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The Power of Touch

Rob Merola — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:00:00 GMT

The Power of Touch

Lessons Appointed for Use on Proper 8, Year B, BCP

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

(Play YouTube video of President Obama shaking hands with a crowd at a campaign rally November 3 in Manassas VA.)[1]

Scenes like this one are not unfamiliar. There are people, and some of us may be among them, who seek out the touch of those who are famous, politicians, Rock stars and even the Pope. I find it interesting to watch the very famous make public appearances. Throngs of people gather to catch a glimpse. they press in on each other, arms outstretched just to touch the one they've come to see. One of Bobby Kennedy's aids has said that after public appearances and moving through crowds shaking hands, Bobby would often have to throw away his shirt because the sleeves of the shirt were absolutely shredded and his arms bloodied by having so many people grab at him.

Personally, I can't even imagine this. But it seems that people really are looking for something - some hope, some comfort, something they don't have that they are willing to crawl over others, wait up all night, reach out and grab who they think the source of their hope is just to touch, if only for a split second. And what is gained? Some sense of hope restored or renewed? They offer support and encouragement to these persons while at the same time they are looking for some sort of personal acknowledgement, and handshake, a touch of some kind. Writing a letter or an email would never do. There is something in that power of touch.

The Scientific community has proven that touch does indeed have physical effects. Studies have shown that touch "lowers stress levels, and it can boost the immune system and halt or slow the progress of disease. Touch lowers heart rate and blood pressure. At DePauw University in Indiana, Dr Matthew Hertenstein has discovered that touch communicates emotions. When people were touched by a stranger they could not see, who had been instructed to try to communicate a particular emotion, they were able to tell the emotional state of the other person with great accuracy."[2]

The Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine says it has carried out more than 100 studies into touch and found evidence of significant effects, including faster growth in premature babies, reduced pain, decreased autoimmune disease symptoms, lowered glucose levels in children with diabetes, and improved immune systems in people with cancer.[3]

While positive touch has powerful healing effects, the opposite also seems true. Those who participated in studies and had arguments with loved ones or who were involved in stressful relationships found themselves healing from wounds 60% slower than those whose relationships were in good standing.[4]

In today's gospel lesson, we hear of a woman who has been hemorrhaging for 12 years. She too joins the throngs of people who are following Jesus around. Because of her condition, she has been ostracized from her community and not allowed to be around anyone. Her life is essentially over. So she braves the crowds and moves through them unnoticed. Then she reaches out her arm and can only grab the hem of Jesus' robe. and she's healed - completely restored! Not only does her bleeding stop, but she would be restored to her family and her community - she would once again be able to be apart of society and live!

At the same time the woman's hemorrhaging began, there was another girl born - Jairus' daughter. Jairus' daughter is very ill and he goes out of desperation to Jesus and while Jesus continues to move around, Jairus' must have been panicking over the state of his child. Jesus finally goes with Jairus after it is believed that his daughter had died. But, the fates of these two Israelite women would come together on the same day. The woman healed of her bleeding, and Jairus' daughter raised from the dead and restored to life, through the touch of Jesus on the same day.

The message today is really about the power of touch. Jesus' touch. We are all looking for something. We all need something. It is evidenced by the way so many turn out to see famous people and reach out to grab them, that we are willing to put our own need for personal space aside and out of desperation grab onto those who we think will give us hope, happiness, healing and peace. We are all looking to be touched, reassured, given hope.

The message for us is touch is powerful. And a loving touch is healing and restoring. And, since God Himself is LOVE, His touch in our lives is and always will be the most powerful, most restorative, most healing touch we could ever experience. Jairus and the woman who had been hemorrhaging both had a desperate need. They went and found Jesus in the crowds. They must have had to push through to reach him. The woman risked everything just to get near him just to touch him one time hoping and praying that she would be restored. He was her only hope. Jesus was Jairus' only hope. And when they turned to him they found healing.

We must continue to allow ourselves to be touched by God. To seek his will for our lives, to seek his loving touch, and then and only then will our lives be transformed, restored and even resurrected.

[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2z3d_0CBYg

[2]%20http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/how-the-power-of-touch-reduces-pain-and-even-fights-disease-419462.html

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

Last Updated on 6/30/2009 8:29:12 PM

Together Through Life

Rob Merola — Sun, 03 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Together Through Life

Lessons Appointed for Use on 4th Sunday of Easter, Year B, BCP

The Rev. Rob Merola

As many of you know, my younger daughter is graduating from high school this year and moving away from home. In thinking about that, I found myself thinking about the essential life lessons she'll need to know before she moves away. What are the things that, if she doesn't get them right, will make her life harder and more difficult? What are the things that, if she does get them right, will give her a greater chance at joy and happiness?

So, in the next few weeks we'll be looking at 7 fundamental life lessons in a sermon series we're calling "Stay Positive." The lessons are all pretty simple. They come right out of Scripture, and for the most part are common knowledge. But as we'll see, knowing and doing these things is very different.

Now the reason why these lessons are so important is because God designed us in such a way that we would do them. They work because these lessons reflect how God made us. When we don't do what God intended, life is harder, more difficult.

I think about a hammer, for instance. Now if I take this hammer and, being the rebellious sort who likes to do things my own way and ends up learning hard lessons as a result, decide that I don't want to use this side of the hammer, what would happen?

A hammer is clearly designed to be used in a certain way. If I say I don't want to use it that way, but this way, somehow it just doesn't work the same, does it? If I stick at it long enough, I might be able to get it to work, but it will take longer, be very frustrating, and I'm most likely going to hurt myself in the process.

But if I just use the hammer the way it was meant to be used, it's amazing how much better it works, and how much simpler that task at hand is.

That's how it is in life. We were designed a certain way. When we do life the way it was intended to be done, somehow it just works better. And so both for my own daughter and for all of us, we're going to look at these seven key lessons for life so that we can indeed stay positive in a negative world.

And so the point of our sermon this morning is very simple. Life is a series of choices. The quality of those choices will determine the quality of our lives. The way we spend every minute, every hour, every day is, of course, how we will end up spending our lives. Accordingly life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand little choices we about what is and is not important.

And the most important choice of all is our choice about God. Do we believe in Him? If you're not sure, we're glad you are here. I can't think of a better place to work out what you believe about God.

Even if we do believe in Him, do we believe God is good? Do we trust Him enough to follow where He leads? The decisions we make in answer to these questions will shape our lives more than any other decisions we might make.

