Palm Sunday 2015

The Cathedral Church of the Nativity

Sunday March 29, 2015- Palm Sunday

The Very Rev. Anthony R. Pompa

 

Perhaps some of you are of a generation where you remember the experience of hearing about or seeing newsreels of Hitler’s army marching in lockstep in victory formation into conquered and now occupied cities throughout Europe. The victory formations and entries in lockstep an almost liturgical act to display dominance and ring in a new era, a new regime. Hitler is King.

 

You might understand then the experience of the Jewish people in first century Palestine who had grown accustomed to Caesar’s army in victory processions throughout their territories and in Jerusalem, in lock step, a display of dominance and declaration of powerful ruling authority. Caesar is King

 

You can appreciate then the powerful and courageous action of an itinerant preacher latching on to the most radically opposite symbol of Caesar’s power, a humble ass, and riding in victory formation into Jerusalem to the desperate, hope-filled, acclamations of a people hoping for a different power in their lives.  A new era, a new regime- --Jesus is King. The Kingdom of God—A Kingdom and King dramatically different than the one occupying Jerusalem, that of Caesar’s.

 

This week then,  Holy Week. This life then, our Christian lives as followers of Jesus, is about that Kingdom! The Kingdom of God! The one we wave palm branches in hope for. The one that finds its way in the world not through domination, or war, or violence, but through sacrifice, and mercy, through generosity and forgiveness, through Agape.

 

To this Kingdom then, can we expect to rejoice, give our loyalty, our behavior following our “belief” in it.

 

 Nancy Rockwell in her weekly blog entitled “The bite in the apple” reminds us that Jesus triumphant ride into Jerusalem is God’s challenge to the kingdoms of this world asking “have you considered the What if’s?”

 

She writes…….

 

“Don’t like the powers that be? What if God were the ruler here?”

 

“Tired of hearing bad news about murder, hopelessness, angry young men choosing to be terrorists?  What if this is God’s Kingdom?” What does it look like then?

 

“Angry about taxes?” What if God, not Caesar were asking you to “cough” it up?  What would the cost be then?”

 

“What if a person was lying on the side of the road all beat up? Or what if some poor soul had lost their way to addiction, or poverty, or homelessness, like a lost sheep or coin? What if some shady businessman or woman known for taking advantage of others suddenly found their way into this Cathedral looking for some connection to another way?” (end)

 

What if- What if- What if we believed, in the spirit that belief is putting our trust and faith, our heart and our treasure, our words and our deeds that it is God’s Kingdom that at the end of the day is the one that has power and is worthy of our allegiance?  Power in our world, power in this worshiping community, power in our lives?

 

What if?

 

 

Sunday March 16th, 2015

The Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, Pa

Sunday March 16, 2015

Sermon: The Very Rev. Anthony R. Pompa

John 3:14-21

 

Perhaps you remember the man with the wild frizzy rainbow  wig spotted at football games throughout the late 1970’s and early 1980’s brandishing his sign?

 

Perhaps you have followed more than one car with a bumper sticker brandishing these number?

 

Perhaps you remember in the liturgy of the Eucharist Rite I, the celebrant quoting in short summary arguably the most widely known verse in scripture?

 

Perhaps you even know this short bit of somewhat obtuse trivia, that what I am referring to right now is a piece of scripture that is the one single segment of scripture that is translated into the most languages in the world.

 

John 3:16 that is. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son to the end that all that believe him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

There have been times that I myself that when preaching on this segment of scripture in totality, that is the story of Nicodemus, the highly trained theologian of Israel, coming to “see” and make sense of this Jesus in the cover of darkness, have chosen to focus on Nicodemus, instead of on this actual piece of best known and probably most used segment of scripture- John 3:16. Maybe this is true because it has been a “soundbyte” if you will for an individualistic conservative evangelical interpretation of conversion theology that leaves some “in” and many “out”.  I am not sure.

 

However, minds and hearts “believe”. Like Nicodemus let us perhaps emerge from darkness and look to a light of understanding as to why Martin Luther would describe these all too familiar verses of John 3:16 and following as “the Gospel in a nutshell”.

 

Some years ago, I remember reading in some Christian journal publication that I honestly can’t remember, the true story of a parents biggest struggle. Two young boys in their single digits, sharing a life and a room under the love and protection of loving parents. One young boy had a rare blood disease and through a series of failed treatments the eventual course of treatment was that if he was to have a chance his younger brother would need to be a blood and platelet donor. This procedure would take awhile, would be painful and scary for the young boys.

 

The boys parents approached the younger brother with some fear and worry and of course anxiety. They explained to the young boy what the doctors had said and that their brothers life and health depended on the boys giving his blood and platelets. The boy took it in and the parents gave him some time to think. The boy agreed to the inevitable procedure.

