THIS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 10:30AM
This Sunday we worship and celebrate God with the sacrament of Holy Communion. The community continues in worship, prayer and faith formation in the study of the Gospel of Mark in chapter 6: 30-44 with the story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand (also see John 6:1-15). This cross-cultural church will also share in the joy of the Lunar New Year. Can you guess which creature it is this year? Worship and music will be led by the Udoka Drummers, Miranda Taylor playing the Chinese erhu, Dan Kramlich, Suzanne Simmons, Annaliza Torres, Stephen Gituma, Jenelle Forde and Pastor Angela Ying. This is one Sunday you do not want to miss. A “Loaves and Fishes” shared meal, prepared by our Hospitality Ministry follows worship with noodles, for long life, and a surprise dessert for all the young in heart!

WHAT A SUNDAY!  THERE’S A SUPER BOWL PARTY at the Bethany Church right after communion our social time.  Game starts at 3:30.  Bring your friends, relatives and all your sinful snacks to root for your favorite team (either the Giants or the Patriots). No cussing.  Just plan to stay or come back.  See you there!

NEXT SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 10:30AM
This Sunday, we worship and celebrate God as we seek to do God’s work in the world. The community continues in worship, prayer and faith formation in the study of the Gospel of Mark. Worship with special music by Noriko Fisher and the Japanese Peace Ensemble. The community will have a special prayer for one of our youth, Alana Gwilym Tso, a freshman at Cleveland High School, who was selected as one of three young people to travel and learn in Guatemala for a week in late February. Please see our “Glasses for Guatemala” announcement below and bring any prescription glasses to donate no later than February 12, for this educational program in which Bethany Church is supporting Alana.

GLASSES FOR GUATEMALA
One of Bethany’s young people, Alana Gwilym Tso, a freshman at Cleveland High School, has been selected to travel with a group to Guatemala in February. One of the projects in preparation for this trip is to collect used prescription glasses. To support Alana in this cross-cultural experience, Bethany Church invites you to 1) bring your used prescription glasses to Bethany Church from now to February 12 that we can collect together with Alana and 2) come to the Sunday worship service on Feb 12 (can also be Feb 5 or Feb 19, Janet, whichever works for your family), when we will bless Alana before she travels to Guatemala. Upon Alana’s return, I hope you will join me as pastor in welcoming her home and inviting her to share her experiences with all of us. 

BUY SEEDS AND SUPPORT LETTUCE LINK!
It’s January, which means it’s time to start dreaming about gardening. And when you order seeds through our fundraiser, you help Lettuce Link ensure that everyone has access to fresh, healthy food.

Lettuce Link, a program of Solid Ground, envisions a city where people have equal access to healthy and culturally appropriate food. We run two urban farms, harvest fruit from backyards to donate to food banks, support low income gardeners with seeds and gardening information, and much more. Mariah Pepper has been working with Lettuce Link as an AmeriCorps volunteer this year and would appreciate your help in supporting this amazing program.

High Mowing Seed Company is offering 25 varieties for $3 each, and a portion of that money goes to Lettuce Link. The list of varieties will be printed out. The order form will be available at church throughout the month. You can also contact Mariah by email for an electronic copy: mrosegp@gmail.com.  

Ongoing Events and News of Bethany!
YUIR – YOUTH UNDOING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM, Thursdays from 4:30-6:30PM.  Specializing in the training of youth community organizers! We hope all our high school age youth will choose to participate. For more information email Jenelle Forde at jjforde@gmail.com.

FOLLOW BETHANY ON TWITTER http://twitter.com/#!/BethanyUCC

BETHANY UCC’S FACEBOOK PAGE https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=648883743#!/pages/Bethany-United-Church-of-Christ/256782854332038 . If you have any posts, news or comments, please contact the administrator Michelle Perry at michelle@bethanyseattle.org.

The Reverend Angela L. Ying

Bethany United Church of Christ

Prophet

Preparation

Praise

Presence

Promise

What do all these words have in common?

Answer: A Peasant

And more specifically, on this fourth Sunday in Advent, the young peasant, Mary, mother of Jesus, who I believe is the most radical of prophets.

“She is so certain about God’s promised future, that Mary sings about it in the past tense!”

Look with me, for what we will find true in life is also true in scripture — the active verbs come alive and through the written pages.

It’s what we do and do not do, as people that concerns humanity.

And as friend and colleague, Anna Carter Florence says, “It is the verbs we cannot imagine for ourselves (live, liberate, forgive, resurrect) that the church offers, and that we reach for week after week.”

In world of divide and conquer — which we see again in the headlines with war, violence and police brutality and profiling —, God dares to prepare for birth.

You heard me correctly …

For Birth.

Amidst and please note: not without the need for forgiving, grieving and healing in community — God still dares to prepare us for birth, for birthing and for re-birth.

God did it when Elizabeth, cousin of Mary who gave birth to John the Baptist, felt barren and isolated.

God did it when Zechariah, faithful priest was in the sanctuary, and went speechless.

God did it when Joseph, humble carpenter, had a plan that needed redirecting so God could live out God’s dream through human beings, such as Joseph.

God did it when the empire and kings thought they were the ones in control.

What kind of God is this, who in a world of divide and conquer, dares to prepare you and me for birth, for birthing and for rebirth?

One whom Mary proclaims, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Mary said “Yes, to God”

And because of one affirmative yes to God — everything changes.

You may think in this season, your voice and presence is insignificant.

Let me tell you — God created you special and sacred.

God enjoys you.

God loves to forgive you and longs for you to know that you are forgiven.

God calls you into holy partnership to help God heal this broken world.”

“The temptation in all temptations —- remember the prayer Jesus teaches his followers known as the Lord’s Prayer — “lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil” —- is to get us to doubt our deepest identity as Beloved.”

You may, at times, think God has no need of you in this community, and yet, that does not change the fact that you are God’s Beloved and called in building this community.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, in her song, confirms it.

Anyone want to say “Amen” to that?

Amen!

Look at the active verbs in Mary’s song of praise.

Call them out! [The congregation calls them out.]

Magnifies

Rejoices

Looked with favor

Blessed and not just blessed “Call me (yes, you!), us blessed”

Mercy for those who fear God (and God alone).

Do you know the blessing “ …May you fear God enough that you need fear nothing else at all.”

Shown strength

Scattered the proud (in the thoughts of their hearts)

Brought down the powerful (from their thrones)

Lifted up the lowly

Filled the hungry with good things — does not just say feed — it says fill with good things!

Sent the rich away empty — now that is a great spiritual practice of generosity and stewardship in creating good stewards.

What would happen to the rich if they were sent away empty — could they join the rest of the 99% in new birth?!

Imagine!

You think this is possible or does Mary need to be sent to a mental institution at this point.

For here is the thing, dear people — if we can imagine it, as the young peasant, Mary does — that nothing will be impossible for God!

And this fourth Sunday of Advent, we need each another in community to help one another re-imagine —- to actually see that this possible.

To see that in a world of divide and conquer, God dares to prepare us for birth, birthing and re-birth

By God thinking of the toughest vision for a humble south end church to carry through and bring to birth each day and praying that we dare to do it.

For to be, truly be cross-cultural, multi-racial, intergenerational, open and affirming and anti-racist, we cannot see Mary’s song as a nice lullaby.

We need to see it as a wake up call of God continually wanting to set things right for this broken world of divide and conquer.

And God does it through, not kings and queens and definitely not the military.

God does it time and time again with people, as you and me, who hear God’s call, dare to say “Yes” to God amidst our doubts and fears and will do it, because WE CAN SEE IT — AS MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS, SEES IT!

If you ever wonder why this vision – why here at Bethany — and how we could not have chosen a harder vision to carry out with God in bringing together and building community with people of different races, cultures, ages and backgrounds — Be not afraid — faithful people before us had to struggle with the same faith and hope in God too.

