Year C Lent 4 2019 Desperately Seeking You

Year C Lent 4, 31 March 2019
St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA
“Desperately Seeking You”

Collect: Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Luke 15:1-32
Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’

So he told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

 ‘Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’

"There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.' So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands."' So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe--the best one--and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate.

"Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.' Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, 'Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!' Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'"

“Ode”  BY ARTHUR O'SHAUGHNESSY
We are the music makers,
    And we are the dreamers of dreams,

Thus begins one of my favorite poems. I use it at weddings and at funerals. But today I want to share the last two lines, because it helps us transition from last week’s sermon to today.

For each age is a dream that is dying,
    Or one that is coming to birth.

The coming of Jesus marked the end of an age. As well as the birth of a new one. The dream of a coming Messiah was dead, because the Messiah had come! But he was breaking rules, and doing things against the status quo. He was not there to justify to the righteous, like was expected. But to enable us to become the children of God, which changes EVERYTHING!

Last week we looked at one of the major hurdles of faith, when bad things happen,  theodicy for the theological term. And this week I want us to look at the flip side of that. I want us to view the seeking nature of the sought for God.

Our Gospel today is one of the best strings of stories in the Gospels. Each enlightens the next, and rich out of context, together they are a sumptuous feast of Grace.

I have a confession, the Gospel lesson today is only the introductory verses and the story of the Prodigal Son. I added to it the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. In fact the third story should be the Lost Son. The word Prodigal comes from the Latin word for “lavish.” The son may have been lavish, but like the sheep and the coin, he was just as lost.

In setting the stage, Luke tells us the very reason for Jesus’ trilogy of parables.
Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’
Jesus was being judged for the very reason he came, to seek and to save the lost. I pray that the work we do ruins our reputations with the “respectable” people, too. Too often the church has become a Chapel for the Comfortable, as opposed to a fueling station of Ambassadors of Grace. So Jesus tells us these stories.

The Lost Sheep. Sheep are not the brightest of critters, and domestication dumbs them down even more. The sheep wandered off. There is a reason we need sheepdogs and shepherds. Sheep follow their noses, and go from clump to clump to clump. Sometimes they do this and do not even notice that they are no longer with their flock. Sometimes in their wandering they fall down in pits or gullies. And that necessitates someone going to seek them out. They need a shepherd. That is where we get the word pastor, someone to shepherd God’s sheep. I trust you are a step above sheeple.

But think about it. If we are the sheep, and God is the Shepherd, then what fault does the sheep have in getting lost? Does the shepherd even ask that question? No. The shepherd only wants the sheep home safe and sound. How often do we concern ourselves in how someone “got lost?” That was Bob being Bob, or Sue being Sue. But the shepherd knows that sheep get lost, and their only concern is saving the sheep.

Then we have the Lost Coin. One of ten. The Greek word used is not coin, but rather drachma, a day’s wage. This is not a gold coin that is being sought, it is a meager, humble, working class coin. In our luxury, we sometimes walk past a penny on the ground. Why bother?

Why does the woman search and clean till the coin us found? It is of value, great value to her. Someone gave a day of their life to earn that coin, and she was not resting till it was found. Unlike the sheep, the coin did not wander off. It did not follow its nose. It has no free will or ability. It was lost. It found itself lost. It had no way to get out of its predicament. But it was of value by the nature of what it was. It was worth finding. If we are the coin, and God is the woman, what does that say? We are of worth. We are of value. We are worth finding BECAUSE OF OUR INHERENT VALUE.

Think of what Jesus is saying in this context. When we are stupid, and do things we probably should not, we are still worth the trouble. When we get into situations through no fault of our own, we are still worth the trouble. And then we get to the Prodigal, the Lavish but still lost, Son. Here we find a different situation, and Jesus really pushes the point with this one.

The Prodigal could not have been more upsetting to the cultural norms of his day. He does everything wrong he could do to upset the beloved patriarchal approach to his listeners.

To start the offense, the son asks for his half of the inheritance BEFORE the father dies. What is the son saying? We have no relationship. You are nothing to me but a means to an end. I wish you were dead so I could get the heck out of here. Think of how the Father hears these words. The Father has such love for the Son, that even though it breaks his heart and divides his estate, he gives it to the Son. He goes off to a foreign land, and squanders it. Loose living and high times takes every penny, and when all is gone he finds himself far from home in a land famished and with no one to turn to. Jesus was a masterful storyteller. And here we see him at his best.  What does the Prodigal, the lavish one, turn to to feed himself? No Jewish boy could fall any lower in his kinsmen’s eyes than to feed pigs. Pigs were not kosher. You do not touch a pig, much less feed them. And then look, he had fallen so far he was JEALOUS of a pig! He wanted their pods, their slop, he was so hungry. This is HUGE! And then he figures it out.
          ♪♪ “Don’t it always seem to go, you don’t know what you’ve got till its gone…”♪♪
He could go home. At least at his Father’s house, his generous, lovely, naive, loving Father’s house he could be a servant. So he sets out. He heads home. All the way there he practices the speech. "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands." And he pauses when he sees the house afar off.

