First Lutheran Church

December 5, 2021 + The Second Sunday in Advent C

Luke 3:1-6In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene,  during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”

Sermon

One of the things I like to do when preparing a sermon is to just “live with the text” for a few days.  I simply read the text each day and pay attention to the things that jump out at me.  In particular, I pay attention to the “words” that stand out, the “words” that strike me as significant, the “words” that capture my imagination.

As I was preparing for this week’s sermon, reading over the appointed gospel from Luke, the words that continually jumped out at me were all the names and titles that appear in the first two verses.  However, at first these names and titles did not strike me as significant- just annoying.  I remember thinking to myself, “That’s a lot of names and places that are hard to pronounce, it’s a mouthful, I feel sorry for the person who is assigned to be the lector this week.”  In fact, when I was preparing the bulletin for this week, I decide to leave out some of the names and places, just skip over them, give the lector a break.  If you have a bulletin, you might have noticed that I inserted “dot, dot, dot” after the more familiar names (Tiberius, Pilate, and Herod), skipping over “Philip the ruler of Ituraea and Trachonitis,” and “Lysanias the ruler of Abilene.”  To be honest, I didn’t think the names and titles listed in the first two verse of this week’s gospel were important.  But as I sat down to begin to write the sermon, it suddenly dawned on me, I came to the realization that all those names and titles were important, - actually very important.  And I almost totally missed it because I was annoyed with the inconvenience and troublesome nature of pronouncing their names.  We are reminded that sometimes that just how the Gospel works!

So, why are they important? They are the most powerful people of their time and place, they are the A-list people when it comes to power. Tiberius was the emperor; Pilate was the governor; Herod, Philip, and Lysanias were tetrarchs (a type of prince); and Annas and Caiaphas were high priests in the temple.  These folks are the rulers of the known world. They are at the center of the religious, political, and economical power of Jerusalem.  Collectively they hold all the authority, the wealth, the prestige and the military might of the day.

And this is significant because when the word of God came into this world, it did not come to them, it did not come to the powerful and elite of Jerusalem, it landed out in the wilderness, miles from Jerusalem, beyond the region, and it was heard by a strange man, dressed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, eating locust and wild honey, - John the son of Zechariah, the baptizer.

In the first two verses of today’s reading, Luke sets up an interesting juxtaposition; the word spoken by God, is not heard by emperors, governors, princes, and high priests but by an outsider who lives in the undomesticated desert wilderness.  The powers of this world appear to be deaf and blind to the present spoken word of God. And the ones on the margins, the ones who have turned their backs on the institutions of Jerusalem and Rome, the ones who have sojourned beyond and into the desert, the ones who have no one, or no-thing, to trust but God, - hear, see, and believe.  So it is that when Jesus awakens to his call, he journeys “not to Jerusalem ”to be confirmed, to be anointed, to be justified, to begin his ministry; but rather he travels out into the wilderness to be baptized by John in the Jordan river.  And in this unlikely place, in this isolated and barren place, the heavens open up wide and God declares, “You are my son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.”

In today’s Gospel, Luke begins by reminding us “to whom” the word is spoken, “who” is able to hear the word. And then he reminds us “where” it is heard and comes to life. 

I find it very interesting and perhaps counter intuitive that Luke sends us out into the desert to “prepare the way of the Lord.”  Human nature would perhaps suggest a mountain top.  That would be my first inclination, if you are looking for God climb up that holy mountain!

But that’s not where Luke goes, he does not go up the mountain, he goes entirely in another direction.  And then, just to be clear, he proclaims in the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”  Luke wants to get rid of the mountains because they get in the way!I don’t know about you, but I have never stood on the top of a mountain, gazed out at the world before me and below me, and thought, “We need to tear this mountain down and make everything level.”

Yet God has come into the world to do just that, to make everything level, in order that “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” God has come into the world to level “the palace” and “the temple” in Jerusalem in order that all might have access to the abundant life made possible in the reign of God.  In order that everyday folks like you and me, “might see the salvation of God.”

