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I remember the first time I heard this Gospel reading in church. I was quite young with an over active imagination and I would capture the words and create pictures in my mind. This text stayed with me because the images are so striking—somewhat frightening actually. The disciples are scolded, they don’t understand, Jesus tells them to pick up a cross, there’s talk of losing one’s life… these are frightening images! And I would like to believe that with time, age, experience, and with a better view and understanding of the world that this passage would be less daunting… more manageable to my more mature ears and eyes. But still, still I find myself wrestling over what Jesus says… wrestling over what Jesus calls his disciples to do.

But perhaps this wrestling is not a bad thing… perhaps it helps us to grow and understand God’s desire for us through Jesus Christ. We’re not the only ones who wrestle with God’s will for us- sometimes we’re like Jacob- Israel—who wrestles and struggles with his past and future, who wrestles and ultimately receives God’s blessing, and in God’s blessing receives his identity—understands who he as a child of God.

In the Gospel of Mark there are three occasions that Jesus wrestles- he wrestles with expectation and will- with temptation in the desert, with questions of his identity as the Messiah, and alone in prayer that night in Gethsemane. And through this wrestling he is what God desires him to be.

But who is Jesus? From the very beginning of Mark’s Gospel the good news is proclaimed- that Jesus is the Christ, God’s begotten Son… but we are often called to ask the question, “Who is Jesus to me?” We hear with our ears, see with our eyes, and feel with our hearts that Jesus God’s beloved—reaches out to us in the reality of our broken bodies, broken dreams, and broken lives. In his earthly ministry he proclaimed God’s mercy and grace—teaching through action offering words of guidance and criticism, comfort and compassion, and ultimately invitation to us all.

His ministry was on the go and the people would follow. He told his disciples that his mission on earth was not to stay in one place- but to go and proclaim good news to those who had yet to hear— to those who had yet to experience God’s awesome love. Taking on our burdens, our shame, our broken lives, the pieces that separate us from God- Jesus Christ bore them all, suffering and dying on a cross. And as Jesus Christ was raised to new life so too are we raised from the mire of sin, from the clutch of death—so too are we promised new life—a transformed life that we can see now. Look around you and you will see God’s transforming power each and every day.

Who are we? In the reality of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord- we’re called to ask “Who are we?” We are God’s children—saved and loved. We are brothers and sisters bearing the cross of Christ and the promise of salvation. We are transformed by Jesus’ presence in our lives. This transformation is ongoing—changing us each day of our lives.

I once visited a family who through health and physical ailments could no longer attend church. We talked about our lives and how God has reached out to us touching and changing us through our experiences, the people we have met, the friends that we have made, and those we have loved. The family talked about how their role in the town and church has changed as their physical well being has changed. They talked about their past—about how they moved a lot- always making a home in the town in which they lived and becoming close with the church that they joined. For a long time they helped with church fellowship and hospitality, working with outreach programs in the communities they lived, molding and encouraging the various youth groups, and being faithful stewards in ministry. And they talked about the present— realizing that they could no longer partake in the activities that they had once loved. And they said, “We know that our lives have changed a lot, but God still finds ways to connect us to people who need to be connected.” And it was true. Family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances all knew that they could come to their house for rest, for acceptance, for healing, for connection, for fellowship. They knew that this family would invite them in with love.

Love- that is what we’re called to do and how God reaches to others. Love that reaches beyond these walls, that spreads through time and place, age and gender, status and roles in life. Love- comes to us as a light in the darkness, love is God now with us, love is Jesus within and among us, love is inviting us now.

Jesus’ invitation is for us all- and for us always. We were but a thought in our parents’ minds when God loved us. We had yet to learn our first word when God was molding us from within, forming us as the children of God we are today. During times of loneliness and isolation, when we think that we are an island in the midst of a chaotic sea God is with us- tending, supporting, guiding. Even now God’s presence comes into our lives in new ways—constantly transforming us, constantly calling to us. This invitation is strong and eternal like God’s love for us. We have been invited and in the waters of baptism we are marked by the cross of Christ, sealed by the Holy Spirit forever. And in our day to day lives we bear God’s love for us and we follow Christ.

