Mar 27, 2011
Third Sunday in Lent
John 4:5-42

 Christ knew the woman well [17:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (119)

Has your life ever been changed by a stranger?

Mile’s Goodwin, in his essay submission to NPR’s “This I Believe” talks about how a brief connection with a stranger 40 years ago has affected him to this day. Miles was returning home from his 1 year service tour in Vietnam. He recalls the animosity towards Vietnam veterans return home, so he hoped just to lay low and get back home to Texas safely. On the flight home he had a window seat, in uniform, with no one sitting beside him. He stared out the window, smoking several cigarettes – worried about what people would say as he walked through the airport. He didn’t make eye contact and just felt so isolated from the world. Then a 10 year girl walked up to him on the plane and offered Miles a magazine. It was a quite gesture of welcome.

Miles has no idea why she may have done it – perhaps her mother told her to, perhaps her own father was serving in Vietnam. He said it was not important why it happened, just that it did. It was that small gesture that reminded him that he was home. Miles has since tried to follow the young girl’s example in his own life, hoping that his small gestures have the same effects on others.

How much more of an encounter with a stranger did the woman at the well have with Christ! Christ was a thirsty stranger at the well and presented to her much more than words or gestures. He offered life giving water.

Our Lord was on his way from Judea to Galilee in order to escape some heat from the Phrasiees who were not very happy about the baptisms that were going on. Jesus and his disciples took the direct route back to Galilee. Judea, Galilee, and Samaria were all regions, and you might think of them like States. Some Jews would avoid Samaria entirely as they traveled because it was considered unclean. Kind of like when I go home to Maryland from Virginia, the quickest way is to pass through about 30 miles of West Virginia (though if I really wanted to avoid WV I could and only add about 10 miles to the trip). I’m not making any connections between Samaria and WV by the way :)

Remember they traveled by foot back then, and this was a 70 mile trip. What takes us just over an hour today would have taken Christ 2 and a half days, of walking. Jesus takes a rest stop in Sychar.

So, already we are set up for some controversy. Jesus, a Jew, in a sacramentally unclean land – with sacramentally unclean people…but he was tired. The disciples gathered some food and Christ takes a break by the well under the hot noon-day sun.

As he is resting, a woman approaches the well. And Jesus, as tired as he was asks for a favor of a drink of water from a Samaritan woman! She recognizes the oddity of the request. And I can’t quite think of a modern equivalent, but it may have been like segregation America the white and black drinking fountains, bathrooms, etc. And breaking those social rules. But the woman appears to play along and they get to talking of water and of living water.

The life giving water which makes you not be thirsty ever again. It sounded like a pretty good deal to the woman, but Christ still being a stranger, she laughs at him saying “I would love some of that water and then I wouldn’t have to come all the way out here again.”

Jesus, still the stranger, gets personal. Sure, it starts with an innocent enough question – “Why don’t you go and fetch your husband and we’ll talk about this living water business.” She seems to say, I hear it as matter-of-factly “I don’t have any husband.” And then Jesus drudges up some personal baggage of the woman, brining in the 5 husbands she has had. This stranger seems to know her!

A long standing interpretation of this text is that the woman is an adulterer or even a harlot and that Jesus has compassion on her, even forgiving her sins. But, scripture does not state this. It never says that she sins nor that Jesus forgives; and the circumstances of the five marriages remain unknown. Perhaps the five husbands have died – image the heartache of going through the death of a spouse five times. Perhaps the husbands all used her and divorced her; remember in those days men could write a letter of divorce and be done with their wives (maybe they did so because she could not have any children). Image the heartache of being dumped five times! So let’s give the woman at the well the benefit of the doubt. Sin or no sin, she was a woman who knew brokenness; and this stranger at the well knew that brokenness too!

It was in the effort Jesus took to know the woman’s story that she recognized the savior of the world. It was in being known that she was given a drink of that life giving water. It was because she was known that she sought to make him known.

What the contrast from last week’s gospel story of Nicodemus. He a man, she a woman. He was a pharisee, a spiritual leader of the Jewish people; she was a samaritan who was looked down upon by Jews because they didn’t even know the God they worshiped. He was prestigious; she was an outcast. He came under the cover of darkness; she came at the peak of day light. Nicodemus came to Jesus; Jesus approached the woman. Nicodemus went away confused; She went away convicted. He went away keeping the faith quiet; she went and proclaimed the Messiah to the whole village.

This scene takes place at Jacob’s well. Legend had it that when Jacob dug this well that water was so abundant that it bubbled up to the top and no one needed to drop a bucket to get the water. This is why the woman asks “Are you greater than our father Jacob” – are you so great that it will bubble up for you? She meant it as a joke, a rhetorical question, but yeah – Jesus is greater than our father Jacob. And, Christ did cause life giving water to overflow at that well. The outcast woman, coming alone to the well was given a life-giving faith that convicted her to re-enter society and share the good news (this life giving water) with others; because Christ knew her.

The well did overflow, and she became a well overflowing. All by a random encounter with the stranger Christ.

Jesus came to Samaria a stranger, but became known as the Messiah; the savior of the world, the life giving water.

John 3:16 on the bottom of In-N-Out Burger cups (Yes. It is better than 5 Guys - in case those on the East coast are wondering)

March 20, 2011
Second Sunday in Lent
John 3:1-17

Sorry, no audio this week; the recorder got temporarily lost in the packing and repacking of my bags.

Did your ears perk up when I got to verse 16 of our Gospel reading today? I bet that it is quite familiar to everyone today. It’s been called the “Gospel in a nutshell” and for most folks it is the first bible verse to be memorized. Let’s recite it together: “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that who ever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” This is one verse which we find constantly throughout our culture: People write it on sign boards and hold it up at sporting events – even at professional wrestling, which I find a bit puzzling for a verse about love. It’s brief enough to fit on a bumper sticker, yet deep enough that you could spend your entire life contemplating its mystery. I would like to take the opportunity this morning to explore this Gospel-in-a-nutshell verse a bit closer.