And what is it he sees? A trail of dust. A running man. Is it someone come to chase him away? Is it someone to send him packing. It is what he deserved, in a fair and just world. He wished his Father dead, and he is probably dead to his Father. But then coming closer we see something else. It is not a servant with stick in hand, it is the Father with tears in his eyes thanking God. If you cannot image this, stop right now.

The image of the Return of the Lost Son being embraced by a loving, forgiving Father is The Epitome of what Jesus is about, here we see him at his height of making an approachable metaphor that anyone can understand, and yet take books by scholars to begin to unpack. But being human, we do not need to be scholars to understand. We know UNCONDITIONAL LOVE when we see it.

In that day and age, it was beneath the Father’s decorum to hurry anywhere. He was a wealthy landowner and he need not rush for anyone. And yet, he ran. This is the most poignant story of Grace in Scripture until Jesus hangs on the Cross. Jesus, who we call God the Son, is saying THIS is the very nature of God. Even while we are yet Sinners, God DESPERATELY wants us to come home. No questions asked. No caveats or exceptions. It did no good for the Father to chase after the Son like the Shepherd hunted after the Sheep, or the Woman sought for the Coin. The Son chose to leave. The Son had to turn and come home. He had Free Will. He had to see for himself that what he had rejected was truly what he wanted. Dorothy has to realize there is no place like home, and click her heels. The Prodigal had to realize better a servant in the Father’s house, than Lost and Alone far from home.

Now remember the context, the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ This is where he adds the kicker. The Other Son. The Son who always did “the right thing” and could not resent it more learns that his good for nothing brother has come home. Not only that, he has been given THE BEST ROBE, THE GOLD RING, AND HAS A FEAST WITH THE FATTED CALF! I can hear it now, “THIS IS NOT FAIR!”

We say we want Justice and Mercy. No we don’t. Not really. We want Grace. Justice is getting what one deserves. Mercy is getting off easy but still being held in account for our actions and decisions. Grace is a gift, a free gift, with no strings attached. And Grace is Amazing.

The Father invites the Good Son to see what Grace looks like. Lost and now Found, Dead and now Alive. The Good Son says clearly he did what he did out of obligation, he did what he did out of loyalty, maybe. He did not do it joyfully. He did not do it out of love. “I worked like a slave…” He was so close to love and grace and did not know it, he did not even see it. Everything his Father had was to be his. He was set to receive all, his brother had gotten his share. And he could not see that. The more he did for his Father, the greater would be his reward. Especially when he did it in love. He was so caught up in doing right, he had somehow missed the boat on being loved.

If you have never read Henri Nouwen’s book The Return of the Prodigal  I cannot recommend it enough. We are all the Father, the Prodigal, and the Good Son. When we are lost, we are encouraged to come home, like the Prodigal. When we are judgmental and hypocritical, we are invited to not just see things differently but to be transformed, as was the “Good” Son. And with all we meet, may we run with Grace to embrace and welcome people home like the Father. We have been blessed to be a blessing. We receive Grace to freely give it away.

These three stories model for us a Transforming Vision of the World. May we be so ridiculous to run like the Father, to sweep and seek like the woman, to go out with desperate intent like the Shepherd. And when we receive Grace, we weep with the tears of grateful hearts.

Jesus came to make the Blind to See, the Lame to Walk, and the Dead to Rise. If that is not Revolutionary, I do not know what is.

We, in the ages lying,
    In the buried past of the earth,
Built Nineveh with our sighing,
    And Babel itself in our mirth;
And o'erthrew them with prophesying
    To the old of the new world's worth;
For each age is a dream that is dying,
    Or one that is coming to birth. Amen.

Year C Lent 3 WED 2019 Gamechanging

Year C Lent 3 WEDNESDAY, 28 March 2019
St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA
“Gamechanging”

John 8:12-20
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ Then the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.’ Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgement is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.’ Then they said to him, ‘Where is your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’ He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

When I was younger and worked at Camp, one of our favorite evening programs was called Kangaroo Court. Maybe you did it at a camp you attended. The counselors were usually in on it. And they were brought before the “Judge” on trumped up charges (all in the name of fun), and as soon as the accusation is made, the “Judge” usually responds, “Guilty as Sin!” And then they have to be reminded that there needs to be a trial before the punishment, but it is all part of an elaborate mockery of Justice. Much like the Queen of Hearts in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the “Off with his head!” rings out before its appropriate time, if there ever is one.

