Sermon for Palm Sunday (April 1st) 2012

On Palm Sunday, before our morning services, I posted a reflection and prayer at Prairie Preacher and Meditative Moments, respectively, and then started to work on my reflection for the Sunday Morning worship service. As I struggled to find an appropriate reading from the various resources I have gathered over the years I realized that what I was feeling compelled to reflect on, was what I had just posted on my blogs.

I took a moment to re-read both the reflection on Prairie Preacher, and the prayer I had posted on Meditative Moments, and I thought - 'why can't I use my own words?'

In the quiet of the morning, I realized that the ONLY reason I couldn't use my own words was the hammering I had experienced in my past experiences within the Church ... the self doubt was a result of a defensiveness that came as a result of being battered and bashed within the Church ...

A few weeks ago, I had lunch with a colleague and friend and in the course of our conversation he offered an off-handed observation by saying "move forward and be aware of where the negative of the past seeps in."

My hesitation and reluctance to use MY OWN WORDS, is EXACTLY that seepage ... the harsh criticism of the past has debilitated me and has created HUGE self-doubt ...

Yesterday, reflecting on the affirmation I received from Blake (The Laughing Pastor) on his blog, and from others via Facebook, I decided that it was okay to trust in my own words this time. I've long stressed the importance of living the words offered by Ms Frizzle, the teacher on the tv show "The Magic School Bus" who says "take chances, make mistakes and get messy" but I have sometimes been less willing to live those words out myself ...

So, in that moment I decided it was time to 'take chances, make mistakes, and get messy' when it comes to my preaching, and instead of finding a reading or quotation from someone else, I NEEDED to let MY words guide me ...

As a result, the sermon below is a melding of my reflection and my prayer. The words I had posted moments before, were the very words I wanted to offer in worship during our Palm Sunday Service. Rather than trying to find a poem by Ann Weems, or a reading from the Iona Community, I instead decided to speak the words I had written, and trust in the Spirit ...

For what they're worth, here they are:


And so it begins ...
in the quiet of the breaking dawn
we hear the clip clop of approaching hooves,

you approach the city ...
a city unaware of what is about to unfold ...
a city asleep in its complacency
a city waiting for God, but unprepared ...

Your entry becomes triumphant
with waving palms,
celebrating crowds,
and shouts of HOSANNA!!!

Your disciples follow along
laughing, singing, shouting,
they feel the surge of power
they feel the Holiness
they feel the possibilities ...

But soon the Hosannas turn to horror
first come shouts of 'how dare YOU'
as tables are overturned
baskets thrown
animals set free

This is My Father's House
you dare to shout.

How Dare YOU
they chant back ...

And so the Hosannas slip away
the enthusiasm wanes
the smiles on their faces turn to scowls.

The week begins and we know where it leads ...

May we have the courage to follow
May we have the faith to endure
May we have no fear of the shadowy corners
and the dark places ...

And so it begins ... this week of remembering
this week of facing our deepest fears,
this week of a world that dared to kill its Hope ...

And so it begins ... this journey to Resurrection ...

Let us Pray:

O Servant King,
we hear you approaching.

The clip clop of hooves grows ever louder,
the rustle of palm branches and cloaks grows urgent,
we hear you coming, but we are not ready ...

Our expectations are not yours,
what we want differs from what you offer,
we want a Triumphant entry into the city,
we want victory and rejoicing
we want to feel the surge of Holiness ...

But in the coming hours our enthusiasm will wane,
our passion will cool
our cheers will turn to jeers
and like your disciples we too will abandon you ...

We will busy ourselves with other things,
plans for the long weekend,
dinners and gatherings,
chocolates and treats,
preparations for the celebrations to come ...

And we'll forget the long dark days
we'll avoid the shadowy places,
we'll stay clear of the loneliness and suffering.

It's all too much for us,
so we will leap from Hosannas to Hallelujahs
avoiding the horrors that lie between ...

