To Witness is to Offer Hope

Presented on Ascension Sunday • May 24, 2020 • by Rev. Jesse Larson
Based on Luke 24: 44-53

Today’s text immediately follows Jesus joining the two disciples on the road to Emmaus just after his resurrection. Jesus is once again making further appearances before he is finally carried up to heaven. Indeed, we celebrate this Sunday as “Ascension Sunday”—honoring Christ’s journey to heaven. 

What an intense, frightening time it must have been for all of these first disciples. They had just betrayed their leader, seen him put to death, and yet here he was among them again—sharing the bread and the cup with them, even reassuring them that they will “eventually be clothed with power from on high.”  Perhaps the disciples felt the love movement was dashed, but Jesus was reaffirming to them that it was just beginning. He not only opened their minds to the scriptures, be he also declared that they were the witnesses to the good news of Jesus Christ.  

Today’s text brings us to the conclusion of the Gospel of Luke. The disciples are charged with being Christ’s witnesses, and then, after Christ blesses them, he is carried up to heaven.   

So I’m wondering what it means to be a witness to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Typically, we consider being witnesses to the good news as evangelism. And it is. But, over the many generations, evangelism has become a complicated endeavor. Some people feel the need to save souls at any cost; to force their views on to others in the most disrespectful of manners.

But I don’t feel that is real evangelism, or at least healthy evangelism. Evangelism is simply a Greek word for “good news.”  So how do we share the good news with others in ways that are healthy, life-giving, even fun and easy?  

I would like to propose the best way we can witness to the good news of Jesus Christ is to offer hope to others.

Hope is what gives us the energy to start a new day and to keep on keeping on, even when chaos and despair swirl all around us. If fact, I believe Jesus returned to his followers just after his resurrection because he knew they would need an injection of hope. He must have known they would have been so confused and heartbroken that he was no longer with them. Those earlier followers needed assurance just as we do today. We try our best to trust that when this life is over we will go on to be with God, but in the meantime, it’s hard not to give into our fears and become overwhelmed. So, to me, hope is a gift from God which helps to keep running the race before us. Hope declares, in spite of it all, that there is still a lot of good left in this world.

Hope is certainly something we can all use right about now. As we check in with one another each week, we all seem to be doing our best to tread water, but we all admit that some days are better than others. We can get a bit stir crazy in our homes. We keep grasping for something to hang on to in the future, and yet each day seems as uncertain as the previous one. Will there be a resurgence of the virus as the restrictions are lessened?  With the economy collapse as the jobless rates explode?  Will life ever be normal again?  There is no doubt about it - these are heavy, unsettled days. 

And yet, when we read this text, we are reminded about the good news of Jesus Christ. We are reminded that love overwhelms hate, life defeats death, and faith overcomes fear. We share in the same hope as the earliest disciples—that we are all witnesses to the good news of Jesus Christ.

So, I’d like you to take some time to think about how someone has given you the gift of hope. Has someone ever lifted your spirits?  I don’t think it will be hard for you to answer this question, because when we are given hope, the experience has a way of sticking with us. 

I was traveling in Chile last fall; I went down to Patagonia and explored a beautiful national park called “Torres Del Paine.”  I thought I’d enjoy a leisurely two-hour hike, but it was closer to seven, and I hiked over 12 miles. Yes, I was never a Boy Scout! The final quarter-mile was a steep ascent up lots of rocks and snow. I was just spent. As I passed people who were on their return trip, I inquired about how much longer to the summit. They reported that I was close. Maybe 15 minutes left. But I just didn’t have any gas left in the tank. I was about to throw in the towel when I received some encouraging words from a young couple—they told me to keep going. The views were amazing; the pain was worth it. I was almost there. We chatted a bit while I caught my breath. I learned they were from Washington D.C. We shared a few laughs and I was then ready to keep pushing. I made it to the top, and the views were incredible—I felt like I was on Mars. It was one of the hardest hikes I’ve ever taken, and I don’t think I would have made it had it not been for the encouraging words of the young couple who took a few minutes to give me a boost of hope. 

I’d like to hear your stories about hope. I would love for people to share their hope and faith stories during our interactive Zoom worship services. However, I not only hope that you will share them with our congregation, but I also hope you will share them with the world. Shine your light on behalf of Christ in a world shrouded in darkness.

Become a beacon of hope. In doing so, you will give people strength and perspective. You will shore them up to face their obstacles. You will even save lives. You will be a witness for the love of Jesus Christ and there is no better news. Amen.  

Through the Fire and Water and Virus

Presented May 17, 2020 by Rev. Jesse Larson
Based on Psalm 66:8-20

Big move … backed up toilet

Often, things don’t turn out as we planned. 

A big wrench is thrown into our plans.

I’m sure we are all familiar with the unhappy feeling of our plans falling apart; and it now seems as though all of the world is in a long-term holding plan in which it’s just about impossible to even make plans now since the arrival of the COVID-19 virus.

Our spring plans have been dashed and it appears as though our summer vacations will be a wash as well. As several states begin to reopen, some rapidly and others hesitantly, most scientists are confident that we will see spikes in the infection rate further down the road. That would mean that most of our fall plans as well as our winter plans will also be put on hold.

We are all very tired of this “new normal” and can become overwhelmed, especially since it can be hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel.   

