The Potter and the Clay

(May 27) Sermon Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Wed, 30 May 2012 02:25:00 +0000

Acts Chapter 2

Pentecost was a major festival and people had come from all over the Roman Empire; the streets were full of the chatter of many nationalities and tongues. Hearing so many different languages being spoken simultaneously must have soon drawn a curious crowd to hear the Galilean Disciples speak various tongues. The hushed gathering of disciples in a tiny upper room quickly explodes out to the unsuspecting streets of festive filled Jerusalem; there the message is proclaimed; a message that is not secretly hidden in code, but is available to anyone who opens their eyes to see and their hearts to hear.

Pentecost: It was the day when the Spirit came with what seemed like wind (often a sign of life in the Scriptures) accompanied by fire (a symbol of God’s presence).

Pentecost: It was the day that had been promised. It was the BIRTH of the Church. It was the day when the disciples became capable of speaking many different languages ― it was also the moment in their lives when they became willing to use those languages to connect with people they never would have spoken to before. There was now NO excuse for not speaking to thy neighbor.

Pentecost: It was the day when Christian’s everywhere went from believing in forgiveness, to showing forgiveness.

Pentecost: It was the day when people went from thinking about what Jesus had said, to proclaiming and living-out what he had said.

It was an amazing moment; a memorable event. And believe or not, this mysterious moment is found in all of our lives ― It’s the moment when our BELIEF finally comes ALIVE: It’s the moment when our thoughts about what God has promised become in us a foundation built on faith in the GOD who fulfills promises. It’s the moment when our hopes and dreams suddenly move us to put our hands and feet to work to go forth and do good things to help bring new life…to others.

When Pentecost happens to YOU…that moment…my friends…is God’s GIFT to you. When it happens to you…may you acknowledge the MOVEMENT of God’s Spirit in your life and wholeheartedly put into practice the teachings of Jesus Christ. Amen.

(May 20) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Thu, 24 May 2012 02:13:00 +0000

John 17:6-19

Jesus was about to leave this world BUT he seemed to have achieved so little and to have won so few, there was so much more to be done, so many more to tell, so many questions still unanswered; they had tried to get a handle on the situation, to understand what exactly Jesus was talking about, to find a way to live without knowing what the future holds, to travel the road ahead without fear…like people of faith in every age, they had questions…

The New Testament scholar Dennis Smith suggests that the answer to our questions might best be found by: “Paying attention to the story; there you will find the way and there you will find God.” Pay attention to the story, to which I would add, pay attention to the larger story, the doorway of the story, the arch of the story.

“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world…” (vs. 15) Jesus said. No, let them learn to live in the world; let them learn to live with their questions; live in paradox: Christianity was never meant to hide us from life, but to better equip us for life; Christianity does not offer us total release from problems, but a better way to resolve our problems. It does not offer us a life in which troubles are escaped and evaded, but a life in which troubles are faced and conquered.

Let them live in the world… Jesus said…and in the end…once they’ve strived and strived for success―once they have achieved all they can achieve―once they accumulate all they can accumulate―once they find a way to horde all they have room to horde―once they have something happen and they begin to ponder the questions raised by life― once they ask ‘why’ a thousand times over―once they come to the end of their rope and have nothing left to hold onto―may they find the answer…all along…has been me (JC).

May they believe and go forth, Jesus prayed, may they be united in a story with a vision; a story with purpose. Help them (and us) Lord, pay closer attention, to, The Story.

(May 13) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 13 May 2012 21:32:00 +0000

John 15:9-16a

Carl Rogers, the great pioneer in psychotherapy, teaches therapist what they should communicate: “What therapist should communicate,” he says, "is that it’s not an attitude of I’ll accept you when, that helps the client, but one of I’ll accept you as you are."

In our text today we discover the Son of Man accepts us as we are. Not because we are so good at what we do, not because we are such good & perfect Christians, not because we are so good at being everything God wants us to be, not because we do everything God wants us to do, but rather, because GOD is GOOD. Such therapeutic news; to discover you and I are accepted as we are; worthy to be called friends of Christ.

Aristotle, one of the greatest philosophers of all time, thought there could be no friendship between a god and a man, anymore than a man could be a friend to his slave or his tools because they were so different in nature.

But contrary to Aristotle’s line of thinking, in the Bible we find that the whole plan of salvation is first and foremost “an act of friendship” whereby God took on human likeness so that people might take on his likeness. Contrary to logic, God’s Son walked and talked with his disciples. He listened to their petty squabbles and watched them push for position. He knew their strengths and their weaknesses. He knew also that sooner or later they would all betray, deny and desert him… And yet, he does not withdraw from them, he does not reject them.

“No longer do I call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business, instead, now I call you friends...”

Good or bad, young or old, rich or poor, Jesus invites all of us to embrace a relationship of friendship. It is an unbelievable calling. A truly tremendous offer; such therapeutic good news! No longer do we gaze at God from afar; no longer are we like outcasts who have no right to enter into the presence of their King; no longer do we not understand the business of our Master. The resurrection makes available a new kind of relationship; one where we are no longer strangers but are instead invited to walk hand-in-hand with the Creator of heaven and earth. Now, not only is God our companion and our guide; our trainer and our teacher; our good shepherd and our spiritual leader; because of the Cross of Christ......our distant Savior......is now......our closest Friend.

May 6 (Sunday Snippet)

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:45:00 +0000

John 15:1-8

“I, the Vine, with you, the branches, help God, the gardener.”

When looking closely at a vine, we discover there are many intertwined branches, winding their way around each other in intricate patterns of tight curls that make it virtually impossible to tell where one branch starts and another ends. As complicated as the metahpor of a contorted vine may sound, it is really not that complex.

As one commentator points out, although there are portions of this passage that will rub us the wrong way, the beauty of this passage is that the vineyard described in today’s text is not one that is so much intricate, but one that is intimate.

Closer than a shepherd on a hillside, closer than standing at the door and knocking, the vine is one with it's branches: “I, the Vine, am part of you, the branches.”

The Christian life found in John’s gospel today is one of gardening. There are choices to be made; weeds to be pulled; soil to be watered; branches to be pruned; things that need to be done. It is not easy work, but it is needed work. Growth does not happen on its own, just as a garden cannot remain healthy without gentle care; just like a newborn child cannot obtain nourishment without mother’s milk. On our own we fail to grow, planted firmly in the garden in a corner all alone, we gradually become less and less―we turn inward and start to shrivel, we lose our passion, forget our purpose, our soil becomes terribly dry, and eventually, we die. “Apart from me, you can do nothing,” but with me, you can have life more abundant.

