Sharing God's Love and Grace

Meditation on Matthew 21:1-11

(April 9) “Palm Sunday” 2017

     When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ²saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. ³If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.’ ⁴This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,  ⁵ ‘Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ⁶The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; ⁷they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. ⁸A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!’ ¹⁰When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ ¹¹The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’

***

On Friday, when I learned of the U.S. missile strike on Syria in retaliation for the Syrian leader’s use of chemical weapons on his own people, I did what I could do to foster love and peace in a broken, angry world. Though I usually work from home on Fridays, I went to the church to help in our preschool. The classes had planned Easter parties and egg hunts and they were short staffed because of illness. My whispered prayer, from a heart heavy with sorrow, was, “Lord, what do you want me to do today? How can I help someone in need?” For God knows that we are strengthened and encouraged when God uses us, even in what we think are small ways, to help others. Some of my greatest blessings have come from taking time in my busy schedule to visit with the children participating in our children’s ministries. Let us not forget that the Lord brought them to us to love and nurture in the faith!

Jesus was often taking time from what others might see as “more important” ministry–teaching and preaching –to heal someone who was sick, blind or lame and bless the children. In Matthew 19:13-15, families are bringing little children to Jesus so that he might lay hands on them and pray. And his disciples scold them! Jesus says, “Let the children come onto me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”

And he “laid his hands on them” before going on his way. Jesus ministers to children on other occasions, too, such as when he raises from the dead Jairus’ little girl in Mark 5 and inspires a small child in John 6:9 with a few loaves of bread and fish to share them with a hungry crowd.

How wonderful and special that child must feel when Jesus prays and multiplies his gift to feed a multitude–and there’s food left over!

On Friday, I talked with, listened to and comforted children. I helped kids find Easter eggs and retrieved candy that fell out when they were opened.

 

I pushed children on swings, washed and dried hands, poured and cleaned up spilled juice, and urged children to eat their sandwiches, grapes and carrots, and save the sweets for “later.” I opened Lunchables, fruit snacks, and cracker packs. And I helped put the children down for naps, patting their backs. I did what I could do to foster love and peace, even while knowing that what I did–and what other kind volunteers did that day to bless the children and staff at the preschool– wasn’t enough to fix a broken, angry world.

I did what I could, knowing that it is in the giving, loving, serving, and peacemaking that I find strength and hope to carry on, praising our Savior, our humble king, who gave his life to save us all.

***

On this day, we remember what some Bible scholars call the “Triumphal Entry” of Jesus. The imagery of the cheering crowd, singing psalms and the people laying down their cloaks for him to show their loyalty would stir Matthew’s Jewish-Christian audience to connect this procession with the anointing of King Jehu in 2 Kings 9:13: “Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for him on the bare steps; and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”   Christ’s entry into Jerusalem is also reminiscent of Judas Maccabeus entering the city and being welcomed after an important victory in 1 Maccabees 13:51: “On the twenty-third day of the second month, in the one hundred seventy-first year, the Jews entered it with praise and palm branches, and with harps and cymbals and stringed instruments, and with hymns and songs, because a great enemy had been crushed and removed from Israel.”

The procession may also remind Jewish readers of the Maccabees’ triumph over Antiochus Epiphanes and the “cleansing” of the Holy Temple. Antiochus, around 175 BC, profaned the Temple, offering swine’s flesh on the altar, making sacrifices to Zeus, and turning the Temple chambers into brothels. 2 Maccabees 10:7 says, “Therefore, carrying ivy-wreathed wands and beautiful branches and also fronds of palm, they offered hymns of thanksgiving to him who had given success to the purifying of his own holy place.” The passage that immediately follows the Triumphal Entry in Matthew seems to support this claim that Jesus intends to cleanse what has been profaned. For in Matthew 21:12-13, Jesus drives out all who are selling and buying in the temple, overturning the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those selling doves.

Jesus’ mode of transportation reveals that he has no intention of becoming a worldly king. He arrives on the foal of a donkey, not on a warhorse, like the kings of his time. By riding on a foal rather than an adult donkey, Jesus is proclaiming that he is the Messiah! His entry fulfills the vision of Zechariah 9:9, when the prophet sees the “king” coming to Jerusalem “humble and riding on a donkey, the foal of a donkey.” Additionally, a foal hasn’t been broken or ridden, making it suitable for a sacred purpose. In Numbers 19:2 and Deuteronomy 21:3, the heifer used in ceremonies of cleansing in the Temple had to be an animal that had never been yoked or worked before.

Jesus rides into Jerusalem when the population of the city is at its highest. He comes during the Passover, when more than 2 million pilgrims have come to worship in Jerusalem. This is according to a Roman governor’s census of the number of lambs slain for the Passover, assuming one lamb fed about 10 people. Jesus arrives as the city recalls and gives thanks to the God who hears their cry in Exodus, saves them from slavery and oppression and leads them to the promised land.

The Jewish crowd, oppressed by Roman rule, cries out “Hosanna!” which means, “Save (us) now!” This cry could be addressed to a worldly king or to their God, such as in Psalm 118:24-26: “This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. O Lord, do save (hosanna; save now), we beseech you …do send prosperity. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD!”

Whatever Christ’s reasons for making his entrance to Jerusalem in such a manner that all eyes of the city would be focused on him, his disciples’ joy reveals their lack of understanding of where this journey will end, though Christ has warned them. In Matthew 20:18-19, Jesus tells his disciples, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death ; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified; and on the third day he will be raised.’

While Jesus’ Galilean followers rejoice that Jesus is the “Son of David,” the “whole city of Jerusalem,” is in “turmoil,” asking, “Who is this?” While the crowds declare Jesus a prophet from Nazareth, the cross looms ahead!

The humble king rides into Jerusalem on a mission of love and peace, to die and save (us) now!

***

Friends, I urge you to continue Christ’s mission of love and peace by serving God and neighbor every day, as I challenged you for these 40 Lenten days. Serve him with your gifts and talents and possessions, not because your good works are needed for your salvation but because you love the Lord and want to obey. Serve and give –use what God has given you to bless others, especially people in need. And remember the children here at our preschool, Kids Klub, Tremendous Tuesday suppers, Sunday school, and VBS. Jesus found time in his demanding schedule to bless the children, though the disciples wanted to shoo them away. For it is in the giving, loving, serving, and peacemaking that you will find strength and hope to carry on, praising our Savior, our humble king, who gave his life to save us all.

Let us pray. Holy One, thank you for your love and for sending Jesus, our humble King, to be the Savior of all people. Help us, Lord, to continue your Son’s mission of love and peace, bringing hope to the hopeless, light in the darkness, life to what is lifeless. Forgive us for our angry, violent ways. Rescue those in harm’s way around the world, living in war-torn areas, homeless, hungry, and without adequate medical care or clean water. Give wisdom, courage and humility to our leaders. Lead us to walk in righteous paths. And we pray for the Church, Lord. Help us to nurture the children that you have entrusted to us. Build up and grant healing to our preschool staff. Help us to raise up more volunteers with gifts to serve in children’s ministries so that we may be a blessing to many and draw others closer to you. In Christ we pray. Amen.

Meditation on John 11 (selected verses)

April 2, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

      Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

 

²Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. ³So the sisters sent a message to Jesus,  ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ ⁴But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ ⁵Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, ⁶after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was… 17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

 

¹⁸Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, ¹⁹and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. ²⁰When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. ²¹Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’²³Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’  ²⁴Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ ²⁵Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, ²⁶and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ²⁷She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’

28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ ²⁹And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. ³⁰Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. ³¹The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. ³²When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ ³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.

³⁴He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ ³⁵Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ ³⁷But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’

38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.

³⁹Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.’ ⁴⁰Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ ⁴¹So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me.  ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’”

***

I visited Betty at a local hospital on Wednesday. Betty, who turns 95 at the end of April, greeted me with a smile. “Oh, it’s you!” she said, trying to think of my name. “Pastor Karen! My daughter said you might come.”

I had planned a week earlier to see her at the rehab center on Merritt Island that has been her home for several months. But B.J., her daughter, called and told me she was in the hospital, again. Last fall, Betty broke her hip and needed surgery, then rehab. She couldn’t go back to her apartment in the senior living community where she had lived. She needed more care.

This hospital visit was for blood transfusions and tests. She expected to stay one night and a day. She ended up staying 4 or 5 days. And she wasn’t sure why. She shared her frustration with me. At least at the rehab center, she could get up and walk around with her walker. At the hospital, she was stuck in bed all day. And the food! I listened sympathetically as she told me about her breakfast that morning. Usually, she loves breakfast. But the hospital served her cold chicken broth, jello and lemon ice.

“What kind of a breakfast is that?” she asked, making a face. I laughed. It wasn’t anything I wanted to eat for breakfast, either.

I listened as she shared about her illness and her family–children, grandchildren– and reminisced about her younger days, when her husband was still alive. He died when he was just 60 years old. When the conversation might lag, I would ask another question that would stir another story. Does that happen when you visit someone in the hospital or nursing home? And I would listen again, keeping my heart and mind open to hearing not just the words, but the heart behind the words. She seemed lonely and a bit scared. She needed to know that someone was listening. That someone cared.

