Rambling Drafts

I've had the sermon for this upcoming Sunday rolling around in my head since yesterday when I read a post on another blog that gave me a good starting point.

It's now roughed out on paper and I'll type it up shortly and then read it again to see if it makes sense.  Right now, though, it just seems like I've got a bunch of disjointed ideas cobbled together posing as a coherent sermon.

On the plus side, today is only Tuesday.

Sermon; Christ the King; Jeremiah 23:1-6; Luke 23:33-43

Today is the Last Sunday after Pentecost, traditionally known as Christ the King Sunday. Although, as far as traditions go, this is a relatively new one. The Feast was originally instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and celebrated on the Sunday before All Saints Day. In 1970 it was moved to the Last Sunday of Ordinary Time by Pope Paul VI, where it remains today.

Pius XI established this Feast day in response to the growing nationalism and secularism that he saw in the world. While nationalism had been around for awhile, the tide was rising in this area and people were beginning to be much more focused on the ideals of who truly belonged. It was seen in its extreme form in Germany with the creation and rise to power of the Nazi party in the early '20's.

In this post-war world of rising conflict, violence and resentment (which would ultimately lead to another world war), Pope Pius XI said it was Christ who had dominion over all creatures, and that his dominion is not gained through violence but by his very essence. Christ truly was King of all.

I'm not so sure we've ever recovered from the uber-nationalism of that time. In its most basic form, we hear cries of, “My country, right or wrong,” “Love it or leave it,” and, in some cases, “Go back to where you came from.”

These statements are most often used by the dominant group and those in power. They are an attempt to control minorities and those on the margins through unquestioned loyalty, and they advocate removing, eliminating and cleansing the nation of those people whom the powerful find undesirable. And while we certainly haven't descended to the level of the Nazis, we live in a world where the powerful try to silence and control the powerless for fear of losing their privileged place in society.

That power comes in many forms. Most often it's wielded politically and socially by white males. But it can have other manifestations – such as when the Tallahassee police allegedly told the victim of a sexual assault not to pursue charges against the star quarterback because “it's a big football town and your life would become miserable.” Power allows all the right people to ignore the powerless and simply brush them aside.

This sounds a lot like what Jeremiah was addressing. The powerful are scattering the flock, driving them away, not attending to their needs. Those in power are supposed to use their power and position to bring together and care for those who fall under their power. But this wasn't, and isn't, happening.

Through Jeremiah, God says he will raise up shepherds who will do this work of gathering and caring, and he will also raise up a king who will be wise and execute justice and righteousness in the land. This king will be like no king we have ever seen before.

“Are you the king of the Jews?”

“My kingdom is not from this world.”

A king like no king we have ever seen before.

In today's gospel we hear Luke's version of the crucifixion. It seems an odd passage to hear on Christ the King Sunday. But this is the story of a king like no king we have ever seen before. He could have used his power to save himself. He could have used his power to come down from the cross and defeat those who persecuted him. He could have used his power to rally the troops, crush Rome, drive them away and scatter them. But this is not that king.

This king doesn't crush; this king heals. This king doesn't drive away; this king welcomes. This king doesn't scatter; this king gathers. This king transforms the destructive force of power used to control and scatter into life-giving power that frees and gathers.

The prayer of St. Chrysostom reads in part, “When two or three are gathered in his name, you will be in the midst of them.” This king gathers. The people who are gathered by him, or who gather together in his name, are a part of his kingdom.

The gathering of the twelve disciples represents the kingdom. The people who gathered to be healed by him represent the kingdom. The gathering of the 5000 and 4000 represents the kingdom. The gathering of the people on what came to be known as Palm Sunday represents the kingdom. The people who gathered at the foot of the cross represent the kingdom. The gathering of the criminal represents the kingdom. This gathering here today represents the kingdom.

Part of the Mystery of God is that people are gathered, not scattered; people are healed, not crushed; and that the kingdom is not attained or held together through dominating violence but through surrendering to God's life-giving spirit.

This surrender allows us to see God in all. It allows us to not fear the equality of others. It allows us to relinquish our hold on a power that isn't ours and that we often misuse. And in this surrender, we see the King of kings and Lord of lords.

