Sermon for 6-20-10 "Kairos Joy" Ecclesiastes 3 Favorite Things Summer Worship Series

Favorite Things Summer Worship Series

"Kairos Joy"

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15; Luke 6:6-11

6-20-10 

This summer we are on a sabbatical journey together as a community.  We are all part of a grand gift of rest and renewal, and have been given a wonderful opportunity to seek a different rhythm of living together as a church community.  As I am journeying through this summer, I have become more aware of Iona, an island off the western coast of Scotland.  This past week I encountered a new book, entitled Celtic Prayers from Iona that is a wonderful daily devotional used in Iona by the community who resides there.  Craig and Anna will be visiting Iona this August as part of this Sabbatical summer, so we will all, I'm sure, hear more about Iona when he returns from Sabbatical!

Iona is considered a sacred, holy island and has been since the time of the Celts.  A Christian mission was established there in the 6th century, and is considered the "Cradle of Christianity for much of Scotland and northern Europe."[1] Today there is a thriving Christian community that lives there, and they welcome guests to come and live with them for weeks and months at a time.  The Community in Iona lives and works together in a rhythm of life that is devoted to prayer, Scripture reading, worship, and work.  Iona is regarded as a "'thin place' in which the material realm is only thinly separated from the spiritual."[2] It is where "the eternal is 'seeping' through the physical."[3] Iona is a thin place that serves as a "sign of what is most deeply true of every place and every time." [4]

How many of us would like more time in our day?  How many of us find we often need more days in our weeks?  How many of us find time rushing faster and faster along?  Our favorite passage for today takes a look at time.  How do we keep time?  Where do we use our time for good and for ill?  Where do we use our time productively and restfully?  Where do we use our time for giving life and sharing peace?  This famous passage from Ecclesiastes 3 gives example after example of ways we use our time.  Now, if you're like me, it's hard to hear this passage without the Byrds' voices singing in the background.  "To everything, Turn, Turn, Turn.  There is a season, Turn, Turn, Turn, and a time for every purpose under heaven." [5] This hit from Pete Seeger in 1959 was released in 1965 by The Byrds, and comes almost exclusively from this passage in Ecclesiastes.[6]  The song, like the passage, reminds us of the rhythm and cycle of time and the seasons.  The seasons turn, and the hands of the clock turn, and we live in a rhythm of life and time.

Ecclesiastes, most scholars believe, was written by a wise teacher.  The author is often referred to by the Hebrew name Qohelet (or Koheleth), translated as "Teacher".  This book is written in the form of Wisdom Literature.  The Teacher is reminding us that there is a quote "alternative view of time, proceeding from the remarkable assurance that there is in fact an adequate and appropriate time for every necessary element of life." [7] This idea runs completely counter to our "highly time-conscious culture." [8]

Our passage is clear that God wants us to enjoy our time and that there is enough time for everything to happen.  It is not God who wants us to do more, be more, produce more, work more.  It is our culture that is putting this unhealthy pressure on is.  A time for work and a time for rest. We see this rhythm from the very beginning of creation.  In Genesis, the author illustrates how creation took place on the first six days, and then God rested on the seventh.  God begins by setting up a pattern of work and rest.  A time for work and a time for rest.  We see this pattern of work and rest explained to the Israelites in Exodus.  Exodus 20 details the 10 Commandments, which include: "⁸Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. ⁹Six days you shall labor and do all your work. ¹⁰But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work...¹¹For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it." (Exodus 20:8-11 NRSV) This command is recounted in Deuteronomy as well, with a different reason.  This time the people are to keep the Sabbath to remember their release from captivity. [9] Deuteronomy 5 states, "¹²Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. ¹³Six days you shall labor and do all your work. ¹⁴But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.... ¹⁵Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day." (Deuteronomy 5:12-15 NRSV) 

Keeping Sabbath is a practice that reminds us that there is enough time for every purpose under heaven.  Keeping Sabbath also reminds us that God had time to rest, and thus we have time to rest.  Keeping Sabbath reminds us that God's time is different than the time our culture tries to keep up with.  We even have two different words to describe time.  Chronos is the time of our culture and world.  It is chronology.  It is days, weeks, and years.  It is what our culture makes us think we need more of just to keep up.  It's what makes us exhausted, exacerbated, and empty. 

