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TREASURED OUTCASTS - from Sunday, June 28, 2015

6/30/2015

Plenty of folks in scripture find themselves in trouble, outcast from their community, their family, their standing, etc. Consistently, we find God is also ready to intervene on their behalf. (Even Cain is blessed with protection while also being cast out.) Understanding those who are outcast and ministering to them is typically a challenge for the average person who is accepted, secure, and unaffected. As God ministered to such outcast folks, so did Jesus, bringing them the promise of new life.

In David's lament over the deaths of Saul and Jonathon, the victor extols his mortal foes whose relationship he also cherished. It is riven with conflicted emotions, and while it served a strategic purpose going forward, it was clearly a heartfelt tribute. Both David and Saul had been outcasts; David outcast by Saul, and Saul outcast by God. David's paean to the 'mighty fallen' is the gracious act of reconciling that lies at the heart of God and the Kingdom in regard to outcasts.

In another "sandwich" story in Mark 5, we see some deliberately stark contrasts between the acceptable and unacceptable, the respectable and the outcast. Further inexplicit connections clearly exist between the characters that unify the two stories into a common endeavor. The bottom line is the desire of Jesus to graciously restore the promise of life to those who have been afflicted and outcast. The witnesses to the Kingdom are meant to embrace, welcome and uphold even those whom society has denied, cast out, and regarded as abhorrent.

This judging of folks is often carried out by the religious institution. Jesus defied those authorities who claimed to speak of the judgment of God by proclaiming love and grace instead as the true reflection of divine will - the good news of new life. Religious institutions today are no different, usually leading the charge or validating the accusations and judgments of the greater society against all kinds of people. The religious institution needs to understand that it, too, can stand against the Kingdom, and often does, just as the Jewish authorities did in Jesus' day.

At Fairfield Presbyterian, we recently made it clear that not all are truly welcome. We need to keep thinking about that as we consider texts like these that reveal how God treasures outcasts.

Check out the full sermon either with the sermon video below, or with downloads available below the video panel.

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THE ODDS ARE AGAINST IT - from Sunday, June 21, 2015

6/23/2015

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Besides the official oddsmakers like insurers, we are always sizing up matters, weighing the odds of things that come across our daily lives. If we don't like the odds, we're likely to walk away and forget about it. Sometimes we don't have that option. The scriptures give us familiar stories of facing a menacing giant and getting caught in a ferocious storm. The odds weren't very good in either case, but the players found an equalizer.

A careful reading on the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 reveals several key points. For one thing, David the obstreperous teenager quickly realizes that going up against the giant, overwhelming Goliath and trying to best him on his own terms - fighting with armor, sword, and trying to match strength-to-strength - would be a definite losing proposition. The odds were totally against him. By meeting the huge foe on David's own terms, David made a smart strategic move.

The key point of the whole story is his steadfast stance in his faith in God. This was really about the God of the Philistines versus the God of Israel as David saw it. Invoking the power of God in his faithfulness, David managed the amazing shot from his sling that would fell Goliath. The use of a slingshot was a good strategic move; faith made the whole maneuver work.

In Mark, the first of two stories about the disciples on the water in a boat in a storm appears in chapter 4. Here, Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat while a furious storm causes panic among the disciples, even though they're experienced fishermen. When they rouse Jesus, he stills the storm. But the lesson isn't that Jesus is some magician (their comments at the close of the passage simply indicate how clueless they remain). The lesson comes in his words to them after the storm has been quieted: "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" - the emphasis on the word "still."

Faith can change the odds and God can be the equalizer. Can our fears be supplanted by faithfulness, enabling us to act in the way of the Lord?

Check out the full sermon either with the sermon video below, or with downloads available below the video panel.

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GOD'S KINGDOM INSURGENCY - from Sunday, June 14, 2015

6/15/2015

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The big actors on the stage of history are often pretty small types. Consider Edward Snowden, the geeky analyst who has had a big impact in exposing the excesses of the US intelligence community, who was simply another drone at a desk job. Or the pudgy, bespectacled accountant whose shady dealings turned him into an informant on the mob for the FBI in an operation that gutted the mob's rannks. Who knew these guys would be game-changers?

It should be clear to most Bible students that God often goes in a direction that others don't see coming, and frankly couldn't even imagine. God is able to do great things with these small players, advancing the kingdom and its values of love, new life, peace, justice, and compassion into the sinful world that has no time, no interest, and no serious commitment to such values.

The first lesson in 1 Samuel 16 goes to the time of seeking a successor king for the God-rejected King Saul. Here we find God setting up a deceit that will allow intimidated Samuel to venture to the no-where burg of Bethlehem to visit Jesse and his sons. Amid a beauty pageant-like lineup of the seven mature sons, Samuel is stunned to find that these strong, rugged, handsome specimens are all NOT the one God wants. Eventually, the boy is remembered, the one out shepherding, David, and he is summoned and chosen. Only God would have sought out the one never considered to be the leader of his mission with God's people.