This most famous bible verse stems out from a discussion under the cover of darkness with Nicodemus who was a pharisee. Now it seems that Nicodemus had a glimmer of faith; he even goes so far as to profess that Jesus is “a teacher who has come from God.” The pharisees where the leaders and teachers of the Jewish people who were more than just a bit leery about the claims of Jesus being from God. He did not want to make his interest known publicly, but Nicodemus still felt the pull of the Spirit to go and meet with Jesus. There is mysterious talk of being born from above (or again), of being born of water and spirit. Jesus goes on to explain just how elusive is our understanding of spiritual things by comparing the spirit to the wind which blows where it pleases. And then Christ seems to try to tell Nicodemus plainly: “God so loved the world…”

Looking at the verse itself, there are just a couple of things I want to point out that may help you to understand this verse a new. The popular translation “God SO loved the world” seems to imply the idea of how much: “God loved the world so much…” or “God really loved the world…” Just like we might say “I am sooo hungry.” Talking about a level of hunger or a level of love. The “so” there in 3:16 though talks about the how of God’s love. God loved the world in this way… Or to rethink that hunger example “I was hungry SO I ate a cake.” It is the natural or obvious expression of that initial feeling of love or hunger. Simply put – God loved; and the natural expression of that love is thus: giving his son. I’m hungry so I eat, God loves so he gives himself.

And then there is the “for” which begins our verse. “FOR God loved the world in this way…” that “for” connects the verse with everything that came before it. It’s like saying therefore or because, the sentence is dependent on what came before it; this is the conclusion. It is difficult to understand this text fully when we take it in isolation.

That “for” points back to the Nicodemus dialog, and also the explanation which comes just before 3:16. Particularly an obscure verse which I believe tells us quite a bit about just how God loved the world. Verse 14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” It serves to tell us just how God loved the world, just like Moses lifting up the snake. It’s a reference to a time when the Israelites were in the wilderness, after they had been rescued from slavery in Egypt and while they were wondering around in the wilderness. Things were a bit rough out there in the desert and people began to complain. Their complaints are recorded in the book of Numbers where they say “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

The Israelites were basically saying that they would rather be back in Egypt where at least they were fed; they were basically saying that they wish God had nothing to do with them – that they were somehow worse off because God had intervened in their lives. It is a sin of taking things for granted, of disrespect against the power of God’s salvation.

And so the Lord sends venomous snakes as a punishment. The snakes bit people and many died. Then the Israelites seemed to realize “Okay, maybe the food isn’t so bad – at least there weren’t any snakes!” It really put things in perspective for them. They realized that they had sinned by speaking against God in their complaints and pleaded with Moses that he would plead with God on their behalf.

The solution which God presented to Moses was to put a snake on a pole where everyone could see it. That way after being bitten if someone looked at the snake they would not die.

God’s solution for the Israelites was to lift up the punishment for sin; that gazing upon it you could be saved.

John 3:14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” God’s solution was to take our sin, our punishment and lift it up on the cross. That we could look up and see on the cross the punishment due to us, and gazing upon him and believing we could be saved.

We believe in the Triune God. The three and the one. The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. When we hear the good news of 3:16

It is NOT: God loved the world so he punished someone else.
It is not God sent someone else to do his dirty work.
It is not that God sent a fall guy.
It is not that God has a blood thirst that must be quenched.

God loved the world that he sent his very self.

This is how God loved the world:
That even as the world hated; God loved!
This is how God loved the world:
That he would step down from heaven and become man.
This is how God loved the world:
That his death at the hands of sinners was not the end of the story, he would be raised up.
This is how God loved the world:
That his atonement would cure even more than snake bites!
This is how God loved the world:
That the son of man would be lifted up!
This is how God loved the world:
That he would lift us up to be born from above with his son.

God loved the world in this way: That he gave his one and only son, his very self, so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Mar 13, 2011
First Sunday in Lent
Matthew 4:1-11

 Standard Podcast [15:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (174)

Do you remember when you had to take tests in school? You know, sit down with pen and paper and answer questions. Try to remember the most difficult test you have ever taken. I know that was longer ago for some of you than for others. I remember sometimes it felt as if the teacher was just out to get me with trick questions. I just imagined Mrs. Cook sitting home late at night, tapping her fingers on her desk asking herself “How can I make this question more tricky so that Joel will fail my test?” And then she would finish with an evil laugh. Muhahahaha!

I know now of course that teachers don’t design tests to be instruments of torture. In the best of worlds it is simply a tool to assess your understanding, to ask what kind of student you are.

As we enter the season of Lent we recall testing of Jesus, which we read in our Gospel this morning. It comes immediately after his baptism when the voice from heaven declares “This is my son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased.” Jesus is then led into the wilderness by the spirit, and he is given his test – we are going to see if that declaration made at his baptism is true.

And so the devil begins his test. Satan infuses doubt in the temptation, it is his own version of a trick question. “If you are the son of god…prove it.” Of course, this is an from satans old bag of tricks. We hear similiar words from our first reading when he tempts Adam and Eve “Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?” So, those first people begin with doubt “Well, now I’m not sure, is that what God said?” Satan attempts to put doubt in Christ “If you are the son of God…” Hoping that Christ may fall like Adam and Eve, wondering “Well now, am I the son of God?” But no such doubt exists for Christ; he is secure in his knowledge of who he is. That is what this test is for – so that we may understand who this Jesus is – the son of God.

Doubt does not work for the devil against our Lord. So he tries other tactics. Satan seems to know Jesus’ inner desires. Perhaps he has been watching and is aware of the 40 day fast. So he makes a play on something good – on food. Food of course isn’t bad or evil, and it is difficult to understand just how food may be a temptation. God gave us food, and Christ shows us how good it is to eat; remember his miracles of feeding the 5,000? His first miracle involved food, specifically drink at a wedding feast; and of course we remember the feast of Holy Communion. But here, Satan asks for a miraculous sign: turn this stones into bread. And surely Christ could have done it. But he needs not prove himself with signs and wonders; especially not to himself – he is who he is; he is the son of God.

Satan tries to question Jesus’ relationship with God the father. Will god protect you if you were to fall from the temple? Of course Christ knows that he could call down an entire legion of angels to save him from a fall. But this temptation is quite odd when you think about it; especially when as we remember in this Lenten season – that Christ is making his journey to the cross. Falling to strike his foot against a stone is a day at the spa compared to what Christ will choose for himself upon the cross. The devil says “God can save you from all harm.” And Christ says “I do not seek safety.”