Jesus confronts the ones who had already made up their minds in another mockery of justice, and a mockery of faith in God. No matter what “proof” Jesus presented, it was going to be dismissed. The first tactic used in political assassinations is to dismiss the messenger if one cannot dismiss or discount the message. And that is just what people do.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ Then the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.’ Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one.”

Jesus goes on that he does not need to judge, but if anyone could he could. He knows the Father is on his side. It is not bragging if it's true, like I said at Lula’s funeral. Jesus knew the truth, and it set him free from their judgment.

My grandmother always said, “You cannot argue stupid. Don’t waste your breath.” Jesus knew when to quit. These “religious leaders” did not lead much; they majored on the minor, and were closer to religious prosecutors than actual leaders.

It would be easy to get negative, but Jesus here says something I do not want to miss. He declares he himself is the Light of the World. There will be a lot who want him to hide it under a bushel basket, but no, he is going to let it shine. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. There are many who will take potshots and be dismissive. And when they do, we MUST hold onto the light.

Think about going into a deep, dark cave, so deep that light cannot reach there, and finding a gathering who do not believe your crazy talk about the light. They think you are crazy. They soon will attack you to shut up the talk that makes them so uncomfortable. If what you say is true, then they are wrong, and people hate to be wrong. If what you say is true, then they have to change everything about who they are and how they live.

Eugene Peterson in his book The Divine Conspiracy tells the story of his family’s conversation in rural Tennessee discussing if they should bring in the “electricity” that is coming down their road as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority. They were not sure, and the family, father, mother, uncles and aunts, talked long and hard about. Looking back it sounds ridiculous. But before it came, it was dangerous, frightening, and potentially upsetting to EVERYTHING. And it was, THANKS BE TO GOD. Jesus is a lot like that. Light drives out our darkness, THANKS BE TO GOD. Amen.

Year C Lent 3 2019 The Gardener Knows Best

Year C Lent 3, 24 March 2019
St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA
“The Gardener Knows Best”

Collect: Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Luke 13:1-9
At that very time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."

Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Why do bad things happen? Why do they, really? If God is all-powerful, then why does God allow suffering and misery? Does it mean that God is not all-powerful, as Rabbi Kushner argues? (In Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?) Or is it that God is not all-good? Archibald MacLeish in his Pulitzer Prize winning play J.B. said, “If God is God, he is not good. If God is good, he is not God.” Or is it something else entirely? These are hard and age-old questions.

From our earliest days as humans, we think that God works like we do, and the tit-for-tat, transactional lives we have on this plain of existence is too often how we perceive the workings of God. Some of the oldest portions of our Scriptures according to scholars come from the Book of Job. There a righteous man is assaulted by the enemy (of himself and God) and made to suffer. A string of calamities happen. He loses his flocks, his children, everything, and all he had was his wife who instructed him to “Curse God and die.” And then his so-called “friends” come asking, “So what did you do to deserve this?”

The assumption always seem to be that we cause our fate. That’s what Job’s friends assumed, and it is what the ones who came to Jesus assumed as well. Jesus cites two calamities and brings a spotlight on them.

At that very time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."

Pilate, the Roman prefect, was notorious for cruelty. Some event took place where some Galileans had made sacrifices, and they were killed and their blood was mingled with the offerings they had made. Jesus asked, were these any worse than their neighbors? Were they somehow deserving of this, or to blame? He then brings up another recent incident. A tower fell in Jerusalem, killing 18. Were they to blame for this accident? Of course not.

Bad things happen, with intent sometimes like with Pilate. And bad things happen just because, like with the falling tower. To both Jesus gives a phrase, “repent, or you will perish as they did.” Now this is tricky, because it sounds causative. If you do not do this, then this will happen. This bad thing will be the outcome. It may sound like Jesus is saying that. It can be confusing. However, when we look at the whole narrative, and where Jesus goes next it offers us a different way to read it.

Jesus immediately tells them a story of a fig tree. Now what is it we expect of a fig tree? [Wait for a response.] Figs, of course. And in the story we see something not doing what it is meant to do. A fig tree not producing figs is pretty worthless. And here we are given two competing views. What does one do with worthless things?

The man who planted the fig tree says this: “For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?”

This makes total sense. Why waste time and energy on this worthless fig tree. So often I think this is how people see God. They seem to think that God is ready to write most of us off, ready to chop us down and chuck us on the trash heap (Gehenna, the word we translate as hell in the Gospels literally was the trash heap of Jerusalem, by the way.) This thinking is what the people who came to Jesus must have thought. It is what Job’s wife and friends thought. Maybe it is what you think or have thought along the way.

But then we are given the image of the Gardener, the one who loves the tree, and is not ready to chop it down. “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.” When we look at the entirety of the teachings of Jesus, I think this is what he is saying. The Gardener, the one who lovingly cares for and fertilizes the fig tree, is actually a better image of the nature of God.

