localpastor

01/12/2025 ~ Baptism of the Christ ~ First Sunday after the Epiphany ~ Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 ~ YOUTUBE VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSMFwOYWxzo
VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/1047882907

Inviting the Spirit

“Upon arriving, Peter and John laid hands on the Samaritans, and they received the Holy Spirit.” — Acts 8:17.

This may or may not be a confession. Bonnie and I are cat people. Of course, we do not own a cat since cats do not have owners. Cats have staff.

For sixteen years starting when we were in Bangor, we had two cats: Topsy and Turvy. These two passed over the Rainbow Bridge a long time ago.

A year later Tigger and Tortie adopted us. I know— these cat names all start with ‘T.’ Unfortunately Tortie has joined Topsy and Turvy in catnip heaven. But Tigger still rules the roost.

Now, we are not anti-dog. We like dogs. When we were young both our families had dogs. So, here’s a Connolly family dog and cat story. (Slight pause.)

At one point my family had three cats. One of them— Tinker Tim was the alpha cat, the one in charge of the other two— Tick and Tocc. Yep— three more ‘T’ names for cats.

In fact, a friend nicknamed Tinker Tim “Rex Pussy-catus”— king of the cats— and stuck a label with the title Rex Pussy-catus near the house doorbell. Why there?

When this cat was out in the back yard but wanted to be let into the house it often came to the front door, jumped on the banister of the stoop and rang the doorbell. We would go to the door expecting a person. What we would find was one very smart cat.

Then we got a border collie. If you don’t know about border collies this might help you understand the breed.

How many border collies does it take to change a light bulb? You line is “‘How many.” (The Congregation responds: ‘How many?’)

Only one. Why? A border collie’s reaction to changing a light bulb is immediate and simple: “Only one light bulb? No problem! I’ll also replace any wiring not up to code and put in new light fixtures. Can I, can I, can I do anything else for you?”— that’s the attitude of border collie.

And so, here you have a dog who is eager and compliant inserted into a house with three cats, one of whom is an alpha cat. What happened?

First, the dog discovered it could not come near the cat food. It would be swatted. Also, a normal perch for the alpha cat was on a dining room chair. If the dog walked near the cat, in a leisurely fashion just to let the dog know who was in charge, would reach out and swat at the nose or tail of the dog, depending on which end was close. Cats and dogs— alpha cats— they’re dangerous. (Slight pause.)

These words are from Luke/Acts in the section of that work known as Acts: “Upon arriving, Peter and John laid hands on the Samaritans, and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Slight pause.)

Sometimes an Affirmation of Faith is a part of a service. Today we recited the covenant of this church. That is an Affirmation of Faith.

However, I think our society becomes attached to, ensnared by and enmeshed in literal content. We take words too literally. Words do have the power. Words have the power to persuade, influence, cajole, but also have the power to damage, inflict pain, be used as cudgels, weapons.

The bad news: our tendency is to give words more power than they really have. Here’s a church example: many recite the Affirmation of Faith known as The Nicene Creed as if it was not filled with paradox and contradictions, as if it is to be taken if not literally at least at face value.

Not only is this ancient creed filled with paradox and contradictions. The people who wrote it knew it was filled with paradox and contradictions. They did not think it should be taken literally. In fact, this creed is in the Pilgrim Hymnal— reading number 52. But I asked Stephanie to put it in the bulletin so you could readily see it.

That brings us to the story we heard in Acts. Some folks in Samaria had accepted the Word of God. What does that mean, that Samaria, the Samaritans accepted the Word of God?

From the perspective of the Jews, Samaritans are outcasts, an inferior branch of the tribes of Israel. That’s why the parable of The Good Samaritan is noteworthy.

But Samaritans are Jews. So, in the context of this time and this place accepting the Word of God means acknowledging God is in covenant with the people of God and has sent Jesus to be the Messiah.

This is also clear: these Samaritans have used the right words, preformed the right acts. They got Baptized in the Name of the Christ. Perhaps it could even be phrased this way: they understood the covenant and the Messiah in a literal way so they did everything right. They did veverything by the book.

Then Peter and John show up and lay hands on the Samaritans who suddenly receive the Holy Spirit. So did Peter and John have some special magic?

Well, no. That takes the story too literally. Just like giving words too much power, to take this story literally gives humans and human action— actions of both the Samaritans and the Apostles— too much power.

In case no one has ever told you this secret, we humans seem to like power. Why? We all want to think we are “Rex Pussy-catus,” an alpha cat, king of cats, in charge— we’ll fix anything.

That leads to a pair of questions: first, who is in charge? (Slight pause.) God is in charge. The Holy Spirit moves when and where the Holy Spirit moves. We need to wait on the Spirit. Waiting on the Spirit is not easy. It would be silly of me to say it is.

Second question: what are we called to do? (Slight pause.) We are not called to be “Rex Pussy-catus,” alpha cat, king of cats, in charge. We are called to do the will of God and walk in the ways of God. Great. How?

Well, what do we really mean when we recite some form of an Affirmation of Faith, some statement of belief, some creed? Are we to take affirmations literally or is something else going on, another way to understand what it means to believe? (Slight pause.)

I’ve said this here before: the word creed comes from the Latin word credo. Credo means I believe. But at its root, credo also means heart, trust, entrust, confide in, have faith in.

Credo means I, we, give our hearts to God. We entrust our hearts to God.

What credo does not mean is that any statement of belief we make is an absolute, provable thesis. Credo does not mean we are trying to finalize something. Credo does mean we affirm our trust in God, proclaim our trust in God. (Slight pause.)

So for Christians, God is in charge. Therefore, how do we, humans, need to understand that, grapple with that? (Slight pause.)

First, obviously, we need to grapple with the idea that we are not God— we are not God. That’s a hard task for some. Second, we need to know God chooses we humans to be conduits of grace. Third, we humans need to strive to be open to the Spirit of God as the Spirit works through us. (Slight pause.)

That brings us back to the Samaritans. We do not know what Peter and John said to the Samaritans. Perhaps all Peter and John did was suggested the Samaritans open their hearts to God, be conduits of the Spirit. (Slight pause.)

I think that is the issue for each of us— be open, be conduits. That is the issue for this church here, right now, today— to be open, to be conduits of God’s Spirit.

That is the issue for all who say the Spirit of God is with us. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: are our hearts open to the Spirit of God, God who seeks to work with us, work among us, God who seeks to be present, real among us?

When our hearts are open we can be empowered to recognize God’s Spirit as present. When our hearts are open we are empowered to work with God. When our hearts are open we can strive to accomplish the will of God. (Slight pause.)

The last time I looked the will of God had to do with some simple precepts: justice, equity, peace, freedom, hope, joy, love. And that’s not just any justice, equity, peace, freedom, hope, joy, love. That’s God’s justice, God’s equity, God’s peace, God’s freedom, God’s peace, God’s hope, God’s love. God is in charge. Amen.

01/12/2024
Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is a précis of what was said: “Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal priest and theologian. She recently said this about being An ordained pastor. ‘Being ordained is not about serving God perfectly but about serving God visibly, allowing other people to learn whatever they can from watching you rise and watching you fall.’— the words of Barbara Brown Taylor. We who claim to be among the priesthood of all believers— we need to understand inviting the Spirit also means we shall rise and we shall fall. And we most assuredly we will never be alpha cats. And yes, people may be able to learn from us just because they see us rise and fall. But we shall rise and fall if and when we are open to the Spirit.”

