Sunday, December 22, 2013

jesus is coming—how will you welcome him?: 4th sunday of advent


el santo evangelio de nuestro señor jesucristo según san mateo.  gloria a ti, cristo señor.

El origen de Jesucristo fue éste:
       María,
              su madre,
              estaba comprometida
                     para casarse con José;
              pero antes que vivieran juntos,
                     se encontró encinta
                            por el poder del Espíritu Santo.
       José,
              su marido,
                     que era un hombre justo
                     y no quería denunciar públicamente a María,
              decidió separarse de ella en secreto.
              Ya había pensado hacerlo así,
                     cuando un ángel del Señor se le apareció en sueños
                     y le dijo:
                            «José,
                                   descendiente de David,
                                   no tengas miedo
                                         de tomar a María por esposa,
                                         porque su hijo lo ha concebido
                                                 por el poder del Espíritu Santo.
                                   María tendrá un hijo,
                                         y le pondrás por nombre Jesús.
                                                 Se llamará así
                                                       porque salvará a su pueblo
                                                               de sus pecados.»
Todo esto sucedió
       para que se cumpliera
              lo que el Señor había dicho
                     por medio del profeta:
                            «La virgen quedará encinta
                            y tendrá un hijo,
                            al que pondrán por nombre Emanuel»
                                   (que significa: «Dios con nosotros»).
Cuando José despertó del sueño,
       hizo lo que el ángel del Señor le había mandado,
       y tomó a María por esposa.
       Y sin haber tenido relaciones conyugales,
              ella dio a luz a su hijo,
                     al que José puso por nombre Jesús.

el evangelio del señor.  te alabamos, cristo señor.

-----
 
josé está en una situación muy difícil.  está prometido con una mujer joven y ella se encuentra encinta.  ¿qué hace?  no quiere quedarse con una mujer infiel y no quiere hacer un espectáculo público.  entonces, decide que será muy discreto sobre todo y deja que ella salga sin una gran escena y basta.  después buscará a otra mujer para ser su esposa.  es un plan muy sensible.

pero, como siempre con nuestros planes, dios tiene otro plan y interviene con josé en un sueño.  le dice que se quede con maría “porque su hijo lo ha concebido por el poder del espíritu santo.”  josé le obedece al ángel y ahora su futuro es un futuro cuidando a alguien—a un bebe—que no es suyo. 

así tienen mucho miedo maría y josé sobre qué viene.  no hubo millones de libros sobre cómo cuidar a niñ@s como hay hoy en día.  dios no viene con instrucciones.  viene con agua y sangre y suciedad—cosas de la vida.

en medio de todo esto, viene nuestro salvador. 

l@s padres tienen miedo e inseguridad.  no saben cuales peligros vienen para su hijo.  como sólo un bebe puede, jesús cambia el mundo.  ya no tienen tiempo para tener miedo, tienen que darle de comer y beber, bañarle, mirarle para una sonrisa, para que les reconozca, esperar para sus primeras palabras y pasos.   

durante todo, josé sabe que no es su hijo, pero todavía le cuida como si fuera.  le cuida porque jesús le necesita.  necesita su ayuda y apoyo.  josé no piensa que en dos mil años, tod@s nosotr@s sabrán su nombre y su parte en la historia de jesucristo.  cuida porque es lo necesario en ese momento.  cuida y enseña a una vida indefensa y santa.

eso es lo que pasa en la encarnación.  dios se pone carne y viene al mundo sin defensas, completamente dependiente de otras personas, vulnerable y santo.  viene como un bebe sin hogar de una joven comprometida a un hombre.  y dios nos da con josé la oportunidad de cuidar a dios.  de nutrirle y enseñarle, de reírse con él y comer con él. 

