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News & Happenings2012 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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Pastor Eric Fjeldal's November 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.
Advent 1 (Nov. 27, 2011.) "A Wake Up Call."
Mark 13: 32-37
When? How much longer? Now? What is soon? These are questions often asked by children as they are waiting. As adults most times we hear and interpret these questions as impatience, in part because they are; but also because we are conditioned to hear in this way. As a result we miss the curiousness and wonder, the excitement and anticipation and the accompanying energy and enthusiasm that is also a part of waiting.
In much the same way too often we hear and use the phrase “of that day or hour no one knows” in a negative or pessimistic way. We associate it with struggle, trouble, problems, despair, even death; all that goes wrong, all that despite our best efforts we can never truly be prepared for.
Because we live such busy, active lives filled with so many things we hardly consider ourselves asleep as today’s parable implies and then warns against; and yet our behavior is worthy of the warning to “keep awake.” This is so because amid our busyness
we are indeed asleep to much of what matters. We may not be physically asleep; quite the opposite. But in our wakefulness to worldly ways, we fall asleep to the spiritual season,
and so we need a wake-up call from the Gospel of Mark.
(Lillian Daniels, Feasting on the Word, Year B, Vol. 1, pg. 22)
This is why as we enter another Advent season and begin to prepare for Christmas this wake-up call is critical because knowing when Christmas comes, that is knowing the date, December 25 on the calendar is not the same thing as knowing when the coming Christ is present in our lives.
To recognize Christ’s presence requires our being attentive. It requires our being alert, watchful, actively waiting. It requires recapturing the excitement, enthusiasm and anticipation that children often bring to a particular moment or event. It requires accepting the truth that we don’t have it all figured out and that the best laid plans do not guarantee a similar result. It requires living in a way which affirms that God is active in every moment of life, which means that God is always revealing; so it is not God who is inattentive, it is we who are inattentive.
John Shea says it this way.
Therefore, it is necessary to both work and watch, to be both a servant (each with
his or her own work) and a doorkeeper (on the watch).
In this context working is really co-working. The Lord is active and at work in
the world bringing about a new humanity. God lures people into the same activity,
making them servants of a divine activity. But in order for them to join the Lord’s
activity, they must be awake to what God is doing. They must notice the Spirit’s
arrival, the sudden presence and voice whose time cannot be predicted.
(John Shea, Eating with the Bridegroom, Liturgical Press, pg. 20)
Another way of saying this is we need to give ourselves permission to be surprised by life; to hear “of that day or hour no one knows” not as a negative, but as a reminder that we need to be attentive if we hope to “catch a glimpse of God” working in our lives and in this world.
My fear is that we have forgotten how to do this. We have lost the art of being surprised in this way in large part because we spend so much time in our heads that we have lost sight of the importance of feeding our spirit, feeding our soul. What results is:
We tolerate what T.S. Eliot called ‘living and partly living.’ We wrongly treat spirit as
a luxury. If our bodies are hurting, we will pay attention to them and work hard to
recover our physical health. If our financial security or social status is under attack, we will struggle and fight ceaselessly for our money and position. But we will allow our spirit to languish and even atrophy.
(John Shea, On Earth As It Is In Heaven, Liturgical Press, pg. 29)
Is it any wonder we need a wakeup call?
As we think about getting ready for the holidays, the last thing we need is one more thing to add to our “to do list.” The rush of Christmas works against the Advent message, and yet we cannot deny that the hope God offers in Christmas is not what most experience. We don’t experience “God being with us” because we have not prepared for “God being with us.”
I am reminded of that old expression “nothing changes if nothing changes.” If we prepare in the same way we will get the same result. This is true when it comes to all aspects of life, including our spiritual life. Amid the temptation to sleep walk through another Advent comes the call to keep awake; keep awake to God in your life and in the world because glimpses of the kingdom are happening all the time.
We see them when we hear the call to wake up and remember to focus on what really matters and seek more of the time to live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and leave the rest to God.
*RESPONSE OF THE PEOPLE: (taken from a Christmas Card Greeting)
For the moment, be still. Count the ways you are blessed.
Be slow to quarrel. Look for the good. Suspend suspicion, be trusting.
Share a treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth.
Show your loyalty in word and deed.
Nourish a grateful attitude. Keep a promise. Find the time.
