Feb 28 The Holy land of....

Source note.. This is my adaption of an idea from Fred Craddock in one of the Cherry Log sermons. I have added my own travel reflections and used it to reflect on a different Gospel text than Craddock did.. but the basic idea springs from reading his sermon: credit where credit is due!

PUMC Feb 24 2008 text John 4

The Holy Land of…

You know…. for the Wednesday night Lenten services we
we are talking about the Journeys of Paul

Paul had his three missionary trips around the Mediterranean world and then of course we ve got all his letters to church
Rome/ Ephesus/ Corinth/ Philippi./ Thessalonica.. …

some of those places are in Greece

Some them are in Turkey..

You can call up your travel agent

and take a tour called the footsteps of Paul

It would be a great trip….And I’m hoping to do that some day..

I think some you have been there.. anybody ?.. (Wanda S raised her hand)

It’s a very popular trip

its one of those religious pilgrimage trips.

You're mixing your faith .. into your traveling

Your NOT just A TOURIST..

You’er going to Bible places

and it s a kind of holy Land…

I think we should all go there...
Think about what you would see..

We could get on a bus right here.. in Brainerd except not today..its too foggy Beth was supposed to fly out of Brianerd this morning....going to Kansas///but she had to catch ride...

go to the cities …get on a flight

maybe we could land in Rome..

And that would make our Catholic friends happy too

check out the Vatican…

and St peters Basilica…. do you think we could see that Michelangelo thing in the Sistine chapel…with God and Adam touching each others fingers.

..course we’ve got to see the coliseum..

think about those Christians that got thrown to the lions…martyrs for the the faith..

and Do you get to go into any of the catacombs in Rome?

where the early church met sometimes underground..

….I would need a least two or three days.. in Rome

and then maybe we could to Athens.. all those sites there..

but I bet the tour guide could take us to the areopgus up by the Parthenon

Paul preached there.. ,,,he didn’t seem to have much luck
but somebody could read from Acts 17 the sermon that Paul preached..

( ..Claudette, or Dick could read that for us … when we are there.. ..and then

could run down to Corinth

,,, read from the Bible again…maybe 1 Corinth 13 would be good

that chapter about love …. Maybe because they were having some trouble with that.

.being kind of petty and arguing… churches really haven’t changed much..

we have got stay in Christian love..

Then we could get back on the bus.

.go to Philippi… Paul started another church there

maybe that was a favorite church for Paul

he talked a lot about joy and thanksgiving when he wrote to them

, “rejoice in the Lord always… again I say rejoice

he also talked about having this mind of Christ. Among you

.that life of servanthood.. .and humbleness

we could probably read the whole letter of Philippians’ …..it s only 4 chapters. long

Let see where could you go next… Ephesus… .

. some great sites there.

.some more Bible verse to read.

Then maybe we could head on over to Syria

..I know the political situation is kind of touchy there
but I’ld love to go to Damascus..

remember Paul had that Damascus road experience.

.I think pastor Jeff is going to preach about that this Wed..
Paul gets knocked off his horse… Here’s Jesus saying “Saul Saul why do you persecute me.?

Paul gets blinded.. ,,,that’s a way of helping Paul see how blind he has been to the gospel of Jesus Christ..

Then maybe we could go to straight street.

Paul get his sight back. he gets baptized in Damascus.

Holy sites… you know if your really talk about the Holy land you have to include Syria

some Bible scholars say that more books of the New Testament are written from Syria than any other place.

I think Antiock is pat of Syria too… isn’t that where we first got called Christians, ,in Antioch..

Of course by now w are right down by Israel and Palestine..

and we just have to go there.

Maybe fly into Tel Aviv…… that’s what we did when I was there.

Now we are into what people typically call the Holy land.

Bethlehem where Jesus was born…that’s in the Palestine area

the church of the nativity

I remember that we sang “silent night” down in that at chapel of the nativity.

.I got down and touched that gold star in the floor..

it all felt so holy…. I picked up a stone from nativity plaza

just so I could remember that I had been to that holy ground…

powerful..

andd then of course there’s Nazareth up north..

Where Mary got the news and Jesus grew up..

The little town of cana is up around there…..and Galilee/ the sea of Galilee..

We did the boat ride thing…..ate some fish..i didn't really like the fish

and Capernaum .and the place where Jesus fed the multitude

and the place where he gave the sermon on the mount.

.they got churches for all those places

and you stop and read the scriptures

And then theres Jerusalem.

I think we were all in tears on our tour bus when we went into Jerusalem,..

And theres the the wailing wall..
and the church of the sepulcher….or the garden tomb.. and Gethsemane.. and the mount of Olives.. well just too much to describe.. …

Holy land …holy ground..

…well… I know there is some thing also very wrong

in the holy land the violence and the politics… ..Something unholy about it.

.but we wont go there for now..

When I was there in 2001 we just couldn’t get everywhere..

this morning the gospel lesson talks about this Jacobs well.. …

well

that a tourist site..

and we could read this story about the woman at the well… and I didn’t get into Jericho ..but I read the travel books and talked to other people..

it s a good stop.

