To Be Remembered 11-24-19

This sermon for Christ the King Sunday is based on Luke 23:33-43. It is perhaps strange to consider a passage in which we hear of Jesus on the cross as the basis for his kingship in the kingdom of heaven, and yet that is precisely what we find.  Christ’s example reminds us that true power and authority is not found in strength or military might, but in weakness.

You can list to the audio of the sermon here:
https://soundcloud.com/revdalen/to-be-remembered-11-24-19

Note that this was another extemporaneous sermon, so there is no text to follow along with.  Likewise, the audio is weak, so you’ll need to turn up your volume about the 1:26 mark.
(As I continue with this experimental style of preaching, I’ll be exploring alternate audio recording options to overcome this current situation.)

The End is Not the End 11-17-19

In this sermon, based on Luke 21:5-19, Jesus offers some “end timesy” type teaching, and so we explore how the promise of the Gospel offers us something to hold on to when it feels like the world is ending.

As this sermon was preached extemporaneously, I have not included the text.

You can listen to the audio of the sermon here:
https://soundcloud.com/revdalen/the-end-is-not-the-end-11-17-19

(note that the audio was recorded without a mic, so the audio is low quality)

Ongoing Identity 11-10-19

In this sermon, based on Luke 20:27-38, I explore an encounter between Jesus and the Sadducees, members of a Jewish denomination, as they debate over the Resurrection. In the end, its our identity as claimed Children of God that is important.

You can listen to the audio of the sermon here:
https://soundcloud.com/revdalen/ongoing-identity-11-10-19

You can also follow along with the text of the sermon here:

May the grace and peace of the Triune God be yours, now and forever. Amen

I’ve often joked around that in the denominational sense, my family balanced itself out.  My dad was born and raised Lutheran by his VERY Norwegian parents…where as my mom was raised Catholic. And as they moved towards marriage, they went back and forth as to which denomination they would ultimately agree on…eventually deciding that Mom would change lanes and become Lutheran.

This continued on into the next generation, as my brother and sister and I were raised in the Lutheran tradition…that is, until my sister got engaged to a Catholic…just like my parents a generation before…she had the same discussion with her fiancé…and in the end, my sister made the switch and was confirmed Catholic shortly before their wedding…and it probably goes without saying that they are passing on the Catholic faith to my 3 nieces.

Now full disclosure…this doesn’t bother me at all…as far as denomination differences go…we’ve got a lot in common with our Catholic brothers and sisters out there…but on occasion the differences that are there come to light…and I remember it happening about 5 or 6 years ago when we were at Mass with my sisters family.

I often joke about the Christian Calisthenics that we do in worship…with our constant standing and sitting for the various aspects…but if you’ve attended Catholic Mass before, you know that they add one more aspect into the mix…as they kneel for various portions…and I always chuckle in these moments…because you can take one quick look around the room and identify all the fellow non-Catholics in attendance…as they are the ones still sitting in the pew as the Catholics take up residence on the kneelers.

On this particular instance, my son was about 9 or 10…and he was sitting in the pew next to me, when the lady positioned in the pew directly behind him popped up on the kneeler…and so they found themselves in pretty close proximity…and I heard her say to him “young man, you need to kneel.”  And he looked at her…and calmly responded “No I don’t,” and turned his attention back to the front.

Now I remember being impressed with two different things in that particular instance…first I was proud of my son who recognized a difference in tradition…and was aware that his own tradition was valid even in a different setting…and second, I was reminded in this little exchange that our different traditions, or understandings or interpretations…all these things can respectfully coexist…and in fact they are actually a good thing as they reveal the wondrous variety that exists among the entirety of the body of Christ on earth….these different denominations that all come together in what we call “THE church.” (pause)

Now interestingly enough…this same type of thing is on display within today’s scripture…and it reveals something that the Christian faith has in common with the Jewish faith…that there are different branches…different traditions…something we call denominations…all within the greater umbrella of a single faith.  This is true for the Jewish faith now…as there are countless different branches in present day Judaism…and, that was also the case in Jesus’ time…with different Jewish traditions in existence and well-established among the people.

And we find this at work right away with the group that Jesus encounters…the Sadducees. (pause) Often times, we have the tendency to lump the Sadducees in with another group, the Pharisees…and honestly both groups tend to get a bad rap in the understanding of many of us…but there were very prominent distinctions between the two branches in the time of the Gospels…and its also worth noting that these were not the only two branches of Judaism at that time.

