Unto You Is Born This Day . . . A Heavenly Perspective (a Christmas Story)

This story was told as a part of the Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship . . .

(click here for the audio for this story)

- - - -

Preparations had been underway for months, and the moment had finally arrived. Well, that’s not exactly right. You see, time is a human construct, so what happens here in heaven falls outside of the normal understanding of time. Did I mention that I’m an angel? Maybe I forgot that part. Sorry. I get ahead of myself sometimes. Let me start again. My name is Khanan-el and I am an angel. You’ve probably never heard of me. I’m not one of the famous names, like Michael or Gabriel. They’re the ones who usually get the big spotlight gigs. I’m just a part of the choir – the “heavenly host” is how some people refer to us. It doesn’t really matter that you didn’t know my name before now. We all have a part to play and when each of us shows up and gives it our best, the results are really quite amazing, whether you recognize me or not. But I’m here now and I want to tell you about something that happened a long time ago (well, at least it was a long time ago from your perspective – from where I sit it was like it was yesterday – or maybe more like it’s still happening and always will be – this time versus eternity stuff is hard to keep track of sometimes). 

Anyway, as I started to say, plans and preparations had been made and the time had arrived for them to unfold and become manifest in the world. My boss (I think the name you know is “God”) is always working on sharing love with the world in new ways that you humans will recognize. (Did I mention that my name, Khanan-el, means the Love of God? I’ve always liked that.) So, God was working on sharing love in a powerful new way because you humans always seem to get distracted and confused about such things. Gabriel had been sent to let a couple of them in on the plan. A lovely young woman named Mary was going to have a baby and God wanted her to know how incredibly special that baby was, so Gabriel was dispatched to deliver the good news. Then Mary’s partner, a really good guy named Joseph, got pretty freaked out by the whole thing and needed to be reassured that everything was going to be OK. So Gabriel took care of that as well. 

The Power of Love’s Weakness (Advent 4)

Luke 2: 1-7

Roger Lynn

December 22, 2019

4th Sunday in Advent

(click here for the audio for this sermon)

Deeply ingrained in the very core of our being is a strong desire for God to come into our lives and into our world and put right what has gone wrong, to fix what seems to be broken. We see this desire acted out in a wide variety of ways down through history and, indeed, in our own experience. But the foundational longing remains the same. It is this desire which underlies the ancient Hebrew expectation of the Messiah. And it is this desire which we express in our observance of Advent. We look urgently for Emmanuel, God With Us, because we desperately need to be healed of our wounds and we know that only God is powerful enough to accomplish such a miracle. So all through Advent we watch and we wait and we prepare to receive again the powerful love of our God who is Emmanuel, revealed in Jesus Christ. 

But in our almost frantic grasping for the power of God to save us, we sometimes fail to notice (or perhaps choose to overlook because it is not at all what we want to find) that God’s power is unlike any power we might expect or hope for. In fact, God seems almost to delight in presenting us with anti-powerful examples of how God works. God’s ultimate triumph comes with the daring risk of losing it all. God’s love is offered to us not in power, but in weakness. Ann Weems gives expression to this theme in her poem, “Unexpected.” 

Watching & Waiting for Unexpected Joy (Advent 3)

Isaiah 35:1-10; Luke 1:47-55 & Matthew 11:2-11

December 15, 2019

3rd Sunday in Advent

(click here for the audio for this sermon)

In this Advent season of watching and waiting, preparing and anticipating, it is helpful to remember who the waiting is for. Christmas has become such a cultural experience, and we are so bombarded by reminders beginning even before Halloween, that it is easy to think of Advent as simply four weeks to get ready for parties and gifts and Santa Claus. And even if we manage to keep our attention focused on Jesus as the real reason for the season, what we quite often find ourselves looking for is the baby born in Bethlehem. We sing carols like “Away in the Manger” and “What Child Is This?”, and we set up nativity scenes with mangers and infants, and we think we have it covered. And there is nothing at all wrong with thinking about the baby Jesus. The miracle of God’s incarnation as Emmanuel, God with Us, begins with that humble birth in a stable. But if we stop there, if our watching and waiting fails to anticipate the rest of the story, then we will have missed most of the power of what God is doing among us. And it is easy to miss, because it is not always what we expect to find, and it is not always even what we want to find. As Ann Weems reminds us, “Our God will be where God will be, with no constraints, no predictability.” 

