Expectations (Sermon)

 Sunday, 7 February 2021- Year B

Mark 1:29-39

We know that we are called to the imitation of Christ. Not only is modeling Christ Jesus part of our mission statement, but Ephesians 5:1 tells us to imitate God. This imitation happens through, and only through, the help of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is gifted to us, yet many of us struggle with the modeling we are called to for the sake of the world. 

In today's gospel, Jesus does something that most of us would find nearly impossible. On his first day in ministry, he calls disciples, he teaches in the synagogue, he heals a man possessed by demons, and then he heals Simon's mother-in-law. That's a pretty full day. 

When that day ends, word has circulated quickly enough that people are crowded up to the door of Simon's house with their own sick and demon-possessed people. 

Sidebar: what's the difference between sickness and demon-possession in Mark? It is likely that what people called demon-possession in Jesus' day were illnesses that seemed to have no external cause. Epilepsy, strokes, or even something like heart palpitations, alongside mental illnesses, would have seemed out of the blue and certainly caused by evil forces. Sicknesses that came from bad food, skin diseases, or the sanitation issues of the time might have seemed more self-evident, requiring basic healing as opposed to an exorcism. This is the end of the sidebar. 

Back to Simon's house, after the Sabbath has ended, the crowd is gathered with their sick and their demon-possessed. Jesus heals many of them. Many, but not all? Why doesn't Jesus heal them all? 

Jesus is capable of healing them all, but some people do not want to be well. I don't mean that in the sense that they would prefer to malinger and drag out their suffering and gain attention for it. I mean that some people have struggled for so long that they feel unable to imagine a life of wellness, a healed existence. It seems likely to me that there were probably those among the crowd who wandered up themselves or who were dragged by family members but had no interest in what Jesus offered. They didn't think it would work or they numbly submitted to healing prayers, but immediately dismissed the possibility of such efforts working. 

I am not saying that people don't get well in that time or in our own because they don't want to, even though that can happen. I am saying that Jesus offered a powerful gift of healing for them and, for whatever reason, they were unable to receive the gift. They were not more powerful than God, nor were their illnesses or nor the demons that possessed them. They had simply stopped believing anything could change and therefore nothing did. How often have you been in that situation? Believing that what exists simply is and nothing can be done about it. These simple sentences remind us that no one's suffering, pain, or possession is God's will, but suffering continues when we refuse to believe that healing, that wholeness, that a different way of being is possible. 

So, what is it that Jesus does that would seem impossible for us? It's not the healing. We are entirely equipped to be part of how God brings healing, including through exorcisms, in the world. What we would find difficult is something else.

After the full evening of healing people, Jesus appears to have slept and then awoken early to go and pray. Simon and the others hunt for Jesus. Though in English, our translations say they looked for him, the Greek implies that they hunted him down. He went to get away and they pursued him. 

Why would they do this? 

The night before, they get their first taste of Jesus-mania. Everyone wants to come to see Jesus and they are known as Jesus-adjacent. Perhaps they can trade their closeness to Jesus for favors, for funds, for fame. With stars in their eyes, they hunt Jesus down so he can come back and keep doing these miraculous things, acts with the potential to change the lives of these fishermen. 

But Jesus didn't come for fame and fortune. He hasn't called the disciples so that they can be his managers and his entourage. 

Here we see the contrast between how regular humans act and how Jesus acts. 

Jesus tells the disciples that it is time to leave Capernaum and to go to other villages. He wishes to go and carry his message, and his healing powers, elsewhere. 

You can easily imagine Simon and the others spluttering, "But, but, but... we have it good here. People will come to us. You don't need to travel, Master. Let's set up here. There's a crowd up at the house and Mom is feeding them. You don't want to disappoint them, Jesus." 

But Jesus is not focused on human disappointment. Then, as now, disappointment with Jesus doesn't come because Jesus fails, but because our expectations for Jesus are misplaced. 

Unlike most of us, Jesus can see the desires of the world, the desire to be liked or loved, the desire to be influential, the desire to be surrounded by people who admire you... Jesus can see all these things and turn away from them to do what God wills. 

