Mark 1:4-11

January 7, 2024

The Baptism of the Lord

the Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Mark 1:4-11

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

| Centering Prayer |

The heavens were torn.

Ripped apart.

It is not as if

the divide had not

been previously breached.

Through covenant and law,

at the hand of

anointed

chosen

prophets

preachers

kings

and angels,

our God has

a record,

a history,

of intervention

– of loving intervention.

The heavens were torn.

Ripped apart.

Leaving an opening

for the Spirit

the Holy Spirit of God

to pass through

descend

and alight

upon him.

“This is my Son”

the voice called

from behind the jagged opening.

“My beloved

with whom

I Am

well pleased.”

The divide

between heaven and earth

has continued to be torn

ever since.

Two thousand years

and

fifty-plus generations later

have shredded

and left tattered,

like a faded

weathered

battle flag,

the barrier that separates

God’s heavenly kingdom

from God’s earthly kingdom.

The divide

is only a barrier of inconvenience,

one that simply gives the illusion

of privacy

of being alone

of being on our own.

In reality,

God is present

– Emmanuel –

– God with us –

– just beyond our perception.

The divide

can no more hold back our God

than a paper marquee

can hold back

a charging football team

being introduced

at a championship game.

The divide

Continues to be torn today.

Pastors, preachers, and priests

welcome to the font

young and old alike

to experience the same flood

experienced by Noah and Moses

to listen for the same water

that was turned to wine

to experience the same tearing of the divide

that our Lord

Jesus Christ

experienced at the hand of John.

…

Baptism was a practice of purification

By our Jewish ancestors,

Water washing away the dirt of wickedness and sin.

John the Baptist today

is proclaiming a baptism of repentance

for the forgiveness of sins.

People from the whole Judean countryside

And all the people of Jerusalem, St. Mark reports,

Country folk and city slickers alike,

Went to John,

In the Jordan,

Confessing their sins,

To be baptized

By its cleansing waters.

“Go wash up before you come to the dinner table,”

My mother used to direct.

Perhaps your mother or father did, too.

Clean up my side of the street.

Take care of my shortcomings

And make corrections of my defects of character.

Humbly confess my sins

Before God

And my fellowmen and women.

Thus, we make our confession before approaching the Upper Room’s table.

Jesus shaped baptism

Like a potter shapes their clay.

Go therefore. Make disciples of Christ.

Baptize. Teach.

Baptism becomes initiation

To the redemptive nature of the cross

And God’s salvation of the empty tomb.

…

In one of my favorite movies,

Three convicts happen upon a church gathering at the river

in antebellum Mississippi:

(O Brother Where Art Thou?”)

Delmar is washed of his sin,

Emerges from his baptismal water,

His proclamation becomes our invitation:

“I have been redeemed”

“Heaven everlasting is my reward.”

“Come on in, boys. The water is fine.”

…

We share

a common baptism

with Jesus

with one another

and with every other

child of Jesus Christ

who has come before us

and who will come after us.

Consider the tattered divide;

the rip

that occurred at your baptism.

With the pouring water

the Spirit of the Heavenly Father

breaking from heaven,

tearing into your life,

making a base camp

called faith.

Consider the Holy Spirit

Poured into your life,

Grace overflowing,

Love abiding,

Taking hold,

and will never,

ever,

let you go.

Into the river we go.

Together we wade.

…

Reverently I removed

the ledger from my shelf

opened to the pages

that list each of

the 137 people

I’ve lifted up to God

in celebration of their

baptism with water

and the tearing,

ripping

fire

of the Holy Spirit.

In the course of

Thirty-eight years of parish ministry

names rise off the page

with prayers of thanksgiving;

names separated by geography and distance

names separated by time and space

names separated by heaven and earth,

and very possibly, hell.

The great divide was broached

and the number of God’s children grew by one

the fourth of November

Nineteen eighty-four (1984).

Water whetted the matted hair

of adolescence lost;

Jeffrey,

who at the same moment

his soul was received

into paradise

when the respirator was turned off

and his parents cried out

in anguish.

My first baptism.

The great divide was broached

and the number of God’s children grew by one

when water whetted the infant head of Shawn,

conceived by parents joined in marriage

before God’s altar

and me,

whose birth

was attended by my beloved wife,

Cynthia.

The miraculous circle of life continued.

The great divide was broached

and the number of God’s children grew

with the baptism of

brothers Benjamin and William,

brother and sister, Jayden and Alyexia,

father and daughter, Stuart and Catherine,

mom, dad, and son, Paul, Cathy, and Collin;

each experienced the Spirit’s entry

and were welcomed by God’s

baptismal waters.

The great divide was broached

and the number of God’s children grew by three

the Sunday

Elizabeth, Benjamin, and Felicia

were presented to me

standing above a furnace grate

that began to belch black smoke

gasping in disrepair!

The great divide was broached

and the number of God’s children grew by one

when I held Alexa in my hands

and poured the waters of grace

upon her head.

In later days a line would be drawn

between Alexa’s parents and me,

a line of pain and hurt

that continued for years,

which only time and God’s grace has begun to heal.

Jessica, Richard, Kerry

Andrew, Amber, Trevor,

Kodie, Pamela, and Sean

and a whole host of

witnesses have been added to Christ’s kingdom.

They are more than memories

to a maturing and graying pastor.

Each is connected with Christ and me.

Together we wade

into the river of life.

Each shares our common baptismal waters.

Each is a Christian disciple or saint.

Each a child of God.

Each and every one of us

have been adopted by a loving Father

forgiven by a redemptive Son

saved by a compassionate Spirit

through the baptismal waters

touched by the same Holy Spirit

that descended

and alighted

upon Jesus in the Jordan.

The heavens were torn.

Ripped apart.

On this day

we remember

we recall

our Lord, Jesus Christ

– a new Epiphany of our God –

how he stood with John,

as if fly fishing for disciples,

in the midst of Jordan’s

rippling waters.

The heavens were torn.

Ripped apart.

And through the opening

we welcome the Holy Spirit

with praise and thanksgiving.

The Word of the Lord,

as it has come to me.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Seventh Day of Christmas

December 31, 2023

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Luke 2:22-40

https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=570601676

| Centering Prayer |

This year,

the calendar gives us the opportunity

to gather for Sunday worship on New Year’s Eve.

Historically New Year’s Eve has held great significance for those of us

Who trace our roots back to John Wesley,

An Anglican Priest,

Who served as a midwife for the birth of Methodism.

Thus, this Sunday offers an excellent opportunity

for our church and others to live into a piece of our heritage.

Beginning in 1755,

John Wesley encouraged

gathering for worship

on New Year’s Eve

for what he called a “Covenant Renewal Service”.

Central features of this service are

remembering the past year

—something of a communal exam—

as well as recommitting to following Christ,

often using the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer.

Through this message of renewal

And walking in the path of our forefathers

Let us search for a balance of reflection and hope.

(With thanks to umcdiscipleship dot org)

…

Let us reflect.

In 2023,

Ask yourself

How have I put to practice my baptismal vows:

To reject evil?

To resist injustice and oppression?

To place our whole trust in Christ’s grace?

And, to nurture one another by teaching and example?

…

Evil follows us wherever we go,

Just as the devil followed Jesus into the wilderness.

Evil prods us with temptations

To do what we know is wrong,

To disobey God’s laws,

To not listen to God’s whispering voice that guides us along the way,

To not rely upon God’s strength to sustain our spiritual journey.

To deny the existence and threat of evil

Is to live in a delusional world.

Tasting evil’s temptation is like sticking your tongue into an electrical outlet.

Don’t.

Just don’t do it.

Ask yourself

“How have I rejected Evil this past year?”

Join me in my New Year’s resolve:

I will reject Evil,

with all my power,

with all my ability,

whenever,

wherever  

I may confront it.

…

Injustice and oppression are all around us,

Just as certainly as injustice and oppression assailed Jesus at every turn.

Racial and gender predigest confronted Jesus.

He told a parable about a mixed-race Samaritan

stopping to help the victim of a robbery and beating,

stopping to help when no one else would.

