A Fresh Start

March 24^th, 2019          “A Fresh Start”     Rev. Heather Jepsen

Luke 13:1-9 with Isaiah 55:1-9

         “O Jesus, why did those people suffer?”  That is the question that appears to have been brought to our Lord this morning.  And I am afraid to say that Jesus does not give us an answer to this age old question of humankind.  Instead he reminds us that our time is short, and that we should be ready for our own end at any time.  It is a dark picture that offers little comfort – but nonetheless is suited to our season of Lenten repentance.

         Some from the crowd approach Jesus telling him about some Galileans who were killed by Pilate in the temple.  Their very own blood even mixed with the blood of the sacrifices they were offering, a very grave insult.  In this time, and sometimes even in ours, people assumed that those who suffered did so because of something they had done wrong.  It is not as big of a leap as it seems at first.  Surely God would not let the innocent suffer; therefore those who suffer must have committed some sin.  From Job to Jerusalem, from Biblical times to now we still struggle with this question. 

         If the suffering of others is caused by their sin then it becomes temptingly easy for us who have not suffered to lift ourselves up.  I am certain that some who gathered around Jesus that day were thinking pretty highly of themselves.  “I have been to the temple many a time and have nary a scratch on me, God must like me better.  What a good person I am.”  It is so much easier for us to examine and point out the sin of others rather than our own sins. 

In his book Mere Christianity, CS Lewis writes that

“The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins.  All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronizing and spoiling sport, and back-biting; the pleasures of power, of hatred.  For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become.  They are the Animal self, and the Diabolical self.  The Diabolical self is the worse of the two.”

In our story for today, Jesus’ reply offers little comfort to those asking about suffering.  But he does point out that no one should be thinking that they are a better person than any who have suffered.  Jesus says, “Were these people worse sinners than you, I don’t think so.”  He also brings in another incident, a natural disaster of sorts, when a tower fell near the pool of Siloam and killed some people there.   Jesus points out that suffering that appears to be caused by man, the political suffering of war, is no different than that caused by no one, simply a falling tower.  His hearers may have been able to point out some fault of the Galileans in the temple, who were killed by Pilate, but no one can find fault with those killed by the falling tower of Siloam, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

         I am afraid that in our text, Jesus gives no answer to the suffering of those in our world, other than to say that their actions have not caused it.  No one is more deserving of suffering than another and we all stand as sinners before God.  Not only that, but our death can come at any moment and we better hope that we are ready.  Jesus is reminding his listeners that while they have been busy judging others they themselves have fallen short of God’s glory.  That is why he calls them to repentance, to turn around and make a fresh start.

         Jesus goes on to tell the crowd the parable of the fig tree that does not produce.  At this time in the scriptures and in some places even now land was really at a premium.  No one could afford a non-producing fig tree.  The tree should be torn out, for it is using resources that can be given to a tree which will produce fruit.  The master comes and demands that the tree be removed but the gardener replies, “Let me give it extra attention, please give the tree just one more year.”

         Here we have a contrast of messages.  Jesus’ first message says repent now, for who knows when you will perish.  The second message says repent, and by God’s grace you may have yet one more year.  God is a merciful and gracious master, who will tend to us diligently in the hopes that we will finally bear fruit.  It is a message of hope; there is yet time to turn and be saved.  There is still time to make a fresh start.

         Another important part of the fig tree parable is that it is in suffering that the fig tree produces.  The soil around the tree is disturbed, perhaps cutting into some of the tender roots.  Then the tree is doused in manure.  I know that when I am in deep poop is when I often learn my best lessons.  Hardship and suffering in the fig tree parable are all about new growth and new life.  Like the fig tree, when we suffer we grow and when we suffer we are reminded of our need for God.

         In our Old Testament reading this morning from Isaiah we also find a call to repentance.  The question is simple “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”  The answer is “Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”  The message of Isaiah is that we have been chasing after the wrong things.  And like Jesus, Isaiah encourages us to repent and make a fresh start with our God.

         Like a strong rhythm, increasing in intensity, four words of the Prophet reach us – seek, call, forsake, return.  Like a theme with variations, they express one thought – an urgent invitation to the sinner to take the road back.

