Prayer for Pentecost

God, I am frustrated today

And to be honest --- I don't even know what or how to pray

Today, we celebrate Pentecost Sunday

The day in which you breathed life into your church

The day you filled us with your spirit and sent us out into the world to join with you in creating a just and caring world.

And yet today

and yet today lord our world in screaming in pain

100,000 of your children have died from COVID-19

A majority of them persons of color

And we celebrated by going out to eat

Finally tasting some freedom after this long winter of quarantine

May we pause today and remember all those who have died

All those who have been ill

All those who have been on the front lines protecting us

And may we honor their lives by humbling ourselves and wearing a mask to protect others.

May we slow down and remember that we are responsible for one another during this crisis.

That is what PENTECOST is all about.

Recognizing that together --- we are the family of God.

But this world screams not only for those who have lost their lives in this pandemic

It also is screaming for all the lives lost because we refuse to see one another as brothers and sisters.

Because we refuse to recognize our common humanity and won't help up our brown and black sisters and brothers.

We are saddened by the destruction that we have seen take place the last few days as we witnessed --- in front of our eyes --- the murder of one of your children.

We are more upset about the destruction of property than we are the continued lynchings of our sisters and brothers.

Michael Brown

Freddy Gray

Laquan McDonald

Eric Harris

Walter Scott

Tamir Rice

Sandra Bland

Breonna Taylor

Ahmaud Arbery

George Floyd

My heart is breaking lord --- for your Church has failed your children

We tell our black brothers and sisters that protesting is wrong

Whether that protest is taking a knee at a football game

or

peacefully protesting in Minneapolis

forgive our lack of caring

Teach us ways that we can make a difference and stop the racism that is so prevalent in our society

Help us to be honest with ourselves --- as we struggle with understanding the power that our privileges give to us.

May we begin to glimpse the world through the eyes of our sisters and brothers who are afraid to run through their neighborhoods simply because of the color of their skin.

Help us to understand the frustration, that our brothers and sisters feel, when they are told that whatever form of protest that they engage in is wrong

I am tired lord --- and I don't know where to turn

I lift my eyes up to the hills, but too often I see our segregated present, our economic apartheid --- instead of your kingdom 

On this Pentecost Sunday --- I pray that the breath of your Holy Spirit will move among us and convict us of our sin.

Help us to acknowledge our role in this original sin of our country.

For until we confess, we cannot repent, 

And until we repent we cannot join you in building the kingdom you promise.

Give us new eyes that we might actually seek your will --- instead of our own.

Help us to be your church and give us the temerity to live this prayer.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come;

thy will be done;

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation;

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

the power and the glory,

for ever and ever.

Amen.

The Desert Fathers --- Solitude

Acts 1:6-14 The Message

When they were together for the last time they asked, “Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?”

He told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.”

These were his last words. As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud. They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared—in white robes! They said, “You Galileans!—why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly—and mysteriously—as he left.”

So they left the mountain called Olives and returned to Jerusalem. It was a little over half a mile. They went to the upper room they had been using as a meeting place:

Peter,

John,

James,

Andrew,

Philip,

Thomas,

Bartholomew,

Matthew,

James, son of Alphaeus,

Simon the Zealot,

Judas, son of James.

They agreed they were in this for good, completely together in prayer, the women included. Also Jesus’ mother, Mary, and his brothers.

1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 (CEB) 

Dear friends, don’t be surprised about the fiery trials that have come among you to test you. These are not strange happenings. Instead, rejoice as you share Christ’s suffering. You share his suffering now so that you may also have overwhelming joy when his glory is revealed. If you are mocked because of Christ’s name, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory—indeed, the Spirit of God—rests on you. 

Therefore, humble yourselves under God’s power so that he may raise you up in the last day. Throw all your anxiety onto him, because he cares about you. Be clearheaded. Keep alert. Your accuser, the devil, is on the prowl like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith. Do so in the knowledge that your fellow believers are enduring the same suffering throughout the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, the one who called you into his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will himself restore, empower, strengthen, and establish you. To him be power forever and always. Amen.

Outside of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus --- the two most important events in shaping what becomes Christianity were, in my opinion:

• The Hellenization of the world by Alexander the Great -- 323 BCE

It brought Greek culture and ideas --- which changed Judaism and Christianity forever

• Constantine and the Edict of Milan 313 CE

Which set the stage for the transition of Christianity from being a persecuted sect of Judaism into the dominant religion of the Roman Empire.

Since Nero in 64 CE, Christianity had been persecuted by Rome

Peter & Paul were both executed by Rome --- as was Jesus

For 250 years, members of the Christian sect suffered from persecution

The worst was by Dioclectian 303 - 311 CE

The emperor ordered Christian buildings and their homes torn down and their sacred books destroyed. 

Christians were arrested, tortured, mutilated, burned, starved, and condemned to gladiatorial contests.

With the rise of Constantine, in 313 CE, he became the patron of Christianity --- eventually converting on his deathbed

Constantine supported the Church financially, 

Building basilicas

Granted special privileges to the clergy

Promoted Christians to high-ranking offices

Returning the property confiscated during the Diocletian's persecutions

And bestowing on the church land and other wealth.

