"New Things" Sermon for Lent 5C: 3/22/2010

"New Things"

Sermon For Lent 5, Year C 

3/22/2010

Isaiah 43:16-21; John 12:1-11

All of us experience water on a regular basis.  Though Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill are not bisected by any major rivers or sit on a port, we have visited or lived in places where this is true.  Many of us have traveled across long bridges providing connection between far points of land.  Many have us have traveled on water in boats or ferries, sailing across with the open waves.  Many of us have traveled above water in planes, looking down on the open expanses of blue.  Water for us still provides barriers for transportation, but technology thankfully has created ways around, over, under, or through these problematic barriers.

Because of our technology, we loose much of our understanding and appreciation of how water played a role in earlier times.  I believe it's something we recognize when we think about it, but it's easy to overlook.  Water determined where towns and ports grew.  Water determined where languages and dialects spread and stopped.  Water determined where farms, mills, and industry could be located.  Water also determined where we could cross and where we must only stand on the shore and look, longing to reach the other side.   

The prophet we heard this morning in the words from Isaiah is naming these meanings of water in the passage from Chapter 43.  The book of Isaiah is divided into different sections based on the time in which scholars believe it was written.  Named 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Isaiah, this passage comes from 2nd Isaiah, which begins in Chapter 40.  It addresses the people of Israel during a dark time in their history.  2nd Isaiah was recorded during the exile period.  They are in exile in Babylon, having been conquered by the Babylonians.    This was a very dark time when all hope had been lost because they had lost their land, their homes, their possessions, and many wondered, even their God.  Had God abandoned them in this foreign land?   

2nd Isaiah begins in chapter 40 with, "Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God." (Isaiah 40:1, NRSV) 1st Isaiah was written as a warning to the people of Israel for their forgetfulness about who God is and what God had done in their midst.  We see that the tone has shifted to offer words not of judgment and warning, but words of comfort; words of hope; words of encouragement. They are in a dark, lonely, desolate place and their memory is failing them.  They need to hear these words of comfort, and Isaiah's words are just what they needed. 

In today's section in particular we see water as a sign of hope and encouragement to the people of Israel in exile.  Water is referenced at least 8 times in these 6 verses: water, sea, rivers, quenched, springs, drink... types of water, actions associated with water... they are both here.  Water serves as a reminder of Israel's past.  Remembering water helps them remember who they are as a people of God.  Images of water abound in Scripture, and here the prophet in Isaiah is using this image to help the Israelites' memory.  You who live in exile in Babylon, don't you remember God who formed the waters of creation?  Don't you remember when your ancestors lived in exile in Egypt, held as slaves for the Pharaoh.  Don't you remember how I made a way in the sea for you to escape slavery?  Don't you remember walking on the dry ground bridge across the water?  Don't you remember how I saved you from desperate times?   

But then the tone of the passage shifts.  The prophet says for them to not remember the former things or consider the things of old (Isaiah 43:18).  It's not the exodus from Egypt that they are to forget, but are instead to forget about the hopelessness they currently feel.  Don't remember the hopelessness. Don't remember the complancency and feelings of giving in to Babylon. Don't remember the traditions Babylon taught, and instead, remember me.  Remember that I am going to do something new, just as I did something new in Egypt.  Parting the sea to walk on the dry ground bridge was new, and maybe, just maybe now I will again do something new, something unexpected, to bring you through the dark place of exile.   

In this chapter from Isaiah, the prophet uses the images of the sea and river as contrasting one another.  Yes, they are both water, but they carry different meanings.  Seas were often seen as barriers, partially for their literal size.[1]  The image of water or seas indicates judgment for different people groups, and can be seen in earlier places in Scripture.  We see that image here referencing the Egyptians in the exodus, in verse 17: "Who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they are extinguished, quenched like a wick."[2]  The parted sea was a barrier for the Egyptians for their very lives.   Contrasting the sea is the image of a river.  Rivers provide life along its banks for crops and people.  They convey life, which we see in the Garden of Eden with the four rivers it contained or the Jordan River in the Promised Land.  The prophet in Isaiah announces God's promise, "I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert" in verse 19. God also declares, "For I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert" in verse 20.  Water and life will teem where it hasn't been possible before.  Water in a desert creates an oasis of life.  Rivers flow with living water, nourishing the roots and encouraging growth.  God provides a way; provides life; provides new things for the people of Israel.   They will have a new life beyond the exile because God is doing a new thing in the life of the community. 

The prophet in Isaiah is confident that some day, the people will praise God for the new things that have been happening in their lives.  God's promises will come true.  Not too long after the prophet wrote these words, the Israelites found themselves able to return home because the exile was over.  Cyrus of Persia defeated the Babylonians in 539BC (or BCE--Before the Common Era) and then allowed the people to return to their homes.[3]  God was doing a new thing in their midst, and they were able to declare their praise to God.  

