God fulfills Their promises: advent 1 year c

Sunday I preached again at Capitol Hill Lutheran Church for the first Sunday of Advent.  The day before, Capitol Hill had hosted the ordination of Pastor Nat Bothwell, whose spouse, Pastor Minna Bothwell, serves as pastor of Capitol Hill.  I drew on River Needham's queery of Jeremiah as well as my queery of Luke for this sermon.

I explored the meaning of Advent as well as the places of distress, fear, and foreboding in our lives and country, challenged by God who fulfills Their promises and the ways God's Word is powerful as well as the glimpses we get, like snowflakes on a dull, gray winter day or stars only visible in the dark of night.

This is the image I preached from at both worship services.

I notice the connections between the queeries and the final sermon, but if you're curious or have any other comments or questions, let me know!

the end is still to come: 26th after pentecost year b

On November 18th, I preached and led worship at Capitol Hill Lutheran Church.  Rooted in my queerying of Mark, as well as my engagement with Daniel and Hebrews, this sermon dove deep into the context of the texts and our understanding of Apocalyptic literature in the bible as well as the reality of humanity's potential for evil.

We explored fear and the ways fear is used as a political tool to make our culture sacrifice people, specifically thinking of gun violence, violence against immigrants, and Transgender Day of Remembrance.  Acknowledging that the end is still to come, the possibilities of what kind of end we will join God in making ended the sermon.

This is the image I preached from for both worship services.

I can clearly tell how this sermon was connected to my queeries, but feel free to let me know if you need help with the connections or have any other comments or questions!

Jesus liberates all people from power and oppression: 22nd after pentecost year b

One of the perks of doing pulpit supply in different contexts is that if an illustration works well two weeks in a row, I can use it both weeks.  This was one of those occasions.

The sermon was based on the gospel reading for today (plus the missing verses between last week and this week), using Archbishop and Saint, Oscar Romero, and the Catholic Church in El Salvador's story, including the acknowledging the u.s. role in the dictatorship that ultimately made a martyr of Saint Oscar. 

Additionally, Martin Luther's Freedom of a Christian connected well, reminding us that as followers of Christ we are simultaneously totally free subject to none and also servants of all.

I drew heavily on my queery for Mark.  If you have any questions about he connections to it, please let me know!

This is the image for my sermon.

I preached three different times over the course of my weekend and so the sermon itself grew and changed over time.  If you have any questions or insights, let me know!

jesus invites us into radical inversion: 21st after pentecost year b

This past weekend I preached at Capitol Hill Lutheran Church here in Des Moines.  While the sermon changed quite a bit from the first draft to the final, it remained rooted in my queerying of Mark 10:17-31.  I did record the sermon at one of the services, but don't have a way to host that much audio on my blog (but if you support me through ko-fi, I might be able to make it happen!).

This is the image I used for preaching.

In the gospel Jesus challenges a rich man who wants to know how to inherit eternal life and, in doing so, challenges notions of the Prosperity Gospel, inviting the man and all of us as Jesus' followers to a radical inversion of the way the world works.  As we celebrated Archbishop and Saint Oscar Romero's canonization, we also remembered the way God had worked that very inversion in Saint Romero in his lifetime.  If you'd like to know more about the sermon or connections to the queery, let me know!

Jesus gets serious about stumbling: 19th after pentecost b

This past weekend, I preached at a congregation I had never been to.  I drew heavily on both River Needham's queery of Numbers and my own queery of Mark to craft the sermon using my usual method.  The events of last week, especially the hearings for the Supreme Court justice, heavily informed my sermon.

Fun fact not included in my sermon: foot is frequently used in the bible to refer to genitalia,
so when Jesus says "If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off..." you know what that means!

If you have any questions or want to know more about my sermon, let me know!

Jesus changes the world's perspective: 18th after pentecost year b

I preached at Trinity las Americas today, a multilingual congregation that worships in Spanish and English and occasionally other languages (I got to read Proverbs in Slovak).  This is the manuscript I preached from, more or less how I preached it.

If you want to read the gospel in English, you can find it here.

