For Dad
Spring and late fall have always been my favorite seasons. Early in the year the late winter thaw swells the streams with crystal clear water. Other signs of life come out of the warming earth. Skunk cabbage and daffodils join the blossoms on the dogwoods and redbuds. Robins return from their hiding. As the spring-time days get longer my thoughts turn to fishing and early mornings spent wading in icy cold water, as I take in all that God has to offer in His gift of nature. Half a year later, the cooling of the air as rains change to snow flurries bring about a similar, although conflicting comfort as the world around me changes into a hibernating community of rest. The outdoors is just as significant at this time of year. But the shift is away from the frigid streams returning to their icy form. We look upward from the valleys into the higher fields and hills as other wildlife attract our interest and attention.
My dad and I shared many moments filled with both excitement and disappointment while being outdoors. From the proud grin on his face when I tagged my first buck, to the equally wide grin on my face as I returned the favor and offered him the first shot on another; from the fear and concern in my heart from losing his favorite rod and reel to a large fish at Ocean City, to the surprise on his face of getting his Christmas present that year; we found many bonding moments. These moments, regardless of the varying emotions involved, were always grounded in one aspect of life that each of us acknowledged: the awe and wonder of God’s creation. Our hearts connected through this intimacy, this undeniable thread of unspoken conversation, even during times we disagreed. That was his nature. He spoke his mind and offered his opinions, but loved us and cherished the times we had together no matter how brief.
Yes, he loved and still loves. Dad loved his family, it was obvious. He loved his country; evident in all the work he did years after serving in Korea, helping the American Legion and their push for educating students in the schools about citizenship. Above all he loved God and his church and he was not afraid to show it, not by any “in your face” nature, but through his daily actions and his faith. His faith in the rhythm of the church seasons became the rhythm of this life. Connect this with his love for nature and creation, and there is sense for God choosing this time of year to bring him home. Just as Advent takes us into the darkness in preparation for the birth of the Light of Christ, so too, Dad seemed to be preparing for this day. Not that he spent his life in darkness, but he understood that darkness is as much a part of this life as light, and you need one to understand the other. He embraced Advent and Christmas and their association with the first day of winter, always happily declaring the fact that the days would now be getting longer. He knew we were approaching a new light. He knew that light would be brighter than any darkness could overcome: The light that John refers to in his gospel that “… shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
And so now, during Advent, we say goodbye to Dad in this life while the nights are the longest and the grey sky makes the daytime dim. It may take time, but eventually we will get through any darkness that seems to surround us. That is okay, because all things happen in God’s time and not ours. And we know that in time, we will soon celebrate the birth of Jesus the true light, the light of Christ. At some point, possibly when it seems he’s been gone forever, we will recognize that Dad has been with us all along. We will look up into the clear, icy, night-time sky of winter thinking, "soon the days will be getting longer once again.” And a new shining light will catch our eye, we will be reminded of Dad, and we will know he is shining his light for God now. God bless you, Dad. You are and will be missed! I love you!
In loving memory of Peter E. Gdula, 3/3/31 – 12/10/10
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Need or Greed?
Need or Greed? Sermon for Proper 21, year C Pete Gdula
It is a blessing to return here on such a beautiful morning. A friend and classmate of mine made the trip here last Saturday in anticipation of taking a class only to find out we did not need either of the courses. Some made mention of how mad we must have been to make the trip and spend the time and gas without anything to show for it. How wrong they were. The drive brought back memories of my homily rehearsals as I drove through the snow covered branches in January. I paused to shout hello to the pony and wave to the horses; to point out the short cut through New Bloomfield and question the renovation of a consignment shop into a tattoo parlor. But above all, it showed me the grace I had received in exploring and sharing my new ministry with all of you. I have walked through hallowed halls of marble and gold through Europe, set foot in board rooms turned chapels, and saw heaven touch the earth on an early morning fishing trip as I stood in the middle of a stream. All of these are etched in my mind for their own reasons. What I’ve found is that none of those would mean a thing if it weren’t for the people who fill the rooms, or recognize the presence of the Holy and each other in these places and moments.
It is not the walls that make a church but the people that occupy it. It is not the people that make the community - but the love and effort of care- giving in regards to their neighbor. In today’s Epistle, Paul calls it “…godliness combined with contentment;” All each of us needs is food and clothing. When we miss the mark on this one, should we examine our relationship with our social status and monetary wealth? If we are already too far gone in the direction of loving our material belongings and our money, would we even notice where our attention is? Would we know that we are already like the rich man who is SO far removed from society, he thinks he deserves special treatment even after being condemned?
I remember a homily that I presented to you back in May where I suggested how the season of Pentecost was meant to bring our faith and education into the real world. I stressed how Pentecost is a time of acting out our lessons, putting feet on our prayers and ideas, and taking on the words of the Gospel by becoming living Christians in the truest sense of the word. Here we are, gathered again approximately three months later. We are at the half way point toward Advent, and today’s readings provide a good time to take a litmus test and find out how we are doing. Most of the summer we’ve listened to Luke’s presentation of Jesus’ teaching in parables. Parables that are “smack-you-in-the-face” wake up and let the dogs outside obvious. Its times like these I’m happy to be part of a faith that has a definitive liturgical cycle. We are given the framework for our house of faith during Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter. We now decide what color combinations to use in the dining room. We take the hours spent in home improvement centers looking at samples of carpeting, siding, roofing, and appliances and work on the finished product. We order the living room sofa and HD, cable ready TV, the beds, curtains and throw pillows, and make sure the driveway and sidewalk are clean and swept. It is a time for living.
But while many will be happy and step back here, soaking in the pride of what they have made, there are those who see that a neighbor may need some help with a chore. There are those who notice an acquaintance is walking to work while his car sits in his drive way in need of repairs. There are those who notice that even people who seem to be happy and well off need a shoulder to lean on or a hand to hold in prayer. These are the people who are “content with godliness”. They have what they need – and in most instances a great deal more – but they have not stopped noticing others who are not at the point of having their basic needs fulfilled yet.