This is the king of whom Jeremiah spoke.

This is the king for whom Pope Pius XI created a Feast day.

This is the king who was crucified for our sake.

This is the king who gathers all to him.

This is Christ the King.

Amen.

Convention

Well, I made it through another convention relatively unscathed and (TBTG) unelected.

The convention theme was, "I Have Called You Friends: Discovering the Power to Partner with Christ."  Our guest speaker was Margaret Babcock and she did a good job of leading us through discussions of leadership, power, friendship and how we frame all those issues within the church.  It was good.

We had two resolutions to consider.  One was a resolution to study the possible future divestment of fossil fuel companies.  There was some debate about it, but not much, and it passed with ease.  The other resolution was for the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon to support marriage equality in Oregon.  There were a few people who spoke in favor of the resolution and nobody spoke against it.  It also passed with ease.

The big drama of the convention was when our voting for General Convention delegates began to drag on.  We needed to elect four clergy and four lay.  The four lay people were elected rather quickly, but the voting for clergy delegates dragged on.  And then we found out that there were invalid ballots because people voted for people already elected or they voted for three when told to vote for two, or some other such whatever.  At one point a gentleman approached the mic, introduced himself, and said, "I have some experience with Robert's Rules of Order ...."

My head hit the table.

He was overly concerned with the distinction between ballots collected and votes cast.  I won't go into the whole thing, but the discussion took way longer than it should have.  Eventually the chair made a ruling, we moved forward and finally had a complete election.

Social times, display tables, the banquet dinner and all the other stuff surrounding convention was good. 

And my bed was comfortable, so it wasn't all bad.

Sermon; Proper 28C; Malachi 4:1-2a; Luke 21:5-19

Eschatology, apocalypse, end of days . . . whichever word you prefer, this is the connection between Malachi and Luke. The end of the world is nigh, and woe to you who are enemies of God. Or something like that.

Eschatology has to do with the doctrine of last things and the ultimate destination of both the individual soul and the whole of the created order. Daniel and Revelation are the two books that deal most with eschatology, but they are not exclusive in that, as we hear from Malachi and Luke today.

I’ve noticed something about eschatology over the years, and maybe you've noticed it too but haven't had the words to articulate it; or maybe you haven't noticed, and that's okay. What I’ve noticed is that people start getting weird when they talk about eschatology.

First there seems to be a tendency to begin preaching a “turn or burn” message. Some people read passages like we get from Malachi and decide they know who the arrogant and evildoers are. What follows are attempts at scaring the hell out of Those People in a misguided effort to convert them. This is also designed as a message of comfort for their own followers to show that they themselves are neither arrogant nor an evildoer and are therefore safe from being burned up and condemned to hell.

It doesn't take much effort to find places like this. I remember seeing one such group marching in a Boatnick parade proudly proclaiming that anyone who didn't belong to their congregation was doomed to an eternity in hell.

Probably the most well-known (unfortunately) advocate of this belief system is the Left Behind series. This is supposedly a faithful telling of Bible prophecy and what life will be like post-Rapture. Besides being terribly written, they have no basis in reality or Bible prophecy. The main agenda of these books is to comfort the right religious tribe that they will be saved and then to gleefully show the gruesome destruction of those who disagree with them in a manner similar to the Nazis in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Second there is a tendency to want to pin down the date of the end. Scores of Bible prophecy “experts” use ancient symbols to predict modern calamities and the coming of the end. There was William Miller in 1843 and 1844, and Harold Camping in 2011. During the Cold War, Russia was tabbed as Gog from Revelation. Hal Lindsey wrote The Late Great Planet Earth and gave the time of the end based on Israel gaining nation status in 1948. Mr. Lindsey has gone on to write other books with updated and “more accurate” information.

There have been a host of others, and there will be more to come, who fleece their followers and the gullible into believing Christ will return on a specific date because “Bible Prophecy!”

But Jesus clearly tells us that there will be wars, earthquakes, famines, plagues and signs from heaven before the end. He also clearly tells us not to be led astray or to go after people preaching the end of days.