Finally Satan offers Christ something he truly desires: to rule over all the earth. Philippians chapter 2 comes to mind with this temptation: At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord! This temptation is something Jesus actually wants. The temptation here though is how Jesus gets it. Christ knows the way before him: the trial, the pain, the cross. This way will lead to his glory and his dominion over all the kingdoms of the world. Or, the devil says “Here is the easy way; just bow down to me and avoid the cross and you can have what you want in the first place – the easy way.” But our Lord is not one of short cuts, and he had a mission to accomplish. Away from me Satan!

So, it is probably not best to think of Jesus’ trial in the wilderness like a school test. Its’ not something that he could have either passed or he would fail, its more like testing an unknown substance. Chemists can measure the density, volume, weight, how it dissolves, and what it looks like to tell the differnce between a diamond or cubic zirconia; between fools gold and the real deal. This is a testing which tells us that Christ is the son of God, the promised savior, our only Lord!

The 40 days of Lent are meant to draw us into Christ’s 40 days in the wilderness. But it is important that we don’t try to understand this story as a call to “go and do likewise.” We don’t face trials and temptations in the same way as Christ did, we are not Christ. Recall the Lord’s prayer in which we are taught to pray “Lead us not into temptation.” Don’t be tempted to understand this story as a way we can better face our own temptations – I believe that misses the point. This text is about Christ, not about us.

Back in army basic training, I think I had some religious drill sergents. At least if the bumper stickers on the back of their cars were any indication, also the fact these two drill sergants out of the 12 drill sergants in the company never swore at us (they got angry, but they never swore) and that was quite odd. Well, I think their Christian faith inspired this one exercise which I learned to hate. They would have us stand on the balls of our feet with our knees bent and arms out. It very much looked like Jesus on the cross. And then they had us just hold the position. Those were my least favorite exercises – the ones where you just held it. And really, in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t for all that long, a few minutes, maybe 10 at the most. But it hurt. I found strength by contemplating on the mystery of Jesus on the cross and his trial in the wilderness. I thought to myself Jesus did this for you, offer this up for Jesus. But, you know something. Sooner or later my legs would fail, I would break the position and I would fall. I was not strong enough.

This is what the temptation of Jesus is about; he passed this test to show us that he is the son of God so that sin and temptation were defeated. There is no test we must pass. Yes, we are called to righteousness for his sake, but it is not by any righteousness of our own that we accomplish our salvation. It is the righteousness of Christ, the fact of his divinity and his coming sacrifice which gives us the hope of our salvation.

He passed this trial because he is the Christ, our Lord, the son of the living God, come to bring grace and salvation into the world because of who he is.

March 6, 2011
Transfiguration Sunday
Matthew 17:1-9

 Standard Podcast [13:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (161)

Last year I went to the county fair with a handful of friends. One of these friends carried his smart-phone with him the whole time and used it to take photos. Sure, he wanted to remember the experience I thought. But then, about every 10 minutes he would stop right there, mid-step and start typing away on his smartphone. After about the third or fourth time of this I finally asked “Hey man, what are you doing?” “Updating my Facebook, he said.” So every 10 minutes he would do this, snap a photo and then take another few minutes to upload it to Facebook and write a few comments. I couldn’t help but think how strange this was: Here we are at the county fair in real life with real people and this guy had his mind stuck on the internet with virtual photos and friends who were miles away. It was almost as if he wasn’t even there with us. Sometimes trying to hard to hang on to something – such as capturing an event or an experience with a photo can make you miss out on that thing in the first place. There is a time to reflect, there is a time to act, and there is a time to just be. The Transfiguration of Christ is a time to just be – a lesson Peter learned the hard way.

The season of Epiphany (which means a revelation from God) comes to a close this Sunday with the ultimate Epiphany, or we might better understand it as a Christophany – a revelation of the person of Christ.

Jesus, as was his common practice, retreated to the mountains again. This time he did not go alone. Instead he took some disciples from his inner circle along with them. Our Gospel does not tell us the purpose of the trip; perhaps it was to pray, perhaps it was for a spiritual retreat, perhaps it was further preparation for the crucifixion of Christ which Jesus has already foretold. One thing seems to be certain however – that this transfiguration was an unexpected event. One in which the divine broke into earthly places. There on the mountaintop; suddenly, unexpectedly Christ’s appearance changed to a dazzlingly white and company from heaven joined the ordinary disciples.

It did not take long for Peter to realize the significance of what was happening, what he saw with his own two eyes. And then he opens his mouth. “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Okay, so Peter gets credit for realizing the significance of the event before his eyes but he ruined it by speaking. Peter, why couldn’t you just be there in the moment? Why did you feel the need to try to preserve the scene by offering to build shelters? Isn’t it interesting how in trying to preserve something it can slip right through your fingers? I know that I will not being video taping my daughter’s first steps. I am going to enjoy them, experience them, I plan to just live in the joy of that moment. Grandparents are going to get a video of Penny’s second steps.

If there is one thing I learned during my hospital internship it is that sometimes being present is more important than what you could ever say; its almost as if there are no right words any way. The hospital can be a lonely place and sometimes empathy can be hard to find. Doctors and nurses have many patients and quite simply don’t have half an hour, forty-five minutes to simply be with someone. I remember sitting with a man in the hospital, near the end of my internship. His wife was dying, near the end of a battle with cancer. And there was nothing that could be done. They were just waiting. I went in the room and introduced myself, “Hi, I’m Joel, I am a chaplain intern here at the hospital, would you care for a visit?” He said that would be fine and I came it. He was alone at the time, his wife had been taken out for some tests. He told me in quite brief sentences about the situation. And he motioned for me to have a seat. We sat in silence for probably a solid 10 minutes. Not a word was said. I would ask him to tell me about his wife, but his responses were always brief so we were mostly silent. When the time felt right I got up to leave and he said “Thank you, I can’t remember the last time someone came to just spend time with us – Someone who didn’t want anything, no decisions to make, no new information, thanks for just being with me.”

It is not just his words, but what Peter hoped to do that certainly didn’t help him live in the moment. He offered to do something; he said “I will build three shelters for you guys.” Typical men – always trying to fix things; can’t you ever just listen?

That word for shelter is used throughout scripture, and you may know it as “Tabernacle.” The tabernacle was a place where God’s spirit dwelled, it was a meeting place for the holy, a place set apart. It seemed that Peter just didn’t get it; he wanted to build a place for meeting the holy when the holy was right there in front of his face!

