I have asked the Lord for one thing; One thing only do I want: To live in the Lord’s house all my life, To marvel there at God’s goodness, To ask for God’s guidance. In times of trouble God will shelter me; God ‘s Temple will keep me safe, And make me secure. (Psalm 27:4-5) “There are many rooms in my Father’s house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so.” [John 14:2] Let me start out by saying that God can be found anywhere. In a garden – Adam and Eve. On a mountaintop – Moses. In the middle of a battle with a giant warrior - David. In a storm on a boat - Jonah. In the desert - Jesus. In jail – Paul and Silas. If you can name a place, you can find God there. On a beautiful day with the sun shining. On a stormy night wind when the wind is howling. God can be found. God can be found in places that you expect to find God, in a church, during prayer, at a Gospel music concert. God loves to be found when you are looking. Sometimes God is the one looking, looking for you. So God comes to the places where you are – in your car, at the school, on your job, in your own house. God can be found anywhere. But let’s use our imagination a bit this morning to think about visiting God in the place where God lives. If God has a house, what would it look like? A castle? A mansion with big white pillars? A vacation resort on the beach? Maybe a little log cabin in the woods? Some might say that God’s house looks a lot like a church, maybe a church like ours? When the Israelites escaped from Egypt they began a forty year journey through the desert to the Promised Land. Since they didn’t stay anywhere for very long they never build any permanent buildings for God or for themselves. But they carried a tent, and wherever they went they set up that tent for God to live in. I like that idea, that God isn’t in a fixed location like this church, but that God sets up a tent where you and I find ourselves in our life’s journeys. Going to college? God goes with you. Going on a long trip, God is with you. Getting a job in another city, God is with you there. The Israelites didn’t have a fancy name for that tent, like the way we choose names for churches, they just called it the “tent of meeting”. And that’s where they would meet with God. If you come to our house you will see that I don’t have a lot of religious art on the walls. But I do have posters and pictures of places where I have been, and in each of those places I have met God in unforgettable ways. In one of those pictures you can see a beautiful Adirondack lake. You can’t see it in the picture, but right behind me was my tent. The last time I was at that lake I definitely met God there, and I’ll never forget it. But let’s forget the tent for a moment and go back to the house God lives in. Whatever image you have in your mind, maybe something like the houses used to illustrate our bulletin, the important thing, of course, is that God invites you in. Up the steps, onto the porch, ring the bell, open the screen door, and you’re in. I think this is amazing, God has a house, and God invites us in, and we are made very, very welcome. We worship a God who knows a lot about hospitality. To live in the Lord’s house is not just seeing it from down the street, not just walking by on the sidewalk, not just standing on the front porch, not just a short visit inside, but to live there our whole life! God doesn’t simply notice us or tolerate us, God invites us inside, and offers us a place to live. So forget about the shape of the house, its architecture, or its construction. Think about what it feels like to be inside, not just as a temporary visitor but as someone invited to move in. What are the things that you do when you are no longer a visitor in a home, but now living there as a resident. You find a favorite chair. You find a particular view out the window that you enjoy. You have your own room (though sometimes you have to share it with your sister or brother or spouse). When you come in you take your shoes off, look in the fridge for a snack, and sit by the fireplace. The writer of the Psalm wants us to imagine living in the Lord’s house as something like that – welcoming, warmth, comfort and peace. Now, you have a house already. So instead of wandering up and down the street looking for God’s house, maybe it would be easier to invite God to live in your house? And you can think about the places in your house that God would really enjoy – the room with the new carpet, the room where the cats enjoy sleeping in the sun, a room filled with interesting books and magazines, the room with lots of toys for children, or the room with a fireplace. Knowing that God might come to live in your house – is there anything you would change to make it more welcoming? You could add a few new chairs, put some flowers on the dining room table, and of course you would give it a good cleaning. But forget about furnishings and decorations and cleaning. What would you change about yourself to make your home more welcoming and inviting? This is a spiritual question, of course. What new attitudes and behaviors would you want to develop if God was going to live in your house? Be more loving, be more generous, be more peaceful, be more friendly. Working on changing ourselves is never easy. It’s easier, in fact, to expect that other people should do the changing because I’m just fine the way I already am. But I believe that you come here on a Sunday morning to strengthen your resolve to change, and my job as a preacher is to help create a vision of what the world might look like if you changed, and the people around you changed. It’s also to suggest practical steps for getting to that vision. So here’s my first practical step. Just start with one place in your house, one room, or one corner, and think about making that spot more welcoming and hospitable to God. Maybe put up a new picture that you think God would enjoy. Maybe add a comfortable chair. Maybe throw down a new rug. Maybe put a small vase with flowers. Maybe add some music. A friend of mine put a rocking chair in that space, always ready for God to enjoy, but sometimes she enjoys it too. It is for her a special place as she rocks to be thinking about God, to be thinking about her life. If you can find a place in your home that can be made more hospitable to God, then maybe you can also find a small corner of your life to work on to make you more welcoming to God.

