BETWEEN THE WINDOWS

I don’t know who made the decision about which Biblical scenes would be depicted in the stained glass windows of the sanctuary (I’ve been told the windows are painted – not stained), but in my opinion they chose well.

The west window, above the balcony, shows Jesus at prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.  This moment in the life of the Galilean takes place immediately before the temple guards enter the garden to arrest him.

In Matthew 26:38 Jesus says, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.  Stay here and keep watch with me.”  Luke 22:43 says Jesus is in anguish.  “His sweat,” the gospel writer reports, “was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

Most of us have had  -or are now having-  a Garden of Gethsemane chapter in life.  We may know what it feels like to be overwhelmed.  We may know what it is like to be faced with a choice that is almost unbelievably difficult.

So the window to the west reminds us of the moments in life that are full of anguish.  I’m glad the window is there.  Because it is a reminder that our faith takes seriously the human condition, the reality of sin, the presence of pain.  A faith that pretends that stuff isn’t real would be a lie…wholly inadequate.

The window on the south side of the sanctuary is a resurrection scene.  The Risen Christ is outside the tomb, and we see the two women  -Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” (Mt. 28:1) who have gone there to anoint the dead body of their friend.  They’re surprised to find Jesus alive and well
-even if he does bear the wounds left behind by the spear and the nails.

The artist is reminding us of the truth of Easter.  The resurrection defines the cosmos.  It is neither myth nor wishful thinking, but the triumph of God over death, sin and injustice.

Having this picture in the sanctuary of the building at 4^th and Washington is a good thing because sometimes the world is so broken, and our hearts/bodies so worn down, that the very idea of the empty tomb and new life seems beyond the realm of possibility.  So we need to be reminded.  So God taps us on the shoulder as we enter this sacred space and says, “Look to your right.  Look up and to your right, and know this is true…”

We live our lives between the windows, don’t we?  We are a community of both the broken heart, the anguished spirit, and the joy of the empty tomb!  All of our life is lived between the windows….

In Christ and for Christ,

Mark 

WHAT ARE THE TEARS ABOUT?

Jesus has seen a lot. A crowd of people waiting to be healed line up around the block in Capernaum.

There is the man with leprosy whose life has been derailed by that incurable condition.

There were the religious leaders who would rather keep the Sabbath than heal a man with a crippled right hand. (Instead of celebrating the healing performed by Jesus they “were beside themselves with anger.”)

There are the people hungry for God, and then there are the faith leaders who lay so many requirements on the people that faith becomes a burden rather than a life gift.

Jesus has seen a lot but when he comes over the hill and sees Jerusalem laid out before him, in Luke 19, he weeps for the city.

There are two moments in the gospels when we are told about Jesus crying. One is when he stands in front of the tomb of his friend, Lazarus. And the other moment takes place as Jesus looks down over the city where he will soon enough be arrested, tried and put to death.

What kind of a Messiah sheds tears? This is a rather startling picture of God’s Anointed One, isn’t it? We have a Savior who cries.

I need to remember to tell people that when they confess they hate to come to church because they too often find themselves crying. They are sometimes ashamed. I need to tell them Jesus cried. I need to tell them that tears may be a sign that you are alive. I need to tell them that tears can be a sign of healing.

As we pass the 10^th anniversary of the War in Iraq, many of us may feel like crying. As we hear about the rising number of children living in poverty, we may feel like crying. Our tears may have to do with a more private kind of grief.

Why is Jesus crying? If you look at the end of the passage Luke tells us it is because the people didn’t recognize and welcome God’s personal visit into their lives.

His tears are about the missed opportunities in our lives for healing, for wholeness, for justice, for new growth. A world closed off to God’s grace and truth in Jesus is a world that suffers far more than it needs to suffer. So even as Jesus prepares to enter the city his tears invite us to be open to God’s work in the middle of the here and now.

I wonder if at some level his tears come from an awareness of the revolution of hope his death and resurrection are about to ignite?

Thank you, God, for sending us a Savior who knows how to cry. Save us, God, from having minds and hearts closed to your work among us and your invitation to new life!

In Christ and for Christ,

Mark

A PLACE TO LAY HIS HEAD

Sometimes we talk big without thinking of the consequences. A “teacher of the law” comes up to Jesus in Matthew 18:19 and says, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

Jesus knows there is more to following God’s way than the teacher imagines.  It is hard work. The Galilean responds with a statement that haunts me:  “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

I feel sad about that. I feel sad that Jesus, traveling from one side of the country to the other, always on the road, always with a line of people waiting for their next moment with him, always with a world to save, didn’t feel he had a place to hang his hat. A corner of a bedroom where he could stack his books, or a kitchen counter where he could store his favorite insulated coffee mug.

Maybe that is what was so delicious for him when, on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus stopped for awhile in the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. For just a few minutes he was able to experience “normal.” For a couple of hours he could close the door, look through last Sunday’s paper, catch a few minutes of Sports Center, and ask for a second helping of lamb fajitas.

In their book The Spirituality of Imperfection Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham talk about being “at-home” with ourselves. Being able to “accept our own imperfect humanness.” They talk about being able to forgive ourselves, letting some others get close enough to forgive us, and being open to trust.

Forgiveness and acceptance are, they say, key to being “at home.”