Kairos is the other type of time. [10] Kairos is God's time.  Kairos is what the teacher is referring to in Ecclesiastes and what the 10 Commandments are referring to in Sabbath. Kairos time is heaven-time.  It's time when we experience in those thin places in life.  Kairos moments are joy-filled, God-is-here, take-your-breath away moments when heaven and earth collide and you know something special is happening. 

Kairos moments often come through play, through being in community, and through taking time away from our regular routines.  They are often found when we are leaning into Sabbath and living a different rhythm to what our culture tells us is necessary.  Kairos moments bring healing, peace, and joy.  The man in our Gospel lesson this morning experienced a kairos moment during the sabbath.  I'm sure his JOY was palpable when Jesus healed his withered hand and brought peace and wholeness to his life.  Jesus was keeping the sabbath, but it was counter to what his culture expected.  Jesus' whole life was made up of kairos moments as he demonstrated what heaven and earth colliding looked like.  These moments brought joy for many he encountered, and through his life, he helped to redefine what Sabbath looked like in his culture. 

Sabbath is time out of our normal routines that bring healing, wholeness, and peace to us and those we encounter.  Sabbath is time when we seek to see the thin places where heaven is visible on earth.  Sabbath is when our time is lived in God's kairos rhythm, when there is time for everything and rest is valued and enjoyed. 

So what does Sabbath look like in our 21st Century?  How do we seek to live into God's kairos time and search for the thin places among us?  As Christians, our starting place for Sabbath is weekly worship.  Gathering as a community to celebrate sabbath together goes back thousands of years in history, and is as important today as ever.  Given our culture today, and the decrease in blue laws that limited Sunday activity, gathering for worship as a community of faith is more and more difficult, and more and more counter-cultural.  It is certainly my hope that everyone who associates with this church community makes every effort to attend weekly worship.  But I also recognize that it is harder and harder to do, especially given the sacrifices that are often required.  Our times for work and rest don't always correspond to the worship schedule, thus we have to be more intentional to set aside Sabbath time.

Sabbath takes on other forms as well as we look for ways to rest and live into Kairos moments.  While kairos moments can happen at work, and I hope they do for all of us, I believe it's easier for them to happen when we are not working and when our mind is free from work to intentionally look for the thin places around us.  In looking for Sabbath opportunities, think for a moment about what brings you joy?  What makes your heart sing?  Where have you gone or what have you done that allowed you to experience a kairos joy moment or see a thin place? Maybe it was in an art class, babysitting for a neighbor in need, or serving on a mission trip? Those are certainly work in one form, but they become sabbath with intentionality.  Maybe it was while at camp or on vacation?  Maybe it was playing board games with the family or playing Frisbee at the park? Where have you laughed, found joy, and been refreshed and renewed?  Those are sabbath moments. These sabbath moments remind us of God and help us live in God's rhythm of time.  If we keep our eyes open, we can see thin places in these moments. 

This weekend I saw a thin place around a track—a Kairos moment of Joy that was Sabbath amid activity.  Raleigh Moravian participated with the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life on the track at Leesville Road High School.  This was our first time entering a team, and we worked hard to beat our fundraising goal--which is wonderful and will help many who need healing.  But there was something else that I think was more exciting for me to see.  During the closing ceremonies yesterday morning, as most of us were packing up and getting ready to head home for rest to relax our tired feet, we found out we won the Best Team Spirit award.  This award represents a thin place for me.  It's a kairos-joy moment.  We may not have raised the most money, or had the biggest team, but we had at least one participant from Raleigh Moravian compete in every silly game, every middle-of-the-night event, and every activity they hosted during the Relay.  We had folks show up to walk with us who were not on the official team roster.  We had an impressive group of 15 band members wake up early on a Saturday to provide walking-music.  Our team gave it their all... and celebrated being a community of Christ together.  We laughed together in our team space, walked together on the track, and worked together to raise money that will bring healing and wholeness to those in need.   It was work on one hand, but it was sabbath because it was breaking out of the normal routine.  It was an opportunity to live into God's kairos time, and be a part of something bigger than just ourselves, or even our one team.  It was an opportunity to celebrate the best of community and see heaven and earth collide on a track under the stars and bring joy to so many. We are Kairos Joy-kinda people...As Kristina said afterward, "Thanks to you guys, Raleigh Moravian is now known to Relay Folk as a place with upbeat, spirited, good hearted people."[11]  What a great way to show others what God’s spirit and way of living looks like!

