ON FAITH, REASON, AND DOUBT

      “Never question the truth of what you fail to understand… for the world is filled with wonders!” Frederick Beuchner wrote these words, and as a person who has learned that the greatest things in life can’t be measured, earned, or proved, I agree with him. It’s not that I have any issues with reason or science. I'm actually fascinated with both of them.  When I was earning a graduate degree in Organizational Psychology, I conducted more than one double-blind study myself, and concerning reason, I’ve never asked anyone to embrace Scripture without knowing its “setting in life.” Science has improved and saved billons of lives, and reason tells us to stop on red, go on green, and things like that. 
      I'm glad that there are smart people dissecting and analyzing things... because we need to understand and explain our world. I'm glad that there are people who seek to "prove" things because many things need to be proven. However, for people of faith, it is more appropriate to say that "believing is seeing," than it is to say, "seeing is believing" ... because faith embraces that which cannot be seen or proven, at least not in a way that will convince unbelievers. Faith and science are both necessary, but they seek different truths and ask different questions. They're both necessary and they walk together for awhile... but in the end, everyone must take a leap of faith. 
      Gibran noted that faith is “beyond the reach of proof,” and this is what makes it so powerful. Without faith, we could never really trust or love because all intimate relationships are based on faith. You tell me that you will love me forever, and I make plans, and decisions, and live my life based on your promise. I live as if it is true. I put my faith in your promise, and it is my faith that frees me to be myself and to live each day with quiet joy. In short, life and love both demand faith… so it ought not be a surprise that our relationship with God does too. Faith gives us confidence, confidence gives us vision, vision gives us Spirit-filled energy, and Spirit-filled energy gives us faithful action. Friends, faith is the stuff of greatness! Believing that God walks with us when we walk through the valleys of life, that God has a plan for us, that we can't do anything that will cause God to love us less, that we- and our neighbors- carry the Image of God within us...makes all the difference in the world! Living by faith is essential to Christian life and it is ours for the choosing! Yes, believing is every bit as much a choice as not believing… so you can choose to live as if every Biblical truth and promise is absolutely true, and you can make that choice today! 
      Choose to believe... and make that choice even though you may have doubts from time to time. Remember that doubting is NOT the opposite of believing... and that doubt often leads to greater faith. It is counterproductive, of course, to give into your doubts and simply become a "doubting person"- but doubts alone should not keep us from choosing to believe! As a seminary professor noted, “Faith itself is the only evidence. When we come upon the unanswered question, the unknown and the unknowable, the love we cannot explain, or live without, the relentless hope that keeps us dreaming impossible dreams and working... against all odds, to patch a broken world... it is faith that keeps us going." As people of faith, we live as if God's promises are true, and "proof" never crosses are minds, anymore that it crossed our minds when our loved one said, “You can trust in me and I will love you forever.” Amen.

HIS NEW COMMANDMENT

      They gathered for dinner… in a prearranged room… for the last time...and they were all there- as they had been everyday, for every meal, for years. Bartholomew was there; James the Lesser too, Andrew and the brother he introduced to Christ, Simon Peter, were there, as were the “sons of thunder”- John and James. Thomas, the twin, and Matthew, the tax collector, were there, and so was Thaddeus (aka, Jude). Simon the Zealot and Phillip were there, and Judas Iscariot was there for part of the meal. It may have been April 1, 33… when they gathered together for the last time. They were reclining in a U-shape and the food before them included… wine, bread (all meals included bread)… and possibly (we don't know)… lamb shanks or tilapia, cholent (stewed legumes of some sort), olives, Maror (a green salad), Karpas (fresh vegetables), and Charoset (a fruit and nut paste).

