Living in the Grey

Living in the Grey Sermon Series #8
Living in a Paradox

Rev. Michael Stadtmueller

Sermon Scripture: MATTHEW 6:24-34

²⁴“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
²⁵“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? ²⁸And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you — you of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ³²For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
³⁴“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Living in the Grey Sermon Series #7
Is Jesus Weak?

Pastor Leta Arndt Behrens

Scripture Sermon: MATTHEW 5:38-48

[Jesus said to the disciples:] ³⁸“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; ⁴⁰and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; ⁴¹and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. ⁴²Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. ⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Read here (remembering a sermon is the preached word and this is an approximation! )

We teach our children from their beginnings about the strength of Jesus in the familiar song, “Jesus Loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, we are weak, but he is strong.” Right there for the youngest of minds to absorb into their hearts we say, the love of Jesus is the strength of Jesus. 

And then their little eyes start to grow and become our adult eyes and we may pause and say, wait, really? Because what I see in our world is a kind of love that is lifted up on candy hearts and fleeting emotions. I see that power, strength and might come from staking a claim in what is mine, standing up for myself or my territory or my country. Strength means winning, being in control, and relying on no one else. Those who are pacifists are often seen as weak or afraid and the lines of justice are much more clear when, well, when there are lines, or circles or walls. If these things are true—then Jesus seems quite weak asking me to turn the other cheek, love my enemies, pray for those who are hurting me or ones I love.  

And this is exactly where Jesus turns things around and shows that these very ways of seeing love and power are in fact the ways that we are weak. When we circle the wagons or build walls or stake our claim drawing a line or a box or square or a triangle in the sand, what is the real motivation behind that? It’s fear. Fear drives us to make sure we take care of ourselves, fears drives us to keep others away, fear drives us to do all kinds of things that come across as a show of power and might.

The Love that Jesus brings and seeks for us to live into does not come from a place of fear. Instead, Jesus negates our impulses of competitiveness and self centeredness and brings to light the reality of love being a power. I listened to an interview of two buddhist meditation teachers on the podcast “onbeing” and they spoke of this concept as being from Jesus and also a part of their practice and understanding of fierce compassion or tough love. Love is not about saying, you can walk all over me or I am just going to passively let things happen as they will and then try to paint pretty hearts around it, but love claims it’s power and says I want what is best for you and I will not allow you take away what is at my center. I will hold you accountable but from a place that honors you as another beloved of God while honoring myself in the same way. This kind of love comes from a place of openness and security, a place of strength, a place of power. Martin Luther King Jr has been quoted many times as saying, Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can drive out hate and this quote comes from the practices of mindfulness and fierce compassion that are present in Christian and other religions spiritual practices. 

This kind of love is certainly not made of sugary candy hearts of fluffy, fleeting emotions. This kind of love is difficult. It takes practice, it takes being present and open and mindful and attentive not just to others but to our own inner thoughts and feelings before they come flying out of us. The buddhist teachers also talked about there being a middle space—that it can be pretty tough to jump from hate to love so maybe, they suggest, hang out in ‘not hate’ for awhile, at the very least perhaps not hating your enemy and praying for good things for them will keep them busy enough to not bother you! 

This kind of love knows that loving the enemy—whether the enemy is an outer one like a big scary villain or that annoying neighbor or coworker or fellow student or an inner one; the kind that won’t give you peace or rest—is not for the ways of the weak and cannot start from a place of fear. But instead sets on a course of striving for the perfection that is present in God’s love.  In greek this ‘perfect’ word is telos. Which does not mean moral perfection, but more of a striving for an intended outcome. Rev. David Lose gives a good example when he says, The telos of an arrow shot by an archer is to reach its target. The telos of a peach tree is to yield peaches. Which means that we might translate this passage more loosely to mean, “Be the person and community God created you to be, just as God is the One God is supposed to be.” (davidlose.net)

When we can read the scripture this way, we can see that Jesus’ words are more of promise than command and they are held together. Jesus does see more in us than we see in ourselves and Jesus is asking us for more than we think we can do, and it probably is more than we can do especially on a bad day, love enemies, turn a cheek, pray for those who are causing harm, act in ways of forgiveness even when we don’t feel it? Pretty tough yes. But the promise is still there because even as we are asked to participate in this way in what Jesus calls the kingdom of God, we are not the ones who bring in the kingdom of God. That is Jesus’ job,  we are not asked to do what only God can do. We are asked to strive for the intended goal—strive for mercy, justice, love and grace. 

