At the Tomb - Sermon for the Fifth Sunday in Lent Year A

At the Tomb

Lent 5A

March 26, 2023

Christ, Preston, MN

John 11.1-45

It became clear to me this past week that our scripture readings can trigger strong emotions within us. We can easily feel overwhelmed by the finality, despair, and hopelessness of death present in the story from Ezekiel about the vast valley of dry bones, bones that are dried up and utterly lost. And emotions run rampant through John’s Gospel as not only Martha and Mary mourn Lazarus’ death, a death that seems senseless, but we see Jesus weeping as well.

One of the many memories these texts triggered for me happened years ago as I was called to the hospital because a member, Delores, had died, not unexpectedly. When I arrived, Delores’ daughter, Dory, was there with her husband Jim and their daughters Ashley and Jamie. Now, I’d done the funeral for Delores’ husband Carl a year or two earlier and I knew her family well. The girls were active, with Jamie in Confirmation and Ashely a key member of the Youth group. In addition, Dory and Jim lived close to us and our girls were of similar ages. 

Now, Delores’ death was a good death in many ways: it was time for her and she’d had family close by at her side as she died. But as I walked in the room and saw their grief, I was surprised by a wave of grief that washed over me. Usually I can maintain my professional demeanor. But as I reflected on that emotion I realized my grief wasn’t as much for Delores as it was for her family, to see them in their tender grief.

I know better than to say, “I know how you feel,” because nobody ever knows how someone else is feeling. But I can say that I suspect that what happened to me was similar to Jesus’ experience with Martha and Mary. Our text today is rich in emotion and human interactions, from the disciples who wonder if they are going to die with Jesus, to Martha and Mary and the mourners as well as to Jesus himself, through which we have a window into the full humanity of God. Jesus not only exhibits deep compassion for them, he is angry at the power of death.

Jesus often appears detached and “above the fray” as we say, and there is that sense here. He seems not to care about Lazarus, let alone his disciples and Martha. But there is also the sense that Jesus is right there with them as one of them. Said in another way, our God is mysteriously Holy Other, who cannot be grasped or fully understood, is also fully present and acting in our midst, bringing life from death. All too often as we go about our daily lives we might forget about God or perhaps we might talk about the idea of God. That is, until a story like today’s text nudges us to remember that God is fully present in, with, and under our lives each and every day.

As today’s lessons evoke deep feelings we are reminded that we are always at the tomb whether we realize it or not. If it is not being confronted by death itself, as when we said goodbye to Donald “Buzz” Riehl yesterday, it is being reminded about the grief death brings. But we do not stand at the tomb alone for we have a God who stands with us and we have a community of faith that supports us in our grief when we can barely support ourselves. In doing so, we, too, are unbound and released for life by the One who is the Resurrection and the Life. Thanks be to God. Amen.

My sermons often preach a little differently than written and you can find the video here.

In the Dark 2 - Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Lent Year A

In the Dark 2

Lent 4A

March 19, 2023

Christ, Preston, MN

John 9.1-41

One day, following a funeral at church, I encountered an attendee in the parking lot. A visitor to the church, she told me how much she appreciated the service, especially the invitation to Communion. The invitation that I gave was the same I give here: “All are welcome to God’s table of grace and mercy. If you wonder if that means you, yes it does.” I was glad she felt welcomed, especially in an unfamiliar setting. Then she added, “You know, if I’d been welcomed like that years ago I’d never have left the Lutheran Church.” So, in addition to feeling grateful, I was sad she hadn’t experienced it previously.

The man born blind who had received his sight from Jesus did not receive a warm welcome, either. In what should have been a joyous occasion, the gift of sight to the man born blind was not one at all. Writers have observed that the usual response of amazement following a miracle is nowhere to be found here. The disciples are silent after wrestling with the theological question of sin and suffering. The neighbors can’t see the miracle though it’s staring them in the face. The religious leaders are so indignant they can’t see God’s handiwork. And the man’s parents lose Parent of the Year because they are afraid of retribution from the religious leaders they throw their son under the bus. But it is the religious leaders that Jesus has choice words for, those who should be helping people see God’s action in the world, not hindering it.

