Ascension and Mothers Day

Scriptures for Ascension

Psalm 47 To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Psalm

Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy.  ² For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth.  ³ He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.  ⁴ He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah  ⁵ God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.  ⁶ Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.  ⁷ For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm.  ⁸ God is king over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.  ⁹ The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted.

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Ephesians 1:15-23

¹⁵ I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason  ¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.  17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,  18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,  19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.  20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,  21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.  22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,  ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

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Luke 24:44-53

⁴ Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you– that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.”  ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,  ⁴⁶ and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day,  ⁴⁷ and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things.  ⁴⁹ And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”  ⁵⁰ Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them.  ⁵¹ While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.  ⁵² And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy;  ⁵³ and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

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 Scriptures for the Seventh Week of Easter

 Acts 1:1-12

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning  2 until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.  3 After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.  4 While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me;  5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”  7 He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.  8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.  10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.  11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”  12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away.

Acts 1:15-17  In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said,  ¹⁶ “Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus–  ¹⁷ for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”

Acts 1:21-26   ²¹ So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,  ²² beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us– one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.”  ²³ So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.  ²⁴ Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen  ²⁵ to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”  ²⁶ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

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Psalm 1:1-6

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;  ² but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night.  ³ They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.  ⁴ The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.  ⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;  ⁶ for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

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1 John 5:9-13

⁹ If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son.  ¹⁰ Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.  ¹¹ And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  ¹² Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.  ¹³ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

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John 17:6-19   “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.  ⁷ Now they know that everything you have given me is from you;  ⁸ for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.  9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.  10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.  11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.  ¹² While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled.  ¹³ But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.  ¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.  ¹⁵ I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.  ¹⁶ They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.  ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.  ¹⁸ As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.  ¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

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Happy Mothers Day – to all mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers, future mothers, and all who celebrate their mothers! Today is also the final Sunday of the Easter season: next week begins Pentecost. And today we also observe Ascension Day.

Ascension was actually this past Thursday – 40 days after Easter – but we will be talking about it today. In fact the focus of most of our scriptures today is on the Ascension. The end of the Easter season has a lot of connections to this event… which makes sense: Jesus’ resurrection logically brings us to the Ascension.

There are additional scripture passages that have to do with this week in the church year – more than we have time to read this morning; but to give just one example: the disciples who witnessed Jesus’ ascension would have been immediately reminded of the Old Testament story in II Kings where the prophet Elijah ascended into heaven. Elijah is the one prophet in the Old Testament who never died. He’s also the one prophet who joined Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus. When Elijah’s time came to leave the earth, the prophet Elisha – who was a prophet-in-training so to speak – was with him. The two men were traveling, and Elijah kept saying to Elisha “stay here, I need to go on ahead.” But Elisha kept saying to him, “as the Lord lives and as you live I will not leave you.”  Finally Elijah said to Elisha, “what is it you want? What can I do for you before I am taken from you?”  Elisha answered, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.”

What a bold thing to ask! Back in those days the Holy Spirit was not well known. Only a few men and women of God had ever received the Holy Spirit. Elijah was one of them. And Elijah said to Elisha, “you’ve asked a difficult thing; but if you see me when I’m taken from you, it will be yours.”  Not long after that, a chariot of fire appeared and separated the two men, and Elijah was taken into heaven in a whirlwind. And Elisha cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elijah disappeared into heaven. Elisha saw it all; so his request was granted.

As witnesses of Jesus’ ascension, the disciples would certainly have remembered Elijah’s ascension, and they would certainly have remembered the work of the Holy Spirit in that event. So what happened between Elijah and Elisha very much ties in with both Ascension and Pentecost.

The version of Jesus’ ascension which we read in Luke’s gospel is a shortened version of what he wrote in the beginning of the book of Acts. In Luke’s gospel, the apostle mentions the disciples feeling doubtful and confused as to why Jesus had to go. The disciples knew the story about Elijah but they didn’t understand why Jesus couldn’t stay.

This happens a lot in the life of faith: we can know the scriptures without really understanding the whys sometimes. But praise God, Jesus doesn’t leave us with our questions. We need Jesus – just as the disciples did – to teach us and guide us into the future.

In Luke’s gospel, Jesus leaves the disciples with these instructions. He says: You are my witnesses. You will be the ones to proclaim to all the nations repentance and forgiveness of sins in My name. But before you do this I will send you “power from on high”. Jesus tells them: “stay in Jerusalem until this power arrives.” And then Jesus blesses them and ascends into heaven.

Of course Jesus was talking about the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, which makes sense – and we will be talking more about that next week. But there’s more to the Ascension than just this. First, there’s Luke’s longer version in the book of Acts; and second, there’s a conversation Jesus has with his Father God just before his Ascension. Both of these have a bearing on what the disciples are going to do after Jesus is gone.

In the book of Acts, Luke tells us Jesus “presented himself alive to [the disciples] by many convincing proofs, for forty days.” So the disciples – at least some of them – doubted the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. This is understandable: nobody ever survived a crucifixion. The apostle Matthew tells us in chapter 28 of his gospel that after the resurrection, “when [the disciples] saw [Jesus], they worshipped him; but some doubted.”  It took some time for the disciples to get their minds around this reality of Jesus coming back to life.

Luke also tells us that before Jesus ascended, he took time to “teach them about the Kingdom of God”.  Contemporary scholar N.T. Wright teaches that the Kingdom of God is the central point of the Bible and of our faith – not so much ‘going to heaven when we die’ but rather living in the kingdom of God both now and in eternity.  Jesus taught the disciples all this; and then he said, “wait in Jerusalem until the promise of the Father arrives” – the Holy Spirit.

The disciples then ask Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Even after everything they’ve heard and witnessed, the disciples are still thinking in terms of a human kingdom that will be brought in by power, to defeat the Romans and reestablish the line of King David. (You’ll notice people today still make this mistake! There are people today who seem to think their country is God’s gift to the world, and what benefits their country benefits God’s kingdom.) Jesus corrected this kind of thinking very quickly. He said: “it is not for you to know the times or the periods the Father has set.” This tells us that God’s kingdom has more to do with when than with where. It’s the time, not the location, that’s important.

Jesus doesn’t stop there. He says “But you(!) – but you – will receive power and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.”  The word ‘you’ is plural – all the disciples – the people who knew Jesus and were witness to his resurrection, and all of us who believe because of their testimony.

