Prayers of the People, August 27, 2015

Loving God, we each have made our way here this morning … seeking community and looking to join together to worship you.    Thank you for this opportunity to set aside the busy-ness of our lives and focus on your word and your call to live a life set apart from the ways of the world.   Our time in worship is a deep breathe of peace. 

Take from us, Lord, those things that get in the way of our relationship with you—our pride and self-certainty, our doubt and our fear.  We become blind  to your wondrous presence and the work that you are doing in our midst.   Remove those things that keep us from you...  Lord, hear our prayer....

Strong and present God, we seek your wisdom and long to understand the confusing world that surrounds us.  We know that you are love, and that we are called to love our neighbor, but often it seems impossible to love when we are confronted with hatred and violence .   

We pray for the families, the co-workers and the people who witnessed the murders of Allison Parker and Adam Ward on television last Wednesday.   Our hearts ache for the victims of the gun violence that seems to have a grip on our country.    Guide us God, help us find ways to settle disagreements and work together to stop the mass shootings that too frequently.

Today, We remember the fourteen year old boy from Chicago who travelled to Mississippi 60 years ago and was murdered for whistling at a white woman.  Be with those who gathered this weekend in Chicago to commemorate the tragic anniversary of Emmett Till's death.   

52 years ago, Dr. King shared with the multitude of people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial , a speech that remains written on the souls of our nation.    Dr. King shared his dreams …  "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!"

Merciful and just God, you have walked with those like Dr. King who have worked to move us forward.  We have seen the hearts change and people grow in acceptance. But we also know we still have a long way to go.  Comfort the victims of racial hatred and violence.  Ignite a fire within us, lead us forward to the day when truly all people are loved and judged only on the content of their character. 

Ten years ago this weekend, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, and destroyed the lives of thousands of people.   Our hearts were heavy with the news of the devastation, but even more so when we learned of the lack of assistance for the victims of the storm.  We lift up to you today, our brothers and sisters in faith, Charles and Thirawer Duplessis and the good people of Mt Nebo Bible Baptist Church.  We grieve that they lost so much, but we celebrate the spirit of hope that remains as they still are working towards rebuilding their church.   

As a congregation we lift up to you those that we have named, and the people and concerns that lie on our hearts.  Lord, hear our prayers …

We pray all these things in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior, our brother and our friend … as we speak together the prayer he taught …

Prayers of the People, August 16, 2015

God of wisdom, we look to you to lead us through our days.  As we enter the last weeks of summer, many of our families are in transition.  Children are headed back to school, our college students are leaving home for the year and we begin a season of schedules and routines. 

We seek to pass on to our children the wisdom that has been given to us ....  from the generations before us and from you.  

Inspire us to be a congregation that loves our children deeply and supports our families in times of transition.

We seek your wisdom as we guide our children though lessons at school, and lesson in life.  May our children learn to reflect your love to the world.

Help our children as they learn, discover and move forward towards their own independence.

Be with teachers as they begin the year, grant them patience and knowledge to teach well and guide our children.

We ask your special blessing on the parents who are sending college students away for the first time.  Comfort them in their grieving, as this can often feel like a great loss.  Teach them to rejoice as they learn to cherish and trust their children from afar.  Loving God, help them to let go and to trust that the wisdom they have shared will have made deep imprints on their children. 

God of wisdom, we struggle to find our way in the world.  Pour your wisdom like refreshing water upon us.

We seek your wisdom to hear your call to us, as we seek paths for our own lives.

We seek your wisdom to discern how to deal with others we meet… those we live with, work with, drive our roads with, wait in line with, and be with daily.

We seek your wisdom as we care for our own well-being and as we face issues with our health and our mental health.  Guide us as we seek to care for loved ones.

We seek your wisdom for the leaders in our world, country and community.

We seek your wisdom in dealing with injustice and suffering in our world.

We seek your wisdom for our new elders, and for all those who serve as the leaders of our church.  

