What Does it Meant to Wait?

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 29th 2009
Marsha Jones
“What Does it Mean to Wait?”
1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

The theme for this first week of Advent is “what does it mean to wait.” What does it mean to set our life, thoughts, activities aside and wait? And for whom do we wait and why do we wait, how long do we wait? Does it make a difference who we wait with or who we leave behind? Does God care how we wait? Really can we wait at all?
The theme and these questions, at first, seemed to have nothing to do with the scripture that I selected, yet I knew the revelation from this text was worth waiting for so I waited. And as I waited I thought. I thought about the scripture and what these words meant to me. I thought about this being my first sermon, the first week of Advent, and the first earnest prayer in awhile for the blessing of having only 10 congregants and 10 crickets in the pews for my first sermon. I thought about how all I ever asked was that God create in me the biggest heart for volunteering - certainly not this preaching and pastoring thing. I thought about what it was like when I got “the call” from God and then had to wait for four years for God to open Westminster’s doors to me. I thought about what it was like to wait in the storms of life, changing and challenging me, waiting seemingly alone. Then I reread the scripture and I thought “wait a minute” that’s exactly what the Thessalonians were doing. Paul had come and erected a church in Thessalonica – they got their call. And then they waited amid their afflictions and waited while in need of more faith and they waited for Paul’s return.
If this new life in Christ was not turning out as rosy as the cults down the street then why were they still waiting? If they were in such need of strength and restoration then why wait? Then I had my “ah-ha” moment, the words seemed to have leaped from the page. They waited out of love and faith. They waited not only for Paul’s return, but they waited on the promise of Jesus’ return. Timothy brought the good news of their faith and love in their wait. And when Paul received the news of their love and faith, and in their eagerness to see Paul he had new life. That love did something for Paul and the others. Now I wondered how could I exegete this? What word study was in order, what commentary would best help me tell their tale? Then slowly it came to me that this was not a moment for an exegete but an invitation to remember what love meant. If love and faith sustained them then there was something in that kind of love and faith I needed to explore.
What examples did I have to help us grapple with this thing called love? I turned to the standard love lines of 1 Corinthians 13. I chose the NIV version because of the poetic rhythm it lends to Paul’s definition of love:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...And now these remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (V 4-8, 13)
So what does love look like and feel like today in this place, in our times of affliction, in our hope for a better tomorrow? What does a patient, kind, humble love look like when our streets are filling up with the blood and souls of our children? Does love speak to communities still divided over race, religion, culture, stereotypes, money, status, quotas, the haves versus the have-nots? When we endure afflictions where then do we find the strength to no longer keep a record of that wrong? Where is love when we learn that our protectors have become abusers, perverters, killers and thieves to those they were meant to defend? Does love have an answer for the children that life has seemed to fail as they fall through cracks that someone else created? Where is love hiding when the rude, ruthless, angry people seem to take over and reign with closed, iron fists? What does love have to do with those of us who are barely surviving, slowly dying with no end in sight?
It is difficult to preach love while facing these hard issues of life, as some are too painful and private to name. Some afflictions are too hurtful to acknowledge out loud. So what turns my eyes up from the despair and affliction? It is the faith and hope of Christ. Not the by and by type of hope that speaks of suffering all the daylong in hope of seeing Christ on the other side. Not this pie in the sky love that offers only rainbows and butterflies once the dirt has hit the casket tops. No, no! I am talking about that real good love that God presses past our tears in the laughter of our neighbors, in the sounds of happy hums on the morning bus ride, in the breeze filled with fresh air and autumn scents.
In the gospel of John, Jesus asked Peter one question three times “Do you love me”, and each time Peter said “yes”; remember Peter also denied Jesus three times. I have been taught over the years that this line of questioning was the method Jesus chose in order to restore Peter back into community and also to elevate him to shepherd/pastor. I could hear Jesus’ tone rising with each time he asked Peter if he loved him. And Jesus’ charge was for Peter to feed his lambs, shepherd his sheep and then feed his sheep. Commentaries and study notes (yes the scholar in me rears her head) tells me that feeding and shepherding are acts of teaching, growing, caring and loving the ignorant defenseless sheep, and the innocent lambs. As a shepherd you teach people to enjoy each other the way they learn to enjoy God and community. There acts of love were mirrors to their relationship with God. And as a community of believers we to re- enforce these acts of love with acts of love of our own. As the body of Christ we support the movement of our pastors, elders, and ministry leaders because no one tends the sheep and lamb alone in Jesus’ model of love.
