Simply Grace

During the season after Epiphany we are journeying together in a series about baptism. This week we learn from Chloe that through Holy Baptism we are made one, and divisions are healed. Quarreling and division is caused because we fail to "fish for people" as Jesus calls us to do. Thankfully Jesus never stops fishing for us, and molding us into disciples. So far we have learned:

Magi - Present Yourself To GodSt. Peter - Profess Your FaithSt. Andrew - Give Thanks for Baptism

Quarrels Among You

A senator went to his pastor and said that he wanted to plan his funeral. The pastor said, “OK.” The senator said he wanted to be buried 100 feet down in the ground. The pastor asked why. The senator said, “Because deep down I’m a good person.” Can you believe the quarreling and division going on in our country and in our government according to ideology? 

You know that quarrels also happen in the church, and they have been happening for a long time. Chloe was a leader of the ancient church. She probably was a wealthy landowner who allowed the Corinthian church to meet in her home. She was a patron of the church and reached out to Paul for help. In the First Letter to the Corinthians Paul writes to a church that is quarreling with itself. 

For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ." 1 Corinthians 1:11-12

The people were dividing themselves into groups based on who had presided at their baptism. They were totally missing the point. There is only one baptism and that is Christ’s. So why do people constantly get drawn into division and quarrels?

Not Fishing for People

If you experience quarreling and division it could be because you aren’t fishing for people. Do you see difficult people in your life as a threat and competition to be overcome? If so then you are not thinking like a fisher of people. Jesus had an alternative way of looking at enemies and competitors.

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:18-20

If you are a follower of Jesus, then you must be a fisher of people. If you call yourself a Christian, then you must be about the business of reaching out to all people. And by the property of modus tollens, the contrapositive is also true. If you aren’t fishing for people, then you aren’t a follower of Jesus.

Why didn’t Noah go fish on the ark? Because he only had two worms. If you aren’t fishing

During the season of Epiphany we are exploring baptism. There are eight steps in the baptismal liturgy. The first is to present yourself to God, as the Magi did to the Christ child. The second is to profess faith in God, as St. Peter did. The third we learn today from St. Andrew, it is to Give Thanks for Baptism by noticing God’s abundance.

Under Appreciated

St. Andrew is under appreciated in the New Testament. His name is rarely mentioned in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke).  He was Simon Peter’s brother. Some say Andrew followed Simon Peter around like a shadow. But that didn’t mean Andrew was a “shady figure”! Andrew was an introvert. He goes unnoticed by others because he is busy doing the noticing. Perhaps in your life you have felt overlooked or unnoticed too. If so, you are in good company with St. Andrew.

Jesus Notices

Andrew was noticed by Jesus. In our reading this morning from the gospel according to John we hear a variation on the baptism of Jesus and the call of the first disciples. Jesus walks past John who professes, “Behold the Lamb of God!” At this two of John’s disciples begin to follow Jesus.

When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." John 1:38-39

Andrew was one of those two disciples. He went and told his brother Simon to come and meet Jesus too. 

It’s interesting that when Jesus asks them what they are looking for, they say, “Rabbi.” They were looking for a teacher.  Speaking of Rabbis. Did you hear the joke about the Rabbi that walked into a bar? He was a Rabbi that looked very Jewish: yarmulke, long beard, the works. But he was carrying a frog under his arm. The bartender looks at him and says, “where’d you find him?” The frog says, “In Brooklyn” there’s lots of them there! 

What are you noticing in the world around you? Do you feel that you go unnoticed? Well the good news is that Jesus notices you and invites you to be with him, just like he invited Andrew. Jesus can be your rabbi! Even though Andrew didn’t make a big splash in the pages of the New Testament, he went on to have an outsized impact in Christian history.

Constantinople, the Eastern seat of the Roman Empire claims Andrew as the Apostolic head of their patriarchy. Legend has it that Andrew traveled as far north and east as Kiev in Ukraine preaching the gospel. He is respected still throughout Russia and Ukraine. Even the modern Scottish flag is based off of St. Andrew’s cross. The white “X” shape on a blue background. Did you know that there are three sizes in Scotland? “Wee, not so wee, and freaking huge!” It would appear that Andrew’s impact on the church went from, “wee to … freaking huge!”