         All of us, by sin, have to some degree left the arms of our loving God.  But there need never be a point of no return.  At some moment grace stirs us.  Already a change of heart is bringing a change of direction.  How do we proceed?  The prophet tells us.

         Seek: The honest search for God is never in vain.  God shows us the way.

         Call: We may feel that our prayer is but a plaintive cry.  Yet ours is not a feeble call from the dark.  We call with hope, for God is near.

         Forsake: The God whom we have forsaken, whose Son felt forsaken on the cross, does not forsake us.  All God asks is that we break with the past.

         Return: the rest is easy.  The road back is shorter.  For the loving God is already coming out to greet us.  We approach without fear, for we realize that God who loves us excessively “will abundantly pardon” us.

         Today we have the joy of celebrating a baptism in community.  This is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to remember that we have sinned and that we have been washed clean by our loving God.  All of us have been given a fresh start.  Presbyterians believe that Baptism is an expression of God’s love, and that’s why we baptize babies.  God is right now reaching out in love to Hank and Gene even though they are too young to understand or respond to the love of God.  So too, God is reaching out to each of us in love, waiting for us to return and respond to God by sharing God’s love with the world around us.

         When we are baptized we unite ourselves with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We die to our old way of living and rise to a new way of life with God.  And we join the church community.  The cleansing water upon our head marks us as God’s own forever.  The baptism of children is an action for the whole church, as together we promise to raise these children in the faith.  Together, all of us, not just Daniel and Jana, agree to share the love of God with these children.  It is our collective responsibility to raise Hank and Gene in the traditions of the church and in the tradition of God’s love.

         While our lectionary reading today is a dark one it serves to remind us of the deep love of God.  When we finally stand before God, all the rankings and judgements of the world will fall away.  When we stand before God, all of us are nothing, naked and vulnerable.  We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.  And wonderfully, thankfully, God responds to each and every one of us with love. No matter how hard our life has been, no matter how much we have suffered, and no matter how many times we have failed, God responds to each of us with love.

         Today, as we gather around the baptismal font, we remember the deep love of God for us.  Today we have an opportunity to say we are sorry.  We have an opportunity to turn from our old ways and make a fresh start.  We have an opportunity to share in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And we have an opportunity to receive the grace that is offered to us and to be renewed in the Spirit of God.  God has washed us clean of our past, God has wiped away our sin, and God has given us a fresh start.  Today, let us repent, let us turn back to God in love, and then let us share that love and forgiveness with the world around us.  Praise the Lord for God’s mercy and grace.  Amen.

Mother Prophet

March 17^th, 2019             “Mother Prophet”          Rev. Heather Jepsen

Luke 13:31-35

         We continue our Lenten season with stories of Jesus in Luke’s gospel and today we find our Lord in conflict.  This isn’t a big surprise as Jesus is often in conflict.  After all, his big mouth will eventually get him killed.  Today he is up against the church and the state, the very forces which will bring about his demise.

         Lectionary readings always take things out of context so let’s take a moment and center ourselves in the text.  Jesus has set his face toward Jerusalem, knowing that the time for his suffering and death is drawing near.  As he travels the highways and byways of Israel he has been busy.  He is teaching and preaching, healing and praying.  Just before our reading he healed a woman in a synagogue on the Sabbath, a big no-no.  He’s been teaching his followers about who will be saved and saying crazy things like “strive to enter through the narrow door” and “people will come from east and west and north and south in the kingdom of God.”  (Wait, is it some of us, or all of us?)  He’s been busy telling people there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” when they realize they aren’t getting in, while others who have been last will suddenly be first. 

         None of these teachings are popular so it’s no wonder that the Pharisees are suddenly asking him to get out of town.  “Get away from here for Herod wants to kill you.”  This is no surprise really as Herod wants to kill everybody.  The Herodian family is known for its violence, from the slaughter of the innocents to the beheading of John the Baptist.  Jesus isn’t threatened and he won’t back down.  “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.”  “I’m busy man; I don’t have time for your nonsense.”  “I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside Jerusalem.”  Jesus knows his time is coming, and he knows it is not yet. 