When we remain in the vine and produce fruit―when we desire a relationship with God―when we are willing to follow―when we are willing to love each other as Christ first loved us―when we are willing to forgive as God forgives us―when we finally begin to want what God wants......then.and only then…do we finally start to discover what it means to live life connected to the Vine……then…and only then…do we finally realize that we are only infants (in comparison to Christ); that we are still learning to walk, just beginning to understand what it means to live life more abundant: Life more abundant, is new life in Christ, a life not so much intricate….as it is.…intimate.

(April 15) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:03:00 +0000

John 20:19-31

Doubting Thomas, as he is frequently called; but I feel sorry for him. Why? Because he has been given such a bad rap over the years. More than once has he been suspiciously characterized, scandalously criminalized and dubiously pulverized. But Thomas, my friends, is not just some run-of-the-mill laughable doubter, not just some doubting doofus, but is instead a TRUE believer.

He made that apparent in chapter eleven of John’s Gospel where it is Thomas, who, when Jesus insists on going to Judea, declares, “Let us also go with him that we may die with him.” And it is Thomas who makes the clearest, most explicit, most open acknowledgment in all the gospels of Jesus’ divinity―Jesus is Lord and God. This loyal believer who has given us the catch-phrase “doubting Thomas” deserves, in my opinion, to be remembered better than this.

When you think about it, we all doubt; no matter what is said about how important it is for us to believe without seeing, what we really want FIRST, is to see. Just like Thomas, we want evidence before we accept something, especially when people tell us something that seems impossible (like being raised from the dead).

Thus Thomas, only naturally, wants to see the marks on Jesus’ hands. And, to be honest, I don’t fault him for that; He was being confronted with a story that defied human logic. And on top of that, Jesus did appear to the other disciples a week before he appeared to Thomas. In the end, however, Thomas upon seeing Jesus believes and says to him, “My Lord and my God.”

Then Jesus does something interesting, Jesus gives him, and all of us, you might say, another Beatitude: “Blessed are they who have not seen me but still believe.” Blessed indeed are those who begin to walk in faith before they discover the answers.

In the end―once we finally see what Thomas saw―once we finally believe in that which we have not seen (the Resurrected Lord; the one who overcomes death with life; the one who heals our hearts, who has known our sorrows and can heal all of our spiritual wounds.) Once we call out to the one who stands at the door and knocks and calls out to us―it is time―when we finally let go of our ego and reach out to the Lord―it is time―time for us to confront our own doubts― time to let go of all uncertainty―time to call out to Jesus in faith, “My Lord, my God, I do believe…it's time...to overcome...my unbelief.”

(April 8) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 03:04:00 +0000

John 19:38-42

All four gospels mention Joseph of Arimathea. He was a rich man, an honorable counselor, a member of the Sanhedrin, an upright and just man; it was yet another fulfillment of prophecy that Jesus was to be buried by a rich man (Isaiah 53:9 “His grave was assigned with wicked men, but he was with a rich man in his death...”).

Even if Peter or John would have had the couraage to request a meeting with Pilate and ask for the body, it is doubtful either of them would have obtained a hearing with the governor. But Joseph of Arimathea - as an influential member of the Sanhedrin - had both access to Pilate and the commanding presence needed to have his request granted. So Joseph gets the okay and calls on a friend, Nicodemus, both afraid to make their allegiance known because of their positions in the Jewish community, both secret disciples of Christ, both tenderly take down the body of Jesus and remove it from the scene of the crucifixion to ready it for embalming.

They lavish their wealth on the body of their Lord. It was a burial preparation with all the care and protection that love could suggest, and wealth could provide. Rich evenly cut bandages, not the old rags the rabbis say were used on criminals, hid the tortured body from the horror of what just happened. The perfumed fragrance of spices filled the air...

John tells us in vs. 41, “there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, a place where no one had ever been laid.” In a new tomb in a garden Christ’ body was laid. As one scholar cleverly points out: “In the garden of Eden death and the grave first received their power, and now, in a garden, they are conquered. He who was born from a virgin womb, must now rise from a virgin-tomb.”

And so without pageantry or ceremony, in a clean new tomb in a garden, the body of the Savior of the world is laid to rest; while the rest of the world - went about its business. But not for everyone; after watching what the world did to Christ the Lord there could no longer be any compromise - not for two people. Up till now both of them had been secret disciples, but not any longer. Calvary made the difference!

Already the power of the Cross had begun to operate - Already the power of the Cross was beginning to draw all people to the Love of Christ - Already the power of the Cross was making a difference…

The death of Jesus had done for two people what not even his life could do - it propelled them to do something – to openly show their love – to put their hidden faith into tangible action.

This Easter Sunday let each of us carefully consider how we might propagate the power of the Cross by putting our faith into action, not someday, not in death to come, but right here right now, in the life we live today!

(April 1) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 05:02:00 +0000

Mark 11:1-10

Hey JC won’t you smile at me.

If you’re divine turn my water into wine.

Prove to me that you’re no fool

walk across my swimming pool.

Those are some of the words from the famous rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar”; words/songs that have captured our attention for several decades now. And, believe it or not, they sort-of reflect the attitude, the glimmer and glam, the hype of that first Palm Sunday. It was a day of festive religiosity. It was sort-of like a carnival or a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. It was the Mardi Gras event of the year - it was Passover and the city was crammed with people.

And Jesus, well, the reputation about him had already spread. Especially since producing the mightiest miracle he had ever done (raising someone from the dead). It was only yesterday that he raised Lazarus from the dead, and then while nearing the great city, Jesus healed two blind beggars. The people had heard about these miracles; everyone wanted to see if he could pull off another trick like that. If the Houdini of the Holy Land could pull another trick out of his bag, then maybe, just maybe, they would believe.

(That was one group of people who where there on that first Palm Sunday)

There was also a second group of people there that day. This second group, though, didn’t want a religious carnival; they weren’t looking for the Houdini of the Holy Land; they weren’t looking for one more magic trick. No. These people were much more serious. They had other concerns in mind. They were looking for a political revolution. For this group of people it was like the democratic and republican conventions rolled into one. It was political pandemonium. By-partisan political convention chaos. The town was ready to blow at any moment, all it needed was just one spark.

Jesus Christ, if you’re divine, throw out

those bloody Roman swine.”

