Sunday, April 22, 2018

Even in the Presence of my Enemies


Psalm 23

Photo by Pawan Sharma on Unsplash

My father grew up on westerns, so in turn, I did too. 

John Wayne classics like Rio Bravo and McClintock. 

Being immersed in the mythology of the American Cowboy was a great experience for me. 

It made me part of a long line of children who were entrusted with this mythology, from generation to generation. 

A mythology of the wild west and cowboys that was passed along through the lens of dime novels in the late 19th century, 

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show of the early 20th century, 

and the films that carried that mythology on through the remainder of the 20th century. 

It made me part of a long line of children that rode broomstick horses through the prairies of our backyards, armed with plastic cap guns which could be purchased at corner stores for around a dollar. 

So, later in life, when my family and I moved into farm country I was thrilled when one of the parishioners from the congregation where my father was serving, offered me a few chances to work on a real cattle farm. 

It wasn’t the wild west, but it was close enough for my imagination. 

When I stepped onto that farm, I learned a valuable lesson; 

The mythology of certain roles and the reality is rarely the same. 

Not a single western I had watched smelled like a real farm.

It was never as hot watching those films, as it was riding on the back of a trailer while snatching up square bails of hay being spewed out of a hay bailer. 

It was never as dusty and dirty in those films, as it was stacking bails of hay in a loft. 

The idea of being a cowboy was far more romantic and far less offensive to my senses than the reality. 

The same is true of shepherds. In fact, the two jobs are remarkably similar. 

We as a culture have become far more familiar with shepherds from the Christmas story than shepherds anywhere else in scripture. 

The shepherds we envision in scripture are thought of as lowly, dirty, and frowned on by the rest of society. 

What we forget is that a long line of shepherds served as the leaders of God’s people. 

Abraham, Moses, and the biggest hero shepherd of them all; David. 

All these figures served as shepherds. 

David’s role as a shepherd was a big part of what made the image of a shepherd king the John Wayne or Roy Rogers of Jesus’ day. 

Just as many of us grew up “playing cowboy” many Judean children probably grew up aspiring to be “shepherd warriors” or even “shepherd kings,” the way David was portrayed. 

Shepherd kings were not only seen as the hero’s of Jesus’ day, but it predated parts of the Bible, going all the way back to ancient Sumerian cultures. 

Kings from ancient Mesopotamia to Egypt were portrayed in stone engravings with shepherd staffs and shepherd crowns. 

It may have been an idealized image, perhaps even a mythological one, but this is how the people of that time and place pictured a ruler and a king; a shepherd. 

But the reality of shepherding and the myth were two very different things. 

It was most certainly a difficult job. 

It was a job with challenges that Psalm 23 doesn’t even try to hide. 

In fact, this is what makes Psalm 23 such a beautiful psalm of trust. 

Psalm 23 portrays a shepherd who relentlessly pushes and pulls a flock at each and every step of the way. 

A shepherd who struggles against a flock that can be easily frightened or confused. 

Flocks of sheep that, to this very day, can be driven off cliffs by the most simple disturbance. 

So it was the shepherd’s job to know what was best for the sheep and to keep track of each and every sheep individually, because one sheep could endanger the entire flock. 

A shepherd’s job was to be constantly aware of each and every sheep, and to encourage them and guide them toward what was best for the flock rather than the lone sheep. 

Sounds like a difficult job with sheep, of course, but I would say it is far worse with people. 

There are many kinds of animals that follow what is known as “herd instincts,” fish, cattle, birds, packs of canine. 

But there isn’t a herd that is more destructive than a people. 

Riots, mob rule, mob law, stock market bubbles, branding and product marketing, social marketing, political and social tribalism, 

Photo by Harri Kuokkanen on Unsplash

Human beings may be the most dangerous herd there is,  
yet when we are pushed and pulled together to serve the Shepherd's purpose, God’s purpose, rather than our own, we can also serve as the truest reflection of God in this creation. 

When that happens we become a reflection best known as THE Body of Christ. 

But that is a reality that we rarely see for very long periods of time. 

It is the reality of our very best that we usually only see when everything around us is at its very worst.

~

One of my favorite films is the movie Glory. 

It is a film portraying the Massachusetts 54th Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. 