Our denomination, the Presbyterian Church USA, and our local Presbyteries, are continually sending out resources about the ways in which we are to move forward. This past week there were several concerning how churches might reopen and the news isn’t good. Studies have shown that singing and choirs cast out so many germs that they just can’t happen for the time being. Even if we maintain social distancing, should toilets and door handles be wiped down after every use?  There are just so many safety concerns to consider. There are even questions about who might be held liable if a congregation member were to contract the virus and die. 

I hope you had a chance to watch the video I e-mailed out to the congregation earlier this week concerning the church’s current reality and the questions we should be asking as we move forward. I found it to be quite helpful. The video acknowledges that the coming many months will be a series of starts and stops. A few steps forward and a few steps backward. The key to substantial progress is if and when a vaccine can be found. Until then, we’ll be navigating this world through online communities, as we are doing now, and small groups. None bigger than 10. This is our new reality for the foreseeable future.

When we read today’s Psalm, we are familiar with the anguish that the writer has experienced. It feels like we are being tested, that we are caught in a net. These are scary times. This virus sounds awful and we are still trying to understand just how it works. Our hearts are especially heavy when we think about those who are gravely sick and who cannot be with their loved ones.

Even the special joys of day-to-day life seem few and far between; it’s currently graduation season and it just doesn’t seem fair that we can’t celebrate the accomplishments of our young people together. 

And when we think about the state of our nation, we shudder; the unemployment numbers are staggering; pundits are predicting that the coming years will rival the Great Depression in terms of economic devastation. 

As the Psalmist writes, “we are going through fire and water”—and it may be quite a while before we reach the “spacious place” of which the Psalmist speaks. 

So how do we keep up our hope in the midst of a long trial? It’s probably a series of starts and stops in our faith life as well.

Some days are better than others. It’s important to acknowledge our grief, just like the Psalmist—it is heartbreaking to lose hose we love, to struggle to find work, and to have our many special plans dashed.

But we can’t get stuck in our grief. Every day is a new opportunity—the very gift of life is presented to us.

How will we find joy in each day?

How will we creatively seek to be the church in this “new normal”?

I’ve been amazed by the technology people are using to bring us together, as well as the many unique ways people are creating to care for one another in times of social distancing. You may have seen the news concerning drive-by birthday celebrations, and teachers and principals who have visited all of their students. In a few moments, we’ll all be seeing one another’s beautiful faces in Zoom worship—something that just wasn’t possible a few years ago. 

So yeah, I guess there isn’t really a light at the end of the tunnel, but there are thousands of thousands of candles shining brightly in the darkness.

Lastly, we cannot forget the joy of the Psalmist. Ultimately, God does bring us through to the other side—to the “spacious place.” God hears our prayers and will not abandon us. God mae you and God loves you with an undying love, no matter what comes your way.

This reality will not change. Nothing can ever separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. In life or in death, we belong to God and all roads will lead to God’s mighty embrace. Amen. 

The Priesthood of All Believers

Presented May 10, 2020 by Rev. Jesse Larson
Based on 1 Peter 2:2-10

As human beings, we always seem to be struggling with tribalism.

That is, we are always establishing in-groups and out-groups.

You are a Raiders fan or a Niners fan.

You are either a Democrat or a Republican, a Catholic or a Baptist, male or female.

The list goes on and on, and such tribalism is destroying our nation. We know that the many tribes of which we are a part have rigid perimeters, and what makes us insiders or outsiders is based on ascribed or achieved characteristics; you must be a man, you must be white, you must be a member of a country club, etc.

And yet, to become a Christian, the only criteria is that you believe in Jesus Christ. That’s it. It’s great news and we Christians can help to heal our nation and our world.   

In today’s passage, Peter explains the benefits and responsibilities of what it means to join this special group of people. Peter affirms that his hearers are now part of the people that God chose to be the primary witness to his love in the world. We are chosen, or elected in “Presbyterian speak,” not because of our merits, but solely on account of God’s undying love for us. Everyone who receives adoption into God's people enters that new life by grace alone. 

Throughout much of today’s passage, Peter uses the metaphor of stones to illustrate to believers our unique relationship to Christ as his followers. For Christians, God’s divine presence is not a geographical location or a building but human beings. Christ is the cornerstone of this new “temple” and we, his disciples, are the “living stones” who cluster around him to form the house of God.

In other words, it is by the life of the Christian community—when it remains faithful to its founder—that the world discovers the identity of God and enters into a relationship with God. 

This is why it is so important for Christians to live in such a way that we reveal an authentic image of the invisible God.

Do we cultivate a culture of hospitality or one of exclusivity?

Do we put our energy into ministry or do we put our energy into maintaining our facility? 

We express God’s love for us by the love we share—through kindness and caring, through humility and inclusion, through forgiveness, grace, and reconciliation, through efforts for peace and justice. Ultimately, we become “living stones” when we put our faith into action, and when we engage and grow our faith. “They will know we are Christians by our love!”

Peter also explains that we also become living stones for our cornerstone by sharing the unique gifts that God has blessed us with. When it comes to our polity, we, Presbyterians, are quite familiar with the concept of the priesthood of all believers. (Raise your hand if you’ve been asked to serve on a committee!)

We know that the responsibility of running a church falls upon all of our shoulders. But Paul’s concept goes much further than how it relates to our polity. There is not a hierarchy of those who "understand" God or are somehow closer to God.  One of the great victories of the early reformers was the gift of ensuring that all believers could read, study, and interpret scripture for ourselves. We are all theologians, as we all reflect about God, ask questions, and seek answers. 