And here is something to ponder. The Gardener puts manure on the tree. Manure happens. No one wants it. No one seeks it out. Manure happens. But from that, new growth can happen. The manure is what brings us to another place. For our muscles to work, we must work them. We fight gravity from the moment we are born. Without it our muscles wither and die. Astronauts spending lengthy time on the space station have to drastically up their exercise or when they come home they will be as weak as babies. They no longer fight gravity just to exist. We are designed to flourish in an adversarial atmosphere!

When bad things happen, we do not wish them, want them, nor do we seek them out. But they DO and WILL come. Always. And we have a response, we can sit on the ash heap, curse God, and die. Or, we can see the things as an opportunity for growth. A line from the Batman movie, “Master Wayne, why do we fall down? To learn to pick ourselves back up.”

And that is how I have to read the enigmatic statement of Jesus, “Repent, or perish like they did.” Repent means to change direction, to turn around. It ALSO means to CHANGE OUR MINDS. (Metanoia) And that is what I hear Jesus saying to those who thought God was out to smite folks. “You all need to repent, or you will continue to suffer under this delusion like those who are perishing in those thoughts. God is not like that…” And that is where he tells the fig tree story.

We perish in unhealthy views of God. We perish when we sell God short, and believe God to be other than Grace-filled, grace-ful, and loving of us all. God wants to give us another chance. God wants to care for us, fertilize us, and give us time to grow. We think of God too often to be like the Owner. But God, Jesus is telling us is really like the Gardener. And the Gardener KNOWS BEST!

What a beautiful thought. What a beautiful God. God is NOT SMITING US! God does not want that.

You have a choice in how you see things. You have a choice in how you respond. You cannot control what life deals you. But your response to that is what shapes your faith, and the more you work those faith muscles the more ready you will be when life hands you a really bad hand.

I must add the caveat to my sermon today. Bad things, horrible things, unspeakable things happen. They hurt, and some things take a lifetime to recover from. I know this. God knows this. One of the great things of being a Christian is that we have a God who so loves us, that he chose to come and be one of us. To breathe, to laugh, to hurt, to cry, and even to die. He knows the human condition. Ecce homo. Behold, the Son of Man. He is not a stranger to what we go through. When Lazarus died, John’s Gospel says, “Jesus cried.” [11:35] When he approached Jerusalem in Luke’s Gospel, he wept. [19:41] When we suffer, God still weeps.

A quote I use a lot in my discernment work with the Diocese comes from writer Frederick Buechner. “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” I know it has been true for me, and for so many passionate Christ followers I have met on my journey, where my deepest woundedness is can be a source of hope and grace for others. That deep gladness that Buechner speaks of is exactly that. My strongest joy, my deep gladness comes from my deepest woundedness. When I was a child, my father passed. It has made so much of my life intent on protecting and caring for the emotional and spiritual welfare for children. The Papa Bear comes out. I want happy, joy-filled, care-free children. They are my deep gladness, and it is so often a great need of the world. In my faith, my woundedness was transformed, utilized, and transforming for others. God is the Gardener who tilled that soil, broke up the clumps deep down in my soul, and breathed life into that barrenness. I repented. I changed my mind and my ways. I no longer perish in the pain and confusion of “Why me?”

God can take that manure that covers us in our living and breathing, and can cleanse us of it and use it to God’s honor and glory. In the economy of our faith, nothing is futile, pointless, or without redemption, even our heartaches and heartbreaks. In our weakness, he is strong. In our weakness, he is mighty to save. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Year C Lent 1 WED 2019 Unforgetting

Year C Lent 1, 13 March 2019
St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA 

“Unforgetting” 

Collect: Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

John 3:1-15

1Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?” 5Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

The Sacraments 

Q. What are the sacraments? 

A. The sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain means by which we receive that grace.

One of the great rubs of the faith is that balancing act, or juxtaposition even, of the spiritual and the physical. The Outward and the Inward. The metaphorical/spiritual and the literal/biological. Our Sacraments are just that, physical metaphors. Baptism. Eucharist. Weddings. Orders. Confession. Unction.

Often when people dismiss the faith we have it is over taking the spiritual or metaphorical literally (and hence physically), and what is is literal metaphorically. I heard a story this week of someone who is openly racist and hate-filled and attends church weekly, where such attitudes and actions are condemned, not condoned. But still they come. They openly and unabashedly express these non-Christlike views far too often. At what point I wonder will they decide that these notorious sins will cross and line, and like the prayer book says, ask them not to come? I cannot imagine ever doing that to anyone, but at the same time I do not have someone spewing hate at visitors and members alike.

The opposite can also be true. I have seen deeply spiritual and loving people who would never set foot in a church, or synagogue, or mosque.

