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Good Friday

Rob Merola — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Good Friday

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

How did this happen? How did it come to this? How is it that 3 years of proclaiming good news, healing the sick, and raising the dead has come to this? How did it happen that not only is Jesus crucified, which is bad enough, but that the disciples scatter? How is it that only hours before they are celebrating the Passover together and now there is betrayal, broken relationships and fear among the disciples and Jesus is left hanging on a cross - with his mother, a few of the women and John. Everyone else is gone. just gone.

How did the disciples go from Jesus' inner circle to betraying the man they followed for 3 years and proclaimed as their Lord?

It is a question we ask today particularly in relation to Peter and Judas. We know so little about their upbringing and background. How were they raised? What did they value? What did they need? Why were they attracted to follow Jesus? And why, among the multitude of his followers, did Jesus choose the two of them to be in his closest circle?

We know from so many stories in the Gospels that Jesus was a shrewd and intuitive judge of character. What did Jesus see as so special in Peter and Judas? Were they charismatic? Were they eloquent? Were they passionate or articulate or extremely bright? Were they, like Jesus, riled by hypocrisy and injustice? Did they have a whimsical sense of humor, a hearty appetite, nerves of steel, the wisdom of a serpent, the innocence of a dove, a love for children, a certain way with the [rich] or with the poor? They must have been very impressive, both of them. Was Peter called "the rock" because he was stubborn or because he was strong? Maybe both. Was it because Judas was so responsible, so accountable that he became the disciples' treasurer, was entrusted with so much among those who had so little, having given up all to follow Jesus? We don't know. Surely Judas was a very special person, especially wonderful, to have a place so near to Jesus' own heart. Surely the kiss of betrayal was not the first time he had expressed his closeness to Jesus.

So what happened? However similar, however different they are to one another, they end up in the same place: both of them in the Garden of Gethsemane, and both of them, to their own horror and to others', they became betrayers. What, ultimately, is the difference between Judas, remembered for his deception, and his friend Peter, remembered for his sainthood? I suspect they had so much in common. except for one little thing. For reasons which we do not know, following the crucifixion Judas was precipitous; Peter was not. Judas takes his own life; Peter is given his life back by Jesus' gift of forgiveness. And on that forgiveness Jesus uses Peter to build his church. Judas, whose name has been anathema to the Christian church - so much so that if you visit the National Cathedral, in many places where the disciples are depicted, Judas is not there. They want to erase him from history. In the altar rail at the high altar there are 12 pillars supporting the rail - 11 of them depict disciples, 1 is just a wooden block. Peter, meanwhile receives forgiveness and he was once again restored to his leadership position among the disciples and made the first Pope. Very different outcomes. I wonder if anything would have been different for Judas if he had not committed suicide?

When Jesus cries out from the cross, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing," Jesus is making the plea of a lifetime. He's imploring God's forgiveness, not just for those who had a role in his crucifixion. which was most everyone. Jesus was speaking for the entire human race: "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." Does anyone ever fully know what they are doing, for sure, absolutely?"[1]

I don't think Judas really knew what he was doing. He made a series of decisions to betray Jesus. Did he understand that his betrayal would mean Jesus' crucifixion? Or did he think Jesus would be ok in the end? Maybe he would be able to convince the leaders of the time that he was, indeed, the Son of God. He couldn't have been proud of his decision after the fact, after all, he was distraught enough to commit suicide.

Peter was told by Jesus himself that he would betray him - 3 times and in just a few hours of the prediction. Out of fear, that prediction came true. Interestingly, years later when he too was arrested by Rome and sentenced to death, he no longer had that same fear. When it came time for Peter to be crucified, he said that was too good for him, and asked that he be crucified upside down.

In the end Jesus understood that no one really understood what was going on. And, he understands that we don't always understand everything either. Sometimes we are like Judas - betraying Jesus but not really understanding how that happened or how the result turned out to be so bad and sometimes like Peter - really just reacting to something out of fear - and yet we have the same result betraying Jesus. And yet we are forgiven. And that is why we are here tonight - because we do understand that one fact - we are forgiven. For those things we've done, and those things we have left undone. Let's also understand that Jesus called Simon Peter "Peter" for on this rock (Peter) "I will build my church." Peter is understood as being a rock - rock solid - even with all of those flaws - the lack of understanding, the questioning, the denial of even knowing Jesus and not being with Jesus at the end. That person, that flawed human being - was the beginning of the church. If Peter can build the church, so can we - we don't have to understand everything, we don't have be super knowledgable and it's ok to make mistakes. In the end, if we are open to receiving forgiveness we can be given everything we need for an effective ministry right here, today.

So there are times we can be like Judas and times we can be like Peter, tonight we are most like John - the one disciple standing at the foot of the cross, standing with God and for God in the midst of his suffering - suffering he endured for us because he loved us.

[1] http://ssje.org/sermons/?p=2622

Last Updated on 5/1/2012 10:40:35 PM

Palm Sunday

Rob Merola — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Palm Sunday, Year B 2012

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

Throughout Lent we've been talking about Keeping Score, or, more importantly, how to not keep score. We've talked about keeping score and the damage it can do to our relationships, the damage it can do to ourselves when we judge ourselves over and against our neighbors. Today we're finishing our sermon series on Keeping Score by thinking together about God - Does God keep score?

While we might have a very simple gut reaction to this question, the question is actually a big one that requires a bit of thought. Does God keep score?

If we don't think about it too much, the simple answer would be yes, yes He does. Right? After all, God threw Adam and Eve out of the Garden for their sin, God established the 10 commandments - the list of right and wrongs. The 613 laws of Moses in many cases acts such as mixing meat and dairy products are called "an abomination". In the New Testament, particularly in Matthew, Jesus is often talking about a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth - a place where people go who are not in God's favor. But is that the whole story? Is that the big picture?

If we look more closely at Scripture - and the whole of Scripture we can see more. We see from the beginning of time, when God created and ordered the world He desired a close relationship with humankind. When the Hebrew people were enslaved in Egypt he goes to rescue them because "he has heard their cry" - his heart goes out to them and he saves them. Time and time again God proves throughout history that he desires a close relationship with us. God loves us. That has Always been true. This isn't a new revelation in Jesus. God is the same, yesterday, today and forever. (Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8) God didn't change in Jesus, God REVEALED himself in Jesus. There isn't an "Old Testament Angry God" and a "New Testament Savior that saves us from that angry God." There is only one God, and Jesus is God. The concept of the Trinity is complicated, but the truth remains, there is one God, and Jesus is the Revelation of that God.

Jesus is very clear that the reason he came into the world was "not to condemn the world but so that the world might be saved through Him." (John 3:17) If God were an angry, vindictive God, why wouldn't he condemn those who sin against him? But he says very clearly that he is not interested in our condemnation. In fact, the reason God does what he does in Jesus is because he loves us. "For God SO LOVED THE WORLD, that he gave his only Son" (John 3:16). God's motivation is His love for us. It is the same love He has had for us since the beginning of time - a love that has never changed. Remember God IS love (1 John 4:8). That is God's nature - Nowhere in Scripture does it say that God is anger. Or God is wrath. No God IS LOVE. And it was that Love that hung on the cross for us.

