Oh, holy night!

The light is shining on the people who have walked in darkness (that's us).  Our world is dark, it's true.  But at night, on this holy night of Christmas Eve, free from distractions, we can actually see clearly both the darkness and the light of Christ entering in.  See the light of Christ shining clearly in the night - for you. 

Better days coming...

I'm not usually one for pop Christmas songs.  Sorry to all Mariah Carey and Celine Dion lovers out there!!  But the Goo Goo Dolls a few years ago came out with a song that I think speaks the message of God coming to walk among us at Christmas.  Check it out, and click the link below the video for the lyrics too.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson's Christmas Message

See below for Bishop Hanson's Christmas message, which focuses on Titus 2:11, "The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all."  It's a great message!

Greetings, favored ones!

It's hard to believe sometimes that God, really, favors us.  It's hard to believe that God takes special notice of us, not just in an abstract, but a real way.  The Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper are concrete signs of this special favor God grants to each of us, just as God took special notice of Mary.  While we are not being called to give birth to the Christ child (whew!), we are called to bear the Messiah of the world to others in our words and actions.  We are called to give witness to the Christ who is coming again soon into the world.

Let it be, Mother Mary spoke

Now, I'm very, very far from an authority on any music made before 1990, and I am not a disciple of the Beatles.  But, as I have meditated on the texts for this Sunday, the 4th Sunday in Advent, I have been amazed by the remarkable story of the Annunciation to Mary, Mother of Our Lord.  And I've been amazed by Mary's answer to Gabriel, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."  More on that in the sermon tomorrow morning.  But, the Beatles rather interestingly capture the wonder, wisdom and mystery of Mary's reply.  Enjoy!

The war is over

March 20, 2003.  Eight years, eight months, and 25 days ago.  I was a senior in high school then, and the images of the bombs detonating in Baghdad on CNN are something I will never forget.  Much more vivid are the memories of the over 1 million American military personnel who served and fought in this war, which is now over.  24,219 American, British, new-Iraqi, and other coalition forces and contractors were killed, and about 118,000 wounded.  As many as 37,000 forces who fought for Saddam Hussein and post-war insurgents were killed, and untold thousands more were wounded.  Directly or indirectly, anywhere from 600 to 900,000 civilians died as a result of the war. 

It is most certainly a time to remember, and honor, the sacrifices made by the members of our military and those of other nations who fought alongside.  It is a time to rejoice at the return of so many young men and women to be home with their families this Christmas.  It is a time to remember the many thousands of servicemen and women who are still fighting in Afghanistan.  It is also a time to remember the terrible human cost of all war, and to pray for the day when war will be no more - a day promised to us by the God who will beat all swords into plowshares, and spears into pruning hooks.  Let us pray also that the leaders of the world will consider first the needs of all people everywhere, no matter which nation they live in, and govern with the wisdom and compassion necessary to avoid war and violence wherever possible.  But right now, we can give special thanks to God that this war is now over.  Let us pray that the people of Iraq may have a peaceful, free, and blessed future.

Who Are You?

No, I'm not posting the song!  This past Sunday's reading from John features religious officials from Jerusalem asking John (the Witness) the question, "who are you?"  This can be a threatening question, but I imagine John's reply likely surprised them.  He doesn't tell them who he is as much as he says who he is not.  Like John, we are not the Messiah, but we are called to be witnesses, testifying to the light of Christ in the world.

OneRepublic: All Fall Down

It's been a while since I've shared a song with you, but this is one of my absolute favorites.  We often think that life is something we have to conquer, a list of tasks to complete or goals to accomplish.  But we are creations, not creators, and as Romans 3 tells us, we all fall short of the glory of God.  One of my favorite bands, OneRepublic, takes a look at this reality which can actually be very comforting.  We are not God.  We all fall down, and that's ok, because of the One who is there to catch us, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Our lives are a gift from God, and each day is a blessing.  Our life is not most centrally about what we do or fail to do, but about who we are and who God is, and what God is doing in the world.  This song really helped me in a time in my life when I was struggling with not accomplishing all I thought I should.  Enjoy!

Lyrics below:

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem...

The prophet Isaiah compares human beings, specifically the people of Israel, to grass or a flower, saying "the grass withers, the flower fades."  We are not always faithful to God or to each other (big surprise there!).  We can especially hurt the people closest to us when we lash out at them.  Israel had been unfaithful to God, but God did not allow vengeance and punishment to be the final word.  Speaking to Israel in exile in Babylon, God's words are "Comfort, O comfort my people."  God sent us THE tender Word, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, to bring us comfort in the wilderness times in our lives.

Keeping Awake for the Coming of Christ

Welcome to Advent!  This is the first Sunday of a new church year, and we are in the season of hope and expectation.  Advent is the season in which we wait not only for the Christ child to come at Bethlehem, but also for the second coming of Christ at the end of all the ages.  We are free to be present for each other and the world, because our future is secured in God's love.

Christ Lutheran Is Talking!

If you attended the discernment small group kick-off this past Sunday, November 13, you know that it was a great success! Members of the congregation gathered around tables, over a delicious meal, to talk about who we are as the people of Christ Lutheran. Stories were told, moments were remembered, and we considered what makes us unique.

I want to share with everyone the wonderful thoughts you all have about our church.  What follows is verbatim from the responses recorded on the group sheets.  Duplicate responses from the groups have been preserved.  

I cannot say how thankful I am for the faithful reflections you all are having. I was so excited to see several times that we know we're saved by God's grace! God is indeed present in Christ Lutheran's transition, and God will show us the way. As you can see, there are a variety of perspectives in the congregation. Let's keep talking and digging deeper!

I'm looking forward to Session Two, “Why Are We Here?,” on Sunday, December 11 (after worship).

Our untamed God

In the time of Zephaniah, over 600 years before Jesus was born, many in Israel lamented that God was no longer active in their lives, saying "the LORD will not do good, nor will he do harm."  This is often not unlike our situation today.  Sometimes it seems that we no longer believe God is active in the world.  But our God is bold and has the audacity to have become human in Jesus Christ.  God is with us now, leading us forward to be his people without fear.

All the blessed saints of God

Today is All Saints Day - it's your festival day!  This is the day for all the saints, that is, it's the day for all of you, when we remember God's promise to each of us that we will be with him eternally.

You Tube Extra: Gone

So, for the second bonus video this week, I direct you once again to the band Switchfoot.  Now, I'm not saying this is the best band in the world by posting them twice, but they make some interesting points in this song.  We are not infinite, and neither are the things we consume.  Listen to the song and read along with the lyrics below.  Where is your treasure, or in different words, what is the focus of your life?

You Tube Extra: A Future Free from Famine

Okay, I admit it, I've fallen behind on You Tube Friday, folks.  To make up for it, you'll get TWO BONUS VIDEOS this week, plus the normal Friday edition.  Wow.  I know, it's amazing.  Here is an important message about famine in our world and what we can do to help bring it to an end.  Remember - droughts are natural disasters, but famine is man-made.  Think about it and enjoy this video from ONE.org.