In our adult education discussion last week on the law, I know sounds super exciting, but really was a wonderful, insightful discussion into how we navigate living together in ways of justice, one woman talked about mercy and justice being held together. She explained, that when we are wronged, we want justice and when we are the one that did the wrong, we seek out mercy. And Jesus is switching that up, he is saying that when we are the ones who do wrong we should be concerned with justice, with making it as right as we can. And when we are the ones who are wronged, we should seek to find a way to be merciful. I think she is right, that justice an mercy are held together and even flipped over by Jesus telling us that we can see things from another angle and we can live out God’s love for the world in ways that hold these two opposites together with the thread of grace that goes inbetween. 

Here is a simple story that happened two weeks ago in a congregation in Denver where that thread of grace was able to be woven in-between people of very different lives. A pastor friend of mine was receiving new members and had just finished the words of baptism for one of them. Then she turned and invited the rest of those joining forward. Throughout the service, a man had been sitting in back, he visually stood out as being new and being someone that had not been with them before—he was rough looking, unshowered, and well not a white person in a room pretty much exclusively of a light skin tone. He heard the words of the baptism and the invitation to come forward and he took it wholeheartedly. Stepped up to the front and announced that he would like his name added to the list. It was surprising and out of order in some ways but he was received and welcomed in as a member of the community. After worship many people surrounded him and brought him coffee and donut and heard him tell his story. It did turn out that he was running. He had stolen a car and caused issues with a girlfriend and yet, people hung in and listened and were open to his telling of his current place in life. Through the conversation he said, “I need to turn myself in, don’t I?” And he was told yes, he did, but that he would not be alone. That he would be helped, that he would be visited in jail and that the promises they had just made to him would remain in tact as he belonged to them now. Mercy and justice. Held together by the people of God in an awkward, surprising, not planned for moment where love showed up and guided the way. 

This is the strength of love. Where forgiveness is not left alone as a certain feeling to attain and where love is not left alone without words and action to keep it’s promises. Where instead, both are held as the way to strive for, the way to live into and the way that takes courage and strength and persistence. So this means we take a deep breath and pick up that rock in sacred space and pray for someone with whom you struggle and let God do the rest. It means we create space in our minds and hearts to counter hate with love; It means that our love, our prayer, our trust in Jesus is our strength and so we can continue to sing with confidence, “Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong. We are weak, but God’s love is forever strong.” 

Living in the Grey Sermon Series #6
Forgiveness? Seriously?

Rev. Michael Stadtmueller

Sermon Scripture:

MATTHEW 5:21-37

[Jesus said to the disciples:] ²¹“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ ²²But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. ²³So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
³¹“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³²But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
³³“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ ³⁴But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, ³⁵or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”

Living in the Grey Sermon Series #5
Am I Offensive if I Talk about Jesus?

Pastor Leta Behrens

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 5: 13-20

Am I offensive if I talk about Jesus?

To get at that question let’s first think about the word ‘offensive’ because it has several layers of meaning: to cause someone to be deeply hurt, upset or anger—or also just a sense of deep unfairness like when we were training for a run and I had kept my mileage steady throughout the year and Pr. Michael didn’t run for 6 months and then just started one day and STILL could run faster and further than me;….

Offensive also can mean something really disgusting-like the congealed milk at the bottom of my coffee mug sometimes;

it can also mean to act aggressive or to attack—this can be a sports or military term to use your offense—something we hope the Broncos can pull together next season. It can also be an organized or forceful campaign to achieve something—often this is in reference to political or social actions. To go on the offensive is to take a position and execute it, play it, live it to the fullest extent.

When we are thinking about who we are as Christians and core of who we are—beloved of God, redeemed by grace, sent to live out this mercy and grace in the world, we can think of this as an offensive approach, a sending, a commissioning to the world in love. That we are not called to be passive or to hide who we are but to live into the light of Christ that guides us.

