Sermon Notes

“Fully Known”
TRAD sermon for U-CC Waupun 

April 14, 2024

Focus: Jesus firmly stands on the side the side of all who are oppressed. Jesus calls those of us who are allies to do our part, working for justice for our siblings in Christ.

My friend Bekah is one of my co-conspirators in the work of disability justice. She works with me on the UCC Disability Theology Committee, and we write original songs together every year for the UCC’s Access Sunday observance. Bekah is blind, and very thoughtfully talks about how she navigates a world that is often quite dependent on visual information. She also told me a story one time about how she felt exiled by society because of her disability: she was once excluded from a summer dance camp for kids because the dance instructors didn’t believe they could teach a blind girl to dance.

Bekah will tell you it isn’t always easy to feel comfortable in our own bodies, especially when our bodies don’t work the way society might expect. Even so, in talking with Bekah it’s immediately clear that she loves her disabled body. She loves the fact that she can write songs, prayers, blog posts, devotionals, and other resources which challenge the thoughts the church has about disability experiences and offer a new theological perspective instead.

I also have Bekah to thank for being one of my first conversation partners on disability theology. She modeled for me that not only is possible to find God in my disabled experience, but also that Jesus can resonate with the wide spectrum of disability experiences. She was one of the first to affirm in clear language that disabilities are’t deficits, and they aren’t things we have to “overcome”. Instead Bekah taught me that our disability experiences can enrich how we live our lives and make meaning of who God creates us to be.

Our Scripture reading today talks about how Jesus honors us as we are. He says, “I know my own sheep and they know me, just as God knows me and I know God.”

I love how Jesus starts out this passage with the intimacy of being fully known by the God who created us. Jesus knows who his people are, and the people know who their liberator and their guide is.

Throughout the Bible, we experience Jesus recognizing the worth and dignity of his people, even if they don’t always fit in with society’s construction of human value. So much of Christianity has tried to write off the LGBTQIA+ community, the disability community, people of color, and other communities as unworthy of God’s love, and undeserving of the richest blessings God has to offer,. But in his book, Radical Love, Patrick S. Cheng talks about how Jesus Christ is the embodiment of what he calls “radical love”—a love that dissolves the boundaries of society and invites all people into it, without exception. That means that our gender identities, our sexual orientations, our disabilities, our race, and any other identifiers that make us who we are, do not preclude us from knowing ourselves as beloved.

Jesus goes on to say that he has other sheep that don’t belong to this pen, and that he must lead them and love them just as much. This is another reminder that God’s love encompasses even the people we have trouble loving for whatever reason. That’s what makes this love radical love.

This bring us to the second point I want to lift up: Jesus says, “They will listen to my voice.” In her commentary for the New Interpreter’s Bible, Gail R. O’Day reminds us that this means Jesus’ followers will listen to his voice and his voice alone, not the voices of corrupt people in power who would love to lead them astray, or harm them in any way. He will be the one voice who leads them to safety and blessing.

Finally, Jesus is willing to give up his life for the sake of those he loves. He gives up his life because he wants to, not because anybody is making him do so. He understands that he must be willing to do whatever it takes to protect his sheep, because of the evils that lurk in the shadows to hurt them. 
In many ways I know that this congregation appreciates me and what I bring to the table. You also tell me you appreciate the ways I can help you consider things in a different way. A part of my own advocacy work, and confidence to find my place in the movement, is thanks to Bekah’s gentle, encouraging, compassionate spirit, born out of her own experience.

But at this time, obstacles are coming at our marginalized siblings from many directions. Legislation which targets and endangers the LGBTQIA+ communities. Threats to reproductive healthcare. Racial injustice. Antisemitism and contempt for the practice of other religious traditions. An unprecedented mental health crisis.

There are many reasons for concern, for anger, even for fear.  But I believe there is reason for hope too.

This is the good news for today: Jesus firmly stands on the side of all who are oppressed. Jesus calls those of us who are allies to do our part, working for justice for our siblings in Christ.

We worship God, and we worship Jesus Christ, who know us, love us, and affirm our full humanity, exactly as we are.
And it’s because we worship this God and this Christ that we know we are not alone in our work for justice. 

This week, I invite you to think about ways to transform your fervent prayers and welcoming hearts into true, meaningful action. Educate yourself. Call your lawmakers. Speak out for what you believe. Or even have a cup of coffee or tea with someone who is hurting right now.

Because we’re all trying to do our best to live authentically into our humanity.

As I think about the work we have ahead of us as pastor and people here at U-CC Waupun, I think first about how this church has been a refuge for people in this town. We join together to affirm that we are beloved of God, fully known and celebrated, even as other faith communities from our past might want us to fit a certain mold or believe a certain way.

But we can’t just keep this joy for ourselves. Our work and our witness has already proven life-altering for some of us in this congregation, and I dare say it might even be wrong of us if we didn’t embody this to others. How can you witness to Christ’s care and protection in your life, and how it has been nurtured in this faith community.

As we consider the next parts of our faith journey together, may we respond as thankful people. ready to share how Christ’s protection and provision have impacted our lives. Thanks be to God. Amen.

 

Sermon for U-CC Waupun
April 7, 2024 

Guest Preacher: Emma Landowski-Sancomb

Let us pray: Living Christ, we hear stories of you, on the other side of the grave, visiting your friends; letting one of them, who could not believe your return, touch you. You show us the importance of intimate friendships, the need for community. May our hearts be open this day, to hear what we need to hear and see what we need to see. Amen

Peace be with you.  Peace be with you Jesus expresses to his beloved friends as he comes to them behind closed doors.  In just the previous verses we know that Mary Magdalene saw Jesus and was told by him to tell the disciples that he is ascending to the Divine.  And we know that she goes to them and tells them that  she has “seen the Lord”.  

