January 20th 2008 Sermon By D Vande Kieft

Calling All—Saints and Sinners, Young and Old—to “Come and See” Second Sunday after Epiphany Jan. 20, 2008 The Rev. Donna J. Vande Kieft John 1:29-41; Isaiah 49:1-7; I Corinthians 1:1-9 I greet you with Paul’s words: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” One sure and certain thing in life is change. Usually I am scheduled to preach on the 4th week, but the annual meeting is scheduled for next Sunday, and we hope that you will all gather at 10AM for that special time in the life of this church. I am pleased that it worked out that I get to share the service (at least the 10AM service) with our youth. I am not well acquainted with Trinity’s youth, but I see that we have some great kids and dedicated leaders. If you haven’t been downstairs in awhile, you should go down and take a look at the rooms where the children and youth spend their time on Sunday a.m. while we’re up here doing our thing. And, if you can’t get downstairs because of the steps, you might want to be here next Sunday to vote for the elevator to be installed, so you can get down there. On the other hand, if you love our music program and think it might be even better with a new organ, you may want to be here to vote on having the pipe organ installed instead of the elevator. Hard choices—we can’t have it all—at least not all at the same time. Really these choices are small potatoes in the greater scheme of the life of the church. It is an equal opportunity vote that will hopefully be conducted in a spirit of unity and harmony. God help us to remember the Gospel of Kindness and Compassion, whatever the outcome. And may it pave the way for unity and harmony in dealing with bigger issues on the table in our churches—issues of inclusion of all God’s children. Back to the lower level of the church where the kids hang out—did you know that Episcopalians don’t have basements or lower levels in their buildings? The correct Anglican term for the lower level of an Episcopal Church is undercroft. And there’s lots of great stuff that happens in the sacred undercroft space here at Trinity. Just as we adults have classes and discussions and listen to sermons about what the Bible has to say about our prayer life and our spiritual gifts, the kids have their own leaders and discussions about those issues every week. They are learning that they can pray anywhere, at anytime, and they have a pretty simple formula that might work for us adults, too, if we would stop making it complicated. The kids’ formula for prayer has four easy steps: 1) Gimme – what I need or want; 2) Thanks – for all that is good in life and even for that which sort of sucks; 3) Oops! I screwed up and I’m sorry; and 4) Wow! God you are awesome and amazing! We can all learn a lot from kids. Sometimes adults are kind of a pain—they often think they know it all (in seminary we called them KIA’s—Know It All’s). KIA’s can even be a little discriminatory and patronizing toward young people. A couple years ago we had a young chaplain join our hospice group. He was fresh out of college, with his master’s in theology and his CPE chaplaincy training completed. I was his preceptor in his orientation process, and he sort of became like a son--only I never really wanted to be a mother, or a preceptor. He looks even younger than he is, and ours is a work group of seasoned nurses, social workers, HHA’s and chaplains—mostly women--pushing or pulling 50 who work for hospice. So, this poor young guy suddenly has like 40 older sisters telling him what to do. We honestly meant well in taking him under our wing and showing him the way, but the reality is, he’s a colleague and coworker, and while we have experience and wisdom to share with him, he also came along to teach us some things. Life lessons come to us through all kinds of people, at all ages and stages of life.