When Nicodemus came to talk with Jesus, Jesus was surprised that a spiritual leader did not have the simplest grasp on how God works.

What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.

We give words to the ephemeral, and for some this is a problem. We need handles for the uncontainable, and that is where people have problems. Jesus said, “born from above.” Nicodemus talked about re-entering the womb. I hope he was trying to be funny. Obviously, Jesus did not think this was a joking manner, and did not trivialize it by going literal or funny. 

We gather together regularly to be reminded. We join with the story. Last night in my Lenten class I used the word ANAMNESIS for the section of the Eucharistic prayer. Today in Prayer A (for Lent) you will hear these words:

Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself, and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death…

After class Beth reminded me that ANAMNESIS which I translated as Remembrance has a more beautiful meaning. Literally it means the Un-Forgetting. Jesus helped Nicodemus “unforget” what this is all about, the hazards of metaphor, and invited him to something better. “whoever believes in the [Son of Man] may have eternal life.” Amen

Year C Lent 1, 2019 An Opportune Time

Year C Lent 1, 10 March 2019
St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland VA
“An Opportune Time”

Collect: Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Romans 10:8b-13 "The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Luke 4:1-13 After his baptism, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written,

'One does not live by bread alone.'" Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'" Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Looking at today’s readings, a verse sprang to mind.
1 Peter 5:8 Discipline yourselves, keep vigilant. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.

In fact, in movie portrayals of the Temptation of Jesus, lions are often used to represent Satan, dangerous, hungry, devouring. It was a wilderness, and someone weakened from fasting for so long would make an easy target for a wild beast.

In practical matters, it is always good advice to avoid decisions when one is under the influence. The influence of our emotions, that is. I learned this in graduate school when I did a Deep Dive to learn about the 12-Step Process while working with the Alcoholics Anonymous group at my church at the time. I learned a great acronym that has stayed with me. H.A.L.T. Halt. Never make a decision, HALT yourself in the process when you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. I have used that in my team trainings and pilgrimage orientations since then. It is good advice. Before you snap, say something you regret, make a decision you’ll have to live with, HALT. Know yourself and stop it. And I think that is what Jesus models for us here.

So let us set the stage. Jesus prepared himself for his ministry by turning to prayer. He went up from the Jordan River where we see him at his baptism in the previous chapter: [Luke 3]

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” \

Think about it. We all learn in layers, and here at the beginning of his ministry he receives a clear call to his vocation. He is “the Son, the Beloved.” Now Luke jumps over at this point and goes in depth on the lineage of Jesus. We see that the Son thing is something other than parentage. This is a Messianic Declaration. This is a Spiritual thing. Luke shares that “he was the son (as was thought) of Joseph…” [Luke 3:23]

But if any human mind tried to wrap itself around the idea that oneself is THE ONE, it would take some time to process. Did he know already, and it was affirmed? Did he not? I don’t know. No one can. But the model here is important. We are about spiritual work, no matter what we do in the name of Christ. The clinic downstairs opens in prayer on Wednesdays. The Vestry just got together to pray and lift up the coming year. As things get busier and busier around here I find I have to set more and more time aside to pray. There is an old phrase that goes: “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” That is attributed to Martin Luther, and it rings true.

If Jesus had to get away to pray, certainly we must, too.

I would urge you to have a moment, daily at least, to stop and pray. Daily Devotions for Families is on page 136-140 in the Book of Common Prayer is a GREAT place to start. link The Daily Offices are even better. There are wonderful apps and websites that teens or anybody can use if that is more your thing. Forward Day By Day is another resource. Grab one. We can easily and happily get more. If nothing else, pray the Lord’s Prayer and tell God what is on your heart. Just talk. And then take time to listen. Don’t make the conversation one way. That does not work in any relationship.

It is not too late to take on a new discipline for Lent. God does not have a starting line that you can miss.

So back to Jesus, he goes alone into this area between the Dead Sea and Jerusalem about 30 miles from each other, and hunkers down with God. At the end of this time, 40 days are mentioned, he is tempted. The temptations are choices he could make. They are all the easy route. The easy route to physical relief. The easy route to power. The easy route to being known.

Now the fascinating thing about our interactions that we witness is that we have Jesus and Satan quoting Scripture back and forth. It just goes to show, you may know the Bible, but you have to live it, or it is moot. Sun Tzu in the Art of War: “If you know your enemy and know yourself, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”

So here we see the devil taking the easy route, hitting Jesus at his weakest, his most vulnerable.

The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"

A way to a man’s heart might be through his belly, but here we see Jesus deny himself. His fast was about focusing on what he holds most dear. Like much of what we do, it was an Outward Sign of an Inward Grace. It should be the same when we fast. What is it we choose to embrace? Jesus clings to God. Even famished he knew that he need not succumb to this.

