Living Faith Lutheran Church

Living Faith Lutheran Church Living Faith Lutheran Church is a member congregation of the ELCIC. We celebrate communion every Sunday at 11a.m.

11/30/2015

SERMON – Pentecost 25

Let us pray … Loving God you have spoken to us through the prophets and the evangelists and the apostles … and yet we can be led astray by new voices who preach another way. Still the curiosity within us which seeks always to take the easy way and strengthen our hearts that we might more closely follow the path which Jesus has laid before us. Open our hearts to your truth and set them on fire with your love. Amen.

Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and from our Lord Jesus the Christ.

In Mark’s gospel Jesus proclaims a path which leads us on a difficult road of service, suffering and sacrifice, following the one who pursues this path out of deep concern and love for the least of us all. It’s a gospel concerned with living in community, caring for the other as much as for ourselves and our own. Jesus warns us that anyone who proclaims a gospel which offers another path, avoiding the difficult way - is a false prophet.

In today’s gospel lesson Jesus speaks of signs and rumours – and you know the thing is none of that which he lists off is news to any one of us – nor to the disciples he was speaking with face-to-face. It was all happening already – in their day – and in ours. Jesus was reminding them that we all live in the prelude to the end of all things – the trick is that no one knows just when it will happen – so he encourages us to live as if it will happen in the next moment.

Then Jesus speaks about “false prophets” who will come in his name – either saying they speak for him directly or are his actual reincarnation. Now these statements could be taken in many and various ways. You could say, “Well in that case pastor – I don’t have to listen to a word you say.” And if I ever said that I speak now directly as Christ’s anointed voice then you would be right – or that I was the returned Christ then I would expect you to rise from your seats and es**rt me from the premises – but I don’t ever presume that to be the case. There are times I feel inspired by the Spirit – but never that I embody any of the persons of the trinity. The problem can arise when, as the preacher, I no longer see myself as the instrument, but as the player.

God picks the tune, rosins the bow, picks up the instrument and plays the tune God knows you need to hear. So what is that tune this day? With what song has God filled my heart that I might sing it you as I preach. Today I feel it is a song of caution – awareness – and thoughtful faithfulness. Jesus words to the disciple don’t only speak of human beings who can lead us astray – but all the influences in our society which can muddy the waters and intentionally or not – lead us from the path we follow. In our post-modern society there are so many ideas and desires which compete for our attention that it is easy to get lost – to get diverted - Jesus reminds us here that it is up to us to be spiritually aware of our world – and what is going on in it.

If you watch the nightly news and take it all in at face value – then you could easily conclude the world is no longer going to hell in a hand basket – it is now on a bullet train. When you watch the nightly news and look and listen to it through the lens of the gospels you discover that all of this despair and suffering and oppression is happening because love has been left out of the equation and replace with greed, avarice, lust for power and domination. It has always been thus – but there are hopeful signs – leaders emerging who are not quick to rattle the sabre but to extend the hand of peace and friendship and sincerity.

Remember that Jesus said that all these signs were but the signs of the beginning of the end and not the end itself. As long as this is the case then there is hope that the kingdom of God can be established in this world in this generation – and it is up to you and me and everyone we know to bring it about.

This is not a time to stockpile canned goods in a cave or in the basement and then go sit on a mountain top and wait for God or try to hitch ourselves to the tail of a comet. No - Jesus tells us today that this is a time to forgive and to seek reconciliation. It is a time to reach out in love to our neighbour. It is a time to stand up, and speak out, share through word and action, our beliefs. Today - right here - right now - is the day to bring in God’s kingdom. For we have heard the word of God - spoken to us through the life and death and life again of Jesus the Christ. And THAT is what we are called to do, by and for our God, in today’s gospel lesson. God expects and hopes for nothing less.

Amen.

