“Can You See It?” Easter 3 (May 4, 2014), Rev. Martha Daniels

Luke 24:13-49

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what God promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

*****

Will you pray with and for me? Holy One, sometimes we cannot see beyond our own fear and sadness and pain to the healing and joy we are offered. Teach us to be open to your possibility, to move beyond the limitations we are so certain of, to the realisation of your presence with us. In all your names, amen.

How many of you remember the movie Field of Dreams? I love that movie…partly because of the baseball, partly because I like almost everything I’ve ever seen with James Earl Jones in it, but also because it reminds me that we are not always aware of everything around us, that sometimes we can’t see what is right in front of us.

For those of you who haven’t seen it, a quick recap—Kevin Costner plays  Ray Kinsella, a farmer and baseball fan, something he inherited from his father, who idolised “Shoeless Joe” Jackson and the Chicago White Sox, even though Shoeless Joe was implicated in the throwing of baseball games in the 1919 World Series. He hears a voice in his cornfield saying, “If you build it, he will come.” He builds the field and waits, while his neighbours tease him about plowing under his corn for a baseball field, and his brother-in-law Mark  warns that he will lose money and the farm by doing that. Then one night, he hears a ballgame being played and goes outside to find the 1919 Chicago White Sox in the midst of a game. He contacts the famous baseball writer Terence Mann—played by James Earl Jones—who at first wants nothing to do with him, but eventually agrees to accompany Ray to find Archie “Moonlight” Graham, a young player who washed out of the big leagues and became a doctor. Ray and Terence bring Moonlight back to the field, where he joins the team. When Ray’s daughter is hurt, however, Moonlight leaves the baseball field—thus becoming the old doctor again—in order to save her. Terence then joins the team in the cornfield, telling Ray that he, Ray, has to stay and help raise his family. Ray then recognises the catcher as his father, and they play catch together as a long line of cars forms on the road leading to the farm—the field was built, and they are coming to watch the team play.

Now, one of the interesting things is that the brother-in-law can’t see the players or hear the sounds of the game for most of the movie. Ray’s daughter, who loves baseball too, can; and so can Ray’s wife Annie. When people believe, they can see the players and enjoy the game. In the end, Mark, Ray’s brother in law, can also see the players.

So—how many of us are like Mark? Do we recognise the wonders all around us? Or are we like Cleopas and the other disciple, so wrapped up in their grief that they couldn’t recognise Jesus, even though they spoke to him for a long while?

The love and presence of God are all around us, all the time--whether we are aware of it or not, whether respond or not. We can take Mark's position, that we don't see, that it is impossible, that such things don't happen--long-dead baseball players from Chicago don't show up inq a cornfield in Iowa. Or we can understand that there is more to the world than we can grasp, and see with the eyes of hope instead of despair.

Mark was looking at the cornfield with the eyes of facts and numbers and stark reality, the negative viewpoint that said, "This is not the best financial use of that field." And then he saw afresh, thorough eyes of hope, open to possibility--and saw the baseball players, and understood the possibilities of the world.

The disciples going to Emmaus that day were also deep in the glass-half-empty place. The very person whose death they were mourning was walking beside them, talking with them, and yet they could not perceive that it was him. They finally do--after he has explained everything to them--and they recognise him when blesses and offered bread to them--an act of hospitality and caring.

Can we open our senses to the presence of good, of blessing, of hope in our lives? It can be very easy to focus on the difficulties, the troubles we have, rather than on what is good. We see the cornfield when we could be watching a baseball game; we see a stranger rather than our dearest friend.

This week, look for the baseball game; remember to see a dear friend instead of a wise stranger. God is present all around and among and through you--in the shared laughter of friends, in the love of children, partners, family; in conversation and healing; in the gift of ourselves, given to others in service.  Be open to that presence of God, the blessings of love and care -- they are what the world seesks, and what we can offer. In all God's names, amen.

“Called By Name” Easter Sunday (April 20, 2014), Rev. Martha Daniels

Colossians 3:1-4

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

John 20:1-18

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.  So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Teacher out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.  Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.  Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Teacher away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Creator. Go instead to my brothers and sisters, and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Creator and your Creator, to my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Teacher!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

*****

Will you pray with and for me? Loving God of good surprises, open our hearts to your Easter joy; give us grace to recognise you in the everyday, to hear your voice calling our name. May all that we speak and hear bring us closer to an understanding of your love for us. In all your names, amen.

