Simply Grace

Today we have Biblical support to have worship services on the internet, that is, virtual. Acts 1:9 says "[Jesus] was lifted up as they watched, and a cloud overcame him and hid him from his eyes." The only question is, which cloud: Amazon Web Services, or Microsoft Azure?

While the disciples were looking at the sky two angels gently redirected them. They said, "Why are you looking at the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken from you to heaven, will come in the same way, just as they had seen him to heaven." The holy cross was the path that Jesus took to go to heaven, his throne, glory, power and kingdom.

Search for Jesus where there is suffering. Jesus will come to you.

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Once upon a time there was a pastor, a Lutheran Pastor, whose name was Bob Quello. Bob Quello. He was my pastor. He was tall, and from the pacific northwest. Bob came to our church in Sedona, Arizona and was loved and admired. He was tall with a big booming voice. The first time that I remember meeting pastor Quello, we were moving him and his wife from one house to another. We had a Uhaul truck, and some members from the church including myself, a teenager at the time, helped with the move. They were staying in a house that was built on a hillside somewhere near airport mesa. When we entered the home, his wife, Jan, greeted us by waving her arms and shushing us away from her husband, “Bob.” She said, “Bob is video editing like mad.” I looked and saw him staring at a small color TV, with some controls in front of him, a pile of gadgets and wires, and some kind of a joystick. He didn’t even acknowledge that we were there to move all of his stuff! Jan directed us toward the piles of boxes. She explained that there was some special family event coming up and Bob was making a video montage. We carried the boxes to the uhaul truck. 

The house they were moving into was further on the west side of town off of Dry Creek road. The neighborhood was called Arroyo Seco. But it turned out this was just another rental house, for Pastor Bob Quello and his wife Jan would be building a custom home near the church. I would end up spending quite a bit of time helping to build that house.

Eventually Pastor Quello stopped “video editing like mad,” and helped us move his earthly possessions and even drove the Uhaul. I sat in the passenger seat while he drove west down 89A. The sun hung low on the horizon and Pastor Quello folded down the visor pushing it forward all the way so that it touched the windshield. I had never seen that before. It was strange. My parents, and everyone I had ever ridden in the car with, folded the visor down just a little so that it pointed more toward their forehead as opposed to the windshield. I believe I must have said something about this, because I remember him saying that it was safer to point it forward in case one was in an accident the visor was out of the way and not protruding toward one’s forehead. It was at that moment that I realized that perhaps this man of God, knew some things that I and my family did not. Perhaps he was somebody worth listening to. At the very least I could pick up tips on how to properly pace a sun visor in a UHaul truck. 

We were not able to take all of the Quello’s boxes and furniture in just one trip, there were several. On the way back from the new rental we drove south down Dry Creek Road. In the distance above House Mountain or perhaps even beyond hovered in the air a constellation of thunderhead clouds glowing gold, orange, and red. The pastor pointed at them and remarked how beautiful they were. I agreed. It is widely known and accepted that Arizona has the best sunsets in the universe. It was also fortunate that those thunder clouds were not on top of us in which case we would be being rained on and carrying soggy cardboard boxes or worried about getting struck by lightning. 

When Jesus ascended into heave

Have you ever fallen completely in love with someone? Remind yourself of the feelings and emotions you experienced. What kind of things would you do to show your love? Would you spend a lot of money buying roses, perfume, chocolates or jewelry? Would you write letters, cards, and poems until your hand hurt? What if your love or rather the object of your love asked you to do things, would you not try to satisfy their every wish? You would climb mountains, descend canyons, and you complete anything, even death to demonstrate your love with proof. True?

Once upon a time I was walking in a lumberyard looking for materials for the house when I saw a guy with a different t-shirt. Printed on the shirt were the words: "Faithful unto death...but never before." I chuckled. But I also doubted if that gentleman really had a wife, girlfriend, or friend in his life. This shirt maybe was useful for earning points with your friends or laughter from strangers in the lumber yard, but it was not a good strategy for gaining trust, for gaining love.

Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." It is easy for anyone to say, “I love Christ. Jesus is Lord, or I accept Jesus Christ as my savior." It is another thing to live and demonstrate your love in obedience to God's commandments. Do you really obey Christ's commandments?

Love is difficult. It is even more difficult when you don’t know what your love wants you to do.  For example, would God want parishioners to gather during the pandemic for praise against the governor's direction? Dozens of churches in San Bernardino and Riverside counties say they will physically assemble him on May 31. Other churches think the opposite, that doing this is a threat to the well-being of members and the community. How is it possible that God's people can be so divided on this question of what God wants? Maybe we don't know God with very high confidence.

Once upon a time St. Paul was walking in the city of Athens, Greece. The variety of religious objects and altars was impressive. Paul found an altar that said, "To an unknown God." And Paul took this curiosity as his starting point for preaching. Paul said that in God, "We live, move and have our being," because we are also his lineage" Acts 17:18. The point is that we can learn more about who God is by studying and observing reality. This is called Natural Revelation. God shows herself in nature. If only there was a way to study nature in order to know more about God.

Thankfully there is a tradition of studying and learning from nature. It's called science. Biology, physics, chemistry and more all have their roots in the spiritual desire of human beings to know God more. Throughout history many of the great scientists were religious people as well. Science, then, is not an obstacle to a life of fidelity to God, it is a companion. If you want to love and know God, you can use the wisdom of science as his helper in knowing and loving God.

Do you know who was one of the first scientists? Noe and his family. Think about it for a moment. His experiment was whether he could sustain life in every type of animal on the ark while the flood destroyed the world. His laboratory was the ark. His samples were animals. They consider the great learning he and his family received in observing and caring for the animals and themselves. It was not easy. Most of the world thought that Noah was crazy. But he and his family were left in the ark each day struggling to survive against depression and anxiety. The water and rain fell for 40 days. But Noah was on the ark more than a year before they left. And the result? Only the salvation of life on earth. You have to be like Noah. Serve and love God, to care for and protect life, through studying and learning from nature. Amen.

10 May 2020

John 14:1-15

Wasting Time

Once upon a time I had to paint my house. It was a big job, and my neighbors looked at me like I was crazy. “That is why there are painters that you hire,” is what their facial expressions seemed to say to me. “Seems like a lot of work,” others would remark as they walked by. To make matters worse when I started to work on the house I was dive bombed. Seriously it was in the back yard, and as I walked around the corner of the patio a little bird swooped down so close to my face I nearly fell over in surprise and fear...it slowed me down.

It feels like time is wasting away for many people today. Like prisoners locked up for something we didn’t do. The stay at home orders and the global pandemic have got many people feeling like life is wasting away.

Lack Faith

The reason why you are scared about the lack of time, is because you lack faith. Jesus told the disciples that he would be leaving them. He said that he would be going to be with the father. Knowing that their time with Jesus was short, the disciples were anxious. Thomas was worried about not knowing the way to get to God. Philip was worried about not knowing what God looked like. They all were afraid and lacking faith, trust, and belief in God.

Jesus Gives Faith

Jesus told the disciples that if they wanted to see God all they had to do was to look at him. I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. Jesus helps the disciples have faith by bringing God down from heaven into their everyday existence. God is not far away in heaven, looking down, and judging us. Nor is God a puppet master sitting above the earth and pulling the strings to make everything happen. God is in the people we see all around us, and God is in yourself. 

Jesus also helps the disciples to understand what is the path that leads to God. Again, he does not want them to worry about every choice they make and whether it is God’s path or not. Jesus says, “I am the way.” In other words, the path to God is all around you. It is in how you care for your neighbor. 1 Peter, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people” The path to God is the path that leads you to care for the people in your life. Do not fear or worry if you are on a path to God or not. Wherever you are, God is there too. God is inside you right now.

God Gives More Time

One of the blessings of faith, that is, in believing that God is in you and in those around you, is that time opens up. Faith has the power to transcend time. An example of this is Saint Stephen. Stephen was a deacon in the early church. At that time there were members of the church who were suffering physically. It was senior members, and widows, who had to stay at home, and did not have money for food. The apostles initiated a feeding ministry and put Stephen in charge of it. Unfortunately Stephen was persecuted because of his faith, he was hunted down for being different from the powerful and dominant society in which he lived.

