Monday, May 19, 2025

May 18, 2025 5th Sunday of Easter Luke 9:18-27

             If you ever travel on the Thru-Way from the Victor exit to the Canandaigua exit you know that the right hand lane is so rough that it feels like pieces of your car are going to start falling of here there and everywhere.  In the over 25 years I’ve lived in this area that lane has always been rough, despite several attempts by the Thru-Way to fix it.  I’m curious if the current repaving project will finally set it to rights.

            While I would argue that far right lane is an example of either truly flawed design or very sloppy inspection of the road base before paving, it does remind me of something else.  In college I worked a few semesters as a co-op student with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in their Bureau of Environmental Quality.  For much of that time I shared office space with an experienced engineer who had spent his career designing highways.  I remember talking with him about some of the most problematic highway projects at the time.  He would become frustrated.  One time he pointed to a coffee mug on his desk and said, “People are never satisfied.  If I were to design a road so smooth that you could put that mug on the dashboard of your car and have it not spill a drop all too soon people would complain and want something better.”  While I will maintain that the right lane of the Thruway between Victor and Canandaigua is a truly abysmal bit of highway, I believe he had a point.

            God made us to be highly capable and creative beings.  We can do many amazing things.  Among them is that we can shape our environment to make it safer and more comfortable for ourselves.  There’s nothing wrong with that in and of itself, but at what point do we go too far?  At what point are we just never satisfied and so we expend endless thought and resources making things ever more comfortable?

            That takes us to the very uncomfortable teaching in our gospel reading where Jesus says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”  Ouch.  We don’t like to hear that.  And there’s more. 

The gospels record Jesus saying things like this any number of times.  This one stands out for having a word added – daily.  “Let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

That one additional word here makes a big difference.

Of course the idea of taking up a cross is not a pleasant one.  Crucifixion was shameful, extremely painful, and of course, results in death.  No one in their right mind would want to willingly do such a thing!  But the image is easily symbolized.  Taking up your cross is adapting a way of life that is counter to the ways of the world.  Instead of looking to your own interest, which is the way of the world; it is investing your whole self in the betterment of others and the world at large.  Why do such a foolish thing?  Because when your value is held securely by God you don’t rely on the world.  And because you discover your fullest self when you are absolutely giving of yourself.  The ironic truth is that the more you give of yourself the more yourself you become.  Even so, this symbolic meaning can easily be distorted. 

We live in turbulent political times.  The country has become increasingly polarized in recent decades.  I have my own fears, concerns, and angers.  The situation is far more complex than most people are willing to admit, but there are many calls for action.  People of all political persuasions attend rallies, protests, demonstrations and the like.  That’s fine.  Citizens have every right to do so, and such things do have a place in creating change.  But in and of themselves they accomplish little to nothing.  If you want political change and all you do is attend rallies, and if you send some money to election campaigns, then all you’re really doing are the charismatic things and avoiding the real work.

Some people may think that being met with anger for their activism work, and possibly being arrested, for is a cross that they are bearing.  Perhaps so.  But again, that’s an approach that is charismatic, loves the spotlight, and is nothing more than moral posturing.  If you want to make real change then you have to work and work hard.  That work is often very boring and overlooked.

Taking up your cross daily means a way of life.  It is not execution.  It is not charismatic.  It is a way of life that is driven by hard working love.  It is not afraid to be obscure, unrecognized, and even scoffed at.

In a week and a day many communities across America will be having Memorial Day parades.  Victor has a Memorial Day parade.  Canandaigua does too.  It is a good time to remember those who have died in service to their country; those who have given their lives so that many others can enjoy a good life.  I think it is safe to say that in almost every one of those parades there will be fire trucks.  Kids love fire trucks.  They’re big.  They’re loud.  They’re shiny and bright.  Fire trucks signify a crisis, and that people who are skilled and brave are heading into that crisis, possibly risking their lives, for the betterment of the community.  We do well to celebrate our fire fighters.

            If you’ve heard me preach like this before you know what I’m going to say next.  How many garbage trucks will be in the Memorial Day parades across the nation?  Also, Canandaigua has a big truck with a giant drain snake on it that is used to keep the sewer lines clear.  Do you think that truck will be in the parade?

