Memorial Day Prayer

On Memorial Day, I was asked to give the invocation at Holliston's celebration. Here is what I prayed:

Gracious God,
We give you thanks for the day, 
and for the brave men and women,
who, because of service to their country,
are not with us.

Be here in our remembrance,
and in all services throughout this country and world.

Grant us the courage during this time,
to remember that those who serve are much more than heroes,
but are Friends, Brothers and Sisters,
Husbands and Wives, Mothers and Fathers,
Sons and Daughters.

And, in our remembrance of these loved ones,
stir-up in us compassion for all who have given and lost so much,
so that we may all help to bear the burdens
of our fellow citizens and humans.

In your name we pray, 
Amen.

Update! Sermon for 4/20/2014, The Resurrection of Our Lord: Running the Race of Resurrection

I added a video from Berklee College of Music that goes well into my own thought processes on this sermon called "I Don't Have a Song For That". Christ The King's own Joe Barnard helped produce this amazing video.

This was Pastor Mark's sermon at Christ the King Lutheran Church on April 20, 2014. 

Gospel: Matthew 28:1–10

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.  ²And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.  ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.  ⁴For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men.  ⁵But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  ⁶He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.  ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you."  ⁸So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.  ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ,

Just over a year ago, I took the train into Boston, met my cousin’s wife, and watched the Boston Marathon, about a half-mile from the finish line. After we cheered on my cousin, we navigated masses of humanity to meet him. After enjoying the beautiful day, the festive and encouraging atmosphere, and the thrill of watching the athletes strive for the finish line, I was heading home on the train to Stoughton, when I started getting the text messages asking if I was ok.

At that point, the 2013 Boston Marathon, was over much earlier than it should have been, and while all of us anxiously waited for information about what happened and how bad things were, I kept thinking about how just hours earlier, everything was different. I remember walking around, Boston, thinking about what an undertaking the Marathon was, and feeling good about being present and sharing in a spirit of cooperation and good will with so many other people. In the aftermath, as the goodness of the day was shattered, I kept thinking about how such a thing that was so good would never be the same.

On that beautiful day, last year, I wasn’t alone in that feeling of loss and confusion, trying to comprehend how everything could change, so quickly from peace and good will, to violent tragedy. This whole area of the country was shocked that day, and as a collective, we shared in this sick feeling, one that many of us, if not all of us, have experienced in much more individual ways.

That sense of shock, is what all of creation experienced about 2000 years ago, when Jesus Christ, who embodied the spirit of all those marathon participants and spectators, was crucified. In fact, the shattering of that peace was so great, the earth shook and the sky went dark, as signs that things would never be the same.

Today though, is Easter Sunday, and we know that the tomb is empty, we know that Christ has been raised. We know that sin and death do not have the final answer, life and resurrection do.

But on this glorious morning, we are reminded that resurrection, isn’t starting over. While life goes on, the past remains, all of it: the wonderful memories, the painful reminders, and the deep absences of those who have died. Easter, and the resurrection it promises doesn’t just magically gloss over everything and make it all ok.

Rather, resurrection is about going forward, being made new, in the promise that there will be new, wonderful memories ahead, and going forward having learned from the lessons of the past. Most of all, resurrection is being sure in the promise that while we can never replace those who have died, the love of Christ that we have shared with them is eternal, and will sustain and hold us who are living, and those who have died.

Tomorrow, just like they have for over 100 years, people will gather to run the Boston Marathon, and many more will gather to cheer them on. While the event will go on, it will be different this year. The grief, pain, and losses have not disappeared, and there will be very real reminders of all that has occurred. Yet the Marathon, will be resurrected, and difficult as it may be, the race will be run, and the spirit that it embodies will be alive, well, and stronger than ever. Tomorrow, the love that has helped so many to endure, care for, heal, and grow, will make a clear witness against sin and the destruction it brings.