When I visit people who are sick or grieving, I come with the Spirit of Christ inside of me to witness to our God who always listens, loves, and desires to heal us– so that others might come to believe on Jesus our Messiah, who died for our sins.

Those trained in Stephen Ministry — a lay ministry in 12,000 congregations and 170 Christian denominations in the U.S., Canada, and 29 other countries– have learned about our listening, loving, healing God as they are stirred to listen with their hearts. We have 12 Stephen Ministers (women and men) in our congregation! They have completed at least 50 hours of training through a partnership with Grace United Methodist Church on Merritt Island. If you are interested in training to be a Stephen Minister or if you are in need of a sister or brother in Christ to walk beside you through a personal crisis, such as a serious illness or the death of a loved one, let me know. During the Stephen Ministry training, those who seek to serve the Lord with their gifts of compassion and love learn how in Exodus 2:23-24, God hears the “groaning” of the Israelites held captive in Egypt and remembers God’s covenant with them. How in Exodus 16:12, God hears the grumbling of the Israelites, wandering in the wilderness, and responds with grace. How in Psalm 66:19, the psalmist sings, “God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.” God even hears our unspoken concerns! In Isaiah 65:24, the Lord God says, “Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear.” Stephen Ministers study our gospel reading in John today, when Jesus, standing before Lazarus’ tomb, looks up and says, “Father I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe you have sent me.”

At my visit with Betty, as she talked about her illness and reminisced about her younger days, her daughter called. Betty answered the phone, told her daughter I was with her and asked me what I wanted to do.

“Why don’t I pray for you?” I asked, thinking she would call her back.

But she didn’t hang up. She set the receiver on the bed in between us, so her daughter could hear the words I would say– and pray with us.

This was someone who believed in the God who listens, the God who loves, the God who desires to heal us!

 

***

Before Lazarus dies, his older sisters Mary and Martha, close friends of Jesus, send word to the Lord that “the one whom you love is ill.” And Jesus, telling his disciples that the illness won’t lead to death, continues to minister across the Jordan River, where John had baptized, for 2 more days. “And many believed in him there,” says John 10:42. Then Jesus goes to Bethany. And what happens? Lazarus is already dead.

How do you think the disciples feel when they learn this? Sad. Confused. Disappointed in Jesus, who promised that “God and God’s Son” would be glorified through the illness. Yet they don’t think it’s because Jesus doesn’t care. They know Jesus loves Lazarus–and so do we, for the phrase is repeated 3 times–in verses 3, 5 and 36, when he is crying at the tomb.

Martha tells Jesus in verse 21, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” But then, she still has a glimmer of hope. For Jesus has done miracles of healing before, including opening the eyes of the blind. “But even now I know,” she says in v. 22, “that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus tells her that her brother will rise again. “I am the resurrection and the life,” he says in v. 25 and 26. “Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,  and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” He asks Martha, “Do you believe this?” And though Martha is overcome with grief, she clings to her faith. “Yes, Lord,” she says in v. 27. “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” Then she goes and finds her sister, Mary, who is grieving at home with her community, and sends her to speak with Jesus. Mary, in v. 32, goes to him and kneels at his feet–a sign of respect, submission, and humility, despite her disappointment and grief. “Lord,” she says, echoing Martha’s words, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”   This act of kneeling at Jesus’ feet in humility brings to mind what was mentioned in v. 2, foreshadowing what would happen in the next chapter, John 12. When Mary takes a “pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume” and pours it on Jesus’ feet. Then she wipes his feet with her hair. And the house is filled with the fragrance used to anoint the dead.

Now Jesus listens to Mary, sees her crying and is “greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.” For the Lord cares about our grief and suffering. He grieves and suffers with us! He is the God who listens, loves, and desires our healing. Friends, do you believe in the Messiah? The Son of God, the one who is coming again to gather His Church? The one who lives in the heart of every Christian to bring us comfort, hope and strength for every day?

Jesus orders the stone to be removed from the tomb, though Lazarus has been dead 4 days and the stench of death has already set in. He prays aloud and cries out with a shout, “‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man appears, hands and feet still bound with cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. “Unbind him,” Jesus says, “and let him go.”

The raising of Lazarus would lead many to believe in Jesus the Messiah that day. But others would tell the Pharisees, who feared that more Jews would come to believe. And the Romans would come and destroy their holy place and nation. The high priest, Caiaphas, prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God.

From that day on, they planned to put Jesus to death.

Let us pray.

Holy One, we thank you for sending Jesus, our Messiah, your Son, to take away the sins of the world so that we might be reconciled with you. Thank you for being the God who hears our prayers, and grieves when we grieve, suffers whenever we are suffer. Thank you for being the God who loves us unconditionally, though we have done nothing to deserve this love. Thank you for your desire to heal us of all our diseases and make us whole and for your Spirit that lives within us, comforting us and strengthening us to do your will each day. Help us, Lord, to really listen for your voice and obey. Stir us to truly love and serve one another and share one another’s burdens and pain. And bless our Stephen Ministers as they seek to serve the Church with their gifts of compassion and love. And bless the children, Lord, participating in our Kids Klub program and the staff and volunteers who guide and care for them, nourishing them in the faith and Word of God, urging them to be their very best selves and, at the same time, loving them just as they are. Bless the families with peace and a deepening sense of your presence as you draw them closer to you. In Christ we pray. Amen.

Meditation on John 9 (Selected verses)

March 26, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

9As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. ²His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ³Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. ⁴We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.  ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ ⁶When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, ⁷saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.  ⁸The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, ‘Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?’ ⁹Some were saying, ‘It is he.’ Others were saying, ‘No, but it is someone like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am the man.’ ¹⁰But they kept asking him, ‘Then how were your eyes opened?’ ¹¹He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, “Go to Siloam and wash.” Then I went and washed and received my sight.’ ¹²They said to him, ‘Where is he?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ 13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. ¹⁴Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.¹⁵Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, ‘He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.’ ¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?’ And they were divided. ¹⁷So they said again to the blind man, ‘What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.’ He said, ‘He is a prophet.’ 18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight¹⁹and asked them, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?’ ²⁰His parents answered, ‘We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; ²¹ but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. …’ ²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue… 24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, ‘Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.’²⁵He answered, ‘I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’ 

***

On Thursday, a group of about 40 children and adults gathered in Cocoa to pack and wrap food to feed needy children. The Children’s Hunger Project of Brevard County provides food every Friday to hundreds of young children in local schools who may not otherwise have enough nutritious food to eat on the weekend.

 

Elaine Kicklighter organized the hands-on mission event for our church. She welcomed and guided volunteers with her handmade sign.

Supervisors provided step-by-step instructions on how to pack and wrap and trained several people to be “runners.”

They did a great job! It felt good to be working together on a shared mission to our community. We talked and laughed as we wrapped, packed and stacked. Time just flew by.

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The Children’s Hunger Project goal is to feed every hungry or undernourished elementary school age child in the county, one at a time. Volunteers delivered about 56,000 food packages to schools for children’s backpacks in the 2015-16 school year. They would like to be able to feed even more. They rely on donations from individuals, businesses and other community groups, including our congregation.

A March 9 article in the Washington Post says “more than 13 million kids in this country go to school hungry.” One in 5 children in the U.S. live in “food insecure households,” lacking “consistent access to enough food.” Other estimates are as high as 15 million hungry kids, with one in 4 living in food insecure households.

“Kids who go to school hungry may suffer an inability to concentrate and … fall behind academically. Hungry kids are more likely to miss school because of illness,” suffer from depression and anxiety, and develop behavioral problems as teenagers. “They are more liable to drop out before graduation, which leads to lower paying jobs and a greater probability of being food insecure adults.”

The Washington Post article discusses a children’s backpack program called “End 68 Hours of Hunger.” It started with one mother, Claire Bloom, who saw a need to feed kids on the weekends. Claire, who lives in the affluent town of Dover, New Hampshire, was at a book club meeting in 2010 when a teacher mentioned that she had students who went from lunch on Friday to breakfast on Monday with nothing to eat. “I was appalled; absolutely stunned and appalled,’” Claire said.

Her eyes were opened to a poverty she never knew existed in her community. And she felt compelled to do something about it.

***

Our reading in John brings to light some of the suffering and need in Jesus’s day. He and his disciples leave the temple in Jerusalem and pass a beggar, blind since birth. A man with such an affliction would be unclean and have little choice but to live in poverty and beg for food. The disciples ask, “Rabbi, who sinned? This man or his parents that he was born blind?” Thus begins a story that reveals the darkness and ignorance of the religious leaders and the love and compassion of the Lord, the “light of the world,” for those whom society deems worthless or simply a burden. Such compassion is a sign of God’s Kingdom drawing near and the arrival of the one who is to come. Jesus says in Matthew 11:5-6, when John’s disciples ask Jesus if he is the Messiah, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:  the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.   And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

These acts of mercy and miracles of healing are lifted up as the ministry of Christ’s followers in Matthew 10:7 when Jesus sends out the 12 disciples on a mission. “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.”

Now in John’s gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that the man who was born blind is blind not because of sin, but so that God’s works would be revealed in him (9:3). This foreshadows an even more startling miracle to come–the raising of Lazarus from the dead in John 11.