When the rich man asks to have Lazarus sent to warn his brothers about the direction they are headed, Abraham refuses with a stern and somber answer. If you don’t heed the warnings now, from those who have been with you and wrote the laws, who would believe you when you say that you would now believe a resurrected body? Jesus makes this distinction clear and simple. His followers did not know at the time, it was He who would come back resurrected to confirm his identity so we might believe. Now the parable is turned on us. We not only have Moses and the prophets, we also have THE resurrected One who showed us the way.
Many treasures are stored up on earth. Many treasures are accumulated by both honest workers and those with greedy hands. Can the comparison stop there? Should we be concerned that perhaps this is where it will be decided who lives in eternal life being comforted and who ends up across the chasm, waiting for someone to send them a cooling drop of water that apparently won’t come? None of us can answer that. Fortunately – we have a foundation and the framework to begin finishing our works. We have our shell and roof and decorations. We have some pretty good written instructions and examples in our scripture. And we are filled with the grace from having those who show us in their actions every day. The ones who have built their treasures in heaven – and are sharing those treasures without bias or question. Amen
It is a blessing to return here on such a beautiful morning. A friend and classmate of mine made the trip here last Saturday in anticipation of taking a class only to find out we did not need either of the courses. Some made mention of how mad we must have been to make the trip and spend the time and gas without anything to show for it. How wrong they were. The drive brought back memories of my homily rehearsals as I drove through the snow covered branches in January. I paused to shout hello to the pony and wave to the horses; to point out the short cut through New Bloomfield and question the renovation of a consignment shop into a tattoo parlor. But above all, it showed me the grace I had received in exploring and sharing my new ministry with all of you. I have walked through hallowed halls of marble and gold through Europe, set foot in board rooms turned chapels, and saw heaven touch the earth on an early morning fishing trip as I stood in the middle of a stream. All of these are etched in my mind for their own reasons. What I’ve found is that none of those would mean a thing if it weren’t for the people who fill the rooms, or recognize the presence of the Holy and each other in these places and moments.
It is not the walls that make a church but the people that occupy it. It is not the people that make the community - but the love and effort of care- giving in regards to their neighbor. In today’s Epistle, Paul calls it “…godliness combined with contentment;” All each of us needs is food and clothing. When we miss the mark on this one, should we examine our relationship with our social status and monetary wealth? If we are already too far gone in the direction of loving our material belongings and our money, would we even notice where our attention is? Would we know that we are already like the rich man who is SO far removed from society, he thinks he deserves special treatment even after being condemned?
I remember a homily that I presented to you back in May where I suggested how the season of Pentecost was meant to bring our faith and education into the real world. I stressed how Pentecost is a time of acting out our lessons, putting feet on our prayers and ideas, and taking on the words of the Gospel by becoming living Christians in the truest sense of the word. Here we are, gathered again approximately three months later. We are at the half way point toward Advent, and today’s readings provide a good time to take a litmus test and find out how we are doing. Most of the summer we’ve listened to Luke’s presentation of Jesus’ teaching in parables. Parables that are “smack-you-in-the-face” wake up and let the dogs outside obvious. Its times like these I’m happy to be part of a faith that has a definitive liturgical cycle. We are given the framework for our house of faith during Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter. We now decide what color combinations to use in the dining room. We take the hours spent in home improvement centers looking at samples of carpeting, siding, roofing, and appliances and work on the finished product. We order the living room sofa and HD, cable ready TV, the beds, curtains and throw pillows, and make sure the driveway and sidewalk are clean and swept. It is a time for living.
But while many will be happy and step back here, soaking in the pride of what they have made, there are those who see that a neighbor may need some help with a chore. There are those who notice an acquaintance is walking to work while his car sits in his drive way in need of repairs. There are those who notice that even people who seem to be happy and well off need a shoulder to lean on or a hand to hold in prayer. These are the people who are “content with godliness”. They have what they need – and in most instances a great deal more – but they have not stopped noticing others who are not at the point of having their basic needs fulfilled yet.
When the rich man asks to have Lazarus sent to warn his brothers about the direction they are headed, Abraham refuses with a stern and somber answer. If you don’t heed the warnings now, from those who have been with you and wrote the laws, who would believe you when you say that you would now believe a resurrected body? Jesus makes this distinction clear and simple. His followers did not know at the time, it was He who would come back resurrected to confirm his identity so we might believe. Now the parable is turned on us. We not only have Moses and the prophets, we also have THE resurrected One who showed us the way.
Many treasures are stored up on earth. Many treasures are accumulated by both honest workers and those with greedy hands. Can the comparison stop there? Should we be concerned that perhaps this is where it will be decided who lives in eternal life being comforted and who ends up across the chasm, waiting for someone to send them a cooling drop of water that apparently won’t come? None of us can answer that. Fortunately – we have a foundation and the framework to begin finishing our works. We have our shell and roof and decorations. We have some pretty good written instructions and examples in our scripture. And we are filled with the grace from having those who show us in their actions every day. The ones who have built their treasures in heaven – and are sharing those treasures without bias or question. Amen
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Vanity or Futility
First I want to tell you how good it is to be back. My time at Newport passed quickly, which attests to the amount of energy and activity that flows through that particular group of people into their community – not unlike all of you here at St. Luke’s. While Sheri kept me aware of how the Holy Spirit was moving through this community, I was blessed to be in a similar situation. My internship was a remarkable, growing experience, full of lessons taught and learned, discernment continued and my path keeps evolving. Through this I can affirm that the Holy Spirit is alive and well at The Church of The Nativity, just as it lives and breathes in this community.
Next I would like to take the opportunity to pass on Sheri’s and my sincere thanks for all of your prayers and wishes during her time in and out of the hospital. I’m sure it was confusing for most people to be hearing one day that she was home and all was well from an operation, and a day or two later receiving word of her being back in the hospital. I can tell you that nothing or nobody was or were more confused than our two dogs. Each time I pulled into the driveway it appeared that they sat in futility on the back of the couch, staring out of the window, anxiously awaiting the return of the queen of their pack. Their anxiety at times seemed to be full of complete helplessness…that same helplessness we often feel overcome with in times of uncertainty and unknowing. One of the common threads that weave in and out of our lives is so often the thread of fearing what we don’t know – looking for known comforts to hold onto – and creating ways to avoid facing the future.