There must be over fifty thousand
Screaming love and more for YOU.
Every one of fifty thousand
Would do whatever you asked them TO.
Keep them yelling their devotion,
But add a touch of hate at Rome
when we rise to power
We’ll win ourselves a new home.

And so there they are - two groups of people - those who wanted more and those who wanted rebellion. Those who wanted more of something, but not sure what, and those who wanted a rebellion, but wanted someone else to start it. Those who wanted more to believe in, and those who wanted more reform to transform them…

…And so here WE are - one group of us wanting MORE, and the other, perhaps, wanting something ELSE. One group wanting New Life, the other relishing in a Past Life. One wanting to believe in a vision, but not sure how - the other wanting transformation, but not willing to help the transforming begin.

So here WE are, on this Palm Sunday, hoping, believing, dreaming, journeying through life together...each with different needs, each with different desires. Yet despite our differences of opinion, our variety of ideas; despite the fact that some of our personalities seem to be miles apart, despite all of that and more...we are still two groups of people with absolutely positively TWO things in common:

We ALL fall short of the glory of God (and)

ALL of us need of a Savior.

(March 25) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 04:33:00 +0000

John 12:20-33

There is a story by Loren Eiseley about a man called the Star Thrower. The story goes like this…once upon a time on a beautiful beach occasionally the tide and surf would be just right and would cause a lot of sea shells and starfish to be washed onto shore. Some of these were very rare and would bring a good price, so after being washed ashore professional collectors and shop owners would go down to the beach early in the morning and pick them up in order to sale.

On one particular morning an unusually large amount of shells had been tossed ashore, and far off at the end of the beach, in the distant horizon, was an older man all by himself picking up starfish after starfish, and, one at a time, throwing them back into the sea.

Curiosity got the best of a certain young lad who happened to be watching - so the young lad just had to ask - “How what he was doing could make a difference in the face of such an endless beach full of stranded starfish.” And at that moment, as the older man threw another starfish back into the sea, he turned to the young boy and said, “It made a difference to that one.”

I like to think that in this story Jesus was the star thrower. That he was the one, who, like a star thrower, came among us, and that we, like stranded starfish, long for the ocean from which we came. In obedience to a higher calling Jesus came among us to rescue us, to set us free from the power of death by returning us to the ocean of God’s love. In a fragmented world, He came to restore wholeness to those who lay stranded on a shore of despair…

“My heart is troubled,” Jesus said, “shall I ask my Father to save me from this hour? No, by no means, for this very hour is the reason I’m here.” And so today we get to listen, hear what Jesus (the star thrower) is thinking, thoughts that take us all the way to Calvary; a road that by no means would be easy to travel; agony in the garden, mocking, physical abuse, flogging, the crown of thorns, the heavy splintering cross, the agony of crucifixion, the horror of darkness, the bitter taste of death...

Since the marriage feast at Cana when Jesus excused himself on the grounds that “his hour” had not yet come (2:4) that hour has been lurking mysteriously in the shadows. He began walking toward that mysterious hour the hour he was born. He came closer the hour he was baptized. Think about how close he was to that hour when he rode into Jerusalem on a colt.

That mysterious hour has finally made its way to the forefront. In chapter eight they could not arrest him because his hour had not yet come (7:6; 8:20), today that hour has at last come… “Now my heart is troubled” Jesus said, “what shall I do?” But instead of praying for rescue he embraces the cross bearing work of liberation. “Now my heart is troubled,” Jesus said, for the hour has come for me to become a Star Thrower.

And so it is, on this, the last Sunday of Lent, that John’s gospel comes along and reminds us one more time what Jesus is about to do―that he’s about to stretch out his arms on a CROSS and throw ALL of US soul stranded starfish back into the ocean of God’s LOVE. For that is the reason I came, Jesus said, to draw ALL people unto me―the Crucified and Exalted Redeemer of the World.

(March 18) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 01:44:00 +0000

John 3:9-17 & Numbers 21:4-9

Nicodemus had failed to grasp the teaching about new birth so Jesus presents it to him by means of an object-lesson from a story Nicodemus would have been familiar with since childhood…

It all started not long after Israel’s victory against the King of Arad under the leadership of Moses. Things were going quit well but what followed was a long journey, and the people got discouraged. They started to complain to Moses, and to God. They really took their complaining up a few notches when they were unable to cross Edomite territory, which meant they had to go around, which meant they would have to turn back toward the Red Sea that they had already crossed. They were upset. There’s not enough water. There’s not enough food. And this food you’ve given us to eat―the manna―well, to tell you the truth, we really don’t like it, enough already!

Of course this wasn’t the first time the people had spoken out against their deliverer, and it wouldn’t be the last. But this time God decided to send them a very unique illustration; poisonous snakes begin to slither throughout the camp. Many who were bitten, died. The survivors cry out to Moses and he intercedes for them, in accordance with his instructions from God, Moses makes a bronze serpent and lifts it up on a pole in the middle of camp for everyone to see. This was their Divine Antidote; if a snake bites anyone he or she should merely look up at the bronze serpent on the pole, and live! I used to believe everyone looked up and lived, but now I’m not so sure…

And so here we are, Jesus is walking and talking with Nicodemus who has come during the night to speak with the One everybody is talking about. And Jesus gives Nicodemus quite a lengthy earful. “You are a teacher, right” Jesus says, “why, then, do you not understand these things?” Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.

The parallel between the lifting up of the snake on a pole and the lifting up of Jesus on a Cross, to us, is rather obvious. Jesus on the Cross became like that bronze snake, not a comparison between Jesus and the serpent, as one commentator points out, “but a comparison, in both cases, between the saving effect of the lifting up.”

And so we come to the fourth Sunday of Lent, making our way through the darkness the best we know how, and one more time we are being asked to turn our focus to God – once again we are being challenged to never forget the covenant relationship God established with us – once again we are being prodded to Look Up – and much like that last miracle of Moses on the borders of the promised land, God offers US one last miracle as well – Easter– a chance at new life, a divine antidote, a heavenly solution to the human condition, a way to be “born again.”

(March 11) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 02:35:00 +0000

John 2:13-22

Jesus’ disruption that day in the temple was a powerful sign of the disruption of the way things were. It’s a crisis scene, a confrontation that gave the authorities the evidence they needed. Look, they pointed - Jesus of Nazareth is a troublemaker and he needs to be dealt with before things get out of hand.