As we all continue in our sabbatical summer, I hope and pray you will continue to take the opportunity this time provides to seek to live into God's time, seek the thin places around us, and find those kairos joy moments where heaven and earth collide.  And when this sabbatical summer comes to a close, I hope we continue seeking the kairos joy moments together with renewed hearts and minds.

Please pray with me:

O God who comes to us through the thin places in every day life, help us to seek you in each moment of our day.  Be with us as we live, and love, and laugh.  Help make every moment we have a time when we see your love for us and help us to use each moment, whether it is work or sabbath, to bring wholeness, peace, and healing to a world in need.  Help us to live into your rhythm, a rhythm or work and rest, that brings us joy, thus bringing you joy. In your holy name we pray, Amen.

[1] J. Philip Newell, Celtic Prayers From Iona (New York: Paulist Press, 1997) 7.

[2] J. Philip Newell, Celtic Prayers From Iona (New York: Paulist Press, 1997) 7.

[3] J. Philip Newell, Celtic Prayers From Iona (New York: Paulist Press, 1997) 7.

[4] J. Philip Newell, Celtic Prayers From Iona (New York: Paulist Press, 1997) 7.

[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn!_Turn!_Turn!

[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn!_Turn!_Turn!_%28album%29

[7] Ellen Davis, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and The Song of Songs.  Westminster Bible Companion Series (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000) 183.

[8] Ellen Davis, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and The Song of Songs.  Westminster Bible Companion Series (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000) 183.

[9] Dorothy C. Bass, "Keeping Sabbath" in Practicing Our Faith: A Way Of life For A Searching People, Dorothy Bass, ed.  (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1997) 77-79.

[10] William P. Brown, Ecclesiastes.  Interpretation Series (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 2000) 44.

[11] Email from Kristina Leighton, Team Captain, to Relay Participants, 6/19/10.

That's what she said: Inovation

The following blog link comes from the Harvard Business Review from a Harvard Business Professor.  I invite you to read it with an eye toward church... It is written for business, but I believe some of it (most of it) can be applied to churches and thinking outside the box.

http://blogs.hbr.org/kanter/2010/06/innovation-who-else-is-doing-i.html

What do you think?  How can we think outside the box (worship box, choir box, pulpit box, Sunday School classroom box, board box, etc)?  Where might the Spirit be leading our congregation to think outside the box to join what God is doing in our midst?   Where is Got at work innovating and creating that we can hop on board?  It may mean stretching and risking, but that's a good thing... especially when we are seeking and discerning and are prayerful in the process.  Let's keep watch and listen together!

Keeping Sabbath: Sharing Ideas

My last sermon explored the idea of Sabbath--taking time to rest and renew.  It is important to help us live into God's Rhythm of time (Kairos time as opposed to Chronus time-chronology/cultural/world time).  I found a good list to start with for suggestions about how to keep Sabbath and wanted to share it.  How do you find Sabbath time?  What activities do you find helpful to break out of our normal rhythm and find some God-time for resting?

Four Ways to Keep the Sabbath

Ceasing: work, stress

Resting: spiritually, physically, emotionally, and intellectually

Embracing: Christian values, time, giving, wholeness, the world

Feasting: on the Eternal with music, beauty, food, and affection

 (Printed in Soul Tending, edsu Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron Foster (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2002)62.  Adapted from Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva J. Dawn)

I enjoy spending time with friends, attending a yoga class to stretch and de-stress, reading a good book, listening to music, walking, playing with my dog, and watching movies--just to name a few.  I'd love to hear your ideas for Sabbath Keeping.  What books do you enjoy reading?  What movies help you relax and laugh?  What activities feed your soul and help you see the joy around you? [Post your answers in the comments section!  Thanks for stopping by!]

That's what she said...

Adoption and orphans are an issue that often gets little press or media attention, but there is a huge need in this world.  We all need to be loved and to love.  Kristen Howerton has posted a thoughtful, informed, and honest post about adoption and the realities of orphans around the world.  Surf on over to her blog and check it out... http://www.rageagainsttheminivan.com/2010/06/what-i-wanted-to-say.html

Sermon for 6-13-10 "Remembering the LORD" Jonah, Favorite Things Summer Worship Series

"Remembering the Lord"

Jonah 1:17-2:10 (Preaching Text-Favorite Passage); Romans 8:31-39

Favorite Things Summer Worship Series

There are many stories out there.  Stories surround us every day.  Sometimes they are called news.  Sometimes memories.  Sometimes fairy tales. Sometimes fiction.  Sometimes nonfiction. Sometimes narrative.  Whatever we call them, we live surrounded by stories. One of the themes of our summer during this sabbatical time is narrative--stories.  And not just any narratives, but especially the stories we tell about ourselves.  Who are we as a congregation?  What stories do we tell about ourselves and remember about our past, and how will these stories lead us into the future?

