RIP: Hillary Brooks

The Obituary for Hillary can be found here.

A sermon preached by the Reverend Michael Anderson Bullock

at Grace Church, Camden, SC., on 10 February 2012,

on the occasion of the Memorial Requiem of Hillary Brooks

In last Sunday’s sermon here at Grace Church, I raised a pointed question with the congregation.  I asked: How would you faithfully, with compassion and respect, help someone face their death?  What would you say?  What would you do?

I can now say that the reason such a question was on my mind and pounding in my heart was that for the last six weeks, Hillary Brooks and I had been in conversation about such things.  In fact, Hillary and I had scheduled another meeting for this past Tuesday afternoon to continue the conversation.  But of course, the Monday morning before we were to meet, Hillary quietly died in her bed.  Thankfully, she has been delivered, but this only reduces somewhat the hurt and sadness of losing her.

Meeting with Hillary was a humbling honor.  She wanted to talk to me about a number of things that were troubling her, not the least of which was her sense that God had abandoned her in her battle for life.  Confronting her third bout with cancer and enduring yet another attempt chemically to fight the insurgent disease, Hillary’s battered body began to affect her sense of being with God.  She felt as if God was abandoning her, and this disturbed her greatly.  She even wondered what she might have done to chase God away.

I inwardly groaned both at Hillary’s physical and spiritual pain, not sure whether the chemo or the question about God was causing more agony.  It seemed to me both were unnecessarily hurtful.  Nonetheless, I was taken by her honesty, her openness to confront painful things, and in this Hillary showed great courage and integrity.  I admired her very much for this.  I was also aware that she was inviting me to join her in that sacred space, where her life intersected with what truly matters.

Hillary’s questions were weighty questions, augmented by her sense of urgency.  With regard to her questions about God, her sense of her spiritual relationship was (like most of us) clouded by her experiences with family and others, the incompleteness of which tends to rub the soul raw. 

We all walk around with a terrible wound deep within.  None of us seems to trust that we can be loved adequately.  Some of us seem to adjust to this distorting pain and call it “normal.”  Others refuse to surrender to such warping and call it faith.  Hillary had absorbed her share of abandonment in her life, but as a faithful woman, she simply could not tolerate feeling so separate from God.  She wanted to deal with this. 

In an attempt to clear the air that she had done something wrong, we reflected together on Psalm 42 (which we have just read).  We tried to plumb its depths as a way to place her experience into some kind of constructive and new perspective. 

My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God; when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?

My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long they say to me, “Where now is your God?”

Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul?  And why are you so disquieted within me?

Psalm 42:2-3, 6

The voice of the psalmist named her own feelings and also gave Hillary permission to be honest with herself and with God.  I t was not faithlessness to express such anger and despair.  It was honest, as if God (“from whom no secrets are hid”) didn’t already know Hillary’s sentiments.  But she didn’t like the feeling.  I said no one does, but as with all mature and healthy relationships, feelings must not be the primary indicator of the relationship’s reality or status.  Beyond feelings lies the domain of faith, trust: trust that there is more to our life than we can control or even understand. 

Put your trust in God; for I will yet give thanks to him who is the help of my countenance, and my God. 

Psalm 42:7

The climax of our discussions (at least for me) came when I asked Hillary another question.  I posed this situation to her.  What if your doctor was absolutely certain that you had three months to live, what would you want from your life?

I was stunned by her answer.  It came immediately, without hesitation; and I will never forget it as long as I live.  Hillary said: “I want to finish well.”

Whether Hillary realized it or not, her response to my question was the answer her soul needed.  God had not abandoned her; nor was her suffering due to offending God.  What her feelings could not realize concerned her need to “finish well.” 

Hillary’s amazing response caused me immediately to think of St. Paul’s writing to the Corinthians, when he speaks to those hard-headed, new and spiritually immature Christians about running the race.  As you heard from our first reading, Paul offers the metaphor of a long-distance runner’s engagement with the race, and it doesn’t take a PhD in theology to figure out that the race is our life, and the finish line entails the reality of death.  Yet, the full sense of what Paul means in this metaphor comes by implication.  The imagery of running the race speaks directly to our wounded human condition and the difference the healing and redeeming news of Jesus Christ can make in our lives. 