Reformation Sunday: I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more

Although we cling to memories of sin, failure and injustice, God no longer remembers our sin.  God chooses not to allow the memories of our sin and brokenness define our future.  God frees us from sin in Jesus Christ and is creating a new future for us - beginning in our baptisms.  This freedom in Christ is what Martin Luther sought to proclaim almost 500 years ago.

God's Holy People - That's You!

Today we hear in Leviticus God's words, "you shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy."  Rather than using this as a way to divide God's people into holy and not holy, what if this is a declaration from God of who he is making us to be?  What if God is making us holy every day, and calling us to mission here in Lancaster?

What belongs to God?

Today's gospel reading from Matthew invites the question, "what belongs to God?"  The answer - well, just about everything.  We are invited to consider the world and our lives and how we are called as Christians to relate to governments.  We are called to witness even in Washington and on Wall Street to God's vision of justice.

You Tube Friday: Nobel Prize-Winning Lutheran

Did you know that a Liberian Lutheran woman named Leymah Gbowee has recently won the Nobel Peace Prize?  She has led a movement of women committed to ending violence and bringing about peace in Liberia, a West African nation which has been torn by civil war over the last few decades.  Her group was instrumental in the free and fair election of Africa's first female president, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (who also won the Nobel Peace Prize).  Hear part of Gbowee's story here.  See what God's ordinary people can do with faith and love?

The invitation has arrived

Today in worship we rejoiced as five of our sisters and brothers were welcomed by God in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.  Today's gospel reading from Matthew featured Jesus telling a parable about a great wedding banquet.  In baptism, we have assurance that we are indeed invited to the Lord's table.

You Tube Friday: Welcoming Feet

For Week Two of You Tube Friday, check out Pr. Violet Little of The Welcome Church in downtown Philadelphia, a church without walls.  I was so blessed to be able to attend Pr. Little's installation in the fall of 2009, which was held in Rittenhouse Square.  We sang hymns, prayed and recited the 23rd psalm in the middle of the square on a Sunday afternoon, while the people of Philadelphia hurried by or had lunch at one of the several trendy restaurants nearby.  But some of them stopped, and what they saw was a powerful witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Enjoy!

Christ the Cornerstone

Today's sermon...the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 

You Tube Friday: Meant to Live

Hey folks at Christ Lutheran (and the Lancaster community)!

Last week I decided to introduce to the CELC sermon & devotions blog something that we would do in youth group and worship conference a lot when I was growing up - watching music videos that might have something to say about God or faith.  Anberlin, last week's band, is made up of people who I believe would call themselves Christians but they are not a "Christian band," per se, meaning they don't only sing praise and worship songs.  However, if you listen carefully, you can see their faith coming out in the lyrics. 

This week's band, Switchfoot, is a little more out there with their Christianity.  They've had a bunch of top hits, including this one, "Meant to Live."  Listen carefully, and keep their message in mind when you hear this week's Gospel text on Sunday (Matthew 21:33-46).  What were we "meant to live" for?  What are God's hopes for us?  When we fall short, and we will, what is God's message of grace for us?


But stay tuned - this is just the beginning!  I have officially declared the beginning of YOU TUBE FRIDAY on the CELC sermon & devotions blog.  Each Friday, visit the blog for music, stories, inspirational speakers or things that make you think twice!  And now, without further ado, Switchfoot (lyrics below):

Heaven is all around

God is at work in all of us.  Faith is a gift.  Heaven is all around.  Hard to believe?  Listen to St. Paul, on whose letter to the Philippians I preached today:

Grace marked your heart...

Ok, it's time everyone found out a little secret about me....I love rock music.  It's true.  One of my favorite bands is Anberlin, a band that self-identifies as Christian but wouldn't say that all their music is necessarily "Christian" in theme.  Many of their songs get me thinking about God, but especially this one. 

It's called "The Unwinding Cable Car" and I like this video for many reasons, including that it seems to have been filmed in Philadelphia, on trains that I myself rode quite often when I worked in Center City.

I offer this as something to think about.  What does it mean that in God's eyes we are indeed brilliant?  Have you ever felt like grace marked your heart?  I think that's hard to remember sometimes.  Let me know what you think, and enjoy the video!   The lyrics are posted below:

God chooses to let us in at 5...

We often pay close attention to what is fair or unfair in our lives and society.  Today's parable can be very jarring to us who expect fairness in our lives.  But God grants us many things we have not earned, including our very lives back from sin and death.  God's blessings for us are undeserved, and as such when God chooses to be merciful, we can rejoice!  All receive the same blessings, no matter what they've done, in God's house.

Goodness is Stronger than Evil

Yesterday in our worship, we heard Jesus call us to the difficult task of forgiveness.  I imagine that for many of us, these words were hard to hear as we remembered the tragic attacks of ten years ago.  Yet Jesus' call to us as Christians remains the same.  Our lives are infinitely valuable to God, and on account of Christ we are forgiven all our sins so that we may live free from their power.  We are invited to share this forgiveness with others, opening a world of possibilities in our relationships as God's children.  This goodness of God's love and forgiveness is indeed stronger than evil and the seemingly endless cycle of violence and retribution.

September 11, 2011

This Sunday will mark the 10th anniversary of the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001, which claimed thousands of lives here in America and has led to a decade of war which has claimed untold thousands more.  It is a day of remembrance, of mourning and lamentation and of sober reflection upon Christ's call to forgiveness.  It will be a special service here at Christ Lutheran, and I hope you'll be able to attend.  Below I have reposted an article from our September newsletter as well as a litany we will be praying together this Sunday.  Please feel free to add your thoughts and prayers in the comment section below.

Jesus shows up whether we like it or not. And he's bringing love.

Like it or not, Jesus shows up whenever even two or three of us are gathered.  That's good news from our reading from Matthew this week, but it might mean something in our lives that we don't expect.  Here's the sermon for Sept. 4.  How does the love of God in Jesus change your life?

What if we believe God exists?

This is a question that has been asked by many Christians, including a leader of a Christian advocacy organization recently. It's a strange question for most of us who belong to a congregation, call ourselves Christian and show up to church on Sunday. We would say that of course God exists.

But what if we believe God really exists? These words are both challenging and comforting. If God really exists, then nothing is the same.

What about God's powerful calls for justice for the oppressed, for freedom for the captives and unconditional love for all?

What about Jesus' promises that he will never leave us alone? that we will both die and live with him? that we are all infinitely loved?

What does it mean for us that we are disciples of the living, real God in the world?

What does it mean for the world that God is in charge?

Let's talk about this --

God's peace+
Vicar Evan

A Different Storyline...

I hope and pray that this post finds everyone high and dry, having weathered the hurricane safely and without too much damage. We would like to know if anyone has suffered damages to their home, so please contact each other and/or the church office if you need help. That's what a church family is for!

Today's sermon is below, and I hope it will be helpful to read since many (very understandably) could not get to church this morning. I look forward to seeing you all again soon. God's blessings!

Handed the Keys to the Kingdom...

