Luke 3:1-6 - "Prepared to Turn Around & Upside Down (12-6-09)

I chose to read the Gospel lesson from the back of the worship space today to get you turned around. With all the preparation for Christmas, it is so easy to lose focus on the real purpose of the season. With all the preparation and decorating, we can easily get turned around. John the Baptist was preparing the way for Christ. When John began his ministry, he arrived in a specific historical context that the word of the Lord came to John the Baptist. The mention of the emperor and leaders frames this preparation.

It was in our own historical context, that we remember in the year when George W. H. Bush was president, James Edgar was governor of Illinois, the Great Chicago Flood took place; Tiger Woods became the youngest PGA player at age 16; the American With Disabilities Act went into effect; and on this day Jerry Rice caught his at the time NFL record 101st touchdown.[1] It was in that context that word of the Lord came to the ELCA, to presiding Bishop Chilstrom, to the Mission Director Gary Wollersheim and to Pastor Dennis Heaney. The word of the Lord came to Pastor Heaney in the wilderness of this growing community to start a new church in Lake in the Hills and south Crystal Lake. It was on this day that they word of the Lord was first preached in 1992 at Living Waters at Crystal Lake South High School. We held our first worship service this day! The word of the Lord came to Pastor Heaney, to Pastor Wayne Stoutenburg, to me to come here in 1992 and will come to the Interim Pastor this week and to your new pastor in the year to come. Every year, we’ve had the opportunity to prepare again and again for the word of the Lord. Pastors, leaders and rulers will come and go but the word of the Lord will continue to be spoken in the wilderness of our lives.

The word of God came to John the Baptist in the wilderness! The wilderness is the place where the faith was formed for the people of God. After 40 years of preparation in the wilderness, they were ready to enter a promised land, not a perfect land, but a hoped for land. The word came to John the Baptist, the voice of God spoke to him and he listened. He repented and turned around and then warned others to prepare the way. John the Baptist proclaimed a Baptism of Repentance – turn around! Advent use to be the color of purple, the color of repentance.

What is the first thing you will do with the arrival of Christ in your preparation? Repent! The preparation calls us to turn around and hear the call of God to remember the real meaning and purpose of Christmas! I took my kids yesterday to see the movie “A Christmas Carol”. There were moments in those dreams of ghosts that reminded him and warned him to be set upon a path that leads to cold and hardness of heart.

We repent by turning away from the things that distract us in our daily lives, falling to our knees and asking God for mercy. We stand up and turn around in a new direction. Repentance sometimes means we get turned upside down! Our world view changes. Repentance acknowledges that we are lost in the forest and we are looking again for the path.

The word of God that is our salvation is near to us as we repent. When we are turned around and our world is turned upside down, God’s word speaks to us. This past week, I went out to look at the garage. As I looked at the incomplete garage, I thought about all the unfulfilled dreams and hopes for ministry that I will be surrendering. Some type of confession started falling out of me as I recall all that I have done and left undone. I then decided to go and walk the faith walk in the woods that Jordan Marshall started. It’s almost through to the back and as I walked out of the back part of the woods, I walked through the small pine trees that are growing a little taller. In the cold wilderness of an early December morning when I feel my world being turned around and upside down, I heard the word of God speaking to me again to turn around and see the salvation of the Lord is near.

One day St. Francis heard the coming of a great army against the city in which he resided. In the face of the anxiety which would naturally attend to such a rumor, St. Francis thought to himself how great this city was, how high its walls were, how strong the parapets. Then the voice of God spoke to him, “Francis”, it said, Go out of the city gates.” And Francis obeyed. Once outside the walls, the voice bade him, “Francis, turn around and look at the city.” Once again, Francis did as his inner voice told him. And once again he thought of how secure that city was with its great walls. Then the voice of God said, “Francis, stand on your head.” “What Lord, you want me to stand on my head?” he asked. “Francis stand on your head.” And once again Francis did as he was told. And as he stood on his head, he saw that great city outlined against the greater sky and the voice of God asked, “Francis, what would happen to the city if I did not keep it from falling into the sky?” Then Francis understood. Only by looking at the city upside down could he truly understood where his security rested.”

Let us pray: Gracious God, we come before you to be turned around and to that our salvation is near. Guide us today to hear your word speak to us in this wilderness; we pray in Jesus name, Amen.

[1] http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/1992

Luke 21:25-36 - "Leaning Into The Future (11-29-09)

Today’s lesson addresses the second coming of Christ. We believe that Christ has come; the Christ is here and that Christ will come again. This is a very apocalyptic passage that is one of prophesy and not prediction. Today, people question if we are living in the end times. We believe there is no rapture, where Jesus will come again a second, then seven more years and then he will come again a third time! People may think this apocalyptic passage reveals a secret clue and we must unravel it to find out when! Some may feel anxious about the end times. Revelation references in the Bible are not prediction.
The gospel lesson is a small apocalyptic future. Apo=off. Calyse = cover. Off with the cover. Off with cover and you look into the contents of the pan. Off with the cover and you see the contents of the future. It doesn't at first seem to instill us with any sense of hope at all. In fact, after reading this passage, we can be overwhelmed with a sense of hopelessness. We hear of these mysterious signs in the sun, moon and stars. There are images of people fainting. Heaven and earth pass away, there is talk of a trap, and our hope for escape, and by the end of the reading, it seems the walls are closing in on us. And yet, in the midst of the chaos, there are some words of hope in the midst of the confusion. When will it happen? We don’t know. Matthew, Mark, Luke and Paul all thought they were living in the last days but they were wrong. Only Jesus was right. He said in Matthew that “You do not know the hour or the day!” Stop trying to predict!
When that day comes, Jesus says to us, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near . . . when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near." We are called to stand up, raise our heads and lean into the future.
When my children want to whisper something to me, and I can’t quite hear, what is the body’s response? I tend to lean into where the voice is coming from. So listen in and be prepared to stand up, raise your heads and lean into the future.
We are living in a new season in the life of the church. On this the first Sunday of Advent, you are leaning into the future of Living Waters and I am leaning into the future at Zion Lutheran in Rockford where I will start in the New Year. Martin Luther King, Jr said, “I don’t know what the future holds but I know who holds the future.” We have different futures in parish ministry as I prepare to leave Living Waters, but we serve the same heavenly Father.
Yesterday, Robert and Linda Gallet were married here at Living Waters. It was my last wedding service. Bob and Linda are 67 and 72 years old. When they got said “unto death parts us” they know what that means and yet they were leaning into the future with the love and hope of Christ.
This fall, as I’ve been looking out my window here at the church, I couldn’t help but notice the road construction on Frank Road. The process and progress was slow going as they tore off the old surface, redid the sidewalks, put new blacktop down and the painted on the various stripes on the road. What stands out for me is the sign facing Miller Road and the church, “Road Work Ahead: Expect Delays”. I had wanted to take a picture of that sign. It was a reminder of the season of my life and now the season for Living Waters. But then one day, the sign was gone. The road has been prepared and now completed for those to travel to and from this place for worship.
When we gather at this table (stand behind altar) and we eat of this feast, we say that this is the “foretasted of the feast to come”. We sing the words: “This is the feast of victory for our God… for the lamb who was slain has begun to reign!” This is the foretaste of the feast to come. When you come forward, I want you to lean into the words, “given and shed for you”. Trust in these promises as we all lean into and upon the promises of God.
Let us pray: Gracious God, we gather to lean upon your words and your promises. We gather to get just a foretaste of that feast to come. Grant us courage to lean upon you, in Jesus name, Amen.

