Sermons

Pastor Ken follows the call and lessons of Scripture, the Apostles, and people of faith from our past in speaking out about the increasing oppression and injustice happening right now. This message stems from yet another arrest of the Apostles and their response to the "High Priest." from Acts 5:27-32. It also takes its cues from Jesus' quote from the prophet Isaiah found in the Gospel of Luke 4:18. We sing the words of that Prophet with the Hymn "Carrier." Pastor Ken introduces us to the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh and his civil rights companion John Lewis. Both men equated fighting for equality as a core element of following Jesus’ teaching. We learn a little about Margaret sanger, an early feminist and women's rights activist. Additionally, Ken shares the story of the Stonewall Uprising and its impact on the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. He then gets personal as he shares his own thoughts, saying, "I, for one, cannot keep silent any longer as I see my brothers’ and sisters’ rights being subverted." He speaks about why he thinks it's important for faith leaders to speak out against oppression and tackle even these most controversial topics. Listen as we make some noise and stir up some "good trouble. necessary trouble."

At least one part of this passage is straightforward, although disturbing: Jesus explains where evil comes from. ... ... In the Gospels, it seems that Jesus saves his sharpest words, his most pointed criticism, for the most religious. ... ... We have been taught to view the Pharisees and scribes as self-righteous hypocrites and to distance ourselves from them, and passages like this one tend to reinforce that perception. ... ... It seems that the scribes and Pharisees had legitimate concerns. Why, then, do they receive such a harsh response from Jesus? ... ... We have been taught to distance ourselves from the Pharisees and scribes, yet perhaps we have more in common with them than we thought. ... ... Whatever Satan is in Mark’s Gospel, it is not the cause of wrongdoing. ... ... Placing blame on a diabolical entity lurking in the shadows, risks diverting attention from our own propensity to rebel and destroy. “The devil made me do it” is a copout. ... ... “The human heart,” or the human will, remains a complex thing. ... ... This text shows us that Jesus sees clearly the ugliness of human hearts, yet he does not turn away. He sees right through our highly edited versions of ourselves, knows what lurks in our hearts, yet loves us still. ... ...

Last week, we ended the previous section of John chapter six with these two lessons: 1. Trust that God is doing something new, which human circumstances cannot undermine or negate. 2. Submit everything, even our highest-stake issues and our most pressing concerns, to Jesus. Be less concerned about what we do, and more open to what God is doing. It sounds so good. But how does it really sit with us? ... Perhaps this is what happened to the crowd with Jesus; they knew too much for Jesus’ words to ring true. Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:41). The Judeans object. They murmur among themselves. These are the insiders, the ones who know the history — they know how God does things and how things should be done. ... What does this have to do with the Bread from Heaven? The Judeans Jesus was trying to teach, could only relate to God the way their ancestors did. The old family recipe. But God was doing a new thing. Giving them a new recipe to relate to God and each other. ... A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and it can lead us to the wrong conclusions. When it comes to God, and even to the Church, we know only a little. Like all living things, the Church — and our understanding of God — continues to grow and to change. And so, to know only a little, and to think the little that we know, is all that there is to know, can be fatal. ... Jesus is not calling us to abandon our knowledge and traditions, as if they still cannot teach, help, and guide us. Jesus cautions us that our knowledge will not give us absolute answers or a foolproof plan to make things right. God’s answer is rarely to reassure us that our knowledge and understanding are correct. ... References: • Satterlee, C. (2015). Commentary of John 6:35, 41-51. Online article accessed on WorkingPreacher.com

I’m sometimes impatient with the crowds chasing after Jesus. How can people bother Jesus for another round of loaves and fishes, when Jesus is going to serve up his very life on a cross to draw all people to himself and take away our sin and the sin of the world? Like Jesus, I find myself thinking, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Humanity will give you” (John 6:27). ... Then I contemplate this story through the realities of our world. ... Some things are worth complaining to God about. Sometimes, asking God for assurance, that God is still with us, during desperate times, is understandable, even appropriate. ... This is easy to see and even easier to say because we know the end of God’s story, for us and for the world, as well as for the people in the Bible manna, quail, promised land; suffering, death, resurrection; water, word, table; abundant and eternal life. So why don’t we expect more from God? ... Jesus responds to us as he did the crowd: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom God has sent” (John 6:29). To believe is to ... ... The manna was only an appetizer for the true bread that came down from heaven, Jesus, who gives life through his teaching and his flesh, because God sent Jesus. Jesus is the ... ... When we join God, in the work God is already doing, we can and should expect more. ... References: • Satterlee, C. (2015). Commentary of John 6:24-35. Online article accessed on WorkingPreacher.com

