First Lutheran Church

May 28, 2023 + The Day of Pentecost A

“Loneliness”

Pastor Greg Ronning

I’d like to begin this morning with a song.

“Lonely Eyes”

By Greg Ronning

Lonely eyes,

Even when you smile you've got those lonely eyes

Oh, deep inside no one understands

And sometimes late at night you cry

When all the world's a lullabye

All you hear is a lonely cry

Lonely eyes,

Frightened by the life of love that's passed you by

Life is a day dream world

Of paper clowns and painted smiles

And sometimes late at night you cry

Awakened from another lie

Another dream that can never fly

Lonely eyes,

Looking for a dream come true that will let you fly

Fly far away beyond the scars of the soul

And then at night you won't have to cry

You can spread your wings and touch the sky

And awake to find, It wasn't a lie

Lonely eyes,

It's time to wake up and finally realize

The wings are right by your side

They've been there all the time

Surrendered for you with a lonely cry

Alone in the night someone died

At the crossroads of your lonely life

And now at night you don't have to cry,

You can spread your wings and touch the sky,

And awake to find it wasn't a lie.

Loneliness is all around us, loneliness isn’t very far away, - loneliness is most likely even deep within each one of us.  There have been times when we wonder, “If I disappear would anyone notice?”  There are times when we lament, “Why must I carry all of life’s burdens by myself?”  There are times when we feel hopelessly isolated, invisible, and insignificant.  There are times when we cry out and no one seems to hear us.  There are times when we get desperately lost in the silence of our loneliness.

The Surgeon General of the United States begins his 2023 report, “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation;”“In recent years, about one-in-two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness. And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic cut off so many of us from friends, loved ones, and support systems, exacerbating loneliness and isolation.”

Harvard University’s study report, “Loneliness in America,”reports that Thirty Six percent of American Adults report “serious loneliness” “frequently” or almost “all of the time.”  And sixty three percent of young adults suffer high rates of both loneliness, and anxiety and depression.  They also noted that young adults rarely report having conversations with someone who they felt like - “genuinely cared.”

The Surgeon General continues, unpacking the serious repercussions of this epidemic, “Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling—it harms both individual and societal health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death.”… “And the harmful consequences of a society that lacks social connection can be felt in our schools, workplaces, and civic organizations, where performance, productivity, and engagement are diminished.”

I imagine we all know, and have seen, the effects of such severe loneliness.  We have experienced it, and we continue to experience it, in our own beings.  And we all lament the various ways our society seems to be unraveling before us without any meaningful ways to establish deep and profound connections with each other.  Stuck in the downward spirals of our loneliness we have stopped trusting in each other, we have ceased to be able to empathize with each other, we are quick to demonize each other with harshcaustic vitriol;- all to the point that our fear and our bitterness, the unwanted deadly fruit of our loneliness,has led us into our own individual and collective self-destruction.

The Surgeon General’s report warns us, if we fail to build more connected lives and a more connected society, “We will pay an ever-increasing price in the form of our individual and collective health and well-being. And we will continue to splinter and divide until we can no longer stand as a community or a country. Instead of coming together to take on the great challenges before us, we will further retreat to our corners—angry, sick, and alone.”

The Harvard project concludes, “We need to return to an idea that was central to our founding and is at the heart of many great religious traditions: We have commitments to ourselves, but we also have vital commitments to each other, including to those who are vulnerable.”

Or as Jesus put it when asked what the greatest commandment was, “The most important one” … “is this: …  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.”  (Mark 12:29-31)

Last Sunday we began worship commemorating - “The Ascension of Christ.” “Then [Jesus] led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.” (Acts 1) After hearing these words from the Book Acts, as has become our custom over the past five or six years, we extinguished the flame of the Paschal Candle, symbolizing the departure of the Risen Christ from earth.  And we quietly sat there in that moment, our eyes following the whisps of smoke as they rose-up into the air.  And we remembered, and perhaps experienced, the loneliness of the disciples as they were suddenly left alone without Jesus on that day. 

They were alone for the next ten days, waiting on the promise of the Holy Spirit, a promise that would once again connect and unite them in a new and powerful way.  Today marks the end of those ten days, the day of Pentecost.  And on that day, “When the day of Pentecost had come, [the apostles] were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.” And they became the church, united in grace and love and a new hope, they were “re-membered” into the “Body of Christ,” once again fully present in the world, here in this place, the places we call home.