In both Luke’s gospel and the book of Acts, the apostle’s focus is on the promise of the Spirit to come. Wait for the Spirit. (Which BTW is good advice just about anytime – wait for the Spirit; wait for the Spirit’s leading.)

Having said all these things, Jesus then ascended into heaven and was seen no more on this earth. But Jesus is not exactly gone. We have Jesus’ word; we have Jesus’ teachings. We have his mandate to be witnesses to his resurrection and to the coming of his Kingdom. We have the Holy Spirit – because for us, Pentecost has already come. By the power of the Spirit we have the body of believers that has been made into the family of God.

We also have another great treasure: one we may not think about all that often. We have all the prayers of all the people who have prayed for us. We have Paul’s prayer for us in our reading from Ephesians. We have Jesus’ prayer for us in John 17. And we have the prayers of our mothers.

On Mothers’ Day it is so appropriate we remember this! I don’t know a single woman who doesn’t think about God when she gives birth to a child. The miracle of new life is overwhelming. I have never met a mother who doesn’t pray for her children, even if she’s not sure she believes in God! “Lord protect my child” – is always a mother’s prayer.

And then the prayer that Paul prayed for the Ephesians is also for us – for the church now as well as then. Paul prays to God the Father of Jesus Christ, and Paul asks for seven things for us:

1. we would have a spirit of wisdom
2. we would have a spirit of revelation
3. we would grow in our knowledge of Jesus – not just knowledge in general but our knowledge of God. Are we learning more about God, day by day? and if not, why not? All Christians everywhere are taught to read scripture, pray, and keep fellowship with others in whom the Holy Spirit lives.
4. Paul prays that we would have the eyes of our hearts enlightened. There are a lot of things about God that go beyond what our minds can grasp. To truly know God we need to know God by heart. This is one of the reasons we sing praise rather than just speaking it. So Paul prayed that our hearts would be enlightened.
5. Paul prays that we would know the hope we have been called to. And what is hope? I think my favorite definition of the word “hope” comes from the movie The Shawshank Redemption. If you’ve seen it you’ll never forget the final words of the movie: “I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.” Hope is more than a feeling – hope is taking action and moving towards what we hope for.
6. Paul prays that we would know the riches of Jesus’ glorious inheritance (this inheritance of course is mostly in the future – so Paul is praying for our eternal lives)
7. Paul prays we would know the immeasurable greatness of Jesus’ power. Do we know this? Or are discouraged because in our world evil so often wins? Can we see beyond the immediate present to God’s “forever kingdom”?

These are all the things Paul prays for us. And then last but never least! Jesus himself prays for us!

Jesus’ prayer is found in John chapter 17, which is one of the readings for the final Sunday of Easter, so it’s appropriate for today. In this prayer Jesus is speaking directly to God the Father, who Jesus knows intimately and loves more than life itself. Jesus would never ask for anything that would displease his Father. Here’s what Jesus prays for us:

Father, these people who are following me – all of them are yours. I’ve told them about you, Father, and they have kept your word. They know that I came from you. Now I’m coming home to you, Father, but they’re still in the world. Make them one as you and I are one. I have protected them and guarded them like a shepherd. Now, Father, keep them and guard them (notice BTW the echo here of a mother’s prayer – the tenderness of our savior for us). Protect them by Your name, Jesus prays.

He says: Make my joy complete in them. Father I have given them your words. Keep them safe now – they don’t belong to the world any more, just like I don’t belong to the world. [BTW when Jesus prays about ‘the world’ he doesn’t mean ‘planet Earth’ so much as he means ‘worldly ways of doing things’ – as opposed to the ways of God’s kingdom.]

Jesus continues: Protect them from the evil one. Let truth make them holy; your word is truth. Now I’m sending them into the world the same way you sent me, Father. Make them holy in the truth.

Jesus prays all these things for us!! Do you think God the Father would say ‘no’ to a prayer like this? We are most definitely in the best of hands.

On this Ascension day, when it may seem like Jesus has left the earth and left us to our own devices – we are not alone.  Our mothers have prayed for us. The apostles have prayed for us. Jesus himself prays for us. We are covered and protected and supported in more ways than we know.

Our job now is to bear witness to this truth that has been made known to us: that Jesus is alive, that God loves us, and God’s kingdom is very near. And if we ever feel alone, or unequal to the task, remember all the prayers and all the people who have prayed for us – and be encouraged. AMEN.

Easter 7 – May 11, 2024 – Ascension and Mothers Day

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Of Service To Each Other

^“Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?  ²² It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in;  ²³ who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.  ²⁴ Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.  ²⁵ To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One.  ²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing.  ²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”?  ²⁸ Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.  ²⁹ He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless.  ³⁰ Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted;  ³¹ but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:21-31

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“Praise the LORD! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.  ² The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.  ³ He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.  ⁴ He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.  ⁵ Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.  ⁶ The LORD lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground.  ⁷ Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre.  ⁸ He covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills.  ⁹ He gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry.  ¹⁰ His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;  ¹¹ but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.”  – Psalm 147:1-11

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^“As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  ³⁰ Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once.  ³¹ He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

³² That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons.  ³³ And the whole city was gathered around the door.  ³⁴ And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

³⁵ In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.  ³⁶ And Simon and his companions hunted for him.  ³⁷ When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.”  ³⁸ He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.”  ³⁹ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.” – Mark 1:29-39

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This week, as our bulletin cover shows, we are entering into Black History Month; and today happens to be the birthday of Rosa Parks, who was born on this day in Tuskegee AL in 1913. When she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, she was arrested, launching a case that eventually went all the way to the Supreme Court – who ruled that “separate is not equal” and segregation had to end.

Asked about it later, Mrs. Parks said that her decision to not get up was largely motivated by the acquittal of the murderers of Emmett Till. In the words of poet Nikki Giovanni, “it was Mrs. Rosa Parks who could not stand that death. And in not being able to stand it. She sat back down.”

Her ability to think clearly and act decisively under immense pressure changed the world we live in. May God bless her memory.

Today we are also still working our way through Epiphany: that time of year when God and our scriptures “show forth” and “make known” the Messiah, Jesus. Last week – to recap Mark’s gospel – we saw Jesus in a battle between good and evil when a man with an unclean spirit interrupted Jesus as he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. And all the people in Capernaum remarked how Jesus taught with authority and not like the scribes.

