St. Andrew's sermon archive

July 13, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Amanda Currie) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:52:00 +0000

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

You may have noticed, as Jim was reading today�s Gospel passage, that it came in two sections. The first part was the parable that Jesus told to the crowds about a sower who scatters seeds liberally across the ground, and the results that follow. And the second part was an explanation or interpretation of the parable.

The Gospel writer frames the explanation as �Jesus explaining to his disciples what he meant by this confusing story.� But most biblical scholars agree that while the parable itself is probably one that Jesus actually told (or at least, something very much like it), the interpretation is likely the product of Matthew�s community near the end of the first century.

Jesus was, indeed, a Jewish teacher � a rabbi. And he brought not only a new message to the people, but he also used a new form of communication. Jesus� method of teaching in parables was not the typical practice of contemporary rabbis, but a new and unsettling departure in religious communication.

Without the helpful little explanation that Matthew�s Gospel provides, we can imagine that both the crowds and the disciples would have been confused, or perhaps intrigued by Jesus� little stories.

The biblical scholar C.H. Dodd describes a parable in this way:
�At its simplest, the parable is a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought.�

Though Matthew�s Gospel gives us an �explanation� of the meaning of Jesus� parable, it may or may not be the meaning that Jesus intended when he told the story. Or perhaps it�s just ONE of the meanings that Jesus intended.

Matthew interprets the parable as an allegory. Everything in the story represents something else. The seeds are the Word of God. And when they fall onto the ground (or onto the ears of various people) they either grow and produce a harvest, or they are impeded in some way� by lack of understanding, by trouble and persecution, or by the cares of the world.

Matthew�s community, near the end of the first century, was trying to make sense of the fact that many people were rejecting Jesus and his message. They were likely struggling with the problem that only a relatively few people were being saved when they encountered God�s Word � and others were hearing it and rejecting it. Matthew�s group was preaching the Gospel faithfully to anyone who would listen, but sometimes it just didn�t seem to have an effect.

The parable and its interpretation must have served as a consolation when their mission wasn�t going anywhere quickly � an encouragement to keep on trying, because there must be some good soil out there somewhere!

Although most of us are inclined to accept the allegorical interpretation of this parable, the problem that I have with it is the question it leads us to want to ask. And that question is usually, �What kind of soil am I?� Or even worse, �What kind of soil is that person, or that person?�

It�s the same trouble that I have with a strict doctrine of Predestination � the idea that God has predestined some of us for salvation and others are destined to go the other way. We start wondering who�s who, and trying to judge which people God has put on the list. And that kind of judging always leads us into trouble.

An alternative approach (rather than starting to ask ourselves, �What kind of soil am I?�) might be to set aside Matthew�s interpretation of the parable for a moment and look at the parable itself again.

Jesus said: �Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!�

Parables are little stories or sayings that draw their content from the everyday world of the listeners. On the surface, they are not religious at all, but when we start to think about them, we realize that they have a deeper meaning.

Our parable is about more than seeds and where they grow best. We can be fairly certain that Jesus was not just reminding his listeners that seeds grow better in good soil, away from rocks and thorns. They already knew that, so his story is likely about something else.

Well, the one thing that Jesus preached and taught about the most was the kingdom of God. Many of his parables begin with the words, �The kingdom of God is like this�� And though this parable doesn�t say it explicitly, I think it�s safe to assume that this is another parable about the kingdom of God.

And if that is the case, the most obvious message in the parable is that the kingdom of God will be successful in coming about. Despite the challenges and setbacks of rocky soil, of path & birds, of weeds and thorns, some of the seeds in the parable fall onto fertile ground, and the yield that comes from them is enormous! The parable says that the harvest from some of those seeds is a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty � that�s way more than a farmer would have expected from a few seeds!

To an early church that was discouraged by failures, by rejection and persecution, this parable would have been good news. God is able to produce an abundant harvest, despite the seemingly limited resources and potential. Perhaps the parable is encouragement NOT to give up in mission. Though many attempts will not lead to success, they need to trust in the fact that God will eventually produce a harvest through their efforts.

So, in setting aside the allegorical interpretation, we resist identifying individuals as good soil, or path, or weed-infested ground. We avoid righting people off as �no good,� as if we can know the mind of God and who will be saved.

On a day like today, when we baptize a child like Kayden, we do not ponder whether God has chosen her to be good soil, or rocky soil, or path. Because we assume, that like the rest of us, her life of faith (as she encounters God�s Word) will likely include all of the above.

As her parents and God-parents, family, and church work to enact the promises that we have made today, there will be times when the Word of God does not take root and grow � perhaps because she doesn�t understand, perhaps because there are other distractions, perhaps because it stays at the level of her head and does not immediately take root in her heart.

But we need not be discouraged with Kayden, or with any of our children, or with each other, when God�s Word does not seem to be taking hold within our lives, or when we do not yet see the harvest that will eventually come from that Word. And we musn�t give up. We need to remember that as members of Christ�s body, the Church, we are partners with Christ in sowing the seeds that are the Word of God.

There was nothing in the parable that indicated any grave concern about the seeds that were not successful. There was no avoiding of the rocky looking areas, or testing of the depth of the soil. Instead, the seeds were scattered liberally, with faith and trust that those seeds that did grow up strong would produce an abundant harvest.

I think that�s what those promises are about, for us who welcome new children and adults into our communities of faith. We promise to guide and nurture Kayden in word and deed, in love and in prayer, and to share with her the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Not only for Kayden, but for each young child, and each youth, and each adult. We promise to do it whether we think they�re going to �get it� or not. We promise to do it because sowing the Word is what Jesus does, and we are called to follow his way and live like him.