When he was on trial and asked to testify to his defense, he took the opportunity to preach! He told the story of God. This enraged the people at the trial and they immediately began to kill him by stoning. Yet while Stephen was in the very last seconds of his life. His eyes were opened to a deeper transcendent reality. He saw heaven unfold before him, and the Lord of life, Jesus Christ welcoming him with open arms, love and forgiveness. He saw Jesus even as people violently took his life unjustly. Stephen was so full of God’s Spirit that he cried out for God to forgive the people who were overcome

Truly, he who does not enter the fold by the door, but climbs in some other way is a thief and robber. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

It appears that Jesus’ threshold for considering someone to be a thief is very low. Just about anyone could fit into it. The only thing you have to do to be a thief is not follow proper protocol. How many of you have ever bent the rules just a little because it was easier? Why go through the proper channels, when it is so much easier to lean a ladder up against the side of the sheep pen and hop the fence? What difference does it make, after all?

It makes a difference because cutting corners and not following the proper policies and protocols are all done in the name of expediency and ease. What is thievery after all but enriching oneself at the expense of others?

One example of thievery in today’s world is the way in which people are getting a little too comfortable with the whole social distancing thing. How many people are enjoying staying at home, not working, and getting free money from the government? To make matters worse, this is supported by elected officials who seem to relish stripping away personal freedoms in the name of public health. Thieves are afoot taking away freedom, and leaching off the government. How dare they!

At the same time there are a whole other class of thieves. These are the people who flaunt common sense contact precautions and assemble in large groups without masks or social distancing to fulfill their personal desires. They gather in the name of recreation, politics, or hedonism so focused on their personal fulfillment that they rob the public’s effort to contain disease. What exacerbates the actions of these people are elected officials who desire to rush headlong into opening up businesses to generate revenue at the cost of human life. They rob the health of others in the name of their own financial gain. Theives!

So which band or brand of thieves would you care to join: 

Perpetual shelter in place, mooch off the man, and have no freedom thieves? 

Or hustle for a profit, spread disease, and let the bodies pile up thieves?

Are there any other options you ask? Why yes there is.

500 years ago a guy named Martin Luther faced a similar dilemma, and it was driving him crazy too! Luther was an Augustinian monk in Germany. He was born to an upwardly mobile family and had the opportunity to secure for himself very good financial wealth at the cost of eternal damnation. Or, he could live a completely miserable life as a monk and hope to earn his salvation. Luther decided to become a monk. He gave up his personal freedoms, lived a shelter in place life, and mooched off the system like so many other monastics. He hoped that he would get right with God, and be able to live forever in God’s eternal salvation. There was only one problem. Luther plunged into a deep despair. No matter how hard he worked at being good, and doing everything that God desired, he only felt like a greater failure. 

Even though Luther felt terrible, he likely suffered from depression, he showed academic ability, and was directed toward scholastic studies including reading the Bible in its original languages of Hebrew and Greek. As Luther studied the Bible he began to be unnerved by some of what he read. Must succinctly it was the words, “The righteous shall live by faith.” What ever could that mean?

“The righteous shall live by faith” couldn’t mean that a righteous person, that is a good person, merely trusts in God’s mercy, could it? It couldn’t mean that a person is able to receive eternal life, forgiveness of sin, and salvation from the devil merely by having faith in those things, could it? That would mean that the most valuable things in the world, eternal life, righteousness and salvation aren’t things you earn through holy

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Standing Still Looking Sad

Jesus approached two of his disciples that were walking to the village of Emmaus, which is about seven miles from Jerusalem. It is the same day of the resurrection. While they are walking Jesus approaches them, but their eyes are kept from recognizing him. Jesus asks them, “What are these words you are saying”? They stopped in their tracks and looked sad. They didn’t even know that it was Jesus that was talking to them! Maybe you can relate to this. Since stay at home orders were issued many people feel as though they have stopped moving, and they feel sad. 