Last week we met John the Baptist preaching a message of repentance and preparing the way of the Lord. He announced that there would be One coming after him who was more powerful than he could ever be. If anyone qualifies as an Advent role model for watching and waiting and preparing, it is John. Surely he knew who he was waiting for! But then we encounter him again in today’s reading from Matthew, only this time it is at the end of his life and we find him asking Jesus an unexpected question. “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” (Matthew 11:3) How can this be the same John who called the religious leaders a bunch of snakes because they weren’t taking God’s message to heart? How can this be the same John who only reluctantly baptized Jesus, because he didn’t think he was worthy even to tie his sandals? When he was watching and waiting he was filled with such confidence and certainty, and then when faced with the very embodiment of his anticipation he finds only doubt and uncertainty. Where is the message of faith in that?

Actively Anticipating Peace (Advent 2)

Isaiah 11:1-10 & Matthew 3:1-12

Roger Lynn

December 8, 2019

2nd Sunday in Advent

(click here for the audio for this sermon)

The musical “Godspell” is a modern re-telling of the story of Jesus Christ. In the opening scene, John the Baptist comes walking across the Brooklyn Bridge pushing a cart filled with his belongings. He is dressed in marked contrast to all those who are caught up in the hustle and hurry of the city. And he calls folks to slow down and discover another way of life. The sound of a ram’s horn can be heard echoing through the steel and concrete canyon walls which form the streets and alleys of that place. And then he begins to sing. “Prepare ye the way of the Lord...” And the people respond. Not a lot of people. And the one’s who do are not entirely sure what they are responding to. But they come. They stop what they are doing and they come.

That same call is still echoing down the canyons of our lives. We are still invited to prepare the way of the Lord – both in our lives and in the world. God is always and forever present in our world in amazing and remarkable ways, but we cannot simply sit back and wait for that presence to come to us. The season of Advent reminds us that faith is about waiting and watching for God’s activity in our world. It is about anticipating the coming of Christ into our lives in ever new and ever fresh ways. But as we were reminded last week, we must stay awake or we will miss it. Our anticipation must be active or we will not be prepared to receive the gift which God is offering.

Creatively Waiting in Hope (Advent 1)

Isaiah 2:1-5 & Matthew 24:36-44

Roger Lynn

December 1, 2019

1st Sunday in Advent

(click here for the audio for this sermon)

As we enter this season of Advent we are reminded once again that the life of faith is a journey. As people of faith we are sojourners – folks who are on a journey with both traveling companions and those whom we encounter along the way. And we need to remember that the journey itself is at least as important as the destination. Advent is a time for us to renew our identity as a wayfaring people who are on a life-long journey following the God whom we find revealed in Jesus Christ. 

One of the things about journeying is that you can never be quite certain where you will end up or how you will get there. It is impossible to predict ahead of time every conceivable situation, circumstance, blessing, or calamity which might come to pass along the way. There is simply no way to predict when the memorable or life changing moments will occur. Nor would I would want to, even if I could. The important thing to remember about journeying is to be prepared and have a good guide. And that is ultimately the lesson of Advent. It is about waiting and watching and being prepared, because we cannot know what lies ahead. But it is also about anticipation and looking ahead with hope, because the One who calls us forth on the journey can be trusted. It is not about knowing, it is about trusting.

Abundant Living in God’s Abundant World (Thanksgiving Sunday)

Luke 17: 11-19

Roger Lynn

November 24, 2019

Thanksgiving Sunday

(click here for the audio for this sermon)

This is the week when we in this country pull out all the stops and offer expressions of thanks amidst rituals of family, friends, and food. At least on this one day of the year we pause to pay attention to that in our lives for which we can be grateful. And we celebrate with almost reckless abandon. The fact is that we live in an abundant world – God’s abundant world. I cannot prove it, but I firmly believe it to be true. There is abundance all around us. Sometimes we experience it. Sometimes we don’t. But it is always true. I am convinced that one of the primary differences between experiencing it and not experiencing it has to do with paying attention. Do we notice? Do we watch for it? Are we in the habit of being aware? The Buddhists have a practice known as mindfulness. I don’t pretend to fully understand all of what that entails, but I know that it has to do with paying attention.

