Attentiveness - Sermon on Luke 2:1-22 - Christmas Eve

Luke 2:1-14 [15-20]

1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.² This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.³ All went to their own towns to be registered.⁴ Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.⁵ He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.⁶ While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.¹⁰ But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" [15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."¹⁶ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.¹⁷ When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child;¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.¹⁹ But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.]

Sermon

There’s a profound sense of attentiveness this night.  I wish you could see what I see. Ya know, every week I stand in the pulpit and read from the gospel.  Typically, the majority of folks are reading along in their bulletin. A few are looking at me as a I read, but most are readinging along.  

But on a night like tonight, there is a intriguing sense of awareness and attentiveness.   Tonight when the gospel was read, a few eyes followed along in the bulletin, but an above average amount of people looked to me as I read.  Or rather, looked to the gospel as it was proclaimed. 

There is a profound sense of attentiveness this night.  Now whether that attentiveness comes from genuine intrigued, fascination, and wonder with what God is up to in this story...or if it is rooted in “yah, we know the story, hurry up and get to the good stuff so we can get back home to our presents and packages, our dinners and cookies...our family traditions ...or bed.  Either way, tonight’s proclamation of the gospel beckons us into a renewed sense of wonder and attentiveness.

That nativity story is one of great familiarity.  Perhaps we can’t all recite it perfectly with its many details and nuances, but I suspect the majority of us gathered here can paraphrase it with confidence.   It is the same gospel story proclaimed every single year on Christmas Eve, and even if this is your first time worshipping in a Lutheran church on Christmas Eve, I would venture to guess that we all know what to expect this night.  The Spirit has brought us all together in this place, and I doubt there was much question as to what passage might be read from scripture.

It’s a familiar story, and we’re glad to hear.  And I think the familiarity of the story makes us extra attentive and aware not because we’re eagerly waiting to hear something new, discover a new angle or detail, uncover some new nugget from within the story that will blow our minds… I think the heightened attentiveness and awareness is because we know the story so well and we rely on this night, we depend on this story because it is constant.  It is certain. It is reliable. 

So That no matter what is going on in our world...no matter the consternation, brokenness, or despair….the nativity story remains a light of hope.  A beacon of love that proclaims a God who is abundantly up to good… A reminder that God defied all expectations and fulfilled a promise to intimately abide with the world through Jesus Christ - the Emmanuel.

In tonight’s story, a young, unwed, and unexpectedly now pregnant couple are required, mandated to return to their place of family origin to be counted in the census.  The requirement comes as a decree from Emperor Augustus for all the world to be counted. So they journey to Bethlehem, not by choice but by obligation. 

They traveled wearily for days only to be un-welcomed as though they are strangers in a foreign land.  They didn’t feel welcome. There was no place for them to stay. No room. They were lost and alone in the city of Bethlehem.  And even though they were filled with the promise of God in the form of a baby child...the bearer of God made flesh had no place to lay her head.  

In tonight’s story the shepherds, minding their own business were keeping watch over their flocks by night.  They were on high alert with intent listening in order to protect the flock. And all due respect to Shepherds, but in that day they did not hold a very high status on the vocational totem poll.  They were filthy, dirty, overworked, and underpaid. They worked long hours and slept outside with animals. They were at the bottom of the first century socio-economic world. 

And in tonight’s story, the story we so dearly love, God acts in the most scandalous way.  God becomes incarnate in the form of a baby boy, born to a lowly, unwelcomed and wandering family, born in a setting least suited for a king.  Casting the mighty and powerful aside, the heavenly angels declare good news to the poor and lowly. 

The angels go to the fields and seek out the discarded and underappreciated shepherd workers and says Today...we bring you good news of great joy for all the people, because a Today a baby is born and that baby is God’s son.  And he is the Messiah. He will reign in such a way that the world could never expect. 

And Honestly, at its surface, nothing about this story makes sense.  Nothing about is deserving of a headline or media frenzy. Nothing about this unknown, unwelcomed couple having an illegitimate child in an unsavory location in the middle of the night is cause for any attention.  There is no reason for the world to care. There is no reason for the world to listen to shepherds proclaiming all they’ve seen and heard.

And yet, here we are this Christmas eve to hear the familiar story.  With eager anticipation and an attentive ear we lean into something faithful.  Something reliable. Something genuine. Something true. 

I think we trust this story and its place within our lives because it is a proclamation of truth and hope in amidst a world ravaged by false testimony, unfaithful witness, insecurity,... a world that can be experienced as luring and deceptive, bearing false hope to those least, last, and lost. 

We tune our ear, like shepherds in a field by night, to the glory of God’s victory.   In this precious moment we remember that God took on flesh, for the sake of the whole world.  God became incarnate to live and breath among us. To wander in wade in the experiences of life.  To know true joy among family and friends and to dwell in the deepest moments of grief. God became incarnate to share in the breadth of human emotions and experiences, even to the point of death on a cross.  

And I think we’re so attentive to this oh so familiar story because we know the ending.  

We know the completeness of God’s work in the world.  

We know that this Christ child, born of lowly parents in a place not worthy of being called a bed or home...we know this Christ child, the emmanuel, God with us changes the world.  Changes the course of humanity by flipping the world’s expectations and proclaiming a message of hope, life, love, and peace to the whole world, especially those considered the lowest among us.

We attend to the scandal of this night--God breaking forth to dwell among us, in the vulnerable moments of human existence because the proclamation is reliable.  It’s truth. It’s promise. It’s hope. It’s for you and me, and for the whole world.