As you get to know me, you will come to understand the unique gifts I bring to the ministry as well as my shortcomings. I can only accomplish so much but, thankfully, it’s not up to just me. It’s not up to just Session. It’s not up to just you. All who believe are the royal priesthood. The responsibility to grow in discipleship and to share our faith rests upon all of us alike.

These are the promises we make in baptism; that we are in this together and we will help one another grow in faith. 

We all know how special our community is because of the wonderful people who are part of it! We all have special stories to share, and amazing gifts to bring to the table. As we move forward in our time together, even during this time of social isolation, I hope that during worship and in other formats, we’ll all have the opportunity to hear about one another’s faith journeys; if you join us for our Zoom worship immediately following this service, Rev. Judy Davis will be sharing a special story. We all have stories of hope to share with one another—so let’s do it!  Especially in a time when we can get overwhelmed by the fear and brokenness of the world. 

It’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing on your shortcomings.

All of the “insider groups” try to tell us we don’t fit in so we tend to want to keep quiet. To not trust ourselves or our gifts.

And there are so many voicing declaring that we aren’t good enough. That we don’t have what it takes.

But these voices don’t matter. We are precious in God’s sight.

For the people who walk in the light of God, you matter so very much. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and perfect in God’s eyes.

Peter declares that we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.

Like Christ, we are worthy!

We are enough!

And it is our duty to share the gifts we have been given with others. That’s what Christ asks of us—to pass it on. Amen.

The Road to Emmaus: Jesus is Present

Presented April 26, 2020 by Rev. Jesse Larson
Based on Luke 24:13-35

April 26, 2020

Our text for today picks up right after where we left last week—just after Jesus appears to the disciples who are locked up in a safe house, avoiding persecution.

Two disciples were walking to a village called Emmaus, most likely fleeing to another safe house. Surely, Cleopas and his companion were feeling shell-shocked. They were on a long walk, trying to process what just transpired in Jerusalem and the whirlwind of events that led to the crucifixion. Their hopes of a messiah who would liberate from Roman rule had been dashed in the most outrageous of manners. Their supposed messiah was crucified, dying the death of a traitor. 

I know so many of us are feeling disappointed and frustrated as of late. We are tired of being home and long to return to our routines. So many of our plans have been dashed. Our vacations are canceled, we are seeking to be reimbursed for various tickets, and we wonder when we can start enjoying community events together again. For many others, they are feeling hopeless and completely overwhelmed. They have lost their jobs and are scrambling to pay bills. Others are terrified of catching this vicious virus, and others are mourning sick loved ones from a far.

The crucifixion turned the lives of the disciples upside down, and the coronavirus is having the same effect on our own lives. 

In the midst of the disciples’ grief and bewilderment, a stranger joined these lost souls and began to chat with them about all the recent events in Jerusalem. The disciples were unable to recognize Jesus and were shocked that this “stranger" had not heard about all the hubbub in Jerusalem. It was finally in the breaking of bread that these men’s eyes were opened to the fact that it was Jesus who was with them all along the way. Soon after, they returned to share the good news of the resurrection with the other disciples.  

There are times when we are firm in our faith, but if we are honest, there are also other times when we feel it wavering. Some consider resurrection and other miracles seem to be pure fantasy. We can also feel lost in the midst of heavy days like the ones we are experiencing. What does the future hold?  Why is this happening to us?  

Today’s text reminds us that even in dire times, Jesus is with us—though often unrecognizable. We have a tendency of focusing on the bad rather than the good all around us. We inventory what we have lost rather than what we have gained.

As I mentioned last week, this “Great Pause” can be a time to reprioritize what is truly important in our lives. Interestingly, today’s text offers a helpful phrase that can help us reorder our thinking—“were not our hearts burning within us?” 

There are holy times when our heart burns within us and we know something special is happening. Perhaps the birth of a child, at a sunset, maybe reading a letter from an old friend, a kind smile from a stranger. Our hearts can burn during big moments or in small ones.

Have any of you experienced this sensation—of feeling your heart burn when you knew something special was happening in your midst? 

When our hearts burn in this fashion we are given a glimpse of Christ’s presence all around us. Inevitably, we feel a sense of peace and our faith is renewed. 

Today’s text demonstrates to us that special things happen in the midst of meaningful conversations, in sharing, on walks, in meals, and in acts of kindness.

Moreover, our faith journey is one that shouldn’t be walked alone. It is meant to be shared. We find encouragement and support from one another.

But even when we can’t physically be together, we live in an amazing era when we still can be “together” virtually. We can still chat on the phone or on Zoom. We can worship together, even though we are sitting in our living rooms. We hold one another in the light of love and prayer until we are united again.  

So, sisters and brothers, during these strange days of quarantine, I urge you to keep reflecting about your faith and discussing your faith with others.

Keep your spirit open to the ways in which your hearts might burn with the presence of God.

Train your eyes, ears, and hearts to look for signs of hope all around you.

Jesus is very present among us—it can just take a little more reflection to see where.

In the midst of these lonely, frightening days, let your hearts burn, trust that Christ is with us, and may your faith be restored. Amen. 

