Sermon Oh Good Grief (United Church of Beloit 1/25/15)

Psalm 126

A song of ascents.

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.

4 Restore our fortunes, Lord,
like streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.

Romans 8:31-39 NIV

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(intro) continuing our Sermon series on “Giving up our baggage”

Now I have to admit, I have some baggage...ok I have a lot of baggage. Many of us do! It's part of the human condition! I have worked hard to get rid of some of it, but there is more work to be done! So when I asked Steve which particular baggage I would be preaching on, he gave me a partial list to choose from. This was after a recent meeting and some of the folks were still there. I read through the list ...loneliness, weariness, anger, doubt, worry, anxiety; and said, “Bingo!”

we all deal with some of these at one time or another. Several of you have said you have a lot of them too! We are all a work in progress! Sometimes we get 'stuck' and just can not let go. Sometimes we are so used to having these things in life we can't fathom another way!

Oh Good Grief! We don't think of grief as being good...but it's sure common. Grief happens when we lose someone we love of course. It's also part of any sort of loss...job, health issues for example. and even part of change..even good changes. There is a process that happens through any change of life...

So let's look at our Psalm. This is one of the Psalms of ascent..that is one of the songs sung by the Jewish people as they ascended, walked to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. This psalm refers to the return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian Exile―more than 500 years before the time of Jesus. The Exile had lasted for 70 years! Most of those marched away from Jerusalem had died off, their children and children's children were the ones who returned to Jerusalem..so they were 'coming back home for the first time!” this psalm is a hymn of joy, the streams in the Negev means streams of water in a desert, parched land into vibrant life! Carrying sheaves..sheaves are bundles of grain, so that is symbolism of a plentiful harvest! that God had intervened and their deep grief and sadness had been turned into joy.

This is a theme in many of the psalms and prophets, that the struggles and despair that happen in life will turn into joy, mourning into dancing one psalm says! The troubles of life are not permanent. There is MORE!

So let's look now at our new testament lesson. This is from Romans, Paul's incomparable letter to the church in Rome. Romans is a book that is challenging, inspiring, will make you say WOW and Huh?! Sometimes all in the same breath! This is a part of chapter 8....

“these things...”... He says earlier...in Verse 18

“  I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Paul is talking here about the struggles of life, the challenges that come with being human, and trying to live for God..for Christ.
{READ Romans 8:31-39}

NOTHING can separate us from the Love of God.....

this is a text that we share at funerals.. it's a powerful reminder that the one we lost is not lost for all time! NONE of us is, if we are in Christ! God who did not spare his own son...part of Gods very self!! Jesus who died. Who more than that was raised to life!

Now I confess when I read this at a funeral I do skip verse 36, the sheep to be slaughtered. That's a reference to Psalm 44, another psalm of the struggles of life.. that Paul's listeners would get....but modern families prob won't..

we are MORE than conquerors....imagine the power of hearing this read to you, when you live in ancient Rome, with soldiers in full armor always around! We are MORE than those warriors! Through the One who loved us...and Loves us and will always love us because God was and is and ever shall be!

So what does this mean to us and our baggage, to our grief?

Grief is part of any sort of loss, or change..even good changes. (marriage, births, church mergers...) There is a process that happens through any change of life...

most of us have heard the 'stages of grief” defined by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in her ground-breaking work. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. One of the things we need to be reminded is that our work through the stages does not happen neatly. It is rarely a set period of time, with an orderly progression through each stage, culminating in a sigh of relief and gratitude. Nope...in my experience personally, and with family and friends, as well as a pastor, it;s almost never a neat tidy process.

Our reactions to grief are in large part a reaction to something we can't control. Yes we love to be in control. We want things to be a certain way. When change happens, when someone is ill or dying, we are not in charge any more and it makes us crazy. We may complain about things, we may find something else that we do frequently to bring that sense of control back...years back, when my dad was dying of cancer, I realized that I was obsessively doing laundry. I got over that! It was something that I could keep on top of, my way of finding some sort of order in a situation that I couldn't handle.