That is one of the facts of life that the writer of today’s Old Testament story tries to convey to us. Our interpretation of Ecclesiastes uses the word “Vanity” and instills visions of an ego riddled culture full of materialism and grasping at every whim under the sun. So much grasping for “stuff” that even the wind is not safe from trying to be controlled. And as we read the Gospel with “vanity” freshly planted in our minds, it further grabs us and forces us to conceive of a world full of greed and want and laziness. That is what the parable seems to be saying. A man was blessed with many things. Those things multiplied. He wanted to save and horde them all for himself. He built a bigger warehouse for storage so he’d never have to work again and sit back and live the “good life”. Some might say, well, yes, he earned it; it’s all his, he can do what he wants with it. Others might say, well yes, but if he’s as good natured and as happy as it appears in the story, why doesn’t he want to share any of it? (Note that we don’t know if he did share or not). Jesus gives us an answer and a moral to go with the story; however, I’m still left back in Ecclesiastes wondering how someone gets to a place where their ego is so big they want to chase the wind.
Enter another interpretation of the Old Testament. Our own definitions of words today and the age we live in are very important players when reading the bible, so I turned to the Jewish Study Bible to view how a Rabi would read the text from the original translation. Where we read “Vanities of Vanity” Says the teacher, “Vanity of vanity, all is vanity” … I see this: “Utter futility! – Said Koheleth – Utter futility! All is futile! Suddenly my views changed and the entire direction of my study changed all because of one word! Vanity to me is ego. Futility to me is something that is worthless. While ego may be worthless, there is a big difference between deeming an act wrong for the sake of greed and want, then from the standpoint of having no value at all.
Ecclesiastes is from the Jewish cannoned texts in the Kethuvim, or Wisdom books, along with Job, Proverbs and a few other texts. Koheleth is the name used to reference King Solomon, to whom the writing is credited. Throughout Ecclesiastes we have a theme of how nothing we humans do in life is deemed to be worthwhile. Life is beyond our comprehension to see the hand of God in the mundane acts of life. Solomon says no matter what we do, all is hard work under the sun. We are born, we live, we suffer and toil, and then we die. And without even a slight notion of an understanding of where God fits into our lives, it can be nothing but futility. It is as crazy as trying to catch the wind!
This would be the perfect place where one of the many preachers of the Gospel of prosperity and success would jump in and say “Wait! That’s your problem! You’re thinking wrong! God WANTS us to be successful and rich and happy and have everything we want, He says so and Jesus says so! I have the Secret! For a nominal price I’ll tell you what it is!” (My own thoughts there, not the church’s) But there IS a silver lining to the dark cloud of despair and futility, and Koheleth gives us the answer as we continue reading Ecclesiastes. He declares that all IS toil and the only thing that IS certain of our humanness IS death. There IS no clear cut line between what type of person the rain falls on or who wins the Powerball. BUT we don’t have to be laborious in our work and toil. What DOES matter is how we treat each other in the process of living out the events in our lives. What does matter is how we react to the unfolding of events as they happen. What does matter is that we place God front and center in our lives and allow our work to become Holy. In that context, nothing will be futile or vane.
I had an experience the day I helped out with lunch at St Barnabas School. All of the food was set out on the table and the counselors were determining who could go and pick up their plates. Two little girls, presumably sisters, tried to hide behind each other as they approached the table, very timid and unsure about what they were allowed to have. I could not help but wonder if their hesitation was from being shy or from being deprived. Watching their eyes open wide as I told them it was okay to have watermelon, and watching their hands hold it as if it were the most precious thing in the world, made me shiver as I saw what true appreciation and excitement was. There was nothing futile about the work involved in that small act of giving that so many people contributed to. There in that moment was something as simple as providing someone a treat, that will endure for as long as I can remember, and hopefully for the two little girls, also.
Both Jesus’ parable in the Gospel and Solomon’s words of wisdom in Ecclesiastes give this same principle. The purpose of our lives is to do our work for God and all else will be taken care of. There is a higher purpose and higher place for us to be in both now and in the future, so stowing away our riches for that rainy day when we’d like to be lazy – while it won’t hurt as long as we’re using it for God’s work – sure won’t help if we don’t use any of it now, today, for others that do need it, now, today.
Amen! 8/1/2010, Peter M. Gdula
Next I would like to take the opportunity to pass on Sheri’s and my sincere thanks for all of your prayers and wishes during her time in and out of the hospital. I’m sure it was confusing for most people to be hearing one day that she was home and all was well from an operation, and a day or two later receiving word of her being back in the hospital. I can tell you that nothing or nobody was or were more confused than our two dogs. Each time I pulled into the driveway it appeared that they sat in futility on the back of the couch, staring out of the window, anxiously awaiting the return of the queen of their pack. Their anxiety at times seemed to be full of complete helplessness…that same helplessness we often feel overcome with in times of uncertainty and unknowing. One of the common threads that weave in and out of our lives is so often the thread of fearing what we don’t know – looking for known comforts to hold onto – and creating ways to avoid facing the future.
That is one of the facts of life that the writer of today’s Old Testament story tries to convey to us. Our interpretation of Ecclesiastes uses the word “Vanity” and instills visions of an ego riddled culture full of materialism and grasping at every whim under the sun. So much grasping for “stuff” that even the wind is not safe from trying to be controlled. And as we read the Gospel with “vanity” freshly planted in our minds, it further grabs us and forces us to conceive of a world full of greed and want and laziness. That is what the parable seems to be saying. A man was blessed with many things. Those things multiplied. He wanted to save and horde them all for himself. He built a bigger warehouse for storage so he’d never have to work again and sit back and live the “good life”. Some might say, well, yes, he earned it; it’s all his, he can do what he wants with it. Others might say, well yes, but if he’s as good natured and as happy as it appears in the story, why doesn’t he want to share any of it? (Note that we don’t know if he did share or not). Jesus gives us an answer and a moral to go with the story; however, I’m still left back in Ecclesiastes wondering how someone gets to a place where their ego is so big they want to chase the wind.