Today's reading from Matthew is one in which Jesus is proclaimed to be the Messiah, or the Christ (the two words both mean "anointed one"). We also hear that Jesus has created the ekklesia, that is, the church, which literally means "those called out." Jesus promises that nothing will overcome the church, and he says that he will give us the keys of the kingdom of heaven. We have been invited by our Lord to a great journey doing his work with our hands.

Do not be conformed, but be transformed....

Our church, like thousands of other churches around the world, follows a three-year cycle of Bible readings for each Sunday. This cycle is called the lectionary. One of the cool things about the lectionary, I think, is that sometimes readings come up that challenge us, comfort us or invite us to something new when we least expect it.

This week features one of my all-time favorite Bible readings, Romans 12:1-8. Paul has spent most of the letter preaching that everyone is redeemed equally and completely by the free grace of God. But then he goes on to invite his brothers and sisters in the Roman church to new life made possible by God's grace. Here's the passage:

In Christ there is no East or West....

This is the title of our hymn of the day from this morning's worship, and it captures the heart of the gospel message from this week's Bible texts. If you have a hymnal at home, it's number 359 in the green book (LBW) or number 650 in the new red book (ELW). Take a look while you read this sermon. Or, here's the first verse:

Sermon - August 7, 2011

8^th Sunday after Pentecost (Year A) - Sunday, August 7, 2011

Matthew 14:22-33

This past week, my first week in Lancaster, has been memorable in several ways. Personally, I have been struck by the love and kindness you all have shown me in welcoming me to this place. As some of you might know, your former vicar Brett is now my wife and so Christ Lutheran to me is not entirely new. I am so grateful to finally be here each day in person and to begin getting to know each of you.

It's been memorable in another way, though, not nearly as positive. Wave after wave of misfortune and tragedy seem to have crashed into the people of this city, this nation and the world. As a people, as individual persons, and as a common humanity we seem to be weathering a time of high wind and huge waves battering our boat as we struggle to keep afloat.

Jello Salad in Zambia

When I first took a look at the texts for this (now past) Sunday's worship, the story of Jesus walking on water and Peter sinking below only to be saved by Jesus' quick grasp, I was carried back to a memory from the other side of the world. In March 2008, I journeyed with my home congregation, St. Paul's Lutheran in Washington, D.C., to Zambia where we lived and served at an AIDS orphanage. One of the things we did was to run a vacation Bible school for the kids, and my job was to teach Bible stories along with a snack. It just so happened that I was teaching this same story about Jesus saving Peter on the water.

Our American-made curriculum called for snacks themed to the story, and so we made little cups of blue jello with two "Sour Patch Kids" candies (which looked like people, kind of) stuck in the jello. Of course, one of the candies we placed into the jello before it hardened (Peter) and one rested comfortably on the surface (Jesus). By the time we were serving this to Zambian children, we realized this was probably the first time they had eaten either jello or Sour Patch Kids. But, we got to share a little bit of American Lutheranism - jello salad - to the other side of the world. I don't know if those children will ever remember that. I hope they do. But let us remember, even if through something as silly as jello and candy, that Jesus is the One who strides above waves, and we the ones who reach out for his saving hand.

Greetings!

Good morning!

This is Evan Davis, the new vicar here at Christ Lutheran. I am blessed to be here among you now in Lancaster and to greet you with peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I have spent a couple days in the office learning my up from down and finding my way around, and I am thankful for all of you who have gone out of your way to make me feel welcome. As many of you know, I am now married to the former vicar, Brett Wilson (now Brett Davis!), and so I feel as though I am entering a familiar place.

As I have transitioned into maintaining this blog, I have changed the name to "Vicar Evan." Unfortunately, this has put my name on all previous posts which I did not write. Everything through June 2011 was prepared by Vicar Brett, regardless of what the website is telling you now. Just a little disclaimer to avoid any errors in attribution! :)

I look forward to sharing my thoughts, sermons, prayers and discernment with you as together we hear the Word of God speaking to us each week through our worship, the scriptures and our conversations and experiences with each other. Please feel free to leave comments or ask a question. Questions often arise as our faith seeks understanding, and I personally welcome them as I hope you will welcome mine.

God's blessings,
Vicar Evan

Second Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday, June 26 was the second Sunday after Pentecost, and my (Vicar Brett) last Sunday as vicar of Christ Lutheran.  This blog will be maintained by Vicar Evan when he begins August 1.  The sermon is based on the gospel text, Matthew 10:40-42.  Click below to read the sermon.

Pentecost Sermon

For Pentecost, the sermon was perhaps a little different.  It's based on this video from some professors at Luther Seminary - which you can view at the bottom of the sermon.  Click below to read the sermon.

Pentecost is Coming . . .

This Sunday, June 12, is the festival of Pentecost, one of the highest days of the church year.  You can read the story of Pentecost in Acts 2. 

A prayer as we approach Pentecost:

Perplexing, Pentecostal God,

you infuse us with your Spirit,

urging us to vision and dream.
May the gift of your presence
find voice in our lives,
that our babbling may be transformed into discernment

and the flickering of many tongues

light an unquenchable fire of compassion and justice. Amen.

(The prayer is taken from here.)

Ascension of Our Lord

Ascension of Our Lord (obs) – Acts/Luke – 6/5/11 – Emmanuel Luth., Lancaster – Vicar Brett Wilson



When I was a little girl I had a big backyard. I loved to lay down in the grass, or lean way back in a swing, and look at the clouds move against the blue sky. I was brought up going to Sunday School each week, and taught that Jesus is always with me and looks down on me, and loves me. And having a vague idea from cartoons or somewhere that God is in the sky, I decided Jesus was up there too. So I can remember as a kid spending fair amounts of time in the backyard trying to see Jesus in the clouds. I mean, if he stands on the cloud, maybe sometimes he gets close enough to an edge, and if I just were to look at the right angle, I'd have to glimpse the top of his head!  I must've been a weird kid, hours spent in this search. . .

In retrospect, maybe I got this idea from hearing the readings on one Ascension Sunday. Acts reads, “When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.”

The resurrected life

In January 2010, I was traveling in India when one morning's newspaper told us the news of the earthquake in Haiti.  I was with a small group of seminarians, one of whom was from Wartburg Seminary.  Many of her classmates were on a similar trip, doing service in Haiti at the time of the earthquake.  Ben Larson, senior seminarian, died that day in the ruin of the earthquake in Haiti.

His wife, now pastor, Renee Splichal Larson, talks in this video about the resurrected life. 

All of us have experienced loss.  In this Easter season, we talk a lot about resurrection.  But what does that actually look like in our daily lives, in our lives?

The last months and year have brought far too many stories of natural disasters and the wake of destruction they have brought.  Prayers are added today for the people of Joplin Missouri, the newest devastated headline-makers, but all people recovering from loss and destruction old and new.

Easter holds real promises for new life. 

2 Corinthians 5:17:  So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!

Sermon from 5/22 - The Father's Home

This past Sunday, we hosted Mr. Otinel Mlimba, general secretary of Konde Diocese the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania, our companion in mission and ministry.  It was a joy to hear from him, especially during the Sunday school hour, and learn and share our faith together.  The sermon below is based on the gospel text for the day, John 14:1-14, and probing the concepts of feeling lost contrasted with this image of the Father's house/home.