Constantine even built a new capitol for the Roman Empire in Constantinople

But even more important --- Constantine called together the first ecumenical council of the church in 325

At this "Council of Nicaea" the original Nicene Creed was created which was the document which began unifying Christian doctrine 

It resolved disagreements over the nature of Jesus and the Christ

It also designated when Easter was to be celebrated

But maybe even more significant --- it was the beginning of the intermingling of the Church with the secular state.

After 3 centuries of "being homeless in the world" Christians began to find themselves in favor --- in power, rather than persecuted. 

Christians had previously seen themselves as "aliens and strangers in the world" --- now they suddenly were in power and privileged

The result was confusion and bewilderment for some

Christians were now "at home in the world"

Persons who had previously persecuted them now sat in the same pew

And, significantly, the church began to use the power of the state to persecute those who did not follow their decrees

The result of this marriage of state and church made some very uncomfortable --- so instead of trying to change the relationship --- or the church

People began to flee to the desert

Some argue that Antony was the first to go to the desert --- and he went because of the call of Jesus in Matthew 19:21

‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me’.

Antony no longer saw the church as proclaiming that value --- so he gave his possessions away and placed his sister with a group of "Christian virgins".

The Northumbria Community in the UK poses this question:

"Was this Christian withdrawal into the desert purely a negative move? Was it a retreat from all the complications and compromise in those attempting to Christianise society? Was it a judgmental act, motivated to shame those Christians who had decided to stay and work out their salvation in the city? Which group of Christians made the right response to this new and ‘favourable’ situation, those who stayed in the ‘city’ or those who withdrew to the desert? In the mystery of God the answer has to be – BOTH."

Thomas Merton wrote 

“It should seem to us much stranger than it does, that this paradoxical flight from the world attained its greatest dimensions (I almost said frenzy) when the ‘world’ officially became Christian.”

As the Church gained influence and power --- more and more men and women began to flee and find a new way of life

The bigger question to me is --- what is the legacy of the flight of the desert fathers and mothers --- and what are the implications for us today?

A couple of things become clear when one looks at the flight to the desert

They sought this new life as a means of sanctification --- wanting to become perfect for God

Benedicta Ward in her The Desert Fathers: sayings of the early Christian monks shares:

A hermit said, ‘This is the life of a monk: work, obedience, meditation, not to judge others, not to speak evil, not to murmur. For it is written, “You who love God, hate the thing that is evil” (Ps 97.10). This is the monastic life: not to live with the wicked, not to see evil, not to be inquisitive, not to be curious, not to listen to gossip, not to use the hands for taking, but for giving; not to be proud in heart or bad in thought, not to fill the belly, in everything to judge wisely. That is the life of the monk’ 

They went into the desert to free themselves from the trappings of the world, selling what they had, turning inward and recognizing their own failing --- so that they might live in the light of the eternal

They laid the groundwork for what becomes the monastic orders

They learned a new way of prayer

What we today call contemplation or centering prayer

Henri Nouwen describes contemplative prayer this way:

The practice of contemplative prayer is the discipline by which we begin to “see” the living God dwelling in our own hearts. . . . we give ourselves over to this incredible Presence who takes possession of all our senses. . . . we are awakened and opened to God within, who enters into our heartbeat and our breathing, into our thoughts and emotions, our hearing, seeing, touching, and tasting. It is by being awake to this God within that we also find the Presence in the world around us. 

Contemplation, therefore, is a participating in the divine self-recognition. The divine Spirit alive in us makes our world transparent for us and opens our eyes to the presence of the divine Spirit in all that surrounds us. 

They learned how to deal with what would later become called The Dark Night of the Soul --- those moments when God seems far away

But they were by no means perfect --- nor was this life that they adopted perfect

They seemed to try and outdo each other --- and their asceticism became more extreme and bizarre

One of the problems was that the desert fathers and mothers became tourist attractions.

As St. Athanasius put it, “the desert had become a city" as pilgrims came to glean wisdom and gawk at these early monks.

When you’re constantly mobbed with pilgrims, how are you supposed to experience the solitude and be able to contemplate the wisdom that the people were coming for?

The solution?

It was found by a rather unique monk who eventually comes to be known as “St. Simeon Stylites the Elder”

A stylite, in case you are unfamiliar with that term --- is the Greek word for what we would call a pillar.

Simon is reported to have lived 37 years on the top of a pillar.

And of course a church was built surrounding his pillar after his death.

Ernest A. Wallis Budge in The Paradise of the Fathers wrote

“... Each recluse did what seemed right in his own eyes. Each man was entirely devoted to the saving of his own soul, and apparently cared for nothing and no one else."

It is easy to see how they could develop a sense of works righteousness

Budge again:

".. Each tried to lead a more austere life than that of his neighbour, believing that through the multitude of his fastings, vigils and prayers he could make himself acceptable to God.

The Christian . . . monks trusted very largely to the efficacy of their own works for salvation. Hence their prolonged fasts, their multitudinous prayers, the constant vigils, the excessive manual labour, and the ceaseless battle against the cravings and desires of the body. The greatest monk was he who could fast the longest, rest and sleep the least, pray the greatest number of prayers, keep vigil the longest, work the hardest, endure best the blazing heat of the day and the bitter cold of the night, and who could reduce his body to the most complete state of impassibility.”

But maybe most significantly --- they seemed to show little regard for issues of justice

They were more preoccupied with their own salvation, and so they often lost sight of the larger community

And yet, while they were far from perfect --- they leave us some powerful lessons.