A number of details in this passage stand out as important and different than other healing accounts. First, the beggar doesn’t ask to be healed; nor does he seem to know him. Christ comes to him, uninvited, applies the clay/spittle mixture to his eyes, and tells him to “wash in the pool of Siloam,” without promising that this act will bring healing. This detail may bring to mind the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5:10-14, a war hero who had leprosy.

Unlike the prideful Naaman, the unnamed blind man is humble and quick to obey Jesus without question or protest. The reward is a miracle that the Pharisees and many of the Jewish community do not want to acknowledge. For they have called the blind man a sinner, undeserving of God’s blessing. And they call Jesus a sinner, too, because he breaks the law; he has made mud to heal a man on the Sabbath (v. 14). And this isn’t the first time he has healed on the Sabbath; in John 5, he heals on the Sabbath a paralyzed man lying by a pool by the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem. He had been ill for 38 years.

With the healing of the blind man in ch. 9, the Pharisees investigate as if they are attempting to solve a crime. They interrogate the man’s parents, who only admit that he is their son for fear they will be shunned by their community of faith. The Pharisees then demand that the beggar to tell them how Jesus “opened his eyes.” They use this expression to mean physical healing. But the expression is also used for spiritual illumination. When the disciples are walking with the risen Christ in Luke 24 on the road to Emmaus, they don’t know that it is he, until they sit down to share a meal. Jesus breaks the bread and their eyes are “opened” and they recognize him.

The beggar of John 9, who will soon experience spiritual illumination, along with physical healing, responds bravely to the Pharisees’ questions. “The one thing I do know, he says, “is that though I was blind, now I see.”

Later, the Pharisees will become angry with him and drive him out of the community.

Jesus then seeks the man out and asks, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’

     The man answers, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.”

     “You have seen him,” Jesus says. “The one who is speaking with you is he.’

       “Lord,” the man responds, “I believe.”

 

***

 

Studying our gospel this week, I find it particularly meaningful that of all the people the Lord could have chosen to reveal his identity, he chose the lowly, humble, despised and rejected. He chose a blind man persecuted his entire life for sins he did not commit. He chose a man who, when Jesus put clay and spit on his eyes and told him to go wash in a pool, he did it without question or protest, without knowing that his act of obedience would heal him.

Thousands of years later, Christ has revealed His divinity to us. Do we have Christ’s heart of compassion for the poor, sick, despised and rejected? If so, that compassion should stir us to continual acts of mercy and kindness. It should flow out of our hearts and shape the words we say and the decisions we make every day. Christ’s compassion should compel us to seek to change the structures and systems in our society that reward the arrogant and powerful and neglect the needs of the poor and the sick. How should we respond, friends, as the Church of Christ in the 21^st century? Let us ask God to open our eyes that we may truly see–and respond, “Lord, I believe!”

Let us pray. Open our eyes, Lord, so that we see the world with your eternal vision. Spirit, fill our hearts with love that will transform us and flow into every aspect of our lives–shaping our actions, words, relationships, and decisions. Forgive us for refusing to see what you desire us to see–the broken places in us that you want to heal, the hidden sins we are ashamed to confess, the burdens we carry that you want us to let go so that we may be free to walk in your ways. Strengthen us to humbly obey your commands, like the man who was born blind, but could see better than the rich, pious and powerful of his time. Help us to work for change in our society so that the needs of the poor, sick and despised will not be neglected. Keep us in your tender care, Good Shepherd. Lead us to live in peace and unity. In Christ we pray. Amen.

 

 

 

 

Meditation on Exodus 17:1-7

March 19, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

 

     From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ²The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ ³But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ ⁴So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ ⁵The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.  ⁶I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb.  Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.  ⁷He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’

 

***

 

We are happy and blessed to welcome a number of new members into our congregation today! Happy and blessed! The folks who are joining with us to love and serve the Lord and be nurtured in God’s Word and Spirit come with a variety of spiritual gifts and talents.

 

We are a diverse group! If you look around the room, you see some people who grew up on Merritt Island or who have been living here a long time.

 

You also see many who have lived in a variety of states before coming here–people from the Southeast, Southwest, from the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast , the West Coast and all the states in between !

 

We have quite a few who have traveled the world; some have lived in other countries.

 

Like you and I, our newest members have their own unique faith stories to share. Some were raised Presbyterian. Others were not.

When we had a gathering after worship a little while back with those considering joining the church, I shared how I was not raised Presbyterian. And how, at different times in my life, I had to find a new a worship home –such as when I went away to college and then got married and moved to Baltimore — and how hard it was to find a church that truly felt like home. We visited an assortment of churches, but it was a while before we felt that we were in the right place. And then we moved out to the suburbs and had to start all over again.

So, knowing my own struggle to find the right place to worship in my 20s and 30s, this makes me even more grateful to the Lord for this day — when we joyfully welcome new friends, brothers and sisters, who are making a commitment to journey with us and serve the Lord alongside us. You have come to a place of grace, a place filled with imperfect people straining to hear God’s voice and seeking to do God’s will.

This is a place that welcomes everyone, accepts you as you are,

 

wherever you are on your spiritual journey, and encourages you in your walk with God.

May you find hope and healing in this place.

May you find love here.

You have found a place where your gifts and talents are welcomed and needed!

A safe place where there are people with whom you can share your sorrows, burdens and joys,

a refuge from the storms of life.

May you find, in this place, comfort and strength in God’s Word but also be challenged, transformed and equipped by the Spirit to do things for God that you never dreamed you would do.

This is a place where you will find others like you–clinging to faith in times of trial, struggling to be the people God wants us to be.

***

 

Sometimes, when I read Exodus, I forget that Moses is the leader of a congregation–a very large congregation, at that. Exodus 12:37 says Moses led 600,000 adult males out of Egypt. (They didn’t always count women and children back then.) God’s people are on the move, physically and figuratively. God, through Moses, is leading the Israelites out of slavery and oppression to the land of the promise.

The song of triumph that Moses and the Israelites sing to the Lord in Ex. 15 after God parts the Sea of Reeds, allowing the Israelites to pass unharmed, then taking the lives of the Egyptian troops pursuing them, soon turns to lament, when the wilderness proves to be a hard place to live.

 

Just when they fear they will surely starve, God sends bread from heaven to feed them and continues to feed them daily for 40 years.

In today’s passage, the Israelites camp at a place with no water. Rather than seeking help from the Lord and encouraging one another in times of difficulty, they quarrel with Moses and challenge his leadership, blaming him for their troubles. This isn’t the first time they accuse him of trying to kill them. In Exodus 14:11, they say to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?” This isn’t the first time they question their decision to follow Moses and leave their life in Egypt. In Exodus 16:3, the Israelites say, “If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt. There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

This is the first time, however, that they specifically mention their children and livestock. A whole new generation of Israelites are being born and raised without any first-hand experience of the life in Egypt God’s people once lived. And Moses doesn’t seem to be growing in faith or love as the years pass. He doesn’t ask the Lord to provide water for the people who could die of thirst. Instead, he complains about the people God has called him to shepherd and seems to be concerned only about his own survival. Moses cries out to God, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

Our gracious God doesn’t punish Israel for having a bad attitude and wanting to do away with Moses. The Lord knows what the people need–water to drink!–just as God knows what our needs are, before we ask. And God knows what Moses needs–a sign that the Lord is still using him to lead Israel and that God hasn’t abandoned them to die in the wilderness without ever seeing the land of the promise.

The same staff that Moses uses to strike the Nile at God’s command and bring about a sign of death for Pharaoh’s people

 

will be the one Moses must use now to strike the rock at Horeb–and bring about a miracle of life for God’s people.

Horeb, in Deuteronomy, is the place where God will give God’s life-giving word, The Ten Commandments, to Moses. But first, it is the place where God’s people experience life-giving water from a most unlikely source, a rock.

Or is it? For God is often compared to a rock in the Hebrew Bible. Psalm 18:46 says, “The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.” Psalm 18:2 says, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge…” And again, Psalm 62:2, “Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

Thousands of years later, the Son of God will meet a Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s well and take us back to the Exodus miracle with his promise to give all who believe on Him living water so we may never thirst again.

Our Exodus reading ends after Moses strikes the rock “in the sight of the elders of Israel.” But we aren’t left wondering if the water ever came from the rock–for if it had not, then God’s people would not have survived. The passage concludes with the burning question on Israel’s mind during their time of struggle. “Is the Lord among us–or not?”

It is human nature to look for someone to blame when things go wrong and to question the Lord’s presence with us during times of suffering or loss. Or when things simply don’t go the way we want them to. The reality is that God never left them! It was they who wandered away from the faith!

But God had a plan to bring them back. This was no accident that God’s people camped in a place without water. In 17:1, we read how the Israelites journeyed “by stages, as the Lord commanded.” The Lord knew they were going to have a challenge. And God planned to bless them with a miracle all along.

Water from a rock! How cool is that?

 

***

Friends, we will have challenges ahead as a congregation. We are in that uncomfortable transition, similar to ancient Israel, between the promise and its fulfillment as we wait and long for Christ’s return and the Kingdom of God coming to fruition. It isn’t easy to be the Church in this increasingly secular age. But it has never been “easy” to be followers of Christ! Just as Christ urges his disciples to take up their crosses and follow him, we should accept, even welcome, some hardship and sacrifice, trusting that God will give us the strength and courage to meet every challenge.