“The Passover, the festival of the Jews was near” (John 6:4), and I imagine the minds of the large crowd following Jesus were at some level occupied with Moses. Jesus plays on the crowds’ — and our own — preoccupation for tradition for all that it is worth. ... As in the Exodus, God and God’s will are about to be revealed. ... While I am calling this series in August “the Bread of Life,” this chapter is not as much about bread, even the bread of Holy Communion, as it is about who Jesus is. Over the next five weeks we are going to dig deep into chapter six of the Gospel According to John. Hopefully together we will learn more about • What’s the lesson behind the miracle of the loaves and the fishes? • What did Jesus mean when he called himself the bread of life? • What makes Jesus the bread of life? • What does this have to say about the Communion practice we have today? Are we actually eating his flesh and drinking his blood? • Why couldn’t the disciples understand this teaching, and do we even yet understand it? • Finally, what does all this mean for us today? How should these truths, these lessons from ancient scripture impact our lives today? ... Which great people of faith come to mind for you from our faith tradition? Who might our “Moses” be? • The Apostle Paul 4 - 62 • Saint Augustine 345 - 430 • Francis of Assisi 1181 - 1226 • Joan of Arc 1412 - 1431 • Martin Luther 1483 - 1546 • Mother Teresa 1910 - 1997 • Billy Graham 1918 – 2018 • Pope John Paul II 1920 - 2005 • Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968 These people were close to God and embodied the gospel of Jesus Christ. These people did great things with God that lasted way beyond their lifetime and influenced thousands for faith in Christ. There may be others that come to your mind, that were as great for Christianity as Moses was for faith in the God of Israel. ... I cannot help but think of the church’s tendency to respond to Jesus, and the needs of the people, in terms of the amount of money it would take and the scarce resources that we possess. I am mindful that, if Jesus is testing us, and even when we know it, how often we nevertheless fail the test. ... Jesus comes across the waters as Lord and reveals himself to the disciples with the name that God gave to Moses — I am (v. 20). While Moses is God’s greatest prophet and lawgiver, Jesus is God. ... Jesus is more. I hope you’ll join us over the next few weeks to discover how much more. ... REFERENCES: • Brown, R. E. (2008). The Gospel according to John (I–XII): Introduction, translation, and notes (Vol. 29, p. 252). Anchor Yale Bible Commentary. New Haven; London: Yale University Press. • Büchsel, F. (1964–). εἰμί, ὁ ὤν. G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 2). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. • Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1). New York: United Bible Societies. • O’day, G. R. (1994–2004). The Gospel of John. In L. E. Keck (Ed.), New Interpreter’s Bible (Vol. 9, p. 595). Nashville: Abingdon Press. • Satterlee, C. (2015). Commentary of John 6:1-21. Online article accessed on WorkingPreacher.com

“What do you need?” This is such a direct and vulnerable thing to ask. It isn’t a limiting question like, “Would you like me to make you a casserole?” It is open-ended, and when we offer this question to another, we don’t know how they’ll respond. In our reading, Paul responds with needs, wants, and a desire for justice. The list is long, both in things that Paul wants brought to him and in wrongs he needs to name. Paul offers us a moment of intense humility as he opens himself up to share what he needs. The grievances, … the stuff—all of it is important. ... I believe the foundational need of this text is the need for forgiveness. Forgiveness transforms Paul’s life. It enables him to seek companionship and comfort instead of vengeance, and it is the essence of the message he carries. In receiving forgiveness, reaching out for companionship, and letting go of guilt and resentment, he is free. ... When we ask people about their needs, it’s a special thing. I would say a sacred thing because it can connect us into a deeper relationship with one another. Because on both sides of the question, the one asking and the one receiving the question, there is intention and consent. ... Of course, we want things to be beautiful and wonderful and safe. We want folks to have health and well-being and all the good things. But sometimes we’re just not in a place to be able to do those. But it shouldn’t stop us from stepping in with intention and faith to lean in and to connect with one another and to ask, “What do you need?”

