Love God, Love Your Neighbor, Change the World

I am involved in several different organizations in the community and state: civic, religious, political and recreational. Most of these profess standards of unity, cooperation, the common good, and in the case of the religious organizations, the first and great commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.” On our best days we actually come close to living up to these lofty goals. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “there is no limit to the good we can do if we do not care who gets the credit.”

At other times, our human desire for recognition, power and reward gets the best of us and as soon as the prayers for unity end, the knives come out, at times, even in the church. This past week I was involved in several activities, some reflecting “our better angels,” and others, not so much.

Two examples from last Sunday’s scripture readings may help us see ourselves more clearly and inspire us to find a better way. In Second Samuel 18 we see how conflict within King David’s family lead to a disruption of the kingdom and the death of David’s son Absalom: 

"Then the Cushite came and said, “Good tidings for my lord the king! For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you.” The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” The Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man.”

The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

Jesus’ proclamation that he is the bread of life and that, whoever believes has eternal life caused a division among the people of Nazareth. Some responded, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?

As we began worship this past Sunday, our opening prayer helped bring my thoughts and actions into focus. “Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will.” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 232)

I believe that we, the Church and all people of God find hope in prayer and scripture and that we can be the yeast, the leaven, in the loaf of humanity that can bring hope to the world. The letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4:25-5:2 says this much better than I.

“Putting away falsehood let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Building a life on this foundation would solve most of the problems and jealousies I encountered this weekend and would change us and change the world.

LOVE GOD, LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR, CHANGE THE WORLD!

Free Food or Food that Endures

Why do we look for Jesus? After the feeding of the five thousand, as recorded in John 6:1-35, people got into boats and came looking for Jesus. Jesus accused them of looking for more “free food,” rather than signs of the presence of God. He then admonished them to “work not for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”(John 6:27) They then challenge Jesus to perform a miracle so that they can believe him, reminding him that Moses fed them with Manna in the wilderness. Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”(John 6:32-33)

It was not Moses, it was not Caesar, it was not even Jesus who gave them and gives us the bread of heaven. It is God. And Jesus is that bread! “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’”(John 6:35)

When we receive, when we eat the ‘bread of heaven,’ we are fed physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally and truthfully. We receive forgiveness of sin and are raised to a new life of grace. Life that changes when we die physically, but never ends. God sustains us with the Holy Spirit that leads us and guides us into all truth. The following prayer for the recently baptized sums this up for all of us.

“Heavenly Father, we thank you that by water and the Holy Spirit you have bestowed upon us your servants the forgiveness of sin, and have raised us to the new life of grace. Sustain us, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit. Give us an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. Amen.” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 308)

Five Loaves and Two Fish: The First Church Picnic

Was Jesus a magician or miracle worker, a showman or a savior? The feeding of the five thousand is the only one of Jesus’ miracles recorded in all four Gospels. Today I invite you to reflect with me on John’s version (John 6:1-21) of this powerful and life changing story. Jesus, in the middle of his sermon, and knowing what he planned to do, calls Philip to him and asks where they can buy food for all these hungry folks who have come out to hear the lifesaving words of Jesus. Philip tells Jesus it would take six months wages to feed a crowd this large. Another disciple, Andrew, responds to Jesus with the somewhat ridiculous solution of five loaves and two fish which have been brought by a young boy.

We have heard the story many times. All sit on the grass and eat their fill, and then the disciples pick up twelve basketsfull of leftovers. So, was this magical multiplication or inspired sharing? Yesterday I drove through Albertville on Highway 431 and in the space of a mile counted six fast food restaurants and five eat in restaurants. These did not exist in First Century Israel and Judah. In Jesus’ day, when people traveled they usually took food with them to sustain them on their journey, just as the young boy in the Gospel. I suspect that he was not the only one of the five thousand who prepared for the journey ahead of time. I certainly believe in a Creator and creative God, but what if the real miracle, the message Jesus was really trying to communicate, was the gift of sharing, that everyone gave of what they had, and that all were blessed and fed.

