Fearless Thomas - Sermon for the Second Sunday of Easter Year C

Fearless Thomas

Easter 2C

April 24, 2022

Good Shepherd, Wells, MN

John 20.19-31

I learned at a young age that nicknames are not chosen. Rather, they are chosen for you and they are not always welcome. I didn’t mind my name, Scott, though I would become bothered when  people would call me Scotty. It sounded childish and patronizing. So, when I was teenager, I decided that my bowling buddies would call me “Skip.” That didn’t work out very well and I was back to “Scott” quickly. But when I got to Gustavus as a freshman, there was a senior who lived on my floor with the same name. His nickname was “Big O.” Guess what my nickname became, especially when I joined the same frat? “Little O.” I hated it.

So, you can imagine why I’m a little sensitive when Jesus’ disciple, Thomas, is saddled with the nickname,“Doubting Thomas.” It’s the evening of the day they find the tomb empty, when in John’s version, earlier that day Jesus appears to Mary. None of the disciples believe Mary and now all of them, except Thomas (and Judas, of course) are cowering in fear behind locked doors. So my question is, where was Thomas? (We know about Judas.) Did Thomas draw the short straw and had to go buy groceries? If he wasn’t afraid of the religious authorities, then shouldn’t he be called “Fearless Thomas?”

We don’t know where Thomas was, but we do know something about him from earlier in John’s Gospel. In chapter 11, when Jesus finally decides to go see his good friend Lazarus who has taken ill and subsequently died, it is Thomas who puts himself out there and says rather prophetically, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Then in chapter 14, Jesus is giving his Farewell Address at the Last Supper, tells them he is going away and they know the way to where he is going. It is Thomas who again puts himself out there saying, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” In all three cases, Thomas is the fearless one who is not afraid to speak up.

The point is that Thomas believes in Jesus before Easter happened and he grows in faith along the way. We tend to think believing and doubting are opposites, that it is an all or nothing kind of thing. Yet, the opposite of faith is not doubt, it’s certainty. This is captured in Mark chapter 9 when a father asks Jesus to heal his son anguished by an evil spirit. Jesus replies, “All things can be done for the one who believes.” Immediately, the father cries out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Frederick Buechner puts it this way, “Doubt is the ants in the pants of faith.”

Tradition has it that Thomas ultimately travels to India and proclaims the gospel, starting the Christian church. In fact, he still is a beloved person greatly esteemed and held in high regard by Indian Christians there. The story of Thomas and his encounter with Jesus encourages us in two ways. First, if Jesus can use Thomas’ doubts to build faith then he can do the same with us. God can use what we bring. I think that’s why God called me to be a pastor: by preaching the risen Christ I’d come to believe and then after believing I’d preach all the more.

Second, though we might wish for the same experience as Thomas and those early Christians, we are not at a disadvantage when it comes to trusting in the presence of the risen Christ. The stories are preserved in what we call the Word, the Bible. That Word is active through the Holy Spirit who, as Martin Luther explains in the Small Catechism, “calls us through the gospel, enlightens us with his gifts, and sanctifies and preserves us in faith. Perhaps being a Doubting Thomas isn’t so bad after all, better than “Scotty” or “Little O.” However, I like the nickname God has given me best, “Beloved Child of God.” May the risen Christ strengthen you in your life of faith this Easter season and beyond. Amen.

My written sermons often preach differently "live." To watch the video, click here.

Looking for the Living among the Dead - Resurrection of Our Lord C

Looking for the Living among the Dead

Resurrection of Our Lord C

April 17, 2022

Good Shepherd, Wells, MN

Luke 24.1-12

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?” the two men say to the women at the tomb that first Easter morning. The sabbath is over, this is the third day Jesus has been in the tomb, and they come to anoint his body, a ministry they couldn’t fulfill because of the sabbath. “He is not here,” the men insist, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” It sounds like a rebuke to the women, that they are being chastised for being slow and forgetful, not remembering all that Jesus had told them. Perhaps it is. But what if it is a rhetorical question, a question that already contains the answer tucked inside? What if it is a legitimate enterprise for a people of faith to look for the living among the dead ?

