A World Turned Upside Down

Third Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 35:1-10, Luke 1:46b-55; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11

[look these up on biblegateway.com or bible.oremus.org]

On the occasion of pipes in the sprinkler system freezing, bursting, and flooding our building.

Sometimes things don’t always go according to plan.

For example, you build a beautiful new church and don’t include a basement, knowing  full well the village water table issues, and not relishing those memories of flood cleanups in the old building…only to have pipes burst and walls of water coming down through the kitchen ceiling.

Ah, cleanup.

There’s also the kinds of plans every church has at Christmas, plans for holiday gatherings and receptions and the meal we were going to host this afternoon; plans for the Cantata next week--I think we were planning on having a prettier sanctuary with a bit more drywall--or at least, just plain dry walls--plans to have the general public and more visitors here in the building and really enjoy our new church home.

Ah, more cleanup!

We scrambled to reschedule some things this weekend, and I really have no doubt that the show will go on next weekend, Cantata and Christmas services alike, even though we’ll be a bit battered and rough-looking.  We are having a sort-of manger-like Christmas here, amongst our piles of things drying out and rescued from the waters and props from Christmas pageants past sitting over here and there.  We’re grateful things weren’t any worse than they are, and grateful for insurance, and so forth, and in the midst of all this, has that old saying occurred to you that when people plan, God laughs?

When People Plan, God Probably Does Laugh...

Ah.  Things had a way of not going according to people’s plans in the Bible, either.

Case in point:  Mary.  She was a young woman engaged to Joseph, and what do you normally think about when you’re engaged and planning a wedding?  Probably the dress, hair, makeup, shoes, menu: chicken or fish? ...music for the reception, the gifts…but for Mary, an angel messenger interrupts those plans and tells her that something radically different  is in store--something that means there probably won’t be a dress, hair, makeup, shoes, reception, whatever hopes and dreams and plans she had for her wedding day.  Jesus’ arrival into this world would turn everything upside down.  [Incidentally, that’s why I love the John Bell hymn, No Wind At the Window,  which is the first time I’ve seen something to say, “sorry about that wedding you were planning, Mary.”]

In the face of such shocking news, Mary could have been humiliated by the scandal;  could have agreed to be put away quietly, to live in exile.  She could let this unexpected arrival really ruin her life.  After all, isn’t that the fear and the social script we still maintain for every unexpected pregnancy to an unwed young mother?  

However, Mary does something different.  She rises to the occasion, and her response is one that both praises God and claims a vision for the future where the whole world order is turned upside down:

“My soul magnifies the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

Remember that well, when we sing the hymn following the message, this idea that the world is about to turn. [Canticle of the Turning]

Not In Soft Robes

Something interesting happens between the story of Mary’s Magnificat and the Gospel text for today.  Look this up with me in your Bibles.  In Luke, the story says Mary went to visit her aunt Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist at the time, and the baby John leapt in recognition when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, came near.  Even in the womb, there was the recognition, and John announced, or heralded, the arrival of the messiah.  Fast-forward thirty-odd years, and John is at it again, out in the wilderness, gathering followers, heralding the arrival of the messiah, whom he may or may not have seen in awhile.  Perhaps they were distant cousins.  Anyway, John has landed himself in prison, which doesn’t sound like what he’d been hoping for, and when he hears of Jesus teaching and healing, he sends word to see if this is indeed the one they have hoped for.  

We talked a few weeks ago about how the Jewish people were hoping for a king or deliverer with sufficient military power to defeat their enemies; today we hear about how the very appearance of John or Jesus may defy all expectation.  After all, neither are dressed in soft robes and lying around in palaces. And yet, that’s not really the definition of a king, of the one who will deliver the people.  Rather, Jesus points to what really matters:

“the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them” (11:5).  

The world again is turned upside down.

Be Patient; Strengthen Your Hearts

Friends, I recognize that this is the last week in the world we want to hear this Isaiah passage about springs of living water bursting forth, making the deserts bloom, of deserts becoming pools and swamps, and so on.  Good for those deserts, maybe, but we’ve had enough, thanks.

But I want to lift up the next verse in the Isaiah passage that also gets repeated in the letter of James today, because I think it’s exactly what we need to hear this week: Say to those who are of a fearful heart, "Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.

And God is here.  God is here in the midst of this mess, and really, in the midst of every mess, every disaster, every “what do we do next?” kind of moment.

James says,  8You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged.