In terms of the deep wound humanity carries, one way to think about it is to say that this would stems from (or is caused by) our realization that the race is rigged.  Try as we might (and God knows that humanity has tried from the very beginning), we cannot win the race.  Death prevents us, and there are no shortcuts around the reality of death, not even for those who trust God.  This reality, when we wish to face it, is deeply wounding to us.  It is so painful that it causes some of us to turn away from God before the rest of the God-story gets a chance to be told. 

The full God-story is that there is someone who has won race, who has unmasked fear and death as the frauds they actually are.  Jesus (the Christ of God) has revealed that there is more to life than what we can make of it.  With God, death is real, but it is not the end.  With God, there is always more than death. 

And so, St. Paul reminds his charges that Jesus’ victory breaks the barrier, but there is more even than this.  Rather than keep the victory to himself, God-in-Christ invites us to join him on the victor’s stand to share in this triumph, to live in this triumph.  However, there is a catch – always a catch.

The catch is that we must cross the finish line, if we are to have the victory.  Or in Hillary’s words, we need to “finish well.”

Some, I suppose, will be spiritually mature enough to run across the finish line.  Some will walk.  I suspect that I and others like me will be crawling on our hands and knees.  No matter: Just finish.  Cross the finish line.  Embrace the victory.  Claim it as the gift it is.  With God there is always more, but the race has to be finished. 

The will of God is Communion.  (And Communion is not just what happens at the altar rail.)  When we realize, when we trust God’s Communion with him and among us, the race and its pace become more humane, more gracious, more freeing.  And in those times when we lose heart – and there are always those times for us – being in Communion means that we are not on our own.  We don’t run alone – ever.  This is a truth that I hope all of you will take from this requiem. 

Hillary finished well, much better than perhaps she herself could appreciate; and so can we finish well – starting now.

God rest you, Hillary Brooks; and God bless you.  Amen.

Sermon: Lent I RCL B - "God Doesn't Love Me"

The Podcast can be found here.

 

Mark 1:9-15

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."

Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.

The problems began when Chippie's owner decided to clean Chippie's cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She'd barely said "hello" when "ssssopp!" Chippie got sucked in.

The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie -- still alive, but stunned.

Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.

Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.

A few days after the trauma, the reporter who'd initially written about the event contacted Chippie's owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn't sing much anymore -- he just sits and stares."

Ever have one of those days, weeks, months.. years when you know exactly how Chippie feels?… Sucked in, washed up, and blown over… Those times when you don’t have much to sing about.. and really the best thing you can think to do.. the only thing you want to do.. is sit and stare… at some point we all experience this…

What brings on such an experience?   They come from two main reasons.  One is from outside of ourselves and the second is of our own doings.  The ones outside of ourselves are related to those curve balls that life seems to throw our way.  A sickness… getting laid off from work… slipping on the ice.. things that are very much out of our control…. That second type of experience.. the one of our own doings generally ends with the statement, “What the heck was thinkin’?”  We do something that we know we shouldn’t.. We break a law or abuse a trust. 

Think of it this way… In our Gospel reading today.. we are told about Jesus going off into the wilderness.  Mark’s gospel is not specific in listing the details of Jesus’ temptations by the devil, but we know from Luke’s Gospel that on one occasion “the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down.”… Now we know that Jesus was able to rebuke the devil… but there are times in our lives when, by no fault of our own, the world will come along and push us off that highest point… and there are other times when the devil tempts us, by saying jump.. and we – in our brilliance – respond, “Ok?”… In either case.. we can end up with that Chippie experience of being sucked in, washed up and blown over.

And it is in the trough of that experience.. at its lowest point.. that the devil presents his greatest deception… and although it comes in a whisper.. it seems to resonate in our heads like a clap of thunder… “God doesn’t love me... God doesn’t love me.” … If we allow that deception to sink in.. begin to actually believe it.. we can become angry at God – don’t pretend that you haven’t because at some point we all do to one degree or another – One of my favorite movies.. Bruce Almighty… Bruce has heard the devil’s deception, he has believed it, and so he boldly declares, “God is a mean kid sitting on an anthill with a magnifying glass, and I'm the ant. He could fix my life in five minutes if He wanted to, but he'd rather burn off my feelers and watch me squirm.”…. Sometimes we are not as overt as Bruce in our complaints against God, but have you ever heard someone say, “When I get to Heaven, I going to ask God about this.”.. same emotion of anger.. just more closely guarded.

