Luther rose colored glasses

Ashes to Go.

2013-02-21T18:22:06Z

Ashes to go.

(Originally published on February 21, 2013 at ELM's blog here: Guest Blogger: Cary Bass)

This past Ash Wednesday, I had a real experience with public on-the-street street ministry on behalf of my internship congregation, Christ Church Lutheran. For the first time in the life of the congregation, Pastor Steve Sabin (at right) decided to try Ashes to Go on the street in San Francisco. It was an interesting experiment in being public witnesses to God's call.

We started out from our midday service, and without removing our vestments we waited for the 66 MUNI bus. Even before the bus arrived a woman asked for imposition of ashes. Steve performed the rite, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return," and blessed her and she went on her way.

When the 66 bus arrived we hopped aboard it and traveled to 9^th and Irving Street (at left) in the Inner Sunset, a district with trendy shops and eateries adjoining the UCSF Medical Center. As we arrived we started to stand on the same corner that some people who were getting signatures for a petition. We decided it would probably be better to move to a different corner so as not to create too much competition among those looking to engage the public in some manner or another.

Surprisingly enough, one gentleman who was signing people up for Greenpeace crossed over to our corner to engage us in conversation about what we were doing. Although he wasn't interested in receiving ashes, he was familiar enough with the practice, having been brought up Roman Catholic.

Our reception was phenomenal. Over the course of an hour and a half, we had over fifty people come up to us to receive ashes in the form of a cross on their forehead. People from all walks of life, young and old, men and women, of all different colors. Roman Catholics as well as non-Roman Catholics, people who weren't sure they were going to make it to church later, people who hadn't been to church in years. A number of people who chose not to receive ashes made it a point to inform us that they were happy to see us there. A few people who didn't receive it thanked us for reminding them that it was Ash Wednesday and they would be making it to worship services later. People were also surprised that we were there, not looking for something in return but in order to give something out.

We certainly garnished a lot more attention than those looking for petition signatures on the other corners. And by the time we left 9th and Irving at 2:45, the other corners had cleared out.

After that, we made our way to Castro and Market to try our luck in the heart of San Francisco's historic "Gay district." There were no small number of people who were skeptical about our presence there, especially in a place where the presence of clergy in public traditionally meant that they were going to be yelled at in public to repent of their sins or face certain damnation. Nobody, was, however, outright hostile, and there were at least twenty people who came by in the Castro to receive ashes from us as well. One woman who had already had a cross on her forehead even mentioned that she had gotten it at St. Francis, my home congregation!

The truly high point of the day was when we boarded the final bus to take us the last stretch of the trip back to church. The driver saw us and right away asked for Steve to provide him with the rite, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return."

ELM has provided this grant to enable this congregation, a fairly high liturgical one with a relatively small attendance, to have an intern, and I am learning so much about parish life by being the Vicar at Christ Church Lutheran. But my spirit truly soars when I am out in public on the street doing public ministry. Ashes to go is a great witness on the street to the public of what being Christian is all about.

Sermon Luke 3:7-18

2012-12-20T02:18:43Z

3rd Sunday in Advent (Photo credit: @bastique)

Here is the sermon I preached last Sunday, both via video and transcript (after the jump).

]]> Today is the Third Sunday in Advent, as you can see by the number of candles we have up here. And I know a lot of you remember in many old Lutheran congregations we had a

pink candle to celebrate the third Sunday in Advent, and some congregations still do that. That was back when we had purple candles all the other days. It signifies what they call

Gaudete Sunday...this is the sunday of rejoicing. And even those of us that still have to have adopted the are blue candles we still share the same lectionary readings with the other churches--the ones that proclaim joy and rejoicing and to give thanks to live in the joy that we have with the knowledge that the Messiah is at hand.

Here we see it from our first lesson in Zephaniah, "Sing aloud O daughter, Zion, shout o Israel. Rejoice and exalt with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem." We also read in Paul in his letter to the Philippians, "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say

rejoice." And our psalmody from Isaiah that our choir sang for us, chapter twelve reads, "Shout aloud and sing for joy, o royal Zion for great in your midst is the holy one of Israel.

So knowing that "Joy" was going to be the theme this Sunday i decided to go on Facebook (I do this sometimes). I went on Facebook and I took a poll of my friends. Asked them what does joy feel like to them, how do they interpret joy, how do they

know that what they're feeling is joy? And sure enough I got all sorts of different answers from my friends all through all Thursday night.

And it continued until Friday morning when nobody wanted to tell me what joy was anymore.

