THE GOD OF SECOND CHANCES

(This is an abridged version of the sermon preached at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 4/29/12)

Mark 2:1-12

All of us, at some point in life, have needed a second chance. I’ve come to discover that life is really a series of second chances, renewed opportunities, and new horizons that lie before us, waiting to be realized.

Life is really about second chances – second chances when life seems dark and dim, second chances when trials and tribulations confront us, and second chances when all hope seems to be gone.

In the Gospel text, as found in Mark chapter 2, there is uncovered one of the places where we find the considerable hostility and anger that Jesus faced in the early days of his ministry. There is a certain irony here in that Jesus came to bring peace into the world, and to teach the people of his day, and teach us today, how to better love one another, and show compassion toward our neighbor. The irony here is compounded when we realize that the opposition that Jesus faced throughout his ministry often came from the religious leaders – the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes - of his day.

It was his very acts of compassion of all things that drove Jesus into conflict with the religious establishment. And it is against this backdrop that we find Mark’s account of the forgiveness and healing of a man with a disabling condition.

Here, Jesus was at home in Capernaum. The house was filled with people waiting to see and hear the Lord. In fact, people were packed so tightly that no others could enter the house. But this crowded situation did not deter four clever men who needed to bring their friend to see Jesus.

And so, the men climbed on the roof, opened a hole in the ceiling, and lowered their paralyzed friend down in front of Jesus. When Christ saw the man, he could see something that no one else in the crowd could see. His words to this man were not simply that he was to be healed from his crippling condition, but Jesus said to him, “My son, your sins are forgiven.”

You see, Jesus looked beyond the outer appearance of this man - his outward infirmity - and dealt first with his most profound and deepest need. Although this man certainly needed healing for his body, what Jesus was saying is “first things first.” “First, I need to address matters of the heart, and then matters of the body.

Christ would say it another way when he said, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and its righteousness, and all other things will be added to it.” In another place, he would challenge his followers by asking the question, “What does it profit us to gain the world and lose our soul?”

In other words, in order for us to be whole, our spirits must be right first. The point at which wholeness – righteousness - with God comes is the point where we realize that first each of us has sinned and come short of God’s glory, and then that we have been forgiven. And so, Jesus tells the paralytic (first) you are forgiven.

But the religious leaders bristled at the mere thought of Jesus forgiving anybody. “Who does he think he is, going around forgiving people? Only God can do that.”

And the Lord’s reply, “Why do you question me? Which is easier for me to say… “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say “Rise, take up your pallet and walk?”” And so Jesus (to show that he was God) then turned to the paralytic and said, “Rise, take up your pallet and go home.” The man got up, took his mat, and walked away.

Although reflection on this particular text could spur theological debate in a number of areas related to the Christian faith, and the authority that Christ held then - and his authority and power today - it is my sense that Mark places this passage at the beginning of his Gospel to point to the hope and the possibilities that were emblematic of Christ’s ministry.

As demonstrated with this man, the Lord’s ministry was one that offered new life, second chances for those who had been marginalized, and wounded by the ills of society. Jesus said that “I have come to seek and save that which is lost.”

The Good News begins with the fact that as this certain paralyzed man would be offered a renewed relationship with God and a second chance at walking, there are second chances that are before us today.

Growing up, I recall that one of my favorite boyhood activities was throwing rocks. My buddies and I would engage in the game of rock-throwing in order to see who could throw the farthest, and with the most accuracy.

In our youth (as mischievous and naïve as we were), I don’t recall that we were too concerned with what we might hit – cars, windows, or even persons. The simple “joy” of winning in the youthful game of rock- throwing was what was most important to us. In retrospect, I am not proud of my rock-throwing days, and I believe that in the back of my mind, I knew that if I threw stones long enough, I’d eventually find myself in deep trouble.

But still we threw stones. And then one day, my mother caught me. I can remember today, the guilt that I felt – not to mention the fear and trepidation of knowing that now I would be held accountable and face discipline for my actions.

My mother and father sat me down and talked to me about the dangers of rock-throwing. The more they talked (and reminded me that it could have been a policeman who caught me throwing rocks; or that I could have actually hurt somebody) the more I realized that what my parents were really doing, was giving me a second chance, extending me both grace and mercy.