A good friend of mine recently became a grandmother. Initially she was not very excited about the baby. During our neighborhood walks she tends to get more excited about the dogs we meet than children! But since her beautiful grand-daughter was born in November, we are seeing a full-blown love affair unfolding, and in her lovely Norwegian accent, she calls her “the little treasure.” Our children and young people are, indeed, a treasure. They are our future, our hope--they point us to a better world, and they can inspire us to live our best life now. Today’s Gospel is about John’s testimony to Jesus. John, the Baptizer, and Jesus were contemporaries. They were related—their mothers, Elizabeth and Mary, pregnant at the same time with John and Jesus—shared a special relationship. Both mothers—one too old and one too young to be pregnant—trusted the process of birthing these little lambs, these treasures that would grow and develop and change the world, though they also brought great sorrow to their mothers in choosing to live hard lives of service that resulted in premature deaths. Jesus and John lived with passion and purpose, and they both died young as a result of their passion and purpose. John’s whole role and mission in life was to prepare the way for Jesus. His ministry was all about pointing others to Jesus. John points the way for us, to live our lives in such a manner that our family and friends see Jesus. The first chapter of John is a prelude to Jesus’ ministry. It functions like the overture to an orchestral piece. Today’s section narrates the witness of John the Baptist to Jesus and the gathering of the first disciples. It is composed as a series of four days that lay the groundwork for the unfolding of Jesus’ ministry. In Cursillo we talk about the fourth day as a reference to “the rest of your life,” and shorthand for “active Christian witness.” The inspiring three day retreat points us to the fourth day—inviting us to “come and see” Jesus in every aspect of our day-to-day lives (the good the bad, the ugly, the exciting, the mundane, the exhilarating and the depressing—all of it). And, it is not a game of solitaire. The Christian life is not intended to be lived in isolation. We are called and created to be in relationship with God and with friends. We need community. John refers to Jesus twice as “the Lamb of God,” a metaphor that is rooted in Hebrew Scriptures. The “lamb of God” is an expression used in the servant songs of Isaiah, referring to one who was oppressed and afflicted, like a silent lamb that is led to slaughter… And it could also refer to the Passover lamb, the liturgical symbol of Israel’s deliverance as recorded in the book of Exodus. John says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world…” The word “sin” is singular, emphasizing the world’s collective brokenness as opposed to individual human sins. Sometimes we get hung up on individual moralistic behaviors when we think of sin rather than the collective sin of a country or the world. A thread of sin that runs through history is violence born of oppression and struggles for power and control that are not in the interest of the greater good. Someone sent me an e-mail this week with a paraphrase of Psalm 15 in honor of Dr. King’s life. It included a photo of Dr. King in his office with a picture of Gandhi on the wall behind him. Lord, who can be trusted with power, and who may act in your place? Those with a passion for justice, who speak the truth from their hearts; who have let go of selfish interests and grown beyond their own lives; who see the wretched as their family and the poor as their flesh and blood.

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They alone are impartial and worthy of the people's trust. Their compassion lights up the whole earth, and their kindness endures forever.

John and Jesus came preaching a gospel of compassion and kindness. Perhaps the church needs to “Come and See” anew and fresh what her mission and purpose is all about. A friend recently gave me a book entitled Seven Things They Don’t Teach You in Seminary, written by a pastor and former seminary professor. One of the seven things he posits is that “the Church is an institution and not a center for spirituality.” My hope is that we can prove that one wrong here at Trinity. While we have rules of governance and polity—doing things in good order and according to tradition—we pray that a spirit of love and harmony that Paul talks about will prevail. Hopefully our vote will always be for the Gospel of Kindness and Compassion to be followed in any of the decisions that are made on the church’s behalf. The way of kindness and compassion means that ALL are included in the business of the Church. Jesus came to show us a new way where every voice counts. Every voice also represents a member of the body who has a spiritual gift to contribute to the community. Every one of us has a spiritual gift that we can use in Christian service. There is something in each of us that can point others to Jesus. That is our call and purpose. Outcomes of service are not as important as faithfulness in serving. The measure of our effectiveness lies in the answer to the question, “Do our lives invite others to come and see Jesus?” John continued to point people to Jesus, and when he was in prison, he experienced a very human response—he questioned if Jesus really was who he said he was. And, eventually Herod ordered that John be killed in a really gruesome manner. John’s life begs the question: What does it really mean to be successful? In life? In ministry? We recall the life and death of Martin Luther King this weekend. Was Dr. King’s life and ministry a success? His mission was about helping the oppressed and bringing about change. Like John, his was a life of service and sacrifice. Ultimately, the life of Jesus models the way of service and sacrifice. In spite of the cost and hardship of living a life of sacrificial service, the call to follow Jesus is compelling, lifechanging and frees us from those things that hold us captive. In the first reading of Isaiah, the second of the so-called “Servant Songs,” it first sounds as if God is addressing a single individual, saying “The Lord called me before I was born,/while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.” This Servant Song speaks to the nation of Israel in exile. Isaiah has a vision and extends an invitation and a promise to an oppressed people. He invites them to listen, to pay attention. Their mission is to be a light to the nations. In the midst of oppression we hear the voice of reason and protest, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing…” and in the same breath there is also recognition that “my cause and my reward are with my God who honors me and gives me strength.” The vision given to Isaiah is one in which Israel will be glorified, and we know from history that the Babylonian captivity ended, and Israel experienced restoration. The prophet hears their pain and offers hope and promise in the midst of it. He sees the bigger picture. My cousin’s daughter is pregnant with a fourth child who is due to be born in April. Carmen has been sending e-mails requesting prayer for their unborn son since they discovered that he has some challenges. Tests show that he has a form of Skeletal Dysplasia that is associated with abnormalities in the size and shape of arms, legs, the trunk or skull. They will not know for sure what kind he has until after he is born. It looks as if their little guy has the type that affects his limbs and he appears to have brittle bones. His bladder and kidneys also 3

