harry potter: a story of reformation

in honor of reformation and
halloween, our guest
blogger: mr. h. j. potter

my name is harry james potter, and i am a reformer.  let me tell you my story.

growing up i was pretty set on going to stonewall high.  much like martin luther's, my caregivers (uncle vernon and aunt petunia) had me set on a specific track--instead of becoming a lawyer like luther, i was set to go to public school.  one night during a great storm, a half-giant named rubeus hagrid knocked down the door to our hut on the sea and set me on an entirely different course.  martin luther's lightning was my knocked-in door.

our caregivers were not at all happy about our change of plans, but our minds were made up.  so it was that on the first of september, 1991, i boarded the scarlet steam engine that would carry me to hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.

each year at hogwarts was unlike the one before, yet as the years progressed i began to realize that something wasn't right with the powers that be (also known as the ministry of magic).  the dark lord kept trying to come back and yet no one could let go of their need for perceived peace.

at the end of my fourth year, lord voldemort (alternately known as tom riddle, the dark lord, you-know-who, and he-who-must-not-be-named) returned.  i saw him and knew the evil he would seek.  it seemed, however, that the ministry had no concern and, in fact, refused to believe me!  now martin luther, it seems, remained in good standing with the catholic church until the 95 these were posted.  as for me, the moment i returned from the graveyard and cornelius fudge, the then minister of magic, refused to believe me, i was a persecuted man.

like luther, i had a few key people in my corner with me.  ron was my non-romantic katharina luther.  he supported me, occasionally argued with me, but overall, we were in it together--loyal best friends.  hermione was my philipp melanchthon.  her brains kept me sharp and on-point.  she kept our movement focused and when my part in the reforms was done, she continued, pushing for the improved treatment of all magical creatures--especially house elves--and continuing to reform the department of magical law enforcement.  professor dumbledore and the members of the order of the phoenix were oftentimes like prince frederick iii, elector of saxony, and the nobles who provided enough support and protection for us to continue reforming.

all of my memories of my fifth year are marred by thoughts of dolores umbridge, our defense against the dark arts professor.  she was cruel and was only there as a spy for the ministry.  those were lonely times and there were several occasions that i woke up and wanted nothing more than to be as scathing toward umbridge and fudge and the ministry--and sometimes even toward my own allies--as martin luther was toward the jews when he realized they weren't going to convert to christianity and when he was ill.  luther was bad, though.  i'd like to hope a right sight worse than i ever was even at my worst!  sometimes that resulted in detentions, but most often i was luckier than martin and managed not to have a record of it.  looking back, i sometimes wish that both luther and i had had the insight to just go back to bed on those days.

in the spring of my fifth year, i posted my own version of the 95 theses.  while luther didn't intend to upend the entire church and incite a new branch of christianity called protestantism, i was already in the midst of a struggle with the powers that be, so it was just another step along the path for me.  instead of a church door or a blog, i put my story in the quibbler, a magazine whose reputation varies, but was quite loyal to our movement for reform.

that's when things really got bad.  the ministry revved up its persecution of me while voldemort continued to get stronger and built up his army.  things came to a head with the ministry when umbridge tried to use the cruciatus curse (an unforgivable curse) on me.  like the attempt on luther's life planned after the diet of worms, when luther was made an outlaw and anyone was allowed to kill him, i too was spared.  prince frederick iii saved luther, and hermione's clever plan combined with pure luck saved me.

we continued the movement as the war continued.  we won the battle against umbridge, although the war kept going in full force.  the ministry of magic was forced to acknowledge that we had been right all along, but voldemort was still out there and so we turned our attention to him and the death eaters instead.  what martin luther did with words, i did with action as in our seventh year, hermione, ron, and i didn't return to hogwarts.  instead we set out to destroy voldemort's horcruxes--to make him human again.

in the end, by risking our lives and by staying true to what we knew--to our beliefs, we were able to defeat voldemort and reform the magical world.  throughout this all, some specific insights remain with me.  i remember sirius telling me in my fifth year that the world isn't split into good people and death eaters.  that is such a difficult concept, and yet it reminds me of what martin luther said: we are all simultaneously sinner and saint.  we are not one or the other, we are both and.  and in that vain as the holy spirit does with the church today, so too we in the magical world are ever reforming.

silent auctions and abundant communities

one of my joys so far on internship has been exploring and embracing the connections that immanuel has to other congregations and organizations.  as a congregation in kansas city, we partner with and support organizations like westport cooperative services, communities creating opportunity, metropolitan lutheran ministries, and hollis renewal center, to name a few.  we also connect with our sister and cousin congregations like children’s memorial, st. james catholic church, and st. mark hope and peace.

this connection with st. mark hope and peace has been especially clear lately as i’ve had the opportunity to help take applications there for the mlm christmas store, which will take place at immanuel.  the other strong connection i have enjoyed is the partnership for lessons and carols, which will take place on december 9^th at 3pm at st. mark hope and peace.  while lessons and carols has been put on by another group in the past, this year there is a small and strong group of us working on it. 