And third, people begin looking for signs of persecution all around them. People not saying, “Merry Christmas?” Persecution! Business owners required to provide health insurance for their employees? Persecution! No school sanctioned prayer? Persecution! Never mind that people don't take issue with not saying, “Happy Kwanza,” or that non-Christian employees are forced to bow to corporate “Christian ideals,” or that people who want prayer in schools would be outraged if we gave equal time to Muslims, Jews, Hindus and pagans. Rights for me but not for thee has become the new persecution complex.

With all of this eschatological weirdness going on, is there a better way to look at these apocalyptic passages? The answer, of course, is yes.

First we must understand that eschatology has to do with What rather than with When. The day will come, that much is certain. But not only do we not know when, we must also realize that there are a variety of eschatological visions in the Bible such that it can't be defined by any one view.

When Malachi talks about the arrogant and evildoers, I think back to why Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. The people in those cities had pride, excess of food and prosperous ease, but they did not aid the poor and needy. This is arrogant evil. This is what the Lord seeks to eliminate.

But for those who revere the Lord in thought, word and deed, for those who love neighbor as self, for those who welcome and care for the outsider and Other, then the day of the Lord will come like the rising of the sun and all that ails you will be healed. Malachi, like most prophets, is concerned with justice. For those who pervert and distort justice, the day of the Lord will be like a consuming fire, burning them up. For those who strive for justice, the day of the Lord will be like a glorious sunrise.

Today's gospel gives us an unfortunate stopping point. Jesus continues in vv. 20-28 about the destruction of the Temple. By the time Luke writes, this has already happened. The Temple is destroyed and persecutions abound. But this has more to do with Jewish survival than with Christian persecution.

It's the end that's important. All these things will happen (are happening). When they do, stand up, raise your heads and know your redemption draws near. Death may be near, but expect resurrection. Expect new life.

We shouldn't read into these eschatological stories new and modern ways the world will end, or how we are being persecuted. Instead, we should look to them for guidance on living out and bringing about God's justice to the world. And we should look to them as a source of comfort where, like last week, we know that our Redeemer lives and at the last we will see him face to face.

Resurrection and new life is a better way to view the end of the world than looking forward to gleefully watching Those Heathens burned to a crisp. And that, in my opinion, is good news.

Amen.

Dreams

I had a dream last night that I was in a plane crash.  As the plane was going down, we (the passengers) were all calm and getting organized into who would do what when we hit the ground.

And then we hit the ground and it was pretty much chaos.  Among other things, there were two people impaled through their midsections to the seat in front of me.

I was in the sacristy yesterday and we have a brass candle anchor that we've used for the Christ candle in the Advent wreath.  It sort of looks like this:

Except longer, pointier, and more medieval-ish deadlier.

And now you know how my dreams are inspired.

Wow

It's Tuesday of a short, busy week (off yesterday and making sure I'm ready for diocesan convention this weekend) and I managed to get my sermon for this coming Sunday finished.

That can either mean I was incredibly inspired or it sucks.  We shall see.  But either way, it's done and all I have to do now is sit with it and maybe tighten it up in places.

Now I can concentrate on the other stuff on my desk.

Sermon; Proper 27C; Job 19:23-27a; Luke 20:27-38

The connection between this reading from Job and the reading from Luke is resurrection.

If I were to ask, “What is resurrection?” how would you answer? And yes, you can go ahead and answer that question. As Christians, we believe that all faithful departed will be raised to new life in Christ Jesus. Many Jews also believe in a resurrection of God's people at the end of the age; but for us, the deal was sealed when Christ was resurrected on that first Easter. And yes, we do debate whether this will be a bodily resurrection or a spiritual resurrection that exceeds the limits of the body as we know it.

The more important question, though, is, “Why is there a resurrection?” And yes, you can answer that question also. Why is there a resurrection? The answer, I believe, is this: New life. We are resurrected by the power of God's infinite love to a new life. A new life where there is no more pain or sorrow, but life everlasting. A new life in God's kingdom where there is no death or crying, but the fullness of joy. Why resurrection? New life.

New life is ultimately what we are about.

