November 29, 2020

First Lutheran Church

November 29, 2020 + Advent 1B

“The Great O Antiphons”

Mark 13:24-37

(Jesus said:) 24“In those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

32“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

“The Great O Antiphons”

Pastor Greg Ronning

Today we begin the season of Advent, a season designed to help prepare us for Christmas, for the coming of Christ, for the reign of God’s Kingdom.  Advent is a season of hope, a season that shapes our hope, a season that gives us hope.  In – with – and through – the spiritual disciplines of Advent, we are blessed with “eyes that see,” and “ears that hear,” the coming of Christ in the past, in the future, and even now.

Today’s sermon flows from the seventh century liturgical prayers known as “The Great O Antiphons,” the prayers that gave birth to the traditional Advent hymn, "O come, O come Emmanuel.”  The context of this traditional prayer and hymn is that of a people in captivity.  The text looks back and remembers the nation of Judah and the Babylonian Captivity.  A time when God's people had lost everything and had been carried off in chains to live in a foreign land.  A time when God’s people found themselves in a deep winter of despair longing for the light of spring and a time of rebirth.  Each verse begins with the exclamation “O,” emphasizing the deep longing in our hearts, the great desire for freedom, for light to shine in the darkness, and the awe filled anticipation of God’s advent into our world.

Today we reflect on the “The Great O Antiphons,” we pray as we sing each verse of the hymn, and we open up our souls in the deep outcry - “O,” because we too are desperately beseeching Christ to break into our world.  We too are looking for God’s advent - in the midst of pandemic, economic struggles, and social unrest.  We too are seeking - freedom in a time of captivity, light in a time of darkness, and life in the midst of death.  So it is that we join the saints of God in all times and places, in this time and in this place, in the timeless prayer of every place, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to you, O Israel.

“O Come, O Wisdom from on High”

In a world filled with an overload of information, in a world filled with great knowledge, - we don’t always make the best decisions.  Too often we react in fear, too often we act from pride, too often we are anything but wise.  As individuals, as communities, as nations, as the world; we pray for wisdom on high.

O come, O Wisdom from on high, embracing all things far and nigh:

in strength and beauty come and stay; teach us your will and guide our way.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

“O Come, O Come, O Lord of Might”

In ancient days God led the faithful with a great cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night as they wandered in search of a promised land.  Along the way God gave the people the gift of the law to keep and order good life.  At Christmas the law is fulfilled in the life and teachings of Christ.  Each day and each night we pray for guidance as we begin our advent journey.

O come, O come, O Lord of might, as to your tribes on Sinai's height

in ancient times you gave the law in cloud, and majesty, and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

“O Come, O Branch of Jesse, free”

A prophecy from Isaiah, "The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new king will arise from among David's descendants." (Isaiah 11:1). The lineage, along with the hopes and dreams of Jesse, seemed dead.  Yet “the stump of Jesse” was anything but dead.  In the fullness of time a new branch appeared, and a lovely flower bloomed.  As we prepare for Christ, we are reminded that God comes to us in unexpected ways. Perhaps God is once again present for us, present with the gift of new life in our broken, forgotten, and hopeless places?  We pray for courage to look for life in the midst of death.

O come, O Branch of Jesse, free your own from Satan's tyranny;

from depths of hell your people save, and give them vict'ry o'er the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

“O Come, O Key of David, Come”

Have you ever been locked out?  Have you lost your keys?  The one who holds the keys to life and love comes to us at Christmas.  God's advent into "our life" opens the door to "our life."  God opens the door of forgiveness that sets us free from sin.  God opens the door of peace that gives us a new way to live and a reason to live.  The one who comes to us at Christmas holds the key.  May God grant us the courage to open new doors and embrace new possibilities.

O come, O Key of David, come, and open wide our heav'nly home;

make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

“O Come, O Dayspring, Come and Cheer”

In this season the days get shorter and the nights get longer.  And before Christmas arrives on December 25th, we must first endure the longest night of the year on December 21st.  So it is that in Advent we find ourselves living in increasing darkness.  Just as the sun is nature's source of light and life, so is Christ the source of our life.  Christ is the rising sun who brings, warmth and light to a fallen world of darkness.  We pray that in our season of darkness we might be drawn to the light of God.

