Church of the Ascension

In our relationships, whether with God or with one another, it’s essential that we focus on celebrating the good, not just condemning the bad. While we may not agree with the choices others make, we are still called to celebrate their return when they turn toward righteousness. Just like I learned to celebrate Banshee’s return, despite her stinky misadventures and no matter how much I disagree with her choice to roll in dead fish, we are invited to celebrate the return of others to the love of God.

Empathy is the gift God gives to us to care for one another. It is the part of the divine that connects us to God and one another. It is the reason Jesus weeps when he feels the pain and sorrow of Martha and Mary after their brother Lazarus dies. It is the story he tells of the Good Samaritan. It is the repentance he calls the Jews to, who are concerned about the Galileans who Pilate has murdered or those who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them. It is the strength he relies on to climb on a cross and die for our sufferings.Empathy is not a sin, nor is it a weakness. Sin divides us from God and one another. Empathy is a divine gift that draws us closer to one another and a strength that draws us closer to God

"God chose to be our mother in all things, and so made the foundation of his work, most humbly and most pure, in the Virgin’s womb. God, the perfect wisdom of all, arrayed himself in this humble place. Christ came in our poor flesh to share a mother’s care. Our mothers bear us for pain and for death; our true mother, Jesus, bears us for joy and endless life. Christ carried us within him in love and travail, until the full time of his passion. And when all was completed and he had carried us so for joy, still all this could not satisfy the power of his wonderful love. All that we owe is redeemed in truly loving God, for the love of Christ works in us; Christ is the one whom we love."

In the temptation story we read today, the devil shows up and starts tempting Jesus—first with food, then with power, and finally with God himself.  The interesting thing is that these temptations are not about doubt or losing one’s faith but about gaining something.  In that something, they are ideological in nature. 

Shining that light may not be east—it can be threatening and cause other people to respond with fear. But shining the light of Christ also inspires awe. As people of God, we are called to shine the light of God in this world just as the sun shines upon us. So that by it, we might see and maybe inspire others to see as well.

Perhaps, when we see Jesus’ instructions this morning in anew light, as tools for building community, we can begin to see them as offering us a new way of being—one where we are not taken advantage of but a new way of being in community that calls us to a radical way of love.

The blessings and woes are not two sides of a game of Red Rover in which one side might win over the other. They are not about dividing us or what will happen to us after we die. They are about how we see one another and how we lift up one another in this life, in act four—the life of the church—the body of Christ.

It may seem easier to be a king and have unlimited power, but the temptations are not that different. Just as real ordinary people struggle with their own distractions and idols, so do those with power—maybe even more so—placing their idols before God. The true challenge of following Jesus is about whether we will succumb to our idolatrous cravings be they success or power or control or wealth or security or whatever or will we respond faithfully to God’s call to come and follow him.

This is the Great Commission, and now that they will know we are Christians by our love. God is telling us what to do. Jesus shows us who we are. That we are the beloved creations of God and now we are called to go and build his kingdom, that community of one purpose called to love each other and him.

Love is not about winning or losing, right or wrong. It is about being connected. We have a choice--we can stone one another or we can love one another.

Jesus’ mother asks him to do something about the lack of wine, but this sign has a greatness that invigorates our hope and reminds us of who God is in the world. It is not simply about provision; it is about the promise of salvation. The promise of a God of abundance and joy. A God who will never abandon us. A God whose signs can lead to our renewed faith and trust in him. Jesus did this, the first of his many signs, and the disciples believed in him.

Parents will always seek their children. Prophets will always seek hope. Shepherds will always seek wonder. And wise men still seek Him. Amen.

While he may have a very unique way of saying it in Luke’s Gospel, John is telling us that joy can be found in our relationships with one another. That our ultimate joy is to be found in Jesus and that it will be through him and his saving acts in the world that we will become the best versions of ourselves. This happens because God chooses to become one of us and to walk with us building a new community with us. This is certainly good news and something to celebrate with a pink candle this Advent season and be joyful about.

That is what true stewardship is—sacrificial giving that leads to a transformed lives…to a transformed world. We do that through first fruits, proportional giving that hurts only enough to make us feel good. We might have to put our plans on hold just as George Bailey did, but when we remember our blessings—when we know that they are the way we are preparing for the Lord—then we too get to proclaim, “It’s a wonderful life.”