The key to overcoming these feelings of anger is to recognize that the voice which says “God doesn’t love me” is not the voice of God… It is from the great deceiver.  To overcome such a deception we must remember the words that Our Father did speak… and they are the exact same words that he spoke to Jesus … "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."… that word beloved means one who is greatly loved.. one who is dear to the heart.  And not only did the Father speak those words to Jesus.. but he speaks them to you as well… it is to you that the Father says, “You are my child.. my beloved.. you are one who is greatly loved and dear to my heart.. with you I am well pleased.”

For those of you in our study of the Ragamuffin Gospel.. you’ll probably remember this from the first video clip I showed you… It was Brennan Manning speaking to a congregation… He said, “In the 48 years since I was first ambushed by Jesus, in a little chapel in the Allegheny Mountains of Western Pennsylvania, and in literally thousands of hours of prayers, meditation, silence and solitude over those years, I am now utterly convinced that on Judgment Day the Lord Jesus is going to ask each of us one question and only one question,

“Did you believe that I loved you? That I desired you? That I waited for you day after day? That I longed to hear the sound of your voice?”

And Brennan goes on to say that at this moment, Jesus comes to your seat and says…  “I have a word for you…. I know your whole life story. I know every skeleton in your closet. I know every moment of sin, shame, dishonesty and degraded love that has darkened your past. Right now, I know your shallow faith, your feeble prayer life, your inconsistent discipleship…

.. And my word is this: I dare you to trust that I love you just as you are and not as you should be, because you’re never gonna be as you should be.”

Throughout my ministry I have been firmly convinced of one thing… that is.. if I can help you to see and to understand that single drop of blood on Jesus’ forehead.. the one trickling down like a tear from where one of the thorns of his crown has pierced his most sacred brow… I am convinced.. that if I can help you see and understand that one drop of blood.. then you will know God.. and you will know His love.

I dare you to trust that God loves you… I dare you to believe that in that single shed drop of Jesus’ blood you were forever joined to Our Father.. and that you will forever be His beloved.

Let us pray… God, Our Father, You have promised to remain forever with those who do what is just and right.  Help us to live in Your presence.  The loving plan of Your Wisdom was made known when Jesus, your Son, became man like us.  We want to obey His commandment of love and bring Your peace and joy to others.  Keep before us the wisdom and love You have made known in Your Son.  Help us to be like Him in word and deed.  Amen.

Sermon: Ash Wednesday

The Podcast can be found here.

Matthew 6:1-6,16-21

Jesus said, "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

The Bureau of Labor came out in March of last year with their statistics on how we spend our time... with the greatest amount of time going to working and work related activities.

It breaks down like this...

Working and related activities:  8.7 hours

Sleep:  7.7 hours

Leisure and sports:  2.6 hours

Household activities:  1.1 hours

Eating and drinking:  1.1 hours

Caring for Others: 1.3 hours

Other: 1.5 hours

This means that over half the day is gone, with over 12 hours a day devoted to working, eating, household and caring activities.  Then there is the time for sleeping (7.7 hours).  Which leaves only a few hours left for anything else... with the majority of that extra time being assigned to the “La-z-boy and the stupid box”

Of that “other” category, 16 minutes are given to “organizational, civic, and religious” activities.  If we were being generous with the religious aspect and gave it 50% of that time.. we would have 8 minutes per day.. or 56 minutes per week that we give to God.

Now... the unaware and self-righteous side of me would like to rail against those statistics... start telling folks that they need to get their priorities straight and all that... truth be told.. if I weren’t a priest - receiving a stipend so that I could spend time with God on behalf of the people - if I had a job in the secular world, children to care for.. or if I didn’t have an understanding wife who does much of what needs to be done around the house even though she has her work and life to live... If I didn’t have all these things.. I’m fairly certain that my minutes per day that I spend with God would be less than eight.. but that doesn’t mean that they should be.