The Massachusetts 54th was the first black regiment raised by the Union during that conflict. 

It was made up entirely of black enlisted soldiers and led by white officers. 

Soldiers with different roles who came from very different places in society and life. 

It is a wonder that this regiment functioned the way that they did, because the black soldiers were treated far differently than their white counterparts, for more reasons than just their ranks. 

The most powerful scenes in the entire movie came at the end of the film, beginning with the 54th’s commander, Colonel Shaw, asking one of his soldiers, Trip, to carry the regimental colors into battle. 

Shaw is taken aback when Trip responds hesitantly to the honor of carrying his regiment’s flag into battle. 

Shaw is shocked and explains the tremendous honor of carrying those colors to Trip, yet he still refuses. 

Finally Shaw outright asks Trip, a runaway slave, and now a Union soldier to explain why he refuses such an honor. 

Trip responds hesitantly but honestly when he simply exclaims; 

“Well, I uhh, I ain’t fightin’ this war for you, sir. I mean, what’s the point? Ain’t nobody gonna win its just gonna go on and on.”

Shaw responds confidently assuring Trip, “It can’t go on forever. Somebody’s gonna win.”

But Trip asks, “Who? I mean, you, you get to go back to Boston. Big house and all that. What about us? What do we get?”

At the end of the scene, the two agree that the whole situation stinks. 

In Trip’s words, “The whole thing stinks and it stinks bad, and we all covered in it too, ain’t nobody clean. It’d be nice to get clean though.”

“How do we do that?”, inquires Shaw.

Trip declares, “We ante up and kick in, sir. But I still don’t want to carry your flag.” 

The problem that Trip sees, the reason he doesn’t want to carry those colors, isn’t because he doesn’t see himself as a member of the body of this regiment. 

It’s because he doesn’t believe that Colonel Shaw is part of this body. 

He doesn’t believe that flag is the regiment’s flag, he believes it's Colonel Shaw’s flag. 

During the battle scene, as the 54th Regiment is attacking Fort Wagner, Colonel Shaw and his men are pinned down in a hole. 

Knowing they have no choice but to push forward, Colonel Shaw grabs his flag bearer, his pistol and his sword, leaps from the hole and begins to charge up the hill alone after his flag bearer almost instantly falls. 

As he watches another one of his soldiers fall, he continues his charge and shouts with his final breath, “C’mon 54.”

Watching Shaw’s lifeless body fall to the ground, the first soldier to leap from that pit and grab the colors is Trip, who leads the entire regiment to begin their charge on Fort Wagner. 

That flag didn’t change colors in that final battle scene, neither did the color of Trip or Shaw’s skin. 

What changed is that Trip realized in that moment that Shaw was part of the body of their regiment. 

An officer, yes. 

A white man, yes. 

But above and beyond all that, Trip finally sees Colonel Shaw as a member of his flock, his herd, his regiment, who has obviously put the 54th before his own well being. 

File:The Storming of Ft Wagner-lithograph by Kurz and Allison 1890.jpg
Storming Fort Wagner, Kurz & Allison 1890 PD

~

The parts of Psalm 23 that are the most striking is that the Shepherd doesn’t go around the deep dark valleys, the Shepherd doesn’t even eliminate the enemies. 

The Shepherd walks with the flock into those valleys and prepares tables in and amongst our enemies. 

In spite of the abundance of blessings that are attributed to the Shepherd, the most hopeful part I find in this poetry of trust and confidence are the words of assurance that God will follow us into any valley and hardship we may wander into. 

It is the assurance that God is not only the Shepherd but that the flock will never be without that Shepherd. 

It is a reminder that the flock of God’s people is taken up as God’s own, in our baptisms, in God’s guidance, in God’s promise, in God’s feast that is offered to us in the Body and the Blood, even in the presence of our own enemies. 

And even when we are in such despair and want that we cannot even find the still waters to splash upon our brows to remember that we are redeemed and beloved members of God’s flock, 

We can collect the tears from our own eyes and mark the cross of Christ on our brow with them, knowing that God is pursuing us with each every blessing just over that bend. 

Amen

Photo by Jaka Škrlep on Unsplash



Sources

“Sumerian Shepherd Kings.” Accessed April 19, 2018. http://sumerianshakespeare.com/70701/502901.html.