1. The need for quite time with God --- solitude

Which we seem to have an abundance of right now

2. The power of contemplative prayer

3. True spirituality is found when we lose ourselves

I am terrible with contemplative prayer.

Last year when I was at the Richard Rohr conference on the Universal Christ, I experienced the power of centering prayer --- but I have not been successful in hanging on to it.

Here are some tips on how to practice it

• First, find a quiet space where you will not be disturbed

• Sit in a comfortable fashion

• For many it helps to close ones eyes

• Begin to focus your heart toward God

• As thoughts come into your mind, no matter what their nature --- let them go

• Focus on a "sacred word" or image

Use this to help you let go of your thoughts --- it is a reminder to remain open to the silence

this is not a mantra (which is repeated) but a reminder to remain open

• When you begin, do not worry about how long you are able to do it

Try to work up to about 20 minutes of solitude with God

• Be patient and persistent

This may be the biggest gift of our season on quarantine

My friends, we are in a time of profound change.  

As much as the pundits keep tell us that we can get back to normal --- the old normal is gone --- and I am not sure that isn't a good thing.

We have been invited to create a new normal, a new normal whic can include a deepening relationship with Jesus.

Both of our passages today invite us into a deeper relationship --- and both understand that it will take new understands --- new ways of relating to each other and the world --- to achieve that deeper relationship

Eric Hoffer said:

In times of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.

Let us embrace learning -- letting go of ourselves and drawing closer to Jesus --- so that we can help create the new world that is yearning to be born

Instead of my usual prayer, I want to end this morning with a poem that I am not even sure where I found it.

Two years ago David Whyte published a poem called: "Just Beyond Yourself" and for me, it is an invitation to the contemplative life that the desert fathers and mothers teach us: 

Just beyond

yourself.

It’s where

you need

to be.

Half a step

into

self-forgetting

and the rest

restored

by what

you’ll meet.

There is a road

always beckoning.

When you see

the two sides

of it

closing together

at that far horizon

and deep in

the foundations

of your own

heart

at exactly

the same

time,

that’s how

you know

it’s the road

you

have

to follow.

That’s how

you know

it’s where

you

have

to go.

That’s how

you know

you have

to go.

That’s

how you know.

Just beyond

yourself,

it’s

where you

need to be.

How Is Your Faith Instructing You?

John 14:1-14 (CEB) 

 

“Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. My Father’s house has room to spare. If that weren’t the case, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? When I go to prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too. You know the way to the place I’m going.” 

Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 

Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you have really known me, you will also know the Father. From now on you know him and have seen him.” 

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father; that will be enough for us.” 

Jesus replied, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been with you all this time? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I have spoken to you I don’t speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me does his works. Trust me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or at least believe on account of the works themselves. I assure you that whoever believes in me will do the works that I do. They will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father can be glorified in the Son. When you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it. 

Don't be troubled, Jesus tells the disciples shortly before he is arrested and crucified.

Don't be troubled.

The NRSV puts it -- Do not be afraid.

I don't know about you --- but at times --- during this crisis --- I have been afraid.

My soul has been deeply troubled

Before Easter, when Nancy went up to Chicago to help Jessica and Sam take care of Hattie --- I was afraid.

When they debated about putting Hattie back into childcare --- I was afraid.

When my girls were talking about coming home for Easter --- I was afraid.

Maybe you haven't felt fear during this time --- but I would be lying if I said that I had not.

It has not paralyzed me --- but it certainly has taken my focus at times.

One year ago, follow services on Mother's Day, I got into my car and began to drive to North Carolina.  Nancy had left earlier that day with our girls.

We were on our way to celebrate Nancy's mom's life.

She had died on May 3rd, and the following day, on our 33rd anniversary Nancy, Lindsey and Haley ran (well actually we walked) the Indy Mini in the cold rain.

If all of this hadn't taken place around these other events, I am not sure I would have remembered exactly when it happened --- Covid-19 has made marking time challenging

As we continue to recognize the cloud of witnessed that surround us, today I want to take a moment and look at three individuals that have deeply influenced my life, and how I believe they can help illuminate the texts for today.

Corrie Ten Boom

Anne Frank

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Three names that I imagine most of us are fairly familiar with.  

And if you are not --- I encourage you to learn more about them.

All three lived during the horrors of the rise of Nazism in Germany --- and each lived out their faith in unique ways.

Corrie ten Boom has long been honored by Christians as an exemplar of what the Christian faith should look like in real life. 

Corrie was arrested by the Nazis along with the rest of her family for hiding Jews in their Dutch home during the Holocaust.

They knew the potential risks of harboring Jews

Corrie was imprisoned and eventually sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp along with her beloved sister, Betsie, who perished there just days before Corrie's own release on December 31, 1944. 

In 1947 Corrie was forced to define herself in the most powerful way.

Listen as she tells the story from her autobiography The Hiding Place.

It was in a church in Munich that I saw him, a balding heavy-set man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken. It was 1947 and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives. ...

And that's when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister's frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. 

Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home during the Nazi occupation of Holland; this man had been a guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent. ...

[The man said to me] "since that time, I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, ..." his hand came out, ... "will you forgive me?"

And I stood there — I whose sins had every day to be forgiven — and could not. Betsie had died in that place — could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?

It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.

And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion — I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me!" I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand, I can do that much. You supply the feeling."

And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.

"I forgive you, brother!" I cried. "With all my heart!"