We hear the words “Follow me”, yet we may wonder and ask, “Lord, how are we to follow?” Thinking about following someone—there’s often an anxiety that I feel—the fear that someone will lead the way and I will lose sight of them. There have been times that I’m following someone in a busy store, a crowded street, or a large museum and all I can see is the back of their head from far away. And it seems that the more I try to follow them, the more they become a blur in a mass of bodies and distraction.

But then I remember Jesus- my savior, my redeemer, my shepherd who says, ‘follow me’. Have you ever had a good leader on a trip or a tour? I have and I’ve noticed that when they lead me they want me to follow and they will not lose me. They will walk backwards so that their eyes never leave mine. The leader knows the terrain and the pitfalls—they know the dangers and the pastures in which we may lay down, they know the places in which we may be nourished.

Love has come and will never leave us. In Christ’s love we are inviters- so that all of God’s world may know this love. We are greeters, welcoming all in the name of unconditional love—and through our hands and hearts God’s love shines into the dark corners of life. As Christ’s followers, with the certainty of God’s promise, we may walk together- with the light of Jesus’ eyes shining in our own—we may walk hand in hand, supporting each other in faith and love—sharing God’s love with the sick, with the lonely, the poor, the disenfranchised—with each other in every step of our lives. Following Christ every day, I can’t wait to see where God takes us.

Amen.

And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth… –John 14:15

Many people today doubt Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit. They cite declining church attendance as well as the indifference of many, particularly the youth. They fear that Christian belief will diminish and become irrelevant.

The history of the Soviet Union is instructive on this point. Lenin and Stalin believed that religion was “the opiate of the masses,” a device that secular leaders used to keep the common people under control. They disbanded the clergy and took over the church buildings. For 75 years their powerful publishing house, Pravda (Russian for “truth”), poured scorn and ridicule on followers of Christ, using such devices as cartoons showing Jesus being kicked out of his Church. When Communism collapsed Pravda fell on hard times with no more propaganda to publish. However they soon revived their fortunes with a new best seller which soon became their major product, the Holy Bible! The Holy Spirit had flourished underground and Christianity came back stronger than ever.

Two of the most ruthless tyrants in history showed that not only is the Holy Spirit not in danger of dying out from indifference, you can’t kill it.

Sermon

Today’s guest preacher is Pastor David Misenheimer. Pastor David comes to us from Kairos, a Christian Resource Development firm.

David Misenheimer has been a Kairos Consultant since 2001, after serving 25 years as a parish pastor. Having been pastor in three large Lutheran churches, his expertise is in visioning for larger and growing churches and developing action plans to achieve their vision for mission. His passion is stirring the Christian imagination of congregational leaders to answer the basic question, “What is God calling you to become now?” Then the joy is seeking discernment of God’s vision and sharing inspiration and resources to move confidently into God’s preferred future.

Sermon for Sunday, February 22, 2009

Have you ever had a perfect day or a perfect moment?  Everything around you is going right, and you are more certain of yourself and the world that you live in than you ever had been before?  Sometimes these moments come in grand events like parties and celebrations-sometimes it is a small gathering of people or even in the great release of quiet serenity.  One perfect moment that comes to mind happened almost two years ago- during my wedding.  After months of planning, trying to stay in our shoestring budget, attempting to coordinate the schedules of several family members, and worrying about the very unpredictable New England weather-Erik and I had the wonderful moment of coming together in matrimony with our closest friends and family present to witness.  It seemed perfect to us, and there was a part of me that wanted to hold onto the sure splendor of the moment.  Only bliss was present.  The worry of planning and the uncertainty of the future seemed nowhere near that beautiful day. And I have to tell you-Erik and I looked GOOD.  Our family looked good.  Everything looked great! But–the reality was that we couldn’t stay in the moment-or even in the place.  Time marched on.  We both had responsibilities, bills, tasks, plans, and callings to answer.  But it was very tempting to want to stay in the moment.