But God didn't stop there. Did you notice the verbs in these passages.  Makes... Brings... here is where translation becomes tricky business.  These verbs don't show their full meaning in English.  In the Hebrew they show the action began in the past and continues into the future.[4]  God is making... God is bringing.  These are new things that God continues to do in our midst as well.  "Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" 

I recently ran across an article about Ken Frantz that, for me, is a tangible example of God's work in our world to do a new thing and bring about new hope and rejoicing.[5]  A photo in National Geographic magazine from a remote village in Africa moved Ken to action.  The photo showed villagers trying to cross a severed stone bridge to navigate the deep gorge over the river.  The village of Sebara Dildiy, Ethiopia, was cut off from surrounding areas and hundreds of thousands of people because of the lack of a passable bridge.  The gorge was deep, and the next closest bridge was a week's walk away.  Ken, a builder by trade, was so moved that he began an organization called Bridges to Prosperity USA to teach villagers to build basic footbridges to help this village and others like it around the world. There are 500,000 places they have found that could use an equally life-saving bridge, so the need is there.    What began in 2001 as a single bridge project has grown to build 40 bridges in 7 countries and is expanding rapidly. Ken and his crew are creating new, sustainable ways to train villagers to help themselves and build better lives. 

Like I mentioned earlier, it might be hard for us to imagine what this bridge means for the people in Sebara Dildiy.  As a video on their website articulated, it literally means life... new life for the villagers.  This new bridge is a new thing that allows for their lives to be remarkably better.  Now, the crops they grow can be sold at bigger, better markets on the other side of the bridge.  The extra money they make is helping them to repair homes.  Now they are able to cross the bridge for school, so education is now possible for those who would have gone without.  Now they are able to cross the bridge for medical care, their health and well being is only going to get better. The villagers were so excited in the video dancing and singing.  They had the priest offer blessings to the bridge, and the joy was evident in their singing and praising God for this new thing.   

God declares, "I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?"  During Lent we are drawn to notice the new things around us.  Can we not help but perceive where God is at work making new things?  The trees are new again.  The bulbs are flowering again.  Do you not perceive it?  Just as the exodus in Egypt was a new thing that God did, and freedom from the Babylonian exile was a new thing that God did, so was the resurrection.  The story doesn't follow the same patterns as before.  God brings new life from death.  Jesus will have new life once again on Easter, and we will stand and proclaim "The LORD is Risen.  The LORD is Risen, Indeed!"[6]   

God is at work around us in other ways too, can you perceive it?  We hear it in the theme of Synod for September, "Behold I am making all things new."  We are becoming a renewed province, and I watch with great anticipation to see how God is going to re-form us to better serve our world in God's name.  God is doing new things and we’re a part of it! 

God is at work here in our congregation, can you perceive it?  We begin a new chapter in Raleigh Moravian's history on May 1st when Craig begins his sabbatical for renewal.  We will also spend the summer in sabbath renewal, and I am watching with great anticipation to see what God is doing in and among us during this summer of intentional time with God, and then in the fall when Craig returns.   

God is at work here in our congregation today, can you perceive it?  Tovah and Zoe Shore began their faith journey formally today.  And by all of us participating in the marking of this Sacrament, we all remember who we are as children of God.  We remember God's promise and the power of the Sacrament: "Through grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, we are united with Christ, are cleansed by his saving work, enter into the fellowship of the church, and are called to a life of faith and willing obedience"[7] through the waters of baptism.  In the liturgy we just prayed together, we were all invited to remember what God has done throughout history and be re-membered, re-formed by our telling again the stories of our faith.    Just as the rivers of living water provided new life for the Israelites in exile, we receive that same new life through the living water of baptism, and we claim God's promises to us.  We celebrate this Sacrament and declare praise to God for these new children of God.  God is forming Zoe and Tovah, just as we are all being formed to declare God's praise.  God is doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  May we all declare God's praise for all the new things God is doing in our midst.  Amen.

---

[1] Michael E. Williams, "Pastoral Perspective for Lent 5C, Isaiah 43:16-21" in Feasting on the Word, Year C. Volume 2, eds. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor  (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009) 122. Comparison of sea and river is drawn from his commentary.

[2] Christopher R. Seitz, "The Book of Isaiah 40-66" in New Interpreter's Bible: Volume VI (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2001) 375.

[3] Samuel L. Adams, "Exegetical Perspective for Lent 5C, Isaiah 43:16-21" in Feasting on the Word, Year C. Volume 2, eds. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor  (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009) 125.

[4] Samuel L. Adams, "Exegetical Perspective," 125.

