3 Easter Sermon Reflection

3 Easter Day/Year C Sermon/May 4, 2025

Acts of the Apostles 9:1-20; Psalm 30; John 21: 1-19

(Rev Julie Platson)

Opening Prayer (Feasting on the Word: Worship Companion)

Living Lord, you meet us in unexpected places and surprise us with the abundance of your love. Feed us by your Word always, fill us with your Spirit so that we may follow you this day, and always; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Savior. Amen.

I wonder at what point we would not be “surprised” by Jesus’ abundant love and meeting us in unexpected places?

I mean surprises can be good and wonderful…and I’m grateful for those times, when I get a glimpse of those moments when he does show up…just at that time I was wondering…How long, Lord…how long must your people suffer, endure hardship, face times of unrelenting, real fears…How many nights, Lord, must your people spend weeping, before joy visits them in the morning…How long, Lord will it be…until all your people are restored to life, and filled with the joy of your loving presence that can always be found in the everyday, expected places and circumstances of our lives…

The scripture readings today, give us some stories about people being surprised and transformed in seeing and experiencing the presence of Jesus…people being surprised that he shows up and meets them where they are…in the midst of their denials, persecution of others, in the midst of their grief, and wondering what to do next…

And Jesus says and does, what he’s been telling them, all along… “Follow me”… he’s not really telling them anything new today…he’s meeting them where they are today…walking along the road, fishing… and using words and stories and actions to help open the “eyes of their faith”…in the midst of their familiar places…Perhaps hoping that this time…they will really get it…that they will see and experience the abundance of God’s love in their ordinary, broken places of their lives…And that this love and its’ power to transform lives is not to be saved for special surprises now and then…or in unexpected places…

It's for every day… “Follow me”…says Jesus…I will show you the way…I will show you a way, when their seems as though there is no way…you might not see it right away…but stay with me…I have told you, I have shown you…and I’m here again right now…today…in the midst of all that is going on…

Sit here awhile with me…lets share a meal together…lets rest a while…

Let me begin again…Jesus says…

Following me…in walking the way of love looks like this:

Feed and tend to one another…the young and the old…care for one another in body and spirit; feed one another in body and spirit; be present to one another in body and spirit; encourage one another, in body and spirit; listen to the cries of the most vulnerable among us, in body and spirit; advocate for one another, in body and spirit…

Be assured, Jesus says, that following me…in walking the way of love means that I am there with you…all the time, all the time…ready to feed and tend to your body and spirit, as you in turn do the same for one another…

God’s way of love, as revealed to us in Christ Jesus…is for the body and spirit of all God’s people...It’s meant to be shared in all those places that seem so out of the ordinary…those unexpected places…

So, that one day…God’s kingdom will come here on earth, as it is in heaven…

So, that one day… all of God’s creation, all of God’s people are reconciled to one another and restored to life, and filled with the joy of the Lord’s loving presence that can always be found in the everyday, expected places and circumstances of our lives…

What small thing could you do this next week to bring that vision closer to fruition?

Prayer/Hymn: (LEVS) 157 – We Praise thee, O God – (v2 & 4)

2 We praise thee, O God,

For thy spirit of light,

Who has shown us our Savior,

And scattered our night.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! Amen,

Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Revive us again.

4 Revive us again, Fill each heart with thy love,

May each soul be rekindled, With fire from above.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! Amen,

Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Revive us again.

2 Easter Sermon Reflection

“If you were asked to choose from amongst all the people close to Jesus whom we’ve met along the way in our scripture readings, which one would you say you would most like to meet and get to know? Peter, our namesake? Mary, Jesus’s mother? Matthew, the tax collector? Joanna, wife of one of Herod’s stewards?Until last fall, I’d have a difficult time choosing between Bartimaeus, the blind man whose sight was restored, and the woman we know as Mary Magdelene. How many of us would say Thomas?”

Easter Day Sermon Reflection

Easter Day/Year C Sermon/April 20, 2025 Acts of the Apostles 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Luke 24:1-12 (Rev Julie Platson)

Opening Prayer (Feasting on the Word: Worship Companion)

Living God, by your Holy Spirit, open our eyes to see the new light of this day; open our lips to tell the story of the empty tomb; open our hearts to believe the good news; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We almost always hear the Resurrection story from the Gospel of John on Easter Sunday…but this year, I decided to go with Luke’s story….not that it is really much different (but it is a bit shorter)…and I’m guessing many of you, may not have noticed much…because, basically…just like the Christmas Nativity story we are all so familiar with…our Easter story is one that is equally familiar…

So, how do we listen to this familiar story year after year, and not allow our minds to go on “auto-pilot” while listening to it… What would it take for us to hear it, as if for the first time?

