Christ is Risen!

Christ is Risen!  He is risen indeed!  Although we could proclaim this every Sunday in worship, usually when we hear these words we assume it must be Easter.  Gospel writer John's story of resurrection is John 20: 1-18, when various disciples come to the tomb where Jesus has been buried, only to discover he is gone - he is risen (maybe?) as predicted.  My invitation to you:  Will you come to the tomb with Mary, Simon Peter and John?  Where do you find yourself in this story that we re-tell year after year as we claim this story for our own?

Are you a "Mary" approaching the tomb against all cultural expectations in the dark of the morning - in the dark of your soul?  Like Mary, do you live into the ordinariness of life, not expecting the extraordinary to come your way?  Do you wonder whether you'll ever be able to talk the God talk or see God at work in your life?

Or, are you a "Peter," outrunning the beloved disciple in the footrace to the tomb?  Competitive?  Jealous? Impulsive?  Guilty for your denials of Jesus - even those subtle ones - that make you anxious for Jesus' forgiveness and mercy?  Or are you just curious to see what in the world Mary is blathering about?

Maybe you're a "beloved disciple" - who we know as John.  Have you been raised in a family of faith in which Christian beliefs are talked about and/or lived out?  Because you've always known Jesus, are you able to deepen your faith without any solid proof?  Are you the one who sees possibilities of God's work everywhere?  Are you the bringer of hope even in the faces and places of despair or anger or sadness?

Through our voices - through our words - through our every action, we too can hear and see our Rabboni in our own way.  When we do, isn't there a call to us as Jesus said to Mary:  "Go forth and tell what you have seen here."  Through us this story of resurrection continues wherever we share our testimony and our experiences of the living Lord in our midst.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Shelley

Even the Stones Would Shout Out

When we envision the triumphal procession of Jesus parading into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey or colt with cloaks or clothes or palm branches spread out before him (depending on the gospel writer), we're happy to cry out our hosannas, wave our palm branches, and shout out "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!"  Especially in the safety of our sanctuaries this scripture (Luke 19: 28-40) seems full of praise and fulfillment:  The King we've been waiting for has arrived!

The Pharisees, responsible for their Judaic heritage, are all too aware of the parade full of pomp on the other side of town, through another gate comes Pilate with chariots, war horses, and the Roman soldier squadrons in their fullest military regalia - come to ensure that Roman rule (Pax Romana) is not threatened by this upstart prophet, Jesus.  The Pharisees are all too aware of the threat to their peace and order - a tension they maintain with the Roman government.

So, it's not surprising that the Pharisees would tell Jesus to rebuke his followers - quiet the crowd - keep the peace - be less passionate and more orderly.  After all, when we take our children to the recent St Patrick's Day parade or travel to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, we want to be assured we're safe.  Policemen along the parade route are reasuring.

But Jesus' response is powerful:  "If these [disciples] were silent, the stones would shout out."

I wonder what Jesus means?  Stones are inert - gray, brown, black, speckled - often dirty - heavy.  How do we envision stones even shouting?  Would they shout out about the sinfulness of disciples who dare to keep silent?  Or do stones cry out about those who reject and turn away from Jesus?  Or is it possible that stones will proclaim the mighty acts of God in the face of disciples who maintain the safety of silence? Or is it that it's no more possible for stones to keep silent than it is for faith filled disciples to keep silent as Jesus rides by?

Any of these interpretations is valid, depending on your perspective.  Where do you find yourself in this parade?  Do we follow Jesus all the way and stand at the foot of the cross of crucifixion or do we betray our Lord with our silence on the sidelines?  One thing is sure:  No matter how paralyzed we are with our fears and temptations, Jesus will enter Jerusalem on his way to the cross and God will prevail over death.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Shelley

Temptations in the Desert: Scarcity or Abundance

When describing your worldview and your sense of available resources, where would you put yourself on a continuum that stretches from:  Scarcity - to - Not enough - to - Just barely enough - to - Enough - to - Plenty - to - Abundance - to - Extravagance?
If Jesus came to reveal what God looks like, then the story of Mary of Bethany anointing him in preparation for his death and burial with the most extravagant perfume is a story of Jesus praising her for her extravagant devotion. John 12: 1-8. To emphasize this extravagant love that Mary pours out upon his feet, Jesus chastizes Judas Iscariot (who is about to betray Jesus) when Judas demands that the perfume should be sold to provide for the poor.  Jesus realizes that Judas doesn't care so much for the poor, as he cares about keeping the common purse for his own purposes of stealing from it. Jesus rebukes Judas:  "Leave her alone." (v 7). In light of Jesus' impending death, Mary "wastes" perfume on her beloved Master and Jesus receives it with gratitude.

How often do we "count" the value of various resources (especially money), giving into the temptation that there won't be enough - that our resources are finite and must be carefully controlled?  Whether we're hoarders or cheapscapes or just reasonable folk who give of ourselves according to the time/energy/means that make practical sense in a world overwhelmed with "not-enough-ness," we operate out of the worldview that tempts us to value our efforts and our things by their usefulness or practicality or cost effectiveness.