         As usual, we are missing the background and context here.  We need to know who Herod is and we need to know who he represents so we can understand what Jesus was talking about.  To understand this, we need to go way back to Moses, remember that guy?  Moses wandered in the desert with the Israelites for 40 years and the whole time God was wandering with them.  God was there in the pillar of cloud and fire, and God was also there in the tabernacle.  It was a special tent God told Moses to make and in that tent God resided with the people.  God moved, God was on the go, and God wasn’t tied to a geographic place.

         Now fast forward to David who gets this great idea to build God a house, a temple.  God isn’t into it with David but decides to allow David’s son Solomon take on the project.  This seems like a great idea because now we have a temple for God.  But of course, we are human and it doesn’t take long for us to mess this up.  Now that God is in a place God is in a specific city, and those who are in charge of this city will start confusing their power with the power of God.  Now politics are in the mix and nothing good can come from that.  And so we have the history of Jerusalem and the prophets.  Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that houses God and kills the prophets.  Prophets who, since the time of Isaiah, have always warned about the dangerous marriage of church and state.

         In the context of our reading, Herod is the child of a church and state marriage.  The Herodian family are Jews who have signed on to the Roman program of power and oppression.  They have signed away the rights of their own people in order to gain favor with the Roman Empire.  They have vast power and wealth and they are puppets of the Romans.  They are everything Jesus, the prophet speaks against.  Of course Herod is an untrustworthy fox who wants to kill Jesus, and of course he is in league with the Pharisees.  How else could they report back to him what Jesus says?  None of this comes as any surprise.

         After declaring he doesn’t have time for such silliness Jesus then laments over the city itself.  “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!  How often I have desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”  Oh how Jesus loves the city of God.  Like a mother hen he just wants to cluck on down and cuddle those little chicks in his feathers.  Isn’t that precious?

         We don’t very often find mothering imagery for God but it is there.  In Hosea, God speaks of her protection for Israel using the imagery of a mother bear and her cubs.  In Isaiah, God speaks of Israel as a child of God’s womb who has nursed at God’s breast.  “Can a mother forget her nursing child?” the prophet asks.  Any mom who has nursed knows full well your body doesn’t let you forget your child.  The prophet tells us that so too God will remember us, God cannot forget us.  In Isaiah we also read a passage similar to Jesus’ voice here in Luke, “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

           And so Jesus is our mother hen, all feathers and cluck, all bluster and beak, like the mommas on our children’s sermon video today.  And like those mommas Jesus is all cluck in the face of danger.  He’s speaking truth to power and telling it like it is.  He’s not afraid of Herod; he doesn’t have time for that.  He’s too busy preaching, teaching, and healing.  He’s too busy crying out as a Mother Prophet, telling the people to reject the marriage of church and state, telling people to turn back to God, telling the people to make way and make room.  Just as the momma hen gathers all the chicks, Jesus is bringing them in from north and south and east and west, and we who have been first better get ready to be in the back of the line.

         As always we want to know what this scripture reading has to do with us, and this morning I am thinking about the church itself.  I think that the church itself, when it is being the true church, is a lot like Jesus the prophet and mother hen.  When the church is daring to be prophetic, when it is willing to speak truth to power, than it is the true church. 

         This is a fine line to walk as no one really likes a prophet.  There is a reason prophets always manage to get themselves killed.  No one likes to hear what a prophet has to say because a prophet calls us out for all the things we have done wrong.  And no one wants to agree with or side with the prophet because to agree with the prophet is to agree with your own condemnation.  And yet, the church is nothing if it cannot be prophetic.

         In our world today we have the same desire to marry together church and state that the Herodians did.  And it is just as dangerous a proposition.  As much as we would love it if we had more people, if we had more power, if we were more popular, that just can’t be the way that it is.  We can be speaking out against things like racism or for things like saving the environment.  The most important thing is that we are speaking out.  The job of the church is to be the Prophet Mother speaking truth to power in our world.

         Like Jesus though, this is not the church’s only job.  The church also has to be willing to be a mother hen, clucking here and there and gathering all the little chicks in.  This means the church has to be a welcoming place.  We are nothing if we are not open to everyone; we are nothing if our doors are closed.  The church should be a big fluffy hen, gathering everyone in and standing up for the littlest and weakest members.