The trick, of course, is to notice more often. Once a year on the fourth Thursday in November is, perhaps, not the most effective way to actually experience life’s full potential. In the book of Deuteronomy, the Hebrew people, who are about to enter the “Promised Land” receive instructions on how to make the most of the life which lays before them. They are told to eat, drink, enjoy – and remember God. It is not enough to simply enjoy the abundance which is theirs. To fully participate in the experience requires the added step of being aware of both the abundance and the source of that abundance. At one level, reality remains the same whether we pay attention or not. As the ancient Celtic saying puts it, “Bidden or unbidden, God is present.” Saint Catherine of Siena put it this way, “All the way to heaven is heaven.” Where there is God, there is abundance – and God is everywhere. But at another level, paying attention makes all the difference in the world. Or at least all the difference in how we experience the world. 

Entertaining Angels Unawares

Entertaining Angels Unawares

Genesis 18: 1-15 & Luke 10: 38-42

Roger Lynn

November 17, 2019
(click here for the audio for this sermon)

It’s about hospitality. In one of the readings for this morning someone really “gets it.” In the other reading someone really doesn’t get. Abraham gets it. He understands what hospitality is all about. The story of Abraham and Sarah is a very ancient tale. It contains strong elements of a patriarchal society where gender roles were clearly distinct. But underneath such elements, at the heart of the story, it is about hospitality. Strangers show up at Abraham and Sarah’s home in the heat of the day and they are welcomed. Their hot, dusty feet are washed. They are offered a place in the shade to rest, food to eat, and something refreshing to drink. Even Abraham’s posture and language as he greets them demonstrates respect and honor. Abraham and Sarah understand hospitality.

A superficial reading of this ancient tale might lead to the idea that all of this was done because it was God (or at least God’s angels) who came knocking at their door. But there is actually strong evidence that a recognition of divine presence only comes later, after the hospitality has been offered. Abraham and Sarah were only doing what good hosts do – welcoming the stranger into their midst.

The story of Martha and Mary stands in sharp contrast. I know people who don’t like this story very much, because it sounds as if Martha is being chastised for doing all the work while Mary gets all the praise for doing nothing. And while it certainly might appear that way at first glance, I believe there is actually a very different story waiting to be discovered. And again, it is about hospitality. Jesus arrives at the home of Martha and Mary, who are sisters. We know from other stories in the Gospels that these particular sisters, along with their brother Lazarus, were close friends of Jesus. Martha is diligently working away in the kitchen, preparing a meal for their guest. Mary is sitting quietly at Jesus’ feet, listening to him. It would be easy to decide that Martha was contributing to a hospitable welcome for Jesus while Mary was not. But, as is so often the case, there is more to the story than that. Notice that Jesus doesn’t say anything about what she’s doing. His comments are directed at the fact that she has allowed herself to become distracted by what she’s doing. She’s lost perspective. “Tell my sister to get in here and help me!” is not at the top of the list of ways to help your guests feel welcome. 

The difference between Abraham and Martha was not in what they did. It was in the attention they gave to their guests while they did it. Abraham’s attention was on his guests. Martha’s attention was on her tasks. Even Sarah, inside the tent making the bread, was listening to her guests (she laughed at their absurd statement that she would be giving birth in her old age). Martha was too busy to listen to Jesus’ stories. 

The story is told of a woman who received an extraordinary note in her mailbox one day. “My dear friend, I am planning to stop by your house later today for a visit. I look forward to sharing some time with you. – Jesus.” Well, rather than dismiss the note as a hoax, she chose to believe that it was true, so she set about preparing for the visit. She was, to put it mildly, in something of a dither. There were groceries to buy, the rug to vacuum, dusting to do, a meal to prepare, and on and on the list went. Jesus was coming to visit and she wanted everything to be perfect. She was just heading out the door when her neighbor stopped by to borrow a cup of flour. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but I just don’t have time right now. Maybe Jane across the street has some.” And off she dashed to the grocery store. On her way back to the car, with her arms full of grocery bags, a homeless man approached her asking if she had any spare change. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but I just don’t have time right now. You’ll need to ask someone else.” No sooner was she back home and unloading the food into the pantry, when the phone rang. It was her sister, who was feeling a bit lost while her son was away at camp and just needed to talk. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but I really don’t have time right now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” And she hurried back to her many tasks. Finally she had the floors vacuumed, the dishes washed, the table set, the meal prepared, and she sat down to wait for her visitor. And she waited, and waited, and waited. It grew later and later, and still no Jesus. At last, when the clock on the mantle chimed midnight, she breathed a heavy sigh of disappointment and went to bed. The next day in the mail came another note. “My dear friend, I’m so sorry to have missed you yesterday. I came by early, but you were on your way to the store and seemed a bit distracted. I tried to speak with you in the parking lot, but you didn’t really have time. Then I phoned, but you had other things on your mind. I hope all is well with you. Perhaps I’ll be able to stop by again soon when you have more time. – Jesus”

“When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink?...I tell you, whenever you did it to the lost and overlooked and ignored, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25: 37 & 40) True hospitality involves attentiveness to the guest, even when the guest is a stranger. Perhaps even especially when the guest is a stranger. True hospitality not only helps the guest feel welcome, but also sets the stage for the host to recognize the divine presence in our midst. When did you encounter God this past week? When might you encounter God in the days to come? Will you notice?