Is the cross a symbol of our temptation or do we trust in the God of resurrection?  Father Richard Rohr writes:  "The cross is a statement of what we do to one another and to ourselves.  The resurrection is a standing statement of what God does to us in return." (Richard Rohr, Easter 2012)

Both in the extravagance and love poured out by Mary and in the promises God makes in Isaiah 43: 16-21, we are drawn toward a God of extravagant abundance, whose love and providence have no end.  Isaiah, using powerful water imagery, reminds us that God will make a way through the waters (Red Sea) just as he did for the Israelites fleeing the Egyptians.  And when we wander in the desert of our temptations, we can trust that God will provide rivers in the desert & water in the wilderness - drink for God's chosen people.

Our challenge is to move through, around, past the barriers of temptations that there will not be enough.  Our challenge is to trust God's promises of abundant healing, enough water for all, and an abundant love that sustain us through droughts.  If we remember what God has done in the past, we are able to trust in the new things God is about to do in our future.  We can trust in the love that shapes whatever new thing lies ahead.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Shelley

Temptations in the Desert: Entitled Children

The word “entitlement” got politicized in this last presidential election, thanks to a covert recording of a Mitt Romney speech about the 47%. According to Merriam-Webster, entitlement is “the belief that one is deserving of or entitled to certain privileges.” What are you entitled to? What privileges are your right, what do you deserve?

Read Psalm 32 and Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32.

With whom do you identify? The lost son, who wanders away? The older son, who faithfully serves and builds up resentment? The father, who unconditionally loves the children over and over again? Many of us in the church can all too easily identify with the older son. We faithfully show up to worship, to Sunday School, to mission activities. We bake cookies and deliver bread and pray. And yet God gives the same grace to everyone? Even though we have worked so hard? It seems so…unfair.

Both the older and the younger sons share a temptation – the temptation of entitlement. The younger son believes that he deserves his inheritance – that he has done something in his life to earn it. Asking for his inheritance early is the same as spitting in his Father’s face: “I wish you were dead!” But the fact is, as the younger son, he did not deserve any inheritance. He was entitled to nothing.

The older son also suffers from the temptation of entitlement, believing that he deserves special celebrations for the work that he is called to do as a son. The older son believes that he deserves the same things that his younger brother gets – the older son falls into the temptation of entitlement, believing that he deserves more of his Father’s love because of his faithful work over many years.

We too fall into the temptation of entitlement, believing that we deserve a special place in heaven, or our special pew in church, because of our constant and faithful attendance. We too believe that we deserve our Father’s grace and love, that we should get a gold star – unlike those people outside of our church, unlike those people who don’t know about Jesus’ love yet.

And yet, the Father refuses to fall into these temptation games – He gives a constant love and a surprising love, a grace equally offered to all who will run back into his arms. As we have talked about repentance – turning back to God – during this season of Lent, look at this parable and see how our Father responds to repentance. In the words of Psalm 32, "God holds nothing against you." See that God will run to you with open arms, ready to throw a party and share all that God has with you, because you are a beloved child of God.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Kate

Temptations in the Desert: Barren Trees

What would you do with your life if you only a year left to live? Many of us know someone these days who has had to face such a decision. What would you do - go on a long-dreamed-for vacation? Spend more time with your grandkids? Learn that foreign language, apologize to your lostlong relative, make up for time lost or wrongs done?

Read Psalm 63:1-8 and Luke 13:1-9. 

The conversation with Jesus begins by talking about two different incidents that involved tragic and sudden deaths. Already the fragility of life is front and center, as well as Jesus’ firm denial that God brings punishment upon ‘worse’ sinners. Jesus issues an urgent call to repentance in the midst of the conversation – that since we never know how long we have, we need to turn back to God now. 

And then comes the barren fig tree – a parable of divine grace following the call to repentance. During Jesus’ time (and today), good land was a precious commodity, not to be wasted on trees and crops that were not producing. The natural instinct is to get rid of those plants – what are they possibly good for? And yet the gardener – the one who knows the tree intimately – argues for one more year, a stay of execution for the fig tree. He covers the tree in manure, fertilizing and tending and caring for it. 

How often when life throws manure on us do we feel buried and barren? How often are we tempted to just give up, that whatever we do doesn’t make a difference anyway, that we can’t ever be good enough or faithful enough or smart enough? How often do we doubt God’s ability to tend to us when we are going through barren times in the desert? How often are we tempted to see life’s fragility and instead of urgently turning around, we throw our hands in the air and say 'it doesn’t matter?' 

A barren tree in the snow 'desert' at Heartland this week

During the desert times, we feel a pendulum swing between last week’s temptation – the temptation to control everything – and this week’s temptation – the temptation to give up when we feel powerless. But the oasis in the desert is the divine mercy that our Gardener offers us – that while the call to repentance is urgent, Jesus is not ready to give up on us barren trees just yet. Jesus knows that with continued care and second chances, we are capable of bearing the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of the vine, because He is the one in control. 

Our God of second and third and fourth chances desperately wants us to bear fruit – to feed the world, for our lives to be a witness to the loving kindness of our Gardener. After this winter is over, will you bear fruit? Will you be a drink for those thirsting for knowledge of our Savior? Our God, who is our help and upholds us, is waiting patiently. 

Grace and peace, 
Pastor Kate