Thursday, July 26, 2012
Genesis 12:1-8 - The Promised Land
v. 1 - GO:
Kansas City
Cairo
Austin
Germantown
Asheboro
Cary
St. Louis
Madrid
Roanoke
Philadelphia
Apex
Morrisville
Nicaragua
Durham
Raleigh
Grimesland
Chapel Hill
v. 4 - So Abram went.
v. 5 - And they arrived there.
They arrived there. They arrived where God told them to go. They reached the end of their journey. They arrived.
This is unlike all those saints listed in Hebrews 11 who did not receive what was promised. Abram and Sarai did arrive in the promised land. And yet Hebrews 11:9 says they lived there as in a foreign land, which I suppose it was, actually, and lived in tents, which are not permanent dwelling places. Abram arrived, but didn't make himself at home. He arrived... and yet he didn't. Hebrews 11:10 says that even from the promised land he still looked forward to the city of God, even in the promised land. Even having arrived, he was still a sojourner, still a stranger. He made his home in the promised land and yet stayed a foreigner, an outsider. He arrived. He got where God told him to go. He made his home in transitional housing. Sounds like he never really felt he belonged. That home was Harran and temporary home was Canaan. Except Canaan was The Promised Land.
Sounds like the story of Hispanic immigrants in the U.S. The U.S. is The Promised Land. So many of them arrive, they make it here through all kinds of perils and hardships. And they make their homes here, their children are born here, like Isaac and Jacob and Esau. And so many of them live in non-permanent dwelling places - trailers, rented apartments, with extended family members. Some have houses, true. But some also move around a lot. They pitch their tents. Their home is here and yet many of them remain sojourners and strangers. Their home is here, they arrived in the promised land, and they're treated like outsiders. "By faith Abram sojourned in the promised land as a foreigner... because he looked forward to the city of God" (paraphrase of Hebrews 11:9-10, RSV). What does it look like to live in the promised land and yet stay a foreigner? Like the Hispanic immigrant experience in the U.S. What would it look like for the rest of us to live in the promised land as foreigners? Never truly home... because you're looking forward to the City of God.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
The Zax: When Good Turns Bad, Things Get Ugly
Luke 15:11-31; Psalm 32
July 22, 2012
Today
we are continuing our Dr. Seuss sermon series.
This is week three out of four of exploring how Dr. Seuss stories
illuminate lessons from the Bible. The
parable of the prodigal son that we just read is familiar to most of us. However, I don’t know that Dr. Seuss’s story
of “The Zax” is as familiar. It’s found
in his collection of short stories called “The Sneetches and Other Stories” and
it involves two Zax making tracks in the prairie of Prax.
[8&11]: One Zax is a
North-Going Zax and the other Zax is a South-Going Zax, and as you might
imagine, the prairie of Prax isn’t big enough for the both of them. As one goes north and one goes south, they
bump into each other, foot to foot and face to face.
The North-Going Zax says, “Look here, now! I say!
You are blocking my path. You are
right in my way. I’m a North-Going Zax
and I always go north. Get out of my
way, now, and let me go forth!”
“Who’s
in whose way?” snaps the South-Going Zax.
“I always go south, making south-going tracks. So you’re in MY way! And I ask you to move and let me go south in south-going groove.”
Then
the North-Going Zax puffs his chest up with pride. “I never take a step to one side. And I’ll prove to you that I won’t change my
ways if I have to keep standing here fifty-nine days!”
And the South-Going Zax yells back, “I’ll prove to YOU that
I can stand here in the prairie of Prax tor fifty-nine years! For I live by a rule that I learned as a boy back in South-Going School. Never
budge! That’s my rule. Never budge in the least! Not an inch to the west! Not an inch to the east! I’ll stay here, not budging! I can and I will if it makes you and me and
the whole world stand still!”[1]
[9:00]: To help us out, I’ve asked two youth to play the
parts of the two Zax. Odom is the
North-Going Zax and Nick is the South-Going Zax.