Every day, as Christians, we live as a resurrected people, an Easter people, raised in, with, and through Christ’s resurrection to new and eternal life. And we have been raised to this new life for a purpose, so that through us, God may carry-on the mission of Christ. The mission of sharing peace, justice, hope, and love with all people, no matter what. The mission of offering ourselves to the world, just as Christ offered himself. The mission of staring down the sin that would attempt to tear us apart, with the life of the one who unites us all, Jesus Christ.

This morning, on this Easter Sunday, we are gathered not to celebrate a happy ending, but to be raised in the eternal resurrection of Christ, so that together, we may grow in his love, and continue to run the race that is before us, both now and forever.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

Amen

Lent Day 37: WIGIAT? METALLICA!

Each day during Lent, I will be updating my blog based on WIGIAT? or Where is God in all this?

A couple years ago, the awesome group Metallica, celebrated 30 years together as a band with a series of concerts in San Francisco. The group invited old members back to play and collaborated with different artists on some of their songs throughout the series.

One collaboration they did, was with the cello group, Apocalyptica for their song One. While the song and performance isn't an attempt at reenacting the Crucifixion, I do think it is a stark, modern image into the solemn, painful, and horrible events of that day...without gratuitous blood.

The song, is sung from the perspective of a wounded soldier, hooked up to life-support systems, and trapped in his own world, painfully awaiting death. Confronted with this reality, nothing is real, the world he knew has ceased to exist, the things that gave him meaning are gone...nothing is real but pain. In this time, the person on death's door is seeking God's help, seeking God's release, seeking anything really, other then the living hell he currently exists in. As the music picks-up, the lights drop, and one is reminded of the earth shaking and the veil tearing, as Jesus died.

For me, this piece, embodies the pointlessness of our human ambitions, and the sufferings they cause. It also reminds me that Jesus was willing to endure these sufferings, so that we could see the world as it really is. Jesus endured these sufferings so that we could see that conquest doesn't come from war, but from love, and that glory isn't in our greatest successes, but is in the cross, the place of the greatest offering.

Lent Day 36: WIGIAT? Easter talk, Good Friday response.

Each day during Lent, I will be updating my blog around the theme of WIGIAT? or Where is God in all this?

Yesterday, I was invited to talk to our wonderful preschool about Easter. I enjoy going down there and interacting with the children, and I had done a little talk with them about St. Francis and also about Christmas. Now, talking to children about how much God loves all the animals, or using a Nativity set to share the joy of little, baby Jesus coming into the world is pretty easy. Talking about Easter on the other hand, provided me a little bit more of a challenge.

I floated my first idea past the preschool staff, but for some reason they didn't think using a doll and a wooden cross and some ketchup packets to reenact the crucifixion scene was a good idea. So, in the end, I tried to avoid touching much on the death of Jesus at all, brushing past it with a metaphor about toys running out of batteries, and then getting batteries that never run-out. Also, I used the imagery of a butterfly, and the flowers of Spring, etc. We said a short prayer together, I handed out a coloring sheet, and thought we were all in a pretty good, happy, Easter place.

Then, one of the 4-year old children asked, "If Jesus gets to come back to life, why don't other people who have died?" When the young boy asked me this, I wasn't so quick with a response, and probably had a lot of mmmsss and ahhhss as I tried to find just the right words. The boy was patient, and listened, and seemed to accept my answer that while people who have died stay alive in our memories, God brought Jesus back to life so that we could always know God loves us. God didn't need to bring everyone back to life, (at least as we know it anyway) to tell us this, but God does promise us that those who have died are with Jesus, just as we will be someday too.

Then, there were a couple of other great questions from other children; "Who will God take care of once all the people have passed away?" and "why did Jesus have to die on a cross?" And one little girl said, "My Grandma died last year, but she's still living in my heart."

God, was in these children, and their questions, and acknowledgment of death. Sometimes, we try to hide children from these things, but saying someone has died is much more tangible for a child, and all of us for that matter, then not acknowledging someone's absence, and the hole they've left in our life.

Yet, we often approach Easter, like we approach children, and each other. We celebrate the new life, without acknowledging the death that occurred. God is with us in the Easter promise not just to help us move on from our grief, but to help us walk boldly into our losses, our heartaches, and our sorrow, with the promise that the loved ones we grieve are not burdens to carry, but joys to bring into a changing world. Thank goodness for Children, who can courageously help adults face our mortal lives, and thank goodness for Jesus, who gives us the promise of new life in these children, and in each other.