Well, for starters…we might acknowledge that we are creatures of habit…and many of us get stuck in routines, traditions, and leave no wiggle room for surprises…even the most adventurous people…probably still have some predictability about them…

Think about our work and school schedules over the years…alarms go off, coffee pot goes on, shower, maybe some breakfast, run out the door, take the same route to work or school every day, start at the same time, daily tasks are all about the same, end your work day or school day at the same time – time to head home after practices, or stop by the store to pick up a few incidentals for dinner, walk in the door, drop the bags in the kitchen, change clothes, do your homework, prepare dinner, sit and eat, then maybe relax a little bit...and start getting ready for bed…start thinking and preparing for tomorrow…set alarm and fall into bed…only to start all over again…8 or so hours later…

But think back again…was the day really all about routine and seemingly going about at the same pace? I’ll bet not…

Remember when… the coffee pot you set on the timer the night before, didn’t start, as planned… but instead, you got to enjoy the fresh aroma by being in the kitchen while it was brewing…or maybe you couldn’t have cereal for breakfast as you usually have…because you forgot to get the milk for the cereal the night before when you stopped at the store…but, instead, a family member steps up, and cooks up some eggs and pancakes for breakfast for the whole family to enjoy….

Chances are there were many times when you went to start the car, and it wouldn’t start…or …you had to shovel the driveway and scrape the ice off the car before you just run out the door and go off to work or school…But even while you muttering under your breath about shoveling and scraping ice…when you looked around at the newly blanketed landscape of winter snow…you were in awe of the breath-taking view on the mountain tops and in your own yard…and you even had a few extra moments to spare to build a snowman before school…I’m sure each of you could come up with more to add to these examples of those times, when your days, were anything but routine…days that were blessed, when amazing surprises interrupted your daily routine…

One of my favorite remembrances of a wonderful surprise that popped up in the midst of looking for something in the routine of usual places…was a time when I was preparing a funeral homily for someone back when I lived in Nevada. I was struggling to figure out what I would focus on to remember her that day…And, as I walked out of my house that morning, I came across the tiniest daffodil that I had ever seen, blooming in a small patch of dirt, in front of my home. I had never had any daffodils in my yard, ever…and I was so overwhelmed with awe, as to how this miracle of new life popped up in my yard, on this day. You see…this woman that I would be remembering in a few days...loved daffodils…and she lived on a 5 acre plot of land…that was splattered with daffodils every spring…they were her favorite flower…So this little tiny flower…was a reminder for me that God is a God of extraordinary surprises…and yet, at the same time, a reminder that God has always been with us in the daily routines of our lives…and is always trying to get our attention to remember, to remember the many stories and teachings of Jesus and God’s love, that we have heard so many times before…as we’ve gathered as a community of faith to listen to the scriptures, sing songs, pray together, break bread together, and celebrate in fellowship with one another…and then sent forth to go out into the world…to love and care for those in our communities…

Our gospel reading today begins in a way that would have been considered somewhat “routine” …or at least seemingly so...The woman in today’s gospel story were on their way to anoint Jesus’ body with spices - a task that was traditionally assigned to woman. After Jesus’ death on the cross, Joseph of Arimathea had been given permission by Pilate to take Jesus’ body and bury it in a new tomb. This all had happened so quickly, that the proper anointing and preparation for his burial had not been completed. This was one sign right here…that the usual routine was off track…

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body…

Not exactly what they were expecting…why was the stone rolled away? And where was the body? They had watched as Jesus was placed there just days before...They were expecting to find his body still there to anoint it with the spices they had prepared…they were expecting to be close to the one they had grown to love so much…and perhaps hoping to find some comfort in being with him again…

While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them.

Who were these two men? What were they doing in the tomb? What had they done with Jesus? They weren’t supposed to be there. Only Jesus’ body was supposed to be there.

The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.

What? What are you talking about?

The light bulb comes on now….

And...Then they remembered his (Jesus’) words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest.

They thought about it, ever so briefly….and yes…they remembered….and how nervously excited or perhaps surprised they must have been, and thinking...even for just a brief moment…wow…he really did rise from the dead….just like he said was going to happen…and they ran to tell the others…

Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

No break from the routine here…no surprise here…woman weren’t always regarded that well…and were probably thought to be over excited and misunderstanding what they thought they saw and heard...the apostles seemed to have just brushed them off…

But here comes a bit of a break in the routine….

Peter stuns them all…

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Peter seemed to ever so slightly, perhaps, break out of the usual…perhaps pondered the woman’s words …and decided it was worth going to checkout for himself…and what he saw…amazed him…

And this amazing story is meant to be passed on…just as Peter went back home and told others, just as the woman told others…

The Easter story is an amazing one….because it breaks into the routine…it dares us to believe and to hope in something far beyond the usual, the commonplace, the every day trials and temptations that come with being human, and the heartbreaking surprises that impact all of our lives, and especially the most vulnerable peoples among us …

It dares us to believe in something/someone whom we can trust and be encouraged by, as we recall and remember the many stories we have heard throughout the years as proclaimed in the scriptures…stories of Jesus and his words, his teachings, his promises of hope, renewal, healing, reconciliation, peace, and joy that is open to all who desire to follow him, in walking the way of love with him, and one another…a a way of life that invites us to practice keeping our hearts and minds open to the abundance of signs and surprises of this life-transformative love that God is scattering every where we go….waiting for us to notice and respond not only with our lips, but in our lives… and as noted on the front page of the bulletin today, to keep our eyes and ears open to the extraordinary things that are always hiding in places people never think to look (Jodi Picoult)…

There is nothing routine or ordinary about the Good News of Easter…God is continually bringing new life out of death, new life into places in our hearts that have become numb to the suffering all around us and in us…God is breathing new life into every moment of each day…extraordinary, surprising, new life…waiting for us to discover, embrace and celebrate this joyful news and share it with those we meet along the way…

So, lets join together in singing a hymn to celebrate this joyful news…a hymn we sang on the night we celebrated the “good news of great joy” proclaimed by the angel about the birth of the promised One, Jesus, whose life, death, and resurrection we celebrate on this joyful Easter Day…

Closing Prayer/Hymn: (H) 100 Joy to the World – (vs 1,2,4)

1 Joy to the world! the Lord is come: (RISEN)

let earth receive her King;

let every heart prepare him room,

and heaven and nature sing.

