The Second Sunday after the Epiphany: God isn’t Simple

January 17, 2021 Andrea Schmid

by Fr. Bill Garrison

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

—John 1:43-51 (NRSV)

I watch the news these days as I imagine do most of you. I can’t seem to take my eyes off the news channels. I would like to but I can’t seem to. They say people experience the same thing at train wrecks. And I have never seen so many experts on television before. Have you noticed? Know-it-alls are everywhere we look and they seem to be shouting at the top of their lungs. So, there is a little story I have always wanted tell and this Sunday seems like the perfect time to tell it.

A small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand in a trial--a grandmotherly, elderly woman. He approached her and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know me?”

She responded, “Why, yes, I do know you Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy. And frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a rising big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.”

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do he pointed across the room and asked, “Mrs. Williams, do you know the defense attorney?”

She again replied, “Why, yes I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. I used to baby-sit him for his parents. And he, too, has been a real disappointment to me. He's lazy, bigoted, he has a drinking problem. The man can't build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the shoddiest in the entire state. Yes, I know him.”

At this point, the judge rapped the courtroom to silence and called both counsellors to the bench. In a very quiet voice, he said with menace, “If either of you asks her if she knows me, you'll be in jail for contempt within 5 minutes!”

I have only one question to ask. Where can we find that woman?!

Speaking about know-it-alls last Sunday morning I got up at the normal time, about five thirty. After a few minutes I walked out into the living room to find the television on. And what did I see? I saw my least favorite televangelist. I don’t know if this program was done to punish me or what. What a way to start Sunday morning.

You ask why he bothers me? Here is why. This guy, who will go nameless, knows everything. And what is really cool is he claims that if you do as he says your life will be just dandy. I guess I’m jealous, because I don’t know much at all apparently. I certainly can’t tell you what to do to make yourselves happy, rich, beautiful or handsome, and famous. Apparently, according to my television friend God is just waiting to shower what we desire upon us.

Somehow, I appear to be missing the boat.

In the gospel read a few minutes ago we heard a question being asked in reference to Jesus. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” And then we heard an invitation. “Come and see.”

Today let’s think about that invitation. Let’s go and see. And it’s the Epiphany season, a time for looking at things in a new way, seeing things as perhaps we haven’t before. So perhaps that will happen today.

I am a Christian and as such I look to Jesus to discover the nature of God and what our relationship with God truly is. What was Jesus like? What did he believe? How did he live his life? There are a ton of questions to be asked and just as many answers to be sought.

Yes, something good came out of Nazareth. And Jesus was real, not an idea, not a set of quotations. He was three dimensional, not two dimensional; complex, not simple. I believe we have a tendency to see Jesus, and God, as two dimensional and in doing so we tend to simplify God and God’s nature.

When I was in seminary I learned to beware of overarching narratives. What I mean by that are simple answers for complex situations. The one size fits all concept. If this, then that. We do this to God all the time. We attempt to put our understanding of God in a box, or on a piece of paper, so that we can say to ourselves and others that we understand God and can predict God’s actions.

By doing so we cheat ourselves in our relationship with God. Here are some examples of simplifying God if in our daily speech and beliefs.

If I am spiritual enough things will go great for me.

Everything happens for a reason.

You are exactly where God wants you to be.

Certain lifestyle choices are rejected by God.

I just need to give it to the Lord.

God helps those who help themselves.

If I change my behavior I will grow spiritually and God will like me better.

If I have God, I don’t need people.

Or let’s ask ourselves a question. Let me quote something attributed to Jesus. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those that mistreat you.” Is Jesus asking us to be doormats for others to walk on?

Every example I have just mentioned springs from a simplified, two-dimensional concept of God. When we allow God/Jesus a third dimension we immediately understand that the guidance God gives also requires our common sense to interpret in the moment and the situation.

Why were the Pharisees always upset with Jesus? Because he was constantly reinterpreting the scriptures by applying common sense to them, Sabbath observance and who Jesus hung out with being the most obvious examples. He was letting us know that compassion and love guide the use of the rules. Check it out. Every miracle Jesus performed came out of his love and compassion for the person or people being aided.

So, let’s consider. Let’s think about Jesus’ common-sense approach to the rules for living as represented in his love and compassion. It challenges us and reforms our approach to scripture and what we find there. Everything we read and think about God becomes three dimensional, rather than just words on a page.

Now it’s easy to understand God’s call to love others and have compassion for them. But for most of us it’s not as easy to understand God’s love for us and God’s hope that we will show ourselves that same love and compassion. If we think about it for a bit though doesn’t it seem that God wants that for each of us too?

So, here’s our invitation. Let’s try to think about God as three dimensional. God’s rules have some give and take in them, and are designed that way. Jesus proved that for us in his life and actions. The rules require the application of our common sense as we add love and compassion to the rule and the situation in which the rule is being applied. Try it next time when you come upon an oversimplification and see what happens. I guarantee it will open your eyes.

Christmas Day

December 28, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Rev. Carole Horton-Howe

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

—Luke 2:1-20 (NRSV)

Merry Christmas! It’s Christmas Day. And it’s time to celebrate the day when everything changed. This glorious morning we see both a sort of grand finale in God’s work through the extraordinary choices of humble people. And a grand opening of possibilities for them and for us.

Remember Mary who courageously said yes to God’s call to be the mother of God on earth at tremendous personal risk. And Joseph, a righteous man faithful to God, who could have abandoned her, but who listened to God’s angel and made the choice to take his pregnant fiance as his wife.

Today we hear about the angels appearing to the shepherds, announcing the birth of Jesus not to a royal court but to a few guys looking after sheep. In spite of being half scared to death they made the choice to leave what they knew for the possibility of something extraordinary.

Fr. Bill pointed out in his sermon last night that Jesus came at time when the Jewish people lived under systems of power and rules. Power of the Roman rulers whose harsh treatment left them poor and abused sometimes to the point of death of they refused to worship the emperor as their god. And rules – the rules of life that insisted on compliance in order to be good standing with God. And these too were difficult and oppressive. Their lives were one hardship after another in poverty and brokenness. God sees them, hears them, knows their needs and loves them. Into this world comes a tiny baby, God’s gift to mend their broken lives and offer them nothing less than salvation.

This process of mending reminds me of an ancient Japanese art called Kintsugi. A literal translation is “golden joinery” but a better understanding might be gold mending. It is the process of mending broken pottery with gold. The Kintsugi master sees flaws and imperfections, and applies precious gold to create an even stronger vessel, even a beautiful piece of art

I’ve asked Andrea to share a photo of a bowl that has been mended by a Kintsugi master. You can see that it’s pretty ordinary. Any of us that have eaten rice or soup in a Chinese restaurant have probably held a bowl like this. When it broke, though, it wasn’t discarded. Brokenness is part of its history to be seen, rather than something to disguise. Every break is unique and instead of trying to repair something in a way that covers or erases the breaks, kintsugi actually highlights the “scars" as a part of the design. And it’s a lovely work of art now.

When I was unpacking the figures for our own crèche I came across this little guy, one of the sheep. It looks to have broken in at least 7 or 8 pieces. He’s clearly been put back together. Maybe one of you knows the story. Maybe you were the one who it back together. It couldn’t have been easy. But here he is. It’s not fine gold, it’s more like Elmer’s glue from someone’s kitchen drawer. But it is whole and present along with all the other figures in the crèche. His presence is important.

Using this as a metaphor for our own healing points us to an important lesson: Sometimes in the process of mending what is broken, we actually create something unique and resilient. A mended Kintsugi piece is believed to be more beautiful, more valuable and stronger because it has been transformed by suffering out of suffering.

You might relate better to the beautiful Japanese bowl with it’s gold mending or the little lamb with globs of glue. But either one points us to God’s redemptive transforming love that is present in the manger on Christmas morning.

We are all broken because of pain. We have all been dropped and shattered in some way. For some, the shards are bigger than others but the brokenness is all the same.

What is on offer today is salvation. Not trying to wipe out or cover up our wounds but filling them in and becoming whole again. Salvation is wholeness. It isn’t perfection. The cracks and breaks aren’t going away, we’ll always have them. But if we lose ourselves in the joy of the coming of a savior we will be made whole – stronger, more resilient and beautiful.

Starting today, with this story, we have God’s qualities of forgiveness, joy, mercy, and compassion in the teaching and life of Jesus Christ that binds us back together with love. He makes us whole. He restores us. Because of his life, death, and resurrection, we have life on earth transformed and life eternal with God.

No matter how many times we hear this story, we can be always be amazed, feel the drama and passion so that our eyes may be opened once more to things we may not have seen or heard before.It is the unfolding story of the birth of Jesus, named “God is with us” and the start of our own story of hope, healing, wholeness and redemption through God’s loving intervention and presence. Amen.

Christmas Eve

December 27, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Fr. Bill Garrison

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

—Luke 2:1-20 (NRSV)

Photo by Burkay Canatar from Pexels — Photo by **Burkay Canatar** from **Pexels**

It’s Christmas Eve. Here’s a little story to get things started.

A couple were Christmas shopping at the Mall on Christmas Eve and the Mall was packed. Walking through the Mall, the surprised wife looked up and noticed her husband was nowhere to be found and she was very upset because they had a lot to do.

She used her mobile to call her husband because she was so upset, to ask him where he was. The husband, in a calm voice, said, “Honey, do you remember the jewelry store we went into 10 years ago where you fell in love with that diamond necklace that we couldn't afford, and I told you that I would get it for you one day?"

His wife, crying with joy, said “Yes, yes! I remember that jewelry store! "

He said, “Well, I'm in the sporting goods store next to it."

When we think about why we love Christmas so much we naturally think about our precious memories of Christmases past. And then we build expectations for what this version of Christmas is going to be like.

We hope that the weather will be crisp and the sky full of stars on Christmas Eve as we head out to church. We can’t wait to see the inside of the church because of how beautiful we know it will be. The music we are certain will be just fantastic. We can’t wait to open presents with our family and friends, maybe share a mug of hot chocolate. Hugs and well wishes will be shared with everyone we see. The foods we love will be everywhere and plentiful. We will see family we only encounter on special occasions. What a great time we will have!

Oh, but wait. For the first time in any of our lives, things are going to be different. We won’t be at church. We won’t have hugs all around. We won’t hear the music up close and personal. We won’t see those loved ones that we look forward to seeing each year. The list of things that we love but that won’t happen seems to stretch on forever. It’s discouraging.

Instead, here we are on Zoom and Facebook, doing the best we can under the circumstances. Church is pretty, but it’s being experienced from home. There won’t be hugging at the peace. Instead, we will great each other in chat. The music we know is pretty, but it doesn’t seem as powerful experienced from afar. And we can go out, but honestly there’s nowhere to go and nobody to see. It’s sad.

But my friends I think God is presenting us with an opportunity tonight. It’s a chance to concentrate on the importance of Christmas rather than all the extraneous things we enjoy so much but which make the Christ child a little difficult to see.

I guess it is kind of like this. In the Gospel of Mark Jesus is constantly asking people not to tell others about the miracles he has performed. I am quite certain the reason he does that is he realizes the miracles overshadow the teaching. He wants people to learn about the Kingdom of God. Instead, they get lost in the miracles. Jesus knows the teaching is more important than the miracles but the miracles are causing folks to miss the teaching.

Well tonight God is providing us with an opportunity to get past the miracle of Christmas, and to see more clearly the impact the birth of Jesus has had on the world.

When Jesus was born, he was born into a culture of power and rules. How a person was to live in relationship to God and other people was very strict. There were rules, over six hundred of them about what to eat, who to be with, when to do what, and who to avoid at all cost among other things. The Hebrew scriptures, the scriptures for God’s chosen people, were being interpreted in a very strict way and God seemed far away and often angry. You earned your way to salvation by your life and deeds.

And so, God decided it was time to do something about that for his chosen, and while God was at for the rest of us too. God entered the world in the form of a baby and lived and died as one of us. It is the demarcation line of history. The birth of Jesus is that important.

One of the things that happened as a result is that when we study the life of Jesus, we encounter a blueprint for living. We see that Jesus prayed. He found time for himself. He was close to his friends. He had a sense of humor. He was compassionate. He was forgiving. He brought common sense to the rules found in Torah for living. His love for humankind was on display almost all of the time. He asked us to emulate him to the best of our ability.

