Are You Ready?

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

B Lectionary 21 – 23 August 2015 – Back to School Blessing

Text: Ephesians 6:10-20, John 6:56-69

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

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It’s Back to School time!

By now, those of you with school-aged children have done what you can to prepare for the upcoming school year. You’ve checked and double-checked calendars. You’ve bought school supplies. You’ve met teachers, picked up schedules, bought school clothes, and figured out who’s picking up which child where and when. (Or maybe you haven’t done all this yet but you need to!)

Even those of us without school-aged children in our homes are surrounded by the buzz of Back to School – it’s in the stores, it’s etched onto the faces of parents and children we know and love, it’s even out in our Narthex, collecting little by little for Lutheran World Relief. It’s hard not to get caught up in this season of preparation.

It reminds me of all the stuff we do to get ready for a big holiday, like Christmas or Easter. There are lists and more lists – and when you are a pastor, there are more lists – and there can sometimes fall upon us this sense of despair, this feeling of wanting more hours in the day to make sure everything is covered. And then, when that Big Day comes – whether it’s the first day of school or a holiday – you get to find out what you forgot to do.

Sometimes, all of our preparations simply aren’t enough, because life happens.

This is why our New Testament reading from Ephesians 6 is so appropriate for today, the day we’ve set aside to bless students and parents, and teachers and other school employees before we launch into another academic year.

“Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power,” Paul says, as he’s wrapping up his letter to the Church in Ephesus. “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power,” he writes, and then he must’ve looked up to see a Roman soldier standing there, because he begins naming all sorts of protective gear: armor and a belt, and a breastplate and shoes, and a shield and a helmet and, finally – the one offensive item – a sword.

In other words, he wants the Ephesians to be prepared, for he realizes that there is danger, and he wants them to be ready.

Except, he’s not talking about physical danger. He’s talking about being prepared for the spiritual challenges that they will face, and will face every single day. And in order to be ready, they’re going to need truth and righteousness and faith and salvation – because they are called to be bearers of the gospel of peace.

And this gospel of peace is what all of us are called to bear, too, my brothers and sisters. All of us, from the youngest in this room to the oldest – we are called to bear witness to the gospel of peace – the gospel of shalom – of wholeness – the wholeness that only comes from God.

The world constantly tries to tear apart our wholeness. Our schedules are crazily scattered so that we can barely keep a whole thought in our heads, let alone a whole day to be together, or to do one thing, or to have one focus. And just how are we to manage to keep Jesus in there at all?

Even the disciples of Jesus – the ones who were there, with Jesus, in the flesh – even they had a hard time following him. Jesus says he’s the living bread from heaven, and that those who eat of it will live forever, and some of his disciples begin to complain: “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” Jesus hears their complaints and continues to push back against their simplistic thinking and finally they just can’t take it anymore. John tells us that many of his disciples leave Jesus and stop following him.

So, how are we to keep Jesus in there at all?

Well, in the living out, it’ll look slightly different for each of us, but I’ll tell you what Paul has told us, and that is - it helps to be prepared. It helps if we strap on truth and righteousness and faith and salvation. It helps if we take up the word of God, not as a weapon against others, but as a way to learn and grow as the people of God.

And then, what is the final imperative verb that Paul uses again and again in verses 18-20? Pray. Pray. And pray some more.

Parents, pray for your children as they head off to school each day. Children, pray for your parents, who are working jobs which means that they can put a roof over your head and food in your mouth, and so they can buy you all those school supplies. Grandparents, pray for your children as they parent and for your grandchildren as they learn. All of us need to be praying for our schools: for teachers and administrators, for cleaning staff and secretaries, for all those people who make schools run.

And always remember that, whatever your role may be in life right now, you are called to proclaim the gospel of peace. Proclaim it with your words, of course, but also in how you treat others, how you respond to others, and how you help others. God loves you. Go, and love.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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When Weeping Lingers for More Than One Night...

Weeping may linger for the night,

but joy comes with the morning. 