Words just seem to fall short when trying to describe these transcendent experiences of the holy. The question came up during my ordination review “When have you experienced Go?” And I hesitated and stumbled about the question. It’s not that I have never had such spiritual experiences; but they are just so hard to pin down with words. A hike through the woods at college on my own, on the beach with an incoming thunderstorm, talking to someone who had not yet heard about the love of God; these are some of my mountain top experiences which are so difficult to contain and explain.

And it is in searching for the right words; or mistakenly opening your mouth, or doing instead of being that we are interrupted and drawn again to an attitude of contemplation. For Peter, a voice from heaven interrupted him mid-sentence. That voice from heaven repeated the declaration at Jesus’ baptism: “This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Again capturing the Epiphany revelation that Christ is Lord. And our response? Not tabernacles, not empty words, not even words of praise. The voice from heaven simply says “listen to him.” In other words – just be…

As human beings it is natural to want to capture moments that are deep and meaningful to us – our mountaintop experiences. People often dread coming down from that mountain; but I believe there is certainly opportunity for us to “listen to him,” to be with Christ even in the valley’s of life. As we approach this Lenten season, I encourage you to find those quite moments – not for words and action but to simply be with your Lord. And perhaps Ash Wednesday is a day to try this practice. I encourage you to find some time to simply be with God, sit in silence, contemplate on his wonder. No words no action. Listen to him! Be with your Lord.

The pulpit and chancel at St. Luke's (County Line)

Feb 27, 2011
Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany
1 Corinthians 4:1-5

 Standard Podcast [14:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (163)

Sermons are meant to help us live in the mystery of Christ.

Notes:

A minister gave his Sunday morning service, as usual, but this particular Sunday, it was considerably longer than normal. Later, at the door, shaking hands with parishioners as they moved out, one man said, “Your sermon, Pastor, was simply wonderful – so invigorating and inspiring and refreshing.”

The minister of course, broke out in a big smile, only to hear the man add, “Why I felt like a new man when I woke up!”

In our final reading from 1 Corinthians for this season, Paul shares some of his self-understanding of Christian leadership. He begins in chapter 4 “This, then, is how you ought to regard us.” Us, referring to himself and Apollos, the apostles which God sent to Corinth to build the church there. This is a text about what it means to be a Christian leader: a servant of Christ and a steward of God’s mysteries.

It was that particular phrase which struck me so profoundly this week in my preparation for Sunday “stewards of God’s mysteries.” Our NIV translates that word for steward as “those entrusted.” It conjures images of a house manager, one who oversees his master’s affairs and wealth; distributing what is not his own. Or we could even think of it in the modern sense of a steward – a flight attendant immediately comes to my mind. They welcome you on behalf of the airline they work for, and they distribute their own particular mysteries, such as airline food.

Christian leaders, Paul says, are stewards of the mysteries. Mysteries being those things which are hidden from knowledge, those things which are bigger than ourselves – that which has been revealed by God.

But what might it mean to apply this idea of “stewardship of mysteries” to Christian leaders? That they would share with others those hidden truths which God has revealed through his son and his word. Christian leaders reveal God’s mysteries in many ways, but one obvious way (which we are participating in right now), I believe is through preaching. And I wanted to take an opportunity this morning for us to explore the purpose of sermons within a worship service.

Sermons do seem just a little odd in the context of worship. The focus of our worship is God, we sing hymns to him, we pray to him, we read the word he gave us, we give offer him our gifts, and then for about 15 minutes in the middle of service some guy hops up and gives a sermon…to us. It seemingly changes the focus of the service.

Someone told me once that when she was growing up she always thought the sermon was a break from worship so that the preacher could say whatever he or she wanted to say, and then we would get back on to the real business of worship with the creed which followed the sermon.

Other Christian traditions which place quite an emphasis on preaching might invite you to their church by saying “Would you like to come hear our pastor preach.”

But the sermon is not a time-out from worship, and it is certainly not meant to be focus of the worship service. Its purpose is not to entertain, or even to tell you how to live a better life. Sermons are one way in which Christian leaders help the hearers to live in the mystery of God. To hear the stories of old, to experience God revealed, to hear the word of God.

I may not be the most humorous preacher in the world, nor the most entertaining. I will admit that it is possible that I am the most good looking – but that is beside the point. I strive to fill this role and this call from God not to serve myself but as Paul tells the Corinthians to serve Christ. And that means preaching the scriptures which God has given us as difficult as they may be, and quite often they are difficult scriptures. I love preaching “Jesus loves you,” but God’s hatred of sin is in the bible also. I know that at least the last two Sundays have covered some quite difficult topics – divorce and church division. I preached on those topics because they were in the text; and striving to be a faithful steward I shared them with you.

I would like to share with you some of the ways we strive to be a faithful stewards of God’s word here at St. Luke’s County Line. And I say we because I believe that preaching is not a one-person activity. It is a community event.

Here at St. Luke’s we follow the discipline of following the Revised Common Lectionary to determine our Sunday readings. You may or may not know that I do not choose what we read each week, but I consult the lectionary. It is followed by a great many different denominations and is growing in popularity. In fact it is quite likely that when you go home and talk to your family and friends about Sunday services you may discover that the readings were the same. In this way the church can celebrate more unity by sharing common texts in worship. It also helps us to read scripture in a systematic way. By using a lectionary we will have read a substantial portion of the entire bible over a period of 3 years. By covering the whole bible it also forces preachers, and those in the pews, to wrestle with difficult texts of God’s word. I know of some preachers who basically preach the same sermon week in and week out. But God’s word is much deeper than any one bible verse or any one sermon.

Also at St. Luke’s we read 3 texts from the lectionary. The first reading is from the OT or from Acts in the season of Easter. The second reading is often an epistle, and the third is the Gospel. I would love to explore with you the idea of including the 4th reading (which we currently omit) – from the Psalms, the great hymn book of the church, which hosts deep and honest prayers made to God. I know of some churches and preachers which often read a single solitary verse of scripture and then jump off into their own topic. But here at St. Luke’s we strive to be good stewards of the word and let God’s word speak on its own. We value God’s word quite highly; in fact the time we spend reading scripture is nearly as long as the sermon – and I believe this is a good thing, letting scripture speak for itself.

