the gift of righteousness (3.13.11)

First Reading Genesis 12:1-4a

¹Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ²I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

⁴So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.

Romans 4:1-8, 13-25

What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? ²For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” ⁴Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. ⁵But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. ⁶So also David speaks of the blessedness of those to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: ⁷“Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; ⁸blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not reckon sin.”

¹³For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. ¹⁵For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

¹⁶For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, ¹⁷as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”) —in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

¹⁸Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. ²²Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

²³Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, ²⁴but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

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             We don’t use the word “reckon” very often. I remember my southern relatives saying they reckoned something was true. A lot of the people I’ve met from Australia and New Zealand say the same thing. But in Philadelphia or upstate New York we don’t reckon much of anything. That unfamiliarity can make it hard to hear the passage clearly.

            In this passage reckoning is almost an accounting word. Imagine a giant account book with every person in the world in it. God keeps track of each of us in that big book; he adds up credits; he figures, reckons our balance in a book.

            The question Paul answers in this part of Romans is how God reckons or figures our account. How does God determine our status, our credit, our righteousness?

            In Paul’s time the leading opinion in the Jewish community was that our righteousness was based on following the Law. God gave us the Law as a way to please God, to show us how to stay in the good column in God’s giant account book. Since Christianity was a movement within Judaism, the same idea was common in the church. The Law tells us how to be righteous with God like our 1040 form shows us how to keep our account right with Uncle Sam.

            There are some similar ideas today about how we keep our God account in the black. Maybe the most common belief is that we please God by being good people; by keeping our promises and being nice to others. Some people add to that going to church, giving generously and doing good deeds. Those are all good things, by the way; I’m not discouraging being nice or going to church.

            Paul says that’s not how God does math; that’s not how God reckons our righteousness. He looks back at Abraham’s story, because Abraham is our main ancestor in the faith. He remembers God’s promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. He remembers that God promised to bless all the families of the world through Abraham. Since we are all Abraham’s spiritual children we find an important clue to our righteousness by looking at Abraham.

            So we get to the key phrase in our passage: “Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Abraham did plenty of good things in his life, some not so great things too, as we read a few Wednesdays ago, but plenty of good things. But that wasn’t what gave Abraham a good balance in God’s book. The foundation of Abraham’s righteousness with God was faith, trust in the God who called him, trust that God would keep his promises, even when Abraham couldn’t understand how that was possible.

holiness and perfection (2.20.11)

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18
1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.
9When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God.

11You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another. 12And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the LORD.
13You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning. 14You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

15You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. 16You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the LORD.

17You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. 18You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Matthew 5:38-48
38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
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Holiness and perfection; those are two pretty intimidating words, but they are our calling in scripture today. Moses declares God’s calling to the people to, “Be holy, as I, the LORD your God, am holy.” Jesus teaches the crowd, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Let’s dig into these passages and see what God’s calling to holiness and perfection means for us today.

Holiness is a word we don’t use very much anymore, except when we talk about holidays, which are really holy days. Sometimes we think about holiness in negative terms, like when we say someone has a “holier than thou” attitude.

So what does this passage from Leviticus have to say about holiness? It doesn’t talk much about specifically “religious” issues. You might have noticed that we skip a few verses in the middle of this passage. The verses we skip do touch on more traditionally religious law. To be holy we observe the Sabbath as God commanded. We also honor our parents and make our offerings in the right way.

But the focus of this passage is how we live our everyday lives. Holiness is about how we live everyday, not just on Sundays. That’s easy to say, but what does it actually mean? In Leviticus it means making some strange choices like not gathering all the grapes in our vineyard and not harvesting the grain all the way to the edge of the field.

That’s a strange idea because it means giving up some of what we’ve paid and worked to plant. But that unharvested crop provided security for the most vulnerable members of society. The story of Ruth shows a practical example of how gathering the left-behind grain at harvest allowed two women who were alone in the world to survive.

What does it mean to leave the edges unharvested today? Maybe it means rejoicing instead of being resentful of the part of our taxes that go to support those in need. In some ways that is the edge of our field because it is part of our work for which we don’t reap the benefit.