And figuring a way out of those moments usually takes time, and a great deal of patience.   (A dose of good humor never hurts in situations like these either.)

Even babies take nine months to be born; even prophets and messiahs take about thirty years before starting their world-changing ministry; to plant and to harvest as the scriptures note today also takes due time.

Flood cleanups happen relatively quickly by comparison.

I do believe that when people plan, God laughs, but I don’t think it’s too often a harsh, mocking, humiliating laughter.  I tend to think of it as more of a loving, good-natured chuckle.

Even at Christmas, things can get turned upside down.  Dinner gets burnt, holiday gatherings get snowed out, or flooded out, and all the like.  We can let it get the best of us, or we can rise to the occasion.  At Christmas, we can find our outlook transformed by hope, peace, love, and joy.  After all, this time of year we remember more than ever, that the blind may see, the deaf hear the lame walk and the dead rise again.  God’s grace is in the turning, a grace that sends us for a loop, and by which we might see everything in a new light.  Thanks be to God!

Prayers this week:

For those in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, under a foot of snow --beautiful but dangerously cold for those who have no heat; and the deep floodwaters in Gaza that cause harm to so many

For all who struggle in the cold and snow

For all who have empty hands and empty stomachs

For all who seek a welcoming home for the holidays

Youth Moment: Just Like Ketchup...

Have you ever thought much about ketchup?  Go to your fridge and get a bottle out if you can.  What kind of bottle is it?  Is it the squeeze variety?  Do you remember back to the old glass bottle kind?  Yeah.  Squeeze bottles are much easier:  you squeeze, and you get your ketchup.

Lots of adults remember the old glass bottles.  You tip them upside down to get the ketchup....and wait....and wait....and wait....then you try to help things along, maybe by patting the bottle or shaking it, or getting a knife up in there to get it down....and wait some more.....and wait again....and eventually you'll get your ketchup, hopefully before your fries get cold!  

Heinz actually capitalized on this phenomenon of waiting for the ketchup to come out with its advertising slogan, "Good things come to those who wait."  And they do, but it's not just passive waiting.  After all, if you get your ketchup bottle out of the fridge and just set it on the table and wait, you're not going to get any ketchup.  You've got to at least open the bottle and turn it towards your food!  

And sometimes it's the same with wanting to work for justice, or for a better world.  God has given us every good thing in this world, and has equipped us with minds and spirit and skills in order to do good in this world. And God loves us the same, whether we do good things or don't.  However, if we just sit around waiting hoping that good might be done, maybe not all that much good will result.  Sometimes, when folks need our help, we have to do what we can, even when it's only a little bit that we can do, to make the world just a little bit better than it was.  And when we each do what we can to share things like love, hope, joy, and peace in our world, then our world becomes a more, loving, hopeful, joyful, and peaceful place for all people, including us!

The scriptures for today teach us about the importance of being persistent in doing good, even when things are difficult for us.  And even in those times that are difficult, we are reminded that we are not alone, because God is with us, and sends the Holy Spirit to help guide us.  This helps us to follow in Jesus' footsteps as disciples, which is not always an easy task.

Scripture Readings (look them up on biblegateway.com)
Jeremiah 31:27-34; Psalm 119:97-104; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8

Seriously: Be Annoying for Jesus! (A Children’s Sabbath Sermon)

Jeremiah 31:27-34; Psalm 119:97-104; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8

(look these up at bible.oremus.org or biblegateway.com)

Friends, today in the life of the church, we observe the Children’s Sabbath, a time to lift up the needs of children in our churches, communities, and world.  This year, the organizers want us especially to raise awareness of the fact that every half-hour in our country, a child is injured by gun violence.

Click here to see a video on the work of the Children's Defense Fund.

I find that an especially difficult reality--as a pastor, as a parent, just even as a decent human being who wants decent, peaceable childhoods for all children everywhere.

We know how most of it happens, we hear about it in the news, whether it happens at school, on the streets, or in their own homes, whether it’s accidental or intentional.  It is very, very hard news to hear.

And I think when we hear difficult realities like this, it can be really hard to see any hope for things to be any different.  It all seems so overwhelming, doesn’t it?  What can be done to really put a dent in a statistic like this?  Is it all hopeless?