2 Joy to the world! the Savior reigns;

let us our songs employ,

while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,

repeat the sounding joy.

4 He rules the world with truth and grace,

and makes the nations prove

the glories of his righteousness,

and wonders of his love.

5 Lent - God is about to do a new thing

5 Lent/Year C Sermon/April 6, 2025

Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; John 12:1-8 

(written by Rev Julie Platson)

Opening Prayer (based on Psalm 126) written by Rev. Penny L. Lowe
Holy God, the world in which we live is as terrifying as it is wonderful. 
We need Jesus as much today as in times of old. 
Many sow in tears, and go out weeping. 
Replenish our lands, fill our hearts with gladness, restore our faith in you and each other, wipe away the tears of despair. 
As we gather today, we tilt an ear to listen close. 
Let the voice of your angel fill our minds with new understandings. 
We are waiting for you. Speak to us today. Amen. 

Every time we pause to read or listen to the scriptures, we have an opportunity to learn something new. Every time we pause to sing together, we have an opportunity to hear something new. Every time we pause to pray with one another, we have an opportunity to feel something new. Every time we pause to gather here in church, we have an opportunity to rejoice in seeing old friends and making new friends. Every time we pause to share a meal together, we have an opportunity to smell and taste something new.

Every time, we choose to pause…we make room in our hearts and in our minds…to hear the Good News of God’s extravagant love being poured out for us…we make room in our hearts and in our minds to hear God speaking to us today:

Thus says, the Lord, “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”

We are one week away, from the beginning of Holy Week…Jesus’ final week, of his earthly life…a journey that will lead to his death on the cross of Good Friday….But that new thing, he has been teaching his followers and all those who have been listening….is about to spring forth…on the third day…hold on to that vision…hold on to that hope…

Jesus has not shied away from telling his listeners and followers that the day was drawing close for the time of his death…the time in which the scriptures will be fulfilled in their hearing…through his death and resurrection.

 But no matter how many times he has tried to tell them that he would be leaving them, that they would not always have him with them… no matter how many miracles he performed, or no matter how many glorious signs he revealed to them that he is the one that they have been waiting for, the Messiah, the Savior of the world…many of his followers have still failed to grasp that this Savior, this Messiah, is about to endure a terrible death, he is about to sacrifice his own life, for the salvation of all God’s people…and set them free through the unconditional, sacrificial, extravagant love…that will be poured out for them and us, in the person of Jesus Christ….

This Savior, this Messiah, is about to do a new thing… hold on to that vision…hold on to that hope…

But, first…we must journey to the cross with him…we must face the truth of his death, so that we may rise with him, into a new life…

In today’s gospel reading…the truth of his impending death…seems to be drawing near…perhaps too close for some of those gathered for the dinner party.

Just think for a moment…it wasn’t too long ago, that we heard the story about Lazarus being raised from the dead by Jesus…all were grieving his death…people were coming to console Martha and Mary. We heard how deeply disturbed Jesus was from the news of Lazarus’ death and how He wept. We heard that Lazarus had been dead four days, so there was quite a stench. This story does end with good news with Jesus raising Lazarus to life again… unbinding him, and letting him go.

So…I can imagine...how uncomfortable the setting of this dinner party might have been…perhaps some of the emotions, and the smells associated with Lazarus’ death were still lingering in the air….

Here is Jesus, with some of the very same people, those he loved dearly, and those who loved him dearly, who just a short time ago, came face to face with death. Here, they are gathered together this evening… to face death, once again…Jesus’ death…just days away…

Only this time, not everyone is openly acknowledging that death is in the air. But, perhaps it’s Judas’ awareness that causes him to react as he did when Mary openly acknowledges Jesus’ impending death, by using a costly perfume made of pure nard, an oil used for the burial of the dead, to anoint Jesus’ feet and wipe them with her hair.

And I can only imagine, that perhaps as everyone watched how Judas reacted to Mary’s lavish outpouring of love...that they too…might have been stirred up, even for a brief moment…wondering….is the smell of death in the air?

Mary went where no-one else was ready to go, yet. She allowed herself to draw intimately close to death’s door. She boldly stepped forward, to offer her extravagant gift of love…to acknowledge Jesus, perhaps thank Jesus, perhaps honor Jesus, perhaps assure him that her love will go with him to the cross and beyond, and perhaps she turned her face once again towards Jesus, to affirm….that yes….she loves him…yes…she believes in him…yes…she will trust in him…and yes…she will dare to continue to hope in him …

She puts aside any doubts or worries or fears about Jesus’ death and she boldly offers her gift of extravagant love, at his feet…the feet that will journey to the cross and bear the weight of the world’s sins….