Leaving the edges unharvested might also mean buying fairly traded products even when it costs more. Maybe it means investing in companies that build up peace and justice rather than those that “profit by our neighbor’s blood.” Maybe it means shopping for others too when we go to the store. Maybe it means donating to charity and justice. What do you think it means for you today?

eternity and faithfulness (2.13.11)

Deuteronomy 30:15-20
15See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. 17But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, 18I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

19I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

Matthew 5:21-37
21“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

27“You have heard that it was said, ‘you shall not commit adultery.’ 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

31“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ 34But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”
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I’ve been thinking a lot about my mom’s mother, who died recently, but this passage always makes me think of my dad’s mom, Dorrie. Dorrie is kid-language for Dorthy, in case you were wondering. My earliest memory of going to church with Dorrie includes this passage. I can’t remember how old I was, maybe seven or eight, and I certainly don’t remember what the preacher had to say. I remember the two of us talking in the parking lot after church on the way to her car.

I was disturbed by all Jesus’s words about hell. I asked Dorrie if she thought we would go to heaven. She said, as a loving grandmother would, “Well Sam, you’re an awfully good boy, and I don’t think I’ve been too bad myself, so I think we’ll go to heaven.”

In some ways that’s usually how we think about heaven and hell. We imagine heaven as a place you go if you live the right way, while hell is reserved for the evil people in the world. Others imagine that heaven is a place for Christians (or Muslims) and everyone else, no matter how righteous, will go to hell. Some of us worry whether we are going to make the cut when judgment day arrives. We worry that for some reason or other we might not be good enough, or faithful enough or devout enough to get through those pearly gates. Some people seem to take pride in imagining that they wouldn’t possibly be welcome in heaven, though I suspect that posturing covers up some real anxiety about the future.

Judgment and the afterlife are a source of incredible hope and incredible fear, so much so that these ideas sometimes distract us from the here and now demands of discipleship. We can focus so much attention on whether we’re going to be in or out that we loose sight of the more important calling of faith in our everday lives.

The truth about judgment is that Christ already took care of it. Jesus took on himself the judgment that should be ours. Going to heaven isn’t about us anymore; it’s about Jesus. Out of love Christ took our sin to the cross and put its power to death. He was condemned in our place, suffered our penalty and freed us from sin’s power. He offers us his righteousness to wear when we come to judgment. So in the end we will be judged innocent not for ourselves, but because of Christ.

I’m convinced that in the end the love of Jesus will save every last one of us. The love that went to the cross isn’t going to see labels on the last day, and we aren’t going to be so full of pride we’ll hold on to our need to do things our way. In the end, as Paul writes, every knee will bend and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. On that day we’ll be glad to accept the gift of grace we’ve sometimes been slow to receive. Theology puts the truth in boxes that make it easier to understand God and the world. That’s useful as long as we understand that God and the world are too complicated to fit neatly in those boxes, even if they are well built and elegant.

Repairers of the Breach (2.6.11)

Isaiah 58:1-12

¹   Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.
²   Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways,
     as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness

and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
 they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.
³   “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”
     

Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers.
⁴   Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist.
  Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.
⁵ Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, 

and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
     Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?

⁶   Is not this the fast that I choose:
          to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke,
     to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
⁷   Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

 and bring the homeless poor into your house;
     when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
⁸   Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly;
     your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
⁹   Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;

 you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

    If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, ¹⁰  if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.
¹¹  The LORD will guide you continually, 

and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong;
     and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water,  whose waters never fail.
¹²  Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

Matthew 5:13-20

¹³“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

¹⁷“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

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            It sounds to me like Isaiah’s audience was frustrated. They were frustrated because they put a lot of energy into their religious life as a nation. They fasted when they were supposed to; they observed all the religious festivals with exuberance; they adorned the temple with expensive gifts.

They were frustrated because they did all this and yet still felt far away from God. They fasted, but it seemed like God didn’t see them; they humbled themselves, but felt like God wasn’t paying attention. They spent more than they could afford on worship and on the temple for God, but they couldn’t hear God’s voice anymore.

God says through Isaiah that there’s a simple reason the people feel far from God: they aren’t really listening. The people are trying to hear God’s voice in the present, but they aren’t doing what God had already told them to do. They had pretty clear instruction in the Law and prophets about how God wants to be sought. God wants people to treat their neighbors with justice and to look out for each other. God wants Israel to be a demonstration of love and peace.