It’s good to know that God is a God of Second Chances!

This is the second chance, the new life that a man named John Newton would experience. John Newton was the captain of a slave ship that transported slaves from Africa to these American shores. It was on one of his journeys across the Atlantic that Newton would encounter the reality of God’s forgiveness and grace.

John Newton’s experience would eventually lead him to write the words to what is perhaps the church’s most familiar song:

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch
Like me….
I once was lost
But now I’m found
Was blind
But now I see.

Through many dangers,
toils and snares
I have already come
‘Twas grace that taught
my heart to fear
And grace shall lead me home…

THE GOD OF OPEN DOORS

(This is an abridged version of the sermon preached at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on Sunday, 4/22/12)

John 20:19-23

I’m certain that there are some among us who, like me, can recall the days when we didn’t feel unsafe keeping the doors to our homes unlocked. As a child, I can remember the days when all of the doors of my grand-parents’ home were unlocked. Those were days when it seemed that people were free to come and go as they pleased, and there was little fear of theft or injury.

Any cursory observation of the way we live today indicates that most of us now feel compelled to lock our doors. Today, security systems are big business. They have become a way of life for us. We live in a time when dead-bolts, alarms, chains, and even guard dogs are the rule rather than the exception of life.

Perhaps it is the case that barricaded and locked doors are outward and visible signs of the fears and trepidation that we hold within.

Terror, pirating, street violence, and domestic violence serve to remind us of the danger that pervades much of our world. Wherever we live, or work, or play - we face the possibility of such danger. Danger is all around us - and fear is the by-product -and thus we seek ways to secure ourselves – to make ourselves feel safe. Fear abounds.

In our Scripture text we are offered an account of Jesus’ first post-resurrection appearance to the disciples as a group. We are told that the doors to the place they were staying were locked out of fear. While I’m sure many of us would like to hope that the disciples would have been meeting to pray, to commune, to gather strength in their unity, even to discuss how they would move forward in ministry, we can surmise that they’ve gathered and locked the doors primarily out of fear. Would any of them be the next to be crucified if they were associated with Jesus who had died just a few days earlier? The disciples were understandably afraid and concerned for their safety. They were scared.

Jesus realized prior to his crucifixion that even this place was not exempt from fear. We recall that Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet in the upper room, and he had reassured them of his love and commitment, and reminded them of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew that his friends would be filled with sorrow, and so he promised peace: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”

The doors to the place they were staying were locked out of fear. Doors serve as barriers separating one reality from another reality. Doors serve to separate that which is inside from that which is outside. Over the course of our lives, I’m certain that all of us have had some doors opened for us, and maybe some doors closed in our faces.

One of the television shows I remember from my childhood was a game show called “Let’s Make a Deal.” On each episode there was usually one segment where a contestant was given the opportunity to choose between several doors. Behind each door was a prize. Some of the prizes were more attractive than others – behind one door may have been a car, and behind the others may have been something like goats or pigs.

But one thing we knew about the prizes on “Let’s Make a Deal” was that behind each door was a surprise. The contestant never knew what she or he was going to get until the door that they had chosen was opened and their prize was revealed.

Here, the disciples were back in the upper room and they had the door locked for they were afraid. And now, as they sat in despair, Jesus suddenly appeared to them again and amidst their fears – in the midst of that locked room, Jesus said, “Peace be with you.”

In a kind of twist on “Let’s Make a Deal” – the disciples were surprised as their door was opened and Jesus appeared to them. What a wonderful surprise it must have been.

Christ then breathed the Holy Spirit on those in the room, and they were set free from the stagnation and fear that had permeated the room and gripped their lives. Certainly, if nothing else, this wonderful, surprising appearance of Jesus to his disciples should serve to remind us that Christ meets us at the point of our fears, and offers us peace for the living of our days. He said, “Peace be with you.”

The disciples are a lot like many of us. Don’t we have locked doors that keep us inside, sequestered for fear’s sake? Don’t we too often have the tendency to close ourselves off from God and others out of fear of failure, fear of disappointment or injury, fear of the unknown?

The good news is the case that Christ seeks to open the doors of our lives and set us free to live more fully for him. He says to you and me, “Peace be with you.”