Oh, the scandal!

Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman at a well,

a serial devorcee,

in search of a drink.

The nerve of him!

Just when I feel confident

That I understand

the racial and gender environment in which I live,

The Holy Spirit slaps me with a cold-water wakeup call

That washes away my long held beliefs

and reveals my ignorance.

For me, understanding begins with listening.

In this past year

Have I, as an individual,

Have we, as a church,

Listened to the voice of

Victims of injustice?

The voice of the oppressed?

Have we lifted a finger to do something about it?

Anything?

Let us listen to indigenous peoples,

People who have immigrated to our land and neighborhood,

Families that flee violence, crime, and terror.

Hear the stories of women and children,

Human trafficking, exploitation, and prostitution.

Join me in my New Year’s resolve

To listen and learn

from our near and far neighbors

who are oppressed,

who are victims of injustice.

Maybe, just maybe,

May we be so bold to confront injustice and oppression.

…

Christ came,

first as a baby,

Born of Mary,

In a manger,

Delivered in Bethlehem,

Beneath a star.

Today, Christ has gathered,

we, who are members of his Body,

We, who are his disciples

gathered to worship God.

We, who are Christ’s body are

Dedicated to following his will and his example.

Thus, we proclaim God’s Word.

Thus, we pray.

Thus, we listen.

We go forth,

Our words and actions

Reflecting and revealing

Jesus Christ in our world today.

And, we look forward to Christ coming again.

How and when Christ returns remains a mystery,

Just as Jesus taught our apostolic saints

Who came before us.

Let us reflect upon 2023

When, where, and in what circumstances have we

Placed our whole trust in Christ’s grace?

Do we trust Jesus:

God incarnate,

God and human combined?

Do we trust that our sins are forgiven when we ask?

Do we trust that our salvation was given when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior?

Do we trust Jesus and his teaching?

To follow his example

To proclaim Good News?

To bring healing to a broken and estranged world?

To resurrect the dead and offer salvation to one and all?

Trusting God is daring.

Boldly dare this New Year

And place your trust in the grace of Jesus.

…

Beloved,

Join me in personal reflection upon 2023.

How have I nurture others by teaching and example?

I get it;

Not everyone is called to teach,

But everyone is called to live the example of Jesus.

When words fail,

Let actions do the talking.

The words and example of Jesus is nurturing,

A balm in Gilead,

The substance of love,

As a parent cares for their child,

As Mary loved her baby Jesus.

Have I followed through with a visit to the lonely?

Have I contributed the best of my expertise to inform and guide our leaders?

Have I given my money to the mission and ministry of the parish

so much I feel the pinch?

Let me, let us, be resolved to do better in 2024.

Teach what Jesus taught.

Live as Jesus lived.

Love and nurture one another.

Will you join me?

…

Dearly beloved,

Be filled with hope for the future.

Join me in the New Year.

Let us recommit to follow Jesus.

Let us join in prayer,

Reciting together the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer

As found in the United Methodist Hymnal, number 607:

“I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,

Exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O Glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

John 1:1-14

Christmas Eve, 2023

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

John 1:1-14              

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 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.”

| Centering Prayer |

I find it interesting

That the God who created the cosmos

Decided to get some “hands on” experience.

Why?

Why go through the trouble, the pain, the sorrow, the suffering

When a snap of the fingers would have done nicely?

The same God who wove the tapestry of the universe

Was willing to rend the heavens and step through.

The same God who acted with unlimited power and authority

Willingly chose to humbly submit,

Become wholly helpless and dependent upon others.

Life in the womb comes from the mother.

She supplies it all: food, nutrients, protection;

The warmth and love that only a mother can give.

The circle of care is extended at birth,

But only a little bit.

Responsibility rests largely upon the mother.

Men in most cultures like to make a big show of it,

But, in reality, the child looks to the mother for its every need.

The burden of responsibility lay heavily upon Mary,

Here, now, lay the creator and savior of the world,

Vulnerable, helpless, dependent.

I find it interesting that God chose Mary.

Mary, who?

A young, inexperienced, adolescent engaged in an arranged marriage.

Mary was poor,

From a modest Nazarene family.

When you have nothing,

Pride is the only substitute.

It is hard to be proud of the fact

That she was unmarried, pregnant, and with a shattered reputation.

It is really hard to be proud of the fact

That there was no doctor, no mid-wife, no assistance

Other than the supportive presence of Joseph

(yea, like I’m sure that was real helpful).

Where is Mary’s mother? Her mother-in-law?

Where were the other women in her life that

Could provide her with all the love and support necessary for childbirth?

Mary probably had nothing more than Joseph and

A childhood experience of watching animals give birth.

Yet, God took the risk

Was born onto a bed of straw

In a cold, damp cave,

Dug out of the rocks and cobbled together

for the purpose of feeding farm animals.

Think of the obstetrical dangers:

Women die in childbirth.

Babies can be born breach,

Or with the cord around the neck.

Think about infection, disease, and illness of infancy.

Yet, God took the risk.

The risk of

Infant and maternal mortality was very high,

Known to God from the beginning;

A hugely significant danger.

(According to Google)

“For most of human history,

Around 1 in 2 newborns died before reaching the age of 15.”

(https://www.google.com/search?q=infant+mortality+rate+0+AD&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS974US974&oq=infant+mortality+rate+0+AD&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRirAjIHCAMQIRirAtIBCTIxODU0ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)

Yet, God took the risk.

Modern wisdom would suggest that God postpone this folly.

If a thousand years is as a day,

As is written in 2 Peter 3:8,

Perhaps it would be wise to wait a day

To be born in the safety of Highland, Strong, Unity, or RGH.

Yet, God took the risk.

When you consider

the history of the universe was on the line,

The one responsible for the future salvation of the world

Had plans to test the waters of the human condition,

Wouldn’t it at least be wise to consider

Pre-emptive prenatal care,

A planned C-Section,

At a modern birthing center,

By one of the best obstetricians available?

Yet, God took the risk.

The future was less than certain.

Oh, in hindsight, we speak with certainty about God,

“Of course it turned out that way. Why wouldn’t it?”

But when it comes to predicting the future

Of God’s intersection with humanity,

We fail miserably.

God’s agenda is God’s agenda.

God’s plan is God’s plan.

Not ours.

God has made a sport of

out witting, out playing, and out lasting

Every human initiative.

God hasn’t made a habit of chasing the sticks thrown to fetch.

And God isn’t likely to change for us now.

The baby Jesus faced danger at every turn.

It began with his birth, but quickly escalated.

In a chilling nod to Gaza and Israel today,

Herod slaughtered all the children

Sending the Holy Family fleeing into Egypt.

Danger waited around every corner for Jesus.

The wrong word,

The disrespectful look,

Bloodthirsty crowds,

A military occupation,

Authorities with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

God took a whale of a risk.

Humans with free will are about as predictable

As an Iranian mullah,

An alcoholic out of booze, or

A grizzly caught in a trap.

Yet, God took the risk.

God took the risk to bridge the gap between heaven and earth

And to, once and for all,

Cement not only a sacred past

But establish an eternal future for every one of God’s people.

God took the risk of a less than certain outcome

For your behalf, and mine.

God took the risk of a less than certain outcome

For your behalf, and mine.

I understand that it is hard to believe.

It is hard to believe in much of anything in today’s world.

When humankind is so cruel to one another,

Where terrorists assault villages and farms,

Concerts and festivals,

And soldiers assault trench, bunker, and tunnels.

It is hard to believe

When some lives appear to be valued more than other lives,

Where suffering has become the common denominator.

The wounds of war.

The wounds of death.

The wounds of hypocrisy.

The wounds of violated trust.

Wounded people often find it hard to believe.

It is hard to believe

Given the current status of organized religion;

Schism and decline,

All the while preaching about a peaceful, loving god.

It is hard to believe

when surrounded by the massive indifference

Of people who just don’t want to be bothered

By the suffering and injustice taking place right in our own backyard.

Nothing to look at here.

Move along.

Just move along.

I understand that it is hard to believe in Jesus Christ.

