Witnesses

 

3 Easter              Church of the Redeemer             The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

          The Pew Research Center recently reported some statistics on atheists in America. According to them, 98% of atheists say religion is not too or not at all important in their lives and only 4% said they found life’s meaning in spirituality.” (Xian Century, p.10, April 2024) More than one-quarter of Americans now identify as atheists, agnostics, or religiously “unaffiliated,” according to a new survey by the Public Religion Research Institute.“(Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, 04/2024)  And according to a Gallup poll taken in 1982, one third of Americans, who were questioned at that time, didn’t believe in life after death. In that same year, I probably was one of them. Matter of fact, at that time I was so consumed with life that I didn’t have time to think about death, let alone life after death.

I remember Easter of 1982 quite vividly. Our daughter Megan was 1 ½ years old, and our son Brian had just been born. Life was good. Unlike this past year’s winter, it snowed considerably on that Easter eve in Walpole, and Paul’s parents had come to visit us at our home. They were delighted with the birth of their second grandchild, and what they considered to be the one who would carry on the Gossling name.

Paul’s father, lovingly called Grandfather, made a huge Easter bunny out of the snow. Like our daughter, Grandfather was a doctor, who mended not just bones, but also people’s lives. He was a man of great faith, who loved life so much that in 2001 he was incredibly angry about losing it. Too soon for all of us!

To be honest, I didn’t think much about God until our children were born. I was a Christmas and Easter kind of Christian, showing up at church for the holidays. No matter the house, there was always a holiday routine. We would dress up in our Sunday best, go to church, and then celebrate with good food, plenty of wine, and a great deal of laughter.

Fortunately, for Paul and me, having babies wasn’t hard. We decided that it was a good idea, and then it happened. Raising our children, however, was a different matter. As they say, babies don’t come with instruction manuals. It’s on-the-job training with lots of “do-overs” and “I wish I hads or I wish had-nots” mixed in. Of course, Megan and Brian will tell you that raising us was no easy matter either.

Our struggles in life come in many packages, sizes, shapes and forms, don’t they? And we all have them, no matter how young we are, how old we have become, or how happy the holidays may appear. The truth is that these challenges will test our endurance, strengthen our resilience, and cause us to wonder about life, about death, and how to make sense of it all. It is at these turning points in our lives that we may turn towards God, or given to despair and cynicism, we may turn away from anything that is not materially evident. Faith is not a matter of proof. It involves witnesses.

I love the Easter stories about the disciples hiding in that room after the crucifixion of Jesus. They are described as afraid. And wouldn’t you be? If your leader had just been condemned and killed by powerful religious and political authorities, and you were one of his disciples, wouldn’t you fear for your life as well?

And yet, it wasn’t those human powers that knocked on the door that day. It wasn’t immigration officers or government officials demanding you turn over your documents. It wasn’t your rector or a military official bringing you bad news about a relative. No, instead it was Jesus who was knocking at your door, asking you if He might come in. Looking through a spiritual peephole, you’re shocked to see someone, who you thought was dead, standing on the other side. Hey, it’s me, Jesus said to his friends.

Now supposedly, on that Sunday after his crucifixion, Jesus miraculously stepped into the room where he found his disciples cowering in fear. They had only recently denied, betrayed, and abandoned their leader. To think that Jesus might hold a few grudges against them, and harbor a little anger and resentment towards them, isn’t a far stretch for anyone’s imagination.

Emotions were running high after Jesus’ death. There was plenty of name calling, blaming, and shaming to go around and plenty of need for forgiveness. There was plenty of need to let go of some anger and resentment. There was plenty of need for peace. And I imagine there was a strong desire to “move on” and forget the whole bloody mess.

But Jesus wouldn’t let them. After only three days’ of absence, He steps right back into their lives, and meets them where they are. He shows them his scars. “Touch and see me,” He said, “and believe that I am not a ghost.” Look at my hands and feet, and you will know me, resurrected to new life. You’re not imagining me; so give me something to eat. How about some lamb and red wine? Some broiled fish and a little bread?

In a sermon by Josh Stott, a pastor of GracePointe Church in Nashville, Tennessee, he writes about the scars of Jesus, and how they tell, like our own scars, some of our stories. Scars mark those moments in our lives that shape us, identify us, and leave their traces on us physically, mentally, emotionally, and even psychically. They mark those turning points in our lives when we may think about life and death, about God, and about the choices we have made. We may want to change how we live.

Pastor Stott wrote, “Jesus’ scars tell a story. They paint a vivid picture of a human being committed to a vision of God and God’s kingdom that is just and generous, with an embrace wide enough for anyone and everyone. It is a story of a God who sees everyone as valuable, a story of refusing violence in favor of peacemaking and returning love in the face of hatred.” (Xian Century, April 2024) 

When Jesus steps into our rooms where our hearts are pounding with fear, he tells us not to worry. “Be at peace” he says to the anxious and afraid. “Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is” me. Remember what I told you when I was still with you? That all these things would happen, and now, “You are witnesses of these things.”

We use lovely metaphors to explain the resurrection. We talk about flowers pushing through softened soil or melting snow, how caterpillars become butterflies after a long and necessary struggle, and how memories of our loved ones will remain in our hearts forever. And yet, as St. Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians, “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.”

You know how life can intrude on our best laid plans, right? How our Lenten promises to amend our lives, and to forgive others as we have been forgiven, are hard to keep for 50 days, let alone a lifetime? How, like Peter, we promise never to deny, abandon or betray those we love? But then the risen Christ appeared to Peter in that room and his fear became faith.

In today’s passage from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter reminds the Israelites of their mistakes, “I know you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.” You killed an innocent man, but God raised him from the dead and “by faith in his name” miracles do happen.

In his fear, in his shame, and in his disbelief, Peter met the risen Jesus in that room, and his life was changed forever. So too were the disciples who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, St. Paul on his journey to Damascus, and the disciples on the beaches of Galilee. And on that Easter morning Jesus appeared to Mary in the garden. According to our scripture stories “hundreds of people saw the risen Jesus” after his crucifixion, and lives were changed and transformed after that.            