On August 15th we will have a Narrative Workshop, and I hope everyone will make an effort to be here as we look at our congregation's story.  Kelli Walker-Jones and her coworker Dick Hester will be here for worship and the workshop after lunch, and it promises to be a fun time of remembering who we are and what our story is as a congregation. They remind us, "Our personal or self stories hold together the past, present, and future.  Our memories come to us in stories.  And in the present moment we extend that story.  That unfolding story of past and present takes us into the future." [1]

As we think about the unfolding stories that surround us, we see the summer blockbusters--Shrek and Toy Story to name a few.  Why do we like these stories so much?  I believe one reason is because they connect with our own unfolding stories on some level, often in ways we might not even be aware.  How many of us have that green ogre inside us that we don't want anyone to see?  How many of us want to be Andy's favorite toy and be the most popular toy in the toy chest? How many of us want to live "Far, Far Away" or at least vacation there for a week?  These stories connect with our own stories and form the narrative of our lives.  Many of the stories we find in Scripture are the same.  The characters sound familiar.  The situations seem recognizable. They connect with our own lives, and we see ourselves in them as the stories unfold before us in the pages of Scripture.  And through it all we see how we become part of God's story.

The story we are exploring today, I believe, is the same.  In fact the opening word of the first chapter of Jonah is the Hebrew equivalent to the way our fairy tales open.[2]  So let us venture into the story of Jonah... Once upon a time, in a land far, far, away, there lived an unlikely prophet named Jonah. 

Jonah is unique among the Old Testament prophets.  Unlike all of the other Prophets, this book tells about Jonah. It's a narrative of a portion of his life.  The book doesn't mention much at all about his prophetic voice or his preaching.  It is a narrative about Jonah himself and his attempts to run away from God.  NOT YOUR TYPICAL PROPHET for sure!  And yet, God worked through Jonah despite himself... and I find real comfort in that!  This book consists of 4 chapters--44 verses in total, and references the Lord, God, or Lord God 39 times. [3] In the Sunday Preview email this week that went out Friday, I invited you to read the whole book--all 44 verses of Jonah before worship today to reacquaint yourself with this great story from Scripture. I hope many of you took the opportunity to do that.  Despite the short length, the book of Jonah is packed FULL of good stuff!

Have you ever thought about how stories can be viewed through different lenses based on your perspective?  Kelli and Dick, in their research, remind us, "Any situation can be understood through more than one story, because no single account can tell everything that happened."[4] I heard a story recently about this passage from Jonah.  The pastor asked the children during the children's message to tell the story of Jonah from the whale's perspective.  One little boy, known for volunteering answers, raised his hand.  The pastor invited him to step into the pulpit and share the whale's tale with the whole congregation.  He stood up, and much to this pastor's and the congregations surprise, and BURPED into the mic, and sat back down.[5]  It certainly is a different view of the story we read this morning. 

Today's Favorite Passage comes from chapter 2--Jonah's prayer.  We overhear Jonah's prayer from inside the belly of the fish.  We don't get all the details we might want here when it comes to what kind of fish?  Was it a whale, a shark, a leviathan, or some other form of sea monster?  We don't know.  All we know is that God used this sea creature for good. 

Our passage opens with Jonah, perhaps seated on a kidney, singing the blues.[6]  He's been swallowed up by a fish and has time to kill during the three days and nights he is in the smelly darkness.  Though he's been running from God, for whatever reason, he finally decided to call out to God.  But did you notice the tone of this prayer?  Though it first appears to have been prayed from inside the belly of the fish, it comes from the viewpoint Jonah must have had AFTER the fact.  I believe there is no doubt Jonah prayed and PRAYED HARD while he was inside that belly.  Crisis situations as big as a whale would tend to lead anyone to prayer.  But I imagine that Jonah's prayer received some editing between the first draft and final publishing. 