show signs of partial damage. Last weekend Carmen, sent two e-mails, one stating their sadness in hearing the doctor say, “We’re not sure if your baby will ever walk, and it looks like he only has two fingers on his right hand…” She says those are hard words to hear and the hardest part-for parents to see their children struggle. When we think of our son and how much we love him, it hurts our hearts to know the struggles he has ahead of him. But we do take comfort in knowing God will carry us every step of the way.” Her second e-mail announced that they have given the baby a name. The OT story of Joshua and Caleb has meaning for their family. Joshua and Caleb showed incredible strength and courage as they were sent ahead as spies appointed by Joshua to scout the dangers of the promised land for the Israelites. Carmen and her family have named their unborn child Caleb. He has two brothers, Cody and Connor and they thought their little brother should also have a name that starts with C. So, we are praying for this little lamb, Caleb, and his family. His family is asking for patience, for strength, peace, wisdom and renewal as they are exhausted and trying to go forward with hope. They are especially praying that Caleb is not in pain and that he will continue to grow. Carmen says, “Shane and I want to be sure all of you understand what a blessing we feel our son is. We know God has a special plan for his life, and God created him for a purpose. We are thankful to God for giving us a special little boy. We look forward to welcoming him into our arms and into our family.” I saw these words of Isaiah through a different lens after hearing Carmen and Shane’s story. “The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me…I will give you as a light to the nations.” The Lamb of God, the light of the world, became flesh and dwelt among us to show us how to witness, how to serve and how to be light in the darkness. After hearing and seeing the witness of John and Jesus, people were asking, “Rabbi/Teacher, Where are you staying?” They wanted to learn more. Jesus says, “Come and see.” Jesus invited his disciples to “come and see,” and he has invited followers ever since to “come and see” with eyes of faith. Come and see Jesus in the midst of human weakness, come and see Jesus in the confusion, the pain and suffering of the sick, the dying, the incarcerated. Come and see Jesus in the brokenness, come and see Jesus in the midst of the consequences of the sin of the world. Come and see the light in the darkness; come and BE light in the darkness. We are all called to be disciples of Christ. We are invited to recognize Jesus first in our own brokenness and darkness. We are invited to come and see; and once we have seen, we are prompted to invite others to come and see. We are called to action and service, encouraged to use the spiritual gifts we were given in following and relating to the call of Jesus in our daily lives. Our witness and life of faith will compel others to come and see, to come and serve, to come and be honored and blessed as God’s chosen servant--known, named and gifted before your birth. We are the voice, the hands and feet of Christ—one body serving together for the greater good of the world. I conclude with Paul’s words to the Corinthians, personalizing them for us here at Trinity this day. “I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind—just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you—so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

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