Christmas Day
Church of the Holy Cross
The Rev. John E. Shields
December 25, 2011

 

  “The word became flesh and lived among us…”

 

  “The word became flesh and lived among us….”

 

Our gospel this morning tells us that the eternal word of God has become a human person.

 

The word became flesh --- the church calls it ‘Incarnation.’

 

Incarnation = the ‘en-fleshing’ of God.

 

Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria is credited with saying: “He (Jesus) became what we are that he might make us as he is.”

 

“The word became flesh and lived among us…”

 

These are pretty words. This is a lovely concept. We are used to hearing them --- perhaps we are so used to hearing them that they have lost something. Perhaps we have just taken it for granted as one of those things we don’t really have to think about.

 

“The word became flesh and lived among us…”

 

Do you remember a few years (maybe more than a few now) the movie: “The Last Temptation of Christ”?

 

The movie is based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis.

 

If you remember the movie, you may recall that it was considered very controversial – You see Kazantzakis has Jesus being tempted in ways that made some folks uncomfortable.

 

I remember going to see this movie and there were pickets outside denouncing the movie as blasphemous. 

 

Kazantzakis has Jesus being tempted as you or I might be. His Jesus is very human, and let me tell you something; a lot of people, particularly religious people, did not like it.

 

Jesus was tempted --- even on the cross --- with the possibility that he could marry, have a family, and live a good and comfortable life.

 

  This depiction of Jesus did not fit the notion of Jesus to which many had become accustomed and it made them angry to even consider a Jesus who might feel and act this way.

 

Jesus had real feelings and longings – he was truly human – too human for comfort.

 

“The word became flesh and lived among us…”

 

It’s a problem.

 

 “The word became flesh and lived among us…”

 

The eternal Word of God, creator of all that is: “The vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses and this fragile earth our island home.”

 

This God became flesh and lived among us.

 

It is a notion that we have a hard time really believing --- we just can’t ‘get hold of it’ we can’t ‘get our arms around it.’

 

It is an idea, a construct, a theology, call it what you will, that is difficult for us.

 

It is less difficult picturing a sweet baby in a manager – that is nice and we really don’t get too bogged down in details – we overlook them because we love the warm fuzziness that we have come to associate with that image.

 

But God as a grown man with all the emotions and desires and temptations that we have as adults – I’m not too sure about that.

 

It seems that the Orthodox – Greek, Russian, i.e. the Eastern Church --- it seems that the Orthodox like Kazantzakis have less problems with Incarnation than we Western Christians.  Perhaps we have something to learn from them – even if it makes us uncomfortable.

 

Don’t get me wrong – we say all the right things “Jesus was truly man, tempted in every way as we are, yet with out sin.” Its just that our images and worship of Jesus have him so ‘deified’ that we emotionally at least deny his humanity.

 

Do you remember Athanasius? We mentioned him earlier – he is the one who said: “He (Jesus) became what we are that he might make us as he is.”

 

Athanasius also said: “What Jesus did not assume, he cannot redeem.” 

 

“The word became flesh and lived among us…”

 

“What Jesus did not assume, he cannot redeem.”

 

That may well be the most powerful affirmation of Jesus’ humanity that I have ever heard.

 

Jesus, our savior; Jesus our redeemer; Jesus the only son of the Father; Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords – this Jesus, by being fully human assumes all that we are.

 

Jesus has every emotion, urge, and temptation that we have, and therefore can redeem those very things in us.

 

“He (Jesus) became what we are that he might make us as he is.”

 

This Jesus, our Savior and Lord came among us. Jesus, the eternal Word, became a human person and lived among us.

 

He came that we might get a glimpse of the possibilities available to us. He came that we might know that love is possible.

 

“He (Jesus) became what we are that he might make us as he is.”

 

“…that he might make us as he is.”

 

And how is he?

 

Remember that Jesus seemed partial to the poor and those on the margins…

 

Remember that Jesus seemed to always find where the sickness, pain and fear were residing in order that he might free those who were captured and afflicted.

 

Remember that this ‘word made flesh’ seemed to have particular concern for those whom the world did not favor. He is said to have associated with outcasts – prostitutes, tax collectors. He favored the sick and those in trouble. He healed those who were mentally ill and spiritually sick.

 

And he told those who would follow him, “When you have fed, clothed, visited, cared for the least of these, you have done it unto me.”

 

“And the word became flesh and lived among us…full of Grace and Truth.”

 

“He became what we are that he might make us as he is.”

 

 

Christmas Eve
The Church of the Holy Cross
The Rev. John E. Shields
December 24, 2011 (late service)

 We have here the story of an infant born to a couple of unwed Palestinian Jews in an obscure village in Israel some two thousand years ago. (Synthesis, Dec. 25, 2011)

 

So What?

 

A little early for that, don’t you think?

 

Well, ok, but it may take a few minutes to get there.

 

Luke is the only gospel writer that tells the story of Jesus’ birth in the manner you have heard this evening. Only in Luke do we have shepherds in the fields, “….watching their flock by night…” and only in Luke do we have the angle and the ‘multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven…’

 

In Matthew’s gospel we get a genealogy of Jesus and then an account of Mary being engaged to Joseph, who plans to “…dismiss her quietly…”because of her pregnancy – but he is visited by an angel and is convinced he should marry Mary and he does. So in Matthew they are married before Jesus is born, in Luke they are not.

 

After the birth of Jesus in Matthew we have the coming of the wise men. They are not mentioned in Luke.

 

Mark doesn’t even mention Jesus’ birth at all – he begins his gospel with John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. So Jesus is a grown man at the beginning of Mark.

 

John has no infancy narrative either – after what is called the prologue to John – the gospel writer introduces Jesus with his baptism by John the Baptist.

 

 By now you may be saying, “Why is he telling us this?

 

I am telling you this in case you haven’t read the Bible and in particular, the four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

 

It may disturb some to hear that there are differences in the accounts of Jesus’ birth – let me go ahead and tell you that there are many such instances in the Bible where things don’t match up in terms of time and or narrative.

 

The Bible is not a text book or a news account. It is also not a scientific book – it is a book of poetry and prose – it is a book of metaphor and figurative language. It often deals with large universal truths rather than specific facts.

 

This doesn’t mean that the persons in the Bible are fictitious, they are mostly historical figures, and however, their significance is often developed through interpretation of oral history from the experience of early witnesses handed down and eventually written down by the writers of theology.

 

Back to the “So What?”

 

While reading various articles and reviews and sermons I ran across this little story. ( Dynamic Preaching, Oct. – Dec. 2011, page 88 ff)

 

“On the Protestant Hour sometime back, the Rev. Harry H. Pritchett, Jr. told about the worst nativity pageant he could remember. It was at a church where he grew up. The youth group was staging a manger scene. Pritchett was chosen to play Joseph and his future wife, Allison, was chosen to play Mary. They did their parts with seriousness and commitment, looking as pious as possible.

 

And then it came time for the shepherds to enter. The choir was singing “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night.” And some of their fellow young people dressed in flannel bathrobes and toweled head gear proceeded to the altar steps.

 

Young Pritchett and Allison both managed to gaze solemnly at the manger which contained a naked light bulb. But then one of the shepherds broke the sacred spell. With his back to the congregation, he said in a very loud whisper for all the cast to hear, “Well, Joe, when are you gonna pass out cigars?”

 

The spell of the occasion was not simply broken by his remark, it exploded. The Mary and Joseph cover was completely destroyed as it became impossible to hold back the bursts of laughter. The chief angel, standing on a chair behind them was the worst. She shook so hard that she fell off her chair and simply rolled over on the floor, holding her stomach.

 

 The strains of ‘Silent Night’ and ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ were hardly sufficient to cover the uncontrolled snorts of the main characters. Their much upset but good sported youth advisor said, “The only thing that did not go to pieces was the light bulb in the manger, it never went out.”

 

Harry Pritchett thought to himself later -- that is a nice image – the light in the manger never goes out regardless of any mess we may make of things.

 

That light never goes out.

 

Exactly, that light never goes out.

 

Tonight we have heard Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth. It is that wonderful story of shepherds and angels and a humble little couple with a new baby.

 

You might say that Luke gives us a notion of what happened. Tomorrow’s gospel from the first chapter of the gospel of John tells us why it happened.

 

 John says, “…What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people…”

 

The light of all people – the light that doesn’t go out.

 

Tonight we celebrate the coming of the incarnate God into the world. It is at once awesome, and incredible. If it were not for the quality of the witnesses through the ages – I’d say it was unbelievable.

 

Emmanuel – God with us – comes to us in the most humble of circumstances.