Broderick, Matthew, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman, Edward Zwick, Kevin Jarre, James Horner, Tri-Star Pictures, and Columbia TriStar Home Video (Firm). Glory. Culver City, CA: Columbia TriStar Home Video, 2000.

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Locked Doors


John 20:19-31

Photo by MILKOVÍ on Unsplash

There was a couple who was having trouble disciplining their two young sons. 

The boys were mischievous and could always find a way to get themselves into trouble. 

They were the kind of troublemakers that got into mischief so often that they took the blame for even the trouble they weren't responsible for causing. 

They savored their reputation for being troublemakers. 

One day their mother went to the Pastor at the Church and asked him if he would discipline the boys. 

He had a reputation for “putting the fear of God into them” as many would say

He accepted the challenge and when they arrived the pastor called them in one at a time beginning with the youngest boy; Jake. 

Jake sat down across from the pastor who glared deeply into Jake’s eyes. 

The pastor broke the silence, asking Jake,

“Where is God, Jake?”

Jake just stared at the Pastor in fear, unable to respond.

The pastor spoke up asking slightly more forcefully,

“Where is God, Jake!?”

Jake began to shake his head, murmuring, 

“Uhm uuhhhh”

Finally the pastor grew impatient and loudly inquired, 

“Jake! Where is God!!!!?”

Jake jumped up and bolted out of the office, slamming open the pastor’s office door and fleeing into the coat closet outside. 

Jake’s brother, Tommy ran to the closet and opened it to see what was wrong. 

When he opened the door Jake pulled him into the closet with him and advised him; 

“Don’t go out there Tommy! They can’t find God and now they think we took him!!!!”

~

Every pastor who faithfully examines our Gospel text for this Sunday 

-also known as “low Sunday” because church attendance drops significantly-

Will try to explain how Thomas gets a bad wrap. 

The common idiom “Don’t be a doubting Thomas!” has been used and abused for a very long time. 

It is apparent that either due to consistently low church attendance the second Sunday of Easter, or less than inspirational preaching, the message has not been received. 

I still hear people imploring others NOT to be a doubting Thomas, no matter how many have preached, taught, and referenced this text. 

Thomas does get a bad wrap and it saddens me, because the other disciples seem to get off scot free. 

I like Thomas, cause he is as bold as brass. 

He doesn’t deny his questions and he doesn’t deny his doubt. 

But what really makes Thomas stand out to me, is that we don’t open the story today finding Thomas quivering and cowering behind -NOT ONE- but SEVERAL locked doors. 

What’s more, even after the other disciples have seen Jesus, they go back into this house, a week later, and hide again behind, at least, TWO LOCKED DOORS!

Why shouldn’t Thomas doubt?!

The disciples are all proclaiming that they’ve seen Jesus!

Such great news! The disciples are sooo thrilled that they are going to go back inside and cower behind the very same locked doors!

If they had really seen Jesus, if they really believed that he was the Christ who has defeated death, than why are they still hiding behind LOCKED DOORS a week later?!

But where is Thomas at the beginning of the story?

Who knows? But at least he isn’t hiding with the rest of the disciples!

Wherever Thomas is, he is exposed to the world. 

He is exposed to a world that has crucified Jesus and may still be looking for his followers. 

Maybe Thomas pulled the short straw and had to go out for groceries? 

There really is no telling. 

I don’t want to portray him as a hero, because we really don’t know where or what was going on with Thomas when Jesus makes his first appearance. 

We do know he wasn’t in hiding in that moment, 

We know he didn’t witness Jesus’ first appearance, 

And we know he didn’t believe the disciples when he got back. 

I don’t blame him for doubting, I would have doubted too, sometimes sisters and brothers, 

I still do. 

~

The two appearances made by Jesus in our Gospel happen a week apart. 

The first appearance occurs on a Sunday evening, behind SEVERAL locked doors. 

The next appearance occurs a week later on the very next Sunday, behind the very same locked doors!

My oh my, how the church has changed, huh?

Photo by Łukasz Maźnica on Unsplash

Sunday in and Sunday out, congregations gather together behind the four walls of their respective locked doors. 

Jesus appears to us in the Word, the water, the body and the blood. 

Then, we hang our faith on the coat hooks by the door until we get back together next week. 