This is not a Jewish problem from 2,000 years ago. (By the way, when the Gospel writer John uses the term “Jews” in a negative sense he is most often referring to the religious leaders, not the Jewish people themselves.) It has all too often been a Christian problem. Former Pastor, public theologian, and writer Brian McLaren explains this in excruciating detail in his book, Do I Stay Christian: A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned. The book provides a case for why one shouldn’t (and should) remain a Christian. Among the arguments McLaren gives for leaving: Christianity’s antisemitism, complicity with Colonialism, and long history of squelching dissent against nonconformists (i.e., heretics) especially with violence.

In the story of the man born blind, we discover someone who grows in faith and understanding of who Jesus is and what it means to follow him, even in the face of hostility, uncertainty, and fear. But we also have the opportunity to engage in deep reflection as a church how we respond to the possibility that God is doing something new in our midst. We can ask ourselves if we have the humility to wonder about God’s crazy ways.

The author CS Lewis wrote a book called The Last Battle, the final installment in The Chronicles of Narnia series. In the series, the lion Aslan is a Christ-figure in the land of Narnia populated by people, talking animals, and fantastical creatures. The Last Battle depicts the end of Narnia and features a battle between good and evil. In the battle dwarves continually switch sides because, as they say, “the dwarves are for the dwarves.” Even so, they still find themselves thrown into a ramshackle hut by the evil forces, a hut that we discover “is bigger on the inside than outside.” Though the inside of the hut is a Narnian version of a new world, a new heaven and a new earth, if you will, the dwarves can only see a dirty, smelly hut. They cannot see the beauty surrounding them.

I won’t spoil the ending for you, but suffice it to say that there are those people and creatures in the New Narnia whom we might not expect to be there. And we have a hint that even the blind dwarves are not a lost cause, that they might be able to escape the hell of their own making and see the paradise prepared for them. The season of Lent is an opportunity for deep reflection on our relationship with God and others. It is for both personal and communal reflection, how we are invited to see God working, both in, with, and through our lives and Christ Lutheran Church as well. 

I can’t go back and fix the hurt that the funeral visitor experienced in her life. And I’m sorry if any of you who are listening have been hurt by the church. But we can be the gracious, open, and welcoming place God intends. This is hard work, Siblings in Christ, but done with the presence of Christ who opens our eyes and minds to see. Thanks be to God. Amen.

My sermons often preach a little differently than written and you can find the video here.

At the Well - Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent Year A

At the Well

Lent 3A

March 12, 2023

Christ, Preston, MN

John 4.5-42

While in seminary, I met Barb and her husband, Sam. They were members of the congregation we plugged into. Barb was a middle school English teacher and Sam trained horses. One day, Barb casually mentioned that Pr. Ralph learned that Sam, too, had a master’s degree and when doing so, she said, Pr. Ralph’s whole attitude toward Sam shifted. The clear message was that Pr. Ralph didn’t think much of Sam, a horse trainer, until then.

I remembered that lesson, to not misjudge others, as I thought of the Samaritan woman at the well. We are in the second week of a four-week series of long vignettes in John’s Gospel. Last week, we were “in the dark” with Nicodemus, and many comparisons have been made between the two. Nicodemus is male and the Samaritan woman, of course, is female. Nicodemus is a  religious leader of the Judeans and the Samaritan woman is of lowly status. Nicodemus is  named and the Samaritan woman is unnamed. Nicodemus comes in the dark while the Samaritan woman comes in the bright heat of the day. Perhaps even more telling: Nicodemus fades into the background while the Samaritan woman gives witness to Jesus to her townspeople and of course, Nicodemus is Judean while the woman is a Samaritan.

Much has been written about enmity between Judeans and Samaritans, yet little understood. We do know that they worship the same God, Yahweh, but disagree where the proper place to do that is, Jerusalem or Mt. Gerizim. Samaria is the region just north of Judea and we think that those Judeans who were left behind during the Babylonian exile intermarried with invaders and settlers from other nations. This intermarriage was infuriating to the Judeans whose major tenet was, “do not assimilate.” Furthermore, when “pure” Judeans returned, the Samaritans tried to thwart their rebuilding effort of the temple in Jerusalem and Jerusalem itself. Finally, in 128 BC John Hyrcanus, the high priest, destroyed the shrine on Mt. Gerizim and slaughtered many people.