Now I know that’s a pretty big trip for some of you and some of you are afraid to travel over there ..

Some of you want to say more in Europe well I think we could do some holy land trips that way too..

We could fly form Minneapolis. .to London

and we could go to the Wesley sites..

we could see Wesley’s chapel..

and the Museum of Methodism.

The Swenson family went to church there on a Sunday morning..

we had communion.

sang some hymns that were played on an organ that Charles Wesley had..

It was holy gound really liked the Wesley sites in Bristol..

where John first did his out door preaching

that where Methodists really found its style..

it felt like holy ground..

We got to talk to some Local British Methodists when we were there

.they had a little gift shop and there was a women’s bake sale going on…sound familiar doesn’t it..holy ground..

I saw his room little in oxford

when he was teaching there.

. we didn’t get up to Epworth where John was born and where he preached on his fathers grave stone.. because they wouldn’t let him preach inside the church..

us Methodist would like a trip like that.

.of course we would not .,leave out those great Anglican churches either..

John and Charles Wesley were priests in the church of England.

but then as long as where in the UK

we would go up to st Giles in Edinburgh where John Knox,,,was …. make all the Presbyterians happy..

Holy ground

Maybe we should do something for the Lutherans.

I use dto be Lutheran so Ild like to go into Germany see Wittenberg and Wartburg castle

place where he started the whole Protestant reformation

and then go over to Geneva Switzerland too.. all the Calvinist. would like that..
When do you want to make that trip. All these holy places!!!

O h I know … some of you just cant travel like that..

You worried about the money

And whose going to take care of the dog…and water the plants.

And you got your job… and the kids and all that..

Ok so maybe there is some holy land ..that is closer to home

Easier to get to…

How about this,,

we are in lent…right now

and I think we have a couple of travel options. …

. one of those would be a way for us to get together and go to each others holy lands..

we could call it the holy land of memories or telling our faith stories

we could get around on those new round tables down stairs..

and you could take turns telling each other

About you personal holy lands..

I could make up a form to get you started.

.it would have questions like

tell us about church your grew up in..

And maybe you could tell about some little country Lutheran church

.thats would I tell you about

and the wood stove …and how they would talk Norwegian sometimes and the ladies had this really high voices when they sang.

and the men didn’t sing very much but they sat together back in the corner..

but we had to be careful when we went outside to play.. Especially in the cemetery ..

and somewhere in that little church I learned about Jesus and Bible stories ..david and Golaith...Daniel inthe lions den..got to make somethings out of plaster of paris! and I know that this was Holy ground ..holy times..

You could tell.. your stories like too
and maybe you could tell us about your youth group… and church camp

.I went to Northern Pines.. I remember there was a Thursday

When I got on my knees and prayed with a counselor

and I gave my life to Jesus..

and I remember the tears.. and the feelings.. holy ground …I think of that when Im at Northern Pines

have you got a holy ground story like that..

And I could tell you about the lay witness missions.

. and youth trip to Dover Delaware..

well you get the idea

. do you get a chance to visit your holy ground. Of memory

.where did you learn John 3:16

or the Lords Prayer.

. Or when did you first take communion..

or did you ever get to bring your little baby up to the front of the church for the baptism

some of my holy ground feel come to me every time

I go by the little town of Villard.

.my first church out of seminary

so green…..so scared.

I was a nervous wreck

but I got though those sermons

and my first funerals and the weddings..

I love those people

They really cared for me.. and I would Not be here. if they hadn’t….

Holy ground well enough about me..

Maybe in lent

you could take a little memory trip to your Holy ground… remember your story..

Places where you felt God…or met Jesus.. or really had some worship

Now I want to get back to the Gospel lesson

Your wondering maybe what all this has to do with the gospel lesson.

. you see there is the woman at the well..and
Jesus meets her.

.and I m guessing that if you could have asked her what her holy place is

she would have said

its where I met Jesus ….. Maybe she take you to that well..

and tell you a story…the one that we read.

and I know there is all this wonderful talk

About water and thirst
and the living water.
and spiritual thirst..
and how Jesus can give us that water..
inside of us..
but in all of that talk
this woman actually starts to talk about holy places
holy ground
look at verse 20 and the verse after that..
you see
the woman at the well this Samaritan

and they had thy had their own holy mountain.

.it was Mt Gerazimm

not very far away from that well..

and they used to have a temple there

. it was their Holy ground

of course the Jews had their own place

the temple in Jerusalem..
and that where you were supposed to worship

that was there holy ground

but did you hear what Jesus said..

he said

the time is coming

when when you will worship God on neither one of those mountains.

. and then he talks about worshiping in spirit and in truth

verse 24

God is spirit. and those who worship God
Must worship in spirit and truth.

What does that mean ? Worship is about bringing … our true selves..

Devotion and adoration

From the heart.

Engaging the spirit..

Coming to God…

With our lives..

Bringing that thirst.

. bringing that deep search

and coming to Jesus..

Coming to the water..

and letting it quench the thirsting of your soul.

. worship…

holy ground.

