November 16, 2008

God Gives Us Gifts to Use with Joy!
Matthew 25:14-30
Pentecost + 27 – November 16, 2008
Commitment Sunday

What would you do if you won the lottery? What would you do with all that money? It's a question that gets the imagination running, & it's a question I ask our 8th graders every year at the beginning of Confirmation. Imagine you have just won the lottery – how would you use the money if you suddenly had more of it than you had ever dreamed, all at once? I don't give them any limits or rules or suggestions – and their answers are as unique as they are. Some of the money they would spend on themselves, for clothes or candy or cars, music or video games or parties. Parents, you'll probably be glad to know that most of them would give some to you or to other family members to help pay off the house or other debt or just because they love you. Some of them mention using it to help solve some of the world's big problems, like hunger & poverty or global warming. And some would put most of it away in the bank to help pay for college or their own homes someday. But no matter how they would use it, not a single one of them has any difficulty coming up with ways to use it. And none of them ever says that they would bury it underground for safekeeping.

Yet that's exactly what the 3rd slave does in the story Jesus tells in the gospel this morning. Here comes the master of the slaves, who apparently was Warren-Buffet-rich. He gathers 3 of his servants together, and tells them that he's going away for a while. And on that note, he dumps huge amounts of money into their care. Jesus says he entrusted his property to them – giving the 1st 5 talents, and the 2nd 2 talents, and the 3rd 1 talent, giving to each according to their ability. But even one talent was a huge amount of money – it was about 20 years worth of wages. Can you imagine suddenly having 20 years' worth of paychecks added to your checking account all at once? And once he does this, the master is out of there, off on his journey, leaving them all this money, and no instructions on how to use it.

But the expectation is obvious. The master clearly expects the slaves to do something worthwhile with his money – he expects them to use it wisely, to do his work while he's gone, to have something to show for it when he gets back. And two of them do just that. They went off at once and traded with it. The master has trusted them with this money, and so they go boldly, seeking to live up to that trust.

But the 3rd slave – he is caught up in fear. Given this money as an incredible symbol of the trust his boss had placed in him, he's paralyzed. Slave number 3 doesn't know what to do. For whatever reason, he holds a very low opinion of the master, an opinion the other 2 don't seem to have, I might point out. And so what does he do? He lets his fears over what might happen if he makes a mistake, if he does the wrong thing, if he somehow loses some of the money that's been given to him to work with – he lets those fears take charge, and he hides the money away. He grabs a shovel, digs a hole, and throws the money in (maybe he thought money really does grow on trees?, marking the spot in his mind for the day the master will return. And the master is gone for a long time, Jesus says. I kind of get this picture in my mind's eye of the 3rd slave, going out every day to check on the money, to make sure it hasn't been disturbed, unable to enjoy life because he has allowed his fear to take over.

Fear and worry about money is something we can all relate to, especially these days. Every day brings some new bad news about the economy – unemployment is rising, big businesses are sliding toward bankruptcy if they're not there already, and the government bail-out plan doesn't seem to be working very effectively yet. In times like this, we sympathize with the third slave, because burying our money or hiding it under the mattress for safekeeping doesn't seem like such a bad idea anymore. Like the 3rd servant, we may be trapped by our fear, constantly checking the stock market and our retirement accounts to see if our money is still there. We don't know what the future will bring, so we are really tempted to just hunker down and guard what we have, to hide it away for some future day.

But this is not the joyful life God has called us to live! The first two slaves in the story got that. Seeing the amazing gifts the master had given them, they rejoiced in the trust that the master had shown in them. They knew that the money wasn't theirs to spend or use how they pleased; it had been given to them to do the work of the master while he was away. Knowing how much they had been entrusted with, they went to work, freely & joyfully, wanting to accomplish something good with those gifts for the sake of the master. Instead of being held captive by what the man had given them, they were set free to do great things in the world! When the master returns, they're like little kids - “Look what I did!” They are proud and happy to show what they have done, sure that their boss will be pleased with them. When the master invites them to enter into his joy, it's really just an extension of the joy that is already theirs. Even while he was gone, they were living in that joy, because they were free to use his gifts, freed from fear.

That is good news for us today – God has given each of us an amazing amount of resources. It's almost like we won the lottery! We may not have the checking account to prove it, but think of all you have. Think of the many ways God has already blessed you! We have all been given different amounts – but none of us has been left out! God has given each of us abundant gifts - right from the very start, at the beginning of the story! And God gives them to us with a purpose. God doesn't mean for us to hold on to them in fear; God gives us gifts to use with joy! God gives us all that we have so that we might be at work in the world, doing God's will, helping to bring about God's dream for the world. This story is a call to trust the master who has given us so much, and to live out that trust boldly, to share generously out of what we have been given.