What I’m suggesting this evening

Is that just as God took a risk for you

So, too, should you take a risk in God

By extending to God your belief.

Belief isn’t certainty.

It is not being certain about heaven, the virgin birth, or that Jesus is the Son of God.

No pastor, priest, or pope is able to speak with certainty;

Present company included.

The only language we clerics know

Comes from the Word, the Sacrament, and experience.

Belief isn’t certainty.

I’m able to share with you about the God of my experience.

No one is able to make you believe the god of their experience.

If you want what I have,

Come with me.

Let us journey together.

Neither is belief proof,

Which particularly upsets me, because, as you know,

I am a child of the enlightened scientific era.

My discipline is in mathematics.

Math demands proof.

I can no more prove to you the divinity of Christ

Than I can jump over the moon.

Belief in a baby is daring.

It’s risky.

It does set you apart from the rest of the crowd,

The faceless masses of the dull,

The self-interested,

The endless consumers of retail garbage.

Belief in a baby makes you colorful,

A trend setter,

One who is ready and willing

To advance faith beyond where is has been

To what it can become.

Belief in a baby named Jesus

Makes one filled with hope.

The name Jesus means Savior.

Our hope is that Jesus will save us from the trials and temptations of this earth.

Our hope is that Jesus will save us into eternal glory.

Belief in a baby places our hope in God

And not in anything of this earth

Or in our less-than-perfect selves.

Ultimately, belief in this divine birth

Means that we are ready to match God’s risk even up.

Better than even up.

Give a little to get a lot.

We don’t need much;

have you seen just how small a mustard seed is?

That’s all the faith we need to take

A little risk.

A little belief.

That’s all the baby Jesus is asking.

Amen.

Luke 1: 26-38, 46-55

December 24, 2023 | Fourth Sunday of Advent

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Luke 1: 26-38, 46-55

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

Then the angel departed from her.

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

| Prayer |

An angel visited Zechariah

To tell him

His wife, Elizabeth, would bear a son, John,

Who will be great.

Who will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Who will turn the hearts of the people,

To make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

“I am an old man,” the unbelieving Zechariah protested,

“and my wife is getting on in years.”

I am too old to get a new testimony.

“I am Gabriel.

I stand in the presence of God,

And I have been sent to speak to you

And to bring you this good news.”

Luke 1:19

“Oh, my. What am I going to do?”

Zechariah wondered.

For his disbelieve,

The angel Gabrial made Zechariah mute,

Unable to speak

Until the day

these things occurred.

…

The tone went off,

indicating a police emergency somewhere in the city of Miamisburg. 

The police officer with whom I was riding that night swore under his breath

since he only had a half hour left to his shift.

“Forty-one,” the radio squawked. 

“Just our luck, it’s in our beat,”

the officer said as he picked up the mike. 

“Over time tonight.”

“You have a car v train personal injury accident

at the Linden Avenue Chessie railroad crossing.”

It didn’t take long for us to get to the scene.

Sure enough, there was a three-engine freight train stopped,

blocking the crossing. 

We drove down the service road

to the lead engine,

our red and blue revolving flashing lights

reflecting off box cars, steel rail, and oil-stained ballast.

We found beside the lead locomotive

the engineer and conductor doing their best

to comfort a sobbing woman and

her two screaming, crying children. 

Scattered around us were the remains

of what once had been a rusty old pickup truck.

The story spilled out of this poor woman;

obviously a mother

whose household was at or below the poverty level. 

Her husband had just bought this second-hand truck.

This woman had taken their “new” truck out

to pick up her children at her sister’s house. 

On the way back, the clutch failed and

she coasted to a stop right on the railroad tracks. 

Not knowing what to do,

she and her children threw on the four-way flashers

and went to find help.

You know the rest of the story.

We took her down to the station,

got a statement and

encouraged her to call her husband. 

Mom sat across the table from me

Tearful and beside herself

While the children were exploring the police station. 

“Oh, my. What am I going to do?”

Just call him and tell him what happened,

I counseled, safely behind my clerical collar.

She hesitated and slowly dialed the old rotary phone.

“Honey,” she started carefully,

“the kids and I are alright.

We’re down here at the police station.

Your new truck was hit by a train.”

I could hear the screaming from the phone.

“You smashed my brand new fifty-dollar pickup truck?

How could you!”

He was filled with volcanic rage,

But she and her children were alright.

…

A portion of the Gospel for this morning

Is called the Canticle of Mary,

Or, more simply,

The Magnificat.

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Luke 1:46-47

Because of the special significance of Mary,

The mother of Jesus,

for our Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox sisters and brothers,

We, Protestants have de-emphasized this passage.

We haven’t ignored it.

We just haven’t highlighted it.

St. Luke develops an interesting storyline

In his opening chapter,

Serving as a wonderful prologue

To the birth narrative of the second chapter.

Six months after the elderly and barren Elizabeth became pregnant,

this same angel, Gabriel,

came to an engaged virgin,

named Mary,

who lived in Nazareth. 

Like Elizabeth

He told her that she, too,

would become pregnant,

but that her pregnancy

would be the result of the work of the Holy Spirit. 

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,” he said,

“and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;

therefore the child to be born will be called holy,

the Son of God.”

“Oh, my. What am I going to do?”

Mary certainly wondered.

Mary set out,

Went with haste,

To a Judean town in hill country,

Visiting the house of the muted Zechariah and her cousin, Elizabeth.

The child leapt in Mary’s womb.

Quickened,

As known in some cultures.

Leapt for joy, Mary described

As she began her song of praise.

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

…

Luke reports

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months

Then returned to her home.

Luke 1:56

When Mary became pregnant,

both she and Joseph were in quite a pickle. 

It didn’t make any difference how she got pregnant. 

The fact remained that she was unmarried and pregnant. 

Mary and Joseph had one of three choices.

They could

1) go through the procedure of a legal divorce,

required at that time even for those who were engaged. 

The only problem

was that Mary would have been stoned to death as an adulterous. 

Um. No.

2) they could quickly marry

and take the ridicule of family and friends

when their child was born. 

The only problem with that was that

they would have been shunned by the community

for such a scandalous deed.

Sigh, and groan.

What’s behind door number 3?

The only other possibility was that they could

3) marry and then move to another town

where they wouldn’t be known and have their child.

Think a little deeper.

Consider the doubt

That must have grown.

“Was Mary really being faithful?”

Joseph probably thought to himself. 

“Maybe I was only dreaming about the angel Gabriel. 

Maybe Joseph snuck into our house late one night

and I was just too sleepy to remember,”

Mary may have thought. 

“After all, the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem,

More than 90 miles south of here,

not here in Nazareth. 

Certainly, we have no reason to go to Bethlehem.”

“Oh, my. What am I going to do?”

(Beginning to sound familiar?)

Yes, this morning we find Mary in quite a pickle. 

Both she and Joseph would have to leave their homes in disgrace. 

Certainly, they would have to be married,

even though more than ten years separated their ages.

Mary would have been feeling much the same

as that woman who had just had her husband’s pickup truck smashed by the train. 

“Oh my, what am I going to do?”

“The children and I are alright,” the mother told her husband.

“My soul magnifies the Lord,” Mary proclaimed,

“and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”

A donkey carried her to where the star rested,

To a stable in Bethlehem.

…

I suspect life serves up

for just about each of us

Moments when we are forced to ask

“Oh, my. What am I going to do?”

“I am going to pray out loud,”

I thought to myself.

If I’m talking

The medic will know I’m still breathing

And my airway is clear.

“Lord, Jesus Christ,

Have mercy on me,

A sinner,”

I repeated hundreds of times

To the tune of whirling Mercy Flight blades

As I was flown as a patient

on the air ambulance

from Geneva to Strong Memorial Hospital.

The flight medic eyed me.

“What are you doing?”

he yelled,

Leaning close over my face.

“I’m praying,” I replied

As loud and as forcefully as one lung would allow.

“Oh,” he said to me,

Giving me the look of suspicion.

You know the look.

He gave me that look.

I’m praying.

What am I going to do?

I’m going to pray.

