A Ringside Seat to a Christian Argument

Here's the text to my sermon for Sunday, September 7, 2008 based on Matthew 18:15-20

I was talking with some of the other pastors in town this week and we thought it was a cruel trick that the people who put the lectionary together play on us when they know that it is the opening day of Learning Time!

However, I think that this reading is a great reminder for us as we begin a new program year at People of Hope what we are a part of when we live as disciples of Jesus and we get along with each other.

When I was a chaplain intern in a hospital out in Oregon, the summer before I came to People of Hope, I worked with all kinds of different patients and their families and witnessed all kinds of different dynamics within those families. I was so new to being a chaplain though that I hardly felt prepared to bring spiritual wisdom and comfort to people who were often having experiences that dramatically changed the way they saw their lives. The reality was, I was scared. I was scared to approach the room of patients whose charts would say, “Patient has stated they are angry at God.” or “Patient and family have conflicting views for care.” What could I do to make the situation any better?

In these situations, I knew that several things could happen. If a patient was angry with God and I walked in as the chaplain, I could immediately become the target of the problem because I represent the thing that the patient is angry at. On the other hand, it could be a great comfort to a patient to have the chaplain show up and be able to tell someone who cares about God how angry they are about what has happened to them.

On one occasion, I walked into the room of a patient who had been diagnosed with pneumonia. He was in his 50s, married, had a daughter and a granddaughter. As I visited with him, I came to find out he had been a pretty heavy drinker in the past, a gambler who lost more than he won, he hopped from job to job always making enough to pay the bills, but not doing much else to support his family. His daughter was sitting there as we talked and would interject her perspective from time to time, often encouraging him to tell more details of the story and commentary on how his actions affected the rest of the family. I heard how she and her father had grown apart for years and how painful that was to her. I heard how things were getting better, but that this illness really scared her because she wasn’t sure if they’d have enough time to reconcile. I heard how he regretted so many of the things that he’d done in the past, how he thought that there was no way to regain a relationship with her. Without really trying to do anything but listen, I found myself in the middle of confrontation. It was the confrontation of the truth. But it was rooted in a deep desire for a closer relationship.

There are few Bible passages that challenge me more than this one. I don’t know about you, but growing up in Minnesota, I didn’t really learn much about confrontation or gain any appreciation for it…in fact it’s a swear word in some families I know…or so it seems.

We have been programmed in our Midwestern ways to be Minnesota nice, which from my estimation means that we accept what comes to us, nod and smile in agreement, don’t stir the water too much. We may even convince ourselves that everything will be ok over time. But it usually isn’t if left unaddressed.

Instead of talking to the person who’s offended us, we may even go to our friends or family who will agree with us and tell them how offended we were by what was said or done instead of bringing our grievance to the person who has caused us pain. Yet, what good does this do us in the long run? Sure we feel affirmed by the ones we know will agree with us, but there is still a distance growing between us and the one who’s offended us if we don’t go straight to the source to seek reconciliation and acceptance.

I said that I am challenged by Jesus’ words and directions here. This reading seems too legalistic. It has been abused by too many people, especially in the church over the centuries. It appears that this is a method for a power play for breaking someone who has been perceived to have done wrong.

But taking a closer look there is great wisdom here and a faithful way of dealing with conflict that leads to restored relationship instead of isolating dominance. Look at the reason that Jesus tells us to go to the one who’s offended…it’s so that they may be restored to the community.

Unlike many arguments we have in life, where our goal is to be right and for us to win our way, Jesus gives this instruction under the direction that the church, who is God’s family, is not called to argue for one’s own interests, but is called as a community to seek the interests of God.

In order for us to accomplish or even attempt this, we as the church need to be learners of God’s way, together. That is what a disciple is; a learner. As learners, we come humbly to this work of being and shaping the church. We have to assume that we don’t have it all figured out and that we will stumble along the way, but by God’s grace, we have enough figured out to be called the church.

And as God’s family, we know there are ways of living our lives that are more faithful to God than other ways of living. So we strive together toward living God’s ways of generosity, mercy, worship, justice, love, hospitality, and a commitment to God’s mission in the world. There are obviously others, but these are some of the big ones. So, if we agree on how we live together as the church we also agree to be accountable to one another.

If I do something that the church does not think is a characteristic of our Christian community, I hope you will tell me in love and in the interest of our shared commitment to the church.

It’s a like being a part of a family, right? Let’s say a mother brings her son to the park and he is playing on the playground with other kids. Now, little Johnnie starts picking up rocks and throwing them at the other kids. Does the mother show love in not correcting the child’s behavior? If that behavior continues to be allowed, it becomes normalized in that child’s life and by the time their in kindergarten, little Johnnie becomes the most feared kid in his class and soon isolated because he was not taught the rules of the community around him.

Jesus does not wish for us to be isolated or feared as the church in the world. In fact when we read the line, “If he ignores the community, deal with him as you would a heathen and a tax collector”, we may at first blush think this is the harshest and most radical thing Jesus could possibly say. But, then we remember who it was that Jesus chose to be with, the sinners and the tax collectors and we realize that the Jesus’ vision for the church is a place of radical inclusion that takes the process of learning to be disciples seriously.