We need not be discouraged, and we need not feel inadequate in what we are doing � whether we�re preaching, or teaching, or caregiving, or serving, or revealing God�s Word in friendship and fellowship. Because God is the one who will surprise and amaze us with a sudden and abundant harvest. And the kingdom will come. There is no doubt about that.

Remember the greatest disappointment that Jesus� followers once experienced� They had placed their trust and their hope in him. They thought that he would be their new king. They thought that his kingdom would come� But he was arrested. He was tried. He was sentenced to death and executed on a cross like a criminal. But like a few precious seeds that suddenly grow up and produce a surprisingly abundant harvest, Jesus was raised from death and ascended to reign with God.

And his kingdom has come. His kingdom is coming. May God speed the day when the kingdom will come in its fullness. And may God bless and empower us as we partner with Christ in sowing the seeds of the Gospel. Amen.

July 6, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Amanda Currie) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:43:00 +0000

Genesis 24:34-38
Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Romans 7:15-25a
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

This is the season of the church year that is often called �ordinary time.� It�s the season after Pentecost, a long period without special celebrations until we finally get to Reign of Christ Sunday at the end of November and then the season of Advent in December. During this �ordinary time,� the lectionary readings can feel rather random. On a special Sunday, like Reign of Christ, or Easter, or even the third Sunday of Lent, the readings are chosen to connect with the particular theme of the day or the season. So when you read them together, they seem to fit together. But during ordinary time, there is no particular effort made for the readings to �fit together.�

For the past few Sundays, we have been reading through the book of Genesis, reading through Paul�s letter to the Romans, and reading through the Gospel according to Matthew. The psalm (or in today�s case, the passage from Song of Solomon) is chosen to connect with the Old Testament readings. So, if you noticed that the wedding song we heard today fit very nicely after reading about how Isaac found and married his wife Rebekah� well, that�s the reason why it fit so well. Those who put together the cycle of lectionary readings chose that passage from the Song of Solomon to reflect on the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah. But they didn�t make any attempt to match up the readings from Romans or Matthew to that marriage theme.

And yet, when I began to study the readings for today, I immediately found connections between them that can�t have been intentional on the part of the lectionary authors. Or, perhaps it�s not so much that I found connections, but it�s more that reading the texts together influenced what I noticed about them and focused on.

The Genesis and Song of Solomon texts got me thinking about marriage. And since it is the season of weddings, and since I was also working on wedding sermons last week, the marriage theme seemed to jump out at me. So, as I read from Romans about Paul�s inner conflict and his struggles with �doing what he does not want to do� I thought about conflict within marriage.

Perhaps there are couples that do not argue or fight from time to time, but I haven�t met any. And perhaps there are people who are always polite and respectful and reasonable when they disagree with their spouses or other loved ones, but I don�t know of any. When it comes to our closest relationships, I think we can all relate to Paul�s frustration with himself. We often don�t do or say what we know is right. We do the very things we hate. We do the things, and we say the words that hurt our partners or put them down. In the heat of the moment, we do what we do not want to do� out of deep frustration, because of insecurity, or maybe just because we�ve been trying so hard to be �nice� to everyone else out in the world, and here is someone who is �safe� to yell at or be impatient with.

Paul wasn�t referring to a marriage relationship when he wrote about the power of evil within him. But he wrote: �I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.� I think that there are times when we might share his feeling of frustration in terms of the challenges of being married or being in other close relationships.

Paul expressed his distress over his inability to do what he wanted and to do what he knew was right in these words: �So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?�

Paul clearly feels powerless. He simply doesn�t have the will-power or the strength to do what he knows in his mind to be the right thing to do. He cries out for help to the only one who is able to rescue him from himself. He asks, �Who will rescue me from this body of death?� And he answers his own question by writing, �Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.�

Paul doesn�t elaborate much on how God helps him with his struggle to do what he knows is right. And he doesn�t even claim that he does much better with God�s help. But what is clear is that he no longer feels so stuck � so enslaved to his continual pattern of doing what he knows is wrong.

So my question is, �How does having God in your life help?� How does Jesus make a difference to our relationships with our spouses, or our children, or our parents, or our best friends? Has anyone ever asked you that question? What difference does your being a Christian make to your life? What difference does it make to your relationships?

It certainly doesn�t automatically turn us into really nice people who always do things right. If you need examples of how that�s true, I�m sure that your spouse or sibling or child or best friend will be happy to provide some examples. Both my husband and my sister could list countless examples of my impatience, or of my selfishness. Yes, me! A life-long Christian, a committed disciple of Christ, a member of the church, and even a minister!

Very much like Paul, I struggle with my inability to do what I know is right. I respond to problem situations or things that frustrate me in negative ways. In the heat of the moment, I snap, I complain, or I criticize. And then I think, �What am I doing to this person that I love?� �What am I saying to this person that is God�s child?�

But though I am nowhere near perfect, I firmly believe that God makes a huge difference in my life and in my relationships. First, there�s the fact that I am called to follow the way of Jesus. It�s not just that I�ve decided that abiding by some religion�s rules is a helpful spiritual practice. But I have responded to an invitation to follow a completely radical and totally different way of life. I�m not just following rules, but I�m learning a way of being � humble, loving, serving, celebrating, enjoying, giving. I can�t just give up the call to love because it�s who I am now � well, it�s who I�m becoming � and that makes a big difference in all of my relationships.

Second, there is the amazing fact that I�m forgiven. Yes, I mess up. Yes, I do what I do not what to do. And yet, by God�s mercy I am forgiven. And I�m learning both to ask for forgiveness and to offer it as well. And it means that I don�t have to be stuck � I�m not stuck in past arguments, hurts, or failures. I have the freedom that comes with a fresh start � and my relationships can be full of new beginnings as well.

And third, there is the wonderful fact that I am not alone in my struggle to love. My faith gives me the assurance that God continues to love me even at my worst moments. God stays with me, even when I don�t acknowledge God�s presence or look for the way of Jesus. And when I do look, when I do ask for God�s help, I know that help is provided.