11/30/2015

SERMON – Pentecost 22

“Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.” – Mark 10:52

On one level, the story of blind Bartimaeus is very simple and straightforward. Bartimaeus has heard of Jesus. There has been much talk in his village of the new rabbi’s preaching and teaching and especially his healing. Based on what Bartimaeus has heard, he has come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the “Son of David.” When he hears that Jesus has come to his town, Bart makes sure he is in a position to meet him.

As Jesus comes near, Bart makes his presence known, shouting out his belief that Jesus is the Chosen One, and asking for mercy. The usual group of “protocol police” try to get the unruly beggar to hush – but he simply will not be quiet. Bart continues to shout. Jesus hears him and tells the people to let him through. When Bartimaeus comes, Jesus commends his faith and heals him.

It’s a simple story, one that follows a pattern we have seen so many times in the stories of Jesus. Except for the fact that Mark gives the blind beggar a name, and that the name is a Hebrew-Greek combination (bar-Timaeus, or “son of Timaeus”), there is nothing very unusual or noteworthy about this story.

Well, nothing except a life that is changed forever. I’m not talking about Bartimaeus being healed of blindness, though that is, in and of itself, quite spectacular. No, I’m talking about a person finding something to give his life to. I’m talking about a person who begins to see, not only physically, but also spiritually. I’m talking about a person who has found a cause to which he can give his life. For, not only did “blind Bartimaeus” become “seeing Bartimaeus,” but inert and stationary Bartimaeus became active and purposeful Bartimaeus, following Jesus “on the way,” the way of the cross.

Realizing that there are no real throw-away lines in the Gospel stories, knowing that everything was included by the evangelist to make a theological point, to have a spiritual impact – we must listen carefully to verse 50: “So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.”“Throwing off his cloak” – what might that mean? Remember how frequently in the Bible clothing represents one’s life, one’s character or one’s spirituality. Not just Paul’s “helmet of salvation” and “breastplate of righteousness” but references to “unshrunk cloth on an old cloak” and or arriving at the feast wearing the wrong wedding garments.

“Throwing off his cloak” is an image of the radical repentance that leads to new life in Christ. Throwing off one’s old life, shedding an old skin, leaving safety behind, realizing that there is something greater and more important than our own simple survival, all that is tied up in those few words, “throwing off his cloak.

”Then there is “sprang up.” Mark’s Gospel begins not with a Christmas story but with John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus. By verse 10 we have Jesus coming up out of the water. Baptism by immersion is an image of being buried with Christ and rising with Christ – coming up out of the water as one will come up out of the grave. “Dying and rising with Christ” is Mark’s primary image of the Christian life. Over and over we hear Jesus tell the disciples, “the Son of Man will suffer and die and rise again” and “any who will come after me must take up a cross and follow.” It is in that light that we must listen carefully to the words in verse 50 – “Throwing off his cloak he sprang up and came to Jesus.” Blind Bartimaeus not only regained his sight, he found his life, his way, his meaning, his purpose, to which he could give himself – mind, body and spirit.

The Rev. Michael Curry was recently elected the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. He is the first African American to hold that office. He tells this story about a childhood conversation with his father, a Baptist minister:
“When my siblings and I were little children, my father sat us down one evening to talk. We knew something was up. My father and other clergy had led some local efforts for civil rights. That night, Daddy told us he might have to go to jail the next day because he was going to be a part of a protest. Then he told us something I still remember: “You must always be willing to give yourself for a higher cause. Our lives are part of something greater than ourselves.” (“Crazy Christians,” p. 14)

Too often we, like Bartimaeus, are both blind and faithful, sick unto death and yearning for life, full of hope and dread in almost equal measure. We are indeed “saint and sinner at the same time,” and yet, there is hope, real hope, true hope. For there is Christ.

And though there may be many things that hold us back, Jesus hears our hearts and invites us to come. We are invited to throw off the cloak of our old lives, our old fears, our old regrets, our old hesitations and limitations.

We are invited to spring up, lifting both our hands and our hearts to God. We are invited to give our lives to something more, something higher, something greater than mere survival. We are invited to take up our cross and join Bartimaeus and millions of others in following Jesus on the way – on the way of love and compassion and self-sacrifice, the way of serving our neighbor and our world.

