Sermon: The Kingdom of God and Children

Lectionary: Proper 22(B) 
Text: Mark 10:2-16

Jesus Welcomes the Children

Rather than speaking specifically on the text that was read, I will be reading extended selections from Mark 8:31 through 10:45 today. Today’s reading is a part of this extended section. The reading selections will be broken up with some comments after each.

This section of Mark’s account is this gospel’s narrative of Jesus’ final journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, where Jesus will be crucified. As such, the Passion is the background and the foundation on which this entire section is to be interpreted.

If I was speaking each Sunday from September through October, this survey of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem would be divided among seven Sundays. There are repetitions of key thematic elements that occur in this narrative, that is difficult to see when only focusing on a single Sunday’s lectionary reading. To highlight those repetitions and gain insight into this gospel’s key themes, I am taking a 30,000 feet overview of the text today.

The text I read is from the Common English Bible translation.

8:31 Then Jesus began to teach his disciples: “The Human One^[a] must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and the legal experts, and be killed, and then, after three days, rise from the dead.” ³² He said this plainly. But Peter took hold of Jesus and, scolding him, began to correct him. ³³ Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, then sternly corrected Peter: “Get behind me, Satan. You are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts.”

As Jesus begins his journey toward Jerusalem, we see several major thematic elements highlighted. These include his crucifixion and resurrection, the dichotomy between the ways of God’s kingdom vs. the ways of worldly power, and how there is misunderstandings even among those of Jesus’ inner circle. Perhaps there are lessons for present-day Christians among these themes.

The next story is Jesus’ transfiguration.

9:2 Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and brought them to the top of a very high mountain where they were alone. He was transformed in front of them, ³ and his clothes were amazingly bright, brighter than if they had been bleached white.

The glory of Jesus and his identity is confirmed by a voice from heaven. The disciples see the glory and they, especially Peter, are convinced this is the kingdom of God. But the vision fades and they return to the world as it is. Once more, is there a lesson for us here?

As Jesus and three disciples descend the mountain and return to among the people, they are immediately thrown into a tense situation.

9:14 When Jesus, Peter, James, and John approached the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them and l egal experts arguing with them. ¹⁵ Suddenly the whole crowd caught sight of Jesus. They ran to greet him, overcome with excitement. ¹⁶ Jesus asked them, “What are you arguing about?”

¹⁷ Someone from the crowd responded, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, since he has a spirit that doesn’t allow him to speak. ¹⁸ Wherever it overpowers him, it throws him into a fit. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and stiffens up. So I spoke to your disciples to see if they could throw it out, but they couldn’t.”

9:25 Noticing that the crowd had surged together, Jesus spoke harshly to the unclean spirit, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you to come out of him and never enter him again.” ²⁶ After screaming and shaking the boy horribly, the spirit came out. The boy seemed to be dead; in fact, several people said that he had died. ²⁷ But Jesus took his hand, lifted him up, and he arose.

For some unstated reason, the legal experts are arguing with the disciples that remained below. Perhaps they were pointing out the ineffectiveness of the disciples in treating the boy’s condition. Here we see the thematic element of conflict between Jesus, his works, and those who see Jesus as a threat to traditional forms of order and power.

We also see arise the thematic element of a child and what children represent. Here we witness the boy as an innocent victim, the cause of his condition is unstated and frankly, it shouldn’t matter. The child is oppressed, and Jesus restores him to wholeness.

Continuing, Jesus reaffirms the reason for his journey to Jerusalem. It is to demonstrate that the ways of human power is opposed to God’s kingdom.

9:30 From there Jesus and his followers went through Galilee, but he didn’t want anyone to know it. ³¹ This was because he was teaching his disciples, “The Human One^[e] will be delivered into human hands. They will kill him. Three days after he is killed he will rise up.”

9:33 They entered Capernaum. When they had come into a house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about during the journey?” ³⁴ They didn’t respond, since on the way they had been debating with each other about who was the greatest. ³⁵ He sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be least of all and the servant of all.” ³⁶ Jesus reached for a little child, placed him among the Twelve, and embraced him. Then he said, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes one of these children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me isn’t actually welcoming me but rather the one who sent me.”

And we see repeated themes. The disciples are arguing about power in the kingdom. And we see the theme of the child. The kingdom of God turns upside down the human notions of power. Our understanding and practice of power is “power over.” Those who have the most power wield control over others or use the promise and delegation of power to keep underlings in their thrall. But in the kingdom of God power is earned by serving, by letting go of the need to control, and by being hospitable with no expectations of reciprocity.

The next set of texts were read last week. Here are a couple of verses to remind us.

9:38 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone throwing demons out in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.”

9:42 “As for whoever causes these little ones who believe in me to trip and fall into sin, it would be better for them to have a huge stone hung around their necks and to be thrown into the lake.

The disciples want to control Jesus’ power. They want exclusive use of it. Jesus tells them that is not how God’s power works. And once more is raised the theme of children, or “little ones” here – those who have no power in the worldly sense. They are the ones who are most valuable to the kingdom of God.

Next we come to today’s reading. Here are a few verses to remind us of the reading.

10:2 Some Pharisees came and, trying to test him, they asked, “Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife?”