"Allegiance to the King" - John 18:33-37 (11-22-09)

Christ is at his own trial before Pilate and is about to receive the Royal Treatment! Christ stands before the throne of Pilate. Jesus is facing the greatest test and challenge in his calling by the Father to be a sacrifice for sin and an example of love to us. Pilate enters the room and Christ is summoned and questioned! Pilate, the representative of the dominant Roman Empire is concerned that the King of the Roman Empire might be threatened by someone here in this small outpost who has been causing enough trouble with the locals that they have accused him of a political crime.

Are you the King of the Jews? Pilate asked him. The life and ministry of Jesus is not in alignment with the powers of allegiance of the kingdoms of this world. Jesus said that his kingdom is not of this world. The reign of God is both hidden and revealed. Jesus was born that the reign and kingdom of God might break into our lives! When we hear this good news, God’s reign breaks in and pulls us into alignment and allegiance to a different way of doing life!

Today is Christ the King Sunday. It is the last Sunday in the Church Calendar year. We do not order our faith lives around the Roman Calendar of January-December; or around the budget year or around the school year. Our Allegiance to time and order is based upon the King of Kings. Someday, Jesus will come on the clouds the way the Revelation, chapter 1 passage says.

Christ the King Sunday is always the last Sunday of the Church Year. It is the end of the season of our spiritual journey and next week is the beginning of a new spiritual journey starting with Advent. Advent is the first Sunday of the church calendar, a season of waiting and preparation. So it is with this ending and this new beginning that we remember the promises of God that have been with us throughout our lives.

I know the announcement this week was a surprise. The resignation was something that took many by surprise. I wasn’t expecting Oprah to announce her resignation. She will be done on September 9, 2011 so that gives us over 600 days to worship her as the Queen of Day time talk shows. I’m not sure if that will give us all enough time to grieve her resigning from her role in the church that Oprah built. Perhaps she is close to royalty in our culture so it with sadness that we heard that she will be surrendering her throne.

Well it was not easy for me to resign and surrender to the king. You must be willing to surrender your will and ask God to lead and guide. When I told the council president of the upcoming call to serve Zion Lutheran Church in Rockford, IL a few weeks ago, it was not something I was looking forward to. I wasn’t looking forward to standing in front of you today and tell you about my resignation as the Pastor at Living Waters. You all have received the letter that I sent out this week announcing my resignation as the Pastor here. Today we remember the ministry we have shared together. We have seen the reign of God break in through the various joys and sorrows we have shared. We remember the trials and tribulations that have taken place in our personal lives and the body as a whole and wondered when the hiddeness of God’s kingdom will break in.

As I gathered with the Church Council on Tuesday evening to formally resign as the Pastor of Living Waters Lutheran Church, we joked about whether or not they would accept the resignation. The church council unfortunately had to accept it. Today we all need to resign. We need resign as general managers of our little world. We need to resign from trying to fix every person, problem and place in our world. We need to resign to the truth that we must lay our crowns down! Wonder of wonders, God will accept your resignation.

About seven years ago, I went to visit the Francis family in their new home to offer a prayer of blessing. As we visited, Luke showed me a label maker he was getting using. I was wearing my cleric that day and I let him put a label on my cleric that read, “Pastor Mike”. I never took that label off and actually never used it. I saw it this morning in my pile of clerics and decided to wear it. I too must pledge my allegiance to the king and lay down this role as the pastor of Living Waters.

We are being called to lay down our crowns at the foot of the cross. We are the subject of the king and we lay our crowns down again today. God is calling you and me to recommit our allegiance to Christ and to lay down our crowns. Our allegiance calls us to place all of our time, talent and treasures at the throne of the cross. God will bless them for the sake of the God’s kingdom.

Let us pray: Gracious God, it is never easy to pray “thy kingdom come and thy will be done” but we gather today again to seek your will and to renew our allegiance to your reign and rule. Guide us as we kneel before you today. Renew us as your subjects, we pray in Jesus name. Amen.

"Continuous Reforming" - John 8:31-38 (10-25-09)