More importantly we learn about the nature of God through the study of Jesus and some of God’s hopes for each of us. We find out for sure that God loves us in ways we can only begin to fathom. God hopes we will use our common sense and not blindly follow rules. God hopes we will forgive as God forgives us. God hopes we will be compassionate as God is compassionate. God hopes we will allow ourselves to love.

And then there is the biggest change of all and this pandemic we are suffering through is the best metaphor for it I know. We have been suffering with the virus for ten or so months now. An incredible number of people have gotten sick and way too many people have died. The vaccines to take care of things, stopping the sickness and the dying, have just arrived. We are about to find our way back to a healthy society over the next few months.

In the same way, human beings were suffering and dying before God broke the fabric of reality and entered the world. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ changed all that. Humans became eternal beings. God provided salvation for all of us.

In effect, God through Jesus Christ became the vaccine that stopped the pandemic of death. As a result, we no longer needed to fear death. The vaccine that is Jesus Christ made us immune. We had eternal life.

So yes, we aren’t having the kind of experience we would like this Christmas. But it turns out that it’s a gift of understanding we probably could not have received any other way. We get a chance to see the true miracles without the distractions that normally surround them. When things return to normal, perhaps we can remember this special experience too as we do all the others, like those fabulous cookies that seem to be everywhere.

Merry Christmas.

The Fourth Sunday of Advent: Calling

December 21, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Fr. Bill Garrison

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

—Luke 1:26-38 (NRSV)

One of the curses of preaching is that most of us want to do something fresh each week, something that will astound and amaze. Of course, that is impossible, and certain times of the year remind us that well-worn shoes are more comfortable than brand new shoes. Seasonal stories that we repeat in Advent and Christmas are like well-worn shoes. They make us comfortable, kind of warm and fuzzy, every year. So, I have a well-worn story and some well-worn ideas and then a surprise to impart this morning. First the story that fits this gospel so well.

There were three fellows sitting on a bench in the park chatting with one another as guys will. They hadn’t mentioned it to each other but sitting on a bench about halfway across the park was a fellow that resembled somebody famous. Each of them kept looking over at this person as they talked and their attention was diverted more and more.

Finally, one of them spoke to the other two. “Do you see that guy over there?” His companions nodded.

“Does he look like Jesus, or what?”

Well, none of the three of them had wanted to be the first to bring it up but they all agreed he looked just like Jesus.

“Do you suppose?” “Naw, can’t be.” “Sure looks like him though.”

Well, they continued to sit on the park bench and conjecture with each other about who this person was and how much he looked like Jesus.

Finally, the Jesus lookalike stood up and began to walk towards them. In fact, he walked right up to them and stood there in front of their bench looking kindly at them. They were a bit taken-a-back.

Jesus reached over and touched Tom on his left arm and immediately Tom noticed a change. He said, “Oh my goodness, this shoulder has been stiff and sore ever since I hurt it. Now it feels great. I’ve got a full range of motion. Wow! Thanks a lot.

The next person anointed by Jesus was Bob. He was touched on his forehead. Immediately he felt different too. “You know I have just learned to live with a constant headache. I thought I would have it the rest of my life. The doctors have never been able to help me, but now I feel great! I just can’t thank you enough. This will change my life for sure.

And then Jesus looked at John. But John slid away from him and moved on down the bench. Then, continuing to move away, all excited and a little afraid he said. “Hey don’t touch me man. I’m on disability!”

The gospel this morning is incredibly familiar. Ultimately, it’s about saying yes or no to God. Is it historical or primarily metaphorical? I will let you decide the answer but first I offer a couple of thoughts.

Interestingly there is no pre-Christian Jewish tradition suggesting that the messiah would be born of a virgin. No one used the Hebrew scriptures in this way before the life of Christ. The only conceivable parallels are pagan ones, and these fiercely Jewish stories have certainly not been modeled on them. Luke would have known that telling this story ran the risk of making Jesus out to be a pagan demigod. So, here’s a question to ponder, “Why, would Luke take this risk of insisting on something so outlandish unless he believed it to be true?

At the very least, the story of Jesus' virginal conception affirms that Jesus was "born not of blood or the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God." It is a metaphorical affirmation of Jesus' identity and significance. Like the voice in the transfiguration story, it affirms, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him."

So, please let me summarize the story. The angel Gabriel is visiting Mary and giving her some interesting news. She had been sitting alone in her room and I would imagine his arrival scared her witless. Gabriel tells her that God has plans for her. She has somehow curried God’s favor. She is to have a baby, an important baby, the Christ child, and she is to name him Jesus. This baby is going to be the savior of the world. His reign will be forever.

That’s some unbelievable news for a young lady that was probably fourteen or fifteen years old. Her reaction is interesting. After the angel assures her that she need not be afraid, I mean this is an angel visiting her, she has a really important question. How can this be? I have never been with a man. And the angel answers her question by saying the Lord will overshadow her and this is the way she will conceive. Overshadowing is a Hebrew Scriptures way of describing God’s involvement in our lives in a way that does not completely overpower us. It’s often characterized as a light within a cloud. We know God is there and we are able to see God without dying.

Reality sort of held its breath at this point I am sure as she pondered the angel’s message from God. God never demands that we do anything. God always asks. That’s the way God set things up. It’s called freewill. So, Mary could have said no. But she did not. She said yes. “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word.” What an incredibly important statement in the history of the world.

And this is the point in the sermon where I am expected to talk about the rest of us answering God’s call. A story or two would be nice and perhaps once again I could tell you about how it took me thirty years to answer God’s call to priesthood. But I am not going to do that. I am going another direction. Here’s the surprise I promised.

God has made God’s hopes for us pretty obvious. Check out the Ten Commandments or the extra commandments spoken by Jesus. Do the loving thing, Tell the truth. Don’t take other people’s stuff. You know the expectations.

On top of that each of us gets specific calls from God in certain situations to do God’s work. Sometimes we are aware of the call and sometimes we aren’t. Sometimes we answer the call and sometimes we don’t.

I am here to tell you that either way, whether we answer the call or don’t it’s ok. You heard me. It’s ok.

One of the things I have learned in life and the priesthood is that everyone is doing the very best they can under their specific circumstances. Their responses may not be our responses but we don’t get to judge them, or each other for that matter. And folks if we know this little tidbit so does God. God knows our circumstances and God certainly isn’t as judgmental as we seem to be.

God is going to love them and us anyway, no matter what. And since we are eternal beings, we will continue to get more chances to answer the call. It’s God’s gift of grace to each of us. So, give yourselves a break, and give your neighbor a break too. It’s about to be Christmas in the middle of a pandemic. We could all use one.

The Third Sunday of Advent: A Voice in the Wilderness

December 14, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Rev. Carole Horton-Howe

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

—John 1:6-8, 19-28 (NRSV)

Saint John the Baptist and the Pharisees - James Tissot (Public Domain)

Let’s face it. John is an unconventional guy to say the least. As we heard in the lesson about John last week, he looks funny. He dresses weird. He has questionable eating habits. He’s always ranting at people mostly about the very uncomfortable topic of their much needed repentance. If any of us had brought home the likes of John to meet our parents they would have been horrified and we’d have been grounded for a month. John makes us uncomfortable until we understand why he’s here – and until we see ourselves on the same mission as John.

John says in the lesson today that he is not a prophet. I think his denial is based on him not seeing himself as a prophet. He didn’t see himself as a revered figure in the same vain as Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Hosea or Moses those childhood heroes of his. But we tend see him as a saint and a prophet because of his distinct voice - not for himself but for God’s working in the world.

I love what Frederick Beuchner, one of my favorite authors, says about prophets. Prophets are spokesmen not future tellers. They have the audacity to speak for the Lord and Creator of the universe. The ancient prophets, he says, were drunk on God. With a total lack of tact they roared out against phoniness and corruption where ever they found it. They were the terror of kings and priests. Remember the prophet Jeremiah smashed a clay pot in a crowd of Judeans to illustrate what God had in mind for them. Nathan tells King David to his face that he is a crook and an adulterer. The prophet Isaiah, pondering the question of what the chosen people were chosen for, told them that they were chosen not to overwhelm the world in a showy military triumph but to suffer and die for love of the world.

And here’s something else important about prophets: No prophet is on record as having raised their hand to ask for the job. They universally asked out of it – Moses pointing out that public speaking was not his strength, Jeremiah saying I’m just a kid. But yet they can’t turn away. They say yes to God’s call.

Prophets feel fiercely and labor with the burden of prophesy that God thrusts into their very soul. Words of prophets, like we hear in John’s voice today, are stern and stinging. But behind them is God’s love and compassion for everyone.

So I think John fits nicely in their company. He feels fiercely and understands his role as God’s voice. And that everything he does has one goal and one goal only – to point everyone he meets towards God in the person of God’s son Jesus. He won’t be put into a box. He is not the Messiah or Elijah. He is the voice trying desperately to get their attention and direct it towards God’s light, God’s son Jesus. “Who are you?” he was asked. Each time his answer was no. All he could tell them about himself was that he was the voice sent to clear the way.

So the man we meet in the gospel today is not John the Baptist as in the gospel of Matthew, John the Baptizer as he’s called in Mark’s gospel or John the son of Zechariah as he’s called in Luke’s gospel. He’s simply John the Voice of God. The prophetic voice who puts his message into action exhorting everyone to make a path in their life and in their heart so that light can enter their darkness.

So I wonder - who are the prophets for us now? Who are the people who point us towards God? Whose voice is speaks to you now not out of his or her own authority or bravado or self-interest but out of God’s love for this crazy world and everyone and everything in it. Where do you hear that voice in your life?

We need to find our own prophetic voice. We need to be people who are vested in being lovers of others. That is witnessing to the light - in the way we live our lives every day and the way we treat each other. That is what Advent calls us to do. That is what John calls us to do. That is what Jesus Christ calls us to do as we wait for his coming again and again.

We are all John. We all have a voice to proclaim the presence of God standing in our midst and point God out to others. We are Andrea and JD and Glenn the Voice, who each point the way to God by the caring way they teach; we are Janice and Joan and Dottie and Sam and Ian the Voice who point the way to God by offering hospitality in the Soup Hour. Whatever we do, we each have a call to be a voice for the light of love that is on the way.

Just as John waited we also wait. John understood that everything that he was waiting for boiled down to waiting for God. Like John, we may be short on details about when Christ is coming. But we are not short on hope or wonder at this mystery in whose good hands we are in. Whatever happens to us while we are waiting, however dark it gets before it gets light, this is what we believe - that we are now and always resting in the light of God’s good hands. Amen.

The Second Sunday of Advent: God's Gifts to Us

December 6, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Fr. Bill Garrison

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

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.”

—Mark 1:1-8 (NRSV)

As you probably have figured out by now, I enjoy humor. So, I have a little something for you. It might not be the funniest story you have ever heard but it sure fits in 2020. Here goes.

A shipwrecked mariner had spent several years on a deserted island, completely alone. Then one morning he was thrilled to see a ship offshore and a smaller vessel pulling out towards him.

When the boat grounded on the beach, the officer in charge, who was dressed in a mask and would come no closer than six feet from him, handed the marooned sailor a bundle of newspapers and told him: “The captain said to read through these and let us know if you still want to be rescued.”

Boy isn’t it the truth.

We are now in the twelfth month of 2020. The year is coming to a close. It’s also Advent, the beginning of the church year and a time for celebrating the hope found in Christmas and new beginnings.

It’s interesting to me that both the end of the year and the beginning of another can be happening at the same time. Perhaps as I think about it that’s just the way things work; as one period comes to a close a new one begins. In our case a year that will go down in infamy is ending in the hope that lies in the birth of Jesus Christ. Perhaps this year we will be led to pay special attention to that hope, and less time shopping and running about like crazy people.

In this morning’s gospel we find John the Baptizer in the wilderness preaching repentance. He is dressed like an old testament prophet. He eats locusts and honey. He uses baptism as his vehicle finding a new way of life. He also announces to all within hearing that another is coming, someone much more important than him, one he is not worthy to tie their sandals. And people are flocking to see him. We wonder why that was.

Personally, I believe they were looking for help from God. Things were hard and their hope might have been that perhaps they might be able to get God to intervene in their lives. If only they could learn what to do to coax God into helping them.