God's will was not to make Capernaum into a destination city. "Come see the MIRACLE WORKER! Step right this way! See demons cast out before your very eyes! Just 1 shekel! Half-price for kids." 

God's will was (and is) for Jesus' power- his teachings, his healings, his provisions- to be spread throughout the region and the world. Jesus can reject what the world offers for the sake of God's desire, God's will, God's expectations. 

I cannot imagine how disappointed Simon and the others must have been to go back to the house, gather up their things, and tell the crowds, "He already left." The dreams of their own glory were fading before their eyes and as the gospel goes on, we see they didn't let go of those dreams so easily. 

Jesus moved on, not staying where the story would become just about him. He kept traveling to spread the gospel, the good news, of God-with-us, of the nearness of the kingdom to as many people and as many kinds of people as possible in the time he had. 

This brings us to what it means to model Christ Jesus. Are our actions oriented toward getting the most likes, being the most known, having the most glory? Do we make choices based on what is popular with our family or our friends or in our community? Are we willing to set those things aside if it means being more aligned with what God wants? 

This is a fine line to travel because it is easy for us to embrace an unpopular opinion and say, "Well, even Jesus couldn't please everyone." Modeling Christ Jesus, though, never calls for taking the devil's advocate stance. It calls for carefully reflecting on our choices, our words, and our actions. Is what we are doing, or leaving undone, part of God's will for the world? Does it bring healing, wholeness, or hope? Does it reveal and support the growth of the Spirit's fruits- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control? If not, perhaps it is a behavior or a habit that needs to be exorcised, cast out, for the sake of modeling our Savior? 

Also, what do we expect of Jesus? Are we like Simon and the others, hoping for glory on the Savior's coattails? Or do we trust that Jesus has already exceeded anything we could expect of a Savior- an inseparable connection with God, amazing grace, the sending of the Holy Spirit? What are our ongoing expectations of our Lord in light of what He has already done? 

As we go forth today, may God help each of us to live in and for Jesus, even more fully. May our faith in Jesus be increased such that we do not live for our own glory, but for His. And may we seek every opportunity to model His love in a world that needs to know such compassion, such mercy, and such peace. 

Amen. 

Still

 “Be still, and know that I am God! 

I am exalted among the nations,

 I am exalted in the earth.” - Psalm 46:10

In discussing this verse with a friend today, it occurs to me how undervalued stillness is in many Christian traditions. In my experience, stillness can be a struggle because people find it difficult to quiet their minds from racing thoughts, pressing needs, and clamoring desires. The inability to be still or have a quiet mind then becomes a source of shame or guilt, instead of its own reflection point. 

In the Lutheran tradition, we value the tension that plays between positive and negative construction. This is most clearly evident in our interpretation of the 10 Commandments. While the written word is in the negative construction, "do not do this", the interpretation includes a positive construction, "Instead, do this".

Is there a way to put both positive and negative construction on stillness? 

Positive: Being still will help me draw closer to God. 

Negative: Being still will help me recognize the things that are not God. 

In that second construction, it is easier to realize stillness will help us reject the things that are not God. 

My to-do list- not God. 

My negative self-talk- not God

My stresses about things I cannot control- not God

My guilt over things done and left undone- not God

My frustrations with others- not God

As each of these things appears in my mind, I have the chance to acknowledge them and to note that they are not God. They do not get the space or the honor that I have chosen to give to my Creator. If they want time, they have to wait. They are not God. 

In acknowledging what is not God, we have the opportunity to sink into stillness and be present to God's presence in and around us. If God is neither all those things, nor in them, where is God? How is God speaking to us? How does stillness lead us more deeply into God's truth? 

In the days ahead, there are likely to be many things that wish to assert their dominance in our minds and lives. Be still for a moment. Do they bring life? Do they offer wholeness? Do they contain hope and true justice? If not, they are not God. Let them go. 

Continue in stillness that you may better recognize what is not God and embrace the One who is. 

Who Can Stand?