Notice Abundance

In last week’s sermon you learned that God values diversity of cultures. Through Baptism God accepts each individual with all of their uniqueness. The Magi were culturally, linguistically, and ethnically different than Jesus and the Jewish people. They presented themselves to Jesus; which is the first step of baptism. This week we learn about Simon Peter and the call to profess faith.

Lacking Boundaries

Saint Peter by Paolo Emilio Besenzi

Simon Peter was a leader among the 12 disciples. He was kind of a “manly man.” He was a fisherman and an entrepreneur. He likely left his home with his brother Andrew to start a fishing business in the sea of Galilee, which was a growth industry at the time. Peter was a little rough around the edges, and you could say that he lacked personal boundaries. We know this because of the things he said and did in the Bible. 

One time Jesus was telling Peter and the other disciples that he would need to go to Jerusalem. He would be arrested, beaten, suffer, and die on a cross. This didn’t make much sense to Peter. So Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him. He told Jesus that this, “shall never happen.” Peter crossed a boundary of what a disciple or student should say and act like with their teacher. Peter’s attempted rebuke earned him the famous quoted scorn from Jesus, “Get behind me satan!” (Matthew 16:23) 

“Get Behind Me Satan” also happens to be the title of one of my favorite albums from the rock group, “The White Stripes.”  I first started listening to the White Stripes when I had graduated from college and was out living on my own for the first time. During those years I shared apartments with roommates. I learned just how common it was for people to have boundary issues. One time I shared a “Jack and Jill” bathroom with a roommate. That is, we each had our own entrance. I made the mistake of trying to alter the decorations in this bathroom. Near war almost broke out! This same roommate said I had boundary issues. At least that’s what he wrote in his diary. I’m kidding! I would never read someone’s diary. But I did learn that boundaries can make or break a relationship. 

No Sense of Self

One reason why people struggle with boundaries is because they struggle with their sense of self. A person without a clear understanding of who they are, is more apt to cross into the space of someone else. They have a hard time detecting where they end and another person begins. This is enmeshment, or codependency.

Peter struggled with his sense of self and being codependent. Jesus predicted that Peter would deny him three times. Peter said that would never happen! He was so sure that he was Jesus’ right hand man. Peter caved. He flip flopped to get along with whoever was questioning him. He avoided conflict and lacked a sense of self. (Matthew 26:69-75)

Baptism

The Baptism of Christ by Giovanni Bellini

Baptism is a solution and a help

We were talking about the adoration of Magi during preschool chapel this past week. I was explaining to the children that Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar had traveled from the east to meet the baby king Jesus in Bethlehem of Judea. I said that we do not know exactly where the Magi came from. It could have been Iran, India, or even China. One little boy said out loud, “They could have even come from California!” I paused and thought about it for a moment. Then I said, “Yes, they could have come from California or any of the Americas.” 

Mono-cultures Destroy Diversity

The Magi were ancient astrologers. The Aztec, Maya, and Inca are included among the ancient societies that studied the stars and perhaps had resources enough to voyage. Just the other day I was talking with a retired biologist form Chaffey college about the Inca. He was telling me about how the Inca had such a respect and understanding of the heavens, that they knew that weather patterns could change in an instant. For this reason they planted many different varieties of potatoes. Each species they planted could survive different kinds of weather patterns. This biologist went on to explain that the great potato famine of Ireland occured because there was only one kind of potato planted. When the weather changed the crops were lost and there was a famine. 

Monoculture is a term that describes depending on just one species or kind of organism. Monocultures are dangerous because they are vulnerable to disruption and change. More troubling is that today monocultures are widespread. Great swaths of land are cultivated with just one species of plant. Even more concerning is a surge in intolerance and hate around the globe directed toward people who are seen as “different.” Tribes, races, and cultures that are perceived to be different than the norm are experiencing hate and violence. In China the Huigar Muslims are targeted. India increasingly targets Muslims too. Christians are singled out in Syria. And in the United States of America hate against Jewish people is on the rise. An intolerance toward diversity of people is just another form of mono-culture. In the long run this weakens a society or an ecosystem. 

Baptism Preserves Diversity

There is a solution. Baptism is a gift from God that affirms the uniqueness of each human being. Baptism is a sacrament. It is the use of something very simple, water, combined with the Word of God, to share in eternal life and the unconditional love of God for each living creature. Baptism washes away the power of evil and death, and communicates the everlasting life of God known through Jesus Christ. 