BENEDICTION: Depart in peace for God’s promised covenant is real and is forever. And may the love of God guide us, the word of the Christ empower us and the gifts of the Spirit dwell in us, this day and forever more. Amen.

01/05/2025 ~ Second Sunday after Christmas Day; Jeremiah 31:7-14 or Sirach 24:1-12; Psalm 147:12-20 or Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21; Ephesians 1:3-14; John 1:(1-9), 10-18 ~ 01/06/2025 ~ Epiphany of the Christ ~ Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12.

VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/1045425289

Cultural Noise

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea during the reign of Herod, astronomers from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born ruler of the Jews? We observed the star of this child at its rising, and have come to pay homage.” — Matthew 2:1-2.

I recently read a 30 year old book, a biography of the song writer Irving Berlin. I got it at Twice Told Tales, the used book outlet of Curtis Library. My bet is even if you don’t know who Berlin is you know his song White Christmas associated with the 1954 film of the same name. But the song was first heard in the 1942 film Holiday Inn.

In that film there was an introductory verse to the song most people don’t know about. These are the words of that rarely heard introductory verse: “The sun is shining, the grass is green, / The orange and palm trees sway. / There’s never been such a day / in Beverly Hills, L.A. / But it’s December the twenty-fourth,— / And I am longing to be up North—” Then you get: “I’m dreaming of a White….” You know the rest of it, right?

Berlin, a New York City guy, felt trapped in Beverly Hills writing songs for movies, reason enough to dream about a white Christmas back home. But seriously, how many people over the age of about— let’s call it 50— really want a white Christmas?

We had a white Christmas this year but my experience is while people may dream about it, they don’t want to shovel snow or travel on hazardous roads. A white Christmas is simply a cozy cultural fantasy, something which makes us feel warm and fuzzy.

Berlin actually cut that introduction from the published version of the song. It’s very hard to find. Hence, the fantasy is prolonged. But equally, I think the our culture’s noise tries to obliterate the fact of the introduction’s existence since the fantasy, itself, is warm and fuzzy.

Cultural noise is fascinating to observe. A fantasy like a white Christmas is benign. But fantasies— things which are false— are too often not benign. Indeed, cultural noise can invite us not to think about what we hear, not to think about what see, not to think about what we read.

We hear a lot of cultural noise at Christmas time, especially around the Nativity stories. I’m going to list some cultural myths most people accept as Biblical fact, but are not; none of these so-called facts I’m about to recite— not one— are found in Scripture.

Jesus was born in the midst of winter. A star lit up the sky when the angels appeared. You heard me name this one a couple weeks ago: when appearing to the shepherds, angels sing.

A star illuminated the path of the shepherds to the stable. Shepherds were acceptable folks in polite society.

The animals gathered to see the baby. The role the innkeeper played was very pivotal. (An innkeeper is never mentioned.)

Some cultural assumptions we buy into are gender based and gender biased. The shepherds, the Magi, that nonexistent innkeeper were all… men. Says who?

Turning to the Matthew story, there is more cultural noise. The Magi and the shepherds gathered at the same time and same place to see Jesus. The Magi arrived right when Jesus was born, when Jesus was still an infant.

The Magi traveled on camels. The Magi were kings. The Magi were from the orient, whatever that means. The names of the Magi were Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. There were three Magi, no more, no less, three. (Slight pause.)

Again, none of that list I just recited is in Scripture— none of it. It’s just not there. All of that is cultural noise, things made up which the culture teaches as truth. Each of these so called facts is unsupportable given what actually find in the Bible.

Further, Matthew and Luke are two very different stories, written at different times, addressed to different audiences. The culture mushes them together, adds falsehoods, lies. When we block out cultural noise the record in Scripture, not the noise can become clear. (Slight pause.)

This is from the Gospel known as Matthew: “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea during the reign of Herod, astronomers from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born ruler of the Jews? We observed the star of this child at its rising, and have come to pay homage.” (Slight pause.)

Question: is the birth of the Messiah meant as a message for all people, everywhere? (Slight pause.) One of my favorite Christmas carols is Carol Our Christmas. Not often heard in the Northern hemisphere, the carol is about how Christmas is experienced in New Zealand, where December is in the middle of the Summer. It will be our closing hymn today.

Now, I confess I am not immune to cultural noise. I sometimes get overwhelmed by it. That hymn from New Zealand helps cleanse me some of the noise since it makes it clear Jesus was born for all of us, not just Northern Hemisphere types. That carol helps me concentrate on the reality of the Messiah not the cultural noise which clutters the landscape at Christmastide. (Slight pause.)

The most important theological issue raised by the Feast of Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany is obvious. Who is Jesus?

Perhaps what we need to consider is the celebration is important not because of the birth, itself, but because of Who Jesus is. The stories in Matthew and Luke, not the made up cultural myths, answer that question. Jesus is the Messiah.

Specifically, a messianic claim made in Luke is the Messiah will be announced to the poor and outcast, since shepherds would have been among the poor and outcast. And a messianic claim made in Matthew, because the Magi are not Jewish, is that the Messiah is not only for the Hebrew people but for all humanity.

To be clear, the Luke and Matthew stories are littered with angels, shepherds and Magi. I don’t want to eliminate those details. They help the stories come alive.

But the details are not the message the stories intend to convey. Indeed, the point is not even that a baby is born. The point is the Messiah is among us, present to us.

I want to suggest once we try to filter out the culture noise we add to the Nativity stories we can readily see the very presence of Jesus illuminates the real meaning of the stories. And what the stories say is simple: Christ lives. Christ is with us. Because Christ is with us the continuing work of God lives. (Slight pause.)

All that leaves us with an interesting choice. We can choose to simply and only feel warm and fuzzy about the cultural overlays we place on the Nativity narratives. Or we can choose to recognize the point is that Christ is present to us, walks with us and the work of God is placed in our hands.

The presence of Jesus says the covenant is real and the invitation to love God and neighbor is our calling. All that leaves an obvious question: what current cultural noise, things our society insists on, prevents us— prevents us— from loving God and neighbor right now?

What do I feel warm and fuzzy about? Personally, I feel warm and fuzzy about the reality of the Christ, the reality that we are invited to participate in the work to which God calls us. Amen.

01/05/2025
Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is a précis of what the pastor said before the blessing: “I have nothing against warm and fuzzy but not when it invites me to stop thinking. God does not ask us to check our brains at the door of the church. If we get overly distracted by cultural noise we have checked our brains at the door. Paradoxically, we also need to identify the cultural noise in Scripture, clear away the cobwebs embedded in that cultural noise to discover what Scripture might tell us. Another paradox: it may be easier to identify the cultural noise in Scripture than in our own culture since it can be fairly easy to identify cultural noise in another society. But our own culture surrounds us with noise and that makes the noise much harder to identify. But again, we are not invited to check our brains at the door.”

BENEDICTION: Let us go in joy and in hope in peace and in love and in light, for the one who has made covenant with us is present to us. God reigns. Let us go proclaiming God’s love and God’s light. Amen.

12/24/2024 – 12/25/2024 ~ Nativity of the Christ – Proper I ~ Christmas Eve ~ Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14 ; Luke 2:1-14, (15-20); Proper II ~ Christmas Morning ~ Isaiah 62:6-12; Psalm 97; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20; Proper III ~ Christmas Mid-Day ~ Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12); John 1:1-14 ~ VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/1042946860

The Child

“While they were there, the time came for her to deliver. And she gave birth to her firstborn, whom she wrapped in bands of cloth and laid in a manger, a feeding trough for cattle, because there was no place for them in the inn.” — Luke 2:6-7

The child lay against her breast. Blessed sleep had finally arrived. The child was quiet now. She could feel the steady tempo of slumber in the warmth of the breath against her skin.