Each branch had their different traditions and interpretations…but they also had similarities and teachings that were central to their Jewish faith…each had their own following…each had prominent individuals within their ranks. And that’s important for us to remember…particularly as we consider our tendency to demonize the Pharisees and the Sadducees as the bad guys of the gospel.

Some scholars have expressed the opinion that Jesus himself was a member of the Pharisees, especially considering the label Rabbi which was often used to address him…and the way that the present day rabbinic tradition ties back to the tradition of the Pharisees in first-century Palestine. (pause)

Maybe what I’m suggesting today is that these lines that we have the tendency to draw…and the conclusions that we tend to make…they’re murky…and we need to be careful about making assumptions and grouping people together…now all that being said, we do know of an important distinction between the Pharisees and the Sadducees…something which the text reveals…and that is belief in the Resurrection…that there will be a day out there in the unknown future when those who have died will be raised to new life. While many in the Jewish faith believe that there will be a resurrection in one form or another…the Sadducees do not…and considering the various teachings of Jesus on this subject…we know that he is in disagreement with them on that front.

And it would seem that this is the topic of debate behind the scenes of today’s passage.  Admittedly, I find myself wondering just what the tone was in this exchange.  Were they attempting to trip him up…to discredit him in the eyes of the people…or on the other hand was this simply a debate between individuals of different perspectives in an attempt to learn from one another? (pause)

We don’t know…but what we can find is evidence of the Sadducees bias as they provide a hypothetical situation for Jesus. Now it starts off with referencing this old tradition dating back to Moses when a man dies, leaving behind a wife, but no children…it is the expectation of the man’s brother to marry the widow, so that they might have children in the name of the dead brother.

To us, this sounds strange…and admittedly I wonder what the widow has to say about this whole thing…but…the intention behind the tradition was aimed at the continuation of the original man’s name…that his family would continue on…that his identity would not be lost.

Now with that in mind…hey Jesus…what if there were 7 brothers…and one by one they all married the same woman and none of them had any kids…eventually they’re all dead…so (get snarky here) IN THE RESURRECTION…Who’s wife will she be? (pause)

I can only imagine the side-eye that Jesus throws at them here…like “Dudes…hypothetical situations that reveal truth…that’s sorta my gig…we call those parables…you’re over your head here.” But then he goes on to explain the truth of the resurrection…and I can’t help but think he’s blowing their understanding…their expectations…their belief about this whole deal right out of the water.

Because what this all seems to be aimed at…at the heart of this whole deal…there seems to be a question…one that I think we share, even if we come at it from a different direction…What’s the end gonna look like? (pause)

Think about it…whenever we start talking about the resurrection…or heaven…or eternity…maybe I could reference…Revelation…or the end times…whenever this subject comes up…I think we’re all curious aren’t we?  What’s it gonna be like…what’s it gonna look like?

And the Sadducees seem to be posing the same type of question to Jesus today…hey teacher…what’s the end gonna look like?”  And after a beat…Jesus reveals to them…and to us…that the promise of God tells us that there is no end…and that the crazy limitations and rules that we’ve assigned to ourselves in this present age aren’t going to matter anymore…because above all…there won’t be an end…there will just be something that is utterly…new…different…and its beyond our understanding.

But this also reveals something else…that the questions we have, while they reveal our limitations…they also reveal a connection…one that Jesus seems to pick up on.  (pause) The Sadducees were concerned about their tradition which ensures a man’s identity will carry on…but Jesus reveals that our ultimate identity has nothing to do with our family names…or our spouses or our children…but the identity which really counts is given to us by God…as we are claimed as Children of God.

This is an identity that nothing beats…Jesus tells us that…as he says “they can no longer die, for they are children of God, children of the Resurrection.” This is an identity which we share…not one that we have because of our place in a family or community…but one that we receive as a gift of God’s grace.

This identity is made real through Christ…through his life in which he taught us about it…and through his death and resurrection which somehow made it possible…not to mention through his command to engage in a physical act…a practice, in which this promise is given to us…and that is the sacrament of baptism.

