So this week, I could go on at length about the problems of the world.
As we were hit by a cyberattack, which not only overwhelmed our email system but also, through my email, got into some of my personal affairs. The good news is that after changing some passwords, this seems to be resolving. The bad news is that it occupied way too much of my time this week! It took my mental and emotional energy.
I also saw an email from my friend Megan Malick in her post for The New Path, where she states that this is a time for “Invisible Grief.” Around Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and graduations, these happy occasions have expectations that we will act in certain ways, which may not align with how we are feeling.
Like we talked last week, about how we don’t know what physical or health challenges one is dealing with, we also don’t know what grief may be there. The point of my sharing this is I think that was also true for the disciples during today’s scripture.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on the events leading up to today.
The person, Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had spent so much time with and whom they had come to know as the promised Messiah, was killed by the Roman Empire, and they couldn’t – didn’t stop it. They watched him die and knew his body was buried.
But three days later, they were told of his resurrection. The women found the tomb empty, and “two men in dazzling clothes” showed up and reminded them that he had told them this was what would happen. The women ran and told the disciples, but they did not believe. Then Peter went to the tomb and, after seeing the grave clothes, “he went home, amazed at what happened.”
Then Clopas and a friend were walking and talking on the Road to Emmaus, and a man joined them to listen and then shared the story of faith. And at the meal, he was revealed to be the risen Christ in the breaking of the bread. So they went to the disciples, who are still huddled together, and told them what happened. While they were telling the disciples their Emmaus Road story, Jesus Christ showed up among them and asked for something to eat and ate it to prove that he was a physical being and not a ghost.
Then he stayed with them for 40 days, where they may have thought everything was going back to how it had been. Until he took them out to Bethany, raised his hands, and was physically lifted into the sky and disappeared.
Emotionally, they had been at their lowest and were unsure of how to proceed, when suddenly Jesus was back with them. This had to have taken them a moment – to go from deep sadness and grief to joy-filled surprise. I’m sure they needed some time to believe what they were experiencing. It’s a “pinch me so I know it’s real” moment. I can only imagine they were thinking, “Now what?!?” In their bewilderment wondering, “What are we to do?”
That’s when “two men in white robes” show up and ask them, “Why are they standing there staring at the sky?” Which sounds a bit insensitive, but the point is that they are to be about the work of Jesus. He had empowered them to do the healing work he had done and asked them to continue his mission by being his witnesses to the ends of the earth.
This was their role – to be witnesses – and they did it. This is what led to the creation of the Christian church. Because of their witness, the writers created the gospels. They were the storytellers of their time.
What are we to do with their stories, with our holy scriptures?
I think we are called to be the messengers who share the stories. Like the disciples, we cannot get stuck reminiscing about the past – about what the church used to be – about what we once did. We are called to look forward to what still can be, to listen and discern what the Spirit is saying to us.
Today, we will be praying a Litany of Gratitude for this space as it has seen baptisms, weddings, and great celebrations. It has also housed funerals and times of great loss and grief. This sanctuary has held it all, and the Spirit here still invites us each week. And the Spirit will journey with us as we go to the Bachman Center next week and be with us there for the summer during the renovation. There we will have a blessing of the space and give thanks for the Spirit that is always present when two or more gather in Christ’s name.
When we return after the renovation, We will rededicate this space for the continuation of its mission – of it being a place of inclusive refuge, a place of compassionate justice, and a place of environmental advocacy.
And our role is to continue to consider how we are living that out in our ministries. How are we reaching out to our community to tell them about the inclusive refuge we are working to be? How do we tell them that we care about injustice in our world? How do we tell them that we are working towards being better stewards of the environment?
If you don’t know this about me, the word “obey” has negative connotations to me.
I was raised in a house, yes, I said house, not a home, Because although we looked similar to the Brady Bunch, we were not – we co-existed. So when I am told to “obey,” I want more specifics. Obey what rule? Who wants my obedience? And for what reason?
I am one of those people who does not respond well to “Because I told you so,” even though I used that line on our children, too. It is with this context that I approach this week’s scripture.
So if we look at the problem in the scripture, we remember from last week, we are still in the 14th chapter of John.
This was written to Jewish people who have been ostracized from their Jewish community -put out of their synagogues for believing in Jesus as the Messiah. It was NOT intended to create new followers but to sustain the faith of those already following “The Way.” This happened in the late first century.
Again, this context is crucial to working through the language of John’s gospel. Our focus verse for this week is the words of Jesus saying,
“Those who obey the commandments are the ones who love me,and those who love me will be loved by God.” – John 14:21a
And…being me…I want to know which commandments we are referring to. In the Gospel of John, Jesus gives the “New Commandment.” In John 13:34 and two other times later, “Love each other.Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other.” I would add to this, “Love the Lord your God”
Because they are Jewish – That is the first and most important commandment. It is also the one used by Jesus in the other Gospels where Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God with all of your beingand love your neighbor as yourself.”