But can you imagine what must have been going through the minds of his disciples as Jesus comes before them now?  Fear, grief, confusion or maybe even joy? They saw their beloved friend killed in front of them and today…

Jesus simply enters this room…he enters this room to commission his disciples…I envision Jesus walking in with this calm, grounded energy, similar to the clip we saw moments ago. As Jesus enters into this space, he greets his friends with this phrase “peace be with you.”

As our story unfolds he reminds them that just as the Divine sent him, so too, he sends them…into the world.  To do what? Jesus goes on to say that If they forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.  And if they retain the sins of any, they are forgiven.  

For too long our culture has put more focus and energy on what sin might be that we forget Jesus’ invitation to forgive.  We have also lost sight of the fact that for John’s culture, sin is not a “category of behavior” but a theological category about one's response to the revelation of God in Jesus.  So despite our best efforts to try and judge or define sin, the book of John is trying to teach us that “sin” is alienation from God or more specifically, it’s not continuing the work that Jesus commissions the communities of faith to do.        

So when we ask ourselves, what is it that Jesus is calling us to? I keep going back to his invitation for peace…peace be with you…Just as the Divine has sent me, so I send  you.  He breathes on his friends and says receive the holy spirit.  

I’m going to be a theology nerd for a second…Ruach is the Hebrew word that can be translated in three different ways.  It can be translated as “Holy Spirit,” “wind” and “breath.” This is one of my favorite words because it holds space for both breath and the Holy Spirit.  You cannot breath without being reminded of the holy or without the Divine being present.  

So as Jesus breathes on the disciples, I’m picturing him breathing with them…grounding them to the present moment. Guiding them to reconnect with their bodies and again inviting them to reflect on what they need.  Reminding them that they are not alone and that with every breath they receive the Holy Spirit.  

Now this is a helpful, and maybe necessary reminder as we and the disciples struggle with doubts and fears.

Doubting, like Thomas, simply because of our own experiences in life.  In Thomas’ doubt, he did not flatly refuse to believe; he rejected a faith that relies strictly upon the experience of others. His faith waits for an encounter with the Living God. Once he has it, he exclaims, “My Lord and my God!” In that moment, hope prevailed. Jesus lives. The world has changed and his life has been changed.

Where might we be looking for our own physical signs of the living God, showing up to us in this space…praying, “breathe your spirit on us, oh God”.  Wishing to hear that invitation for peace.

I’d like to share another Hebrew word with you, one you might be a bit more familiar with.  The Hebrew word for “peace” is shalom. My seminary professor and Old Testament theologian, Dr. Clint McCann, suggests that “shalom” is better translated as “comprehensive well-being”.  This may seem like a bit much to wrap our heads, so I ask you to bare with me.  What if this “comprehensive well-being” or well-being that is “all encompassing” depicts what it means to have peace?

There are several different dimensions that contribute to our wellbeing.   We have emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, physical, occupational, social, and of course, spiritual well being.  All of these demotions of our lives require care, rest and work.

As you know,  I am a hospital chaplain, and in one of the groups I provide for our patients in behavioral health, we reflect on this idea of “comprehensive well-being “.  We are invited to reflect  on each of these areas in our life, assess which areas are healthy and which areas might need a little extra work.  I might then ask which areas you are feeling most fulfilled in and which areas might be feeling  a bit vulnerable. This “comprehensive well-being”, as we call it, is a continual practice.  It’s a journey that requires work and care and support from those around you. I’m grateful for the words of Mother Teresa as she reminds us that this is work we cannot do alone.  She once shared: "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." …We belong to each other.  God created us to be in community and it is also the invitation we receive from Jesus, for holistic peace, peace in all areas of life.

So as we hear these words from Jesus today, “peace be with you”? I invite you to ask yourself what that might practically look like for you individually and as a community?

God created us to be in community, Jesus calls us into community, we are called to take care of themselves and each other.  We are invited to take inventory of our  thoughts, feelings, and emotions and assess what it is we (individually and collectively) might need. Jesus shows up to them behind closed doors.  He meets them where they are and honors their need for peace, for comprehensive well-being and just as the Divine has sent him with that message, so he sends us.  

I don’t know about you, but that’s a pretty vulnerable place to be… to slow down enough to ask ourselves how we are doing.  What do we need? How might we be supported by or support others?  

But it is also a beautiful place to be, a place of peace.

One of the things that church is often known for being good at is showing up after major life events.  Meals are made, transportation can be provided, hugs are shared and words of prayer are frequently spoken of.  Each of these, a demonstration of building peace on earth.

How might our relationships with church and community change if we leaned into the idea of peace being individual, congregational and communal well-being? What would it look like to genuinely check in with our neighbors to see if there was a way they needed support this week? Or what if we practiced our own vulnerability to share that we are having a particularly hard day and need support in some way?

Even though we may sometimes have weary hearts and feel like hiding behind closed doors. Somehow, paradoxically, the kin-dom of heaven is still being co-created.  With every breath we receive the Holy Spirit. Comprehensive well-being is still happening through communities meeting each other’s needs.

May we continue to be emboldened to breathe in that sacred holy spirit and receive the blessed message of peace and well-being.  Beloved siblings in Christ, peace be with you.  Amen 
 

“I’ve Seen the Lord”
Sermon for U-CC Waupun

Easter 2024

March 31, 2024

Focus: If you were the first person to see the risen Christ, how would it change your life? How would you share the good news?

Some of you know that when I was a student at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, I worked as a children's ministry director at a local church part time. It was a big church, and the job had a lot of responsibility. I was in over my head most of the time, and improved to be one of the most challenging jobs I had ever had.

But one of the people I will remember forever is a woman we’ll call Alice.She was quirky, she could be brash, and she had a very strong personality that wasn't always easy to get along with. But she ended up being one of my best children's ministry volunteers. She understood how to live a life of faith authentically in a way that I haven't quite seen before or since. Her love for God, and her love for Jesus, was so clear to me. Equally clear to me was how much she loved ministering to children, because she had a particular gift for working with children who were misunderstood themselves.