So what I hear is if you love me then you should love my people. If you love me then you should provide justice along with the Word of God to your neighbors. If you love me then it should not be hard to mirror the sacrificial act of giving to others without counting the cost each time. If you love me then you can go out into the world and tell the Good News of my return and of my steadfast love. If you love me you will wait!
Jesus was in the restoration business not demolition. And so Paul too could continue in his struggles because of the witness of the Thessalonians in their ability to show forth love while they waited. Oh how this brought peace and reassurance to my crazy confusion over my moments of affliction and faithlessness. Why did I continue to wait like the Thessalonians, and Paul and his crew? It was and is because of my faith and love in God, in community, in my hope for tomorrow.
Despite what I had experienced there was the good news coming from Westminster that my waiting was not in vain. There came that shower of smiles and hugs and nods and words of affirming love that told my soul to hold on because this is just the beginning. My advent was here! The story of Thessalonica was not so distant anymore. Because of the hope and love of Christ in me I still dream dreams! I still hope in tomorrow! I still run with my arms and heart wide open! In the midst of my afflictions I find joy and love in the knowledge that Westminster stands in prayer and preparation as I answer my call. The spirit of Thessalonica rests in my bones as I waited anxiously for you to come see about me, to return and enter into my afflicted city gates to bring me good news. I can now be established blameless and holy before our God. I say to you Westminster that if you love me, then feed God’s people. If you love me, then open your hearts to God’s Good News and share. If you love me then remember that because of God’s love we can live in faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.

Healing Hospitality

WESTMINSTE R PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 8th 2009
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Healing Hospitality”
Genesis 18:1-5; Mark 2:1-12

It really is almost a throw-away line. “… it was reported that he was at home.” There is something powerful about being at home. At home is where we often take off our personas and masks and begin to get honest. Most of Jesus’ ministry happens in the house. If he was not “on the way” or “on the road” or “in Jerusalem,” Jesus teaches and preaches in houses. So Jesus is at home and so many people have come over to hear him teach and be in his presence there is no more room for anyone. The crowd has swelled outside the doors.
At the margins of the crowd are four people who simply must see Jesus. But they could not. The crowd in front of them would not move. Realistically they should have given up. You cannot get in by the front door or the window so the only course of action is to be prudent and find a better time. If they had chosen this course of action I am pretty sure we would not know anything about these four friends, even if they eventually found healing for their friend. These four friends were on a mission to bring healing to a friend. They would not remain prudent or proper. They got up on the roof of Jesus’ house and tore off the roof. They put the healing of their friend over the risk of destroying private property, the private property of the Son of God no less. I suppose when you know someone in need this risk seems small in comparison.
When it comes to sharing our faith with other people there are two kinds of barriers which stand in the way. They are internal barriers and external barriers. First, internal, or personal, barriers are the barriers inside our heads. Even the words, “sharing our faith” come with all sorts of baggage. We do not share what is most important in our lives because we worry about how or what we might say. Or we worry about risking a friendship. What happens if I invite my neighbor to church and then they say no? What if I make my friend feel awkward? What if someone thinks I’m pressuring them? What if I come across as judgmental? What if . . . ? So most of the time, we don't talk to our friends, unchurched or formerly churched, about our faith. On top of the “what if’s” we may even begin to feel a little guilty about not doing it. And guilt is not a positive motivator. These inner barriers can keep us from ever mentioning faith to our friends who may just be hungry for a caring faith community.
Jeff was going through a difficult time in his life. He had been laid off from work just before his wife was diagnosed with cancer. The financial and spiritual struggles were nearly debilitating. Fortunately, Jeff and his wife had some dear friends. Two couples that they had known for some time were with them throughout. They came by to see them regularly and brought over meals occasionally. When the Jeff's wife died, they were there to comfort him. These were good friends. After some time had passed, Jeff began to consider returning to church. He hadn't gone to church anywhere since he was a teenager. But there was something about church that sort of kept bugging him. He decided to try the church in his neighborhood first. When he walked into the sanctuary, there were his friends! Both couples had been going to that church for years. They had also been friends with Jeff for years. But they had never talked about their faith, even through his ordeals. It just hadn't come up. They were shocked and very glad, to see each other there.
