Wating for Godde - Advent

A friend told me a story about Advent, children and Christmas – this is what happened.

She and her son were doing some Christmas shopping when the topic of someone else’s church came up. He was aware that his friend’s church was singing Christmas songs, even Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in the primary class. The primary teacher was using the song to open a teaching of “the reason for the season”. He wanted to know why our church didn’t sing Christmas songs until Christmas. His Mother responded, somewhat rhetorically, that we are waiting for Jesus until Christmas. This caused a furrowed brow, a moment of thought and then a cry of frustration. “We waited last year ! Now what are we waiting for ?!”

Seems like a fair question as we are surrounded by Deck the Halls and the Little Drummer Boy everywhere we go, and have been for weeks. What are we waiting for ???

The Gospel says we are awaiting Emmanuel – God with us. An incarnation of Godde’s love in human form. Divine love in a 5’4” dark haired, dark eyed man whose skin was leathered by the sun and wind of the desert climate. As was common in his culture, he likely used his hands a lot when he talked. A figure who looked a lot like a Palestinian of then, and today.

In our hymnal are two hymns that are particular favorites of mine. Both have verses written by Christina Rossetti. I’ve been at St. Pat’s Hospital a lot recently, and the harpist there and I were chuckling about how our church hymnals have cleaned up the lyrics to “In the Bleak Midwinter.”  There is verse that has been left out that talks about the simple needs of the newborn child – breastful of milk and a manger of hay. Evidently too racy for Catholics and Episcopalians ! But the verse that resonates with me is the one that starts “our Godde, heaven can’t hold him, nor earth sustain, Heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign”  - Godde is propelled into our world as love,  -  and by love.

And then the other hymn by Rossetti – Love came down at Christmas, love all lovely, love divine – Love was born at Christmas, star and angels gave the sign.”

So, what are we waiting for ? This simple package of love – the obscure birth of a peasant boy – nursing at his young mother’s breast. This slight dark intense young man who used his hands when he exhorted people to embrace love ?

We get this package every year – and look at it, wondering what to do next. Its from Godde, so maybe we should put it under the tree, yes ? Seems to fit in well with the nativity scene that the kids made years ago out of popsicle sticks. It clearly was NOT wrapped at Nordstroms – it’s a bit rough for that. And then perhaps, it becomes part of the Christmas decorations. We place it on the shelf marked Christmas stuff and try to remember to open it or tuck in the rough edges – next year. It is from Godde, after all, and we wouldn’t want to offend…..

Some people will tell you that if you put it in the closet, when you go back to get it out next year, it will be gone. One chance only, and Godde snatches it back.  I don’t believe that for a minute. In some households, I suspect it gets to be like the Velveteen Rabbit – a little more worn outside every year, but familiar. Oh yes, we think – it’s a gift from Godde and we can’t throw it out. Probably shouldn’t even rewrap it in gold foil and red ribbons to match the window décor. After all, it looks OK right next to the nativity set – the one the kids made – out of popsicle sticks.

Out of the mid-19^th century, a poet tells us what is in there. Love incarnate, love divine. Love shall be our token, love be yours and love be mine. Love to God and neighbor, love for plea and gift and sign.

Or to paraphrase St. John, who understood the power of that love, Love is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes unto the Father but by Love.

Love is the vine and we are the branches.

And this is what we are waiting for. We do need to see it anew every year. Godde patiently puts it in our way – where we can trip over it, if need be. Where we bump into it as we put the beautifully wrapped ipods under the tree.  We waited last year – and it came. We wait this year – and it comes again. Love comes down at Christmas. And if we open the gift, the effect on our heart can truly keep us busy and focused until next Advent, when we wait again, with new understanding.

In the name of Godde, Creator, Sanctifier and Redeemer.

Amen

Luke 6:17

I am always taken aback when I send Christmas greetings to my friends in Lumsden Parish, South Island, New Zealand. Their Christmas letter describes the service with the fresh flowers, and the picnic outside in the parish gardens after Christmas Day Eucharist.

They have written their own Christmas Carols, because “In the Bleak Midwinter” just doesn’t resonate with them.

Easter is likewise a little strange. While we are anticipating the first buds and celebrating chicks and baby ducks and lambs, they are at harvest season and the millions of lambs NZ raises every year are being packed off for slaughter. They have had to develop their own approach to the message of new life.

