January 31st - The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

First Lutheran Church

January 31, 2021 + Epiphany 4B

Mark 1:21-28. 21(Jesus and his disciples) went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.22They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

“Amazing”

“They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority!’” 

When was the last time you were “amazed?”  When was the last time you were left speechless, astonished, or astounded?  When was the last time you experienced some serious “awe and wonder?”  Unfortunately, it’s been a bit of a while for me.  Things are not so “amazing” these days.  I don’t know about you, but I have found life under pandemic to be a little boring, wearisome, a bit anxious, and at times very depressing.  I don’t feel like anything “amazing” has happened to me for a long time.

In today’s gospel an “amazing” thing happens in the synagogue.  Jesus shows up and teaches in a way that the scribes never were able to do, and this teaching awakens a demon within one of the congregants, and that leads to a dramatic conflict.  When was the last time you were “amazed” at church?  When was the last time you were “amazed” at church on Zoom or while watching YouTube?

Today I find myself wondering where all the “amazement” in life has gone.  Today I am wondering how I might find my way into this story, and in doing so somehow once again become “astounded” and “amazed!”

Perhaps the easiest way to find our way into the story is through the congregants, the people who have gathered together in the synagogue on the sabbath.  That’s a familiar activity, we’ve all done that!  It’s been a while, but we used to get up on Sunday mornings, drive over to church, and gather together in the sanctuary.  And we still gather, albeit in a different way.  Over the past few months, we have gathered up in front of our computers and our phones. 

But even so, and even back then in the good old days when we used to gather in person, our gathering together didn’t always lead to “amazement.”  Even though some of the sermons, I have to say, were pretty good, “astounding” is a pretty tall order.  And as for dramatic conflict, sometimes the pews get moved around, leading to some tense moments of juggling for seating positions, but I have never seen any conflict that rises to the level of “angels verses demons!” 

No, church is nice, even meaningful, but I’m not sure about “amazing.”  Comparing our experience with the folks who gathered together in the synagogue on the fateful day when Jesus came to town, is probably not going to get us very far into the story.  If we truly want to engage with this story, we need to find another angle, another character with whom we might identify, another shared experience that might open up the word to us.

So it is that we must consider another route into the story.  And unfortunately, that leaves us with only one other real choice, “the person with an unclean spirit.”   At first glance I’m not sure that’s the direction I really want to go, “the person with an unclean spirit.”   I certainly don’t identify with this character.  Yet I don’t think we have another choice.  Jesus maybe, but that doesn’t feel right.  So, I guess it’s the man possessed by a demon. Who knows, perhaps, this might be the character that gets us inside the story and on the way to amazement?   It’s worth a shot!

As I began to look for ways to engage “the person with an unclean spirit,” I soon realized this would be no easy task, being able to find ourselves in “this person” is extremely problematic.   On the surface level, unclean spirits and demons are just not a part of our “modern” understanding of the world.  It’s not a “language” that is familiar to us.  It’s not something to which we can easily relate.  This is the “character” that we more often than not - just skip over, a character that we relegate to another time and place, a character that makes no real claim on our life. 

Yet if we take the time to unpack the context and language, if we move beyond the literal and into the metaphorical, this person just might be more familiar to us than we have ever imagined.  Contemporary theologians invite us to consider “demons” and “unclean spirits” as representations or metaphors for some of the great issues and problems we face in our modern life.  This might include things like mental illness, personalities flaws, medical conditions, or chemical dependencies.  We might also include our communal struggles with the social media malaise and a plethora of societal evils.  Many New Testament scholars argue that spirits and demons in the scriptures are metaphors for anything that might influence, dominate, or destroy us.  Things like anger, fear, lust, greed, hatred, or jealousy.   The mythical language found in today’s gospel might be foreign to us, but the realities that they describe and name, are still all too familiar in the human condition.  

Which brings us to perhaps the main reason why “the person with an unclean spirit” is a problematic character for us to relate to, to find ourselves in.  You see, to enter into this particular “story” through this particular “character” means acknowledging and facing our own unclean spirits and demons.  And that’s not something we all like to do!  But truth be told, whether we like it or not, - we all have them!  So maybe that’s the direction we should go this morning, maybe we should face our shadows, maybe we should do some critical self-examination; Because maybe that’s the way to an encounter with “amazing.”  And I’d like to be “amazed!”