Today is Reformation Sunday. We remember that on this day in 1517, change took place in the Roman Catholic Church that has left a mark on us all. Martin Luther posted on his website the 95 Thesis. On his blog he wrote the “disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” with the hope that “out of love for the truth and the desire to bring to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg… (and) he requests that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us may do so by letter” or email.” Such change took place because of the church was focused on indulgences, having people pay to get out of hell or pay for past sins.
Luther didn’t want a denomination to be named after him. As a matter of fact, those of the Lutheran background in Germany were for a long time just called the Evangelical Church!
The leaves have changed this week so quickly and along with the rain, they have not only turned colors but have been continuously falling. Change in the season brings growth and a preparation for new life. God likes change for the purpose of renewing relationships. We all like change. Do you know how many Lutherans it takes to change a light bulb? Change, what’s wrong with the burned out one?
We are in a relationship that will continuously change and transform us throughout the seasons of our lives. We surrender’s to winter and the beautiful new life that will come in the spring.
We are Lutheran because of this history. Some are born into it and have a big “L” on their forehead from birth. Others of us are adopted into the community. We are a part of the ELCA and that is a history of reformation verse just being Protestants who protest. We claim the reforming part of the tradition because that reforming processes is the work of the Holy Spirit. One sign of this church is it is a reforming faith. The spirit continues to reform us. Reform comes from the word morph which means to change from one thing into another.
Every Reformation Sunday, we read the Romans 3: 23-24 passage where it says, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” Grace is a gift and not something to be earned. We also read John 8: 31-38 where Jesus said to those who had believed in him and were now being tested to see if they really were going to follow!
“If you continue in my word, you will be my disciples”. That if is very conditional and there is an indefiniteness and uncertainty of that if. Perhaps Jesus knows that people will not continue and that they and we may forget and follow another word.
Will they continue and remain? We know that these verbs are all future orientated in tense. There is a future focus to this message. Will they stay in a given place, state, relation or expectancy; abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry? Will they repeatedly enter into the word that is Christ? The permanency of the relationship is in question. Will they abide or dwell in a relationship with Christ who is the logos that was in the beginning and spoke life into existence. If you continue to remain in this relationship you will be my disciples. These verbs are all future verbs and not present verbs. They will continue to be renewed in this relationship over and over again. It’s just not this one time thing of obedience for them or us. We are renewed in this relationship when it gets stagnate.
Continuous Reforming Faith means that God is continuously calling us to turn around and repent and discover grace on the cross through Jesus Christ alone! That change will bring about change in your daily living.
I was once told by a pastor friend of mine that change is constant but growth is optional. Repeat that with me, change is constant but growth is optional. If you want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ will be changed. If you want to be really free, you will be called back into this relationship. Continuous reformation is the outcome of the Holy Spirit calling us back to be disciples of Jesus that you will be free again and again and again. Scripture reminds us again and again that we are not free and we are slaves to one thing or another! We are by nature enslaved to sin. But now Christ has asserted dominion in our lives. Freedom is a gift posted upon our hearts when we go astray! We are not permanently free. But we are given the chance to be disciples again today and we are called to freedom again today.
This past week was my daughter Maggie’s “gotcha” day. We watched the video of the day she came home to us from Korea. It showed Maggie and I with her Foster Mother “Mrs. Shin” who with her husband and two daughters been the foster mother of thirteen other children before Maggie. Her home those first six months may not have been permanent but for Mrs. Shin, she holds a place in her heart for Maggie forever. From being that little baby to now being five years old, she has changed. She has a place in our home and hearts for she has been welcomed into our lives and the lives of the people here at Living Waters. We have all been set free to live in this household of faith that continues to reform and renew.
Let us pray: Gracious God, you have welcomed us and adopted us into your household. We have not claim to this house except that you invite us again today to be renewed and called and sent to be your hands and feet to the world. Guide us in this new freedom, we pray in Jesus name, Amen.

"Words that Bless - Not Stress" - Mark 10:13-16 (10-4-09)

Today we hear in the Genesis 2 lesson that Adam did the naming of the animals. I could imagine him saying, “Well you look like a horse and you look like a cow, no offense”. Well the naming of animals is a very important thing. Cows with names are happy and blessed, while anonymous cattle tend to be stressed. A study out of England, reported in USA Today, reveals that affectionate treatment of cattle can increase the amount of milk they give. The average cow produces about 2,000 gallons of milk a year, but if you know her by name, she’ll give you an extra 68 gallons. Researcher Catherine Douglas of Newcastle University says farmers have always believed that naming cows has a positive effect. Her study shows that if a cow isn’t given individual attention, then it’s likely to be uncomfortable around humans and become stressed. A stressed cow releases hormone called cortisol, which inhibits milk production. Cow-friendly farmers name their cows and make contact with them from an early age. “They chat to them in passing,” Douglas observes. “They walk among the cows and speak with them.” One organic dairy farmer in Oregon knows each of his 165 cows by a name. He’s convinced that naming a cow, combined with really understanding the animals and their behavior, is going to increase milk production. So cows that are known by name will be blessed while anonymous cattle will be stressed.[1]
Well I might be milking this story but there is something about using someone’s name that connects with the person. In the letter to the Hebrews, it says “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son”. God is speaking to us, calling out names. God sent Jesus to walk among us and speak to us, to show us God’s will and God’s way by being in relationship with us. God is not distant, but with us and speaks to us and calls us by name.

Well the people were bringing the little calves or children to see Jesus that he might place his hands upon them, speak a kind word to them and bless them. These children were paidoin – just like the young one’s from Star Wars. But the disciples rebuked these people who were doing this. Who were bringing the kids to Jesus? A man and father would know better than to bring these children to see a Rabbi. The fathers better!

The children were considered to have no power, as were their mothers! Not only did Jesus welcome the children to hear the good news but their mothers as well. “Don’t bother the rabbi”. The disciples’ words would stress while the words of Jesus would bless. Then Jesus rebuked the disciples, one of a few times. Jesus was addressing three main things with the disciples and the culture.

First of all, Jesus was addressing the attitude toward children of the day. We still have it when we think that children should be seen and not heard. Yet we have a child friendly worship space where children make noise. It’s usually the mom’s who the most uncomfortable because they believe their children are embarrassing them. So we use words that stress our children or each other. We remember the saying, sticks and stones may break my bones but words would never hurt me? Words are detrimental because words create stress and they can bless. Stress creates strain and can lead to distress. God did not promise us that we would be exempt from the things that cause stress and anxiety.[2] God doesn’t want us to add to the stress! Evil one uses stress to divide community and families relationships with parent/spouse/child.

The second thing Jesus was addressing was the attitude of children. Many times we think children are innocent. I was telling the parents and Baptism 101 that your goal is to help teach their children that they are not the center of the world. They are born and are so cute and adorable. Yet they scream and you are to reorientate your world to their needs, true. But they think they are the center of the world and your goal is to move their over an eighteen year period toward the place where they see that God has created them and has blessed them to bless others.

The attitude of children that Jesus is lifting up is one of complete dependence

A child needs the parent’s acceptance even when children will do crazy things! We teach them with love and bless them with words of life and not stress them. At the First Communion class yesterday I asked the kids and parents if they make mistakes. We all do and we come together at this table to be fed that we might be sent to bless.