Our physical environment cannot be separated easily from our religious tradition. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are religions of the desert. And in the desert, the limiting factor for life is fresh water. It is very simple…no water, no plant life, no animal life, no human life. If the rains do not come, the only hope is to be next to a stream or spring.

Both the reading from Jeremiah and the psalm reflect this reality. Water is as essential to survival as the love of God is to life itself. In a simple system like the desert, the parallel is straightforward. Without water, there is no life; without God, there is no meaningful existence.

The Prophet Jeremiah says:  “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and it shall stay green; in the year of the drought it is not anxious and does not cease to bear fruit.”

From the psalm: “ Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and they meditate on his law day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; everything they do shall prosper.”

We have known drought in the last few years here in Montana, and although it is not life threatening, it makes us uneasy. We know that water is essential to life.

We have also experienced drought of the spirit in our life as the Episcopal Church in Montana. The robust exchange of resources, encouragement, and pastoral care that takes place in a healthy Diocese has not been ours to enjoy for years now. We have gathered around the small springs and oases that we know, and survived. No matter what your take on the causes of our drought, we are in rationing mode….praying for the gentle rains and healing water to flow over us.

In Luke’s Gospel, we hear a version of the story called the “Sermon on the Mount’ in other gospels. (In Luke, it seems to be the Sermon on the Flat Place.) No matter – the Beatitudes are among the most loved parts of the NT scriptures. They appear on quilts, tablecloths, samplers, wall hangings, banners…you name it. If the precise citations from the scriptures were better known, you might even watch the Super Bowl or play-off games and see “Luke 6:17-26” or “Matthew 5: 1-12”  on placards in the stands.

So, what do the Beatitudes have to say to us who are gathered around the oasis of St. Stephen’s, praying for refreshment and nourishment. Are they one of those “the Kingdom of God is like…..a shepherd, a woman who finds a lost coin, a prodigal son”….pronouncements ? Are they a statement of things yet to come…of blessings that will someday be showered on those who mourn, who hunger, who are poor…?

I would suggest that we are, here and now, both the blessed and those doing the blessing. However we, in Christian community, recognize and reach out to each other when we are grieving, hungry, poor in spirit or resources, discouraged or distraught, makes us people of the Beatitudes. We continually draw water from our well to serve those around us, and look for signs of thirst or drought in the people we share this place with, as well as those who walk by our door.

The blessing of the poor, the hungry, the distraught,

happens now,

to each of us,

from each of us,

because we have been planted, by God’s hand,

where our roots can reach water, even in the time of drought. 

By God’s mercy, we have water to sustain life, to share, and to bless others.

Thanks be to God.

Working the Vineyard Lent 5C

The scholars of the Jesus Seminar suggest that the part of this story that talks about the 3 slaves of the owner, and then the son of the owner are additions to the parable. Added, perhaps, by the early church to make sure that the links between the persecution of Jesus and the prophets before him by the Israelites are understood by the listener.

That, of course, is arguable by fans and foes of the Jesus Seminar. What no one questions is the notion of the chosen people as tenant farmers in a vineyard. And that is what I would like to explore today.

Our culture considers tenant farming to be one social notch above migrant workers as a profession. Rags to riches stories abound telling of the determined young man or woman, raised by tenant farmers, finding true success through hard work, sacrifice and rising to a place far beyond their humble beginnings. We clearly do not equate success with tenant farming.

In fact, its almost un-American to think that tenant farming is an acceptable way of life, let alone one to be aspired to. The American dream is to own something….anything….but most of all your business or land.  In fact, ownership has taken an odd turn in our culture – it is a two edged sword. One edge is ownership as responsibility – it is a stewardship model. The other is pride of ownership – for evidence of that, you only need to check out the new truck or furniture ads. 

So, who would want to be a tenant farmer in the vineyards of the Lord ?

Then we need to consider what it means to work in the vineyards. Not the metaphorical vineyards, but the real thing. The growing of grapes is a long term commitment. And vineyards were very important to the people of Jesus’ time.

Growing grapes is not like…say…..planting onions or corn. Those you plant, weed, and harvest. Save the seed, plant again. It’s a good year or a bad one, depending on the weather, but both can be stored against the bad year.

Grapes grow for many years, and do not bear fruit immediately. Corn is grown, grapes are tended. The vines are trained, and trimmed. The leaves are watched for signs of fungus infection and must be pruned immediately when it is seen.  The plants must be carefully manured; the new starts rooted; the old vines removed when they no longer bear. The fruit is gathered at exactly the right time, and processed into juice and wine. All in all, tending a vineyard is very labor intensive. It requires what a Buddhist would recognize as “mindfulness”. Day in and day out, one must be aware.