Nicodemus and the Spiritual Journey

Presented March 8, 2020 by Rev. Jesse Larson
Based on John 3:1-17

From 2001 through 2005, I had the privilege of as serving as the Director of Youth and Outreach at the First Presbyterian Church of Buffalo, New York. I not only worked with refugees and immigrants in our community, but I had fun as a youth pastor, pastoring to a diverse group of teenagers. We had youth who were African American, Puerto Rican, white, and even tribal. One summer we participated in a mission trip to a Mohawk reservation in northern New York State. Two of our youth, Chasi and her brother Travis, had an uncle who lived on the reservation, so I joined them and their uncle for a lunch. As we were chatting, Chasi and Travis began speaking a bit about their hopes for the future. I chimed in, encouraging their plans, and then adding, with a little humor, that they would be wise to first finish college before starting a family. I shared this because three of Chasi’s friends were already pregnant at 17. Well, after my comment, their uncle looked me directly in the eye and declared, “There is nothing wrong with building a nation.” I laughed nervously but was speechless; I had always assumed that waiting to have a family after marriage and schooling was a universal goal.

As I considered the experiences of a Mohawk man from a reservation, I began to understand why he might be so passionate about his tribe growing under any circumstances. Sadly, we know our brutal history that virtually wiped out most Native American populations from existence. It’s difficult for me to fathom what it must be like to have survived genocide, and to long for a new reality for one’s downtrodden people. For him, babies born under any circumstances meant future generations for his tribe, and thus its survival.

Such experiences really stick with us because they cause us to consider what we believe and why. They not only illuminate what we value, but they also make us aware of when we have had blinders up. And the truth is all of us navigate this world with sizable blinders over our eyes.

In our bible text for today, we encounter a man, Nicodemus, who was in need of having his world view disrupted and his blinders lifted. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, was a guardian of harsh religious dogma. As one reads the four gospel accounts, Jesus is in frequent conflict with the religious leaders of Judaism—the priests, scribes, and the Pharisees. They upheld the rules of their faith and sought to maintain their traditions and the status quo. They thought that they were protecting their faith, but in all actually, their intolerant practices were hurting many people. They were so consumed with gate-keeping and laws that they forgot that the entire purpose of religion is to connect with the divine. Thus Jesus continually confronted these leaders, as he did in today’s text, so that they might open their hearts and minds to a deeper relationship with God.

After all, isn’t this the very reason why we are all gathered here today?

We not only long for spiritual food and hope for the coming week, but we also want to have a deeper relationship with God.

Yes, we long for that peace that passes all understanding when our faith is bolstered, but in today’s text, Jesus also explains that a deeper relationship with God involves embracing the mysterious and unpredictable nature of God’s Spirit. As Jesus explains, it is an uncontrollable force, just like the wind!

This is why we pray to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable; we know that change and leaps of faith are essential to spiritual growth. To make room for the movement of the Spirit, Jesus urges us to set aside our dogma and preconceived notions, and to see our faith and the world in new ways. Rather than considering our embracing of the Gospel as a sort of graduation day—that we are saved and everything’s now fine and dandy—it is more of a first step in a long journey of constant growth, reflection, and insights. We Reformed Christians should understand this idea because we never believe we have fully made it—we are “reformed and always reforming.” We are always trying to go deeper and deeper in our relationship with God.

The good news is that the Spirit is always reaching out to us, presenting us with all sorts of creative ways to be in deeper relationship with God and one another. Today’s text is actually a cliffhanger—we don’t know what Nicodemus decides to do. But, in time, we learn in Chapter 19 of John’s Gospel that Nicodemus joined Joseph of Arimathea to anoint Jesus’ body and bury him after the crucifixion. Clearly Nicodemus’ heart was opened, and his love of Christ was evident in his tender act of care in Christ’s burial especially during a time when anyone associated with Jesus was being hunted down and arrested.

And it all started with Nicodemus’ willingness to cast aside his fear, his traditions, and open his heart to what Jesus was saying.

If you inventory your life, I assume it’s had lots of twists and turns. And I would also bet that you consider these unforeseen chapters as being quite meaningful to your story. I never would have thought I would have ever lived in Iowa, but you know what, I spent five years in there … and then four in Wisconsin … and I wouldn’t change a thing! They were great years full of meaningful ministry. And now here I am in Sacramento … who knows what God has in store for us? We are together and I think that’s a very good thing.

 Please don’t get me wrong—what we believe is important and rules matter. But the problem is when all of the rules and expectations replace our deeper relationship with God and one another. When we put our energy into gate-keeping, it becomes a distraction from the true work God is calling us to.

When we think of all the chapters of the life of Bethany Presbyterian Church—this church has been physically uprooted more than once and our ancestors managed to “be the church” in the midst of the Great Depression, world wars, racial strife, natural disasters and economic turmoil—we know that Bethany didn’t survive because of dogma and rules, but rather because of a bold willingness to engage God’s Spirit and take leaps of faith.

And we know we face big issues today—global pandemics, climate change, job insecurity, and homelessness—and that we will only manage these problems with a deep faith in a God of mystery and miracles that hasn’t abandoned us yet!

So, then, what better time than now—in this Lenten season—to listen for God’s Spirit, to pray and reflect, and to open our hearts to a deeper relationship with God? Ask questions, have meaningful conversations, consider what you believe, and probe your reasons for why you believe what you believe and why you do what you do.

As we open ourselves to the Spirit of God, which moves in the most marvelous of ways, we are empowered to not only tackle challenges we face, but to work to build heaven here on Earth.