Much of our life with Christ is about sacrifice... the giving up of who we are and replacing it with who He is.  It is about a relationship.. and with any relationship.. it requires time.. nourishing.. giving.. and sacrifice.

As we’ve talked about in the past.. that which we give up during Lent.. that which we abstain from.. is not an act of will power... “I’m giving up coffee for Lent.. or smoking.. or whatever.”  Heck, I gave up beer one Lent and really learned to enjoy red wine.... the point of abstaining from something is so that you will be able to give that time.. those resources.. etc., to God... I give up half an hour of TV a day so that I can spend that time with God... see how it works?

I read our Gospel today and it speaks of doing certain things for God... giving alms - serving Him... praying... and fasting.  It talks about how we rightly do these things, not in public, not for show, etc… but with a world that is constantly demanding more and more of our time.. before we can do these things properly.. we must first learn to simply DO them... we have to figure out how to give God more than 8 minutes per day... to sacrifice something of ourselves so that we can enter more deeply into that relationship with our God.  These things are not one more thing that we have to accomplish... As a Christian people.. these things are our joy!  Thomas a Kempis understood these things.. and he writes...

I WILL hear what the Lord God will speak in me.".. Blessed is the soul who hears the Lord speaking within her, who receives the word of consolation from His lips. Blessed are the ears that catch the accents of divine whispering, and pay no heed to the murmurings of this world. Blessed indeed are the ears that listen, not to the voice which sounds without, but to the truth which teaches within. Blessed are the eyes which are closed to exterior things and are fixed upon those which are interior. Blessed are they who penetrate inwardly, who try daily to prepare themselves more and more to understand mysteries. Blessed are they who long to give their time to God, and who cut themselves off from the hindrances of the world.... Consider these things, my soul, and close the door of your senses, so that you can hear what the Lord your God speaks within you.. "I am your salvation," says your Beloved. "I am your peace and your life.

The Lord is your joy.. your salvation.. your peace.. and your life.... make a sacrifice.. take the time.. and hear what the Lord God will speak in you.

Sermon: Epiphany VII RCL B - "The Light"

The Podcast can be found here.

Mark 9:2-9

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

A recent study was conducted by some of the greatest minds in the Episcopal Church to determine the Best Reasons to be an Episcopalian… this highly accurate and academic study has a margin of error of plus or minus five years in purgatory…

Number 12 reason for being an Episcopalian… The Directions included in BCP

11. Male and female he created them; male and female we ordain them.

10. No snake handling

9. You can believe in dinosaurs

8. One free foot washing per year

7. You don't have to check your brains at the door

6. Church year is color-coded

5. All of the pageantry - none of the guilt

4. Pew aerobics

3. You don't have to know how to swim to get baptized

2. No matter what you believe, there's at least one other Episcopalian who agrees with you

… and Number One:

1. Free wine on Sunday

Outside of Diocesan Convention, I don’t know of any other occasion when five Episcopal Churches come together in the Diocese of Montana.. but today there are members present from St. Mark’s here in Anaconda, St. James’ in Deer Lodge, St. Andrew’s in Philipsburg, St. Mary’s in Butte, and St. John’s in Butte… and together we make up the St. Joan of Arc Regional Ministry of the Episcopal Church in Montana – if anyone sees the need to add an additional church to our happy little band they will need to take it up – not with the Bishop – but with Robyn.. and I suggest wearing suite of armor and a bullet proof vest when doing so… also, please note, should I accept another church.. you will have to provide me with a new place to live.

I suppose as Episcopalians we are all those things.. we don’t do snake handling and we do have a color-coded church year.. but that is who we are on the surface.  However, if we were to look below the surface.. what would we find?..

I don’t know that I would like you looking below my surface?  Well.. maybe on a good day it would be OK, but on a bad one.. not a chance.  As much as I would like for you to believe that I am a holy man, I know the truth.  Below the surface there is the ugliness that is the world.  Below the surface there is anger.. insecurity.. impurity.... and so much more that is dark.