 

God with us comes in the most unlikely package - a helpless infant.

 

God comes in the most unlikely of places to a most unlikely family.

 

God shows up on Second shift and only a few people know it.

 

It has been said, “The Christmas story reminds us once again it was not man’s idea that the Son of God should be born in a stable. And so the first thing we learn from Jesus’ birth is that the Lord will not always be found where we expect to find Him. We tend to look for Him in the nice, the clean, and the warm. We expect Him to be in churches and in the Bible and in hymns of praise and in Christmas cards which have Scripture verses on them… And if these are the only places we search for the Lord, then we are not looking in the stable.”  (James Colaianni quoted in Synthesis Dec. 2011)

 

We make much over Christmas. We probably make too much over it. Actually, without Good Friday and Easter Sunday – there would be no Christmas celebration – we might be burning the Yule log and celebrating the winter solstice and rejoicing in the fact that our day light will start being longer.

 

You see it isn’t because of the baby that this is a special day – it is because of what the baby did when he grew up. It is because of his love and compassion and healing touch. It is because of his absolute intolerance of religious hypocrisy and his willingness to pay any price necessary to show how much God loves us. That is why Christmas is possible and that is why it is a celebration worth having.

 

In the letter to Titus we hear: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all…”

 

Tonight we hear and we celebrate the birth of grace – it is God’s love letter to us reminding us that, “The God we could not reach up to has graciously reached down to us.” (William Willimon, Pulpit Resource Dec. 24 & 25, 2011) “…and that life was the light of the world.

 

That light never goes out. Amen – Merry Christmas!

 

 

Christmas Eve
The Church of the Holy Cross
The Rev. John E. Shields
December 24, 2011 (early service)  

  We have here the story of an infant born to a couple of unwed Palestinian Jews in an obscure village in Israel some two thousand years ago. (Synthesis, Dec. 25, 2011)

    So What?

    “On the Protestant Hour sometime back, the Rev. Harry H. Pritchett, Jr. told about the worst nativity pageant he could remember. It was at a church where he grew up. The youth group was staging a manger scene. Pritchett was chosen to play Joseph and his future wife, Allison, was chosen to play Mary. They did their parts with seriousness and commitment, looking as pious as possible.

       And then it came time for the shepherds to enter. The choir was sing “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night.” And some of their fellow young people dressed in flannel bathrobes and toweled head gear proceeded to the altar steps.

    Young Pritchett and Allison both managed to gaze solemnly at the straw which contained a naked light bulb. But then one of the shepherds broke the sacred spell. With his back to the congregation, he said in a very loud whisper for all the cast to hear, “Well, Joe, when are you gonna pass out cigars?”

    The spell of the occasion was not simply broken by his remark, it exploded. The Mary and Joseph cover was completely destroyed as it became impossible to hold back the bursts of laughter. The chief angel, standing on a chair behind them was the worst. She shook so hard that she fell off her chair and simply rolled over on the floor, holding her stomach. The strains of ‘Silent Night’ and ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ were hardly sufficient to cover the uncontrolled snorts of the main characters. Their much upset but good sported youth advisor said, “The only thing that did not go to pieces was the light bulb in the manger, it never went out.”

    Harry Pritchett thought to himself later -- that is a nice image – the light in the manger never goes out regardless of any mess we may make of things.”

    That light never goes out.

    Christmas celebrates to coming of God among us as a human person

    – “The God we could not reach up to has graciously reached down to us.” (William Willimon, Pulpit Resource Dec. 24 & 25, 2011)

    That light that was the light of all life has never gone out – it still shines brightly --- but not from the manger – it shines brightly whenever and wherever peace overcomes war and violence; it shines brightly whenever and wherever those who have share with those who have not; it shines brightly whenever those who are on the inside reach for those who are on the out; it shines brightly when healing overcomes illness, joy overcomes despair, and life overcomes death.

  The light has never gone out!

    As the great hymn so wonderfully says, “Come let us adore Him…Christ the Lord.”

   

The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Church of the Holy Cross
The Rev. John E. Shields
December 18 2011

This morning we hear the encounter between the Virgin Mary and the angel, Gabriel. This event is known in the life and history of the church as the Annunciation. The visit to the Virgin Mary by the Angel Gabriel is the Annunciation.

At the end of this startling exchange, Mary says, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

 

Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be…”

 

"…Let it be…”

 

Her news is unbelievable and frightening.  The angel’s intrusion and announcement are inconvenient and not ‘according to plan’. Yet, Mary’s ultimate acceptance -- couched in the simple words, “…let it be…” ---- becomes the key to God’s coming among us. 

 

Mary is the model for all Christian believers.

 

We have within our lessons today an interesting paradox. In the lesson from the Hebrew Bible II Samuel we find the King – David contemplating building a house for God. In the gospel we find Mary accepting the invitation to be the house for God.

 

She trusts, she lets her faith overcome her fear, she follows God’s plan and becomes the bearer of God to the world.

 

Mary gives us all, this morning, a most profound spiritual principle --- acceptance.

 

Acceptance --- nothing happens until Mary accepts God’s invitation --- she says simply, “Let it be…”

 

Did you know that acceptance is a spiritual principle? Maybe you thought -- like I have thought -- that acceptance is negative ---- maybe you’ve been thinking of acceptance as ‘giving up.’

 

Not so, Acceptance is about coming to terms with reality. You see, in Mary’s case (and yours) God is found in reality not illusion.

 

One of the negative spiritual characteristics that is the opposite of acceptance is Resentment.

 

You know resentment, don’t you? You know what it feels like to remember old hurts, past wrongs, and re-feel those feelings of anger, or embarrassment, or shame?

 

Sometimes we get stuck in those old negative places, they occupy in the present our emotions, even though the events may have been some time ago. We have not been able to let go and so they still hurt us and even direct our feelings and actions in the present though they happened in the past.

 

They are unhealthy.

 

What do we need to accept this morning --- what is it that seems to be holding us back from allowing God into our lives?

 

For some reason, Mary does not allow herself to get captured by her very scary news, she doesn’t spend time trying to create a different reality for her --- rather, she accepts it and moves on.

 

You see, it is only when we accept whatever is holding us hostage that we can overcome it. It is only when we accept that we cannot change the person we resent -- that we can begin to change ourselves in relation to that person. It is only when we accept the circumstances that are beyond our control as being what they are --- only then can we get ourselves unstuck and move on.

 

Often the hardest thing to accept is that our notion of control is an illusion.

 

God is found in reality – not illusion.

 

Acceptance is the key to reality.

 

Maybe we have to accept something about ourselves that we really don’t want to face or admit. For instance until I could accept that I was an alcoholic, I remained stuck in the dilemma of my illness. When I could accept the reality of the problem, then I could do something about it --- with God’s help ---.

 

Some years ago two young men from Liverpool, England wrote these words for us to ponder…

 

When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom let it be.
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking works of wisdom let it be.

And when the broken hearted people
Living in the world agree
There will be an answer
Let it be
Let it be

(Lennon/McCartney)

 

What do we need to accept this morning --- what is it that seems to be holding us back from allowing God into our lives?

 

Can we like Mary – trust? Can we like Mary, allow our faith to overcome our fear? Can we like Mary follow God’s plan? Can we like Mary become bearers of God?

 

(Madeleine L’Engle, Wintersong, quoted in Synthesis , 12/22/02)

“It is only after we have been enabled to say, ‘Be it unto me according to your Word,’ that we can accept the paradoxes of Christianity. Christ comes to live with us, bringing an incredible promise of God’s love, but never are we promised that there will be no pain, no suffering, no death, but rather these very griefs are the road to eternal life.

 

In Advent we prepare for the coming of all Love, that love which will redeem all the brokenness, wrongness, and hardness of heart which have afflicted us…Even so, Come Lord Jesus!”

 

Come Lord Jesus! Help us to trust.

Come Lord Jesus! G ive us faith for overcoming our fears

Come Lord Jesus!  Help us to know and follow you.

Come Lord Jesus! Strengthen our acceptance of your reality in our lives.

Come Lord Jesus! That we might indeed become bearers of your love.

Come Lord Jesus! – let it be.

Come Lord Jesus! Lord, let it be.

 

Amen.

 

The Third Sunday of Advent
 Church of the Holy Cross
The Rev. John E. Shields
December 11, 2011

  Anthony DeMello tells of a man who was looking frantically for something on the floor of the front porch.

 

A friend asks, “What are you looking for?”

 

The man says, “My keys.”

 

The friend asked where you when you dropped them?

 

The man says, “In the house.”

 

The friend then says, “Why are you looking out here?”