When you are going through these emotions, pray about them! It's ok to say to God “I am hurting here!” or even “i am angry!” and it can help a lot to pray it out. It really is ok to tell God you are mad that God took your loved one...or whatever the situation is...It's not a sin to say you are mad at God. God has big shoulders. And praying out these feelings can help. It's helpful too to journal, write things down in a notebook.. journaling is a powerful tool to help with the grief process and in most life situations. And using support systems, like your church, Hospice counseling and so on, are great tools to help get us through, especially if you start to feel stuck at any point.

When we have these feelings one positive thing we can do is create a new tradition or new ritual to honor the past. When holidays come, maybe having a special ornament to remember your loved one. Giving to their favorite charity! Friends of ours have fundraisers every year for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society to honor the memory of their loved one who died of leukemia.

We commemorate the good events..celebrate anniversaries and birthdays. We have rituals for these celebrations. (NOTE when I suggest creating a new tradion or ritual to honor a loved one, I am saying we have to spend a lot of money! It's possible to do things that are very economical...even if it's serving their fave food at the holiday meal...getting out pictures and sharing memories...great way to commemorate losses and celebrations!

As I said earlier, our psalm speaks of -deep grief and sadness had been turned into joy. Not necessarily happiness, they are different. To be happy is more of a temporary thing, it's transient, it depends on circumstances. but Joy lives deep inside and is a recognition that things will be ok, that God is in charge. It's a realization of the big picture. We can have joy even in the midst of trouble or grief...i guess that is 'good grief.'

This week Ernie Banks died, the legendary Chicago Cubs shortstop. He was a terrific ball player, and also a person who was universally viewed as a happy man who people loved to be with. He was well known for his quote..."It's a great day for a ballgame. Let's play two!” That's more than happiness, that's Joy.

this week author Marcus Borg died. He was a prolific writer, sometimes thought of as a very 'liberal' theologian, but his writings showed a depth of faith in Jesus as Lord. -some so called liberal theologians seem to think Jesus was nothing more than a nice guy...but Borg's faith was much deeper than that. I want to share a quote of his with you...this is from his book Speaking Christian.

    “So, is there an afterlife, and if so, what will it be like?

I don't have a clue. But I am confident that the one who has buoyed us up in life will also buoy us up through death. We die into God. What more that means, I do not know. But that is all I need to know.”

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The One who lived, died, was raised from dead, is love, loves us always and will see us through it all and we will one day ALL be together with him! 

a new Friday Five from RevGalBlogPals

It’s official. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, you are experiencing winter. SO… tell us:

1. Winter: What do you think about it in general? Do you love it? Hate it? Or say, “meh – it’s just another season!”
   I have lived all my life in Southern Wisconsin and I hate winter. I hate being cold, I dislike snow, I especially hate ice.....but I LOVE spring and fall, and one doesn't get either of those without winter. And I very much appreciate the beauty of fresh snow. Every season has beauty and my camera and I  like finding the beauty of nature all year round ;)

2. Footwear: Show us or tell us about your favorite winter shoes/boots.
   I wear Crocs...old school black Crocs, because they are comfy on my achy feet, and Crocs do not slip easily on snow and ice :) but....they are ugly LOL

3. Discuss: Pedicures in winter – necessity or silly? Necessary, tho my budget keeps me doing my own mani-pedis. 

4. Toasty toes: Whether you knit your own or buy them, tell us what socks keep your feet toasty warm!
   ::::blushing:::  I am so boring...plain old white cotton sports socks.

5. Driving me crazy: What do you wish the drivers around you would do to make travel during the winter months a little less nutty?
   Pay ATTENTION! Ice is not always visible! and your SUV, being very heavy is going to skid a LOT further than you think. 

BONUS: What’s the weather like out there? Share a picture so we can shiver or be jealous!
This is a pic i took a year or two ago by the river in town. Today looks pretty much like this :)  yes, it;s cold!

The Spirt Flows (sermon given at Sun Valley Pres Jan 11, 2015.

Genesis 1:1-5
1:1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,
1:2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.
1:3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
1:4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
1:5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Mark 1

1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ,  the Son of God. 