Life in the first century in the Holy Land was hard. We have talked about it before but a little refresher might be in order. When you were born you had a fifty-fifty chance of making it to age seventeen. In order for the population not to decline a woman needed to give birth five or six times. You could easily become a grandfather by age thirty. As soon as you could reproduce you started. If you drank the water it might kill you, hence they drank wine with their water to purify it. Two thirds of those in the Roman Empire were slaves. The odds were strong that you were one too.

And then there was government. The Temple leaders only had the power the Romans allowed them. They were in cahoots with Rome and were busy collecting the Roman taxes along with a couple taxes of their own. This helped those in charge, despised by most common folks, to feather their own nests. Meanwhile the majority of people suffered.

And so, they asked the big question. How come God doesn’t fix what is going on? We have been promised a messiah. Where is he? How much longer must we suffer? When is God coming to our rescue?

Well, as we know God’s idea of helping them didn’t match their expectations. Instead of getting a military leader to throw the Romans and their minions off their backs they got Jesus Christ and eternal life. They received an example of what God is like, God’s nature if you will. And they learned that God loved them and wanted to be part of their lives no matter how miserable they might be.

And so, their daily living didn’t change as they had hoped. Instead they received what God thought was more important for them to have. AND as a result they learned that no matter what happened to them in their daily lives God would be there beside them. AND having survived hardship with God as their loving companion they learned there was nothing in this world that could defeat them.

Now let’s fast forward to Advent 2020. Things have been a real mess this year. I think most of you would agree. In my lifetime I haven’t seen anything like it. I don’t know if our situation can come close to the suffering experienced in the first century. But I do know that our suffering is real. It’s sort of like when the nurse asks you where on a scale of one to ten your pain is you reply a nine. Our pain may not be the same as first century pain, but it’s still a nine to us.

If you find yourself depressed and anxious don’t feel alone. It’s going around and it’s catching. We find ourselves asking the same question asked in gospel. Why doesn’t God fix what is going on?

There is a huge lesson to be learned from first century history in the Holy Land. They were looking for a messiah to lead them out of their troubles. We know they got one, but it wasn’t the one they were looking for. We too are looking for the messiah’s arrival and I guarantee God is coming, but I also guarantee not in the way we would prefer. It will be in a similar way God has always come I am sure. And God will come bearing the same gifts as always.

We will have eternal life. We will be loved. We will be invited into a greater relationship with God. We will learn that nothing is more important than being in partnership with God. I have often thought that one of our greatest gifts is the fact God rarely intervenes in the details of our lives. Through that gift of not interfering we learn that when we encounter difficulties, we remember that we have prevailed before and that we will again. The issues don’t drag us down because of that experience.

I came across a poem by an unknown author that I believe speaks to this special gift from God. I’ll read it for you now.

Photo from Pexels — Photo from **Pexels**

I Asked God

I asked for strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom and God gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity and God gave me a brain and brawn to work.

I asked for courage and God gave me danger to overcome.

I asked for love and God gave me troubled people to help.

I asked for favors and God gave me opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted and I received everything I needed.

It’s Advent. God is on the way. Be ready to recognize God when God gets here. It won’t be like you expect. It wasn’t twenty centuries before either.

The First Sunday of Advent: Active Waiting

November 29, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Rev. Carole Horton-Howe

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

Jesus said, “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.”

—Mark 13:24-37

Happy New Year everyone! No, my calendar isn’t broken. Today is the start of the church’s year. It’s our New Year’s Day and the first Sunday in the season of Advent. Starting today we begin to tell our story. It’s not a story – yet – about a virgin birth, angels and shepherds. It’s about the power of God in massive ways and in tiny ones. It’s a story that starts in the cosmos and finishes in the manger.

Where ever you grew up there’s some natural event that is so powerful and unpredictable that the very idea creates anxiety. Here, of course, it’s earthquakes. When I was growing up in Oklahoma the thing I was most fearful of was tornados.

Summer was tornado season. On some level you were always waiting for the next one, a more powerful one. Today there are doppler weather storm trackers that can tell us where a tornado is, which way it’s moving, how fast it’s going. The conversation is about “there’s a tornado watch” where you do just that. Or a tornado “warning” – and you know it’s getting closer to you. And then you might be told that it’s coming your way and you should take cover. What luxury to have this information – truly God’s gift of science to those in tornado country.

When I was little, we only had what we could see and feel and the lived experience of our elders. The air would get very still and weirdly quiet. The sky would be a cloudless haze. You stopped what you were doing and paid attention. Even children stopped playing with friends and rode their bike home as fast as they could. You waited with your family to see if the wind came up so fierce that windows rattled and everything that wasn’t tied down blew over fences and down the street. The watching could go on for hours. As a child, I lost interest and fell asleep. But my parents were always on watch.

Finally we might hear the one “official” warning we would get – the tornado sirens would blow all over town. That meant that someone had actually spotted a twister. This was earsplitting noise and yet it could barely be heard above wind.

The house I lived in didn’t have a storm cellar. But the neighbors across the street did. And we were welcome to go there whenever the sirens blew. This happened a handful of times. But the one most vivid in my memory happened in the middle of the night.

The sirens woke me up and right away my father scooped me up in his arms, ran down the stairs, into the driving rain across the street to the neighbor’s cellar. Soaking wet, both of us, with my mother and brother huddled in this bunker-like space waiting for who knows how long. I asked my father if our house was going to blow away. “I don’t know, babe. But we’ll be fine.”

It was the closest event that comes to mind when I read about sun and moon darkening, stars falling and the shaking of the powers in the heavens. The immense power of it cannot be described, only the awe. I never recall it without also recalling my father’s assurance in the midst of the storm that everything was going to be okay. I wonder if he believed it. Or if what he said was his prayer.

Today we see Jesus not as a teacher or a healer but as a true prophet offering both vision and compassion. Our story today of stars falling, the sun darkened and a moon that will not shine connects us with ancient people. Their lived experience, their storms were as captives of one empire or another over hundreds of years, struggling to survive, weary and longing for rescue by the one God will send. Now is the time, they cry, for God to come down, tear open the heavens, break it all apart and make everything new.

For the listeners of Mark’s gospel this image of the Messiah coming in and setting right everything that has gone wrong has been their cry for hundreds of years. That’s a long time for people to continue to believe that the Messiah is coming. It’s a long time to continue to believe that if they trust God and wait saturated in trust, that God’s promises will be fulfilled. But that is exactly what is asked. To continue to believe. And, based on that belief, to prepare heart and mind for that very event.

So I have a question for all of us -- what are we waiting for? Are we waiting for Christmas or are we waiting for Christ? Obviously we know when Christmas will arrive. It’s on our calendars measured by the number of shopping days that are left. And when it arrives we know what it will be like even in this unusual year.

But waiting for Christ to come is different. It asks something more of us. Jesus, over and over again in the gospels, asks us to stay awake and prepare our hearts and minds – that’s how important it is! He asks us to be constantly preparing and watching because we don’t know when he will appear. He asks us to wait actively.

It’s a little like a fisherman who sits at home all winter waiting for spring when he can finally grab his tackle and head to the stream. He can wait passively until spring arrives. Or he can wait actively – getting his equipment in good shape and tying flies. Once he’s fishing he’s still waiting. But it’s completely different. It’s full of expectation. He waits and watches with excited anticipation, without regrets, because he knows he’s done everything he needs to do to bring him to this moment when the longed for fish come along. This is the kind of active waiting Jesus asks of us.

Whatever storm is raging right now, our assurance is that Jesus is coming in power and glory - a power to ignite the sun, brighten the moon and throw stars into the heavens to gleam more brightly than ever. We’ll be prepared if we are waiting to receive him with open hearts and minds. And that’s the Good News today.

Let us pray:

Meet us in the darkness O Lord, and be our light. Help us to know and believe that in you we have nothing to fear. Even if our eyes cannot see, even when we cannot know what is to come, we can know that you are with us. Strengthen us to prepare. Be with us in our waiting. Move over the face of our darkness, O God. Trouble us, comfort us, stir us up, and calm us, but do not cease to breathe your presence into our souls. Amen.

Christ the King Sunday: On Being a Better Person

November 22, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Fr. Bill Garrison

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Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

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Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

—Matthew 25:31-36 (NRSV)

This is Christ the King Sunday, a name I bet Jesus would just loathe since he said he came to serve not be served, but that’s a sermon for another day. However, since it is Christ the King Sunday, I want to share a little humor before we begin.

The Kings Servant was walking towards the castle, when he saw a man lying on the side of the path. The servant asked if the man was ok, and he replied.

“Oh, hi, I'm Will. Nice to meet you! Would you like to buy me?

“What, you mean like a servant?” said the King's servant.

“No, just to have me around”

The servant was lonely, as he had to work day and night for the king, which he hated. He wanted to have a friend for once. But he had no money.

“Sorry man, but I'm very poor.”

To which Will replied, “You know what, you can have me for free.”

The servant thanked him and told him to follow him to the castle. As he entered, the King bellowed at the servant to give him a foot rub.

“No! I won’t do it”, the servant replied.

“I’m ordering you to!”, yelled the king.

“I don’t have to do what you tell me to now, ‘cause I have a free Will!”

Today’s gospel at first sight is a tough one and seems to commit a bunch of people to a very hard time in eternity and another group of people to a much better ending. But we should be aware it is a story about something that hasn’t happened yet. That gives us hope that something is going on we may not immediately see. In fact, maybe the story is another parable from Jesus as he tries to teach us an important lesson. I hope so. I’ll let you decide for yourselves.

Here is a quick paraphrase. Christ has returned and and everybody who has ever lived, or is currently living, is standing before him. That’s a pretty good-sized crowd. The purpose of the gathering according to the story is to separate the good folks from the bad, the sheep from the goats if you will. And so, Jesus directs the sheep to his right in the story and the goats to his left. Those on the right are righteous and those on his left are not.

What strikes me about the story is that everybody in both groups are confused about how they got to be a sheep or got to be a goat. Neither knows how it happened. Jesus replies that the decision was based on how they had treated him when he was in need. If they had treated him with compassion, they were sheep, and if they had treated him poorly, they were goats.

So, the big question gets automatically asked. “When did this happen? When did we treat you nicely or when did we treat you poorly?”

Jesus answers. Again, I paraphrase. “All people are members of my family. When you treated other people with compassion it was the same as treating me with compassion, and when you didn’t it was the same as treating me poorly.”

And so now we ask our own question. We understand Lord that we are to treat people with compassion as if they were you, but it seems hard to do consistently as we think about it. In the story you told some did treat others with compassion and some didn’t. They didn’t even know the importance of their actions it seems. So how can we avoid being goats and be sheep? How can we develop the compassion habit that you are obviously looking for?

One of my favorite movies is As Good as it Gets starring Jack Nicholson. In it he plays a writer who has all sorts of trouble being a human being. He appears to care only for himself in the most egocentric way possible. He has lots of money. His neighbor is a gay man having a rough life and Nicholson’s character couldn’t have cared less. In fact, he made fun of him constantly.

Anyway, Jack goes to the same restaurant for breakfast every day and apparently orders the same meal every time. Now Jack has all sorts of problems. He won’t step on a crack. He must always sit in the same booth. His breakfast must be identical every day and he insists on the same waitress each and every time.

The waitress is played by Helen Hunt and watching their relationship is the key to the storyline in the movie. Bottom line Jack is smitten with her but has no idea how to tell her or how to act when he is around her.

Helen has a child with some extreme problems. It is through that child that we begin to see that Jack underneath that unbelievably callous exterior indeed does have a heart as he provides the money and resources to do some special things for the child that will change the child’s life. But he is still Jack and demands a pay-back for what he has done. He wants Helen to go out with him and the truth is she is drawn to him in some very weird way. So, she agrees to go at the urging of her mother.

Several very funny and sometimes poignant scenes follow, but finally she has had enough of Jack’s crassness. He has crossed one too many boundaries and has been his nasty self, one too many times. She demands that he give her a compliment or she is going to walk out of his life forever, and what he says is the highlight of the movie.

“You make me want to be a better man.” Isn’t that great? Well naturally she is taken aback and forgives him.

How many people in your life have made you want to be a better person because you have had a relationship with them? Well I have a few. My grandmother comes to mind immediately as do my parents. I have had friends who have influenced me to be better and to do the right thing. Several of my teachers fall into that same influential place in my life.

