back the stone and sits on it.
The women are cowering. The angel looks like lightening. So, like every other angel in the gospels, he begins by reassuring them, "Do not be afraid.” He tells them Jesus has risen, and directs them to look for themselves, then run and tell the disciples.
They see that he is not there and they run from the tomb, "afraid yet filled with joy.”
Fear and Joy. Do you know that combination of feelings?
A skydiver making her first solo jump.
A 16 year old driving on the freeway for the first time.
A groom on the morning of his wedding.
A young mother giving birth to a healthy baby despite complications.
A soldier’s family, anticipating every email from their son’s unit, never knowing what news it will bring.
An elderly man, unsteady on his feet and fearful of falling, but happy to be out for a walk.
A widow, uncertain about her future but grateful that her husband’s pain is ended.
The women leave the tomb with fear and joy. Let’s try to grasp their fear, because there’s more than just the angel’s dramatic appearance.
Think for a moment of how frightful it would be to have the dead living again. It’s the stuff of many horror movies. How would it be if one of your dead relatives or friends suddenly appeared on your doorstep? We miss them, yes, but we don’t expect them to come back.
Last Easter (2004), Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Cantebury, said that to people of Jesus’ day, resurrection was not a welcome idea but a terrifying one. He quoted a scholar of ancient history: "If an educated Greek or Roman had been told that someone had been raised from the dead, his first question would have been 'How do you get him back into his grave again?' " The point was that most of those who first heard the Easter gospel would have found it grotesque or even frightening.”Resurrection was not a joyful sign of hope but an alarming oddity, something potentially very dangerous. The dead, if they survived at all, lived in their own world -- a shadowy place, where they were condemned to a sort of half-life of yearning and sadness. .. For them to return would have been terrifying and unnatural.”
No wonder the women are full of fear.
But there is also joy, and this is the joy we more often associate with Easter. Their friend and teacher who was dead is alive again! The one who had been humiliated has been exalted. The one who had been defeated is now the victor.
What they could not have known then, we know now: Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection changes everything! Jesus has been raised from the dead, and death no longer has any power over him.
"Death has been swallowed up in victory."
1CO 15:55 "Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
Think about how joyful this is. People can be saved from their sins and find reconciliation with God. We can be called God’s children. We can receive the Holy Spirit as a force for good in our lives. We can worship God and know God.
Perhaps most of all, we no longer fear death. That changes things, not only for our future, but for our daily lives.
William Stringfellow, in a small book called An Ethic for Christians and Other Strangers in a Strange Land, says that what sets Christians aside from others is our ultimate assurance that death is not the end for us. The threat of death, he said, is what ultimately keeps most of us "in line."
When we hear from guards in Nazi death camps that they had to do what they did, what we are hearing is that if they did not do what they were told, they would be killed, just as the inmates were being killed. And if we say, "Of course, in that case, you had to do it," we are missing the main message of the cross.
For we Christians are supposed to be free of the fear of death. When we are told, "Kill that woman, or you will die," our answer should be, "And so? I will not do it."
We may say, as many did in that circumstance, that if we die, the SS will simply find someone else who will do the deed, but Stringfellow points out that this may be so, but so what? We will not have done it. We will have stood firmly for the right, the Christian thing to do. And furthermore, this may not be so; it may be that others, seeing our resistance, will be strengthened to resist evil, and so evil will not be able to be carried out.
(William Stringfellow, An Ethic for Christians, via Emphasis Magazine)
When you are not afraid of death, you see things differently. You make decisions in the light of your beliefs. You don’t want to die, but neither are you frightened of it.
It’s only through Christ we have this assurance. He’s the only one who has been raised from the dead to never die. This is how he has broken the power of death over us.
That does not mean that there is no continuing struggle, as each of you knows from your daily life. What is meant is that final victory is already underway and already assured.
In one of those old classic religious movies, Deborah Kerr played a Christian about to be thrown to the lions. Real lions were used in the scene. A friend asked her, "Weren't you afraid?" She said, "No, not at all. You see, I had read the script ahead of time, and I knew that Robert Taylor would rescue me." (Emphasis magazine)
We have read the script. We know how it ends. You get to the end of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, and you see the coming of the city of God, where there is no more death, no more pain, no more crying, for all those things have passed away.
So don’t give in to being a victim. Don’t give up hope of a meaningful life. And don’t be afraid, except for having a holy fear and awe of God and what God has done.
Fear and Joy. When it comes to Easter, we might not have put the two together, but in the resurrection, it makes sense. The defeat of death and evil is a fearsome event.
Ministers usually get to church early on Easter to make sure everything is ready to go. It was an Easter morning when Presbyterian minister Bill Carl drove up to his church. He expected to see the cross on the front lawn, draped in white. Instead, he saw a splintered fraction of a beam protruding like a dagger from the ground. The night before, the Texas wind had snapped the cross in half, about two feet below the cross bar. The decapitated limbs had fallen on a nearby flowerbed.
He was upset at first, then he smiled. He said later that it was the perfect symbol of resurrection – God had broken the backbone of death. (Emphasis)
Here’s how John Chrysostom described it centuries ago in his famed Easter sermon, which is still read aloud each year in many Eastern Orthodox churches:
"Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.
It was in an uproar because it is mocked.
It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.
It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.
It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.
Hell took a body, and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.
O death, where is thy sting?
O Hades, where is thy victory?
Christ is Risen, and you, O death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!
Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep."
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: `He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
1 Corinthians 15:50-56
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Many of you know what it feels like the first few days after a loved one has died. So you can imagine the women at the tomb, after Jesus has died. It seems surreal. Only a week earlier, Jesus had entered Jerusalem with crowds shouting blessings on him. But now he is dead, crucified with common thieves. All that is left for the women to do is visit the grave and take care of any further arrangements.
At the moment of their deepest grief, when things look the bleakest, things get worse: a violent earthquake shakes the cemetery. You may remember that the earth shook at the moment of Jesus’ death. Now it shakes again at his rising. There is a blinding light. The Roman guards faint dead away. An angel rolls back the stone and sits on it.
The women are cowering. The angel looks like lightening. So, like every other angel in the gospels, he begins by reassuring them, "Do not be afraid.” He tells them Jesus has risen, and directs them to look for themselves, then run and tell the disciples.
They see that he is not there and they run from the tomb, "afraid yet filled with joy.”
Fear and Joy. Do you know that combination of feelings?
A skydiver making her first solo jump.
A 16 year old driving on the freeway for the first time.
A groom on the morning of his wedding.