.prayer becomes holy ground

the scriptures as you hear that world of God

this is holy ground when it becomes

peace and forgiveness.

love

life hope …servanthood

its where you find yourself saying

he touched me..

were going to sing it later..

Something happened and now I know he touched me..and made me whole..

holy ground..

I know sometimes

we think that the holy ground is a place or a building…

Like this..

and yes they are filled with holy memories.

. but the holy ground is the spirit and the truth..

Jesus Christ as the living presence of Ground

this the holy land..

Jesus said where two or three are gathered in my name…..I am there….

that the holy land of worship and fellowship…

You see if you want to go to the holy land

you probably don’t need to get on jet or a bus or go very far..at all

as Jesus said to the woman at the well…

you don’t have to go to this mountain or that mountain.

.you just need to be with me….

. the Christ is here.. Jesus says to the women.

.The Messiah is already here. I am the one

True Worship can be now.. here and now

but

yes

you might need to go to your soul….to your heart.

Pray ..Listen..

or go to the person right next to you as you care for someone else. In the spirit of Christ

wherever the Love of God is shared..

its holy ground

whenever the witness of Jesus Christ. is lived out.. its holy ground

I think this becomes holy land as we are holy people every Sunday morning…

When we deeply hear the call to worship

or the greeting of grace to you and peace in Jesus Christ..

Holy land can be here..

but then all week long…

You can visit the holy lands..you can be there..

As Jesus said in the gospel lesson

God is spirit.. we are called to worship in spirit and in truth.

When you live with your heart of faith…..in the spirit

You are in the holy land..

let help each other to be there.

I hope you go there ….often…..again and again.. Lent is a good time to travel..lets all go.

This Holy land trip is inspired and adapted from Fred Craddok The Cherry Log Sermons p. 60

Temptation lent 1 Feb 10 2008 R Swenson PUMC

You might think that God would want life just to be easy..
No big problems ..no big decisions...no doubts or struggles

Be honest now..do you ever wish for that?


But then have you noticed that in all three Gospel versions of the temptation story
it is very clear that the Holy spirit
is who sends Jesus into the desert
.or into the wilderness..

Mark uses this especially strong language
that Jesus gets driven..into the wilderness


Luke softens it little
he says that Jesus is guided by the Spirit in the wilderness..


but then in the wilderness

we are told that it’s the devil
or Satan
that does the tempting

and those are all names that mean things like
the adversary
the opposing force,,
the resistance to God
the liar..
. the deceiver
those are all ways of translating what we call the devil or Satan,

now
what do you with the fact that the Holy Spirit
is what puts Jesus into that wilderness

it’s God who puts Jesus into the experience of temptation or testing..

The Bible says god does not do the tempting

but God knows... that we have to go there

Or at least Jesus did and we got these doctrinal ideas
of how Jesus has to be tempted
and he needs to pass the test
so he can undo what Adam and Eve did
because they failed the test
and so its part of the redemption theology
and yes that’s all there
but
there is another layer to this story

and its not just the doctrinal layer
but the participatory layer..


I m going to make the case

that Jesus is the picture or the map for all of us....Jesus is our guiding savior

We don’t call him the way or the revelation for nothing..

In a sense we all follow Jesus
into the wilderness
and into temptation

you can’t be human without it.

we all share the life
of having to make choices..
values..commitment..

Choosing a path. and a voice in life.
and that
just as Jesus had to do this.. So do we ..

Or as Bob Dylan puts it in one of his songs

you gotta serve somebody

it might be the devil or it might be the lord
but you gotta serve somebody

that the participation point in this gospel lesson

We all have to go into the desert

we all have to do the soul searching

we all get hungry and famished..

we all do some suffering.
.that pushes us to the core

we all make decisions
under pressure

we all need to face the devil

we all have to learn something
about God and about ourselves


To be human..is to be faced with those choices..

The Temptation story
seems to be saying that!

We all need the test.. It is necessary..

It is life in the world.
it is the proving ground..

This wilderness world
is where we are....this is where we live
This is where we grow.
This is where we develop

and I think at some deep level of our soul
we already know that..

But the questions are
what will you expect
and what will you decide
and what will you learn

Let me add a story into the mix..


It from Fr William Baush
one of the great storytellers of our day


and the story is about a boy named Victor
and his mother and a magic wish

Once upon a time
there was a young woman who gave birth to her first child
but it was a difficult time

The baby was born Just one month after her husband had died in a tragic accident

the neighbors gathered around her


hoping to help this poor young widow... So they planned a baby shower and all the neighbors came with their things to help the mother and the child get started in life
and when all the gifts were open
the mother was overcome with tears

as she said thank-you...
thank you for all your help

you have made this hard time a little easier

Next Sunday my son will be baptized

and I am going to name him after his father he will be called Victor..

And with that the party ended
and when the neighbors were all gone
there was one more knock on the door

it was the old man who lived in the corner house all by himself

they called him Doc Burns

but that was just what they called him

he wasn’t a doctor
at least not in any normal kind of way

he was a reclusive old man

nobody really knew him or talked to him

but he would wave at people though the window

The old man said
I have come to give you my gift for your young son.