Celebrating Our Gifts with Our Giving (a stewardship sermon)

Deuteronomy 14: 22-29

Roger Lynn

November 10, 2019

Stewardship Commitment Sunday
(click here for the audio for this sermon)

In the interest of truth in advertising, I need to let you know right up front that this is a stewardship sermon. Money will be talked about. In fact, the discussion will include the suggestion that you might want to consider giving some of your money away. For those of you who might be visiting for the first time, please know that this is not the topic of most of my sermons. You just happened to arrive on the day which fits in with the old stereotype that all churches ever talk about is money. At the same time, however, I preach this sermon without apology or hesitation. If a church is doing its job as a community of faith, there there ought to be some truth to the stereotype. We, as the church, need to be talking about anything and everything that is an important part of life, and money certainly fits that description.

So, at the risk of repeating myself, please allow me to remind you of a bit of what I said last week about stewardship. Stewardship is based on the understanding that all we have is a gift from God and as such we need to be intentional and responsible about its use. Put another way, stewardship is about everything we do with everything we have, and everything we are. This means that stewardship is about so much more than just raising money to underwrite the church’s budget. It is about remembering our connection with God and celebrating that connection. It is about appreciating the gifts we have been given and discovering ways to put them to good use. I went on to suggest that perhaps a good place to start would be to do an inventory of what we’ve been given and then celebrating those gifts. I still think that is sound advice, and I hope you found an opportunity sometime this past week to engage in a bit of life assessment and rejoicing.

At some point, however, it is not enough to simply take inventory and celebrate. As vital as these activities are in establishing a solid foundation for our living, discovering true fulfillment involves building on that foundation. There is something integral to the very essence of who we are that prompts us to reach out beyond ourselves – a reflection of the Creator, revealed in the impulse to share ourselves with the world. It is an interesting paradox about human nature that to be truly whole we must give ourselves away. 

Celebrating Our Gifts Through Our Living (a stewardship sermon)

Deuteronomy 14: 22-27

Roger Lynn

November 3, 2019

Stewardship Emphasis

(click the "Play" button above to listen to the audio for this sermon)

I need to begin by letting you know that this is a stewardship sermon. Take a deep breath and relax. It will be over soon. And contrary to popular opinion about such matters, you might even enjoy the experience. There will be references to joy and laughter, so stick around.

Stewardship is based on the understanding that all we have is a gift from God and as such we need to be intentional and responsible about its use. This is true not just for what we give away, but also what we keep. Put another way, stewardship is about everything we do with everything we have, and everything we are. This means that stewardship is about so much more than just raising money to underwrite the church’s budget. It is about remembering our connection with God and celebrating that connection. It is about appreciating the gifts we have been given and discovering ways to put them to good use.

So, before we start talking about money (don’t worry, we’ll get to that in due time), let’s begin by talking about life. If stewardship is about recognizing all of life as a gift, then perhaps a good place to start is by doing an inventory of what we’ve been given and then celebrating those gifts. If you have ever moved, or even just cleaned out a closet or the garage, then you have likely had the same experience that I have had on more than one occasion. In sorting through all of my “stuff” I discover treasures I forgot were even there. It is a humbling experience to be reminded that I don’t always manage to keep track of or even remember all of the ways in which I am blessed. Taking inventory from time to time can be a powerful spiritual practice.

Sacred Play

Deuteronomy 5: 12-15

Roger Lynn

October 20, 2019
(click here to listen to the audio of this sermon on YouTube)

Later this week I will be engaging in a significant spiritual practice with a long, rich history – I will be going on vacation for a week. I tell you this not because I think I need to somehow justify it to you. This congregation has always been very supportive and generous about such things. I simply want to  remind you that play can, indeed, be a spiritual practice.

