The Pastor’s Words

Text:  John 4:4-42
24 February 2008
Topic:  Saved and Redeemed
 
            What was he thinking?  I mean, what did Jesus, a Jew, think he was doing, talking to a woman, much less “that kind of woman!” 
            In our world of today, we may have a hard time understanding what the “big deal” was with Jesus talking to a Samaritan woman in that society, and indeed even in some mid-eastern societies of today, it was the case that men simply were forbidden to talk to a woman who was not their relative.   Women were literally second class citizens.
            And the fact that this woman had had so many different men, she was clearly not someone that the religious leaders of that day would have associated with.
And finally, for Jesus, a Jew, to talk to a Samaritan was even worse.  They were Gentiles and Jews didn’t associate with Gentiles.  Further, there was a caste system of favored people in that region at that time.  Samaritans were known as “half-breeds,” which made them even less than Jews who regarded themselves as “pure breds.” 
There were at least three very distinct and compelling reasons for Jesus to have never talked to this Samaritan woman.  But, he was on a mission and that mission pre-empted any cautionary admonitions others may have put upon him.
I don’t intend to get into the politics of it all, but, this year’s presidential campaign reflects our gospel reading for today in a very interesting way. 
Running for president we have a Republican who’s been married twice.  We have a woman, a Democrat, who’s also had her own fair share of marital difficulty, and we have another Democrat who, for some, fits the Samaritan image to the tea.
To each of them, Jesus would say, “Have some water.  Drink from my well.  Drink from that which will give you all that you will ever need to live, to lead, and help your nation be what it should be.” 
Jesus wouldn’t discriminate.  Jesus didn’t discriminate.  He gave to the Samaritan woman what he offers to each of us, namely, salvation and redemption.  It mattered not one whit that this woman had had so many husbands or that she was from a different class of people, or that she was a Gentile.  He reached out to her as he reaches out to you and me.  And thankfully so.
When we were in Seattle for the training for the GIFT process we are using this Lent to initiate new disciples in our midst, we heard a testimony from a woman who actually told us, “This is my story.   The Samaritan woman was me.  And today, I know myself to be a child of God.”
Donna grew up vaguely attached to the church.  She was really wild as a youth and, as a flower child of the ‘60s, she had an even wilder young adulthood.   Along the way she not only had many men, but did all the drugs and the booze you could imagine. 
Sometime later in her life, depressed and at her wits end, she cried out to God, “If you’re there, make me feel better.  I know I’ve done some really bad things in my life.  If you are who you say you are, then, forgive me.  Make me feel better.”  That was her prayer.
And sure enough, a calm came over her.  She actually felt renewed.  Thanking God, she walked down the street to the nearest church, which just happened to be Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church in Seattle, the site of our meeting last month.  She ran into the pastor and  talked to him for about two seconds and said, “You don’t want to talk to me.  I’ve been too bad, and besides, I have too many questions,” and walked out the door.  The pastor pleaded for her to stop, but she left anyway.
She didn’t come back for months.  Then, she re-appeared at the church, again with the same message, “You don’t really want to know who I am or what I am about because church people don’t like to talk to people like me.”  And again, she tried to leave, but the pastor reassured her that the people of his congregation would not judge her.  She didn’t believe him and left anyway.
It was on and off like this for three years but finally Donna decided to try out their GIFT process, their catechumenate, their way of bringing people into a closer relationship with Christ and the Church. 
On the third Sunday of Lent in the year she was in their catechumenate process, she heard this gospel lesson and started to cry.  She’d never heard the story of the Samaritan woman and discovered the wonderful and absolute Good News that God was not only willing to forgive her but was willing to give her new life. 
She became a disciple.  And she has remained in that congregation for a number of years now.  She is one of their catechists, one of the leaders of their catechumenate process.  And God is using her testimony to touch and reach others.
Her story is real.  And her story is compelling.  There are a lot of Samaritans in this world of today.  There a lots of Donnas in this world of today.  They are all part of the harvest of which Jesus spoke in our gospel for today. 
He said, “³⁴My food is to do what God wants!  He is the one who sent me, and I must finish the work that he gave me to do. ³⁵You may say that there are still four months until harvest time. But I tell you to look, and you will see that the fields are ripe and ready to harvest.
 ³⁶Even now the harvest workers are receiving their reward by gathering a harvest that brings eternal life. Then everyone who planted the seed and everyone who harvests the crop will celebrate together. ³⁷So the saying proves true, “Some plant the seed, and others harvest the crop.” ³⁸I am sending you to harvest crops in fields where others have done all the hard work. “   (John 4:34-38 CEV)
Twenty-six people have come to us this Lent to be baptized or to affirm their baptism.  They are coming for the water of life.  They are coming to grow closer to Christ and to the Church of Christ.  They, like you and me, have come to drink deeply of the Word of God.  They have come to find what the Samaritan woman found, acceptance, love, and a new lease on life.
Pray for these men and women and their families.  Pray for their companions in faith.  Pray for the shepherds who are helping lead their small groups.  Pray for this process so that people’s lives change and the mission of this congregation continues to be one in which together we seek to know, to live, and to share God’s Word.   AMEN
 