Given the tragedy that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut on Friday morning it does feel odd and out of place talking about rejoicing at a time when the feelings of loss and grief are so prevalent in the collective hearts and minds of our community at a loss of so many lives. The sadness and anguish is also multiplied by the very young age of the victims. The snuffing out of candles and the sudden ends of the potential that each one of them may have wound up contributing to the world's future.

Now i don't often turn on the television and so I learned of the events while waiting for a turn at the barber shop and started seeing my newsfeed light up on my telephone in the shocked reaction of friends and family as they learned of this story and like so many other people i couldn't become unglued as I watched the details unfold--the horror--and later on at my computer at home. You know, I've seen too many things like this happen over the last decade or so all over the world. We've experienced them all to often here in the United States. This one just feels that much worse because of the nature of the victims involved.

And so, I have to wonder how is it even possible to talk about joy and rejoicing with all this on our minds.

Let's take a look at our readings--and it might be a good idea when we talk about what the prophets and Paul have to say to look about where they were living at the time.

Now if you're not familiar with Zephaniah, don't fret. It's not a very long book, with three chapters. And we only read it twice in the entire three year cycle on Sundays and once during the Easter vigil (But that's every year). Now when you look at the times that this prophet is living in we know that Zephaniah is one of those prophets that we can actually pen down to the exact or pretty much the decade or decades that he was living in.

The people of Israel were being subjected to forced exile into Babylonian captivity. The temple of Solomon had been destroyed. That was their outward sign of god's permanence on the earth and it was completely in ruins.

Zephaniah was writing about rejoicing. He was not rejoicing about a bountiful harvest. He was not rejoicing about victory over his enemies. He was writing to remind the people that God's promises are more permanent than structures on earth.

And Paul who wrote, "Rejoice always" was in a prison cell when he composed those words the Philippians. And he has hope even though his future was fairly bleak on earth. Like Zephaniah, Paul was filled with what we know to be the holy spirit of God. He is of a mind to rejoice despite the wretchedness of his condition.

And let's take a look at our gospel reading now it's not so easy to pinpoint where the joy comes in our gospel reading for today. John is preaching to the assembled around him--screaming at them in effect--calling them a brood of vipers. But he's also giving them a promise of what is coming. While John is reminding them that they are still living under the law, and that they have to repent, he's also letting them know that there is a Messiah coming to save them. John says he will baptize them with

water but the one that is coming is going to baptize them with holy spirit and fire. And while John's words might be controversial they might seem agitating and rough to the people that are listening to him, these people are not angry.

They're not plotting.

They're not turning on him.

They're filled with expectation.

They're not trying to get out of that fate that he is telling them about the world, to come. They are asking how to respond, through this expectation of the coming Messiah...asking him what they need to do with this feeling that's coming deep inside of them.

Because they don't know what to do with it.

And what is that feeling that can come up on you all of a sudden? One moment you're feeling ordinary and the next, your chest just feels like it opens up.

Like it's full.

Like it's broad, getting wider.

Your blood begins to quicken.

You find you can see more clearly.

More sharply.

Further than you're usually able to see.

Your eyes constrict, and there's a glow around your field of vision. Your body temperature increases just ever so slightly and you can feel warmth emanating from the pores of your skin. And those aches and pains that plague you all day...they might not disappear, but you don't quite feel them as much as you do. Or you might not feel them at all.

When you are feeling joy, you can experience a bubbling sensation. Something sometimes outbursts of just giggling occurs, and your lips will curl up into a smile that just doesn't feel like it's never going to go away. Your eyes might feel like welling up with tears for the happiness that is going on inside of you. But you feel like there's nothing in the world that can turn that away.

You might feel lighter than air. And you feel compelled to share the joy with everyone around you. Take this feeling of joy in expectation of things to come and share with the world.

A great feeling inside of you that you don't even know what to do with.

Like the people to whom John was speaking

"What then teacher shall we do?"

"Do the right thing. Don't cheat people. Don't take more than you deserve. Share your coats with those who have none. Share your food with those to have none. Share your things with those that don't have anything."

They are not asking John what to do in order to be saved from the events to come. Because the events are going to come! They're asking what to do with the knowledge that the Messiah is near and what it brings inside of them the comfort that it brings.

And what can we do with this knowledge it's not about rejoicing in then being saved. It's about being saved and then rejoicing. The power of God's grace is compelling the joy that we feel and sending us out to do the right thing. And all John's doing is just giving guidance.