In his teaching, and in his dismissal of the demon, Jesus demonstrated the reality and the power of spiritual gifts. A couple weeks ago in our Wednesday Bible study, we were talking about spiritual gifts – things like healing and speaking in tongues and prophecy. And we mentioned how it seems like in some churches these things happen all the time but in other churches (like the one I grew up in) the spiritual gifts were rarely if ever seen, and seemed a bit of a mystery. I wanted first off to assure you that the spiritual gifts are real, and in this passage we see Jesus using some of them. That is why the people sensed Jesus had ‘authority not like the scribes’ – which is a very accurate perception!

The spiritual gifts Jesus used on that day included teaching, word of knowledge, and healing. We don’t often think of teaching as a spiritual gift, because a lot of people teach… but teaching in the Spirit is very powerful and it goes deep into the listeners – that’s why the people felt that “he teaches with authority”. And word of knowledge, which is sometimes called prophecy, is being able to speak a truth that a person could not know unless God revealed it to them. When Jesus identified the man as having an evil spirit (as opposed to maybe being drunk or having a really bad day) this was a prophetic understanding – this was knowledge given by God. And then Jesus used the spiritual gift of healing to tell the evil spirit to leave. And the spirit left, and the man was healed.

The spiritual gifts all have the same goals: to give glory to God; to teach God’s people about God’s love and power; and to heal the things that are wrong in this world. And this is how we can tell real spiritual gifts from people who are trying to fake them: God’s Spirit accomplishes God’s will.

So that’s a quick summary of last week – which gives us our launching point for this week.

This week Jesus continues to minister in God’s power, making God known to God’s people.

Psalm 147 says: “Great is our Lord and abundant in power.”

And the psalm says God uses this power to “lift up the downtrodden, and cast the wicked to the ground.” The psalmist says God also uses God’s power to make clouds and rain and grass and animals and ravens (although I’m not quite so sure about Baltimore…). Above all, God does good for the people God loves.

Isaiah then talks about this in more detail.  Isaiah reminds us that rich and poor alike share the same end; that life is very short… but God gives power. Isaiah says:

“²⁸ Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.  ²⁹ He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless.”

Some of us might remember the movie Chariots of Fire from a few years back – the story of Scottish missionary Eric Liddell who was also a champion runner in the Olympics. In that movie, Eric Liddell preached a sermon on this passage in Isaiah, and I can almost hear his Scottish accent:

“[The Lord] does not faint or grow weary… ²⁹ He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless.  ³⁰ Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted;  ³¹ but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

(Here’s a link to the video clip:)

Just in those few short sentences the words “faint”, “weary”, “exhausted”, “powerless” appear nine times! And how often do we find ourselves feeling that way? How often we find ourselves running in a thousand different directions, barely keeping up with everything that has to be done? But in these same verses the words “power”, “strength”, and “run” and “walk” are repeated as well. God is never tired; God is never weary – and those who wait for God “will renew their strength” – if we wait with expectation, looking in God’s direction, and trusting that God’s word is true.

Then we come to our gospel reading from Mark. This passage takes place immediately after last week’s reading. In last week’s reading, Jesus was teaching in synagogue in the morning. In this week’s reading, it’s later the same day. The worship service is now over, and Jesus – along with James and John – goes to the home of Simon Peter and Andrew, which is a short walk from the synagogue – just a few blocks away. It’s kind of like what people used to do after church back in the day: they’d say, “hey, let’s grab a bite to eat!” and then go to somebody’s house. It feels natural to do this; and rightfully so, because the Sabbath day is a day made for rest, and fellowship, and enjoying friends and family.

But as they arrive at Peter’s house, they find that Peter’s mother-in-law is in bed with a fever.  So Jesus goes to her, and “raises her up” – and heals her – not just in the sense that ‘the fever’s gone’ (which it was) but in the sense of she feels GREAT! She feels reunited with her family, and she feels healthy and strong, and she can’t wait to start serving lunch!

As the Sabbath day progresses, the mother-in-law and the disciples all eat and relax and enjoy each other’s company. And the rest of the village of Capernaum is pretty much doing the same thing – because it’s the Sabbath, and people relax on the Sabbath.

BUT! All over town, people are still talking about what Jesus did that morning. And as soon as the sun goes down – as soon as the Sabbath is over – the entire town shows up outside the front door!  (And these houses are packed really close together – I don’t know how they got that many people in that street!)  And they’ve brought with them the sick and the demon-possessed for Jesus to heal.

Side note on demon-possession: We here in the 21^st century don’t usually put much stock in devils or demons. We look at the movie The Exorcist more like entertainment than fact.

But many of our Christian brothers and sisters over in Africa see things differently. And the more I think about it, the more I think it’s because they have witnessed far more in the way of in-your-face evil than we have. They have seen, with their own eyes, the violence in Darfur, the burning of villages in South Sudan, the genocide in Rwanda, the decades-long civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They know that pure evil exists; and they know that sometimes people give in to it.

Whatever we may believe about the powers of darkness, I think the important thing to know is to stay away from them, as much as it’s within our power.

James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” The opposite is true as well: anyone who goes looking for trouble will most likely find it.

And let’s face it – even if we don’t believe in evil spirits, there are death-dealing forces in our world: addiction, racism, xenophobia, uncontrollable anger, envy, pollution of our air and water, and so many more. One scholar writes that these things “move through the world as though by a kind of cunning. They resist, sidestep, or co-opt our best attempts to overcome them. [Trying to solve these problems is] (he says, is) less like figuring out a puzzle and more like wrestling with a beast.”^[1]

But getting back to Capernaum: the whole neighborhood, it seems, has come to Jesus looking for healing, looking for deliverance from the powers of evil. And Jesus heals them all.

 The apostle Paul writes:

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons . . . will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39)

Jesus has both the love and the power to take away all sickness, and to remove the forces of evil. That night, every person who came to Jesus was healed!

After everyone had been cared for, Mark tells us, Jesus slipped away. It was in the wee hours of the morning. I imagine many of the people were still sort of hanging around, kind of having an impromptu block party, but Jesus disappeared. Mark says he “went to a deserted place” – which would not have been nearby, as the area around Capernaum was fairly populated.

