I am down to just a few days left at home before starting my CPE at Reading Hospital. The anticipation is killing me. I am jealous of those who have already begun working at their respective sites. I really have no motivation to do anything around the house. I have finished everything on my list except the deck. It is raining right now so that is my excuse.
It has been very lonely at home these past few weeks. I miss the community at LTSG. I never would imagine I miss the closeness of the community but I do. It was nice to just walk down the hall and say hi to someone.
I have cleaned out my room at home. It is sad to see it so bare. It is still hard to believe that I won't really be living here much anymore. It is no fun getting old. To many memories to give up...
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sermon for the 3rd Sunday in Easter
I thought I should tell you that my sermon is on the Road to Emmaus. Textweek.com gave me the wrong text but it all worked. I just took out some of the specifics and only preached on the broad areas of the text.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
So how do we see Jesus? How do know God’s Spirit? Why didn’t Jesus’ own disciples not even recognize him? What does Jesus look like? These are all real but difficult questions to answer. We are constantly worrying and wondering am I going to recognize Jesus? It has become such an issue that we even had an entire class session in my systematic class where we discussed this very issue of what we thought Jesus might look like. Keith Hayward, a AME pastor and student at LTSG, said something very profound. “I don’t know what Jesus looks like, but I do want to recognize him when he comes back.” I think one of the strangest mysteries we have in our faith is that we really do not know what Jesus looks like and when we hear stories like this, we continue to worry and ask the question “Am I going to recognize Jesus when he comes to me?”
There are many different theories out to why the disciples did not recognize Jesus at first. Some believe Jesus was in his divine/resurrected being. Frankly I do not buy into this. Some believe that the stress Jesus was put through on the cross and the days before distorted his appearance but after he was raised he was healed of this stress. Again a little hard for be to believe. Some believe that God held their eyes close from recognizing Jesus, like the text says, but the text really doesn’t say that God kept their eyes closed. We just assume that God is the one who is doing the action.
So I want to claim that this text is more than just a post-resurrected experience by Jesus. Rather this text should make us ask question, “Who do you say that Jesus is?” and not “what does Jesus look like?”.
I can remember leading a small group of 9th and 10th graders at our Synod’s high school youth gathering a few years ago. We were talking about who they thought Jesus was. I was the lucky guy who got the most hormonal 9th and 10th graders at the event. They were having a hard time concentrating on this passage and I was getting frustrated. I finally screamed at the top of my lungs, mainly because none of them would stop talking, and said “WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?” One of the students replied, “You are Matt Day, the loud mouth Jesus freak.”
As much as I wanted to slap that kid, what he said was True, Jesus is represented by us. Now I wouldn’t claim that I’m a loud mouth Jesus freak in sense that I am a tele-evangelist but I would claim to be passionate my faith and passionate our Church’s mission in the world.
I believe that Worship is a wonderful way that we can reflect Jesus to others. If you haven’t notice, this text is where we got the order for our Liturgy. First we hear the word and Jesus preaches on the word and what everything had meant, then Jesus breaks the bread and he is revealed to the disciples. Word and Sacrament.
But this text goes far deeper than just our worship. This text reminds us that we see Jesus sometimes in very unique ways. Jesus decides when he will be revealed to others and how he is revealed can change constantly.
Throughout the ages, artists have tried to describe what Jesus looks like. From the traditional Jesus holding the baby sheep to a more modern day scientific picture of what Jesus looks like. None of these pictures are wrong. They all hold a particular meaning for certain individuals and all speak to how we have come know who Jesus is. But we must remember that we have no real description of what Jesus looks like. We see in this text that not even the disciples recognize Jesus at first. I believe the reason behind this is that Jesus needs no description.
While it is fascinating to see how the portrayals of Jesus have changed and stayed the same, we must remember that simple fact that we really do not know what Jesus looked like. We have ideas and such but no hard description. I have come to believe that the Gospel writers intended that we shouldn’t so much be looking for a particular man that fits the description of Jesus but rather we concentrate on the work, the teachings, and life Jesus and just let Jesus worry about doing the revealing.