A young mother giving birth to a healthy baby despite complications.
A soldier’s family, anticipating every email from their son’s unit, never knowing what news it will bring.
An elderly man, unsteady on his feet and fearful of falling, but happy to be out for a walk.
A widow, uncertain about her future but grateful that her husband’s pain is ended.
The women leave the tomb with fear and joy. Let’s try to grasp their fear, because there’s more than just the angel’s dramatic appearance.
Think for a moment of how frightful it would be to have the dead living again. It’s the stuff of many horror movies. How would it be if one of your dead relatives or friends suddenly appeared on your doorstep? We miss them, yes, but we don’t expect them to come back.
Last Easter (2004), Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Cantebury, said that to people of Jesus’ day, resurrection was not a welcome idea but a terrifying one. He quoted a scholar of ancient history: "If an educated Greek or Roman had been told that someone had been raised from the dead, his first question would have been 'How do you get him back into his grave again?' " The point was that most of those who first heard the Easter gospel would have found it grotesque or even frightening.”Resurrection was not a joyful sign of hope but an alarming oddity, something potentially very dangerous. The dead, if they survived at all, lived in their own world -- a shadowy place, where they were condemned to a sort of half-life of yearning and sadness. .. For them to return would have been terrifying and unnatural.”
No wonder the women are full of fear.
But there is also joy, and this is the joy we more often associate with Easter. Their friend and teacher who was dead is alive again! The one who had been humiliated has been exalted. The one who had been defeated is now the victor.
What they could not have known then, we know now: Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection changes everything! Jesus has been raised from the dead, and death no longer has any power over him.
"Death has been swallowed up in victory."
1CO 15:55 "Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
Think about how joyful this is. People can be saved from their sins and find reconciliation with God. We can be called God’s children. We can receive the Holy Spirit as a force for good in our lives. We can worship God and know God.
Perhaps most of all, we no longer fear death. That changes things, not only for our future, but for our daily lives.
William Stringfellow, in a small book called An Ethic for Christians and Other Strangers in a Strange Land, says that what sets Christians aside from others is our ultimate assurance that death is not the end for us. The threat of death, he said, is what ultimately keeps most of us "in line."
When we hear from guards in Nazi death camps that they had to do what they did, what we are hearing is that if they did not do what they were told, they would be killed, just as the inmates were being killed. And if we say, "Of course, in that case, you had to do it," we are missing the main message of the cross.
For we Christians are supposed to be free of the fear of death. When we are told, "Kill that woman, or you will die," our answer should be, "And so? I will not do it."
We may say, as many did in that circumstance, that if we die, the SS will simply find someone else who will do the deed, but Stringfellow points out that this may be so, but so what? We will not have done it. We will have stood firmly for the right, the Christian thing to do. And furthermore, this may not be so; it may be that others, seeing our resistance, will be strengthened to resist evil, and so evil will not be able to be carried out.
(William Stringfellow, An Ethic for Christians, via Emphasis Magazine)
When you are not afraid of death, you see things differently. You make decisions in the light of your beliefs. You don’t want to die, but neither are you frightened of it.
It’s only through Christ we have this assurance. He’s the only one who has been raised from the dead to never die. This is how he has broken the power of death over us.
That does not mean that there is no continuing struggle, as each of you knows from your daily life. What is meant is that final victory is already underway and already assured.
In one of those old classic religious movies, Deborah Kerr played a Christian about to be thrown to the lions. Real lions were used in the scene. A friend asked her, "Weren't you afraid?" She said, "No, not at all. You see, I had read the script ahead of time, and I knew that Robert Taylor would rescue me." (Emphasis magazine)
We have read the script. We know how it ends. You get to the end of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, and you see the coming of the city of God, where there is no more death, no more pain, no more crying, for all those things have passed away.
So don’t give in to being a victim. Don’t give up hope of a meaningful life. And don’t be afraid, except for having a holy fear and awe of God and what God has done.
Fear and Joy. When it comes to Easter, we might not have put the two together, but in the resurrection, it makes sense. The defeat of death and evil is a fearsome event.
Ministers usually get to church early on Easter to make sure everything is ready to go. It was an Easter morning when Presbyterian minister Bill Carl drove up to his church. He expected to see the cross on the front lawn, draped in white. Instead, he saw a splintered fraction of a beam protruding like a dagger from the ground. The night before, the Texas wind had snapped the cross in half, about two feet below the cross bar. The decapitated limbs had fallen on a nearby flowerbed.
He was upset at first, then he smiled. He said later that it was the perfect symbol of resurrection – God had broken the backbone of death. (Emphasis)
Here’s how John Chrysostom described it centuries ago in his famed Easter sermon, which is still read aloud each year in many Eastern Orthodox churches:
"Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.
It was in an uproar because it is mocked.
It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.
It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.
It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.
Hell took a body, and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.
O death, where is thy sting?
O Hades, where is thy victory?
Christ is Risen, and you, O death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!
Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep."
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
Friday, March 25, 2005
Sermon: As Christ loved us
Here's the message Michael and I put together for Maundy Thursday. "Maundy" comes from "mandatum" (commandment), as in when Jesus said, "A new commandment I give you: love one another."
JN 13:1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another. How does Jesus love us?
He shares a meal with his closest friends. He gets down on his knees and washes their dirty feet as only servant would.
But there is something else at work in the Upper Room, something larger. For the Bible says that Jesus showed them the full extent of his love. What was it that made this night the height of love?
Love is patient. Love does not remember wrongs. Love never fails.
If you want an example of all the elements of love described in Scripture, look at Jesus -- His patience, his forgiveness, and his unfailing love for his disciples.
Are the disciples worthy of that kind of love? Not one of them.
None of the disciples is perfect. They have done and said things that hurt Jesus. Go back and read the gospels and count up the times they get it wrong. And when Jesus is arrested, they all scatter. (Well, Peter stuck around, just long enough to deny that even knew Jesus.)
Think about what’s happening in the Upper Room. Everyone is still together. It is a holy time, a time for deep feelings and a shared spiritual intimacy. Jesus shares the bread and the cup around the table, inviting everyone to be part of him, regardless of what they’ve done in the past.
What amazes me is that he knows that this intimacy is about to be shattered. Jesus knows that everyone will desert him. He knows what is ahead. He has even said that
his sheep will be scattered.
I can’t imagine the pain Jesus would be feeling, knowing that he is going to die, knowing that the people he’s been teaching and preparing will fail him.
