Numbers 21:4-9, John 3:14-21

March 10, 2024

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

John 3:14-21

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

Prayer: Dear Jesus, you tell us that everything is possible for those who believe. We do believe; Lord, help us overcome our unbelief. (Mark 9:23-24) Amen.

Our Old Testament Lesson this morning is Numbers 21:4-9.

We find our Hebrew ancestors,

Newly freed from Egyptian captivity,

Recently saved from the Pharaoh’s pursuing army

By the Divine parting of the Red Sea and drowning of his soldiers.

God 1. Pharaoh 0.

The Hebrews were wandering in the Sinai wilderness

Searching for food and water.

They are a grumbling, cantankerous crew,

Making their complaints known to Moses and against God:

“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?”

Lord knows,

I grumble like a bear coming out of hibernation

When I’m hungry and thirsty.

Doesn’t everyone?

The Lord responds

To criticisms and complaints

By sending poisonous serpents among the people.

Consider this a possibility next time you complain to God.

Serpents slithered among our Hebrew ancestors.

Some were bit and many died.

The Hebrews were smart enough

To associate their words and actions

With God’s response.

Cause and effect were clearly linked in their opinion.

Remember,

They witnessed God’s actions against Pharaoh that delivered them.

They are fresh off a victory!

So they went to Moses and confessed their sin,

Begging deliverance from the snakes:

“We have sinned

By speaking against the LORD and against you;

Pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us.”

(Numbers 21:7)

So, like the obedient servant he was,

Moses prayed for his people.

God spoke to Moses;

Gave him an immediate response,

An immediate revelation:

“Make a poisonous serpent,

And set it on a pole;

And everyone who is bitten

Shall look at it and live.”

(Numbers 21:8)

When the people gazed upon the bronzed serpent on a pole,

Their attention turned to God.

Confidence and trust warmed hearts.

God healed them.

God saved their life from death.

Notice this little attention to detail:

God didn’t remove his serpents.

God provided a means of salvation from them.

Everyone who looks up,

Sees the faithful response to God’s command,

Will see the bronze serpent and will live.

Look up, and live.

…

Our Gospel lesson for this morning is from John 3:14-21.

There is so much here;

Let us focus upon on John, chapter 3, verses 14-15:

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

So must the Son of Man be lifted up,

That whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

(John 3:14-15)

The setting for this passage

Is Jesus’ late-night conversation with Nicodemus,

A Pharisee and leader of the Jews.

While Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Passover,

Nicodemus secretly seeks Jesus out,

Under cover of night,

And says to him,

“Rabbi,

We know that you are a teacher who has come from God;

For no one can do these signs that you do

Apart from the presence of God.”

(John 3:2)

Quite flattering, don’t you think?

To which, Jesus responds,

‘Very truly, I tell you,

No one can see the kingdom of God

Without being born from above.’

(John 3:3)

Thinking literally, Nicodemus asks

“How can anyone be born after having grown old?”

(John 3:4)

Jesus replies with his statement about being born anew, or from above:

‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’

(John 3:5-8)

This is where the phrase “born again” originates.

When asked, “are you born again?”

Those who’ve been baptized by water and the spirit,

Can confidently answer, YES!

Born once, from your mother’s womb.

Born a second time, at your baptismal waters.

…

The conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus trails off

And John, the evangelist,

Continues Christ’s theological discourse.

Jesus reflects upon

Our Old Testament passage from Numbers,

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

So must the Son of Man be lifted up.”

(John 3:14)

The Greek word Jesus uses for “lifted up” is

HYPSOUN

Which literally means one continuous ascent.

This word is found only three other times in the Gospel of John

• When Jesus is lifted up onto the cross,
• When He is raised up from the dead, and
• And when Jesus is lifted up into heaven.

The Gospel author’s approach …

John’s approach … is this:

When he uses the words “lifted up”

John is intentionally

Equating it with SALVATION.

When Jesus is lifted onto the cross,

We are given salvation from sin (forgiveness).

When Jesus is lifted up from the dead

Salvation is given from death (that is, eternal life).

When Christ is lifted up into heaven,

We are granted salvation from Christ’s absence.

Christ leaves with us the presence of the Spirit (Holy Spirit).

The story doesn’t end with His ascension.

“…So must the Son of Man be lifted up…”

God’s salvation story is ignited new and fresh

With each generation of Christians.

The clarion call comes to each disciple

At the moment of conversion,

That is transformed into a duty,

A responsibility,

To lift up Christ,

That all the world

who gaze upon Jesus

might be saved.

Salvation isn’t a one-and-done deal.

It can only happen when Jesus is lifted up

And, like the rabbinical Jews of old said

In an effort to make sense of the Law,

This act will turn our minds to God.

…

I believe that the GEM in today’s passage

Is the timeless message

Calling us to lift up Jesus,

Like Moses lifted the serpent on a pole,

So that all who are broken,

All who have sinned,

All who have been hurt,

All who desire Christ,

May look upon Jesus, believe, and be saved.

It is our responsibility to lift Jesus up to the world,

– like a bronzed serpent on a stick –

– like a candle held high –

– like a city on a hill –

To offer God’s salvation to those who will see and believe.

If we don’t, who will?

Eleven years ago,

I spent twelve days in Israel and Italy.

I experienced the effort of fifty generations of faithful Christians

Making it their generation’s purpose

To lift up Jesus to the world.

“God so loved the world”

Is evident in Michelangelo’s “Creation”

Painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

“That he gave His only Son”

Is evident in the Orthodox Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem,

filled with beautiful mosaics portraying our Savior’s birth.

“That who so ever believes in Him,”

Believing is evident on the shores of the Sea of Galilee,

The church of the Multiplication,

And the mount of Beatitudes.

“Shall not parish”

Is evident at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,

Where Jesus was nailed to the cross,

Up-righted into a hole

And his broken body was laid upon a stone.

“But shall have everlasting life.”

Stepping inside the Garden Tomb,

Entering the Church of the Ascension,

Lifting eyes to the heights of St. Peter’s Basilica’s dome;

Each is a historical, archaeological testimony to Christ lifted up.

…

It is our responsibility to lift Jesus up to the world,

To offer God’s salvation to those who will see and believe.

If we don’t, who will?

Ask yourself

“In what ways have I lifted Jesus up this past week?”

“How have I testified to the glory of the Lord and the reality of His salvation?”

A while back an old friend

wanted to talk with me about his grandmother who died.

She never “knew the Lord,” he told me.

I could hear the concern in his voice.

“You’re worried for your grandmother, aren’t you?”

Without using words

He was asking me if she went to heaven or hell.