In today’s reading we see anger flair its nostrils - we see an angry Jesus. Today Jesus goes into the Temple and he sees the people there selling cattle and sheep and birds - he sees the money-changers at their booths constantly modifying the exchange rates. He hears the noise, the shouting, the bargaining, the bragging, the bleating of lambs and the cooing of doves: He sees and hears and smells all of these things that are supposedly there for the sake of God’s people, and he becomes tremendously angry!

And so he takes some cord, probably his belt, and he lashes out with it, he flails it at the merchants and the money changers, tossing over their tables and flinging their coins to the ground. He opens the cages and sets the birds free, he runs about chasing the cattle and the sheep and all their owners from the courtyard, all the while shouting: Stop this! What have you done! What are you doing? Get these things out of here! You have turned my Father’s house into a market place, you’ve made it a den of thieves! Get out! Get out!

Believe it or not everything Jesus rejected in the temple that day was put there, at one time, with the best of intentions, they were put there to help people seek God. They were put there, at one time, to help people remember to thank God for his love and mercy. But what had started out as a good thing, eventually turned into an unhealthy thing…

…the temple had become a place that exploited the need for salvation, rather than a place that furthered it. Rather than being a place that nurtured the spiritual health of others, it was a place that oppressed the spirit of others.

I wonder if there are still some things today that provoke Jesus to that kind of anger?

I wonder if there are any false ideas or concepts that need to be driven out of our churches in America?

I wonder if there are, perhaps, any false ideas or concepts that need to be driven out of our personal lives?

Unfortunately, we don’t have to look very far to see all around us the commercialization of religion, like those people on TV who cash in on our need to be healed, or those folks who ask for your donation and in return ‘guarantee’ that you will receive a blessing. Yes, the temple merchants are still among us.

Jesus’ disruption that day in the temple was a powerful sign of Jesus’ disruption of the way things once were. BEFORE it was the LAW that saved, NOW it is the Cross of Christ that saves!

This Lenten season, may all of us take (make) the time to clear out our temple – let us make this the year that we ask Jesus to help us clear out the clutter that gets in the way of our relationship with God. Amen.

(March 4) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 22:13:00 +0000

Mark 8:27-35

In today’s text we see Jesus express curiosity - he wonders - “How was he being perceived by the people?” Was he seen as a sideshow, or a revolutionary, or a rabbi, or merely a fleeting fad? So He asks the disciples, “When you’re out there, when you’re going for supplies or drawing water at the well or visiting other villages, asking directions, doing your work, what are they saying? Who do people say I am?” Naturally the disciples begin to answer in human categories - in terms they were used to hearing and saying… some said that he was John the Baptist, indeed many would have heard of “the Baptizer” or maybe Elijah (a hope that had been whispered for many generations) or maybe he was simply just another self-proclaimed prophet.

But human categories do not fully describe who Jesus is… so he challenges the disciples to say who they thought he was…of course, Peter, the outspoken one of the group, claims to fully understand the big picture, it was obvious to him - Jesus is the Messiah. He followed Jesus along with the others and had seen first-hand the signs of the new kingdom: sick being healed, lepers being cleansed, tax collectors becoming disciples, Jesus walking on water - so when pressed for an answer, Peter proudly exclaimed, “You are the Messiah.”

How easily we too can get off track with our good intentions, just like in the case of Peter, for, you see, he had the right answer BUT did not fully understand the meaning - sort of like when a child innocently repeats what they’ve heard someone else say without really knowing or fully understanding the meaning or the full impact of their words.

“Who do you say I am?” Jesus asked. “Why would he ask such a question?” Peter likely thought to himself, but not long after that, for whatever reason, he took Jesus aside. Struggling, perhaps, with Jesus’ leadership over the group; struggling, perhaps, with the direction Jesus was taking them; Peter didn’t seem to fully grasp Jesus’ vision and rather than taking the time to fully understand, what does he do? Peter rebukes the One who he had just declared was the Messiah.

Peter took Jesus aside, and by doing so, he brought shame upon himself because of the scandal his actions brought to the group. What Peter did in that part of the world in Jesus’ day was considered extremely dishonorable. The only thing obvious to me in this story is that it’s obvious Jesus’ full identity was not recognized by even those who stood in his presence.

Jesus’ training of the twelve was not over, not by any means. The time had come to test their understanding, to remind them of who he was, and to help them get a fuller picture of what discipleship really means. What does Jesus do? He tells Peter to get out of his way - “Get behind me Satan” - you only care for the world’s opinion, not God's will.

No harsher words could be spoken. Jesus rebukes Peter in front of the others and boldly reasserts his authority. What Peter had done was not the way of a true disciple, especially not a follower of the King of Kings. Jesus not only rebukes Peter in front of the others, but decides that it’s time to define what the nature of true discipleship really means: “If anyone would come after me,” he says, “they must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me.”

…The disciples had not fully understood who Jesus was…now they begin to more deeply understand…that following Jesus is a journey - a journey that takes you to a cross - to a cross that says whoever wants to save their life, must lose it - to a cross that says whoever loses their life for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. A life journey that says - it’s better to burn out than it is to rust out - it’s better to follow a dream than it is to simply just fade away.

(Feb. 26) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:49:00 +0000

Genesis 9:8-17

Interesting, this promise God makes…interesting because it’s not made explicitly, unequivocally, only to Noah and his sons, but is made, rather, to ALL living creatures, to ALL generations to come.

And God said, in verse 12, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, and for all generations to come.” It is a formal agreement between two parties - God and ALL of creation.

Of course, as you know, we humans have been making covenants for a long time, you also know that these agreements/contracts/covenants usually come with strings attached, such as, “If you pay, I will protect” - “If you abide, I will comply” - “If you do this, I will agree to do that.” But what is so AMAZING to me about God’s covenant with ALL life and all of creation is that God’s covenant does not appear to have any strings attached…

It is a covenant without any IF clauses, such as, “if you follow each and every rule” or “if you would only pray three times a day” or “if you would only sing every verse of every song” or “if you memorize the Apostle’s Creed.” No, the covenant God makes with all creation is an unconditional covenant, a covenant of love in which God promises to remember us even if, and even when, we forget about God.

It’s not that God is simply willing to sit back and tolerate our shortcomings (that’s not what I’m saying)…what I am saying is that rather than flood the earth and do something God said he would never do again God sent to earth, a Savior. Rather than kill, God sent Jesus Christ who was willing to die. Rather than punish, God is willing to forgive. Rather than destroy, God offers the chance to gain new life. And that, my friends, is good news; the good news that to the sign of the rainbow God added - the sign of the Cross.