Marcos 9:30-37
³⁰Cuando se fueron de allí, pasaron por Galilea. Pero Jesús no quiso que nadie lo supiera, ³¹porque estaba enseñando a sus discípulos. Les decía:
—El Hijo del hombre va a ser entregado en manos de los hombres, y lo matarán; pero tres días después resucitará.
³²Ellos no entendían lo que les decía, y tenían miedo de preguntarle.
³³Llegaron a la ciudad de Capernaúm. Cuando ya estaban en casa, Jesús les preguntó:
—¿Qué venían discutiendo ustedes por el camino?
³⁴Pero se quedaron callados, porque en el camino habían discutido quién de ellos era el más importante. ³⁵Entonces Jesús se sentó, llamó a los doce y les dijo:
—Si alguien quiere ser el primero, deberá ser el último de todos, y servirlos a todos.
³⁶Luego puso un niño en medio de ellos, y tomándolo en brazos les dijo:
³⁷—El que recibe en mi nombre a un niño como éste, me recibe a mí; y el que me recibe a mí, no solamente a mí me recibe, sino también a aquel que me envió

El evangelio del Señor.

-----

Today’s gospel is full of misunderstanding. Jesus speaks of his future—a future of suffering and death before the resurrection—and the disciples don’t understand a single word! They don’t understand what Jesus says and then, they don’t even ask about it out of fear!  What are they afraid of if they don’t understand what Jesus is saying?  Or, is it that they’re afraid Jesus will tell them that they’re going to suffer and die also?

El evangelio para hoy está lleno de mal entendimiento.  Jesús habla de su futuro—un futuro de sufrimiento y muerte ante la resurrección—y los discípulos no entienden ni una palabra!  No entienden que dice Jesús y no le preguntan por el miedo!  De que tienen miedo si no entienden lo que Jesus esta diciendo?  O es que tienen miedo de que Jesus vaya a decirles que van a sufrir y morir también?

Como prueba de que no entienden, mientras que caminaran a Capernaúm, discutían sobre la pregunta de quien es lo más importante.  Es como si nunca fueran a entender a Jesus.  Entonces Jesús cambia su estrategia, dice que cualquier persona que quiere ser primera tiene que ser al servicio de todos.  Cualquier persona que reciba a niñas y niños, recibe a Jesús mismo.

Eso es una lección que muchos necesitan aprender hoy.

As proof that they don’t understand, while walking to Capernaum, the disciples discuss the question of who is the greatest among them! It’s as if they’re never going to understand Jesus. So Jesus changes his strategy, saying that whoever who wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.  Whoever welcomes a child welcomes Jesus.

That is a lesson that many need to learn today.

While we are still separating children from their families at the border, discussing whether or not it is a sin to sexually assault another person, and lowering the numbers of refugees we will receive in this country, we cannot say that we receive Jesus.

Mientras todavía separamos niños de sus familias en la frontera, discutimos si es pecado o no abusar sexualmente de otra persona y bajamos los números de refugiados que recibiremos en este país, no podemos decir que recibimos a Jesús.

Muchas veces seguir a Jesús es muy complejo.  Pero en estos casos, no lo es.  Jesús dice: “reciba a niñas y niños y recibes a mi,” “si tu ojo, tu mano, cualquier cosa te hace caer en pecado, sácatelo” (Marcos 9:42-48) y “ama a tu prójimx—al extranjerx—a la gente más vulnerable—como a ti mismx.” (Marcos 12:28-34)

Sabemos el mandato, pero que ocurre aquí en Iowa? 

Many times following Jesus is very complex. But in these cases today, it is not. Jesus says: "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me," "if your eye, your hand, anything causes you to stumble, cut it off" (Mark 9: 42-48) and "love your neighbor—the stranger—the most vulnerable people—as yourself.” (Mark 12:28-34)

We know Jesus’ call, but what do we do here in Iowa?

You all do it here at Trinity las Americas. You teach English classes, host a camp in the summers, support vulnerable people, work for justice. These activities are important. It’s important to say clearly that sexual violence is a sin on the part of the perpetrator and it’s important to tell that to elected representatives.

Uds. lo hacen aquí en Trinity las Americas.  Enseñan clases de ingles, hacen un campamento en los veranos, apoyan a gente vulnerable, trabajan por la justicia.  Estas actividades son importantes.  Es importante decir con claridad que la violencia sexual es pecado por parte del perpetrador y es importante decirle a los representativos elegidos. 

Hacemos el mundo en que vivimos y lo hacemos juntxs.  Jesús lo hizo por todo el mundo.  Vino a la tierra con todo el amor de Dios para estar con nosotrxs y para ser humano, para unir y amar todo el pueblo, todxs lxs oprimidxs. Jesús vino para cambiar como entendemos el mundo—que lo último viene primera y lxs primerxs ultimxs. 

