Tossing and Turning: Fear
Deuteronomy 31:1-8 / Philippians 4:4-9
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I have really, really struggled with what to say today. Not because I don’t have things to say. Because—believe me—I always have things to say. But as the pastor of a church, the things I say and the things I don’t say matter. I am human and I won’t always get it right. But I try. But what I want you all to know before we dive into our text for today is that I love you and I will do my best to love all of you even if we don’t think/believe the same way. Yes, there are many among us who are upset, scared and fearful for the future after the election on Tuesday. I understand why. Yet, I also know that there are those, yes, maybe in our church and in our families who see a bright future ahead and are happy and hopeful. Can we all exist together and be the church together? Yes. Christ and Christ’s mission is what unites us. What I do know is that Christ calls us to build bridges, not walls. Christ calls us to minister to the least, the last, the lost, and the marginalized in this world—even when it is uncomfortable to do so. Christ calls us to break down unjust systems of oppression—no matter who is in office remains the same—to work for justice. To find common ground. To preach resurrection in a world that is filled with death and despair. Our job has not changed and will not change until Christ comes again. We will live our baptismal vows to accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
So, together, let’s work on that. There is plenty to keep us busy and doing God’s work. Amen? Amen.
Now, for our regularly scheduled sermon!
Today we begin a new sermon series exploring the things that keep us up at night, tossing and turning. As you can probably guess, I’ve been doing some tossing and turning myself lately with what to say/preach today! What are the things that keep you up at night? Worry? Fear? The Finances? Health? What does the future hold for me? Does the Bible even talk about that? Is God too big to worry about my everyday life concerns?
Over the next few weeks we will be exploring a few of the many reasons we've been up all night plagued by constant worry that runs through our minds. We will be naming some of the common things that keep us up at night that stress us out through the day the things that worry us to our core. And most importantly we're going to talk about our God who accompanies us through those nights.
First up...fear! I'm willing to guess that most of us have had an experience with fear at some point or another in our lives.
In one sense, of course, fear is a natural emotion for us to feel. Its’ like we have a built in panic button. It’s quite useful; it helps prepare the body for action, whether the action is fight or flight. The body needs to fight against an aggressor, or it needs to run away as fast as it can. Fear gives it that little extra burst of energy that helps it respond more quickly and decisively. And in that sense, we don’t want to discourage fear. People who have no fear often do foolish things.
But what we don’t want is to be paralyzed by fear. And most of all, we don’t want fear to stop us trusting in the love of God for us, and we don’t want it to stop us from loving one another and being there for one another.
One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 46. I’ve actually come back to the psalm over and over again this week and we used it in the Post-Election Prayer meeting. Psalm 46 was written in a time of fear. We’re not sure exactly when it was written, but Jerusalem was in danger of being overwhelmed by an enemy. We get the sense that the world was being shaken up; that strong kingdoms and powerful countries were tottering and falling. The psalmist’s world was being shaken to the foundations, which is what makes the psalmist’s faith in God so remarkable.
‘God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.’ (Psalm 46.1-7)
‘Therefore we will not fear.’ That’s an astounding thing to say! Of course, we all know that the Bible often tells us not to be afraid; it’s one of the most common statements in the Bible. But here’s the thing—how many of you find that to actually be helpful? I know that when I’m told to not be afraid I can’t help but immediately think: how do you stop yourself from being afraid? How? How? How?
But first… I like the fact that what so many translations of Psalm 46 actually say is not ‘we will not be afraid,’ but ‘we will not fear.’ To me, being afraid is something that happens to me. I don’t have a choice about it. It’s an emotion that hits me and gets my heart beating faster and the blood pumping around my body, so I’m ready to fight or run away, as need be. But ‘we will not fear’ sounds like a decision, not an emotion. It has to be a decision about what we do with the feeling. Do we let the afraid feeling take over? Or do we say what the psalmist said: “Right, the earth is shaking to its foundations, and the city is in real danger, but I’m going to roll up my sleeves, trust in God, and remember that God’s my refuge and strength. ‘The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge’ (v.7). ‘God is with us.’ Really.
But are we always aware that God is with us? Do we have a sense of God’s presence with us? Do we know how to rest in God’s love for us?
If we are unsure about this important promise then we can be really lost when times of trouble come, because no one else is up to God’s job. No human being, no matter how great they are, can give us what God can give us. So this is one thing we can do to lower our stress levels and stop fear from paralyzing us. We can intentionally take time to be aware of God’s presence with us. It is like a built in calm down button.
Example:
Maybe we can light a candle to remind us of the light of God’s presence with us. Intentionally taking time to be still with God is one way we can counteract our fear.
The other way is to love one another.
God is calling us to faith, love and trust. We are called to rest and be still in God’s presence. And God’s calling us to reach out to one another in love. In this way, even though we’ll be afraid, ‘we will not fear.’ No: we’ll trust God, and we’ll love each other “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
As we face the challenges of this week-whatever those challenges may be, every time fear grips you, imagine that God is with you, walking with you.