This is why we have LT, small groups, this is our job as the church to instruct and model the ways of God for younger generations in our homes and in our communities.

Conflict is inevitable, being human is a messy job. We all make mistakes, we all fall short of Jesus’ vision for the church, and the expectations of our family and friends, just like my patient fell short of his family's expectations. As God's people we keep striving with one another toward Christ's vision for the church, lovingly encouraging each other, helping each other live in God’s ways, and seeking reconciliation with those who’ve offended us by accepting each other as fellow learners along the way.

Jesus leaves us at the end of this reading with the assurance that in our reconciliation and acceptance in the community, that when we gather with two or three of our friends of the church, Jesus is present, and ready to guide our actions and decisions, and open us to the mysteries of God and deeper relationships with each other.

Wilderness Wanderings with Good Company

Three weeks ago, my colleague, friend and founding pastor of the church I serve, left for a new call in St. Paul. As the congregation and I have transitioned into this new space and time together, I have discovered that though I may be the sole ordained guy around, that I am in good company in this venture.

I have said to our leadership team a few times, "Here's where I think we need to go, but I've never done this before." And their response is typically, "Neither have we!" There is great comfort in being able to wander in this wilderness together. In my sermon on Sunday, I said that anytime we find ourselves wandering in the wilderness, we better be looking for God. Moses and the Israelites stumbled on God, Elijah found God in the still small voice on the mountain. John the Baptist cried out for the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord, and Jesus feeds more than 5000 in the wilderness on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

It's comforting to know that we are not alone. There's good company in the wilderness. I just find that I'm required to rely on God more when I trip into the wilderness. As I have met with so many now from People of Hope, I am most often uplifted by their faith that we are going to continue to be a strong community of faith and that we are all in this together. I am humbled by their faith and confidence in my leadership, even when I am half some of their ages.

The more I meet with people, the more I realize too that God knows what he is doing in bringing the church made of all kinds of people together and shaping them into the body of Christ. Over and over, I have seen this body broken open and shared with each other and the community. Over and over I am amazed at the vision that God has placed in this community of believers, seekers, cynics, questioners, lovers of God, and bystanders. It's good company for this leg of the wilderness wandering.

Welcome to the big bright world Eliana Audrey

With the wonder of today's technology, we can introduce the world to Ellie. It's like the scene in the Lion King when Rafiki runs to the top of the mountain and presents Simba to the animal kingom, only I don't have to face the hyenas!

Our new family is doing really well, Erica and my eyes could stand to see a little more of the inside of our eyelids, but we're figuring it out every hour.

Pictures of Eliana

When Love Comes to Town After Party

In the Christian tradition, Good Friday is usually reserved for a solemn remembrance of Jesus' death on a gruesome cross. Christian denominations with roots in the 16th and 17th century are well accustomed to feeling empty on this somber occasion. As gruesome a death as Jesus had, it does not compare to the abundant life and love that comes through the cross to Easter, and Jesus' resurrection.

People of Hope and Living Stone Church brought these traditions of somber reflection and God's ultimate act of love together on Friday night in "When Love Comes to Town: An Easter Experience".

If you saw the show, Let me know what you thought by contacting me. If you didn't see the show, but are interested in knowing more, contact me.

Here's a sample of last week's event.

Peace be yours in the Risen Christ!

I can hardly wait any longer!

So it has been 39 wonderful weeks of development and growth for this image we see above and the time for her to come into the world is approaching...but not yet. I can hardly wait to greet this daughter of mine and give her the love that I have been feeling since we first new she was coming. It is not only my wife and I that wait, but family and a whole community of people that anticipate with joy her coming. What a thrill it will be!

When Love Comes to Town

Thirsting for Living Water

I preached this sermon on February 24th, at People of Hope in Rochester, MN. The sermon is based on John 4:5-42

Thirsty?

The woman comes to a point in her exchange with Jesus that leads her to tell others, “Come and see a man who has told me everything I’ve done! He couldn’t be the messiah could he?”

One has to wonder why this woman is so excited about someone who knows everything about her. We know it’s not her shimmering resume or all of her personal and professional accomplishments that she is so proud that Jesus knows about, unless you count having as many husbands as Elizabeth Taylor a success. She is a stranger to everyone in her own town, an outcast because of decisions she’s made and circumstances that have happened to her. She is so ashamed of her life, that she has to come to the well to get necessary water in the middle of the day, when it’s so hot that none of the other women in town would be there.

The unnamed woman in our story this morning is thrilled because unlike anyone else in town, Jesus addresses the truth of who she is with her, not just through a gossip mill around other people. She was thirsty for a drink of that living water that only Jesus could give her. And contrary to what we might think, the drink of truth transformed her from an isolated nobody to the primary evangelist in town!