I'm not lost.
It's just that I don't know exactly where I'm going. . .
No matter how much you pride yourself on being good at directions or aware of your surroundings, everyone has been lost at some point in their lives. It's a troubling feeling. The disciples were troubled too. Even as they travel with Jesus, they are worried, focused on where exactly they are headed and what it will look like. Thomas echoes the concerns of all of the disciples, and us - “Lord, we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way?”


This is a nagging fear, even if we know, as Thomas did – that Jesus is leading. Where are we going? There has been a lot of discussion and anxiety in the news this week about the so-called rapture and where we are going when Jesus returns, or after you die, but I don't even mean that. I mean where are you going – after church? Where are you going in your career? With your family? Where is your heart going? All of these at times can make us anxious, when we feel we don't know the way, or find ourselves in unfamiliar or surprising surroundings. I wonder if on any time on Otinel's journey to us, on his many flights, he thought – where am I going?!

"Best" Life versus Abundant Life

Below is the sermon from May 15, 2011.  The bible text is John 10:1-10, with a little flavor of Psalm 23 thrown in.

Vicar Brett Wilson – Easter 4a – John 10:1-10 – 5/15/11 – CELC Lancaster

The other day I was at the grocery store, and needed butter, or margarine spread. I bought what was on sale, and didn't think too much of it. But at home as I spread my bagel, I realized the label said in large print – “best life” and in smaller print – buttery spread. I thought – what did I buy? What kind of name is “bestlife?” I did a little research. These “bestlife” products are a part a program headed by Bob Greene, Oprah's physical trainer. The buttery spread products are the only ones with the bestlife name. But there is a whole line of bestlife approved foods, which get the bestlife logo as a seal on the package. For a fee, you can get on the Best Life diet plan. Bob Greene has also written a book called “The Life You Want!” subtitle, “Get Motivated, Lose Weight, & Be Happy.”

I looked this all up though, because I wanted to know what was actually IN this spread I bought, and stumbled upon something quite different. I may be buying a butter-flavored, vegetable oil based spread, but is that what they're selling? Or is Greene and really, the whole industry, trying to sell you your bestlife?

Christ meets you on the road - Sermon from 5/8

Vicar Brett Wilson – Easter 3A – 5/8/11 – Luke 24:13-35 – CELC Lancaster

Two disciples walk along an ordinary, insignificant road outside Jerusalem. A stranger comes up alongside, and asks, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad, (and maybe a bit confused) Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who doesn't know the news? Are you the only outsider who hasn't heard what has happened?”

One of my friends said that the disciples essentially respond to this stranger like, “What, have you been living under a rock?” To which Jesus could reply, “well, sorta . . .”

Haven't you heard the news?

Sermon from 5/1

Vicar Brett Wilson – Easter 2A – John 20:19-31 – CELC Lanc - 5/1/11

No matter your age, perhaps you remember that feeling at the pit of your stomach.


You accidentally broke your mother's vase, or your dad just found out through the grapevine what your friends were actually up to last weekend, or you just know that report card is coming in the mail.

So out of fear, you run to your room, and lock the door behind you, waiting . . .

And when you hear the doorknob turn or the knock rap on the door, your stomach sinks, because you can imagine the exact phrase that will be hurled, and that you deserve it.

Easter sermon

Below is my Easter sermon preached at the 9:00 Easter morning service. 
The text is Matthew 28:1-10.

Click below to read the sermon.

Easter Sunrise - The Easter sermon of St. John Chrysostom

For the Sunrise service on Easter morning, I preached the Easter sermon of St. John Chrysostom, pastor of Constantinople, from around 400AD.  In some Eastern churches, this sermon is a standard part of Easter services, and I think its rousing verses and invitation to all to the Easter feast are timeless and invigorating for any of us to hear.

Click below to read the sermon.

Easter is coming . . .

What if the testimony of the women at the tomb is true? (the following video is best viewed full screen, you can click the square button on the bottom right to do so)

Holy Week Services

New growth requires plowing

Happy holy week.  You are invited into this practice, especially into the holy three days (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil).   

The cross I wear each day, a gift from my parents, is a cross with a tree cut out of the center.  Lately I have had recurring themes coming to me from scripture, prayer, and discussions with others.  A lot of this has centered on growth, and especially how agricultural growth can be a metaphor for our lives of faith and service.

For tonight's intern support committee meeting I am sharing the following as a devotion.  It is from Parker Palmer's book Let your Life Speak, which I highly recommend to ANY Christian at any point in life, but deal specifically with vocation/calling, sense of self-worth, depression, and many other things.

"The spiritual journey is full of paradoxes.  One of them is that the humiliation that brings us down - down to ground on which it is safe to stand and fall - eventually takes us to a firmer and fuller sense of self. . . I now know myself to be a person of weakness and strength, liability and giftedness, darkness and light.  I now know that to be whole means to reject none of it but to embrace it all. . .
". . . (speaking about emerging from depression:)  I was finally able to say yes to life, a choice for which I am grateful beyond measure, though how I found that yes remains a mystery to me.  At one fork in the long road back to wholeness - when I was in fact walking along a country road past a freshly plowed field - I found a poem taking form within me . . . :

Harrowing

The plow has savaged this sweet field

Misshapen clods of earth kicked up

Rocks and twisted roots exposed to view

Last year's growth demolished by the blade.

I have plowed my life this way

Turned over a whole history

Looking for roots of what went wrong

Until my face is ravaged, furrowed, scarred.

Enough.  The job is done.

Whatever's been uproted, let it be

Seedbed for the growing that's to come

I plowed to unearth last year's reasons -

The farmer plows to plant a greening season."

Christian faith, as I know it in my own life, is all about paradox, and Holy Week is the ultimate of those paradoxes.  In order to conquer death, God, God's very self must die.  In order to plant new growth, sometimes the field has to be plowed.  I started Lent with an Ash Wednesday sermon on how burning the field created new growth in my dad's corn field, and I suppose it has come full circle.  Now new life is right on the horizon for us - because we know how the Passion story really ends. . .

Perhaps it is also fitting that my favorite Easter hymn is "Now the Green Blade Rises"

Sermon for 4/10 - Lazarus Sunday

Most people are familiar with the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in the gospel of John.  There is also the Lazarus Effect, a project to provide people, especially in rural and impoverished areas of Africa, with anti-retroviral drugs to treat AIDS which can restore them to life and health in an astounding way.  You can see the moving documentary on this, The Lazarus Effect, by clicking here.
There are parts of the Lazarus text, though, that ring in my ears.  Read the sermon below - see what sticks for you - but remember Christ is always breaking through with new life for you.

