Courage

 2nd Sunday of Lent

Genesis 12:1-4 & Joshua 1:1-9

16 March 2014                                                 

Elizabeth M. Deibert                                                                   

This cat has the courage to face not one but many potential enemies.  Esther had the courage to stand up to evil, saving her people.  Abraham and Sarah had the courage to leave all that was familiar and safe to go to unknown places.   Joshua had the courage after the death of Moses to lead his people into the Promised Land.  God says to Abram, “Go and I will bless you and make you a blessing to others.   God says to Joshua, Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.    Abram and Joshua are the start and finish of the long story of God’s people trying to settle down in one place, where they might be blessed to be a blessing.

Genesis 12:1-4

"Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

(NRSV)

I like to travel, but I don’t like to move.   Considering how little Abram and Sarai, as they were named at this time, moving to a new land would be even more frightening.   Would they be safe?   Would they have food and shelter?   How would God make of them a great nation, when they are already quite old with no children.   It does not sound promising, but it is the promise of God to them, and as such it can be trusted.   Those who listen to God are often called to go with courage to unknown places figuratively, to trust that God will provide all that we need.   Remember how the disciples dropped their nets and went with Jesus?  Remember how Jesus went into Jerusalem on the day we now celebrate as Palm Sunday.   He sensed the danger of the moment, but he was courageous.  

Mark Twain said, “Courage is resistance to fear and mastery of fear but NOT absence of fear.”   Now Joshua had good reason to fear.   Strong and faithful leader Moses was dead, and what?   He’s supposed to help the Israelites make it across the Jordan!   We are going to hear the story of God’s en-courage-ment to Joshua.   Pay attention to that word.   To encourage someone is not just to pat them on the back; it is to give them courage.   Courage, despite their fears.   Courage.   Remember the Cowardly Lion’s brave speech while waiting to see the Emperor?   

What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage!   What puts the "ape" in apricot? What have they got that I ain't got?

Courage!  Now it took a just little courage for these adults to climb up the waterslide with the kids with an audience at the Camphire’s Irish party.   But the real courage we see in our friend Anderson, who came to this country six years ago, leaving his wife and two young daughters in Cameroon, and on Tuesday he will become a US Citizen, which means he is closer to being able to bring them over to join him and to be part of our Peace family!   Courage is a way of demonstrating your trust in God.   Hear God’s encouraging promise to Joshua.

Joshua 1:1-9

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying, 2 "My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. 5 No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. 9 I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."   (NRSV)

This theme of courage has really taken hold in me this week.   It seems an appropriate message, as we weep with those waiting on word about the missing Malaysian airplane.   It seems right in thinking about what it feels like to be a resident of the Ukraine, wondering what will happen next with Russia.  

And it seemed even more right after viewing The Butler at the Faith and Film Night.  A father and son, each in their own generation, mired in the oppression of racism in the civil rights era, acting out of courage in two radically divergent but constructive ways.   And after the movie, wondering what it means to be a courageous church in our day – what does it mean to be courageous as a new church in the face of declining numbers?   What does it mean in the church to be courageously sacrificial in giving, when many people cannot understand why we would find joy in giving away so much of our money?  What does it mean to be courageous in support of underpaid and oppressed farmworkers?   What does it mean to be courageous in support of the needs of gay people when the definition of marriage is being debated in church and culture?

And how can we be a church of the big tent – allowing people to live courageously and faithfully according to the call of God in their lives, given their generation and perspective.   Courage means we exercise love and respect, even if our faith is lived out as differently as the subservient, silent and underpaid butler in the White House and his son, a freedom rider sitting at the lunch counter in Nashville, active in non-violent protests for civil rights.  

St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow, and many of us celebrated yesterday with good food and fellowship at the Camphires.   Along with all the green apparel and four-leaf clovers, we should always remember the courage of St Patrick.   Tragedy struck Patrick at sixteen years old when he was kidnapped by Irish Pirates and taken from his family and friends to the Emerald Isle where he was forced into slavery.  This was the 4th century.  While he was a slave, Patrick recalled his Christian upbringing and turned back to that true God of whom he wrote so eloquently. He became a pilgrim, turning his captivity into a time of spiritual growth. He learned to walk the way of love. Here the testimony of St Patrick: 

Love of God and the fear of Him increased more and more, and faith grew, and the spirit was moved, so that in one day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and at night nearly as many…And I felt no hurt, nor was there any sluggishness in me- as I now see because the spirit was then fervent within me"

Not only did Patrick grow in faith these six years, but after he was able to escape  back to Britain and train for the ministry, saying he would never go back to Ireland, he got a message from God, much like the ones given to Abraham and Joshua.   Go from your kindred and your home.   Be courageous.  Be strong.   I will be with you.   St Patrick went back to Ireland to share the Gospel with those who had enslaved him!  Courage.
C. S. Lewis said, "Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."  So now let us sing a hymn written by a pastor, Rev. Harry Emerson Fosdick, who was courageous enough in the 1920’s to preach in the Old First Presbyterian Church of New York City that the gospel was broader and more inclusive than many people thought at that time.   This hymn grew out of the controversy of his day.   God of Grace and God of Glory

And now let us affirm our faith with the German Christians who had the courage to stand up against Hitler and his regime, many of whom were killed for this strong stand against evil.  Esther lived, but sometimes courage leads to death, as it did for Christ and many of his closest disciples.