I was picking up Nathan from school on Thursday with Maggie. It was rainy that day and there were puddles in various places. I had an umbrella and Nathan was walking with me to the van when I overheard a mom talking to her son. She was obviously feeling a little stressed by the action of her first grader, probably jumping in a puddle or something terrible. Then she said, “Is that the way someone who has Jesus in his heart should behave?” Wow! A Christian Guilt trip! We all do this as parents to motivate our children but we are all blessed today by Christ’s words of love.

Finally, the third thing Jesus is teaching about children and discipleship is that we should have the attitude of receiving when it comes to God’s reign[3] in our life. Whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like these children cannot enter. The children have open hands and hopeful hearts. When I asked the kids at the First Communion class about how many Christmas presents they deserve this year, I told them they deserve none. Christmas is about receiving with open hands this gift, they way we come forward with open hands.

Because finally, Jesus as the rabbi may have been seated when these children were being brought forward like most rabbis were in the synagogue. I could imagine that the came running up to him with his open arms and embraced them and blessed them with words the way we bless our children before they go to bed each night. We say “always remember that Jesus loves you and so do we.” We gather to run into those arms – to be spoken words that bless! We gather to receive God’s reign as one dependent! This human touch of Jesus is a gift to us!

Let us pray: Gracious God, you have called us by name and we gather to hear your word that blesses us in the midst of life’s stresses. You speak a word of hope as we gather to receive your embrace and eat at this table before we are called out to bless others. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.

---

[1] Der Bedrosian, Jeanette. “Naming cows isn’t udder nonsense” USA Today, February 5, 2009, 6D.

[2] Living Stress Free In Today's World... Ken Birks, Pastor/Teacher

[3] See Interpretation Commentary on Mark by Lamar Williamson, Jr. (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1983), page 179

John 3:16-21 - "God Is Light" (6-7-09)

Samuel Miller had a chance to watch Karl Valletin in Munich Germany, the last metaphysical clowns. As the curtain lifted, the stage was completely dark. In the darkness was a solitary circle of light in the middle of the stage. Vallentin appeared in his clown costume and began to intently look around the circle of light. A policeman appeared on the scene and inquired if he lost something. The clown replied, “Yes the key to my house. The policeman joined him in the search for a long time and finally asked, “Are you sure you lost it here?” The clown answered, “No, I lost it over there”, pointing to a dark corner of the stage. “Why”, asked the exasperated policeman, “Are you looking for it here? To which the clowned shrugged his shoulders, “Because there is no light over there!”
Today is Trinity Sunday and it may seem foolish to try to talk about the trinity. The book The Shack attempts to personalize this theological principle of the Christian faith. But often God is not center stage. By shining light on such a topic, we discover the floodlight of God’s love for living which is often not very center stage in our lives. Recently I read regarding the trinity, “You will lose our soul if you don’t believe it and you will lose your mind if you try to explain it.” So today let us get lost in the light of the glory and grace of God as we think about God as light. We read in 1 John 1:5, “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
God is light and the Greek word for light is “phoes” which we get the word photo, photon and photosynthesis? This is the process by which sunlight is turned into energy that is converted into other, different, forms of energy by biological systems. It's an amazing process. Our vegetation needs the light of the sun. We need sunlight otherwise we get SAD, Seasonal Affect Disorder. Light is very important.
So how does God as light relate to our growing in this light in relationship to the Trinity? Christian Schwarz wrote a book called the Threefold Art of Experiencing God. The book shines light upon the various ways we view and experience God in the trinity. God the creator enlightens our minds. Light is the natural symbol and expression of truth. No good work can be done without light. Genesis 1 said that in the beginning God said, “Let there be light.” God created light first in the explosion and bang of creation. The first reflection of uncreated light came first from God and it come first for us and to us. When Isaiah is exposed in the temple before God, he admits he is a man of unclean lips for he has been blinded by this majestic light of God’s presence. In Christ, we remember that John the Baptist came to bear witness to the light and that light shines in the darkness and the darkness shall never overcome the light of Christ. In the Holy Spirit, we remember the fire of Pentecost and the fire that led Israel through the wilderness. God’s light shines in these three forms of the creator and nothing defeats this light.
I’d like you to think of the opposite of light. What is the opposite of up? Down! The opposite of west is east. The opposite of Cubs is Sox. What is the opposite of light? Darkness!? No! There is no equal force or power than light! Darkness is just the absence of light. They are not equal or opposite forces. Even just the smallest amount of light cannot be overcome by darkness. Darkness is just the absence of light; it does not even exist on its own.
Now we might be afraid of the dark or we forget that God is with us even in the valley of the shadow of death. But we don’t need to be afraid to walk into the light of God’s love and grace. John 3:16 says God So Loved the world - You and Me - that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” God didn’t do this to condemn us but that we might have life. Yet even though the light is available and salvation is at hand, there will still be times when we stay in darkness and the shadows. We may carry the darkness of the past. There may be shadowy pain that we have never spoken of before that once exposed to the light will cause us to see that it is no our identity.
This light is a love that shines upon us and everything. God is inviting us into the light, and the darkness can’t overcome it. Darkness in our lives occurs when something is covered over or covered up. We have an easier time recognizing the darkness in others or we can see what is covered up in them, their lack of love or kindness or patience. We often have greater trouble acknowledging the shadows in our own lives.
We sometimes cover for one another because we don’t want to be exposed to the light. But John 3:19-21 remind us that “the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” We are those people do not want to be exposed.
God is inviting us into the light of his love! There will be times when you do not want your whole life to be flooded with light. Some things--secrets, sins, and relationships--we do not want to let go. They shape our identity! There are things that we would rather not deal with; would rather not have God shine any light upon. When we see such darkness, we usually hide in the shadows. But the light of Christ shines in the darkness and the darkness shall never overcome it. Living in the light calls us to surrender to the light of God, capturing our hearts and fears and allow God’s light to heal and restore.
There was once a battleship heading straight towards a light in the distance that was coming up in its path and seemed to be awfully close. The captain of this battleship had the signalman send a message out to this on-coming vessel, telling them to veer ten degrees to the starboard. A reply came back from the source of light, saying, "You veer ten degrees to the starboard." Well, the captain of the battleship didn't rise up in the ranks for no good reason -- he was incensed at this challenge to his authority. So he sent a message back saying, "I am a captain. You veer ten degrees to the starboard." The reply came back, “I have no rank. You veer ten degrees to the starboard." And all of this was escalating. The captain pulled out his big one, he said, "I'm in a battleship. You veer ten degrees towards starboard." The reply came back, "I'm in a lighthouse."
God is light and is guiding us through the storms of life safely into through the rough seas of life. God’s light continues to enlighten us and heal and restore us today.
Let us pray: Gracious God, you are the light of the world so guide us through the shadows of life. As you were with Jesus when darkness covered the whole earth on the day of his death, shine upon us today that we may walk in the light of your love, we pray in Jesus name, Amen.