And out in the desert wilderness we are able to see what stands in the way, the rough spots that must be made smooth, what must be brought up, straightened out, what must be changed, in order that the Kingdom of God might come in all its fullness.  Living on top of the mountain and looking down is comfortable, but it does not give us the proper perspective on things below.  Living below on the desert floor can be dangerous and leaves us vulnerable.  Yet it is there, and under those conditions, from that perspective, that we are opened-up to presence and word of God.

So “where” are we located as this Advent season begins?  Are we sitting comfortably in Jerusalem, with access to all the social, religious, political, and economic benefits that go with being near the center of power?  Are we sitting comfortably on top of the mountain, on top of the world, looking out at the amazing view?  Or have we made the trek into the wilderness?  Maybe we have been driven into the wilderness? Maybe we live in our own unique wilderness?  Where are you?

And what do you “hear” as this Advent season begins?  What do you long to hear?  Can you hear the word of God, or is it lost in the noise of everything that surrounds you?  Have we become deaf to its tone, its nature, its purpose, its mission?  Do we need to hear a word of grace, a word of love?  Are we desperate for a word in the isolation of our silence?  What do you hear, what do you long to hear, what do you need to hear? 

In the season of Advent, as we prepare for the coming of Christ, we are invited to step away from our comfortable places into that wilderness place where God’s word is being spoken.  We are invited to turn away from all the noise and hear that “still small voice.” We are invited to become active in ministries that are leveling the ground, filling in the gaps, and smoothing the rough places, in order that all might see and experience the salvation of God, the reign of Christ.

And as we are able to accept and lean into this Advent invitation, we will discover that word for which our souls long, - a word of hope, peace, joy, and love.  For those of us yearning to disengage from the way things are, yearning to be renewed by a word of purpose, yearning for something more out of life, we will hear that word of calling, (Our marching orders) “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; …”

And for those of us, who feel alone, cut off from life, for those who have been pushed to the margins of life, pushed beyond the edges, for those who are filled with despair, and for those who desperately need a reminder, there is this word, a word of grace, a spoken word from God that opens up the very heavens, a word spoken in those wilderness places, those places we often find ourselves wandering through, “You are my child, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.”

These words of Advent, the Word of God, await seach and every one of us.  Let us heed the call of the Baptist, let us go out into the wilderness, let us be open to the repentance that is change, let us join in the great leveling of life, let us join the adventure, let us find that place where we might clearly hear “the word” being spoken, - that word of hope, peace, joy, and love.  Amen.

Sermon on Luke 21:25-36

Jennifer Garcia

Focus: Just as Jesus reassured his disciples and Luke reassured the early Jesus followers that Jesus would come back in power one day to bring in the Reign of God, we wait with that same end in mind.

Function: This sermon will reassure hearers of what we are moving toward: the fulfillment of the Reign of God.

Today’s Gospel comes from Luke, chapter 21.

[Jesus said:] “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,

and on the earth distress among nations

confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.

People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

“Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’

with power and great glory.

Now when these things begin to take place,

stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Then he told them a parable:

“Look at the fig tree and all the trees;

as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near.

So also, when you see these things taking place,

you know that the kingdom of God is near.

Truly I tell you,

this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down

with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life,

and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap.

For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.

Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength

to escape all these things that will take place,

and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Happy New Year!

It may seem a little early, calendar-wise, but today is the start of a new church year.

And the church year begins with the season of Advent. We begin the year by waiting.

We remember the wayour ancestors in faith waited for a Messiah.

We imagine the waiting Mary and Joseph did for the birth of baby Jesus.

We reenact the waiting of God’s people throughout history who have waited for the salvation God brings: salvation from oppressive governments like Rome and Egypt, salvation from suffering, salvation from sin and death.

We sing, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” which means “God with us,” asking God to come and be with us.

And even as we remember and reenact others’ waiting, we take time to realize that we are waiting, too: waiting for the fulfillment of God’s Reign in Jesus’ return at the end of time.

So, this reading, with all its talk of distress and roaring and fainting, might seem like a strange way to kick off a season where we wait for a sweet baby.