Let's think back for just a moment before we look forward.  Chapter one of Jonah finds this prophet boarding a ship heading in the exact OPPOSITE direction from where God asked him to go.  Jonah is running from God's call.  A horrible storm ends up causing the sailors to reluctantly throw Jonah overboard to try to stop the storm.  To their amazement the storm stops, Jonah begins to sink, and the sailors decide that Jonah's God must be the best God to worship, and so they convert.  Just when Jonah must be thinking he's really escaped God's call for sure now, God has a different plan, and the fish enters the scene.  Jonah became lunch for some fish cruising by.

Chapter one ends inside the fish, and we see Jonah's prayer in Chapter two. The prophet who was running from God ends up singing God's praise and thanksgiving.  Jonah's perspective changes from the time he gets swallowed up and he ends up sunbathing on some Mediterranean beach somewhere.  What caused that shift in perspective?  Why did his language and story shift?  Look again at verse 7: "As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the Lord."  He remembered that he wasn't alone, and that God was indeed with him in the belly of the fish.  God was present and was listening.  Even somewhere so dark and so deep and so full of muck, God was there.  The very God Jonah was trying to flee from was still willing to journey down with him into the bowels of death.  He tried to flee from God, but his action toward God hadn't turned God away.  Now there's a reason to sing! 

This prayer or Psalm of Jonah consists of Thanksgiving.  I doubt the first words out of Jonah's mouth were thanksgiving, but when he remembered the Lord, he was led to praise and thanksgiving.  His anger, his frustration, his sorrow--all of these emotions, no matter how dark and despairing, were no match for God.  God is bigger and more capable of handling our emotions--all of them.  And Jonah was able to share these feelings without God running away.  The prophet who had run from God remembered the Lord.  Jonah realized that despite his efforts, God hadn't abandoned him.  What a reason to give Thanks.  It wasn't that God just showed up at that point, but Jonah realized in looking back at his situation, that God had been there all along.

I believe Jonah looked back at his situation once he was sitting on the beach, and perhaps edited his prayer to reflect this changed perspective.  His remembering the Lord changed everything. Now, to be fair to the story, Jonah doesn't go about the rest of his mission with no problems, and doesn't become this perfect prophet... far from it.  But in the moment, he realized something important, and it changed his thinking and his words.  His faith in God grew because he realized if God will listen from the belly of death, then God will hear me no matter where I am.

I also don't think it is coincidence that this Psalm of Jonah sounds like so many of the Psalms we find in Scripture.  I imagine Jonah grew up like most Jewish boys at the time who memorized the Torah and Psalms.  They knew the Scriptures by heart and recited them day after day.  They became a part of who they were as people.  Through practice and prayer, these words become a part of us.  As Ellen Davis says, "We understand [the psalms] also as God's word to us--or better, the Psalms are God's word in us."[7]  Jonah didn't have a Bible or Prayer book or Hymnal with him inside the fish.  But he had his memory.  He had the stories of his faith from childhood.  He had the words that were written on his heart, and he carried those with him into the belly, and they became his own words.

Ellen Davis goes on to say, "As we take the Psalms on our lips one by one, we eventually claim each of those experiences and feelings as our own, and thus we enter fully into the life of all those who call themselves Israel.  What is distinctive about Israel's religious perception is this very knowledge that we are called into fully intimate relationship with the God who created the heavens and the earth, a relationship that is both probing and transformative.  It begins with honest confession of our thoughts and feelings; yet the terms of the relationship are that we must always be willing to grow and change profoundly.  So the Psalms honor our immediate personal experience, yet at the same time they keep us from becoming mired in it"[8]

This is where Worship and Scripture and Liturgy and Story ALL connect.  It's one of the main reasons we are having both a Liturgy Workshop on June 27th and a Story Narrative Workshop on August 15th.  Our hymns, our songs, our Scripture--as we worship together and practice sharing these words and learning them together, we are writing them on our own hearts.  We are remembering the Lord and entering into the story of Faith--God's story.  We are a part of God's story, and we carry these things with us wherever we go.  As we look back at our own stories, we see where God is present, even when we didn't see it at first, and we can give thanks!  When we can't see God at work in our lives, we have a community standing with us reminding us to "Remember the Lord" and helping sing the words when we forget.  We write these words on our hearts and the hearts of our children through practicing together, praying together, singing together, and living together.  So then when we, like Jonah, find ourselves in a dark belly, we can remember that God is there and hears our prayers and doesn't leave us alone.