The Theological Declaration of Barmen

If

First Sunday of Lent
Matthew 4:1-11
 8 March 2014
Elizabeth M. Deibert                                                                   

If I cheat on this one test, what does it matter?   If I drink and drive, I will be more careful than other people.   If I don’t take my medicine today, it won’t really matter.  If I eat this one piece of cake, then I will feel better.  If the neighbor has a nice car, I deserve one too.   If I hurry, I can get one more thing done before I leave.  If I had a difficult childhood, people should feel sorry for me.   If I get a bad grade or lose my job, it’s not my fault.   If I don’t go to church, I can still be a spiritual person.  If he’s going to be difficult, I’ll just ignore him.  If it feels good, why not?   If she’d been more supportive, I would have been faithful to her.   If he’s going to be unkind to me, I’ll might as well be rude too.   If I don’t pray, don’t read the Bible, it’s all the same.   If only I had a happy family like they do.   If only I could be as attractive and successful as her.   If only I had as much money and power as he does.   If only I could just show them.   If I had more time, if I wasn’t so busy, if I had more energy, I would _____(fill in the blank for the responsible thing you should be doing that you are not.)

Genesis 2:15-17

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”

If God put this apple tree in the garden of Eden, then it must be for us to enjoy.   If we eat from this tree, we will not die, we will be smarter.   The Genesis story is the human entry into disobedience.   Man and woman are tempted and they eat what they were commanded to avoid.   They had plenty in the garden, but they wanted more.  

Jesus turns the Genesis story on its head by resisting temptation.   Every time, the tempter invites him to prove himself by saying, “If you are as powerful as God…then do what you please and prove your power to me.   Jesus refuses to play the evil game of ifs.

This story of Jesus’ forty days of the wilderness, being tempted has two big points that should not be missed.   First, the story follows the baptism story.    Now in terms of the church year, it has been a while since we celebrated the baptism of Jesus, but in the narrative, temptation follows baptism.  This is my beloved Son.   The second crucial point not to miss is this:   It is the Spirit who takes Jesus into the wilderness.    So, let’s be sure to appreciate the full impact of this.  The Spirit comes descending down on him, and the wonderful words of heaven are proclaimed, “This is my Beloved Son.  With him I am well-pleased.”  And then Spirit drives him into the wilderness.   Apparently, he needed to identify with us in temptation and win the battle, as true humanity, created in God’s image like us, yet with the divine ability to fix broken humanity, as defined by Adam and Eve.

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 

11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Jesus' 40 days of fasting reminds us of the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert, and the 40-day fasts of Moses and Elijah.   In the Bible, the term forty years or forty days is more approximate.   Remember, they were not marking days on a calendar.   

There are a couple of ways to understand this temptation narrative.   One way is to look at the three temptations as different kinds of testing that we like Jesus experience.  

IF you are God’s beloved, then you should be comfy all the time – eating bread, not suffering.   Turn stones into bread is the temptation of living according to fleshly desires.   Of course, we all sympathize with Jesus because we imagine that he was in a total fast, but it is just as likely he was doing a partial fast, surviving on whatever he could find in the wilderness.   Living the radically simple life, and that some baked bread or freshly caught fish would have been sorely missed.   Remember that fasting is not such a strange act.   Giving up certain types of foods, or skipping a meal is a fine way to work on your relationship with God, to find more satisfaction/contentment in God’s word than comfort foods.

The second temptation – IF you are the Son of God, prove it.  Throw yourself down from the temple and command God’s angels to protect you – is the temptation to abuse power.    Prove yourself to people so they know all that you can do.  Instead of using power to care, use power to impress, for political gain.

The third temptation – see all the kingdoms of the world, you can have them, IF you will worship me.   This is the temptation of coveting or putting yourself in God’s place – breaking the commandment to worship only God.   Jesus had the greatest temptation to consider himself equal with God, but for our sakes, he did not claim that place, but humbled himself, even to the point of death. 

