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News & Happenings2012 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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Pastor Eric Fjeldal's March 2011 Sunday Sermons
Pastor Eric's sermons are presented here in reverse chronological order...in other words, the most recent sermons are at the top of the list, working backwards through time.
March 20. "Into the Light"
John 3: 1-17
Nicodemus’ encounter with Jesus is a great Lenten story and a great story for each of us who desires to grow in our faith. It has even been suggested that it is our story; one for 21st century Christians living as and where we do, seeking to live a balanced, faith filled life as we define it. The very thing Nicodemus was trying to do.
In many ways Nicodemus is a sympathetic character. A successful and self confident man,
he plays a leadership role in his community. He is spiritually open and curious, yet also
rational. He approaches Jesus directly and tries to figure out Jesus’ actions and social
networks. He is committed and curious enough that he makes an appointment to talk with
Jesus face to face. However, Nicodemus is not ready to go public with his interest in Jesus,
so he makes the appointment in the middle of the night, when he can keep his faith a secret, separated from the rest of his life. His imagination is caught by Jesus, but he wants to compartmentalize whatever faith he has. Nicodemus is not ready to declare his faith in the
light of day, not prepared to let it change his life.
(Deborah J.Kapp, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 2, pg. 68)
The images of light and dark were crucial to the writer of John for whom (l)ight represents the realm of belief and darkness the realm of unbelief. (Karoline M. Lewis, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol.2 pg. 68); so the writer of John is making a statement in telling us how
Nicodemus emerges out of the night’s darkness, seeking light from the teacher he believes
to be sent from God. Just as suddenly as he appears, Nicodemus disappears back into
the night from which he came. Before he does so, Jesus tells him one must be born anew
in order to see the kingdom of God, and the last we hear from Nicodemus is, “How can
this be?” (v.9) (George W. Stroup, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 2, pg. 68)
“How can this be?” A question we have all asked at one time or another, in one way another as we have traveled along our faith journey. I say this because like Nicodemus it is easy for us to live a compartmentalized faith; a faith that only impacts certain aspects of our lives. For this reason it could be said we are living our faith in the dark; for while we may call upon and use our faith, there may even be times when we rely on it, there are also times when we pack our faith away and not allow it to impact the decisions we make. In the same way we don’t always do the things we need to allow our faith to grow and mature. It is not that we have failed. It is that we do not allow God to take us from where we are to where we could be; and this is why;
(I)n and of itself, there is much to praise about a faith that thrives in the dark. It is
genuine, heartfelt, personal and often deep. The point is not that this hidden faith
is somehow faulty – as far as it goes; the point is that it is too small. In this text
Jesus suggests that Nicodemus’s kind of faith is incomplete, even immature. He
likens his midnight encounter with Nicodemus to a child still safe in his mother’s
womb. You are still gestating, Jesus implies. You must be born again, and declare
this faith in the light of day. (Kapp , pg. 70)
For this is where a maturing faith is found.
It is important to note that Jesus is not implying that Nicodemus must do more. Jesus is not admonishing Nicodemus. Rather by asking Nicodemus to let God work in his life, Jesus is extending an invitation to Nicodemus. For we, who are used to calling the shots and making it happen this is a challenge, one that leads to our asking, “How can this be?” Like Nicodemus our faith comes more out of our head than it does our heart, so we don’t know how to do what Jesus is asking. And yet, there is a part of us that wants to do what Jesus is asking. We want to grow in our faith. We want to believe more. The problem is, like everything else, we try to do it on our own and because of this we don’t know how to embrace a faith that permits us to be seized by the things we do not see. (Paraphrase of Martin Luther) The writer of John’s Gospel is clear; (R)ebirth is God’s gift, God’s work to accomplish, and it is God who labors to bring us new life. (Kapp, Feasting on the Word pg. 72)
Embracing this frees us to mature in our faith and as our faith matures it begins to play a bigger role in our decision making. Letting this happen is not easy, for we live in a world where
(C)ultural norms push religion into the private sphere, positioning faith as appropriate
for family and personal morality, but inappropriate for public issues. (For too many,
the religion we practice), promotes self-restraint, tolerance, and personal morality,
and all are worthy virtues. (Kapp, pg. 70)
But faith can be so much more. A maturing faith does not give in to these cultural norms. Rather it embraces what John Wesley called “social holiness”, the notion that our faith impacts all of our choices and decisions, be they private or public, including who, how, what and where we spend and invest the resources God has entrusted to us. This is so because (i)n the Gospel of John, ‘faith’ is never a noun. Believing is a verb. (John 3: 15-16) (Karoline L. Lewis, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 2 pg. 73)
While every day is the perfect day, the perfect opportunity, to move further out of the darkness and into the light, that is move from a head understanding of our relationship with God to more of a heart understanding of whom God is and what our relationship can mean for our lives; somehow Lent seems to offer us that special invitation, much like the invitation Jesus offered Nicodemus.
