Wisdom Appears to Us On Our Paths

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

C Lectionary 32 – 12 November 2017

Text: Proverbs 8:1-11; Wisdom 6:12-16

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

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My sermon text today is primarily the reading from Proverbs 8.

A couple of years ago, I had the honor of walking with a family as the matriarch’s health declined and she prepared to die. My friend Vicki’s mother, Prue – short for Prudence – was 100 years old when she died, and Vicki asked me to lead her memorial service.

As we began planning the service together, Vicki brought out notes, written in Prue’s own handwriting, giving us instructions for the service. The notes were written confidently, asking us to sing a favorite hymn of hers. But Prue added one very specific direction for the singing of this hymn: DON’T DRAG.

And that was Prue. Up until the last few weeks of her life, she didn’t drag, and so it’s fitting that she would tell us not to drag, either.

There is wisdom in these words of Prudence, telling us not to drag. “Sing it,” she’s saying, “And don’t mess around. Don’t drag these words about Jesus out of your mouth. Sing. Proclaim. Tell it.” There is an urgency in her instruction.

There’s another Prudence character who appears in several ancient writings as a woman named Wisdom. One of these documents is called the Book of Wisdom. This two thousand year old Greek text, written by an unknown author, describes the character of Wisdom as “radiant and unfading…easily discerned by those who love her, and…found by those who seek her.”

As presented here, Wisdom sits at the gate of the city, ready and waiting to be found by those who are looking. We may not know who wrote about Wisdom in this text, but the writer introduces Wisdom to the reader, just like I would introduce you to someone you don’t know.

 Similarly, in our own Scriptures, the book of Proverbs introduces Wisdom as a woman walking all around the ancient streets - streets that are filled with people. She’s raising her voice, she’s calling out, she’s taking a stand – she really wants us to hear her:

“You are so limited in your thinking!” she says. “If you’re lacking wisdom, you can learn from me – I am Wisdom, in the flesh!”

Why? What does Wisdom offer to us? Why should we listen to Wisdom?

She tells us why – because Wisdom speaks honorably, she always speaks up for the right, and she won’t ever lie to us. Did you hear that last one? In a world that is full of lies, Wisdom won’t ever be untruthful. Wisdom will always say words that are just and straight as an arrow. The words of Wisdom won’t go from truth to untruth back to truth again.

There’s another character appearing in Proverbs – the character that I’ll call Foolishness. Foolishness is the one who leads our hearts off track, and eventually, Foolishness will cast us down – way down.

Last Sunday morning, a small, rural church community gathered for worship, not unlike how we gathered here. Their worship of God was interrupted by horror and injury and death.

In response to this incident, a local group called the Grand Prairie Police and Clergy Coalition held an emergency meeting this past week. The room was full to overflowing with officers and clergy, and one of the Grand Prairie SWAT officers gave a brief presentation on church safety. My own heart was heavy within me as I listened and reflected on the plans we must now discuss and implement in our churches, and in our schools, and really, in every public meeting place - all in order to try to be more safe.

It is Foolishness who leads us to think that all of the violence in our world will go away simply by wishful thinking. Foolishness says that we can have all the freedom we want, without much responsibility or many consequences. 

So where is Wisdom to be found? She’s there, too. Foolishness is seductive and is sometimes noisier, but Wisdom is there, too. Wisdom is found in people who take a stand and say, “We have had enough of Foolishness.” Wisdom is found in those who remind us that the choices we make today shape our world tomorrow.[1] Wisdom is found most of all in the very love of God for us, and in the love we offer to those around us.

Because, if you think about it, Wisdom walks hand-in-hand with Love. And they don’t drag – they walk side-by-side, leading us to action, so that violence and hatred will not win the day. 

If we try to understand Wisdom’s ways, we will learn from them, especially if we remember that Wisdom’s constant companion is Love. There is much in our world that calls us away from Wisdom, and much that calls us away from Love – but we cannot allow the Foolishness of this world to seduce us away from God’s Wisdom. Loving others depends on it.

Out of deep and abiding love for us, God has shown us the ways of Wisdom, and God calls us to live with Wisdom. In the Book of Wisdom that I mentioned earlier, Wisdom appears to us in our paths, and she meets us in our every thought. And so, we find that Wisdom is ready and willing to be a part of our everyday lives – she is ready and willing to be a daily practice for us, to inform our every idea, our every question, our every concern. Wisdom is there, with us.

Over the days, and weeks, and months to come, in what ways can you grow in Wisdom? 

How is God calling you to leave aside the ways of Foolishness and to follow the ways of Wisdom?

Amen.

