Crossing Boundaries

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany – Year B

February 1, 2015

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him.

Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "no idol in the world really exists," and that "there is no God but one." Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth — as in fact there are many gods and many lords — yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. "Food will not bring us close to God." We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.

There are few things in the world that it can safely said are shared as actions by pretty much every single living thing on the planet. One of those things is eating. Now, eating happens to be one of my favorite pastimes. I truly enjoy sitting down and biting into a wonderful dish. I love my pizza, I love my burgers, I enjoy a good beer at the end of the day. Eating is wonderful, is it any surprise that Jesus is recorded spending a fair amount of time with his disciples and followers sitting around eating? Should it surprise us that one of the central acts of the church is gathering around a table together and sharing in a holy meal? Food unites us in a way that few other things do. But, what if you can't eat it?

In recent years there has been a rather incredible increase in the incidence of food allergies. There are whole schools that have been declared peanut free due to the high number of students that have a severe allergy to peanuts. One of my nephews recently discovered he has an allergy to, well, just about everything. One of my best friends back in Iowa has Celiac's disease, and even the smallest amount of gluten can cause serious, potentially fatal problems for her. I think most of us know someone who has to be careful about the things they eat. And so, we tend to be careful about the food we have when they come over for dinner, or if we go out to a restaurant. Whether the person just can't stand mushrooms, is an alcoholic, or is deathly allergic to shellfish, their dietary situation can turn into a real boundary that can keep them or us isolated.

Now that I think about it, boundaries are also something that pretty much all of us have to deal with in one way or another. We see signs that serve as a boundary just about every day: no entry, wrong way, private property, keep out, employees only, authorized individuals only. And then there are the boundaries that we all know, but the signs are invisible. You know what I mean, places where you feel like you don't belong because you don't have the right upbringing, your bank account isn't big enough, your skin color is wrong, you don't speak the right language or you speak with an accent, you fall in love with the wrong people, you dress differently; there are lots of boundaries that our culture likes to throw in our paths.

Back in 1971, the Canadian group Five Man Electrical Band, wrote a song called Signs. The song is a declaration about the many signs that could be seen at the time, signs that limited the expressions of people. The refrain of the song proclaims, “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind. Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?” In the final verse, we hear of what happens when a church is visited. “And the sign said, "Everybody welcome. Come in, kneel down and pray" But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all, I didn't have a penny to pay. So I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign. I said, "Thank you, Lord, for thinkin' 'bout me. I'm alive and doin' fine." We may not think about it, but there are signs all around us, even in our churches.

And those are the boundaries that other people put up, what about the ones we put up? In order to protect ourselves from things that are strange, or frighten us, we put up boundaries. We surround our homes with fences, we put in security systems in our houses and businesses, we obsessively lock our doors. But, if there is anything that we should know by now, it's that all those things we put up to protect ourselves really can't keep anything or anyone out. If someone wants to get in, it doesn't matter how high the fence is, how many locks are on our doors, or how good the security system is – people will always find a way to get in, around, over, under, through any and all barriers. All those barriers really don't keep others out, so much as they keep us locked in.

Boundaries and barriers between ourselves and others are nothing new, and in our reading from First Corinthians, it's apparent that the Apostle Paul was dealing with an issue that was serving as a barrier between people of faith. The issue may have started with whether or not it was permissible for Christians to eat the food sacrificed at the temples of other gods, but in the end it really came down to the much larger question of how a person of faith interacts with the world around them. Do you separate yourself from the world, seeking to escape from the problems and issues of the world; or do you live your life in the world, engaging the problems of the world with your faith. It's clear that for Paul, this was not an easy question. He was someone who seemed to want it both ways when it came to living apart from and in the world.

Paul's division within himself was a result of some deeply held beliefs. He approached all things with the firm understanding and belief that there was only one God, and that in Jesus Christ we have all been set free from having to live in fear of the world around us – the evil in the world could do whatever it wanted to us, in the end we had heaven to look forward to. Jesus did not interact with the world with the understanding that the world and the people in it were evil, he looked upon the world with the viewpoint and understanding that wherever we are, God is there, loving us, nurturing us, drawing us into the joy of God’s life and love. With this at the core of his interaction with the world, we find Jesus crossing all kinds of boundaries and joyfully engaging the world around him. Thus, there would be no danger to a Christian in crossing that boundary and eating food that had been offered up to a god that didn't exist in the first place. Those were the two positions that Paul found himself seeking to balance.

It wasn't a balance Paul found easily. There seems to have been some boundaries that Paul just couldn't bring himself to cross, and Christians gathering with their friends and eating with them in ritual meals in pagan temples was one step beyond where Paul could go, even with his deep belief there was only one God, and all other gods were just made up. To be fair to Paul, we have to recognize that he was raised within Judaism that had a long history of devout faith in one God, while surrounded by countries and faiths that declared multiple gods. So, that Paul would have had a gut-level reaction against even the visual possibility of recognizing another god shouldn't surprise us. Even Paul's clear conviction that there is only “one God” and “one Lord” didn’t enable him to step over that boundary.

In the church, we tend to lift up Paul, recognizing his holiness and teaching. Much of our Christian understanding and theology is based on Paul's teachings. Because of that, we have a tendency to overlook those times when Paul may have made a misstep, places and issues where Paul (despite his wisdom) may have led us down a problematic path, like the way he thought about the role of women in the church. This is, I believe, another one of those instances. Rather than using this as an opportunity to live out God's grace in a very real way, to “become all things for all people” as Paul says, he retreats behind his Jewish culture and training. And that reaction of not crossing that boundary has been passed down to us over the last two thousand years. Instead of engaging the world the way Jesus did, all too often, we draw lines that separate us from the world around us.

We are in the season of Epiphany, that season in the church year when we celebrate God's presence with us, when we reflect on the encounters we all have with the holy. It is the good news of Epiphany, the good news of Emmanuel, the good news of God being with us that should be our guide when it comes to boundaries and barriers. If we believe that God is with us wherever we go, then what have we to fear from crossing boundaries in order to engage the world with our faith? I’m not saying anything goes—there are some things that are incompatible with loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbors as ourselves. But if God is constantly surrounding us with life and love, then what are we afraid of? What do we have to fear from leaving our safe places of sanctuary, our places of refuge we have surrounded with our fences, boundaries, and limits and encountering people who challenge us with their different lifestyles and faith systems and cultural expressions?