"The Shack" - book reflections (6-5-09)

The Shack - By William Paul Young

Trinitarian Images: Father, Son and Holy Spirit

1. I can't help but think of the book by Christian Schwarz, The Threefold Art of Experiencing God, when I think about the trinity and the various aspects of God as Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer
2. Elouisa; “EL” is God, like El-Shadai, El-Ohiem, Dani-EL; etc.
3. Holy Spirit – wind, as in the “ruah” (Hebrew) of God that moved over the waters in creation.The Holy Spirit is wind, fire and breath; when someone dies, we say they gave up their spirit in their last breath. When you lose you breath we say you got the wind knocked out of you

Book Reflections

1. The shack is where his daughter was killed. When he is called to return their a few years later, he is brought into a higher place of dwelling with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This seems to connect with Paul’s vision of being caught up into “paradise” and his thorn from 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. This dwelling is the eternal Dwelling Place of God. The shack becomes the temple of the Lord; Jesus “dwelt” (abode) with us in John 1:14 & John 15:4-7.The 23rd Psalm says, “Surely, His goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Garden of Eden – dwelling place with God.Heaven is a future redeemed dwelling place with God.
2. In the middle of this reading, I woke one night singing these words: "Let us go into the house of the Lord. Let us worship, praise and adore; singing this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us go into the house of the Lord." Dwelling in this relationship brings peace and joy. Singing is a fruit of that joyful abiding.
   
3. Praying the Lord’s Prayer, it says “Our Father” and the word in Hebrew and Aramaic is “abba” and “papa” is another way of refereeing to this endearing and intimate quality of a father or dad. Perhaps this book will rekindle in people the call to pray and develop a relationship with God.
   
4. The weekend away seemed very much like the three days Jesus was in the tomb
5. Image of surrender –page 139
6. Sophia – Greek word for wisdom (Proverbs 2:1-7 encourages seeking out understanding)
7. There were aspects of religious pluralism that was either supportive of or denouncing it on page 184.
8. The purpose for the "LAW" is just to point us to grace it seems from the page 204 writing. We also remember that the "law" is given first of all for good order, to address the human desire to "trespass" boundaries in relationship with God and others. The law also convict us of our sin, like a mirror, pointing us to our need for grace.
   
9. The Holy Communion image from page 238 was too privatized.
   
10. The focus of the ministry of reconciliation that the book seems to come to a conclusion with is rooted in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 24 where repentance and forgiveness is to be proclaimed by the disciples.
    

Bible Passage Related in the story

1. Page 103 – suffering compared to the future glory from Romans 8:18-19 where it says, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God…”
2. Page 103 – God is love from 1 John 4:7-12, as when we read verse 8, “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
3. Page 129 – Redemption of our bodies from Romans 8:22-23 where it says, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.”
4. Page 135 – Tree of knowledge from Genesis 2:17
5. Page 138 & 175 – God is light from John 3:18-21
6. Page 168 – Chasm or Veil from Luke 16:26 – “Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.” Or from 1 Corinthian 13:12 where it says, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
7. Page 179 – New city is Jerusalem from Revelation 22 with trees and river
8. Page 180 – “Church” is in Matthew 16:16 – “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” The word church here is ekklesia (ecclesiology) in Greek and it’s the only time used in Gospels. It means a community or group of followers.
9. Page 183 – Holy Spirit guides as in John 15:26 – “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.”
10. Page 184 – People are beloved as in 1 John 4:7; Romans 1:7 & Jesus at his Baptism and Transfiguation
11. Page 184 – We are all children of God, as in John 1:12 and Romans 8:14 and Galations 3:26
12. Page 195 – Mack is called an idiot; Luke 23:34 where Jesus said, “Father forgive them, they don’t know (idios in Greek) what they are doing.”
13. Page 205 – “All things are lawful” from 1 Corinthians 10:23 - “All things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.” This passage relates to the freedom of the Christian.
14. Page 224 – God’s Purpose from Romans 8:28 where it says, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
15. Page 227 – Ministry of reconciliation from 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 where it says: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.”
16. Page 245 – Time-warp displacement” – God’s time from Psalm 90:4 – “For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.”
    

Reflections by: Rev. Dr. Michael E. Thomas
pmethomas@comcast.net
June 5, 2009

"Spiritual Truths" - John 15:26-27; 16:12-13 (5-31-09)

