Jun 9, 2019
Temptation to Build Ivory Towers
Series: (All)
June 9, 2019. Pentecost is the start of a new church year. Jim Bennett's sermon today reminds us that we don't need to build ivory towers or to elevate ourselves, so that we stand out in the presence of God. Instead, God comes to us in our everyday lives.
 
*** Transcript ***
 
So as they say the cat's out of the bag, so to speak. Today we celebrate Pentecost. It is the birthday of the church. In the liturgical church year, it is the start of a new church year. And Pentecost is the third most important festival in the church year, behind Easter and Christmas. I suppose many of you may know that already, if you are active in the congregation. But if you were not here last Sunday to hear pastor Stephanie's sermon, you missed an important prologue for today's message. She preached about the ascension of Jesus on the last Sunday of the Easter season, where Jesus told his disciples that he must go away so that God could send his followers the Holy Spirit. He said to them, "Stay here in the city until you have been clothed with the power from on high." And Pentecost, then, was the fulfillment of Jesus' promise.
 
Today's lesson in the book of Acts tells how that promise was fulfilled. It says when the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place, and suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared on them tongues of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Yet many of us do not realize that when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, not only was it to fulfill what Jesus promised prior to his ascension, but Pentecost the event closed an important loop -- a loop that's depicted between our first and second lesson today: the story of the Tower of Babel depicted in the Book of Genesis, and what Paul recounts occurred at Pentecost, our second lesson today.
 
In our first lesson we're introduced to the Rabble of Babel. And they were trying to make a name for themselves to build a tower to the top of the heavens. And as our reading points out, God's response to them was, "Let us confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." And God scattered them abroad over the face of the Earth. And then at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit gave Jesus' followers utterance to speak in other tongues, it says the visitors -- the Medes, the Parthians, Elamites, residents of Pamphylia, and Egypt, and Cyrene, and Rome, and Libya, and Cretan, on and on -- all heard the disciples speak in their own language. So the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost brought full circle God's promise to reverse the Babel Rabble and give God's people a counselor to lead them in faith. And the Holy Spirit has counseled God's church for over 2000 years.
 
Now unfortunately, it has not necessarily made the Babel Rabble an extinct species. The temptation to build ivory towers and make a name for ourselves is ever-present. I recently read a story of a chance encounter between two men having coffee at a roadside diner somewhere here in the Midwest. Sitting at the counter, a traveler turned to the man next to him, who appeared to be a farmer, and asked, "You live around here?" "Sure do," the farmer responded. "Right down the road apiece." Looking to do some Texas bragging, the traveller asked, "How big's your place?" The farmer responded, "About a hundred acres." So the traveler said, "Let me tell you about my place out in Texas. I get in my truck early in the morning every morning, and it takes me all day to get to the other side of my spread. What do you think about that?" Well, the farmer shook his head understandably and said, "I know just what you mean. I had a truck like that once."
 
We are all susceptible to the temptation to build our ivory towers, if not out of brick and mortar, then out of our professions, recognition, or accumulation of wealth. That Midwestern farmer was not impressed with the babble of that Texas traveler. God isn't impressed with ours either. We can try to pervert our relationship with God and with others, to raise ourselves above mere human existence. And there is certainly a lot of babble going on in our world today. But let's face it, we cannot all be geniuses as some purport. When we try to raise ourselves above it all, to set ourselves apart, we take ourselves out of relationship with God and out of relationship with others, and the result is often disunity, if not out set idolatry. But Pentecost reminds us that we don't need to build those towers or to elevate ourselves so that we stand out in the presence of God. The Pentecost event tells us that God comes to us wherever we are. That Spirit of God, the mighty Counselor, descended as Jesus, ascended as he had promised. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the church is born. We don't have to go in search of God in the heavens. In good times and bad, God comes to us in our everyday lives.
 
Last Sunday, pastor Stephanie reminded us that the church's season of Pentecost is the longest season in the church year. This year it's going to be about 24 weeks. The length of the season was no accident. The church leaders that developed the liturgical calendar didn't establish the length of Pentecost because they ran out of other things to celebrate. It was very purposeful. There's plenty of work for the Holy Spirit to do during this time. Our gospel reading for today reminds us of some of the work of the Spirit. Our gospel lesson in John begins a series of five statements about the Holy Spirit. Two of those purposes are listed in today's gospel. Jesus says the Counselor is the Spirit of Truth that dwells in you and will be in you. You know, we hear that promise as part of the celebration of baptism where it states in the liturgy: you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever. It is a gift, an indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide us in our development of faith. And then in verse 25, today's gospel lesson, Jesus tells his followers the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, will teach you all things and will bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
 
So not only does the Spirit indwell with us, but it is there to remind us of all the things that Jesus taught us. So in the weeks to come, in this long season of Pentecost, our lessons will remind us of all that Jesus taught his followers. Jesus never expected his followers, after the ascension, to be without guidance. Without the Holy Spirit to guide God's church, could you imagine the church living to celebrate its 2000th birthday? That's a lot of candles. There may still be a lot of babbling going on in our world by those who think themselves better than the rest, but the work of the church -- the teachings of God's word to alleviate hunger and need, of sharing our wealth and talents -- they cannot be fulfilled from ivory towers.
 
