Catch the Spirit

Our Vacation Bible School event is coming!

In just a few weeks, we'll be celebrating with Catch the Spirit, five nights of festivities that will focus on the workings of the Holy Spirit.

For more information, call the office at (517) 323-2272 or e-mail us at frdrew.stdavids@sbcglobal.net.

Holy Week --> Easter: 2

Death...as death.

A second component of the resurrection that is worth exploring is the most obvious one. Jesus dies. More specifically, he is killed. As we explored in the previous post, there was interest on the part of the Temple authorities to have Jesus executed. There must have been some interest on the part of Rome to give Jesus a rebel's punishment.

But more important than the way Jesus died was that he actually did die. He didn't save himself from his circumstances, he embraced them. He didn't turn away from what he knew to be his future, he walked toward it. Even though Jesus knew this, he still did what would surely lead to his death.

At the same time, if we are to believe that Jesus is God, we have to recognize that in Jesus, God died.

When we read the Nicene Creed, there's this sequence that describes this. But right before it, there is this wonderful passage that says:

For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.

It then goes on to say that Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried, etc. But what I want to point out is that I was taught to bow at the above part--not the part where Jesus dies, not the part in which he rises again. This part. Why?

Well, because the bigger question than the death of God is actually what presupposes death--that God, in Jesus, was first alive. Being alive presupposes that we will at some point die. Death and life are brought together. So, the bigger notion than sacrificing his life is that Jesus was first made "incarnate," that he was alive!

That Jesus was able to come and live with people, to lead disciples and followers, and to embody the kingdom of God on earth is incredible. Unbelievable. Amazing.

So what happens to this living God-man? He allows himself to be tried and executed. He receives capital punishment--the death penalty--for a crime no court could prove. But it is his death that is important.

Even though Jesus told his disciples this would happen, there is a reason they didn't believe it. They knew him to be anointed by God as their leader, so they reasoned that he could not be killed. Therefore, they chose to not believe Jesus' warnings.

Even as Jesus was dying, the disciples still didn't make the connection. It had to be revealed to them. Friday night and Saturday, the disciples knew Jesus to be dead. They saw it or heard about it. And yet, they still believed in him--even when they didn't understand the resurrection was coming.

Are there ways that you believe as the disciples did on Saturday? Are you able to believe because of something you know deep down--regardless of other matters--the things that have not yet been revealed?

Take some time to pray about what Jesus is doing for you--even when you aren't able to see it yet. Even when it is something that you don't understand. Even if it is something that you don't yet know that you don't understand! Pray for the love of Christ, even in the midst of darkness and loss, even in the midst of confusion and dissatisfaction, and even in the midst of impatience and neglect. Pray for Jesus to be with you when you get together with your friends.

Holy Week --> Easter: 1

Rebellion

One of the things we take for granted in church is that everyone gets Easter. That we understand what's going on. What an arrogant approach! So here's my Cliffs Notes version:

Jesus’ Action	When	What it means	How we celebrate it
Jesus comes to Jerusalem	On a Sunday morning	Jesus was arriving at the central city of Jewish faith	Palm Sunday
Jesus teaches at the Temple	Monday through Wednesday	He sought to 1) teach his followers, 2) teach other people, and 3) expose the hypocricy of the Temple authorities.	We don’t*
Jesus shares the Passover meal	Thursday evening	Jesus and his disciples, as good Jews, were celebrating this ancient tradition	Seder Supper on Maundy Thursday
Jesus is arrested, tried by Roman officials, and executed	On a Friday morning. He is crucified at noon and dies at 3 pm.	Jesus is given the “death penalty” by Rome and dies very quickly	Good Friday**
Jesus is raised	Saturday night or Sunday morning	Jesus is not dead	The Great Vigil and Easter
Jesus appears to the disciples	Sunday evening	Jesus commissions the disciples and explains what’s going on.	The Easter Season

*We don't actually celebrate Jesus' actions during the first part of the week. Many of these teachings end up getting scattered throughout the year, so we learn about them in the summer and fall.
**We celebrate Jesus' death (often called his 'Passion') on Good Friday, at a noon service. We also celebrate it in a combined service on the previous Sunday. This is why it is often called 'Palm and Passion Sunday'.

To understand 'the Resurrection' (that Jesus was raised from the dead), we must first think about his death. Today, and throughout the next several posts, we'll explore Jesus' death.

This first one is about rebellion.