The life giving and diversity affirming power of Jesus is what drew the three magi to pay homage to Jesus. Gaspar, M

How do you communicate to people? Effective communication follows three essential steps:

Ponder the ProblemSee God’s GloryGet Up and Go

Too often you will find yourself with something important to say and nobody listens. God uses problems to capture our attention. So begin by pondering the problems your listeners are dealing with. Once you have someone’s attention it is tempting to jump straight toward application. This leaves people with too much to do, and too little hope. Rather, Jesus, always pointed toward the activity of God. Salvation and hope comes from God first. So, See God’s Glory, and tell people about it!  Finally, one of the trickiest roadblocks to effective communication, is the diffusion of responsibility. Big problems can be overwhelming. We think “those other people” need to do something. God, however, call each person with a job to do. So when you speak, give people something concrete they can do, that is, a call to action. Saint Joseph, the Earthly adopted father of Jesus was a master communicator from which we can learn. An angel of God came to Joseph at least four times and each time Joseph had critical things to communicate.

Dream 1

Angel appears to Joseph

Joseph discovers that Mary is pregnant. He plans to call the whole thing off. Then an angel of God tells him in a dream to not be afraid, but to marry Mary and raise Jesus. So Joseph went to Mary shortly thereafter. He likely began by saying, “Mary even though you are carrying God’s son you will face hardship. Being a single mother is extremely difficult. God, however, instituted marriage. When two become one they can share life’s challenges together. So will you marry me?” 

What do you think Mary said? “No way! You thought about dumping me. You’re not good enough to raise the savior and be the spouse of the mother of God!” Well, she probably didn’t say that, but could have thought it. They got married. Josep got up and went to ask Mary to marry him.

Dream 2

After Jesus was born some wonderful things happened. Angels sang. Shepherds praised. Wisemen from the east paid Jesus homage. After receiving such special attention an Angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him to get up and go to Egypt, because Herod would try to take Jesus life. The next morning Joseph had to communicate this challenging message to Mary.

“Mary. I know our stay in Bethlehem has been unusual. I hope that you have enjoyed the special attention from the shep

How do you communicate to people? That is what we are exploring during Christmas with the Holy Family. People don't listen unless we speak to their problems. That's what Mary shows how to do. People are also overwhelmed with too much to do. In this post we learn how Jesus first Saw the Glory of God and talked about it. Next post we will discuss how to call people to action.

Ponder the Problem with MarySee God’s Glory and Talk About it with JesusGet Up and Go Ask the Question with Joseph 

Too Busy

Do you ever feel that you are too busy? You probably need something else to do like you need a hole in your head. Even Jesus got to feel too busy. We read throughout the gospels that he would get overwhelmed by the people who flocked to him. He dealt with multitudes of hungry and sick people. One reason why you might be too busy is because you jump too quickly to action. When you take the time to understand and ponder the problem someone is dealing with, you might want to offer a solution. 

Short Sighted Solutions

Time and again Jesus had to teach people that salvation comes from God and not ourselves. Often people would test Jesus about tricky issues of politics and religion. They would try to trap him into saying something controversial about a political leader or a religious practice. Time and again Jesus would bring to light that people fixate on earthly or human solutions rather than God’s grace. 

Jesus Showed the Glory of God

Today we celebrate Christmas. This is the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is one of the greatest holy days in the world. And why is it? What did Jesus do today some 2,000 years ago. Well the day Jesus was born he did very little. He nursed, slept, cried some, and just was alive. The miracle is that by being alive Jesus showed the glory of God! Throughout his life and ministry Jesus talked about God and what God does for us.

You can give people hope

Instead of quickly thinking of things for people to do, why not pause and look to see God at work all around you? The signs are there if we want to see them. That is what the incarnation is all about. It is curious how the four evangelists begin their accounts of Jesus. Each  one build an another to show how expanisve God’s Glory can be seen.