“The God that I’ve come to know

and experience and love in my life”

I began to testify,

“Doesn’t damn any of his beloved children to hell.”

We condemn ourselves.

But Jesus comes to save.

Hell is right here on earth.

Hell comes from wasting away a life determined not to believe,

Not placing trust in God.

Her hell is over now,

For now, she believes.”

Isn’t this what the Gospel says

When it reads “those who do not believe are condemned already.”

(John 3:18)

We judge ourselves,

By our belief or unbelief.

…

Opportunities abound for us to lift Jesus high;

To lift him high for others to see,

To believe,

And to be saved.

Consider all the people who meet in a day,

At work, home, social organization, scouts, politics, wherever.

Every day, there is a multitude of opportunities

To witness to the God of our experience,

To lift up Christ,

And to share His love.

Here are some proven tips: 

• Stick to people you know, friends & family. Cold calling is silly and intrusive. Friends and family are the people with whom you’ve already established a high level of trust.
• Allow others to share their hurts and pain in life with you. Just like the Hebrews, the ones who were bit by the poisonous serpents were the ones going to Moses for help. Do more listening and understanding than talking and preaching.
• Begin with your own experience: “…the God I’ve come to know and experience and love in my life…” Speak about what you know.
• Be honest in what you don’t know.
• Share your faith, your inner beliefs, and in doing so, your witness lifts Jesus up high. So that, as it says in v.15, “whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

It is humbling to consider, eternal life may be dependent upon our witness.

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

So must the Son of Man be lifted up,

That whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

(John 3:14-15)

Jesus was lifted up:

To death,

To resurrection,

To God on high.

Now, it is our responsibility,

As his followers,

To continue to stand up,

Speak out,

Lift him high

And offer Christ

As God’s gracious gift to the world.

The gift of Jesus

Is the gift of salvation.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Mark 1:9-15

1^st Sunday of Lent

February 18, 2024

the Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Mark 1:9-15

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.” 

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

| Centering Prayer |

Our gospel lesson this morning

causes me to reflect upon temptations-

how Jesus faced temptations,

how we face temptations,

and some helpful strategies

regarding how to overcome

the temptations

we inevitably face

throughout life.

Unless you are an autonomous Boston Dynamics robot,

I know you face temptations,

Some big, some small.

I know because you are human.

Temptations are human by character,

A common reality of the human condition.

If you live, breath, and think

Temptations are as real as wet water and a blue sky.

…

Four thoughts.

1) Treat temptation with respect.

An attitude of

“Oh, man.

I won’t let that happen to me”

just doesn’t cut it

in the adult and seedy world of temptation and sin.

It would be naive

to dismiss temptations

as something trivial or unimportant.

“Just the facts,”

I quoted Joe Friday of Dragnet fame

A few Sunday’s ago.

Here are the facts straight from

Temptation’s felonious rap sheet:

Jesus faced 40 days

of intense, consecutive, severe,

potentially catastrophic temptations.

These efforts were at the hand of the devil himself,

in the wilderness

where Jesus was isolated,

had no support,

and was particularly vulnerable.

The temptation of Jesus takes place

immediately following his baptism

and right before he began his public ministry.

What a way to start out on your first day of a new job!

Fact: Jesus knows we face temptations, too.

That’s why he included the subject in the prayer he teaches us …

“and do not bring us to the time of trial,

but rescue us from the evil one.”

(Matthew 6:13)

Temptations are very real.

They can become so obsessively destructive

Temptation can, and will, take your life.

In teaching us this,

His Father’s prayer,

his Lord’s prayer,

Jesus is giving us an essential, lifesaving tool

to fight back against temptation:

Jesus give us

the power of prayer.

Jesus gives us the permission

to petition God,

to ask for help,

that we not be led into temptation.

Permission to wield the power of prayer

is an indispensable spiritual tool

given to us and available for our use.

In some respects,

temptation is like fire.

It is intriguing to look at,

but do not reach out and touch it.

Temptation can capture

our eye, our attention, even our imagination.

As soon as temptation is converted into behavior,

we find ourselves beyond the point of no return.

We touch the flame.

We are burned.

The recovery from burns is long and painful.

Refuse

to allow yourself to approach the tipping point

From fantasy to reality,

From imagination to behavior,

From temptation to sin.

Temptation is nothing less

than the work of the evil one.

Like it or not,

the force of evil must be reckoned with.

…

2) Preemptively and proactively

Address the temptations you face.

The easiest way to avoid temptation

is to not allow yourself

to be placed in a position

where you would face temptation in the first place.

In other words, don’t play with fire.

Neither go looking for matches or a lighter.

Tempted to commit adultery?

Don’t go looking, flirting, or trying to find opportunity.

Tempted to steal some money?

Don’t put yourself in a position

to count money, deposit money, or keep track of money.

Tempted to fake a resume?

Create a resume with someone who knows you,

who will hold you accountable,

who won’t let you obscure the details.

Tempted to drink or drug?

Don’t go to a bar or call a dealer.

Go to AA or NA, get a sponsor, and work the 12 steps.

Tempted to overeat?

Don’t go to the all-you-can-eat-buffet.

Generally, avoidance is not a healthy approach to life’s problems.

But avoidance is a useful tool in your toolbox

when it comes to temptation.

Avoiding temptations pre-empts temptations

before they can gain a foothold over you.

The best time to face a difficult issue

is not when confronted by a moral crisis.

The best time comes well before,

when the issue can be thoroughly thought out in advance,

advanced plans can be made,

when the temptation can be most effectively addressed or avoided.

When it can’t be avoided,

Face temptations proactively and aggressively.

An aggressive, proactive game plan

to address temptations and hard times

is worth its weight in gold.

Strategies can be thought through.

Preposition resources,

Like counseling services, support groups, Bible studies, or Sunday school classes.

Create a list of people to contact,

Pastors, counselors, sponsors, physicians, and friends.

Preparation makes it more likely

That we will benefit

from a well thought out,

articulated,

moral and ethical plan

to successfully navigate future crisis and make good decisions.

For example,

the best way to address the hard issues of the day

may be to talk around the safety of the family table,

when you have the benefit of intergenerational wisdom and experience.

Or, perhaps the best approach to moral dilemma

may be to talk about it over coffee

with a fellow disciple or church friend.

Who better to influence our beliefs and values

than our mentors, teachers, and pastors?

…

3) When facing temptations,

It may be helpful to

Reframe the question.

Cynthia and I are watching the HBO series, “True Detective.”

It is a crime drama from above the polar circle

Where, Jodi Foster, the Chief of Police,

Has a habit of asking her officers

Stuck on an apparently unsolvable crime,

“What’s the question?”

