Category: Faith

Midweek Lenten Homily: Elijah Mary Mashup

Delievered at Advent Lutheran Church, March 13, 2013, 7pm.

Scripture lessons: 1 Kings 16:31-17:16 & Luke 1:39-56
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Mary Glass at the CloistersTwo weeks ago ‚Äì Pastor Brown brought some of the scripture stories that our Lenten bible studies are looking at. We’re participating in a pilot program of the wider church to help congregations be intentional about finding their story and their story in scripture. Last time, we heard a part of Jonah’s experience ‚Äì his song in the belly of the whale ‚Äì and we heard about Peter’s experience with the picnic blanket that came down from the sky. We heard stories of grace ‚Äì stories of God breaking through the barriers we set up ‚Äì and God not letting our ideas of partiality interfere with the abundance and reality of God’s grace.

So, tonight, I’m going to continue that trend of bringing, into worship, stories our studies are looking at ‚Äì and I’m bringing you a prophet, a widow, and two pregnant cousins.

It sounds like maybe the beginning of a joke right? I mean, we’re taking two scripture stories and completely removing them not only from their context in the Bible ‚Äì but also from their context with our wider cycle of worship. Mary’s song is from, well, that’s read during Advent and is about Christmas ‚Äì and the widow of Zarepeth, we read in the fall, at the end of the church year ‚Äì not right now, before Easter. We’re engaged with a…well, with a mashup of sort. By having these two stories side by side, we’re forced to experience scripture differently. We see Ahab, and Jezebel ‚Äì the king and queen that the writer of Kings loves to hate ‚Äì in conflict with Elijah ‚Äì the prophet of the Northern Kingdom of Israel ‚Äì who runs away after he confronts Ahab. And he runs into the desert where he’s fed by ravens ‚Äì like he’s Amy Adams in Enchanted ‚Äì and then he’s told by God to go into the heartland of the enemy ‚Äì to go to Jezebel’s home country ‚Äì and, there, show the power of God ‚Äì show God’s global and universal reach ‚Äì in the smallest of events ‚Äì in the simple sharing of a meal ‚Äì a meal that does not go out.

And the visit of Mary and Elizabeth ‚Äì two pregnant cousins of very different ages ‚Äì they are brought together in a common experience ‚Äì the experience of carrying a child. And in their meeting, they are caught up in the Holy Spirit and they praise God. They praise God in awesome ways ‚Äì a God who raises up the lowly and brings down the mighty from their thrones ‚Äì when Mary’s voice is held up to Elijah’s actions ‚Äì what we get is kinda like a God spirit rally. Like, we’re on some sports team ‚Äì and this is the message we share to pump us up ‚Äì to get us excited about God. God’s power ‚Äì God’s awesomeness ‚Äì God’s amazing gifts and God’s amazing story ‚Äì this is a scripture mashup that ends up not sounding very Lenten to me.

Because ‚Äì where’s the self-reflection ‚Äì the confession ‚Äì the temptation? Where’s the call for my need to repent ‚Äì to change ‚Äì to be brought back to God? Because it looks like these stories are about people caught up in the act of living out their faith. They’re living out what it means to know God, to be in relationship to God, to listen to God. And in that living out ‚Äì they do. The widow of Zarepth isn’t a member of the chosen people ‚Äì she shouldn’t be able to recognize that Elijah is a prophet from God ‚Äì but she does ‚Äì and she never doubts what he says. She just…she just does. And Elijah just goes. He goes where God tells him to go. And when Mary speaks, the boy in Elizabeth’s belly jumps ‚Äì and they can do nothing but sing God’s praise. I don’t see the call for my personal repentance here ‚Äì when these stories are mashed together, I see a lived out faith that can’t do anything but listen and praise God. But maybe the content of these stories aren’t our Lenten mirror ‚Äì maybe seeing these characters live out their faith is ‚Äì because when we hold these stories up to our faces ‚Äì we end up seeing not only ourselves, but these characters staring back at us. It’s like a reflection in the widow on the side of a bus as it goes by. Standing on the sidewalk, the traffic zooming by, the bus comes near and we see ourselves looking back ‚Äì but we can see the people inside the bus looking back at us. Instead of seeing a reflection for just a moment ‚Äì we’re caught hearing and absorbing these stories ‚Äì these stories are spoken and they linger ‚Äì linger in the air ‚Äì and what they reflect isn’t just our good looks or what we’re wearing today ‚Äì they reflect our stories. In the mashup of scripture with us, we meet God’s story with our story.

