"Truth" - John 18:33 - 37
Today is known as “Reign of Christ Sunday,” as the bulletin says.
Some of us know a little bit about the Christian year - the changing colors in the sanctuary, the rhythm of life as Christians. The Christian liturgical year does not start of January 1 with the calendar. It does not start on July 1 like many financial years. It does not start in the fall like the school year.
The Christian year - the liturgical year - starts with . . . . Advent - with 4 Sundays approaching Christmas - waiting and watching for God’s coming. Advent begins next Sunday. Advent, you may recall, kicks off the liturgical year, then we move into Christmas, Epiphany, and Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, all the way around through today - Reign of Christ Sunday. This is the last Sunday of the church’s year - before the new year begins next Sunday - with Advent. After today, Christians can say . . “happy new year.”
The church’s year always strives to end with a strong affirmation. Christ reigns. That is R-E-I-G-N-S! Not rain - but REIGN - as in prevail, or rule. That is a very important message. Chaos does not reign; confusion and despair do not prevail. Pain and suffering do not reign. The church wants to say loudly and strongly, Christ reigns!
We used to call this Sunday Christ the King - but that is too regal, and masculine; plus, in this country, we remain dubious of kings or anyone who seeks to rule over; . .and we want to be inclusive. So we call it “Reign of Christ Sunday.”
Reign of Christ Sunday was established fairly recently - by Pope Pius XI - in 1925 - as a way “to combat the destructive forces of this age.” Obviously, we are still dealing with destructive forces. So, we still need the assertion - Christ reigns - because of the chaos around us. Just read the headlines: children getting shot in our city; poverty and hunger on our streets; people struggling and dying as refugees trying to get to a better life. We also have very serious statistics about the destruction of the planet; we have greed and cynicism dominating our common and political life; we have COVID, and other ailments, debilitating us; . . . and we all have heartaches and hurts that paralyze us.
Read More
"Poverty and Generosity" - Mark 12:38-44
Here is a true story : Mrs. Smartt was fumbling in her purse in church as the offering plate was coming around. Suddenly, a large television remote fell out of her purse and clattered into the aisle. An usher went over to help her, bent over to retrieve it, and whispered, “Do you always carry your TV remote to church?” “No,” she replied, “but my husband refused to come with me this morning; he knew it was a Stewardship Sunday, and I figured this was the most evil . . . and legal . . thing I could do to him.”
We are all invited in these days to be in prayerful consideration of our lives, our blessings, our resources. And we are, as a church family, working on our commitments and Stewardship plans for serving God for the coming year.
Listen to this passage for this day, from Mark 12:
38As Jesus taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
41He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.43Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Read More
"Jump In!" - Galatians 3: 26 - 29 - Marvin Daniel
Good morning. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be here this morning. Thank you for having supported me on this journey to becoming your Lay Pastor for Mission and Advocacy. The leadership of this church, the Session of this church and the members of this church have been with me all along the way and for that I am grateful. If you’ll indulge me for a minute or two, I’d like to share something on a somewhat personal note before I talk about our scripture passage and what I want to talk with you about today. I guess you might call this my “Call Story”. When did I feel the call to do this work? Recently as you can imagine, I’ve been asked the question many times about how I decided to do this Seminary study? I don’t believe that I have ever answered that question until today…certainly, not publicly. When I was about 12, I got up one Saturday morning and had this idea that I was going to ride my bike from my house on Three Chop Road to First Presbyterian Church on Cary Street where my family worshiped. I did just that. I approached the door on the Locke Lane side, tried the knob and the door opened. I went into the sanctuary, walked down the center aisle and knelt. I asked God to tell me what he wanted me to do. His answer was that I should do the work that needed to be done; that I should make a difference. That when the time came, that I should JUMP IN. We chatted over the years; He would ask occasionally if I was still on board with the plan. I always answered yes, but that things were always in the way. About ten years ago I said, “Lord, I am finally ready to jump in and start the journey of doing the work for your Kingdom that needs to be done.” And yesterday my commissioning at Presbytery sort of pulled it all together. I am blessed to have so many “doers” here at Second ready to work alongside me!
Read More
"Not Conformed but Transformed" - Mark 10:17 - 31
In all of Jesus’ teachings, he is trying to guide us in “The Way” - the way of loving God and loving God’s people. This is the journey of discipleship. We have to keep working on it, seeking to be changed, be transformed, in the ways of Jesus. Jesus seeks to help us not just to get through our days but to find life in abundance, and to live in a way that reflects the love and justice, the light and peace that God intends for all people.