            Do not our garbage collectors and our sewage treatment workers also do dangerous stuff on a daily basis?  Are they not also skilled?  Do they not handle toxic chemicals, sharp objects, and dangerous things?  If they did not do their work, would we continue to live in safe places?  Wouldn’t the garbage and filth quickly pile up into a national health crisis far bigger than a burning building?

            Of course I deeply appreciate the many fire fighters and emergency medical technicians in our communities.  Having fire trucks in a Memorial Day parade is fun!  Having garbage trucks would be disgusting.  But still, if there was a, “Take Up Your Cross Daily,” award, I’d be giving it to the garbagemen.  (Perhaps I should organize a political protest demanding equal representation in Memorial Day parades.  For every fire truck there must be a garbage truck or sewage service vehicle!)

            I started by talking about people never being satisfied and always wanting better roads, and better everything.  We want comforts, conveniences, entertainment; and ever more.  We also like things that are charismatic and attention getting.  These are all parts of our human nature.  We live in a culture that celebrates these things and craves these things.  Yet each and every one of these things is antithetical to what our Lord Jesus taught.

            When he said to take up your cross daily and follow him he was not teaching that people should embrace pain and misery.  But he was teaching the truth about wholeness of life.  If all you ever think about is more comforts and conveniences… if all you ever think about is doing things that are exciting and charismatic, then you will never be satisfied.  You will miss most of life.  You will lose sight of who you are and what your purpose is.  I think that is the biggest crisis our nation is facing.  We’ve been able to indulge too much thinking it will make us happier and more fulfilled, when all it does is leave us empty.

            Jesus said that for those who want to save their life they will lose it.  But those who lose their life will find it.  That goes for not only eternal life, but also life now.

            So, don’t expect God to call you to dramatic and exciting things.  Perhaps you’ll do some of that, but most of it will be meaningful things.  It will be doing routine tasks; caring for others; using your time, talents, and money not in systematic ways, but in careful person-to-person ways.  Taking up your cross builds relationships.  Those who do so are blessed to see the kingdom of God coming into their midst.

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

May 11, 2025 4th Sunday of Easter Luke 9:1-17

             You’re certainly familiar with the phrase, “Jack of all trades.  Master of none.”  I think it’s a model we do well to remember; especially in our society today where it feels like we are supposed to specialize in something.  We become an expert in that one thing and then rely on other experts to do other things.

Think of cars.  When was the last time you yourself made a major repair to your car?  Our answers vary.  Many of us will answer, “never.”  We have, or we’ve had, a job that made money.  Presumably (or hopefully!) we were good at our job.  We made money.  We then paid experts in cars to keep our cars running.  The same goes for just about everything else.  We pay plumbers, electricians, and contractors -all of them experts in something- to build and maintain the homes in which we live.  We pay specialists to fix our computers and phones.  We may pay people to mow our lawns and clear the snow.  We do not make our clothes or appliances or toys; we buy them. 

The idea is that we specialize in something in life, which we count upon to pay a living wage.  That is the specific value we create for our society.  Then we rely on the expertise of others, and pay them, to take care of the rest of our wants and needs.

From the perspective of basic economics all of this is efficient.  It allows us to create a great deal of goods and comforts at an absolutely minimal cost.  How effective would it be if in order to have a car you had to start by mining iron ore?

Specialization is efficient and works very very well.  But if we build our whole lives around specialization, especially our faith, then we’ve run into trouble.  It is true as it says in 1 Corinthians 12:7, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.  To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, …to another gifts of healing… to another the working of miracles… to another prophesy…” and so on, but that is not specialization in matters of faith.  You do not get to say, “Because I am not good at something I don’t have to do it.  That’s someone else’s job.”  That’s not how faith works.  But I fear that thinking creeps into our faith all too often.

If we turn to our gospel reading we see something else going on.  Whenever I read this text my attention is drawn to the feeding of the 5000 with five loaves and two fish.  How can so little food feed so many, and there be more leftovers than there was food originally.  My attention is also drawn to the disciples being sent out with the power to cure diseases and cast out demons.  I want to know how that was possible, and what was this healing power actually like?  I also imagine how scary it must have felt to just go out to unknown places with nothing but the clothes on their backs.  But when I focus on those things I miss something else going on.  That is, that in these 17 verses these faithful disciples are in the Jack of all trades role.