And of course, Jesus Christ is the most important one. I cannot imagine the person I might be without my regular exposure to Jesus. It’s kind of scary to think about. But I do have that constant contact through church, my prayer life, the scriptures, Christian authors, and with like thinking people. Jesus rubs off on me. Exposure to him makes me a bit like Jack. I want to be a better man. I want to be one of the sheep.

So, our invitation today I think is to consider the impact Jesus has and can have in our daily lives. Are we spending enough time with him? Are we aware of the difference he makes? Are we a sheep more often than a goat? It’s interesting and worthwhile to think about and take an inventory. Spend some time with it. See what you find out.

The Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost: What We Make of God's Gifts

November 19, 2020 Andrea Schmid

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

Jesus said, “It is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

—Matthew 25:14-30 (NRSV)

If you were listening to the gospel, read a few minutes ago, you are probably busy mentally scratching your head right now. Don’t feel alone. It’s a tough one to comprehend in any way that allows it to sound like a story Jesus would tell. So in a Bible Study sort of manner let’s talk about it.

A man was going on a journey, apparently a trip of some duration, and he asked three of his slaves to come and see him before he left. The first he handed five talents, the second two, and the third one.

Now please understand that a talent was a great deal of money. In that day the common man would have had to work fifteen years to earn the equivalent of one talent. The first slave therefore was entrusted with a fortune of seventy five years wages, the second thirty years wages, and the third fifteen. These are unimaginable sums, tremendous wealth.

Then we hear that the master of the slaves went away on his trip. Immediately the first slave went to work, and using his master’s money doubled it so that he now was in possession of ten talents. The second slave did the identically same thing, doubling his master’s money from two to four talents. Interestingly though the third slave chose to dig a hole and hide the single talent he had been given where he felt it would be safe.

Now let’s inject a little cultural history before we continue. What the first two slaves did would have been seen as offensive to a Jewish audience because they committed a grave sin, called usury, by making money with money. Worse, they did it immediately, with no hesitation at all, until they doubled their investments.

Contrarily, during the first century, Jewish culture taught that if one was entrusted with something of great value, one should bury it in the ground for safekeeping. So, from a cultural standpoint, the third slave is the one who did the most appropriate thing with the fortune he had been given.

We now have two indications that Jesus is up to his usual trick of blind siding us with the unexpected. The first indication is that no one in their right mind is going to entrust this kind of money to a slave. The sheer amount of money entrusted has some sort of meaning.

The second flag is what the slaves immediately begin to do with the fortunes that they have been entrusted with. Yep, I can see you nodding your heads already. The slave who did the correct thing by burying the money ends up being criticized and the ones who did the wrong thing by investing it get rewarded. We know for sure at this point that Jesus is about to turn common wisdom on its head.

So let’s continue. Back comes the slave owner from his trip. Sure enough he rewards the first two slaves for making him a bunch of money, even though they have done the opposite of what current wisdom would have suggested. As a matter of fact they doubled what had been given to them.

And the poor slave who did what his culture had suggested? Well he’s in trouble. He said he knew his owner was a tough and selfish guy and was afraid of him. So he did the wise and safe thing and made sure the owner’s investment was protected, to which the master told him he should have at least given the money to the bankers and made a little interest. What the third slave has done is so bad in fact that we next hear a summation of what has happened. For those who have much more will be added so that they have everything in abundance, and from those who have little even what little they have will be taken away.

Well isn’t that fun? Now be honest. Haven’t you suspected this idea of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer to be true from time to time in your lives? Yes, I think we all have. But that’s not what Jesus is talking about.

I would suggest to you that what Jesus is talking about is our conceptions of God versus the true nature of God. Jesus is talking about life in the Kingdom of God.

Let’s each of us think for a moment how we see God. Is your conception of God an old man with a long white beard sitting in a massive chair a long ways away? Is it some guy who created the world and then set it in motion and walked away from it? Is God for you a scorekeeper? Does God reward you for good things and punish you for bad, all the while making notes about you in a big black book? Is God an angry God? Is God a jealous God? Might God be somewhat unfair at times it seems to you?

I know some of these ways of thinking about God might sound a little dumb, but silly as they are, for most of us, some of these ideas are ingrained deeply within us and hard to let go of.

This is when we are like the third slave and we imagine a God that is pretty scary, a God we have no real relationship with. Please note that there is no indication that the master in the parable is a bad guy. We only hear about that from the third slave who believes that God is a scary God and gets the God he dreamed up. The God he knows about is the God of his imagination. This is the tragedy of the story.

You see in parable after parable Jesus presents God as generous and often throwing a party. Yet in the parable of the Prodigal Son the older brother refuses to come inside and join the party because he thinks God is unfair. The workers that came at the first of the day got the same money as the ones who came later in the day, again seeing God as unfair. The guy that wouldn’t wear a wedding robe, and wanted to do things his own way thus getting tossed out, probably saw God as unfair too. Yet in each and every case we, on the outside looking in, recognize the unbelievably giving God Jesus is presenting.

It’s the same here. Slaves have been given incredible fortunes to do what they will with it. Jesus presents God as a riverboat gambler, showering those who have virtually nothing with untold riches and there is no fear that the money will be lost. There’s not even a consideration of the possibility. You see it’s not important. What’s important is the recognition of the type of God to whom we are subjects, and the kind of trust God has in each of us. God has trust in us we do not even have in ourselves. God wants us to get out there and do something with the gifts we have been given. Do not be afraid. Don’t listen to the world around you and don’t listen to the voices inside that tell us we can’t.

There once was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a climbing competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.

A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants.

And the race began…..

Honestly, no one in the crowd really believed the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. Heard throughout the race were statements such as, “Oh, way too difficult,” “They will never make it to the top,” “Not a chance they will succeed,” “The tower is too high.” “They will all fall down” “It’s impossible!” “Who do they think they are, Spiderman?”

Sure enough, the tiny frogs began collapsing, one by one—except for those who, in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher.

The crowd continued to yell, “It is too difficult! No one will ever make it!”

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up.

Most believed that the crowd was probably right….”It’s impossible!”

But one little frog continued to climb higher and higher.

This one refused to give up!

The crowd continued to berate and snicker at him. But this frog just wouldn’t give up!

At the end of the race, all had given up climbing the tower except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

Thrilled, all of the other tiny frogs wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it. They asked him how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal.

It turned out…… that the winning frog was deaf.

Don’t listen to the world around you. Don’t listen to your own doubts. Listen instead to the God that believes in you and trusts you. The gifts God has given each of us are not the same, but each of us has been entrusted with a fortune. Make something of it.

All Saints Day: "Blessed are Those..."

November 1, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Fr. Bill Garrison

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

—Matthew 5:1-12 (NRSV)

There are certain special days we celebrate every year and All Saints Day is one of them. I think of Christmas and Easter as the most well-known of these days but All Saints is especially important too. In fact, here at St. Matthias we even have a special service at Five PM on this date, The Feast of Lights. If you aren’t familiar it is an Evensong service during which we remember those that have gone before and speak their name aloud.

Now please remember that last night was Halloween. All Hallows Eve is the name this night started with. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. Later the church in the 8th century began the celebration of All Saints Day to finish the story if you will.

Ok. I can’t help myself. Here is my favorite Halloween joke.

There was a man walking home late one night. As usual he took a shortcut through the graveyard. Since it was especially foggy, he didn't see a freshly dug grave and fell headlong into the pit. He tried for over 20 minutes to climb out but couldn't manage to escape. As he sat there pondering his options he was startled when someone else, apparently also using the same shortcut, fell in the grave. He sat unnoticed in the corner and watched the man try to climb out. Hoping to save the man some trouble he said, "You're not going to be able to get out." But he was wrong about that. He almost flew out of there!

The gospel today is a famous one. It’s the Beatitudes. I am not sure why the powers that be chose it for All Saints Day but there you go. It’s still a fun scripture to chat about. And you know what? As I write this, I realize it’s a perfect lesson for this day, two days before a volatile election in a very difficult time.

So, let’s talk about that. Let’s set a contemporary stage. We are in the middle of a surging pandemic. The economy is a mess. We are having a contentious election. The country seems to be split right down the middle. People of color are demanding to be seen and heard. Social media and the news channels are on fire shouting about everything that is going on. It seems like we can’t find quiet and solace anywhere. I am sure all of us are aware of the societal hurricane in which we are all enduring.

And along comes Jesus with a commentary about everything that is happening. Now before we look at what he has to say let’s clear up one very important translation once again. It concerns the Greek word ευλογημένος. Somehow that Greek word got translated as “blessed”. That might have made sense centuries ago but it makes none today. A better translation is “enormously happy”. So please listen as I read the Beatitudes with this correction.

"Enormously happy are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Enormously happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

"Enormously happy are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

"Enormously happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

"Enormously happy are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

"Enormously happy are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

"Enormously happy are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

"Enormously happy are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Enormously happy are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Now I think it’s important to remind ourselves who is talking. This is Jesus Christ who had, and even more importantly continues to have, a special relationship with the God we worship. He was there at the beginning of creation. He rose from the dead and made eternal life possible for each of us. He has a perfect understanding of God’s nature and how God conducts business. When he says something, we can take it to the bank without reservation.

Within this speech to the people when he gave it, the speech we have since named the Beatitudes, he has made some incredible promises. I will pick out a few. You can be happy even though you are down and depressed because the Kingdom of Heaven will be yours. If you are mourning please know God cares and God will comfort you. Maybe your self-esteem is not what you would like but know that all of creation will be given to you one day. If you are seeking righteousness be happy and know you will find it in God. If you are merciful and a peacemaker God will show you mercy and God will acknowledge you as one of God’s children. Even if people make fun of you because of your faith and way of life be happy because your reward in eternity will be fantastic.

Photo by Spencer Selover from Pexels — Photo by **Spencer Selover** from **Pexels**

And so, we realize the speech was perfect for the first century. The people in the Holy Land needed desperately to hear it. Now what might it sound like if Jesus gave the same speech today, November the First, 2020? Let’s take a listen.

Enormously happy are those in this surging pandemic for God shall provide the needed answers for its resolution and greet those that are lost with God’s love.

Enormously happy are you who suffer economically because your relationship with God is much more valuable and is yours forever.

Enormously happy are you that worry about the election for you shall render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and what you render unto God will return to you again and again and again.

Enormously happy are you that fear those with a different viewpoint as in time only God’s viewpoint will matter.

Enormously happy are you that feel downtrodden and ignored as God knows you and loves you and your day of reckoning is coming.

Enormously happy are you that are surrounded by frightening news for God promises that peace and security will be yours.

Enormously happy are you when others say you are wasting your time serving a God that no longer matters. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

God loves us. God cares for us. We have God’s promises. I quote the Apostle Paul: “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?”

The Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost: Seeing the Holiness in Each Other

October 25, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Fr. Bill Garrison

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

—Matthew 22:34-36

Jesus is going to be quoting two scripture passages about love today and so in that vein here is a quick story about Fred, a bachelor seeking a loving relationship.

Fred is 32 years old and he is still single.

One day a friend asked, “Why aren't you married? Can't you find a woman who will be a good wife?”

Fred replied, “Actually, I've found many women I wanted to marry, but when I bring them home to meet my parents, my mother doesn't like them.”

His friend thinks for a moment and says, “I've got the perfect solution, just find a girl who's just like your mother.”

A few months later they meet again and his friend says, “Did you find the perfect girl? Did your mother like her?”

With a frown on his face, Fred answers, “Yes, I found the perfect girl. She was just like my mother. You were right, my mother liked her very much.”

The friend said, “Then what's the problem?”

Fred replied, “My father doesn't like her.”

Before we begin thinking about today’s gospel, I want to make a point, an important point I think about Jesus. And it’s something I would like for us to keep in the back of our minds as we go along. It has to do with the attitude of those “in the know” as they encountered Jesus. Jesus was considered an unlearned, laboring class itinerant teacher from Galilee. His critics, on the other hand, were professionally trained, sophisticated people of high standing in Israel's spiritual/economic life. The Pharisees, and other groups such as the scribes and Sadducees, were studious practitioners of every detail of Torah law. They believed he was on their turf, and that he really had no right to be there. For him to challenge them, or attempt to teach them anything about scripture was unseemly and probably displeasing to them. He was from a lower societal class and had no right to do so. When they called him teacher it was probably said dripping with sarcasm.