Forgive us O God,
Forgive us and love us despite our shortsightedness.

Be with us today, and in the coming days,
let us hear the gentle clip clop of hooves on the stones,
let us hear the shuffle of sandals in the dusty streets
let us hear the echo of shouts in the halls and courtyards
let us hear the thunderous silence of your disciples,
let us hear the bloody thwack of whips, slaps and suffering
let us hear, even if we stop our ears,
the events and happenings in the streets ...

Events and Happenings that lead us from
the triumphant entry into the city
to the quiet prayers over bread and wine
to the empassioned pleas in a darkened garden
to the suffering and the dying ...

O Servant King,
be with us in the coming days ...
take us by the hand and lead us ...
lead us to the shadowy places that await us
and give us the courage to persist in our journey ...

O Servant King,
hear our prayer ... AMEN

Sermon for March 25th 2012 (5th of Lent)

I found the best description of Jeremiah this week as I was preparing my sermon for today. In introducing the Book of Jeremiah, the writers says: “poetry and narrative, metaphor and myth, sermonic exhortation and theological defiance converge in what can seem like a cacophony of non-melodic speech …”

The writer goes on to acknowledge the challenge posed by the Book Jeremiah’s multi-facted conversation that moves towards healing and hope in a radiant future, ALL the while being deeply affected and influenced by the historical and present day reality in which the prophet has arisen and offers his message …

Confused slightly?

What ALL of that means is that Jeremiah is a prophet standing in a place of history where huge changes and transitions are rocking the boat in which the little nation state of Israel sits, and while people are trying to make sense of it all, Jeremiah dares to stand up and offer a discomforting view not only of politics, economics and society at large, but Jeremiah dares to suggest that everything the people rely on for comfort and security is about to be wiped away …

Jeremiah appeared on the scene in a tumultuous time in Israel’s history. The Babylonian empire has risen to power in the east and is now threatening Israel … Jeremiah, rather than offering empty promises of deliverance and hope that say “we will overcome … we will prevail” instead says the equivalent of: “we’re pretty much hooped people … we better get ready to lose, cause it doesn’t look good …”

The people didn’t want to hear this … they didn’t want to hear that defeat was the ONLY outcome … so they locked Jeremiah up and went on with their lives …

History tells us that not only was Jeremiah right in his assessment of what was about to happen, he was likely under-estimating the result of the Babylonian invasion and victory … The Exile that saw the temple destroyed, the intelligentsia and prominent hauled off in chains to far off Babylon and the total disruption to the nation, the people and the psyche of Israel was beyond comprehension … even today, with a Century of armed conflict, war and terrorist attacks, NOTHING we’ve experienced in the modern era can compare to the sheer magnitude of what the people of Israel experienced when the Babylonians came and conquered them.

And so, it was in the midst of ALL of this that Jeremiah’s warning to rely on a New Covenant – not a covenant carved in stone and preserved as a holy relic of the past, but a living Covenant that is found in the hearts of ALL believers.

A living Covenant that is carried with you wherever you go and is not reliant on a temple, or a holy site, or even holy rituals – but is lived and breathed with the passing of each moment in life …

The heart of this New Covenant for Jeremiah is the notion that EVERYONE will know the Lord … they will not need the rituals of the Temple, or the intervention of the Priests and Scribes, but rather will share and live and celebrate this Covenant because of the faithfulness God has continued to show in our world and in our lives …

And so the Prophet Jeremiah offers a blend of “poetry and narrative, metaphor and myth, sermonic exhortation and theological defiance converge in what can seem like a cacophony of non-melodic speech …” because he is speaking in a confusing and tumultuous time … the old ways make little sense, but people are clinging to them because they are comfortable and familiar … the economic and political system is broken and in desperate need of reform, but no one knows what to do, so they blindly continue to trust and believe in it … the safety and security of the nation is being threatened and everyone is relying on the military to protect and comfort them even though it is obvious there is very little that can be done … and so the people stand frightened and confused … and desperate for some comfort … and in this moment, the Prophet speaks.

