How's Your Memory?

A sermon for the Resurrection of our Lord:  March 27, 2016

"They remembered his Words."  We just heard it:  "why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen!  Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  'the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'  Then they remembered his words.."
     Honestly, it should come as no surprise that they had forgotten his words earlier.  The whole of the Bible demonstrates how Israel in particular and humanity in general forgot all about God, His deeds, his actions, his words, and so on, throughout human history.  Even in the present, there are things that still recall to memory that have been otherwise forgotten or ignored.  Last night, for example, at our Vigil of Easter service, I recounted a seemingly innocuous and insignificant passage from our Maundy Thursday worship, that as I read it again for the umpteenth time while we engage in "The Bible in 90 days," jumped out at me in a big way.  I had read it multiple times over the years, and yet it didn't hit me until this most recent time - from Luke 22:7 and following, where they are told to look for a man carrying a jar of water (that was a task for women, not men, so it would be an odd thing to even see), a stranger would show them an upper room, fully furnished, and let them use it at no charge!  (A very odd occurrence all around!)  That would be one of those miraculous signs that occur in the ordinary.  And this man, unknown to us, is doing the will of God, most likely unknowingly.  In other words, he wasn't in it for his own glory!  It was about the glory of God!
     Seems we have a habit of making it about us.  It is, just not in the way we think.  Remember a former denominational slogan?  Here's how it rather should be.

God's work is doing the work of salvation.  Our hands are not first in doing the will of God, because all too often, we forget, ignore, or simply overlook what that will is.  Rather, it was our hands that nailed him to the cross in the first place.  We used to get it right theologically, and it shows in our hymnody:  "Who was the guilty?  Who brought this upon thee?  Alas, MY treason, Jesus, hath undone thee.  'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee.  I crucified thee."  Yes.  THAT is 'our hands,' and what they have brought.  We, too, must remember His Words.
     We must remember as they remembered.  It all came crashing back on them in an instant.  They remembered all the words:  God creating and owning everything;  Original sin that places us all in bondage;  The sins of Israel, and what the wages of sin bring;  The prophesies of the new covenant;  The coming of the long-awaited Messiah; The signs, and miracles over sickness, nature, and even life and death itself; The many teachings on being a neighbor and community; Jesus' own predictions of his passion; His promise to rise on the 3rd day...  In other words:  They remembered the Bible, and it filled them with great hope!  There was a euphoria and joy in it as it all came together, and it filled them with hope, as it has done to countless millions since!  Here's but a sampling of that hope from various figures between then and now.
     The Apostle Peter, in his first 'sermon,' had this to say:  "...filled with the Holy Spirit, [he] said to them: 'Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.' " (Acts 4:8-12)
     The Apostle Paul went from the greatest persecutor to the greatest proclaimer!  Also from the book of Acts:  "As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women." (17:2-4)
     Or take an early church Father's Easter sermon from around 400 AD:  “Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!  Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down! Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice! Christ is Risen, and life is liberated! Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead; for Christ having risen from the dead, is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.  To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!”
     Or take the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther, in his commentary on our second lesson today:  "Though we may be more wretched than any other people on earth, though we may be frightened by whatever will frighten and aggrieve us, death, hell, and every misfortune, and though these may become as severe as they can; now Christ has arisen, not from sleep, but from death; for He died and was buried the same as other people. But He came forth alive from the grave in which He lay and destroyed and consumed both devil and death, who had devoured Him. He tore the devil’s belly and hell’s jaws asunder and ascended into heaven, where He is now seated in eternal life and glory.” This is to be comfort and defiance. For on His name we are baptized, and we hear and profess His Word." (LW 28:108)
     This is but a sample of what the resurrection has meant to those before us.  Millions before us have remembered his Words.  Countless millions have retold what those words say.  Millions upon millions have rejoiced in this fantastic news, that God has taken upon himself the sins of the world!  So how's your memory?  Do YOU remember his words?  Do you remember the Bible?  Do you remember all the signs - both great and small - that prove to us that Jesus has arisen?  How is your reaction to all this?  How will it be next week?  Next month?  Here's a modern day resurrection video:

May we all remember his words today and every day forward.  May our reaction be one that causes us to never waver from our faith that He Is Risen from the dead!

