LINKS to other Sermons
A Sermon for The Feast of the Transfiguration
"Remember the Glory"
A Sermon for The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
"Sharing the Toys"
A Sermon for The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
"God's Trap"
A Sermon for the Feast of the Transfiguration
Exodus 34:29-35
Pslam 99
2 Peter 1:13-21
Luke 9:28-26
"He did not know that his face was shining." Transfigured. Glowing, radiant faces. Maybe we haven't seen the blinding light of Moses' face or Jesus' dazzling clothes, but we've all seen hints of that radiance. We see it in a parent's face when announcing the birth of a longed-for child. When family and friends are looking from behind at the train of the bride's dress or the cut of the groom's tux, the priest is blessed to see their radiant faces -- radiant with love, with joy, and with fear. We see shining faces when someone talks about the work they love, or rejoices in a hard-won victory, or speaks with passion about their ideals. (For some of us, just the mention of chocolate will do it.) Radiance. Faces transfigured with love or vision.
I've seen quite a few of those radiant faces this week. Or I've imagined or remembered them. I've been looking at old family scrapbooks, newspaper clippings from the nineteenth century. I imagine the radiance of my great-great-grandfather -- my mother's father's mother's father -- when as a young man, he looked at 550 acres in western Pennsylvania and envisioned a busy new town. And the glow shows up later in the newspaper photo at the turn of the century when they call those same 550 acres "a model manufacturing and residential town" for which he was both founder and guiding hand.
The memory of a vision -- that glimpse of the glory of what might be -- is what makes founders and guiding hands. The memory gives us hope. Remembering and holding on to the vision transfigures lives. Without those visions, those glimpses of glory, we would sink into despair.
I'd bet that most, if not all, of us can name a transfiguring moment in our lives. A time when we were touched, however briefly, with glory -- with a glimpse of perfect goodness, or love, or beauty that was so real and so certain that it was frightening. It may have been a moment of intense intimacy with a loved one. It may have been a moment of prayer. Or it may have been something common that suddenly seemed briefly extraordinary -- like a particular blue color of the lake on a July afternoon, or the smell of rain, or the laughter of children. A glimpse of glory. A hint of the potential for transfiguration of our own lives.
And then, like on the mountaintop, it was gone. No more blinding light. No more Moses and Elijah. No more Bach chorales. And we go back to struggling through the ordinary valleys of daily life. But the memory is there. One doesn't easily forget being touched by glory.
That's what Peter is reminding us about. "I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory. . ." He remembers that mountaintop. He has never forgotten the "majestic glory" of Jesus' transfiguration. And it is with him now as he sees the approach of his own death.
In facing death he remembers the glory. Transfigured radiance comes not only as a reflection of the light. God's glory shines in moments of intense darkness and befuddled cloudiness as well. Remember, God speaks from the cloud, not from the light.
Did you hear Luke's introduction to the story of the Transfiguration? "Now about eight days after Jesus had foretold his death and resurrection, . . ." Jesus is going to die and he knows it. And while he is praying, the appearance of his face changes, and his clothes become dazzling white.
Death is transfiguring. The same radiant joy and fear that I see at the altar at weddings, I see in the faces of people who are dying and know it. A glimpse of glory, whether a treasure of memories or a vision of the future, they're not telling. But God is there in death, in the darkness of that overshadowing cloud, saying "This is my chosen and beloved child."
This is the vision the gospel gives in the face of death -- the awesome and terrifying glory of God: a glory that changes death into resurrection. That radiance transfigures the messy, dark sinfulness of our lives into the spotless garments of beloved children.
Jesus and Peter are asking us to remember the glory and the promise. Remember those glimpses of glory in your life. Treasure the memories: they are signs of the promise of life to come: "You will do well to be attentive to this as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."
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A Sermon for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Ecclesiastes 1:12-14 2:1-7, 11, 18-21
Psalm 49:1-11
Colossians 35-17
Luke 12:13-21
So why bother? "All is vanity." You can't take it with you. Why bother to buy a lottery ticket, even when it promises a quarter of a billion or more? Will it bring you pleasure? "Eat, drink, and be merry?" "This also is vanity." "All these things you have prepared, whose will they be? So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."