The God who is always there, always with us, wherever we are, does not call us to live lives of separation or isolation, but to live lives of community and engagement. Our God set the model for reaching out when God reached out and came to us, delivering the message of love and grace in Jesus Christ. The God who came to us, calls us not to withdraw but to reach out. The God for whom no one is beyond the scope of mercy and love calls us not to retreat behind walls and barriers, but to take our faith out into our world that is so full of challenging diversity. And the same God promises to be with us, everywhere that calling takes us.

May we respond to God's call, leaving behind the walls and boundaries we have built, and go out into the world to tear down boundaries and walls as we share the love and grace God has shown to us with a world that is so in need of hearing that message. Amen.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Second Sunday after Epiphany - Year B

January 18, 2015

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

O God, you have searched me and known me.
  You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.

You search out my path and my lying down,
  and are acquainted with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue,
  O God, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
  and lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
  it is so high that I cannot attain it.
For it was you who formed my inward parts;
  you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you,
  for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
  that I know very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,
  when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written all the days
  that were formed for me, before they existed.

How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
  How vast is the sum of them!

I try to count them —
  they are more than the sand;
I come to the end —
  I am still with you.

As I mentioned last week, my father is also a pastor; as is my brother and his wife. We are, to use the language of the Old Testament, a priestly family. Both my brother and I followed in our father's footsteps. But, we didn't do it perfectly.

My father is a very conservative Lutheran. We even joked in our family that my father was more Lutheran than Martin Luther himself. We were raised in a very Lutheran home. Yet, it was being raised in that very Lutheran setting that eventually caused me to leave the Lutheran church and find my home here in the United Church of Christ. The central understanding in Luther's thought was that we are saved by grace, and it is totally and completely a gift from God that we do not deserve nor can do anything to make God more likely to offer it to us. Salvation is about God acting, not us.

Yet, as I grew into adulthood I discovered that all too often, even in a denomination that preached grace, grace was not truly lived out and experienced. So, I sought out a church, a denomination where I felt that grace was more than just something that was talked about; it was also a driving force in the way in which the church functioned and presented itself; I found that in the United Church of Christ.

As a denomination, we are young; not even 60 years old. Yet, we trace our roots to the oldest Protestant churches in America. We trace our roots through churches and practices that are diverse and full of differences. Our differences do not keep us from being church, though, we are United regardless of our differences. In the UCC, there are congregations that are extremely liberal and there are congregations that are extremely conservative. And we embrace each other as being part of the same testimony to God's love and grace. We are who we are.

One of the interesting conflicts in the world in which we find ourselves is the seeming contradiction between our desire to all be individuals and the desire to fit in. Look at a group of teenagers – chances are they all have the desire to be different, to be unique; yet, when it comes to what they wear, the music they listen to, a majority of them do the same thing. A few years ago, it seemed that tattoos and piercings were a way in which people could declare their uniqueness. Now, when so many people have them, is it really a way of declaring your being different? When I was in high school the kids fought against it every time the topic of school uniforms was brought up; even though we all wore jeans and t-shirts to school everyday anyway. We didn't want to all dress the same, yet we basically all wore the same uniform every day anyway.

At a certain level, we all know that we are different. We look at each other and it's clear to see. I have blue eyes, and yours are brown. I'm tall, and your shorter. I wear glasses, and you don't. I'm married, and you aren't. I'm a morning person, and you're a night person. I like coffee, you prefer tea. I'm outgoing, and you are introverted. It would be a boring world if we were all the same. And the most incredible, wonderful thing about it, is that God made us different on purpose. Each and every single one of us was “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

It might seem hard to see how incredible that is. We are all of high value, all precious creations in God's sight. Sure, some people may be more public than others, but coach Urban Meyer is not more fearfully or wonderfully made than you or I. Sure, some people may consider him to be of much greater value or worth than us, but to God that is not the case. As we heard last week, in our baptism's God calls names each and everyone of us as beloved children. And as a parent knows and love their children, so too does God know and love each and every one of us. God knows us so well because God made each and every one of us, just as we are.

When I was growing up, there was a poster in our church office that showed a young child. The words on the poster declared, “I know I'm okay, because God doesn't make trash.” What a wonderful, powerful message. It's a message that is as relevant today as it was over 30 years ago. You and I can know we are okay just as we are, because God doesn't make trash. God made us short or tall, fat or thin, athletic or clumsy, musical or not, straight or gay, shy or outgoing; God made us that way, and God doesn't make trash.

If you look at the front of your bulletin this morning, you will see a picture of fish. There are a lot of fish, and they mostly all look the same and are going in the same direction; but, there is one fish that is different, and headed in a different direction. All of these fish were fearfully and wonderfully made by God. It's the unfortunate reality that we as human beings tend to treat poorly the fish that look a little different, or go in a direction that is different than ours. It's a tragic thing, that we in the church have far too often followed human nature in how we have treated those that are different in how they are fearfully and wonderfully made. The church has historically not always seen beyond the externals to see others how God sees us as God's own beloved children; made and known just as we are.

We, here at Zion United Church of Christ, have voted to be an Open and Affirming congregation. That means that (in the words of our statement) we will, “extend God's Extravagant Welcome to persons of every gender, age, race, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, mental and physical ability, social and economic status, faith background, political and theological beliefs, marital standing and family structure.” We have decided as a church that we are going to be a different voice here in our community and region. When people hear about us, what they are going to hear is a message of welcome, a message of embracing all people as they are, as they are fearfully and wonderfully made.

It's a wonderful statement, a wonderful guide for how we are going to function as a congregation. Yet, we all know, that words without actions behind them are just words; nice to hear but without power. We must, as a congregation, as a community of faith, as a gathering of God's children, give power to the words of our statement in our lives and actions.

The church is sometimes thought of as being a place of refuge in the chaos of the world, an island of calm and peace in the storm around us. And that is the way it should be, but all too often we have turned that image on its head. Rather than the bringing people to the island, each and every week we set sail from our paradise, bringing a message of welcome and love. Then, we leave and head our own way – leaving those who we delivered our message still on their islands of despair and exclusion. Our calling is not just to bring the message, but to bring those who hear that message back with us.