Five years ago, to the day yesterday, April 16, 2017, a young woman lay in an ICU bed on life support due to an attempted suicide. Deeply distraught and severely depressed over the premature death of her mother, she saw no hope for herself. She was all but dead. Two days later, in the ICU the young woman’s older sister asked if she could say a prayer. The older sister had been battling her own demons over their mother’s death and she was coming out on the other side of rehab. She had learned this prayer and wanted to pray it before her younger sister's organs were harvested for donation. Two days later, five people received the young woman’s organs and lived because of them.

That’s a good resurrection story in and of itself, but there is more. With God, there is always more. Earlier this year the older sister gave birth to a baby girl on her younger sister’s birthday. That baby was the baby we baptized this morning, Serenity Jane. The young woman who died by suicide was Taylor Jane and her older sister is Serenity’s mom, McKayla. You may have guessed that Serenity is named for the well-known prayer McKayla learned in rehab and prayed in the ICU. When McKayla contacted me about doing Serenity Jane’s baptism today, I was reluctant to do it because this is a big day with a lot going on. But once she explained this story, I knew we had to do it.

When I met with McKayla and her fiancé, Domonic, they made it clear they are not the heroes of this story, though they have done some heroic things. And we also need to be clear that Taylor’s death was not a good thing; it is extremely tragic. As it is in any story, God is the hero. It is God who was with Taylor every step of the way, who shows up in our lives in our darkest places, and who brings life out of death so that others may live. Why do we seek the living among the dead? Because that’s where God shows up. We seek the living among the dead because death never has the last word, nor is it the most important word. McKayla has new life, together with Domonic they have new life, and Taylor Jane lives through others, including her niece.

Whether we can articulate it or not, we all have come here today looking for the living among the dead. We come with our own personal stories of loss and grief, hoping to experience a good word from God. The news that God has raised Jesus to new life sounds too good to be true, but it’s too good not to be true. We look for the living among the dead because if those early followers could receive a transformed life, then so can we. Whatever you are looking for this day, my brothers and sisters in Christ, may you find new life in the risen Christ. For Christ is risen, Christ is risen, indeed, alleluia! Amen.

My written sermons often preach differently "live." To watch the video, click here.

The Passion of Our Lord Jesus according to Luke - Good Friday Readings and Reflections Year C

The Passion of Our Lord Jesus according to Luke

               

First Reading: The Arrest of Jesus in the Garden – Luke 22:47-53

47While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; 48but Jesus said to him, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?” 49When those who were around him saw what was coming, they asked, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?” 50Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. 52Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple police, and the elders who had come for him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit? 53When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness!”

Reflection:

Judas has finally shown his hand. Gospel writer Luke has been dropping subtle and not so subtle hints of this betrayal. Now it is out in the open. Even so, the plotting of the religious leaders and abetted by Judas has only the illusion of control. As Jesus has demonstrated throughout his ministry, and his time in Jerusalem, he is very much in command of his own destiny. He refuses Judas’ kiss, signaling to Judas that he has fooled no one, except perhaps himself. We would like to think that we would never do such a thing, but we would only be fooling ourselves, just like Judas. 

Then Jesus turns his attention to those with him, who aren’t doing much better, threatening to fight with swords. I wonder if Jesus was disappointed, that his message of kingdom peace somehow didn’t get through to his closest friends and followers. But he probably understood that they were afraid, so afraid they would lash out in anger. Because that’s what we do when we are afraid, we lash out. Yet, Jesus will not tolerate this undue show of force and does what he does in the face of injustice: he heals. Hopefully, there was also some healing in the spirit of the one who wielded the sword. I wonder where Jesus might be speaking, “No more of this!” to us this evening, longing to give his healing touch to the world. 