We seek your wisdom as we reach out to those in need, and as we minister to our own members who are homebound or in need of extra care.

We seek your wisdom as we minister to those in hospitals, in recovery and rehab.

We seek your wisdom as we reach out to the world around us.  Soften our hearts and open our eyes to the needs of others.  Grant us generous hearts to give, serve and share with the world.

God of wisdom, August days of heat are beating us down.  The world around us begins to dry up and the bright green leaves and lawns fade.    We seek relief from the heat and long to walk in cool, refreshing rain.  Help us to enjoy the remaining days of summer, to celebrate our time together in fellowship with those we love before the season changes and we begin heading indoors. 

Loving God, you invite us to a feast of celebration as we live a life in community … a community of faith created by your son.  May we listen to your wisdom and become Christ’s hand and heart.  United in this task, we join together in praying ...

God Imitators - Sermon from August 9, 2015

When was the last time you wrote a letter?   I can’t remember the last time I picked up pen and paper and sat down to write.  We’ve all gotten so used to the immediacy of communication that is available to us via email and texting and we rarely rely on the convention of actually putting something in the mail.   Luckily for us, the early Christian church did not have the options that we have. 

Paul and other church leaders left behind evidence of the struggles, challenges and joys of the early church in the Epistles or the letters that follow the book of Acts in the New Testament.  Our passage this morning is from the book of Ephesians, which was a letter that most scholars attribute to the Apostle Paul.  Paul spent more time in Ephesus than anywhere else in his ministry, so he was comfortable addressing this particular community.  And while other letters of Paul address specific issues in cities, Ephesians is more general and provides us with a good summary of Paul’s basic understanding of Christian thought and Christian living.

If you were here last Sunday, you heard Don’s message about the beginning of fourth chapter of Ephesians.  He shared with us that we are called to be united as one in the Body of Christ.  We are also called to share our God-given gifts, we he called “pebbles" with that Body.  This is a new life that Christians are called to and Paul implores the early church to put aside their old lives, to give up their old habits and to live a life that follows the example of Christ. 

Let’s think back to Exodus, the Old Testament journey of God’s chosen people to a new life.  Moses led a group of ex-slaves out of Egypt to find their Promised Land.  This group was excited, but also unruly, disorganized, paranoid and untrusting.  God’s wisdom was to provide this group with a set of guidelines for living together in a new community.  Moses went up a mountain to meet with God, and came back down with stone tablets full of do’s and don’ts, which we call the Ten Commandments.  Don’t covet your neighbors stuff, Do worship one God and on and on.   The fourth chapter of Ephesians contains instructions similar to those stone tablets that God sent down the mountain … guidelines for a new community and instructions on how to live and treat one another.    We all benefit from some instructions and ground rules when starting a new job, or move to a new city.   Instructions are helpful in finding your way.

In Ephesians, Paul gives us some instructions.  This morning I'm going to concentrate on one of the many instructions  ...  instructions about our friend “ANGER”.    I call it our friend because sometimes it feels good to be angry!  Venting anger can be constructive and cleansing.  And Anger is often entertaining!  In the Hanzelin household, when my girls where teenagers it was soon discovered that a Grace vs. Rick argument rapidly escalated to loud yelling at each other.  Raised voices, veins popping out at the temple, voice getting scratchy kind of yelling.  One on level, it was horrible … but on another level it was hysterical to Emma & me.  We would hide out in the next room giggling like crazy because of the ridiculousness of their argument and their behavior.  Seriously?  They are losing it over the fact that someone left a backpack on the floor?  Watching other people be angry can be really funny … Lewis Black, the comedian who serves as the voice of Anger in the movie “Inside Out” has made his living on being angry at things.  

Many of us grew up in households where it was not ok to be angry.  No yelling, or slamming doors or disagreeing … it was not tolerated.   Others of us try to act like “good Christians” who don’t get angry ... we are always so “nice”.    But in truth, we all get angry, even nice people.  When we attempt to not show our anger, our anger goes underground, where it festers and creates more serious problems. 

