Behold I Tell You A Mystery

Behold I tell you a mystery…..

In my vocation death is an ever-present reality, a constant that infuses the very pores of life. Not only do I encounter the intimate moments of transition in my own family and with my own friends, I am also invited into many of the life/death experiences of those who call me their pastor.

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed…”

Paul, in writing to the church at Corinth, spoke an understatement when he said that death will change us. Each moment of relationship that we encounter in life is magnified when we re-member, when we put back together, those moments of our lives that have intersected with those moments of another person who has died.

The unknown (to us, not God) writer of Hebrews was not wrong when he or she suggests that “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” It suggests that all who passed on are still with us spiritually and they give us the strength to “finish the race” ourselves.

Death is a mystery and even in the midst of life we are being changed because of it.

Here are some other thoughts on the mystery:

Krishna, in the second chapter of The Bhagavad-Gita:
Thou grievest for those that may not be lamented, whilst thy sentiments are those of the expounders of the letter of the law. Those who are wise in spiritual things grieve neither for the dead nor for the living.

I myself never was not, nor thou, nor all the princes of the earth; nor shall we ever hereafter cease to be. As the lord of this mortal frame experienceth therein infancy, youth, and old age, so in future incarnations will it meet the same. One who is confirmed in this belief is not disturbed by anything that may come to pass.

... Seek this wisdom by doing service, by strong search, by questions, and by humility; the wise who see the truth will communicate it unto thee, and knowing which thou shalt never again fall into error. By this knowledge thou shalt see all things and creatures whatsoever in thyself and then in me.

Kahlil Gibran On Death

You would know the secret of death.

But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?

The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.

If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.

For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.

In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;

And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.

Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.

Spiritual Guidance

So much of the training for a pastor and the expectations of many, at least in the past, have revolved around “doing,” rather than “being” when exploring spiritual wholeness.

Someone comes to the pastor with a need or a hurt or a hope, and the pastor tells them to “do this or do that” because Jesus did it, or because the seminary professor said this is the best way to fix it, or because the latest seminar sponsored by the hierarchy had a sale on spiritual tools.

An unhealthy cycle is promulgated when, for a moment of varying intensity, relief is experienced. The pedestal is erected for the pastor’s ego to be placed upon and the next person with a need or a hurt or a hope is offered the same fix.

Henri Nouwen wrote in Reaching Out:

"The real spiritual guide is the one who, instead of advising us what to do or to whom to go, offers us a chance to stay alone and take the risk of entering into our own experience. He[she] makes us see that pouring little bits of water on our dry land does not help, but that we will find a living well if we reach deep enough under the surface of our complaints." P.36

Who Knew?

I am on a spiritual retreat and during one of our times of worship, just before communion was shared, a story was told of a group of war orphans who, barely existing because of harsh conditions and little food, were quite naturally having difficulty sleeping.

Their caretakers decided to give them each a loaf of bread to sleep with. Assured of food for the next day the children began to sleep soundly each night.

Our spiritual director shared many possibilities from the story related to the experience of God and suggested that we consider which character resonated with us. Which person we felt identified with our own soul. Did the fear of the children touch us or perhaps the caring act of the orphanage workers? What about those who warred against each other?

My imagination transported me to the village where the bread had been baked. I began to remember the time when the door of my bakery was opened and a fragile, limping, old woman entered interrupting the afternoon coffee that my friends, the miller and the wheat farmer, and I had each day. She was asking for donations of food and I simply gave her some misshapen loaves to take with her.

Who knew that lives would be changed? God knew. Who knew that the grain that was grown and ground and baked would have such a comforting effect on those children? God knew. Who knew that the work of our hands would have such an impact on the lives of those children? God knew. Who knew that misshapen lives and misshapen loaves would be turned into such a sacred event as life? God knew.

God knows that it happens all the time.

Awareness

“My essence is not hidden from you, Lord.”

Using a paraphrase of Psalm 19 from Psalms for Praying by Nan Merrill:
“My essence is not hidden from you, Lord.”

It is refreshing to my soul to know that my essence, my very being, is not hidden from God’s Presence. And, that my essence, like the most fragrant, aromatic herb offered in worship as incense enters God’s nostrils and the Lord is pleased with my offering of self. I don’t need to be concerned with who else might or might not recognize my essence, my worth.

That God does is enough.

A Morning Run

O God, my God, how excellent are all your works. Sitting in your Presence I am amazed at the beauty and the absurdity. That I should be a part of Your creation leaves me humbled.

This morning a bit before 6:00 I went for a run on the grassy trails of Mt. Olivet Retreat Center just south of Minneapolis. It is so remarkable to experience the early morning arousing of the world. A raccoon shuffled past exploring the possibilities as a flock of wild turkeys ignored me. A young deer, too old to be a fawn and too young to be an adult, cautiously stepped into the shelter of some evergreens as I trip-tropped along the path. Every footstep, every breath, every creature a wonderment, a miracle, a reflection of The Presence - everything, including me. Such beauty and such absurdity.

The Omnivore's Delight

My wife Suzanne and I are in a book group that has recently been reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. This past Sunday night we met to discuss it further at Devotay, an Iowa City restaurant owned by Kurt and Kim Friese, who know Pollan.

Some discussion about the book, about the slow food movement, and a few recipe insights made for a delightful evening. A plethora of Tapas, small plates of food, like Aceitunas—assorted grilled olives, Dátiles — bacon-wrapped dates with pimentón BBQ sauce, and a most amazing Paella—with saffron, Iowa organic, pasture-raised chicken, chorizo sausage and shellfish, caused the salivary glands to work overtime.