Do you believe it? Surely possessions and wealth are not all bad.
Over the past few months I've been unpacking my books. There are a lot of them, uncounted thousands. We built "a bigger barn" for them -- a library with a 10-foot ceiling and still I they don't all fit. I look at my neighbor's unattached garage, wondering if he'd sell it to me for storage. Because, after all, I might one day have even more books. Like the teacher in Ecclesiastes, I'm a seeker of wisdom. And more books and bigger library is better, right?
Possessions are our security. I need the books to help write the sermons. We need money in the bank to keep the church doors open. Just like the brother who meets Jesus needs his fair share of the family inheritance.
And Jesus said to them."Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."
The Teacher in Ecclesiastes had it all -- books, wisdom, money, inheritance. And in the end found he had nothing. Might as well chase the wind.
Karen was only four but she knew it wasn't fair. Her twin brother Karl had not one but both the new red dump trucks. "MOMMYYYYYY. Tell Karl to share!" Mom arrives with a double load of building blocks and dumps them in front of Karen. Karl hangs on to both trucks and eyes the blocks. Before long both kids are busily hauling blocks in red dump trucks.
"Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." And what is Jesus' response? Not "Be fair and share." Not even "Hey, kid, who are you to tell me what to tell your brother." But "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" Jesus isn't going to tell us who is right and who is wrong. We know what would happen if Mom says Karen is right and Karl is wrong. When Mom judges between them, Karen gloats and Karl sulks. The red dump trucks stand between them. And no one's having fun.
At age four the separation seldom lasts. At age forty-four the pain and leftovers of ‘you are right and he is wrong' or ‘you get the family farm and she doesn't' may be fatal to the relationship.
Jesus isn't saying red dump trucks or possessions are bad. But he warns us that our greed for possessions can destroy our relationships, And he tells a story that puts our desire to store up possessions in a new perspective. "You fool! " Jesus says, "This very night your life is being demanded of you." You are going to die. All your possessions can't stop that from happening. Death doesn't discriminate between those with extensive libraries and those who can't read. It doesn't matter anymore who got the family inheritance or who has both red dump trucks. Facing death changes riches into vanity. What treasure do we have then?
Have you ever thought about what people will say about you at your funeral? How will they name the richness of your life? What do you hope they will say? Will they talk about how much you have in the bank? about the size of your house or how many trucks you have?
One of the blessings of being a priest is hearing those stories -- what people remember and treasure about the people they love. It isn't grandma's silver they talk about, even if they hope to inherit it. It's the time she made your whole team brownies right after you lost the section finals. It's not Bruce's six-figure bank balance we remember, it's the time he spent volunteering at the AIDS hospice, we remember his compassion and his friendship. The red dump trucks are long forgotten, but Karen and Karl remember their mother's compassion, understanding, and forgiveness.
This is being rich toward God. These are the treasures of life. Our real treasures are those things that bring us closer to others and to God. These treasures give life -- our treasures are found in our relationships. None of those things for which the teacher in Ecclesiastes toils has to do with relationships or with community. The work he doesn't mention, the work that is not vanity, is the work of love.
The Apostle Paul describes this work: "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. . . . Bear with one another . . . forgive each other . . . Above all, clothe yourselves with love . . . " for then you are rich toward God.
Jesus tells us that "life does not consist in the abundance of possessions" There is more to life than possessions. Life is about relationships, about loving God and others. Go ahead, "eat, drink, and be merry." But take care: Don't let your possessions rob you of the real treasures.
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A Sermon for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Genesis 18:20-33
Psalm 138
Colossians 2:6-15
Luke 11:1-13
Most of us read the Bible the way a mouse tries to remove cheese from the trap without getting caught (Kierkegaard).
We try to pick out the good parts for ourselves, and hope the hard, painful parts don't catch us. We convince ourselves that when the Bible talks about carrying crosses, praying all the time, or giving away our possessions, it's talking about someone else. Those parts are for the saints and martyrs . . . or at least for nuns, priests, and possibly even for bishops, but certainly not for us. We'll just pick at the good stuff and run.