We need never question, as Israel did, if the Lord is among us. Christ says in Matthew 28:20, “And surely I am with you always even to the end of the age.” Let us never fail to be grateful for God’s many blessings to us and fall into grumbling and complaining. Let us be ever grateful for God’s grace–for forgiving us for all our sins and giving us eternal life with Him.

Let us give God thanks and praise for strengthening us in faith and numbers today! May we anticipate with hope and joy the miraculous blessings God has planned.

Like water from a rock! How cool is that?

 

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for being the rock of our salvation, our refuge, our deliverer! Thank you for your grace–for loving and forgiving us even though we are, at times, as faithless as the ancient Israelites, wandering in the wilderness. Help us, Lord, to be ever grateful for your blessings to us and not lose sight of your goodness. May we always sense your loving presence with us, especially during times of trial, so that we never feel abandoned or afraid. Thank you for drawing more believers into our congregation and growing our faith! Guide us to paths of righteousness as a congregation and as individuals. Mold us into the people you want us to be! In Christ we pray. Amen.

 

Meditation on John 3:1–17 (18-21)

March 12, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

   Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. ² He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” ³ Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.  ⁶ What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” ⁹ Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹  “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴ And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. ¹⁷  “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹  And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. ²¹ But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

***

Seventy-five years ago this month Japanese Americans living on the West Coast began being “relocated” to internment camps. About 120,000 people were forced to leave their homes, schools, jobs and businesses shortly after President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942–two months after Japanese troops attacked Pearl Harbor.

The order authorized the War Department to create military areas from which any and all Americans might be excluded, and to provide for the “necessary transport, lodging, and feeding of persons displaced from such areas.”

Those of Japanese ancestry living in California, Oregon, Washington and Arizona, were gathered into trains, trucks, and automobiles and taken to 10 internment camps. Most of those deported to these military-style camps for the duration of the war were American citizens.

I find the most upsetting photos from this time are those of the children. Some are pictured sitting with suitcases and bedrolls, wearing what looks like luggage tags on their clothing.

 

I wonder what the photographers were they thinking when they looked through the camera lens? I wonder what led our country to this extreme measure? Racism has been blamed.

But mostly I think it was fear.

I didn’t learn about the internment of Japanese Americans when I was in grade school. That dark secret was left out of our textbooks. The topic was barely mentioned in U.S. History when I was in college in the 1980s, even though it was a contemporary issue by then. In 1980, President Carter opened an investigation to “determine whether the decision to put Japanese Americans into internment camps had been justified by the government.” The investigation concluded that there was no evidence of Japanese Americans’ disloyalty. President Reagan, the year I graduated from college, signed into law the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, apologizing for the internment on behalf on the U.S. government and authorizing payment of $20,000 to each camp survivor—or their heirs. For many internment camp survivors had, by then, passed away.

The last of the work camps closed in March 1946—4 years after the executive order was signed. Some families lived in those camps 4 years! When they were released, they didn’t have homes, jobs, money or businesses to return to.

A small, blurry photo of a Caucasian man smiling and shaking hands goodbye to his Japanese American neighbor moves me to question, “Why didn’t he–why didn’t we–speak up for the voiceless?”

 

We were afraid.

We chose what was easy–to say and do nothing– rather than what was right.

 

***

 

Today’s gospel tells of another dark time in history—when the Son of God came to bring light to a world darkened by evil and sin. Nicodemus’ coming at night symbolizes his own spiritual ignorance and his desire not to be seen by others, despite his protest that he and others know that Jesus is “a teacher who has come from God.” He isn’t ready to be seen talking with the one who, just a little while before, was “cleansing the Temple”– overturning tables, pouring out the coins, cracking a whip and driving out all the cattle and sheep and the moneychangers, who were turning the Father’s house into a “marketplace.”

Nicodemus has endured Christian criticism over the centuries. John Calvin, in the 16^th century, was scornful of those who sympathized with the movement for reform of the church but would not publicly be identified with it. He called them “Nicodemites.”

Scholars today sometimes infer a rude tone in Nicodemus’ line of questioning in this passage, saying he is sarcastic when he asks in v. 4 how someone can be reborn—re-enter a mother’s womb– when they have grown old? But I don’t think a man, a respected teacher and leader, who would get up in the middle of the night to go and see Jesus in secret would be sarcastic. I think he really wants to know what Jesus means by this talk of being “born from above,” possibly even to distinguish this spiritual rebirth from reincarnation, a central tenet of Buddhism and Hinduism, ancient religions that predate Christianity.

Jesus speaks in vs. 3 and 5 of seeing and entering the kingdom of God—something only possible by the grace of God and the empowerment of the Spirit; it is the Lord who chooses us! Jesus uses the same word when he talks about the “Spirit” and the “wind.” The Greek word for Spirit or wind is pneuma, just as the Hebrew ruach in Genesis means Spirit, wind or breath. “The wind blows where IT chooses,” Jesus says of the Spirit. “You hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.”

I also don’t think Jesus is being sarcastic or rude, either, when he asks in 3:10, “Are you a teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?” I think he is teaching, as he often does, about the wisdom of this world–versus the wisdom of God! The apostle Paul will later say in 1 Cor. 2:14-15, “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

“Very truly, I tell you,” Jesus says in John 3:11, “we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?”

Jesus illumines for Nicodemus God’s plan for redemption. The reference to Moses comes from Numbers 21:9, when Israel wandered through the wilderness and was totally reliant on God for their daily survival. “So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.”

Jesus connects Israel’s salvation to the new covenant that will be opened to all—when the Son of Man will be “lifted up” (foreshadowing Jesus’s death on a cross, his resurrection and ascension).

Jesus comforts us–and Nicodemus –with assurances of God’s love and grace in 3:16-17. God is not exclusive in His love for certain people that we may decide to dislike. God’s love is for ALL. God “did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world may be saved through him.” It is true that not everyone will receive this message, Jesus tells Nicodemus. He is warning him of things to come and challenging Nicodemus, perhaps drawn to Christ by the Spirit, to make good choices–“do what is true.” What is right!

“The light has come into the world,” Jesus says, “and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.” But those who “do what is true,” he says in 3:21, “come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

Nicodemus disappears abruptly from the text after his incredulous question in v. 9, “How can these things be?” We are left to ponder what his response will be. He will reappear briefly at Jesus’ interrogation in ch. 7 and then at the cross, with Joseph of Arimethea, another secret disciple of Jesus–for fear of the Jews.

Nicodemus will anoint Christ’s body with an extraordinary amount of spices and oil–100 pounds, Scripture says! They will wrap Christ’s body with cloth and lay him in a garden tomb.

 

Nicodemus’ journey of faith may stir us to consider our own stories–times when we were faithful and times when we relied on ourselves, and stumbled and fell. We are all sinners, redeemed by grace! We are left to our own response to Christ’s assurance of God’s love for the world. And the invitation for us all to “come to the light” so that others may see our good deeds done in God–and be saved.

In these 40 days of loving service, drawing ever nearer to Christ, let us come to our Savior with our darkness–confessing our sin and doubt. May the Spirit from above that has chosen us to believe on Christ and receive eternal life grant us a vision of God’s just and peaceful kingdom.

May the same Spirit dispel our fears and empower and unite us to do not what is easy–to say and do nothing–but what is right.

 

Let us pray.

Holy One, we thank you for your love for the world and the gift of your Son, forgiveness of all our sins, and the promise of everlasting life with you. Forgive us for not wishing to admit our mistakes and reveal our weaknesses, even to you. Humble us. Forgive us for our pride. Forgive us for choosing to say and do nothing. Thank you for catching us when we stumble and start to fall, holding us firmly in your loving hand. Grant us a vision for your just and peaceful kingdom. Teach us to walk in your ways. In Christ we pray. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meditation on Matthew 4:1-11

March 5, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

 

           Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  ² He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. ³ The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴ But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,  ⁶ saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” ⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  ⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; ⁹ and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ ¹¹ Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

***

 

We had such a great turnout for our Church Work Day yesterday! With at least 30 volunteers, Herb said it was the largest number of participants for a Church Work Day that he can remember. He was wearing a cap with a C on it for Chicago Cubs, but Debra, who must have put in at least 30 hours of calling and organizing teams of volunteers before yesterday’s event, says the “C” stands for “CHEERLEADER.” His job was to walk around and lift everyone up with his kind remarks and gentle sense of humor.

 

On Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m., workers painted walls and fences, power-washed walls and walks, dug up plants and planted new ones, and weeded and pruned back what was overgrown. When I arrived around 9:30, folks were climbing ladders to hop on the roof to make repairs and to cut down large tree limbs, hanging over parking areas.

One guy, perched confidently on a tree limb overhead invited me to “come on up!” He seemed quite at home on his tree limb, as did the others working with him, filling up the back of a red pick up truck.

 

What a great time of fellowship it was! It was the perfect way to start off the first weekend in Lent.

People walking or driving by took notice of the commotion outside the church–cars and trucks parked all over the grass, the noise and smoke of power tools mingled with talking and laughter. They must have wondered, “What’s going on with the Presbyterians today?”