This Savior, this Messiah, is about to do a new thing… hold on to that vision…hold on to that hope…

I believe Mary was able to catch a glimpse of that vision and that hope, which enabled her to boldly step forward…She had spent much time throughout her life, pausing to just be with Jesus…learning from him, being assured by him, loving him…her heart was drawn closer to him, day after day….

May we be inspired by her example…taking time to pause every day to be in the presence of Christ…so that our hearts may draw closer and closer to him….so that even in times of our lives when the world feels as terrifying as it feels wonderful…we can hold on to the vision and the hope…that God is about to do a new thing!

Reflection for the 5th Sunday in Lent from Lift Up Your Voice, Singing through Lent and Easter (saltproject.org)…the resource we used for the silent retreat this weekend…

We’re approaching Jesus’ death – but only Lazarus’ sister, Mary, seems to realize it. She softly anoints Jesus’ feet with perfume, as if preparing his body for burial. Judas scolds her for not selling the perfume and donating the money to the poor, but Jesus defends her: she has understood what everyone else has missed. Jesus is about to be tortured and killed, and so his body should be treated with tenderness and honor. And perhaps Mary glimpsed even more: not just the coming death, but the coming resurrection, too, the rising into new life.

In any case, she anticipates his ordeal with a fine, beautiful balm. In the African American spiritual, “There Is a Balm in Gilead,” the anonymous author answers the prophet Jeremiah’s lament, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” (Jeremiah 8:22). We may well ask the same today: “Is there no balm? No tenderness and honor? No healing? No hope?” And the song answers: Yes, there is – take heart. Even on the eve of the journey to the cross, there is a balm in Gilead…

Even on the eve of the journey to the cross…God is about to do a new thing! Hold on to that vision and hope!

Closing Prayer/Hymn: (LEVS) 203

                           There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole;

                             There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.

1        Sometimes I feel discouraged, And think my work’s in vain,

          But then the holy spirit Revives my soul again.

          Refrain

2        If you cannot preach like Peter,  If you cannot preach like Paul,

         You can tell the love of Jesus, And say He died for all.

         Refrain

3        Don’t ever be discouraged For Jesus is your friend,

          And if you lack for knowledge, He’ll ne’er refuse to lend.

          Refrain

There is a Balm in Gilead, #203 from Lift Every Voice and Sing II — Words: Traditional. Music: American Melody; arr. Carl Haywood (b. 1949), from The Haywood Collection of Negro Spirituals. Arr. Copyright © 1992 Carl Haywood.

3 Lent Sermon - Luke 13:1-9

March 23, 2025 Luke 13:1-9

(by The Rev. Kathryn Snelling)

Today we have arrived at the third Sunday in our season of Lent and we are in Year C, which means we get to wrestle with the age old question of human suffering.

Theologians and scholars through the ages - Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Barth, and everyone in between and since, have wrestled with this question.

And all the hypothesis and theory, brilliantly written as they are, never quite can arrive at a definitive answer.

And oh, don’t we humans love to have answers!

Because we all wrestle with this question every time we go through a painful experience. Or someone close to us does, or we pick up the newspaper or listen to the news.

Now this morning I have to tell you, I do not have the answer either.

Yet, we can wrestle with it.

So in our reading from Luke, some in the crowd tell Jesus about this horrendous news of Pilate ordering his soldiers to slaughter a group of Galileans and lay their bodies on the pyre to burn as part of his religious sacrifice to the emperor.

And Jesus gives voice to the question they have on their minds.

“Do you think that these Galileans suffered this way because they were worse sinners than any other? “

And Jesus offers another example: “Do you think that the 18 who died when the tower suddenly crumbled on top of them, were worse sinners than anyone else?”

To both he says, “No.”

The deeper, underlying question was, what did they do to deserve this? What kind of sin caused their deaths?

Because it was the common Jewish belief at the time, that when people suffered painful experiences it was a divine judgment. God had sent this upon them as a punishment.

And to that, Jesus says “No.”

And we’d like to think that this way of looking at calamities has gone the way of the Dodo bird; is extinct. But it still rears up at times. It hasn’t been that long ago, when the AIDS epidemic was raging. There was a lot of shaming and blaming around that.

But Jesus reminds us that these kinds of calamities can happen to any of us. We could be victims of some random act of violence, or a freak accident, or a debilitating disease. We are all vulnerable to the changes and chances of this world - and we all are sinners alike.

But God does not send the calamities upon us.

And that, right there, is Good News.

Jesus assures us -- That is not how God relates to creation and especially human creation.

So Jesus tells them a parable.

Now, parables are tricky little blighters.

They are full of mystery and open to many ways to try to interpret them and hear the message within. Which we also know, can vary with different times of reading through a parable.

And there are many methods we may use when trying to understand a parable.

This morning, and in the context of human suffering, I will choose to look at this parable allegorically.

Which is when you assign an identity to each of the characters in the parable.

And how I am hearing this parable, is that perhaps the inpatient vine grower represents the world. And we know our world to be a busy, hurry up kind of place.

We have TikTok and X and Instagram and instant food and instant this and instant that. And you better keep up, and measure up, and stay ahead of the game to thrive, or at least to survive.

And the little fig tree represents human beings - us - living our life as best we can.

