“Building Project”

MEDITATION ON EZRA 3:8-13

For August 19, 2012

***

 

      “In the second year after their arrival at the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their people, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work on the house of the Lord.

      And Jeshua with his sons and his kin, and Kadmiel and his sons, Binnui and Hodaviah along with the sons of Henadad, the Levites, their sons and kin, together took charge of the workers in the house of God. When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments were stationed to praise the Lord with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, according to the directions of King David of Israel; and they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”

     And all the people responded with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

     But many of the priests and Levites and heads of families, old people who had seen the first house on its foundations, wept with a loud voice when they saw this house, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted so loudly that the sound was heard far away.” (Ezra 3:8-13)

***

     With the weather turning cooler this week, I felt motivated to go outside and spruce up my little garden.

    Isn’t it funny how we are all excited about planning and planting in April and May?  We happily weed, water and fertilize through early June, dreaming of lovely flowers.

     And then sometime around 4^th of July, we don’t like the garden so much. 

     It’s too much work!

     It’s hot.  It’s buggy. And the weeds! We pull them in the morning, and by afternoon, they’ve grown back!

    You know what they say.  Sometimes you get the weeds.

     Sometimes the weeds get you.

     Jim was teasing me about one intimidating weed outside our back door that was as tall as I am—and still growing. Its stalk was straight and sturdy. It was covered with leaves from ground to tippy top.

     We called it the Jack-and-the-Beanstalk weed. 

    Finally, one day, James pulled it out with one great heave.

     When Jim saw it was gone, he said,  “Ahhh.  Too bad.  Now we won’t get to see the giant.”

     I guess I am pretty pleased with this first year of gardening in Minnesota.  We started with rocks and weeds but now have a nice variety of perennials and shrubs.  The bed runs the full length of the front of the house—from north to south.

    We have a foundation for what I hope will grow to be a lovely garden someday, a place where we can walk and pray and worship God in the beauty of His creation.

    What was the hardest part of this project?  Not the weeding, though that was unpleasant.

    The most difficult part was the first push of the spade into the earth.   The very beginning—when the garden was nothing but a hope and a dream.

***

     And that is how it is in our Ezra reading today with the Israelites who have just begun to rebuild the temple. Fifty years or more have passed since the Chaldeans broke down the Jerusalem wall, looted, and burned the holy city, including its palaces and the house of the Lord God of Israel.

      King Nebuchadnezzar showed no mercy on God’s people in 587 B.C.; his troops’ swords struck down children and youth, young men and women, and the old and feeble.  

     Those who escaped the sword were carried back to Babylonia and forced to be servants to the king and his sons.  Until a new kingdom—Persia—was established.

      And King Cyrus of Persia, as the prophet Jeremiah foretold, set the captives free.  Their exile was over. The Lord stirred Cyrus to decree that the temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt and the city restored.

      Only a remnant of Israel had survived.  Fewer still returned to rebuild because they were afraid. Neighboring peoples opposed this building project and launched a letter-writing protest campaign to their kings.

     And so much time had passed that only the elderly Israelites remembered the temple, the peace of the holy city, and the war that ended it all. 

   The most difficult part of this building project? The very beginning. When the rebuilding of the house of the Lord God of Israel, for those living in exile, was only a hope and a dream.

      So when the foundation was finally laid, there was a great shout of joy.   Cymbals clashed.  Trumpets blew. 

      The people sang praises to the Lord whose steadfast love endures forever.

      But the older ones wept—because they remembered. They were there for the first building project, when the foundation for the first house of the Lord was laid.  And when their loved ones were killed before their very eyes and soldiers and flames reduced the temple and their beloved city to rubble and ruins.

    Weeping mingled with shouts of joy—until they became one loud sound, heard far away.

***

     The people would discover that their labor had only begun. The building project, as challenging as it was, was still easier than the spiritual rebuilding that had to be done.

      With the destruction of the temple in 587 B.C. and the Israelites’ exile, worship of the Lord God ended, as did the sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins.  The ancestors of Abraham would need the help of spiritual leaders, such as Ezra, to restore godly worship. They would need Ezra to help them forgive and move beyond the evil that had happened. Ezra would urge them to turn back to God and live in obedience to Him. 