So, while God did establish the rules by which we live, he did so out of love for us. The 10 commandments and the 613 laws of Moses are written out of love, for our benefit. We live better, healthier lives if we live by them. For the 10 commandments they are how we order ourselves as people in a society - we can't lie, deceive ourselves or each other or operate out of jealousy if we are going to have a sense of community as a people. The more we put God first as a community, the better off we will be. As for the numerous laws of Moses - they really focus on behavior towards one another and dietary laws. As Peter experienced in Acts, we don't have to live by all those laws - we can eat whatever we wish, but the fact remains if we follow those laws we will be better off - they were written for our good and I think we can agree while we love a good cheeseburger, the fewer of them we eat the healthier we are. God's laws were written out of love - they were not written so that God could justify punishing us and sending us to hell.

So, if this is all true and God is love and there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God.(Romans 8:38-39). Then does what we do matter to God? Do the things we do well and the things we do wrong matter to God at all? If God loves us no matter what, than what difference does it make if I sin? Does God keep score?

Well, back to our answer that is no longer so simple - Yes, it does matter. For those of us who are parents think about how you feel when your kids do things right.. you are proud, excited and frankly sometimes just really impressed. When your kids do things wrong, even stuff that is really wrong, how do you feel? Disappointed, frustrated, even angry. But at no time is our love for our children any less. We love them anyway.

The same is true with God. God loves us, no matter what. No matter how big our bad stuff is, God loves us. On the cross God himself, the one God, paid whatever price needed to be paid for our transgressions.

Father Rob told me a story this week that explains this concept very well when we were talking about this this week. He said there is an old story of a judge in a town who was very highly respected. Everyone knew this judge to be fair and impartial - he would always do the right thing to make sure justice was served. Well this judge had a son with a lot of problems. He had gotten into drugs had been arrested multiple times and the last time the son actually killed someone. Well, this judge had to try the case and in the end, when his son had been convicted, he had to sentence his own son. And he did. Fairly, justly. And then, he put down his gavel, came down off the bench and served that sentence himself.

While obviously this is not a true story from American culture, it does illustrate our point. Is God just? Yes, absolutely. Does God keep score? Yes, absolutely. But God Himself is the one that pays the price for us, because he love each and every one of us - the whole world, in fact, that much.

Last Updated on 5/1/2012 10:41:37 PM

Live and Let Die

Rob Merola — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Live and Let Die

Lessons Appointed for Use on 5th Sunday in Lent, Year B

The Rev. Rob Merola

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

I'm guessing that if we are honest, most of us feel a pretty found disconnect with the words of Jesus this morning. We hear him saying, "You must hate your life," and I expect that you, like me, think "Really?

After all, what is there to hate about my life? I am blessed beyond measure. I have a loving and beautiful wife and two of the best kids ever. I live in a beautiful home in a nice neighborhood in the wealthiest county in the country. I have a gorgeous garden, get to go fishing for big fish, eat as much as I want of whatever I want whenever I want. I mean, what's not to like?

Maybe at this point you're wondering, can I say that? If Jesus says I need to hate my life, can I say I love mine? I guess I think if we love our lives, there's no point in pretending we don't. If we think our lives are pretty darn good, there's probably not much point in acting as if they are bad. We are some of the most deeply blessed people who have ever lived. Perhaps you'll be relieved to know that this really isn't what Jesus is talking about here.

Let's look a little closer at what Jesus actually says. The life we are supposed to hate is "life in this world." Now the Bible uses the word "world" much like we do. It's one of those words that can be used in very different ways. There's, "Man, the world around us beautiful." And then there's, "As a parent, I've done everything I can to protect my kids from the world." In this last sentence, "world" is a negative thing, referring to what is hurtful, harmful, or destructive about the culture around us. It is in this sense that Jesus uses the word "world". We must hate the life that is shaped by and expresses the destructive aspects of the culture around us.

This is further reinforced by the contrast between "life in this world" and "eternal life". You probably know that "eternal life" refers as much to the quality of life as to its ongoing duration. In other words, "eternal life" doesn't just mean everlasting life, but a certain type of life. Eternal life is the kind of life that is built on the values and principle that produce lasting happiness.

And this is further reinforced by the very next statement of Jesus that anyone who follows him must be where he is. Of course he is not talking literally; that is not possible for us. He's talking about being in the same place in life, and being in the same place in our hearts and minds as he was in his heart and mind.

So we have to ask: Did Jesus hate his life? The answer to that has got to be "no". He loved his life. He loved his life because his life glorified God, and a big part of how it did this was by showing all of us what real love looks like.

That means that if Jesus loved his life, and he did, and if we are supposed to be where Jesus is, and we are, then we too must love our life. But of course, the life we are meant to love is our truest and best life. It's the life that God created us to live, as opposed to the broken and damaged life shaped by the broken and damaged aspects of the world that leads us to break and damage others.

With this understanding, we can now get both more specific and more practical. What does life "in this world" look like? Again, there's plenty of great stuff in the world; plenty to be immensely grateful for. But that's NOT what Jesus is talking about here. He's talking about things like the norms to which we all must conform in order to be socially acceptable.

So, for instance, research indicates that the top four dominant cultural norms, or expectations, for women is that they are:

Nice (sweet no matter what they really think or feel).
Thin
Modest
Domestically responsible.

These norms were identified through an inventory used in which women were asked how strongly they agreed with statements like these:

I am always trying to lose weight.

I would be happier if I was thin

I'd look better if I put on a few pounds (reversed).

Or:

I am the one most responsible for the cleaning, cooking, and decorating where I live

I enjoy spending time making my living space look nice

It is important to keep your living space clean

The same research found that the top four norms to which mean are expected to conform are:

Winning (which is often directly correlated to the Primacy of work and the Pursuit of status)
Emotional control (what I call being tough)
Risk taking
Violence

But here's where the problem comes in. When we don't measure up, we're back against our old nemesis of Keeping Score. When we don't feel we meet cultural expectations adequately, we feel a profound sense of shame. If I'm a woman and I'm not thin or my house isn't clean and well decorated, I feel ashamed. If I'm a man and I'm not tough enough, boy do I ever feel a deep sense of shame.

What is so interesting in all this is that so often we think shame hides in our deepest and darkest secrets, and surely it does. But far more often it blossom and thrives right out in the open, in things such as our

body image, what happens in our homes, particularly in our marriages and parenting, in our relationship to money, in the humiliations of aging. The thing is, none of us are perfect. None of us meet the ideal. And so we all feel shame-every single one of us.

The result is entirely predictable, because shame always leads people down one of three paths: It drives us away from each other. That's what comparison is all about, isn't it? Comparing ourselves to others to show that we are somehow different. And so we amass more and more things, more and more prestige, more and more experiences. We hide behind them to create the illusion that we are somehow better than we know ourselves to be.

Shame can also drive us towards each other. We become people-pleasers as we seek to escape it and prove ourselves worthy in their eyes.

And sometimes shame pits us against another or even against ourselves. We become aggressive or cruel or mean, using shame to fight shame. We find ourselves struggling with addictions, with eating patterns and habits, with busy-ness, as we attempt to numb ourselves to ourselves.

None of these things ever works. Instead of loving and affirming the person God created us to be, we seek to destroy those parts of our lives that don't fit in with what we feel is expected of us. We are constantly performing, perfecting, pleasing, and proving ourselves to God, to each other, to ourselves. But since we've basically disowned ourselves in the process, this does not bring the love that we need. It distances us from each other when we long to be deeply connected.