Anger is a good and appropriate feeling when it is in reaction to a great injustice or oppression.  Who here was not angry upon hearing of the shooting last month of members of a Bible study in Charleston?   Weren’t you furious when you saw pictures of so-called Christians picketing with signs that read “God hates Fags” at the funerals of fallen service men and women?   Being angry is not only part of the human emotional experience, expressing anger can help  people energized and inspired to work towards great change.    

Paul also mentions that we need to speak the truth and sometimes expressing our anger is part of speaking the truth.    Remember the story of Jesus and the moneychangers?  Jesus was angry at the self-righteous arrogance of those who made a profit in front of the temple and he flipped their tables.  Jesus flipped those tables to show his anger, to make a statement, to call for a change.

Thank you Paul for realizing that anger has its place in our human experience!  We are all free to go ahead and be ANGRY.  Except … we aren’t free to act as we wish with that anger.  Paul writes,“Be angry without sinning. Don’t let the sun set on your anger.  Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil.”  Paul is telling us that we must be very careful what we do with our anger.  He recognizes that anger can quickly become obsessive, and we have a tendency to make it personal in a hurry.  We keep our grudge, we scheme our revenge.  Anger unchecked causes us to get worked up and to say and do things we don’t really mean.  Churches have split because of anger.  Wars have been started from anger.  Relationships have been destroyed by angry people.   

Part of the rich message of the Pixar movie “Inside Out” is that we all have a variety of feelings, and they all have an appropriate place in our human experience.  “Anger” here is harmless when the young character, Riley spits out the broccoli that her dad is trying to feed her while she sits in her high chair.   Anger advises teenage Riley's parents that things are not OK with their daughter.  We tell our children, “Feelings are not good or bad, it’s what you do with those feelings that is important.”  It is ok that you are mad at your sister for losing your cell phone.  It’s not ok if you punch her in the face because of it.    It is OK that you disagree with our method of serving communion, but we are not OK if you leave the church because of that.  Letting our feelings rule our actions in negative ways injures the Body of Christ.

So Paul instructs us to tell the truth, and to be angry without destroying … check and check.  With a little effort and accountability we can handle that.   And now here comes the kicker for me … “Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth.”  Paul, I can handle the other two  but don’t take away from me the ability to throw down a good curse word now and then.  People who know me well are aware that I frequently enjoy the use of a good s-bomb … well and maybe a few other bombs beside that.  I’m careful when and how I use them, but I’m still not proud or happy that they fly so easily out of my mouth.   While they do allow me to dissipate my anger and I never direct those words at others, my foul words do absolutely nothing to build up the community.    Paul, the prolific author of letters to the early church is well aware that words are very powerful.    So powerful in fact, that the remainder of his list of  "don'ts"  includes bitterness, losing temper, anger, shouting and slander … all vices that are expressed in destructive speech. And I am quite sure that my use of those foul words are also a part of destructive speech.

We are simple sometimes and we need the list of what we shouldn’t do.  So we quit doing those things and then what?  What do we do instead?   Verse 32 says, “Be kind, compassionate and forgiving to each other,”   And then it goes on to say, “IMITATE GOD”.  OK, Paul … how exactly do we imitate our invisible, powerful, creator who rules heaven and earth and everything in between. 

We all understand that this is difficult, if not impossible … we are humans, we sin, we are hard wired to focus on ourselves.  Our sin is a result of our frail condition as humans. We can’t be without sin, so we can’t be like God.  But let’s remember, Paul’s letters are all about Christians doing things differently than before, living a new life.   Additionally, imitating means we work hard to be as close to representing another as we possibly can.  The instruction here is that we imitate, not that we become. 

This is the central message of Ephesians, IMITATE GOD.  Chapter five begins, “Therefore, imitate God like dearly LOVED children.  Live your life with LOVE, following the example of Christ, who LOVED us and gave himself for us.”    Imitating God is ultimately about being LOVE.  We are the beloved children of God, Christ loved us enough to die for us, and God loves us so much that we are filled by God’s spirit.  