Amen and amen.

11/30/2015

SERMON – Pentecost 21

Let us pray … All seeing and all gracious God … we search your word for truth and seek to find our way … place your grace in our hearts and our footsteps in yours .. that we may fulfill your gracious will and follow your Spirit … Amen.

Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and from our Lord Jesus the Christ.You know Christians are really good at “not doing anything” or to be more brutally honest “doing nothing” Let us consider today’s gospel lesson.

Jesus said “whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” In that simple declarative statement Jesus gave us his definition of “ministry”. What does he mean we cry out? What are we supposed to do or not do? Where is Jesus leading us?

The answer to those questions is contained in today’s gospel lesson. “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant” But what does he mean? Are we all to become Mother Theresa and live and serve in the squalor of a Calcutta slum? No - Jesus knows that sort of service is not for everyone. So if we cannot do that then where do we serve? Let us take a look at some of the servant examples Jesus gives us. First and foremost, of course, is his willingness to suffer and die on the cross – a fate shared by many of the apostles – many of the martyrs of the church - but we are probably not all called to serve in that way either.

People like Peter, Paul and Stephen gave up their lives because they could not give up their faith – would that we could all be as determined in such a crucible of crisis. There are more modern examples of those who served in martyrdom – Bishop Oscar Romero – of San Salvador – tireless campaigner for the poor and the oppressed – and he was shot as he consecrated the host at mass in the chapel of the Hospital of Divine Providence on March 24th, 1980. Then there is Dietrich Bonhoffer, and those beheaded by ISIS and others – but these are extreme examples. What about ordinary people? People like you and I? Those of us who wish to live faithful lives but to serve in some way as well – quietly – without fanfare or recognition.

This Thanksgiving weekend I was in Powell River for the holiday and on the Monday holiday was spurred out of bed by my loving spouse at 7:30 a,m, because we had to be at the church by 9. Dutiful, unquestioning, husband that I am, despite the fact it was raining, I clambered out of bed and got ready to go. Breakfast was had (a nutri-bullet and a muffin) and at the church I observed six others were waiting for us so we could make bagged thanksgiving lunches. Each bagged lunch contained a turkey bun [spread with butter, then mayo, then cranberry sauce, layered with turkey and lettuce then popped in a sandwich bag], a pumpkin square, a pumpkin cookie and an apple.

These bagged lunches were placed in larger bags – then loaded in a roomy SUV and five of us were off to deliver them. What was surprising to me were the destinations our food wagon. The first stop was the RCMP station where we were greeted by a young constable and two others. We told them where we were from and offered the lunches as our thank you to them for being willing to serve on this Family holiday. The smiles on their faces were worth every ounce of effort which had been put in.

From the police we proceeded to the ambulance service, and the fire-hall where our “mission” was received with equal enthusiasm. Then it was on to our final two stops. The first was at the emergency department at the hospital. When we walked in the room was moderately busy and when the on-duty nurse looked up and saw the five of us – her face betrayed her fear that we brought with us some sort of disaster which would make an already busy day – five times worse. We moved over to a different side of the service desk – held up our two bags of lunches and explained to the amazed people what we were doing. Their concerned faces transformed to smiles and one lady even had a tear in her eye. Here was a group of people who didn’t want anything from them but instead were delivering a little compassion and understanding. Hugs were given all round and we were on our way to our final destination.