God is at work in our story and is calling us to places yet unknown, and God is equipping us to do the ministry and mission to which we are called, both individually and as a congregation. As we tell our tales, and sing our stories, and remember the Lord, we will be able to give thanks together for all God has done and all God is doing, even with unlikely prophets like us.  Amen.

[1]Richard L. Hester and Kelli Walker-Jones, Know Your Story and Lead With It: The Power of Narrative in Clergy Leadership (Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2009) 1.

[2] James Limburg, Hosea-Micah.  Interpretation Series (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1988) 137.

[3] James Limburg, Hosea-Micah.  Interpretation Series (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1988) 138.

[4] Richard L. Hester and Kelli Walker-Jones, Know Your Story and Lead With It: The Power of Narrative in Clergy Leadership (Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2009) 2.

[5] Susan Sparks, Workshop, Festival of Homiletics, Nashville, TN, May 2010.

[6] Referencing Aldous Huxley's "Jonah" in The Cherry Tree.  Quoted in James Limburg, Hosea-Micah.  Interpretation Series (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1988) 146.

[7] Ellen Davis, Getting Involved With God: Rediscovering the Old Testament (Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 2001) 9.

[8]Ellen Davis, Getting Involved With God: Rediscovering the Old Testament (Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 2001) 12.

First Fruits from the Garden

We harvested our first fruits from our garden this evening!  4 zucchini, 2 squash, and 1 cucumber! We have lots more tomatoes, zucchini, squash, and cucumbers on the way.  

I've posted an album of photos here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2035778&id=39301917&l=d3993763a3

 This is the garden as of today, June 11th... We have 2 zucchini, 2 squash, 1 cucumber, 4 tomato, and 1 sweet potato plants in it, plus lots of marigolds to ward off bugs!

This is our "kitchen herb" garden on the back porch today.  It's doubled in size over the past few weeks!  I love having fresh herbs right outside the door!  Now I just need to learn to cook with them that will keep up with how fast they are growing!

Sermon for 6/6/10 "The Blessed Kingdom of Heaven": Favorite Things Worship Series

Sermon for 6/6/10 

Matthew 5:1-12, Micah 6:6-8

"The Blessed Kingdom of Heaven"

Favorite Passages Sermon Series

As we are exploring our Favorite Passage this summer during the Sabbatical, I have found one of the most fun things about this to be the opportunity to explore passages that are not often read in church during the Liturgical Church year.  Some of the passages people choose that I will be preaching later in the summer never appear in our Lectionary.  The Lectionary is a set of Scripture passages that many churches use to help us live into the church year.  It runs in a 3 year cycle--labeled A, B, and C, and begins each year on the First Sunday in Advent.  Each Sunday we indicate in the bulletin what that Day's designation is for the Church Year, with Sunday being the Second Sunday After Pentecost, and it's Year C.  I believe there is real value in living into this Church year cycle with Scripture in worship, as many Christians from around the world are sharing the same texts on the same weeks.  But I also find it good to veer everyone once in a while to explore a text that doesn't appear in the Lectionary, or appears very infrequently.    

Our Luke 6 text from last week and this week's Micah and Matthew texts are just such texts to explore closer.  Though they do technically appear in the lectionary, none of them have occurred in the rotation since 2007 due to Epiphany changing lengths each year. [1] Easter moves based on the lunar calendar, so therefore the length of the Epiphany season moves as well.  The beatitudes are a well-known passage, so it is fun and good to look at them during this special summer.

Matthew's list of Beatitudes includes nine statements that Jesus taught during the Sermon on the Mount.  This sermon is the first one mentioned in Matthew and serves as his Inaugural Sermon [2].  Jesus heads up a mountain to teach his disciples.  Anyone listening in Jesus' day would have automatically associated this image with Moses when he went up on Mount Sinai to receive the Torah--the Law which makes up the first 5 books of the Old Testament. [3] The Gospel of Matthew was written for a Jewish audience, so these images are familiar from within the Old Testament's law and prophets. 

At first glance these statements appear formulaic and repetitive, but upon further investigation, I believe there is value and depth found in the formula for the 9 Beatitudes.  They should be studied both individually and as a whole, but have no fear--due to time constraints today, I've chosen to look at them as a whole group ONLY. (If you are interested in reading more about each individual statement, see the footnote for a list of good resources to check out![4])  I believe a key to understanding these comes in the phrases that are repeated over and over.  