But do you hear the difference? John’s version is inwardly facing. We are to love “each other.” It doesn’t say anything about our neighbor. And the answer to the question of why the difference is the same reason that John’s Gospel appears to look harshly at “The Jews.” Because John’s audience is the minority who are grieving the loss of their community.
They are the outsiders trying to find their way of living “The Way!” Jesus’ statement is an invitation to participate in God’s loving mission!
A2FP81 Rare studio photograph of Mahatma Gandhi taken in London England UK at the request of Lord Irwin 1931
In the Acts scripture, Peter has just had a dream where God told him there is no such thing as clean and unclean in creation.
All creatures in creation are clean and can be eaten as all people are clean and worthy of baptism and inclusion in God’s Beloved Community. So Peter has an attitude adjustment and welcomes the Gentiles. Here I think the words of Mahatma Gandhi are relevant: “Whenever you are in doubt… recall the face of the poorest and the most vulnerable person whom you may have seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to them“
The love that God has for us and the love we are being called to share is an expansive love rather than exclusive.
It seeks to help us grow in knowledge and wisdom to find more hope, peace, love, and joy in the world. So, as we gather, we have to remember to make space.
For instance – for those with disabilities we cannot see. It is allowing others to name what they need that includes them rather than deciding that we know best. And if we are honest, we have done that A LOT!!
This is a humble love that wants the best for others without declaring what that is. God declared God’s ultimate love for us in sending us Jesus, so that we can learn to love as God loves. And this love transcends greed, prejudice, self-Interest, fear, and narrow-mindedness. Instead, God’s love is one that embraces all people and creation! This is the love we are called to experience and to share!
And I leave you with the wisdom of Gandalf… A dismayed Frodo said, “I wish it need not have happened in my time.”And Gandalf responds, “And so do all who live to see such times.But that is not for them to decide.All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
We don’t choose the times we live in, but it’s often the case that the times choose us, to live out our faith, our resistance, and our healing. It is seldom, if ever, fun. Or easy.
But remember the words from 8th Chapter of John’s gospel where Jesus says, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” – John 8:31-32
How did you learn what love is? Who helped you to learn this?
For the first century hearers of our scripture, the answer was probably through the stories of Jesus from family and friends who knew Jesus or knew of him. I would say that I learned about love through those stories, too, and more specifically, through my grandparents, who taught me about love and grace while I learned right from wrong.
In a recent episode of On Being, Krista Tippett interviewed Rabbi & Jewish philosopher, Shai Held. In the course of that interview, they talked about the relationship between love and faith. In his book called Judaism Is About Love, he specifically addresses what it means to love our enemies, which I think is very pertinent to us today.
In short, he said that love can be “wishing the other person would repent.” Rabbi Held then told the story of an 80-year-old woman who came to him during a book promotion, and, taking him aside, told him that her husband had beaten her and their children for 15 years and asked, “Does the Torah think I’m supposed to love him?” The Rabbi responded by saying, “That is a terrible thing that no one should have to experience. How would it be to pray that before he dies, your husband would have one minute where he fully faces the enormity of what he did?” Yes, that is a way to love.
Our scripture for today from the 1st Letter of John doesn’t actually read like a letter.
Most of the letters identify both the writer and the intended recipient. This does neither. It is written more as a sermon to speak against Docetism, the belief that Jesus existed only spiritually and not with a physical body.
Today’s scripture reminds us that we know love because God loves us. Love is a defining characteristic of God. And our love for others is meant to be our grateful response to God’s unconditional love for us. In the past, I have had folks ask me about what type of love this is. It is not a romantic or even purely emotional love. To me, it is wanting others to feel valued and able to find joy in life. It is accepting people for who they are and, in the case of those who are hurtful or cruel, praying that they will understand how they have hurt others.
As this 1st Letter of John references John’s gospel, consider, if you will, the characters of John’s gospel and how Jesus “loved” each of them. With Nicodemus, he met him at night to protect his identity and listened as well as shared his wisdom. With the woman at the well, he asked her questions and accepted who she was as well as offering love and grace through the “living waters.” To those who were ill, he offered compassion and healed them. To those who were hungry, he asked them to sit down, and he fed them with food shared among them. To the woman caught in adultery, he offered grace and challenged those who wanted to stone her – Who among them was without sin? To Martha & Mary, whose brother Lazarus had died, he came with empathy. He listened, felt their grief and offered healing.
You may be thinking that we do not have the power to heal as Jesus did, but I say that we can be about helping others heal spiritually and know they are worthy and loved by God.
The power of respecting, listening and showing up for another is the beginning of the healing process. When we make ourselves smaller and allow space for others to be themselves, we give a great gift. We all want to matter to someone. We can be the people who help others know that they matter!
