January 14, 2008

There is a time-honored story about a skeptic who was continually harassing the local Pastor. His one delight in life seemed to be making the Pastor seem intellectually inadequate. The Pastor bore these challenges to his faith and theology with great restraint.

One day the skeptic was heckling the preacher about his views on miracles and divine interventions. "Give me just one example of a miracle," the skeptic admonished, "and I will be quiet." At this point the Pastor drew back his foot, and with all his power and might kicked the man squarely in the shin.

Ouch! The skeptic couldn't believe it.

"Did you feel that?" asked the Pastor.

"Yes," the man replied, nursing his sore leg.

"If you didn't," said the Pastor, "it would have been a miracle."

Miracles are hard to prove; it is even harder to convince others of their existence. It is no wonder that Jesus told His disciples not to look for miracles, but to consider the presence of God. He often charged them not to tell others of miracles. It is as if Jesus realized that the miracle was not the end result but only one of many tools that pointed to the Kingdom of God. Miracles for Jesus are not proof. And after all, faith is not proof.

It has never been and never will be.

The miracles of Jesus are never show off or revel in his power, but instead to reveal his glory. In verse 11 of today's Gospel, "Jesus did this, the first sign to reveal his glory." And here is the key fifference: John tells us early that God is coming to live among us in his glory.

We heard this passage at Christmas: "And the Word became flesh and lived among us and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a Father's only Son full of grace and truth." For the Gospel of John, the glory of God is the radical idea that God would come to live among us, with us, and for us. And through this incarnation is grace and truth. Grace and truth are glory.

The Gospel of John wants us all to realize that Jesus is not some kind of a magician or someone who can manipulate the scene. It is not to demonstrate how strong Jesus is, but only that He is here with us.

Consider today's Gospel lesson opens with a wedding feast that Jesus and His family have been invited to. The unthinkable happens. They have run out of wine. To run out of wine at a Jewish wedding is a serious breach of etiquette. It not only reflected on the family involved, but on everyone. The average wedding celebration lasted a week. It was expected that the guests would bring gifts. The same thing happens today, but instead of registering at Macy's or Bed, bath and Neyond, the guests were expected to provide food and (especially) wine. If there was not enough wine, it meant that the wedding couple had few friends. To run out of wine indicated that the community was opposed to the wedding. It was not just a failure of the bridegroom. It was a failure of the bride, a failure of their families, a failure of the guests, and a failure of the entire community. It was both embarrassing and shameful.

Mary asked Jesus to do something. Standing close by were empty jars used in Jewish purification rites. Each jar held 20-30 gallons of water.

Jesus took a radical step to make a difference. To save others their embarrassment and to provide where there was nothing. The point of the story is not the changing of water to wine, but in the radical nature, the radical steps that Jesus takes to be with humans, to be present for humans, to love humans. In this story, Jesus feels what the guest feels and shares in their shame and embarrassment, and then lifts the entire community.

The glory that is revealed is not in the miracle, but in Jesus living among us in grace in truth. The glory that is revealed is not the miracle, but God choosing to take on humanity's plight. The glory that is revealed is not the miracle, for the miracle is only a vehicle to demonstrate the divine love and esteem held by Jesus for us.

We often forget what a radical concept our faith is. That God would deign to become human and live among us. It is the concept that many cannot accept. St. Paul says it is a stumbling block to the Jews and a scandal to the Gentiles.

I use the word RADICAL intentionally. Radical really means to get at the root of something. It is the same Latin cognate as the word radish. Because the concern that Jesus showed for all present that day is the root of the miracle and the root of our religion.

The word radical is often used to describe radical religion, especially radical Islam. It is a pejorative term. We use it in conjunction with terrorism and violence. But there is nothing radical about violence. It is all too commonplace and is practiced by many people. We practice it in war and at work. It is a part of daily life. LOVE is what is radical. Empathy as felt by Jesus for the other guests is radical. Doing something for others is radical.

Each year I pull out this quote from Dr. King's letter from Birmingham jail:

"But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus as extremist for love: 'Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.' Was not Amos an extremist for justice: 'Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.' Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist: "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God." And John Bunyan: "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience." And Abraham Lincoln: "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." And Thomas Jefferson: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that an men are created equal ..." So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we viii be. We we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremist for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime---the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jeans Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists."

In that letter he speaks of this radical nature of God. He had been called an extremist by some local clergy in Birmingham. That is to say they called him a radical.

Perhaps the question posed by Dr. King is a good one and one demonstrated by our lesson today. Are we not called as followers of Jesus to be extremist? Are we not called to take extreme action for those in our community and in our lives like those at the wedding feast? When they are let down is not extreme love the message that we bear? Is not God's glory? The glory of the only Son still not extremely present for us today in the radical nature of the word and the extreme gift at the table?

I invite you to consider the call to discipleship this week especially on the day we call Martin Luther King Day and ask "how can I be an extremist for the great love shown to me?"