There is something soul-satisfying about slowing down and enjoying epicurean delicacies while discussing the nuances of food production and preparation. Slow, succulent, and satisfying.

I can't help but wonder why life in general tends to be so much in opposition to a great meal. We bandy about life hurried, harried, and feeling a bit dessicated. What if we celebrated life more like the feast it was intended to be?

And, when life is at its end, just as a meal must eventually cease, raise a glass of fino sherry declaring it all to have been perfecto!

Running The Race

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV

On June 22, I competed for the second time in the Des Moines Hy-Vee Triathlon. It is a 1500 meter swim, a 40K bike ride, and a 10K run.

It is probably more accurate to say I participated, rather than competed. Man, did the scripture from Hebrews come alive for me. Along the way the mental baggage kept entangling me and slowing me down. You might be familiar with some of the things that hinder:
Why am I doing this? I can’t do it. It’s too much. I’m too slow. I’m too old. Everyone else is better than me. I should have worked harder and eaten better.

In the middle of the run I was weary and began to lose heart. I say, began to lose heart. I didn’t because of the participants and the spectators along the way. Almost everyone had a word of hope, a cheer, an encouragement in those moments when it felt like I could just sit down and give up.

What a picture of how the church should be. Supported by each other with words and actions of encouragement that help us let go of the unhealthy baggage of life. Encouragement for those fully engaged and for those observing. Encouragement that causes the weariness to dissipate and strengthens our hearts.

Joy In The Art of Faith

Recently I had the opportunity to meet Maquoketa artists Charles Morris and Rose Frantzen . They are a remarkably gifted couple who have created Old City Hall Gallery.

One of the pieces Chuck imagined and brought to fruition is titled "Reflections of Mailer." Chuck drew a portrait of author Norman Mailer and then Mailer selected images from Morris's books of paintings and drawings to be included around the bust of Mailer.

I was particularly attracted to "Picasso Showing Jesus How To Draw In The Dirt." Too fun. I can imagine Jesus rolling in laughter because here is an artist who understands the joy in faith. The experience of the holy has been taken so seriously over the eons that the relationship between Creator and created has been diminished.

For me the drawing reflects the is, was, and shall be of God incarnated not only in Jesus, but also in the artist. More than that, it suggests a relationship that has the Creator learning from the creation.

What if God is not as linear as so many have tried to maintain? How might you live knowing that you have something to offer God?

John 8:1-11

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Sacred Quest

My wife and I were invited a few days ago on a 'shroom hunt. Our friends own a large timber area and we spent a couple of wonderful hours meandering with our heads down and expectations high.


We were rewarded for our contemplative demeanor by a grocery sack overflowing with morels. Both greys and yellows were discovered but the holy grail is, in my opinion, the Morchella esculenta or yellow morel.

Sliced in half and sauteed in olive oil and butter with a flourish of fresh ground pepper, what was once an elusive fungi in the forest becomes an epicurean delight that is an ambrosia on the palate

What I find most remarkable, however, is that I am twice blessed because of the morel. Not only are my gustatory senses impacted in profound and glorious ways, my very soul is renewed in the midst of the search. The chance to slow down, to be removed from the concrete insulating me from God's creation allowed for a glimpse of the divine.

In some ways, the search for the sacred is not unlike the quest for that edible golden sponge. When I stopped looking so intently; when I began to relax, rather than try to force the discovery; when I enjoyed the moment, rather than seek to be the first or most prolific discoverer of the timber's bounty is when I would glimpse its ethereal presence.

Brilliant Lord

Psalm 8
A David Psalm (from The Message)

"God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name.

Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you toddlers shout the songs that drown out enemy talk, and silence atheist babble.

I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?

Yet we've so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden's dawn light. You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, repeated to us your Genesis-charge, made us lords of sheep and cattle, even animals out in the wild, birds flying and fish swimming, whales singing in the ocean deeps.

God, brilliant Lord, your name echoes around the world."

Spring causes me to be filled with a peace that takes away my breath. If you have ever stood on a mountain top like one in the Rockies and breath in the lightness, then you have come close to experiencing what I feel on a Spring day.

If God's breath is what inspires us, then it is breathed into me on a spring day in Iowa when the colors and the smells and the textures of the wind and the soil... fill my soul.

Finding The Sacred In A Bonsai

A few years ago I saw a PBS special on creating Bonsai sculptures. It was a shortcut method that would take any variety of small plants, cut the roots way back, repot the plant in a small container, and snip some of the growth away to reveal the new possibilities. So I chopped and snipped and created and... for awhile, had a Bonzai plant. It only lasted about a year....

This week, as a way to decompress from all of the Holy Week activies and responsibilities, I decided to try creating again. I found a juniper bush in a 6" pot at a garden store for $5.95 and spent part of an afternoon chopping and snipping and creating and decompressing. It was wonderful. In a short time I found myself being renewed. In the simplicity of creating and listening for God's Presence I was re-inspired. The "ruah" of God, the holy breath resurrected my soul.

If you want to know more about Bosai a good start is at Bonsai Gardner.

What Then Shall I Do With This Jesus Who Is Called Christ?

Matthew 28:1-15
March 23, 2008 8:00 & 10:30
Easter Celebration

What a remarkable, joyous, event we celebrate this morning. Easter. Resurrection. An empty tomb. When the body begins to move the funeral is over and let me assure you... Jesus is moving. The funeral is over and it is time to celebrate! Alleluia!

There are numerous accounts of the resurrected Jesus, stories of someone’s encounter with Jesus after he was crucified, died, was buried, and the tomb found empty. Numerous accounts of the reactions to both his appearing and the rumors of his appearing.