I love John’s version of Easter morning. The two disciples, running to the tomb, afraid that what Mary said was true, confused, maybe even panicking. And then—nothing! Just the empty graveclothes, and an empty tomb. John says, “and they believed—“ but he doesn’t say what they believed…that the tomb really was empty? That maybe Jesus wasn’t dead?

But Mary—she stays there, crying, afraid of what it means—that someone has stolen Jesus’ body, and she and her friends can’t even mourn him properly. She is wrapped in her sorrow, grieving her teacher and friend.

And then—someone is speaking to her, she doesn’t know who, but it doesn’t matter because Jesus is dead and even his body has been taken…she has nothing left of her hopes; so what does anything else matter? Unless perhaps this person knows where Jesus’ body was moved to—maybe a different tomb? Maybe Joseph of Arimithea had second thoughts and decided it was not a good idea to let them use his tomb for Jesus…

And then the person calls her by name, and she recognises Jesus.

Do we miss the joys of life because we are too focused on the sorrows? Yes, there is a lot of grief in the world—we have all lost loved ones, friends, partners, siblings, parents; there are earthquakes, wars, hungry children, murder, theft, lies and deception, greed and corruption. But there are also joys—the relationships we shared with those who are gone; the relationships we share with those who are here; simple enjoyments such as good food, a walk by the river, the lovely sights of animals and birds and fish in the parks and in the woods, the sheer pleasure of a good book or movie; of conversation with friends.

We can become too focused on the grief of Lent and Easter—we can become stuck on Saturday afternoon, mourning Jesus, wrapped up in the great sorrow of his crucifixion. It is easy to forget, sometimes, that there is joy in the morning—the sad walk to the tomb to anoint a dead friend becomes a dance of joy for a resurrected Saviour!

Mary couldn’t see it at first, either—her heart broken, she was so immersed in her grief she couldn’t recognise Jesus when he stood before her. But there he was—all her sorrow turned to joy in a moment, seeing her beloved teacher and friend, hearing him call her name.

This is the moment that most moves me…when he calls her by name, speaks tenderly to her, in the voice she finally recognises—he calls her by name and she sees him, really sees him.

We all have had Good Fridays in our lives—none of us has had lives without grief or terrible loss. It can be hard to remember a time without that sorrow; and it can be hard to let go of it, because it feels like letting go of the sorrow is letting go of the one we loved, or the work we miss, or the health we no longer have, or the relationship that has ended. But when we let go of our mourning, when we look up from our sorrow, then we can hear our name, spoken in love and promise—of all that still is, even though we thought it was gone.

I am not Pollyanna—I know sorrow can tear your heart apart. I know there are no easy answers; no magic wand. But that is the other side of love—without love, there is no grief. Our very love makes the grief deeper. But that same love can carry us through those days of pain; that same love is what made days bright for us before, and it can do that again.

Don’t stay with Saturday afternoon—step into the Easter light of the morning and an empty tomb, and a beloved voice calling your name.

In all God’s names, amen.

“In Between Times” Palm Sunday (April 13, 2014), Rev. Martha Daniels

Philippians 2:1-13 (John)

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,  then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Sovereign, to the glory of God the Creator. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Matthew 26 and 27 (selected verses)

Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

****

Will you pray with and for me? Eternal One, pour out your grace on us. We so often hesitate, torn between wanting to follow you and our own human desires. Give us the courage to do what is right, not what is most comfortable. Teach us patience to wait through the between times, until you are made manifest once more. In all your many names, amen.

We are almost to the end. The last week of Lent, the lead-up to Good Friday and then Easter....but we aren't there yet. We are remembering the events of Good Friday today because some of us will not be able to attend Good Friday services, so we include that today--because without Good Friday, Easter is not so joyous.