In an environment, that though it can be very beautiful, can also be a dangerous and at times hostile place.

A little research tells us that grapevines thrive in a dry acidic soil, whereas fig trees do better in a soil with a more neutral pH balance.

And it takes a fig tree at least 3 years before producing fruit, and more often it is 4 to 5 years, depending on the variety.

Which brings us to the gardener.

Whom I view as representing God.

Father-Son-Holy Spirit-God.

Who, in the face of the impatient vine grower, who is ready to rip this tree up and order a new one from Amazon, says “No, wait, give it time.”

Here I envision the Ent. A creature in Tolkien’s trilogy, Lord of the Rings.

If you have not read the books or watched Peter Jackson’s movies based on them. An Ent is a treeish looking fellow, and is a shepherd of the forest.

He moves and says everything with slow, thoughtful deliberation.

And his most memorable line is, “Now, now don’t be hasty”

But, furthermore, this gardener has a special relationship with this little fig tree.

He desires nothing but good for this little fig tree.

And so he tells the vine grower, “Let us wait and let me tend to it.”

And he turns up the soil and adds nutrition to it and makes sure the little fig tree gets the water it needs, his breath touching her leaves as he works close around her.

Now the little fig tree is still in the same environment, with the same struggles.

But perhaps now has a different master?

One who gets down in the dirt with her, making a difference in her life.

Jesus wants us to know - deep in our bones - that God relates to us through love and is always with us through joyful times and through whatever pain and suffering we experience in this life;

Offering nurture with mercy, loving care, patience and presence.

Let us pray,

Merciful God, You teach us in your holy Word that you do not send afflictions but walk with us through them. Nourish our souls with patience, comfort and a sense of your abiding presence. In Christ’s Name we pray, Amen

***PHOTO: The Gardener and the Fig Tree

Dungarvan, Waterford, Ireland

2 Lent Sermon - March 16

Opening Prayer: (Feasting on the Word Worship Companion/Lent Year C)

Lord, open your Word by your Holy Spirit, so that we like Abram, may believe and trust in your promises to us. Amen.

Last Sunday after the Epiphany - March 2

Last Epiphany/Year C Sermon/March 2, 2025

Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36

(Rev Julie Platson)

Opening Prayer:  

By your Spirit, O God, enlighten our hearts, open our minds, fill our vision with your radiance, and give us life, as we hear your Word today. Amen.

Well, here we are again…we blinked and another season of the church year that began with the baptism story of Jesus on the 1st Sunday after the Epiphany is coming to an end this week with the transfiguration story of Jesus.

Jesus’ baptism story on the 1st Sunday after the Epiphany focused on the Holy Spirit descending upon him in the bodily form like a dove with these final words from the gospel that day:

From the 1st Sunday after the Epiphany: Luke 3: 21-22

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

Today’s gospel reading about the experience of Jesus and Peter and James and John on the mountain top offers us similar words, but makes it much more personal for us, the listeners, in the hearing of this similar verse: Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"

This season of the church year always begins and ends in this way. The first Sunday with the voice of the God speaking to Jesus…You are my Son, the Beloved; and the last Sunday, with the voice speaking directly to us: This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!

We could also say, that even though those words were directed at Jesus on the day of his baptism, we do know that there were many witnesses and others coming to be baptized that day, so those words that they heard, and we hear year after year on the 1st Sunday after the Epiphany, or on any Sunday for that matter, are meant for us, today, too…The Spirit of the living God, helps us now, as we take time to pray with the scriptures, to pray in silence, to pray with one another, and discern what God is saying to us and calling us to do now, in this time and in this place, and to empower us to take those necessary steps and actions that align with the teachings and mission of Christ…

This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!

I love that these are the last words we hear each year as we prepare to enter into the season of Lent that begins with this invitation from the Ash Wednesday liturgy: I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word.

And this isn’t an invitation for us to become scholars of the bible, or to become more religious with our spiritual practices…It’s an invitation, to turn once again, with a commitment to listen deeply to the Word of God, to the life and mission of Jesus, with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind…

And to allow his voice, his teachings to be the voice we listen to and respond to in word and with loving and compassionate service, the One to guide us and lead us in following the way of God’s love, as I mentioned last week, a love that has the power to heal and transform the most difficult moments in all of our lives, so that we can hold on to HOPE, knowing that together, with God, and one another…the day will come, when God’s kingdom of love will come here on earth, as in heaven. The day will come when every human being knows that justice and peace and love and mercy and compassion and freedom and respect for one another, is for everyone. 

On the 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany, Jesus summed up his understanding of his mission and ministry with words from the gospel of Luke 4:14-21…The passage we heard that Sunday, was preceded by his baptism, his 40 day time in the wilderness being tempted by the devil: Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!

Here are some more words of Jesus’ worth listening to from Mark 12:29-31: Jesus said, "The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."   

 This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!

Need some other resources to turn to that have been informed by the scriptures, and summarizes what we affirm and believe about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit?

In our book of common prayer, you can turn to the Catechism section to learn more about this voice we are called to listen to…we can join in with the reading of the Nicene Creed every week, we can turn to the Renewal of our Baptismal Vows that includes the Apostle’s Creed, the creed of our baptism, along with several promises we strive to live out in our life, as followers of Christ, with  God’s help and in community with one another.