Not words of comfort that sooth a troubled soul … rather the prophet speaks the truth … the uncomfortable, troubling and disturbing truth that ALL is NOT WELL.

Six Centuries later another prophet speaks to his disciples in the days leading up to his own death and dares to suggest that they need to be willing to follow him even to death, and be prepared to lay down their life for what they believe …

Today, we like to make this notion into a heroic thing – soldiers and heroes will risk their lives for the Common Good … but what if the intent of this idea is not the defense of the Common Good, but the willingness to question the validity of the Common Good?

What if the very thing we are being asked to risk our lives for, is a harsh and needed critique of the values and things we hold dear?

The Prophet seldom speaks a message that the mainstream of society can accept much less follow … the Prophet is the voice that calls US – you and I as the children of God and people of faith – back to God.

Rabbi Abraham Heschel writes of prophets “they speak and act as if the sky were about to collapse because Israel has become unfaithful to God … the prophet is the man who feels fiercely. God has thrust a burden upon his soul, and he is bowed and stunned at humanity’s fierce greed. Frightful is the agony of humanity; no human voice can convey its full terror. Prophecy is the voice that God has lent to that silent agony, a voice to the plundered poor, to the profaned riches of the world. It is a form of living, a crossing point of God and man. God is RAGING in the prophet’s words.”

In to that context fall the words of Jesus who said – “take up your cross and follow me …” “the one who loses his life for my sake gains it …” and “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains just a grain of wheat, but if it dies it bears much fruit …”

In the last waning days of Lent, we are called to pause and consider that too often in the Church we lull ourselves into a place of comfort and complacency by knowing that beyond the darkness of Holy Week lies the wonder and majesty of the Resurrection … but to get TO the place of Resurrection demands taking time in the dark shadow places that the Prophetic voice thunder from …

When I was a student at Queens’ I was privileged to work for a time with a Catholic priest of the Order of Mary Immaculate – the Oblates … Father Brian Primeau was one of the most caring and sensitive men I have ever met. He was the Chaplain at a Catholic High School in Kingston, and I was there as a student intern … during the year we had many conversations, but one that has stuck with me for the last couple of decades was a conversation we had about his own Ordination.

Father Brian described the spiritual retreat he was on prior to his ordination and how he progressed through the events of holy week only to stall in the Garden … over and over his mentor-guide would say “Brian go back to the garden … go back to the garden …”

Until Brian, out of sheer frustration said “God, what do you want from me?” as he knelt in prayer in the garden … then it hit him … he was in too much of a hurry to move from the garden through deep dark events of Holy Week and stand at the tomb … in his frustration the light went on so too speak … his mentor wanted him to stop avoiding the uncomfortable places … to linger in the darkness and to understand and experience what lessons those shadowy place offer …

As a Church, Fr. Brian went on to reflect, we’re too anxious to get to the Empty Tomb of Easter that we don’t want to acknowledge what MUST happen to get there … we want to rush from the Garden to the Garden and skip the beatings, the suffering, the death and the profound aloneness …

And it is in that place- in that dark shadowy place – that the prophet stands calling us not only to linger, but to fully trust God …

As a society and culture, we stand in a tumultuous time that has remarkable parallels to the experiences of the people of Israel … things are NOT what they seemed even a decade ago … our world is gripped with fear and uncertainty … the things that seemed certain and trustworthy in the past are suspect today … and so, our habit is to reach BACK and hold to what is familiar and comfortable … and yet, we hear the voice of the Spirit speaking through Jeremiah and Jesus, questioning us … is this what God wants of us? Of the Church? Of the people of faith?

Marvin McMickle, a southern Baptist preacher and writer notes of the modern Church “within Congregational life, there is a tendency for the preacher to become preoccupied with such pressing matters as new members’ or confirmation classes; the maintenance or renovation of the church building; whether or not the annual budget will be met; and how to maintain a feeling of intimacy in the face of a rapidly growing or shifting membership. What may be lost in the rush to respond to these issues is the congregation’s responsibility to respond to an escalating problem of homelessness in the community, or overcrowding in the jails, or the abuse of drugs and alcohol in the local schools.”