The research behind the Unbinding your Heart study shows that these internal barriers that keep us from talking about our faith never fully go away. Even people who eventually get really good at evangelism still have resistance to sharing their faith. And this is why we need a new definition for evangelism. Instead of trying to emulate a theology with which we do not agree we really ought to think about it this way. Sharing something you enjoy with someone you like. That can be evangelism. For the four in today's gospel story, it was a matter of sharing something they thought might help with someone in need. That can be evangelism too. Sharing something you need with someone else who needs it . . . Sharing something that makes you smile with someone who could use a smile . . . Sharing something that gives you peace with someone in chaos . . . Sharing something you enjoy with someone you like - That’s evangelism.
Somehow, the four friends in this story had the courage to bring this man in need to Jesus. Somehow, they had overcome whatever internal barriers there might have been in their heads. But then, they faced another barrier entirely. Remember, there are two kinds of barriers that might keep us from sharing our faith with other people. Internal barriers in our own minds might be overcome. But still, external barriers must be dismantled. When the four people got there with the man on the stretcher, the physical entrance was crowded. People were not letting them by. I wonder how long they tried to push their way through before they decided to try another way.
External barriers can be very daunting. If you have ever gone church shopping do you remember how vulnerable you felt the first time you visited a church? Or going to some other organization for the first time? There is a story about a man who went to a neighborhood association meeting. He didn't see anyone there he knew, so he just sat in the back during the meeting. When it was over, he signed up on one of the volunteer lists they had posted. He really wanted to help out with organizing a neighborhood clean-up day. That's where he put his name and his phone number down. But no one ever called him. It was not a major slight, of course. But afterwards he wondered, "I sure hope people don't feel like this when they come to my church." (Big Pause)
"They could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowds," verse 4 says. We need to ask ourselves and the Holy Spirit this very searching question: Are there any barriers that are keeping people from getting to Jesus in our church? This may seem like a strange question. After all, we do not have the crowds that surrounded Jesus in his house. But the truth is that no matter how many people there are our church can feel crowded. Just because spaces are empty doesn't mean that they are truly open.
I want to invite you to participate in a mental imaging exercise. In your mind's eye, join me in a virtual tour of our church. First, think about the corner, where we park, the gardens, our parking. Where do guests park? Do they know where to come in? Do they have to "dig through the roof" so to speak, like the paralyzed man's friends did? When they get to the entrance and come inside, are they greeted immediately? Are there signs to show them where the restrooms are? Or, when a new parent comes with a baby, do they find a sparkling clean nursery with two ready attendants or changing stations in the bathrooms? When a guest comes into worship, do they find ample room in the back pews, yes the back pews… really!
We don’t know for sure whether or not this house described in Mark’s gospel was Jesus' house. But where is Jesus’ house? Chapter three of Ephesians says we are the very dwelling place of God, with Jesus Christ himself as our cornerstone. This is Jesus' house. Since that is so, let me ask: “As we took our mental tour through the church building, were there any barriers to Jesus' house?” Was there or is there anything that would keep people from coming in and finding Jesus here? Anything that says “Keep out!” instead of “Please, come in!”?
In your bulletin you will find the pink prayer sheets. Please, take a moment now to write down an area of our church that needs Jesus' touch. Or an area that needs our touch! Where do we need to be more ready for guests? If you are new to our church, particularly if today is your first time here, we especially invite you to do this! Your insight is the most valuable we can receive. What has welcomed you? Or not welcomed you? Please, help us do better. Where is there an external barrier to Jesus’ house? Take a moment right now to write it down. Then at the conclusion of the worship service please place them in the prayer wall. Whatever the barriers are, internal or external, let us commit to prayer and reflection on how we can rip off the roof to bring others to the healing and welcome we have found in this community of Jesus’ followers. Amen? Amen.