It had been a long night, and the dawn was not far off. Colic in an infant is never fun. This night the malady was complicated by the surroundings. The stable was not the best place for her and the infant. She knew it. But for now, at least, there was some shelter, when before there had been none.

For several nights circumstances she detested dictated that they stayed in a stable, a barn. And it got very cold. But the hay stored there made for good insulation.

Her husband had taken it from the loft so it was clean, then piled it high, spread it out and this night together with the newborn child huddled in her arms, they burrowed into it. Just that little bit of extra insulation provided sufficient warmth to make it all through the night.

Her husband was a good man. He was not wealthy, not handsome, not well spoken. In fact, he spoke very little. But she knew his soul.

When she looked into his eyes, she could see a man who knew God, who cared about relationship, understood that relationship with God came before all. She could see a man who understood all relationships were based on one’s relationship with God. She knew he cared about her, cared about the child.

Even though he was so often silent, he seemed to be able to communicate with her on a plane which precluded verbiage. He had always been good to her. She hoped the child would learn from this example. Example was the chief way any person learned about life, wasn’t it?

She hoped for so much in the life of this child. Despite their poverty, or perhaps because of it, none of what she hoped for had to do with worldly possessions.

Primarily, she hoped the child would be a kind person. But she also hoped the child would understand, if only for reasons of self protection, that the world was not always a safe place.

She had known people to be cruel and seemed to often be cruel just for the perverse enjoyment of it. She hoped the child would see in life, in this time, something of God’s light, God’s love. She hoped the child would see these things even though this world so often appeared to be devoid of light, devoid of love.

At times she was convinced this was too great a wish for which to ask. After all, she had already seen more than she wanted to see of the occupying Roman army. They seemed to not care, to treat everyone as an annoyance, to be used then tossed aside.

She had also seen more than she wanted to see of local government lackeys making sure that they were first in line for any largess which might be available from the Romans. That people could be so mercenary was unnerving.

Whenever her thinking got too caught up in these realities, a ray of hope somehow seemed to appear: a friend giving advice, a shopkeeper who was helpful. In those moments she understood not everyone looked out just for themselves. There were people who did seem to make a positive difference in this world.

The child stirred, made a noise, stretched out a hand, and rested again. She knew in her heart that this child had already made the positive difference for her. She could see in this child all the brightness of God’s creation, full blown in the little hands and feet, in the dark rings of hair on the tiny head, in the bright eyes which searched deeply into hers. Searched for what? Searched for hope? For support? For love? For relationship?

For some inexplicable reason, she could see in this child all the warmth and promise of the relationship she knew God had promised, to which God was committed in the covenants, in the Torah. For some inexplicable reason, she could see in this child all the warmth and promise of the relationship she knew God was always seeking in this world which was so broken.

For some inexplicable reason, what she could see in this child was the warmth and promise of a God at work in the world and present in people. Was it this way with every child? Could this be seen in each baby? Or was this child… special?

She dismissed this thought. “All mothers think their child is special,” she assured herself. She reasoned, in a self-effacing way that God would not single her out or her husband or this child for anything special. (Slight pause.)

She heard a cock crow. The first streaks of light were washing into the yard. God’s life giving light was dawning on the new day.

With this noise the child stirred again, but again rested on her breast. “No,” she thought. “I have seen much. I will see more. But, no. I am not that special that God might choose me… for…”

She did not finish the thought, overwhelmed by the possibility that in this child she felt she felt she could see the dawn of a new era in God’s work, overwhelmed by the reality that that God’s work is always focused on the continuing work of relationship.

And she had no doubt that the continuing work of relationship was really nothing special. After all, relationship is a normal, daily, everyday occurrence because it was the place to which God invited all people.

And she knew the place God was calling her was to relationship. Was it not? So this… this place, this time… this child… was nothing special. Was it? Amen.

Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine
12/24/2024

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Response and Benediction. This is a précis of what was said: “We live in a very secular world. Hence, I try to avoid wishing people a ‘Merry Christmas.’ That’s a secular term. At Easter we Christians say Christ is risen. So if somebody says‘Merry Christmas,’ to me I say ‘Christ is with us.’ That is the real Christian sentiment of Christmas, the sentiment expressed in the Feast of the Incarnation— Christ is with us.”

BENEDICTION: Let us be present to one another as we go from this place for the peace, the presence of God is with us. Let us go in hope for God reveals to us, daily, that we are a part of God’s new creation. Let us go in joy for God knows every fiber of our being. Let us go in love, for we rest assured, by Christ, Jesus, Whose birth we celebrate is a light to the world that God, Who is steadfast, has shared with us. Amen.

12/22/2024 ~ Fourth Sunday of Advent ~ Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:46b-55 or Psalm 80:1-7; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45, (46-55) ~ EXPERIMENTAL YOUTUBE VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk2hmDs-1iU

VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/1042277522

Proclaiming Greatness

“Then Mary said, / ‘My soul proclaims Your greatness, O God, / and my spirit rejoices in You, my Savior.’” — Luke 1:46-47.

In 1983 I had a friend who went for a three day battery of psychological and skills testing at the nationally known Northeast Career Center in Princeton, New Jersey. My friend had been working as a writer, a copywriter in the advertising business.

The testing center suggested that given the skill set they found, my friend should be a lawyer. So he went Princeton University Law School, wound up as the editor of the law review and went to work at a big corporate law firm on Wall Street.

At that time I was also making my living as a writer so this result caught my attention— a writer changes careers, becomes a lawyer. Writing is often a hand to mouth existence, so the law does seem to be more stable and maybe even a more lucrative profession.

And so, I went for the same three days of testing, hoping I would get a similar recommendation— attend law school. The test results had good news and bad news.

The bad news: not only should I be a writer; they told me I was off their charts on that skill set. How is that bad news? Simple— very few people actually make a living just writing. Can you say John Grisham, Stephen King?

The reality is even many famous writers do other things to keep food on the table— teach at universities, conduct seminars and when you’re very famous for a considerable fee give talks at corporate meetings.

But there was good news in my results. Most people test as doing one thing and one thing only really well and nothing else particularly well. I, on the other hand, tested as doing one thing very well but nearly everything else at least adequately well. (I shouldn’t be an airline pilot, though.)

Doing an array of things adequately well was good news since, if writing is the only thing someone does well, they will be a starving artist. The testing center told me if you do many things with a reasonable degree of competence, it’s unlikely you will ever starve. They actually said that. (Slight pause.)
In fact, the real goal of this testing center— and as I mentioned it does have a national reputation— is not so much to detect skills as to put you in touch with yourself, help you self-analyze who you are. If you learn how to do that— and part of the three day process consists of learning how to do that— over and over again— and they encourage that— if you do that then it can become routine for you.

Understanding who you are, assess where you’re at, digging deep into the soul with consistency is an invaluable asset. And, in order to constantly, consistently assess where you’re at, self examination is a skill which needs to be practiced and practiced.

I think self examination needs to be and to become regular, constant. It was, after all, Socrates who said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” (Slight pause.)

This is found in Luke: “Then Mary said, / ‘My soul proclaims Your greatness, O God, / and my spirit rejoices in You, my Savior.’” (Slight pause.)

A couple weeks ago I was chatting with someone who was retired— not unusual for this neck of the woods. After a time she came to realize her identity was tied up with what she had done in her work life. Therefore, her identity was about what she did rather than who she was.