But in his darkest hour, he doesn’t scold them. Even telling Peter “You will deny me three times” is not scolding – it’s just a sad statement of fact.
He calls them his friends. Knowing he is headed for certain execution, knowing that not one will stand up for him, he calls them friends. He affirms them in love.
What if the disciples had been better people?
My daughter has a “Heroes of the Bible” coloring book which has lots of great pictures of Bible characters doing really great things. What if all the disciples had been like that, bold, strong and faithful?
(“I sing a song of the saints of God, faithful and true…”)
If they were heroes, they would be completely inaccessible. We wouldn’t be able to relate to them at all. And Jesus calling them “friend” wouldn’t strike us as good news – at least I wouldn’t be sure that the good news would apply to someone like me.
But the fact is that the story of the Bible is not about how great these men and women are. It’s about how men and women are sinful, selfish, flawed, and throroughly messed up. It’s about how we fail over and over, and how it is only by the grace of God that we are saved and receive life.
So if these disciples are weak, disloyal and faithless -- if they can be the friends of Jesus, maybe we can, too.
God’s love is pouring out from the cross, no matter what we have done today and no matter what we will do tomorrow.
God knows our sins, knows the shameful things we’ve done – and God knows how we will fail him in the future. Yet God still loves us, still reaches out to us, still saves us, still helps us.
Mother Theresa knew something about this. Toward the end of her life she was celebrated worldwide, which makes her seem very nice and even privileged, but her lifelong ministry was in the midst of terrible conditions.
In a collection of her writings called A Simple Path, she wrote this:
People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;
LOVE THEM ANYWAY.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;
DO GOOD ANYWAY.
If you are successful you win false friends and true enemies;
SUCCEED ANYWAY.
The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow;
DO GOOD ANYWAY.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight;
BUILD ANYWAY.
People really need help but attack you if you help them;
HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth;
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU HAVE ANYWAY.
Mother Theresa, A Simple Path
Who are the people who love you anyway? Who does good to you anyway? Who helps you anyway?
Who are the people who call you “friend” when you mess up again and again,
when you step on their toes and let them down, even when you want to do the right thing? Who can you count on? Who loves you no matter what?
The Last Supper is the model of God forgiving us, loving us, calling us friends, in spite of it all. In that upper room, Jesus poured out his love, even knowing what his friends were about to do.
Tonight we share a meal as Jesus did. Why? Because sharing a meal is what friends and family do. And following the example of Jesus, let us love one another.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
JN 13:1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another. How does Jesus love us?
He shares a meal with his closest friends. He gets down on his knees and washes their dirty feet as only servant would.
But there is something else at work in the Upper Room, something larger. For the Bible says that Jesus showed them the full extent of his love. What was it that made this night the height of love?
Love is patient. Love does not remember wrongs. Love never fails.
If you want an example of all the elements of love described in Scripture, look at Jesus -- His patience, his forgiveness, and his unfailing love for his disciples.
Are the disciples worthy of that kind of love? Not one of them.
None of the disciples is perfect. They have done and said things that hurt Jesus. Go back and read the gospels and count up the times they get it wrong. And when Jesus is arrested, they all scatter. (Well, Peter stuck around, just long enough to deny that even knew Jesus.)
Think about what’s happening in the Upper Room. Everyone is still together. It is a holy time, a time for deep feelings and a shared spiritual intimacy. Jesus shares the bread and the cup around the table, inviting everyone to be part of him, regardless of what they’ve done in the past.
What amazes me is that he knows that this intimacy is about to be shattered. Jesus knows that everyone will desert him. He knows what is ahead. He has even said that
his sheep will be scattered.
I can’t imagine the pain Jesus would be feeling, knowing that he is going to die, knowing that the people he’s been teaching and preparing will fail him.
But in his darkest hour, he doesn’t scold them. Even telling Peter “You will deny me three times” is not scolding – it’s just a sad statement of fact.
He calls them his friends. Knowing he is headed for certain execution, knowing that not one will stand up for him, he calls them friends. He affirms them in love.
What if the disciples had been better people?
My daughter has a “Heroes of the Bible” coloring book which has lots of great pictures of Bible characters doing really great things. What if all the disciples had been like that, bold, strong and faithful?
(“I sing a song of the saints of God, faithful and true…”)
If they were heroes, they would be completely inaccessible. We wouldn’t be able to relate to them at all. And Jesus calling them “friend” wouldn’t strike us as good news – at least I wouldn’t be sure that the good news would apply to someone like me.
But the fact is that the story of the Bible is not about how great these men and women are. It’s about how men and women are sinful, selfish, flawed, and throroughly messed up. It’s about how we fail over and over, and how it is only by the grace of God that we are saved and receive life.
So if these disciples are weak, disloyal and faithless -- if they can be the friends of Jesus, maybe we can, too.
God’s love is pouring out from the cross, no matter what we have done today and no matter what we will do tomorrow.
God knows our sins, knows the shameful things we’ve done – and God knows how we will fail him in the future. Yet God still loves us, still reaches out to us, still saves us, still helps us.
Mother Theresa knew something about this. Toward the end of her life she was celebrated worldwide, which makes her seem very nice and even privileged, but her lifelong ministry was in the midst of terrible conditions.
In a collection of her writings called A Simple Path, she wrote this:
People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;
LOVE THEM ANYWAY.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;
DO GOOD ANYWAY.
If you are successful you win false friends and true enemies;
SUCCEED ANYWAY.
The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow;
DO GOOD ANYWAY.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight;
BUILD ANYWAY.
People really need help but attack you if you help them;
HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth;
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU HAVE ANYWAY.
Mother Theresa, A Simple Path
Who are the people who love you anyway? Who does good to you anyway? Who helps you anyway?
Who are the people who call you “friend” when you mess up again and again,
when you step on their toes and let them down, even when you want to do the right thing? Who can you count on? Who loves you no matter what?
The Last Supper is the model of God forgiving us, loving us, calling us friends, in spite of it all. In that upper room, Jesus poured out his love, even knowing what his friends were about to do.
Tonight we share a meal as Jesus did. Why? Because sharing a meal is what friends and family do. And following the example of Jesus, let us love one another.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Sermon: Being Reconciled to God
Fourth sermon on the Atonement
"The Savior as Bridge"
March 6, 2005
Rev. Cynthia O'Brien
Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church
EPHESIANS 2:11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth ... remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
We are continuing with our series on the atonement, how we are saved through Christ. Today, the word of the day is reconciliation, and how Christ is the one through whom we are reconcilied to God.