Yet.. I know that what the Beloved Disciple John said is also true… “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome (the spirits of the antichrist), because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”  There is the darkness within me.. but I know.. that “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”… and that light is Jesus. It is that Light that defines me.. not the darkness that would seek to snuff it out… and it is that Light that defines us – as the Body of Christ – and not the superficial descriptors that we get labeled with.

In our Gospel reading today Jesus showed us this.. He showed us what we are in Him… “Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.”

From the icons of Jesus.. to the movies.. and statues.. we have this image of who Jesus was… Whether it is accurate or not, we can look at an image and say, “that is Jesus.”  If you were to have met him on the streets of Jerusalem some 2,000 years ago.. you would have probably seen a middle aged Jewish man.. bearded.. perhaps with longer hair.. perhaps looking the part of a rabbi.. probably average.. no extraordinary features.. but that was only the surface.. that is not his true appearance.  His true appearance is that of the Transfigured One… Radiating the glory of God like the sun radiates heat and light on a hot summer day… That light that Jesus shone with did not come from outside of him… It came from within himself… that is who He truly is.

Vladimir Lossky writes, “The Transfiguration was not a phenomenon circumscribed in – that is, limited to time and space; Christ underwent no change at that moment, even in His human nature, but a change occurred in the awareness of the apostles, who for a time received the power to see their Master as He was, resplendent in the eternal light of His Godhead.”

What I find so fascinating about this revelation of Jesus is that he was not only showing us what He is.. but He was also showing us what we are.. as Paul writes.. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light… Live as children of light.

There may be darkness within us.. we may be surrounded by darkness on all sides.. but we were not created for that darkness.. we do not have to succumb to that darkness.. and we certainly don’t have to settle for it… for through the Transfigured Lord.. we too can become transfigured into the radiance of His glory.

I love the story of Abba Lot and Abba Joseph.. I’m pretty sure I’ve told it to you before.. but Abba Lot goes to Abba Joseph and says, ‘Abba as far as I can I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?’ then the old man stood up and stretched his hands towards heaven. His fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, ‘If you will, you can become all flame.’… If you will you can become all flame.. all light… you can be transfigured and radiate the glory of the Lord.

There are plenty of ways to describe us… five churches… Regional Ministry… Episcopalians… Anglo-Catholics… and so on… but that is only what we are on the surface.  On the inside.. we are the Light of the Transfigured Christ.. and we must shine.

In his “I Have a Dream” sermon, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, I have a dream today!  I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

Today, I also have a dream.. it’s a dream for the St. Joan of Arc Regional Ministry.. and that dream is that these valleys of southwest Montana will be exalted… and that the glory of the Lord will be revealed to all flesh that dwells within… but that glory will be revealed.. not because we have pew aerobics or free wine on Sunday… the Glory of the Lord will be revealed in these valleys because we have become all flame… because we have allowed the true light of Christ to shine through us…

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”.. become all flame.. let your light shine.

Would you turn to page 675 of your BCP – Psalm 67 – Let’s pray this Psalm of praise together… Let us pray… 

1          May God be merciful to us and bless us, *

            show us the light of his countenance and come to us.

2          Let your ways be known upon earth, *

            your saving health among all nations.

3          Let the peoples praise you, O God; *

            let all the peoples praise you.

4          Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, *

            for you judge the peoples with equity

            and guide all the nations upon earth.

5          Let the peoples praise you, O God; *

            let all the peoples praise you.

6          The earth has brought forth her increase; *

            may God, our own God, give us his blessing.

7          May God give us his blessing, *

            and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.

… and the people said… “Amen!”

Need an Act of Penance During Lent?

Sermon: Epiphany VI RCL B - "The Fear Within"

The podcast can be found here.

Mark 1:40-45

A leper came to Jesus begging him, and kneeling he said to him, "If you choose, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, "I do choose. Be made clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.



A number of years ago, a woman in Kansas City walked into a Haagen-Dazs ice cream shop at the Plaza shopping center. While waiting, she turned to find actor Paul Newman standing behind her! He was in town filming the movie Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, and was now standing behind his biggest fan.

He smiled at her and said "hello." She took one look at those legendary blue eyes and her knees almost buckled. Her heart was in her throat. She tried to speak, but not a sound came out. Mortified, she turned around, paid for her ice cream, then quickly walked out of the store.