And while the world might work desperately and tirelessly to oppose this message of hope...as the world bends, fractures, and breaks...dividing, distorting, and abusing relationships….as the world lures us to believe that wealth, power, status, and self indulgence is life giving or life saving….God humbles the world. 

Through a virgin named Mary and a man named Joseph, God blesses us with divine presence.  For no other reason than the fact that God loves us that much.

So dear friends, while we lean into God’s victory tonight...as we tune in attentively to the old, reliable, message of hope.  May it be a reminder that God is still just as active among us today. Christ, the emmanuel, being born among us is but a turning point in a the greater narrative of God’s hope for the world. 

May this night, this O so holy night, be a reminder...No, an invitation to remain attentive.  Attentive not only to the glory of God in the story of Jesus, but attentive and alert to the work of God here and now.  The power of God among us today...casting the mighty down from their thrones and uplifting the lonely. 

Like shepherds in the field, attentive to their flock and their lives...may we keep watch, be alert...heighten our awareness because 

Dear siblings in Christ….Tonight we proclaim good news of great joy!  For us and for our salvation, a child is born this day in the city of David. a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  Emmanuel

Amen. 

© Pastor Daniel Locke, preached Dec. 24, 2018 @ St. Mark's JAX

Turning the World Upside Down - Sermon on Luke 3:1-6

Listen to the gospel lesson and sermon here.

Luke 3:1-6

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene,² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.³ He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.⁵ Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth;⁶ and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' "

Well, we seem to be getting closer to the holiday texts we know and love.  Last week we read from Luke 21, where Jesus sits on the temple mount and offers an apocalyptic discourse to the disciples.   Today, we go back just a bit further in time to the time of John the Baptist. Today’s text in the third chapter of Luke actually occurs after Jesus has been born and raised.  

I promise, if you hang in there, we’ll eventually get to the picture perfect holiday texts that we all know and love.  The manger, shepherds, Mary and Joseph. All of the good stuff. I promise it’s coming.

But until then, it is important that we spend some time in Advent being reminded that we wait not only for the story of Christ being born, but also we wait for the second coming of Christ.  We wait anxiously for the time in which God will make all things new. A time when God will turn the world upside down. Restore all of creation and make us whole.

We wait ever so patiently for the completion of God’s kingdom, praying daily for thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  For now, in the season of Advent, it is good for us to dwell with the gravity of what it is we’re actually waiting for.

Today’s text sets up the time of John the Baptist.  We don’t actually hear from the John the Baptist until next week, when he comes out swinging from the wilderness and he shouts to the crowd, “You brood of vipers…”.  

But until then, today’s text only introduces the one crying out in the wild.  We are introduced to his presence, and the stage is set for his arrival. The arrival of the one written about in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” 

I think it is interesting and worth noting in today’s text, that the text isn’t about Jesus.  It’s actually not even about John the Baptist. In fact, today’s text opens with an unexpected litany of political, economic, and religious leaders and officials.  Luke sets the stage for John’s entrance by rattling off the who’s-who of first century people in power. 

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius…when pontius Pilate was governor of Judea.  When Herod was the ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the the region Ituraea and Trachonitis, and lysanias of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas…

Luke is setting the scene for the time of John and Jesus’ arrival.  And between you and me, Luke is baiting his audience, the readers,...he’s baiting you and me to learn a valuable lesson about God and what God is up to.  This text is about God and what God is up to.

The text isn’t actually about Jesus.  And it isn’t really about John the baptist.  Nor is it about the list of powerful leaders.  This text is really a subtle proclamation about God and God’s intention for the world.  It is a subversive message about God’s plan for salvation to a broken creation. It’s about God and what God is up to. 

During my time at Lutheridge as a camp counselor, I learned a lot of songs.  And one of the camp favorites was a song called One Name. The lyrics read, “One name under heaven, whereby we must be saved.  Forgiven of our sins, baptized in the water, filled with the Holy Ghost, washed by the blood of the lamb. Free to be free my friends, freed by the blood of the lamb.”  

Then the 4th and final stanza of the song goes, “God’s goinna move this pla-a--ace, God’s goinna move this place...God’s goinna turn this whole world, upside down.”

God’s goinna turn this whole world upside down.  That’s the subtle message of today’s text and I suspect it went right by most of us when we first read it.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius...with Pontius Pilate governing Judea...with Herod and his brother ruling Galilee and beyond.  With Annas and Caiphas ruling the high priesthood.. God is up to something. Something new. Something unexpected. Something that will turn the whole world upside down.  Something that will shake the status quo to its core. 

You see, in those days the world in desperate and eager for a Messiah, a savior.  Someone to fill the centuries of prophecy that came before. Someone who would be raised up as a might ruler, a king of kings, a leader of nations, a great and powerful savior of the people.  

And so with each powerful political and religious leader that Luke rattles off he challenges the expectations of the world.  God’s up to something …but it won’t happen through the mighty Emperor Tiberius. God is up to something, but it won’t be through powerful Pontius Pilate, Governor of Judea.  God is up to something, but it won’t be through the revered king Herod or his brother. God is up to something but it won’t be through the religious elites, Annas and Caiphas.  

With each and every name Luke announces he not only establishes a timeline to set up the time of John and Jesus, but Luke announces the mighty and powerful leaders of their time and then sets them aside.   And with the world’s greatest economic, social, and political leaders aside, Luke tells us that the word of God came to a man named John. Not an emperor, not a governor or king..not a religious leader. Just John, son of Zechariah...king of the wilderness.