When Grandfather made that Easter bunny 42 years ago, I did not believe in the Resurrection. I was too young, too human, and too consumed with my life. All good things, to be sure! Today, I believe in the Resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. I also believe that one day I shall sit down again with Grandfather for good food, plenty of wine, and lots of laughter. How did this happen? By the grace of God, some personal spiritual experiences, and the witness of others. Through faith, hope, and love, I came to believe.

Andrew Garnett once wrote, “When we truly grasp the meaning of the resurrection, we are motivated to change both our hearts and our lives.” (www.d365.org)  Blind see. Lame walk. The oppressed are set free, prisoners are released, and to this we are witnesses. So live joyfully, peacefully, and lovingly until Resurrection comes knocking on your door.

             Acts 3: 12-19                    Luke 24: 36b-48

           

 

 

A Conversation with the Cross

The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

Mr. Graeme Mills

Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill

Good Friday, March 29, 2024

Graeme: Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

The Cross: Yes. I was there. I was that tree. It was today. It was Friday; and I remember it well. It was morning, and the sky was dark; the weather was threatening. Many people had gathered to witness the crucifixion of Jesus. I think the crowd had gathered there for a variety of reasons, or so it seemed to me. I noticed two people in particular. They were standing next to each other, off to the side.

Graeme: Why were you there? What was your reason for witnessing this gruesome event?

Cross: Actually, I didn’t want to be there. I was taken against my will. Back home, where evergreen trees are plentiful, it was a holy week in our community. It’s a time when we gather together to celebrate God’s creation and all of ours. The elders in our community teach the younger ones about our traditions and our faith. They encourage us to grow tall and strong, and to reflect the beauty of our Creator, no matter our size or shape. They invite us to live naturally, and according to God’s will. 

But then, I heard the wood-cutters coming through the forest. They spotted me; and I heard them say that they needed some good, strong wood to hold the King of the Judeans. And the next thing I knew, I was felled. I was face down, on the ground, in the mud. I barely had time to say goodbye to my family and friends, and to those I love.

Graeme:  What about those two people standing together on the side. Did they come with you?

Cross: No, they were already here. One was a man, and the other was a woman. I think she was Jesus’ mother based upon how upset she was. Her name was Mary, and there were some other women standing near her.  At first, I didn’t catch the name of the man who was right by her side. Apparently, he was a disciple, someone who had been following Jesus for several years. What I do know is that Jesus loved them all very much.

Graeme: How do you know that? What were people saying? 

Cross: Well, Mary was remembering a day long ago. She was talking about a time when an angel appeared to her and told her that she would become pregnant. This angel, who was named Gabriel, announced to Mary that she was going to conceive and bear a son, and that his name would be Emmanuel, or God is with us. At first, she protested. “How could this be?” she said. She was a virgin! She wasn’t prepared; and she was afraid of what might happen to her. People might stone her, or banish her from their community. But the angel reassured her, indeed even comforted her. He told her that God had a plan, and that she was to be a part of it. God had a purpose for her life.

Graeme: I’m not sure that I understand what you are saying. What do you mean about a plan? And a purpose for her life?

Cross: Well, at first, I didn’t understand either. But then as this Good Friday progressed, this Friday that they call Good, I began to see things differently. Mary’s story was my story. I remember a peace coming over me. I became less angry and bitter about what had happened to me. I understood that God was asking me to play a part in God’s salvation story, and that I too had a purpose. For you see, Mary trusted God. Although she was terrified, and didn’t understand what was going to happen to her, she simply said “yes” to God. She said,  “Let it be to me according to your word.” 

Mary knew that her job would be to carry this child within her, to be the God-bearer of the light of the world. She knew that she would raise him up for a little while, never imagining that one day he would be raised up on a cross, and then raised up again after his death. Her job was just to love Jesus, even unto death, not knowing that her own self-offering would open the way for God’s purpose to be accomplished. Unto her a child was born. Unto us, came the savior of the world. Jesus.

Graeme: But what about that man who was standing next to Mary? What did he have to do with her? Or what did he have to do with Jesus for that matter?

Cross: Actually, I didn’t notice him at first. He kind of hung back, as if he too were afraid...and because Mary was so distraught. Her son was being crucified right before her eyes, and her husband Joseph was long gone and dead. She was alone in her grief; and Jesus was all that she had left in the world.

I’ll never forget that image of her body at my feet. Her hair was wild and loose. Her face was streaked with tears and marked by anguish. Kneeling there in the dirt, in front of me, she bowed her head in prayer. Her grief was real and the scene was raw.

Graeme: But what about that man? Did he do anything; did he say anything? To her or to Jesus? What was his part in all of this?

Cross: Well it was then that I began to notice him. For naturally, everybody’s eyes were first on Jesus, and then on Mary. Except the soldiers.They were drinking, laughing, and rolling the dice. They seemed clueless about what was going on around them. Their hearts appeared to be as hard as the armor that they were wearing.

The crowd was boisterous. I saw people shaking their heads and I heard them say, “He trusted in God, that he would deliver him; let him deliver him now.” The soldiers had nailed a sign over the head of Jesus that said, “The King of the Judeans.” But Jesus had said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest. But now my kingdom is from another place.’

Anyway, soon after Mary threw herself onto the ground, this man emerged from the crowd. I think his name was John. He went to her side, knelt down, and gently took her by the hand and lifted her up. “Lean on me,” he said. “You can use my shoulder.” Together, side by side, they stood below me, and in front of Jesus.

Graeme: Whew, this is almost too much to bear. What happened after that?

Cross: Well, the crowd suddenly became very silent, even the soldiers. And I understood once again, that God was using me for a purpose. “Lean on me,” I said to Jesus. “Use my shoulders to help you stand.” Perhaps that gave Jesus a last chance to catch his breath, so that he could speak his final words. So right after John helped Mary to stand up, Jesus opened his eyes and looked straight at Mary. He said, “Woman. Here is your son.” And then looking at John he said, “Here is your mother.”