10:13 People were bringing children to Jesus so that he would bless them. But the disciples scolded them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he grew angry and said to them, “Allow the children to come to me. Don’t forbid them, because God’s kingdom belongs to people like these children. ¹⁵ I assure you that whoever doesn’t welcome God’s kingdom like a child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ Then he hugged the children and blessed them.

There is plenty of interesting details about the test that was posed to Jesus, but for now, the key point is that the questioners are asking Jesus to take sides in the ongoing debate between two or more groups at that time. Jesus refuses to do so and takes a third position by appealing to God’s original intention for loving relationships.

And again, the theme is brought up of children who exemplify the kind of individuals that will inherit the kingdom of God.

This is followed by the story of a man (sometimes identified as the rich ruler) who questions Jesus.

10:17 As Jesus continued down the road, a man ran up, knelt before him, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to obtain eternal life?”

¹⁸ Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except the one God. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: Don’t commit murder. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t steal. Don’t give false testimony. Don’t cheat. Honor your father and mother.”^[k]

²⁰ “Teacher,” he responded, “I’ve kept all of these things since I was a boy.”

In Mark’s account, the questioner appears to be asking sincerely. Other gospel accounts turn him into a negative foil. There is much that could be said about each writer’s agenda and editing, but we will leave that for another time.

This is the first time reading this story where the man’s response, “I’ve kept all of these things since I was a boy,” struck me as fitting in with the broader theme of adults vs. children in this extended section. Jesus tells the man that he must give away his possessions, and the man’s response is to walk away in dismay because he is wealthy.

When I read this, what drew my attention was an unspoken question, “What happened to that child-like innocence where wealth didn’t matter to you? What only mattered was pleasing God.” And perhaps that is another lesson and question that we need to ask of ourselves as well.

The disciples are confused and dismayed. In response,

10:29 Jesus said, “I assure you that anyone who has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farms because of me and because of the good news ³⁰ will receive one hundred times as much now in this life—houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and farms (with harassment)—and in the coming age, eternal life. ³¹ But many who are first will be last. And many who are last will be first.”

Again we see the theme of the reversal of conventional (human) ideas of power.

As their journey continues, Jesus repeats the foundational theme of his death and resurrection.

10:32 Jesus and his disciples were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, with Jesus in the lead. The disciples were amazed while the others following behind were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he told them what was about to happen to him. ³³ “Look!” he said. “We’re going up to Jerusalem. The Human One^[l] will be handed over to the chief priests and the legal experts. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴ They will ridicule him, spit on him, torture him, and kill him. After three days, he will rise up.”

The theme of confusion continues. The disciples still don’t understand.

10:35 James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³⁷ They said, “Allow one of us to sit on your right and the other on your left when you enter your glory.”

³⁸ Jesus replied, “You don’t know what you’re asking! Can you drink the cup I drink or receive the baptism I receive?”

³⁹ “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said, “You will drink the cup I drink and receive the baptism I receive, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right or left hand isn’t mine to give. It belongs to those for whom it has been prepared.”

⁴¹ Now when the other ten disciples heard about this, they became angry with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the ones who are considered the rulers by the Gentiles show off their authority over them and their high-ranking officials order them around. ⁴³ But that’s not the way it will be with you. Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant. ⁴⁴ Whoever wants to be first among you will be the slave of all, ⁴⁵ for the Human One^[e] didn’t come to be served but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.”

Following the world’s ideas of power – striving for it, acquiring it, and maintaining it – is diametrically opposed to God’s kingdom. It was human quest for power and control that led to humans murdering God.

If we want to live, to have life, and to be free, we must forsake the ways of worldly power and embrace serving and to empower others to live free from the clutches of the temptations of worldly power and wealth. We must become as vulnerable and powerless as children.

Christians, churches, and religious organizations are not immune to the appeal of worldly power. It doesn’t take, but a brief survey of the political structures around us, to see that.

Can we resist the temptation to utilize power for ourselves and to advance our own agendas through means of control, manipulation, and threats? Can we learn to rise above the methods of this world? And can we then be examples and witnesses of what it means to be fully whole and human? Through our service to those that the world often discards – the “little ones” and the “children” in the eyes of this world’s powers – can we restore dignity, agency, and hope to them? Are we prepared and willing to live out God’s kingdom in our world?

Sermon: To Be Human

Heart of the World

Lectionary: Year B, Proper 17

Text: Song of Solomon 2:8-13

Introduction

If your experience is anything like mine, your recollection might be quite hazy (if there is if any at all) of the last time you heard a sermon on text from the Song of Solomon. It’s not too difficult to put together sermons on stories and parables. Sermons on clearly didactic texts are usually quite straightforward.

But wisdom literature? Because that’s what the Song is. And within the genre of wisdom literature, the Song is all poetry. Poetry that doesn’t contain any kind of explicit instruction. The book of Proverbs contains plenty of instruction. Even many of the poetry in Psalms has theological direction that can be discerned.

But the Song? Like the book of Esther, there is no mention of God. There is no theological direction to the poetry. Yes, both Jews and Christians have interpreted the Song as allegory. For the Jews, it can be interpreted as God’s relationship with Israel. For Christians who have built upon the Jewish allegorical foundation, the Song is an allegory of Christ and Christ’s bride, the Church.