So…
what happened here? Neither Zax was
willing to give in, willing to take just one step to the side so that they
could continue their tracks. They were
each too proud, too stuck in their ways to even consider a compromise. We are called to persevere and hold tight
to our beliefs, but we must be willing to consider new ways to live out those
beliefs. Would stepping to one side,
or each taking half a step so they could pass each other, have been a betrayal
to their rules? Yes, taking pride in
your work, in your family, and in your church is a good thing. But when pride makes you inflexible, it’s a
problem. When pride makes you think you
don’t need anyone else, as in the case of the prodigal son, it’s a
problem. You see, the prodigal son, or,
let’s just call him the younger brother, he thought he didn’t need anyone else
to make his own way in the world. He
thought he could do it by himself, as long as he had his daddy’s money. But he didn’t need his daddy, or any other
member of his family. His pride, in
himself, turned into egotism and so he rudely demanded his half of the
inheritance. To do so in that culture
meant that you considered your father dead to you. And he not only acted as if his father were
dead, but wanted his share NOW. His
pride had turned into ugly stubbornness.
It had to be his way and his timing. And so, his dad acquiesces, even though it
hurts. When you’re confronted with
someone and it’s their way or the highway, you’re not left with many
choices. I guess the dad figured he was
losing his son either way, so at least this way, the son had some money to help
him get by. Ultimatums aren’t pretty
because they force someone to act a certain way and love never forces. That’s why although we persevere in the race
set out before us and we hold tight to our beliefs, we remain open to new ways
to faithfully live out those beliefs. There’s
more than one way of doing things well and change can be a good thing. This Dr. Seuss sermon series is one example –
I’ve never done anything like it and Pastor Ken, with his 25 years more of
experience than me, only rarely has.
There is more than one way to persevere and be faithful.
The next lesson to learn from the Zax is that competition
can bring out the best in us or the worst in us. Healthy competition can bring out the best,
it makes you work harder, study harder, strive to do better. I remember in math class in high school where
the teacher passed the tests back by row, so you took yours off the top and saw
the grade of the person sitting behind you.
Chris always did better than me.
I studied more and would ace the test, and then I’d see his grade as I
passed his paper back to him and he’d gotten the extra credit. I don’t think I ever got a higher grade than
him in that class. But it made me study
more. Unfortunately, in the case of the
Zax, I think it’s safe to say that this competition brought out the worst in
them. It’s like the staring contest,
neither one is willing to blink first.
Or, how about sibling rivalry? Can
anyone relate to that? It’s what we hear
from the older brother after his younger brother returns: “IT’S NOT FAIR! Dad, how dare you accept your son back and
not only that but throw him a party!
He’s thrown away the money you gave him and you welcome him home with a
party?!?! I’ve spent my whole life
working for you, I’ve never disobeyed you or disowned you, like this other son
of yours. And you welcome him
back?!” Anyone remember telling your
parents it’s not fair over something your sibling did? Or hearing it from your own kids? I identify very well with the older brother
in this story; I get him and where he’s coming from. Any other obedient oldest siblings out there,
you do everything you’re asked and are perfectly obedient? And yet your parents still love your younger
siblings, too [sigh]. I was in my early
20s before I ever began to understand either the youngest son or the father and
see a different point of view in this parable besides the older brother’s. Friendly rivalry is one thing; fanaticism,
like to the point of the riots that happen with some soccer matches in the rest
of the world, is totally different. In
Egypt this past February, 73 fans were killed in a riot at a soccer game, the
deadliest riot since 1996 when 78 fans were killed at a match in Guatemala.[2] That’s extreme fanaticism that brings out the
worst. Or, let’s bring it a little
closer to home. You know, it was in school that those two Zax were
trained to never budge. They didn’t come
up with it on their own. Now, I was
raised a Duke fan. My parents both went
to undergrad at Duke. We lived lots of
places while I was growing up, not moving to North Carolina until I was in high school. When we moved here, I quickly learned that
you had to have a favorite out of Duke, UNC, and NC State, and I was glad I
already had one. However, what I also
learned was that you had to hate the other two schools. You couldn’t even wear those schools’
colors. My mom went back to school for
her master’s at UNC a year after we moved here and in support of her I wore a
UNC Nursing shirt. It was gray with navy
lettering, no light blue or UNC symbol anywhere on it, and I was still given a
hard time by my friends for wearing a UNC shirt. One of the best side effects of dating my
husband was that I could add red back to my wardrobe, since he’s a State grad. I had been trained as a child to love Duke; I
had not been trained to hate UNC or State.