The Economy Has been Closed 

Thinking back a couple of months ago, I remember the first time I heard the words spoken which caught my attention. One of the infectious disease experts were being interviewed on the radio. The reporter asked them what could be done to stop the spread of the virus. He said very firmly and unwaveringly, “Shut down all economic activity. Close restaurants, businesses, gatherings, and direct everyone to stay at home.” I’m pretty sure I accidentally swerved out of my lane a little bit when I heard these words. I must have heard incorrectly. Close the economy?  Just thinking words seemed impossible and almost...sacrilegious. 

The economy means a lot. So much of our material well being is dependent on the condition of the economy. If the economy is good, healthy, and strong, then there is financial opportunity and upward mobility. If the economy is weak, soft, or...closed, then it is understood that there will be suffering, lack of opportunity, and life will be difficult and dreary. 

God’s Economy is Open

The thing about the “economy” that not everyone knows is that it is actually a church word as well as a business word. The root of the English word Eco-Nomy is Greek: Oiko-nomia. Oiko is stands for house, home, or household. They seel a Greek yogurt called, “Oikos.” That means houshold. The second half of the word is “Nomy.” Which means, rules, laws, or governing structure. Examples would be: “anti-nomian” which means anti-law, or Deutero-nomy, which means, “Second law.” Put these two word halves together: Oiko-nomy, and it means the rules of the house. Which makes sense if you think about it. What is the “Economy” after all but the rules and ways we manage our household?

God has an economy that is larger and encompases our own. We call this, “the Divine Economy.” How does God manage God’s house, that is, all of creation? Consider these verses from First Peter chapter one:

If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. 1 Peter 1:17-19

This feels like we are living in exile, standing still, and feeling sad. But remember that we are not saved by gold or silver, but by the blood of Jesus Christ. 

Peter compares Jesus to a lamb without blemish because in the days of old God’s people would sacrifice animals as an offering to God. These sacrifices would heal the broken relationship between God and people. This was part of God’s economy. But in Jesus Christ God sacrifices himself once and for all. Jesus gives himself for each of us, to ransom us, that is, to liberate us from the devil. God’s economic activity has not been closed, but is open and active. 

You Can Boost Your Economic Activity

What ever happened to home economics? That was that class in school that taught how to run a household. It included practical things like cooking, cleaning, and balanci

Sermon from the Reverend Dr. Andy Taylor, bishop of the Pacifica Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

No Idea What We Are Doing

Can I just tell you that I have absolutely no idea what I am doing up here. I like to sing...with a congregation. I don’t know anything about singing solo to the whole internet. I know how to lead worship, with acolytes, lectors, assisting ministers, ushers, greeters, and an assembly of people. An altar guild helps set up the altar. Zoom, Facebook, YouTube, live streaming, text messaging, emailing, data mining, and content marketing. What is this?

Then there is the personal protective equipment. I do wear glasses. I have still not figured out how to wear a face mask without my glasses fogging up. Every day there is a new recommendation for how to protect yourself and others from the spread of disease. A few weeks ago I chuckled to myself about people wearing masks. Now it’s the law. Who’s laughing now? 

We don’t have any idea what we are doing. How can it be that we are the greatest nation, but more people have died here from the Corona Virus than anywhere else? How come significant numbers of children don’t have the means to do distance education at thome?

The World Has Changed

Because of COVID-19 the world has changed. But in all honesty it’s not just about that one virus. Things have been changing so quickly that something like this was bound to have happened. Today our church building sits empty on this Easter monday. From where I stand I only see three people. I am preaching to a webcam mounted on a tripod! This isn’t normal. The world has changed! 

 Jesus Changed

Noli me tangere by Giotto

Mary Magdalene didn’t recognize Jesus at first because he had changed. She is the apostle to the apostles. She was the first to go to the tomb and discover that it had been opened. She summoned Peter and the other disciples. They took one look inside and went home. Mary stuck around for a while. She wept because she missed Jesus, and was probably confused and upset, not knowing where his body was. But Jesus was there and spoke to her. She mistook him for the gardener! He had changed and Mary did not recognize her. I wonder if Jesus was there the whole time. Maybe Peter and the other disciple ran right past Jesus not recognizing him either. 