To the sign of the rainbow Jesus added the sign of the Cross - a sign of Victory - a covenant that through His death means that someday all tears will be wiped away, all pain will vanish, all sorrow will cease - the pouring out of tears we cry today will someday dry up and forever go away. In the place of destructive flood waters, there will someday be only the calm of eternity - in the place of heavenly tears, there will someday be a heavenly rainbow, and in the place of our sin there now stands, for all the world to see, for all of eternity, the sign of a Cross…

On this, the first Sunday of Lent, let us begin our journey toward Easter with sincere self-examination, honest humility and heartfelt jubilation that to the sign of the RAINBOW - God added - the sign of the CROSS.

Ash Wed. Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:08:00 +0000

Matthew 4:1-11

The situation Jesus encounters in our reading, even in the best of circumstances, would be terrifying to say the least: a Middle Eastern wilderness, an environment where a person would have to battle both physically and emotionally just to survive. It was the desert region of the lower Jordan Valley. It was, if you will, the place where Jesus first encountered the dark side.

In the wilderness, all music stops. Alone in the wilderness solitude can become a strange friend. The silence is broken, however, after 40 days and nights by the verbal combat of two worthy foes. This is not some words with friends game, it’s not a scriptural quiz show to reveal the weakest link, nor a contest to see who knows more Bible trivia - no, this is one of the most dramatic stories in the New Testament. It is the confrontation between Jesus and the devil, between of the Son of God and the Opponent of God.

Bread? Of course hungry people must be fed. But bread comes from the hand of God and not from you, Satan.

Physical safety? God takes no interest in self-centered audacity, ‘Do not test the Lord,’ Satan.

Political power? Universal justice will reign supreme in the new Kingdom. But not at any price - ‘Away from me Satan.’

One of the points I think Matthew teaches here is that the real battle is to be waged and won - on the inside. That the real conflict, the real opposition, is not so much out there, as it is in here (in the heart, mind and soul). With that thought, the temptation, then, is perhaps a desire to live on bread alone by thriving on a lack of concern; the temptation, perhaps, is to put the Lord to the test by rationalizing away all God has provided; the temptation, perhaps, is to divide rather than unite; to promote self rather than promote the glory of God; to worship more than one god, rather than serving God only.

Ash Wednesday - the day we begin our journey inward, and we begin it by together going toward the resurrection, toward new life. Lent is when some of us will be prodded by God to discover our true identity, or lack thereof; to confront our temptations; to evaluate our spiritual condition. Whatever it is for you and me, the good news is, it is ultimately a journey of God’s LOVE for US.

(Feb. 19) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:13:00 +0000

Mark 2:1-12

The word is out, in spite of Jesus wanting everyone to keep things a secret, the crowds are coming, and they keep coming, gathering around him, demanding his attention, wanting to see him. People are traveling from all over; sick people, unclean people, and just plain curious people. The problem is not that there’s too much going on, but the crowds, the multitudes which have been such a positive sign of Jesus' popularity start to keep those who really need to see Jesus, at bay.

But some in this large crowd are just too creative, too determined, too cleaver to be frustrated by this seemingly inconvenient obstacle. In today’s story four people carrying a paralyzed man do not give up when they realize they cannot get near Jesus; they do not declare their task impossible; they do not go home in despair.

What, instead, do they do? They take the roof off the house where Jesus is, and they don’t just peel back a few shingles, they dig with hands and primitive tools through what must have been some combination of adobe, wood, thatch, and maybe even stone.

They didn't care about the obstacles. They wanted to get to Jesus. They had an idea, and they went for it. “What have we got to lose?” (they must have said) “Let’s give it a try.” So, to the roof they went. They made a way. They persevered.

At some point you (we) will probably have to do the same. Maybe it will mean thinking differently about something, risking something, doing things in a slightly different way. Maybe, in our personal lives, we will need to rearrange our schedule. Or go at things from a different direction. Get our priorities in order. Make the time. Make a way.

Today’s story is a good example of what we (you, me, and the church) are being called by God to do – be so determined to dig a hole in the roof and turn our paralysis over to God to be healed that we will do whatever it takes – called to faithfully wait on one hand while we fervently work with the other – called to craft a vision, with God’s help, until it becomes a reality.

(Feb. 12) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:49:00 +0000

Mark 1:40-45

In antiquity, having a sickness like leprosy carried with it a double whammy, not only was anything that you touched presumed to be physically contagious, but you were also seen as spiritually inferior, cursed, and therefore should at all cost be avoided .... And so it was, once upon a time, that those with leprosy, or any kind of skin problem as far as that goes, were expelled from the community to live outside the city in a camp with the rest of the people who had been banned from town.

A leper was walking death that lasted an average of nine years until its victim finally collapsed in a pile of decay.They were not allowed to live in town, they had to live outside the city in a camp with the rest of those who had been banned. They had to live in a place where they were not allowed to touch, or hug even their loved ones. Anything they did touch could never again be used by anyone other than those who were expelled. They had to announce their presence to others by crying out in a loud voice “unclean, unclean” whenever they came near anyone who did not have the curse they supposedly had. By the middle ages, lepers were required to wear bells around their necks to announce their proximity so others could avoid contact with them.

And so it was, once upon a time, that Jesus responds to the cry of a leper; one reason Jesus responds, one commentator suggests, is perhaps because Jesus could identify with this man’s condition. For Jesus too would be an outcast from his own family and his own people. He will, in effect, be declared ‘unclean’ and cast out of the city to be executed. And when, at the end of his ministry, he is examined by the priests, he will be found to be not worthy of the community’s acceptance. Just as the lepers wore bandages for their skin treatment process that mimicked the dressing of a corpse, so Jesus will die, and be wrapped in a shroud.

And so it was that in today’s gospel a man with leprosy comes up to Jesus begging on his knees, and with a loving word and a compassionate touch, Jesus reaches out -- and the leper is cured -- the unthinkable becomes the conceivable, Jesus touches a leper, and the gap between what is clean and unclean, is suddenly bridged; the concerns of God are instantly exalted -- God is more concerned with inner beauty than with outer attractiveness -- No one is too different, too spiritually removed to be outside the realm of the merciful, compassionate touch of Christ our Lord. That is good news.