He said it in a soft kind of way..

but I have a different kind of gift for you

I can offer you one wish
for young Victor
it can be anything you want.

But you must make this wish before the child is baptized on Sunday

and with that
the old man bowed and walked back to his house

the young mother was just baffled by his words
this strange old fellow

what was he talking about could he really do that ?
... the power to grant a wish

and what would she ask for ?
all week long she could not make up her mind
but the decision had to be made this week

and before the baptism

finally

as she was actually walking down the aisle

Coming to the baptismal font.

.she whispered into the babys ear..

What seemed like a wonderful wish of a mother..

she said

I wish that everyone in the world would love my Victor,


and the wish came true

Victor grew up to be a handsome young man

and all the time people loved him
when he was a toddler

people just couldn’t resist hugging him

even when he was naughty

no one ever believed he had done anything wrong

as he got older
everybody in the little town knew Victor and they all loved him

the grandmothers in the town were always giving him little snacks and treats..
And the other children gave him toys

if his mother tried to discipline him or scold him..

The other adults would say to her
your being to strict with such a wonderful child.

But Victor took all this attention in

but then he treated people with scorn and contempt.

Still they just adored him.
They only person he ever really listened to now and then was old Doc Burns


well
when Victor finished high school.

He got a scholarship to a college back east

when he came back from college at Christmas time

for the first time back home
he was driving a beautiful black Cadillac

his suitcases were filled with fine and fancy clothes

and he seemed to have plenty of money to spend

he hardly saw his mother during vacation

he was out making the rounds
partied and went to the taverns

after college


Victor never did any work.

It seemed like
any thing he tried,,,got him what he wanted..

He just went on in a life of ease.

and everything seemed to just come his way.

well to tell you the truth
he was into every pleasure and every vice you might imagine

but some how

in all this .
Still
Everybody just loved him.

Yet with all of this

he despised the people who catered to him..

and his heart felt empty and his soul

His soul was sick.
He was disgusted
with everything and everyone.


Even though he had all these things

.. This kind of power and popularity
comfort and success..

Something was so very wrong.

One night he decided to end it all..

He went to his room
and put some poison into a glass of wine.

And just as he was about to drink it down.

Doc Burns rushed into the room..
And took the glass out of his hands.

Good evening Victor
he said
we have not talked for awhile

you seem to be done with your life of frivolity

I am sorry that this has been such a meaningless existence for you

I suppose I am the one responsible for your misery

I answered your mothers wish
the day you were baptized.

Even though it was a foolish wish

How about if I offer you, now
a new wish?

Make it anything you want.


And I will give it to you

Oh , victor said sadly,,


I don’t think you can give me anything that I haven’t already had.

But Doc Burns insisted

think.... think again..
Make another wish for my sake

or maybe for the sake of your mother

so Victor closed his eyes

and he thought
for several minutes

Finally he spoke through the tears.

He said
take away the old magic.. And give me a new wish

My new wish is this
instead of being loved

I want the ability to love everyone in the world

That was good . Doc Burns said..
And he hugged the young man who was in tears..

Now things will go better for you.


And things did go better for Victor..

But not right away

Now that he didn’t have his great charm.... his friends left him

Some people really didn’t like him

and some of the people got even with him.
For things that he had done wrong..

he had hurt more than a few people
He got thrown into jail for three months

..Some of those old behaviors caught up with him
now that the magic wasn’t protecting him anymore.

And no one came to visit him.

When he got out he was sick and lonely and he didn’t have a dime.
He went back to take care of his ailing mother

you see

for the first time in his life.
He was able to return her great love.

After his mother got well,

, Victor got a job as a janitor

over in the grade school
he cared for the floors and cleaned the rooms

But not just the floors and the building

he took care of the children too

especially
those who came from the poorest of homes.
all the children called him Mr Victor

their friend and companion

and finally

he met a wonderful young widow
who had two little children

they got married
and he gave all three of them

the kind of love that they so desperately needed

They never had much money

just getting by really

but they were the richest people in the world

Life was good
it was where they knew they needed to be..

Victor discovered that it is in loving ... not being loved..

but in loving others

that life becomes full and abundant..
And you feel alive
He found the spiritual life.


Well
I dont’n really think I have to explain that story

you know what it is saying

and you know the truth of it..

Life simply cannot be all easy...
without the impact
of our choices and consequences..and struggles

it does become meaningless...and loveless.

In a very real sense..
Victor in the first part of his life got everything that the devil was offering Jesus
and it was not the way to real life.

Go back to the Bible lesson today

the devil
that liar in life..
.however you want to imagine it..

Is trying to tell Jesus
and us too
he is trying to tell Jesus
that life

is about everyone liking you
or getting what you want .

Having what you want
physical security..
satisfaction.
bread..
fame and fortune and power.

But Jesus sees through it..

Life is about trusting God
living by the word of God.

.serving God..