All Saints 2020

Readings: Revelation 7:9-17; Matthew 5:1-12

Revelation 6:15-17 Then the kings of the earth, the officials and the generals, the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in caves and in the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the Lamb’s wrath! The great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

 

Who is able to stand? 

 

It’s a fair question. In the vision of the Revelator, six of the seven seals have been opened. Famine, war, pestilence, and death have spread through the earth. All of the natural worlds are acting unnaturally. And then- the kings of the earth, the officials and the generals, the rich and the powerful, and everyone else- enslaved and free- hides from what is happening, and they cry out to the mountains and the rocks- who is able to stand? 

 

They cry out to the mountains and the rocks, perhaps, because these entities are unmoved by all that is happening. 

 

They cry out, “Who can stand?” 

 

Then, there is a pause in the action, a pause before the opening of the seventh seal, a pause where the four angels of the four corners of the earth are seen to be holding back the elements for the protection of creation. This pause holds, the Revelator is told, until the angels have marked the servants of the Lord with a seal on their foreheads. 

 

Then comes the accounting of the tribes of Israel (Rev. 7:1-8), to whom God has kept and will keep the Divine promises. God’s promises are true and God’s covenant-keeping is an encouragement to us, even when the covenant was not made with us. All reminders of God’s faithfulness are good for our souls. 

 

After that section, the Revelator sees a great multitude, so many people he cannot begin to count them. He cannot even estimate them. Furthermore, they represent all tribes and peoples and languages. What always strikes me is that the writer of Revelation is likely from Asia Minor. If he has spent time in Rome, particularly in a Roman prison, he can recognize where people are from. Yet, we do not get a list here of countries known at the time. It occurs to me that the writer may genuinely be seeing, in this vision of the Divine realm, people of nationalities he has never seen before. He is hearing languages he has never heard before. There are tribal outfits and markings beyond his experience or comprehension. 

 

And, in a reversal of the scene around the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11), all of the different peoples are united in their different languages to praise God. Here we have some of the most familiar liturgical language from throughout church history. It is not put in the mouths of the apostles or the church leaders from Acts. It is not Paul telling it to us or an early church historian explaining it. 

 

The writer quotes these words, these hymn fragments, in the mouths of people from all nations, tribes, and languages- noting that the scene around God’s throne, the culmination of God’s promises kept, the future of the redeemed is truly more than we can imagine. And at the very least we need to be prepared to be there with people we did not expect to see and who, maybe, didn’t expect to see us. 

 

It is important to note that the elder who speaks to the Revelator does not say that this multitude is gathered around the throne because they came through the tribulation. That they experienced the economic, social, political, and physical oppression of the Roman empire is part of their history, but that is not what brought them to the throne. 

 

They are surrounding God’s throne because of the sacrifices of the Lamb of God, Jesus the Christ, and it is his love alone that brings them there. They came through their ordeal by trusting in his word above everything else. Every ruler who promised to save them, every cultic practice that seemed helpful, every community expectation around false idols and religious habits- this multitude resisted and worshipped, instead, their Creator. 

 

Even as they worked, worshiped, had families, celebrated, and grieved- God was the center of their lives. Similar to those whom Jesus lists in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), these people were not suffering to be blessed, they were blessed because they suffered as they chose a life that put God first. 

 

Let me say again, the multitude did not suffer to be blessed, they are counted as blessed because they suffered in doing what Jesus asked of them- loving God with their whole hearts and their neighbors as themselves. 

 

If there are more people than the Revelator can recognize, then there are people who are not Jews and who are not from Gentile groups he knows. Some people may yet have been outside the spread of the Gospel as we know it and yet who were known to God. God decides who is in this multitude, God draws them forth, God chooses to bless them. The wideness in God’s mercy is not for us to boundary. 

 

We are the people who are drawn to that throne through Jesus. We are among the people who have been granted faith in the Lamb who is also the Shepherd. We are among the people who trust that because of Christ, we will someday come to a place where tears are no more. 

 

On this day, we remember our loved ones who have already been received in that place in peace. We carry the pain of missing them, which is real and should not be judged or downplayed. We also carry the hope of reunion with them. 