The title of this sermon - some of you might recognize - comes from a few words in Romans 12, a favorite chapter of mine. We seek to have our lives so filled with God and God’s love that we live, not conformed, but transformed, worshipping and serving God, with love and zeal, with hospitality and generosity. We are - according to Romans 12 - to rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. We are to live in harmony and get along with everyone. We belong to God. Our lives are to be about loving and serving God.
Do not be conformed to the world. Be transformed. This is God’s continuing plan and purpose for our lives.
But . . . this calling to be transformed proves to be quite difficult. We are invited to trust God with our lives and our plans - and we all live with doubts and worries. We are expected to walk each day with God - and we find ourselves covered up with pressures and concerns - maybe from family life, or work life, or the political scene these days, and our love and zeal, our hospitality and generosity fall away from us. We also get so focused on certain things - raising our kids, making money, establishing ourselves - we easily conform to the world instead of being . . . transformed.
Read More
"Come Apart So You Don't Come Apart" - James 5:13 - 20
When the world gets too much for Jesus - like in Luke 12:50, Jesus says “what stress I am under!” - when things simply get too hectic and stressful, Jesus takes off. How does Jesus deal with stress - with the stress of fatigue, rejection, misunderstanding, uncertainty, despair? He changes focus. Rather than take out his frustrations on others, he takes off. Jesus allows time apart, time in prayer, time in nature, time nurturing another faithful framework to re-shape and re-center his life. (see L. Sweet, The Jesus Prescription for a Healthy Life, p. 152)
For several of the recent Sundays in worship, we have been listening to words from James - James the short letter near the end of the New Testament, James the pastor who wrote to his congregation in the first century mostly about how to be God’s people in the world. James says “be doers of the word.” James also says, be careful what you say - words are powerful, and words matter. And then we have this passage. Listen to these final words - James 5:13-20:
Read More
"Descending Into Greatness" - Mark 9:30 - 37
Who is Jesus? And what does Jesus really mean for our lives?
That seems like a crazy question to begin a sermon. We all know enough about Jesus - or remain curious about Jesus - to get ourselves dressed so we can gather in our sacred sanctuary in downtown Richmond. Or, we maintain enough interest in Jesus to orient our day in such a way that we tune into the streaming video of worship today.
Jesus is an amazing person, a great teacher. Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus is the Savior of the world. Jesus is the way we seek to live life - by following Jesus - the way and the truth - as the gospel of John puts it. Jesus is the best example and spirit-person that the world has ever known. Jesus is the one who knows us, understands our troubles, meets us on the dusty roads of life. Jesus is the One who loves us, cries with us, helps us get through every challenge, and promises that nothing can separate us from God. This is something of what we affirm.
But who is Jesus, really? And what does Jesus mean for our lives, especially when we feel like life can be so overwhelming. We got big challenges facing us -
Read More
"Words Matter" - James 3:1 - 12
The words we write or speak to others can leave a huge impact and create a lasting memory - either good or bad. So, it's super important what words we choose. Words can make or break a relationship. Words can accelerate or kill your career. As we have seen across the nation - words can create peace or chaos. Words can heal . . . or harm.
Here are a few helpful quotes - about the power of words:
o "Be mindful when it comes to your words. A string of some that don't mean much to you, may stick with someone else for a lifetime." (Rachel Wolchin)
o "Be careful with your words. Once they are said, they can be only forgiven, not forgotten." (Unknown)
o "Words are free. It's how you use them that may cost you."
o "Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder." (Rumi)
o "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." (Mother Teresa)
o "Speech has power. Words do not fade. What starts out as a sound, ends in a deed." (Abraham Joshua Herschel)
Throughout the Bible, we are reminded about the power and influence of words. One of those places is the letter of James.
Read More
"Helping Others See God" - James 1:17 - 27
If I invited you to name some books of the New Testament, many of you would be quick to answer. “Matthew, . . .Mark, . . . Luke, . . . John.” There is also “Acts,” . . . . and then lots of letters: to the Romans, . . . to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, . . . and others. At some point, with some patience and prodding, we might also come up with . . . “The Letter of James.” The Letter to James, a very short letter, comes right after Hebrews and right before First and Second Peter, almost at the end of the New Testament.