 

Texts: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 & Matthew 4:1-11
10 February 2008
Topic: Sin is trying to be like God
           
            So what would you have done?  What if you had gotten your taxes done early and had gone to the IRS store to get your immediate refund, punched in all the numbers from your IRS Form 1040, then, put your hand near the money slot expecting your $2000 refund to slide on out, only to discover that $72,000 came cascading out of the machine instead?  What would you have done?
            Well, several years ago, the Andersons – who lived son Philadephia – decided to take as much of their “refund” money they could carry and ran off to places unknown.  One report I heard at the time was that they were otherwise law-abiding people who, when they saw a whole lot of cash thrown their way, simply took off with their pockets full.
            At about that same time, an employee of Del Toyota in Thorndale was following a Brink’s Armored truck carrying bags and bags of cold cash.  As the Brink’s truck went around a corner, the back door of the truck swung open and a bag of money fell onto the street.
            Dave McFillen, the Del employee, pulled his car over, picked up the bag – thought for a split second that he should take it and run – but then decided to take it to the nearest police station and returned it safely to Brink’s. 
            But again, I ask, what would you have done?  What would I have done?
            In the book of Genesis, the serpent came to the very first people on earth and said, “Hey, if you eat of this fruit, you will never die and you will be able to see and know everything there is to see and know.”   He went on to say, “If you eat this fruit, you are going to be a whole lot smarter and you’re going to be just like God.”
            Now, who wouldn’t fall for that one?  Who wouldn’t want to live forever?  Who wouldn’t want to know everything there is to know?   And who wouldn’t want to be just like God?  I mean, who wouldn’t want a life like that?
            That’s why our first parents, Eve and Adam, fell for the lie.  They just couldn’t resist the temptation to have all that was offered.
            Jesus, the Son of God, was tempted as well.  He was tempted, in our gospel reading, to have everything the devil showed him.  And what the devil showed him was everything that, in its own time and place, might have been good things to have.
            The first offer from the Devil was food, food for Jesus who, after 40 days in the wilderness, had to be hungry.  On the face of it, this wasn’t a bad thing to be offered.
            The second offering from the Devil was for Jesus to help God demonstrate the power of angels.  Again, wouldn’t it have been a good thing to know how angels protect us?
            And the third proposal from the Devil was for Jesus to have power and dominion over all the kingdoms of the earth.  Now, if Jesus had said ‘yes’ to this one, there wouldn’t be any wars to argue about or elections to be had.  So this would have been something all of us could have benefited from.
            In and of themselves, the offers to Jesus from the Devil, weren’t things Jesus couldn’t have used to his benefit, and for the benefit of his mission here on earth, which, of course, only made the choices he made that much harder.
            Like Adam and Eve, Jesus was tempted to be like God.  But he already WAS God.  He was unwilling to abuse his “Godly” power for self-serving ends like turning stones into bread, even though he was famished.
            He was the Son of God, but still, he refused to manipulate God into some kind of arbitrary healing moment even though it would have been a great story to tell afterwards.
            And, even though he might have enjoyed the limelight of ruling over all the kingdoms of the world, he was unwilling to serve some other power for the sake of quick glory. 
            In all these temptations, he could have done the thing suggested – not just because they were offered by the devil – but because He was God and he could have done all of them on his own – but he didn’t.  He didn’t because he had a mission on this earth that did NOT include paying dues to the Devil.  Instead, he decided to trust God, to remain obedient and humble, and to fulfill the mission for which he was sent, a mission that would end on the cross.
            The Andersons, from the first story, went on a spending spree but ultimately gave back the “extra money” they took from the IRS store.  They hired a lawyer and said that they didn’t have all the money people said they had. 
            Dave McFillen no longer works at Del Toyota.  The last I heard, he was trying to figure out how he could afford sending his son to a Catholic high school.
            So what are you and I, Christ’s disciples, to do when we are confronted with temptation?  The choices are ever before us. 
            Jesus would hold up the following for us to consider as we struggle to be faithful.  We must ask the following questions:
·        In our decisions, demonstrates trust in God?  
·        In our daily lives, what exhibits obedience to God and humility before others? 
·        In our efforts to be faithful, what shows everyone that, in all things, we intend to love God with our whole heart and soul and strength?
            Even as faithful disciples, we cannot avoid temptations.  They attack us each and every day.  But thankfully, Jesus showed us the way to true discipleship through trust in God and humble service toward others. 
            This Lent and throughout our lives, by the power of the Holy Spirit and with example of Jesus, may we faithfully deal with every temptation that comes our way.  AMEN

Text:  Matthew 17:1-9
3 February 2008               
Topic:  Welcome To GIFT, Growing In Faith Together

Jesus took three of his disciples up a mountain to pray.   On that mountain, the three disciples came to see Jesus in a whole new way, and began a journey that ultimately helped change the entire world.  In a single event, the Transfiguration of our Lord, Peter, James and John grew deeper in their relationship with Jesus and, after a few false starts, eventually helped prepare the way for you and me to be here today.   By going away, Jesus helped these three disciples grow in faith.