If you ever feel discouraged here at Bethany and ask what in the world we are doing and where is God in all of this, when it is so much easier (at least initially) to simply fit into a world of divide and conquer — go back to Mary’s prophetic song.

For Mary, as you and I are not called to fit in. We are called by faith in the love of God to stand out.

So God can remind us as people of faith who we are and whose we are as God

Magnifies

Rejoices

Looks with favor

Call you blessed

Does great things

Has mercy on those who fear God

Show strength

Scatters the proud

Brings down the powerful

Lifts up the lowly

Fills the hungry with good things

Sends the rich away empty

Continues to keep God’s promise to all people that goes back generations beginning with Abraham, Sarah and Hagar.

We will find the strength to sing God’s song.

We will be given the courage to say “Yes!” to Jesus.

And for all those times that you and I feel weak and fearful, rather than strong with courage, God dares to prepare us for birth by standing with us, not just alone, but in building community — right here.

For there are things we will do in community, for the sake of building God’s community that we could not and yes, would not do by and for ourselves.

I realize that we, here, at Bethany Church are twelve years old now.

No longer a babe or an infant. Not even a toddler or preschooler.

A twelve years old — aka: approaching teenager!!!

And with this, I am reminded that at twelve, and not at three or six or even ten, I was invited by the church youth, with my younger sister to go to Six Flags — an amusement park. To remind each youth to have fun in being a youth.

And at that amusement park, there was not just one, but many roller coasters.

In hindsight, that may be why they call it Six Flags — there was at least one red flag!

I do not like or enjoy roller coasters.

I do not like them with green eggs and hams, Bethany.

I do not like them with a fox, near a house, with a mouse.

I do not like riding roller coasters.

There were plenty of other attractions and activities to keep me comfortable all day.

UNTIL …

Yes, did I tell you my younger sister also came on the church outing of having fun being a youth.

My younger sister loves and enjoys roller coasters.

My younger sister likes them with a fox, near a house, with a mouse.

My younger sister likes riding roller coasters.

BUT …

She was not tall enough to go on the rollercoaster by herself without another who was above the Yogi Bear line …

And though I stand today a petite 5 feet 3 — God somehow made me tall enough for the Yogi Bear line — at the park, that day.

“Oh, will you please go with me on the rollercoaster. They will not let me go alone?” my younger sister asked.

One of my first lessons in life in learning the importance of building community — which, mind you, begins at home with the family.

Reluctantly, I said, “Yes!”

As Mary, I am certain, I also wondered what in the world I had gotten myself into.

Because the line was long and the rollercoaster was right in front of me — I had plenty of time to think about it, to get out of it, to withdraw myself, to hide.

BUT …

By the time I could actually feel my fears — my younger sister and I were at the front of the line.

The attendant belted us in and pulled the thick mental bar in front of us.

My first sign that this was not going to be a secure and comfortable ride.

I held tightly to the mental bar and began to close my eyes in fear.

My younger sister on the other hand, seemed clueless as to what was about to happen to both of us.

She actually looked excited — as if she would enjoy it.

As I heard the car go up the creaky rails — click, click, clickety-click — higher and higher — I held tighter and tighter and braced myself for what was about to happen.

My younger sister looked at me as if I was out of control.

I was!

“What are you doing, she asked?”

“Figuring out the best way to tolerate this ride praying that it ends very soon.”

“What?” My sister responded, “You are going to be miserable holding on so tightly that way.”

“I know.”

“Well, why don’t you let go!”

“What do you mean?”

Now I was the one feeling as if I was the one being clueless.

“Let go of the bar and open your arms, my sister said.”

“Yeah, right — what good will that do?”

“Why everything changes!”

After many bumps and stomach pains of holding tighter and tighter to the bar — something or perhaps, someone got me to let go and open my hands, throw my hands up  and okay, SCREAM!

… And it was good!

Mary sang her song.

Chances are big that she did not do it by or for herself.

She needed a sense of meaning and in building community.

And by God’s help — God came. God in Jesus, comes!

If you will not be build community by yourself, for yourself, then as Mary, do it with God, in daring to build up and in building community.

And as you dare to do so, let your soul magnify the Lord with your life — a life of open eyes and open arms!

And the people said, “Amen!”

Saturday, December 24th
5:00PM Gather, 5:30PM Worship
CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE

CHRISTMAS DAY AND BOXING DAY – 10:30 AM
FIRST SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS
Come See and Worship God at Bethany Church on Christmas Day with your favorite Christmas carols, not alone, but together in Community. Each child, tween and youth will receive a BOX of surprises to celebrate this holy day of worshipping God and God’s possibilities!

Sunday, January 1, 2012
NEW YEARS DAY
Come See and Worship God at Bethany! Begin the New Year with Worship, Communion, Hymn Sing, Prayer and Reflections on the very first day of 2012!

Additional Events of Bethany!

YUIR – YOUTH UNDOING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM, Thursdays from 4:30-6:30PM. Specializing in the training of youth community organizers! We hope all our high school age youth will choose to participate. For more information email Jenelle Forde at jjforde@gmail.com.

FOLLOW BETHANY ON TWITTER http://twitter.com/#!/BethanyUCC

BETHANY UCC’S FACEBOOK PAGE Please feel free to visit and please “Like” us at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=648883743#!/pages/Bethany-United-Church-of-Christ/256782854332038 If you have any posts, news or comments, please contact the administrator Michelle Perry at michelle@bethanyseattle.org.

Have you ever needed to be healed?

Have you ever needed healing, but you knew you could not do it on your own? Perhaps, a healing that called for more than pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps.

A healing that called for a physician – body, mind and spirit.

A healing that called for Jesus.

Now there was a paralytic. He does not say anything. He does not do anything, until the end of the passage.

He comes to recognize that he needs healing.

And it is only through his community represented here in the scripture passage by four friends that we even hear of this man’s need for healing.

If it were not for the four friends — we would not know that the paralytic man even wanted to be healed.

As we hear this story in the gospel, it is important not to think there were simply four, as the number four in the text represents so much more.

These people represent countless people you and I know, who see the need for healing in themselves and in others, and will dare to work towards that vision of Healing the Whole — the W-H-O-L-E.

Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

And the people do it, paradoxically, by breaking open a hole!

The four represent ANYONE who sees the Vision of Healing and Forgiveness and seeks a new way of life from the very one they are now living.

As the story continues, we realize that the healing of the one — the paralytic man — is not without obstacles.

No worthy cause ever comes without any obstacles to overcome.

It is not a simple, easy phone call to the doctor, get a prescription and get well.

Why, we see — it is a lot more complex.

For one, the paralytic man cannot walk.

He cannot stand up and walk over to the healer and ask him himself for healing.

He cannot get himself to the one who can heal him, namely Jesus.

So, the community gets him on a mat and carries him to Jesus.

But then, there is another obstacle.

Jesus is busy with other people — not that Jesus does not want to heal this particular friend. It is just how it is. The four can be the paralytic’s legs, but they cannot get the man to Jesus.

There is a group of people, “the crowd” and unbeknownst to this group, because they are listening to what Jesus is teaching — inadvertently, block the door.

I hope it is not intentional and nothing in the gospel ever suggests that the crowd would do it intentionally, but nevertheless, the door to Jesus is blocked.

Again, I do not think it is any of the people’s fault, who are gathered. Simply, more people gathered to see Jesus than the community of four and one had anticipated in their attempt to bring their friend to see Jesus.

So, let us give the people gathered together, the benefit of the doubt and say that the four friends and the paralytic man cannot get into the place, because there are other people, just like them, in similar situations of hardship, who have come for the same reason — namely, to be healed.

Whether it is the healing of body, mind or spirit — they have all come together in one place.They have all come to Jesus, even if for different reasons.

The door is blocked. It would have been very tempting for the four and one to blame and get angry — believing that someone inside was blocking the door and stopping them from being healed.

It would have been very tempting for the paralytic man to convince his community — this is just not worth it. And worse, to convince his community, “I am not worth it.”

