Investing in God’s Kingdom

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible…

Luke 12:32-40 Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

These days, the economy is up, and it’s keeping us busy. We’re investing our time and energy into our jobs, investing our earnings into our homes and families, investing our savings in our 401(k), and investing our dreams in visions of our future. We strive toward a vision of stability and prosperity, without the challenges we face today. In many ways, we struggle in our effort to achieve this vision of our future.

What if we invested all that time and energy, all those resources of saving and planning and spending into God’s vision for us? What if, instead of our own dreams, we dreamed God’s dream for us? What would be different? How would investing in God’s vision for us change our lives today?

One point of reference for us is to look at God’s people in the past, to see those who devoted themselves to God and a life that embraced God’s desires for them. These are heroes of the faith, so we look to them for inspiration for how to follow. In fact, we have a Sunday School group for adults who are st

God calls us to pray, teaches us to pray, and answers our prayers

Luke 11:1-13 (NRSV): Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.”

Today’s reading from Hosea is a stern and strange passage to hear in the middle of a cheery summer day. This may be a parable rather than a real experience, but Hosea’s call to marry an unfaithful wife is a prophetic statement about God’s relationship with Israel. They have been unfaithful to God. But God still pursues them, so that eventually they will be called the children of the living God. No matter how wayward we are, God always calls us back to him.

We see this at work in Jesus’ teaching about prayer. Jesus’ disciples ask him to teach them to pray. The Lord’s prayer is part of what we learn from his response. But Jesus also emphasizes our call to prayer, and God’s response. Jesus calls us to pray, Jesus teaches us to pray, and Jesus assures us that God answers.

First of all, God calls us to pray. Now this doesn’t seem that remarkable, but I think that most people are often reluctant to pray. A large part of it is that we forget to pray. We get distracted by our lives, we get immersed in a world that seems to have forgotten God, and we forget God too. Then, especially when we are in need, we finally remember God. But then, sometimes we still hesitate.

Perhaps this happens to you. I know it happens to me. I find myself in a jam or in need of God’s mercy or direction. But I realize that I’ve neglected my prayers, or that I’ve failed to confess a sin or two or ten, and maybe I haven’t really repented from some of them. I become quickly aware of my shortcomings and how guilty I feel to be asking for myself yet again! So I get too tied-up in my own guilt to actually approach God. Perhaps the same thing has happened to you?

Isn’t that habit of ours a bit foolish, though? If God really wants us to pray, then not praying because we feel guilty is kind of making the problem worse. God certainly wants us to deal with our stuff, especially the stuff that gets in the way of our prayers, but the best solution to barriers to prayer is to pray!

Imagine if a young man were to grow up and move out of the house and loose contact with his parents for ten years. Then one day, ou

God gathers us and sends us on a mission*

Galatians 5:1,13-25: For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

Luke 9:51-62: When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.

Yesterday was the Feast day of St. Peter & St. Paul. At the 5:30 service, we gathered to celebrate the saints who faithfully led the church in its earliest days two thousand years ago. And we celebrated God’s grace to the saints who faithfully formed and led this parish thirty-eight years ago, many of whom are still active today. The Rev. Louis Tonsmeire was our celebrant. Louis was our founding priest, serving from 1981 to 1989. The first Eucharist of this parish was in Louis’ living room on June 29, 1981.

This parish grew and thrived as new people moved into this growing community. Hundreds of Baptisms, weddings and funerals were held. Bible Studies, Alpha courses, Discovery Weekends, picnics, dinners and service projects. Lay leaders and clergy helped us to grow and bring the message of Jesus Christ to more and more people. Like all churches, we went through conflict and hard times, ups and downs. And through it all, faithful souls like you all pr

God gathers us and sends us on a mission

Ezekiel 34:11-16: Thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.

2 Timothy 4:1-8: In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

John 21:15-19: When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Today is the Feast of St. Peter & St. Paul. Today we celebrate the saints who faithfully led the church in its earliest days two thousand years ago. And today we celebrate God’s grace to the saints who faithfully formed and led this parish thirty-eight years ago, many of whom are in this room. We are blessed to have as our celebrant today, The Rev. Louis Tonsmeire. Louis was our founding priest, serving from 1981 to 1989. The first Eucharist of this parish was in Louis’ living room on June 29, 1981. And in fact, on October 6, 1984, we held the first Saturday night service, and that service has continued ever since

Guidance of the Holy Spirit

John 16:12-15: Jesus said to the disciples, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

Today’s readings seem to me to be a strange selection for Trinity Sunday. They only seem very loosely connected to how we understand God as Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God. The reading from Proverbs writes about Holy Wisdom: the metaphor of wisdom as a beautiful woman. Perhaps those who selected this reading wanted to say something about Jesus or the Holy Spirit. But as the reading indicates, wisdom is something created by God, whereas God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are not created, but eternally one with God the Father. However, we do learn that true wisdom comes from God.

The short reading from Romans is about our suffering and endurance as Christians. Perhaps the tie-in here is that God’s love is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel reading, Jesus is with his apostles at the Last Supper. In this scene, he tells them that he will pray to the Father and the Father will send the Holy Spirit. Here in today’s passage, he tells them how the Holy Spirit will lead them into all truth. This is the truth that comes from the Son and the Father.

Though this is not directly related to the doctrine of the Trinity, let’s explore this statement by Jesus. How does this work? How does the Holy Spirit lead us into all truth? We often make mistakes in trying to understand what is true. How do we rightly discern the voice of the Holy Spirit?

We say in our creed that the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophets, but there were false prophets too. How do we tell the difference? Many people advocate for radical change in our society and in the church by saying “The Holy Spirit is doing a new thing.” So how do we know when this is true, and how do we know when this is just our own biases and wishful thinking?

Because the Holy Spirit is God moving powerfully in the world and in our experiences, people often equate the Holy Spirit with good feelings, or with a collective excitement in a group of people. If we are all excited about the same thing at the same time, we sometimes feel that this must be the Holy Spirit at work. But we forget to check our blind spots. This can be especially true if the new message resonates with our ideas or our politics. We see this with advocates of radical change, and we see this with certain conservative preachers too, who perhaps speak too quickly about the Holy Spirit’s political opinions.

However, the Holy Spirit is not a metaphor for our favorite ideas. The Holy Spirit is not our personal mascot for the cause of the day. The Holy Spirit is God, to be worshipped and obeyed.

So how do we avoid the trap of projecting our own ideas onto God? This is the process of discernment. Discernment starts with being formed and shaped in a community of prayer and scripture and sacraments. We pray, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This is different from asking God to bless our ideas. Instead we first we ask what God’s ideas are so that we can then follow. Then we take time in prayer to notice where God might be calling our attention. Is there a theme to which we need to pay attention? Is there a part of our lives about which we need to think and pray?

As ideas emerge, we should test them. Is this some