Together as the Body of Christ we can face our fears—whatever they may be—knowing God is with us and we have one other as we journey this road together. Fear will not paralyze us. We will trust. We will love. And we will not lose hope. May it be so. Amen
All Saints’ Day: At Home With God
Revelation 21:1-6a / John 11:32-44
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Today is All Saints’ Day when we remember the Saints, those in our lives who’ve died and have joined the church triumphant. This is a day we celebrate their lives, remember their lives and give thanks to God for the ways they helped us make us who we are as individuals and as a church.
Friends, death is not easy. It is personal. It is real. It is hard.
The names we will read later in the service, represent serious and real voids for those who have lost a loved one during the year. I wanted to name this reality for us and know that this is a safe place to be.
This morning we’ve heard from two—pretty familiar texts from the Gospel of John and the book of Revelation. We hear of a new heaven and a new earth. Mary crying, (Martha) stating the facts, Jesus weeping and then bringing a dead man back to life.
These are our images, our companions, for All Saints. They situate us in the tension between now and what is to come, and they ground us in the glorious truth that God has made, is making, and will make God’s home among us. God is in the business of moving into the neighborhood of humanity. In the joys and the sorrows, in the peaceful times and in the crisis moments, God sticks it out right alongside us. Thanks be to God!
First, let’s dig into our Gospel reading from John. In it we have the shortest passage in the bible: Jesus wept. Jesus wept. 2 simple words. Words that have a way to connect our humanity with Jesus’ humanity. In Jesus—we have God incarnate—the Word made flesh. Divine. And yet human—with emotions. Emotions that each of us have.
Perhaps, today, on All Saints’ Day, in Jesus’ tears we find the freedom, the permission, to weep for our own losses. We need to give space for that as we worship today. Tears and sadness as we remember those saints in our lives- are not to be seen as lack of faith or hope. No, we can hold both things together, grief and hope. Joy and sadness often sit side by side in our hearts and in our communities. The heart of Christianity is the trust that even in the deepest sorrow and thickest darkness, there is light and love and hope. And it comes from the witness of scripture, beginning to end: the history of God’s people down through many centuries, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the history of the church.
The heart of Christianity is also the trust that God is with us through it all. There is light, love and hope through Jesus. Jesus, who knows what it is like to be angry, frustrated, and grief stricken. Jesus, who weeps for his friends. And Jesus who performs this incredible miracle so that they might believe—that they may have hope. What an incredible text for us today!
And then we have our text from the book of Revelation. Many people prefer to ignore the book of Revelation. It makes us nervous with its bizarre and frightening imagery. One way to try and make sense of the text is to know the context—when and why the book of Revelation was written. We do know that it was written by a man named John decades, maybe more, after the life and death of Jesus, a man who was exiled, in a prison cell, a cave actually on the Greek Island of Patmos. We know that the book is actually a letter he wrote to several small Christian communities. We know that they were undergoing fierce persecution by Rome at the moment. That is who John was writing to, communities that had very real fears. And because of that danger he uses the wildest, most bizarre and creative symbols he can think of. His readers know who he means when he describes the great beast. It is Rome. They know what he means by a New Jerusalem, a beautiful city of peace and security and wholeness descending from heaven: the old Jerusalem is a pile of rubble, having been destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.
John tells them that there is light in the midst of their current darkness, that the absolute power in the universe is not Rome, it is God, a God of mercy and peace and compassion and love. And ever since, his words of comfort and hope have inspired people in trouble, people oppressed and to people facing the reality of death. Such words of comfort! And I could end my sermon right here. But…
But there is also a call and a vision for us…as John shares his vision with the churches in Asia Minor—his message is true for us as well. Perhaps if we are to be the New Jerusalem where God is at home among us, we must put an end to the violence in our homes, cities, countries, and world. In the New Jerusalem we embody the unity God dreams for us.
You might be thinking that this is impossible. Maybe it is impossible to change the whole world all at once. However, it is not impossible to change ourselves and the way we embody Christ. There is no room for fear, hatred, and violence. We live in such a divided world and a divided country. This presidential election has shown us just how much. It is heartbreaking on so many levels. We don’t know what will happen on Tuesday or Wednesday and the days that follow. No matter what the results reveal we must remember that Jesus hated no one and sought to bring healing and hope to all he encountered. How will we do the same?
We must love. We must love-through it all. Perhaps then we will be close to the Kingdom, the New Jerusalem, and God will truly be at home among us.
May it be so. Amen
Walking with Jesus: Let Me See
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Have you ever walked through your neighborhood with someone who has never been there before? If not, try it sometime. It’s eye opening as to what a new person will notice about your street that you just don’t pay attention to anymore.
Perhaps that’s a bit like how the crowd felt when Jesus stopped and responded to Bartimaeus in today’s text (Mark 10:46-52). Had the crowd gotten so used to Bartimaeus’ shouting that they’d neglected to actually pay attention to what he was saying? How many times had he called out for mercy, only to be ignored? Now, maybe that’s not fair because there are times people choose to not pay attention because they feel helpless and noticing would require them to do something.
How much like the crowd are we? How much like Bartimaeus are we? And perhaps we are a combination of the two? Some of us might be struggling to see and feel seen, hear and be heard, know and feel known. This text can talk to each of us wherever we find ourselves today.
The story of Blind Bartimaeus acts as a bookend in Mark’s gospel. It closes out a long section that began back in chapter eight, when Jesus healed another blind man. And here we are in Chapter 10 where we’ve been walking with Jesus this month. The itinerary Jesus and his disciples have been following, as they travel from Galilee to Jerusalem, has been quite eventful.