Deeply embedded within both the Old and New Testament scriptures is the understanding that rest is a sacred activity – one which has the potential to put us in touch with God’s presence in our world and in our lives. It is so important, in fact, that it is built into the very core of the Ten Commandments – Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy! The Sabbath was understood as a day of rest. Now to be sure, over the years some very unhelpful ideas have come to be associated with what it means to “keep the sabbath.” It became a “law” to be enforced, rather than a benefit to be enjoyed. But trying to define and restrict an idea with narrow, legalistic attitudes does not negate the fundamentally positive nature of the concept. We need rest. Our bodies need it. Our spirits need it. Our relationship with God needs it. Our relationships with each other need it. You wouldn’t think that such an idea would need to be part of the Ten Commandments. You wouldn’t think we would need to be convinced with arguments like, “Even God took a break after six days.” It seems like such a “no brainer.” But somehow we keep forgetting. There is always one more thing that “needs” to be done. There is always something so important that it can’t wait another five minutes, or five days. Why is it that a phrase like, “Stop and smell the roses” is included in our collective cultural wisdom? Because we know that it is true, and we also know that we continually need to be reminded.

Participating in God’s Radical Justice

Isaiah 1: 10-20 & Luke 19: 1-10

Roger Lynn

October 13, 2019

(click here to listen to this sermon on YouTube)

Isaiah is pretty clear. There isn’t really much room to wonder what he is saying. With the confident audacity of a prophet, he dares to speak on behalf of God and declare that something has to change. It doesn’t matter if you go to church. It doesn’t matter if you say the right words. It doesn’t even matter if you fill the offering plate. Being in right relationship with God means aligning your life with God’s intentions for the world. Don’t come to me with your hands covered in blood, God says, and think that everything is just fine. Everything is not fine. The world is broken and people are being hurt. Until you start doing something about it we really don’t have anything to talk about. You want to call yourself a person of faith. You want to be in right relationship with me. Here’s where to start – cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. I desire justice for the whole world and being in relationship with me means participating in my radical vision for justice – where everyone, everywhere, all the time gets a fair shake. They will have enough to eat. They will be safe. They will have access to all of society’s benefits. They will be cared for and valued and honored. If you want to be in relationship with me, then working for that kind of a world will become your passion. And without that kind of justice-seeking passion your attempts at worship are really pretty hollow. If you are not a part of the solution then you are a part of the problem. Seek justice!

The people who first heard Isaiah preach were squirming in their seats. He was hitting way to close to home. And if we are paying attention at all, then we, too, will be squirming in our seats, because things haven’t changed very much in all those hundreds and thousands of years since then. The world is still broken, people are still being oppressed and abused and ignored, justice is still more dream than reality, and we still need to decide whether we are going to be a part of the problem or the solution. It is still about more than saying the right words when we come to church. Being people of faith still requires that we get out and do something to make a difference. The good news is that change is possible. Healing can take place. Re-alignment with God and God’s intentions for the world is within our grasp. Right after Isaiah cuts loose with his no-holds-barred diatribe against the evil ways of the people, he says on behalf of God, “Come now, let us argue it out. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18) No matter how long or how far we wander off in the wrong direction, God still desires to embrace us and lead us back to more life-filled paths. We do not have to do it on our own, but we do have to be willing to participate in the process.

Discerning The Body Of Christ (World Communion Sunday)

1 Corinthians 11: 17-28

Roger Lynn

October 6, 2019

World Communion Sunday

(click here for the audio of this sermon on YouTube)

The church at Corinth was a difficult group of people to deal with. We have two books in the New Testament to prove it. Over and over again the apostle Paul found himself struggling to help them understand what it meant to be followers of Jesus. And over and over again they found new ways to misunderstand. Not unlike the Church today, I suppose. Faithful living is an ongoing process of growing and learning and changing. 

For the Corinthian church, the business of the Lord’s Supper is a prime example. When Paul writes to them about what is going on it is clear that he is not pleased with what he has been hearing. They had taken the very heart of Christian worship and mutilated it almost beyond recognition. They had lost sight of what they were doing and why. 

In those early days of the Church, worship centered around the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. They sang some songs, read some scripture, prayed with each other, but mostly they ate together. The roots of the church potluck can be traced all the way back to the first century. Communion was a holy feast – sometimes even called a Love Feast. It was the gathering of the community of faith around a common table to break bread, share wine, and feed both body and soul together. They took very seriously Christ’s words, “As often as you do this, remember me.” This was a holy meal.