Once she let go of what she did, it freed her to be who she was. But this movement, this change took a couple of years. Frankly, many people find their identity in their work. But is that who we are? (Slight pause.)

The Westminster Shorter Catechism of the Anglican tradition says the purpose of humanity, each of us, is to glorify God. The Baltimore Catechism in the Roman tradition says the purpose of humanity, each of us, is to know God, to love God, to serve God.

I want to suggest these are intertwined, inseparable. Glorifying, knowing, loving, serving God is about who we are, not about what we do. But I also want to suggest glorifying, knowing, loving, serving God are not even a possibility unless we first know about ourselves.

But that raises questions: how do we know about ourselves? How can we know ourselves?

First and to be clear, I think we can know ourselves only in part. What that testing taught me is invaluable because I found out we can never know ourselves fully.

There are always new avenues to explore, other ways to look at ourselves. But because we can never know ourselves fully, one of the best ways to find out about our own self is to listen to what others say about us.

Indeed, I believe when we allow others to examine, to explain, to affirm who we are— affirm who we are— that can be an essential way of getting to better know ourselves. Other people can help us in this process. (Slight pause.)

When this reading from Luke was introduced it was said Luke has a number of stories in the first two chapters. All of the stories, not just the Nativity of the Christ, are important in the context of the birth narratives. And so we need to pay attention to everything in the first two chapters and not separate out the Nativity because these two chapter are one piece, a whole.

Given that connectivity, when Mary proclaims the greatness of God she has already been affirmed twice. She has been affirmed by Gabriel and was told (quote:) “Blessed are you among women.” She is then affirmed by Elizabeth who also says (quote:) “Blessed are you among women.”

And so, having been affirmed Mary proclaims. Mary proclaims by and through glorifying God. Mary proclaims about knowing God, loving God, serving God because Mary knows who she is. Mary knows who she is in part because she has been affirmed.

Mary knows because of that affirmation what her true identity is. She is a child of God. And this may be the key.

I think we cannot glorify, know, love, serve God in the most effective way we are able, without knowing and affirming who we are, who each of us is individually. And who are we? We are children of God. (Slight pause.)

That presents an obvious question: who am I? The testing helped but it didn’t really tell me who I am. I examined that. So, who am I? Like Mary, I am a child of God. And as a child of God I am, thereby, empowered to glorify, know, love and serve God.

There is a second, equally obvious question which needs to be posed. Who are we, as a church? You see, Mary received affirmation from others. And the community of faith, this group who we commonly call the church, we need to be a place where affirmation happens.

I maintain unless we affirm one another we cannot fully, to the best of the ability of each individual and to the best of the abilities as a whole, function effectively as a community, function effectively as a church. And who do we need to be? What do we need to be as a church? We need to be empowered to glorify, know, love and serve God.

Hence, as we move forward it would be wise of us to ask a simple question. Who are we? Who are we as individuals. Who are we as a church? Indeed, this process of self-examination, this process of just asking questions about who we are might help us envision the future.

So to reiterate, these are key questions. Do we, as individuals, strive to glorify, know, love, and serve God? Do we, as a church, as a community of faith, strive to glorify, know, love and serve God? Amen.

12/22/2024
Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. The Time for All Ages at the service today had ended with a mirror being held up first to the children and then to the Congregation. At this point the pastor took that same mirror and held it up again to the Congregation before reciting the ENDPIECE. This is a précis of what was said: “New Testament scholar Nicholas Thomas Wright says the Realm of God as it is found in the Gospels is not about getting to heaven. The Realm of God as it is found in the Gospels is about the transformation of life here, now. I say if we as a church, truly glorify God, know God, love God, serve God then we will, as a church, be working toward the transformation of life here, now. What does transformation look like? Mary said what it looks like. It looks like the equity which happens when the proud are scattered, the powerful brought down, the mighty disposed, the lowly raised to high places, the hungry filled with good things. And who will accomplish this? Is it we who are called to accomplish this?”

BENEDICTION: Let us be present to one another as we go from this place. Let us share our gifts, our hopes, our memories, our pain and our joy. Go in peace for God is with us. Go in hope for God reveals to us, daily, that we are a part of God’s new creation. Go in joy for God knows every fiber of our being. Go in love, for we rest assured, by Christ, Jesus, that God is steadfast. Amen.

VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/1040104289

ELIJAH KELLOGG CHURCH WORSHIP

12/15/2024

Third Sunday of Advent

The Sunday in Advent on Which We Commemorate Love

Music Sunday, the Sunday on Which We Celebrate the Ministry of Music Offered by Our Talented Musicians

THOUGHTS FOR MEDITATION — “Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. But a song makes you feel a thought.” — Harold Arlen, composer of Somewhere Over the Rainbow

“Music… can name the un-namable and communicate the unknowable.” — Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), composer, conductor.

“Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise.” — Martin Luther

Welcome and Announcements

Passing of the Peace…

• Call to Worship —

CANTICLE
O God of Love, show us Your way,
Let love be now our guide, we pray.
Let joy and hope and peace abide,
O God of love be at our side.

ONE: Through the prophets, God promised a Messiah. We are in awe of the birth of Jesus, the incarnation, the Word of God made flesh, God’s message of the in-breaking of the fullness of the will of God into our world. Jesus came to us as a weak and vulnerable baby, the one called Emmanuel. The name Emmanuel means “God is with us.” And surely, the love of God visits us in the presence of Jesus, the Messiah.

ALL: The first Advent candle reminded us to have hope for a better world. The second reminded us that God’s dreams for peace can become real in our world. The third candle reminds us when we show forth the love of God to each person we meet the possibilities of hope and peace become tangible, real.

Prayer of Invocation

• HYMN — Sing All Creation INSERT

A Time for All Ages —

Lord’s Prayer (debts and debtors)
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

OFFERTORY INVITATION

*OFFERING RESPONSE (DOXOLOGY)
Old One-hundredth

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

*PRAYER OF DEDICATION

Prayers of the People —

SILENCE

• HYMN — My Heart Sings Out with Joyful Praise INSERT

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE

A READING FROM THE TANAKH IN THE SECTION KNOWN AS THE WRITINGS IN THE WORK KNOWN AS THE PSALMS — PSALM 96:1-4 [ILV]

[1] O sing to Yahweh, God, a new song;
sing to Yahweh, God, all the earth.
[2] Sing to Yahweh, God, bless God’s name;
Proclaim the salvation of God from day to day.
[3] Declare the glory of God among the nations,
the marvels of the works of God every people.
[4] For Yahweh, God, is great and worthy of praise;
Yahweh, God, is to be revered above all gods.

ANTHEM — O Sing Unto the Lord
Text from Psalm 96:1-4
Music by James C. Ward and Heather Sorenson

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE

A READING FROM THE TANAKH IN THE SECTION KNOWN AS THE PROPHETS— Ezekiel 34:20-22a, 25, 31 [ILV]

[20] Therefore, thus says the Sovereign, Yahweh to you: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep [21] for you shove aside the weak with flank and shoulder; you butt all the weak animals with your horns until they are scattered far and wide, scattered in every direction.  [22] I will save my flock and they shall be ravaged no longer.

[25] I will make a covenant of peace with my sheep and banish wild animals from the land, so my people can live in the wild, in open pastures, and sleep safely, securely, in the forests.

[31] You, my people, are my sheep, the flock that I tend, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, says the Sovereign Yahweh.