We will continue to gather for the worship of God and we will hear sermons within that context. Listen for the word of God to be proclaimed in this place. We proclaim the word of God not always to be comforted, but to be challenged. Not to be entertained. Not always to be up-lifted, but sometimes we are convicted. Preaching is not a solo activity, but a community event.

Hear the word of God in the Sunday morning sermon and live in the mystery proclaimed.

Jerusalem Temple

Feb 20, 2011
Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23

 Gods spirit dwells in his people [15:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (123)

God’s spirit dwells in his holy people; even those Christians we strongly disagree with.

Notes:

Can you think of someone you just don’t get along with very well? How about a fellow Christian?

In our second reading today, the Apostle Paul continues to address division in the Corinthian church. Still we read about the various factions which claim various Christian champions – Paul, Apollos, Cephas; he also adds “life, death; present, future” all of you are of Christ! All of you are in Christ; we are one.

The most striking image for the church which Paul invokes in this section of his letter is that of God’s Temple. Verse 16 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?”

I need to point out here that the “yous” in this text are all plural. When Paul says you are God’s temple he is not saying each of you individually carry a little peice of God around in your heart – doesn’t that make each of you special. Instead, the emphasis is (allow me to break into my country slang) all ya all are God’s temple. This assembled body called the church, the called out ones, you Christians put together as the Body of Christ; this assembly here is the temple of God. What a powerful image for the makeup of the church. Remember in Paul’s day the Jewish temple at Jerusalem was still standing and operating – making daily sacrifices for the atonement of sins. And that temple, in Jewish understanding, was the place where God lived! Now Paul proclaims, You’all are God’s temple. The place where God dwells is no longer contained by walls in a physical location; Where God’s holy people dwell is where God himself dwells. You are God’s temple. Quite the contrast.

The temple points back to God’s revelation and covenant on Mount Sinai where he gave Moses the 10 commandments. God ordered that no one was to go up the mountain except for Moses; everyone who approached the Holy Lord including the wild animals would die for being overcome with the holy. This extended to the tent of meeting, the Ark of the Covenant, and finally the temple – most notably in the Holy of Holies.

The Holy of Holies was the inner most portion of the temple. It was only entered once a year and then only by the high priest. God’s power and holiness was just to much to be unleashed. That was until of course the curtain which separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two; God thus declaring that his presence is not confined, and Paul tells us that God dwells with his holy church.

Temples are holy places which are set apart for worship and in ancient thought it is the place where the god honored made a home. When one nation defeated another one of the first things they would do is to destory the defeated temples in order to signify that this foriegn god failed to protect his people – he was powerless, and in fact destorying the temple of a god destroyed the god.

So Paul warns us in verse 17 that “if anyone who destorys God’s temple, God will destory that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”

You are that temple, and destorying God’s temple – and as an extension attempting to destory God is a very serious matter. The Corinthian Christians were tearing each other down with their divisions and their factions, they were attacking each other, they were trying to destory God’s temple. The old saying goes “He who lives in a glass house should cast no stones.” I believe here that the same goes for the church – “Those who dwell within stained glass should cast no stones.”

It is such a big deal, because tearing down fellow brothers and sisters in Christ within our very body and within our very family, within God’s temple. When those outside of the church see this kind of division within the church – how could anyone ever believe in the grace of God which we proclaim.

Paul’s words and caution ring eternal. Even after the Corinthians, Christians have continued to be faced with division. On a large scale as evidenced by the many denominations which rose up because of conflict; and also the small scale – such as the well known church debates concerning carpet color.

Christians tearing down each other in word and deed is like picking up a brick and casting it through our stained glass windows. It hurts the church. I’ve heard a Baptist preacher accuse Roman Catholics of idol worship; I’ve heard a Catholic priest, in a homily, accuse all Protestants of “the heresey and sin of schism.” I heard someone in town say one of the pastors at another church in Timberville that they “hate children.” Each one a brick through the window.

Paul calls us to charity among our fellow Christians, the church, God’s temple. This is where God’s spirit dwells – do you believe it? These conflicts and strife, I believe often arise when Christians fail to discern other Christians as Christians. When Paul says you are God’s temple, and that is where God’s spirit dwells – its not so much about you, but about them. Those Christians you find differences with; don’t you know that God’s spirit dwells with them?

And perhaps this is most true about the really big issues of our day. There is certainly conflict within the United Church of Christ, particularly concerning the question of homosexual relationships. I wonder that this the Paul/Apollos/Cephas conflict for our modern church. And there are strong feelings on either side.

When I was back in California this issue particularly came to a head especially in the context of the Proposition 8 vote. I had the opportunity to meet with the Regional Minister of the Pacific Southwest Region (Disciples of Christ) to talk about the internal church conflict. She shared with me her agony that several churches in the region choose not to commune with other churches which disagreed on this issue; Let me rephrase that – they chose to intentionally destory God’s temple by dividing the communion table; our most sacred family meal! They made this intention public at regional gatherings and even protested some events such as youth camps.

Oh, and believe me the issue is not one sided; the Christians which support same-sex relationships accuse their opposition of fundamentalism and homophobia. Stones through our stain glass windows! I wonder that there are differences of opinion within this church, maybe even on the question of homosexual relationships – and I choose that not to decide it today, but because it is an example people have very strong feelings for on either side; much like I imagine the Corinthian Christians did for their respective factions. But that kind of name calling destorys each other; destorys the temple and makes it very difficult to recognize God’s spirit dwelling among the other – especailly among those we strongly disagree with.

We are presented with this challenge globally among the whole church, in each of our interactions with other individual Christians, and even right here at St. Luke’s consistories and congregational meetings. When (not if), when you again face another Christian you strongly disagree with look hard and see God’s spirit dwelling among them.

Feb 6, 2011
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Matthew 5:13-20

 Standard Podcast [13:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (205)

Notes:

I believe that we as a congregation, and really all congregations strive to be places where disciples are developed. But what does it mean to be Christ’s disciples?

How are we Christ’s disciples? Is it what we believe? We proclaim the Apostles Creed each Sunday and it is our faith, is this what makes us Gods people? Is it by what we do that makes us disciples? – We gather together on Sundays to worship God, we may pray or read our bibles at home in groups or as individuals – is it by what we do? Is it by what we wear? – Some folks put a Jesus fish on their car – are they disciples?