Friday's events are stark reminder that the world is a tragic place often. It hit America and its homeland. It struck at the most innocent among us, it let us know that evil is still in the world and that sin and death still have power over humankind. That Satan is still a force to be reckoned with. It is a reminder that the evil that happens regularly all over the world in places that might find their way not to the front page of the newspaper but to a brief paragraph on page ten in the world section or on the it on NPR during the five minutes BBC updates. And sometimes we don't even find out about the horror until weeks, months or years later.

Even amidst the tragedy, we can still have joy when we realize that God will triumph over this evil in the end. We can live with both grief and joy, side by side. Sadness in the tragedy that befalls us and joy in the fate that we have; for the Messiah is approaching. Jesus Christ is close at hand and the kingdom of god is already here on earth.

Remember that grief that we feel but keep in and keep the memory of those innocents in our hearts they are already with Jesus as the promise of God's return and our salvation propels us in the world to do the right thing and make the world better.

And that is, my friends and family, where we can find true joy.

San Francisco Conference of ELCA Churches

2012-12-05T21:18:27Z

So, I'm working on the San Francisco Conference of Lutheran Churches website as my likely internship project. And it's very interesting going; as I've never worked in Wordpress before, but there are a lot of similarities with movabletype, which is what my website is designed in.

Please forgive the color scheme; I did not design that. I'm sure it will be something that will be transformed into something considerably That will be a later change. At present, I've been including a calendar of events, in order to make it somewhat more useful.

Most pages will also have worship times as well as direct links to conference churches' websites and/or location.

One one page I have created a Google map page so people can more easily find whatever church they would like to visit.

The ultimate goal for this is twofold. So that people may find a suitable Lutheran church to fit their own identity and spiritual needs, and for outreach and evangelism for those affected by negativity in other Christian churches and/or other faith origins. There is an incredible variation in churches in San Francisco; and almost everyone can find a spiritual home.

I will be providing updates as this project unfolds.

Sermon on Luke 21:25-36 "Signs and Wonders"

2012-12-03T03:10:12Z

You can listen to this sermon here: Signs and Wonders

My notes are after the jump.

Video is here:

]]> SERMON NOTES (Does not entirely correspond to the spoken word, better to listen here)

The weather over the last week has been awfully wet, and more than a few times I've been sitting calmly, writing or web-browsing or just being quiet and get suddenly distracted by a torrent of rain on the roof or a strong gust of wind at the window and I have to really be wondering what's going on outside. It can give me a real fright at times. Now, to be honest here, I spent 18 years in Florida, and when it rains there during the summer, it comes like sheets, dumping inches in the matter of seconds and moving on. Here, now, it rains it lasts and lasts and lasts and everything gets damp and wet.

But, I've been hearing from people that they've never seen weather like what we've seen in the last few years. That some patterns are starting earlier and getting worse and more fierce, and that others are starting much later and much less, and that overall there doesn't seem to be as much rain or as much snow in the higher elevations. And there are pockets of new low temperatures and there are all-time highs every day all over the world. There's no question that global temperatures are on a slow rise, and it may already be too late to do anything about it to reverse it. Our seas are already beginning to rise as well. We saw on the news massive amounts of flooding that took place on the streets of New York when Hurricane Sandy, what the media dubbed "Frankenstorm" barreled into the shore. It's an indication of how tenuous a grasp our coastal populations have on claiming land.

So sea levels slowly rise and then barriers are built, people are displaced, and whole islands sink into the ocean. The world changes in front of our eyes, and many people are lulled into a sense that there's nothing wrong. That the freak weather patterns are something other than climate change.

Admittedly, there are some moments when the weather itself seems to be turning against the people of earth. Opportunistic television prophets decry God's vengeance on America for making laws and keeping in power people that would erode the fabric of their own moral code. But the weather doesn't pick and choose what color state it runs over. Hurricane Sandy might have created the most damage in blue states but caused damage in red areas and impacted red states. Floods and tornadoes seem to prefer the opposite. And we know who earthquakes love.

And I even get compelled to fall into that trap: Look, humanity, at what our careless stewardship of the Earth has wrought! God himself is calling down the forces of nature in vengeance upon us! Wake up before we are all of us destroyed! Just talking about it and comparing my interpretation with those of these television prophets makes it pretty easy for me to take personally to heart what Jesus says with those being "confused by the roaring of the seas and the waves."

And yet, isn't God more powerful than that? Why would God send such conflicting messages to humanity? God is all-powerful. We who have faith expect to see something like what Jesus Christ spoke about; that we will "see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory."

But even so, God is at work all the time. We are living in an amazing and fantastic time. And it isn't hard to see the wonder of his glory all around us, signs telling us that he is near.