Talk about a blessing and an opportunity! May it be so. Amen.

In the Wilderness, Remember the Covenant

Presented March 1, 2020 by Rev. Jesse Larson
Based on Matthew 4:1-11 (the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness)

It’s a joy to finally be with you all, beginning my new call as the pastor of Bethany Presbyterian Church! I’m so eager to get to know all of you, to learn how things operate around here, and to then see what creative ways we can continue to be the church together in this new millennium. It will most certainly take time and a lot of grace, but thanks be to God for this next chapter together and for the ways the Spirit will surely move in this place!

That being said: For such a special day, I would have preferred a more upbeat bible text (to focus on), but here we are together on the first Sunday of Lent. Whereas there is tremendous excitement in Advent as we prepare for the coming of the Christ Child, Lent has an entirely different feeling.

Lent is a season of introspection and repentance as we journey to the cross. Indeed, today’s text features Jesus heading out into the wilderness, facing discomfort and temptation. While it may not be the most pleasant of texts, it is certainly relatable. We all know what it’s like to be lost in the wilderness … to feel alone, afraid, and uncertain. My dad and I were recently discussing the notorious mid-life crisis. While many of us do face a substantial crossroads during our middle years, we both agreed that most of us face crises every few years.

Such times seem to be integral to the human experience—great highs on the mountaintops and painful lows in the wilderness. Many of us feel we are in the wilderness as a nation. Some might feel as though our church has been in the wilderness for some time. And I’m sure that, even now, many of you feel stranded in the wilderness with your own private struggles.

So how should we approach our forays into the wilderness?

As we unpack that question and explore today’s text, there is a crucial detail to consider: the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all relate that prior to the beginning of Christ’s ministry, Jesus was first baptized and then he was led out into the wilderness. It was during Christ’s baptism that God’s voice came down from the heavens declaring, “this is my beloved son, in whom I am well-pleased.” This was wonderfully good news for Jesus and it was the foundation upon which his ministry was built and his life was lived.

Christ’s baptism provided him with a trust in God, as well as a sort of armor of love, that enabled him to repel the devil’s temptations because he knew who he was and whose he was. He was God’s son, and he was loved profoundly. Such knowledge allowed Jesus to faithfully answer the call that God had made upon his life.

As baptized believers, we also share this same foundation of love and connection to God. This doesn’t diminish the pain of the wilderness, but when we trust that nothing in life or in death can ever separate us from the love of God, we have the confidence to trust that God will eventually make us a way through the wilderness.

As the people of God, we trust that God has laid before us a unique journey and will be with us every step of the way. However, we shouldn’t use this good news as a spare tire to only be used in emergencies or while stuck in the wilderness. Baptism reminds us that we have all been named and claimed by God. We proclaim that we are made good by God, we are a part of God’s family, and that God has special plans for our lives. We do nothing to earn God’s love, rather it is an amazing gift that sets the tone for our entire lives.

Therefore, for every endeavor that happens in this worshiping community, it is crucial that we always keep the promises of our baptisms front and center. In other words, may we let love and trust in God and one another always be our guide!

As I begin my ministry with you all, both sides enter into this relationship with a host of expectations for one another.

Some of you will want my sermons to address politics, and others will desire a break from all things political.

Some of you will want regular visits, while others will want me building new relationships out in the larger community.

Still, some of you long for growth and change while others long for stability and familiarity. It’s a difficult reality to address in my first sermon with you all, but the truth is that I will not meet many of your expectations.

And you all will fall short of many of my expectations, too.

But, this is actually good news.

We aren’t here to be molded and shaped into “who others desire us to be.”. We are here to be who God calls us to be. We are here to discern God’s call and to be open to the ways in which God’s Spirit is working in all of us, individually and collectively.

When we hold our baptisms as the central foundation of our community, we can’t help but be a more loving, gracious, welcoming congregation.

When we truly see each member of our community as a unique child of God who has been made in God’s image, all of our criticisms and condemnations quickly fall by the wayside.

Sadly most of us here have had experiences with criticism and exclusion at churches, and such experiences are devastating. Simply put, such negative behavior has no place in our churches, our communities of love.  

Over my many years as a youth pastor and campus minister, I have led mission trips both nationally and internationally. Prior to our trips, we always created a covenant so that we could set the right tone for our experience together. The young people, the chaperones, and I all created a list of those behaviors and attitudes to helpl ensure a meaningful and successful trip. Our covenants usually included “be kind,” “keep an open mind,” “respect everyone.” “be a humble guest,” etc.

Such covenants are promises we make to each other in Christian community so that we can all feel loved and encouraged to be who God made us to be. These covenants reflect our covenant with God. We stand by one another and we hold one another in love.

Ultimately, we are continually striving to become a more loving community of God, and such a community is built not with skills and accolades, but rather with our behavior that models Christ. In response to God’s love for us, we then endeavor to be vessels of love, grace, kindness, empathy, and understanding. 

I pray that as we begin this new relationship together—this new leap of faith together­—we would establish a similar covenant.

Rather than approach one another with various expectations and demands, we would promise to be kind to one another …

…. to seek the best in one another

… to seek to understand and appreciate one another

… to forgive one another

… to hold one another in the light

… and to have faith in one another.

When we understand that we are a beloved community of God … when everyone is embraced for the “who they are” rather than “who we expect them to be” … we establish an unshakable foundation.