2  As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, 

“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
        who will prepare your way,
3  the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
        ‘Prepare  the way of the Lord,
        make his paths straight,’”

1:4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
1:5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
1:6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
1:7 He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.
1:8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
1:9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
1:10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.
1:11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Our Old Testament lesson is of course the very first verses of the Bible, indeed the word “Genesis” means “in the beginning”. It's so familiar, and so beautiful!

1:2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

Formless void.....also translated chaos..... God creates order of out of chaos!

“Wind from God' Hebrew word is Ruach...which is translated spirit, wind, breath, this is the Holy Spirit, hovering over the waters...

a bit later in Genesis God will breathe the breath of life into the humans.

Mark's gospel first one written. Matthew and Luke wrote about 10 years or so later, expanding on what was in Mark and writing for specific audiences..Matthew writing to Jewish people, Luke to Gentiles (prob in asia minor) Mark was writing to get these stories DOWN, people had been telling about Jesus and each of the Gospel writers determined to get a good accurate version recorded, now that it was about 30 years after Jesus' time, the original disciples and witnesses to Jesus miracles and teachings were getting old and dying off. And there was serious persecution from Rome after Nero became Emperor.

{READ GOSPEL LESSON}

Mark 1, “The Beginning of the Gospel...” I think Mark deliberately used the word Beginning here! To echo the very beginning of the scriptures. John's gospel of course also echoes the 1^st five verses of Genesis.

gospel.  A term meaning “good news.” The Greeks used this word for events such as the birth of an emperor or a major military victory. So when the authors of the NT used it, this was a means of saying, the emperor, the military, this is all temporary, there is REAL good news...the Good News of Our God, the one true God, not the pagan gods.

Mark 1:4 John appeared proclaiming baptism of repentance for sins,..

there was before this a tradition of cleansing, purification at the temple, which was for 'paying customers', wealthy people. John is proclaiming this for everyone! “all the people' from all over Judea -note, John did NOT offer forgiveness....that was the job of God alone, this was purely an act of repentance.

“clothing and locusts....” genuine prophet in the tradition of the Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament. Jewish people had not had a genuine prophet of God for centuries. John was perceived to be the real deal and they were ready!

in the wilderness.  John’s preaching in the wilderness symbolically reminds Israel of her covenantal origins in the Exodus. The Hebrew people were yes indeed wandering for 40 years, but God never left them through all that time. God was present as a cloud by day—protection from the sun! And a pillar of fire by night— providing light and heat, and protection from wild animals.

so John opened things up for everyone and anyone. And then Jesus came along...

and John tells the people, “I baptize with water but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. -John himself was 'filled with the holy spirit from before birth! He leapt in his mother's womb when she heard the voice of pregnant Mary....

and John (and others?) saw the spirit descending like a dove...and remaining on Jesus.

The Holy Spirit...flows..going where it pleases like wind or like flowing water...(metaphor used sometimes since we can see water flow, we can't really see currents of air! We only see and feel the effect! So flowing water helps us envision the spirit flowing.)

Jesus gave the disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit after his resurrection, when they were gathered in the Upper Room and he appeared to them, he breathed on them and said 'receive the Holy Spirit” --for their guidance.

Then the spirit appeared on followers-Christian Converts- 50 days later, on Pentecost...this time as tongues of flame above their heads!

The spirit is symbolized by wind, water, flames....3 of the most powerful forces of nature!

The Spirit serves as our Advocate...Prays for us, intercedes for us, helps get our message to God when we have no words...thank God!

Jesus gave this third person of the Holy Trinity, father son and holy spirit (or holy ghost) to be our advocate, our helper, our companion. And the spirit is there, available and will guide us if we ask. Sometimes I pray

quickly, Lord give me the right words, or tell me to be still...when someone confides to me. And often the stillness is the best help.. or the spirit may guide us to do something for someone,... whether we are to listen and just BE there, or even to pray with a friend, a neighbor, a church member....that is God working through us every day.