It is not enough for us every every Sunday to proclaim that we accept everyone, that no matter where you are on life’s journey you are welcome here, then go back to our land of abundance leaving them still trapped in their lives of isolation. I want us to invite the people into our lives and church and to make as many trips as necessary to bring them out from where they are to that place of security, in the bosom of the Lord. Our work, our call to follow, my call, isn’t done until I can tell God who I helped save. Will God say well done my good and faithful servant to us? I sure hope so.

When someone takes that sometimes terrifying step across the threshold of our house of worship we need to be prepared to repair, heal and set free them. Even if the person can’t walk across that threshold alone we need to rescue them, and help erase the harms done. We need to show a different Christian than the ones they’ve known before.

Today I challenge all of us to accept the call to affirm all of Gods children, to bring them into the fold and then tell them the words from the affirming mysterious process of creation in our Psalm. For it was you who formed my inward parts, I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, wonderful are your works that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depth of the earth. Your eyes beheld my uniform substance, In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. Amen.

Claimed and Named

First Sunday after Epiphany Year B
The Baptism of Christ

January 11, 2015

Mark 1:4-11

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Over the next few weeks in my sermons and in conversation with you as a group and individually I am going to try and share bits and pieces of my history and biography with you. As I get to know you, I think it's also important that you get to know me as well.

One of the parts of my life that has had the greatest effect on me is that I was born overseas to parents that were missionaries. I was born in Lae, Papua New Guinea where my parents were both serving as teachers at the time. My parents actually met and married on the mission field. My mother is from Iowa, but my father is from Australia. I have one brother, Karl, who is also a pastor and is married to a pastor. He too was born in Papua New Guinea. We are truly an international family. We lived in New Guinea until I was almost 6, then we returned to the United States for 9 years before returning once again to New Guinea. I graduated from high school there before returning to Iowa where I studied Music Education at Wartburg College.

Growing up overseas has impacted me in ways that I am often completely unaware of. But, one of the ways I know it impacted me was in my embracing of diversity and difference. In my graduating class of 27 people, there were 7 different countries represented. Those 27 people were able to speak about 40 languages in total. English was my second language when I was a child, my first language was Melanesian Pidgin. It was normal for me to hear two or three different languages at the same time being thrown around the school library in conversation, languages were always being mixed on the sports field. It was normal to have friends who had what we might consider to be unusual names.

Among the native people in New Guinea, names had greater power and meaning than they often do in our culture. My father was a teacher both at a high school level, and later at one of the Lutheran Seminaries. As a teacher, encountered many students who had two different first names. Most of the students who studied at the seminary had names like Joshua, or Peter, James, Naomi or Sarah. Names that weren’t that foreign to us here. But, as you got to know them, you discovered they all had other names. They also had village names, names like: Buvy, Nonti, Kepas, Benoni, Mugarika. These were the names they had been given when they were born, the other western names were the names they were given when they were baptized, these were their Christian names. This was a statement in a very real way that their identity as Christians was something different than their family or cultural identity. In today’s culture in the United States, we tend to keep the same names from birth. But, if you recall, the church still retains the naming component in our baptismal services. We ask the parent, “By what name shall your child be called?”

Names are important, they provide us with a way of identifying one another. But, they also provide us with an identity. I am not Erik Brown, or Abraham Breddin; I am Erik Breddin – my name is part of my identity, part of who I am. Receiving a new name at baptism shows that a new identity has come into being. No longer is that baby, or child, or adult, just Bill, or Mary; they are now Bill or Mary - child of God.

For many people, baptism is the beginning of their life in the church. For others, baptism is the declaration of someone’s desire to be a part of the church, a declaration of faith at a later point in life. Baptism means many things, including the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. But baptism is also a declaration that the newly baptized person links their life, with that of Jesus. And once someone has experienced what it means to have your life attached to Jesus everything changes. That means, that at baptism everything changes.

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus arrives at the Jordan river and requests to be baptized by his cousin John; his cousin who seems more than a little reluctant to baptize Jesus. But, he does what Jesus desires and the act is done, as he is coming up out of the waters, “suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’" Heaven and earth are brought together in that moment, and Christ is revealed before our very eyes. His mission and ministry become crystal clear.

“This is my Son, the beloved.” Those words, or ones very much like them, are proclaimed more than once throughout the Gospels almost as exclamation marks emphasizing the role and reality of Christ. We find them repeated at the Transfiguration midway through Jesus' public ministry.  And, the centurion at the cross comes to the same epiphany. He exclaims that Jesus was indeed “God’s Son.”

In our baptisms we too are claimed by God as God's beloved children; although in not quite the same way as Jesus is. And, since the same heavenly parent claims Jesus and us, we are connected to one another. And our connection is to be lived out. Our baptismal covenant reminds us that we are called to “seek and serve Christ in all persons,” loving neighbor as oneself. Whenever it was that we “came up from the water” of our own baptism, whether recently or decades ago, we came up from those waters a new person in Christ, a child of God called to make Jesus manifest and known in our world today. Our baptism unites who we are today with the power of the Christ, the “Beloved” of God, baptized in the Jordan River 2000 years ago, and claimed and named as we were, as a child of God.

In our baptisms, God has named each and everyone of us as children of God, and as children of God we are also all sisters and brothers with one another. As Sister Sledge sang in their disco/funk hit, 'We are Family!' As sisters and brothers in the family of God, we look to one another in much the same way as we look to our biological sisters and brothers. We may not get along with our siblings all the time, we may even not really like them, but we love them. If my brother was in need, I would do all I could to help. If we can take seriously the claim of God on our lives, our naming as brothers and sisters in Christ, we will do all we can to ensure that all people, our sisters and brothers, will be able to live their lives to the fullest. We will do all we can to ensure they experience our welcoming embrace in the same way that Christ has welcomed and embraced us. As Christ walks with us through our lives, we will walk with them through the hills and valleys of their lives. As Christ dwells with us, we will dwell with them.

Christ dwells with us today, He is still here to be seen and discovered by those who, like the Magi, are willing to journey far from the commonplace in their quest for understanding and knowledge. Like the Wise Ones from the East we heard about last week, we must be willing to leave the comfort of our preconceptions and prejudices. We must be willing to look for the Christ in places others refuse to enter, whether it be shelter, soup kitchen, or stable. The Magi brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We must bring the gift of ourselves as we encounter Christ alive and present in the elderly, children, and all the vulnerable and defenseless people of our world.