my role in this group involves coordinating and collecting donations for the silent auction.  the silent auction this year will likely be different from other silent auctions you may have experienced in the past.  instead of relying only on expensive donations like trips to mexico (which we will definitely accept if it's offered), we are relying on a variety of donations. 

in our seminary community, we don't necessarily have much money or financial resources for big ticket items at silent auctions, so usually what shows up are things people made, offers for dinners, skills in teaching or tutoring, etc.  having attended my fair share of silent auctions, i realize that silent auctions are 1-more fun and 2-more effective when more people are involved both on the donating and bidding sides.  

in our kansas city community we have many gifted people and as we’ve been finding out our strengths and gifts for ministry at immanuel, i’ve been realizing how many wonderful gifts this community has to offer.  because there is such abundance in this community, our silent auction will reflect that diversity.  thus far, we're looking at donations of massages, lessons in how to change a toilet or play the harp, gifts, training sessions on computer/internet programs like facebook (privacy settings, anyone?), excel, dropbox, blogspot, etc., baked goods, dinners, cookies every month for a year, consultations, yoga class, house cleanings, babysitting, etc.  when we actually get down to business, the possibilities are endless!!

i am really excited about lessons and carols all on its own, but with the creative collaborations going on for the silent auction especially, i'm now ridiculously excited.  this is also your warning, if you're interested in bidding on anything, i might be willing to right your bid down (and if it's something i'm donating, i could probably do/make an extra whatever you bid on, to make sure you can get it) and bid by proxy for you if you're not in the kc area.  

if you want to help support the awesome ministries of st. mark hope and peace and st. james catholic church and would like to donate something for the silent auction, please let me know and i'm happy to coordinate your donation for you!  if you are around or thinking about coming around, aim for december 9th at 3pm and i will see you at what is sure to be an amazing lessons and carols!

money stewardship

the last few weeks at immanuel have been our time for stewardship emphasis month.  immanuel is trying to focus on whole life stewardship (rather than just treasure or talents or time).  as such, when it came to my turn to preach on october 7th, i looked at the texts with stewardship in the back of my mind.  what i encountered when reading the texts was that they were actually about stewardship.  not of time or talents or treasure (well, kind of treasure), but instead stewardship of love and relationship.  in addition to preaching, we've had temple talks about giving, praying, and serving as expressions of stewardship.  i am actually a really big fan of stewardship.  i think it's awesome!  if everything (and i mean everything) is a gift from god--created by god, then it makes sense that stewardship could be expressed in everything we say and do as well!

in all of the emphasis on whole life stewardship and the move towards talking about "time, talents, and treasures" or "giving, praying, and serving," i am very aware that we can lose sight of money stewardship.  sometimes i have trouble talking about money.  recently i've been taken out to dinner by various parishioners, which has been wonderful and i'm trying hard to let myself receive the gift of hospitality through dinner, but it's hard.  i've also been trying to figure out my own issues with money.

as a seminarian, the common things seems to be to say that we're "poor seminarians."  in the grand scheme of things, yes, i suppose i don't have as much money as many people in the united states and statistically i fall well below the poverty line, but i also benefit a lot from financial aid for classes and rent, from housing right now while on internship, etc.  there are many in this country and around the world who do not have the privilege of student loans, financial aid, family, etc. to help them during financial difficulties.

so, while others might label me a poor seminarian, that is not how i would self-identify.  i have some money and although the seminary's goal seems to be to make me graduate with my savings account completely depleted (which i am on track to do), i do have a budget.  i am not tied to my budget, but i have one and generally tend to spend less than i budget to spend.

except in one category.

when it comes to giving money away, i am quite diligent about spending everything i budgeted.  in order to figure out that budget, i took 10% of what i am paid each month ($1,100) right away.  that goes back to the church no matter what.  i also decided that i could afford to become a trailblazer for rainbow trail.  that costs $10 per month.  then, i looked at all the other budgets i had, what i needed to save money for, etc. and decided that $150 would be a good total giving away budget.

once i set that budget, it was amazing how quickly different ways i could give away my money came up.  not only that, but i am still pleasantly surprised at how wonderful i feel when i get to give money away!  each month i give $110 to church, $10 to rainbow trail, and then i get to pick wherever i want to give the remaining $30!  immanuel folks were participating in the crop walk and since i was out of town the weekend it took place i couldn't join them.  instead, i donated money for them!  when i attended my cousin carrie's wedding (that i blogged about last week), instead of buying wedding favors, carrie and garrett donated money to the national multiple sclerosis society - new england chapter, so i decided that in november, my $30 is going to go there as well in honor of them and in memory of carrie's dad, my uncle pete.

the struggle for me has not been in giving the money or figuring out who to give it to (that has been the joy!), but instead the struggle was figuring out how much i could give.  i knew i wanted to and once i sat down and figured it out and set an amount, it's been wonderful to be able to give that money away each month.

weddings!

