Pentecost 2 A

CIDER HOUSE RULES

Introduction

Anyone ever see or read the Cider House Rules?

It is an interesting movie to be sure, The gist of it is this: Rules are often made to keep things in order; they are rarely made to make it easier for the person involved.

There are two parallel stories as it unfolds, that of a New England abortion doctor who is genuinely trying to help people despite the rules; and at the same time we watch migrant farmers who have come north to pick apples and are supposedly subject to the artificial rules of the farm owners.

Through violence and upset and overturning of moral norms we come to learn something – hospitality, the simple rule of loving the other person as we would hope to be loved, changes everything.

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So… the story of Abraham and his son is a pretty strange story of following the rules… If God says it you have to do it is what I first got out of this story in Sunday School… but the story is actually about something else, it is about testing the rules and how that changes us.

Consider this – Abraham is not the one who changes in the story; God is. Let’s for a moment assume that God has had a rough time with this whole creation thing, it is almost never working out how it was expected to – there was that whole flood episode for example.

The story presents God as skeptical, as uncertain what will happen if he actually pushed us. SO God demands the sacrifice of Isaac… a Child Abraham waited 90 years to have. And Abraham shrugs his shoulders and says OK.

It is Abraham that actually ups the ante. Abraham tells Isaac that God is going to solve the problem. God stops short… what… Abraham trusts me more than I trust myself; I better step up… and the ram gets caught in the thicket.

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So today I want you to think about how the things we do affect not only the person we do them for, but us as well. All of life is a two way street and any given thing we do changes everything. There is something to be said for responding with love, and taking hospitality to the next level of trusting everything will be all right.

Let’s take a moment and think about that while we listen to some music.

Forgetting the Wages of Sin

What do you think sin is?

The week I was on study leave was quite incredible. It was all on prayer and how we relate to God. In my mind the most impressive speaker was Michael Morwood, who was a Catholic Priest in Australia until he wrote a book about God in which he said God is not out there anywhere, God is in here, in our hearts.

He was promptly censured and defrocked… which is strange because what he said has been being said for thousands of years – especially in poetry which expresses things like the fact that God is a close to us as our next drawn breath.

SO what is Sin? Michael Morwood says that sin is the intentional failure to recognize the Divine in the people around us… or in ourselves… If I treat someone else like they are different than me, or like they could not possibly be loved by God, or part of God’s creation, then I have sinned.

In India the traditional greetings is “Namaste” which people say as they meet and when they are leaving each other – Namaste means: “I honour the place in you where the entire universe resides; I honour the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honour the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us...”

Pretty complex sentence – but essentially you look at someone and say, “I see God in you.” And they look back and say, “I also see God in you.” And that being true, we have to treat each other differently.

So sin is death – and grace is life. That is what Paul wrote to the Romans. If we fail to see God in ourselves or in others life becomes not worth living – but to be truly alive and empowered is to see God in everything and embrace it all fully.

Welcome Me, Welcome You

In 1993, mountaineer Greg Mortenson attempted to climb K2, the world's second highest mountain and located in the Karakoram range of northern Pakistan-administered Kashmir, as a way of honouring the memory of his deceased sister, Christa.

As a memorial, he had planned to lay her amber necklace on the summit of K2. After more than 70 days on the mountain, Mortenson and three other climbers had their ascent interrupted by the need to complete a 75-hour life-saving rescue of a fifth climber.

After getting lost during his descent, alone, he became weak and exhausted. Instead of arriving in Askole, where his porters awaited, he came across Korphe, a small village built on a shelf jutting out from a canyon. He was greeted and taken in by the chief elder, Haji Ali of Korphe.

To repay the remote community for their hospitality, Mortenson promised to build a school for the village.

That is the plot line of the book, “Three Cups of Tea” which is named because of a Balti Proverb:
"The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honoured guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family..."

Mortenson became co-founder of the Central Asia Institute (CAI), a non-profit group that, as of 2010, reports it has overseen the building over 171 schools. CAI reports that these schools provide education to over 64,000 children, including 54,000 girls, where few education opportunities existed before in the remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

See, all of our readings are about the power of the encounter… the way that our interactions change people.