And, honestly, since I’ve been serving here, I’ve even added a little
light blue back to my wardrobe, too. Let
competition and rivalry bring out the best, not the worst in you.
Unlike
most Dr. Seuss stories, the Zax has an unhappy ending. Neither Zax budges, and, of course, the world
doesn’t stand still and wait for them. The
last picture in the story is of how the new highway was built right over those
two stubborn Zax and civilization was built around them. The Zax stay un-budged in their tracks, their
conflict unresolved. Similarly, Jesus
doesn’t give a resolution to the parable.
We don’t know what the older son decides to do, whether to join the
party or to stay mad out in the fields.
What we do know is the father’s response to his sons. His younger son he immediately welcomes,
accepts, and forgives. There is no
hesitation. The father, of course,
represents God in this story, and God is always ready to forgive, no matter
how extreme the transgression. God
waits with open arms to receive us back, and he’s willing to let the past be
the past. This is what’s not fair and
what the older brother complains about.
To him, the father responds very graciously: “Son, you don't understand.
You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours – but this is
a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and
he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!”
The father wants to include both his sons in this celebration. Those of us who have been Christians all our
lives don’t need to be jealous of new Christians. Those of us who have been church members
since we were in utero don’t need to feel threatened by regular visitors. There is enough room here for everybody. God wants to include everybody and is willing
to forgive everything. God’s the example
of extreme forgiveness and it’s not ugly.
It’s a risk, yeah. It may mean
getting told “I told you so.” It may
mean discovering the long-forgotten cause of a rift from decades ago. God forgives you and he wants you to forgive
others, just as you have been forgiven.
We don’t know if the older brother forgives his younger brother for
running off. But I hope today that you
will forgive whoever has wronged you.
It’s part of the Lord’s Prayer, right?
“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed
against us.” I don’t know who’s
trespassed against you. I don’t know
what grudge you’re carrying. But let it
go. There’s never been a better time to
risk healing a broken relationship than today.
[8&11]: As we’re about to
sing, today is a day of new beginnings. Verse
three says “let us, with the Spirit’s daring, step from the past and leave
behind our disappointment, guilt, and grieving, seeking new paths, and sure to
find.” The altar is always open if you’d
like to come up to pray. I could be
wrong, but I’m guessing there’s something either you need to be forgiven of or
you need to forgive someone else of. So
take a moment and do so. What have you
got to lose?
[9:00]: Today is a day of new beginnings. And it’s all you have. I could be wrong, but I’m guessing there’s
something either you need to be forgiven of or you need to forgive someone else
of. Let’s take a moment and pray, shall
we?
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Christian Expressions: Psalm 32 rewritten
The movement of this psalm is incredible.
It begins with heavy words: transgression
sin
iniquity
deceit
guilt
And the psalmist kept silence
wasted away
groaned
felt heavy
dried up
Then in v. 5, the psalmist changed behavior, for unknown reasons,
and acknolwedged
didn't hide
confessed
God responded with one action: forgiveness
Then there's a major transition in v. 6 - THEREFORE
Therefore, there are faithful who offer prayer and who the water shall not reach.
And God is a hiding place
preserves
surrounds with glad cries
Then v. 8-9 change to God in the first person
and God himself promises to instruct
teach
counsel
keep his eye upon you
and warns you not to be without understanding or have a temper to curb.
The psalmist ends with the torments of the wicked
to contrast with the steadfast love
trust
and exhortations to be glad
rejoice
shout for joy
all the upright in heart.
It begins with heavy words: transgression
sin
iniquity
deceit
guilt
And the psalmist kept silence
wasted away
groaned
felt heavy
dried up
Then in v. 5, the psalmist changed behavior, for unknown reasons,
and acknolwedged
didn't hide
confessed
God responded with one action: forgiveness
Then there's a major transition in v. 6 - THEREFORE
Therefore, there are faithful who offer prayer and who the water shall not reach.