From the beginning of Israel’s existence as a nation God’s call to justice had been clear. Now in Isaiah’s time, the people are ignoring God’s message. They are letting the hungry go hungry and the naked to stay naked. Then, while they ignore God’s commands, they seek new messages from God and can’t figure out why they don’t hear anything.

Like most prophetic messages in scripture, Isaiah’s words here are both challenging and hopeful. I feel them aimed at me and at us today. Could it be that we sometimes feel far away from God because we ignore the things we already know about God’s will for our lives?

space to follow (1.23.11)

Psalm 27:1, 4-9
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
4 One thing I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, LORD, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!


Matthew 4:12-23
12Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles —
16 the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.”

17From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

18As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea — for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.
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There was something compelling about Jesus that made people come and listen. There was something special that made Peter and Andrew, James and John leave everything to follow him. There’s something amazing about Jesus that keeps calling to our souls today, even when we can’t put it into words.

His core message as Matthew tells it today was straightforward: “Repent. The kingdom of heaven has come near.”

There’s something about repentance and the kingdom that makes us perk up our ears. Maybe it’s because we long for God’s kingdom. We long for the feeling of true peace that comes with resting in God’s arms. We long for creation to be made whole; we long for peace and justice in our world. We long to know that someone else is in charge, that everything is finally taken care of. We recognize God’s calling and in the depth of our soul we long to be with God. So hearing that the kingdom of heaven has come near fills us with joy and excitement.

But our joy is always tinged with guilt, colored by sorrow. We know we’ve made choices that separate us from God. When we hear the message about repentance and the kingdom, we feel a stab of homesickness and regret, but we also glimpse a ray of hope.

Maybe the reason Jesus is so compelling is that his call to repentance is an invitation to all of us. We’re so aware of our sin and separation from God we wonder if there’s even a place for us in God’s kingdom. We wonder if maybe we’re so far gone that God doesn’t want us. Jesus touches the part of us that worries and doubts. He heals the pain inside us, because his ministry shows that God wants to bring all of us home.

Here Jesus walks down the seashore and calls out to fishermen to follow him. In Luke’s version of the same story Peter says to Jesus, “Lord, go away from me; I’m a sinful man.” But Jesus won’t go away. Instead Jesus keeps calling sinners like Peter and Andrew, sinners like you and me to come and follow. Repentance and forgiveness makes space for us to follow Jesus.

Sometimes Christ’s calling pressures us to work harder, and sometimes we feel that demand too clearly in a church like ours. This church has deep roots. Many here have rich memories of childhood here. Many also carry the burden of the way things used to be. There are so many things we feel have to get done and there are not so many of us to do them.

Come and See

Isaiah 49:1-7

¹Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The LORD called me before I was born, while I was in my mother's womb he named me. ²He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. ³And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified." ⁴But I said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the LORD, and my reward with my God."

⁵And now the LORD says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and my God has become my strength-

⁶he says, "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

⁷Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, "Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."

John 1:29-42

²⁹The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' ³¹I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel." ³²And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' ³⁴And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God."

³⁵The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" ³⁷The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" ³⁹He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. ⁴⁰One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. ⁴¹He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). ⁴²He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas' (which is translated Peter).

⁴³The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” ⁴⁶Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” ⁴⁹Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” ⁵⁰Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

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            I was hanging out with friends of mine recently, watching their kids play. It struck me that one of the reason little kids are so much fun to watch is that they have such a sense of amazement about the world. You can see them taking everything in with wonder in their eyes. For them, the rules aren’t set; they don’t know how the world works. Every time they drop a toy and watch it fall, it’s an experiment. As far as they know, the next time they let go, the block might fall upwards.

            Colors, shapes, people, their own feet: the world is full of mysteries for little ones. Each moment is full of possibilities; they have no idea what might happen next. Part of the joy of children is that endless sense of possibility and wonder. The world is new and amazing to them and when we watch them we catch a glimpse of the world through their eyes.