God's spirit binds us together with hope and promise. It keeps our feet on the ground. So happy birthday, and let us celebrate. Christ Lutheran Church has some exciting opportunities and some challenges in this coming year. Celebrate, and then let us get back to work and do God's will.
 
Amen.
 
*** Keywords ***
 
2019, Christ Lutheran Church, Webster Groves, sermon, podcast, transcript, Jim Bennett, Acts 2:1-21, Genesis 11:1-9, John 14:8-17, 25-27
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  • Jun 9, 2019Temptation to Build Ivory Towers
    Jun 9, 2019
    Temptation to Build Ivory Towers
    Series: (All)
    June 9, 2019. Pentecost is the start of a new church year. Jim Bennett's sermon today reminds us that we don't need to build ivory towers or to elevate ourselves, so that we stand out in the presence of God. Instead, God comes to us in our everyday lives.
     
    *** Transcript ***
     
    So as they say the cat's out of the bag, so to speak. Today we celebrate Pentecost. It is the birthday of the church. In the liturgical church year, it is the start of a new church year. And Pentecost is the third most important festival in the church year, behind Easter and Christmas. I suppose many of you may know that already, if you are active in the congregation. But if you were not here last Sunday to hear pastor Stephanie's sermon, you missed an important prologue for today's message. She preached about the ascension of Jesus on the last Sunday of the Easter season, where Jesus told his disciples that he must go away so that God could send his followers the Holy Spirit. He said to them, "Stay here in the city until you have been clothed with the power from on high." And Pentecost, then, was the fulfillment of Jesus' promise.
     
    Today's lesson in the book of Acts tells how that promise was fulfilled. It says when the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place, and suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared on them tongues of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Yet many of us do not realize that when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, not only was it to fulfill what Jesus promised prior to his ascension, but Pentecost the event closed an important loop -- a loop that's depicted between our first and second lesson today: the story of the Tower of Babel depicted in the Book of Genesis, and what Paul recounts occurred at Pentecost, our second lesson today.
     
    In our first lesson we're introduced to the Rabble of Babel. And they were trying to make a name for themselves to build a tower to the top of the heavens. And as our reading points out, God's response to them was, "Let us confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." And God scattered them abroad over the face of the Earth. And then at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit gave Jesus' followers utterance to speak in other tongues, it says the visitors -- the Medes, the Parthians, Elamites, residents of Pamphylia, and Egypt, and Cyrene, and Rome, and Libya, and Cretan, on and on -- all heard the disciples speak in their own language. So the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost brought full circle God's promise to reverse the Babel Rabble and give God's people a counselor to lead them in faith. And the Holy Spirit has counseled God's church for over 2000 years.
     
    Now unfortunately, it has not necessarily made the Babel Rabble an extinct species. The temptation to build ivory towers and make a name for ourselves is ever-present. I recently read a story of a chance encounter between two men having coffee at a roadside diner somewhere here in the Midwest. Sitting at the counter, a traveler turned to the man next to him, who appeared to be a farmer, and asked, "You live around here?" "Sure do," the farmer responded. "Right down the road apiece." Looking to do some Texas bragging, the traveller asked, "How big's your place?" The farmer responded, "About a hundred acres." So the traveler said, "Let me tell you about my place out in Texas. I get in my truck early in the morning every morning, and it takes me all day to get to the other side of my spread. What do you think about that?" Well, the farmer shook his head understandably and said, "I know just what you mean. I had a truck like that once."
     
    We are all susceptible to the temptation to build our ivory towers, if not out of brick and mortar, then out of our professions, recognition, or accumulation of wealth. That Midwestern farmer was not impressed with the babble of that Texas traveler. God isn't impressed with ours either. We can try to pervert our relationship with God and with others, to raise ourselves above mere human existence. And there is certainly a lot of babble going on in our world today. But let's face it, we cannot all be geniuses as some purport. When we try to raise ourselves above it all, to set ourselves apart, we take ourselves out of relationship with God and out of relationship with others, and the result is often disunity, if not out set idolatry. But Pentecost reminds us that we don't need to build those towers or to elevate ourselves so that we stand out in the presence of God. The Pentecost event tells us that God comes to us wherever we are. That Spirit of God, the mighty Counselor, descended as Jesus, ascended as he had promised. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the church is born. We don't have to go in search of God in the heavens. In good times and bad, God comes to us in our everyday lives.
     