And yet, the good news of this gospel story is that none of these internalized ways of blocking the healing stops those of us who seek healing.

For we know these internalized ways of the mind can often be harder to open up and overcome than the physical door itself!

Amen?!

As Jesus looks up to God for his power and authority, the four friends look up as well and a brilliant, yet different idea comes to mind.

By working together, the four get themselves and their friend on top of the dirt roof and lower their friend down to the stranger, Jesus, so he cannot miss them.

No doubt they had to dig.

In the Greek language, the text says that the four friends had “to dig through it.”

They had to dig deep through their own doubts.

They had to dig deep through their own fears.

They had to dig through their being looked at as odd, strange and not belonging.

They had to dig through all of it and realize that they were and are a part of God’s Beloved community of faith.

That if they did not come to Jesus, something would be missing. If they did not help in the healing, the whole community would miss out.

Digging through their own stuff that was keeping them from connecting with the stranger from Galilee, named Jesus, was necessary for healing to happen.

Though they could have easily found someone or themselves to blame — truth to tell, they knew they had their own digging to do.

Thankfully, the four in the community took the time to dig through it all.

Perhaps, they had remembered Jesus words from before, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

When the stranger from Galilee saw what was happening, what do you think Jesus saw?

Disruption? Chaos? People needing his immediate attention?

The gospel says: Jesus saw the four friends FAITH.

Now notice, it is not the faith of their friend that is lying on the mat that Jesus sees first.

Nor is it the response from the scribes and established leaders.

It is not even the response or reactions of the crowd that Jesus first sees.

It is the faith of four friends of the community who are imaginative and creative enough in their faith to come up with a new and very different way of doing things in order that their friend and they, themselves, get healed!”

The good news is that this community of four and one find a way — BY FAITH — to seek a way to find healing.

It is not your conventional way. On the contrary, it is quite countercultural.

Rather than knocking on the door and saying, “Please and may I” —
They get to the rooftop and break open a hole at the top and lower their friend down right in front of the one who can heal — Jesus himself.

The buildings and grounds crew may be shocked, for it is going to cost more money to get that roof fixed.

But for the 4 and 1, the healing of the community comes first.

For by faith, they realize — it is not just their paralytic friend’s healing or even their friend and their own healing that is at stake here.

By their faith, they realize this healing has the whole community gathered and even those not gathered at stake!

And with that kind of vision for healing — that goes beyond oneself and one’s small group of friends —

When healing involves a whole community — the four discover a faith and a courage and even the perseverance to find a way for HEALING TO HAPPEN.

Not a healing on the surface, but one in which Jesus’ healing of one is a healing of the whole.

Every Sunday in worship, following our prayer of confession, we hear the words of assurance, which is another way of hearing Jesus’ words “Your sins are forgiven.”

Do we dare believe it? Do we believe our being forgiven and thus being forgiving is directly connected to our healing and that of our community?

The man and his four friends do.

Do we?

I wish the story ended right here.

After all the efforts and hard work of the community to seek healing and to be open to the presence of Jesus amidst their diversity.

I wish the 4 and 1 had done what they did, Jesus saw their faith, healed them and their friend and all was well.

But in the gospel text is a complicated, disturbing reality in life.

Whenever a community seeks genuine healing not just for one but for the whole community, there is often a few people — it just takes a few people— who do not like it and do not want it and do not want others to have it.

For these few — healing is not their vision. They have a different agenda.

It is heartbreaking, but throughout the gospel, this is so.

I am not sure what kind of brokenness leads to not wanting healing.

But it is deep and complexifies the community.

And Jesus and the gospel do not allow us to brush it aside.

The scribes, representing a few leaders, exist in the community and is present in almost every instance of Jesus’ preaching, teaching and healing.

Jesus knows it.
Jesus is aware of them.
Understands that they would not be this way without their own brokenness.

Yet, amidst their attempts, the scribes cannot stop Jesus from loving.

He hears their agenda, which they discuss among themselves and asks them why, amidst the healing of the whole congregation, would the scribes raise questions about his wanting and the community wanting healing.

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk?’

In holding the whole community in love, Jesus helps them make the connection of forgiveness of sins with healing.

But so that all may know that Jesus has the power and love to forgive, he says to the paralytic man “Stand up and take up your mat and go to your home.”

And the man, by faith, does.

And the community gathered realizing that Jesus’ healing of one is a healing of the whole can rejoice and say:

“We have never seen anything like this!”

Would we at Bethany do the same? I believe we can in this community.

By faith and remembering our vision which includes one of healing of the whole, with God all things are possible.

Would not you say?

As followers of Jesus, my healing is deeply connected to your healing — as your humanity is deeply connected to my humanity.

And despite the obstacles that arise, the followers of Jesus come to see and believe that Jesus’ healing of one is a healing of the whole — the whole community — which includes you and me and everyone.

Thanks be to God!

August 14^th, 2011

Text:  John 5: 1-18

Intro: Without healing there can be no peace, joy or happiness! For this reason People will do anything to get well. In our today’s text, John  tells  the story of Jesus going to the holy Temple in Jerusalem for the feast of the Jews. Near the entrance (sheep gate) there was a pool, known as Bethesda in Aramaic.

A great number of people with different disabilities used to lie at that pool. People who were blind, lame, and paralyzed. Jesus noticed one particular lame man who had been lying there for 38 years. And Jesus asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (ver.6-7).

For this man, the situation was hopeless, without knowing who Jesus was and stuck in self-pity, he responded by giving excuses, saying, “Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes ahead of me.” The good news for us this morning is that when Jesus laid eyes on that man, his life was changed forever.

Therefore, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I am here today to tell you that, no matter how long you have suffered, no matter what you are going through, when Jesus lays his eyes on you, your life will never be the same again.  It will  be changed forever! For you will be able to walk with your head up again as a beloved child of God.

However, note this; Jesus was not interested in any of the lame man’s excuses! The same case applies to you and me today. Jesus Christ wants us to answer this simple but important question. He already knows all the details of our pain and suffering. And his desire is to see us turning around and focusing on him! Listen to what he is asking you today, “Do you want to get well?”  

Perhaps you are asking in your heart, “What do he know about all I have suffered?”  I may not know what you have gone through or what you are going through right now, but God knows every detail of your whole life.  And I believe God is able to change your situation!   

The painful truth about life is this; unfortunately, none of us were born from perfect parents, nor grew up in a perfect family or Society. For that reason, we all have been hurt in one way or another. We have been hurt and wounded by others, including our own families, friends and even by the Church. And the sad thing is, these painful experiences have robbed us of a sense of peace and joy and belonging, leaving us with a sense of hopelessness, helplessness, loneliness and even bitterness. This has caused some of us not to have healthy and meaningful relationships with others and for some – even with God.

Many have been crippled by hurt, anger and doubts. By this I mean some have been crippled by the pain of their childhood abuse, broken marriage, loss of loved ones; loss of a  job etc. Many are depressed, their spirits have been crushed and for many years they have continued to suffer both emotionally and spiritually as they have watched others around them going on with their lives.

May be you are one these wounded people. I am here to tell you this, God has a sense of humor, and he must sometimes see us and smile the same way we smile at a small child who is struggling to put on their shoes to walk. God is inviting you into the path of healing; God wants you to start walking. And Hey! Don’t leave your mat behind! God knows this is possible if you only step out and take a step of faith – forgiving those who have hurt you in one way or the other. Without forgiveness, there can be no true healing.

After inviting the lame man into the path of healing, Jesus told him to do an extra ordinary thing, to “pick up his mat and walk” (5:11). Otherwise leaving your mat behind is a bad sign, for it signifies that you intend to  return  back to the same situation  again.

Today God is asking you and me to do the same, to pick our mat and walk! Perhaps some of you may be afraid to take this step of faith; to get in touch with those wounded areas of your lives.  Listen, the word of God is clear about this, Psalms 147:3 tells us that God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. And in Isaiah 43:1b, the Lord our God says” fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”.

