Fourth Sunday of Lent

This week's scripture John 9: 1-34

He was blind from the day he was born. And he spent his days begging to survive. Jesus healed him.

And when he was healed we're told that his neighbors and those who were accustomed to seeing him beg sayed, "Is this the man who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "Yes." And some said, "It's just somebody who looks like him."

Isn't it sad. Here he is, healed from blindness, and the people most accustomed to seeing him can't tell if it's really him. They've passed by him every day on their way to work, to the market, to the synagogue...and they haven't paid enough attention to him to be able to tell if it's really him or not.

I have to admit that I'm a lot like they were. How many people do I pass by and pay only enough attention to step around them as I go on my way. How many people in my mind are identified as only 'that guy who stands in the median begging,' or that fellow who keeps trying to sneak into the building where my office is so that he can sleep in the stairwell.'

If we truly want to "reshape the world around through [Jesus'] sight and touch and sound" like the hymn we sing each Sunday of Lent says; we're going to have to learn to look at the world through Jesus' eyes. Jesus didn't just see a begger, or a leper, or a woman who'd had five husbands. He saw a person. One who hurt, and loved, and laughed, and cried. That's what he responded to. That's where His healing miracles started....in the seeing of real people.

As we begin putting together our church profile, and defining what we see as our church's ministry, what happens if we do this? If we make an intentional choice about it, what will happen if we look around and really focus in on the particular people that we want to reach out to in Jesus' name? If we try to look at them through Jesus' eyes?

The people who passed the 'Man Born Blind' each day suffered from their own kind of blindness. Jesus offered them a healing from their blindness as well. He offers the same to us. Seeing people as individuals through the eyes of Jesus. That's where the healing starts.....for all of us.

The Third Sunday of Lent

This week's Scriptures are Exodus 17: 1-7 and John 4: 5-42.

I really hope that you're going to join us this Sunday for worship. I have become very excited about what I'm discovering as I study this story from John about Jesus' encounter with the "Woman at the Well." I think that it has a great deal to teach us about God's response to persons who have been isolated and scapegoated by the combination of their own behaviors and their culture's response to them. And I think it has a HUGE word of Good News to those of us who feel helpless and isolated; like we just can't win in life. More on this on Sunday.

For now I would like to point in a different direction: one of the contrasts between the Exodus story of Moses getting water for the children of Isreal and Jesus' comments about water in the John story.

In the Exodus story the water comes through Moses who is acting as a 'go between' between the people and God. And one of the unspoken (and sometimes spoken) lessons of the stories of the Exodus is "don't tick God off...He'll smack you around real good if you do" (my own paraphrase). That's why you have a go-between, to keep you from making some fatal mistake in your conversation with the Almighty.

Yet here is Jesus in His meeting with the woman; never once does he speak a word of condemnation to her. Never once does He speak a word of judgement. This poor woman is already the chief outcast in a village of outcasts. And, as a woman in that time and cultural situation, she is dependent on the very men who reject her for life itself.

Instead of condemnation and rejection, Jesus offers her a "spring within....welling up to eternal life." Think about it: no need to depend on someone else to make sure the water's there; no having to worry that you might 'tick off' somebody; just this bubbling, eternal spring....

This is what Jesus offers to us. To you and me with all our looking to others for approval and love and acceptance. To you and me, who are often so scared that if we tick God off that He'll withdraw His love-or worse. A living, bubbling spring of eternal life, eternal love that wells up from within us. What acceptance. What radical, world changing love.

See you Sunday.
Shalom,
Stephen

The Second Sunday of Lent

This week's scriptures are Numbers 21: 4-9 and John 3:1-17.

First of all, let me apologize for getting the blog out so late this week. Things just kinda crept up on me.

We've been focusing on the fact that if we will sit with God in the silence, God will show us our true face, call us by our true name. We talked about how we've put on masks because we're afraid of the world's rejection of our true face. We've talked about how we've taken on, or been given names different than our true name. And we've been reminded that our true name is "Beloved."

Still, sitting in the silence is not an easy thing. Not easy for me, at least. I've been reading Anthony Bloom's Beginning to Pray; and I think he puts words to part of what makes it so difficult. He says,

"...a meeting face to face with God is always a moment of judgment for us. We cannot meet God in prayer or in meditation or in contemplation and not be either saved or condemned. I do not mean this in major terms of eternal damnation or eternal salvation already given and recieved, but it is always a critical moment, a crisis. "Crisis" comes from the Greek and means 'judgment'. To meet God face to face in prayer is a critical moment in our lives."

I was reminded when I read this that the Chinese character for "crisis" means both "danger" and "opportunity."