Jesus appears to us when we need Jesus and that isn’t just when we are sad or upset but it is a 24/7 thing. Sometimes that might be in the way of another individual, a school, a government, a church, a pastor, a TV, a guitar, a song, even sometimes in a TV show. We are all apart of the Body of Christ. Jesus finds us when we are lost. Just like the wonderful song says, “I once was lost but now I am found” so does Jesus seek us out. We need no description of Jesus because Jesus is inside each of us, inside you and me. Jesus has the power to reveal himself in many different ways. We will see Jesus revealed today when we celebrate this wonderful meal but Jesus will continued to be revealed when we leave this place. So go from this place, and know the answer to the question “Who is Jesus?” Amen.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
So how do we see Jesus? How do know God’s Spirit? Why didn’t Jesus’ own disciples not even recognize him? What does Jesus look like? These are all real but difficult questions to answer. We are constantly worrying and wondering am I going to recognize Jesus? It has become such an issue that we even had an entire class session in my systematic class where we discussed this very issue of what we thought Jesus might look like. Keith Hayward, a AME pastor and student at LTSG, said something very profound. “I don’t know what Jesus looks like, but I do want to recognize him when he comes back.” I think one of the strangest mysteries we have in our faith is that we really do not know what Jesus looks like and when we hear stories like this, we continue to worry and ask the question “Am I going to recognize Jesus when he comes to me?”
There are many different theories out to why the disciples did not recognize Jesus at first. Some believe Jesus was in his divine/resurrected being. Frankly I do not buy into this. Some believe that the stress Jesus was put through on the cross and the days before distorted his appearance but after he was raised he was healed of this stress. Again a little hard for be to believe. Some believe that God held their eyes close from recognizing Jesus, like the text says, but the text really doesn’t say that God kept their eyes closed. We just assume that God is the one who is doing the action.
So I want to claim that this text is more than just a post-resurrected experience by Jesus. Rather this text should make us ask question, “Who do you say that Jesus is?” and not “what does Jesus look like?”.
I can remember leading a small group of 9th and 10th graders at our Synod’s high school youth gathering a few years ago. We were talking about who they thought Jesus was. I was the lucky guy who got the most hormonal 9th and 10th graders at the event. They were having a hard time concentrating on this passage and I was getting frustrated. I finally screamed at the top of my lungs, mainly because none of them would stop talking, and said “WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?” One of the students replied, “You are Matt Day, the loud mouth Jesus freak.”
As much as I wanted to slap that kid, what he said was True, Jesus is represented by us. Now I wouldn’t claim that I’m a loud mouth Jesus freak in sense that I am a tele-evangelist but I would claim to be passionate my faith and passionate our Church’s mission in the world.
I believe that Worship is a wonderful way that we can reflect Jesus to others. If you haven’t notice, this text is where we got the order for our Liturgy. First we hear the word and Jesus preaches on the word and what everything had meant, then Jesus breaks the bread and he is revealed to the disciples. Word and Sacrament.
But this text goes far deeper than just our worship. This text reminds us that we see Jesus sometimes in very unique ways. Jesus decides when he will be revealed to others and how he is revealed can change constantly.
Throughout the ages, artists have tried to describe what Jesus looks like. From the traditional Jesus holding the baby sheep to a more modern day scientific picture of what Jesus looks like. None of these pictures are wrong. They all hold a particular meaning for certain individuals and all speak to how we have come know who Jesus is. But we must remember that we have no real description of what Jesus looks like. We see in this text that not even the disciples recognize Jesus at first. I believe the reason behind this is that Jesus needs no description.
While it is fascinating to see how the portrayals of Jesus have changed and stayed the same, we must remember that simple fact that we really do not know what Jesus looked like. We have ideas and such but no hard description. I have come to believe that the Gospel writers intended that we shouldn’t so much be looking for a particular man that fits the description of Jesus but rather we concentrate on the work, the teachings, and life Jesus and just let Jesus worry about doing the revealing.
Jesus appears to us when we need Jesus and that isn’t just when we are sad or upset but it is a 24/7 thing. Sometimes that might be in the way of another individual, a school, a government, a church, a pastor, a TV, a guitar, a song, even sometimes in a TV show. We are all apart of the Body of Christ. Jesus finds us when we are lost. Just like the wonderful song says, “I once was lost but now I am found” so does Jesus seek us out. We need no description of Jesus because Jesus is inside each of us, inside you and me. Jesus has the power to reveal himself in many different ways. We will see Jesus revealed today when we celebrate this wonderful meal but Jesus will continued to be revealed when we leave this place. So go from this place, and know the answer to the question “Who is Jesus?” Amen.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Maundy Thursday Sermon
In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Throughout college I worked at Saint Joseph Medical Center in Towson, MD in the Patient Transport department. My sole job description was to take patients from one place to another. But since it was a hospital they were always understaffed on all units. Many times I had to help out nurses and nurse aides with minor procedures (i.e. holding the tube or helping patients get dressed…the jobs get a lot worst and I will spare you the details). So many of these patients, before they got sick or became weak due to an illness or old age, were independent people and I know from experience that to go from 100% independent to 100% dependent is an emotional and hurtful experience. It was humbling for me to see patients cry, yell, and sometimes just pray when they could not even do a simple task like putting on socks or tying their shoes.