Palm Sunday--such a joyful day! Jesus enters into Jerusalem, the crowds cheer him, there is celebration and hope, the people looking forward to Jesus taking over and making everything right. They weren't quite sure how, exactly, but wasn't he the child of David, a miracle worker and wise teacher--surely he was the one foretold, the Messiah!

And no one more certain than he disciples. They had journeyed with Jesus, seen him do so much and teach so wisely...some of them had even seen him transfigured on the mountain, talking with Moses and Elijah, symbols of the Law and the Prophets, greater than either, glorified by God's own voice. They knew, beyond doubt, that Jesus would take over and make everything right, just as the prophets had promised. And so they too, sang and rejoiced in the streets.

And then Jesus is arrested--and makes no move to resist or run away, makes no defense when he is accused, goes quietly to his torture and death. 

The disciples, Jesus' friends and family, are confounded and confused. How can this be? He has the power--why does he not rise up, why not resist, why not smite his accusers down, begin the revolution against Rome, become the saviour of his people?

We stand on the other side of Easter--we know already that the tomb does not mean the end. We can't really separate ourselves from that knowledge. But we can try to put ourselves in the place of the disciples.

Can you remember a time when you were in a good place, work or school going well, relationship great, things just generally seeming to be on an upswing, and then suddenly all the wheels fell off? I remember a time like that for me--I was in what I thought was a wonderful new relationship, I had found part-time work to supplement my time at the church, so I had a decent income, I liked the house I was living in, I was busy and happy...and then, boom, it all fell apart with the news that I had cancer. I couldn't even grasp it at first, it just didn't fit--everything was going well, how could I have cancer?

I think the disciples felt much the same way. Jesus had been teaching all over, he had more and more followers, he had been performing miracles, and showing in so many ways that he was Messiah. Things were looking good--the crowds of Jerusalem were even behind him, welcoming him to the city with celebration and joy. And then... a crowd of soldiers rushing in, the arrest of their teacher--they ran in fear, and hid, because it got even worse... Far from being hailed as Messiah, Jesus was crucified, executed. Everything was going so well, how could he be dead?

I know now that everything was going to be OK--no, chemo was no fun, nor was radiation. But I made it through and am cancer-free for five years now, knock wood.

We know that Jesus did not stay in that tomb--that he rose again on Easter. But the disciples didn't know that, any more than I knew that I would be OK.

Remember that this week--we can look forward to the Easter joy, they had no idea what was in store. Try to remain in that place of doubt and dread, for even a little while...because that fear makes the place fo the Easter joy.

in all God's names, amen.

Lent 5 (April 6, 2014) Rev. Martha Daniels

Psalm 130

Out of the depths I cry to you, O God;

     God, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

 If you, O Holy One, kept a record of sins,

    God, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

I wait for the Holy One, my whole being waits, and in God’s word I put my hope.

I wait for the Holy One

    more than watchmen wait for the morning,

    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Israel, put your hope in God,

    for with the Eternal One is unfailing love

    and with God is full redemption.

God’s very self will redeem Israel from all their sins.

John 11:1-45

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Teacher, the one you love is sick.”

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Child may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the leaders there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

After he had said this, Jesus went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

His disciples replied, “Teacher, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

Then Thomas (also known as Didymus, or The Twin) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.  Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many neighbours and friends had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

“Teacher,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Teacher,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Child of God, who is to come into the world.”

After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the friends and neighbours who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Teacher, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the neighbours and friends who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.

“Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Teacher,” they replied.

Jesus wept.

Then the crowd said, “See how he loved him!”

But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Teacher,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odour, for he has been there four days.”

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Eternal One, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Therefore many of the neighbours and friends who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

***

Will you pray with and for me? Creator God, Source of all life, give us grace in this time to hear you speaking to us through each of us, in spite of each of us. Amen.

Lazarus is one of the most well-known people in the Biblical record; most people don’t know who Haman was, or Bartholomew, or Absalom—but they at least recognise the name of Lazarus, and that he was brought back to life. I did a little research on Lazarus, and found some very interesting things. According to one tradition, he went to the island of Cyprus and served as the first bishop there; he died again and this time was buried in the cathedral there. But at a later date, again according to tradition, his relics were moved to Constantinople—modern Istanbul in Turkey—and then lost during the sack of the city by Crusaders. Other traditions say the relics had already been moved to Marseilles, in France; that some were given to Russian Orthodox monks for a monastery dedicated to Lazarus; or that he never went to Cyprus at all, but just to Southern France. That is a lot of traveling, even for a saint!