He goes on to insist that the role of the modern preacher is to sound the alarm that THESE other problems are OUR responsibility, and that we cannot ignore them and remain faithful to our calling … the voice of the prophet tells us clearly that our task is to move from a place of comfort to a place of discomfort …

The words of Jeremiah and Jesus are about moving past comfortable ritual and soothing tradition, and LIVING the words of our Faith … living our faith is about being willing to take risks and chances and daring to linger in the shadowy dark corners of our world … living our faith requires sharing and celebrating the vision and calling of our ministry and mission …

As a people of faith – as a Church, we want to avoid those uncomfortable corners … but the prophetic voices of Jeremiah, Jesus and others challenge us to think and act otherwise … in a tumultuous time, what is needed is the living of faith … and that starts with the grounding of prayer, and continues as we TRULY dare to live out our faith and heed the prophetic voices challenging us to trust fully in God rather than heeding the whispers that tell us otherwise ...

May it be so – thanks be to God … Let us pray …

Sermon for March 11th 2012 - "Clearing the Clutter"

I recently came across a link to a letter written to Churches who seemingly welcome new people to their congregations. Honest, forthright, and blunt, this letter is simultaneously entertaining and uncomfortable because it allows us within the Church to say a collective “Whew, we’re not like that …” while also gasping and gulping with the horrified realization that we ARE like that in other ways …

Sometimes, we need a bit of humility to remind us of our core calling as Church, and to allow us to clear away some of the clutter and reorient ourselves to the important ministries we have … it was a letter that was timely given our reading this morning.

Our readings this morning are powerful reminders of what is really important.

Moses comes down from the Mountain top after having stood in the very presence of God carrying with him the Decalogue – the ten commandments which will for THOUSANDS of years guide the religious and practical aspects of almost HALF the globe.

When we look at the 10 Commandments, they are not really that big of a deal, but are more or less common sense ways of living our life in respectful and faithful ways … human nature though tends to look for loop holes as soon as we have a suggestion that we could do things better or differently.

Then we encounter a fully enraged and VERY passionate Jesus in the heart of the Temple in Jerusalem driving out the merchants and the money changers. Jesus had a strong sense of what the Temple should be, and the profit making enterprises that had settled in to enforce adherence to the Mosaic law was driving him to distraction.

The background of this moment is eerily similar to the complacency we see in the modern Church. The Mosaic law as it pertains to sacrifice is simple – you were as a faithful person to bring your offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem where they would be offered to God.

The fly in the ointment came when the priests and scribes and temple officials began to interpret the law a little more closely … the animals had to be unblemished … the food had to be perfect, no withering, no bruising, no damage from transport … to supply the pilgrims with ‘perfect’ offering, traders began to gather near the temple and for a small fee they would exchange your offering, no doubt damaged slightly from transport and somewhat less than ‘perfect’ for something unblemished and undamaged.

In time, these merchants moved from the harsh sunlight outside the temple compound into the shade of the towering walls, then with the tacit blessing of the temple authorities they moved into the temple compound itself, taking up semi-permanent residence in the vast porches the surrounded the majestic temple itself.

A comparison to this is found at the Shrine of St Joseph’s in Montreal, where the building next door housed a veritable supermarket of Religious and pilgrimage stuff … I remember going there in the early 90’s and marvelling at the sheer breadth of religious stuff that was available … statues, plaques, cards, and all manner of items festooned with almost every Saint or religious image imaginable … and that store paled in comparison to the stuff available in the stores and stalls throughout the Old City of Jerusalem itself … we still have the same problem that Jesus faced in his day!

Jesus solution was to make the very public and very provocative gesture of trying to physically drive the merchants OUT of the temple.