But are the end of days near? Anyone who pays any attention to pop culture cannot have missed the references to December 21, 2012. To over-simply things a bit; we have been told, be those people who know these kinds of things that the current Mayan calendar, that being the same the one the Mayans used when they were a sprawling Mesoamerican culture, between 1700 and 1100 years ago; foretold the end of the current era, known as the "Fourth Age" on the day of the Winter Solstice in this year, 2012; and they say it will end with global catastrophe, earthquakes, fire from the skies and the like. And while there are no particular predictions from the Mayans to this effect, apparently the First, Second and Third ages ended in much the same way, having been destroyed by disappointed Mayan gods, so it would stand to reason that the current age would be the same. It appears, at a rudimentary glance, that there is very limited basis for this prediction, and its proponents have had to resort to some rather precarious and creative means that include astrology and as-yet undiscovered heavenly objects to justify their prediction. But, I'm not really in a position to criticize another's belief, because we ourselves often believe some pretty amazing things; and given the incredible outbreaks of weather, disasters and elections of late, it becomes really easy to believe that such a nice clean date might be worth considering. So if you feel like just being a little more careful on starting the night of December 20th, be my guest. You'll be joining 1 in 8 Americans who believe that the world will end that day. And, after all, Jesus is telling us to be on our guard. But I do strongly suggest, you don't cancel your plans for the December 22 and beyond, though. Just in case the world is still here and your friends and family are expecting to see you on Christmas Day.

But what an wondrous, scary, marvelous, terrible, awesome world we live in.

I cannot help thinking, that, if I were Martin Luther, 500 years ago, while he was still a youth, what I would think of the world today. Would I be struck by the massive amounts of people that encompass the planet? Would I be appalled at the style of dress that people wear and the lack of clothing, would pants that hang down past someone's briefs shock me any more than short skirts or bodies covered with tattoos? Or maybe I would be amazed at airplanes, buses and trains? Conversations that take place on radio waves vast distances, people looking into little devices at faces that are halfway around the world? Medicines and treatments that cure what we think of as the most simple of maladies today.

Would Brother Martin not wonder that the Kingdom was far closer to our times than to his? Would he see the wonders and look at the as signs?

There are little messages that come across that I hear on a regular basis. I read a commentary on today's scripture that said, "God invades the normal with someone that is extraordinary" and that little phrase touched me deeply. I have seen people giving up old modes of behavior, taking the time to support their fellow mankind, not only friends but people they don't even know. I hear about folks accepting their differences admitting to one another that they don't have the energy for war and strife and deciding to find common ground and get along. I read about advances in medicine that were unthinkable 20 or even 10 years ago; forms of cancer that were once a death sentence that are now manageable. When Jesus was talking about the fig tree and all the trees sprouting leaves and summer coming near, does it not make you realize with there are these little objects of beauty that you find spread out all over an often bleak and dismal world, Jesus Christ, is truly always near and at hand.

And I will guarantee you that there will be things that happen over the next few years, over the next decade that we have never experienced before in this world. There will be tragedies of a type that we cannot even try to imagine. There will be patterns of weather once thought impossible, affecting the planet. Each and every one of us will be impacted in some way or another by these events and they will happen suddenly, without warning.

Our savior is near at hand, and, having faith in that, my sisters and brothers, we can be assured that no matter what befalls us, God gives us the strength and endurance, and we can be patient for the moment in history when we can be truly and completely in his hands. Until then, see the signs, the tumult that is the groaning of creation, as well as the wonders all around us and what science has in store. Know that God is near and his kingdom is already here on earth. And that we can more fully live into that kingdom by taking the words from the apostle Paul to the Thessalonians at heart: "And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we abound in love for you.'

Love each other, love those around us, live without fear of what God has in store, because it is glorious; and celebrate that he is in this world already, this crazy, incredible, amazing, wondrous world that we live in, here and now.

Amen.

A prayer for World AIDS Day

2012-12-01T15:50:58Z

Here is a prayer I wrote and presented for Wednesday's Interfaith World AIDS Day Service at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in San Francisco. I kept the language as broad as I could, so it could be meaningful to people of other faiths. I also wanted to hold onto my Lutheran piety in its style and formation.

A prayer for World AIDS Day 2012:

The Creator be with you all.

And also with you.

O Divine Creator, from whom justice and love are the cornerstones of the foundation of your people of faith.