The truth is that my shaver still works and that is not why I have grown a beard since last week. That’s the truth. I just want to see what a beard would look like on me at this point in the year. But today is Pentecost and the Holy Spirit leads us into all the truth. We are Pentecost people so look at someone and tell them they are Pentecostal. Ah, what does that mean? It seems that those people don’t seek truth but only an emotional experience of faith.
Yet truth is what we are being led into as Pentecostal Lutheran Christians. We keep search for truth. We want to know the truth. I’d like you to raise you right hand and place your hand on a Bible. Are you here to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
Well I recently stumbled upon some truth. How many planets are there in our solar system? Eight you might say but I still say nine. In the past years, Pluto has been downgraded to just a moon! Well I still think of it as a planet! The truth is, we thought the earth was flat at one point and the earth was the center of the universe and found out otherwise and the faith community persecuted scientific exploration. We are emerging from one generation to another with more insight and knowledge on our quest for truth.
We know that the opposite of truth is called a lie. We don’t like to be deceived or receive false information. There is even a commandment that deals with truth telling, “You shall not bear false witness against another.” We hear in John 8 that the evil one is called the “father of lies”. So I don’t want to be a liar and still say that there are nine planets or the earth is flat. Pastor Steve Young’s fundamentalist pastor back in the early 1960’s still believed Revelation 7:7 where it says that the four angels of God stood at the four corners of the earth. He still thought the earth was flat and the NASA program was a hoax.
Truth can be discovered three main ways. We first find truth through experience. Unfortunately we learn more from the school of hard knocks. Experience teaches us that there are many things we learn by experimentation. The stove is hot but it’s not until you get burned that you have experienced that truth. This form of truth relates to those things that happen and are verifiable through experimentation. When we experiment and test something to be true, this can lead to a form of idolatry where experience rules.
But we also discover truth through reason. Luther said unless he could be convinced by scripture and reason, he wouldn’t recant what he had said about the truth of the gospel. It is reasonable to give a sixteen year old drivers license? Yet reason is the presupposition of faith and faith is the “fulfillment of reason as the mind understands the finitude of our abilities to experience of understand the immeasurability of God”. (Tillich). Reason can point to faith as making sense because we reason that we are finite.
But beyond reason we discover revelation. Revelation is the experience in which the unveiling of the infinite or ultimate concern grasps us and breaks into our finite lives and we find peace. The word for truth is aletheia, which is the Greek that means the “unhiddenness” or revelation of a mystery! We discovered God’s unhiddenness in the absolute truth found in Jesus Christ. John the Baptist came to testify to the truth that is Jesus Christ.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus said that the “Spirit of truth” would come upon them. The spirit of truth is mentioned also in John 14:16-17 where Jesus said it will live in the disciples and the world cannot receive this truth because it is hostile to the truth about our nature; about laws and about grace!
The “Spirit of Truth” would also testify about Jesus, which means it would bear witness to who Jesus was by reminding them and teaching them. The Greek word for “witness” is martereo (or martyr) which was a legal term from Roman law; to testify about something, in this case the ultimate concern has broken into our finite world and they should tell everyone. The reality is we have been brought here because we recognize a few truths first of all about ourselves. The “Spirit of truth” leads us to see the truth about ourselves and the reality that we do break the truths of God’s commands. The “Spirit of Truth” will testify to us and through us not only about us but also about grace revealed in Christ. It is that same “Spirit of Truth” that leads us to be graceful toward others. We must beware of “excessive certainty" that prevents us from connecting with people who don’t believe in objective truth. We hear the lie that there are no absolute truths, which is an absolute statement of belief.
The last thing the “Spirit of truth” will do will to “guide them into all the truth.” This expresses the reality that there is a “constraint in time” with the disciples, for they only have three years with Jesus. It acknowledges that the revelation of God will continue in different ways in the future and the Holy Spirit will guide them. Our desire to learn and develop is a God given presence. We want to learn more and we do discover knew knowledge that shapes our faith. We actually learn more about God when we study world religions, medicine, biology, sociology, math, psychology, anthropology, math, music, art, etc. Students who are seeking and asking questions should be encouraged to do so and be guided with an open mind and heart.
The Holy Spirit is leading us into all the truth. When we confess our faith in God through the words of the Apostle’s Creed, we believe say that we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church. That means we discover truth not in a vacuum but it is revealed to us also in the context of community that is catholic, universal. We believe in the “communion of saints”, that in the sorrow of loss we know the truth that not even death separates us from the love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus. When we confess that we believe “in the forgiveness of sins”, we know that we make mistakes in our journey toward all the truth. And until that day when the “life everlasting” is fully revealed, we discover more and more of the truth about ourselves and God.
Let us pray: Gracious God, send your Holy Spirit to lead us, call us and gather us in community where your spirit stirs. Come Holy Spirit, intercede for us with sighs too deep for words to express because we don’t even know how we aught to pray. Come Holy Spirit; breathe on us again, we pray in Jesus name, Amen!

"Jesus Calls Us Friends" - John 15:9-18 (5-17-09)

I would like to talk to you as among friends. When we talk as friends, we can use frank and open speech. So let me be frank and open. I’m glad I’m among friends today after a funeral yesterday and a funeral tomorrow for my wife’s aunt. It’s good to be among friends when death comes a knocking. This society of friends, like the Quakers, is a place where community is renewed.

We were created to be friends right from the start! Friendship began at the start in the Garden of Eden, When God created us, it was His intent to maintain intimate fellowship. God walked with them and God talked with them. But then the friendship was broken! Something or someone got in the way as we chose a new best friend that deceived us. But God wanted to restore that relationship.

It's what God sought in Abraham & Moses who was a friend of God. It wasn’t’ a monologue but a dialogue that God was after – a holy conversation in community and friendship. Lest we sentimentalize God into a friend, Martin Marty said, we are reminded that this is a dialogue and not a monologue. God may be omnipotent, impassible and transcendent; wholly other; beyond Knowing; the I AM THAT I AM. But God seems to value friendship of sorts. We can even look to the Trinity as an experience of relationship and interdependence.

When Jesus called the discipleship into a relationship, he was called “rabonai” or rabbi or master. He was their rabbi; their teacher; their leader and they were the students, servants or slaves to the master. But slaves and servants have no rights! We don’t follow just because we have to! We teach our children emotional intelligence and the relationships skills of negotiating. They are not called servants but children, little people who will become mature. This relationship with the disciples near the end of Jesus’ life in John’s gospel seems to become very intimate! Now he will become their FRIEND! Not slaves but companions. “I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you! No one has greater love than to lay down their life for their friends. “You did not choose me, but I chose you” and “I have called you friends”. Today we rarely use “friendship” to describe our relationship with God!

Yet it is friendship that Jesus invited the disciple to experience. The word that Jesus used was “philos” which is the word we get for Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. This philos is a friendship love. When Jesus tested his friendship with Peter after Peter had denied him, Jesus asked Peter three times after the resurrection if Peter loved him. Some say it’s a mirror of the three times Peter denied Jesus. Yet when Jesus asked Peter this question, he asked Peter if he loved him with the word “agape’. Do you agape me and Peter said you know I “philos” you; do you “agape” me he asked a second time and Peter said, said you know I “philos” you. Then Jesus asked, “Do you philos me?” and Peter said you know I “philos” you. It’s as if Jesus were taking Peter at Peter’s level of friendship. Jesus invited him to learn agape by starting with philos.

Like Peter and the disciples, we are being invited to go deeper in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. So let us see how this friendship will develop and be tested. Immediately after this section of Jesus will be betrayed and denied. There is great risk in becoming friends. We remember this risk in the words of institution: the night in which he was betrayed. All the disciples will deny him this night – friends like that, who needs enemies. I’ve heard some pastors change it to “the night before his crucifixion” and this removes our betrayal and denial of our friend.