Graeme: But they weren’t related. I don’t get it.

Cross: I think Jesus was telling them to love one another just as He had loved them. I think Jesus wanted them to stay together, and care for one another, as a community of faith. Soon after that Jesus spoke once again, but now in a weaker voice. He said, “I am thirsty.”

Graeme:  Did anybody do anything?

Cross: Yes. There was a jar full of sour wine next to me. The soldiers stopped their gambling for a minute, put a sponge full of wine on a branch of hyssop, and then held it to his mouth. After Jesus received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit. “He did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent.” Silence.

Graeme: Do you think the wine quenched his thirst? Or was it spiked with something extra to relieve his pain?

Cross: I don’t know; but I do know that Jesus often said that he thirsted for righteousness. He promised that there would be no more thirst in the kingdom of God, and that those who believed in Him would never be thirsty. Anyway, Jesus died as soon as the wine passed His lips. And then afterwards, when his side was pierced by the soldiers, I saw blood and water pour out.

Graeme: This is a very strange story. Who can accept it? Who will believe it? And what did Jesus mean when he said, “It is finished”?

Cross: Maybe he was telling the crowd that his earthly life was over, and that God’s mission had been accomplished in him. All I know is that at my feet, and below the feet of Jesus, I saw this amazing circle of very different people, all gathered together in this one moment in time, for very different reasons. And then I suddenly began to remember my own creation and how in the beginning, God gave me life. I began to see that we’re all part of God’s beloved community and all part of God’s beautiful creation. I realized that we all have a purpose in this life.

Everyone stood in silence. The space all around us seemed holy; and the time felt eternal. The clouds rumbled and roared. Flashes of light zig-zagged across the skies. I heard that the temple curtain was torn in two. And some people say that God spoke, and tombs were opened and emptied. Then two prominent Judeans courageously stepped forward and took Jesus from my arms.They took his body and wrapped it with spices in linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb which was nearby in a garden.

I also think that Jesus was saying that while his work was finished, ours was not. “I give you a new commandment,” He told his disciples. “Love one another as I have loved you.”

 Pause.

Although I thought that my life had ended on that day when the wood-cutters took me out of the forest, I realized that on that Good Friday my work had just begun. I remembered how Jesus had first carried me that morning, and how I had carried the body of Jesus until the very bitter end of his life. I carry Him now deep within my soul.

My work continues. I tell the story of my life and His life whenever I can, wherever I am, and to whomever will listen. I see crosses like me everywhere; and they remind people of the story of Jesus. We see him crucified on the cross; how his body was nailed to mine. And we see the empty cross as a sign of our hope.

But what about you? Why are you here today? Did you also know Jesus? What story do you have to tell? And what work is God asking you to do?

Hearts and Treasure 5 Lent 2024

 The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling                        Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill

            One of my favorite passages in scripture concludes with Jesus saying, “Where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” So on this 5th Sunday in Lent, when some of us celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and our family celebrates the 5th birthdays of my twin grandsons, Peter and Nathaniel, we hear the prophet Jeremiah tell us that God has written God’s covenant within our hearts. All of this begs some questions for me today. Where is our treasure and what is the condition of our hearts today?

            In all of our human relationships, our hearts are routinely affected. Our hearts get dirty and need to be cleaned. Our hearts get clogged and need to be opened. Our hearts sputter and fail and occasionally need to be jump-started. They are vulnerable and need to be protected. Weakened, broken, or hardened by human sin, they require a healing touch; for in them we hold many treasures. Too often, we may find our hearts wandering in the wilderness looking for love in all the wrong places.

            Paul and I have had many houses in our decades of marriage together. Our homes have contained many memories and treasures, both painful and happy ones, accumulated along the way. In these houses we have survived various diseases; we have experienced multiple griefs. We have treasured each other, although truth be told, we often took much for granted. That is until suffering and pain came knocking on our doors. That is until our hearts were broken, and we repeatedly broke the heart of God.

And so the prophet Jeremiah claimed that God wrote God’s covenant in our hearts so that it could not be broken. Indeed this portion from the book of Jeremiah follows 30 chapters of Jeremiah’s warnings that God’s people had broken their covenant with God repeatedly because their hearts had been hardened. And so today’s reading in Jeremiah is called The Little Book of Comfort. In it God offers God’s forgiveness and love. In it our relationship with God is restored. Through it our hearts are healed continuously and eternally by God.

            There is a common phrase that we have used frequently in our culture for many years. “I see you” we say to someone, showing them that we recognize what they are doing, and that their conduct has not gone unnoticed. Now God sees us fully for who we are, in all our good and bad behaviors, in all our beauty and ugliness, even when we cannot see the truth about ourselves, and certainly not the truth about other people. God sees us fully, both in our sin and in our glory, and loves us even still.

Apparently, some Greeks had arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate the festival of Passover; and yet they wanted to see Jesus. Perhaps they had heard about him, and they wanted to check him out for themselves. Was he the real deal? Was he just being another rabble rouser, a protester at political rallies, overturning tables in the temple, and someone who religious and political leaders came to fear? Was Jesus just being Jesus for his own personal notoriety, someone who wanted to get a lot of clicks on social media? Or was Jesus something else?

            “We wish to see Jesus,” these Greek visitors said to Philip. And like a protective friend, a secret service agent, or a hired bodyguard, Philip ran it by Andrew first, and then the two of them went to see Jesus after that. But rather than Jesus being delighted by these foreigners’ interest in Him, Jesus launched into a soliloquy about his upcoming death. He was telling them what was about to happen to him in Jerusalem, and what it would mean for them to be one of his disciples. It’s not what you think, He said, nor probably even what you want.