By the way, the other Lazarus—who lay at the gate of the rich man and went to heaven when he died, where the rich man saw him across the great divide between heaven and hell, where the rich man was—that is another person, the inspiration for many of the hospitals and monasteries that treated what we now call Hansen’s disease—leprosy—and skin diseases. They are sometimes confused with one another, but they are two people. Eliazar was a common name in New Testament times.

Poor Lazarus—of Bethany, the one we read about today—he wasn’t allowed to stay dead, then once he was revived, he ended up becoming a bishop—a thankless task, believe me—then, when he died again, he was dragged all over the Mediterranean, in pieces. Sholem Asch, in his novel The Nazarene, describes Lazarus as looking like a ghost—he had been most completely dead, and yet was brought back to life—he is depicted as silent, quiet, on the outskirts of conversations and gatherings, certainly not dead, but not really quite all the way alive either.

What a metaphor for the way we sometimes live our lives—only half alive, hauling the old bones of our past with us, never at rest. We can’t let them be; we bring those old hurts and mistakes back to life over and over again, even when we say we have let them go and moved on.  I know it can be hard to let go of some of those pains—the broken relationships that can never be healed because the person or people are gone from our lives; the roads we were too afraid to take; the words we never said—or should not have said; the compromises we have made—or that others made for us.

Remember the scene in Christmas Carol when Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley? Remember the chain Marley is wrapped up in, that clanks and rattles and weighs him down? That chain is made of all the things he did not do that he could have done; and all the things he did that he should not have done.

We all carry a chain like that—some of us longer, some of us shorter. But we have all done things we are not proud of, we have all stumbled and made mistakes. The hard part is letting go of those mistakes. Of course every action has a reaction—we may have amends to make for some of the things we have done—or not done. But once we have done that, it is time to let them go. Put them down, and don’t pick them back up. Let the bones rest.

Because what will live on is not our mistakes, but how we handled them.

I find it interesting that in the days right after someone dies, we tend to remember all the good things about that person—all the times she was there for us, the fun we had together, his great laugh, her beautiful singing voice. We want to remember only what was good in a person—in our grief and loss, we focus on what was good and positive, not on their mistakes or their failures. We try, sometimes, in our eulogies and speeches at funerals and memorial services, to remind ourselves that this person was not perfect, but generally the failings we mention are minor, and we turn it into a joke—he was always late, she couldn’t read a map and wouldn’t ask directions, and so on. As time goes on, we come to a more balanced memory of the person—yes, she was often careless about money, but her children knew they were loved completely; well, he did have a temper, but he was generous to everyone.

And that is what we should carry with us—the knowledge that while we may have stumbled and fallen, we have also stood back up and tried again—and again and again. We have made amends, as best we can, for the mistakes we made that hurt others. We have accepted that someone else is not the person we thought they were, and that is neither their fault nor ours. We missed the chance to make things right with someone, but we can make sure we don’t make that mistake again.

Lazarus died, and was raised, and died again; and what remained of his body was carried all over, never at rest. We have made mistakes, sometimes terrible ones, and made amends, or apologised, or worked it through; and we have stumbled again, and again made things as right as we could. Don’t drag those bones around anymore. Let them rest. It is done, it is over. Recognise the potential in the new chances we are given; let go of what you’ve done wrong in the past—that is the past. As we move forward to what is come, I invite you to release those things—events, actions, people—tying you to the past, to the pain and hurt and shame. Step forward into the present and then the future, knowing you have stumbled and fallen, but have gotten back on your feet and tried again. There will always be another time to let go of something, to unchain ourselves from our regrets. Lazarus died and was brought back and died again. His story was intended to be a foreshadowing of Jesus’ own resurrection. But Jesus did not die again; he rose and let go of the past; he did not wander Europe with a bag of bones.

As we prepare for Easter, remember this—with Jesus, it was once for all. We do not have to go back and take up those burdens, those chains, those mistakes, ever again.