hoy tenemos la misma oportunidad de cuidar a otras personas porque es lo necesario y no porque en cien o dos mil o aún en sólo cinco años estaremos famos@s.  lo hacemos porque es necesario.  de esta manera, nosotr@s aprendemos como cuidar y amar a toda la gente que no son nuestr@s propi@s.  la gente enferma, la gente sin hogar ni comida ni familia.  toda la gente.  hay un bebe en medio de nosotr@s—hijo de dios—y necesita comida, un hogar y el amor.

ayer pastor mendis y yo hicimos una posada aquí en logan square.  

caminamos con maría y josé, cantando la canción de la posada a algunos hogares y cada vez la gente dentro nos dijeron, “no hay espacio.”  seguimos de esta manera con algunos lugares, pidiendo hogar—pidiendo cuidado—y al fin un vecino nos dio una bienvenida.  reunimos después en cotter boys and girls club, entramos, comimos, cantamos y celebramos.

lo hicimos no sólo porque es una tradición navideña de méxico, sino también porque los hogares a donde fuimos están partes de lathrop homes—viviendas asequibles—aquí en logan square.  lathrop homes está cerrando hogares para crear otras viviendas para gente más rica también, entonces se pone más difícil encontrar apartamentos y hogares que no son muy caros aquí en este barrio. 

fuimos, caminando con maría y josé, tratando de cuidar al bebe y buscamos espacio para dios encarnado—hijo de dios.  de esta manera fuimos buscando espacio para tod@s l@s hij@s de dios—espacio para sobrevivir y para vivir. ahora lathrop homes está diciendo a la gente aquí que no hay espacio, que no quiere cuidarle.  nosotr@s y l@s vecin@s dijimos que no, que hay espacio aquí.

aquí es diferente.  aquí cada domingo creamos espacio para las hijas y los hijos de dios en la mesa y en esta iglesia.  nos reunimos tod@s junt@s para el desayuno, para la comida aquí en la mesa de jesucristo y otra vez abajo para almuerzo.  como comunidad, creamos espacio para dios encarnado—hij@ de dios. 

en este tiempo de preparación—de adviento, preparamos para dar la bienvenida a dios en cada forma que se pone.  en la navidad, específicamente, con josé encontramos dios en un bebe imprevisto en una familia sin hogar y le vemos con adoración y amor.  con los peregrinos buscamos hogar y con los posaderos al fin damos la bienvenida y les invitamos adentro.

ahora es el tiempo.  ahora, en el tiempo de adviento, aquí en esta iglesia, estamos preparando.  y hoy, el último domingo del adviento jesucristo ya está por llegar—¿cómo van a darle la bienvenida?

Thursday, November 21, 2013

god invites us into the already: 25th sunday after pentecost


last week i preached in chapel at lstc.  somehow the mood still fits this week, so here's the manuscript for my sermon.

the first reading was luke 20:27-38.
a reading from job (19). 
23“O that my words were written down!
            O that they were inscribed in a book!
            24O that with an iron pen
            and with lead
                        they were engraved
                                    on a rock
                                                forever!
            25For I know
                        that my Redeemer lives,
                        and will at the last
                                    stand upon the earth;
                        26and after my skin has been thus destroyed,
                                    then in my flesh
                                                I shall see God,
                                                            27whom I shall see on my side,
                                                and my eyes shall behold,
                                                            and not another.
word of god, word of life. thanks be to god.

-----

the ironic thing about today’s readings is not just that job’s words are in fact written down and in a book—though i can’t speak for the rocks.  it’s also that for readings about resurrection and eternal life, the people doing the talking and the asking don’t actually believe in it!  the text—and whomever you have or had for jesus and the gospels—tells us that the sadducees, who are asking about the resurrection, don’t even believe in it.

as for job, as dr. klein taught us and will soon teach those of you in pentateuch, his claim to knowing that his redeemer lives is not actually about eternal life or resurrection.  and yet, as a church, our focus can so easily be eternal life that we neglect this life here and now.  and maybe that’s so we don’t have to face the struggle of this life here and now.