If you trust that God is able to take care of what you are going through, like the psalmist you will be able to say, “My flesh may fail but God is the strength of my heart and portion forever” (Psalm73:26). So, the question God is asking you today is, “Do you want to get well?” As I said, Forgiving those who have hurts you is the starting point. Forgiveness is not necessarily for the people who have hurt and/or wronged you, but it’s for our own health.

The question “Do you want to get well?” is an invitation for us, to stop looking through the window and instead starting looking at the mirror.  (i.e.  look at ourselves and  see how beautiful, how handsome we are!) It doesn’t matter who you are, not even the color of your skin, race, language, country, or sexual orientation. What matters is that we are all children of God and God Loves us equally. Palms 139:14, reminds us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made! Therefore, nobody should ever put you down.

One of the questions which I kept on asking myself is this, how come that for 38 years, no one could help this man into the healing pool? Don’t forget that the pool was near the gate to the holy Temple?

I believe there were a couple  of reasons:

1). Traditionally, sickness was associated with sin and sinners were considered outcasts who deserved no help. Yet, those who believed that failed to see that the God of Love and Mercy was kind enough to send an angel to stir the water for their healing.

2). Today, we live in a world where we cherish individualism, to the extent that if Jesus wanted to visit us, we would appreciate if he would make an appointment before knocking at our door.  This sense of individualism keeps us separated from one another and separated from helping one another.

3).  As you all know, it is our human nature to blame others for any failure. From the time of Adam and Eve to present day; human beings will always have a reason for why they have failed to do this or that, why they cannot enjoy life, why they cannot feel safe anywhere in the world, why they cannot trust each other.  For example, spouses will blame each other, children will blame their parents, and parents will blame their children, Republicans will blame the Democrats, and Democrats will blame the Republicans, the public will blame the President and the government; the list goes on and on! As a result, we all continue foolishly suffering. We cannot make any meaningful moves in life; because we spend most of our time pointing fingers at each other.

It may seem difficult to admit it, but the truth is, many Christians find themselves in this situation, even when their sincere hope and desire is to experience a sense of love, peace, truth, justice, joy, connections, fellowship, and freedom in the Church. Without these essential elements, the Church fails to be a true family of God. As a result many people never come to  experience God’s Spirit in the Church.

It is my believe that the Church is called upon not only to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ; but also to bring transformation of people lives by loving, caring and seeking justice from every form of oppressive situation. Therefore as followers of Christ Jesus, we are called to imitate Christ, by offering words of healing, comfort and encouragement to others and to one another. The Bible says “pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. ” Proverbs 16:24  (NIV). However, God is inviting you today, first to get well first and then to go out and live a healthy life. Christ is asking you today, “Do you want to get well?” May God give you strength to take that step of faith. Amen.

I am not talking only about sermon preparation. What I mean is preparing ourselves for worship.

We may think we can walk in and be present with God without much preparation. And yet, to experience God’s presence within, above, below and all around involves preparation.

For some, it is opening your eyes and being aware of God in and around you as in the poor peasant girl, Mary “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices.” (Luke 1)

For some it is closing your eyes and being aware of the silence as in “Be still and know I am God” as the prophet Elijah discovers God — not as Moses before him experienced God in the great wind, nor in the earthquake and not in the fire, but rather in “the still, small voice.” (I Kings 19)

For some it is getting up out of your seat and dancing, as our children revealed this morning, “for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven” — including a time to dance! (Ecclesiastes 3)

For some it is coming for our own healing as in blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10) who has been on the journey and carried the suffering for quite a long time, yet have not lost all hope in being able to see again. Or the crippled woman, a daughter of Abraham, who is bent over, yet who longs to stand up straight and see others face to face (Luke 13).

For some it is coming for the healing of a family member as Jairus and his twelve year old daughter (Luke and the father who came to Jesus with a son who was ill saying, “I believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9).
For some it is to be fed, not just with bread but by the word of God as Jesus reminds us “do not worry about your life” (Matthew 6), “be not afraid” and “remember, I am with you always to the end of the age (Matthew 28).

For some it is to plot and destroy as the Herods, Pharaohs, Pharisees and scribes. Not because they are evil or bad people, but because they are so sure they are right and that Jesus, in loving more than anything else, must have had it wrong.

And yes, for some, we may never be quite ready for what God has in store. Yet God even uses the fact that we dared to show up and persevere — to actually move and shake and possibly even change us, if we are open to God and the ways of God not our ways.

There are so many different and amazing ways that we come prepared to worship as we place God and God’s love at the center of our lives and to be in community, instead of isolation in doing so.

As we read the words from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians telling the community that we are the body of Christ – I wondered what that meant for you, for me, for Bethany Church.

The Body of Christ

I want to share with you four words that for me reflect the body of Christ. They may be different for you.
The four words that came to me as I prayed and reflected on this morning’s passage are: Beautiful, Beloved, Broken and Blessed

Beautiful

Have you looked in the mirror and told yourself that you are created in the image of God? Remember: God does not make junk. Therefore, you are a beautiful creation of God — a magnificent creature of the divine.

We teach each other to be so humble in church that we rarely get to experience the joy of being a beautiful creation of God.

Because we find it so hard to conjure this up on our own — knowing that God created us in God’s own image — we need the community — the body of Christ to remind us of our beauty.

The world reminds us all too well of our faults and failures, our ugliness and violence and all the ways that you and I have fallen short. So, who but the body of Christ, will remind us of our beauty and the beauty of the earth God created?

So, in preparation for worship, we turn to one another, as the body of Christ and share with one another “You are a beautiful creation of God. You are a magnificent creature of the divine.”

[At this time, the body of Christ shares these words with neighbors --- “You are a beautiful creation of God. You are a magnificent creature of the divine.”]

Did you hear and feel the joy and laughter — even some giggles and blushing? A sign that we do not hear it enough. For some of us, it may be the only time during the week that we hear these words — as the body of Christ, here at Bethany Church.
You realize, though, that you can share these words and experience with your mother, father, sister, brother, children, even to in-laws, outlaws, enemies and strangers — and it changes everything.

That’s how God is working in mysterious ways and sometimes in very simple, direct and to the point ways.

You are a beautiful creation of God. You are a magnificent creature of the divine. Say it. Feel it. Believe it.

And if you do not hear and experience it enough, it is all right to ask. Even Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive.”

So call a friend and say, “Hey, I need you to remind me that I am a beautiful creation of God – a magnificent creature of the divine.”

Do it. For the more we hear it, the more we will believe it. And as the body of Christ, we want no one in community to go through life without knowing he or she is a beautiful creation of God, a magnificent creature of the divine.

The second word is Beloved.

You are God’s Beloved.

We are told this at our baptism and since many of us were baptized as infants and do not exactly remember hearing these words, even if our parents and relatives who witnessed this remind us that it happened, we need to hear the words — again and again — through the body of Christ.

Beloved.
Before Jesus went out to do any kind of ministry — preaching, teaching, peace and social justice, hospitality, building up the church, the disciples , the children, tweens, youth adults and families — Jesus had to be reminded in his baptism, “You are my Beloved.” You are my Beloved with whom God is well pleased.

Note that the words were not “You are my Beloved BUT if you do not do what I say you will burn in the fires of hell.” Strange how things get misinterpreted, for we hear this more than often than what is in the good book –“You are My Beloved, with whom I (meaning God) am well pleased.”
No, it says, open and see for yourselves in the good news or gospel: You are God’s Beloved — with whom God is well pleased.
So, as we worship, before we can go out and do any kind of ministry — preaching, teaching, peace and social justice, hospitality, building up the church, the disciples, the children, tweens, youth, adults and families — we have to be reminded of our baptism and the words that Jesus were given: “You are God’s Beloved, with whom God is well pleased.”

[At this time, the body of Christ shares these words with neighbors --- “You are God’s Beloved, with whom God is well pleased.”]

Where do you think the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr came up with the Beloved Community? From Jesus, who else? I know that some of you thought it was Brother Martin, but it was Dr. Jesus speaking through him!