lately it seems that i have been going to a lot of weddings...mainly just this year.  by the end of the calendar year i will have been to five weddings and a commitment ceremony and will have known about/been invited to many more!  that being said, this past sunday i was blessed to be present for my cousin's wedding in boston, and so that is what i'm sharing with you: pictures and the pleasant surprise at the reception!

 me and aunt ghiq waiting for the wedding to begin

 me and mom waiting for the wedding to begin

 proud parents of the bride walking in at the reception

all the cousins (on our side) that came with the happy couple

and the surprise!

at the reception, instead of having favors for everyone, my cousin and her husband decided to donate money to the national multiple sclerosis society - new england chapter.  my uncle (her dad) died of ms when i was in third grade and other members of her family have also had (or still have) ms, so it was a really important cause for them.  so, instead of wedding favors, we received bands (pictured above on my water bottle).  it was really cool and i was really excited and proud of them for that unexpected surprise.

god gives us ways to love: 19th sunday after pentecost

the additional readings for today are: genesis 2:18-24 and hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12

the gospel according to mark, the 10th chapter:

 ²Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” ³He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” ⁴They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” ⁵But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. ⁶But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ⁷‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, ⁸and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

¹⁰Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. ¹¹He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; ¹²and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

¹³People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. ¹⁵Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

the gospel of the lord

today’s readings are difficult for many of us.  we hear words from jesus that have been used for much of our lives to shame people, to keep people in abusive relationships, and to increase brokenness and alienation in this world.  

the irony, of course, is that jesus’ intent is never to increase brokenness, alienation, or shame.

jesus’ own context oftentimes gets lost in the midst of our contexts.  in jesus’ day women were understood as property.  in marriage they went from being the property of their father to being the property of their husband.  

as property, they were about as valuable as the children they could produce, they were provided for by whoever “owned” them, and they had no right to file for divorce.  

men, however, could file for divorce. 

as you might imagine, this was problematic.

after all, if a woman is her husband’s property and then her husband divorces her, whose property does she become?  if she no longer belongs to anybody, then how does she survive?  who provides for and cares for her?  chances are she will live the rest of her life in poverty with begging and prostitution as her only ways to provide for herself.

within this context, jesus’ words begin to fall in line with what god is doing and has been doing since the beginning.  

our god is a god of relationship and a god who wants love and relationship for us.

the creation account we read today from genesis 2 is an early attempt by god to provide some sort of relationship and love for us.  this first human being is just hanging out when god, like many well-intentioned couples i’ve known over the years, comes along and says, 

“you’re lonely! 

[eager] 

i’ll fix that.  

[look around for an animal] 

here!  have a cow.  

[confused] 

no?  you don't want a cow?  

[eager again] 

what about a dog?  

a lion?  

[a little disappointed at the lack of success]

a snake — no, no, not a snake i suppose

what about a slug or a snail?  no, it might get squished.

i've got it: a porcupine!

[crestfallen]

no? hmm...no luck here...well, you go to sleep and i'll think of something.

...

good morning!!  oh what's that?  your side is sore?  hmm, don't know anything about that—you should see what i have for you, though:

a human!  y'all are made from the same thing, [nodding head knowingly] so this should be a good partnership!"

god searches and searches and eventually comes up with the idea of two humans from hummus, two earth creatures from the earth,      of one substance,      joined together as equals.  

at the start, it’s just the human and god, but god is quick to realize that humans need relationships that are a bit more tangible.  so, god comes up with pets; companion animals.  for many people, their relationship with their pet is one of care and concern and through that relationship, they are able to nurture and steward love.  this is especially clear in the relationships people can have with their guide animals.  for many, this is enough; god’s first attempt works.  

but for many others it doesn’t quite cut it, so:         god creates another human. 

we are relational beings and in creating us of the same substance, god creates beings who have more in common than not.  god creates humans as relational beings so that we can be in relationship with and to each other.  it is god’s intent that we nurture and steward love and so we are able to do that by being in relationship with each other: friends, family—by choice, by blood, and by adoption, loved ones, and still pets.

jesus continues this pattern of adapting to our needs.  first, god becomes incarnate.  recognizing our need for tangible relationship, jesus comes in the flesh to be in relationship with us and to steward god’s love for us.

this love of god and among us continues to expand as, in hebrews, as well as earlier in mark 3, we have yet another way of understanding the relationship and love we share;            

this time, through jesus christ.  

in hebrews we hear that jesus is “not ashamed to call [us] brothers and sisters, saying, ‘i will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation i will praise you.’”  and in mark 3 when jesus is confronted with a worried mother and worried siblings who think he might be crazy, he declares that all those gathered with him are his sisters and brothers and mothers.  

jesus continues the pattern of redefining relationships and providing more ways to nurture and steward love, recognizing that we as humans also change and need to have ways to steward love that fit with who we are.

here in today’s reading from mark, we encounter another redefinition.  if the current relationship set-up is that a woman could be left destitute at the whim of her husband, jesus brings relationships of love and mutuality to the forefront, back to god’s intent, holding those with power, in this case the man, responsible. 