When we gather together, we are quick to wave and say hello, to comment on the weather, to make small talk and show hospitality; but how often do we go below the surface? How often do we sit next to the same people, week after week, oblivious to the things they might be carrying inside? My friends, I believe God wants a deeper connection for us than that. ... I’ve been meaning to ask but I haven’t— • Because it’s hard. • Because I want to say the right thing. • Because I’m not sure what you need. ... I’ve been meaning to ask, so I’m sorry for my silence. • Forgive me. • Show me where it hurts. • Let’s start again. ... This week’s question implies that all of us have known pain and suffering. This series came with a video from the Rev. Brittany Fiscus-van Rossum that I feel called to share with you. As I was preparing for this week, my words fell short compared with the message from the Holy Spirit I received listening to her. My prayer is that it touches your heart as well. ... How many of us are hurting in silence, hiding our pain because we believe it to be shameful? • Maybe we have been taught that certain afflictions are not for polite company, and we have learned the painful, practiced art of smiling even when we hurt. • Maybe our pain has been invalidated or ignored so many times that we begin to believe there truly is something disgraceful about our feelings or experiences. • Maybe it feels easier to bury our emotions for fear of how they will be perceived. ... Family of faith, in the journey to love and care for one another, we are bound to make mistakes. Fortunately for us, we worship a God who showed us how to love, and who extends grace to us when we fail to do so for others. So, hear and believe the good news of the gospel: • We are seen. • We are heard. • We are loved. • We are forgiven. Thanks be to God for this endless grace.

The book of Job asks the question “Why does God allow the innocent to suffer?” This happens through a conversation between Job, his friends, and God. Job 2:11-13 demonstrates a rare moment of empathy from Job’s friends. At this point in the story, Job has lost his children, his wealth, and his health, all while basically being a good guy. In popular culture, we sometimes hear someone say, “the patience of Job;” meaning Job is a great example of patience. However, what he actually represents is someone who doesn’t give up on God — despite his massive amounts of suffering. He does question God, however, and begs God to address his case and find out why he suffers so. ... The West Wing is one of my favorite shows from the early 2000’s. They never shied away from the big issues in life. War, death, capital punishment, alcoholism, disease…they took on pretty much everything. What has always struck me about the show is not merely that they chose to face these issues head on but that they did so with honesty and compassion. In the Christmas episode of the second season, they took on mental health challenges and struggling through difficult seasons in life. This conversation is one of my favorite pieces of dialogue on the show and is a great example of empathy in action. ... Let’s get back to Job and the pit he is in. Just as Job’s friends initially serve as a prime example of empathy, once the seven days are up and they open their mouths, we learn what empathy is not. ... First, we practice empathy for ourselves. We examine and sit with our own feelings without judgment or fixing them. We simply accept that we have them. As we feel the feelings, we begin to understand what we need in order to refill. An empty cup cannot pour out for others!

You can hear the anguish in the psalmist voice. Things in his or her life are not going well and haven’t been for a while. Tradition has it that the author of this Psalm is David, who was “a man after god’s own heart,” according to the Scriptures. If you read the whole psalm, he’s calling out to God for rescue, even saying in verse 5; “into your hands I commit my spirit.” Still, in all this anguish, the psalmist does his best to place his trust in the Lord and show gratitude for the Lord’s protection from his perceived enemies. He almost sounds a little paranoid, saying, “terror on every side,” and all his friends and neighbors talking about him in contempt and dread. I can relate. --- --- When I announced this series, I heard some people asking what is “Mental Health,” so let’s start there: Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. We all need to pay attention to our mental health, just like we do to our physical health. Sometimes, you’ll hear the term mental illness, and it sounds scary. It doesn’t have to be. --- --- It can give us great comfort to know that our sacred text gave voice to the feelings that too many of us have. That the psalmist was willing to share the authentic truthfulness of his own struggles. It gives us some strength in our own experience, and offers us encouragement to share, in appropriate and healthy ways, our story, with the hope that it might be helpful to others. It gives us hope. If it was David, who wrote that Psalm, we know God used this scared, flawed, depressed human to lead his people. --- --- The church needs to be a place, where people can safely and appropriately share their story and experience an expression of welcome. I believe we need to be a place of compassion and non-judgmental support as they go through their trial of mental illness, We are not created to fight this battle alone – we are created to be present with each other in such times. --- --- Over the next couple of weeks, we will explore one facet that will help us all, help each other more effectively. Empathy. Next week, we’ll talk about what Empathy is and what it is not. The week after, we’ll talk about seeing through someone else’s eyes. Each other’s, and most importantly Jesus’ Along the way, we’ll learn to recognize some early warning signs of mental health challenges. And some ways to maintain our own positive mental health. ---