For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then.

Could you?

Would you?

I imagine most of us are more familiar with Anne Frank.  

Anne was a Jewish teenager from Frankfurt, Germany who was forced to go into hiding during the Holocaust. She and her family, along with four others, spent over two years during World War II hiding in an annex of rooms in Amsterdam.

 

On Friday, August 4, 1944, Anne, her family, and the others living with them were arrested and deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. 

Miep Gies, who had been helping them during their hiding --- climbed the stairs to the hiding place and found it had been ransacked and wrecked. 

Anne and the others had been betrayed by an informer who was paid about eight dollars --- or about one dollar for each of the eight people who were in hiding

Miep Gies picked up what she recognized as Anne’s papers and put them away, unread, in her desk drawer. 

There Anne's diary lay untouched, until Otto Frank emerged alive from Auschwitz.

Sometime around March of 1945, seven months after she had been arrested, Anne Frank died of typhus at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp

She was fifteen years old.

We struggle with being in quarantine.  

It has been about 7 weeks since most of us went into some type of self-isolation.

Could you stay --- indoors --- unable to go out even for necessary items or to just enjoy the outdoors --- for over two years?

I don't even want to think about it

Probably the most influential in my life of the three is Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Bonhoeffer was a German theologian and pastor who resisted the government of Adolph Hitler when he recognized, very early and very clearly, the dangers of Hitler’s regime. 

Bonhoeffer saw himself as a Christ-centered pacifist and he studied Gandhi’s theory of nonviolent political resistance, he also wrote extensively how we must love one’s enemies 

Despite his belief in pacifism --- Bonhoeffer eventually became a member of a conspiracy that was attempt a coup against Hitler. 

By Bonhoeffer’s own account, he was living in a time and place in which 

“the huge masquerade of evil has thrown all ethical concepts into confusion” and in which evil appears in the “form of light, good deeds, historical necessity, [and] social justice.” 

Bonhoeffer emphasized redemptive suffering in solidarity with the most vulnerable as well as what he called “costly grace,” 

he made a distinction between religion and Christ-centeredness 

• religion is our effort to reach God 

• while Christ-centeredness embraces God’s self-revelation to the world in the incarnation and in the church 

Martin Luther once spoke of “theologians of the cross”; 

people --- like Bonhoeffer ---who join God in the world, in solidarity with those who suffer, 

those who make difficult, even countercultural decisions

especially in times when evil is disguised as good.

How do these three witnesses help us interpret our biblical texts for today?

In the book of the Acts of the Apostles we hear this story of the stoning of Stephen.

Acts 7:55-60   (CEB)

But Stephen, enabled by the Holy Spirit, stared into heaven and saw God’s majesty and Jesus standing at God’s right side. He exclaimed, “Look! I can see heaven on display and the Human One standing at God’s right side!” At this, they shrieked and covered their ears. Together, they charged at him, threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses placed their coats in the care of a young man named Saul. As they battered him with stones, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, accept my life!” Falling to his knees, he shouted, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” Then he died.

What had Stephen done to solicit the crowd --- along with Saul (who we know of as Paul) to murder him?

According to the story he was stoned to death for the crime of blasphemy --- proclaiming what those in power say is untruthful about God.  

When you read his speech in Chapter 7 of Acts you realize that Stephen was speaking the truth --- 

He was not murdered for blasphemy 

he was murdered because they didn't like what he had to say

Do not be troubled. 

Trust in God. 

Trust also in me --- Jesus tells us in John's gospel.

In 1943 Bonhoeffer wrote an essay of support to his friends and family working in the resistance.  Bonhoeffer asked, 

“Who stands firm? Only the one whose ultimate standard is not his reason, his principles, conscience, freedom, or virtue; only the one who is prepared to sacrifice all of these when, in faith and in relationship to God alone, he is called to obedient and responsible action. Such a person is the responsible one, whose life is to be nothing but a response to God’s question and call.”

Do not be troubled, Jesus says

Do not be afraid

I am afraid

I am afraid to speak the truth

Afraid to acknowledge the racism that is rampant in our society 

• That if you are white --- you can carry an AR17 into the Michigan State capitol and scream at police, not following any social distancing practices --- because you don't like the lawful order of the Governor telling you to sheltering in place --- and have nothing done to you
• Yet, if you are Ahmaud Arbery, the young black man in Georgia, who would have turned 26 on Friday --- you are shot dead while out for a run in your own neighborhood --- simply because you was black

I am afraid to shine the light on the economic disparities that exist in our society

• our inability to see the systemic fences we have built to keep people in their place
• the privilege I have just because I happened to be born straight, male and white

Afraid to say --- WE CAN'T GO BACK TO NORMAL

Normal wasn't working for too many of our brothers and sisters

We must find a better way --- the way of Jesus

Richard Rohr in his devotion on Friday wrote:

In the midst of the social distancing necessitated by this pandemic, people have nevertheless come together in creative and loving ways. Some have called this virus a massive “trigger event” with the potential to change everything. As individuals and communities, we can respond with justice and compassion, or we can double down on the pursuit of accumulation and power, with no more than a return to business as usual.

Why am I afraid?

I am afraid that if I were to say these things that you might stop liking me

I am afraid that you might stop supporting the church

I am also afraid, that if our society became more just --- that I might have to spend more of my money and give more of myself

I am afraid --- my soul is troubled

And yet Jesus reminds us, over and over again NOT to be afraid

Throughout the biblical story --- God calls us to trust in God and not be afraid.