If the faith of the disciples never left that locked house, or that locked room, but instead remained safely tucked away between NOT ONE but at least TWO locked doors, where would the church be today?

Where is the church going today, if our faith stays locked up in the safest place we can keep it?

And if faith is as easy as liking and sharing a picture of Jesus on social media in the safety of our homes from our armchair pulpits, 

I’m honestly not sure the church will ever have much to offer this world. 

But if the church is to follow Jesus’ greatest commandment to love one another as he loved us, we are going to have to get outside of these four walls a little bit. 

We may even need to carry on a conversation with someone who doesn’t believe like us, doesn’t even like us, perhaps they will even mock us a little bit. 

In the Gospel today that is exactly what Thomas does. 

He mocks the situation, presenting the conditions that must be met in order for him to buy into this story. 

"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and I JAM my finger into those wounds, unless I FORCE my entire hand into the wound in his side, I will not believe!”

File:Rembrandt - The Incredulity of St Thomas - WGA19095.jpg
The Incredulity of St Thomas, Rembrandt 1634 PD
The language is even more forceful, maybe even more vulgar than what many of us have heard before in this text. 

Thomas is asking to do something beyond a little investigating, he is challenging what he has been told in the most offensive way imaginable!

I don’t think Thomas would be very welcome in most congregations today. 

His questions are offensive as are so many other questions we refuse to ask in the church, 

Questions the church sometimes avoids, 

Questions we’ve just come to believe you don’t talk about if you are to call yourself a Christian. 

Questions meant to remain outside of our locked doors. 

Perhaps all because we prefer a faith that is not challenged or tested?

Or do we want to encourage a faith that is like a “house of straw” for our children?

Sending them out beyond these locked doors into a world where that faith will be challenged, by not only people but life, regardless of how badly we want to protect them from it!

Thomas offers us an example of an AUTHENTIC faith, authentic because he doesn’t pretend the questions don’t exist. 

If he denied his doubts, 

if he just claimed to believe the story the disciples told him, 

we wouldn’t have to call him doubting Thomas anymore would we? 

We could just call him; disingenuous Thomas.  

Thomas states his doubt explicitly and offensively

And in spite of their cowardice, at least the disciples model one practice for ministry we should keep in mind, 

They don’t kick him out!

In spite of Thomas’ doubts and challenges, he remains among them, a welcomed member of the community. 

Sisters and brothers, THAT is discipleship. 

Discipleship isn’t found in our agreements, it is found in question and in loving debate. 

That is why we have four gospels that are rarely in agreement about what happened in the midst of Jesus’ ministry or why it took place. 


Thomas’ challenge does not go unanswered, but the reply is seldom interpreted correctly. 

John’s gospel has a tendency of not wasting a single word, nearly each and every detail of John’s gospel points to a deeper meaning. 

So, in spite of the way Thomas is portrayed responding to Jesus in this story, 

All the paintings and R.E.M. music videos, 

Thomas never seems to take up Jesus on investigating these wounds, much less jamming his hand or fingers in any of those wounds.

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, Caravaggio 1601-1602 PD

Its just not in the text. 

What does happen, is that Jesus not only invites Thomas to investigate the wounds, he orders Thomas to thrust his finger and hand into his wounds. 

Seeing those wounds exposed before his eyes, 

being ordered to investigate those wounds in the most horrific way possible sends a clear message to Thomas 

and it should send a clear message to us today as well. 

There is nothing that God isn’t willing to expose to us to draw us closer in relationship. 

God is exposed as a man, a lowly man, vulnerable to disease, poverty, humiliation, condemnation, the cross, and yes even death. 

Even after death, God comes to Thomas through a Savior. 

A Savior, who rather than ordering Thomas into a state of blind obedience and submission to a faith he is commanded to follow, 

Elects instead to be exposed once again, in order to invite Thomas to participate in this gift of faith, to take up this gift of faith for himself. 

And Thomas most certainly does take up that gift. 

Thomas traveled farther beyond the borders of the Roman empire than any other apostle. 

Thomas took the gospel of Jesus Christ to the farthest reaches of the first century church; 

India. 

Not bad for a doubting Thomas, huh?

Amen

File:Thomas.jpg
Thomas the Apostle,
Russian Icon from first Quarter of the XVIIICentury
PD