And, as I was leaving, one of the children came to me and said, "I think Michael Jackson has new life." I replied, "Sure, and his music is still around for us to listen to." He said, "Yeah, like Thriller!" It didn't dawn on me until today, that maybe he'd actually seen the video, and had the image of all the zombies dancing around in his head....

Lent Day 35: WIGIAT? P>a

Each day during Lent I'm updating my blog around the theme of WIGIAT? or Where is God in all this?

At my internship congregation, my supervisor, Pr. Will, always talked about the wisdom that had been shared with him. P>A: Process is greater than answer. Normally, this is apparent in healthy, vibrant groups of people. Process is greater than answer because the process is enjoyable, and people like being around one another, and find reasons to do so. Or, big occasions, like Easter or Christmas are less about how everything should be in just the right place, and more about everyone getting together in the same place. Process is greater than answer, because you're not just trying to get somewhere, you're journeying together.

When it comes to God, it's all about the process, in fact, our whole existence and purpose are about God's creative process. This is why Jesus died on a cross instead of asking God to send a legion of angels to destroy those who arrested him and to ultimately answer the problem of sin. Thank goodness for this, because in God's creative process, we have not been destroyed, but empowered to take part with God in this process.

Many times, processes break down because of competing agendas, which mirror competing personalities. Unfortunately, these competing agendas, and our failed processes divide us. Yet in the process of God, we are given the chance to be reunited with each other, and called to share in the process of mending the entire universe, that God, the inventor of the creative process, is undertaking.

Lent Day 33: WIGIAT? Saturday Song

Each day during Lent I'm updating my blog based on WIGIAT?or Where is God in all this?

A short post today, I just want to share a a post on the fond memory of the ELCA 2012 Youth Gathering. The even was great in so many ways, one was Rachel Kurtz and her song Make a Difference, which was the theme song of the gathering:

And, she also did a version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, which capped off a great Friday night in the dome.

Tomorrow is Palm/Passion Sunday, peace be with you.

Lent Day 32: WIGIAT? 70

Each day during Lent I am updating my blog around the theme of WIGIAT? or Where is God in all this?

According to my blog profile, this update is my 70th post to my blog. This blog that I've started isn't the longest running one of all time, but it has been around a good 9 months or so. Before this current Lenten endeavor, I was updating my blog on a weekly basis pretty regularly. What I'm trying to say, is that before actually knowing the number of post I had, I would have guessed it was higher than 70.

In the book known as The Bible, and more specifically the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us that we should forgive those who sin against us not 7 times, not 70 times,  but 70 x 7. If someone has actually sinned against me in such a manner that I would take it personally and feel that I must be officially count a time of forgiveness against them, that would be a lot of times. In fact, when Jesus says that one must forgive 490 times, he's really saying that you must keep forgiving.

While Jesus tells us we must forgive, and keep on forgiving, he's not telling us that when people sin against us it doesn't matter. Jesus isn't calling us to be doormats. The fact of the matter is, is that God cares very much about our sin, and the ways we hurt each other and hurt creation. In Christ, God shows us this, as he was sent to free us from sin, both ours and the sin of others. You see, not only does Christ not sin, he also doesn't make room for the sin of others to infect him, change him, and make him violent and bitter. Instead, Jesus, through his righteousness, transforms those who he encounters, and through his grace gives them his life. And Jesus, keeps doing this, again, and again, and again, and again.

70 is a big number, and 70 x 7, is a lot bigger number. But how many more times have I heard in worship, from the saints who God has sent to me, and in the Word of God that God has lovingly forgiven me. When Jesus talks about how many times we are to forgive, we also remember how many more times we have been forgiven, and the ways it has transformed our lives. Just think how much someone else would be transformed, if we lovingly, through our own freedom and not co-dependency, forgave them only 490 times.

God is in the day to day love, that adds up to big things.