      I bet some of you read the sermon title today and remembered some of Ebenezer’s building projects, such as the Sunday school wing when Reverend Ahrens was pastor, and more recently, the addition with the elevator and the spacious lobby.

      Since I arrived a year ago, we haven’t made any big changes to the physical plant.  But there have been some changes inside of us. 

    I am told that people smile more. They spend more time after worship fellowshipping with one another. 

    There is more love.

     In this year, we have laid the foundation for our ministry together.

   We started with only a hope and a dream. But now we have even more hopes and dreams. We have seen God’s faithfulness to us. We know He will use us, if we let Him.

      So let us press on with His kingdom work.

     We can be sure that there will be more spiritual growth and healing—if we continue to seek and obey Him, loving God and neighbor, and bringing the light of Christ to the dark places in our community, in our world.

      You have called me to be your shepherd, like Ezra was for God’s people long ago.  He knew that rebuilding the temple was only the Israelites’ first step toward God and the restoration of their faith. 

    The important thing was and still is not our house of worship.  It is our lives of worship.  We need each other for that—and we need the Lord.

     Like Ezra, I want to draw you nearer to God and urge you to trust Him.

     Give Him your anger and pain. He will help you put the hurtful things behind you.

     In Christ, you will find strength to face any difficult tomorrows.

     God will take care of you. 

     He will take care of us!

     Like the Israelites, let our voices be one great shout to the Lord.

     His steadfast love endures forever.

     And may our joy in Him be heard far away.

Let us pray.  Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us together to worship you every Sunday and binding us together with love.  Thank you for your forgiveness in Jesus Christ and helping us forgive those who have hurt us. Teach us what it means to be Christians.  Help us to be good stewards of all you have given us, including our beautiful house of worship. Show us how to live godly lives of worship, where our devotion to You and Your service goes on and on, moment by moment, day after day. Give us more faith to do what You require of us. Empower us to be Christ’s lights to the world.  Make us your building project!  In Christ we pray.  Amen. 

“Dangerous”

Meditation on Acts 4:1-22

Aug. 12, 2012

***

“While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them, much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead. So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five thousand.

        The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’

       Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.

       This Jesus is “the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.” There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.’

      Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. When they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. So they ordered them to leave the council while they discussed the matter with one another.

     The council said, ‘What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it. But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.’

      So they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

      But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.’

      After threatening them again, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people, for all of them praised God for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing had been performed was more than forty years old. (Acts 4:1-22)

***

  

      I attended a birthday party for a 9-year-old on Friday afternoon. Adrienne had given me an invitation after worship one Sunday.  I didn’t realize what it was when she handed me the envelope or else I would have opened it right then!

      I called her house the next day to tell her I would be delighted to come. Was there anything special I should know about the party?

      She said, “I want you to pray.”

       I was a little surprised by her request, but pleased.  “Of course I will,” I said.

      Now I want you to know that she didn’t say she wanted me to say the blessing for the meal.  She said simply, “I want you to pray.”

       That was all the encouragement I needed to bring a message to share with Adrienne and her family and guests.  And yes, there would be a prayer, but not just for the food.   

        So on the afternoon of the party, Pastor Jim and I are sitting with about a dozen young girls in Adrienne’s garage, gathered around a long table with a pink princess tablecloth.  The girls are busily making jewelry and backpack decorations and eating chocolate cupcakes.

        There’s one little girl sitting to my left—eyeing me warily.

        As if I were, I don’t know, dangerous.

        I say, “hello.” She says hello back.  But she keeps on staring at me.

        Maybe it is because I am the biggest little girl at the party, is my first thought.     Maybe it is because I am a stranger, is my second.

    And then I realize it is both of those AND the fact that Adrienne introduced me as “her pastor.”

     What was I doing at Adrienne’s party? Didn’t I belong in church, praying and reading the Bible? 

    Why wasn’t I wearing pastor clothes, instead of ordinary jeans, sandals, and a beaded blouse?

     Well, she was right.  I was dangerous. 

      I had a brought a Word to share at the party. I prayed for all the children and that Adrienne and the others would seek to serve the Lord as they grew up. And that God would help their parents, grandparents, Sunday school teachers, and pastors nurture them in the faith.