Don’t harbor a grudge. Listen. Apologize if you are wrong. Forgive.
Be understanding. Be slow to envy. Think first of someone else.
Show appreciation. Be kind. Laugh more. Deserve confidence.
Be gentle. Wage war against prejudice, sexism
and every other kind of “ism” that threatens another.
Worship God. Gladden the heart of a child. Decry complacency.
Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth.
Make everyday a thanksgiving. Speak your gratitude. Speak it again.
Speak it still again. Speak it still once more.
November 20, 2011. "Live Your Gratitude."
Matthew 25: 31-46
This morning’s scripture affirms these words by Fredrick Buechner.
For no matter what other good and noble thing we are doing, if the Church is
not feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and welcoming in
the stranger and all the rest, we are not doing the will of God.”
Others have proclaimed the same or similar belief. Teresa of Avila
Christ has no body now, but yours. No hands, no feet, on earth, but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which Christ looks compassion into the world.
Yours are the feet with which Christ walks to do good. Yours are the hands
with which Christ blesses the world.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who wrote:
One of the principle rules of religion is to lose no occasion of serving God.
And since (God) is invisible to our eyes, we are to serve (God) in our neighbor;
which (the Lord) receives as if done to (Godself) in person, standing visibly before us.
No doubt you know other people whom you can quote and in truth we also know that there are a lot of people outside of the church who are moved to acts of charity, mercy, even justice. In fact we know there are many examples where the secular world is doing a better job than church is at caring for the lost, last and least. Why the deep connection between caring and Christianity? Why is it different when the Church does or doesn’t do acts of mercy, love and justice? After all most people respond because it is the right or good thing to do; so when does it become the Christian thing to do? The answer has to do with why we do it, our motivation; both in terms of what we are looking or hoping for and what or who we see as we are doing it.
This morning’s scriptural passage was probably not spoken by Jesus yet it is foundational to my faith. It serves as a reminder that faith without works is an empty faith. I am not suggesting that our salvation is tied to our actions rather our actions are a reflection of our faith. We do “good” not because we have to, we do good in response to God’s gift of love and grace, out of a genuine sense of gratitude and thanksgiving.
In this way doing “good” is a choice we make with no personal agenda. This is crucial because this is what separates the sheep from the goats. While the same question is asked, “Lord, when did we see thee?” the intent behind the question is very different. Sheep do “good” regardless of who the recipient is. Goats are very concerned with and aware of the recipient.
A faith-filled response sees the one in need as a child of God; someone of value, worthy of respect and love simply because. In other words, we see them as God sees them. Commenting on this John Buchanan writes:
So what you and I can do and are called to do is not to ignore and overlook,
but to look into a human face and to see there the face of Jesus Christ…
(John M. Buchanan, Feasting on the Word, Year A. vol. 4 pg.332)
To respond believing that “when we do it unto the least of them” we do it unto God in Christ. Such an understanding is foundational for it reminds us that
(T)he God of Jesus, the God of the Bible, is not a remote supreme being on a
throne up there above the clouds or out there in the mysterious reaches of the
universe. Jesus said, God is here, particularly in your neighbor, the one who
needs you. You want to see the face of God? Look into the face of the least of
these, the vulnerable, the weak, the children. (Buchanan, pg. 334)
This tells us it is not about what we think of the other, not how nice or good or appreciative they are. It is about how we relate to God, both in terms of our gratitude and our dependence; as we live the belief that
(doing for and L)oving those for whom Jesus gave his life, particularly those who are undervalued, is a primary expression of our love of God and of our experience of God’s
love for us.
(Lindsay B. Armstrong, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 4 pg. 337)
It is not about our doing “good”. It is about our recognizing our need for God and how God is the only one who can truly give us what we need. This recognition comes as we embrace the truth that
(It) is not social, political, economic or religious. It is personal. God wants
not only a new world modeled on the values of Jesus. God wants us – each of us.
God is not a social engineer but a God of love who wants to save our souls,
to use the language of the old revival meetings.
God wants to save our souls and redeem us and give us the gift of life –
true, deep, authentic human life.
God wants to save us by touching our hearts with love. God wants to save us
by persuading us to care and see other human beings who need us.
God wants to save us from obsessing about ourselves, our own needs, by
persuading us to forget about ourselves and worry about others.