Before we can begin to build a Beloved Community with the mission to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God in a multiracial, multicultural, intergenerational, open and affirming church context — let us remember, “We Are Beloved.”

To forget, we are Beautiful — magnificent creatures of the divine …
To forget, we are Beloved — God’s Beloved with whom God is well pleased will
lead us to hurt if not destroy the body of Christ, by first being destructive to ourselves and then to others.
Jesus knew that this was a real possibility in the body of Christ.

Every day Jesus preached, touched and/or healed the sick, poor, lame, blind, deaf and dumb — there were Pharisees and scribes and sometimes even his own disciples telling him not to do so.

Why? Because deep down inside, they felt threatened by Jesus’ amazing love.

A love so vast and deep and wide that would take Jesus to the cross and be killed for loving.

Which brings us to the third word as we are the body of Christ.

Broken.

Whom among us is not broken?

Anyone?

I would be the first confess that I am broken and need healing from Jesus.

That is why in worship in the liturgy every Sunday there is always a prayer of confession from us a body of Christ as well as words of assurance. Confession of our brokenness and at the same time a reminder that no matter how bad it seems, God is love and we are born in love, by love, for love — and yet, still can choose — still have the freedom not to love.
Prayers of Confession and Words of Assurance together. Brokenness and Healing together in the body of Christ.

This is not always the case in the world. For I still remember when my sisters and I accidently broke something in the house and my parents asked my sisters and me who broke “it”, we all claimed it was the friendly ghost .
And my loving parents played along with the Holy Spirit, so we all got into trouble. Thus, they gave me the gift of solidarity with my sisters is what I learned, even if it got me in trouble.

And yet, if we look at the people in the scriptures, no matter how faithful, even if the healing eventually came after years of struggle in God’s own time, there was always much brokenness.
Every day we hear, know and experience tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, hunger, poverty, sickness, war and violence for sure.

And more personally, our own and collective individual pain, struggle, suffering and sickness.

In our celebration of Holy Communion, we do not pass out whole loaves of bread, so everyone gets stuffed. We actually take one bread, break it and share it and there is enough. Only the broken bread of Christ given for all sustains us. We as broken people are also collectively the broken Body of Christ.

No one gets the whole loaf. So too, no one has the whole story. We are each a piece of the larger and greater story of God. A piece of the torn yet interwoven fabric of life.

When we begin to see that not one of us knows the whole story. Not one person or one people has a hold on God’s love, then by the grace of God, our brokenness can break us, paradoxically, open.
As we gather each week in worship, you may not know exactly all the things I am struggling or burdened by the pain of the community and the world and I may certainly not know all the things you are in great pains with — yet in this broken body of Christ, we can be here for each other, building up the body of Christ.
“When one suffers we all suffer. When one is honored, we all rejoice.”

The apostle Paul in his faith in the church, and more specifically in the Corinth Church who was full of great conflict and great love, knew this to be possible only in community.
Which leads us to the fourth word along with Beautiful, Beloved and Broken, this is —Blessed.

Some blessings at first may seem more as a curse. Only in hindsight do we get a chance to see God’s hand in our lives blessing and continue to bless us even amidst great adversity.

Blessed as individuals and as a body of Christ in that where with God, all things are possible.

There is forgiveness, grace, second chances, learning and growing again and again.

You are a beautiful creation of God — a magnificent creature of the divine.
You are God’s beloved in whom God is well pleased.
You are broken yet, a part of the whole body of Christ
And you are blessed

You are the beautiful, beloved, broken and blessed Body of Christ.

Say it
Feel it
Know it
Believe it
And Live it!
Thanks be to God!

The Benediction, which means blessing that was given on Sunday, July 31 at Bethany United Church of Christ came from the words of Kirk Franklin:
I know that I can make it
I know that I can stand
No matter what may come my way
My life is in your (God’s) hands

Guest Preacher:  Rev. Stephen Gituma

Scripture: John 14: 15-21

In today’s text, Jesus is sharing with his disciples his departure and how he was going to prepare a place for them. Then, he surprises them by saying, “if you love me, you will keep my comman­­­­­­dments.” As you all know, none of us like decisions made for us, so you can be sure that Jesus’ use of the word “IF” made the disciples’ hair stand up!  I can imagine them being frustrated and questioning Jesus in their minds, asking “IF we love you?”

And I bet you and I too could have said something to that effect. Maybe even now you are wondering as to how on earth Jesus could use the word “IF” to his disciples who had been with him since the beginning of his ministry.

Let me ask you; as a Christian and a faithful member of the Church; would it be fair if Jesus use the same word towards you? And what would your response be?

Anyone could argue that Jesus already knew whether his disciples loved him or not, of course he did; but he still opted to give them the choice.  The point is, Jesus did not tell them that they  must  love or obey him , instead  he  left the door open for them  to choose to love him, if they wanted to continue as  Christ’s disciples  or  they could return to their old lives and businesses.

Don’t forget that these were the same disciplines, whom one of them would later had betray Jesus (John13: 21), and another deny him three times, (John 13: 38, Luke 22:54-60). These are the same disciples who ran and escaped when Jesus was arrested. (Mark 14: 50).Yet, all in all, Jesus expressed his true love for them by not only coming back to them, but promising them another helper.  Listen to what he said to them, “Then, I will ask the Father, and He will give you another counselor to be with you forever, v17 the Spirit of Truth.”

The word counselor translated carries the notion of both comfort and counsel. We definitely need that at a time like this, when the world is experiencing tremendous wind of social –economical crisis, when the wind of war is blowing in different directions; we need this Spirit of truth, at a time like this, when millions of people area affected by budget cuts and health Care.  When people who are in authority or in power are climbing the ladder of success and obtain high positions by standing on the shoulders of the poor and the vulnerable.

Others getting rich by lying, using the poor and the vulnerable as fishing bait;  While  others  are using  their positions of power and authority to oppress and silence any voices with which they disagree. And others using guns to destroy the lives of innocent people.

 I believe in a God, who has good plans for each one of us (Jeremiah 29:11), A God, whose desires is to give us the Holy Spirit, The Spirit of Truth, who would be with us, live in us, work with us and walk with us; always whispering words of comfort, saying take courage, I am with you to the end. The  Spirit of Truth, who will always, remind us who we are, whose we are and who will always teach us and guide us to do the Truth, to speak the Truth, and even convicts us of our sins.

 Speaking of this Spirit, Jesus said, that world [people] cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. How so? For their eyes are blinded by their self righteousness, selfishness and pride. The sad thing is, this is the major disease that has infected the Church today.

Nobody wants to be told or even reminded of God’s commandments. Not many people are ready for the Truth. Because the truth can be bitter and hard to swallow.

Nevertheless, the good news is, God still loves us and cares how we live; Cares about our relationship with others, and with all of God’s creation.  Love is more than just mere lovely words, it is commitment and conduct. That means, God’s love is not meant to be static, but it is meant to be lived and be shared with others, to be expressed, not only by words but also in actions and deeds. If you chose not to love others, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps you healthy and happy; you lose that courage to be what God wants you to be.

 In African culture, if a person behaves in a certain way, people would say that person is not alone! He/she must be possessed by either an evil spirit or a good spirit, depending on his or her behavior and character portrayed.

If we love Christ; we must portray Christ’s values. Christ knows that you and I cannot do it alone; that is why he told his disciples that he would not leave them alone.  As Christians, we are entitled the same Holy Spirit, this is the Spirit of truth. How do we know this? In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul writes, “And you were also included in Christ when you heard the Word of truth, and the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal. The promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee that we shall receive what God has promised us, and this assures us that God will give complete freedom to those who are his.” (Ephesians 1: 13-14). 

So, as Christians, God’s Holy Spirit us must be manifested in us and through us.

Illustration: Tooth Paste, (full tube and an empty tube), ask the congregation, what is it called when it is full and when it is empty. This is how we are seen. Either as Christians full of God’s Spirit or as empty Christians or just a church goers.

