May 27, 2018 Holy Trinity/Confirmation 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

(Preceded by the first five minutes of Cosmos series, Comet episode) There are lots of videos like the segment I just showed, and all of them can challenge our faith.  They make us feel like we must be ignorant simpletons to believe in a God at all.  They imply that an enlightened person should be beyond such silly nonsense as religion and faith and God.  These messages are the norm of our culture.  They are the religion of our society.  Never for one minute believe you live in a Christian society.  You don’t.  You live in a secular humanist society.  It’s been that way for decades.  And people love it!  There’s very good reason for why people love it, but we’ll come back to that later.

            It is true that it is impossible through scientific thought – or perhaps I should say, by using empirically verifiable data - to prove the existence of God.  Many take the inability to prove the existence of God as proof that there is no God.  Many suggest that religion is a leftover of the ignorant past, and that we would be better off if we got rid of it.  But books and  videos like the one we just watched play pretty fast and loose with their facts.

            What they are really doing is preying on your own ignorance of your own faith.  If you watch that video segment a few times and ask yourself some critical questions you discover that it falls apart pretty fast.  Indeed most scientific critiques of religion, especially Christianity, play pretty fast and loose with their facts.

            Among the most famous judges of Christianity is Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist from Oxford University.  Interestingly, when you read his works against religion you discover that while he is very thorough in his study of biology, he seems to leave his critical thinking skills behind when it comes to Christianity.  He chooses only that evidence which suits his predetermined views, and ignores that which contradicts him.  He’d never get away with that in the field of biology, but far too many Christians are too ignorant of their faith to be able to catch his bad scholarship in religion; and he sells books by the millions.

            There is something deep in human nature going on here – this desire to get rid of God – but again, we’ll come back to that.

            I want to make only one point with this sermon, especially for our confirmands.  That is that an educated, scientific, critical thinking person can use critical thought processes and conclude that Christian faith is a mature and rational belief system. (repeat)  That might seem like too simple a goal for today, but you’ll find that for most of the people in our society today, Christian faith is pure stupidity.

            Even famous faith critics like Carl Sagan can scientifically summarize the problem succinctly.  Every mature branch of scientific thought has run up against a barrier – the inability to push further.  Perhaps the easiest is the idea of the origin of the universe.  If the universe started with a big bang, or however it started, it must have an origin.  And what lies outside that origin?

            Critical thought processes bump up against the barrier all the time.  This is more than a lack of evidence.  It is a universal barrier.  Some people conclude that since we find no evidence of God that therefore there must be no God.  And I would agree with them that they have come to a rational conclusion.  However, I will insist that as they have made that conclusion they have made a faith statement.  Without knowing it they have created a faith statement - a conclusion without objectively verifiable data to support their conclusion.  And so from a critical thought process I fully respect the beliefs of an atheist.  But I also insist that that atheist recognize that they have made a faith statement and also recognize that a highly sophisticated religion like Christianity is also a rational belief system.

            Notice that video clip did not include ancient Hebrew religion – or Judaism.  It did not include Christianity or Islam.  Most likely they did not include such religions because they didn’t want to be outright offensive, but if they would have made such a statement they would have walked into their own slaughterhouse.

            I’m not an expert in the most primitive forms of religion.  But I do know that by the time ancient religions like Judaism came along, and they start to put their beliefs in writing, they were very rational and highly sophisticated.