• ANTHEM — Shepherd Me, O God
  Words and Music by Marty Haugen
  Arranged by Mark Haynes
  Kate Gray, Violin

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE

A READING FROM THE TANAKH IN THE SECTION KNOWN AS THE PROPHETS— Isaiah 11:1-2

[1] A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse;
From the root of Jessie a branch will blossom.
[2] The spirit of Yahweh will rest on you—
a spirit of wisdom and understanding,
a spirit of counsel and strength,
a spirit of knowledge
and the reverence for Yahweh.

SPECIAL MUSIC — In Dulci Jubilo/While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night
Elizabeth Cromwell, Piano – Kate Gray, Violin

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE

A READING FROM THE GOSPEL — Luke 1:39-45 [ILV]

[39] Within a few days after the Angel Gabriel visited, Mary set out and hurried, went with haste, into the hill country to a town of Judah.  [40] There she entered the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth and was greeted by Elizabeth.  [41] As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary return the greeting the child she was carrying leaped in her womb.  And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  [42] With a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  [43] And why has this happened to me?  Why am I so favored that the mother of the Messiah should come to me?  [44] For the moment I heard the sound of your greeting reach my ears, the child in my womb leaped for joy.  [45] And blessed is she who believed what our God said to her, what was spoken to her would be fulfilled, would be accomplished.”

• SPECIAL MUSIC — Angels Assembled in Ordered Row
  Music by George Frederic Handel
  Arranged by Walter Ehret
  Betsey Nehf, soprano – Hub Goodrich, baritone

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE

A READING FROM THE GOSPELS — Luke 2:8-14 (ILV)

[8] Now, there were shepherds in that region, living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  [9] An angel of God suddenly stood before them and the glory of God shone around them— and they were terrified.
[10] But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for you have nothing to fear; I have come to bring you good news, news of great joy for all people: [11] to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah.  [12] This will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”  [13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
[14] “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace
among those with
whom God is pleased,
with those who keep the covenant!”

ANTHEM — One Angel Sings
Music by Tom Rasely, Lyrics by Joseph Connolly
Kate Gray, Violin

One Angel sings both silent and plain:
“A child is born— Emmanuel now!”
And suddenly shouts from heaven are heard
as the many heav’ly hosts cry out the refrain:
“Glory to God, the peace of God reigns.
Glory to God the Alpha, Omega.
Glory to God Whose presence is here.
The peace of God reigns,”
The angels proclaim!

One angel sings and freedom abounds.
A child is born, God with us now.
The peace of God Whose presence resounds,
and we respond to God with songs of praise.
“Glory to God, the peace of God reigns.
Glory to God, the Alpha, Omega.
Glory to God Whose presence is here.
The peace of God reigns,”
The angels proclaim!

One angel sings both silent and clear,
that God lives among us now in the world.
And suddenly shouts from Heaven are heard,
as the many heav’ly hosts cry out the refrain:
Glory to God, the peace of God reigns,
Glory to God, Alpha, Omega
Glory to God, Whose presence is here.
The peace of God reigns,”
The angels proclaim!
The angels proclaim!

• HYMN — When in Our Music God Is Glorified INSERT, v. 1, 2, 3

A READING FROM THE TALMUD AND A BENEDICTION

• HYMN — When in Our Music God Is Glorified INSERT, v. 4

Postlude — In Dulci Jubilo/While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night
Elizabeth Cromwell, Piano – Kate Gray, Violin

INTER-GENERATION SUNDAY “INSTANT CHRISTMAS PAGEANT”

There is no sermon but the video is fun to watch!

12/01/2024 ~ First Sunday of Advent ~ Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36 ~ The Sunday on Which the Christian Virtue of Hope Is Celebrated ~ First Sunday in Year ‘C’ of the Three Year Lectionary Cycle ~ EXPERIMENTAL YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suljR1XwmgI
VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/1036460858

Justice and Integrity

“In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch, a branch who maintains a right relationship with Me, to be raised up from the line of David who shall bring justice and integrity to the land.” — Jeremiah 33:15.

Rumor to the contrary, prophets do not predict the future but speak the word of God. And my guess is most of us have had an experience not of prophecy but premonition. I’ve had my share.

Here’s one: in August of 1964 I was about to become a Senior in High School. On August 4th I watched as President Johnson addressed the nation. A Navy destroyer, the President said, had been attacked by North Vietnamese PT boats. He then asked Congress for permission to use the military in Southeast Asia without declaring war.

They passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. As I watched the President I had a premonition that something which happened half way round the world would affect me.

Sure enough, at age 19 I got drafted and at 20 I shipped out to Saigon. Now, when I was 19, 20 and 21 a lot happened while I was distracted, otherwise engaged.

Aside from Vietnam, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. Johnson decided to not run for President and there were riots at a national political convention. A revolution exploded and failed in Czechoslovakia. Much of what was happening made it seem like there was very little hope left in the world.

The other side of that coin: Americans landed on the moon, the Beatles released the White Album. The Who released Tommy. The underdog Jets won the Super Bowl and the previously hapless Mets won the World Series. But that side of the coin is more about fun than hope. We often confuse the two— fun and hope. (Slight pause.)

These words are in the Scroll of the Prophet Jeremiah: “In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch, a branch who maintains a right relationship with Me, to be raised up from the line of David who shall bring justice and integrity to the land.” (Slight pause.)

Most people describe my sense of humor as verbal. But I do visual, physical humor too. On my first day of High School— I was 13— my mother walked me to the front door. With a tear she gave me a tight hug and wished me well. I think she even said the world is dangerous— be careful. I could not resist.

I walked out the door, did a pratfall down the short stoop and landed on my butt. Mom screamed. I looked up at her and said, “See? You do have to be careful. The world is really a dangerous place!” I don’t think she ever forgave me for that one.

Despite making a statement in a humorous way I was, of course, right. The world is a dangerous place. How dangerous?

Ask Jeremiah. This Prophet knows about both danger and hope. The people are under siege from the armies of Babylon. It does seem like a hopeless situation. Despite that, Jeremiah addresses hope.

And yes, the world both then and now is dangerous. And this is also often true: precisely because the world is dangerous we sometimes fail to hope. (Slight pause.)

I have a friend who is the Executive Director of a non-profit. This agency strives to address issues which become inflamed because of poverty. A question folks constantly ask him is ‘can anyone escape poverty or is the situation hopeless?’

My friend says the goal of the organization he leads is to seek justice for all people and if there is no hope then all is lost. But he also says to seek justice for all, the agency employs a ‘Two E’ approach— education and engagement.

He insists education is necessary but not enough. Engagement is the real key to education. People need to engage with one another to really educate and get tangible results.

And yes, engagement is a two way street. So, the practice of engagement needs what Jeremiah calls (quote:) “justice and integrity”— justice and integrity. Applying integrity means interacting with others no matter what the person you’re trying to help does; no matter how the person you’re trying to help behaves.

Further, when integrity is a guideline we must understand God’s justice is not a result, something you point to and say ‘oh, it’s done! We now have justice!’ Rather, justice is a practice, a continuing, constant practice, no matter what the circumstances are.

Hence, justice can never stand alone but must mingle with integrity. And integrity is practiced and accomplished by living into the reality of the community of God.

In the Christian community integrity is about equality for all people. And that is our real hope for the future: equity for all people— equity. (Slight pause.)

That brings me back to my pratfall and the observation of a 13 year old. Yes, the world is a dangerous place.

It’s clear a lot of people today from prelates to pundits to politicians try to instill fear, want us to be afraid. But should we fear the world, hide our heads in the sand because the world is a dangerous place or even just do nothing because we are afraid?