So, the upshot is for Jesus to be in Samaria, talking to a Samaritan, woman no less, was beyond the pale. Yet here Jesus is engaging in a complex theological argument with said Samaritan woman. Jesus not only refuses to undervalue the woman, he sees her for who she is, wounds and all. That last observation about her woundedness is important, because in the past she has suffered indignity heaped on by preachers who mistakenly brand her as a woman of ill repute. There is no warrant for this in the text.

Though we don’t know her situation, it is safe to say her multiple relationships could reasonably occur through no fault of her own and be due to a variety of reasons. But we do know that she has been wounded and finds herself in difficult circumstances. Jesus recognizes that woundedness and, rather than condemning her, treats her with respect and dignity. Indeed, like Sam the master degreed horse trainer, there is more to her than meets the eye and Jesus acknowledges such.

I wish I could say that I’m more like Jesus than Pr. Ralph, to know people are more than their circumstances, to remember that when Jesus says God loves the world it’s everyone and everything in it. But I try to remember Barb’s gentle lesson, to learn more about people, to be delighted and not surprised when I get to know them, and to look for those who we consider on the margins to see God in them. When we can do that we are at the well, drinking deeply of Jesus’ living water. Thanks be to God. Amen.

My sermons often preach a little differently than written and you can find the video here.

In the Dark - Sermon for the Second Sunday in Lent Year A

In the Dark

Lent 2A

March 5, 2023

Christ, Preston, MN

John 3.l-17

Last week we found ourselves in the wilderness with Jesus during his temptation for 40 days and 40 nights. We discovered that the wilderness can be a thin place and a time of transition or change. This week begins a sojourn of a different sort as we begin a four-week journey in John’s Gospel. And, whereas last week we were in the wilderness with Satan, this week we are in the dark with Nicodemus. Nicodemus, a religious leader, comes to see Jesus at night although we aren’t told why. Even so, he seems to be truly curious. But we wonder, is he truly seeking to understand who Jesus is and what he came to do or does he have some ulterior motive?

As Nicodemus himself has pointed out, Jesus has been doing signs, John’s word for miracles. John calls them signs because they point toward who Jesus is as God’s Word made flesh. Prior to this text, Jesus has turned water into wine during the wedding at Cana. And as we’ll see in the coming weeks, Jesus will do even more amazing signs. But for now, Jesus ignores Nicodemus’ opening greeting and launches into a speech. It’s one that confuses Nicodemus on two levels because Jesus uses a word that can mean two things. The word that means being born from above can also mean born anew or born again. Yes, that word, one that has almost become a cliche among Christians.

This is such a rich text with many preaching points, including what is meant by being “born again.” And I love John 3.17 even more than the ubiquitous John 3.16, how Jesus emphasizes that God did not send him to condemn the world, but rather out of love we didn’t ask for is sent to save us. But I keep returning to Nicodemus coming at night, a time of darkness. For John’s Jesus darkness symbolizes limited understanding if not downright inability to see Jesus for who he is.

As I reflected on the themes of nighttime and the dark, it occurred to me that things happen in the dark, and not always welcome things. At night, after a busy day where we run from one thing to the next, it is the nighttime when thoughts, regrets, and the days’ events catch up to us. We often replay these events in our head, over and over again. If this doesn’t happen when we fall asleep, it may happen when we wake in the night and we end up tossing and turning. I wonder if Nicodemus was tossing and turning or simply brooding about Jesus. However it happened, at the end of the day he needed to seek Jesus out for some answers.

As so often happens, Jesus doesn’t answer the question he is asked but rather he givesNicodemus what he needs to hear. The language Jesus uses of being born from above, born anew, or born again doesn’t refer to a conversion experience. Rather it refers to Nicodemus’ willingness to let go of his preconceived ideas about how God works in the world. Nicodemus doesn’t have a bad life, but it’s a shallow one and Jesus is encouraging Nicodemus (and us) to be grabbed by the Holy Spirit and be willing to go wherever the Spirit blows us. 

Our Fifth Graders are being grabbed by the Holy Spirit in a new way today as they receive Holy Communion. As they receive Jesus’ body and blood in, with, and under that bread and wine, they will experience the new life that Jesus promises to bring. My siblings in Christ, when the dark surrounds you, look and listen for the Spirit bringing new life. Thanks be to God. Amen.

My sermons often preach a little differently than written and you can find the video here.