Sermon 4/3/11 - Jesus heals the blind man, John 9

Healing. It has weighed heavy on my heart the last week, in places and people near and far, how healing is so badly needed. And as much as how painfully we may sometimes need physical healing, or restoration, or calm, I think most of all we need one thing, assurance of God's presence and love. It sounds so simple...
The gospel reading for this Sunday, 4/3, was the whole ninth chapter of the gospel of John. This details Jesus' healing of a blind man, and the long discussion that happens from it between the man, the Pharisees, the man's parents, and Jesus. Understanding Jesus' identity is at the center of this and many other stories in this gospel.
Click below to read the sermon.

Temptation in the Wilderness

This Sunday, 3/13, is the first Sunday in the season of Lent.  As we explore our own wilderness and confront our own temptations during this season, we always start these Sundays with the gospel reading of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. 

This video is a powerful, simple depiction of this gospel reading.  It makes me think about what it would really be like to be alone for 40 days. . .  And then tempted....

Comments?? 

Ash Wednesday

Below is posted the sermon for Ash Wednesday.  How do you see God working in your life this Lent?  Are you giving anything up or taking on a Lenten discipline?

On Lent . . .

Lent is a time to take the time

To let the power of our faith story take hold of us,

A time to let the events

Get up and walk around in us,

A time to intensify

Our living unto Christ,

A time to hover over

The thoughts of our hearts,

A time to place our feet in the streets of Jerusalem

Or to walk along the sea and listen to his word,

A time to touch his robe

And feel the healing surge through us,

A time to ponder and a time to wonder…

Lent is a time to allow a fresh new taste of God!

- Kneeling in Jerusalem - Ann Weems

Sermon from Sunday, 3/6

Below is the sermon from Sunday, March 6, Transfiguration.  The readings each year meet Jesus and the disciples going up the mountain, where Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus and God's voice repeats what we also heard in the baptism story, "This is my son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.  Listen to him."  It's a mystical moment, but Jesus doesn't stay there, but leads the disciples back down the mountain, realizing he is headed to the cross.

Sermon from Sunday, 2/27

Below is the sermon from Feb. 27 - it took a slightly different tack, as Caleb Taylor helped with the delivery by playing Jesus for the dialogue below.  I invite you to think about when you read something like this section of Jesus' sermon on the mount, to really let those words resonate, and ask questions, and respond to Jesus' words honestly.  Sometimes Jesus' words are hard to hear.  But in teaching us and in the power of his words themselves, Jesus turns our response from "yes, but . . . " to "yes, yes"

Sermon from Sunday, 2/20

I apologize for the lag in posts! 
Below is the sermon from Sunday, February 20.  It was also the baptism day for Marley Elizabeth Herman, child of God!  Pastor Tom McKee, Assistant to the Bishop, joined us for worship and presided at the baptism.  It was a glorious day.

Vicar Brett Wilson – Epiphany 7A – 1 Cor 3:10-11, 16-23 – CELC, Lancaster


Where were you on February 18, 1990? I'll give you a hint – it was a Sunday . . . You might have been sitting – right where you are now. . . Twenty-one years ago. . .

That was the last time these readings were read in church. And yet, they are foundational ones, perhaps ones we have often thought of over the years. We recall that Jesus says, “Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” We remember Paul's words here to the Corinthians – “the foundation is Jesus Christ. Do you not know that you are God's temple, and that the God's Spirit dwells in you?”

We know these verses, but it was 1990 that they were last read in church. And of course there's other ways that we learn and share scripture – through devotional bible reading, together or alone, through hymns like “the church's one foundation,” or through our conversations. There have been all too many occasions, individual and social, in the last 21 years to remember Jesus's command to love our enemies.

Words, music, stick with us - on Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand . . .

Sometimes, sinking sand seems all around. This month protests, unrest have been in the air. From Tunisia, Egypt, now Bahrain, and many other places, we're not sure, especially from the outside, where solid ground is. News changes every day as crowds gather, governments fall, and all of a sudden, everything seems shaky. Seventy thousand protesters gather in the streets around a capital building – in this country, in Wisconsin. The issues – freedom, worker's rights, unions, taxes, they aren't far from home. It can feel like the foundation has been shaken to the core. This can happen personally - waves of layoffs, an accident or a diagnosis, can make us feel that we are on shaky ground, that the rug has been pulled out from under us.

When it seems the foundations are crumbling, it can be hard to imagine anything looking up for us. “But I think the crux is this – no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.” We may think we are on shaky ground, but maybe we're thinking of a false foundation.

Last week we read Paul's question – are you not merely human? Yes, and for you as a human there is only one foundation – in the God who made you, knit you together in our mothers' wombs, who as Jesus reminds us in Luke, has counted every hair on your head. There can be no other foundation than our baptism, which reaches back to the very foundations of the earth, as we pray at a baptism, “in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters and you created heaven and earth. By the gift of water you nourish and sustain us and all living things.”1

Everything our world offers you to root yourself in is temporary, can be shaken, and fall apart. Jesus, our Savior, is our true foundation, and offers something different. But it's in that difference that our foundation in Christ gets its strength. Though these verses from Jesus' sermon on the mount, about offering the other cheek, or not resisting evildoers, can be heard as passive or insensitive to victims of abuse, this is not Jesus' foundation. Our foundation in Christ is strong because it stops the cycle of violence, of aggression and revenge that we so easily get stuck in. Walter Wink writes, “Jesus, in short, abhors (rejects) both passivity and violence.”2 Jesus offers a third way, and breaks everything that would say otherwise, sin, death, and the world's wisdom, in the cross.

Our foundation is strong because it is build upon the unchanging love of God. Your foundation was poured, when the water was poured and splashed over you at your baptism. That foundation God laid in Jesus for you, for a full life. Jesus says, “be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect.” Perfection doesn't mean straight-A's or six figures. The word, telos, better means whole, complete, and related, finished. The foundation God pours for you at your baptism is for a full life in Christ, one that is complete, built on the savior, on love. And it is finished, and God loves us enough to encourage and strengthen us to build upon this foundation each day, in the outline that God made, like a blueprint for a house, that Jesus laid out for our lives.

I never thought I would be someone to do yoga, but I've picked it up off and on lately. I'm not into the spiritual undertones of it, but I find it calming. I've been struck this week by one line one of the instructors in a yoga video I do says, which is, “there is a principle in yoga that in order to go up, you must press down.” This is the heart of what Paul is saying.

You are God's temple. God's spirit dwells in you. You, yes, you individually, baptized child, Marley Elizabeth, whose foundation is poured today, but each of you, every day of your lives, you are God's temple. God's spirit is in you. But this is not a singular “you” - a clearer translation would be – “Don't you know that you all are God's temple, and that God's spirit dwells in all of you?” So to build up, press down, as I see you doing here, pushing your feet deep into your foundation in Christ to build up, to invite others to church, to reach out into the community. This foundation is clear here at Christ Lutheran, and as you live outside these walls as God's temple, the body of Christ. It's the foundation we'll always have, and strikes us to the core, and we remember the words and live them out. Jesus says – love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you . . . The church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her lord . . .

All belong to you. You belong to Christ. Christ belongs to God. God loves you that in simple water, this spoken word, and that table God poured the foundation in Christ, a blueprint for a full life.