God goes so far as to remind us in the 23rd Psalm that God will be with us always and will help us through those hard times.

God does not promise to get rid of the hard times --- no it seems that God wants us to stand up --- which sometimes creates hard times, but if we do that, we will never be alone

Somewhere in the last few weeks I came across a couple of little sayings that have stuck with me

The first is from Anne Nelson

There are moments in history when people of faith must ask what their faith instructs them to do.

I think this is one of those moments

I think she is asking us --- are we willing to be like Corrie Ten Boom, Anne Frank or Dietrich Bonhoeffer?

Will we stand up for the "least, the lost and the last" or are we only concerned about ourselves.

The second comes from one of the wisest sources that I know --- Dr Seuss (The Lorax)

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.

How is your faith instructing you to live?

And if you are not sure --- I encourage you to reach out and begin to find out more about this man from Galilee who invites us to do greater works than even he did

https://faithandleadership.com/why-dietrich-bonhoeffer-relevant-today

Is This A Bonhoeffer Moment? Lessons for American Christians from the Confessing Church in Germany. By Lori Brandt Hale and Reggie Williams Sojourners Magazine February 2018

What I have Learned in Quarantine

John 20:

It was still the first day of the week. That evening, while the disciples were behind closed doors because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities, Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you don’t forgive them, they aren’t forgiven.”

Thomas, the one called Didymus, one of the Twelve, wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord!”

But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger in the wounds left by the nails, and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe.”

After eight days his disciples were again in a house and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus entered and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side. No more disbelief. Believe!”

Thomas responded to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus replied, “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.”

Then Jesus did many other miraculous signs in his disciples’ presence, signs that aren’t recorded in this scroll. But these things are written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, and that believing, you will have life in his name.

If you are at all like me, you are probably starting to get a little stir crazy.  Other than going to the church on my days of responsibility this week, and taking Zeke to the vet, I have not gone anywhere in almost two weeks.

I saw on the news the people who are protesting at the Governor's mansion --- down the street from the Church and supposedly later at the statehouse.  They are protesting the continuation of the governor's stay at home order.

They are saying that staying at home should be their choice

Unfortunately, this is a moral question and as followers of Jesus, our freedom must always be balanced with the requirement that we love our neighbor.  We are Christians first!

If my desire to go out and get back to "normal" threatens my neighbor, especially my more vulnerable neighbor --- or by increasing the risk I am threatening the health care workers --- then the moral calculus is pretty simple

And that is why creating a safety net is so important.

We had to close our Children’s Day In ministry for the remainder of the school year --- but we have committed to continue to pay those teachers their salary.

We made that decision before the government announced the Paycheck Protection Plan which allow small businesses and non-profits to apply for a loan/grant to cover these costs --- rather than turning them over to the unemployment rolls.

We did apply for the PPP when it opened up through our bank

But on Friday morning, we received notification that the funds have run out --- and we did not receive a grant

The church council meets tomorrow night --- I do not expect them to change course --- it is the morally right thing to do.

That is what must guide our decisions during this time.

our moral compass that we receive through Jesus

And I (and I imagine you) need to stop and applaud all those who must risk themselves for me (us)

• Grocery store workers

• Custodians

• Fire and police

• EMT's and other first responders

• Orderlies

• Nurses

• Doctors

• I know I am missing many --- many important people

Stop what you are doing and say THANKS!

And let us show our gratitude by doing our part to stem this pandemic so that it may be safe for us to go back out again. --- and that is STAY HOME!

We need to find that spring of hope inside each of us, that will enable us to keep on doing what we are supposed to be doing --- no matter how long this takes.

Which leads me to my question this morning.

What have we learned from this experience?

I have been thinking about this a great deal the last couple of weeks and want to share with you what I perceive I am learning

First, there is no going back to normal --- which maybe isn't a bad thing because normal wasn't working anyway --- not for many people in our society

As a society we have become fractured

Fractured along racial lines

Fractured along ethnic lines

Fractured along economic lines

Virtually anyplace that we can divide ourselves, we have managed to do it

The so called "United" Methodist Church is a perfect case in point

On a blog post, Rabbi Michael Rothbaum said:

Yes, the old ways of doing things are on hold, perhaps for longer than we realize. But this moment of rupture may be an opening to new paths. New connections. New ways of being. And, if we are diligent and blessed, maybe even liberation.

Abby Norman wrote:

What happens when this is all over? Will we be changed? Will we heed the lessons of a global pandemic, realize we are all connected to each other, fight for systems that keep our own selves safe by protecting the most vulnerable among us? Will we fight for a world where we could actually touch the miracle of a savior who died for the world and then rose again? Or will we only ever be able to glimpse it, but not hold on?

Tough questions, but important ones.

As I have been reading through the Gospel this week a couple of things have really stuck out at me.

Do you remember how John 20 starts? 

I found it fascinating and it really just hit me this week, John writes:

Early in the morning of the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb

For many of us, it is still dark, and we are groping around trying to find our way.  