Finally, in the wake of this violent act, Jesus chastises those who come to take him by force, exposing their hypocrisy while at the same time acknowledging that this hour is theirs, albeit with his permission. The power of darkness has its word to speak, but it will not be the final or most decisive word. 

Hymn “Go to Dark Gethsemane” v 1 Red 347

Second Reading: The Trial before the Council – Luke 22:54-55, 63-71; 23.1-2

54Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. 55When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.

63Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock him and beat him; 64they also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” 65They kept heaping many other insults on him. 66When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought him to their council. 67They said, “If you are the Messiah, tell us.” He replied, “If I tell you, you will not believe; 68and if I question you, you will not answer. 69But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70All of them asked, “Are you, then, the Son of God?” He said to them, “You say that I am.” 71Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!”

23Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. 2They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.” 

Reflection:

Things are heating up. Anxiety is running high. The anger toward Jesus from the religious leaders and their followers that has been building up throughout Jesus’ ministry boils up and explodes. They have not been able to defeat Jesus through their authority, prestige, and understanding of the law so they resort to violence and name calling. Yet, the only one they are diminishing is themselves. 

Jesus, on the other hand, remains calm and in charge, not only of himself but also the situation. The interrogation he endures gets flipped and it is the religious leaders who now find themselves on the defensive. As he does so often, Jesus does not answer the question they ask but the one that is most important. The religious leaders, in trying to trip up Jesus, trip up themselves. They unwittingly affirm what Jesus claims, that he is the Son of God, the Messiah. When Jesus answers, “You say that I am,” he uses the holy designation for God, “I am.” To the religious leaders, that is blasphemy for no one is allowed to utter that name. That is, except the Son of God himself. This is ultimately what gets Jesus killed, that he equates himself with God.

And did you notice where Peter is in all of this? He is watching from a distance, in it, but not of it. The battle continues to rage within Peter. He wants to be with Jesus, but he is deathly afraid. This is a feeling that we can identify with. How often do we keep our distance from Jesus, afraid to acknowledge our relationship with him, terrified at taking a beating like Jesus? 

The religious leaders have set their course and do what they have set out to do, but they don’t want to do it alone. So, they take Jesus to Pontius Pilate.

Hymn “Go to Dark Gethsemane” v 2 Red 347

Third Reading: The Trial before Pilate – Luke 23.3-5, 13-25

3Then Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered, “You say so.” 4Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation against this man.” 5But they were insistent and said, “He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.”

13Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, 14and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him. 15Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16I will therefore have him flogged and release him."

18Then they all shouted out together, "Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!" 19(This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) 20Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; 21but they kept shouting, "Crucify, crucify him!" 22A third time he said to them, "Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him." 23But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. 24So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. 25He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished.

Reflection:

Both the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds state that Jesus was “crucified under Pontius Pilate” and that is true. Ultimately, it is his call, and he makes it. Jesus was crucified because of his decision. Even so, like so many situations in life, this one is not black and white. It is full of nuance and complexity, just as Pilate himself. Pilate is not stupid, and he didn’t get to be the Roman governor of the Judeans by being stupid. He knows that he is being played by the religious leaders. 

More importantly, he knows that Jesus does not deserve to be crucified, let alone die. Hoping to appease the religious leaders, he offers to flog Jesus, a horrifying punishment in and of itself. But that’s not nearly enough for the religious leaders, nor for the crowd that has been stirred up by them. We wonder where those are who cheered as Jesus entered Jerusalem, laying their cloaks on the road and shouting “Hosanna!” They may be in hiding or they may be overwhelmed by contrary voices. Even so, what has gotten into these people? Are they disappointed that Jesus hasn’t turned out to be the Messiah they hoped for? Do they think that the prisoner Barabbas is? Are they so worked up by the Roman occupation that their anger must go somewhere, a scapegoat of sorts? We don’t know.