O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer; O Sun of justice, now draw near.

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadow put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

“O Come, O King of Nations, Come”

Another Christmas will soon be here and still the world finds itself in great conflict.  O how we long for a king or a queen that might be different, a sovereign committed to justice for everyone, a ruler that might lead us in the ways of peace.  We pray for the coming of God’s commonwealth, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

O come, O King of nations, come, O Cornerstone that binds in one:

refresh the hearts that long for you; restore the broken, make us new.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

“In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.  He  was in the beginning with God.” …  And in the fullness of time .. “the word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory,” …. “full of grace and truth.”  And Mary named him Emmanuel, which means, “God with us.”

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,

that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

Today we begin the season of Advent, a season designed to help prepare us for Christmas, for the coming of Christ, for the reign of God’s Kingdom.  Advent is a season of hope, a season that shapes our hope, a season that gives us hope.  In – with – and through – the spiritual disciplines of Advent, we are blessed with “eyes that see,” and “ears that hear,” the coming of Christ in the past, in the future, and even now.

Once again from the prophet Isaiah, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them light has shined.” (Isaiah 9)

Amen.

Sunday November 15th

First Lutheran Church

November 15, 2020 + The Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Matthew 25:14-30  (Jesus said to the disciples) 14 “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ”

Sermon “My Sibling’s Keeper”

Pr. Jasmine Waring

Matthew 25 has some of the most challenging parables in it. Last week, Pastor Greg preached on the parable of the 10 Bridesmaids, and this week I have the pleasure to speak on the parable of the Talents. Both of these stories are very frustrating to me. Like what Pastor Greg said last week, I am frustrated with the Bridegroom and Master’s cruel and judgmental response. I am equally frustrated with the other bridesmaids and servants who didn’t help their peer in need. This feels so antithetical to the gospel and Jesus’ message of love.

Where is the grace of God? What happened to loving your neighbor? God is inviting us to wrestle with the scriptures, like Jacob when he wrestled with an angel all night until he received a blessing. Sometimes we need to wrestle with scripture until it delivers a blessing to us.

If you have been participating in the Luke Bible study over the past few weeks you will know that when we look at parables, we need to read what is around the story in order to better understand the context and find a deeper meaning to the parables.

We have heard about the parable of the 10 Bridesmaids which came before, so now let’s look at what is said after the story. Jesus says, “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

The first thing I notice here, is Jesus was talking about his return to us, and his final judgement. We know from the parables before, Jesus will come unexpectedly, and we will not know to day or the hour. What we know from the text here, is Jesus said he was going to judge the nations for how they treated people. He will separate people like how a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. It’s important to note that the Greek word for people here is peoples (plural), meaning these are groups of people.

I grew up learning a very individualized form of Christianity. Jesus was my personal Lord and savior, whom I had a personal relationship with, and it was my job to find out what God’s plan was for my life. Although there are some great benefits of knowing Christ for yourself and taking initiative, there is also a call to be in community with each other. Jesus is coming to judge us as a collective, because the community influences the individual, and an individual’s actions can have ripple effects on the community.

In this passage of scripture, he will judge the groups based on how they treat individuals who are thought to be the least among us. The hungry, thirsty, the stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned. According to research performed by the United Nations and UN Women, the economic success of a country is greatly impacted by how women are treated. Countries which allow women to work outside of the home, be educated, paid equally, allowed to own property, and have other rights afforded to them, directly correlate with better economies and development. This is just one indicator of how the community benefits when all are taken care of.

Jesus said, whatever you have done to the least of these, you have done unto me. It is almost like he goes undercover, disguised as the people we leave out, so that he can truly make a judgement on the status of the nations and peoples.

Knowing all of this, I would like us to re-examine the parable of the Talents through the lens of Jesus’ words here. Instead of viewing this story through our traditional read of

the scripture where we assign God as the Master and who are the wise or wicked servants, let’s hold these character’s roles lightly and see where this takes us.

