My Sunday sermon

(If you're coming to Trinity, Milton on Sunday, don't read this!)

AUGUST 8

          That old saying about “how far the mighty have fallen”, speaks clearly to the life of David.

          The shepherd boy who killed the giant Goliath with his sling went on to be chosen by God to be King of Israel. He ‘danced before the Lord’ and served God and the nation well until he fell from grace by having Uriah the Hittite killed and marrying his wife. God told David he would take back all that been given him

          Then today, his son Absolom is taken as well.

          Absolom first crossed David by killing his half-brother Amnon for raping Absolom’s sister Tamar. He went into exile and though eventually brought back to Jerusalem he was rejected by David and turned against him father, finally getting himself proclaimed King by his followers.

          David told his troops to be gentle with Absolom, but Absolom is caught by his hair in a tree and killed.

          David mourned deeply. “Absolom, my son…That I would have died instead of you, O Absolom, my son, my son….”

          How far the mighty have fallen.

 

          But in today’s Gospel, Jesus, the Bread of Life, says: ‘No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me and I will RAISE THEM UP….’

          The mighty fall down. Those who come to Jesus are ‘raised up’.

          And as the Psalmist tells us today, “My soul waits for the Lord,/ more than watchmen for the morning,/more than watchmen for the morning.”

          Most of us are bad at ‘waiting’. We hate ‘waiting rooms’ and long lines. We want to move on, get passed it, stop waiting.

          But waiting for the Lord is a holy thing.

          Prayer is ‘waiting’. Meditation is ‘waiting’. Being quiet and sitting still is good for us—a holy thing.

          (Close your eyes and be still….take a few slow, deep breaths…Wait….Wait…Let your soul wait for the Lord…Ok, come back now….)

          And remember the words of Ephesians you heard today. They go like this: “Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you.”

          Listen closely to what comes next in the Epistle!

          “Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children and live in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

          “Be imitators of God….”

          So, as hard as it is, we must WAIT…AND WAIT…AND WAIT.

          And as impossible as it sounds, we must be ‘imitators of God.’

          And how do we do that? We live in love.

          I’m sure most of you know the three Greek words for Love-‘eros’, ‘philios’, and ‘agape’.

          ‘Eros’ is erotic love….Nuff said about that.

          ‘Philios’ is love between those who are brothers and sisters—‘philios’ is the root of Philadelphia, the city of brotherly and sisterly love.

          But ‘agape’ is what we must strive toward. The Love that gives itself away. That loves all and cares for all. Like the love God gives us.

          We are imitators of God by loving…and loving…and loving even more.

          Beloved, keep on LOVING.

 

Reading the Gospels Side-by-Side

That's what we're doing at Trinity, Milton, Wednesdays at noon.

It is both disconcerting and informative to realize how different the Gospels are. Reading them side-by-side exposes the differences to the light of day.

I've already written my thoughts for the last session which we be...I don't know when. We had 10 sessions when this was a class I led at U.Conn Waterbury. We'll see. But let me jump ahead and share that last session with you.

 

LOOKING FOR JESUS

 

     Most of us are looking for Jesus.

     One place we could expect to find Jesus is in the Four Gospels. So we turn to them. If we read them critically and carefully, what we discover is not Jesus but Four distinct Jesus'.

     When confronted with that reality, there are two obvious reactions. Either I (I'll speak only for myself here and invite you to ponder your reaction)...either I despair and give up my search OR I walk the road with each of the Gospel writer's Jesus' and glean what I can from the four of them.

 

     When I am doubtful, it is Mark's Jesus I want to walk beside because he too struggled with doubt. He spends time with the wild beasts. He can't seem to understand what is being asked of him by God. He agonizes in the Garden. He feels abandoned on the cross. Mark's Jesus is a good companion in times of doubt.

 

     When I am confused, it is Matthew's Jesus I turn to. Matthew's Jesus is jerked away from his home to a foreign land. His earthly father relies on dreams and visions of angels in his confusion. The Magi visit him and give him great gifts. Matthew's Jesus knows that traditions and boundaries and scripture can help in times of confusion. Matthew's Jesus knows right from wrong, truth from Falsehood, the sheep from the goats. Matthew's Jesus stands on the mountain top and speaks wisdom to those who are in darkness and confusion. The Jesus of Matthew has correctives to my confusion.