If we take a look at the story of Jesus' last days, we see an interesting story. One of his disciples, Judas, is recruited to turn on Jesus by the Temple authorities. They conspire to set a trap for him, arrest him at night (in the dark), and hand him over to the Roman authorities.

Think about that plan for a second. Rome isn't arresting Jesus, the Temple authorities are. But they aren't going to prosecute him under their rules, but try to get Rome to do the dirty work. Second, they are doing it under the cover of darkness so that the people can't see what is really going on. Third, Jesus is never really arrested under this plan--not in the legal sense, anyway.

So they go through with the plan and Jesus is taken into custody.

Jesus is brought before Pilate, the Roman representative, for trial. He asks Jesus to incriminate himself. Jesus doesn't. He invites him to prove his innocence. Jesus doesn't. Pilate cannot find him guilty. And yet, under pressure, he pronounces him guilty.

Whether this is really how it happened or not is actually irrelevant. Jesus was not only called guilty, but was given a punishment. The punishment, however, proves something different. Jesus' form of execution, crucifixion, is reserved for revolutionaries--those attempting to spark a revolution or work against the state. Jesus' punishment is not only severe considering Pilate's perception of events, but in any sense. It is the maximum punishment in the Roman Empire.

So what does this tell us about how Jesus is supposed to be perceived?

As Christians, this is a seriously important message: the way Jesus died tells us what kind of person he is. Because Jesus was given the method of crucifixion, he is a revolutionary. The early Christians understood that aspect of his death--partly because they had always seen him as one.

As I see it, we are supposed to see Jesus as a revolutionary. That what he had to say not only challenged the existing order, but that he is about challenging the existing order. Jesus isn't some guy that is looking to be worshiped, but one looking to get his followers to understand what it means to love God and do what's right.

This may seem even more revolutionary to today's church than it does our society at-large. That's pretty sad, but true. The Jesus that died as a revolutionary on a cross, is the one that wants our world to be a better place--one that didn't just tell people about God, but about what God wants for the world--and showed them what that would look like.

How does the image of Jesus as a revolutionary affect the way you see him? What do you think this means for the church?

The Temple and Change

John 2:13-22

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables. ¹⁵Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶He told those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’ ¹⁷His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’ ¹⁸The Jews then said to him, ‘What sign can you show us for doing this?’ ¹⁹Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ ²⁰The Jews then said, ‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?’ ²¹But he was speaking of the temple of his body. ²²After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

This is a pretty tough gospel. We could take the easy way out and suggest that Jesus doesn't like moneychangers or commerce. Or even more confusing, we might think that Jesus simply doesn't like the business of buying and selling taking place in the Temple--but it would be fine in other places--he's just finicky about where it takes place. Neither of these responses seems to take the character of Jesus into account.

It is interesting that this gospel for this past Sunday was linked with Exodus 20:1-17 which is God's declaration of the Ten Commandments--the heart of the Law. A second clue in the above passage is that it takes place at Passover--a primary Jewish holiday representing the saving grace of God. It is from the lens of law that we should read this gospel.

Next, it must be said that everyone with whom Jesus interacted was following the rules. The Temple was a place of sacrifice. The people selling the animals were authorized by Temple authorities to be on the portico (the porch) on the way into the Temple. The moneychangers were authorized by the authorities to trade foreign or Roman currency for Temple coins. The people changing money and the people selling the animals were not only authorized to be there and doing their jobs, but they were there so good, religious people could properly worship God according to the rules! Without them, thousands of people would not have had the opportunity to worship God in the customary way. Jesus' blowing things up would be like keeping the doors to your church closed on a Sunday morning so you can't go in or taking your Bible or Prayer Book away so that you couldn't worship in the way you knew.

But Jesus was giving us a visual teaching in this moment--he was flipping over the old ways of doing things, reversing them. He was unseating the old rules and replacing them with a simple premise--sacrifice at the Temple isn't the center of worship--God is the center of worship. Worship God. Don't feel that you have to go through these motions to make God present in your life--God is present wherever you are. Shifting to us--this can mean that we don't have to be in church or sticking our nose in the Prayer Book to be with God--we can pray wherever we are.