When we take a look more closely, we see one phrase that is repeated twice.  "For theirs is the kingdom of heaven" in verses 3 and 10.  The Kingdom of Heaven as Matthew describes, or the Kingdom of God as other Gospels reference, is what Jesus is ushering in through his life and ministry.  The Kingdom of Heaven is what God is working to bring about on Earth through God's followers.  The Prophets promised it, and Jesus began his life by fulfilling the promises the Prophets had made.  But it doesn't stop there.  Jesus' ministry was about bringing Heaven to Earth--creating the Kingdom of Heaven in the daily lives of his followers to continue ushering in God's Kingdom. 

But it doesn't stop with Jesus either.  Through Christ's life, death, and resurrection, we enter into this covenant of Grace, and become Children of God--Children of the Kingdom of God.  The Kingdom of God--the Kin-dom of God--the Family of God.  As followers of Jesus, we place our citizenship in this family, and we do it together.  The Family of God is not an individual pursuit--it is, rather, a communal activity.  A place, a community, a family we strive to live in and a Kingdom we live out together. [5]

It's often referred to as the "Already-Not Yet Kingdom of God" because Jesus Christ has "Already" started it-- ushered it in, gave the Inaugural Sermon on a hilltop overlooking the land, held Inaugural Feasts, and the left his followers in charge to continue the game plan. But it's "Not Yet" because it will not be complete until an unknown time in the future when Christ reigns supreme.  We recognize this reality and pray for it's completion every time we pray the Lord's Prayer: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." [6] Everything in the Beatitudes list between these "Kingdom of heaven" phrases and even that after too is related to these. The Kingdom of heaven phrase is implicit in each of these 9 phrases. [7]

The other thing we see clearly in each phrase is the opening "Blessed are..." [the poor in spirit, meek, the pure in heart, and so on...].  This is one of those places where English gets in the way of our understanding of the Biblical text because of translation differences that just don't show up well in English.  There are two words in both the Greek and Hebrew that get translated as "blessed" in English.  The only way to tell a difference in English is by accenting a different syllable, thus having Blessed, and Bless-ed.  I'd never thought about why the word is pronounced differently at different times until I began studying this passage.  Most often I have heard Bless-ed when the Beatitudes are read, and there is a reason for that.  "Bless-ed" --the adjective --is the more accurate translation.  It is a state-of being blessed or happy or joyful.  Whereas "blessed" is more of an imperative or command verb.  We often hear this other meaning in "God bless you" when someone sneezes.  Though this passage contains both ideas, most commentators agree that the Beatitudes explain that the people in the kingdom of heaven already possess these things mentioned.  They are already meek.  They are already peacemakers.  They already are pure in heart.  But having said that, there is still a sense of the not yet--we can strive to be more meek.  We can strive to be better peacemakers.  We can strive to be more pure in heart.  The quality already exists, but it is not yet fully realized because the kingdom is not yet fully realized.  Once the Kingdom of Heaven is fully realized, the children of the Kingdom will be fully and completely bless-ed. [8]

I feel it's probable, having read so many different stories about the disciples in the Gospels, that they might not have gotten all of this down completely correct at the first hearing of the sermon.  I can imagine that Jesus shared this message many times and had to clarify what he meant as he formed his followers into disciples.  A scene from a favorite movie of mine depicts it well, some might say.  It opens with the crowds heading up to the hills to catch a glimpse of this new teacher in town.  The captions read: "Judea 33AD, Saturday afternoon, about Tea Time..." and you hear Jesus off in the distance giving his famous sermon.  "How blessed are those..."  The scene cuts to the followers at the back of the crowd who can't hear every word he is saying, and are trying to piece together the message.  One lady asks for clarification, and another spectator remarks,

"Spectator I: I think it was "Blessed are the cheesemakers".

...Mrs. Gregory: Aha, what's so special about the cheesemakers?

Gregory: Well, obviously it's not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products." [9]  

My husband Steve wouldn't allow me to recommend seeing Monty Python's Life of Brian because it's rated R, but this movie and this scene in particular makes me laugh every time. 

But it also got me thinking.  Maybe under all the satire about politics and religion that Monty Python mocks, there is a gem of truth.  And this got me thinking about what the Beatitudes might look like if they were written in 2010.  And it got me thinking about where I have seen the Kingdom of Heaven in our midst recently. 