Enter another interpretation of the Old Testament. Our own definitions of words today and the age we live in are very important players when reading the bible, so I turned to the Jewish Study Bible to view how a Rabi would read the text from the original translation. Where we read “Vanities of Vanity” Says the teacher, “Vanity of vanity, all is vanity” … I see this: “Utter futility! – Said Koheleth – Utter futility! All is futile! Suddenly my views changed and the entire direction of my study changed all because of one word! Vanity to me is ego. Futility to me is something that is worthless. While ego may be worthless, there is a big difference between deeming an act wrong for the sake of greed and want, then from the standpoint of having no value at all.
Ecclesiastes is from the Jewish cannoned texts in the Kethuvim, or Wisdom books, along with Job, Proverbs and a few other texts. Koheleth is the name used to reference King Solomon, to whom the writing is credited. Throughout Ecclesiastes we have a theme of how nothing we humans do in life is deemed to be worthwhile. Life is beyond our comprehension to see the hand of God in the mundane acts of life. Solomon says no matter what we do, all is hard work under the sun. We are born, we live, we suffer and toil, and then we die. And without even a slight notion of an understanding of where God fits into our lives, it can be nothing but futility. It is as crazy as trying to catch the wind!
This would be the perfect place where one of the many preachers of the Gospel of prosperity and success would jump in and say “Wait! That’s your problem! You’re thinking wrong! God WANTS us to be successful and rich and happy and have everything we want, He says so and Jesus says so! I have the Secret! For a nominal price I’ll tell you what it is!” (My own thoughts there, not the church’s) But there IS a silver lining to the dark cloud of despair and futility, and Koheleth gives us the answer as we continue reading Ecclesiastes. He declares that all IS toil and the only thing that IS certain of our humanness IS death. There IS no clear cut line between what type of person the rain falls on or who wins the Powerball. BUT we don’t have to be laborious in our work and toil. What DOES matter is how we treat each other in the process of living out the events in our lives. What does matter is how we react to the unfolding of events as they happen. What does matter is that we place God front and center in our lives and allow our work to become Holy. In that context, nothing will be futile or vane.
I had an experience the day I helped out with lunch at St Barnabas School. All of the food was set out on the table and the counselors were determining who could go and pick up their plates. Two little girls, presumably sisters, tried to hide behind each other as they approached the table, very timid and unsure about what they were allowed to have. I could not help but wonder if their hesitation was from being shy or from being deprived. Watching their eyes open wide as I told them it was okay to have watermelon, and watching their hands hold it as if it were the most precious thing in the world, made me shiver as I saw what true appreciation and excitement was. There was nothing futile about the work involved in that small act of giving that so many people contributed to. There in that moment was something as simple as providing someone a treat, that will endure for as long as I can remember, and hopefully for the two little girls, also.
Both Jesus’ parable in the Gospel and Solomon’s words of wisdom in Ecclesiastes give this same principle. The purpose of our lives is to do our work for God and all else will be taken care of. There is a higher purpose and higher place for us to be in both now and in the future, so stowing away our riches for that rainy day when we’d like to be lazy – while it won’t hurt as long as we’re using it for God’s work – sure won’t help if we don’t use any of it now, today, for others that do need it, now, today.
Amen! 8/1/2010, Peter M. Gdula
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Trinity Sunday/Memorial Day Homily
Trinity Sunday/Memorial Day Pete Gdula
Some things are given to us because we’ve asked for them; other things come to us for no apparent reason – even when we feel they weren’t rightly (or wrongly) justified. The grace of God and the Holy Spirit are such gifts. We have God’s grace as something given at the very place we stand. We have Holy Spirit as our guide and advocate in one aspect because we don’t have Christ in human form at this point in time. This is how things emerged and formed this week’s homily. My question was: how DOES one forge together Trinity Sunday with Memorial Day? I found myself asking this question to myself more times than I spent reading the lessons and listening to the hymns. Nothing was coming through. But by Friday Holy Spirit spoke to me in the form of an idea. When your thoughts seem to be scattered and the threads of time appear to be unraveled; when it seems your fall-back plan has fallen through; what does any good disciple of Jesus named Peter do at a time like this? He goes fishing. And so I did. While this didn’t translate into any major “ah-ha moments” for my talk, listening to Holy Spirit’s guidance of doing something which for me are meditative and prayerful was to prepare me for other things.
In the church calendar we are now in what we call ordinary time. The longest of seasons, Pentecost stretches out through summer, fall, and the beginning of winter. We take what we’ve learned from Advent through Easter and now put that knowledge to work as we become the hands and feet of God, taking the Gospel of Jesus into our daily lives, allowing our lives to be built on the firm foundation and framework we’ve constructed in the last 6 months. But when I grasp for something I think should be solid, when what is promised for me seems so far in the future, or when I mistake an intention for something other than what it truly is, IF none of these perceptions are happening all I need to do is listen and look and the original intention will be in front of me.
Yesterday was a prime example of Holy Spirit giving me lessons. I was in the hospital with my wife, who had been admitted to find the source of a severe pain she was having. As I was looking over the lessons again, there in big letters right before me, Romans 5:1-5, were the words on how suffering builds endurance, endurance builds character, etc, and I thought “what a wonderful thing to say to someone in her pain.” So I read the verses to her, commenting about the pain …. And MY first real lesson in pastoral care followed that I’ll remember the rest of my life. That passage is definitely the wrong thing to read to someone when THEY are suffering. They don’t want to hear what suffering brings about, they just want it to be stopped! And YOU may be the bearer of suffering for even trying to read it! We do suffer in our humanity, and it does build character and endurance and hope. But it may not be our position to think of what the suffering and pain will bring about as we live through it. I doubt any of these veterans whose graves we just prayed over thought about the hope they would provide for us today, suffering while in the midst of their duties serving our country. But here we are, almost two centuries in the future from some of them, and we live with the freedoms they defended and sometimes suffered for. Generations have endured, our character is on display and it has left us with hope. All promised by the words of Jesus, how he would send us His advocate while he was away.