            Referring to his impending death, Jesus told his disciples that his soul was deeply troubled. “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death.” But Jesus said, “And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” Jesus said that this message was not for him, however, but rather for us. If you want to live, you must recognize your own mortality. If you want to live, you must die to your over-inflated ego. If you want to live, you must give up the treasures that you have accumulated for your own self-protection. And if you want to follow me, you must serve me by loving others as I have loved you. Yourself and enemies included. No easy assignments there!

Today, we hear his voice in scripture and see Jesus in the various images all around us. Stained glass windows show him as a vulnerable baby, a boy in the temple, a man being baptized, a rabbi who teaches, an exorcist who casts out demons, a powerful healer, a political adversary, a faithful Jew, and the beloved child of God. And we see Jesus as the One who suffers on the cross not only for our sakes but for the sins of the whole world. Lifted high up on that wooden T-bar, Jesus suffered just like one of us.

The gospel of John helps us to see Jesus differently from the other three gospels. Gone is the Jesus from Mark and Matthew who cries out to God from the cross, “Why have you forsaken me?” Gone is the Jesus in St. Luke’s gospel where we see him hanging between two criminals, offering forgiveness, and promising the kingdom of heaven to one of them. Rather, we see a suffering servant who paradoxically reveals the power of God. We see a man who has fulfilled his mission.

            Frank G. Honeycutt claims that our greatest struggle as human beings is when we see meaningless suffering. (Xian Century, 3/11/20) You know, when violence erupts and we can’t pin the blame on anyone; or when someone dies and we can’t point to the reason or we may say “it’s just too soon for them to die.” Meaningless suffering appears to be unfair, unjust, and inexplicable to our human hearts and minds. So why did Jesus, the Son of God, have to suffer and die on the cross?

“Jesus doesn’t explain suffering,” Honeycutt wrote. “Rather He faces it. He walks right into it. God sent us a “sufferer” to be our Savior.” Jesus shows us that while suffering is a reality of human life, and death is our earthly end game, Jesus also shows us that it is not the end of our story. He was lifted high upon the cross for all to see death, but Jesus was also lifted up from the grave, for all to see resurrection. In Jesus, we see the wideness of God’s mercy and the fullness of God’s heart. We see ourselves as the beloved treasures of God. And we come to believe that God’s mission of redeeming love was fulfilled in Jesus.

Much has been made about the past life and death of Alexei Nevalny. Writing from his prison cell in Siberia for over three years, he described his suffering in heart-breaking detail. Occasionally showing a lightness of Spirit, he would make jokes about his circumstances in the face of his oppressors. Having survived an attempt upon his life outside his own country, he knowingly returned to Russia, aware that it might cause the end of his life, unwilling to refrain from speaking the truth. Once an atheist, who later became a Christian, he didn’t ask God to save him from that hour. Rather in Nevalney, we see a Christian who was a suffering servant. Who faced death, and walked right into it, knowing that God was with him..

Jesus sees us. He knows what it is like to live and die as one of us. He knows about the powers that corrupt and destroy the creatures of God and God’s creation. And while our suffering and sacrifices won’t be as notable nor as significant as people like Jesus and Nevalny, challenges will still come to us in our daily lives. Will we speak the truth with love? Will we make the right choices? Will we resist temptations, and turn to God for help with our pain? Will we keep our faith, hope, and love alive in the face of suffering?

All of which begs those questions for me once again. Where is my treasure? And in what kind of condition is my heart? How can I faithfully follow Jesus to the cross? Amen.

 Jeremiah 31:31-34        Hebrews 5:5-10        John 12:20-33             Psalm 51:1-13

Rainbows

 

1 Lent                     Church of the Redeemer            The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

            I thought I might focus on the beginning of our salvation story with the book of Genesis. Not only is it a popular story for all ages but it is vivid in its imagery. It tells the story of our creation, our humanity, and our relationship with God from many perspectives. Top down, we hear about the galaxies, the sun, the moon, and the planets in their courses. Bottom up, we hear how we are formed from dust, and during Lent we are reminded that it is to dust that we shall return.

            There is much talk about the chaos in our world today. Our women’s Bible study group is currently reflecting upon the last book in the Bible, the book of Revelation, and in it, we hear echoes of the Genesis story. On these “throwback Thursday mornings” we read about the tree of life in Revelation, which mirrors the tree of life in the garden of Eden. Old and new prophets encourage their followers to change their behavior before it’s too late. Repent and return to the Lord is a recurring refrain.

Throughout our scripture stories we hear that the world was created by God and yet human beings are destroying it daily. Prophets point to changes in the climate, the violence of wars and crime, plagues and diseases, and the deterioration of organized religion. And yet God promised that, despite our sinful behavior and guilt, God would not destroy God’s creation. God promised us a new beginning and gave us a sign for all future generations, the rainbow in Genesis. Indeed, the author of Revelation writes about a new heaven and a new earth.

            Have you ever heard that phrase, “just wait until your father gets home”? Perhaps not as prevalent today in child-rearing practices, that threat was more common in the days of June and Ward Cleaver. The good wife at home, wearing heels and an apron, supervised their children’s behavior throughout the day, while preparing the perfect dinner and a martini for her hard-working husband. Upon his arrival home from his hard day at the office, he would be greeted with his pipe, his slippers, and the daily paper. If the children ever got “out of hand” before that time, Momma would utter those words, “Just wait until your father gets home.”

            Now what Daddy did when he arrived home may have varied with the person. Unlike today, “time-outs” of silence and reflection upon sinful behavior was not the “rigueur du jour.” Pauses for peace didn’t occur. No, more likely, Daddy may have pulled off his belt for some behavior modification. Banishment to one’s room with no supper may have been a kinder and gentler response. Or a little washing out of the mouth with some soap reminded children about their speech. Often quoting from the Bible, the parents thought that if they spared the rod they would spoil their child. And who would want that? After all, a spoiled child is like spilt milk.