In our Gospel reading today, Christ says that his disciples by definition are folks who make an impact on the world.

The Gospel reading comes from the section we call The Sermon on the Mount, and comes immediately after our Gospel reading from last Sunday – the Beatitudes. Listen to the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount, chapter 5, verse 1 “Now When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him and he began to teach them.” Then follows the lengthy sermon on the mount. Notice that Jesus retreated from the crowds, and took his disciples with him. This is message which is crafted specifically for his disciples. You, my disciples, are salt of the earth, You my disciples are the light of the world.

Hear those words… “you are.” Not act like salt, not act like light; You are. Do you hear the difference? Christ is not offering 10 steps to a more saltly life or 30 days to a more luminous you. The fact of the matter is salt and light describe so actuartely what you already are. Christ is saying to be a disciple of mine is by definition to be salt of the earth and light of the world. Disciples impact the world.

Those are two powerful images. Just think about the powerful imagine of salt. Salt is necessairy for the production of paper, for setting dyes in textiles and fabrics, and the making of soaps and detergents. Recipes require it, doctors say we have too much of it; WalMart vows to reduce it. This time of year, in this part of the country we know how useful salt is to keep our roads more safe during winter weather. Salt is amazingly versatile; and it is certainly not a passive ingredent – it affects and changes what it comes in contact with.

I remember one Christmas or Easter (some holiday) some years ago our family decided to cook a ham instead of our traditional turkey. We heard good things about Virginia hams so we thought we would give it a try. Only, none of us read the instructions – you can’t just put those things in the oven as they are. No one told us about that other use of salt – for preservation. You know (and I know now) that you’re supposed to soak a Virginia ham in water for a way long time to get all that excess salt out. I remember that holiday meal being so salty that it was crunchy! Salt certainly made a huge impact on that particular meal.

When Christ told his disciples that they are salt he had this in mind – salt affects everything it comes in contact with. Disciples! You have an impact on this world! You affect the world! What you do matters! Can salt lose it’s saltiness? No, of course not that’s ridiculous. I think I had the same can of salt through all of college and seminary; and if I had any left it would still have it’s saltiness 8 billion years from now. Salt is salty! That is its definition. Salt can’t lose it’s saltiness, that’s ridiculous…and Christ’s disciples can’t “not” impact the world, it’s in their nature; it’s part of their definition.

And to be a disciple, by this definition, also means that it impacts your entire life; being a disciple defines you. It orders your life, influencing how you think and act; and when Christ’s disciples live up to that definition they impact the world.

I have adopted a discipline of daily prayer. Morning and evening about 10 to 15 minutes each, and I follow a liturgy which many other Christians throughout the world also observe and so we join together, in the communion of the universal church in this discipline of prayer. I choose this discipline partly because it disciples me; but I really think it is (or at least ought to be) the other way around, I order my life by prayer because, as a disciple, my life is defined by Christ; morning and evening defined by how I will be salt and light, how I will allow Christ to lead me.

I have also started my Firefighter 1 class early this year. About every other Saturday, including yesterday we have a full day of training. Yesterday we started in Harrisonburg at 8:30am and finished around 4:30pm. Now I could have abandoned my discipline (do you hear the word disciple in there – discipline, disciple?) I could have abandoned my discipline of prayer for this one day (it’s just a day, right?) because it would have been awkward infront of the guys, it would have taken up too much of my breaks, it would have been difficult. But what then defines me as a disciple? I choose to bring my prayer book and find a quite corner to say my morning prayer when I found the chance.

Well, an interesting thing happened. At least three of my classmates, all at different times came up and asked me – “What is that book you are reading – it looks like a bible.” If you haven’t seen it, my prayer books do look an awful lot like a bible, with quite a few ribbons in it – either way certainly not an ordinary book and it drew folks attention. I explained to them how I have adopted a discipline of prayer because I am a Christian and scripture tells us to pray without ceasing. And it opened up some spiritual converstaion which I am just not sure would have happened otherwise. A classmate sharing with me how he had been hurt by the church, another how he was looking to get back in, and yet another who was searching for spiritual connection.

Salt affects the world. Disciples affect the world. No, I cannot say I was out there saving souls yesterday; but this discipline, because I strive to be a disciple affected the world – if for nothing else than to give others a glimpse of the light of the world.

So I invite you to question how does being a disciple define your life? What spiritual disciplines have you adopted; both to strive to be a disciple and also just because you are a disciple? (And if you need help, see me after the service). You, brothers and sisters ARE salt of the earth, light of the world. You leave this place of worship and you will make an impact on or world wherever you go; disciples matter! Disciples make a difference. Be the disciples you are!

Jan 30, 2011
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
1 Corinthians 1:18-31

 Christ and Him Crucified [14:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (107)

Notes:

Catholic school crucifix math joke – grades improved. “When I saw that man nailed to the plus sign, I knew they were serious.”

I grew up in a Christian tradition in which the crucifix was not a common symbol. In the church where I grew up there was a simple cross which hung over the baptismal in front of the church. It had an Alpha and Omega on the left and right points; a Chi and Rho at the top and bottom points. There was a simple dark red trim that ran along along the border and down the middle of the cross. It was quite large – I bet it could fit a man three times the normal size. It was simple, it was clean, it was neat, and it was empty. There was no body on that cross. This is the symbol of choice for Protestant Christians when referring to the crucifixion. We like to emphasize the empty cross, remembering that Christ came down and that he rose again; making the empty cross not a symbol of defeat but rather of triumph. But, I wonder if we as Protestant Christians might prefer the empty cross because it avoids the gruesomeness, the messiness, even the scandal of the cross. Yes the cross is scandalous, even for his followers who have wrestled with this idea for some 2000 years.

Paul says the cross is a stumbling block for some. It might be helpful to think of that in terms of scandal. Scandals are events, actions, or modes of conduct which are so outside the normal bounds of expectation for people put in positions of trust that they give the public pause. It brings shame and humiliation. It causes people to question those involved in the scandal, questioning whether they deserve that position of trust. That if they are not trustworthy in this one area of their life, how can we trust them to govern a state, pass legislation, judge fairly, lead a company, pastor a church, or lead a country? Think of the famous scandals over the years: (politics are an easy target) Governor Blagojevich and the alleged sale of President Obama’s senate seat or the Water Gate scandal. The cross is Christ’s great scandal.