She is subtly questioning

whether the question being asked

Is the right question.

If it isn’t,

What is the right question?

Time to reframe the question.

Be careful reframing the question.

You may uncover something

That is uncomfortable, painful,

Even dangerous.

Reframing the question brings no consolation to a grieving parent.

The old saw making comparison between an optimist and a pessimist,

a cup of water that is half full or half empty,

may have no meaning to the junkie or alcoholic

whose future holds divorce, death, jail, and broken relationships.

To the business owner who risked everything

only to find bankruptcy at the end of the rainbow,

reframing the issue may appear shallow and cold.

To the patient with a new terminal diagnosis

walking away from the doctor’s office

or laying in a hospital bed,

anger may thwart every effort to assure or find comfort.

Reframing temptation to sin

Has its benefits,

If we dare examine more deeply.

In his letter to the church in Rome,

the apostle Paul observes

“we know that all things work together for good

for those who love God,

who are called according to his purpose.”

(Romans 8:28)

All things, he says.

Not some things.

All things;

Good and evil,

Right and wrong,

The illness and the cure,

Even pain and suffering

Even life and death.

All things.

Work together, Paul says.

All things are inter-connected.

One action creates

Infinite reactions,

Good and bad,

Intended and unintended

consequences.

All things work together

for good.

Temptations have benefits,

if only we have the courage, strength, foresight, and objectivity

to reframe temptation

and learn from it.

“Temptations can be beneficial?”

you ask with skepticism.

Consider the power of witness.

“I’ve been down the same road you are traveling.

I overcame the same temptations that you are now facing.

If God is able to grant me success,

God can show you the road to victory,

how to overcome temptations, too.”

Consider the confidence that comes with wisdom and experience.

“I’ve beat this temptation before.

I know I can beat it again.”

Consider what temptation reveals.

God may be using temptation to reveal something new to you,

if only you reframe the issue,

if only you open your eyes,

and see what is staring right back at you!

Indeed, all things

– including temptation –

can work together for good

for those who love God.

…

4) God gives us the power and ability to overcome all temptation,

if only we trust Him.

Ultimately it is a trust issue.

Do we trust the Lord sufficiently

that we can stand confidently opposed and unyielding

to temptation?

My confidence and trust

comes from a lifetime of God’s faithful protection.

God has watched over and kept my life,

safely and securely,

every one of my days.

September 18, 2023

Was a splash of cold water in my face,

Alerting me,

Reminding me,

Confirming within me,

Confidence and faith in God’s amazing grace.

For no apparent reason,

Without cost,

God has given me grace sufficient

To overcome temptations in my life.

It may have taken multiple attempts on my part,

But, God has always been there to

Find me,

Catch me,

Repair me,

Restore me,

Return me

to the flock of the faithful.

God has given sufficient prevenient grace

to stand firm against temptation.

God has already provided us with the people and provisions

To stand strong and weather every storm.

As I look back over my life,

As I’m often to do

heading into retirement,

the times that I’ve yielded to temptations

(and have been burnt by sin)

have been when I’ve allowed pride, ego, or money

get in the way of my relationship with Christ.

On every occasion,

God supplies us with sufficient grace,

adequate resources.

Either you come to trust this, or you don’t.

It isn’t magic.

It isn’t a miracle.

It is simply recognition of the way that God relates with us.

When God made covenant with Abraham to be our God

That we would be God’s forever people,

God promised

to support,

to stand firm,

against temptation and sin.

God has an unblemished track record of faithfulness,

even when our faithfulness has ebbed and flowed.

God sent us his Son, Jesus,

to be our rock, our sword, our shield.

God gives to us his Spirit, the Holy Spirit,

to be our every present help and guide and strength.

… if only we place our trust in the Lord.

Though it is painful to hear

of how Jesus endured 40 grueling days with the devil,

and though it is somber and humbling to endure our 40 days of Lent,

these are helpful spiritual issues.

All things do work together for good.

….

Dear people of God,

beloved members and friends here in Rush,

you do not bear your burden of temptation alone.

Christ is by your side.

Bring your trials before the Lord.

Leave temptations for God to dispose.

Leave your burdens behind.

Let go.

Allow yourself

To be swept into God’s Ocean of grace,

To experience the fulness of Christ’s love for you.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Mark 9:2-9

February 11, 2024

Transfiguration of the Lord

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Mark 9:2-9

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

| Centering Prayer |

Transfiguration of the Lord

Serves as the right-hand bookend

To the liturgical season sandwiched between …

The Epiphany, or manifestation, of the Lord, on the left,

and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent,

Some five to nine Sundays later, on the right.

To know where one is headed,

It is important to know where one has been.

From the birth of Jesus and the angelic proclamation,

“To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,

who is the Messiah, the Lord.”

(Luke 2:11)

To the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River,

Complete with the inbreaking and descent of the Holy Spirit

Complimented by the voice of God,

“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11)

Our Gospel authors

(all four of them) make it crystal clear

That Jesus is the

Beloved Son of God,

A Savior,

A Messiah.

At the Transfiguration of the Lord

The Lord’s words of confirmation are surprisingly similar,

“This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”

(Mark 9:7)

Beloved Son.

Savior.

Messiah.

Listen to him!

Listen.

Ah, if ever there is a time to pay attention to Jesus

It’s when God tells us to listen!

Pay attention!

Watch and listen.

Take in all that God is revealing today.

Take it all in.

The time of Jesus’ Galilean ministry was coming to an end.

He had been itinerating from town to town,

Preaching with authority,

Casting out demons,

Healing the sick,

And attracting huge numbers of followers.

Galilee had been saturated with Jesus.

Jesus didn’t have ten or twenty percent market penetration.

Jesus was nearing one hundred.

Everyone was amazed at his teaching.

Everyone was absolutely convinced by his miracles. 

No one questioned his identity or his authority.

It was time for Jesus to pivot.

It was time to wheel South, and head for Jerusalem.

His course correction begins in Galilee.

Jesus ascended a Galilean mountain,

Most probably, Mt. Tabor.

Early Church fathers believed that the Transfiguration took place on Mt. Tabor.

Jesus brought with him on the climb Peter, James, and John.

They weren’t brought there for the spectacular view

(Although the Jezreel Valley probably never looked better).

Look who showed up:

Elijah and Moses.

They do not symbolize prophecy and law

As some well-meaning but uninformed have proposed.

Their presence is

the apocalyptic that every Jew anticipated,

The sign that this age was coming to conclusion.

The race had been run

And Jesus was on the final lap.

It was time for Jesus to fulfill our Father’s will.

