"Every Time We Open Our Doors" - August 28, 2106, First Congregational Church of Los Angeles

Matthew 11.28-30

Every time …

Every time we open our doors,

Something good happens … 

Every time we open our doors,

The world - a little bit better … 

The community around us … the city of Los Angeles … the nation and the world … 

Sound preaching.

Vibrant music.

A building, to lift the spirit and inspire our love … our love of God, and our love of the world.

For God so loves the world, the Bible says.

The whole wide world … all its creatures, great and small.

All its forms, and every shape:

From the snows of Mt. Everest to the evergreens of Oregon.

From the Salton Sea to the Bearing Straits.

You and me, brother.

You and me, sister.

And don’t forget:

The tadpole and the panda bear … 

The polar bear and the penguin.

The honey bee and the hummingbird …

The flowers of the field and the fish of the sea.

We’re all in this together … we belong to one another … a vast network of life … 

When I think of First Church, special words come to mind: big words, powerful words … words like purpose, mission, opportunity, responsibility … 

Words like:

Grace, mercy and peace.

Faith, hope and love.

Our banners out front … progressive, joyful, inclusive, creative …

All summed up in the highest of ideals - to be the church of Jesus Christ … the church consecrated … made new every day … by the power of the Holy Spirit … 

To be of God, so thoroughly, we can be of this world comfortably … to be of Christ, so completely, we can be of one another lovingly.

The holy fellowship of faith … 

At the very center of it all - one big question …

What is God like? 

It’s the only question worth our time as those who gather in places like this … it’s the central question, upon which all else depends … 

And it’s not easy to answer … 

Look at Christianity around the world and down the street, and you’ll find hundreds of answers, thousands of answers … a smorgasbord of answers … not to mention all the other religions and expressions of faith found in every land across the vast expanse of this good earth.

Can they all be right?

Are some of them wrong?

Right or wrong, or somewhere in between … it’s up to us to answer the question for ourselves … in this place and in this time … right here, right now … “What is God like?”

This is what churches do … for good or for ill … and sometimes it’s for ill … churches don’t always end up in good places … sometimes the answer to the question about the character of God leads to terrible places with tragic consequences.

The churches of Germany that signed on with National Socialism and Herr Hitler made horrible and hideous mistakes …  

For centuries, the Western Church thought slavery was a part of God’s natural order, that women, naturally weak and unstable, had no place other than in the home, that the landed gentry were God’s anointed, entitled to their elevated status … kings and queens ruled by divine right … there is heaven for people who toe the line, and hell for those who don’t.

The church doesn’t always end up in good places … but fear not, say the angels to us … 

Listen, pay attention, consider this and consider that …

Weigh everything against Christ ... always the Christ, from cradle to cross, from cross to resurrection  …

Jesus asked the disciples: What are folks saying about me? That’s the listening task - what do others say of God?

And when the disciples offered what they were hearing, Jesus then asks, What do YOU say about me? 

That’s our central task … here and now, the task of the church … someone else’s answer won’t do; it has to be our answer, our commitment, our decision.

Which reminds me … if you ask a Roman Catholic a question, they’re likely to answer, “Well, the Pope says….”

If you ask a Baptist, they might answer, “Well, the Bible says….”

If you ask a Congregationalist, they might say, “Well, in my opinion….”

Tradition, Scripture and “my opinion” … it’s all three … working together,  to shape our faith, ground our lives, empower our ethics, and point us, beyond ourselves, to the larger realms of love and peace.

What is God like?

Here’s some of my answer … is it the only answer, the right answer?

I’ve been working at it for a long time … it began in my childhood … sitting in church, going to Sunday School, laying in bed at night … a deep and abiding sense of God … never frightening, always there … a good and kindly presence.

Over the years of ministry … the coal fields of West Virginia, the rail yards of Altoona, the corporate offices of Pittsburgh, the lumber trade of northern Wisconsin, the Oil Patch of Oklahoma, the Auto Industry of Detroit, and now the sunshine of California … 

I’ve done my homework; I’ve had good teachers … yet, the question remains: how much do I know? 

I know enough to know how little I know.

But I cannot evade the question: What is God like? 

None of us can, and none of us should … and to remember, that every answer given is a provisional answer … I answered this question 50 years ago … and 30 years ago … and I’m trying to answer it right now … and it’s all slightly different … I’ve grown, I’ve learned, backtracked and turned, and moved ahead a wee bit I hope … a journey that never ends, and should I live another ten years, my answers will be different even then …

Here and now, in this good place, my answer, for what it’s worth, goes something like this:

God is good and gracious … bright and beautiful … big enough to hold the world in her hands, strong enough to take up the sins of the world … 

Tiny enough to fit into Mary’s womb, small enough to fit into Bethlehem’s cradle … just right to hang on a Roman Cross and then be tucked into a borrowed tomb … 

And best of all, sized just right to fit my heart … and I would dare say, sized just right to fit your heart, too.

When Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan, the Spirit came upon him in the form of a dove … not a Roman Eagle of power, but a dove - the dove released by Noah, the dove that returned to the ark, with an olive leaf in its beak, to let Noah know that the worst of it was over … a new day dawning … creation anew … a world born, fresh from the flood.

When Jesus stepped out of the Jordan, a voice from heaven, This is my beloved son, listen to him.

And when I listen, this is what I hear … Come unto me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

This is God … God with us … the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God of Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel … the God of Exodus and Sinai … a pillar of cloud by day to provide shade from the burning sun; a pillar of fire by night to bring warmth to weary bones … and all along the way, water from a rock, and manna in the morning … the long journey, the long haul … from death to life, from darkness to light, from bondage to freedom … 

God, the Good Shepherd … God, the open door … God, the living water … the bread of life … the light of the world … the love that makes the world go round …

First Congregational Church, in a great city, be big … big-minded, big-hearted … big in faith and big in kindness …

Big like our city … big like God … big like love … 

And keep the doors open … wide open to all the world … and there’ll always be enough love left for even more … 

And in all of it, God … God in the morning, God in the evening and God all day long … the Great God Almighty who is everlasting, the fount of life, and the hope of the world.

Dear Friends … 

What a joy it’s been for me to walk and talk with you in the journey of faith … side by side with our pastors, Scott and Laura … our remarkable musicians, Jonathan and Christoph, and Stephen and our amazing singers … a staff second to none … Deacons and Trustees who know what they’re doing … a joyous Women’s Association … and all of you, talented and visionary … daring to walk through these doors, to keep them open to the world … to be sure that good things happen.

I’ll be on the road in September, but come October, I’ll be in the Eggebeen Pew, just over there, with Donna and our family … and don’t forget it, that’s the Eggebeen Pew!

I’ll continue doing weddings here … hanging around … because, as they say, old ministers never retire, they just misplace their sermon notes … 

And with prayer and love, I’ll encourage you, to keep on keepin’ on … to be the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, with doors wide open.

Because every time we open our doors, something good happens!

Pause a beat or two as musicians take their place …

And, now, if I may …

A gift to the church …

From my heart to yours …

Rainbows … bluebirds … and a most wonderful world …

July 19, 2015 - The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16.19 - 31 ...

Gather around boys and girls.

Set yourself down.

I’ve story to tell you.

And so begins many a fun time for families and children, with all the appropriate moans and groans - “Oh no, Grampa’s at it again; we’ve heard this story ten thousand times” … at the dinner table, by a campfire, before bedtime … and just about every time a minister steps into a pulpit to share the love of God, with all the appropriate moans and groans - “Oh no, we’ve heard this story ten thousand times.”

There is no finer tradition, in any culture, than that of story-telling … whether it be Garrison Keillor from Prairie Home Companion or Mark Twain a century ago, or Grampa at the dinner table … story tellers have a way of revealing the nooks and crannies of life, inviting us to think and rethink who we are and what life is all about, what it means to be a family, what it means to be a human being.

Jesus is a story-teller.

Someone raises a question, Jesus might well respond with a stroke of his chin, maybe even a wink, and then unwind a tale … sheep and shepherds, pearls and merchants, wayward children, anxious parents, clever managers who hoodwink the boss … and bosses who play rough with their workers.

All the stories our LORD tells are gracious with much love … yet grace can be hard-edged and disturbing, too … like today’s story.

Only recently have I learned something about it … it’s often called, “The Rich Man and Lazarus,” but there are two rich men here, men of great wealth … the man without a name, and Abraham, the Father of all the nations.

I long thought that it was a story that puts a hard press on wealth … and it does, no doubt … Jesus warns us so many times about the perils of wealth … but it’s not wealth per se, but the attitudes one can buy with it … and as a preacher once said: “Attitude is everything!”

In this parable, it’s the story of two rich men, and one man, very, very, poor.

As Jesus tells it, the Rich Man in Hades recognizes Lazarus … perhaps Lazarus worked for him at some point in time … a tenant farmer maybe … or a household servant … and then something happened to Lazarus - an injury, a chronic illness … Lazarus can no longer work, but now can only beg from the hand that once employed him.

I’ve played around a bit with the story … let’s see how it goes … a night-time tale told by a village elder around an evening campfire.

Gather around boys and girls, I’ve a story to tell you:

Once upon a time, there was a Rich Man … 

Well dressed and well fed.

Had everything, and then some.

He was a Rich Man.

By his gate, a poor man.