The checklist we’ve gone through is not why God loves us.   Being kind, compassionate and forgiving does not cause God to love us.  God loves us because God loves us.  It's that "grace" thing we talk about. The love that is mentioned in the closing verses three times is that AGAPE kind of love, not the love of the world.   Not the love that we have for a great piece of pizza or our favorite TV show, but that deep down, unconditional, unselfish love that transcends our human nature.  That crazy love that God has for us despite our foul words, unkind actions and failures to speak truthfully.      Imagine living a life where we love that deeply.  If we imitate God and base everything in that deep and abiding love, aren’t we less likely to even need that checklist?    And what if our community was full of individuals whose goals aligned to love like God loved? This is the new life we are called to.  This is the community we are called to.  To imitate our God who loves.  Maybe instead of calling ourselves Christians, we should say we are God imitators.

May we work to put aside our old ways and be led into the new life that God has called us to … following the example give to us by Jesus and empowered by the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The trinity is all over us on this one.  So we have God, Jesus and the Spirit on our side … Plus we have each other in our community.  This is a new life.  

Prayers of the People, August 2, 2015

Gentle God: we have traveled through many waters to reach this place, but share one baptism; we arrive from different backgrounds and traditions, yet share one faith;
we are, each of us, unique and precious to God, and are members of one Body; we have different dreams and doubts, yet our hearts beat with one hope; we are graced with different gifts, so we may offer them in service to one Lord.

We each seek to lead a life worthy of you, but we often stumble in our efforts.  We tend to believe that we are always right, and that it is our duty to correct those we feel are wrong.  Forgive us when we let pride and self-righteousness have dominion in our actions.  Teach us to walk humbly, to set aside our need to be right, and to treat those we encounter with a kind and gentle spirit. 

Our patience is tested by our children, our neighbors, our spouses, our friends and strangers we meet.  People don’t act as we wish, in a way that we desire and in the time frame that we demand. Forgive us when we lose our patience and want things done promptly and in our way.  Gentle God, we need your help to put aside our assumptions and our own needs and to see each person as your child, created in your image. Lord, we know that YOU are our center, help us to trust you at all times and to be content with your timing, rather than our own.

You call us to treat one another with love, but often we forget and let our own wants and desires take precedence.  Loving God, forgive us when we fail to bear the burdens of our brothers and sisters.  Guide us to persevere in praying for them and upholding others in our communication with you.  Open our eyes to the ways that we can actively help those in need of your love, and guide our hands to serve promptly and with an open heart.

We know that you, O God, are always with us.  You actively pursue each of us and encourage us to do the work of your community.  Your deep love for us is a comfort in our times of sorrow.   As a church family, we offer our prayers to you for the Kappemeyer family and the Diener family in their times of great loss.    Comfort Christa, Scott and Pam and surround them with wonderful memories of these beloved women.  Allow them to peacefully trust that they are deep in your loving embrace in the life eternal.  

Graceful God, thank you for the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers that have been given to us for the work of ministry.  Help us to work with one another to build up the Body of Christ, growing in wisdom and maturity as we see to understand the fullness of Christ and the unity of the faith.

God in Community, Holy in One, equip us for the work of ministry, as we pray together with one voice, as Jesus has taught us, saying,

Prayers of the People, July 19, 2015

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Mother Father God, we praise you this morning.  We lift up our prayers of joy for your presence in our lives and your guidance through all of our days.  You have created us in your image, and we know that you love us.  The gift of our lives is so great, that we stumble finding adequate words of praise to you.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Loving God, we know that your deepest desire is that we work together to bring about your kingdom today, not some far off time in the future.  But we have allowed a world where violence is accepted, where people are treated without mercy and justice and where many of your children lack clean water and adequate food sources.   The existence of suffering in the world is not your work, but too often because of our selfish focus on comfort and plenty, and our unwillingness to focus on others.   Be with those in the world in need of healing, comfort and peace.  Provoke us to put our own needs aside and provide more for the needs of others. 