 

The man says, “This is where the light is.”

 

 Do you think he is going to find those keys?

 

No, he will not find them until he goes inside and tries to bring some light into the place where he dropped them.

 

There are a number of images concerning light that are going on in my head this morning.

 

In our gospel this morning we find the writer of John talking about light in reference to John the Baptist and a person whom the writer calls ‘the one who is to come.’ We know that ‘the one who is to come’ is Jesus.

 

In John’s prologue we find the writer making clear that John the Baptist is not the light, but is the person who is to bear witness to the light. John the Baptist is to be the one who prepares the way that all might see the light that is coming into the world.

 

Listen to the text, “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.”

 

He was not the light but came to bear witness to the light.

 

And why was John sent by God to do this? (Bear witness/testify to the light) “...That all might believe...”

 

Our question this morning is --- will we see the light promised by John, or, like the fellow on the front porch, will we be looking in the wrong place because it is easier even though it will not produce results. 

 

What is it in our lives that might be blinding us from seeing the light of Emmanuel, God with us?

 

Or put another way, where are the various lights in our lives taking us?

 

Certainly at this time of year we are given many distractions and the lights are everywhere and some are very bright.

 

Will our busyness and frenetic pace keep us from seeing the ‘one who is to come’?

 

Will our frantic acquisition of things keep us from seeing the savior?

 

Will our preoccupation with lists and obligations keep us from seeing the light or the world?

 

The world we live in tells us that our money, our cars, homes, clothing, status and material achievements are to be the light of our desire.

 

That is the light our culture would have us seek -- the light of materialism.

 

That has been true for some time. A number of years ago, Archbishop William Temple said,

 

“The world, as we live in it, is like a shop window into which some mischievous person has got overnight, and shifted all the price-labels so that the cheap things have the high-price labels on them and the really precious things are priced low... we let ourselves be taken in.”

 

The cheap things have high prices and the really precious things are priced low…

 

It is just like our distractions from brighter lights keeping us from seeing the most important.

 

Our material possessions are indeed cheap compared to the priceless value of our relationships.

 

John the Baptist is telling us that he is bearing witness to the most important light ever to come into the world.

 

John the Baptist is saying that the light he is proclaiming is one of great importance --- it too is information we need to know.

 

This light will tell us who we are, where we are and what we are.

 

The light John is heralding is the “light of the world”

 

It is the light that will lighten our paths and save our very souls.

 

Just as those, to whom John the Baptist preached, our lives are often misdirected --- we are misled and misguided by our culture. Our priorities and desires are misdirected and our efforts misplaced.

 

John the Baptist knew that was the case ---- which is why he insisted that repentance was the best preparation for seeing the light that was coming into the world.

 

It was true then, it is true now. We are to prepare the way for the coming of the blessed light of the world by getting ourselves in spiritual condition through repentance.

 

Repentance means getting our priorities in order. It means seeing the most important light and not being distracted by other, less important, brightness.

 

To go back to William Temple’s analogy: “…Repentance means getting those price-labels back in the right place.”  William Temple (quoted in Synthesis , December 16, 1990)

 

So it is that John the Baptist offers people an opportunity to repent of their sins. He offers them the water of baptism as a symbol of their repentance.

 

As we prepare the way for our savior on this Third Sunday of Advent --- As we try to see the light of Christ, Emmanuel --- what is it this morning that is getting in our way?

 

John the Baptist is telling us this morning to get ready, something really big is about to happen. We need to be ready so we can clearly see.

 

Repentance is what clears the barriers for allowing the light of Christ into our lives - we remove the hazards, the impediments of sinfulness ---- we remove our own strong wills and allow the illuminating power of God to come into our lives.

 

Repentance means looking at how we spend our time, our talent and our money. Repentance means seeking justice and mercy; it means caring for the least of these.

 

Repentance means putting our resources to work for good and not just acquiring more stuff. Repentance means telling God we are sorry for putting things over and ahead of people.

 

Repentance means going into the metaphorical dark house of our lives where we have dropped the keys to our soul’s health – but taking a light with us – the light of Christ. 

 

Taking the light of Christ’s love into our darkness will make our work of repentance fruitful and productive.          

 

Our collect this Sunday gives us a good format for repentance: “Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us...”

 

Show us the light of your Joy, O Lord, which we acknowledge on this third Sunday in Advent. Help us know that Joy in ways that will allow us to see beyond the glare of our materialistic society and give us a clear view of your Son our Savior, the light of the world.

 

The Second Sunday of Advent
Church of the Holy Cross
The Rev. John Shields
December 4, 2011

 Today’s gospel is from Mark. It is the shortest of the four gospels – scholars think it was written as early as ca. 70 A.D. It is the earliest of the gospels and it is often used as a resource by the writers of Matthew and Luke. These three gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke are referred to as the Synoptic gospels.

I am aware that many of you know what I have just told you, but I am guessing that many do not, so I decided that a little basic teaching on New Testament might not be a bad idea.

That said, on to the sermon. 

So how many of you have seen the frescoes at St. Mary’s, Beaver Creek? (West Jefferson) ‘Church of the frescoes.’

Actually, St. Mary’s and Holy Trinity, Glendale Springs, make up one parish known as Holy Communion.  

Just this past week we had some folks stop by and ask about the frescoes. This has happened a number of times over the years – so I hear. It has probably happened 5 or 6 times (at least) since I have been here.

(I am told that some time ago the staff thought it would be a good idea just to say – “No, the frescoes aren’t here -- we painted over them.” It’s just a joke!)

If you have seen the frescoes (West Jefferson) you know that there are three:

• The pregnant Virgin Mary is to the left of the chancel. She is barefooted, and very great with child. (Somewhat controversial – I believe that some folks would rather have had the baby Jesus brought by the stork. The realistic portrayal tampered with their more sanitized view of Mary.)
• The Mystery of Faith – is behind the altar. It depicts Jesus on the cross with his spirit rising from his hanging body – a very powerful painting – especially to stand in front of it while celebrating the Eucharist.
• The third fresco is on the wall right of the chancel – it pictures a rather hairy, wild looking man carrying a big stick walking in the desert – he has a wild look in his eyes. It doesn’t seem to bother anyone that John looks so very realistic and even a bit scary, but then we don’t think of him as a part of our romanticized version of Jesus’ birth.

This rather wild man is our main character in today’s gospel – John the Baptist. 

He is introduced by passages from Isaiah that also include parts of Exodus and Malachi: “See I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of Lord, make his paths straight,”

Then it says, “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.”

Then the writer of Mark wants to make sure we have a picture of this fellow in our minds. So he tells us how John is dressed and what his diet is: “Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.”

Some would say that locusts were like grasshoppers --   but others think that locusts were the pods that grow on the Honey locust tree. Wikipedia says that Native American people both ate the pulp from the honey locust pods and made beer! I am pretty sure that ‘wild honey’ was just that – honey produced by bees in the wild as opposed to a description of a female companion.

Of course in my fantasy, I imagine JTB drinking locust beer with a girlfriend called ‘wild honey.’ Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.  

So, what does a guy in a real camel hair coat have to teach us this morning?

Does he have a message for us as he did for those throngs of folks who came out to the desert to see him?

It looks like two things were going on with John the Baptist’s ministry.

1. He was proclaiming the need for repentance from sin – using baptism as a ritual cleansing sacrament and
2.  He was announcing the coming of the messiah

“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.”

The first words in Mark’s gospel are: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ.”

Those words are immediately followed by this story of John in the wilderness and how people see a need for repentance. John announces that indeed repentance is needed for the messiah is coming.

So What?

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ is written using the same formula as that found in Isaiah: Repentance then the coming of the messiah.

“Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for her sins. A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord…’”

The first words in Mark’s gospel are: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ.”

What kind of news are you looking for this morning – Good news?

How might we be different from those coming out to see JTB?

Apparently, they were aware of their shortcomings and felt the need for repentance and reconciliation in preparation for the messiah.

I believe that the Collect for today helps put our situation into focus:

“Merciful God, who sent thy messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer…”

Perhaps we too know that we haven’t measured up to our best selves or to what we think God wants us to be.

If you haven’t thought about that -- Advent – this season tells us to “Wake up – pay attention.”

This time is not just about shopping and going to parties. It is About waking up to the proposition that we need to prepare spiritually for the coming of the messiah.

We need a time of reflection and repentance.

We all need to repent from believing we are in control.

We all need to repent for allowing our busyness to interfere with our striving to find peace.

“Be patient” is an Advent mandate. Things are not as they seem, God is in charge of your world – not you!