We are living in some very chaotic and heart-wrenching times for our beloved siblings here in our communities, and all over the world… There are many voices trying to get our attention and make us listen to “their voice”… many are loud, hurtful, hateful, revenge-filled voices threatening to drown out the voices and needs of the most vulnerable people among us, here and around the world, those losing life-saving medical care and basic food and shelter, those losing jobs, those being stripped of their human rights and dignity, those being tossed aside, those who are already struggling to make ends meet, and take care of their health and their loved ones health, those who are directly impacted by the terrors and suffering of war in their homelands…

But, the voice of God, as proclaimed through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ…are the words that we are called to listen to…

 This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!

As we turn from one season to the next…and you are in the discerning stage of how you will observe a holy Lent…it need not be overwhelming…and can begin with a commitment to whose voice you will be listening to…

I invite you to light a candle every day throughout Lent, and I commend these words from today’s gospel to help you return and return again, every day…to heed these words proclaimed in today’s Gospel:

This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!

I close now with these words from a song entitled, “Love shine a light”

As we take more time to listen to the voice, the light and love of Christ’s voice, may we too be transformed and transfigured by that light and love, and carry it out and share it with the world around us…

Closing Prayer/Hymn: Love Shine a Light (Kimberley Rew) – FULL LYRCICS

Love shine a light in every corner of my heart

Let the love light carry, let the love light carry

Light up the magic in every little part

Let our love shine a light in every corner of our hearts

Love shine a light in every corner of my dreams

Let the love light carry, let the love light carry

Like the mighty river, flowing from the stream

Let our love shine a light in every corner of my dreams

And we're all gonna shine a light together

All shine a light to light the way

Brothers and sisters, in every little part

Let our love shine a light in every corner of our hearts

Love shine a light in every corner of the world

Let the love light carry, let the love light carry

Light up the magic, for every boy and girl

Let our love shine a light in every corner of the world

And we're all gonna shine a light together

All shine a light to light the way

Brothers and sisters, in every little part

Let our love shine a light, in every corner of our hearts

And we're all gonna shine a light together

All shine a light to light the way

Brothers and sisters, in every little part

Let our love shine a light in every corner of our hearts

Shine a light in every corner of our hearts

7 Epiphany/Year C Sermon

7 Epiphany/Year C Sermon/February 23, 2025

Genesis 45:3-11, 15; Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42; 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50; Luke 6:27-38

 
Opening Prayer:  Holy God, open up our eyes, and ears, and hearts, and minds to awaken us anew to what the Spirit is teaching us today. Amen.

Sometimes Jesus’ teachings sound poetic and lovely, and we have no trouble connecting with the message he is trying to get across to His listeners. But other times, his teachings are quite simple and direct…but not so lovely sounding…and they really don’t leave much wiggle room for interpretation. But, we as human beings, have some pretty strong minds and wills…so we are quite adept at filtering out what we think He is saying, and finding creative ways, to dismiss some of his more difficult teachings, as only pertaining to certain people, in certain times, and in certain places.

Our brain’s default is often to “hear” and “see” what we already know…and feel comfortable with…And it can also be a natural 1st response for us, to turn away from those things that are just too difficult to look at or grasp because of the enormity of what we see and hear, and feel helpless to change any of it.  So, I do think our challenge…in learning new things, considering and accepting new and old difficult teachings…does call for us to begin and end each day with prayer to God, daily, and often, to open wide our eyes and our ears…and especially our hearts and our minds…to consider these uncomfortable teachings...these basic and direct, and difficult teachings that Jesus is longing for us to understand, and then take steps to respond with our words and actions wherever we might be.

IN today’s 1st reading from Genesis, we may shake our heads in disbelief, wondering, how in the world could Joseph ever return to his family, to his brothers who did the unthinkable, first plotting to kill him, but then decided instead to sell him into slavery… and the brothers also caused years of deep heartache and suffering for their father, lying to him and telling him that his son Joseph was likely killed by a wild animal. And how unthinkable, or impossible, that Joseph not only returned to his family, his brothers…but he forgave them…he chose to love them again…having been sent by God to return to them to save them from starvation and poverty…

Imagine having to forgive and love and bless the very people who abandoned you and cut you off from your livelihood?

Difficult, very difficult to imagine…yet in Joseph’s story today…we saw how that was possible, through God’s love inspiring him to reach out as he did…Joseph had mercy upon his brothers, forgave them, making room for love, the unconditional love of God, to reconcile and heal their family relationships.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain in today’s gospel is equally hard to digest. As if the Blessings and the Woes that Jesus spoke about last week were not confusing enough. Today, Jesus continues with his Sermon on the Plain when he was speaking to the crowds gathered…the apostles, his disciples, and many others who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases

This time, he is tackling the very uncomfortable topic about loving your enemies, and forgiveness…

Let’s take a look at Jesus’ words in the gospel again…this time…I’m going to pause briefly in between each verse, inviting you to open wide your eyes, ears, hearts and minds, to hear anew what the Spirit is saying to you today, as you struggle to grasp the difficulty of these teachings in this time and place in a world that is experiencing so much division, hatred, and suffering…

Luke (6:27-38)

Jesus said, "I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Silence…

If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt.