And so, we begin. Jesus, as we heard just a few moments ago in the gospel, was asked the following question by the Pharisees. What is the most important commandment in Scripture? He answered the question with these very famous words, quoting passages from Deuteronomy and Leviticus. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.”

His answer to the question is interesting. They asked for one commandment and he gave them two, a primary and most important commandment and another of almost equal importance. Then he commented that “on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” All the Law of Moses, as taught in the Hebrew Scriptures, begins with these two commandments about love.

Then he committed what would have been an unpardonable sin in the eyes of the Pharisees. Jesus asked them a couple questions in return. The first was a set up question that armed a trap, and the second was a question they had no way of answering. Here is the set-up question. “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son, is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.”

And now the trap is sprung. He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying; ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”'? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?”

The gospel story says no one was able to give him an answer.

Jesus has made the Pharisees look bad, and he has done it in front of a crowd. Just for the record Jesus is referring to himself in the question, and we remember that Jesus is from the lineage of King David, and God has said at his baptism that Jesus was God’s son, of whom God was well pleased. The riddle is solved.

But please, today let’s not get hung up in the riddle. Let’s think about Jesus of Nazareth, a way station to nowhere, who is commonly known to the Pharisees as an itinerate preacher and former common laborer, a man several notches below them socially and scholastically.

And this common laborer has just made them look bad and demonstrated a knowledge of scripture that was more complete than their own. Put yourselves in their shoes. Their anger and self-doubt must have been all consuming. Just who is this guy? How did he come by this incredible knowledge and understanding?

Theologians too wrestled with this question for the next three hundred years or so. And they arrived at a doctrine that describes it. Here is that doctrine. Jesus Christ is fully human and fully divine. No, I don’t know how this could be as it makes no mathematical sense, but it fits. It explains how Jesus could experience everything we experience and yet could handle his life in a way only God could.

I like what is said in the gospel of John. I will paraphrase. God tore the fabric of reality and put on a tent of human flesh, thus becoming one of us and also remaining the spirit of God. Jesus had the spirit of God within him and it radiated from his human form even as he lived a human life and died a human death.

And now my point. Hang on to your hats. The spirit of God is in you too, and within every human being on the planet. Every human being is God’s creation, and every human being has the spirit of God within them. It is not as present or as obvious as it was in Jesus but it is there, make no mistake about it. Think about that for a moment. Let the reality of God’s presence within you sink in. I will give you a moment or two.

How did Jesus become such a tremendous scholar when he was born within a lower-class family and made his living as a person who worked with his hands? It was because the presence of God was within him. It made all things possible for him.

You and I are not like Jesus Christ except in two meaningful ways. One is that we are human as he was. Second, we have the essence of God within us. We were created as holy creatures. He was fully divine. We are not fully divine. But we also must not minimize the gift of God that already exists within each of us.

It means that we too can be more than perhaps we or others think we can be. It means that when we are in relationship with others, we are invited to become aware of the holiness that resides within them and to realize their potential too. It’s a way to view ourselves and each other that can make a difference.

I am not in the habit of quoting people but today I will break my personal way of doing things. I quote Thomas Merton because he said it better than I can on this subject.

“In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all these people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was like waking from a dream of separateness, of spurious self-isolation in a special world.

This sense of liberation from an illusory difference was such a relief and such a joy to me that I almost laughed out loud. I have the immense joy of being man, a member of a race in which God Himself became incarnate. As if the sorrows and stupidities of the human condition could overwhelm me, now that I realize what we all are. And if only everybody could realize this! But it cannot be explained. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.”

And this is our invitation. Yes, I tell you. You do shine like the sun. Look around you; so does everyone else. It’s a great time to remember this truth.

Photo by Ingo Joseph from Pexels — Photo by **Ingo Joseph** from **Pexels**

The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost: "...And Unto God What is God's."

October 20, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Fr. Bill Garrison

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

Bartolomeo Manfredi, Il tributo a Cesare (Public Domain) — Bartolomeo Manfredi, *Il tributo a Cesare* (Public Domain)

The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

—Matthew 22:15-22 (NRSV)

We just heard a gospel with a famous line that most people remember. “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.” So, I thought since we are talking about taxes, I would relate a couple of IRS funnies before we get serious. Here we go.

A nervous taxpayer was unhappily conversing with the IRS auditor who had come to review his records. At one point the auditor exclaimed, "We feel it is a great privilege to be allowed to live and work in the USA. As a citizen you have an obligation to pay taxes, and we expect you to eagerly pay them with a smile."

"Thank God," returned the taxpayer. "I thought you were going to want cash."

A young child had swallowed a coin and it got stuck in his throat, and so his mother ran out in the street yelling for help. A man passing by took the boy by his shoulders and hit him with a few strong strokes on the back, and so he coughed the coin out. "I don't know how to thank you, doc...", his mother started. I'm not a doctor", the man replied, "I'm from the IRS".

Ok. I am going to confess to something really weird. Hang on to your hats. I enjoy preparing for and doing taxes. I expect a lot of accounting folks do too but I am not nor ever have been an accountant. I wonder how many of you are plagued with this same issue. I enjoy putting together deductions throughout the year and I enjoy planning ahead so that I minimize my tax obligation. It’s me versus the government. Now I believe in paying taxes unlike some people I have heard about, but I also believe in using the tax laws to minimize what I owe. It killed me when I recognized several years ago that I needed the services of professionals to finish them correctly and completely. My taxes had gone beyond my ability to complete. I was actually quite sad.

The gospel today is based in taxation. There were two types of taxes in Judea during the first century. The first was the Temple tax. Nehemiah introduced an annual one-third shekel tax for the running and maintenance of the temple. This was later increased to a half shekel, which was worth about two Denarius, the equivalent of two day’s wages. All Jewish males, except the priests, were liable to pay this tax, but it was mostly only the Pharisees who did so.

The second was the tax paid to the Romans and collected by the High Priest and those he chose to help him. The tax collectors were much despised by the Jewish population as they were making their living, and living quite well, off the vigorish of collection. Josephus estimates that the revenue from the Judean male population was between 600 and 800 talents per year. A talent was an immense amount of money. If the population of working males in Judea was around 250,000 as we think it was, then each man effectively worked for about three to four weeks every year for the Roman state. (Don’t you wish we had it so good? Our tax freedom date this year was April 16th. That’s a whole lot longer than three or four weeks.)

In today’s gospel the Pharisees and Herodians are trying to trick Jesus into saying something that will get him into trouble with either the Romans or the Jewish people. Here is the question. “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?", they ask.

His answer is a classic after requesting a coin and asking whose image is on it. "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." This was not what they had expected and their plot had failed. They retreated to fight again another day.

But having said that it remains a question that has continued to be an important one down through the centuries ever since. And it seems to me an especially important question on October 18th, 2020.

For hundreds of years there was no separation between church and state. In fact, the state found itself beholden to the church and this led to no end of issues including the creation of an extremely corrupt clergy. Europe found itself in the clutches of the church in Rome. Great chunks of real estate were governed by clergy. Things were a real mess.

All of that ended at the close of the Thirty Years war and the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. Please make a note as there will be a test later. 😊 The church and the state were disconnected at this point as was philosophy and the church. For the first time in human history, with the exception perhaps of ancient Greece, political and cultural emphasis was placed in human reason rather than the instruction of the church. The pledge made by the signers of the peace was that going forward human reason would be independent and primary in the guidance of society. Our country was created in this atmosphere.

In the grand beginnings of this country they attempted to apply the winds of philosophy and reason into account and insisted that for a democracy to survive and flourish there needed to be a separation between church and state.

And here we make an important note to ourselves. As with most things it appears Jesus was way ahead of his time. Give to Caesar what is Caesar and to God what is God’s. The separation of church and state were clearly in his mind at that time.

So how has the primacy of intellect worked? What follows is my opinion only. For me the pendulum has swung totally the other way. Besides becoming fabulously successful at killing incredible numbers of people religion has been robbed of almost any authority in the ways of most human beings. The ethics presented in religion has almost no meaning in the affairs of state. Ethics have given way to what is legal rather than what is ethical it seems to me.

And that impacts how we answer the question Jesus asks. Let me ask it another way. What is the State’s influence and what is God’s influence? So now let me ask myself and you an individual question. Bill Garrison you spend a lot of time working on the preparation of your taxes for the state, are you spending equal time thinking about the stewardship of what is God’s in your life? Does God impact your thinking during the week as much as on Sundays? Is God getting equal time? Are you even coming close to rendering unto God what is God’s?

Unfortunately, I know how I answer that question. How do you answer it? I think our invitation is this. Why don’t we think about this divide between God and society to which Jesus refers? Is God getting equal time and thought in each of our lives? If not how might an increase in God’s significance impact things? Might our lives be enhanced? How about our community, how might it be enhanced? Let’s think about it.

The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Preparing for the Banquet

October 11, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Rev. Carole Horton-Howe

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

Parable of the Wedding Feast. 2014. Canvas, oil. 110 x 170. Artist A.N. Mironov

Once more Jesus spoke to the people 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.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

—Matthew 22:1-14 (NRSV)

You might be surprised to hear a story about an athlete and his coach from me rather than from Fr. Bill. But I can’t think of a better way to speak to the gospel today than to tell you about Lou Alcindor and John Wooden. You might be more familiar with the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the awarding winning superstar of the Lakers. At 7’2” tall he dominated professional basketball winning MVP honors, playing on All-Star teams, leading the team with his famous Skyhook slam to multiple NBA championships. He was a centerpiece of the Showtime era of the Lakers.

But before that, he was Lou Alcindor, a kid who grew up in the projects in New York. He was made for basketball. He was 6’8” tall in the eighth grade and dominated the local game with his skill. Everyone knew he was going to be an amazing college player. And over 200 colleges wanted him. Locals hoped he’d stay home and play for St. John’s and he almost did. Until he went on a recruiting trip to sunny Los Angeles, walked into newly built Pauley Pavilion and met UCLA Coach John Wooden. UCLA had won national championships under Wooden. So Lou accepted a scholarship to UCLA and in the fall of 1965 was ready to play, ready to learn from this incredible coach with the winning record who was already becoming a legend in coaching.

So how did their season begin? On the first day of practice, Coach Wooden told the team, “Gentleman, today we’re going to learn how to put our shoes and socks on.” Alcindor thought this was crazy. His momma taught him that. What about offense and defense? What about the X’s and O’s of fast break game they were known for?

Not so fast. Coach Wooden calmly explained that most players are benched for blisters, and the easiest way to avoid them is to prepare by paying attention to the basics. Coach would meticulously show players how to roll up their socks and tighten their laces. “I wanted it done consciously, not quickly or casually,” he said. “Otherwise we would not be doing everything possible to prepare in the best way.”

You see, all the wondrous things about playing a high profile sport at a top-tier school, all the excitement and glory and accolades weren’t going to happen for Lou Alcindor if he ended up on the bench because he didn’t consciously prepare. The gospel reading today has the same sense about it – encouraging us to prepare our hearts and minds to receive God’s invitation to us.

It’s a parable of extremes - wonderful offerings and some harsh behavior. It starts out with some imagery of celebration and excitement. But then it turns tragic. Those who were invited to the banquet apparently didn’t think much of it. Their hearts and minds were focused on their regular lives. And God seems to go crazy at their behavior.

I hope we won’t take these portions of the parable too literally and perhaps instead see them as Jesus wanting to make a very distinct point to his listeners who were the leaders of the Jewish community.

I also hope that we will not read this parable strictly with the idea that we are preparing ourselves only for the Kingdom of God coming later, the next life. Of course that’s true. But remember that Jesus declared at the onset of his earthly ministry with his very presence that the Kingdom is at hand -- right here, right now, with each other, with all of creation.

Let’s think about our own metaphor for a banquet for a moment. What would an extraordinary banquet table look like to you? What array of treats laid out in front of you would really excite you, make you absolutely awestruck at the very sight of it? Make your mouth water?

For me, it would be, front and center of any banquet, my grandmother’s sour cream chocolate sheet cake with pecan fudge icing. And a large container of vanilla ice cream. And my mother’s butterscotch pie, a New York cheesecake covered in strawberry sauce and the entire contents of a See’s Candy store. I could go on and on. What does yours look like? Maybe it’s not a table at all but a giant grill covered in filet mignon and lobster tails. Whatever it is, sit with those thoughts for a minute.