            Some of us have commented during our Bible study of the book of Revelation, how relevant the imagery and the warnings in the Bible seem for us today. St. John’s visions in Revelation are vivid; the end-times will include warnings of impending judgment. There will be earthquakes, fires, and floods. Pestilence and plagues. Unceasing wars and terrorists. Rogue dictators and emperors. “Who can stand during these times of great tribulation?” St. John wrote to the new fledgling churches in Asia Minor.

            Now, while there are many flood stories that are common in religious traditions of all faiths, the Jewish flood story in the book of Genesis was written notably by three, if not more, authors. And it was written during much of the time that the Israelites were in exile in and around the 6th century. They had been routinely invaded by countries all around them; Egypt, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Greece, and Rome. Not unlike today in the middle east, they were in the crossroads of other countries for trade and power, and therefore they often were in the cross hairs of their neighbors.

            For the Jews who fled to Egypt, the Jews who had been exiled to Babylon, and the Jews who had remained in their own country, they experienced great chaos during this time in their lives. They underwent the demise of their government; and their temple and religious establishments were destroyed.They abandoned their cultures and traditions while living in foreign lands, and their faith in God was severely tested. Perhaps these realities are equally true today for many people throughout our world.

It was a time for the Jews of great sadness and loss. Prophets had warned them that their great Daddy, the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of all people, was coming to them in Judgment, but they had ignored their warnings. They had not changed their behaviors. And, when Daddy came home to them in Jerusalem and in their country of Israel, it was painful.

            The story of Genesis offered the Jews some comfort and hope. And the rainbow was the sign of God’s promise for all people. God promises us life, not death; and God, our Creator, will recreate us as often as it takes. Here is my sign for you for all ages, a bow in the clouds that spans all nations and all generations. This rainbow is a sign that includes all colors, covenants, and countries. My bow reminds you of my power that is far greater than yours, much higher than the mountains, and much deeper than the caverns of the earth.

Indeed the gospel of Mark tells us that Jesus is our rainbow; and the time of our judgment was fulfilled in Him. For Christians, the kingdom of God had arrived, and was revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. “Who is this?” the disciples had asked themselves, that even the winds and the waves obey Him?

            A friend recently sent me a story about monks. “A young monk arrives at the monastery and is assigned to help the other monks in copying the old canons and laws of the church by hand. He notices, however, that all of the monks are copying from copies, not from the original manuscript. So, the new monk goes to the old Abbot to question this, pointing out that if someone made even a small error in the first copy, it would never be picked up! In fact, that error would be continued in all of the subsequent copies.”

“The head monk, says, "We have been copying

from the copies for centuries, but you make a good point, my son." He goes down into the dark caves underneath the monastery where the original manuscripts are held as archives, in a locked vault that hasn't been opened for hundreds of years. Hours go by and nobody sees the old Abbot.”

“So, the young monk gets worried and goes down to look for him. He sees him banging his head against the wall and wailing.

"We missed the R! We missed the R! We missed the bloody R!"

 

His forehead is all bloody and bruised and he is crying uncontrollably. The young monk asks the old Abbot, "What's wrong, father?" With a choking voice, the old Abbot replies, "The word was CELEBRATE!” (Not Celibate)

Our own salvation story has not omitted the “R’s” in the original manuscripts. While judgment and punishment was part of the retribution when Daddy came home, Christians will claim that sin and death were destroyed on the cross. In Jesus, we are promised many “R’s”: rebirth and the renewal of our relationships. We are restored to health and wholeness. We are reconciled to God, promised a resurrected life, and the recreation of a garden where there is eternal rest, and the Tree of Life still stands.

            Lent is the 40 days of wilderness when we join Jesus in resisting the temptations that tear us down. Repent and return to the Lord, St. John reminded the churches in Asia Minor. “Repent, and believe in the good news,” Jesus said.

Today, there is a rainbow in the clouds even for us. And the good news of St. Mark is that when Daddy comes home, we will know that our sins are forgiven; we will know God’s gracious love, unmerited and undeserved. This is God’s revelation for us to remember throughout our Lenten journey!

            People of the Redeemer, remember the “R’s”.

Genesis 9:8-17        Mark 1:9-15

Secrets

 

Ash Wednesday     Church of the Redeemer             The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

            In our Eucharistic liturgy throughout the year, we begin the service with a prayer, which is called a Collect for Purity. In it we claim that before God, no secrets are hid, and all desires are known. Now such claims can make some people nervous. I have heard some people actually appalled by this thought, thinking “Oh my God” God knows what I think, as well as my secret desires, and it’s not good. In contrast, other people have confessed that they find comfort in this knowledge. That God knows everything about them and it’s still OK.

            Members of my family have struggled with a variety of addictions over their lifetimes, and as a grateful member of Al-anon, I like the saying, “You are only as sick as your secrets.” Acknowledging that alcoholism is a family disease that feeds on the denial of the illness, while hurting its members, then “coming out of the closet” about what’s really going on inside your own soul and your family is important. Admitting that there is a problem is always a good first step.

            The Ash Wednesday service is our liturgy for coming out of the closet, even if it only means that we go into the privacy of our own rooms and confess to God the truth about ourselves. We acknowledge that our new year’s resolutions have faded like yesterday’s news, we’ve done those things which we ought not to have done, and we’re ready to give it another try. On a very basic level, we admit that we are dust and it is to dust that we shall return. Indeed, Ash Wednesday has been called the day when we attend our own funerals, and there is no denying our mortality. (Feasting, p21)

The late Rev. Marilyn McCord Adams said it best, “Lent grapples with the fact that our human denial systems are very strong. Most of the time we need to think, and we need others to think, we are decent people. The Ash Wednesday liturgy stage-manages us into public exposure; we are not what we seem. Deliberately disobeying the gospel by receiving ashes is a way of coming out of the closet; we are people who are not pure in heart, who do not love God with all we have.” (p24, Feasting) Today, we publicly confess our sins in a very long litany of penitence.