And when I think back on my three years of service to Saint Joe’s, I think about this text in John. I think about Jesus washing the feet of disciples every time I think about a patient. I believe this passage in John is not so much about the actions that Jesus is doing but rather what these actions meant. What did it mean to the disciples to see Jesus, on his hands and knees washing their feet? What would you have said? Would you have been like Peter and told Jesus not to wash his feet or would you have said nothing but quietly thought about what it all meant.
Then Jesus comes back to the table and asks a “Do you know what I have done to you?”
The disciples must have been scratching their heads. All the events leading up to this night had to confuse them. Jesus is welcomed into Jerusalem by people waving and laying palm branches at his path. They are shouting:
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
People are treating him like a king and then Jesus takes on the role of a servant, a slave, and washes their feet. They had to have been confused. But Jesus explains his actions:
You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.
I could never begin to imagine the social implications this statement had. In this society, there were distinctions between the classes and you would dare not go down that social ladder because it was so hard to go up that ladder but Jesus is telling them to abolish these levels and look at people’s character and not at what the society says they are but who these individuals say they are.
How humbling these few sentences make us feel. At Saint Joe’s I always thought I would never be the one laying in that hospital bed but I eventually did end up in that bed. There was a point in my life that I could not put on my own socks, stand on my own, handwrite a note, or do anything else that could make me feel like a human; like me. We never think that anything so debilitating can happen to us. We never think bad things will happen to us but they always do. They might not be as serious as congestive heart failure but there are other incidents in our lives that can throw us back in our seats and make us wonder about our own humility, our own humbleness. Jesus was glorified in his humbleness towards his disciples and I am sure God will show God’s self through our humbleness in our lives because our love for one another.
In Greek, “Love” is a strange word. We just have one word to describe all the different kinds of love but the Greek language has more ways of describing love. The love Jesus is using here is called agapeo, which is love Christians share between one another. The love of assistance, the love of patience, the love we share with each and every one in this room. This love penetrates all races, nationalities, genders, congregations and denominations. This love is powerful. It is so powerful that it forces us to look at who are and how our actions affect others.
Every time we hear the story Jesus’ death we remember that love, that agapeo love, he had for us. That agepeo love he had for you and for me. This love moves us in ways we do not expect. It causes us to act with compassion on all we see. And sometimes we forget to show that love or face other obstacles in our way, such as sin, that make showing that love impossible but we must never forget share our agapeo love with one another. We must remind ourselves of that crucifixion. We must remind ourselves not just yearly of Jesus’ passion but almost daily. Remind ourselves that Jesus was crucified and died for you and me and Christ promises that he will always be with us. For our Lord was Crucified and remains for us a Crucified Lord.
My friends, the greatest act humility our world has ever seen was when a God came into our world as a poor child, grew into adult, preached, taught, and healed the outcasts of our world, washed his disciples’ feet, was betrayed and handed over to corrupt leadership of the Jewish and Roman Government, stretched out his arms, was a nailed to a cross, died for our sins, and remained the crucified Saviour bearing our sins, grieves, worries, and fears, everyday. What a beautiful Saviour. What a wonderful God. May these nails, this foot washing, and this holy sacrament of communion remind us of the one who suffered and died for our sake. Amen.
Throughout college I worked at Saint Joseph Medical Center in Towson, MD in the Patient Transport department. My sole job description was to take patients from one place to another. But since it was a hospital they were always understaffed on all units. Many times I had to help out nurses and nurse aides with minor procedures (i.e. holding the tube or helping patients get dressed…the jobs get a lot worst and I will spare you the details). So many of these patients, before they got sick or became weak due to an illness or old age, were independent people and I know from experience that to go from 100% independent to 100% dependent is an emotional and hurtful experience. It was humbling for me to see patients cry, yell, and sometimes just pray when they could not even do a simple task like putting on socks or tying their shoes.
And when I think back on my three years of service to Saint Joe’s, I think about this text in John. I think about Jesus washing the feet of disciples every time I think about a patient. I believe this passage in John is not so much about the actions that Jesus is doing but rather what these actions meant. What did it mean to the disciples to see Jesus, on his hands and knees washing their feet? What would you have said? Would you have been like Peter and told Jesus not to wash his feet or would you have said nothing but quietly thought about what it all meant.
Then Jesus comes back to the table and asks a “Do you know what I have done to you?”