And I want to suggest to you that each of the banquet items we’ve all imagined for ourselves is just a shadow of the incredible things that God offers us. God offers us exponentially more than we can imagine in God’s son. The banquet, ready and available to each of us to feast on every minute of every day, is piled high with the gifts we see and experience in Jesus Christ: unceasing love, boundless joy, compassion as deep as a canyon, forgiveness, mercy, redemption, reconciliation and eternal life all laid out on a table of grace. Can you picture that? We feast at God’s table and we come away satisfied in every way, never ever to be hungry again. That’s what’s on offer here.

The last guest and everything about his particular story is a puzzle. What is this wedding garment that he has neglected? Why is he silent? The author of Matthew doesn’t tell us. But in early Christianity, converts found new identity in putting on a new set of clothes. In this tangible way, they understood themselves as giving up their former way of life and clothing themselves in their Christian beliefs. So the first listeners to this gospel might have understood this party-goer as someone not yet willing to give up the old ways. He has no response because he has not made preparations. His head and heart are ambivalent. His downfall comes in the moment he is asked to account for himself and he has nothing to say.

Perhaps the letter to the Colossians gives us the best idea of the way to prepare ourselves for the banquet: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience. Bear with one another… forgive each other… Above all, clothe yourselves with love which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

God will go to extraordinary lengths and seek us out in every corner of the world to extend an invitation to God’s extraordinary goodness. By clothing ourselves the same way as Paul instructs the Colossians, the outward effects of gospel choices will finally settle in our hearts. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Amen.

The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Carrying Our Crosses

August 31, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Rev. Carole Horton-Howe

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

“For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

—Matthew 16:21-28

This Gospel reading presents us with a significant shift in the story of Jesus’ ministry. From the hands-on, day to day work of teaching and healing, Jesus redirects our thinking to an understanding of discipleship. In a profound “teachable moment” he lets his disciples know what is at stake and what’s going to be required of them.

These are not easy words to hear. There are no easy tasks or pretty images here. The idea of the cross was terrifying in ways that we probably cannot imagine. No wonder that the devoted Peter cries out in defiance at the suggestion of losing his beloved teacher.

But did you notice that just a few short verses earlier, Jesus has blessed Peter and proclaimed that he is the rock on which the church will stand. What a contrast! What a demonstration of the challenges that we face – the conundrum of setting aside our personal claim on what is precious to us now and to choose the risk and reality of pain and loss for the sake of Christ’s love for the world.

There are some burdens that all of us we expect to carry. We know there will be changes - significant changes - in our lives in the natural course of things. We anticipate the loss of grandparents and parents and all that means to us. Some losses we hope to avoid take shape over time – loss of jobs, career plans that don’t go the way we hoped, marriages and relationships that don’t have fairy tale endings. These are weighty crosses to carry for sure.

Christ Carrying the Cross - Sebastiano del Piombo (Public Domain)

Burdens that are unexpected though are somehow worse. Finding ourselves shouldering a task for which we are not prepared, that we did not want makes us feel angry and resentful. Understandably so. But whether anticipated or not, the struggles that show up in our lives do us a favor. Because they tend to show us what is real. They reveal our illusions about our lives. And in a way they make us tell ourselves the truth.

Our internal image of the cross and carrying the cross tends to be one of overwhelming, crushing pain. And solely that. I know for me, this is reinforced in the images of Jesus carrying the cross on which he is eventually executed, images I have from artwork and from films usually of the stations of the cross. The terror of the cross is made real. It’s so heavy and so rough that we can see only that it is hopeless life taking and soul stealing.

But I’d like to offer you another way of seeing carrying the cross and the burdens we carry, another layer of the meaning of the cross. That reality of pain is a valid one. But pain is only one aspect of the cross. The other is hope. Another aspect of the cross is hope. As something dies, resurrection and new life is about to be born. We carry within our crosses great hope. We carry within our crosses resurrection to new life.

Joan Chittister has written some interesting thoughts on this: Whether anticipated or not, the burdens we carry begin with shock, with loss. There’s a radical interruption of what was certain and sure and eternal. We think “It will never end. It couldn’t ever end.” “My reputation could not be damaged. My relationships will never end.” But they do. Things change. Change, she says, means movement and movement means friction. It’s movement we don’t want and friction we think we cannot endure.

When we are in a peaceful, acceptable place in our lives with a degree of equilibrium, we feel secure. But, she says, the compelling need to have our lives set in stone is a great obstacle to truth. In these secure places we cannot grow. Change happens at every stage of our lives for the purpose of carrying us in to the next stage of our lives. Changes are invitations to ask what will come to take its place. Changes are invitations to struggle towards renewal. Here’s something critical: Renewal is not about going back to that “set in stone” place we came from.

The spirituality of struggle begins with our decision to recognize the opportunity for change and either grow or to retreat -- to live a little more or to die a little bit. It’s an important decision we all have to make, Chittister says, to become new rather than simply to become older. There is a gift hidden in the burden of forced change. But first there is an invitation to struggle with our ideas about who God is, God’s role in our lives and about our call to be disciples of God’s son.

Peter can’t imagine why Jesus’ earthly ministry has to end. It’s going so well. Why can’t all the healing and teaching that is doing so much good for so many people in distress under Roman rule just go on and on? The Good News today is Jesus’ invitation to the struggle of renewal, redemption and resurrection.

A story about a woman named Elizabeth: Elizabeth had been battling cancer for several years in one part of her body and then another and then another – a terrible cross to carry that had come on suddenly and was unrelenting. A chaplain asked her if she thought that the experience of suffering from cancer over and over again had shaded or colored her outlook on her life. She thought about it awhile and said “yes, but I get to choose the color.”

They chatted for a while more and as he was leaving, the chaplain asked her “what color did you choose?” Elizabeth was a life-long Episcopalian so the chaplain assumed she would choose some seasonal liturgical color. But instead she said, “Sparkles! I choose sparkles – every color there is moving in the light and shining like stars. My life is like a sky full of stars. Cancer is one star. But it isn’t the biggest or the brightest or the most sparkly one.” She had no idea what was ahead for her but she was certain of new life. Elizabeth faced into her cross carrying both pain and hope. And when the time came, she was made new.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering Paul tells the Romans. And in that process make the decision to do the loving thing and also to personify the loving thing as a devout disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I’ll leave you today with a blessing by William Sloane Coffin

“May God give you the grace never to sell yourself short;

Grace to risk something big for something good;

Grace to remember the world is now too dangerous for anything but the truth and too small for anything but love.”

Amen.

The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost: “Who Do You Say That I Am?"

August 23, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Fr. Bill Garrison

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

—Matthew 16-13-20

One of the things we will be chatting about today is the importance of names and how names can be given to a person in a way that informs who they are or what they become. Here is a quick story about that to get things started.

A relative newcomer to America who was a native of Sweden rushed his pregnant wife to the hospital. During the delivery he found out she was having twins, and then he fainted. He didn't come to for a few days so his brother was brought in to help name the children.

“My brother named my kids?!" he exclaimed when he woke up. "But my brother is illiterate. And he can't even speak any English. Oh my, so what did he name the girl?"

“He named her Denise."

“Denise? Well, that's not such a bad name. I kind of like it. And what did he call the little boy?"

“De Nephew."

Let’s think about today’s gospel and think about the questions we just heard Jesus ask of those with him. As we recall this is the first. “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

Let’s set a possible scene for the story. I can see Jesus and his disciples sitting around chatting and relaxing after a long day, recounting what had gone on during “working hours”. They were probably tired, maybe even a little sore. Certainly, their feet hurt. And their backs were probably aching too. But they were undoubtedly pretty proud of themselves; the way we can all feel truly first-rate after a hard day’s work, in which a lot has been accomplished.

There was probably some playful kidding going on too. I can see Jesus taking part with everyone else having some fun after a long day. Maybe a couple of the disciples were taking a little cat nap before dinner.

Reviewing Matthew’s gospel, regarding the events surrounding this evening’s reading, we observe Jesus healing all sorts of maladies in all sorts of people, feeding about five thousand men along with attendant women and children, teaching, answering questions, and traveling. I can only imagine the crowds of people that had to be attended to and managed by Jesus and those who were regularly with him. It must have been an amazingly busy time for all of them.

After thinking back over their conversations with those they had encountered, and recalling what people had said about Jesus, they responded to his question we heard a moment ago. “Who do the people say that I am?”

They reported to him that some thought he was John the Baptist or Elijah, or perhaps Jeremiah, or maybe one of the prophets. I imagine there was a certain relaxed cockiness in the room. They were close to Jesus, and everybody outside of their circle wanted to see him, and to some extent they were the gate keepers. I doubt they suspected the bombshell question Jesus that was coming.

Can’t you see Jesus sitting there quietly, his eyes calmly taking in the room? I imagine he encountered some self-confident smiles looking back at him.

And then he asked the second question. “But, who do you say that I am?”

I imagine myself as one of the disciples, not Simon the disciple that eventually answers the question. It hangs like smoke in the air. For most of us our breathing almost stops. The silence becomes pregnant with expectation and maybe a little fear. We look at each other. Jesus continues to relax while he awaits an answer. This has become all too personal. It’s no longer about the crowds and what they think and believe. It’s about us. What do we really think?

Thankfully Simon answers the question for the rest of us, getting us off the hook. “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” We begin to breathe again.

“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”

This is the first time Simon has been called Peter in this gospel. Jesus has just renamed him. Let’s think about the name. In Greek it’s Petros, meaning stone. In Aramaic it’s Cephas. We hear Paul referring to him as Cephas all the time. If we were listening in English, we would understand that Jesus has just renamed him Rocky. It’s an affectionate name and it’s a name that describes the man. He is a rock. He is solid. We are reminded of the renaming God did of folks in the Hebrew Scriptures. Abram became Abraham. Sarai became Sarah. Naming in antiquity was important and told us that this person is being made new. He is different, and in some way improved. Simon has become Peter/Cephas/Rocky. He is new and improved.

The other important word to be aware of in the words of Jesus is Blessed. The Greek work is better translated “enormously happy”. So, Jesus has just renamed Simon Cephas, and has declared him to be enormously happy. Recognizing the savior of the world and saying it out loud would indeed make someone enormously happy we are quite sure.

Some of you may have noticed over the years that when we celebrate a Baptism, I ask the parents to “name this child”. It’s a holdover from the previous prayer book, and a salute to antiquity. A name has meaning. They, with God, have created the child and it is their duty to raise the child and take their part in the child’s becoming. The name has meaning. The child is becoming new and improved through the act of baptism. Peter is new and improved by Jesus in his renaming.

And so even though Peter has saved our bacon, answering the question Jesus asked in our stead, we come face to face with it again this morning. “Who do you say that I am?”

I would say it’s a question we hear on a regular basis. As Christians I believe this is not a question we answer just once and we’re good. Jesus confirmed our salvation on the cross already. That question is already answered. The question becomes what are we going to do in the current situation we might be addressing if we truly believe that Jesus is the Christ? “Who do you say that I am?”

In the reading from Romans today Paul lists gifts for each of us from God. We don’t all have the same gifts, but we all have gifts of one kind or another. I quote Paul. “We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.” This is just a partial list. There are many more gifts to which Paul refers in scripture. Every gift needed in the church of Christ is already within her members.

We come equipped for service, each and every one of us. And the use of our gifts depends on how we answer the question Jesus asks, each time he asks it. “Who do you say that I am?”

If, like Peter, you answer that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God, then the use of our gifts is pretty easy to discern no matter the situation. And please know that the question is asked of us again and again. Each time it is asked we have a new opportunity to answer. So, when Jesus comes knocking in the next situation you encounter, how do you suppose you will answer? Will you be able and willing to make use of your gifts?

And will Jesus say to you: “Enormously happy are you Bill. Enormously happy are you Carole. Enormously happy are you Tim. Enormously happy are you Mary Jean. Enormously happy are all of you that know who I am.”

The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost: “What Proceeds from the Heart"

August 16, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Fr. Bill Garrison

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

—Matthew 15:10-28

A woman prays to Jesus to heal her daughter (Public Domain)

Today we have two gospel readings which have been joined together to teach a couple important points. So let’s begin with the first.