They start off on this 85-mile hike, stopping outside Capernaum long enough for Jesus to teach about divorce and welcome the children who come to him. But they are soon on the road again, when they run into the rich young ruler, and Jesus tells them how difficult it will be for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven.
As if that weren’t upsetting enough to his disciples, Jesus goes on to explain – for the third time since that first blind man was healed – how he will be arrested, beaten, and killed, once they get to Jerusalem. But on toward Jerusalem they go, and along the way, James and John ask a special favor of Jesus – which doesn’t make them very popular with the other disciples – and Jesus takes the opportunity to teach them how those who would be great must become servants of all.
In the span of forty-five verses, we’ve travelled from Capernaum to Jericho, just 15 miles from Jerusalem. This is where we finally meet the blind son of Timaeus, begging beside the road.
This healing story can be found in in all 4 gospels. Matthew, Luke, and John mention this healing just like Mark does. However, there is one big difference: the man remains anonymous in Matthew, Luke and John. In Mark, he has a name: Bartimaeus. Here are a few other important facts:
This is the last healing Jesus performs on his way to Jerusalem and the cross.
Bartimaeus address Jesus as ‘Son of David’ and not think much about it. However, ‘Son of David’ is a messianic title. The blind man ironically is the one who sees Jesus for who he is, and he is the only one to profess it publicly. (Peter confessed before, but that was private)
Jesus asks Bartimaeus the same question he has just asked (remember last week?) to James and John: “What do you want me to do for you?” Can you imagine?! Can you imagine Jesus standing in front of you asking what you want him to do for you?
“Let me see again.” Not, solve all my problems, or make bad things go away. Let me see again. Then from there, I’ll follow you. From there, I’ll let your will become my will as I daily search out the path that you would have me walk. Let me see again, so that I can be about the business of opening eyes to who you are and what you have to offer this world that clings to its blindness. Let me see again, so that I can find you whenever I need to. “Let me see again.”
Whether we have 20/20 vision, or need glasses, don’t we all have problems seeing when it comes to matters of faith?
How many of us, I wonder, are just sitting beside the road? Silenced by fear or embarrassment or shame? How would you respond to Jesus’ question? What is it that Jesus needs to heal in you so you can follow along the way? What do you need to hear from God to open yourself to the truth of God’s love? It’s not always easy to give voice to our deepest need. It can be frightening to speak the truth aloud. And even when we do, there are often those ready to shush us and tell us to be quiet.
Yet like Bartimaeus, we are invited to open our eyes to see our neighbors, to see ourselves, to see God’s glory! When we truly open our eyes, we might be surprised by what we see. If we, like Bartimaeus, allow Jesus to open our eyes we may see a path laid out before us that we never considered. We may find ourselves following Jesus all the way to the cross.
Jesus asks all of us, “What do you want me to do for you?” Be careful with your response. It’s a dangerous question. It could just change your life.
We could learn from one who was blind but now sees. He said: Let me see…and nothing was ever the same. Amen
Walking with Jesus: Not to Be Served
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When you listen to scripture being read, or when you read it yourself, does anyone else try to see which character you identify with the most? If so, you might not want to do that practice with today’s text. At least that is how I feel! We probably don’t want to think the idea that we might share some similarities with James and John. They are far from great examples this week.
A few verses before our text, we hear about how Jesus was telling the disciples about his impending death. It just feels icky that after Jesus talks about being killed, that James and John go up to him and say, “Give us the best seats in the house!” They did privately, you notice. Mark says, “When the ten heard this,” they freaked out. So, James and John basically snuck around and asked Jesus this when the others weren’t listening. Who knows, maybe the others wandered off after Jesus talked about going to Jerusalem to die, and James and John seized the moment and cornered Jesus.
They started with, “We want you to do whatever we ask.” Are you kidding? Can you imagine asking someone this question (out loud!)?
This is just an ugly moment for two members of the inner circle of disciples. Right? I mean none of us wants to admit that we, too, might be seeking popularity and power but perhaps we do. Maybe we are more similar to the disciples in this moment than we wish we were.
Here at church there are some of us searching for our place with determination and enthusiasm that may (or may not!) be a little misguided or misplaced. Some of us are waiting on the sidelines, longing for someone to invite them to step into their role and find their place in the community. There might even be some conflict simmering under the surface as people misunderstand and misinterpret one another. This is what happens sometimes when we humans get together.
What does Jesus do? How does Jesus respond to James and John in this moment? I want to focus on how Jesus responds to this less-than-stellar moment for the two disciples. With incredible patience, he explains to them what’s involved here. “You don’t know what you’re asking,” he says to them. Weren’t you listening? Well, apparently, they were, they nod their heads with enthusiasm and say, ”Yep, we can do it!” “Are you able,” he asks. “Yes, we are able,” Here’s the amazing bit. Jesus agrees with them. Whether he means the inevitability of persecution that will fall on them all, or he sees something of significance in the two of them who will be part of a movement that changes the world, it is hard to say in this moment. But Jesus treats them with more kindness than most of us would have in this moment.