Other interpreters approach it historically and suggest that the Song is describing King Solomon’s relationship with one of his wives, perhaps his first or the one he actually loved; rather than most of harem which were mostly motivated to seal alliances and political objectives. However, there is only weak circumstantial evidence to support the assertion that the Song relates to Solomon.

But these are later interpretations. Some scholars suggest that the allegorical interpretations were developed to justify the inclusion of the Song in the biblical canon.

Because at the core, the Song is a description of human love. Modern scholars are generally of the opinion that due to similarities with other such poetry of the time, the Song originated as a piece of secular romantic poetry that somehow (perhaps due to a wealthy patron) was included in scripture.

Now, what do we do with this information?

Opinions About Inspiration

One of the first things that comes to mind is the question on the nature of inspiration and inspired writings.

There is a spectrum of how Christians think divine inspiration worked and works as it pertains to scripture. Here is how I think about scripture and its relation to divine inspiration.

At one end, there are those that believe that every word (at least in its original composition) was inspired by God. Moving along the spectrum, there are those who don’t believe in the literal, verbal inspiration of scripture, but believe that every individual who wrote the text was inspired by God. This is sometimes referred to as “thought inspiration.” Moving further along the spectrum, there are those who believe that even if the texts themselves aren’t the result of close divine revelation, the process of editing and collecting the writings to form the canon(s) we have today was inspired by God. At the end of the spectrum, are those who value scripture as inspired, but the inspiration is not inherent in the text but rather, inspiration is received as individuals and communities read the text together and seek divine guidance to understand what it might mean in the present moment.

In my own experience, there was a shift in how I understood the nature of scripture and inspiration. In the belief system that I grew up in, we never accepted literal, verbal inspiration and inerrancy of scripture. I grew up where we believed that all the authors were inspired.

But as I learned and understood more about how the text of the Bible came to be, how they were edited and compiled, how nearly every book of the Bible has authorial or redactor agendas, it became increasingly difficult to accept overall divine inspiration in the writing of the text.

While I can accept that there might be inspiration at work in the writing of small sections, I no longer hold to the idea that there is any kind of inherent inspiration found in the actual text of scripture.

In case you have never heard it before, there is what is sometimes referred to as a high view vs. a low view of scripture. The so-called “high view” asserts that the text itself is inspired. What is intended as the pejorative “low-view” is a rejection of the high-view.

Anyway, if a person doesn’t accept that the words of scripture are inherently inspired, what value does scripture have? And here is where I think that the inclusion of the Song in the Bible offers us an alternative response.

Humanity and Shared Experience

I noted earlier that the current scholarly opinion is that the Song was most likely originated as an anonymous secular love poetry. We might think that this is just an anomaly, but there are other textual pieces found in the Hebrew scriptures which are also seen as originating in texts of other people around them. Even when we venture into the New Testament, we find examples where the text quotes verbatim from Greek and Roman texts, or the texts contain allusions to Greek and Roman philosophical thought.

The incorporation of secular texts and thoughts in scripture does not invalidate its usefulness or devalue it. On the contrary, I think that it allows scripture to be more relatable and as a consequence, more useful and valuable. Scripture offers us, readers that are removed from the text by thousand of miles and thousands of years, a window into peoples who had vastly different experiences in some ways, yet struggled with the same big questions that we still ask: What is the meaning of life? Is there an ultimate power, and if so, what is this power like? Why is there good and evil? What happens after we die? And so on.

Scripture is the record of people wrestling with these metaphysical questions. The answers that people find are rooted in their time and place. Some of the big brushstrokes may hold true over time and space, but we should be careful in how we take and interpret specific responses. All interpretations have a context, and that context includes history and culture.

The value of scripture is that it helps us understand that we, as humans, have always wrestled with similar questions. It also helps us see that the responses to those questions have been developed in community. Scripture is not a lone-wolf exercise, either in its formation or in its interpretation. Scripture has value because it forms a foundation and a starting point for community discussion and debate into the questions and nature of ultimate things.

Just as sermons today might bring in quotes from books and movies, talk about popular music and artists, and how they are part of our experience and how they might help explain to us and to help us experience a touch of what we think upon as ultimate reality. Ancient authors, editors, and audience did the same sort of thing with the materials they had on hand.

To Be Fully Human

The Song touches on the meaning and experience of human love. The experience, the passion, the playfulness, the mystery, and the discovery found in romantic and erotic love between two humans is nearly entirely absent from the Bible, except in the Song. There were enough individuals in ancient history that found value in the Song to preserve it through inclusion in the canon. Romantic love, eros and sexual intimacy were seen as part of what makes humans human, to make sure it was part of the sacred collection of texts.

Once we accept the goodness of romance and passion in our human relationships, we can ask what that means about God who placed those things in us and called them “good.” We can begin to explore how the scripture texts describing God as a lover might mean. We might gain better sense into how much passion God feels toward creation. When we speak of Jesus as God become fully human, we cannot exclude portions of the human experience simply because they are theologically inconvenient or uncomfortable. God sees humanity to be so full of wonder and value that God became one of us. We must never devalue ourselves or anyone else.