        Our story begins in the desert.  It’s the place where the journey begins, the journey to Jerusalem, the journey to the Cross.  In the desert Jesus is praying, all alone, and he is very hungry.  He has been there for forty days.  And then the temptations begin.  This is the beginning of the journey to the Cross. 

       Temptations can get to us when we're weak or tired, but that’s not all.  Those who seek to influence our decisions, or take advantage of us, may actually wait until the moment when we seem most weak.  I think even young children know this.  I have always felt that children can sense the moments of weakness in their parents when they beg for candy, when they want to stay up late, when they want the household rules to be bent.  Wait until the parents are worn out.

      The Evil One is especially crafty in picking the right moment to undermine people.  He did not come when Jesus was surrounded by friends, he did not make his pitch at the wedding in Cana, and he did not confront Jesus when he was with the crowd at the beach watching the fishermen.  The Evil One found Jesus when he was alone and hungry. 

       (1) "Jesus you look hungry.  Why don't you make some bread out of these rocks.  If you're really the Son of God, it should be easy."  How simple it sounds.  Make the bread, no one will know, no one will get hurt, you'll thank me later.  When did you eat last?  40 days ago?  Go on, snap your fingers and make bread.  Jesus said NO. 

       (2) Jesus was shown all of the kingdoms of the world.  "If you worship me, it will all be yours, not just Israel, but the whole world.”  Go on, you can rule the world and command everyone to live in peace.  Who wouldn’t want that? Jesus said NO WAY.                                

       (3) Jesus was taken to the highest tower of the temple in Jerusalem.  "Go ahead and jump, Jesus, because if you are the Christ, God will save you from falling."   Jesus said NOT ON YOUR LIFE.

      To say YES would have made things very easy.  If he said YES, he could go right to the finish line of the resurrection, and avoid that cross.

      It would not be necessary to give his own life to feed others if he could make the bread out of the stones on the ground.

      It wouldn't be necessary for him to visit every town and village, slowly spreading the word from one to another, because he could be put in charge of everything in only a moment.    

     It wouldn't be necessary to risk danger, arrest, or death.  If God could catch him when he jumped off the tower, then certainly God would rescue him if he ever got arrested or sentenced to death on the cross.   

     What all three offers had in common is this:  "Jesus, you can avoid the cross, take care of yourself first.”  Isn't this at the root of the temptations that we face in our lives? Take care of yourself first?  Temptations encourage us to take short-cuts to achieve success.  The tempter offered three short cuts, but Jesus said NO.  The Evil One increased the offer each time.  But each time Jesus said no, it becomes easier to say the next no.  You know why?  Each time he said no to the tempter, Jesus was saying YES to God.

      This part about saying YES is important.  We say YES as our witness to the presence and power of God in our life.  We are surrounded by evil influences, but we persist in saying YES.  Sometimes the evil influence is in us, but still we strive to say YES to God.