Sometimes when we’re bedazzled by the moment we try to hold onto it-not let it go. Imagine ourselves standing with Peter, James and John and watching Jesus’ transfiguration.  If we imagine ourselves on that mountain top with the disciples would we try to hold onto the moment?  Would we be like Peter and try to house the moment?  What a sure and certain moment.  Can you imagine?  All the following, and planning, and wondering.  All the conflict and doubt the disciples had experienced are gone-blown away by dazzling white light and God’s proclamation.   Here in front of us is Jesus-in holy radiance with Elijah and Moses at his sides.

This was not the first time that God revealed holy glory and radiance to God’s people.  Recall God’s revelation to Moses on Mt. Sinai.  Like Jesus’ Transfiguration, God’s holy radiance shone through the doubt and uncertainty and the Israelites were captured in the moment.  But they could not hold onto it-they would be challenged with a journey through the wilderness before they could enter the Promised Land.  That journey would be long and arduous-taking them away from the securities and certainties they had known.  Imagining yourself in that particular place-what would be some of the feelings that would run through your heart and mind?  With the daunting journey in front of them perhaps Moses and the Israelites would have felt abandoned or neglected by God.  Yet God promised to be present-wherever they went.  In fact God gifted Moses with plans for a tabernacle.  Do you know what a tabernacle is?  It is a large, wonderful tent for people to worship and praise God.  God promised them a sacred space to worship- regardless where they were, what they were experiencing- God promised to be there… to dwell with them during their wilderness journey.

I think about our own journey in life as well as the Lenten journey we begin this Wednesday.  We begin at a precipice and look out and see what lies before us.  A lot of things.  We’re in the midst of our Capital Campaign Fund Drive; this Wednesday is Ash Wednesday marking the beginning of Lent- a time of reflection, prayer, worship, and repentance.  We stand poised to venture onto new adventures, new ministries, and a vision that proclaims Christ’s victory over sin and death.

And here we stand waiting to take this journey.  Are we ready?  We have God’s promise that we will never be alone.  God dwells with us.  God has tabernacled with us from the beginning.  In Jesus Christ- God’s glory was made known. The Word made flesh, dwelled with us.  In Jesus’ transfiguration we can see a glimpse of God’s power that would be later revealed in weakness and suffering on the cross and God’s glory that would later be revealed in Jesus’ glorious resurrection.

On the cross God’s love erased our sins, in baptism God’s spirit touched our lives and God’s presence and spirit dwells with us right now.  Just as God promised to tabernacle with the wandering Israelites, God promises to tabernacle with us.  A tabernacle or tent is a wonderful thing because it is not bogged down with structure, rather it’s suited for a people who are on the go-it is suited for a ministry that is moving and growing.

There’s something to be said about tents.  A few weeks ago I had the privilege to put up a number of tents.  Perhaps some of you were there helping as well.  It was the Saturday before the congregational picnic and there was a large task at hand.  We had to set up for the picnic, move numerous tables, even more chairs, and attempt to move semi-permanent park benches.  Another task for that day was setting up the tents.  There’s a funny thing about those tents.  One person cannot accomplish the task.  No matter how strong, how smart, or how dedicated they are-they need help.  In fact for those tents we needed a lot of help.  There was one particular tent that had to be constructed-and we wondered if we were up for the challenge.  There were so many pieces, so many things to consider, and no clear instructions to rely on.  Someone called out, “Okay guys- we need some help.  This can’t be done alone.”  And artists, engineers, managers, and laymen approached this gigantic task-and I have to say that each one of you who helped brought your own perspective and gift to the table.  Some of you had a keen eye for construction and some of you had hindsight while others of you were fantastic cheerleaders.  And the task was very challenging… and there were some bumps along the way, believe me… I bumped myself with a tent pole at least once… and realizations were eventually made, and the task was accomplished.

The phrase I heard that day still rings in my ears. “Come on guys. We can’t do this alone.”

God promises to dwell with us and calls us to be part of a mission that all may live victoriously.  God calls us into ministry- one that can move, can change and develop.  But this ministry needs artists, engineers, managers, thinkers, dreamers, talkers, listeners, and doers.  This ministry needs my hands, this ministry needs your hands.  The hands-on construction of a tent, the quiet resolution of prayer, the participation in planning, the commitment of giving, the worship and praise that comes forth in voice and song… all these pieces come together in the unity of Christ’s love that gives us life.  This ministry calls us forward from where we are and invites us to make a new journey.  “Come on guys.”  Be swept away in this journey in God’s abiding goodness and love- God is calling you today.