Jesus..just like all of us is tempted to serve himself and make himself the center..

but in the wilderness
In the test,,,
he points us to the God centered life
.and to selflessness

and really
he puts us to the life of loving others
embodied later in the cross.

So you see

the temptation story

is not just about Jesus

do’nt just leave it there in the past
or in the Bible or as a theological discussion. about a doctrinal salvation plan

. Listen to what he taught us

how he leads us in our wilderness
let him lead you..in the wilderness

we face the same temptations .every day

and the wilderness days

the desert days
the struggling days.. Might be the days

the times
that will teach us love.

They will teach us the Jesus way

true life comes..

from loving others.
As the life of serving God alone

the Gospel lesson says that after Jesus said this.

after that
the devil..left him..has nothing else to say
remember
that....when you follow Jesus in the God centered life of love alone

the devil ..the tempter
has nothing else to say

Sweeping

Ash Wednesday 2008 at Park UMC Rory Swenson
There is a Buddhist teaching story that comes from Tibet
sometimes it’s a children’s story. (Which is probably why I like it!)
and its called the Broom master
One upon a time there was a teenager named Chunda who lived in a little village
and he was usually teased by the other children because
wellthey said that he was a simpleton
no matter how hard he tried,
he just could not seem to learn reading or writing
But the adults of the village liked Chunda and they could see that
he had a very good heart and he was such a kind person
and even though he was really a very small teenager
he was always wanting to help,
always ready to run an errand
or sweep somebodies front yard.

But Chunda
more than anything else
wanted to be just like older brother Raj
Raj, was a couple of years older than Chunda
and he was also a very bright scholar.
So When Raj turned 16,
he decided to move to the city
and he would study Buddhism at the monastery.

Chunda begged and begged to go with him,
and his brother found a way for Chunda
to live at the monastery and to earn his keep
by working.

At the monastery
Chunda swept the yards,
and he would clap the dirt from the sandals of the monks
when they came in for the evening meal.
He watched and listened
as the young monks sat in these long and deep conversations.
And oh... How he wished that he could talk with them
but he would remember
how the children had laughed at him,
and his shame and his old memories
always drove him away.
Chunda's brother could see how said he was..
, and so he said to him.
"Chunda,
maybe you could study to be a monk as well."

"But how could I become a monk?"
Chunda said
how could I do that!
"I can't read
I cant write and I cant memorize"
Well
his brother said
" There is more to becoming a monk than book learning.
Why don’t you go to see Head of the Monastery
Go to the Master
and tell him your wishes.
He is wise, and compassionate."

So Chunda went and sat before the Master
and the Master
very quickly could see
that this was an honest young man of pure heart.
He gave
Chunda just one line of scripture to learn.
This was the first
of hundreds of verses that every monk was supposed to learn by heart.
The verse was this : "Give up negative actions.
Free yourself from negative thoughts." Chunda tried and tried to learn those few words
but he had to ask for help,
again and again
because once he had learned the first line,
he would forget it
when he tried to learn the second line
Chunda went back to the Master
and told him what had happened.
The kind man sat in silence for some time.
Finally,
an idea came to him. "
Chunda,
you are a hard worker ...are you not?'

"Yes master."

so..
The master said
"I would like to give you a special job.
I want you to sweep the temple hall every day.
Can you do that?"
"Oh yes, teacher."
, jumping up with delight.
"That is something I can do well."

"Very well then,
Chunda. I will give you the job of sweeping the temple.
That is all that you must do,
... but
as you sweep the floors
you must say these two lines to yourself,
over and over:
"Sweep away the dust,
sweep away the dirt."
Can you remember that?"
"Sweep away the dust,
sweep away the dirt.
Yes, that is easy, because that is what I will be doing!"

Chunda ran off to begin his work.

Every day
he did sweep the temple,
all day long,
and as he swept
he kept up a rhythm,
"Sweep away the dust"
he would say with each sweep out,
and "Sweep away the dirt," with each sweep back.

Sometimes
he would get lost in thought
and he would forget to say the lines.

Luckily
the other monks
knew what he was supposed to be chanting,
and they would remind him,
and he would go back to is work.
"Sweep away the dust,
sweep away the dirt."

Then one day the Master came to Chunda ...who was standing still,
thinking hard about something.
"Chunda, where is your mind right now."
"Oh sorry, Master, I should be sweeping,"


No, Chunda,"
he smiled, "share your thoughts."

"Well I was thinking that you are a wise man,

and you have given me these lines to say about something that I know how to do.

When I remember to say them
I feel at peace.
You have not given me any more lines.

Do you want me to learn something more from this?"

"Yes Chunda. ..the master said

You have found the peace
that is there for us
in the present moment.
Now I want you to think about this:
You are sweeping clean the dirt from the temple.
Think also about sweeping clean the inner dust and dirt in your mind."

"But what is this inner dust and inner dirt?"

"Well, Chunda,
think of the nature of dust and dirt:
They cover what is beautiful and clean, and they cloud what is clear.

And dust and dirt often cover those things that are old and of no more use to us.
It is also the nature of dust
that we can see it in the air,
but when we grab for it,
it is not there
, just like thoughts of the future or the past.