In our Gospel text today, the author of Matthew�s Gospel describes those who met Jesus as �children playing in the marketplace.� He was amazed and perplexed by the fact that they just didn�t seem to recognize or understand who Jesus was or the importance of his message. First, they rejected John the Baptist. John, of course, had come with a strict message of judgement. He challenged the people to repent, to change their ways, and to turn back to God before it was too late. And though many came for baptism and turned their lives around, most thought that he was crazy, that he was exaggerating, that they weren�t doing TOO badly with their lives.

And then, they rejected Jesus too. While most of them thought that John�s piety was a little �over the top,� they didn�t think that Jesus was quite �spiritual enough�. They were baffled by the people he hung about with. They watched him eating and drinking and celebrating life, and love, and didn�t know what to think. His way didn�t look like any religion that they knew about!

But the Gospel writer gives thanks to God for revealing Jesus� identity and significance to the �infants� � to the �little children� who by God�s grace are able to �get� what so many others simply cannot understand. Yes, we need to change our ways, turn towards God and the way of Christ. But Jesus has come to forgive us, to heal us, and to help us to live in his way. Our Christian lives are not meant to be tedious, onerous struggles to do what is right. As John�s Gospel says, Jesus came NOT to condemn the world, but that we may have LIFE in his name.

In today�s Gospel passage, we hear Jesus� invitation to that life in relationship with him. �Come to me, all you that are weary and are 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.�

It is a heavy burden to love our spouses, and our children, and our friends � to love them sacrificially, generously, and unconditionally. But, as Christians, we are not asked to be perfect or to do everything right by our own strength and resolve. Paul couldn�t do it, and I can�t do it either. But we are continually called to repentance � to turn again to God � to turn again to Jesus our Saviour. He will walk with us, and help us, and guide us. He will forgive us when we fail, and teach us to forgive each other as well.

Jesus says: �Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.� Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

June 22, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Amanda Currie) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:53:00 +0000

Genesis 21:8-21
Psalm 86
Romans 6:1-11
Matthew 10:24-39

Today�s Gospel passage from Matthew consists of some sayings and words of instruction and encouragement from Jesus to his inner circle of followers. In last week�s reading (the first part of chapter 10) Jesus summoned his twelve disciples, gave them power to cast out demons and cure diseases, and sent them out to the �lost sheep of Israel� to proclaim the good news, cure the sick, raise the dead, and generally to do the kinds of things Jesus himself was doing. So, keeping in mind the mission that Jesus had just given to these leaders in his group, let us examine the further instructions that he gives to them.

Our passage begins with a proverbial saying: �A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master.� As students of Jesus, the disciples are being told that they will experience the same kinds of challenges and struggles that Jesus did. He was persecuted. So will they be. He was rejected by many. So will they experience rejection. Jesus points out that some people have called him �Beelzebul� (another name for the devil) and these people are not likely to treat Jesus� followers any better.

As Jesus� disciples went out to the towns of Israel, proclaiming the good news about the coming kingdom, and healing and helping people in Jesus� name, they probably did experience some resistance to their message and their activities. The religious leaders and others in positions of influence didn�t appreciate what Jesus was doing, and they didn�t like the authority he was claiming. But it was near the end of Jesus� ministry and in the years following his death and resurrection that the things got really dangerous for the followers of Jesus.

In fact, we should remember that this passage, like the rest of the Gospel accounts was written much later on, near the end of the 1st century. And we should take note of the fact that it is particularly composed to address the concerns of a late 1st century Christian community that was experiencing intense persecution because of their faith in Jesus. Today�s passage is a message of encouragement for a group of Christians whose lives were in peril. They were probably scared to go out and speak about Jesus because it could literally lead to their death.

The Gospel writer is telling these Christians that, despite the danger, they are called to go out to preach and heal in Jesus� name just like the twelve went out, and just like Jesus himself went out. He�s telling them that discipleship involves becoming just like their teacher � doing the things that he did, and often receiving the responses that he did as well. And though many people responded positively to Jesus� ministry along the way, these followers know that the ultimate response of their society to Jesus was to fear him, to reject him, and to crucify him. They shouldn�t be surprised, when they try to follow his way, that people aren�t treating them very well either.

But the Gospel writer does not allow these Christians to lose their resolve � to give up on their mission. He has Jesus tell them, �What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.� They must continue their mission in spite of the risk, without worry of the danger.

Jesus says, �Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul�� And he encourages them to know that they are in God�s care, loved and cared for by God, saying, �Even the hairs on your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.�

So, what does this passage have to say to us? In a time and place where religious persecution is not really an issue, what are we to learn from this text? Well, the passage reminds me of the fact that being a Christian is hard. It involves risk. It demands sacrifice. It calls us to places and to situations where we might be rejected, where getting the message of Jesus across might not be easy. But we are sent out anyway. We are equipped, and encouraged, and sent out into the world to tell of God�s love for us in Jesus Christ in words and in actions.

Our passage continues with a promise and a warning from Jesus: �Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.�

I wonder sometimes if we avoid the risk that those earlier disciples experienced because we only really talk about Jesus in church. We compartmentalize our lives quite a bit, keeping church in one compartment, family in another, work in another, and perhaps friends in one more.

I wonder whether our decision to follow the way of Jesus affects the decisions we make as families, and do our kids hear us saying that our faith makes a difference to how we live? When there are choices to be made at work, perhaps choices that affect the lives of others, does it matter that we are Christians? Are we able to embody the love and grace of God for our neighbours? Are we able to see the face of Christ in our colleagues, in our competitors, and even in our adversaries? And, I wonder, does anyone know that Christ is our way and our strength to do what is right?