God’s goinna turn this whole world upside down.   God’s word...God’s word incarnate...comes in complete opposition to the world’s expectations.  To a wild man in the wilderness...a lowly guy named John, the word of God comes forth as a voice in the wilderness, crying out, “prepare the way of the lord” proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 

Do you see what God does?  And honestly, as people who know the complete story it should come as no surprise, but God is flipping the script.  Turning the world upside down. Dismissing human expectations and understandings of power. 

God breaks forth not in the mighty and their thrones, but in the lowest, smallest, most unexpected way.  In fact, it is out of the wilderness, the very place that represents wandering, doubt, darkness, and uncertainty, that’s the place that the word of God shows up.  

That’s where the word of God prevails.  Not in the rich, mighty, and powerful. But in the damp, dark, dirty wilderness...God is up to something. God’s goinna turn this whole world upside down.

Luke makes it a point to tell us that God shows up in the most unexpected, counter-cultural way. The fact of the matter is that the systems of power in place in the world will crumble at the presence of God.  God will humble everything that is proud and self-satisfied. God will cast the mighty down from their thrones and uplift the lowly. Out of the wilderness, God is up to something. 

And whether we like it or not...whether we admit it or not...this upside down turning of the world is what we wait and long for in the season of Advent.   It’s what we hope for. It’s what we pray for. It’s what the world is desperate for.

A savior who turns the world upside down.  Who actively seeks out the outcast, poor, lost, lame, and last.  A savior that proclaims good news to the oppressed and sets the captives free.   A savior who challenges and opposes the systems and cycles of power still rampant today.  A savior who confronts any and all abuse of power and restores justice. A savior who flips the script, restores right relationship, and calls forth all of creation to be made new. 

As you most of you know, I have a 4 month old son, Bennet.  And raising Bennet is a learning curve that I know many of you can attest to.  Well, he recently learned a new trick. He has learned how to roll over onto his stomach.  But...and I think this is the important part...he doesn’t know how to roll back over. 

So while it may be cute and adorable at 3 in the afternoon to watch Bennet roll over on his play mat...it is less than cute at 3am ...and 4am..and 5am...when he rolls himself onto his stomach and then screams because he’s stuck.  He finds such joy in his new ability, but it ultimately leaves him stuck, annoyed, and lost.

The world is just like Bennet.  Infatuated with our abilities, our human-made structures and systems, enamored by power and status.  Humankind is wading in sin, wandering in the darkness...stuck and lost from our ways. Screaming out for a savior.

Two nights ago, in the span of 8 hours...Sarah and I responded to Bennet’s screams for help 10 times.  10 times in 8 hours we awoke to him rolled over..stuck, annoyed, and lost. And each time, we crept into his bedroom, gently turned him over, reminded him that he is ok and he is loved, and then soothed him back to sleep...knowing good and well he’d do it again.

God’s goinna turn this whole world upside down.  That’s how God is with us. In the time of John the Baptist and Jesus, the world had lost its way.  Humankind was living for their own sake. 

The emperor Tiberius, the Governor Herod...the religious and political leaders and officials… they lived for their own benefit.  For their own wealth. They thrived on systems of power the abused relationships, discarded other human beings, neglected the sick, poor, oppressed, lost, last, and lonely.  The world was stuck in sin. Screaming in the night for someone to come and save.

And God did just that.  God became incarnate, took on human flesh to be among us.  God’s word came out of the wilderness...the very place of wandering, doubt, despair, and darkness.  And God’s word spoke. Calling all people into repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Sins that got us stuck in the first place.  

Repentance, by its very definition is to turn around...to turn away from harmful, corrupting, and indulging sin...and turn to God.  A complete 180.

And God, gracious and abounding in steadfast love responds every time to our cry.  God’s gonna turn this whole world upside down..

The good news my friends is that God is still up to something.  God is still active. God is still the one meeting us in the darkest wildernesses of our lives and proclaiming a word of hope.  God is still moving among us. God is still calling us to repentance and forgiving our sins. God promises to always be present.  And God promises to turn this world upside down….or perhaps...right side up.

So, I suppose the question is: Do you ever stop, pray, listen, and wonder...what is God up to?  Where is God moving and stirring? Where in life do you find yourself in the wilderness? In the dark, desperate, and despairing places?   Do you cry out to God? Is God responding? 

And if so, is it making you uncomfortable?  Unsettling your foundation? Is God moving in a way that challenges you to evaluate and reexamine your life?  Is God turning your world upside down?

Amen. 

© Pastor Daniel Locke, preached 12.08.2018 @ St. Mark's Lutheran JAX, FL

Freedom - Sermon on John 8:31-36 - Reformation Sunday 2018

Listen to the gospel lesson and sermon here.

John 8:31-36

31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples;³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."³³ They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, "You will be made free'?"³⁴ Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.³⁵ The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever.³⁶ So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

SERMON

So what is so special about this day?  Why is today a festival Sunday? Anybody know?  That’s right, it’s my one year anniversary at St. Mark’s!  That’s what you were all thinking right? One year ago today marked my first Sunday in this pulpit as your newly called pastor.  And while it may be worth noting or even celebrating my anniversary, today’s festival actually remembers and honors the 501st year of the protestant reformation. 

500 and One years ago, a good German monk posted 95 Theses on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany.  Luther’s theses kicked up the dust of complacent theology, and sparked a reformation of the church with an outcome that he never imagined, nor intended.  

His 95 Theses were prompts for debate, meant to encourage theological discourse for the benefit of the whole Christian church.  And even more so, his theses were posted to challenge the Pope and the theology of the Catholic church in his day. 