 

     John's Jesus is my traveling companion when things are going well and I am feeling confident. John's Jesus is certain and resolute and convinced of his purpose and his way. John's Jesus has an ego to match my own. Nothing much bothers him. His eyes are on the prize. His feet are firmly on the ground even as his soul soars to heavenly places. In 'good times' John's Jesus is the ideal companion. He can validate my confidence, inspire me to even greater things, teach me that I am loved and meant to love others. He breathes on me and wishes me “Shalom”, which means fullness and health and hopefulness. There is nothing like the Jesus of John when God's in his heaven and all is right with the world. Walking the road with him just reaffirms my optimism and hopefulness and sense of well-being.

 

     But when I suffer, when  I am in pain, only Luke's Jesus will do. He will walk with me to Emmaus and calm my fears and set my heart of fire. The breathless, timeless songs and poetry of Luke soothe me, heal me. Luke's Jesus is the healer, the non-anxious presence, the font of all Compassion. Luke's Jesus walks with those in distress, in pain, in need. Luke's Jesus is constantly standing with the marginalized and outcasts. Luke's Jesus teaches us on the same level where we stand. He is always on my level, near me, suffering with me, forgiving me, holding me near. Luke's Jesus walks the road of our world's suffering. He knows me through and through. He bears my burden. He lightens my load. He touches me and makes me whole.

 

     Seeking Jesus and finding four is 'good news'. Four companions on the Way to the Lover of souls, four brothers with various gifts for various needs, four faces of God, four revelations of the Almighty.

 

     A hymn from my childhood says, “What a friend we have in Jesus....” It is wondrous and precious to have a friend. But to have four, all of whom love me and care for me and walk my road with me. What could be better than that???

 

Where are you guys?

I've only had 100 views on my blog in the first three days of August.

In July I had 4500 views and in June 5300 views.

Are you all on vacation?

Have my post lost their power?

Where are you guys?

I keep trying to put out something every day.

But I put it out for you.

I would stop if no one was reading.

And so few are reading this month I wonder if it's worth the effort.

Where are you all???

 

 

Hank's Memorial

I went out to a park in Woodbury for an out-door Life Service for my friend Hank, who died last year.

Hank was not a religious man but we met him through his wife, Harriet, who worked with me for over a decade at St. John's in Waterbury.

Eventually they moved to a life center in Cheshire and though years from St. John's time, I was able to see them.

Hank helped Bern make two Adirondack chairs that are still on our back deck.

Then, one Christmas years ago, Bern made me a picture out of wood and paint of the two chairs and a glass of wine on mine, from behind. The title was "Still looking forward".

I took it to show Harriet and some other friends.

The service was led by one of the chaplains at the Care Home where Hank died.

It included poetry, music and remembrances and ended with "As Long As I Can See The Light" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. 

What could be a better way to end such a celebration?

Miss you, Hank, be well.

 

Nothing to write

 Today was the last day of July. It was in the high 60's and low 70's and breezy. More like April or May than the last day of July.

(That was all I had to say until I got the newsletter of St. Paul's/St. James in New Haven, the parish I served when if was still St. Paul's. The priest there now is Harlan Dalton, who was a member when I was there. He was a professor at Yale Law School but decided to become a priest. Today he was having the same problem I have--nothing to say....Until he created this. I wanted to share it with you.)

July 31, 2021

Dear Friends, 

About 40 minutes ago I said to Jill “I haven’t written my weekly parish letter yet.” She said, “I figured. You should probably get started,” to which I replied “I go nothing.” Jill then said, “Why don’t you just share a poem. Also, I think it would be good for you to acknowledge that you are feeling a bit run down.  They will understand.”

I almost always take Jill’s advice (I am no dummy), so I opened the Kindle app on my tablet and began to scroll through my library. Almost immediately my eyes landed on a volume of poetry that I don’t recall ever actually reading. I must have downloaded it a while ago, along with some other books, and figured I would get back to it later.  

I opened the volume, The Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog by Alicia Suskin Ostriker, and for the past half hour have been utterly transported. I am still run down, of course, but I am grinning from ear to ear, which is never a bad thing. 

The Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog begins with an epigram from Gertrude Stein. “A very important thing is not to make up your mind that you are any one thing.” Then comes the Table of Contents, a list of 40 some odd short poems, each featuring an elderly female, a flower associated with The Netherlands, and a canine. Here are a few of them, each followed by a one sentence blessing from yours truly.

“The Blessing of the Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog”

To be blessed

said the old woman

is to live and work

so hard

God’s love

Washes right through you

Like milk through a cow

To be blessed

said the dark red tulip

is to knock their eyes out

with the slug of lust

implied by

your up-ended

skirt

To be blessed

said the dog

is to have a pinch

of God

inside you

and all the other dogs

can smell it

May you have a pinch of God inside you.

 

(You do, I promise you, have a pinch of God....Shalom, Jim and thanks, Harlan!)