As our passage continues, it gets more and more demanding of Jesus� followers, and perhaps more confusing for Christians today trying to understand what this passage is telling us. We usually think of Jesus as a bringer of love and peace. But now Jesus says, �Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one�s foes will be members of one�s own household.�

The reality for many Christians in the first century was that they had to choose between their faith and their family. Their lives were so radically changed, and the risks they took on in proclaiming their faith in Jesus were so great, that unbelieving relatives could not simply accept their Christianity as a minor change or a little quirk on the part of their spouse or son or daughter. Being a Christian was not an hour-long commitment on Sunday morning or even a few minutes of prayer and bible study each day.

Jesus says, �Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.�

It seems harsh, doesn�t it? � especially in a society where families are so strongly supported and valued. We may not agree on religion, but we can easily agree on families. �My family comes first!� I often hear people say, and no one disputes that.

But I think it�s interesting to note that Jesus never got married or had any children, as far as we know. Many of his first followers left families and occupations behind in order to follow him, to learn from him, and to participate in his mission. And even decades later, those who chose the way of Jesus often had to let go of family ties that kept them from fully embracing the ministry and mission that he was calling them to commit their lives to.

In the New Interpreters� Commentary, the author writes, �Discipleship is represented [in this passage] not as adding on another worthy cause to one�s list of obligations, but a giving of self that is the ultimate self-fulfillment.� The call to follow Jesus� way and to engage in Christ�s mission to the world must come first � before work, before family, before friends and hobbies and other activities.

And I don�t mean that we should all stop doing all those other things. I don�t mean that we should leave our families, cut off our friends, and stop doing anything other than church stuff. What I mean is what I think Jesus meant when he spoke about loving him more than our mothers and sons and the people most dear to us. I mean that our decision to follow the way of Jesus must inform every other choice and every decision we make in life.

It means that we love our children, and therefore we are called both to tell them about and to demonstrate the love of God to them. It means that our faith affects our choice of occupations, and how we interact with our colleagues, and how we do business, and how we treat customers or clients or patients, and how we spend the money that we earn. It means that we are determined not to let ourselves get so caught up in hobbies and activities and social commitments and even work, that time with God, time for worship, and time for mission and service get squeezed out of our daily and weekly schedules. It�s going to require some sacrifice to make sure that Jesus is our first love � to ensure that God has first priority in all that we do.

But Jesus says, �Those who lose their life for my sake will find it.�

I�m reminded of the family who decided several years ago to change their family celebration of Christmas. They used to do the kinds of things that most of us do for Christmas (Christians and non-Christians alike) � decorating a tree, opening presents, sharing a big meal, spending the day together as a family. And there was nothing wrong with that.

But one year, one of the kids noticed that not every family had the kind of celebration that they enjoyed every Christmas day, and every Thanksgiving day, and at New Year�s and Easter, and on birthdays too. So they decided together to change their tradition on Christmas day. They didn�t go their separate ways and make it a normal day like any other. Instead, they went together to the local soup kitchen for the day. They spent the day cooking and serving and sharing and celebrating with people who would not otherwise have a chance to celebrate. They gave up the Christmas they had always known and loved, and they experienced another Christmas � a Christmas day dedicated to embodying the unconditional love of God for those who are poor or in need. They put the mission of Jesus first � ahead of their family celebration � and the result was a family that grew together in love for one another and for their neighbours.

�Those who love their life for my sake will find it.�

I cannot help but think that this message is not only critical for us as individuals Christians and families, but it is also the key for our churches. As you likely know, many of the Presbyterian churches in Saskatoon and in other parts of the country are struggling. Parkview Church has already decided to close by October, and three other small churches in our city are being asked by presbytery to make significant changes in order to turn things around. With the assistance of a consultant, they are being asked to develop a plan for mission, outreach, and evangelism in their communities.

The immediate presenting reason for this request is that these congregations are shrinking and struggling. They need to grow in order to survive as church communities. But this focus on a concrete plan for outreach, mission, and evangelism is good advice for all our churches � and not simply because we want our churches to still be here in 5 or 10 or 50 years from now. It�s good advice because it�s exactly what Jesus was telling his first followers to do. It�s exactly what the Gospel writer was encouraging his Christian community to do.

Get your focus and your vision off yourselves, off your immediate family, off your neighbours in the pews (he might say to us), and start looking out. Start going out. Start reaching out and telling the world about me.

Don�t be afraid about how they will respond. Don�t be afraid about what they will think of you. And definitely don�t fail to enact the mission of Jesus because you�re too busy looking after each other, maintaining your nice little church communities.

I think that this church has many gifts and many strengths. We have some dedicated people working hard to do Christian education, pastoral care, worship, hospitality, and even mission and outreach. Our offerings support mission through our church, our presbytery, and around the world. But we still have lots of room to grow.

As individuals and as a church community, we are being called to be people of mission. We are being asked to make our identity synonymous with our mission in the community and in the world. We are being asked to become a church that reaches out � not just with a bit of money or a bit of time � but to be a church that exists for the sake of reaching out in mission and evangelism.

Jesus asked his followers to give their lives. Just as he gave his life to reconnect humanity to the God of the universe, Jesus asked his followers to give up their lives for his mission. And when they did give their lives, that�s when they found them as well � meaningful lives, full lives, lives without fear and with the promise of life forever with God.

There is a huge risk in that, I know, and a big sacrifice too. But that is the way of Jesus, and we are called to follow.

Jesus said, �Those who lose their life for my sake will find it.� Thanks be to God.

June 8, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Amanda Currie) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:12:00 +0000

The following message was presented in three parts. The first two parts (God Chooses Abram & God Chooses Matthew) were presented interactively with the children of the church. The third part (God Chooses Us) was presented in traditional sermon format.