The Converted Community

WESTMINSTE R PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 1st 2009
Communion Meditation/ All Saints Day
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“The Converted Community”
Acts 2:14, 32-39; Micah 6:6-8

How could Peter be so arrogant? How can he talk like this after all he did? Peter was always so loud and obnoxious. He was always acting like the super disciple until Jesus got arrested. When things went badly Peter ran away just like the rest of the disciples. So what is Peter doing on Pentecost acting so boldly?
In that first Pentecost it is easy to get lost in the loud noise of the Spirit and the many languages being spoken that we miss something much deeper. And today we are going to go deeper and talk about the important relationships which are revealed on that day. We are going to focus on at three relationships that must be healthy for our church to be all God wants us to be. The three relationships are 1) Relationship with God, 2) Relationships between Church Members, and 3) Relationships with People outside the Church.
Before we begin with the relationships I want to start with saying something about God. Yes, I know this is always a dangerous exercise but we are going to risk it this morning. In the heart of God is a willing vulnerability. God was willing to become human and as a result was put at real risk. The final result of this gift was the crucifixion.
Despite this risk, God did not hold back. God is willing to risk and share with us from the deep places. It is an honesty which challenges our belief in control. It breaks down our pretence and our belief that we have it all together. It calls into question our reliance upon the masks and personas we have crafted to keep us from ever being at risk with other people. And the honest truth is that we too often put on these masks with God.
As a community who follows the crucified One, we are called to put down the masks that cover the broken places in our lives. We are invited to find healing in the broken places. This ought to be the place where we can risk sharing and seeking healing for those places but that is risky. However, before I suggest we try and do just that we have to do something else. Before we can begin to think of getting honest with one another, before we can admit our broken places to one another, we have to get honest with God.
That sort of honesty with God requires some internal honesty. It means we have to unearth the stuff we work so hard to cover up. The stuff we cover by our attempts at over-competence and control. It means we have to learn to risk the well ordered world we work so hard to maintain. The truth is that until we come face to face with the brokenness in our lives and put it before God we have not moved into a mature relationship with God. Until we open up those places to God we are really just playing with the religious life. I am not suggesting that we turn church into a therapy session I am saying that we need to at least get honest in our prayer. Jesus says we ought to go into a closet and shut the door when we pray. I believe that is because there are things we need to say to God that no one else needs to hear.
In the Micah passage I naturally gravitate to the calls for peace and justice. However there is a lot more going on. In the passage, God is speaking to a community of faith that knew how to do worship well. They knew the right words and the proper order. The music was well done and the service was decent and in order. But the inner life of the people and the community was in shambles. How can I say that? Well if you find injustice in society it exists because the interior life of the people is disordered. It is because the “trinity of relationships” is out of order. If our relationship with God is out of order our relationship with each other and our neighbors will be also. The followers of Jesus know well that God requires justice but figuring out who is clean and unclean is where we spend most of our energy. We know that God requires kindness but the certainty of orthodoxy makes kindness a frivolity. We know that God requires us to walk humbly but proving we know more than everyone else is just way more satisfying. There will be no peace and justice without peace and justice in all our relationships.
Before the resurrection Peter was as certain about life as a radio talk show host. He was so sure and so clear and knew the mind of God. But then something happened and his world collapsed. His version of the Messiah got crucified on the cross. His certainly was burned in the fire that warmed those who mocked the weak messiah. It all came crumbling down. But the good news was this was not the end of the story. It was only the beginning. His calling as a disciple really began when he was faced with the reality of a resurrected savior who did not demand perfection but honesty.
It is for this reason that Peter could stand in front of the gathered community and speak with honestly and authenticity. Not as a super disciple but as an honest one. When he arises to speak not one of the other disciples challenge him because they know he is speaking truth from the broken places in his life. Until he and the community were able to get honest with the broken places healing and authenticity could not be found. And until that happens all our relationships with God and one another will always be less than they could be.
How can Peter stand? He could stand because he is living out his forgiveness. He is bearing the fruit of a spiritual reality. This is what a person freed by God’s love looks like: Standing boldly, Proclaiming freely, Sharing generously The love of God.
Peter is experiencing a whole new, fresh start given to him by God. He is living out a moment of forgiveness.