Living Lutheran - a great new website

http://livinglutheran.com/ - Living Lutheran, "A daily blend of stories, culture, and community," is a new online publication of the ELCA.  It's been up for a few months now, and has all kinds of articles, food for thought, devotions, and conversations between Lutherans all across the country.  I'm finding every time I pull up the page I end up reading several different stories, and feeling really enriched and renewed by it.

From their "about us" page:

Welcome to LivingLutheran.com


Grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair and join us at the table for a conversation about what it means to “live Lutheran.”

LivingLutheran.com serves up a daily blend of culture, conversation and community for ELCA members and friends. We’re looking for answers about what it all means and hope you’ll stop by to put in your two cents.

You won’t find breaking news here, although there’s plenty of commentary on what’s happening in the world and what ELCA members think about it. We have resources for congregations, videos to inspire and amuse and places to share what’s on your mind.

We’re probably being a bit presumptuous, but we like to think that Martin Luther would approve.

The website also has featured videos, including this video above, which tells the story of one family, refugees from Bhutan, and how they came with the help of ELCA agencies, to settle safely in the U.S..  Did you know we have a good amount of Bhutanese refugees and immigrants here in Lancaster?
Have a blessed day!
Peace+

Sermon from Sunday, 2/13

Most people can picture the scene.  In the backseat of a car, two or more siblings, on a road trip, or even a vacation to somewhere the kids have been dying to go.  It should be perfectly pleasant, right?  The kids should appreciate and enjoy the ride and there should be no reason to make rules for behavior or worry of what will happen . . . right?

This is the image through which this past Sunday's sermon, on 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 and Matthew 5:21-37 explores God and Jesus giving laws for our lives, laws that sometimes seem harsh. 
Click below to continue and read the sermon

a devotional poem for today.

Let Your God Love You
Be silent.
Be still.
Alone.
Empty
Before your God.
Say nothing.
Ask nothing.
Be silent.
Be still.
Let your God look upon you.
That is all.
God knows.
God understands.
God loves you
With an enormous love,
And only wants
To look upon you
With that love.
Quiet.
Still.
Be.
Let your God —
Love you.

- Edwina Gateley

I decided to know nothing among you ...

Vicar Brett Wilson – Epiphany +5A – CELC Lancaster – 2/6/11 – 1 Cor 2:1-16

In today's day of technology and computers, many people are meeting their spouses not in the grocery store, school, or a bar, but sitting at their desk at home, through the internet. Some of my friends have met their significant others this way, and more and more people sign up or meet up every day. These sites, like eHarmony, match.com, okcupid, and so on, offer users a page to write about themselves – a profile – with a whole series of questions. Age, gender, what the person is looking for, are basic questions. But then there's everything from life goals, five things you cannot live without, your zodiac sign, and how you like cats and dogs. Each person's profile can provide as much or as little detail as they choose. But I bet in general people who provide more detail get more attention than someone who only fills in one answer.

Perhaps that's why the apostle Paul was never married. He writes in his letter to the Corinthian congregation - “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Well, nice to meet you too. He wouldn't be too good at conversation on a first date, would he, mr. I decided to know nothing...

Because we love details, we love information. It's like how I comparison shop – I'm a bargain shopper, and I want to have every piece of information before making a purchase. Details help us feel smart, in control. This is the information age, after all. You could have at your fingertips, on your television, computer, or even phone all the statistics for tonight's game, in an instant. News, even bad news, from across the county and across the world can hit the cable news circuit and the internet in minutes. Overall, there's nothing wrong with our desire for details. It helps us be wiser, make good decisions, and have safe, fruitful choices and relationships that God wants for us. But desire for information, for the perfect fact, answer, or match can become an obsession. It can overtake matters of faith, like finding a partner, yourself, or God, because of questions and a desire to find the perfect match or answer.

Paul keeps it simple. I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Probably not the best first date, friend, or candidate for pastor of the Corinthian congregation – I really don't want to know any details about you people. I wonder what the Corinthian church thought when they read those words – I can imagine someone thinking – well what's with this long, confusing letter then?

But there is something striking about Paul's blunt singularity. For all the details we have today, we are still looking for the most basic of answers. I can google, call information, can have things shipped across the world, and have medical treatments unimaginable for previous generations. We can find lots of answers and human wisdom through all of these methods. But we are still asking – Who am I? Who is God? Am I loved?

The world offers many answers for this. But in his own way, Paul explains here why human wisdom doesn't answer these questions our souls hunger after. These are questions of faith. Faith, after all, is not about facts, or having every last detail. Paul writes, faith ought not rest on human wisdom, but on the power of God. Continuing on, Paul seems to set up two camps – spiritual v. unspiritual; God's wisdom v. human wisdom; receiving God's gifts v. not receiving them. We worry about which camp we are in and how to get onto the right side. But it's not a decision or a measure of wisdom, gathered knowledge, or intelligence that brings you to God in faith. It's the Holy Spirit, from inside of you, which creates faith in our God. Faith is hope, trust, it's falling in love, and it's not about details or wisdom. Like falling in love, online, or in person, faith in God happens to you – it's not something you can choose or direct.

“Spiritual” can mean a lot of things in our world today – people say they're “spiritual but not religious,” or seek spiritual healing methods, spiritual cleansing, or talk about all different kinds of spirits. But here spiritual only means one thing – the Holy Spirit and its work inside you. We worry about details, how spiritual we are, what it all means, but this is God's work in us.

It is from these verses Paul writes from which we get also Luther's explanation of the third article of the creed. Some of you may have memorized it for confirmation years ago. Luther wrote: I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.

Yes, at the outset Paul's words sound odd to us – I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. But therein we have a key to all the answers which Google cannot answer. Jesus and his cross are the answer. Who are you? You are known through Jesus, who came for all people, and still comes to us through the word, through the table, and through each other. Who are you? You are loved. Because Jesus. Because God so loved YOU and ALL that God sent the only son, so that all who believe in him may not perish, but have eternal life. Who is God? The one God, who is love. The whole story of the Bible, of our faith, is summarized in this one, Jesus Christ, and him crucified. In Jesus dying and rising we are forgiven, and given the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For human matters, like shopping or picking a sports team to root for, details are nice. But Paul witnesses to the perspective of faith, that the Holy Spirit is in you now. You, yes, you, have the mind of Christ. Because when you view people with these lenses – needing to know nothing more at first about them than Jesus Christ and him crucified, it means seeing the world in love and forgiveness. This is how God sees you, and how the Spirit witnesses from inside of you to love and forgive others. It's God's love, not logic that claims you saved by God.

I know that among you, you are Christ to others. When you offer food to the hungry, you show that you see Christ in the other. At the community meal, we don't ask for details. We just know that everywhere, we see Jesus and ways to spread his love. The Holy Spirit has moved your hearts, to see people and situations not as details, but reflecting Christ's love and forgiveness. God moves this way when you pray for someone who asks, when you forgive a friend, when you reach out in love. Relationships will always have their challenges, and you learn details about people as you go, but our faith views people in this singular way – knowing nothing about them except Jesus Christ crucified. Faith views your neighbor in love and forgiveness.