Why would Jesus do this? Mark doesn’t say, other than to say Jesus went away to pray. Was Jesus recharging his batteries, so to speak? Probably. Was he sharing joy with God his father – the joy of seeing people healed and set free and made whole? I’m certain of it. And Jesus was also listening to God – asking: what do we do next? Where do we go next? And Jesus was setting an example for us – because we also need to be with God in prayer, on a regular basis, to recharge and regroup and reconnect.

Some time later, Peter and the disciples realized Jesus was gone, and went looking for him. And after a good long search they found him, and they said, “Jesus, everybody’s looking for you!” – hinting that he should still be with the crowd. Their message is: “Let’s go back!” Jesus, OTOH, says, “Let’s go on!” It’s almost like a foretaste of the Mount of Transfiguration: on that day Peter said “let’s stay here and put up tents” but Jesus said, “Let’s go on!”

It’s a very human moment; because there is something in all of us that wants to put down roots, that likes to find a place to call home. And there’s nothing wrong with that – I think that’s how we’re designed. But Jesus leads in another direction. He says:

“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matt 8:20)

As God’s people, much as we try, we will never have permanent roots in this world. For the time being we may have a sense of rootedness in our families and in our church and in our communities… but it’s only for a time. And knowing this sheds doubt on the line of reasoning that says “well this is how things have always been.” Because they actually haven’t… always been… and even if they have ‘always been’ they’re not meant to stay that way. As the old hymn says, “This world is not our home, we’re just a-passin’ through.”

Jesus says, “Let’s go on!” And we need to be ready to move on with Jesus. We need to know that staying put is not an option. In order to share God’s good news and God’s gifts with others, we need to not stay where we are.

So what can we pull together out of these passages?

First, the call to service is very clear. Jesus serves first: he teaches in the synagogue, he heals a demon-possessed man, he heals Peter’s mother-in-law. But there’s also a call to mutual service: Jesus serves the mother-in-law and then the mother-in-law serves Jesus. Serving goes back and forth, and we are all, each one of us, called to do our part.

Second, Jesus focused his teaching ministry, at least at first, in the synagogues. Mark says, “he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.” The word ‘synagogue’ is a word that means “to bring together”. Just like the word ‘symphony’ means ‘to sound together’, synagogue is ‘to bring together’.

Our culture, in our world today, is badly in need of places for people to come together. A sense of community has been all but lost in our younger generations. When I ask my husband’s kids “where do you turn in times of trouble?” they can’t answer; they don’t know. Historically, the church has been the place to turn; it’s been the center of the community. Rosa Parks herself, when she had her experience on the bus, immediately turned to her church for support and fellowship; and she found it there.

We need to find ways to reawaken a sense of community. We need to find ways to be community for our world today. The fact that we have seniors meeting here in this building, and community meetings being held here – these are good things – these are a good start. How else might we be a ‘gathering place’ for our community? How else might we follow in Jesus’ footsteps to confront things that harm our people – and to bind up wounds, and to lead to faith and freedom?

May God lead us to discover answers to these questions – for the good of God’s people and to the glory of God. AMEN.

(photo of Synagogue at Capernaum)

[1] SALT

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Jesus Preaches Repentance

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying,  ² “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.”  ³ So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across.  ⁴ Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”  ⁵ And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. ¹⁰ When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. – Jonah 3:1-5, 10

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Psalm 62:5-12  ⁵ For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.  ⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.  ⁷ On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.  ⁸ Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah  ⁹ Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.  ¹⁰ Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.  ¹¹ Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,  ¹² and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work.

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Mark 1:14-20   ¹⁴ Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God,  ¹⁵ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”  ¹⁶As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea — for they were fishermen.  ¹⁷ And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”  ¹⁸ And immediately they left their nets and followed him.  ¹⁹ As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets.  ²⁰ Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

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Our scripture readings this morning present us with a subject that is not easy to talk about or to hear about. The overarching theme of our scripture readings today is repentance.

It’s unfortunate that when we hear the word ‘repent’, so often what comes to mind is those old-time hellfire-and-brimstone preachers whose sermons would scare the hell out of people, but only temporarily. It seems too often turning over a new leaf in that particular way didn’t last long.

We have better examples to look at in today’s scriptures; but before we turn to our readings, I thought it might be helpful to hear what a more contemporary preacher might say about repentance. Inspired by the fact that last Monday was the day we celebrate the life and memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, I went out to the internet and asked Google: “did Martin Luther King Jr ever preach on repentance?”

He sure did! So I’d like to start today by sharing a couple of the things he wrote. The first is a quote from his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Dr. King wrote:

“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”

That’s a prophetic word if ever there was one. It’s also a great example of how to speak a prophetic word into our culture today.  King makes no apologies; he doesn’t soften his point; he confronts evil head-on.  And he includes all of us in his call to repentance – because sins committed by groups need to be repented of by groups.

The second thing I found that Dr. King wrote about repentance comes from one of his sermons. This was not a famous sermon; it’s just part of the archives that are available today. Here’s what he said (and I wish I could speak this in his voice! When I was reading it on the internet I was imagining his voice – but work your imaginations.) Dr. King said:

“This morning I want to talk to you about the meaning of sin. This sermon is only addressed to those persons who are conscious of moral wrongdoing. If you have no uneasy stirrings of conscience… then this sermon does not apply to you.

“But before you conclude that this sermon does not apply to you… be certain [of what] we mean by “sin”. Usually when we think of sin we think of… of gross iniquities — murder, robbery, adultery, drunkenness. But we must add to this category at least three other categories:

• There are sins of temperament — vindictiveness, stubbornness, jealously, bad temper, malicious gossip…
• There are sins of social attitude
• There are the sins of neglect

It is not alone the things that we do, but the things we have left undone that haunt us — the letters we did not write, the words we did not speak, the opportunity we did not take. How often Jesus stressed this sin. What was wrong with that… man who buried his talent? What did he do? That was the trouble—he did nothing; he missed his chance.

So here they are—sins of passion, sins of temperament, sins of social attitude, sins of neglect. I suspect that every one here fits into one of these categories: So stay with us; you too need forgiveness.”[1]

I feel like I should just say “Amen” and sit down!

Dr. King is right – there is not a single person in this room who is not a sinner. According to the latest statistics, in a random group of any thirty Americans (on average) four are hooked on pornography; eleven use prescription drugs in wrong ways; three drink too much; and more than one in four have experienced either physical violence or stalking in a romantic relationship.