The Spirit of the Lord came to me

And told this country preacher to pray,

Bold and out loud

With breath I didn’t have,

With a Spirit given to me

By a merciful God above.

…

“Oh, my. What am I going to do?”

Many ask this question during Advent.

Hospice and overnight vigils.

Death and mourning.

Loss of job.

Separation and divorce.

Addictions. Substance abuse.

Sick kids and unbearable co-pays.

Accident and disability.

Unexpected pregnancy and loss.

You name it,

There are many reasons for lament

To paint our Christmas blue.

Disbelief leaves us mute,

Without witness or testimony,

As Zechariah experienced.

Mary knew a better way.

Even though Mary was a seemingly insignificant,

impoverished member of the Jewish community in Nazareth;

even though Mary faced almost certain public disgrace;

even though Mary would be forced to leave her home;

and even though tremendous doubt clouded their past and their future,

God came to her! 

Mary knows a better way.

God comes to the poor. 

God comes to the unassuming. 

God came to the last person who we could ever expect,

Gave her a new witness,

a new testimony,

and made her the mother of our salvation. 

…

“Oh, my. What am I going to do?”

When life runs you over

Magnify the Lord!

Confess and pray.

Christ came.

Christ is come.

Christ will come again.

Use what voice the Spirit has given you

To make a new witness,

A new testimony,

That brings glory to God in the highest,

That proclaims peace,

That ushers in justice,

That weaves a masterpiece of love

Of a Son given,

A Son denied,

A Son risen victorious over sin and death.

Never mind the look.

That’s what we do.

This is who we are.

Watch.

Wait.

Is it the angel Gabriel?

Is it the Spirit of the Lord?

Is it the bold witness of an unsuspecting girl

That is ready to burst

And break life wide open?

Come to Bethlehem and see.

Amen.

Mark 13:24-37

December 3, 2023

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

“But in those days, after that suffering,

      the sun will be darkened,

      and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will be falling from heaven,

      and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

| Centering Prayer |

Our gospel lesson for today from St. Mark

is a part of a chapter

that is very different from the rest of the book.

Up to the thirteenth chapter of Mark

the narrative has to do with the life and teachings of Jesus.

Following this chapter,

the narrative takes a turn toward Jerusalem,

taking the audience through the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ.

However this thirteenth chapter

sticks out like an underfed Thanksgiving turkey or

a reindeer with a red nose.

It is as if

Jesus underwent a complete change of personality.

Instead of preaching, teaching or healing,

Jesus begins to foretell the future,

specifically about the coming of the Son of Man.

He starts to prophecies:

making predictions about future events based upon current realities.

Biblical scholars have identified

the characteristics of this chapter as “apocalyptic,”

a common style and message that is found

in both Jewish and early Christian history.

Indeed, similar words and phrases can be found in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah,

as well as in the New Testament book of Revelations.

The common apocalyptic theme revolves around

The culmination of history,

An end time,

When all is revealed,

The Son of Man returns, and

God’s judgment is proclaimed.

In every case, apocalyptic scripture is authored

at a time of crisis or historical stress.

In the Old Testament

some of it was written during the time of Exile,

when people were taken from their land,

farms and houses were destroyed,

families where separated,

war, hunger, and starvation were widespread, and

people were taken hostage to a foreign land.

Sounds painfully familiar.

The Old Testament time of Exile was one where prophets looked at the social fabric,

connected the crisis of the community with unfaithfulness to God’s Laws, and,

on God’s behalf, proclaimed judgment upon the people.

In the New Testament,

apocalyptic writers borrowed from their Jewish roots

when their Christian community faced persecution and death

at the hand of the Romans.

Christians were hunted,

captured,

fed to the lions,

boiled in oil, and

crucified upside down before mass crowds.

Believe it.

Before the Roman emperor Constantine was converted

and brought with him the empire in 322 A.D.,

there were some truly dark days for Christianity,

marked by torture and martyrdom.

Apocalyptic sprang forth in these crisis environments

like ice cold water from a mountain stream.

“Parousia” became the key desire.

Parousia means “the coming, to become present, God present with us.”

Christians facing martyrdom

prayed fervently for Parousia,

for Jesus to come and to free them from persecution.

Expectations were high:

Come, Jesus come!

Kick out the oppressors and

rise up the oppressed into a new kingdom

– on earth as it is in heaven –

where peace, love, and justice will reign.

It was this context

in which our gospel author was writing.

In today’s world,

Apocalyptic could only find agency

In a Hamas tunnel or a Ukrainian trench.

The thirteenth chapter of St. Mark’s gospel

was written in the midst of deadly persecution

to a people facing violence and death at every turn,

because of their faith,

their choice to become a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Antiochus IV, and his legions of Roman soldiers,

were tightening down the civil strife and unrest

that engulfed Judea in the second half of the first century.

It is in this context that Mark recalls from the oral tradition

Jesus’ answer to the disciple’s questions:

when? and

what will be the signs?

I understand Jesus to be

anticipating the needs of all those who would, and will, suffer for him.

Jesus was not only speaking to his disciples,

But he is also speaking to the members of the first century church, and

to you and me today.

Jesus will return and

God’s kingdom will be established

after the temple is destroyed,

after much suffering, and

after many cosmic disruptions:

the sun and moon will darken,

the stars will fall, and

the heavens will be shaken.

Then the event will take place,

the Son of Man will come,

not like MacArthur landing on a beach,

but from a cloud,

with power and majesty.

Justice will be executed and

the elect will come from everywhere to join him.

But when will this be?

(I’d like to know,

You know,

So I can plan accordingly)

Jesus clearly tells his disciples that

it can happen at any time.

Just like a budding fig tree is a sign

of the end of the rainy season in Palestine and the start of the hot summer,

so too will there be signs of his coming.

Only God knows exactly when.

If everyone knew, well, then

no one would have to keep watch.

No one would have to act

with a sense of imminence and urgency.

The early church acted with a sense of imminence and urgency

Unlike any time before or since.

That first century church took the Gospel and shared it,

as if there was no tomorrow,

because they believed there wasn’t.

They made it their imminent concern

to spread faith in Jesus Christ

– his redemption and salvation –

to all four corners of the globe.

Success was most pronounced in places of

crisis and persecution.

“If Jesus planned on gathering his elect,

then we should try to make as many people his elect

as quickly as we can,” or so it was reasoned.

When they talked about saving people to Jesus Christ,

they actually meant it.

For only the elect, the chosen, the few, the faithful

would be gathered and saved.

As time went on and no big event took place,

no flashy Parousia occurred,

the church faced a crisis of faith.

Theologians returned to the drawing board.

Either Jesus wasn’t coming, or

he is coming in some other fashion than a global consuming apocalyptic event.

After 2,000 years,

With few exceptions,

the church (and I) have stopped waiting

for a literal, big time event.

Yes, there are still a few,

mainly from conservative fundamentalist backgrounds who are still in crisis,

who still wait,

who still calculate the coming of the Lord,

who run the numbers and roll the dice.

But for the large part,

the end has been rethought.

As for me and my house,

The end has come, and is yet coming.

This message of Jesus

is something that has obtained greater clarity with

notable life events and

with the passing of time.

For me,

after prayer, biblical study, and a lifetime of spiritual development,

the coming of Jesus is an event that occurs

when we surrender our will to God’s will,

when we receive the forgiveness of our sins,

and when we claim Christ’s salvation as our own.

The Holy Spirit fills us in our salvation.

The death of this mortal body

Ceases to be a life-and-death struggle or apocalyptical crisis.

Death becomes an occasion for celebration.

The struggle and pain of this mortal life is ended.

The final journey is complete.

Christ has come, we say.

Christ is come.

Christ will come again.

But, for many,

the coming of Jesus is an event that occurs at the onset of death.

No one knows when death comes,

not even the death-row felon.

It can be as quick as the next heartbeat or

as long as the slow 2 to 20 year progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Death can be at our doorstep with the change of a traffic light or

Death can wait for over a hundred years.

When death comes,

and I can assure you it will for each of us,

that is when our Lord will come.

How or why, I don’t know.