 

***

We look inward and reach outward in the season of Lent that has just begun. We examine our hearts and lives to see how we might be more faithful to God’s call. We are also reminded of how much we need God’s grace and unconditional love!

 

The word Lent comes from the Middle English word “lente” meaning springtime and from the Old English word meaning “to lengthen” as in the lengthening of daylight hours in spring. In the early church, Lent became the name for the 40 weekdays before Easter, beginning with Ash Wednesday. This was a time when new converts would study the faith in preparation for baptism the night before Easter. It was a time of penitence for those already baptized and to make a sacrifice, such as giving up meat, in honor of the Lord’s 40-day fast, when the Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be with God–and be tempted by the devil. Some traditional folks still observe Lent by giving up something pleasurable to eat.

In the past few years, Presbyterians have been challenged to observe the holy season differently than just giving up a food that we enjoy. Donald McKim writes in a 2015 article in Call to Worship of other possibilities for Lenten spiritual practices. We could, instead, give up something that is more harmful to us and the Church, such as negative attitudes and bad habits. Then, add on something new that IS good– new attitudes and practices, new friendships, and new ways of serving in our churches and communities. “We never know,” McKim says, “what the insights and prompting of the Holy Spirit will provide!”

The important thing is that the spiritual practices of giving up and adding on– whatever they might be, should bring us nearer to the Lord, and build on our relationships with others. Others should see God’s grace in us. Others should experience God’s love.

The “40 days and nights” in our gospel reading today connects our Savior’s story–and the New Covenant God offers to all in Jesus Christ– to the Hebrew Bible. While the rain coming down for “40 Days and 40 nights” in the Noah’s Ark account is the first incidence of that phrase (Gen. 7:4, 12:16; 9:8-16)

 

the “40 days and 40 nights” in Matthew 4 is probably meant to connect Jesus’ wilderness experience with Moses and Elijah. In Exodus 34:27-28, Moses fasts alone in God’s presence on Mount Sinai as he receives the Ten Commandments.

 

in 1 Kings 19:17-12, Elijah fasts for 40 days and nights as he flees to Mount Horeb (also known as Sinai), where he encounters God.

 

Matthew will connect the three again–Jesus, Moses and Elijah– in Matthew 17 with Jesus’ transfiguration.

Three gospels share Jesus’ fasting/temptation/wilderness experience. While Luke’s account is similar to Matthew’s, Mark’s gospel, the briefest and probably the oldest, tells the story in 2 verses! Mark 1:12-13 says, “The Spirit immediately drove him into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness 40 days, tempted by Satan, and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him.”

The 40 days in the wilderness immediately follows Jesus’ baptism. The Spirit that comes upon Jesus in his baptism is already guiding him to do God’s will. Chapter 4 begins, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Another connection with the baptism passage is when the devil begins each of his questions to Jesus by addressing him, “If you are the Son of God…” At Jesus’ baptism, a voice from heaven declares Jesus’ identity as the Son of God.

This “if” is more like “since.” The tempter isn’t questioning his identity. He questions Jesus’ allegiance. Jesus models for us that when we are tempted, God’s Word and Spirit will strengthen us to do God’s will.

All of Jesus’ responses come from Deuteronomy, the most quoted book of the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible) in the NT. This first temptation is for Jesus to put his own physical needs and desires ahead of God’s Will for Him. Jesus answers, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” He is quoting Deuteronomy 8:3–a reminder of Israel’s complete reliance on God in the wilderness for 40 years. “Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

The “devil” then transports him to the holy city to the pinnacle of the temple, probably in a vision, saying, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.” A fall from the pinnacle of the temple surely would be fatal. This is the temptation for Jesus to assert his power and will, again, over God, challenging God to save His life when he attempts to end it. The devil quotes from Psalm 91:11-12, taking it out of context when he says, “He will command his angels concerning you, and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” The passage is a promise of protection for all who have “chosen to live in the shelter of the Most High,” but not an assurance of safety for Jesus if he tries to force God’s hand. Later, in Matthew 27:40, when Jesus suffers on the cross, he will be tempted by a similar way of thinking.

 

“Those who passed by him hurled insults at him, shaking their heads. ‘You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!’”

The devil’s third temptation is the human desire for earthly power and prestige. He offers to “give” Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor” if Jesus will fall down and worship him.

Jesus quotes Deut. 6:13, changing the word from “fear” to “worship,” saying, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”

 

***

 

Thinking about how successful and joyful our Church Work Day was yesterday on the first Saturday in Lent, here’s my challenge to you. What other creative ways can we worship and serve the Lord throughout these 40 days? What do we need to give up? What habit or attitude is getting in the way of our wholehearted worship and service? What does the Lord want us to add on? What ministry, spiritual practice or acts of kindness are the Lord leading us to do? May others see God’s grace in us. May others experience God’s unconditional love.

 

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Let us pray.

 

Holy One, thank you for your Word and Spirit that strengthened and guided your Son when he was in the wilderness 40 days. Thank you that he modeled for us that when we are tempted by the devil, we, too, should cling to your Word and Spirit, for you will guide us on our way. Lord, thank you for your grace that covers all our sins and for our faith in Your Son’s suffering work on the cross that has brought us into right relationship with you. Show us throughout these 40 days, Lord, what attitudes or practices we need to give up–and what new, creative ministry activities and spiritual disciplines you might want us to add on. Lead us to be more like your Son. In His name we pray. Amen.

Meditation on Matthew 17:1-9

Feb. 26, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

     Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.

 ²And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.  ⁴Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ ⁵While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ ⁶When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. ⁷But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ ⁸And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’

 

 

***

I was mostly on my own this week, taking care of our two high maintenance dogs and a slightly spoiled cat. Jim was away in Boston, visiting our granddaughter, Jessie, son, Daniel, and daughter-in- law Hiu-fai. Jim also spent two emotional days in New York, visiting his brother-in-law, Chuck, hospitalized with pneumonia and a hip broken beyond repair, and his sister, Mary, who suffers from dementia and was recently moved to a memory care wing of an assisted living center. In addition to his concern about Chuck and Mary’s health, Jim was worried that I wouldn’t take good care of our Pomeranian and Sheltie! He kept asking me, “How are the dogs??” But he never once asked about the cat! Probably because Melvyn always manages to make his needs and desires known–and persuade someone to feed him, pet him, or let him sleep in their lap. To help reassure Jim that everything was OK, I texted him photos each day. They helped him feel more connected to what was going on at home. Seeing, like the old saying goes, is believing.

Jim also sent me texts and photos so I could feel more connected to him and what was happening with the family. I felt badly about not being able to go with him to see Chuck and Mary. And I felt badly about missing an opportunity to see Danny, Hiu-fai and little Jessie, who at 3, seems to be changing every day.

When it wasn’t enough to see photos and read texts and we had time, we talked on the phone. I put Jim on speakerphone so Mabel the Pomeranian could hear his voice and he could hear her shrill barking when she wanted to get in my lap or when she wanted me to keep on petting her–and never stop!

We are comforted to see and hear the ones we love, though I did long to touch them, too. I kept saying, “Tell Jessie I love her and give her a big hug!” And then, yesterday, Jim surprised me by texting me a recording Jessie’s voice, so I could hear her and feel closer still.

 

 

***

 

We encounter the familiar story of the Transfiguration — the metamorphosis–of our Lord in our gospel lesson in Matthew 17 today. The Transfiguration, which appears in 3 of our gospels, reveals Christ’s true identity in a vision shared by 3 disciples on a mountaintop. Important aspects of this passage disclosing his identity include the change in Jesus’ appearance– his face shining “like the sun” and his clothing a “dazzling white”, recalling other biblical descriptions of heavenly beings who appear among humans. Another key aspect is his association with Moses and Elijah — representing the “Law” and the “Prophets” and demonstrating his messianic role. And, finally, the voice from heaven–presumably the voice of God. This is the third time we have heard this proclamation in Matthew’s gospel so far. The first is at 3:17, at Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan. The second is in chapter 16–6 days before the Transfiguration. They are at Caesarea Philippi and Jesus asks Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter says, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus responds by saying that Peter is blessed. “And I tell you, you are Peter,” Jesus says, referring to the Greek name that Jesus gave Simon when he called him to be his disciple; Peter (Petros) means “stone” or “rock.” “And on this rock I will build my church,” Jesus says. But then he foretells his death and resurrection and Peter rebukes Jesus, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” Jesus “turns” on Peter, then, and says, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” Then he foretells the disciples’ suffering and persecution. “If any want to become my followers,” he says, “let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

The mountain where Jesus leads Peter, James and John to climb to the top could be Mount Tabor in southern Galilee, with an elevation of 588 meters. Mount Tabor could be easily reached in six days from Caesarea Philippi. But it could also be Mount Meron, the highest mountain in Galilee, with an elevation of 1208 meters.

 

As I read this passage, Peter’s response to seeing Jesus transfigured and speaking with Elijah and Moses stands out to me. He says, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; (“It’s a good thing we’re here to help you, Jesus!) If you wish, I will make three dwellings (or shelters or booths) here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

Peter sounds like us! He wants to do the right things. But he only knows to do what he has already done before. He can’t imagine what is to come–just as we have no idea what the future holds and why things happen as they do. We can only trust that God has planned for us a future with hope, and will guide us in His will.

