Scriptures for Sunday, April 5, 2020
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Matthew 21: 1-11
(Christ’s Triumphal Entry)
 
Isaiah 50: 4-9
Psalm 31: 9-16
Philippians 2: 5-11
Matthew 26: 14 – 27:66
(Christ’s Passion)

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,
and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!
       Blessed is the one
   who comes in the name of the Lord!
       Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
                                               -Matthew 21:8-9
As we receive guidance from our government leaders to avoid being in crowds— usually defined as ten or more people— I wonder how God would want us to respond if Jesus came down our street today.
I see so much of our faith through the lens of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 25, where he informs us that what we do to “the least of these” sisters and brothers of Jesus, we do to Jesus himself.  So in that light, we look down our street to see who is coming, and we ask ourselves, “Given the current situation, how should I treat these brothers and sisters here ?”
Probably, we don’t need to form a crowd to serve Jesus.  We may not even need to shout out archaic words like “Hosanna!” to please the Lord.  But there will be good things we can do to be a blessing to Jesus and his siblings.
By the way, “Hosanna!” is what people would shout out to leaders who they hoped were coming to rescue them and make things better— it means something like, “O save us!”  So I bet the same thought is a part of your prayers, as we live through these strange, challenging times.... 
Lord, save us!
During our current crisis, some of our neighbors have lost their livelihoods, while other people keep getting the same, fixed incomes.  Some among us are running up extra expenses or running out of necessities, while others of us find we are now able to get by with less expenditure, or we may now have a surplus of stuff that we would ordinarily use up quickly.  Perhaps during ‘normal’ times we mostly saw ourselves as helpers, but now we need more help— or vice-versa.  So we are in new territory, encountering people and events in ways we never did before.
If we were going through the springtime in the usual way at church, for the past three weeks you would have been hearing about the One Great Hour of Sharing (“OGHS”) special offering. 
As I noted above, for some of you, this may not be the time to be giving to national and international ministries, but for some of you, this might be the perfect time to do something to make a difference, while so many things seem so “out of control.”
“The OGHS special mission offering of the United Church of Christ involves you in disaster, refugee/immigration, and development ministries throughout the world.  When a disaster strikes or people are displaced or made refugees by violence or extreme poverty, you are part of the immediate response and of the long-term recovery.  Through OGHS you engage in holistic development programs including health care, education, agriculture, food sustainability, micro-financing and women’s empowerment.  Because the UCC relates in mutual partnership to churches and organizations through Global Ministries and worldwide response & recovery networks, your contributions to One Great Hour of Sharing put you in the right place at the right time for the relief, accompaniment and recovery of the most vulnerable.  You meet immediate needs and you address the underlying causes that create those needs in the first place.  Thank you for your generous contribution.”
Here are two links to videos that explain OGHS:
https://youtu.be/P9GzDb12MW4
https://youtu.be/R3P3I6EGq3c
You may donate to OGHS by sending your offering to our Financial Secretary Dianne, simply marking it “OGHS.”

Meanwhile, right here in the Shenandoah Valley, Page One and Elkton Area United Services (EAUS) are struggling onward, trying their best to serve people who need a hand up.  You may not have realized this, but those thrift stores— in Elkton, Shenandoah, and Luray— have been the biggest source of revenue for our home-grown social service agencies.  And those thrift stores are closed now.  So, if you feel led to make a difference on the local level, Page One (35 North Bank Street, Luray, VA 22835)  and EAUS (PO Box 383, Elkton, VA 22827) will be grateful for your help. 

Volunteers are still needed, too !  “Blessed is ....”

Scriptures for Sunday, March 22, 2020
1 Samuel 16: 1-13
Psalm 23
Ephesians: 5:8 -14
John 9: 1-41

The gospel lesson got this coming Sunday is John 9, the story of Jesus and the man who was born blind.  You have probably heard this story many times through the years, as I have, along with numerous sermons on it and many repetitions of this beloved hymn based upon it:
          Amazing grace!  How sweet the sound
          that saved a wretch like me.
          I once was lost but now am found,
          was blind, but now I see.
That last line comes from the part of the story when the religious leaders were badgering the man whom Jesus healed.  Those leaders were trying to make trouble for Jesus, trying to get the man to say something that would make Jesus look bad.  But what he told them was, “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”  (25)
Try reading John 9 through the perspective of the man who was born blind.  His life must have been full of problems.  Try and imagine all the different troubles.  Through many dangers, toils and snares
                 I have already come....
In John 9:2, Jesus’ disciples were speculating about whose sin led to the man being born blind.  We may be sure that they were not the first people who noticed the man’s blindness and jumped to the conclusion that somebody had done something wrong.  In our world today, we can still be too quick to play the “blame game.” 
But Jesus was having none of it.  He insisted that this man’s blindness was an opportunity to do the works of God.  And he healed the man.
          ‘Tis grace that’s led me safe, thus far,
            And grace will lead me home.”
                       †                 †                 †
Our congregation’s Moderator, Doris Viands received this item through FaceBook and felt that all of us should bear it in mind:
When you hear about “COVID 19,” remember this:
“Christ   over   viruses   &   infectious   diseases”
And when you think of “19,”   think of Joshua 1:9
[The LORD said to Joshua, ]
Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,
     for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