So that brings us back to where we started: we have two lives in front of us. There is a life before us wherein we lose our true selves to fit in with everybody else. Jesus call us to hate that life in order that we can be true to who God created us to be, the life that brings true and lasting happiness.

Finally, then, let me leave you with five questions will help us think more deeply about how to do just that.

What parts of your truest and best self do you bury to protect yourself from shame?

How does shame drive you?

What would it mean to hate the "impostor self" created to meet people's expectations and love who you really are instead?

In what ways to do you need to die to the destructive ways you protect yourself, such as being harsh and cruel, withdrawing in self-pity, or engaging in being a people-pleaser?

What's the most courageous thing you could do to be with Jesus in loving who God created you to be, especially when that person seems inadequate or disappointing?

In answering questions like these, may we choose wisely what we will die to and what we will live into more fully. In so doing, may we lose the life that conforms to the hurtful, harmful and destructive patterns of this world, and find the life built on the values which bring true and lasting happiness instead. Amen.

Last Updated on 3/25/2012 7:49:01 PM

Great Expectations

Rob Merola — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Great Expectations

Lessons Appointed for Use on 4th Sunday in Lent, Year B

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

I need to begin by saying that we need to do a better job of decided who preaches when, because by all rights, Rob should have this sermon. after all - he loves snakes and it's not like they are a sermon topic very often. Although, we must admit that given today's text I'm not sure I'd like the shenanigan's that would go along with whatever sermon he'd preach.. so here we go.

Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."

Jesus is obviously making a reference to today's Old Testament reading. The Israelites had been rescued from slavery under Pharoah and were wandering in the wilderness. When they had come out of Egypt and fled pharaoh at night and escaped across the Red Sea, it is probably fair to assume that the Israelites had certain expectations. At first, they were probably so happy to be out from under Pharoah they were happy to just be safe and free. And then the reality of their circumstances came to light. They were in a wilderness. For a long time. They were sick of it, their living situation and the lack of food and water. They were looking for a promised land, a land of milk and honey, a land of plenty where they could flourish as a people. a free people. Instead, they had this. Dust. Dirt. Bad food. Little water. Their high hopes and expectations were totally dashed. They were tired, and they wanted out. What happens? Snakes. and lots of them, and of the poisonous variety. You'll be happy to know we are not having a live demonstration of that this morning. Rob isn't preaching.

Needless to say, what the Israelites thought was going to happen didn't happen. Not only that the paradise they thought they were going to was a LONG way off and they didn't like the life they were living. Their expectations had not been met.

How often has that happened to us? How often have our hopes and expectations led us to disappointment? We all have disappointments in life. We all have hopes and dreams that have not been met, but even moreso,, we've entered relationships with high hopes, relationships that, in the beginning seemed good, healthy and life-giving. And then as time goes by, something happens. Maybe it isn't one big event but a series of small events that happen and things begin to change. The happy relationship we had grows into something stressful, disappointing and just plain heart-breaking. This can be any kind of relationship - a relationship with a spouse, a sibling, a friend, a child. or even relationship with God.

When these things happen how do we handle it? Well the first and best way to handle it is through prevention - remember that old saying ? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That's absolutely true - if we take care of the small things as they happen, we are better off because we can possibly prevent the major things from happening down the road. If we see little things start to slip in our relationships, little changes, little disappointments, we need to be courageous enough to address them. Most of us arent', so most of us don't. Remember, we have high expectations, so if we admit there is a problem, we already are disappointed. We usually don't want to admit anything has happened, so we justify, we explain away, we say "we'll note that for later but hopefully this is a one time incident." So we justify our avoidance of the situation. We start keeping score. What they did, how we felt, and now, how many times has this happened.

But if we just faced that small disappointment and talked through it with the other person and clarified why it happened and how we felt about it, we may be able to avoid such things again in the future.

So what do we do when we don't deal with it on the front end - things keep happening, disappointments add up and we find ourselves in the situation where we don't want to be - hopeless and dejected and lost. It's usually at this point that we pray - you know the prayer - it's usually formulated out of desperation and it goes something like this - "God, help. I don't know what to do here. This is bad and I need you to fix this, because I can't. Amen." We've all been there. We come desperate before God and we pray and out of those prayers we build hope again - hope that WE define, that WE now EXPECT God to "fix" whatever is wrong in the way that we want it fixed. and if THAT doesn't happen, we are then disappointed again and now our opponent in this keeping score game is God. Then where do we turn?

Let's look again at today's scripture.

The Israelites ask Moses to ask God to take the snakes away. Does God do that? NO! He creates a means by which those bitten will no longer die or suffer - they have to look at this staff with a snake on it (doesn't this call to mind the medical symbol with the winged staff with 2 snakes on it?) . The point though, is that God didn't take away the thing causing them harm, he only provided a way to be healed - and that way was to look for that which he provided - to look to him.

In today's Gospel lesson, Jesus refers to himself as being lifted up "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness." If people want healing they need to turn and look at Jesus. He is the source of all healing. The healing and relief we receive may not be exactly what we want - he may not take away the snake - but he will provide a way to be healed from the bite.

How does this work in practice. Well, we need to be open to what God would do in our relationships. Rather than us keeping score on how we've been hurt, our prayers need to be about perspective, understanding and a change of heart. The best case scenario in this is to pray with the person with whom you are having an issue. If you pray together and open yourselves up before God, I can guarantee a change in your strained relationship. If praying with the person is not an option then there are 2 prayers for you to say:

Pray for yourself to be open. For God to show you the heart of the other, for you to find understanding and healing from the situation.
Pray for the other person. Pray for them to be open and for them to find understanding and healing from the situation.

If you pray for God to "change him" or "fix her" I can guarantee you that won't happen. If you pray for understanding, healing I can guarantee you that at a minimum you will find peace in the midst of the situation. It may not be the healing you were looking for - the snakes may not be taken away - but you can find a cure for the bite. And the cure is Jesus.

Let us pray: Lord, we all have disappointments in our lives. So often we are guilty of keeping score, so often we focus on our hurt that we can't find the healing we so desperately need. Change our hearts Lord to be the people you created us to be. Help us to see our loved ones with your eyes and act in these situations in ways that will bring healing and wholeness, where hope can be restored and joy can remain. Amen.

Last Updated on 3/25/2012 8:02:35 PM

Best Sermon Ever

Rob Merola — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Best Sermon Ever

Lessons Appointed for Use on 1st Sunday in Lent, Year B

The Rev. Rob Merola

This being the first Sunday of Lent, it's a good time to reflect on your loved ones and maybe your no-so-loved ones.

So, for instance, my eternal mortal enemy since last Sunday, Grey Maggiano.

You see, out of the goodness of our hearts this fall Anne and I asked Grey to join us here at St. Matt's and share in the great privilege of preaching.

You remember that first Sunday, when Grey stood up and said how great Anne and I are. That Sunday Grey and I became best friends forever.

Then, he preached his first sermon. Remember his first sermon? Neither do I. It was OK, but not that good really. And I knew it was a match made in heaven.

But then. then last Sunday Grey broke my heart. He preached that sermon about leaving Yuma.