The Pharisees have been commenting on the eating habits of Jesus and his disciples. They weren’t consuming the “right foods” and they had been hanging out with the “wrong people” and at this moment they were complaining about the disciples eating without washing their hands. The disciples were bothered by this being good Jews. They knew the cleanliness laws.

Jesus told them not to pay attention to what they had to say, that what they were complaining about hadn’t come from God. The fact is that the food that goes into one’s body serves a purpose, yet winds up in the sewer eventually. So, he said, let’s not define a person by what they eat or how they eat it.

Instead, let’s think about what comes out of a person’s mouth. What comes from the mouth is what can defile a person. The important things begin in the heart and leave the body through the mouth. Jesus gave us a bunch of examples of things that defile us that originate in the heart. We quote him now. “For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”

I don’t imagine there is a person listening to me now that would disagree with what Jesus is saying. We know our own selves. We know the evil that we are capable of producing. It’s pretty scary sometimes to think about. It’s even scarier to know what we might be capable of as a result of that thinking.

And yet there is a flip side to this coin. Yes evil comes from within, but so does good. We human beings are as capable of good as we are of evil. For every evil thing that has been created by human beings there are wonderful things that have also been created. Sometimes we really do love our neighbors as ourselves. Sometimes we really do love our God with all our hearts. Sometimes we really do love each other as Christ loved us. The evidence of this is all around us. Every good thing came from the heart of human beings.

I have told the following story from the Cherokee lore many times and I am quite sure I will again. It speaks to the issue we have been discussing.

We find an old Cherokee teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. ”It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

And I would submit the food we are now talking about is the word and presence of God. I am certain Jesus would agree. With God in our lives as our partner, and with the company of God loving people we are much more likely to have goodness in our hearts as opposed to evil, and the results goodness produces.

And so let’s think about the second part of our gospel reading. A Canaanite woman approaches Jesus begging him to help her daughter. He basically ignores her. She pleads for his help. He bitingly refuses to give it. She pleads with him on her knees. Jesus recognizes that she has tremendous knowledge of who he is and what he is capable of and grants her request. Her daughter is healed.

Years ago I had on the football team I coached a terrific young man. He was a really talented football player. He was everything a coach could hope for and more. He paid attention and stayed out of trouble. His grades were good and he was a good teammate. But there was something else about him that captured my attention.

He and his father were extremely close. His father attended every practice and every game. He and his son had wonderful communication. You could just tell. But there was something more.

You see his father was in a wheel chair. Every practice and every game this young man wheeled his father to practice and on game days to the field where we were we were going to be playing. He did this every time, and he made sure his father was safe and had what he needed before he would leave him and join his teammates. Then at water break or halftime he would check on him again. Afterward he would wheel his father to the car, both of them chatting happily. I must admit I get tears in my eyes when I think about it. There was much goodness in this young man’s heart.

The Canaanite woman begging Jesus to heal her daughter had that same goodness in her heart. She knew the social mores of approaching a man in public. She knew that Jesus was an important person and a great teacher and according to societal rules should not be approached. Yet she loved her daughter so much that she was willing to take a chance and approach Jesus on her daughter’s behalf. What began in her heart was love, what came from her mouth was understanding and hope. Jesus responded.

We think about the gospel lesson today. We are reminded to feed our hearts through our partnership with God. That partnership is the source of goodness that strengthens within us as the partnership develops. It even gives us the courage to speak when others would rather we did not. At the same time we are supplied with the courage not to speak when others would rather we did, joining with them.

In partnership with God we have the potential to become self differentiated people and non anxious presences for those around us. We, like Jesus, can know who we are and whose we are. We can become less tempted to let evil emanate from us, and more capable of distributing the love and goodness that grows within. When it becomes time to speak and act we do. And the winds that blow around us are less likely to carry us away. And through this process in partnership with God we grow into the leaders God has created us to be, and the assets to our communities we can become.

The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost: “Lord, Save Me!"

August 10, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by the Rev. Carole Horton-Howe

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

Jesus Supports St. Peter on the Water - Lluis Borrassa (Public Domain)

Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

—Matthew 14:22-33

Many years ago I was in Boston and had a chance to meet a friend at the hotel where she was staying for coffee. The hotel happened to be near a special site in Boston called the Reflecting Pool. The water in it is smooth and still as glass. It’s maybe twenty yards wide and a football field long with sidewalks running the length of it. It’s not just its immense size that makes it interesting. You can’t see the edges or the sidewalks themselves. It’s a remarkable feat of artistry and engineering. When you see people walking alongside it, they appear to be walking on water. I commented about this to my friend “it looks like everyone is walking on water.” “Yes,” she sighed. “That’s the problem.” And it is a problem – or perhaps it’s so inconsistent with life experience that it reminds us more of magic than any actual life experience.

The gospel story today is one that has given comfort and encouragement to Christians for generations precisely because it is so relateable.

Peter is one of the most interesting people we meet in scripture. I think most of us know someone like Peter. We may have our own Peter-like moments. He is the latest in a long line of fishermen in his family. But he walks away from this heritage to follow Jesus. He doesn’t get a lot of what Jesus says and does. He’s been described as a big goof. He’s impetuous and doesn’t seem to think things through.

And that may be true. For me Peter is someone who wears his heart on his sleeve. His devotion to Jesus is complete. It’s solid. Remember that it was Peter alone among the disciples who answered Jesus’ question “who do you say that I am?” Only Peter was willing to break the silence, the step up and speak Jesus’ true identity. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” In the beauty of that declaration we tend to overlook the truth of those times. Saying out loud that Jesus was the son of God was revolutionary or blasphemy. And either one could get you into a lot of trouble. Peter said it anyway. Maybe that’s why Jesus nicknamed him “the Rock” or Rocky. What we know about a rock is that it is solid and dependable as long as it’s on level ground. If it’s not it becomes unpredictable and even dangerous.

At Jesus’ declaration that he would go to Jerusalem to suffer and be killed, Peter can’t stand the thought of losing his teacher, his rabbi. “God forbid this should ever happen!” he says. Jesus gets in his face and tells him he is in the way. He likens him to Satan. Later Jesus tells Peter that he of all the disciples, in spite of his great love for him will deny three times that he even knows him. “No,” says Peter, “I will never deny you.” But of course he does. He stands vigil outside the place where Jesus is on trial. He is so terribly afraid. Fear blinds him and he runs away to safety.

In our story today fear is a recurring theme. The phrases “terrified” “cried in fear” “do not be afraid” and “became frightened” all occur in just a few verses. The disciples are together in a boat on the Sea of Galilee as Jesus instructed them. Jesus has left them to spend time in prayer. It’s easy to imagine that Peter is not waiting patiently. He might have been helping to secure the boat, bailing out water but impatient to be with Jesus again. When an apparition appears, Peter is the only one willing to step out. He’s spent his life on the water. He knows the risks but his desire to be reunited with Jesus and his impetuous nature propel him over the side and into the storm.

Let’s think about what that experience was like. Far from a smooth, glassy surface, the storm is raging as Peter steps out of the boat. The wind in his ears is deafening. The spray in his face blinds him. He can’t hear, can’t see. He’s cold and his wet clothes are heavy. He starts to go down. Water fills his nose and his mouth. But he manages to call out a prayer for help.

It might seem that the miracle of Jesus effortlessly walking on water is what we’re supposed to learn. That the upturning of all we know about the natural world is supposed to convince us of the presence and power of God. But the real importance of this gospel is verse 30 – a perfect summary of our relationship with Jesus Christ: “(Peter) became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him.” Peter’s prayer for help was answered in the ready, strong hand of Jesus reaching out to him.

What was in that hand? In Jesus hand is every attribute of God, every promise of God: love that binds us completely with God, mercy that holds us, compassion that hears and understands us, grace to make us whole and forgiveness so we can start again. That is what Peter found and we find in Jesus outstretched hand.

Jesus’ response is sometimes interpreted as condemnation. I don’t hear it that way. I hear this warmly, more like “C’mon, Rocky, really? You know how much I love you. You know I’m here for you.”

Remember that after Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared to the disciples one morning when they were fishing. When they were gathered altogether he asked Peter “do you love me?” And Peter responds that yes, he loves him. Jesus asks again. Peter expresses his love for him again. And a third time, Jesus asks him do you love me. Peter a third time says he loves him – three expressions of his love to counter each of the times that Peter had denied him. This is Jesus reaching out to him in love, in compassion, in forgiveness saving Peter from drowning in an internal storm of despair at what he had done. Peter’s only safety is with Jesus.

Fear is inescapable. Being a disciple is risky business. Because there is plenty to be afraid of right now. Fear will always ultimately break through our well-constructed defenses meant to keep chaotic storms at bay. Stepping out into them does not mean we will not have fear, but instead we are accompanied by the re-assurance that Jesus is near and there to help.

This is where the metaphor falls apart. Because we are not even permitted to be in the boat together. In our isolated boat, buffeted by winds and not entirely sure what the world is going to look like when we ultimately get to shore. The wind and waves that rock us do not always seem to be saturated with the qualities of God. But, like Peter, we are invited to step out in total devotion of Jesus turning our hearts into the pounding wind. And we can expect that Jesus will be ready there when we bid his presence.

I love the phrase that “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” Courage is fear that has said its prayers. Peter prayed, “Lord save me.” Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, my savior and friend, you know that I live in a crazy and chaotic world. You also know my struggles. I confess I am prone to believe that I am alone. When life gets to be too much, please help me come to you. Calm my thoughts and emotions and open my heart to your peace, comfort, and wisdom. Help me not to live in fear. Help me recognize your out-stretched hand. Help me live out of the truth that you are always close, always loving and protecting me. In your holy name I pray. Amen.

The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost: The Feeding of the Five Thousand

August 2, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Fr. Bill Garrison

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

Jesus withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

—Matthew 14:13-21

The Miracle of the Loaves and the Fishes - James Tissot (Public Domain)

Today we will be talking about the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Among other things it very well might remind us to be thrifty and save things for a rainy day. You never know when we might need something we threw out.

As an example there was a lady who fell out of a second story window and landed in a garbage truck that was slowly moving past her house. Half buried in the middle, she tried without success to get the drivers attention. A foreign diplomat standing on the sidewalk saw her and commented indignantly “Another example of how wasteful Americans are. That woman looks like she’s good for at least another 10 years.”

Today’s gospel is the most famous story in the New Testament I am quite sure. It is the story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. The story appears in all four gospels and is relatively the same story in each. Today’s version is from the gospel of Matthew. In my mind the most important line spoken by Jesus in all four is “you give them something to eat”.

Now let’s get a handle on the practicalities. There are probably a lot more people than five thousand because the gospel writers were only counting the men. Add women and children and the number expands a great deal. Thinking ten thousand people probably would be a minimum.

Feeding this size of a crowd would require a great deal of planning and investment. I am guessing a few weeks to plan and then to gather the necessary supplies. Who is going to shop and who will cook and who will serve? How many of each? Let’s put some flesh and blood on this story. Imagine what it would be like if you were the person organizing it.

Yet Jesus suggests on the spur of the moment that the disciples feed this huge and hungry crowd. “You give them something to eat.” Really Jesus, how in the world are we to pull this off?

There are two primary ideas about how this happened in the thinking of theologians. The first is that it happened just like the gospels say. Jesus asked what they had and was told five loaves of bread and two fish. Then he took the loaves, prayed, and broke them. The disciples handed out the food and there was plenty for everyone plus some left over.

We, of course, are reminded of Eucharist. The breaking of bread and handing it out is clearly a signal regarding the Lord’s Supper. The story also indicates how something small can become large and magnificent in the Kingdom of God. For the last few weeks we have been discussing exactly that as we have been reviewing parables.

And then we have the other popular interpretation of how all those people were fed. Many scholars believe that what happened was that people in this instance were willing to share what they had with each other. This was the miracle. All the people pooled what they brought with them and because they were willing to do so there was enough for everyone with some leftover.

This interpretation is interesting and feels good because in our time it seems that a small few have a tremendous amount, and many more have very little. We realize that if we were all willing to share a little bit there would be more than enough for everyone. I have heard that with a measly forty billion dollars per year no one on the planet would ever go hungry. Our government burns that up in the first hour of every day.