Pay attention to Isaiah’s words written seven centuries before Christ it is about preparation:

“Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill made low, the uneven ground shall become level and the rough places a plain.”

If Advent is about preparation -- and repentance is necessary for being prepared -- as John the Baptist tells us then:

• Consider this as your repentant task in Advent. Look for those valleys of despair or those low spots where your thoughts and actions were considerably less than your better self.
• Consider too in your repentant task those mountains and hills of aloofness and possible arrogance when you may have felt better than, superior to others.

You might even try writing these down – for your eyes only.

Take those words, thoughts, behaviors into your special place for prayer -- wherever that is and humbly ask God to forgive you for your shortcomings and wrong doings or perhaps your apathy in the face of needed action.  

When you have done this to the best of your ability --- you want progress not perfection ---- when you have done it – then trust that you are forgiven, just as the book says you will be forgiven, just as the church tells you – you are forgiven.

If you have written down this stuff – go burn the paper and trust that the way has been prepared in your heart for the savior’s coming. It is another beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ born in your heart.

 

 

The First Sunday of Advent
Church of the Holy Cross
The Rev. John E. Shields
November 27, 2011

  I say to you all: “Keep awake.”

 Now that is quite a line for the beginning of a sermon: I say to you all: Keep awake.”

Actually, I think that we are in trouble with this sermon --- After eating my way through the last several days, I was trying so hard to write this sermon in my office at home. I was thinking hard about -- I think I was thinking ---- when suddenly my head jerked back and my breath caught up short! I had fallen asleep at my computer!

I say to you all: “Keep awake.” Good luck.

In our gospel this morning, as opposed to trying to get his disciples to keep from nodding off during one of his teachings --- Jesus is saying, “keep awake” in a completely different context.

Jesus is stressing the urgency of being prepared.

“Keep awake – you do not know when the time will come…’

Here we are on the first Sunday of Advent and our lessons and gospel are filled with anticipation of powerful and cataclysmic events. In Isaiah we hear, “O that you would tear open the heaven and come down…. Tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains   would quake at your presence …so that the nations might tremble…”

Isaiah calls God down with a vengeance upon God’s people because they have sinned and been unfaithful. 

The gospel and the Old Testament lessons are apocalyptic in tone – they refer to the uncertainly of waiting for an unknown event of epic proportions. The language is scary – it is anxiety provoking.

It occurred to me while thinking about this sermon – that we really are pretty complacent about the whole thing. We really don’t put much stock in the so-called ‘second coming’ of Christ.  

Let me remind you that Advent is what I call at two-track season. On track one, we retell the story of the events leading up to Jesus’ birth, and on track two we anticipate the coming of Christ at the last day.

Listen to our Collect: “Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; (track one) that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead…” (track two)

My theory is that we are track one people: we like the Advent notion of preparing for the Christ child.

We like the traditions we have built up around that.

Some of us even like the hustle and bustle of shopping and fighting traffic at the mall.

We like the music we hear – even though – the Advent police tell us we shouldn’t be listening to it.

We like the parties.

We like the decorations and the crèches and the touches of the so-called ‘season.’

But we really don’t pay much attention to the other notion of Advent.  --- We do say it in our liturgy all the time, as in Rite II, A: “Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.”

We say it – but do we believe it?

“Keep awake” Jesus says. “Keep awake for you do not know when the time will come.”

If we take that seriously, how should we act in relation to the urgent command to be vigilant! Be ready!

If we thought Jesus was going to show up tomorrow, how would we be different? What would we be doing that we are not doing now?

For instance, would we be as tolerant of war as a means of solving human problems?

Would we be more anxious about injustice – would we be more concerned about racism, sexism, ageism, and all the other dehumanizing ‘isms’?

Would we be more concerned about the plight of the poor?

Would we be intolerant of the amount of hunger found in our world?

Would we be concerned about the quality of justice and punishment in our courts and penal institutions – would we like to have a conversation with Jesus about the efficacy of capital punishment?

How would I like Jesus looking over my shoulder as I write my checks, review my drafts and on-line banking transactions?  Would I be proud of my stewardship of what has been entrusted to me?

Well, no wonder we don’t want to talk about the other side of Advent.

It is really kind of hard to get worked up about all of that isn’t it?

I mean we are living the good life as best we can. We are trying to be secure in our homes and free from unseemly and unsavory characters.

And along comes Jesus saying, “Keep awake, for you do not know the hour or the day when the master will come.”

Actually, I find great hope even in the midst of all these apocalyptic, ominous readings. I find hope even in the midst of being convicted of falling so short of Jesus’ expectations of me.

I find it in Isaiah: He is addressing God: “”But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and iniquities like the wind, take us away. There is no one to call on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.” ( You are looking for the hope part right?)

Bear with me now --- “Yet, O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.”

“We are the clay --- you are the potter.

We are the work your hands.”

If I might continue as Isaiah and address God: “Lord we indeed are the work of your hands – you are the potter and Lord, you know that some of us are cracked pots, yet you love us anyhow.

Lord, you know that we do not live up to what you expect and want from us, yet you abide with us.

Lord, we know that we are to keep awake and wait for you to come and make our world into your kingdom, but we sometimes ---no, Lord, most times we fail --- but we do try and we get distracted – we do try and often confuse our wants and needs with your wishes for our lives.

But even in the midst of even these our failings, Lord, we know that you are above all things a God of Love and Mercy.

You are a God of second chances and restoration.  You are a God of compassion and caring.

Help us Lord to keep awake --- help to keep awake and aware of your presence in our midst --- help us to keep awake and see you in our broken and sinful world --- help us to see you in those who need our compassion and caring --- help us to see you in those needing mercy and love.

Help us Lord to keep awake and proclaim without anxiety or fear the second coming of your son.”    

And finally folks this little fable:

“A rabbi and a soapmaker are walking together. The soapmaker says, “What good is religion? Look at all the trouble and misery of the world! Still there, even after years.  – Thousands of years – of teaching about goodness and truth and peace; still there, after all the prayers and sermons and teachings: if religion is supposed to be good and true, why can this be?”

The rabbi says nothing, deep in thought. They continue walking until the rabbi notices children playing. Then the rabbi says, “Look at those children. You say that soap makes children clean, but see the dirt on those children? Of what good is soap? With all the soap in the world, over all these years, the children are filthy. I wonder how effective soap is, after all.”

The soap maker is quick to protest, “But rabbi, soap cannot do any good unless it is applied often.”

“Exactly!” Replies the rabbi.  (Copied from Synthesis, November 27, 2005)

Keep awake -- apply your religion often.          

 

 

 

Christ the King – Recovery Sunday
Preached at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Rev. John E. Shields
November 20, 2011

    On June 10, 1935 in Akron Ohio two men sit down with a pot of coffee close at hand. One is feeling the remorse of having failed at his promise to himself and his family to not drink again. He is also still feeling the effects of that last bender and is beginning the shaky start of a new day. The man is a physician, an educated man – a person of strong moral values and religious belief. Yet, he is indeed powerless over alcohol and the urge to drink.

  The other man is a stockbroker – only modestly successful – he is in Akron on business. He too has had his problems trying to control the urge to drink --- and he has a long history of failure. But recently he has been given a reprieve from the obsession to drink. In the process of being given this relief he has made a fateful discovery: The way for him to stay sober is to share his experience with another person with the same problem.

    This, dear friends, is the beginning of a movement that has had profound effect for good in our world and has touched the lives of literally millions of people.  June 10, 1935 is the beginning of the movement known as Alcoholics Anonymous. It began with one man reaching out in compassion and understanding to another. It began with discovery that we are interdependent beings and that as we share our experience, strength and hope with one another healing and wholeness begins to happen.

    Today we celebrate the miracle of recovery. It is appropriate that we do this in the context of worship for we now understand alcoholism and all addictions as primarily being a spiritual problem.

       Addictions are behaviors characterized by continuation of whatever it is – drinking – controlling someone else’s drinking, drug use, etc. (continuation) in spite of the adverse consequences.  They are the actions that block and hamper us in our relationships with each other and with God. Dr. Gerald May, in his book Addiction and Grace calls them ‘attachments’.

    So it is that our addictions/attachments range from chemicals and alcohol to work, status, achievement, gambling, sex, shopping, food, and relationships.

    When any of these aspects of life become so important that they are significantly interfering with our relationships with other people and with God – then the possibility of addiction is real and probable.

    The twelve steps of AA, and the many other Twelve Step programs, are a path through this morass of attachment and dependence – the steps lead us on a spiritual journey from sickness to healing – from brokenness to wholeness, from conflict to peace and from confusion to serenity.