We would have fascinating conversations when she would drive me back to my apartment after church events. One of the clearest things I remember her saying to me was this: “You know, Jacob, there have been a lot of people in my life who have misunderstood me, but my faith has gotten me through a lot and it means the world to me that I can share it with kids. There was a time in my life that I had to make a choice to be who I was, no matter what other people thought of me, and you've given me the opportunity to do that.”

It was shortly after this conversation that Covid hit, so we didn’t have the opportunity to work together on events anymore. But it's always stuck with me that in our time together, she started to learn how to let go of other peoples perceptions in order to share her love for Jesus with her community.

Part of the reason that Alice's story speaks to me so clearly is what she had to let go of. She knew that people talked, and how she was misunderstood. And yet, she let go of other peoples’ perceptions of her, of her perceptions of herself, because the gospel of Jesus was so compelling to her that she had to share it.

I wonder if this is how Mary felt. She was the first one, according to John’s gospel, to experience the resurrection of Jesus. Like the other disciples, when the body of Jesus is gone, she thinks that someone must've taken it away. In a time when they are already grieving, this is a state of emergency. Finally, she speaks to someone who she thinks is a gardener, but it's actually Jesus. Once she makes that realization, she literally cannot let go of Jesus. She wants to bask in that moment of being with Jesus, someone she thought she would never see again. In her devastation, in her grief, the only thing she can think to do is to stay right where she is.

So Jesus has to say to her, “Don’t hold onto me any more! Go and tell the others!”

At this moment, Mary understands that she has a choice to make.

If she holds onto Jesus, she can bask in the resurrection and glory, and keep it all to herself, taking comfort in Jesus's presence with her.

If she lets go, and does what Jesus tells her to do, she may not be believed. She may not be understood. Because she's a woman, society might consider her a laughing stock. They might even accuse her of stealing Jesus's body. We don't know what happens, because the gospel doesn't address it. Instead, John's Gospel goes right into the Doubting Thomas story that we’ll engage next week.

But somehow, despite whatever self-doubt she might've felt, she makes the choice to do as Jesus tells her, to proclaim the good news that he has risen. She has seen the Lord, and she will never be the same. Through God, Jesus has done something so incredible and unexpected that deserves to be shared.

When we know this to be true, we are filled with such joy. Christ has conquered death, and in doing so, conquered the corrupt government that threatened to squash the Jesus movement. But none of this would be known if Mary had not made the choice to let go of her self doubt, let go of her fear, and even let go of Jesus himself in order to tell the world the good news.

So today, friends, I'm asking you this question. What fears might you be called to let go of as you share the good news of Christ's resurrection?

Are there times that you feel like Alice, misunderstood because who she was, but yet so compelled to share the good news of God's love with others? Are there times that you feel like Mary, where you have to physically let go of what holds you back, needing Jesus himself to remind you that what you have to share is important?

I'm mindful that, for some of us sitting here, that isn't an easy question to answer. The wider church has not been kind to people who are marginalized, to people who don't fit the mold for who Christ’s disciples should be. In biblical times, women were not permitted to hold positions of power or leadership in society, so whenever women have a story to tell, they are taking a big risk. But it’s not a coincidence that every Gospel account of the resurrection of Jesus begins with women sharing the news, and being the first people to proclaim Christ’s return. It’s not a coincidence in biblical times, or in our present time, that those who are marginalized can offer compelling testimony that will change the trajectory of the Jesus movement forever.

This is exactly what the world needs. This is exactly what the church needs. The world is so full of fear and hopelessness. We live in such difficult times. Having the courage to witness to what we have seen, heard, and experienced can truly transform lives.

In today’s media song, Queen Latifah talks about the risks we take, and the choices we make along the journey. As the story from Hairspray reckons with racial inequality, we also take risks on the journey of faith to share a message of God's liberating love, when we have been told we don’t fit into God’s dream for the world if we don’t fit the mold.

In order to take those risks, we have to let go, just like Mary had to let go of basking in the resurrection moment, to do meaningful and important ministry that changed the world.

So, as you go today, with the resurrection joy that you now feel, may you go with courage. May you go knowing that your witness of joy can provide hope to a hurting world. Like Mary, and like Alice, may you let go of your fear. May you let go of your indecision. May you let go of what holds you back from sharing the revolutionary love of Christ with the world.

Thanks be to God. Amen.
 

“The Lord Needs You!”
TRAD sermon for U-CC Waupun

Palm Sunday 2024

March 24, 2024

Focus: Like the colt, Jesus needs you so God’s message of love can be known to a world in need.

My Grandma Nault was a simple woman. She loved gardening, taking walks, and spending her time in prayer. She was perfectly content being a loving mother, wife, and grandmother. She lived a simple life, and shared her incredible cooking with those she loved. I experienced her as quiet, understated, classy.

But this quiet woman was probably the best example of God in another human being that I have ever experienced. 
Her deeply held Catholic faith was evident in everything she did. Every morning she would wake up and say to God, “Good morning, God. Thank you for another day.”

I think she would have been too humble to boldly call herself a modern-day disciple, but she sure was if I’ve ever seen one. Every week, she went to her parish for a full hour and silently prayed for the world, for her family, for her friends, for anyone who needed it. Also every week, she traveled to New Holstein with a group of ladies who packed lunches for poor and homeless folks. She did all of this, and yet talked about it as if everyone else did that too.

Each year, we reflect on the same story. Jesus comes into Jerusalem, ready to do this unimaginable thing God has asked of him, ready to die. It's a story of irony and tragedy. Many churches not only celebrate Palm Sunday on a day like this, but we also celebrate Passion Sunday, because today is a day of stark contrast: a seemingly triumphant celebration, as Jesus enters Jerusalem, and the tragedy that those very same people who cry “Hosanna”—save us—are the ones who will cry out “Crucify him” just a few days from now.