But, there’s also something fitting about looking at a teaching about Jesus’ return even as we await his arrival.

There’s something fitting about knowing where you’re going before you begin.

At least, Stephen Covey thinks so. His book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a self-help and business book published in 1989 that has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide. It’s been a hugely influential book in workplaces all over.

The second of Covey’s 7 habits is “begin with the end in mind.” It’s the idea that it doesn’t matter how fast you’re going if you’re going in the wrong direction. By focusing on your goal, you know you’re taking steps in the right direction, no matter how slowly.

That’s not so far off what Jesus is talking about here.

He’s preparing his disciples for what’s coming. This teaching comes at the end of a series of Jesus’ teachings about the destruction of the Temple and of Jerusalem itself and about the persecutions that are to come for his followers.

And Luke is writing these teachings of Jesus down years later—when the destruction of the Temple and of Jerusalem have already taken place and when Jesus followers were, indeed, being persecuted.

He’s reminding his readers that Jesus said these things would happen and to be faithful in the midst of what must have felt like the end of the world for them. The Temple was the center of Jewish life, so its destruction…I don’t think we can fully grasp how devastating that was for them.

And still, Jesus says, “be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down.” And he assures them that even though terrible things will happen, those terrible things point to the fulfillment of God’s Reign.

By beginning with the end in mind, Jesus is fortifying his followers for the trials to come. He’s fortifying his followers physically present with him that day, those Luke was writing to, and us today. There are still disasters and wars that can make us feel faint if we let ourselves think about them too long.

So, Jesus reminds us that there is an end to that suffering and fear.

But it’s hard. We’ve been waiting for 2,000 years, and not a generation has passed without its wars and natural disasters that make people faint with the enormity of the grief and fear.

Certainly, our hearts are weighed down by many things.

COVID, certainly.

The news is enough to make anyone throw their hands up in despair, no matter what their political leanings.

For some of us, Thanksgiving was hard—whether because of family dynamics or the inability to be with family or because of missing someone important. Perhaps for you, Christmas is not something you’re looking forward to, so Advent feels kind of empty.

The waiting for things to be put right is hard.

And Jesus knew that, which is why he forewarned his disciples of what was coming: both the hard and the joyous.

Jesus doesn’t just warn us about the bad things that are coming or leave us simply with a beautiful picture of the fulfillment of the Reign of God. He gives us both. Because we need both.

We need to see the ending, because it gives us hope that Jesus will come again to make everything right. And that gives us strength to endure the present when things aren’t as they should be.

And we need to see the signs of when that ending is coming, because otherwise we lose hope that it ever will come. We’ve been waiting a long time, so we need Jesus’ reminder to be watchful, so that we don’t fall into complacency or despair.

Jesus doesn’t give us an exact timeframe for these things happening. That’s frustrating for those of us who are bound by minutes, hours, and seconds.

We tend to think of time linearly: things unfolding one after another in an orderly fashion.

This sense of time is called chronos in biblical Greek—like “chronology.”

But biblical Greek has another word for time: kairos. This what we sometimes call “God time.” Do you ever have those moments that seem kind of outside of time? Maybe when you’re having a deep conversation with a friend or seeing the wonder in a child’s eyes or when you lose yourself in a piece of music? The flow of time seems different, then, doesn’t it? That’s kairos. That’s God time.

As frustrating as it can be not to know when Jesus will return, it kind of makes sense that the fulfillment of the Reign of God would happen in God time, not chronos time.

In the Monday night women’s Bible study the other day, we were looking at 2 Peter, and there was a lovely reminder of what God time is. This is found in chapter 3:

“But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you” (2 Peter 3:8-9)

It’s frustrating to wait for the Reign of God, but God’s time is not our time. God is waiting for the perfect moment to fulfill the Reign of God, out of God’s love for us and for the whole of creation.

So, God gives us signs that point to the fulfillment of the Reign of God, even as we wait.