         Today in this particular church we get to fulfill both of these roles as we welcome new members into our midst.  We get to declare the truth in the world as we speak the words of our faith.  We are turning away from sin and turning toward the love of God in our world.  And we get to express that love by welcoming a few more chicks under our wings.  This is a place of shelter and safety; this is a place that has room for everyone. This is a place for people of all ages to grow in their faith and understanding, and to grow in their love of God.  This is a church that is a mother prophet, welcoming all in the continuing struggle and journey for truth in our world.

         Jesus conflict with Herod in our reading can be a confusing thing for us to understand, but like many of our scripture readings, there is room for grace.  As Jesus laments over the city he allows that they may come to ruin “See your house is left to you.”  But he also allows space for them to come back to the mother hen instead “You will not see me until the time comes when you say ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’.”  If the city will say that when they see Jesus then they just might get it after all for some will surely believe as they cry “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

         Today, as we welcome new friends through reaffirmation of faith and baptism, let us remember what the church is called to be.  We are not called to be married to government; we are not called to be followers of this age.  Instead, we are called to be prophetic, to speak the truth to power, and to seek God’s kingdom of justice and righteousness.  And we are also called to be a place of profound welcome.  Like a mother hen gathering in all her baby chicks, may the church gather all into her sanctuary.  Thanks be to God for Jesus the mother prophet, and thanks be to God for the church that is modeled after his mission and ministry.  Amen.

The Devil Within

March 10^th, 2019          “The Devil Within”        Rev. Heather Jepsen

Luke 4:1-13

Today is the first Sunday of Lent, a time when we turn our hearts and minds toward a period of reflection.  In the church, the period of Lent lasts for forty days, which doesn’t include Sundays, leading up to our celebration of Easter which will be April 21^st this year.  The first text of the Lenten season is always the temptation of Christ which gives us an opportunity to reflect on our own experiences of temptation, as well as our own sinful nature.

This year of course, we are reading in the gospel of Luke.  As with the other gospels, in Luke Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit out into the wilderness immediately following his baptism in the river Jordan.  Jesus has been baptized by John, he has witnessed the Holy Spirit descending on him in the bodily form of a dove, and he has heard a voice from the heavens.  God has spoken and declared that Jesus is God’s beloved Son, and that God is pleased with him.  The moment of baptism is the moment Jesus is anointed to begin his ministry, but before he does that he needs to determine what his ministry will be.  That is what the time in the wilderness is all about.

Jesus spends forty days in the wilderness during this season of self discovery.  The period of forty days is meant to evoke a remembrance of the Israelite’s period of wandering in the desert forty years.  It is also the reason that our own season of Lent lasts forty days, a reflection of this time Jesus spent in the wilderness.  The wilderness itself is a common place for struggle as well as for growth and insight.  Both of which will be a part of Jesus’ experience, and both of which may play a part in our own individual Lenten journeys.

The author of Luke tells us that for forty days Jesus was in the wilderness and was tempted by the devil.  I’ve always had a hard time with this story, just as I have a hard time with any narrative that references Satan or the Devil.  You see, I’m not sure I believe in the devil.  Don’t get me wrong, I certainly believe that we are tempted in many ways during our lives.  But I have never witnessed those temptations, or any evil in the world, coming from an outside source.  All the evil I have ever witnessed comes from the hearts and actions of people.  All the temptations I have ever experienced come from within me. 

I think the devil is a scapegoat and an excuse.  If we can say “the devil made me do it” then we are no longer responsible for our own sinful nature.  But if we can admit, “I led myself astray” then we can take responsibility for our own actions, repent, and move on towards healing.  The real temptation comes from our own hearts, or the devil within. 

So, you can believe what you want about Satan and the Devil but now you know where I stand and you know where I am going with this sermon and how I am reading this story today.  If we can examine the temptations of Christ as thoughts from within his own heart instead of some outside evil force, then suddenly they become more real and applicable to our own experience today.  I love Jesus, I want Jesus to be real, I want Jesus to be fully human, and therefore I want Jesus to be really tempted like I am. 