ownership means taking responsibility, a countercultural move even today, as we are bombarded with messages that if something is slow, broken, or lack-luster, we are to throw it away and get something newer—faster—shinier.  our responsibility, our stewardship of things, of love, of life is a countercultural move.  care for and stewardship of what we own, of those whom we love, and of creation all go against the culture of immediate gratification found on tv sets, in the newspaper, and on billboards just about everywhere. 

as christians we are invited into a new way of being in which we are given responsibilities in our relationships        with creation and with each other,        so that we might be good stewards of those relationships and work to live god’s love in our lives. 

jesus provides some parameters so that we know god’s intent for us: to be stewards of the relationships we have to each other.  jesus helps us to take responsibility for those relationships and gives power to those with less power.  jesus speaks of women divorcing men, which opens the opportunity for women to get out of a relationship—not for the purpose of getting into a new—shinier—faster one, but to get out of a bad situation. 

jesus also calls the children to him.  children, especially babies, were, and to a great extent still are, humans with astonishingly little power in the family.  

yet jesus is indignant that the disciples try to keep the children from being brought to him.  these children who are probably sick and sorry, poor and perhaps not long for life, are blessed by jesus.  

jesus comes to them and blesses them, nurturing love for them.

all of this is not to say that life is perfect or that everyone has their special someone and will find them and that’s the end.      

it’s not.  

sometimes we don’t get the relationships we want.  it’s a fact of life.  some who want marriage never find that special someone, marriages end in divorce or early death, people breakup, commitments are broken with abuse.  

some people have no desire for romantic relationships.  

and even when we do have the relationship we want, it never seems to fit what we’re told we should have—at least i have yet to receive my magic kiss and happy forever after, and i definitely do not know anyone with 2.7 kids.  

we are broken and sinful people and pain happens.  

we are diverse and saintly people and joy happens.

and still, somehow, in the midst of it all, we are drawn together;        drawn into relationship with each other. 

if two people decide to be in a publicly accountable, lifelong relationship, they have the opportunity to come together before god and their community to commit themselves to each other.  while i was in slovakia, i missed out on a wedding i really wanted to go to.  as the liturgical nerd that i am, when i visited the newly married couple, i got really excited about their wedding liturgy, which they had very intentionally crafted together.  

the commitments they made were both idealistic and realistic; committing to try their best and recognizing that they would need help.  they committed themselves to growing as individuals and together, as well as being open to the challenges they presented to each other.  

the thing that struck me the most was that, knowing especially that they wanted to have kids, they included “throughout my life, regardless of the shape of our relationship” they would be in it together.  they recognized that they didn’t know the future and couldn’t say for certain, but that no matter what, they will be in each other’s lives in some way.  they recognized their marriage for what it is, a joining of lives and a commitment to being involved with each other.

there’s a reason jesus quotes genesis that “the two shall become one flesh.”  in relationships, we join together.  there is no way to cleanly separate ourselves and that’s part of what jesus is getting at.  getting into a new relationship after divorce does not and cannot heal the brokenness that comes with the end of a relationship—with divorce.  it can create new life and can nurture new love, but it will never erase the past relationship.

throughout today’s readings and throughout the bible, god continues to redefine what it means to be in relationship: with animals, with creation, with people, with friends and family, with each other.  god is always there, providing ever-newer ways of being stewards of love, of being in relationship, of being family with each other.  because the reality is: we are all family.

every sunday we get to experience god’s extra chances to be stewards of god’s love.  we begin here at the baptismal font, remembering our baptisms, joining into this family of god.  we confess our brokenness and we are forgiven through the waters of baptism.  then we come to the table together as broken people to feast on a body broken for us.  

jesus comes to us and gives us and our relationships new ways to love and to steward god’s love, over and over each week.  and thanks be to god that god           never          gives            up            on                        us.                        

amen.

bluegrass gospel

this year, immanuel has decided to return to their old practice of "fifth sundays."  since every month doesn't have five sundays, on the fifth sunday of a month worship will be somehow different or unique compared to other sundays.

this sunday was "bluegrass gospel sunday."  we had a bluegrass band playing music from "i love to tell the story" to "precious lord take my hand."  i also got to read the last page of the bulletin to find out where bluegrass music comes from, not to mention a sermon that included the camp grace infamous for bringing rain: the johnny appleseed grace.

while having a blue grass gospel service every sunday is not sustainable for the congregation (despite the huge number of musicians of all kinds that consider immanuel home), it's extremely refreshing and fun to occasionally worship with a different style of music.  as most of you probably know, i have no internal sense of rhythm (it's my hope that weekly zumba will help me out in that department).  this usually means that i don't clap when songs involve clapping to the beat, which tends to seem like i'm not involved.

well, i move to the music instead of clapping and the music today was ideal for that!  two services of wonderful music that made my body move.  we're emphasizing whole life stewardship for the next few weeks at immanuel, and today was whole body worship for me.  dancing and moving up the aisle toward the narthex to "i'll fly away," letting the music infuse my soul.  "what a fellowship, what a joy divine," indeed!