Amen.

February 15, 2009

February 8, 2009

How many of you have ever been in a car that has a GPS unit? For those of you who don’t know what they are or have never used one, the GPS unit or Global Positioning System is a little box that sits in your car and tells you which way to go. All you have to do is plug in your starting point and ending point and the GPS will get you there

(Or so they say.)

The first time I ever encountered a GPS was when I was up in North Carolina for my sister’s wedding. Heather and I were riding with my neice, Karen. She was so excited because she just installed the new GPS in her car. She turned it on as we were traveling from the rehearsal back to the hotel. I was enthralled! The voice from the GPS said, “Turn right onto such and such a street,” and Karen did, and off we were. About half way through the trip the GPS said, “Turn left in 200 feet.” Karen went straight. The GPS now said, “Recalibrating… Turn left in 300 feet.” Karen went straight! Now this was starting to drive me crazy. I know that my neice is a strong willed woman but why wasn’t she at least listening to this little box in her car?

Finally, after the fifth recalibration I said, “Karen, do you know where you’re going?”

“Oh yes,” she siad, “I know a much easier route.” Sometimes, we’re like that with God, aren’t we? We like to keep God in our little box on our dashboards so that God can tell us where to go and what to do. But even when that happens we don’t always listen, because we think we know an easier way.

I can only wonder how many times God has had to recalibrate my life because I refused to listen, and took another road. I’m sure that it’s more often than not.

Life seems so much more simple when we keep god boxed in, when we try and keep control, when we set our own course, regardless of God’s presence. But it’s not!

The disciples tried to do the same thing. Jesus called them from their comfortable lives of fishing on the Sea of Galilee. He called them out into ministry, and how many times did their lives have to be recalibrated?

Today’s Gospel lesson is one of those times. Jesus comes to the home of Simon and Andrew and immediately they tell him of the fever that had affected Simon’s mother-in-law. Jesus heals her, then heals a bunch of people from the town, and by the next morning they said, “Everyone is searching for you.”

Now it would be so easy to just pitch his tent in Copernum and finish out Jesus ministry there. After all, everyone loved and welcomed Jesus there. But what does Jesus say to the disciples? He says, “Recalibrate. Let us go on to the next towns, that I might preach there also; for that is why I came out.”

Then, there was the time that Jesus told the disciples that He had to go up to Jerusalem to suffer and die on a cross so that the world might be saved. You want to talk about a recalibration! You want to talk about god stepping out of the box we try and put Him in, well, that was the ultimate.

The story is told of the ancient library of Alexandria. Only one book survived a great inferno. It was quite an ordinary book, dull and uninteresting–or so it seemed. It was sold to a man for just a few pennies, but he soon discovered that it probably was the most valuable book in the world. For on the inside of the back cover a few sentences had been written revealing the secret of a certain touchstone that could change anything it touched into gold. The inscription said that this “pebble of great price” could be found somewhere along the shore of the Black Sea among the countless other similar pebbles. There was one difference, however. All the pebbles were cold to the touch, except the touchstone, which was warm to the touch.

Rejoicing in his good fortune, the man sold all his possessions, borrowed all the money he could and set out for the shores of the Black Sea. On his arrival, he set up a tent and began his needle-in-a-haystack search for the touchstone.

As he moved along the shore, he picked up one pebble at a time, and if it was cold to the touch he tossed it into the sea. Hour after hour, day after day, and year after year he carried on his painstaking search–picked up a pebble, felt cold, threw it into the sea. Picked up another and on and on. All the pebbles were cold to the touch until one day he picked up a pebble and it was warm to the touch–and through sheer force of habit he threw it into the sea.

What’s the effectiveness of our GPS system that’s installed in each one of us? Remember when I said that GPS stood for Global Positioning System? Well, for the rest of the sermon it stands for God’s Positioning System. How effective are we in listening to God’s Positioning system? When we come to worship do we see it as a rote excercise–devoid of meaning?