That is God’s favorite project: to teach you and me the fundamental lesson,
the secret, the truth – that to love is to live. (Buchanan, pg. 336)
We need to hear this lesson because as much as we want to see ourselves as being among the sheep, the truth is we all have more goat in us than we want or care to admit.
The surprise of those who proclaim, “Lord, when did we see thee?” reminds us that salvation is not something we achieve. Salvation is something we discover, often when we least expect it. (Armstrong, pg, 337) It happens as we freely choose to give of ourselves. It happens when in gratitude and thanksgiving
we love those conventionally considered unable to give back, and we do not do so
to earn God’s love or anyone else’s love, to curry favor, or to make sure we are
considered righteous. (Armstrong, pg. 335)
This means a faith-filled person’s involvement and financial support of Bridgebuilders, Midnight Run, Meals on Wheels and the like comes out of gratitude for God’s redeeming love. It comes out of the affirmation that our relationship with God is foundational to our lives, because this relationship offers us a new way of seeing and living life.
Howard Thurman captures this beautifully in his words:
If I knew you and you knew me and each of us could clearly see by that
inner light divine the meaning of your life and mine; I’m sure that we would
differ less and clasp our hands in friendliness.
This new way of knowing happens as we begin to embrace our gratitude for God’s grace; the promise that we are loved and redeemed, not because of who we are or what we do but because of what God is. Out of gratitude and thanksgiving we respond seeking to proclaim through word and deed that :
We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders.
All, are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor,
educated, not educated, male, female, gay, straight, all, all, all.
We are meant all, to belong to this family, this human family, God’s family.
(Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Forward: Forgiveness and Reconciliation)
So live your gratitude. You’ll be amazed at what you discover.
November 13, 2011. "Be Bold; Don't Bury."
Matthew 25: 14-30
It is very tempting to hear this parable and assume that it is about stewardship. Stewardship, when it comes to money and also our gifts and abilities, our talents. What come out of this assumption are the questions. “What are we doing with what God has entrusted to us? Are we using these talents or burying them? For us interpreting this parable in this fashion
meshes nicely with – and undoubtedly grows out of – the various projects of
free-market capitalism, get what you deserve justice, and disciplined self-
improvement that have so marked American society.
(Mark Douglas, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 4 pg. 308)
I say this not as a criticism but as a way of reminding us that this passage was not written to our 21st century world. It was written to a world living in the first century after Jesus’ death and resurrection. At the same time it is also important to ask the questions that emerge for us. We do need to be good stewards, but as the response we will share in later reminds us being good stewards is about “so much more.” This morning’s parable addresses the reason why we don’t do “so much more.”
It is easy to focus on the first two servants or slaves good use of their talents praising them for doubling their money. But in truth, their actions are not the center of the story. As one commentary writer states:
They are not so much characters in the story as foils against which to compare
the third servant, whose actions are unique, whose speech is unique (and fairly
involved for a parable) and whose condemnation by the master serves as the
climax of the story. Indeed, while sometimes referred to as the parable of the
Talents, the parable is not so much about talents as about the third slave,
the master, and the relationship between them.
(Douglas, Feasting, pg. 310)
For the third servant this relationship was based on fear.
While he did not squander his talent or use it for personal gain but simply returned it to his master, this servant failed in his mission. He allowed his fear to paralyze him and as a result refused to take a risk, to venture forth in faith. The message is clear:
The emotion that drives the third slave creates the conditions that lead to his downfall:
fearing his master, that which he fears is realized. Perhaps for Matthew, the God we
face is the one we imagine. (Douglas, pg.312)
Live believing in a violent, hostile, negative God and we will know a violent, hostile and negative God. Live believing in a loving, healing, redeeming God and we will know a loving, healing, redeeming God.
The other two slaves did not succumb to fear. They took risks, they ventured forth, they lived; and they were praised, not because they were successful, but because they were faithful. They ventured forth and tried.
The placement of this parable in Matthew’s gospel is important to note. Jesus tells this parable during the last days of his life. He tells it mindful of what he will encounter in the days ahead.
(I)n the middle of his own personal high-risk venture. Earlier he (Jesus) had made
the decision to leave the safety of rural Galilee and go to Jerusalem, the capital city,
where the religious authorities would regard him as a threat to the status quo and
their own power and prerogatives, and the Romans would surely regard him as a
disturber of the peace.