      Let the actions that you take in your life this week give honor to the one act that God took in Jesus Christ that sets the world free from sin.  You see, it all began when God said YES.  In the nothingness God said YES and the universe began.  In the face of evil, God said YES to Noah giving him the ark.  In the face of injustice, God said YES to the Israelites and brought them out of Egypt to a Promised Land.  In the face of an impossible obstacle, God said YES, and the walls of Jericho tumbled.  In the face of defeat, God said YES and brought Jesus out of the tomb.  In the face of the challenges that you face in your life, God says YES ... to you, YES to you this very day.

      In receiving the bread and cup at the Lord’s Table, we acknowledge the powerful impact of “YES”, God saying yes to you, and you saying YES to God.  God's YES gives you the power to transform your life, by giving you the capacity, the strength, the heart, the will, the voice to say YES.  No matter the evil, the sin, the injustice, the hurt, the sickness, God gives you the voice to say YES this very day, and by saying YES you have the power to begin the transformation of the entire world.

Luke 9:28-36

(Be sure to open the attached file of pictures that is shown at the bottom of this sermon) 

 

Here are photos of my grand-parents, taken long before they died.  I like these pictures because they remind me of exactly what they looked like when I visited them as a young child.  My grandfather looking thoughtful in his glasses.  I think he was on vacation in this picture, but it would have been just like him to wear a tie.   My grandmother looking happy to see her grandchildren.  When I look at these photographs I remember lots of stories about them.  I remember their house, their vacation cottage, and playing with all of my cousins under their Christmas tree.  All it takes to trigger all of those memories is to glance at one of these pictures.

A picture of Jesus would do the same, it would remind us of all the stories about him.  What does Jesus look like?  Does anyone know?  How many think he might have been tall?  How many think he might have been short?  Did he have long hair?  Short hair?  Was his hair dark?  Was it blond?  How about his eyes?  What color?  Did he have a beard, or was he clean-shaven?  Did he look stern?  Did he smile a lot?  Did he have a full set of teeth, or was he missing some?  It’s hard to know.  Have you ever seen a picture of Jesus?  Are there any photos?  Any videos or DVDs?  No, these stories about Jesus are from such a long time ago, that cameras and DVDs were not invented yet. And if there were any drawings or paintings, they haven’t survived over such a long time.  They have faded, fallen to pieces, or are buried under the sand. 

“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” – when you hum that tune, what picture of Jesus comes into your mind?  Here are some pictures of Jesus, as some have imagined how he looked.    Look how different they are.  If you were a good artist, how would you draw a picture of Jesus?  What would you emphasize in your drawing, his chin, his hair, his eyes?  I find it very interesting that artists in Africa paint pictures of Jesus with dark skin, and artists in Asia paint him with Asian features, and the same in Central and South America, with a Jesus showing Hispanic features.  The picture on the wall of many churches I have visited in this country, the one in the upper left corner, shows Jesus looking like a western European with fair skin, and fair hair, and, of course, blue eyes.  There are pictures of Jesus with his head thrown back with a big laugh.  There are pictures of Jesus showing an angry face, like the time he overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple.  There are pictures showing Jesus sad, prayerful, and thoughtful.

So not only his features, but what expression would you see on Jesus face if you drew his picture?  You know the Gospels never describe what Jesus looked like, what expressions were on his face, so it’s left to you to imagine him as best you can. 

So it would be an interesting exercise to each draw our own picture.  We would learn a lot from each other if we looked at each other’s pictures of Jesus.  But it would be even more interesting, I think, to draw a second picture of Jesus;   tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, decades from now, and I would bet that your picture would change.   The passage of time, big changes in our lives, big changes in the world around us, would influence that new drawing of Jesus.  While I am not skilled enough to draw a picture of this sort on paper, in my imagination my picture of Jesus has changed over time.  There’s the Jesus I first imagined in Sunday School, the one who loved children, then the Jesus I imagined in high school and college who was all about changing the world towards justice and peace, and now after a severe accident my picture has changed, Jesus is all the things I always thought, but now more, a healer, a reconciler, a rescuer.  I am seeing him in a new light.   