Have you ever been estranged from someone else?
Ever felt as if you just didn’t fit in, or weren’t welcome?
Are you, or have you ever been, an outsider?
All of us, except perhaps the Native Americans, were at one time outsiders, foreigners. My dad moved from Minnesota to California; I moved from California to Oregon. Michael’s grandfather moved from Italy to the Bronx. Michael’s mother moved from the Bronx to San Jose. Michael moved from San Jose to Los Angeles to San Diego to Oregon.
Do you ever feel like an outsider? Most of the people associated with this congregation are white, English speakers, and we don’t feel like immigrants or foreigners. Most of us are upstanding folks, and we don’t know what it’s like to be despised or outcast, except maybe by the occasional relative. But some people do know what it’s like, and if you’ve ever been an outcast, a foreigner, an outsider, the Bible has a good word for you.
Paul described the situation of some outsiders:
EPH 2:11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth ... 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
It’s true, they really were outsiders, in every sense of the word. Even spiritually.
In fact, the Bible says that everyone was, at one time, a spiritual outsider. In Romans, it says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
But, we read here in Ephesians,
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
Remember the last two Sundays. We talked about how Christ paid the penalty for our sin, and how Christ was a sacrifice, with the blood of Christ washing away our sins. Through the life, death and resurrection of Christ, there is atonement for our sins.
Here in Ephesians, we learn another way to see atonement. It says here that we, who once were far away, have been brought near. In other words, reconciliation.
Keep a finger in Ephesians 2 and turn to 2 Corinthians 5:16 for more of this:
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
It’s time right now to get a new attitude towards anyone that you’re still regarding from a worldly point of view. Just think for a moment about how we regard people who are different from us.
If she’s smarter than you, she’s a know-it-all;
if she’s dumber than you, she’s an airhead.
If he drives a sports car, he’s having a midlife crisis;
if he drives a truck, he’s a redneck.
If those kids live in an apartment, they probably don’t care about the community.
We have to shake off any trace of worldly judgments. Why? Because, see verse 17,
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he (and she) is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
We don’t get to be stand-off-ish from other people any more. We don’t get to judge them.
Each one of your elders has taken up the challenge to bring a new person to church in the next few months. We are all talking to people outside the church and hoping to introduce them to Jesus Christ. The other day, I had a great talk with one of our elders, who said, “These people I know are totally “not the church type,” but I’m inviting them anyway.” And after we got that out of our systems, we encouraged each other not to limit God. After all, some of the most enthusiastic Christians I know are not the “church type,” whatever that is.
Remember when Jesus told the fishermen to leave their nets, saying, “I will make you fishers of men” or “I will make you fish for people?” I’ve heard it said that if we catch ‘em, Jesus will clean ‘em.” I’m not sure how that works, but God does say, “The old has gone, the new has come.”
Still in 2 Corinthians, verse 18
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's (and women’s) sins against them.
This is what I’m getting at this morning. Not only does Jesus pay the price for our sins, not only does Jesus sacrifice so that we will be made spiritually clean, but Christ is the way that God is reconciling us to God’s self.
Let’s flip back to Ephesians 2:14. For he (Jesus) himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
Do you want to know an easy way to explain this to someone? Let’s say you’re having a brew at McMenamins, or tea at Rose’s, or you and your friend have all the kids at McDonald’s, and you want to explain this and all you have is a pen and a paper napkin. I don’t have any visual aids here, so let me borrow some youth.
(put them in a line) God created the world and God loved us. God has a wonderful life for us, filled with blessings and eternal life.
(separate everyone from God and Jesus) But sin separated us from God. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. There was no way to get back to God. People try, but they can’t cross this great separation.
God loved the world so much that he sent his son, Jesus, who became the bridge. Ephesians 2:14, “He himself is our peace…” and verse 18, “Through him we both have access to God through the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus died so we wouldn’t have to. Jesus rose from the dead and showed he has power over death. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
Notice that the scripture says “Through Jesus we BOTH have access to God.” Who is the both? That’s you, the insider, the good one, the churchy one, the English speaking one, whatever makes you acceptable, and the outsider, the questionable one, the different one, the non English speaker, whatever. You both have access to God. You both use the same bridge.
So, what do we do with this knowledge? Back in 2 Corinthians:
And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
We are the ambassadors. Remember what Christ did:
17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
It is the mission of this church to preach peace to those who are far away and peace to those who are near.
Peace to the person you’re estranged from and peace to the one you love.
Peace to the person at the store and peace to your neighbor.
Both Jew and Gentile – the insiders and the outsiders – our culture and the foreign culture – we both have access to the Father. We should not be hesitant to invite anyone to find God.
The bridge to God has been established, and we are on it. We are in Christ. Every time we invite a person into the faith, we invite them to step up on this bridge.
Have you crossed paths recently with someone not of your race? At my daughter’s dance studio I met a man whose daughter is in Rachel’s class. His name is Carlos and he’s always smiling and he loves the Lord and he goes to an evangelical fellowship in NE Portland where people are coming to know Christ, and that little fellowship is sponsored by a regular English speaking church.
I wonder what it was like when that fellowship started? Obviously there are a lot of things the English speaking church could have said that would have killed it. That church could have said, “I don’t know about that guy Carlos, he wears a black and red jacket and a gold bracelet.” That church could have said, “Hey, all those Mexicans are illegals, they’d better get legal before God can love them.” That church could have said, “If they’re interested in God, let the Catholic church take care of them.” But that church didn’t say any of those things. That church has welcomed Carlos and his family and his friends up on the bridge.
There are only two Protestant churches on this side of town that are sponsoring any kind of Hispanic ministry, that I know of: Rockwood Church of God, where Pastor Cathy has been there for at least 10 years, and Grace Community Church in south Gresham, where my friends Jorge and Donna Osorio have pastored the Communidad Cristiana for about eight years. I don’t know of any ministry in Fairview to Spanish speaking people who don’t know Jesus. And yet, Hispanic is the fastest growing ethnicity in Oregon, especially in East County. A full third of the students at Fairview Elementary are Hispanic. They are starting to come to Powerhouse and Cherub Choir. They are delightful, enthusiastic people who want to know Jesus.
Why should we care? We are Smith Memorial. We are almost 115 years old. We are the historic, stable, healthy, vibrant presence of God in Fairview. Our ministry reaches people all over East County. We support Presbyterian Unified Mission that takes the good news to needy people around the state and around the world.