Remember—Easter is coming. 

“Who Sinned?” Lent 4 (March 30, 2014) Rev. Martha Daniels

Psalm 23 (Jason)

God is my shepherd, I lack nothing. God makes me lie down in green pastures, and leads me beside quiet waters, and refreshes my soul. The Holy One guides me along the right paths for God’s name’s sake. Even though I walk  through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of my God forever.

John 9:1-5 (Martha)

As Jesus went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of the One who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.  “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

His neighbours and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”  Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

“Where is this man?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

They brought to the religious leaders the man who had been blind.  Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.  Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

Some of the leaders said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”

But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.

Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”

The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents.  “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

“We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”

He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but only  to the godly person who does God’s will.  Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Human One?”

“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

Then the man said, “Teacher, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

Some religious leaders who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

****

Will you pray with and for me? You who are, give us grace in this moment to be open in heart, mind and spirit to your word for us today. May all that we do be an expression of your love for us, shared with the world around us. In all your names, amen.

Some of our scripture readings are short but have a lot of meaning packed into them—others are long with one or two kernels. And some are long with a lot to say. This is one of those.

It’s been interpreted and preached on in many ways—blindness as spiritual blindness, drawing parallels between the man who was healed of physical blindness and those who are spiritually blind; or, with another focus, on Jesus as the light of God, so that even people who are visually impaired can recognise him; or yet again, the lack of ability to see and understand on the part of the religious leaders is contrasted with the trust and confidence of the man who was blind.

One very important thing to bear in mind is that this man was very lucky to have survived to adulthood, to have parent s who cared for him.  In that day and age, disabilities, whether physical or mental, meant either a short life or a very limited one—in a time without antibiotics, wheelchairs, Braille, most corrective surgeries, prescription glasses or hearing aids, work and therefore participation in society was pretty much impossible.  So living with a disability was viewed as a curse from God, or the result of something the person or her ancestors had done.  And then there is the future--this man’s parents were helping him, but what would he do when they died? It is pretty bleak, but it is the truth.

In these days, we know better, right? We are more aware of the role that genetics and the mother’s nutrition and health care play, the importance of good medical care; we understand about medical errors, and the things that modern medicine cannot cure, or sometimes even treat.  We know that these are not the “fault” of the individual-- they happen, period.  Disabilities, of whatever kind, are not God’s will.

An advocate for physically disabled people pointed out that those of us who think of ourselves as “abled” are only temporarily so.  If I lose my contacts, I am effectively visually impaired—without my contacts or glasses, I can navigate my apartment, but I cannot drive, and even reading the directions on a soup label is a challenge. During my cancer treatment, I tired easily; I was no longer as mobile as I had been. Ask anyone who has been on crutches for a broken leg how difficult it is to climb stairs. If nothing else, we will all grow older, and become less mobile, more likely to fall, more susceptible to illness; our eyesight or hearing may begin to deteriorate, too. In another time and place, many of us here would not be here—the resources available to us in a modern Western nation mean that we can survive heart attacks, strokes, and cancer; that we have technologies and services available to allow us to live fairly comfortably.

The reality, then, is that in one way or another, we all are, or will be, or were in the past, living with a disability or disabilities.  We are all in this together, and so the focus should be on acceptance and mutual support , rather than trying to “fix” people, whether we are talking about depression, a broken leg, or visual impairment. 

“Fixing” people doesn’t really work; not only can we not do so, but even when a person is treated and cured—as the man was in this reading—that does not mean a person is healed. Cure means whatever it is, is gone and will not be back—but how often does that really happen? Cancer can always recur, a broken bone is more likely to break again than one that has not; the flu or a cold is likely to happen to people over and over. Healing, on the other hand, takes the illness or pain or difficulty, and makes something more of it—healing occurs when the person understands what has happened and how to grow from it, internalises the lesson.  Many people are cured of illnesses without being healed.

The man who was born blind was cured—he could see again—but more than that, he was healed, because he stood steadfast in understanding that God had brought about the cure and that Jesus was the one who brought it about.  He kept that understanding of Jesus and would not let go of it. Even if he lost his sight again the next day, he understood who Jesus was, and no one could take that away from him.

