The Comfort God Gives

Every time we come together for worship we pray to God and offer intercessions for those in need.  We pray for the Universal Church, its members and mission; for the nation and those in authority; for the welfare of the world; for the concerns we have in our community; for the sick and those who suffer or are in trouble; and for those who have died and are in God’s eternal care.

We also offer prayers of thanksgiving for the blessings we receive, for this good earth and our desire to care for it, for anniversaries of births and weddings, and for our families, friends and neighbors.  Worship is about hearing the Word of God, praying for ourselves and others, and giving thanks to God for all the gifts we receive.

I have found that one of the most important ministries I do is visiting people who are hospitalized or are in a nursing or rehabilitation setting.  Meeting with them, hearing their concerns, responding with prayer and Communion often brings solace and a real sense of God’s compassion and care.  When our Eucharistic visitors take the Sacrament to others I am sure they also experience the presence of God.

In today’s reading from the Book of Job, Job’s dialogue with God focused on his suffering, his prayer, and it finally comes to an end.  “Job answered the Lord: ‘I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted’…. The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning;… And Job died, old and full of days.“

My friend Rabbi Jim Rosenberg has written, “God is challenging Job to step outside of his limited, subjective point of view. He is offering Job a glimpse of the world not as people see it but as God sees it, a view informed by God’s indestructible power and indestructible joyfulness in the process of creation. Reviewing his life from this altered perspective, Job is able to make peace with his suffering and to thank God for the gift of this new and radically expanded vision of reality.”

                       

Rosenberg goes on to say, “The universe is mostly not about us.  From the perspective of the God of the whirlwind, all of human history hardly registers on the calendar of eternity.  Rather than being a source of terror, this perspective can be most liberating.  Once we acknowledge our mortal limits, we are free to delight in the here and the now, even though we must admit that we can never understand the suffering of the innocent or the prosperity of the wicked.   We are free to immerse ourselves completely in the river of life, the only life that has been given to us….  So we need to hold on and enjoy the ride.  Our mortality is in fact our greatest gift.”  Then, in spite of all the sufferings of this life Job was blessed by God and “died, old and full of days.”

Job’s struggle with God was his prayer that brought him to the realization of his mortality and the limits of life.  In a real sense Job was made whole.  The Gospel of Mark picks up this theme in another story of healing.  Stories about healing consume much of Mark’s account of Jesus’ ministry. When the disciples called the blind man and led him to Jesus, he threw off his cloak.  “Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.”

The Christian writer, Frederick Buechner reminds us that Jesus spent a lot of time healing people. Like Job before him, he specifically rejected the theory that sickness was God's way of getting even with sinners…."Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick;” he said. "I came not to call the righteous but sinners."

Buechner says, “Ever since the time of Jesus, healing has been part of the Christian tradition…. Jesus is reported to have made the blind see and the lame walk, and over the centuries countless miraculous healings have been claimed in his name.”

Miracles are welcomed events that defy rational explanation.  Miracles happen all the time.  When we pray for someone in need we are often asking God to restore that person to wholeness.  So, when the blind are able to see, when someone with cancer recoves, when a community is restored to life following a disaster, it is a miraculous event.

In our relationships with a person who is sick or in trouble we should know that God often responds to our supplications in ways we might not understand.  In services of healing, the clergy lay hands upon the sick person and pray, “I lay my hands upon you in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, beseeching him to uphold you and fill you with his grace, that you may know the healing power of his love.”  Our relationships are about being a source of comfort to others, helping them know that, regardless of what happens, they can trust that God is with them.  May they and all of us, like the blind who now see, and like Job who suffered, be blessed and live joyful lives filled with hope.  Amen.

Searching for Meaning

One of the marks of being human is our need to understand why something happens or why it even exists.  We are born to search for meaning.  Asking what, why, and how are essential questions and have everything to do with our identity, our values, and our perspective on reality.  They are philosophical and theological questions, and they are about our understanding of God.  Our search for meaning and understanding are matters of faith.

The Book of Job is a rich theological essay that explores a variety of perspectives.  It is a book about the human condition, and it’s been praised by Alfred, Lord Tennyson as “the greatest poem of ancient and modern times.”

In the passage we read today, God speaks to Job out of a whirlwind.  “I will question you, and you shall declare to me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?  Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements-- surely you know! Or who…

laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? "

A friend, Rabbi Jim Rosenberg, gave a paper a couple of years ago about the Book of Job.  In response to this passage Jim writes, “God goes on to browbeat Job with a long series of sarcastic questions: “Can you do this, Job?  Can you do that?  It is almost as if God is seeking to crush Job’s rebellious spirit with a manifestation of overwhelming might, to break him with a display of almost infinite creative energy.  But gradually the tone of God’s words softens.  Instead of continuing to intimidate Job, [in the following chapters] God begins to help Job see the world through Divine eyes, as it were:  “Take a look, Job, at all these animals living out their lives without ever coming into contact with a single human being: lion, mountain goat, ostrich, eagle.  They are part of My world, Job, just as you are.” 