Now there’s a deeper meaning to these temptations too.   In his book The Politics of Jesus,  John Howard Yoder, suggests that the three temptations of Jesus foreshadow the three points in his ministry where political temptations were the greatest:  right after the miracle of the loaves and fish was performed, when the hungry crowds wanted to make him king; when he cleansed the Temple, at which time he had already secured enough political and moral support from the crowds to start a political movement; and the night at Gethsemane when he played with the idea of calling on twelve legions of angels to stop his arrest - he could have initiated a holy war had he chosen to.

All of those moments in Jesus’ life he experienced the real temptation to take the easy way out, the way that avoids suffering.   But he choose to hang in there for us.   He picked the harder way.   He demonstrates for us that the way of sacrifice for others is the best way to live this life.   It is the way God intends.

I watched my mother this week, in her own way, acting out the sacrificial love of Christ.   Though she was our guest, she was determined to be helpful.   Though loading the dishwasher took her three or four times as long as it would take for any one of us to do it, she insisted that we were busy and this was one thing she could do to help.

Instead of complaining about how tired she was after driving from N. Carolina, she said when she arrived last Saturday to get back in the car and drive over to see the church property because she knew how important it was to me.

Don’t get me wrong.   My mother is not perfect, she has an insatiable curiosity about people that occasionally leads her to over-involvement in people’s lives.  And she’s never seen a dessert that did not need to be tasted or a conversation that she could not extend.   But I am grateful for the unselfishness, kindness, and patience I see in her life and for how that has blessed me and many others.  

In the end, it is self-centered behavior that is our greatest temptation.   Whether our self-centered behavior comes from a self-estimation that is too low or too high, all of us are tempted to use the power we have to get our own needs met, rather than thinking first of others.

Jesus sets the example for us.   In the weakness of his time of testing, it would have been easier for him to fall back on self-oriented behavior, but he resisted the temptation to follow the deception of the devil, or the power of evil, however you prefer to imagine the powers than dissuade you from living according to your truest identity as God’s beloved child.

How does Jesus resist the tempter?   By quoting the words of God from scripture,    Jesus reminds the one who tells half-truths who He really is.   Every time the tempter lures him into the two-sided coin of self-doubting/self-proving with that word “IF”  Jesus demonstrates that God does not deal in such uncertainties.   God declares, “This is my beloved.   With him I am well-pleased.” 

With that line from God ringing in your ears, you too can resist temptation to be less than you are.   Those who live according to lusts of the flesh become less than they are.  Those who live to prove themselves to others rather than being authentic and secure in their identity become less than they truly are.  Those who abuse power to serve selfish interests rather than using power to benefit others become less than they really are.  

If you are insecure about whom you really are, start listening to God about that – not to the voices of the world who invite you to be less.   If you are a child of God, resist the temptation to be anything less than a Jesus follower, who serves the needs of others.

 

 

When Glory Shines

Transfiguration Sunday

Matthew 17:1-9                                                                           

2 March 2014

Elizabeth M. Deibert                                                                   

After our glorious afternoon at Peace last Sunday, when we dedicated this building and everything and everyone part of it, and this beautiful piece of land to God’s purposes, it was time to unwind, to slip away for a night with Richard for a belated birthday celebration with his brother Don.   We went to Tarpon Springs, the home of sponges and Greek food.   On Tuesday morning, I sat quietly in the pew in St Nicolas Greek Orthodox Church while Richard visited every icon in the sanctuary.  In that quiet moment of prayer in a church where I had no responsibility and could rest in God, I found God’s glory shining in the stained glass.  

But I have also found God’s glory shining here as we have feverishly prepared for Dedication and as we occasionally paused to smile at one another and marvel at the miracle of God’s provision of this place at just the right moment.   I have seen God’s glory as I have watched each of you give whatever gift God moved you to give – whether thousands of dollars to the Building Fund, or particular gifts to the Wish List or artwork or furniture, the gift of energy for tearing out walls or painting them, digging up stumps or planting flowers.   In all of these gifts, I see the glory of God.

For three months we have been packing and unpacking and fixing and celebrating God’s glory.   And not just the glorious gift of our own place, but the glory of God’s gift in you the people of Peace who have come together over eight years to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.   At presbytery on Thursday, a member of First Presbyterian, Sarasota, approached me to say how much she had appreciated our Dedication service, and she added, “You know, the worship was wonderful, but what really impressed me was the genuine warmth and authenticity of the people at Peace.  They made me feel truly welcome and comfortable.”   It is you who make this a place for God’s glory to be known by the way you build a community of peace and care for others.  

It is not the shining of stained glass windows but the shining of real lives with Christ’s love that makes the church a true church.

Come away with me now to hear the story of Christ’s great shining moment, when history collapses and past, present, and future collide.   Come away with me through a different kind of reflection on this text, one that is more right brain than left.