That is what we celebrate today...

...our own encounter with the resurrected Jesus. You see, it’s not an event that only happened 2000 plus years ago. It is not a one-time... frozen in a-moment-in-time proposition. It is a very present... very now... very real experience that is ours.

There was a question raised that is perhaps the most profound question in all scripture. A question that occurs before the death of Jesus. A question that is asked by a person who has no regard for Jesus, a question that is meant to wash one’s hands regarding any responsibility toward Jesus, and yet.... and yet... leads us directly toward responsibility.... responsibility to be aware of and respond to our own experience of this Jesus who we call Christ.

I am speaking of the question Pontius Pilate asked when Jesus is brought before the Sanhedrin to be condemned.
The custom, during the feast of Passover, was for the Governor to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. When asked, the crowd shouted out for Barabbas to be released. “Barabbas, give us Barabbas” The crowd wanted Barabbas, a two-bit thief, released. Not Jesus. Confused by the incongruity of the crowd Pilate asks a question that for the rest of eternity none can ignore: “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” None can ignore the question because inherent in the question is our responsibility to understand what a relationship with Jesus, who is called Christ, means. What a relationship with Jesus, who WE call Christ, means.

Make no mistake about it.... when you encounter the risen Christ you will be affected. In the resurrection account from Matthew the guards became so frightened they were like dead men. Riga Mortis of the living set in because they were really dead to the presence of the holy. They failed to grasp the life that had conquered death. In contrast are the Marys who were afraid, but also filled with Joy. They were filled with the joy of knowing that Jesus was, is, and always will be.

Mark gives a rather different account that suggests the Marys were filled with fear to the point of trembling and so afraid they spoke to no one.

Luke speaks of the disbelief of the disciples because the words of the women sounded like nonsense. Later as Cleopas and another disciple were walking down the road toward the town of Emmaus they encountered the resurrected Jesus but had no clue it was him. Their vision was faulty, their hearts clouded with despair.

John writes of the sorrow of Mary Magdalene being turned into joy and the doubt of Thomas being turned into belief.

Make no mistake about it.... when you encounter the risen Christ you will be affected. As the resurrected Jesus is encountered by each person... as the Christ who is no longer dead but alive is experienced... a gamut of emotions flooded the women, the guards, the disciples, the religious authorities... you and I... and each of us has to ask the question: “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?

Let me share with you what Jesus says we should do. Turn with me to Matthew 28 verse 10: “Do not be afraid.” Jesus says, “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” In Matthew 28: verses 19 & 20, he directs his followers to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

Turn now to Mark chapter 16 verse 15 and you will find these words: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” In chapter 20 verses 22 & 23 of the book of John, Jesus tells all the disciples, except Thomas, to "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone their sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

And in John chapter 21, over a meal of fresh grilled fish, Jesus admonishes Simon Peter to take care of others saying “Feed my Sheep.”

What shall you do then with Jesus who is called Christ?

Recognize the fact that he is present... now... in this moment... in your life... and do not be afraid to live the experience of faith. Go to others and share with them the good news that Jesus, who we call Christ, can be a part of their lives also. Then, being open to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit... living as one who has been forgiven... share your experience of forgiveness with others... and, in the process, feed those who are spiritually hungry.

What shall we do then with Jesus who is called Christ? Take responsibility for the spiritual person you are becoming in Christ. Base your decisions... your actions... your relationship with others... on what God has done in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Live as if the funeral is over and life has just begun. Alleluia, Jesus the one we call Christ lives! AMEN.

I Have Seen The Lord!

“I have seen the Lord!”
John 20:1-18
March 23, 2008
Easter Sunrise

During the last seven weeks leading up to today, we have been busy preparing to celebrate the pivotal point of our faith. We call this holy collection of moments Lent. It is a time that is pregnant with symbols. Ashes are placed quietly on foreheads. Penitent acts of sacrifice such as fasting are accomplished. Additional devotional studies take place. Palm branches get waved. A meal of wine and bread is shared. Feet get washed and feet with nails driven through them are remembered as the collective memory of broken hearts is experienced.

All of it leading up to a radiant sunrise; an empty cross and an empty tomb. This is Easter… the day of resurrection.

However, all of the preparation… and none of the symbols mean a thing… without developing a relationship with the one they point to - Jesus Christ. The symbols are empty if we fail to experience what the "new" covenant through Christ is all about.

Quite simply… It is about God's unconditional love for us.

And when we grasp the reality of God’s unconditional love we become whole. We can become, as Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, "a new creation."

"...If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation...”

I would offer that no one else in scripture has experienced with such depth the one we call The Christ, and no one else in scripture has understood how transforming, God’s unconditional love can be, than Mary Magdalene. Here was a woman who had experienced Jesus first hand. She had been healed of demons, cared for and fed Jesus and the disciples, even paying their expenses. She suffered with Mary the mother of Jesus as the Christ was nailed to the cross. Followed as Christ was taken down from the cross and placed in the tomb, returned to discover that death had been beaten and was the one to whom Christ first appeared.
Oh, to have been her!

To have experienced a fraction of the emotions and to have witnessed even one of the miracles that she had experienced in knowing Jesus. What a transforming event that would be.

Mary Magdalene - now there is a name that conjures up a variety of images! Hair that is long and in total disarray, clothes that are too revealing and usually torn, or at the very least a little dirty. Hollywood and Sunday school classes have done a real number on her image, building upon years of speculation and unfounded interpretation. Through those years, she has gotten the reputation of being a whore, and one who is wasteful of precious perfume. She has been offered up as the kind of person that we would just as soon not be around. At least… not if any one else might find out about it.