Coming face to face with God is a "dangerous opportunity" because it holds our lives up next to what it is that God desires and requires of them. This is a judgement, a 'weighing in the balance.' And the dangerous opportunity is for us to move closer to God's will for us. To respond to that Holy Presence is a frightening thing; particularly since so much of our (at least my) prayer life is caught up in what we want, what we need. I know that I spend far too little time listening and way too much time talking. It's a wonder that God gets a word in edgewise. And I have to ask myself if what I am doing when I do this is really prayer.

The good news is that God is patient; and takes even the smallest effort and blows on it like a tiny spark. Sometimes....every now and then....it bursts into flame. Those are the moments that carry us forward, that give us the courage to risk a little more.

We'll be talking more on Sunday about that risk, about that allowing God's presence to move in us and the love that makes that possible. I hope that you'll join us.

Hope to see you Sunday.

Shalom,
Stephen

Ash Wednesday-Beginning the Lenten Journey

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. And tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. we will meet to recieve our ashes from one another.

This recieving of ashes marks the beginning of our willingness to focus during the time of Lent on the things that interfere with our relationship with God....or as I am calling it during this time, from seeing "our true face." Our 'true face' is a reflection of God, for we are made in God's image. But sometimes in our fear and our anxiety we use other things (usually things that are, in themselves, good gifts from God) to try to sooth our anxiety and calm our fears. Lent is a time when we commit to not turning to those things, but risking sitting with our feelings in prayer and expectation that God will meet us where we are.

Let me give you a small, personal example:

I really like junk food. I mean I REALLY like it. I find it comforting. The amount of carbs and sugar can change my mood in a heartbeat (almost literally). After a day of seeing clients when I feel totally inept; when no change seems to be happening; when I feel like I've missed everything I should have seen...I can be really down.

On a night like that I often give in to the temptation to stop at 7-Eleven and grab a sweet roll and a bag of chips. This would not be so bad...except that I eat them on my way to the Wendy's that I pass on my way down Rte 50 to Annapolis. There I'll get me a double meat sandwich, fries, and a rootbeer float (I was in heaven when Wendy's starting making floats).

Now maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I only did this once a week and I let my depressive feelings about myself and the quality of my work as a therapist just go on by....not clinging to them or wallowing in them. But let's say that I get into one of those funks that lasts a loooong time. At this point I'm in a spiritual dilemma. I'm losing my 'true face' as I drag myself through the mud, avoid the feelings that I should be addressing with God in meditation and prayer, and substituting my sugar/carb high for the assurance that comes when I risk bringing my fears and my failings to God in the silence.

Now this may not sound like such a big deal. But what if we ask ourselves about the parts of our relationship with God that we avoid out of fear of rejection, or judgement, or punishment, or abandonment. How many of us have places in our lives where we have soothed that fear, avoided that pain, with substitutes for this ultimate relationship? Success, money, busy-ness, mood altering substances or behaviors, television-have becoming numbing drugs for some of us.

And when our lives have held great pain, the temptation to stay with that numbness is so much greater.

Ash Wednesday is an invitation to risk setting aside what numbs us. To face, in the presence of God, whatever it is we're avoiding. To trust that God will meet us there in the pain and darkness. It is an acknowledgement that this is not an easy task. Like the old preachers used to say "there is no Easter without Good Friday." But it is also to trust that if we take the risk; God will meet us there with new life.

Ash Wednesday is also a reminder that we don't have to do this alone. The community of faith that calls itself Broadneck Baptist Church makes this journey together as we worship, and study, and pray.

And a final invitation...if during this time you feel like you need to talk; like you want to share you struggle with someone...please call the church or email me at the link on our web page and let's make a time to talk and pray together. We all have our 'ashes' and the work of a pastor is very often "one begger telling another begger where to find food."

Hope to see you Wednesday and Sunday.

Shalom,
Stephen

Re-discovering Our 'True Face'

This week scriptures are Exodus 24: 12-18, 32: 1-6 and Matthew 17: 1-21

These two stories, taken together, give us an excellent picture of how you and I sin (that is "miss the mark" or "fall short") in today's world.

Now mind you, I'm not suggesting that we partipate in religious orgies-like the Exodus story; or are incompentent at casting out demons-Matthew's narrative. What I am saying is that you and I and many around us fall prey to the same fears exemplified in these two stories.

We'll talk about this at length on Sunday (I hope you'll be there), but here's the down and dirty version:

The people in the Exodus story were afraid that they'd been abandoned. Their line, "as for Moses, we don't know what has become of him" is expressive of that fear. And in their fear they went to Aaron and asked for an image, a god, that they could worship. One thing you've got to say about idols-particularly ones like Aaron made-they stay where you put them. You can control them and they'll never leave you.
The bad news is that they can't do anything either.

Many of us who have been abandoned in some way in our life time struggle with how these gets played out in our faith.

The disciples struggled with their fear of failure. By this time in Jesus' ministry they had already been sent out two-by-two and had healed the sick before. But this was a particularly harsh situation. The demon encountered (epilepsy) had serious social reprecussions. What if they couldn't do it? What if they were taken over by the demon? What if.... What if.... What if......