Jesus once said in answering a question, if you have fed the hungry, helped the widow, clothed the orphan or even offered a little sip of water to the thirsty, you have seen me…

When you help the other person because you believe in them, because you see them as holy, you have lived as Jesus taught.

“If you welcome me, you welcome God. “ Jesus said, and then he broadened it out to the fact that welcoming everyone is welcoming God…. Jesus seemed to know about this Hindi Greeting, Namaste.

Conclusion

So I think we can turn the world around with simple things. Let’s start by working on hospitality.

In every opportunity try to look beyond what you see in front of you – the tired, lonely, hurting people we encounter every day are only part of the picture… the other part of them is God, it is holy, it is worth honouring… and if we can manage to connect even a little to that, we can change the world.

Pentecost A

On the Wings of a Bright White Dove

Introduction

There is an old, old story that says once upon a time your great great great great 100 times removed grandparents decided to build a tower. They kept getting it higher and higher and hoped to touch the sky…

Now the thing is, it was easy to work together because everyone was basically the same; an hey all spoke the same language.

But their pride and self-worth was a little overbearing… so God decided to make it so that everyone spoke different languages – then the work would become harder, and well, they would not be so arrogant.

It’s a story – a myth that was written to explain why we all speak different languages… but the deeper meaning, that we are arrogant and that differences make it difficult to work together… that is totally true.

Today is Pentecost and sometimes we call it the birthday of the church. The reason is that what we are celebrating is the day when we overcame our differences and decided to work together. No small task… and I am hoping to tell you some things about the Holy Spirit today that you might never have thought about.

Time with the Children – Let’s Go Fly a Kite

How many of you like to fly kites? It is great fun to watch a kite soaring high into the sky. What is it that keeps the kite up there? It is the wind, isn't it? How many of you have ever seen the wind? That was a trick question! No one has seen the wind. We can't see the wind because it is invisible. Well, if we can't see the wind, how do we know that it is there?

One way we can know the wind is there is that we can hear it. When I wake up in the morning, I sometimes turn on the TV to see what the weather is doing. There are some mornings that I don't even have to look at the TV to know that the wind is blowing because I can hear it! I can hear it whistling through the trees, down the chimney, and around the windows and doors. We can't see the wind, but we know it is there because we can hear it.

Another way we can know that the wind is there is that we can see it moving things. (Take some bits of paper in your hand and blow them into the air.) We can see it moving the leaves on the trees and blowing bits of paper around. We can't see the wind, but we know it is there because we can see what the wind is doing.

Still another way we can know that the wind is there is that we can feel it. Blow onto the back of your hand. Did you see anything? No, but you could feel something, couldn't you? We can't see the wind, but we can feel it blowing against our faces and blowing through our hair.

Today, many churches celebrate a special day called Pentecost. It was on the day of Pentecost that God sent his Holy Spirit to the church. The Bible tells us that the apostles were all gathered together when suddenly there was a sound like a mighty, rushing wind. Then, it says, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. God's Holy Spirit is like the wind, we can't see him, but we can know that he is there, just like we can know that the wind is there.

We can know that the Holy Spirit is there because we can hear him. The Bible says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock, and if any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him." (Revelation 3:20) We can't see the Holy Spirit, but we know he is there because he speaks to our hearts.

Another way we can know that the Holy Spirit is there is that we can see him moving people to do God's will. The Bible says that the Spirit of God moves his people to speak and to do things for him. (2 Peter 1:21) We can't see God, but we can see people doing things that God's Holy Spirit has moved them to do.

We can know that the Holy Spirit is there because we can feel his presence. The Bible says, "I will fear no evil for Thou art with me." (Psalm 23:4) The Bible also says that "if we love one another, God lives in us." We can't see the Holy Spirit, but we know he is there because we can feel his presence in our life.