Ah.  And while we’re at it, let’s talk about all these special-themed Sundays we’ve been having as good Presbyterians, to raise our social consciousness, in these past several weeks surrounding the Peacemaking Offering.  It all does get a bit overwhelming, doesn’t it, to hear about domestic violence, human trafficking, global warfare, massive poverty, natural disasters, and so forth.  What are we to do with all of that?  Perhaps also as good Presbyterians, we can call on that first “T” in TULIP, that yes indeed, the world seems totally depraved, and I dunno, does it seem like we really can’t begin to do anything to change a whole wide world gone wrong?

I know, I hear ya.  I feel the same way often enough.  I find myself asking in all of this, sometimes even just getting bogged down in the preaching of it all, wondering, “Where is the hope?  Where’s the joy?  Where’s the peace?  Where’s the love?  And, Where’s the good news?”

And then I go home to my kids.  That’s what I do, when I can’t take another minute of bad news.  

My kids, they’re little.  They don’t know a big bad world out there full of danger, like we too-often do.  They’re joyful.  They are hopeful.  They are loving.  Sometimes they’re even peaceful!  But seeing my kids and spending time with them, is always, good news.

Now, I’ll admit as a parent, sometimes my kids are annoying!  Sometimes they’re hanging off my arm saying mommy, mommy, mommy...But it’s generally for good reasons--like they need food or want to cuddle, or just to know something more about this world we live in, because they are imbued with a spirit of wonder.  Sometimes we’re in the car and they’re pointing out the stars or the cows or the beautiful fall leaves, and I remember, God has created a good and glorious world.

And I think when we do spend time with children, even with their persistent questions, we do ourselves recapture a sense of that wonder in the world--we are encouraged, and see everything around us with new eyes again. I find a great deal of hope and joy in those moments.  These moments are reminders of God’s irresistable grace: grace that has the power to overcome all sin, to work in every heart, to bring healing and wholeness even in the midst of pain and brokenness.

And those moments give me the courage to be persistent in this big world, persistent in seeking justice and peace, persistence in showing love in places love is needed, persistence in doing even just the little bits that I can to make a better world for my kids and the kids around me.  I can’t do it all, but I can do something to make the world a better place, that at least in the spaces around me, people might be able to see hope, joy, peace, love and goodness in this world.

In the Gospel today, the widow doesn’t get justice because the corrupt judge finally becomes un-corrupt and sees the light.  She gets justice because she is persistent.  She annoys the judge into doing justice.  Sure, it’s a partial victory of good over evil, but it still counts!  In the Psalm we hear how persistent study of the Scriptures brings sweetness and wisdom into our lives.  In the letter to Timothy we hear Paul telling to be persistent in everything he learned from childhood, not to let go of it in the midst of so many complicated adult realities in this world.  And in Jeremiah we hear that even in the worst of circumstances, God is still persistent with us, still sowing seeds of peace, love, hope, joy, and goodness.  God will be our God, and we will be God’s people.

So, Presbyterians, I realized here I just did preach a sermon on TULIP, and in case you forgot your confirmation classes, let me put it this way:  Yes, there’s some really bad stuff in the world, and to an extent, some of it’s always going to be bad.  And we can’t fix it all.  But God’s grace and goodness, wherever we might find reminders of it--in spending time with children, or seeing it in each other’s faces, or even in the wonder of creation around us--that gives us what we need to persevere as the saints of God, spreading a message of hope, joy, peace, and love, in a world that so often needs it.  Thanks be to God for the children in our lives, in our churches, in our communities, and in our world.  Let us not give up but persevere, that they may know peace and love, and we might know hope and joy.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

And this next hymn, is full of just such childlike wonder about our world.  I think you’ll enjoy it, it’s called God, the Sculptor of the Mountains.

Prayer Requests:

For children everywhere, that they may live in peace, surrounded by love, filled with hope and joy, and that we may find ways to help them to do so.
For all who work with children, be they parents and grandparents, teachers or childcare providers, that they may have passion and patience in all they do.

Parting Words (Mothers’ Day; Ascension)

Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47, Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:44-53

This is my last planned Sunday in the pulpit before maternity leave, which is oddly appropriate since it’s also Mothers’ Day.   I want to tell you one story about preparing my family for the new baby:  I was snuggling with Sophie (my 3 year old) earlier this week and asking her if she remembered how we went to the hospital a year or so ago to get Sam.  She said yes.  I explained that when [Maya] was ready, we’d go to the hospital and get her too, but only when she was ready--and we wouldn’t know when to go until she was ready!  Sophie repeated, “when Maya is ready, we go to the hospital.”  Wow, Good, I thought.  She understands.