Today there's some good stuff for everyone: The Lord's Prayer. It's ‘user friendly.' Jesus tells us to address the Almighty God as "Abba." Our Gospel uses this familiar childish Aramaic word rather than the more proper Greek word for "Father." We might better translate it "Papa" or "Daddy." This is the loving parent that would never give us a snake or a scorpion. Jesus tries to make this clear, asking which of you would give your child bad stuff when the kid asked for something good and reminding us that our heavenly Parent would certainly be more generous.
Yet not every parent is this kind ... some have fathers who do give snakes or scorpions or other hurtful things when all that was asked for is love. In that case praying to God as "Father" can be scary. But here Jesus is telling us that's not what God is like.
So, then pray with the image that fits the reality of a loving and generous parent, we might try "Abba" or even "Mama" because Jesus is telling us that God wants to be approached as a loving parent who gives us good things.
The Lord's Prayer. It's familiar. It's safe. It's good: The cheese without the trap.
"Our Father who art in heaven....."
---Yes?
Don't interrupt me. I'm praying.
---But you called me.
Who? God with a woman's voice?
---I am neither male nor female and I am both and more. You are enough of a biblical scholar to know that. Now what did you call me for?
Called you? I didn't call you. I'm praying. "Our Father who art in heaven....."
---There you did it again.
Did What?
---Called me. You said, "Our Father who art in heaven." Here I am.....What's on your mind?
But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer. Were supposed to say the Lord's prayer. It makes me feel good, kind of like getting a duty done.
---All right. Go on.
"Hallowed be thy name....."
---Hold it. What do you mean by that?
By what?
---By "hallowed be thy name"?
It means.....it means.....Good grief, I don't know what it means. How should I know? It's just a part of the prayer. By the way, what does it mean?
---It means honored, holy, wonderful.
Hey, that makes sense. I never thought about what "hallowed" meant before. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
---Do you really mean that?
Sure, why not?
---What are you doing about it?
Doing? Nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of neat if you got control of everything down here like you have up there.
---Have I got control of you?
Well, I go to church.
---That isn't what I asked you. What about your bad temper? You've really got a problem there, you know. And then there's the way you try to handle everything by yourself. Sometimes I think you think you are me!
Stop picking on me! I'm just as good as some of the rest of these people at the church.
---Excuse me. I thought you were praying for my will to be done. If that is to happen, it will have to start with the ones who are praying for it. Like you, for example.
Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups. Now that you mention it, I could probably name some others.
---So could I.
I haven't thought about it very much until now, but I really would like to cut out some of those things. I would like, you know, to be really free.
---Good. Now we're getting somewhere. We'll work together, you and I. With me, anything is possible. I'm proud of you.
Look, God, I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than it usually does. "Give us this day, our daily bread."
---You need to cut back on the bread. Your robe's getting a bit tight.
Hey, wait a minute! What is this, "Criticize Pat Day"? Here I was doing my religious duty, and all of a sudden you break in and remind me of all my hang-ups.
---Praying is a dangerous thing. You could wind up changed, you know. That's what I'm trying to get across to you. You called me, and here I am. It's too late to stop now. Keep praying, I'm interested in the next part of your prayer.....(pause) . Go on.
I'm scared to.
---Scared? Of what?
I know what you'll say.
---Try me and see.
"Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us."
---What about Jane?
See? I knew it! I knew you would bring her up! Why God, she's told lies about me, spread stories about my family. She betrayed my trust. And she loves it when I fail!
---But your prayer? What about your prayer?
I didn't mean it.
---Well, at least you're honest. But it's not much fun carrying that load of bitterness around inside, is it?
No. Sometimes I would really like to get even!!!
---You won't feel any better. You'll feel worse. Revenge isn't sweet. Think of how unhappy you already are. But I can change all that.
You can? How?
---Forgive Jane. Then you will be able to accept my forgiveness of you. Then the hate and sin will be Jane's problem and not yours. You will be free.
Oh, you're right. You always are. And more than I want to get even with Jane, I want to be right with you. .....(pause).....(sigh). All right. All right. I forgive her. Help her, God. She's bound to be awfully miserable now that I think about it. Anybody who goes around doing the things she does to others has to be hurting. Someway, somehow, show her the right way.