Today is called "Good Shepherd" Sunday because our readings depict Jesus as the Good Shepherd. And if we decide that yes, the Lord will be our Shepherd, then these readings promise that our life will just work better. We'll be far more likely to find joy and happiness.

Those who take the Lord as their Shepherd will be so deeply satisfied that "they will not want." Now clearly this means that our wants will be so changed that our greatest desire is to do God's will. I'm not saying that Christianity is a sure ticket to good looks, good health, and material prosperity. But I am saying that as we trust ourselves to the Good Shepherd's care and leading, He is not stingy or miserly in pouring out His goodness upon us.

Look more closely at Psalm 23. The Good Shepherd doesn't just lead His sheep to any old water but to still water. Moving water is dangerous to sheep; if they get caught in the current, their wool will become waterlogged and they'll drown. He leads them to the best water possible.

He doesn't just lead them to pasture, but to lush green pasture. He doesn't just give a crust of old bread to eat, but He prepares a banquet table. He doesn't just give a sip of water to drink, but drink is provided in such abundance it overflows.

That is the true spirit of Christianity. It not meant to hold us back or drag us down or oppress us, but to help us see and celebrate the goodness of life. And it is not meant to be a negative influence, focused on what is wrong with the world or what we cannot do, but to bring us joy to the full. Joy in the Bible is simply the choice to be positive, no matter what our circumstances are, because we believe God is still at work, and with God anything is possible.

Yes, we sometimes must deny ourselves. But what we are really denying is a false self that has been misshaped and deformed by the corruptions and shortcomings of the world around us. We deny this false self so that our best and truest self might shine forth.

Yes, there are things to which we say no, but that is to draw the kind of boundaries that psychologists recognize today as the very foundation of mental health.

And yes, in this world where greed and selfishness have created haves and have-nots, we are often called to make significant and sometimes painful sacrifices for the sake of others. But what we gain in terms of heart and soul in doing so is worth so much more than anything we lose.

I have certainly found that when I have made Jesus my Shepherd-trusted in His goodness deeply enough to listen to His voice and follow His guidance, my life has been all the better for it. Not easier, necessarily, but better.

That's true of my marriage. Frankly, I don't think Linda and I would be married now if it weren't for Jesus. We came to that point at our marriage that so many of you have come to. It's a very predictable stage in a marriage, that most couples experience somewhere around 7 to 10 years of married life. We started to ask questions like, "Are we really in love? Did I make a mistake in marrying this person? Is this person holding me back or dragging me down?" And there was the very real possibility that we might choose to do something different.

But even when we weren't sure of our love for each other, we continued to trust in God's love for us and His goodness us. We knew His design and intention for us, like the design of a hammer, was for us to stay married and committed to each other. So we did.

And now, some 15 years later, am I ever glad we did. Working through the issues before us only made us stronger, and only served to draw us even closer to each other. Now I cannot imagine life without my wife, and frankly would not want to. I am so glad we chose to trust the Lord as our Shepherd and stay married. Though it wasn't easy, our life is so much better for it.

Or take my vocation. I'm a priest because this is where Jesus has led me as my Shepherd. I love what I do. Oh, I have bad days and dry seasons like everyone else. But for the most part, I consider it a great privilege to do what I do and can hardly even believe I get paid for it!

Contrast that with people who work only to make money or to buy things or who choose a job only to impress somebody else or make someone else happy. Their works tends to be a source of untold sorrow and misery. Each day is a struggle, endured only to get to the evening. Each week is a battle, endured only to get the weekend. People feel like what they do doesn't matter, and that they are therefore insignificant and unnecessary.

My life is so much better because I've followed Jesus as my Shepherd in choosing my vocation. And that can be just as true of you whether you are an engineer, an artist, a scientist, or working in high technology.

Or finally, in trusting Jesus as my Shepherd and following Him, I am being delivered from my own selfishness. Though I am selfish more often than I care to admit, I hate my selfishness. It is the single thing I like least about me, that I most wish to be free of.

And in following Jesus, I am! From Him I learn how to lay down my life for the sake of others, and there is so much joy and satisfaction in this. It's the exact opposite feeling from when I choose to be selfish.

Take going on a mission trip. On my own, I'd never do that. I'd never take the time, make the sacrifice, invest myself in people I don't know and don't care about. But in following Jesus, I know this is precisely what He calls me to do. And the times I have listened have been some of the very best times of my life, the times I've known I was doing exactly what I was created to do. The trips have not always been easy. They've often taken me way out of my comfort zone. But oh, have they been good!

So yes, our lives are determined by the quality of our decisions. How we choose to spend our moments is how we choose to spend our lives. We lose our life not in dying, but in the decisions we make in the minutes of our lives, decisions about what is or isn't important-decisions about whether or not the Lord will be our Shepherd.

Amen.

Last Updated on 5/5/2009 2:23:17 PM

30 Hour Famine

Rob Merola — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

30 Hour Famine

Lessons Appointed for Use on 3rd Sunday of Easter, Year B, BCP

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

"Have you noticed that many of the post-Easter stories about the resurrected Jesus are centered on meals? The disciples knew the Lord in the breaking of the bread at Emmaus, as we recall in today's collect; and Jesus comes among the disciples and shows his risen humanity by eating a piece of broiled fish in the gospel reading today.

Meals are a very central part of the ministry of Jesus. Some meals get him into trouble, as when he chooses to eat with "sinners" and those outside the faith. Other meals are acts of abundance, as when Jesus feeds the five thousand by taking what is available and blesses, breaks, and distributes it until and all are fed. His last evening of fellowship with his disciples is focused on a meal, during which he institutes the Lord's Supper.

Eating together is a sign of celebration of relationships being lived out. Most congregations like having meals together because they like being with each other, eating good food. So do families.

There are sacred and holy things that underlie the common meal. We know they are signs of Christ's risen presence among us. Jesus' use of the Passover meal to institute the Lord's Supper ties the ritual meal, a meal recalling God's deliverance, with a new relationship with Christ and one another. It becomes the spiritual meal that brings us all to a common table, in right relationship with God and each other. That is why it has become central to our common life as Christians."[i]

Meals are also a sign of Hospitality. When we welcome people into our homes, we always offer them something to drink and something to eat, a slice of cake, some fruit or maybe some cheese and crackers. Offering food and drink are a sign of caring and welcome and showing that we value another person.

Jesus not only did a lot of his ministry in the context of having meals, he also talked about those who didn't have meals to eat - he charged all of his followers to feed those who didn't have food.