Once we know we need forgiveness, and that God is a God of mercy, it becomes possible to confess our sins to God – usually in private prayer, just between us and God; but sometimes also in public worship. And when we do this, we also become willing to leave those sins behind.

That’s where repentance begins.

What repentance actually looks like will be different for each one of us; but in general, repentance includes a change of direction. Repentance does not mean – as some of those old-time preachers used to lead us to think – that we are low-down, dirty rotten scoundrels.

Rather repentance means being honest with God about where we are in our lives, where our shortcomings are, and being willing to be in a better place doing better things. It’s kind of like, when my cell phone is giving me directions while I’m driving, and I make a wrong turn, and phone says “recalibrating, recalibrating…”. The phone is figuring out a new set of directions to get me back headed the right way. That’s what repentance is like – recalibrating. Getting back on the right road.

Our scripture readings for today talk about repentance from different angles, so I’d like to take a quick look at each, starting with Jonah.

Jonah’s story is unique in history, I think. Jonah is probably the most reluctant prophet that ever lived!  God commanded Jonah to go preach a message of repentance to the people of Nineveh. In those days, Nineveh was a very large and extremely corrupt city – badly in need of repentance – and it was also Israel’s arch-enemy at the time. Jonah had no reason to want them to repent; in fact he would rather see God’s judgement fall on those scoundrels!  So Jonah went and traveled in the opposite direction.

God persuaded Jonah to change his mind by sending a whale – and after Jonah spent some time thinking things over in the belly of a whale, he was willing to go. I imagine Jonah probably looked a little strange after being in those digestive juices for a day or two – strange enough to convince the Ninevites that this prophet was for real!

God then repeats his command to Jonah: go preach to Nineveh. And God’s message is: “forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown”. That’s it. Nothing else.

The people of Nineveh believed God, and repented with fasting and sackcloth.

There are two very unusual things that happen in this story: First, God’s call to repentance is going out to Gentiles. This was almost unheard-of in the Old Testament. The Old Testament is mostly about God’s relationship with Israel; and the people of Israel are frequently warned not to mix with Gentiles, because they’ll end up worshipping Gentile gods (which happened far too often).

But the people of Nineveh were uncircumcised Gentile idol-worshippers, and were the enemies of Israel – yet God called them to repentance. And when they did repent, God showed them mercy. This was the first time, but will not be the last time, that God calls groups of non-Jewish people to repentance.

The second thing that’s unusual is that when the Ninevites repent, they do not sacrifice any animals – which is how repentance was done in the Jewish faith in the Old Testament. This introduces the idea that it’s possible to repent and be saved apart from animal sacrifice. The prophet Samuel once said: “to obey is better than sacrifice” – and the Ninevites learned this first-hand. Atonement for Nineveh was by faith alone in God’s word alone.

Next we come to Psalm 62. The word ‘repent’ doesn’t appear in this psalm. The psalm was written by King David and was probably written to be used in public worship. But the words describe the mindset – and the heart-set – of a person who repents well; a person who makes course corrections daily by keeping a focus on God and who God is.

David says: God alone is my rock. God alone is my salvation. God is my fortress – and back then fortresses were not only used for battle but they also included places to eat and places to rest – literally everything a person needed. God is my fortress.

David also says “I trust God; I am open and honest with God.” That’s a scary thought in a lot of ways. I think most of us kind of instinctively want to be on our best behavior for God – because God is perfect and holy, and God is pure goodness and pure love, and God is so much greater than we are. The last thing we want to do is to say, “God, I messed up again.”

But there’s no point in trying to fool God. In fact God knows a lot more about us than we know about ourselves, so we might as well be honest.

David says that poverty or riches count for nothing. He says the poor are a breath, and riches are a delusion. But power and steadfast love belong to God; and God loves us more than we can imagine.

Finally in the Gospel of Mark, at the beginning of the reading, John the Baptist has just been arrested. His voice in the wilderness – calling the people to repentance and to prepare the way of the Lord – has been silenced.

Jesus takes up the ministry where John left off. John has indeed prepared the way for the Lord, and the people are ready to hear, so Jesus begins.

Jesus’ first, and most important message is:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

Or to say it in more contemporary language: The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Turn around, believe, and change course.

Jesus calls us to disentangle ourselves from the cares of this world – NOT ignoring the needs of the world (not at all!), but realizing our lives are short; we keep our focus on God, we follow God’s lead, and we trust in God’s loving care.

Jesus then calls his first disciples to follow him and become ‘fishers of people’. What was it that motivated those lifelong fishermen to drop their nets and walk away from everything they had known? Was it a chance to try something new and different? Was it a chance to start again? Was it an opportunity to be part of what God is doing in the world? I imagine the answer would be different for each disciple.

Jesus says: “The reign of God – the kingdom of God – is now here” – and who wouldn’t want to be part of that?

So to sum all this up for us living here in the 21^st century –

First, we need to look back at the history of our faith. One Jewish scholar says: “Repentance is as old as time itself.”[2]  And even in the Old Testament, repentance is universal – it’s for everybody, not just the people of Israel. I find it interesting that even today, our Jewish brothers and sisters read the story of Jonah every year on Yom Kippur, which is their day of fasting and repentance.

But we don’t need a special event to repent: repentance can be done by anybody on any day. So how is it done? The Ninevites repented on both an emotional level and a physical level. They let God turn their hearts, and they let God change the way they lived.

Looking at the history of the Jewish people also reminds me of the way they often begin prayers. They often start their prayers with the words: “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe…” and then add more after this. For example:

• “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings snow in its time and rain in its time and the green of spring in its time…” (and then after that they might pray for those who are facing inclement or difficult weather)
• OR “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who places us in families and gives us the gift of children and grandchildren…” (and then they might go on to pray for families)
• OR “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has placed us in this church and in this community…” (and then go on to pray for the church and the community)

I love that prayer because it puts everything in focus: “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe…” That’s where we begin.

Second, repentance means trusting God. God is not ‘up there’ in heaven waiting for us to make mistakes so God can get on our case. No; God is like a loving father who wants the very best for us. God wants to hear from us, just like we like to hear from our kids.

Third, in the book of Corinthians, Paul says “the time is short” and he advises the Corinthians to “be ready”. This is not a comment on the end times; it’s a reminder to stay on the path of faith… to keep making those course corrections as we journey through life.