Yet Jesus will trust these disciples as he is investing into this relationship that will bear fruit even in the midst of failure. Jesus will demonstrate that to be a friend of Jesus means to love in a sacrificial way. Jesus will lay down his life for his friends, and that meant a painful physical sacrifice. Yet there are lots of ways of laying down our lives: giving up time; giving up personal ambitions; or donate money to a friend. Jesus has set example. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (v. 12). Friend to one Native American tribe was “one-who-carries-my-sorrows-on-his-back.” That is literally what Christ did on Calvary: He carried our sorrows on his back.

But being friends in faith also means “being” a friend. Martin Marty cites the philosopher Gabriel Marcel who views a friend "as a way of being more than doing," one who is "being at the disposal of someone else." Being a friend means "being available"-a sharing of life, knowledge, and self. Being available "involves an attitude, a posture, a signaling that draws on the deepest elements of the self."

Friendship is also not conditional. This friendship with Jesus will go from “you are my friends if you do what I command you” to an assertion (“I have called you friends”), O’Day notes, does not depend on something the disciples do, “because their enactment of Jesus’ commandments still remains in the future. No, it is something that Jesus has done: ‘I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father’ (John 15:15)

When I was in college, I had a friend named Thad. After graduation, he went to Garrett while I went to the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He took a call to the Milwaukee area while I served in the Rockford area. We would get together about three out of four Tuesdays in Elkhorn, WI at a bar called “Someplace Else” and talk about ministry stuff. We both got married in 1997 and were in each other’s wedding party. He then moved to Detroit, West Virginia, Tennessee and then Minnesota. We only kept in touch at the most through Christmas cards. But now he has been serving a couple years now in Dakota, IL and we’ve gotten together about six times now at Mary’s Market on East State street in Rockford for lunch. The best thing about our friendship is that we have pick up where we left off! You see what is more powerful than philos is agape. Friendships that are built upon the grace of Christ that calls us back into a relationship that might bear fruit for the kingdom of God.

Let us pray: Gracious God, even when we have denied or betrayed our friendship with you, you invite us back and pick up where we left off by showing us more than just friendship but unconditional love. Strengthen our friendship today that we may tell others about this friendship you have established with us, we pray in Jesus name, Amen.

"Branches of the Church Vine" - John 15:1-8 (5-10-09)

Jesus said in John 15:5: “Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” Jesus is reminding the disciples to remain or stay in this relationship. They may experience persecution and struggles, but stay in this community and I was entwine you together. It’s really the difference between being a team player and a loner. Stay, remain and be held together by these branches of Christ.
There were many vineyards in the time of Christ. God assumed the quality of the people of Israel. This reminded to encourage disciples to stay intimately connected to the vine. When a branch gets the idea it can bear fruit on its own it will dry up and died. This place is a one house of worship and this is our abiding place. We gather as a family or branch of the faith. Yet this building is not the church, it is a place where we worship God and we are trained in the Christian faith as disciples of Jesus Christ. We have been wove into this branch through Baptism. We have become connected to the vine and we affirm our faith in Christ Jesus as DA-VINE! Our community is a branch of the Christian faith where we love and care for one another.
I see many such branches here together with arms and hearts open to reaching out to others with the message of Christ.You are the church and the branch of the Christian family here. The church is the people. We Christian-Lutherans have a unique place in the faith where we reach out to the Orthodox and Catholics; where we branch out and work with Presbyterians and Methodist and other mainline denominations. There are so many braches of the Church vine – for there is just one vine and we are the branches. There is just one Church with many denominations: My mother grew up Russian Orthodox and married Methodist. We have various denominational experiences. When I attended the funeral for Mary Ann’s mother, I received Holy Communion. There is just one church and I am a member of it.
Some church denominations may think that they have the faith figured out and are not connected to other branches of the church. Like difference siblings who don’t get along and don’t want to acknowledge one another, the churches today find themselves all over the place. Jesus said, John 15:5 says “I am the vine, you are the branches”. I remember the song that we sang in Sunday school. The vine is the main focus; the branches start out as little buds that are nice and green and shoot off in many directions. After a season the small green branch gets woody and eventually hardens and can endure winter. Yet we must be weary when branches of the Christian faith become so hardened and stubborn that we refuse to grow in a different direction.
Jesus grafted these disciples into community just like the way the Ethiopian (God fearing man) was when in Acts 8:26-40 Phillip started where the Ethiopian Eunuch was in answering his questions. God provides the perfect time for us to be woven back into community. God will prompt us to the waters and to conversations with others.
Yet we need training, like the Adult VBS program this summer. Vines sometimes have a natural tendency to trail down and grow low to the ground. They don’t bear fruit down there. They need to be taken care of or they will get dusty and muddy if it rains. Mildew can grow on them then and they will cause the branch to become sick. My new white lace vine is starting to grow. My Master Gardener neighbor gave me a clipping last fall when I built my Russ Ruzanski hammock holder. This white lace is starting to grow and I have to keep weaving these new shoots back into the trellis so it grows up.
We are intimately connected to God and others through this vine. 1 John 4:7-21: “Beloved, let us love one another. Perfect loves casts out all fear, for there is no fear in love.” We can’t give away what we have not been given. That is why this week we gave away a few crosses and wrapped a few people in prayer shawls during times where life’s unfortunate pruning has taken place. Where there is no more growth that will take place on the vine at death’s cutting leaves a bear spot on the branch of community.
This training also requires some pruning. I have a trumpet vine that is about ten feet tall. After last year I need to prune it. I climbed up on a ladder and cut back a bunch in order to TRAIN it to go in a different direction. That is what PRUNING is like – it’s training! So they don’t grow wild and out of control the vine needs to be harnessed. Might be painful at times but more growth will happen. Those parts that don’t bear fruit are tossed. It’s when we are growing and branching out into life that we find ourselves being pruned in order to grow more fruitful.
There are times where we experience such pruning. My aunt passed away yesterday at age 80 and I’ll be doing the funeral on Saturday. There are many people in this community and world who are spiritually homeless. They have no place to worship God outside of creation.
Today is Mother’s day and it is a reminder that we are all connected in the creation. We have all been given life from the creator. The umbilical chord of life that held us to the vine fed us until we were grafted into the human family. There is just one vine – that is Christ. There is one Christ – who is the head of this household of faith and Jesus binds us together.
Let us pray: Gracious God, we thank you for grafting us into the vine and we pray that we would be trained in your ways, we pray in Jesus name, Amen.