(Feb. 5) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:01:00 +0000

Mark 1:33-38

“The whole town gathered at the door” scripture tells us. Yet it is the crowds, interestingly enough, which seem to begin creating a problem for Jesus’ ministry. And so early one morning, while it was still dark, Jesus gets up and goes to an isolated place, a quiet place, and there he prays. Jesus needs time alone; time to meditate; think; refocus.

Then dawn breaks, a new day arrives, and everyone wants to know, “Where is Jesus?” So his friends set out to find him, literally, they track him down to inform him that the masses are clinging to his every word, that everyone is searching for him. In response Jesus says to them, “Let’s move on; go to the nearby villages so I can preach there as well, for that is what I came to do.”

Isn’t that interesting? Instead of buying into the enormous popularity that his words and deeds had won him, Jesus seems to be distinctly uninterested in the kind of success other people wanted for him. He resisted peer pressure, you might say. The goal of making a big name for himself wasn’t his kind of goal, and when he did get a big name, Jesus had no desire to cash in on it.

Who knows what Jesus went off early before dawn to think and pray about (scriptures do not say) but by setting an example of what it means to keep our priorities straight - by modeling the importance of taking time out of our busy lives to recapture our focus - by showing us the importance of stopping whatever it is that we’re doing that is perhaps hindering our call - I believe Jesus here is illustrating what it looks like to live a life of balance and wholeness in a fragmented world.

And so early one morning, well before dawn, Jesus gets up and goes to a private place, a quiet place to pray. He needs alone time, some time to refocus, to reflect on who he was; to find balance between his God given mission and his Incarnate humanity; to think about his purpose. This is what all of us in life are being called to do - find balance - discover wholeness.

Simon and his companions went looking for Jesus, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" May we find balance and discover the wholeness we’re looking for as well.

(Jan. 29) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:53:00 +0000

Mark 1:21-28

On one particular Sabbath Jesus decides to go to the synagogue and teach - it was here that Jesus entered a network of pre-existing relationships and the people encounter a new teaching. What is this new teaching that so astonished Jesus’ audience? Well, we don't really know. Not a word of Jesus' teaching is remembered here on this particular day. Whatever it was that so astonished the people was not written down.

I suppose we will never know what Jesus taught on this particular day - but what we do know is, HOW, he taught: “as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” So there it is…perhaps…the answer we’ve been waiting for.

Yet authority seems to be precisely what the scribes already had...

So we read on - when suddenly - we are unexpectedly interrupted by a crazy man. Right in the middle of the service, perhaps in the middle of the sermon, we hear a wild voice, disruptive, disorderly. Where are the ushers? Who let this man in? “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?” His shouting drowns out the preacher - “Have you come to destroy us?” Us? We look around. There is only one man shouting. Clearly, he’s schizophrenic. “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” The preacher comes down from the pulpit, calmly side-tracking from whatever it was he was trying to say, and confronts the man, or rather the voice: “Be silent, Come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, crying with a loud screech, comes out of the man.

Is that it? Is that all there is? Is that what we’re left with to contemplate, to consider? Evidence that Jesus’ authority was recognized by a crazy man? Can we really trust the witness of an unclean spirit? But we had hoped for something so more, much more. Yet, over and over again in Mark's gospel, interestingly enough, it’s the demons who know who Jesus is. Those who were crazy called him the Holy One - those who were sane - put him to death.

…With power and authority - Jesus spoke words that had an affect - and thus - “news about him spread quickly over the entire region.” Jesus spoke words that had an affect… Perhaps that is the answer we’ve been looking for… That today’s gospel story is not so much about an encounter with the supernaturall - but more about the influence of words, more about a message which apparently had an unforgettable effect on others.

So on one Sabbath Jesus decides to go to the synagogue and teach. His lecture strikes a chord with His listeners who sense that His teaching is different… His word’s were probing and influential, His message was effective… it took effect.

There it is...perhaps... the answer we’ve been looking for…That as we go forth re-telling and re-living the message of Jesus Christ - that as we go forth seeking-out ways to have an effect on others, that news about the life and work of St. Paul’s will spread … and people (out there) will begin to scratch their heads and say: What is this? They will ask. It is our way of living out the good news, we will say to them.

Is this a new teaching? They will ask. No, it’s the story of Jesus Christ we will say to them - and then with arms open wide we will show them God's LOVE.

(Jan. 22) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:18:00 +0000

Jonah 3:1-3

As the story goes…God asks Jonah to go to Nineveh, a corrupt city, and tell them that if they repent they will not be destroyed. Well this annoys Jonah, who thinks the Ninevites deserve whatever they get. After peevishly pouting and fretting, Jonah comes up with a plan, he decides to run away by boarding the nearest ship and sailing as far away as he can possibly go in order to flee from God.

But there is a storm, and in desperation the sailors toss Jonah (who told them he was fleeing God) overboard into the sea, (he is, after all, a runaway from his religion) and Jonah is swallowed by a huge fish, a whale. Jonah prays to the Lord for three days and at the end of that time the Lord tells the fish to spit Jonah out onto dry land. After all this God again asks Jonah to go to Nineveh; eventually he does, reluctantly. The people hear Jonah’s message, and ALL of them, from the greatest to the least, repent. The Lord, upon seeing this, has compassion and does not bring about the destruction he had threatened.

Jonah is not the first person to run away from God and will certainly not be the last. Travel north east to Nineveh, God tells Jonah, but the stubborn prophet deliberately heads west. Like a scared house cat Jonah does exactly the opposite; he wants no part of the job God assigned. Yet in the long run there is no escape. After a number of extraordinary experiences at sea, Jonah finds himself seated somewhere on a sunny beach with that same job bouncing right back at him again...“Arise! Go to Nineveh!” the Lord said…stop trying to flee your calling.

In a world where celebrities and politicians come announcing their own agenda―Jonah comes along today in the voice of a less-than-perfect prophet announcing GOD’s agenda. We can attempt to flee, throughout life we will again and again try to flee, but in the end there is no place to hide―the GOOD news―we may try to walk out on God―but God will NEVER walk out on us!

“Arise, and go forth” the Lord says (to you and me)―stop trying to flee your calling―but rather―learn to embrace your calling.

(Jan. 15) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:38:00 +0000

I Samuel 3:1-10

Samuel was a special gift from God to his mother Hannah. He was dedicated to the Lord at his birth and was sent out at a young age to live with an elderly priest named Eli to serve as his assistant. Why did Hannah do this? Perhaps because, as verse one tells us, “in those days the word of the Lord was rare”… and so Samuel was sent to live in a place where he had the chance to witness sacrifices being made to God in the temple, to a place where he would have the opportunity to pray, to serve, to reflect on Divine teaching, to be reminded of the ancient stories about God.