And yet to be offensive would not be the goal. The goal is not to cause hurt or harm or force others into a defensive position. The goal is certainly not to be disgusting or attacking and while we are an organized community who at times must stand and speak clearly the blessings of Jesus we heard last week in the beatitudes to the poor, outcast, and marginalized;  the goal of our mission in Christ is to open up doors, not close them. To honor and hear our neighbor, not shut them out.

So when we consider how we talk about Jesus, we bear in mind our identity, the promise of Jesus, and the opening of hearts and minds through our actions, words, and love.

As a pastor, I would say my experience of simply stating what I do for a living has at times unintentionally offended people or at least put them off a bit or made them uncomfortable. When my kids started school, I was not the mom the other moms hung out with. I am often caught off guard with the stares or looks when I enter a store on Sunday afternoons until I remember what shirt I have on and try to smile brighter! When we moved into our home in Wellington, we were greeted fairly warmly by a few neighbors and then once my love of Jesus was revealed.. well we have not seen them since. Before you feel sorry for me though, it has probably saved me from much angst of being on the HOA !

Still,  I did not really consider my profession offensive until Sophia started high school and started making new friends of all different kinds of backgrounds. First off that her mother was a pastor and her father a science teacher was mind blowing to some. How could that possibly be right? Science and faith going together? Of course this utterly confused her because our faith does not dismiss science nor does science dismiss the mystery of faith. She has grown up in a different worldview than what is ‘out there’ about Christians. But the most confusing statement that was said, was ‘oh wow. so your mom since she is a pastor must really hate a lot of people-don’t Christians hate Muslims and gay people?’

Whoa. Ouch. That really put me on the defensive, it is so not me, how could anyone thing that. This is the first thing that came to mind for this young person about religion? Heartbreaking. Fortunately, another friend of hers who knows me said at that moment, ‘what, no, she like loves everybody, it’s true, she put up with me on a choir trip.”

This is not just out there for pastors, it is a part of the world we live in. A part of how Christians are portrayed and a part of how some forms of Christianity actually do believe and practice. And it is offensive, it’s offensive to the gospel, it’s offensive to those who end up on the side of persecution and it’s offensive to our Lutheran understanding and theology about who we are and who God is in this world.

A friend of mine in Oregon has had a podcast/radio show for a few years now called Stumptown Christian. Stump town is a local nickname for Portland and she brought  many different spiritual, religious, faith-filled, speakers on her show. Recently she has stopped all together and is regrouping to change her name—not because she wants to change focus but because she does not want to have anything to do with the name Christian. She feels that in her time and place it turns people away, it communicates something of division and not unity and so she wants to get rid of the label that she sees has harmful.

While I have empathy for this response, I also want to challenge it. Shying away, backing off from who we are is like taking that light and shading it a bit under the basket. Now is not the time for silence. Now is not the time to throw in the towel and become something or someone else. Now is the time to claim our voice and our ears and our passion and our message of the grace that comes through Jesus, the open doors that come through Jesus, the refuge for those who are weary or hurt or outcast that comes through Jesus. And yes, this might be offensive, that God’s grace is open and leaves no one untouched. God’s grace can be offensive because it declares that You did not DO anything to be a part of it. There is actually nothing you control about God and God actually works beyond our human perceptions and strips of our egos and our consistent efforts to make things fit how we want them.  Grace is offensive because it goes out in front and lives God’s promise of love and mercy all the way, to the full extent.

AND you are called to bear witness to that offensive grace. In her book, Reclaiming the L word (L word is Lutheran), which we will be reading in Lent and encourage you to join a small group, author Kelly Fyer, asserts that the world need what we have to offer and Silence is not an option.

She writes, and I am paraphrasing,  “On Palm Sunday Jesus says that no one can be silent because even the rocks will cry out in the name of God. Jesus tells us “ You Will be my witnesses. Your Job is to tell people about me and invite them to come and get to know my Father. Your job is to feed my sheep and care for those in need and heal the sick and share with everyone who will listen to you the joy that come from following me. Your job is to be my hands and my feet, to be the salt that changes the way everything tastes, to be a light that shines in the darkness of the world…. The church may be the only organization on the planet that exists entirely for the sake of those people who do not belong to it yet.”