It is in the sacraments that we receive a physical manifestation of God’s grace for each of us as the promises are spoken to us and we receive them in faith…this same faith connects each of us…regardless of our own personal knowledge or understanding or interpretation…we each bear the same identity…beloved Child of God…and today…Parish is going to join in this same community as he is washed in this font…and the claim of God upon him becomes tangible.

This promise is real for each of us today…and we hold onto it every day of our lives…we cling to it when we reach the point of death, and we move past the reality of this life into whatever it is that comes next…and we are held secure in that promise when the day of the resurrection occurs…whatever that’s gonna look like on that unknown day out there somewhere in the future. A promise, made by God…confirmed by Christ in the flesh…that to God, each of you…will forever live, because you are Children of God. Amen

WOE!!!! 11-3-19

In this sermon, based on Luke 6:20-31, I explore Luke’s version of the Beatitudes. Not only does Jesus speak of blessings, but he also offers the wake up call of Woe.

You can listen to the audio of the sermon here:
https://soundcloud.com/revdalen/woe-11-3-19

You can also follow along with the text of the sermon here:

May the grace and peace of our Triune God be yours now and forever. Amen.

We live in a time that is ripe with good storytelling…and it comes to us from a lot of different sources. I’m a big fan of the visual mediums like movies and tv shows…and as a fan…I’ve never been the type to get bogged down when a story seems unrealistic.  Just tell me a good story.

Now there are a lot of good examples of this type of thing, and I love it…if the story is engaging, I don’t care…and while there are a lot of good examples, its probably safe to say that Disney and Pixar do the best job of this.  Take, for example…the recent movie Finding Nemo.  A great story in which we learn in this reality that clown fish are neurotic…seagulls are greedy…pelicans have Australian accents…and sea turtles talk like surfer dudes.

That’s probably my favorite aspect right there…and we learn it from the instant we first meet one…now this sea turtle…named Crush by the way…first enters into the story after the main character, the neurotic clownfish named Marlon, he has a run in with a bunch of jelly fish…and promptly passes out…and when he comes too, he finds himself riding on the shell of Crush the sea turtle…and we hear “Dude….oh HEY DUDE!!!!” And then Crush introduces Marlon, who he calls the Jelly-man to his son…and we hear “Allow me to introduce my offspring…Offspring, Jellyman…Jellyman, Offspring.”

And finally the surfer dude image culminates as the Jellyman tries to remember what happened and Crush tells him “Oh dude, at first you were like WOAH…and then we were like WOAH…and then you were like…woah.” (pause)

Now given our gospel lesson that we shared just a moment ago…you probably see where I’m going with this. Today we hear Luke’s account of the Beatitudes…part of a larger teaching of Jesus…a long sermon…one that covers almost an entire chapter here in Luke…but one that we also hear elsewhere…this whole sermon from Jesus, including the Beatitudes are also found in Matthew’s gospel…and to be honest, his account is longer and more in depth…

But that reveals something very common within the gospels…often times, the same stories…the same teachings…they are found in more than one gospel…but even when the different authors record them in similar ways, there are still differences…and we certainly see that here with the Beatitudes.

We hear about the people who are blessed…that sense is present in both accounts…but in Matthew, Jesus talks a little longer…there are more of them…they could probably be called a little more spiritual in nature, Luke is a bit more on the nose.  Matthew kinda generalizes, using language like “theirs” or “they.” But in Luke its more direct, as Jesus addresses “you.” (pause)

But the main difference…the thing that really sets Luke apart from Matthew in this particular instance…is the presence of the Woe-statements…Crush would be impressed. (pause) but in all seriousness, Luke gives us a very different sense with these woes listed along with the statements of blessing.

What really seems to be happening as Jesus teaches…is that we’re hearing two sides of the same coin…the statements all partner up and they’re very much connected…something we see if we mix them together rather than listing them separately.