We do know that in the final analysis Pilate is every bit the political animal who sees the handwriting on the wall. Caught between the rock of the religious leaders and the hard place of his job to keep a tight lid on Jerusalem, he opts for appeasement. Herod, the local puppet head, gets out of the jam Pilate tries to put him in. So, Jesus dies so that Pilate’s political life might live, because the emperor Caesar will not tolerate any insurrection or unrest. Indeed, it is expedient that one man dies for the many.

Hymn “Ah, Holy Jesus” v1 Red 349

Fourth Reading: The Crucifixion – Luke 23:26-43

26As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. 28But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

32Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” 36The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” 39One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Reflection:

The crucifixion itself is told simply, almost matter of fact. But we know it’s not that simple or easy. Huge spikes are pounded through the wrists on the heavy crossbar, and it is lashed to the post where more spikes are driven through their ankles. Those crucified would have difficulty breathing, their lungs and diaphragm squeezed as they hang there. They would have to push up on their feet to catch a breath. Talking must have been difficult, if not nearly impossible, taking an inordinate amount of effort.

Yet, even in excruciating pain, Jesus’ concern is for the other. He consoles the women when they should be consoling him. Notice, it’s mostly the women who remain with Jesus; they’re the ones who are present throughout the story, who refuse to abandon Jesus. We’ll see that later in the story.

For now, it is instructive that the mocking and abuse have not let up. Even on the cross, surely to die a horrific death, Jesus continues to suffer cruelty. You would think that his tormenter’s bloodlust has been quenched, satisfied that they got what they wanted. Not so. And it seems like 2,000 years have not changed that thirst for retribution. Evidence abounds. Yet, their attempt at further humiliation is ironic because the inscription, “The King of the Jews,” speaks of a deeper truth than they can’t imagine this side of the tomb. His throne is the cross and his crown is made of thorns. He is and will be a different Messiah than they believed possible.

Indeed, the criminal who derides Jesus also unwittingly speaks a deep truth, that salvation will be forthcoming, though it seems impossible to know how. The fellow on the other side knows that Jesus is innocent and doesn’t deserve this fate, although he admits that he and his companion do. And in a stroke of both inspiration and faith, the criminal simply asks Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes into his kingdom. We don’t know what he meant by that or even if he knew what he meant by it, but there it is. Jesus, again, gives consolation with a seemingly impossible promise, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” 

We are again struck with the reality we learned on Palm Sunday. We don’t always get the God we expect or the God we want, but we always get the God we need. Hanging on a cross, giving us promises and consolation in the midst of the greatest agonies of our lives.

Hymn “Were You There” v1,2 Red 353

Fifth Reading: Jesus Commends his Spirit – Luke 23:44-49

44It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. 47When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.” 48And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. 49But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Reflection:

If those watching had no sense that this wasn’t your typical crucifixion, that has changed abruptly and dramatically. As the great hymn asks, “Were you there when the sun refused to shine.” At noon, when the sun should be at its highest and brightest, it is nowhere to be seen. The temple curtain, separating the holy of holies from the worshippers, splits into two pieces. The sound must have been tremendous. Both occurrences would have been viewed as portents, omens of something significant and earth-shattering. 

Suddenly, the mocking stops, and all is quiet, until Jesus says his seventh and final “word”: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Fifteen-hundred years later, the great reformer, Martin Luther, would echo these words in his Morning and Evening Prayers: “Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all that is mine.” We can only hope that we have a fraction of the trust in God the Father that Jesus had, and that it is sufficient for God to receive us. 

Finally, someone in a position of power and authority acknowledges the injustice of Jesus’ torture, crucifixion, and death. Shockingly, the centurion manages to praise God in the midst of this farce, and so we are able to catch a glimpse of what God might be doing in, with, and through this crucifixion.

But only a glimpse because the crowds also realize the enormity of what has taken place. They leave, beating their breasts as they go, as a sign of lament and repentance. No longer are they mere bystanders, if they ever were. Looking on, thrilling to the spectacle, they have now humiliated themselves for participating in this travesty. There is no satisfaction in Jesus’ death, only condemnation.