God Chooses Abram
The first bible story we will hear today is about a man named Abram who was chosen by God for a special purpose. You might remember the name Abraham. That was the name that God gave to him (it meant �father of many nations�, but his original name was Abram, so that�s what he�s called in our story today.

As Rachel reads our story from Genesis 12, listen and see if you can hear what God is choosing Abram to do.

Genesis 12:1-9

Did you notice what God was choosing Abram to do? (Go to a new land, have children and make a community of people who know God, be a blessing to others�)

Any ideas as to why God chose Abram for this job? Do you think it was because Abram was really smart or strong or he liked to travel? This is why I think God chose Abram for this purpose� Because Abram believed in God.

There weren�t many people around at that time who knew about God or believed in God. But when God spoke to Abram, Abram listened and did what God asked him to do. Not many people were paying attention to what God wanted them to do. But Abram knew about God, and Abram listened to God, so God chose Abram and his family to go to a new land and spread the news about God.

God wanted the people to know about him and to live in God�s ways. He wanted Abram to have lots of children � and those children would learn about God too, and so would their children, and on and on�

We are so happy that God chose Abram, because through him, we all got to know God.

God Chooses Matthew
Even though God chose Abram for this important purpose, and even though lots of people got to know God because of Abram, there were still lots of people who didn�t know about God. And there were still lots of people who (even though they knew about God) didn�t try very hard to follow God�s ways.

God spoke to the people through Abram and Moses, and through other prophets to teach them how God wanted them to live. God told them to live by following the commandments � and the most important commandments were to love God and love your neighbours. But the people didn�t do very well at the commandments. They ignored God, and they were terrible to each other. Lots of times, God got very frustrated with them.

So, do you know what God did? God did something really big to show the people how much God loved them, and to help them to learn how to live in God�s ways. Yes, God sent Jesus into the world.

Jesus didn�t just tell them the commandments over again. Most of them knew what the commandments were. They just didn�t do very well at following them. Instead, Jesus showed them how to live in God�s ways. He loved God and loved his neighbours, and he invited people to follow him, and learn from him, and to live in the same way.

It�s time for us to read another story from the Bible, and this story is about Jesus. Listen to this story, and see if you can notice who Jesus is choosing, and what Jesus is choosing this person to do.

Matthew 9:9-13

Who did Jesus choose? (Matthew) And what kind of job did Matthew have? (tax collector) And what did Jesus choose Matthew to do? (follow him)

Jesus often chose people to follow him who weren�t perfect. Tax collectors were usually not very nice people because they cheated and took more money for taxes than was needed. Most people hated the tax collectors. But Jesus thought differently.

One day, Jesus was at dinner with some tax collectors and other sinners. Some of the religious people got upset. They didn�t think that Jesus should be choosing bad people like that to be his followers. But that was exactly what Jesus had come to do. He came to find people who didn�t know about God, and to show them that God is real and that God loves them.

Jesus came to find people who weren�t very good at following God�s commandments, so that he could show them how to love. Jesus knew that everybody makes mistakes, and he wanted them to know that God forgives them so they can try again to love God and love their neighbours.

God chose Abram, and Jesus chose Matthew, and God chooses each of us to be Jesus� followers, to be forgiven by God, and to learn to love as Jesus loves us.

Romans 4:13-21

God Chooses Us
It is good to be back home at St. Andrew�s in Saskatoon, after a long week of meetings and events at General Assembly in Ottawa. It was a good week of connecting with Presbyterians from across the country and of visiting with friends, family, and colleagues from Ottawa. It was a heavy week of listening, thinking, and voting on reports and recommendations from all the agencies and committees of our national church. And it was a reflective week of considering the mission and ministry of our Presbyterian Church � here through St. Andrew�s, within our Presbytery, and across the country.

Being at the Assembly, with about 400 other Presbyterians did reinforce for me that we are part of a larger whole. Our little Presbytery in Saskatchewan is not alone, but we belong to a church that is bound and connected through the courts of the church, through our shared resources and church offices, and through our commitment to be a part of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

The struggles that we are experiencing here, with not enough ministers, with a need to close or reconfigure congregations, with the challenges to care for the hurting, homeless, and poor in our communities, and to draw young people and families into our church communities� These are the same struggles that Presbyterians are coping with across the country. Though there are some regional differences, there is a great deal of common experience as well.

Though it is difficult to believe, there is one presbytery in Northern Ontario, the Presbytery of Temiskaming, that doesn�t have any ordained ministers at the moment. Compared to that, we are blessed to have four ministers in Northern Saskatchewan.

But being at Assembly didn�t just highlight our shared difficulties of declining and struggling congregations. It was also an opportunity to see a broader picture of the wonderful ministry and mission that is being accomplished through Presbyterian congregations and through our shared national agencies.

One of the highlights of the week for me was a morning worship service led by a group of youth from the Presbytery of Ottawa. Very much like the youth here at St. Andrew�s, these young people were becoming leaders, sharing their faith, engaging with the scriptures, and worshipping God in a meaningful and fun way. The worship they shared with us at Assembly was just a sample of the kind of worship they host each month at their Presbytery Youth Service.

Another significant moment during the Assembly was a video presentation from Presbyterian World Service and Development. It was a simple presentation of pictures from around the world, highlighting the work of PWS&D. What was striking about the pictures was the joy and the hope they conveyed. There was no hint of discouragement in the people�s faces, despite their often difficult circumstances.

Unlike the pictures of sad and starving children that some relief organizations use to solicit donations, PWS&D�s presentation didn�t focus on all the problems and crises in the world. It didn�t despair at the fact that our little Presbyterian Church in Canada can only do so much to help people in desperate need throughout the world.

Instead, we saw the joyful faces of people giving thanks for God�s blessings. We saw people working hard to live and to share with others. We saw people looking forward with hope and expectation for the future that God is preparing for them. We are a small Presbyterian Church, but together with partners around the world, we are being faithful to God�s call to serve and to support development.