And then when the incident blows up into the rest of the group, Jesus calms everyone down with a teachable moment on what it means to lead. He says we can look around and see all kinds of authority, many ways of using power. But that’s not how we function. That’s not the model we follow. Instead, I’m showing you what it means to exercise ultimate power. We do it by setting ourselves aside. We do it by serving. It is not a means of getting to the top, of achieving a personal goal. Instead, it is a way of being. Service is a way of living.
Today, we have 8 new people joining the church as and we heard earlier in the service they are promising (and we remember our promises) to support the church with our Prayers, Presence, Gifts, SERVICE, and Witness. Did you hear it? SERVE. And we recommitted ourselves that those very same things as members of this church.
Friends, along this walk with Jesus we are all searching for a place to belong. So, where do start? How do we do this?
Jesus, as usual, gives us a good place to start. We serve. We realign ourselves toward service with one another, our community, and our world—Service in partnership with one another and God, service that values one another and the gifts we bring, service that is sustainable through the ebbs and flows of our lives because we do it together.
I am continually amazed at the opportunities God has given us to serve our community and world!
Whether it is through our Sunday Dinner Ministry—serving up over 80 meals to those in need on our given week.
Or whether it is serving with the Beyond These Walls team as minister neighbors at Sanctuary House or Francis Center.
Or whether you serve at Learning Links helping to tutor kids or spend a Saturday working on a Habitat House.
Or whether you serve alongside another Church/ministry such as Asbury Outreach Center give your time to a local school.
Or whether you’re singing with a choir to bring to the love of God to those in nursing homes—like our Joyful Noise Choir did this week.
Or maybe it will be working with/helping refugees in our area. The opportunities are endless.
Fairport UMC, Jesus’ words are meant to be life-giving to us. We each have so much to share. We bring incredible gifts to the world. It’s not about who is best—who does it better—who does it more. It is about using what we have and sharing it with the world-TOGETHER.
On this leg of the journey with Jesus, let’s take time to pray and celebrate the ways God is already at work and will continue to work among us! Today I thank God for James and John who help Jesus make his point. Perhaps we shouldn’t be too hard on them. We need a few good bad examples, some might say. Or maybe our example should be the one who didn’t come to serve but who gave his life so that we might have life. Amen
Walking with Jesus: Camels and Needles
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End of the year check-in! That is right. We are in the last 2 months of our church year! Advent is not that far away and Advent begins another new year. Today is the 21st Sunday after Pentecost and we are in what is called ordinary time and we might immediately think of the season as such-ordinary. But that understanding doesn’t reflect the true meaning of the season.
Ordinary, in this context, comes from the Latin term ordinalis, meaning ‘numbered’ or ‘ruled’. This title simply refers to the ongoing and rhythmical nature of the season. Just like everyday life, there is a rhythm to the days and the weeks in the church year. Christmas Time and Easter Time focus/highlight on the mysteries of our faith, the incarnation, death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, and the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Sundays and weeks of Ordinary Time, on the other hand, take us through the life of Christ. (https://stjoesmhd.com/ordinary-time)
This is a time of growing for us. Instead of being observers of the life of Christ---why not walk WITH him? During this long season maybe, we need a little exercise. So, let’s take a walk with Jesus this October
Walking with Jesus is not only good for the body, but is also good for the mind as Jesus often asks us to stretch our thinking into new possibilities and new understandings. Our walk with Jesus is also good for our senses, as we are invited to see what we had overlooked before, to hear the cries from those often kept silent, and to feel a connection with those in our community whether they are already a part of our church or not. We’re exercising our faith as we walk, faith that allows us to see the Spirit at work in us and around us all the time.
Walking with Jesus is both a spiritual journey and a way of life that invites us to embody His teachings, values, and love in the everyday moments of our lives. It is a path of discipleship marked by a commitment to living out the gospel in a world that often pulls us in the opposite direction. Our text today, which we find in the gospel of Mark, Jesus encounters the rich young ruler who asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus challenges him to go beyond mere obedience to the commandments by selling all he owns and giving to the poor. The young man’s sorrowful departure reveals the tension between worldly attachments and God’s call to radical discipleship. This encounter with Jesus on our walk presents us with an opportunity to wrestle with the complicated relationship we have with wealth in meaningful and life-giving ways.
Let’s take a second here to reflect for a moment on the sermons and teachings you’ve received about this text in the past. The Camel and the Needle. Was it used to condemn and even shame people with wealth? Was it used to promote certain attitudes about having money? How did it challenge you or help you to wrestle with wealth?
I’m definitely not here to shame anyone. But I do hope that today, as we walk with Jesus, think about what it means to embrace his life-giving ways and how we might be able to do that.
Jesus calls the rich young man to let go of his possessions, not because possessions are inherently bad, but because they can blind us to God's abundance. The church today is called to resist the temptation of consumerism, wealth accumulation, and individualism, which echo the world’s scarcity mentality. Christ invites us to trust in the abundance that God provides.
So, what would it look like to live into God’s abundance and moving from a mindset of scarcity, where we hold tightly to resources out of fear, to a mindset of abundance, where we trust that God provides enough for all. Maybe we start by trying to see the world through God’s eyes—a world where generosity flows, where the community shares, and where all are taken care of-and ways we can be a part of that!