I only know that it takes faith to believe;

faith in the assurance of Jesus when he said,

“Lo, I will be with you always.”

Christ will come to judge the quick and the dead.

Until that time comes,

we are told to keep watch,

to actively wait,

to act with the same sense of imminence and urgency

that empowered the early church.

This is the message that is ours this day.

This is the value of the biblical apocalyptic for our church 2,000 years later.

This is the value of apocalyptic, for your faith and mine.

Advent is the time of watching,

of waiting expectantly,

for the coming of Jesus.

The past narratives of the annunciation, conception, and birth of Jesus,

the writings of the Old Testament prophets, and

the proclamation of John the Baptist in the wilderness

all become the living sign and symbol

of the Christ that is certain to come.

We are called

to carry out our Christian commission to make disciples of all the earth,

baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

We are called

to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – to love our God and our neighbors – as if there is no tomorrow,

because there may not be.

Jesus has given to us this sense of urgency.

Watch.

Wait.

The time is coming.

It is coming soon.

Be prepared.

Prepare others.

Prepare the world for the coming of the Lord.

The good thing about urgency

is that it makes one put life into perspective.

Priorities have to be made.

If something just isn’t important enough, it doesn’t get done.

There is just enough time to get done everything that needs done,

So don’t become distracted by the irrelevant.

Disregard the unimportant.

When our priorities get out of alignment,

we lose the sense of urgency,

of the imminence of Christ, and

we fall deaf to this morning’s Gospel message.

To a large extent this church,

and every church,

has lost some of its sense of urgency.

The maintenance of the building becomes more important than

Filling our pews or growing our Sunday School.

The pastor’s popularity becomes more important

than winning people to Jesus Christ.

Restructuring of the institutional framework becomes more important

than creating disciple making ambassadors and placing them into the mission field.

It is easy to forget that

Each of us is a hair’s breadth away from disability, coma, or death.

It is easy to slow down and become complacent with the status quo.

With a loss of inertia and momentum

It quickly becomes too much effort to change and grow.

But scriptures tell us this morning that

this is no time to be complacent.

• There is no time to kick back and relax.
• There is no time to allow negative or pessimistic attitudes to keep us from moving forward.
• There is no cost that is too big to keep us from completing the will of God for us and for our lives.
• There is no time to be held back for a lack of committed people. The Lord has you and me.
• There is no time to toil over figures which add up to defeat or failure.

Lean into Christ.

Together we make three.

There is a majority the general population who are unchurched,

who need to be made disciples of Jesus and baptized by his Spirit.

What does apocalyptic mean for us today?

It means that

we are called to recapture the zeal and vitality that was once ours,

both here (at Rush) and for the church around the world.

This apocalyptic urgency is a gift to us,

to you and me and our church.

It is a gift from God.

It is one of God’s many ways to inspire us,

to cheer us on,

that we might thrive and grow into the future.

Leave here today with a sense of urgency in everything you do.

Open yourself and allow yourself to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Watch and listen for what God is calling you to do.

Pray.

Listen.

Discern.

Then do what God wants you to do.

Do it with excellence.

Do it with a sense of urgency.

That is the only way to keep watch!

Behold, the Lord is closer than you think,

even behind the next door.

The word of our Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

My apology for my silence the past two and a half months.

I’ve been recovering from a high speed automobile collision. Death nearly kissed me. However, God has a new testimony for me, its content and direction still being revealed.

Weekly sermons return, with my return to full-time pastoral ministry, effective December 1, 2023. Thank you for following my blog, my weekly post. It is fitting that my return begins with the first Sunday of Advent.

Watch. Wait. Christ is coming!

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Three Newsletter Articles for Three Months (August – October, 2023)

The Lord’s Prayer has been a staple in my life, an anchor for my spiritual journey. As I’ve aged, matured, and gathered life experiences, my appreciation and understanding of these sacred directions for prayer has evolved and borne great fruit. Prayer is one of my spiritual disciplines, which I practice at numerous times of the day, drawing deep on memorized prayers, scripture, or free thought and expression.

It is my practice that, at the end of the day, I recite the Lord’s Prayer, slowly, thoroughly, and without interruption or intruding thoughts. A tangential distraction causes me to stop, breath deep, and start again from the top. Rarely does it take more than three or four attempts to exercise the Lord’s Prayer in deliberate completeness. When successful, anxieties cease, and blessed sleep gently comes.

The Lord’s Prayer is recorded in both Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. The text from Matthew is longer and falls on the ear of a Gentile audience, many with little or no religious experience. Luke is short, sweet, and to the point, intended to be consumed by former Jews who have left behind their orthodox rabbinical upbringing and started the spiritual journey as disciples of Jesus.

The Bible you are reading is a better translation than the dusty Bible on a bookshelf that hasn’t been opened in years. Versions draw from multiple source documents in the original Greek, Aramaic, and Latin. Translations attempt, sometimes better, other times worse, to correlate the old with the new, across cultures, times, and distance. New language becomes old with the setting sun. What was new yesterday isn’t in use today. Consider how English has changed just in the short span of our lifetime.  

This photograph is an etching of the Lord’s Prayer in old English, created by my friend, Russell, who is completing his term in Federal prison. He created it, sent it to his mother who framed it, and she gave it to me. It is a kind gift, which I greatly treasure. It is written in English, yet, can any one read it for me?  My point is, knowing and respecting the limitations of language brings great sensitivity and insight into scripture and interpretation.

I was taught as a child the Lord’s Prayer from the 1662 Edition of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, as replicated in the United Methodist Book of Worship. Though I didn’t know the source, rote memory has burned these directions of Jesus into my spiritual DNA. Accepting each word at face value frees me to contemplate deeper meaning and understanding.

“Our Father which art in heaven” is an introduction that reveals much about the one praying and the divine recipient of our prayer. “Our,” implies a collective whole. It doesn’t begin with an individualistic “My”. The Father is shared by all creation. The paternal reference to God is an attempt to personify the loving parenthood of our creator. We share a common father, whose creative effort is the source of life, and whose every effort is for the benefit and welfare of humankind. This makes us sisters and brothers, united with God’s Son, Jesus Christ, whose common family trait is love. When we forget our common father and unity with Christ, we begin to fail and fall from grace.

“Hallowed be thy Name;” From Exodus we know that the word ‘hallowed’ means to render sacred, to consecrate, or to be made holy. Both casual and profane uses of God’s name does not render to God the justice ‘hallowed’ expects. God’s name should never be used to express selfish anger, the execution of a contract, or in threat of damnation.  What if we fail to uphold our word, sworn in God’s name? What if we assume divine power that isn’t ours to claim or wield? God’s name is holy; treat it as such, with sparing respect and reverence. The use of God’s name should only be in the context of worship, bringing focus to glory, honor, and praise. Otherwise, I attempt to limit my use of God’s name to extend God’s blessing and love. These uses demonstrate sacred respect.

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.” The word ‘Thy’ implies ownership and stewardship. This isn’t my kingdom, or your kingdom. Let’s get this straight: this is God’s kingdom. God created each of us, gave us life, and set us in God’s kingdom to fulfill God’s will. This is our purpose in life. Thy will is easily misunderstood as my will. The first step of kingdom transformation begins with personal transformation; from the self-centered ‘I’ to the God-centered “Thy.” Understanding God’s will takes effort to watch, listen, and discern. God’s will often becomes known in private and confirmed in community. Prayer is confirmed or dismissed by a community of praying sisters and brothers. God’s kingdom in earth, as it stands today, is incomplete. More needs done, and it is our job to do it to the very best of our ability. Jesus equates a future completed earthly kingdom with the current heavenly kingdom. This perfection is that which God’s seeks.

…

The wind gently blew down the St. Lawrence River valley, from left to right, west to east, carrying with it the aroma of summer weed pollen and fresh marine vegetation. Our family pop-up camper occupied a site right on the beach looking north. A central campfire was surrounded by numerous pup tents. Canada, a whole civilization, was on the north side, who’s presence was felt, but inhabitants too distant to be seen. The sun was yet to rise, giving a hint of light and warmth to those who dared to stir. Bacon cracked in the cast iron frying pan. A bowl of batter and whisk were poised at the ready. Squatting, our stomachs waited for our daily bread.