The disciples must have been scratching their heads. All the events leading up to this night had to confuse them. Jesus is welcomed into Jerusalem by people waving and laying palm branches at his path. They are shouting:
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
People are treating him like a king and then Jesus takes on the role of a servant, a slave, and washes their feet. They had to have been confused. But Jesus explains his actions:
You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.
I could never begin to imagine the social implications this statement had. In this society, there were distinctions between the classes and you would dare not go down that social ladder because it was so hard to go up that ladder but Jesus is telling them to abolish these levels and look at people’s character and not at what the society says they are but who these individuals say they are.
How humbling these few sentences make us feel. At Saint Joe’s I always thought I would never be the one laying in that hospital bed but I eventually did end up in that bed. There was a point in my life that I could not put on my own socks, stand on my own, handwrite a note, or do anything else that could make me feel like a human; like me. We never think that anything so debilitating can happen to us. We never think bad things will happen to us but they always do. They might not be as serious as congestive heart failure but there are other incidents in our lives that can throw us back in our seats and make us wonder about our own humility, our own humbleness. Jesus was glorified in his humbleness towards his disciples and I am sure God will show God’s self through our humbleness in our lives because our love for one another.
In Greek, “Love” is a strange word. We just have one word to describe all the different kinds of love but the Greek language has more ways of describing love. The love Jesus is using here is called agapeo, which is love Christians share between one another. The love of assistance, the love of patience, the love we share with each and every one in this room. This love penetrates all races, nationalities, genders, congregations and denominations. This love is powerful. It is so powerful that it forces us to look at who are and how our actions affect others.
Every time we hear the story Jesus’ death we remember that love, that agapeo love, he had for us. That agepeo love he had for you and for me. This love moves us in ways we do not expect. It causes us to act with compassion on all we see. And sometimes we forget to show that love or face other obstacles in our way, such as sin, that make showing that love impossible but we must never forget share our agapeo love with one another. We must remind ourselves of that crucifixion. We must remind ourselves not just yearly of Jesus’ passion but almost daily. Remind ourselves that Jesus was crucified and died for you and me and Christ promises that he will always be with us. For our Lord was Crucified and remains for us a Crucified Lord.
My friends, the greatest act humility our world has ever seen was when a God came into our world as a poor child, grew into adult, preached, taught, and healed the outcasts of our world, washed his disciples’ feet, was betrayed and handed over to corrupt leadership of the Jewish and Roman Government, stretched out his arms, was a nailed to a cross, died for our sins, and remained the crucified Saviour bearing our sins, grieves, worries, and fears, everyday. What a beautiful Saviour. What a wonderful God. May these nails, this foot washing, and this holy sacrament of communion remind us of the one who suffered and died for our sake. Amen.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
An appology and some Theology
So I feel I should explain my last entry. I think I might have confused and scared some of you. On a side note, I think I tripled my readership with my last entry. I went from one reader to three. I wrote that entry out of angry and some of what I wrote may have come across as cruel. I did not intend for that particular entry to be cruel but as place to vent and to show the power of the cross. Lately, modern day theology has been focusing on a "Theology of Glory" rather than on the "Theology of the Cross." People like Joel Olstien preach a message that if we think and do good things, good things will happen to us. That is a "Theology of Glory." "Theology of Glory" preaches that God is high above and we must work up to God. God is just watching us as we go about our lives and punishing those that do wrong. This is very much not based on scripture but rather on an idea of God promoted by individuals who prey on hurting people in need of help.
The idea that one can pull one's self up by their own boots strap is possible (not very likely) but one must first be wearing boots to pull one's self up. So many of us have lost everything, including our boots, and turn to these tele-evangelists who preach the same thing that the rest of the world tells them; "If you work hard, things will get better."
Most of the time things do not get better but they get worst and then people lose hope in God. They blame God for everything and despise God. That idea spreads and soon we live in a world full of failed hope and batter dreams with people asking the question, "Where is God?"
Sometimes we are so foolish that we do not even know that God is with us. We forget that Jesus (and hell this is straight out of the bible) promised "I will be with you always, even to the end of the age." We keep looking for God, or at least we are told to look for God, but God has already found us. I was heart broken when my relationship ended and I still am but I know I have God with me. Shit happens but God is the one who always cleans up the mess.
Still doubting? Okay, I'll close with a story that recently happened close by. A small child was playing with his mom one evening. She had just opened the window so that her children could look outside. She turned around for two seconds only to hear her one son exclaim, "Max is outside." It seems her little boy had just pushed the screen out of the window and fell three stories. The mom ran down to find her little boy sitting in the grass without a scratch on him. The only injury he sustain was a fractured wrist. And where was God? How else could you explain how this child survived? Why do some die and others live? Let's just be glad God is the one making the decision on that but we can have confidence that God is with all of his children because Jesus promised "I will be with you always, even to the end of the age." Preach, live, and teach that God is with us. Preach, live, and teach the Cross.