Now, in all fairness, we want people to see us as decent human beings, and we are. However, we all have various wounds and baggage that weigh us down and prevent us from living fully into the beloved children of God that we are. Rather than thriving like a well oiled machine, we survive. And so we need to shake off some of that rust that corrodes our beauty.

Physical temptations come in a variety of shapes and sizes. We may admit that we have been digging our own graves by overindulgence in food and drink, in process addictions like gambling and pornography, for cheating on our partners and on our taxes, for lying to ourselves and to others. We have erred and strayed like lost sheep away from the best version of ourselves and we’re ready to get back on the treadmill, one day at a time, one step at a time!

            There are two other sayings in the twelve step community that are relevant for today’s service. “Fake it until you make it” we say, encouraging better behavior. And yet this is a very different injunction from what Jesus is saying in the gospel of Matthew. He warned the crowd around him, “Do not become like those hypocrites” (read religious leaders). Don’t be a fake, he cautioned them!

Apparently, the Greek word “hypocrite” used by St. Matthew is translated as “stage actors.” When we fake it, we are acting on a public stage to pretend to be a better version of ourselves. We put on masks and too often, when we are play-acting, or managing our stage performances, we will secretly hide our true selves from others. Maybe even from our very own selves.

 As actors on the stage of real life, we can fake it until we make it in good ways. We can pretend to behave better until we do. We can act lovingly even when we hate. We can behave peacefully and speak respectfully, when we really want to tear someone apart. We can give generously even when we’re afraid to let go and let God. We can fast from negativity.

The other saying in the twelve step community is similar. We are encouraged to “act as if.” Hidden behind this pithy little statement are three words that point to the possibility of transformation. Act as if you are a Christian because you are one. Act as if you are a good and decent human being, because you are one. Act as if until you are a better version of yourself until you are.

Transformation involves a process. It’s never a “one and done” kind of affair. When we act as if we love God and our neighbors as ourselves, eventually, over time, and with faithful application to that process, we will change for the better. We will shed our bad habits like the COVID virus, and we will become contagious to others.

Lent is our season for self-examination, repentance, confession, and amendment of life. Now “giving things up” during Lent has been the standard operating procedure. We give up tonic but not the gin. We give up chocolate but not the desserts. We give up swearing but not the gossip. And if we stay on that very superficial level, we will miss the point.

The idea of resolutions and Lenten disciplines is not an exercise in self-flagellation or a temporary amendment of life. Rather, Lent is a time to recognize the truth of our humanity and reorient ourselves to God. We are coming out of the closet and coming clean about our humanity, knowing that we can do better, while putting God back into the center of our lives.

So over time, many people have focused on the positive disciplines of Lent, that is taking on spiritual practices instead of giving up what we consider to be negative drags on our lives. Do it in order to reconnect your life with God, not to show off your holiness or decency to others.

Routinely, there is the age-old argument of whether or not we keep the ashes on our foreheads visible after we leave church. Even before the COVID lockdowns, some clergy had started offering ashes “to go” at train stations, or right in the middle of the market square, claiming it as an evangelism tool. Others argued it was only an inappropriate marketing strategy that was disconnected from the church community and therefore just a “shiny new object” in search of new members.

So what arguments do we make for being public about those smudges on our foreheads? Should we wash them away as soon as we can? Barbara Brown Taylor raises some interesting points. “Whereas St. Matthew presumably wrote for a culture in which religious observance was common, obligatory, and relatively uniform, western Christians today inhabit a culture in which religious observance is peculiar, optional, and decidedly pluralistic.

Therefore, in Matthew’s world, keeping one’s religious practice to oneself would have been countercultural.” And so, keeping ashes visible today would be our new counter-cultural response.

Similarly, Brown makes the point that during the time that St. Matthew wrote his gospel, being a hypocrite meant that one made a big deal about their religious practices, showing off in the market squares how holy and faithful they were. Today however, Brown suggests that the word “hypocrite” bears reexamination. “Detractors of religion now use the same word to describe someone whose practice appears to be nonexistent. In such a changed cultural context, might there be something to be said for wearing an ash cross to the grocery store?” she wondered. (p23, Feasting) In an increasingly secular and non-religious society, we are not showing off but rather witnessing to our faith publicly. We are coming out of the closet.

So, here are three practical suggestions for you today. Be counter-cultural. Don’t wash off the ashes until you are ready for bed tonight. Let people see you as a Christian, however proud or uncomfortable it makes you feel. Confess to God a little secret or a big secret in the privacy of your own room. And if you’re really bold, tell another person whom you trust, knowing that from God no secrets are hid and all desires are known. Finally, take on some sort of positive spiritual discipline, like starting your day in prayer.

This Lent, fake it until you make it and act as if you are a Christian because you are.

 

Matthew 6:1-6,16-21

 

 

 

Demons, Diseases, and the Devil

 Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill            The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

           

          Right from the jump, in the gospel of Mark, Jesus is showing us that he has power. He casts out the unclean spirit of a man who showed up in the synagogue, heals Simon’s mother-in-law in the privacy of her home, and finally returns to the wilderness, where he had once battled wild beasts, faced temptations, and confronted Satan. There he restored a leper to wholeness, enabling him to return to his community.

Mark is suggesting early on in his gospel story that Jesus’ healing power is successful regardless of the location or the opponent. “Mark, more than any other gospel writer, emphasizes Jesus’ miraculous power to heal and to exorcize demons. (Feasting on the Word, p310, P.C. Enness)  Witnessing his power, the crowd also reported that Jesus taught with great authority. “What is this?” they asked in amazement.

Now, according to William Barclay, the scribes had three duties. First “out of the great moral principles of the Torah, they were to extract rules and regulations for every possible situation in life.” Think of our National Church and its General Convention. We elect delegates and give them the authority to create and revise our canon laws and the constitution of the Episcopal Church every three years. We decide about our saints.

