God is Love

God is Love
Good Friday Sermon
April 14, 2017
The Rev. Charles Barebo

God is love and nowhere is this more true than on Good Friday. For God gave his only son so that those who believe in him would not perish. For God to have endured Good Friday seems an incredible witness to His love for us. That love, to sacrifice his only son so that we might truly live, is incredible. . For those of you who are parents, you know how we  suffer when one of your children suffers. For me it would be better that I undergo the sickness, pain or trauma than to witness the suffering of either of my children. When I meditate on Good Friday I am amazed by the love that God shows for us and the incongruity in our response.

The love story starts in the first chapter of Genesis. After God has perfected creation he creates mankind, the image bearer. Our role is to enjoy God’s presence, to worship and celebrate, to procreate, to take responsibility for creation and to reflect our creator’s love back to creation. What an incredible blessing….to celebrate, to create, to worship, to be responsible for the Garden and to reflect God’s love to the rest of creation. It seems too good to be true. And then God visits the Garden to spend time with man, to hang out and enjoy our company.

Something about the way we’re wired makes it hard for us to stay in our role as image-bearers. Perhaps because we are made in God’s image we forget who we are and the role we are to play. For over 4,000 years we have sinned, that is strayed from our role, from our relationship with our Creator. Time after time God comes back to rescue us.

Sin isn’t a fussy list of dietary do’s and don’ts. Sin is when we turn our back on God, when we hurt people or when we worship something that isn’t meant to be worshipped. And man’s history is replete with examples of all three. When I talk about worshipping something that was never intended to be worshipped I mean things like position and power. We call that sin idolatry. Things never intended to be deified and worshipped. Yet the list of our idols is a long one: money, power, position, sex, food, wine and the list goes on and on. And this sin has been leading people astray ever since we left the Garden.

So on Good Friday we find something has gone terribly wrong. The story has reversed, and become corrupted. The love story that begins in a garden sees the beginning of the end in a garden. In Genesis God goes to the garden to find man while on Good Friday we find that man has come to the garden, Gethsemane, to find God. But man’s intentions are to destroy God. Jesus threatens the comfortable position and power of the chief priests and scribes. And these sins the idolatry of power, position, money and sex are the foundations of man’s sad turn from the garden.

This worship of position and power has led the Jewish nation to Golgotha. Pinioned under the crushing weight of the Roman occupation, the false Jewish king Herod and the chief priests and scribes have sold out their God and his people to keep their power and privilege. They condemn an innocent man, the true Jewish King to a horrific death, so that they may continue to enjoy power, money and position. Is there any sin greater? To deny God, to manipulate His people, to condemn an innocent man so that they can enjoy fine clothes, good food and money is the essence of evil.

The farcical judgement and trial of Jesus by the chief priests and then Pilate is all about worshiping the idol of power and privilege. All evil combined that day to overthrow the Kingdom of God and his son. And so, Jesus is called the King of the Jews by Pilate. The pretenders mock him and scourge him. He is stripped, beaten, and spat upon.  His throne will be the cross. He has known of his fate and announced it no less than four times to his disciples. He accepts his fate and is nailed to the tree.

When Jesus dies on the cross that first Good Friday something happens. The cross is the moment when the world suddenly changed – inaugurating God’s redemption plan for the world. Jesus taught his disciples to pray “your kingdom come on earth as in heaven.” And Jesus has ushered in the age of the kingdom on earth. The moment of Jesus’ death the world becomes a different place, for the kingdom has indeed come. The victory of death is shattered forever. While the resurrection will be the first sign that God’s new plan is underway. Good Friday is the day the revolution began, the revolution against evil and idolatry.

So, the story of God’s love continues, until the end of time. God’s work for his beloved, we, the image bearers, is now clear. We are to bring the kingdom to life on earth. Good Friday is the day the love revolution began. God is love.

Amen

The Rev. Charles Barebo, Deacon

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday has been a day of excitement as long as I can remember. As a boy, it was the great sword fights when the palm fronds and the eager anticipation of next week’s egg hunt and candy. Today’s gospel tells us about this unexpected and triumphal entry of Jesus entering the Jerusalem. People thronging along the roads, placing their cloaks on the roads, waving palms, singing hymns, there was a festival feeling in the air. Their excitement was only matched by their expectations for this new Messiah or prophet. It’s easy for us to underestimate the emotion that was in the air.

I’ve been through a Palm Sunday much like the one Matthew describes. We were in Kajo Keji on our annual inspection trip about 9 years ago. The parallels between that first Palm Sunday and that Sunday were remarkable. Their new bishop had been elected but had yet been enthroned. The entire diocese was at a fever pitch. The country was voting on independence that month, New Hope had completed three buildings at the college and our first two primary schools. Samaritan’s Purse had committed to building 80 churches in the diocese. In fact, the new bishop was making a visit that Sunday to consecrate and open the first of these new churches. For the first time in over 50 years it appeared that God was bringing his full blessings on His people and they were rejoicing.

From five miles, out people were walking along the road to the village. About two miles out they were lining the road, waving entire palm branches, covering the road with palm fronds, jumping up and down, carrying banners, playing guitars and drums, singing hymns and shouting. A half mile from town the road was completely packed with celebrating people. We got out of the car, and walking behind a tall cross, drummers and hundreds of singing people paraded to the new church began.