My dad was the pastor of the Sinclairville United Methodist Church in the late 60s. The ten, or so, elementary school aged kids and I were recent graduates of his acolyte orientation program. Successful graduates were given the privilege of lighting the altar candles prior to worship and extinguishing them at the end. Our final pass/fail project was to memorize and recite both The Apostle’s Creed and The Lord’s Prayer. The promise of a St. Lawrence camping trip and belly full of bacon and pancakes marked our success.

Jesus taught his disciples to pray “Give us this day our daily bread.”

He doesn’t say to look for discounts and sales, load up the freezer, or to stock up for a rainy day. The image of Bread from Heaven from Exodus 16 should linger. This day; means today. Daily bread; sufficient from start to finish, sunup to sundown. No more, no less. We are compelled to trust that just as the Lord has provided for today, so, too, will the Lord provide for our every nutritional need tomorrow. Excess that we stock away will only turn to rot.

Jesus responds to the temptation by the devil in the wilderness to turn stones into bread with his answer, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4). The word from the mouth of God feeds us, just as certainly as our evening supper. Seek, knock, open, find. Feast on the word of God, as found in scripture and Gospel. Drink from the fountain of the water of life, and thirst no more. Drink from the cup shared with you, and taste the salvation of God.  

The God of my experience has abundantly provided for my physical, emotional, and spiritual sustenance each and every day of my life, from bottle and breast, to the skim and Kashi I had for breakfast this morning. Fresh each day, the word of God has sustained me, just as it is able to sustain you.

“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us” Jesus taught. Trespass. Sin. Debts. Whichever. Whatever. What works for you is the best translation to use.

An honest, transparent, authentic petition for forgiveness requires absolute humility. It recognizes the fact that a sin has been committed, either with an intentional act to harm (commission), or, by a failure to act (omission). It requires an admission of guilt, a confession of our moral failure. No one likes to admit they are wrong, your pastor not withstanding! But, wrong I am, to confront evil, injustice, racism when ever and where ever I’ve found them. I am wrong to break any of the ten commandments, just as I am wrong to exaggerate the truth. Sin is not confined by size or impact. Big, or small, frequent or infrequent, sin is sin. Harming another requires sincere forgiveness.

Forgiveness requires one to cease and desist. Stop the sin; and vow to sin no more; that’s called repentance. Forgiveness requires reparations. Fix and repair the damage I’ve done. Make it right, as if sin hadn’t occurred in the first place.

Forgiveness is a three-way intersection. Sin is the abuse of another. We sin against God. And we harm ourselves. Our forgiveness is a willingness to repair what we’ve broken, bringing restoration with others, with our God, and within ourselves. Forgiveness comes first from God, through the redemptive act of Jesus Christ, and is given to us as a gift of grace as a tool to wield, that God’s kingdom may become perfected on earth as it is in heaven.

There is a word that connects the two phrases about trespasses. The word is “as”. Forgiveness given is to be balanced with forgiveness received. A world out of balance abuses the perfect nature of God’s intent for the redemption of humanity.

Lastly, forgiveness is a habit of experience that we are to teach by word and example to the next generation. Just as we have received forgiveness as a gift from God, so, too, are we to pass the gift on to our children. Give it away. Teach it well. Be certain to make the connection between forgiveness and the cross of Jesus Christ. He died to take our sin away; vow to not to muck it up again. You’ve cleaned up; keep yourself clean; and, lend a hand to help others keep themselves growing among moral, ethical, and spiritual lines, too.

…

When we gather for worship, the Lord’s Prayer plays a prominent part in the liturgy, the ebb and flow of Word proclaimed and Prayers at the Eucharistic Table. Though visited occasionally by the three-year lectionary guide, it is our United Methodist habit to include the Lord’s Prayer on a weekly basis. It is elemental to our faith.

When we have no words, Jesus gives us words. When lost, the Lord’s Prayer provides orientation and stability when most needed. When my mind races down tangential rabbit holes, the Lord’s Prayer provides me center, quiet, and peace. Balance is restored, forgiveness is granted, danger is averted. God’s kingdom is lifted high, God’s power and glory is acknowledged, and God’s name is appropriately hallowed.

A quick back-of-the-napkin summation tells me I’ve celebrated 271 funerals, 128 weddings, and led more than 1,824 worship services. I estimate I’ve recited the Lord’s Prayer over 19,000 times each night before sleep. That is a lot of Lord’s Prayer. It has become for me the common strand of spiritual DNA that links me to sinners and saints, past, present, and future. It joins Jesus to my hip, sharing heart and hands.

Standing in the Lyons, NY cemetery recently, reading from my 1965 Book of Worship, my aging fingers traced the sacred words, illuminated by the afternoon sun, as we bid good-bye and laid Paul to rest. The 21,223^rd recitation of the Lord’s Prayer was just as deep and heartfelt as the first. Prayer changes this disciple for the better, and can do the same for you, too.

Jesus says, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Too often, this thought is broken into two, leading to the misunderstanding that God would somehow lead us into temptation. No. This is a recognition that evil and temptation are a present and dangerous part of the world. This recognizes God’s promise to be present, to give us strength, and to give us guidance to steer clear of temptation and evil. When we do fail and step into the mire of sin, God’s promise, made manifest by the redemption of Jesus Christ, throws us a lifeline and gives us a second chance.

God desires our righteousness; our adherence to law and fidelity to faith. Healing and well-being follow.

You and I will face temptations and evil. Count on it. Ignore it at your own peril. Pastors and faith leaders are magnets for the evil of this world. I know this to be true. The Lord’s Prayer gives me confidence to square off with the devil and stair him down. No one can do this on individual merit or strength. You and I are free to lean heavy into God’s presence and power.

“For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,” Jesus continues. This is God’s kingdom. Thanks for asking. Not yours, not mine, not Albany’s, nor Washington’s. This is God’s kingdom and we are so privileged to be citizens benefiting of God’s love, mercy, and grace. God’s power reigns supreme. There are no competitors. We need fear no enemy, no government, no competitor to our faith and values. When we know God has all power, we are freed from a fear-based existence. Living free from fear is a life transformed, a new heaven, and a new earth. To God be the glory, a recognition of what God has done throughout salvation history, from the first day of creation to your most recent heartbeat. To God be the glory, winning victory over death, the creator of mortal life, the giver of eternal life.

“For ever and ever,” Jesus concludes. Time is suspended in God’s kingdom. “A thousand years is like a day to the Lord” the apostle Peter reminds the Church. The Alpha and the Omega invites us into an ocean of grace to eternally benefit from God’s love and power. These are not circular theological discussions meant to appease the uninformed and ignorant. The Lord’s Prayer is our stake in the sand, making our claim as disciples of Jesus, confident in our faith, placing our complete and whole trust in the Lord.

Beloved, join me in prayer; the Lord’s Prayer.

Todd

Matthew 18:21-35

September 17, 2023

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Matthew 18:21-35

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?”

 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt.

But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt.

When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place.

Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt.

So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

| Centering Prayer |

I. Matthew chapter 18 is a lesson:

Jesus teaches his disciples

how they can organize and get along

once he is absent.

St. Matthew recalls his personal experience.

He draws on the memorized oral tradition.

He referenced bits and pieces of written material circulating from the community of Mark’s followers.

St. Matthew puts it all together

to deliver Christ’s message

to disciples of Jesus,

to members of Matthew’s early church community, and

to us today.

Prior to this morning, Jesus taught

  1. To become humble like little children.

  2. Not to cause any little ones to stumble (remember the mill stone around the neck!).

  3. To cut off or pluck out the part of the body that causes you to sin (ouch).

  4. To go after the one who has gone astray, leaving the 99 behind (lost sheep).

  5. Last Sunday, instructions concerning conflict between yourself and someone else:

  a. First, go to the person alone. If that doesn’t work…

  b. Second, return to the person with 2 or 3 witnesses. If that doesn’t work…

  c. Third, take the person and the issue before the church. If that doesn’t work, the person cuts themself off from the church, then…

  d. Treat them as a Gentile and a tax collector. That is, constant vigilance and receptiveness to their return to the community.