About 500 years ago, the great reformer, Martin Luther, had issues with the Letter of James. Luther raised the question of whether James should even be in the Bible. Luther had objections to James because it never mentions, as he put it, “the nature of Christ.” The letter only mentions Christ two times - once at the very beginning, and then another almost in passing. And the message of James is really less about the grace of God, or justification by faith (things very important to Martin Luther) and more about, you know, the messy stuff of life. James is about how to be the church in the world. James is more about how to live in light of our salvation in Jesus Christ, how to get along as Christians, and how to love and serve. So, James fell short with the great reformer, Martin Luther.
Read More
"The Message About this Life" - Acts 5:17 - 42
Have you seen the TV commercials that feature “Dr. Rick?” Every time I see these commercials, I feel a smile come across my face. Dr. Rick is a fictitious character who says his job is to help people to “un-become” their parents. And there is a whole series of these humorous ads.
Dr. Rick says things like this: “no need to read every billboard out loud. If you can read it, they can read it.”
He tries to educate about opening a PDF, . . . or explains hashtags (#). He urges not sighing so loud - “ahhhh” - when sitting down in a chair.
This is good fun - how to “un-become” your parents: Dr Rick says that you do not have to make friends with the waiter at the restaurant. When he tells you his name, he is really not asking or expecting you to give him your name.
Dr Rick says, “do you really need a sign in your house that says, ‘LIVE. LAUGH. LOVE?’ . . . .You can throw that away.”
All of this good humor somehow promotes Progressive Insurance. I am not sure how that works, but we are all reminded with a fun twist how life is filled with changes and perils. It is so easy to get off track; it is easy to morph into our parents. We need help to stay focused, to be our best selves - instead of morphing into something we do not want to be.
Read More
"Tuned" - Acts 2 - Pentecost Sunday
Have you heard the story about the great feud between the pastor and the organist? The two just couldn’t get along. The story goes like this:
The pastor preached a sermon on “dedicating yourselves to service.” On that day, the organist wanted to annoy the pastor. The choir sang the old classic gospel tune, “I Shall Not be Moved.”
The pastor wanted to think it was just a coincidence. But the next Sunday, this turmoil between the pastor and the organist only seemed to grow. The sermon that day was about “Giving.” Afterward, the choir squirmed a bit as the organist led the choir in the hymn, “Jesus Paid It All.”
By this time, the pastor was realizing he had a problem. Sunday morning worship attendance began to grow as people waited and anticipated what would happen next between the pastor and organist. The pastor preached a sermon against “Gossiping.” Would you believe it? The organist selected the favorite and familiar piece, “I Love to Tell the Story.”
Things were going from bad to worse between these two. The following Sunday, the Pastor told the congregation that, unless something changed, he was considering resignation. The entire church gasped when the choir sang the old revivalist number entitled, “Why Not Tonight?”
Read More
"Where is Jesus?" - Acts 1:6-14
“Where is Jesus?” That is the question for this day.
Where . . . . is . . . Jesus?
A certain Sunday School teacher asked this question to the boys and girls in her class: where is Jesus? Several of the children immediately raised hands.
When the teacher called on the first one, “yes, where is Jesus?” the little boy said, “Jesus is in heaven, with God.” And the teacher said, “that’s a good answer.”
Then another child with her hand up responded: “Jesus is in my heart.” The teacher commended this answer too.
One other girl had her hand up, so the teacher called on her, “okay, where is Jesus?” The girl responded, “Jesus is in the bathroom.”
A puzzled look came across everyone in the room, including the teacher. The teacher asked: “what do you mean, ‘Jesus is in the bathroom?’” And the little girl said, “well, every morning, my dad yells: “Jesus - when are you coming out of the bathroom?”
Where . . . . is . . . Jesus?
Listen now to this story from the first chapter of Acts:
Read More
"On Our Way Rejoicing" - Acts 8: 28-40
We have a long history of alienating people. When I say “we,” I am talking about human beings. We seem to have an inclination toward social differentiation: we love to feel better than others. Our human history is so filled with certain people dominating and ruling over other people.
In the recent year, many of us have re-visited this subject as we have confronted so many layers of racial injustice in our nation. We know we - as Americans - are part of 400 years of oppression and injustice toward African Americans. Though our nation was founded on the principles of liberty and justice for all, 400 years of injustice against Black people is a lot to overcome when those centuries are full of systemic racism, alienation, and oppression.
When I say “we,” I have to include my own struggles in this, and recognize my own blindness, and how my life has been so totally shaped by white privilege.