     I prayed a special blessing for Adrienne, who is already demonstrating leadership gifts and a passion for scripture and learning more about the things of God.  When she comes up front for the children’s message, I know I can count on her not to shrink away from my scary questions.

      She doesn’t give silly answers, either.  She’s listening and thinking, taking the Word seriously. She supplies answers that a pastor hopes for when sharing the gospel with the youngest members of the congregation. 

     In my message at Adrienne’s party, I am bold, asking, “I wonder if Adrienne will be a pastor someday?”

    I watch as Adrienne’s eyes grow wide. 

   “I hope she will consider it!” I say, smiling as Adrienne smiles and nods.

    Yes, the little girl sitting to my left was absolutely right.  I am dangerous.

     A pastor wearing ordinary clothes and attending a children’s birthday party is someone to watch out for, especially if you are the devil. What is the worst threat to the powers and principalities of darkness? Why do you think the devil wants kids to stay away from church and Sunday school?

      So they won’t hear the good news about Jesus’s resurrection and the promise of salvation through Him! 

     When children hear the gospel with open hearts and minds, they are empowered to go out and proclaim the hope of Jesus to a hurting world.  Guess who they talk to first? All their young friends and family members.

     The devil’s thinking now Adrienne and all who came to her party are dangerous!

    And he’s right! 

***

     Peter and John have their own battle with the powers of darkness in our Acts reading today.  The religious authorities put them in jail because they have been proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection and the hope of salvation in His name. 
     Peter and John are dangerous.

     They are telling people, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

     They have just healed a man in his 40s who has been lame his entire life.  The crowd goes wild.

    They hear about Jesus’ being raised from the dead and they see this miraculous healing in His name. And they believe! 

     About 5,000 people come to Christ in one day.

     The religious leaders are terrified that the one they crucified still has power through His companions, but they can’t punish Peter and John.    

      Not while the crowds are embracing them and giving thanks to God for what has happened. The religious authorities can only threaten Peter and John and command them “not to speak at all or teach in the name of Jesus.”

      The apostles are bold. Can this be the same Peter who was so frightened when Jesus was arrested that he denied him three times before the cock crowed?

       This is, indeed, Peter, now empowered by the Holy Spirit. “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge,” he says.  “For we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

***

      The Spirit that filled and moved the first Christians to believe is the same Spirit that guides and enables the Church today. Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

     Ordinary people are still a force to be reckoned with when they speak and teach in His name. There’s power in that name—the only name by which mortals are saved. 

     Friends, may you be encouraged by my message today to go out into the world and be bold like Peter and John, empowered by the Spirit.

     I hope you cannot keep from speaking about the things you have seen and heard.

     I hope you will be dangerous!

Let us pray.  Almighty God, thank you for Your Spirit that guides and empowers us to do Your Will.  Thank you for offering us forgiveness for our sins and eternal life through Your Son’s sacrifice on the cross. Make us bold, Lord, to speak of His resurrection and our hope of resurrection with Him. Let us have courage for Christ’s sake and for the sake of all the people who don’t know about salvation in His name, including the children in our communities.  Help us to move outside our comfort zones to bring hope and healing to a world that desperately needs a Savior.  In Christ’s name we pray.  Amen!

   

      

    

      

“In Love”

Meditation on Ephesians 4:1-16

Aug. 5, 2012

***

       

      I’ve got weddings on the brain.  Maybe it’s because I attended the wedding of Michael Bakker and Emily Hunt yesterday in Granville, Iowa. 

     Maybe it’s because I am involved in premarital counseling and wedding planning with a delightful young couple, whose special day is just 2 months away.

    I imagine the premarital counseling part may be pretty scary for some couples.  They wonder what kind of questions Pastor Karen will ask. And will their pastor decide not to marry them when she discovers they have disagreements and sometimes argue and get mad at each other?

    I try to put their fears to rest.  I tell them I am no expert on marriage. But I do believe it is important to try to prepare yourselves spiritually and emotionally for when you are husband and wife. Spiritual preparation can sometimes be neglected in all the excitement and busyness of planning the wedding.

     My prayer with them goes something like this, “Lord thank you for bringing these two people together in love. Thank you for giving them the desire to marry and leading them to me for the privilege of marrying them.  Show me how I can be a help to them and be a good pastor for them. Guide our conversations so that what needs to revealed will be said and so that You may be glorified.”