Each of us are going to have a different experience when these stories meet our story. Each of us are going to have a personal moment ‚Äì a moment that belongs only to us ‚Äì because our stories are personal stories; stories of reflection; loss; pain; love; doubt; confusion; and hope. The stories that scripture shares are stories between people ‚Äì between people caught in the act of sharing their story with us. In a way, living out faith is living out stories ‚Äì and not being afraid to tell our story ‚Äì not being afraid to see an invitation in God’s Word that our story is worth being known. In a moment, we’re going to gather around the altar. We’re going to gather together and share communion with each other. We’ll hear part of Jesus’ story ‚Äì of Jesus’ welcoming of other people to his table, to break bread with him, to drink with him ‚Äì to be caught in the act of intimacy that meals can bring ‚Äì because this is the place where stories are shared, known, and told. As we gather together at the Lord’s table ‚Äì and then, later, at the table on the side for cookies and refreshments ‚Äì know that your story is worth telling; that your story is worth knowing; and that God is in the constant creative act of knowing us ‚Äì and being made known to us. It is in the act of gathering that leads to the sharing of our stories, of God’s stories, and the story of Jesus on the Cross, who came not to hide our stories ‚Äì but to open our personal, private, public, and intimate stories to God’s eternal story ‚Äì a story of love.

Amen.

Red Door Warning

Advent Lutheran Church's open doors

Today’s lesson in the joys of urban ministry.

This morning, I went through my usual my-son-didn’t-sleep-enough-last-night routine, which involves going to Starbucks before I walk into church. I picked up my order, walked across the street, and started to unlock the church’s side door. As I inserted the key, a woman walking down the sidewalk started speaking to me. I took out my headphones and asked her to repeat herself. “I know it’s none of my business – but there’s some strange things that are going on in this church.”

For a moment, I was concerned. She looked like someone who lived in the neighborhood. She was obviously on her way to the subway. Did she see something? Are their shenanigans going on that we need to know? I asked her what weird things she had seen. “Weird things!” she replied. I probably squinted at this point – and realized this was not one of those kinds of things. Was she going to start into a tirade against women preaching, or gays and lesbians, or some other such randomness.

She started to walk away and I asked her again. She said “You should look up what it means to have a church with red doors.”

She turned. I shouted after her: “WHAT WEIRD THINGS?”

She replied “RED DOORS.” And then she was around the corner and gone.

Mission Moment: Children, Youth, and Family ministries at Advent

Delievered on Sunday, March 10. And, to K’s annoyance, there was no song and dance during it. Maybe next time.

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What you see up here is a well…it’s a different sort of Trinity than you normally see. I’m Marc, Vicar at Advent and Director of Children, Youth, and Family ministries and next to me stands the other two members of our team – Josh who you’ve seen leading our children and youth music programs – and the newest member of our team, Kevin, who will head our middle school and high school ministries.

First, we want to thank you for your vision and dedication that makes CYF ministries possible. The decision to fund, support, and expand the CYF team came from all of you – the entire congregation – from the newest infant to the great-great grandmother – all of you have put a stake in being very intentional and deliberate when it comes to ministering to the children, youth, and families that are sitting in the pews today – and everyone out there, beyond our doors, in New York City.

The three of us standing up here – we’re the stewards of Advent’ collective ministry – a ministry that focuses on what it means to a be a child of God as a baby, infant, adolescent, teenager, or parent – and what it means to live our out Christian and Lutheran Christian identity – and what it means to be active, faithful disciples of Jesus Christ on the Upper West Side.

