Where the Love of God Goes

Mark 4:35-41

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

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Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?

"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," written and performed by Gordon Lightfoot, from Summertime Dream

In ancient times, water was the embodiment of chaos. Genesis 1:6 mentions God building a barrier, a firmament, between the waters of order and the waters of chaos. God would later use the waters of chaos to wipe creation from the face of the earth in the story of Noah and the flood. The chaos of the sea is the home of the Leviathan, the ancient dragon of the sea. The Behemoth of Job is a creation of the seas and the waters. The abyss, the depths of the oceans and seas is the place of the bottomless, unfathomed, and unfathomably deep underworld. The sea has been considered the personification of death itself. Ultimately, the scriptural view of the waters and the seas and the storms and the winds is one of danger.

In our enlightened age, even for people who do not know this part of the history of or the mystery; storm-tossed waters continue to be a frequently used metaphor for the turmoil of living.

In 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald went down, and in 1976 singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot recorded a haunting ballad in honor of and as a tribute to the ship and the men who lost their lives. He called it “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” The Fitzgerald, labeled "the pride of the American Flag," was a giant ore freighter, 729 feet in length, and was the largest carrier on the Great Lakes from 1958 until 1975.

On November 10, 1975, the Fitzgerald was hauling a heavy load of ore to Detroit when it ran into a severe storm. This storm generated 27-30-foot swells. During the evening hours the ship disappeared from radar screens; apparently it sank in a matter of minutes. It now rests on the bottom of Lake Superior broken in two with the bow upright and the stern upside down still loaded with its cargo of ore and all 29 hands.

In Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad about the sinking of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald, he asks: “Does anyone know where the love of God goes/When the waves turn the minutes to hours?” That’s quite a question, but it’s not the first time it has been asked. Both the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and this gospel reading remind us of one of the most well known stories of the Old Testament, the story of Jonah. In the case of the gospel, this literary flashback is quite intentional.

As the book of Jonah begins, Jonah receives the word of the Lord and does his level best to avoid his vocation. He buys passage on a vessel to Tarshish and goes below deck for a nap. By the fourth verse, the Lord made the sea boil with a storm. In the fifth, everyone on the vessel was praying to one god and another for deliverance. In the sixth verse, the captain of the vessel wakes Jonah pleading, “Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a thought so that we do not perish.”

Here is the answer to Gordon Lightfoot’s question; the same question asked by the apostles; the same hope that the ship captain had when imploring Jonah to call on his god. The love of God is ever present. In this love lies our one peace. In times like these that doesn’t seem so very likely. In times like these, asking “where has the love of God gone?” or as it is asked in our gospel reading, “Teacher, don't you care if we drown?” are the questions that are on our minds. At times like these, we hope and pray the Lord will spare us a thought so we will not perish.

As one of the most problematic questions asked in scripture; its answer is one of the most wonderful. Jesus does not promise that there will be no more storms. He promises that he will be with us in the storms. Jesus doesn’t promise to end the pain. He promises to be with us while we are in pain. In Leipzig, Martin Luther was asked, “Where will you be, Brother Martin, when church, state, princes and people turn against you?” Luther answered: “Why, then as now, in the hands of Almighty God.” So it was with Martin Luther, so it was with Jonah, so it was with the apostles, so it is with us today. Our one peace is in the hands of Almighty God.

For You

Hebrews 9:11-15

But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.

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don't call for your surgeon,
even he say's it late,
it not your lungs this time
but your heart holds your fate
don't give me my money back,
don't want it anymore
it's not that nursery mouth I came back for
it's not the way you stretched out on the floor
I've broken all your windows
and I rammed through all your doors
and who am I to ask you to fight my wars
and you should know that’s true
(I came for you)
you should know that too
(I came for you)

I came for you
I came for you
I came for you
I came for you
I came for you, for you, I came for you

"For You" by Bruce Springsteen, this arrangement by Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Christ, the great high priest. He is God, yet came to life on earth not to take advantage of his divinity, but emptied himself taking human life humbling himself to death, even death on the cross. He did this so that every tongue would be able to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord for the glory of God the Father.