Love is about a relationship with others and is measured by what you give, not what you receive. You cannot have your heart broken if you don’t open it to anyone. There will always be enough love in the world if we have love to give. And if we withhold love, something dies. Every time we withhold love, it becomes easier to withhold it the next time.
We are SO easily fixated on our own wants and needs, but we are failing to show God our gratitude if we fail to love others as God loves us. May love always be our guide.
Our scripture for today begins with some confusion.
Unlike the other gospels, here Mary Magdalene goes to Jesus’ tomb alone, and it doesn’t tell us why. In the other gospels, the women go to place spices on his body, but according to John’s account, that was done by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea on the night he died. That detail alone is interesting as that was considered “women’s work.”
But when Mary finds the stone moved, she gets Peter and the unnamed Beloved Disciple, who also seem confused by what they saw, and go home. But Mary lingers, and because she does, she has a holy conversation with angels and then with Jesus so that she can proclaim, “I have seen the Lord.”
Her testimony and the testimony of many others who also see him alive again create the narrative that he was resurrected – Not resuscitated – nor reincarnated – not regenerated or renewed. Now, whether you believe in the resurrection or not, what I want you to notice in this story and in all of creation is that when something dies, something also comes to life. The seed falls from the plant and presumably dies, but within the ground it sprouts life anew.
In this cycle, which God created, life comes out of death and LOVE WINS!
And what did Christ Jesus do after his resurrection? He forgave and affirmed those who had denied and deserted him with no retribution – no “hell to pay.” Despite how some in our current culture depict Jesus, he was not a person who condoned violence. Even when Peter struck a guard with his sword during his arrest, Jesus told him to put away his sword and healed the man. Our God is one who promotes life with compassion.
And in the next Chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus will look at Peter and trust him again with the direction to “Feed my lambs – Tend my sheep – Feed my sheep” – John 21:15-17.
My friends, this is about love and grace! I have heard it said that Christianity is about a free pass to heaven, but I say to you, Christianity is about how we are to live here and now! It is about being loving, compassionate people who seek wholeness for those around us and ourselves.
I have also heard it said that Jesus will bless the unmerciful killing of others, but I say to you, Jesus used his life to stop anyone from feeling less than, unworthy, or unwanted. He was about building community, not dominating or destroying it!
So, I invite you to have your own Holy Conversation with Jesus. Using what is called “faith imagination,” put yourself in the garden watching Mary from a distance. See the disciples run into the tomb and leave confused. Watch the conversation between Mary and Jesus. Then just stay there. For after Mary leaves, you can call out Jesus’ name. Then listen for what Jesus says to you. So that you too can proclaim, “I have seen the Lord!”
Before we get into the three conversations that make up today’s reading, I want to say a bit more about John’s gospel and the location of today’s scripture, John 11:4-37.
Last week, I talked about the “signs” or miracles John uses to prove his point that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, Savior of the world. And this chapter contains another “sign” – The resuscitation of Lazarus.
I recently read the argument for calling it a resuscitation rather than a resurrection because Lazarus is going to die again. He did not have a resurrection as Jesus did, nor does he ascend to heaven.
In this scripture, we also have the fifth of the seven “I am” statements of Jesus, “I am the resurrection and the life.” – John 11:25. Interestingly, the 11th chapter is the middle of John’s gospel, and is a literary hinge designed to shift our perspective from seeing “signs”. To see “God’s glory so the Son of God may be glorified.”
This story is so empowering for believers because Martha and Mary tell Jesus with their words and actions what they are thinking. They both believe in Jesus – Martha confesses, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God,the one coming into the world.” But Jesus also experiences their pain and grief.
So when life doesn’t go the way we want or the way we have prayed for it to go, we can stand in the assurance that we can also tell God what we think. We can name our pain – our disappointment – our anger and know that Christ will be moved by it. That does not say that we will have our prayer answered – Because we cannot know or understand all the ways of God – But God is listening and will join us in whatever we are feeling.
We, like the sisters, want to avoid uncomfortable outcomes. And in our grief, we are invited to “let go” To let go of our expectations, to let go of our need for control, to let go and accept what is. Like Jesus, we can “feel all the feels” and express them – No matter who we are – this is what makes us human.
As we celebrate the work of women in our congregation, I want to highlight today Nora Beck Smith, whose story connects with the conversations and hard questions raised by today’s scripture.
Underlying Nora’s story and her call was a yearning from within and important questions about who she was and what she was meant to do. Being a member of St. John’s and then Church of the Apostles, she brought her questions to Rev. Glenn Rader, who was honest enough to admit that he didn’t have the answers to her questions. But he took her to Lancaster Theological Seminar, where she could explore her questions in a safe and nurturing environment.
A Jesuit priest taught Christian history during her time and invited them to see themselves in the stories of scripture and to creatively write about their experiences. This helped her to develop her questions and deepen her faith.
Nora was the first minister to join Rev. Schellenberger & Rev. Rader with this congregation, and we give thanks for her curiosity and call, which she shared with us.