      Scholars are divided on whether it was a Passover meal nor not, but what we do know (from the synoptic gospels) is that Jesus took the bread and gave it to the others as his body, broken for them, and that he offered them a drink from the cup, saying that it was a new covenant, sealed with his blood, shed for the forgiveness of sin. John doesn’t mention any of this, but he does tell us that… as the meal was in progress, Jesus grabbed a basin of water, and a towel … and proceeded to wash his disciples’ feet, moving from one to the other. It was a awkward thing to see and even more awkward to be part of… because having someone wash your feet is very vulnerable… and intimate! I know because I’ve had my feet washed at a “foot-washing” service or two. I’ve also washed feet, and I understand the servanthood involved… but the deeper surrender comes when we allow someone else to wash our feet. It's a awkward thing... and Peter cried out, “You’ll never wash my feet,” when Jesus approached him. He was anxious, maybe offended, embarrassed, but Jesus said, Peter-my dear friend, if you don’t allow me to wash your feet, you’ll never have any part of me. If you don’t allow me to carry your sin on my back, if you don’t allow me to die for you, or cry for you… you’ll never really know me… and you won’t be able to minister to others in my name.

      And when Jesus finished, he told them that the foot-washing was an “object lesson”… so that they would know how to love one another when he was gone! Yes, he told them that he was going to leave them… and that they would be blessed if they showed one another the love he had shown them ...by washing one another’s feet. The time is near for me to leave you, he said, and before I go, I am giving you a new commandment- a mandatum novum- that you must love one another… as I have loved you! The NEW COMMANDMENT- that his disciples, which would be a blessing in the doing- this was John's concern. A PARTING GIFT for those who would have to go on alone- was part of the Last Supper. Jesus went on to offer a prayer for them, and later he gave them his Holy Spirit for insight and strength, but on this night, he loved them enough to answer the question that was weighing on their hearts- WHAT ARE WE TO DO NOW?

      Saying “goodbye” for the last time is a difficult thing… and the right words are hard to come by. When I said “goodbye” to my brother, Larry, I was too nonchalant about it… and I wish I could do it over… because we both knew that we would never see one another again. We had a beautiful time together during my final days with him, but I should’ve said more than “goodbye” when I left. I should’ve hugged him, told him that I loved him, and that I always admired him… but I didn’t. It;s tough to say "goodbye"- I know it... and you know it... and the disciples learned it too. They had been with Jesus 24-7, for at least three years, must have been overwhelmed by the the moment. What would next Monday be like without Jesus? How could they live without him?
      And so it was that on the first Maundy Thursday, our Lord told his friends that he would be with them in the breaking of the bread… and he gave them a new commandment- so that they would know how to live for him when he was gone. Wash one another’s feet, he said, and you'll be blessed. Love one another as I've loved you… he said, and the world will know that you're mine. A new commandment …but what does it mean?  How can we love one another as he loved us? What would that look like? Well, if we're to love in the way he loved, we will forgive 70x7 because forgiveness is what his life and ministry were all about. If we're to love as he loved, we'll meet people where they're at… and invite all people into His wide circle of grace. We'll welcome children and listen to cries for help, whether they come from a Phoenician woman who insists on a healing for her daughter, or from the lepers who cluster on the outskirts of town. If we're to love as he loved us, we will mourn for a broken world, defend people, even prostitutes, from persecution, and we'll liberate and empower those who have been shut down, shut in, or shut out. Loving as he loved… means that we'll weep with the broken-hearted and have a bias toward those who are poor, disabled, or imprisoned.