When we do that, when we let go of our iron-fisted grip on what we think belongs to us, we are set free – free from our worries, free from our fears, free from the slavery to our stuff that imprisons so many of us. It doesn't happen all at once, no, but using God's gifts generously is a step in the right direction, a step on the path to freedom.

During the past month, we have been emphasizing financial stewardship and what that means for our walk with Jesus. You have heard stories from members of our congregation, stories about the times when they have struggled, stories about how they decided to trust God anyway – and to act on that trust through their giving. They have shared how God has been faithful, how there has always somehow been enough, how God has blessed them abundantly – not necessarily financially, but in so many other ways. And underneath it all, I hope you have heard what I have heard, the truth about how God has set them free! Free to see God working through them and through us and the gifts we offer. Free to go dig that money back up out of the ground and set it loose in the world where it can do some good. Free to trust God even more. As they shared their stories, we have seen people who have been set free, and have already entered into God's joy, the joy that comes from sharing abundantly!

That is the opportunity we all have this morning, and the invitation to us: to remember the amazing trust God has placed in our hands and to respond boldly, not fearfully. It is a call to trust God, despite the circumstances, a call to step out in faith, trusting that God will take care of us, and choosing to live that trust as we share generously out of what God has already given us. Don't bury God's gifts in a hole! Let God set you free, and enter into the joy of the master!
Amen.

November 9, 2008

God Gives Us Oil for Our Lamps
Matthew 25:1-13
Pentecost + 26 – November 9, 2008

Last year my little sister, Jess, gave me & Andy each one of these little lamps that she brought home for us from Israel. When she gave them to us, she told us that the lamps were designed to burn brightly, to be a pool of light in the darkness. They don't require any special kind of fuel, just regular ol' olive oil will do. But, she said, these are not “set it & forget it” kind of lamps. You can't just fill 'em once & light it & expect it to burn forever. No, Jess said, you have to keep an eye on the oil level, and make sure you refill it when it starts to get low. Otherwise, they'll just burn out & they won't be able to do what they were created to do.

Jesus tells us a story about lamps today – 10 lamps to be precise, and the 10 bridesmaids who carried them. Now weddings back then were different than they are now, & so the customs & expectations for bridesmaids were different. People didn't go to the church to get married; the groom & his family would leave their home and go to the family of the bride. The ceremony would start there & then they'd all come back to the groom's home where the rest of the guest would be waiting. The ceremony would be finished & then the party would begin! So the job of the bridesmaids was to wait for the bridal party to come to the groom's house. And while they waited, they were to tend their lamps, so they would be shining brightly, lighting up the night so that everyone could see that the groom was coming! That was their one job – to make sure everyone could see the groom through them.

Jesus tells us that not all of the bridesmaids were able to do that. For whatever reason, 5 of them didn't bring along any extra oil. Who knows why – it's probably not that there was an oil crisis – the other 5 seemed to have plenty. My guess is that the ones Jesus describes as foolish didn't even think of it. Maybe they were too busy running around getting for the wedding, rushing out the door, & didn't have time to grab the extra flask of oil. But for whatever reason, they find themselves awoken in the middle of the night to the announcement that the groom is near & panic when they realize that they're almost out of oil – their lamps are gonna go out!

So they ask the other bridesmaids – it kind of reminds me of a song I learned in Sunday school or Vacation Bible School years ago - “Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burnin', give me oil in my lamp I pray. Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burnin', keep me burnin' til the break of day...” And those wise bridesmaids say, “No, we can't – there won't be enough for all of us. Go get your own.”
Now I have to tell you that that piece right there kind of bothers me. Why won't the 5 wise bridesmaids share? What kind of lesson is Jesus trying to teach here? He always taught his followers to love their neighbors as themselves, and that doesn't seem like a very loving thing to do.

But what I realized is that Jesus is telling us that each of us needs to be ready. He's talking about the day we look forward to – the day when he will return & the never-ending party can begin! And he's saying that each of us needs to be prepared. It's like what my sister said about the lamps she gave us. Our lives are like those lamps – created with a purpose, designed to shine brightly, even in the darkness of the world. In the Sermon on the Mount, way back in Matthew 5, Jesus told his listeners that they were the light of the world. So let that light shine, he says – let it shine through your good works so that others will see & will give glory to God in heaven. Hold up the lamp of your life, in other words, and show others that Jesus, the groom, is coming! Help them to be ready, help them to see that Jesus is on his way, he'll be here any minute, & the party is about to begin! That's our job Christians, to keep our lamps ready, so that they can shine brightly until Jesus comes again.