Healing is not cure—not everything can be cured. But with God’s grace, everything can be healed. Psalm 23 reminds us that God is with us, even in the midst of the dark valleys of our lives—not to cure everything, but to walk with us through that fear, pain, confusion, and hurt.

So the religious authorities believe that either this man or his parents committed some terrible sin, and that is why he was born visually impaired.  Well, let’s talk about that a minute.

Sin is a very loaded word. It has been hurled at so many people for so many things, it is both overloaded with meaning and trite at the same time. Through history, everything from murder to clothing styles that violate the norms of a society to relationships that make others uncomfortable to tattoos to swearing to reading or playing cards on Sunday have been called sins. That very overuse has meant that the idea of sin has become diluted—if so many things are sinful, how we avoid it? And at the same time, because it has been used towards so many of us for so many different reasons, it is still a word that makes us flinch, even if we do not believe that we are sinful or sinners.

Sin is, essentially, separation from God. Whatever we do that does not contribute to bringing about God’s realm, whatever keeps us from being close to God, is sin. So we could say, for example, that arrogance is a sin, but then so too, in that sense, is self-abasement—thinking we are no good. Whatever keeps us from God is sin, and so yes, we all sin, but—and here is the important bit—we are also all forgiven. This is the other half of the equation—if we are separating ourselves from God, then we also must accept God’s forgiveness, that open invitation to return to a relationship with the divine. That divine forgiveness doesn’t erase what we did, but God has let go of it and will not let it come between us and God. Just as we forgive a person who has done something to us—we can’t erase what has been done, but we can prevent it from coming between us and the person who did it—we can return to a relationship with that person. It will be different, just as our relationship with God will be different—but it will remain. The difference is, though, that while our understanding of our relationship with God may change, God’s understanding does not. We are still and always God’s beloved, with no strings attached.  That does not and cannot change.

This is what the man who was born blind has come to realise—nothing keeps him from God except himself.  He has been healed of his pain and separation, from the world assuming he or his parents did something wrong, from his own assumption that this must somehow be his fault. He is cured, too—but when the religious leaders send for him, he understands that the cure didn’t change how people thought of him. His true and final healing comes when he proclaims that he believes—he recognises God’s presence and action in his life. He has returned to that relationship with God.

Some people do not understand this—they sit in judgement on others, thinking they can decide who is not in a right relationship with God and who is, based on their own thinking and understanding. But Jesus says elsewhere that humans look at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart.  The ones who think they can judge and decide are the ones with no vision; those who have been through that mill of self-judgement and been healed know that they cannot judge another person’s heart or relationship with God.

Jesus is the light, then, that illuminates the darkness for us, shines into the shadowy corners of our lives, where we hide the things we are ashamed of, the things we think make us sinners and less-than. He brings them out into the bright sunshine of day, and we can see which are truly ours and which belong to someone else—which are things we should be eliminating from our lives and which are things that were never ours in the first place—and most wonderfully, which are the things that, far from being hidden in the corners, should be polished up and shared with joy.

So—who sinned? Not the man, not his parents. Those who are so afraid of losing God’s love that they have to set human limits on who God loves—that is a separation from the One who loves us all. We all do that from time to time—decide who is worthy of God’s love and who isn’t—when the decision is not up to us, but to God, whose love is for all. Our work is to focus on service to others—curing them, if we can—and give them the grace to heal in their own relationship with God.

As we move through Lent, let us remember that only God knows all that is in our hearts, and loves us anyway. With the light of God’s love around us, we can see those hidden things for what they truly are, and know that we are healed. In all God’s names, amen.

“How Can This Be?” Lent 2 (March 16, 2014), Rev. Martha Daniels

Genesis 12:1-9

God had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.  “I will make you into a great nation,  and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth  will be blessed through you.” So Abram went, as God had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. He took his spouse Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.  God appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to God, who had appeared to him. From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to God and called on the name of God.

Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.

John 3:1-17

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the realm of God unless they are born again.”

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the realm of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.  I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Human One must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

For God so loved the world that God gave the one and only Child of God, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send the Child into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

***

Will you pray with me? Holy One who rules all times and seasons, give us grace and wisdom in this time to hear and speak your truth. May our hearts be open to the message you want us to hear today. In all your names, amen.