    In the Twelve Steps notice the movement that takes place.  We recognize our failures and the pain and alienation they cause; we recognize that the solution to our situation is to be found in reliance on God, and we put our dependence on God rather than our own self will.

    We then examine our lives and admit our shortcomings and failings and we ask God to remove from us the compulsions and the neediness that cause these problems; we then make restitution and amends wherever possible; after which we endeavor to live a life of personal examination and humility trying as best we can to be in contact with the source of all health and healing and we conclude that the real purpose in life is sharing with others so that we might be of service to them.

    In the church’s liturgical calendar, today is the last Sunday after Pentecost also known as Christ the King Sunday. In our gospel this morning Jesus tells his followers that when they have cared for the ‘least of these’ they have cared for him.

    This Sunday presents us with to the great paradox of the gospel: Christ as King is presented as one who is hungry, naked, imprisoned, sick, thirsty, and a stranger. The one who has all power is represented in powerlessness.  

    It is clear that we who carry the label Christian are called to be instruments for the Kingdom of God – for the reign of Christ as King.

    The reign of Christ the King is one in which the ‘least of these’ are cared for. The judgment of Jesus’ followers will be on their response to the ‘least of these.’

    Jesus shall reign -- and in his kingdom we shall not be judged by our looks, our wealth, our possessions and our educational and professional accomplishments, or even our religiosity --- we shall be judged on how we have used all that God has given us in the service of others.

       Jesus shall reign…when you feed someone who is hungry,
                                 and when you assuage another’s thirst.

  Jesus shall reign…when you welcome a stranger,
                                 and when you clothe one who is in need.

  Jesus shall reign…when you visit someone who is sick.

  Jesus shall reign…when you go to one who is in trouble and in prison.

  The twelfth step in recovery spirituality is this: Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps we tried to carry this message to alcoholics (others) and to practice these principles in all of our affairs.  

  Malcolm Muggeridge is quoted as saying, “Every happening, great and small is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.”

    “…the art of life is to get the message.”

    This morning, Jesus is saying, “get the message!”

    Jesus is saying, “get the message!”

    And now your job is to Carry the message

    He said so often – the Kingdom of God is at hand.

    The call is for action --- the time is now!

  The call is for action --- the time is now!

    The kingdom of God is at hand when God’s people come together to support one another.

    The kingdom of God is at hand when God’s people come together and share their stories of success and failure.

    The kingdom of God is at hand when God’s people allow themselves to be vulnerable enough with each other so that love --- and thus service can begin. 

    The kingdom of God is at hand - When two men sit with a pot of coffee and share their experience, strength and hope. 

    And recovery happens.

    Amen.

 

 

 

All Saints Sunday
Church of the Holy Cross
The Rev. John E. Shields
November 6, 2011

Homer Crafford is a real person – he died about two years ago. The stadium at North Forsyth High School was dedicated in Homer’s honor about a year before he died. 

Homer was a very large man.  Or at least he was before his bout with cancer. Homer had certain limitations -- we all have some limitations – Homer’s were more obvious on the surface than most.

I remember Homer from my days at Hanes High School.  Homer was on the sidelines at every Hanes football game. Homer was also in the gym at every basketball game and – yes, behind the dugout in baseball season. Hanes became a part of a larger North Forsyth High School when the city and county systems merged.

At every game, football, basketball, baseball, Homer could be found on the sidelines --- usually be dressed in his Goodwill uniform.  Homer was a truck driver’s helper.  He couldn’t drive but he could sure pick up things and put them in the truck.

Mary Garber, a sportswriter (Hall of Fame) once told me “If you ever bounced a ball at Hanes or North, Homer would remember it.” She also said that Homer was a living example of the parable of the talents --- for he is a person who has lived with great limitations – no money, no social position, limited abilities -- yet has maintained his independence, worked and supported himself, given of his meager income to his church and his community.

When I was a young boy, my family attended the Temple Baptist Church which was located on what is now East 25 ^th street.  That was the place that you would find Homer Crafford on every Sunday morning. 

Homer had what I think saints need to have.  He had the drive to let his feet take him to where his head and heart need to be.  For you see saints are not saints by virtue of their accomplishments, saints are saints by virtue of their faithfulness.

When he was asked what he was going to do with the Lucky Number jackpot he won one night at Ernie Shore Field, he said, “I’m not sure – but first I’ll give ten percent to the church.”

Blessed are the saints for they show us the path to God.

Homer Crafford is one of those saints that Jesus is talking about when he says “blessed are the meek, blessed are the peacemakers, blessed are the merciful, and blessed are the poor.

I sing a song of the saints of God

patient and brave and true,

who toiled and fought and lived and died

for the Lord they loved and knew.

And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,

and one was a shepherdess on the green:

They were all of them saints of God

and I mean, God helping, to be one too.

I sing a song of the saints of God

patient and brave and true,

patient and brave and true …

You know folks, our world, our culture, rewards being smart, being powerful, even being ruthless -- as long as that breeds some sort of success -- in terms of either financial reward, political clout, or achieved status.

Yet the church into which we bring people through baptism has us promise to love our neighbor, seek Christ in all persons, respect everyone's dignity and strive for justice and peace.

It looks to me like we are set up for a collision (as they say these days) from the 'get go.'

Christians live in the tension of their baptismal promises and the demands, expectations and values of their culture. That has always been the case.

Today is All Saints Sunday -- the first Sunday after All Saints Day.   It is a day that honors all that have been baptized and followed Jesus. Saints are those who have lived in that tension between the demands of culture and the demands of their baptism.

In our gospel this morning Jesus says "Blessed are you poor, Blessed are those who hunger…Blessed are those who weep…and blessed are those who are persecuted."

We never hear Jesus extolling the virtues of those who are cocky, those who are proud, those who do evil, or the unforgiving. We never hear Jesus talking about the virtue of hard heartedness or ruthlessness; he doesn't praise mighty warriors and those who do violence. Jesus does not favor the persecutors.

Here’s what he says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you, If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:27-31)

Saints are those who have lived in that tension between the demands of culture and the demands of their baptism.

This day, we 'sing a song of the saints of God

patient and brave and true,'

We live in the tension between the demands of our culture and the admonitions of Jesus to be blessed. What the culture sees as weakness, Jesus often says is blessed…

Earlier this week as I was reading the lessons for today and looking over this Sunday's bulletin. I found myself with a real sense of sadness and a sense of loss as I read the names of those in our parish that have died in the last twelve months.

As you can see in your bulletin, we list those who have departed this life – those who have left us this past year.

I could not help but be struck by the weight of the loss of these fine people to this parish and to their families. We grieve their passing; we miss them.

I am sure that many of you have had others that are not on this list – who have died in the last year -- relatives and friends who were saints in your life and you miss them.

These are our friends, our companions, our prayer partners, our life partners. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have laughed with them; we have cried with them and we miss them.

These are they who held us when we hurt and fed us when we were hungry.

Our loss is profound -- our grief is profound.

And, they were all them Saints of God…

So on this day: (we) sing a song of the saints of God…patient and brave and true,

Our loved ones and friends, our brothers and sisters in the faith ---- they all lived in that tension created by their baptism and demands and expectations of their culture.

As we mention their names today in our worship and in our thoughts if they are not on this list, as we remember them and our times together, even as we feel the sadness of their loss, we also sing a song of thanksgiving for all that they were to us and to our parish.

We sing a song of these saints of God…patient and brave and true.

A man without guile, a man who is meek and humble, a man whose intentions are pure and without malice, Homer is a saint because he points us toward Christ. Homer is a saint because he was faithful in things both great and small.

Every Sunday Homer would answer the Altar Call and go forward to rededicate his life to Christ. It was a source of amusement around the lunch tables of Temple Baptist members. “Did anyone besides Homer go up front this morning?”

But you know Homer may have been on to something that the rest of us missed. Given the opportunity, he publically rededicated his life to Christ every week.

In just a moment we will have our own version of the Altar Call as we renew our baptismal covenant. That’s right; we too will publically recommit ourselves to the service of Jesus Christ and strive to live following his path of love and peace. 

You see, we too are to be numbered among the saints --- and we too shall be have our saintliness measured by our faithfulness.

Let us now stand and renew our baptismal promises.

Amen

 

The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Church of the Holy Cross
The Rev. John E. Shields
October 30, 2011

A little boy was looking through the very old, large family bible at grandma’s house.  The pictures and illustrations on the old pages fascinated him. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. About that time his grandmother appeared. She said, “What do you have there, dear?” With astonishment in his voice, he answered, “I think it’s Adam’s underwear!”

  Today we are hearing about outward appearances – like clothes. Speaking of clothes ---- A few years ago, the NBA (National Basketball Association) enforced a new dress code.