The exception, of course, are the women who have journeyed with Jesus all along the way. They did not abandon Jesus, but they kept their distance, not out of fear but out of respect. Sometimes, that’s all you can do, sometimes, that’s the most you can do, is to be present. You can’t change it, you can’t fix it, and you may feel helpless, but you can still show up, no matter how difficult. These women continue to show up even though they aren’t sure what they are showing up for. That’s okay. We just show up and see where God leads us.

Hymn “Were You There” v4 Red 353

Sixth Reading: Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb – Luke 23:50-56

50Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who, though a member of the council, 51had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. 52This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. 54It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. 55The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

Reflection:

Another glimmer of hope springs forth from the travesty of Jesus’ death. We learn that not all the religious leaders were complicit in the mockery of a trial. Joseph of Arimathea had an open mind and heart, seeking and praying for God’s kingdom to manifest itself. Soon, he will see that kingdom come in a way he could never have dreamed. Meanwhile, in what must have been a tremendous act of bravery and courage, Joseph has the gumption to ask Pilate for the body, risking blowback from his fellow members of the council. Maybe he couldn’t do anything to change the result of the council’s unjust decision to silence Jesus, but he can do something now. Showing great concern and respect, Joseph takes Jesus’ body down from the cross, wraps it in a burial shroud, and lays him in a fresh grave, extravagant even in its simplicity. We never hear from Joseph again, but what we have heard generates deep appreciation. As a reminder from our own Mr. Rogers, wherever there is a tragedy, “look for the helpers” as a sign of God’s presence and hope.

And here are the women, doing what women always do, doing it unto God. Because of the Sabbath, they can’t anoint Jesus’ body so they do what they can, they prepare spices and ointments for when they are able to do so.

Now comes the hardest part, for them and for us, waiting. Sabbath is for rest and renewal, as we rediscovered this Lent in our midweek sermon series. But I wonder if it was a restless rest for those women. Did they talk about the events? Did they try to not think about what had happened? Were they wondering, “What’s next?” Surely their lives have been changed by this Jesus, but what will that mean for them?

As a pastor, I often feel at odds with this in-between time, a kind of limbo. Most of the time, my Easter sermon is written and it’s a matter of waiting for Sunday to come. I might even admit that I’d rather go right into Sunday on Saturday and finish it out properly. But that’s not the way it works. We are to wait, just as those women. That’s as it should be, as uncomfortable as it is to do so. We wait so that we don’t rush past the enormity of what has happened this week, tonight in particular. We sit with the discomfort, acknowledging the gravity of what God has just done and our need for it. We wait, and when the time is right, God’s time, we go to the tomb with the women.

Hymn “Were You There” v5 Red 353

Do This in Remembrance - Sermon for Maundy Thursday Year C

Do This in Remembrance

Maundy Thursday C

April 14, 2022

Good Shepherd, Wells, MN

Luke 22.7-23; Exodus 12.1-14

“Don’t forget!” How many times have you said this to someone? Perhaps you have said it to a spouse, a child, a co-worker, a boss, or a friend. Maybe you’ve even said it to yourself: “Don’t forget!” Forgetting something can be a nuisance or it can have dire consequences and any place in between. The mere act of saying it means that it’s likely important. So, we figure out ways not to forget. We write notes or put objects where we trip over them, all in an effort to not forget. Some of us even type reminders into our devices that pop up at the right time, what I affectionately call my “electronic nag.” As I go deeper into the last quarter of my life, the propensity to forget grows ever larger. Although I jokingly say that I’m afraid to visit people in a memory care unit lest they don’t let me out, there’s more truth in that statement than I care to admit.