Twenty minutes later, after breakfast, Sophie stands up from the table, looks at me and says, “I’m ready, let’s go to the hospital!”  She looked at me like, “what are you waiting for?”  But, as we all know, it just isn’t up to her or me!

Pregnant Expectations: Patience and Waiting

If we can understand a child’s impatience to see her new sister, or even if we know the feeling of waiting for a baby to be born and not quite knowing when--which I know is a theme for many families in our church this spring and summer--then maybe we can understand how the disciples felt, standing on that hill on Ascension Sunday.  Jesus told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Holy Spirit, which would come to them, “not many days from now.”  And the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”  They really were anxious to know--not only when they would see Jesus again, but also when the world would be made just, when the Roman military would be gone from their country and they’d be in charge again.  A lot was wrapped up in their expectations of what was coming next.  So we can understand their disappointment when Jesus told them, “It is not for you to know the times which the Father has set by his own authority.”

Still, there was something in store for them as they waited.  Jesus also said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Basically, they will be given an incredibly important and massive task.  This seems like a lot of news to absorb, so we can understand why they all stood there gaping when Jesus then is lifted up to heaven and out of sight!  

Same Story, Way Different Endings: Choose Your Own Adventure?

Now, I want to back-track for a moment, because maybe you noticed that there were two Ascension stories read this morning.  I would like to point out that they were even written by the same author--the same guy wrote both Luke and Acts, which are really to be read as Book One and Book Two.  Luke covers what Jesus did, and Acts covers what the disciples did, and this story sort of overlaps.  However, did you notice the difference in how the story ends?  In Luke, the disciples hear what Jesus has to say and head on down the mountain worshipping God and with great joy and spending all their time in the temple blessing God.  But in Acts, the ending changes, and the same disciples are just dumbfounded that Jesus has left after giving them this huge task, so much so that two angels come and say, “What are you waiting for? He’s gone, and he’ll come back when he’s ready!”

To be honest, if I put myself in their shoes, I’d be more like the second version.  And I might be thinking, ‘And you want me to do what?  And you want me to do it how?’  

As one of my colleagues put it recently, this sounds an awful lot like the day you learn to ride your bike without training wheels.  Sure, you’ve gotten good at it with the supports there, but this is a major step.  There is a real risk of falling, or failing.  And yet, we’re not entirely powerless--just as Jesus says, the Holy Spirit will give the disciples power to be witnesses, even to the ends of the earth.  It is not a hopeless task for people abandoned by God.  Although Jesus had physically disappeared from their sight, the Holy Spirit was still present, equipping them to make a difference in the world.  And certainly the Holy Spirit is present with us now, whether we realize it or not, equipping us also to make a difference in the world!  This is a good reason to go out with joy, and whether here or anywhere, to continually bless and praise God.

Go, My Children, With My Blessing:

I’d like to take a moment and talk about this blessing, which is a word used throughout the scriptures today.  Jesus is blessing the disciples, the disciples are blessing God--at least in one version of the story; and Paul writes to the church at Ephesus, which is in Turkey, that he does not cease to give thanks for them.  Everyone is blessing one another, or giving thanks or praising them, and that’s kind of neat.  And also I think kind of essential for everyone keeping up each others’ spirits in the work that they are doing.  I might also say that I wonder what Jesus was thinking in that moment of taking leave.  After all, he knew the disciples, probably knew well that dumbfounded look, knew what hijinks they had been up to before and what mistakes they might make in the future.  Still, he blessed them, and commended the Holy Spirit to them to help them--as human as they were, and with all their foibles.

Which brings me back to us here in this church.  Just as the scripture has a lot of parting words, I suppose at least for a time, I have a few parting words about the next few weeks of my leave.  You’ll probably still see me with our family on Sundays, though we’ll be hanging out in the back pew.  I give thanks for all the people who will lend a hand while I’m taking time to focus on our family, because I know that the church is in good hands, between the Session, and Pastor Nancy who is coming to help, and with the Deacons, and in the office with Priscilla and Sue and Dave and Marge.  I know that during this time, I’ll get to experience our church from a different view, and hear someone else preach, and those will both be blessings to me.  There will be some days when I’m away--for example, one weekend I’m co-presiding at my best friend’s wedding in Chicago; another Sunday I’m accepting an invitation to visit our neighbors over at Hillcrest [Bible Church, also here in Oregon].  If we’re up to it, I might even spend one Sunday back at my home church in Iowa.  These opportunities to be in different places are also blessings to me.  We’ve got plenty of plans for when I get back to work, what with camp and the mission trip and even the Mallards game, and those are all exciting as well.  But whether I am away or I am here, I give thanks always for you, because I know of your faith and your love in this congregation, and I know that the Holy Spirit is with you in all your efforts to serve the Lord.  Let us bless one another and give thanks for one another, knowing we are not alone in our tasks, but continually aware of God’s presence.  And let us go forth from this place in joy.  Amen.