Literally, the last words that the author Luke has Peter say in Luke 23 are, "I do not know who Jesus is." But the words Peter says now are: "Let me tell you who Jesus is!" Peter's relationship with God has been renewed. He is living in bold joy due to the forgiveness he's received. Only if our relationship with God is renewed like this everyday will we be able to stand up and speak up when we hear confusion in someone's life.
At Pentecost, something remarkable happened in Peter’s relationship with God. Second, something remarkable happened in Peter's relationship with people outside the circle of believers. Peter is moved to his core by these people who don't know that God has sent Jesus for them. Verse 40 says Peter "pleaded with them." When you've received forgiveness like Peter, when you've gotten that kind of relief, you want to share it. This won't be the last time Peter is compelled to share the gospel. In a couple of chapters, he gets in real trouble by taking the news of Jesus to a non-Jew!
This Pentecost day catapults Peter into deep compassion for all God’s people. Something remarkable is happening to Peter's relationships with his fellow disciples. When Peter does stand, notice Peter does not stand alone. They stand together. The other disciples know that Peter has a big mouth that gets him into trouble. They know that Peter promised Jesus more than he could deliver. They know that Peter bragged about how faithful he would be and then failed. But they also know their own sins against Jesus. They could have just pointed the finger at Peter. They could have said, "Here he goes again, talking the big talk." But they didn't. In humility, they got up to support him by standing alongside him.
They are a vibrant picture of forgiven people forgiving each other. They are tangible evidence of the reality of the mercy of God. They are the most believable witness to the grace of Jesus Christ. Together, they are a community of the redeemed. All of the aspects of the Trinity of Relationships are essential for us to grow us a church. We need real and vibrant relationships with God, with people outside the church, and with each other.
But right now I want to ask you about our relationships with each other. Are we real with each other? Are we forgiving each other? Are we standing with each other, as Peter and the disciples stood together? I wonder what those outside of the community see when they look at this community of believers, when they look at our church? Do they see a community of redemption, a place where people are genuinely merciful to and supportive of one another?
In your bulletin is a drawing of the "Trinity of Relationships." Please consider prayerfully which of these three essential relationships needs your attention this week. Let’s take a moment right now. This is just between you and God. Let me strongly encourage you to especially consider the relationships you have with other church members. Is there is something that is not right in your relationship with someone here? Be real with God and with yourself about the need for reconciliation. Take a deep, gentle breath. Exhale slowly. Close your eyes. Simply ask God, “Where do you want to work in my relationships?” Just listen for a moment. Ask God for help to make things right again. [Pause for one minute] Has God put someone on your heart in our church? This is one way we could begin anew in a relationship that needs a fresh start.
One of my colleagues pastors a church that has been growing a lot. They had been adding several members a month but that suddenly stopped. Visitors came but they wouldn't join. The pastor finally asked a visitor to tell him what was keeping them from becoming a part of the church. They confessed, "We like the church, but . . . it's cold!" And they were right. The church members talked about being a friendly church, but the crossed arms said otherwise. Visitors didn't have to know all the details. They could sense people were tense. They could tell members were angry with each other. They could feel that forgiveness was being withheld. Members' energy was not going to new people because members were wrapped up in the conflict of the church.
The pastor realized his own lack of forgiveness was contributing to the big chill. He and another leader in the church had a conflict that was causing ill feelings. It was one of those heads-butting, arms-crossed tensions. The pastor mustered his courage, prayed, and called on the man he was at odds with. The pastor did his part in resolving the issue. In the following weeks, 2 people joined the church, and 4 more the next week. The visitors who had complained about the coldness of the church were two of the new members. When the pastor asked why they joined, they said, "It felt right all of a sudden."
When we stand in God's love, when we stand together, and when we stand for people who need to know Jesus Christ, it's Pentecost all over again. It IS right all of a sudden. It is all that is required, and everything that is needed, for the Spirit to work through us.
At this table where the bread is broken we are reminded that reconciliation with God came not through our perfection but through the broken places of the world. As we gather at this table let us be reminded of those relationships that are in need of healing. If God has put someone on our heart then may this table be the place where healing and reconciliation will begin. May God who overcame death, overcome the places which seem irrevocably broken in our lives and in our community. Amen? Amen!