God wants to open doors for you and me today. I sense that surprising acts by God in Christ – when God shows up and opens the doors of our lives and enters in - are places where God’s grace is most evident. These points of divine intrusion and holy encounter are reminders for each of us who are the church that God is still present with us, and is really still in control of our lives. Growing up, we would sing that “God is always opening doors for me – making ways I cannot see.”

Where has God shown up for you lately? Where do we have a need today for God to show up, to open doors, to surprise us, and set us free for love and service? Where do we need for God to open the doors for us to love kindness, and do justice, and walk humbly with God and each other?

Well, the scripture doesn’t say, but as the disciples encountered Christ on that day, in their surprise at seeing Jesus, in their rejoicing and wonder, maybe they sang a hymn or two. Maybe they sang:

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought
Since Jesus came into my heart.
I have floods in my soul for which long I have sought
Since Jesus came into my heart.
Floods of joy over my soul like sea billows roll
Since Jesus came into my heart.

Or maybe they sang:

Because he lives … we can face tomorrow
Because he lives … All fear is gone
Because we know … who holds the future
Life is worth the living …. just because he lives.

GOD STILL MOVES STONES!

(This is an abridged version of the sermon preached at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 4/8/12)

Mark 16:1-8

Over twenty centuries ago, in the darkness of a sealed tomb, in an obscure corner of the Roman Empire, an event occurred that would turn the world upside down.

The Scriptures tell us that it was early one Sunday morning, and three women (Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome) had set out to go and minister to the dead body of Jesus. The women’s intent was to anoint the Lord’s body with spices, and prepare it for a “proper” Jewish burial – to offer some dignity to the undignified circumstances surrounding the Lord’s crucifixion.

We recall that at the crucifixion on Good Friday, Jesus had hung upon an old rugged cross for some three hours. He had suffered, bled and died a sinner’s death. And late on Friday evening, the Lord had been buried hastily, abruptly and unceremoniously.

At the Lord's death, there was no fanfare… no funeral service… no singing… no praying… no obituary… no eulogy… no casket… no hurst… no motorcade… no graveside service… and no repast. The Lord’s body was simply wrapped in linen cloth, carried outside the city, and placed in an empty, borrowed tomb. And then a stone was rolled against the door of the tomb.

The Scriptures also indicate that the stone was very large and heavy. There is no record of anyone picking it up… all they could do was roll it. And the three women who had come to anoint Jesus wondered among themselves who would roll away the stone so they could get to the Lord’s body. It was a large and heavy stone.

It seems that the stone had been placed at the tomb for security purposes. If we can imagine, the stone may have been placed there so that no one could get into the tomb, and see the mutilated, broken and bloodied body of Jesus – this man who had gone about claiming to be God… claiming to be the King of the Jews… this man who had the audacity to claim that he was the “Resurrection and the life"… he who had dared to challenge Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees in the streets and in the temple.

This was a scandalous, unjustified, merciless, despicable death that the Lord had endured. Pitiful and shameful, horrible and gruesome, horrendous and disgraceful was the Lord's crucifixion – and no one was to see the end result – the dead corpse of the Lord.

And so, the stone was large and heavy. And the women wondered, “who” would roll away the stone?

As the three women arrived at the tomb, to their utter amazement and bewilderment, they looked up and realized that the stone had already been rolled away. And even more amazing, was the fact that as they entered the tomb – they received word from an angel that Jesus was no longer there. He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

In these first eight verses of Mark’s 16th chapter lies the good news of the Resurrection. The stone has been rolled away!

The image of the stone here is intriguing. Here it is – a large object and difficult to move. The stone – an obtrusive force – an unmovable object – an obstacle. An obstacle is something that stands in the way of something else. I’ve come to discover that there are several ways to deal with an obstacle. You can go under an obstacle... or you can go over an obstacle... or you can go around an obstacle... or you can chip away at an obstacle... or you can attempt to go through an obstacle... or you can attempt to pick up an obstacle and move it... or you can wait and hope that an obstacle will remove itself... or you can wait for some help in moving an obstacle.

The stone – the obstacle - that the women encountered was very large and very heavy. Isn’t lie like that? The stones – the obstacles of life often become difficult to move. Problems seem impossible to solve. Situations and circumstances stand in our way. Obstacles often seem insurmountable.