John paints a very interesting picture here. Nicodemus is a Pharisee—one of the many streams of Judaism of the first century. Pharisees generally believed in an afterlife—which Saducees did not, and the Essenes did—and in Temple worship and sacrifice—which the Saducees did, but the Essenes did not. Pharisees were, in fact, the mainstream Judaism of the day, sort of like Presbyterians or United Church members today. They studied the Torah, the commandments of God, very closely and were committed to following them as much as they could. So they studied and discussed and argued over the meanings of words and how they could best be applied to their daily life. Remember, the early parts of the Jewish Scriptures—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy—were first recorded something like a thousand years before Jesus’ day. So for the scholars of his time, these were already ancient texts. Something else to remember—which some of our modern Biblical scholars should remember—is that it was always a given with the Jewish scholars that these writings were not necessarily to be taken literally. They knew the scriptures spoke in metaphors and allegory and symbolism; that there were several kinds of literature—history, poetry, legend, and so on—in the scriptures. You will rarely find mainstream Jewish thought today taking the Scriptures literally, and they did not in Jesus’ day, either. And we know Nicodemus was a rabbi—which at that time simply meant teacher—and this is strengthened by the fact that he came to Jesus at night, which is actually the traditional time for adult men to learn and study.

So when Nicodemus asks how a person can go back into their mother’s womb and be born again, he is not being naïve and taking Jesus’ statement literally. He is making a point. When we have been born into a culture, a mindset, a way of looking at the world, it can be very difficult, if not impossible, to adjust our thinking, to look at the world in a different way, with new eyes—as if we had been born again, into a different body, a different reality.

Jesus tells Nicodemus that it is possible—through Spirit, not the body. In other words, the flesh, our bodies, our tangible selves, can make some things happen—our human bodies can make other bodies, can (at least temporarily) change the land around us and the creatures that live there. But when it comes to things of the spirit—those can only be changed by spirit, not by our will. That doesn’t mean that those things are impossible to change or that we cannot have an effect on them, but it does mean we cannot do it ourselves, without help from Spirit. What are those things? Compassion, wisdom, understanding, love for all that is, faith, trust. Those are of the spirit, and only Spirit can bring them about. We can make it easier for Spirit to work in us by being open to these things, to recognizing their existence and by being willing to have them born, or grow, within us. We can’t do it on our own, though.

That is what the realm of God is—a state of being where all creatures share compassion, wisdom, understanding, faith, love. Jesus is not judging others—he is offering another path, another way. It is not an easy path—in fact, a person has to be born again, become another person, in order to walk that path.

But it is also a second chance—an opportunity to learn a new way of living, of loving the world, of laying down that burden of shame or feeling inferior, of hate and anger and distrust. A chance to live with grace and faith and love, with the absolute knowledge that we are all children of God, none of us are better or worse people, we are all doing the best we know to get through. Some of us have chosen the way of anger and distrust—but we don’t have to. Some of us have chosen to live for ourselves, disregarding the needs of others as long as we feel good. Some of us clutch the goods of this world to us, fearful of not having enough—except it is never “enough.”

This is what being born again is—a new life, a second chance. When we take that second chance, when we dare to believe we are worthy children of God, that every one of us human beings is one of God’s children too—then we can begin to live lives of grace and abundance. It isn’t easy—just like a young child learning to walk, we will stumble and even fall—but we can get up and try again, keep moving in the direction of that light of love and healing.

And that is Jesus’ purpose—to show us the path, to tell us that there is another way to be. But it is not just about us—helping us to live a more fulfilled and fruitful life—it is also about others. Being available as a channel of grace and acceptance and hope is part of this journey, this path with Jesus. It is not about just us ourselves and our own relationship with Jesus, although that can also be rich and rewarding and a source of healing. But Jesus was about reaching out to others—healing, teaching, comforting. We may not be able to raise the dead, but we can offer a hand to people who are lost, people who need comfort or a glass of water, or a loaf of bread or a place to stay or a listening ear. Jesus always reached out to others—he never stayed safe in the cocoon of his relationship with God, and neither should we. This is why we worship in a group—to come together in love and worship for God, to care for each other and the world. It is why we share the passing of the peace each Sunday—to remind ourselves of our deep bond with each other as Christians who come together to worship God and do our best to be the people we are meant to be. If we cannot get along in grace and love in a church, my friends, how can we expect the rest of the world to get along, when they may or may not have any bond at all with each other—except for that bond we all share, of being children of God.