Wherever Jesus went the kingdom of God was at hand. And that steamy Sunday morning in Kajo Keji I tell you the kingdom was at hand. I felt it stronger and closer than ever before or since. The spirit was palpable, it was oozing.  The Kingdom is the place we aspire to; it is the place where we want to be. It is indescribably right, so different than what I dreamed for or expected. It is a place of pure joy, peace knowing you are in the presence of God. The Kingdom was at hand on that Palm Sunday.

Like the people thronging on the roads to Jerusalem, the people in Kajo Keji had a different set of expectations for Jesus and the Kingdom than Jesus held for himself. James, John and their mother had a set of expectations for Jesus. Their expectations were about place and power. The people want their new Messiah to be a great military leader. One like Judas Maccabees who will have military victories and cast out the Romans, Herod, the chief priests. But the meaning Jesus attaches to this triumphal entry is quite different from the meaning the crowd has for their messiah.

People turn to God when things get bad. Give us peace now, heal my diabetes, protect my pension, don’t let it rain on our vacation. Give me a job tomorrow. Jesus intends to answer these and all our prayers. He doesn’t wait for us to become pure and able to look him in the eye. He has come to rescue the sick and poor and the lost. It’s not the healthy who need the doctor but the sick.

Jesus answers the people dreams in his own way. The people are asking for a messiah but a messiah on their terms. Jesus will tell them that Jerusalem is under God’s judgement. They want an enthroned messiah but this one will be enthroned on the cross. They want to be rescued from evil and oppression but Jesus will rescue them in full measure not by merely rolling back the Romans and Herod. Jesus will say yes to their prayers at the deepest level. But it will look completely different from what they imagined.

When you invite Jesus to help he will do so much more thoroughly than what we imagined, more deeply than perhaps what we wanted. We may not recognize at the answer to our prayers at first. The story of Palm Sunday is the story of Jesus surprising triumphal entry is a lesson in the mismatch between our expectations and God’s answer. While the people will be disappointed at a surface level the moment Jesus arrives is the moment that salvation is at hand. To learn that lesson is a growth in faith. Let’s relish the feeling of God’s Kingdom entering Jerusalem that Sunday. It is a taste of what heaven will be!

Beatitudes

The Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, PA

Sunday January 29, 2017

Sermon: Matthew 5:1-12

The Very Rev. Anthony R. Pompa

Our days have been filled with much. Not far from Inauguration day and the days that followed among much newsworthy things were the gatherings of crowds and even some debate regarding the size of such. Whether it be the Inauguration itself or of the subsequent rallies, and marches of protest, including the recent march of the Pro-life movement, or those gathering quickly at airports to protest the latest controversial refugee and immigration policy, we certainly know crowds.

Many of us know these crowds and many of us may have even been part of those crowds.  I myself know some who attended the Inauguration, some who marched or participated in rallies following, some who marched in yesterday’s Pro-life March, and I also know through  others some who stand outside of airports this very morning.

Ironically enough, or fitting enough, or God moment enough, this very real experience right now for us of crowds gathering helps us meet our Gospel today.

It should be easier for us to imagine the crowds who gathered around an itinerant preacher some 2, 000 years ago, who in a real context of time, offered a compelling hope-filled message that turned up large crowds and began a movement. This is the context in Matthew’s gospel.  When the crowds coming to see this Jesus were so large, he invited his disciples to the top of  a mountain where they could look out upon the crowds and Jesus could deliver to them what many biblical scholars call “The Messiah’s Inaugural address”.

Like Inaugural addresses we know, we are to see in Matthew, the beatitudes as the very front piece of who Jesus is, What HIS Kingdom is about, and what is required of those who will follow Him. 

This Inaugural address anticipates the end game- that is the GREAT Commission, when all who follow him are to be sent into the world baptizing and proclaiming God’s Kingdom.

The Baseline, the foundation, the litmus test, the springboard, the touchstone- the Beatitudes lay out the primary expectations that those who put their faith in Jesus are not simply enlisted as believer, but that their faith must be actualized in their behavior.

Our job, today, in this important time, and in a critical context, is to listen ourselves to Jesus Inaugural address, and challenge ourselves anew to actualize our faith.

Our Lord’s address:

Blessed.  Blessed is the translated  word  to set the stage for what it is to be part of this Kingdom adventure.  I know that you know what it is to be blessed. You know that experience in life when your heart, mind, body, and soul becomes aware of the rich deep presence of God. When love overwhelms you, when joy erupts in your heart, when your awareness opens to the reality that in your life you find an abundance of grace, of love, of security.  We are blessed.

Jesus says,

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit; that is rich in God’s presence are those who are so humbled and aware of how dependent they are on God. Wealthy or poor, middle class, Republican or democrat, Independent or otherwise. Rich in God’s spirit are those who know that all things come from God and all things return to God, and without God we have nothing. With God, we have everything.

Blessed are those that Mourn. That is rich in God’s spirit are those whose hearts are broken when living or looking at deep disruptions to God’s dream of Justice for all people. You see, in Jesus time, the spirit of this beatitude would be found in the broken heartedness of those who mourned over Israel’s disobedience to God and God’s commandments to Love God and one another. A Disobedience that translated in their faith view to the disintegration of a Just and Righteous way of living. Heartbroken for example, were those who watched and lived  a rigged system where the poor bore the burden of a tax system designed to appease the Empire and maintain the Religious establishments place of power. A system that saw many poor farmers forced to sell the few possessions they had and even family members into slavery in order to make their way. Rich in Spirit are those whose hearts are broken at such Injustices. The Kingdom of Heaven will have none of it.