And it is upon this foundation that we can create a clearer vision of where God is calling us to next.

Wilderness times will surely come and go, but the bottom line of our existence, in both good days and bad days, is that we belong to God and to one another. God’s fierce love and loyalty to us will not change. So with confidence and trust, may we joyfully become the people God has intended us to be!

As we take our first steps in this journey together, let us pray and remember our baptism. 

Eternal and gracious God, we give you thanks. In countless ways you have revealed yourself in ages past, and have blessed us with signs of your grace. We praise you that through the waters of the sea you led your people Israel out of bondage, into freedom in the land of your promise. We praise you for sending Jesus your Son, who for us was baptized in the waters of the Jordan, and was anointed as the Christ by your Holy Spirit. Through the baptism of his death and resurrection you set us free from the bondage of sin and death and give us cleansing and rebirth. We praise you for your Holy Spirit, who teaches us and leads us into all truth, filling us with a variety of gifts, that we might proclaim the gospel to all nations and serve you as a royal priesthood. We rejoice that you claimed us in our baptism, and that by your grace we are born anew. By your Holy Spirit renew us, that we may be empowered to do your will and continue forever in the risen life of Christ.

Remember your baptism. God has claimed you. You are a child of God!

The Word and the Will

Presented February 9, 2020 by Jim Guida

Good morning. As your preacher for the day, it is my privilege and responsibility to bring you the word of God as it is given to me.

“I don’t come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in fancy words or touting my graduate degree in theology. All I have is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his crucifixion and resurrection. And I came to be here in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.”

What I just said, with slight variations, did not originate with me. It is an adaption of Paul’s first letter to the Cornthians. But his humility and confidence solely in bringing the Gospel to the church in Corinth are words everyone who stands here in the pulpit, 2000 years later, should remember.

A good sermon, in the 21st century, is based first on the Bible—be it Psalms, Old Testament, the Gospel or the letters. In 2020 we are blessed with resources that would astound preachers even thirty years ago—less time than many of us have been attending Bethany, let alone hearing sermons in our lifetime.

Astonishing academic resources—where once we were limited to the printed Biblical commentaries we may have or borrow—now provide entire libraries of history at the stroke of a key.

And this is all well and good. But it is not enough. If we—you and I—are to speak God’s words, we must call upon one more tool: the Holy Spirit.

Whether or not we speak with plausible words of wisdom, it is the demonstration of the Spirit and of power which moves us,  so that our faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

Those of us who speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, speak for eternity. The hero of my life is the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As I say his name, all of you, I’m certain, are thinking of four words. “I have a dream.”

Earlier in that same decade, President John Kennedy spoke words that we still remember. You can say it with me, if you want: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

This is my generation. If you are of the Internet age. you may have your own quotes to remember. 

But great quotes didn’t begin one hundred years ago. History is littered with them. Yet, except for the rare exception of a William Shakespeare or an Abraham Lincoln, those human quotes are lost.

Not so with God’s words, the oldest of which go back more than 3,000 years. In fact, the oldest quote in history might be one you already know: “In the Beginning.”

Jesus knew the word of God—and the Testament that had been handed down, mostly through oral traditions, for centuries. Reading from my New International Version, Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.”

While the NIV version is the one I prefer, for this particular passage, I enjoy the King James Version, which was written in the time of Shakespeare and reflects the language of the time in the 1500s.  It reads, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.“

“... one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law …”

While we don’t see a lot of jots or tittles these days in our modern language, the phrase was extremely important in Jesus’ day. It is a greater measure of “crossing the Ts and dotting the Is.”

Pharisees at the time were in charge of “keeping the books,” as it were. They were more concerned with “God’s laws,” as handed down from Creator God to Moses … and to ensure that the laws would be specifically followed, Scribes would be carefully watched, so that every Hebrew letter and note—every “jot and tittle”—would be followed exactly. Take a moment to imagine that. Let’s say you have a handwritten page from your favorite book: The Grapes of Wrath, for example. You must exactly duplicate every mark that John Steinbeck made—every “jot and tittle”—while a Pharisee is literally looming over your shoulder, reading every word. A little intimidating, to be sure. This is what Jesus meant: that “nothing would be changed.”

Which is contrary to everything we have learned about Jesus—that he was sent to earth by his Heavenly Father so that we here may live by God’s will and not strictly by God’s law.

Yet, there it is. 

Keep in mind that Jesus did not set out to create a new religion. To the contrary, he was a good Jew who obeyed the laws and saw his mission as taking the next step in the faith.

And this was not an idle proclamation, as Jesus went on to say.

“Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus knew he was not going to accomplish this alone. We are challenged with the schoolyard riddle that if God is all-powerful, can God create a rock too heavy for God to lift? I ask, if God is all powerful, then why doesn’t God just wave a heavenly wand and make us all what God wants us to be?

The answer to that is, of course … I have no idea. 

But I do know that Creator God had no intention of doing so. Which is why God sent his son, Jesus, to us— to teach us God’s will.

And Jesus gathered up the 12 disciples, to teach them God’s will, through example and stories. And he spoke to the thousands, feeding their stomachs with bread and fish and their hearts with God’s words. And those people taught others … and the second testament was written … and churches were built to house the believers … and (phew) 2,000 years later, here we are—studying the Word and living the Life. 