Think on this and notice when your thoughts are clouding you
from the present moment, and causing unhappiness,
and notice
when you cling to old ways of thinking."
Chunda went back to sweeping.
One day he noticed that he was often longing to sit with the other students
as they talked about the things they were learning.
"But," he would think to himself, "I am not worthy to sit and talk with the other monks and students my age, for I cannot read nor write."

but then he realized that This way of seeing and thinking
was like dirt,
it was an old way of seeing himself that kept him from happiness.
"I should sweep these thoughts from my mind."
He thought. "Sweep away the dust, sweep away the dirt."
He felt peaceful again.
Another time
he noticed that he was often living in the future ...wishing,
"If only, if only I could read and write like the others, then …
" These wishing thoughts were like dust.
He was always trying to grab things out of his reach, and missing the present moment.
"Sweep away the dust, sweep away the dirt."
Chunda went and shared his insights with the Masterwho again smiled
. "Ah Chunda, you are doing very well.
Tell me, can you stop and enjoy the beauty of a clean temple after you have swept?" "
Yes, master."
"Good then, " smiled the Master
, "I hope you will now remember
to also stop
to notice the simple joy of a clean inner temple,
as well as an outer one."

Chunda did stop to notice,
and he continued to sweep the inner dirt,
and the outer dirt,
and to stop often to experience
the peace of the present moment,

and the simple joy that was there
when all negative thoughts were gone.
And in this way Chunda continued to sweep,
to chant
and to ponder on the nature of grabbing and clinging,
and the peace of living in the present moment.
In time
the other students noticed his peace,
and they began to talk with him.
He was able to share his wisdom with other monks.
As the years passed
his wisdom and inner peace grew.
He became known as The Broom Master,
;;and many came to hear his simple, yet profound wisdom.
Well that’s the story...
Now can you see how it would lead us into Lent and Ash Wednesday?

I think we are coming into a kind of spiritual sweeping season

Lent is a time to deal with the clutter or the dust or the dirt
that accumulates in layers and layers
of our lives.
There are things in us and around us that keep us from living the life of Christ now
even if for just a second
dirt of a sorts...our own on earthiness
our human ego and our self will
our pride and our pain
our greed and our grabbing
that keeps
us from living in the Presence of God now
So
we do this soul searching
examination
confession
reflection
Bible study
prayer
Lenten disciplines
spiritual inventory
sweeping
and when
you look at the the sermon on the Mount in Matthew
its as if Jesus has put a broom in our hearts
or in our spiritual hands
given us a spiritual practice
a way
and said
now use this
use this to sweep through your motives
and you’re actions
your thoughts
and your deeds
and everything that keeps you from being a student
or a disciple of Jesus Christ....
The old wounds
the old thinking..
The old excuses
the old life
Or maybe the future uncertainties
the fear..
the worries about tomorrow
anything
that keeps you from faithfulness
and life
and reconciliation now
now
let it be swept away
by the love and touch of God

Make a clean sweep..
even
and especially ...
with the thick dust of our mortality
and our sinfulness...our incompleteness
can we do that as people of God
for the next 40 days
sweep away the dust
sweep away the dirt
we are still given this spiritual broom
as a gift of forgiveness
we are given a way to live and to change

in the daily rhythm of prayer and study..
and compassion and ministry

Now
as the gospel lesson tonight points out
we need to look at the dust inside of us..
The layers of confusion and delusion
or
the disillusionment
cynicism even
that can build up in us
Do we start by cleaning house on the inside
in the inner temple
that this too
is a temple of the lord’s.
can you sweep around in your motives and desires

Do we do these things of fasting or prayer
or generosity
do we do them
in ways that come from the inside ...from the heart of devotion
.
And then
Doesn’t the inner sweeping
also
Go hand in hand
with the out ward sweeping of our lives
sweeping outerly
cleaning, repenting,
healing in
our actions..and our relationships ...
.cleaning in our society
for community and hospitality..for all people..
peace and justice. Wholeness and compassion
some how they produce and reinforce and compliment on another
Part of the same movement inside sweeping..
outside sweeping
Lent is sweeping
letting the Gospel
letting the Holy Spirit
letting Jesus Christ
letting the power and wisdom of God
transform us..transform us..
and sweep through us
both in and out

so that lent
becomes not only the journey to the cross ...
but to resurrection ....
shalom
the new community
the new creation
the abundant life..
the peace of Christ..even now
newness ..presence..
A discovery of a The place swept clean
the sweeping of God starts..and continuessomehow in the ashes of this ash Wednesday discipline
This ashes,,is dirty work,,,
..there is love...pure love ..
present now
at work in us
the sweep of God
Sweep away the dust
sweep away the dirt
That is the pray that you heard in psalm 51 tonight
create in me O god, a clean heart..
Put a new and upright spirit within me
sweep away the dust
sweep away the dirt
or the words of Psalm 139
search me O god,, and know my heart.
Try me. And know my thoughts
.....
The prayer could very well be..
.
Sweep away the dust
sweep away the dirt.
Amen
;Sources: Conover, Sarah, "The Broom Master" in Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents, (I found this story on the web)
Adapted by Elisa Pearmain

Transfigruration Sunday

Note ...this is a longer version than what I delivered on Sunday morning!