Lazarus by name.

Hungry all the time.

Sick much of the time.

Good to the dogs in the neighborhood, and the dogs licked his sores … oooh, kinda icky, right … but that’s what dogs do.

And then one day, Lazarus died.

And off he went.

To be with Father Abraham.

Goodness, boys and girls, don’t we all want to be with Father Abraham?

And then one day, the Rich Man died, too.

And off he went.

To a very unpleasant place.

Have you noticed something odd here?

What’s the Rich Man’s name?

That’s right.

He doesn’t have a name in our story.

Everyone has a name, except …

The Rich Man.

Oh, he has name, I’m sure!

Lots of folks knew it, no doubt.

Folks would walk by his big house and say, “Do you know who lives there in that great big house? Mr. so-and-so lives there. He’s important!”

Everyone knows his name.

But in our story, the Rich Man has no name.

His name isn’t in the Book of Life boys and girls.

He didn’t have time for that.

He was too busy writing his name every where else.

Except in the Book of Life.

And the nameless poor man at his gate, we find has a name after all.

Lazarus.

In Hebrew, it’s Elazar.

And, boys and girls, do you know what Elazar means?

It means: “God has helped.”

The poor man at the gate has a beautiful name.

And so does Father Abraham; Abraham means: “Father of a multitude” … the Father of many peoples all around the world … Father Abraham is everyone’s Father.

Anyway, boys and girls, the Rich Man sees Father Abraham.

And he sees Lazarus, too.

And what do you suppose Lazarus is doing?

Well, boys and girls, he’s sitting on Father Abraham’s lap.

Can you imagine that, boys and girls?

Lazarus, sitting on Abraham’s lap?

Father Abraham has a big comfy lap.

The Rich Man thinks to himself:

“Abraham will understand me.”

He’s rich, and he’ll know what I need.

We’re two of the same kind; cut from the same bolt of cloth.

So the Rich Man calls out to Father Abraham.

“Father Abraham,” 

I think the Rich Man tried to sound important.

“Father Abraham, send Lazarus, with a little water for me.”

He used to be my servant; he’ll know what to do.

Father Abraham said: “Can’t do that son.”

“And why not?” asked the Rich Man.

All blustery and none too pleased.

“Because you’re there, and we’re here … and that’s that!”

“Besides, you had your chance.”

Well, the Rich Man didn’t like that for an answer.

So, he said, “Father Abraham, look, we understand one another, don’t we? We’re of the same stuff, you and me. We’ve made our way through life, we did all right.”

“If you won’t send Lazarus to me, the least you can do is send him to my five brothers, to warn them, tell them they’d better pay attention. I don’t want them to end up like me.”

Father Abraham was getting a little tired with the Rich Man telling him what to do all the time … so Father Abraham said, “Your brothers already have what they need to figure things out. They have Moses and the Prophets - it’s all there, clear and clean. Your brothers should listen to them.”

“But my brothers need a big deal, some kind of smash hit, something really big - some hoohah and kaboom. Okay, Father Abraham? I’m sure we understand one another. Send them someone from the dead; that’ll get their attention.”

“I could do that,” said Father Abraham, “but truth be told, son, your brothers are just about as stubborn as you are, and they’re not interested in such things. If they don’t believe what Moses and the Prophets teach, someone rising from the dead and standing right in front of them won’t convince them either.”

Boys and girls … we have Moses and the Prophets, and we have Father Abraham … they tell us how to live a good and godly life. Let’s pay attention to them, okay? Good Night boys and girls. Sleep well boys and girls; the love of God give you rest; the wisdom of Father Abraham guide your dreams.

Amen and Amen!

July 5, 2015, "New Wine, New Skins"

First Congregational Church of Los Angeles

July 5, 2015

Mark 2.21-22

Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem …

Can you be more than you are?

And so begins a new sermon series today …

A sermon series Dr. Colglazier and I will be working on for the next two months … we’re excited about the series and grateful to share with all of you in the Parables of Jesus.

Because parables are the way Jesus taught … and why did he teach this way? 

Parables provoke, raise questions, startle us with unexpected images … 

A dishonest steward who knows what he’s doing with money … a shepherd unwilling to lose even one sheep … a pearl merchant making a deal … a father who never gives up hope for a wayward son.

Parables offer a different way of thinking about the tried and the true … maybe the tried and the true can tell us more than we expect … maybe the tried and true ain’t so true anymore, and it’s time to try something new.

Which reminds me - last week, I put a dollar into a change machine, and nothing changed! 

Shall we move on?

Today’s parable: new wine, new skins … a parable understood by everyone, growers and consumers alike … the last of the old, and soon the new … hip hip hooray, a new vintage comes our way.