While I was eating lunch at the BBQ on Friday, I took a moment to stop and just look around.  I was there during peak lunch time, and my heart filled with such pride and joy as I watched the Family of God in our little part of the Kingdom of Heaven on Ridge Road working together, laughing together, and serving together.  There was so much support for the mission and ministry that God is calling us to do. I spoke to many different people who said this was a constant on their calendar, and they would NOT miss it!  

I was excited to see so many groupings of co-workers--one member of Raleigh Moravian with friends gathered around, all eating and enjoying one another's company and great food.  Neighbors stopped by and plates of food were passed down the line.  Cookers, servers, and drink-pourers all had smiles and hellos for everyone who came out to visit.  Laughter and conversations filled the air, just as the smell of fresh hush-puppies and hot BBQ filled the bellies. And there were plenty of offers for seconds for none should go hungry.

Later when Steve and I came back for dinner for Round 2, the same held true.  I was excited to see young and old, friends and families working along side one another to accomplish a task bigger than any one person.  I smiled with joy as I heard some of the college-students talk about this event being a highlight for them--something they wouldn't miss being a part of.  One youth even remarked how he had been promoted a few years ago to be on the overnight cooking team.  The disciples are teaching the traditions to the younger generations, and it was evident as I watched 3-year-old Bella not miss a beat as she followed instructions.   Including so many people as a worker and serving with joy made me so proud of the service everyone was doing together.

The Kingdom of Heaven is about community living together to enact God's mission in the world.  The Beatitudes both teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven and the community that is making it heaven on earth.  We see in Scripture how the Kingdom is compared to a banquet feast.[10]  Perhaps BBQ will even be on the menu... with Christ himself walking around to the tables serving his own special recipe of love puppies [hush-puppies coated in powdered sugar] for dessert!  

And perhaps those involved in cooking, serving, and helping are Bless-ed:

Bless-ed are the BBQ cookers, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Bless-ed are those with tired backs and sore feet, for they will be comforted.

Bless-ed are the hush-puppy fryers, for they will inherit the earth.

Bless-ed are the food servers, for they will be filled.

Bless-ed are the slaw mixers, for they will receive mercy.

Bless-ed are the dish washers, for they will be called children of God.

Bless-ed are the Church Families who serves together, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

And Bless-ed are the people we will serve with this summer beyond our doors, as the fruits of our BBQ labors will be the basis for our service together as we live our God's call to mission--to help those in need and share Christ's love, and together expand the Kingdom of Heaven a little more.   Amen.

 [The Big Boy, thanks to Joey Transou, which cooked all 1200lbs of Pork Shoulders for the BBQ. Thanks Joey!]

[1] In the Moravian Lectionary, Luke 6:17-36 appears in Epiphany 6C and Epiphany 7C. Matthew 5:1-12 appear in Epiphany 4A and All Saints Day A.  Micah 6:6-8 appears in Epiphany 4A.

[2] Douglas R. A. Hare, Matthew.  Interpretation Series (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993) 33.

[3] Hare, Matthew.  Interpretation Series (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993) 34.

[4] Some of my favorites are: Kenneth Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008) 65-87. M. Eugene Boring, "The Gospel of Matthew" in New Interpreter's Bible, Vol. VII (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995) 171-181.  Douglas R. A. Hare, Matthew.  Interpretation Series (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993) 33-43.

[5] Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008) 69.

[6] Hare, Matthew.  Interpretation Series (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993) 37.

[7] Hare, Matthew.  Interpretation Series (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993) 37.

[8] Hare, Matthew.  Interpretation Series (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993) 35. Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008) 67-68. The Greek word is makarioi. 

[9] Monty Python's Life of Brian, 1979. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079470/quotes?qt0471973

[10] Isaiah 25; Matthew 8; Matthew 25; Luke 14 to name a few examples of feasts in Scripture.

Things I wish I learned in Seminary...

Sometimes things happen in the church or in ministry that I just have to choose to laugh or cry.  This photo made me laugh so hard I cried.  It was one of those weeks this week.  Though things are fine now, thankfully, "Remedial Plumbing and HVAC" would have been really helpful in Seminary.  Add those to "Mission Camp 101: Wheel Chair Ramp Construction," which is the other MUST TAKE class in Practical Seminary Classes.

(Photo from Facebook Group: Things They Didn't Teach Me In Seminary, by Bethany Graves Devos).