He strongly believed in a more robust, freeing, and grace-filled interpretation of God revealed in scripture.   He was passionate about the Word of God and making it accessible to all people. He envisioned a Christian faith that sought input and perspective from every member of the body, and worked tirelessly to encourage and empower those not privileged by a seat of religious power to explore, discuss, interpret, debate, and celebrate God’s salvific grace.  

And to be fair and honest, while there is much to honor about Luther’s contribution to church history, we should also acknowledge that he was by no means perfect.

It was my first week here a year ago….it was the 500th anniversary of the reformation.  And I noticed, after walking the hall 100 times, that the there was a hallway dedicated to Luther.  Luther paintings and prints. 95 theses, and images of the reformation. There were books in the cabinet.  

And I remember commenting to someone, “So, what will we display next?”  They looked at me puzzled. “What do you mean?” I said, well it’s the 500th anniversary, and this hall is full of Luther-things, so I only assume it’s decorated for the occasion and I was just wondering what we’ll put up after the reformation.”  I remember them laughing at me then saying...No, this is Luther Hall and these pictures have been here for at least 20 years.”      

Even two weeks ago, former Pastor Bill Trexler walked into the hallway and said “Oh, good, Luther is still hanging here in the hallway!”  I have learned not to make assumptions. 

But the question I ask today is why?  Why celebrate the protest reformation?  Why Luther hall? Why Lutheranism? 

In one of Luther’s many works, he wrote: “The first thing I ask is that people should not make use of my name, and should not call themselves Lutherans, but Christians. What is Luther? The teaching is not mine. Nor was I crucified for anyone. St. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 3, would not tolerate Christians calling themselves Pauls or Peters, but only Christians. How did I, poor stinking bag of maggots that I am, come to the point where people call the children of Christ by my evil name?”

It seems to me that Luther, and the whole company of protestant reformers had absolutely no intention of being honored or venerated for their work. I suspect Luther, lying in his grave underneath All Saints’ church in Wittenberg would be rolling knowing that there is an entire denomination of Christians who identify as Lutherans.  Especially if he knew how fractured Lutheranism itself has become.  And of course, this is to say nothing of having his own hallway at church in Jacksonville, FL 

So why this reformation Sunday?  Why recognize and honor the reformers, whose only intentions was to elevate debate, challenge religious authority, and point to the freedom of God’s grace in Jesus Christ?  

Perhaps the biggest witness this day, is not the act of the reformers, fracturing a church through theological debate, but rather their passion, dedication, and commitment to the re-forming of Christ’s church.  Above all else, we ought to honor the reformation and its many reformers for stirring up complacent theology and equipping the Christian body for theological freedom by pointing to Christ.  For teaching us that Christ’s church was first formed by God, and as long as we belong to God, the body of Christ will always be forming and reforming in God’s grace.

And the best way for us to honor the reformers this day is not to lift them up or elevate their contributions, but rather honor their footprints, hear their message of reform, and trace their finger as they point to Christ.  Christ crucified. And thankfully, in the greatest transformation the Christian church has ever known, Christ conquering death and rising to new life.

In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus is in the Temple Mount and he’s in an on-going conversation with the Scribes, Pharisees.   Through this conversation he begins to win favor among some of the Jews who were listening. Finally he looks to them and says, “if you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 

He goes on to say, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”   Well, now wait a minute. It seems only a week ago that I stood here and read from the 10th chapter of Mark, where Jesus tells the disciples if any wish to be the greatest or to be first, then you must be a servant to all.  In fact, Jesus says, you ought to be a slave to all. 

A week ago I preached on Jesus calling us to be servants and slaves to one another..  Yet today Jesus reminds us that we are free and free indeed. So which is it? As Christians, are we free or are we slaves?  

Well, on this reformation Sunday, as we honor our heritage and tradition as Lutherans, it seems that perhaps the best Lutheran answer is Yes.  It’s both And. Yes we are free. Yes we are slaves. After all, Lutherans love paradox.

In fact, this is one of Luther’s biggest contributions to the Christian faith. Luther passionately believed and defended relentlessly that it is Christ alone who makes us free.  Christ alone.

By the grace of God in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are free from the power of sin, death, and the devil.  We are freed by God. Freedom from the elements of the world that work to disrupt our relationship with God. 

Freed from the lure of a sinful world that thrives on division and destruction, wealth and power.  Freed from corruption of greed. Freed from self-centeredness, standards, judgment, and personal ambition.  We are made free to live life in the God’s creation as God intended.

Freed to live for the sake of the other.  Indebted to no one. Beholden to nothing. God and God alone freely bestows upon us by grace a faith that is rooted in love and service.  And it is through the freedom of God’s grace that we live to serve one another; just as Christ lived to serve.

Freedom from and Freedom for!  To be a Christian is to be totally free from all things and yet to be bound in service to all people.  This is how God formed creation out of nothing to live.  And thank God, that in spite of our faults, shortcomings, or wavering, God continues to form and reform us.  Always making us new. 

One need not look too far now-a-days to see a world in desperate need of transformation.  To see and hear a world that is yearning, groaning even to be re-formed. Groaning as divisions between siblings in Christ deepen and hatred swells.  Crying out as pipe bombs and mass shootings have become a typical news cycle.  Yearning as society dismisses, dismantles, or displaces an entire race, gender, ethnicity, or culture.  Groaning as we live in fear of the other, attacking and accusing rather than listening.   Crying as empathy and compassion are trampled upon by power, fear, and indifference. Yearning as our siblings in Christ risk persecution and judgment in order to just be themselves. As they so desperately long to be seen, heard, recognized, and honored as people of God. One need not look too far now-a-days to see a world in desperate need of transformation.