It began raining as we pulled up in front of the Powell River Recreational Centre, grabbed the last two sacks of bagged lunches (14 in all) and proceeded into the center. Now this was about 11:30 a.m. – the place wasn’t officially open yet but we knocked gently on the closed door and asked if we could make a delivery. The door to the polling station was cautiously opened and we walked in and presented the lunches to 14 of the most surprised people you have ever seen. These folks had been generous enough with their time to work on a huge family holiday so people would be able to exercise their franchise. Yes – all the people we visited with lunches were getting paid to be where they were doing what they were doing – but we tend to forget – because they are always there - that they are making a sacrifice by doing so – and it is in soothing and easing that sacrifice that we can be the “servants of alI”

Faith Lutheran in Powell River didn’t do this for the publicity – the media weren’t even informed it was happening – it was a simple act of service – given graciously and freely without expectation of return – except the smiles and the welcome we received. That was reward enough. They didn’t expect it – so any reactions we received were genuine. The smiles and the disbelief were real. We ministered to them. We shared God’s hospitality with those who were ministering to us – even though they most likely would not have described what they were doing that way. And Jesus said “Love one another as I have loved you.” Christ lays before us – many opportunities to serve – we merely need recognize them and throw ourselves into them. What was wonderful about this ministry was it came out of the congregation and it was focused on “the other” – which is where our call to ministry lies.. Yes we care for each other .. but we are also called to minister to those around us.

God calls upon us today to “quit doing nothing,” in response to the Gospel. God calls upon us to stop seeking greatness and to start seeking to serve. We are called to give ourselves for others as Jesus gave himself for us. We are called to care about others as Jesus cares about us. We are called to live lives of obedience to Jesus’ call to us to take up a cross and follow him into the world with hope in our hearts, with acts of love in our hands and with words of grace and promise on our lips.

“whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Amen

11/30/2015

SERMON – Christ the King

Let us pray … in a time when the world is seeking leadership and direction we tend to follow a diversity of voices other than yours O Lord. Give us the strength to stay your course, and the grace to be a movement for peace and good sense in a world tearing itself apart in anguish, fear and panic. Your voice leads us and we follow; your presence reassures us and makes us ready to serve others In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and from our Lord Jesus the Christ.

Questions, questions, questions … our gospel reading today is full of questions. It is only five verses long. In English, only a hundred and forty-seven words. Yet there are five questions in those five verses. Sixty-one of those one hundred and forty-seven words are tied up in those questions; the rest in the answers. And the text still leaves us with more questions - which only we – in conversation with our God - can answer.

The setting is the trial of Jesus, the characters are Pilate and Jesus, the overarching question is the nature of kingship. And What this really is a question about power - and its use and abuse. It is striking to note that the person in this story who should be confident and full of power, Pilate, is the one who is hesitant in his desperate maneuverings while the one who should be anxious and afraid, Jesus, is the person who is cool, calm, and collected. Pilate is wriggling like a worm caught on a very uncomfortable hook – not really sure what to do next. Is this man before him – having declared that he is a king – a threat to Rome? If so – how?

Pilate is trying to figure out what level of security risk Jesus represents. Is this just a little squabble amongst these annoying Hebrews; or is there a terrorist cell lurking behind this mild-mannered rabbi? Is he the head of a group which might erupt into a fighting unit, leading a rebellion against the power and prestige of Rome; or is he just another wingnut, spouting off about some eccentric political and spiritual philosophy? Is there any danger here? What’s the true level of danger here? Sound familiar? That concern could be lifted straight out of news reports today., “How much danger will we be in from these 25,000 refugees. Some of them could be terrorists. We need to be sure they are not.” A spokesperson for ISIS inferred they would use the refugees to smuggle terrorists into the west and by even just suggesting it a shadow was cast on all those seeking asylum in our country. Immediately our self-protective hackles rise and the real terrorists have sown discord amongst us. Our confidence that our new government knows what it is doing is shaken and our enthusiasm to reach out an help those who can no longer help themselves wanes significantly. And so – in the interests of our personal security we become like Pontius Pilate-hithering and dithering.

Pontius Pilate is worried about the power that comes from force; that results from having more soldiers and spears and battering rams than the other guy. In modern terms, Pilate is worried about the kind of power that comes from the barrel of a gun. When Jesus says “If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over,” he is trying to tell Pilate “That’s not the kind of power I have, nor is it the kind of power I want or need.”