    Last Sunday, pastor Stephanie reminded us that the church's season of Pentecost is the longest season in the church year. This year it's going to be about 24 weeks. The length of the season was no accident. The church leaders that developed the liturgical calendar didn't establish the length of Pentecost because they ran out of other things to celebrate. It was very purposeful. There's plenty of work for the Holy Spirit to do during this time. Our gospel reading for today reminds us of some of the work of the Spirit. Our gospel lesson in John begins a series of five statements about the Holy Spirit. Two of those purposes are listed in today's gospel. Jesus says the Counselor is the Spirit of Truth that dwells in you and will be in you. You know, we hear that promise as part of the celebration of baptism where it states in the liturgy: you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever. It is a gift, an indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide us in our development of faith. And then in verse 25, today's gospel lesson, Jesus tells his followers the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, will teach you all things and will bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
     
    So not only does the Spirit indwell with us, but it is there to remind us of all the things that Jesus taught us. So in the weeks to come, in this long season of Pentecost, our lessons will remind us of all that Jesus taught his followers. Jesus never expected his followers, after the ascension, to be without guidance. Without the Holy Spirit to guide God's church, could you imagine the church living to celebrate its 2000th birthday? That's a lot of candles. There may still be a lot of babbling going on in our world by those who think themselves better than the rest, but the work of the church -- the teachings of God's word to alleviate hunger and need, of sharing our wealth and talents -- they cannot be fulfilled from ivory towers.
     
    God's spirit binds us together with hope and promise. It keeps our feet on the ground. So happy birthday, and let us celebrate. Christ Lutheran Church has some exciting opportunities and some challenges in this coming year. Celebrate, and then let us get back to work and do God's will.
     
    Amen.
     
    *** Keywords ***
     
    2019, Christ Lutheran Church, Webster Groves, sermon, podcast, transcript, Jim Bennett, Acts 2:1-21, Genesis 11:1-9, John 14:8-17, 25-27
  • Feb 17, 2019Fish Or Cut Bait
    Feb 17, 2019
    Fish Or Cut Bait
    Series: (All)
    February 17, 2019. Jim Bennett's sermon today is about the call to discipleship of Isaiah, Peter, and Paul, and how each of them responded. How have we heard that call? And how have we responded?
     
    *** Transcript ***
     
    Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
     
    Well, today you're hearing a sermon that I intended to preach last Sunday. I'm getting the feeling that maybe Mother Nature never wanted me to deliver this sermon, but I hope none of you feel the same way after you hear it. But I have to admit, right from the start of this message, that I'm not a fisherman. I've never enjoyed fishing. I can remember as a little boy my father taking my older brothers and me to Lake Springfield, about a hundred miles north of here, and trying to teach us to catch fish. I never caught a thing. It was so boring. So I can relate to Peter in our gospel lesson today, when it says he and his fellow fishermen came in after a long night of fishing with empty nets. They didn't catch a thing either. And they were professionals.
     
    Now I realize, in sharing my lack of enthusiasm for fishing, I risk alienating some of our good church members who enjoy drowning worms and telling great fish stories, real or imagined, about the ones that got away. However, as much as I try, there is no way of escaping the topic today as our gospel reading is baiting us to engage the more contemporary significance of the story about how Peter became a disciple of Jesus. And the theme of responding to God's call is also echoed in our first lesson -- the call of the prophet Isaiah -- and in our epistle lesson where Paul recounts his conversion from being a persecutor of Jesus' followers to one who proclaimed the Gospel. So the lure is unmistakable. At our time in history, when researchers are telling us that fewer and fewer people are hearing and responding to the call to become disciples or followers of Jesus, perhaps a closer look at today's readings might help us better understand why that might be the case, and also be instructive as to how we might impact that trend.
     
    First I'd like to take a closer look at our lessons, and point out some of the similarities that are found in these three readings, and then secondly to talk about how they offer different perspectives about how one might respond to the call of discipleship. And thankfully, we have more options than just fishing. Most of you know that I was a hospital chaplain for 25 years. And one of the opportunities I had in that vocation was to encounter and learn about many different faith perspectives that allowed me to compare and contrast them with my own. Now educated as a Lutheran Christian and as a pastor, I was well-indoctrinated with an orthodox theology that helped me understand that I needed Jesus in my life, because of my human shortcomings. No matter how hard I try, my humanness gets in the way of being the kind of person God wants me to be.
     
