Living In God’s Now

(a first person narrative sermon)

Mark 1: 14-20

Roger Lynn

January 26, 2020

(CLICK HERE for the audio for this sermon)

In that one crazy moment my life changed – completely and forever. And from that moment then to this moment now – I have been striving to live fully and completely in God’s “now!”

How am I supposed to explain a thing like that? What words could I possibly use that would adequately describe the experience? All I’ve ever been able to do is struggle around the edges, lift up the corners just a little bit, shine a dim light here and there into the shadows of the mystery. But in spite of such vast limitations – of language, of creativity, of personal gifts – I continue to wrestle with the challenge of telling the tale. When your life takes such a turn, you really have no choice but to share it. How could I not?

I know that it seems crazy when you look at it from the outside. I’ve read what that Mark fellow wrote about it in his Gospel, and that helped me realize just how difficult it is to capture the essence of such an experience. To the casual observer standing on the sidelines, it was just some ignorant fishermen demonstrating an incredible lack of judgment and common sense as we turned our backs on life’s responsibilities to follow after some stranger. But seen through my eyes, in that moment when my brother and I looked up from our nets to see Jesus standing there in front of us, saying “Follow me!”, it was as if a whole new world opened up and I knew as certainly as I have ever known anything that I needed to step through that door. Who can say for sure how and why such things happened? I only know that they do.

Called By God: A Community Process

1 Samuel 3: 1-10 & John 1: 43-51

Roger Lynn

January 19, 2020

(CLICK HERE for the audio for this sermon)

In the movie “Crocodile Dundee” there is a scene near the end when Mick is leaving. He is on a crowded subway platform, waiting for the train. Meanwhile Sue has finally come to her senses and realizes that she is going to lose him forever if she doesn’t go after him and tell him how she feels. She finds herself standing on the stairs at one end of the platform, separated from Mick by a sea of people filling the entire platform. She calls to him, but there is just too much noise. There is no way he can hear her. But then something happens to turn the tide. Other people get involved. Someone who is within range to hear her voice passes on the message to someone else further down the platform until finally it catches Mick’s attention. The ensuing conversation, passed back and forth through the participating intermediaries finally results in reconciliation and a mutual declaration of love, accompanied by the cheers of an entire platform full of onlookers.

Sometimes, life is a little bit like that. We’re busy living our life, not paying much attention to anything in particular, when God tries to track us down to tell us we are loved. But we live in such a hustle and bustle, noisy and distracting world, that God’s voice frequently gets lost. It’s not so much that we’re ignoring God. It’s just that we don’t hear the call. We’re busy doing other things. Fortunately, we do not live in isolation. Connections, relationships, and community are intricately woven into the very fabric of life. The life we share with those around us is not simply a sometimes pleasant, sometimes frustrating by-product. It is an essential and central part of what it means to be human. And it is an essential and central part of what it means to be faithful. There is no such thing as an individual Christian. There are only Christians who are a part of community. It was no accident that Paul used the term “The Body of Christ” to describe the Church. So when the noise of the world drowns out the call of God in our life, there is still hope because God will speak through those around us, using whatever means necessary, for as long as necessary, to get our attention.

Wind Upon The Waters

Genesis 1: 1-5 & Mark 1: 4-11

Roger Lynn

January 12, 2020

(CLICK HERE for the audio for this sermon)

Imagine if you approached the opening chapters of Genesis from the perspective of a movie being directed by the Holy Spirit. The wind! The waves! The power! God’s Spirit at work in the world, bringing shape and form and order out of the dark, chaotic void. The storm sweeping over the landscape – powerful enough to make the mountains shake. And yet bringing strength and peace to the people. The heavens themselves being torn apart so that God’s Spirit can meet us face to face. If that isn’t the stuff of movies, I don’t know what is. Or perhaps imagine an orchestra performing the soundtrack for such a movie. The musicians  take the stage and as the instruments are being tuned a chaotic cacophony of sound begins to swell. But then God’s Spirit steps up and taps the conductor’s baton to focus all the energy in the room towards a common purpose. The music begins, softly at first, but then the tempo and intensity builds as the intricate harmonies and rich sounds of the various instruments are woven together into a vibrant tapestry of tones. You can almost feel the wind sweeping through the world, reshaping everything in its path. We are reminded once again that the God who stands behind such stories and images is both powerful and present.

In the creation story found in those opening verses of Genesis, we hear that “a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) One of my favorites words in all of scripture makes its debut appearance here in this verse. “Ruach!” It is the Hebrew word which is variously translated “wind,” “breath,” and “spirit.” It is this “Ruach” of God which shapes creation and brings life out of lifelessness. And the “waters” over which God’s “Ruach” blows represents the primordial, chaotic forces of the “formless void.” The power of God’s life-giving Spirit is more potent than whatever chaos we might encounter in the world.

Light in Our Darkness (Epiphany Sunday)

Isaiah 60: 1-6 & Matthew 2: 1-12

Roger Lynn

January 5, 2020

(CLICK HERE for the audio for this sermon)

“Arise! Shine! For your light has come, and the glory of God has risen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1) When the prophet Isaiah wrote these words the people to whom they were addressed had a hard time believing them. There wasn’t much happening that seemed to indicate there was any light shining in their lives. It required looking beyond the present circumstances and beneath the surface of what appeared to be true. It required a hopeful vision which was deeply rooted in a trusting confidence that God was, in fact, still present and still active.

It is a message which we still need to hear in our lives and our world today. It certainly feels as if darkness has covered the earth, and thick darkness the peoples. Everywhere we turn there is war, and violence, and suffering. There is environmental destruction and widespread despair and apathy. It is hard to even listen to the news anymore.

We are not alone in this experience. People since the dawn of time have faced overwhelming circumstances and the temptation to despair. One of the ways they have responded is by establishing traditions which remind them of the truth that there is more to life than what we can see or understand in any given moment. Long before Christians began celebrating Christmas and Epiphany at this darkest time of the year, earth-based religions recognized the importance of celebrating the winter solstice as the time when light began returning to the world. The message, for them and for us – it may seem dark, but it will not last. The Light is coming!