If Jesus was undercover in this story, who would he be? Would he be the Master, who reaps where he has not sown, having mass amounts of wealth, and taking money from the poor and giving it to the rich? Would Jesus be one of the wise servants who were able to churn a large profit for his Master? Or would Jesus be the servant who didn’t make a profit because he knew the Master was harsh and profited off of crops he did not work for. If you have always felt a little uneasy reading these parables with a harsh Master or Bridegroom, perhaps your instincts were right. God is always consistent in God’s position for the poor and oppressed, however Christian tradition has used stories like these to align God with power and justify slavery.

This parable has themes of individuality over community, which is contrary to Jesus’ words in the final judgement. I have heard many sermons and teachings about this parable, and they always talked about the individual’s responsibility to steward their gifts. This is true, and Jesus is calling us to look out for the wellbeing of those around us. Yes, you were able to make a profit or get into the wedding party and did the “wise” thing. But at what cost? When Jesus was afraid, did you comfort him? When he was out of oil, did you share yours? You may have done the wise thing, but did you do the right thing.

We have a responsibility to care for our community. This reminds me of the story of Cain and Abel. When the LORD approached Cain after he killed his brother and asked where Abel was, Cain said, “I don’t know, Am I my brother’s keeper?”. When we turn inward on ourselves, it is easy to say, “This is not my problem” and be concerned about our own needs. We hold onto our possessions out of fear of scarcity, and hold back our wisdom even when it’s free.

The good news here is by the grace of God, we all have the ability to be our brother’s, our sister’s, and our sibling’s keeper. Because we have received such great love and acceptance from God, we can respond in love for others. We serve a God who is not going to throw us out and lock the door when we make a mistake. Through the work of Christ, we are all included in the wedding party and we all inherit the Kingdom prepared for us from the creation of the world.

May you open your eyes and heart to the beloved community God has placed you in. May you recognize the undercover Christ in the most unlikely places. May you be your sibling’s keeper. And may you all find yourself dancing at the party and inherit the Kingdom which God has prepared for you from the creation of the world.  Amen.

November 8, 2020

First Lutheran Church

November 8, 2020

Twenty Third Sunday after Pentecost

Matthew 25:1-13  (Jesus said to the disciples) “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

“The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids”

Pastor Greg Ronning

I find the parable of the “Ten Bridesmaids,” the parable found in today’s appointed Gospel, - extremely frustrating.  I find it a bit problematic.  I guess I don’t really like it because I have a problem with “all” of the characters in the story.  I don’t understand their actions, I don’t think any of them are particularly “faithful,” and I’m not sure there are any obvious heroes!  And consequently, I’m not really sure what it’s all about!

I am frustrated with the five foolish bridesmaids who are not prepared.  I am frustrated with the five wise bridesmaid who refuse to share.  I am frustrated with the bridegroom who shows up late, really late!  And I’m really frustrated with the person who locks the door, the person who locks people out of the wedding.  I guess I’m frustrated because I don’t know what to do with this “frustrating” story!”

Yet if we dig down deeper into the story, if we give ourselves permission to play with the story, look at it from different angles and perspectives, perhaps we will find some truths and insights to ponder, and maybe even the good news of the Gospel.

So, let’s take a closer look at his frustrating parable …

First things first, things rarely happen the way you expect them to happen.  The Bridegroom does not arrive at the time the Bridesmaids hoped he would.  Sometimes things get “delayed.”  Sometimes you don’t get the election results the night of the election.  Sometimes it takes days.  It is foolish to make assumptions, assumptions about elections, assumptions about life, and assumptions about God.  It is wise to be prepared for a delay, it’s wise to make provisions for the unexpected, it’s wise not to think we have God all figured out.  For God has been known to come to us in curious and unexpected ways, and more often than not - when we least expect it.  In today’s parable all the bridesmaids fall asleep, none of them expected the groom to arrive so late.  Yet the wise were ready, they were flexible when things changed, and they are present when the Kairos moment finally arrives. So, first things first, expected the unexpected, stay flexible, and always be ready for the possibility of surprise.