What Jesus did on the cross and in the sending of the spirit, changed our relationship with God. Our relationship has undergone a paradigm shift and God’s resting place has moved from the temple and into our hearts. We no longer need to search for the house of God because God now resides in our hearts. We find God when we gather for worship and fellowship.

Be kind to one another this week and in the weeks to come because our true hope does not rest in the outcome of an election, but in the moments that testify to God—the promise of the heavenly banquet, the assurance that God will wipe away every tear, and the hope of resurrection. If more of us remembered this, we might find ourselves sharing the same memes on our social media feeds in pursuit of the same joys—love God, love your neighbor, love yourself. 

The sacrament of Confession and absolution is all about reconciliation and restoration of relationship. God calls us to do this hard work, as he gives us the love and the tools to do it. It’s not easy work but it is necessary work if we are to live into Jesus’ commandment to love God and love our neighbor’s as ourselves and to grow God’s kingdom in the here and now.

God does not order the world so that he or the divine beings might subjugate humanity—the world is ordered so that we might find our place and purpose in creation. Eisenhower would joke that calvary men believed that most horses were better than most humans and he noted that when teaching skills to a horse and helping it develop confidence, you need the same patience and kindness as when you are teaching humans. That is servant leadership and it is a reflection of a well ordered life because it understands a well ordered world. When we understand our place in the order of creation is a place of servanthood then we can embrace God’s call to us as stewards with humility and trust

Joshua and John may have been balancing energy in their moments, but they will become reinforcing energy and in so doing they discover that, in broadening the vision, they help to build up a kingdom of God that is built on invitation, inclusion, and empowerment of all people. They are no longer a victim of their balancing energy, but a joy and vitality in their reinforcing energy.

Most if not all of us find ourselves at different points in our lives not focused on God like we feel like we should be. That is the beauty in God’s grace that he is constantly calling out to us. For me personally I usually do not recognize when it is happening that God is doing something in my life. It requires reflection on my part, looking back as I take stock of where I am. Cursillo is very much one of those moments for me. Growing in friendships and relationships especially in my relationship with God and understanding just how loved by him I am.

Kings and dictators, presidents and prime ministers—the world has seen its fair share come and go.  A few of them have been notable, many have not, some have even brought great tragedy and destruction and, yet, the world continues, the sun rises and falls, the seasons change, and humanity moves forward.

As Episcopalians and most importantly as Christians let us remember that our traditions and our form of worship is a gift from God as we have received them and that they call us into community, and they call us into relationship. We give thanks so that we may come to God’s table together so that we may come to communion together.

Jesus and Judas. We don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the relationship between the two of them but maybe if we did, we might rethink how we profess our faith. It is not enough to be Jesus at church if we discover we are Judas in the world.

The letter to the Ephesians encourages the house churches there to build one another up as they are members of one another.  I can’t help but wonder if it is the building up of one another—embracing their identity as God’s beloved children—that evangelizes this community that had been so dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis.  Those who had caused riots when Paul visited, driven by their anger and bitterness and malice do not win in the end.  God does.  And God wins because his children embrace their true identity in Christ and live in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 

When we come saying, “Sir, give us this bread always,” do we know what we are asking? Our journey will not always be easy. Our “teams” do not always enjoy that success, that brings us joy and elation. But when our journey is grounded in a sense of community and belonging, we find that we experience a fullness that satisfies us because all that is required is faith in our God, faith in Jesus. It is this faith that will feed us and sustain us

What are we pouring ourselves into? Who are we feeding? Are we seeking God’s grace or glory? We are God’s beloved creation made in his image. We are called to reflect his love into the world. We don’t get it right all of the time but that is why we are offered grace and forgiveness and the chance to try all over again to be representatives of God’s love in the world today.

Embracing the disorder instead of resisting it offers us an opportunity into the reordering of our lives through Jesus Christ—and when our reordering is centered on God, then it will be a righteous reordering.

If we are following a god to prosper us as individuals or even as a nation, then we are following a false god.  Our God is a god of hope and peace and love for all mankind.  Our common humanity is rooted not in our prosperity but in our suffering and our desire to be free from that suffering is a desire every human being on this earth holds in the depths of their heart of hearts. 

When do we not let go of our preconceived notions of people and let those notions get in the way of our relationships with others? What are we missing out on because of our unwillingness to believe that God can work wonders in our lives and those we have met along the way?