Our Central Atlantic Conference Minister and Associate Conference Ministers have reached out to us with offers of spiritual, personal, and technical support during this time.  They sent me a letter (via email) expressing support for my ministry among you, and also support for our church leaders.  They fully recognize that each of our congregations holds its own autonomy, but they also remind us that we find strength in our solidarity together.  We are not alone.  Far from it.
 
The National Officers of the United Church of Christ, the Rev. John C. Dorhauer, who is General Minister and President, and Associate General Ministers the Rev. Traci Blackmon and the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson published a very thoughtful and loving general letter to the churches about coping and overcoming in the time of coronavirus.  Here are two excerpts from it:
“Even as churches are cancelling worship and moving to online services, the time to be present in our communities is upon us.  Recommended practices of social distancing offer new opportunities for us to be the church that is needed in this time.” ....
“One of the challenges of social distancing is isolation.  How do we exercise more care for one another?  This is a time to consider the ways we can show love for our neighbors within the context of this current health crisis.  Let's pray for each other.  Let's look out for one another, demonstrate care for one another, and simply check in on one another.  A phone call has great meaning and provides a lifeline for those who are alone.
“In closing, please join us in prayer.
Holy God, ever present with us, we are mindful of these times in which we live.  Uncertainty, anxiety, and fear are present among us as we listen to and care for one another in these days.  We ask that Your peace and healing presence be with us, as we pray for and hold each other in love.  We ask Your guidance and direction as we live out Your command to love one another as we are called to love You.  In the name of the one who has called us and prepared us for these challenging days, we pray.  Amen.”
​
Let’s rise to this strange occasion and BE THE CHURCH despite everything, for God’s sake.

Scriptures for Sunday, March 8, 2020
Psalm 121
Genesis 12:1-4
Romans: 4:1-5, 13-17
John 3: 1-17

The old saying had it, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.”  Four days into this March, I have experienced both lamb winds and lion winds already.  I put it down to the confusion of the seasons this strangely mild Winter, most likely influenced by the changes in the Earth’s climate. 
This week I am meditating on some of the Bible’s best-loved verses, including Psalm 121 and John 3.  As with most things we treasure, these passages contain both face-value and a depth of richness and complexity that may be savored over time and be appreciated on many levels, from many perspectives.
Some of you have heard me remark before, about Psalm 121, that many people misunderstand it because of the antique phrasing and punctuation in the classic King James’ Version.  

                                             a photo of Psalm 121
                       the original 1611 printing of the King James Bible
 
I have known several people who loved Psalm 121 because  they  love mountains and hills.   That’s a nice thought, according to our present-day way of thinking, but it completely misses the psalmist’s point. 
Nowadays, living as we do in a beautiful valley rimmed by State and National Forested ridges, we tend to romanticize mountains for their wildness and natural beauty.  Reading the King James Version of verse 1, which the translators 400 years ago chose to end with a period not a question mark, feeling religious around mountains and hills might seem to be the point.
But during Old Testament times, hilltops in Palestine were sites of pagan shrines where idol-worshipers did vile things in the service of their man-made gods.  For a faithful Hebrew, to look at the hills was a challenge, quite uncomfortable.  Looking at the hills reminded Israelites that they were living in the midst of neighbors who did not share their faith in “the LORD Which made heaven and earth,” but who instead ran off to the high places to perform rituals for false gods of earth, sky, and water. 
So for the ancient Israelites, to agree with Psalm 121 meant to take a stand against putting one’s faith in the mountains and hills and the activities that took place there, a stand for the One Creator God who made all of Earth and sky.
John 3 is so deeply beloved by Christians for the doctrine of being “born again,” as well as for the favorite memory verse 16, “For God so loved the world....” 
An aspect of John 3 that I have come to treasure is Jesus’ notion of the Holy Wind.  In verse 8, the word pneuma may be translated both as Spirit and as Wind.  Think of pneumatic and pneumonia: it’s a power which is invisible to our earthly eyes but nonetheless real.  Jesus had just told the Pharisee Nicodemus that he and his fellow Jews must be “born again,” or translated an equally accurate way, “born from above.”  Nicodemus was naturally confused by these strange thoughts.  Then Jesus took the conversation to an even more mystical level, comparing people who are “born of the Wind” / “born of the Spirit” to the natural wind like we experience in the month of March, swirling and gusting and gently wafting in any direction, unpredictably and uncontrollably— that is, only to be comprehended or led by the One Which made sky and Earth.