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"

The next temptation was to Jesus’ identity. It was a blow to his sense of self to not claim all the power at his command. But in this self-limiting he could truly show us what God was like AND that we could be like that, too. We can choose love over hate; we can choose others over self; and, we can choose servanthood over pride.

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

And the final temptation is the most incipient. We all have needs of the flesh; we have to eat, sleep, and take care of our bodies. We all have identity needs; we care about our loves as we must care for ourselves. Having a healthy sense of self is important, but having an appropriate sense of self is absolute. This cheap magic trick would have all Jerusalem flock to him, but for what? Satan says, “If you are the Son of God…” He is pushing either Jesus’ doubt, or daring him to play Satan’s games. Jesus recognized and declared he knew who he was. In this final temptation, Jesus reminds Satan who is really in control. He reframes the situation and basically shows that Satan, in the end, has no power over him. “Do not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” There is no temptation to Satan’s supposed power because he already has the power, the True power that can only come from God.

A few weeks ago, the day of Youth Sunday, most of you did not hear my sermon at the 8 o’clock Eucharist where I reminded those there that in any situation God has your back. It was true for Jesus. It is true for you.

On Friday, someone offered me something I had chosen to give up for Lent. It was tempting. It was attractive, and the person was very encouraging. I had to stop, HALT, and make a choice. What is it that I hold most dear? This moment which would be nice, or to keep my commitment I made for this time. Thankfully I chose to keep my commitment. It is what I treasured more.

When temptation comes and rears its ugly head, remember that. Take the bigger picture point of view. Think on what you hold most dear. Remember who you are and whose you are. Recognize a temptation for what it is, and remember you have the ability to choose something else, something better. You can choose to not accept to be tempted. When Satan is looking for an opportune time to tempt you, like he did with Jesus, may we see it as OUR opportune time to choose to love God all the more. Amen.

Year C Ash Wednesday 2019 Precious, Private, and Mine.

Year C Ash Wednesday, 6 March 2019
St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA
“Precious, and Private, and Mine”

Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,
"At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you."
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see-- we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 

Matthew 6:1-6,16-21
Jesus said, "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
"So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
"And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Monday morning of this week National Public Radio had a wonderful piece about how to have hard and confusing conversations with children on subjects like death, and racism, and other scary topics.

https://www.npr.org/2019/03/04/698309351/the-dog-isnt-sleeping-how-to-talk-with-children-about-death?fbclid=IwAR2oQALRCVV2MzX9gIHF7iPRBk7CeZh46juRuStCgf6IEIvaNNrf8sxXyIo

They know by the looks on our faces and how we react that it is bad, or something, and that makes them even more anxious. But a huge part of it is not avoiding clear understanding with euphemisms. Do not say the dog has gone to sleep, but say the word. The dog died. It did not pass away. It did not go to sleep or a better place, but the real thing. The body stopped working. It died.

When thinking on what I do for a living, and how so often I have to carefully tread on subjects because of the divisive nature of our times or sensitivities all around. It becomes hard and confusing. Who might take something the wrong way? I have found that so often I move to euphemisms to introduce hard ideas, but in doing so do I help confuse the topic or downplay the seriousness and importance of what we are discussing?

We come into a season where it does no one any good to downplay the hardness and seriousness of what we are discussing. This is Lent. We talk about death and our mortality. We talk about Sin and our frailty. We talk about God and our imperfection.

“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” [Romans 3:23] and “None are righteous. No, not one.” [Romans 3:10 citing Psalm 14:1] St. Paul opines. We know this. Most of us do not need to be reminded how bad we are. It is one of the main reasons I so often and eagerly emphasize how BELOVED we all are. But even in our beloved state, there are things that we could do to make things even better.

From today’s Epistle reading, we have Paul again, and he is urging is to strive for godliness. “We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” [2 Cor 5:20b]

At St. Paul’s downtown I had the word Reconciled transformed for me. It was during their Lenten Luncheon series. A Catholic priest transformed how I saw this word, Reconciliation. So often I have used it, looking at how we initiate peaceful resolution of conflict, or bridging gaps of separation. In the work I have done with Racial Reconciliation it is often about overcoming Power Disparity, and acknowledging and dismantling privilege as best we can. It is about getting to the point where we can begin to glimpse things from someone else’s perspective, but too often it ends there.

My daughter said she was going to invent a game called Rock Higgins sermon bingo, and it would have things on it like “Embarrass my daughters with a story,” “Talk about camp,” or “Talk about when I was a Baptist.” All those are too close for comfort, but too true to deny. Another one she mentioned, “Explain the etymology of a word we think we know” is something else I do a lot, probably too much for some, but it is how my brain works. She said that one could be a whole row on the bingo card. Once you see where something come froms and how it used to work and how it works now, it is like a huge light comes on illuminating and clarifying.