Give us this day our daily bread,

Almighty God, you have provided us a world that has plenty.  Your sun and water and land spring forth with lush plants that provide us sustenance.   We know that there is enough food in the world to feed all of your children.  Alight a fire within us, to seek and discover ways to share what we have with those who have not. 

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lord, you know the secrets that lie deep within us, the stories of how we have failed one another and you.  We lay these ugly places and thoughts before you … we silently offer you our sins….   Gracious God, the way that you love and forgive us is overwhelming.  We are inadequate to receive your grace.  Help us to open our hearts to those that we need to forgive.  Carrying the weight of sins done against us wears us down, and separates us from you.  Forgive us and help us let go and forgive others.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

With every shooting, every needless death, every person mistreated we know that your heart breaks open.  We react in anger and feel helpless against the face of evil.    We feel tempted to seek revenge instead of residing with you.  All of our hearts are broken open this week at the killing of five brave servicemen in Chattanooga.  The acts of people like the gunman shakes us to our core.  Help us to create a world where love and community blot out the hatred that exists in the hearts of some.  We lift up to you and honor the lives of Carson Holmquist, Randall Smith, Thomas Sullivan, Skip Wells, David Wyatt    Surround these families and the families of all who are currently serving our country with your gracious and peaceful love.  May these feel our prayers and may they help sustain and guide them in the days ahead.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

God you are our beginning and ending.  Thank you for your deep and abiding love for us.  Thank you for your spirit that lies within us, guiding our thoughts and actions.  And thank you for the gift of your son, whose life stands as our example of God on earth.  We share together the prayer that Jesus shared with us …

Prayers of the People - July 5, 2015

O God of the summer, our days are filled with light, heat and growth.  Your glowing sun and refreshing rain awaken the world around us ... the lush green covers our yards, the fruit is ripening on the vines and we feel fully alive.  Your delicate balancing act in nature draws us outdoors, to see the vibrant colors, hear the sounds and feel the warmth of your rich creation.

Today we gather in your house, depleted from the noise, overindulgence and celebrating of the fourth of July. We are grateful for the country that we live in, for the freedoms we have, and for the men and women who have fought to protect our rights ... but we also recognize the many challenges we continue to face.

We seek a nation where justice, mercy and compassion guide our laws and actions.  We proclaim that we celebrate liberty and justice for all, but we also know that many of our citizens feel this is a lie.

God, we saw your light in those days after Charleston, when people of all colors joined one another to be voices of love, forgiveness and light. Their collective brightness dimmed the noise of people who speak harsh words of racial hatred. We know that evil remains in the hearts of people. We have witnessed the repeated burning of black churches in the South,

we hear of increases in gun sales, and politicians continue to use race and marriage equality as a dividing issues for our people.  

God of light and abundance, we seek your calm spirit amidst the darkness of the world. 

Energize us to listen to your hurting people, to promote love over hatred, to cast out the negative voices. Change the hearts of those who seek to harm others, who hold on to hatred and revenge. Transform our own hatred and help us to face those places we know we need to change in our own lives.

God of the summer, we cherish the long days of extended light.  Our eyes become more opened to the daily miracle of life as we witness the growth and abundance that surrounds us. Expand our ability to see beauty in our world and to reconnect with you, our God, in profound ways.

Your son Jesus was sent to dwell among us, to challenge us to walk a journey more closely aligned with you. Our individual journeys have days of bright sun, and days of dark clouds. 

Many of us have bodies that betray us with illnesses and disease.  Others have minds that are clouded by depression, addiction and anxiety. Caring for our loved ones challenges and depletes us. Help us to feel your spirit and your light deep within us.

Lord, nourish us with healing and hope ... allow us to be gentle with ourselves and others

as we seek health, healing and better ways to cope with the challenges we face caring for ourselves and others.