            If you were worshipping with us last summer you’ll remember that we read through much of the book of Genesis.  We discovered that Genesis works at many levels.  It is vivid stories at a very simple level and can teach children very basic things.  But as you age you can revisit the stories and discover they weren’t written to be literal truths.  They were never intended to be.  They are images and allegories.  For example, Adam and Eve.  Adam is not a name at all, but a description.  It means earthling, or earth dweller, or even mud creature.  Eve is not a name either.  It means womb.  The whole Garden of Eden story is about exploring the root of human brokenness.  And then we discovered that not only are the stories allegories and images, but the ancient Hebrews wrote with complex structures that create comparisons and contradictions.  You may remember me saying that Genesis and other ancient Hebrew writings are the most complex writings of the ancient world – even more complex than the philosophy of the ancient Greeks; and certainly more complex than anything in current literature.  My point is that as far back as we can trace the roots of our religion in written form – about 3000 years, we encounter highly complex rational thought patterns.  Their worldview is different, and they didn’t have the precision instruments for measurement that we do today, but their deductive reasoning was no less sharp.

            And let’s actually let that 3000 year old Adam and Eve story speak to the world of today.  What was their real sin?  Eating the forbidden fruit?  Yes, that’s the literal story answer.  Disobeying God?  That’s getting closer.  Thinking they didn’t need God and they could do better on their own?  Yes, that’s the point.

            Modern day secular humanism and the sociology that is its foundation drives the idea that humans and the human intellect is supreme.  It can take care of itself.  It can and should be its own God.  But wait, that’s the whole point of the Adam and Eve story!!!  That’s a 3000 year old story, but modern day secular humanism acts like it’s a new thing.  It’s not.  In fact it’s a very old thing, and it’s a battle Christians have fought since the so-called Enlightenment of the 18^th Century.

            Look at these books.  Here’s a playful one from the 21^st Century: Exploding Stars, Dead Dinosaurs, and Zombies – Youth Ministry in the 21^st Century.  Go back to the 20^th Century and you find A Reasonable Faith but Tony Campolo – arguing the same thing I am today.  Go back to the 19^th Century and you find Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason.  And go back yet another century and you find Friederich Schleiermaker’s Speeches on Religion to its Cultured Despisers.

            The same issue, over and over again.

            There’s nothing new in people saying they’ve outgrown God.  But statistics bear out that atheism is a dangerous belief system indeed.  Alan Padgett from Luther Seminary notes that more people were killed by atheist movements in the 20^th Century than Christianity killed in the previous twenty centuries combined.

            And so to our confirmands and to us all I say, certainly keep a scientific head on your shoulders.  Use your critical thinking skills.  Apply them to everything, including faith.  I am saddened by how weak and pathetic much of popular Christian belief is these days, and it needs to be improved.

            But never think we’ve somehow become smart enough that we don’t need God.  That’s a fool’s thought that we can document has been tried for over 3000 years.  Instead, respect the rational conclusions of others, even when you disagree with them, and never let anyone convince you that your Christian faith is in any way lacking merit, strength, or reasonability.

May 20, 2018 Pentecost John 15:26-16:15, 20:19-29, 21:1-14

Consider some of these quotes about patience:

-A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains. (Dutch Proverb)

-Never think that God’s delays are God’s denials.  Hold on; hold fast; hold out.  Patience is genius.  (Count de Buffon)

-Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet. (French Proverb)

-Rome wasn’t built in a day. (Latin Proverb)

-He that can have patience can have what he will. (Ben Franklin)

And finally this one from George Jackson which also adds a warning, “Patience has its limits.  Take it too far and it’s cowardice.”

            If we look at our Bible readings for today and consider them from the perspective of Pentecost we realize how patient God is with us.  The first section of John we read comes from the Last Supper.  Jesus is instructing the disciples on many things.  Among them he gives the promise of the coming Holy Spirit.  It is a good message in the midst of what is basically a farewell address.  He will be leaving and he wants his disciples to know that they aren’t abandoned or forsaken.

            In the next section of John we read it’s the evening of the resurrection.  Jesus has appeared to Mary Magdalene and she has reported the resurrection to the disciples.  Some of the gospels report that the disciples did not believe her.  John doesn’t report that, but he does note that the disciples are basically hiding out with the doors locked out of fear.  Their leader was captured, arrested, and executed.  They’re all running more than a little scared, and so they hide.  For how long they will hide or what their plan is we don’t know.