" ³¹"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, ..{He} will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

We are called to feed the hungry. Our community here at St. Matthews really understands this passage - we understand that we are called to give and give we do. Just this Easter we collected and gave over 70 "Easter laundry baskets" full of food that we distributed local people who are in need. We fed people at Thanksgiving, dinner they otherwise wouldn't have had, we collect and give to link - that is what this collection is in front of the altar. We understand that hunger is an issue not only in the world, but right here in our local community. But my guess is, there are some among us who have been hesitant to participate. We know that others will take care of it, will one more contribution really make a difference? Does it really require everyone?

The other thing we need to think about is what and how we teach our children about giving to others - about feeding the hungry. We all want our children to grow up to be productive members of society. We want them to get a great education, we want them to be successful in their careers, to find the right mate, to be happy. We focus a lot in the younger years on education - on which schools they go to, which teachers they get, we help with homework. But what about their spiritual formation? What about their education in the church? How much do we want our children to be people of faith? If we want that for our kids, what do we teach them? Do we put them in Sunday school? Do we include them in youth group? What do we teach them about ethics and morality and God at home? Do we teach them anything or do we think that we don't really know enough so other than maybe a prayer over the food at the dinner table, God really isn't a topic of conversation. Do we take them with us when we are buying food to give to Link and explain to them why we are buying it and for whom? Or do we just pick up an extra bag of rice and call the job done?

This weekend, 12 of our teenagers participated in the 30 hour famine. It is a program by World Vision to not only teach our young people about hunger in the world, but also to raise money to feed the hungry. This weekend our teenagers fasted for 30 hours to learn about hunger. Real hunger. They stopped eating after lunch on Friday and broke their fast at the 5pm service with Holy Communion on Saturday and then really had breakfast together following the service. They learned what real hunger feels like. Even though we've all felt hunger pangs if we are late eating a meal, you body doesn't really go into starvation mode until its been without food for 24 hours. So they had about 6 hours of real hunger. They experienced the fatigue of the lack of calories, feeling cold and not really being able to get warm. Throughout all of this they talked about hunger - about how about 1200 children die every hour from hunger - in the time we have our church service this morning. Americans make up 6% of the World's population but 40% of the World's consumption. [ii]They made sandwiches for Martha's table and took them down and learned about that ministry. They went shopping at a Thrift store for interview clothes to see how much money they would need in order to have the right clothing to get a job and then to figure out how they could afford that and skip a meal or two in order to do so. They learned about being poor. This is a powerful weekend our young people just had and I'm so proud of each one of them for participating.

If we want our kids to grow up to be people of strong faith, if we want them to grow up to be people that give to others, we need to teach them how to do so - and we at St. Matthews want to be a resource for you in doing so. We want to give you all that you need to raise your children to be strong Christian people. And, I really believe that they want this too. When I first graduated from Seminary, I had a youth minister position in a church and my first assignment was to go on a mission trip with the youth. Over dinner one night, I got cornered by a couple of the teenagers. They wanted to know if I was "going to teach them anything." They were really frustrated because they had friends who were Christians at school who were able to talk about God, what they believed and why. They felt like they couldn't participate in conversations because they didn't know as much as their friends. We are committed to making sure that if our kids participate in our programs, they will be able to articulate their faith and not feel inferior to other Christians.

The World is hungry. So many are physically hungry for food, but I believe that the reason Jesus centered so much of his ministry around meals is that we are all hungry for the word of God. We are very good here about responding to needs, we ask for food for the hungry, we get it. Kenny needs people to help at Link, folks sign up. What we need to improve is how we teach our kids about this. We have fabulous programs - a great Sunday School for our kids, and a great youth group that not only has tons of fun together, but also learns about God and serves together in events like the 30 hour famine. If we want our kids to grow to be people who give of themselves and love and serve God, teaching them that has to be a top priority - and we at St. Matthews want to help.

[i] Taken from http://www.episcopalchurch.org/sermons_that_work_106862_ENG_HTM.htm a sermon by The Rev. Ben Helmer.

[ii] Rob Bell's Nooma number 13, Rich.

Last Updated on 4/26/2009 8:13:44 PM

Doubt

Rob Merola — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Doubt

The Rev. Rob Merola

We're going to begin this morning by simply doing a little survey. How many of you have ever had doubts about God--whether or not He exists, whether He really cares about us, whether Jesus is really His son? If you've ever had doubts like that, please raise your hands.

Thank you. Now please keep them up a moment longer and just look around the room. Pretty much everyone has their hands up, don't they? That's because to be fallen human beings living in an uncertain world is to have doubts. It is pretty much the nature of the game, friends.

And it's not just doubts about God or our faith. If we are honest, we probably at some level, somewhere along the line, have doubts about a whole lot of things. Many people, for instance, have doubts in the course of their marriage. They wonder whether or not they are really in love, and whether or not they should get married. When they do get married, the wonder whether or not they made a mistake, and then whether or not they should stay married.

When it comes to having kids, most everybody has doubts about whether or not they are ready to be parents. And then we have kids and for once all our doubts are answered--we weren't ready! Seriously, when we do have kids the doubts get even worse. We wonder whether or not we are very good parents, and fear that in some way we are short changing our kids and perhaps even fear that we are doing some developmental damage that will require years of expensive therapy to undo.

Then there is our career. Somewhere along the line most people have doubts about their jobs. Am I doing something that really makes a difference, or am I just an insignificant cog in a machine? Does this job really fit my gifts, talents, and abilities? Should I be doing something else?

Clearly, life as fallen human beings living in an unsure world is marked pretty much through and through by doubts. So when we have doubts about God, that shouldn't surprise us. It's really no different than other areas of our life. There is very little that we know with absolute certainty.

On a scale of zero to one hundred, with zero being no belief at all and one hundred being absolutely positive about something, we may only get to 80 or 90 percent certainty. But that is generally reason enough to step out and take action, because faith makes up that final 5, 10, 20, or whatever percent it may be. It is not a blind leap in the dark, but it is the most reasonable decision and course of action given the evidence at hand.

Now because faith and doubt go hand in hand-if we don't have doubt, we have complete certainty, and we don't need faith-doubt isn't something we need to be ashamed of. The problem is, most folk feel like they are doing something wrong when they doubt. And so we tend to hide our doubts from others.

That's too bad. Generally, in other areas of our life, we can talk about or doubts. In high school, for instance, students often have doubts about their teachers, or if they are learning anything worthwhile. But they can talk about these doubts, and it forms a sort of camaraderie among them.

Or take politics. Often people of one political part have doubts about the leaders and policies of another political party. But they can talk to one another about these doubts, and in this they will form a bond.