As we are one week from Holy Week, there are a three take-aways that I want you to have today.
The first is that John’s gospel is favorable towards women. In this gospel, women are more than just important characters; their words have been preserved. This Jesus engages women in conversations without demeaning them. In this gospel, it is a woman – Martha in our scripture today – who declares who Jesus is, rather than Peter, who does it in the other gospels.
It will also be a woman, Mary Magdalene, who is the first witness to see the risen Christ. For women’s history month, this is worth noting.
Also, as we will be reading John’s gospel through Holy Week, I want to make sure that when you hear the words “the Jews,” you realize it is often referring to the religious leaders. All the characters of John’s gospel are Jewish – The Samaritans are not considered Jewish because they don’t look to Jerusalem as their holy site. But all the others are.
I say this because this can be read as the most anti-Semitic gospel, and that is not helpful or accurate. So as you read the scriptures, I want you to be sensitive to this. Our Jewish brothers and sisters are very scared right now. I will also name those of the Jewish people that I know support the state of Israel, but not the policies and wars of Netanyahu.
Rather, Jesus models and teaches us to care for those around us- whether they are family or strangers. Caring means empathizing with their stories and wanting the best for them. We are to be creating a world based on mutual care and compassion, not about who has the biggest weapons, biggest egos, and forces others to submit to promote their way of living.
In John’s gospel, Jesus says that he came that we may have life and have it abundantly – John 10:10. Let us work towards an abundant life for all!
Today’s scripture, John 9:1-34, was quite involved, and we did not read it to the end.
In the seven verses we didn’t read, Jesus seeks the blind man and asks him if he believes, and the formerly blind man worships him. Then, Jesus has another confrontation with the Pharisees in which he reminds them that because they do not “see” him for who he is, their “blindness” continues.
But I’m wondering what questions you may have after hearing this scripture?
The goal of John’s gospel is to prove the identity of Jesus as the Messiah, Son of God, Savior of the world.
To make that point, the writer employs two strategies which are evident in this scripture – a “sign” of his power and an “I am” statement. In this scripture, Jesus gives sight to a man blind from birth, a sign that Jesus is one who restores our sight and he declares, “I am the light of the world,” naming that he reveals truth.
Jo-Ann Brant, a Johannine scholar at Goshen College, theorizes that this story is a miniature version of the larger story of Jesus.
the crowd questions his identity (9:8-9),
he asserts “I am” (9:9),
he speaks frankly and logically throughout but is treated as an invalid witness (9:18),
he is accused of being a sinner,
he combats the Pharisees with sarcasm and truth (9:34),
This story ends in irony as the one who was blind “sees” who Jesus really is and those who claim to have vision are “blind” to who Jesus is. Jo-Ann A. Brant, John, Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011), 151-52, 154-59.
As this is Women’s History Month, I want to name the connection I see with this scripture, and it is how the formerly blind men’s and women’s experiences are generally not believed.
Unfortunately, this is also true for people of color and the LGBTQIA community. As the townsfolk questioned if the formerly blind man was even the same person when he told his story, I think of women who were violated, and others failed to believe them.
The popularity of the #MeToo movement the other year was based on that fact. It was finally a way in which women could name the demeaning and violent experiences they had without getting into the details.
Our problem is now complicated by AI, where our images can be used to create stories that did not happen, and because in the 20th century, we learned to trust video and pictures, we are left struggling.
I think we have reached a time when we need to tell our stories in-person and in safe spaces – thus the need for us to provide a safe space for this to happen. AND we need to listen to another’s truth and accept it and whomever they are as true – and here’s the challenge – even when it does not fit into our understandings of the world.
We have to be open enough to accept and respect another’s experience, even if it hasn’t been ours, and it makes us rethink how we understand others.
So where does this leave us?
Well, it may not feel good to hear, but we are like the disciples and Pharisees who want to judge others and point out their failings without looking at our own. And Jesus’ words provide corrections to our thoughts and actions.
We want rewards from God, so we think there needs to be punishments too. But maybe there aren’t. No one was being punished by the man being born blind.
To the Pharisees, just because Jesus healed on the Sabbath does not mean he is not of God. We, like the disciples and Pharisees, focus on the wrong things. Instead of seeing the gift of God, we disqualify it.
This week was a hard week with several attacks within our own country and abroad. We can let our legislators know that this is not the world we want. But we also need to name what we do want. We need to name that we want each person to be valued and respected, no matter who they are. Then we need to practice that too!
We need to be the love we want to see in the world. We need to put ourselves in positions to hear the stories of others –even if it is through documentaries on TV or reading non-fiction biographies of those whose lives are different. We can maintain our hope by reading about the hope and courage of those who have lived through hard times.
This is not the first time our country has experienced hard times. Let us focus on being and building the Beloved Community of God.
This past week I read “The Golden Rule” to the preschoolers.