Or maybe worse, are we like the disciples later that evening.  Do you remember where we find them?  John goes on:

Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. (The Message)

Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors,” (The Message)

After a week, they were still locked in their room --- AFRAID

What powerful images John is giving us --- 

Mary comes looking for Jesus --- in the Dark --- unable to fully see

The disciples are hiding behind locked doors

Fear is a powerful force

Fear can help protect us by bringing our guard up

Fear can also paralyze us and keep us from moving forward

Fear can cause a mock bravado

I saw a picture on the news of a man marching in Michigan protesting the stay at home order --- he was carrying a sign that said "The CoronaVirus is Fake News" while covered head to toe in personal protective gear.

What struck me about most of those out protesting was their lack of following any personal protection guidelines --- it is as if they thing they are too tough to get this virus

Fear can also cause us to turn inward and start looking for people to blame --- just like we did as a country early on in blaming all people of Asian heritage for the virus.  

Or as we have done countless times in our history. 

Maybe this was most clearly demonstrated when crowds of far-right and white supremacist protesters descended on Charlottesville, Virginia in the "Unite The Right" march that took place in August of 2017.

"They marched toward a statue of confederate General Robert E. Lee carrying tiki torches, swastikas and semi-automatic rifles and chanting slogans like “White lives matter” and “Jews will not replace us!”"

Fear can mobilize some to lash out --- but it can also do what it did to the disciple and force us behind locked doors.

Right now, most of us are still behind locked doors --- afraid ---- waiting to know that it is safe before we truly venture out again.

How soon will you join tens of thousands of people at a Colts game, or Pacers game? 

or even go out and eat in a crowded restaurant?

or get on a crowded airplane?

While fear is powerful and pervasive, what I have really come to understand is most of us are grieving.

We are grieving, like the disciples --- that the world as we have know it is gone.

Things will never be the same --- even if we are not willing to admit that yet

Those of us who lived through 9/11 know that --- think of how much air travel has changed since then

One of the things that will change is how we do church

For years I have been encouraging us to move toward live streaming our worship

But to be honest --- I have not been willing to drive the bus

But, when this is over

WE MUST CONTINUE TO LIVE STREAM --- it must be a priority

One of the greatest realizations is how we can connect to people in a new way by doing our worship service on Zoom

Friends and family can join, who couldn't before 

Persons who could not get out can worship with us now can

Seekers can safely dip their toes in the waters of Christianity

Many of our small group studies will need to be available this way too

My biggest prayer, and the most important lesson I hope we learn, is that we become more cognizant of the vulnerable in our midst

But not just those in our midst (in a church service) --- also those in our neighborhood, city and world

My prayer is that we will support our neighbors in a whole new way

We will recognize how interconnected we all are 

how vulnerable we all are

I have not received my "check" from the government yet

I always owe money and never get a refund, so I will have to wait until the check arrives via snail mail

But I will be honest with you --- my income hasn't gone down during this crisis, if anything I have spent less because we are not eating out as much and a vacation we had planned was cancelled

Whatever funds I receive from the government --- I pledge to give them to charity

To the church and our partner organizations

I invite you to consider joining me in this

I know we all are afraid 

--- afraid of what we cannot see 

--- afraid of what we do not understand

But let's not let fear --- or grieving over what might have been --- keep us from making a difference for Jesus.

I love this poem by Khalil Gibran called FEAR

It is said that before entering the sea

a river trembles with fear.

She looks back at the path she has traveled,

from the peaks of the mountains,

the long winding road crossing forests and villages.

And in front of her,

she sees an ocean so vast,

that to enter

there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.

But there is no other way.

The river can not go back.

Nobody can go back.

To go back is impossible in existence.

The river needs to take the risk

of entering the ocean

because only then will fear disappear,

because that’s where the river will know

it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,

but of becoming the ocean.

The challenge for us is to remember that we are not disappearing; we are becoming. 

Our reality is not worse because of this crisis; our reality is being revealed. 

It's showing us what has been true and broken all along.

We have been given the chance to ponder together, "what kind of world do we wish to see on the other side of resurrection?" 

I hope our newly resurrected world holds one deep truth at its core: 

We are all in this together.

And together, we can make this world better for all of God’s children!

Let us not just glimpse it --- let us embrace it, become it and transform ourselves and the world.

Let us pray:

O Great Love, thank you for living and loving in us and through us. 

May all that we do flow from our deep connection with you and all of creation. 

Help us become a community that vulnerably shares each other’s burdens and the weight of glory. 

Listen to our hearts’ longings for the healing of our world. 

I know that you are hearing us better than we are speaking, we offer our prayers in the name of our resurrected Lord, Jesus.  Amen.

There Is Hope

John 20:1-18

Early in the morning of the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. She ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him.” Peter and the other disciple left to go to the tomb. They were running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and was the first to arrive at the tomb. Bending down to take a look, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he didn’t go in. Following him, Simon Peter entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. He also saw the face cloth that had been on Jesus’ head. It wasn’t with the other clothes but was folded up in its own place. Then the other disciple, the one who arrived at the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. They didn’t yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to the place where they were staying.

Mary stood outside near the tomb, crying. As she cried, she bent down to look into the tomb. She saw two angels dressed in white, seated where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and one at the foot. The angels asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

She replied, “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they’ve put him.” As soon as she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn’t know it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” 

Thinking he was the gardener, she replied, “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 and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabbouni” (which means Teacher).

Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold on to me, for I haven’t yet gone up to my Father. Go to my brothers and sisters and tell them, ‘I’m going up to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 

Mary Magdalene left and announced to the disciples, “I’ve seen the Lord.” Then she told them what he said to her.