…

II. Our Gospel lesson picks up the story here this morning.

Poor old Peter,

if only he would keep his big mouth shut!

If he had, we would be

much the poorer for it.

Peter asks the question,

in response to Jesus’ teaching about how to deal with internal conflict,

“what then, is the standard of mercy?”

“To what extent do we forgive?”

  a.  There is the Jewish standard:

God forgives 3 times, as recorded in Amos 1:3, 2:1.

The prophet Amos makes the case:

Man could not be more gracious than God.

  b. Peter asks,

how about twice the Jewish standard (2X3)

plus one for good measure? (2X3+1)

“How often should I forgive?

As many as seven times?” (18:21)

Perhaps he was thinking, “won’t Jesus think that I’m quite the compassionate guy?”

  c. Jesus: “Not seven times, but,

I tell you, seventy-seven times.”

Forget the prophetic standard.

Not 3.

Nope. Forget Peter’s standard.

Not 7.

What is Jesus’ standard?

Forgive 77 times.

In other words

The forgiveness that you grant to others should be ABSURDLY HUGE.

Forgiveness is not proportional.

Forgiveness is not mathematical.

I’d suggest

Jesus is hinting

Forgiveness should reflect the abundance of God’s grace.

Jesus’ provides a common financial illustration

To communicate his point.

He uses everyday finances,

Something everyone in his audience could relate to.

Talent

The King’s manager owed his King 10,000 talents.

Estimates vary regarding how much one talent was worth,

Anywhere between $1,000 and

20 years of wages for the common worker.

In today’s wages

The King’s manager owed his King

Between $10,000 and $1,200,000.

We are talking a lot of money!

10,000 talents is an unimaginable amount of debt,

Especially since it is owed to a

King with an army

Of collection agents!

Denarii

A denarius was a small silver Roman coin.

Think of it like a modern-day dime.

Roman soldiers were paid about 225 denarius per year.

1 Denarii = about 1 days wage.

In today’s wages

About $137.

In other words,

It takes many thousands of denarii to equal 1 Talent.

The slave owed the King’s manager 100 denarii,

Not even one tenth of a Talent.

He owed the manager pocket change.

Remember, the manager owed his King

(possibly) millions of dollars.

The contrast is huge!

Pocket change verses millions.

…

III. With this fictional story

Jesus redefines forgiveness.

The new standard for forgiveness is

Shock and awe.

Forgiveness should

Not be proportional.

Nothing even close.

Forgiveness must be

Like a dam that breaks,

A flood that gushes,

Like a collapsing and exploding black hole,

Like the depth and breadth of an ocean,

Like nuclear fission lighting up the night sky.

Overwhelming,

Incomprehensible,

Extravagant.

Impossibly huge.

Forgiveness should drown

both giver and receiver

in God’s abundant, amazing grace.

This is the magnitude of Christ’s forgiveness.

This then, is the standard of mercy that Jesus calls for:

forgive one another,

forgive without reservation,

forgive without end.

Remember the sins of others no more.

…

IV. There is a second measure of Good News in our Gospel lesson for today:

it lays in the illustration that Jesus tells,

as it relates to his previous teaching.

Last Sunday:

Jesus taught about

reconciling two conflicting members of the faith community.

Reconciliation = reunification of the whole.

Jesus’ illustration today nudges reconciliation one step further:

reconciliation is found through forgiveness.

Reconciliation

is dependent upon the King’s manager,

who, in turn,

is expected to forgive the Slave who owes him.

Forgiveness is for Jesus: the NEW DIVINE STANDARD.

  a. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (5:7)

  b. “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” (5:39)

  c. “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (6:12)

  d. “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.(6:14)

  e. “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:36-37)

The contrast is clear:

Old Standard: Law, Judgement, Old Testament.

NEW DIVINE STANDARD: Forgiveness, Jesus, New Testament.

Christ’s new desired outcome is that forgiveness leads to reconciliation.

…

IV. Which brings us to the third gem in today’s Gospel lesson:

True forgiveness comes from the heart.

It must be Genuine,

not contrived,

not forced,

not an attempt to outdo the goodness of someone else.

Authentic forgiveness is about God’s grace.

Jesus’ teaching is not a story to be moralized.

Jesus’ teaching is about the TRUE EXPERIENCE OF GRACE.

God’s grace is absurdly huge!

  a. Like the King in His illustration, God’s grace is without limit or end.

  b. It is only dependent on one thing: our willingness to extend grace and forgiveness to someone else.

Just as God’s grace comes from the heart,

So, too, should be the way we treat others.

Jesus followers lead with the heart.

…

V. The joy of heavenly living is found in the act of forgiveness.

God uses the same standard of judgement with us,

when it comes to forgiveness,

that we are to employ with others.

This is Good News to some, but

Bad, very Bad News for others:

folks who carry a grudge,

the eternal chip on their shoulder;

folks who are always looking to find fault with someone else;

folks who are more concerned with rules than with relationships.

Therefore, vow to be absurd! …

to forgive others who have hurt us…

to forgive them as abundantly, as lavishly, as Jesus forgives us.

This is Christ’s invitation to you:

Lay down your burdens,

give up harboring those bad memories,

those past sins,

and go…

go to the one who has hurt you,

and with all your heart,

forgive them everything,

and remember their sin no more.

If they accept: wonderful!

If they don’t: wipe the dust off your feet and move on.

Harbor no ill will.

There will be sadness in their rejection.

There should be joy in the hope, anticipation, expectation

Of future reconciliation.

If you say that it can’t be done,

God’s limitless grace makes even the seemingly impossible truly possible.

This is the stuff that miracles are made from!

…

VI. Go, sisters and brothers, go.

Immerse yourself in God’s grace.

Forgive from the depth of your heart,

Wait for the miracle.

Be reconciled.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Monroe County Legislature

September 12, 2023

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Creator of cosmos,

Genesis of life, health, and breath,

Spirit of wind, sunlight, and rain,

Radiance of moon and stars;

Come to your chosen and anointed Monroe County representatives

Assembled this evening,

Leaders of diverse faith, culture, and values.

Visit them with your Spirit and

Visions of direction, conviction, and power.

Impart

Voice to speak for the voiceless,

Repair for the broken,

Hospitality to welcome visitors, neighbors, and friends,

Healing for all who are addicted, harmed, or grieved,

Support for widows, children, the aged, and homeless,

Justice, fairly enforced

Equal opportunity for all.

By the same measure of grace afforded me

Prosper our people,

Increase our gratitude,

Deepen our faith, and

Expand our compassion and love.

In the name of the incarnate Lord of my experience,

Jesus Christ,

Mercifully, hear our prayer.

Amen.

Matthew 18:15-20

September 10, 2023

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Matthew 18:15-20

“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

| Centering Prayer |

Since last Sunday,

Jesus and his disciples

Journeyed south,

First, to his transfiguration,

Then, with his face oriented to Jerusalem,

to Galilee, specifically, Capernaum,

Where Jesus tells his disciples a second time

That he will be betrayed, killed, and resurrected on the third day.

(16:21-23, 17:22-23)

It appears he is driving home a point;

Making a statement

That his followers should pay attention.

Indeed, the pinnacle event in the life of Christ

Was his denial, betrayal, passion, suffering, death, and resurrection.

Sorry to all the Christmas aficionados.

Annunciation, immaculate conception, and incarnation,

St. Nicholas, decorated Christmas trees, candles on the window sill, and lightly falling snow,

Great in their own right,

Serve only as elaborate stage scenery for

Christ’s penultimate act,

His passion, death, and resurrection.

Christ’s messianic fulfillment of the Father’s will

Demonstrated God’s great love for us;

An unbounded commitment to the redemption and salvation of humankind,

Fulfilled responsibility for the stewardship of creation,

And a pledge to, lo,

Remain with us always.

Jesus Christ, Son of God.

Commitment.

Responsibility.