Over the Christmas season, we've likely heard a lot about Emmanuel, God with us. God with us means that in Jesus, God knows what it is to be human. God knows what it is to know pain and hunger, sorrow and joy, anger and love. God knows because God has lived as we live. In our baptisms we are once again going where God has gone, experiencing what God has experienced. We worship and serve a God who was also baptized. Jesus too went through the waters, Jesus too came seeking to be washed clean in the waters, to be made new, to be claimed by God as God's own beloved Son.

In our baptisms we are claimed by God, and given the calling to proclaim peace and justice to the world, to battle evil in all its forms, to give of ourselves in service to others. To close our eyes to our own preferences and prejudices as we battle injustices and prejudices around us. Whenever you see someone washed at the font, remember, your baptism, and carry out with all energy the mission to which you have been called. But also remember the baptism of Jesus and give thanks and praise to our own baptized God who stands by us, calls us by name, and gives us the strength to carry out the mission we all have of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with a world that needs it so desperately. Amen.

Rejoice Always!

Third Sunday in Advent – Year B

December 14, 2014

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

This time of year, one of the things that many people struggle with is depression. It seems contradictory that in the midst of the season of happiness and joy, so many people have to struggle with depression; but its a fact that many people have personal experience with.

For some people the onset of depression is the result of fewer hours of daylight during the day. The shorter days and longer nights bring about Seasonal Affective Disorder. For people who deal with it, this depression comes back every year. And they annually must deal with those feelings of hopelessness, increased sleep and appetite and less energy. They must work against a loss of interest in work and other activities. I struggle with feelings of depression every year over the winter months. Yet, once the sun breaks through the cold of winter and summer comes, I am once again my happy self.

For many people, depression in winter isn't about the lack of daylight hours, it's about the reality of life itself. The holiday season is a time when we will spend much more time than normal with friends and family. For many of us it is a time of joy. Yet, for many people, those holiday events are a reminder of the loss of loved ones. As others gather together in festive joy, we recall those who are not with us. The parents and spouses who have died. The siblings and children who we will not see. The focus of the holidays on family and friends, can turn into a reminder of the family and friends we will not see. When you add in the increased stress of the season, all the extra expectations that we have on our plates, it can all become overwhelming.

Experts in the field of psychology have some suggestions for dealing with those occasional dark periods during the holiday season. They recommend keeping our expectations for the holiday season manageable by not trying to make the holiday “the best ever.” Try to set realistic goals for yourself. Be realistic about what you can and cannot do. Do not spend too much time preparing for just one day. They tell us to let go of the past! Don’t be disappointed if your holidays are not like they used to be. Life brings changes. Each holiday season is different and can be enjoyed in its own way. You set yourself up for sadness if everything has to be just like the “good old days.” Look toward the future. Do something for someone else. Try volunteering some time to help others. Enjoy holiday activities that are free such as driving around to look at Christmas decorations. Go window shopping without buying anything. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Celebrate the holidays in a way you have not done before. Spend time with people who are supportive and care about you. Make new friends if you are alone during special times. Contact someone you have lost touch with. But, you also need to find time for yourself! Don’t spend all your time providing activities for your family and friends.¹

It can be hard to remain positive when there are negative things happening around us, when our expectations either do not come to pass or are slow in coming. The child that has been talking for weeks before Christmas about that special toy, the one they want more than anything else. Her parents have searched literally in every store in the area, and its sold out. You can't get it anywhere. So, on Christmas morning, even though there were many other wonderful items found, the fact that that gift was not under the tree makes the holiday a failure in the eyes of a child. Disappointment can be a terribly draining thing, it's hard to rejoice when your hopes have been dashed.

When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, they were in a time of growing disappointment. The early church fervently believed that Jesus would be coming very soon. They looked for his return before most of them died. Yet, they looked around. Many of the first generation of believers were dying. The disciples were dying. The signs around them seemed to point to the imminent return of Jesus, yet he still has not come. They were disappointed, they are losing heart and hope. And we now nearly 2000 years later, are still watching and waiting. And, the apostle Paul writes, “Rejoice always.” Sure thing, no problem.

The dryer just stopped working, the toilet is over-flowing, the kids are fighting, and you just got a call from your aunt telling you the cancer is back. Rejoice! Not realistic is it. Let's face it, there are times in life when rejoicing is the furthest thing from our minds. Bad things happen, unfortunate things happen, we get news that we really don't want to get. Sometimes, let's be honest, life sucks. It would be pretty cold and unfeeling of the apostle Paul to tell us to rejoice when your son breaks his arm, rejoice when your spouse loses their job, rejoice when the car is totaled. So when Paul tells us to rejoice always, and give thanks in all circumstances, he isn't telling us to ignore the bad, or try to put a good spin on what has happened.

No, we know from his other letters that Paul freely admits that his life is full of hardship. But, he doesn't dwell on it, or allow it to drag him down (though, I'm sure there were times when he was sitting alone, chained to the wall of a dank and dark dungeon that he was far from happy). When Paul writes, “Rejoice always!” what he really means isn't to react to the bad things that happen with joy, but to be joyful, to be in the mode of rejoicing at all times. Why? Because of what God has done for us Christ Jesus.

2000 years ago, far from any hospitals or comfortable surroundings, a child was born whose birth was welcomed by shepherds and angels. He lived a quiet, holy life until he was around 30. Then, after he was baptized by John in the Jordan River he began to teach and do amazing acts of healing. After three years of teaching and bringing hope to people throughout Israel, he was killed as a common criminal on a hill outside of Jerusalem. But, death could not hold him and he rose from the dead. In his death our sins were forgiven, and in his resurrection we received the confirmation of our own futures. In our baptisms we were joined with Jesus and his death, and if we have been joined with him in his death then we shall surely be joined with him in his resurrection. And we know this because God is faithful.