Remember that the cross was an instrument of torture. Imagine if instead of a cross adorning our sanctuary those chairs up front were replaced with electric chairs. Or instead of a chalice on our communion table a syringe for lethal injection. Instruments of death, of execution. And the cross, an instrument of torture came to be one of our primary Christian symbols.

I know that the crucifix is not a common symbol for many Christians in Protestant traditions, so I brought in one from home to share with you today, to invite you to contemplate on just how strange the notion of the crucifixion may be. Paul preaches Christ crucified – that is the body of Jesus nailed to a cross. God suffering. We cannot skip directly to the resurrection and the glory of the empty and defeated cross without first passing through the crucifixion.

Crucifix at St. John's Catholic Church in Harpers Ferry, WV

I think I remember the first time I saw a crucifix. Or at least it was the most memorable. It is amazing just how shocking this image is anytime, and especially to someone who had not seen it before. It was at St. John’s Catholic Church in Harpers Ferry. I believe we were on a middle school trip to the National Park. We went through the required tours, lessons, and lunch and now the teachers let us explore the place on our own. Some how my group wandered up to the hill to the church, up those stone steps which were hand carved and made our way into the church. The crucifix was hidden in the back (which is odd for a Catholic church). This is the only crucifix I have ever seen (and I haven’t seen another one like it since) which showed blood. And there was blood every where. In tiny little drops all over Jesus’ body – perhaps remembering the scene from the garden when Christ sweats blood. The nails were in his wrists, where they would have needed to be in order to support the body weight. Christ’s head dropped down, and a deep bloody gash in his side – perhaps from the spear; I wondered if this was a scene of Christ already dead.

And then looking up, above Jesus head was the full inscription scripture speaks of in Hebrew, Greek and Latin. This is another feature that is often lacking in many crosses and crucifixes I have seen since. It reads “This is Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews.”

The scandal of the cross as clear as day; in black and white: This is God – dead on the cross! God who bled. God who suffered. God who died.

Can you understand how the cross is a stumbling block and foolishness for many? You’re trying to tell me that God, the creator of the universe, the one who with an outstretched arm saved his people from slavery in Egypt, who dictated the 10 commandments from Mount Sinai, who led his people in a pillar of smoke by day and fire by night, who fed his people with mana from heaven, who brought them into the promised land…That God put himself on a cross? God suffered? God died?

Yes, God choose what is weak, what is foolish to shame the strong and the wise – because God alone is strong and wise. In fact there is no wisdom and there is no strength but the Lord – in him and in him alone is the glory.

It is scandal for those who are perishing – for those who by whatever means attempt to save themselves. Whether it be through idols made of wood and stone or material possessions made of wood and stone. Seeking salvation in things which perish is foolishness.

And we might be called fools for following our God, our savior on the cross. But it is wisdom for us who have nothing to do with our salvation. We don’t have the wisdom and strength nor the glory. God’s is glory, and he is mighty to save.

Jan 23, 2011
Third Sunday after the Epiphany
1 Corinthians 1:10-18

No audio this week, I had some trouble with the portable mic.

Notes:

Can you think of a single group of people in which there are no divisions? That are perfectly united in mind and thought? The apostle Paul instructs us today that this is how the church ought to act.

We heard last week about the problems which existed within the Corinithian church. In our second reading today Paul addresses head on the first of the problems in the Corinthian church: division.

It seems that it is in our very human nature to be divisive. There is that old saying that if you have three people in a room you get four opinions. And yet Paul calls the church to be perfectly united in mind and thought.

What is the division he is speaking against? Paul has heard reports of a particular kind of division in the Corinthian church from an aquantance of his. This division is manifesting itself in the form of factions forming within the church. The various church members are taking sides, or you mgiht think of like choosing teams. I am on Paul’s team, I am on Apollos’ team, I am on Peter’s team, I am on Christ’s team.

Paul is the one who planted this church and perhaps some members may have fond memories of those earily days. The energy, the hope, the excitment. Perhaps the spiritual experience of their conversion marked a profoundly important mile marker on their spiritual journey. And so these Christians may have naturally been drawn to Paul, and so naturally identify with him.

After Paul planted the church, Apollos maintained it; discipling the new Christians and teaching them more about Christ. Paul, describing the situation, later says that he planted and Apollos watered, but of course God made the Christians grow. Perhaps the Christians who choose to declare themselves on the Apollo team valued this deeper sense of discipleship which came after the intial newness of Christianity.

There were other Christians claiming to belong to Peter. Perhaps these Christians were drawn to the Jewish roots of Christianity wanting to maintain that connection. Still others going straight to the source and claiming to belong to Christ himself.

We are all different, we remember that God created us male and female – different. And we are all drawn to different aspects of our deep faith, including different traditions and different spiritual practicies. But, the case in the Corinthian church went further than this affinities for various aspects of the faith. It turned into faction, division, and schism. The Pauls, Apollos’, Peters, and Christs groups claimed superiority to one another; they lost sight of the fact that they did not belong to individuals or ideas; they blong to God and to one another.

But, why is this division a problem? The church is universal, but we are not all meant to be exactly the same. God made us different after all. But it is when these groupings within the church become more important than our allegiance to Christ that division is problematic.

In the fire service there is some good healthly rivalry. And most of the time it benefits everyone. There is pride in who has the best equipment, there is pride in who does the best job so the various companies train in order to serve the community better – it is thier purpose. There were two fire companies whose service area bordered each other at an intersection. Everytime there was a wreck or fire alarm on that insection, the company who got there first got some bragging rights. And of course getting resources to the scene quickly is good for the community too. But there was firefighter who was more interested in who was best than in serving the community. He got into an arguement with the rival fire company about who would be first to arrive at another border area. He was so proud of his own service and proving himself that he called in a false alarm to put the two companies to the test. They got there first, but there was a real fire across town while they were out on this wild goose chase for pride’s sake. The house burned to the ground.

….

Paul, asks “Is Christ divided?” And we know that no! Of course Christ is not divided. But what a troubling image. Christ divided. That what we do as a church and as Christians in our division is cutting up Christ into tiny little pieces.