An old Jewish rabbi was once asked by his disciples: “When should we repent?”

The rabbi answered: “On the day before you die.”

Which of course reminds us we never know when that day will be. So we prepare for our future with God by making course corrections every day – checking to see that we’re still moving in God’s direction. As Shakespeare’s Hamlet once famously said, “The readiness is all.”

The Greek word for repentance – metanoeite (which I think is a very nice-sounding word, much nicer-sounding than ‘repent’) metanoeite includes in its meaning continuous action. It’s not something that is done just once, and it’s not something we do only on Sundays. It is an ongoing state of daily change and faithfulness. When we make a daily practice of checking in with God, and steering in God’s direction, the course corrections fall into place.

So Jesus’ call to us – as it was to the disciples – is a call to companionship and closeness and growth and learning as we journey together towards God’s kingdom.  “The time is here, the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe the good news.”  AMEN.

[1] https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/meaning-forgiveness

[2] CMJ

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The Lord Who Hears

“There was a certain man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.  ² He had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

³ Now this man used to go up year by year from his town to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the LORD.  ⁴ On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters;  ⁵ but to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb.  ⁶ Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb.  ⁷ So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat.  ⁸ Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

⁹ After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the LORD. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.  ¹⁰ She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD, and wept bitterly.  ¹¹ She made this vow: “O LORD of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a Nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”

¹²  As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth.  ¹³ Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk.  ¹⁴ So Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.”  ¹⁵ But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD.  ¹⁶ Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.”  ¹⁷ Then Eli answered, “Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.”  ¹⁸ And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.

¹⁹ They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her.” – 1 Samuel 1:1-19

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Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in my God. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in my victory.  2 “There is no Holy One like the LORD, no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.  3 Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.  4 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength.  5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.  6 The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.  7 The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts.  8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and on them he has set the world.  9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might does one prevail.  10 The LORD! His adversaries shall be shattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed.” – 1 Samuel 2:1-10

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Today we have two readings from I Samuel: the first tells the story of Hannah, a woman who was feeling distraught and hopeless in her life circumstances; and the reading is Hannah’s song of joy and victory when God finally hears her prayer and she finds hope.

I think these passages fit us well today, because there are a lot of things these days that can make us feel hopeless. The pandemic, for one, has us all on edge. Many of our communities are full of old structures and old institutions that need renewing if not replacing. Our society is full of violence and apathy. And our churches – all of them, of any kind – are struggling and have seen better days. We wonder how to reach out with God’s message to our communities, how to share the good news of Jesus, when people don’t seem to even want to hear it any more.

What does one do when it seems like hope is dead and the future looks bleak? Hannah was a woman in that same spot, who managed to find God and find hope. So I want to share her story this morning.

Hannah was a young woman of the people of Israel. She was married to a wealthy man who believed in God whose name was Elkanah. Hannah’s name means “favor of God” or “grace of God,” but she didn’t feel very favored by God. After many years of marriage, to a husband who loved her very much, they had no children. Back then, in a world where there were no retirement homes or supermarkets or home health aides, the only way to eat was to farm, and a person’s senior years depended on having children who would be able to take care of the farm and the parents as they aged. And things would be even worse for Hannah if Elkanah died before she did. To be a widow or an orphan in those times was pretty much the worst thing that could happen to a person – it was literally life-threatening.

So Elkanah did what many men in those days did in that situation: he took a second wife with whom to have children. We see this happen, with some variations, with Abraham and Sarah, and with Jacob and Rachel, and with other couples in the Bible. Having a second wife was not illegal back then, and it was not against the Law of Moses either. Generally speaking in those days men who had more than one wife were either wealthy (which Elkanah was) or desperate for children (which Elkanah also was). Not an ideal situation, but not unusual.

Elkanah’s second wife, Peninah, was prolific!  She had baby after baby after baby.

Every year, Elkanah, who was a devout man, took his family to Shiloh to worship. Worship back then included sacrificing animals: the fat would be burned on the altar as an offering to God, and then the meat would be shared between the family and the priests. So each member of the family would receive a slice of the roast (so to speak) – one for Peninnah, one for each child, and two portions were given to Hannah because Elkanah loved her.

Peninnah, the mother of all these children, saw that she couldn’t win Elkanah’s love, and it rankled. So she did everything she could to rub Hannah’s face in the fact she had no children.

There is nothing in this world more catty than women comparing their children: how many they’ve got, what gender they are, what they’ve accomplished, what they do for a living…  I have actually heard real live women say things to other women like: “oh how wonderful – another girl! Are you guys going to try for a boy next?” Or this: “Thirty-two and not married? Don’t worry, you still have lots of time.”

So I can just imagine Peninnah: “hey Hannah, I’m going to run into town to buy some clothes for the kids, wanna come?” Or at the sacrifice: “Don’t forget, Elkanah honey, I’m gonna need seven portions this year!”

The author of Samuel says that Peninnah “provoked Hannah severely”.  Translation: she really dug her claws in. Hannah’s lack of kids wasn’t for lack of trying, but nothing they tried worked. Year after year she was shamed and ridiculed and driven to tears by a woman the author of Samuel calls “her rival”.

The dictionary defines a ‘rival’ as “a person competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field of activity.”  That’s exactly what Peninnah was doing. If she couldn’t win Elkanah’s love, she was going to see to it that she got his attention, and lots of it, through those kids.

Hannah meanwhile was feeling like all hope was gone and her future was grim. I’d like us to consider this question today: where in life do we feel like hope is gone? Do we have health problems? Financial problems? Family problems? As church members, do we fear for the future of our church? Do we fear for the future of our community? Whatever our minds are focused on these days, I’d like to suggest holding that thing in mind as we move into Hannah’s story.

Hannah had tried everything. Nothing worked. She felt like even God was against her. In fact the writer of Samuel says twice “the Lord had closed her womb”. I’m sure that’s how it felt to Hannah. And Jewish scholars point out that Hannah wasn’t wrong: the Lord had closed her womb.

God had put Hannah in exactly this situation at exactly this time because God wanted to do something BIG through her. God wanted to bring someone special into the world: a man who would lead his people from being scattered tribes to a united kingdom under the leadership of David.

Whatever difficulty or hard place we find ourselves in right now, consider the possibility (it’s not always the case, but it may be) we’re in these situations because God wants us to reach out to him with the passion and conviction and daring that Hannah did.