So it is that we too, after ten days, ten long and lonely days, await the coming of the Holy Spirit.  What will that look like this morning?  I suppose we might all be tempted to look back at the Paschal Candle, look back up into the heavens, expecting it to once again- burst into flame.

But that’s not how it works, that’s not going to happen.  If we look back and up for the Holy Spirit, we will be looking in the wrong place.  I actually have the best venue to see the coming of the Holy Spirit today.  You may not have noticed it, but the flames have already appeared, - they are alive and dancing right above each of your heads!

Today we are reminded that we are the church,that we are the “re-membered” Body of Christ, that “we” are God’s presence - fleshed out for each other and for the world around us!  And so it is, - we are not alone.  I am not alone! You are not alone!  And so, when “loneliness” creeps into our life, and it will try, “re-member” to lean into each other, to lean into “God’s loving embrace,” into the “caring hands” of Jesus.“We though many, are one in the Lord.”

And just as was the case on that first Day of Pentecost, let us now be led from this place out into the world around us, called and empower to make a difference in a lonely world!  Those first followers of Jesus changed the world! 

Let us do the same, let us take the time to ask our neighbors, “How are you doing?”  And then, take the time to really listen, to make eye contact, so that they might feel “genuinely” heard and received.  “Call a friend. Answer a phone call from an estranged friend. Make time to share a meal. Perform an act of service. Express yourself authentically.”Let us walk away from our personal devices, our streaming services, our addictions to social platforms, and choose to engage with each other, with those in need, - face to face.  “The keys to human connection are simple, but extraordinarily powerful.”

And let us boldly act on the command of Jesus,“to forgive as we have been forgiven,” to show the lonely and fearful world around us a new and better way to live.  Let us go out and help to open the doors in our society to meaningful connections, to the empathy of grace, to the hope of trust, to the sacrificial love of “the other,” to the “peace that surpasses all understanding,”to a faith that overcomes fear, - to the incredible power of living together in community.  Let the flames of the Spirit, the flames “arresting” above you right now; let them carry you out dancing into the world with the good news of the Gospel, the love of God in Christ Jesus, the love we share in our life together!

Loneliness is real, and it is among us as an epidemic.  Hear the Good News today. You are not alone, together in - with - and through Jesus - we are not alone.  Trust this truth and lean into it, lean into each other’s arms - for they are indeed the arms of God!  And be empowered by this life we share, bear witness to it in the world around us, let us rise-up to the challenges we face, “by taking a small step every day to strengthen relationships, and by supporting community efforts to rebuild social connections.”  (Surgeon General’s Report)

Don’t look up for God. Instead, Look all around you - and find Christ.  “See” and experience the Holy Spirit. Together in the love of God, in - with - and through Jesus, in the unity of the Holy Spirit - we are not alone.  Amen.

Sermon on John 17:1-11

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

Today is the Sunday when we remember Jesus’ ascension, and our focus seems to be oriented upward:

Our first reading from Acts tells the story of the ascension: Jesus is carried up into the clouds to the shock and dismay of his disciples.

And then our Gospel reading from John takes us back to the night before Jesus died. He looks up to heaven and prays for his disciples.

Both readings seem to be pointing up.

It gives us the classic impression that God is sitting up on a cloud somewhere in the sky looking down on us, maybe with a big white beard and an impressive throne.

That can make God seem distant, disconnected, and unconcerned.

The story of the ascension can make it seem like Jesus is abandoning the disciples, leaving them to fend for themselves in a world devoid of God’s presence, where a detached God looks down from above.

It must have felt so scary to have Jesus rise from the dead only to leave them again less than two months later.

The heavenly messengers who remained behind simply asked, “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” As if they should know what to do next. As if their world hadn’t just crumbled…again.

What were they supposed to do now?

As usual, Jesus’ words were cryptic at best. They had tried to ask if Jesus was going to fulfill their understanding of the messiah: a warrior king like David who would kick out the occupying Roman Empire.But Jesus deflects the question and starts talking about a Holy Spirit and being Jesus’ witnesses and the ends of the earth. And then, before they have a chance to ask any clarifying questions, he floats away into the sky. What gives, Jesus?

Their rabbi and friend had left them again. They were on their own. What were they supposed to do on this planet that Jesus didn’t seem to want anything to do with anymore?

His disciples are left to pick up the pieces and figure out how to spend their remaining time on earth.

If our focus is upward, as our stories today seem to suggest, how are we supposed to approach our lives here on earth?