Peter’s response is firmly rooted in everyday life. He is practical, pragmatic. If Jesus, Moses and Elijah are going to have a meeting on top of a mountain, they will need shelter from the heat of the sun, probably made with branches and leaves, like those regularly made for the Feast of the Tabernacles. But why would three heavenly beings need “dwellings” or “shelters?” They wouldn’t. Peter is making a mistake similar to the one he made 6 days earlier, when Jesus rebukes him for being a stumbling block to him. “You are setting your mind not on divine things, but human things,” I hear Jesus say, again.

But I am also moved by Jesus’ grace for Petros, his “rock.” He isn’t rebuked this time for not understanding what God has planned for the salvation of the world. This vision, which involves all of the senses, is an unforgettable event; it will stay with Peter for the rest of his life. How could he ever doubt when he saw with his own eyes, heard with his own ears, and had the vision confirmed by two other close friends?

 

Reading this passage in the context of God’s love, mercy and grace, I am reassured that God–who created human beings, gave us an earthly life to live, and offers us the gift of eternity with Him, understands our limitations. God knows how we long for the concrete–to see with our own eyes, to hear God’s voice, to be touched by His love and feel His comforting presence with us, especially when we are feeling anxious and afraid.

 

Friends, we have been to the mountaintop with Jesus and His disciples! We have heard God’s voice declaring Jesus His Son, His Beloved. And we have seen His glory. Live each day with the confidence that the God who came to us as one of us still desires to be with us and use us for His loving purposes. “Who do you say that I am?” I hear Jesus ask, again, as he does in Matthew 16:15. And I hear a God who wants to be known–a God who was willing to suffer and die on a cross so we would be forgiven from our sins–and need never fear or feel ashamed again. Remember God’s grace and mercy for you — just as God had grace and mercy for Peter. Petros, the Rock, came to be a strong leader of the Church. But as Jesus’ disciple, he often got things wrong.

Our God desires that we draw nearer to Him in prayer, listen–really listen– to His Word, and consider what it means for us today. We shouldn’t make the same mistake that Peter made–thinking God would want him to do what he has always done, because it is what he knows how to do and likes doing. Heavenly beings don’t need shelters or dwellings on a mountaintop!

Jesus comes to the 3 disciples–the ones he chose to be his leaders– as they tremble and shake. He touches them, compassionately, like when he touches and heals the sick, lame, deaf, blind and those possessed by demons. “Get up,” he says, and I imagine his voice is gentle. “Don’t be afraid.” They look up and are relieved to find that they are alone with him, once again. Christ tells them to share what they have seen and heard and now know to be true. But not until this thing that God has called Jesus to do has taken place–and the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.

Years later, Peter says nothing about his fear or misunderstanding on the mountaintop with Jesus and two other disciples when he recalls what happened that day. He writes in 2 Peter 1:16-18 to persuade us of the promise of Christ’s Second Coming. He writes as a man transformed by experiencing God’s glory with his own eyes and ears. “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.  ¹⁷ For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”  ¹⁸ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.”

Let us pray.

Holy One, we thank you for Jesus, your Son, the Beloved, whom you sent to suffer and die for our sins so that we may live as a forgiven people. Help us to hear your voice and really listen–obeying your Word every day. Stir our hearts to love and compassion, showing mercy for people in need, just as Jesus was never afraid or reluctant to reach out and touch those who were sick, poor, grieving, or otherwise needy. Thank you, God, for the gift of this life and that we are blessed by families and friends. We ask that you be with Mary, Jim’s sister, losing her husband of so many years yesterday morning. Welcome Chuck into your heavenly home. Comfort Mary, her children, and grandchildren in their grief. Bring her new friends and more people she can love and be loved by. Remind her of your love. Thank you for knowing our limitations and using us for your glorious purposes in spite of our weaknesses. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

 

Meditation on Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18 & 33-34 & Matt. 5:38-48

Feb. 19, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

  

     The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God. You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another. And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the Lord. You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning.  You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling-block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. You shall not render an unjust judgement; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord. You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself.  You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord….When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (Lev. 19, selected verses)

 

‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;  and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.  Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.       (Matt 5:38-48)

***     

 

I struck up a conversation with a gentleman sitting next to me at our presbytery meeting last December. We were on a mid-morning break and like most Presbyterians gathered at Good Shepherd in Melbourne, we were eating! The conversation started with how we shouldn’t be eating so many sweets!

The man was the Rev. Dr. Lucas de Paiva Pina, pastor of Cocoa Presbyterian Church. Here he is with his wife, Marta.

 

Lucas was raised in the Presbyterian Church of Brazil. Since his ordination in 1980, he has served Presbyterian churches in Brazil and the United States. He earned a doctor of ministry degree from Columbia Seminary in 2007 and served as Immigrant Ministries Coordinator for three Georgia presbyteries. He has written several books, including Ministering with the New Immigrants: The Challenges that Mainline Churches Face and Church: Finding our Way Again, published last year.

     Lucas talked with me about a teaching English as a Second Language program his congregation is trying to start. When I expressed interest, he handed me his business card and invited me to call him. Two months passed, and still I had not contacted Lucas. Fear of commitment–and over-commitment, perhaps– held me back.

I kept remembering my experience with Gloria, a native Spanish speaker from Colombia whom I tutored in English for 10 months when Jim and I lived in York, PA. Gloria, who had married an American and lived in the U.S. for a number of years, worked in a factory. Although her children, who took ESL in American public schools, could speak English perfectly, Gloria couldn’t speak hardly any English at all. She earned minimum wage, lifting heavy boxes on and off a conveyor belt. She didn’t have a driver’s license–you needed English for that in York. She lived a mostly isolated existence, avoiding going to places that would require speaking English. She was embarrassed, convinced she was stupid.

I met with Gloria once a week in a Roman Catholic Church that she attended. Her goal was to improve her English so she could get a better job and earn a living wage. I used a thematic, hands-on approach. When she learned about clothing, I brought a bag of clothing, taking out each item, naming them one by one. Later, I took her to the grocery store and to restaurants to practice her English.

 

On Thanksgiving, our two families gathered around our dining room table and said The Lord’s Prayer in English and Spanish before we enjoyed our feast. The meal, along with traditional American foods, included a custard flan she had made for dessert.

 

Then we began reading children’s picture books in English and Spanish, such as The Jacket I Wear in the Snow. Her favorite book was Harry the Dirty Dog or in Spanish, Harry, El Perrito Sucio. She laughed and laughed! Her skills and confidence grew!

 

But, in the end, I broke her heart when I accepted a call to a Minnesota church in June 2011. For there was no one else helping her but me! If only the ESL program had been hosted by a church, where someone else could have taken my place. I feel, even now, that I failed her, since her English was still not proficient enough for her to get a better job. “You are my good teacher!” she said, as we cried and hugged goodbye. “You are my pastor! You are my friend!”

 

***

Our lectionary readings today include a passage from the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 and from Leviticus. This reading in the 19^th chapter of Leviticus comes up only once every 3 years, and since it is always paired with the Beatitudes’ reading–when Jesus’ commands us to “love your enemies”– the Leviticus reading is often overlooked. And yet, we cannot understand what Jesus means in Matthew 5 when he says, “You have heard it said…” unless you have read this chapter in Leviticus, which is, in fact, an exposition on the Ten Commandments. The Lord, speaking through Moses, tells Israel that they shall be holy, for the Lord their God is holy. The word “shall” is both a command and a promise. Israel SHALL be holy because Israel’s God is holy. God’s people seek to be like the one whom they worship! God will help us to do His will–when we seek Him!

What follows the command to be holy is a description of what one must do to live a holy life, just as Jesus in the Beatitudes tells His followers what they must do to be “children of your father in heaven” and to be “perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.” To be holy and to be “perfect,” as Jesus says, requires treating people with the love and mercy that our gracious Lord has shown us. Praying for those who hate and persecute us instead of seeking vengeance are godly characteristics. “Father, forgive them,” Jesus says in Luke 23:34 from the cross as the soldiers cast lots for his clothing. “For they know not what they do.”

Here in Leviticus 19 we find the commandment against stealing broadened to include not to deal falsely or defraud one’s neighbor, such as holding back payment of a day’s wages for a laborer.

Holiness requires just and kind treatment of all people in the community, including those with special needs, such as the blind and the deaf. Holiness demands that one never has hate in one’s heart for one’s kin, which Jesus also talks about in Matthew 5.

What is notable is that the first holiness teaching in Leviticus 19 is about giving and caring for the poor and the alien. Being first in position means that God is emphasizing what is of utmost importance! One cannot be holy unless one is generous and gives to those in need. In biblical times, there were no more needy than the widow, orphan, and “alien.” Holiness in this agricultural society demands that the Israelites NOT reap to the very edges of the fields, but, instead, leave some of their crops untouched.

 

They aren’t to gather what has fallen on the ground during the harvest, either. Likewise, they are to not strip their vineyards bare, but they must leave fruit on the vines and the ground so the poor and the alien may be fed.