    Now, the three characters in our lessons today -- Isaiah, Peter, and Paul -- when confronted with the call to follow, each responded similarly: with fear and a confession that they were less than perfect men. Isaiah responded to God's call by saying, "Woe is me. I am a man with unclean lips." Paul, in his letter to the Corinthian Church, recounted his place in the hierarchy of apostles saying, "I am the least of apostles, unfit to be called an apostle." And Peter, in our gospel when he realized he was in the presence of God and Jesus, called out, "Depart from me. I am a sinful man, O Lord." So the common theme in all of our lessons today points out that to be a follower of Jesus meant that I must acknowledge my sinfulness and humble myself before the Lord. That's why each Sunday, I take part in reciting the confession and receiving absolution, and taking part in the grace of God that comes to us through the sacrament of Holy Communion.
     
    Doing all of that doesn't make me better than anyone else. It just reminds me of my need for God in my life and makes me more grateful that God forgives my sins. Martin Luther reminds us that as Christians, we are both saint and sinner at the same time. In our current culture outside of our churches on Sunday mornings, it's hard to find good public examples of humility and gratefulness that inspire faith in God. That might be because we too often privatize our faith on one hand, or perhaps we elevate it as something special and put it on public display, when really humility and gratefulness and faith might otherwise inspire action. Maybe, to use another fishing analogy, we choose to stay on the dock or fish from the safety of shore, or maybe we pride ourselves with the most expensive bass boat with all the technology and then show off with the size of our catch. If we do that, rather than putting on our waders and getting out into deeper water and simply do the work of God, we are missing that opportunity.
     
    Now, we saw just a glimpse of these characteristics of humility and gratefulness and trust being put into action a few weeks ago, in the news cycle during our government shutdown, when restauranteurs and business owners and agencies and volunteers were moving to action to help those who were furloughed and not receiving paychecks. There were reports of great generosity and humility and gratitude. And now that the government has reopened and individuals are now receiving those paychecks, there's less reporting of that activity. And I'd like to think that that activity is continuing, but just not being recognized on national TV. God knows there are still plenty of people without work, without food, without homes.
     
    But you see, that is the thing. Recognizing my need for having God in my life, and knowing that my sins are forgiven, is really only half the story in our lessons today. Believe it or not, it was the easy half: acknowledging one's sinfulness and need for God in our lives is the easy half, because cheap grace would tell us that that's all we need to do, is acknowledge it and receive it. But if we're going to exercise that grace, we have to hear the more costly message in our gospel lesson. It's about how we respond, once we've recognized that need for God in our lives. And again, our lessons are illustrative of how we might learn from Isaiah and Peter, each responding differently after recognizing their call.
     
    Isaiah was already a court prophet. Now in Isaiah's days, there were many different kinds of prophets. And in his day the court prophets were the kinds of prophets who worked for the government, and simply told the king what the king wanted to hear. We probably still have some of those kinds of prophets in our day. But we hear that Isaiah was at risk, if he were trying to bring the king closer to God. He could have not only lost his job, but he could have lost his head. But Isaiah stayed true to his calling and remained a court prophet after receiving his call to discipleship. Now in the same way, I suppose when you or I respond to God's call to discipleship we might continue in our same profession. We might live in the same place. We might do many of the same things. But we also might do some things differently. Our motives and our values may change. We might witness to our call to discipleship by being better stewards of our environment, or our resources. Our gratitude or humility might lead to more acts of kindness, or lead to involvement in volunteerism or social justice issues. This kind of discipleship is epitomized, I believe, in the words of the good Roman Catholic St. Benedict, when he proclaimed to his hearers, "Preach the Gospel, and if necessary use words." What he was saying is that the way we live our lives can speak volumes. Today, St. Benedict might have been known as an environmentalist.
     
    Now in contrast to Isaiah's response to God's call, Peter's call to discipleship led him to respond differently. He left his former profession as a fisherman to become a fisher of people. Jesus later taught that Peter did that so well that he was going to choose Peter to be the rock on which he would build his church. In the generations of followers since Peter, we've had varying degrees of success in building the church. We struggled sometimes to understand what it means to be an evangelical church, charged with sharing the Good News of Christ as if it was more like a fishing derby, requiring a certain technique or a secret science around how or where to fish, and what bait or lure to use, to reel in the biggest catch. But perhaps this is where this analogy between discipleship and fishing needs to break down, because I don't believe that Christians, as followers of God, can be hooked like fish. The success or failure of building our church, or of witnessing to God's love, will not depend on gimmicks that lure people by using the right bait or catching them in nets. 21st Century Christians cannot be captured. Our confession today talked about how we instead have been captured by sin, but we cannot be captured into staying here at 8:00am or at 10:30am every Sunday morning. I haven't checked lately, but I don't think they lock the doors when you come in for church so that you can't leave. But we have, I think, need to adopt a newer philosophy. I call it "Catch and Release." The love of God can catch us, and then we are released to share that Good News with others.
     