So get this! The word Reconciliation has an amazing origin. Latin. You may even know most of it. “Re-” meaning again. “Con-” meaning with. SO, Again-With-Ciliation. Cilia. Latin for little hairs. In your intestines, the little nodules that absorb nutrients are called Cilia. I learned that from Schoolhouse Rock! I saw as a child between cartoons. But Again-With-Intestinal-Nodules makes no sense. But the little hairs mentioned are also what the Romans used for other little hairs, particularly the eyelashes. Now we are getting a better picture. Again-With-Eyelashes-tion. Or the Condition-of-being-again-within-eyelash-distance of someone. To be reconciled is to be so close as to be able to give butterfly kisses. It is closer than a handshake. It is closer than a hug. It is breathing in the breath of the other. It is so close as to be intimate. Reconciliation is FAR MORE than what we have settled for when we use that word. And as we heard today: “We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

St. Paul is asking us to become intimate with God. Naked and unashamed. Breathing in the same breath. So close as there is nothing hidden. And that takes work.

It is hard to maintain intimacy. We are that close to so few people in a normal life. Immediate family has many meanings. Intimacy is one of them. From diapers to marital relations, there is so much, so rare, so precious, so (dare I say it) holy. And we are called to reveal ourselves to that point with God.

That is what Lent is, a time where we are stripped down as to where nothing is hidden, and all is revealed. Reconciliation with God is the ultimate statement of Faith. We admit that God already knows us as we are, AND even in that state of potential shame, we are lifted up, looked in the eye, and told that we are BELOVED.

Remember the woman caught in adultery, that Jesus was invited to stone which would have been within his right and within the law. But here he shows all of those condemning her their state of sin, and in her nakedness at his feet, he picks her up, looks her in eye, and asks who is there accusing her. Not him; not anyone else. He reconciled with that woman. And in so doing enabled her to be reconciled with God.

So, how do we attempt this? How do we work on this relationship?

Jesus in these words from his Sermon on the Mount from Matthew talks about some personal piety. Keeping stuff between you and God.

Now if I wanted to have a conversation with my wife, to work on our relationship, I would not do it on a sermon, or on a billboard, or at the dinner table with the kids there. I would do it one on one. That is what Jesus is getting at. When we take things public, it becomes something else. When we work on Again-at-the-eyelash-level-of-intimacy we keep things down and low. We go into lonely, isolated rooms. We pass notes in stealth. We avoid the flashy and the ostentatious. We love in the quiet, we relish the gift of being alone. Our intimacy with God should be as personal as any other of our intimacies. As precious. As treasured. As withheld.

Tonight, we come before God. “See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!” In an act of contrition we acknowledge that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. What is mortal shall surely die. But, what is immortal must live. We acknowledge our mortality. We embrace our immortal nature in God. Our dust is marked with dust, for we are “but dust.” And likewise, our Spirit is marked as Christ’s own forever. That intimacy is precious, private, and mine. And I trust and pray that it is yours as well. In this holy Lent, let us give thanks to God. Amen

Year C Final Epiphany 2019 Majestic Glory

Year C Final Sunday after Epiphany, 3 March 2019
St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA
“Majestic Glory”

2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. Therefore, since it is by God's mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God's word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.

Luke 9:28-36 Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"--not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.


On my last trip to Liverpool with the Triangle of Hope Youth Pilgrimage as we were headed to the airport to fly home through JFK (in NYC) we learned that our flight had been cancelled. No explanation, just cancelled. We scrambled to get any plane to the States for the entire group and ended up getting one in to Chicago. Customs was backed up, so we had to run to our flight to Reagan National in DC. We boarded with minutes to spare. I made sure all our youth and chaperones got on before me and was waiting in the aisle to get to my seat. One our our young men was holding things up trying to get his overpacked carry-on into a shuttle flight’s overhead bin. As I was watching, I recoiled in terror as he almost dropped his heavy suitcase on his seatmate. And then I noticed who his seatmate was.

I could not believe it. I told the young man when I finally got to him to let the stewardess gate check the bag because it was not going to fit. As soon as I got to my seat, I pulled out my phone to double-check that his seatmate was who I thought he was, and try to figure out what was he doing on the last shuttle to DC on a weeknight. When I saw the daily headlines from Chicago, I soon saw why this man was in coach sitting next to one of my youth.

When we landed, I asked the young man if he had any idea who he was seated next to, and he said no. He thought he must be important or something because everyone kept staring, saying hello, and such. I let the young man know that the person he almost dropped his suitcase on was Rahm Emanuel, the mayor of Chicago and President Obama’s Chief of Staff. It turns out while we were out of the country, he had been in a Twitter battle with the President, much of it that day, and he was getting to DC as fast as he could. My guess was he was headed to the White House or to strategize with the Democratic leadership. The young man was sitting next to this important person and had no idea until I lifted the veil.