Or take the economy, which is hopefully starting to stabilize and move towards a recovery. In the past several months, we've all had doubts about our financial institutions, about our own future, and about the state of our personal wealth. It's caused us a lot of suffering and anxiety. But we've been able to talk about that together, and in many ways this has been a period in our history that has drawn us closer together.

Unfortunately, when we have doubts in our faith, that isn't often the case. One of the most common times that people doubt is in the midst of crisis. It's when someone dies, there is a tragedy, or we get bad news. But because we feel like doubting is a bad thing, we don't feel like we can talk about it.

I want to suggest this morning that this is precisely when we do need to talk to others. As we've said, doubting is not necessarily a bad thing. Notice that when Thomas presents his doubts to Jesus, Jesus doesn't agree or upset. He simply helps Thomas deal with them.

As we've already said, faith and doubt go hand in hand. It's a bond we all share. We need not be ashamed of that. And when we do share our doubts about God, then others can help us through them. When we struggle with or lose our faith, we can stand on the faith of our community. We can let the faith of our brothers and sisters in Christ carry us through.

The second thing I want to say about faith and doubt going hand in hand is that we'll have decide which of the two we are going to concentrate on. Will we act on what we know or let what we don't know hold us back and keep us fearful?

I think this is what Jesus is getting at when he says to Thomas, "Stop doubting and believe." He's telling Thomas to act on what he knows, to go forth and help spread the Gospel. And Thomas does, going to India to preach the Gospel and care for the poor.

We too need to make the decision to act on what we do know rather than letting our doubts hold us back. This may be the day, for instance, where you commit yourself to following Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It's not that you don't have doubts, or that all your questions are answered, but that you choose to believe on the possibility that it is true. And in making that choice, you are opening yourself to the possibility of more fully discovering the truth of who Jesus is and what it means to have a relationship with him.

Or maybe it's giving. Maybe you feel God calling you to be more generous than you are, but you doubt you can really afford it. Maybe today is the day you choose to act on what you do know of God rather than what you don't know. Maybe today is the day you trust God to provide.

Or maybe it is a ministry, or going on a mission trip, or volunteering in some act of service. You have doubts if you have time, if it's really right for you, if you can do it. Maybe today is the day you step out and act on what you do know rather than letting your doubts keep you from acting.

If it's not right, you'll find that out and learn more about who you are and how God has made you. But if it is right, think of the joy you discover! If you don't do this, you'll miss the opportunity. You'll never know what might have been.

What we've seen this morning, then, is that doubt doesn't mean your faith is defective or that you are spiritually unhealthy or that God doesn't love you or that you are a bad person. It is just a normal part of living in an unsure and uncertain world.

Second, doubt isn't the opposite of faith. Faith and doubt go hand in hand. The opposite and great enemy of faith is not doubt, but apathy. Questions are not out of line or inappropriate. Jesus does not condemn Thomas for his doubts, but uses them as an opportunity to build his faith. If you have questions, no matter what your age, don't be afraid to ask them. And parents, when your kids ask questions, don't make them feel bad for asking them.

And finally, doubt doesn't need to keep us from acting. We can choose to act on the little bit we do know rather than letting our fears or uncertainties hold us back.

In the Episcopal Church, we believe Jesus died to take away our sins, and not our minds. We do not turn a blind eye to our doubts, and we honor the right to ask questions. In so doing, I believe we bear eloquent witness to both the richness and reality of faith. Amen.

Last Updated on 4/21/2009 9:34:26 PM

Easter

Rob Merola — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Easter

Lessons Appointed for Use on Easter Sunday, Year B, BCP

Psalm 118:1-2,14-24

Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 25:6-9

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 or Acts 10:34-43

John 20:1-18

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

"Woman why are you weeping?" Mary was outside the tomb of Jesus, believing that Jesus' body had been stolen, and this stranger comes up to her and says, why are you weeping? Mary handles this bold question seemingly asked by someone who has no idea what has just happened - where has he been? The whole world is in Jerusalem for the Passover and Jesus, her friend whom she loved had been crucified. Everything was all wrong. None of this was supposed to happen.

Jesus was a great teacher, healer and a prophet from God. Jesus had forgiven her sins and restored her to a society from which she otherwise would have been ostracized. If Jesus had the power to heal, the power to stand up to the religious leaders and most of all the power to raise the dead - why was he dead? How could they have killed him? How did he allow it? This wasn't supposed to happen.

And now, as if having Jesus killed wasn't enough, they've stolen his body. She won't even be allowed to give him a proper burial, his body anointed with spices. Who knows what they've done with him or why. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Mary's feelings must have been utter sadness and confusion. For all she witnessed having followed him for so long, for having so much faith in him. She couldn't possibly have felt anything other than utter sadness and confusion. She must have been overwhelmed. What else could possibly happen?

Then comes the question - woman why are you weeping? I'm surprised she didn't look at this man in utter disbelief and scream - what do you mean? Why are you NOT weeping? Don't you know what's happened? Where have you been? Don't you know that none of this was supposed to happen? He wasn't supposed to die, he was supposed to save all of us from this oppression we've been under. He was to save us, not to leave us!

Haven't we all been there? What else could happen? We almost don't even want to ask the question for fear of the answer. We all experience at some point overwhelming despair. Someone we love is sick. There is a domino effect of bad news that happens and we just can't take one more thing. So many have lost jobs, lost homes, the state of the economy has affected us all. How much can we take? How could we not be overwhelmed by it all? This feeling isn't all the time but just on occasion we could let all the sadness and bad news get to us. And it is perfectly natural to feel the loss and sadness that happens when we or those around us are affected by tragedy. We don't always get the happy ending we're hoping for, that sometimes we are completely devastated and people around us don't really understand.. And they ask. Woman, why are you weeping? It's all we can do from screaming at them and saying - what do you mean? Why are you NOT weeping???

And then it comes. He calls her by name. Mary. And she recognizes him. She once again must have been overwhelmed and confused. Confused by how this could be, but at the same time, her complete despair changed instantly to unspeakable joy. Her instinct was to grab him and hold on to him, but she is stopped short. Then, Mary is made the first missionary by going to tell the disciples that she has seen the Lord.

How overwhelmed she must be He's Alive! All the miracles, all the healings. they all meant something after all! All is not lost! Jesus was not just another prophet who was killed for his message; He is the Son of God! He is Alive! There no longer is any need for sadness! Death no longer had its sting. There was no more loss, no more tears! All the bad news, all the sickness all the hurt in the world is healed. There is now hope where once there was no hope.