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[1] An adaptation of a quote one of my church members – Julie Bothun - uses with the high school students she teaches: “The choices you make today shape your world tomorrow.”

What is God Calling You to Do?

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

Stewardship 1 – 15 October 2017

Text: Matthew 22:1-14

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

Have you ever looked at an unshelled pecan and wondered, who was it that first looked at this thing and thought, “I bet if I crack this open, there’s something really yummy inside!” When I was a kid, my Grandpa Woolard always had a bowl of unshelled nuts just waiting there – along with a nutcracker and the little picks to get out all the meat from the shells.

Today’s parable told by Jesus is like this pecan. To get to the meat of the pecan, you have to get through the tough stuff. To get to the meat of this parable, you have to get through the tough stuff. Like many of the parables of Jesus, you can’t just look on the outside and take it at face value.

And this parable has some pretty difficult parts to it:

·      There are these people who’ve been invited to the banquet and they refuse to go. Eventually, they attack the king’s slaves and kill them.

·      The king responds with anger, sending troops to destroy the murderers and their city.

·      At the end of the parable, the king sees a guy who isn’t dressed quite right for the party, and has him thrown out, roughly.

If we take this story at face value, then we can extrapolate that God (who’s played by the king) is a real jerk who’s looking for any excuse to wipe us out.

But I want to break through that tough outer shell for a minute and take a look at the meat inside this parable. The real meat of this parable is found in verses 9 and 10: the king says to his slaves, “…Go out into the main streets, and invite everyone you see there to attend the party.” So the slaves do just that – they go out into the streets and they gather everyone – the good and the bad – and the party is full of guests.

This is the meat of the parable; this is the good news – that the king throws open the doors of his banquet hall to the good and the bad, welcoming them inside.

But we’re still left with that tough outer shell. What do we do with the difficult parts of the story? Why are they even in there, at all?

I believe that this parable uses those tougher elements first, to elicit a response from the listeners. If you were listening when I read the parable, you probably had a response to those uncomfortable parts of the story. Your response might’ve been one of confusion or some anger (what do you mean the guy gets thrown out at the end just because he’s not dressed right?!). But your response at least is a response. This is a parable meant to draw us out of apathy.

But secondly, I believe that Jesus includes these tougher elements to underscore an important point: that there is a seriousness to the call of God upon our lives, and that there should be an intentionality to our response to that call. As far back as our baptisms, God invites us to participate in a life of faith, and what are the possible responses to that invitation? We can refuse, we can make light of it and go on our own way, we can be hostile toward those who call us back to faith, or we can lack intentionality where our faith lives are concerned.

But if the meat of this parable is the good news that God throws open the doors and welcomes us all in, then we should do everything possible to grasp at this good news – everything we can to grow in our lives of faith – to grow as disciples of Jesus. And not only that, but we should also be willing to go out and invite others to join us in our lives of faith.

[Note: Here's where we handed out Ministry Activities Descriptions and forms for people's ministry commitments for 2018...]

·      Stewardship time can be a difficult time. The pastor’s going to ask me for something. You’re right – I am. I’m actually asking for two things: First, I’m asking you to take these home and look them over with intentionality. Pray about these ministry activities. Consider your gifts, and where you feel called to serve. Talk about it with your family or friends. Second, I’m asking you to make a commitment. I’m not asking you to commit to serving in whatever capacity for the next 27 years. I’m asking you to commit to serving in that capacity for 2018. Things change, lives change, our callings change. What is God calling you to do in 2018?

·      
     We will collect these on Commitment Sunday, which is in two weeks, on Reformation Sunday. So, I guess you could say that I’m asking for three things. As part of your commitment to the ministry of this congregation, I’m inviting you – and I’m inviting those who aren’t here today, too – to be here on October 29 to turn in your commitments personally.

Now, of course I’ll take them any way I can get them – in person, via email or phone, or even by homing pigeon if you have some of those around. But I really hope you’ll be here on October 29 to celebrate the gifts we each bring to this congregation. If you look around – go ahead and take a second and look around – think about all the gifts gathered together here, in this room. Think about the gifts of those who aren’t here today, or the gifts of those who you could invite to be here with us. We are gifted and thanks be to God for that.

It is my hope and prayer that – out of thanksgiving to God - we will take these gifts we’ve been given and use them well.

Amen.

Changing Our Minds

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

Lectionary 26, Year A – 1 October 2017

Text: Matthew 21:23-32

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

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Today, Jesus tells us a Tale of a Father With Two Sons. The Father has a vineyard, and he needs some work done. He asks one son to go work, but that son refuses to his face. So the dad asks his other son to go work in the vineyard. That son agrees to do the work.