We give you thanks that you provide light and guidance to help us along our pathways, and we t
hank you for all the advances that we gain in the study of HIV and AIDS, its research, its prevention and the maintenance of those affected by it. Be with us as we take this walk together, and let us continue to reach out to each other seeking common ground in our similarities and finding blessing in our differences, as we are all of us your family. Give to us, your people, that guiding light that we may better and more ably walk with those who are all too often left to walk alone, give us the strength to help call others in our faith to do the same, in lovingkindness and mercy. Remind us that we are each of us but human beings who need each other. Awaken our world to the knowledge and science that we need to prolong life and give our leaders the willingness to share the science and healing with those most often hardest hit communities and nations. Above all, buttress us with encouragement and the wisdom that we can improve the quality of life for all those who are suffering, and grant us endurance in the hopes that the cure is right around the corner. We humbly ask all of this in your holy name, in whatever name we come to you, in honor and glory, forever.

Amen

A safe place amid turmoil

2012-11-18T21:46:24Z

Las Vegas Lightning Storm by Thomas Dwyer from Wikimedia Commons

I delivered this sermon today at The Heritage Lifecare Community a senior living facility near Fort mason in San Francisco. It's shorter than most of my other sermons and I am probably somewhat louder and more intentional with my phrasing, because it is a senior living facility and they prefer a shorter sermon, and I wanted to be sure everyone could hear me. Today's gospel text s from Mark 13:1-13.

You can listen to the sermon by clicking here

(The text of the sermon is below)

]]> I grew up back east in a considerably different climate than that you get to experience here in the bay area. When the rains start coming down here, the weather is considerably drier back there. By the same token, as the summer months turn rain into fog and warmer weather, the heat circulates in the atmosphere over there, bringing frequent roiling thunderstorms that can drop torrential downpours causing flash floods and sending people scurrying for cover.

There is something about a thunderstorm that draws me close. Right before I moved to San Francisco a the beginning of 2008, I spent a year in the other Bay area, the home of the Buccaneers and the Rays: Tampa Bay, Florida. One interesting statistic about Tampa Bay: There are more strikes of lightning there than any other place in the world. As we all know, Lightning is a dangerous thing. And accordingly, you are far more likely to be struck by lightning in Florida than any other state in the United States, so out there you learn to take care during a thunderstorm.

Having lived back east, however, there's something I can tell you from first hand experience with storms. You can practically feel in the air when a lightning storm is coming. And they are quite a beautiful thing to watch. One thing I do miss about living back east is being able to get close to the weather, from a safe, grounded location, of course, and watch the streams of light and rolling thunder making a concert in the sky. At those moments, knowing how close I am to the immense and potentially destructive power going on around me, while I sit there in comfort, grounded as I am, and safe to the world around me.

It is like what Jesus tells the disciples about in today's Gospel text. What we read today from the Gospel of Mark is the beginning of the passion narrative, but it is also the first time in Mark that we hear about something that sounds like something resembling the end times. Jesus describes the destruction of the temple, of Jerusalem, of wars and what must take place; and he makes allusions to the wars and his flock being led astray. He talks about kingdoms fighting, and the earth shaking. But he also is also careful to caution his disciples not to be surprised, because this is what is supposed to take place. He wants to be sure that they can see the danger around them, because there is a place where they can be safe from harm.

At this point the disciples are just beginning to understand that their lives are already beginning to change from having encountered the messiah in their midst. The "destruction" that Jesus is talking about is nothing to be feared. It is the birth of a new era, the new kingdom where he is in his reign. They may see chaos and turmoil around them, but being prepared for it, they will meet it without too much fear and anxiety, knowing it will herald the coming glory on the other end.

And surely, in our lives, we have turmoil and anxieties. Things may change for us at a moment's notice. People leave our lives and people come in to our lives. Some of us build up our reserves and one day find that illness or disaster strikes and it feels like we're starting off all over again. Like our neighbors in the northeast found out three weeks ago, you can watch the news one day and find out that a major hurricane is on its way with a direct hit to your home, bringing with it wind and rain and destruction.

But we have faith, and we recover. We trust in Jesus, and we are refreshed anew. We know that turmoil will be around us at times, and we can keep faith in knowing that Jesus Christ is there to support us in our time of need with love and devotion. And it is through that faith that we become strengthened, because this is where we meet Jesus, comforting us amidst our struggles in this world and there to give us warmth and a welcome home in the kingdom to come.

Sermon Audio for Mark 12:38-44

2012-11-16T22:01:31Z

And here is the audio of my sermon from Veteran's Day / Pentecost 25, "Not a Stewardship Sermon."

You can find the Mark text here.

You can listen to this sermon here.

All of my past sermons are located at the Christ Church Lutheran sermon page.