The week of prayer for Christian unity (different North and South). This has been a challenge and a problem which Christians have been facing for a very long time, very clearly manifest in the innumerable denominations. It seems Christians continue to claim allegience to reformation founders, styles of church government, or spiritual practices, even Christian groups claiming to be “of Christ” in our modern day and yet continuing to be devisive. For the most part, Christians recognize that this division is problematic and strive for unity. We call this effort ecumenism. In fact, we just finished the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity…well, that’s the week of prayer in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere it is prayed during Pentecost – we can’t even agree on when to pray for our unity, much less the date of Easter, among other issues of difficulty.

What kind of unity does Paul expect? He calls us to end divisons, and to be perfectly united in mind and thought. How can this be possible in the church with so many seeminly incompatible theologies? And I certainly don’t have the magic answer. But I do see signs of hope. Even here in this congregation, being United Church of Christ and yet calling a pastor from a different traditional background. How many of you have come from other Christian traditions before finding a spiritual home here? I believe that Christians everywhere are called to avoid ways of thinking that make the factions more important than Christ and the Church. It takes a great deal of humility, and sense of purpose, and the submission to the work of God.

In one of my favorite sports movies, Miracle, coach Herb takes a group of college kids and forms them into the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team who will face all-professional Russian Hockey team which won 4 consecutive gold medals. During practice coach Herb asks players randomly “What’s your name?” and “Who do you play for?” One team member would answer with the name of his school where he was recuited from “I play for Boston,” “I play for University of Minnesota.” Fighting broke out among the team members and there certainly wasn’t a sense of unity on this team. During one particularly nasty and divisive practice coach Herb lines of the team on the line and makes them skate the rink back and forth to exhaustion. Again and again and again he makes them skate back and forth. Until finally a team member shouts out his name. The coach stops and asks “Who do you play for?” The team member shouts with as much energy as he has left “I play for the United States of America!” The coach sends them home.

Is Christ divided? Who do you play for?

Corinth

Jan 16, 2011
Second Sunday after the Epiphany
1 Corinthians 1:1-9

 The Called Out Church [13:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (102)

Notes:

This is the fist in a series in 1 Corinthians. I plan to spend the next seven weeks in this epistle.

To the church of God in Timberville, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours; Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

These are powerful words are attributed to a particular church. It’s a reminder that the church is not ours, and that it’s purpose and very foundation is built upon the call which set the church into motion.

And these are humbling words: To the sanctified ones, the ones called to be holy. Could that possibly mean us? Sanctified? Holy? This may be strange and perhaps an impossible call upon us, and it would have been for the Christians in the Corinthian church as well.

Corinthian Background. Corinth was a major city in the Roman Empire, third in importance – behind Rome and Alexandria. It was an important economical and political center since it was at a major crossroads and had a port. As you may expect for a major city there were temptations of vice and immorality, like any major city today.

The church in Corinth was founded by Paul during one of his missionary journeys. He planted the church over a period of 18 months. It was mostly a Gentile church, the converts came from non-Jewish backgrounds. The Corinthian Christians faced similar challenges many Christians today face – living in a modern secular world and yet charged to be God’s holy church, especially as a small church. Scholars have suggested that the church of Corinth had 50 members, they didn’t even have a building – they met in members homes. But, it was a small church with problems.

Paul and the church in Corinth wrote several letters back and forth; mostly because there were issues in the church. We might have glorified notions of the perfect churches of the New Testament. But the Corinthians were not a perfect church. You will hear about these problems as we read Corinthians together over the next several weeks. There was division, immorality, and boasting in the church. Christians were suing each other, and there were divisions even as the community gathered together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Some Christians claimed to belong to Paul, others Apollos, others to Christ himself; they were a spiritual church but members were boasting in their own spiritual gifts – not for the good of the community. There were allegations of immorality among the members; for all of these issues the Christians in Corinth wrote to Paul for help.

And so Paul begins his letter. You are sanctified; you are called; you are holy; you have Grace from God; Peace from Christ; you are not lacking in spiritual gifts; you are called and you are in fellowship with Christ. Paul will write to the church in Corinth: You got problems! …but that doesn’t change the fact that you are called, sanctified, holy, and full of grace and peace with Christ!

When I was in college, I explored a short term preaching opportunity. It was a small church in a nearby town seeking an interim preacher – perfect for a college kid with dreams of a call to the ministry. Someone from the church arranged a Sunday for me to come down and visit to worship with them. I remember it was a huge church taking up an entire city block in a town about the size of Harrisonburg. There were cracks in the foundation the paint was flaking and the decor hadn’t been upgraded since the 70s. For this church the size of a city block in the heart of down town there were 20 worshippers that Sunday. The current pastor was in the pulpit; he delivered his sermon and then the prayer and announcement time came. The pastor said something I don’t quite remember, but it must not have been very well to the liking of one of the church members; so much so that he interrupted the preacher and began a verbal argument – right there in the middle of the worship service. Some how everyone recovered from the service and it went on; then at the end I discovered it was the current pastor’s last Sunday; it was a farewell service – a seemingly not so happy farewell judging from the tone. The building was falling apart, the membership was dwindling, and they did not get along. That church had problems… and that church was holy and sanctified!

You see, Paul calls the church in Corinth holy and sanctified not because they have it all together, not because they have it all figured out, not because they are perfect Christians. They are called holy and sanctified because they are called by God. Being called, being the church is not so much about what the church does; it is more about what the church is. Called, holy, set apart.

This kind of call language is all over our scripture this morning. Verse 1) Paul, called an apostle. Verse 2) The church (the word for church, literally meaing called out); called his holy people; call on the name of the Lord; Verse 9) called you into fellowship.

I think there are a few ways to view this call language. Words have power; like in a marriage service pronouncing that the happy couple is now husband and wife – calling them at that time married; words are real. As a negative example think of your school days when kids were name calling other kids – those words really hurt and over time children take on those names, they become what they are called.

But it is a call as in the sense of vocation. A call comes from someone higher than ourselves. Called for a purpose, one that is meant for you; in this case a Christian community called out for God’s purpose. It makes me think of a soldiers in a military formation. One being called out; “Walkley, front and center.” What else can you do? You’re called out. No one else can go up for you, there is no passing the buck this time – it is you who is called out; for a purpose. I believe God continues to call his church to be holy, to be sanctified, with grace and peace, called to fellowship with his son Jesus Christ our Lord.