When I think of a modern day example of tending the vineyard, the community of Benedictine sisters I know comes to mind. The work of the group is put before individual needs and wants, but there always seems to be enough space for individuals. Many of the community work outside; in hospitals, nursing homes, administration, retreat work, teaching. If you remember Sr. Barbara Jean, who gave a workshop for us a year or two ago; she is an outside contributor to the work of the monastery. For every one who works “in the world”, there are at least three who rotate through the laundry, the infirmary, the kitchen, the gardens – even the forest. Sr. Carol is the monastery forester. And Sr. Wilma, at 80+ years, puts in the huge monastery garden. This is what I think of when I think of tenant farmers in the Lord’s vineyard. And these farmers are peaceful, prayerful and live to a very ripe old age. Indeed, the sisters who work in the world have a higher rate of illness than those who work at home. And people who would never dream of being tenant farmers, flock to spend a week at the monastery; to study, be on retreat, to help harvest the gardens, to be quiet. The current retreat mistress claims that it takes visitors at least 36 hours to unwind and approach the pace of monastic life. Mostly, Sr. Lillian says, “you need to sleep !” I have never slept better, on a worse camp cot, than I do at the monastery. 

But our lives here are neither the vineyards of Palestine nor the monastery. We live squarely in the middle of American culture, with its compulsion to own, control and demand. We may have to work out our own way of reflecting the call to be tenants on the farm, or just on the earth.

Clearly, choosing to serve full time in the vineyard is a counter culture choice. It demands mindfulness, attention to the little things. It boasts of no ownership, it is dependent on the weather and the intentions of the landlord.

Why would any red-blooded American reframe their life as a tenant farmer ? Why would one give up grand notions of taking control of your life, dreaming larger and larger dreams, aspiring to great wealth; all to labor elbow to elbow with others of the community, - even this community, - for the fulfillment of the gospel ?

Because, in this work we are the Body of Christ. And some are gifted in composting, and some in seeing the ripeness of the grapes. Some prepare food for the laborers, and others are charged with hospitality to the stranger. Some have the strength to lift the harvest and others to prepare the wineskins. The peace of mind that comes from the thoughtful harvest is the reason the sisters of St. Gertrude’s live to be 98. And now, as the warm sun brings both flower and weed from the earth, it is our chance to consider where we are laboring, and for whom we bring in the harvest. Amen

Easter 3A Emmaus Road

Today's Gospel reading, often called the "Road to Emmaus" has long been a very popular story in Christian life. Retreats, Weekends, and books are named after it. In Missoula, the first really good European style restaurant was opened by Community Covenant Church and called Emmaus Road. For me, it tells us something about the early church, something about us and Godde, and something about bread.

The most basic of Biblical commentaries tells us that by the time Luke wrote down this story he was hearing about Jesus, it had already been shaped by the early Christian community. In the Acts of the Apostles, also thought to have been written by Luke, we are told that the new converts devoted themselves to the teaching and fellowship of the Apostles, the breaking of the bread and the prayers. These ancient words are incorporated in our Baptismal vows. The breaking of the bread was a ritual established very early in the life of the infant church. The story of the encounter on the road to Emmaus is told in a sequence that relates that the unrecognized Risen Lord explained the scriptures to the two dejected travelers, and then broke bread with them. This is the same pattern that our liturgy follows to this day….we break open the Word of God for each other, and then we break the bread.

It is not hard for us to put ourselves in the place of the two weary ones who may have been fleeing Jerusalem. There were too many reminders of the terrible way their hope had been wrenched from them. The man they had believed would literally save Israel from all its troubles had been hung up like the scum of the earth, to die and be picked apart by birds of prey. A death of enormous uncleanness during high holy days.

We all have times when we don't recognize people we should know. It happens all the time, especially when some one appears out of context. A nurse from our specialist's office spots us in WalMart. Someone we worked with 20 years ago in another time and place encounters us at a political rally. It takes some action, some word, to trigger our memory and then in relief we can say, "Of course – it's Michael !" My husband has a knack for running into people he knew 30 years ago on a softball team, totally out of context like in the Salt Lake Airport, and having them say "Don ! How are you doing ?" Blank. One of the benefits of my recent illness is that I can say "My brain has been off line for a while now and you will have to help me with your name." He can't get away with that, he says……

So the two travelers have seen and felt their world turned upside down. It is a demonstration of how deeply they believe that Jesus is gone. Even though some of the women of the group have met the Risen Lord, and told of their experience, they are after all, only women. You know how it goes – overly emotional, irrational, prone to see and hear weird things…..women. So convinced are they that the dream is gone, redemption snatched away, that they don't recognize the one they are grieving.  It isn't until he performs the simple act of breaking the bread, as someone always did at a Jewish table, that it all falls into place.