It's interesting, and quite sad, how we attach certain stigmas to people, without really knowing them. Interesting, also, how we place people in a role or group, assuming we have an insight as to their worth. We judge their financial, intellectual, or even spiritual worth, without even speaking to them. It is kind of like carrying around a black box in our heads, into which we drop either a white marble or black marble, voting yes or no to accept them. Trying to keep it secret how we voted, but making it very clear by our actions toward them that they don't quite fit into our world concept.

I happen to think Mary, the woman from Magdela, has gotten a raw deal from the press and from us. Nowhere, in the Bible, does it say that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. In point of fact, the Bible really doesn't say much at all about her. What we have done is assume certain stories are about her; like the story of the woman in Luke 7:36-39.

Luke 7:36-39 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is--that she is a sinner."


Another story also accuses a Mary of wasting precious oil, pouring it on the feet of Jesus. It can be found in John 12:1-8, but that is Mary the sister of Martha. You may remember that they are the sisters of Lazarus who Jesus raised from the dead. You can read about Lazarus in John chapter 11. It is the Bible's version of "Return of the Mummy." But it doesn't shed any light on the Mary we are seeking to know.

The fact is we have no idea who Mary Magdalene was, or what she has been. The glimpse we get, however, through a few short comments found in the scripture, is who she has been freed up to be.

Matthew records those who kept vigil, while Jesus hung on the cross: None of the male disciples were present, but chapter 27 verse 55 reports "There were many women there...among who were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee." In Mark 16:9 we read that after the resurrection, "[Jesus] appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons." And in John 20:18, part of the reading for today, "Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, `I have seen the Lord.'"

We may not have a clue as to her previous identity, but we are given some very powerful images of how she lived out her faith, after having experienced the One-who-transforms.

In all of the stories about that first Easter morning, and the events leading up to it, Mary Magdalene is the one constant presence throughout Jesus’ ordeal. Yes, she saw Jesus. But even more important is to realize that no matter what had occurred in her past - real or imagined by others, whether there had been seven or seven hundred demons, Jesus saw her. Jesus saw her. Jesus accepted her and trusted her enough to come to her first, as the risen Christ. Trusted her enough, to send her to the others and proclaim that God was not dead, but alive!

Oh, to have been her!

But wait a moment.

Aren't we in the position to experience Jesus with the eyes of Mary Magdalene? Aren't you and I modern day Magdalenes having struggled with our own demons? Some of us have battled far more than seven demons. Some, if not most of us, are still struggling? Haven't we too battled the assumptions and preconceived images of who we are that have been placed on us by others and even by ourselves? And aren't we continually being offered God's accepting, transforming Grace, through Jesus Christ?

Even though the others at first didn't believe her, Mary was the absolute best one for the Risen Christ to first appear to. She could share the Good News because she had lived it. She had lived the relationship that the symbols point to.

What about you? Have you experienced the relationship that these symbols point to? Have you experienced the Good News of God's accepting Grace? Have you experienced the power of the resurrection? I tell you today that your sins are not only forgiven - they're forgotten. The stone blocking you from a life of wholeness has been moved.

The full impact of the Easter message can only be shared with others by someone who has lived it, someone who has lived the story like Mary of Magdela… someone who has lived the story like you and me. Reminiscent of Mary we too are being sent to others to share the message that Jesus lives and because Jesus lives we too can live! Like Mary Magdalene, we too can say that “We have seen the Lord.” We too can share in the joy of the risen Lord.

Hallelujah, hallelujah, Jesus lives!

It's Friday

Are You Amazed?

March 20th Sermon
Holy Thursday
John 13:1-15

We are here to tonight to remember the one who transformed all of creation through a love that was amazing. A love that was amazing, because it so completely disregarded conventional ways of being in relationship.

The amazing love that Jesus lived ignored the hierarchal relationships that nations and businesses so relied on to keep people subjugated… controlled.

The amazing love that Jesus lived overlooked the patriarchal relationships that would treat women and children as chattel to be used or abused at the discretion of the head of the household.

The amazing love that Jesus lived confronted the notion of a ruler who would take unhealthy advantage of leadership and transformed it into the concept of the servant leader.

Jesus completely disregarded the conventional ways of being in relationship that placed power over another as the ultimate goal and offered a relationship of love that gave up any pretext of power. Are you amazed?

Here is how the story goes:

On a Thursday, less than a day before the harsh sound of nails being pounded into a rude cross were heard around the world, Jesus gathered with his closest followers in a large, borrowed, upstairs room, somewhere in the city of Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. The machinery of murder was already moving toward an isolated garden overlooking Jerusalem. Judas had already committed himself to a path different than his fellow sojourners. Common people, sniffing the winds of rumor with animal accuracy, were not ignorant of the hostilities roused by Jesus of Nazareth. The man was a fugitive and those who followed him put themselves at risk.

Yet they still gathered together during the tenuous security that night offered, to break bread together, to worship, and to continue learning amazing things from this fugitive.

Over their roughly three years together, this irregular group of miscreants had indeed been amazed. Wonders beyond imagination had taken place. The religious elite had been exposed for the hypocrites they were; outcasts had been welcomed into a community that really cared; leprous untouchables were touched in ways that made then whole; even the dead had been brought back to life and everyone was amazed.

So what words would Jesus share with them on this holy night? What insights might be gleaned from this rebel, as together they shared in the paschal feast and remembered how God delivered the Jews from bondage, so long ago. Would they too be delivered from the yoke of persecution and was this indeed "The One" - the Messiah? How would they be amazed in that “upper room?”