This reminds me of many years ago when my husband and I were traveling with a friend in Namibia, Africa. We took an overnight train to Swakamound to avoid the heat of day and did not know until we arrived that the train stops literally in the middle of nowhere. Just ends on a platform in the desert. Others who got off had arranged rides and before we knew it we were alone, in the dark, on a train platform in the African desert trying not to image the animals that might be out looking for dinner. We could see the lights from the city in the distance and we could see which way the cars drove off into the darkness. And so we walked towards the lights, about 5 miles we guessed later, just watching the lights, letting them guide us and reach out to us like an oasis and promise of refuge.

This is an image I carry with me of the church, of Jesus, of why our faith matters and what it looks like to be a city on the hill, light in the dark, salt for the witness to the gospel.  We are light reaching out for those who do not even know it exists yet. We are a refuge, a witness to the promises that Jesus makes. The promise is that YOU are the salt of the earth. The gift is You are the light of the world. Total, complete blessing and statement of who you already are and what you already have to offer. Think about where in the past couple of weeks you have been used to be salt and light, to offer refuge like a city on a hill. Was it words of encouragement, volunteering, faithfully working at your job or learning in your school? Was it hugs given out or listening well to another person’s pain or struggle? What prayers have you offered, what organizations have your supported? How we are salt and light together may look differently daily and person by person, but how we show up and speak up matters not just for our own selves or our own community but for the offensiveness of the gospel. There are big ways and smalls ways that we do this  And as theologian David Lose says, Yes, any of these things may seem, in and of themselves, small. But please don’t forget: small is what God most often uses to change the world.

Will you offend others by talking about Jesus. Maybe. Are you called to live that promise of Jesus to the full extent. Absolutely. Silence is not an option. And the noise that we make by acting in Love, speaking with Grace, Listening with open hearts and minds is the very noise that changes us, opens us, and sets us free.

Living in the Grey Sermon Series #4
Are Jesus’ Teachings in Black and White?

Rev. Michael Stadtmueller

Listen Here:

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Read here:

Former Bishop Bob Miller was a long-time member of our church who died early this morning. Bob was a strong man whose body failed him in recent years, but he taught me something about living out our Christian lives. There was a time not so long ago when he sat as bishop with a church in California that was pondering closing it’s doors. The community had changed into what seemed like a war zone to many of its members. It was in the heart of gang territory. Poverty had overwhelmed the area and crime had become the number one industry. Members first moved away, and then stopped coming altogether. Those left had a very real fear. Can we stay open? Is it safe? Can we afford to interact with these people any longer, after all the crowd had changed. Their first instinct was driven by fear. Close the doors, move away; but the Holy Spirit asked them to ponder the decision longer. Bob and the group were wrestling with the words of Jesus. No one would blame them for closing, but was this what God was calling them to.

Today there is a thriving mission church in San Bernadino, California. In that place where they pondered closing the doors are a mix of homeless drug addicts (some rehabilitated, some not), illegal aliens looking for a safe place to rest, and families some who have gang members some who don’t). The church that feared staying there is now blessed by its relationship to the people there. There are 15 homes now owned by the church. They provide transition housing for those trying to leave the streets and to Aids patients. There is a medical clinic that they have now given away to another organization that provides care for people of the area. There are after-school programs for children in the area, and their are meals provided for those who need them. In the winter months the church floor is opened up the homeless community to offer a safe warm place to sleep. It’s choir balcony is now a place storing clothes for the poor that are sorted weekly. The Sunday School rooms have classes that teach English.
The focus of the community had to change, but they knew the church could not abandon God’s people where they were.

As we ponder living the gray again, we turn to the bible and look at Jesus and ask…Are Jesus teachings in the gray too? Can we say that we don’t know what to do?

And as we turn our ears to Jesus himself, we listen…but we actually find as we read through the scriptures what Bishop Bob Miller found…. No, it is pretty hard to misinterpret Jesus here. Jesus, in his teachings, doesn’t beat around the bush. And it isn’t just today’s teachings.

In other areas of the scripture we have the disciples asking for clarification on some of these very issues. From Matthew 25 Jesus said Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or
thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we
saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you
clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and
visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

You see the gray in our lives belongs to us not to Christ Jesus. It is our struggle to live out the gospel message that is Gray, to know how to respond in this world, the how?… not the what that is our struggle. It is our struggle to overcome our fear and be God’s people in this day, and in this time.