Luther once said, “The church needs a reformation, which is not the work of humankind…but it is the work of the whole world, indeed it is the work of God alone.”

I think it does us well this day, as we honor the life and work of the protestant reformers, to remember that God is always stirring up something new.  

Since the dawn of creation God has always been about the work of forming and reforming.  In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God continues God’s promise of reforming and transforming.  Again and again. making all things whole. Making all things new. 

And, friends, hear me when I say this, in the waters, God transforms us.  Frees us from sin death and the devil, and frees us for a life in God’s love and grace. God names us and claims us, seals us with the Spirit and marks us with the cross of Christ, freeing us to serve God and serve one another.  

Freedom to tear down the walls the divide.  Cross the borders, barriers, and aisles.  Reform division into unity and equity.

Freedom to raise up the lowly.  Give privilege and honor to the oppressed and voiceless.  Freedom to work for justice and equality.  Re-form oppressive systems of power..

Freedom to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of the other.  Advocate for the downtrodden, dismissed, and displaced.  Stand up to hatred, violence, and abuse.  

Freedom to challenge human-made standards and expectations. Freedom to challenge powerful systems and proclaim peace. 

Freedom to respect our neighbor, honor our unique gifts, differences, and traditions.  Freedom to worship regardless of race, sex, color, gender, ethnicity, or belief.  Freedom to grieve and mourn. Freedom to see and be seen.  To be heard.  To be know and honored as a child of God.

Freedom to NOT live in fear.   Freedom to confess our sins in the promise of forgiveness.  Freedom to love, love, and if God help and guide us to love some more.  

Freedom to admit defeat, share success, and work together for the sake of the world.  Freedom in Christ to always be made new.

Friends, the freedom God gives us through Christ isn’t meant to be stagnant, complacent, or content.  It is a freedom from but it is also a freedom for. Freedom that should burn within us a fire for justice, peace, and love.  Freedom that has the power to heal the world, offer hope, and restore faith. 

By the grace of God, may we, the church, and the world always be forming, re-forming, and transforming until such a time that all will not only be made new, but all will be made one.  

One in Christ, by God, through the Holy Spirit.   Amen. 

© Pastor Daniel Locke, preached Oct. 28, 2018 @ St. Mark's Lutheran Jacksonville, FL

Stumbling blocks - Sermon on Mark 9:38-50 - 09.30.2018

Listen to the gospel lesson and sermon here.

Mark 9:38-50

38 John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." 39 But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us. 41 For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. 42 "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 44 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. , 46 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, 48 where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. 49 "For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

The gospel of the Lord?   Holy smokes, Jesus. Did you hear what he just said?  "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.⁴³ If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.⁴⁴ 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. ,⁴⁶ 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell,⁴⁸ where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

This does not sound like the blue-eyed, blonde hair Jesus we read about in children’s Bibles.  In fact, this seems to be a far departure from the soft-hearted, compassionate, and patient Jesus we love and prefer.  Something triggers within Jesus this very direct and emphatic teaching. Being drowned as sea by the weight of a millstone, cutting off your hand or foot, removing your eye...these, Jesus says, are the alternatives, the better alternatives, mind you to deceiving someone in faith.  

Jesus, hyperbolic as he may sound, emphasizes the personal risk in causing another to sin or stumble.  Leading a neighbor astray. Jesus instructs those who follow him that the stakes are incredibly high. And to be certain, it’s not so much the stakes of your own life, the call to pick up the cross and follow that comes at a great cost.  

No, it’s the call to teach, instruct, associate, and show others the way of faithful living that carries such stakes.  For if one were to cause a stumbling block, then it is better to drown, cut off a limb, or remove your eye. You’d think that there’s nothing worse than losing a hand, foot, or eye, but Jesus clearly says there is.  

The stakes are intense so that we may never lead anyone into sin.  That we may never lead a neighbor astray. That we may never bear a false witness.  That we may never hinder the fervor of the gospel. It’s hard to wrap my mind around Jesus saying that the consequences of causing another to stumble are far worse than self-maiming so that we never do it again.

And Such responsibility comes with incredibly high stakes.  These are difficult and challenging words from Jesus. There is no fluffing the edges in order to avoid conviction.   And honestly, these words should have us to shudder in a our seat at least a little bit. Can you imagine a world in which Jesus’ teaching was strictly followed?  

If we led a neighbor or stranger to sin or worse, stood in the way of the gospel message, then we would cut, remove, maim or drown ourselves?  The song goes, “They will know we are Christians by our love,” but in taking this teaching to heart I suspect “they would come to know we are Christians by our missing limbs.”

Powerful and intimidating teaching by Jesus.  And I suspect that very few of us wish to dive into these words with any form eagerness.  They are hard to hear, and the easiest thing to do is brush them off and move on to the next passage, the next Sunday, the next sermon.   

But if we dare, and we must, then we might be receptive to these convicting words and hear the necessity and relevance of Jesus’ teaching then and now.  For none of us with to lose and arm, a leg, and eye...and I’m sure none of us wish for death by drowning under the weight of a millstone. 

Today’s gospel lesson falls on the coattails of Jesus foretelling his impending rejection, suffering, death, and resurrection.  Jesus taught them about the fate of the son of man not once but twice so far and on both occasions they respond poorly. 