And who knows, the new wine might surpass the old in flavor and quality!

Wine is one thing … but religion another …

Religion tends to settle down and settle in … hard and fast … decades worth, centuries worth … smells, bells and doodahs … this is the way it’s done because this is the way we’ve always done it, and by golly, no one’s gonna change our mind.

And here comes Jesus … pushing hard to make some changes … and lot of folks didn’t like it one bit.

Scribes question his “table manners” - eating with “sinners and tax collectors.”

People wonder about his fidelity to the rules of fasting.

Pharisees question his commitment to Sabbath restrictions.

The prim and the proper are offended by the woman who anoints his feet with her tears.

Jesus speaks to all of them of new times and new ways.

The old is good, but it’s time has passed.

Nothing lasts forever.

Several months ago, a Sunday morning, getting ready for church, I put my Bible on the trunk of the car, brought a bag of garbage to the trash bin … went back upstairs … returned a few moments later, walked around the front of the car, got in and drove off to church: you know what happened.

My Bible was gone.

A hour later, my wife and son followed my route to church, looking for it, but to no avail - it was gone. 25 years worth notes, cross-references and comments. 

Gone!

Jesus my LORD.

I ordered a new Bible … and here it is … clean and fresh … and it feels great …

Would I have willingly set aside the old one?

I don’t know. Nostalgia and familiarity are powerful resistors to change.

Let me say that again: Nostalgia and familiarity are powerful resistors to change.

I miss that old Bible sometimes, just the thought of it - wondering where it is, what happened to it, but I’m glad the LORD took it from my hand … new wine, new skins.

On another note:

The Santa Monica Art Museum is moving out of Bergamot Station … the Executive Director said:

I want it to be very clear that we are not closing. We are moving. Our museum is all about agility and experimentation and being a collection of ideas, not being a permanent collection of art. Although this is not something we had planned, we realize we have to take the mission, vision and purpose to a next stage.”

Sometimes by choice, sometimes by chance, sometimes by necessity, the next stage … time doesn’t stand still … and God moves on … new wine, new skins.

As for Jesus, he’s no iconoclast … though he does overturn a few tables.

Jesus honors the traditions … and then plays with them.

Like Christoph on the organ, and Peter Fennema today.

Take what is, and play with it.

Bring out new insights.

Raise questions:

Maybe we can go this way.

Or that way.

Let’s see what happens.

Like a potter with clay.

An artist with paint.

A dancer with form and movement.

An actor with a script.

And Jesus with his stories.

“You have heard it said thus and so, but I say unto you, here’s another take on it.”

New wine, new skins.

Last year’s vintage is done.

It was good.

We drank it all.

The skins are depleted now.

And what we didn’t drink, turned to vinegar.

“Fear not,” says God.

Never ever, ever, ever, be afraid.

A new season is upon us.

Grape clusters hang heavy on the vine, ready for harvest.

God is never done with us.

And we are never done with God.

The nature of faith is dynamic … moving, shifting, dancing.

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

      they shall run and not be weary,

      they shall walk and not faint.

The nature of faith prompts us to change:

Change of heart.

Change of mind.

And who doesn’t need a change of mind now and then?

Moses said, “I can’t do that,” and then changed his mind.

King David said, “I didn’t do anything wrong,” and then changed his mind.

Jesus said to God, “Get me outta here,” and then changed his mind.

Saul, on the Damascus Road, said, “I know everything about God,” and then God showed up in a bright light, and Saul changed his mind real fast, and God changed Saul’s name to Paul.

And in our time and place … changed minds have made for a better world … school desegregation, voting rights and lunch-counter integration, women’s ordination … and these days Marriage Equality and the Confederate Flag … changed minds, changed hearts … new wine, new skins …

Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

Can you be more than you are?

Some turned away and said, “No thank you.”

We’re satisfied with the way things are.

And, by the way, Mr. Jesus, don’t press your luck with us.

Others heard the invitation and said, “Of course, tell us more.”

Jesus said, “It won’t be easy, but it’ll be good.”

And people still said yes!

Peter, Andrew, James and John left their nets to follow him.

Mary and Martha opened their hearts and home to him. 

Joanna and Susanna, women of means, provided for him.

Matthew set aside his stacks of coins to join him on the way.

One-by-one, two-by-two, they heard the call and followed him.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem …

Can you be more than you are?

New wine, new skins.

Because we’re not done with God.

And God isn’t done with us.

From the Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock 

To the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles.

You and me, right here, right now!

For this world, and for the glory of God.

What else can we do?

But follow Christ anew.

“Come and follow me,” says he.

I’ve places to go and people to see.

Lives to change and a world to set free.

New wine, new skins!

Dear People of God.

Are we ready?

I know that we are! Amen and Amen!