But it is not enough that we sit here politely in the pew, murmuring “amens” and joining Natalya in our beautiful music.  Jesus tells us “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

Go out and share the good news of Jesus Christ—of a life of love and service. Live the will of God.

Because “whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

And this, my friends, is the word of God.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Disciples

Presented January 26, 2020 by Rev. Jesse Larson
Based on Matthew 4:12-23 (Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee)

It’s amazing to me that—in just a few short verses with few details—we are introduced to the very first disciples who decided to dedicate their lives to following Jesus. By doing so, they kick-started the sharing of the Good News … something that has been going on now for over 2,000 years!

We are here now, in this place, because of them and every other person of faith who took a stand for love. The more I reflect about today’s text, the more I stand in awe of these early disciples. How daring they were! How faithful they were! How foolish they were! They remind me of hippies, hopping on a VW bus with a bunch of other hairy dudes in sandals, not really sure of where they’ll end up. But their faith and willingness to take risks laid the foundation of our discipleship in Christ, and we stand to learn a lot from them.

Some years ago, a book entitled The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People became quite popular. Like many self-help works, it offers some useful practices we can use in our daily lives. So as we begin a new year and a new decade, I’ve composed a list of the seven habits of highly effective “disciples.”

Here’s what I came up with:

Habit 1: When something really speaks to you, listen!
Something very special must have transpired along the Sea of Galilee for Peter and Andrew and James and John to immediately drop their nets and follow Jesus. What Jesus represented or what he had to say to them must have been so compelling that these men just had to follow their hearts and learn more from him. Maybe the disciples weren’t very thrilled about being fishermen or perhaps they just longed for something else, but when Jesus offered that they could become “fishers of people” these men became very committed to their new work.

If God has set something upon your heart—maybe an intense passion for a certain type of work or a deep desire to be in a certain place, you should investigate this calling. So, make it a habit to try to listen for how God may be speaking to you.

Habit 2: Welcome everyone!
You may have noticed that I brought a few friends with me today. These folks are the large family of my girlfriend, Rowena. I met Rowena shortly after moving to California and I was then quickly introduced to her family. I was overwhelmed by how warmly welcomed I was into their clan. I have since witnessed that anyone who is brought home is instantly welcomed by them; they always make room at the table without question. This is the same way the disciples behaved; each town they visited added more and more to their number. There is not one story of anyone being rejected or turned away. Rather, men, women, children, Jews and gentiles, tax collectors, prostitutes—every one is welcome in Christ’s movement of love.

We Christians are never in the business of building walls to separate. We tear down walls and we keep building bigger and bigger bridges and tables to bring everyone into the light of God’s love!

Habit 3: Share in meaningful conversations.
The four Gospels don’t give us the impression that the disciples spent their time discussing the weather or swapping hummus recipes. The disciples got down to the real nitty-gritty—they discussed topics like justice and mercy, wealth and poverty, hopes and fears. Significant conversations shape what we believe and they lead to big decisions\

Find people you trust and talk about what really matters. Life doesn’t suddenly get peachy when you become a follower of Jesus or are “born-again.”  Your faith will ebb and flow, but the more you learn—through conversations, reflection, and life experiences, both good and bad—you’ll acquire more insights about the nature of life and of God.

Habit 4: Meet new people and visit new places.
Jesus and his disciples were always on the road, healing and teaching, feeding people physically and spiritually, and sharing the message of love and forgiveness. Their experiences on the road brought about much growth for the disciples. In Capernaum, they learned that gentiles were a part of God’s plan, as Jesus healed the servant of a Roman centurion. The “Samaritan woman at the well” taught the disciples that a foreigner of a distained religion could possess incredible faith in Jesus. In their journeys and encounters with outcastes and other ways of being, Jesus and the disciples challenged the status quo and expanded their comfort zones. By doing so, their world was enlarged as were their minds.

If we do the same as the disciples—meeting folks with different opinions and traveling to unfamiliar places—we open our minds and hearts to grow by leaps and bounds.

Habit 5: Don’t dwell on your failures.
Our faith is all about forgiveness … and that includes forgiving ourselves. Many of us can easily relate to the disciples because they were very human. They made a lot of mistakes. The disciples arrogantly argued among themselves who was the greatest. When Jesus was arrested, all the disciples went into hiding, and only the women stood by Jesus during his time of trial. Surely, they must have felt so ashamed of their mistakes, but they didn’t give up. After Christ’s death and resurrection, the disciples carried on the work of love, spreading the Good News far and wide.

We, too, would be wise to forgive others and own our mistakes, learn from them and then move on. After all, we’ve been forgiven, so let’s get back to the tasks at hand.

Habit 6: Find ways every day to demonstrate love in a hurting world.
This is one of the most important habits we can develop. Most theologians summarize our faith in three words: God is love. That’s what it’s all about! Like us, the disciples were drawn to Jesus because of his undying love for all people and because of his hopeful message of his saving grace for all. They also learned early on that Jesus was asking for help in his ministry.

No matter what gifts we have been given, we all have the capacity to love. We can show love in small and big ways. Random acts of kindness are acts of love as is changing our nation’s laws to be more fair and merciful. Every day presents opportunities to feed the hungry, visit the imprisoned, cloth the naked, care for the sick—without stipulations. We don’t have to worry about judging people, or about only doing our part when a certain political party is in charge. No! The message of the life-changing power of love is very clear and the disciples took hold of this message. We should, too!