[5] Daniel Glick, "Building Bridges of Hope" in Parade Magazine (March 10, 2010, Pg 10-12) More info is in this article or on the web at http://www.parade.com/news/2010/03/07-building-bridges-of-hope.html . The Bridges to Prosperity Website is: http://bridgestoprosperity.org/ .

[6]"Easter Morning Liturgy," Moravian Book of Worship (Bethlehem, PA: Interprovincial Board of Communication, Moravian Church in North America, 1995) 82.

[7] "Liturgy for Baptism," Moravian Book of Worship (Bethlehem, PA: Interprovincial Board of Communication, Moravian Church in North America, 1995) 165.

"Cana-Grace" Sermon for 2nd Sunday After Epiphany C 1/17/10

"Cana-Grace"

Sermon for 2nd Sunday After Epiphany

1/17/10
John 2:1-11

Do you eat every day? This is a question that comes up in a song I heard a few years ago. It was written by pastor/song-writer Brian Sirchio after he went to Haiti to work with the poor on a mission trip.[1] The song tells the story of striking up a conversation with a man when he asked him a question. 

"Do you think I'm rich?

And this was his response to me

He said, well how many times a week do you eat?

Well his question took my voice away

And then he said, you mean you eat every day?

And I said, yeah, and he just said this

Well if you eat each day, you're rich."

[See Post from 1/15/10 for Full Lyrics and link to hear song.]

The images of Haiti this week have been staggering to say the least. It's almost too much to comprehend--the devastation, death, and destruction that this small country is suffering. The song's lyrics have played like a broken record in my head all week as I've seen countless reports and read numerous articles about the earthquake that struck this past Tuesday. I'm sure many of you can relate to the feelings of helplessness and heartache that come with the pictures and reports.

Amid the unfamiliar images and stories of this week, our Gospel lesson stands out today as one that is likely a familiar passage. It's one of the best-known passages in all of the Gospel of John. Jesus' first miracle, or sign as John calls it, takes place early in his ministry. Jesus has just come onto the scene and has just called his disciples. And then they find themselves invited to attend a big celebration. Jesus, his mother, and the disciples are in Cana of Galilee to attend the wedding of someone familiar, likely a family member of Jesus. Wedding celebrations in this time were extensive, as they usually celebrated for seven days. Hospitality was not only important in this culture, it was expected. Social etiquette indicated that the family would save for months or years in order to have a lavish wedding, and it would be a disgrace for the newlyweds if things went badly.

In John's story the symbolism and power of the story is palpable. This is a story about God's care and concern for people. This is also a story about grace, abundance, and celebration---the grace of God given to the people in abundance and the celebration that happens because of it. The crisis of running out of wine would result in social disgrace. Their hospitality would be judged as poor, and they would receive the shame of their guests because they had not planned and saved properly to ensure enough wine would be available for the wedding.[2] Because of Jesus' care for people and his concern over their well-being and life, he stepped in to save the day. In this moment of crisis, he worked through others to bring about transformation. Jesus used the servants to help solve the problem. If you notice in the passage, Jesus used actions--the actions of those around him--he told them to "fill," "draw out," and "take" the water to the steward, whom we might call the headwaiter. Jesus empowers the servants to do the work of transformation, and the steward does not even know that Jesus is the one responsible. Yet, ultimately God gets the glory for the change through Jesus, and the disciples believe in Him.

The details about the stone jars are another interesting aspect to this passage. John uses them to show the abundance of grace that Jesus provides for the people at the party. The stone jars were large--each probably held 20-30 gallons of water.[3]  In Jewish understanding, seven is the number that signifies completeness, where as six signals incompleteness.[4]  Though they are incomplete, Jesus is still able to use them for good. The abundant grace that Jesus shows through the excess of wine is the same abundance of grace that extends to us. Jesus could have acted in such a way that showed his care and concern, but did not cause a scene or brought glory to God. When it came to hospitality, one has to figure that the wedding celebrations were about halfway finished. They only needed enough wine to last until the end. Jesus could have very easily turned one jar into wine, while leaving the others filled with water for the ceremonial washing for the guests to use to keep clean, as Jewish law dictated. One jar would have likely been enough. One jar would suffice. One jar would have been a gracious gift. Jesus didn't stop at one jar, though. He carried the task through to completion and transformed all of the jars from water to wine.

Six jars of wine--This was grace upon grace. Grace that went beyond the steward's wildest imagination. Grace that showed his total care and concern for the wedding couple. Grace that was poured out so completely that an abundance of wine was likely left over. This was the waitress receiving a 2000% tip instead of the customary 15-20%. We can truly only estimate the response since details are sketchy, but I have a feeling everyone there was blown away by the extensive gift.