The idea that one can pull one's self up by their own boots strap is possible (not very likely) but one must first be wearing boots to pull one's self up. So many of us have lost everything, including our boots, and turn to these tele-evangelists who preach the same thing that the rest of the world tells them; "If you work hard, things will get better."
Most of the time things do not get better but they get worst and then people lose hope in God. They blame God for everything and despise God. That idea spreads and soon we live in a world full of failed hope and batter dreams with people asking the question, "Where is God?"
Sometimes we are so foolish that we do not even know that God is with us. We forget that Jesus (and hell this is straight out of the bible) promised "I will be with you always, even to the end of the age." We keep looking for God, or at least we are told to look for God, but God has already found us. I was heart broken when my relationship ended and I still am but I know I have God with me. Shit happens but God is the one who always cleans up the mess.
Still doubting? Okay, I'll close with a story that recently happened close by. A small child was playing with his mom one evening. She had just opened the window so that her children could look outside. She turned around for two seconds only to hear her one son exclaim, "Max is outside." It seems her little boy had just pushed the screen out of the window and fell three stories. The mom ran down to find her little boy sitting in the grass without a scratch on him. The only injury he sustain was a fractured wrist. And where was God? How else could you explain how this child survived? Why do some die and others live? Let's just be glad God is the one making the decision on that but we can have confidence that God is with all of his children because Jesus promised "I will be with you always, even to the end of the age." Preach, live, and teach that God is with us. Preach, live, and teach the Cross.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
An Update...
Yet again I am at a point in my life when I wonder why I just didn't become a monk. My heart is broken into many little pieces and all I want to do hide away. But I can't. I can't for two reasons. One, I live right across the hallway from her. Do you have any idea how hard it is not to go into her room and kiss her good morning or kiss her good night? Or to tell her you love her? Do you? I was happy and content before I met her. I really was. I was fine with being the single pastor and I did not want a relationship. She told me to open my heart. She was the one that pushed me to tell my parents. She was the one that want a relationship. I was just in shock that somebody could actually like me for more than just a expendable friend. But in reality, I was just as expendable as boyfriend as a simple friend. She says she needs to find herself, find out what she wants even though a few months ago I was what she wanted. I promised to give her my heart but my heart was not big enough. And so now I sit in my room, all alone, with nobody around to talk too, not even a simple old friend.
Two, who could I talk too? I have never been in a community so close and so tight and felt so alone and so distant. I feel isolated from any kind of church life. My church in Baltimore is an hour away and my teaching parish is not the place where I can comfortably tell members my personal problems. I wonder where God is and why did this happen? Lutheran theology is very comforting and beautiful but it can offer little comfort when all you have is that to turn too. We sometimes forget that the cross is full of splinters and nails. It is hard to cling to the cross after one has been battered and bruised.
And yet, when I finish this entry and post it, I will close my computer, get back out of my chair and continue on with my life because nothing is worth ending your life. Nothing. Believe it or not, I will wake up tomorrow and smile because I know that bloody and ragged Cross is there along with a man who made it possible for me to smile in the morning. That my friends is the beauty of the Cross. That my friends is the Theology of the Cross. Amen
Two, who could I talk too? I have never been in a community so close and so tight and felt so alone and so distant. I feel isolated from any kind of church life. My church in Baltimore is an hour away and my teaching parish is not the place where I can comfortably tell members my personal problems. I wonder where God is and why did this happen? Lutheran theology is very comforting and beautiful but it can offer little comfort when all you have is that to turn too. We sometimes forget that the cross is full of splinters and nails. It is hard to cling to the cross after one has been battered and bruised.
And yet, when I finish this entry and post it, I will close my computer, get back out of my chair and continue on with my life because nothing is worth ending your life. Nothing. Believe it or not, I will wake up tomorrow and smile because I know that bloody and ragged Cross is there along with a man who made it possible for me to smile in the morning. That my friends is the beauty of the Cross. That my friends is the Theology of the Cross. Amen
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Baptism of our Lord
In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A little boy was upset with his parents' financial situation, so he decided to write God a letter.
Dear God,
My mommy and daddy need $500 for bills and I don't know who else to ask. Could You please help?
Johnny
The letter was received by the local post office and put in the 'dead' letters pile. The clerk, being curious of the letter addressed to God, opened to see what it said. As you can imagine, he was touched by the letter and decided to help. He asked all his fellow workers to 'chip-in' a few dollars to help a family in need. When all the money was collected, it came to $300. The clerk sent a money order in an official Post Office envelope with the return address simply, God.