Or, do we feel the warmth of Christ’s presence and have the ability to shed our selfishness in order to serve in His name!

We’ve been called out of our comfort zones today. Out of our small fishing villages of our minds and told that we need to take the message of God’s love shown in Jesus Christ beyond the doors of the sanctuary.

Now is the time.

Today, we begin our Capital Campaign. The hope and dream of this campaign is to follow God’s Positioning System beyond these walls so that we may touch the lives of God’s children everywhere.

We don’t seek to build buildings of brick and mortar just to have a fancier place to worship. We envision a campaign that will open up our ministry to reach more people with the Gospel, because to this very day, everyone is still looking for Jesus. Just as the people gathered in front of Simon’s house that morning 2,000 years ago, so too they gather today. At the line waiting for food at the Cafe of Life, searching for clothes at the Christitan Brothers in order to stay warm, waiting for rent help at Bonita Assistance, hoping to get a job in this dismal economy. People are still looking for Jesus whether they realize it or not.

Now is the time for us to step out boldly and follow God’s voice.

Let’s shake up the world a little bit. Instead of God having to recalibrate all the time because we keep screwing up, why don’t we start to recalibrate our lives to God’s direction. If God calls us to do something or to reach out to someone, let’s do it!

Now is the time.

Let’s grab onto God’s hand and through prayer and contemplation follow where God leads us.

And always remember, as we take God’s hand, God will raise us to our feet. It is for this purpose that we, like Simon’s mother-in-law, might love, serve, honor, and obey God forever.

God cannot be kept in a box, and neither can we as a church.

Now is the time… Reach out with the love of Christ i nwhatever way God calls you to, and share Christ that all might live victoriously!

Amen.

We now have that same opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many people that follow us. Ten or twenty years from now, someone will have shared the same joy we feel now and thank all of us for having the vision to move forward.

As we kick off this campaign, we set the stage for this church to come together with our vision, with our mission and with our dreams, all to do the work as disciples of Jesus Christ.

I have seen pictures and heard stories about the church picnic, but I didn’t quite know what to expect when I arrived to help with the picnic preparations. I somewhat felt like I was getting ready for a wedding reception—there was talk of food preparations, canopy set-up, table moving, and chair arranging. Of course the picnic will have a water balloon toss and I have never personally been to a wedding with water balloons, but I can still be surprised!

The wonderful thing about the picnic preparation was the excitement. People were laughing and joking, planning and arranging, and coming with their own unique talent and vision. It was ministry in action!

There was one point in the picnic prep where we had to put up the awe-inspiring, colossal, circus replicating, king canopy. It was a tent! It was a gigantic tent with several poles, numerous connecting pieces, and a very large canvas roof. The slim to nil assembly instructions added to our feeling of discontentment. This tent was a challenge! One of the assemblers noted, “well we’ve been able to assemble the other canopies, so let’s try to do this one.” The tent lay in pieces all over the ground. We looked at each other with tentative expressions and began to wonder if we could succeed. We were called to the task, but were we up to it? Yes! It was now the time to raise that tent!

One by one we stepped up to the challenge and started saying—well I have this piece, what piece do you have… oh I think this piece can be used here, what do you think? When the giant job first grabbed our attention there were four of us trying to do the work. But soon many joined in, coming together, stepping in to help, lending a hand, offering a perspective, and keeping spirits high. Eventually there were 10-12 of us working on the giant task.

But then we discovered a snag in the challenge. There was one too many long connectors and one too few short connectors. What did we do with this challenge? The group came together and with creativity and intentional modifications made the tent work. As one large group we raised the tent top together and put it in place.

This is God’s call to us. We work together with intent. We are called to share Christ that all might live victoriously and we do this by working together in ministry. We all have our talents—some of us have the vision to plan, others to see the connecting pieces, some to instruct, and some to think creatively when there’s a snag in the plan. Now is the time for our energy, enthusiasm, faith, and teamwork to come together so that Christus Victor may spread God’s good news to our community and the world we live in today.