Silence…

Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.

Silence…

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Silence…

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

Silence…

 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

Silence…

If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

Silence…

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.

Silence…

Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Silence…

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Silence…

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.

Silence…

Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.

Silence…

A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."

Silence…

These are some pretty direct words from Jesus today. Difficult to digest. Hard to make sense of.

Difficult, hard, uncomfortable…yes…but not impossible, with God’s help… Difficult, hard, uncomfortable…yes…but they need not keep us from striving to understand the live-giving ways of God, made known to us, through the love and witness of Jesus Christ. For this love is a gift given to us...so that in receiving and trusting in its power to heal and transform the most difficult moments in all of our lives, we can hold on to HOPE, knowing that together, with God, and one another…the day will come, when God’s kingdom of love will come here on earth, as in heaven. The day will come, where every human being knows that justice and peace and love and mercy and compassion and freedom and respect for one another, is for everyone. 

The psalmist tells us today: put your trust in the Lord, take delight in the Lord, commit your way to the Lord, be still before the Lord…and wait patiently for him…If nothing makes sense today…don’t give up…

Begin again tomorrow morning, every morning… put your trust in the Lord, take delight in the Lord, commit your way to the Lord, be still before the Lord…and wait patiently for him…for God’s mercies are new every morning… begin again with asking God to open your eyes, ears, hearts and minds to reveal what the Spirit is trying to teach you…about the saving and healing power of God’s love…

And perhaps, a good place to start, tomorrow morning…is to read today’s gospel once again…Read it slowly, line by line…write down some things that come to mind after each verse…let God’s Word awaken you anew, not only today, tomorrow, but throughout the week,…allow it to inspire in you, and reveal to you…a path through it, and a glimmer of hope that will help you take a step forward….in seeking and striving to walk the Way of Love…that Jesus is teaching us…

That’s just one spiritual practice that you could use in the morning as you continue to wrestle with these difficult passages, and what they are saying to you today.

The practice of the Daily Examen can be a helpful spiritual practice to use at the end of the day. It can be especially helpful, I think…to help us be honest with ourselves when it comes to the uncomfortable and difficult teachings of Jesus today, about loving our enemies, and forgiving others…

Here it is in a nutshell: Look back over your day…and…

Ask God for light. Give thanks. Review the day. Face your shortcomings. Look toward the day to come. 

I commend these 2 practices to you this week, because there are no short-cuts to working through these difficult teachings in the midst of these unimaginable days. Your priest can not do the difficult wrestling of the scriptures for you. But, as we gather here in community, it can help to know, that you are not alone. Most of us here, are struggling, and wrestling with all of it too…the difficult teachings, and the unimaginable division, hatred, and suffering that is taking place in our world today. Difficult, hard, uncomfortable…yes…but we will get through all of this, together, with God’s help.

So, I hope you’ll give it a try…begin and end your day in prayer: Asking God to open up your eyes, and ears, and hearts and minds to be awakened anew to what the Spirit is saying to you, each and every day.  Ask God for light. Give thanks. Review the day. Face your shortcomings. Look toward the day to come. 

Closing Prayer/Hymn: Open our eyes lord – (Renew Hymnal #91)                                     Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus, to reach out and touch him, and say that we love him. Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen, open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus. Amen.

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, AK

6 Epiphany/Year C Sermon

Epiphany 6/Year C/Feb 16 2025 Sermon by Chip Camden

Readings: Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1; I Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26

**photo: The Sermon -- Fritz von Uhde, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary

In today’s gospel reading, this is the good news I’m hearing today...

5 Epiphany/Year C Sermon/February 9, 2025

Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11

Opening Prayer: Loving God, you have called forth disciples and prophets to live and speak your word. Give us ears to hear, lives to respond, and voices to proclaim the good news of salvation, which we know in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Textweek.com)

This is one of those Sundays, when the gospel reading we heard today comes up on the lectionary cycle, when I feel a bit like a “fish out of water”. As I’ve looked out at most of you sitting in the pews throughout my relatively short years here in Sitka, and have had the opportunity to listen and learn more about your way of life here that relies on our natural resources from the sea and the land to feed your families, and others who rely on your labors in the fishing industry…I can’t help but feel grateful and thankful. Many of you have spent long days, long nights, long weeks and months, fishing year after year, to provide for your family, and for those of us who are the recipients of the fruits of your labors and I think to myself – I am unworthy to even begin to unpack today’s Gospel reading from the perspective of the fisherman, most especially from Simon’s perspective in today’s story.

But, from that place of feeling unworthiness, what I can do, is share my perspective, and my wonderings, as a fellow sojourner in this world, as someone who is in the “boat”, with you...striving to make sense of this sometimes, difficult and confusing and wonderful world, we find ourselves in…and as someone who is striving to discern how I can use my particular gifts to work and live with others, in such a way that contributes to the well-being of all God’s beloved children.