At Bible study last night Alan asked if I was using these scriptures (and Sunday's) to move us toward a theme or focus for Lent. The answer is "Yes."

Each of us struggles with things that keep us from our "true face" our true identity. Things that keep us from recognizing and affirming the Image of God in ourselves (and in others). Many, if not all, of these are rooted in our fears. Fears that we will be abandoned, be alone. Fears that we will fail, be judged as not capable or worthwhile. Fears that we will be shamed in some way.

Lent is a time to explore the things that keep us from our True Face. In Sunday's sermon I said that if we sit in the darkness of these fears and struggles long enough, the darkness will become the Face of God. And we will see our own face reflected in God's face; because you and I are made in God's image. Scripture tells us that the one who was the complete image of God-that is Jesus-shows us what you and I are created to be. Lent is a time for clearing away things that seperate us from that image.

I hope you'll join us Sunday; and then again on Ash Wednesday. Let's make this journey toward resurrection together during this time of preparation and prayer.

Shalom,
Stephen

Choices About the Light

This week's scriptures are Isaiah 9: 2-7 and Matthew 4: 12-23.

This week's Matthew passage refers to Jesus as being the "light" that Isaiah spoke of; the Light that came to those wo lived in darkness. Matthew seems to echo some of the same thoughts expressed by John 1: 4-5: "In him was life, and that life was the light of humankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never mastered it."

Light is an interesting thing. It transforms everywhere it goes. Turn on a light, open a window to the sun...the room is suddenly different. Things that once were frightening become less so. Things we could not see become visable. Artwork such as paintings, carvings, and sculptures depend upon light to make them truly touch us in our deepest self (imagine Monet without light).

Light demands our immediate attention...it's really hard to ignore (not impossible, but pretty difficult). So it is with the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus says, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" there is an immediacy, a 'here-and-now'-ness about it. This Light, this presence of the Kingdom in the person of Jesus, calls for a response. Matthew uses the words "at once" to talk about the ways in which Peter and Andrew, James and John responded when Jesus said, "follow me."

So what do we have here? Those who have sat in the darkness, who have suffered in the inability to see, to hope, to believe in a future. They have seen a great light. And that Light says, "look here; the Kingdom of Heaven is here-right now. You don't have to wait. But you do need to change (repent), radically change what you're doing." It's not a 'wait and see' kind of question. It's a NOW event. The Kingdom of Heaven is here NOW. And you and I are invited to live in it's light...today. To follow "at once." To open our eyes to the light that the darkness can never conquer.

Join us Sunday as we explore what that may look like.
Hope to see you then.

Shalom,
Stephen

This week's scriptures are Isaiah 49: 1-7 and John 1: 29-42.

Our Bible study group is growing! And with that growth comes a lot of discussion that keeps me on my toes. I really enjoyed our discussion last night and am grateful for the ways the group makes me think about our scriptures.

One of the things that came up in the John passage is the reference John makes to Jesus as the "Lamb of God." Most of us, if we think about that phrase, think about it in terms of the lamb as a sacrifice. The pure lamb used during the Passover and other major high holy days. The image from Revelation of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" may come to us if we're familiar with those scriptures. We also have the picture in our minds of a lamb as a mild, meek creature.

But there is another use of the lamb as a symbol that would have been know to John the Baptist and to the readers of John's gospel. That is the image of the Lamb as "God's Champion." Particularly the symbol of a 'horned lamb' is used in this way; and that symbol is associated, for example, with Judas Macabbeus who led the Jewish people in recapturing the Temple from the Syrian occupation.

Now we know that the writer of John's gospel like words and phrases whose double meanings made his readers think. Perhaps this is one of them. The Lamb, who is God's Champion, who will take away the sins of the world, is also the Lamb who fits the description of a servant in Paul's passage in Phillipians (this 'servant' image first shows up in our Isaiah passage). "He was in the form of God; yet he laid no claim to equality with God, but made hiimself nothing, assuming the form of a slave...he humbled himself, and was obedient, even to the point of death, death on a cross." (Phillipians 2: 6-8). And this was the attitude that Paul pointed to when he said one verse earlier "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ."

What if God's way of conquering sin is to become vulnerable in Jesus. and what if following Jesus, being His body, means that you and I can only be "God's Champion" by taking on a servanthood that makes us vulnerable-even as He was vulnerable? And what does it mean for us to be vulnerable in our world today? What kind of vulnerablity are we called to?

These are some of the questions that our scriptures for this week raise. Where do you come out on them? Join us on Sunday, come to the Bible study, or just email me and let me know what you think. You and I are called to wrestle with these questions together. I'd love to know where you wind up in your contemplation.

Hope to see you Sunday.
Shalom,
Stephen