I can only imagine what God�s call must have been like for Abram. God told him to leave his country, to leave his family, and to become the one through whom others (those around him, and his own descendants) would come to know and live in relationship with God. The journey to the land of Canaan and beyond must have seemed dangerous and risky. And all he had to go on was God�s promise of blessing and God�s promise to make him a blessing.

At his age, at his stage of life, it can�t have seemed likely that God�s promise would come true. What difference could one man make to a world of people who were alienated from God? What chance did an old man have of passing on his faith to the next generation, and the one after that, when he didn�t have any children and his wife was long past child-bearing age?

And doesn�t that sound a lot like the refrains we hear so often within our Presbyterian churches? We don�t have many (or even any) young people! How can we share our faith with the next generation? There aren�t nearly enough of us! How can we care for and be a blessing to the hurting people of our world? And the people out there don�t care one bit about God! They�re not interested! How can we possibly convince them to get to know and love the God who made them and who loves them?

The mission and ministry that God is choosing us to embark on seems so unbelievably BIG, and we often feel so very, very small. It makes me think of the many times that people meet me and say, �You don�t look old enough to be a minister.� And I think, �No, I�m probably not old enough to be a minister. I�m certainly not wise enough. And I don�t have everything figured out. But this is what God has called me to be and to do, and so a minister is what I am.�

As Jesus was going along, he chose people to join in his ministry and mission. He didn�t choose the really good people � the ones who followed God�s commandments and got most things right. Instead, he chose the people who were far away from God, the people who didn�t know about God, and the people who needed God�s grace and forgiveness. Jesus chose people like tax collectors and sinners. He loved them, and taught them to love in his way.

The improbable and the unbelievable took place through those unlikely disciples and apostles of Jesus. People like Matthew, Thomas, and Mary Magdalene were the ones who carried the good news about God in Jesus Christ to the coming generations and to people all over the world. Those who were far away from God were chosen and invited to come close, and more and more people began to live in relationship with God and according to God�s loving and gracious ways.

And so, like Abram, God invites us not to worry about how unlikely it might seem for us to accomplish our mission. Whether we are working on our call to feed the hungry and care for the poor around the world. Whether we are working on sharing our faith with the next generations, with our own children and the children in our communities. Or whether we are working for justice and peace in the world, striving for reconciliation with our neighbours of differing faiths, and cultures, and backgrounds� Whatever our particular call or focus may be, God has chosen us, and God will equip us to accomplish all that God has planned.

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, writes of Abraham�s faith: �No distrust made [Abraham] waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what God had promised.�

May God give us the gift of such unwavering faith. May we grow strong in our faith, as we worship God and give glory to God. And may we be encouraged today � may we be fully convinced that God is able to do everything that God has promised. Amen.

May 18, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Amanda Currie) — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:19:00 +0000

Genesis 1:1 � 2:4a

As I was planning our worship for today, I was thinking that we could simply have a wonderful celebration of God�s creation. It�s not very often that we read the whole of the Genesis 1 creation story in worship, and that setting of the reading that Adam read and sang for us today lifts my spirits in joy. When we practiced today�s choir anthem (The Lord of Everything) for the first time, it made me want to jump up and run outside � not because we didn�t sound great the first time through, but because it made me want to experience the beautiful creation that we were singing about.

This theme in the lectionary, it seems, has arrived just in time for spring - when Saskatonians are finally getting outdoors again where we can see and appreciate the natural world. We�re reading and singing about God�s creation just at the time when many of us are starting to think about and plan for summer holidays. Personally, I�m looking forward to a trip through the mountains to BC later this summer. I can hardly wait to experience those wonderful mountain views and to really enjoy the natural environment that God made.

But as I pointed out in the children�s story, God�s creation (which we gather to celebrate today) is severely distorted, extremely endangered, and ultimately at risk of being destroyed. And there�s no getting around the fact that the cause of the problem is us � humans. It is our lack of care for creation, our overuse and abuse of creation for our own benefit is putting our world and all its inhabitants in peril.

Just the other day, the World Wildlife Fund released some statistics that indicate a severe decline in animals on the planet. In 35 years, between 1970-2005, there has been a 27% drop in overall wildlife on the earth. And marine life has suffered even more, dropping by 28% in just 10 years (between 1995-2005).

They�re calling this a �great extinction episode.� That�s the same language used to describe the period when dinosaurs were wiped off the face of the earth. But the difference is that this unprecedented decline in wildlife is our fault. The WWF blames human activity for what is happening to the animals � pollution, urban expansion, and over-fishing.

The Hebrew scriptures contain two distinct stories that explain in poetic and narrative form how God created the world and everything in it. The first one, that we read today, is my personal favourite � perhaps because it is such a beautifully crafted poem. It feels like a song that should be sung in celebration of God�s wonderful creation.

This first creation story in the Bible was probably composed by the Israelites during the Babylonian exile. In her book, �The Luminous Web,� Barbara Brown Taylor describes the shaping of the creation story as a counter-cultural protest of the people of Israel against the creation story of their Babylonian captors. While their oppressors saw the origins of the universe as violent and bloody, the Israelites told their children a different story rooted in goodness and blessing...

Light came from the darkest night, and order from chaos. The sun and the moon and the stars were set as signs of beauty and the changing of the seasons, providing light and direction and the keeping of time. God filled the earth with vegetation that was fruitful and nourishing, moved the waters back from the land and provided a home for the creatures that crawled across it, walked upon it, and flew over it. In the midst of this loveliness, humankind was tenderly placed and blessed and called to be caretakers and stewards. And God looked upon all this, and found it good.