Finally, we should not reject allegorical interpretations either. They shouldn’t be asserted as the only “correct” interpretation, but neither should be rejected. It was in community that allegorical interpretations were formed and they form a part of our shared history.

Let me conclude by reading the rest of chapter 2 of the Song. Here the woman continues to quote her lover, before resuming first-person voice in the final two verses.

¹⁴ My dove—in the rock crevices,
hidden in the cliff face—
let me catch sight of you;
let me hear your voice!
The sound of your voice is sweet,
and the sight of you is lovely.”
¹⁵ Catch foxes for us—
those little foxes
that spoil vineyards,
now that our vineyards are in bloom!
¹⁶ I belong to my lover and he belongs to me—
the one grazing among the lilies.
¹⁷ Before the day breeze blows
and the shadows flee,
turn about, my love; be like a gazelle
or a young stag
upon the jagged mountains. (Song of Songs 2:14-17 CEB)

A celebration of human love and what it means to be human. That is the Song.

In the name of God who composed the Song,

In the name of God who sang the Song,

And in the name of God who accompanies our Singing…

References

Bartlett, D. L., & Taylor, B. B. (2008). Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 4 (Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary). Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

Dunn, J. D., & Rogerson, J. W. (2003). Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

McDaniel, S. (2017, Marh 9). Greek Writers Quoted in the New Testament. Retrieved from Tales of Times Forgotten: Making the Distant Past Relevant to the Present Day: https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2017/03/09/greek-writers-quoted-in-the-new-testament/

 

 

Sermon: What Matters

Lectionary: Proper 6(B)

Text: 2 Corinthians 5:6-17

"Reconciliation"

Introduction

A criticism that is sometimes leveled against Christians is that “some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.”[1] And if we take some of the texts found in the New Testament, we could certainly come up with a basis for focusing solely on salvation as a means of exiting this world and getting to heaven. Part of the reading this morning from 2 Corinthians 5 could be interpreted in that way.

I grew up in a theology that strongly emphasized the Second Coming and the saved would be taken up, after which this present world would be destroyed. Then this world would be recreated with the arrival of the New Jerusalem. In one sense then, I grew up with the idea that this world and everything in it was quite temporary and we shouldn’t spend too much effort “down here.”

But on the other hand, the denomination had a strong organizational branch dedicated to education, health and medicine, and disaster relief. It was very much concerned about growing its presence. But these were most always undertaken toward the ultimate goal of evangelism and “getting people saved.”

What I read in Paul’s words found in today’s reading is not either-or, but a both-and. In a nutshell, what Paul seems to be writing to the Corinthians is that what is done in this world matters now to the physical world, and what is done in this world matters in the future when Christ will take into account what was done.

It is on this latter point that Christians raise eyebrows because the idea of a judgment that evaluates works and then offers a payment based on that seems rather foreign and antithetical to the entire message of gospel and grace, especially when it is coming from Paul, the foremost champion of grace over law and works.

What is going on?

The Church at Corinth and Paul

First, it needs to be noted that the idea of a future judgment is not foreign to Paul’s theology. In addition to what we read today, we find Paul writing about a future judgment and associated rewards in Romans and in 1 Corinthians.[2] What is key to note about Paul’s theology of future judgment is that the same God who saves is also the judge. Rather than fearing judgment then, those who belong to Christ should know relief and assurance instead.

Next let us turn to the context of the church in Corinth. Many of you are already likely aware that the church in Corinth seems to have been plagued by one problem, issue, and conflict after another. At least based on the Pauline letters that we have left to us to ponder. There were conflicts of leadership: some preferred Peter, others Apollos, others Paul, and others eschewed any kind of human leadership and went straight to Christ.[3] There was within the church sexual immorality that even the pagan Romans frowned on.[4] Members were taking one another into Roman courts to bring and settle lawsuits.[5] There were conflicts over what one could eat or not eat.[6] There were rivalries over manifestations of spiritual gifts.[7] There were even conflicts involving the Communion meal.[8] Members of the church were judging one another and dividing into factions, each believing themselves to be better than the others.

One of the issues then may be related to an over-realized eschatology that some of the members may have come to believe. These thought that because they had been saved, the full realization of salvation had already come and that what they did in their physical bodies on the physical world no longer mattered.[9]

A second issue was that of authority. It seems that Paul’s authority as an apostle was being questioned. He did not act like teachers and authority figures were expected to behave. He did not demand to be supported, and instead supported himself. The church in Corinth saw this not as a sign of humble Christian behavior, but as a lack of power and authority and preferred others who acted more in line with their expectations.[10]

The Second Letter to the Corinthian Church

The First Epistle to the Corinthians addressed these issues and several others. But apparently the issues didn’t get resolved, because Paul had to write at least one more letter. Chapters 10 through 13 of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians is probably that letter. In these chapters, Paul again has to defend his authority as an apostle and rebuke the church at Corinth for their ongoing conflicts and behaviors unbecoming of Christ-followers.

And that brings us to the first seven chapters of the Second Epistle. (Several modern scholars theorize that the Second Epistle is an amalgamation of three separate letters that are found out of order from their chronologies.)[11] These seven chapters, the last of Paul’s letters that we have written to the church in Corinth, may be seen as a reconciliation letter. The conflict and issues at Corinth seem to have been finally resolved and Paul writes to explain himself and assure the Corinthians that he has not continued to be angry with them. Our reading today was taken from the middle of this material.