Finally, God shows Job two of His most wondrous creatures: Behemoth, a hippopotamus-like giant with a “tail” as tall as a cedar tree; and Leviathan, a fearsome combination of crocodile and fire-breathing dragon.  At this Job speaks for the last time in the story, uttering ambiguous and mysterious words that have challenged generation after generation of commentators: “I know that You can do everything: That nothing You propose is impossible for You…I had heard of You with my ears, but now I see You with my eyes: therefore, I recant and take comfort, being but dust and ashes.” (42.2,5-6)

Job has never questioned God’s power; Job has openly and repeatedly acknowledged that God can do everything.  What Job has questioned all along is God’s justice.  As Job has maintained through his endless arguing with his so-called friends, “I am innocent; yet God continues to punish me for no reason. I demand my day in court.  Let God at least have the decency to tell me what He thinks I have done wrong.” 

The disciples in Mark’s gospel, similar in theme to the story of Job, display a total lack of understanding about Jesus' mission.  Their expectation of messiah and Jesus' fulfillment of that expectation were worlds apart.  What makes this point so prominent in the story is that Jesus is

consistent in carefully outlining his mission. 

James and John, two of Jesus’ disciples said to Jesus, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking.

The very context of this story illustrates the disciples' self-serving and self-seeking.  James and John have their names attached to this story, but it does not mean they were different from the other disciples. 

Earlier in Mark's Gospel, Jesus began to teach the disciples about suffering: "Jesus was teaching his disciples, saying to them, 'The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.'  But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him."  The disciples didn’t seem to get the message.  Jesus told them, "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

What are we to make of this?   We live in a secular age with the meaning of life tied to amassing wealth, yet much of the world lives in poverty.  We live in a technological age, yet one fraught with illiteracy and inadequate education.  This makes being "spiritual" or faithful in following Christ and the gospel a difficult task.  Mark's gospel dispels the myth that being close to Jesus gives a better grasp of the messiah.  In fact the opposite is true: those closest to Jesus often had great difficulty in understanding.

When James and John heard Jesus speak about his reign they naturally assumed he was going to wield absolute power and they wanted a piece of the action.  They failed to understand that Jesus was making the suffering of Job and the suffering servant prophecies of Isaiah his own.  The mission of the servant was his mission.  He was eager to help those who were poor in mind and spirit and earthly possessions. “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant….  For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Jesus came to serve, and he invites us to join in that service.  He states clearly the conditions: we must be willing to drink from the cup of suffering, to empathize with the poor and the downtrodden, to heal the sick and wounded, and to eradicate the diseases and evils of this world.  To lead God's people one must serve. 

James and John, and the other disciples had to grow and change in their self-understanding of Jesus' ministry of service. The 12th Century monastic, Bernard of Clairvaux said, "There are many who seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge: that is curiosity.  There are others who desire to know in order that they may themselves be known: that is vanity.  But there are some who seek knowledge in order to serve and edify others: and that is love."

Jesus invites us to serve the God of our faith wherever we are -- at work, in our professional lives, in our families, and in our communities -- by giving of ourselves to others in their need.

May all of us continue to grow in accepting Christ’s invitation of service to those in need.  Amen.

Healthy Treasure

The fall season is one of the best times of the year in New England.  Tourists visit our states to enjoy the rich and varied colors of leaves before they fall and decay into the depths of winter months.

This past week I heard a story about a person who preserves some of the most beautiful leaves with a glycerin/water solution so they can remain relatively flexible.  The natural moisture present in the leaves is replaced by the glycerin solution, maintaining the leaf's texture and form.  Some of you may remember preserving leaves between two pieces of wax paper.  I recall doing this when I was in grade-school.  But the person I heard about sells three colorful preserved leaves for $20.00, but for me $20 for nature’s free gift just doesn’t feel right.

Frederick Buechner, a Christian writer said, “If the government declared that leaves of the trees were money so there would be enough for everybody, money would be worthless. It has worth only if there is not enough for everybody.”

“The value of money, like stocks and bonds, goes up and down for reasons not even the experts can explain and at moments nobody can predict, so you can be a millionaire one moment and a pauper the next without lifting a finger.  Great fortunes can be made and lost completely on paper.” 

In the gospel of Mark we heard,  “a man ran up and knelt before Jesus and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’  Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When the man heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”

Then, when Jesus told his disciples, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God," they were perplexed and astounded.  They questioned whether anyone could be saved.  Jesus then reassured them,  "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."

This story of the rich man questioning what he must do to inherit eternal life is one of Mark’s stories about healing.  It’s about healthy treasure, what we do with the possessions we have.  Our problem is our cultural insistence that wealth is the measure of success; the more wealth you possess the more successful you are.  It’s all about the accumulation of wealth, not about how we spend what we have.

When the man asked Jesus his question Jesus said he loved him but he lacked one thing.  Although rich he still lacked something. "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."