Most recently we heard the disciples arguing among themselves who is the greatest.  Rather than process, lament, or grieve the news of Jesus’ forthcoming death, the disciples are concerned about themselves.  Who is the greatest. Who will lead. Sure, they don’t fully understand their call as disciples and apostles, but they knew it was them who were called.  So who was the greatest. 

Jesus gives them a stern lesson that whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. He then takes a child in his arms and says whoever welcomes one such child in my name, welcomes me.  Now I remind you that a child in those days was the lowest in society. They had no rights or privileges. No protection of the law or advocate. 

They were considered a drain on society and were a constant reminder of poverty, disease, and death.  Until they could provide for themselves or contribute to society, they were considered the ultimate of the lost, least, and last.  

For Jesus, the child was a representation to the disciples that their call as well as their desire to be the greatest was ultimately dependent upon their ability and willingness to care for the outcast. The oppressed. The poor. The lame. The ill. And the sinner.   Only then, in the name of Jesus, when you humble yourself to the lowest among you can you be considered in the company of the greatest.

So the disciples return to Jesus this morning eager to point a finger at someone who is acting in Jesus’ name.  Rather than approach the individual and affirm their ministry, the run to Jesus to say he’s not one of us and he’s acting in your name!  He must be stopped. 

But Jesus, who is still embracing that same child teaches them yet another lesson.  This time a bit harsher than the last. Rather be concerned about the ministry of someone else, Jesus implores the disciples to pay attention instead to their own behavior.  To look within and consider the ways in which they themselves might be hindering the ministry of the gospel to those around them. 

Jesus launches into one of the most harsh teachings in all of the gospel.  Four brutal statements to illustrate the severity of leading someone to sin.  The danger of being a hindrance to faith. The detriment of tempting another into the ensnarement of sin.  Jesus calls these actions, stumbling blocks. Stones that cause one to trip. In this case, trip them in their understanding and experience of faith.  Of God’s deep abiding grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness.

Perhaps, just maybe, even against our own comfort, Jesus’ teaching speaks hard truths to the Christian faith still today.  Is it possible that we, and I mean the Christian church as a whole, have created, maintained, inserted, or even elevated stumbling blocks for those outside of the faith?  

Empowered barriers, borders, or speed bumps to impeded the good news of Christ from reaching that last, lost, and least.  The lowest, oppressed, scorned, and damaged. Or even those within the Christian faith, have we failed to support, empower, understand, welcome, and love in the name of Christ?  Excluding rather than including. Dismissing rather than inviting. Rejecting rather than supporting. Ignoring rather than embracing.

Please, hear me when I say that my intent is not to invoke Jesus’ teaching as a means of conviction upon St. Mark’s, Lutherans, or Christianity as whole.  Rather, I think Jesus’ teaching demands that we pause, if even for a moment of deep self-reflection. 

To reclaim the power of the gospel, remove the dead limbs and sinful impediments, and repave the way to everlasting life so that no one, and I mean no one may stumble when receiving the grace of God. 

Research confirms, and I suspect we can all agree that there is a deep concern that mainline Christianity as whole is on the decline.  That the need or desire for a life in a community of faith is waning. 

Certainly there are a multitude of reasons and factors, but so often I hear stories of people who have felt burned by the Christian church, or they feel that the good news we preach isn’t always shown through our actions.  These are the result of stumbling blocks. 

I think this week, the Christian community was forced to grapple with one of these stumbling blocks.  What is the response of the church in stories of assault. With rise and empowerment of movements like #metoo and #times up, more and more individuals are choosing to be vulnerable and tell their stories.  What is the role of the church? And to be fair, the Bible itself is not immune to such stories. Ironically enough we’ll explore one of them today in Sunday school. 

But as one of these stories played out on national television on Thursday, I wrestled with wondering what is the church’s response.  Is there a beacon of hope clearly guiding the way to a God who loves unconditionally, a way clear of bumps and hindrances? 

Ya know I think that faith and the love of Christ is an overwhelming relief to the burden one might carry, but when I also hear the relentless stories of priests abusing their own power over children...I fear that the church has lost its credibility and relevance.  Why would anyone be so vulnerable trust me with their story? Is the stumbling block too severe to traverse?

Now this is one, weighty example, but it is absolutely current. And it is these sorts of honest and difficult impediments to faith that Christ calls us to confront and overcome. To repair. To repent. To reconcile. 

And It seems to me that in today’s society and culture, Christianity can ill-afford any stumbling blocks.  Rather than compartmentalize our faith and distance the good news of Christ from all notions of a sinful world, I think Jesus would have us engage a sinful and broken world.  To jump right in, pull out the jack hammer, and shine a light on every crack and rock that might cause someone to misstep when seeking out faith. 

And Yes, yes it is a lofty responsibility.  The stakes, as Jesus points out are incredibly high. But brothers and sisters, the good news is that in breaking down the stumbling blocks and shining a light in the darkness, we have a proclamation far better than the world could ever dream of.  

We are called to serve witness to the greatest story of all.  God’s salvation and love poured out unconditionally upon all creation.  A story of immense grace and forgiveness. A story washed by mercy. 

And thus Christianity is the city on the hill, where a light shines in the darkness and the darkness of the world did not overcome it.  A place where the oppressed are set free, the poor are raised up, and the abused are heard. Where the blind see and the deaf hear. 

A refuge for all who have been scorned, dismayed, or rejected by a world that honors self-righteousness over humility, exclusion over invitation, rejection over acceptance.  God’s story empowers us to welcome the stranger, care for the least among us, give shelter to the homeless, and clothe the naked. 