    We talk about all sorts of things in premarital counseling, including things that put stress on a marriage. Different views about spending and saving. Raising children.  Demanding jobs.  And simply differences in personality, family history, and interests.  

     Unfortunately, it’s true that opposites attract. And differences that didn’t bother you so much when you were dating may become a problem for your relationship when you are married.   

      One of the important things we talk about is finding a safe way to disagree. And being respectful in an argument. All couples have arguments! The question is do you trust one another enough to be able to express your feelings when you disagree?  Do you feel emotionally safe? Or are you defensive and domineering, saying things you often regret later?  Do you fear what might happen when your spouse is angry with you?

     Know what causes divorce? When a couple decides to give up. When kindness ends. When grace for one another runs out. When they can no longer forgive.

    When they can no longer live as one and live in love.

   

***

     When I read the Ephesians passage this week, I thought about marriage. Disagreements may lead a couple to say hurtful things and damage their relationship.  Christians over the centuries, much like married couples, have had their disagreements.  And too often they have given into the temptation to sin against one other. The writer of Ephesians, presumably the apostle Paul, writes in response to conflict in the church.

    Someone—who came to Ephesus after Paul—has led the church astray and stirred anger and division. That’s why Paul tells them, “We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.”  And like the church at Corinth, the Ephesus church is arguing over who is in charge and who has the greater spiritual gifts.

     Paul explains to the Corinthians and Ephesians how people receive different gifts—that’s true—but all of these gifts are meant to “equip the saints for the work of ministry and build up the body of Christ.”

      The Ephesus church has become a place where one is wounded rather than healed.

       People lack grace for one another. Kindness has ended.  And they are unable to forgive.  They no longer want to be in relationship with each other, despite Christ’s command that every member of His Body be one in Him.

       The Ephesians have forgotten that the greatest gift of all that the Lord gives to EVERYONE who seeks it is the gift of love.  Love unites and overcomes barriers and differences. Love promotes spiritual growth.

       Paul has the courage to speak the truth in love, scolding them for their childish behavior.  He humbly includes himself as one of those who must grow up into Christ, who is and always will be the head of our Church. 

       On Tuesday, we will have guests from congregations all over our presbytery.  With Ebenezer’s gift of hospitality, I am sure those who come will be blessed.

      The presbytery is planning an afternoon of “Respectful Conversation.”  The workshop is meant to help people feel safe when discussing controversial issues.  Because like married couples, Christians in any church or denomination will have disagreements and the temptation to sin.

     Friends, let us have the courage and humility to speak the truth always in love and to use our gifts to build up rather than tear down. Let us never forget the greatest gift.  And when kindness, grace, and forgiveness end, so goes the relationship.

     Let us ask the Lord to keep us focused on Him who will forever be the head of this church. And who calls us to be one and live in love.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you for your spiritual gifts so generously given to Your people.  We ask that you reveal the gifts you have given to us and that you show us how you want them used to further Your purposes.  Give us strength and patience to hold our tongues when we are tempted to say something defensive or unkind. Keep us from drawing lines in the sand when we disagree. Teach us how to help develop Your gifts in others and build up Your church. Thank you for forgiving us of our many sins, including all the times when we have failed to offer love, grace and forgiveness to our Christian brothers and sisters.  Lead us on to spiritual maturity so we can be more like Your Son—and grow up into Him.  In His name we pray.  Amen.

“Math Test?”

Meditation On John 6:1-21

July 29, 2012

 ***

     “After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias.  A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’

      Jesus said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.

     Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’

      One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’

      Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’

     Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.

     When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’

      So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’

    When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

   And when evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing.

      When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified.

      But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’

     Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going. (John 6:1-21)

***

     I wish I were good at math.  I am one of those people who not only isn’t good at it, I have math anxiety. I didn’t always feel this way.  I used to like it.

     I developed math anxiety when I took Geometry at Seneca Valley High, a school of more than 3,000 students. The school’s track coach was my teacher.

    He always came to class in a warm-up suit, usually navy blue with a white stripe down the pants and sleeves. He wore a whistle around his neck. He never used it in math class, but there was always the possibility….