    It is pretty straightforward: when players are representing their employers – the team and by implication the NBA, business casual is the new requirement.

    Leonard Pitts, editor of the Winston-Salem Chronicle said at the time, “No more sunglasses worn indoors, no more sleeveless shirts, no more headphones during news conferences, no more hats cocked to the side, no more ‘do rags’, no more chains bearing huge, gaudy pendants.”

    No all the players were happy about this, some claimed it was racist; however, Pitts, an African American thinks it is a good idea. So do I.

    The point is that dress has just gotten out of hand – over the top.

    Over the top!

    We hear that phrase a lot to describe someone that has gone beyond what are considered to be tasteful or socially prescribed limits.

    Well, interestingly enough, Jesus seems to think that the scribes and Pharisees have gone over the top as well.

    “…they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.”

    A phylactery is small leather case containing passages of scripture. It is worn on the forehead or on the arm during the recitation of prayers.

    Apparently Jesus was not concerned that the scribes and Pharisees wore phylacteries, but rather that they were over the top in their ‘biggie sizing’ them. This is probably analogous to the difference between a small chain and cross or pendant and a huge chain with a monster size pendant.

    What is behind Jesus’ remarks about the scribes and the Pharisees?

    Jesus is concerned that the religious leaders are using their positions in ways that are abusive to the people.

    Jesus is concerned that the religious leaders are all show and no substance.

    Jesus is concerned that the religious leaders are self-serving and not God serving.

    Jesus is concerned that those in positions of authority are hypocrites – more concerned with appearance and power than with the call to humbly serve God.

    If these issues were just ‘then and there’ phenomenon we could rest easily and just remember them as quaint religious conflicts.

    But we all know that hypocrisy, abuse of authority, self-serving and lack of substance are not just ancient problems but continue to be repeated by many in authority including the so-called ‘religious’.

    Obviously, the most vulnerable to misuse of position or authority are the clergy. At least the most vulnerable in the sense that such occasions are often the stuff of scandal and bring discredit to the church.

    But the clergy aren’t alone in being responsible for how we use our religion, our standing in the faith and our identity as Christians as it relates to how we treat others.

    So it is that we are called as followers of Christ, not to try to act better than others because of our relationship with God, but rather, we are to meet others in a nonjudgmental way.

    Just as Jesus was so critical of those who tried to show off their piety by dress or action – claiming the best seats, wearing ‘over the top’ symbols of their religiosity – we are called to be humble servants of the Lord.

    Christian humility acknowledges that if we have attained any measure of good fortune, any measure of satisfaction in our relationship with God – it has not come as a matter of our deserving – rather as a matter of the boundless grace of God.

    Christians are not called to separate themselves from those who are less pious or religious or dedicated than they.

    Christians are called to love others by sacrificially giving of time, talent and resources for the others’ benefit.

    Christians are not called to be critical of others.

    Christians are not called to judge others.

    I just love this message from a card I bought a while back.  “God has not called us to see through each other, but to see each other through. “

    We need not push our selves to be ‘over the top’ in displaying or even sharing our religious faith with others – we need simply to remember the last thing that Jesus says in today’s gospel: “The greatest among you will be your servant.  All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

 

 

The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Church of the Holy Cross
The Rev. John E. Shields
October 23, 2011

These are interesting times. The Occupy Wall Street movement has morphed into a nationwide phenomenon – even international - there is a “Occupy London” movement also. Reactions to these protests have been interesting. Many people, including some political candidates, have been disdainful and critical of the people involved with the protests.

 The protesters have been called lazy, spoiled and unproductive louts. There have been many hostile and angry reactions to their antics. They have ignored by the brokers and bankers that are the object of their protests.

  Many say that the folks involved cannot get their act together – that their goals are unclear and they do not have the focus needed to mount a successful movement for change.

 Religious figures and leaders have had mixed reactions to the movement. Trinity Wall Street – one of the richest churches in the country (Episcopal) has opened its doors to the protesters and extended hospitality by allowing use of the church’s facilities.

 Jim Wallis, the very influential evangelical who is the leader of Sojourners has said that these folks need to be engaged – listened to – that we do not need to judge their movement at present – it is evolutionary – but should not be underestimated – it has something to say.

 Wallis says that the movement is raising some fundamental questions about what a fair, sustainable stable and happy economy might look like. They are also saying that much of our system is not working and is in serious need of being changed.

It is clear that many of our present day economic problems were not only caused by very cavalier and risky investment schemes and products, but perhaps worse than that – the very structures – rating agencies, and groups charged with policing the financial institutions and their practices did not perform those functions to protect the public.

 Why am I talking about this? Or --- SO WHAT?

 I am trying to make sense out of my world. I am trying to see if the gospel is relevant to the issues of today.

 I am trying to live into the admonition that a preacher should preach with the newspaper in one hand and the bible in the other.

 It is not always easy.

 How is one to live as a Christian in the world we have today? Does my faith have anything to do with economic and political systems? Shouldn’t preachers stick to the Bible and not be talking about this contemporary stuff?

 I have had people say to me: “No politics from the pulpit.” You may imagine my reply – it wouldn’t be proper to say it in church.

 Have you noticed that every Sunday recently we have had a confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees or Sadducees and/or the Herodians and Jesus? Most of these encounters have attempts to set Jesus up – that is to box him in a corner on a particular issue so that he will either loose popularity or get into trouble with one group or another or even the government.

 Last week we had the encounter involving taxation – the famous “Show me the Money” passage. “Whose likeness is on this coin?” In the weeks prior to that, we had Jesus using parables to teach the Pharisees that their actions were not consistent to what they said that they believed – they were hypocrites. Jesus is not making any friends – but he is surely creating a lot of enemies.

 Today we have Jesus being questioned by a lawyer who appears to be a Pharisee. The Pharisees were very scrupulous concerning the law and its practices. So Jesus is asked this question: “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

 Jesus answers: “ You shall love the Lord or 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.”

 Jesus has quoted a part of the passage of scripture known as Shema   -- from Deuteronomy 6:5 - You shall love the Lord or God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.

  It is helpful to know that in this passage, “Heart indicates intellect or will, and soul refers to life or vitality.” ( Synthesis , October 23, 2011)

 But of course Jesus adds – “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

 Notice that the text says ---- the second is like it ---- the greatest commandment. Jesus places love of neighbor and love of God on an equal footing. This indicates to me that you really can’t have one without the other.

 You cannot love God if you do not love your neighbor.

 That can be a tough and tall order.

 First realize that love does not mean a feeling in this instance – you may love without feeling warm or generous or you may even have very negative or mixed feelings.

The point is that you love your neighbor by aspiring to his/her well being. You love others whom you do not know by being willing to give them the benefit of the doubt – you love others by being willing to listen to what they have to say – by realizing that just because their life experience and point of view is different from yours doesn’t mean that they are less than you and not entitled to your respect and positive regard.

 And all of that is why we cannot ignore the folks who are in the ‘Occupy whatever’ movement. They may well have something to say that we need to hear. We do not want to listen often, because it might upset the status quo.

 In this country that was true of the civil rights movement. (First sit-ins in Greensboro while I was at Guilford College – I was clueless.)

 It was true of the war protests in the Viet Nam era.

 It has been and still is true of the gay rights movement.

 And it is true now of the ‘Occupy….’ Movement.

 We love God and others (neighbors) by listening and giving respect to them –

 We clearly need to elevate our public discourse in our everyday life, but for Christians, that should not even be an option – we have a duty to accord respect to every human being. We are teaching rudeness to our children.

 Let’s tone down the political rhetoric – let’s try being civil. Let us try loving our neighbor – even those with whom we strongly disagree and disapprove. 

 There are a couple of possible positive outcomes:

It beats going through life with clenched teeth and you might even learn something.

 Love God -- Love Neighbor

 It is your call.

 It is your job description.

 Have at it. 

 

 

The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Church of the Holy Cross
The Rev. John E. Shields
October 16, 2011

 

  “Show me the money!!!”

“Show me the money!!!”

Those words were made famous in a movie of about ten+ years ago, “Jerry McGuire.”  In the movie, Cuba Gooding, who won an Academy Award in the role, plays the part of a professional athlete and Tom Cruise plays the part of his agent, Jerry McGuire.”  McGuire, the agent, is always making wild promises and rash predictions in order to sign the athlete to a contract.

    Gooding always responds to these promises with the answer: “Show me the Money!!”

    “Show me the Money!!”

    Show me the money is the equivalent of “Put your money where you mouth is!”