 

What would it be like, I wonder, to imagine their hopes for us? Not the ones they spoke in this life, but the ones they may have now- given what they know that we as yet only take on faith. 

 

In our present time of frustration and division, how might they advise us from that multitude around the throne? 

 

In our present time of change and uncertainty, how would they encourage us in turning away from idols who make promises to us that are not theirs to make and which cannot be kept? 

 

In our present time of injustice and unrighteousness, what story would they tell us about their present experience that would help us to center the love of God and neighbor in our everyday lives? 

 

Revelation is not merely a vision of what is to come. The entire purpose of apocalyptic literature is an unveiling of how God is at work in present troubles and how to remain faithful in those same difficulties. We cannot read Revelation as something that happens eventually but as a vision of what was true and encouraging for the early church and what is true and encouraging for us. 

 

The kings of the earth, the officials and the generals, the rich and the powerful, all people- enslaved and free- look at what is happening throughout the earth and ask, “Who can stand?” 

 

The ones who believe in Jesus, the ones who seek to comfort mourners, to bring peace and justice, the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the ones who renounce the forces that oppose God, and resist making spiritual mountains out of earthly molehills- 

 

These ones, we, may still suffer, but we know that it ends with being comforted and with every tear wiped away from our eyes. 

 

With God’s help, like those who have gone before, with God’s help- we may stand. 

 

Amen.

Prayers for Ordinary, But Important Tasks

Paraments Changed from Green to Red

Sometimes the everyday rituals mean the most. I was pondering these while doing some necessary, but mundane tasks at church. Here is a series of prayers for church and home activities that help us connect more deeply to the activities. 

Waiting for A Hot Beverage to Be Ready

Water of Life, I give you thanks for this tea/coffee/hot cider/cocoa/etc that I am about to consume. Its warmth and comfort remind of the consolations and peace of your everlasting arms. May I rest in those arms forever and carry the peace of this moment into the rest of my day/evening/night. Amen. 

Changing the Altar Candles

Light of the world, you illuminate all existence with love and mercy. Even in the depths of pain and grief, You are present and do not permit us to walk alone. Strengthen our trust in your real presence and our perception of your works all around us. Amen. 

Washing Dishes or Loading the Dishwasher

Holy Provider and Healer, you have once again provided daily bread for me/us. Thank you that we were able to eat and keep me/us mindful of those who are hungry. The never-ending task of preparing food and cleaning up is a reminder of your never-ending love and mercy. Amen. 

Changing the Paraments (Altar cloths) 

Ruler of All Seasons, you have brought us to this celebration/observance of __________ (insert season, festival, or observance here). We give you thanks that you have sustained your church, through the Holy Spirit, through these many changes and that you will be with us in all that is to come. Guide our worship and praise, so that we may always be aware that you alone are due all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen. 

Changing the Toilet Paper 

Look, Lord, there are many things I take for granted, but this is not one of them. Thank you for this resources and the many others I may not even consider today. Guide me, through this life, that I may make choices that support the flourishing of the earth and all people- even in my most private moments. Amen. 

What are the other daily tasks that you can think of that might also benefit from small benedictions or prayers?

God's Punctuation

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, 

who are called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28 

Never place a period where God places a comma. - Gracie Allen 

Some of you may be familiar with the comedy duo of George Burns and Gracie Allen, who were active together in show business in the middle of the 20th century. George played the straight man to Gracie's comic timing. They were also married and had children. They were deeply in love. When Gracie was dying and George was deeply grieved, she wrote him a final love letter. One sentence that George shared from this letter was this, "George, never place a period where God places a comma." 

This was Gracie's way of reminding George that his life wasn't ending. There was a pause, but there would be more the sentence God was writing as the life of George Burns. 

That sentence, which may have been a proverb before Gracie wrote it, has taken on a life of its own. The United Church of Christ adopted the line as part of its "God is still speaking" campaign in 2004. Others have worked it into speeches to underscore their points about all kinds of struggles- political, social, economic, physical. 