as we journey through the year, i'm excited to continue experiencing with this congregation new and various ways of worshipping god together!

god gives me strengths

over the last few weeks, we've been working on discovering our strengths and spiritual gifts as a congregation.  in church council last week, we had a retreat during which we talked about all of our strengths (having taken the strengths finder test and read the book living your strengths).

my top five strengths themes are: connectedness, input, intellection, activator, and context.  that's four that are very connected to thinking and one that's ready to get things going.  a pretty good combination if i do say so myself :)  recognizing my input and connectedness themes at work, i tried to collect and sort information about everybody's strengths and figure out how they worked together.  i started doing that, but haven't quite figured it all out yet (not surprising there either).

i have been trying to figure out how i (and others) work for quite a while (as long as i can remember if i'm completely honest).  i really enjoy taking personality tests and figuring out more about who i am and how i work.  i have recently been also trying to figure out my enneagram number.  i write all this not because i've figured it all out (if so, then i wouldn't have to take more tests), but because i've been realizing some things about this culture in which i live.

a lot of what i have been taught/grown up with is that it's really important to improve or fix my weaknesses.  in seminary the buzz word seems to be "growing edges."  the book i read, living your strengths, had really good insights into that.  i am really good at a variety of things (making connections, collecting information, starting things, thinking through plans, etc.).  i am not so great at other things (remembering names, seeing things through to the end without a deadline).

i know this about myself.  now, what makes more sense: to continue to live into what i'm good at and seek out people in my life (especially in work) who have complimentary rather than similar gifts, or trying to make myself really good at remembering names, while neglecting things i'm actually good at?

god has gifted me with certain gifts, talents, and abilities and to not use them and instead try to make more use of gifts, talents, and abilities i don't have doesn't make sense.  it's not valuing myself and it's not valuing the uniqueness of god's creation.  so, i've decided to work really hard at doing what i'm good at and what i enjoy (and admittedly, there are always going to be some things that i just need to do, and i accept that) and find people in my life whose gifts, talents, and abilities compliment mine so that we can work together.

living out of my strengths just makes more sense.  it living out of god's abundance rather than out of god's scarcity.  trusting that god has gifted all people and that there are enough of us that we can work together to support each other through our strengths and weaknesses.

b

this week i was blessed with a pastoral care visit with my supervisor to b, the oldest member of immanuel at age 101 (although, she told us she's already 107, she must be aging without the rest of us!).  as we entered b's room at the nursing home, we were showered with gratitude.  over and over while we were there, b repeated how grateful she was that we had come, how grateful she was for each day she's had, how grateful she was for prayer.  gratitude seemed to ooze out her pores.

she was also able to articulate her desire and readiness to be in heaven.  over this past summer, b has been declining in health and she is ready for jesus to come and get her.  she knows that death is coming and she is not afraid, but instead seems to be totally at peace with it.  as we were leaving, i agreed with my supervisor that if i ever need a pick-me-up, a visit to b is the perfect prescription.  i think that as long as she's alive, i will be spending my fridays with b, sitting with her, praying with her, and looking at the beautiful photo albums she has of memories from her life.  what a gift she is.

jesus was a jerk - mark 7:24-37

my sermon manuscript from this past sunday's sermon, on mark 7:24-37

²⁴From there [jesus] set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, ²⁵but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. ²⁶Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷He said to her,

“Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”

²⁸But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” ²⁹Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” ³⁰So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

³¹Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. ³²They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. ³³He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. ³⁴Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” ³⁵And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. ³⁶Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. ³⁷They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

-----

do you ever have one of those days where everyone seems to want or need something from you and you are just tired and need a break?  maybe you even take off for the week or a weekend, but still people seem to seek you out wanting who knows what?  and finally you get to the point where you just             snap.  one too many people have asked you for help, and so you tell this latest supplicant: no, you little dog, i have been giving, giving, giving, and i don’t have anything left for you.  what gives you the right to ask for anything??  and you turn your head, hoping she will recognize the dismissal and how tired you are and just leave you alone.

and then she does something amazing.  she stays.  she takes a deep breath and she says, “yes, ma’am or sir, I have no right, but even little dogs get scraps.”

your breath catches.  you just called somebody a “little dog”!  could you have been any more degrading?  probably, but it would have been hard!  and now, what do you do?  someone just called you out and did it respectfully.  you have two options:

1-dig your heals in, for better or worse you said what you said and you’ve got to stand by it; changing your mind or your words would just make you look weak. 