in our reading job is struggling a bit—to put it lightly—at this point.  he’s lost just about everything—except his wife and servants and food source—ok, so maybe not everything, but he’s had a rough go of it lately.

and i don’t know about y’all, but at this point in the semester, job is feeling pretty relatable to me.  i have so much class work, i still haven’t been to the mosque like i said i wanted to after the hyde park immersion my first year, and while i may be approved, i still have plenty of paperwork to do for first call—or maybe it’s cpe, or internship, or mic.

perhaps it’s something else for you.  perhaps the culture of busy-ness at lstc is wearing you down—all those lunches spent pouring over greek or hebrew—or even german—instead of being able to talk about life with those around you. 

perhaps it’s this feeling that you don’t quite fit in—that nobody understands you, that you have to wear a mask just to get by here, because if somebody knew the real you, they might tell your candidacy committee!

or maybe the news is getting to you—so much destruction in the philippines last week, violence in our own city, 60,000 head of cattle—so many people’s livelihoods—lost to an awful snow storm in south dakota last month, more public and unapologetic racism by those who ought to know better, destruction of the environment—of Creation who gives us birth and life—and the injustices are not just on the news, but also in our lives.  they keep piling up to the point that just putting one foot in front of another is all that you can handle.

maybe it’s worry about family—far off—in another country, in another state, nearby, almost here, already gone, or still a dream. 

life is overwhelming.  seminary perhaps more so, and somehow in the midst of all of this we’re also supposed to find time                         for relationships and sharing stories with others, self-care, a job, stewardship, discernment, time management, volunteering, challenging and overcoming injustice in all its forms, worship!, learning from those who are not like us, oh, and did i mention eating good meals and getting 8 hours of sleep a night?



what hope is there when life feels so crazy and overwhelming right now?  when the light at the end of the tunnel is really just the sign announcing the next tunnel?

that’s where i’ve been stuck for a while.  but then yesterday something happened—well, a couple somethings.

during lunch with a friend, i was reminded that we are an already and not yet people.  we know that the end has already been decided even as it has not yet been fulfilled.  and so even when our present reality can be a struggle to get through, we catch glimpses of the already that we long for—glimpses of our redeemer, standing at the last that is this moment.

we get moments, like yesterday during the american indian/alaska native symposium as janelle adair taught some of us to make baskets, and everything else seemed to just slip away; when the meditative focus of weaving the basket together erases the homework, the papers, and the stress of life and we could just be—in that moment, together.

or later, when choogie kingfisher told us stories and we sat together, we listened, and we learned why dogs sniff each other’s tails when they meet and we learned also of dr. vine deloria, jr., for whom the symposium will be named tonight, a brilliant person who lifted up native spiritualities and their connections to life and creation that we as christians can so easily forget.

it also happens here.  when we come to this place each day—this place of refuge—desperately in need of Good News, dipping our fingers in the cool water that flows from the font, making the sign of the cross, and finding our place.  when the bell chimes and we rise to sing.  in the silence of words read, heard, proclaimed, and reflected on.  in the peace shared, in the weekly feast of bread and wine, and in the waters—always in the waters that keep flowing.  god is a god of the living who wants life for us.  she invites us into the already, giving us a glimpse of redemption and resurrection in the midst of our not yets.

in this place and in these moments, god invites us to live into the reality that in christ god triumphs over all the powers that try to overwhelm us.

we are an already-not yet people.  god’s redemption has already come in jesus the christ, and yet we await that final day, living in our not yet, knowing the end.  we know that god wins and that we are not beholden to those things that threaten to overwhelm us, and so we get to live into the already in this not yet time.  god invites us to life now, and we get to live into those glimpses of the already—those moments when we know that our redeemer lives and that god is the god not of the dead, but of the living.  we get to choose whether or not to buy into the busy-ness mentality of our culture and our community here. 

god invites us into the already—into the already of relationships, of moments of meditative basket-making that erase all papers and projects and stresses from our minds, of stick-ball, music, and more stories today at the symposium and another luther bowl game tonight, of stories shared into the wee hours of the morning, of worship in this place, and of our baptisms.  you, beloved child of god, are invited.  god, who is god not of the dead, but of the living, invites you, each of you, into the already of your baptisms and the already way of life.

amen.