Nicodemus left that night without embracing the invitation. Instead he asked, “How can this be?”, and in so doing he closed himself off to the possibility. My hope and prayer for each of us is that as we move through this Lenten season, will not do the same; for God desires to take each of us from where we are to where we could be. For this to happen, we simply need to let God work in our lives and life together. It really is that simple and that difficult.
March 13. "Face to Face."
Matthew 4: 1-11
It is tempting to see today’s scripture as one that stands alone, and to draw the conclusion that we like Jesus are to not fall prey to temptation; a “what would Jesus do?” lesson. Doing this would be a mistake because this passage is about defining who Jesus is for Matthew’s community. This is why it comes between Jesus baptism and the words, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him” and Jesus beginning his public ministry following John’s arrest. The writer is trying to set Jesus a part from any other king or ruler. He wants to establish that Jesus is greater than Moses, an important theme in Matthew, who is writing to a Jewish Christians, because for Matthew, Moses was greater than even King David.
Although we seldom think of Moses as a royal figure, first-century Jews certainly did
consider him as God’s own royalty and an antidote for their poisonous history of kings.
The kings of the Davidic dynasty were notorious for serving themselves but this king
(Moses) has learned the humbling lesson of manna in the wilderness (Deut 8:1-2) and
receives in humility whatever God provides.
The Davidic kings tested God’s patience for years, but this king (Jesus) has learned to
trust in the Lord your God. The kings of Israel and Judah had no end of imperial hopes
and schemes but ‘all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor’ (Matthew 4:8) have
no allure to compete with his trustful obedience. Moses learned this and taught this;
the Son of God who strides in from the wilderness has learned this and lives it.
(Patrick J. Willson, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol.2 pg. 47)
So why is this story always the scripture reading for the first Sunday in Lent? I believe it is because temptation is inevitable. It is always present. I don’t believe we can avoid temptations, so we are called to understand that there is a way to remain faithful despite the temptations we encounter. Temptations
are defined by selfishness and insincerity, pettiness and pride, fear and a need to control
the things of this world. Most of us cannot imagine the devil offering bread after a forty
day fast. We do not know the fear of being held over the ledge of the top of the Empire State Building. We certainly do not know the temptation of being offered all the power of the world. Each of us do however know the temptations (associated with) pride, vanity, selfishness and apathy. These are just as dark as Jesus’ temptations, and perhaps even more so, because
most of the time, they do not come with a face.
(Maryetta Anschutz, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 2, pg. 48)
Most times the temptations we know catch us unaware, because as John Shea writes:
The great advantage of temptations is that they lie in wait. They are there before we are,
and they get to make the first move. In the midst of temptation we often feel as though
we are being pulled along too quickly. We do not have enough time to think it through,
to consult, and to see all of the implications. We went along because we could not apply
the brake. We were no longer in control.
(John Shea, On Earth as it is in Heaven, pg.105-06)
I am not sure I would use the word “control”, as thinking we are in control is often times what gets us in trouble, and is in its own way a temptation.
In today’s story, Jesus is coming out of his forty days of reflection. We have just entered our forty days of reflection. I believe this difference highlights the message in today’s passage. That message is an affirmation of the importance of grounding ourselves in our faith and in our relationship with God. Doing so does not guarantee we will not fall prey to temptation. What it can do is lessen the likelihood; for staying connected with God reminds us of the things that matter. It helps us remember that it is “not about the cars, the house the cash. What matters is how we live and love; how we spend our dash.” (Linda Ellis, The Dash) That is, live our lives holding onto the things that truly matter.
Temptation comes to us in moments when we look at others and feel insecure about
not having enough. (Don’t just mean material things). Temptations come in
judgments we make about strangers or friends who make choices we do not understand.
Temptations rule us, making us able to look away from those in need and to live our
lives unaffected by poverty, hunger and disease. Temptations rage in moments when
we allow our temper to define our lives or when addiction to wealth, power, influence
over others, vanity, or an inordinate need for control defines who we are. Temptation
wins when we engage in the justification of little lies, small sins: a racist joke, a
questionable business practice for the greater good, a criticism of spouse or partner
when he or she is not around. Temptation wins when we get so caught up in the trappings
of life that we lose sight of life itself. These are the faceless moments of evil, that while
mundane, lurk in the recesses of our lives and our souls.
(Maryetta Anschutz, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 2, pg. 48)
They were also the faceless moments of evil the people of Matthew’s day knew in their own lives, and the stories of the lives of the Davidic Kings. This is why it was so important for them to know Jesus as a king like Moses; one who knew what it meant to walk humbly with God and rely on God’s grace and mercy to stay focused on the things that truly matter.