(John M. Buchanan, Feasting, pg. 308)
Jesus shows by word and deed that living one’s faith is risky business, because faithfulness involves investing yourself in the message. This is why you can’t be faithful if you give in to your fear because you will wind up digging a hole and burying your talent. Based on what the world in which we live in believes it appears that by continuing his Holy Week journey, Jesus is about to risk it all, but this is not how Jesus sees it. For Jesus,
The greatest risk of all, it turns out, is to not risk anything, not to care deeply and
profoundly enough about anything to invest deeply, to give your heart away and in
the process risk everything. The greatest risk of all, it turns out, is to play it safe,
to live cautiously and prudently. (Buchanan, pg. 310)
I think it is fair to say that most times we don’t think of faith in this way. As John Buchanan writes:
Now, for most of us, religion, our personal faith, has not seemed like a high risk
venture. In fact, it has seemed to be something like the opposite. Faith has seemed
to be a personal comfort zone. Faith, many of us think, is about personal security,
here and in the hereafter. Faith, we think, is no more risky than believing ideas in
our heads about God and Jesus, a list of beliefs to which we more or less subscribe
intellectually. Faith, we think, because that is what we have been taught, is getting
our personal theology right and then living a good life by avoiding bad things.
Religion, we think, is a pretty timid, non risky venture. (Buchanan, Feasting, pg. 312)
This morning’s parable tells us faith and religion is about just the opposite. Jesus’ message proclaims that discipleship means
to live our lives as fully as possible by investing them, by risking, by expanding the
horizons of our responsibilities. To be his man or woman, he (Jesus) says is not
so much believing ideas about him as it is following him. It is to experience renewed responsibility for the use and investment of these precious lives of ours. It is to be
bold and brave, to reach high and care deeply. (Buchanan, pg. 312)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer says it this way. The sin of respectable people is running from responsibility. Too often fear, including the fear of failing keep us from being responsible, from doing what it is God calls us to do. Fear that others won’t like it, or approve or understand. Fear that we will be seen as different, as outcasts. Fear that what we do is not politically advantageous or popular. Fear that we may have to give up more than we want to give up.
The fearful slave was not a bad person. He was not irresponsible or unreliable. The rich man trusted him and believed in him enough to give him a talent; the equivalent of 15 years of earnings for a day laborer. What he is guilty of is giving into his fear of the unknown which resulted in his neglecting to seize an opportunity.
The same can be said of us. We all have our litanies of times and places where we wanted to respond in ways that offered healing and hope, but didn’t; all have those times and places when we could have done the loving thing, the just thing, the faithful thing, but didn’t. The result; (W)e bury too much goodness, time, love, treasure and talent in the ground. (Lindsay P. Armstrong, Feasting, pg. 313)
The good news is that there will be another opportunity to respond, another chance to share God’s message; and when that chance comes, we will have another opportunity to seize it. This morning’s message is clear when the opportunity presents itself take the opportunity, even if it feels like a risk. Even if doing so makes you anxious or afraid, venture forth. For in so doing we will be living out the faith we profess and affirming these words from Marianne Williamson:
You are a child of God; your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking….
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fears our presence automatically liberates others.
As the Bible says over and over again, “Be not afraid.” Be bold; don’t bury. Amen.
“A Creed for Christian Stewardship”
We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ the Redeemer of creation.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God’s gifts, and we repent of our sin in misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends.
We as stewards affirm the goodness of life. We rejoice in accepting the abundance with which God has endowed the earth. We commit ourselves to participate in God’s redemptive intention for the world: that all people should be able to live in peace and to enjoy the days of their lives free from hunger, disease, hopelessness and oppression.
As stewards, we commit ourselves to love and justice among persons and nations in the equitable distribution of income and wealth. We affirm the ownership of property as a trust from God. We acknowledge the responsibility to share the abundance of creation. We regard the conditions created by poverty to be demeaning to the human spirit.
As stewards, we insist on the efficient management of human and natural resources in the production of the goods and services needed by the human community. We insist on conserving resources in order to sustain permanently the fruitfulness of the earth.
As stewards, we are committed to give generously of our time, money and service through the church to the world. We affirm the tradition of tithing as a disciplined practice of giving.