In taking the stand that the animals and produce and offerings that were good enough to God to give the pilgrim were good enough to give BACK to God, Jesus was offending the merchants and money changers as well as EVERYONE associate with the temple itself. This was an act of complete and total heresy!! It was an open act of rebellion … yet, the motivation for Jesus rested in the 10 Commandments …

He yearned to see the people return to what was important and central to their faith – honouring and celebrating God.

I liken what Jesus sought to art work offered to God … while a glorious painting by a talented and much heralded artist gracing the walls of our Church would be nice and appealing, it is in no way any better or more holy than the beautiful crayon drawings and scribbled offerings of our children and young people who feel compelled to sketch the feelings of their heart. If it is good enough for God to bring it into being in the first place, it is good enough to offer it back to God as a way of saying ‘thanks’.

It is ALL about coming back to basics and giving up on the frivolous trappings that catch our attention and distract us … as someone who has ADHD, this akin to abandoning the bright shiny objects and keeping our attention on what is really important!

It may take some effort, but it is worth it.

The letter I mentioned earlier is a similar call to action that Jesus embodied in the Temple that day in Jerusalem, though on a less active and more inviting scale.

The letter is from a couple who are admittedly church shopping, and is offered as a way of helping Churches reach out and make people like them feel welcome.

They begin by asking that Congregations seeking new members avoid:

Public Humiliation – please don’t make us stand up in a room full of total strangers and introduce ourselves. We want to be anonymous because we’re not sure we want to see you again and, frankly, we’re still seeing other churches. It’s not you, it’s us, and we just don’t know you very well yet. (And, believe me, if we do decide to join you, you’ll be lucky to get us to shut up, so enjoy the quiet while you can get it.)

Then they ask that we:

Acknowledge We Exist – Being anonymous is not the same as being invisible. We’re probably going to be a little confused about what to do and where to go so having someone to greet us and ask if we have questions, or let us know if you do something you own unique way, is most appreciated. Plus, if you act like we’re not there, we start to think we might as well not be there as it doesn’t seem to matter to you.

The one I have encountered before is the request to:

Put it in writing – spell out *everything* we need to know in the bulletin. When to sit, when to stand, where to find the words. Even if you have one of those groovy new digital displays, include in the bulletin what will and wont be on the display screen (’cause some of you like to mix it up and not everything goes up there.)

The other aspect of this is an ongoing dilemma in the Church on how we talk about our activities and happenings. I once constructed a bulletin that used almost EVERY acronym I could come up with in the Church. From PAR and M&S through to JNAC, M&P, on to GC 2012, I listed ALL theses various items in the announcements and wasn’t surprised when regular Church attenders asked what more than half of them meant … if WE who are regular attendees don’t know ALL of the acronyms we throw around mean, how can ANY newcomer stand a chance?

The letter goes on and asks us to remember new comers, to have an accessible and up to date web presence, to be up front about where and when things are happening, and don’t assume people have ESP and can divine these things on their own – too much information is better than not enough. And that includes talking about what we believe.

In the letter they cite the importance of sharing what you believe by saying “It’s really helpful before we show up waving our rainbow flags to know that you’ll be petitioning for an Intelligent Design curriculum in the local schools. And if that is your community’s belief, that’s wonderful, but we both know we’re not going to be a good fit there so we might as well save each other the frustration. We’re going to find out soon enough, so why don’t we get that awkward part out of the way”

My favourite observation though is gentle request to NOT STALK the new comers. They ask “please don’t run out of the church and down the street chasing after us to tell us you were glad to see us (and, yes, that really happened). When you act like it’s a miracle of God that you have visitors, it freaks us out.”

As I read through this letter – to read it in its entirety it is linked on our Church webpage – I found myself laughing and cringing because I recognize both ends of the spectrum in the life and ministry of many churches I know of … when it comes to us, I see this letter as a good reminder of the work we have to do while it ALSO celebrates the MANY good things we’re already doing.