We now can have hope that God is God and cannot be killed or silenced. God always has the last word because He is GOD. All the things that happen in this world that cause us to be overwhelmed, can and will be made right in God - one way or another. It may not be in our time, but it will be . because that is the promise of God made in the Resurrection of Christ. We have no need to be overwhelmed because He is alive. Our sadness, our remorse for our sins, and our need for consolation is no more .because he is alive.

He said her name "Mary" and all was made right with the world. She saw him and experienced a joy like she had never before known. When realize the resurrected Christ in our lives and we hear him call us by name - Mary, Jeff, Richard. we too will experience a joy that we have never experienced. We, like Mary will become missionaries to all who have not heard the good news of Jesus Christ and we will not be able to keep the joy contained and we will have to tell all those we meet.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

People: The Lord is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

Last Updated on 4/16/2009 9:44:02 PM

Good Friday

Rob Merola — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Good Friday

Lessons Appointed for Use on Good Friday, Year B, BCP

Psalm 22

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16,5:7-9

John 18:1-19:1-42

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

I recently read about a priest, in his early 50s who was taking care of his dying mother. He and his siblings were taking turns throughout the month staying with their mom and caring for her every need so she could be at home and the most comfortable during her last time on earth. He told the story of how strange it felt to be staying in the same room that he lived in growing up. All the memories of his life in that home came flooding back - he remembered making chocolate chip cookies after school with his mom, playing in the back yard, his mom reading him bedtime stories. One night as his mother called to him in the middle of the night for him to come and help her, He was in that parental sleep with one ear always open and he immediately heard her cry and went to her bedside to comfort her. As he did this, he suddenly realized that 50 years ago, the relationship must have been reversed - him calling from this same room he was now in and his mom getting up to go and hold and comfort her son. In the midst of this he felt God's presence. He felt touched, loved and comforted by God.

I wonder if Mary and Jesus had a similar experience at the cross? I wonder if Mary was remembering Jesus as a boy and all she had done to bring him into the world. It is evident that Jesus was certainly remembering Mary - after all, his last act was to make sure she was cared for. He wouldn't be there at her death the way we all expect to be for our parents - his death was imminent. I wonder if Mary had the comfort and love of God in those moments? My hope is that she was able to tune out the crowds shouting and jeering and just focus on her dying boy, and at the same time realize that he was not dying in vain, but bringing eternal life to the whole world.

If any of us have been present at the bedside of someone who was dying, we know that it is a very holy moment. A time when the presence of God is so real, it is literally felt. The celtic tradition calls these types of moments "thin" moments - moments when the spiritual and natural world intersect - a place where it is possible to touch and be touched by God. During these times we experience a deep sense of God's presence in the world.

There are other thin moments in our lives - times when we feel the presence of God. Times when we realize God's presence and we give thanks - thanks for our lives, our family, friends and all those close to us. For each of us they may be different times - maybe at the birth of a child, when we notice spring coming and flowers blooming, when we stand at the seashore and are in awe of God and how tiny we are on this earth, in our prayer times and yes, even at the passing of a loved one.

It must have been that way at the foot of the cross. It must have been the holiest of moments being present when Jesus died - after all God was present, literally. The world must have become still for a moment and God's presence must have been palpable. This thin moment may have been what inspired the centurion at the cross to recognize Jesus as the Son of God.

And yet, for the disciples who ran away and couldn't feel the presence of God it would seem that nothing would ever be the same. The hope and healing that Jesus brought seemed to be over - it seemed to die with him. How would Mary, or the disciples, or anyone who had faith in him go on? What would tomorrow bring? Would there even be a tomorrow?

As we all know when a loved one dies, anything reminding us of ordinary life after that death seems like an insult. This is the end. It is impossible that the sun will rise again. For those who had lived with him, who had heard his words, who had seen his signs, this was the end.

For those of us who know the continuation of the story, the words have a different meaning. Tomorrow light will break forth once again. Yes, but for this hour, we honor the darkness we stand together in this thin moment and we are still in the presence of God at the death of Jesus.

Last Updated on 4/16/2009 9:59:23 PM

Palm Crosses and Palm Pilots

Rob Merola — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Palm Crosses and Palm Pilots

Lessons Appointed for Use on Palm Sunday, Year B, BCP

Psalm 31:9-16

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Philippians 2:5-11

Mark 14:1-15:47 or Mark 15:1-39,(40-47)

The Rev. Rob Merola

This being Palm Sunday, I thought we'd start by making Palm Crosses. Here's how:

Begin with a palm frond about 1 inch wide and 13 inches long to make an average size cross
Hold the frond horizontally
Bend the right end straight up from the center to form a right angle
Fold this same top strip, from the center, back and down, up and over again, to form a square at the back. It will still be a right angle at this point.
Bring the left strip forward and fold over the center towards the right. Fold away from you and pull through the square at back all the way.
Bend the top strip forward and put the end through the center square to make beam of desired length
Fold left hand strip backwards and put through the back square. This makes the left crossbar, and should be in proportion to the upright beam.
Fold the right strip back, put through the back square and fasten

In following this pattern, hopefully you've come up with a palm cross that looks something like the one pictured.

The real trick is to allow the cross not only to become a pattern for a palm frond, but also for our lives.

The first step to doing that is to begin to realize the patterns that govern our lives already. All of us have underlying patterns that repeat endlessly in our lives-though few people recognize them.

Michael Ray, a professor emeritus at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, writes that after having taught thousands of people over the decades, he has found five major life challenges:

finding prosperity
dealing with time demands and stress
developing deeply satisfying, healthy relationships
achieving balance
bringing your creativity into the world

In thinking of the five categories above, can you see at least one that causes issues to recur over and over again? For instance, does there never seem to be enough time to do all that needs to be done so that you are always running here and there, never have enough time to give anything your best, always feel like something or someone isn't getting the attention it deserves, and that stress is therefore constantly being generated-in spades?

That's a pattern.

Or, do you struggle knowing what your own unique offering is, the exclusive and inimitable reason for which you were brought into the world? Do you find yourself feeling frustrated or lacking or not as useful as you'd like to be?

That's a pattern

Or, do you find yourself angry or experiencing conflict in several areas of your life? At home, at work, with friends, at church-if in several areas of your life you find yourself experiencing at least some level of relational difficulty or dissatisfaction.

That's a pattern

Friends, if we took the time to seriously reflect on our lives and recognize the persistently repeating issues that are driving us, we would be far, far ahead of the game. But the next step takes us further still.