“The word of the Lord was rare - there were not many visions.” “Just like old Eli,” one commentator suggests, “Israel had grown deaf and blind.” They did not hear God. They saw no observable evidence of God. Long gone were the days of visible manna on the ground and cloudy pillars in the sky going up ahead of the people.

Leaders of great stature like Moses and Joshua were just a memory. Their peak was in the past. It was a gloomy grey, desperately dark time. But things are about to turn around. As the foreshadowing of verse 3 points out - “the lamp of God had not yet gone out.” The lamp in question was the golden Menorah which God long ago had instructed Moses to assemble. God’s instructions stated that this lamp was to be fueled by oil which the people were supposed to bring to the temple. The priests, of course, were in charge of tending the lamps, BUT it was the people who were in charge of keeping the lamps full of fuel.

As a sign of God’s permanent presence in the temple this lamp must never be allowed to go out… it was a treacherous time, but not without some measure of hope. After all, the lamp of God had not yet gone out. And so God calls to Samuel one night, and Samuel gets up to ask Eli what he wanted. But Eli had not called. This happened a second time and finally Eli realized that God was calling Samuel and instructed the child, coached the child to answer, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Yahweh did call again, and this time Samuel responded… Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” And so it was that Samuel finally heard what it was God wanted to say to him, so it was that Samuel learned the fate which was to fall upon Eli, so it was that Samuel becomes a transitional representation - the hope of a new beginning. The lamp burns brightly, once again.

The times may have been somewhat dark in the days of Samuel, and the presence of God among his people may have been somewhat sporadic, but the good news is - the lamp of God had not yet gone out. Isn’t that the promise of Christmas - the promise of Epiphany’s Light? That the light of the world that shines at Christmas and Epiphany still shines after Christmas and Epiphany. That the tongues of flame that once danced on Pentecost still flare forth with redeeming power month’s after Pentecost.

Isn’t that our promise as well – that “the light of God’s love (in our life) has NOT gone out yet.” Isn't that...GOOD news!

(Jan. 1) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Genesis, the book of beginnings, opens with the image of newness everywhere. In fact, if asked how to describe God, one could reasonably say that the God of the Bible is the God of new beginnings. God is the one who is perpetually “doing a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19). God is the one who has the ability to make “all things new” (Rev. 21:5). God is the one who extends to US an invitation to become a new creation, to sing a new song, to enter into newness of life with Christ.

As a sign that we humans need new beginnings, God decides to do something extremely different, unexpected, unconventional – God sends to earth a sign that things are going to be different...good news about the Birth of a Savior is told first, to shepherds! Not to queens or kings, not to the high and mighty, not to the rich and powerful, but to poor lowly shepherds keeping watch over their flocks.

And where are the shepherds suppose to go find this King of Kings? Not to Jerusalem. Not to some elaborate gold temple or pearl laced palace, but to some place that was really no place at all, a cave-like structure/a barn-like stable near Bethlehem wrapped in rags lying in a feeding trough. The old way is ending, a new beginning has begun. The Word has become flesh. Heaven above now dwells with the earthlings down below.

And so as we step boldly once again across the threshold into another new year…perhaps our greatest HOPE should be that GOD is NOT finished with US; that God is still at work in creation; that God is alive and well and still at work in our lives and in the life and work of The Church; that God is still speaking to us, whether ever so faint (or loud and clear)…God is the God of new beginnings, of second chances, of transition, of renovation…

Our work as Christian's, our work as the Church, in part, I believe, in the years to come, is to help people discover that God is still speaking to them as well; that God is not finished with any of us; that God will continue to “unconventionally” surprise us all.

(Dec. 25) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 18:54:00 +0000

Luke 2:8-14

The good news for all of us is that we have the glorious season of Christmas which comes again and again, year after year, to remind us (and) to renew within us, the realization of the wonderful gift to us from a God who sent his only son into the world to take on our faults, and replace them with the Christmas message of light, hope, peace and love. In many of the Christmas stories that are read from Scripture during the weeks before Christmas, we hear of God’s agents, the angels, delivering the message: “Do not be afraid.”

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah to announce that his wife Elizabeth would become the mother of John the Baptist, Gabriel’s first words to him were, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard”. Not long after, Gabriel appeared again, this time to Mary, to announce that she would be the mother of Jesus. And again his first words were, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God”.

An angel appeared to Joseph, as well. He was engaged to Mary and was upset about her pregnancy, but the angel said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit”.

And finally, on Christmas Day, in today’s text, in glorious splendor and light, an angel appeared to the shepherds on a hillside while they were tending their sheep and said to them, “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy."

The amazing fact, the extraordinary similarity, the profound parallel, between ALL the characters in the Christmas story - is this - they were just ordinary folk, regular people, common citizens, who, each in their own way, were asked to overcome their fears: people who had nothing to claim, who had no fame, who had nothing to hold onto except their faith in God.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were elderly, and I’m sure many of their friends and neighbors had much to say as Elizabeth became obviously pregnant in her old age. Mary, on the other hand, was just a child of perhaps fourteen or fifteen. She was not married and so was seen by society as a disgrace to her family.

No one would have said anything if Joseph had decided to send her away. According to the custom in those days, he could have had her put to death. But because of the angel’s words he stood by her and remained faithful to her, and to God.

As for the shepherds, well, they were considered the lowest of the low. Bad odor and all, dirty from herding their sheep, they lived apart from the other townspeople, they were looked down upon. And yet they were the first to hear the news of Jesus’ birth. ALL of these people were asked to do difficult things, things that were out of character for them,- things we can be sure they never would have decided to do for themselves. It is no wonder that they were so afraid...

...Christmas is here, once again, and it is the time when God confronts each and every one of us, again, year after year, with whose anniversary this is, with whose day this is, with whose sacrifice this really is…

...Christmas is here, once again, it is the time when God confronts us with whose Son it is lying in the manger - the time when God says to each of us: “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy.”

Like I said before...all of the characters in the Christmas story are just ordinary folk, regular people, common citizens...just like all of US, for we too, you see, are part of the Christmas Story as well - you and I have a part to play - all of us, in own way, are being asked to overcome our fears and move forward in FAITH. “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news…” I have big plans for you, I want you to help spread the good news that Christ the Lord, a Savior has been born.