In the gospel from Luke, Jesus is at supper with his disciples. Is the one that we will call both his Last and the Lord’s. It starts as a Passover meal, the annual celebration of the deliverance of the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt. We heard the story in our first reading. The Passover meal was instituted so that the Jews would never forget God’s liberating power. Here, Jesus knows his destiny and so he cherishes this one last time to be together. But he also takes the opportunity to put his own twist on this meal to help them remember him and not to forget. Much is going to happen within the next three days, so he gives them final instructions before he leaves them.

His first instruction, both a command and an invitation, is “Do this.” This command lays the foundation for all that follows. For we who are Lutheran Christians, this is the first of three requirements for a sacrament, to be commanded by Christ, like I told the Fifth Grade students last night during their Communion class. I also told them that, in addition to being commanded by Christ, a sacrament must be a gift of God’s grace which then must be attached to a physical element. Here the gift of God’s grace is forgiveness of sins, which as Martin Lutheran reminds, is followed by life and salvation. And of course, the physical elements of bread and wine are Jesus’ body and blood. Still, the main point is that Jesus knows we not only forget but we are concrete people who need concrete, tangible reminders of his presence.

But the remembrance Jesus institutes goes far beyond a simple reminder of a distant historical figure. That kind of remembering sounds something like this: “Yeah, he was a great teacher who had a lot of influence, too bad what happened to him.” In linking this meal to the Passover and declaring the bread to be his body and wine to be his blood, Jesus supercharges this meal. Jesus will now be present in a new way than ever before. Because Jesus commands it, this presence is as real as it gets. In fact, nothing could be more real than Jesus in, with, and under the elements of bread and wine. Furthermore, this presence is a saving presence that assures us we belong to God through eternity.

Finally, in the meal that we do in remembrance, Jesus institutes a new way to do community. All are welcome to the table of grace and mercy, no exceptions. After all, Jesus fed his betrayer, Judas, along with the rest of the disciples. And in a wonderful mystery, as we gather around this table, we are joined not only by Christians around the world, but all who are gathered in God’s embrace, past, present, and future. As you come forward to commune tonight, may you be reminded in a real and tangible way that God loves you very much and may it sustain you in the days ahead. Amen.

From Cheers to Jeers, Praise to Pain - Sermon for Palm Sunday Year C

From Cheers to Jeers, Praise to Pain

Palm Sunday C

April 10, 2022

Good Shepherd, Wells, MN

Luke 19.28-40; 22.1-6

Those of us who grew up in the 1960s and 70s probably tuned in to ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.” There weren't many other sports to watch back then, no cable or ESPN. Even if we didn’t watch the show, we probably remember the intro to the program where a series of sports shots would flash across the screen while the host, Jim McKay, would intone, “The thrill of victory…” Then, seconds later, when a ski jumper would land and wipe out spectacularly, he would soberly add “… and the agony of defeat.” The juxtaposition of those two phrases, “the thrill of victory” and “the agony of defeat” encapsulates how sport imitates life: we can quickly go from hope to despair.

If sport is a metaphor for life, then our religious practices not only reflect the reality of life but try to make sense out of it. It does so by asking, “Where is God in all of this” and “What does it mean for us?”Today, with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we are caught up in the “thrill of victory.” We wave our palms  and sing “All Glory Laud and Honor.” Some of us even wave the palms above our heads, rather exuberantly. (By the way, did you notice that Luke’s version omits the palms? It’s a quirk of his version and he apparently doesn’t think they are important.)

This is good and right and as it should be, to hail Jesus’ coming with hope and anticipation. Even so, there is no small amount of trepidation on our part. For if we didn’t know the rest of the story for this week (which we do), some of us are waiting for the other shoe to drop. We see hints in this story that all will not be smooth sailing for Jesus this week. For example, it appears that the religious leaders of the day will not go quietly. Cheers will become jeers and praise will become pain.

