politics

Choose this Day: A sermon on Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 and James 1:17-27

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Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
James 1:17-27

As we as a country have made our final turn toward election day, I’ve noticed a picture being shared quite a bit on some social media platforms, and, for once, its a picture or post that doesn’t make me cringe. It’s a list of suggestions for how to post an interact on-line around political discussions that, hopefully, will prevent discord and vitriol. I know some of you have seen it as well, because you’re some of the folks who are resharing it in your social spaces. The text on the picture reads:

Between now and Tuesday, November 5:

POST WISELY!

  • Contribute to discussion – not division.
  • Don’t take the bait!
  • Check. Your. Facts.
  • Resist memes, cheap digs and name calling (That one is a little funny coming from a meme.)
  • Create constructive content.
  • We can transcend bitterness and be our better selves – even when we disagree.
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The Courage of Peace: A sermon on the beheading of John the Baptist, Mark 6:14-29

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Psalm 85:8-13
Mark 6:14-29

This is one of those Sunday mornings that potentially sent a number of preachers back to the drawing board based on Saturday’s news. It happens sometimes (and in the case of violence, particularly political violence, it seems to be happening more and more frequently). But it happens sometimes that something takes place in the neighborhood or country or world made that just can’t be ignored when the worshiping community gathers on Sunday morning, even if it happens after all the plans were made.

However, for folks following the lectionary, and even more particularly folks who had planned to preach from the gospel, there was potentially less re-writing to do. Because unfortunately, political violence isn’t new. And really it’s persistence is part of what makes it so evil. That human beings continue to think that scaring, and hurting, and even killing our opponents is a reasonable way to get to the more perfect society we crave is evidence of our sinfulness and the marring of God’s image in all of us.

Violence used to intimidate, violence used to threaten, violence used to try to appease one group or advance another, violence used to silence voices and the people we don’t like – is not the answer. It is not righteous. It is not God-fearing. It is not justice-seeking. It most certainly is not courageous, which, by my reading, is at least one point Mark is trying to make in telling the story of the violence of the beheading of John the Baptist in the middle of stories about the ministry of Jesus and the sending of his disciples.

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The Way of Truth

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The video of this sermon being preached appears at the bottom of the post.

By I, Davezelenka, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2420206

Luke 3:1-22

This morning’s reading from the gospel according to Luke, his account of the ministry of John the Baptist and remarkably brief telling of the baptism of Jesus, starts with a litany of governmental leaders. Luke tells us who all the powerful people are in the Roman world and in the regions that will be important in Jesus’ ministry – Judea, and Galilee, and more. He mentions by name not only the governmental leaders of the leaders of the Jewish community who work in some relationship with the governmental leaders, a relationship that will become important to remember several years later when all of these empire leaders conspire to put Jesus to death.

Luke starts with this time stamp and this recognition of the “powers and principalities,” but then very quickly pivots and in the same sentence says the word of God came not to these, but to John, the son of Zechariah, who was in the wilderness. The word of God, Luke is telling us, the words that John delivered, the ministry he was about, is for and among the people of God. John’s words that we heard, and will hear more about, are kind of harsh, right? They do not tiptoe around and make the people feel good. They do not allow the people who hear them simply to cast judgement on the evil empire or those corrupt rulers in Rome (or liars in Washington) and absolve themselves from any guilt. They confront us, and they call us to listen up and pay attention. This repentance stuff starts at home.

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Who do you say that I am?

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Mark 8:22-9:8

I wonder if Jesus would be the kind of person who googles himself. I mean, if this story lmgtfywere taking place today, of course. I mean, instead of asking his disciples, “Who do the people say that I am?” I wonder if today he would have just popped open his laptop, pulled up a browser, and typed his name in the search bar to see what showed up, to see who the people say that he is.

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A quick trip to DC (but not a quick post – sheesh)

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This started as a Facebook post, but it kept going and going. So now it’s a blog post on a blog I haven’t touched in over a year. Don’t think this means I’ll touch it again after this trip. 🙂 This sounds sort of strange, but I really don’t like writing much. Anyway…

My (not so) quick run down on my day in DC, a trip I’m on in order to go to the National Prayer Breakfast tomorrow morning as the guest of my congresswoman, Rep. Lauren Underwood:
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Discipleship Foolishness – A sermon on Matthew 4:12-23 and 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

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1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Matthew 4:12-23

I carry in one of my wallets a little 3×5 index card that has been folded in half and tucked away in every wallet I’ve had for almost 30 years. The crease is getting weak and the edges are tattered, so I don’t open it up too often anymore. But I know it’s there and many of the words written on it are seared in my memory. It’s a list I made in the 8th grade, a list of things to do before I die, a bucket list, written before the term bucket list existed.

It’s a strange mix of things I could actually accomplish by my own hard work, determination, and planning (achieve a certain score on the SAT, perform in the All-State32420341796_3c89318127 Orchestra, visit Africa, be a missionary) and things that are completely out of my control or are impossible to achieve (give birth to twins – out of my control; own a chimpanzee – impossible). One of the items has been staring at me this weekend from the list’s spot among a ridiculous collection of frequent flier membership cards. I know right where it appears on the card, “March for something important in Washington, DC.” Continue reading →

In It Together: a sermon on Deuteronomy 6:1-9, Luke 18:15-17

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Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Luke 18:15-17

https://www.podbean.com/media/player/52efh-64860b

At the playground once with my children, I saw a dad waiting with his son for some space to clear up on the jungle gym. The only parent in that area, while helping his son wait 10341608475_6d6a865355_mpatiently, he also helped some other children make their way safely to the top. Even after his little boy had reached the high platform he kept helping the others, spotting them so a potential fall wouldn’t be so dangerous, giving a hand to steady them if they got a little wobbly. Another dad came jogging up when he saw his daughter getting some assistance. He thanked the first dad and apologized for not being there, but the first dad simply smiled and shrugged, “Hey, we’re all in this together!” Continue reading →

A Different Campaign – A sermon on Mark 11:1-11

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Yep.  I did just read the story of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Wilhelm_Morgner_001

By Wilhelm Morgner – The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH., Public Domain

Nope.   I didn’t mix up the calendar.  Yes I did just read the story about Palm Sunday.  No, next week is not Easter.

Bear with me here for a little.

In our worship for a few years we have followed the Narrative Lectionary, a schedule of readings that brings us through the Bible chronologically even if that doesn’t always line up with the traditional celebrations of the church year.  Continue reading →