Resurrection is a mystery. Based on the Bible it is not as simple as being resuscitated. The angels didn’t use an automatic electronic defibrillator on Jesus. He is not the same as he was before. He has scars, but his body is healed. He can somehow walk through walls, but eat physical bread. He will ascend to be with God the Father. He is not the same Jesus as before. He has gone through a transformation.

Jesus Will Teach Us

Mary recognizes Jesus when he says her name, “Mary.” He knows who she is, and when she hears her name she recognizes Jesus too. She calls him, “Rabbi,” which means teacher. What a perfect title for such a time as this. Mary is going to have to learn how to live in a new reality. She is going to have to take on more leadership roles than she has before. The world was changing around her and she had to adapt in order to follow Jesus and do ministry in his name. 

Jesus will teach us too. We may not have any idea what we are doing, but we are learning a lot! Jesus is going to help you learn! Jesus is your teacher. When the world changes, Jesus is right there with us, helping us to adapt. Jesus will help you learn to survive and thrive in this new world. There will be new jobs, new businesses, new orga

Sermon for Easter Vigil, April 11, 2020

The Day After the Sabbath

It was the day after the sabbath. The sabbath was when God took a rest. For six long days God worked. God made light out of nothingness. Then God made space and time. It was like a dome that held back chaos so that elegant order might unfold. Cosmic dust coalesced into planets and took their place among the heavenly bodies. Galaxies, black holes, quasars, comets, and solar systems populated the dome of creation. That was just four days. Finally life emerged from primordial soup. Random strings of molecules danced and jostled for millennia until the steps of the dance followed predictable steps. Soon both ocean and sky filled with swarms of living things. 

Finally life crawled out onto the land. Human beings become aware of themselves. They took up agriculture, formalized languages, and created civilizations. God loved this creation so much that God entered into the creation personally as a human being. His name was Jesus. Jesus taught and accomplished much. Then he died on a cross and was buried. He gave himself to save others. That was the end of six days for God. Billions of years for the creation. On the seventh day God rested. Finally. Jesus lay still and dead in a tomb hewn from the earth in a garden. It was a Saturday. A sabbath. God had been through quite a lot: betrayal, denial, and crucifixion. His body and spirit had tired out. Jesus was dead. 

A Series of Unusual Events

Mary Magdalene announces the Risen Christ - St Albans Psalter

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the grave. A series of unusual events transpired. There was a severe earthquake. That was scary and the women felt their stomachs turn. Then an angel of God appeared to them. It flashed like lightning. The women were knocked to the ground. The angel shone bright white and removed the stone to Jesus’ tomb and sat on it. That was an image the two women would never forget. The angel of God crossed its legs, folded in its wings, sat on that stone and looked just as natural as could be. The angel instructs Mary and Mary that Jesus has risen from the dead, and will be on his way to Galilee. They ought to go and spread the word and not be afraid. 

So Mary and Mary rush off feeling both scared and joyous. They have complicated emotions. Then, Jesus meets them on their way. They take hold of his feet and worship him. Finally they understand that this is God’s presence with them. He was there at the dawn of creation and now stood with them again, a new creation. Jesus tells them to go tell the other disciples that he will meet them in Galilee. What an unusual series of events!

Anything is Possible

There is so much that we do not know about the world. We are swimming in mystery. The nice thing about experiencing something new, different, or unusual is that it causes you to look at the world in a new way. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like everything about the world as it has been. There

Misinformation is a Problem

Misinformation is a lie that sounds like it could be true and useful information. But when you listen to it, you are deceived and your behavior and decisions are compromised as a result. When you believe fake news you make choices that are bad for your own self interest, and bad for the well being of others.

Expulsion from Paradise by Michelangelo

The original example of misinformation happened in the Bible in the Garden of Eden. God told Adam and Eve to eat anything they wanted to, except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then the serpent came along, and uttered the first fake news. His fake news was highly effective because it sounded reasonable, but was deeply untrue and hurtful. He persuaded Eve and then Adam to eat the fruit by arguing that the fruit was good to eat, and that they would be more like God. In reality, they didn’t get immediately sick, but were forced out of the garden. They lost their innocence and the only knowledge they gained was that they had been deceived by evil.