Afterwards, I heard people everywhere saying how much they liked it. Even Anne was heard to say,

[video clip] "I think that was the best sermon I ever heard. It was even better than Rob Merola's!"

So then Grey and I became eternal mortal enemies for 6 months, or at least until more people say they like my sermons better than his.

Grey, a better preacher than I? Who's buying it?

So I urge you, talk about how good this sermon is today. I hope everyone of you who is on Facebook will go home today and make your status, "Best sermon ever-better even better than Grey's last week."

And then when Grey get's back next week, tell him how good this sermon was that he missed.

I want to beat Grey like a rented mule-mules, by the way, being far more interesting than a sermon about going to Gila Bend.

To think this guy was ever my best friend for six months.

Oh Grey, how long must we fight this senseless war, pitting brother against brother, preacher against preacher, sermon against sermon?

This madness has to end. What do you think folks, do you think I should reach out to Grey? Do you think I should send him an Early Easter card?

Ok, let's do it. Good people!

Let's see.. I have my box of cards here. Get well cards, get worse cards, to a special uncle upon his parole.

Ah, here we go.

To my dearest Greyiest, I know we are supposed to be eternal enemies until people like me better, but without you I feel like a sermon about living in Yuma-terrible.

Sometimes, I think I'd like to hear a portion of that sermon again, but then I always fall asleep thinking about it.

So I hope you'll accept this token of our friendship and let's be best buds again. Please read this next sentence in a whisper: I miss us.

Signed The Very Right Reverend Dr. Rector Emeritus, Sir Carl R. Merola, PDF, JPEG.

Dictated, not read

Now I'll go ahead and send this using our highly advanced wireless internal memo system.

"Grey Maggiano."

"Maggiano, not MacNabb!"

"Go!"..

Perhaps some of you recognize that as a takeoff on a Stephen Colbert skit playing on a rivalry between Colbert and Jimmy Fallon over the Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavors that bear their name. It's meant to introduce our current sermon series: Keeping Score.

One of the fundamental ways we keep score is, consciously or unconsciously, trying to one-up one another. From the very start we are taught that winning is good, losing is bad, and that we need to be the very best. We take that very seriously, and on a subconscious level it becomes part of the program that drives everything we do.

Of course to win (or at least to make sure that nobody else does at our expense), to be the best, and perhaps above all to make sure we don't lose, we somehow have to keep track of where we are in relation to everybody else. So we make lists, don't we?

Most of the time this comes so naturally to us that we are not even aware we are doing it. But we are. Whether it is with a roommate or a spouse, a team member at the office or someone we're working on a project with at school, we make a list of everything we do, and everything they do. If our list is longer, watch out! We feel like we are losing this battle, and being taken advantage of. So we go on the attack, with the aim of making them carry their fair share.

Or we make a list of how much free time we have and how much free time they have. And again-if there is a difference, watch out!

We keep track of how many times we had to say "sorry" first, or how many times we were the ones that had to give in to make up. We keep a running tally of our hurts, embarrassments, and disappointments. We tend to log promises broken, times we were lied to, when people didn't keep their word. We credit ourselves for the nice things we do, and Lord knows (and He does!) that we expect others to appreciate it and reciprocate accordingly.

The point is-and this is a basic relational law-whenever somebody wins at somebody else's expense, the relationship always loses. If I win an argument, get my way, and put my kid in his place, you can bet our relationship is going to suffer. If I manage to somehow get my wife to comply with the idea that my job is more stressful than hers and that I therefore need more downtime than she does, you can bet our relationship is going to suffer. If I conduct a friendship is such a way that I always expect my "friend" to take the initiative, you can bet our relationship is going to suffer. In a relationship, when somebody wins at somebody else's expense, the relationship always loses.

So what's the alternative? We'll, were going to be talking about that in the weeks to come. And frankly, friends, I think you're are going to be hard put to find anything more helpful than the stuff we're going to be talking about for the next four weeks. So please-for the sake of your friends and family, the sake of the people you care about the most, plan on being here, OK?

But before we close, let me give you one simple principle that I personally have found very helpful in moving away from keeping score. It's the idea that there are basement voices and balcony voices, that we need to recognize them for what they are, and then wisely and intentionally choose between them.

Basement voices are like the voice of the devil in the wilderness in today's Gospel. These are the voices that call us to keep score, to reward or punish people accordingly, and that we need to win at any cost. Sometimes these voices even echo actual voices of people in our past - the parent who drilled in us that we had to be the best, the voice of a coach raging "Winning isn't everything, it's the ONLY THING!", the friends who teased us when they thought somebody else was taking advantage us. These are the voices that tell us we need to always come out ahead, or that if that isn't possible, then at least no one should come out ahead of us. And when we listen to these voices, they always exact a terrible price.

But then there are also balcony voices -voices like the voice of God in today's Gospel, speaking to Jesus after his baptism, "You are my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Balcony voices remind us that there is indeed something far more important than winning, and it is love. Balcony voice call us to something higher than keeping running tallies on each other, and it is grace.

Our world, our country, and we ourselves, driven by those basement voices, too often run roughshod over grace. We are the poorer for it

My dear and beloved friends, though it is the basement voices that are most numerous and which speak the loudest in the world today, I pray that this season of Lent and beyond that we would learn to listen to the voice from the balcony. I pray that we would learn to listen to the voice of God. And I pray that in so doing, we be delivered from the temptation to keep score, and choose the way of love and grace instead. Amen.

Last Updated on 2/27/2012 8:36:57 PM

Finding Gila Bend in the Bible

Rob Merola — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Finding Gila Bend in the Bible

Lessons Appointed for Use on Last Sunday after Epiphany, Year B

Seminarian Grey Maggiano

Good Morning.

Today's readings are really important. We know this for a couple reasons: 1) today is "last epiphany" - now because of how the Church calendar works, not everything gets read every year, BUT the folks who put together the lectionary think these readings are so important, they make sure that they ALWAYS get read the Sunday before Lent. 2) Elijah, the prophet, appears in both the Old Testament AND the Gospel. So there is something going on there too.

So of course, I'd like to start today by talking about something completely different. Romance. Specifically about what I think is Romantic, which Monica can tell you is not always what she expects.

For example, I can't think of any place more romantic than Yuma. Yuma, AZ.

How many of you are familiar with Yuma? Well Yuma is a border town that sits on the AZ, CA and Mexican borders. Yuma is poor, dusty, empty and. rough. Yuma's major industry was the San Diego Padres Spring Training facility - which moved 10 years ago. When your major industry only operates six weeks out of the year, you aren't doing very well. But the REAL reason Yuma means so much to me, is that when my parents were dating, my Dad wrote a love song to my mom called, "I'll never leave you in Yuma."

Which went something like (sung) "I'll never leave you in Yuma, I wouldn't do that to my friend, but listen up honey, if you've got some money, I'll marry you in Gila Bend."

That sentiment of, I know this place is terrible and I need to leave, but I won't leave without you, I think is just beautiful. And each of us have our own Yumas. It's scary, it's desolate, you don't want to be there alone, and you don't really want to even stop for gas. This might be DC, Baltimore, or West Virginia. For me, it's the mall.