But we have yet to take the gospel to the nations in our own back yard, the people who hear this bell ring on Sundays and wonder “Que es esto? Que paso en esta iglesia pequena? Quienes son las personas que se llama Smith Memorial? Conocen ellos al Senor Jesucristo? Pueden ayudarme con las problemas de mi vida?”
To tell you the truth, I don’t know what questions the Hispanic people in Fairview are asking about God or about faith. I’m learning from people who know. Because I have a vision that shows God reconciling the world to himself here in this church, and I believe it begins with the people that God has given us for neighbors.
How will we reach these people for Christ? By the power of Christ. Christ is the reconciler. Christ is our peace. Christ is the bridge. God is reconciling the world to himself.
"The Savior as Bridge"
March 6, 2005
Rev. Cynthia O'Brien
Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church
EPHESIANS 2:11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth ... remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
We are continuing with our series on the atonement, how we are saved through Christ. Today, the word of the day is reconciliation, and how Christ is the one through whom we are reconcilied to God.
Have you ever been estranged from someone else?
Ever felt as if you just didn’t fit in, or weren’t welcome?
Are you, or have you ever been, an outsider?
All of us, except perhaps the Native Americans, were at one time outsiders, foreigners. My dad moved from Minnesota to California; I moved from California to Oregon. Michael’s grandfather moved from Italy to the Bronx. Michael’s mother moved from the Bronx to San Jose. Michael moved from San Jose to Los Angeles to San Diego to Oregon.
Do you ever feel like an outsider? Most of the people associated with this congregation are white, English speakers, and we don’t feel like immigrants or foreigners. Most of us are upstanding folks, and we don’t know what it’s like to be despised or outcast, except maybe by the occasional relative. But some people do know what it’s like, and if you’ve ever been an outcast, a foreigner, an outsider, the Bible has a good word for you.
Paul described the situation of some outsiders:
EPH 2:11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth ... 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
It’s true, they really were outsiders, in every sense of the word. Even spiritually.
In fact, the Bible says that everyone was, at one time, a spiritual outsider. In Romans, it says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
But, we read here in Ephesians,
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
Remember the last two Sundays. We talked about how Christ paid the penalty for our sin, and how Christ was a sacrifice, with the blood of Christ washing away our sins. Through the life, death and resurrection of Christ, there is atonement for our sins.
Here in Ephesians, we learn another way to see atonement. It says here that we, who once were far away, have been brought near. In other words, reconciliation.
Keep a finger in Ephesians 2 and turn to 2 Corinthians 5:16 for more of this:
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
It’s time right now to get a new attitude towards anyone that you’re still regarding from a worldly point of view. Just think for a moment about how we regard people who are different from us.
If she’s smarter than you, she’s a know-it-all;
if she’s dumber than you, she’s an airhead.
If he drives a sports car, he’s having a midlife crisis;
if he drives a truck, he’s a redneck.
If those kids live in an apartment, they probably don’t care about the community.
We have to shake off any trace of worldly judgments. Why? Because, see verse 17,
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he (and she) is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
We don’t get to be stand-off-ish from other people any more. We don’t get to judge them.
Each one of your elders has taken up the challenge to bring a new person to church in the next few months. We are all talking to people outside the church and hoping to introduce them to Jesus Christ. The other day, I had a great talk with one of our elders, who said, “These people I know are totally “not the church type,” but I’m inviting them anyway.” And after we got that out of our systems, we encouraged each other not to limit God. After all, some of the most enthusiastic Christians I know are not the “church type,” whatever that is.
Remember when Jesus told the fishermen to leave their nets, saying, “I will make you fishers of men” or “I will make you fish for people?” I’ve heard it said that if we catch ‘em, Jesus will clean ‘em.” I’m not sure how that works, but God does say, “The old has gone, the new has come.”
Still in 2 Corinthians, verse 18
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's (and women’s) sins against them.
This is what I’m getting at this morning. Not only does Jesus pay the price for our sins, not only does Jesus sacrifice so that we will be made spiritually clean, but Christ is the way that God is reconciling us to God’s self.
Let’s flip back to Ephesians 2:14. For he (Jesus) himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
Do you want to know an easy way to explain this to someone? Let’s say you’re having a brew at McMenamins, or tea at Rose’s, or you and your friend have all the kids at McDonald’s, and you want to explain this and all you have is a pen and a paper napkin. I don’t have any visual aids here, so let me borrow some youth.
(put them in a line) God created the world and God loved us. God has a wonderful life for us, filled with blessings and eternal life.
(separate everyone from God and Jesus) But sin separated us from God. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. There was no way to get back to God. People try, but they can’t cross this great separation.
God loved the world so much that he sent his son, Jesus, who became the bridge. Ephesians 2:14, “He himself is our peace…” and verse 18, “Through him we both have access to God through the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus died so we wouldn’t have to. Jesus rose from the dead and showed he has power over death. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
Notice that the scripture says “Through Jesus we BOTH have access to God.” Who is the both? That’s you, the insider, the good one, the churchy one, the English speaking one, whatever makes you acceptable, and the outsider, the questionable one, the different one, the non English speaker, whatever. You both have access to God. You both use the same bridge.
So, what do we do with this knowledge? Back in 2 Corinthians:
And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
We are the ambassadors. Remember what Christ did:
17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
It is the mission of this church to preach peace to those who are far away and peace to those who are near.
Peace to the person you’re estranged from and peace to the one you love.
Peace to the person at the store and peace to your neighbor.
Both Jew and Gentile – the insiders and the outsiders – our culture and the foreign culture – we both have access to the Father. We should not be hesitant to invite anyone to find God.
The bridge to God has been established, and we are on it. We are in Christ. Every time we invite a person into the faith, we invite them to step up on this bridge.
Have you crossed paths recently with someone not of your race? At my daughter’s dance studio I met a man whose daughter is in Rachel’s class. His name is Carlos and he’s always smiling and he loves the Lord and he goes to an evangelical fellowship in NE Portland where people are coming to know Christ, and that little fellowship is sponsored by a regular English speaking church.
I wonder what it was like when that fellowship started? Obviously there are a lot of things the English speaking church could have said that would have killed it. That church could have said, “I don’t know about that guy Carlos, he wears a black and red jacket and a gold bracelet.” That church could have said, “Hey, all those Mexicans are illegals, they’d better get legal before God can love them.” That church could have said, “If they’re interested in God, let the Catholic church take care of them.” But that church didn’t say any of those things. That church has welcomed Carlos and his family and his friends up on the bridge.