 

It is hard to believe that just a little over two months ago, a group from Meridian Street spent time in Jerusalem --- walking where Jesus walked.

          seeing the places where tradition says he was crucified

          and the places where tradition says he was buried

The Garden Tomb with its beautiful simplicity is the perfect place to remember Jesus and celebrate that HE IS RISEN!  He is risen indeed!

Friday afternoon, while the world was laying witness to the murder of Jesus on a Roman cross . . .

Murdered by the Roman Imperial authority --- because Jesus was threatening their way of life --- Jesus was offering a different way of LIFE --- what he repeatedly called God's Kingdom.

We didn't want to get rid of OUR kingdom --- so when the opportunity was ripe, the Roman's along with the Religious Leaders found a way to get rid of him.

While we were gathered around the cross --- watching Jesus die --- a most horrible death --- I was at Crown Hill cemetery with 9 other people to remember Dr Beverly Maxam.

          It was --- to put it mildly --- surreal.  

We were spread out in a huge semi-circle, so that we might practice social distancing --- everyone standing in their own unique family grouping.

I don't think that I have ever lead a funeral where I could not touch a person --- so much of ministry, as the way that I have done it, is about physical space --- not invading space --- but being present.  A touch, a hug, a handshake --- but right now --- those days are gone.

As I stood there, I was taken back to our story of Resurrection morning from John's gospel.  Mary has gone to the tomb and finds it empty, and she is perplexed.  She is looking for the physical proximity of Jesus --- and he is not there.

John tells us:

Mary stood outside near the tomb, crying. As she cried, she bent down to look into the tomb. She saw two angels dressed in white, seated where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and one at the foot. The angels asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

She replied, “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they’ve put him.”

In this age of social distancing --- which often feels like social isolation --- I often feel the same way Mary did:  Not knowing what has happened to Jesus --- they have taken his body and I don't know where he is

           . . . not really knowing what is happening to my friends

           . . .or  even to my extended family.

Sure we can talk --- even talk on Zoom or FaceTime --- but things are different

This is an Easter unlike any other.

As Pastor Mary so aptly put it two weeks ago --- this Lent has gone on forever!

Wednesday evening, Passover began --- the ritual of remembering how God afflicted the Egyptians with 10 plagues --- because they would not let the Israelite's go.

The tenth plague --- you probably remember from watching The Ten Commandments --- is the final plague, where God vows to kill all of the first born of Egypt (and in the movie, you watch a black mist floating from house to house) --- but the homes of the Israelite's, they had put blood over their doors and the angel of death passed over them.

Some of my Jewish friends, were referring to the current pandemic as the 11th plague

This plague, however, doesn't appear to pass-over anyone

          --- but does disproportionally kill the poor and minorities.

Our Jewish brothers and sisters had to celebrate Passover, much like we are celebrating Easter --- in a morally responsible way --- not gathering as diverse groups at the Seder dinner --- but having their Seder over Zoom.

Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell us that it was a Passover meal that Jesus celebrated with his friends at the Last Supper --- John wants to tell us that Jesus IS the Passover Lamb, and so in his telling of the story, Jesus is crucified at the same time as the lambs were being slaughtered for the Passover meal --- the day before Passover.

These last few weeks have felt like a daily dose of crucifixion Friday --- and sometimes I think we have all wondered if Sunday was ever going to come.

          Will Easter really arrive this year?

It fees like we are perpetually stuck in the doom and gloom of Lent and Good Friday.

          Remember how we began six weeks ago

                   As we marked your forehead with palm dust we said:

                             You are dust, and to dust you shall return

 I have been struck by what Warren Weirsbe, in his book Why Us? wrote:

It isn't the normal demands of life that break us; it's the painful surprises.  We find ourselves fighting battles in a war we never declared, and carrying burdens for reasons we don't understand.

I think we can all relate to what he is saying.

None of us were prepared for what has happened this past month.

Normal isn't normal anymore

          And we all wonder what surprise awaits us.

                   What burdens will we be forced to carry?

I have been excited about the youth trip that is scheduled with the Appalachian Service Project this June.

My experience as a youth with Appalachian Service Project is part of the reason I went into ministry. 

I have wonderful memories of going as a youth, and as an adult leader. 

Learning the art of digging and building an outhouse, repairing leaky roofs, and building accessibility ramps have stuck with me throughout my life.

But more than the repairs --- it was the people that made the difference in my life.

Unsurprisingly, that trip has been canceled.

I received this from Walter Crouch, the president and CEO of Appalachian Service Project ---

This summer, hundreds of families, who have been patiently waiting for the month of June and the arrival of ASP volunteers so that much needed repairs could begin, will still have to wait. Roofs, badly in need of repair, will continue to let water pour through every time it rains. Collapsing floors, making whole rooms within a house unusable, will continue to rot. Crumbling foundations, threatening the safety of the families living on them, will continue to deteriorate. Wet, moldy, unsafe living conditions will remain. The health of the families living in these substandard conditions will continue to get worse, some to the point of hospitalization. And here’s the rub: the cure we have chosen as a country has brought economic recession and widespread unemployment which always disproportionately affects those living in poverty. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost in central Appalachia. The region had been making great strides in rebuilding its economy, making difficult decisions to transform its economic base away from traditional industries. Many of the families with whom we would have served this summer will now have deepened economic poverty, exacerbating the stress of living in substandard conditions. For them, my heart aches and my soul is troubled.