            Whatever the case Jesus comes among them despite the doors being locked.  How he does it isn’t the focus for today.  For today we want to focus on what Jesus does.  The first thing he does is say “Peace be with you.”  Notice that he doesn’t criticize them for not believing Mary.  Nor does he upbraid them for their fear and failure.  Remember, they all fled when Jesus was arrested leaving Jesus to take all the blame.  No, Jesus has forgiven them of that and is not meeting with them again.  And as he promised in the Last Supper, the Holy Spirit is given to them.  The text tells us, “he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”

            It would be better translated, “he breathed into them…”  Not, “he breathed on them…”  John’s gospel is calling to mind God’s act of creation in the Garden of Eden when God breathed life into humans.  This is meant to be a close and powerful encounter.  They are not fully equipped to go out, be bold, take risks, probably get into trouble for it all too, but to do it anyway.

            Notice this is a very different receiving of the Holy Spirit than we get in the book of Acts.  There we have the dramatic coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples with the sound of a rushing wind, the tongues of fire on people’s heads and the speaking in different languages.  There’s nothing so dramatic here, and historically it’s hard to know what’s really the accurate depiction.  Luke is a reasonably reliable historian.  Whatever the case, for John’s gospel, this is it.  The disciples are now empowered.  And if the story would go as you’d expect they’d be leaving the room with the locked doors and the next scene would be them out in public proclaiming the good news of Jesus.

             But where do we find them a week later?  A week later we find that they are still in the room with the doors locked.  So much for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit!  Jesus comes to be with them again.  And this time we expect Jesus to lay into them for their failings.  How can they be so cowardly?  They’re embodying the George Jackson quote, “Patience has its limits.  Take it too far and its cowardice.”

            Does Jesus upbraid them?  I mean, how many times can a group of people fail and you give them another chance?  Yet Jesus is still patient.  His first words to them are, “Peace be with you.”  This is not some cheap quote like I think we use in worship during the Passing of the Peace.  This is a real statement that there is peace and no conflict, anger, or condemnation from God.  It is saying they are in good relationship, but Jesus again pushes them to go out.

            Okay, now do the disciples get it?  We meet them again in John 21.  Did Jesus tell these guys, “Go back to your old jobs and act like nothing has happened”?  No.  He’s empowered them and sent them out into the world with something dramatic and new.  But what do the disciples do?  Peter says, “I am going fishing.”  And this is not a man who wakes up early on a Sunday morning and before getting out of bed says to his wife, “I’m not going to go to worship today.  I’m going fishing.”  No, Peter is a professional fisherman.  It is his livelihood.  For him it is a commercial enterprise and he knows how to make money at it.

            Despite his skills, and the skills of James and John, who were also there and also professional fishermen, and who knows how many of the other disciples were fishermen as well, they catch nothing.  Well, so much for a backup plan if being an evangelist fails!

            Jesus comes to them again and says, “Come and have breakfast.”  He’s cooked for them and is welcoming them yet again.  I love the way John’s gospel records, “Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord.” 

            Yep, complete embarrassment, caught red handed and smelling of fish.  At least they’ve gotten the courage to leave the locked room but they still aren’t doing what Jesus commanded.

This time however, their lives will change.  If we would have continued our reading we see Jesus having a heart to heart conversation with Peter.  There was probably other conversations too.  We know the beloved disciple comes into the picture one more time.

            Whether it was the loss of their livelihood or what, we don’t know, but this time the disciples do finally move on and do what the Holy Spirit empowers them to do.

            God is patient.  That is a good thing, because I think we all need a lot of patience.  God forgives us for a sin, and then we do it again.  God forgives us again.  And then we do it again, and God forgives us again.

            Being the clever people that we are we figure that if forgiveness is so easy then we’ll just keep on sinning.  Why change if there are no consequences after all?  And we find that God will forgive us for that attitude as well.  Yet at some point it has to stop.  We need to take ownership of ourselves, and our sins and make some changes.