The second lesson in Mark 4 considers two parables about the kingdom and seeds. The first one is really like a Jack and the Beanstalk kind of tale, about a seed and the miraculous, unaided and amazing growth of a harvest-ready plant (despite the poor rendering of this parable by the NIV). No one could understand how this plant came about, but that's a reflection of how the kingdom works its insurgent operations.

The other parable of the mustard seed doesn't seem to work well with the preceding parable. The tiny mustard seed growing into the 'greatest of shrubs' seems rather reserved given the wild exaggeration of the preceding parable. Yet if we turn to Luke 13, we find the same mustard seed parable with the result being a full tree, something that would seem preposterous given the size of the mustard seed and that a big mustard plant is little taller than an average human. Preposterous indeed, and a perfect fit for the Mark context!

Check out the full sermon either with the sermon video below, or with downloads available below the video panel.

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AMID THE HOUSE DIVIDED - from Sunday, June 7, 2015

6/8/2015

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When something carries over from one setting or application to another, it makes life quite easy. Of course, that doesn't happen always. In fact. we can find ourselves divided from our best purposes by such inaccurate assumptions. On faith matters, this can reveal how we live amid a "house divided" and our challenge is to be clear about the sacred and spiritual.

I highlighted a video produced by Tesla that was likely created by the same presentation designers that showcased the exciting rcokets of SpaceX and the all electric sports car of Tesla Motors, excciting products. This product was not a rocket or a car, but a very mundane an uninspiring home battery for energy storage (think solar energy). Actually, this simple product is likely to have more transformational impact than either the electric car or the re-usable rocket. Here's the video; click here and see for yourself.

The demand of Samuel by the elders was to anoint a king so that Israel could be like the other nations. God points out to the dejected Samuel that it wasn't a rejection of Samuel, but a rejection of God. Samuel brings back the warning of what this will mean to their lives - nothing good - and what they will be losing as a result. Undeterred, they insisted on a king.

In Mark 3, there is a "sandwich" story. It starts out with Jesus' mom and family coming to get him because he's been labeled "crazy." This is a social designation for folks who are crazy enought to rock the boat, callikng for and making changes that are upsetting to the power structure.

Too late, though, since scribes (lawyers) have already arrived from Jerusalem. They're accusing Jesus of being the prince of demons, Beelzebul himself. Jesus deftly disarms and makes a mockery of their logic.

By then, Jesus' family has arrived to collect "crazy" Jesus and bring him back to the safety of Galilee. Instead, Jesus proceeds to re-define what "family" means in terms of faith and kingdom.

Both Samuel and Jesus stand firm in their spirituality and sacred strength trying to prevent the division of God and God's purpose from his people. In our daily lives, we need to rely on sacred foundations and spiritual strength to be able to discern and act in witness to the love, justice, and peace of the Lord.

There is a lot to this, and it's fun to see how Jesus presents his argument, so check out the sermon video below, and the downloads below the video panel.

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06-07-15-amid_the_house_divided.pdf
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THE WAKE UP CALL - from Sunday, May 31. 2015

6/1/2015

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"You're in sleepy land," said Joseph Campbell, the late famed author and star of the acclaimed late 1980s PBS series, "The Power of Myth." Campbell was describing how a guide would confront the would-be hero of a master story. The guide's task is to wake up the character to their life's mission, tapping their potential - their God-given gifts - that can fulfill their personal promise and the sender's mission. It's a theme often repeated in scripture.

Sunday's scriptures began with Isaiah's call in chapter 6. Having previously been aware of God's dissatisfaction with God's people, Isaiah is now (ch. 6!) confronted in an awesome scene. He realizes that, among this sinful people, he is a woefully sinful individual himself. Fearfully confessing his sorry state, Isaiah receives forgiveness. Then God posits the question, "Whom shall we send?" Isaiah steps up immediately, "Send me!" He has no idea of the mission, but the adventure begins.

In John 3, Pharisee leader Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night. (Rather than a wake-up call, perhaps it was insomnia?) In the dialogue, we find Nicodemus is unable to step beyond his routine assumptions and perceive the new window into the sacred and spiritual that Jesus offered. The message of love over law, of communion over condemnation is clear in vss. 16-17.

We're warned about the comfort of our routines and the banality of our beliefs. We need awakening to the power of the Spirit, the impact of the gospel, and the demands of the kingdom life. Staying in our comfort zone insulates us from the awesomeness of God, the challenge of Jesus' teachings, and the powerful promise of ministry with the Holy Spirit. (Trinity Sunday - must cover all the bases!)

Check out the sermon video below, and the downloads available below the video panel. (C'mon YouTube, couldn't I have a better thumbnail pic when the sermon is entitled "The Wake Up Call"?)