Second, “It was the task of the scribes to transmit and to teach this law and its development.” Think of the leaders and teachers in our parishes, here at Redeemer and throughout the world, who follow and teach the guidelines of our faith. And third, “the scribes had the duty of giving judgment in individual cases.” Think of our disciplinary board members who adjudicate cases of clergy misconduct. Elected, they are given the authority to address the misuses of power.

No scribe ever gave a decision on his own, and the scribes would always refer to the Jewish traditions and their religious laws as the reason for their decisions. (Barclay p.32) And yet, according to St. Mark, Jesus steps into the synagogue and speaks with an authority that was not given to him by his leaders, nor by the community around him. He clearly has power and yet he acts alone and with authority.

How was Jesus different from the scribes? He spoke with a personal authority that came from within him, not from the people around him. And St. Mark suggests that He acted with a power that came from above and beyond him, with a clean spirit, that is with God’s Holy Spirit.

 St. Mark recalls that a man, who clearly was “out of his mind” with an unclean spirit, suddenly shows up in the synagogue. Now Jesus didn’t call the synagogue bouncers (read ushers) to remove him from the scene. Nor did he call the local paddy wagon to return him to the desert where the other sick, homeless, and criminal people presumably belonged. Nope, Jesus claims his authority and acts immediately, using his God-given power, to help and to heal.

            People with demons and mental illnesses can be scary and sometimes downright dangerous. Given power to roam freely and without consequences to their behaviors and their diseases, these people can create chaos. They not only hurt themselves but also others around them because they are neither coerced by a power greater than themselves nor are they responding with respect to the authorities in their lives.

Mentally ill people may believe the voices in their heads that encourage them to do harm. Caught in their own cycles of illness, ever growing deeper and stronger, they may live lives of quiet desperation. Misunderstood by family members and friends, they may seek a crowd of similar folks, creating camps of unhealthy degradation and tolerance. They abuse the kindness of others or they isolate themselves from the very people who can help them. They often fall prey to those who abuse them.

            The increase in what seems to be mental illnesses is on the rise and for various reasons. So too is the use of the word “evil.” At the time that Jesus lived, according to Barclay, “the Jews, indeed the whole ancient world, believed strongly in demons and devils. Apparently, in many ancient cemeteries, skulls were found which had been trepanned. That is to say, a hole had been bored into the skull during their life to allow the demon to escape from the body of the man.” (p.34-35, Barclay)

Many years ago a psychiatrist named Dr. Scott Peck wrote a book that became very popular called “People of the Lie.” In it he attempts to understand human evil from a clinical perspective. “After years of interacting with a slew of clients, the author could not escape the observation that some of them are fundamentally committed to the destruction of the lives of those around them in a way that goes beyond normal human misbehavior,” wrote Pastor Matt Herndon. “Dr. Peck builds a psychology of evil, noting its unique characteristics as a mental condition.” (smatteriings.net 6/14/2019)

Today we can point to what seem to be evil groups of people, as well as individuals, who behave in ways that boggle our minds. We may wonder if there really are evil spirits operating in and around us. Is the Devil and his army still using their powers to coerce the harmful actions of humans? Why are there so many books and movies about exorcisms? And why do we have such a strong desire for super powers?

According to surveys, more than three-quarters of Americans hold at least one supernatural or paranormal belief: The most common is ghosts and “haunting spirits” and the belief that “Satan causes the most evil in the world.” (Wikipedia)

Evil is a powerful word that commands our respect. In our own baptismal covenants, we ask candidates if they “renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God.” Do they “renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God.” And will they, with God’s help, “persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever they fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord.” (BCP p.302, 304)

In the gospel of Mark, Jesus is portrayed as both an exorcist and a physician. Jesus uses his power to rebuke, not the man, but the unclean spirit, demanding that it come out of the man. Or as Pastor Matt wrote in his book report, “Jesus didn’t try talk therapy with these people. Using both his power and his authority—which the demons somehow recognized—he lovingly but forcefully ordered them freed.” (smatterings.net (6/14/2019)

St. Mark claims that the man was convulsed, an outward and visible sign of the inward and spiritual battle. If you have ever known anyone who has battled unclean spirits and demons, or illnesses of any kind, the battle is real. And the battle is not only physical and mental but emotional and spiritual as well. Healing is not a simple process. Indeed it never is.

Mark is subtle but from the very beginning of his gospel story he suggests that Jesus is fighting a battle that is going on between him and Satan. Jesus’ war was not just with the little demons and diseases that inhabit our human lives. No, Mark paints a much larger picture of Jesus. He not only resisted Satan in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry but He also finally defeated death and Satan on the cross.

The goal here in all this devilish talk of mine, and the purpose of St. Mark’s gospel in general, is to point to a Higher Power that is greater than Satan and his minions. Using both the power and authority given to Him by God, Jesus was restoring the health and salvation of all God’s beloved children, once and for all.

The Rev. Peter Marty claims that “what the people see in Jesus is more than raw power.” In Jesus, “They witnessed the power of love.”  (Peter Marty, Xian Century, 6/22/2016)   For St. Mark tells us that Jesus incarnated both the power and the authority of God’s gracious love as a teacher, a healer, a physician, and an exorcist. And his power is successful regardless of the location or the opponent. Good news for us today.

 

Mark 1:21-28

 

           

 

Who is Jesus?

 

1st Sunday after Christmas Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill

The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling        John 1:1-18

 

Who is Jesus to you? I’ve heard this question posed by a variety of people in a variety of contexts throughout my life. Who is Jesus to you?

            Asked another way, have you ever wondered about Jesus? I mean really wrestled with the question about who He was, who He is for you, and who He will be in the age to come? People in the first few centuries asked questions about Him, as I do now. Who was Jesus? Was he human or divine? Was he man or was He God?

Unlike the other three gospels, the gospel of John is quite clear. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word became flesh and lived among us in the person of Jesus. The fourth gospel claims that God entered into human history in the person of Jesus to make God known through his words and deeds. Jesus wasn’t just a babe in the manger, born of the Virgin Mary, however. According to John, Jesus also was the pre-existent Word of God, the One who created life with the Father and the One who lived, died, and rose from the dead “so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.” (3:16) Do you believe this?