Some historians note that as Jesus was coming down from the Mt. of Olives from one side of Jerusalem it was likely that there was a very different procession from the other. The Roman governor Pontius Pilate would have arrived from the opposite side of Jerusalem. Furthermore, Pilate would be mounted on a war horse surrounded by armed soldiers. This show of force would be to forestall any unrest by the throngs of pilgrims entering Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. Jesus, with his ragtag band of followers on a kingly donkey offering a different kind of peace than the so-called “Pax Romana,” the “Peace of Rome.” Jesus’ peace would come another way.

But I don’t want to move too quickly past today, even though we are eager to be on our way. A colleague told a story about a well-known author who was in Houston, TX on Good Friday. She was looking for a service and could only find one, at a large, famous megachurch. (I won’t mention the name of it or its well-known pastor.) She was skeptical but decided to give it a shot. The service started out well: the “church” was in darkness and the mood appropriately somber. That is until 10 minutes into the service, the lights went up and a voice boomed, “But Easter’s coming!” Good Friday only lasted 10 minutes. We won’t be doing that on Good Friday, but we also won’t be doing Good Friday today as is often the case in many churches.

Instead, at the end of today’s service we’ll read a part of the story that leads to the Last Supper, celebrated on Maundy Thursday. Meanwhile, I invite you to reflect on the meaning of Hosanna, which means, “Save us!” and from what we are to be saved. Think about how our hopes and fears are often wrapped up in each other. Ponder how God shows up in unexpected ways in our lives to be the God we need and not the God we often want. Join the parade of Jesus, walk with him to Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and beyond as God walks with us. Amen.

My written sermons often preach differently "live." To watch the video, click here.

Remembering Sabbath: Toward Healthy Communities - Midweek Lent 2022

Remembering Sabbath: Toward Healthy Communities 

Midweek Lent 2022

April 6, 2022

Good Shepherd, Wells, MN

Deuteronomy 5.12-14; Luke 13.10-17

After graduating from college, graduate school wasn’t in the cards, so I decided it would be a good idea to look for a job. I’d taken a couple of business courses in college, so I gave that a whirl, landing a management trainee position at Minnesota Fabrics, a retail fabric chain. I entered what I found to be an excellent training program that’s served me well both in my business career and as a pastor. But I also found a business started by two strong Christians who lived their values in the workplace. One of those values was not to be open on Sundays, to create a Sabbath day for employees. The owners reasoned that customers would adjust to the stores being closed on Sundays by finding plenty of other opportunities during the week to shop. I think they were right.

We’ve come to the final session in our Lenten series on “Remembering Sabbath,” an invitation to explore ways to experience rest and renewal. We began by learning that Sabbath is rooted in the creation story and that we who are created in God’s image are to rest just as God has done. We then explored ways that Sabbath can refresh us in those activities that renew our spirit, freeing us from the myth of endless work and the tyranny of efficiency and productivity. Last week we heard that Sabbath releases us from anxiety by reminding us of God’s abundance.

Today we end where we began by realizing that, although Sabbath is always personal, it’s never private. The owners of Minnesota Fabrics recognized the communal nature of Sabbath by granting Sabbath to those working for them, but they also recognized that their customers benefited from their employees’ Sabbath, if indirectly. That’s something that Jesus tries to convey to the religious authorities of his day. They’ve lost sight of Sabbath’s purpose, to set us free from whatever is binding and crippling us. They’ve also forgotten that the Sabbath is for the benefit of communal relationships. They were so obsessed with the letter of the Sabbath commandment that they dowsed the spirit of it.

As I’ve thought deeply about what this means for us, I had both a “wondering” and a question. My wondering has to do with what Sabbath might mean for our most intimate relationships, especially our marriages and families. A number of years ago, I met my brother for dinner at a Twin Cities hamburger place. While we were eating, I happened to notice a family sitting at a table near to us and that five of six were on their phones, not talking to each other. Now, I don’t want to judge, but I wonder if there are ways we can take a Sabbath from those things that keep us apart, even though they’re supposed to bring us together. What would that mean in your family?