I’m reminded of C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, where an evil witch has made it so it is always winter in the magical land of Narnia—always winter and never Christmas. But, when the great Lion, Aslan, comes to Narnia, there are signs of spring: dripping icicles, blooming crocuses, and creeks rushing with melted snow. The people of Narnia know that when they see these signs of spring, the White Witch’s power is failing, and Aslan is coming to be with his people.

So it is with us: even as we see signs that are enough to make people faint, we know that the power of evil in this world is failing, and in the end God’s love is triumphant.

So, take heart when you see all that is wrong with the world: distress among nations, signs in the sky and roaring in the waves. We may not know when Jesus is coming again, but we know he will in the right God time, and he will set things right. And in the meantime, we can begin, this Advent, to prepare for his coming with the end in mind: that earth will become like heaven in the fulfillment of the Reign of God.

First Lutheran Church

November 21, 2021

Christ the King Sunday

Revelation 1:4b-8. Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

John 18:33-37.  Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Sermon “The Truth”

Pastor Greg Ronning

Today we celebrate Christ the King Sunday!  In our reading from the book of Revelation Jesus is described as “the Alpha and the Omega.” Alpha” is the first letter in the Greek alphabet and “Omega” is the last. Jesus is the first and the last, the beginning and the end, and everything in between.  That’s the same claim that Amazon likes to make, they claim to have everything you need from A to Z.(Note: The smiling arrow in their logo runs from the A to the Z.)

Today we boldly declare that Jesus is our King, yet we must also confess that while “in Jesus” we have everything we need for an abundant life, we often find ourselves turning to places like Amazon, hoping to buy our way into a better life.  This is the tension we must face on this day, the values clarification exercise we must wrestle with, as we celebrate “Christ the King,” “the Alpha and the Omega,” “the First and the Last.”

Hymn “First and Last”

Michael John Poirier

Before and behind, above and below

You are surrounding me everywhere I go

Lord of moments to come and memories past

You are the first and the last

Bring us beyond all fear,

Draw us into your heart

Let us at last begin to embrace,

The peace that flows out from you.

You are before and behind, above and below

You are surrounding me everywhere I go

Lord of moments to come and memories past

You are the first and the last

When you seem far away,

When it’s hard to understand

Your love outshines the deepest darkness

If we have eyes to see, O give us eyes to see.

You are before and behind, above and below

You are surrounding me everywhere I go

Lord of moments to come and memories past

You are the first and the last

No matter what your particular perspective on things might be, I think we can all agree that “the truth” is up for grabs these days. It’s become nearly impossible for us, in society and as individuals, to reach any kind of agreement on “the truth.” “The truth” when it comes to just about everything, from the little things to very big things.  “The truth” has become subjective, biased, and manipulated.  In fact, some people now describe the context in which we now live as a “Post Truth World!”

The media overwhelms us with incomplete stories, skillful exaggerations, out of context sound bites, doctored images, and even blatant lies.  Objective facts no longer seem to exist or matter.  And the internet, a source of great information and a source of dangerous disinformation, “authoritatively” provides us whatever “truth” we want to hear.  (It has to be true if it’s on the internet, right?)And the social media algorithms ensure that the same information, good or bad, will get served up to us over and over and over again.  We can’t even reliably search for the truth.  Sometimes I get worried that we will never be able to fully discern and confidently hold “the truth” again.

How does one discover “the truth,” in a post-truth world?”  Where might we find “the truth?”

Thankfully today’s appointed gospel answers these questions.  Jesus declares, “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” This is why Jesus came into the world, and for this Jesus is still present in this world, - that we may know “the truth,” even in a “Post-Truth World,” especially in a “Post-Truth World.” 

Truth is one of the central themes in the Gospel of John! 

In chapter one the theme begins, “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 the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”  (John 1:1-2, 14)

In chapter eight, our text from Reformation Sunday, Jesus proclaims, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

In chapter fourteen Jesus describes himself, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)

And finally, in the sixteenth chapter of John Jesus promises the coming of the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of Truth” that will “guide “us” into all the truth.”(John 16:13)

So it is, that even in this “Post Truth World,” we have access to “The Truth.” “The Truth” as revealed to us, in - with - and through, - the life, the teachings, the death, and the resurrection of Christ. “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”

So, what does “the truth” look like in the life of Jesus? 