There’s some backstory missing for us, the listener. We don’t know why the first son changes his mind and goes to work in the vineyard. We don’t know why the second son changes his mind and doesn’t work in the vineyard at all. All we learn is that one son does what the father wants, and the other son doesn’t, in both cases because the sons each change their minds. 

This story is a about a question of will. The father’s will – his desire – is for some work to get done in his vineyard. His sons both clearly know what his will is – but only one of them follows through, and we’re left wondering how the dad dealt with both his sons. What words of thanks did he give to the one who did the work? What words of anger did he have for the son who blew him off?

Once, many years ago, I made plans with a friend to go to a restaurant for dinner. I’ll call the restaurant Rob’s BBQ. Early in the day before we were supposed to meet, while I was at my college job, I changed my mind. I called my friend, and I canceled our plans. I don’t remember what my reasoning was – I do remember that my friend was rightfully angry with me for canceling, especially without a good reason.

After we got off the phone, I felt terribly guilty. I knew we would get past it eventually, but I felt badly for causing this rift between us. I stood by the phone and reflected on the conversation and my guilt. I was standing by the window, looking out, toward the UT Stadium, and from that vantage point, I could see the planes they flew over the stadium – the planes that carry the advertising behind them. The planes would circle over the stadium, come toward where I was, and then return to the stadium. Around and around.

As I stood there, by that window, I took a second to read the banner behind one of the planes that afternoon, and – I kid you not – it had a directive on it: “EAT AT ROB’S BBQ!”

I laughed out loud, took it as a sign in the heavens, quite literally, and called my friend. At first, she was suspicious of my sudden change of heart. But she relented and forgave me, and we went to have a delicious BBQ dinner. Most importantly, the rift in our friendship was mended.

There’ve certainly been other times in my life when I’ve changed my mind and things haven’t worked out so well. You probably have those times, too – can you remember any of them?

"Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven."

Whenever we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we say to God: “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…” and Luther said that when we pray this, we’re asking for God’s will to “come about in and among us.” And that’s the really tricky part, because maybe I want for God’s will to be done in someone else’s life – maybe someone I think could use some of God’s will in their life. 

Then God tries to accomplish something in my own life, and I resist. God’s will is too difficult. God’s will is too challenging. God’s will leads me to try things that make me uncomfortable or that I really don’t want to do. And so I change my mind from “Thy will be done,” to “Never mind, God! Really. I know best.”

When I do that – when I act like I know better than God - a rift between me and God opens up faster than anything. 

That rift is called “sin,” and I sin daily. I sin daily in thought, word, and deed by what I have done and what I have left undone. Do those words sound familiar? From where?

Right – these are from our corporate prayer of confession. If we say them with intention, then as we pray these words, we think about the times we’ve denied God’s will, and we think about the people we haven’t loved as much as we love ourselves. 

I sin daily, even though I know that God’s will for me is to love God with my whole heart, and to love my neighbor as myself. This prayer of confession is like a re-set button, in a way. It’s like that plane that gave me that directive to go eat BBQ, except this banner might read: “Love God with your whole heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

And maybe that banner would be followed by another, reading: “By grace you have been saved. May Christ live in your hearts by faith.” 

And then, while we’re imagining planes with banners behind them, maybe a third one could come behind, saying, “Go and put your faith and love into action!”

We don’t do God’s will to earn our way into heaven, yet we also read in Scripture again and again that seeking God’s will and doing God’s will are important parts of our lives as Christians. And, for all of the modern-day questioning and proclaiming about what is God’s will (and what isn’t) – this I know to be true: God’s will is what God commands, and Jesus says that the greatest two commandments are to love God with our hearts, minds, and souls, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

So when we come to church and say the confession and receive God’s forgiveness, these are not merely words on a page or in the air. Sometimes I have people who aren’t familiar with liturgy ask why we say these same things every Sunday. “Don’t the words lose meaning?” they ask. 

Well, maybe so. But they don’t have to. These words of confession and forgiveness are meant to be emblazoned on our hearts, our minds, and our souls. We don’t always love God or love our neighbor, even though we know this is God’s will for us. 

But, even as the difficult words of confession sink into our spirits, we then hear the next words: that we are saved by God’s grace, and we are given strength by Almighty God to have power through the Holy Spirit, so that Christ may live in our hearts by faith. 

And when we change our minds – and hearts and souls – away from God’s will, God is always calling us back, so that the rift between us can be mended. 

Let us close with words of prayer from our Hymn of the Day, that we will sing next:

“Give new strength to our believing, Give us faith to live your word.”

Amen.