We - as Christians - have a long history of alienating people. We have to confess how the Church has long promoted exclusion and inequality. It was only 50 years ago that women were allowed to be ordained as officers in the Presbyterian Church. It was only in the last 20 years, and even the last decade, that we have seen the light and worked for equality for gay and lesbian people in the life of the Church.
Read More
"Becoming Easter People" - Acts 4:32 - 37
We find ourselves today a week beyond the glorious celebration of Easter. But Easter, you recall, is not just a day; it is a season. Actually, as Brian Blount reminded us last week, Easter is a way of living - a certain perspective and a life toward God’s grand plans of justice and joy.
In the garden on that first Easter morning, Jesus, not recognized and perceived as the gardener, called Mary . . . by name. And Jesus calls all of us by name - to know the promises and power of Easter - for our lives and for our world. Our whole lives are intended to be lived in response to the Easter victory.
What does it look like to live all of our lives in response to Easter? What if we really lived with a sense of confidence that “nothing . . . not heights or depths, not principalities or powers, . . . nothing can separate us from God’s love?”
We get a glimpse of what that might look like - live our whole lives in the power and promises of Easter - in the wonderful stories from the Book of Acts. Acts gives us a picture of Easter people - Easter living - with boldness and extravagance and grace. Listen to this story from Acts 4:
Read More
"Power or Love" - Mark 14 - 15 (selections)
Several months ago, the Christian Century published a cartoon depicting a man and a woman talking about faith. The man says, “I believe but sometimes I don’t.” The woman responds, “That weird because I don’t believe but sometimes I do.” (see CC, March 10, 2021, p. 42)
We can probably all relate to that cartoon. Most of us - I am guessing - find ourselves wavering between faith and doubt, between what we feel sure about . . . . and what we struggle with.
This week, as we launch into Palm Sunday and to the events of Holy Week, that wavering between faith and doubt may get even more pronounced. We rejoice in the Palm parade, . . . and then we confront the horrors of the cross. We love to celebrate Jesus, . . . and then we come face to face with the brutality of the people and Jesus’ suffering and death.
What does it all mean? What do we believe . . . and not believe?
Some of us have been reading a fine book by Crossan and Borg entitled, The Last Week - about Jesus’ final days in Jerusalem. Borg and Crossan remind us that two processions entered Jerusalem on a spring day in the year 30 AD. One was a peasant procession. One was an imperial procession.
Read More
"Patience" - Romans 12:12; Galatians 5:22
Okay, . . so I ask you to indulge me for a few minutes and let me talk about Bruce Springsteen. I have long been a fan - since my college days - but as his music has evolved - so has my affection and interest in Bruce Springsteen. Not long ago - but it feels like eons because it was pre-COVID - Ginger and I went to see Bruce Springsteen on Broadway - where he played his music and told stories about his life. It was a great experience.
Bruce Springsteen tells a memorable story about how the great saxophone player - Clarence Clemmons - became part of the E Street Band. Bruce says, “1 plus 1 equals 2 - that happens every day!” We all know that formula - basic math: 1 plus 1 equals 2. It is not magic. “That is the formula for the grind of life - 1 plus 1 equals 2: You get up - 1, got to work - 1, go to bed . . . . 2!”
“But, when 1 plus 1 equals 3 - that is when your life changes.” You see everything differently, see everything new. Springsteen continues: “These are days when you are visited by visions, when the world around you brings down the Spirit and you feel blessed to be alive. It is the essential equation of love - there is no real love without 1 plus 1 equals 3!). It is the essential equation of art; it is the essential equation of rock and roll; it is the reason the universe will never be fully comprehensible.” One plus one equals three is the very reason life is so magnanimous and beautiful.
Read More
"Focus and Resiliency" - Colossians 3:14-15; Psalm 25:1-10
I am guessing that if I invited you to repeat a line from a favorite psalm, more than a few of you would mention something from Psalm 23: “the Lord is my shepherd . . . . he leads me beside still waters.” The poetry and promises of Psalm 23 are foundational to our faith.
I bet too that if I pushed a bit further, and asked you about Psalm 22, a good number of you might know that one too. Psalm 22 starts like this: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus recited those words, crying from the cross on Good Friday - the day he died.
I even have some confidence that a few of you might be able to recall something of Psalm 24. Psalm 24 begins with words we often say in worship - “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world and those who live in it.” Psalm 24 also includes a familiar refrain used in hymns: “Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up - that the King of glory may come in!”
Psalm 23. Psalm 22. Psalm 24. . . . . But who knows about Psalm 25?