 By the way, do you know when the disciplines were first called Christians?  Acts 11: 26 says that it began in Antioch;  At a young Church which was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles, who in the name of Christ had one thing in common, that is, not race  culture or language, but Christ-like.   

This reminds me of how the Methodist Church came about, the word Methodist originated from Oxford University around 1730, when a group of students who included John and Charles Wesley formed what was called “The Holy Club”. These students lived by method, they did everything methodically, and as a result they were nicknamed Methodists. This later developed to the Methodist Church. These students set their time to pray, attend classes and do Bible study and go out to help the poor.

If we really Love Christ, we must obey his commandments, if we really want God’s Love to be manifest in us, we must take action and not just words.

This love in action requires our fulfillment of the two great commandments-to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. This is Love for God in Action. The danger here is twofold,

1. Our lives begin to end the moment we start disobeying God’s commandants.
2. Our lives begin to CHANGE forever when we start truly obeying God’s commandment to love one another.

Jesus himself demonstrated love in action by identifying with the poor and needy, the sick and the despised.

Speaking of Love for God in action, during an interview with Mother Teresa, two Japanese gentlemen expressed their feelings that many of their Japanese people might hesitate to seek help at her home because it was a Christian institution. ‘It has a cross’, one of them said, ‘and the cross is an obstacle to many in Japan. People might look at the cross and might hesitate to come because they are not Christians.’

Mother Teresa told them about the most joyful place she had ever visited and dispelled their fears.

In Calcutta, we have a Home for the Dying near the great Temple of the Hindu goddess Kali. It is one of the most famous temples in India and we have the home for the sick and the dying next door. They know we are Christians and we help them die in peace with their God. When the Hindus die, we call the Hindus to come and take their bodies, when a Muslim die, the Muslims take the bodies; when a Buddhists die, Buddhists take the bodies; when the Christians die, the Christian come and take the bodies. But there is no fear. By being in the institution there, what we have to prove to our suffering people through our actions is that God loves them.

Our love for God when placed into action is appears as service to honor the poor (those who are different). Your love for God in action is to write properly. Your love for God is to write the truth, to spread goodness, to spread beautiful things. This is the way you put love for God in action.” [Joly Edward Le, and Jaya Chaliha, Mother Teresa’s Reaching out in Love, New York, 1998, P150-151].

Therefore, God is calling us to live a life that God may use us at anytime and anywhere. For God has not given us the Spirit of fear, but the Spirit of power, of Love and of Self discipline!

(2Tim 1:7). Power to make the right decisions, to stand with the oppressed and speak the truth in love; Otherwise if we feel intimidated by being identified with Christ, we defuse our effectiveness to witness about God.

 If we truly love Jesus, we will love to be associated with Him and do unto other what Christ would have done. We will be bold to say we are doing this because we are Christians. If we love Jesus Christ, we will love to teach our children about this Jesus Christ; and the love of God which they seriously need to be taught.

As you go out, remember that, God loves you, God cares about how you live, and God continues to seek healthy relationships with us. And as dearly beloved children we are called to live a life of Love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Eph .5:1-20.  Also remember, we are not alone, for God has given us the Spirit of truth, who will be with us to the end.

John 20

Imagine yourself in a garden.

What do you see?

What do you hear?

How does it smell?

What’s in the garden?

Mud, water, fruit, stones …

Is there anyone in the garden with you?

I am thinking of a garden — one that goes back a long time ago.

When God planted a garden…

brought forth new life in the midst of the garden, a river would flow out to water the garden and branch out into four more.

God breathes on each creature and says “Live!”

God placed “adam” which is Hebrew means “earthling” or “be-ing” — in the garden.

God placed “eve” or “life” — in the garden.

Earthling “Adam” and life “Eve” walk in wonder all through the garden.

God has great plans in the garden.

Great plans — but earthling and life hid from the presence of God.

Afraid.

Full of fear.

God said, “Where are you?”

God looks for them, for us, for be-ing and for life, and sends Adam and Eve to go from the garden into the world.

Plan B.

God still has great plans in God’s garden.

God tells the Exodus people who have wandered in the wilderness for forty years to unlearn oppression, as they enter the Promised Land:

“The land that you are about to enter is not like the land of Pharaoh and his empire, from which you have come…

But the land you are crossing over is a land of hills and yes, valleys, watered, not by you, but by rain from the sky …. where the eyes of God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year” (Deut. 11:10-12).

And again, even in a land flowing with milk and honey — the people are afraid.

Plan C.

God still has great plans in God’s garden.

God calls Isaiah and the prophets to warn the people that without God, “you shall be as a garden without water” (Isaiah 1).

After the northern and southern kingdom of Israel and Judah fall into the hands of Assyria and Babylon, the people go into exile — again.

Still having great plans in the garden, God calls Jeremiah, the prophet amidst his lamentations who proclaimed to those in exile that “the people will come and sing … and be radiant over the goodness of God…their life shall become as a watered garden” (Jeremiah 31:12).

And then calls Ezekiel, who spoke words of renewal as if it already is so, to a people being desolate and crushed by hardship.

“That which is desolate has become as the garden of Eden; and the waste and ruined towns are now inhabited … God rebuilds the ruined places, and replants that which was desolate” (Ezekiel 36:35-36).

God still has great plans in God’s garden.

Amazing that God does not give up on the people — does not give up on us.

Plan D.

Jesus.

The new Adam.

Jesus’ life and teachings would speak of the garden of God as in his parable of the mustard seed.

You know how small a mustard seed is? Tiny little thing.

What is the kin-dom of God to be compared? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree and the birds of the air made nests in its branches (Luke 13:18-19).

Jesus not only spoke of the garden of God, Jesus took his disciples “to a place where there was a garden.”

Are you starting to make the connection here?

Jesus often met with his disciples in the garden.

He prayed in the garden (Mark 14:36). The Garden of Gethsemane — for those with inquiring minds.

The disciples, on the other hand, fall asleep (Mark 14:37-41).They cannot keep their eyes open.

As in, I know Yoga Nidra is good for me, and yet, every time I lie on my back with open arms, instead of staying awake and aware, I fall asleep.

It is in the garden where Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, brought the chief priests and Pharisees and Roman soldiers to arrest Jesus.

And when a servant to the high priest insists Simon Peter is one of Jesus’ disciples whom he saw in the garden with Jesus — Peter denies it three times.

In the gospel according to John, “there is a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified (on the cross), and in the garden there is a new tomb in which no one has yet been placed.

So, the people placed Jesus in it.

Which bring us into the garden this Easter morn.

We want to be in control. But God surprisingly has something more wonderfully planned in the garden.

It is that way for Easter. The resurrection of Christ – Christ’s great uprising – is God’s way of getting our attention – of getting us thickheaded but good hearted people to LOOK, LISTEN and LIVE. 

As the late Harvard College minister, Peter Gomes shares “Easter is confrontational; you are hit in the face by it.”

Early on the first day of the week – the stone in front of the tomb in the garden had been rolled away!

Mary Magdalene, and in the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke – the women, are preoccupied in the garden with their own thoughts. They are worried more about the stone and who would roll it away — having learned to live life more out of worry rather than out of wonder.

More out of fear than out of faith?!

Afraid.

When Mary Magdalene saw the stone to the tomb removed, she ran to tell Peter and John, the other disciple whom Jesus loved.

The two men sprint in the garden. Though Peter finishes last, he is the first to go into the empty tomb.

His courage prompts the other disciple to go in.

But Mary remains in the garden outside weeping.

The heavy load of witnessing Jesus nailed on a cross had been too much to carry and now this. Only after the two disciples leave does Mary dare to look in.

Notice that all three disciples look in the empty tomb, and each sees something different!

That’s Easter!

Peter sees the linen wrappings lying there, rolled up. John bends down, and what he sees causes him to believe though he does not understand it all. Mary bends over and sees two angels.