God, thank you for sending your Holy Spirit. Even though we can't see him, we are thankful that we can hear him speak to our hearts, feel his presence in our daily lives, and see him moving us to do your will. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Hurricanes

Anyone ever been out in a hurricane? Or a violent rain storm? Mary apparently was outside on the porch during that storm the other night. She just felt like that and so stood there watching as the rain poured down.

I have been in a few real storms. They are violent; they are frightening; they are terrible.

Here is an often overlooked fact about Pentecost; in Acts 2:2 while setting the story up we read: “And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind…” Ever thought about that? God’s spirit doesn’t just bubble up in these people like a warm glow – it sweeps through their lives like a violent wind and changes everything.

But no…

I blame hymn writers in particular for distorting this message. Think about all of the hymns we sing about Pentecost or about the Holy Spirit; they all focus on one side, the gentle, loving, gracious spirit of God…

Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness…. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me…. These are lullabies… they are like rocking a newborn to sleep and feeling that gentle breath of love on our shoulder…

Which is not to say that is not part of it – but that is not the part we are talking about at Pentecost. We are not focused on God’s love and grace. We are talking about God’s power and action. That is where the church began.

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This is what Pentecost celebrates. Not a gentle breeze but a strong force that spins people around and changes everything.

Perhaps a little history… The disciples were not in Jerusalem for Pentecost, they were in Jerusalem for Shavuot – the Jewish festival commemorating both the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mt Sinai, and the first harvest of wheat from the fields. It was a pretty major festival as it marked the time when first fruits of the garden could be brought to the Temple for Sacrifice. Everyone would have been in town for the big festival, the party like atmosphere, the crowds… think Mardis Gras in New Orleans.

But then, think about this a little deeper. This is the festival where we celebrate the giving of the Ten Commandments; which was not just a list of rules; it was the backbone of a nation. On that day these wandering Aramaens became the nation of Israel…. They were given the equivalent of their declaration of Independence, or their Bill of Rights…. And they rallied around it and decided to keep up the good fight that would see this journey through and find a homeland…

Now, here are the rag tag Christians who have lost their leader hanging out at the Festival when all of a sudden… the Holy Spirit breaks violently upon them; knitting them together as one people giving them identity and purpose, empowering them to… well, I am skipping ahead.

Here is the interesting thing… the people had to embrace the power of the Holy Spirit in order to be empowered. It was only when they accepted that something powerful and active was in their midst, in their souls, that they could harness that power like a tongue of flame and preach, heal, teach, inspire…

This is not a wishy washy story…

Being the church is not a passive thing.

So here is the question: how do we, here, now, embrace the Spirit? How do we let its full power move us where it will like a rushing wind instead of only as a gentle breeze?

To Be A Kite
by Londis Carpenter

I would like to be a kite on a string
and soar up over the trees.
I would like to try to reach the sky
With butterflies and bees.
I'd love to fly past billowy clouds,
With my tail of red and white,
And climb so high the things below
would disappear from sight.
If I could fly above the clouds
would I ever, ever return?
And think, if I could fly so high,
Just how much I would learn.

We are like kites soaring in the wind but when we are afraid of the wind, we stay on the ground, inactive. There is power in God’s spirit… we just have to embrace it.

Easter 7 A

note: this sermon more than most is NOT what I preached on Sunday. I often deviate from the text, and this time I had way too many unfinished thoughts in the text - but this is where I started from and what I had in front of me

Passing the Baton

Introduction

I overuse it, I know, but it was seriously meaningful to me in the 90’s. My favourite Valedictorian Speech of all times was the song on the radio, “Sunscreen” by Baz Luhrman. In it he says:

“Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh never mind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked…

You’re not as fat as you imagine. Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you. Sing. Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss. Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.”

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Well, excellent advice… something to pass on to our graduates as they move on; and something that would be a good bit of advice for anyone as they go off to the cottage or vacation, or things wind down…

But it is not everything you need to know – because the world is bigger than we imagine; there are connections and issues and problems that go beyond our own needs. I do like the song because it reminds us that we are usually worried about the wrong things – but I also think our faith has something to say…

The Relay Race

Life is a race… it really is… but the truth is; it is a race that goes a lot faster if we understand that we are in it together:

Spoon Water Race
Two teams – everyone versus one…
How long will it take one person to fill a cup using a spoon? How about if there are ten people? A hundred?