Jesus knew that was he was asking of people—including this young man—was hard! And so he starts with LOVE. In Mark 10:21, before challenging the young man, it says, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” That love is constant, even when we struggle to let go of the things that weigh us down. The church may wrestle with materialism, fear of not having enough, or the pressure to conform to societal values, but Jesus loves the church still. We can acknowledge how Jesus looks at the community—full of compassion, knowing our weaknesses, but still calling us forward in love.
There are ways we already see glimpses of God’s economy in our communities: when the church comes together to support a family in need, when we choose to prioritize justice over comfort, or when we share our resources with those who have less. These are moments when we let go of “stuff” and live in a way that God says is life-giving. And as we let go of the weight of stuff, we become lighter, freer to follow Jesus with open hands. That is what we try to do here at the church as we are stewards of the resources we have. We try using our resources not just to sustain our own day to day operations but to fuel missions of mercy, justice, and reconciliation in the world. And I have to say we do a pretty good job! We are not perfect, though. Our church property, our money, and our possessions are tools for transformation!
After reading/thinking about this text we may feel like what Jesus is asking us is impossible. In the end, Jesus reminds us that what is impossible for humans is possible with God (Mark 10:27). When the church embraces this truth, we stop relying on the power of wealth or material security and instead lean into the abundance of God's kingdom, where we are rich not in possessions, but in love, mercy, and grace. Walking with Jesus is a lifelong journey of transformation. It is about becoming more like Christ every day, learning to love, serve, and trust as He did. It’s a path marked by grace, where we fall, but always find His hand reaching out to help us up again. It’s a journey that ultimately leads us deeper into God's love and calls us to share that love with the world around us. May it be so. Amen
For Such a Time as This
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The Book of Esther holds so much within it. For those of you who might not be familiar with the story, or even if you are but haven’t heard it in a long time, it’s one that bears repeating. So a quick summary:
The Israelites are under the rule of the Persian Empire. King Ahasuerus, the Persian King, chooses young Esther to be his queen after dismissing his first queen, Vashti, for her disobedience. This is a time when women were essentially property in the eyes of the law and of the people. They had little to no say in who they married or how their lives may turn out, and yet, we read stories of women, like Esther, who prevail even under such an oppressive culture.
See, Esther is a Jewish orphan who was raised by her cousin Mordecai, but the King and the court do not know her Jewish identity. Now around the same time, a man named Haman is promoted within the kingdom and essentially becomes the king’s second in command. With that honor, he begins expecting people to bow down before him. But Mordecai refuses to do so as he is a Jew. So, when Haman learns that Mordecai is Jewish, Haman begins to plot the destruction of all the Jews living within the Persian Empire.
Mordecai learns of Haman’s plans, and in a conversation with Esther, convinces Esther to advocate for her people by approaching the king. Esther is risking her own life by choosing to do this, but she succeeds, and a young girl who happens to have access to the king, who happens to be in the right place at the right time, is able to save an entire people.
This is the story of Esther. A beautiful woman in a man’s world, she rises in royal favor, saves the King’s life (earlier in Esther). She maneuvers through the politics of court and eliminates a mortal threat to her own people. The shows extraordinary courage in identifying with her people and uncovering “wicked” Haman’s plot to kill the Jews.
By the end of the story we hear, “Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail” (9:29-32) --as proudly Jewish as she is proudly regal, feared by all under the king, immortalized in the canon of Scripture, and celebrated by Jesus for millennia. (Feasting on the Word, pg. 100)
Church, this is a powerful story. It is a story that never, once, mentions the name of God, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t all through it! It is a story of courage and hope. It is also a story that serves as the narrative source for Purim, the most joyous festival of the Jewish year. Esther conveys a message that is consistent with the entire biblical witness: the survival and salvation of God’s people—remembered and reenacted through celebrative ritual. (Feasting on the Word, pg. 98)
When we take a deeper look at Esther, she is being asked to act in a situation that she neither created nor asked for. And she is, at first, reluctant. Can you blame her?? Much like Esther, our lives today are filled with unjust circumstances and oppressive situations that we have neither asked for nor directly created.
It’s easy to feel like there’s nothing we can or should do AND perhaps, every once in a while, we still wonder: Where is God in this story? What’s God doing about these injustices? And when is God finally going to show up and change everything?
There is an old Hopi Indian saying that goes: “Perhaps we are the very ones we have been waiting for.” Perhaps we are not to sit idly by, waiting for God to show up and make a difference or give us some huge and obvious sign that tells us exactly what to do. Perhaps we are the very ones whom God will use even with our doubts and our uncertainties and our questions. That is the very case when it comes to Esther.
We know that the world isn’t as it should be, and there are steps – even small baby steps – that we can all take to set it just a little more right.
Perhaps we have been given the privilege to act, to be a doer and to participate in the ushering in of God’s kingdom. God chooses us, calls us, and claims us to do this work. Mordecai says, “For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but … who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for such a time as this.”
Perhaps we have been placed in this very time, in this very place, in your very workplace, in your very neighborhood, in your school, for such a time as this. And maybe, just maybe, we have the privilege of being used as an instrument of God to help those who might need it most.
None of us has the power to change all the injustice in our world. To try to do so would be overwhelming. Yet today we are reminded that even a young woman like Esther, with her life in danger and with the very little power, still took whatever leverage she had to help save her people. She didn’t know if her plan would work. She wasn’t sure that this is even what God wanted because she didn’t get a burning bush or some voice from the heavens. And yet, she chose to advocate for those without a voice. She finds her voice. She speaks. History is changed. Perhaps that is our call.