Rejoicing can be hard when we see no reason to rejoice. We tell our children that Christmas is coming, but if they do not see the signs around them will the believe us? If they do not see the decorations, if they do not see trees being found and decorated, if they do not see Santa in the stores, if they do not hear the Christmas carols on the radio, they will have a hard time believing that Christmas is coming. We wait, but we see around us signs that God is faithful. Even in the midst of the world's brokenness, we see signs of its redemption, signs of its righteousness around us and within us that signal the presence of God's Spirit in and among us. The people of God continue to reveal godly and holy lives: the Word is proclaimed, the sacraments are celebrated, the homeless are housed, the hungry are fed, acts of mercy take place as Christ is among us anonymously. In this we can also rejoice.

Traditionally, this third Sunday in Advent is referred to as Gaudete Sunday. The word meaning “Rejoice Always”, taken not from this text, but from the Latin first word of the introit of this day's Mass in the Catholic Church. We rejoice, and Paul's call for us is to rejoice. Yet, this call is not a command it is a promise. A promise just as sure as the promise that we are not alone, and will never be alone. That we are loved by our God, who loved us so much that Jesus came and died for each and every one of us.

It is only by Jesus Christ that what seems like a demand in fact becomes a promise. Whatever is going on "out there," or in our own lives, when we see the struggles for racial justice in our country, the fighting between elected officials, the ever present face of poverty and hunger, the cries of children without parents, the cries of parents whose children die in their arms, the presence of disease and illness, the burden of loneliness, the pain of sorrow and loss, "in here"---in our liturgy, in our public work before God and the world---it is Gaudete -Rejoice-Sunday. And we believe we have reason to rejoice, to pray, and to give thanks. Amen.

1http://www.iup.edu/page.aspx?id=40187

Just the Beginning

Second Sunday in Advent – Year B

December 7, 2014

Mark 1:1-8

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

"See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
   who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
   'Prepare the way of the Lord,
   make his paths straight,'"

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

And, so it begins. This is a true story. Once upon a time. It happened a long time ago. It was a dark and stormy night. He couldn't believe his eyes when he opened the letter. It was the red shoes that caught her eyes first. There are ways that writers tell you to begin a story, and there are ways they tell you to avoid. Obviously, the phrases you just heard are examples of what you are not supposed to do (unless your goal is to turn the reader away.)

Beginnings are important. Sister Maria in The Sound of Music, tells her charges that the beginning is 'a very good place to start.' Plato writing long ago advised us, “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” Coaches of athletic teams tell you that the beginning often sets the stage for how the rest of the game will go. When I ran track, I spent a great amount of time working on the beginning moments of the race – making sure I could get off to a good start. Experts in education tell us that the first few years of learning (whether at home or at a preschool) can have long-lasting effects on the lifelong learning potential of the child. Beginnings are important.

So, after that terrible beginning, let's look at the beginning we have today – the beginning of Mark's gospel. The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark begins his gospel with a quote from the Old Testament. Well, to be more accurate, he begins his gospel by bringing together several different passages from the Old Testament: quotes from Isaiah (40:3), Malachi (3:1) and then just for good measure, adds in a touch of Exodus (23:20). The point is clear: what happens in Jesus is not a new thing unrelated to what God has done in the past. Jesus is the next chapter in a long story that has been going on forever. Jesus is the long-awaited one, whom prophets and angels foretold. And, John the Baptist is the one sent to prepare the way for his coming.

And what a guy. If he were to show up today, would we listen to him, to his words calling for repentance and baptism? He likely hasn't showered for a while. I'm guessing he had that sickly sweet smell that you can detect across the room. His clothing definitely wouldn't have helped his image. A camel hair outfit was not the most stylish of outfits. And a diet of honey and locusts would have likely left him thin and gaunt, perhaps even looking a little sickly. I've always pictured John as looking like the homeless guy down under the bridge. You know, the guy whose words and advice you listen to. You know, the really popular guy.

Okay, so when it comes to beginnings, perhaps John may not have been the guy chosen by the marketing firm to be the one to go into town and spread the word that the next big thing is coming. But, as we all know, God rarely does things the way we would, rarely chooses the person we would. John follows in a long line of surprising choices that God has made. And besides, the man is not as important as the message: the one is coming is greater than John. John (who had a good measure of popularity) wasn't even important enough to be the slave that tied his shoes. John's baptism of water was to be replaced, over-powered by the baptism of the Holy Spirit that was to come.

John is the great introducer. He is the one sent out to warm up the audience. The opening act before the headliner. He was the trailer before the movie. He was the beginning of what was to come next. But, what if there was more than that?

I want to put forward what may be a new way of thinking about the beginning of Mark's gospel. What if that first sentence in Mark isn't the lead for what is to come, but the title of the Gospel. What if the beginning isn't the entry of John the Baptist, but the entire Gospel itself?

Mark is a funny little gospel. It's the shortest of the four we have in the Bible. It doesn't tell us anything about Jesus' birth, and ends with the tomb being found empty. That's the way the Gospel ends in its shorter, and likely older version. Within the Gospel itself, the disciples are often portrayed as being a little clueless. Time after time, Jesus points things out to them, says things about his mission, about who he was, and they seem to be completely oblivious to what was right in front of them. Mark tells us the story, but leaves us as readers hungry for more. We seem to know there is more to the story, more to know about Jesus, more to discover about the good news. The story goes on.

In recent years, the United Church of Christ has been proclaiming it's motto that 'God is Still Speaking.' It's right in line with what the Comedian Gracie Allen is credited with saying: “Never place a period where God has placed a comma.” And, I think right in line with Mark's gospel message, that this is just the beginning. And I think it also goes right along with the fact that the message of Mark, the message of Jesus is Good News.

In our society there are all sorts of ways we get our news. Some of us read the newspaper on a daily basis. Some of us watch the t.v. news shows, some of us listen to the radio. We may get our news from the internet. We may get our news from conversation with others, sitting and enjoying a cup of coffee in town. We all find out what's happening in the world, and in our communities one way or another. What I'm pretty sure about is that if we wanted to get the news, we wouldn't read the same newspaper everyday, we would want to get the latest one. If we didn't we wouldn't be reading the news, we would be reading the history. Mark doesn't share with us the beginning of the good history of Jesus, he shares with us the beginning of the good news. I think it's pretty clear that the story is meant to go on, that the good news of Jesus, his teaching, his gift of the Holy Spirit, isn't just history, wasn't just good news 2000 years ago, it's good news today. It's good news for you, and good news for me.