Several weeks later the same clerk found another letter addressed to God in the same writing.
The letter said,
Dear God,
Thank you for the $300, but next time don't use the Post Office, they have a $200 service charge.
Johnny
Lucky for us, Baptism is a free gift from God and does not involve the post office. Baptism for us is very different from the baptism that Jesus experienced. Mark’s version of the baptism of Jesus is very urgent feeling. It fits in with Mark’s theme of urgency through out the Gospel. Mark wants to move readers through his Gospel to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.
When Jesus appears in the wilderness, the River Jordan where John was baptizing, Jesus and the people around him experience this amazing revelation. It says “And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.” The word “torn apart” in Greek only appears twice in the Gospel; here in this story and at the Crucifixion of Jesus. This is a major event in Mark’s Gospel. Using this form of the word, it shows that God is with the people, his people.
And then this voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” You are MY Son. This phrase echoes the Father/Son relationship found in the Old Testament. One example is found in Genesis involving Abraham and his son Isaac. “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” The author of Psalm 2 is another example. “I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you.” This small phrase emphasis a major point of Jesus’ relationship to the Father and Father’s relationship to Jesus: God and Messianc King, God and Servant of the Lord.
I know what some of are you are thinking. This is all well and good but why did Jesus need to be baptized? Jesus was sinless and he didn’t need a baptism for the forgiveness of sin. Why was he baptized? To answer this question we need to know that to be Baptized means to die. I know is hard to grasp this understand that to be baptized means to die especially when we baptize little babies but it more of a rebirth that we all experience when we are baptized. That is why we say we are reborn when we are baptized. For Jesus, his acceptance of his baptism meant two things: One, he was accepting the death on the Cross—a death he freely accepted—and Two, he was accepting his own humanity—he was accepting that he was just like you and me.
Our Baptism is much different from the one Jesus experienced. Jesus was sinless but we are not. We are all born with this original sin—the sin that separated Adam and Eve from God. It is by our baptism that we find forgiveness of this sin and in this Baptism God claims us as his own. Yes we will still sin but we will always find forgiveness in the loving arms of Christ because of our Baptism. Jesus is our mediator and when we sin it is Jesus proclaiming that “I died for that man” or “I died for that woman.” Christ still promises that he will bear our sins all because of our baptism. Our baptism is not done by us but it something that is done by God.
So today, as many of you have noticed, we have placed the baptismal font down in the center of the church. There has been a huge revival in the Lutheran Church over the years dealing with the Remembrance of our Baptism. Martin Luther wrote that “every time you wash your face, remember your baptism.” I feel that over the years, the act of baptism has been down played when in reality it is a life changing, life altering experienced that we go through. It is when we were claimed by God as one of his own and there was a promised made that God would never leave us when we needed him.
So today, as you leave, I encourage you all to remember your baptism by dipping your hand into the water, making a sign of the cross, or even just saying a prayer while touching the font thanking God for the Gift of baptism. Remember your baptism every time you go fishing or hunting, go for a walk, take a shower, wash your hands. For it was by your baptism God has said in the words of Isaiah , “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon them; they will bring forth justice to the nations.” In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
A little boy was upset with his parents' financial situation, so he decided to write God a letter.
Dear God,
My mommy and daddy need $500 for bills and I don't know who else to ask. Could You please help?
Johnny
The letter was received by the local post office and put in the 'dead' letters pile. The clerk, being curious of the letter addressed to God, opened to see what it said. As you can imagine, he was touched by the letter and decided to help. He asked all his fellow workers to 'chip-in' a few dollars to help a family in need. When all the money was collected, it came to $300. The clerk sent a money order in an official Post Office envelope with the return address simply, God.
Several weeks later the same clerk found another letter addressed to God in the same writing.
The letter said,
Dear God,
Thank you for the $300, but next time don't use the Post Office, they have a $200 service charge.
Johnny
Lucky for us, Baptism is a free gift from God and does not involve the post office. Baptism for us is very different from the baptism that Jesus experienced. Mark’s version of the baptism of Jesus is very urgent feeling. It fits in with Mark’s theme of urgency through out the Gospel. Mark wants to move readers through his Gospel to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.
When Jesus appears in the wilderness, the River Jordan where John was baptizing, Jesus and the people around him experience this amazing revelation. It says “And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.” The word “torn apart” in Greek only appears twice in the Gospel; here in this story and at the Crucifixion of Jesus. This is a major event in Mark’s Gospel. Using this form of the word, it shows that God is with the people, his people.