Blessed are the Meek; That is Rich in Spirit of God’s presence are those who are humble, gentle, non-violent in their dealings with others. Humbly and faithfully reflecting God’s Character.

Jesus continues,

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. That is Rich in the Spirit of God’s presence are those who may be literally hungry for lack of food or those who hunger for a world where no one hungers. 

Rich in spirit are those who are awakened at night because that the core of their being they are troubled by acts and actions that are unjust and deep in their hearts they know it. It awakens them in the middle of the night, like a sharp pain in the stomach or a tightening of a parched throat.

Blessed are the merciful; that is Rich in God’s Spirit are those who know compassion and forgiveness, who live it and offer it without fear or reservation.

Blessed are the pure in heart; that is Rich in God’s Spirit are those who know Psalm 51, asking God continuously to create in us a clean heart, to renew a right spirit with us.  A heart that helps us to see the world with the purity God intends for us to see it, and in seeing it clearly, seeing its hunger clearly and responding to it.

Blessed are the peacemakers-  that is Rich in God’s Spirit are those who devote themselves to the hard work of reconciling hostility toward individuals, families, groups, nations. Rich in God’s spirit are those who work for the biblical Shalom, which is to be understood as harmonious cooperation aimed at the welfare of ALL Persons.

Finally Jesus concludes his Inaugural address by reminding those with ears to hear, that if one  who puts their faith in this world view, this way of being, one who actualizes in their behavior their faith in these beatitudes, then one will certainly know they will be persecuted.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake and those who are called out because of their faith;  Rich in God’s spirit are those who take the heat because we know what is right and are willing to act for it, speak to it, stand up for it.  Expect to be called out by powers who don’t want to hear the contrast in your speech and in your action.  

Brothers and Sisters- Can you imagine with me in such a way that you can hear and receive this Inaugural address anew? Can you hear with me what I and other faithful leaders of this thing our Presiding Bishop calls The Jesus Movement, believe stands in stark contrast to the messages and actions we are watching take place before us? You see I believe the Gospel gives us the challenge to look for the contrast and questions are hearts and souls to respond to it.

Please know that when Jesus delivered this address in the moment and time he delivered it; this teaching stood  in stark contrast to the worldly message of his time. We know also from history that time and time again the truth of the Gospel has stood out in stark contrast to worldly messages that called many to fear, instead of hope, many to build divides instead of work for shalom, many to cast others aside, instead of show compassion. We also know from history, that sometimes that contrast has been overlooked, ignored, or just simply denied.

Beloved, Can you join with me again, and with our Lord, and live again in openness to what we find in our Lord’s Inaugural address?  Might we put our faith in Jesus, allowing ourselves to be challenged by  Pope Francis’ reminder yesterday, that putting our faith in Jesus, means not only believing but actualizing our belief in our behavior. A perfect challenge in response to the beatitudes, Francis challenges us, that if we are to call ourselves Christians, we must live the beatitudes. 

I believe our Lord’s Inaugural address paints a sharp contrast in our current context I pray you will consider. This contrast has moved me to act by shortly sending to you all a pastoral response where I will make known that this Cathedral stands with our denominational leaders, our Presiding Bishop, our President of the house of deputies, and faith leaders from many denominations, making it known that we will continue to be a place that seeks to live the beatitudes.

Specifically, I believe the beatitudes speak directly in a contrasting and challenging way to the policy decision to ban on refugees. First, the spirit and rationale given for this ban is foreign to this communities’ first hand experience of refugee ministry. Second, that Jesus people do not stand for adding already to the burdens of those who have been burdened most. Our first hand experience with resettling a family from Syria helps us to incarnate the reality of this unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. Those closest to this ministry can tell you that the vetting process for refugees is as rigorous as there is on this planet. The vetting process for the family we have welcomed among us was rigorous, extensive, and took nearly two years while they waited in a refugee camp. We also know sadly a bit more about terror. The terror this refugee family has experienced chased from their homes with a terror that resides in psyche and soul of experiencing bombs exploding outside their homes and outside their school while children hid under their desks. The sudden pronouncement of this ban seems to me, does not in anyway measure up to any standard of the Gospel we know. It is immoral, unethical, and callous. There is no blessedness in it.

I pray that we will continue to be a place where our faith is actualized by welcoming, loving, and advocating for the most vulnerable. Whether they be homeless men who speak many languages and whose stories of whoa humble all of us, or loving a family who had experienced more than any of us can possibly imagine or want to imagine, find their way without prejudice and fear, to living a dream most of us take for granted.

Blessed are we, followers, believers, actualizers of Jesus dream. 

The Feast of the Holy Name -- The Very Rev Anthony R Pompa

The Cathedral Church of the Nativity

The Feast of the Holy Name

January 1, 2017

The Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, PA

The Very Rev. Anthony R. Pompa

“What is behind this year’s most popular Lehigh Valley Names”? This headline appeared  the Morning Call newspaper this past Thursday. It seems of course that the most popular names used in America is tracked, and the newspaper did its own localized version.

According to the Social Security Administration the most popular names in America in the year 2016 were….Emma, Olivia, Sophia, Noah, Liam, and Mason.