But in order to do that, we need to make sure we have enough oil. We need a source of fuel if the lamp is gonna keep shining. We need to have a reserve of oil if we are gonna be able to do what God has called us to do. And it's not something we can borrow from anyone else. I think that's why those other bridesmaids didn't share. Because Jesus wants us to know that oil doesn't come from other people. Because the oil that keeps us going can only come from God. It comes through cultivating a relationship with God, spending time with God, growing with God – and no one else can do that for us. It's like asking to borrow your friend's homework – you can get the answers, but you can't get the learning & understanding that comes from doing the work yourself. Likewise, you can't look at your friend who has a happy, solid marriage and ask them to give you some of what they have. They just can't do it. Some things can't be borrowed.

Many of us though, myself included, are more like the 5 foolish bridesmaids than we'd like to admit. We mean well, we have good intentions, we want to serve God in the world & let our light shine, but most of the time, we are so busy running out the door from one obligation to another that we forget to check the oil in our lamps. Even when are lives are not hectic & frantic & busy, we take our light for granted. We're easily distracted, sucked in to the whirlwind of options that are fun & entertaining - but they don't refill our lamps! It's only when we're sputtering & spitting, trying to keep the flame alive that we realize we've let the oil run out.

The good news is that God has an unending supply of oil for us. Only God can supply it, but God is always ready & waiting to fill us back up. And even better, it doesn't cost us anything but some time! Time spent with God each and every day – time spent in intentional prayer and in reading the Bible and in worship. Many of us are really good at the quick prayer – in the car or in the grocery store. That's kind of like the text message of communication with God. Text messages are good for quick questions or answers, but they don't really deepen the relationship. Coming to worship every week is helpful too. That's kind of like a phone call – a wonderful way of keeping in touch. But nothing beats one-on-one time, being together in person! In order for the relationship to grow and mature, to sustained for the long haul, you really need that time together. When was the last time you did that - set aside time just to spend with God, with nothing else going on? When was the last time you let God fill you up to overflowing, instead of settling for a drip here and a drop there?

God longs to spend that kind of time with each of us. And I'm not talking about hours everyday, but I am talking about taking some time every day; focused time, time that is just for you and God. Time for God to take your lamp & fill it up – because just like this little lamp my sister gave me – we can't hold too much oil at one time. We need to come to the Giver everyday if we're gonna keep shining! And God has buckets of the stuff, more than we will ever need to keep our lamps lit while we wait for Jesus to come. All we have to do is come to God & ask. I even have a song you can sing... “Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burnin'. Keep me burnin' til the break of day!” Make that your prayer today, and let God fill you up.
Amen.


And if you don't know the song, here is a clip of a little boy singing verse 1 + the chorus, which I left out...



Gotta love YouTube!

All Saints Sunday - November 2, 2008

Salvation Belongs to Our God!
Revelation 7:9-17
All Saints Day – November 2, 2008

I'll never forget the spring of my junior year in high school. It was the first time I ever saw Billy Joel in concert. My cousin got me tickets to see the show in Pittsburgh, & I rounded up some fellow fans, and off we went for one of the highlights of my young life!

If you've ever been to see one of your favorite musicians live & in person, you can imagine how I felt – the anticipation, the excitement, the joy of being in the presence of this person whose music I loved so much. The concert was wonderful – Billy performed for 3 hours straight, no opening act, no bad numbers. I remember being there in the darkened arena with thousands of screaming fans, all who loved him as much as I did. And I remember this amazing sense of unity among all of us, drawn together from who knows how many different places, joined into one as we lifted our voices in song, singing along with Billy Joel the songs he had written, singing back to him the words that we all knew by heart. It was - for me - a little glimpse of heaven.

Because that night is what the 1st lesson, the passage from Revelation, reminds me of. I don't know how most of you imagine what worship will be like in heaven, if you ever give it any thought at all, although I doubt most of us ever think it'll be anything like a rock concert. More likely, we think of subdued, solemn angels, gently plucking their harp strings, drifting from cloud to cloud. Peaceful, but boring. But from what the prophet John says here, I'm betting it'll be so much more than that!