What we need to do is heed Jeremiah’s words of hope. We need to accept the challenge to boldly confront this dangerous world. Jeremiah’s words are an invitation from God to us to consistently, constantly, therefore with integrity, confront a dangerous world. Put differently, these words are an invitation to practice justice, God’s justice.

You see, the practice of justice never happens in isolation. Justice happens in community. Why? God’s justice is not about my justice, not about your justice. God’s justice is about our justice, communal justice, justice which includes all people.

If you exclude someone, anyone, exile them, you’re saying that individual is not a child of God. That individual is not human. (Slight pause.)

So why is this reading from Jeremiah assigned on the Sunday of Advent when we celebrate hope? (Slight pause.) The season leads us to the birth of the Messiah. The birth of the Messiah is about the hope embodied by taking action in the world, just as Jesus did.

The birth of the Messiah is about the hope of God which insists the Dominion of God will be seen when we act with one another to confront the reality of tribalism so prevalent these days. Too often this tribalism says only I am right, so no one else counts. Tribalism tries to counter God’s justice in an effort to make today’s world dangerous.

The hope to which God calls us insists justice and integrity— constant vigilance— need to go hand in hand. And it’s integrity which insists on constant action, constantly working toward the justice of God. Given that, we are faced with yet another question.

Are we willing to work with integrity toward God’s justice in this world, God’s world, and thereby allow our very actions to be filled with hope, no matter what happens? And yes, I know. Being hopeful no matter what happens— that is hard. (Slight pause.)

But I think this is also obvious: hope does not happen in the past or the present tense. Hope is about what happens in the future.

Perhaps that’s why hope and community are always entangled. Community needs to not be about the past nor the present. Community always needs to be about the future. So can we, do we have hope for the future, a future this congregation will build together? Your call. Amen.

12/01/2024

Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Well known Baptist theologian the Rev. Dr. Tony Campolo died last week at the age of 89. This is one of his many observations. (Quote:) ‘Jesus never says to the poor, come find the church. But Jesus did say to those of us in the church, go into the world and find the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the imprisoned.’”— Tony Campolo

BENEDICTION: Let us go in joy and in love and in peace, for our hope is in the one who has made covenant with us. God reigns. Let us go in God’s peace. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.

11/24/2024 ~ The Feast of the Reign of Christ – Proper 29 ~ The Last Sunday in Year ‘B’ of the Three Year Lectionary Cycle ~ Thirty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Pentecost ~ 2 Samuel 23:1-7; Psalm 132:1-12, (13-18); Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Psalm 93; Revelation 1:4b-8; John 18:33-37

VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/1033152375

Christ and Trinity

“Yahweh has established the world; / it stands firm; / it shall never be moved; / Indeed, Your throne, / Your reign is established from of old, / from ages past; / from everlasting to everlasting / from eternity You exist.” — Psalm 93:1a-2.

How can this possibly be true? Seminary was 33 years ago. Back then a student in the last semester could circulate a profile, a pastor’s résumé. In the U.C.C., the United Church of Christ, my denomination, these are 20 to 30 page long documents.

So my profile went to numerous unsuspecting Search Committees, Pulpit Committees in that last semester. It got a lot of interest even though I was just about to graduate. Perhaps that was because I was already serving as an Assistant Pastor at a five church cooperative in Waldo County. I was a called pastor despite the fact that I was still in Seminary.

Committees from Iowa, Michigan, South Dakota, Maine, Connecticut and New York contacted me. I did phone interviews— a bunch— no ZOOM back then.

Now the pastor’s profile at that time had what was called a “forced choice” survey, a list of 43 choices which described what the pastor thought their own gifts were. The pastor had to check 8 and only 8 boxes from a list of 43. To choose just 8 out of 43 is very, very hard.

Some choices were obvious: effective preacher, organized, a helpful counselor. Some were less obvious at least as a prime choice— works well on a team, helps organize community action. But pretty much all the choices were binary, yes or no.

These days the U.C.C. profile system is very different. It now lists “Faithful and Effective Marks of Ministry”— 48 of them. And none of them are binary, yes or no. They are textured. And you can check all 48.

Of course, all the categories cannot possibly apply to any one individual. No one is that complete. In theory, this exercise is designed to show where a person is competent and where there might be a growing edge.

Now, each choice has 4 levels. So this is just mathematics: if each of 48 marks of ministry has 4 levels, that’s 192 possibilities to be considered.

Here’s an example of one Mark of Ministry. (Quote:) “Prays actively and nurtures spiritual practices.” That might have dozens of levels but there are still just four levels from which to choose.

Now, there is one Mark of Ministry which to our 21st Century American ears sounds very binary, yes or no. It says (quote:), “Acknowledges Jesus, the Christ, as the Sole Head of the Church.”

But is the idea that Jesus is the head of the church binary, a yes or no question, really? Perhaps it’s just our American ears that hear it that way. Possibly the concept that the Christ is Head of the Church a more subtle, texture, complex idea with multiple levels? Consider that. (Slight pause.)

We find these words in the work known as Psalm 93. “Yahweh has established the world; / it stands firm; / it shall never be moved; / Indeed, Your throne, / Your reign is established from of old, / from ages past; / from everlasting to everlasting / from eternity You exist.” (Slight pause.)

In the Gospel reading, Pilate, prefect of Rome in Judaea, tries to get Jesus to proclaim some kind of temporal, finite authority. Jesus avoids addressing temporal, finite authority. Instead Jesus speaks of witnessing to truth, eternal truth.

One truth to which Jesus did attest is the reality of the Christ. I think this is actually a subtle, textured, complex claim but our 21st Century American ears have a difficult time grappling with how subtle, textured, complex it is.

To explain, Christ is Greek for Messiah, which means anointed to do the work and will of God. And as was said earlier, today is a feast of the church. It’s called the Reign of Christ. However, the very word ‘reign’ implies some kind of temporal authority. Should it?

What is it we Christians really claim about the Messiahship of Jesus? Is it about temporal, finite authority? I doubt it. We claim that in Jesus God is revealed.

So, using the word reign for the feast I think is simply sloppy, convenient shorthand, not subtle, not textured, not complex— just shorthand. But we do not live in a society which particularly appreciates subtle, textured, complex, do we?

This is where I think Psalm 93 can be helpful. The Psalm leads us to a question. Who is the God Jesus proclaims?

Jesus not only proclaims the God of the Hebrews, but Jesus refers to God by an intimate name, Abba, Daddy. Please ask yourself, in naming God ‘Daddy’ what Jesus might be saying about God, the God of the Hebrews Who is One and as Psalm 93 says, the One Who from eternity exists? (Slight pause.)

Jesus, you see, always insists temporal, finite authority is not a part of the picture. And Jesus also says I am the Messiah, anointed to do the work and the will of, God, Who from eternity exists.

This still leaves two obvious questions. ‘Who is Jesus, this Messiah?’ and if Jesus is the Messiah and Yahweh is One, Who from eternity exists, what can be said about the Messiah? How does Jesus, the Messiah, fit into this theological concept of the Hebrews that God is One and that God is eternal? (Slight pause.)

It takes the church centuries of thinking about this to respond. The place the church winds up was given a grand name— Trinity— three persons, One God.

Given that, I need to mention two things about this idea we call Trinity. First, Trinity insists we have a connection with God and that connection is Jesus.

Trinity also insists there is a relationship, a connection between God and the Messiah. So this Trinity language Christians use to explain the connection of God and Jesus was and is not meant to be gender based, as in Father-son. It is meant to be relational as in Abba – Daddy.