Saturday, November 09, 2013

approved!

as i posted on facebook: by the grace of god, i have been approved for ordination in the evangelical lutheran church in america!!

yesterday i had my approval interview at our synod offices with members from the synod candidacy committee.  it was a wonderful and affirming conversation (quite possibly the best conversation i've had with my candidacy committee).  it was a joy to talk with folks about where i'm feeling called and how i think about god, the church, and ministry.

then i went out and celebrated with a dear friend at buenos aires pizzeria :)  good times.

for those of you who are curious, the next steps for me are:

paperwork!  i have a variety of documents due by december 1st (since i'll be in ecuador then, they're really due for me by about november 24th), including a rostered leader profile and paperwork for first call assignment.

in february, bishops, regional coordinators, and representatives from each seminary will gather together in chicago and figure out where (which region and then synod) we first call candidates are being called through prayerful discernment.

in all of this i am also going through the process to try to be a mission redeveloper.  the next steps for me for that are to fill out paperwork and then i will schedule a day-long behavioral interview to see if i am a good fit for a mission redeveloper.

lots of stuff in the next few months and for now i'm fine with sitting with being joyful and affirmed about approval

Sunday, August 11, 2013

do not be afraid: 12 sunday after pentecost


Other readings for this week also referenced:

the holy gospel according to luke, the 12th chapter.  glory to you, o lord.

32Do not be afraid,
       little flock,
              for it is your Father's good pleasure
                     to give you the kingdom. 
       33Sell your possessions,
       and give alms.
       Make purses for yourselves
              that do not wear out,
                     an unfailing treasure in heaven,
                            where no thief comes near
                            and no moth destroys. 
       34For where your treasure is,
              there your heart will be also.
             
35Be dressed for action
       and have your lamps lit; 
36be like those who are waiting
       for their master to return from the wedding banquet,
              so that they may open the door for him
                     as soon as he comes and knocks. 
       37Blessed are those slaves
              whom the master finds alert when he comes;
              truly I tell you,
                     he will fasten his belt
                     and have them sit down to eat,
                            and he will come
                            and serve them. 
       38If he comes during the middle of the night,
              or near dawn,
              and finds them so,
                     blessed are those slaves.
             
39But know this:
       if the owner of the house had known
              at what hour the thief was coming,
                     he would not have let his house be broken into. 
       40You also must be ready,
              for the Son of Man is coming
                     at an unexpected hour."

the gospel of the lord.  praise to you, o christ.

-----
 
a while back, i heard a riddle filled with wisdom that kindergarteners could get in a heartbeat, but confounded many adults who heard it:

what is greater than god, more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich don't need it, and if you eat it, you'll die?

do you know the answer?
while i disagree with the middle part about the poor and the rich, the answer is:

nothing.  nothing is greater than god; nothing is more evil than the devil; and if you eat nothing, you’ll die.

so in the face of that wisdom, that nothing is greater than god, what do we have to fear?

“do not be afraid.”

over and over, it seems, god reassures us that we do not need to be afraid.  perhaps we are a bit slow at catching on.  there are, after all, plenty of reasons in this world to be afraid.

politics seem to be based in fear mongering—or maybe it’s just a fear that nothing can get done in dc.

the weather grows ever more extreme and erratic.

for me, the list of things i need to do—from packing, cleaning, and good-byes to approval interviews, first call paperwork, classes, and assignment—seems to get scarier every day.

do not be afraid.

i only have so much money, so many resources, so much time left.  it’s not enough—it’s never enough. 

there are so many things in life to fear: spiders, heights, violence, an unlived life, injury, unemployment, death, and disease.  and even still, jesus says, “do not be afraid, little flock.”