We find unmovable, difficult situations all around us. At home, on our jobs, in our churches, in our schools, in our communities, throughout our world – obstacles abound. Broken marriages and tattered relationships, difficulty with our children, difficulty with our parents, money problems, ethical dilemmas, the stones (obstacles) of life abound.

The good news of the Resurrection is that as the women arrived at the tomb, wondering about who would remove the stone, the stone had been rolled away! And just as God removed that stone, the same God can remove the stones form our lives. God still moves stones!

It is the power of God that can remove the stones from our lives. Living He love me… dying He saved me… buried He carried my sins far away. Rising He justified… freed me forever… one day He’s coming back … glorious day! God still moves stones!

MARCH MADNESS

(This is an abridged version of the sermon preached at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 4/1/12)

Luke 19:28-40

I am an unapologetic sports fan. Football, track and field and basketball are my favorites, although just about any sport will satisfy my appetite. I love the excitement of competition and the cheering of crowds. This is one of my favorite times of year because of what has come to be known as “March Madness” – the annual spring college basketball tournament where there seems to be a never-ending string of games leading to the championship in just a few days.

One of the key characteristics of “March Madness” is that it seems that the excitement builds as the number of teams that remain in the tournament dwindles – from 68 teams at the beginning, down to 32, to the sweet sixteen, to the elite eight, down to the final four, and finally the two that will play to be champions – the excitement builds.

My favorite team – Maryland didn’t make the tournament this year – and my second favorite – Georgetown – has been eliminated from this year’s tournament, but I still love March Madness.

Although there has been debate by scholars as to the exact time of the year that Jesus and the disciples went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival that we know to be the Lord’s last Passover festival – surely the atmosphere was one that was filled with excitement and anticipation as was always the case. It was customary for large numbers of believers to converge on the holy city – and a certain “madness” filled the air.

Jesus and his disciples were pressing their way to the holy festival, and at the same time pressing toward the Lord’s inevitable time of reckoning which would ultimately lead to his agonizing torture, crucifixion and death. Madness was in the air as Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem and the people in the crowd cut “branches from the trees and spread them in his path,” (Matthew) and laid down their cloaks (Luke), and the crowds cheered on the Lord’s arrival – praising God joyfully with shouts of “Hosanna – blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”

The madness of what we know as Palm Sunday in some respects can be found in paradox of those who would cheer the Lord on this day – and then jeer and cry crucify him in just a few days. Madness is seen in how so many people could not understand the work of God in Christ who came not condemn the world – but that through him the world would be saved. Madness is evident in those who were considered his friends – his disciples – who would deny that they had any association with Christ.

These are days when we witness similar madness – and not just in the context of college basketball. We witness the madness of division around health care reform and immigration reform – the madness of continued racism, classism and other “isms” that divide us – the madness of economic crisis and recession - the madness of abject poverty and too many murders in Baltimore and other cities - the madness of the wars in which our nation continues to engage.

If anything, Palm Sunday affords each of us an opportunity to reflect upon our own discipleship – the ways that we as Christians choose to follow Christ. How is our faith in Christ shaping the way we deal with the madness around us?

Amidst the madness of Palm Sunday, Jesus prepared in just a few days to share one last meal with his disciples – those he had spent many intimate and often dangerous moments with him over the past several years. As they would break bread and share wine together, they would be invited to remember their time together, and God’s mighty acts in Jesus.

What Christ beckons us to is a consistent acknowledgement of the power of his presence in our lives – not just for a season, not merely for the spring-time, but for a lifetime. Indeed, it is easy for us to become consumed by the hoopla of the season, and even to be swept up by the “madness” around us – but what God reminds us of in Christ is that God’s grace abounds through all of life. Through passion, Passover, Palms –God’s grace abounds. With cheers and jeers – indeed God’s grace abounds. With betrayal, disappointment and denial – God’s grace abounds. Even in death on a cross – God’s grace abounds.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the lamb was spilt.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.