Transfiguration Feb 3 2008 Matthew 17

This is a powerful and amazing Bible story and we don’t know what to do with it!

There is something in here that we get tempted to ignore

we cant handle it..... Its just too much for us

Now in case you're wondering .... I don’t think the hard part is this description of Jesus turning all bright and full of light

I cant explain that in a scientific literal rational way. But I can get the message
that Jesus is filled with this divine light of glory and this is a revelation story

But that is not the hardest part for us

So what is.?

Its not the part about this cloud either;
clouds typically represent the presence of God in the Bible
so its not the hardest part to understand

and its not the part about Moses and Elijah appearing with Jesus either

W e could talk about Moses symbolizing the law and the authority of the Law
and Elijah symbolizing the prophets and their authority

THESE TWO great leader are there
talking with Jesus

but then Jesus stands alone

it says Jesus was alone ....
now standing as the authority for the church

is that the hardest part ?


Well how about this part about the voice of God?
talking from this cloud...?

A word that tell us who Jesus is? God's beloved son..
This divine affirmation of identity and love

Is that the hardest part of the story?


Before I tell you what I think the hardest part of the story
is

Let me tell you about Mt Tabor.
We don’t know exactly where this transfiguration story happened
Some people say it was up on Mt Hermon
but if you go to the holy land..of Israel and Palestine
you’re probably going to see Mt Tabor


Mt Tabor is more like a big hill .

. like giant mound or hump
its not the “rocky mountains”... kind of Mountain
its rounded and it has trees

and it stands out in this open country by itself..
I was there in March of 2001
and I was excited to go there
its up in the Galilee area

and we could see this mountain kind of a hill off in the horizon

There was a poor little village over next to it..
Kind of semi bedouin village of druzes.. I believe

And then in the place where the bus pulled in there was a gift shop, a snack bar, restrooms,

and Mercedes taxis were waiting for us.

I remember seeing a bus load of Israeli children there for a field trip
I remember it because the chaperone for this school field trip was a also a security guard
with an automatic weapon.

because MT Tabor and the Jezreel valley is not just a Christian holy place its also famous for the prophet Elijah.
. and the Jewish leader and writer Josephus ..was there in that area
so it has Jewish history as well


the road up the mountain is very winding
with switch backs so you get off the busses

you got squeezed into the taxis 6-8 people at a time
I remember the ride because we had a local Palestinian driver

who kept yelling “Yalla Yalla Yallah” in arabic

especially he did that on the way down

yallah yallah... I think it means “go go go”
kind of like
yelling just for fun on a roller coaster ride

any way... you get to the top and theirs some ruins of an old Byzantine church

and that building has something to do with the crusades; battles were fought over that mountain..people got killed over these holy places..

and there is a Greek orthodox church also on the mountain
that we didn’t get into
because .
.well
all over the holy land you get these church rivalries
who has the real holy site
and who get the biggest piece of Ground
and the best location
and who gets the money
..and the most pilgrims and tourist crowds
and that part of the history there on Mt Tabor

Now..
before you go criticizing the Orthodox church and the Catholic church and all the other churches in the Holy land

I think that is just a sample
an exaggerated sample
example
of what churches do everywhere.

. Competing
trying to be the biggest
or the best..and get the crowds

Well enough said...... we went to see the Catholic church
the Basilica of the transfiguration
they have side chapels to Moses and to Elijah

because of the political situation when I was there..
the crowds were a lot smaller
but I remember other tourists and pilgrims being there.
People from other countries.....speaking different languages..

Some people praying

or reading their Bibles
or listening to the travel guide

Some people doing the tourist things...taking pictures when they could

I remember being outside
with this wonderful big view of the whole area..

You could see for miles.

And to think this could be the holy ground
right around here somewhere..

Jesus
and Peter and James and John
walked up here
and prayed

and the transfiguration could have been right here


But the guide said something
that maybe every guide says


..and I wrote it down in my journal

this is what I had for a note in my journal (p. 46)

“Jesus said no booths

but we didn’t listen

we put up out churches..our booths anyway.”

Remember the story again :
Peter didn’t know what to say
when Jesus turns as white as the sun

and Moses and Elijah are there..

peter doesn’t know what to say

or even what he is saying

but he wants to put up three bo0ths or shelters
or maybe shrines..

. Or places to pray

some how he want to stay there maybe
or capture the moment


or maybe he just feels the need to do something....

Well the bible. Doesn’t actually say “don’t do it.”

. Don’t build anything

At least
We know that they didn’t do it right then

Do you think
God didn’t want them messing around with a building

because there was something they needed to pay attention to.

because the story goes on

and the voice says this is my beloved son

with whom I am well pleased
Listen to him,
hear him

now “listen”
in this sense
means listen
as in understand and trust and obey.


Now here’s my question

what the hardest part in the whole transfiguration story .?