Psalm 30:5

When I was a little kid, I thought that mourning doves were actually "morning" doves. I remember one afternoon, visiting my grandparents in their New Jersey home, I heard a "morning" dove and I asked my Granny why I was hearing a "morning" dove in the afternoon. After she figured out what I meant, she explained that the bird was called a "mourning" dove because the sound it makes can be so sad.

This entire week, I've been staying at the home of some relatives while they are out of town. I came here for a couple of events and, at least when I planned this trip, I decided the time here alone would do me some good. A retreat, of sorts.

All week long, I've heard the sound of many mourning doves outside: on the roof, right by the chimney, next to the window, on the fence, in the trees. I hear one now, sadly calling, again and again. And this sound has been an appropriate backdrop for the sadness I have felt all week.

I came here already sad. Our beloved schnauzer, Max, died last week, and so it was with a heavy heart that I came on this trip at all. I was terrified to be alone with my grief - so very scared to face alone the gut-wrenching sobs that I knew would come. And they have come, and they have gone, and then they've come back again. Joy may come in the morning, but sometimes, weeping lingers for more than a night.

And then there came Charleston, and deaths so horrific that I spent my alone time in stunned silence, with silent tears, not knowing what to say or do, only knowing that there would be another night wherein weeping would linger, and another morning with no joy.

All week long, I've watched my social media feeds blow up. I've read horrible words that those with racist hearts have said about others. I've seen quote after inspirational quote by Dr. King and I've even posted a few myself because his words have always been anchors for me in trying to understand - as a white person - the racial tensions we face as a nation.

It has all felt empty to me.

And I think that, for me, anyway, the emptiness stems not from a lack of caring - I do care, very much. The emptiness stems from having to stare at this ugliness once again - this particular form of evil, that cloaks itself in righteousness and calls itself holy. For racism is evil, and particularly so when it drives someone to destroy life. The emptiness I've felt this week has come from knowing that there are no quick solutions, there are no easy answers, and there is no way we are getting out of this without more meaningless rhetoric from our politicians and more anger spewing from all sides.

And all I can do is what I can do.

All I can do is speak against racism when I see it and hear it, whether it is an attitude in my own heart or something I witness in someone else's. All I can do is pray unceasingly for those who have no peace, either because of the color of their skin or because of the insidious hatred in their hearts. All I can do is reach out to those I know who suffer because of racism. All I can do is weep for those who have died and mourn for our world which is so very broken.

And all I can do is remember for myself and say again to others that the love of God is greater than our hatred. The love of God is greater than our sin. All I can do is remember again and again that the love of God encompasses us all, so that while weeping may linger for a night or more, joy will - eventually - come again in the morning.

"The Head of our Church is Jesus Christ"

Christ the King and Commitment Sunday – November 23, 2014

Texts: Ephesians 1:15-23 and Matthew 25:31-46

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

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Grace and peace are yours, from the One who was, who is, and who is to come, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Today is the last Sunday in our Church Year, and the Sunday set aside as Christ the King Sunday. This particular commemoration is a rather recent addition to our Church Year Calendar – it was added in 1925, so less than 100 years ago. The goal of taking one Sunday each year to focus on Christ as king was to remind the Christian faithful that it is Christ who is our head, our sovereign, our king.

The problem, for me, is that kingly language doesn’t really resonate with me. I don’t have a king – I never have – and the kings (or queens) who are around today are not particularly powerful. Even if they are influential, most monarchs today are figureheads – and a mere figurehead is not how we should be thinking of Christ.

So, if Christ as king isn’t a helpful image for us in 21^st Century America, what image might we use?

Looking Back; Looking Forward

Come, Holy Spirit!

Reformation and Confirmation Sunday – October 27, 2013

Texts: Ephesians 2:8 (Ryan) and Romans 8:38-39 (Laci)

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

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Grace and peace be with you, from God our Father, and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today we have this combined remembering of our history as Lutherans in Reformation Sunday, and celebrating as two of our young people, Ryan and Laci, affirm their baptismal faith. And so it is a day upon which we spend time looking backward at our history, but also looking forward with great hope.