Outside, she sat down on a bench and caught her breath. As she calmed down, she realized she didn't have her ice cream cone. She was debating walking back in to get it when Paul Newman walked out. "You looking for your ice cream cone?" he asked. Speechless again, she nodded. "You put it in your purse with your change."

I’ve met a few celebrities over the years.  I think the first was Jimmy Stewart.. He was quite old and in a bookstore for a book signing.  There was George W. Bush.. had him sign a baseball that I still have… and MacGyver – literally ran into him in an airport (His fault not mine).. and there is my favorite author Frank Peretti.. that one was very cool.  Got to visit with him for a minute and have him sign one of his books.  At each of these encounters I don’t know that I was necessarily “star struck,” but it was fun to meet someone that I had seen and heard so much about.

There is a story by R. C. Sproul about a well-known professional golfer who was playing in a tournament with President Gerald Ford, fellow pro Jack Nicklaus, and Billy Graham. After the round was over, one of the other pros on the tour asked, “Hey, what was it like playing with the President and Billy Graham?” The pro said with disgust, “I don’t need Billy Graham stuffing religion down my throat!” With that he headed for the practice tee. His friend followed, and after the golfer had pounded out his fury on a bucket of golf balls, he asked, “Was Billy a little rough on you out there?” The pro sighed and said with embarrassment, “No, he didn’t even mention religion.” Astonishingly, Billy Graham had said nothing about God, Jesus, or religion, yet the pro stomped away after the game accusing Billy of trying to ram religion down his throat.

I wonder what it was about Billy Graham that put this golfer off so much?  What was it about this encounter that angered him so and made him believe that Billy Graham had been shoving religion down his throat even though Rev. Graham hadn’t said a word about religion? 

I don’t know if such a phenomenon has a name, but I suspect that the Sadducees and Pharisees in the time of Jesus had a similar reaction when they encountered Jesus.. and perhaps that encounter can account for their violent reaction to Him.  Perhaps it was simply the encounter – the coming into the presence of God Incarnate – that made them pursue Him.. literally to death.  As the Apostle Paul states in the letter to the Hebrews, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands (to come into the presence) of the living God.”

I suspect that most of you have a similar reaction when I walk into the room.. or not.

Anyhow.. In our Gospel reading today we learn of one who also had an encounter with Jesus.  The man was a leper.. one who was diseased.. considered unclean by the Law and the religious leaders.  The Law clearly states in Leviticus, “Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.”  And according to the Law.. anyone who touches a person who is unclean becomes unclean themselves… but what does our Gospel reading say occurred when Jesus encountered the Leper?... A leper came to Jesus begging him, and kneeling he said to him, "If you choose, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, "I do choose. Be made clean!"… What happened?… Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

Here’s a question you won’t like?...  What is it that makes you unclean?  What is it that forces you to walk outside the camp crying, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’  What is your sin?...  You see.. in many respects, we are all lepers.  We walk through the wilderness alone.. knowing what it is that separates us from God.  We don’t need anyone to tell us what that might be – although plenty will – because we are very well aware of our own shortcomings.. our own failings.  We don’t require anyone to shame us, because we feel that shame already as acutely as the leper feels the shame of his/her own disease.

.. yet.. as with the leper, there is One who will stretch forth his hand.. touch us.. and make us clean.  And that One is Jesus.  Trouble is.. we often experience that same phenomenon that the professional golfer experienced when he played with Billy Graham… or what the Sadducees and Pharisees experienced when they encountered Jesus… it is that anger.. that swelling desire to repulse Him.. to be rid of Him… but I would suggest to you that what we experience is not anger… it’s fear.  It’s fear of encountering God.  And I would further suggest to you that this fear does not originate from within your soul, but it originates from within your sin.  That fear is not a part of the image of God that you were created in… That fear is a part of the sin that is within you.. for that sin – like any living entity – knows when it comes into the presence of the living God.. and knows that it is through the living God that it will be banished.. cast out.

Think about the time that Jesus encountered a man in Capernaum who had a demon within him… Scripture says, In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”… “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.