And in today’s gospel lesson, Jesus advises the disciples and us to be speak with wisdom and truth, to act justly with grace and mercy, to be diligent and thoughtful, open and welcoming.  For now as much as ever, the Christian faith has a call to be a relevant and faithful presence in the world. Remove the impediments of faith, and proclaim Christ crucified until all of creation is reconciled into the one body of Christ.

And when the stumbling blocks are removed, when the light shines in the darkness and all are bid come and follow, the story of God’s love in Jesus Christ has the power to bring about peace in a war-torn world.  The power to build up unity in a divisive world. 

To tear down walls, bridge the isle, and end division.  

The power to breed compassion, soften hearts, and pour out love. 

The power to end hunger and poverty, the power to lift up lowly and cast down the mighty.  To establish not just equality but equity. The power to give voice to the oppressed and forgiveness to the oppressor.  

My dearest sisters and brothers, the gospel message that we proclaim...the same message that created us.  The very message the claimed us in the waters. The message the nourishes us and sustains us. The message that saves us is one of immense, unconditional love.  And it’s a message given to the whole world. It’s a message too good not to share. 

And today, with difficult and necessary words, Jesus reminds us that our call is not just to proclaim the gospel message, but to take every measure necessary to ensure that no one be precluded from hearing, tasting, or seeing for themselves. 

Amen. 

© Pastor Daniel Locke, preached Sept. 30, 2018 @ St. Mark's Lutheran Jacksonville, FL

Abundance - Sermon on John 6:1-21 - 07.29.2018

Listen to the gospel and sermon here.

John 6:1-21

1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias.² A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.³ Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples.⁴ Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.⁵ When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?"⁶ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.⁷ Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little."⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him,⁹ "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?"¹⁰ Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.¹¹ Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.¹² When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost."¹³ So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets.¹⁴ When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world."¹⁵ When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.¹⁶ When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea,¹⁷ got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.¹⁸ The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.¹⁹ When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified.²⁰ But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."²¹ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.

Sermon

A few weeks ago more than 100 million people worldwide celebrated a much anticipated holiday.  Well it’s not necessarily a holiday...yet. But it’s a 30 hour celebration of slashed prices, incredible discounts, next day delivery, and online consumerism at its finest.  Of course, I am talking about Amazon Prime day. 

Amazon is one of the largest and most profitable retailers in the world and for the last several years they have lured more than 100 million users into a mid-year shopping spree.  They offer incredible deals and discount prices and major, popular items. It’s sort of an online, mid-year, Black Friday, without the lines. And it’s a big deal for a lot of people. 

Last week I was listening to some friends talk about their Amazon Prime Day experience.  They were listing all the things they bought and how much money they saved by buying them.  They spent hundreds of dollars buying two of these and three of those, but they saved hundreds more.  And as they were boasting about all of their new toys, one person said, so how are you enjoying your new items?  They paused, also in a moment of conviction, and said “honestly I haven’t even opened the package yet.”   After thinking for a moment they said, “ I really didn’t need any of it.” “So why did you buy it,” a friend asked?  “Well, the deal was too good and I was afraid that if I didn’t buy one then they would run out of stock...so I bought two.”

I was afraid they would run out of stock...so I bought two.  Funny, isn’t it, how our culture and our society has developed in such a way to convince us that there won’t be enough.  If we don’t act quickly, we’ll miss out.  There is only a finite amount….a limited amount of supplies, resources, energy, people, hours in the day.  Act now while supplies last! Sale ends today! Everything must go! Once it’s gone...there will be no more! 

Once I was walking through the grocery store and there was one package of Oreos left on the shelf.  I didn’t need Oreos. Wasn’t looking for Oreos. Wasn’t craving Oreos. But my mind said if I don’t grab that last package someone else will and there won’t be any more.   I remember the same thing happening when I was kid around the holidays.  Mom and I would go to the store as we prepared for a holiday meal and she would buy up all of the cream cheese.  Granted her recipes were always rich with cream cheese, but there seemed to be this mentality that there would never be another block of cheese available to us if we didn’t act now.   To this day I find myself glancing at the cream cheese as I pass it to make sure there is plenty to go around.  But if the supply is low I have an urge to act.

When there is a natural disaster or sudden international conflict...there is a risk of gas shortage...so what do we do? We all fill up our cars and gas cans in case it’s the last tank we ever top off.  

Oo or have you ever eaten at a buffet?  And your cruising through the line, one item to the next, your plate is full...until you come across one of your favorite foods.  You know it’s endless, but there is only one serving left, and if you don’t grab it now… I think you get my point.

For better or worse, our culture and society has trained us to act out of fear of not enough.  Our gut reaction is often to act within a mindset of scarcity. 

Maybe we’ll implement this approach for council positions this fall.   Get your position while it lasts! There are only five openings! Act now!  Don’t miss your chance! 

It’s a strange mindset of Scarcity.  In fact, there is an entire theology built on scarcity.  A whole belief system that says God created a finite amount.  A pattern of behavior that makes us queasy and impulsive because we fear there won’t be enough.  And it’s more than just consumerism.  It permeates the various aspects of our life, and if we’re not mindful, we can unintentionally approach relationships, situations, opportunities with this scarcity.

I think today’s gospel lesson confronts the theology of scarcity in a way that challenges us and perhaps makes us uncomfortable.  Jesus and his disciples retire to the other side of the Sea for a bit of rest.  But they barely make it to shore before large crowds swarm him. These crowds had seen many of the things Jesus had been doing and their curiosity was so peaked that they dropped everything to see what he would do next.   So as Jesus and friends climbed the large mountain, sat down, and watched as thousands...literally thousands of people approached. 