There are only two Protestant churches on this side of town that are sponsoring any kind of Hispanic ministry, that I know of: Rockwood Church of God, where Pastor Cathy has been there for at least 10 years, and Grace Community Church in south Gresham, where my friends Jorge and Donna Osorio have pastored the Communidad Cristiana for about eight years. I don’t know of any ministry in Fairview to Spanish speaking people who don’t know Jesus. And yet, Hispanic is the fastest growing ethnicity in Oregon, especially in East County. A full third of the students at Fairview Elementary are Hispanic. They are starting to come to Powerhouse and Cherub Choir. They are delightful, enthusiastic people who want to know Jesus.
Why should we care? We are Smith Memorial. We are almost 115 years old. We are the historic, stable, healthy, vibrant presence of God in Fairview. Our ministry reaches people all over East County. We support Presbyterian Unified Mission that takes the good news to needy people around the state and around the world.
But we have yet to take the gospel to the nations in our own back yard, the people who hear this bell ring on Sundays and wonder “Que es esto? Que paso en esta iglesia pequena? Quienes son las personas que se llama Smith Memorial? Conocen ellos al Senor Jesucristo? Pueden ayudarme con las problemas de mi vida?”
To tell you the truth, I don’t know what questions the Hispanic people in Fairview are asking about God or about faith. I’m learning from people who know. Because I have a vision that shows God reconciling the world to himself here in this church, and I believe it begins with the people that God has given us for neighbors.
How will we reach these people for Christ? By the power of Christ. Christ is the reconciler. Christ is our peace. Christ is the bridge. God is reconciling the world to himself.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
PEACE Series: Passing the Peace
A message about "passing the peace" by Rev. Cynthia O'Brien
September 19, 2004
Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church, Fairview, Oregon
Luke 10:1-12
Philippians 2:47
“Passing the Peace That Passes Understanding”
Luke 10:1-12
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. "When you enter a house, first say, `Peace to this house.' 6 If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. "When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, `The kingdom of God is near you.' 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 `Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
_______________________________________________________________________
"When you enter a house, first say, `Peace to this house.'
At one church I served there was a sign on the door of the office: “Peace to all who enter here.” And on my door at home there is a tiny plaque with a blessing of peace.
On occasion, I’m asked to do a house blessing. You might not have experienced one, but it’s not unusual to mark the occasion of moving into a new house with some kind of ceremony. When I was up at the Grunewald Guild, they had just built a new studio and my class was the first to use it. Before we entered, we had a ceremonial blessing of the space.
A group of church leaders created a nice house blessing a few years ago that I have adapted, and it begins with this prayer:
When Christ took flesh through the Virgin Mary, he made his home with us. Let us now pray that he will enter this home and bless it with his presence. May he always be here among us; may he nurture our love for each other, share in our joys, comfort us in our sorrows. Inspired by his teachings and example, let us seek to make our home before all else a dwelling place of love, diffusing far and wide the goodness of Christ. (adapted from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers, Bishop’s Committee on the Liturgy, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, c. 1988)
Then you go to each room and say a brief prayer. For example, in the kitchen,
O God, you fill the hungry with good things. Send your blessing on us, as we work in this kitchen, and make us ever thankful for our daily bread.
This is a blessing that will stick with the family and mysteriously rests in the home. It has meaning, it has substance, and it is a way of inviting God into that place.
In a similar way, although not as involved, the first missionaries pronounced peace on each home. "When you enter a house, first say, `Peace to this house.'
This pronouncement of peace was a common greeting. Back in 1 Samuel 25:5
While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. 5 So he sent ten young men and said to them, "Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. 6 Say to him: `Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!
Later, in Acts 10, Peter would speak peace when he entered the house of Cornelius.
So the disciples are to say “Peace to this house.” Who can receive this peace?
6 If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.
If he is of like character and receives the guests, he will receive that peace.
Jesus also directs these missionaries to heal the sick and tell them “The kingdom of God is near.” They are not only speaking peace, they are passing the peace of Christ.
The Passing of the Peace
After the prayer of confession, a time when we have asked God to forgive our sins, and we have received the assurance of God’s forgiveness, the leader says something like, “Since God has forgiven us, let us forgive each other. The peace of Christ be with you.” The people respond, “And also with you.”
Here is the official description of what happens next, according to the Book of Common Worship.
Having been reconciled to God in Jesus Christ, the people are invited to share signs of reconciliation and the peace of Christ.
Signs can include handshakes or hugs, and some of the teenagers began using this sign (peace sign) which is also OK with me. Now listen to what we are doing in sharing the peace.
In sharing the peace, we express the reconciliation, unity, and love that come only from God, and we open ourselves to the power of God's love to heal our brokenness and make us agents of that love in the world.
What God has given us, reconciliation, unity and love, we are expressing to and with others. Then we open ourselves to God’s power to heal us. Then we become agents of that love. Did you ever think that so much happened while we passed the peace?
Sometimes the peace is placed at a different point in the service, either before communion, so people can be reconciled before approaching the table. Remember the Bible says, if you are bringing your offering to God and then realize that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there, go make up with your brother, then present your offering. Likewise the Peace plays an important role before communion.
Here’s what one liturgical theologian said about it:
The peace which enables people to live in unity and in the spirit of mutual forgiveness comes only from Christ whose word has been proclaimed. Without the intention to live in such unity, participation in the sacramental celebration is a mockery and, as St. Paul warns, is dangerous [1Corinthians 11]. The peace is a sign that those who participate in it open themselves to the healing and reconciling power of God’s love and offer themselves to be agents of that love in the world. (Pfatteicher, Manual on the Liturgy, Lutheran Book of Worship, 1979, p. 227)
Martin Luther once wrote that the exchange is “the true voice of the gospel announcing remission of sins, and therefore the one and most worthy preparation for the Lord’s Table.” (Luther’s works 53:28)
Here is another way to introduce the peace, drawn from Col. 3:15 and John 20:19, 21, 26
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.
To this peace we were called
as members of a single body.”
Have you ever thought of peace ruling your heart?
Do you remember that we are members of a single body?
Back in the summer of 1986, I had to participate in a forced reconciliation every day. I was touring with the Continental Singers – 90 concerts in 90 cities in 90 days, more or less – with 40 people ages 16 to 26 on a bus, you can bet that there would be differences that required reconciliation.
Every evening, after setup, sound check, dinner and getting dressed, we sat in a circle and had a time of worship and reconciliation. It was at that time that, if you had something against someone or someone had something against you, that you walked across the circle and made up with that person. And in a group that tight, everyone knew who had to work out what. It was hard, sometimes very hard. But it was essential if we were to get up on stage and sing a Christian message with integrity.