Three people. Three ways of seeing, which is why they need one another, and we need each other in community, for no one ever has the whole story.

The angels ask Mary Magdalene, “Woman, why are you weeping?” Turning around – she sees Jesus standing there, but she does not recognize him. In other words, she does not really see Jesus.

Jesus asks her the same question the two angels do: “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?”

Jesus nor the angels tell Mary Magdalene “Do not weep or please, stop weeping.” It is amazing that they do not attempt to stop her from weeping, as if our tears for the world show our love for one another. Mary needs to weep for the world before she can see — again.

For Easter calls us to look not in the usual, business as usual, dead-end spaces in our lives for the one who is life-giving.

Our lives are filled with fear as we continue weeping – so much so that we cannot see beyond our own perspectives to the one who is standing right in front of us in the garden — calling us to look, listen, live.

For Mary it is no different.

Easter is about taking another look. A second look — a different look — a whole new look, again, which is Life.

Easter is about the God who graciously dares to interrupt our private grieves, our personal agendas, our bitter memories, our unimaginative expectations, our tightly held fears to show us a New Way!

It is about the God who makes certain we do not always get what we ask for –– believe it or not — because God LOVES us.

Sadly, I start getting use to the stones in my life that when they are taking away, by the grace of God, I still stumble looking for them.

The God of Easter says, “Look, the stone is no longer there!” Will I believe? Will you believe? Do we dare, as Mary Magdalene, believe?

There was a man named Jack walking along a steep cliff one day when he accidentally got too close to the edge and fell.

On the way down he grabbed a branch, which temporarily stopped his fall.

He looked down and to his horror saw that the canyon fell straight down for more than a thousand feet.

He couldn’t hang onto the branch forever, and there was no way for him to climb up the steep wall of the cliff.

So Jack began yelling for help, hoping that someone passing by would hear him and lower a rope or something.

Help! Help! Is anyone up there? “Help!”

He yelled for a long time, but no one heard him. He was about to give up when he heard a voice.

“Jack, Jack, can you hear me?”

“Yes, yes! I can hear you. I’m down here!”

“I can see you, Jack. Are you all right?”

“Yes, but who are you, and where are you?

“I am the Lord, Jack. I’m everywhere.” 

“The Lord? You mean, GOD?”

“Yes.”

“God, please help me! I promise if, you’ll get me down from here, I’ll stop sinning. I’ll be a really good person. I’ll serve you for the rest of my life.”

“Easy on the promises, Jack.

Let’s get you off from there; then we can talk.” “Now, here’s what I want you to do. Listen carefully.

“I’ll do anything, Lord. Just tell me what to do.”

“Okay…  Let go of the branch.”

“What?”

“I said, let go of your branch.” Trust me, do not hold on…. Let go.”

There was a long silence.

Finally Jack yelled, “Help! Help! Is anyone else up there?!”

It is so much easier to hold on than it is to let go, and let the God of Easter catch us by surprise.

Have you heard the saying that the older you get the harder of hearing?

Lately, I have been wondering if that is true. I realize that hearing aids are sold predominately to those over 70 and yet, I wonder …

Why is it that adults have to only speak louder, as in increase one’s volume, when they are in the presence of an elderly person, and yet, they need to repeat and I mean, repeat themselves any number of times, when it comes to speaking to children, particularly, one’s own children.

It is not just, “Come here.”

It is “Come here. Come here. Come here, here, here, here!”

Perhaps, there is no age limit when it comes to the God who calls us to look, listen, live.

Mary Magdalene knew the gift of listening. Healed of seven demons herself, she could empathize with the poor, hungry, homeless and those unjustly treated. Her very tears remind us that the great injustices of the world have not completely numbed, hardened her heart, or made her grow indifferent.

She can still weep for the world.

When Mary Magdalene is in the garden, she mistakens Jesus for the gardener. Why is it that it is not until she can listen to the sound of a name – her own name, “Mary!” that she recognizes the gardener is no stranger, rather, Jesus, the risen Christ.

Over thirty years ago, baseball Hall of Fame, Hank Aaron made history with homerun #715. What many do not know is that as he grew closer to breaking the legendary Babe Ruth’s record, Hank Aaron began receiving death threats and hate mail.

On the day Hank Aaron hit the record homerun and was running around the bases into history, he encountered unexpected company between 2^nd and 3^rd base.

Two men had jumped out of the right field stands and caught up to Hank Aaron from behind. Already unsettled by the death threats, yet not letting them sidetrack him, Hank Aaron was initially startled.

Yet, hearing the sound of his name, he found two over exuberant fans that just wanted to congratulate him in a great moment of celebration.

The God who calls us to look, listen, live – again.

Desmond Tutu in his book “God Has a Dream” remembers the horrific apartheid in South Africa.

People had known separation and apartheid for so long.

Only after the people learned to listen to one another did the process toward reconciliation and transformation begin to occur.

It was a painful process, he writes.

But if you listen carefully, one hears how a person entering the booth can emerge on the other side a totally different person.

Tutu shares about the first election: “the black person went in burdened with all the anguish of having had his or her dignity trampled underfoot and being treated as a nonperson – and then voted – saying ‘My dignity is restored. My humanity has been acknowledged.’ She emerges a changed person – a transformed person.

The white person went in burdened by the weight of guilt for having enjoyed many privileges unjustly — voted and emerged on the other side a new and different person.

For they now realize what we have been trying to tell them for so long – that they would never be free until we all are free.”

As we learn to listen again, we begin to wipe the tears from each other’s eyes because we are not our brother’s and sister’s keeper. Our Easter faith teaches us that you and I are our brother’s brother and our sister’s sister.

As one friend shares: “Work as if you don’t need the money, love as if you have never been hurt, and dance as you do when nobody is watching.”

In other words, live as if every moment God gives you in life — counts!

A couple went to a very busy and popular restaurant that did not take reservations. When they got to the front they were told it would be a 45 minute wait. The couple was in their nineties. Graciously, the husband said, “My wife and I are in our nineties. We may not have 45 minutes!” They were seated immediately.

Life begins for us Christians when we open our eyes, our ears, our lives and realize that we do not have to die in order to Live. You and I can live life while we are still alive. Imagine that!

So when you wake up each morning, look in the mirror and pinch yourself to see if you are still alive – Rejoice! When you get up in the middle of the night, and stumble on your way and hurt your toe – don’t swear – say “Thank God! I am still alive; I can still feel.”

Albert Einstein said: “There are only two ways that you can live. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle. I believe in the latter.”

And the miracle is this. When we cannot see Jesus and can only hear our name, God calls us. When we stand, as the disciples hiding in fear behind locked doors, God calls us. God knows we not only need to see Jesus in the crucified hands and pierced feet of all the people of the world, but hear his words.

Words we shared with one another this morning.

“Peace be with you.”

“Receive the Holy Spirit”

“Forgive”

If you do not forgive others’ sins against you, as Eugene Peterson writes, “What are you going to do with them?” (from “The Message” by Eugene Peterson).

Mary Magdalene and the other disciples discover on that first day of the week, that they now have a far greater and more difficult task than hold on to their fears. 

That is — to rise above one’s deepest wounds, where our faith in the uprising of Christ breaks us open from our chains of feeling hopeless, despair, fear and resentment and instead, calls us to bear witness to life.

God comes back.

God still has great plans in the garden…

Imagine yourself in the garden?

What do you see?

What do you hear?

How does it smell?

What’s in the garden?

Mud, water, fruit, stones …

Is there anyone in the garden with you?

There is! The uprising of Christ Jesus who comes back and breathes on each one of us, and says, “Live!”

Jesus says, “Do not hold on to me” Go and say to your brothers and sisters in the world, Rise up too … and … LIVE!

EASTER SUNDAY
APRIL 24!
10:30 A.M.

 Intergenerational Worship followed by

Easter Egg Hunt and Brunch at 12:00 Noon.
Face Painting & Bouncy House for the community.