Now on this Memorial Day, as we honor those who have died, who stood their ground for us in service to our country, we thank God for them. It is said that funeral and remembrance services are in actuality for the living to help relieve their suffering. We can only understand through hope – the things that come about from another person's commitment and THEIR suffering. It reminds me of a song by one of my favorite composers, Edwin McCain, entitled “Prayer to Saint Peter”. I’d like to close with a portion of it:
“Let them in Peter, for they are very tired. Give them couches where the angels sleep, and light those fires. Let them wake up whole again, to brand new dawns, fired by the sun, not war-time’s bloody guns. May their peace be deep, remember where their broken bodies lie. God know how young they were to have to die. Let them love, Peter, for they’ve had no time. They should have birds, songs, and trees, and hills to climb. Tell them how they are missed. But say not to fear. It’s gonna be alright, with us, down here.”
Amen
Some things are given to us because we’ve asked for them; other things come to us for no apparent reason – even when we feel they weren’t rightly (or wrongly) justified. The grace of God and the Holy Spirit are such gifts. We have God’s grace as something given at the very place we stand. We have Holy Spirit as our guide and advocate in one aspect because we don’t have Christ in human form at this point in time. This is how things emerged and formed this week’s homily. My question was: how DOES one forge together Trinity Sunday with Memorial Day? I found myself asking this question to myself more times than I spent reading the lessons and listening to the hymns. Nothing was coming through. But by Friday Holy Spirit spoke to me in the form of an idea. When your thoughts seem to be scattered and the threads of time appear to be unraveled; when it seems your fall-back plan has fallen through; what does any good disciple of Jesus named Peter do at a time like this? He goes fishing. And so I did. While this didn’t translate into any major “ah-ha moments” for my talk, listening to Holy Spirit’s guidance of doing something which for me are meditative and prayerful was to prepare me for other things.
In the church calendar we are now in what we call ordinary time. The longest of seasons, Pentecost stretches out through summer, fall, and the beginning of winter. We take what we’ve learned from Advent through Easter and now put that knowledge to work as we become the hands and feet of God, taking the Gospel of Jesus into our daily lives, allowing our lives to be built on the firm foundation and framework we’ve constructed in the last 6 months. But when I grasp for something I think should be solid, when what is promised for me seems so far in the future, or when I mistake an intention for something other than what it truly is, IF none of these perceptions are happening all I need to do is listen and look and the original intention will be in front of me.
Yesterday was a prime example of Holy Spirit giving me lessons. I was in the hospital with my wife, who had been admitted to find the source of a severe pain she was having. As I was looking over the lessons again, there in big letters right before me, Romans 5:1-5, were the words on how suffering builds endurance, endurance builds character, etc, and I thought “what a wonderful thing to say to someone in her pain.” So I read the verses to her, commenting about the pain …. And MY first real lesson in pastoral care followed that I’ll remember the rest of my life. That passage is definitely the wrong thing to read to someone when THEY are suffering. They don’t want to hear what suffering brings about, they just want it to be stopped! And YOU may be the bearer of suffering for even trying to read it! We do suffer in our humanity, and it does build character and endurance and hope. But it may not be our position to think of what the suffering and pain will bring about as we live through it. I doubt any of these veterans whose graves we just prayed over thought about the hope they would provide for us today, suffering while in the midst of their duties serving our country. But here we are, almost two centuries in the future from some of them, and we live with the freedoms they defended and sometimes suffered for. Generations have endured, our character is on display and it has left us with hope. All promised by the words of Jesus, how he would send us His advocate while he was away.
Now on this Memorial Day, as we honor those who have died, who stood their ground for us in service to our country, we thank God for them. It is said that funeral and remembrance services are in actuality for the living to help relieve their suffering. We can only understand through hope – the things that come about from another person's commitment and THEIR suffering. It reminds me of a song by one of my favorite composers, Edwin McCain, entitled “Prayer to Saint Peter”. I’d like to close with a portion of it:
“Let them in Peter, for they are very tired. Give them couches where the angels sleep, and light those fires. Let them wake up whole again, to brand new dawns, fired by the sun, not war-time’s bloody guns. May their peace be deep, remember where their broken bodies lie. God know how young they were to have to die. Let them love, Peter, for they’ve had no time. They should have birds, songs, and trees, and hills to climb. Tell them how they are missed. But say not to fear. It’s gonna be alright, with us, down here.”
Amen
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Temptation in The Desert
Pete Gdula, 2/21/2010
Temptation seems to be everywhere in my life, most of all where I least want it to be but also where I’m most likely to find it. There is the temptation to turn on the TV when I should be studying or reading. There’s a temptation from the snack food that calls out my name in the last two hours of every night right before I go to bed. And there’s even a temptation to log into Face Book half way through a draft of a sermon I’m finishing several nights before I preach. All of these seem quite trivial, but they are little nuisances that – if given attention to - can turn a time of production into a time of waste. One quick game of bubble spin turns into a complete renovation of my café… if you don’t know what I’m talking about you may just be better off not knowing.
Yes, those are just a handful of minor issues. But if I allow the minor issues to control my life, and interfere with progress, peace, and real attentiveness to everyday actions; how am I handling the big temptations in my life and where am I turning my attention to when encountered with the “really big stuff” that disrupts my intentions? Am I programming myself for failure and an easy target for much larger mistakes by succumbing to an occasional midnight trip to Sheetz for a bag of m&ms or a cinnamon bun with cream cheese icing? I try to move forward, taking these little things I think do me harm and give them up during lent as a means of making progress on my spiritual journey. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing or minimizing anyone’s true and honest intentions of how lent is treated. After all, it is one step at a time, one day at a time that we move forward to conquer the things in our lives that might keep us from having a richer or fuller life than we can ever dream of. But what happens when we are confronted with the obstacles we encounter along the way of progression? Do we stand upright in honor of our courage and move forward into the unknown? Or is it much easier to turn back to the comfort and familiar areas of life and living than it is to venture into the unknown and begin anew. This is where we enter today’s gospel and bring it to life. In the entering into the unknown, the desert, the wilderness, this new and unfamiliar place is filled with every uncertainty under the sun. A place not just of unfamiliar territory, but a place where we have no idea how long we have to stay there.