The Bible suggests that Jesus knew everything rested on the way he might respond to the disciples on that momentous night. The Bible suggests Jesus knew his hour of humiliation was near, and that he knew his hour of glory was near. Awareness like that can be dangerous and cause a person to be filled with pride. It would have been easy for Jesus to turn the revolution in another direction - a direction that even Judas would have approved of. The officials could still be avoided and the mass of people in Jerusalem, directed to destroy Rome. There was still time to misuse the power of the times in conventional ways: to control.

Power can be a dangerous commodity and Jesus knew that his teaching on this pregnant evening would have its most profound effect. So… filled with the knowledge of the power and glory that were his; aware that he could control and use the anger of the other twelve in that borrowed, upper room; poised with the knowledge that could make him the King of all kings...

...he washed their feet.

That's right; Jesus washed his disciple’s feet! At the moment he might have had supreme pride, he had supreme humility. At the moment he could have used absolute power for absolute gain, he became the absolute servant. The same night in which he was betrayed he cared for the needs of others. Confused? Does it seem like a contradictory action? Are you amazed?

Then you are not unlike the others gathered around the table that night.

The love Jesus expressed is utterly unaccountable - except that he is God and God is love. It has no cause in us. It reacts to, or repays, or rewards nothing in us. It is beyond human measure, beyond human comprehension. It is amazing.

That night, so long ago, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. And they were amazed.

Sometimes we feel that to be a Footwasher is beneath us. The disciples certainly felt that, but not Jesus. Even knowing that he was Lord of all he washed his disciples’ feet. What a lesson for the disciples and for us. It's just not the lesson the disciples were expecting and it's not an easy lesson for us to put to practical use.

You see, it's hard to be a foot washer in this world. It ranks right up there with changing sheets in a nursing home or spending time with aids patients. It is smelly and at times dangerous. It is a job that has low reward, low status, is hard work, and puts you too darn close to the rest of humanity. It is work that no one wants to do because it tends to put people in either a one up or a one down position.

Foot washing is the intentional reaching out to others in service. Not because you want to feel better about yourself, or because you deem yourself to be superior. Not because you have been a victim and don’t know how to change. Foot washing, is only effective when done as modeled by Jesus – when it is done with love that is both intentional and authentic.
More uncomfortable than being a Footwasher, however, is having your feet washed by someone else. Just ask tough ole Simon Peter. He wasn't nicknamed Rock just for the heck of it. Strong, secure in who he was, capable at whatever he set his mind too, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound - you know the type. The Rock was a regular superman. No way was he going to allow Jesus to just wash his feet - that would imply a dependency on someone else; a weakness. He would do more than what was asked which would show his strength.

So, in response to Jesus' saying, "Either this or nothing," Rock had to boast, "Then wash my hands and head too." You see he wasn't going to be outdone; it was like being double-dared. Rock was going to show Jesus just how loyal he was. Rock was going to show Jesus that he regarded him as the Christ and would do anything for the kingdom. Rock was going to show Jesus just how much power Rock possessed.

But Simon Peter was letting his own agenda get in the way. He was letting that old record play over and over. "I need to be the one in control, can't let anyone appear more capable than me." Sound familiar?

Peter just didn't seem to get it. Didn't seem to understand what Jesus was doing. Wouldn't, in fact, understand where the real source of power was until a few days later. Simon Peter, "The Rock," had to experience Jesus washing his feet, had to experience his own denial of Jesus, had to experience the empty tomb, and had to experience the unconditional, accepting love of Jesus the Christ, before he could finally understand true power. Peter was then amazed.

How about you? Are you amazed by the experience of Jesus in your life?

Tonight we re-enact that Foot washing event, as we wash each others hands, and we remember the "Mandatum Novum" or new commandment that Jesus gave to Peter... and us:
"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

I invite each of you to find a relationship of strength and peace with Jesus Christ. I invite you to be amazed.

Nourishment

nour·ish·ment /ˈnɜrɪʃmənt, ˈnʌr-/ [nur-ish-muhnt, nuhr-] –noun
1. something that nourishes; food, nutriment, or sustenance.
2. the act of nourishing.
3. the state of being nourished.
4.a process, system, method, etc., of providing or administering nourishment: a treatise on the nourishment of international trade.
[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME norysshement]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Nourishment is more than just caring for the body. There is also nourishment for the soul. That's why I love cooking. When I cook it becomes nourishment for both the body and the soul. And not only for me, also for those I cook for. It's the total package.

This is a picture of tonight's supper. Portobello stuffed, pep-a-dew pepper ravioli on a bed of blanched yellow, green, and red peppers with a pesto of cilantro, pecans, and garlic. The slaw is cabbage, carrots, ginger and Robusto Italian dressing.

The creative side of me was nourished as I cooked and plated the food. My need to care for my wife Sue was nourished as I watched her enjoy the meal. My body was nourished as I enjoyed the meal. And my soul was nourished as I listened to jazz, sliced, diced, and let go of the angst of life.

Cooking is, for me, the total package and my sabbath. My nourishment.

“Miracles Beyond Reason or... Living With Noisy Stones”

March 16th Sermon
Luke 19:28-40

You know, there are some events in life that are just so remarkable and so joyous and so needed, that no matter what reality might say to the contrary, they are going to happen.


Take the story of eleven year-old Angela, as told by Hanoch McCarty:

“Angela was stricken with a debilitating disease involving her nervous system. She was unable to walk and her movement was restricted in other ways as well. The doctors did not hold out much hope of her ever recovering from this illness. They predicted she’d spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. They said that few, if any, were able to come back to normal after contracting this disease. The little girl was undaunted. There, lying in her hospital bed, she would vow to anyone who’d listen that she was definitely going to be walking again someday.