So, my friends, being born again is possible—and it does happen. We all know people—or maybe we are people—who have been born again, have been given another chance to live life as we are meant to live it. Take that chance, that opportunity, to be born again into a life of grace, forgiveness and possibility.

In all God’s names, amen.

"Eyewitnesses" March 2, 2014 (Transfiguration A); Rev. Martha Daniels

2 Peter 1:16-21

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  He received honor and glory from God the Creator when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Child, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.  We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.  Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.  For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 17:1-9

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Teacher, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Child, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.  But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”  When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Human One has been raised from the dead.”

 **** 

Will you pray with and for me? Loving God, be present with us now as you were present on the mountaintop; give us grace to recognise your presence and your power with us today and every day. May all we do be reflections of your love for us and for all your children. In all your names, amen.

Transfiguration Sunday, which we observe today, is not one of the big church holidays. But it is the turning point, in a sense, of the season. It is the last Sunday before Lent begins--our journey with Jesus pivots towards Lent and Easter, the movement towards Jerusalem, Palm Sunday, Jesus' death and resurrection. It is the time when his followers begin to realise this is not just a wise man they are following, that this is more than a diversion, that this is, in fact, deadly serious. There may be doubt about whether anyone but Jesus heard the voice of God at his baptism--it's not clear from the Gospel accounts--but there is no doubt here--Peter, James and John heard the voice of God, saw Moses and Elijah with Jesus, and Jesus all radiant with glory. This is the real thing! And so no wonder Peter babbles nonsense and James and John can't find anything to say at all...Moses, the leader of the Hebrew people out of exile, the great law giver, the foundation stone of the Jewish faith--gave them the  commandments of God, one who spoke directly to God and lived! And then Elijah, greatest of the prophets! Prophets in those days were not seers, or people who foresaw the future. The real meaning of the word is one who speaks truth to power, who calls for justice and righteousness. Martin Luther was a prophet--so was Gandhi  and Nelson Mandela and Harvey Milk and Troy Perry and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

So Jesus is revealed as a true child of God in the presence of the Law and the Prophets--that's what that radiance is--Jesus in all his glory, Jesus most truly himself. Remember Jesus says he has not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it; remember too, that he says that the greatest commandment is to love God and your neighbour as yourself --on this, he says, hang all the laws and the prophets. For what is it to love your neighbour but to cry out for justice for them? And to live your live in ways that harm no one and ensure that God is honoured? That is what it means to be a child of God.

And so Peter is quite right in one sense, to want to stay there on the mountain with Jesus and Elijah and Moses--but quite wrong in another sense. Ideally, we can all be like Jesus--so full of that love for God and sense of service and justice for others that we glow. Who would not want to be like that? And yet, we cannot live on the mountain--we have to go down and be among people--other people, people we like and people we don't, people who are righteous and people who are not, people who Re good to each other and their pets and children, who do their best to support their friends and neighbours and family--and people who don't seem to care two figs for anyone else as long as they have what they want. Yeah, it's messy sometimes. Yeah, it's hard most of the time. But Jesus leads them down from the mountain to begin the real work of ministry, among God's people, not remote and separated, down in the dirty, mucky, messy midst of God's people. He leads them down to begin that work, because soon he will be leaving them, and they will have to do his work without him. But he has shown them what it can be like--to be fully alive to the law of honouring and worshiping God and to caring for your neighbour, to crying out for justice.

As we prepare for this Lenten journey with Jesus, we can also prepare to serve God's people. What is it we lack, what talent or grace or wisdom or skill do we need? That should be our guide to a good Lent, a holy Lent--learning how to serve God's people--each other--more fully and completely, so that we too, can shine like the sun, fully ourselves as we honour and love God and work for God's justice and peace here on earth.

In all God's names, amen.