As stewards, we acknowledge the necessity of civil government. We encourage all people to participate in the activities of responsible citizenship.
We believe that Christian stewardship is a joyful response to God’s gifts: it is a spiritual understanding of the practical and economic aspects of all of life. Our stewardship affirms the redemptive power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and our confidence in God’s final victory in the world.
November 6, 2011. "Honor and Emulate."
Matthew 5: 1-12 - All Saints Day
When I hear the word “saints” a whole litany of names flashes through my mind; both people I have known intimately who have shaped my faith and people I don’t know whose faithful witness have moved me. When I think of these folks it is not in a sentimental way. They were and are far from perfect, far from always right; and yet, their faithful witness empowered others to faithfulness. Saints are for me, ordinary people who bear witness to the extraordinary nature of God. They were and are a blessing to others because they knew something of what it means to be blessed by God. It wasn’t that they made a difference; they were different because they choose to let God’s grace define who they are. Through their actions we see the world differently. Because of them we catch a glimpse of God’s kingdom.
This is why the Beatitudes are a perfect scripture passage for All Saints. They call us to see the world differently and therein lays the challenge, because
Jesus presents the Beatitudes as simple facts, rather than moral injunctions.
They represent worldly wisdom for those who believe that things work in a particular way.
The Beatitudes are primarily about the character of God and only secondarily about the character of Christians. Because God behaves in the way God does, a person would be
foolish not to act in the way the Beatitudes recommend.
(Beach-Verney, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 4 pg. 238)
One of the reasons we struggle with the Beatitudes is we see them as an impossible set of guidelines to follow; in part because of our tendency to want to do good, but also because the Beatitudes call us to see God differently. They challenge us to see God, not as a Being who needs to be appeased and worshipped, but rather as One who provides that which truly matters.
While not always perfect, saints understand that it is not about success. What matters is faithfulness. This is why our hesitancy and inability or unwillingness
to conform to the Beatitudes is a sign not of moral weakness but a lack of faith.
We simply do not trust Jesus, his words, or his deeds. We do not really believe that
God will bless the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted.
In other words, we do not think it is sensible to behave in the way Jesus did, because
we do not believe that God is really the way he (Jesus) describes.
(Beach-Verney, pg. 238)
Why should we? After all we live in a world that says being nice, caring and generous is good to a point, but don’t take it too far. A world that encourages us to avoid pain and sorrow; a world that teaches us that because it is a dog eat dog world we need to be strong and take care of ourselves. We need to be self-reliant and independent. We love in a world that proclaims what matters most is being successful, taking care of me and mine. It always amazes me when an athlete will hold out for an extra $30 million and then say it is not about the money, but taking care of his family. We live in a world that teaches us to “get even” with those who hurts us and that being a peacemaker is too risky because someone else will get the upper hand.
At the same time we are here because we want to believe differently and there are times when we have and times when we do. We all have our stories and remembrances of those who have shown us something different, something more. These are our saints; ordinary people who bear witness to the extraordinary nature of God. People who have allowed us to see the world as God sees it and they allowed us to see God as God truly is. Tim Beach-Verney describes it this way:
The saints provide a glimpse of God’s already in the midst of our not-yet.
Through our communion with them, we live in an eschatological moment, where
God’s kingdom is breaking into the world. We continue to wrestle with faith,
but we are connected to a faith that is secure; we continue to face a world that
is not yet conformed to God’s will, yet we are related to those who have
experienced God’s victory…
(Tim Beach-Verney, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol. 4 pg. 240)
Saints give us hope. They remind us it can be different; that we can be different. All it takes is faith; a willingness to trust more in God. While trusting more is a challenge, saints show it can be done.
When I pause to remember my saints, I am humbled and grateful. I want to honor them, to emulate them and make them proud. Naturally I think about doing more, about being a better person. I am beginning to appreciate that it is not always about doing more. Honoring and emulating the saints of my life is about living the way they did. It is about being more faithful to God, trusting more in God so that God can work more fully in and through me.
I do this not because I hope that someone will want to honor and emulate me, but so that others will catch a glimpse of God’s kingdom and the world will move that much closer to a time when God’s will is done more often “on earth as it is in heaven.”
I can think of no better way to honor our saints. Can you?