Just as this was revolutionary for Jesus to suggest, it is just as revolutionary today. For the Jewish people, the Temple, had served as a central place of worship. First built about 1,000 years before Jesus, it was intended to be the central temple of the faith. About 400 years later, it was destroyed, forcing the Jewish scholars to adapt to a new way of doing things, and adapt a faith that had become focused on the Temple. Centuries later, the Temple was being re-built and its place in the center of the faith was being restored. For us, we tend to put our church or our worship or our music at the center of our faith. We make our institutions into idols that are, in some ways, more important than our very faith in God and in Jesus! This is not only crazy (and hypocritical), but it seems to be recreating the very problems that Jesus was railing against.

Think about the ways in which you interact with God and with your faith in God. When do these feel strongest? When are you most interested in building this up? When are you most likely to think about this?

Now think about when you don't interact with God or your faith. When do you feel most separated from God? What is most likely to get you questioning and doubting and feeling nervous about God? Do you ever feel nothing--as in have no feeling one way or the other? How does that make you feel?

In making faith portable, Jesus isn't condemning the Temple or communal worship. He isn't telling you to make your faith private. But he is placing a new emphasis on the personal relationship over the institutional. The way I see it, this gives us more of an opportunity to share in our faith and worship together without the restrictions of the institution. Remember what was going on in the Temple? Individual sacrifice for individual redemption--an individual transaction for salvation. Seems pretty solo to me. Solo in the midst of a big crowd. Jesus got us to live and eat together and to operate in communities. We bring a whole host of talents and viewpoints when we gather together in groups.

So what do you think the future holds now? What can we do about it?

Exorcist Jesus

Mark 1:21-28

They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

The writer we know as Mark gives us a couple of things to think about here. First is authority.

Jesus goes to this new town, right, and he walks into a synagogue and starts teaching. This would not have been unusual at the time. Pretty normal. I think it would be pretty cool if random people came to our church and started teaching, but I digress. Jesus teaching in a synagogue isn't particularly interesting. What is interesting is their response to it. The text says 1) "They were astounded," 2) "he taught them as one having authority," and 3) "and not as the scribes." Yes, Mark is knocking the scribes. Yes, he is talking about Jesus being special. But no, we don't really know what is meant by authority here.

What Mark is doing with the authority question here is setting us up for what Jesus's authority is really about at the end of the passage. The authority really does have to do with the unclean spirit. Let's look at that interaction. The unclean spirit calls out Jesus here and threatens to reveal Jesus's identity. I think it would be really easy to see Jesus as silencing the unclean spirit, especially in light of the following passages. Maybe its gangster movies or the like, but the image in my mind is of Jesus keeping his identity secret by attacking the stoolpigeon.

I don't think, however, that this is Mark's intention. Flip the image around for a second. The unclean spirit isn't threatening the revelation of identity, but impurity. He may as well be shouting "You do-gooder; you wouldn't dare threaten your own salvation by coming near me!" Like one of Jesus's most famous parables (the Good Samaritan), a good, spiritually-strong, upstanding Jew could not allow himself to be tainted by evil--he must prevent it from contacting him. He must not only avoid it, but condemn it. Except that Jesus calls this what it really is: a load of bull. The scribes support the belief that the purity codes imply that we must avoid anything that would cause impurity. Jesus, on the otherhand, supports the belief that being pure is all fine and good when things are fine and good; but when they're not (someone in trouble, for instance), we have to act. We not only sacrifice our own purity for someone else, but we do so out of love. This is what is truly amazing about Jesus's teaching, amazing them in the synagogue and in exorcising this unclean spirit: he suggests that our purity can be renewed by God--that's no excuse to keep from getting our hands dirty.

And the authority? Well, that's demonstrated by his relationship with the spirit. He doesn't treat it as a superior--out to get him--or as an equal--that could corrupt him--but as inferior. He is able to command an unclean spirit and it has no choice but to obey.

This is one of several healing/exorcism stories for the ensuing weeks. I think it is easy to find ourselves talking about a metaphysical world in which angels and demons wrestle for our souls (and other zoroastrian concepts) while avoiding the teaching and the incredible good news in the Gospel According to Mark.

Jesus breaks what was a pretty important rule for Jew (the purity code) in this passage. Even the unclean spirit knows this to be the case. And yet, Jesus does it anyway. But instead of giving the typical defense (I had a higher purpose), Jesus seems to demonstrate something about the purity code and about the way we interact with each other. The purity code is nothing compared with the plight of those in trouble.

Birth Stories

The following is my sermon from Christmas Eve:

Text: Luke 2:1-20

One of the interesting things about childbirth is the talking afterward--being able to share in your birth story. I could have told you that a year ago as Rose and I were preparing to have our beautiful daughter Sophia. Everyone seemed eager to share their birth stories--many of which inveolved children that are fully-grown. As new parents, we enjoy sharing in our birth story.