Luke 24:36-48 "The Clean Plate Club" (4-26-09)

These disciples were hungry on that first Easter. The passage from Luke shows that fish was on their menu but I don’t think they cleaned off their plates. They were not a part of the clean plate club. I was a part of the clean plate club! I grew up always finishing what was on my plate but back then we just didn’t have much on our plates in the first place so it wasn’t a problem. There were no “seconds” because we didn’t have tons of first. The helpings were smaller. Today, the helpings at restaurants are hug. The Current fast-food servings are two to five times larger than in the 1950s. In 2007, Americans spent half yearly food budget eating out. In 1978, less than 20% of the calories we consumed were eaten outside the home. In 2003, that number had climbed to 50%.[1] When McDonald’s first opened, a soda was 7 ounces; now the child size is 12 ounces, a small is 16 ounces, and the large 32 ounces and French Fries were 2.4 ounces and now 6.2 ounces. Last year Wendy's dropped the Biggie sodas and Great Biggie french fries. They went back to small, medium, and large. What were medium fries is now a small; the Biggie became a medium, and the Great Biggie became a large. The Biggie soda no longer exists but now a large drink is now 42 ounces, 10 ounces larger than the year before when it was the Biggie.[2]

We do have a natural way of saying that we are full. That’s when you know you are not hungry and need be leery of forcing food down just to finish what is on the plate. But the reality is, we come before God very hungry! There is so much that we consume that doesn’t fill us up! Today, the disciples remind us that we should eat less fast food and perhaps eat more fish.

What was on that plate the actual first Easter dinner? What did you have on Easter (Ask for responses)? Some of you had traditional Easter ham! That is what we had at my in-laws. However, this year we had fish for lunch on Easter for the first time. We tried to return to the actual and most traditional Easter meal, FISH! You might think ham or a leg of lamb is the traditional Easter meal. But I would like to suggest that we renew the traditional meal for Easter dinner and have fish next year. We had Salmon this year. The disciples had fish. Most of the disciples were fisherman when Jesus called them. They grew up around the Sea of Galilee and made their living fishing. These guys probably smelled like fish most of their lives until they started following Jesus. The miracle of feeding five thousand with fish and loaves of bread is a reminder of the unbelievable new life that Christ was bringing these fishermen.

The first Easter Meal was broiled fish to be exact. The disciples were called by Jesus and told that they would fish for people. The fish became the prominent symbol of the Christian faith for the next three hundred years. The fish was the primary symbol for the Christian faith until the cross was banned by the Romans as a form of execution in the third century. Bishops had fishes engraved on their seals and carved into gravestones and tiles the floor. It adorned fonts in the early church. During those first three hundred years, Christians were persecuted. Some suggest that a person could mark an arch with their foot in the dirt to find out if the other person they were talking to was a Christian. The other could then make an arch as well and make the shape of a fish.

The fish can be seen on the back of cars, though I don’t have one so people don’t view my driving as a sign of my faith. I use the fish symbol on my email signature with the greater than, less than, greater than characters ><>.

Last winter I led a funeral for a good friend of mine’s brother-in-law who died of a sudden heart attack. Jim was in his late 50’s and I knew him since the 1980’s whenever I would see Julius or be at family party for one of his kids. I was asked to do the funeral which was held at a funeral home on Central Avenue and Addison Avenue in Chicago. When I arrived at the funeral home that night in Chicago I entered the area where the service was going to be and discovered something to my surprise. There was a huge fish mounted over the casket. It wasn’t a cross or another main religious symbol, but a large northern pike. You have to understand that Jim was a fisherman! I wasn’t sure how I was going to tie this in until it hit me that we are called to be fishers of people and the use of the fish in the early church as a prominent symbol before the cross was used to represent Christianity. They brought a fish into the funeral home and also grief and sorrow.

The fish had already been cleaned, broiled and eaten. The disciples had already eaten! The fish has already been cooked and it is just sitting there. They probably had lamb for dinner on the Passover on Thursday and now they are eating some broiled fish for Sunday dinner. It was Sunday evening and they were uncertain about what to do. The disciples had heard that Jesus had risen but still were disbelieving. They had shared a fish meal and were discussing the new about Jesus appearing to two men on the road to Emmaus. They were discussing this among themselves.

There was so much on their plates, including perhaps guilt, fear, doubt and grief. Their heads were spinning like plates on the end of the stick when his crucifixion came crashing down! Then Jesus appeared! Was it a ghost? They were frightened and feeling doubt about who this was and what this was that was before them.

Then Jesus stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” He just mysteriously appeared to them through the door. They were startled and terrified. They thought Jesus was a ghost. They all were doubting and not just Thomas in Luke’s gospel. Then Jesus said, “Why are you frightened, & have doubts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones.”

Then Jesus said, “Have you anything here to eat?” I don’t think he was really hungry as he hadn’t eaten since Thursday. I don’t think he was just dying for fish. It wasn’t that he was physically hungry but he wanted to prove something to them. So they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. I’d like to suggest that Jesus started the clean plate club. When Jesus ate the fish, it demonstrated that this was no ghost or a spiritual form because ghosts or spirit didn’t eat anything. Jesus was alive and the resurrected body ate in some manner. This was a sign that Jesus in this spiritual body was alive.

When the disciples gave Jesus a piece of fish on a plate, I think they also brought their doubt, sin, fears, grief and struggles as well. We all bring so much to this plate and to this table and at the end of this meal, we see that Jesus has consumed sin, death and the grave once and for all. Just like the empty tomb, the plate is empty too.[3]

Jesus offered them to a clean slate to start all over again. They were able to receive forgiveness because they repented, turned around and went out to lead this ministry of reconciliation for the sake of others!

Let us pray: Gracious God, we bring so much to this plate today. We have tried to fill our hunger in ways that do not satisfy. But you have been consumed our sin, death and grave once and for all. You have consumed our fears and doubts again and again; forever and ever and ever. Amen.

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[1] http://ezinearticles.com/?Eating-Out--Can-Be-Hazardous-To-Your-Waistline&id=135755

[2] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20825325/

[3] Living Lent, Creative Communications Lenten Program, 2008