The danger of living in the gray is that we can be frozen into complacency and apathy. Our fear can bring us to build walls to those who are different from us. This place without clarity and a struggle to know how to act and respond in our world is where we find ourselves today. If it is all in the gray. What are we? Who are we?

But though Christ enters the gray, Christ presence is clear as to where it goes.

Don’t let gray paralyze you. Don’t let gray be an excuse not to act. Step out in love and trust in God’s grace. The “how are we going to do this?” is something we are challenged to respond to. The freedom in Christ Jesus is that God’s Grace is challenging us to action, not perfection in our actions.

I want to end with another story from Bob Miller I remember this strong man battling dementia and saying to me, “You see Michael when we die we proclaim to the world that we believe in the ‘sure and certain hope of the resurrection’. Almost crying he said, “We end our lives resting on a hope!” Bob reminded me in that moment how even in death we rest on a precipice of hope that God is real. But I would like to change Bob’s words that day to
something I can say to you, “When we live, we are called to proclaim the world that we believe in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection. We rest our proclamation on a precipice that God is real. Are we doing that today? Amen

Living in the Grey Sermon Series #3
Who are God’s People?

Listen Here: (Read below)

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 4:12-23

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he 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.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Read here (remembering a sermon is the preached word and this is an approximation! )

The end of our children’s sermon is a great place for us to begin. Because the message that all the people are touched and blessed and a part of God is beginning with the end in mind. Answering the question, who are God’s people with the answer-all the people is not a platitude or an oversimplification of the Gospel. Instead it sets the course, shows us where God goes and where God sends us and then beckons us to step back and work towards living this promise in our own lives.

Beginning with the end in mind is a strategy of journey and process. Teachers use it with their students in preparing to write papers or do projects. Business use it to create goals and give their employees focus and direction. Health and fitness experts use it as a way to get you to envision what it is you want—to run faster.. to feel better.. to be able to touch your toes and then set you forth with a plan that is built around that end, that goal, that desired outcome.

Jesus sets forth throughout Galilee in the same way. He has the end mind-an end that catches all the people up in God’s love, mercy, and story and makes the kingdom of God something that is close and real and near. But he too backs up and starts at the beginning. He comes to Capernaum and makes this small fishing village, probably about 1000 people, his homebase. He could have chosen a bigger city one with more amenities and more people. He could have chosen a place more like Jerusalem, a seat of power and activity and those with influence. But instead, he picks a place with the more marginalized people, those working hard for their living and for their life, those who didn’t have a big voice in the world where they lived.

It is here that he begins with fishermen out doing their ordinary job and calls them up to be those who begin to follow him. Notice, Jesus does not promise them power or wealth. He doesn’t promise them a bigger home or a more prosperous amount of fish. He doesn’t even at this point promise them heaven or forgiveness of sins. He just calls them to come and follow and see what happens when they turn their lives toward God to become fishers of people. Fishing was a metaphor in the ancient world that was used as way to talk about transformation—bringing people out of hiding and into the light of their community and also teaching them, moving them from a place of not knowing to a place of wisdom and action. Somehow, Peter, Andrew James and John hear this call and they get this spark, this fire in their belly to follow and see what happens to be transformed and to be a part of transforming others.

Have you ever experienced this kind of spark or movement towards transformation? This desire to know more, see more, follow something or someone in way that starts to move you from one place to another,t hat starts to transform you. I mean, of course you have, you listen to Pr. Michael or myself preach every week so you totally know what I am talking about….

The Spirit of God caught them up in the job that Jesus gave them to do. To go and fish for people, to spread this news of the promise that the LIGHT had come to DWELL and LIVE and BE among them and to transform them from a place of darkness to a place of light. And from this home base, this little fishing village, this place of no one big or important or elected or appointed or wealthy becomes central to the spreading and movement of the gospel. This is where the vision of God starts and it is from here that it spreads further and further.

It reminds me of the image of how we passed the peace at the Middle School Youth Gathering last weekend. The worship leader invited two youth forward and gave them a blessing of peace by marking the sign of the cross on their head. Then he told them to go out to the front row and share that blessing with two people. And then those two shared with two and so on and so on. And it took a moment but as soon as the movement caught on it was a cool sight to see, especially from the front, this blessing and peace move through the crowd of 400 people gathered like a physical wave of God’s grace coming to touch each and every person.