   The class was after lunch—when I was at my sleepiest—and it was out in a portable classroom, which meant you had to leave the main building of the school and go outside in all sorts of weather to get to his class.  It seemed to rain a lot that year.

   Once you were there, you weren’t going anywhere until the teacher dismissed you.  There were no bells in the portables.  You were at your teacher’s mercy.  If the students were noisy, sometimes our teacher dismissed us one or two minutes late. That left 2 or 3 minutes to make it to our next class. We had to run—but maybe that was what he wanted.  After all, he was the track coach.

     Now Geometry isn’t for everyone.  It takes a logical mind that can memorize theorems or rules about relationships between sides and angles and shapes. Then you have to apply all that knowledge to word problems and diagrams of shapes with missing measurements or graphs with missing data.  Geometry would have been difficult for me even if I hadn’t had a scary teacher who used to call on me for answers, though he knew I was hopelessly lost. No matter how hard I tried, I was unable to think the way he thought. I couldn’t understand what the math questions were asking, let alone the process for finding the answers.

***

     When I read Jesus’ question to Philip in today’s lesson in John, I thought about my struggle in Geometry. I felt compassion for Philip.  He couldn’t think the way his teacher thought, either! No matter how hard he tried and how much he wanted to please Him.

    He hopelessly failed Jesus’ test.  Jesus wanted to know if Philip believed He could feed the multitude, if He wanted to.  He wanted His disciples to understand who He was, that He was the Son of God who had come to take away the sins of the world.  Jesus was ready to show them another sign.

      Jesus would feed the entire world with His body and blood, broken and poured out for humanity’s sake. Jesus reveals His identity later in John 6, “My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

     Jesus’ test for Philip and his other disciples was a test of faith.

     But as the great multitude approaches, Philip isn’t thinking about spiritual matters. He doesn’t hear a faith question.  He hears a math question. And he was good at math.

    Listen to the conversation again.

   Jesus to Phillip, seeing a great multitude coming toward them:

    “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’”    

   Philip (eyes wide and mouth dropping open as he watches the great multitude coming toward them):  “Two hundred denarii or 6 months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little!”

     He is thinking “how much and how many?” when Jesus has asked “where.”  “Where are we to buy bread?”

     The disciple’s reasoning is logical.  If they don’t have enough money to buy the amount of food they need, then what difference does it make if they can find a place to buy it?      

      Philip might as well have said to Jesus, “Teacher, it can’t be done. We can’t feed these people today. Not here. Not now. No way.”

 ***

    Of course, Jesus never planned on buying any food anywhere.  He knew God would be the supplier—through His Son. 

   I wish I could have been there to see Philip’s face and feel the joy of those who ate until they were full, maybe some of them for the first time ever.

   Despite the sign, the miracle of the feeding, the crowd didn’t understand who Jesus was and why He had come. They tried to take him by force and make Him their king.

    They were limited to thinking in worldly terms, like some of Jesus’ disciples.  It was simple math.  More than 5,000 people had nothing to eat. They were hungry.  Jesus gave them as much food as they wanted.  And they were filled. They wanted Him to stay and feed them some more.

     They had the sign.  But they didn’t have faith.

     Like the crowd in our gospel lesson, we come to Jesus wanting to be healed and filled. We want His blessings. But like His first disciples, what we really need is more faith, a faith that seeks understanding.  A faith that seeks a relationship with Christ, the source of our faith.

     Ask the Lord for more faith, and he will give you a test.

     Don’t try to solve the problem with your own reasoning. Don’t get stuck in the math!

    Ask Him to guide you and reveal His Will.  Then obey.

    And He will grant you a sign of His loving care and provision for you.

    A sign your faith enables you to see and understand.

   Will you pray with me?

Heavenly Father, Thank you for forgiving us of all our sins and loving us enough to discipline us and teach us Your righteous ways.  Draw us back to You when we begin to slip away.  Give us more faith and patience to endure the trials that strengthen our faith. Help us to see and understand your signs and accept Your salvation in Jesus Christ. Let us be confident about who we are—new creations in Him, ready and able to share the gospel with the world, as you call us to do.  Keep us from foolishly wanting to be independent and fix things our own way, through our own reasoning. Help us to trust You and be Your obedient servants. In Christ we pray. Amen.