Living Water For The Journey (Lent 4)

John 4: 5-30 & 39-42

Roger Lynn

March 31, 2019

4th Sunday in Lent

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(the video for this sermon is unavailable this week)

I think it was Tulsa in 1991, but I could be mistaken about the date. What I remember is that it was the opening day of the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and thousands of us were gathering from all over the country. The opening worship was scheduled to begin that evening, so many of us had arrived sometime that afternoon. There was just one problem – apparently no one had informed the local restaurants we were coming. There we were in a strange city, wandering the streets in search of food. We traveled in small groups – friends who hadn’t seen each other in two years. Occasionally our paths would cross with another group on the same quest. We would share what information we had – “there’s nothing down this street for several blocks” or “we just met a group a few minutes ago who told us about a restaurant up this way.” As far as I know, no one died of hunger and thirst that night, and no one was lost forever in the wilderness of the empty city. But it was an interesting lesson in what it means to share good news about a precious resource with those who are also seeking to find it. “The woman said to the people of the city, ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?’” (John 4:28-29)

Water is one of the basic ingredients necessary for life as we know it. Every living thing needs water to live, and every living thing is made of at least some water. I’ve heard it said that the human body is two-thirds water. Without water we die. The biblical writers may not have understood the science, but they certainly understood the reality. In the hot, arid climate of the Middle East, it is easy to understand how water came to serve as such a powerful image with which to speak of the life which is made possible by God’s love.

Jesus offers living water to those who are thirsty. What he offered was something other than H20, but the image of life-giving, refreshing water was still appropriate to use. He offered the woman he met at the well a relationship with God which would transform her life.

Trust & Risk: Steps On The Journey (Lent 3)

Genesis 12: 1-4 & John 3: 1-10

Roger Lynn

March 24, 2019

3rd Sunday in Lent

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Listening to God can be a risky thing. And following where God leads can be downright dangerous. That’s not exactly the slogan you would want to put on a recruiting poster for the Christian faith. But it is the truth, nonetheless. I suppose a more positive spin might be to say, “Faith – the adventure of a lifetime.” But in either case, it is important for us to recognize that faithful living involves risk. When we genuinely seek to discover God’s direction for our lives we may very well find ourselves in places we would not choose to go on our own. Abram and Sarai leave home and family and security to set out on a journey they do not even fully comprehend. They do so because they understand God to be leading them. Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night because he knows it is risky to even be seen talking with this teacher who is offering a radical new way of understanding God and our relationship with God.

The Paths We Choose (Lent 2)

Genesis 2: 15-18 & 3: 1-7 & Matthew 4: 1-11

Roger Lynn

March 17, 2019

2nd Sunday in Lent

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I once saw a bumper sticker that declared – “I can resist anything, except temptation!” Or the excuse often used by people who want to avoid taking responsibility for their actions – “It’s not my fault – the devil made me do it!” And then there is the ever popular defense – “I’m only human!” Which is another way of saying, “It’s God’s fault for making me this way.” Life is filled with examples of less than helpful choices which lead to less than helpful results, and we are often much better at making such choices than we are at owning up to them afterwards. Sometimes is is as simple as an insensitive remark which hurts someone’s feelings. Sometimes it is as disastrous as the use of weapons of mass destruction which kill thousands of people. Life is about the paths we choose to travel and the consequences of those choices.

Lent: Seeking God In Dark Times (Lent 1)

Genesis 9: 8-17 & Mark 1: 9-15

Roger Lynn

March 10, 2019

1st Sunday in Lent

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If a survey were taken about which of the church seasons is people’s favorite, I suspect that Lent would not be at the top of the list. With their darker and more somber tone, these forty days preceding Easter take us into territory we’d usually rather avoid. Traditionally this season has been a time for prayer, reflection, meditation, and sacrifice. We are challenged to face some of the hard realities of life and view them from the perspective of faith. Lent offers us an opportunity to discover meaning in Jesus’ journey to the cross. 

When we pay attention to the world around us, this season always seems particularly appropriate, for there are challenging circumstances to be faced. Whether we focus on the violence which seems to be endemic in our culture, or the ongoing threat of terrorism, or the ravages of disease and hunger and poverty and homelessness which afflict so many people, including sometimes even our family and friends, we long for the light of God to break through the gathering storm clouds and bring new warmth to our living.

Glimpses Of Glory

Exodus 24: 12-18 & Matthew 17: 1-9

Roger Lynn

March 3, 2019

Transfiguration Sunday

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“What was that!?!” Sally thought to herself, opening her eyes and looking around. A moment before she had been deep in prayer, with the pastor’s prayer filling in the background while her own meditations flowed free form through her mind and across her soul. She had been immersed in her praying when suddenly something happened. Well, maybe “happened” wasn’t exactly the right word. It was more like something had changed, or someone else had walked into the room. Describing the experience was difficult, but something was definitely different. As she looked around, trying to figure out what it was she was struggling to find words for, she noticed two things. The first was that whatever it was she had noticed was still there. She couldn’t say why she felt that way because she still didn’t really have a clear idea of what was there that hadn’t been there a moment before, but she knew something had changed and it hadn’t changed back yet. The other thing she noticed was that she was not alone in her experience. Pastor Robin was continuing on with her prayer, but the expression on her face told volumes about what was going on behind the words she was speaking. It seemed to be a mixture of awe, wonder, confusion, and fear, in roughly equal measure. That pretty much agreed with what she was feeling. Scattered around the sanctuary were others who were also showing signs that they were experiencing something out of the ordinary. Some of them were looking around, while others were simply sitting very still, with that same expression on their faces. Something was definitely going on.

The experience lasted for most of the rest of the service. After the initial shock wore off most of the fear faded away. It was replaced by a sense of exhilaration, which, when coupled with the sense of awe and wonder, tended to leave her a little breathless. At one point, as she caught a few words of the sermon, she found herself wondering how the pastor was managing to maintain her concentration. Sally could barely think at all. She only knew that something wonderful and amazing was happening around her, and somehow she was a part of it. And then it was over, almost as suddenly as it had begun, just as they began to sing to the closing hymn. What remained was the memory of the experience and a kind of warm glow which only slowly faded.