For the followers of Jesus then, the spark, the story, the movement of the spirit began like that, with just a few, in their hometown. Then, they began to live it out right where they were. Then the disciples, starting to move to the territory around them. They were sent into Galilee and God placed in their path people they did not consider to be a part of their story—the gentiles. The gentiles was kind of a catch all phrase for anyone ‘not Jewish’ or ‘outside of the kingdom of God’ but here is Jesus, teaching, healing and touching and dwelling and being with the gentiles, telling the people that they too are caught up in God’s net. So this spark begins to transform again as the disciples go to those on the outside and accept them as they are and share with them the blessing and grace of God.

The Christ followers then were called to take the people as they were, just as they themselves had been called just as they were—ordinary fishing people from an ordinary town sent with a purpose. This As Is idea had been a part of God’s vision from the beginning. Peder Eide, the musician for the gathering, caught the crowd up in many songs but in one in particular seemed to hit home with the youth was a song called As Is. The lyrics go through all the people in the Bible that God called up just as they were—

Moses was a stutterer, David was a murderer, Jeremiah’s suicidal, naked in the street

Paul-y had a problem with specifics left unsaid,

Timothy had stomachaches, and Lazarus was dead.

Samson was a long-haired, arrogant womanizer

Rahab was a scarlet-courted lady on the street

John the baptist eatin’ bugs and honey on his bread

Gideon a scaredy-cat, Lazarus was dead

Chorus:

As is, as is, He chooses us as His

As His, as His, infuses us as is

Never ending love transcending on our weaknesses

No excuses, He uses us as is

This is a great message for youth and really it is a great message for all of us with that unsure, afraid little kid that can sometimes still live within us and tries to convince us that there is no way that God would use us just as we are to dwell with the people among us and live as the children of God we are.

Who are God’s people? All the people—all the colors, all the genders, all the sexualities, all the politics, all the religions, all the countries. Who are God’s people? You are the people of God and you are called and sent, just like the fishermen, As you Are to live into this journey that points us towards God’s vision for the world in the here and in the now. The kingdom of God is not about tomorrow, it is not a story for just our ancestors or some future generation. It is a story of now, It is a truth of now.

I will admit, our here and now has it’s ups and downs for us personally and as a community. Whether you were cheering on inauguration day or part of the crowds that marched yesterday, whether you are native or foreign born, whether you are strong and confident or frightened of what may come in your future—Jesus calls you to the same end— that the first calling, the first priority is to first be Christ Followers—giving voice to the voiceless, living amongst the people, using our gifts, our brains, our money, our energy first to live into the call of God just as we are and just where we are. Living Micah 6:8—do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God.

This part of living in the grey is one where we know that we cannot always see the end and also one where we know that God’s vision is catch up all people.. knowing we do not pick and choose who God puts in our path or whether we will turn to go towards them or if they will be placed in front of us like a rock to trip on. But also knowing that we have the light of Christ with us always, the promise that this light shines and no kind or amount of darkness will overcome it. This is the home base we live from. This is the journey we live into. This is the promise that we are caught up in God’s Spirit and set free to live it.

Living in the Grey Series Sermon #2–

Did God have to sacrifice Jesus?  Rev. Michael Stadtmueller

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John 1:29-42

Living in the Grey—Why do we Die to Live?
Matthew 3:13-17 Rev. Leta C Arndt Behrens

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We begin a new series today-Living in the Grey, throughout epiphany we want address how these stories we will hear speak to how we live as Christians in this time and place in history. Much of what we see and hear about Christianity ‘in the world’ through the media, defines us in very black and white terms—this is from the expression that said if it was in print then it was clear and well defined. These ways we are described are not always true and they are often not how we actually live or express our faith.  Defining who we are, or who we are not, as Christians is seldom black/white. We still search for meaning and for definitions of who we are. We still long for knowledge of how to best life our lives. Living in the Grey is about the reality of what it means to continue to struggle, as all generations have, to live into God’s definition of life instead of our own or the world’s.