While scientists work on trying to figure out how and when the world and all its inhabitants came into being, we have this poetic story that doesn�t even attempt to answer the how and the when questions. It�s purpose is not scientific, but religious. The story is true � not in the sense of being historically factual � but in the sense that it conveys the truth that the world was made to be good and meaningful. And it gives us, as human beings, an indication of our true purpose and responsibility in this wonderful world that God made.

As we read the story from Genesis, the refrain that we hear over and over again is that God saw that it was good. The world that God created is a good world, the light, the sky, the dry land, the plants, the sun, the moon, swarms of living creatures, humankind� All are good. In fact, on the sixth day of creation, �God saw everything that God had made, and indeed, it was very good.�

As human beings, created in the image of God, we are blessed and given the instruction to �Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.�

Historically, I think we�ve misinterpreted that instruction and used it as justification for doing whatever we want to the environment. We�ve acted like we�ve been set up like gods over the plants and animals (and often over other people too) and we�ve used everything around us for our benefit.

One commentator suggests that we�ve mixed up the words �dominion� and �domination.� God�s words to humankind were to have �dominion� over the earth and all its creatures. But �dominion� is a word that seems to cause more trouble than it solves because it sounds so much like �domination.� When we think of �domination,� we think of the autocratic rule of one thing over something else. But �dominion� has a different connotation. �Dominion� is the benevolent sovereignty of one thing over another.

The similarity in these words is that both domination and dominion describe a type of power. Their distinguishing factor lies in the motive behind the power. The motive in domination is so the ruler can get whatever he/she wants. However, the motive in dominion is for the ruler to be entrusted with the best interest of the subject.

Walter Brueggemann, in his commentary on Genesis, says that the image of God reflected in humanity is like a king who establishes statues of himself to assert his sovereign rule where the king himself cannot be present. We are God�s statues � not stone cold or unmoving, but statues in that we are God�s presence in the world. As humankind, created in the image of God, we are given dominion over all the other creatures that inhabit the earth. The creatures that inhabit the earth have been entrusted to our care.

We have been given power, but it is power as God exercises power � the creative use of power to love, to bless, and to care for the other. The power we have in relation to creation is not coercive or tyrannical. The dominion that we have been given demands that we secure the well-being of every other creature. We are expected to care for this good earth and all that is in it, in such a way that everything will grow, and flourish, and thrive. And that includes the air, water, land, plants, animals, and even other human beings.

I like the way Sharon Kore, a Presbyterian preacher in Virginia, put it: �The dominion we exercise must be understood in the way of Jesus of Nazareth � the one who rules is the one who serves... Our role is to see to it that the creation becomes fully the creation willed by God.�

Everywhere I look these days, there are ideas and suggestions for how we can begin to live as people who have the power and the will to care for God�s creation. This year�s resources from KAIROS, our ecumenical social justice organization, provide many ideas for reducing our carbon footprints and for saving energy and resources. There are all kinds of programs available to help you reduce your impact on the environment at home � by adding insulation, using energy efficient appliances, and by using less water. And there are sometimes even some financial incentives to make changes for the better.

Some of you may have taken part in �Earth Hour� a couple of months ago. At 8 p.m. on March 29th, people all over the world were encouraged to turn off their lights and power for 60 minutes. And even if you missed taking part on that particular evening, you can choose any day to turn off the lights when you don�t need them on.

You can ride a bike, or walk... take the bus, or carpool instead of always driving your car. You can choose energy efficient options whenever you need to buy an appliance or to make improvements on your home. You can decide to buy less stuff. Think about the fact that so much of our stuff eventually ends up in a landfill, and only buy it if you really need it. You can recycle, and reuse as much as possible. You can buy locally and go to the farmer�s market. All these little decisions � all these choices that we make - can make a difference. We can choose to have dominion over God�s creation, rather than domination.

This summer, I hope that we will all have lots of time to spend outdoors, enjoying God�s creation. Let�s take some time to wonder at all the lovely plants, and animals, and land, and sky, and air, and sun that God has made. God made it all � and God said that it is good.

Near Anchorage, AK, Philip Yancey pulled off the highway to look at what many other motorists had stopped to observe, a pod of silvery white beluga whales that was feeding just offshore. Yancey wrote about his experience: �I stood for forty minutes, listening to the rhythmic motion of the sea, following the graceful, ghostly crescents of surfacing whales. The crowd was hushed, even reverent. We passed around binoculars, saying nothing, simply watching�. Just for that moment, nothing else � dinner reservations, the trip schedule, my life back in Chicago � mattered. We were confronted with a scene of quiet beauty and a majesty of scale. We all felt small. We stood together in silence until the whales moved farther out. And then we climbed the bank together and got in our cars to resume our busy, ordered lives, which somehow seemed less urgent. And it wasn�t even Sunday.�

May we take the time to pause and take in the majesty and wonder of God�s creation. And may we grow into the image and likeness of God, becoming caretakers and stewards of God�s good earth. Amen.

May 4, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Amanda Currie) — Sun, 04 May 2008 21:31:00 +0000

Acts 17:16-31
John 14:15-21

Until I started to explore this morning�s text from the Book of Acts, I had no idea how much wonderful stuff about God was packed into such a short little speech by Paul at the Areopagus. Your typical modern-day preacher takes at least ten minutes, if not fifteen or twenty minutes to preach the Gospel in most of our churches. And rarely do we manage to do it as eloquently as Paul�s little sermon to the philosophers in Athens.

The element of Paul�s speech that really spoke to me this week was the idea that God does not need us, but that we need God. It�s humbling for us � even the brightest and most gifted and most accomplished and independent � to listen to Paul�s words: �The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things.�

It�s humbling to remember that everything that we have and everything that we are comes from God. It is in God and by God that we live and move and have our being. And it�s natural and to-be-expected that we would depend on God, like young children depend on their parents. �For we are God�s offspring,� as Paul said.