Hidden in plain sight, right before us and unseen. The Transfiguration is one of those things we acknowledge, but I have rarely had substantive conversations about this most miraculous of unveilings. For that is what it is. It is a theme repeated over and over again in the stories we tell. What we see, or rather what we think we see, is far less than what is.

In Jaws, the shark comes out of the water and Chief Brody says, “I think we’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

In Lord of the Rings, we find that dirty and questionable Strider turns out to be Aragorn son of Arathorn, the King who was lost and now is found.

In Romantic Comedies, the one standing right in front of us is the one we have been looking for all along.

We see, but don’t. Not really. The Veil is lifted, and we see the truth. Peter, James, and John thought they were taking a side trip with Jesus, a little break from teaching and healing when God breaks through.

We end Epiphany yearly with this most amazing of moments. It is recorded in detail in Matthew, Mark, and Luke (the synoptics, syn=same, optics=view, the same-point-of-view Gospels). Some say that John alludes to it in the first chapter (1:14) when he says, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” It had such an impact on Peter it became THE point of which he based the surety of his faith, the point of Power which gave him the strength to face a grisly and brutal martyrdom. In 2 Peter (1:16-18) he said:

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

Peter and the sons of Zebedee, James and John, were moved from a point of hope and faith to one of knowledge. They saw Jesus for who he was. They heard from God’s own voice that Jesus was the One, Beloved or Chosen depending on the Gospel. (They are synonymous.) Faith was no longer at play. So sure was Peter that in the moment he asked to set up monuments to the event. But then a holy silence set in. God shuts Peter up and lets it be known to leave this tender moment, this miracle, alone.

Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"--not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"

These moments cannot last, but they are the things that carry us through the dark and lonely times. These remembrances are the touchstones of our souls that enable us to drudge through the day to day so that we can come out the other side.

In other Gospels Jesus orders their silence. In Luke, here, he does not need to do so. It is apparent that nothing could touch this, describe, explain, or share it. It would either be taken as another tall tale from fisherman (for that is what these three were) or some trick of the light or other dismissable event.

Never again could Peter look at Jesus the same way. Maybe one of the reasons he beat himself up so much when he denies Jesus three times was because he KNEW the Truth. He had seen it with his own eyes. He had heard it with his own ears. He knew the extent of his betrayal. He had caught the vision of Jesus’ Majestic Glory and had said it was not so.

There have been moments in my life when Faith was removed and Surety was provided. Even now I do not want to give details because what is Surety for me might be ridiculous to you. Assurances in your own life are as personal as our DNA. You know those moments when we stop “seeing in a mirror dimly, but... face to face” [I Corinthians 13:12] as St. Paul put it.

I loved how he phrased it in today’s reading [from 2 Corinthians 3].

...when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

Now mirrors back then are not the perfect image we mostly see today. They were highly polished metal, with wiggles, warps, imperfections and all. But even then he makes a point, we begin to resemble what we gaze upon.

Take any serious, sourpuss adult and put them in the presence of a giggly baby. Most shift and change immediately, shifting to grins and gurgles and coos. The opposite is just as true. When we are depressed and looking down on ourselves, we project that out in what we see and how we see it. Even more, we project that in how WE LOOK. The inner gloom takes a form shaped like us. We may present and put on a happy face when we think it is required, but in those moments when our guard is down we present what we feel, our pain and gloom. “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.”


There is an old hymn:

O soul are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see?
There's light for a look at the Savior And life more abundant and free

Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace

And as we keep our eyes on Jesus, we begin to see with his eyes. We begin to see him in our hands. Others see him in our actions, and hear him in our voices. And we begin to resemble him that they may even call us little Christs, what the word Christian really means.

In a world that is looking for any reason to reject Christ because of the sins of the Church, when we have been less than the Grace we proclaim, may we be the glaring exception. May we be the “Well, I know at least one person who really believes.” And they can say that because we have removed the veil between what we believe and who we are. We have removed the barrier between listening to Jesus and being like him. We have stopped worrying about setting up monuments and we have take the experience back into the Valley of the World.

As we end this season, Epiphany, of looking back at these moments of revelation of Jesus as the Christ, we do it for a reason. We see these moments of unveiling, these moments in the sun, before we descend into the valley of the shadow of Lent. We pause in our march toward Jerusalem so that we can savor the moments. We embrace his Light before we cower before our Darkness. Sin is something we look away from normally. But as we move forward we descend into a season of acknowledging and embracing our fragility and our mortality. Enjoy this moment in the Sun. Open wide your eyes. For in the descent from God’s Holy Hill the shadows cling too closely. But in the dark we remember the Sun (the Son?).