The Future Hope and Present Realities

In this subsection, Paul seems to be writing excitedly about the hope he and all Christians have in the promised future restoration of all things. Physical bodies might be weak, they wear out, and trouble can hit us at any time. Death is always a possibility. But none of that compares to the life that we already have in Christ and the resurrection that we will experience. What we see is temporal. All the troubles are temporary. What is promised beyond what we can currently see surpasses anything we can truly imagine. The visible, physical world weighs us down. We long for the life to come. We do not belong to this world.

At this point we might expect Paul to go all in on the future, the world and life to come. He does, indeed, long for it and hope for it. But he tells his audience that while this world might be temporary and our permanent home isn’t here, we should nevertheless live in the here and now as if it were our home and Christ was here with us. A precedent for this pattern may be found in Jeremiah 29 where the prophet writes to the exiles in Babylon to live in their land of exile, the land of sojourn, as though they were going to be there a long time. They were commanded to promote the welfare of their temporary home because their future was tied to the future of their temporary home.[12]

Both-And

If we heed Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, we will be better equipped to stay away from a couple ditches that we could find ourselves in. The first ditch is one where because all our hope is in the future, we come to believe that nothing in the present world matters. This is where Paul’s words about judgment and rewards based in what happens in the body are pertinent. How we treat the physical world and how we relate to creation and created beings matters to God and therefore, it should matter to us. The words about judgment is a call to critical self-reflection for individuals and for faith communities. If we claim to be followers of Christ, but ignore Christ’s concerns, are we really following Christ?

The second ditch is one where only the present is of concern. Especially since Christ’s return is so long in coming, and placing faith and hope in an event that could be another two-thousand years off seems esoteric and difficult to comprehend. It is much easier to try to make concrete, tangible efforts in the present and minimize or ignore what might or might not happen in the future as it is inconvenient to try to explain to those outside the church this very delayed hope.

The Ultimate Hope of Reconciliation

We need to go past today’s assigned reading, but when we do we can see that for Paul, ethical works done in the present was a means of bringing reconciliation. Starting with the last couple verses from the reading here is the rest of chapter 5.

¹⁶ So then, from this point on we won’t recognize people by human standards. Even though we used to know Christ by human standards, that isn’t how we know him now. ¹⁷ So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived!

¹⁸ All of these new things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and who gave us the ministry of reconciliation. ¹⁹ In other words, God was reconciling the world to himself through Christ, by not counting people’s sins against them. He has trusted us with this message of reconciliation.

²⁰ So we are ambassadors who represent Christ. God is negotiating with you through us. We beg you as Christ’s representatives, “Be reconciled to God!” ²¹ God caused the one who didn’t know sin to be sin for our sake so that through him we could become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:16-21 CEB)

Anyone can devote their lives to doing ethical work in this world and make a positive contribution and possibly a lasting difference. But for Christians, there is an even larger objective. It is the reconciliation of the world back to God. The hope of Christian faith is not simply a better world or eternal life, but a world and life reconciled back to the Creator so that we can all live together in peace and harmony, without fear.

Last week we read Paul’s words, “We also have faith, and so we also speak.” We heard about the importance of speaking about our faith. Today is a continuation of that conversation.

Paul’s theology is both-and. We must love this world, relate to it, and treat it as God does. We must begin to plant the seeds of God’s new creation within the world around us. We must tend to the sprouts and growth as they appear. But we must also point toward and speak about the hope that is found in the final reconciliation of the world to God. Our faith is not just in a glorified future, but in the power of God that is already recreating and restoring, who is working through our efforts to be Christ’s representatives in this world.

References

Dunn, J. D., & Rogerson, J. W. (2003). Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

 

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[1] Attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

[2] Romans 2:16; 14:10-11; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15.

[3] 1 Corinthians 1:10-12.

[4] 1 Corinthians 5.

[5] 1 Corinthians 6:1-8.

[6] 1 Corinthians 8.

[7] 1 Corinthians 12-14.

[8] 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.

[9] Paul’s discussion of the resurrection in 1 Cor. 15 seems to be related to this.

[10] 1 Corinthians 4.

[11] (Dunn & Rogerson, 2003), Introduction to 2 Corinthians.

[12] Jeremiah 29:4-7.

Sermon: Mirepoix (Take Two)

Lectionary: Trinity Sunday (B)
Text: Psalm 29; Romans 8:12-17; John 3:1-17

Introduction

The sermon on bread pudding I gave here about seven years ago has clearly left an impression. Even if you don’t recall anything about the content of the sermon, most of you appreciate the bread pudding.

Eight years ago, Elise and I spent a week or so in New Orleans. About a month later, I preached a sermon at the Lutheran Church which prominently featured the topic of mirepoix.

Some of you may have heard the term before and might know what it means. The rest of you are going, “Now what is that?”

During our week in NOLA, we spent half of one of the days at the New Orleans School of Cooking, where Chef Kevin Belton demonstrated several recipes, including the bread pudding that many of you have enjoyed quite regularly over the past several years. Going over to the side of main dishes, he explained that the flavoring for Creole dishes comes from a combination of three key ingredients: two parts onion, one part green bell peppers, and one part celery.