It was time to bring the old world to an apocalyptic conclusion,

And to usher in a new world filled with hope and promise.

It is not as if Jesus didn’t give his disciples warning.

Immediately prior to the Transfiguration,

Peter declared publicly who Jesus was,

“You are the Messiah.”

(Mark 8:29)

Jesus harshly rebukes him,

And immediately turns right around

And teaches his disciples with Divine authority

That he will suffer, die, and rise again.

After today,

Jesus will repeat this important lesson,

As recorded in Mark, two more times.

Do not be naive!

Watch!

Listen to him!

Believe in what Jesus has to say.

Jesus pivots

From outreach ministry in Galilee

To suffer, die, and rise from the dead in Jerusalem.

The journey to the cross will be dark and dangerous.

The journey to the cross starts with suffering.

The journey to the cross ends with death,

A cruel, public, humiliating execution.

Messiah was the apocalyptic conclusion

hoped for by many faithful Jews of the day.

The coming of Messiah, it was believed,

Was the fulfillment of Hebrew prophecy.

The title Messiah communicated optimism.

It was the tipping point

When the Roman and it’s legions of soldiers

Would be beaten like a junkyard dog.

The Roman era would be replaced

By a political savior,

Ushering in a Messianic age,

Where their collective suffering would be ended and death would be no more.

The new era,

This post-apocalyptical era would be called

The Kingdom of God.

You can’t get to resurrection without first being sealed in a tomb.

Beloved Son.

Savior.

Messiah.

Listen to him!

Take it all in!

The spotlight is on Jesus today

And he is lit up like the Los Vegas strip.

The light that transfigures his appearance

Is given to us as a gift of grace.

God’s gift is meant to sustain us for the journey throughout Lent,

As we descend from illumination on the mountain in the North,

Traveling with Jesus into the land of passion and shadows,

Which come to an end in darkness

On that Southern hill named Calvary.

When there is no light

Let the light of God sustain you!

The spotlight on Jesus

Might be the only memory,

Might be the only hope remaining,

At the end of our forthcoming 40-day journey.

Let transfiguration light guide you!

When they tear his lifeless body from the cross

And slide his corpse to the stone slab

For washing, preparation, and burial

All other light in the cosmos will be extinguished.

The wisp of a memory,

The near extinguished light of transfiguration,

Makes it possible to endure

His three-day journey through death and burial.

Drink in his light!

Drink in God’s grace until you can fill no more!

This is transfiguration’s promise:

God’s light that completely transformed Jesus’ countenance

On that Galilean mountainside

Is the same Divine light that

Will release the resurrected Jesus from his garden tomb.

Allow the light of God

To guide you through the darkness of Lent.

Allow the light of God

To bring you through suffering and death.

Allow the light of God

To lead you to resurrection and eternal life.

“Listen to him,”

(Mark 9:7)

Our heavenly Father commands us.

Listen to him for he speaks with authority.

Beloved,

Be still.

Allow Jesus to speak in your life.

Take it all in;

All that he says, and

All that he does.

Take it all in.

Though the future path is painful,

We can, and will, endure.

Jesus is the way and the truth and the light

That leads to resurrection.

Amen.

February 4, 2024

Isaiah 40:12-31 and Mark 1:29-38

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Mark 1:29-39

As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.”

He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.”

And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

| Centering Prayer |

If given a choice between

waiting for a certain,

but long-term benefit,

or,

claiming an immediate,

but less than certain short-term gain,

most people would

roll the dice and take their chances.

The majority of us, I’m told,

would go for the immediate,

certain gratification.

(With thanks to Steed Davidson, Associate Professor of Old Testament, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkley, CA as found at workingpreacher dot org)

Win the lotto?

(as a good United Methodist,

you shouldn’t be playing the lotto in the first place!)

Most prefer to take a lump sum

Rather than an annuitized payment for the rest of their life.

The majority of Americans don’t like to wait.

We do not want to start a college savings account the day our children are born.

We don’t like to begin investing in a long-term retirement account before the age of 50.

But, oh, how we howl like a hungry wolf

when we get that first tuition payment notice in the mail,

or have a financial advisor calculate how little you’re going to have in retirement.

Such was the dilemma of our Hebrew ancestors

who found themselves as prisoners of war,

exiled in Babylonian captivity,

crying for Zion

on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates.

They did not understand

the events of the present,

nor the profound place they stood in the larger, creative, salvation history of God.

They were tempted by the immediate:

the cheaply created Babylonian idols

(as described in Isaiah 40:18-20)

18 To whom then will you liken God,

   or what likeness compare with him?

19 An idol? —A workman casts it,

   and a goldsmith overlays it with gold,

   and casts for it silver chains.

20 As a gift one chooses mulberry wood

   —wood that will not rot—

then seeks out a skilled artisan

   to set up an image that will not topple.

Really? Really, people?

25 To whom then will you compare me,

   or who is my equal? says the Holy One.

26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:

   Who created these?

He who brings out their host and numbers them,

   calling them all by name;

because he is great in strength,

   mighty in power,

   not one is missing.

Apparently the temptation for immediate gratification

is not just a western American phenomena;

Why wait for God

when by simple

force-of-will

we can get the job done?

Why turn to God

when I can just do it myself?

After all, we justify,

“God helps those who help themselves.”

Hear of God’s might and be in His awe (Isaiah 40:12-17):

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand

   and marked off the heavens with a span,

enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure,

   and weighed the mountains in scales

   and the hills in a balance?

13 Who has directed the spirit of the Lord,

   or as his counsellor has instructed him?

14 Whom did he consult for his enlightenment,

   and who taught him the path of justice?

Who taught him knowledge,

   and showed him the way of understanding?

15 Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket,

   and are accounted as dust on the scales;

   see, he takes up the isles like fine dust.

16 Lebanon would not provide fuel enough,

   nor are its animals enough for a burnt-offering.

17 All the nations are as nothing before him;

   they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

Sometimes we get so bogged down

in the immediacy of the moment that

we lose a sense of the larger picture,

of God’s greater plan,

of God’s greater glory.

We know what we see.

We have hope in what the Word of God allows us to imagine.

Yet, there is still so much more to the completeness of God

that stretches beyond the horizon,

beyond the limits of our human imagination.

Not one of us are able to fathom a fraction of the fullness of God.

…

Such was the case in our Gospel lesson for this morning.

In this first chapter of Mark we have:

witnessed the birth of Jesus,

his baptism and possession by the Holy Spirit,

his calling of disciples, and

last Sunday, his exorcism of a demon possessed man.

Jesus is preaching, teaching, healing, and casting out demons

in his familiar, hometown region of Galilee.

