The Reformation at 499

Romans 3:19-28

What is “the Church”?

The Church is the community of faith that gathers around God’s Word of grace and love in Jesus Christ, and is sent into God’s world as ambassadors of that grace and love.  Love of God.  Love of Neighbor.  That is what defines the Church.  Everything else is commentary.  Or a distraction.

The way the Church works out and embodies this core identity and mission is in a constant state of change.    Always has been.   Those who claim that “the church is the one place in our lives that shouldn’t change” don’t know much church history.  This fallacy of the status quo causes the church to turn inward on itself, become myopic in its vision, defensive and fearful in its perspective and leads to paralysis, deterioration, decline and death within the community of faith.  

But,  history teaches us that periods of decay lead to times creativity, innovation, and renewal within the life of the Church. The Holy Spirit is continually drawing us back to who we are and what we are called to be as disciples of Jesus Christ and sending us out in new and surprising ways as God’s ambassadors to an ever-changing world.   Death and Resurrection always lay at the heart of who we are as God’s people.  It has to be that way.  Otherwise, the Church of Jesus Christ would have been lost to the dusts of history centuries ago!

I see signs of resurrection in the life of the Church almost every day.   I see it in a small faith community wrestling with how to use their biggest asset – their building – to finance renewed ministry.  I see it in a new, emerging faith community gathering around Word and Sacrament in the back room of a local restaurant.  I see it in a congregation reaching out to welcome refugees, LGBTQ people, and those who dwell in the world of social media.  I see it in a congregation converting a barn into a worship space for their growing community of faith.  I see it in congregations – large and small – faithfully caring for the sick and the hungry and the naked and the thirsty and the lost and the lonely in their neighborhoods.  I see it in disciples of Jesus Christ working for racial justice, standing with those protecting God’s Creation and walking with people who come from different cultures, backgrounds and languages.   And that’s just a sampling!

At 499, the Reformation is still happening!   The Church of Jesus Christ is still rising from the dead!   Despite all the distractions, the Church is still out there loving God and loving neighbor and living the faith of Jesus Christ. And that truly is the Grace of God.

Peace,

Bishop Mike

Thank you for reading!

"Glad I'm Not..."

Luke 18:9-14

“I’m glad I’m not like…”

Fill in the blank.  It is easy to do.   Especially these days when it seems that it is in vogue to treat anyone who disagrees with us with utter contempt.   I am writing this on the day after the third and final debate of the 2016 presidential campaign.  Like this season’s other debates, the goal of this debate seemed to be to talk about what is wrong with one’s opponent rather than lay out, in positive terms, where one hopes to lead this country.  OK, perhaps there was a bit more substance in this one, but overall, it was one more episode in a sad campaign season.  Politics seem to have been heading down this contemptuous path for a long time now. A lot of other situations where opinions differ sharply seem to want to go there too – including in Christ’s Church!  How quickly we make it all about people instead of problems!

“I’m glad I’m not like…”

So, this Pharisee and Tax Collector walk into the Temple.  The Pharisee exalts himself.  He is righteous.  He knows that God truly loves him, because he is right.  He feels fully justified in looking down his nose at the tax collector (and probably everyone else) who, in his opinion comes up short.  Utter contempt.  And then there is the tax collector.  He knows what people think of him and he has bought into what they say.  He knows what he is.   But, there Jesus goes again:  siding with losers.  Walking with the uncouth.   Welcoming those who others would cast aside and toss out.

So what to do about this election?   I’m no expert on economics or international relations or immigration policy.   I try to stay on top of the issues of the day, but I would never claim to grasp all the subtleties, complexities and nuances of every issue that faces us as a nation.  But,  I think I know enough theology to grasp the Way of Jesus and let that shape my opinion of the public debate.   I know that Jesus never sided with hate and self-righteousness.  Never.  He had an amazing capacity to love – yes even tax collectors and Roman centurions – and calls upon us to live with that same kind of reconciling, inclusive love!  I’m pretty sure that means working to bring people – all people – together, not driving them apart.   Jesus said, “blessed are the meek”  (Matthew 5:5) and taught that when we welcome strangers we are welcoming him (Matthew 25:35).   I think that means we cannot turn our backs on the weakest and the poorest and the strangers in our midst.  When I go to vote on November 8, my theology, which is rooted in the compassion, grace, mercy, forgiveness and love of Christ will guide my choice.  I hope and pray it will  yours too. 