Mark begins by Jesus getting baptized by John. He shows that the ministry of prophets is transferred to Jesus noting the history of God’s glory.Luke tells the beautiful Christmas story. He brings in Mary, Elizabeth, and Zacharias, to the story. God’s glory began before Jesus baptism. It began especially in

How do you communicate with people? During advent we learned how to work with people generally. This is the first of a three part series where we will learn from the Holy Family how God helps us to communicate. Too often we talk about things that don't interest people. You need to first, Ponder the Problem.

Ponder the Problem, Mary See God’s Glory, JesusGet Up and Go, Joseph

People Don’t Listen

Have you ever felt like people don’t listen to you?  You can imagine Joseph and Mary trying to get a place to stay in Bethlehem. They would try to explain to people how important this was. Mary might have said something like, “Listen you’ve got to believe me. I’m about to have a baby.” Most people turned them away. They thought to themselves, “Not my problem!” 

Not Their Problem

If people cannot understand how a message directly affects them, then they will not be interested. Throughout history God has tried to communicate with people. God called patriarchs and matriarchs. Moses received the law and shared it with the people. Prophets and Judges rose up to shepherd the people. But the people don’t listen. There are too many other problems to deal with. Even today many people choose to skip out on church and religious life because there are so many other problems to deal with. 

God Captures Attention with a Problem

The birth of Jesus changes everything for Mary and all of creation. One second Mary was being totally ignored, the next moment she becomes the center of attention. Angels announce Jesus’ birth. Shepherds come to praise him. Wisemen come bearing gifts. Animals marvel at the child. All this happens because a new king has been born.

When a new king is born, it can be a big problem for many people. It disrupts the current political and social order. The shepherds, who were at the bottom of pecking order, make it a priority to get in good with the new king. When King Herod finds out about it, he is terrified. God gets people to listen with this new born king.

You Can Capture Attention Too

Throughout her life Mary oscillates from being at the center of attention, to being ignored. Each time this happens we can be sure that Mary, “Pondered all these things in her heart.”

Simeon and Anna  the prophets who lived in the temple took Jesus from Mary’s arms and prophesied that he would save the people. Luke 2:34-35Jesus goes missing to Mary and Joseph when he was about 12 years old. He ditches his family to hang out in the temple and debate theology with the priests. Mary pondered why he would do this. Luke 2:48Mary visit Jesus preac

There are four simple steps you can do to work with people:

Noah teaches to Keep Awake to your feelings. Call this "self awareness." John the Baptizer calls you to Repent from unfruitful behaviors. Call it "self regulation." Katharena Von Bora Luther shows how to Be Patient and empathize with people. In this post you will learn from Angels to Not Be Afraid to socialize.

Don't fear openly sharing your thoughts and feelings with others. You will have noticed that 75% of working with others is internal. The final 25% of external communication is so effective because you have taken the time empathize, self regulate, and be aware. Today we learn socialization not from mere mortals, but an angel.

Not Fitting In

One of the things that makes working with people difficult is feeling as thought you don't fit in with what they are currently doing, thinking, or saying. You might feel out of step or atypical. 

Joseph felt atypical when an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream and asked him to do something unusual. 

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.Matthew 1:20-21

The angel asked Joseph to remain with Mary, even though she was pregnant not with his baby. This was highly unusual, especially in a patriarchal culture.

Throughout the Bible when an angel shows up to communicate to someone the first words out of their mouth are, “Don’t Be Afraid.” Why is this? Some people think that angels must be terrifying to look at! Perhaps they are not conventionally "pretty" with flowing robes and rosy cheeks. Maybe their power and appearance are so overwhelming that mortals such as ourselves are overcome by fear when we see them.

 Another possibility is that angels almost always ask people to do something unusual. This angel asked Joseph to defy conventional norms of marriage. Other Angels told prophets to publicly criticize kings thereby putting their own lives in danger. 

The world can be so full of sin and far away from God’s desires that when an angel is sent to ask a human being to do something for God it is probably going to be perceived as unusual by most people. The person whom the angel is being visited by is probably going to be afraid that they don't fit in.

Angels Have Spiritual Power

Angels appear in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. They are messengers of God. They are more powerful than human beings. It is thought that angels have a free will to be able to choose wheth

Katharina von Bora: 20 December 1552

Katherina Von Bora

How do you work with people? You can learn from some heroes in the Bible and history. Noah shows you to Keep Awake to your own feelings. John the Baptizer teaches to Repent from behaviors that do not bear fruit. Katharina von Bora, a woman leader of the reformation, and wife of Martin Luther calls you to Be Patient. One of the greatest challenges in working with people is inappropriate behavior. People who cross personal boundaries are emotionally immature. God confronts bad behavior and helps people to grow and mature. So be patient.