Come to celebrate the joy of Easter with us.
Children, tweens, youth & adults of all ages are WELCOME!

Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me!
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me!
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me!

I wonder how long Bartimaeus had to cry out? Ten minutes? Ten days? Ten months? Ten years? Somehow, I have a hunch, it was more than ten years. Blind beggar Bartimaeus cried long and hard. I am sure he cried out before, but to no avail.

Perhaps, for some time, he stopped crying out — too ashamed, too embarrassed, too beaten down. But this time, for some reason, he knew it was different. For some reason, Bartimaeus knew this time he had a real chance. Something so deep, deeper than words, was calling out …

Did he know Jesus not just by words but through every day experience – through Jesus’ life? No one would have suspected this.

Bartimaeus was easy to overlook, pass-over, simply ignore. And yet, strangely enough, Bartimaeus knew Jesus. I mean really knew Jesus. He did not need his eyes to know Jesus.

He knew Jesus could connect with his own brokenness and his pain. He knew Jesus could heal him and make him see again. When the people saw him, heard Bartimaeus, they told him to be quiet. That could have been the end of the story.

But instead, when the crowd sternly told him to be quiet, Bartimaeus cried out even more loudly, “Jesus, have mercy on me!”

How he lost his sight in the first place, we do not know. All we know is that Bartimaeus was willing to do anything  – even risk making a spectacle of himself — for the chance to see again.

A small chance had come his way and he was not going to take it for granted, for it may not come again. Though the crowd initially thought differently, Bartimaeus stumbled upon Jesus and would not let him go.

And to our and the crowd’s surprise, we listen as Jesus on this Jericho stopped instead of walking by on the other side. We need to know from the context that Jesus, with the disciples and the crowd, were getting ready to approach Jerusalem. For the crowd, this meant a parade. For Jesus, as we know in the Gospel of Mark, this means the Passion – the crucifixion, death and resurrection — the way of the Cross. Both the parade and the Passion would have been big enough reasons not to stop to listen. And yet, Jesus did stop.

“Call him here.” What a profound teaching and healing moment.

As classic literature states, “Of the great attributes of God, mercy shines even more brilliantly than justice.” What do you think would have happened if Jesus let the people persuade him that there was nothing at stake here?

Paradoxically, it is the blind man, son of Timaeus, who can see who Jesus really is and the disciples and crowds who really don’t see.

Jesus could have chosen to take care of Bartimaeus in a private setting – all alone. Rather, Jesus invites the very same crowd, who out of their own fear — have been thinking and saying to Bartimaeus, “shut up, will you?” — to go and get this human being.

“Call him here.” We listen as the crowd, in Jesus’ presence, now see! How amazing is that!

For with three words, “Call him here,” the crowd of people now find the courage within themselves, within ourselves, to say to the same human being, whom they have been trying to keep quiet to save their own face — “Take heart, stand up (and be counted),  Jesus is calling you.

Everyone’s eyes are now on blind Bartimaeus, for he has gotten Jesus to pay attention.

Why do you think Jesus asks Bartimaeus “What do you want me to do for you?” Isn’t it obvious? Couldn’t he just heal Bartimaeus and be done with it? Perhaps ….And yet, Jesus does not presume he knows what is best for Bartimaeus.

Jesus, the baptized, beloved, transfigured, willing to be crucified son of God does not presume he knows what is best for another human being.

He does not want to hear from the crowd of people what they think is best of Bartimaeus, nor does Jesus get the disciples to huddle around him and find out what the disciples would prescribe.

Jesus does not engage in triangulation where A tells B that C needs D. Take note. Jesus chooses to ask Bartimaeus, himself, “What do you want me to do for you?” And with bold courage, Bartimaeus tells him exactly what Bartimaeus wants, not knowing whether he will receive it.

“My teacher, let me see again.”

How would you answer Jesus’ question? Would you have an answer? Or would you, as the church has sadly taught us all too well, that someone such as blind, beggar Bartimaeus is worthy of Jesus’ healing, but not you and certainly, not me.

I am afraid that you and I can cry out and cry out loudly, even get Jesus to pay attention, but our own fears and worries of being appropriate, not offending or saying anything that could make someone upset — might be what stops us dead in our tracks when Jesus asks “What do you want me, Jesus, to do for you?”

Do you know what you want Jesus to do for you? For what you would ask Jesus? Do we at Bethany know what we want Jesus to do for us?

Perhaps, Bartimaeus is not so blind after all — he seems to see quite clearly what is most important in life. For this faithful, blind beggar, Bartimaeus, why he wastes no time in delusions of grandeur or false pride — he throws off his old raggedy cloak, springs up as a seed from the fertile ground and comes to Jesus.  An incredible act of faith.

Jesus could have given Bartimaeus what he wanted and left. And yet, if we see Jesus, you and I would come to discover that this Jesus heals not just part of a person, but the whole human being.

You see, Jesus not only gives Bartimaeus his sight, so he can see again — Jesus restores Bartimaeus’ dignity and humanity … Jesus gives him back something that cannot be bought, bartered or belittled. Jesus gives Bartimaeus life!

For when you and I are able to not only see, but are given our humanity back, we also receive from Jesus our courage and voice to ask and to receive, to give grace and to respond with grace.

Alice Walker writes: “No person is your friend who demands your silence or denies your right to grow.”

Strange and beautiful as it seems, Jesus asks Bartimaeus the same question he asks his disciples James and John — “What do you want me to do for you?”

Initially, I found this rather odd that Jesus would ask Bartimaeus this question, until I remember the story just before this one in the Bible, where Jesus asks James and John, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:35-45)

The disciples do not ask to see again. They respond, “We want you to do for us whatever we ask of you… Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Ouch!

A reminder to us in the church community that in our own blindness, we can and will hurt each other and hurt God in ways we do not know, and will need to find the courage each time to go to Jesus and stand in and with the One who can heal us, so we can see again.

I realize at one point or another, Bartimaeus could have stopped believing, could have stopped having faith. His relentless cry, his cry even louder than before, even that, may have been easier to carry through than the deeper and more difficult task of answering Jesus’ question of knowing what we want Jesus to do for us.

This week I spent a lot of time crying out to God. The 8.9 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan very close to where my Japanese relatives and friends live, is heavy on my heart.

Thousands dead, mostly from drowing. Thousands missed and thousands needing to evacuate because three of the six radioactive nuclear reactors could and will have a meltdown if they are not cooled off soon. Thousands seeking food, shelter and water.

I feel helpless and hopeless, until the courage of Jesus and Bartimaeus remind me, “Take heart, get up, Jesus is calling me and you:”

To pray

To pay attention

To organize with the United Church of Christ

To work together with our international brothers and sisters in Japan and around the world

To keep praying and crying to God for mercy on us, on the people of Japan, on people everywhere

To have courage that healing is possible, if we work together here in this community and in Japan, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Haiti and wherever God calls us to serve in God’s world

Jesus restores Bartimaeus’ sight not only because of his relentless cry for mercy … “Christ have mercy” — but because of Bartimaeus’ faith, despite everything, that healing is not just possible — he and all the people around him would be healed. And in response to being healed — in response to being able to see again — Bartimaeus follows Jesus.

After receiving healing, a whole new living, dynamic, action-packed, faith forming experience awaits. Bartimaeus, we are told in Scripture, follows Jesus, “on the way.” He makes the faith commitment to journey with Jesus “on the way.” On the way?

And where is Jesus headed … to Jerusalem, which means, that when we choose to follow Jesus “on the way” — it’s on the way — to the Cross.

A slow and humble walk with Jesus, where we will see things and ask for healing with other people we never thought we would encounter walking with Jesus.

Following Jesus will not be easy. It will require spiritual discipline and every day practice in community together. For we cannot presume you and I know where people need healing.

We will make mistakes on the way. We may even run away from “on the way.” But if we dare to stay on this journey with each other at Bethany, perhaps, healing from Jesus is not only possible — healing comes…

Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on us!