We have some areas that need work – ALL CHURCHES DO, but thankfully as we move through our Lenten journey we can celebrate the aspects of ministry that we’re doing well … one of the areas that this past week has risen to the fore is the gift of prayer that we share …

I had a bit of an epiphany moment – not sure if Ephiphanies are appropriate in Lent, but whatever … in realizing how central and important Prayer is to ALL that we do and ALL that we are as a Church.

We have several prayer circles that raise concerns and celebrations within our church families and our community … the requests for prayer are common, and responded to positively … the gift of prayer is the most open, honest and welcoming gift we share together – and it is an integral and indivisible part of who we are as a Church.

And it is that return to the BASICS of our faith that is what we’re called to be about in our readings today … To clear away the clutter and the frivolous distractions and reorient ourselves on what is central to ur calling: gathering in community, worshipping together, joining in fellowship and binding ALL of it – everything we say and do as a Church – binding ALL of it in the gift of prayer.

When we refocus on what’s important and ground who we are and what we do in prayer we can then truly celebrate the closing sentiments the letter from Lyda and Brian who end their letter by saying: “Any number of the things that might bring us to your doorstep can make it hard to do much more than show up, sit quietly in the back, and sneak out afterwards. But that’s the beautiful thing about church communities – they bring new people into your life, they can open your heart and mind to new experiences, they can mend those deepest of wounds, and affirm your relationship with God.With all that on the line, don’t let the little things mentioned above get in the way of connecting people to the Good News.”

In Prayer, let us dare to live our faith oriented to what is important.

May it be so – thanks be to God … Let us pray …

Bulletin for March 4th 2012

Gathering Music:

Welcome and Announcements:

Lighting of the Christ Candle:

*Introit: Faith of Our Fathers VU 634

Call to Worship:

One: When God promised him a son, Abraham threw

himself down on his face and laughed!

All: Sometimes we laugh at God’s promises.

One: When Sarah heard from God’s visitor that she would

have a baby, she laughed to herself and said, “I’m past the age of having babies!”

All: Sometimes we laugh at God’s promises.

One: Isaac, the child who was born to them was named

“laughter” because Sarah said, “God has given me good reason to laugh, and everybody who hears will laugh with me.”

All: Sometimes we laugh with delight because

one of God’s promises comes true.

One: These are two kinds of laughter, one of doubt, one of joy.

God promises us incredible things.

All: Let us believe and laugh in joy! AMEN.

Our Personal Confession and Silent Prayer …

Silent Prayer ……………………… (F) Voices United pg. 959

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory,

for ever and ever. AMEN

Prayer of Approach:

One: God of Sarah and Abraham, God of us all: you have called people

throughout the ages to journey in faithfulness. Give to us a sense of anticipation through this Lenten season, that we may move with confidence and hope toward the new life of Easter. We pray in Jesus’ name, our Companion and Guide. AMEN.

(E) *Hymn: Jesus, Friend of Little Children VU 340

(E) Story Time:

(F) *Hymn: God, Whose Love is Reign O’er Us VU 399

WE LISTEN FOR A WORD FROM GOD

Genesis 17: 1-7, 15-16

Psalm 22 (part three – vs 23-38) (VU pg. 746)

Romans 4:13-25

Mark 8:31-38

(E) *Hymn: God, Whose Love is Reign O’er Us VU 399

(F) Choir:

Reflection: “A Covenant of trust, laughter and blessing …”

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD

*Hymn: Great is Thy Faithfulness VU 288

Minute for Mission:

Offering:

Offering Hymn: “Praise God From Whom …” HFG 382

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Praise Him all creatures here below,

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost AMEN.

Offering Prayer:

Prayers of the People:

(F) *Hymn: Jesus, Friend of Little Children VU 340

(F) Story Time:

* Hymn: To Show By Touch and Word VU 427

*Benediction:

*Choral Response: Amen, Amen, Hallelujah, Amen (VU 974)