Scriptures for Sunday, January 26, 2020 
Psalm 27:1-9
Isaiah 9:1-4
1 Corinthians 10:10-18
Matthew 4:12-23
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, [Jesus] saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea— for they were fishermen.  And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.”  Immediately they left their nets and followed him.  As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.      
                                            Matthew 4:18–22
 
In this account, Simon Peter and Andrew were the first two disciples Jesus invited to follow him; then, secondly, he called James and John.  Reading this led me to recall the rest of the story of these four disciples with Jesus.  Then I was reminded that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached about James and John in a famous sermon— a sermon which happens to be misquoted (in stone) at the King Memorial in Washington, D.C..  On February 4, 1968, two months before he was assassinated, Dr. King delivered this sermon at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist in Atlanta, entitled “The Drum Major Instinct.”  You can read the entire sermon at
https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/drum-major-instinct-sermon-delivered-ebenezer-baptist-church
 
Dr. King began the sermon by reading the passage from Mark 10 where James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to [Jesus] and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you ?”
And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”                    (verses 35 – 37)
Here are two excerpts from the sermon that I would like us to consider now.
“Now very quickly, we would automatically condemn James and John, and we would say they were selfish.  Why would they make such a selfish request?  But before we condemn them too quickly, let us look calmly and honestly at ourselves, and we will discover that we too have those same basic desires for recognition, for importance.  That same desire for attention, that same desire to be first.  Of course, the other disciples got mad with James and John, and you could understand why, but we must understand that we have some of the same James and John qualities.  And there is deep down within all of us an instinct.  It's a kind of drum major instinct— a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first.  And it is something that runs the whole gamut of life.”

In the body of his sermon, Dr. King spoke about the many different ways that we humans desire to be Number One, during all phases of our lives.  Then he explained Jesus’ reply to James and John:

“... Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness.  If you want to be important— wonderful.  If you want to be recognized— wonderful. If you want to be great— wonderful.  But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  That's a new definition of greatness....”

“If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long.  And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say.  Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize— that isn’t important.  Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards— that’s not important.  Tell them not to mention where I went to school.
“I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others.  I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.  I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question.  I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry.  And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked.  I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison.  I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.
“Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice.  Say that I was a drum major for peace.  I was a drum major for righteousness.  And all of the other shallow things will not matter.  I won't have any money to leave behind.  I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind.  But I just want to leave a committed life behind.  And that's all I want to say.”

Scriptures for Sunday, December 8, 2019
Psalm 72: 1-7, 18-19
Isaiah 11:1-10
Romans 15: 4-13
Matthew 3: 1–12
It’s beard-growing time again !  No, not so I can play Santa.  It’s for that mysterious wild-man John the Baptizer.  He’s back for another round, this Sunday and next.

Notice John’s left hand folded and pointing in the sign of the Holy Trinity.
Notice John’s staff, which displays a cross.
Notice the camels’ hairs in his garment and his leathern belt— reminiscent of Elijah (2 Kings 1:8).
Notice the man nearest to John thumbing his nose, mocking the strangely- dressed character.
Notice the youngish- looking fellow in the foreground scratching his head:                                                             “Huh?”
Notice the guys with the little boxes (“phylacteries”) strapped on their foreheads in obedience to the law (in Deuteronomy 6:6 & 8).  They are Pharisees and Sadducees, city slickers who had no respect for the wilderness preacher.
You would love John’s sermon:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven draws near!”
“You brood of vipers!  
 Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  
 Bear fruit worthy of repentance.   
 Do not  presume  to  say  to  yourselves,
   ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’;
      for I tell you,
         God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.  
Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees;
   every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit
       is cut down and thrown into the fire.  
I baptize you with water for repentance....”
                                        -Matthew 3:2, 7-11
Searching the New Testament for information about John the Baptizer yields some fascinating little hints as to how important he is in the story of God’s Good News coming to us humans.
For example, it is clear that John had his own disciples, several of whom stayed with him long after Jesus came to John to be baptized and set off on his own journey of ministry (Matthew 11:2, Luke 7:18).  Also, a number of people whom John baptized migrated to other parts of the Roman Empire, carrying John’s teachings as their faith (Acts 18:25 and 19:3).
Jesus affirmed John the Baptizer’s ministry by praising him to his own audience: “What then did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.  This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’  I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John....”                            (Matthew 11: 7-11)
But imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and it is very striking, in Matthew’s gospel, how Jesus began his own ministry by preaching the very same message as John:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven draws near!”     (Matthew 4:17)

God sent John the Baptizer ahead of Jesus into Palestine 2000 years ago, and John made quite a splash (!) there and then.

God is sending you and me (us who have repented and been baptized in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) into our community now to prepare the way for Jesus to rule in people’s hearts.  It is important for us to take our script from John.  Instead of calling attention to ourselves, our assignment is to, like John, point to Jesus:
              “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
                                                Matthew 3:11
It’s all about Jesus.