 

This reminds us of Ruth, the Moabite–the alien widow who came to Bethlehem with Naomi, her Israelite mother-in-law, when there was famine in Moab. She and Naomi survived because Boaz, a wealthy Israelite landowner, allowed Ruth to glean in his field behind his laborers and keep what she had gleaned. Boaz showed his holiness or righteousness by treating her–the alien– kindly and giving her even more grain to take home to Naomi than what Ruth had gleaned!

Even those who choose to read Leviticus once every 3 years may miss two of the most significant verses of the chapter as they fall beyond the lectionary excerpt. Verses 33 and 34 provide the why for Israel’s command to show compassion to aliens and even to love them as much as they love themselves–gratitude to God! For the Israelites were once aliens–slaves!– in the land of Egypt. And God sent Moses to set them free!

 

***

Knowing that I was preaching on God’s command to love the aliens in our land as much as we love ourselves stirred me to finally contact Pastor Lucas. I sent him an email yesterday afternoon. He replied right away!

“I am glad that you are still thinking about our ESL,” he says. Ten students have contacted the church looking for ESL classes. But they haven’t started, yet. “We are still struggling to put the program together,” he says. “We are looking for someone who can lead it.”

His closing words convicted me of having too little faith–and not trusting that our Holy God, who requires that we be holy and promises that we SHALL be holy, would help us care for the poor and aliens in our midst–if we seek His wisdom and help!

“Probably,” Pastor Lucas says, “we need to pray more.”

Will you pray with me?

Holy God, we thank you for your command and your promise that we shall be holy–as you are our Holy God. Forgive us for not always seeking your help and not desiring to be obedient to your commands. Forgive us for struggling to love our enemies and turn the other cheek, rather than seeking to hurt those who have hurt us. Help us to be kind and gracious, Lord, as you are so kind and gracious to us! By your Spirit, transform us, more and more, into the perfect likeness of Christ so that we may be the Church you want us to be. And Lord, please help Gloria, wherever she is, so that she never feels stupid or like an outsider. Bless her with all that she needs to provide for herself and her family. Build up her faith. And we ask that you help Pastor Lucas and Cocoa Presbyterian Church as they seek to begin a ministry of teaching English to speakers of other languages. Send more volunteers, including someone to lead the program and train volunteer tutors. Bless the students who come. Show us, Lord, how we might also participate in this ministry and give of ourselves and from our resources so that the aliens among us are cared for and loved as much as we love ourselves. In Christ we pray. Amen.

 

 

Meditation on Matthew 5:13-20

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

Feb. 5, 2017

‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

***

   Jim was busy emptying bookshelves this week preparing for the installation of new flooring in two rooms of our house. (We had a plumbing issue last summer.) We discovered that we have even more books than we thought we had.

 

Poor Molly could barely get to her water bowl.

Jim said we needed to get rid of some of our books. He picked up one of mine and asked, “Why do you need 7 — no 9 copies!– of I am a Muslim?” I used the book for a study group in my last call–in rural, Renville, MN. The book is a kind of faith memoir written by Asma Gull Hasan.

 

The young American woman, a Denver lawyer, speaker, and author of a number of books, is the daughter of Muslim, Pakistani parents.

She grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, where many of the local population mistook her and her family, including her physician father, for Hispanics because of their brown skin. The book was published in 2004 when the mention of “9/11” stirred horrifying memories of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the airliner crash in Shanksville, PA; nearly 3,000 Americans lost their lives.

Asma, in her introduction, writes, “I have never been ashamed to be a Muslim, not even after 9-11, and not now. I know that many non-Muslims do not understand Islam but want to learn more. I also know that some Muslims carry out violent acts in Islam’s name and use Islam to justify many un-Islamic things. … I have been Muslim my whole life and I cannot imagine being anything else…The Islam that I practice is not the one depicted by Osama bin Laden or by Al Jazeera, cable news, or the fear-mongers. I am not a member of a secret society of terrorists nor do I plot the death of non-Muslims. What Islam is really about is so different from the many misconceptions–about women, about other religions and about even the concept of Jihad. Islam does not preach violent aggression against one’s “enemies.” The Qur-an and the core values of American society are “strikingly similar…” she says.

Asma, who chooses not wear the hijab, argues that Islam is a “woman’s religion.” The Prophet Muhammad was a feminist, she says; he worked to advance women’s rights. He ended the practice of female infanticide and he encouraged women to participate in politics. He encouraged the tradition of women keeping their maiden names after marriage. And the Qur-an teaches that women have the right to own property and to seek an education.

I decided to lead the book group because I was concerned about the fear, prejudice and anger nursed by some of my flock in rural Minnesota. They knew very little about Islam. They were suspicious of their nearest Muslim neighbors–the Somali refugees living in Wilmar, a town of about 20,000 people, 25 miles north of Renville, population 1,300. Willmar is the retail, restaurant, banking and medical hub for those living in the surrounding countryside. Rural folks see but don’t interact much with Somali-immigrant families when they shop, bank and go to the doctor. And they don’t see Somalis in their homes or at school. If they did, they would see children and teens behaving much like American-born children and teens.  

I admired the brightly colored clothing the women wore; sometimes the fabric was draped over blue jeans, snow boots or running shoes and worn under winter coats–because it was Minnesota, after all. How difficult it must be for them, I remember thinking as I sat alongside them in doctor’s office waiting rooms. They are so far from their former home, in a much colder climate, living amongst a population, many of whom had little understanding of their language or culture, except from what they pick up if they venture into a Somali grocery store or restaurant in Willmar.

Getting to know some Muslim American women while I worked as a journalist in York, PA, I came to admire their commitment to their faith that affects so many aspects of their lives. They can’t help but think about their faith every day. They wear the hijab despite the curious or suspicious looks they receive; they pray 5 times a day; they attend weekly prayer services at the mosque; they fast 30 days during Ramadan, and they faithfully give to the poor–one of the 5 “pillars” of Islam.

***

Living out our faith so that the world can see and know our Triune God is the subject of this passage in Matthew 5. This is a hard passage; it’s about our witness! What does the world see and hear about us? Does the world see a difference in those claiming to be followers of Christ? We talk about loving God and neighbor, but are we working to make the world a more loving, just and peaceful place? Do our lives give glory to God?

Jesus in Matthew 5:13 tells his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth!” Salt in the ancient world is a prized preservative; without it in a warm climate without refrigeration, food spoils quickly. Salt is a coveted culinary item; it brings out the flavor in foods and makes bland food tastier! Jesus has just told his disciples that they are blessed when they are meek, poor in spirit, merciful, pure in heart, and when they are peacemakers, hunger and thirst for righteousness, and are persecuted for His sake. Now he adds, not only are you blessed when you embrace these qualities of life, the world will be blessed when you do!!

But even salt can lost it flavor, Jesus warns. And then it’s worthless.

“You are the light of the world!” Jesus says. “A city built on a hill cannot be hid.” Christianity isn’t some private, secret faith, lived in isolation from the world. “Let you light shine before others,” he goes on, “so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Don’t hide the light meant to shine in the darkness of the world!! This is how the Lord draws more people to Himself.

What is meant by “good works?” Don’t misunderstand! We aren’t talking about earning our salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith– and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” We aren’t talking about salvation in this passage; we are talking about our witness as Christ’s disciples, called to reveal the Kingdom here and now.

Jesus reveals His own good works through his self-giving life, by being obedient to God, seeking the Heavenly Father humbly in prayer, and demonstrating his love and concern through his compassionate ministry to the suffering and otherwise needy–preaching Good News to the poor, casting out demons and healing people of sickness and disease.

The “law” that will never pass away of which he speaks beginning in v.17 goes much deeper than the “shalts” and “shalt nots” of the Ten Commandments. In verses 21-24, he shows that he expects more than just the letter of the law like the scribes and Pharisees attempt to do. Jesus expects his disciples to live out a law of God written on our hearts, as Paul says in Romans 2:15. This means, for example, as Jesus teaches in Mathew 5, that you have broken the commandment, “Thou shalt not murder,” when you are angry at your brother or sister. If you are angry with someone, first be reconciled with them before returning to the altar to offer your gift to God.

***

I can’t say that my Islam book study really made any difference in attitudes toward Muslims. But as a follower of Christ, I have to try and shine light in the darkness of fear, prejudice, and ignorance in this world. For God calls us to love our neighbors as much as ourselves; some of our neighbors happen to be Muslim! By the way– I am a Muslim–is an easy read for teens or adults. And I have 7 or 9 copies to give away!

I would like to close with some happy news about some of our Muslim neighbors in need. I read in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune yesterday about a 4-year-old Somali refugee, who had been living in Uganda. She was reunited with her family in the States this week–after more than 3 years apart! Little Mushkaad Abdi’s mother, Samira Dahir, and her two older sisters have been living in Minnesota since 2013. Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota agreed in August to sponsor Mushkaad. The little girl was due to arrive at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Jan. 31–4 days after the executive order that temporarily bans refugees and travelers from 7 predominantly Muslim nations, including Somalia, from entering the United States. Two senators fought for Mushkaad’s return. One called the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary. Mushkaad arrived safely at Minneapolis Airport on Thursday, by way of Abu Dhabi and Chicago.

Be salt! Be light! And give all the glory to the Lord!

 

Let us pray.