Jesus was bound to gather a crowd,

and boy did he ever! … in spades!

A small number in the crowd

would have been drawn to Jesus

because of his authoritative teaching.

“This guy really knows what he’s talking about.”

Others would have been

attracted by his messianic potential.

“Jesus might be our guy.

Let’s see if he’s got the muster to grow a militia,

kick Rome to the curb, and

re-establish the Kingdom to the expanse and glory of David.”

However, scholars suggest,

the majority of people

would have been drawn by Jesus’ miracles:

healing the sick and casting out demons.

Everyone loves a Father’s love traveling salvation show,

Complete with high intensity, emotional faith healings.

…

You’ve heard our Prayers of the People.

Perhaps you’ve added a few names or circumstances of your own to the list.

It should come as no surprise to you.

We all know someone who needs the personal attention of our God

(who assures us that if we ask for whatever we need,

God will grant it to us).

At one time or another

everyone needs the miraculous power of Jesus;

to be able to reach out and touch his garment and be healed,

to have the demons of our obsessions cast out and be thrown into a heard of pigs.

Fix me now and

I’ll follow you later

(we like to hedge our bets).

Popeye the Sailorman

Was both comic and cartoon

(back in the day),

Featuring Popeye (of course),

Complete with bulging forearms,

Olive Oil, and

A strangely odd character named Wimpey.

“Fix me now and

I’ll follow you later” sounds a lot like

Wimpey’s out-of-money promise

“I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.”

…

From today’s Gospel narrative,

Jesus no sooner heals Peter’s mother-in-law

and she rises to begin to immediately serve.

Jesus opens the outside door

and finds the street crowded with hundreds of people

– the whole “city was gathered around the door” –

begging Jesus to heal them, too.

“You did it for him;

do it for me, too!”

the crowd presses.

“You caste out her demon;

caste out mine, too!”

the crowd writhes.

“You can’t just turn your back on my son and daughter!”

The crowd begs and pleads.

“Touch me Jesus! heal me Jesus!”

So, Jesus did what he does best:

He healed them.

Every last one of them.

He caste out demons and didn’t let them speak.

All day long,

until way after sundown,

Jesus touched, and healed, and caste out every last one of them.

…

Then Jesus retreated to a deserted place to pray.

Much could be mused

about how this is a wonderful example for each of us

to draw away for a time of rest and prayer;

to recharge our spiritual batteries,

If you will.

Indeed, it is good discipline

To take periodic breaks

for retreat and restoration of the soul.

However, this would be a tragic misdirection

of the Good News for this morning.

The point that Jesus means to make comes

when he addresses those who hunted for him;

who’ve been searching for him:

“Let us go to the neighboring towns,

so that I may proclaim the message there also;

for that is what I came out to do.”

There you have it:

Jesus didn’t come to heal an individual’s infirmities,

even though he did because that was his nature;

Jesus healed to draw attention to his message

– the signature of God’s emerging kingdom

is forgiveness, love, and salvation.

Jesus didn’t caste out demons just for the sake of casting out demons;

Jesus exorcised demons to demonstrate that

the power and majesty of God

exceeds that of sin, evil, and death.

The short-term benefits of Jesus’ miracles

pointed to the long-term reality of God and

His emerging, eternal kingdom.

In the story of the man possessed last week,

and in the healing stories of today,

we see how good that Good News was and is for us today.

Part of God’s reign

is the casting out of demons and the healing the sick.

At the same time,

Part of God’s reign  

has to do with restoration of those oppressed

to a full role in their communities.

Yet, a third nature of God’s reign

has to do with creating a restored people

raised up to serve one another

– like Peter’s mother-in-law –

Then unleashing God’s power of healing to a broken world.

Can you see?

These tactics of Jesus

Are a part of a larger strategy of God

On a redemptive and salvation trajectory

To reign in and save a broken and possessed world?

This is God’s signature.

And people do come;

they show up in numbers,

trusting that Jesus will heal and restore.

(With thanks to Sarah Henrich, Professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN  as found at workingpreacher dot org)

Today, Jesus continues to heal the sick and caste out demons;

he does it

through the Holy Spirit

working through

the love in our hearts and

by the work of our hands.

Life might break us.

Jesus is here to restore us.

And he is dependent upon each of us

to serve as his hands and his heart;

to overcome evil in this world,

replacing it with His glory,

healing all with the Love that only Christ can bring.

In doing so,

perhaps we can be like Peter’s mother-in-law,

who, when healed of her fever,

rose and set about to serve?

I believe we can.

What we do,

how we do it, and

what we say,

how we say it

 … everything …

is to point to the same message that Jesus came to proclaim.

“Lift up your eyes on high and see”

the prophet Isaiah proclaims.

God created, and continues to create;

God loves the world enough to send us His Son, and continues to love;

God forgave, and continues to forgive;

God saved, and continues to save every day.

This is the signature of God’s emerging kingdom.

Let us rest in this, our faith and hope;

Let us rest in this, Christ’s message proclaimed;

Let us rest assured of God’s greater glory.

Amen.

Mark 1:21-28

January 28, 2024

the Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Mark 1:21-28

They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

| Centering Prayer |

“Just the facts, ma’am,”

Joe Friday would ask the witness.

Just give me the facts.

The sleepy, seaside town

Known as Capernaum

Came together for

Friday evening Sabbath

To hear and see the latest sensation

To come out of Nazareth.

(picture of map and synagogue at Capernaum)

Crowds gathered to hear him teach.

People were drawn from the surrounding countryside

To experience a new authority

– A refreshing breath of Good News –

That was blowing in the land,

– Unlike the stale and tired –

The old news that was strict and unbending

Recited by talking heads

Of religious authority.

The new authority would become identified

Not with the Law or Covenant of old,

But, with the grace and love of a gentle God

Yearning for the repentance and love

of His children.

…

“Just the facts, ma’am,”

Joe Friday would ask,

“Just the facts.”

Fact #1: Jesus taught with authority.

He is compared and contrasted

with the scribes,

the keepers of the text,

who lacked such authority.

Authority is

more than the ability to be.

Authority is the ability to become

Based on understanding,

Not just caretaking,

Knowing,

Not just believing,

Fulfilling

All that God is calling you to become.

Human nature has

remained remarkably unchanged

in two-thousand years.

When people gather for prayer, worship, and insight, the demons we bear come right along with us.

The sins we struggle with

Are wheeled right into the midst of the sacred,

Only to have us get out our pitchfork

And start cleaning out the stall

Of human depravity and sin,

Slopping it right onto the altar of our God.

We really know how to muck up a good sanctuary.