If you think about “the person with an unclean spirit” is probably the person who has the most amazing experience in the story.  The others were surely astounded, but this man must have been “truly amazed.”  If you take a moment to unpack the word “amazement” you can’t help but notice that it contains the word “maze.”  These words are related.  According to Etymologists, to be lost in a “maze” is to experience bewilderment, confusion, misapprehension, misbelief, and to be exhausted in your labors with all these things.  To be “amazed” is to suddenly be overwhelmed or confounded with surprise or wonder, to find yourself suddenly and unexpectedly set free from the malaise of the maze.  And this movement from “maze” to “amazing” is the actual story of “the person with an unclean spirit.”  He encounters Jesus lost in the maze of his own particular human condition and emerges, most likely “bewildered,” on the other side, - suddenly saved, healed, transformed, set free.

Today God invites us all to begin the journey to true “amazement.”  Not to be “amazed” from a far, not to watch an “amazing” show from the balcony seats, but rather to experience “amazement” personally from the inside out!  Today God invites us to place ourselves in the story of “the person with an unclean spirit,” to bravely venture off to church, to risk being uncomfortable, to be vulnerable to Jesus, to listen to the word made flesh, and to be open to a living word sharper than a two-edged sword that speaks the truth.  

In today’s Gospel we are reminded that this word does not come to us as judgment but ultimately as an invitation to healing.  So let us not be afraid to allow the “demons” in our life to be named, to expose them to the light of Christ, and to the powerful love of God.  Of course, this is never easy, such critical self-examination, deep honest confession, can lead to fear and convulsion in the pit of our stomach.  But be of good courage, and make the journey trusting in the unconditional love of God, that you know and have experienced, in Christ Jesus.  And be prepared to be “amazed.”

“Amazing Grace,” those two words go together perfectly.  We all must travel through a variety of mazes in our life, we must all struggle with our lot in the human condition, the line between life and death, good and evil, faith and doubt, runs down the middle of every heart.  In the midst of it all, sometimes we make good decisions and sometimes we make bad decisions, sometimes circumstances leave us with limited choices, we all have personality quirks, we all have genes that are healthy and genes that are not so healthy, blessings and curses, we have moments filled with courage and moments filled with fear.  That’s life.  We must all travel through a variety of “mazes” in our life.  Yet today we are reminded that Christ is present, that God has descended into our life, not to judge us but to save us.  Jesus has come down among us to lead us from the depths of the “maze” to the heights of “amazement.” 

The story of “the person with an unclean spirit” ultimately ends with a person surprised and overwhelmed by love, stunned and bewildered by mercy, and finally and forever - “amazed” by grace!  May this also be “our story” too! Amen.

January 24, 2020

“Heavenly Stars”

January 24, 2021

Pastor Greg Ronning

The Psalmist writes, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?  Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:3-5)

Since ancient times the people of earth have looked up into the night sky with “awe and wonder.”  There’s nothing that compares with stargazing up in the mountains on a crystal-clear night.  Away from the lights of civilization the heavens explode in glory.  Looking up at the brilliant stars we are reminded of the vastness of the universe.  We are reminded that our planet is but a small rock in the midst of it all.  And that we, as individuals, are just a mere speck in the whole cosmos.  Yet at the same time, the stars that shine down upon us also remind us that we are not alone in the universe, the light in the darkness reminds us that we are loved. The stars bear witness to the God of all creation who in the fullness of time became flesh to be among us, full of grace and truth, in Jesus.

The stars not only point us to the heavens, but they have also served humanity in practical ways.  Before GPS and radar, the “North Star” provided a fixed point in the heavens, it was the hub that all the other stars seemed to rotate around, making it extremely useful for navigation, especially for sailors out at sea.  The “North Star” provided orientation and guidance, it told you where you were and where you were headed.  This unique star also took on a symbolic meaning for humanity.  To have a “North Star” is to have a guiding principle.  As a community of faith, the followers of Jesus, our “North Star” has always been the life and teachings of Jesus, the death and resurrection of Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven.  We are guided in our life and calling by Christ.  Christ is our “North Star.”

And in the season of Epiphany, we are reminded of another star, the so-called “Epiphany Star.”  This star appeared in the heavens at the time of Jesus birth and led the Magi to the place where they would find the Messiah, the Christ, a babe lying in a manger, wrapped in bands of cloth.  Metaphorical “Epiphany Stars” come and go in the various seasons of our life, as communities and as individuals, guiding us in our unique calling as the followers of Jesus.  They appear on the horizon when we are searching for meaning and purpose.  They appear in the sky when we need direction.  They begin to shine, when we feel lost.  They lead us on the adventure and journey that is our life in Christ.