After being baptized Jesus spent 40 days in the desert or wilderness. Moses wandered the wilderness for 40 years. Noah floated around in an ark for 40 days. We spend 40 days in the season of Lent preparing for the resurrection at Easter. It doesn’t take long to see that the number 40 here is neither random nor literal, but symbolic of the period of time it takes to complete a journey and make a transformation. However, not just any journey, but a very long one. And not just long, but a journey which is filled with trials, testing, and much need of mental, physical and spiritual strength and fortitude. Look at the Hebrews as they were tempted to return to Egypt because they were tired of having to gather food and water for themselves every day. They knew their past meant bondage and slavery but being held captive also meant not having to worry about being fed, where they were to sleep or if they had clothes to wear. It was all back there waiting for them. And for quite a long while returning to familiar territory – no matter how unappealing the known restrictions were - appeared quite attractive to them. But in the end, Moses was able to convince them to continue and although he did not complete the journey with them, further trials were met and conquered that allowed them to achieve their goal.
Now Luke brings all of the history of Israel into the present by giving us a vivid account of what Jesus went through after being filled with the spirit. The text we have is presented in one manner as an account to bear witness to Jesus’ divinity and also an account of His faith being tested. By the way, thanks to a sermon delivered a few years ago by one Father Ed, I learned this passage can also be a testament that overturns any notion that there is a gospel of material wealth and prosperity. Because in the verses, who is it that is offering fame, fortune, and glory? Let us think about that for a moment. Those things are not evil in themselves. But to accept worldly, material luxuries as ours to own under the circumstances of giving up a relationship with God might have some bearing in how we manage the rest of our lives from that point on AND every other situation we are presented with.
Most of the spare time I had in my life was spent coaching sports, whether it was intramural sports teams such as softball and volleyball, or high school athletics like track and field. The thing I spent the most time on with the athletes in each age group and ability level was basic fundamentals of the game. Not a practice went by where we didn’t spend time on at least one aspect of the basics of that event. And it paid dividends over and over because by having a solid foundation on which to work, when the difficult situations arose where the excitement builds up and fear can set in because when we entered unfamiliar territory, what brought about success and achievement was the faith in their selves established from knowing they had already passed many trials in their previous journey. It was a long journey filled with many errors and mistakes, but perseverance and not retreat resulted in passing the tests and trials.
And such is the life we live. Most of us are not athletes trying to get rid of bad habits through the use of repetitions with the basics. Most of us are not on an intense spiritual journey requiring us to mold the minutes of our lives with rules of discipline, order and conduct. But we are concerned with how we treat our neighbors. We are concerned with those in our midst who need our help and assistance. We are concerned with injustices and wrongs against humanity. And as we begin Lent, it is our concern that we look for more ways to search ourselves for a better way to become closer to God. That way is found in many forms by following Christ Jesus. Yesterday at our Lenten retreat we discussed different ways we follow Christ and how they could help or hinder our nearness to God. This afternoon we will venture into a way that has been used since the 3rd century, but popularized and brought out of Jerusalem and into the world’s churches by a group of monks who called themselves “The Brothers Minor”, the original Franciscan Friars. It is called Stations (or Way) of The Cross, a brief but intense devotion to Jesus during his final trial. I hope you’ll join us immediately after coffee hour, and allow yourself to be open to the same spirit that filled Jesus and led him into the desert during his 40 days of trial and temptation, as we take another step in allowing Him to get closer to us.
Temptation seems to be everywhere in my life, most of all where I least want it to be but also where I’m most likely to find it. There is the temptation to turn on the TV when I should be studying or reading. There’s a temptation from the snack food that calls out my name in the last two hours of every night right before I go to bed. And there’s even a temptation to log into Face Book half way through a draft of a sermon I’m finishing several nights before I preach. All of these seem quite trivial, but they are little nuisances that – if given attention to - can turn a time of production into a time of waste. One quick game of bubble spin turns into a complete renovation of my café… if you don’t know what I’m talking about you may just be better off not knowing.
Yes, those are just a handful of minor issues. But if I allow the minor issues to control my life, and interfere with progress, peace, and real attentiveness to everyday actions; how am I handling the big temptations in my life and where am I turning my attention to when encountered with the “really big stuff” that disrupts my intentions? Am I programming myself for failure and an easy target for much larger mistakes by succumbing to an occasional midnight trip to Sheetz for a bag of m&ms or a cinnamon bun with cream cheese icing? I try to move forward, taking these little things I think do me harm and give them up during lent as a means of making progress on my spiritual journey. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing or minimizing anyone’s true and honest intentions of how lent is treated. After all, it is one step at a time, one day at a time that we move forward to conquer the things in our lives that might keep us from having a richer or fuller life than we can ever dream of. But what happens when we are confronted with the obstacles we encounter along the way of progression? Do we stand upright in honor of our courage and move forward into the unknown? Or is it much easier to turn back to the comfort and familiar areas of life and living than it is to venture into the unknown and begin anew. This is where we enter today’s gospel and bring it to life. In the entering into the unknown, the desert, the wilderness, this new and unfamiliar place is filled with every uncertainty under the sun. A place not just of unfamiliar territory, but a place where we have no idea how long we have to stay there.
After being baptized Jesus spent 40 days in the desert or wilderness. Moses wandered the wilderness for 40 years. Noah floated around in an ark for 40 days. We spend 40 days in the season of Lent preparing for the resurrection at Easter. It doesn’t take long to see that the number 40 here is neither random nor literal, but symbolic of the period of time it takes to complete a journey and make a transformation. However, not just any journey, but a very long one. And not just long, but a journey which is filled with trials, testing, and much need of mental, physical and spiritual strength and fortitude. Look at the Hebrews as they were tempted to return to Egypt because they were tired of having to gather food and water for themselves every day. They knew their past meant bondage and slavery but being held captive also meant not having to worry about being fed, where they were to sleep or if they had clothes to wear. It was all back there waiting for them. And for quite a long while returning to familiar territory – no matter how unappealing the known restrictions were - appeared quite attractive to them. But in the end, Moses was able to convince them to continue and although he did not complete the journey with them, further trials were met and conquered that allowed them to achieve their goal.