You know from having to listen to me preach that I believe strongly in the ongoing post-resurrection appearances. After the Ascension of Jesus, which we celebrate in a few weeks, I believe that Godde is present in thousands of acts, words, touches, sunrises, snatches of remembered songs and scriptures every day. But we don't recognize the presence of Godde if we are shuffling along the dusty road, devoid of hope. That isn't to say that hopelessness isn't part of the human condition. It is, and there are echoes of it in the Garden of Gethsemane. But if we can take time to be still, cease commiserating for a moment; to lift our head and listen, the voice of the Risen Lord can be heard. And then we recognize him in familiar acts of everyday life.

Now for a lament.

When bread was broken at the Jewish table, it may have been leavened or unleavened, but it was baked in a communal oven unless you were very wealthy and had your own. It is a waste of precious fuel to fire up an oven for a few loaves of private bread. You can close your eyes and imagine the smell of the village on a spring day when the loaves were almost ready to be taken out.

When we consecrate the bread and break it, it is Jesus, the Lamb of God, broken for us.

When we take the bread and eat it, Jesus is remembered – that is, brought to memory. And Jesus is re-membered  - brought back together in the People of Godde. We are a sacramental church, and we believe that Jesus is present in the bread, to be broken, shared and gathered again in us.

During the liturgical reforms after Vatican II, many denominations examined the balance in their services between the Word and the Eucharist. Roman Catholic priests were given opportunities to focus more on their preaching, and on truly breaking open the Word of God. Many Protestant denominations where the 30 minute sermon prevailed, focused more energy into Communion and it was celebrated more often than before. One of the rallying cries of Catholic liturgical reformers was "It shouldn't be harder to believe that this is bread than it is to believe that it is Jesus". I didn't really catch on to that until the fateful day that Eucharist was celebrated with rounds of fresh unleavened whole wheat bread that still smelled of the oven. When it was blest, broken, and handed to each of us, the Communion Hymn was from the 34^th Psalm. "Taste and see the goodness of the Lord". Fresh, sweet, earthy bread of course ground wheat, and it was possible to hear the words and taste their meaning. A whole new meaning. A meaning obscured if you have only known the little white pasty wafers. Or in the tradition I grew up in, little squares of Wonder Bread.

We will know Godde in the breaking of the bread – Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Amen

Choices

This week’s readings give us a chance to consider the world of expectations…..perhaps even GREAT Expectations ! We all have them…some of us moderate our expectations to avoid disappointments. Some of us have out sized expectations about particular things. This year, I will take enough golf lessons to correct my slice ! If I get enough sheep manure on the tomatoes, I will finally have the biggest ones in the neighborhood!

The problem we run into in the today’s Gospel is that Peter has a plan – Great Expectations – which is why he is so alarmed when Jesus begins to explain reality. Peter has been thinking that this Messiah will be the leader that frees Israel from bondage and oppression. We hear that Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man…this is a much less exalted title than Messiah …and this sets up the conflict of expectations between Jesus and Peter…

Some scholars believe that the phrase “then turning and looking at his disciples” means that Jesus suspects that the group put Peter up to this. Certainly possible but Peter was always ready to jump into the middle of things on his own volition !

Peter was a good Jew and had reasons for thinking this way. The cultural expectations of the Messiah were that this messenger from Godde would free his people as Moses did the Hebrews. Even overthrow the oppressor and establish the reign of the Almighty, if not on earth, at least in Israel.

And what Jesus was saying was, once again, counter cultural…..the Son of Man, which is a modest term, would be made physically subject to the oppressor and die. The followers of the Son of Man would be subject to oppression, trials and death. This isn’t a campaign slogan that attracts the masses. Peter was acting as the PR guy for the campaign here, and that wasn’t the message he wanted to get out…

But Jesus was acting on truth in advertising ….if he didn’t know he would die at the hands of the authorities, he was no fool, and could see where this ministry was leading him. He would not only upset the status quo, but he would also not fit the military leader role that the messiah was culturally expected to fill. He would disappoint on one hand and be in deep trouble on the other.