Home is, ultimately, “that place where we find the peace and harmony that comes from learning to live with the knowledge of our own imperfections and from learning to accept the imperfections of others.  Such a place, such a home…rests jointly within self and within some group of trusted others.”

Perhaps that is who God calls us to be as God’s people: “a group of trusted others.”

When we are in that kind of place “we experience a falling away of tensions, a degree of balance between the pushing and pulling forces of our lives.”

As we walk towards Jerusalem, let us pray God would take away from us anything that would keep us from becoming a community of “trusted others.”

And as I find my way towards the city on the hill, I want to say to Jesus: “I wish I could have given you a place to lay your head. I wish I could have protected you from the storm outside and around you. I wish I could have given you a place.”

I wonder if my heart will do?

In Christ and for Christ,

Mark

SO WE’RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION, YOU SEE?

Have you ever stood at the top of a snowy, black diamond hill with a pair of skis strapped to your feet? Have you ever stood on the top of a high dive and looked down at the water below?

That’s what it is like for preacher types when they approach a section of scripture like the 5^th and 6^th chapters of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. There--as we talked about last weekend--a single, converted Jewish lawyer named Paul addresses the most intimate relationships of life. He talks about marriage, parenting and--as he discusses the relationship slave owners and slaves have with one another--work life. He uses words like “submit”, explores what each partner brings to marriage, tells children to obey their parents, and says our work relationships should be shaped by Christ.

Reading what the old rabbi says to those Jesus followers, the faint-hearted cringe. It is always much safer for a preacher or small group leader to deal in fuzzy, feel-good, spiritual principles than to get down and dirty with the real stuff of life. It is always much safer to speak in very abstract terms about life and relationships and community.

Because here is the thing about a sermon or lesson or lecture: you can never say everything that needs to be said. (“Heaven knows,” some of you may be thinking right now, “you certainly seem to try!”) In the sermon last weekend we didn’t really deal with the sexism of first century life, gender inequality, slavery, the power dynamics present in the workplace, same-sex relationships or unions, deficient parenting skills (some parents shouldn’t be obeyed, we want to shout), child abuse, etc. There is always more to say. Every sermon or lesson is always going to leave important things unsaid.

Sermons are rarely “stand alone” presentations. They are one more part of a continuing conversation. You realize that, right?  Every week we gather for a continuing conversation, one message dealing with faith and a part of life but not others.

Most sermons should end with a series of dots or a comma because we’re just hitting the “pause” button. We’re about to take a breath, let God work as we go live our lives, and then we’ll come back together to hear more…say more.

Paul doesn’t say it all in Ephesians.  Even a whole letter leaves important things unsaid and important issues unaddressed. Jesus talks about money and things in one sermon, and doesn’t deal with forgiveness. He gets to that in a subsequent sermon.

So we are in the middle of a conversation, you and me. That goes on from week to week, year to year.

Sermons will be unfinished and imperfect.  I know that every time I step into the pulpit. Your feedback is important to me. As we talk together, as we ask questions and nudge one another towards new truth in Christ, God is at work in good ways!

My prayer is that somehow God will be able to use the words no matter how poorly chosen or spoken they might be.

I’ll do my best to speak with faith and grace. And I am counting on you to listen with faith and grace. (This is a delightful community for a preacher! You’re not afraid to wrestle with deep stuff or tough issues!)

We’re having a conversation, you know? We’re not into stand alone masterpieces of theological reflection but a real, ongoing conversation about faith and life that deals with real stuff.  So what were you saying?

In Christ and for Christ,

Mark 

LOVING THE OPEN DOOR

One of the most creative and significant outreach ministries of FUMCB has been The Open Door ministry.  Thanks to visionary leaders like George Purnell, Jimmy Moore, Jennifer Gibbs, and others we decided to reach out to people not yet reached by the love and truth of God in Christ at an off-site location.

Worship is in a non-traditional style that may more easily speak to people from non-church backgrounds.  The location is non-threatening.  Some people hesitate to enter a church building, but, who doesn’t like going to the theater and getting a good cup of coffee?

The Open Door is a community in the middle of a transition.  We are attracting new people and growing numbers of students. 

This week we received a note from a worship attendee at The Open Door.  Here are some of her comments:

• Lots of greeters at the door coming in, and then Mary, Stacee and Mark greeting everyone as we left.

• Stacee up in the balcony handing out ribbons with children’s names on them…it was GREAT!  It was certainly an amazing display of a very warm and friendly welcome!  (And loved Stacee’s pants.  You go, girl!)

• Loved hearing all the children’s voices down below…some just talking out loud, some crying, some laughing…total joy!

• Probably my favorite thing was a young woman sitting in the front row of the balcony with her kids.  The woman was LOVING the whole service… the music, the prayer, etc… she was nodding yes to EVERYTHING Mark was saying…wiping away tears…

• Sure there was noise in the room, but it seemed to me that a lot of Good things were going on.  Maybe God was at work in one of his (or her) construction zones! :-)

The note ended with a blessing to the pastors and leaders.  She said, “Keep up the good work as we GROW!”

Come and enjoy the coffee, the great music, and the community in an environment that is safe and loving!  Join us at 11:15 in the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.

In Christ and for Christ,

Mark