            As we get older it sometimes feels like the world loses its wonder, but that’s not really true. We might lose our sense of wonder, but the world is no less wonderful than when we were small. Part of that change is necessary. We have to learn the basic rules of the world: gravity, cause and effect, rhythms of the days and weeks. We would have a hard time building anything if we didn’t know that gravity always pulls things down. We wouldn’t be good drivers if we forgot that turning the wheel left makes the car go left every time. We’d have a hard time making it to work if the sunrise caught us by surprise each morning.

            We need to understand the patterns in the world to navigate life effectively, but we don’t have to lose our appreciation for the glory of creation. It is a tragedy to lose our sense of wonder for the miracle of God’s world. The sunrise may not be surprising, but it is glorious; the wetness of water isn’t unexpected, but the majesty of the waves can still take our breath away. We understand the science behind a sunset; but God still paints us an incredible picture most evenings here in Rochester.

            The openness I love in children is the sense that anything is possible, that the world is new and exciting. That’s part of what Jesus is talking about when he encourages the disciples to welcome the kingdom of God like children. Jesus asks his hearers to be open to new possibilities, new communities, new ways of life. We see that openness in our story from John, and we can cultivate that openness in our own lives. Come and see.

            Picture John the Baptist out in the wilderness on a riverbank with his disciples. The crowds are lining up to be baptized as a symbol of their repentance and desire for God’s kingdom. All of a sudden John spots Jesus nearby and shouts out, “Look, it’s the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” You can hear the excitement in his voice as he sees God’s plan falling into place. He hadn’t known when he started his ministry who the Messiah was, but he knew his job was to get people ready, and he knew what to expect when the Messiah came. Now he recognizes Jesus and the signs are clear.

            Not surprisingly, John’s disciples get curious about this “lamb of God.” A couple of them follow Jesus to see what’s going on. Jesus turns and asks what they’re looking for. I think the question catches them off guard because they ask where he’s staying, which can’t be very interesting in itself. I think the question they really want to ask is, “Who are you?” Jesus invites them to follow; he invites them to “Come and see.”

            The next day Jesus and his new disciples hit the road; Jesus finds Philip, who goes right out and finds Nathaniel. He tells Nathaniel that they’ve found the Messiah, that of all places, he’s a man from Nazareth. You can hear the skepticism in Nathaniel’s voice as he asks, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip responds, “Come and see.”

            John’s Gospel isn’t about facts and proof; it’s about giving us glimpses of Jesus. It’s about telling us the stories, showing us what happened when the Word of God became flesh and lived with us. John’s Gospel is about showing us what we need to see so we can believe in Jesus and follow him today.

            One of the hard things for many of us about Christian faith is that we haven’t seen Jesus. We weren’t there for the miracles and the stories. We weren’t there to see Christ risen from the dead. We live in a world that’s so driven by facts and evidence, a world from which we have stripped the magic and mystery, a world where seeing is believing. We haven’t seen, so we have a hard time believing.

            Sometimes we feel jealous of those first disciples; we feel jealous of Peter and Andrew and Philip. They were curious about Jesus because of what John said, so they followed him back to his room and watched him do his thing. For them it really was as simple as coming and seeing. It was easy for them to believe because the evidence was right in front of them. Wouldn’t it be nice?

            It’s been two thousand years and sometimes we feel so removed from those early days. We can feel so far from the reality of Jesus that faith becomes something in our head, something we do for an hour a week or with a Bible at bedtime, but not something that shapes our lives. We hear those voices that remind us how important it is to believe in Jesus, those voices that tell us we have to be believe so we can be saved.

            Then there are all those other voices we hear that question our faith, that announce other messages. We hear voices of skepticism that say faith is something for children or for the foolish. We hear voices that tell us success is all that matters. We hear voices that call for security and urge us to lock our doors and watch strangers suspiciously.

            Amid all those voices and across all those years, Jesus’ voice still calls us: “Come and see.” We don’t see Jesus in the carpenter from Nazareth walking in front of us, but when we follow we will see Jesus. We’ll see Jesus in the faces of little children when we go to tutor in under resourced schools. We’ll see Jesus in nursing home beds when we sit with elderly people no one else visits. We’ll see Jesus in the hungry and homeless men and women we serve at Cameron or Demitri House. We’ll see Jesus in the faces of unknown neighbors who come to the Laurelton Café for a hot meal.