Peace,

Bishop Mike

The In and Out of Faith

Luke 18:1-8

“Pray always and do not lose heart.”.

Jesus of Nazareth was a man of prayer.  Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus praying.  He goes away to a mountain or a quiet place to be in prayer.  He prays as he casts out demons and heals people.  Throughout the Gospel of John, he is in regular dialogue with the Father.  He teaches his disciples to pray.

Prayer is the heart of the Christian life.  Our faith in Jesus draws us deep into the faith of Jesus.  We pray alone in our rooms, listening for the whispering of the Holy Spirit.  We pray together in times of worship and praise.  We pray for those in any need, and for the healing of the world.

“And will not God grant justice to his chose ones?”

Jesus of Nazareth was a man of justice.  He reached out with compassion and care to those who were rejected and shunned in his society.  He challenged the power and perspectives of the Pharisees and Sadducees, the scribes and the rulers of his day by proclaiming the Reign of God’s love, grace, mercy and forgiveness.  He taught his disciples to care for the sick and the naked, the hungry and thirsty, the imprisoned and the stranger.

For Christians, working for justice means more than just jumping on the bandwagon of the latest issue to come down the road.  It means doing all we can to discern and practice the will of God and the way of Jesus in both our personal and public lives.  It means striving to embody the Reign of God’s love, grace, mercy and forgiveness in the midst of all our relationships and as we engage the brokenness of our world.  Working for justice is about persistence in our efforts to change hearts and minds and systems of power and privilege that perpetuate that brokenness.

Faith draws us in to the depths of who we are as God’s beloved children.  Faith drives God’s people out in loving service as God’s ambassadors of reconciliation in the world.   Without the Faith that draws us inward, we lose our moorings and can get lost in the turmoil of the world.  Without the Faith that drives us out, we lose our mission and can get lost in our own selfishness.   Faith gathers and sends, gathers and sends, gathers and sends God’s people.  This life of faith isn’t always easy, in fact, it can be a real struggle!   But, in this way of life true joy can be found.  Why?   Because it forever turns around the Word of God which is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Peace,

Bishop Mike

Thank-you for reading!  

Start with "A"

Luke 17:11-19

This week’s text, which tells the story of Jesus’ healing of ten lepers, is also appointed as the lesson for Thanksgiving.   In the story, one of the healed lepers returns to Jesus after he realizes he has been healed, praising God and thanking Jesus for the gift of health, wholeness and restoration.  He is so overwhelmed with gratitude that he falls on his face at Jesus’ feet.

These days, words of gratitude and thanksgiving seem rare.  We are so much quicker to point out what is wrong with the world, to complain about what isn’t working, and to bemoan the fact that things just aren’t what they used to be.   The only news seems to be bad news.   We cry, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” and then go about our daily lives barely aware that God may actually be doing something to heal us.  If only faith would open our eyes like it did for the leper who returned!

I had one of those eye opening experiences many, many years ago when I was an intern pastor.  That Thanksgiving, my supervisor decided not to preach, but, instead, handed out sheets of paper with the letters of the alphabet listed vertically on the left margin.  He asked everyone to list the things we were thankful for:  “a – apples,”  “b – bikes,”  “c – children,”  and so on.   After a few minutes passed, he had us shout out our answers letter by letter.  It was a litany of gratitude.   Together we built this wonderful compendium of blessings and wrapped ourselves up in it.  Our lists became hymns of praise.

Cultivating gratitude does not mean ignoring the reality of pain, injustice and suffering in our world.  It does not mean thinking we are somehow better or more deserving than others.  Cultivating gratitude is about cultivating a sense of God’s power and presence at work in our lives and learning how to see it at work in the lives of others.  Gratitude overflows in generosity.  A spirit of generosity moves us away from ourselves and toward the neighbor in need.   Moving toward the neighbor in need brings us face to face with God.  The more we see God in the face of another, the more we will see that person as a blessing.   And, it’s when we begin to see each other as a blessing…  blemishes and all…  that the real healing begins. 

So, what are you grateful for these days?  Where do you see God’s healing hand at work?   What moves you to fall on your face in praise and thanksgiving?   I suggest you start with the letter “a”…

Peace,

Bishop Mike