In times of reconciliation, we are truly passing a blessing of peace.
Other times we pass a blessing
There are other times in our service that we pass a blessing.
In baptism, when I place my hand on the person’s head and pray for them.
In the benediction, when I raise my hands to invite God’s blessing of peace on us all. Some pastors raise their arms with their palms downward, conferring the blessing. Either way is appropriate.
Practice for Daily Life
The actions of blessing in our Sunday service are more than just an immediate blessing.
They are practice for daily life.
Sometimes I listen to Jack Hayford’s Sermons at Church on the Way, and oftentimes in the course of his message, he tells the congregation to say something to each other. For example, he’ll be preaching on how much God loves us and he’ll stop and tell everyone, “Turn to your neighbor and say, ‘God really loves you, I don’t know why, but he does.’ and the people all laugh and start saying it.
It’s not always just an icebreaker. It’s practice doing the things we’re learning.
That’s what much of our liturgy can do. Not only is it the worship of God, right here, right now, but it is also forming how we live in the world. When we sing God’s praises, those songs stick with us later – I hear my girls singing fragments of hymns and service music at home.
When we confess our sins in church and get used to the idea that the sins in the prayer might actually have some relevance to how we acted this week, that’s preparation for life. When we pass the peace to someone we don’t know or don’t like, or someone we know is in great need, we are not only blessing them in the moment but invoking God’s reconciling power in their life. And we are learning how to be reconcilers in other places outside of church. When we listen as a leader prays, we are not only praying but learning how to pray for others and bless them.
When elders pray for you after church, the person praying will often put his or her hand on your shoulder, conferring a blessing on you.
Some (New) Ways to Pass the Peace in Daily Life
On Laurel’s birthday, her teacher invited her up front and led everyone to sing Happy Birthday. The second verse was “God’s blessings on you…” and she placed her hand over Laurel’s head. She’s not only a preschool teacher but a Lutheran pastor’s wife and I know she is actually conferring a blessing on Laurel.
A family that has many pastors in it, the Nielsen family, has written a book, For Everything a Season: 75 Blessings for Daily Life. It has all kinds of blessings for certain occasions, such as a blessing for the night before the first day of school.
In this little ceremony, the family gathers around the backpack and school supplies, with a small Christian symbol of some kind, and prays for the student. They read a Scripture. They let the student talk about what he/she is worried about or excited about. Then one family member makes the sign of the cross on the child’s forehead and says, “(Name), Jesus is with you wherever you go.” They put the Christian symbol in the backpack as a reminder of God’s presence.
That wasn’t part of my experience growing up. But don’t you think that those kinds of blessings would be meaningful in a Christian home? It’s way of passing the peace.
Here’s another way.
There’s a new minister at Trinity Lutheran Church, John Rosenberg. That church is high on my prayer list so I sent him a note his first week and told him we were praying for him, and I offered to take him out for coffee. When we met, he said, “This is very nice,” and I told him that a local minister had called me when I first came to town. He said, “Oh, so you’re paying it forward.”
And after the coffee, when we were leaving, he said something like “Thanks, and I’ll do the same for someone else some time.” The blessing that I received from a Brethren pastor was now being passed on to other new ministers.
There’s another way that John Rosenberg is passing the peace, and that’s in not being anxious. Ministers who work with churches in transition get specialized training called interim pastor certification. Michael and I took that training about 10 years ago. And one of the principles is called “being a non-anxious presence.” Whether the minister is in the emergency room dealing with a tragedy or moderating a contentious board meeting, he or she is called to be a peaceful presence. This is a blessing that comes right from Philippians 4.
PHP 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
We usually think of this passage in terms of our own peace, but see this line: Let your gentleness be evident to all. This is also about passing your peace to others by your example, by being a peaceful presence for all you come in contact with.
We can pass the peace of Christ to others. The Lord is near. Amen.
copyright 2004 Cynthia O'Brien
September 19, 2004
Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church, Fairview, Oregon
Luke 10:1-12
Philippians 2:47
“Passing the Peace That Passes Understanding”
Luke 10:1-12
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. "When you enter a house, first say, `Peace to this house.' 6 If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. "When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, `The kingdom of God is near you.' 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 `Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
_______________________________________________________________________
"When you enter a house, first say, `Peace to this house.'
At one church I served there was a sign on the door of the office: “Peace to all who enter here.” And on my door at home there is a tiny plaque with a blessing of peace.
On occasion, I’m asked to do a house blessing. You might not have experienced one, but it’s not unusual to mark the occasion of moving into a new house with some kind of ceremony. When I was up at the Grunewald Guild, they had just built a new studio and my class was the first to use it. Before we entered, we had a ceremonial blessing of the space.
A group of church leaders created a nice house blessing a few years ago that I have adapted, and it begins with this prayer:
When Christ took flesh through the Virgin Mary, he made his home with us. Let us now pray that he will enter this home and bless it with his presence. May he always be here among us; may he nurture our love for each other, share in our joys, comfort us in our sorrows. Inspired by his teachings and example, let us seek to make our home before all else a dwelling place of love, diffusing far and wide the goodness of Christ. (adapted from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers, Bishop’s Committee on the Liturgy, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, c. 1988)
Then you go to each room and say a brief prayer. For example, in the kitchen,
O God, you fill the hungry with good things. Send your blessing on us, as we work in this kitchen, and make us ever thankful for our daily bread.
This is a blessing that will stick with the family and mysteriously rests in the home. It has meaning, it has substance, and it is a way of inviting God into that place.
In a similar way, although not as involved, the first missionaries pronounced peace on each home. "When you enter a house, first say, `Peace to this house.'
This pronouncement of peace was a common greeting. Back in 1 Samuel 25:5
While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. 5 So he sent ten young men and said to them, "Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. 6 Say to him: `Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!
Later, in Acts 10, Peter would speak peace when he entered the house of Cornelius.
So the disciples are to say “Peace to this house.” Who can receive this peace?
6 If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.
If he is of like character and receives the guests, he will receive that peace.
Jesus also directs these missionaries to heal the sick and tell them “The kingdom of God is near.” They are not only speaking peace, they are passing the peace of Christ.
The Passing of the Peace
After the prayer of confession, a time when we have asked God to forgive our sins, and we have received the assurance of God’s forgiveness, the leader says something like, “Since God has forgiven us, let us forgive each other. The peace of Christ be with you.” The people respond, “And also with you.”