As your church, loving God, we seek to unite with one another to grow in love and service to your hurting world.  Let the challenges of limited finances and busy lives be made small by the living, abundant spirits of your people.  May we seek out the dark places in our community and world to shine your light and life brightly.  Inspire your people to seek creative new ways to serve.  Bring us together to worship you and to be renewed for the challenges of the week. 

Like the bright and colorful flowers of summer, encourage us to stretch toward your light

and warm us with your deep, abiding presence.  Anoint us to be your energizing and loving presence in the world. 

We praise you, we thank you and together we speak the prayer taught to us by your beloved son ...

Worship at St. Luke Presbyterian - June 21, 2015

I was graciously invited to lead worship, while Lesley was in MN working on her doctorate.  What follows is my sermon, and the Prayers of the People from that morning.

Mark 4:35-41

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him.  A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ 

He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ 

And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?        

                 

JUST A BOAT

When Pastor Lesley approached me to inquire if I would be willing to preach in June, the first thing I did was to look up the lectionary texts for the three Sundays she would be gone.  I read them all and when I got to this story I jumped in my seat a little … It’s a BOAT story!  I love a good boat story!   In my work with youth, we plunge into the story of the disciples and the boat and Peter walking on the water.  We look at where we are in our lives … are we in the boat, are we hanging on to the side, are we walking on water with Jesus?  Our placement relative to that boat speaks to our relationship and our level of trust with Jesus.  In that boat story, we teach the youth that boat is symbolic for so much.

And then other times, a boat is just a boat. We find ourselves here in the 4^th chapter of Mark.  As you may remember, Mark is the shortest gospel.   Mark is bare bones … there is no birth story, there are fewer stories about Jesus’ teachings, and Mark’s original book ends before the risen Christ appears.  Mark gets right to the task of telling us about Jesus and the coming of God’s kingdom, and there is not a lot of fluff along the way.  By the time we arrive at our story this morning, Jesus has been baptized and tempted, called his Disciples, did a little healing and shared some parables about the Kingdom of God.  

The Sea of Galilee is the central location for this story and many of Mark’s stories of Jesus.  This “sea” is actually a freshwater lake 13 miles long and 8 miles wide that is fed by the Jordan River.   First century writers report there were at least 16 harbors on this lake, so this was a well-used and busy lake.  At its deepest point, the lake is only 140 feet deep, and the mountain range to the west funnels in strong winds that often bring about sudden and violent storms upon its waters. 

Earlier in the day, Jesus had attracted some crowds and asked his disciples to get a small boat for him to speak from, so he wouldn’t get crushed by the people and so everyone could hear him.  Jesus stood on the boat near the shore and spoke to the crowds in parables.  After an afternoon of teaching, Jesus tells the Disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.”   They jump in the boat with him and they take off.   Now when I have had the pleasure of initiating Family trips, my suggestion of a destination is always accompanied by questions.  “How long will it take?”  “What is there to do when we get there?” “Can I sit in the front seat?”  I’m sure Jesus was grateful there were no questions, because we learn in the next chapter that their destination was a few miles across the lake, where they would encounter demons and thousands of pigs.  My guess is if they had asked questions, they wouldn’t have gone along on this journey.

Jesus and the disciples are sailing along, when gale force winds arise and waves swamp the boat.  Jesus is sleeping away in the back of the boat.   The disciples wake him up to ask if he cares if they are drowning.  Without a word, Jesus gets up, and orders the wind to be still and the threat immediately goes away.   Not only that, but now the water is completely calm.  Ravaging storm to dead calm … (snap) just like that.   Not a wave, not a ripple.  It was dead calm.

Jesus uses this as a teachable moment.  The disciples are asked, “Why are you frightened?  Don’t you have faith yet?”  Many times when Jesus speaks words like this to his disciples, we tend to see them as criticism.  Like Jesus is saying, “Dummies, don’t you get it?  Why aren’t you trusting me?”  But if we pay attention to the verb here, it is “Asked” … not “rebuked” or “chastised” or “scolded”.  It’s just a question.  It’s a simple question for the disciples, and it’s a simple question for us.  Why are we afraid?  Don’t we have faith yet?  Well, maybe it’s not so simple. 