Locally, in a non scientific poll  of course, we learn that the most popular name chosen for new borns at St. Luke’s this past year were Amelia and Ethan.

According to this piece in the Morning Call, it seems the trend today is that folk may have  a few names in mind when their newborns arrive. Then when they see what the newborn looks like, a decision for naming is made.  Interesting.

What is in a name? Does it matter how its chosen?

In the narrative realm of the Spiritual it seems to matter quite a bit! Today we observe the Feast of the Holy Name.  We typically fly over this feast day because it infrequently lands on a Sunday.

The Gospel according to Luke brings us from the Christmas birth narrative of Shepherds giving witness to an astounding God event found  in the humble beginnings of a barn scene, to the important observance of Jewish religious tradition that gives homage to the covenant between God and God’s people.

Under the law of Moses found in Leviticus,  it was, and is customary that all male children  on the 8^th day after birth be circumcised. This was also a time when family and friends gathered for the Naming of the child. St. Luke seems particularly focused on the naming of Jesus and from where the name came.  He was "called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb" (Lk 2:21).  

So, What is in a Name? What is hoped  for in a naming?

If I said to you, who have you known in your life who you would describe as one who had demonstrated kindness and compassion?  Or who have you known (or know) in your life who you would describe as Strength?  Or who have you known (or know) in your life who has made sacrifices for the sake of Love? Or who have you known (or know) who may through some act of  wisdom or truth, may have saved  you from a poor decision, or unhealthy habit, relationship, or pattern?

Do you know their names?   I bet you do.

And so there we meet Jesus.  Named St. Luke tells us by the angels who announced his promise before he was even conceived in the womb. The name given him that day in Hebrew, Jeshoshua, which means, Yahweh, or God Saves.

Here we meet this person!  This person who will become the very transparency of God on earth. Jesus.  What is so unique and transformative about our following, meeting, and adoring this person, is that by meeting him, we meet compassion and kindness; we meet Strength in times of trouble, we meet sacrifice for the sake of Love, we meet wisdom and truth that gives the power we do not possess on our own to be liberated from anything that might hold us captive! (Salvation)

You see this feast day which finds its context in the narrative of Christmas we realize as Brother Geoffrey Tristram of the SSJE writes, that Christmas is not about the arrival of a new philosophy or even a new religion, but the arrival of a person.

Have you met Compassion and Kindness?  Have you met Steadfast strength in time of trial? Have met sacrifice for the sake of Love? Have you met wisdom and truth and Grace that liberates?  Do you know their names?  I bet you do.  

Jesus. Jehosua, God Saves. 

Christmas Eve 2016 - The Very Rev Anthony R Pompa

Christmas Eve 2016

The Cathedral Church of the Nativity

Bethlehem, PA

The Very Rev Anthony R Pompa

Some years ago, when my very good friend Pat was driving down the road, his then 9 year old daughter Abigail in the back seat, she voiced an unexpected question, as only 9 year olds can do.  “Dad she said, what happens when an atheist dies?”

Her priestly father as he tells it, immediately felt inside of himself the pressure of the moment. An opportunity to pass on the poignancy of his lifetime of theological study and work, as well as the pressure of sorting through the thicket of theological reflections and teachings regarding faith and belief, hoping to land somewhere that his 9 year old daughter would hear worthy of the God he hoped she would know.

In the moment, he launched into his narrative. A narrative about the complexity of the human condition and the magnaminous nature of our Creator. Three lines in to what he believed was pure theological magic, Abigail interrupted,

No Dad, stop,  that’s not what I meant.  I just wanna know if  like, they have a service of some sort and do people come  to it.

Many years of preaching at Christmas, and tonight, in the midst of the complexity of the human condition in which we live, this preacher wonders if perhaps we ought to just take a lunge at the punch line for fear that the 9 year old in all of us may not be yearning for a deep theological reflection this night.

Here it goes. Christmas is about Hope and Love. Plain and simple, straight and forward.

Close your eyes and take a breath. Take a pause and this night and in your daily life, just listen. Listen with your heart and listen with your soul.

Listen to the story of the Scriptures.

As these angels on our screen stand with majesty and care over us, hear the poetry of their message to be not afraid, for God is with us. Everywhere and ALL the time. No matter how challenging life may get, God is with us. Mary, Joseph, Be Not Afraid. Which didn’t meant there wasn’t anything to be afraid of, but instead meant Don’t let Fear hold you back! Hold you back from taking your part in this Godly orchestration of Hope and Love found in this Jehoshua (Jesus) which means God Saves. Find the courage to Say YES to Hope and Love.  Be Not Afraid! May we find the courage to say Yes to Hope and Love.

Listen to the Awe found  in the experience and voices of common Shepherds, who standing in the fields doing what they do in life everyday,  lift their voices as they “see” God at work in the world, causing them to be astonished and among the first to tell the story  of the  birth of Hope and Love. May we in our everyday be visited by God’s Holy Astonishment and tell of the birth of Hope and Love wherever and whenever we see it!

Listen to the majesty of Kings who journey toward the promise of a star lit in the sky, that will lead them to humbly fall to their knees and offer the best of what they have at the feet of pure beauty , Hope and Love, enfleshed and born in the person of Jesus,  taking his nascent breaths in the  humblest of circumstances.  Listen to these Kings and be so in tune with with these life-saving virtues that they were wise enough to see the contrast found  in  Herod’s dark design of violence and oppression, becoming  Wise as they  choose to go home another way, choosing the Hope and Love of Jesus, over the despair and hatred of  Herod. May also be offer the best of who we are to our Lord of Hope and Love, and may we be wise in our recognizing Despair and Hatred, and choosing the instead the path of Christ, the path of Hope and Love.  