Spirituality That Matters

Isaiah 58: 1-14

Roger Lynn

September 29, 2019

(click here for the audio for this sermon)

Worship – holiness – spirituality – faith – openness to God’s presence. It goes by lots of different names, but being aware of God in the midst of our living, and connecting with that presence, has been a human endeavor for as long as humans have been on this planet. It takes lots of different forms, from highly ritualistic practices to casual, personal reflection. For some it occupies large portions of their every waking moment. For others it is a once-in-awhile sort of thing. There are breakthrough moments that change people’s lives. There are quiet, subtle moments that form the background against which life is lived. But all too often, I fear, our spirituality is less powerful and less meaningful than it could be, because we don’t allow it to be as big as it can be. We sometimes tend to try keeping it all to ourselves – just me and God! And there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, such personal experience is an essential part of being spiritually aware. But when we stop there, we are shortchanging ourselves and the world.

Open to God’s Abundance

Joel 2: 23-29 & Luke 18: 9-14

Roger Lynn

September 22, 2019

(the audio and video for this sermon are unavailable due to technical difficulties)

The two were as different as night and day. The Pharisee had spent his whole life striving to do everything necessary to be in right relationship with God. He took his prayer life so seriously that he fasted twice a week. He took his financial responsibilities so seriously that he gave ten percent of his income to help the poor. He knew the scriptures backwards and forwards. Every action he took was calculated to conform to the law. He had his life together and he knew it.

The tax collector’s life was a different story. He was employed by the Roman government, which was the hated occupying enemy of his people. And his wages were actually obtained by demanding more money from the people than payment of their actual taxes required. In other words, he was a liar and a thief and an enemy collaborator, and he knew it.

The Pharisee was sure he was so good that he didn’t need any help from anyone. The tax collector was sure he was so bad that he was beyond help from anyone. And they were both out of touch with the truth. The Pharisee’s problem was not that he was striving to live a good life. His problem was that he thought living a good life made him self-sufficient and earned him a ticket to heaven. The tax collector’s problem was not that he was making choices which put him at odds with both his people and his values. His problem was that he thought those choices made him a worthless person and earned him a ticket to hell. The truth of the matter is that it isn’t particularly helpful to think of ourselves as either saints or sinners. We are all just human beings who need both God and each other to experience our full potential.

Mind The Gap

Luke 16: 19-31

Roger Lynn

September 15, 2019

(the audio & video for this sermon are unavailable this week - hopefully next week)

When you ride the Metro Underground in London, you quickly become very familiar with a short little warning. At every station, as the doors of the train open for passengers to get on and off, an announcement politely reminds everyone to “Mind the gap!” The “gap” is the space between the train and the edge of the platform. Sometimes it is wide enough to catch a foot or a leg. The warning to “mind the gap” is a polite way of saying “pay attention or you might get hurt.”

At the heart of Jesus’ story about the rich man and Lazarus is that same warning. Sometimes gaps (chasms) open up between us, and if we aren’t careful they can do some real damage, both for us and for those on the other side of those gaps. “Mind the gap,” Jesus says, “before it’s too late.”

Faith Under Construction

Philemon 1-25

Roger Lynn

September 8, 2019

(click here for the audio for this sermon)
(the video for this sermon is unavailable this week)

Faith is always an “in process” endeavor. This is true whether we are talking about faith in our personal lives, or faith as we find it revealed within the pages of scripture. We could hang a permanent sign on the entire undertaking that reads, “Under Construction - Pardon Our Mess.” There is always room to grow. There is always room for new insights and new perspectives which bring us into ever closer relationship with God.

Take the book of Philemon for example. It is a wonderful little snapshot into Paul and his “under construction” faith. In many ways it is one of the more peculiar books in the Bible. It is definitely the shortest book (one chapter - 25 verses). It is arguably the most personal – a letter from Paul to an individual names Philemon.

God In Every Moment

Luke 9: 51-62

Roger Lynn

August 25, 2019

(click here for the audio for this sermon)
(click here for the video for this sermon)

I confess that this passage from Luke’s Gospel has often troubled me over the years. It always seemed too harsh. Why would Jesus be so hard on people for wanting to grieve and love their families? Isn’t that what being truly and genuinely human is all about?