Never place a period where God places a comma. 

When I think about that phrase, I think beyond the idea that we sometimes misunderstand God's word- both the written scripture and the living Word of Jesus. The phrase itself, "Never place a period where God places a comma", reminds me that we are not called to be God's editors. An editor goes through a writer's work and checks for errors, lack of continuity, and places that need elaboration. 

We often cast ourselves in the role of God's editor, deciding that we are sure we know for sure what was meant in the Bible, the intentions of the saints, and even why God chose to act in certain ways. We edit God's word by lifting our favorite parts and letting what we don't like to fall away. We modify God's intentions by aligning them with our preferences and understandings, instead of wrestling with how we may be called to act differently for the sake of Christ in the world. 

 

Today's readings remind us of the dangers of editing God, of deciding we know how God means to punctuate God's words and work in the world. God is pleased when Solomon asks for wisdom and grants it to him. Later Solomon acts unwisely. He takes many wives, some for affection and attractiveness and some because it is politically expedient to do so. This entangles him in many relationships that damage his loyalty to God. He conscripts his fellow Israelites, and others, for the building of the temple and his palace. He acts so unwisely that you and I might decide to punctuate his story differently, but God doesn't. God puts a comma in Solomon's story. Even when Solomon's choices are ruinous, he is part of the line to whom God intends to keep a covenant with Abraham. And Solomon is part of the line through whom God will keep a covenant with the world. We tell the truth about Solomon, but we learn, we gain wisdom when we accept that God will use whom God chooses. God's work through a leader does not necessarily make that leader good, but God is still speaking and we do put a period when God places a comma. 

Any decent editor might look at Matthew's account of the good news of Jesus and recommend some tightening up of the text. Not just punctuation changes, but maybe leaving a few of these confusing parables on the cutting room floor. In my mind, I can even see Matthew, writing with the help of the Holy Spirit, recalling Jesus' stories, and wondering how many to include. "Do we need all of these?" he wonders, looking at how much papyrus he has left and considering his cramping hand. 

The parables, in their strangeness and curious composition, are reminders that we are not God's editors. These brief glimpses into the shape of the kingdom of God reminded Matthew, his audience, and us that God's ways are not our ways. God is wild like yeast, causing change even in our measured circumstances. The kingdom of God stirs so much enthusiasm that one who comes to it unexpectedly is willing to sacrifice everything to keep it. Our God, the God to whom we belong, draws all people in, in the net of Divine Love, and it is God who does the sorting at a time that we do not know. These stories are fantastic and they push our imaginations. We who especially want things to be logical and reasonable can be frustrated by the parables. It is tempting to rework them, to smooth them out, make them clearer through allegory (God is this, we are this, we should do x), but that is editing. We are not called and we are not equipped to edit God. 

Never place a period where God places a comma. 

When the apostle Paul dictated his letters, which he likely did, everyone probably longed for a comma. Certainly his amanuensis, the person who wrote for him, likely did and we do, too. His long sentences can be confusing and years of translation mean we feel far from Paul's context and his way of speaking. We often edit Paul so that we can understand him, but our editing of his work means that we lose some of what he intended to say and what God has said through him to the church then and now. 

When Paul says, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, 

who are called according to his purpose"- he does not mean that only good things will happen to faithful people. He doesn't even mean that we will understand the why and the how of difficult things that happen to us. That sentence is part of that whole section of Romans. A faithful person will likely reach a place where they don't know how to pray, possibly because they are so overwhelmed or grieved or frustrated. The Holy Spirit will help them pray, creating effective intercessions out of even their deepest sighs. 

A person who is struggling to pray is not in a position to understand how God is working amid difficult and confusing times. (Let me say here that if none of you can identify with that statement, I will own it for myself,) A person who is relying on the Spirit's help to pray needs to be able to trust that God is still at work, still speaking, still healing, still bringing resurrection power into a world that is obsessed with death. 