    In scripture, the Apostle Paul tells us that faith comes from hearing. The church of Jesus Christ calls us to be disciples, and in some cases like Peter, to leave whatever we're doing to become followers, to share the Gospel in word and deed, or responding to God's call by changing our priorities or values. What we hear and experience is God loves us, and that our shortcomings are forgiven, and that there is a community of faith that cares about one another and about all of God's creation.
     
    So today, Isaiah, Paul, and Peter hear the call to discipleship and respond. How have you heard that call? How have you responded? Are we going to fish or cut bait?
     
    Amen.
     
    *** Keywords ***
     
    2019, Christ Lutheran Church, Webster Groves, sermon, podcast, transcript, Jim Bennett, Isaiah 6:1-8, A Vision of God in the Temple, Luke 5:1-11, Jesus Calls the First Disciples, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, The Resurrection of Christ
  • Jul 8, 2018A Divine Humility
    Jul 8, 2018
    A Divine Humility
    Series: (All)
    July 8, 2018. Jesus was not accepted as the messiah in his own hometown. Pastor Jim Bennett's message is about how God's strength is shown best in weakness and humility, something that may be difficult for us, like the people of Nazareth, to embrace today.
     
    *** Transcript ***
     
    I wonder if Christ Lutheran Church has ever had a son or a daughter who was raised in the church, and then went on to become an ordained pastor. There's a story of a new, young minister being introduced to her home congregation for the first time following her ordination to word and sacrament ministry. Her parents were proud. Her pastor was proud. Her Sunday School teachers were proud. Everybody was proud. She was surprised by the long, loud applause when she was introduced. And being young and quick of wit, she responded, "When there is applause at the start of one's ministry, that's faith. When there is applause in the middle of one's ministry, that's hope. When there's applause at the end of one's ministry, that's charity."
     
    When Jesus walked into his hometown of Nazareth for the first time after his commissioning in the temple, there was no applause. The people were not proud. They were confused. They reacted with disbelief to his words and deeds saying, "Is this not the carpenter?" They could not believe that Jesus of Nazareth, that small child that they perceived as a bit arrogant for having taught in the temple as a young boy, was there in their midst, was actually the Messiah that all the other surrounding towns were so excited about. The people of Nazareth could not accept Jesus for who or what he was because of their preconceived ideas that they carried with them.
     
    Let me digress just for a moment, if you will. Martin Luther was known for conveying some radical ideas about the gospel. I joined the Lutheran Church as a teenager and I have to confess, being unchurched for many, many years, that at that time, my life could have been a poster child for what inspired Luther's well-worn phrase where he said, "Sin boldly that grace may abound."
     
    Now, I'm not trying to compare myself with Jesus. But when I announced ten years later that I was intending to go to seminary to become a pastor, there were some people who, to say the least, had some quizzical looks on their faces. And following my ordination, I remember being invited back to my home congregation to face those proud Sunday School teachers who probably saw me as proof that miracles still exist.
     
    The people of Nazareth in Jesus' day, and sometimes the people in our own congregations, have some firmly set expectations of what or who they expect pastors and prophets to be. And the church has a right to expect that those who are called to be set apart in this way, to be above reproach, and who are respectful and honorable women and men who preach the Good News, who preach the gospel.
     
    But someone forgot to tell the people of Nazareth that the gospel that Jesus wants us to hear really can come across in two ways. The gospel is intended to comfort the afflicted, but it's also intended to inflict the comfortable. And I think Jesus in Nazareth did the latter.
     
    You remember that young woman pastor in the story that I started my sermon with, whose congregation was so proud of her? Well, the sermon that she preached that first Sunday after her ordination was one where the message conveyed an advocation for social justice. She was really challenging her congregation to step up and do some amazing things. She was calling her congregation to a higher level of accountability. Some members thought that she was pretty tough on them, but they thought she was young and they were still proud. So they invited her to return, year after year, and the second year when she came back, the very next year she preached the same sermon. Well, they were still proud. They were a little confused but they thought well, she's young. Maybe she forgot she preached the same sermon the year before.
     
    The next year she returned and she preached the same sermon as the two previous years. At that point they were less proud, and they were a little confused and angry. So the chair of the worship committee was appointed by the church council to take her aside and ask her, "Why is it that you continue to preach that same uncomfortable message year after year?" And she responded, "You know, I grew up in this congregation. And week after week, I heard the gospel that was comfortable to our members. And sometimes we need to hear the gospel that afflicts the comfortable. It sounds like you finally got my message."
     