At the end of the cooking demonstration, we were all given a lunch based on what he had cooked up. We were also given copies of all the recipes. In addition, at the market adjoining, there was a cookbook which he had recently authored and I purchased a copy which I had signed.

The “Holy Trinity”

During the class Kevin explained the history and significance of the three ingredients. The front part of his cookbook also dedicates a number of paragraphs to the topic. (You didn’t realize when you came to church this morning that you would be listening to an extended talk on Creole cuisine this morning, did you!? If I could deliver this sermon in any way I wanted, I would have chosen a demonstration kitchen so someone could cook while you listen so you could get all the sensory stimulations.)

Here I quote some relevant portions from that section:

When you are looking for the main flavor in New Orleans cooking, you won’t find it in a shaker, a container, a bottle or a box. The flavor is actually from the moisture that comes from cooking with onions, celery, and green bell pepper.

Classical French cooking relies on the use of a mire poix which is two parts onion, one part celery, and one part carrot. The problem was there were no carrots in south Louisiana 300 years ago. What we had here in New Orleans were plenty of bell peppers.

So the onions, celery, and bell peppers became the New World mire poix ingredient combination that is the foundation of most of New Orleans signature dishes… The industrious settlers and cooks in Louisiana incorporated the bell pepper out of necessity and created a unique flavor profile that is recognized as the only non-native American indigenous cuisine in the United States—Creole cooking…

Being a predominantly Catholic settlement, whether under French rule or Spanish, it is interesting to note that the same religion, Catholicism, guided the city for so many years under the concept of the Holy Trinity, the big three of the Catholics. The name stuck for the big three of New Orleans cuisine. It would be sacrilege to not cook with the traditional three: onions, celery, and bell pepper…

When you are going for true Creole flavor, be sure to invite the trinity into the pot. Onions, celery, and bell pepper, because you can’t cook New Orleans food without them.[1]

And there you now have the connection with Creole cuisine to Trinity Sunday. (And if you’re looking for a great New Orleans cookbook, I highly recommend Kevin Belton’s Big Flavors of New Orleans. The cooking school is also a great experience.)

Metaphors and Limitations

But back to the topic of the Trinity. If you search the web for “bad analogies for the Trinity”, you will find many examples, including probably the most common ones you’ve heard, including water, an egg, the sun, and more. And if I went ahead and used the onion, celery, and bell pepper as analogies for God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, this analogy would also quickly end up in that bucket of bad analogies. The reason for is that they all fall into some kind of theological heresy that was condemned during the early centuries of Christianity.

With the caveat that all metaphors and analogies have limitations and shouldn’t be stretched too far, I offer the following.

God might be compared to mirepoix of Creole cooking. Mirepoix is the crucial combination of ingredients that define Creole cuisine. In a similar manner, there are crucial characteristics of God, that when any are missing, God ceases to be God. In the gospel account of John, some of these properties include life, light, and love. God is life; God is light; God is love. But life is not God; light is not God; and love is not God. Nor can we say that God the Father is Light, Jesus is Love, and the Holy Spirit is Life. Each one is all of the properties.

Returning to cooking, we observe that onions alone do not make Creole cuisine; nor does celery alone; and nor does bell pepper alone. All three must exist simultaneously for Creole cuisine to be Creole cuisine. There is a certain substance that defines Creole cuisine.

The traditional wording of the Nicene Creed includes the following:

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten not made, being of one substance [italics mine] with the Father…[2]

From this we can interpolate that in orthodox Christian theology, God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are of one substance. However, each Being of this singular substance we call God, has chosen to manifest to humanity in different ways.

A single Creole mirepoix is the foundation for jambalaya, gumbo, etouffee, bisque, and more. The mirepoix is incorporated into various dishes to satisfy various needs. And perhaps we might see how God’s characteristics manifest through God’s three different Beings in a somewhat analogous manner to cooking to fulfill God’s needs and desires in God’s relationship with humanity and with all of creation.

At this point some might object that my analogy and illustration has reduced God to mere material substance. To that I might say that I could have just started and ended with, “The Trinity is an incomprehensible mystery. Three Beings. One God. The End.” But that would not have been very helpful. I would also observe that the Bible itself is God limiting God’s self and revelation to the limits of human language and cultures. And finally, I would add that Jesus himself is God limiting God’s self to the confines of human experience at a particular point in time and space.

Lest someone find my use of food and cooking analogy of God sacrilegious, I might point out that throughout the Bible, God uses imagery of food to portray the sacred. Among them, Communion or the Eucharist should be foremost in our Christian experience. We might not typically associate the adjective delicious with God, but should Jesus’ description of himself as the Bread of Life, or the communion bread as “this is my body” to remain purely utilitarian? Could we associate delicious with these metaphors? Sure, we eat to gain nutrients to allow us to survive, but wouldn’t we rather enjoy the food? Psalm 34:8 includes a phrase, “Taste and see how good the LORD is!” (CEB)

Conclusion

When we imagine what the Holy Spirit is about, I think that in many cases the Holy Spirit is reduced to quiet whispers that prod our conscience. We often think of the Holy Spirit as a still, small voice that offers us wisdom and points us in a direction.