Jesus's birth story doesn't really get the full treatment does it? It says simply:

"While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, becaus there was no place for them in the inn."

We don't get to hear about Mary's labor or the circumstances of the delivery. We don't get to hear who cut the umbilical cord or how they stopped the bleeding. I've read that if you give birth at a departments store or in a cave, you should use shoelaces to tie off the cord. I don't think that's what they used. For a birth story, this one is pretty uninspiring--probably wouldn't make A Baby Story. I'm sure there are ways that Luke could have given us a little more pizzazz. What did the inn keeper look like and how was his "sorry, guys" delivered? Did he say it with irritation? "If I made an exception for you, I'd have to make it for everybody!" Did he say it with condescension? "You know, there's a pretty nice barn around the corner (wink wink)--you might be a little more...comfortable there." I'm just curious. In any event, Mary and Joseph's birth story seems to be a bit short.

What we get instead is a thorough conversation between an angel and shepherds. In this part, we actually get some dialogue! Some action! WE get the angel appearing out of nowhere
and he gives them their instructions and then suddenly there's a whole posse of angels singing. And then it says something funny: it says "When the angels had left them"...as if they wanted to make this grand entrance and then wander home. Maybe they had to hoof it. Anyway, all of this action and all of this dialogue gives us the fireworks of the story.

But before we go any further, I have to tell you something. The angel didn't appear to random people. He didn't stop some yahoos on the street. He picked out shepherds in the field. You probably have the wrong impression of these people. Growing up on Christmas pageants where little 7 year-old boys get to play shepherds gives each of us a certain mental image. And our image of Jesus as shepherd gives a certain regal flair to the job. But shepherds aren't the cool kids in school. They are lower class workers who sleep in the fields with their sheep. They're people that wouldn't be allowed in most places because they smell funny. To take this impression further, over the course of the first two chapters of Luke, angesl appear to Mary, Elizabeth, and to shepherds. We're not talking about powerful movers and shakers--the corporate CEOs and Wall Street bankers here, but a girl, an old woman, and day laborers.

And it's hard with our pastoral picture of the manger scene, with our adoration of this brand new baby born to the world, to think about what it means. To think about the innocence of birth and of childhood in the context of the whole gospel.

My favorite scene in Talladega Nights has Will Ferrill's character, Ricky Bobby praying to that sweet baby Jesus--the Jesus of birth and of Christmas--the Jesus that is innocent and can't be held accountable for what the adult Jesus says and does. The baby Jesus that isn't confrontational or difficult or rebellious or argumentative. He is purely sweet and innocent and impressionable and not the Jesus we know.

Except that he is. He is the adult Jesus. We don't celebrate tonight only the birth of Jesus as if He were reborn again in a couple of hours, just as he was born again this time last year. We celebrate Jesus's birth. We celebrate this moment in time where God said something to the effect of: "These people need a pick-me-up". And God, the Great Mystery, joined us on earth in a new way--a way that is different even than God's presence at creation. Remember in Genesis 3:8 where it says "They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze"? God is walking around the Garden looking for Adam and Eve. Tonight's gospel shows us something completely different. This birth, growth, living, death. This is the whole kittencaboodle of the life package.

But remember, the text doesn't dwell on Jesus's birth, right? It doesn't say "Jesus was born," but hat "[Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son." Jesus is referenced only as Mary's firstborn son. Even Jesus's birth, God's birth in a human person, isn't the centerpiece, is it? And really, poor Mary, the mother doesn't get the literary backpatting for her part either. It's the shepherds--those day laborers--that propel this story. It's the shepherds who not only believe the angel and follow the angel's instructions, but race to see this miracle baby. They race to see who is going to lead them. Think about that for a second. In a Roman occupied territory, in a land in which the emperor calls himself King and "Son of God", these sheperds are running to the mangerside of this little baby boy. I could imagine if these guys were royalty and the baby born was a legitimate heir to Henry VIII or something, right? But this is the Messiah, in Greek, literally anointed by God. This is the big one.

The way this story is told, the way it is set up, isn't supposed to be simple and easy. It is to showcase the choice--the biggest choice in their (and our) lives--which god are we to follow: the one we call simply, God--or the Roman Emperor. The shepherds lead us to the right choice, don't they? Isn't that what they're there for?