Now Luke brings all of the history of Israel into the present by giving us a vivid account of what Jesus went through after being filled with the spirit. The text we have is presented in one manner as an account to bear witness to Jesus’ divinity and also an account of His faith being tested. By the way, thanks to a sermon delivered a few years ago by one Father Ed, I learned this passage can also be a testament that overturns any notion that there is a gospel of material wealth and prosperity. Because in the verses, who is it that is offering fame, fortune, and glory? Let us think about that for a moment. Those things are not evil in themselves. But to accept worldly, material luxuries as ours to own under the circumstances of giving up a relationship with God might have some bearing in how we manage the rest of our lives from that point on AND every other situation we are presented with.
Most of the spare time I had in my life was spent coaching sports, whether it was intramural sports teams such as softball and volleyball, or high school athletics like track and field. The thing I spent the most time on with the athletes in each age group and ability level was basic fundamentals of the game. Not a practice went by where we didn’t spend time on at least one aspect of the basics of that event. And it paid dividends over and over because by having a solid foundation on which to work, when the difficult situations arose where the excitement builds up and fear can set in because when we entered unfamiliar territory, what brought about success and achievement was the faith in their selves established from knowing they had already passed many trials in their previous journey. It was a long journey filled with many errors and mistakes, but perseverance and not retreat resulted in passing the tests and trials.
And such is the life we live. Most of us are not athletes trying to get rid of bad habits through the use of repetitions with the basics. Most of us are not on an intense spiritual journey requiring us to mold the minutes of our lives with rules of discipline, order and conduct. But we are concerned with how we treat our neighbors. We are concerned with those in our midst who need our help and assistance. We are concerned with injustices and wrongs against humanity. And as we begin Lent, it is our concern that we look for more ways to search ourselves for a better way to become closer to God. That way is found in many forms by following Christ Jesus. Yesterday at our Lenten retreat we discussed different ways we follow Christ and how they could help or hinder our nearness to God. This afternoon we will venture into a way that has been used since the 3rd century, but popularized and brought out of Jerusalem and into the world’s churches by a group of monks who called themselves “The Brothers Minor”, the original Franciscan Friars. It is called Stations (or Way) of The Cross, a brief but intense devotion to Jesus during his final trial. I hope you’ll join us immediately after coffee hour, and allow yourself to be open to the same spirit that filled Jesus and led him into the desert during his 40 days of trial and temptation, as we take another step in allowing Him to get closer to us.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Cana Wedding
John’s gospel and the wedding at Cana. Now the verses composing this Gospel are some of the richest in content that I have yet to examine. While there are layers upon layers and theme upon theme involved here, I had to keep asking myself what the most important point was that I wanted to make. Was it Mary’s position as a person of authority at the wedding? She obviously had something to do with the event because she gave orders to the workers to do whatever Jesus told them to do. And all through the season of Epiphany she is present in most of the gospels we hear. Was it about the first miracle he worked? I’ve wondered why it took around sixteen or seventeen years since we last heard of him. That was the story of how he was staying behind in the temple discussing scripture with the rabbis instead of departing with his parents as he was told. They had to retreat back and look for him. By the way, kids, punishment was a lot harder and harsher back then. Today if you would happen to get into trouble – and I know that just like me, you don’t – you might lose TV privileges for a night. So if things were tougher back then, we might have a clue as to one reason for Jesus’ long period of absence. After pulling a stunt like that, Mary and Joseph were so mad by the time they found him that – yes, it may have been that for all those years, Jesus was grounded!
What I did discover was more of how John’s gospel leaves no words without sincere intention, and no thoughts without an intentional meaning, and unlike the synoptic gospels which were each written as a focus on a particular group of people, John intends it’s use to send a message to a somewhat wider audience ... Jews, Greeks, Asians, and us! It shows us that not a minute, hour, or day goes by without Jesus displaying his love for everyone in some form or fashion, showering us with God’s grace in all situations. What we have to do is be open to it and recognize it. Mary already knew who her son, Jesus, was. Mary knew that he was capable of providing exactly what people needed to get them through any situation. So it was that he revealed this to the world, in public, at a celebration of marriage.
Epiphany is about God revealing himself in the world as Christ, and for me, it also begins to reveal the Trinity. Last week the Holy Spirit was brought forth during Jesus’ baptism and the announcing of Jesus as God’s son. Today we are given the insights as to God’s presence in the world as Jesus. We need to remember that this is NOT a story of a “once and done” ordeal as some may think, the first of a list of miracles that were to be told in Sunday school. It is a story of how God’s grace is abundant, bigger, and more intense than any of us could ever imagine. At the time, religion was defined by laws and commandments. We hear of how Jesus wanted to show that there is also a spirit behind these laws and how by NOT looking at the true spirit, we miss so much in our lives. And so it is with grace. This is a story of how this spirit of grace is given to us through Jesus, meant for humanity just as Jesus was human as well as divine. It is a story that opens us up to the revelation that God’s grace is meant for everyone no matter who they are, and not confined to laws, codes and commandments that might keep us blind from seeing greater things.
We see this story of God’s abundant grace revealed for the perhaps the first time in public at a wedding ceremony. Regardless whether you look at numbers or not, this is an incredible story. These six water pots combined now contained between 120 and 180 gallons of wine. That’s quite a supply for a small town wedding! It was not a wealthy family’s wedding, because if it had been, there would not have been the chance that the hosts would have run out of such a staple of celebration and hospitality, as wine was even in that day and age. It was not held in the grandeur of a large city. Cana was in Galilee, which was made up mostly of small, simple villages and homes, and it was in a small home that Jesus chose to show his glory. How often do we look for God outside of ourselves and our home, searching for something “out there” and forgetting that grace is abundant and flowing right within our own walls, within our own families, and within our own souls. It reveals to us that God is everywhere, in every place, at all times.