And then this voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” You are MY Son. This phrase echoes the Father/Son relationship found in the Old Testament. One example is found in Genesis involving Abraham and his son Isaac. “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” The author of Psalm 2 is another example. “I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you.” This small phrase emphasis a major point of Jesus’ relationship to the Father and Father’s relationship to Jesus: God and Messianc King, God and Servant of the Lord.
I know what some of are you are thinking. This is all well and good but why did Jesus need to be baptized? Jesus was sinless and he didn’t need a baptism for the forgiveness of sin. Why was he baptized? To answer this question we need to know that to be Baptized means to die. I know is hard to grasp this understand that to be baptized means to die especially when we baptize little babies but it more of a rebirth that we all experience when we are baptized. That is why we say we are reborn when we are baptized. For Jesus, his acceptance of his baptism meant two things: One, he was accepting the death on the Cross—a death he freely accepted—and Two, he was accepting his own humanity—he was accepting that he was just like you and me.
Our Baptism is much different from the one Jesus experienced. Jesus was sinless but we are not. We are all born with this original sin—the sin that separated Adam and Eve from God. It is by our baptism that we find forgiveness of this sin and in this Baptism God claims us as his own. Yes we will still sin but we will always find forgiveness in the loving arms of Christ because of our Baptism. Jesus is our mediator and when we sin it is Jesus proclaiming that “I died for that man” or “I died for that woman.” Christ still promises that he will bear our sins all because of our baptism. Our baptism is not done by us but it something that is done by God.
So today, as many of you have noticed, we have placed the baptismal font down in the center of the church. There has been a huge revival in the Lutheran Church over the years dealing with the Remembrance of our Baptism. Martin Luther wrote that “every time you wash your face, remember your baptism.” I feel that over the years, the act of baptism has been down played when in reality it is a life changing, life altering experienced that we go through. It is when we were claimed by God as one of his own and there was a promised made that God would never leave us when we needed him.
So today, as you leave, I encourage you all to remember your baptism by dipping your hand into the water, making a sign of the cross, or even just saying a prayer while touching the font thanking God for the Gift of baptism. Remember your baptism every time you go fishing or hunting, go for a walk, take a shower, wash your hands. For it was by your baptism God has said in the words of Isaiah , “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon them; they will bring forth justice to the nations.” In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Sermons, Sermons, Sermons....
Here is my sermon from Sunday, January 4th. I preached at the National Lutheran Home in Rockville, MD. I thought you all might enjoy reading it.
In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I think it is fitting that we are reading John 1 a few days after we rang in 2009. 2008 has been full of many ups and down. The economy ceiling has caved in causing millions of Americans to loose their jobs, their housing, and their very welling being. At the beginning of 2008, as we do every January, we dream, wish, and hope that this New Year, this new beginning, will bring about great and new things that will make our lives easier but all to often things do not change right away and sometimes will get worst before they get better.
Think about it, how many of us have made a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight, to spend less money, to spend more time with family and by the end of the year have forgotten the resolution or broken the resolution only after a few weeks. I believe as soon as we see what we have to give up for our resolution, we are scared and go back to our old, bad habits.
This year many of us have made promises. In this past election, all of our politicians who ran for office promised to deliver a better life, a better country, a better world. Sometimes this better life has taken years to come into affect. 50 years ago, nobody would have thought that our country would have elected a minority or a woman to the office of President. But as we have seen, this is no longer a dream but reality. Barack Obama has become the first African American President. In the beginning of the election, nobody thought that a black man or a woman would be the top two choices for the democratic party nomination or a woman be chosen as the vice president candidate for the republican party but it happened and we as a country should be proud.
I recently heard a statistic that Americans spend 450 billion dollars every year on Christmas. This includes not only gifts but the trees, lights, wrapping paper, anything involving the holiday. 450 billion dollars is a lot of money. We all claim it is a necessity for getting us into the holiday spirit and I have to agree with this ideology to a point. I love the symbolism involved in the Christmas Tree or ripping through wrapping paper to get to a new gadget. But I also learned that it would only cost 10 billion dollars to supply clean drinking water to people in third world countries. For many living in these countries, they spend half of the day walking to the nearest water source only to have to walk back to their village. Their life is consumed with walking to get a necessity of life. Children have to participate in retrieving water and cannot attend school. What if these children were to get an education? What if one of these children would be the one would find the cure for cancer or aids? What if this one of these children would be the next Einstein or Martin Luther King? What if? For just 10 billion dollars, who knows what the world could be like.