This Sunday we gather for our annual meeting.  We have the business of the church to do, we must approve our budget and elect church council leaders.  But we also gather to affirm the direction of our ministry and dedicate ourselves to our calling as a community of faith at this time and place. 

As we begin another year, still challenged with the ongoing pandemic, I am thankful that we have a “North Star.”  Our foundation is securely placed in Christ.  The life of Jesus, his teachings and his actions, his call to love and serve, remain our guiding principles.  And his death and resurrection, informs and enlightens, and gives depth and meaning to our core understanding of life. 

And I am thankful for our “Epiphany Star,” our mission statement for this season of our life which has guided us through the struggles and difficulties of this past year and is leading us boldly and confidently into this new year, “Called to be the Heart of Christ, Feeding Our Neighbors Body and Soul, With Grace, Mercy, and Love.”  We are “The Church that Feeds People.” 

Let us pray.  Good and gracious God, we give thanks that when we look up into the heavens, we are not only filled with awe and wonder, but also reminded of your great love for us.  We give thanks for Jesus who is our North Star, our guiding light in this world.  And we give thanks for our mission, our calling at First Lutheran Church, our epiphany star that continues to lead us forward in this difficult and challenging times.  Amen.

January 17, 2021

First Lutheran Church

January 17, 2021 + The Second Sunday after Epiphany

John 1:43-51 43The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” 51And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

“Come and See”

Pastor Greg Ronning

In today’s gospel we are invited to “come and see.”  To “come and see” is to engage in a familiar pattern found in the scriptures, a common practice in the life and teachings of Jesus, a well-known guiding principle for those seeking after the Kingdom of Heaven.

I would like to begin today, unpacking our theme “come and see,” by looking back one more time at the Christmas story we just celebrated a few weeks ago.  In particular I want to look back at the story of the shepherds as found in the Gospel of Luke.  The story begins, “In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”  The angel then proceeds to share with them the good news of Christ’s birth.  The angel tells them that in Bethlehem a child, the messiah, can be found “wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”  And then suddenly the sky is filled with “a multitude of the heavenly host,” singing praises to God. 

Can you even begin to imagine what that might have looked like?  Can you begin to imagine what that might have felt like? The “multitude” of heaven? (Mind Blown)

And then perhaps as suddenly as they appeared, the angels were gone, the night became “silent.”  What will happen next?  What do you do with a moment like that?  “What do you do after the heavens open up and reveal their glory?  The shepherds instinctively know what to do, they say to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and ‘see this thing’ that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”  The traditional Christmas hymn, “Adeste Fidelis,” translated from the Latin, “O Come All Ye Faithful” tells their story …

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him born the King of Angels:
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

That’s what you do!  You go check it out!  You follow up to see if it’s true!  Those shepherds “went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.”  They accept the invitation to “come and see,” to come and adore, to come and believe, to come and behold the Messiah.  History does not tell us who these shepherds were, and what happened to them as a result of the incredible events that took place on that night, but I am certain of one thing, - it must have changed their lives forever. 

Ever since Christ was born the people who encountered him, the people who chose to “come and see” have been transformed. It began with those shepherds on that first Christmas, followed by the Magi discovering that same child at Epiphany; and choosing to return home by a different way as different, changed, people.  And the pattern continues years later with Jesus’ calling of the first disciples.  In the verses preceding today’s appointed Gospel, Andrew and Peter encounter Jesus, who invites them to “come and see.”  They do, and in doing so they decide to become his followers.  “On the next day” Jesus discovers Philip and invites him to follow, and after his encounter with Christ, Philip too decides to follow.  The people who encounter Christ, the people who “come and see” are un-mistakenly transformed! Their lives are dramatically changed.

That brings us to the appointed Gospel for today, the story of the calling of Nathanael.  One of the first things that Philip does after his encounter with Jesus is to set out filled with excitement to find his friend Nathanael, and to tell him that he has found the Messiah.  And this is the spot, the sweet spot in today’s Gospel, that has the potential to bring us into the story.  In Nathanael, in his response, we too are invited to “come and see.”

I find the story of Nathanael is more relatable, more human, more likely, and thus more accessible.  Nathanael, unlike the other disciples, does not simply drop everything and follow Jesus without even a hint of hesitation.  That is not his first response.  His first impulse is to doubt, to ask questions, to think critically.  And I can relate to his response, it makes complete sense to me, it better fits my life experience. 