That’s all any of us are called to do…to share our own authentic faith story, with one another…from the place in our hearts, from where we believe we have heard God’s voice and his call to us – that voice that speaks to each of us – wherever we are – calling our attention for a moment – even in a fearful moment – most often in a fearful moment – to stop – listen – listen to the words of Jesus – Do not be afraid…

Each of our readings today, include a “call” message. Isaiah’s call, Paul’s testimony on his call, and then Simon (and James and John’s) call…each one of them, were called in the midst of where they were, each one of them, perhaps taken by surprise…each one of them, perhaps, experienced a moment of fear, unbelief, or unworthiness… but when they said, yes with their hearts, when they opened up their eyes, ears and hearts, to the miracle and mystery of the saving grace of God’s love they were witness to, in that moment…something changed in them, something transformed them, even if it was just a small flicker of light that momentarily gave them the courage…to boldly take a step forward, leaving everything behind: the worries, the fears, the weariness, the feelings of unworthiness…all left behind…to answer God’s call to them… believing that God had chosen them for something greater than what they had yet to imagine…

In today’s gospel reading, this is the good news I’m hearing today:

There were people eager to hear some good news…not just any good news…but the good news that Jesus had been teaching everywhere he went… the Word of God’s love and faithfulness for his people…a love that has the power to free people from the bondage of sin and suffering, calling them instead…to believe in a hopeful, flourishing, abundant life, as revealed to us in Jesus’ teachings and miracles…time and time again…

Jesus got into the boat, belonging to Simon…and asked him to put out a little way from the shore…and from there Jesus spoke to the crowds who were gathered to hear the life-giving Word of God…

I like to believe that Jesus chose Simon’s boat that day…knowing that He and his partners James and John had worked all night long fishing and had caught nothing. I believe he knew just how tired they were, that they had toiled and worked themselves to the bone, all night….but still had to clean up everything afterwards, they still had to get everything set for the next day, they still had to summon up the strength to work tomorrow, the next day, and the next…wondering and worrying whether there will be any fish tomorrow…they were exhausted, perhaps discouraged…perhaps feeling depleted and empty…

I believe Jesus chose Simon’s boat that day….because sometimes we don’t know that we need to hear the good news of God’s love for us…

But Jesus does…and it is precisely in those moments of exhaustion, weariness, discouragement, and unworthiness, that through the saving grace of Jesus Christ, God’s voice does call out to us…and reveals a new way forward…a way forward that invites us to follow Jesus, in walking the Way of love…paying attention to the miracles that are possible and unfolding right before our eyes…right in the midst of the most difficult times in our lives…

So, yes…Jesus was speaking to the crowds, but he was most certainly speaking to Simon, too...intentionally choosing him that day, to assure him…that God’s love and faithfulness is with him, for all of his days…

Simon and the others were amazed, perhaps stunned, perhaps unbelieving, perhaps fearful, scared to death, of the abundance of fish that were caught in their nets, when they responded to Jesus’ words, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch."

But, it was precisely in the midst of those mixed emotions, and trusting enough to go where Jesus was asking them to go, that Jesus’ words and actions became the healing balm that soothed their souls, softened their hearts, and allowed for the Holy Spirit to revive their souls once again…

Jesus assured Simon (and the others who heard him say), “Do not be afraid, from now on you will be catching people.” (meaning…You will be the one, who can help lift someone out of hunger and despair, and give them hope…You will be the one who goes on to invite the weary person, to come and sit awhile with you, and to assure them that they are seen, heard, and loved.)

In response to this encounter with Jesus, they accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow him …they left everything and decided to follow Jesus.

They decided to follow Jesus, because they now experienced for themselves and had come to believe and trust that indeed Jesus is the One they had been waiting for…there was something compelling in their encounter with Jesus…that affirmed in their being…that the life-giving Word of God’s love, that Jesus proclaimed, were words of hope that they needed to hear and that others long to hear, too…It is this love, that has the power to reconcile us to God, one another, and all of creation.

In a world that is currently experiencing great division, and fear and weariness…we ourselves, are all being called now, we are being chosen by God, in this time and in this place…wherever we are, whomever we are… to share the healing balm of Jesus Christ…so that others know, and we ourselves know…that deep down, we are not so different after-all… we all have fears, struggles, sorrows, heartaches…we all yearn to laugh and experience joys…we all share many of the same desires and dreams and hopes for ourselves and our loved ones…

It is our turn now…to share our own authentic faith story, with one another…from the place in our hearts, from where we have heard God’s voice and his call to us – that voice that speaks to each of us – wherever we are – calling our attention for a moment – even in a fearful moment – most often in a fearful moment – to stop – listen – listen to the words of Jesus – Do not be afraid…stop – listen to the heart-cries and hopes of our neighbors…and share the good news of God’s healing balm…

This is what I take away from the gospel story today….

What about you? You, the tired fisherfolk, you, the weary parent, you, the worried soul, you, who can’t see the end of our troubled times, you, who is tired from the long journey of grief…

What good news, from your perspective, did you hear today? And with whom will you share it this week?

Prayer/Hymn: Lift Every Voice and Sing II - #203 There is a Balm in Gilead

There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole;

There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.

1 Sometimes I feel discouraged, and think my work’s in vain,

But then the holy spirit, Revives my soul again.

Refrain

2 If you cannot preach like Peter, if you cannot preach like Paul,

You can tell the love of Jesus, and say He died for all.

Refrain

3 Don’t ever be discouraged, for Jesus is your friend,

And if you lack for knowledge, he’ll ne’er refuse to lend.

Refrain