Writing in The Christian Century magazine Stacey Simpson asks, “What is the healing that this man needs?  What he lacks is that he does not lack. This man is possessed -- but only by his possessions.  Jesus is offering to free him of his possession, to cure him of his excess.  But the rich man turns his back.”

The point of the story is that we are not to be obsessed with our possessions.  It doesn’t matter how many possessions we have; eternal life is not something we control.  Materialists may be first now, but as the Gospel says, “many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” The only dependence we have that matters is our dependence on God.  “For God all things are possible.”

One of the disciples, Peter, was not satisfied with Jesus’ statement.  Peter said, "Look, we have left everything and followed you."  Jesus makes it clear, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age… and in the age to come eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."

This past week I visited a former parishioner who is recovering from a severe stroke.  He is a highly intelligent person, a college professor, who is now confronted with knowing how fragile life is.  He is completely vulnerable, dependent on the care that others provide.  The only thing that matters is the struggle to continue on the hard road to recovery.  His doctor says it will take at least three more years.  Feelings of anger and frustration are complemented by feelings of hope and gratitude. We shared Holy Communion and felt the healing words of Jesus: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Healing and health have to do with accepting the limits of life.  It is about letting go of the material things we rely on in order to know and see how much we are dependent on God’s gift of life and the healing power of his love.  There is nothing we can do ourselves to inherit eternal life; it is not a reward for good behavior.  When asked, “who can be saved,” Jesus said, “for mortals, it is impossible, but not for God.”  So, enjoy the fall colors; preserve and sell the maple and oak leaves.  But know what really matters.  It is God for whom all things are possible.  Amen.

God’s Law and Divorce

The Gospel passage from Mark this morning is difficult for anyone who has gone through the pain of divorce.  It is also hard for people who live in faithful partnerships of marriage with another person of the same sex. What is the gospel account’s purpose in having Jesus telling the Pharisees that the Law of Moses permitting divorce is to be overthrown because it is against God’s law? 

This exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees is comparable to a couple of lawyers cross-examining a witness.  The Pharisees who were religious leaders asked Jesus whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife.  Doesn’t Jesus recall that the Law of Moses was clear about this?  Remember it’s about a man divorcing his wife, not about a wife divorcing her husband.  In the ancient world wives were regarded as property of their husbands. A woman who was divorced had no choice but to return to her father’s home. 

Jesus knew the rule of law that was operative in his time.  Maybe the legalistic Pharisees knew it more precisely.  Jesus, however, replied that Moses allowed for divorce because of their "hardness of heart."  His point was that the Pharisees had forgotten about their right relationship with God.  He said to them, "You ask me a question about the law; I insist on telling you about the requirements of the law of God."

In effect Jesus is saying, “Look at God's original blessing on humankind in creation and what God intended for human relationships.  They are to seek their true selves and find real joy to the end that what God has so put together, what God has joined, no one may separate or divide."  Jesus in his discussion with the Pharisees did what he so often did: he turned things upside down by teaching them that God is above all laws and all the legalistic requirements of religious leaders.

There are many stories in the New Testament about Jesus coming to the defense of women.  Women and children were vulnerable and had little or no standing in their society.  The questions the Pharisees asked were not questions we might ask today; they were questions relevant to the issues and concerns of the first century.  Jesus said that God made the Pharisees and everyone for relationships that are equal but the Pharisees were preoccupied in talking about separations and divorce.  His message was about God and how God is to be loved with heart, mind, and soul. 

The central message of their exchange focused on Jesus’ concern for right relationships, for fairness and equality so that "no one" should separate "what God has joined together."  Male and female together are made in the image of God; relationships and behavior should reflect that. 

No narrow legalism, or prescription of do's and don'ts, or a collection of proof texts are to be used to justify our decisions.  We are not to live as those who are trapped by inflexible and insensitive laws.  Relationships matter.  We are to live supported by a structure of community and mutuality that takes relationships seriously.  As human beings, women and men, we are called to our deepest fulfillment in equality and in a common life through which each person becomes a more authentic self by growing, giving, loving and caring.

Should a relationship be broken irrevocably then the issues of fairness, equality, and kindness in working through separation must take precedence over acrimony and adversarial positioning.  The problem is never just a matter of law.  Divorce is a civil matter and a legal act, but the problem goes beyond that; it is a fractured and broken relationship.

So Jesus pushed the Pharisees to go behind the question of separation and divorce.  We should also push ourselves to go behind the literal interpretation of myths and legalisms that block constructive and committed relationships today.  We should examine the basic question of the meaning of life and what it is to be created female and male in the image of God.  If we do this we may expand what we know about how to live mutually and responsibly in relationship with one another and with God.

Finally, to make his point as clear as possible, the Gospel narrative continues the concern for those who are vulnerable.  People were bringing little children to Jesus so he could touch them.  The disciples saw this as an intrusion so they spoke sternly.  But Jesus was indignant and said, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” 

Then Jesus “took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.”  The point is that faith in God is about loving one another, receiving God in faith just as children are received, touched, and blessed.  “It is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”  Amen.