We start out with the disciples being given power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and to proclaim the kingdom of God.  There are three distinctly different roles right there.  They are being exorcists.  And they’re being healers.  And they’re being evangelists.  They do not necessarily all go together.  But I think we could say that casting out demons and curing people of diseases must have been exciting work.  Perhaps the evangelism was too.

Then the text gives us a bit of an interlude about King Herod executing John the Baptist and wanting to see Jesus.

The disciples work must have been successful because on their return they (and Jesus) are soon hounded by crowds wanting more.  Jesus has tried to get them to a place of solitude for some rest and relaxation but the crowds find them anyway.  Notice how the situation is changing as the gospel goes on.  Instead of Jesus having to go out and preach about the kingdom of God now the crowds are coming to him.  I hope you can sense the strains and problems that are developing.  Jesus sent his disciples out to meet needs.  The needs turned out to be greater than they could meet.  The crowds need and want more.  But how much more is there to give?  And when can Jesus and the disciples get some rest?  The scene is set for the Feeding of the 5000 Miracle.

I can sense the exasperation from the disciples when their break, already interrupted by the crowds, is further challenged when Jesus says, “You give them something to eat.”  The disciples are not being lazy or selfish when they tell Jesus to send the crowds away.  They are tired.  They’re being practical.  They are also aware of the available resources.  They have five loaves and two fish; which anyone can tell you is not nearly enough to feed 5000 people.

If we’re talking about the disciples having the role of being a Jack of all trades, then here they’re being workers in the human resources department who are pointing out to their boss that they simply need more rest.  They’re also being accountants.  Surely you cannot feed so many with so little.

Jesus, knowing what he will do but seemingly oblivious to these obvious problems, instructs the disciples to have the crowd sit down in groups of 50.  Now they’re being ushers doing crowd control.  Then comes the miracle.  Jesus turns five loaves and two fish into enough to feed these 5000!  It’s abundance coming out of almost nothing.  And now the disciples take on yet another job.  That of cafeteria workers.

I’ve noted this before and it is always important to note, as Luke tells the story of the feeding of the 5000 Jesus does not directly distribute all the food to the people.  Jesus takes the bread and fish and then gives it to the disciples who then give it to the crowds.  We’ve talked before that if Jesus does all the distribution directly, even spending only a few seconds with each of the 5000 in the crowd, the food distribution would have taken hours.  But instead Jesus gives the food to the disciples who then, in the role of cafeteria workers, distribute the mass quantities of food to the people.

Are the disciples grumbling about all this work?  Are they saying, “We have the power to heal people and cast out demons.  We’re charismatic enough evangelists that we have helped to attract this huge crowd.  Why are we now being asked to do something as mundane as cafeteria work?”  They don’t say that their special gifts lie in higher things and therefore they shouldn’t stoop to such tasks.

And their multiple roles are not yet done.  For after the 5000 have eaten there’s cleanup work to do.  What’s to be done with all the leftovers?  Leave them on the ground to rot?  Are the locals going to say, “This Jesus guy brought in a huge crowd one afternoon and they left the place a mess!”  No, the disciples now have janitor duty.  Things have to be cleaned up.

To be fair, I’m exaggerating here.  The text makes no mention of the disciples doing the cleanup, but I think it is likely and I hope I make a point.  In these 17 verses of Luke’s gospel the disciples have been: evangelists, healers, and exorcists.  They’ve done human resources work and accounting.  They’ve worked as ushers, cafeteria workers, and janitors.  My point is that there is work to be done and they do it.  They may not be happy about it.  We aren’t told.  But there is no trace of arrogance from them. 

It is easy in our lives of faith to think that we are good at certain things, and as long as those things are needed in God’s kingdom then we do them.  But if our skills are not needed, or we think we don’t know how to help, then we’re off the hook.  It is almost as if we expect God to provide someone else with that specialty skill to do it.  If God does not provide then it does not get done and we complain about it not getting done.  Nowhere in the Bible does it allow for that though.  While it is indeed true that we all have gifts and we should use them, the real work is doing what needs done; whether it fits our skill set or not.