As we begin our Lenten journey my hope and prayer is we may do the same remembering it is not about guilt. It is about engaging the dark places in our own lives that we may come face to face with them, name them, understand them, seek forgiveness for them; and free ourselves from the control that our fears and insecurities have over us. (Anschutz, pg.48) For then we will be better able to confront the temptations we encounter remembering that they come whether we are ready or not. Amen.
March 6. "Don't Store It, Live It."
Matthew 17: 1-9
Peter seems to be the most human of all the disciples, doesn’t he? He really wears the highs and lows of his faith journey on his sleeve. Six days before today’s story, Peter, in response to Jesus’ question “Who do you say that I am?” proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah; “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16). When Jesus predicts his death, Peter tells Jesus this will never be because Peter does not want it to be so. In response, Jesus rebukes Peter calling him “a stumbling block”, saying, “You do not have in mind the things of God, but of men.” (Matthew 16:23) In today’s story, Peter suggests that they build three booths so they can stay up on the mountain with Moses and Elijah and savor the moment.
In the midst of this suggestion, Peter is interrupted by God who speaks the words that were spoken at Jesus’ baptism; “This is my beloved Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased, listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5). These words are spoken in the midst of the majesty of the moment when Peter in his humanness felt the need to capture the moment. What Peter needed to do was experience the moment, but because he couldn’t, he needed to be told by God to listen.
Listen. How well do we listen to God in the moments that touch our faith? The truth is, not very well, if at all. Like Peter, we are so busy, so anxious, so frustrated or worried about what we are experiencing that we are unable to use these moments to enrich our relationship with God. We like Peter are guilty of tent building on the mountaintop.
Scott Peck’s book, The Road Less Traveled begins, “Life is difficult.” Commenting on this John Shea writes:
That is how life often hits us, how it feels ‘from the inside.’ It does not mean we do
not laugh or celebrate or rest or play. Life is not impossible or joyless or meaningless.
But it is one thing after another, each one demanding we get out of our favorite chair.
It is increased taxes, or a son who isn’t learning at school, or a daughter who is
learning too much outside of school, or the threat of downsizing, or the reality of
downsizing, or a drop in the market, or the wrong numbers on the blood profile,
or the need to plan more in order to get what you want, or the need to replan after
you don’t get what you want. What makes life difficult is that we continually face
physical, mental, and social challenges.
What difficult seems to imply is that an intentional effort is needed, and this intentional
effort involves a continual investment of energy.
(John Shea, On Earth as it is in Heaven, pg. 100)
This is so because as we know everyday requires attention and energy. (H)uman situations fall apart unless they are constantly built up. Without continual intentional effort: relationships become routinized and predictable and, in many cases, dissolve; personal goals remain unrealized dreams; enterprises flounder. (Shea, pg. 100)
Then there are those tougher issues and moral dilemmas; the personal struggles and tragedies that challenge us more than the day to day struggles of life. Those moments where the call to faith living is questioned or shaken as we live amid the events that challenge our ability to offer a faith response. We wonder, “How do we not become overwhelmed, give in, crash and burn? What do these moments look like?
When we are committed to compassion and we face situations of suffering, we must
struggle not to dismiss or ignore them. When we are committed to peace and we find
situations of division and hostility, we must find ways to engage them without
worsening the conflict. When we value honesty and we face situations of cover-up
it is difficult to find and walk the path of truth. Life is difficult when we try to bring
to it what is best in us. (Shea, pg. 100-01)
Because we know about those times when we didn’t bring “what is best in us” the struggle becomes even greater. We are aware of the ways we failed God, our neighbor, those we love and ourselves. In these moments we have a choice. We can try to minimize the consequences of our “less than noble behavior”, or we can accept them as a reminder that we still need to be transformed. We can affirm that we need to listen to how God works in our lives and world so we can move closer to God’s will for our lives and life together.
Moving closer to God we discover that God in Christ is constantly offering us the energy we need. Transforming moments happen more often that we recognize. We also discover that like Peter and others who were afraid, we too need to be lifted, and that if we listen, God in Christ can lift and energize us. He will touch us and say, “Rise and have no fear.” (Matthew 17:7) All we need to do is follow the advice God gave Peter, and “listen to him.”
It is very tempting to hold onto those moments like the Transfiguration; to not listen but savor them or store them in our memory and call upon them in our time of need and struggle. The problem is doing this is a form of tent building. What we need to do is listen to and use these transforming moments as they happen, letting them change and strengthen us for the journey. This is so because faithfulness is about more than just being to the mountaintop. It is about coming down from the mountain and continuing life’s journey as we affirm that we are called to discern God’s way in the world. We are called to partner with God as God works to heal and renew, transform and redeem. We do this not by holding onto what God reveals but by using it as we recommit ourselves to God amid the realities that come with living a faithful life. Amen.