The problem, though, is when we let the What question dominate the discussion. When we give the What more weight than the Why, we are missing the point. What is resurrection? Life after death. Why resurrection? New life. We can get so bogged down in the details of the What that we miss the importance of the Why.

Why resurrection? New life.

I spent the better part of three days east of Portland at the Menucha Retreat Center with a gathering of clergy from around the country. It's a place where we discuss issues that affect the church at all levels and where we get some ideas or resources on how to get better at what we do.

There was talk about what various churches do. Some feed people. One had land and turned it into senior housing. Some give blankets to the homeless. Some run preschools and daycare centers. This is what they do. But any agency can do those things.

The question then becomes, “Why? Why do they do these things?” Answer: Resurrection and new life. The church is the only organization that offers the hope of resurrection and new life. And if we ignore the Why, we miss out on so much. If we ignore the Why, then we simply wait for the What after we die. But the Why of resurrection allows us to see resurrection all around us – if we are willing to see it.

Our world, currently and in the northern latitudes, has entered autumn; a season of hibernation and death. Leaves wither and die, leaving trees bare. Crop fields are empty, or have the remains of the harvest left behind. We know how the cycle works. In this time of natural death and when sunlight is scarce, we know that spring will come. That knowledge comes from the hope of eons. Spring will come, and with it new life. If we pay attention, there is resurrection right before our very eyes.

So on Monday I'm at this conference of national clergy discussing faith, creativity and accountability in the missionary church. That night I get a text from Jen Roberts: Miriam has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. We are on our way to the children's hospital in Portland.

Tuesday morning I drove into Portland, found my way to Doernbecher Children's Hospital and, with the help from a guiding angel dressed as a long-bearded, tattooed construction worker, to the pediatric ICU. I met and prayed with the family and watched as they wheeled Miriam off for brain surgery.

The surgery went well and by Wednesday she was up, eating and walking, no worse for the experience. And on Thursday she was discharged. In the face of a potentially deadly brain tumor, Miriam has experienced resurrection. She has experienced new life. And Tim, Jen and Lucy can see that new life, that resurrection, with the healing of Miriam. Resurrection is right before their very eyes.

When I arrived back in my office on Thursday, there was a note on my door. A parishioner from St. Matthew's in Gold Beach was at Three Rivers being treated for a brain tumor. The outlook for her, at least with regards to this body and this life, is, bluntly, not good.

But during my visit she exhibited a strong and sure faith. She knows her days here are limited; however, she is not giving up the fight. And even though she fights the tumor in her head with radiation and chemo, she knows. She knows resurrection is new life. She may not know what that looks like at this point, but she is confident in the hope of the resurrected Christ and the new life promised. Resurrection is right before her very eyes.

In churches around the country, people are trying to figure out how to increase attendance, attract families, be vibrant and return to the glory days of 1957. The problem with that is that those congregations want to go back to the way things were. They want to capture that magical moment and stay there. But you know what? That's not new life. That's not resurrection.

For us to move forward we need to come to terms with death. We need to come to terms with the death of old ways and methods, with the death of how things used to be, and with the death of the idea that things would be better if we could only go back.

Resurrection is moving forward. It's seeing things in new ways and with a new vision. It's understanding that things won't look like they used to. Remember, Mary didn't recognize the newly resurrected Christ either.

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and in my body I shall see God. It's time for us to remember why we are here. We are here for new life. We are here to be resurrected. And it's time to stop chasing what was and begin living for what is and what can be. It's time to start living for resurrection.

Resurrection is right before our very eyes. The question is: Are we bold enough to live into that new life of resurrection?

Amen.

Playoff Game

Friday night I had the honor of working a first round playoff game between Ashland and Pendleton.

It wasn't much of a game, but the crew did good.  Here's the link if you want to watch:

http://www.ihigh.com/school19553/broadcast_321138.html?silverlight=1

Notice some of the officials are wearing gloves.  I'm the guy who rolls up his long sleeve shirt because I was too warm.  Part of Montana never left me.

Quiet Day

I'm spending the day with our D.O.K. chapter in a Quiet Day retreat that they asked me to lead for them.