Listen, to the beauty of melody and song, songs of Hope and Love in each note and lyric lifted to the rafters of this Cathedral and beyond, and let them bolster your spirit, lift your hearts, and fill you with courage to Love more boldy. May we LOVE more boldly as God Loves us so boldly.

Just listen.  Listen.  Listen for God’s footsteps, heartbeat, breath, for at Christmas Hope and Love Come to dwell among us.    Can you hear?

And if even if all this picture I paint this night fails , if it seems as if the preacher has failed you with overdone religious imagery and narrative………..

Try this.

Imagine perhaps the Grinch. Imagine the Grinch standing puzzling and puzzling. Imagine the Grinch looking upon us as if we are all the Who’s in Whoville, even as if the darkness of a night may strip us sometimes of all the packages, boxes, and bags that we may feel necessary for the security and celebration of our lives.

Imagine perhaps the Grinch, any Grinch for that matter, whose hearts have become small and are in need of Grace to grow bigger.  Imagine that Grinch puzzling for three hours as each of us, Each of us Who, tall and small, sing our song of LOVE and HOPE, the best present of all.

Imagine perhaps the Grinch, or any Grinch for that matter, who through singing comes to know what we know, “Maybe Christmas…perhaps….means a little bit more!”

And as the theological master Seuss says,

Imagine what happens then?

Well, the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day!

And so does ours at least.

Merry Christmas!

Genesis/Luke 18:1-8 -- The Rev. Anthony R. Pompa

The Cathedral Church of the Nativity

Sunday October 16, 2016

The Rev. Anthony R. Pompa

Genesis/Luke 18:1-8

The scriptures today in the Old Testament and in the Gospel call us to fight. Yes, I said fight. They call us to mix it up in the ring of prayer and relationship, Faith and Life.

I don’t know how you decide what you are willing to fight for or how it is your conditioned when it comes to fight or flight, but the stories in our scriptures today of Jacob’s wrestling with God and the vulnerable widow persisting with the unjust judge is an invitation to roll up the sleeves and rumble in the ring of faith.

These stories are wonderful. They are about contending with God, God’s character, and the nature of our faith life. I hope to say a word about each of these elements.

First, about contending with God. That is this wonderful reminder that like all relationship that hold their worth, our relationship with God is worth our time, effort, persistence, resilience, struggle, fight! Just like those we love most in flesh and blood, isn’t it worth mixing it up, sorting it out, struggling to come to love deeper, better, more faithfully?  So it is for Jacob and God, Jacob’s struggle to understand himself, Jacob and God struggling for Blessing, Jacob thinking he needs to steal it.  Or the widow in her vulnerability and powerlessness, understanding she has little shot at actually being heard or treated fairly in the system she lives in, choosing to persist, to struggle, to use any means she can to pressure, persuade.

Second, about God’s character. Isn’t it terrific what we learn about God here. Jacob is a creep. Jacob is creepy! Jacob is hiding out because he has behaved woefully and awfully- thinking he needs to “steal” a blessing, he finds himself in the struggle of a lifetime with the God who shows up in his creepiness, ironically, literally wrestling with him to deliver the very blessing Jacob thought he was stealing. Isn’t that the way God is. Showing up, struggling through, being willing to wrestle with creeps like us, so that we can be blessed.

And for the widow who wrestles with the creepy judge. He doesn’t care about such pity, powerless, worthless folk like her. Yet she persists. She wares him down, threatening really that if she is not heard he will end up with a black eye (maybe literally, certainly publicly).

Jesus in this parable says, so even if this creepy scoundrel can be worn down by this widow’s persistence, just imagine how much more God will grant, by your persistent prayer, faith, action.  For the Love of God,   Roll up your sleeves and get in it!

Finally about our Faith- Look, I don’t know how your conditioned to be in relationship. I am guessing there are times in your relationships you don’t feel like you have the time, energy, passion, or conviction to fight your way to deeper places of love and understanding. You may at times feel despair, you may not feel like you are being heard even, but hear the scriptures today, particularly when it comes to your relationship with God who calls you to be faithful actors of love in the World! Persist! Roll up your sleeves! Get in the game and fight on! Say your prayers, even when you think they aren’t being heard, by golly just ask Jacob how his hip feels! Or better yet, take gander at a black eye on the  face of an unjust judge who has been worn down and worn out by some poor Christian demanding, screaming, lamenting, persisting for justice.

Keep the faith, say your prayers, get in the fight. You know the interesting thing about us…..we want to know who wins right?  Who wins the fight?  Jacob?  The widow?  God?      What do you think?

Contending with God

The Character of God

   -God mixes it up, Shows up, in the struggle

   -(How much more…… If vulnerable, powerless, woman can even wear this creep down, How much more you can expect God’s justice/satisfaction)

                 (Even when we think God is silent….contend…contend…)

Nature of Christian Faith

  -Longing of Faith,  Activism that is stoked in the faith

The. Rev. Charles Barebo, Deacon - January 3, 2016

The Rev. Charles Barebo, Deacon

January 3, 2016

Following a Star

 Finding Jesus is no easy matter. Our faith journey is not scripted. Life’s journeys come with unknowns, risks and rewards. The wise men’s incredible journey is no different; it is complete with a goal, diversions and reaching their goal. This theme seems to repeat itself in our lives as well. Matthew tells a remarkable story of faith in this story. And he sets up the conflict of Jesus and God’s Kingdom versus the forces of ego, power and greed that will culminate in the resurrection.