It’s been 2,000 years, and Jesus has not yet “come in the way [they] saw him go into heaven,” as the heavenly messengers put it.

It’s tempting to keep our gaze upward—to focus on Jesus’ promised return and the hope of eternal life with God when we die.

But, have you ever tried to walk whilelooking up? Have you hiked and been so captivated by the treesstretching their branches to the clouds that you didn’t look where your feet were going?

It’s a good way to twist your ankle or end up flat on your face. (Not that I would know about that.)

When we focus too much on heaven, we lose our footing in the world we’re in.

On the other hand, I’ve also been guilty of looking at my feet too much. Last year at our women’s retreat at Luther Glen Farm, a few of us walked the labyrinth after dark. We were focused on our feet and the little pools of light our flashlights made. We didn’t see too much else until we reached the center of the labyrinth, turned our flashlights off, and looked up. We couldn’t see the magnificence of the stars until we stopped looking at our feet.

When we focus too much on being cautious in the here and now, sometimes we miss the glories God surrounds us with.

And sometimes, whether I’m looking up or down or straight ahead, when I approach the world with a critical eye, all I notice are the flaws, the annoyances, the irritating way the person at the table next to me is chewing, or the unbelievable thing that other person posted on the internet.

And then, I miss the sweetness of someone’s smile, the sound of a toddler’s laughter, the pretty leaf on the sidewalk.

It’s easy to get fixated on things like the future, our comfort and caution, or whatever we find wrong with the world and miss out on what’s going on right now, getting out of our comfort zones, or appreciating the world around us.

It’s interesting to notice that when Jesus prayed for his disciples the night before his death, he prayed for their eternal life, which he defines as knowing God and himself, he prayed for their protection, and he prayed for their unity.

Jesus doesn’t define eternal life as something that starts after we die, but instead says, “this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” That knowing is now—that relationship with God is now. It’s not keeping our gaze at the heavens but being in relationship with the God who created the universe and called it “good.” When we’re in relationship with someone, what’s important to them becomes important to us, if only on their behalf.

And the world is important to God—from calling creation “good” to becoming human in Jesus to repair the relationship between the world and God to sending the disciples out to the ends of the earth in our story from Acts today, our God is not disconnected or unconcerned with our world.

Our reward for following Jesus is not eternal life after we die, but relationship with God in this world now.

Jesus sends his disciples to tell his story to the whole world. And the heavenly messengers asked the bewildered disciples, “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” The disciples weren’t supposed to stand around waiting for Jesus to come back; they had work to do—a world to engage with!

So, despite the seeming upward focus of our stories today, we shouldn’t fix our gaze on the hereafter.

We also have work to do: nurturing this world our God made for us, caring for some animals or plants, sharing the ways we see God working in the world, loving our neighbors (human and otherwise), and making earth a little more as it is in heaven.

But that’s not to say we should never look up. One of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is “begin with the end in mind.” If we remember that God’s love will win in the end, the hardships and heaviness of this world become a little more manageable.Picturing the abundance of the Reign of God gives us hope and helps us move in the right direction in the here and now.

And that helps us approach the world with compassion instead of criticism. It helps us love our neighbors, whether we like them or not.

When Jesus prayed for his disciples the night before he died, these are the things he asked for:eternal life, protection, and unity.

Again, he defines eternal life as a relationship with God and himself, which isn’t about waiting until we die. We can gaze at the world around us, which God loves.

And with God’s protection, we can boldly move our eyes off the pool of light by our feet and look up at the stars. We can begin our work in this world with the end in mind: that evil and death do not have the last word and that God’s love will never fail.

And by God’s grace, we can approach the world with love that flows from God. We Christians throughout the centuries have bickered with each other and divided, instead of being united as Jesus prayed for. But being dedicated to the love of this world while remembering that God’s love wins can help us love even our most difficult neighbor.

So, with our eyes fixed neither on the heavens above nor locked on our feet, but with love for God, the world, and our neighbor in our hearts, let us follow in Jesus’ example and pray. God be with you; [And also with you]

Gracious God,

You are not distant from us on a cloud far away but present everywhere in this world that you created and love. Help us love this world as you do. Help us work for its welfare and the welfare of each and every one of our neighbors, human and otherwise. Please give us the eternal life that is knowing you right now. Protect us so that we may live boldly on behalf of our neighbors. Help us approach the world with unity, compassion, and love.

In your name we pray, Amen.