No matter what we do for a living; no matter how old or how young we are; no matter how much or how little experience we have, we are called for such a time as this. I believe this community can help one another discern and act where and when we see the need. I believe we can encourage one another to be filled with hope and courage when the road seems hopeless and frightening.
Where do we see a need in our world today? What is God calling us to do or say this coming week? How can we do good in this moment?
Have you ever asked yourself why you were born at this particular time in history, in this particular country, in this specific part of the country? What is your purpose here? What is God seeking to do through you that God can do through no one else?
Living a Life for Others
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When strangers meet, there is a fairly standard ritual followed as they seek to get acquainted. It begins with the name, of course. Then follow the questions:
Where do you live?
Are you married and do you have a family?
Where are you from?
What is your job?
Where did you go to school?
What do you like to do?
Do you like the Bills? ☺
A stranger turns into an acquaintance and we get a sense of who the other person is when we get some context! And then as the relationship continues there are other that we might learn, like:
The values that shape their decisions and behavior.
Whether they are trustworthy, have integrity and how they treat others—do they treat others with dignity and compassion?
An acquaintance can turn into a friend and maybe into a life long friend—or even framily (this term comes from my daughter’s 4th grade teacher that means friends who become family.)
And as we know—there are always some things we will never know. Even two people who have been together for years will find there are surprises every now and then and new insights to be gained. I learned this on summer vacation as my mother stated “You can be married to a man for 50 years and still learn something new!” She was referring to my father who all of a sudden loves spicy hot foods.
Let’s keep these thoughts about relationships in mind when diving into our text in the gospel of Mark. First, some context. Mark shows us a scene that takes place a bit of time after Jesus and his disciple have begun their relationship with each other. Their relationship has had some time to develop. Jesus begins this moment in their life together by asking them what they have heard people say about him. People obviously have been talking about him, because the disciples have something to report! Then Jesus asks them a critical question: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answers! From what he has come to know of Jesus, from what he has seen Jesus do, for what he has heard Jesus say, he affirms, “You are the Messiah.” We explored this very scene not that long ago-during lent as we journeyed with Peter and Jesus to the cross. He can share that Jesus is the Messiah because of all that Peter has learned thus far.
And on the basis of our relationship with Jesus, on the basis of what we have come to know of him in Scripture and in and through our faith community — and world — we make our own assessment and judgement of who he is. There are many titles we use, or descriptions we can use. We too can call him Christ or Messiah. We can call him Lord, Savior Master, Friend, Teacher, Prophet, Son of God, Redeemer. There are so many other titles!
When Peter exclaims that Jesus is the Messiah, he may have the title right but the wrong understanding of that that title means. When Jesus shares that he will suffer and be rejected and be killed, Peter does not want to hear any of that. He is looking for a Messiah who will establish God’s rule with power and authority and who will bring his followers glory and reward. So, while Peter got the answer right, his understanding is still a bit off.
We can express our understanding of who Jesus is for us in many different ways as we live out our lives; but we need to do this with humility and with an openness to understand that we may not fully understand the title we give to him. What does it mean, really mean, when we call Jesus our Savior? What does it mean for us if we call Jesus the Son of God? What does it mean for us to call Jesus our Messiah?
Jesus tells Peter that he is getting it wrong because he is not setting his mind on divine things but on human things. And to be honest, yes, he is! HE is human. We are human and we all bring with us the human perspective. But Jesus is telling us that we can set our minds on divine things. He has been showing us and modeling that for us. In and through Christ, God enables us to find a way that is different from the way of the world, enables us to discern how life is fulfilled as God intends, enables us to live by values that are not the world’s norm.
Jesus essentially put God’s perspective in front of us today—that the way to find life is to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him into a life of serving, and giving and sacrificing. Then the hope and promise: “those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”
So, Fairport UMC. Who do you say Jesus is? And what kind of life are we living? Are we living our lives the way Jesus describes? A life that is cross shaped? A life focused on others? I know, this teaching is a hard one. Really hard.
As disciples, our journey is ultimately about becoming more and more like Christ. And we do this through grace. We believe that God’s call to live that kind of Christ-centered life is given to us here and now. This work of God’s grace in us is a sneak preview of heaven that blesses us (and others through us) on our way there. How beautiful is that?
Taking up our cross and losing our life means we will have to change our usual routines. It is no longer business as usual. The life and well-being of “the other” now sets our priorities, guides our decisions, and determines our actions. It’s what we see in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Losing our lives is not the end of life. It wasn’t for was Jesus and it’s not for us. It is, rather, the beginning of a new life, a more authentic life, an Easter life – a life that looks more like Jesus’ life. Who are we living for these days? May we leave this place to show the world who we are really living for.
Amen
Opening our Hearts to God
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Today’s passage from the gospel of Mark provides us with two powerful examples of individuals who, despite their differences and challenges, opened their hearts to God. I think Mark places these two stories side-by-side for a reason. And this reason centers on an interesting word in the passage, a word that itself needs to be translated because Mark chose to preserve Jesus’ original language when he wrote it down. That word is “Ephphatha”: Be opened. Openness is the key to these two encounters and one that I’d like us to think about today because openness is one of the keys to our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. Or---it perhaps it should be. An openness to God’s healing and grace, an openness to possibilities, an openness to one’s self and to our neighbor’s. Open verses being closed off.