We make the world we live in and we do it together. Jesus did it for the whole world. He came to earth with all of the love of God to be with us and to be human, to unite and love all people, all the oppressed. Jesus came to change how we understand the world—that the last comes first and the first last.

As human beings, we responded to Jesus’ love with hatred and violence. The powers of this world thought that they won over the love of God in Jesus Christ, but they were wrong. They didn’t win against God—against the power and love of our God. As Jesus says, "The Son of Humanity is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again."

Como seres humanos, respondimos al amor de Dios con odio y violencia.  Los poderes del mundo pensaron que hubieran ganado sobre el amor de Dios en Jesucristo, pero no.  No ganaron contra Dios—contra el poder y el amor de nuestro Dios.  Como dice Jesús, “El Hijo del hombre va a ser entregado en manos de los hombres, y lo matarán; pero tres días después resucitará.” 

La resurrección cambia a todo.  Hay muchos razones para tener miedo, pero también sabemos que Jesús vence a la muerte y los poderes del mal en el mundo para que podamos vivir y amar.

The resurrection changes everything.  There are plenty of reasons to be afraid, but we know that Jesus overcomes death and the powers of evil in the world so that we can live and love.

And in communion, Jesus unites us. Jesus gives his body, broken for every single one. We come with our bodies, broken by the powers, by the systems of injustice, by xenophobia, by racism, by biphobia, transphobia, sexism, and everything that does violence, everything that breaks us, and we are received by Jesus. Everything that harms us is left in those moments when we join together at the Table.

Y en comunión, Jesús nos une.  Le da su cuerpo, roto por todxs—todo el mundo.  Nosotrxs venimos con nuestros cuerpos, rotos por los poderes, por los sistemas de injusticia, por la xenofobia, por el racismo, por la bifobia, la transfobia, el sexismo, y todo que hace violencia, todo que nos rompe, y somos recibidos por Jesús.  Dejamos todo que nos hace daño por los momentos en que unimos en la Mesa. 

Nosotrxs, el cuerpo roto de Cristo, reunimos aquí para recibir el pan roto—el cuerpo de Cristo, dado por un mundo roto, para la restauración del mundo, para traer la justicia, la gracia, y el amor de Dios que ningún sistema, ningún poder puede quitarnos. 

We, the broken body of Christ, gather here to receive the bread broken—the body of Christ, given for a broken world, for the restoration of the world, to bring the justice, grace, and love of God that no system, no power can take away.

Jesus comes and changes everything with his love.

Jesús viene y cambia todo con su amor.

Gracias a Dios.

Thanks be to God.

Jesus' resurrection is for bodies: easter 3 year b

The holy gospel according to Luke. (24:36b-48)

[³⁶While they were talking about this,]

Jesus Themself stood among the eleven and their companions and said to them,

     “Peace be with you.”

³⁷The disciples were startled and terrified,

     and thought that they were seeing a ghost.

³⁸Jesus said to them,

     “Why are you frightened,

     and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

          ³⁹Look at my hands and my feet;

               see that it is I myself.

                    Touch me and see;

                         for a ghost does not have flesh and bones 

                              as you see that I have.”

⁴⁰And when Jesus had said this,

     They showed them Their hands and feet.

     ⁴¹While in their joy those gathered were disbelieving and still wondering,

          Jesus said to them,

               “Have you anything here to eat?”

                    ⁴²They gave Jesus a piece of broiled fish,

                         ⁴³and Jesus took it and ate in their presence.

⁴⁴Then Jesus said to them,

     “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—

          that everything written about me

               in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.”

⁴⁵Then Jesus opened their minds to understand the scriptures,

     ⁴⁶and said to them,

          “Thus it is written,

               that the Messiah is to suffer 

                    and to rise from the dead on the third day,

               ⁴⁷and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed

                    in Their name to all nations,

                         beginning from Jerusalem.

          ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things.”

The gospel of the Lord.

------

A couple weeks ago, Rev. Beth Wartick, a colleague in this synod, posted on Facebook, “Friends: the resurrection is for bodies.”  The post was a bit unsettling at first, because I think I’ve gotten pretty used to making the resurrection into an exclusively spirit and soul-centered or even an intellectual reality, I like to talk about it, but I’m less sure about its physicality. Our resurrection accounts both last week and this week, however, provide us with ample evidence for her statement.