Our question today, why do we die to live, centers around baptism and how Paul writes in Romans that we die in baptism with Jesus and raise to new life. There are some who struggle with this story of Jesus being baptized. A very black and white definition of baptism states that it is for the forgiveness of sin—original sin that is a part of who we are as humans and if Jesus was sinless, then why would he need to be baptized? And Jesus baptism is in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. So it was remembered as significant in the life of Jesus. And so here is a first step into the grey—where we open our ears and hearts to the telling of Jesus’ baptism, not as a way to get a black and white definition of what happened that day, but instead as a way for us to understand how God is revealed—shows up—then and now. We ask the question—What are the definitions from the world that Jesus was releasing from himself and what new revealing definition of God does he bring?

We just celebrated Christmas, the declaration that God is human-a very big way for God to show up. God becomes human and takes on a new name—Emmanuel, God with us,  and in the baptism of Jesus, another naming occurs—God names Jesus: Beloved. Naming is powerful and important in scripture. Names are given and changed to show a new thing is being done. Our names connect us to our past, history of our families, they ground us in the present as we live out and into our name,  and they indicate a future, an ongoing tie to generations to come. One of the most powerful naming stories I have been a part of was a young girl here who was adopted into a family and then able to be baptized. This child had lived in several foster homes and had many ups and downs in her few years. So when she was adopted and made into the daughter and sister of a forever family she wanted a new name. I am not sure what she experienced in having this desire, but when she told me, I was overcome with feeling that the Spirit was here, that God in this name change really was showing up to do a new thing in her life. With the help of her family, she picked a new name and in her baptism her new name was announced and the waters poured on her head were waters that renewed and sealed her new life. Still, that was not the only name or the most important name she received that day. She also received the name- Beloved.   

Yes, Baptism washes away sin, Baptism ALSO promises ongoing forgiveness of sin and relationship with God. These are both central and vital to our understanding of baptism as a sacrament. That this is a way that God is still showing up. But baptism also provides something more: a name – Beloved – a name that is not a description, it is a definition, an identity – child of God, one to whom God promises to remain committed to forever, sealed and marked with this love always.

We live in a time where I dare to say that this name Beloved has never been more important. There are so many voices, entities, governments, companies wanting to name us and by that name define us: American or foreigner, liberal or conservative, rich or poor, in or out. The products we buy and use seek to do the same thing; are you an iPhone or android, starbucks or dutch brothers, a nike or adidas, the list can go on and on. While all these things are not good or bad in and of themselves and they may even describe us in one way or another, they also try to lay claim on us in a way that can t push aside the spirit of God. All these brands, all these labels, all these ways of being named and identified have the potential to suck us into believing they are truth about us.

The thing is, that this is exactly what we die to in baptism. We die to the idea that things of the world define us. We die to the idea baptism is just a nice quaint ritual that we do for the sake of our grandparents. We die to the idea that we are separate from God here and now. We die to the idea that God is less and we are more. And instead, as Jesus is raised to life, we are raised to a life that is first blessed, held by the  Holy Spirit and defines us as Beloved.

Baptism matters because it tells us again and again who we are and whose we are. This definition is not once, it is daily, it is all the time. The very next verses in Matthew tell us of Jesus being led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tested— after he is baptized, after he is named. When we remember we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, when we remember that we too are named Beloved, then we can live and face all life brings, knowing we are God’s child and that everything else that competes for attention and definition and loyalty is far less than who we really are.

See, Living in the Grey does not mean not being clear on anything—we are quite clear on who and whose we are. Living in the grey, means living into all the possibilities that God lays open for us in life here and now.  Living into this kind of definition is not easy. It takes practice. It takes showing up and reminding yourself that God shows up too. Sometimes it takes physically putting water on your head and repeating the promise, I am sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the Cross of Christ forever. It can take knowing that we are often conditioned to see the negative, focus on the negative in ourselves and others and being conscious to express gratitude. It takes turning those negative thoughts and feelings that churn inside, you have your own, but things like: I am not lovable, I am stupid, I don’t have enough, I am worthless and interrupting them and turning them around to what God says: I am infinitely loved, I have a mind of Christ, I have all I need, I am precious and honored in God’s sight. Living in the grey, it does take practice, it takes being awake to ourselves and the Spirt of God. Also, it means we have a place to rest, a promise to hold us. Rest in the awareness that you are already and forever without any effort or doing or achievement or anything on your own part, a beloved child of God.