In more than 34 years of preaching and teaching, prior to this week, I could not think of anything I knew from Psalm 25. But - thanks be to God - what at great psalm and what appropriate words for this season of life. Listen to Psalm 25:
Read More
"Three Things" - Mark 1:14 - 20
We continue to live in such interesting times. And the recent week brought some powerful juxtapositions.
We started the week watching the fencing and barricades go up around the nation’s Capital Building, and legions of National Guard troops filling up the regal area of the National Mall. These uniformed soldiers are still guarding the people’s Congress. We also saw every state capital across the land hustling to prepare for more unrest and potential violence.
Then on Wednesday, we witnessed one of the great hallmarks of our nation - the peaceful transfer of power, the inauguration of a new President and Vice President, including the first women elected to that national office.
And all of this happened on top of a raging pandemic out of control and worse than ever. We also have lingering issues of racism and racial injustice in the land, with economic and other woes, including division and disdain. Then we have the threats of climate crisis challenging the world.
This context in which we live - immense crises crashing at the same time, and the peaceful transfer of presidential power - provides an opportune moment to hear the gospel text for this Sunday from Mark 1:14-20. Listen.
Read More
"Enclosed in Divine Reality" - Psalm 139: 1 - 18
Many of you may be familiar with the Revised Common Lectionary. The lectionary is used by Catholic and Protestant communities around the world and suggests four different readings from the Bible for each Sunday: from the Old Testament, the Psalms, a Gospel reading, and one from the letters of the New Testament. These readings relate to the church calendar, the unfolding of the Christian story through each year; and these readings follow a three-year cycle. In our tradition, both as Presbyterians and here at Second, we follow this lectionary for much of the year - but not always. Sometimes we feel led to other Scripture texts or themes that might be more appropriate for the day, or for a series, or for a season.
Today’s lectionary offering feels like an absolute gift from God to me, especially one text, the Psalm for today - the third Sunday of January, 2021, and the second Sunday of Epiphany in this year.
Listen now to sacred words. In what might feel like scary days, we invite the words of this psalm to be a gracious word from God. Psalm 139:1-18:
1O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
Read More
"Annunciation" - Isaiah 40: 28 - 31; Luke 1: 26 - 38
Nazareth. Jesus of Nazareth. We have all heard of Nazareth.
In Jesus’ day, Nazareth was a very small backwater town – mostly subsistence farmers, small shops, and working people. If it wasn’t for Jesus, it would have remained an insignificant hamlet. This is why the disciple Nathanael’s question is so memorable: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Today, in modern Israel, Nazareth is a bustling city in hilly western Galilee. Homes and shops and churches and mosques are squeezed in together amidst the hills. The narrow streets of Nazareth are crowded with scooters, cars, buses, and people. It is a city populated today by Muslims and Christians. And the town is dominated by the gray dome of a particular church – the Basilica of the Annunciation – which stands at the crest of a major hill.
Some of us from this church family visited this Basilica of the Annunciation about 20 months ago on the interfaith trip to Israel. This Basilica, completed in 1969, is built on the ruins of several older churches that date back to the 3rd and 4th century. The Basilica of the Annunciation is a massive and impressive structure. But what makes it most unique – the walls all around and through the church offer colorful depictions of Mary – numerous portraits donated from countries all around the world. This sacred place is a reminder of the widespread, worldwide appeal of Jesus’ mother. And then deep in the grotto of this huge and modern Basilica is a unique inscription – in Latin – which says, “the Word was made flesh HERE.” (see J. Martin, Jesus – a pilgrimage, p 32)
Read More
"Joy" - Philippians 4:4-7; Psalm 126
You heard the words from the lighting of the Advent Wreath today. We find joy in many places! Small things we do on our own. Big things we might do together. As people of faith, we seek to be shaped by JOY. Today we light the third candle in Advent – the candle of Joy.
We also have those familiar words from Philippians – our first lesson today - “Rejoice in the Lord, always. Again, I say rejoice!”
But, . . . I must confess, . . . it can be difficult in these days to find joy – real joy. While we do have much to celebrate, life has been too different, and too difficult to feel surrounded by joy. Life has been so full of discouraging news and limitations to feel like great rejoicing. What about you?
We are made for Christian worship – the coming together for fellowship, for genuine community connections, for singing and sharing faith – and we continue to be separated and apart from one another.
We are encouraged and strengthened by personal interactions, by sharing love and care with one another, genuine hugs and support – and we can have none of that in these days of a worsening pandemic and social distancing.
Read More