Pledge.

Oh, boy. Three ideals and values

That make this son of a Pennsylvania Dutch family

Approach with apprehension.

Yet, commitment, responsibility, and pledge

Speak to our own baptismal vows,

To the vastness of God’s unlimited grace and love,

And to our place in God’s evolving, maturing kingdom.

Dare we speak openly about commitment?

My own, and the commitment of those around us?

Do we stand idle while some fall inactive

Or backslide themselves into the category of “nones”?

Oooo.

It is as if

commitment in this day and age is a dirty word.

Dare you and I speak about responsibility honestly and transparently?

It is my responsibility to teach every child and new disciple

All that has been taught me.

Am I living up to the task?

Is my commitment commensurate

With Christ’s commitment to redeem the sins of the world?

It is my responsibility to lead people to Jesus,

Introduce them to the Way,

And leave the rest up to God.

Am I?

It is my responsibility to love,

Love God,

Love neighbors,

Love enemies,

To show the world that, by our love, we are known as disciples of Jesus.

Have I?

Oooo.

It is, as if,

Responsibility in this day and age is a dirty word.

Dare I speak about my oath, my promise, my pledge?

I will be loyal to the United Methodist Church.

I will support the mission and ministries of the Rush United Methodist Church.

I pledge my support to Christ and his Church

with my time, talent, and treasures.

Do I accept the responsibility given to me to love and loyalty

That Christ bore upon himself with his suffering, passion, and death?

I pledge a tenth of my time, every day,

To acts of charity, outreach, and ministry.

I pledge a tenth of all I earn

To return to God

Who first gave it.

Oooo.

It is as if

Pledge is just another topic that,

If we don’t talk about it

Maybe it will just go away.

Besides, polite people don’t talk about commitment, responsibility, and pledge.

Or do they?

(I think I just did)

Jesus pledged to give his life, his all.

Can I?

…

In today’s Gospel passage

Jesus introduces his disciples to a fourth uncomfortable

Situation that needed addressed

If his Church had any hope of surviving

The growth and expansion primed to detonate

Following his ascension into heaven.

Oooo.

Confrontation. Conflict.

Dare we speak about it

Or do we do

what all polite Christians do

when confronted with conflict?

Avoid it!

And if it can’t be avoided,

Sweep it under a carpet,

Pretend it never happened,

And just move on?

All, too often, I’ve seen

By pastor and parish alike,

The “I’m out of here” trigger being prematurely pulled.

Sometimes, it is just easier to pull the ejection seat,

get out of there,

and deal with the regrets later.

Confrontation and conflict?

I’m no district attorney.

I’d rather stick my head in a hot oven

Or walk over broken glass.

Jesus shows us another way.

Today, Jesus helps us to reframe, refocus,

The way we address the inevitable conflict in our lives

And outlines a healthy means of intervention

That can lead to personal, spiritual growth and greater institutional strength.

Jesus tells us

To care enough to confront

Those who sin against us

With the goal of retaining the sinner.

Confront;

Not to estrange

But to retain.

…

Jesus paints the picture of what healthy intervention

And what a healthy congregation looks like.

Here are some pointers:

1. If you find yourself in conflict with someone else,

Address it directly and promptly.

Do not delay,

For delay only allows dysfunction to grow and resentments to fester.

2.  Do not drag a third party into your conflict.

To do so invites the third party to pick a side

To promote an unhealthy “us verses them” partisan divide.

3. Do not gossip

For gossip only fuels pride and promotion.

I’d love the Finance team to put a twenty-five-cent contribution cup on my desk

For everyone who comes to me saying, “some people are saying…”

4. Do not by-pass the process Jesus outlines.

There is a reason Jesus prescribes a graduated approach to conflict resolution.

Don’t jump ahead.

Follow his linear, proportional design.

5. No one can control the response of another.

As I recently heard,

“It is none of my business what other people think of me.”

What others think of you is between them and God.

Others might dismiss you,

Become angry with you, or

Grow to resent you.

Then again

Your care may be the open door

Through which healing and restoration can take place.

…

In 1901 French archaeologist working in modern day Iran

Discovered 282 laws inscribed on an upright stone pillar.

These laws were inscribed between 1,792 and 1,750 BCE

By the King of Babylon, Hammurabi.

These legal codes were assembled

From around his growing, expanding kingdom,

Aggregated to provide one universal set of laws for a growing, diverse population.

In the prologue

Hammurabi states that he wants

“to make justice visible in the land,

to destroy the wicked person and the evil-doer,

that the strong might not injure the weak.”

“The laws themselves support this compassionate claim,

and protect widows, orphans and others

from being harmed or exploited.”

(as found at ushistory dot org)

‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’

Is the cliff notes summation of a legal leap forward for humankind.

A response to injustice must adhere to an expectation of proportional response.

Murder, is responded in kind: capital punishment.

Robbery, is addressed with confinement and restitution.

Poke out my eye, and you, likewise, would have your eye poked out.

Proportionality is a good first step

And Jesus is quick to build on it.

1. If there is one who sins against you, something small,

go to that person individually first,

and try to settle it

… so that one is regained.

2. If that doesn’t work,

consult with one or two others and take them with you.

Try to settle it

… so that one is regained.

3. If that doesn’t work, tell it to the church,

and allow the church to attempt to work it out

… so that one is regained.

4. If that doesn’t work,

Jesus says “Let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

There is much debate about what he means here.

The common belief is that if a person rejects you, others, and the church,

then we must let them go,

yet, all the while,

watch, hope, and pray

(like a prodigal’s father)

for their eventual return.

…

At every step of the process

Jesus outlines, the goal is

“so that one is regained.”

Just as in minor offenses,

A proportional response also provides for justice in major crimes.

If the issue is large and serious,

the degree of response should be likewise.

Serious crimes or conflict that involve violence,

Jesus would agree,

require the guidance of community standards and laws,

a just legal system,

and the active response of the church.

Serious crimes cannot and should not

be just swept under the table, as if they didn’t exist.

At the same time,

even serious criminal offenses do not cut someone off

from the love of God or the grace of the church.

At all times law and grace must be balanced,

with the goal “that one is regained.”

“That one is regained”

Gives meaning to proportionality.

Like a the wizard pulling levers behind a curtain

Jesus is showing us behind the scene

What it means to preserve the health and welfare of human relationships

And the wellness of the Church.

Strong relationships are able to bear issues of sin and conflict.

It doesn’t mean we have to like conflict.

But, of the grace extended, we are given all we need, and more,

To bring healing and restoration to that which is broken.

Constructive confrontation

identifies the transgression that has occurred,

the barriers that have been crossed.

Hurt people hurt others.

Healing sometimes has to return to and fix the original sin.

Sometimes times people who hurt others may be unaware of their sin. Confrontation identifies the offense and names it for what it is.

Constructive confrontation communicates

the fact that you are committed to your relationship.

You’re not going to walk away mad.

You will not going to take your marbles and go home.

You are committed to working it out.

This is what friends do.

This is what disciples of Jesus do.

Deal with issues while they are small, and they rarely become large.

Proactive conflict resolution is vital to ensure the integrity, health, and wholeness of the Church.

Lastly, dealing with conflict and sin

makes a statement about the God we believe in.

Our God doesn’t guarantee us an easy life;

but God does guarantee us that we will have a divine companion with us every step of the way as we navigate through life.

…

Life is fraught with those who hurt you,

and, regrettably, the hurt we cause others.

We are a community of sinners,

Seeking redemption,

striving to become a community of saints- more like Jesus every day.

Today’s Gospel gives practical advice from our Lord himself, about how we are to live together as disciples of Jesus; how we should care enough to confront those who hurt us.

Confrontation can be the open door,

leading towards a process of repentance, restoration, and, finally, forgiveness.

Be not afraid.

Do not fear. Do not avoid.

Avoid the temptation to hide.

Do not run away.

You and I?

We can do this.

If only we surrender with a “yes.”

Jesus is with us.

Jesus gives us the strength.

Jesus shows us the way.

The Word of the Lord, as it has come to me. Thanks be to God. Amen.