    Well, as strange as it may seem, this morning, Jesus is saying, “Show me the money.”

    Granted the context is different, but the command is the same “Show me the money.”

   Here is the scene ---- The Pharisees and Herodians are trying to entrap Jesus.

    They want Jesus to take sides in, what we would call today, “a hot button” issue ---- taxation.

    Of course that was then and there --- taxation isn’t a hot issue in our day and time. Is it?

    A little background is helpful.

    Most Jews despised paying taxes to support the Roman government and its occupation of Israel. The taxes had to be paid in Roman money that bore the image of Caesar, and the religious Jews found this particularly offensive.

    The method for collecting taxes can only be described as corrupt and despicable.

    The tax collector paid the tax for everyone. He then was given armed soldiers to go with him to extract as much as he would or could from the citizens.

    Obviously, the collector had to collect more than he had paid in order to make a living/profit.

    Everybody knew the system and everyone hated its corrupt nature --- everyone that is except the Romans and those who supported them.

    It was a system that cost Rome very little – Rome gets its money --- with no investment.

    Why is this a trap for Jesus?  After all, these two groups --- the Pharisees and the Herodians --- normally did not associate --- in fact they are really on opposite sides, yet here they are united in one thing ---- trying to discredit Jesus.

    What is going on?

   1 . The Pharisees are concerned with the growing popularity of Jesus. As I said, the people hate the Romans and they hate paying Roman taxes. So if Jesus implies that paying the taxes is a good thing, he may loose the loyalty of his followers, which would please the Pharisees.

    2. The Herodians, on the other hand, are supporters of Herod, a figurehead who is in place simply as a tool of the Romans. Herod’s job, well being, power and influence (and that of his supporters) are completely dependent upon the Romans. Thus the Herodians support the paying of taxes to Rome in order to keep their guy in power --- So if Jesus condemns the paying of taxes, he gets in trouble with the Romans and can be locked up for sedition.

    In today’s terms each of these groups would be called a “special interest “group.

    The Pharisees and the Herodians have Jesus cornered.

    Like I said, these two groups normally do not associate, but they are united in trying to discredit Jesus.

    Why would they want to do that? - Because Jesus upsets the status quo.

    Both groups see Jesus as a threat to their positions of influence, power and prestige.

    Jesus doesn’t play word games with these people. They had certainly played word games with him. Listen to this   --- “Teacher we know you are sincere and teach the way of God…”

    Jesus gets in their faces --- “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites?”

    I’d call that ‘in your face’, wouldn’t you?

    When they ask Jesus “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

    Jesus says, “Show me the money!!”

    AKA “Show me the coin used to pay the tax.”

    Jesus says, “Whose picture is on this money?” (Whose likeness and whose inscription are on this coin?)

    They answer “Caesar’s!”

    Then Jesus says, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are the Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”

    The text says, “They were amazed.”

    “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are the Caesar’s…”

    Then Jesus says something very interesting, “...and give to God the things that are God’s”.

    Caesar’s image is stamped on that coin.

    Where is God’s image stamped?

    To answer that question we must go back to the very beginning of the story of God’s people “Then God said, “Let us make man/woman in our image, according to our likeness…” (Gen. 1:26a,)

    Human beings are made in the image of God.

   G od’s image is stamped upon you and me.

    When Jesus says, “Show me the money”, When Jesus says “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s....”, Jesus is not answering the Pharisees and the Herodians just to be clever or even contentious.

    Jesus is giving them (and us) a lesson in who we are and whose we are.

    You see, just like the then and there, Jesus, in the here and now, comes to disrupt the status quo. He comes to puncture our notions of whom and what are important.

    Jesus comes to us in the wealthiest, most materialistic society in the world to tell us this morning that we are not to be valued by the coins in our pockets or even whose picture is on them.

    Jesus comes to tell us that one of the reasons we hate taxes so much is that we think our value and our net worth are the same thing. So we think that when our money is lessened, we are somehow lessened.

    Jesus has come to tell us that we have a dangerous and peculiar view of God and ourselves.

    You see God is not a capitalist, or a socialist, or a communist is God of any other political-economic system.

    God doesn’t care if the money in your pocket is rubles, pesos, kroners, pounds or greenbacks ---God doesn’t care one wit whose picture is on your money, or how much or little you have. ---- If it is Caesar’s, give it to Caesar.

  Did you notice that, when he talks about money, Jesus has to ask someone else for a coin? He didn’t even have one.

    Jesus wants us to know that we are to give unto God what is God’s.

    Jesus wants us to know that we who are created in the image of God have also, by virtue of our baptism, been marked as Christ’s own forever.

    Give to God what is God’s. We, stamped in His image, are to give ourselves to God.

    How?

    How do we give ourselves to God? (Matt. 25:37b-40)

    “...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 (he) will answer... Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.”

    In this context, we remember the words of the Rite I Eucharist that captures the spirit of giving to God what is God’s:

    “And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice unto thee…”

    And even as we hear “Show me the money”---we remember these words as we put our ‘money where our mouth is’ ( sic) and say:

    “All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.”

    All things

    All things -- Our Money

  All things -- Our Time

  All things -- Out Talents

    All things come of Thee O Lord,

    And of thine own have we given Thee!

 

 

The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

The Church of the Holy Cross
The Rev. John E. Shields
October 9, 2011

To put today’s gospel into context, let me remind you of the sequence in Matthew – Jesus has entered the temple and drives out those who were selling  -- he then cures the blind and the lame – the religious leaders begin questioning him about his authority—he confounds them and makes them angry with his parable about the two sons – one who did not do what he said he would do and another who, though he refused his father’s request, actually did what was asked of him --- he then tells them (the religious leaders) that they are like the first son – all talk and no action.

 Jesus then compares the religious leaders to the wicked tenants who kill the son of the owner of the vineyard – after this the text says in the last verse of chapter 21 – they want to arrest Jesus, but are afraid of the crowd.

 So now we come to today’s gospel and we have this passage about the king’s giving a wedding banquet for his son – the proper people refuse to attend, so the king invites the street people --- both good and bad. And then finally the notion that one fellow was improperly dressed and got tossed out of the party.

 Again, Jesus is saying that the religious leaders are the ones who are the proper people, but who miss the banquet – while the common folk, good and bad, actually get to attend.   

Well, if you read Matthew this way, it becomes very clear why Jesus is in trouble with the religious authorities and why they feel like something must be done about Jesus.

 Now I was hanging in there with Jesus and feeling good about being on Jesus’ side in all of these encounters. (Of course I have the advantage of knowing how the story ultimately comes out. )

 But right at the end of today’s gospel we have this really strange passage: “…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…”

 I just hate it when the gospel writer has Jesus say such ‘yucky’ stuff? I mean we are talking about weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

 The part that is totally off putting to me is the part about the fellow who doesn’t have on the right clothes. (I picture a guy in a Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops.)  In any event, he gets tossed out by the wedding bouncers.

 Sounds pretty severe to me.

 Is this about good manners?

 Is this about who is worthy?

 What is it about?

 The kingdom of heaven may be compared … to what?

 A fashion magazine?

 I was really perplexed over this – I didn’t like it --- I said – if this is about God and how God treats people, I don’t like it.

 If this is about Jesus excluding people, I don’t like it.

 So I went to the commentaries. (Not a bad idea, in any case.)

 We preachers sometimes joke about relying on commentaries.

 My friend Bill Wells used to say, “You really should read the bible sometimes, it sheds a lot of light on the commentaries.” He was being factious, of course, making fun of preachers and our reliance on sources. But in this case the commentary was very helpful.

 In his commentary on Matthew, Schweizer says that “the ‘wedding clothes mean something like a new mode of existence  … this new mode of being is to be festive, not a dreary new legalism…” ( The Good News According to Matthew , Eduard Schweizer, page 420)

 The king finds a person who has not changed but is in the banquet.

 Could that mean that if a person professes to be a Christian and hasn’t changed --- they really aren’t in the kingdom?

 Remember this all started with: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to…

 Compared to what?

 How about a place full of changed people –

 The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a place full of changed people.

 Interestingly enough, it is Paul – who says to the new converts, “Put on Christ!”  --- or isn’t it “… put on the full armor of Christ?”

 People who put on Christ are changed people.

 And indeed, it is St. Paul who reminds us today what that change might look like – what kind of garment we might see in the changed person.

 Paul, who is in jail and writing to his friends in Philippi, gives us our best clue of what the changed person might look like

 You see in our texts today, we have a sandwich.

 That’s right a sandwich.

 A sandwich is defined by what is in the middle --- turkey, banana, peanut butter and jelly – tomato. Isn’t that right?