Jesus not only provided wine, but allowed the couple to not be disgraced. He joined in the festivities and empowered the people to celebrate in style that was fitting of the king and queen, not the peasants they likely were. The grace shown in this story is abundant grace. Grace that is bigger and better than we can imagine. We can call this grace "Cana-Grace" after the town where this first sign took place.[5]  Cana-Grace is a spirit of celebration and abundance that goes beyond what is needed and expected to something that is beyond measure. Cana-Grace is the unexpected, unimaginable abundance that happens when Jesus gets involved and God's blessings rain down just as the wine was beyond the wedding party's wildest imaginations.

Today's Gospel is somewhat hard to hear given the lack of sustenance in Haiti. They don't really have an abundance of anything right now--except rubble and bodies in need of proper burials. Their need of water and food is profuse. I hear the song "If you eat each day, you're rich" in my head and watch the screen with horror. The song was written years ago. It doesn't reference the suffering of the earthquake. It expresses the suffering and reality of daily life that most Haitians experienced last Monday, not just since Tuesday. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. 80% of the population lives in poverty, with 54% living in abject poverty. Most live on less than $1300 a year. 38% of the country is under the age of 15.[6]  Haiti has been in a bad situation for a long time. These problems are only compounded now with the death and destruction that the earthquake piled on top of the daily struggles they faced for survival. And yet, it takes a 7.0 earthquake to finally get Haiti on the national and international radar. So if we haven't taken notice before this week, let us at least take notice now.

As I have followed the news of the earthquake, I have been so thankful for the coverage of all the different mission groups that are serving in Haiti. With this disaster they are now receiving press coverage for their efforts and are being recognized on a national scale. Though I am sure many of them live out their callings from God and are quite content never making the news, their efforts are now being lifted up for God's glory. I’ve heard a few of the missionaries who are now back in the States being interviewed, and I was struck by how vocal they are about returning to the people they serve in Haiti to help with rebuilding of lives. They are there as the hands and feet of Christ serving those who have so little, and they want to be there now during the months and years ahead as the country begins to rebuild. Christ is using these people to create abundant wine where there were only empty jars before. We have the opportunity to support their work through the Relief Buckets the MYF will be assembling this afternoon and by giving to agencies who are on the ground there.

The recovery for Haiti is going to be a long-haul situation. Much like Katrina and the Tsunami, it will take years to even get them back to where they were in terms of housing and infrastructure. That's the grace that they need—to rebuild and move on. Yet, I believe they need more than just to get back to where they were. The Cana-Grace, that extravagant, unfathomable, beyond measure help and love from God, is what it will take to get them beyond where they were. A friend of mine in Seminary had spent years prior working in an orphanage in Haiti. She told stories of seeing children literally eating mud-pies. The pies would be made with dirt and dirty water, baked in the sun, and then eaten. They felt it was better to have something in the stomach, since it lessened the hunger pains, then to not eat at all. Let us, as global citizens and believers in a gracious God, work to supply the basics--the abundance of water and food--that will help them to flourish and eat each day.

There has been much talk about this "act of God."[7]  I don't believe God causes disasters. I believe God, instead, is there suffering with the people, comforting them in this time of crisis. God is present in the jars of water that are being shipped down, in the tent cities that are being set-up, and in the convoy trucks of supplies that are trying to reach those in need. The "act of God" in Haiti is what is happening after the earthquake. Cana-Grace is present as the servants of God dip out the water and watch as it turns into something more wonderful than they could even imagine. Cana-grace is also seen in the giving to disaster funds through the American Red Cross and other relief organizations. At last report, giving is on pace to surpass that of the Tsunami and Katrina and break the record. Giving like this during bad economic times--that's Cana-Grace. Maybe the rececssion, if nothing else, has made us more compassionate and willing to share. Only time will tell. The Cana-Grace will also be seen in the long-term efforts. Hopefully Haiti will stay in our minds and hearts for the long haul as we all join together as a nation and world to help them. That is Christ's call. This is Christ's gift--the grace of God in unimaginable, unfathomable abundance.

Cana-Grace is needed today for Haiti. God's gifts in abundance are what it's going to take to help. John's Gospel does speak to the crisis in Haiti, just as it spoke to the crisis during the wedding celebrations. My prayers are that people will continue to respond like we have seen this week already, and that Haiti will remain on our radar for the months and years to come that it will take to move beyond this disaster. I pray that God will use us all, as global neighbors, to tend to their hurts and needs. I pray that our abundant jars of wine will become the overflowing wells of water that they need.[8]  May we all share God's gift of Cana-Grace with our brothers and sisters. Amen. 

[1] Brian Sirchio, "If You Eat Each Day" from the Justice and Love Album.

[2] Gerard Sloyan, John: Interpretation Series (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1988) 36.
[3] Gail O'Day, "John" in The New Interpreters Bible, Vol. IX (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995) 538.
[4] Sloyan, John: Interpretation Series (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1988) 35.
[5] Robert M. Breasley, "Pastoral Perspective on John 2:1-11 for Second Sunday after the Epiphany" in Feasting On The Word [Year C, Volume 1] eds. David Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009) 262.
[7]  Facebook Page "The Text This Week" Taken from a comment posted by Rachel Wangen-Hoch posted on 1/15/2010. 