Social Mediocrity - a Holy Week Reflection

It is hard during this Holy Week and election year not to be disgusted with social media in general.  To be fair, the majority of what I've observed of late is on facebook, but through virtually any social media outlet, people will say all kinds of things with no shame or fear.  I might also point out that the level of truth in such posts and claims is often lacking as well.  Certainly there is no tact, no virtue, little to no moral compass on display, and vulgarity abounds.  Accusations are leveled at everyone on every field.  Such broad brush strokes are used that if you have a similar trait or belief with the object of a particular person's scorn, you are guilty by mere association.

The internet is painted with such broad strokes that merely as a male, I have numerous things I"m automatically guilty of by association.  And then, of course, there is the "white" aspect, the middle aged aspect, the working aspect, the conservative aspect, and so on, all of which put me into a category that is despised by some other category of humanity.  In fact, if one were to take  all the things I'm lumped in with by association, I would be the vilest human in the history of the world.  and to be fair, it goes on with both sides of every major issue.  The vileness spewing forth from peoples' keypads and the automatic "sharing" of such posts is reprehensible in our society.  We are more polarized than ever, it would seem.

Lest of course we forget that social media sites create the perfect forum for jihadists - those with no respect for the dignity of life, and those who I will identify as pure evil, no matter how just or worthy their cause may or may not be.  Just this morning, at least 28 people died in the latest terror attack in Brussels.  Why?  Because of pure narcissistic greed and a complete lack of respect for a God-given right to life.

Then, in the light of the threats of evil this world faces, what lights up the internet?  In both past and present, the number one use is pornography.  Well, what must rank right up there is useless debates that often center on what I might call "soft porn:"  the scantily clad skin-revealers who can only do it for one reason, and that is to get people looking at them and placing them back in the center of attention.  Recent infatuations with Kim Kardashian's naked internet photos, along with Britney Spears' supposed photoshop of her waist should not even be given the time of day, and yet they dominate the net.  Just look at what is "trending" on the right side of your Facebook page to see the latest round of garbage on all kinds of irrelevant topics.

It all boils down to the telling of truth.  People will spin, will be deceptive, will omit, or will downright lie, all to advance their own agendae.  It all comes down to what they desire.  The problem with that is in what is the ultimate authority to determine right from wrong, and truth from lies.  Truth has been a favorite topic of mine here, but rather than spend more time on that, it also becomes clear that the lack of truth is most often associated with people who follow their own internal desires, rather than a common good, a higher moral principle or virtue, or even an absolute truth.  It was Spock who said as a part of Vulcan philosophy that "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."  And yet we not only fail to recognize that in society but we cater to individual whims and desires, and have turned personal deviancy into the new normal.

It's no wonder this country and this world are in the mess they are in.  And so what is the solution?  Back to the topic at hand:  the internet and social media.  Like anything, there can be tremendous good in social media.  But it can be and is also used for great evil.  It must be within the resolve of average humans to get back to a greater level of decency once again - not to blame others for our own failings but to seek once again to find the common decency, virtue, and morality that when absent, brings down empires.  In this Holy Week, the Christian church looks to the culminating events of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection once again.  There is no better time to discuss the sewer that the internet and social media have become.   For contained within the Gospel is the sum total of what it means to be decent:  to think of others before the self, just as God demonstrated the greatest love in giving his life for his friends.

If we can get back to a position where others matter before ourselves - to follow Christ's ultimate example of love - perhaps this world can be turned around after all.  A good place to start is in watching what we share and post online.

A Little Ditty about Patrick

Who was Saint Patrick?  Here's a hint:  He was not the beer swilling, leprechaun-appearing brawler he seems to be immortalized as by many.  The cultural and religious celebrations diverge dramatically - more so than Santa Claus vs. Saint Nicholas.

     Patrick has a day set aside in the religious calendar to observe a feast in his name, not to dye rivers and fountains green, but to recall those deeds that garnered him sainthood.  He is considered the patron saint of Ireland, but is not actually Irish.  Born in Great Britain, he was captured by Irish pirates at 16 years of age.  He was a slave caretaker to flocks in Ireland before he escaped after several years, following instructions he received from God in a dream.   Following the instructions in that dream, he was able to return to Britain, where he was reunited with his family and then entered the ministry.  In another dream where God spoke to him, he was instructed to return to Ireland, this time as a cleric, to work as a missionary in the northern and western parts of the country, to bring the message of Christ to all those who cried out due to the harshness of life.  He was elevated to the office of Bishop during this time, and the day - today - set aside for the feast of St. Patrick, is generally considered to be the date of his death in 461 AD.  What little we actually know of him comes from two writings attributed to him that survive to this day:  one called "the Declaration" (a biographical confession of faith of sorts) and the other "A Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus." We get most of the information on Patrick from the former, which discusses the events of his life as they relate to his faith in God.