There are many different ways to look at this text, but this year I'm feeling drawn to think about what it might've been like from the colt’s perspective. Understanding the Palm Sunday story from the perspective of an animal isn't exactly a common way of looking at it, but I think it's instructive to how God asks us to respond to God's call on our lives. Sometimes, the ordinary, unassuming people, like my grandmother, are the ones who help usher Jesus into the world most authentically.

Not much is said in the passage about the colt, of course. Only that it had never been ridden before, and that the Lord needed it. The focus is more often on Jesus subverting the political powers at play before he does, as God asked him to do, and dies at the hands of those who wield that political power. Of course, this is important, and not an insignificant thing to remember. In his commentary for Working Preacher, Don Hyeong Jeong reminds us, that one is so often known as the “triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem” is anything but that. He points out that Jesus is entry into Jerusalem is totally devoid of the typical features of a royal procession, like an animal sacrifice, political takeover, or a banquet celebration. None of these things happen in the course of Jesus's procession. Another commentator, Ira Brent Driggers, points out that Jesus arriving on a colt was totally countercultural to the ways that people would've expected a divine ruler to appear. If you wanted to make a more culturally, understandable statement, Jesus would have processed into the city on a war horse, all confident and full of himself. But that’s not who Jesus was. Those weren’t the values that he espoused.

It's striking, visualizing Jesus arriving on a colt that had never been ridden before. Did the poor animal stumble a tie or two from the weight of a thirty-year-old man? Did it follow Jesus’ direction obediently, or did it need to redirected from time to time?

Jesus might've had a smoother ride on a more experienced horse. Jesus might've made a better statement on a more experienced horse. But the other piece that the scripture tells us is a striking as it is powerful. The disciples are instructed to say, “the Lord needs it.”

I've been thinking a lot this week about what that means for us, in our own lives of faith.

So many of us like to think of ourselves as “simple people.” Not in a degrading way. Not in a way that implies we are unintelligent. But, in ways that declare that we only focus our attention on the important things. Faith. Family. Friendship. Kind of like my grandma did.

If we were called upon by Jesus’ first disciples to help Jesus share his message of love and compassion with the whole world, how many of us would really think we have what it takes? How many of us would say, “Um, I think you might be looking for someone else?”

But this is exactly why Jesus did not choose the war horse. Jesus did not choose the war horse because he wasn't like other kings, and yet he was greater than all of them. Jesus chose the unlikeliest of animals in the same way he so often chose the unlikeliest of people. Greedy tax collectors. Ineffective fishermen. Even the man who would turn him over to the custody of a corrupt government was among his closest friends and advisors.

So, I believe it’s not too far of a stretch that Jesus chooses us.

Like the colt, Jesus needs you so God’s message of love can be known to a world in need. The colt was an unlikely animal for Jesus to use, especially since most people would've considered those who make a grand entrance to come in on larger horses. In a similar way, many of us may believe that we are unworthy or not good enough to vessels of God’s liberating love. But like the colt, you are exactly who Jesus needs. In these days, when divisiveness, deceit, and discrimination, want to control our society you can be away to share a different message.

How can we do that in a world of such need?

When the world cries, “save us,” maybe you can be an instrument to usher in another way. The way of love when so many would rather marginalize people who don't fit the mold. The way of hope when there is despair. The way of compromise and collaboration when our society is content with “my way or the highway”. The way of connection when society would rather live in silos.

You might feel like you aren’t enough, that you aren't worthy of being a vessel of the message of Christ. But, indeed, you are more than enough, and you are exactly who Jesus needs to change the world.

So may you do your part, knowing that God has chosen you. Amen. 
 

“Covenants and Reckless Love”
TRAD sermon for U-CC Waupun

March 17, 2024

Focus statement: When we promise to follow Jesus, sometimes it’s difficult and heart wrenching work. But when we are reckless in sharing our love, we will surely receive the greatest reward.

I took Uber and Lyft often when I lived in St. Louis, because the bus system wasn’t always super reliable. Often the drivers would be cordial, and we’d have decent conversations about our lives. You can learn a surprising amount about a person in a 10 minute car ride if you’re open to genuine and open-hearted conversation. Sometimes you’d get a creepy or even rude individual, and you’d be waiting with anticipation just to get out of the car, but more often than not, it was a very pleasant experience.

But none were more pleasant than one man. I wish I remembered his name, but it’s been around 5 years since our encounter, and I never saw him again after this. We’ll call him Erik. I opened the door as he picked me up from my workplace, and encountered a man with a winsome smile and an effervescent personality. “You Make Me Feel So Young” by Sinatra filled the car with joyful sound, and he was clearly having the best day of his life. He was the kind of person who probably had the best day of his life every day. We had easy conversation, which was mostly small talk from what I recall, but the one thing I remember was that I hopped in the car, and soon after I buckled in, he said, “man, it’s such a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

And it was. It was such a beautiful day, in part because it was sunny and warm, but mostly because of the joy that radiated from Erik’s spirit. Being a full-time seminary student and working part-time doing children’s ministry work was incredibly stressful. That day had been one of those days. It warmed my heart to experience his joy, especially after the day I’d just had.

This week I’ve been thinking about what it means to be reckless in our love, even when it's hard. We’re also closing in on Holy Week, and the gospel passage foreshadows the understanding. So today that's what I'm feeling led to talk about.

Jesus loves using seed and gardening analogies throughout the gospels. There are several parables related to this kind of imagery (several of which were in the lectionary last summer), and sometimes Jesus simply uses them as analogies. If you think about how God’s beloved community works, it makes sense. Jesus talks about the importance of planting seeds or grains, and letting them grow. That would've been a very relatable way to explain the realm of God in biblical times, because of the amount of people whose livelihoods depended on some sort of agricultural vocation. Several of us in this congregation, and in the broader Waupun community, either grew up on farms ourselves, or were intimately connected to the agricultural industry as a way of life in some other way. So, for some of us, these analogies that Jesus uses aren't really analogies. We understand that people have to plant something and tend to it with care, in order for it to be a viable crop. Seeds do no good if they are kept in the bag that you purchase them in.