Habit 7: Through it all, keep the faith.
Through many intense situations, the disciples held fast to their faith. Their hopes were dashed as Jesus was put to death and their own lives were threatened. But then Jesus appeared to them, encouraged them, and told them to keep on loving and giving hope to all they meet. And this is exactly what they did. They pushed past their disappointment and clung to the hope of a better life—in this world and the next. The disciples all went on to spread the gospel message and minister to humanity.

We know that our faith will be challenged, too. We lose people we love. We might lose our job or some friends may never speak to us again. We might get into serious trouble. We have the choice to give up and toss our faith away. Or we can choose to keep believing in Jesus Christ and the fact that, “all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to God’s purpose.”

In closing, remember that habits are formed only when we practice them repeatedly, over and over again. Indeed, faith is a muscle that is meant to be strengthened every day.

Give these habits a try—I know most of you all ready do. The good news is that many habits are tough to break. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Not Such a Little Light

Presented December 29, 2019 by Jim Guida
Based on John 1: 1-18

Matthew, Mark, Luke and … John.

John is often considered as an afterthought—the Zeppo to Groucho, Harpo, and Chico; the Ringo to John, Paul, and George, the … well, you get the idea.

Although a disciple of Christ—one of the original twelve along with Matthew, Mark, and Luke—John was not as well known as the other three—although he is often referred to not by name, but by “the disciple whom Jesus loved most.” John is also credited with writing three letters in the New Testament—although scholars debate his authorship—as well as the ever-popular Book of Revelation—not to be confused with the Book of Revelations, which doesn’t exist.

And John’s “chapter” in the bible—really his book—does not have a “birth story,” like Matthew and Luke, so schoolchildren never learn about him when they recreate the Christmas story. 

But I should not dismiss John and his Gospel so readily, as he writes not of the birth story, but of THE birth story.

Allow me to share the first chapter of his Gospel, with brilliant academic interruptions.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

So you see, right there is a ten-week course in theology. “In the beginning…” Where have we read that before? How about Page One, Verse One of the bible? “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” 

John wrote:

“In the beginning was the Word.”

Which is easy enough for a believer in Creator God —Jewish, Muslim or Christian. But John, of Jewish faith, goes on:

“...and the Word was with God…”

Which is fine. If the Word was in the beginning (and we know God was in the beginning), it makes sense that the word was with God.

But here’s the curve ball for this big inning: “...and the Word was God.” This is filed under “Things That Make You Go ‘Huh?’”

But it gets better. Because John is a believer in Jesus the Christ: Jesus the Messiah. So John writes:

“He was with God in the beginning.”

Wait. Who HE? “HE was with God in the beginning.” But we always figured God to do a solo act; the whole Creation thing was a one-man band.  John doesn’t answer the question directly, but goes on:

“Through him [again, who him?] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

Did Creator God contract out some of those six days of labor we read about in the Old Testament? We know that “the Spirit of God” was part of Creation, as in that first paragraph Genesis, we read ”...and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” But that’s “hovering,” not “doing—not “making all things.”

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 

The interpretation here cannot be simpler: Jesus—who we learn is the subject of this comment in John’s later writings in this book—is the light, the savior, the Messiah, the Christ, the leader for everyone on earth.

John continues.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

All told, there are 16 references to Jesus as the “light” in John’s writing. But this is not just John’s interpretation. In John Chapter 8, Jesus himself declares:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Keep in mind that just as there are thousands of Christian denominations in the world today, so were there different denominations, if you will, of Judaism during the time of Jesus. It was never Jesus’ goal to start a new religion, named after him. His goal was to move Judaism from the law of Creator God to the Will of Creator God.

John, whom scholars recognize as the son of Zebedee, continues to write about John, the cousin of Jesus, born of Elizabeth:

“There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.”

I’m going to re-read that with clarification: There was a man sent from God whose name was John. (This is whom we know as John the Baptist, cousin of Jesus). (John) came as a witness to testify concerning that light (who is Jesus), so that through (Jesus) all might believe. (John) was not the light; (John) came only as a witness to the light.”

Reading on:

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world …”

… which is the closest John ever gets to the manger, shepherds and wise men.

“He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”

This is a direct reference to many times the people did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah: the Pharisees who challenged Jesus when he healed a crippled man and who complained when Jesus hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors; the Chief Priest and his follower when Jesus returned to Jerusalem; the Sanhedrin who questioned him after his arrest; and even Jesus’ own disciples who fled and denied him after his arrest.

Now here is my favorite part.

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

And now, finally, John comes as close as he will to naming Jesus. Continuing John’s Gospel:

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. 

The next passage rivals the better-known passage of John 3:16—viewable at ball games and roadsides near you.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

And then comes this earlier gem from John, a statement which is less evangelical and more hallelujah:

“We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John continues:

“Out of Jesus’ fullness, we have all received grace … For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

THIS is what being a Christian means—to declare:

“We have seen the glory of Jesus the Christ—the glory of the one and only son, who came from the Father—the Creator God—full of grace and truth.”

And if we are Children of God, just as Jesus is the Child of God, so should we be filled with the grace and truth that is in our brother Jesus. And in doing so, follow the will of God through the truth and grace of Christ Jesus as was given to us through his words and actions.

And so may we, in everything we say and everything we do, be true to his teachings.

And THIS is the word of God.

Amen.