CHANGING DIRECTIONS

(This is an abridged version of the sermon preached at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 3/25/12)

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Being the parents of two young adult persons, my wife Lisa and I, as I’m sure is the case with each of you who are parents, are well acquainted with change. One of the changes we have now had to embrace is being “empty nest parents” as both of our young adults are now in college and living away from home. While this is an exciting time, it is also a time of some anxiety as Lisa and I wonder how they are doing. This is a time of profound transition for us as a family.

As, this week, we have move toward the end of the Lenten season for this year, the Jonah text has stayed with me. For some reason it has resonated with my conscience – pricked the nerve center of my very being. I – like many Christians – seek to experience the 40 days of Lent as days of self-reflection, forgiveness, and repentance. Repentance denotes renewed connection and commitment in our lives - our efforts to change directions – to go on a different pathway from that which we have traveled in the past.

Given the changes that are occurring around us, I believe these are days when God is calling each of us to examine our lives and see where we might change – where we might seek redirection on our own journeys.

It was St. Augustine who may have best captured this need for in each of us to change directions when he prayed God, “Lord you have created us for yourself, and our souls are restless until they find their rest in thee.”

Indeed, it is my sense that in this season God is calling us as individuals, and communities and even the church to consider where we are, and where God is leading us.

These are days of tremendous change and challenge in our society. These are topsy-turvy times. From the collapse of the economy that has affected all of us – to the wars that continue to be fought in the Middle East – to the proliferation of violence that affects many of our urban communities - to the healthcare crisis that continues to result in millions of Americans now living without healthcare today, these are days of unprecedented change and challenge.

And these are days where our nation has been led into a season of self-reflection, and I pray, repentance. News of the death of Trayvon Martin, a 17 year-old boy in Sanford, Florida in late February, and the lack of arrest at this point, has deeply divided our nation along racial lines.

One of the interesting things about the Jonah story is that imbedded in it are two call stories. God calls Jonah twice. Chapter 1 of the Book of Jonah begins with the first call for Jonah to go to Nineveh and proclaim God’s judgment and to call the city to repentance. But when that first word came, Jonah did not answer as God had intended. Instead of going to Nineveh, Jonah decided to go in another direction - toward Tarshish.

To understand Jonah’s decision not to go to Nineveh and to head toward Tarshish, perhaps it helps to know something about Nineveh. In the seventh century BCE, Nineveh was the largest city, the capital of Assyria, the most powerful nation in the world. God told Jonah – this unknown prophet - to go to Nineveh, the big city, to preach judgment to the people.

And given this tremendous task that God had placed before Jonah, he decided instead to go to Tarshish. And so Jonah ran to the sea, boarded a ship and headed toward Tarshish. During a violent storm, the sailors on the ship realized that God was angry with Jonah and was causing the storm. So Jonah was thrown into the sea, where he ended up in the belly of a giant fish.

Eventually, the big fish spat Jonah out onto dry land. God saved his life, and obviously had something more for him to do.

In chapter 3 we find that God called Jonah a second time. This time, when God called, Jonah answered. He changed directions and went to Nineveh as God had commanded. He went, proclaiming God’s judgment and calling the Ninevites to repent of their sins and return to God.

Indeed in each of our lives, God has a way of getting our attention and letting us know of God’s desire that we change direction. How is God trying to get your attention? How is the Lord trying to get you to change directions?

One of the prevalent changes in our society today is the emergence of the GPS – the global positioning system. Many of us today have GPS systems in our car as a replacement to maps and atlases (and Mapquests) which used to suffice in helping us get from one place to another. One feature of the GPS comes into play when the driver has taken a wrong turn and is about to get lost. A voice emerges in the vehicle and indicates that “you have made a wrong turn, and that the system will need to re-calculate your route.”

Could it be that God is beckoning us during this Lenten season to re-calculate our route, and enter into a renewed relationship with the divine? Could it be that it is God’s ultimate desire that we, like Jonah, point our lives in the direction in which God seeks for us to go – to re-calculate and go where God is leading us?

Could it be that we might declare like Charles Wesley:
Long our imprisoned spirits lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
We woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
Our chains fell off, our hearts were free,
We rose, went forth, and followed thee.
Our chains fell off, our hearts were free,
We rose, went forth, and followed thee.

Changing Directions.
I have decided to follow Jesus,
No turning back, no turning back.
The world behind me, and Christ before me,
No turning back, no turning back….