He says that there will be a huge crowd there, bigger than any stadium or arena could ever hold, and in that crowd will be people who come from all over! They will be there from every nation on earth, and from every tribe and people, and speaking every language that there ever was or ever will be. And all of these people, different as they are, as separated as they might have been on earth – by socio-economic class or beliefs or sheer physical distance, will be united, drawn together by God & Christ, the Lamb, all singing together at the top of their lungs in love and praise for the One who has saved them! Just as I was at that concert, they will be lifted beyond themselves, lost in the joy & wonder of singing back to the one who wrote the song of their lives, the song of love, singing the words they know by heart (no need for hymnals in heaven!), amazed that they get to be there in person, forgetting all of the trials and tribulations that came before.

It is a beautiful, powerful picture John, a different John than the author of the gospel, paints here. It was an important message for the early church to hear, because they and John were living in dangerous times. It was a time of persecution and oppression, a time of insecurity and threats and random violence. It was a time when being a Christian marked you for potential attack by your neighbors, by your rulers, by the government. It was not a time that lent itself to feelings of joy. Fear & worry about their day-to-day existence, about their very survival, would have lurked at every corner, shadowing their hearts and minds even as they sought to follow Jesus. It is into this situation that John brings his message of this amazing worship before God's throne, where diverse people are united, crying out together, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” They are going through tough times now, but John's vision of the future brings them hope and courage – that their ordeals will not last forever. And when they have come out of the great ordeal, they will worship God, for God will shelter them & fears and tears, hunger and thirst, sin & death will all be a thing of the past. They will be delivered from all of the things that limited their lives on earth, called into wholeness of life, abundant life, in God's presence.

It can be hard sometimes for us in in 21st century America to make the connection between our experience and the events that happen in the Bible. We are not persecuted for our faith like our 1st century brothers and sisters were. But we can relate to their sense of fear and concern over what the future holds. As the election has gotten closer and closer, people on both sides of the political fence have been increasingly predicting doom & gloom if the opposing party wins. We worry about the economy and about wars and the threat of global warming & natural disasters. The future seems uncertain, insecure.

But into this situation, the Revelation of John come to us too! He paints a glorious picture of what is to come when God's kingdom comes in its fullness, when God's will will be done on earth, as it already is in heaven. In that day, God will be our shelter, and we will hunger and thirst no more. The Lamb who is also the Good Shepherd will lead us to the springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes! John's message comes to give us hope & courage to keep the faith, to trust in God despite our circumstances. John comes to remind us, not only of what God has done, but of what God is doing and what God promises to do!

But this vision he gives us of the departed saints worshiping God in glory is not just some future event. It's happening now, as we speak! Today, on All Saints Day, we remember and rejoice in the lives of all the saints, and we especially celebrate that the saints who have gone before us, the loved ones who are no longer with us, have joined the multitude that already surrounds God's throne! They are there with all of God's people, joining their hearts and their voices together to sing God's praise!

This marvelous picture of the present future keeps breaking in all around us who are still here on earth. Heaven breaks in, it peeks through, and I hope you feel it as you worship here this morning, that you feel united with each other, drawn out of yourself & beyond your worries and your fears, into something bigger than yourselves, into the love of the God who saves! For when God's people come together to worship and praise, we see the future now! It comes in different ways and different places for each of us. I felt it just a few weeks ago at the installation of Bishop Rimbo. It was like seeing this scene play out now, as people from many different nations and tribes and languages came together, singing and praising and praying together. We heard the Old Testament lesson read in its original Hebrew, and the prayers spoken in all the different languages represented there, and if we were looking up, in sign language too! And the music - organ & brass, classical quartets, African-American gospel, the steel drum band, traditional hymns and more recent additions to our common song! All of us giving praise to God in our unique ways, all of these things drawing us together as one people of God, because our focus was on God, not on ourselves.

And God's presence isn't felt only in the big high festive days of worship with hundreds of people. It breaks through in the everyday too! I have felt it in tiny groups of people gathered to sing our prayers through repetitive, contemplative song. I have felt it with groups of youth singing around the campfire - not just Kum Ba Yah, but the joyful stand up and jump and dance for Jesus kind of songs. And I have felt it here among us, as we have gathered for just a typical Sunday morning worship, when God's holy people – all of us – come together, and for one hour, give or take, we put aside our worries for the future, and stand together around God's throne, giving glory & honor & praise to the one who created us, and cares for us, and is bringing salvation into our lives every moment! Heaven breaks in when we focus our attention on God, instead of on each other and what may be. Salvation belongs to our God! Oh come, let us worship & praise! Amen!