What I appreciate so much about the author’s take on it is that it invites our imagination to consider all the ways to apply it. It helps us define what we could do for others that would be helpful, thoughtful, and kind.
We can live asking ourselves and others, “Is this a loving response?” A loving response does not mean pacifying, because we can even say challenging things lovingly.
This is why this season, we are inviting you to “Press Pause & Listen.” There is currently an attempt to overwhelm us with chaos so that we will either opt to check out of the news completely or reduce our consumption to that with which we agree, which makes us feel safe and comfortable.
I am saying something different. I want you to look at how you are consuming news and choose a less reactive mode – a different station, listening rather than viewing, reading rather than listening or viewing – and spending less time with it. And with the time you aren’t watching news or the chaos of the moment, sit in silence – pray – talk or connect with those that matter most to you.
Practice being the love you want to see in the world!
I came across this artist’s rendering of John 4:5-30 by Henryk Siemiradzki, which surprised me, and I want to share it with you.
As you think of the conversation between Jesus & the Samaritan Woman, is there anything in the rendering that surprises you?
I also remember three years ago when Jonathan preached this passage, and he surprised me when he argued, against contemporary scholarship, that the woman was actually an influencer within the community, or the people would not have listened to her. He also argued over the interpretation that she was a prostitute because it does not say that.
What it says is that she has had 5 husbands. Whether she had been divorced a lot, which was not that common, or was a very unlucky widow, is not known. This picture would suggest a widow who has gained wealth through her marriages.
Regardless of her background, Jesus is willing to break the societal boundaries by engaging her in conversation as an unaccompanied woman, and a Samaritan who was considered an enemy of the Jews from Jerusalem. Actually, the Samaritans were also Jewish, but they were descendants of the Northern Kingdom, while Jesus and his disciples were Jewish from the Southern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom’s perceived “sin” was associating with the Assyrians, allowing intermarriages, and their pagan gods to be worshiped alongside the true God.
Now, to add some contemporary context, the Northern Kingdom’s capital was Shechem and later called Sychar, the site of our scripture passage. Today, this is located in the Balata village, a suburb of the Palestinian city of Nablus in the West Bank. Shall we say that feelings run long and deep?
And in our scripture passage, Jesus challenged those feelings 2,000 years ago. This scripture also shows how Jesus treated women with respect and invitation.
As part of honoring Women’s History month, I want to share with you a message from the President & General Minister of our denomination – the United Church of Christ.
So where does this leave us today?
Well, I’m inviting us to consider the “valuable conversations” that we need to have with others. In the Come Sunday, I asked, “In your life, who could you approach more thoughtfully?”
But before we approach these conversations, we have to be in the best frame of mind. We need to regulate ourselves, which is to calm our fight or flight tendencies. This is also “Pressing Pause & Listening.” We can do so by:
Focused deep or square breathing
Checking in with our 5 senses
Prayer
Movement (walking, dancing, swimming)
This calms our anxiety so we can access our best thinking rather than just reacting. In recent times, there has been a lot of reacting rather than responding. Again, as before, this does not mean agreeing, but it does include being curious enough to ask questions about how another understands something and share, not as much our position, but the reasoning behind our thinking.
If we talk about the world we want to leave our children and grandchildren, it changes the conversation. When we share our values – even the Golden Rule – it can change the conversation to be respectful.
Our country is based on the ability to have creative disagreements, understanding that we are in this together, appreciating the value of “others,” holding tension in life-giving ways, and respecting each person’s voice and agency.
May we embody this as we live and build God’s Beloved Community.
For our youth and young adults, expanding your vocabulary is a lifelong skill. For those of you who think I’ve gone “batty,” This is a real word – not just one I made up because I’m from Lancaster County – and I learned it this week. Its definition is: “to be utterly overwhelmed by fatigue, exhausted, or drained of all energy”
If you are like me, this describes me more recently than in a very long time, and I’m unwilling to say it is just “age-related”. This is why this season, we are inviting you to “press pause & listen.” There is currently an attempt to overwhelm us with chaos so that we will either opt to check out of the news completely or reduce our consumption to that with which we agree, that which makes us feel safe and comfortable.
I am saying something different. I want you to look at how you are consuming news and choose a less reactive mode – a different station, listening rather than viewing, reading rather than listening or viewing, and spending less time with it. And with the time you aren’t watching news or the chaos of the moment, sit in silence – pray – talk or connect with those that matter most to you. Practice being the love you want to see in the world!
Based on today’s scripture, John 3:1-17, I’m not sure I can argue that Nicodemus is quanked.
But he’s upset enough to risk going to meet Jesus, even if it is in the dark, where he’s less apt to be seen. Nicodemus is trying to understand who Jesus is and what to believe, as he is not like any other teacher Nicodemus has ever met. The conversation with Jesus raises even more questions.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee, well-versed in the law, such that he even held a place on the Sanhedrin, which was the Jewish legislative and judicial body that ruled over the people. They will be the group later who tries Jesus before sending him to Pilate.