He did this for creation. He did this for us. He did this for you.

Christ the great high priest. He came as the high priest of the things to come, not the things that are today but the things to come. It used to be that to be made holy, acceptable to God, we would have to present a blood sacrifice. Some presented lambs, some presented rams, some presented bulls-each according to their ability to pay.

Christ presents himself. When the blood of the lamb of Christ is shed, what other blood could approach it? Our sacrifices of blood pale after the blood of the lamb.

Christ breaks down the barriers between the holy and the profane, making all holy again. Christ doesn't come to us because we are appealing, he doesn't come because we are worthy. He comes because we need him to come. It is Christ who has broken our windows, and crashed through our doors. Christ doesn't need us to fight his battles, because he has already won our battle.

Christ defeats death. Christ brings new life.

We should know that's true. He came for creation. He came for us. He came for you.

What Friends Are For?

Job 2: 11-13

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all these troubles that had come upon him, each of them set out from his home--Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met together to go and console and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him, and they raised their voices and wept aloud; they tore their robes and threw dust in the air upon their heads. They sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

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It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming 'Let me out'

"Under Pressure" by Queen with David Bowie

Friends are a joy. Job has just lost everything. His wife was the opposite of help saying "Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God and die." I put the emphasis on "still" because I can imagine her saying it that way. I can't decide whether she wants him to curse God to put him out of his misery or her own. Maybe that's a two-birds-with-one-stone deal.

But his friends hear of his plight and they come to see him, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They have come to grieve with their friend. They came to console and comfort him. They could see him from a distance, or they saw where his house was. They couldn't recognize him. All that their friend was is gone, all that remains is the shell of the man. They knew his suffering was great, so they did as friends would. They tore their robes and covered themselves with dust from the scalp down. They could tell his suffering was so great didn't say a word for a week ...if they had just left it at that.

Suddenly everyone tried to explain what had happened. They tried to explain the tragedy. They tried to put this great calamity into perspective. They failed miserably. They failed so miserably ultimately the Lord, the Voice from the whirlwind would tell them to be quiet. If they had just kept going while they were ahead.

They saw the terror of their friends grief, they could see him screaming "Let me out." They were simply present for a week and that was good. Nobody said try to make him feel better. Nobody said try to explain it away. Nobody told them to say a word, but alas the quiet ended and the remaining forty chapters of the book of Job unfolded, often with anger, rarely with compassion.

There is something to be said for just being present when a friend is in pain. More often than not, just listening to the screams and holding them in the pain and sorrow is what is needed.

Rock Salt

Genesis 19:17 and 24-26

When they had brought them outside, the angels said, “Flee for your life; do not look back or stop anywhere in the Plain; flee to the hills, or else you will be consumed.”

Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

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The city streets are empty now
(The lights don't shine no more)
And so the songs are way down low

A sound that flows into my mind
(The echoes of the daylight)
Of everything that is alive
(In my blue world)

I turn to stone when you are gone
I turn to stone

"Turn to Stone" written by Jeff Lynne, recorded by The Electric Light Orchestra on "Out of the Blue"

So much has been written about this passage, the turning of Lot's wife to stone, rock salt to be specific. It frequently wraps abound disobedience, she was smited because she did not do as the angels commanded. It's a pretty good lesson, but what if there is more? What if this is a lesson about how grief consumes us?

The family of Lot went from extended generations and dozens of cousins to exactly four in a flash. They had heard the threat prophesied against the city, a very nasty city. As they left town, the Lord rained sulfur and fire out of heaven onto Sodom and Gomorrah. It consumed everything, the cities and the inhabitants, and all the flora and fauna. Everything was gone. Lot's family didn't have a rear view mirror, but I can imagine they would have been able to see the brewing storm as sulfur and fire flew out of the skies like meteorites.