Today, we will be celebrating Holy Communion. In my rather short life, I have experienced lots of different ways of doing communion. From little cups and wafers, to huge common goblets and loaves of bread, from wine so full of alcohol you almost choked on it to grape juice that was shockingly sweet. I have experienced long-winded words leading up to the act of communion itself, and the simplest of prayers said as we gathered for the feast. There are many different ways in which we practice communion, but there is one part of the service which remains remarkably unchanged whether happening in a grand cathedral or a hospital room. The words that accompany the bread and fruit of the vine: “for you.”

When we hear those words, when we truly hear those words, we discover that Jesus' words and action, his gift of the Holy Spirit isn't just some story put out there on the internet to be discovered. No, it was done with a purpose, it was done for some one, it was something for you and for me, personally. And, if it's truly good news, it's something that should cause us to jump up and do something.

One of the longest running television game shows is The Price is Right. Most of us have seen it, and it hasn't changed much in the last few decades. People guess the prices of items, and if they guess correctly or get close enough to the price, they win what they are guessing on. But, before they can guess. They have to be chosen. A studio full of people wait on the edge of their seats, waiting for their names to be called. “Stephanie, come on down, you're the next contestant on The Price is Right.” And, people all tend to act the same when their name is called out. They jump from their seats screaming. They jump up and down, the run forward. Their friends seated around them, jump up and down, they cheer, they shout. When they finally get up front to the contestant area, they are often so exited they can barely speak. This is a life-changing moment for them. They have been chosen.

That is the same level of excitement we should have when we encounter the good news. “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ the Son of God, for Bob!” “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ the Son of God, for Jane!” “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ the Son of God, for Fred!” And as we hear those words, as fellow participants in the event we cheer and we encourage and we share that excitement. With the excitement of hearing the good news and our name being called there is a new beginning, a new journey. The calling of our name, our response, is not the arrival, but the beginning.

It's a beginning because what follows is the living out of our calling, the living out of the good news we have heard in our daily lives. Jesus' teachings weren't the end. Jesus' miracles weren't the end. When he brought sight to the blind, it was the end of their blindness, but the beginning of their lives anew. When he healed the sick, it was the end of their illness, the beginning of their health. When Jesus rose from the dead, it wasn't the end of the story, it was the beginning. When we rise from the waters of baptism, it's not the end – it's the beginning.

Beginning something can be a scary thing, Change can be scary. We tend to like the security of things we know, things we have gotten used to, it is safe and comfortable. And new beginnings, newness can be viewed as blessing and gift but also can viewed as change, and we don’t always like change.

Over the past few years here at Saint Paul's we have been blessed to have many children born. The blessing of having so many children present in church is a challenge many churches do not have. Children are without a doubt a blessing, but the birth f a child will forever change your life. The birth of a child, the newness and excitement that goes along with it is fantastic, but it is also not easy. Caring for a new child takes work, adjustment, and learning new things.

Over the coming months and in the years ahead, there will be many changes for all of us. There will be changes in our families as children grow. There will be changes in our lives, as we move from one home to another, from one community to another. Our friendships will change as we meet new people. We will move from one job to another. Our church will grow and shrink. There will be many new things to see and do, to encounter. There will be many questions and times to think about the new things God will be calling us to. There will be times full of joy and excitement, and there will be times that fill us with fear and dread.

And each and every day, each and every change, brings with it a new beginning. A new day for the good news to live today,a new day for each of us to live out the good news in our lives and in the lives of others. A new day to declare, this is just the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Amen.

Times Running Out

First Sunday in Advent – Year B

Baptism of Aidan Frushour

November 30, 2014

Mark 13:24-37

[Jesus said:]
"But in those days, after that suffering,
   the sun will be darkened,
   and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from heaven,
   and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

"From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

"But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

The weeks are winding down, there isn't much time left. Every day the pressure seems greater and greater. The commercials and ads seem to never end. Two days only! Hurry, sale ends on Friday! Just a few days ago, millions of people gathered outside of stores in the dark of the night waiting for the stores to open so they could race one another through the aisles, in the hopes of being able to buy the television for that super-low price (that we won't see again until sometime in the Spring!) Time is running out, The signs are everywhere. Christmas is a month away.

It's hard to miss that fact isn't it. We walk into just about any store, and we see it decked out in green and red, garlands and blinking lights. We see the mannequins dressed up as Santa Claus, or the elves. We see the reindeer prancing in the store fronts, behind the signs seeking to draw us in after the newest seasonal items, and unique items that we simply “must have.” There are countdowns on the news channels, telling us how many shopping days there are until Christmas. People that work in the retail world find their hours being extended, or find they suddenly have a number of new coworkers brought in just for the holiday season.

We end up spending most of the next month in a time of frantic rushing. Rushing from one gathering to another, from one family event to another, from one holiday work party to another, from one sale to another, from one store to another. Rushing here and there. And, the whole time we are aware, the clock is ticking, time is getting away from us. The stores close in just a few hours, the sale ends today, Christmas is how many days away?

Welcome to the beginning of the season of joy and happiness! We enter into Advent, into our preparation for Christmas with joy and hope – except our readings are far from joyful; they are downright terrifying. The sun will be darkened, the moon will go black, stars will fall from the sky, and all the powers of the world will be shaken. Merry Christmas! The clock is ticking!

Advent is the season in the church year when we prepare, we prepare for the coming of Jesus. But, our passage this morning from Mark isn't about preparing for the birth of a child, it's about preparing for the return of Jesus. This passage is about Jesus' 'second coming.' The promised return trip when he will bring final judgment on humanity and all those things we read about in the Bible about God's final kingdom and reign will come to pass. This passage is about the so-called, “end times.” In recent years, there has been a lot of press about the end times.

There have been many books, both theological and novels, that have explored the time that is yet to come. There have been movies. There have been television shows and specials. I can pretty much guarantee that I can find at least one show on television interpreting the events happening around us as signs of the imminent return of Jesus. We all can remember individuals and groups through the years that have declared that Jesus is coming back on a specific date; and the fact we are around to talk about them is all the proof we need to know they were wrong in their predictions.

But, even after many wrong predictions, people keep looking for the return. When things are going badly, or it feels to us like the world is falling apart at a faster and faster pace, we want to have it all come to an end. We want the slide to stop. And, so we look for a Savior, and what better Savior to appear than the one who said he would return and make the world perfect once again?