There But For the Grace of God...

Isaiah 55:1-9; Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9

This is an excellent resource on prayers celebrating the gifts of women in the church:  http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/pw/pdfs/2013_celebrate_the_gift.pdf

Today’s Scriptures offer some difficult stories, and show us that the questions people had for Jesus back in his time, are not so very different from the questions of faith which we hold deeply today.

Today we have stories of people suffering and being struck down, stories warning us to be mindful of our own morality, and how not to end up like those other folks.  And maybe these days, we might have a question in our minds of just how troubling these stories can be.

When Bad Things Happen To Good People*

In the Gospel story, people are asking Jesus the fundamental question, Why did these bad things happen to these people? After all, they suffered unspeakable acts when the local dictator killed people trying to practice their religion.  And we hear from the people an even deeper suspicion then than now that might those who suffered might have deserved it; morality, etc.  Yet Jesus reminds them that the people who suffered are no better or worse than anyone else.  Simply put, tragedy is not God’s punishment for sin.  That’s pretty radical talk, and often overlooked.  And Jesus goes on to say that trying to insulate ourselves from the bad which has happened to others, is more likely to lead us on our own short-sighted paths to destruction.

And in Paul we hear phrases that are so often misinterpreted by people trying to comfort others going through suffering.   But what does it really mean to be tested?  And that phrase that God never gives us more than we can handle--not actually what Paul says--says that everyone faces tests; rather; God gives a way out somehow, and that is what allows us to endure a situation, because there is some glimmer of hope.  And that way out may entail some extremely difficult choices.

It’s important to realize when reading this passage that Paul is trying to coerce the “know it alls” at Corinth, who think that they’re better than others and can get away with doing things that cause others to stumble, because they’re invincible.  Paul is warning them that they’re just as human and just as vulnerable as anyone else.  

When we see someone else who is suffering, we have this saying, “There but for the grace of God go I.”  It’s supposed to be a sympathetic phrase, that we could just as likely be the one suffering as the person we’re observing.  But it’s not really God’s grace that allowed us to live a more privileged or less harrowing life than someone else.  And it doesn’t mean that God didn’t extend grace to a person who is suffering.  Instead, I think the more appropriate questions are:  How much grace does God extend to us?  And, How much grace do we need to extend to each other?

Women, Self-Righteousness, and Grace

As you’ve already seen in the bulletin, this weekend of focus on the gifts of women in PCUSA, and it’s the ‘kickoff’ of sorts to our One Great Hour of Sharing.

And I’m wondering if you’ve heard the phrase, “hating on each other?”  It means to have a certain amount of self-righteousness about someone else, especially the kind that we get together in groups to express.  Well, I’m going to be honest with you, just as the Scripture stories all have people who are kind of doing this to others today, we’re pretty good at doing this as women.  If you want evidence of this today, you need look no further than the websites called “mommy blogs;” where you can hate on those who use disposable diapers, or daycare, or formula, or just parent their children somehow differently than you do.  A generation ago, before the Internet, the more familiar term was the “mommy wars”--with deeply drawn lines between women who stayed home to raise their children and those who worked outside the home.  It really is the same war, now just fought on different media.

However, as a world, we’re making a little more progress when it comes to ‘hating on,’ or blaming, women who experience domestic violence or sexual assault.  The rhetoric in this country is dying down about whether the woman in question did something to “deserve it,”  whether by wearing the wrong outfit or burning her partner’s supper--and more emphasis is being put on women’s rights not to be abused in the first place.  Yet, there is still work to be done in our society, and work to be done around the world on this very topic.  And we ourselves can probably be more helpful when talking about these things in other places by not saying it happens because the men in those countries are somehow morally or culturally inferior to the men in our own, as a result of their race or ethnicity or religion.  Perhaps when we say this, we do so in the vain hope that it will not happen to us.