The events of the past several weeks can have the impact of bringing us closer to this revelation. We’ve had God’s grace and healing power of prayer for several of our own family members here at Nativity. We’ve had the generosity and love of Jesus shining through others as we dedicated the house for the homeless yesterday. And time after time we’ve seen the face of Jesus Christ in others who are present and at work in the events surrounding the disaster in Haiti. For all of the attention that was given to disparaging remarks by well known people falsely claiming God’s anger and punishment, there were hundreds of reports of God’s presence as this immense recovery operation began to unfold. We saw the tears of compassion and sympathy in the eyes of world news broadcasters and reporters - and we heard the helplessness and despair in the crackling of their voices. We were told of challenges being overcome by those involved with working out the logistics of receiving the personnel, medical supplies and other aid that were waiting to get in - on an airport runway that was itself partially destroyed from the quake. And we witnessed the heartbreaking cries of help from the victims as they called out in pain for a sip of water, each waiting for their turn to be freed from the rubble. In all of this, in each story, God is present.
One of several stories that touched me deeply came from a man who was pinned down under some beams, waiting to be cut loose, already in pain, while also having to bear the heat of a torch which was being used to cut the metal bars around him. When asked how he was bearing all of this he replied, “I am a Christian. So I just say, Jesus, my life is in your hands.” He did not say he was praying for God to save him. He did not say that he was certain he would be freed. He revealed that his faith in Jesus Christ would be sufficient to make the best of whatever the outcome was.
No matter where we are, no matter what the situation; whether we are in a metropolis with gilded palaces or a hamlet with bamboo walls and thatched roofs;, whether from the ages of earthen water pots or the age of plastic collapsible barrels; whether in the comfort of a modest home with more than we need or under a pile of bricks, wood and steel; there is a constant in this world. That constant is the unending, abundant grace that God gives us, poured out for us not by the imperfections of a law that tells us there are certain ways we must behave or risk severe punishment, but by the abundant grace and perfect love that is sufficient for all of us for all times, revealed to us in every part of the world by Jesus during every season of every year. Amen.
What I did discover was more of how John’s gospel leaves no words without sincere intention, and no thoughts without an intentional meaning, and unlike the synoptic gospels which were each written as a focus on a particular group of people, John intends it’s use to send a message to a somewhat wider audience ... Jews, Greeks, Asians, and us! It shows us that not a minute, hour, or day goes by without Jesus displaying his love for everyone in some form or fashion, showering us with God’s grace in all situations. What we have to do is be open to it and recognize it. Mary already knew who her son, Jesus, was. Mary knew that he was capable of providing exactly what people needed to get them through any situation. So it was that he revealed this to the world, in public, at a celebration of marriage.
Epiphany is about God revealing himself in the world as Christ, and for me, it also begins to reveal the Trinity. Last week the Holy Spirit was brought forth during Jesus’ baptism and the announcing of Jesus as God’s son. Today we are given the insights as to God’s presence in the world as Jesus. We need to remember that this is NOT a story of a “once and done” ordeal as some may think, the first of a list of miracles that were to be told in Sunday school. It is a story of how God’s grace is abundant, bigger, and more intense than any of us could ever imagine. At the time, religion was defined by laws and commandments. We hear of how Jesus wanted to show that there is also a spirit behind these laws and how by NOT looking at the true spirit, we miss so much in our lives. And so it is with grace. This is a story of how this spirit of grace is given to us through Jesus, meant for humanity just as Jesus was human as well as divine. It is a story that opens us up to the revelation that God’s grace is meant for everyone no matter who they are, and not confined to laws, codes and commandments that might keep us blind from seeing greater things.
We see this story of God’s abundant grace revealed for the perhaps the first time in public at a wedding ceremony. Regardless whether you look at numbers or not, this is an incredible story. These six water pots combined now contained between 120 and 180 gallons of wine. That’s quite a supply for a small town wedding! It was not a wealthy family’s wedding, because if it had been, there would not have been the chance that the hosts would have run out of such a staple of celebration and hospitality, as wine was even in that day and age. It was not held in the grandeur of a large city. Cana was in Galilee, which was made up mostly of small, simple villages and homes, and it was in a small home that Jesus chose to show his glory. How often do we look for God outside of ourselves and our home, searching for something “out there” and forgetting that grace is abundant and flowing right within our own walls, within our own families, and within our own souls. It reveals to us that God is everywhere, in every place, at all times.
The events of the past several weeks can have the impact of bringing us closer to this revelation. We’ve had God’s grace and healing power of prayer for several of our own family members here at Nativity. We’ve had the generosity and love of Jesus shining through others as we dedicated the house for the homeless yesterday. And time after time we’ve seen the face of Jesus Christ in others who are present and at work in the events surrounding the disaster in Haiti. For all of the attention that was given to disparaging remarks by well known people falsely claiming God’s anger and punishment, there were hundreds of reports of God’s presence as this immense recovery operation began to unfold. We saw the tears of compassion and sympathy in the eyes of world news broadcasters and reporters - and we heard the helplessness and despair in the crackling of their voices. We were told of challenges being overcome by those involved with working out the logistics of receiving the personnel, medical supplies and other aid that were waiting to get in - on an airport runway that was itself partially destroyed from the quake. And we witnessed the heartbreaking cries of help from the victims as they called out in pain for a sip of water, each waiting for their turn to be freed from the rubble. In all of this, in each story, God is present.
One of several stories that touched me deeply came from a man who was pinned down under some beams, waiting to be cut loose, already in pain, while also having to bear the heat of a torch which was being used to cut the metal bars around him. When asked how he was bearing all of this he replied, “I am a Christian. So I just say, Jesus, my life is in your hands.” He did not say he was praying for God to save him. He did not say that he was certain he would be freed. He revealed that his faith in Jesus Christ would be sufficient to make the best of whatever the outcome was.
No matter where we are, no matter what the situation; whether we are in a metropolis with gilded palaces or a hamlet with bamboo walls and thatched roofs;, whether from the ages of earthen water pots or the age of plastic collapsible barrels; whether in the comfort of a modest home with more than we need or under a pile of bricks, wood and steel; there is a constant in this world. That constant is the unending, abundant grace that God gives us, poured out for us not by the imperfections of a law that tells us there are certain ways we must behave or risk severe punishment, but by the abundant grace and perfect love that is sufficient for all of us for all times, revealed to us in every part of the world by Jesus during every season of every year. Amen.
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