When I lived in New Orleans in the late 1990’s there were downtown feeding ministries every day of the week except Friday. The Episcopal Churches of the city and suburbs joined together to provide food for the homeless on Fridays. The ministry was called, that’s right, “Loaves and Fishes.” It succeeded because of sharing, the miracle of sharing. Each congregation took what it had, put it all together, prayed over it and there was always enough to feed everyone. As Christians, we believe that the Lord feeds us, that God answers all our needs and that we help the Lord meet the needs of others.

We learn from Jesus’ life and ministry that God desires for us a life, not of scarcity but abundance. Out of our abundance we in the affluent nations of the world are called to provide for the impoverished people of the earth, both at home and elsewhere. We are also called by God to preserve the land and waters of our planet so that the Earth too will be a place of abundance and peace for all of God’s people.

Are we to provide food? Yes, but we are also called to provide training, skills and resources that will prepare people to provide for themselves as well as others. Can we heal every person? Can we fix every human problem? Can your church and my church do all that needs to be done? No, but each person we feed or train or empower will change many others.

Five loaves, two fish, Change the World!

Like Sheep without a Shepherd

The Biblical writers often use the metaphors of sheep and shepherd to explain our relationship with God and with each other. As we examine some of these scriptures we get a sense of who we are, who God is and how important, and sometimes troubling, these relationships can be.

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture says the Lord. . . It is you who have scattered my flock. . .and have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock . . . and I will bring them back to their fold. . . I will raise up shepherds over them, who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:1-6)

When Jesus’ disciples return from their mission trips they are excited and share with Him “all that they had done and taught.” Jesus takes them away to a deserted place to rest, but the crowds see them go and hurry around the lake on foot, arriving ahead of them.” Jesus saw the crowd and had compassion for them, “because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:30-34) Jesus became their shepherd just as the Lord raised up new shepherds in the days of Jeremiah.

The Psalmist captures the power of shepherd and sheep, Lord and people in, what I believe, is the best known and most loved chapter in the Bible, the Twenty-Third Psalm,

Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd; * I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *and leads me beside still waters.

3 He revives my soul *and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; *
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over.

6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

The Lord is our Guide who will supply our needs; who leads us into times and places of peace; who renews our spirits and leads us into all truth. God is always with us, in good times and bad times, in life and death. God takes away our fears, feeds us, protects us, heals us, gives us abundant life and makes us citizens of God’s Kingdom. The Lord is our Shepherd.

God’s Reluctant Prophets

Throughout our lives, most of us have talked about and been asked about and tested about what jobs or careers we would like to pursue or should pursue. We have been guided toward or away from many different career fields: professions such as doctor, lawyer, merchant, engineer, factory worker and farmer. One career I have never seen on the list is that of Prophet. This is likely due to the fact that we have seen prophets in our lives and throughout history and we have seen what people, even well meaning people, do to them. A look at some Biblical prophets will help us to understand this reluctance as well is the importance of the “prophetic profession.”

When the Eighth Century B.C. Prophet, Isaiah, finds himself in the presence of God and the Holy Angels, he proclaims, ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ The seraph touched his mouth with a live coal from the altar and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’  Isaiah continues, ‘I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ “And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’” (Isaiah 6:5-9)

Amos, a contemporary of Isaiah, and another reluctant Prophet, is minding his own business as a “herdsman and a tender of sycamore trees,” when God finds him by a wall and calls him and sends him to, Jeroboam, the King of Israel to inform him that God is not pleased with his treatment of those who live under his rule. For his trouble, Amos is run out of town by Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, the “King’s Priest.” (Amos 7:7-15)

Isaiah felt unworthy, Amos didn’t want to go, but our next prophet, John the Baptizer, suffers the ultimate fate that befalls so many of the most powerful prophets in every age. John was violently put to death by Herod, the King of Judah for proclaiming the Good News of God’s Kingdom amidst the Kingdoms of this world. John offended the King’s wife, who, by conspiring with her daughter convinced Herod to have John beheaded.