And there are so many other circumstances in which women can find themselves, that we are more willing to judge or regard with disgust, rather than compassion--for example, teenage pregnancy, or prostitution.  We heap shame on women who do either of these things, while probably hoping that either situation doesn’t happen to anyone we know.  And yet, even in the Bible, God brings blessings through pregnant teens and prostitutes.  It’s not an easy life, to be sure, but we don’t need to make it harder.

Remember that phrase again, “God never gives you more than you can endure?”  Well, maybe God doesn’t, but others do?  What is harder to face, the suffering of our situation, or the stigma we receive from others?

And then, there’s the tension that exists closer to home, that might be in any of our homes, which is the tension between Mothers vs. Daughters; or especially mothers and daughters in law.  We consider ourselves lucky when a relationship is good; and almost inevitable when the relationship is not--perhaps because years of heartache are so deeply felt and remembered.  Whatever role we play, it’s easier to commiserate with our friends than to really work on the brokenness in the relationship itself.

[And let’s be honest, the world has changed and it exacerbates that tension: Everything that we thought we knew about raising children 20 or 40 years ago is considered wrong now:  should the baby always sleep on its back, or on its stomach?]

Of all the things I’ve described above, then and now, I think we do well to hear those words in Isaiah, when God says:  My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways.  The heavens are higher than the earth--well, we all know that taking the high road, and truly doing so, is hard!

And yet, we too, whether we have faced misfortune, or are tempted to judge others who have, we might know deeply the words of the Psalmist, that God’s “Steadfast love is better than life; my soul clings to you, you have been my help.”

The Outreach Factor: God Abundantly Pardons

This will be even more important for us as we seek to grow.  As Isaiah says, People we wouldn’t even consider associating with might turn to us, and when we reach out as a church to our community, we might be surprised whom we find waiting for us, if we are really practicing God’s welcome!

Why waste our efforts on anything less than what God seeks from us?  Whether cliquishness or fashion or denigrating others?

After all, God abundantly pardons.  What if the housekeeping isn’t perfect?  God pardons.  Did you make a costly mistake at work?  Have a family fight?  Did you sleep in and miss church?  God abundantly pardons.  Forgot to exercise last year?  Your Doctor might not be so understanding, but God abundantly pardons.  The point is not to give up and stop caring as if nothing matters--but at least to reduce our anxiety about failure, so that we can begin to practice love.  Begin seeing world as God sees it --and not wandering around in self-righteousness, because that is a problem.  I think we all have to be reminded of this from time to time, because it’s so easy to do, to think we’re doing it all right, we’re going to church every week, we’re watching our mouths, we’re doing a little volunteer work here and there--but it’s too easy to judge others.  We get too fixated on what others doing wrong, probably missing something looming large in our own lives.  Paul says, “If you think you’re standing, watch out that you don’t fall.  Everyone faces the same kinds of tests in this life.”

Finally, let’s go back to that fig tree in the garden.  When we’re ready to cut others down, God pleads for another chance.  When we’re the ones who feel like we’re a waste of space, God may simply have put our feet in manure a while until we are ready to thrive again!

When we have been shown such abundant grace, why wouldn’t we want to respond in kind?  Why wouldn’t we want to bear good fruit?

Tragedy is not a punishment for sin.  In judging others, we risk destroying our own lives as well as others.  God has shown us the ways of love, through extending grace to us, that we might lend our own acts of healing to a hurting world.  Go and do likewise. Amen.

*There is an excellent book by this title, authored by Rabbi Harold Kushner.  I highly recommend it.

Children’s sermon:  Why do bad things happen?

Sometimes we do things that aren’t wise, and bad things happen. If we tease someone, they might cry.  If we don’t study, we might get a bad grade.   If we let our cat out, it might get lost.  Other times, we have accidents, where we didn’t do anything wrong, but something bad happens anyway.  In Biblical days, people thought that if something bad happened to you, you must have done something wrong to deserve it. This is done to scare other people into being good, but didn’t work very well, and people were afraid.   Jesus says that this is not true, and that we should not judge people by the bad things that have happened to them, because they could happen to anyone.  Rather, we should focus on God’s love for us, trust in God, and show God’s love to other people.

Prayers:

For those recovering from stroke

For those struggling with mental health

For those struggling with addictions

For all who face abuse in their homes and families

For all who face hunger

For all women who struggle to gain access to education, work, and safety in their daily lives around the world

For the Catholic church, as they seek a new leader, that they may discern with wisdom