---There now! Wonderful! How do you feel?
Hmmmmmm. Well, not bad. Not bad at all. In fact, I feel pretty great! Like free.
---You're not through with your prayer. Go on.
Oh, all right. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
---Good! Good! I'll do that. Just don't put yourself in a place where you can be tempted.
What do you mean by that?
---Well, there's all the time you spend with your computer surfing the net -- do you really need all that information? How about a little more time with your family and friends? . . . And don't just turn to me when you are in trouble.
I don't understand the last part.
---Sure you do. You've done it a lot of times. You get caught in a bad situation. You get into trouble and then you come running to me, "God, help me out of this mess, and I promise you I'll never do it again." You remember some of those bargains you tried to make with me?
Yes and I'm ashamed. I really am.
---Which bargain are you remembering?
Well, there was that time I didn't get started on the sermon till 2 am on Sunday morning ... so I ask for help and I promise to stay close to you, to spend more time in study and prayer ....
---I help and guide you, but you didn't keep your promise, did you?
Yeah. Guess I blew it. I'm sorry, God, I really am. Up until now I thought that if I just prayed the Lord's Prayer every day, then I could do what I liked. I didn't expect anything to happen like it did.
---Go ahead and finish your prayer.
"For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever."
---Do you know what brings me glory? What really makes me happy?
No, but I'd like to know. I want to know how to please you. I can see what a mess I've made of my life. And now I can see how great it would be to really follow you.
---You just answered the question.
I did?
---Yes. It brings me glory when people truly love and follow me. You and I have got a good start. Now that some of these old sins are exposed and out of the way, well, there is no telling what we can do together.
God, let's see what we can make of me, O.K.?
---Yes, let's see.....
So, God, what about this Total Ministry stuff. . . . Do you have a great priest in mind to get things going?
---Say "Amen" Pat.
Amen.
(Variations on "If God Talked Out Loud" by Clyde Lee Herring, Boardman Press, 1977)
So it's not only the Bible, but also our prayer that catches us in God's trap. But this is more than a simple mouse trap. A mouse trap is like the cross was before Jesus -- an instrument of pain and death. But with Jesus God changes things -- changes the basic things, like changing sin with forgiveness and changing death into life.
God's "trap" is a different sort. There's an ancient spiritual tradition, primarily Jewish, but also in the Christian tradition in medieval times, of God playing hide and seek with the people God loves. This is God calling us to search for God in our lives. "Ask and you will receive; search and you will find; knock and the door will be opened." Imagine God waiting for you just around the corner, hiding hopefully, gleefully waiting for the surprise of discovery.
At Cass Lake Episcopal Camp last week, our theme for the fourth and fifth graders was the liturgical year. We celebrated a different season each day. Our theme for Easter was the surprise of new life: The empty tomb wasn't at all what Jesus' friends expected. And we talked about bunny rabbits as signs of new life and about going out looking for something and finding instead a big surprise.
So we had an Easter treasure hunt. Of course we expected to find eggs. And each group of kids followed a trail of Easter-egg clues from one end of the camp to the other. When they got to the last one, guiding them to the storage room next to the dining room, and opened the door, all the counselors jumped out wearing Easter bunny costumes. The campers nearly jumped out of their skins... and then they all went into the closet with the counselors to feast on jelly beans until the next group of campers discovered them.
Have you ever played sardines? It's like that.
Each person that finds the hider hides with them, whispering and giggling,
until everyone is finds and joins them.
But this is a God of surprises. Abraham searches God out, expecting to confront the hard stuff. Abraham knows that Sodom and Gomorrah have sinned in their brutal inhospitality to God's own messengers; but still Abraham argues for their salvation on account of even a little goodness among them. Abraham dares to argue with God and -- Surprise! -- God listens.
Prayers are heard and answered in surprising ways. We try to get the goodies and avoid facing the hard stuff; but when God catches us -- in the Bible or in prayer -- and confronts us with that hard stuff, our sins are forgiven and we are set free.
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