Blessed are you who are poor…but woe to you who are a rich.   Blessed are you who are hungry now, but woe to you who are full.  Blessed are you who weep now, but woe to you who laugh…and finally blessed are you when people hate you and exclude you and defame you on my account…but woe to you when all speak well of you. (pause)

Isn’t that interesting, how that little shift really highlights these reversals that Jesus is talking about? The ups and downs…the back and forth…which…I can’t help but think…that sounds like life…one minute we are on top of the world and the next everything falls to pieces….but maybe what’s most eye opening here…are some of the specific words that Jesus uses through this teaching…words that don’t really work when we really stop and think about them at face value…

Words like “blessed.” Think about that one…what images come to mind when you think of something as blessed? Or what other words could we use? Maybe the most prominent word is…happy? (pause) But does that work?  Are the poor…happy?  Are the hungry…happy?  Are the ones hated…HAPPY?  And here’s the real kicker…blessed are you who weep now…HAPPY!?!  I don’t buy it.  (pause)

Well what about the flipside…and all those “woes?”  Admittedly, Woe isn’t a word that we throw around much is it? So what does it mean?  If we take this whole thing at face value…and if we consider the ongoing theme of a great reversal that Jesus is bringing about…the ultimately switch in things in the kingdom of God as opposed to the reality of this world….well then maybe we hear about blessings and then woes…and we think that woe equals damnation…

Fair assumption on my part? If we keep things surface-level we hear Jesus say blessed and we think happy, and we hear woe and we think that person is damned…I think we can make that jump…but only if we take things at face value…because digging a little deeper brings some better insight.

And it really stems from the original language of Woe…because it implies emphasis…like there needs to be an exclamation mark with it…and its not the only word like this…there’s another one that we usually translate as See or Behold! And you can’t just say (flatly) behold…its (boisterous) BEHOLD!!!!.

I discovered this week that WOE…is the same way…its not “woah.”  Its WOE!!! (pause) Plug that in there. WOE!!!! To you who are rich for you have received your consolation…WOE!!!! To you who are full now for you will be hungry…WOE!!!! To you who are laughing now for you will mourn and weep…WOE!!! To you when all speak well of you….

It seems like Jesus isn’t say you’re out of luck…it seems like he’s trying to get your attention.  Maybe we should say “YIKES” or “WAKE UP.”  Pay attention!  This is a wakeup call…and honestly I think it goes both ways because of the truth that life swings us both directions doesn’t it…this wakeup call is for those called to be content in their present circumstances every bit as much as it is for those he cautions against getting comfortable in things that are fleeting.

This whole thing…the entire first portion of today’s scripture is all about reminding us that we are all in this together…and that we are equal in the grand scheme of things regardless of how our present creature comforts are treating us.

And so hearing that wakeup call, maybe we need to perk up our ears and pay attention to what comes right after it…something we could probably call the golden rule section.  Love your enemies…do good to people who hate you…bless those who curse you…turn the other cheek…offer your shirt and your coat…give to whoever needs it….and like our mom’s taught us…do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Now I don’t know about you…but I hear that and its like “Duh!”  (pause) Or at least it should be.  But is it? Does life really work out that way?  Do we act like that? Or do we foul it up? (pause) This whole deal…this entire thing…it all serves to show us how the world works…and how that’s utterly opposed to the kingdom of God that Jesus has brought near to us.

The world says ‘this is what’s right…this is power…this is authority.” It even tries to tell us “this is what’s blessed.” But Jesus is over here “uh-uh…not even close.”  But we get caught up in it don’t we?  That selfish nature takes over…and time after time…we foul it up…putting ourselves first…cuz I gotta get what’s mine right?

And so as much as we might think we are the ones who fall in the “blessed are you” category…when we’re really honest maybe we hear Jesus sparking off that “WOE!!!” in our direction…and we should…because that’s what the gospel is supposed to do…its supposed to remind us that we can’t pull it off…no matter how hard we try…we need God’s grace…and you know what…in that instant when we recognize it…its there…every time.

And what’s wonderful is that we’ve been given gifts to receive that grace from Christ…and we find that in the sacraments…one which we will share today…and for some of our young people…today they will share it for the first time…what a blessing to be here in community with them, as we all gather around this table…equal in our need for grace…and as we cling to that grace throughout the course of our lives…we are also reminded of the faithful witness of those who have come before us…those who have now gone on ahead into whatever it is that lies on the other side of death…those who are now experiencing first hand…the fullness of the kingdom which we have only glimpsed.

This is a wakeup call that is worth having…one we should be aware of every day…one that should fill us with gratitude…because we have God who cares enough about us to get into the midst of it with us…as one us…We have a God who gets right in our faces with a hearty “WOE!” So that we might rely on his grace…and be recipients of his blessing. Amen.