Jesus, who we Christians believe is our Lord and Savior picked up John’s mantle and moved it forward by proclaiming by word and action “The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”(Mark 12:29-31) As Jesus continued his prophetic ministry, proclaiming God’s love to all and the coming of “God’s Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven,” the leaders of the Earthly Kingdoms, both secular and religious, found him to be a problem and conspired to put him to death.

No wonder so few people pursue a career as a prophet; but thanks be to God, there are those among us, who, led by the Holy Spirit, accept the call and the task. May God give us the courage to accept that call to proclaim not only a new heaven, but a new Earth.

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” and I said, 'here am I; send me!'" (Isaiah 6:8-9)

There has been a Prophet among Us

When God calls people to be prophets, they seldom become the most popular persons in the neighborhood. Prophets have been, are, and likely will continue to be misunderstood. At times they are threatened, slandered and even killed for their trouble. So, join me on a journey to look at some of God’s prophets, ancient and modern.

God calls the Sixth Century B.C. Prophet, Ezekiel, and sends him out: “The Lord said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ Whether they hear or refuse to hear. . .they shall know that there has been a prophet among them.” (Ezekiel 2:1-5)

The Eighth Century B.C. Prophet, Amos, was sent by God to Israel to speak against the increased disparity between the very wealthy and the very poor. His major themes were social justice, God’s omnipotence and divine judgment. He criticized the king and was “advised” by the Head Priest, Amaziah, to leave town just as quickly as he had arrived. John the Baptist, the first New Testament prophet, preached the baptism for the forgiveness of sins, baptized those who came to him, and prepared the way for Jesus and his message of love and forgiveness. For his efforts, John was beheaded by King Herod.

And then Jesus shows up, who, in addition to being proclaimed, Son of God and Messiah was, I believe, a prophet as well. When Jesus first started preaching and healing he went to his hometown to share God’s Good News. He was met with astonishment, skepticism and concerns.

"On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him." (Mark 6:1-13)

Since, because of their unbelief Jesus could do no deeds of power there, he sent the disciples out in pairs to proclaim and heal: “If they refuse to hear you. . .shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” I suspect the people to whom they went also knew that “there had been prophets among them. The Disciples proclaimed that all should repent, they cast out demons, anointed with oil many who were sick, and cured them.” (Mark 6:11-12)

After looking at some of the prophets of the past as well as Jesus, what is the place of Prophesy in the Church today? I firmly believe that God sends Prophets to be the Conscience of our Earthly Kingdoms, to be the conscience of our leaders and of we the people. As humans we all want our own way and those with power usually get it. Apparently, God does not like this: “they shall know there has been a Prophet among them;” St. Paul, “God’s Power is made perfect in my weakness;” and, of course, Jesus in his hometown.

When the people reject the prophet, the prophet goes elsewhere and takes the power of God with him or her, and along with the power of God, they take the healing and the Good News of God.

Truly, being a prophet can require much suffering and rejection. Prophets tend to be misunderstood by people of their own time and place because they are always calling people to see beyond that time and place. As an example, Martin Luther King, Jr. is almost universally loved and quoted today by people of all walks of life and political persuasions. However, when he was alive and working for Civil Rights and against the war in Southeast Asia, he was continually investigated by the FBI and was called a communist and many other names by many, many people.

Prophets expand our vision by calling us out of complacency with injustice. They reorient us to the liberating will of God.