 Listen: from Isaiah; “…on this mountain the LORD  of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food…”

 From Matthew: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.”

 And now from Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say Rejoice…”

 We have a rejoice sandwich between two feasts  ---

 The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a place full of changed people.

 People that can say “Rejoice” while they are locked up in jail are changed people.

 People who can say “…for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content – are changed people.

 People who can say, “… whether in abasement and to abound... in hunger and in plenty… in want and in abundance…” are changed people.

 People who can say “…for I can do all things in him who strengthens me.”  Those are changed people.

 Obviously, a person who can be in prison, hungry, and in poverty and still write ‘Rejoice’ is a changed person.

 You might want to say “So what?”

 We are Kingdom people

 Remember --- The kingdom of heaven may be compared to … a king who gave a wedding banquet.

 Remember that some missed the feast completely because of their own reasons … some even made light of it… some went to farm…some attended to business as usual, whatever …

 Some even pretended to be in the kingdom but they had not changed and the king could spot it a mile away. The fellow who had not changed was easy to spot. He had no joy. He was just like he had been before ---- and he’ll stay miserable for it.

 In some ways it is all about the difference between just showing up and celebrating.  

 So I submit to you this morning that – we are people who have changed as a result of our life in Christ. We are not the people of the status quo – we are the people of the new kingdom. And I would also submit that if we haven’t changed yet we need to start.

 Here are just a few  of St. Paul’s suggestions for change characteristics of kingdom people:

 “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

 “…Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

 But whether you can get hold of any or all of these or not --- remember the most important change of all:

 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say Rejoice!”

 

 

The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Church of the Holy Cross
The Rev. John E. Shields
September 25, 2011

  It has been a difficult week in several ways.

 Not for me, personally, I have had a good week. It is good to be back – finally - after a very nice trip to New Mexico and an unscheduled overnight stay in Houston, Texas.  

 Our unscheduled stay in Houston meant that I was not able to be with you on Sunday and I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Muriel Moore for so capably stepping in to officiate and preach on Sunday and also for conducting a funeral on that Saturday the 17th.

 Thank you Muriel.

 I said it has been a difficult week and by that I meant difficult in terms of events.

 I also said not for me personally, but I guess that isn’t completely true – for you see I am an opponent of Capital Punishment. The Episcopal Church has officially opposed Capital Punishment over the past forty plus years that I have been an Episcopalian.

 As you may know there were two state sponsored killings this past week: one in Georgia and another in Texas – One a black man, the other a white man.

 The first person – Troy Davis, in Georgia, had a huge amount of support in asking for a stay of execution because of serious flaws in his case. He was convicted of killing an off duty police officer; however, a number of witnesses recanted earlier testimony and it was a very shaky situation. I joined with about 600 thousand other people including the Pope and Jimmy Carter in signing a petition for Troy Davis.      

 The second person killed by the state was Lawrence Russell Brewer in Texas. To my knowledge there were no petitions or protests to Brewer’s execution. His crime was particularly heinous – Brewer, a white supremacist along with a companion, tied a chain around a black man named James Byrd, Jr., hitched the chain to his pickup truck and dragged James Byrd to his death.   

 Probably most would say, “If anyone ever deserved to be killed by the state, Lawrence Russell Brewer would be the one.”

 I am sure I felt maybe still feel that way. But the issue of capital punishment is not about how we feel – mostly we feel anger and want revenge. No, the state’s punishment is supposed to be about justice and every study indicates that capital punishment is not administered in a just and nondiscriminatory manner. It is one of the reasons I oppose it.

 Why am I talking about all this very depressing stuff? (Don’t push it – I can think of plenty more.)

 Here is why.

 I have to try to make sense of my world in terms of my Christian beliefs.

 It our faith doesn’t push us into asking the hard questions about what is going on in our world --- it isn’t a faith worth having ---- oops,  (in my humble opinion.) 

 So when I encounter texts such as the one today from Philippians where we find St. Paul saying: “… make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love…”

  “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus...”

“…having the same love…”

 I have to ask myself -- in trying to make sense of the world and my Christian beliefs – like the old Tina Turner song: What’s Love got to do with it?

 As I looked back over sermons having to do with Proper 21, year A --- (Lectionary A,B,C cycle)  I ran across something I liked.

 A while back it seems that I was having one of those experiences can be really exasperating. Do you ever have those times when a tune gets in your head and just won’t go away?

It can be down right irritating – can’t it?

 Well, that is what I was going through. This song just kept popping up in my head then and it is doing it again now  -- and it’s not even a very profound song.

 I mean it is not “Amazing Grace” or some classic hymn or symphony – it is a pop tune that most of you will never have heard of – because you are young. On second thought a lot of you have heard this tune.

 I expect that anyone born after 1960 will not know this song.

 This song was sung by people like Frank Sinatra, Barbara Strisand, and Ella Fitzgerald --- not Emenm, or Beyonce or even the ever ageless Rolling Stones.

 The song is “Taking a Chance on Love.”

 Taking a chance on love. Have you heard of it?

 It is even kind of silly:

  Here I go again,

I hear those trumpets blow again,

All aglow again,

Taking a chance on love.

  Don’t worry, I’m not going to sing it. But I do like the title – Taking A Chance on Love.

 Here I go again … taking a chance on love.

  I got so obsessed with it that I went to the web and looked up the lyrics – then I looked up the lyricist John Latouche. (died in 1956) and I discovered that the song came from a Broadway show – 1943   -- “Cabin in the Sky”  which was subsequently made into a movie.

 So I’ve been trying to figure out why was this song bugging me?

 I think I’ve got it.

 Remember that St. Paul says in our Philippians’ reading: “… make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love…”  “…having the same love…”

 Then he says “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves, Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…’

“…be of the same mind, having the same love…”

 You see I think that is what Christians are supposed to do – take a chance on love.

 I think when everything else gets stripped down – all the rules and regulations, all the ‘shoulds and oughts’, -- all the religious practice, paraphernalia, piety and fervently held points of view --- when all of that is put aside, I think that we are supposed to -- take a chance on love.

 When we take a chance on love -- we are giving up control.

 When we take a chance on love -- we are allowing ourselves to be vulnerable.

 When we take a chance on love -- we are putting others in front of ourselves.

 When we take a chance on love --- we are risking.

 Now I don’t see that happening nearly enough in our world.

 This week has been particularly gruesome, but let’s face it – if we are aware – every week is gruesome, and sometimes I just want to ignore it and tend to my own little corner and not be bothered.

 But then I will have to preach and I know that you know that this is going on in our world and can our faith speak to our dilemma?

 I am going to try to speak to it and I am going to say something really simplistic.

 There are not enough people taking a chance on Love.

(I can hear it now – he is so naïve – I hope the next one is more realistic --- take a chance on love – please…. How corny, we’ve got wars to fight, and bad people to control – terrorist – assassins – geeezee!)

 O K -- I said it was simplistic, but I do have a question – you hear it a lot in sarcastic political rhetoric – concerning how we are dealing with all our problems and issues – our strategies and actions. You know what they are: wars that have lasted ten years, inequitable administration of justice and capital punishment, famine when there is enough food to feed everyone but political issues or corrupt rulers keep it from the hungry --- so concerning our problems and our current attempts at solving them: So how’s that working out for ya?

 How can I start taking a chance on love?

 This is going to be hard – by not calling all those creeps I detest creeps --- I don’t know if I can do this.

 We can all start somewhere and hope and pray it grows. 

 I’ve seen you do it. Thank God you set such a good example for me – maybe there is hope.

 When you are willing to work so hard to raise money that you then give away – you are taking a chance on love.

 When you work as hard or harder on someone else’s home as you do your own to get it in shape – you are taking a chance on love.

 When you give blood, you are taking a chance on love. 

 When you fund and create a process for helping people with their power and heat and other bills – you are taking a chance on love.

 When you give without expecting anything in return, you are taking a chance on love.    

 Taking a Chance on Love.

 You are in the chance taking business --- because you are in the loving business.  That’s right; Christians are in the loving business

 When you take a chance on love -- You often do not know who is getting the money you give and how it is going to used – you are risking and trusting.

 You are giving – expecting nothing in return. You do not control who will benefit from your gift of yourself and your resources.

 When St. Paul talks of love, he is giving flesh and bones to the word – love; he is giving substance to what ‘love’ means.

 He talks about being of the same mind – and being of one accord.

 He talks about putting aside selfishness and ambition and conceit and practicing humility.

 He then gives the ultimate example by asking his readers to “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking on the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.”

 Yes, brothers and sisters “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus...”

Taking a chance on love.

 Amen.