Are we there yet?

I am sure I any of you have ever been anywhere with kids – either your own or grandkids, or even friends, you have heard the question – “Are we there yet?” In fact, you have probably heard it a million times…. I would like to suggest that we never grow out of that question, we just become more subtle…

Listen again to the disciples talking to Jesus: “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” … They have been walking around for years teaching and preaching, healing and confronting and all the time wondering if they are accomplishing anything – all the time wanting to ask, “Are we there yet?” and finally they get up the courage and ask, is it time for you to solve all our problems?

Because that is what we all want, right, the time to come when things will be better. My daughter Rachael wants to be as old as Emily so she can chew bubble gum. Emily wants to be old enough to stay up later. Kids can’t wait to be teenagers, teenagers can’t wait to be adults, adults can’t wait to finish school, workers can’t wait to retire, retirees can’t wait for the winter and their trip down south… etc… there is always something out there that is “better”

“It is not for you to know the times and periods of things, you are not gods...” says Jesus.
Then later the disciples say essentially the same thing to the people gathered: Why are you looking up into heaven? Look around… there are important things happening right here, right now…

Still later the author of 1peter says, “Cast all your anxiety on God….” And then it goes on to be sort os a spiritual warfare guide – there are always bad things happening, there are always evil situations and people seeking you out…. So what do you do?

Discipline yourself, keep alert, be humble… know that God loves you and trust that things will work out…

Those who have great wisdom know a truth we find it hard to accept – we are never going to be “there”… life is about the journey and what we do on it.

All Good Things

I mean, seriously, listen to the words of that Psalm… I will read you the concluding part as it is in the Bible …

(God is the) Father of orphans and protector of widows… God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land. O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the presence of God, the God of Sinai… again in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you restored your heritage when it languished; your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel; he gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!

Going back to my Valedictorian Speech … Here is the way Moses would have given it, or Jesus, or any of the prophets: There is evil. Believe it. Bad things happen for no reason; live through it. Know that God loves you; trust; have hope in something better… because there is something bigger than you; there is a plan and a purpose, and the universe is unfolding in a way that you cannot imagine.

One Love

So the time has come for Jesus to leave and he is going to give his last will and testament – sort of a final speech and last wish… what he ends up doing is a prayer for people:

• did work was sent to do = help people know God
• thru words and actions = people came to believe
• “I am coming to rejoin you. So now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world.
• God, protect them, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

Really this is a speech about passing the torch… he is saying that he is ok with leaving because he knows that there are people left to do work; and that they believe in the same things he does – their goal is that all may be one.

One Church

• this very prayer/scripture prompted creation of UCC
• recognized call for not just spiritual unity but physical unity too
• worldwide movement = healing divisions within Xtian church
• bringing various churches together
• June 10, 1925 = Methodist, Presby, Congregationalist & Union
• first modern union of diff denoms in world
• 85th celebration: “...a new church was born. Administratively and institutionally, it was a bit of a train wreck...organizing four such different denoms into one! But at the same time, this was a new and exciting thing. Instead of breaking up because we disagreed with one another, we were uniting. ... We were born out of a desire to follow Jesus' prayer that all of his followers in the world might be one, united in love and in purpose.”
• Happy 86th birthday, United Church of Canada!
• continue to be “uniting church” = work together with other interdenominational and interfaith to be as one…

I think in the United Church we see the path laid out before us – the way to go and be and bring about God’s kingdom.

Conclusion

So – this was a bit of my own valedictorian speech. It was a bit all over the place. It drew in too many sources…

But the things is, whether you are graduating from High School, finishing a school year, having your life change in front of your eyes, getting married divorced, retiring, or just facing a summer at the cottage… you have choices laid out ahead of you…

In the Bible God puts it this way:

“I put before you this day Life and Death, Blessing and Curse, … choose life, that you may live!”