Now onto the question. The question I have might not have an immediate answer, but I want to get your juices flowing and think about this. How can Good Shepherd Lutheran Church provide Sabbath to members of the Wells community? In other words, is there a particular group of people or demographic that are stretched beyond their limit? How might this congregation “unbind” that group of people and bring them refreshment, if only for a bit? Bless you as you continue to explore ways to grow closer to God and one another through Sabbath. Amen.

My written sermons often preach differently "live." To watch the video, click here.

Raising a Stink - Sermon for the Fifth Sunday in Lent Year C

 Raising a Stink

Lent 5C

April 3, 2022

Good Shepherd, Wells, MN

John 12.1-8

Like you, I don’t remember a lot of sermons, especially from 25+ years ago. But I do remember one that a seminary professor preached, or at least a phrase from it, “the sweet, sweet smell of death.” If I remember correctly, he was reflecting on his aunt’s funeral and was struck by a particular aroma surrounding it. Now, I don’t remember the scripture text or the rest of the sermon, but that phrase has stuck with me all these years. One thing I’ve noticed when reading novels is that the good writers vividly describe the smell of places in addition to other descriptions of the scene.

Gospel author John is a good writer, and smell permeates our Gospel reading today and the smell of death is in, around, and through it. In an inexplicable and extravagant act, Mary anoints Jesus’ feet, but it is Judas who raises a bigger stink. John packs a lot into these eight verses, creating several questions we don’t have time for today. But, given the context, I believe John is foreshadowing Jesus’ death. In the previous chapter, Jesus has raised Mary’s brother, Lazarus, from the dead. (Interestingly, Lazarus’ sister, Martha, objects to the stone being rolled away from the tomb exclaiming that, “already there is a stench”). This act results in a plot by the religious leaders to kill Jesus. Then, following this story, there is also a plot to kill Lazarus, because people were flocking to Jesus after seeing his power to raise the dead.

Lent is a time for us to reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ death and, by extension, our own mortality. In the midst of life, we are routinely confronted with death near and far. No one has gone untouched by death from Covid. The war in Ukraine is front and center in the news daily. Natural disasters are rife and frequently result in deaths. Even so, we Christians are an odd bunch because it is in the midst of death that we think about life. That doesn’t mean we gloss over death or minimize its impact on us. If anything, it means we can sit with death like Mary does.

Kim and Mike were both in their early 50s when Mike succumbed to cancer. Understandably, it was devastating for Kim and her two daughters, both on the verge of womanhood. For a long time, Kim declined to get rid of Mike’s things. Instead, she would regularly go into his closet, sit among his things, and inhale the scent from his clothes. It was the sweet smell of death for her. Aromas elicit strong emotions within us, and this was one way Kim’s love for Mike was sustained. It was by entering deeply into the smell of death that Kim was able to grieve and continue to live in the midst of death.

It could be argued that using expensive nard covers up death and ignores its pain. But I think that Mary’s act of love and devotion does just the opposite. It both acknowledges death and prepares for it. You see, nard doesn’t have the perfume-y aroma we assume from the text. Rather, it’s a very pungent, forceful smell. One of my colleagues said it smelled like an aquarium. So, when Mary anoints Jesus and wipes it with her hair, that scent would have remained on her for quite some time, probably through the next week as Jesus is tried, tortured, and crucified. The sweet smell of death clung to her as it did to Jesus.

I’m encouraging you to sit deeply with death just as Mary and Kim did, as we enter Holy Week. Beginning with Palm Sunday, we’ll hear about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and smell the palm branches and sweaty crowds. On Maundy Thursday, Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples, we’ll witness the stripping of the altar in remembrance of his brutal treatment. Finally, on Good Friday as we bear witness to Jesus’ death on the cross, smelling the palpable grief of his dearest friends. As you make this journey, take a deep breath and inhale the sweet smell of death that brings us life. Amen.

My written sermons often preach differently "live." To watch the video, click here.