For many years, faithful readers of scripture have had more trouble with the story of Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman than almost any other story in the Gospel. And this was for good reason. Jesus does not get a free pass here. He is calling this woman a dog. It is likely he was aware of the economic hardship that many Jews in the region of Tyre experienced due to the exploits of the Gentile landowners and his rebuff of the woman may well have reflected this. Her faith in Jesus’ healing power takes him by surprise. It was probably even shocking! She accepts his priority of ministering first to the people of Israel, yet she is not satisfied with this. Her faith calls forth a larger vision of God’s mission to the Gentiles. Jesus immediately recognized the God-given wisdom of her words, changes his mind and commends her outspokenness. (Feasting on the Word).
I imagine Jesus standing there, dazed for a minute, then realizing how closed off he is being, how stuck in a cultural norm, how unlike his usual self who is always pushing boundaries and interacting with outsiders. This woman helps Jesus remember who he is! Could it be that SHE opens Jesus’ heart?
The beauty of living a life of openness is illustrated in the next encounter. People bring to Jesus a man who cannot hear and can hardly talk. Jesus looks him over, touches him, and says, “Ephphatha”: Be opened. Immediately, the man is able to hear and speak. Jesus could have said any number of things to heal this man. Or he didn’t have to say anything at all. And yet the word he chooses is a word of openness. That word has many layers, right? I’m thinking that Jesus was thinking about his interaction with the Syrophoenician woman and says Ephphatha in all of its meanings.
Be open. Really open. Jesus, the word who became flesh to live among us, was on a mission, and still is, to open the world’s eyes and ears, but also to open the world’s hearts, to soften them, so that the voice of God could be heard, with the ears of our heart.
Our hearts are not necessarily soft these days—one crazy news story after another, and our ears are hard of hearing. So, what do we do? What did Jesus do? In the case of the deaf man, it was pretty simple, really. Jesus took him aside, put his fingers into his ears, spat and touched his tongue. Then he looked up to heaven, sighed, and said, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
How can Jesus open our hearts? How does Jesus open our hearts, so that we can hear his good news, not just with our ears, but with our hearts?
For many of us we find ourselves open to receive God’s grace through our life together as a community of faith. When we come to church to learn. When we join a small group and learn together. Through Sunday school and youth group. We open ourselves to receive God’s grace when we serve other people and work for justice. We open ourselves to receive God’s grace when we come to worship and we pray together, sing together, listen together…and for many of us—music helps us to be open to God’s grace.
And so today we have an opportunity to say thank you to someone who has helped us as a church for 25 years to open our hearts to God through worship and music. Nicole, you have left an incredible mark on this faith community. Thank you.
Let us be a church where we see, and hear and experience people who have been touched by Jesus. Let us a be a church where we remind one another over and over what being open looks like! For when we open our hearts to God—we can let God fill us to overflowing with grace, healing and hope. We can then share that with the world. We, like those who witnessed the healings in our text today, won’t be able to remain silent! “People were overcome with wonder.” Fairport UMC may we be overcome with wonder! May it be so!
Amen.
Stay Strong in the Lord
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The writer Flannery O’Conner reportedly once said, “You shall know the truth and the truth will make you odd.” She was playing with the scripture verse where Jesus says, “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.” To be sure, there is freedom in knowing the truth of the Gospel. But to really know that truth, to really live the Gospel, will also make us odd. I mean, the fact that you, on a Sunday morning at 9:30 am are worshiping makes you different than most of the population. The meaning of odd: different from what is usual or expected; strange. Bring it on! Perhaps embracing it will bring us a sense of freedom that leads to the abundant life Jesus offers.
Our reading for today comes from the end of the letter where Paul tells the church to stand firm in the Christian faith and life, and in the battle against the spiritual forces of wickedness. As Paul says,
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
After last week’s passage from Ephesians where Paul was talking in pretty down-to-earth language about how to lead a moral life so to have this shift in his writing is a bit jarring! A bit odd! Remember last week and our “rules for living”? Then, in today’s passage, Paul shifts, rather abruptly, to talk about the “wiles of the devil,” the “spiritual forces of wickedness,” and our need to stay strong in a cosmic battle. www.episcopalchurch.org/sermon/the-truth-will-make-us-odd
I think most of us can agree that there is evil-and injustice in the world—a force that seems against all that is good and loving. It’s out there. Our world is marred by violence, arrogance, greed and injustice. And we grieve the ways the “spiritual forces of evil” which the Paul wrote about still wreak havoc in our world today--the powers and principalities that oppose the things that God is about-- justice and peace.
When I first read this text years ago I did not love it—mostly because of the spiritual warfare imagery (which I think has been used to make people come to faith out of fear) and military language or armor/war—it just didn’t sit right with me due to our harmful past as Christians and the countless people killed in the name of Christianity.
But when you really look at this text—Yes, this is a military image but the pieces of the armor stand for very unmilitary things.
The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes to proclaim the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. We are equipped with truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, spirit.