And God is a hiding place
preserves
surrounds with glad cries
Then v. 8-9 change to God in the first person
and God himself promises to instruct
teach
counsel
keep his eye upon you
and warns you not to be without understanding or have a temper to curb.
The psalmist ends with the torments of the wicked
to contrast with the steadfast love
trust
and exhortations to be glad
rejoice
shout for joy
all the upright in heart.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Joel 2:21-27
[The response to the Word that I wrote last night at Christian Expressions.]
I was first aware of this passage because of my friend, Pamela. She didn't become a Christian until she was in college and so it holds special meaning for her that God will repay her for the years the locusts have eaten, the years when she didn't know God. The same is not true for me. I grew up in the church, baptized at 6 weeks, confirmed at 14 years old, always active, always finding ways to be active even when there wasn't a youth group or a young adults group. I don't know if I have years that the locusts have eaten. I don't know if I get any repayment for anything lost. "To whom much is given, much is demanded" (Luke 12:48). I've never liked that line, either. Except I think Jesus said it. I don't like being the one with great responsibility. Except, sometimes I do. Sometimes I like being in charge. I've had to learn to let go when I'm not in charge, and resist taking over, but letting others lead and be responsible. It was a slightly rough transition last year, from being in charge of everything at my previous church to being the associate pastor here. I'm not in charge, and yet I am. The buck stops with me, unless I defer it to the senior pastor. It's interesting.
Verses 26 & 27 both end with the same phrase - "and my people shall never again be put to shame." That means God's people have been put to shame. That even though God is good all the time and watches over us without slumbering or sleeping and we trust him to take care of us, still, we are sometimes put to shame. But those times, God will redeem and repay us. And will repay us by giving us plenty to eat so that we will be satisfied and praise God's name. We shall know that the Lord is our God and there is no other. We shall never again be put to shame. But... does that mean we're in heaven? Does that mean we've reached Christian perfection or sanctification? How does it happen that we'll never again be put to shame? Never? Really? I guess only God can say "never," the rest of us certainly can't. "My people shall never again be put to shame." When? It feels like it's always happening, even today, on a prayer request that I got wrong from Sunday and then the new church secretary caught the flak from it, when it was my fault. It feels like I'm often being put to shame, and deservedly so. Or maybe that's just the pregnancy hormones. Either way, I look forward to no longer being put to shame.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Visiting the Young at Heart
In college I was a member of APO, a coed service
fraternity. Semester requirements were
$50 in dues and 20 hours of community service.
An elementary education major, I tended toward the service projects that
involved kids: after-school tutoring, volunteering at the annual Halloween
party held by the St. Louis Science Center, serving at shelters where children
were also welcome. Once, a friend talked
me into serving with her at a nursing home.
I didn’t really care for it, although I can’t tell you exactly why. I’d sung Christmas carols at nursing and
retirement homes before, but at this non-Christmas event I remember not wanting
to be there. It just wasn’t for me.
However, this past year at Orange some of my most delightful
visits have been with the older set. I
love hearing their stories as they reminisce about how they met their spouses
or the activities they used to be involved in at the church. At least the ones I’ve talked with aren’t sad
that things aren’t how they used to be and no one’s mentioned “the good old
days.” They just share about days past
and what the landscape used to look like and the major events that shaped their
generation. Rather than blame the world’s
problems on the previous generation, I appreciate being reminded of why they
made the choices they did. I enjoy the
intergenerational conversation.
Beyond being 15 years older and wiser and no longer quite so
kid-oriented, I have a theory as to why I now enjoy these visits when I didn’t
before. I think it’s because these folks
remind me of my grandparents, two of whom have passed on and the remaining two who
live in Georgia and Pennsylvania. My
grandparents are forever in my memory as being in their 60s. You know how kids don’t get to grow up in the
minds of their elders? Well,
grandparents don’t get to become elderly and infirmed. When I think of my grandparents, even the two
still alive, I think of them as active and able to keep up with kids. You know, how they were when I was a kid and
spent weeks at a time with them in the summer.
Maybe I took my grandparents for granted when I was in
college, I don’t know. But I love
visiting with the folks in their 60s and older and I think it’s because they
remind me of my grandparents. I even
give many of them a kiss on the cheek, just like I did with my grandmas and I
do with my grandpas.
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