The bible has abundant detail, mystery to study and draw you in your whole life, endless ways to tell you God's love and how God moves among us in our world. But Paul's bluntness reminds us that it is also as simple as Jesus and the cross. God's message of Jesus is love, and the cross is forgiveness, and this is how God sees you. You are the salt of the Earth. You are the light of the world, the city upon the hill. You are filled with the Holy Spirit. God's love and forgiveness has moved you, and moves others through you. You are forgiven. You are loved. Amen.

studying together - the book of Hebrews

This is a "word cloud" for the whole bible book of Hebrews - the larger font  words occur more often than the smaller ones.  Click to examine this closer.  We start Sunday, 2/6 our study of the book of Hebrews together in adult Sunday school - come join us!  We meet after worship (10:30-11:30), in the fellowship hall!

Photo of the Week: Christians protecting Muslims during their prayers in Egypt

Photo of the Week: Christians protecting Muslims during their prayers in Egypt

Check this out - Christians hold hands in Cairo to protect Muslims praying. A neat vision of the love of Christ, I think, and my food for thought for today.

Have a blessed day!

Blessings in the mail...

Peggy Aytche was a faithful member of Christ Lutheran.  Many people have remembered her to me fondly.  She died last July, where she has lived in recent years, closer to her daughter.  Last week we received a package slip here at the church, and I puzzled, went to the post office and picked up a box.  Inside were Peggy's three Advent offering folders which her daughter found going through her house.  She had filled each one faithfully with quarters, but then put them away where they were lost until now.  She thoughtfully sent them packaged in this box (pictured here), with a nice note to the congregation. 

You never know how you can touch someone's life or how things will get passed along.

This Sunday's gospel reading is a second part of Jesus' sermon on the mount, in the gospel of Matthew.  It contains the well-known verses about believers being salt for the earth, and the light of the world.

So - how are you salt and light?  These verses reflect on light not being hidden (under a bushel), and salt not being salt if it loses its saltiness...  Are these deep or meaningful symbols for you?

How does God use you to be salt and light for others?

The power of the cross . . . the power of love

My sermon from this past Sunday continued the series preaching through these continuous readings from 1 Corinthians.  This Sunday's reading was 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.  These are all powerful readings and complex, about our relationship as Christians together, the church, the body of Christ, and about the power of the cross.

At right are some of the monster characters from the movie Monsters, Inc., which I reference in my sermon.  Click below to read the sermon.

You Belong To Christ

The amazing thing about scripture is that it works on us, moves in us, and creates faith in its very hearing.  Also, I think it is striking that though these texts, like Paul's letter to the Christian congregation at Corinth, are very specific to a time/place/people, they have real parallels and relatable points to our life today. 

This sermon is the first in a series which will preach through the continuous passages from the beginning of 1 Corinthians found in our regular lectionary readings.  The sermon below is on 1 Corinthians 1:10-18.

Click below to read the sermon

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Every year, January 18-25 is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.  Worldwide churches and individuals join together to pray for peace and unity in the body of Christ.  It brings up some interesting points for reflection . . .

How many churches do you think are in Lancaster City?  (See an incomplete list here http://www.lancasterpa.com/churches.shtml)

What do we at Christ Lutheran share in common with other churches around?

How can we pray for other Christians and work together?

Have you often had discussions with friends who are Christians about what you have in common though you may not attend the same church?

This year's week of prayer is focused around Jerusalem . . . how can we in Lancaster keep in prayer the Christians and people of all faiths living in and around Jerusalem?

For more info on the Week of Prayer and some other resources - tp://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/prayer/christianunity.shtml

Come along - you will see.

Below is the sermon I preached yesterday, Sunday, January 16, at Emmanuel Lutheran.  Pastor Strause from Emmanuel Lutheran supervises the vicar program here at Christ and is helpful to our ministry in many ways.  To strengthen that connection and get to know him better as he is techincally the interim pastor, he preached, presided, and taught Sunday School, and I at Emmanuel.  Below is my sermon that I preached there.

Peace+

Vicar Brett
(click below to read the sermon!)

A prayer of blessing

May God, who comes to us
in the things of this world,
bless your eyes
and be in your seeing.

May Christ,
who looks upon you
with deepest love,
bless your eyes
and widen your gaze.

May the Spirit,
who perceives what is
and what may yet be,
bless your eyes
and sharpen your vision.

May the Sacred Three
bless your eyes
and cause you to see.



The blessing is from In the Sanctuary of Women © Jan L. Richardson.  You can visit her blog and see her beautiful artwork paired with the biblical texts at http://paintedprayerbook.com/

snow and silence.

Snow at the seminary in Philadelphia, March 2009.

The post below is one I originally wrote for a personal blog on March 2, 2009.  But walking downtown last night in the heavy snow I recalled this reflection, and offer it for your devotion.

You know how, when it snows heavily, especially at night it seems to me, the snow blocks out the sound of life that usually pulses through wherever you are? But when it snows and you're outside of it, there is this silence, here I notice not hearing the road noises and finding my mind somehow more open. The world seems to move differently when it snows (more so than the obvious complications), and people seem to act quieter. I am thankful for the couple good snows we have had here this winter in Philly. (Though I must say I am jealous that CCPS finally got a snow day after I worked there for three years without!)

My parents' driveway in Virginia, and their dog, Chauncey.

I like silence a whole lot. This snow is reminding me how I need to be more vigilant about practicing silence as a part of my daily life. I think I take it for granted. I mean, I go to weekday chapel services, plus matins and compline pretty muc

h every weekday, and silence is always at least a small part of those. But there is more to it. There is something to be found in the silence. As the snowflakes fell fast and furious as if angrily, I thought about breathing. I have had a very bad cold the last few days, and the silence, snow, and sharply cold air feels especially oppressive at times. . . Silence is hard, but one thing I've felt I'm here to learn is how to breathe in silence. It's not always comfortable, but that's ok. Leading more silently is also something I'm slowly learning.

This made me think about how God breathes for us in and through the silence. So walking in the snow, I thought about these verses in 1 Kings, when the LORD comes, in the silence:
(1 Kings 19:9 - 20:19)

At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the G

od of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." 11 He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 14 He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." 15 Then the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. 17 Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."


19 So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. 20 He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." Then Elijah said to him, "Go back again; for what have I done to you?" 21 He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

Sheer silence. So powerful. Elijah's plea he repeats here is one of lonliness, of seeking God as true refuge. And God comes in the sheer silence. God's words to Elijah are here first a question - one that I feel is extremely central to us in our lives of faith - "What are you doing here?"

I am excited to study the Hebrew Scriptures in more depth and learn about this passage. So what comes to me about this passage is my own reflection, not that out of learning. The word of the Lord directs Elijah to witness the Lord passing by, and then there are a handful of natural events. Then, the sheer silence. How perfect in its completeness that must be! The silence of snow here doesn't match it but maybe in a lone meadow somewhere where the snow is so full. . . I think we are most honest with ourselves in the silence - in feeling our emotions there. Think about it. When a movie is at a tense/climactic point and there is a pause or a hold of silence, we feel. When we are in a deep conversation with a loved one or get a phone call or tragic news and the words stop, we feel most fully. That is where at least I feel my heart and mind resound and push me. I want to experience and practice this silence more. To be more present.