     The point is that as a captive, he had every reason to descend into depression and despair.  Rather, his emphasis was such that in good or bad times, he would remain committed to God.  Patrick's life was mostly hard.  Yet he returned to the place of his captivity, to spread God's Word across the country of Ireland.  His faith in God sustained him in captivity, and it was his faith in God that inspired him to go and spread the love of Christ back in the land where he himself had been held captive for many years.  So what of the many traditions surrounding Patrick today?

     Though many of the St. Patrick traditions come more from modern culture than from his actual life, there are certain things that do come from Patrick's ministry among the Irish, specifically the color green and the shamrock.  Patrick would use the shamrock to explain the nature of the Holy Trinity - and that life (the green of new growth) comes through knowing God.  Patrick was, throughout his life, a humble man, whose devotion to God through hard times serves as a shining example to us all of what really matters in life.  Because of his faith in God and his trust in the promise of Christ, he feared nothing.

     While this is a very short synopsis of Patrick the saint, it is fitting that it end with "Saint Patrick's Breastplate," a prayer attributed to Patrick that shows his total and unwavering commitment to God:  "Christ be within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ inquired, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger."

     May we all learn to live more like Patrick - the real Patrick - today and every day from here until life's end.

Extinguish the Flames, or Fan Them?

     So the other day, I was pointed to an article about a man who decided to "prove the power of God" and attempted to wrestle a lion.  Without reading the article, I'm sure you can all guess how that turned out.  Never mind that a google search yields a number of different accounts, all with varied details of what actually happened, perhaps even calling into question the veracity of the encounter itself.
     Whether true or not, it pointed me instantly to the book of Daniel.  And no, I'm not making reference to the infamous encounter Daniel had in the den of lions, though that would certainly apply here.  Rather, I'm looking at another encounter that not only demonstrates the sovereignty of God, but also the faith of those in question.  Specifically I'm referring to the 3 men in the fiery furnace.  Now the encounter itself is a fascinating one, but specifically I am looking at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's response to King Nebuchadnezzar:   “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (NIV '84)
     You see in their response a complete trust in God, that is unwavering and without compromise, no matter what.  They firmly believed that God could and would rescue them, but were willing to concede that God made no such promise.  Regardless of that, they would continue to believe and trust in God, no matter how hot the flames of the furnace were, and no matter how painful their possible death.   While I'm somewhat skeptical that the aforementioned "Lion wrestling" encounter even truly happened (just because its on the internet doesn't make it true, after all...), I'm finding that especially in this day and age of extreme violence, factions, and a general loss of morality and virtue, such a response as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is the proper one for Christians.
     We are not promised an easy life as Christians.  Just the opposite, actually.  Today's age demonstrates an increasing hostility toward those who refrain from acquiescing to worldly values and virtue.  Contained in Martin Luther's voluminous writings is a small quip about fanning the flames.  Not worldly flames, or flames of societal passion and pressure, but the flame of the Holy Spirit and standing one's ground when it came to resisting worldly temptation and pressure.  In his commentary on Romans 1, he writes, "Rule: When a young person has no spark of reverence for God in his heart but goes his way without a thought about God, I can hardly believe that he is chaste. For as he must live either by the flesh or by the spirit, either his flesh or his spirit must be afire. There is no better victory over the burning of the flesh than to have the heart flee and turn away from it in devout prayer. Where the flame of the spirit is burning, the flesh soon cools off and becomes cold, and vice versa."  (LW 25:166)
     In this day and age, little has changed since the time of the Pharisees, or for that matter, during the whole of recorded human history.  Time and again, people looked for signs to "prove" that God was real, or that God was powerful, etc. all the while ignoring the obvious signs of both present and past that were right in front of them.  Today, it is not about proving that God is all-powerful, but simply remaining faithful to Him, and as Luther says, "fanning the flames of the spirit" that they may burn bright in us.   These are my thoughts this Thursday morning.