If we say to that person, that person who is struggling, "God won't give you more than you can handle" or "Everything happens for a reason", we are editing God. We are putting a period in the sentence, implying that feeling overwhelmed or frustrated or grieved is a sign of weak faith. God has a comma in that sentence. Even Paul's translators put commas in there, 

The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. -Romans 8:26-27

The Spirit intercedes, meaning God knows faithful people will come to a place where they don't know how to go on, when they aren't even sure how to pray. We cannot edit that by implying that people who are struggling can buck up if they want to. Sometimes things are hard and the Holy Spirit is what keeps us going. When we are seeking to be in alignment with the Spirit, we must be still, listen, and wait until we can speak what we know is true and what is not our edition of God's word. 

Through Paul, God reminds people in that type of situation that nothing is stronger than God. Nothing can separate God's people from God's love. Not only does God have no eternal counterparts,  but even entities that will die away cannot compete with God for loving us, providing for us, saving us, all through Jesus Christ. I'm tempted to edit here by throwing in some exclamation points. 

For I am convinced! That neither death! Nor life! Nor angels! Nor rulers! Nor things present! Nor things to come! Nor powers! Nor height! Nor depth! Nor anything else in all creation! Will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord! - Romans 8:38-39

But that's also my editing. 

The main thing I want you to understand is this: God is still speaking. Even through words that have been written for centuries, those words are alive with the spirit and bring freedom to us through Christ. We are not the editors of those words. We are not the editors of God's will. We cannot and must not place periods where God places commas. 

During this pandemic, in the middle of our present political tensions, in the center of our community tensions over all kinds of things, speaking with certainty gives us a sense of control. That control is a false idol, encouraging us to lean on our understanding, which is most definitely sinking sand. 

God is still speaking to us. God is working, actively, powerfully, lovingly, in the world right now. We may not fully understand how or even what we are to do, but we can pray, with the Spirit, for understanding and peace. And we can sit with each other, in that same understanding and peace, supporting one another and reminding each other that we are not God's editors. 

Over the years, people have talked about how the Burns and Allen show ended with George saying, "Say goodnight, Gracie" and her reply, "Goodnight, Gracie." Recordings of the show demonstrate they didn't actually say that, but that sign off has taken on a life of its own. Keep that in mind now, so you can help me end this sermon. 

We are not God's editors. God is still speaking. Do not place a period where God places a comma. 

Say amen, congregation. 

Readings 

1 Kings 3:5-12 
Psalm 119:129-136 
Romans 8:26-39 
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 

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Undivided Heart

Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth;
 give me an undivided heart to revere your name. - Psalm 86:11

What does it mean to have an undivided heart? Specifically, the psalmist requests an undivided heart for the purposes of revering, holding in awe and respect, God's name. A heart that is focused on keeping God's name holy is truly an undivided heart. 

 

In the Large Catechism, Martin Luther writes, "Anything on which your heart relies and depends, I say, that is really your God... Idolatry does not consist merely of erecting an image and praying to it, but it is primarily a matter of the heart, which fixes its gaze upon other things and seeks help and consolation from creatures, saints, or devils. It neither cares for God nor expects good things from him sufficiently to trust that he wants to help, nor does it believe that whatever good it encounters comes from God." (Book of Concord, 386f) 

 

Our hearts are divided if we believe that God takes care of the next life, but not this one. Our hearts are divided if we say we are God's people, but we speak ill of others or feign ignorance about the oppression and pain of the world. Our hearts are divided when we worship God with our words, but our daily actions are focused on success, status, and stuff. Our hearts are divided when we take all the credit for what we have and what we do and do not offer praise and gratitude to the One who created everything and is at ceaseless work in the world. 

 

When we ask God, through this psalm and our prayers, for an undivided heart, we must accept the changes that will bring. As our heart finds a permanent anchor in God's presence and power, there will be a shift in our priorities. We will find ourselves aligned with God's will and God's way. When we try to go our own way, we will experience the pain of division once more. 