Who are some of the prophets in the world today? I give you three and invite you to add your own: Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist who, as a teenager worked for female education, was wounded by the Taiban, and became the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize; The Most Reverend Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church who preaches about love, everywhere he goes, from the Royal Wedding in England to the Poor Peoples March in Washington D.C. He is not always appreciated as much for his love of the poor as for the Royal Family; finally, Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer who founded the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama to work with Death Row Inmates who do not have the resources to appeal their convictions, many of which are unjust and in error. He and Equal Justice Initiative also work to defend the most desperate and in need people in our society: the poor, racial minorities and young people tried as adults. He initiated the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which honors the almost 4000 African Americans lynched between 1877 and 1950. He and his organization have been subject to many bomb threats and death threats over the past 20 years.

I leave you with three questions: Who do you think of as prophets today? How might God be calling you to proclaim God’s Good News? How might God be calling you to be a prophet?

Why are You Afraid, have you still no Faith

After a hard day of preaching and teaching Jesus takes his disciples away from the crowds to the other side of the lake for some rest and relaxation. On the way a huge storm arises with lots of wind and rain and the disciples fear for their lives. They wake Jesus up, ask him to save them and he rebukes the wind and the sea, ‘peace be still.’ Jesus then questions his closest followers, ‘Why are you afraid?’ Have you still no faith?’ (Mark 4:35-41)

We all face storms in life: some storms are literal and physical, like the storm on the Sea of Galilee, and others are spiritual or mental or relational. Whatever the source of the storm we face, we often believe, as the disciples did, that Jesus has forgotten us. We, like the disciples, need to hear again the words of Jesus: “Why are you afraid, have you still no faith?”

In  April, 2010 a major tornado came through Albertville,  doing tremendous damage and affecting all of us at Christ Church either directly or indirectly by the destruction of our original Church building. It was a numbing blow to our community as those who were here at the time worked to salvage all that they could before tearing down the beloved old structure to begin rebuilding the holy space we now gather in to worship God and from which we leave to serve our community in the name of Jesus Christ. Prayer, teamwork and Christian Community took away our fear and renewed our faith.

In hopes that others will see a way to journey from fear to hope in their lives, I share a personal storm through which fear and depression replaced hope and faith in my life. Several years ago I resigned (before I could be fired) from my job as pastor of a large Episcopal Congregation. Not only was I “too liberal” for the congregation, but I had fired two employees who I still believe needed to be fired, but I did not do it properly, nor did I have the political capital to do so.

I had a severe emotional break down and our assistant Bishop sent me immediately to a psychiatrist the Diocese had on retainer. What does that say about the life of pastors and the church? I saw him during the remainder of my time in that city. The psychiatrist put me on anti-anxiety medication and anti-depressants and I continued to see him weekly until we left the state. I continued my therapy when we moved to Alabama and I have continued the use of appropriate medication. This therapy and medication truly saved my life.

I know many people, for many reasons, are afraid to see a therapist or to use anti-depressants, but I encourage you, out of my experience, to take advantage of mental health care as a gift from God and to treat mental illness and issues as you would any physical disease or condition that can adversely affect your life.

Yes, we all have or will have storms in our lives: tornadoes, hurricanes, accidents, unexpected deaths. There will be divorces and job losses, alienation from family and friends, loss of physical abilities, and even loss of faith. When these things happen we need the faith of Jesus, not the fear of the disciples. Fear leads to death and destruction and faith leads to life. And I am not just referring to individual faith, as important as that is, but to the faith of the church. In the Christian Community, when my faith is weak, your strong faith will carry me. When your faith is weak, my faith will carry you and when all of our faith is weak and fear is creeping in, we find our faith again in the Word and Sacraments of the Church as we come together as the body of Christ in the world.

A secular (or perhaps not so secular) song, You’ll  Never Walk Alone, by Rogers and Hammerstein from the 1945 musical, Carrousel, proclaims faith and hope and life to us all.

"When you walk through a storm Hold your head up high and don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of the storm is a golden sky and the sweet silver song of a lark.

Walk on through the wind, Walk on through the rain, Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown. 
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart and you'll never walk alone, you’ll never walk alone."