But for now, Nicodemus wants more information, and in this scripture, we have the very famous verse John 3:16. But with all the talk lately about the power & might of Jesus, and depictions of him coming with the “armor of God” to avenge those perceived as God’s enemies, I think we often forget verse 17
“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the worldbut in order that the world might be saved through him.”
This month is Women’s History month and we are lifting up some women and their work within our congregation.
Today, I want to lift the Rev. Jacquie Church-Young. Pastor Jacquie was the Youth & Family Ministries pastor in the early 2000’s, and based on my conversations with those who were youth at the time, she was very beloved. One of the reasons she was beloved was that she appreciated the act of questioning, understanding that it led to growth.
During Pastor Jacquie’s work with you, I was leading the youth at Salem UCC, and we both took our youth to a retreat at Hartman Center, where I observed her, and unfortunately, my first impression was not as positive. Then when I became a Member in Discernment of the Lancaster Association, they assigned Pastor Jacquie to be my mentor for the process. To be clear in our descriptions, she was just out of seminary and starting a family, and I was the mother of three teenagers. This is where I was reminded that God has a great sense of humor and works out situations for us to grow.
To start the relationship off well, Pastor Jacquie invited me to lunch, and at that lunch, I had to be honest with her. During the course of that conversation, I learned about the challenges she had been facing, of which I was unaware during our first encounter at the retreat. She talked about the internal turmoil within the church at that time and the shenanigans the youth were doing at the retreat. This is when we both learned lessons.
When I messaged her about including her in today’s sermon, I named that by her telling her story, I was able to have compassion for her. She named that I helped change her for the better, not just as a pastor, but truly – as a person.
All of that learning and growth came from an honest, heartfelt conversation. Which is what I think happened for Nicodemus in his conversation with Jesus.
So, where does all of this leave us?
I think it highlights the value of conversation and its ability to help lessen our feeling of being quanked and increases our ability to be compassionate.
Within the scripture, I have two takeaways for today: ~ God is always wrapped in mystery ~ The Divine always give second chances
Which leads us perfectly to Holy Communion. Which I think is also wrapped in mystery & about endless chances. We are not bound by past mistakes, missteps, or failures. Every time the feast is served, we are welcomed. May we come to the table seeking the mystery and find another chance to live and love better!
The last time I preached here, the topic was Jesus’ baptism. If you were here and you remember that far back, you’ll remember how I proposed that the point of this story was to show us that Jesus was more like us than perhaps we thought he was.
At Jesus’ baptism, the descending dove from heaven was there to affirm to Jesus who he was, God’s Beloved Son. In that story, we can also hear God saying those same things to us, that we are God’s beloved children and we are loved.
Today, we find ourselves back in that continued story. Right after his baptism, Jesus immediately went into the desert and spent 40 days fasting and praying. Have you ever fasted for 40 days? I tried it one time. I attended a charismatic, spirit-filled church more than 10 years ago, and they were big on fasting at least once a year. The pastor there would call the entire congregation to a fast, usually a really specific type of fast, referred to as the Daniel Fast, though it was considered to be a partial fast. Meaning that the person fasting focused on cutting certain food groups out, and they were allowed to eat others because it was called the Daniel Fast. It was considered to be the right kind of fast. It was for the super spiritual people to use this fast as more of a bragging right, or a way to make themselves look and feel more holy than others around them. They would make a big thing of preaching to others about it. They would overemphasize the stomach growls and the digestive issues that result from separating your diet into different groups.
This past week, on Ash Wednesday, we spent time in Isaiah 51, where God was angry at people who would fast for show and at the same time engage in dishonest business practices, abuse their servants, disregard the least among them, and fight with their neighbors. That was very much the culture of the church that I attended. Needless to say, fasting left a bad taste in my mouth. If only for that reason, I’m not gonna call you guys to fast, at least not in that way in our gospel reading.
In our Scripture reading today, Matthew 4:1-11, it said that Jesus fasted for 40 days, and at the end of that, the devil appeared to him, the audacity.
Can you imagine how hungry Jesus was? Remember, Jesus was fully human, so it’s not a stretch to say that he was probably hangry. I know that nobody here can relate to that, but just try to stay with me.
According to the passage, the fast was over, Jesus should have been able to leave the desert, walk into town, and grab himself a burger. But no, this guy shows up and starts his shenanigans. Hey, Jesus, are you hungry? I bet you are. Why not turn those stones into bread? But Jesus doesn’t bite. It isn’t pumpernickel that keeps me going. “Man does not live by bread alone. Rather, he lives on every word that comes from the mouth of the Eternal One” – Matthew 4:4.
Jesus isn’t saying that bread or pizza or ice cream or french fries are bad, or that we should all starve ourselves. What he is saying is that he’s not going to use his privilege as the son of God to satisfy his desire for food. He could have turned the stones into bread or anything he wanted, but why? What would that prove? Maybe the question is, what does not doing it prove?