Amen.




		January 14, 2008 There is a time-honored story about a skeptic who was continually harassing the local Pastor. His one delight in life seemed to be making the Pastor seem intellectually inadequate. The Pastor bore these challenges to his faith and theology with great restraint. One day the skeptic was heckling the preacher about his views on miracles and divine interventions. "Give me just one example of a miracle," the skeptic admonished, "and I will be quiet." At this point the Pastor drew back his foot, and with all his power and might kicked the man squarely in the shin. Ouch! The skeptic couldn't believe it. "Did you feel that?" asked the Pastor. "Yes," the man replied, nursing his sore leg. "If you didn't," said the Pastor, "it would have been a miracle." Miracles are hard to prove; it is even harder to convince others of their existence. It is no wonder that Jesus told His disciples not to look for miracles, but to consider the presence of God. He often charged them not to tell others of miracles. It is as if Jesus realized that the miracle was not the end result but only one of many tools that pointed to the Kingdom of God. Miracles for Jesus are not proof. And after all, faith is not proof. It has never been and never will be. The miracles of Jesus are never show off or revel in his power, but instead to reveal his glory. In verse 11 of today's Gospel, "Jesus did this, the first sign to reveal his glory." And here is the key fifference: John tells us early that God is coming to live among us in his glory. We heard this passage at Christmas: "And the Word became flesh and lived among us and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a Father's only Son full of grace and truth." For the Gospel of John, the glory of God is the radical idea that God would come to live among us, with us, and for us. And through this incarnation is grace and truth. Grace and truth are glory. The Gospel of John wants us all to realize that Jesus is not some kind of a magician or someone who can manipulate the scene. It is not to demonstrate how strong Jesus is, but only that He is here with us. Consider today's Gospel lesson opens with a wedding feast that Jesus and His family have been invited to. The unthinkable happens. They have run out of wine. To run out of wine at a Jewish wedding is a serious breach of etiquette. It not only reflected on the family involved, but on everyone. The average wedding celebration lasted a week. It was expected that the guests would bring gifts. The same thing happens today, but instead of registering at Macy's or Bed, bath and Neyond, the guests were expected to provide food and (especially) wine. If there was not enough wine, it meant that the wedding couple had few friends. To run out of wine indicated that the community was opposed to the wedding. It was not just a failure of the bridegroom. It was a failure of the bride, a failure of their families, a failure of the guests, and a failure of the entire community. It was both embarrassing and shameful. Mary asked Jesus to do something. Standing close by were empty jars used in Jewish purification rites. Each jar held 20-30 gallons of water. Jesus took a radical step to make a difference. To save others their embarrassment and to provide where there was nothing. The point of the story is not the changing of water to wine, but in the radical nature, the radical steps that Jesus takes to be with humans, to be present for humans, to love humans. In this story, Jesus feels what the guest feels and shares in their shame and embarrassment, and then lifts the entire community. The glory that is revealed is not in the miracle, but in Jesus living among us in grace in truth. The glory that is revealed is not the miracle, but God choosing to take on humanity's plight. The glory that is revealed is not the miracle, for the miracle is only a vehicle to demonstrate the divine love and esteem held by Jesus for us. We often forget what a radical concept our faith is. That God would deign to become human and live among us. It is the concept that many cannot accept. St. Paul says it is a stumbling block to the Jews and a scandal to the Gentiles. I use the word RADICAL intentionally. Radical really means to get at the root of something. It is the same Latin cognate as the word radish. Because the concern that Jesus showed for all present that day is the root of the miracle and the root of our religion. The word radical is often used to describe radical religion, especially radical Islam. It is a pejorative term. We use it in conjunction with terrorism and violence. But there is nothing radical about violence. It is all too commonplace and is practiced by many people. We practice it in war and at work. It is a part of daily life. LOVE is what is radical. Empathy as felt by Jesus for the other guests is radical. Doing something for others is radical. Each year I pull out this quote from Dr. King's letter from Birmingham jail: "But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus as extremist for love: 'Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.' Was not Amos an extremist for justice: 'Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.' Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist: "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God." And John Bunyan: "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience." And Abraham Lincoln: "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." And Thomas Jefferson: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that an men are created equal ..." So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we viii be. We we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremist for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime---the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jeans Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists." In that letter he speaks of this radical nature of God. He had been called an extremist by some local clergy in Birmingham. That is to say they called him a radical. Perhaps the question posed by Dr. King is a good one and one demonstrated by our lesson today. Are we not called as followers of Jesus to be extremist? Are we not called to take extreme action for those in our community and in our lives like those at the wedding feast? When they are let down is not extreme love the message that we bear? Is not God's glory? The glory of the only Son still not extremely present for us today in the radical nature of the word and the extreme gift at the table? I invite you to consider the call to discipleship this week especially on the day we call Martin Luther King Day and ask "how can I be an extremist for the great love shown to me?" Amen.