[8]  Facebook Page "The Text This Week" Taken from a comment posted by Vaughn Nelson posted on 1/15/2010.

Haiti: "If You Eat Each Day, You're Rich"

With the devastating earthquake in Haiti that occurred this week (1/12/10), my mind has been in Haiti, as we have seen image after image of the devastation that has taken place.  Listed below are the lyrics and a link to a song I came across a few years ago.  It often runs through my head, and given the earthquake this week, I've found myself humming it over and over. 

Even before the earthquake, these people were so extremely poor--I don't think I can even begin to understand just how poor, since I haven't had the opportunity to visit yet.  Having spoken with friends who have gone to visit, it is hard to even hear the stories.  And then this song, a true story from the musician/pastor's experience, makes it even harder to hear about the poverty.  Have you eaten today? How many times?  How hard was it to find food/water?  I invite each of us to give thanks for the basic blessings we often take for granted, and pray for those who haven't.  And let us all continue to hold our brothers and sisters in Haiti in our prayers. 

"If You Eat Each Day" from the album Justice and Love by Brian Sirchio
http://bryansirchio.com/index.php?page=songs&display=119&category=Justice_And_Love

from Justice And Love
(Click on the link above to hear a clip of the song.) 
Haiti is the poorest country in this hemisphere
I go there now and then to get my vision clear
Sometimes it gets so hazy in this land of
I consume therefore I am

I was working in this clinic for the dying & diseased
Living skeletons with AIDS and TB
Organized and run by Mother Teresa and her sisters of Charity
I asked the nun in charge, Sister, what should I do?
She smiled and said I've got a job for you
Then she gave me a pair of scissors, and said,
See that man right there
He'd like for you to cut his hair
I said, oh, Sister are you sure?...

I mean its not like I have given
many haircuts in my day
But I was there to help, so I just smiled and said, OK
So there I was, this natural born Vidal Sassoon
just snipping that hair away

We struck up conversation as best we could
His English was broken, my Creole's not too good
But we managed to communicate enough for him to say
Something I never will forget

You see I asked him, do you think I'm rich?
And this was his response to me
He said, well how many times a week do you eat?
Well his question took my voice away
And then he said, you mean you eat every day?
And I said, yeah, and he just said this
Well if you eat each day, you're rich

Somehow that moment felt to me like Holy Ground
I finished his haircut and when I turned around
There was a whole line of customers
who kinda like the way I cut that one man's hair!

So I gave them haircuts but they gave me so much more
They gave me the perspective of the poorest of the poor
And I know I'll spend the rest of my life
trying to somehow respond

'Cause if its true as we often say that wealth is relative
It just might take the dying poor in a place like Port au Prince
To help us see this relativity from God's point of view
To cut through our first world denial with gospel Truth
And as for me, I know I need to receive this paradigm shift
That in a hungry world, if we eat each day...
We're rich

Lord's Prayer Series: "Give Us Today Our Daily Bread," 3/22/09

"Give Us Today Our Daily Bread"
3/22/09
Lord's Prayer Series- 4th Sunday of Lent
Exodus 16:2-4, 11-18; John 6:28-35

I invite you this morning to join me in a prayer that I read this past week and found it to be helpful in expressing my own words. Let us pray:

"Lord, we are such hungry people. Give us this day our daily bread. We hunger for food, for acceptance, for love. Give us this day our daily bread. Lord, we hunger for mercy and truth, for righteousness and simplicity of heart. Give us this day our daily bread. Lord, we hunger for forgiveness, for enlightenment, for holy vision, for peace. Give us this day our daily bread. We hunger in hope... for the needy, for the downtrodden and forgotten, for the weak, for ourselves. Lord, we are such a hungry people. Give us this day our daily bread."[1] Amen.

Needs and wants. Needs and wants. Ohhhhh how much time I've spent lately exploring the difference in my life from what I NEED and what I merely WANT. This is a tough question and I know many of us have been asking it lately. What can we absolutely live without, or live without for the moment, what do we want, and what do we NEED to live? What are the basic needs for survival? What does our culture tell us we NEED? And, where do these things that we need come from? I can also guess that for most of us, if not all of us right now, the answers to these questions today differ greatly from what they would have been 6 months or a year ago. Today's phrase from the Lord's Prayer, “Give us today our daily bread,” gets at this very basic question of what is needed for life and where it comes from.