    Now, I believe that to be an apocryphal story. But it speaks to our gospel lesson today. Jesus' message never got through to the people of his hometown. The story suggests that whenever someone comes into our midst, and shows or invites us to think in a radically different way from what we are used to believing or thinking about God, or about God's love, we feel threatened and our reaction is to judge or disbelieve.
     
    The people of Nazareth had placed their faith in a messiah that turned out to be a carpenter who grew up in their own town, and their belief made it impossible for God's good works to be done there.
     
    God's news can guide the work of God's people. It can be rough going at times. Some might believe that that's because we really need stronger, more charismatic or powerful leaders who represent God and inspire those who respond to God's message of the gospel to action. Well, that's probably the attitude the people of Nazareth had. A God who is strong and all-knowing should have the message proclaimed by those with similar characteristics. Yet there stood Jesus, that humble Carpenter.
     
    In our second lesson today, which was the theme for my children's sermon, the Apostle Paul tried to explain to the church at Corinth that God's strength shows through best in weakness. That may seem counterintuitive, but I invite you to think about it: Christ's human weakness allowed him to die on the cross, and then God turned that weakness into the most powerful message in human history.
     
    There has always been a point of tension between the humanity and divinity of Christ, between his weakness and his strength, and I think that is the same for many of us today. There are those who feel that they need to be in complete control of their lives, who are confident and self-reliant, that there is no room for doubt in their faith. And they have then little need for God. They're self-made women and men. And all of those characteristics, those traits, can be positive except when they become barriers to growth or barriers to relationship.
     
    I could not help think back to an old Mac Davis song from 1980. You probably have to be over 50 to remember this song. And I do believe he wrote it tongue-in-cheek, but it was titled "Oh Lord, It's Hard To Be Humble When You're Perfect In Every Way." You can Google that if you'd like.
     
    But then come those sudden chest pains. The lump in our neck or our breast, maybe a pink slip from work. Or the announcement of a separation or divorce. It stops us in our tracks and it reminds us that we are not gods. But we are mere mortals, frail and vulnerable. Those chinks in our armor are God's contact points. In our broken, imperfect lives God's light finds opportunities to show through in those cracks.
     
    Ralph Waldo Emerson is noted to have said, "As no person had ever a point of pride that was not injurious to him or her, so no person had ever a defect that was not in some way made useful to them." Strong, self-reliant people never had the opportunity to know the power or strength that can be found in weakness. Any human weakness can restore our sense of humility that leaves room for God's strength.
     
    It brings us into a condition of grace that is open to the light and spirit of God, and I have found that to be true in my own life and in the lives of many of the people to whom I come in contact with in my ministry.
     
    The people of God in Nazareth did not understand that concept that God's strength is shown best in weakness and humility. And even today it's difficult in our 21st Century for Americans to embrace it. We admire people who are strong, and given the choice between power and weakness, who would not choose power? We look for signs of God in the strong and powerful, and often overlook God in humble human interactions.
     
    But I wonder if our faith in God encountered in our everyday human condition is not really stronger in faith than that which relies on powerful proof in exceptional situations. Our gospel lesson states that because the people of Nazareth could not accept Jesus he could do no mighty works there. If, like the people of Nazareth, we cannot recognize God's presence in the most simple of people or situations, and perhaps even in the tragedies of our lives, God will not be able to do God's Mighty works.
     
    We look back to scripture and see the marvels of God, and have little doubt of the power of God. But the gospel, the Good News of God, wants us to embrace a divine humility found in God's weakness, God's death on the cross. The Apostle Paul knew what it was like to carry such weakness in his life. He talked about it as a thorn in his flesh and he prayed several times to "keep me from being afflicted." But God spoke to him. He said, "I sought the Lord about this that it should leave me. But he said, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' So I am content with weakness, for when I am weak I am strong."
     
    May God use our weakness to spread the Good News. And may we be open to hearing the Good News that comes in unexpected ways from unexpected people.
     
    But not Mac Davis.
     
    Amen.
     
    *** Keywords ***
     
    2018, Christ Lutheran Church, Webster Groves, sermon, podcast, transcript, Jim Bennett
  • Jun 3, 2018The Hope Business
    Jun 3, 2018
    The Hope Business
    Series: (All)
    June 3, 2018. Our sermon today is from Jim Bennett, who is a hospital chaplain. He preaches on the metaphor of earthen vessels, healing, and how leaving the hospital is like leaving church on a Sunday morning: you come out better than when you went in.
     