About 20 years ago there was a church growth concept called Natural Church Development.  Our congregation participated in it with limited success.  One of the things Natural Church Development discovered in its research is that the strongest and most effective churches are often fairly small.  You’d expect that a large church able to hire lots of expert staff would be the best way to bring about spiritual development.  But not so.  It turns out that the best faith growth came about when people just did what needed doing regardless of their skill set.  If a Sunday school teacher was needed and no one had the skills, then someone still stepped in and did it.

This can be frustrating.  It is difficult to be pressured to do things you aren’t good at.  It is fatiguing when you’re doing your best and the results are endlessly mediocre.  Yet God does not have the expectations of quality that we do.

I’m currently rebuilding an old farm wagon that my grandfather first built out of some old dump trucks.  The wooden parts had deteriorated and the dump hoist he made for it never worked.  Rebuilding it is taking a lot of metal work – grinding, cutting, and welding.  I’m not good at any of that stuff.  I can do basic things, but I’m slow and the end result is usually mediocre at best.  Nevertheless, I’m doing it.  It’s frustrating.  The end results will not be pretty, but I think it will work.  That’s the key.  At the end it will work.  So I keep at it.

Being an effective follower of Jesus is not about being a specialist.  It is often being a Jack of trades and master of none.  You may do you best at something you’re not good at.  It may be frustrating and slow.  The end results may not be great.  People may ignore your work.  Or people may even criticize you for it, yet it is still work that has been done.

Jesus’ disciples did what needed doing, whatever it was; charismatic or dull, seemingly prestigious or lowly.  But it was all work in God’s kingdom and all work worth doing.  We have the same attitude.

Monday, May 5, 2025

May 4, 2025 3rd Sunday of Easter Luke 24:36-53

             Buddhist monk and author Jack Cornfield famously wrote in his book A Path with Heart, “Life is a test – it is only a test.  If it had been an actual life, you would have received further instructions on where to go and what to do.  Remember, this life is only a test.”  I am not an expert in Buddhism, so I will not be too critical of a statement like that.  However, I will use it as a stepping stone to help us understand our gospel reading for today.

It seems that in the minds of many Christians life is indeed a test by God.  If you pass the test then you get to go to heaven where there is eternal joy and bliss.  If you fail the test then you go to hell where there is extreme torment for all of eternity.  Some passages in the Bible can be used to support such ideas, so I will not say they are completely unfounded in Christianity.  However, overall that is not Christian teaching.  If it were, then God would be a cruel being who liked to play games with helpless subjects.  If life is a test that bears such severe consequences, then we definitely need God to give us further instructions on where to go and what to do.

It also has another impact that is far more subtle.  Many people seem to think that God gives us subtle nudges and clues as to where to go and what to do.  That idea is hardly better.  Why would God make life into a game to see how well we could follow subtleties?  What if we missed something?  What if we misinterpreted something?  And if God truly loves us, then why make getting life right so difficult?  And also, maybe the nudges and subtle clues idea works for humanity’s smartest people, but if we’re somewhere below average in intellectual ability how are we supposed to then recognize God’s instructions?

That whole collection of ideas don’t fit though.  God is not a cruel being who lies to play games with helpless subjects.  God does not do things in a way that favors the intelligent or the inciteful.  The wider truth revealed throughout the Bible is that God created the world, and its rich and diverse life, because God is creative.  God loves variety.  God loves dynamic things.  And in human beings, God has created a creature which has been endowed with the power to respond to God’s love.  God wants the authentic relationship of trust that comes from that.

Life is not a test.  Life is not a series of clues to be solved.  Life is a generous gift from God, with the invitation to live it in loving trust with the God who created you.

I think we’d all like to have more proof from God, and we’d like to have more clear instructions about what to do with life’s difficult decisions.  Those desires are understandable.  However, think of it this way.  If God gives you a clear and unmistakable instructions then you’d better follow them!  When God does not give you clear and unmistakable instructions, then God is giving you the freedom to respond in whatever loving way you feel like doing; and what is best.  God gives you not only life and creativity, but also forgiveness for those unavoidable times when your decisions go wrong.