 

How can we know what is God's will? We look to Jesus. In today's parable, the gospel writer expects those hearing the parable to align themselves with the disciples and, therefore, also with the workers in the master's household. That means us. We do not concern ourselves with determining who is going to hell and who isn't. We know a weed when we see it, but our work is to tend to the wheat. Our task, the task of hearts aligned with God, is to take care of the soil, the wheat itself, and the surrounding field so that God's hope, God's love, God's mercy, God's justice matures and increases its yield. The harvest and the destruction of the weeds are God's own work of God's own creation, while we are hired hands for that work in the same creation. 

 

I don't like to speak for this long in metaphors. I understand the desire to have a parable simplified and the desire to have the pastor clarify, once and for all, weeds do this, wheat does this. Be wheat. End of sermon. 

 

That's not how parables work. Additionally, if I do that, then you know that my heart is divided. It means I care more about you and your comfort than I do about God's expectations of me and the holy discomfort the Word stirs for all of us. When preachers make things too easy and too comfortable too often, we are making an idol of you liking us and our preaching. When I'm unfolding pieces, but leaving you to complete some of the puzzle, we are both respecting that God's word is a little bit mysterious, a little bit disquieting, and something from which we wrestle a blessing, like Jacob. 

 

In that light, back to the undivided heart. But, pastor, I can hear someone saying: what about my family, what about my job, what about my friends, what about things I have to do for the community? 

 

Friends, God has given you all those things. God’s love has been poured out for all, from the beginning of creation, through the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ, through to the Spirit’s presence today. If you find a division between how your care for your family or how you act in community roles and what you believe God wants of you, then you are truly experiencing a divided heart. The forces that oppose God often try to mask things like co-dependency, suffering, and complications as love by saying that life is hard, but God is with us. Life can be difficult and God is with us, but suffering and pain are not inevitable. Our attempts to control others, to relieve them of the burdens of their bad choices, to make people like us, to demand respect- all energies that go to this kind of thing and related situations are part of having a divided heart. 

 

When we ask God for an undivided heart, a unified hope, a clarified awareness and trust in God's power, the other realities of our life will fall in line. That doesn't mean ranching will suddenly become easier or our family member with addiction will suddenly be well. What our undivided heart will do is help us to live peaceably in the midst of life's complications. 

 

Once upon a time, I was in Fairbanks, Alaska for a pastor's conference. It was early November, but I'd ridden up with a friend. One of my friends flew to Fairbanks and rented a car, but it did not have winter tires. She missed the turn to the retreat center and found herself down a hill that she didn't have the tread or engine power to get back up to the main road. She called our group for help and three of us went out in a car to get her. Since she was down the hill, we couldn't see her headlights and she wasn't exactly sure where she was. As we drove back and forth, one of the other pastors got agitated. "What if we can't find her?" she said. "Will she have to be out here all night?" 

 

"We will find her," assured the other person in our search party. 

 

We got out on the side of the road and called for her, while our lost friend was on the phone. She told us she could hear our voices, but couldn't see any street signs where she was. We told her to stay put and that we would walk down to her. 

 

Again, the other woman in the search party was distressed, "What if we can't get her car out of there?" 

 

I hadn't said too much at this point, because I had fairly recently joined a 12-step group. My new work through the group had made me very aware of my own anxiety and my desire to try to solve problems quickly, in effort to get people to like me and to be considered proficient and useful. So, in our search for our friend, I had called her, but mostly stayed quiet because I was paying attention to details and to my own reactions. 

When the leader of our rescue party said again, "What if we can't find her?" I finally looked at her and said, "We can do anything for 12 hours that would appall us if we had to keep it up for a lifetime." 

 

The other woman gave me the most horrified look and said, "A lifetime? What are you talking about?" 

She had to think I was high as a kite and who could blame her? My words weren't soothing. To her, they didn't seem to take the problem seriously at all. For me, they were very serious. We would figure out a solution, eventually, but our anxiety wouldn't control the situation, it was only controlling us. I did have the good sense not to say that or to say the dreaded and unhelpful "calm down". 

 

We rescued our friend. As we did so, I walked around the community we were in and then figured out how to drive the car out and back to the retreat center. I was the last one to attempt to drive the car out because each of the others attempted to get it up the hill. While they tried, I checked out our surroundings and discerned what I thought might be a back way, which turned out to be correct. 