CoronaVirus is like Misinformation

One current example of misinformation is the Novel CoronaVirus. Why? All around the virus are little proteins sticking out like spikes. You have probably seen a picture or graphic. The proteins on these “spikes” are like misinformation. They appear to be something friendly and useful to certain cells of your body. So your cell allows it to attach and once attached the virus injects its genetic material into your cell. This genetic material is aggressive and destructive. It replicates itself meanwhile destroying your body’s cells in the process, and then it spreads to other cells. A virus and misinformation are contagious and destructive. 

Ecce Homo by Hieronymus Bosch

Another example of misinformation is the betrayal, arrest, and trial of Jesus Christ. Jesus was a very unusual person, who many people did not understand. He was loving, merciful, and kind, but he did break social conventions which angered people. So lies or misinformation was spread about him. It was said that he meant to harm people, that he disrespected God, and God’s laws. The misinformation was effective because it seemed like a reasonable explanation for someone so unusual. 

Jesus, a completely innocent and loving person, God’s own son, was killed. That is what we remember tonight. Jesus was betrayed and arrested in a garden because of misinformation. Adam and Eve were tricked by the snake also in a garden. They both happened in a garden! The entire human race at this moment feels like we have been kicked out of a garden. Just a few weeks ago we enjoyed the abundance and a booming economy. But because of the deception of the Novel CoronaVirus, we have been thrust into a more difficult and painful existence.

Truth is the Solution to Misinformation

There is a solution to misinformation and deception. It’s avoiding lies and embracing the truth. We are all asked to shelter in place to avoid

Two Kinds of Power

The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. John 13:2

The betrayal of Christ by Guercino

This is a story about power. Judas betrayed Jesus, because he desired the power to control. The devil offers power to control to those who would open their heart to evil. The catch is that evil’s power always yields the same outcome: destruction and death. Judas’ received this destructive power into his heart. 

At the same time Jesus was given a different kind of power from God.

The Father had given all things into [Jesus] hands. John 13:3

God put all things into Jesus' hands. God gives so much more than the devil. God’s power is freedom and creativity. Jesus knew the betrayal that was taking place, and God gave Jesus the freedom to respond creatively. 

Creative Power

Some years ago my wife and I went on a road trip to San Luis Obispo. This was before we had children. We visited a friend who was a student at Cal Poly. He suggested we take a day to explore The Montaña de Oro State Park on the pacific Coast. What a wonderful suggestion. We took a small hike through the coastal bluffs to the water's edge.  I was overwhelmed by the cacophony of life. Birds swooped, dived, hopped, and splashed. Little rodents burrowed into the cliffs, stuck out their heads, and carried on in social hierarchies. Sea urchins clung to the side of tide pools, and twisted as waves pounded the cliffs and sand. Grass resisted the pull of gravity and stretched toward the heavens basking in the warmth of the sun.

Punctuating the pristine ecosystem were humans like myself wearing factory outlet clothing, snapping pictures with digital cameras, and  breathing into our nostrils pungent damp sea air. How could such staggering biological diversity emerge out of the same essential elements? How can the same water, land, air, and sun give rise to a symphonic variety of ecology? It is the power of God! The devil’s power may be cunning and complex, but it yields one predictable outcome. God’s power is deceivingly and deceptively simple but yields unexpected extravagant creativity.

Jesus Loves Creatively

Jesus Washing the Feet of the Deciples

God put all this creative power into Jesus’ hands. What did Jesus do with it? He put on the clothing of a slave, got down on his hands and knees and washed his disciples’ feet. Jesus placed in his hands the feet of Judas, his betrayer. With his last hours of freedom before arrest, trial, and crucifixion Jesus paints a masterpiece of God’s love on the flesh and blood of a man bent on destruction. God’s power does not yield or bow to evil, it subverts and defies it with humble confidence.

These past few weeks of global pandemic have been staggeringly difficult for Americans and all global citizens. We have been asked to live differently