            Have you ever seen someone you have known in a new light?   You thought you had them all figured out, and then something happened – something you saw, something you heard, something you felt, that helped you see them in a new light. 

            This is a story about how the disciples saw Jesus in a new light.  They had already spent a lot of time with him, traveling around Nazareth, Galilee and Capernaum, they knew where he was from, they knew his family and relatives, they knew what foods he liked, they knew the sound of his voice, they knew a lot of things about Jesus.  What we cannot easily picture, they knew – the color of his hair, his height, his weight, and everything else.  But on that mountaintop they saw him in a new light.  What they thought they knew about him only scratched the surface.    

            Now the disciples see Jesus like they’ve never seen him before.  They had always known him to be a good man:  smart, capable, generous, helpful, and loving.  But here they begin to see him in a new way.  He’s more than a good man, a good friend, a good teacher … they begin to see that all of God’s hopes are centered on Jesus.  The story tells this in dramatic form, with shining clouds, the powerful voice of God, Jesus’ face shining brightly, everything about him is a bright reflection of God’s glory.  They are seeing him in a new way. 

            So today, I urge you to use your imagination and stretch it.  Don’t be content with the picture of Jesus you may have imagined long ago.  Be like those disciples on the mountaintop and see Jesus in a new way, more than a good man, but embodying every hope of God, embodying every hope that God has for you!.

            It’s not only about seeing Jesus in a new way.  It’s also about seeing yourself in a new way.  When you look at your face in the mirror in the morning, do you think of yourself reflecting the love of God to the people around you, not just by your face, but by your heart, your words, and your deeds?   How are the people around you seeing you in a new light?

            Do you reflect the glory of God in your life?  In the way you love  your children, in the way that you honor your parents, in the way you treat your friends, in the way you treat your enemies, in the way you show concern for strangers and people you will never meet on the other side of the world?  Each of the things we do to live out our lives as Christian people is a way of reflecting the power and glory of God for others to see,

            Look at yourself in the mirror tomorrow morning.  Ask yourself how the way you will live your life will reflect the glory of God. 

2010 Epiphany 6C FEB 14 pictures.doc (167.50 kb)

Luke 5:1-11

When was the last time you were afraid?  Was it in a cobwebby  basement with hungry monsters in the shadows ready to pounce on you?  During a wind storm when the whole house was shaking and the roof was about ready to be torn off?  The time you were lost in the Bergen Swamp as the sun was going down, and you heardsnakes slithering in the grass?  That important term paper is due today in school, but you haven’t written a sentence yet, and your teacher is going to pounce on you like a hungry monster.  Yikes!  And you know what fear feels like, don’t you?  When you’re afraid, you sweat, shake, your heart pounds, you try to hide. 

            Being afraid is more than just feeling scared it’s also a feeling of  powerlessness, of being unable to change the circumstances that cause you to feel afraid.  You may be brave, but not strong enough to battle the monster, you may be healthy, but not fast enough to run away, you may be smart, but lack a single good idea to get out of the dangerous fix you are in.  Afraid, powerless, stuck. 

            Afraid … I remember standing at the top of the high dive at the pool.  I was afraid to dive from that high board.  People were on the ladder behind me grumbling that I was holding up the line.  My friends in the water below were shouting at me to jump.  But I couldn’t do it.  I was too afraid.

            Monsters, a thunder storm, the high dive … it’s easy to imagine being afraid in those cases.  But I find it very interesting that there are a lot of stories in the Bible in which people seem to be afraid of God! 

            The story today is one of them.  The fishermen are having a bad day, not catching anything.  And that is real bad news, because no fish means no eating, no fish means no money, and no fish means no way to feed their families.  So then Jesus walks up and tells them a good place to fish just over there.  With nothing to lose they give it a try, and you know the rest, so many fish are caught that their nets almost broke. 

            But there’s this last line in the story, when after all of the excitement of the miraculous catch, when everyone will eat, when everyone will have money, when everyone will go home that day happy, Jesus tells them “don’t be afraid”.    