 

The day of the procedure arrived and the two boys with their parents went to the hospital and lay side by side. The necessary insertions were made and a transfer of blood and platelets began through the machinery. It was then, about 5 minutes into the procedure that these loving parents world was rocked into an explosion of blinding love light. The young boy laying next to his older brother receiving life-giving blood looked up and said to his mother, “Is it working”?  Mom said, yes, all is working fine. The boy said to his mom,  “Mom, good. When will I start to die?”

 

God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life! 

 

Can you imagine someone loving you so much, believing in that love so much, putting their heart so much in that relationship (which is John’s point) that they would be willing to die in order to save your life?

 

The Gospel in a nutshell for John.(As Martin Luther described this passage from John’s Gospel).  God is gonna love this God-forsaking World (not God-forsaken), the “World” for John is the world that by default seeks to “reject” God’s love and mercy” (Condemns) . God is gonna love this God-forsaking World so much that he is willing to die for it.

 

The scripture tells us, that for all who “believe” in this love, will inherit eternal life- that is God’s life-giving presence for ever and ever, come what may. In John’s Gospel “believe” is always a verb, not a noun. It is an action of heart like “Giving your life and love to a relationship you believe in, you have faith in. Like loving something or someone so much that you would make every possible sacrifice –even potentially your life for them or it. You know those relationships or “causes” YOU believe in- Give your heart, soul, mind, strength to?

 

Can you imagine being loved SO much that someone would be willing to die so that you might Live?

 

This fourth Sunday of Lent our journey’s momentum pushes us toward the rituals of our holiest of weeks. This very day the proper preface, that is, the prayer we seasonably change in the Eucharistic prayer, shifts from standing with Jesus in the wilderness to cleansing and preparing our hearts for the joys that come in meeting our loving and living God.

 

Your Lenten task as we sneak out of the shadows of lent toward the light of Easter is this. Imagine it. Go ahead and Imagine a creator so determined to be in your God forsaking world that this God is willing to do whatever it takes for you to live.

 

Imagine it. Ponder it. “Believe in it”.

 

Amen.

March 1, 2015 The Cathedral Church of the Nativity

The Cathedral Church of the Nativity

Sunday March 1, 2015 Lent 2

The Very Rev. Anthony Pompa

 

Everything gets a name when it is new! We had our children’s name picked out of course before they were born. Faithful and beauty in the end where the names we hedged our bets on (Dillon a celtic- gaelic name for Faithful, Isabella, an Italian name for beauty).

Even the internet got a name when it was set up in our home. Flash it is called. Quick was our hope. (and it is named after our dog so we wouldn’t forget). Everything gets a name when it is new. Typically naming brings with it descriptions of truth and hope.

Our story in Genesis today speaks a truth and hope about God and God’s people. Abram and Sarai, those nomads of ancient times, come to a place of relationship and covenant with God that promises them the two things they hope most for and the two things they can’t imagine they will ever see. The first, a place to be, that is land. Land of their own. Land to stay still on. Land to till and to farm. Land to live on and live off of. A very different existence from that of the nomad. The second promise is that they will have descendants as many as the eye can see. A far reaching and curious, if not, foolish promise, given Sarai is of an age advanced. The thought of her aged womb bearing a child, unimaginable.

Yet- that is the deal that is struck. The covenant that is made and their end of the bargain is simply faithfulness and trust in this foolish promiser. To seal the deal and to name their partnership- they themselves get new names- Abraham meaning Father of multitude, Sarah, the princess. How unimaginable-the old man Abraham a Father of a multitude, Sarah-A Nomad now princess of a kingdom yet to be formed.

At least Sarah response to this new naming, this new promise, this new covenant seems appropriate. She laughed and laughed and laughed. This laugh perhaps in response to the crazy promises God has made, her laugh perhaps a giddy laugh in response to something long hoped for and long given up on- children. She laughs.

Everything gets a name, when it is  new. And even as things get named for truth and for what is hoped for, everything and everybody continually lives into the promises for who and what they are made. Even as we live into what we hope for we sometimes need refreshment and reminder. Even Flash the internet at my home needs to be re-set sometimes so that it may be placed back on the path of this speedy destined purposefully named truth- Flash.

So it is with us on this Lenten Journey. You and I are wonderfully made and perfectly named for truth and for hope. For the truth of loving our God, ourselves, and our neighbors as faithfully as we can. For the hope of giving our faith and trust to a God who makes outrageous promises-----sometimes promises that make us laugh at both how ridiculous they are   Or at how scintillating they are.

Everything that new gets a name. What is your name this Lent? What is your truth this then? What is your hope this Lent?