The next step is to place our pattern for prosperity, an ideal day, healthy relationships, a well balanced life, or our unique contribution, against God's pattern for these things.

So, for instance, here again is the pattern of the cross. If I hold a dollar bill, a symbol of success and prosperity, up against it, it doesn't match, does it? One stands for living to get, the other stands for living to give. We have to decide which we'll allow to shape our lives. Which one will set the pattern for creating success and prosperity in our lives?

Or take time. I have here a palm pilot as a symbol for modern time management. It's a symbol of our busy lives. But if I hold it up against the cross, it doesn't match does it? Jesus never called people to busy. He called people to do what is right. And doing what is right often involves slowing down enough to hear God's voice and care for the people around us. We'll have to decide whether busy-ness or faithfulness will set the pattern for what we do with our time.

Or take relationships. I have here a bottle of wine. It's a symbol of addiction, and it is shaped very differently than the cross. When people are addicted to something, that thing shapes their life. It sets the pattern for what the will and will not do. The cross, however, tell us that relationships are meant to be with God and people. Love is meant to shape our lives. And we'll have to decide which it will be.

So.to form our life in the pattern of the cross is to follow Jesus in the way of the cross. It's to live a life of service, sacrifice, and love.

It really is that simple.

We do this not because we secretly hate ourselves and think we deserve heartache and suffering, or because we are masochists who secretly love misery. We do it because ultimately, we believe the way of the cross is the way of life. We die to what is worst in us so that the best may live.

Amen.

Last Updated on 4/8/2009 7:13:50 PM

Money, Monkeys, and Me

Rob Merola — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Money, Monkeys, and Me

The Rev. Rob Merola

It's been a while since we've done something out of the ordinary, so let's try something a little different this morning and see what happens. We're going to start our sermon this week by auctioning off a $20 bill.

The rules are simple. While the winner of the auction gets the bill-of course!-the runner up also has to pay his bid even though she receives nothing in return.

And second, bids can only be increased in increments of $1. Sound interesting? Let's see what happens.

This little experiment has actually been conducted over and over again by a Harvard Business school professor named Max Bazerman. In the course of over 200 auctions over the past ten years he has never lost a penny with bids going all the way up to $204 (meaning he collected a total of $407 between the top two bids)! Overall, he has earned more than $17,000 (he gives all his proceeds to charity).

Now that doesn't make sense, does it? Why would someone take an overall loss for a momentary gain? Why would someone refuse to let something go even if they know it is going to cost them dearly in the end?

In fact, those are the kind of questions Jesus raises in today's Gospel, aren't they? Why would someone hold on to something so tightly even when he knows it will only hurt him in the end? Why would someone be willing to lose eternal life for a momentary gain in this life? It doesn't make sense, does it?

The reasons, I think, are basically twofold. First, we tend to get set in our usual way of doing things so that it is hard for us to "change course." We're committed to a certain way of life, a certain standard of life, a certain style of life-and frankly, it's hard for us to imagine living any other way.

And second, the prospect of a sure loss is never pleasant to us. We've been taught from the very beginning of our lives that the only people who lose are. losers. And nobody wants to be loser, right?

It's at this point the analogy of a seed that Jesus uses is instructive. If a seed is committed to go on being a seed, it will never be any more. If a seed isn't willing to stop being a seed, it will be forever stuck as a hard and tiny thing.

But if a seed is willing to "die," to stop being a seed, to lose its "seedness," then it is reborn to so much more. It erupts from the ground in resplendent growth. It metabolizes sunlight and water and turns them into lush leaves, beautiful flowers, and delicious fruit. Insects will feed on its pollen and nectar; birds will nest in its branches; people will eat its offerings, and in the process it will reproduce itself hundreds of times over as an incredibly rich source of life. In this spring time when I start to think of gardening once again, I am reminded of what a glorious thing a plant is!

In the same, we must be willing to stop doing things our way, the way we have always done them, to do things God's way. There will be things we thought we really needed that we'll have to let go.

There's a story told on the motivational speaking circuit that talks about this. It is a story about how you catch a monkey. The idea is that you get a monkey jar.

A monkey jar has a narrow opening at the top. You attach a rope to it and put a banana or nuts inside. Then the monkey will come along and grab what is inside, but because he makes a fist now, he can't get his fist out of the jar. And the monkey will be trapped.just stuck there, standing there, hour after hour.

You would think the monkey would realize that the banana is doing him no good. It isn't even making him happy. He can't benefit from it at all. If he keeps clutching it, it means nothing but slavery.capture, the cage, death. If he lets it go, then.freedom, joy, life, hanging around with other monkeys.

But the monkey can't let it go.

Now.that's the story. But, like so many clever stories, it turns out not to be true. In real life, no monkey has ever actually been caught this way. Monkeys aren't that stupid. Monkeys aren't that greedy. But one other species is. Just take a drive around here. There are a lot of monkey jars around here, aren't there?

To take our hand out of the monkey jar, to let go of the $20 bill, is to exchange life on our terms, life as we are used to living it, for doing life God's way. The life God calls us to is very often different from the life our culture leads us to be committed to. To receive the one we may quite literally have to let go of the other. Jesus makes it clear these are hard choices, painful choices, choices that feel like death. If we are not making choices that feel like that, we probably aren't taking Jesus very seriously. We've probably still have our hand in the monkey jar. We're probably still bidding on the $20 bill.

So what does the life God calls us to look like? It's the kind of things we've been talking about over the past several weeks.

Maybe it's giving up our Saturday morning routine-sleeping in, housework or lawn work, sports or recreation--to serve others. Next Saturday, for instance, is a work day at church. We clean up the building and grounds in preparation to receive our visitors on Palm Sunday and Easter.

Or maybe it's giving up our Saturday morning to go the volunteer farm on May 30. If you are a teenager, maybe it's giving up your normal Saturday routine to fight hunger and be a part of the 30 Hour Famine on April 25. These are exactly the kind of things Jesus is talking about when He talks about being willing to lose our lives in order to follow Him.

So will you do that? Will you let go of whatever your plans are for that Saturday morning to be faithful to Jesus Christ and give your life in the service of others? Jesus tells us that is what being a Christian is really all about.

Or how about Constance George? I talked about her a few weeks ago, living alone, wanting a ride to church. Nobody volunteered. Maybe you are used to going to church with just your family, and that's trouble enough just getting yourselves here. Believe me, I understand that. But maybe what Jesus is calling you to do is to forsake your usual routine and pick up an 84-year-old woman from Liberia.