If we look around, it's easy to see how people can look for salvation. Wars are tearing apart countries in the Middle East and in Africa. Children throughout the world are being sold into slave labor or the sex trade. We see churches shrinking and closing throughout our country. We look at our country and we see disagreement and fighting between the politicians, the news pundits, our neighbors, and within our own families. We see the quality of life not improving the way we may want it to. We wonder about the lives our children have to look forward to. It's easy to throw up our hands, and look to the horizon, watching for our salvation to appear in the rising sun.

But, the message of scripture is clear, "But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." But, we still make our predictions. We still try to interpret the proverbial tea leaves. And then, we have Jesus' words, "Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake!”

So we watch. And many people watch with a mixture of fear and eagerness. Looking forward to being united with God, and seeing the destruction of all those 'other' sinful people who have been such thorns in their flesh throughout their lives. Finally, God is going to do something about it, and they will have the best seat in the house to watch the tables turned; the final victory of God.

Jesus' words of keeping awake though, aren't ones that should prompt us to watch and wait. They are words that should prompt us to watch and work. Jesus tells his disciples they will not know the time. The master could return at anytime, and the slaves have been given their responsibilities.

Being ready at a moments notice is something I am trying to get used to. With our house finally being on the market, there have been a few days when our Realtor has sent me a text message telling me that there is a viewing that afternoon at 4. I suddenly have 3 hours to make sure the house is picked up and ready to be presented. It's stressful. I run around in panic mode, stuffing stuff into drawers and cupboards. Scrubbing and sweeping, dusting and cleaning. Thank goodness that our Realtor let us know, it would be a disaster if the potential buyer simply showed up on our front steps for a tour.

Yet, that's very much like the situation Jesus is presenting to the disciples. They have been given a task, they have their responsibilities, and he could come back at anytime and he is telling them to be aware of the jobs they have been given. How are they doing? Are they ready for their showing? Jesus is seeking to show the disciples, and us, that it is the duty of the servant, our duty, to care for the house, the gifts, we have been given in such a way that if the Master were to show up on our front steps today or in a thousand years, we would be ready for our showing, the Master would be pleased with the stewardship we have provided, with our care for what has been entrusted to us.

“If this world, our lives, are gifts from God, entrusted to us, then simply, it matters deeply to God that we believe in Him and obey Him; that we proclaim Him in word and deed. It matters that we take seriously the call to follow Jesus - because that was at the core of His teaching. It matters how we treat this world of ours, because God calls us to care for His creation. And it matters - matters deeply, how we treat one another - how we live with our families, spouses, children, friends; how we care for our colleagues and work mates; and how we treat strangers, the hungry, the homeless - the lonely.”¹

I strongly believe that Jesus' words are less about his coming back, than about the work we are to be about as we watch and wait for his coming back. We know the time is coming when Jesus will return, it will happen. The question is, are we focusing on his return – watching and waiting for the first sign on the horizon, or on being ready for when he returns?

When we focus more on being ready, on our tasks as servants of the Most High, rather than on the return itself, we live in an awareness, that each minute is an opportunity, a gift, to receive, to give, to live in a way that says I believe in more than what is going on around us, in the things that seem to be collapsing around us - I believe there is something bigger, someone better, more powerful than any darkness we humans can devise. It says, I believe that someone is Jesus and He has come, He is here, and He is coming again!

Now, the bad news is that we don't seem to be doing a great job – whether we are talking about the church or the world. A quick glance through the newspaper can be a rather depressing reminder of how much work there is still to be done. We are far from perfect, and there is a huge amount of work to be done if we are to be ready for the return of our Master.

Yet, we cannot allow the amount of work to cause us to throw our hands up in despair. This last weekend, there has been a lot of football on television. There were games that were decided by close scores, some in overtime, and others where the eventual victor was never in question. Yet, each and every game had something in common. They all had a final two minutes. Whether your team is in the lead, or trailing, the Two Minute Warning, alerts you to the fact that the game isn't over yet, there is still time. History has shown us that the final two minutes of a football game can often be the deciding factor in the game itself. Last minute heroics bring about victory where defeat seemed a sure thing.

So, when we look around and see the situation of the world, the pain and hardship, the oppression, the poverty, the hunger, the strife, the inequality, the fighting. We should without question see them as signs to remind us of Jesus' imminent return, and the work we have yet to do. We should see them as are our Two Minute Warning. Time is running out, Jesus is coming, get your head back in the game.

This season of Advent, as we prepare for Christmas, as we prepare to welcome the Christ-child. May we also be aware of our duty to prepare for the coming of Christ the King. May we be reminded of our calling, our gifts, our tasks to declare to the world the love of God, to be the hands and feet to our neighbors and the stranger, to do all we can to make the Reign of God, the presence of God, felt here and now. So, that when Jesus does return, when he shows up unexpectedly on our front steps (which he likely will), we will be ready, we will be awake, and he will welcome us into his kingdom as his faithful servants. Amen.

1http://day1.org/3358-twominute_warning

Party Invitations

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost - Proper 23 – Year A

October 12, 2014

Matthew 22:1-13

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

As the parent of two girls, one of the things I have become quite familiar with over the last few years are fairy tales and princesses. Anything pink and 'princessy' is almost guaranteed to be popular in our home. The girls will spend hours watching princess cartoons and t.v. shows. If we are walking through a store that has toys in it, it's almost a sure thing that we will have to make a detour down the toy aisle to look at the collection of dolls and accessories. I have watched several Disney princess movies so many times I know the songs and can sing along with them. Of course, that is nothing compared to the conversations I have heard coming from the backseat in the van regarding different princesses and their likes and dislikes, who has the best dresses, the fanciest crowns, who likes animals and who doesn't. Little girls like princesses.

But, I think people in general like fairy tales of different kinds. Look at the popularity throughout time of fairy tales and stories. We love to escape to Nevernever Land and fly through the air with Peter Pan. We listen with rapt attention each year to the story of the Nutcracker at Christmas. In the last few weeks at school, the first graders talked about Johnny Appleseed. Even more adult fairy tales are popular; just look at the lasting impact the importance of a book like Moby Dick, or the classic storys of Homer. Some of the most popular television shows directed at adults are based on fairy tales; Once Upon a Time has millions of people watching each week to see the interaction of characters from fairy tales in the “real world.”