Thinking about the time of year, and with Advent right around the corner, I'm taking them on a Marian journey of Already and Not Yet, hope and expectations.

We began with the birth of Jesus, moved to the wedding at Cana, sat with Mary at the foot of the cross, and closed with the Annunciation.

My hope for this day is that they got something out of it other than, "Really?  That's the best you could do?"

Back in the saddle

So I get back into the office this morning at 10 a.m. after picking Mrs. Ref up from the local airport, and I find a note from my secretary on my door:  "Please call J.  Her mother is in the hospital with 'the worst kind of brain tumor' and would like to receive communion from the local priest."

Seriously?  In the words of Vince Lombardi, "What the hell is going on out there??"

I will be making a hospital call this afternoon.

Bad News Update

Remember that bad news I couldn't mention the other day -- if you don't, scroll down.  I can now say more.

On Monday, my soon-to-be-11-year old parishioner Miriam was found to have a brain tumor toward the back of her head.

I got a text Monday evening that said the family was on the way up to the major children's hospital in Portland.  She was scheduled for surgery on Tuesday.  Thanks to God's grace, I was in the area for that clergy C.E. thing, so I was able to spend time at the hospital with the family before surgery.

The post-surgery report is that it was more complicated and risky than originally hoped for, but it went well and the surgeon was optimistic.

I checked in before leaving town today, and the family is doing well and all are resting.

Good News, Bad News

The Good News:  I was assigned to my first playoff game here in Oregon.  The even better news is that I'm working as the Back Judge, the place where I've worked the majority of my varsity games since coming here, and a position which I've learned to like and become passably decent at.  Because, yes, sometimes in playoff games people get assigned to an unfamiliar position.  So I'm happy about all that.

The Bad News:  I can't yet talk about it.  Give me a few days to get things sorted out.  But in the meantime, prayers for M's health and strength for her family would be much appreciated.

I am currently at a continuing ed event just outside of Portland at a lovely retreat center.  The weather has been typically November-ish for this area (so fog, gray, and damp).  That makes it less than ideal to go explore the grounds on our free time, but the company is good and M has a boatload of clergy praying for her.

Bishop's Visit

The bishop was here for his official visitation yesterday and today.  All in all, it went well.  Probably could have gone better, but it didn't go badly.

The meeting with the vestry yesterday evening was okay and he gave them some answers to questions they had.  They didn't necessarily like the answer, but it's an answer and (hopefully) that issue has been put to bed.

The services today went well.  I'm not exactly sure what happened, but it seemed like everyone showed up today.  People who haven't been to church in ages picked today to arrive.  So that helped make things feel good.

The potluck was great.  People enjoyed themselves.  The bishop preached a good sermon.  And I only dropped one wafer which managed to land on its side and roll across the sanctuary floor.  Ish.

Other than that, we all survived.

And now, despite the extra hour of sleep last night, I am beat.  So I'm heading home early for a nap.

Reason Number (You Pick the Number) Why Sports Announcers Annoy Me

This morning I came into the office because 1) Mrs. Ref was on a plane to Hawaii, and 2) Nothing says clean like company -- and since the bishop is coming ....

I rolled out of here around 1 p.m., got home and started looking for a game.  This is what happened when the TV came on:

Announcer 1:  The officials are discussing the flag and it looks like they've made their decision.

Referee:  Personal foul, number 25, defense.  Fifteen yards, automatic first down.

Announcer 1:  So he gets away without being ejected and is hit only with a personal foul.

Announcer 2:  I don't understand that.  He should have been ejected for targeting.  You'll see on the replay that he clearly launches himself at the receiver after the ball is well past.  One ... two steps, a launch and a hit.  That is textbook targeting and he should have been ejected.  I mean ... I don't know how else you would define that.

Announcer 1:  It looked to me, though, like he hit the receiver in the back, not in the head.  So maybe that was the reason.

Another replay ....

Announcer 2:  You are right.  He did launch, but he hit the receiver in the back, below the head and with his shoulder.  That was a good job by the officials to get that one right.

Me:  I am not listening to stupid announcers -- as I surf for another game.