How about taking communion to the assisted living facilities in the area? We talked about that too. Only one person volunteered. We need several more.

When we shop, we are used to shopping for ourselves, for our own families. Maybe Jesus is calling us to shop for other families as well. The demand on Links services more than doubled from February 08 to February 09. We talked about buying extra food and bringing it to the altar as an act of worship, and we've made a good start. But I have to believe a congregation of over 700 people can do more; that we can fill this altar area.

Or maybe it's giving up anger or resentment or gossip or being judgmental. Maybe it's being willing to let go of that glass of wine or bottle of beer in the evening when one thing leads to another and everything goes downhill from there.

You get the picture. There are an awful lot of monkey jars around here. An awful lot of people who won't let go of that $20 bill. God call us to do life differently.

Will we listen?

Amen.

Last Updated on 4/7/2009 10:09:34 PM

Money, Cocaine, and Me

Rob Merola — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Money, Cocaine, and Me

Lessons Appointed for Use on 3rd Sunday in Lent, Year B, BCP

Psalm 19

Exodus 20:1-17

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

John 2:13-22

The Rev. Rob Merola

We're going to start this morning with a simple game of charades. What am I doing?

That's right-I'm feeding a baby. How did you know? The way I was opening my mouth gave it away, didn't it?

Whenever I watch somebody feed a baby, it takes me back to the days when I sat in front of the high chair with a jar of baby food and fed Christine and Mary. It's like I am right there all over again. Perhaps you felt that way just watching this little charade-perhaps it took you back to your own baby feeding days.

That's because when we watch somebody engage in an action like feeding a baby, it activates something called "mirror neurons" in our brains. These neurons mirror the behavior a person is seeing in such a way that our brains make us feel like we are literally doing the action ourselves.

"Mirror neurons" act like neural WiFi. They help us tune into the person we are with by creating in our brain a replica of the other's emotions, actions and intentions-tuning us to their wavelength.[i] We literally feel what they are feeling.

That's why we don't like to watch violence-at least until we are desensitized to it. When we see someone get hurt, our own pain areas are activated. That's why when we see a big hairy spider crawl up someone's leg, we also feel a distressing sensation that creeps us right out! You know how I feel because you literally feel what I am feeling.

It is these feelings which help us empathize with one another. They lead us to care and engage in acts of love and compassion. The problem is that in today's Gospel the Temple authorities were operating out of another part of their brains They acted out of a part of the brain that allows people to take advantage of others rather than responding compassionately toward them.

As you may know, the Temple only accepted the coins of Judea-the small geographic area where the temple was situated-since those coins did not bear Caesar's image. In the weeks before Passover, huge scores of pilgrims came from all across the Roman Empire. They were obliged to exchange their pagan currency-which did bear Caesar's image-to avoid breaking the second commandment forbidding idolatry. And, of course, the money changers tacked on a huge surcharge for performing this service.

You probably also know that people were required to offer sacrifices as part of their Temple visit as well. These sacrifices often required animals that were "Temple- certified" as free from blemish. But because being "Temple-certified" meant they had a monopoly on the animals offered, they could charge whatever they wanted for them. What began as a service turned into an abusive practice. It particularly hurt those who were least able to afford it, such as lepers, the poor, and women who, because of their monthly cycles, needed to be "purified."

The Temple priests, then, were blatantly serving "mammon" for enormous profit. When the Temple was overthrown in 54 AD, Crassus, the Roman statesman and military leader, raided the Temple treasury for some 4.5 million dollars without coming near to exhausting the balance. And that is not even adjusting the figure to its equivalent today.

Now when the Temple priests decided to take pursue material gain rather than care for the people they were called to serve, they acted out of the same part of the brain that drives addiction. Let's think about that for a moment.

One of the hallmarks of addiction is that it escalates. A person starts off with one glass of wine on Friday night to relax after a hard week. Then it's two. Then it's wine not just on the weekend, but after a hard day of work. Then it's becomes a glass of wine every night to unwind, and then two and pretty soon empty bottles of wine are going into the recycling bin every few days. That's addiction.

Addiction also causes people to engage in destructive behavior to keep itself going. It requires people to lie, for instance. It often causes people to become very critical of others as a way of deflecting attention from their own problems.

And, of course, addiction is marked by denial. "I don't have a problem," people say, and then they proceed to rationalize their behavior accordingly.

The simplest test to tell whether or not you are addicted to something is to simply quit doing it. If you're not addicted, it won't be any problem. But if something pushes back and for some reason you won't quit or don't quit or after "quitting" you keep coming back to the same behavior. guess what? You're addicted.

The same thing happens when we fall in love with money and the rewards it brings. I am not saying money itself is bad, of course. I'm not saying the things it buys or the experience it provides are bad. But I am talking about what happens when money gets hold of our heart like it got hold of the hearts of the Temple authorities.

Like all addictions, we need more and more money to satisfy us or to sustain our lifestyle.

Like all addictions, this pursuit of more money causes us to alter our focus, values, and conduct.

Like all addictions, we're blind to it. "Greed," Phyllis Tickle says, "is a sin we see readily in others but rarely acknowledge as our own-and therein lies its power."

Or, as one neuroscientist puts it, "A monetary reward is-biologically speaking-like a line of cocaine." He goes on to say, "It's as if we have two 'engines' running in our brains that can't operate simultaneously. We can approach a task altruistically or from a self interested perspective."[ii] But we can't do both.

And like all addictions, it's not that anyone sets out to give up on their values, become selfish, or consciously lower their standards. It's just that our pleasure centers have a way of sneaking up on us. Without our even knowing it, we've veered off the path we had committed ourselves to following.[iii]

What happens is we end up with a form of "mind blindness" or, as the Bible would call it, hard-heartedness. The area of our brains that would typically lead us to care for and help others gets "turned off."

This is demonstrated rather dramatically in what is called The Dictator Game. In this game, two people are present. One is given a sum of money, and he then gets to choose how much of it he will share with another person. With the other person present, the "dictator"-called that because he is in complete control of what happens to the money-is surprisingly generous. She will typically give away one-third of the total amount of money. With the other person present, we are naturally tuned into what they are feeling and respond accordingly.

But this feeling for others and the desire to help is also very fragile. It only takes one small alteration for this altruism to disappear. When the dictator can't see the other person-the two players are now in separate rooms-the dictator lapses into unfettered greed. They now typically offer only pennies-pennies!-and pocket the rest.[iv]

Perhaps you've heard that right here in America, 1 in 8 children go to bed hungry. I suspect that not many of us are doing too much about that, myself included. We don't see these hungry kids, and so we don't find ourselves highly motivated to do much to help them in their plight.