Last week we encountered Jesus in the gospel of John presenting hands, feet, and side to the slow-to-believe and fear-filled disciples, prompting Thomas’ great declaration of faith, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus’ presentation of Their actual resurrected body, wounds and all, speaks to the disciples in a way that no number of eye-witness accounts could have, and this week’s resurrection account is no different.

Jesus has just spent the day walking along the road to Emmaus with Cleopas and another disciple, explaining everything that Holy Week—Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and that very Resurrection morning—meant.  Jesus had literally and figuratively walked them through all of scripture, interpreting it just for them.

But it wasn’t until Jesus sat with them and blessed and broke bread—the nourishment for their own bodies—that they recognized the Resurrected One.  And when Jesus shows up with the rest of the disciples in today’s reading, it is once again about the body: “³⁹Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have,” says Jesus.

Jesus knows the same truth as Pastor Beth: “The resurrection is for bodies.”  There is knowledge and wisdom in our bodies and embodied lives that our intellect can only ever grasp at futilely.  Jesus knows that our bodies carry in them the truths of our lived experiences, of our ancestors’ lives, and even the sparks of stardust that are scattered throughout the cosmos.

Each body comes from and is nourished by the dirt of the earth and is also made up of the stardust of that first Big Bang of life.  Each body reflects a piece of the image of God.  Jesus’ resurrection is about bodies because bodies matter to Jesus.  Bodies are part of our whole selves and when we create this false binary that divides souls from bodies, we fracture who we are.  We lose track of the fullness of our humanity and our belovedness by God.  We don’t just do this with words and ideas, we fracture the whole body of Christ, the image of God that we bear together, in physical ways as well.

Before moving to Iowa, I served as a pastor in rural southeastern Minnesota and I spent quite a bit of time with beloved children of God who worked on farms near town—not only those who owned or ran the farms, but especially those who make the oftentimes difficult and life-threatening trip north from Mexico and Central America to get up in the middle of the night to milk the cows, or early in the morning when it’s still below freezing to start harvesting the crops.

Their immigrant bodies, which carry so much of the burden and weight of feeding our country, are part of Jesus’ death and resurrection and Jesus loves them.

The bodies of those who cultivate the earth on farms, in personal or community gardens, and even in potted plants are also part of Jesus’ death and resurrection and Jesus loves them.

Your bodies, our bodies, weary from carrying us through decades of life, from backpacks full of school books, from the energy and demands of new babies and young children, or from the pressure to be or act a certain way are part of Jesus’ death and resurrection and Jesus loves them.

The bodies that struggle with stairs, standing, or even eating are part of Jesus’ death and resurrection and Jesus loves them.

The bodies of victims of violence, whether the violence happens in the confines of their home, at a party late at night, in the stares and fear of others on the street or at the coffee shop, across the world with chemical weapons and bombs in Syria, or anywhere in between are all part of Jesus’ death and resurrection and Jesus loves them.

The bodies of refugees, fleeing violence, seeking hope and compassion, allowed in some countries and not in others are part of Jesus’ death and resurrection and Jesus loves them.

The bodies around the world, in our fullest possible diversity—bodies that don’t look anything like yours and bodies that are so similar it isn’t possible to deny that you are kin—all of these bodies and your very own body are part of Jesus’ death and resurrection and Jesus loves them.

Bodies contain wisdom and understand truths that can be hard for us to grasp.  Jesus presents first a body with wounds—a broken, yet resurrected body—knowing that once the body understands the reality, the structure or skeleton, of the resurrection, then the words can give flesh to those bones.  Jesus’ words are good, but first Jesus’ body must convey the truth.

Jesus’ resurrection is bodily.  Jesus blesses and breaks bread.  Jesus eats broiled fish!  Jesus loves bodies.

And so a blessing from Pastor Beth:

“Friends: the resurrection is for bodies.

The resurrection is for: skinny bodies, fat bodies, in-between bodies.

The resurrection is for: brown bodies, black bodies, olive bodies, white bodies.

The resurrection is for: female bodies, transgender bodies, male bodies, tall bodies, short bodies.

The resurrection is for: undocumented bodies, citizen bodies, visitor bodies, immigrant bodies.

The resurrection is for: wrinkly bodies, smooth bodies, hairy bodies, swimsuit-ready bodies, sweatpants-ready bodies.

The resurrection is for: old bodies, young bodies, able bodies, disabled bodies, tired bodies.

The resurrection is for: any bodies, every body, your body.

Jesus loves your body enough to give it new life. Treat your body and your neighbor's body with the same respect you'd show to anything beloved by God.”

Amen.