He ended the letter with these words:

Let’s join together to pray for miracles of grace to surround families in need during this unprecedented time. We all need the hope of resurrection to keep us looking forward to a better tomorrow. And tomorrow is Easter.

“God of mercy and grace, we ask for resurrection miracles for those in need. We have hope because of Easter. We believe, help our unbelief.”

I want to publicly thank Governor Holcomb for the strong stance that he has taken to help combat this painful surprise that has come into our lives. 

And I know, my saying this, would not come as a surprise to him. 

Every decision that he has been correct in making has come with consequences.

·         We all know the reality that some businesses will not survive

When I drive to the church I see the Rise and Roll Bakery that was scheduled to open a couple of weeks ago in Broad Ripple and wonder what its fate will be

• So many of our favorite restaurants that are trying to hang on by carry out only
• Hundreds and hundreds of other small businesses that cannot do carryout and are praying that they can open back up soon
• The students who are losing 1/4 of the year
• The college students who are graduating and now the employment opportunities look very thin
• My nephew and his fiancé who have lost their grad positions and income
• The couples who had planned to get married
• Rebecca and Logan who were to get married in a couple of weeks
• The families who have lost a loved one

There are consequences to every action

But we need to remember the bigger consequences

• Reports suggest that 1/3 of all employees are vulnerable to losing their jobs because of the pandemic

Those people tend to be (as Walter Crouch pointed out) disproportionally poor all and living on the margin BEFORE the pandemic

They tend to have very few resources

And even if unemployment becomes available to them --- how do they survive until the check arrives?

There are a heck of a lot of people who have no HOME to shelter in

        What church is going to house people right now? 

For most of us --- this pandemic --- in reality --- has just been an inconvenience

          Don't get me wrong --- It is a BIG inconvenience but:

                   We have homes to shelter in

                   We have resources to get by with

And the good news is eventually it will pass

Earlier this week, Richard Rohr shared a beautiful image of a crucified Jesus on the Cross.  With his arms outstretched, Rohr imagined Jesus saying to all of the world in this season of Covid-19: “I can’t stop your suffering, but am with you in it.”

You are not alone --- even if you feel alone.

Jesus is Risen! and he promises to be with us!

But before we rush to our Easter feast --- let me say just a couple more things.

Rebekah Bled in Sojourners said earlier this week:

This Holy Week, like Mary, let us bring our tears and grief to the garden, pouring out our hearts, explaining all the ways it shouldn’t have to be like this. And like Mary, in the intimacy of our disappointment, may we hear Jesus call our name.

Jesus is calling your name --- and Jesus is inviting you to step forward this Easter season.

          To be transformed --- reborn in Christ’s image

While we can't do many of the things that we used to do --- there are still plenty of opportunities for us during this season

Can we be resurrected to seeing the world in a new way?

Not just caring about how the pandemic is infringing on our lives --- but opening our eyes and our hearts to the ways it is disproportionally affecting our poorer brothers and sisters.

One of Wesley's admonitions to us is to DO NO HARM

And by that he was challenging us not only not to harm ourselves, but to make sure we do no harm to others as well

I love what Bishop Michael Curry said:

if the message of Easter is about [new life], then for us to fast from gathering for worship is our following the path of new life, new life for those who we might be hurt by gathering together and new life for us by learning to live — not for self alone, but for others and for God – that's resurrection.

So how do we live as resurrected people?

What lessons to we need to learn, and what changes do we need to make?

Jim Wallis wrote this week:

The celebration of the Resurrection on this Easter Sunday morning may be saying to us in this COVID-19 moment, “I can, and we can make these things that have been revealed—new.” Two women rushed back early that morning from the graveyard with the happy news that everything can be different now. Other disciples ran wide-eyed into an empty tomb and ran out with courage in their hearts. Two men walking in utter despair bumped into a stranger, realized who it was, and found hope again. A movement began whose message was that all things can be made new.

What if all that we are learning about our systems and attitudes and relationships in this modern plague that is wrong, brutal, unjust, and unjustifiable were to be made new? That this public health crisis would prompt a resurrection in our hearts and minds, reminding us that we will not go back to “normal”. In a post-COVID world, we must come together to choose decisions and actions that make things “new.”

Christ is risen, He is risen indeed.

My prayer is that as we emerge from this time of "sheltering in place" that we will have a new appreciation --- that we will indeed arise with new eyes and know that ALL THINGS CAN BE MADE NEW!

But it won't happen --- if we don't step forward in this moment

The choice is ours --- to be honest it is always ours.

We can be transformed by this Easter experience

We can be transformed from our kingdom to embracing the kingdom of God

Or we can keep on doing what we have always done --- and be unchanged by this resurrection moment.

Join with those who found him raised --- and changed the world

Let's change the world again --- in the Love of Jesus

          Where all are welcome

          Where all are loved

          Where no one goes hungry

          Where no one is judged by the color of their skin or whom they may love

          Where no one feels like they are less than anyone else

As Walter Crouch said:

Let’s join together to pray for miracles of grace to surround families in need during this unprecedented time. We all need the hope of resurrection to keep us looking forward to a better tomorrow. And tomorrow is Easter.

“God of mercy and grace, we ask for resurrection miracles for those in need. We have hope because of Easter. We believe, help our unbelief.”

Jesus Christ is Risen!  He is Risen Indeed!