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Hurricanes and God's Vision for God's World

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

Lectionary 22, Year A – 3 September 2017

Text: Matthew 16:21-28

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

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I begin with a brief re-telling of part of our Gospel story:

After Peter made his great profession of faith – that Jesus was the Messiah – Jesus started to show his disciples what was going to happen to him: that he was going to have to suffer, and die, but that he would also be raised to life on the third day. Peter took Jesus aside then, and said to him sternly, “Jesus – this isn’t the plan. This can’t happen to you – it just can’t!”

Jesus was equally stern with Peter: “Be quiet, you tempter! You’re trying to trip me up. You’re only seeing your view of things – what about God’s vision for God’s world?”

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This story shows us just how confused the disciples still are about just why Jesus is there, with them. By this point of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus and his disciples have been very busy. They’ve traveled all around Galilee, and Jesus has healed many people, he’s fed thousands, and, throughout the activity of his ministry, he’s been teaching.

One of the first examples that Matthew records of Jesus teaching is called the Beatitudes – or the Blessings. Jesus says that the poor in spirit are blessed, and those who are mourning, and the meek, and hungry and thirsty, and the merciful, and the pure in heart, and the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted or reviled for his sake. These are the ones who are blessed, Jesus says, and he has spent his ministry showing that to the disciples – well, really, to anyone who is paying attention. Jesus reaches out to the very ones whom society has ignored or cast aside.

So in this encounter between Jesus and Peter, it can seem a little like Peter hasn’t been paying much attention to Jesus' ministry or teachings. Does he really think that Jesus will set aside his ministry to the most vulnerable ones of society in order to become a powerful ruler? Does he really think that Jesus is just going to fall in line with his plan?  In this moment of Jesus talking about suffering and death, Peter just can’t see how suffering and death fit into his idea of what the future for Jesus looks like.

Jesus – this isn’t the plan.

We can understand Peter’s confusion. And at the outset, Jesus’ response to him seems a little harsh – calling Peter “Satan” or “the tempter” - except maybe that stark response is what Peter needs. Peter’s known as the impulsive disciple. He charges into situations and says words before he thinks about them. Jesus knows this about Peter, and speaks directly to him just so Peter can hear what he’s saying: “Be quiet, you tempter! You’re trying to trip me up. You’re only seeing your view of things – what about God’s vision for God’s world?”

So, what about God’s vision for God’s world?

As I have looked at scenes from the Gulf Coast over the past ten days, I have seen glimpses of God’s vision for God’s world. Of course, I in no way believe that Harvey or any other disaster is God’s judgment visited upon us. The devastation wrought by wind and water has been horrific to see, the loss of life and property is overwhelming, and the upheaval of daily life for so many people is difficult to fathom.

I came across a news story about the school where I taught in southeast Houston. This is a K-12 Lutheran school with about 800 kids enrolled, and all five buildings on the campus had a foot or more of water in them. In the story, a reporter was walking around with my former colleague, Sheila, who is now the Head of Schools. They walked the hallways, and all around them were people working. They went into the gym - newly renovated this past summer - and the wood floor is completely ruined. Scores of people were ripping out the hardwoods.

The reporter asked Sheila what her emotions were upon arriving at the school that morning to find so much devastation. And I think she was expecting Sheila to fall apart – to talk about the great losses that the school has suffered. But Sheila instead started with how truly grateful she was for so many volunteers showing up to rip out drywall and flooring, and scrub down furnishings, and clean. 

And I have seen many pictures and heard many stories of this kind of work going on, all up and down the coast. People carrying others through floodwaters, picking up animals in boats, feeding crowds of first responders and flood victims, and, now that the waters have begun to recede, neighbors are helping others clean out their homes, their houses of worship, their schools, and their businesses. God’s vision for God’s world.

And here, as evacuees have begun to arrive in the Metroplex, communities all over are collecting items to help. We did a quick collection here, for two days this past week, and collected the following: seventeen bags of new clothing; five bags of toiletries; seven containers of baby formula; three boxes and one bag of baby wipes; two bags of bottles/sippy cups; five boxes plus one bag of diapers. Plus, for pets, we collected a huge bag of towels, one fuzzy blanket, and four bags of toys and treats. God’s vision for God’s world.

It is as though many communities are living out the words of Paul in today’s lesson from Romans 12: “Let love be genuine;…hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers…Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

It can be very confusing to figure out just where suffering fits in. We are like Peter, at times, telling Jesus that this isn’t the plan. Yet, even in times of suffering, we catch glimpses of God’s vision for God’s world, as we see the love of God shown in action.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

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Collection for Harvey evacuees.