Listen to how Hannah talks to God! She says in her prayer: “Lord! If you would only look at me! If you would only see the pain in my heart! If you would only remember me! If you would give me a male child – I promise I will give him back to you as a Nazirite…”

I need to break into the story just for a moment to explain what Hannah is promising. A Nazirite was a special order of holy men back then (Samson was a Nazirite). Nazirites never touched alcohol and never cut their hair, as a sign of their lifelong commitment to God. They often had charismatic gifts; they were men in whom the Spirit of the Lord dwelled with power. And they were set aside as Nazirites by their parents at birth.

So basically what Hannah is saying is that if God will only give her a son, she will give him back to God – which will be extremely painful for Hannah as the boy grows up. But at this point Hannah is beyond caring about herself. She is not asking for a child to take care of her in old age. She is not asking for relief against her rival. She is not asking for a son she can raise. She is asking probably the hardest thing in the world: to give birth to a child so she can give him away. She would see him once a year when they sacrificed at the temple, and that would be all.

So this is her promise: “I will set him before you as a Nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”

This was exactly the prayer God had been waiting for. This prayer sets God’s plan in motion. All the trouble and all the pain had been leading up to this. God had a plan, and God wanted to include Hannah in that plan.

Whatever difficulties are going on in our lives right now, in life or in the church or in the community, what would happen if we did what Hannah did? If we gave up all personal interest and simply said, “Lord please hear me. Lord please remember me. This situation right here needs to change, and I want what you want. Please hear me.”

The minute Hannah prayed this prayer – she was immediately attacked! She was so passionate in her prayer, the high priest Eli thought she was drunk! But she stood up for herself (which is not always easy when one is talking to high-ranking clergy) and she said, “no sir, I’m not drunk. I’m just very upset and deeply troubled. I have been pouring out my heart and my vexation to God.”

And Eli gave her God’s answer: “Go in peace; and may God grant your petition.”

For the first time in years, Hannah felt like she’d been heard. Her spirits rose, her heart was glad, and she went back to her family a new woman, and ate and drank and enjoying her husband’s company. Nothing had changed – yet – but she knew the change was coming.

Our reading in Samuel ends here but the story goes on. God remembered Hannah, and she became pregnant, and gave birth to Samuel, one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament. As soon as Samuel was weaned Hannah brought him to Eli for service in the temple just as she had promised God. Later on, God remembered Hannah again – and ultimately she ended up having two more sons and three daughters. God gave her what she needed as well.

But before all this happened, Hannah sang the song we read in the second reading today: a song about victory in the Lord, in a God who sees and a God who knows, who builds up the weak but destroys the mighty, who feeds the hungry and lets those who are full go without, who raises up the lowly and raises up the poor, but cuts off the wicked – a God who will judge the earth, who will give power to his anointed (and the word ‘anointed’ here means Messiah.)

If you have a moment this week, put Hannah’s song next to the Song of Mary found in Luke chapter one. It’s amazing how similar they are. Hannah, through her suffering and through her prayers, caught a glimpse of the Messiah – and she became a prophetess whose actions changed the course of history and whose words described Jesus a thousand years before he was born.

As we face into our own difficulties, whatever they may be – be courageous and bold like Hannah. Be persistent in prayer. Ask God to remember his people. And keep ears open for answers.

May God hear our prayers and, as Hannah experienced, may God send us out in the confidence and peace of knowing we have been heard. AMEN.

Preached at Carnegie United Methodist Church and Hill Top United Methodist Church, 11/14/21

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Prayers in a Caring Community

“Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.  ¹⁴ Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.  ¹⁵ The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.  ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.  ¹⁷ Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.  ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.

¹⁹ My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another,  ²⁰ you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. – James 5:13-20

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One of the things I love about our Partnership churches is that we truly do make up a caring community (1).  We share prayer requests; we maintain prayer lists; we pray for each other on a regular basis. Hardly a week goes by that we don’t see prayer requests in our inboxes.

It’s good that we do this. In Philippians 4:6 the apostle Paul says:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Let me ask a question though: when we pray, are we watching for God’s answers? I know we do sometimes. But when we put someone on the prayer list, do we follow up with that person to see how they’re doing? When God brings something good into someone’s life, do we share that by email – sharing our joys as well as our concerns?

Where it comes to prayer, it’s important to remember that we are God’s children and God loves us no matter what. We may not always get what we ask for in prayer, but we can be assured when we pray, God hears us and will answer.

This is a lot of what James is talking about in his letter. To give some background to our reading: the book of James was most likely written by the literal brother of Jesus whose name was James. This in itself is a miracle, because in Jesus’ lifetime, his brothers didn’t believe in him. In John chapter 7 they accused Jesus of ‘wanting to be famous’ and told him to go to Jerusalem (because that’s where people go who want to be famous). They weren’t aware that Jerusalem was where Jesus was going to die.

But now, as James is writing this book, the crucifixion and the resurrection are behind them; Jesus has accomplished what he came to earth to do, and has returned to God; and James is now a believer. So he writes to the churches to encourage them (and us) and to share some of the things he learned from his older brother Jesus.

Just before the passage we read today, James advises his fellow believers to be patient until the Lord returns –– patient like a farmer waiting for the harvest. (How appropriate for this time of year!)

And then as we start into today’s reading, James encourages us to pray with confidence because prayer is a powerful thing (2).  James begins by asking if any members of the church are going through hard times. Being a Christian does not mean our lives will be trouble-free – in fact it can make things worse sometimes. What we are promised is that God will walk with us through this life, no matter what happens.  So if anyone is experiencing hard times, James says, pray. Not just once, but again and again. Be persistent in prayer.

And for those of us who worry a lot – you know how thoughts can get stuck in the mind sometimes, and turn over and over and over? James says we should bring all that tangle of thoughts and feelings to God – just as they are. Even if it’s a mess, God will help us untangle. Whenever I think “I just can’t make sense of this” – I know someone who can.

James doesn’t tell us how to pray: he doesn’t offer us a prayer like Jesus did in the Lord’s Prayer. But James says that it’s good to pray physical healing, emotional well-being, and spiritual discernment, as well as for day-to-day practical needs. Nothing is too big or too small for God.