"Give us today our daily bread" can be translated different ways, but the one I find most helpful in exploring the meaning of the phrase prays, "Give us today the bread that doesn't run out."[2] As we explore what we need and where it comes from, the image of bread is front and center in this request. The image of bread appears throughout the Old and New Testaments. Bread that Abraham fed the angels in Genesis, Manna that God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness, Bread that Jesus fed to 5000 and broke on his trip to Emmaus--Bread is symbolic of basic food. Basic food is a basic need. Bread--not cake or Filet Minion--Bread is a very basic item. No, we aren't praying for the finest ingredients and highest quality. We instead are communally praying for Bread--for our basic needs. It's literally and symbolically at the core for those needing basic sustenance. This very basic food was part of Jesus' Jewish culture, and it remains a core in our culture today. I still laugh every time there is a hurricane or snowstorm predicted as I watch the news stations report on bread and bottled water flying off the shelves at the grocery store. Why these two items? They are core to our psyche to represent sustenance and security--basic NEEDS.

As needs, we must ask for them from the only true and reliable giver of all good things--God. The security that we will have enough comes only from God. Give us today the bread that doesn't run out. This phrase in the Lord's Prayer is a request made to God to provide our most basic NEEDS; it opens with a plea or command--"Give us." It is in the mundane things like food, water, shelter, clothing--the ordinary things of life--if we stop and notice and give thanks--that we can see signs of the divine gift and divine presence.[3] It's as if we're praying, "Give us the tools for basic survival, and in receiving them, help us to recognize that Your hand, God, is involved in all we receive, whether it is bread or water or our other NEEDS."

Speaking of seeing signs of the divine in the ordinary things of life, it is no coincidence that Jesus used bread in the Last Supper--a meal where the ordinary food became an extraordinary sign of the divine presence. It was during this meal that Jesus took bread, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. We do the same thing here whenever we partake of Communion. The Sacrament of Communion takes ordinary bread and grape juice or wine and transforms it into something holy. Communion is sometimes called the Eucharist--which literally means "Give Thanks"--it is in giving thanks for the gift from God that we are drawn closer to God and see signs of the divine in the ordinary.

I heard a story about how someone came to church one Sunday after having bread for breakfast. She then partook of bread and wine during Communion in Worship. The bread of Communion looked much like the bread from breakfast. But she said, "At breakfast, I did not think of that bread as holy." The church responded, "That's the point. Now, after praying this prayer of the bread at church on Sunday, perhaps you will eat your bread differently on Monday."[4] Bread as a gift from God--Give us today our bread that won't run out. Bread--A simple symbol of divine presence in our needs and also a reminder of the gifts we receive from God. When the crowd asked Jesus for a sign to believe he was The Divine in their presence, Jesus said, "I am the Bread of Life." He offered himself up as bread and gave of himself as a sign for the people to believe. Their needs were fulfilled in Jesus and our needs today are fulfilled in the Bread of Life--Jesus Christ.

Stanley Hauerwas and Will Willimon, professor and former professor at Duke's Divinity School, remind us that, "The act of asking for bread is for us a daily reminder that our lives, like our bread, are gifts from God. Daily we are dependent on God. Just like the Hebrews in the wilderness who would have starved had not God sent the gift of manna (Exodus 16:1-36), so we would perish were it not for the daily, mundane, essential gift of God."[5] Give us today the bread that doesn't run out.

Just as Bread is a literal and figurative reminder of God's provision and care in our daily lives, water also serves as a tangible symbol of God's care. Besides bread, water ranks right up at the top of the list for items we are most likely to grab at the store when a storm is approaching. Water is a necessary component of life. Without water, life ends quickly! Water is a symbol we see throughout Scripture, just like bread.

Today we celebrate Jillian entering into the covenant of grace and the community of the church through the waters of baptism. We proclaimed and thanked God for the gift of water, and we also professed our own faith as part of receiving Jillian into our community. Each time we celebrate a baptism, ordinary and mundane water is transformed into a sign of God's care and provision. Each time we celebrate a baptism, we are invited to remember our own baptism. Each time we touch water, we are invited to see it as a sign of God's care and give thanks. Perhaps we will think of water differently on Monday because we have seen it today as an extraordinary sign of God's care. Jesus has given us living water (John 4), and Jesus is the Bread of life. Give us today the bread that doesn't run out.

Bread and Water--this morning and anytime we celebrate one of the Sacraments, Bread and Water remind us of God's daily provision and care. God provides. God provided manna in the wilderness for the Israelites. God provided the Bread of Life and Living Water--God provides for our basic needs today and God will provide for our basic needs always. Give us today the bread that doesn't run out. Amen.

1. Gregory V. Palmer, Cindy M. McCalmont, & Brian K. Milford, Becoming Jesus' Prayer: Transforming Your Life Through The Lord's Prayer (Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press, 2005) 83-84.
2. Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008) 121.
3. William H. Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas, Lord, Teach Us: The Lord's Prayer & Christian Life (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1996) 72.
4. Willimon and Hauerwas, Lord, Teach Us, 72.
5. Willimon and Hauerwas, Lord, Teach Us, 70.