The truth is until she met Jesus, she really had nothing to be proud of. She was dried up and labored just to get a few drops of attention, even if it didn’t amount to much in the long run. She was the woman in town that everyone talked about, but that no body talked to. Her greatest desire was to be known and loved, but not even her relationships with her husbands could quench her thirst for the love she longed for.

Perhaps her whole life had been like this, longing for wholeness. Perhaps she had never really experienced unconditional love, had never had the opportunity to be known by someone because too often in her life, she had been criticized, abused or neglected. Every relationship up to this point had dried her out. Now in the middle years of her life, someone finally sees her and speaks the truth to her in a way that oddly enough…frees her to be who she has always wanted to be, she all of a sudden can swallow easily and thirsts no more.

Being seen is a powerful thing. To know that another human being has truly seen you, understood you, received you for who you really are: that is pure grace. It is the experience of a fresh cleansing rain. Most of us would do anything for it. And sometimes we want to be seen and understood more than anything else in our lives.

Being seen and understood is pure grace. There’s nothing better than someone knowing your deficiencies, neuroses and sins and loving you in spite of them. The more people know of us the more our cracks and blemishes are exposed. The more people know of us, the more we are vulnerable. Media and culture says that if we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, we’ll end up like kids on the playground, someone is bound to get picked on, knocked down and left crying in the sand. The more you show of yourself; it is possible that this could happen…we don’t live in a utopian world. But the more our cracks and blemishes are laid to bear, the easier it is for that living water of God’s grace to fill us and restore us as well. Grace is delightfully unpredictable. When we see it or experience it, it has the ability to turn us around and see ourselves in a new light. Grace transforms the lost into the found, the scarce into abundance, the broken into wholeness, the ashamed into the proud, and makes the impossible possible.

Five days before the end of the school year of ninth grade, I found myself desperate for grace. I needed to be seen and understood more than anything, because in the course of one evening everything I had known changed. My friend Joe had come over to hang out after school, we were in the basement, and at about 5 o-clock, my dad came to the top of the stairs and said, “Good bye Jason, take good care of your sister.” I thought that it was a strange thing to say, but at the time I didn’t think much of it. When my mom came home, a little later than I had expected her, with tear stained cheeks, I found out that my dad had robbed a store at gunpoint and led a high speed chase down the highway before being caught about 8 miles out of town. Our lives had changed in an instant.

The next morning, I was getting ready for school when my mom came half way down the stairs and tossed the local paper on the floor at my feet. On the front cover was a rather large photo of my dad being detained, face down on the pavement of the highway. My mom gave me the option of staying home from school that day, but I figured I couldn’t just escape. The school was my well, I had to go there. So, I finished getting ready and headed out the door. As I walked into school, I felt like I was no longer known, but I was known about, much like the woman that Jesus met. I felt broken and lost. When I got to my locker, some of my friends ignored me, others talked among themselves, but two friends from my church asked how I was. They had seen me, they looked deep into me and saw me for who I was. It was delightfully surprising grace…it was a refreshing drink of life giving water when I was so thirsty.

As the days and weeks went on, my family was sustained by this life giving water. Jesus was present in those dark days of uncertainty through the grace and generosity of others. When we felt we had nothing, we had more than enough, when we felt we were broken Jesus surrounded us with people who helped us feel whole again, when we felt lost Jesus took our hands and guided us back into community, when we thought we had experienced the impossible, Jesus was there to make it possible to transform despair into hope.

Are you thirsty? Are there people in your life that you long to see you and know you and understand you? Do you see others around you thirsty for life giving water? Perhaps we are all like the woman that Jesus meets at the well, thirsty for something, and we’re holding our water buckets full of burdens, stress, power, fear or unattainable control. These things will not quench our thirst. Let go of your buckets, leave them alone. Jesus invites us to living water that doesn’t dry up. This water of grace and hope, love and acceptance is ours from the savior of the world, Jesus. Drink it up and share it with others. Quench your thirst.

The woman left her bucket because she didn’t need it any more. She was given a new identity a new hope. We have also been given this same gift, as Jesus takes the truth of all that we are and all that we have experienced and pours grace out over us and into us. For Jesus, it doesn't matter that we carry heavy buckets of junk around with us, he just continues to pour grace into the world, in spite of and because we are thirsty without him.
Amen


Throughout the course of the week leading up to this sermon, I deliberated on whether the personal story I use in the sermon was too personal and made me too vulnerable. But as I thought about it, I realized it is vulnerability and honesty that opens us to the work of the Spirit among us in the world. May the Spirit of the living God flow through you and in you today that your life may be filled with the quenching water of life.

Happy New Year!

A new year has dawned and with it new reflections to be had on living life with joy and hope. This year I want to make it my practice to live less frenetically. Those who know me will say, "yeah, right! Fatherhood is going to make you less crazy and scattered?" I accept that my life will change greatly this year as I continue to settle into the life of ministry and the new role as father. However, hear me out. I believe that it is time for me to think through things more fully before taking a position, live with less reaction and more reflection. It will be better for me and for those I care about and love. So, here's to 2008, may it be a year of growth and hope for me and for all of us.

PEACE.