Now some will insist that the story is true exactly as reported and some will latch on to the second explanation as more feasible. My question is this. Isn’t the story about a true miracle that actually happened either way? Something incredible occurred no matter how it came about. Isn’t it a great story letting us know what kinds of things are possible within the Kingdom of God? The Kingdom is a different place as we discussed last week.

And so what does this mean to us? Perhaps another familiar and funny story might be in order, one you surely have heard but that resonates with this conversation.

A storm descends on a small town, and the downpour soon turns into a flood. As the waters rise, the local Episcopal priest kneels in prayer on the church porch, surrounded by water. By and by, one of the townsfolk comes up the street in a canoe.

“Better get in, Father. The waters are rising fast.”

“No,” says the priest “I have faith in the Lord. God will save me.”

Still the waters rise. Now the priest is up on the balcony, wringing his hands in supplication, when another guy zips up in a motorboat.

“Come on, Father. We need to get you out of here. The levee's gonna break any minute.”

Once again, the priest is unmoved. “I shall remain. The Lord will see me through.”

After a while the levee breaks, and the flood rushes over the church until only the steeple remains above water. The priest is up there, clinging to the cross, when a helicopter descends out of the clouds, and a state trooper calls down to him through a megaphone.

“Grab the ladder, Father. This is your last chance.”

Once again, the priest insists the Lord will deliver him. And, predictably, he drowns.

A pious man, the priest goes to heaven. After a while he gets an interview with God, and he asks the Almighty, “Lord, I had unwavering faith in you. Why didn't you deliver me from that flood?”

God shakes God’s head. “What did you want from me? I sent you two boats and a helicopter.”

Miracles in the Kingdom of God happen all the time one way or another. The gospel today presents two important possibilities for how miracles happen. In some cases something magical happens and in other cases, probably most cases, we are the hands of God creating the miracles.

And here is an example of the later. If you are a homeless person or close to homeless, after the need for food socks are probably your biggest consistent issue. God in some manner has communicated that need to St. Matthias through our church women. They collect socks for those in need during August. The current miracle is that a few days before August even rolled around the ladies had collected over three hundred pair. This is a great miracle. This is one more case from many of God using this parish as God’s hands.

“You give them something to eat”, Jesus said and a miracle happened. “You give them some socks.” And another miracle is happening. Isn’t that interesting?

The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost: The Kingdom of God

July 27, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Fr. Bill Garrison

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

—Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Today we are talking about Kings and Kingdoms and so here is a quick story to get us started.

A tour group went to Runnymede, just a few miles from London on the Thames in England. It is the location where King John signed the Magna Carta. The tour guide explained everything very well, and after a few minutes of history he asked if there were any questions.

The wife of an American service member asked, “When did he sign it?”

The guide simply said, “1215.”

The woman looked at her watch and loudly proclaimed, “Oh my goodness, we only missed it by forty-five minutes!”

I believe that in order to understand writings from antiquity, namely the New Testament, one must do some research about what things were like at the time. Otherwise we will arrive at notions that just might not be true. In the case of the New Testament we want to know what life was like in the first century. More specifically, for today’s discussion, what was government like in the first century, and what were the powers of a king?

Well, in the first century we must remember that one out of every four people on the planet lived within the Roman Empire. There were kings, such as the rulers that held sway in the Holy Land, but kings served at the pleasure of the emperor in Rome. Their job was to collect the taxes, play the local policeman, and honor the Roman peace. If they failed in those tasks they could lose their kingship and probably their life too.

It was the emperor in Rome that had all the power. And that power was immense. His was a job for life, or until he was assassinated. He probably inherited the position from his father or was adopted so that he could inherit it legally. The life was luxurious. He had a great education. Yet his life was full of political intrigue. There was cruelty, total power, and complete domination of all but those in the patrician class. What he said went, period, whatever he said.

When Jesus spoke of a king everyone knew he was referring to the Emperor. He was famously asked who had more power, who to honor, the Emperor or God? In answer he asked for a coin, and questioned the people there whose image was on the coin? The emperor’s they said. And Jesus famously replied, “then render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s”.

In the Holy Land the ultimate power on earth in the first century belonged to the Emperor and there was no question about that. So any other power was compared to his. If Jesus referred to a king it was the emperor that those listening thought about.

Jesus said from the very beginning that his message was to proclaim the Kingdom of God. He was to proclaim it and then do his best to describe it. He told the people that God was even more powerful than the emperor. And Jesus was telling the people that God’s Kingdom was very different than the Empire of Rome. This was good news to the ears of those listening since the Romans were about as popular as the plague.

Now if Jesus could just make them understand what he meant. That’s where it got tricky and remains hard to understand for us today. Just what the heck did Jesus mean when he referred to the Kingdom of God? Well luckily we have Jesus’ metaphors that attempt to describe it, some of which we just heard in today’s gospel.

By the way, he used metaphors because for some things metaphors are the best and perhaps only way to describe something. If you have ever taught or been a teacher you know this.

Today we heard Jesus say the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, some yeast, a treasure hidden in a field, and a pearl of great value. Let’s think about each metaphor quickly and see what we encounter.

landscape-nature-flowers-summer-46164 (1).jpg

A mustard seed is indeed a small thing, but the magic is that when it grows it becomes a much larger plant. I don’t know about a tree in which birds reside, but certainly big enough to notice, and when combined with other like plants can color a field a beautiful yellow. The mystery is in the change. How in the world does something so small and insignificant become so large and beautiful? What is the magic ingredient? The answer of course is the Spirit of God found within the Kingdom of God.

How about the yeast? When you combine all the ingredients for bread nothing happens. It’s like a cracker, like Matzo when you bake it. But add yeast and the dough takes on another shape. It rises and becomes bread; rich, and beautiful. It seems that something magic has happened. Jesus is saying that the addition of God’s presence is like the yeast and things that don’t have much character change and grow in the Kingdom of God as a result.

And then we think about the treasure in the field. The treasure is so wonderful that a man buys the whole field. This is a metaphor that represents us. We are that field and the Spirit of God is already within us waiting to be discovered. It’s already there whether we are aware of it or not. In the Kingdom of God we become aware of the treasure we already possess.

And then the pearl of great value, worth so much that a merchant is willing to sell all that he has to possess it. The Kingdom of God is like that Jesus is saying. A place in God’s kingdom is infinitely valuable, more valuable than anything you possess, whoever you might be, even if you are the wealthiest person in the world. There is no place else like it. There is no place better to be than to be in partnership with God in God’s kingdom. And you certainly can’t beat the price. It’s free.

And so we receive a painting depicting the Kingdom of God. We may not totally understand it, but we know that within it is life, and beauty, and potential. God’s Kingdom is infinitely valuable and in some way we cannot comprehend it is already here within us.

And make no mistake it is God’s Kingdom, not the emperor’s or some modern day human ruler who can’t get enough of themselves or grasp enough stuff. God’s kingdom is unique, unlike anything ruled by a human being and by definition then so is God. God is unique. God is different than we would expect.

God loves us all the time. God puts us before God’s self. God accepts our forgiveness before we even ask. God has assured our entry into eternity. God provides life and a future to everything in the cosmos. God is a good God without fault. Within the Kingdom of God and in partnership with God it just doesn’t get any better than that. No wonder we have a hard time getting our heads around the reality of God and God’s Kingdom.

The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: Learning to Follow Jesus

July 6, 2020 Andrea Schmid

by Fr. Bill Garrison

Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

—Romans 7:15-25a (NRSV)

Jesus said to the crowd, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,

‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

—Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 (NRSV)

Today we are talking about issues surrounding learning and acting on what we have learned. What gets in the way when we have trouble understanding the material presented? I thought we might start off with a story about a parent who was worried about their child’s difficulties and made an appointment with the teacher.

When the mother of the student arrived for her daughter’s parent-teacher conference, the teacher seemed a bit flustered, almost like she didn’t have time for the discussion. The teacher seemed especially uncomfortable when she started reporting to the mother that the little girl didn’t always pay attention in class, and was sometimes a bit flighty.

“For example, she’ll do the wrong page in the workbook,” the teacher explained, “and I’ve even found her sitting in the wrong desk.”

“I don’t understand that,” the mother replied defensively. “Where could she have gotten that I wonder?”

The teacher smiled reassuringly, and went on to let the mother know that her daughter was still doing fine in school and was sweet and likeable. Finally, after a pause, she added, “By the way, Mrs. Johnson, our appointment was for tomorrow.”

Ok, let’s start our discussion by talking about the reading from Romans we heard a few moments ago. Paul is lamenting his ability to learn it would seem. If I may, I would like to paraphrase his message.

I know what is good for me and what God recommends. But I don’t do it as often as I would like. And I know what is bad for me and shouldn’t do, but that turns out to be exactly what I do instead. What is wrong with me? It seems that something always sends me off course. If I don’t take God’s advice, and stick with it for my own welfare, have I really learned anything?

I know what Paul is saying. This is kind of a silly example I guess, but I think about the twenty or so extra pounds I carry that I know I would be better off without. I know I would be happier. My clothes would look better. I am sure I would be healthier. But still I don’t lose the weight. Temptation leads me astray constantly. So have I learned anything? It certainly wouldn’t appear so. What is the point of knowledge that does not result in action or change?

Ok, that’s a good start and the question about learning has been asked. Now let’s move on to the gospel. Jesus helps us motor down the road of understanding in this discussion about knowledge and the use of it a bit I think. Let’s listen again as Jesus speaks. “For John came neither eating or drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; and the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!”

Jesus in his remarks is referring to those “in the know”, the folks in high places who have expectations and rules for holy people. If you don’t fit their mold you can’t be holy. You’ve got to eat and drink correctly, and do it with the right people especially. John and Jesus didn’t fit their expectations for a prophet and the son of God. As a result they just couldn’t be who the crowds thought they were. It made no sense to those in high places.

But hold the phone! Jesus continues. Listen, and learn. I quote him again as he utters the next sentence. “Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” Listen again. “Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

He is saying the things that are being accomplished prove the point. What had the people seen and experienced? Thousands had repented and were baptized by John in the wilderness. Jesus had taught the people, fed the masses, healed the sick, and raised the dead. These are the deeds that tell us who John and Jesus truly were. Forget whether they met the expectations of those in power. It doesn’t matter. The deeds speak louder and truer than anything else ever could. Wisdom is to see the deeds and then to understand the truth. Listen to Wisdom. Learn from her. If you choose to listen and learn, then Jesus makes a promise. Hear his promise to them and to us.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for you souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Years ago when my grandson Bryce was young we often used to take him for walks. As time passed we would drive to a location we could not easily walk to from home and then get out of the car and start our adventure. One time we drove to the far eastern end of Yorba Linda and found ourselves walking through an orchard of orange trees. Bryce was doing his normal thing; chasing lizards, looking at birds, and running from place to place. But he seemed to be taking the trees in the orchard for granted, not even noticing them. I guess it was a case of not being able to see the trees for the forest.

Anyway, I walked over to a tree with him and pulled an orange off a branch. Then I peeled the orange and offered him a section. As he ate the slice of orange his eyes lit up and I knew that his understanding of life was changing in that moment. I knew he would never again see a tree in the same way, especially an orange tree. He now knew the tree by the fruit it had produced.

In the same way Jesus was telling the crowd to look at the fruit that was being produced in his ministry. He was suggesting to them and to us that true wisdom lies within the practice of following him, and from that practice comes the peace that passes all understanding.

Photo by Andrew Neel from Pexels — Photo by **Andrew Neel** from **Pexels**

I think we all know what Jesus is saying to be true. Following Jesus is the way to wisdom and peace. We all know it, but like the Apostle Paul we are not capable of always succeeding in the practice of following him, are we? We try but sometimes we do the things we don’t want to do rather the things we would prefer to be doing.

So here is a suggestion for all of us, me as much as you. Think about life as a meditation. We seek to stay on point in our meditation, to go inward to our quiet place, but sometimes outside noises and influences break our reverie. When that happens we are taught to gently bring ourselves back to the meditation, to be aware of the noise that thwarted our journey inward, and then to let it go. Gently forgiving ourselves and leaving the distraction behind as we get back on the path.

Following Jesus, Christianity if you will, I would submit is a way of life more than a religion. Sometimes we stay on course. Sometimes things cause us to stray. When we stray we are invited to be gentle and forgiving with ourselves, name the distraction and leave it behind. Then we can freely return to Jesus and the wisdom he so willingly gives away.