Not a stewardship sermon

2012-11-13T21:55:18Z

The text (from bible.oremus.org

Mark 12:38-44

As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets!They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."

He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

On face value, you might read this gospel reading and think, "Oh, how wonderful this good little widow is, putting all of her money into the offering and not thinking about herself at all."

This is especially true given the time in the year this reading happens to come for many churches, which is in the midst of their stewardship series.

"See if we would all just put everything we had into the basket and not worry about where things come from then the church wouldn't ever have to worry about its budget for the coming season and we would be able to do all the things we want to do; hire a secretary and a groundskeeper, have our own school, wire our own internet, hire a professional website developer."

Yes, it all sounds pretty good.

]]>

But that's a dream world. And for all our talk about it, it's not based in reality. That widow, who puts in everything she owns into that treasury, now has nothing to live on herself. And what good will that do her when the institution, which has been leeching her money, actually fails her in the end.

Now, these scribes are part of a religious institution that carries with it longstanding beliefs about the nature of what constitutes good in society. As far back as the laws of Moses, we read about how the people of Israel must ensure that they help the helpless, the great trifecta of "the widow, the orphan and the stranger in their lands". And you see it in the prophets as well, in their criticisms of their leaders, and how they care for the widows, orphans and strangers. That care is a measure of how society is doing--and how they are failing. If those three groups are not being taken care of, then God is not happy with those in charge.

So, here, sitting in front of the treasury, Jesus is not simply making a casual observance about the ever-sacrificial nature of this widow, he is making a sharp criticism of the powers that be, the scribes "who like to walk around in long robes." It is a social statement about the the wrongs the institution itself is doing with the people who are in its care.

But is this solely an indictment of the temple, an institution that is clearly not acting in the best interests of the objects of their need? Is the widow unwittingly giving everything she has in misguided faith expecting that her needs will be met only to have it all "devoured" by the scribes so that they might look good?

We should consider her motivation. This woman is making a great sacrifice for a cause that she devoutly believes in. In light of that, I think about our veterans that have served our country, and the sacrifices they have made for that cause. And you should know if you don't already, today is November 11, Veterans Day.

Veteran's Day has its origins in the First World War. It was a time that our nation lost so many of its young men from fighting and we needed to heal as a nation. And so, in 1919, one year after the end of the war was declared, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice day, saying, "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations." Armistice Day became Veterans Day after World War II to have a day to commemorate the living and the dead of all wars.

But while we have a day to remember all those that have served, we haven't always been the best stewards of their care.

Even before World War II, veterans who had suffered from what we now call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder often met with difficulties returning to society. Many of us remember those that came back from Vietnam were often greeted by crowds of people who, rather than embraced them with open arms, rejected them with protests as soon as they came off the planes.

And in truth, what is it we do to commemorate our veterans today? Are we providing them the services that we promised them when we asked them to put their lives on the line for us? Why is it that veterans are twice as likely to kill themselves then their civilian counterparts? And female veterans three times as likely? Here's another statistic: young male veterans, under the age of 24, are nearly twice as likely to be unemployed than their civilian counterparts.

Homelessness is also highly prevalent among veterans. On any given night, 2 out of every 5 individuals on the street is a veteran. That's a disproportionate representation of their membership in population as a whole.

Whether or not the institutions that we have in place to serve veterans are meeting their needs, the VA can only do so much on its own. it still stands to reason that some needs are not being met for those people who have given up so much, so that we can maintain our own freedoms. After all, what can we expect when are just a creation of the humans hands that make them.

What can we expect when we put all of our trust into things made by human hands...institutions, government... temples...

I'm not interested in playing the game of who are the best Christians, but it should go without saying that there have been, church bodies that do not always seem to have the best interest of those they serve at heart. This has been true in history, and it is sometimes true even today. And every week it seems I am reading a new story online about some person with authority who represents a religious institution who is taking advantage of members of their flock in some way or another. They're absconding with money, or taking advantage of services or some other illicit activity.

Psalm 146 today, sung with such beauty by our choir, reminds us not to "put our trust in those who rule, the mighty of the earth." It is God who raises up those who are bent low." This is why Jesus came, to sit across from the treasury and to oppose, not the earthly institutions that people created and that people blindly put their trust in, but the way those who run those things do it to serve their own ends, who walk around in long robes, and be greeted with respect. Who lobby the government to engage in opportunities that increase their own pockets while exploiting the common people.