There are all kinds of statistics like this one. Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson point out once in a lecture that more people die every year from hunger related illnesses than from terrorism but yet never hear about this. Every day, 16,000 children die of hunger-related diseases. That’s one child every 5.4 seconds and this does not include adults. Terrorism is by no means a good thing but world hunger is also a great concern that we all need to remember not only in our prayers but in our actions.
Who knows what will happen in 2009. There are many uncertainties but we as Christians know that God is with us in our beginnings and in our endings. Through life and death, God is with us. It was God who promised his people that he was “going to bring [the Israelites] from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here… I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel. Life can be scary at times. So many Americans are living in fear that their jobs will be cut and all they have worked for will be lost. Hospitals and Nursing homes just like this one have patients and residents who are close to death. But we know that even in the midst of our greatest fears and worries Christ, the Word that became flesh is among us. John 1 proclaims that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and lived among us.”
We will find a way to work through the challenges that our nation, our world, and each of us face. We will prevail but we need to trust and act on God’s word. Jesus promises to always be with us in our beginnings and when we end our life on earth and move onto our eternal life in heaven. We have seen God’s glory. God glory has been revealed through Jesus will continue to reveal his glory through his church and people carrying out the Gospel. God’s word is powerful and changes lives. I cannot stress it enough that through our beginnings and our ends, Jesus will always be with us. That is our faith and that will carry us through even our worst times in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I think it is fitting that we are reading John 1 a few days after we rang in 2009. 2008 has been full of many ups and down. The economy ceiling has caved in causing millions of Americans to loose their jobs, their housing, and their very welling being. At the beginning of 2008, as we do every January, we dream, wish, and hope that this New Year, this new beginning, will bring about great and new things that will make our lives easier but all to often things do not change right away and sometimes will get worst before they get better.
Think about it, how many of us have made a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight, to spend less money, to spend more time with family and by the end of the year have forgotten the resolution or broken the resolution only after a few weeks. I believe as soon as we see what we have to give up for our resolution, we are scared and go back to our old, bad habits.
This year many of us have made promises. In this past election, all of our politicians who ran for office promised to deliver a better life, a better country, a better world. Sometimes this better life has taken years to come into affect. 50 years ago, nobody would have thought that our country would have elected a minority or a woman to the office of President. But as we have seen, this is no longer a dream but reality. Barack Obama has become the first African American President. In the beginning of the election, nobody thought that a black man or a woman would be the top two choices for the democratic party nomination or a woman be chosen as the vice president candidate for the republican party but it happened and we as a country should be proud.
I recently heard a statistic that Americans spend 450 billion dollars every year on Christmas. This includes not only gifts but the trees, lights, wrapping paper, anything involving the holiday. 450 billion dollars is a lot of money. We all claim it is a necessity for getting us into the holiday spirit and I have to agree with this ideology to a point. I love the symbolism involved in the Christmas Tree or ripping through wrapping paper to get to a new gadget. But I also learned that it would only cost 10 billion dollars to supply clean drinking water to people in third world countries. For many living in these countries, they spend half of the day walking to the nearest water source only to have to walk back to their village. Their life is consumed with walking to get a necessity of life. Children have to participate in retrieving water and cannot attend school. What if these children were to get an education? What if one of these children would be the one would find the cure for cancer or aids? What if this one of these children would be the next Einstein or Martin Luther King? What if? For just 10 billion dollars, who knows what the world could be like.
There are all kinds of statistics like this one. Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson point out once in a lecture that more people die every year from hunger related illnesses than from terrorism but yet never hear about this. Every day, 16,000 children die of hunger-related diseases. That’s one child every 5.4 seconds and this does not include adults. Terrorism is by no means a good thing but world hunger is also a great concern that we all need to remember not only in our prayers but in our actions.
Who knows what will happen in 2009. There are many uncertainties but we as Christians know that God is with us in our beginnings and in our endings. Through life and death, God is with us. It was God who promised his people that he was “going to bring [the Israelites] from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here… I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel. Life can be scary at times. So many Americans are living in fear that their jobs will be cut and all they have worked for will be lost. Hospitals and Nursing homes just like this one have patients and residents who are close to death. But we know that even in the midst of our greatest fears and worries Christ, the Word that became flesh is among us. John 1 proclaims that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and lived among us.”
We will find a way to work through the challenges that our nation, our world, and each of us face. We will prevail but we need to trust and act on God’s word. Jesus promises to always be with us in our beginnings and when we end our life on earth and move onto our eternal life in heaven. We have seen God’s glory. God glory has been revealed through Jesus will continue to reveal his glory through his church and people carrying out the Gospel. God’s word is powerful and changes lives. I cannot stress it enough that through our beginnings and our ends, Jesus will always be with us. That is our faith and that will carry us through even our worst times in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
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