And I bet you all have your own person Gila Bends too! Those little tucked away corners of the globe that are special to you and maybe only you, but are so wonderful that it's where you'd want to spend eternity with the person you love. (NOTE: this does not ACTUALLY describe Gila Bend).

This kind of love, this kind of loyalty is exactly what we find in the story of Elijah and Elisha.

In today's Old Testament lesson, Elijah and Elisha are on a journey to meet God in the desert across the Jordan River, searching for that mystical Gila Bend of the Old Testament. And during this narrative, when Elijah is trying to convince Elisha to turn around and go back, they are in the middle of nowhere, they are in Yuma. It's scary, dangerous, and it doesn't help that the Kings soldiers are most likely out there hunting for Elijah to bring about his end a little more unceremoniously than he would like. But when Elijah says "Elisha turn around and go back," Elisha responds "As long as you live, as long as the lord lives, I shall not leave you." Or basically, I'll never leave you in Yuma.

"As long as you live, as long as the Lord lives, I shall not leave you."

And Elijah asks three times that Elisha turn around and go back. And three times Elisha says, No. Finally, in perhaps a desperate attempt to save Elisha's life Elijah asks him "what do you want!?" and Elisha responds not asking for money, or authority, or land. he asks for a double share of Elijah's spirit. Basically he asks to keep Elijah with him, in spirit, long after Elijah is gone.

"As long as you live, as long as the lord lives, I shall not leave you."

This example of loyalty is one we are meant to follow.

Now in today's gospel we have another "travel narrative" and another example of loyalty. The Gospel tells the story of Jesus, Peter and James and John going up a high mountain.

Now if Elisha is a good and faithful servant, following Elijah; then Peter has to be even more loyal, more faithful, right?

Right?

So what happens in today's Gospel? They go up the mountain. Jesus is "transfigured". his clothes turn bright white, and all of a sudden he is there talking with Moses and Elijah. Now Mark kind of underplays this in the Gospel, but this is nothing short of amazing. I mean if you saw this your mind would be blown. This is a close encounter with the divine and Peter and James and John are lucky to be present for such an event.

In fact this is so amazing, that Peter, before the event is even over, runs up to Jesus and says, "This is amazing! We have to commemorate this forever! Let's build three temples here to you and Moses and Elijah and people will come from everywhere to see them!"

Can you believe it!?!? Peter suggests building temples!? On top of a Mountain?!?

I'm sensing you all aren't as shocked as I am.

Let me explain. Elijah's main job, his whole deal, was proclaiming to Israel their sins, chief of which was building temples on top of high mountains to honor false Gods. So Peter, after seeing Jesus talking to Elijah, the prophet who condemned temples on top of mountains, says, let's build a temple on top of this mountain! And let's build it to you and Elijah! This is like telling Smokey the Bear to start a forest fire, or McGruff the crime dog to rob a bank!

Now are you shocked?

And this isn't even Peter's worst offense. Peter says "it's good for us to be here. Let's stick around." Now you can imagine a pretty cushy life for Peter and the disciples on top of that mountain. They build a few temples, proclaim the day that Moses and Elijah came back to speak to the great Jesus, charge a few schillings for admission, and do pretty well for themselves. AND they have genuinely seen the glory of God, something which will undoubtedly change their lives forever.

You see, Peter and James and John think that they have found Gila Bend! They think this is it! God can't get any more powerful, any more amazing than this! We have followed this prophet Jesus to the Mountaintop, he has shown us a new way and we should stay here and worship Jesus and Moses and Elijah who must be the true prophets because we just saw them in the heaven.

But really, this was Yuma. A stop on the way, a midpoint to the true Glory, in Jerusalem. Which is more or less where we find ourselves now. Looking down into Lent, into Jesus' Journey into Jerusalem, his final sacrifice on the cross, and finally the resurrection. The Proverbial "Marriage in Gila Bend."

Now, if Peter were just some guy. Or if Jesus threw him out of the disciples, we would interpret all of this very differently. But Peter isn't some guy and Jesus didn't throw him out. In fact he made him the rock on which he would build the Church. A Model for all of us. Because this is Peter, and as Christians we consider ourselves in some way apostles of Peter, this story becomes more complicated for us.

So what is the lesson here? Are we supposed to be like Elisha? Following dutifully, not abandoning Jesus in Yuma? Or are we supposed to be like Peter? And forego Gila Bend, and stick around in Yuma?

We simply have to acknowledge here that we are a lot more like Peter than we would like to be. Even though we think we are going to follow Jesus through Yuma and all the way to Gila Bend for that final glorious celebration. but in reality sometimes we get so excited about that first real encounter with the divine that we never move on.

Last week at the Seminary, we had a guest speaker come in, a Bishop in the Church, who told this beautiful story about when he found Jesus, when he let God into his life. This was a gorgeous story, rich, full of details, one that sucks you in, so much that I wasn't even bothered when I was late to my next class.

I love hearing these stories. I love when people are passionate for God and can point to a moment when God changed their lives.

But I also get terribly worried by these stories. I get concerned that the story tellers haven't move beyond that moment. They haven't left the mountaintop. They haven't left Yuma. They are still in the beginning stages of their relationship with God. And just like any new relationship, it means you haven't totally opened up to God either.

To really be in relationship with God you have to come down out of the mountain. You've got to get back on the highway, out of Yuma, and start to make your way to Gila Bend. And on the way you are going to share your joys and sorrows, and God's joys and sorrows, not just opening your heart to God, but letting it out and not being scared to share the good and the bad. The highs and the lows.

This is what the Church is for. It isn't to build big buildings, to take 10% of your income, to rewrite political agendas, or a chance to dress up in funny clothes. Church is a place to come and share joys and sorrows face to face; to love your neighbor and to be loved; to celebrate, to mourn, and to give thanks to God for all of that. In THIS day and AGE, WE NEED THAT CHURCH. As we come into lent, I hope you'll be willing to come share with us, to church together, as we all try and make our way to Gila Bend.

Last Updated on 2/20/2012 8:06:32 PM

God and the Super Bowl

Rob Merola — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Lessons Appointed for Use on 5th Sunday after Epiphany, Year B

Psalm 147:1-12,21c

Isaiah 40:21-31

1 Corinthians 9:16-23

Mark 1:29-39

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

Today is Super Bowl Sunday. It is a big day in American culture. It seems that every news channel, every talk show, everyone is talking about the Super Bowl. I must admit, that I am not a football fan, per se. I enjoy watching the game, but I don't have a team that I passionately follow. I usually support the Redskins because I'm a root for the home team kind of girl, but, as you know, they haven't made it to the Super Bowl in a long, long time. So for now, I cheer them on when they play and I always like to pick a team to win and cheer them on, the few times I actually watch a game during a season. The driving force for me on who to choose are the players and the type of people they are. For a while, I was a supporter of the Philadelphia Eagles - mostly because they employed Donovan MacNabb - I am convinced we are related. However, since they now have Michael Vick as their quarterback, I can't stand them. I am for whoever is playing against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The opposite effect is also true. This season I became a fan of the Denver Broncos, because Tim Tebow is their quarterback. I have a lot of respect for this man. not because of what he does on the field, and not because of his open prayer times on the sidelines, but because he is clear that the authority in his life is Jesus Christ and he wants to make a difference in the lives of others. Each week during games Tebow invites children, usually very, very sick children to sit in his box in the stadium to watch the game. He spends time with these kids before and after the game. The whole world watches Tim Tebow because 1. He's a good football player and 2. He is open about his faith. People analyze his statistics - for example one of his favorite bible verses is John 3:16 - when he played for the Florida Gators in college he used to put the verse under his eyes. He does not do such things now as the NFL doesn't allow it. But one of his favorite verses is John 3:16. Many wondered if it is a coincidence that the game when he threw the most passes this season, he threw it 316 yards. I have to say, I really don't believe in coincidences. His witness has people thinking about God and Mr. Tebow is clear that the authority in his life is Jesus Christ.