            I didn’t. At least I didn’t until I too, like John, had experienced Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. I was baptized as a baby and grew up in the Congregational Church, now called the United Church of Christ. As a child, I remember the wonder of Christmas eve services, hustling out to our car in the bitter cold, shielding the light of my candle with my hand against the wind, using the light of Christ to dispel my darkness. I didn’t wonder in doubt back then; I only wondered in awe. I believed as only a child can.

            As many of you know, in my teens, when we lived in Atlanta, my family worshiped in the Presbyterian Church. At that time in my life I wondered so much about God and Jesus that I chose not to be confirmed. And then later on, when I was off to college in Massachusetts, I wondered even more. I became a confirmed agnostic, although during a particularly difficult time in my freshman year, I found myself on my knees in the dark, outside the college chapel, asking God for help. 

Married at a young age, and once again living in Atlanta, I remember asking my next-door neighbor why she attended mass every Sunday. I wondered why she bothered to go to church, especially since our group of “married without kids” often spent Saturday nights enjoying life and adult beverages far into the night.

            Moving once again, back to Massachuestts, where our two children were born, Paul and I wondered in awe at God’s creation of these two little human beings, and so we returned to faithful and active worship in the Episcopal Church. Like Mary, we discovered that babies can bring you to your knees in wonder and awe. Not knowing what it meant, but knowing it was part of both of our families traditions, we baptized our two children into the life of Christ.

            After we settled in Newtown, Connecticut, my wondering about Jesus began in earnest. I wanted answers; and so I began to attend Bible study at the Episcopal Church on the hill. I joined the vestry, and got involved with outreach and pastoral care. Still wondering but growing in my knowledge, I took a 4 year course called Education for Ministry and learned that the early church held three different beliefs about Jesus; and they argued about them for centuries.

The catholic (little c) position claimed that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine. Our Anglican tradition affirms this belief as stated in our Nicene and Apostles’ creeds. The Ebionites believed that Jesus was the Messiah, born of the Virgin Mary and raised from the dead, but that he was not divine. And the Docetists denied the Incarnation, that Jesus only appeared to be human, but was really just fully divine. He looked like us but He wasn’t created like us. Today, these various beliefs about Jesus remain.

The battle raging in and amongst the early Jewish and Christian communities has also raged within my own heart. Who was Jesus and who was He for me? If Jesus was not divine, then why did I worship Him? If Jesus was not human, then how could he understand me? And if Jesus was both human and divine - how could that be, and what was the point? Who was I worshiping anyway? Jesus? God? Both? My wondering had me wandering all over the place. And then one day I heard the words of John the Baptist in our gospel lesson today.

            He declared to me that he knew Jesus. He claimed that this human Jesus, who came before John, also ranked ahead of him because Jesus was there before the world began. John the Baptist testified that no one has ever seen God but that Jesus was the Son of God, who was close to His Father’s heart, and made God known to us by becoming a human being. It was from Jesus’ fullness of grace and truth that we receive grace upon grace, and through Him, we are given power to become the beloved children of God.

Even so, until I became like John the Baptist myself, I could not and did not believe what the gospel of John said about Jesus. I discovered once again in another difficult time in my life that I needed to become like the voice of one crying out in the wilderness - first as one who suffered, then as one who questioned, and then as one who proclaimed as a witness. My journey of faith, perhaps like yours as adults, became a life-long process of suffering, questioning, wondering and proclamation.

Over the years, like many of you, I have become acquainted with suffering and grief. Frequently, I wrestled with questions about the meaning of life and if there is life after death. As a wife and mother, I discovered that as babies and marriages grow older, they not only bring you to your knees in wonder and awe but also in wonder and doubt.

I also wondered about the suffering in our world. As someone who has watched family members, friends, and people struggle with issues of life and death, addictions, and mental illness I wondered as well about Jesus. Although he ate and drank with sinners, did he really know the struggles of humanity? Had he not died in his early 30’s, never having been married, raised children, nor faced the challenges of his mother’s old age, let alone his own? Wasn’t Jesus the one who at his death passed the care of his mother along to his disciple John, and then confidently proclaimed, “It is finished” leaving us all to wonder what he meant?

And who among us has not wondered recently about God and Jesus with news reports around the world. There is suffering and violence in all corners of our globe that are beyond our human understanding and experience. What happened to that other voice of Jesus, who cried out from the cross “My, God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

How is it then that my voice, crying out in the wilderness, has become a voice of one who also proclaims “make straight the way of the Lord”? Quite simply, through the Church. It is in Church that I began to know that the Word became flesh and lived among us, in you and me. It is through the Body of Christ, people like you at Redeemer, and the witness of faith communities everywhere, that I have come to know the true light of Christ, a “light which shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it.” It is through the Church and the power of the Holy Spirit that I have seen His face, heard His voice, and felt His healing touch. I have heard the promise of our salvation in the Word of God spoken in the voice of Jesus in scripture.

Who is Jesus? He is the Living Word of God, who speaks to us daily, sometimes shouting, sometimes whispering, sometimes silent. He is the Bread of Life and the Cup of our Salvation, who feeds our hungry hearts and quenches our thirst for justice and mercy. Who is Jesus? He is the Good Shepherd, who loves us beyond measure, and guides us along the right pathways, even through the valley and shadow of death . He is the Son of God, who made us all the beloved children of God, worthy to stand before Him, and through Him we become heirs of his eternal kingdom. 

Coming to know Jesus, I am a child, once again, who can walk through the cold and bitter nights of winter, carrying my candle in front of me, knowing that the Light of the world will dispel the darkness of the world. Who is Jesus? He is the Word of God, not only telling us about God, but also showing us the Way of Love and the Will of His Father.

Who is Jesus? He is the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation.“Believe in God. Believe also in me,” Jesus said. And with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can.