“Hey Philip,” Jesus asks, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” 

Philip goes right past Jesus’ question as to say, even if there was a place for them to buy that much bread for the crowds, they would never have enough money to do so.  Even six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each to get a little.  Philip responds that there isn’t enough!  We can’t do it! The resources needed are unobtainable and the resources available are too finite.

We know how the story goes.  Jesus takes a small amount of bread and fish from a boy in the crowd, gives thanks, and distributes it among the 5000 people until all ate beyond their satisfaction.  Following the meal, Jesus instructs the disciples to collect the fragments.  So the disciples collect...and they don’t collect the fatty, tough, uneaten bits of food, but rather they collect 12 baskets of leftover food.   The crowd had eaten beyond their satisfaction and there was still food left to be shared. 

Today’s story in John is a lesson of faith and abundance from Jesus.  From five loaves and two fish Jesus offers an abundance of food for the crowd.  Jesus offers so much food that there were 12 baskets full left after everyone was satisfied.   

And certainly the lesson that Jesus teaches the disciples and the crowd is that in Christ there is enough.  There is more than enough. Our God is one of abundance.  God created in abundance.  God saved the Israelites in the wilderness with an abundance of quail and manna.  God saved all people through the death and resurrection of Jesus with an abundance of forgiveness and grace.  An abundance of hope and love.   Such an abundance that all may be filled beyond satisfaction.  That all may have abundant life and life eternal. 

Now I say all of that, and I believe it to be true.  But it is admittedly difficult to live in this tension: wholehearted and faithful believing that God always provides in an abundance and the harsh realities of the world in which we live.  I am not naive, and I know God isn’t going to write a check for the mortgage when the budget is tight if I just believe that God gives abundantly.  I know that Jesus himself wasn’t leading games at VBS, or teaching Sunday school, serving on council, or stuffing backpacks.   I know that God, powerful as God may be, won’t be the one dropping food in the UCOM food wagon, scooping ice cream after church, or roasting the pig this fall for our anniversary.  

Don’t get me wrong, I have no doubt that God is present in all of things through the body of Christ, but I suspect Jesus himself isn’t physically present making sandwiches for the homeless, sleeping on the couch while family promise is here, changing the filters on our AC units once a month, or making bulletins if we just believe God will provide  

Philip, how are we going to feed these people.  Well, Jesus, we can’t. There isn’t enough.  It’s easy for scarcity to be our out.  It’s a good excuse, at best. There isn’t enough.  Simply can’t. Not enough volunteers. Not enough resources. Not enough money. Not enough time.  We’re all out. This is what the world would have us believe. Scarcity. 

So maybe today’s lesson is a bit deeper than simply saying “God will provide.”  I suspect Jesus’ lesson for the disciples is a bit more rich than “if you just wait...God will make it happen.” 

I think this mountaintop moment is meant to be a game changer for both the disciples and the crowd.  For weeks they have watched and listened to Jesus. They have witnessed some incredible moments of ministry...enough to make them follow him wherever he goes.   And now, on this mountaintop, they do more than just witness, they become participants.  Consumers of Jesus’s bounty, both in food and miracle. They experience Christ. They taste and see the power of Jesus.  

And I think the lesson to be heard today is not simply to trust in God and God will provide.  Rather I think Jesus is inviting to completely shift our mentality. To change the starting point of our actions.   Rather than place restrictions or limits on our ministry and outreach by a lack of resources, perhaps we first ask what would God have us do.  What are the opportunities for ministry? What is our community crying out for? What are the needs of those around us? Where is the crowd that needs to be fed? 

And once we see the crowd, once we know the needs. When we hear the pains.  Identify the hurting, the suffering, the last, the lost, the least. Once we discern what Jesus would have us do...we might prioritize our resources to respond faithfully.  Trusting that in faithful ministry, God will provide.

Because in God we have been gifted enough.  We have been washed in the waters of baptism, claimed as a child of God and received grace upon grace.   When we come to the Lord’s table we receive the body and blood of Christ and we are filled with strength and love.  In the bread and wine Christ consumes us...filling us beyond satisfaction… again and again. 

The Spirit continues to fill us with grace and mercy, love and forgiveness, hope and grace, peace and everlasting life.  And these gifts from God never run out. Never expire. We have each been blessed with gifts. Talents. Abilities. Resources.  Time. And our call is to be stewards of these gifts. Not just to follow Christ from place to place...watching, listening, tasting, and seeing,...but to believe, go, tell, and feed.  To be stewards of God’s abundance. To challenge the world. To proclaim that in Christ we have all we need. We have enough.

Jesus knew what he was going to do on that mountain top.  The text tells us so. Before he asked the disciples or gave them a chance to give up, he knew what he was going to do.  

Jesus takes the smallest amount of food and transforms it into an abundance.  That’s what God does. God transforms scarcity into abundance. Out of nothing, God created the world.  Out of the desert God fed the wandering Israelites in abundance. Out of a rock God struck an abundance of water.  Out of a forgotten town and a no-name girl, God became incarnate. Out of the nothingness of death, the very scarcity of life, God made way for abundant life.  Abundance is what God does. Abundance is what God will always do. 

Because our God is a God of abundance, and in God we have more than we will ever need.   So while the world might trick us into thinking there isn’t enough of what we want, in God there is abundance of what we need.  The supply is infinite. It’s abounding. And in faith, it’s not about what we need or don’t have…it’s about what we do have. And today, it’s a generous God with 5 loaves, 2 fish, and an opportunity to feed the hungry.    Amen.