      These are some of the things that loving as he loved require, but where will the power, even the desire, come from? How can we get beyond ourselves and our own agendas… and love others in ways that are more sacrificial that just being a little inconvenient? How can I love in that way? Well, the answer lies in surrender, in claiming our baptisms, and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Christ has left us with a new commandment, it is true, but he has also given us the power to keep it. The "secret" is to allow Christ to dwell in us and to trust enough to dwell in him. If we are ever to wash one another’s feet in a way that goes beyond hospitality or theatre, we will have to respond to Christ’s invitation in our own lives. Let me close with a few of the lyrics to one of my favorite hymns, which is called, “The Summons.” They go like this: Will you come and follow me, if I but call your name? Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same? Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name? Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same? Will you let the blinded see if I but call your name? Will you set the prisoners free and never be the same? Will you kiss the leper clean and do such as this unseen? Will you love the you inside if I but call your name? Will you be the faith you’ve found and reshape the world around if I but call your name? Lord, your summons echo true when you but call my name. Let me turn and follow you and never be the same. In your company I’ll go… where your love and footsteps show. Thus, I’ll move and live and grow… in you and you in me. He has shown us what to do and he has equipped us for the doing. Let those who have ears, hear! Amen.feet as he moved from one to the other.  grabbed a basin of water, and a towel,h his scandalous death...al liberation- not from

MARY'S EASTER SURPRISE

    It was early on the first Easter morning... when Miriam of Magdala (Mary Magdalene) made her way to his tomb. She walked with a heavy heart, just as we do when we walk through our grave yards, and she recalled all of the moments they had shared. He was a loving man- a man of God (she was sure of that)- a man who didn't deserve to die, not in the way that he did. She walked through the graveyard... and just couldn't get the crucifixion out of her mind. The pain, the shame, the humiliation- she could scarcely take it in... but one decent thing had happened.  Ordinarily, it was unlawful to bury the body of a person who was crucified...because leaving the body to rot and/or become fodder for birds and animals... was part of the punishment. But, in an act of grace and no little courage, a man named Joseph obtained permission to bury Jesus' body in his family tomb.
      And Mary (and the other women) saw where they laid him. So, she got up early on Easter morning... and made her way to his tomb, just as we make our way to a loved one's grave site- and for much the same reason- to do the right thing and to show our respect. She wanted to see him one more time and to make sure that his body was prepared properly. That's all. She didn't expect to find an an empty tomb... except perhaps in a fleeting thought that someone might tamper with, or steal. his body (which wasn't unheard of in her time). Oh Mary, sad and broken Miriam. Go and do what you have to do. And she did- with one or two other women, depending on the gospel we're reading. She went to show her respect... but the tomb was empty! It actually was empty...and not dreaming of a resurrection, she was certain that they had moved his body. So she ran back to the others and cried, "They've taken his body and we don't know where they put him."  It was a startling report, but it came from an emotional woman and besides, it took two men to verify such things. So, Peter and John ran to see for themselves... and sure enough, the tomb was empty, except for his burial clothes, which were neatly folded... with the cloth that covered his face lying in its own place.