Today's gospel lesson is about authority - Jesus' authority. And while none of us really wants to admit that we need authority in our lives, if we just look at the world around us we can see the result of the lack of authority and lack of discipline - unruly children, selfish adults people with no concern for anyone but themselves. Authority and discipline - not harsh, cruel discipline but discipline that sets appropriate boundaries, actually help us and make us happier healthier people.

Back to the Gospel.This reading comes directly after last week's. so let's recap just a minute. The Gospel of Mark begins with Jesus' baptism, then the calling of disciples then last week he drove out demons and this week he is healing Simon's mother-in law on the Sabbath. It all happens so fast. This week's gospel ends with the comments about Jesus and his authority and the entire city gathering at the door - some out of curiosity, some seeking healing others maybe just to get a glimpse of him.

When we look at this and look at the authority Jesus has we can conclude 2 things 1. That Jesus can and will set us free - for notes on that see Fr. Rob's excellent sermon from last week - posted on our website and 2. We can be made whole again from that of which we suffer. This is what happens when we have authority in our lives and our response is the same as that of Simon's mother-in law - to serve others. When we receive these unbelievable gifts from God - of freedom and healing that comes from being under his authority we will joyfully give and take care of those around us - why? Because we want them to experience the same freedom and healing we have received. God has the power to make all things right - if only we let him.

We all long for whole-ness. We find that wholeness only in God. The love that we are longing for, the emptiness which we feel, the searching for the meaning of life, all can be found in welcoming Jesus into our lives. No matter what we've done, what demons we've had to cast out, what ailments we have suffered under - all can be made right in God. Once we give ourselves over to the authority of the God who loves us and make him the king of our lives, we too can experience joy that is unimaginable. And, when we do, that joy will not be able to be contained - we will need to share it with others and we will live our lives in such a way that we bring glory to God and people are curious about our faith in such a way that they think about God in their own lives. Just as people are curious about Jesus and surrounded Simon's house that day, and just as the news media keeps talking about Tim Tebow's faith, so our lives could be a witness of faith that draws people to wonder about God and possibly even seek him out.

Last Updated on 2/13/2012 8:12:55 PM

A Great Day for Freedom

Rob Merola — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:00:00 GMT

A Great Day for Freedom

Lessons Appointed for Use on 4th Sunday after Epiphany, Year B

Psalm 111

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Mark 1:21-28

The Rev. Rob Merola

Three weeksago a movie came out called "The Devil Inside Me". Although I didn't see it, Igather it was about a person possessed by a demon. Despite being criticallypanned, a lot of people still went to see it. Enough people, in fact, to makeit number one at the box office, beating such movies as Mission Impossible,Sherlock Holmes, and The Girl With the Dragoon Tattoo. Since then, it's goneon to make over 2.5 million dollars. It seems a reasonable conclusion that atleast on some level, there is a fair degree of interest in the subject.

So. what doyou think? Are there such things as demons? If there are, can they reallypossess people? Does this mean we are in danger? What if I told you Ibelieve the answer is yes?

But let'snot jump ahead to the answer quite yet. For the moment, let's go back totoday's Gospel, where we find a story about Jesus freeing a person from "anunclean spirit," and consider our choices.

First, wecan take the story as sort of a scientific treatise on the human psyche. Takenthis way, the story tells us about immensely powerful spiritual beings that cantake over a person's mind and make them do bad things.

Second, wemight take the story as a description of the human condition-what istechnically known as phenomenological language. In other words, if I say, "Isaw the sun rise today," none of you say, "Liar!" Nor do you call me an"ignorant pre-scientific fool". That's because you recognize the truth of mywords in accurately capturing our shared experience even though on a purelyfactual basis, of course the sun doesn't rise. It's the earth that is movingaround the sun.

On thisview, then, what the Gospel is actually describing is this man's experience-andeven more importantly, Jesus' ability to do something about it. Whatever theunderlying reality is, this man experiences it as hostile force that wreakshavoc as it violently disrupts his life.

Personally,though I do actually believe in demons, I take this second view. Yes, I believein what the Bible calls "demons", but I do not believe they are as prevalent assome people think. I also believe I am fully capable of doing evil on my own,and that most of the evil done in the world is done by people, plain andsimple. We don't need devils to blame for it.

I also knowthat much of what the Bible refers to as "demon possession" we can now explainin other ways. As we learn more and more about the brain, we can explainmuch of the behavior that once was attributed to demons in terms of purelyhuman physiology.

But here'sthe thing, and this is what I think this story is getting at. When I say, "Ihave my demons", you know exactly what I mean. Frankly, I do have my demons. So do you. And that's what today's Gospel really cares about-that however wedefine them, we own up to our demons and allow Jesus to free us from them.

What is more, freedom is the principle way the Bible definessalvation. So in telling us stories precisely like the one in today's Gospel,the Bible wants us to ask questions like this: What does it mean to live freeof the demon of greed? And it goes on to assert that in studying theteachings of Jesus and emulating his life, we find ourselves on a path thatdelivers us from the power of greed and its presence in our lives.

Fifteen years ago in Boca Raton, FL, surrounded by greatwealth, I heard a man talk about just that kind of freedom. I thought he wasgoing to talk about money, and on the surface I suppose he did.

He had been a school teacher, and so comparatively, hadnever made much money. Of the money he had made, he'd given most of it away. But he had also lived simply, and so had been able to put his kids throughcollege, pay off the mortgage on his home, and save up enough money to retirebefore he was 60 years old. This in turn enabled him to launch out on a grandadventure that had always been one of his dreams: he was driving across thecountry in a little old, high mileage Corolla, teaching people Biblical wisdomabout money.

But the more he talked, the more I realized that he wasn'ttalking about money at all. He was talking about the FREEDOM available to usin Jesus. And it was this freedom that went right to my heart, which stirredan incredibly deep longing in me, and which made me think, "Oh man, I wantthat. I want what he has so bad. I want to be FREE." More than I wanted thefancy cars I saw out in the parking lot (and I wanted some of them prettybadly!); more than I wanted a big or fancy church like the one hosting theconference; more than I even wanted to be well thought of and respected in myfield (which was why I was at that conference in the first place), I wanted tobe free.

For me, that day changed everything. I couldn't wait to gethome and talk to Linda about what I'd heard. From that day forward, we beganasking God to free us from the powerful and pervasive demon of greed, and tohelp us live free. And so we began living to be free from debt in all itsforms, and from the stress, tension and anxiety debt produces. We began livingto be free from consumerism and the obligations inherent in it-obligations thatso often keep people from living in accord with their values and their deepestdreams. We began living to be free to give money lavishly and extravagantlyto any and all who need it. Most of all, we began living to be free tofollow God whenever, wherever, and however he leads-to be able to really dowhatever it is in our heart of hearts we know we should do, with nothingwhatsoever holding us back or weighting us down or chaining us to somethingless than our truest and best dreams.