    *** Transcript ***
     
    Grace and peace to you from God our Creator and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
     
    Now, some of you may be thinking to yourselves, "What is he doing up there?" I have to tell you that's a question that's gone through my mind a few times this week too. I'm a pastor. I'm a Lutheran Pastor who's served congregations for about ten years, before I responded to what I felt was God's call for me to move into chaplaincy ministry, and eventually education. And so it's been many years since I've preached a sermon, contrary to what my wife tells me every now and then.
     
    But when I was contacted and asked to preach today, I was a little nervous because I'm out of practice. And so that's why I'm going to stay up here in the pulpit. The pulpit's nice and protective. But I was also really excited when I read the lessons for today, because the lessons are just filled with great preaching themes. You know, we have the gospel lesson where Jesus heals the withered hand of a man in the temple. We have the Old Testament lesson that depicts God bringing God's people out of slavery in Egypt with a mighty hand. And in our second lesson, God has bestowed a treasure in earthen vessels. And the psalm, "You called out in distress and I delivered you." Great preaching themes. But there's an overarching theme that I really want to focus on today, and it follows what I said with the children this morning about the people of God being the church, and how God cares for his people.
     
    That ought to be reassuring, right? It is for me, most of the time. Yet if we read the entire second lesson that Paul was sharing with the people in the Corinthian Church, he goes on to write as servants for Jesus' sake we are afflicted, but not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are persecuted, but not forsaken. We are struck down, but not forgotten. So even as we may be reassured that God cares for us, we may not always feel that care in a way that we expected or hoped. And that is exactly where a lot of my ministry comes into play.
     
    I try to show people that God cares, when they don't really feel that God cares, when they feel perplexed or afflicted, when they feel struck down or when they're persecuted. Because you and I and many of the people that I minister to, we are these earthen vessels.
     
    Earthen vessels. I noticed in the lesson today that the version of this translation said we are clay jars. And you know, I was thinking about earthen vessels and clay jars, and which would be a better metaphor today. Last evening my wife and I and some friends went to the Webster art show at Webster University in Eden Seminary. And my wife and I are always drawn to the artists that do clay jars. They have earthen vessels there, and they're beautiful. And we always think about perhaps buying a piece or two. And as I was there I remembered the second lesson for today, that we are like earthen vessels. You know that earthenware is very durable, but sometimes it gets cracked. Sometimes it may get broken, chipped. And it wears out over time. That's like the metaphor of our bodies as earthen vessels, that sometimes we abuse our bodies, or over time they're worn out. And we are breakable. So when those parts wear out or we break, we need to be fixed.
     
    And it's amazing to me. I think about when those body parts wear out or we need a new part. (I myself have had a knee replacement. And I know of others here who've had the same, or a hip replacement. Some of you may even have had an organ transplant.) I'm simply amazed that when our bodies are broken, they can be repaired.
     
    There are times when I converse with others and the topic of vocation comes up and people say, "What is it that you do?" And I say I'm a hospital chaplain. And they look at me and say that must be a really tough job. And I say to them, sometimes it is. But you have to keep in mind that many more people leave the hospital in better shape than they arrived in, than otherwise.
     
    And you know, I feel kind of the same way about church on Sunday morning. When I come here to worship, sometimes I'm still a little bit asleep and I'm not too sure about things. But I always leave church better than when I first arrived.
     
    More often than not, when I see people in the hospital they are hoping for healing. Some of them may even hope for a miracle. But healing miracles today are more often performed by modern medicine. We place our trust in the wisdom and knowledge of God as bestowed on physicians. Yet healing is a process that even modern medicine is not an exact science. So I have found that people of God may be challenged when those purveyors of modern miracles acknowledge that nothing more can be done to heal or to make one whole.
     
    Now, there are times when people then turn to God and they want a miracle more like what occurred in our gospel lesson today. The section of Mark. If you had read earlier portions of Mark you might realize that our gospel lesson today comes at a time after Jesus had performed many healing miracles. He had cast out demons. He had healed the leper and a paralytic. And you may remember that one of the titles that Jesus was known by was the Great Physician, because he healed people. Jesus was God. But today, even though we have some very talented physicians whose work sometimes seems miraculous, they are not God.
     
    We wait for the Good News to come to us from God to proclaim a miracle like Jesus did. Healing a withered hand. Or, as the writer of Deuteronomy says, God brought you out of the land of Egypt. Or the psalmist, "In distress you called and I delivered you." A responsive God that seems to answer our every need.
     
    But then I'm reminded of an old tune as a child that I became familiar with. It's about Humpty Dumpty. And it says Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall and all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again.
     
    So where is God when we need God most? Jesus taught us that, "Wherever two or more are gathered in my name, I am there with you." I didn't ask the children today in the children's sermon where they thought God was. It might have been interesting to hear some of those responses. It might have been a bit too confusing, but I can ask you: where is God?
     