Two, don’t leave the party or you will miss out on something great.  This is perhaps the biggest mistake the foolish bridesmaids in our parable make, - they leave the wedding, even before it begins.  Theologian Debie Thomas writes in her commentary on this text, “They assume that their oil supply is more important to the groom than their presence at his party.” They forget that they were not invited to the party because of their “oil,” their “things;” they were invited, they were made a part of the wedding party, because they were valued, cherished, and loved for just being who they are, for being members of the community, members of the family!  How often have we made this foolish mistake, the mistake of thinking that we are only lovable because of our things, our status, our resources, - our oil supply.  How often have we left the party because we didn’t feel like we belonged, that we didn’t have anything to offer, that we weren’t important.  The foolish bridesmaids leave the party out of fear that their empty flameless lamps would mean more to the groom than their presence.  How many times have we done the same thing, cut ourselves off from the presence of God because we felt we were somehow - unworthy of the opportunity?  Thomas reminds us, “Don’t allow your fear or your sense of inadequacy to keep you away from the party.  Be willing to show up as you are — complicated, disheveled, half-lit and half-baked.  The groom delights in you — not in your lamp.”  

Three, and what about the so called “wise” bridesmaids.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t think this parable makes them look so great!  They have their own issues, they seem to have forgot that primary lesson that every parent tries to teach their children, - the lesson about sharing!  They may be present when the bridegroom arrives, but they seem to be suffering from the same sense of fear that the foolish bridesmaids are suffering from, the fear of scarcity.  When asked to share their oil they reply, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us.”  They too are afraid that if they don’t have enough oil, their lamps will burn out; and if that happens, they too will become unwanted, unwelcomed, and unloved.  So it is, they are afraid, unwilling, to share with the foolish bridesmaids.  Thomas observes, “Operating on the basis of scarcity and fear, they refuse to share their oil.  Smug in their own preparedness and “wisdom,” they forget all about mercy, empathy, kinship, and hospitality.”

And I suppose we’ve been there too, afraid and unwilling to share of our stuff, fearing that without all our possessions we would be nothing, that we won’t belong, and that ultimately, we won’t be loved.  Thomas concludes, “We’re so afraid of emptiness, we worship excess.  We’re so worried about opening our doors too wide, we shut them tight.  We’re so obsessed with our own rightness before God, we forget that “rightness” divorced from love is always wrong.  We live in dread that there won’t be enough to spare.  Enough grace.  Enough freedom.  Enough forgiveness.  Enough mercy. Somehow, we would rather shove people into the dark than give up the illusion of our own brightness.”

Bottom line, all the bridesmaids in this parable, both the wise and the foolish, are operating out of the fear of scarcity and not the abundance of love. They have all seemed to have forgotten that they have been invited to a wedding, to a celebration of love.  They have forgotten the true nature of love.  They have forgotten that they are cherished and loved.

So, what might be the takeaway for us today?  What might this parable have to offer us in the midst of our pandemic, our social unrest, and our ongoing, seemingly never ending, divisive election season?

I suppose we might begin with patience, patience and an acceptance of the reality that things don’t always happen the way we expect them to happen, the way we want them to happen, or the way we’d like them to happen.  And that part of practicing such patience, also means being open to new and even different outcomes and possibilities.  There is an element of humility in practicing patience, a “letting go” of thinking we have it all figured out, that we have all the answers, that our way is the best way.  And this can be applied to all of life, even to our understanding of God, and especially to our anticipation of how and when God becomes present in our world. Don’t make assumptions about the Kingdom of God, be open to the coming of the Kingdom of God!

And in the midst of this uncertainty, the uncertainty that we know in this time and place, the uncertainty that is part of life, the uncertainty that is present, even in the life faith; remember we are called to trust in love, - to trust in God’s love for us.  We will be tempted to trust in our “oil supply,” our possessions, our wealth, our privilege, our systems, our affiliations, the principalities and powers - the things that matter the most in this world.  Yet ultimately these things are not trustworthy, they are not worthy of our trust, they are not what matters the most, not in the least.  Trust and believe in this, that in the waters of baptism, in the death and resurrection of Christ, you are loved completely and unconditionally.  You are nothing less than a beloved child of God.

And finally, trust that you are loved enough to love others.  (Trust that you are loved enough to love others!) Remember that love does not operate out of the fear of scarcity but rather the joy and freedom of abundance.  Trust that you are loved enough to love others … This is the Gospel of Christ!

Amen.