The same is true about the realm of God. Those of us who plant our roots deeply, tend to them, and let them grow, are the ones who will experience the fullness of God's love, and the blessings that come from a life of faith. In his commentary for Working Preacher, Dong Hyeon Jeong reminds us that gardening can also teach us about the resurrection. Just as losing the seeds that we have in our hands by putting them in the ground is not the end, losing our lives, for the sake of what we used to have is not the end, either. Our lives can be more fulfilled, more prosperous, and more joyful when we have a strong faith foundation, and all of this reminds us of new beginnings of resurrection.

But none of this promises us an easy life. Jesus himself says so in The Message, which is a paraphrase of other translations which are more literal to the original text. The text renders Jesus’ conundrum this way: “Right now I am shaken. And what am I going to say? ‘Father, get me out of this’? No, this is why I came in the first place. I’ll say, ‘Father, put your glory on display.’”
Jesus understood that God’s will and purpose for him would include being brutally attacked, and later killed, as a result of speaking out against the current government structure, but he also understood that all of this would be done for the glory of God, so that others would be able to understand God's will and purpose for them.

Covenant is also an important piece of this. Our Jeremiah text reminds us that God continues to make a covenant with us, promising to be present with us, as we live our lives of faith. From the days of the prophet Jeremiah to the ministry of Jesus, the covenant of God’s law and God's love will guide us in the ways we should go. Many theologians understand God's love and God's law to be interchangeable ideas, because many theologians understand the intent of God’s law to be fundamentally loving.

So, as we follow Christ who will soon make the ultimate sacrifice for our benefit, to show how much he loves us, how will we respond?

I believe the most important thing we can do as followers of that Christ to be reckless in our own love. When we promise to follow Jesus, sometimes it’s difficult and heart wrenching work. But when we are reckless in sharing our love, our faith will multiply in ways we could never imagine.

Jesus reminds us that “At this moment the world is in crisis.” Indeed, people are experiencing literal war across the world. Other people are experiencing metaphorical war in many different ways. Our differences in political ideologies are tearing families apart. Mental illness is at an all-time high, not only for our children and youth but in many demographics. Too many experience discrimination based on race, gender, identity, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, and other identifiers. Too many experience, homelessness, poverty, or food insecurity in a country where some people have more resources than they know what to do with.

With all the difficulties so many people are dealing with, at our church, and in our community, our call is to be as loving as we can be. Like Erik, the Uber driver in my story, we had the opportunity to show love and compassion, which will make a lasting impact on the people around us.

So may you go from this place and be reckless in your love. May your plant your roots deeply in faith, not just because you will receive eternal life as a result, but because the world needs a reminder that hope can still be found even in the deepest despair. Amen. 
 

“Loved So We Can Live”
TRAD sermon for U-CC Waupun

March 10, 2024

Focus: God’s grace covers us in unimaginable ways, and through Christ’s life and ministry we can be assured of that love.

On Upworthy.com, one of my favorite websites, the talks about the best moments of humanity, a woman named Anjuli tells a story about how her mom showed her unconditional love as she grew up, with one simple phrase: “I love you more than…”

She gave the example of a time she was washing Christmas dishes, the fine china, that they only use once a year. In the middle of washing those dishes, five of the 12 china dishes shattered to the floor. These dishes have been part of their family for generations, and they were very special. Instead of being upset with Anjuli, without a moments hesitation, her mother yelled from the other room, “I love you more than those dishes!” This was a phrase her mother used throughout her entire life. “I love you more than bad grades.” “I love you more than the way you treated your sibling.”

It strikes me that not everybody could have that level of grace the moment something bad happened. Anger, or at least exasperation, are natural human emotions. I think most of us would at least have some reaction to the china breaking. But all that mattered to this mother was teaching her children self forgiveness and reminding them of her unconditional love.

For me, that's what links our two scriptures for today. I'm going to zoom in on both of them individually, but I want you to keep this little story in mind while I talk about the biblical passages and what they mean for our life of faith today. We're going to talk a great deal about grace and how God's love offers us salvation and hope.

Perhaps more than any other time in the liturgical year, Lent is a time where we focus more inwardly, working to refine and refocus ourselves in our faith journeys. Not every denomination deals with the season of Lent in the same ways we do in the UCC (which is objectively an oversimplified statement, but that's the level at which I’ll get into it right now), but I really appreciate the theological focus of this season. Of course, it's always a good time to refine and refocus ourselves on our faith journeys, no matter what time of year it is, but there's something about this season that offers us more corporate opportunities to do that work.

The text this week give us an opportunity to think about how we have fallen short as people of God, which ism’t easy, but by definition it is necessary. In the letter to the Ephesians, someone who is likely a disciple of Paul reminds their audience of the ways they lived before their faith in Christ began. The author writes, “All of you used to do whatever felt good and whatever you thought you wanted so that you were children headed for punishment just like everyone else.” In other words, their priorities did not match God’s desires.  But yet God offers grace. Grace to start again, grace to live into fullness of life in ways that honor God. Multiple commentators highlight the importance of this “before-and-after”: before making a commitment to our faith, and after making a commitment to our faith. Before we understood the wheel of God, we were doing things that didn't honor God, but after we were taught what God desired, our faith matured and refined. But even as we ourselves need to grow in order to experience the fullness of life that faith offers us, God has already made a decision. God has already decided to love us, in spite of and even because of who we are. God gives us the gift of grace and salvation, that we could not earn, but instead, it was given to us with no strings attached.