2-she is right, what she said called you out and maybe you do have just a bit more energy, and maybe, just maybe, god’s plan is bigger than even you could have imagined it would be.

jesus’ knee-jerk reaction is to dismiss the syrophoenician woman with derogatory name-calling. 

now, i know some of you probably don’t like hearing about jesus acting like a jerk, but it’s important to know that a key characteristic of mark is that jesus is truly human.  mark, more than any other gospel, really portrays jesus’ humanity, which helps us as the readers and hearers to be able to relate better to jesus because he feels more like us.   he feels human.

so, when jesus acts like a jerk to the syrophoenician woman, it could have been the end of the story; the woman could have just gone away to wait for some other miracle-worker or for death to free her daughter, but instead she chooses to confront jesus.  

hisako kinukawa points out that jesus’ hurtful comments were not necessarily born from a desire to harm the woman, but more likely, they were born from a tired jewish man raised in a culture that pinned the affluent gentiles from the city of tyre over and against the jewish peasants living around the sea of galilee.  everything about how he was raised taught him to resist and perhaps resent the people of tyre who used their money to exploit his people, his family, his neighbors. 

the problem is that he doesn’t really know this woman.  he may know that she’s greek, or gentile, and syrophoenician, but in his tired dismissal, he doesn’t take into account that she was probably one of those who, like his own people, lived in a small village, dependent on the whims of those who lived in the city of tyre.  her situation was not all that different from jesus’ people, though they lived in distinct places.

but jesus doesn’t know that by just looking at her.  it isn’t until the woman remains, answering jesus’ dismissal, with her own lived experience, that jesus begins to understand in a new way.  yes, the gentiles in the city of tyre may be dogs for the way they have exploited the israelites, but she is struggling just as those children of israel struggle every day; she, too, needs sustenance.  her daughter needs a miracle; just one, one little crumb.  she is not asking for a huge feast to be spread, she is asking for the crumbs, the dregs, the stuff that nobody else would want anyway. 

it is in this hope for nothing more than crumbs, that jesus is shaken awake.  by not only taking on his derogatory term, but also expecting at most crumbs, she awakens jesus to a new perspective.  she helps him to see a human being rather than a dog; a person with needs and pain and struggle.  

she helps him to understand his own context better as well.  jesus belongs to just one of many groups who are struggling against oppression, who are struggling for dignity in an oppressive economic situation. 

and perhaps the most important of all: through jesus’ encounter with the syrophoenician woman, jesus realizes that the Table is big enough.  the Table is big enough that no one needs to beg for crumbs, big enough that all are welcome to the feast.  but how does this even happen?  i know if somebody confronted me with the hard truth that i had just called them a “little dog,” i would be so taken aback i would probably just get away as fast as i could…which is one—of many—reasons why it’s really good that i am not jesus.

unlike me, when the syrophoenician woman speaks, jesus does the amazing thing of actually listening to what she has to say.  instead of digging in his heals or taking off, he stops and listens to what she has to say, to her story.  and so he begins to realize that his cultural context, how and where he was raised, really affects how he understands what god is up to.  from there, he is able to take the time to correct himself.  he said something offensive and instead of pretending like nothing had happened or trying to justify himself, he recognizes the need for a new perspective.  he changes his behavior and finds a new way to interact with the syrophoenician woman.

and so, as jesus leaves tyre and heads out toward the sea of galilee, jesus encounters a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment.  jesus’ reaction to this man reflects the change he has experienced because of the syrophoenician woman.  jesus still brings the man out of the view of the crowd, finding a more private place, and then he opens his ears and releases his tongue.  

because of the syrophoenician woman, jesus is beginning to open up to the idea of a god whose table is big enough for everyone.  he’s still not quite to the level of confidence that he’s willing to show anyone and everyone what he’s up to, so instead he tells those who are witness to the miracle not to tell anyone!  So, naturally, they tell everyone they can!  that seems to be when jesus really, really gets it. 

from there jesus will depart with everyone proclaiming what he has done.  jesus then goes with a great crowd in gentile territory and, recognizing god’s work of welcome, jesus feeds those gathered in gentile land—all those gathered—with bread and fish to sustain them.

in this short time, jesus transforms from a tired human being who calls a woman a dog without even thinking about sharing so much as a crumb, to one who shares not only the crumbs, but the whole feast with all people.

jesus realizes that this mission he’s on, this good news is for everyone.  the syrophoenician woman gives jesus room to grow and room to be changed by his encounter.  in listening to her words, jesus is changed.  he realizes that he was being a jerk and because he stops and listens to her words and her story, his understanding of god’s grace expands.  he realizes that the Table is big enough for all people and he gives us the room and the power to recognize the same thing. 

there are many times in my own life when i say the wrong thing, when i offend someone by talking without thinking, and even when i don’t speak for fear of saying the wrong thing or offending.  jesus is our light, our leader, setting the example.  he acts like a jerk, but then is able to stop and listen and change.  he allows the syrophoenician woman, her words, her story, her life to change him.  he lets his encounter with her, however badly it started out, be transformative for them both.

and jesus’ transformation provides the light so that we as his followers can let our lights shine, not in doing everything perfectly, but in our ability to also be transformed.  we are able to stop and listen, hearing someone else’s story, someone else’s perspective on life, and we are able to change; to recognize with jesus that god’s table feeds everyone, even the ones we call little dogs.