And it has been so good, friends. I wouldn't trade thefreedom we've found in following Jesus for anything in the whole wide world. No thing at all.

My dear and beloved friends: What demons do you strugglewith this morning? If you were to allow your heart to dream, what would yougive anything to be free from?

Maybe it's anger. Maybe you think of all the grief andsorrow anger has caused in your life, and you think, "Oh, I'd give anything tobe free from that."

Or maybeit's alcohol, pornography, drugs, or other form of addiction. It may bebigotry, vindictiveness, impatience, or being judgmental. It may be perfectionism,the inability to really trust people and let them get close, always having tobe busy. It may be our job or the rat race or an image we feel we have to keepup. It may be any one of a hundred different things that eat us from theinside out even as we somehow find ourselves returning to them again and againand again, no matter how much we might wish it were otherwise.

The good news this morning is that you can, in fact, befree. That's the promise of this morning's Gospel: God is stronger than any ofthe demons we face. He can and will set us free.

And that's why we at St. Matthew's take our mission of"knowing and sharing God's love" so seriously. For us, those aren't justnice words or some form of churchy undertaking. It is how we believe peoplecome to be free.

That's why we believe worship is so important. In worship,people of disparate traditions, often from opposite ends of the spectrum, cometogether as one and so set the demons of divisiveness and attack to flight.

That's why we believe outreach is so important; in going onmission trips, giving food to LINK, helping out with backpack buddies. Inhelping others, we put to flight the demons of selfishness and provincialismmanifested in being concerned only with our little world.

That's why Spiritual Formation and Small Groups are soimportant. In helping us learn and put into practice how can be more likeJesus, they put to flight all those demons that work against love and whichseek to infect and destroy our relationships.

That's why our community gatherings are so important; theyput to flight the demons of alienation, isolation, and loneliness.

That's why our twelve step recovery programs are soimportant. In them, people find the help they could not find anywhere else. In them, God set the demons of addiction to flight.

Dear friends, the experience of Christians across the wholewide world, and down through time, is that no matter what demons we face, Godcan set us free. That is certainly my experience, and I hope it is yours aswell.

God made you to be free. Never, ever, ever settle foranything else.

Amen.

Last Updated on 1/29/2012 8:28:54 PM

Our Collective Call

Rob Merola — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Our Collective Call

Lessons Appointed for Use on 3rd Sunday after Epiphany, Year B

Psalm 62:6-14

Jonah 3:1-5,10

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Mark 1:14-20

The Rev. Anne MacNabb

The idea of call or being called is illusive at best formost of us. Last week Grey preached a great sermon on hearing God's call inthe most unlikely of places - of preparing ourselves to hear God's call nomatter where it comes from. In advent, Grey, Rob and I all talked about ourcall to the priesthood - and that short series was one of the most wellattended WatCH series we've had - particularly in December in one of thebusiest times of year - I think that attendance was a direct correlation topeople's interest in the topic and really feeling like they don't know muchabout what it means to be called or how to tell when we are called. Do youever feel that way?

God's call can and is something very personal. We can becalled to a particular task - like having a conversation with someone at aparticular moment in time. We can be called to a vocation - like thepriesthood - or a doctor, accountant, missionary or secretary. We can becalled to go on a particular trip - such as a mission trip to Haiti. All ofthese callings are individual and personal.

But, for those of us who aren't really sure about God's callon our lives and we don't really know what we are called to and what we aren't- we do the best we can, but we are sort of new to thinking about call andrecognizing call, some of this can be really overwhelming. If that is you.this sermon is for you because I have good news.

The Good news is as Christians there are certain things weare all called to do. There are promises we have all made and commitments thatwe all have said we would live up to - or, at least, someone made thosepromises on our behalf. If you'd like to follow along, I'm on page 304.

We are all called to fulfill our baptismal covenant (BCP p.304-5). These promises are God's calling to all of us. The more we get intothese, the easier it will be for us to recognize the personal, individual callsthat God has for us. But for those of us who have a difficult time recognizingthose - this is where we begin:

Will you continue in the apostle's teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? (see Acts 2:42)

This promise is a promise to come to church, to be a part ofthe community, to participate in the sacraments (communion). This is acommitment we make to allow ourselves to be open to the Holy Spirit, to learnfrom one another and to be fed by the relationships we form with one another.

Will you persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? (see Acts 3:19)

This is recognizing that we are not perfect and that we needGod's help. The more we learn to lean on God's strength and not our own themore able we will be to answer God when He calls.

The first 2 were about us and doing things for ourselves. The next 3 are about what we do for others:

Will you proclaim by Word and example the Good News of God in Christ? (see Matthew 28:16-20, Philippians 1:27)

This is a promise to live life as faithfully as we can sothat we reflect the Gospel to those we meet - those who we are close with andthose who we see casually as we go about our daily lives

Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons loving your neighbor as yourself? (See Matthew 25: 31-46, Matthew 22:36-40)

Love God. Love your Neighbor. This is a promise to reallytake care of the other - not just the poor but everyone. This meanscontrolling our temper. Not getting crazy when we are wronged. Showing thelove of God, as much as possible, to everyone, every day and really putting theother before ourselves.

The best part of this for those of us who will have a reallydifficult time is that we have #2 - the repentance promise for when we messthis up.

Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? (see Micah 6:8)

This one is the Episcopal churches response to the CivilRights Movement. This one is that we will not discriminate based on anycategory of people. We will not assume anything about anyone except that theytoo are loved by God. Period. No matter what prejudices we might have basedon life experiences or things we've been taught - we promise we will lay thoseaside. In addition, we will do all in our power to make sure that all peopleeverywhere have justice and peace.

These are our callings.. To be in community with God andeach other, to recognize our shortcomings, to live life worthy of the Gospel,to love our neighbor and to work for justice and peace. No matter what we mayor may not have figured out about our personal callings, these are ourcollective callings - we all have and share these. This is where we beginfriends. We are in this together. May we all respond with Here am I, Lord,send me.

Last Updated on 1/23/2012 9:57:54 PM

I Love Basketball

Rob Merola — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:00:00 GMT

I Love Basketball

Lessons Appointed for Use on 2nd Sunday after Epiphany, Year B

Psalm 139:1-5,12-17

1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20)

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

John 1:43-51

Grey Maggiano

Good Morning!

We have a lot to cover today. We are going to talk about Calling and being called by God, Fighting Injustice and the ministry of Martin Luther King.

But first we are going to talk about basketball and my friend Greg.

I Love Basketball. I'm not very good at it, but I love it. I played basketball all through High School, and even though I wasn't very good, I ran every drill, worked for every rebound, really relishing the "work" involved in getting better. I figured what I lacked in talent or ability I could just make up in hard work.

Greg was one of my friends on the team. And Greg was my polar opposite. He was about 8 inches taller than I was, could dunk, and all those things I was working so hard to do, he made look easy. If I was serious, Greg was joking. If I was busting my butt trying to finish first, Greg was taking it easy, making sure he didn't finish last.