On the flip side, when things are going well… when our hearts are joyful… when the sun is shining… when God’s blessings overflow – James says “sing!” Sing God’s praises. The Greek word here is psallo, spelled almost like psalm. So grab a hymn-book and sing! I think this is one of those times when the old familiar songs really do mean the most, because if we sing a song we learned in childhood or when we were younger, the happiness of that time spills into the joy of today – and then the joy just multiplies.

So no matter how life is going – whether great or not so great – the point is, share it with God. Share it with Jesus.

Then James asks if anyone is sick, and he says if a person is sick they should call for the elders to pray and anoint them with oil.

Let me break that down just a little bit. First off, where it comes to healing, not everyone has the gift of healing. Jesus had it. Paul had it. Some of the other apostles had it. When they prayed, people were healed, just like that. We have no reason to believe that the gift of healing does not still exist today; but I personally don’t have the gift, and I don’t currently know anyone who does. I do believe it still exists. But for the most part, when we pray for the sick, we are asking for God’s help: both for the person and for whatever is wrong.

The first thing James says is the person who is sick should call for the elders. It’s interesting that James doesn’t say somebody else should call for the elders. The sick person should be the one to choose whether or not to have visitors. There are times when sick people want to be left alone, in which case that should be respected. But if a sick person wants to be prayed for, this request should be brought to the elders right away.

Second, James says the person who is sick should call for the elders.  The word elder does not have the same meaning in the New Testament that it does in the United Methodist Church: that is, someone who is ordained. The Greek word here is presbuteros, which is the word we get Presbyterian from (and that does not mean we need to call the Presbyterians!) Basically it just means anyone who has been walking with God for a long time. In the UMC, pretty much anyone who’s on Council would count as an elder, as would other lay leaders, in addition to the ordained clergy.

Third, James says to “anoint [the sick person] with oil”.  Back in Jesus’ day, olive oil was often used because it was inexpensive and it was known to have healing qualities. Today, when oil is used, any kind will do. Pass the Del Monte!

I should mention some churches today anoint the sick with oil and some don’t. In the United Methodist Church, anointing with oil usually symbolizes the presence of the Holy Spirit, and it’s considered a blessing, which can be given whether or not the person is ill. In my Anglican background, oil is used mostly for baptism or anointing the sick. Either way – however we understand it – I always have a small bottle of oil with me, and I offer anointing to people when I visit them in the hospital. So if any member of the congregation ever feels the need to be prayed for, just grab a couple of the elders and come see me! I have the goods!

[It takes a village (3)[1]] 
The last thing I wanted to point out about James’ instructions is that they are meant to be carried out in community. We don’t see anyone in this passage in James acting alone! God calls all believers into community, and that’s no accident.

I believe this is hugely important in our time. In contemporary America, especially among the unchurched, an experience of community has been all but lost. Think about it: people come together to go to school or to play sports, or occasionally for family events; but other than that, people don’t do things together much. Porch-sitting is pretty much a thing of the past. So are scouting, 4-H, the Lions, the Rotary Club, the Variety club, even neighborhood block parties. When was the last time you saw any of these things? The sense of community in our society is almost gone – especially among the younger generations.

I believe – from a standpoint of both scripture and faith – that this is one of the greatest needs of our time, and one of the greatest potentials for outreach and ministry. A lack of community leads to loneliness and alienation, and it’s become worse since the pandemic.

Sharing a sense of community is a ministry our churches are well-equipped to do. It doesn’t take a lot of people and it doesn’t take a lot of money. For example, look at the $1 Clothing Sale Stormie and her mother organized a little bit ago. Or the Baby Shower for Jesus. Or whenever we have a church dinner, and invite the public. These are things our churches do for the community – and when we do, we demonstrate why community is important, and we offer people the opportunity to become part of a community: to know what it feels like to not be so alone.

Then in verses 15-16, James says something that is a little troubling. He says, “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.”

At first glance, James seems to be saying that sickness is the result of unconfessed sin. This would be the wrong conclusion to draw. The translation should read more like, “if a person is sick they’ll be raised up, if a person has sinned they’ll be forgiven.” The word heal in verse 15, in Greek, is sozo – which can be translated either healed or saved.

So I think James’ point is that sin can be handled in much the same way as illness: if anyone has said or done something that has hurt someone, they should confess it to that person (and if necessary, to the elders) and then pray for one another.

James then gives us an illustration of the power of prayer from the life of Elijah – which reminds us and encourages us that God does answer prayer, and that God is more than powerful enough to do what is asked.

We serve a God who, in Genesis chapter one, said “light, be made!” and light was made. God’s word created everything that we see. Therefore our prayer of faith might simply be: “speak, Lord, for your creation hears.”

James then encourages us to watch over our brothers and sisters in the faith. Not being nebby; but if someone falls into temptation, pray and restore them to the community of faith. If someone wanders off like a lost sheep (and any shepherd can tell you, sheep can be really stubborn) – anyone who brings them back to the Lord will not only save that person but wipe out a multitude of their own sins.

BTW the word in Greek for ‘brought back’ is epistrepho, which we get the word apostrophe from.

Just like the apostrophe turns back on itself, if someone strays from the faith, they need to be guided back. That is our duty as Christian brothers and sisters, to help people make that turn. One theologian put it this way:

“The promise is that, when people stray from the faith and we help them to find their way back to faith, we will have helped to save their souls from death.  While this could refer to physical death (because some sins put a person’s… life in jeopardy), the more significant salvation is spiritual and eternal.”[2]

We are ultimately our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. (…as our Wednesday night Bible Study just read recently in Genesis, where Cain asks “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer is yes – yes we are.)  We are called to watch out for each other, care for each other, and pray for each other.

James ends his letter here. I think letting these be his final words, is his way of telling us how important they are.

So we start out as a caring community. We have confidence in the power of prayer (because we know the God we’re talking to). And it takes a village to care for all of us and for our communities around us.

This really is the heart and pulse of the church. So keep on praying: for the sick, for the recovered, for our communities, for our pastors, for our elders, and for each one of us as we walk with God. And then watch how God will answer. AMEN.

Preached at Fairhaven United Methodist Church and Spencer United Methodist Church, 9/26/21

[1] The three sub-topics are not part of the sermon but are suggested by this article by James Boice: https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-26-2/commentary-on-james-513-20-4

[2] Sermon Writer:  https://sermonwriter.com/biblical-commentary-old/james-513-20/

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