Nathanael is skeptical.  In sarcasm he replies to his friend Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  Nathanael is using his brains, he’s not going to chase after the latest fad, fall victim to a charismatic leader, waste his precious time on yet another messiah theory.  Nathanael is not to be quickly, or easily, won over by his friend Philip.  Thankfully Philip seems to know Nathanael, understands his nature, because he does not argue the point with him, he does not quote scriptures at him, he does not try to win him over with his testimony; instead, he simply invites him to “come and see.”  Come and find out for yourself! 

Ironically when Jesus and Nathaniel meet, it’s not what Nathanael “sees” in Jesus, but what Jesus “sees” in Nathaniel, that makes all the difference.  Jesus immediately recognizes him, and graciously reaches out to him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”  “I saw you under the fig tree.”  

Theologian Debie Thomas writes, “Jesus had a choice when it came to ‘seeing’ Nathanael.  I wonder what would have happened if, instead of calling out Nathanael’s purity of heart, Jesus had said, ‘Here is a cynic who is stunted by doubt’ or ‘Here is a man who is governed by prejudice,’ or, ‘Here is a man who is blunt and careless in his words,’ or, ‘Here is a man who sits around, passive and noncommittal, waiting for life to happen to him.’”

Nathanael could probably accurately be characterized by any or all of those things.  But Jesus did not focus on those negative things, and instead chose to “see” the positive qualities, the true core of Nathanael’s personality, his humanity; Jesus “sees” his honesty, sincerity, candor, an integrity in thought and motivation.  Nathanael was one who sat “under the fig tree,” meaning that he was one who studied the scriptures, pondered and prayed, and sought after the truth.  Nathanael may have had a self-righteous streak, he may have hoped and thought that he had it all figured out; but he also had an open and humble heart, an earnest soul.  He was “complicated,” just as complicated as you and I.  None of us can be “simply” figured out.  So it is that Jesus “sees” deep into the heart and soul of Nathanael, and because of that, Nathanael “sees” and “experiences” someone who is “full of grace and truth.”  And in that moment, Nathanael moves from doubt to faith, from ignorance to knowledge, from death to life.  He experiences an epiphany.  He is inspired by the love of grace and the hope of truth.  Nathanael accepts the invitation to “come and see,” and in doing so he is transformed, made new, made alive in faith.

Today Jesus invites each of us to “come and see.”  Let us remember that these are not words of judgment, but words spoken by the one who “sees” us and understands us exclusively - in, with, and through - the light of the great love he has for us.  Jesus does not see our imperfections, but our hearts placed in his perfect love.  So, let us not be afraid to check him out.  Let us “make haste” and find the place where Jesus is resting among us even now.  Where might that be?  Just as on the first Christmas, Christ can be found among us in that humble manger, well off the beaten path, behind the inn that has no room for him, on the very edges of humanity.  “Come and see,” not on social media, not in like-minded venues, not in the seat of power, not in politics, not in the comfortable, but rather in those other places where humanity sits forgotten on the edge. “Come and see.” Don’t be afraid to make that journey, it will make all the difference, “Come and see.”

Frederick Buechner, the great American writer, poet, and theologian, concluded one of his sermons on today’s gospel with these words.  Reflecting on the truth proclaimed at Christmas, the incredible story of God’s incarnation, the story about the child found in the manger, the child in many ways forgotten by the world, nonetheless - even so, - the child who would challenge and change the history of the world forever. 

Buechner writes, “Adeste fidelis. That is the only answer I know for people who want to find out whether or not this is true. Come all ye faithful, and all ye who would like to be faithful if only you could, all ye who walk in darkness and hunger for light. Have faith enough, hope enough, despair enough, foolishness enough at least to draw near to see for yourselves. …

Adeste fidelis. Come and behold him, born the king of angels. Speak to him or be silent before him. In whatever way seems right to you and at whatever time, come to him with your empty hands. The great promise is that to come to him who was born at Bethlehem is to find coming to birth within ourselves something stronger and braver, gladder and kinder and holier, than ever we knew before or than ever we could have known without him.

“Come and see.”  Nathanael does just that, and he is blessed with faith.  Nathanael finds himself in Beth-el, “the house of God,” the place and moment where heaven is opened up and the angels of God are “ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”  In Christ, heaven and earth are united, and the presence of God is unexpectedly and graciously found.  “Come and see.” Amen.