And then, as so often happens, as I sought to find a different way to understand this passage, two things came into focus which cast the whole thing in a fresh new light. The first of these insights is one which applies to a wide variety of scriptural references. It has to do with the concept of prescriptive versus descriptive. For a variety of reasons, the most common way of seeking to understand any particular passage is to read it prescriptively. Put simply, we take it to mean that whatever is being described is the way God wants it to be, or even the way God causes it to be. Sometimes we do this because it is how we have been trained to interpret scripture. And sometimes we do this because it is the filter the writers themselves used to interpret the concepts and events they were writing about. In either case, there are a great many instances when reading the Bible prescriptively leaves us with an understanding of God that can be frightening, disturbing, and profoundly unhelpful. Today’s passage is a good example. One of the reasons I have always had such a difficult time with it over the years is because I was trying to read it prescriptively. Thus the question – why would Jesus be so hard on people? 

But what if it isn’t Jesus who is being hard on people? What if Jesus is merely describing the way things are when we make certain choices? In other words, what if we read such passages descriptively rather than prescriptively? It changes everything. Some of the language may still prove to be a challenge, but that is because at the time scripture was being written, the prescriptive filter was often the only one available. For the most part, they had not yet recognized the possibility of looking at things any other way. When we begin to look past some of the language to the meaning which can be found underneath, suddenly the comment about not being fit for the kingdom of God becomes a description rather than a judgment. It is as if Jesus is saying, “As long as you are distracted and paying attention to other things, your heart just isn’t in it.” 

Intimate, Ever-Present Mystery

Psalm 95: 1-7 & Luke 24: 13-35

Roger Lynn

August 18, 2019

Breakfast Under the Big Sky (Outdoor Worship)

(there is no audio or video this week)

God is all around us all of the time. Sometimes we miss this amazing reality because we limit the places where we look for God. Imagine how much more vital our lives might become if we could expand our awareness of God’s presence to include every moment and every situation of every day. We can, but it takes practice. We have at least two big obstacles standing in our way – hectic, busy lives, and a culture which values head over heart, thinking over feeling. There is nothing wrong with being busy and there is nothing wrong with intellect. But when they become the exclusive patterns for our living they tend to crowd out other equally important ways of perceiving the world around us, including the presence of God. It takes time to notice the little things around us through which God’s presence can be revealed. It takes an imagination of the heart to see beneath the surface of those things to discover God’s presence. 

This is not the same as worshipping the things themselves. The rock is not God. But God can certainly shine through the rock, if we will open our eyes and our hearts to that possibility. 

Seeing Beneath The Labels

Galatians 3: 28 & Luke 8: 26-39

Roger Lynn

August 4, 2019

(click here for the audio for this sermon)
(click here for the video for this sermon)

Sometimes it feels as if there is a lesson God really wants me to learn. So, it keeps showing up until I get it. Such has been the case recently. Over and over again, taking various forms but always with the same result, I have encountered people who simply refused to stay in the box I tried to put them in. You know the routine – they look this way, or attend that church, or use those words, so therefore I know who they are and how they think. Except, of course, I don’t. In the recent flurry of lessons that have come my way, it has involved people I assumed have a conservative understanding of faith, and therefore would be inclined to reject or dismiss my understanding of some particular issue or another. Each time I decided to go ahead and state my position anyway, without much hope of getting a positive response. And each time I found myself having to rethink my assumptions. So, I’m hear to say, “OK God! I’m beginning to get it!” 

Labels can be a useful thing. They serve as a sort of shorthand for making sense of the world. When I tell you I live on Harrison Avenue, it gives you a better sense of where to start looking when you come over for dinner for the first time. But if you start thinking that you know everything there is to know about my house because you were in a  house on Harrison once, or if you think you understand everything about me because you know what people who live in that part of town are like, then the limits of labels have probably been pushed past the point of usefulness. There is a fuller, richer truth just waiting for us to discover when we begin to see beneath the labels.

It Happened at Church Camp

1 Corinthians 12: 4-13
Roger Lynn

July 28, 2019
(click here for the audio for this sermon)
(click here for the video for this sermon)

It has become a long-standing practice for me that when I spend a week engaged in a particular activity or event (in this case serving as chaplain for 3/4/5 Grade Church Camp) the sermon I preach on the following Sunday is titled “It Happened At…”. I do not write the sermon before I leave for the event, because I do not yet know what I will say. I have to experience it first. This has become for me a spiritual practice – trusting in God’s Spirit that something worthy of sharing in the sermon will occur, and that I will notice. I have yet to be disappointed, and this past week was no exception.