 

Holy One, we lift our hearts to you in thanks and praise for the light of your Son, Jesus Christ who lives in and among your people. Help us to remember always that your light is with us and will empower us to do the good works you lead us to do. Humble us as we serve you, recalling with joy and gratitude that everything we do is for you and your glory. Thank you for your love, mercy and grace and that we have forgiveness of our sins and new life through your Son as a gift from you! Stir us to examine our own hearts and lives so that we may be a more faithful, loving witness for you and your just kingdom. Forgive us for neglecting the needs of our neighbors and for sometimes harboring fears and prejudice against people who adhere to a different religion. Empower us to courageously shine your light in this dark world! Use us to draw more people nearer to you. In Christ we pray. Amen.

 

Meditation on Matthew 5:1-12

Jan. 29, 2017

Merritt Island Presbyterian Church

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.  Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

***

I start my message today by expressing my gratitude to my husband, Jim, who preached last Sunday for me, with permission from our session. This was so I could have a few days of vacation during the week and go with my mom on a 5-day cruise.

 

 

I hadn’t been on a cruise before, and I was nervous. I am someone who gets motion sickness very easily. But Mom wanted me to go. She gave the cruise to me as a Christmas gift after asking me for years to go with her. I always had a reason why I couldn’t go. This year was the first time I saw it as her need to get away and rest from being a caregiver for my dad.

I haven’t always gotten along with my mom. As a teenager, we argued. I felt she wasn’t there for me when I needed her. In my 20s, when I got married, had children and struggled to juggle career, school, family and self-care, I realized she was just doing the best she could—trying to provide for her family. But she was there for me during and after my divorce, calling me and encouraging me every day. As the years slipped by, my mom started to have some serious health problems. More and more, I began to see her not just as a mother but a friend.

The trip was for me an act of faith. I worried not only about getting sick, but that being together so much would put a strain on our relationship. I asked God to help me be a peacemaker so that our past hurts would continue to heal. God, I believe, granted my request.

Scripture tells us that peace isn’t something just to enjoy for ourselves; it is something to be freely given (as Christ gave it to us), to be made and to be pursued; it isn’t just an absence of conflict but a loving way of life. Peace— εἰρήνη in Greek –is from the Hebrew shalom — meaning “wholeness, harmony, completeness, health and well-being.” Peace is a decision.  “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,” we say just before we share the peace during worship, “since as members of one body you were called to peace.” (Col. 3:15) The writer of Hebrews urges in 12:14, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy.” Likewise, Paul in Romans 12:18 writes, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

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Today, in our reading in Matthew 5, we hear the command to make peace, with a 2-fold promise. “Blessed or happy are the peacemakers,” Christ says in Matthew 5:9, “for they will be called children of God!” This familiar passage marks the beginning of the Beatitudes or the “Sermon on the Mount,” although “into the hills” may better fit the topography of the area and the Greek expression translated, “up the mountain.” Jesus sat down and taught his disciples, along with a crowd that had followed him from “Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.” The word “beatitude” comes from the old Latin version of the Bible, the Vulgate. Beatitudo means “happiness” and it has come to mean a statement that begins “Blessed or happy is/are” followed by a description of a quality of life or thinking that is to be commended.

Some translators now favor “happy” for the Greek adjective makarios over the traditional “blessed.” The Greek word for “blessed” is eulogetos, not makarios. But this may alter the meaning for some of us who are used to “blessed.” And maybe it confuses us, too, to use the word “happy.” How can we be “happy” while we are mourning, poor in spirit, and persecuted? And God doesn’t desire us to be insincere about our feelings or hide our suffering from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Scholar R. T. France defends the use of “happy”: “No English word fully captures the sense of makarios in this traditional form of beatitude,” he says. He uses it “despite its inappropriate psychological connotations as the least inadequate option in current English.” He goes on to explain that markios doesn’t mean someone feels happy, but that they are in a “happy situation.” I think it helps to see the beatitudes as a window into the future–when the Kingdom of God has fully come. We live with this vision, looking through this window that is Scripture, not fully understanding, but always trusting the Lord and doing God’s will. We children of God seek not just to experience God’s peace but to make peace with others, as Christ calls us to do.

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Today we ordain and/or install 3 ruling elders and 1 deacon. They will be charged with loving the Lord and God’s children through servant leadership in our congregation. They are mature, compassionate Christians with diverse backgrounds and many gifts and talents. We are happy and blessed that they are willing to serve! All 4 witness to their faith by being peacemakers, understanding that this is God’s will for us and Christ’s gift to the Church.

Heidi Dutter — was born in Denver, Colorado, and lived there until 1978 when she moved to Merritt Island, Florida. Her mother and father were Presbyterians, and after moving to Florida they joined Riverside Presbyterian Church where Heidi was baptized in 1981 by Reverend Pedlow. At Riverside she served as a greeter and usher, and helped with Vacation Bible School. Heidi and her mother were founding members of the Riverside Presbyterian Church bell choir and watched the program thrive. Heidi was married to Keith Dutter on October 13, 2001. They have two children, Tyler and Alecia. Keith and Heidi transferred their membership to Merritt Island Presbyterian Church in December 2004 because they felt it had the programs and caring members that their family needed. Their daughter, Alecia, was baptized in 2005 and their son, Tyler, was confirmed April 1, 2007. Heidi has served on a PNC and as a Deacon. She has taught Sunday school and Children’s Church, played bells with the Ringers of Tomorrow, and helped with Kids’ Klub and Vacation Bible School. Heidi says, “My favorite part of the day is taking Bandit for a walk with Alecia.  I love listening to the events of her day as we walk.”

 

Robert (Bob) Willett was born and raised in Chicago. He entered the service in June 1944 at 17 and went to France for a year after the war. “I was to be in the invasion of Japanese Kyushu on Nov 1, 1945,” he says. “The War ended August 6, 1945. I was happily discharged in Nov. 1946.” Then in Nov. 1950 he was called to serve in Korea before being discharged in Nov. 1951. He has been married nearly 60 years to Donna whom he met in Michigan. The Willetts moved to Merritt Island in 1977 and have been members of MIPC since 1982. He is a retired banker, historian and author of several books. He is currently on assignment to Air and Space Smithsonian. He has been a Presbyterian since the early 1960s, and served as an elder in the First Presbyterian Churches of Grand Haven, Alpena and Howell, all in Michigan. Donna is a pianist who has played at MIPC services and most recently at our ice cream social. They have 3 adult children and 7 grandchildren; his daughter, Leslie Mitchell, is our church secretary and director of the Praise Band. Bob and Donna live in Rockledge; they enjoy traveling and have been on at least 100 cruises!

June Hutchinson has been an active member of MIPC since she joined us in 2001. She was born at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, and moved around the world as a child of a career Air Force man. She attended Merritt Island High School, Brevard Community College, and University of Florida.   At MIPC, she has served twice as a Deacon, and played hand bells in the Ringers of Tomorrow. She has volunteered as a Kids Klub helper, office angel, and usher. She played roles in two MIPC productions– Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Footloose. She lives on Merritt Island and enjoys hanging out with her cat Wallie. June says MIPC is her family. She also says, “Go, Gators!”

Patricia (Pat) Smith and her husband, Sterling, were born in Easton, PA, and attended the same high school, but did not start dating until just before she left for college at Penn State.  He was attending Lafayette College.  They got married 3 years later after Pat graduated with a degree in Kindergarten and Elementary Education. They have been married 53 years in July and have 3 grown children–Pam Poland, Scott Smith, and Sara Root–and 5 grandchildren. Pat worked as a teacher until they moved to Merritt Island in January 1997 from Annapolis, MD, when Sterling was transferred to Kennedy Space Center from NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. They joined MIPC in April 1998. She was ordained an elder in January 2002 and a deacon in 2011, serving 2 terms. She has been a Sunday school teacher, VBS leader, MIPC tutor, Kids Klub Craft Leader, Chair of the Christian Education Committee, chair of deacons, and on the planning team for women’s retreats. Pat says, “I have always been involved in the church.  I grew up in the Reformed Church, which became United Church of Christ, where my dad was extremely active in all areas of the church and my mom was a Sunday School teacher. As a child and teenager I had 10 years of perfect attendance at my church! As a reward, I got to church summer camp several times for free.” She loves reading, working in her yard and doing her art, especially working with watercolors. Sterling and Pat enjoy spending time with family, traveling, and birding. One of her favorite sayings is, “ The love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay; love isn’t love, ‘til it’s given away.” Thank you, Bob, Heidi, June and Pat, for answering Christ’s call to serve! God bless you with joy and peace!

 

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Let us pray.

Holy One, we thank you for your gift of peace and call to us to be peacemakers. Thank you that by your grace you call us your “children”! Please teach us and strengthen us to make peace in a community and country so divided and a world so in need of your love and grace. Where do we begin, Lord, when the world is such a broken place? Help us to find our common ground in the foundation of our faith–our savior, Jesus Christ, who is our peace. Heal us and make us whole. And Lord, thank you for Bob, Heidi, June and Pat. Help us to support them, always, and build them up so that they may discern your will for and help us to obey. Stir us all to be more faithful to give and serve you and your people all of our days. In Christ we pray. Amen.