"If You Want To Walk On Water..." (8/10/08, Proper 14A/Ordinary 19A/Pentecost +13)

“If you want to walk on water…”
Proper 14A/Ordinary 19A/Pentecost +13
Matthew 14:22-33
Sermon from 8/10/08
RMC Installation Sunday


Do you remember watching Saturday morning cartoons or seeing cartoon clips at the movie theater? Since the 1940s Looney Tunes have been making people laugh on screen and Television. My personal favorites of the Looney Tunes were the Roadrunner clips where the Roadrunner seemed to always be able to escape whatever crazy plot Wile E. Coyote was able to cook up. With his kits from the ACME Corporation, the coyote would try to trap the Roadrunner for his dinner, but somehow it never seemed to go as planned. It always seemed to happen that the Roadrunner would somehow escape and then Wile E. Coyote would end up with the swirlies going around his head dizzy from whatever befell him. The best part, I thought, was when Wile E. Coyote would take off running, come to the edge of a cliff of some sort, keep running, and then, in mid air, realize there was no longer ground below him. It wasn’t until he realized he was in mid-air that he would go crashing to the ground.

These Roadrunner cartoons remind me of today’s Gospel reading, or should I say, the Gospel lesson reminds me of the cartoons. In today’s passage from Matthew’s Gospel that tells about Jesus’ life, we heard about a particular boat trip that occurs immediately after the 5000 men (and don’t forget the women and children that were there too) were fed by Jesus and the disciples. They finish the meal, and Jesus sent them off to the boat to cross the Sea of Galilee.

When I picture this scene in my head, I often envision calm seas, a nice evening’s boat ride across crystal seas with winds enough to keep them moving. But this was not a night of calm seas and a cool, light breeze. No, this night, the seas were rough. The text mentions they were battered by the wind. Battered is one word… another way to see it might be to say they were in a storm of all storms—hurricane-force in nature. Many of these disciples were fishermen by trade, so spending time on the water was a normal part of life. They had experience on the sea. But that night, it might be something like taking fisherman from Jordan Lake near here and placing them on a fishing vessel hunting King Crab in Alaska like is feature on the Discovery Channel’s “The Deadliest Catch.” If you haven’t seen the show, it chronicles a number of different captains, their ships, and crews as they head out to the Bering Sea to bring back crab---lots of crab. But, as the show’s website notes, they are often dealing with 40 foot waves, freezing temperatures, and a nearly 100% injury rate for the crew. Not exactly an easy, calm boat cruise. We’re talking life or death here.

Given these conditions, it is understandable that the disciples in that boat might be scared. The text does not mention them being scared, though, UNTIL they see what they think is a ghost walking toward them in these conditions. Who in his or her right mind would be out at that time of night –somewhere between three and six in the morning—coming toward them on the water? Some readings of this passage note they were very far out, around three miles from land. The fear has set in for the disciples. Who or what is that coming toward us? Is it a Ghost? It can’t be a person.

That’s when they hear the comforting words from Jesus, “Take heart, it is I. Don’t be afraid.” He’s saying, “Have courage. I am. Don’t be scared.” Jesus is reassuring them of who he is. He is God with us. The “I AM” would have reminded the disciples and listeners of when Moses received the Sacred name of God at the Burning Bush recorded in Exodus 3 “I am who I am” (Yahweh). God is present. Jesus is God incarnate—God in the flesh—a God who comes to them on the water to give them courage to face their fears and move beyond the fear to grow.

If that wasn’t enough of an exciting story, Peter, the disciple we often hear about it for his episodes of faith and doubt, asks this Jesus this water-walking-God-with –us to command him to walk on the water with him. Peter steps out in faith from the security of the safe, sturdy boat to walk on the 40-foot “Deadliest Catch” seas that Jesus has just crossed to reach the boat.

John Ortberg writes about this passage in his book, “If You Want To Walk On Water, You’ve Got To Get Out Of The Boat.” And it’s true. Peter could not be a water-walker and stay in his seat with the security of the boat around him. In order to walk on the water, you must get out of the boat. Ortberg describes two types of people—Water-Walkers—those who take the risk and step out to follow Jesus on the adventure of faith—and Boat Potatoes—those who’s fear keeps them seated in the safety of the boat (or on the couch at home) and watch what is going on but often doubt they can do it themselves. These folks are content as eyewitnesses to God’s work, but do not want to be involved for whatever reason. They stay in the boat with their life jackets fastened, big orange floaties on their arms, and don’t dare stick their toe in the water until the boat is safely on the shore.