We would like to think that a house of worship

Would be free

Of sin, suffering, and sedition

But then, whenever people are gathered

We are nothing more than a community of sinners

Yearning to be transformed into a community of Saints.

…

“Just the facts, ma’am,”

Joe Friday would ask,

“Just the facts.”

Fact #2: People with demons know who Jesus is.

They know him by name and reputation

and, likewise, they know his disciples.

Whether we are the demon possessed ones,

Or, we are nothing more than

just an innocent bystander

We are drawn in by the struggle.

We are splattered by the mud;

Hoping above all hope

That we are not sin’s unintentional victims.

All to often,

We are

the stewards of sin.

How could this be so?

We were

Born perfect in everyway.

We have been

Granted free will by our benevolent creator,

Yet exposed to evil and

Succumbing to the lure of

temptation’s persuasive ways.

The evil one knows

Who we are,

Where we are,

What we are doing, too.

We are on his radar.

Like an evil mass marketer

Spewing spam and

phishing for unsuspecting dolts and doorknobs,

The evil one is prepared to fight for his very life

In a cosmic battle with our God.

The evil one is in a death match

over the final disposition of our souls.

This fight is God’s fight.

This fight is also our fight.

In a crime more hideous than identity theft,

Sin driven hunger

drives even the most unsuspecting people

to commit the most outrageous sins

Against God and fellowman or woman.

Be forewarned, “there but by the grace of God,”

That demon filled, sin oozing person can sometimes be a reflection you or me.

Human pride and ego,

Weakness to temptation

And tendencies towards sin

Sometimes makes the most holy Saint

Become nothing more than a snake,

A demon possessed handmaiden of the devil himself.

…

“Just the facts, ma’am,”

Joe Friday would ask,

“Just the facts.”

Fact #3: People with demons are attracted to Jesus and his followers.

Is it because darkness seeks out it’s adversary?

Is it because sin is looking for a fight?

Or, perhaps

Sin comes a-knocking

Knowing that the only solution

– The only solution to sin and death –

Is the grace that Jesus has to offer:

True repentance

Complete forgiveness

And the hope of eternal life.

…

“Just the facts, ma’am,”

Joe Friday would ask,

“Just the facts.”

Fact #4: People with demons expect that Jesus desires to destroy them, and the evil they carry.

The perspective of evil

Comes from looking through glasses

Colored by sin,

Constructed to be evil.

The demon knows death and destruction.

That is where it lives.

Yet death and destruction

Are limited in their scope;

Are confined to only a small corner

Of the world’s reality.

Jesus surprises the devil.

Instead of seeking his destruction

He seeks his exorcism.

Jesus seeks his conversion.

Jesus seeks to save the person’s life.

…

“Just the facts, ma’am,”

Joe Friday would ask,

“Just the facts.”

Fact #5: Jesus doesn’t seek to destroy people.

Jesus saves.

Jesus seeks to caste out evil,

All-the-while

salvaging and saving the person

To live another day.

There are no “throw away” people in God’s kingdom.

All of us are capable of being Rehabilitated with repentance and

Recycled into a state of grace.

It is the yearning of a loving parent

That we come with repentance written upon our lips and hearts.

Yet, our Gospel for today tells us

That the authority of Christ is capable

Of overcoming even the possessed and unrepentant.

This is truly Good News.

This is good news for those mucking around in sin’s tar pit.

This is good news for you and me, too.

For each of us have our time in the bottom of the barrel.

And no amount of human endeavor

Seems capable of removing the stain of sin.

The Good News of this day is that

Jesus is the only solution:

All other solutions kill both the body and the soul.

Jesus is the only solution:

Who is capable of exercising sin with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel, saving the patient’s life.

Jesus is the only solution:

Jesus is the only one with sufficient authority to cleanse us from our demons, from our possession, from our sins.

Jesus is the only one with grace sufficient

To rehab and restore this sin sick soul of ours.

Jesus is the only one who is interested in saving your life and mine, all the while, making us pure and perfect once again.

One story

Of Jesus and a demon possessed adversary.

One story

Yielding many facts, but one essential truth:

Jesus is our solution

– Our only solution –

That restores our body

And saves our soul.

The Word of the Lord, as it has come to me.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

January 21, 2024

Mark 1:14-20

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

Mark 1:14-20

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

| Centering Prayer |

God does the calling.

It isn’t about us,

you or me,

(though, to tell the truth,

I would like it to be

all about selfish-me.)

It is by God’s initiative

and by God’s initiative alone

that we are named

that we are invited

to the table

to join

in relationship

– give and take –

in a relationship

between our Creator,

one another,

and ourselves.

God takes the bold stand

to claim you for God’s very own

whether we like it or not.

This isn’t a buyer’s market.

Questions of motive or means

are unknowable

without Divine revelation,

without God showing you God’s hand.

So don’t beat yourself up

with questions.

If answers come,

simply respond with thanks.

We only know what we’ve experienced.

We only know the knock

when God is standing

at our door.

Listen for God knocking.

The time is ripe.

The time is now.

God establishes the standards.

Expectations are low.

The likelihood of success is high.

Failure is not remembered in God’s kingdom.

The depths of hell

are filled in and paved over

with one simple utterance of repentance.

The trouble wrought by the Devil himself

is wholly righted

simply by the majesty and power

of a forgiving and loving God

who sent his Son to die for our sins.

God calls the ordinary

the plain and simple;

fisherman and farmer,

merchant and trader

soldier and sailor and candlestick maker.

God calls

The pilot and crew,

The driver and the mechanic changing your oil.

God calls the disabled,

The non-neural typical,

Their family and their staff.

God calls

the widowed and the divorced,

the drunk and outcast,

the blue collar, white collar,

and every type and color of collar in-between.

God calls the sinner

and the saint alike.

God calls the best and the brightest

and the least and the dull.

If God can call the least of these,

– If God can call someone as foul as me –

then I assure you

God can call you, too.

In fact,

the mere fact

that you are here

(that you are reading this)

is proof positive

that God is calling

your name

the same way Simon and Andrew

James and John were called.

Stop what you are doing.

Watch. Listen. Wait for it.

Can you hear the knock?

Listen for the whisper.

Follow me.

Follow me.

“Not worthy?” you say.

Please.

Save your protests

save your whining

for some imbecile

who might be suckered in

by such insincerity.

It does not say anyplace in scripture

that God reviews past work experience

that Jesus asked to see a resume or curriculum vitae

of anyone chosen or claimed

for His discipleship.

No psychological testing.

No background checks.

No physicals to pass.

No final essays or test!

You hear the knock?

You can trace the sound of the Spirit’s whisper?

You are worthy

just the way you are.