She was transferred to a specialized rehabilitation hospital in the San Francisco Bay area. Whatever therapies could be applied to her case were used. The therapists were charmed by her undefeatable spirit. They taught her about imaging - about seeing herself walking. If it would do nothing else, it would at least give her hope and something positive to do in the long waking hours in her bed. Angela would work as hard as possible in physical therapy, in whirlpools and in exercise sessions. But she worked just as hard lying there, faithfully doing her imaging, visualizing herself moving... moving... moving!

One day, as she was straining with all her might to imagine her legs moving again, it seemed as though a miracle happened: The bed moved! It began to move around the room! She screamed out, “Look what I’m doing! Look! Look! I can do it! I moved, I moved!”

Of course, at this very moment everyone else in the hospital was screaming, too, and running for cover. People were screaming, equipment was falling and glass was breaking. You see, it was the San Francisco earthquake that occurred a few years back. But don’t tell that to Angela. She’s convinced that she did it. And now only a few years later, she’s back in school. On her own two legs. No crutches, no wheelchair. You see, anyone who can shake the earth between San Francisco and Oakland can conquer a piddling little disease, can’t they?”

Beyond reason Angela was able to walk again. It was a remarkable, joyous, irrational event that needed to happen. It was a miracle beyond reason.

And isn’t that what we celebrate today. Hear us shout! Because of a remarkable, joyous, irrational event that occurred thousands of years ago we can be victorious in life today. A king with no apparent power, riding a donkey into the most powerful city of the time, set the stage for the most transformational and controversial event of eternity.

Without a doubt this was the moment that the people Israel had been waiting for. The messiah had arrived. Gathered outside the city on the Mount of Olives, the celebration began. As the procession wound down the mountain the crowd increased in number and in anticipation. Then, entering the gates, the frenzy of adulation became overwhelming. The triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem could not be stopped.

The joy of the people, anticipating all that surely was going to happen with their new king could not be silenced. Now the Romans would get what was coming to them. Control this crowd? No way. Jesus told the Pharisees that they were crazy!

No one can stop the joy that comes when a person feels the release of one’s soul. No one can put down the elation felt when those imprisoned by the circumstances of life are offered even the slightest sense of hope. And the hope that was offered by Jesus to a people who were at the point of losing all hope caused such a joyous response, that if there was an attempt to stifle the words and actions of the people, it would seep out from even the lifeless rocks and stones. The very rocks and stones themselves would ooze joy and would start to sing! Hosanna! Hosanna!

In the movie, The Shawshank Redemption, Freeman Morgan is serving a life sentence for murder. He utters a line that speaks volumes to Tim Burton who is also serving a sentence for murder and is relatively new to the prison: (Show clip)

“Hope is dangerous for a prisoner.” A reference to the fact that for the “lifer,” hope would only cause insanity. Cause you ain’t getting out! For some, this world is a prison. A prison every bit as harsh and as filled with hopelessness as Shawshank Prison. When you see your circumstance as a prison... hope IS dangerous. When you live your life as a prisoner... hope IS dangerous.

But we are not prisoners, as Christians we know better. We are not prisoners....We are not “lifers...” We are “livers.” We have been given hope. We can live to the fullest because God’s presence through Jesus Christ has transformed us. Filled with the Holy Spirit we can wave our palm branches today even more fervently than those early believers because we know the entire story. While they could only celebrate an earthly king, we can celebrate the inspiration of hope given to us by a heavenly king.

Try as we might to be somber during this time of lent; try as hard as we can to grieve the one who died on the cross; try, with all humility, to bow our heads in sorrow as the stone is rolled across the tomb; we just can’t be made silent. We are the noisy rocks. The joy in our lives can’t be stopped from being expressed. Jesus is king. Hosanna! The Messiah is here. Hosanna! “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” Hosanna! “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Hosanna!

The message that God loves us... is very much a part of us, gives us hope... can never be quieted. I know. I tried to quiet that message in my own life. In high school I felt called by God to somehow share the good news that Christ offers us. I was going to be a minister. A short way into my first year of college I tried to squelch that feeling. For thirteen years after that I hid the palm branches behind my back. For thirteen years I denied that Jesus was my king and had a use for me. But even in the lifeless stone that I had become, the noise and the joy had to come out.

There’s no way God will let us remain silent. There’s no way God will let us stagnant. There’s no way God will allow you... or me... or anyone else... to stop celebrating “The Life” in our lives. And at the point someone tries to tell us otherwise... why... even the very stones God created, will be pulled into the act of celebration.

That is why we exist as a church. We are called to shout the joy of Jesus Christ. We are called to become a church that is so remarkable, so irrational, so joyous, and so involved in sharing the good news that people can’t help but be transformed. Beyond all reason we exist and are here waving our palm branches. Hosanna.

We are in the midst of a miracle... Let me rephrase that. We are in the midst of miracles... remarkable, irrational, transforming, noisy rock miracles. The miracle of living, the miracle of relationship, the miracle of salvation in Jesus Christ, and today... gathering together as believers in the ministry of Jesus Christ, we are participating in the miracle of hope.
We are here to shout out the ways that God has blessed us through the presence of Jesus Christ... here to shout out the ways we have been blessed in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are here to give tangible evidence of the blessings of God. We are the noisy rocks and stones singing out the hosannas.

A Thin Place of Community

I'm sitting at a round, barstool-style table at Panera's Bread on a Friday morning. I'm writing this on my laptop while across from me, putting her laptop to creative use, is my wife Sue. Feels a bit like we are playing "Battleship."