Majestic? Sure. Terrifying? Better be. Putrid? The sulfur smell, you bet. Everything Lot's wife knew, except for her husband and daughters, everything was gone, long gone. Grief and sorrow would be obvious responses. Jeff Lynne sang it well, "The city streets are empty now. (The lights don't shine no more)"

The proper amount of grief is a healthy part of life. Excessive grief is unhealthy. Excessive grief can cause us to stop in our tracks and stop time from moving at all. It can turn us to stone. In a funk of desperation, depression, and sadness; all you can see is "The echoes of the daylight, of everything that is alive in my blue world." And in Lot's wife's blue world, there was little left alive. She was turned to rock salt.

I offer no cheery pep-talk here. I offer that the people of scripture shared the same experiences we do everyday. There is joy, we like to focus on that. There is sorrow and pain and misery. We don't like that so much. Yet in all circumstances, the Lord is with us. In all times of our life, God walks alongside us. Even when we are so consumed with pain, grief, and sorrow it turns us to stone, Emmanuel, God is with us.

Sailing into the Presence of the Lord

John 21:1-8

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

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Well it's not far down to paradise
At least it's not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away
And find tranquility
Oh, the canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Baby believe me, oh

It's not far to Never Never Land
No reason to pretend
And if the wind is right you can find the joy
Of innocence again
Oh, the canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Baby believe me, oh

Sailing (takes me away)
Takes me away
To where I've always heard it could be
(I heard it could be)
Just a dream and a wind to carry me
(Soon I will be free)
Soon I will be free, yeah

"Sailing" recorded by Christopher Cross, written by Carter Burwell from Cross' self-titled first album.

Yesterday had two men heading home to deal with the events they had seen. Today we have the Apostles, those closest to Jesus. They decide to go back to work. They go fishing. It's not hard to imagine they go as much to take their minds off the events of the past few days as to make a few coins.

Jesus is the canvas on whom their lives is drawn, and on that canvas miracles are drawn. Yes, the fish are a miracle, but the greater miracle is the one who makes it all possible. The greater miracle is the one who makes the fire on the beach. The greater miracle is the one who already has a couple of fish on the fire.

The greatest miracle is his presence.

Sharing the presence of the fully human fully divine Lord of all, that's the greatest miracle of all.

and isn't that enough?

Scourged

John 19:1-3 (NRSV)

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face.

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Sometimes I feel
Sometimes I feel ... like I've been tied to the whippin’ post
Tied to the whippin’ post
Tied to the whippin' post
Good Lord I feel like I'm dyin'

"Whippin' Post," written by Greg Allman, recorded by The Allman Brothers Band on their self-titled debut album.

Some days, many days, it's impossible to make sense of current events. Maybe it's because compared to even fifty years ago there are so many more current events with so much more coverage of each of them.

Recently there have been shootings, war and talk of war, terror and those who bring terror from the ends of the world to your town. Drug problem? I'm not advocating drug use, but accounting for prescription drug use and abuse who says there isn't a drug problem. The election cycle? You'd think the world has gone off its rails. The world is gone fully mad.

In the ancient world, it was the time of the Passover, Rome was in charge, the religious leaders were in fear for their status in the temple and synagogues, and politicians were doing what politicians do. Everyone was trying to corner their little part of the power market, and here comes the one who is power.

Then comes the Lord, He who is, He who is the I AM. He was abused for no other reason than being who he was and being himself in the world. Mocked, scorned, ridiculed. Our Lord was scourged, flogged, and whipped. In the end, all I can say is that when I have been run down, lied to, feeling like a fool, I worship a God who has been on the whippin' post too.

Still, even after being tied to the whipping post our Lord stayed by our side, even when humanity did not stand by his. He was generous, even when he was mocked. He turned even when beaten. He was King of the Jews even when he was mocked being called the King of the Jews.