But the doctrine of the Trinity tells us that the entire substance of God is within us. All of God’s creative power, all of God’s redemptive power, all of God’s care and concern for creation, all of God’s love for all of God’s children.

The God of storms that we heard from Psalm 29 – that God is within us through the Holy Spirit.

The God who sacrificed himself in the being of Jesus Christ – that God is within us to enable us to follow Christ’s example.

The passage from Romans chapter 8 continues and includes the following well-known texts:

³¹ If God is for us, who is against us? ³² He didn’t spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. Won’t he also freely give us all things with him? ³³ Who will bring a charge against God’s elect people? It is God who acquits them. ³⁴ Who is going to convict them? It is Christ Jesus who died, even more, who was raised, and who also is at God’s right side. It is Christ Jesus who also pleads our case for us… ³⁸ I’m convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord: not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers ³⁹ or height or depth, or any other thing that is created.[3]

The doctrine of the Trinity tells us that the entirety of God is not only for us, but within us, empowering us to be God’s hands, feet, and voice in the world around us.

In the name of God who Creates,

In the name of God who Redeems,

And in the name of God who Empowers, Amen.

References

Belton, K. (2016). Kevin Belton's Big Flavors of New Orleans. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith.

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[1] (Belton, 2016, pp. 16-17)

[2] That the traditional wording of the Nicene Creeds might offer a historical theology of early Christianity that is at odds with modern Christian theology should be recognized.

[3] Romans 8:31b-34, 38-39 (CEB)

Sermon: We Like to be In Control

The Ascension
by Benjamin West, PRA
1801

Lectionary: Easter 7B
Text: Acts 1

Introduction

Four years from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and arguably a couple of years now since it has become much less of a concern, we have learned a few things about human nature. One such thing is that we do not like unknowns and uncertainties, especially when there is no end in sight. Another, related to that, is that we would rather do anything than wait. And regarding that, we stumbled through numerous treatments and cures, many of which had no effect and some that were even quite harmful, just to have some semblance of reasserting control over the unknowns that were being faced. Even if many of those things were completely illusory.

For others of us, changes in routine can be quite upsetting and anxiety-inducing. To use myself as an example, while I like the idea of travel and seeing new places and having new experiences, all of the unknowns, uncertainties, changes in routines, and the loss of control involved in many aspects of travel often result in severe anxiety, which in turn manifests in physiological abnormalities. More than once the symptoms have been severe enough or concerning enough for me to seek out emergency medical services.

In-Between Time

On this final Sunday of the Easter liturgical season, we are looking at an in-between time. The followers of Jesus have experienced several monumental highs and lows: the arrest and crucifixion, the empty tomb, the multiple appearances of Jesus following his resurrection and the next forty days to them, and most recently, Jesus’ ascension. This is a huge number of emotional and psychological impacts that directly affect their being. Many of these events include large unknowns about what they think they will face about the future. Some of these involve the loss of Jesus, who had been their center and source of control and confidence for them.

It should not be a surprise then, to hear the question, “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now?” (Acts 1:6) coming from them. For forty days, it seems like their lives are returning to how things were before. Jesus is among them, walking with them and teaching them. He is speaking about the kingdom of God.

“Wait…”

But Jesus tells them that the restoration of the kingdom is not yet. Not only that, but there is no timetable that he gives them. What Jesus promises is the arrival of the Holy Spirit into them. And the command that Jesus gives them is to wait and “stay in the city until you have been furnished with heavenly power.” (Luke 24:49[1]) Jesus does not give any indication of how long they are to wait.

And then Jesus ascends and is no longer among them. Their world, which had been turned upside down by the crucifixion, but had seemed to be returning after the resurrection, is once again tossed into the air.

Waiting…

The disciples return to Jerusalem and begin their waiting for the Holy Spirit. The total number of individuals is reported as around one-hundred and twenty, including women. They begin their waiting period devoting themselves to prayer. Even though we know that the number of days between Jesus’ ascension and Pentecost is a mere ten days, they don’t know how long they would have to wait.

This next part is a narrative hypothesis of my imaginations as to how the next few days might have gone.

A day passes and there is no promised Holy Spirit. “Well,” some of them might suppose, “Jesus has just returned to God and he is still busy getting resettled in his heavenly abode. We shouldn’t expect the Holy Spirit so soon.”

A second day goes by, and still there is no Holy Spirit. Maybe a few a getting a bit antsy and anxious, but two days is still not a very long time to wait.

A third day goes by and more of them are starting to question and wonder. Is their devotion to prayer sufficient? Did they overlook something else Jesus told them to do while waiting? What could Jesus possibly be doing that is more important than sending to them the promised Holy Spirit?

Tired of Waiting

Now, the Bible doesn’t say how many days they waited until the next event recorded takes place. All the text tells us is that “during this time” of ten days, “Peter stood among them” and proposed a course of action.