Learning to trust God and giving things up to Jesus requires practice on our part. I don’t know if we ever get it right, but maybe that is the point. We are supposed to keep trying and maybe just maybe we get a little bit better with each try.

As Christians, if we are in Christ, we must choose differently—we must walk by faith not knowing where the path ahead may lead us and yet trusting that God will never lead us astray.

We cannot travel this world putting our own needs or expectations first because we believe we have a right to something and then wonder why the world seems so dark and broken.  As Christians we cannot be entitled travelers, but instead we must embrace our responsibilities as brothers and sisters and mothers to all whom we meet. 

The sabbath is a gift that gives us the opportunity to reevaluate relationships. Jesus is not saying anything new this morning, he is just challenging us to reevaluate our relationships. How do we feel when Jesus runs roughshod over those things we find in our lives that we thought were definitive of how Christians are supposed to act?” I find it challenging at first but in the end, I find myself loved up to a place of joy filled grace that leaves my heart full, and my soul refreshed.

When we know that love, when we live that love, then our worries can cease because we will know with every atom of our beingness that “every little thing’s gonna be alright.”

As we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit on this day what are the stars of distraction in our lives and who are the Northern Lights that guide us?  Who are those steady presences in our lives who visibly manifest the Holy Spirit to us? Who draws us into community and how do we open our hearts to these new gifts of relationship?

Every day, every moment of our lives we have a choice to follow the path of the happy or that of the wicked.  To choose the path of the happy is not to choose self-fulfillment or prosperity or wealth—we will not be happy simply by getting what we want.  To be one of those who are “happy” only happens when we choose to connect to the source of life…when we choose God. 

Peter’s love for Cornelius can only be mimicked by us when we love the other—one who is different from us in race, socio-economic condition, position, influence, whatever the criteria might be.  When we can see the other, not through our differences but in how we are the same, we can discover how to love them. 

To bear fruit is to act in love, which is always a communal act and to live as a branch is to live in a community shaped by love. In order for us to take our place in this relationship we must find our own seedpods and withering flowers that must be removed so that our energy might flow into those efforts and more importantly into the people that we are being called to serve and that we are being called to love. Let us find comfort in this season of pruning and deadheading as a time when beauty and love are revealed in the channeling of our energy toward one another.

When we stop objectifying God and focus on God as the subject of our lives, we discover that our relationship with God and one another deepens—not just with family and friends, but with stranger, with those who are the other, who understand the world in vastly different ways than we do.  We stop seeing God as a good shepherd and start experiencing life in the flock in which our shepherd is willing to lay down his life for us. 

We can take comfort in knowing that Jesus is with us and that when two or three are gathered in His name, He will be in the midst of them. We help each other to seek and to see Jesus by helping each other to be Jesus in the world. Fear never has the last word because fear is born out of isolation and when we invite our Lord into the middle of our messy lives, we are simply acknowledging what has always been and what we should always know and that is that God is always with us.

"Life is short and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of the faithful, so be swift to love and make haste to be kind and go in peace to love and serve the lord."

On Good Friday God, clears out our hearts and minds and begins the task of renewing and reestablishing his relationship with man. God knows that we too like those old houses need a little bit of love. God has humbled himself and taken on flesh in Jesus and will now establish that new relationship with man. A relationship grounded in love and grace that no one can break and that is forever life-giving.

We tell the story of salvation and freedom and promise, and just as the story of the Passover begins with bitter herbs, our story of the Passion begins in that same bitter place.  The ugliness of captivity is not simply the story of the oppressor and the oppressed, it is the story that lays claim upon our own hearts when we are imprisoned by fear and anger and suffering.  It is the story of what Judas would do.

We are all the beloved creations of God made in his image. In our Baptismal Covenant we commit to serving Christ in all others. That is an unqualified statement making no distinction between anyone. We are stronger together and meant to be one body loving God and each other.

The eyes of blessing and judgment gaze upon us, into us, and we are known by God at our most basic sense as an expression of God’s own love.  This is the Pantocrator—the all-powerful—the one who will hesitate a moment in his ego and respond from his soul as the two become one unity, ordered in the divine/human offering he makes for us. 

We have been reflecting on what sources of technology we use, why we use them and then trying to moderate our engagement with our screens or other tools of technology. Now at this midpoint in our journey we will begin to look at ways to improve our relationships with those tools.

We have no power in ourselves to help ourselves—but we can choose to focus on God and call upon him for our protection and defense such that our souls may not be hurt or assaulted.