GIFT is Good Shepherd’s new way of helping people grow deeper in a relationship with Christ and the Church.  People regularly come to the doors of our church looking for something.  Sometimes they don’t know what they’re looking for, others come looking for a church home, others have come for baptism, and still others are just looking.  GIFT, Growing In Faith Together, is our response to their inquiry.

In another time, we would have said to those who have come seeking, “Come to the new member classes that are beginning next week,” but not anymore.  In GIFT we are offering something deeper, something greater than, richer than, and ultimately more fulfilling than simply becoming “a member” of Good Shepherd.  For those who enter into this process called GIFT we are truly praying that God’s Spirit will help us, and those who sojourn with us, find a way of spiritual living that will literally change theirs and our lives. 

This past week, 47 invitations went out to people who have visited our congregation looking for a spiritual home.  Contact has been made with all these people after their visit to us and we are praying they will listen to the Holy Spirit’s call to sojourn with us.

“Gatherings,” not classes, will begin next week, the first Sunday in Lent, and meet every Sunday in Lent with those choosing to be baptized or to affirm their baptism, being received as members at the Vigil of Easter on Saturday, March 22.  In these gatherings SOJOURNERS (those who are not members but have come seeking) and COMPANIONS IN FAITH (current members who have been trained to listen and “walk with” sojourners) will interact with one another, read the Bible and reflect on the Gospel text for that day, discuss how God is speaking to each of us in that text, and pray with and for one another.  SHEPHERDS, Pam Taylor, Pat Polilli, Carole Thomas, Muriel Rose, and Pastor Carlson, members who attended a training event in Seattle for this process a few weeks ago, will facilitate small groups of SOJOURNERS and COMPANIONS IN FAITH.  Jesus needed only three people to go away with him.  I needed a few more.  So, like Peter, James and John, we went away, over some mountains and near the sea, and encountered the transforming presence of God’s Holy Spirit.

A year ago we embarked on a process called Vision for Mission in this congregation.  That process has led to several changes at Good Shepherd:  The re-organization of the way committees meet and conduct their work, the way the Congregation Council makes decisions and provides oversight, training lay members to be Stephen Ministers (which is currently halfway through its work), offering LifeKeys training to all our members, creating new job descriptions, calling Pat Polilli for Christian Education and Family and Youth Ministry, hiring a new Youth Music Director in Erin Kauppila, and getting ready to hire a part-time Records Administrator for the office. 

Now, we are offering GIFT, a new way of receiving members into this community of faith, not for membership sake only, but to fulfill the admonition of Jesus who said, “Go, baptize, and make disciples in my name.”  (Matthew 28:19) 

Early in June of last year, at the conclusion of the Vision for Mission process, this congregation voted upon and affirmed a new mission, namely, To Know, Live and Share God’s Word.  This mission has prompted us to ask the question, “How do we come To Know, Live and Share God’s Word?  And, how do we get others To Know, Live and Share God’s Word? 
The old New Members Classes were not geared for people To Know, Live and Share God’s Word.  Their primary focus was on understanding the doctrines and teachings of the Lutheran Church.  Yes, there were components of prayer, but no Bible study, and almost no interaction between current members and those who were coming to join us.  So, a change was needed.  If people were going to be joining this congregation that is now committed To Know, Live and Share God’s Word, we needed to change our new member process.  And so we did.  Growing In Faith Together, GIFT is what we came up with.

Of course, our own members need to learn how To Know, Live and Share God’s Word as well.   Along the way, we have offered and will continue to offer Adult Forums and Bible Studies to our members, and that has been helpful for our current members To Know, Live and Share God’s Word.  But it hasn’t helped “old members” connect with “new members.”  That’s why this GIFT process of receiving new members became so appealing.  Current members have been invited to become COMPANIONS IN FAITH, and in the process they, along with the SOJOURNERS they will be walking with, will come To Know, Live and Share God’s Word in ways that only the Holy Spirit will know and understand.

The disciples up on the mountain with Jesus were frightened by the new and transfigured form of Jesus.  They were so terrified, they fell on their faces, flat on the ground, prompting Jesus to say, “Get up and don’t be afraid.” 

Something very new is happening to us at Good Shepherd.  We are embarking upon a whole new way of praying with, reading scripture with, worshiping with, and serving with folks who are coming to us seeking spiritual nourishment and a new way of following Christ.   Through lots of interaction, play, and repetition, we understand how to form the faith of children.  Now we need to learn how to help form the faith of adults who are always children in the eyes of God.

Just like the five of us who returned from Seattle two weeks ago, Peter, James and John must have had huge smiles on their faces when they came back from their mountaintop experience.  I wonder what’s going to happen to us when all of us begin praying together, reading scripture together, worshiping together, and serving Christ and the Church in new ways?  I can hardly wait.   AMEN