.if it its not the mysterious part

or these elements
that sound like miracles and the supernatural

ii think the hardest part is the clearest part.


.god says
this is my loved one
Listen to him

that’s hardest part.

I m going back to what Mark Twain said
in one of his famous quotes

he said (paraphrase)

I’m not bothered so much by the parts of the Bible that I don’t understand


he said

I am bothered by the parts of the bible
that I do understand

I think h’s onto something.
We understand that we are supposed to hear and obey Jesus Christ
and that what bothers us
that the hard part


So instead of paying attention to what God says
and what Jesus says

do you think we followed Peter
instead of God
because it was easier

it was easier
to build the booth

to build churches
to build institutions
to get busy..on something else

do You think
we have followed the impulses of Peter...
this human nature..this human need
of doing something that we can manage and maybe handle ...
its easier to work with church institutions.
than to work with the church as living... surprising..growing spiritual movement of God

maybe it easier
to make up some rules and form some religious corporation that we can support
than it is to be the living body of Christ..living by the Holy spirit


Do you think we would ever do anything like that?!

Have we decided to try and fit God into some doctrines
so we can argue about it. Or somehow keep it....manage it...

Hold on to it.. .and maybe say my booth is better than your booth

ok I
I m being a little cynical... .but have you ever thought about that.?

or we spend all of our time in the shrines

instead of following Jesus .

.out to the crowds and down into the valley

maybe we think
is easier to stay in the shrine
in the sanctuary
in the institution
in the shelter
in the comfort zone
and talk about what we saw..

Then to have to go
and actually do what we are told to do..

I think about this whole transfiguration story
and it happens just as Jesus is talking about the cross

this following Jesus life. .is going to get hard.

.Jerusalem is coming, the cross is coming and Peter doesn’t want to hear about it...

that conversation happened just before the transfiguration

Look at verse 22 in chapter 16 just before this..

Peter doesn’t want to make the trip to the cross.

Maybe that’s also why he wants to stay on the mountain
and settle into a booth, stay in the shelter


Do we ever do that... ?

But now the Transfiguration story says “I cant stay there

I have to listen to Jesus. I have to hear the voice of God that says pay attention to Jesus.

Listen to him
the one who says
things like : Love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you.
Do good to those who hate you

(You might think its easier to build a booth!)

Forgive 7 times 70 times..
Turn the other cheek
give without expecting anything in return

Love the Lord your God
with all your heart soul mind and strength
and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Love one another as I have loved you..Jesus said

Take up your cross and follow me
deny yourself

take my yoke upon you

greatest of all shall be servant of all.

All of that is a kind of sacrificial living

it changes us...something in us will die..
We die to our sin.
and something new will come alive

it’s the cross

Its what God told us to obey.

Jesus fed the multitude
healed the sick
welcomed the outcast
blessed the little children

ate with tax collectors and sinners

and in all of that

He told us to go and do likewise..

he said Follow me.

Do you want to hear that.. Personally and as a congregation

Where does that kind of life get you,?

,well it gets you to the cross.

Do you want to listen and obey.
Of course we do.
We’re not going to ignore Jesus

but lets confess the tension
watch for the temptation

Because its easier to build a building

than it is to build a community of wholeness in Christ
its easier to build an institution or a doctrine
than it is to build a relationship and a life of faith

it is easy to get lost in the wonderful clouds of theological speculation ..

and then forget what Jesus simply said.

Its just too easy to build a both
and put up the shrine ..even if its shrine for Jesus and Moses and Elijah
................................

My wife, Beth, is leading a read aloud book study on Wednesday evenings
and they are using the book called In His Steps
and its about a church that decided to ask the question ...for a year
what would Jesus do..
And then try to do it..

and of course a few years ago that was a popular question

with the WWJD bracelets and all that
but I think we have to go that step of what will I do
in the spirit of Christ
what does Jesus want me to do..

That the listening and the doing.

Is there some listen and doing for us to do when

Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes
--one child every five seconds
every day


I think of the things that I read in the letters to the editor or Vox Pop

Every day we have a chance to use words ..that can make this community a more respectful ..more caring place

or we can use words that hurt..and create misunderstanding

what would Jesus do..

Will we listen to Jesus before we talk ..

-------------------will we do what Jesus calls us to do?
One of the privileges
I have is to visit with some of the people who are candidates for ordination

and some of them are more tuned in with younger people and those in seminary these days.

and I heard at lease twice this week
that younger people.. are so interested in spirituality and in Christianity
they are very serious about following Christ..

But they do NOT want to that in churches that are just full of themselves.. They don want to work in churches that are Taking care of their own business
and they don’t want to get involved with churches that competing with each other.

They are tired of arguing and institution building

. Seems to me
there are people
who want to get out of the booths
and follow Jesus..
In deeper outreach
generosity..faithfulness
real justice...ministry to the poor..

Caring for the earth
and graceful change in Jesus Christ,

really being a witness to the Light of the world

I think that what this transfiguration story is all about..
Its about listening to Jesus...even when everything else in us..
Is telling us to go and build a booth