… Go away!  What do you want with us?... Notice that it was not the man who cried out in fear … instead.. it was that which was impure.. unclean within him – his demon – that cried out.

Now… I’m not suggesting that you all are possessed by demons, but I am saying that the sin within us reacts in a similar manner.  It desires – and so often whether consciously or unconsciously – we desire that it remain.  Our sins have become our close personal friends.  We feed them… They make us feel good… they help us to sleep at night… and get us up in the morning.  They are our joys… and oh my gosh, where would we be without them.  There is fear in losing them… but they make us unclean.. they make us lepers.. they force us to walk in the wilderness alone.

What must we do to be delivered from such wilderness?… A leper came to Jesus begging him, and kneeling he said to him, "If you choose, you can make me clean."… We must come, kneel before Jesus, and asked to be made clean… that is all.  Sounds simple enough, but before we can submit ourselves, we must first summon the courage to do so.  We must overcome that fear that is within us.. and we do so by remembering that our God does not desire our death, but desires to show us mercy. 

Think of what St. Paul said to the Hebrews… You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”  The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.” – you haven’t come to such a place – But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant

What must we do to be delivered from the wilderness?  We must have courage.. and come and kneel before Jesus.. the mediator of the new covenant.. the one who loves us.. and ask to be made clean…. Then… then we watch in amazement as He reaches forth his hand.. and touches us.

Let us pray… O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Who, by the will of the Father, with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, have by Your death given life to the world, deliver us by this Your Most Sacred Body and Blood from all sins and from every evil. Make us always cling to Your commandments, and never permit us to be separated from You. Who with the same God the Father and the Holy Spirit, live and reign, God, world without end. Amen.

SJARM February 2012 Newsletter

Sermon: Epiphany V RCL B - "Purpose"

The podcast can be found here.

 

Mark 1:29-39

Jesus left the synagogue at Capernaum, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

According to a 2002 study.. there are approximately 4,200 world religions… and of those… there are only 12 “major world religions”… Christianity being the largest of the majors with some 2 billion members and Zoroastrianism the smallest of the 12 with about 150,000 members…

With such a wide variety to choose from.. this still hasn’t stopped us from pumping out even more… in the past two centuries.. the most successful new groups have been Mormonism and Scientology… but on average… in America alone.. we generate 40 – to 50 new religions every year…

A recent article tells of a professor of world religion at Boston College… it seems that each year he assigns his class the same project… create your own religion… at the end of term… each student or group presents their religion and the rest of the class votes on which one they like best…

There is the religion Dessertism – which preaches the stomach as the way to the soul… The Congregation of Wisdom – who has Ken Jennings.. the winner of $3M on Jeopardy as their hero…. Then there is Sertaism – which stresses the importance of a good night sleep… and Zen Boozim – described as a religion of togetherness in which alcohol lubricates the pathway to self-expression and self-discovery…. The one I believe is the most telling though was Exetazo – in it.. you can take the parts of all the religions you like and make your own

In the midst of all this silliness is a rather disturbing fact… you’ll notice that they are all concerned with the “now”… As one student put it… “God is an afterthought at best.. and the afterlife is on the backburner.” – I wonder if he actually understood what he was saying… “backBURNer”…. Another wrote… “This life is the one that counts.. this IS your eternal reward.”

The professor concludes that if the “ancient” religions want to survive.. then they must change to meet the new demand.. or risk extinction…

Now… consider if you will… in the context of this current religious setting and mood the following conversation… "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"…. "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."…. But who do you say that I am?"…. "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."…. "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.….

In the current religious mood and setting… If you were Peter… how would you respond?.... Uh.. Lord.. do we really need another religion?.. seems these all have it taken care of…? ... How about we get into internet sales… that’s where the money is…? Lord.. this sounds like a good idea…but remember… too much talk about heaven and hell will really turn folks off… got to give them what they want… what makes ‘em feel good…. .. We look at our world today and say things are much different than when Jesus first spoke about building his Church… Peter and the gang had it much easier than we do… or did they?