 

I always hesitate to use an example like this because I know you often remember the story and not the point I am hoping you will take away. The point I want to make here isn't that you should stay calm in a crisis or that God will always provide a way or even that 12-step programs are useful. Those are good points for another day. 

 

My point is this: that is a time in my life that I can point to having an undivided heart. I knew, intellectually and spiritually, that God's desire for me was for health, well-being, and wholeness. I knew that some of the pain in my life was of my own doing and some was from others because I had let them take up space that wasn't theirs to take. This unity in my heart, my hope for healing, my experience of God's nearness helped me to know that a stressful experience wasn't going to last forever. By focusing on the only forever I knew, God and God's love, I didn't give the stress of the situation any more power than it needed to try to solve the problem. 

 

Not all situations are this easy. Not all people are going to be working with us on a team. Not everyone will respond kindly when we explain that we are trying to consider God's will for ourselves, our family, our jobs, our role as citizens, and our faithful actions. An undivided heart, though, will guide us in perceiving God's nearness. It will prevent us from making idols of our heritage, our denomination, our political affiliation, what we see on social media, what we read in the paper, what our friend groups expect of us, and so on. An undivided heart, a heart that desires to be aligned with God's will and way, finds peace in unusual places and hope in unusual times because God's love surrounds and carries it. 

 

Let us ask God for undivided hearts, hearts that are prepared as good soil to be nourished by God's word and that are strengthened to be workers for Christ’s sake in the world. Let us ask God for undivided hearts that will work with one another and with unexpected allies to end oppression, to bring justice, and to be part of establishing God's true peace. Let us ask God for undivided hearts that worship and trust in God alone, more than our own understanding or habits. 

 

And if we are not ready yet for undivided hearts, then let us ask God for the courage to desire them. 

 

Amen. 

 

I Am Not Resigned

I know.  But I do not approve.  And I am not resigned. 

- Dirge Without Music, Edna St. Vincent Millay* 

It is difficult to communicate what it means to have a teachable spirit. How do I encourage people to live in a way that shows curiosity and a willingness to learn about others and their experiences? It is possible to learn to be different in the world while being gentle with yourself and without shaming the you of the past or expecting perfection of the you of the future. Trying to accomplish this is so hard as to feel impossible. 

I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned. 

The political and social systems of the United States have only been united in one thing for generations. Keeping class dissension alive by exacerbating differences between people of different races and cultural backgrounds means that those who are at the highest reaches of wealth will rarely have their windows rattled (metaphorically). In particular, if people can be convinced that upper reaches of wealth is the goal and your neighbor who is different doesn't want you to reach that goal- very little will have to change because the puck will have been taken out of play and the game is just the fight. 

I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned. 

The pandemic of COVID-19 has revealed what has always been true. A healthy economy depends on the workers who are paid the least and those who keep healthcare available and healthcare facilities open. If a country is not prepared to recognize this reality and shift priorities to support this truth, things will continue to be chaotic and confusing. Science learns and adapts and a society that wishes to be known for accepting reason and accountability will also value learning and adaptation. So far, that is only true for some communities and countries in the world. 

I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned. 

The name of God and the will of God is being tossed around lightly without much care for what has previously been stated as divine priority. God values community that prioritizes health, sharing, and inclusion of all in the community (1 Corinthians). God values witness to the stranger over preaching to the choir (Jonah). God's house is meant to be a house of prayer (Isaiah, Matthew). God dislikes people who say that things are okay or peaceful when they really are not (Jeremiah). People of the church have a tendency to speak to their own wills, but claim their words come from God. 

I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned. 

I am very tired. I know the present situation will likely continue for sometime. We have to learn how to do things differently. We have to want to learn how to do things differently. People aren't great at that. 

I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned. 

*A. The poem itself is about not simply accepting that people will be forgotten after death as inevitable. 

*B. I was inspired for this post by the Rev. Liz Crumlish's post here.