If there is one thing we must say about Jesus, even as we say life is difficult and life is uncertain, it is that he has been there too. Jesus experienced these very same things. He was wrongly accused and then tried and hung up to dry. He was left to rot in the noonday sun on a garbage heap. He has seen our troubles. He still offers his grace. We know our troubles, but have we accepted his grace?

Blinded by the Light

Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday


Luke 9:28-30

About eight days after Peter had acknowledged Jesus as the Christ of God, Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.

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He was just blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
Momma always told me not to look into the sights of the sun
Oh, but Momma, that's where the fun is

"Blinded by the Light" by Bruce Springsteen recorded by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J."

This was the first track on the first album by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. It introduced us to a cast of characters the world had never seen the likes of before: Madman drummers bummers, Indians in the summer, a teenage diplomat, the all-hot half-shot, the fleshpot mascot, young Scott, and his lover and that's just the first verse!

They were all blinded by the light, cut loose like a deuce; whatever that means.

On Transfiguration Sunday we have a trio who were blinded by the light. In our day and time; Peter, John, and James would look as wild and out of place as some brimstone baritone anti-cyclone rolling stone preacher from the East. On the side of a mountain they looked into the light and they saw the face of their Lord, they saw the face of the Lord change. (That's all "transfiguration" means, change face, no big deal.) As the face of the Lord changed they saw Moses and Elijah appear with him and they began to kibbutz.

Chatting with Jesus. Now that had to be amazing. The three of them, all of the apostles, all of the disciples, people--just plain folks had chatted with Jesus. When Jesus chats with these heroes of the faith, Moses who disappeared into the mountains and Elijah who was taken in the whirlwind, that's different. Peter wants to build shrines. He was so blinded by the light that he couldn't stay in the moment. He had to say something, even if it's silly.

There's a lesson for us, be present in the moment, every moment. You can never be sure when Jesus will take you aside and blind you by the light. When the light gets you, be there, listen, enjoy, praise God! Don't offer to do something. Offer to be there as long as the Lord is there too.

Don't be so blinded by life that we fail to be present when the Lord calls. We have to take to heart what Bruce sings, "Momma always told me not to look into the sights of the sun, Oh, but Mama, that's where the fun is."

Momma, the sights of the Son, that's where the fun is!

Standing in the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:26-28

Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their tunics were not harmed, and not even the smell of fire came from them. Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.

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You don't care for me
I don't care about that
You gotta new fool, ha!
I'd like to laugh at

I have only one itchin' desire
Let me stand next to your fire.

"Fire" by Jimi Hendrix

Let's start with this, Nebuchadnezzar did not dislike Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Shoot, among the Jewish exiles brought to Babylon they were among the King's favorites. The only exile mentioned more in the book of Daniel was Daniel. But still, he's a king and a pagan king at that, so he had his own god and built a statue of the god and decided that everyone had to bow before the statue. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego just couldn't do that and this is where it all began.

Nebuchadnezzar didn't dislike Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but what king can take sass from his slaves?

So the furnace was lit and was set to burn seven times hotter than normal. It burned so hot, the men who took Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to the fire were burned to death putting them into it. But there was not a singe mark nor even the smell of fire on the three when they came out of the furnace. What was odd was that while only three went into the fire, and only three came out, scripture tells us that there were four in the fire.

Nebuchadnezzar knew when he was licked and demanded anyone who blasphemed the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be torn limb from limb. Nasty. Back to that sass thing, the King knew he couldn't sass the Lord.

The joy is that the power of the Lord is so wonderful that it protects the disciples. In the fires of this age and every age, God protects. Against the kings of this age, against those who worship other gods (and yes, there are many who still worship other gods like money, power, fame, and prestige) our God protects us. It doesn't mean we won't ever be thrown into the fire, but it does say that God is with us when we are.

We have all faced some hot, hot fires in this age; but still, when we are assembled, even in the fiery furnace, God is there with us.