“Don’t be afraid”?  What is he talking about?  He would have only said that if the fishermen were demonstrating fear … they must have been sweating, they must have been shaking, their hearts must have been pounding, he looked at their faces and all they wanted to do was crawl under a rock and hide.  So what was it that they were afraid of?

            I would think that an encounter with Jesus would be filled with laughter, wonder and joy.  Where does the fear enter in? If Jesus walked into our church this morning, would you expect to feel afraid?  Would you be shaking with fear, trying desperately to hide under your coat?

            Maybe the implication is that the disciples did have something to fear … having seen a miracle of the fish, and then being told that they were going to leave fishing behind to follow Jesus, maybe the new future he has laid out is now a source of fear.  Or just think of it this way … when James and John tell their father Zebedee that they’re quitting the family fishing business to follow Jesus they could easily imagine their father yelling at them for disloyalty and impracticality.  Or Simon and Andrew might have been afraid of going home to their wives and children to tell them “instead of working to feed our family and pay the bills, we’re going to follow Jesus”.  “You’re going to do WHAT?”  

            Maybe this will help:  the word for fear in the Bible generally has two shades of meaning.  One is the kind of fear that you feel when a big hungry monster jumps out of the shadows to have you for lunch.  The other kind of fear is more like amazement or awe.  As if Jesus is saying, “don’t stand there looking so awestruck and amazed, of course God can do miracles like this and more.  Don’t just stand there with your jaw hanging open, let’s get busy doing the work of God”.  That wraps it up very neatly, I think.  When Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid” he means “Don’t stand there moping on the sidelines, now’s the time to get in the game.  God is making a difference and so can you!” 

            But, wait, there may be more to this.  It’s possible that you are afraid of God, maybe even VERY afraid.  If Jesus walked into our church this morning, instead of amazement and awe, joy and laughter,  you might be paralyzed with fear because you know that Jesus knows exactly every little thing you’ve ever done wrong.  And now he’s here to confront you, he’s got your permanent record, your personal file, with everything listed, letters in triplicate describing in sorry detail everything you’ve ever done to hurt someone else.  You better be afraid, and you are going to pay … big time. 

            Many years ago, two boys began to attend Sunday School at the church I served in Rochester.  So a week or so later I visited their parents and asked the mother what she hoped her boys would learn in our Sunday School? I won’t repeat the whole conversation, but it came down to this, she wanted her boys to be afraid of God, and she told me that if they acted up in any way I should spank them, just like she did at home.  It was very clear in her mind that fear leads to obedience and that’s all that a church needs to teach.   I found it hard to imagine a Sunday School centered on fear and told her so, and we talked at some length about this, but it was crystal clear that this mother was set on teaching about God who wants all of us to live in fear.  .    

            But let me ask you something, and I hope you really think about this:  does God get you to change your ways through fear?  Is God’s method for change to terrify you from head to toe with warnings and threats and worse?  Is that how God operates?  Do you learn and grow best from fear?  I think there are much better motivators, and God knows all about this. 

            There is a reason that God is often compared to a father or mother – because like each of you parents in the room this morning, God is far more interested in reaching the hearts of children with love instead of fear.  As parents we have this figured out, usually.  Sure, sometimes we threaten to take a sledgehammer to the TV when it gets in the way of homework, sometimes we threaten our child with being grounded for life for missing the school bus in the morning, but almost everyone of us tries to follow the “Ten to One Rule”, for everything you might say that would cause fear in a child, we try to match that with at least ten things that surround your daughter or son with lots of love and affirmation.  This isn’t just a good strategy that smart parents have discovered; it’s also a strategy that reflects the intentions of God.  We are like this with our children because that’s how God is with us.  The Ten to One Rule ... try it. 

            “Don’t be afraid,” Jesus says.  There are layers of meaning here.  “Don’t be afraid”, Jesus says.  There may be monsters in your life, but God is stronger.  “Don’t be afraid” means that Jesus invites us to get us off the sidelines and fully engage in the life of faith and service.  “Don’t be afraid” is finally a big reminder that God motivates us with love!  Thank you, God!