jesus chooses us: easter 6b

i'm catching up a bit...this is a sermon i preached back in may with acts 10 and john 15 as the main texts.

acts 10:44-48

⁴⁴while peter was still speaking, the holy spirit fell upon all who heard the word. ⁴⁵the circumcised believers who had come with peter were astounded that the gift of the holy spirit had been poured out even on the gentiles, ⁴⁶for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling god. then peter said, ⁴⁷“can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the holy spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸so he ordered them to be baptized in the name of jesus christ. then they invited him to stay for several days.

john 15:9-17

⁹as the father has loved me, so i have loved you; abide in my love. ¹⁰if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as i have kept my father’s commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹i have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. ¹²“this is my commandment, that you love one another as i have loved you. ¹³no one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴you are my friends if you do what i command you. ¹⁵i do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but i have called you friends, because i have made known to you everything that I have heard from my father. ¹⁶you did not choose me but i chose you. and i appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. ¹⁷i am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

 -----

today we find peter with cornelius, a gentile centurion.  god has just shown peter that no thing god has made is unclean or wrong.  so, peter came, at cornelius’ invitation, to caesarea and he’s speaking to the gathered crowd about god.  this god is one who shows no partiality; who picks no sides, who declares all things clean.  a god who is neither democrat nor republican.  and while peter was still speaking, the holy spirit fell upon all who heard the word.

the truly astounding thing for the jews present, who were still trying to figure out what “no partiality” really meant was that the gift of the holy spirit had been poured out even on the gentiles.              

the gentiles!              

now, the gentiles were basically anybody who wasn’t jewish.  as the church was beginning to take shape, there was debate about the requirements for being part of the church.  since the church grew out of a jewish movement, the questions were things like: was circumcision necessary or unnecessary?  what was the place of the law?  did everyone have to follow the law?  what food could they eat?  what food was not allowed?  did they have to be jewish first in order to be christian?

the questions still exist today, but in different ways.  while we’ve figured out most of the early questions about stuff like circumcision, today we still ask who can be part of the church.  what language do you have to speak?  who do you have to love?  how do you have to love?  how much money do you have to make?  where do you have to live?  how do you have to live?  do you have to give money first in order to be christian?

we still ask with peter: what can prevent us from being god’s church?

nothing.

god still says:             nothing.

absolutely nothing can separate you from the love of god.

god stepped in with the early church, and god steps in with us as well.  

while peter was still speaking, the holy spirit tumbled down upon all those who heard.  

she didn’t wait until peter finished, or check if they were circumcised, if they followed the law, if they were jews.  the holy spirit came down on everyone,            even the gentiles! 

luckily peter already had his conversion to a god who shows no partiality and was able to ask the important question.  peter doesn’t always say the right thing, but this time he did.  he didn’t ask them to see if they were the right kind of people, if they did the right things, if it was the right holy spirit, instead he asked,

“can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the holy spirit just as we have?” 

can anyone withhold the water for baptizing?  the holy spirit has come upon them and can anyone even consider withholding water for baptism?

the answer, of course, is no.  baptism is a gift of grace, freely given from a god who shows no partiality, and so peter orders them to be baptized in the name of jesus christ.

this grace is apparent also in the reading from john as jesus points out to us, his followers, “you did not choose me but i chose you.”  (v. 16) 

grace is a crazy wonderful thing.  we don’t get to choose who gets god’s grace and who doesn’t,           which is probably good,                        because then,    we might not make the cut ourselves!  jesus chooses.  he chooses you and he chooses me and then we get to ask the question.  it’s not “who did jesus choose?” but instead it’s “what did jesus choose me for?”  jesus chooses us to bear good fruit.  to love one another as he loves us.

jesus loves us and commands us to love each other.  how simple and how freeing that is!!  christ loves us into loving each other! 

now, don’t get me wrong.  love is hard.  it took jesus to the cross for us, and especially on mother’s day we can easily recall the difficult love of raising a child, of caring for children, both ours and those of other folks. 

love is work and it means pushing ourselves, but at its heart, love is freedom.  we don’t have to depend on anyone else for it.  love comes from god in jesus and jesus chooses us.  he chooses us for love.  jesus chooses us      even when we wouldn’t choose each other or ourselves.  even when we struggle to get up in the morning or we look into the mirror and do not choose ourselves.  no matter how unstable life gets, jesus has chosen us for love. 

right now the world is uncertain.  the environment is in deep need of our care, we’re going to be electing new leaders this year for our city, our state, and our country.  anything around us can and probably will change: our life, our church, our work, our community, but no matter what, the truth remains: jesus has chosen us.  he has chosen us for love and we are free to love each other, even when it means something as simple as loving each person as they walk in the door!

just as the early church struggled with understanding what it meant to be church and who could and who couldn’t, we struggle to grasp jesus’ love and grace for us.  and so the holy spirit fell upon all those around peter and the question was

“can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the holy spirit just as we have?” 

today jesus tells us “you did not choose me but i                        chose                        you.” and he answers our question of “for what?” with “so that you may love one another.”