The story ends with the disciples asking their own questions.  Think of all that just happened here … they ARE overcome.  The “awe” they are experiencing is closer to fear than to amazement.  They are wondering “what the heck just happened here?”  It doesn’t make sense.  So they ask “who then is this?  Even the wind and sea obey him.”  Because WE know the whole story of Jesus, it’s easy for us to reduce the Disciples at this point to clueless knuckleheads.  How can they not recognize the power of Jesus?  He’s just told them parables about the kingdom of God and how MUCH can come from LITTLE, so why can’t they get this.  But really, this story is early in their ministry together, the parables he has told them are pretty hard to follow, and sure, he’s healed some people, but we are talking about CHANGING WEATHER PATTERNS IN AN INSTANT.  If I was in that boat, I know that I would be confused and afraid, wouldn’t you?

It would be easy to look back and see parallels to our own faith journey represented in the boat, or the waves, or the disciples.  But today I feel we are being pushed a little more.  I mentioned before that sometimes a boat is just a boat.  The boat in this story is a vehicle of transportation.  The purpose of a boat is to move you from where you are to some place new.  And here is where our fear creeps in.

Left to our own devices, we like to stay put. Where we are is just great.  Its human nature to stay where things are warm, and safe, and comfortable, and there’s a Jewel down the street to buy M&Ms and coffee and pancake mix.   Where we know the bed is comfortable and no one will mess with our TV remote or ding our car or look at us funny.  Isn’t staying in our comfort zone just delightful?  It’s easy and it’s stress free.  Let’s put up our feet and sit for spell, shall we?

Lovely … but here’s the problem.  Jesus doesn’t want us to just sit on our couch and watch Netflix.  Jesus doesn’t want us to stay in the known.  Jesus didn’t want those disciples to camp for the night by the shores of the lake.  He wanted them all to jump in the boat and take off into the night.   Jesus said, “Let’s go!” and off they went.  No chance to think about it, because we know when given the chance, many of us would sit and think about it and analyze it forever.    Or we would decide we are afraid and the journey wasn’t worth it. 

Jesus had done what he needed to do on that side of the lake, and now it was time to move to a new place. Jesus knew that the group needed to go to the other side because there was someone there who needed them.  Unfortunately for our comfort-seeking, slightly lazy selves, Jesus also wants US to join him on the other side of the lake too.  We know that crossing that lake comes with a whole set of challenges.  Wind, waves, traveling with a smelly bunch of guys, inability to read maps … all upset the calm.   Let's face it, Moving is abusive.  Think about when you get off an airplane after a long trip.   Don’t we all look and feel like we’ve been dragged behind truck for a while? 

Moving from one place to another is change and change is hard.  We resist change.  We fight change.  We ask a million questions before we agree to change, with hopes that our stalling will convince everyone we don't really need to change.   We tell people that it would be so great if those other people would change, because they’re so much better at it than we are.   But Jesus knows all our tricks and Jesus still wants us to change.  He doesn’t want us stuck in one place.  Jesus knows there are going to be gale force winds.  Jesus isn’t afraid of that, and Jesus invites us to come along … “Come on, let’s cross over to the other side of the lake”.  Jesus didn’t tell them, “You guys go on ahead, I’ll catch up with you later.”  That's another story.      Jesus was there on that pillow in the back of the boat, Jesus was there to silence the wind, Jesus was there to ask them to examine their fears. And Jesus is going to be with US too, when the storms arise, when the calm appears, and when we disembark on the other side.