The wise men undertake a perilous journey. No maps, no established roads, plentiful thieves and brigands, few inns and unknowns in terms of food and water. They are traveling to pay homage to the new born king of the Jews. They have faith in a scriptural prophecy and followed a star. This is a story of faith, tremendous faith; a model for us two thousand years later.

Matthew’s story of conflict between God’s Kingdom and evil starts at the beginning of the second chapter of his gospel. Herod’s tenuous claim to kingship is partly derived from marrying into the family of the Maccabees. He is the corrupt, insecure, false king of the Jews. He is propped up by the Roman occupiers who seek a shallow pawn to manipulate. He is supported by the chief priests and scribes. All seek to secure their claims in power and riches, at the cost of God’s kingdom. Threatened by this news of the birth of the legitimate king of the Jews foretold in scripture, Herod seeks to use the wise men to unknowingly betraying Jesus location.

Thus begins the conflict between the Son of God and His kingdom and the forces of evil. The elements of evil; fear, greed, ego, and a desire for power are still at work in our world today. The wise men see Herod for what he is. They follow their star to Bethlehem and are “overwhelmed with joy” when they find the child. They worship the new born king. They open their “treasure chests” and offer their gifts of great value. The gift the wise men give us today is the gift of faith, faith and wise discernment of their call, and the example that following our faith requires discernment and tenacity. It was not and still is not always easy to be faithful.

And so it is with our journeys. We, too, seek to find this king, Jesus. Our guiding star is the gospels. Herod is still with us today with the same old diversions; insecurity, fear, ego, greed and false power. The tools of evil seek to destroy our families and friends, communities and government, our faith in our fellow man, our very selves and hearts. They seek to hide the star that we follow to meet Jesus.

To find the king is not an easy journey. There are no maps or charts. The way is fraught with peril. We must follow the star, our star the gospels. We must remain vigilant for Herod and his tools and avoid them. We must discern our path in our personal lives, our church lives and in the greater community. And when we encounter the King, we too, must be prepared to open our treasure chests. The only treasure our king desires is our hearts – for where our hearts are there will be our treasure also.

And if we have the courage, wisdom and faith of the wise men we will follow our star to the king. And be prepared to give him our treasure, our hearts. Amen

Archdeacon Rick Cluett - December 6, 2015 - Advent 2

Advent 2 C     Nativity Cathedral    December 6, 2015

By Archdeacon Rick Cluett

Today is St Nicholas’ Day. He has a reputation as a bringer of gifts. What would you like him to bring to you today? Cookies, bling, a toy, a sweater? Or what would you like him to bring to the world today? Something like peace, security, freedom from worry or fear? Maybe something along those lines if you are reading or watching the news.

We are living in a time of fear and anxiety. An airliner brought down in Russia, Beirut, Paris, San Bernardino, a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado, a community college in Oregon.

From the NY Times this week, the headline: “How Often Do Mass Shootings Occur? On Average, Every Day, Records Show. More than one a day. 

We are living in a time of great conflict. The powers of chaos seem to rule. The powers of nations and armies contend around us. People are being murdered by 10’s, by 100’s, by the thousands. More than a million people have fled their homes and home countries to save their lives. Chaos reigns. We expect the worst. We expect the end of life, as we have known it. 

People are working harder and harder to make a living, to make a life, while the corporate world seems to work harder and harder to make a killing. Refugee companies fleeing the country to escape a tax burden.

We have a hymn that begins, Look around you, can you see? Times are troubled, people grieve. See the violence, feel the hardness, All my people – weep with me. Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy!

We live in Biblical Times. Baruch was writing to people whose parents and grandparents had returned from exile in Babylon. They had come home to new futures for themselves and their families ... to find jobs, to build homes, to build new lives, new farms, new villages, a new Temple, a New Jerusalem.

But it had all turned sour. They were continually at war. The land was not giving forth her increase. Life was full of pain, unmet expectations, unfulfilled dreams, and hopes not realized. Life was full, but not the fulfillment they had dreamed for, hoped for, worked for, and prayed for. People were just trying to "hang in, hang on."

They were leaving the Promised Land in droves; refugees seeking work and security elsewhere. (Sound familiar?) All was not right with their world, and God seemed far distant from his people.

Into this setting came the words of Baruch. “Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem ... For God will lead Israel with joy, ...with the mercy and righteousness that come from him.”

The question back then in those dangerous times was and is still today, “Where is the messiah? Whose voice do we listen to? Which call do we follow? Who do we follow? Where do we seek our salvation? Do we have any reason at all to hope?”

Did you ever wonder why the Bible has all those stories, the kind that inspired the Left Behind Series? All the apocalyptic stories of the fall of the Temple and Armageddon and the end of time? 

These apocalyptic stories have stood the test of time because they point to the worst circumstances of life. The authors were reading the signs of their times. They were writing from the context of their lives. The stories were created out of their experience. And they resonate today. 