This is why Jesus came, so that we would have a place to put our fears and needs, so that we wouldn't have to rely on institutions that all too often fail us. To be the one who understands us and sympathizes with us and gives us somewhere to carry our fear and be healed. Because where we can be failed by the very human hands that are managing those institutions, we may yet remain fully faithful that God is there to provide for us with love and encouragement and hope, and will not let us down when we are in need.

Maybe the widow is dropping all the money she has in the world to this treasury because she has faith and hope that the institution will do good for her, and maybe it is a sacrifice, like those of the soldiers in our wars who have died and have been wounded both physically and in ways we, as society, have fallen short of measuring, but as Jesus is pointing out, she is giving way more of herself than those who are giving more value but much less proportion; and it makes no difference whether the we find her giving misguided; it is hers to give and her sacrifice to make.

The widow herself has honor and in the end, Jesus is well aware of the incredible contribution she has made. He knows about her sacrifice and her faith, and she will be rewarded. Rather than pity her, we should certainly honor her, as Jesus has, as much as we should honor those that have sacrificed their lives for us.

So, this is obviously not a sermon on stewardship, because the lesson here is not that you should drop everything you have into the collection plate leaving yourself nothing to live on. While your contribution to the church is meaningful and important and is very much valued and appreciated, it is Jesus and not the institution, where your faith should lie and it is there that it makes all the difference. It is in trusting Jesus that we receive the blessings and grace that nurture and care for our well-being. It is in trusting Jesus that we find our needs met.

Image from Sermons4Kids.com

Trials and tribulations / a sermon on Mark 10.35-45

2012-10-22T23:35:39Z

Here is the gospel text for Sunday, October 21, 2012: Mark 10:35-45

How is it that James and John haven't quite figured out what it is that Jesus is all about? After all this time of walking with him, learning about service and hierarchy, position and power, James and John still think they can beat the other disciples and jockey for the primary seating positions in the kingdom.

It's not about that...

Listen to my sermon here: Sermon on Mark 10:35-45.

What God has joined

2012-10-09T21:47:19Z

Here is my sermon from this past Sunday, on Mark 10.2-16

2012_10_07.mp3

I have an awful lot of Law in it, apparently, and Gospel doesn't come quickly enoug for some listeners. So if you're listening to it, once you get past the fun beginning, don't worry about the rambling journey I make in much of the middle. Bear with me, I get to a wonderful point in the end.

Some thoughts on Mark 10:2-16

2012-10-02T17:39:21Z

Mark 10:2-16 could be a tough passage to do a sermon on, where Jesus talks to the Pharisees about marriage. This is especially true, if one wanted to focus solely on Mark 10:6 as it relates to marriage; especially in light of the tension felt around the question of same-sex marriage revolving in several cases in the supreme court. My guess is that more than one preacher on Sunday will use this opportunity to go on about the "sanctity of institution of marriage between one man/one woman."

But it's important to take this in light of the context; the discussion about marriage is specifically about divorce and adultery, which Jesus goes on to explain to his disciples. It is about the long-term effect of what "God has joined," and that it is impossible for man to tear apart. In light of that, any marriage done in holy matrimony is something under the eyes of God; something for which endorsement by government makes no difference, nor the repeal of rights.

Furthermore, in the paragraph that follows, Jesus blesses little children, chastising his disciples for complaining against those that had brought them to be blessed, saying, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs." All who receive the kingdom do so as little children, one's marriage is of earth, the kingdom belongs to one's relationship with God.

Winter is Coming Fan Forum

2012-08-29T19:53:32Z

This is my new favorite place to hang out in my free time: Winter Is Coming Fan Forum.

It's a different Song of Ice and Fire (George R. R. Martin's famous series) fan forum than others in that it centers more around the HBO TV Show Game of Thrones than the books themselves. However, most of the contributors have read the novels; whether before or after seeing the television show. So there are discussions about the novels, speculation about upcoming books, as well as discussions of Seasons 1 and 2 and speculation on casting and scripting of Season 3 and beyond.

And those of us who have read the books are not book purists. It's okay to like some of the changes that the TV show has made from the books. I happen to like some characters, like Charles Dance's Tywin Lannister, for instance much better than I did in the book.

Anyway, this post is in hopes of getting some Google juice going for them.

UPDATE 09/12/2012: The site now has a new, independent URL: Winter is Coming Geeks

Scandalous Sermon

2012-08-28T21:14:29Z

I had thought that upon the completion of a sermon I would be transcribing it and posting right here to my blog. Alas, that is not to be the case with Sunday morning's sermon, on John 6.56-69.

Here it is for you to listen.

Scandalous Gospel

While I had some reasonable hashed out notes for it, complete with intending to make points and driving the final message home, in the course of preaching that did not occur.