You are worthy

no matter where you’ve been

or what you’ve done.

You are worthy

so, as my doctor told me years ago,

“it’s time to grow up.”

Stop behaving like a child.

Stand up like a man or a woman

and take the authority

God has already given to you.

God provides

all the necessary talent, education, and tools.

There is a reason you can do some things well.

There is a Divine reason you can do some things well.

It’s because God has already been at work in your life

making plans and preparations.

From the time you were conceived,

From when you were in the womb,

your foundation has been under construction.

A strong back

a sharp mind

an artistic touch

an inventor’s creativity

a prisoner’s longing

are each equally important

gifts from a loving,

heavenly Father.

Do you think

doors have magically opened for you

throughout your life?

Open your eyes!

Wake up and smell the coffee!

God has been opening doors for you

all your life.

God has brought teachers and mentors

into your life and mine

to help develop the skills necessary

for successful discipleship.

This education comes at the incredibly low price:

Just as you have freely answered the call to follow Christ

Turn to the next generation

And invite them to follow Christ, too.

Teach your daughters.

Tell your boys.

Write it down to be discovered when you die.

Witness to the God of your experience.

Confess your doubt and brokenness,

All-the-while, proclaim God’s grace, redemption, and salvation.

All that you have been taught and learned

Pass it on.

Give it away.

Give it all away.

Whether your tool of choice

is a pipe wrench or a computer

a trowel or a plow truck

a hammer or a stethoscope

a pen or a badge

God has provided every tool you’ll ever need.

God has provided everything

Has given you everything

in the past

in the present,

and will continue to provide for your every need

in the time that is yet to come.

We’ve been given

One common tool.

Into everyone’s toolbox

is given the Bible.

The written Word of God,

sacred in every way.

Though often overlooked

and ignored

the Bible is the best all-around tool available.

Use it.

Use it liberally.

Read it’s Gospels like a road map for daily living.

– Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John –

Use it as your guide to life.

For me,

The Bible was

Taught the basics in Sunday school and Vacation Bible school,

Tolerated as a teen,

Questioned as a college student,

Learned to love and explore in seminary.

Understanding is not required.

Complete comprehension is not expected.

I don’t understand it all,

Educated, ordained, and experienced as I am,

and trusted with the keys to the kingdom.

If the preacher doesn’t understand it all,

how could anyone else?

Fact is

faith isn’t based on insider knowledge.

Faith isn’t based on certainty.

Faith is stepping out on nothing

And landing on something.

Faith is based on watching,

then passing on

what has been observed.

Faith is like a flowing river

That is taking us ever closer to the heart of God.

Accept the fact that

with God there is always that which is mystery.

Around the next corner may be

the unexpected detour or fork in the road.

With God there is always

the mysterious,

the unknown.

Good works result from faith.

Jesus and his apostle, Paul,

both knew that we would

forever get this fact backwards.

Faith is not the by-product of good works.

You can’t earn your way to heaven.

People do good

by God and by neighbor

when it is faith that does the talking.

God makes it possible

To introduce people to Christ

And grow deep His followers.

Whatever we need

has been given.

If it seems we need more,

Ask, and it will be provided.

If it isn’t provided

God probably didn’t believe we needed it.

Keep eyes on Jesus

And everything else will take care of itself.

Answering the call

is not about being a preacher.

Answering the call

is about following Jesus

like Peter and Andrew,

James and John.

Answering the call

Is about serving where God plants you.

All that is required from you and me

is the ability to say “yes,”

“here I am.”

“I will go where you send me.”

“I will do what you want me to do.”

Surrender may be the most difficult decision any of us face,

For we are taught from a young age

To resist,

To defend,

To fight to the bitter end.

Yet, even yet, the call begins with surrender.

Not my will,

Thy will be done.

God’s time is fulfilled

the moment acceptance comes,

the moment we submit

our will

to the will of Christ.

The appointed time has grown short.

The present form of this world is passing away.

Answer the call.

Fish for followers.

The moment is ripe.

The moment is now.

Be assured,

belief comes in time.

Likewise, be assured,

belief never fully completes the square.

Questions always remain.

Tomorrow will yield a new dawn

a new day

fraught with temptations, trials, and snares.

Even still,

tomorrow will yield a better day

simply because

we have decided to answer God’s nudge,

the Spirit’s whisper,

Christ’s call

to drop our nets

and to follow Him.

Dearly beloved, these are the words

God has impressed upon my heart.

Amen.

1 Samuel 3:1-11 & John 1:43-51

January 14, 2024

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

1 Samuel 3:1-11

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Then the Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle.

John 1:43-51

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

| Centering Prayer |

The news wasn’t good.

His brothers had been caught red handed.

His father failed to react;

To do anything about his scoundrel sons.

(1 Samuel 2:12)

Instead the father,

An elderly priest,

Turned and looked away.

The boys had been caught stealing from the offering plate.

No, not money.

They had been stealing the remains of

animal sacrifices from the Temple

Which were designated for the poor.

Instead of waiting at the end of the line,

Like any good parish pastor at a dish-to-pass dinner knows to do,

These contemptuous brothers (1 Samuel 2:17)

Budged in first,

Took the choice cuts for themselves,

Then turned over

the leftovers and scraps for those in need.

All are called to righteousness and justice.

When the crooked brothers blasphemed the Lord by their behavior

The Lord took notice.

Eli chose not to.

Their evil behavior didn’t end by stealing the choice cuts of lamb.

Elkanah, or Eli as he had come to be known,

Had tried to confront the boys, Hophni and Phinehas,

About their evil dealings in the local brothels.

(1 Samuel 2:23)

But they would not listen.

A man from God even came to Eli

To warn him that the Lord honors those who honor him,

And despises those who hold him in contempt. (1 Samuel 2:30)

But Eli would not be moved.

If the nearly blind, elderly priest

Would not respond to the Lord’s directive from an outsider

Perhaps the Lord had another card to play.

There was a third son,

A mere boy,

Meaning he was younger than the age of maturity,

Younger than 13.

It was time for the Lord to call Samuel.

The call of Samuel,

Which we have earlier heard proclaimed,

Is recognized as a monumental text

That has catapulted the imagination of many

And launched them into the process of discernment.

“Since God called the young child Samuel,

When is God going to call me?”  

Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.

Too often,

When we hear the word “call,”

Or the Lord “calling” someone,

We assume the call is to become a pastor.

In Samuel’s case, nothing could be further from the truth.

The Lord called Samuel to a life of righteousness and justice;

The Lord also calls Samuel to a ministry of prophecy and judgment.