But using this human familial language is not about Father-son nor even about Daddy-child. This is a theological statement. The language is meant to illuminate the closeness God has with humanity and the sense of closeness humanity should have with God.

Now, that word Trinity might sound like a high faluting subtle, textured, complex idea. But Trinity is really just about one thing. It’s a way of saying this relationship matters because God loves us.

And yes, love, especially the love God offers, is a subtle, textured, complex thing. Relationship, any relationship, is a subtle, textured, complex thing.

All that brings me back to this Mark of Ministry in a Pastor’s profile which says Jesus, the Christ, is the Head of the Church. Does Jesus love us as God loves us? If the answer is ‘yes’ seeing Jesus as the sole head of the church should be a part of a pastor’s belief because Jesus connects us.

However, I need to point out acknowledging Jesus as the Sole Head of the Church is not just for pastors. This should be a trait found in churches, in a congregation.

So for me the point of Psalm 93, the point of the Messiahship of Jesus and why we might connect the two might is not as subtle, textured, complex as it might seem. In a real way the tie is rather simple.

This Psalm says God loves us. And Jesus, the One connected intimately to God, loves us. Therefore, when we, the church, show the love of Jesus, the Christ, to all people— we, the church, all of us together, then show this mark of ministry.

To be blunt: showing love to all people is not easy. Why? Showing love to all people is subtle, textured, complex and is or should be the real mark of ministry for the whole congregation. Amen.

11/24/2024
Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is a précis of what was said: “As was said earlier this is the Feast of the Reign of Christ which then leads to Advent, then Christmas, Christmas which is, of course, the Feast of the Incarnation, the Feast of the Birth of the Messiah. A parishioner once told me when she grew in faith only then did she start to understand Christmas is not about magic babies or angels or stables. Christmas is about the connection of Yahweh, God with the Messiah, the Christ and thereby with us. So what is Christmas really about? It’s about the connection of humanity with Yahweh, God and the Messiah, the Christ.”

BENEDICTION: Let us receive the gifts of God’s grace and peace. Let us rejoice in the freedom to love as Jesus loved. Let the Spirit of God speak through us today. Go forth and reach out to everyone you meet in the name of Christ. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.

11/10/2024 ~ Proper 27 ~ Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost ~ Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17; Psalm 127; 1 Kings 17:8-16; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44

VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/1029803460

Fear

Jesus said: “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.” — Mark 12:43b.

I need to start today in an unusual way. Along with the ushers, I am going to pass some containers around. The containers have small stones in them. I ask that everyone take a stone and hold on to it. In fact, take as many of these small stones as you want to take but hold on to them. (The pastor leaves the pulpit and, with the help of the ushers, passes out containers which have stones in them to the congregation.)

On the 28th of August 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke some memorable words. While the prophetic tenor of the words addressed a very specific time in American history, the words are vividly remembered not just for that time in history, but also because their universal message is not at all trapped by time. These are among the words Dr. King spoke.

“I… have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.”

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” [1] (Slight pause.)

For those who remember that day I suspect when we hear these words— a recording is available if you don’t remember it— when we hear these words we need to remember the menace, the peril of the era in which they were uttered. Indeed, earlier in the speech, Dr. King addressed that larger context, the jeopardy in which people often lived.

He said (quote): “I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality.”

Dr. King was not safe in this struggle. He had intimate knowledge that working for justice meant spending time in jail, enduring personal death threats, threats to his family. His name appeared on secret lists of subversives kept by our government. In short, for many people of all races, and for Dr. King personally, it was a fearful time.

That November things got even worse with the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Anyone who remembers 1963 can attest to the reality that it was a fearful time. Just five years later Kennedy’s brother Robert and King, himself, were assassinated.

Yet, as the words of hope from Dr. King indicate, fear was not central at that event on that day. Nor was fear central in the movement which did so much to forward the dreams of so many. Nor, I am quite sure, did Dr. King allow fear to be central in his life.

A pragmatist, he recognized the reality and the close proximity of fear. But, unquestionably, if he had allowed fear to be central, all he was doing would have ceased. He and the movement would have become immobilized.

There is no question about this: we all have fears. They are real and they can even be tangible. But that does not mean they should be allowed to dominate.

You see, as Dr. King must have realized, there is only one thing that can stand between us and our dreams: fear. When we surrender to fear, we become helpless.

When we allow fear to play a superior role in life, it simply removes the prospect that any kind of vision, foresight, insight is possible. Allowing fear to dominate means any kind of wisdom or rational thinking ceases to be pivotal.

Dreams and fear do not co-exist well. Indeed, fear… is the place dreams go to die. Let me be both realistic and clear: we all have fears. But can we name them?

Naming our fears is important, because when we name them a process can be initiated by which it becomes possible to relegate those fears to a state of insignificance. And, of course, when fear is dispatched, dreams are empowered to live. (Slight pause.)

Let me suggest something. Please look at those stones which were given out; stare at them. Take a moment and name them by giving them the name or the names of whatever fear or fears you have. Name the stones with that fear, those fears, your fears. (Long pause.)

Now, we will go around again and please put those stones, now named with your fears, into a container. We will then place the containers on the welcoming table of God, the Communion table, a place where fear is transformed into trust of God.

Please let this act signify that you want to relinquish any fear you have. Let this act signify that you want to surrender any fear you have to God. (There is a pause as the stones are gathered and placed on the Communion table.)

Mark’s Gospel indicates Jesus said this: “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.” (Pause.)

I think the woman who contributed to the treasury placed her trust in God. Indeed, she knew her world, the world around her, was filled with fear.

Much of that fear was somehow directed at her, a woman, a widow, an outcast, someone who had no status in that society. Society, needing a place for its fear, fear which abounded in that era, placed its fear on that widow. Therefore and paradoxically, society feared her.

But she… but she trusted God. Knowing that she could place her trust in God, she was able to name her fears. And, having named her fears, she could name her dreams.

I think it’s likely she realized God had a dream for her. It’s likely she realized God has a dream for all people as she contributed to the treasury. And it’s likely she found a way to know the dream God had for her was central to her life. (Slight pause.)

I think this is obvious: Dr. King recognized the dreams God has for us are central, recognized God has a dream for all people. And we, as a church, make that claim. We, as a church, recognize God has a dream for all people. (Pause.)

So, having surrendered your fears, placed them on those stones, what are the dreams you have for yourself? (Slight pause.) Having relinquished your fears, what are the dreams you have for others? (Slight pause.) Having banished your fears, what are the dreams you have for this church? (Pause.)

At this time of year many churches do a stewardship campaign and often use this reading to talk about that. Stewardship, rumor to the contrary, is not about money. Stewardship is about our dreams.

Again, let me ask, what are the dreams we have for this church— this church, meaning us, together? How can we, together, help fulfill those dreams?

This I know: our fears may be real but, if we really trust God, we never let our fears get control, never act out of fear. Indeed, let us dream the dreams for ourselves and for this church and for others, the kind of dreams God would have for us.

And so, by the grace of God and through the love of God, let us relegate fear to its proper place: at the margins of a life lived in faith. Let us live out the dream God has for us. Amen.

11/11/2024
Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Benediction. This, then, is a précis of what the pastor said before the blessing: “The African-American poet Langston Hughes wrote these words: ‘What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun? / Or fester like a sore— / And then run? / Does it stink like rotten meat? – Or crust and sugar over— / like a syrupy sweet? / Maybe it just sags / like a heavy load. / Or does it explode? Dreams deferred deny hope, but worse, they deny God.’— the words of Langston Hughes.”