The first temptation seems pretty straightforward.  Jesus fasted during the whole forty days and at the end of the period of fasting he was very hungry.  In the story Luke tells the devil suggests Jesus turns stones into bread.  In the story I am telling, it is easy to imagine that Jesus might come up with this idea on his own.  Jesus is hungry and this little miracle would assuage his hunger.  A big picture temptation is also clear, for if Jesus can turn a few stones into bread for himself, than he can turn every rock in Israel into bread and no one would ever go hungry again.  That would be a pretty big temptation for a Messiah.

Thankfully Jesus determines that this is not a proper use of his power and authority.  He also seems to determine that though feeding the people would be a blessing that is not the reason he has been sent as the Messiah.  Jesus knows that “One does not live by bread alone” and so he must bring salvation to the people of Israel in another way.

For Jesus’ second temptation he considers all the kingdoms of the world.  In the story Luke tells the devil promises to give them over to Jesus, if Jesus will but submit to the devil one time.  In the story I am telling, I think that Jesus faces the temptation of worshipping his own ego versus worshipping the Lord our God.  Jesus refutes the temptation with scripture, “Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” 

Personally we all struggle with the battle between our ego and our desire to serve the Lord.  Imagine what it would be like to rein your ego in if you know you are the Messiah, the Son of God!  That would be enough to cause anyone’s head to swell with pride.  I am certain Jesus was tempted to walk the path of glory instead of the path of the suffering servant.

For the third temptation, Luke tells us that the devil takes Jesus up to the pinnacle of the temple and encourages him to jump so the angels can save him.  In the story I am telling, I think that Jesus was tempted to prove to himself and to others that he was the Son of God.  He is tempted to prove his beloved status as declared at his baptism and to win the people over with amazing signs and wonders.  Nothing will catch people’s attention like legions of angels catching Jesus in the temple square.  Again, though, Jesus is able to reject the temptation, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”  Like all these temptations from the devil within, this connects to Jesus’ ego, “Just how much does God love me?”

So often we can’t connect with the stories of Jesus’ temptations, we can’t relate and they don’t feel real to us.  The devil has never visited me and asked me to do anything.  When we reconsider the temptation of Jesus, and remove the role of an outside tempter, devil, or Satan, then suddenly the story becomes fresh and new.  We can understand Jesus’ time in the wilderness as a wrestling with his own ego and identity.  We can relate to this story and see that Jesus was fully human and tempted like we are.  If we struggle to tame our egos in the face of the Lord, imagine what a struggle it was for someone who thought they were the Messiah! 

Lent is a time for us to be honest about who we are and honest about our own sinful natures.  This morning, while offering a challenging new interpretation of this text, I want to also offer you an opportunity to consider all the ways you tempt yourself.  How is your ego, or the devil within you, leading you astray today?  Are you ever tempted to use your power or influence to get what you want?  Or maybe bend the rules a bit if it will help your friends or even a stranger?  All for a good cause of course!  That’s the first temptation.

  Have you ever been tempted to worship yourself or put yourself before all others?  Our American culture certainly promotes the worship of the ego!  Does your life lead others to God, or does it simply encourage others to adore you?  I can imagine social media plays a role here and this is the second temptation.

We experience the third temptation anytime we desire to test God.  How do we know God is real?  How do we know God loves us?  Does God need to prove Godself to us?  If you do this for me, than I will believe in you forever.  If you heal my friend of cancer, I will be a better Christian.  If you make my child a believer, than I will devote my life to your service.  Must God earn our faith through signs and wonders, or is it something we are simply able to offer as a matter of obedience to the divine? 

Today we are gathering around the communion table, and when we celebrate here we are always called to take a moment and reflect on our own standing before God.  Today I invite you to consider all the ways your own ego has tempted you.  Instead of blaming our sin on an outside force, let us take responsibility for our own actions.  Let us admit that we have done wrong, been selfish, and worshipped ourselves, and then let us gather at the feast table with clean hearts.

         The story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness is a wonderful start for our own Lenten journey.  For forty days Jesus was tested.  It was a time of reflection and a time of spiritual growth.  We too, are entering a forty day period of reflection and growth.  The season of Lent is a time to be intentional about our actions.  It is a time to fully reflect on the ways our world and our own hearts try to lead us astray.  This is an opportunity to return to the Lord.  May God give us courage and strength, as we too face the devil within.  Amen.