But Pilate can’t hear him. Trying to talk to Pilate about Jesus’ type of power is like talking to an alley cat about space travel. Went right by him. Pilate responds to this with, “Okay, so you are a king, or, you’re not a king? What?"

Jesus tries again. “You say that I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” And Pilate responds with “What is truth?” Jesus does not answer him – in fact this is the only question does not give an answer to. And as we know, from the fact that Jesus was crucified, Pilate still didn’t get it. He never saw Jesus as a threat, but, politics won out. Pilate thinks, “It makes the Hebrew leaders happy for him to be dead so, I’ll make that happen. But just in case there is a terrorist group ready to pounce, I’ll make sure the Hebrew leaders get the blame.”

Pilate never did understand what sort of king Jesus claimed to be. The question for us today is this - do we? What sort of king is Christ for us? We don’t have kings in our modern world, not in the biblical sense, not really. A few ceremonial heads of state, flitting about the world and getting their pictures in the papers - but no one with any substance or real power or authority. So what does it mean for us to call Christ our King?

Jonathan Sacks was once the head rabbi of Great Britain. He says that the world was caught off-guard by the rise of the Islamic state, because the world believes that secularism will eventually prevail over religion. He says that science, technology, free market economics, even liberal democracy have failed to recognize that humans are meaning-seeking creatures who ask basic questions of identity: Who am I? Why am I here? How should I live?” (Wall Street Journal, Oct. 2) Especially younger people.

The young people of ISIS have found an answer to those questions. It is a horrific answer, a violent and short-sighted answer, but it is an answer - forged in a world which offered them nothing else but unfulfilling progress.

The secular world forgets that underneath our façade of seeking power and possessions, most people really are trying to find out two basic things: what is the nature of life and where do I fit in? In religious terms these questions are: “What is God like?” and “What is godlike?” Christ is our king because in Christ, God has answered both of those questions.

What is God like? God is like Jesus. God is like Jesus loving, healing, and teaching. God is like Jesus suffering. God is like Jesus dying on the cross for us. God is like Jesus being raised again.What is godlike? How should we live because of what God is like? We should live like Jesus. We are called to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, to go where Jesus went, to do what Jesus did, to become, as the people of God knit together across time and geography, the Body of Christ; loving, healing, teaching, suffering, dying and being raised again.

And that love of God in Christ is a force that will not only cause the powers of the world to fall over and fade into history - as they careen on their sightless course in this world; it is a force that will throw the powers of this world off the tracks. Then and only then will all God’s people be able to stand together and sing with the Psalmist “The Lord is King.” (Ps. 93:1)

Alleluia and amen.