Spirit is voice of God, our intercessor, guides us, that little nudge that reminds you havent heard from So and so in a while... and when you call, they say, “Wow I was just thinking about you!”

“this is my son, beloved...”

God is Love. God's Son is Love and of course God's Son is Beloved...

we all are loved by God.

When we act in love, we are sharing God...that is what our faith life is all about!

author Anne Lamott who writes with deep honesty about her recovery from alcoholism and other things, and what she describes as teeny tiny self esteem issues...said,

  “I believe in two things, God and my friends. They are both Love, and they stay close to me no matter how awful I am being.

Both {seem to} have very low standards, which is all I have going for myself.”

-Anne Lamott

We are all God's Children, allow the Spirit of God to envelop you in that love, allow it to permeate your life and help shape you to share and care for others In His Name.

there are lots of references to the Holy Spirit in scripture, here is one of my favorites....

2 Corinthians 13:13

13  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

Communion..also translated as “fellowship”, “Sharing with”

the words for communion and community literally mean together with.

Author Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Life Together:

Christian community is not an ideal we have to realize, but rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate. The more clearly we learn to recognize that the ground and strength and promise of all our community is in Jesus Christ alone, the more calmly we will learn to think about our community and pray and hope for it.’ 

There is some parallelism later in Mark's gospel that echoes this passage..the Heavens being torn open, the Spirit and the voice saying This is My Son...

Mark 15:37  And Jesus {On the cross} uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.  38  And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

“the communion of the Holy Spirit” the spirit of God is what brings us together-with God and with each other. The Spirit flows, as long as it is not blocked! Acting in UN loving ways blocks it, unforgiveness blocks it...If we are open to the Spirit, it will flow through us, It will help us realize that we all have things in common, with other people, even people very different from ourselves! and helps us to look at those commonalities rather than the differences.

That is real community, that is how we will effect change in our own lives, in our churches, in our city and beyond! That is the REAL peace of God, having God's love in our hearts and lives, and serving, bringing God's Shalom to others-the perfect peace that gives protection, wholeness.

May it be so today and always!  

Friday Five topic: NEW

 NEW. (Friday Five topic from RevGalBlogPals.org) 

1. If you have one, what is your new resolution?
   Lose the last 20 lbs! And I am rocking the plan. Regular exercise and healthy foods, whole grains, fruit and veggies at every meal, lean protein. Savor tastes, aromas, colors, textures. (stay away from the ice cream! Ben & Jerry, I have broken up with you!)

2. Many folks choose a new word for a year’s beginning, as Marci’s congregation does with StarWords. Some let their word choose them, like Christine at Abbey of the Arts. Do you have a word for the year?
   
   My word for the year is Community. This has been so much on my heart and in my mind. In the past 2 years since our church merger, 2 things kept coming up in my reading and in worship...Keeping our focus on God first and foremost, and community. We are better together than separately, both as people and as churches--especially in outreach. And I am working with other pastors to bring more togetherness into our city through our churches.

3. What is your new favorite exclamation/phrase at times of joy or frustration?
   Hmm, I don't have a 'new' exclamation or phrase....and I need to get rid of some old ones! taming my mouth is a full time job ;) My Dad always said the kitchen was Mom's 'cussing room' and I seem to have carried on that tradition pretty well.

4. Do you have a new favorite food, or an old one you are newly enjoying?
   current fave is plain Greek Yogurt. I love it with granola and fruit for breakfast, and have been cooking with it, using it in place of cream cheese in dessert or ricotta in baked pasta. Works great, and cuts fat and calories!

5. Finally, in general: what is your new favorite thing?

Putting a system in place to achieve my goals. It's great to decide something, but one must have a plan to make it happen! For example, I am reading through the Bible this year. I resolve to do so every year, and have read all of it, but never stayed with a plan. It ends up being sporadic. So I decided, I eat breakfast every day, why not set that as my reading time? I have my plan printed off close by and when I sit down to eat, I read. It's working great. And I have a checklist at night to mark off that I read, that I did my exercise and that I got in my 5 a day of fruit & veggies. That system is keeping me on task.