Peter is not known for his patience. He is a man of words and action. He is a man of extremes. When Jesus comes walking on the water, Peter wants to do the same. Peter is the first to declare Jesus as “Son of God.” But the very next thing, Peter is rebuking Jesus. When Peter sees Jesus transfigured, he proposes building tents where all of them could continue experiencing glory. Peter at first refuses to have his feet washed by Jesus, but after Jesus tells him that it must be done, Peter asks for his entire body to be washed. Peter says he is willing to give his life for Jesus and in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter is ready to defend Jesus with a sword. But when Jesus tells him that force of arms is not the way, Peter flees and then denies ever knowing Jesus.

The impatient and impetuous Peter seems to resurface in the first chapter of Acts. He perhaps thinks that the reason the Holy Spirit hasn’t been given is because their number is incomplete. With Judas Iscariot no longer a part of the Twelve, the specially appointed disciples only number eleven. Perhaps it is with this reasoning that Peter proposes appointing a replacement for Judas. Peter justifies his proposition with a number of texts pulled from the Hebrew scriptures.

Nostalgia and Desire for Comfort

Peter’s proposal might also be colored by nostalgia. When they were the chosen Twelve with Jesus, traversing about Galilee, Judea, and the occasional foray outside of these areas, it was a happy time. They knew who they were and where they belonged. They were secure with Jesus. Perhaps in Peter’s mind, reverting to some of the old structure would ease the discomfort and anxiety that they were now experiencing. The replacement would have to be a man (not a woman) who had been with Jesus during his entire public ministry. That would restore proper structure.

Perhaps too, in the minds of Peter and the other disciples, because Jesus had appointed the Twelve specifically, that the ministry handed down to them by Jesus would remain their sole domain. That in order for Jesus’ ministry to continue, their number would need to be maintained through appointment of replacements. (Acts 1:15-26 is one of the passages that is used to base the doctrine of apostolic succession.)

The rest of the believers agree that this could very well be a good idea and nominate two candidates (the first Christian nominating committee): Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus), and Matthias. After prayer, they cast lots and Matthias is selected.

This is the only place where Matthias (and Joseph) is mentioned. Nothing is recorded about his history. He makes no recorded contributions to the early church. He is mentioned once and forgotten.

Perhaps replacing Judas with another wasn’t God’s idea, even when Peter found texts to support the action. Even when sincere prayer was involved.

But the Holy Spirit still doesn't arrive.

Pentecost

But then Pentecost comes (and here I touch on next Sunday’s lection). The believers are all gathered and the Holy Spirit rushes in, appearing like flames alighting atop each one, men and women alike. The gift of the Spirit and the commissioning of ministry is given to all of them, not just the Twelve.

When others in Jerusalem question what is happening, Peter gets up to speak, and he seems to have finally understood, at least in part, what the Holy Spirit has done. Peter quotes from the prophet Joel who prophesied that in the last days God will empower everyone – not just select priests, not just those with proper lineage, not just men, not just those of specific ages, and certainly not just appointed apostles.

Whereas the text of Acts merely relates the details of the appointment of Matthias without evaluation, the activities around the Day of Pentecost is evaluated positively. Although the absence of evaluation isn’t proof that what Peter and the believers did was negative, I think there is sufficient evidence to suggest that what they did was not necessary for God do God’s work.

The Holy Spirit Among Us

The Holy Spirit breaks traditions and boundaries. The Holy Spirit is free to break even those markers that God might have placed in earlier times. The work of the Holy Spirit is often found in experiences that are discomforting. Growth is not found in places of comfort. Christians are not called and commissioned to replicate what has come before. We are not called to restore the past.

We are called to build the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God sprouts and grows slowly, almost imperceptibly. It is like a mustard seed. It is like a seed that is sown. There might be long periods of time when nothing seems to be happening, like a seed that lies dormant until the right conditions develop. There might be lengthy times of waiting.

Faithfulness to God and God’s mission might mean that during some periods of our lives, it requires us to wait for God to act. We can’t force God to act.

Many times, we would rather act. Doing something at least feels better than doing nothing.

I don’t really know why God asks us to wait. God could just act without us having to wait. One speculation of mine is that God allows periods of waiting so that we can exhaust our “doings”. Perhaps these times allow us realization of those areas where we aren’t yet fully reliant on God. Perhaps we are like small children yelling, “I can do it myself!” when clearly, they cannot. Perhaps God is like the parent watching and waiting for us to acknowledge our limitations and allow God to work in God’s own time.

Sometimes faith demands we act. But faith also demands that at times we wait. We may suffer through discomfort and anxiety. We might want it to end. We might try to cause God to act. But God acts in God’s own time. Waiting is a spiritual discipline. Letting go of our desire to control is a spiritual discipline.

When God acts, and God does, it is through the Holy Spirit working through us. The results of God-initiated action are far beyond what we could have possibly imagined.

Bibliography

Bartlett, D. L., & Taylor, B. B. (2008). Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 2 (Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary). Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

Gonzales, J. L. (2001). ACTS: The Gospel of the Spirit. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.

Liggett, J. (2024, May 12). Waiting, Easter 7 (B) – May 12, 2024. Retrieved from The Episcopal Church: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/sermon/waiting-easter-7-b-may-12-2024/

 

 

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[1] C.f., Acts 1:4, “He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for what the Father had promised.” The Lucan text is more explicit about what was promised.