Perhaps it proves that his relationship with God is what gives him life and the ability to keep going, even when his stomach growls louder than he can speak. The devil didn’t care that he was hungry. He wanted to make him question his identity, to doubt that God really loved him, to lean on his own abilities to satisfy himself, but Jesus didn’t take the bait. If the second and third temptations are more of the same, the devil takes him to the top of the building and tells him to jump. God will send angels to catch you. But Jesus replies by quoting Deuteronomy, don’t you dare test the Lord your God. Why would I cry wolf when there’s no wolf?
Jesus knew that God was protecting him. He didn’t need to run a full experiment to verify that promise. In a last-ditch effort to get Jesus to fold, the devil takes him to the top of a very high mountain and shows him all of the kingdoms of the world, and he says to him, “If You bow down and worship me, I will give You all these kingdoms” – Matthew 4:9. Jesus had had enough at this point. The devil had badly miscalculated, and now Jesus had beaten him. I know who my God is, and you definitely aren’t it. I will only ever worship the one true God, the devil left tail between his legs, defeated. He should have known better if Jesus didn’t fall for the first one.
When I was younger, I used to go to open mic nights and karaoke. If you hadn’t picked up on this yet. I love to sing, I love to play guitar, and I love doing those things for other people’s enjoyment.
Every time I would go out, somebody would inevitably ask me, “Why are you here? Why aren’t you on American Idol?” And I would often reply to them that I didn’t want to be famous. Fame can change people, and I didn’t want to be changed. I remember watching American Idol and noticing how, from the audition to the final performance, the contestants were completely changed. Their look, their sound, and their presence were all shaped and molded by the judges and coaches. A lot of the time, at least from my perspective, it was not for the better.
I felt that if I went on a show like that, I would be selling out. What I had not yet grasped at that point in my life was that I was actually doing that very thing every day. I was presenting to the world in a way that it had molded me and in the way that I thought was most acceptable. Meanwhile, I was hiding and denying who I really felt that I was inside. It was God’s love that broke through and changed me when I finally recognized and allowed myself to come out to myself and the world; no amount of stone sandwiches or rooftop flight experiments or crowns or kingdoms could make me give up my identity, the real me, my soul.
A few years ago, while I was at the beach with my adopted parents, I asked my dad, who is a retired United Methodist minister, if he would baptize me. I had been baptized as a teen, but I wanted to hear the name that I had chosen spoken as I was laid beneath the water. There was no dove, but I heard the same message that Jesus heard from God as I emerged from the salty Atlantic waters. Deklan J. Lewis knows that he is a beloved son of God, and he knows that the love of God is the only thing that truly sustains him.
This month is Black History Month, and we’ve been highlighting a piece of that history each week.
This week, I was looking over the notes that Pastor Kathryn had put together, and I came across this article on the White House Historical Association’s website. I was really surprised to actually find this article. It was amongst the slavery in the President’s neighborhood Initiative materials. This piece was about a woman named Ona Judge.
She was a slave owned by George Washington’s wife, Martha. The article details what is assumed about Ona’s life as Martha’s preferred lady’s maid, stating that she had some kind of status because she had nicer clothes and she got more than one pair of shoes per year. The article seems to assume that she might have been happy as Martha’s personal servant, but it also goes on to tell of Ona’s escape to freedom.
After learning that she was about to be given to another member of the family as a wedding gift, Ona ran away. Later in her life, she shared in an interview, “I was determined never to be her slave.”
I can imagine that, as an enslaved person, personal identity is a complicated struggle. In Ona’s story, we can see her declaring what her identity would not be. Ona lived the rest of her life in freedom. Married, had children, and actually shared her experience in slavery with several newspapers.
Ona could not have done what she did without a strong conviction in her heart. In the same way, Jesus could not have resisted the temptations of the devil or any of the other incredibly difficult things that he did in his life without knowing who he was and who God said he was.
So who are you? Who are you not?
What would you do for a Klondike? Would you turn an iceberg into ice cream? Seriously, what are your non-negotiables? What are the things that you’re not willing to compromise on, and how will you stand up for those things in this season?
I wanted to share a song with you guys, because that’s what I do, that speaks to this idea of knowing who you are and standing firm in your identity. It’s become somewhat of an anthem in the LGBTQ+ community, but I think it really applies to just about everybody.