On the last Sunday of Epiphany as on the first, at the Baptism, God speaks from the clouds, declaring the truth that changes everything:  “This is my Beloved Son.”   Pay attention to him, be amazed, and don’t ever think you can cozy up too close to this amazing truth.”

Matthew 17:1-9

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

(New Revised Standard Version)

(Tune:  Of The Father’s Love)

Glory be to God the Father,
Glory be to Christ the Son,
Glory to the Holy Spirit.
Ever three and ever one.

When God becomes human, and humans become more divine through connection with the Spirit of Christ, that’s when glory shines.  

When newborns like Andy Thornton are gifted with a wonderful adoptive family, glory shines despite the heartache laced with relief in a birth mother who had the generosity of spirit to participate in that glory.

When red-shouldered hawks and deer and sandhill cranes come to live with us on the edge of these woods and water, that’s when God’s glory shines.  

When the musical notes come together into harmonious resonant sound and our spirits are stirred to connect with Holy Spirit, God’s glory shines.

When new friends speak harsh words but soon recognize the need for apologies and forgiveness, glory shines.

When youth come together and bear their souls, being vulnerable with one another and trusting in the love that exists between them and God, glory shines. 

When a conservative missionary village and a progressive but rooted new Presbyterian congregation become true brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ in one service of worship, glory shines.

When a church is born and landed by the generosity of sister churches and that new church pays it forward in dedication to support other new churches, glory shines.

When surgeries and therapies lead to better health and more functional ability or comfort…and when there is no surgery or therapy that works, but one can still face the morning with courage, give glory to God.

When new jobs are on the horizon where one can make a difference in the world, give glory to God.

When deep faith is born through patient waiting and believing that God’s promises are trustworthy, glory to God!

When two people, formerly a couple, set aside their own differences to make sure their children and their grandchildren feel their love, without competition or bitterness – glory.

When family and close friends come down to rest with us from the cold winds of the north and when we can escape the sultry heat of September to visit them…glory.

When church people care enough to reach out to those who are different, struggling, needy, and marginalized, because so did Jesus Christ, glory.

When teachers and leaders are understanding and inspiring while students and participants are listening and learning…glory

When a couple cares for a lost young man, wallowing in mental illness and substance abuse, when they care enough to go the extra mile, God’s glory is still shining in the darkness of unfulfilled hopes that may yet come to fruition.

When beans and rice and are lovingly packed week after week by a devoted few so that a desperate many may have a little on which to depend, glory lives.

When a mega warehouse chain store not only gives money to new churches but also steps up to give voice and power to the guy picking tomatoes, glory.

When church members all come rushing forward enthusiastically with their own gifts and ideas, and they make room for the opinions of others, glory.

When a Stephen Minister or Friend walks alongside one who is struggling and makes it easier by caring enough to take time to really listen, glory resounds all around.

When a ministry team or session of elders learns to work together fruitfully, aware that each person brings something valuable to the discussion and that the Spirit is at work in the group process, glory resounds.

When those who are single can find contentment in their singleness and those who are married can find contentment in the partner they have, glory to God. 

When we can recognize that a loving covenant between two adults that calls forth the best in each one is to be celebrated no matter who they are, God’s glory is seen. 

When a person with significant disabilities has the strength and determination to keep getting out in the world, despite the struggles of accessibility issues, God’s glory is seen.

When new ideas and dreams are born in Jesus and his disciples, while the traditions of Saints like Moses and Elijah are respected and honored, God’s glory is seen.

When followers of Christ are awed by God’s presence, more than they make  pronouncements in God’s name, glory to God.  

When they are more concerned with loving and caring for people, than judging them, glory to God.

When political leaders are willing to sit down and negotiate with others, relinquishing power for the sake of peaceful progress, glory. 

When people who are enthusiastic and want to build things because they are awed by God’s glory, like the disciples in this story, can step back and wait for God’s direction.  Glory.

When people who are afraid can hear the voice of Christ, saying “Do not fear” and then they see nothing else, only Jesus.  Glory.

When followers of Christ know when to talk of their remarkable experiences of the power of God and when to keep the Messianic secret.  Glory.

When their faces shine because the love of Jesus Christ has so filled their hearts and souls and minds, that it has to find a way out, even without saying much.  That’s glory.

Let us pray now, using this poem by Jan Richardson entitled, When Glory, A Blessing for Transfiguration Sunday.   (paintedprayerbook.com)

Let us pray:

That when glory comes, we will open our eyes, to see it.
That when glory shows up, we will let ourselves
be overcome, not by fear, but by the love, it bears.
That when glory shines, we will bring it, back with us
all the way, all the way, all the way down.