      It was a mysterious thing to see and it didn't fit with body-snatching-but Peter and John went back to their hiding place... while Mary stood outside the empty tomb and cried. Poor Mary, alone and broken-hearted in a garden for the dead. It was Easter morning. The sun was higher now, and Mary was still crying. The others had left... and Jesus' body was still missing. She shuffled around his grave and when a man whom she didn't recognize said, "Woman, why are you crying? Whom are you looking for?" She thought he was someone tending to the property and said, Sir, just tell me where you've laid him, so that I can tend to him. Where have you laid him? Just tell me that. Then the man spoke, "Mary. Miriam," and her heart raced because she recognized his voice. Filled with emotion, she cried, "Rabbouni, my teacher,"and evidently she reached out to hug him... but he  resisted, and said, "Noli me tangere," don't cling to me. Mary (and all of you who see me through your tears), don't cling to me... because you have work to do.
       Run to the others, Mary, and tell them that I'm going up to my God and their God. Tell them that I am alive, Mary. Tell them that I arose and danced on my grave. Tell them... that it is Easter! Tell them that I am as alive as anyone is ever alive, and that... through me, they will live fully and forever. Tell them, Mary, that Easter is not a season of the year, nor a day on their calendar, nor a bunny, nor just time for family... but rather, that it's the greatest thing that could ever happen... because death has been beaten! Life where there was death. Life where there was no hope. Life from the grave, Tell them that they don't need to mourn for me and for themselves... because life is victorious over death. Tell them that I live and that, because I live, they will live! Go and witness to me, Mary, and the first evangelist did just that. Verse 18 says it succinctly: "Miriam of Magdala- Mary Magdalene- left the burial site and announced to the disciples- "I've seen the Lord!!!" Amen and hallelujah, She saw the Lord... and life became worth the living. Amen. 
      Friends, I've been blessed to preach God's word for nearly 30 years now, and I've read the Bible through many times. I know there are many different interpretations of Scripture. I know that some critics have pointed out... what they consider to be inconsistencies between the gospels... and that they've tried to explain his miracles away. I know all of this, and I don't give it a second thought... because my faith is based on Christ crucified and risen. However- and here I draw on something that Frederick Buechner said- if I thought that Easter was nothing more than a feel-good story, like a wrestler jumping to his feet just before he was counted out, or a way of touching the child in each of us, or just a way of saying that there's a rose beneath the snow, I'd pack it in... and sell my robes and books. I'd quit telling myself and others a lie. If Christ didn't appear to Miriam and to the others, if he didn't show Thomas his wounds, if they didn't see him ascend to heaven, then the story is bogus... and our faith is in vain. If Jesus is not risen, we will be forever dead... but if he is... and He IS... death has been defeated... and the new life that he promised is ours! Easter is a wonderful day. It's a time when families gather and celebrate the joy of the life that they share together. And this is a good thing... but the Easter story is this: death has given way to life... for us and for our loved ones... and that life is worth the living, just because he lives!
      Like Mary, we aren't allowed to cling to him. He doesn't belong to us... but we can (and must) run and tell the others, in the all the ways that are open to us, with the words that we can muster in our own settings. We must tell them what we've seen and experiences and....that he lives. We can do that... we can run and tell others that we have seen Christ...and we can live in ways that show them that we believe it! Amen.