I am not a stranger to the dark “Hide away, ” they say “‘Cause we don’t want your broken parts” I’ve learned to be ashamed of all my scars “Run away, ” they say “No one’ll love you as you are”
But I won’t let them break me down to dust I know that there’s a place for us For we are glorious
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I’m gonna send a flood, gonna drown ’em out I am brave, I am bruised I am who I’m meant to be, this is me Look out ’cause here I come And I’m marching on to the beat I drum I’m not scared to be seen I make no apologies, this is me
Another round of bullets hits my skin Well, fire away ’cause today, I won’t let the shame sink in We are bursting through the barricades and Reaching for the sun (we are warriors) Yeah, that’s what we’ve become (yeah, that’s what we’ve become)
I won’t let them break me down to dust I know that there’s a place for us For we are glorious
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I’m gonna send a flood, gonna drown ’em out I am brave, I am bruised I am who I’m meant to be, this is me Look out ’cause here I come And I’m marching on to the beat I drum I’m not scared to be seen I make no apologies; this is me
In a time where many people want to make who I am and who a lot of my friends are illegal, we have choices to make.
Do I change my name back to the name that was originally on my birth certificate? Do I change the gender marker on my ID? Do I change the way I dress? Do I grow my hair out so that I’m less of a target to gain access to safer spaces in the current climate? Or do I save my soul and stay true to who I am? Would life be easier and less scary? Probably in a lot of ways, the answer is yes.
Maybe it would be easier for you to go to a different church that doesn’t ask you to stick your neck out for the oppressed. Maybe it would be easier if you kept your thoughts and feelings about ICE raids from your neighbors, your coworkers, and your family, but what would you stand to lose? What would you gain if you didn’t compromise?
I encourage you to hold these questions and the questions that are inevitably going to be prompted by these questions in your hearts this week, meditate on them, and press in. See where you’re really standing at the moment. As we move forward, press pause, listen, and know who you are.
I think for most of my life, Lent was about giving something up.
Back in the day, the Catholic church told folks that we needed to give up meat on Fridays and eat fish, and that was great for the fishing industry. Actually, it is a healthier option, and it’s better for the planet. More recently, I hear people talk about giving up chocolate, wine, or some other special thing that they prefer. Maybe it’s desserts or something like that.
I want us to look at this a little differently this year. I am going to ask you to give up something, but I’m hoping that what you’ll choose to give up is the noise or the busyness. Maybe if you’re one of those people who are very busy and do not have a lot of downtime, choose more music than news.
Let’s tone down the rhetoric by just choosing a different option. This year, we’re asking you to slow down.
I’m calling it, “Press Pause & Listen”. Press pause on whatever noise is around you. Press pause on that. Churning chaos that seems to surround our lives right now. We all need a little bit of a break, and what I want you to think about is what are the priorities in your life? What really is most important to you? Is it family? Is it your faith? Friends, money, our neighbors?
Then, in these moments when you pause, I want you to think about how you spend your time. What do you spend the most time doing? Are you focused on the things that matter to you the most, and if not, what could you do differently? That’s something to think about this season.
In our Scripture today, Isaiah 58:1-11, God speaks through Isaiah, calling to the people.
Mainly to the people who had all the things they needed, and he says your fasts are meaningless because you’re not giving anything up. You’re still focused on yourself. You’re not looking at the needs of others.
I think that’s the other part of the listen. When you’re pausing and listening, I hope that you’ll listen for the still small voice of God within you. The voice of your better angel, and I hope you will stop and listen to those around you. That’s where conversations are gonna come in. Our scriptures for Lent have a lot of conversation, people asking questions of Jesus.
I’m gonna invite us to explore some questions, and I’m gonna invite you to sit and think about some of those questions to share with one another, because the way we build community is by knowing the people around us, and we do that by listening better. So often when we get in a conversation, we think about what we wanna say, and we’re not paying attention to what is being said, or maybe the feelings and emotions that are being shared in that moment.
But if we have to do that, we have to notice others, so that we can have compassion and we can understand others better. Right now, we need to have a better understanding. For a lot of us, it’s not easy, and it’s really hard. I’m not gonna sugarcoat this. It’s hard to hear someone say something that is enough to make your blood boil, but what does the Lord require of us?
I usually quote Micah 6:8, “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Isaiah actually has a little bit of a different answer. Actually, it’s not different as much as it defines what justice and mercy and walking humbly with God look like in this scripture from Isaiah,
“Remove the chains of injustice! Undo the ropes of the yoke! Let those who are oppressed go free, and break every yoke you encounter! your bread with those who are hungry, And shelter homeless poor people! Clothe those who are naked, and don’t hide from the needs of your own flesh and blood!“
It is about looking at the other. It’s not about saying, “What do I need?”, it’s about saying my neighbor doesn’t have food. Or I haven’t seen my neighbor come out of the house in a while. I wonder if they’re okay, and it can be as easy as picking up the phone. It can be as simple as just expressing care.
Are you all right? Is there anything I can do for you? They may say no, and that’s okay. You can ask other questions, more open questions. What’s happening in your life? What’s on your heart or your mind?
We are to love our neighbors and ourselves. That’s the command we’re gonna get again on Maundy Thursday. It’s the new command.
This week, I’m inviting you to Pause & Listen. We all have ears to hear and a voice to speak, to offer compassion. We can also listen to one another to help each other better understand.