When have you known anguish or agony? When have you been truly afraid? When were you terrorized by demons, or powers, or forces that you could not control? When were you lost, not knowing which way to turn, not knowing who or what to follow to get to safety? When did you suffer a loss and been left feeling bereft, totally alone?

That’s what these stories are about. They are about the all too familiar perils and pitfalls of life, real life, all human life, our lives. Forever, people have been searching; searching everywhere and anywhere for some way through their time, this time, seeking some reason to hope.

So today I join with Baruch and John in proclaiming the Word of God, the Promise of God. There will come a time when wars and rumors of wars will cease. There will be a time when swords are turned into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. There will come a time when anguish will end. There will come a time when God will reign. And so we live in hope, even in the worst of times.

Today’s scripture readings are a call, a reminder, a warning to stay close to the one who is the source of strength, the one whose way is true, the one in whose image we have been created, and redeemed and saved, and who is always present in every circumstance of life, even beyond this life, beyond the grave, the one in whom we can trust and in whom we will ultimately rest from all our labors, all our strivings, all our fears, all our wanderings, all our pain – and know peace.

People, you and I, need someone to be John for us, to point to our God, to teach us about our God, to minister to us in the name of God, to comfort us with the promise of God, to remind us of the Hope of a life lived with God – we need some person who will bring God close, very close, as close as possible, even close enough to touch.

We need people who know the truth of Jesus Christ and speak it to bring the Life of Jesus Christ into our lives, into all the corners of our lives, all the dark places of our lives, into the hurt and confusion, fear, and isolation of our lives. 

We need people to keep God alive and present for us in our lives through liturgy and music and preaching and prayers – and with bread and wine offered and received – all in the midst of the community of God’s people.

We need a community of people where we are known and loved, because of – and in spite of – who we are. We need to know that we are welcome in God’s place, in God’s house – there’s room for us here. We need to be shown that even if there is no other place for us, this is our home place. We need God’s people to do that for us.

We need God’s people to give God some flesh and blood – a face, some warmth, a caring presence with us. We need God’s people so that God can physically stand up with us and stand up for us and stand by us, in all the circumstances of our lives, especially in these dark and dangerous times in which we live.

In Jesus Christ, God calls each of us and sends us to one another and to the people of God’s world to physically be there when God is needed to be there. You see, WE are to be the gift this St. Nicholas Day.

November 1, 2015 - All Saints' Day

Lucy Kitch-Peck & Bella Pompa

From my house, you can’t see the stars. When I was young, a few of the brightest, bravest ones shined through a cloudy sky. But now, there are none. Most nights, I don’t even notice their absence. But this past summer Lucy and I were reminded of them. While Bethlehem’s sky is clouded with pollution and street lights, the sky at Camp Lackawanna is much clearer. For those of you who have not been to Nativity Youth Camp, Camp Lackawanna is basically in the middle of nowhere. The tranquility and beauty of the nature surrounding us at camp gives us a sense that we are truly in another world, isolated from the bustle of society.  After a long day of the exciting activities of camp, Bella and I, along with a few of our closest friends, chose to take a break from the clamor of the day, and wallow in the stillness of the night. In an open field to gaze at the stars, we laid side by side on sleeping bags and warm blankets.  For the first time in a long time, we laid down, relaxed, and looked up. The sky was overflowing with billions and billions of bright, twinkling stars. It was breathtaking. To be in a place where you can’t even see your own hand in front of you, but can still be enamored with the brilliance radiating above you. To be surrounded by people who accept and love you for who you are.  It is awesome. It is glorious.

In today’s Gospel, Martha and Mary are devastated by the loss of their brother, Lazarus. As they grieve, Jesus comes to grieve with them. But some ask “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Even Martha is distraught, convinced that Lazarus is too far gone for saving. But Jesus says to her “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” And Jesus brings Lazarus back from the dead. Jesus unabashedly demonstrates the glory of God. Even more than that, Jesus is the glory of god, the love of God revealed in the world. The life Jesus gives to Lazarus is temporary; the light, life, and love Jesus gives to all of us is eternal. It is awesome. It is glorious.

Throughout all of our lives, there are times that we will be devastated. We will grieve, we will hurt, we will see nothing but darkness. We will struggle to notice any hope or beauty in this world. But Jesus reminds us: the Glory of God is ubiquitous and perpetual, if we only care to search for it. Gazing up at the stars, surrounded by people I love and who love me, my search was easy. How could I doubt God’s glory in a place of such majesty and a time of such joy? But belief is not always so simple. How can one trust in God’s glory when a loved one is taken away from them? How can one believe God’s glory is awesome when one is homeless and struggling for their next meal? When we are destitute, when we are alone, when our view is clouded by chaos and evil, we can look for the light that will always be around us. Look at the joy and community of Camp Lackawanna. Look at the gratitude and compassion here each wintry Thursday night. Look at the prayer shawls, knitted by Yarns of Love. Look at the people sitting here, in this holy space. The Sunday schoolers, the mentors, the choir, the acolytes, the ushers, the out-of-town relatives, even the strangers. They are stars, radiating in the night. They are awesome. They are glorious.

Even on the nights when we can’t see the stars, we believe that they are still there. They are still shining on the rest of the world, and they will shine on us once more. Billions of stars will always be there, filling up the immense sky that seems to stretch forever. Billions of stars reminding us of God’s immenseness. His majesty, stretching forever. His power, which is even greater than death itself. When darkness threatens to swallow all the good in this world, go outside, relax, and look up. God’s splendor is there. It is awesome. It is glorious.