In our gospel reading we see Jesus giving the disciples several things.  They are given forgiveness for their recent failings, they are given clear proof of the resurrection, they are given understanding to strengthen their relationship with God, and they are given clear instructions about what to do next.  Let’s briefly touch on each.

The forgiveness comes at the beginning when Jesus says, “Peace to you.”  They were startled and terrified at the sudden presence of the resurrected Jesus.  Remember that in the midst of their wonder and confusion about it all there was also a great sense of guilt.  They had all failed Jesus just a few days before.  All of them -every last one of them- fled when Jesus was arrested.  I’m not just talking about the twelve male disciples but also the women.  Even Peter, who had directly promised that he would never deny Jesus, shortly afterward did that very thing three times.  If they all fled and forsook Jesus, then seeing him alive and back again was a troubling prospect.  What punishment were they going to receive for their failure?

So Jesus starts off with, “Peace to you.”  They’re not in trouble at all.  They don’t need to worry.

If you call to mind the birth story of Jesus at Christmas you’ll remember the angels said a similar thing to the shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors. 

God knows that any relationship with his creation has to be built upon peace – not fear, not warfare, …not playing games to see if the humans can manage to figure it out.

With peace proclaimed to his followers Jesus goes on to the next step – giving them proof of his bodily resurrection.  He invites them to see him and touch him.  He eats a piece of fish in their presence as additional proof.

This is finally the kind of thing we want to have with the resurrection stories.  You’ll remember that on Easter Sunday two weeks ago we had the story of Easter morning; the empty tomb.  The followers of Jesus discovered that the tomb was open, the body was gone, two men in dazzling apparel said he had been resurrected, and yet the resurrected Jesus never makes an appearance.  Last week we read a story from early Easter evening.  There the resurrected Jesus met two followers who were walking to Emmaus.  We were told that their eyes were kept from recognizing Jesus until the very end when he broke bread with them.  Then as soon as they recognized him he disappeared from their sight.  It felt like a cruel tease.  Why couldn’t they have spend joyous time knowing they were with the resurrected Jesus?

Now this week we read later in the evening when the resurrected Jesus does appear to his followers for an extended time.  They felt joy and ongoing disbelief, but it least it was a real and meaningful encounter.  It is what they needed.

It is what we need too.  If life is to be a relationship with God, then God knows we need real interaction.  If this life and this whole universe are not just some sort of test, then we need God to show that God does indeed value it.  God shows he values it by coming to live a lifetime as Jesus.  And God shows the promise of eternal life with Jesus’ actual real physical resurrection.  Jesus may come and go suddenly.  He may not be bound by normal physical limitations, but he is still real.  So the disciples get this proof.

With the disciples getting peace and then proof, they are ready to receive greater understanding about what has been going on all along.  Jesus opens their minds so that they can see God’s big plan has been at work all along, and everything continues to go according to it:

God created.

God revealed things through Moses and the prophets.

The Messiah had to suffer because it reveals the nature of God’s love, which is the foundation we need for relationship with God.

The resurrection had to be real to prove that death is not the end, and to reveal that God does indeed have the power to make good on his promises.

Finaly, the disciples are given clear instructions about what to do next.  This is the kind of thing we think we want from God.  But their instructions are to stay put and wait for further empowerment.  That’s not the kind of instructions we want to get!  These instructions were not long-term, however.  We know the stories.  Fifty days later the Holy Spirit comes upon them dramatically and they are sent out into the world.

The disciples are given instructions for what to do.  We are given the same instructions.  We are to proclaim repentance and forgiveness to all nations.  That means that the good news is not to be limited to just our friends and families.  It is not a limited commodity to be hoarded.  It is something good to be shared widely.

It is a sad thing that so few want to hear it and live it in our land today.  People would rather indulge in cheap temporary thrills rather than have the deep lasting relationship that comes with diligence and commitment.  That is their loss.  We, however, are inspired by the truth, and can live meaningful lives in confidence.

God wants us to live in confidence and freedom, being in a genuine relationship with him, and then mutual relationships with each other.  Ultimately we are called forward towards God’s promise of eternal life, which is a promise that gives us enduring joy.