"do not be afraid, abram, i am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 
do not be afraid, abram. "look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." "so shall your descendants be."

do not be afraid for god, your god, is the architect and builder of the great heavenly city, prepared for you.
do not be afraid, little flock, it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kindom. 
do not be afraid, [names], emily, for i am with you.

the thing about fear is that although it can get a bad reputation, it can also be necessary—even helpful to our evolution and development.  my fear of spiders, for example, keeps me from getting bit by poisonous spiders.  other fears are evidence perhaps of a lack of trust and might need to be overcome.  that’s where faith and courage come in.

you see, you can’t have courage or be courageous unless you first have fear.  and fear is a natural first response to an unknown or something we’re not familiar with.  courage is acknowledging our fears and facing them—doing it anyway.  when we were at confirmation camp, the campers and adults had the chance to do the high ropes course.  while i was watching them, the most impressive ones weren’t the ones who did the course or the climbing wall the fastest, but rather the ones who were afraid, and still made the climb—still tried to do the course—facing their fears head-on. 

in today’s reading from genesis, abram comes out with his fear that he will have no offspring—that his heir will not be his own child.  he tells god, and when god responds, he trusts in god’s promise for his life.  that is faith: trusting in god and in god’s promises for our lives, even when it’s hard or scary.

do not be afraid, god has already given you all that matters.  do not be afraid, salvation is for you all.  do not be afraid, money and possessions, or the lack thereof, are not greater, or more important, or more powerful than god.

god’s desire for us all is abundance—love and community.  and god provides this.  jesus’ words of comfort are that  “it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kindom.” 

all that is left is to sell our possessions and give alms. 

while i think that that would be easier than packing up the parsonage to move to chicago, i don’t know how practical that is for my ability to live in chicago.  but, if the invitation is to re-examine my attachment to my possessions—to figure out where my treasure—and therefore my heart—is; is it in heaven?  in my room?  in a bank?  i can wrestle with those questions.

i can think seriously about what material possessions i value, what non-material things i value, and then think about where they are.  do i store them up here on earth?  do i store them in a bank vault or safety deposit box?  do i keep them, like fine china, packed away waiting for an occasion nice enough to use them?  or do i entrust them to god?

when i figure out where my treasures are, then i can consider where my heart is and where i want it to be.  it is our promise from god that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

that’s how our treasures can come in really handy.  it is hard to just start trusting god or to simply decide to love and trust god more.  there’s a lot going on that can make us fearful and distrusting; that can make it hard, but one of the ways we can begin to put our trust, our faith, our heart in god is by putting our treasures there.  giving our money to god, giving our families and ourselves back to god in baptism.  giving our fears and insecurities over to god in prayer.  there are many treasures in all of our lives from toys and money to people and memories.

what is keeping me from entrusting my treasure to god? 
what is it about my treasure that i cling to it so tightly? 
what power closes my hands around my treasure so that they will not open to receive god’s grace: the body and blood of christ, given for me?

there is a quote from archbishop fulton sheen, who lived and served in new york in the early 20th century.  in the quote, archbishop sheen points out that “you must remember to love people and use things, rather than to love things and use people.”  in our culture we easily learn how to love things and use people.  and perhaps that is why we keep coming back each sunday. 

because it is here that we learn to use things, water, bread and wine, with god’s word, in order to love people.  each week god pours unconditional love and grace upon us, loving us more fully than we can understand, so that we might learn also to love others, and merely use things.  so that our treasure becomes relationships and people, which we can entrust to god along with the things we use.

as i’ve been getting ready to leave this place, to move my things and find new relationships, there are a lot of unknowns in my future, yet each week i am reassured that god knows me, loves me, and feeds me—inviting me anew each week and each day into the waters of baptism and a life of grace.  and so, just as we ourselves have been entrusted to god since our baptisms, all that we have and all whom we love can be put in service to lead our hearts ever closer to god, our Ultimate Treasure.

thanks be to god.