Similarly, in this very famous text from the gospel of John, John reminds his audience, that God loved the entire world enough to give the world God's only son, so that anybody who believes in him may receive eternal life. One of the most important things for us to remember out of this text is that the text says God so loved “the world.” Not “God so loved humanity”, and not “God so loved people who believe in this or that way.” God loves humanity, and all lives on this planet, so deeply that God gave us Jesus to offer liberation and hope.

This is today’s good news: God’s grace covers us in unimaginable ways, and through Christ’s life and ministry we can be assured of that love.  God loves us so deeply, and we don't need to do anything to earn that love. Even if we mess up, God loves us enough that we can have a second chance, and a third chance, and a fourth chance. Both riders of our text today, saying that we only need to be ready to receive it.

Like my story from earlier, God loves us more than others dishes. God loves us more than any way, that we might fall short of God's love for us, and that is the kind of grace that invites us into deeper faith. That is the kind of grace that makes us want to respond as thankful people.

How do we respond to this gift of great love and grace in our community, and around the world?

First, it's helpful to remember that God has already decided that all of us are worthy of God's love, God's blessing, and the belonging that comes from God. That also means we don't get to decide. As we live in community with one another, at times we will disagree. At times we will differ from one another because of the way we vote, the way we love, what we look like, or are the ways we live our lives. Some of these disagreements may cause us stress or other negative emotions. But because we receive the amazing grace of God's love, that grace extends to others just the same.

Second, it's helpful to remember that our call is to share that love with others. Living in community is rarely easy, and sometimes quite complicated. But because of the love and grace we have found in Christ, we have the opportunity to grow, mature, and refine our faith.

So this week, may you remember that God does not condemn you. May you remember that you have been loved long before you could understand it. Empowered by that love, may you go into your week, proclaiming that to others. To the needy, to the oppressed, to the marginalized. Because all are worthy of the incredible love and grace that Christ offers us. Amen.
 

“Jesus’ Teachings and Our Call to Change”

Sermon for U-CC Waupun

March 3, 2024

Focus Statement: When we misuse our power for greed and selfishness, we lose focus on what God desires for us.

 

There are so many directions I could take with our Gospel text for today, but if I could sum it up in one word, it would be “power.” Jesus becomes very angry at those who are using the temple for greed and selfishness, and takes their power away by driving out their greedy behavior.

 

I spent most of this weekend with our confirmation students at Daycholah Center for the Youth Faith Formation retreat. Our confirmands enjoyed fishing together and growing closer as a small group, which Heather, Becky, and I enjoyed experiencing.

 

Every time I spend time at camp, I’m struck by how special of a place this can be as all of us journey in faith. If you've never been to any of our camps for a retreat, or even just to walk around, I would encourage you to go, because we are one of only a few conferences who have this kind of gift. The camping programs in many other conferences of the United Church of Christ and other denominations have since closed due to financial difficulties. I wrote about half of today's sermon while sitting outside near Vesper Point, overlooking Green Lake, as our confirmation students were fishing and nature was abuzz with activity.

 

But it isn't just about the beautiful scenery, the fishing, or the great food. There is something powerful about the practice of this mastery. This is a place that gives people permission to be who they are, authentically, when perhaps their schools or other places in their lives don’t allow them the kind of grace and compassion to be that authentic.

 

This was apparent in a special way when I was leading music and worship at the Knock Knock middle school youth event in November of last year. This event was attended by 30 youth from across the Conference, and adult chaperones who went with them. One of the youth there was a kid who we’ll call Brian. Brian was the type of kid who might’ve been bullied in his school, but his church group set the tone and really rallied around him, so the rest of the kids at the camp did the same.

 

A particularly beautiful moment was at the closing worship, where Brian wrote and recited a very meaningful prayer for the gathered, and shared a favorite song of his during the service that made him feel closer to God. In this moment, his delivery wasn't polished, and he was nervous as all get out, but he claimed the space that was rightfully his, and let us all in a meaningful and spiritually empowering experience.

 

This may seem like a strange illustration to talk about power until you process the ways that people like Brian are marginalized in society. When he shared this song and this prayer, he was, in a way, claiming his own power, as someone who is loved by God and worthy of care and belonging. Places like Daycholah Center, and events with our camping programs, can have that kind of liberating effect on people.

 

Today’s media song also offers an important commentary on taking back our own power. Taylor Swift talks about the walls that society put up to hold people back, and the revolution which is often required to defy our marginalization and work for the positive change we want to experience in the world.

 

As we consult today’s Biblical texts, we can trace the threads of power and God’s will for us as well. I'm going to mostly talk about the gospel today, but I will say just a little bit about the text from Genesis. In the Old Testament text, God has given us commandments for how we should live. Most of these sound very familiar to us, but one I want to highlight today is how the CEB renders that commandment that typically says not to “take God’s name in vain.” The CEB renders it this way: “Do not use the Lord your God’s name as if it were of no significance.” When we consider this rendering, I wonder if we might be willing to “think outside the box” a little bit. In our society, we sometimes encounter people who treat others poorly based on things they can’t control because “God told them to do it.” Many Christians have done and said terrible things in God’s name, including all sorts of discrimination, many instances of war and family conflict, and plenty of other things. In doing so, we make Christianity in our own image, taking away the ability for people to understand the truly liberating and all-inclusive message of God's love.

 

Later on in the Gospel, Jesus acts out on his frustration, and the way that the temple has been made in the image of so-called thieves and robbers. He accuses those exchanging currency in the temple of making a place of worship something it's not supposed to be. In doing so, he takes away the power of those who are probably trying to swindle the common people, and instead demonstrates the power of God’s liberating teachings.

 

He understands that, for the Jewish people of this day, the temple is a meeting place, and a place to continue to grow in faith and learn more about God's teachings. In this angry outburst, Jesus is doing his best to protect the will, and purpose of what this building was meant to symbolize.