The little dialogue I just read to you took place in a city known as Caesarea Philippi… on the edge of the city were cliffs.. and in the cliffs the inhabitants of the city built shrines to their god… Pan… In order to entice the return of their god, Pan, each year, the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds, including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats.

At the foot of those cliffs was a great spring that bubbled up out of the earth… for the people in the city… this spring was a gateway to the underworld.. to Hades

Now… given that information… consider again the words of Jesus… And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock… on this place surrounded by pagan gods… I will build My church, and the gates of Hades.. that are bubbling up right in front of you… shall not prevail against it.….

Honestly… Peter and the gang did not have it any easier than we do today… they were fighting the same societal norms that we face and they overcame them all… and instead of accepting defeat in the face of so many adversities… they took what Jesus said as a promise from God.. they moved forward in great faith… and they built the Church…

Of this church St. Ambrose writes… The Church of the Lord is built upon the rock of the apostles among so many dangers in the world; it therefore remains unmoved. The Church's foundation is unshakable and firm against assaults of the raging sea. Waves lash at the Church but do not shatter it. Although the elements of this world constantly beat upon the Church with crashing sounds, the Church possesses the safest harbor of salvation for all in distress.

That was true in the time of Jesus.. of Ambrose.. and yes.. for us today as well… It was the idol Pan in the time of Peter… heretics in the time of Ambrose… and Zen Boozim today… no real difference… therefore.. like Peter… with confidence.. we should move forward with the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth and the building of his Holy Church.. while demonstrating the same great faith as Peter and the apostles… remember.. Peter was the rock upon which the Church was built… but you and I are critical to its continued construction and maintenance…

St. Peter.. he was a witness to the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord… he may have said some unfortunate things along the way… and he may have denied Christ on the night before the crucifixion… but in the end… he became the rock Christ said he would.. and he became for us an example of true faith and commitment to the Kingdom of God.

So often we believe that the success of the Church is based on numbers.. statistics.. number of weekly events.. amount of offering.. or even the number of cars in the parking lot.  Although these things are important to measuring the work of the Church, they are not necessarily a good indicator as to whether or not the Church is carrying out the work it was commissioned by God to complete. 

Take for example our Gospel reading from today… Jesus goes to Capernaum.  He heals Peter’s mother-in-law.. word of him spreads.. the people bring all their sick and possessed to him.. he heals even more.. the whole city was gathered at the door waiting to see this Jesus.. witness a miracle.. be fed.. but Jesus did not stay.  It wasn’t about gathering a crowd and establishing centers of worship… Instead of staying.. Jesus got up early the next morning and left… When Peter and the gang discovered he was missing they went in search of him.. they found him and asked.. where have you been… The crowd is looking for you…. Jesus’ response, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do."

Jesus’ mission was not about the crowds.. the miracles.. the fanfare… Jesus’ mission was about the message – the message of God’s love – therefore, Jesus sets an example for us.. and that is.. our mission is not about the crowds, the parking lots, or even the offering plate… Our mission.. the thing that is the most important that God’s Church is called to do.. is to proclaim the message.  Therefore, we must always be asking ourselves.. are we doing that which is most important – proclaiming the message.. or have we been sidetracked?

Consider this.. for years Glenn Adsit.. ministered in China.  While there.. he came under house arrest .. one day the soldiers came and said to him and his family, “you can return to America.”… They were celebrating, when the soldiers added, “you can take two hundred pounds.”

Well, they’d been there for years… Two hundred pounds… They got out the scales and the family arguments started….  two children, wife, husband… Must have this vase… well, this is a new typewriter… What about my books?  What about this?.. and they weighed everything and took it off… and they weighed this and took it off and so on… finally… right on the dot… two hundred pounds…

The soldiers returned and asked… “Are you ready to go?”…“Yes”…“Did you weigh everything?”…“Yes”.. To Glenn they asked - “Did you weigh the kids?”… “No.. we didn’t”… “Weigh the kids.”… and in an instant… typewriter… vase… books… all of it became baggage…

When you consider the mission of the church.. ask yourself, “Did I weigh the children?... Did I consider what is most important?... Is what I am doing proclaiming the message of God’s love, or is it just baggage?”

Let us pray…. Almighty Father, who did inspire Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep Your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Saviour Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.