I have long been a student of the coffeshop/cafe' movement. I experience it as a manifestation of the Kingdom of God. People, all sorts of different people, gathered in loose community. There are different agendas of course, but the low buzz is a comforting sound of relationships happening and wanting to happen.

What I wonder, as I observe the movements of life-interaction here, is why the Church struggles so to offer similar sanctuaries of comfort? It feels, at times, that our spaces to house our "religious" activities or way too much of a straight-row, dress-up, quiet-down, don't-enjoy-too-much, Sunday-morning-only, space. As opposed to being a "thin place" where the "veil" between the holy and the ordinary is thinnest.

Mindie Burgoyne writes: "Thin Places are ports in the storm of life, where the pilgrims can move closer to the God they seek, where one leaves that which is familiar and journeys into the Divine Presence. They are stopping places where men and women are given pause to wonder about what lies beyond the mundane rituals, the grief, trials and boredom of our day-to-day life. They probe to the core of the human heart and open the pathway that leads to satisfying the familiar hungers and yearnings common to all people on earth, the hunger to be connected, to be a part of something greater, to be loved, to find peace."

What if we were to marry the concept of the Church with that of the coffee cafe'? What would it look like if there was a thin place to stop for awhile and share in both the hopes and the travails of the journey with others?

Could it be the Church?

Just a thought,

P.C.

The Spirituality of The Blues

I find that some of the music of the blues shares a profund insight into the experince of the Holy. It is a viseral, intimate, get-down-in-the-dirt recounting of the experience of God.

Here are the lyrics for When Love Comes To Town - Written by U2 and performed by U2 and B.B. King

I was a sailor
I was lost at sea
I was under the waves before love rescued me.
I was a fighterI could turn on a thread but I stand accused of the things I've said.
When love comes to town I want to jump that train when loves come to town I want to catch that flame.

Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down but I did what I did before love came to town.
I used to make love under a red sunset I was making promises I was soon to forget.
She was pale as the lace of her wedding gown but I left her standing before love came to town.
When love comes to town I want to jump that train when loves come to town I want to catch that flame.

Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down but I did what I did before love came to town.
When I woke up I was sleeping on the street I felt the world was dancing and I was dirt beneath their feet.
When I looked up I saw the devil looking down but my Lord he played guitar the day love came to town.

I was there when they crucified my Lord I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword.
I threw the dice when they pierced his side but I've seen love conquer the great divide.
When love comes to town I want to jump that train when loves come to town.
-U2

So what is your story before love came to town? Who were you before you grabbed hold of the experience of God?

Just a thought,
P.C.

What Do You Thirst For?

Jesus said "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within them." (John7:37-38)

I would suggest that there is in all of us a thirst for an experience of The Other. Our soul yearns for refreshment that can only come from God. Yet, we try and try again to get by with only that which we can provide ourselves. It is analogous to drinking from a stagnant pool that has no source of fresh water coming into it. We get sicker the longer we block the true source. Our resources dwindle.

As we enter more deeply into this time called Lent, allow the floodgates to be opened and invite the Holy Spirit to fill you... refresh you... renew every cell of your being with God's Presence.

Just a thought,

P.C.

Poetry of Hafiz - A Sufi Master

To Build A Swing

You carry

All the ingredients

To turn your life into a nightmare-

Don't mix them!

You have all the genius

To build a swing in your backyard

for God.

That sounds

Like a hell of a lot more fun.

Let's start laughing, drawing blueprints,

Gathering our talented friends.

I will help you

With my divine lyre and drum.

Hafiz

Will sing a thousand words

You can take into your hands,

Like golden saws,

Silver hammers,

Polished teakwood,

Strong silk rope.

You carry all the ingredients

To turn existence into joy,

Mix them, mix

Them!

Hafiz reflects my idea of what church should be about: Using our collective genius to build a swing for God so we can celebrate together an existence of joy.

Just a thought,

P.C.

Contemplative Prayer

It feels at times that we are constantly bombarded by noise, both externally and internally. It is hard to hear the Presence of God because of the percussive cacophony. How can anyone be expected to find restoration for the soul when there is so much dissonance? Contemplative prayer is an opportunity to just be.

In contemplative prayer "we move from communicating with God through speech to communing with God through the gaze of love. Words fall away, and the most palaple reality is being present to the lover of our souls. When we let go of all effort to speak or even to listen, simply becoming quiet before God, the Spirit is free to work its healing mysteries in us: releasing us from bondage, energizing new patterns of life, restoring our soul's beauty. Here we allow ourselves to be loved by God into wholeness.

Such communion with God is an end in itself, not a means to another end, however good."
Marjorie J. Thompson from Soul Feast.

New Items

I have added a couple of new things to this blog. One is a connection to podcasts of sermons and worship. If you like to listen rather than read the sermons you can either sit at home with a cup of joe and listen using your computer, or you can send the podcast to your IPod or mp3 player and take my voice anywhere. Kinda scary. Go There Now.

I have also added a section I am calling "Expand Your Faith Awareness." I will be adding different websites that offer video vignettes of people talking about faith and spirituality. Check out Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason. I am hoping that you might watch a video that triggers a deeper level of thought reagarding your faith. Perhaps we can discuss your thoughts via this blog or meet with a small group to explore further.

There is also a new section called "Spiritual Classics" which is a collection of audio podcasts of the "greats." An electronic library for your spiritual growth and edification.

Just a Thought,
P.C.

A Little Help!!!!!