The Christmas story is scandalous and troubling. It overturns the order of things and suggests opposites--a leader born among animals, the marginalized are given awesome responsibilities, and the upper crust and the in-the-know are left ignorant of what's going on. That shepherds are given the authority of attending to Mary and Joseph shortly after the birth of the Messiah is unbelievable. This is what choosing God is like. It is trusting, following, and running to find the anointed one with such exuberance that it can't be contained. It is telling, professing, and proclaiming the good news of what has happened. It is finding, rejoicing, and worshipping God for all that has occurred.

This scandalous Christmas story is about Jesus without talking about Jesus. It is about how we relate to Him, and therefore God. It's about us and our choice to follow the unconventional God, revealed through unconventional messengers. It's about how we relate to a world that makes so much sense to us and seduces us with the promise of wealth, power, and prestige. It's about simultaneously resisting temptation and giving up control. The Jesus revealed to us on Chirstmas is an innocent and beautiful baby; it is also the Jesus of life and death--the Jesus of growth and suppression--the Jesus of happiness and sorrow. The Jesus revealed tonight is the Crhsit born and crucified. The Jesus revealed tonight is the Jesus we meet in our neighbors, our loved ones, and our guests and in strangers and enemies.

May we behold Jesus, the source of good news and great joy, revealed to us in the miracle of birth. Amen.

Christmas

John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

I am not the world's biggest fan of John. I'll admit it. For one, this gospel isn't as authoritative as the others. For another, it is distracting and depicts a very different vision of Jesus. But as I read this gospel for this past Sunday, I was struck by what it said.

Let's be honest: for the first Sunday after Christmas, this is a weird gospel lesson. There isn't childbirth or shepherds, there are no angels or wise men, and there certainly isn't any action or plot. In literary terms, this is only exposition. The writer is only describing the circumstances--not even the setting of the story. In fact, by even beginning with the famous opening sentence, this gospel is in danger of leaving us out--not making it easy for us to engage the text: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God..."

But take a step back and think about Christmas--everything about Christmas--and list all of the elements:

• Gift-giving: making, buying, wrapping, choosing, receiving, tasting
• Caroling: music, singing, hymns, Nat King Cole
• Characters: baby, Mary, angels, Santa, Rudolph, Charlie Brown
• Traditions: tree, ornaments, garland, mistletoe, stockings
• Food: ham/turkey, chocolates, sweets, milk and cookies, reindeer food
• People: family--parents, siblings, children; friends; strangers
• and many more...
  

All of those things that we associate with Christmas. And seemingly none of them have anything to do with the gospel we read on Christmas. Well, Jesus and Mary and the angels do, but that's it. We don't see wrapping paper and stockings in the Christmas story anywhere. And yet, they represent Christmas. They represent what Christmas means. We'll get back to John in just a minute more.

Despite what anybody says, Christmas isn't about a battle between the secular and the sacred (the world and the church). It isn't about putting Christ back into Christmas any more than having a manger scene outside of a public building makes a person want to be a Christian. It isn't about buying or receiving stuff you and your friends won't even use or buying lame gifts for your parents because you don't know what they would like. It isn't about 24 hours of A Christmas Story. It isn't even about the birth of a baby.

It is about Jesus. Who Jesus is and was. It isn't about celebrating the day Jesus was born, or the time when Jesus was a baby, but a celebration of Jesus as living life as a human being!

In the Nicene Creed, we sometimes bow during the words of the incarnation--when we say:

For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.

We bow in recognition of this incredible thing, this most beautiful gift from God: that God wanted to be with us, in the flesh. To be among us, to live as we do, and deal with all of the annoying things that come along with it. We bow in recognition that this was done, not because we deserved it or because God was bored, but because we needed it. We needed God's presence among us.

Perhaps most astonishing about the John reading is that it reminds us that Jesus isn't a baby. At one point in time He was a baby. We tell stories about that time in the way that we tell stories about each other as babies and children. It is how we relate to one another: and to Jesus.

What are some of your stories about others? What are some of the stories your parents have about you? What do you think these stories tell us about ourselves and other people?

What stories do we tell about Jesus? What do you think those stories tell us about Him? About who He was as person and who He is now (as the Word)?

Christmas is about Jesus. All of Jesus. Our gospel from John demonstrates that a conversation about a Jesus that is born must also be about a Jesus that is killed. A conversation about Jesus as incarnate.

May you continue to give gifts and share in the love of friends and family as an expression of Jesus's love for each of us, and we to one another.