Inappropriate Behavior

Inappropriate behavior can sabotage businesses, schools, governments, and churches. There is no shortage of news stories and examples from history of how people behaving badly destroy their life and people around them. It is particularly shameful when this happens in church because the church should be a leader of Godly behavior.

In the 1500’s inappropriate behavior was widespread in the church. Many priests didn’t take their vows of celibacy seriously at all. Martin Luther was a country priest not unlike John the Baptizer. When Luther went to the “Perpetual City” of Rome he was shocked to see priests openly having mistresses. Another troubling reality was the corruption of monasteries. 

In 1504 Katharina von Bora was sent by her family at the age of five years old to a monastery to grow up and live out the rest of her days. Monasteries and monastics have been powerful and wonderful centers of learning and action when people freely choose to serve God in this way. But the practice of enlisting five year old children was abusive. 

Emotional Immaturity 

People who act inappropriately and cross personal boundaries are emotionally immature. They have not been raised or taught how to have deep and mutually respectful relationships. Instead many people have an unrealistic image of what an ideal life is supposed to look like. 

When Katharina von Bora was a young adult she began to question the monastic life she had been pushed into. She was told that monastics were better than ordinary people because they devoted their life to God. They would be more likely to get into heaven because they didn’t waste their time in Earthly tasks like marriage, family, and business. Then Katharina heard about the teachings of Martin Luther. He argued that every person could serve God in their Earthly vocation: teachers, farmers, merchants, and families doing what they do with faith. 

Katharina von Bora wrote to Luther with a scandalous idea. She and a group of other young nuns wanted to escape the convent, and pa

It can be hard to work with people. But God promises to fill our hearts with gladness. The first step is to “Keep Awake” to how you feel. Sometimes you feel angry, like John the Baptizer, because there is injustice in the world. Jesus can purify your heart from injustice with the fire of the Holy Spirit, and restore justice to the Earth. Listen to John the Baptizer. Repent from unjust behaviors. 

Feeling Angry 

"St. John the Baptist"

John the Baptizer was angry because he saw and experienced injustice. He was a religious and spiritual man that lived in the wilderness area near the Jordan River outside of Jerusalem. He experienced an unfair difference between country priests like himself, and those who lived in the big city, Jerusalem. In Jerusalem the city priests, called Sadducees, were very cozy to the Roman rulers who had conquered and occupied Israel and Judah. Those priests were relatively rich and powerful. But because they were so close to this foreign power, their ability to care for the spiritual needs of the people was compromised.   

John the Baptizer wasn’t alone. There were other people who felt angry and disgusted by the injustices they saw in Jerusalem. They chose to live in the wilderness and focus on living a stringent and strict life according to God’s laws. This group of people were called the Essenes. Qumran, is the name of one such place where the Essenes were known to live. You might have heard of Qumran because some years ago that is where the “Dead Sea Scrolls” were discovered. The Dead Sea Scrolls were one of the greatest archeological finds of the modern era. They were original scrolls of the Hebrew Bible. They are still studied to this day. 

Flavius Josephus

Because of Injustice

John the Baptizer was so powerful in his preaching that his life isn’t just remembered in the holy scriptures. He is also found in another historical record of that era. Flavius Josephus wrote about him in, “The Antiquities of the Jews” book 18, chapter 5, secion 2:  

“When others too joined the crowds about him, because they were aroused to the highest degree by his sermons, Herod became alarmed. Eloquence that had so great an effect on mankind might lead to some form of sedition, for it looked as if they would be guided by John in everything that they did. Herod decided therefore that it would be much better to strike first and be rid of him before his work led to an uprising, than to wait for an upheaval, get involved in a difficult situation and see his mistake.” Josephus Jewish Antiquities 18.5.2

Shamefully Herod killed John the Baptizer. Herod was afraid that the people were so moved by John’s preaching that they would seek to overthrow him as king. It is totally understandable, therefore, that John the Baptizer felt angry. He lived in a deeply unjust world, and died because of it. 

God Purifies Hearts

John the