I remember back three years ago when I wanted to be a Boat Potato and stay put in Raleigh. I was content here, happy in the area, had friends and family near by, and was in school— following God’s call at Duke’s Divinity School. I had taken a step of faith and started Seminary. I thought I knew what was best and was content with where God had me. But then I started to feel an unsettled feeling prodding from God pushing me to take the step out of my comfortable boat and become a Water-walker. I remember arguing with God over a couple of weeks that I did not want to go to Pennsylvania to finish school and things were great in the Raleigh/Durham boat. The winters are cold in Pennsylvania, and it’s so far away. I had spent a semester in Heidelberg, Germany in college, but some how Bethlehem, PA seemed so much farther away for so much longer of a time.

But, against my better judgment, I took a step out of the Raleigh/Durham boat, packed up the Uhaul, and headed to Pennsylvania. I heard Jesus’ call to come, but still didn’t know how it was all going to work out. Would I sink? Would I swim? Would I walk on water? Would I take one step and sink in, like Peter, or fall off the cliff like Wile E. Coyote is so famous for?

Hind-sight is 20/20 they say, and I believe it is true for my water-walking in Pennsylvania. I had a wonderful three years in Bethlehem and Emmaus, served two great churches there, made lots of friends and even gained a whole new family to add to my family here. I certainly did not plan on meeting Steve and getting married while in PA, but looking back I see how God’s hand was involved in my whole experience. I would not trade the time for anything, and even found myself sad to have to say goodbye and see you later to my family and friends there—which I would never have predicted three years earlier. I have seen myself grow in ways I could not have ever expected, and God taught me many things when I took a step outside the boat. You may be asking if I had a sinking experience like Peter did when he took the step out. Yes, there were times when I saw the wind and the storm and wasn’t sure how to stay afloat, but each time I eventually was able to reach for the Savior’s hand and be pulled to safety.

But what about all of us? How do we relate to this story? Are we sitting in the boat watching it all take place, amazed at all going on and declaring, “Truly Jesus is the Son of God” like those in the boat at the end of the passage. Though the disciples inside the boat might be called Boat Potatoes, they too were integral in the story as eyewitnesses and their worship of Jesus was enthusiastically noted in the Gospel. Maybe things in life have been crazy lately, and you need a break to just sit and worship and be in awe of God’s work in the world, and you are sitting in the boat taking it all in. You need to be built up in this community of faith to gain strength and courage to make the next life-move. Perhaps you are listening for Jesus’ command, “Come” to take your first steps on the water, but just haven’t heard the words or felt the nudges yet.

Or maybe you are tired of being in the boat of life and are tired of being an only eyewitness to the big events. Maybe it’s your time to step out and be a Water-Walker. You’ve made up your mind and the nudges from God must be followed. So you take the step out in faith and are keeping your eyes on Jesus. Maybe it’s time to make the career change you have been waiting for. Perhaps the new school year is going to be the opportunity you need to live your faith in the classroom and you’re ready to take that step.

Or maybe, like Peter, you have taken the step and now find yourself “seeing the wind and the storm” and doubts have crept into your mind. You feel your feet sinking down into the water and are in the midst of calling out to Jesus for help and safety. Or maybe doubts flood your mind and you can’t even call out to God yet. Life has gotten so hard that the step of faith you made seems so long ago. Don’t worry. Peter knew that feeling. Many of us know that scary feeling. Not that it makes it any easier now, but Jesus’ hand of safety is within reach.

One of the beautiful things I find is how Peter is in all three of these categories in the story. He is comfortable in the safe boat and asks for a COMMAND to get out, not just a typical request—there is force in the COMMAND that he needs to leave his Boat Potato world to become a Water-Walker. Then He doubts, sinks, and needs Jesus to save him. For most folks, these three situations are all part of the faith journey. I know I can relate to all three aspects of the disciples’ journey here.

It is my hope that we can all help each other listen for Jesus’ command of “Come Raleigh Moravian, Step out of the boat, we’ve got some water-walking to do.” We have the wonderful opportunity to take where we have been, listen and work together, and figure out when and where Jesus is leading us as we enter this new phase of Raleigh Moravian’s history. It’s a journey, and the water may not always be as smooth as glass, but our boat is here. Are you ready to have a seat, put on your life-jackets, and take the boat trip of a lifetime to become Water-Walkers together? If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat. Come on, We’ve got some water-walking to do. I am excited to be here to join in the ride with you. ALL ABOARD!!

Please pray with me:
God who walks on the water to be with us,
We thank you for the assurance that even in the midst of the storms of life, you seek us out and call us to you. Help us to have the courage to get in the boat ride of faith, and push us to grow to be water-walkers with you. We come from so many different backgrounds and life experiences, and we ask you to help us love and support one another in this journey as we discern your voice and seek your will. Be with us, guide us, and help us to feel your amazing love as we head out from this place to show your love to this community and world.
In the name of the one Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.