 

As we later understand in the story of Jesus’ life and ministry, Jesus makes it very clear that his message is for the benefit of the oppressed and marginalized. Jesus's message is meant so that people like Brian, or other children who might be bullied for something about themselves, can find liberation and love in community.

 

Here at our church, I wonder how we can continue to re-dedicate ourselves to fighting for the powerless in our community. Many people in our community are struggling in various ways. I think we understand that it would have been Jesus’ desire for us to be true to the call of justice, making sure that our worship spaces and our community life stay true to Jesus’ intent. When we misuse our power for greed and selfishness, we lose focus on what God desires for us.

 

So, as you go into your week, may you have the grace of knowing that Jesus’ fight for the integrity of worship was for your benefit, so that you could be known like all of us desire to be know. May you take back your power to do justice in a world of need. Amen.

“Believing in God’s Promise”

TRAD sermon for UCC Waupun, Lent 2B

February 25, 2024

 

 

Message: “Use It or Lose It”

Guest Preacher: John O'Donovan

November 19, 2023

 

 

 

 

Focus statement: God gives us the opportunity to grow our faith with a strong foundation. Just as much, we have a responsibility to live out that faith with integrity and avoid abusing others because of our interpretations of God's word.

Before I start my sermon, I’m letting you know I’m going to be talking in a little while about the misuse of Biblical text as spiritual abuse. I believe I must call it what it is, so I’m not going to water down the language, but I do want to offer that in case someone here has been subject to such degradation.

My Grandma Nault had a green thumb. One of my very first experiences of how gardens worked was watching her lovingly tend her vegetable garden. She regularly grew cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, and several other vegetables for all of us in our family to enjoy. Often, times she would can them, or make cucumbers into pickles, which was one of my favorite things.

Because we lived five minutes from my Grandma Nault, part of the educational experience was putting the seeds in the ground. She explained the entire process of how putting the seeds in the ground, and how water and sunlight would help them grow. My favorite part of planting the seeds was when she told us to stomp on the seeds to put them into the ground. I loved that part so much that she finally had to say, “OK, OK, I think that's enough!”

After doing the fun part, stomping the seeds in, she talked to us about how important it was to keep up the work so that the vegetables would grow. Throughout the summer, sometimes she would show us how to water the garden, and later she would show us how to know when it was time to harvest. She would put in most of the work of course, but I still felt a sense of ownership in being involved in the process in some way.

In his parable, Jesus makes a parallel between what it means to tend a garden with water, sunlight, and patience, and to tend our faith with God's word. Parables are one of Jesus's favorite teaching methods because they take a concept that would otherwise be quite abstract, and contextualize it into something that those who will listen have a better chance of understanding. The lectionary for this month really likes to talk about gardens, plants, and faith, so I'll try not to be too repetitive. But this particular text offers me an opportunity to talk about something else that is very important.

Jesus begins by talking about various conditions under which seeds are planted.

For example, the seeds that fall onto the path don't stand a chance, because they don't have the opportunity to be impacted into the soil. If seeds were planted into rocky or thorny ground, they could still grow, but they would encounter other challenges that would make them wither eventually.

For Jesus, the kinds of conditions that seeds need to grow effectively are kind of like our faith.

If we receive God's word in our hearts, but don't understand it enough to live it out, evil forces can come in and I manipulate us. There are so many forces in the world that would like nothing more than to manipulate us.

Take, for example, something that’s consistently told to us throughout the biblical narrative: God loves us just as we are, even as we fall short sometimes of God's will for our lives. If we didn't receive that kind of message, we might truly believe that we need to be taller, skinnier, wealthier, straight, male, able-bodied, or neurotypical.

Next, if our faith is only skin deep, if we don't have a strong foundation on which to base it, we can lose our faith when the rubber hits the road. If we don't have a strong foundation on which to build our faith, what happens when the storms come?

One of the bigger pieces I want to highlight today is the issue of abuse by the word that Jesus talks about. When people are abused by the word, they immediately fall away, he says.

I'm doing my best to tread lightly in this circumstance because the issue of church abuse is very real for many Christians. This is far from a mere hypothetical. For too long, much of Christianity has existed within a sort of purity culture, relegating to the margins far too many diverse groups of people.

If someone is gay, for example, they have several biblical texts thrown at them known as “the clobber texts”. These are several texts that are used to justify homophobia. Many of us would shutter at the thought of the biblical text coming to “clobber” us, but too many people I know don't have to imagine it, because they’ve been subjected to it. It’s possible to find ways to be liberated from it, but as long as humans are involved in organized religion, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that someone will be hurt by it.

If someone is disabled, there exists a myriad of biblical texts that perpetuate the notion that somebody in that person's life has sinned in order for that disability to occur. Worse still, the only way for the individual to experience belonging in biblical society is to be cured of their disability. Today, that manifests in the so-called “healing services” in some Christian traditions, where if a disability is not healed, that individual does not have strong enough faith. The Holy Spirit is not active in their lives.

I've named only two examples of intense spiritual abuse, each backed by the gross misuse of biblical teachings. There are far too many other examples I could've named. The people affected by this kind of abuse are probably as active within our Christian churches as any one of us sitting here. They’re regular attenders in church on Sundays, maybe they serve on committees, and perhaps they even tell a friend to come and join them at their church.

But then someone hurts them because of who God made them to be. The church becomes just one more institution willing to take a stand against them. The faith foundation they’ve claimed, the garden they are growing in, is parched or polluted.

If our faith foundations are shaken by this kind of hateful rhetoric, why would they want to take the risk of coming back to the institutional church?

We might really believe the words we say—“No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here.”  But those who have been hurt by the church might have reason to be suspect of our welcome, as they have plenty of solid evidence that nothing has changed.