CAN DRY BONES LIVE?

       Ezekiel 37:1-10 is a great message of hope. It's an affirmation that all things are possible for God and that our "good-byes" won't be forever. It's an Easter message in many churches, but it's also a message that we need to hear... when we're watching a loved one die... or leaving a friend for what we know will be the last time... or carrying a box filled with personal items from our office to our car because we won't be reporting to work come Monday. For all of us who have come face-to-face with death, separation, betrayal, or an emptiness too deep to measure... clinging to the hope that dry bones live... is the only hope we have!
      According to our history books, Israel was attacked and destroyed by the Babylonians in 597BC. Men, women, and children were killed. The temple was plundered and destroyed, and thousands of Jews were taken into captivity. They were resettled in Babylon and this included the eccentric prophet, Ezekiel. Everything that they had owned was gone and they had to face the reality that, even though they were God's favored people, they were destined to die in a foreign land. If ever there was a hopeless situation, this was it... but according to Ezekiel, "the hand of the Lord" brought him out "by the Spirit" and set him in the middle of a valley of dry bones. The bones were really dry, and the Lord asked him if the dry bones could live. "Can these dry bones live?" he asked. Can they? Is it possible? What do you think? I don't know, Ezekiel answered, and God told him to "prophecy" to the bones, which he did. And "there was a rattling sound" of bones coming together. Ezekiel looked and the dry bones took on flesh, and when he spoke again, the breath of God entered them... and they came to life and stood on their feet as a vast army!
    O my, what a vision! For a man in exile, what a vision! For people who had lost their loved ones, their homes, and their freedom, what a promise! For those of us who have walked in a valley full of dry bones, what a hope! When his world was crumbling around him, the "Spirit of God" sat Ezekiel down in a valley of dry bones. He was knee-deep in dry bones, and God asked him the question that we all struggle with when we come face to face with death- CAN THESE DRY BONES LIVE? When we held my brother's funeral service in Anniston, Alabama, there was some concern that Randy did not look like himself. The funeral directors, it seemed, had not done a particularly good job... but the bigger question was this: CAN THESE DRY BONES LIVE? In God's Sovereign hands, can Randy Lee Shedenhelm live? That was the question. It is always the question. When they took my brother, Larry, off of life-support, a deep and abiding sorrow filled the air, and the mystery of life and death pervaded our spirits. Was this the end of Larry... or was it a new beginning in which he would be free of both cancer and death?
      Would his dry bones live. That was the question and it wasn't asked in a theology class somewhere. We were standing up to our knees in a valley of dry bones, and we could hear God asking, "Can these dry bones live?" When we walk through the graveyards that dot our lives; when someone abandons us; when we get "downsized," or "fired,; when we see our friends die in combat; when we're told that we will never walk again, or work again, or that we have just a few months to live... we hear God whisper, "Son of man... CAN THESE DRY BONES LIVE?" Can they? Well...can they? Like most of you, I've seen the dying and the dead and I've struggled to make sense of it all. Like you, I've had my share of life's "little deaths" too- and I know dry bones when I see them. I've heard the sobs, I've seen the vacant looks, I've experienced them myself. There are valleys of dry bones in life and we can't avoid them, So, it's just a matter of time when we will be asked Ezekiel's question: CAN THESE DRY BONES LIVE?
      When my brother, Randy, died in '94, we had already cried our tears... as we watched him get thinner and thinner.. and weaker and weaker. Hospice watched over him and his partner was with him, as he faded away. His boys stood by him, and my brother, Larry, and I did the same, but from a worldly point of view, it was alway clear that there was no hope. Randy was in a valley of dry bones... but he told me that he wasn't afraid to die because he was in God's hands. Randy believed that dry bones live, and this is the truth that we claimed for him at his funeral. Larry was the middle brother between Randy and me, and he was a good man. He was successful and talented too, and I was proud of him... but in the course of time, a deadly form of Leukemia had it's way with him and he passed away. I was blessed to be with his family as he was dying, and I can tell you that there were dry bones everywhere around. Anyone could see that death was knocking at the door, but Larry, who was not given to idle chatter, told me that he would see Randy when he got to heaven.
      Randy and Larry are gone now, but they are NOT dead because, in God's hands, dry bones live! Because Christ lives, we will live... and because He lives, our lives are worth the living. This is the promise and the truth. Amen!

SYMBOLS OF OUR FAITH

      When I look at my wedding ring, I see a symbol of love and commitment. It’s not really quite either one, of course. It's made of metal...but it’s  very, very close to the real deal... and my wife wouldn’t be happy if I left it at home. To me, the American flag is an extremely powerful symbol of what we believe, what we hold dear, and of the blood that’s been shed for our freedoms. It’s not actually those things of course, but it’s draped a million caskets… and it’s very, very close what it represents.

      Some symbols are that way. They’re overwhelming in their own right, Take the cross, for instance, with the sign that was nailed above Jesus' head- "INRI," which means Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. In my view, it captures the essence of our faith... and I love it, whether it’s big or small, rugged or smooth. When I was working at the Lutheran bookstore in seminary, we carried a variety of crosses, as you would expect. We had beautiful, ornate crosses that were empty, which is theologically correct for Protestants, but I was drawn to a line of Peruvian crucifixes that we carried. They were rough-hewn and an agonizing figure of Jesus was hanging on them. His face was distorted with pain, but I could see the love in his eyes... and I loved them because they captured the price that he paid to save me!

      The cross is our greatest symbol of faith, but the pulpit is a powerful symbol too, especially for Protestants, because it symbolizes the importance of God’s word in our lives. Believing that the Catholic church had not emphasized the Bible enough, the Reformers placed large pulpits in the center of the chancel to magnify the importance of God’s word and to recognize that Scripture stands at the center of our faith. At some level, the pulpit is just a wooden object, of course, but it is a sacred object that lifts up the word of God, which millions of people live by to this day… and which untold numbers of others have died believing. We come to church for a lot of reasons. Some come to hear the songs, and we have wonderful music here. Some come to encounter Jesus in Communion, which we will get to in a minute. Some come because it's a family tradition, I appreciate all of these reasons for attending church myself... but I always feel better when there has been a good message from the Pulpit.