Reformation Day actually falls on October 31^st – aka Halloween – aka the day before All Saints’ Day. It was on this day in 1517 that a monk named Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to a university church door in Germany. This was common practice of the day – the church door was sort of like a community bulletin board.

Much like some of us might go online nowadays to ask a question about faith or health or dogs or to ask what’s the best way to hard boil an egg, Luther had these things he wanted to discuss and question about the Church’s practices and the pope and how God fit into it all. So he wrote these things down as 95 Theses – or points of debate - and posted them to the community bulletin board, then sending copies to other leaders in the Church.

His concerns created a firestorm almost immediately. The new technology of the day helped with this – things could be printed and copied faster than ever before because of the invention of the printing press. So his theses went viral – spreading throughout the Church and academia.

Now, Luther had a lot to say – I don’t have time to repeat it all this morning. But the root of his basic concerns was that the Church of his day focused heavily on what we were doing to keep God happy. The concept of a gracious and loving God wasn’t preached, wasn’t really talked about much like we might talk about it now. And because most people in Luther’s day were illiterate, they relied heavily on what the Church told them to believe about God.

Most of them couldn’t sit down and read the Bible for themselves – because of their own illiteracy, but also because the Bible wasn’t available in languages spoken by the people. And so, one of the greatest gifts that Luther gave was to translate the Scriptures into German – a language people could understand – and also to encourage education so that people could learn to read.

So, what happened? Well, from the work of this one man and many others, the Church began reforming. Word began to get out that God is gracious, that God is loving. And people who lived in fear and captivity began to hear marvelous words of grace like this: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God”[1] – which is also Ryan’s Confirmation verse today.

Imagine living your whole life in fear and in captivity to the idea that I must do all these things in order to make God happy and to avoid the tortures of hell – only to hear these beautiful words from Ephesians read and preached: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…”

It was life-changing. It was world-changing.

It also wasn’t easy. This change uprooted long-standing structures and there was theological disagreement and the ending of relationships and even war – it was a deeply difficult process to endure. But they did endure, and what became known as the Lutheran faith began to take root in Europe, and then to flourish. And time went on, and as Europeans began to come to the Americas, the Lutheran faith traveled with them.

And so it was the Luther’s basic teachings about God’s love and grace began to take root and flourish here in America – eventually coming to Texas and to Grand Prairie and to Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, and those of us sitting in this room (as well as countless others).

And this grace-filled and hopeful faith is the faith into which you were baptized, Ryan and Laci, and it is the faith in which you have been raised. And so now, with all this history behind us, we say that we are looking forward because today is a step in your journeys of faith - journeys that will continue on, because to be confirmed is really more about you affirming something – saying “YES!” to something that has already been given to you at your baptisms: faith in Jesus Christ and the gift of God’s Holy Spirit.

But something else has been given to you, as well: a covenant, between you and God, and one the things you’ll agree to today is to continue living in this covenant:

to live among God's faithful people,

      to hear the word of God and share in the Lord's supper,

      to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,

      to serve all people, following the example of Jesus,

      and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.

And so that is why we say that today, we look to our past, but we very much look forward, too, because these are things you will continue to do as you continue to grow as the people God has made you to be.

Here’s something else for you: look around you, at these people who surround you. Today, we all make a promise to you, too, to support you and pray for you.

Now, I’ve got a question for you – you’re getting confirmed today – so does that mean that from here on out, everything’s going to be easy as pie and you’ll never face any challenges again, ever?

And that's where your confirmation verse comes in, Laci – “For I am convinced,” Paul writes, “That neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[2]

One of the things Ryan and Laci did to prepare for this day was to come up with some goals for themselves. When the time came for them to show me their goals and for us to discuss them, I was so pleased that, among their goals, for each of them, was a sense of serving others – a sense of living out that very same love of God.

And so, Ryan and Laci, if you hear nothing else that I say today, hear this: You do not move forward alone – ever. You have all of us, today, and in the future, and there will be others – who will love you and support you and pray for you. But more than all of that, you have the love of God, which endures forever.

Amen.

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[1] Ephesians 2:8

[2] Romans 8:38-39