amen and thanks be to god.

week one: so much for easing into things

i arrived last friday and have been here for just over a week, so, i thought i'd look back at the last week or so of being here at immanuel lutheran church in kansas city, missouri (all of two or so blocks from kansas city, kansas).

the week started with a bang.

during early worship on sunday the power went out, not to come on again until our reception of new members at the beginning of late worship (quite the exciting start).

monday involved a press rally with congressman cleaver at the local grocery store and a visit from a fellow yagm and her family passing through to another fellow yagm's wedding.

tuesday was full of meetings: worship planning, staff, and then pastors' text study in the afternoon.

wednesday the newsletter folders came and while folding, i was jokingly informed that they "run this place" :) followed by a meeting with a group of women clergy and a hospital visit.

thursday consisted of supervision, lunch with a parishioner, and a meeting with clergy for communities creating opportunity planning an event (also known, in community organizing circles as an action, i believe).

and then friday the bulletin folders came (also known, on other days as newsletter folders) and in the afternoon i had time to get stuff done i needed to get done followed by a wedding rehearsal for the couple who became new members last sunday and then the wedding itself on saturday.

as you can probably tell, by thursday, i had to ask my supervisor when she has time to write her sermons!  life has been quite busy

the nra, guns, and god

being a colorado native, last friday night's shooting at the movies hit me in a different way than most, perhaps.  i was in middle school when dylan and eric went into columbine high school and opened fire.  we had family friends that went to columbine, i worked with somebody that went to columbine.  reading and hearing about last friday night also brought with it memories of gabrielle giffords, trayvon martin, and the countless victims of gun violence in my own backyard here in chicago.  friday's attacks were awful and tragic and any number of words that all feel too superficial to actually use as descriptors.  yet, not knowing anyone directly, or even indirectly (so far as i know), who was a victim or survivor of the attack, i also felt numb.  

so often i hear about gun violence, yet it tugs at my heartstrings a little bit less each time.  gun violence has become so common that the response is no longer "how many were hurt?" or "did anyone die?" but instead "how many were killed?"  it has become a relief to hear that there were injuries but no deaths due to gun violence!  that is not the way it should be!

then, it comes time to respond.  how do you possibly respond in the face of death?  president obama and mitt romney have removed their political ads from tv in colorado.  in light of the tragedy, it does seem right to stop with the attack ads.  both of them also expressed condolences and shared sympathies as fathers.  not being president or a presidential hopeful nor a parent, those are both out.  as a seminarian, reading psalm 88 today seemed right.  as a citizen, though, there is another response needed.

my deep sympathy and prayers are with all of those affected by the shooting in aurora last friday, and if you were affected directly, i hope that you take the time you need and seek out the help you need to get through this and to continue each day.  if you were not directly affected, if you felt numb when you heard or read the news, if you posted/tweeted/text-ed immediately your reactions, then i have a request of you.  they say that guns don't kill people, people kill people.  yes, people kill people, but loose gun laws make it a whole lot easier to do it.  this may be the time to stop political attack ads, but this is the time to change the politics we have regarding guns in this country.

the nra has plenty of money for lobbying, but we are plenty of people.  laws need to be changed.  there needs to be tighter restrictions on guns and ammunition as well as laws such as the stand your ground law.  if it is harder to buy guns, if there are less deadly weapons available, there will be a drop in gun violence.  it is not fair that the nra (whose views are more extreme than most of its members' views) continues to push for fewer restrictions and regulations on guns and ammunition.

this is not a red or blue issue.  this is an issue of safety for our streets, for our movie theaters, for our public officials, for our health care providers, for ourselves, and for each other.  now is the time to grieve and to mourn, but now is also the time to change.  change can come from laws.  congressional representatives and state representatives have power.  call, email, visit (if at all possible, this is the best option), get the facts on gun violence and then make your views known to your representatives, find out their views, make sure they know that you'll be paying attention to how they vote on the george zimmerman armed vigilante acts (this would require states to allow people like george zimmerman, the man who followed, shot, and killed trayvon martin, to get conceal and carry permits).  check out how your state is doing on strength of gun laws (colorado's at a mere 15 out of 100).

jesus did not carry a weapon, he was killed by one.  he did not advocate for violence, in his actions and his words he advocated for non-violence.  in matthew 5, jesus commands us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.  we need healing and we get healing by repairing relationships, accounting for damage done, and finding ways to make sure the same thing doesn't happen again.  locking up james holmes will not solve the problem and will not heal the pain.  loving our enemy means finding a way to keep it from happening again.  it means praying for james holmes, that he might find help and that he might know the transformative grace of god.  it means working to repair our broken communities.  it means stopping gun violence.

like with so much else in our country and in our world, if we do not take steps now, in the immediate aftermath of the shootings, to change our culture of violence, to work to end gun violence, especially, then in a few days or a few weeks, the country will relapse, it will forget the tragedy, just like it has for so many victims of gun violence over even just the last year.  now has to be the time to act.