11/07/2015

October 18 2015 Sermon

Let us pray … All seeing and all gracious God … we search your word for truth and seek to find our way … place your grace in our hearts and our footsteps in yours .. that we may fulfill your gracious will and follow your Spirit … Amen.
Grace to you and peace from God our Creator and from our Lord Jesus the Christ.
You know Christians are really good at “not doing anything” or to be more brutally honest “doing nothing” Let us consider today’s gospel lesson.
Jesus said “whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” In that simple declarative statement Jesus gave us his definition of “ministry”. What does he mean we cry out? What are we supposed to do or not do? Where is Jesus leading us?
The answer to those questions is contained in today’s gospel lesson. “Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant” But what does he mean? Are we all to become Mother Theresa and live and serve in the squalor of a Calcutta slum? No - Jesus knows that sort of service is not for everyone. So if we cannot do that then where do we serve? Let us take a look at some of the servant examples Jesus gives us. First and foremost, of course, is his willingness to suffer and die on the cross – a fate shared by many of the apostles – many of the martyrs of the church - but we are probably not all called to serve in that way either.
People like Peter, Paul and Stephen gave up their lives because they could not give up their faith – would that we could all be as determined in such a crucible of crisis. There are more modern examples of those who served in martyrdom – Bishop Oscar Romero – of San Salvador – tireless campaigner for the poor and the oppressed – and he was shot as he consecrated the host at mass in the chapel of the Hospital of Divine Providence on March 24th, 1980. Then there is Dietrich Bonhoffer, and those beheaded by ISIS and others – but these are extreme examples. What about ordinary people? People like you and I? Those of us who wish to live faithful lives but to serve in some way as well – quietly – without fanfare or recognition.
This Thanksgiving weekend I was in Powell River for the holiday and on the Monday holiday was spurred out of bed by my loving spouse at 7:30 a,m, because we had to be at the church by 9. Dutiful, unquestioning, husband that I am, despite the fact it was raining, I clambered out of bed and got ready to go. Breakfast was had (a nutri-bullet and a muffin) and at the church I observed six others were waiting for us so we could make bagged thanksgiving lunches. Each bagged lunch contained a turkey bun [spread with butter, then mayo, then cranberry sauce, layered with turkey and lettuce then popped in a sandwich bag], a pumpkin square, a pumpkin cookie and an apple.
These bagged lunches were placed in larger bags – then loaded in a roomy SUV and five of us were off to deliver them. What was surprising to me were the destinations our food wagon. The first stop was the RCMP station where we were greeted by a young constable and two others. We told them where we were from and offered the lunches as our thank you to them for being willing to serve on this Family holiday. The smiles on their faces were worth every ounce of effort which had been put in.
From the police we proceeded to the ambulance service, and the fire-hall where our “mission” was received with equal enthusiasm. Then it was on to our final two stops.
The first was at the emergency department at the hospital. When we walked in the room was moderately busy and when the on-duty nurse looked up and saw the five of us – her face betrayed her fear that we brought with us some sort of disaster which would make an already busy day – five times worse. We moved over to a different side of the service desk – held up our two bags of lunches and explained to the amazed people what we were doing. Their concerned faces transformed to smiles and one lady even had a tear in her eye. Here was a group of people who didn’t want anything from them but instead were delivering a little compassion and understanding. Hugs were given all round and we were on our way to our final destination.
It began raining as we pulled up in front of the Powell River Recreational Centre, grabbed the last two sacks of bagged lunches (14 in all) and proceeded into the center. Now this was about 11:30 a.m. – the place wasn’t officially open yet but we knocked gently on the closed door and asked if we could make a delivery. The door to the polling station was cautiously opened and we walked in and presented the lunches to 14 of the most surprised people you have ever seen. These folks had been generous enough with their time to work on a huge family holiday so people would be able to exercise their franchise. Yes – all the people we visited with lunches were getting paid to be where they were doing what they were doing – but we tend to forget – because they are always there - that they are making a sacrifice by doing so – and it is in soothing and easing that sacrifice that we can be the “servants of alI”
Faith Lutheran in Powell River didn’t do this for the publicity – the media weren’t even informed it was happening – it was a simple act of service – given graciously and freely without expectation of return – except the smiles and the welcome we received. That was reward enough. They didn’t expect it – so any reactions we received were genuine. The smiles and the disbelief were real. We ministered to them. We shared God’s hospitality with those who were ministering to us – even though they most likely would not have described what they were doing that way. And Jesus said “Love one another as I have loved you.” Christ lays before us – many opportunities to serve – we merely need recognize them and throw ourselves into them. What was wonderful about this ministry was it came out of the congregation and it was focused on “the other” – which is where our call to ministry lies.. Yes we care for each other .. but we are also called to minister to those around us.
God calls upon us today to “quit doing nothing,” in response to the Gospel. God calls upon us to stop seeking greatness and to start seeking to serve. We are called to give ourselves for others as Jesus gave himself for us. We are called to care about others as Jesus cares about us. We are called to live lives of obedience to Jesus’ call to us to take up a cross and follow him into the world with hope in our hearts, with acts of love in our hands and with words of grace and promise on our lips.

“whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Amen

Address

4607 Whitaker Road
Sechelt, BC
V0N3A2

Telephone

+16048852202

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