    If you think about it, maybe you'll come to the conclusion that it's not as confusing as one might first think. Where is God? Actually God is right here. When I'm doing my other job as an usher here on a Sunday morning, or when I'm reading the lessons, or when I'm taking up the collection -- you know ushers have the responsibility of counting the number of worshippers on a Sunday morning, and I'm in the practice when I'm doing that at the end -- I always add the number three. Why would I do that? I add the father. Why would I do that? Yes, because of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I'm not just padding the attendance record. It's theologically sound!
     
    Just think about it: God is with us on Sunday morning. And God is not with us just on Sunday morning. God is with us wherever two or more are gathered in God's name. A few weeks ago the church celebrated the holy day of the Ascension of the Lord. It's when Jesus was taken up into heaven. The disciples were worried that when Jesus would go away they would be left alone. But Jesus told his disciples not to worry because he would be sending them the Holy Spirit.
     
    Another name for the holy spirit is the Great Comforter. And the Great Comforter, the Holy Spirit, would be with them. Now, the Holy Spirit has a role in our lives as well. Just like it's been a long time since I've preached, it's also been a long time since I taught confirmation. So I may need some help from some of you. In terms of what we learn about the role of the Holy Spirit In our lives, any recent confirmations here who can name off the four or five things the Holy Spirit does for us? Uh oh, somebody in the back. Yell it out. What does the Holy Spirit do? Okay. The Holy Spirit calls us. The Holy Spirit gathers us. The Holy Spirit enlightens us. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us, and keeps us. The five things: calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies, and keeps. All of you coming up for confirmation, remember. That's a good thing to remember. It's good Lutheran theology.
     
    But I practice my ministry in a setting that is multi-faith or no faith at all. So I don't serve just Lutherans anymore. So I practice what we call more of a practical theology. And there is, in practical theology, several roles that God serves. And that is to sustain us, and to guide us, and to reconcile us, and to heal us. These are actions that show that God cares. Now, I have to admit if my loved one was sick and they could not be made whole again, I would expect the function of God's healing to take place. And if it didn't I would be angry about that.
     
    In our lesson today, Jesus was angry at the Pharisees. Well, I would expect I would be angry. Any one of you probably would as well. But once I could move past my anger, my hope and prayer would be that God would sustain me or God might guide me or God might in some way reconcile me to those I love. Those would be actions that God could show God's care.
     
    In my years of ministry, I have witnessed great resilience and courage, both in parishioners and patients who may be in pain or suffering for days and and weeks, and maybe even years, waiting for God's healing. Or maybe knowing that that healing may not take place. And sometimes I talk with people who feel hopeless. Hopelessness can be a disease. It can be a disease almost as bad as many others that we are aware of. It can lead us to despair. So I sometimes tell people as sincerely as possible that as a pastor, my chief title is I'm in the hope business.
     
    I'm in the Hope business.
     
    Now, I don't mean that I'm going to try to dispense some pie-in-the-sky hope. But what I try to do is to resurrect hope -- that hope that is within us, the hope that is what Paul talks about in our second lesson, the treasure that is in earthen vessels. You know in Corinthians, Paul talks about faith, hope, and love. These are treasures that we possess within us as earthen vessels. We all have it but sometimes it needs to be resurrected. Those earthen vessels that may be afflicted but remember, Paul said, not crushed. May be perplexed but not driven to despair. May be persecuted but not forsaken. Or struck down but not forgotten. God will not leave us alone.
     
    When we pray to God, we often want God to change things. And sometimes God does change things, but sometimes God changes people. And that's what happens when I come here on Sunday morning. I am changed. I leave better than when I arrived.
     
    I teach as part of my ministry. I just recently completed a class on pastoral care skills for community clergy, and one of the clergymen who was enrolled in the class, he was a pastor in the Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee. That pastor's denomination is known to have a rather conservative theology. And part of the training of these clergy who come to me, they are required to visit patients in the hospital. And six months ago when his training began, the pastor wrote that "I've always worked toward the goal of ministry where a person is brought to their knees to the point of asking Jesus into their heart so miracles can take place."
     
    Well, I want to reassure you, I would never allow him to do that to patients in the hospital. But that is the mindset in which he entered this training. But when he left just a few weeks ago, he wrote something very different that almost brought tears to my eyes. He wrote, "In the end, the most important things in life have been relationships with people." In the end, the most important things in life have been relationships with people. And I believe if we look at our lessons again for today, God feels the same way. God cares for God's people. God is with God's people. And we are the church together.
     
    Amen.
     
    *** Keywords ***
     
    2018, Christ Lutheran Church, Webster Groves, sermon, podcast, transcript, Jim Bennett