            When we follow Jesus we’ll be surprised because through Christ we can do things we never dreamed of. We can talk to strangers and be a blessing. We can teach kids and warm a heart. We can lead worship with joy and power. We can pray with the dying and watch tears fill their eyes and peace fill their hearts. Our minds sometimes make us skeptical; our worries sometimes make us afraid. But when we trust Jesus enough to follow we will see amazing things, so come and see.

            I’m not telling you to switch your brain off or cover over your doubts. Instead, bring your questions with you as you follow Jesus’ calling. Take some time each day to pray; open your heart to God and try to see what God might be calling you do to. Open the Bible and see where the story leads you; then go. You can even think of following Jesus as an experiment; you can follow, not sure what you’ll find, not sure if you believe what Jesus said: come and see. Like a child who doesn’t know what’s going to happen when she drops a stuffed rabbit from her hand, we don’t have to know what’s going to happen next. The only way to find out is to be open to new possibilities, to come and see.

Jesus doesn’t usually tell you what to believe. Instead, he asks people to be open to the message of God’s love; he asks people to open their eyes and see for themselves. For the disciples in our story and for most of us today we will see Christ’s amazing work by following. Most of the time people not going to be convinced of the truth of Christianity by intellectual arguments. Instead faith grows through experiencing God in action. Jesus spends more time walking with the suffering than sitting in your armchair at home. It’s always been that way. Don’t wait to believe; come and see.

One of my favorite shows growing up was called Reading Rainbow. The show was all about books and reading. The host, Lavar Burton, would tell the audience about a book he liked, ending with why he liked it. His last line was always, “But you don’t have to take my word for it.” Jesus says the same thing to his disciples: Come and see for yourself. Philip says the same thing to Nathaniel when Nathaniel wonders if anything good can come from Nazareth, “Come and see.”

I can preach each week about Jesus and his calling. Our tradition firmly believes that in scripture and preaching, God speaks, so you can meet God here in this service. But to really see Christ at work, you have to follow him out into the world. I’ll tell you that Jesus loves you and wants you to share that love with others through your actions, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Come and see.

Thanks be to God.

baptism and inclusion

Isaiah 42:1-9
1Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

5Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, 7to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. 9See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.
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It’s not totally clear how common baptism type ceremonies were in Jesus’ time. The mainstream Jewish community had certain kinds of ritual washings, as many religions do, they weren’t really tied to joining the community. Some sects within Judaism used a ritual washing as a sign of entering their community, but there isn’t a certain link between these rituals and communities and John the baptist.

John appeared in classic prophet’s clothes preaching and baptizing on the banks of the Jordan River. All the Gospels agree that John’s ministry of baptism had a lot to do with inviting people to repent and turn back to God. They also agree that John’s ministry was about preparing the way for Jesus, God’s Messiah.

So to get people ready for the new thing God was doing in Jesus, John baptized people to symbolize repentance and new faithfulness. Jesus started his ministry by being baptized by John. He didn’t need to repent, but he knew that this symbol of new life and faithfulness was the appropriate way to start his ministry.

Jesus spent his short ministry also calling people back to God, seeking out the poor and oppressed, seeking out the outcast and the lost, healing and comforting and forgiving. In his great commission to the disciples he commanded them to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey all his commands. From the very beginning, the church has been called to share the message of God’s love with others.

Since the beginning, baptism has been important in the Christian life. It symbolizes not only cleansing from sin, but also dying with Christ. In baptism we die to the world’s expectations and loyalties and rise from the water as newborn children of God. We rise as members of Christ’s body, people whose entire lives are centered in following Jesus as part of a new family.

We’ve lost some of the radical nature of that symbol because the modern church has lost some of the radical sense of belonging that so defined the early church. In those first days it was often a crime to baptize a new Christian or to be baptized. In stepping into the water people knew they were taking a huge risk.

Being part of the church also carried an expectation of truly being a family. We still use family language, we still talk about being brothers and sisters, but the early church experienced that in a deeper way. We’re told that in the early days the church owned all property together. People sold what they had and offered it to the church to be distributed for everyone’s needs. People who had larger houses opened them up to the church as places to meet. Many people hosted traveling evangelists or other Christians into their homes. The church truly was one body growing by welcoming people in, sharing fellowship around the table and sharing the precious word of grace.