But what if I told you about a homeless mother with two hungry kids I met this week. Or what if I told you about a family Linda is working with where they have no water or electricity and are cooking what meager food they do have over a small fire in their back yard? When statistics become faces, when we actually see the people in need at least in our mind's eye, there is something that cries out to help, isn't there?

And we can help. This morning Darrell Breed will have Easter baskets we're asking families to take home and fill with food and toiletries for the poor in this area this Easter.

Link, our local food pantry, is struggling to keep up with demand. How about every time we shop, we buy some extra food and bring it to church for Link? In fact, just to help us all be mindful of this, let's just stack it right here in front of the altar when we come in.

In a couple of months, on May 30, we're going to work on a volunteer farm that feeds the needy. The farm feeds the hungry through the labor of volunteers like you. What we do with our time is a reflection of what is most important to us, plain and simple. What could be more important on a Saturday morning than helping feed a hungry child? Are sports, scouting, hobbies or other recreational activities more important?

Or maybe I can put it this way.

We've all heard the statistic that every 3.6 seconds a child dies from hunger.

Imagine you sat down to eat lunch and a hungry or dying child was sitting next to you. You looked at them face to face. You stared in their eyes. What would you do? There's no way we'd keep eating without giving them some of what we have, would we? There is no way we'd let a child die, is there?

But we don't sit next to them. We don't see them. Is it just like the dictator game, where we choose to keep more of what we have for ourselves even if it means others suffer, go hungry, and die?

The priests in Israel's Temple lost sight of the God they were called to serve and of the people around them. Whereas once they were Godly and compassionate, they became so greedy and self-serving that they drew down the wrath of Jesus like no one else did-not even the Romans who crucified Him.

My dear and beloved friends-may we do everything in our power and then some to prevent that from still happening in God's temple today. His temple is, of course, our heart.

Amen.

[i] Daniel Goleman talks about this in his book, Social Intelligence.

[ii] Sway, by Ori and Rom Brafman, pages 140-142

[iii] Sway, page 147.

[iv] How We Decide, by Jonah Lehrer, page 187.

Last Updated on 3/15/2009 9:09:31 PM

2nd Sunday in Lent

Rob Merola — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Lessons Appointed for Use on 2nd Sunday in Lent, Year B, BCP

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

One of my favorite publications is a theological magazine entitled "The Christian Century." It's a very good, well-balanced, publication that is read and contributed to by theologians in most of the mainline Christian denominations. It is thoughtful and thought-provoking. A Couple of weeks ago, their cover article was entitled "God does not demand blood." In it, the author proposed that God did not require the blood of anyone to atone for sins. I found this particularly interesting because it really goes against what I'd been taught growing up and some Old Testament verses demanding the payment for sin was sacrifice.

Genesis 3:22-23 [Man] must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." ²³ So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.

Genesis 22 - God asks Abraham for a burnt offering

Leviticus - full of detailed descriptions of how animals are to be sacrificed, why and when.

Sin offerings were a way of life among the Jewish people for centuries. We believe that Jesus was the ultimate and last sacrifice - so that no further sacrifice is required. His death gives us life. Relationship with God was restored in him.

This article, however, says that Jesus' death wasn't necessary - Jesus' obedience was. He came to teach us how to live, how to reach out to others, to minister to those others have forgotten and how to be obedient - even to death on a Cross as St. Paul says in Philippians. The author of this article argues that what God required was obedience - not death.

Interesting, huh? Whatever you think the cross was for we can all agree on a few things - Jesus died on the cross. Through Jesus we are all forgiven our sins - we all are blameless and made righteous. He died so we might live and live life abundantly. Just as we are buried with Christ in his death, so we are raised with Christ in his resurrection. (Romans 6:4)

So, if Jesus died for us on the Cross so that we might live - why does he ask us to take up our cross and follow Him?? That sounds like we are being called to die - all over again. This is a scripture that is so very often misunderstood and used to encourage people to suffer.

So - Take up your cross and follow me - let's first talk about what that does NOT mean. So often it is said whenever we are going through something difficult - and we all are either going through difficult times or know someone who is - that we are just "bearing our cross." God is somehow asking us to suffer - he is requiring that we endure some sort of hardship because of our faith. Some people encourage those being abused by spouses to endure it and "bear their cross" some who are dealing with a chronic illness are told that this is their "cross to bear"- you've probably heard these expressions.

Where I think the Christian Century article is absolutely right is in saying that God does not desire nor require US to continue to suffer. No God who came out of His great love for us is going to punish us or wish ill will, harm, or suffering of any kind upon us. He Loves us. Our suffering is not required. God came to give us life. God came to take away our sin, restore our relationship with him and to give us His Righteousness. The suffering of the world, is just that, the suffering of the world. We suffer because we are in it, not because God wished it upon us. Taking up our cross and following him is not about our suffering - it is about our obedience.

God wants our faithfulness, our obedience and our love. He desires "mercy, not sacrifice" (Matthew 12:7) Taking up our cross and following him is a metaphor for ultimate obedience .

We talk a lot about changing priorities. This month we are talking about the things that draw us or sway us away from the love of God. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the things of this world and to ignore the way Jesus taught us to live - it's easy to ignore those who other ignore, it's easy to ignore the poor and needy when in our own lives we don't encounter them every day. It's easy to justify not giving to the beggar on the street and just tell ourselves that that person is mentally ill or has drug and alcohol problems that we don't want to contribute too. It's easy to say we're too busy to get involved with outreach projects or to take care of those who need it. It's easy to just focus on living our own lives without regard to others.

What's hard is facing the hard realities of life - that there are people who don't have enough to eat, people who don't have nice homes to live in, there are people who are lonely. We can be easily swayed away from these realities by ignoring that they exist. The cross was not easy for Jesus to bear, but it was also not a reality that He could ignore. He had to face it - out of obedience to the Father. Out of our faithfulness and obedience to Him, we can not ignore the realities of life either. We must help those in need, we must reach out beyond ourselves and we must be obedient. Our cross is not a cross of suffering, but a cross of obedience - a cross of recognizing the hard realities of life.

We are not called to suffer - we are called to live life - He died so we might live. So we must live - live a life of obedience, focusing on the Cross - His Cross - that he died for us. We must therefore live as He would live - reaching out to those who Jesus would reach out to, helping those who he would help, and befriending those whom Jesus would befriend - the lonely and outcast in society.

Last Updated on 3/15/2009 9:08:51 PM