Legally Paul

Pr. Jasmine Waring

May 14, 2023

Twelve Angry Men, A Few Good Men, To Kill A Mockingbird, Legally Blonde…these are some of the most famous courtroom films in our history. These films are filled with drama, forensic sleuthing, and persuasive rhetoric. We like them because if you have ever served jury duty, you know that courtrooms are actually not that dramatic or exciting. Our reading in Acts today is set in ancient Athens, the birthplace of the Western judicial system. The Areopagus, which means “the rock of Ares,” the Greek god of war, was the center for temples, cultural facilities, and the high court. Paul was at the Areopagus for reasons biblical scholars are unsure of. He could be on trial speaking to the court, or this could have been an impromptu speech he gave. Whatever the circumstances that led him there, Paul had some interesting things to say. First off, he insults them when he began his speech saying they were “extremely spiritual in every way.” The word spiritual or religious is actually better translated as superstitious, which is very dismissive. Not only that, he “mansplains” their own beliefs by confidently explaining to them the “unknown god” they worship is actually the God of Israel. They’re so ignorant, they don’t even know who they worship! This passage of scripture has been used as a model for evangelism and mission work, which has led to violently erasing indigenous cultures and religion through colonialism. It’s one thing to see our own conceptions of God in other religions and appreciating them, it is another thing to erase and rewrite other religion’s theology by elevating our own as a universal truth. As much as we can appreciate the Apostle Paul’s writings and his courage to be imprisoned for the sake of the Gospel, we are not followers of Paul, we are followers of Jesus. However, we can still learn something beautiful about the Kingdom of God in his words today. Paul critiques the use of idols, and talks about a God who cannot be contained in a temple or statue. This unknown god is the one who created the universe, so no one can say that God was created by human hands. We are all children of God. Although we are all different from each other, we are all marked with Divine DNA which unites us. The point Paul was trying to make was that God is not found in silver, gold, or stone. God is found in humanity! God is not found in riches or in what we produce, God is found in the flesh and bone of our neighbor, and ourselves. When we treat others as anything less than divine, Paul says we are being ignorant. To the ears of the Greek philosophers of that day, ignorance was offensive, almost like a sin. Their whole philosophy was about wisdom and enlightenment. So Paul said they need to repent, which leads to treating people with reverence and dignity. Then Paul brings in Jesus, without mentioning his name until the very end. He describes him as the One who will judge people by the standard of justice. Standing in the Areopagus, where murder trails were conducted, Paul tells of the One who was lynched by an angry mob, given a sham trail, and was executed as an enemy of the State. This is the one who sets the bar for justice. What a powerful and subversive grace-filled image of what justice looks like in the kingdom of God! The good news is, Christ’s standard of judgement is not based in coercive power and domination, its is coming from the experience of the marginalized. We can trust that he will be fair and set things right because he knows what it feel like to experience injustice. Continuing with our court room drama theme, in our Gospel reading today Jesus promises us an Advocate, which is the Holy Spirit. An advocate, or paraclete, is often used as one who is called upon to help in a court of law. Paraclete also means helper or comforter, or to come alongside someone. This is the Spirit of the word and wisdom of God, who guides us. It is with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit we are reminded and drawn into Jesus’ call to love God and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Keeping his commandments is remembering each other’s divinity. Christ’s desire is for us to abide in him, as he abides in us through the Holy Spirit and with the Creator. More importantly, he wants us (humanity) to be one as he and the Creator are one. It is in this divine dance with the Triune God and humanity we “live, and move, and have our being.” Sometimes we will miss our step, or find it hard to dance with our enemy. When we see each other as divine, worthy of love, and as siblings born from the same source—not being color blind or erasing our differences— we enter into this divine dance, where there is justice for all. I don’t recall any movies that have dancing in the courtroom…maybe in the Legally Blonde musical. But there is a quote from To Kill a Mockingbird that captures what it means to be abiding in God and with our neighbor. Atticus Finch, a lawyer, had this to say to his daughter. “If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” It is with empathy, we can stay connected to each other and overcome that which separates us. We remember that God is found within all children of God…and all means all! So may you remember that God is not found in riches or what we produce, but is found in the flesh and bone of your neighbor, your enemy, and within your own body. May you feel at ease knowing that justice does not come from a place of coercion or domination, but from the risen Christ, who experienced injustice and will one day set things right. May you call upon your Advocate, the Holy Spirit when you need help loving your neighbor. And may you live and move and have your being in the love of God, the grace of Christ, and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.+ Amen.