The conflict here is about power. The natural human expectation about the great leader is that he/she will make everything right. Fix the current situation and make the oppressed free, maybe even put them in charge ! And, what’s more, many humans in leadership are willing to take on those expectations of being the fixer. Follow me – I’m in charge and I will make it all better ! Jesus and Peter are talking about 2 different kinds of power and we are still trying to get a handle on the kind of power Jesus was talking about. Christian spirituality has yet to plumb the complete depths of this kind of power…it has been easier to just go with the old models of hierarchy and control. If you are faced with the choice of signing on with the triumphant army, or struggling with the nuances of being a servant, which appeals to you ?

I’m not suggesting the human nature is innately inclined toward the easy choices – we are made in the image of Godde and that is a complex model. Our opportunities to make these kinds of decisions are lifelong and very complicated. We are attracted to organizations that make us feel safe – this is where the oft repeated statement “My Pastor said that….” without critical analysis of what he said. That is giving power to a role that makes people feel safe and that is very attractive in some peoples’ faith journey.

But we are called to listen…..both to our human experience in the light of faith, and our own inner voice. The power that Peter wanted so badly to see take over isn’t a power of discernment. The power of discerning what we are called to do and to be – listening carefully to the voice of Godde – is not of the moment. It is a lifelong commitment to pay attention and hold many things in thoughtful tension.

The call to truly deep spiritual growth isn’t avoided by changing religious paths…Buddhism, for example, calls for shutting up and listening to a much greater degree than Christianity, at least outside the monastic tradition. It’s hard to escape the call to depth for people who are drawn to spiritual development. And Lent is a perfect time to be present to those opportunities…

Wishing you a Holy Lent..

Winter of Weariness

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint,

and strengthens the powerless.

Even youths will faint and be weary,

and the young will fall exhausted;

but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,

they shall mount up with wings like eagles,

they shall run and not be weary,

they shall walk and not faint.

Weariness. Can anyone here today identify with that ? It is late winter, the economy is in real trouble, our two parishes are struggling with financial issues…weariness abounds. And this part of the reading from Isaiah doesn't say " Don't be weary !". Instead, it acknowledges the human condition – this fatigue of living – and says "trust in Godde."

In the reading from Paul's letter to the community at Corinth, he speaks of how he keeps going. If anyone had a right to be weary it was Paul. He truly did need to be "all things to all people," to accomplish what he had set to do. He knew how to be a Jew when he preached to the Jewish community. And he know that the observance of Jewish law was meaningless to the Gentiles. But what drove him was his commitment to share the Gospel – the Good News. Paul in today's world would be attending Nascar races and having a beer in the local pub. It was important to him to be where the people gathered.

Mark tells of the beginnings of Jesus' ministry - earlier in this chapter, Jesus calls the first of the disciples and now he is headed for the home of Simon Peter. Simon's mother-in-law is ill and he heals her to the extent that she can offer the hospitality that she would be ashamed not to be able to offer. The healing isn't proof that as soon as you can drag yourself from your sick bed you are to back to work…it is just proof that she was truly healed.

Jesus heals many other people, and then slips off in the early morning to have a chat with Godde. Spiritual refreshment is the point here…even Jesus needs to reconnect with the Source to avoid this weariness.

There is a thread running through these three readings. Spiritual weariness affected the people of Israel and it affects us. The reassurance here is that Godde recognizes weariness in Godde's people. It isn't a sin…it is the human condition and we are made fully human. The refreshment of spirit comes from the Lord. In Isaiah's prophecy, the Lord is and ground of our being and lifts us up. In Paul's letter, the reason for going on is that the Good News is to be shared with everyone. And, as Jesus' ministry unfolds, he reaches out beyond Capernaum, but first seeks rest in Godde's presence.

It is a weary time…..the mucky, muddy, icy time of late winter and in a time of major rethinking who we are as a nation of consumers. And this weariness is timely if we use it to quietly reconnect with who we are as individuals, and as a faith community. Stripped of our bravado and manufactured enthusiasm, it is time to rest in the Lord and support one another on our journeys.

He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint,

and strengthens the powerless.

Even youths will faint and be weary,

and the young will fall exhausted;

but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,

they shall mount up with wings like eagles,

they shall run and not be weary,

they shall walk and not faint.