      And then there's the Baptismal font… which is absolutely central to our faith journey. For Christians, the font… is a tomb in which we die to our old natures… and a womb from which we are born in Christ. It is a sacred place, where we celebrate the fact that God has called children and infants into his community… and it is a transforming place when adults repent of sin and surrender in trust to Christ. The font is the door which connects us with Christians in all times and places. It is the entryway into our community, and one of my professors was fond of saying that if it was done correctly, churches would place their Baptismal fonts in the back of the sanctuary, at the entrance, and plug it in… so that it’s water is always be moving.

      The cross, the pulpit, and the font...are three of our most powerful symbols… and to these I would add...the love which we show to one another and to our neighbors… because worship is a way of life and because the light that shines from us is the brightest symbol of our faith… that some people will ever see! Acting as if we believe is a powerful sign to others and it is a sign of the joy, hope, and serenity that we have in Christ. We are living symbols of our faith, as we sit in our living rooms, our office, or some restaurant booth…and we all know, or have known, people… who will not see Jesus, unless they see him in us.

      Now, let's turn our attention to the cup and the loaf, which set upon our communion table, which many call the “altar,” The cup and the loaf are symbols that Christ himself gave us and they are also components of the sacred meal that Christians share throughout the world. Some churches call the meal the “Lord’s Supper” because he commanded that we share it in memory of him; some churches call it the “Eucharist” because it is an act of thanksgiving; and some churches call it “Communion“… because we always take it in community, not only with Christ, but with Christians in all times and places. Some denominations believe that, in a mysterious but real way, the cup and the load become the body and blood of Christ; other denominations hold that this is true, but only during the meal; and some denominations believe that, while the loaf is always bread and the cup always wine (or juice), we are nonetheless lifted into  Christ’s presence… as we share these elements... and that he is our host, just as surely as he was when hosted the Last Supper all those years ago. People understand the mystery of communion in different ways, but we all agree that it is a sacred meal which we share with Christ and with others who call him Lord. Many people receive strength for their Christian journey at the Lord's Supper, and many more, like Cleopas, see Christ most clearly, in the breaking of the bread! 

      Finally, I will mention the Fellowship meals that we share together… because they are also a symbol of our faith and of our understanding that we are…brothers and sisters, in Christ. In every church that I’ve served, Dinner Bells, Supper Clubs, or some variation of them has always been successful… because they tap into the hospitality and the grace that shared meals provide. I’ve been part of the Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches so far in my life, and they’ve all loved to get together and eat. They've all said that the one thing they love to do is... to eat with one another... and well they should... because eating together- companionship- cum panis- with bread… has always been a source of joy. When three strangers approached Abraham, he ran to greet them and invited them to share a meal; when Ruth, the Moabite, caught Boaz’s eye, he told his workers to make sure that she was successful gleaning his fields… and then he invited her to come over and break bread with him; and when Peter was given a 2^nd-chance to express his love for Christ, it happened around a little charcoal fire… and a shared meal.

      Scripture makes it very clear that First Church Jerusalem devoted themselves to prayer, the Word of God, songs of praise and worship, fellowship, and the breaking of bread... and it is my prayer that we remain anchored in these foundational symbols of our faith. 1) Study the Bible, friends, 2) preach the good news in all the ways you can, 3) sing your songs (much louder than you do), 4) open your hearts, minds, and spirits to the presence of Christ as you share the Lord’s Supper, 5) pray continually, 6) minister to others as if you are the only Christian they will ever know… and 7) find ways of fellowshipping together. If we do these things, God will bless us and add to our number.