AMEN.

August 30, 2015 - Put God in Your Heart

The Rev. Charles Barebo

August 30, 2015 - Pentecost 14

__________________________

Put God in Your Heart

Today’s gospel switches from John and metaphors about bread to Mark. Mark’s story of Jesus is powerful and to the point. His gospel is believed to be the first gospel written down. This fall we’ll be hearing about the ongoing conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees from Mark. And how the disciples do not comprehend Christ’s methods or mission. To get the most out of Mark it is important to understand what makes the Pharisees tick, the group that Paul calls the strictest of the strict.

The ancient Israelites believed that God lived in the temple in Jerusalem. In Isaiah it tells us that when God was in the temple so much smoke filled the building that humans could not enter. The temple was where earth and heaven interlocked and one would go to be in God’s presence. Ancient Judaism was about the temple. At least until the second Exile when the Babylonians took Jerusalem and destroyed the temple.  Seventy years later the Persians took Babylon and allowed the Israelites to return home and rebuild the temple. Then in the second century the Syrians took Jerusalem and desecrated the temple. The desecrated temple and living under the pagan rule began to change the way that the Israelites looked at their faith.

By Christ’s time Jewish theology began to change. If you kept the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, it was as if you were in the Temple itself – that is the place where heaven and earth met. Regardless of whether pagans or corrupt Jews ruled and what when on in the temple, practicing the laws set forth in the Torah became where first century Israelites found God. The Pharisees were sticklers for the Torah.  Never numbering more than 6,000 in Palestine’s population of 2,500,000 they were nevertheless a force to be reckoned with. Knowing what makes the Pharisees tick is important in understanding Mark’s Gospel and the traps they set for Jesus.

Jesus’ message would have been seen as very subversive or revolutionary by the Pharisees.  When challenged about the Levitical cleanliness laws Jesus tells the Pharisees that these laws were never important, that the Pharisees gave God lip service but never accepted God in their hearts.  They had “abandoned the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”  Jesus, never one for political correctness, points out their sin for ignoring God while focusing on human traditions.

The disciples are not understanding Christ’s message.  After the exchange with the Pharisees they ask Jesus what the parable meant.  Jesus is clear, the real evil was not what we eat or how we wash or the things that come from the outside but rather things that come out of the heart like theft, murder, immorality, greed, wickedness, envy, slander and pride, these are the things that make us unclean. Then Jesus goes on to strike down the kosher food laws. Jesus is challenging the very rubrics of Jewish life. Jesus is always brutally honest. And this honesty will cost him his human life.

The Pharisees are still with us today. It seems so much easier to accept our politically correct rules of man-made tradition as opposed to accepting Jesus in our hearts. It’s not easy to be a disciple; in fact it seems almost impossible at times.  We can see the Pharisees in action everyday if we have our eyes open. In our leadership at local, state and national levels; where politicians tell us about change that is needed and then play party politics, ignoring the call to work together and compromise to fix our many ills. And both parties do it, all the time. When our mayors, congress men and women, state officials and candidates prattle on about state building or helping what we call the poor, while being investigated or charged with crimes we see the Pharisees at work. This is happening in Allentown, in Harrisburg and in DC at this very moment.

In our schools where we are more concerned with avoiding lawsuits than teaching wisdom, justice and mercy; Where we are more interested in correctness and a common core as opposed to teaching each and every child to the best of their abilities-the Pharisees are at work. Even in the church, we sometimes become so caught up that we forget that we are charged to love God and our neighbor. The farther we stray from the Great Command, Christ’s mission for His disciples, the closer we edge into the Pharisees camp. In fact, this can become our litmus test for our actions in the church. Does this further Christ’s mission? Does it love God, does it love our neighbor, and does it build the Kingdom? If it does we’ve let God into our heart.

I catch myself wandering into the Pharisees camp too often. Sometimes I hesitate before praying aloud in a restaurant – Correctness or Jesus? Or to express the core values we are taught in the church.  I push Jesus out of my heart and buy something I don’t need or worry about a market downturn becoming fearful and greedy. If I have faith market turndowns are a lot less scary. Too often my pride keeps me from turning the other cheek. Too often I buy a meal for a homeless person and then do not invite them to eat at my table or look the other way. It’s so easy to look down on the Pharisees when in fact I am acting like one myself. No it’s not easy living with Jesus in my heart. Too often, as St Paul remarks, I do exactly what I didn’t want to do – I get frustrated and angry with someone who really just needs a helping hand. Too often like the disciples I don’t really understand what it is Jesus is calling me to do. All this bubbles up from within. And later in the quiet moments, like Peter after denying Christ, I regret it.

In Mark’s Gospel today, Jesus calls us into the true relationship with the Father and the Son. It is simple, pure and just. It opens the door to true peace, love and happiness. In our hearts lie the seeds of the Pharisees way – missing Christ’s invitation and focusing on man-made tradition, planted there by evil to lead us from the Way. Let Christ then be our guide to allow God into our hearts. And may all our actions meet Christ’s litmus test – Does this love God, our neighbors and build the Kingdom? For first century Jews, the temple was where heaven and earth meet and God’s presence was felt. For Christians when God is in our hearts, heaven and earth interlock and we are in His presence.