It might not seem like enough to fight a battle (for if we think about it many of are fighting battles—sometimes battles no one even knows about) …and we are assured that it is enough. We know---that through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus—victory over sin and death is already ours!
This is all good news! But how does this affect our lives here and now? Because, yes, we have victory in Jesus but we still have to live in a world that is far from perfect and still wreaking havoc and real harm for many people. What do we do? When this text was written, the point was how do you fight the powers that be, such as the Roman army that has real soldiers with real weapons? Rome was a powerful force. The answer: You don’t put on weapons at all. The armor of God are all the tools of nonviolent resistance. Truth, justice, peace, salvation, faith and trust.
You confront the powers of violence with trust in God. You resist. You stand firm. You don’t give in. You don’t comply. But you also don’t use violence. We will fight against racism, sexism, poverty and every form of oppression. As we fight, we will choose compassion, we will choose hope, we will choose forgiveness, we will choose life. We will put on the full armor of God and live in truth and righteousness and peace and faith and salvation and the spirit. And in our world today, this will make us odd- different from what is usual or expected; strange. But we are called to do it anyway. And we are called to be strong in the Lord- Through it all.
That little phrase, “in the Lord”, is very important, for the Lord is the source of all true strength. Paul does not merely say, “be strong”, but “be strong in the Lord”. We are not strong in ourselves. Any strength that we do have is from God.
When I started ministry there was no lack of advice given to me—one which was if you want to make it in ministry, Richelle, you’ve got to be strong. You’re going to have to grow thick skin! Yet, when I tried--- when I’d toughen up, I became cynical and less sensitive to God and the people around me. The thick skin ----insulating myself from some of the very people I’m to serve was counterproductive. This text has become a personal mantra for me over the years as I encounter difficult times in my personal life—or in church life---or in the world around me. It’s not our job to protect ourselves with thicker skin. That makes us indifferent to the world and people around us. Instead, we need to prayerfully put on the armor God has given us. We can stand firm---not on our own---not by growing thicker skin—but knowing that God has our back. God has given us the most perfect gifts to equip us. That is where our source of strength is-- in Christ. Not in ourselves or what we can muster up. We are strong in the Lord. And that makes all the difference.
Amen
Making the Most of Our Time
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We live in a world that sometimes (ok, a lot of the time) feels out of control. The news is filled with crises after crises and it can be overwhelming. It's easy to feel like we're just passengers on a runaway train, unable to influence the direction of our lives or the world around us. Yet, amidst this chaos, the author of Ephesians offers a counter-narrative: we have purpose---encouragement to make the most of our time.
We hear, "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." These words are really as relevant today as they were in the first century. We live in days marked by injustice, inequality, and a pervasive sense of spiritual emptiness/confusion. But rather than give in to despair, Paul calls us to be wise, to be intentional, and to seize the opportunities before us. Sounds even a bit like our baptismal vows to “resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.”
We can’t ignore the challenges we face-and the challenges we see in the world. We are called to respond and live out our faith --faith that equips us to respond with love, courage, compassion, and hope.
Let’s consider TIME for a minute.
Time is fascinating. Clocks and calendars are concrete things. And sometimes time can be so relative. Some things seem to take forever, while others pass in the blink of an eye. When I started here Karis was starting kindergarten. If a few weeks she is off to middle school. Time flies! Then there was 2020-2021---seemed as if it lasted forever. Last night Tom gave the adults an opportunity to practice meditation for 10 minutes. I would suspect that for some of us it was a welcomed quick 10 minutes and or some it seemed like an hour! Time!!! Time slid through my hands this week as I caught up on all kinds of thing church related after vacation! When I was pregnant 9 months seemed to be a long time and a short time all at once! Time!
How do we use it wisely as Ephesians tells us? How do we make the most of our time?
Since many of us are back to school mode---In school, I remember teachers giving us assignments to complete in certain amounts of time and reminding us to “use time wisely!” – in other words, we needed to get down to work to make sure the task was complete. It’s a valuable life skill to be sure.
Time, you see, is also a theological concept. In Greek, this is reflected by the use of two different words to recognize time. The first, chronos, as in the root of our word chronological, talks about sequential and ordered time. The second, kairos, is the one we find in our text today from Ephesians, which gets at something bigger. Namely, it calls us to consider time as the right, critical, or opportune moment, particularly in relation to God’s timing and purpose.
We have been given the gift of “time” from God, but it’s up to us to make it into something purposeful: moving from chronos to kairos.
We do that by being filled with the Holy Spirit and allowing the Holy Spirit to give us what we need to help build a better community and world-to bring about more peace and justice-to love God and our neighbor with all of our being.
When we are filled with the spirit—we make a beautiful song as our hearts overflow with love. Being filled with the Spirit means our hearts speak to others with love and encouragement and indeed it is a beautiful song to the Lord—a sweet, sweet melody!
Being filled with the Spirit is also being filled with thanksgiving during good times and bad times. Gratefulness must pour from our hearts.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles
In laughter, in strife
In five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?
This song is from the popular musical Rent. The answer is in the chorus: Measure in love-Seasons of love-Seasons of love
Perhaps that is the answer when we boil it all down. We make the most of our time---by loving.
“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
As long as ever you can.”― John Wesley
For however many seasons we are blessed with—may we love deeply. Amen.