This year, I have the honor and pleasure of participating in MDA's DeWitt Lock Up 2008 to help "Jerry's Kids®". To reach my goal I need your help! I'd like to include you on my list of contributors who are helping me reach my goal. Your donation would help MDA continue the important fight against muscular dystrophy. Check out my web page by clicking on the link below. There you'll find all kinds of information about MDA, and be able to make your tax-deductible donation on-line using your credit card.

MDA serves people in our community with neuromuscular disease by providing clinics, support groups, assistance with the purchase and repair of wheelchairs, braces and communication devices, and summer camp for kids. MDA also funds research grants to help find treatments and cures for some 43 neuromuscular diseases that affect people of all ages, right here in our community. I sincerely hope that you'll take the opportunity to support MDA. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail me.

On behalf of the families MDA serves, thank you!

Click here to visit my Participant Page.

If the link above does not bring you to my Participant Page, cut and paste the address below into the address bar of your internet browser.

https://www.mdaevent.org/ParticipantInfo.aspx?j=22f0abc0-ec1b-4a8e-b2f3-2c54b1be01fe

Body and Soul

Romans 5:1-11
"Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us."

I just got back from a workout at the Rec Center - a little biking, a little running, a lot of sweating. Since the summer of 2006 I have been training for and participating in triathlons: Sprint and olympic distances. What that means is swimming either a half mile or mile; biking either 12.4 miles or 24.8 miles; and finishing with a run of either 3.1 miles or 6.2 miles. One right after the other. My youngest son, Keegan, inspired me with his efforts in that realm. I was also inspired by my older son, Jesse, who was running a half-marathon and my wife, Sue who had run an 11 mile race. I have done races with each of the boys and the three of us raced in the Des Moines Hy-Vee Triathlon (olympic distance) in June of 2007.

To be honest my competitive nature kicked in and that is why I wanted to race. Well... they raced and I survived.

But it has given me hope. Hope born out of suffering and enduring and a change in my character. I am still competitive but against myself more than anything. I have lost weight and know that my physical health has improved. But more importantly I have used the time that I workout as a time for meditation and prayer. It clears my thoughts and opens my soul for the possibilities that the Holy Spirit offers.

Consider a way to exercise both your body and soul. Let it be an experience of God that gives you hope.

Just a thought,

P.C.

With or About?

“Theology has to do with culture because theology has to do with living religiously, which always takes place within the culture. Theology, by its very name, makes the great assertion that we can express a logos (word or reason) about a theos (God). Theology means talk about God, because it is first possible to “talk with” God, or to encounter revelation about God. Despite the airy claims of some theologians, then, there is no theology apart from life in the world, from life in culture.” Tom Beaudoin, Virtual Faith

I would suggest that we (The Church) have too often moved away from “talking with” God because we have for too long set ourselves apart from life or culture. We have in general stopped talking with God (and listening for God) as worship and ministry have moved more toward talking about God. Many I think crave an experience of rather than more knowledge about God.

Two subtle words perhaps, with and about, however, they were integral to Jesus’ ministry. Jesus lived in the midst of the culture and lived the concept “with God.” Tension arose when the Pharisees, Sadducees, and disciples attempted to talk about God without being with God, the disconnect most obvious as the people they encountered immersed in the culture were neglected, even denigrated.

Perhaps the experience of God we crave is to be found not in one great hour sheltered behind the opacity of stained glass windows but in moving beyond the walls of our supposed cathedrals to be with all of God’s creation.

Just a thought,
P.C

On Hearing

"The immediate person thinks and imagines that when he prays, the important thing, the thing he must concentrate upon, is that God should hear what he is praying for. And yet in the true, eternal sense it is just the reverse: the true relation in prayer is not when God hears what is prayed for, but when the person praying continuesto pray until he is the one who hears, who hears what God wills. The immediate person, therefore, uses many words and, therefore makes demands in his prayer; the true man of prayer only attends."
Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
Danish theologian

Authentic Holiness

Paul Evdokimov, a Russian Orthodox theologian who lived from 1901-1970, wrote, "It is not enough to say prayers, one must become, be prayer, prayer incarnate. It is not enough to have moments of praise. All of life, each act, every gesture, even the smile of the human face, must become a hymn of adoration, an offering, a prayer. One should offer not what one has, but what one is."

I do agree with that theology. That way of being is, I think, authentic holiness. However, it is certainly difficult to share with others. The reluctance for me comes from a fear that people will think me too pious or put me even higher on that false pedestal some have created for pastors.

There is also a layer of apologetics that is needed to counter the modern day Pharisees who have usurped what holiness in prayer is all about. For many who have been "burned" by the church Pharisees there is a sense that holiness is a shroud placed upon them in order to control or condemn rather than holiness being a baring of one's soul, a removal of the death pall.

Just a thought,
P.C.

Hope from Isaiah

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31 New International Version

Refresh Yourself in Prayer

I invite you to linger awhile and perhaps listen for God's Presence.

Send a prayer request.

Emergent God

The ancient Celtic Christians understood well the experience of God as emergent in absolutely everything and everyone. It can be transforming to grasp the reality of the Presence in the minutiae of life.

Especially transforming is when one can grasp that God wants to be revealed in and through each of us. The experience of God can quench the craving of your soul to be loved and accepted.

Everyone wants.... everyone needs to be loved, needs to know they are accepted for the gift they truly are to all of creation. It is part of the essence of being human. But we do so fight the truth that God wants or even can be revealed in and through us.

The miracle that amazes is not the possibility of resurrection. The miracle is in believing that our quest for acceptance will ever be realized. I would suggest that the barrier to living a grace-filled life of acceptance resides in our own reticence. Paul Tillich clarifies the matter. "You are accepted. All you have to do is accept the fact that you are accepted."

Just a thought,

P.C.