In today’s gospel “the truth” stands in direct contrast to the structures and powers that be.  In today’s gospel story we have two kings, one king who represents the kingdom of this world, and the other that represents the kingdom of God.  One lives in a heavily guarded palace, steeped in power, and draped in riches; the other humbly sojourns amidst the people, has been arrested, will soon be stripped and flogged, and then mocked in a purple robe with a crown of thorns. Debie Thomas describes today’s gospel, “… the Gospel of John offers us a picture of Jesus at his physical and emotional worst: arrested, disheveled, harassed, hungry, abandoned, sleep-deprived — and standing before the notoriously cruel Pontius Pilate for questioning.  … an arrested, falsely accused criminal.  A dead man walking.  His chosen path to glory is humility, surrender, brokenness, and loss.”

 “King Pilate” stands before this “bedraggled peasant,” and facetiously asks, “So, you are a King?” Jesus replies, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”  Pilate will then respond, “What is truth?” Jesus does not answer the question directly, but his silence implies, “You’re looking at the truth.”  The truth is Jesus, - the life of Jesus, the way of Jesus, and the love of Jesus.

 In the 1990’s, in some Christian circles, it became popular to wear a wristband with the letter’s “WWJD” embossed on it.  The letters stood for, “What would Jesus do?”  Christians would wear the wristband as a reminder of their belief in a moral imperative to act in a manner that would demonstrate the love of Jesus.  At the time I was not a big fan of the movement, to me it seemed to trivialize the gospel, only inspiring people to be “nicer” to each other.  It did not seem to lead to any great transformation, it did not seem to change the more consequential behaviors in society that contributed to things like hunger, poverty, and injustice.

 Yet today, I think I want to “lift up to you” the spiritual practice of asking, “What would Jesus do?”  Faithfully and seriously asking, “What would Jesus do?”  As we struggle with discerning the truth in a world where truth has become so subjective, so selfish, so political, and so hard to find and understand - we need to return to Jesus.  Our faith declares that Jesus is “the truth and the way,” and so as we struggle with knowing the truth, living in the truth; it is important to understand how Jesus revealed the truth to us, how Jesus acted upon the truth, how Jesus understood and lived the truth.

 So instead of turning to social media on the internet to find the truth, instead of looking to the so -called experts that live on the internet or TV, - let us simply return to the life and teachings of Jesus.  Before we get caught up in over reacting to the great issues of our day, let us seriously and faithfully ponder the question, “What would Jesus do?”  But let me warn you, if you seriously ask the question, if you are able to put yourself in the heart and mind of Jesus, you might be surprised, challenged, and transformed by the answer you discover.  You might even discover that you’ve been asking the wrong questions!

 Jesus came into this world to reveal the truth as a servant.  He revealed the truth by standing with the marginalized and the oppressed.  He revealed the truth by feeding the hungry and healing the sick.  He revealed the truth by welcoming the stranger and expanding the kingdom.  He revealed the truth choosing to love over surrendering to doubt and fear.  He revealed the truth by resisting the temptation to utilize the powers of this world.  He revealed the truth in practicing the ways of peace.  He revealed the truth by turning the world upside down.  And ultimately, he revealed the truth by sacrificing himself for the sake of others, all others, his enemies, and strangers.  Jesus went to the cross for all of us, for you and for me, for all of creation.

 “What would Jesus do?”  It’s not an easy question to ask, but it is a question that will lead us into the truth.  It’s a question that invites us to clarify our values, make decisions regarding our time, talents, and treasures.  It’s a question that goes right to the heart of our great calling in life.  It’s the question that drives the life and ministry of this church. Not an easy question at all, but a question that will lead us into the truth.

 May God grant us the courage and the faith to honestly ask, “What would Jesus do?”, to seek after “the truth,” and to embrace the one who is “the Alpha and the Omega,” the “First and the Last,” “the way and the truth and the life.”  Amen.