(Dec. 11) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:20:00 +0000

John 1:6-8,19-28

John the Baptizer is the voice of one announcing that God is near, begging us to wake up, wanting us to cleanse ourselves, to prepare ourselves for the One who will liberate us. The Judean priests and Levites who came out to confront him want nothing to upset their stability, their peaceful familiarity, their self-conceived concepts, their ideas, their comfort level, their way of doing things organized around the very ancient time-tested traditions of temple worship. They are deeply invested in their beliefs, their way of doing things - that is why John is such a threat to them.

So naturally, inquisitively they ask John upfront and forthright – “Are you Elijah?”. It was the Jewish belief that before the Messiah came, Elijah would return to announce his coming and to prepare the world to receive the Messiah. Elijah would settle once and for all which people were clean and which were unclean; he would settle who were Jews and who were not Jews; he would unite the divided; but John boldly, bluntly denies any such honor – “No,” he tells them, “I am not Elijah.”

Then they ask him if he was the expected Prophet. It was believed by some that Isaiah and, especially Jeremiah, would return at the coming of the Messiah. Some were waiting for the emergence of a prophet who would be the greatest of all the prophets; but once again, John directly denies any such honor – “No,” he says to them, “I am not he.” Finally they say to John, we need to know, “Who are You?” That was the burning question. John’s preaching had touched a chord. Not even the Sanhedrin could ignore the vibrating strings of John’s testimony. The expectation of a new king thrilled a nation - as a result of what John was preaching - messianic anticipation filled the air. They just had to know, they wanted to know, they needed to know, they just couldn’t stand NOT knowing. So with burning hearts and curious souls they ask more, one last time: “Who are you?” – “What do you say about yourself?”

“Who are YOU?” What better way this Advent season for us to put our lives in order, what better way for us to further develop ourselves, to prepare ourselves, to evaluate ourselves…what better way for us to enjoy the moment while planning for the future than for us to consider the same burning, probing question John was asked to answer… “Who do you claim to be?”…

NO, you are not the Messiah; NO, you are not Elijah; NO you are not a Prophet, but YES you have been called to be a VOICE that tells others about the coming of THE King; someone who tells (and shows) others what the Christmas Gift of God’s LOVE looks like.

(Dec. 4) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:13:00 +0000

Mark 1:1-8

Repent: A man with clothing made of camel’s hare and a leather belt around his waist who dines on locusts and wild honey, is preaching today, just days before Christmas.

Repent: The frazzle haired freak proclaimed; now there’s an “advertising gimmick” you’ll never forget; there’s a “catch word” we don’t like to talk about.

In the Zen tradition of the far east is a concept about repentance that I would like to talk about, the idea is expressed in a story about a man who went to visit a great Zen master one day. Master he said - teach me what I need to know to have a happy life. I have studied the sacred scriptures, I have visited the greatest teachers in the land, but I have not found the answer, please - teach me the way.

At this point the Zen master served tea to his guest. He poured his visitor’s tea cup, full, and then kept on pouring and pouring until the tea started to run over the rim of the cup and across the table, yet still he poured; tea gushed off the table and across the floor, yet still he poured. The man sat and watched this until he could no longer restrain himself. “It’s over-full, stop, no more will go in” he cried out.

“Like this cup,” the Zen master said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you the way unless you first empty your cup?”

Thus, in a similar kind of way, John the Baptist came to prepare the way of the Lord NOT by building a free-for-all freeway but by probing people to prepare the way by FIRST emptying their CUPS; reminding us all that if we are to have life more abundant, we must prepare by changing direction, by doing things differently, by freeing ourselves from ourselves.

Let us ALL, this Advent, take the time and make the effort to free ourselves from ourselves by emptying our cups.

(Nov. 27) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:30:00 +0000

Mark 13:24-37

The question the gospel puts before us today while we are waiting for the end of the world, while we are living in this time between times, is really very basic and quite simple: In our teacher’s absence, are we putting forth effort to complete our assignment?

When Jesus was here with us in the flesh - that was one thing - but in Christ’ absence, in the time between his first Advent and the next - what of our discipleship then? Things between us and God tend to be fine when we are in Church on Sunday eating the bread, drinking the cup, feeling the fellowship, saturating our souls with goodness, noticing the nearness of God. But what about later, when you walk out the church door and are back in the world again? What then?

God has put us in charge of the classroom, each with our own work to do, and all God is asking of us in order to fulfill our assignment is really very basic and rather quite simple: “Do a good job - behave - believe.” Christ is coming again, and we need him to come again, too many of God’s children have become unruly, too many of God’s classrooms are not working on their assignments, too many of God’s children still don’t take their spirituality seriously enough.

While we long for Christ’ return, as Israel longed for the coming of the Lord in the Old Testament “Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down! Oh how the mountains would quake in your presence.” (Isaiah the prophet proclaimed, 64:1) “Since the day of the Lord will come like a thief…you ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” (Peter points out in his second letter to the church… 3:10-12).

While we long for the time when the classroom will be a place of harmony and peace; for the time when things will finally be straightened out; the time when the wicked will perish and the faithful will at last receive their righteous reward… While we long for this moment in time, we need not be overly concerned about exactly when ‘the end of the world’ will come, we need not stand around wondering what we should do, we do not need to waste time with worry because while we wait for the Teacher to return, in the meantime, while we wait, God has given us homework to do!

(Nov. 20) Sunday Snippet

noreply@blogger.com (Jason) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 02:35:00 +0000

Matthew 25:31-46

Today Jesus outlines precisely what is expected from those who hope to share in his heavenly realm, and he does it by telling a parable about the final Judgment…and so he puts before his listeners the scenario of a choice between two ways, two paths, two sides - the right and the left, the sheep and the goats - the obedient followers and the pretending believers. Today Jesus informs all of his followers what will separate us from permanently living with or without the king’s presence.

The faithful, he says, will view everyone as a sister or brother in Christ, and will respond with a desire to care for all of God’s children.

The un-faithful, he says, will keep to themselves and cling to what they have, remaining a safe distance from the work that needs to be done.

It’s not easy to accept a parable about the King’s judgment like the one before us today; but it is necessary, though, for us to understand the broad truth of its meaning. The lesson I’m talking about is this – God’s judgment does not depend on the knowledge we have amassed, or the fame that we have acquired, or the fortune that we have gained, but on the HELP (with the King’s help) we have given.