BENEDICTION: Go now, go in safety, for you cannot go where God is not. Go in love, for love alone endures. Go with purpose and God will honor your dedication. And go in peace for it is a gift of God and the Spirit of God to those whose hearts and minds are in Christ, Jesus. Amen.

[1] These are King’s words. The speech is found on multiple reputable web resources.

11/03/2024 ~ Proper 26 ~ Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost ~ If All Saints not observed ~ Ruth 1:1-18; Psalm 146; Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Psalm 119:1-8; Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 12:28-34 ~ Communion Sunday.

VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/1026595148

The First Commandment

“Hear, O Israel: Yahweh, our God, Yahweh alone, is one. You are to love Yahweh, our God / with all your heart, / and with all your soul, / and with all your strength.” — Deuteronomy 6:4-5.

In a recent writing Baptist Pastor Allyson Dylan Robinson suggests we, as a society, are addicted to certainty. Certainty is like a drug, she says. It can comfort us, buoy our spirits as it blocks out questions, doubt. Like any addiction, it does that only for a limited time.

Certainty will wear off; questions will reassert themselves eventually. When questions reappear that is exactly when we start searching for a new fix because the very questions, themselves, make us nervous. Again, like any addiction, certainty dehumanizes us as we become driven by that fix.

Questions, you see, arise naturally in the human mind, a function of the God given gift of reason. So in order to grab for the certainty to which we are addicted, we must renounce God’s gift of reason. When renounce the gift of reason, the fix certainty gives us demands we migrate to a place called ‘willful ignorance.’

This is clear: certainty, willful ignorance, presents a theological problem. By definition God can never be fully known. Certainty is, hence, the ultimate heresy since it presumes the revelation God has given us is exactly identical with a whole knowledge God. — these the words of Allyson Dylan Robinson. (Slight pause.)

It seems to me society is not just riddled with and addicted to certainty. It is often downright crippled, immobilized by certainty. You can see the effects of certainty in our sports, in our politics, in our religion.

In all these areas the addiction of certainty insists only one side, one way of seeing things can be right. Since this ultimate heresy is a reality, you need to wonder if people even know certainty about God is a heresy since certainty means being willfully ignorant about this God Who cannot be fully known. (Slight pause.)

Perhaps there is one very human attribute which leads to an insistence on certainty. It’s that we humans have more than a slight tendency toward egocentricity. Each of us— myself included— each of us likes to think we are at the center of the world. And if we are at the center of the world we are right. And we are certain of that.

When an individual displays egocentricity that one person can be placated or ignored. But when a social group, a collective, a whole society displays egocentricity that is hard to ignore.

Egocentricity on the part of a group presents many problems, dangers, challenges. Indeed, certainty within a group gives voice and action to social ills like racism, sexism, classism, imperialism, even fantasies— fantasies like the apocalyptic age is upon us.

Let me unpack that just a little. Racism makes the sometimes tacit but clearly egocentric and ethnocentric claim that one race or one group is superior.

Sexism says one gender is superior. Classism and imperialism make similar claims: one group is superior for various reasons so the rules of that group must abide.

Then there is fantasy, a fantasy like the apocalyptic age is upon us. This may be the most egocentric, self-centered claim of all. Why?

The real claim being made is the people of this time, this age, are so privileged, so special, that God will see fit to allow them to witness the apocalypse. Given all who have come before and were not witnesses is to say they were and are less than those alive now. That is both the height of egocentricity and the epitome certainty. (Slight pause.)

All that brings me back to the words from Deuteronomy: “Hear, O Israel: Yahweh, our God, Yahweh alone, is one. You are to love Yahweh, our God / with all your heart, / and with all your soul, / and with all your strength.”

In Hebrew this is identified as the Shema— Shema a word which means to hear. And in the Gospel reading Jesus, asked to name the greatest commandment, repeats the Shema. If that’s the text Jesus chooses, there should no question about this: the Shema, this text and no other, is central to all Scripture.

Now, when the reading from Deuteronomy was introduced you heard about 613 commandments in the Hebrew Scriptures, the culturally popular if mislabeled 10 commandments and the two commandments cited by Jesus. [1] Let me be clear about this: anyone who is says they are certain that the 10 commandments are central to Scripture is Biblically illiterate. Biblically literate people understand the Shema is central.

As to the Shema, I need you to note there are three components in this first commandment. Let’s take a look at them in reverse order. The last component is love God. Theologically, love cannot exist without God, since God is the source of all love. That love is a result of the two previous statements of the Shema.

What are they? The middle component says God is one. In ancient times many people believed there were multiple gods, each with their own duties. Hebrew theology counters that idea. God is one— the God of all things, a God of the universe.

The first component offers instruction on how one is empowered to love God. This is where we find the word Shema— ‘hear.’

You see, in order to truly be in love with anyone you need hear and to hear you need to listen. If you do not listen you will not hear.

So we need to listen to God. In short, the commandment tells us we need to listen to God before we can understand God loves us. And it tells us how we can be empowered to love God— this commandment tells us how we can be empowered to love God. (Slight pause.)

I want to suggest listening to God is the hardest part of the Shema to follow, the hardest thing we will ever do. Why?

Listening demands humility. Humility understands that relationship, that love, depends on hearing a voice other than our own.

Listening to God requires we employ the discipline of self-surrender, requires us to renounce certainty, abandon egocentricity. Listening requires modesty.

Last, a prime issue being addressed by the first commandment is not the listening done to God by each individual. These words are not addressed to an individual. The first commandment does not say, “Hey you— Joe! You and only you need to listen.”

This is addressed to the community. (Quote:) “Hear, O Israel.” So it is, first and foremost, no specific individual but the whole community who needs to listen. We all need to listen together. We are all in this together.

It is we, the community, not just individuals, who need to listen to God, listen for God speaking in our lives. You see, listening to God as a community gives us an opportunity to banish the addictive certainty which afflicts so many communities. If certainty can be banished it follows that its cousins racism, sexism, classism, imperialism and fantasy can be banished. (Slight pause.)

Jesus clearly tells us to love God and love neighbor. I believe the path to loving God and neighbor starts with being humble enough to listen to God. Hear, O Harpswell. Hear, O Elijah Kellogg Church. Amen.

11/03/2024
Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Earlier I said the whole community, the collective, but therefore each of us needs to listen to God. You might say, ‘Fine, but suppose we all hear different things?’ I would say, ‘That’s the way it supposed to be. And then we need to listen to one another.’ You see, the two commandments are placed together. And they are love God and love neighbor.”

BENEDICTION: Go now, go in safety, for you cannot go where God is not. Go in love, for love alone endures. Go with purpose and God will honor your dedication. And go in peace for it is a gift of God and the Spirit of God to those whose hearts and minds are in Christ, Jesus. Amen.

[1] This was the introduction to the Scripture reading.

When people talk about the Ten Commandments as if they were, pardon the pun, set in stone, one reaction to that should be which set of the three sets found in the Hebrew Scriptures, all somewhat different we talking about? Indeed, some Christian traditions actually count eleven commandments. Of course, in the strict sense there are really 613 commandments in the Hebrew Scriptures. On the other hand, many who adhere to both the Christian tradition and the Jewish tradition would claim there are but two: love God and love neighbor. Most scholars say there is but one commandment and it is the starting point of all Scripture. That one commandment is the one called great commandment— the Shema. We find that commandment in this passage from the Torah in the work known as Deuteronomy.