Greg is a great person to tell stories about, because he's such an interesting guy. After High School he made the Basketball team at UVA and then just sort of bounced around not doing too much for a few years; until he got his first real job by winning a Television contest to identify the "laziest man in America". And his job, and I'm not kidding here, was to watch TV. All day. In many ways, we couldn't be more different.

Now one game we were particularly awful, probably down by like 25 in the first half or something, and I'm getting this feeling that my time is finally coming. Coach is going to put me into the game, I'm going to get my shot, I'm going to get to show everyone how hard I've been working and what a difference it has made. Sure enough towards the end of the half Coach looks down the bench - just furious - and yells "Get in there Gre."

And I'm up. Throwing off my warm up, ready to get in there, pumped that I'm getting my shot. I'm getting my call.

And then the last syllable drops. "eg. Get in there Greg."

Sometimes we aren't called exactly as we'd like to be.

Today's readings are all about Calling. God Calls Samuel, Jesus Calls Phillip and Nathaniel.

I know many of you are skeptical of this whole idea of "calling." You think "sure this happened in the Bible, but God doesn't call people anymore" I'd ask you to re-read the first verse from Samuel today: "The word of the lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread" People have ALWAYS been saying that God doesn't call us, this is, what? a 3000 year old excuse! - and yet God does call people.

In fact, the main thrust of all God's calling, in both the Old and New testaments, and on in today, are righteousness and justice. Nothing upsets God more than people who desecrate the worship of God (Righteousness) or the creation of God (Justice). In the reading from Samuel for today, the reason that God is so upset with Eli's sons is because they were stealing the sacrifices of the poor and getting fat off the gains. They were unrighteous AND unjust. Not a place you want to be with God. Jesus synthesizes these various calls with the basic phrase, Love God, Love your Neighbor.

We have a lot of modern day examples of this kind of call to righteousness and justice. The sacrifices of people like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Mother Theresa -are so great that I don't know how they would have done it without God.

Now clearly I WASN'T called to play basketball, but how exactly did I know what I was called to do? Well, my call has always been pretty simple - I've been given an awful lot, which has given me a tremendous advantage in this life, and so I'm called to work to make life a little bit better for others. Given all that St. Matthew's does in the community - at least as a community we all seem to express a similar call to serving others, supporting those in need in our community.

But today's readings are also about NOT nearing God's call. While both Samuel and Nathaniel come around in the end - they ignore God's call at first. Samuel doesn't understand who is calling, and runs to Eli. Nathaniel isn't even willing to hear Jesus' call because of where he comes from. Jesus is somehow beneath him.

How many times have we done that? Passed on listening to God's call because we took it for some advice from a friend, a mother, a brother, a father that we can easily ignore?

Or were we not even willing to HEAR God calling us because we didn't like the source? Nathaniel's exclamation "has anything good ever come out of Gallilee" could just as easily read - has anything Good ever come out of Washington? Or Rome? Or Atlanta?

God wouldn't speak through HIM, right? God wouldn't use an atheist to teach us something? There couldn't be any value in what a Hindu or a Muslim had to say. If you are conservative God couldn't possibly speak through the Occupy Wall Street Movement, right? If you are liberal God would never use the Tea Party to teach us something valuable, would he?

And I'm as guilty of this as any of you. Remember my lazy friend Greg? The one who I totally cast off? Was frustrated with? Just assumed I was better than because I was working "harder" than he was? Because I went out and got a job, and went to school and did all the "right" things while he chose a different path?

Well it turns out basketball wasn't his calling either. So last year he got some friends and put together a little non-profit in their spare time and started raising money for small organizations that were having trouble raising money using traditional methods. Last year, in his spare time, he raised $8,000 dollars for a school in Kenya and for a HS scholarship in the U.S. He also organized 4 fundraisers in different parts of the country on the same day this fall for an AIDS shelter in San Francisco; donations are still coming in. And lest you think that is chump change - he is organizing a fundraiser this April, with thousands of people already signed up that has the potential to raise over $50,000. It all kind of made me wonder which one of us was the Christian. I refused to see anything other than what I wanted to see in my friend Greg, what made me feel validated, that I was hard working and he wasn't. and completely missed much of what he had to offer.

This Monday is MLK day, and initially Rob suggested I use the "I have a Dream" speech to start off the service. But the piece of Dr. King's writing that I think is more relevant for us to do is his letter from a Birmingham Jail, because it speaks more directly to this question of Calling.

Why? Because this is a letter from Martin Luther King to a group of white religious leaders representing the majority and the Church who had publicly condemned the actions of Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. King's letter was directed at people who were supposedly Christians, who were supposedly following God's call to strive for Justice and Righteousness, reminding them that they were missing the boat.

King's letter was written to me. To Rob. To Anne. To all of us who represent the mainline Church as a reminder that just because we represent God doesn't mean we always have the answers. that we, just by virtue of wearing a collar or a robe shouldn't immediately believe that we know God's will. If we ignore God's call because it sounds like it comes from our brothers, our mothers, our fathers- and if we ignore God's call because it appears to come from someone beneath us, less than us, not "with" us. then we've lost it.

If you'll indulge me a bit, listen to these critiques that Dr. King levels at the Church: "I must honestly reiterate that I have been disappointed with the church. I do not say this as one of those negative critics who can always find something wrong with the church. I say this as a minister of the gospel, who loves the church.The judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust."

I think this is true. Folks who don't come to church don't come because they don't believe in God, they don't come because the just don't see the relevance of the God that is preached from the pulpit. They look around them and see an unjust world -were kids are doomed from the day they are born because they are born into the wrong neighborhood, the wrong town, the wrong school district. A world where you can't trust anyone, where everyone - from the government, to the internet hacker stealing your identity, to the church collection plate is looking for something, looking for your money, and you aren't getting anything in return.

They see injustice all around them - economic injustice, social injustice, racial injustice, even religious injustice - and they don't see anyone doing anything about it. And we, the Church, appear to be doing very little about it.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."

What King's letter suggests to us, what I am suggesting to you, is that God's call for Justice is not finite. Those preachers were not exempt from continue to listen for God's call even though they counted themselves as holy men, and we are likewise not exempt from listen for God's call to us just because we've already found a mission. If we want to change the current narrative about Christianity, the narrative predicted by Dr. King almost 60 years ago, we have to be relevant to those critics. We have to face that injustice head on - continuing to seek out new missions and new ways to help people, not for our benefit, but for theirs.

In short, we can't rest on our laurels.

As a community we have embraced a call to service and mission this year. And we've done a lot in a short period of time. But does this mean we can just pat ourselves on the back? Say we've done a great job and when new calls, new opportunities present themselves just say "hey we gave already? We've met our Quota?"

With God, with Christ, there is no Quota.

We have to constantly be looking for those calls, those subtle, and not so subtle, messages from God that we are called to something higher, called to do something more. In Today's readings we have two examples of voices that God uses to speak to us - through those close to us, and through those on the margins of society, those who we wouldn't expect.

I completely discounted out someone close to me for too long, someone I consider a friend, because I didn't see him as "holy" or "good enough" What Calls from God have you been discounting? What voices have we as a community been ignoring?

Amen.

Amos 5:12-15, 21-24. For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts. Therefore the prudent man keeps quiet in such times, for the times are evil. Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Last Updated on 1/23/2012 9:38:55 PM