Change is difficult.  Change is scary.  Last January, after working with teenagers for 22 years, Jesus started whispering to me, “Hey, what if you stopped working with the youth?”   I didn’t want to hear that.  I was really good at my job.  I knew what I was doing.  I had the trust of the teenagers and their families.  But Jesus wasn’t OK with me standing still.  The whispering got a little louder, “No, really, I mean it.  I have something else I want you to do.”  And I said, “No thanks, Jesus.  I can’t leave a solid job.  I have two girls in college.  I’m afraid, so I think I’ll just stay put, but thank you.”  But Jesus is relentless.  “I know you’re afraid, but I have a plan.  Just get in the boat with me and let’s see where this goes.”  So I did.  I resigned from my job.  And I had many nights of being afraid of what would happen.  I had days where I asked, “Hey Jesus, can’t you see I’m drowning here?”  And then things became clearer.  There was a new role for me.  I’m getting off the shore just a few offices down, and I’m landing in a place where I’m not sure what I’m doing.  But I am changing.  I am excited for the unknown that is to come.  But I know I only moved because I listened to Jesus’ invitation to change.

Following Jesus means that we need to be dissatisfied with sitting on one side of the lake.   Jesus rarely stayed in one place for long and as his followers we need to seek out those new places that we as individuals and as churches need to go. If the church never changed, we would still be singing Gregorian chants, and refusing to allow the LBGT community in our doors.  If the church never changed, you wouldn’t have a female pastor or this larger sanctuary.   The events of this week prove to us that we as a nation need to change … we need to push for fundamental changes in our laws and attitudes to heal the deep racial wounds that are entrenched in our society.  We must work to eliminate the violence we have allowed to be done to our African American brothers and sisters.   The church has long been a leader in bringing about sweeping change in issues of justice and equality and it seems clear that we are being called to step firmly onto that boat once again.

Most of the time, the hardest part is getting into the boat … agreeing to change.  Because we know that getting in the boat also invites the storms, and we really like when things are calm.     But Jesus knows what’s over there, and wants us to get there.  Listen for those whispers, examine the boats in the harbor ready to depart, put on your deck shoes and get ready jump on board when you hear the invitation.   Work together to find what boat St. Luke’s is being called to step on to next.   It will be a wild ride, but oh, so worth it.   May we each have the faith to take up Jesus’ invitation and may we believe that getting to the other side is essential to the work of God’s Kingdom.

Prayers of the People

Loving and gracious God, we gather together to worship you this morning, and we seek to make sense of a world that is confusing, violent and seems so far from the world you created. 

Our hearts are especially heavy Lord, as we remember the names of those who gathered to worship you on Wednesday and are now in your heavenly presence after a gunman senselessly ended their lives.  We uplift to you, your beloved children Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lance, Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Tywanza Sanders, Rev. Daniel Simmons, Sr., and Myra Thompson.   Surround their families, the congregation of Christ the Emmanuel AME Church, the Charleston community, and our nation with your comforting and powerful love. 

We know that the loss of a life through violence breaks open your heart, Lord.   Allow that sorrow to reside deeply among each of us, and refuse us the ability to be content with the way things are.  We pray that you transform the hatred that lies deep in the hearts of people.  We seek a world where each person, regardless of their skin color is treated as a precious child of God and held sacred.   Help each of us to work for change, to refuse to be complacent in matters of race, and fight for an end to violence and injustice.   

God, inspire our leaders and guide our own creative souls to head to the other shore you have prepared.  Infuse your churches with energy and commitment to step forward together to bring about the Kingdom as you intend.

Amidst the sadness of the week, we also experience joy in our lives.  This morning we celebrate the birth of Nora Bee Meeks and rejoice with her parents, Brian and Sarah and Pastor Lesley and Scott at this wonderful new arrival into their family.    Be with St. Luke as they prepare to welcome Lesley back from Study Leave and as they begin to say farewell to Megan as she concludes her work here with them. 

We each have joys and concerns that lie on our hearts.... We silently offer these now to you, our God...

Loving God, through all the sorrows and joys we know that the one constant is YOU. Your deep and abiding love sustains and nourishes us.  We know that WITH YOU, and each other, we can do far more than we can alone.   We know that you are with us and together we pray the prayer we received from your son ...