- - - - - - -

I’ve lost track of how many “It Happened at Church Camp” sermons I’ve preached, but it’s a lot. And the truth is that while each one was unique, they have all had a lot in common. Particularly the theme of community - the many becoming one. This year‘s camp began much as other camps before it. The children (14 third, fourth, and fifth graders) arrived with a mixture of enthusiasm and trepidation. And community began to form. The experience can be summed up with the Call to Worship that I created for our evening vesper services. 

We have been through another day,

And God was with us all the way.

We laughed and we learned, 

And God was with us all the way.

We played and we sang, 

And God was with us all the way.

We walked and we rested, 

And God was with us all the way.

We remembered and we forgot, 

And God was with us all the way.

Now we come to the end of the day, 

And God is still with us all the way.

Admirers or Followers?

Matthew 7: 21-29

Roger Lynn

July 14, 2019

(click here for the audio for this sermon)
(click here for the video for this sermon)

“Talk is cheap!” True, deep, genuine faith is about more than just talk.  It is about the values we cherish and the ways in which those values are reflected in the living of our lives.

Sometimes I wish we weren’t called Christians. At times it seems like too big a temptation to misunderstand what really lies at the heart of our faith. All too often we find our attention focused on Christ, instead of on the life to which Christ points us. I think it was the Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, who observed that there were too many admirers of Jesus, and not enough followers of Jesus. The Church was never supposed to be a Jesus Admiration Society. It was intended as a community where we encourage each other to discover and follow the path which Jesus points us to. In the early days of the Church, before the name Christian caught on as the description given to those who were a part of the movement, the name by which they were known was “Followers of the Way.” 2,000 years later it’s still not a bad description. It helps to keep our attention primarily on the path, instead of on the guide. Please don’t get me wrong – the guide is important, but only if we allow him to serve as guide. In the text we read this morning from Matthew’s Gospel we find Jesus offering a warning about this very danger. “You can’t just use the right words. It’s not enough to drop my name and expect everything to automatically work out OK. I don’t want lip service. I want heart service.” 

But, Then Again, I Could Be Wrong!

Matthew 15: 21-28

Roger Lynn

July 7, 2019

(click here for the audio for this sermon)
(click here for the video for this sermon)

The passage we just heard read from Matthew has always left me squirming. I have often had a difficult time knowing what to make of it or what to do with it. How did this story even get included in the Gospels? It seems to run against the grain at several different levels. In this story Jesus doesn’t come off looking very, well, very Jesus-like. He isn’t very nice, or kind, or fair, or just. It has always seemed just a little bit creepy to read this story. The floor tips a bit off-center.

But then I read it this time, and something different clicked. I saw something new. The trick is to set aside what you think Jesus is “supposed” to be like, and simply look at what he is actually doing. And what he is actually doing is being very human. In fact, it might be argued that this story represents one of the most honestly human glimpses of Jesus in the whole Bible. And in so doing, we find him offering us a faithful path to follow in our own humanity.

God’s Abundant Garden

Isaiah 55: 10-13 & Matthew 13: 1-9

Roger Lynn

June 30, 2019

(click here for the audio for this sermon)
(click here for the video for this sermon)

Isaiah speaks of God’s word (God’s active, creative presence in the world) as being effective. It will, finally, accomplish God’s purposes. “You shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle.” (Isaiah 55: 12-13) It may not happen in the ways we expect. It may not happen with the timing we would choose. There will be plenty of things about the ways in which God works in the world that we simply do not understand. And still Isaiah assures us that we can have confidence.

One of the things we know about Jesus is that he knew the Hebrew scriptures. On any number of occasions he quotes from them. So we can be reasonably certain he was familiar with this passage from Isaiah. The idea that God’s active presence in the world makes a difference is very much in keeping with the message Jesus tried to help people understand. It certainly seems to have been on his mind the day he sat down beside the water and told the gathered crowd the parable about the farmer who went out to sow seeds. 

I appreciate that Jesus’ parables aren’t neat and tidy. They’re open-ended and provocative. Rather than provide us with easy answers, they challenge us to really think about what we believe and to discover for ourselves what truth might be buried in the story. They have endured with such vitality for 2,000 years because they speak to us at multiple levels and from a variety of perspectives.

Someone sows seeds by gathering them in hand and scattering them. The seeds land everywhere. Some of them grow. Some of them don’t. The sower doesn’t seem to be bothered by that. Just get the seeds out there and something will grow.