In the United States, we don't have kings and queens that rule over us; and for many people the ideas we have about royalty and castles comes from the fairy tales we read and watch. I think for many of us, when we think of a princess – we think of someone like Cinderella or the Disney princess Sophia before we think of Princess Kate. The reality for pretty much every single one of us is that we will never meet a king or a queen, never dance with a prince or princess, and the only castle we will ever be in is on a tour of one if we are lucky enough to someday travel to Europe.

Fairy tales have the effect of often making us believe things that are far beyond the normal. The reality for royalty in the real world (though I'm sure beyond the experiences of our life) are likely nothing like the lives we imagine they have, or the ones we see created for us in fairy tales. Today, our text is a parable, which is pretty much the Bible's version of a fairy tale. And to make it seem even more like a fairy tale, our story is about a King and an incredible party he is throwing for his son. And, not just any party – a wedding party. The whole kingdom will rejoice and celebrate – their getting a princess!

I don't know about you, but if I was ever to invited to a party at a kings home, by the king himself, I would probably do whatever I needed to to be there. It would be like being invited to meet with your favorite celebrity or inspiration. We would carefully pick out what we would wear – and probably go shopping to find just the right outfit. We would worry and fret about what we would say, what we would do, how we would act. For days and weeks before, all we could think about would be the event. If you thought the planning and obsession with prom in high school was intense, this would be that to the nth degree. This could be the most incredible event you will ever experience. So, how do the people in our story respond to the invitation from the King?

The make excuses not to show up! It's the party of the year, perhaps the century – they were invited to it, and they make excuses for not showing up. When I was in high school we sang a song about this. We sang, “I cannot come to the banquet don't bother me now, I have married a wife, I have bought me a cow. I have fields and commitments that cost a pretty sum. Pray hold me excused I cannot come!”

This parable, unlike some, seems relatively simple to understand. Jesus is speaking to the Jewish religious folk. He is pointing a figure directly at them, and is making is clear that they play a role in the parable. They are the ones who were initially invited by the King, (who is God) and turned down the invitation. The Jewish community were the first to be invited; yet, they have not responded to the invitation. They have made excuses, they have gone off in other directions, seeking after their own wants and desires. So, God has extended the invitation to be part of the heavenly feast to those outside of the Jewish faith – the Gentiles community. This is the gospel of Matthew's explanation for the inclusion of those outside of the Jewish faith. We too, though not having received the initial invitation extended to Abraham and his descendants are invited to the party in the second wave of invitations. Up to here, it all makes sense. It's not that difficult to figure out.

But, those last few verses are difficult. A person is invited to the party, they show up, they are there, they are having a good time mingling with the other guests, eating and drinking at the feast. Then, they are seen to not be wearing the appropriate attire and are kicked out. How are we supposed to interpret this? Someone invited by God to the heavenly banquet, is a part of the party and then kicked out. There is no agreement among theologians about what this means, who the person is and what the robes represent. Some say the robe refers to righteous living, others to the resurrected body, or to post-baptismal garments. Still others say that it refers to being “clothed in Christ,” as described in Colossians 3. That was always the way I thought about this passage.

Yet, I think I've come to a different understanding over the last week. The problem I've always had with thinking about this passage and the expulsion of the poorly dressed guest is two-fold. First, he was a guest. He had been invited. The kings servants had gone out and invited everyone to the party. It wasn't like he was crashing the party as an uninvited guest. And second, at the core of my faith is the understanding that we are saved by grace through faith. We are invited, we believe the invitation and show up. To declare that the only way we can remain at the party, or attend the party is to change is to declare that we have a part to play that is of consequence. Salvation suddenly isn't an act of grace on God's part, it's something that we have power over, and I have a problem with that.

So, what to do. Obviously this parable is in the Bible, complete with the kicking out of the guest for a reason, and I firmly believe that the reason must be in agreement with the theological understanding of being saved by grace through faith. I returned to the passage, and took a close look. Then it hit me, the guest never said a word. The king comes up to him, addresses him as friend and asks, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” And the man responds by being speechless. He doesn't say a word. And I think in there is the answer.

“How did you get in here dressed like that?” He could have said anything, “I was invited by a friend.” “I had nothing else to wear.” “I'm headed out to work in the yard right after.” “I was on my way to work when I got the invitation.” But, he doesn't say a thing. And in not saying a thing, he also doesn't give the answer that is correct. “How did you get in here dressed like that?” “I was invited.” He was invited, by the King. Being, staying at the party, at the heavenly feast, is about recognizing how it is you got there in the first place. I can't imagine that the other guests were all dressed appropriately, so this guest was singled out for a reason. Because, when he was asked how he got in, he had no answer to give. He didn't seem to know or be able to say that he was there at the invitation of the King. The validity of the invitation had nothing to do with the way the guest dressed, how he responded, how he acted at the feast, it's about recognizing where the invitation comes from.

If we all had to dress appropriately for the heavenly feast, put on our best outfits – whether external clothing or the cleanliness of our lives – we would all be dressed inappropriately. None of us can dress ourselves well enough to be in God's presence. What seems to matter to the King in the parable, to God, is that we recognize how it is that we are able to be present at the heavenly feast even though we are all truly unworthy to be there.

How is it that we are there? It's because of God, all because of God. God has reached out in love to us. God has extended the invitation to us to join in a heavenly feast in paradise with God. And we show up, we come in response to the invitation. When we hear the voice of God calling our name, inviting us to come, we come. We come in our best and in our worst. We are invited and come good and bad as the parable tells us. And how is that we are assured of our being able to be a part of the celebration for eternity? By declaring that we are there because of God, because of God's invitation. By not making excuses for our appearance, by not making excuses as to why we can't be there. But, by declaring that we are present, just as we are, because of the grace-filled invitation from God.

We have all been invited. We are all expected to be present at the party at the end of time to beat all other parties and celebrations. What God desires is that we know how it is that we are there. It's still all about what God has done. It's still about the host rather than the guest. It's still about being saved by grace through faith. May we all come to recognize and declare, “We are here completely and totally because of God and God's graceful invitation. And may we all look forward to the day when we will gather around the table of God, and take part in the heavenly feast for all eternity. Amen.