Here are some things that took place:

Having the attention deficit issues I have, I normally take medication on days when I particularly need my concentration. I get by most of the time without, as it the mediation I take can be easily abused, and I'm not comfortable taking daily. But it really helps me on occasions that require me to be at my best. I forgot to take it on Sunday morning.
Furthermore, I was nervous. My first sermon before a congregation about whom I knew virtually nothing. I wanted to impress. I forgot to let go and let God.
I forgot the most memorable piece of advice from Preaching class; when I'm anxious, to squeeze my sphincter muscle a few times and that will release some of the tension.

And so...

From the very start, I forgot the prayer I wanted to open my sermon with. That in itself help to throw me off further.
I referred to Jesus' feeding of the 3,000; not 5,000
In describing what is meant by "Eat my flesh and drink my blood," I somehow unintentionally insinuated that the sacraments are symbolic. That's contrary to my beliefs as well as Lutheran piety in general.
One important point that I wanted to make, was that there is a perception that Christians are conservative, judgmental, and anti-gay; that we don't want to be perceived that way, and that it can be "scandalous" to admit that we are Christians as a result of it; but we should strive to do so anyway. Somehow this point got lost and came across as telling people not to be so judgmental, antigay and conservative.

All in all, however, I was told that it was a reasonable first sermon, about par with any preacher going on internship. I have done better, and I know I can do better than this, so the only way is from here is up.

Prop 8 case closed in California?

2012-08-27T19:18:26Z

Official "Vote NO on Prop 8" logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It's being appealed to the Supreme Court, but a judge recently ordered the case closed. Does this mean that marriage licenses are now going to be permitted? Does this mean that there will be a window in which Michael and I can get legally hitched?

The trial court judge in California who has taken over hearing the federal court case challenging Proposition 8, the state's amendment limiting marriages to one man and one woman, ordered the case closed today -- which would allow same-sex couples to marry in California

More at BREAKING: Trial Judge Orders Prop 8 Case Closed

UDPATE: Correction (from the article) "A stay, or hold, of the case pending the Supreme Court's decision was granted by the Ninth Circuit, contrary to what was reported in an earlier version of this story"

The shooter, not anyone else, is to blame

2012-08-15T22:49:24Z

What a horrible event to take place at the Family Research Council today. An apparently deranged person arrived with a gun, with what intent, nobody knows, and shot a security guard in the arm. Thank the Lord nobody was killed. My prayers go out for a full recovery to the victim.

The Family Research Council is an anti-gay organization who has lately been campaigning fervently against gay marriage. The shooter apparently had Chik-fil-A restaurant information. The evidence so far points to the shooter reacting against the FRC's antigay stance.

I always feel hurt hardest when the reaction to such events come out, especially when it hits this close to home. The FRC is a despicable organization that consistently resorts to faulty research to support its antigay campaigning; the kind of campaigning that leads to marginalization of LGBT people, the suppression of LGBT rights, and indirectly, violence against us. I wish they would go out of business, and have their doors battered, never to be heard from again!

But violence against people is reprehensible. It is a blessing nobody was killed, and yet, someone was shot because he worked for this organization. He is being labeled a "hero" by media outlets for preventing others from being killed. I can certainly understand why.

The politicization of this shooting by antigay talking heads is despicable. However, I imagine that other recent shootings, such as the one near Texas A&M, and the one at the Sikh Temple were also politicized by bloggers and media, from a different "wing", because of those shooters' political leanings.

It must be stated, however, that just because some person shoots a guard at the headquarters of an organization that is a documented hate group according to the Southern Poverty Law Center does not make the SPLC culpable for the shooting, or the FRC any less of a hate group.

The Family Research Council has published over several years false reports that link male homosexuality with pedophilia. This constitutes defamation of an entire group of people by way of lying about them. Defamation of a group of people results in increased violence against them and further repression of rights. This makes the Family Research Council a "Hate Group."

In no reality can is the Southern Poverty Law Center, by establishing legitimate credentials that outline what a "Hate Groups" is and by the Family Research Council meeting those credentials be constituted as defamation or libel on the part of the SPLC. There is therefore no logical conclusion that could be reached that places the burden of this crime on the Southern Poverty Law Center. The people who would do that are not being driven, however, by logic--only by anti-gay politics. It benefits them to continue to be dishonest in order to push a dishonest agenda; a pretense of victimization that in no way resembles Christ or Christian behavior.

(Edited to removed "mentally-deranged" from sixth paragraph, there's no evidence to back this up and it does not change the shooter's culpability regardless).