And yet back to the news. Local news spent more than 2 minutes in a half-hour broadcast showing a man in a green spandex bodysuit sledding and being goofy. The snow brings forth these newscasts focused on it as if it is the only thing. The silence of the snow falling brings the central focus of the news being these very simple, joyous, non-earth-shattering things: sledding, people getting their cars stuck, which sleds/hills are the best, school closings/delays. And I know that there is joy is this. (I know as I felt it crushed in those many days I didn't have snow cancellations of school as a teacher.) But I also feel the silence. There is some kind of deafening silence in the news reports, even the national news, that talk about not-so-atypical weather and continue their silence on the sadness and tragic state of much of the aspects of our world. I admit that I do not always daily go out looking for the hard news, the sad news of the world.

I guess overall it comes down to this. I thank God for a world in which snow can seem so amazing that joy flows and we are so blessed as to only think and talk about that. But I also thank God for the prayerful silences when I am called to consider everything but those simple joys, but in that silence the suffering and struggles of myself and others. In those silences, we ask ourselves naturally what God asked Elijah - "What are you doing here?"

So, what are you doing here?

God calls you, "Beloved child"

Did you ever have a nickname as a child that you really hated?  Or even as an adult?

What do you think God calls you? 
The gospel reading for last Sunday, 1/9 was the story of Jesus' baptism.  What does that have to do with our baptism?  What does that mean for my life right now, today?

Click below to read the sermon.

Jesus, the mirror of the father's heart

Vicar Brett Wilson – Christmas 2A – John 1:1-18 – CELC Lancaster - 1/2/10 - John 1:1-18


On January 15, last year, I stared into a muddy bucket of dirty water to see clearly. My friends and I hunched around this bucket, looking through a set of sunglasses we passed around. We stood in the courtyard of a convent in the hills in southwest India, trying to see the solar eclipse that was passing overhead. A solar eclipse cannot be looked at directly – especially as we happened to be in the small swath of Asia which would see the full solar eclipse, where the moon would pass in front of the sun to make it a perfect, red-hot ring. But you cannot see it directly. Only through mirrored reflections with proper eye protection can one view the eclipse. So, risking it, we stood, trying to look at the sun. If you think about it, we never directly look at the sun in full strength – except perhaps stubborn kids who continue to stare despite their parents' warnings.

Augustine said “John's gospel is deep enough for an elephant to swim and shallow enough for a child not to drown.” These verses I just read, called the prologue of John, set the tone for the whole book. Now, the sentences are simple – probably the simplest grammar in the Bible – it's Dick and Jane kind of stuff – See Jane – see Jane run – See Jesus – see Jesus walk. So the first verse - In the beginning was the Word. and the Word was with God. and the Word was God. But in that very first verse, there is enough to contemplate and pray over and discover your whole life long. The statements in this text are simple, and each one could be pulled apart in endless directions. But in reading this simple sentence, No one has ever seen God, I remembered standing in India, trying to see something in a reflection of muddy water.

No one has ever seen God. Moses got a glimpse of God's backside, but John might mean that in this life, we cannot see God's fullness or exact image. It can be a frustrating, basic fact of faith that we cannot see our God. Can't see God like Superman sightings, swooping down and act in our world or we cannot see the face of God we call father. It says in the letter to the Hebrews, faith is the assurance of things unseen. Unseen. So the gift of faith that we are given means living in this tension, trusting in something we cannot see, and hearing this from John – No one has seen God.

Turn on the television, tune the radio, or surf the internet, and you will find multitudes of competing claims out there for how or where to see God. It's as if there was a formula, and everyone has their own argument on how to solve it. This week Lancaster experienced this firsthand as Westboro Baptist Church threatened to protest a young soldier's funeral. They offer, to say the least, a very different way to see, that is, conceptualize, God. But we also long to literally see God. In the desert in Mexico there is a site holy to many Catholics where devotees stand in the blazing desert sun and squint at the sun, taking pictures of the sun with polaroid cameras, in faith that a prayerful shot will produce a picture where the sun's rays form the image of the virgin Mary.

Let's be honest though, amidst all the religious competition over how or where to see God, sometimes the darkness of reality can create doubt that there is much light to be seen. John's gospel, especially these verses, are full of light and darkness. I find it comforting that the gospel at least admits that there is darkness. It is easy enough to see around us – the international news has been filled with dark days for churches worldwide – Christian churches in Iraq shut down the week before Christmas and people were urged to be discreet because of terror threats. What is thought to be an apparent suicide bombing in Alexandria, Egypt, killed at least 21 as they left church on New Year's Eve. But shadows fall locally here too, as economic struggles, health problems, relationship or work stress, can make us see darkness on the horizon.

John says, “No one has ever seen God.” Not directly, but God is made known – John continues - It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known. You cannot look directly at the sun in our sky, either – but you can experience it. You feel its warmth, and see its reflection. The sun changes the environments we live in, and can create energy that works in our world. God is experienced – through the Son. Want to know the fullness of God? Jesus, the one who had a human face, who lived and breathed, who healed, welcomed all, and died for us, this one, is the “mirror of the Father's heart.” (LC 440) God has given the greatest gift here. And through Jesus, this mirror, we see our God clearly. This is John's beginning, the Christmas story where we come face to face with the human Jesus, fully God, fully our gift. It lacks the hay and animals of the traditional nativity scenes, but in some ways, it's just as muddy – as muddy as that bucket of water, and yet as clear a reflection of the Son, and in it, God's love. Jesus' story isn't crystal clear, without a smudge or any dirt from the world weighing him down, rather it has the very real stuff of life in it – tears, love, conversations, friends, anger, life, and death. Jesus' story is muddy, and yet, it is the perfect reflection of the father's heart – just it was only that muddy bucket in which we could see the sun's eclipse that day.

C.S. Lewis wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else.” The s-o-n has risen. Thanks be to God. Jesus, the person made known through scripture and who moves in our lives through the Holy Spirit, is the mirror through which we see God. But he is also the lens through which we experience and see the whole world. The gift of living the Christian life is not that there is no more darkness in our days, but that when we find shafts of light, we follow them back to the source, the sun, Jesus, the light of the world. What were the brightest times for you in 2010? Whatever they were, you can trace them back to God's gifts and blessings for you. Even if 2010 wasn't the brightest of years or you're not feeling too sunny about the future, the gospel today says “In Christ is life, and the life is the light of all the people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. So no matter what, God's light will be in your 2011, and the darkness will not overcome it.

It starts here, with the word, Jesus the son. It starts with this word, this table. But just as wherever you go, there the sun's rays will be there, even if hidden, so too does God's presence in Christ stay with you. God's gift to us is that we see Jesus, the son, is the mirror of the father's heart – and through him we know and yes, see God. Amen.