            I think we should get two things from our reading of John.

First, God is indeed patient with us.  We may look back over our past and see lots of failings – times when we’ve been too greedy or too arrogant, times when we’ve acted in hate, and times when we’ve failed to proclaim the gospel or live by it.  It may feel like we are stuck in a rut of failure, and so we are tempted to quit.  Consider the dieter who has tried every diet that’s come along in decades and failed at all of them.  It’s easy to just give up and despair.  But that’s not something we can afford to do when it comes to sharing the gospel.  We can’t afford to do it because the world desperately needs the gospel and God wants us to proclaim it.  And we can’t afford to give up because God’s patience keeps empowering us to try again.  And after all, our failings make us powerful witnesses.  Who is the better one at helping an alcoholic beat the addiction?  Another alcoholic who’s been there and done that and managed to succeed, or someone who’s never struggled with an addiction ever?  Certainly, it’s the alcoholic who knows firsthand what it is to fail and fail again over and over.

            If you feel like a failed disciple and evangelist, know those failings equip you well.

            And the second thing we should remember from John’s gospel is to be patient with each other.  Just as Jesus was patient with the disciples so we need to be patient with each other.  Indeed patience does have its limits.  Eventually it can become cowardice, but it usually runs out long before then.

            God has called you, a sinful, broken, failure-prone human being to spread the gospel throughout the world.  And God has called the person next to you, who is also a sinful, broken, failure-prone human being to also spread the gospel.  That goes for all of us and for all the baptized.  It only makes sense that we show patience with each other as God shows patience with us.

            And so, empowered by the Holy Spirit let us not hide behind locked doors of fear.  For as it was with the disciples, so it is with us.  We can do nothing apart from God.  But true strength and fulfillment come when we embrace the presence of the Spirit and make it real in our lives.

May 13, 2018 Easter 7 John 6:16-24

                Do you remember in high school the jock or the cheerleader that was just super talented, super good-looking, and super popular?  Maybe you were that person, I don’t know.  I certainly wasn’t.  But they often get to be pretty cocky about themselves.  They’re good… and they know it, and they lord it over everyone else making them feel bad and stupid.

                Many a person at the bottom of the totem pole has daydreamed about the downfall of such a person – seeing them fail, seeing them mess-up, seeing them get caught in something bad and then getting to reverse the tables; where the mocking jeer can be returned.  Often such people get their comeuppance when they get to college and discover their talents and looks and popularity are just average.

                Still though, it seems to be human nature that where we can find an advantage we’re going to exploit it.  We compete all the time, even adults do.  You’re in competition with everyone else at work for a promotion.  You’re competing with every other job applicant.  In school you are competing for the best grades, the best internships, and the best connections at social events or job fairs.

                We compete for the best houses – those with more money win.  I’ve seen senior citizens compete over who’s going on the best cruises and who can afford the best travel.  Of course we compete for relationships – trying to find the best person for a spouse.

                This wasn’t funny at all and I shouldn’t laugh, but I could barely contain myself when I visited Elm Manor years ago and saw two men ramming each other with their wheelchairs and yelling over who got the right to go down the hall first.

                Our way of life is that if you have the advantage take it.

                But what if we used the advantage in a different way?  What if we lived by the rule that those who have the upper hand are held more accountable to use their powers for those in need?

                It’ll never fly, but our Lord Jesus embodied it.

                Biblical scholars point out that the walking on water miracle, or “sign” as John’s gospel calls them, should be linked to the Feeding of the 5000 which we read last week.  Matthew’s gospel, Mark’s gospel, and John’s gospel all place the miracles side by side.  Jesus feeds the crowd and dismisses them.  It is evening and Jesus withdraws by himself.  The disciples head out across the Sea of Galilee.  The sea becomes rough and Jesus meets them walking on the water.