One thing I’ve learned, being a new parent, is that every time I’ve settled into a routine – something changes. The only routine is change – sure, some changes are wonderful – but it’s, well, is’t pretty chaotic. But even in the chaos – that doesn’t mean Christ isn’t there. Because, as Lent shows us, God isn’t in the habit of living only in our routines. God’s in the mix – in the mess – in the wild and strange that makes up our lives and experiences. And God’s is in the lives of the children, the youth, and their parents too. God’s with us – through the whole wild thing that is “growing up.” And that’s where we are too.

The three of us bring to this ministry enthusiasm, energy, dedication, and a willingess to experiment – to see what works – to listen to what our children, youth, and families need to engage in active discipleship so that we wall may live out God’s love and be little Christ’s to everyone we meet. The children, youth, and families in Advent make us the dynamic, inviting, welcoming place that we are.

So keep an eye out for all the new events and programming that will be coming up! Like our Easter Egg fundraiser – only $5 dollars for half-a-dozen painted eggs – order forms in the back! – and our annual Youth-led Easter Breakfast, to our new middle school and high school social nights, a monthly gathering for families with children under the age of two, an expanded outreach mission, and more opportunities for families to gather together – share their experiences – and get support when they need it. And for all our youth – no matter their ages – look for a chance to have fun, be safe, and see what living an active, dynamic, complex, and not-always-perfect Christian faith is all about.

Thank you.

I’ve made it! FINALLY.

My work email address is finally getting the SPAM I’ve been waiting for. 5500 words about a PROPHECY FROM JESUS.

This is an extraordinary prophetic vision of God’s Power coming down. Have also included an eye opening prophecy from Stanley Frodsham that compliments this vision from Susan O’Marra. Please forward on, this event is surely imminent.

SHE KNOWS. SHE KNOWS.

In the vision, I was looking at the world from a suspended position. I could see people and areas from a panoramic position and also at times, I saw things close up. The position varied as it did with the scenes…

And that’s as far as I got. What was shared isn’t important. What mattered is that my work email address is now being thrown all over the internet. No random religious thing is too weird for it. I’ve made it.

What shall my buddy say?

What Shall I say? Last night, I came home from a full day – funeral planning, meetings, teaching a confirmation class, and an evening bible study – to discover my son was already asleep. K filled me in with his fun-filled evening. Besides laying on the carpet and playing with his bucket, spatula, plastic rings, and wooden iPhone, he crawled all over the apartment. He managed to go through an obstacle course and find one of my bookshelves. And what was the first book he pulled out to play with? Why, my very own copy of “What Shall I Say? Discerning God’s Call to Ministry.” This was the first book I bought when I seriously started thinking about seminary.

I’m so proud. Little guy already wants to follow in his father’s footsteps. I can’t blame him though. I am pretty awesome. Why wouldn’t he want to be like his ol’ dad?

Whoa. I’m in the 25 year ELCA anniversary book

I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I’m kindof a big deal.

In the ELCA’s “Stories of Faith in Action,” the promotional 30 page booklet celebrating the ELCA’s 25 years as a denomination, there’s a timeline highlighting 25 years of stories from the ELCA. The timeline spans 4 pull-out pages. This is what the fourth page looks like.

ELCA's 4th timeline page

Notice anything particular? Maybe in the 2010 column?

A closeup of the 2010 column

I’m in the Fund for Leaders picture. Well 2/3rds of me. So maybe I’m only 2/3rds of a big deal. But I’ll take it.

Care Package

Today, at the office, I received a package.

At first, I didn’t recognize the return address. Did my wife order something online again? Is this a purchase from Etsy? Did I, in a state of exhaustion and sleep depravation, order something strange while Oliver was up in the middle of the night? What IS this unknown box that is sitting on my desk.

Sitting.

Watching me.

Tempting me to open it.

So I did.

On top was a card. I ignored it at first and found a highlighter in the box. And then there was some coffee – a bag of unpopped microwave popcorn – and a little bottle of hand sanitizer. This struck me as all so…strange. I opened the card to discover that the LTSP alumni board had sent me a care package for my internship. How nice. If I knew it was coming, I would have not bought lunch today.

But I learned that a friend received a bag of skittles. I got no skittles. I am jealous.

Update: I was informed that I forgot to add an important part to this post. THANK YOU. I really am grateful to be remembered by the seminary. It was an unexpected surprise but a lovely one!