Here is the official description of what happens next, according to the Book of Common Worship.
Having been reconciled to God in Jesus Christ, the people are invited to share signs of reconciliation and the peace of Christ.
Signs can include handshakes or hugs, and some of the teenagers began using this sign (peace sign) which is also OK with me. Now listen to what we are doing in sharing the peace.
In sharing the peace, we express the reconciliation, unity, and love that come only from God, and we open ourselves to the power of God's love to heal our brokenness and make us agents of that love in the world.
What God has given us, reconciliation, unity and love, we are expressing to and with others. Then we open ourselves to God’s power to heal us. Then we become agents of that love. Did you ever think that so much happened while we passed the peace?
Sometimes the peace is placed at a different point in the service, either before communion, so people can be reconciled before approaching the table. Remember the Bible says, if you are bringing your offering to God and then realize that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there, go make up with your brother, then present your offering. Likewise the Peace plays an important role before communion.
Here’s what one liturgical theologian said about it:
The peace which enables people to live in unity and in the spirit of mutual forgiveness comes only from Christ whose word has been proclaimed. Without the intention to live in such unity, participation in the sacramental celebration is a mockery and, as St. Paul warns, is dangerous [1Corinthians 11]. The peace is a sign that those who participate in it open themselves to the healing and reconciling power of God’s love and offer themselves to be agents of that love in the world. (Pfatteicher, Manual on the Liturgy, Lutheran Book of Worship, 1979, p. 227)
Martin Luther once wrote that the exchange is “the true voice of the gospel announcing remission of sins, and therefore the one and most worthy preparation for the Lord’s Table.” (Luther’s works 53:28)
Here is another way to introduce the peace, drawn from Col. 3:15 and John 20:19, 21, 26
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.
To this peace we were called
as members of a single body.”
Have you ever thought of peace ruling your heart?
Do you remember that we are members of a single body?
Back in the summer of 1986, I had to participate in a forced reconciliation every day. I was touring with the Continental Singers – 90 concerts in 90 cities in 90 days, more or less – with 40 people ages 16 to 26 on a bus, you can bet that there would be differences that required reconciliation.
Every evening, after setup, sound check, dinner and getting dressed, we sat in a circle and had a time of worship and reconciliation. It was at that time that, if you had something against someone or someone had something against you, that you walked across the circle and made up with that person. And in a group that tight, everyone knew who had to work out what. It was hard, sometimes very hard. But it was essential if we were to get up on stage and sing a Christian message with integrity.
In times of reconciliation, we are truly passing a blessing of peace.
Other times we pass a blessing
There are other times in our service that we pass a blessing.
In baptism, when I place my hand on the person’s head and pray for them.
In the benediction, when I raise my hands to invite God’s blessing of peace on us all. Some pastors raise their arms with their palms downward, conferring the blessing. Either way is appropriate.
Practice for Daily Life
The actions of blessing in our Sunday service are more than just an immediate blessing.
They are practice for daily life.
Sometimes I listen to Jack Hayford’s Sermons at Church on the Way, and oftentimes in the course of his message, he tells the congregation to say something to each other. For example, he’ll be preaching on how much God loves us and he’ll stop and tell everyone, “Turn to your neighbor and say, ‘God really loves you, I don’t know why, but he does.’ and the people all laugh and start saying it.
It’s not always just an icebreaker. It’s practice doing the things we’re learning.
That’s what much of our liturgy can do. Not only is it the worship of God, right here, right now, but it is also forming how we live in the world. When we sing God’s praises, those songs stick with us later – I hear my girls singing fragments of hymns and service music at home.
When we confess our sins in church and get used to the idea that the sins in the prayer might actually have some relevance to how we acted this week, that’s preparation for life. When we pass the peace to someone we don’t know or don’t like, or someone we know is in great need, we are not only blessing them in the moment but invoking God’s reconciling power in their life. And we are learning how to be reconcilers in other places outside of church. When we listen as a leader prays, we are not only praying but learning how to pray for others and bless them.
When elders pray for you after church, the person praying will often put his or her hand on your shoulder, conferring a blessing on you.
Some (New) Ways to Pass the Peace in Daily Life
On Laurel’s birthday, her teacher invited her up front and led everyone to sing Happy Birthday. The second verse was “God’s blessings on you…” and she placed her hand over Laurel’s head. She’s not only a preschool teacher but a Lutheran pastor’s wife and I know she is actually conferring a blessing on Laurel.
A family that has many pastors in it, the Nielsen family, has written a book, For Everything a Season: 75 Blessings for Daily Life. It has all kinds of blessings for certain occasions, such as a blessing for the night before the first day of school.
In this little ceremony, the family gathers around the backpack and school supplies, with a small Christian symbol of some kind, and prays for the student. They read a Scripture. They let the student talk about what he/she is worried about or excited about. Then one family member makes the sign of the cross on the child’s forehead and says, “(Name), Jesus is with you wherever you go.” They put the Christian symbol in the backpack as a reminder of God’s presence.
That wasn’t part of my experience growing up. But don’t you think that those kinds of blessings would be meaningful in a Christian home? It’s way of passing the peace.
Here’s another way.
There’s a new minister at Trinity Lutheran Church, John Rosenberg. That church is high on my prayer list so I sent him a note his first week and told him we were praying for him, and I offered to take him out for coffee. When we met, he said, “This is very nice,” and I told him that a local minister had called me when I first came to town. He said, “Oh, so you’re paying it forward.”
And after the coffee, when we were leaving, he said something like “Thanks, and I’ll do the same for someone else some time.” The blessing that I received from a Brethren pastor was now being passed on to other new ministers.
There’s another way that John Rosenberg is passing the peace, and that’s in not being anxious. Ministers who work with churches in transition get specialized training called interim pastor certification. Michael and I took that training about 10 years ago. And one of the principles is called “being a non-anxious presence.” Whether the minister is in the emergency room dealing with a tragedy or moderating a contentious board meeting, he or she is called to be a peaceful presence. This is a blessing that comes right from Philippians 4.
PHP 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
We usually think of this passage in terms of our own peace, but see this line: Let your gentleness be evident to all. This is also about passing your peace to others by your example, by being a peaceful presence for all you come in contact with.
We can pass the peace of Christ to others. The Lord is near. Amen.
copyright 2004 Cynthia O'Brien
Welcome to The River and Vine
This is the location for Rev. Cynthia O'Brien's sermons, messages and articles from Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church, Fairview, Oregon, and the Presbytery of the Cascades. May God bless you.
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