                And the two miracles show two sides of the same coin.  In the Feeding of the 5000 Jesus’ uses his power to feed them; supply their daily human needs.  The crowd wants to take him and make him king right then and there.  In our normal routine of life this makes sense – if you have the advantage, use it.  If any of us had the ability to be a pro-sports player or movie star or top level musician, or anything to make us famous we’d be tempted to use it that way.

Yet Jesus doesn’t do that.  The crowd sees his potential for glory and wants to thrust it upon him.  He refuses because Jesus embodies that the purpose of power and glory is different.  Jesus’ glory is not about being the top dog.  Jesus’ glory is about revealing God’s grace.  He wanted the crowd who experienced the feeding miracle to see it as God’s gracious gift, not a means to political power.  Grace reveals glory.

Now notice how in walking on water the opposite happens.  Glory reveals grace.  In walking on water Jesus doesn’t act like a cocky high school jock saying, “Hey losers.  If your faith was worth anything at all you’d be able to walk on water with me.”  No, he says, “It is I,”  Or more properly translated, “I AM.  Do not be terrified.”  It is a moment of glory that reveals God’s grace.  Commentator Gail O’Day notes, “Jesus reveals himself to his disciples in order to allay their fears, to ensure their safe passage, to remind them that God has been, is, and will be their rescue.  Jesus’ glory is not revealed for power, but for grace-filled pastoral care.”  (New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 9, Pg. 597)

And indeed the text tells us they immediately reached the land toward which they were going.

Gail O’Day continues, “Jesus will not allow his grace to be controlled by the crowd’s desire for glory, and so he hides himself.  But he will not hold back his glory from those in need, because this is his mission: to make God known (1:18).  How believers hold the grace and glory of Jesus in balance is critical to the life of faith.  The grace is destroyed if one tries to harness it for false power and authority, and the glory is lost if one does not recognize its presence in the quiet places of Jesus’ grace.  Both the grace and the glory are essential to God’s revelation in Jesus.” (Ibid.)

Earthly glory can lead to grace.  It shouldn’t be shunned necessarily.  And when power leads to glory that glory should be directed in a way that shows God’s grace.

Famous author J.K. Rowling said, “You have a moral responsibility when you have been given far more than you need, to do wise things with it and give intelligently.”  She certainly embodies that.  As the author of the Harry Potter series she’d made lots of money.  I’m not sure the total now, but a few years ago she was netting $1.6 million a day!  Yet in 2012 Forbes dropped her from their billionaires list because she gives so much away.

And she works hard using her talents for others.  She’s written numerous books whose proceeds go to charities she’s selected.  Her glory is used in service to others.

You’re heard me say my one cousin’s theology before, “Jonathan, when are you going to learn that God put stupid people on the earth for the rest of us to take advantage of?”  That is certainly power being used for the sake of glory.

Jesus shows that power, privilege, status, and anything like that come with responsibility.  When you have the advantage how are you going to use it?

Are you going to hide from it?  You’d better not.  Jesus could have left the disciples to struggle on the lake.  But he knew it was time when his glory was needed for help.

Are you going to use your advantage to get yourself glory?  You’d better not.  Jesus didn’t accept glory for feeding a crowd of thousands with a little boy’s lunch.

Advantage, superior skills, talents… they all come with responsibility.

I wish the jocks in high school wouldn’t have acted so cocky when they helped us win a game.  I wish they could have said, “I’m glad I could help our school pull out a win.”  because we didn’t win much!”  That’s neither arrogance, nor false humility.  It is meaningful acknowledgement of your gifts and a sharing of them for the betterment of all.

Whether you feel like you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, or you feel as worthless as the crumbs that get scattered from a sandwich when a little kid eats, God has given you gifts.  You owe God the glory for those gifts.  You owe it to what God has done in you to work to improve and enhance those gifts.  And you owe it to the people around you to share in them.

May the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who did not use his power for his own glory, but used it to bring others to glory and to reveal God’s gracious nature.