The Biblical teachings that many of us have experienced as words of hope can so easily be turned into words of harm, and what we experience as a strong foundation can crumble down to nothing. Before we judge the reasons why some people haven't come back to church, it might be useful to employ some humility in these kinds of circumstances.

But it doesn't have to be this way. Jesus tells us that those who live our faith with a strong foundation will be fruitful and share the teachings of God through our words and actions. “In one case a yield of one hundred to one, in another case, a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of thirty to one.”

God gives us the opportunity to grow our faith with a strong foundation. Just as much, we have a responsibility to live out that faith with integrity and avoid abusing others because of our interpretations of God's word.

In our media song for today, we experience calling to “be a light.” We are called to use our strong foundations of faith to work towards the world that God wills, a world where there is justice and love for all.

I don’t say these things to scold us. I really do believe that this congregation does a good job of providing a welcoming and caring environment. I say these things because we need to know what we’re dealing with in the institutional church, so we can think about how we share a different message. A message of love, hope, and liberation. We can do this. I know we can.

This week I invite you to think about how your strong foundation empowers you to share the strong love of God and the liberating hope of faith in Jesus Christ. Just like my grandma's garden, it grows over time and it's hard work. But may we continue to do the work, and do it joyfully, so that our world may be further aligned with God’s hope. Thanks be to God. Amen.

 

 

1. Story of Anne opening the milk carton
2. Main point: Jesus is going to protect his followers from persecution and their adversaries
3. Lots of figures of speech!
   1. Jesus as gatekeeper
   2. Others are thieves.
   3. people don’t understand
4. Theologian Warren Carter
   1. In the Greek and Roman world, rulers and emperors were thought of as “good shepherds”.
   2. Their goodness only goes so far (greed, corruption),
   3. Jesus, an opponent of imperial rule, will absorb the power-hungry attacks on his people.
5. Pairing with Psalm 23
   1. The Lord is my shepherd
   2. Goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives.
6. Focus: We are known and loved by Jesus, who will intercede for us in the face of our adversaries.
7. When we think about ways to respond to Jesus’ love in our world, whom are we called to protect/advocate for at U-CC?
   1. children
   2. community care when we see someone in need in our congregation
8. Our call: care for the needy, fight for the powerless, love those who some consider unloveable, because that’s what Jesus did.

1. My wilderness story
   1. Art and Cathy
      1. “Why did you want to go into education in the first place?”
   2. Moira
      1. You only spit out of the whale when you’re ready to give in.
2. Disciples were in the wilderness too.
   1. After three weeks, we’re still on Resurrection Day.
   2. Disciples are probably exhausted!
3. Disciples were prevented from recognizing Jesus until the proper moment.
   1. Needed to process
   2. “We thought this would be the one who would save the world”
   3. But some women told us he rose again—how do we make sense of all this?!
   4. Jesus pointed to them: “Your dull minds keep you from believing all that the prophets talked about.”
   5. Jesus finally explains everything, and it finally makes sense.
4. “Wasn’t it necessary for Christ to suffer these things and then enter into his glory?”
   1. “Everything happens for a reason” can be a slippery slope.
   2. The theology of why Jesus died is tricky.
   3. But this worked for the disciples.
5. What did the disciples learn from being on the road?
   1. The purpose of Jesus’ life and ministry
   2. Why it’s important for them to carry the message forward
6. Main point: Jesus helps us learn from our wandering on the road and gives us the strength to carry on to spread his message.
   1. What I learned on the road
   2. What did U-CC learn on the road?
      1. COVID
      2. Pastoral Search
      3. Staff transitions/programming
7. What are we going to do now?
   1. Reflect upon when Jesus helped you gain a new understanding, and if you feel like it, tell someone about it.

1. I’ve been thinking a lot about Keith this week.
   1. I planned to preach this text about a month ago and didn’t realize how close to home this text would hit
2. Story about Jack
   1. (First slide) Jack was a member of our Neenah church before his death at age 9. Wheelchair users, nonverbal, but expressed emotions through noises that were not words but reflected what words could not
   2. (Second slide) He lived his life with enthusiasm and joy, and especially loved music!
      1. the louder the better
   3. When he died, his loss was felt by the entire church.
   4. Henry’s eagle scout project
      1. (Third slide) music garden at MB
      2. A way to honor his legacy after his death
3. Jesus processes
   1. Waits four days before coming
      1. Jewish opposition wants to kill him
      2. worth the risk
   2. Anger
      1. Jews are consoling the family!
      2. “Where did you put him?”
      3. Even if these Jews really are consoling the family, Jesus is ever mindful of the opposition.
   3. Weeping
      1. We see Jesus weeping two times in the Bible.
         1. Jerusalem and this time
         2. Jesus probably wept when Jack died.
4. Jesus helps Mary and Martha believe
   1. “Your brother will be raised up.”
   2. “You don’t have to wait for the end. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?”
5. Doing the hard thing
   1. “Well, if he loved him so much, why didn’t he do something to keep him from dying? After all, he opened the eyes of a blind man.”
   2. Melinda Quivik (Liturgical and homological scholar)
      1. Jesus doesn’t do the easy thing (keeping bad things from happening), but instead does the hard thing (reversing destruction).
6. As I prepare to close: what does resurrection mean?
   1. The revolutionary act of creating meaning and hope out of despair and longing
   2. Jack: Moon Beach has a lovely way to honor his memory
   3. This church:
      1. Coming out of COVID: what have we learned?
         1. Making worship more accessible through Zoom
         2. reinvigorating old ecumenical partnerships with Waupun and Fond du Lac area churches
         3. new energy in our church that hasn’t been there since before COVID
7. What do we do now?
   1. We may not experience physical resurrections, but we can be a part of the new direction God is taking the church.
   2. It may not look the same as it did when we grew up, but we have the chance to participate in God’s work in the world.
   3. Because we believe in Jesus, we believe that death does not have the final word.
   4. May you find ways to be part of the resurrection and new life Jesus gives.