The Lord had a message to send to Eli

Through his newly called child prophet, Samuel:

Daddy and his boys were going to pay,

And pay mightily,

For the iniquity,

The blasphemy,

Eli’s house had committed.

They would be punished.

They would pay with their lives.

Justice and righteousness matter to God;

Both values to which God’s people are called.

Samuel was faithful to his call

And he did just what the Lord requested of him.

He informed his father, Eli,

Who took the news to heart.

“It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.”

(1 Samuel 3:18)

Finally, Eli had listened to the Lord.

The Lord fulfilled his promise.

Eli and his two sons would die.

Samuel would become a life-long,

trustworthy prophet of the Lord.

(1 Samuel 3:20)

He would mature into the role as God’s last Judge (leader) in Israel,

The one who the Lord rallied to defeat the Philistines,

The one who God directed to anoint kings, Saul and David.

Samuel’s exciting life as God’s prophet can be read in the

Biblical books of Judges, and 1^st & 2^nd Samuel,

Which I highly recommend.

…

Question.

Are we living out our call to act with righteousness, upholding justice?

Samuel’s childhood call narrative teaches us something about our relationship with God.

Indeed, the Lord often guides one to diverse roles,

Changing over the course of life,

Spanning from childhood to old age.

It begs the question,

What does God’s call look like,

At this time,

At this place in your life?

Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.

…

Both this Sunday and next Sunday

We are experiencing powerful call narratives from the Gospel;

Today from John and next week from Mark.

Jesus is launching his ministry by calling his first disciples.

John was doing his job.

You know John, don’t you?

The Baptist guy.

The one who had amassed quite the following;

The one who had been baptizing the crowds in the Jordan River;

The one who baptized Jesus in Jordan’s icy current.

He had been standing on the street corner with two of his followers,

Andrew and Simon (who would also be known as Peter),

Both Andrew and Simon Peter were from the seaside Galilean village of Bethsaida.

John, Andrew, and Peter

Were standing on a street corner in the lower Jordan valley,

In the region of Judah,

Someplace within a day’s walk

From where John was preaching and baptizing;

Quite possibly in the ancient City of Jericho (of Jushua’s fame).

Jesus is seen walking by when John exclaims,

“Look, here is the Lamb of God!”

(John 1:35)

Testimony, as is often the case, results in action.

Andrew and Peter immediately followed Jesus.

“What are you looking for?” Jesus inquires.

“Rabbi,” they respond, “where are you staying?”

“Come and see,” Jesus replies.

Come and see.

And the first two disciples were called. (John 1:37-39)

Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Simon Peter grew up,

Was a small village,

Kind of like the hamlet of Rush,

And, like in every small town,

Tongues tend to wag.

Everybody knew everybody else’s business.

Everyone, it appeared, was related.

Siblings, cousins, and neighborhood kids grew up together.

While Jesus’ first two disciples were from Bethsaida,

Jesus had grown up in the nearby village of Nazareth,

Less than 30 miles to the west.

If Jesus intended to expand the number of his disciples,

Perhaps he should stretch his network of those who he is calling.

Thus, it makes sense, for

Them to travel to Andrew and Peter’s hometown, Bethsaida.

In your mind’s eye,

Think of these three (Jesus, Andrew and Simon Peter) walking the path

That paralleled the Jordan River, then, around the east side of the Sea of Galilee,

Arriving at the bustling village of Bethsaida.

It is here where the Gospel picks up the narrative.

Jesus finds Philip, quite possibly

a friend or relative of Andrew or Peter.

“Find” is a very important word,

Especially in the context of the Gospel of John;

It serves as a launchpad for deeper reflection as the story unfolds.

Find.

To be found.

Know.

To be known.

The easy way out would be to suggest

Andrew and Peter had simply briefed Jesus about Philip,

“Primed the pump,” as it is often said,

And convinced him

On the road between the Jordan in the south

And Bethsaida in the north

That Philip was a really good chap

And would serve as an excellent recruit for our Lord’s third disciple.

Yet, when we look at the Gospel of John in total,

From a thirty-thousand foot perspective,

We see this longing desire for our God to know us

Through his Son, Jesus Christ;

To know his disciples,

To know those who are being called to make up his body.

Finding and knowing are characteristics of God, played in spades.

God finds and knows disciples before each are called.

As Nathanael comes towards Jesus, he said,

“Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”

“Where did you get to know me?” Nathanael asked, apparently mystified.

“I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you,” Jesus replied.

Nathanael immediately comes to recognition,

“Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!”

(John 1:47-49)

John witnessed to Andrew and Peter.

“Come and see” was our Lord’s invitation.

In turn, it was Andrew and Simon Peter who led Jesus to Philip and Nathanael.

Jesus found them and knew them,

Even, as I would suggest, Andrew and Peter

Had a chance to introduce Jesus to Philip and Nathanael.

It is the Divine nature of Jesus that finds disciples.

It is his love, that seeks to know each and every one of us.

It is his call, that every baptized disciple receives,

To come and follow him.

The call, for Andrew and Peter, for Philip and Nathanael,

Is for the one who is called to go and find more disciples,

Those whom Jesus already knows

Where they are

And who they are.

Jesus is the one making disciples.

It is the roll of his disciples to support Jesus to make more.

Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.

…

Have you testified like John,

Pointed to Jesus, saying “Look, here is the lamb of God!”?

Have you introduced friends and neighbors to Jesus?

Who in your network hasn’t yet heard the whisper of God?

Who are your acquaintances

Who haven’t yet been introduced to Jesus?

“God so loves the world,” Jesus teaches.

The whole world is called to Jordan’s baptismal waters,

To become a member of Christ’s body;

To be claimed by God,

Adopted by God.

Found and known.

As members of Christ’s body,

The Son of God,

All of us are called to live righteously before God,

To always try to do the right thing.

Follow God’s commands.

Act according to God’s instructions.

Prioritize justice.

Let us be like Samuel.

Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.

As members of Christ’s body,

The Son of God,

Let us dedicate ourselves to introducing others to Jesus,

To take an active roll in disciple making.

Witness what you have seen.

Testify to what you know.

Introduce others to Jesus

And let God do the rest.

What does God’s call look like to you,

At this time,

At this place in your life?

Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.

Some of us are called to pastoral ministry.

Some are called to prophecy.

Some are called to teach.

Others are called to justice ministries,

To advocate for the poor,

To feed, house, and provide shelter,

To visit in prisons,

To minister to the sick and dying.

The apostle Paul even reports that some are called to speak in tongues.

What does God’s call look like to you,

At this time,

At this place in your life?

Know this to be true:

God calls all of us to righteous living.

Jesus calls all of us to bring to him new disciples.

Amen.

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.