Today�s lectionary text is one of three major missionary speeches attributed to the Apostle Paul in the Book of Acts. And it�s the only one that�s delivered in Athens to a group of non-believers. It does make a difference who Paul was speaking to. A good preacher pays attention to the congregation or audience to whom he or she is speaking. She uses language that is familiar to the listeners. He speaks in a format or style that the people are used to. And she draws upon experience and examples and cultural references that the people will understand and be able to relate to.

In this case, Paul�s audience was a bunch of philosophers. He was in Athens, after all, a place famous through the centuries for its philosophy. Athens was a great university town. It symbolized the �high culture� where ideas were valued, discussed, debated, and carefully considered by the intellectually curious.

In another speech, at Lystra, Paul spoke about �the living God who made the heavens, the earth and sea and all that is in them.� And he told the people that they should �turn from their worthless things [their idols and false gods] to the living God.� But now he�s in Athens, and Paul has to be careful and strategic about how he presents the Good News about Jesus Christ and the One God of the universe.

This is a place where religions abound, where ideas about gods are an open topic for discussion amongst anyone with the education and intelligence to engage in the conversation. No one is going to take Paul�s word for it when he says that there is One God only who created all that is. They�re only going to listen if he can speak their language and explain this �new teaching� to their satisfaction.

Athens was a place of many religions and a pantheon of gods. When Paul arrived, he was deeply distressed by what he saw around him. The city was full of idols � objects and altars and art work that the people worshipped like gods. In my reading, I discovered that it was typical in Athens for new gods or religions to be discussed in the marketplace, and accepted into society if they met certain criteria.

First, the person introducing a new religion must claim to represent a deity. Second, he must provide evidence that this deity is eager to reside in Athens. And third, the deity�s presence or residence in Athens must benefit Athenians in some way, as a mark of the deity�s good will.

What was surprising to me about these so-called deities was that they were so DEPENDENT on the people of the city. They needed somewhere to live. They needed a sponsor or advocate to argue their case and get them a space in the pantheon of Athenian gods. And they needed to buy their way into the marketplace of religions. They needed to provide some benefit to the people of Athens, or they would be rejected and homeless. Their power was derived only from the attention and worship that the people gave to them. And without it, they were nothing.

I think it�s the same with many of the idols that draw our attention and allegiance today. Whether it�s money or material possessions� whether it�s success, or prestige, or food, or some other pleasure that becomes a god in our life� None of these things has any power or worth in their own right. They depend on us to WANT them, to think we NEED them, to make space in our lives for obsessing over them.

It�s our choice to buy into the idea that we can�t live without all these things. We choose to accept the idea that our lives will be so much better, we�ll be so much happier, if only we lived in that neighbourhood, or drove that car, or ate that food, or looked like that model, or went on that vacation�

Paul makes it clear that the God he is talking about is not in competition with the other gods of the Pantheon. His listeners are likely ready to accept another god into their lives, as long as that god can fit into their system and offer them some kind of worthwhile benefit. But Paul is saying that this god, THE God, is way above and way beyond the gods that they are used to worshiping. This God doesn�t need them, but they do need God.

And our God (the One God of the universe) does not stoop to bribe us into putting down our fashion magazines, or our home improvement catalogues, or our video games in order to pay attention to him either. You see, God didn�t need the Athenians� worship and devotion. Nor does God need ours. �The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything.�

The One God of the universe that Paul is describing is not dependent on anyone, human or divine. This God, unlike the false gods and idols to which we often give our attention, is TRANSCENDENT � above all and over all, Creator and Ruler of the the universe. God does not depend on us, but we do depend on God �since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things.�

Independence seems to have become a very important value within our society � perhaps another idol, I might suggest. Though we acknowledge that children are dependent on caregivers for a time, we expect them to grow up and gain independence � to think for themselves, to work for a living, to make it on their own without relying on anyone. We worry about and often look down on people who depend on others for help � whether they depend on social assistance, or parental support, or the income of a spouse. And as people grow older and start to have difficulty maintaining independence, many people experience a personal crisis. They feel like they�ve lost themselves or their dignity when they need to ask for help to get around or to take care of daily needs.

I think that one of the most important things for us to learn about what it means to be the church is that this is a place and a community in which we are free to depend on one another. We are free to be vulnerable here, to trust that we won�t be judged or ridiculed, and that we won�t be sent away to find help elsewhere.

Though we�re all affected by that strong desire to be independent and self-sufficient, most of us have learned through experience that we simply can�t manage on our own. Even the most competent, strong, and wise person will have times of crisis or upheaval when they need to depend on someone else. We�ve learned that it�s good to ask for help when we need it, whether it�s practical support, guidance, a listening ear, or simply prayer and presence through a difficult time.

In Christian community, it�s okay to need one another, and it�s definitely okay to need God. There�s no one who doesn�t need God. �In him we live and move and have our being.� God made the world in which we live, and all its gifts and resources that sustain us. God made us in God�s image, and gave us life and breath and all things.

And that�s not all. God didn�t just set things up with a world and people in it, and leave us to make it on our own. Instead, God continually reaches out to us to call us to live in relationship with him and in obedience to his commands.

Though we constantly fall short of God�s standards, our faithful God comes to us in Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit, and draws us again and again back into relationship with him. God shows amazing love and amazing grace towards us, and since none of us are capable of living perfectly, we must depend on God�s grace. We must depend on God. And it�s okay.

It�s okay to depend on God because, as Paul said, �We are God�s offspring.� We are the beloved children of the One God of all the universe. God is over all, and yet in Jesus, God comes close to us. God is perfect, and yet God forgives our imperfection. God is independent, and yet God invites us to depend on him.

This morning, we are invited to gather around the table of the Lord. We do so, not because we are strong, but because we are weak. We come, not because any goodness of our own gives us a right to come, but because we need God�s mercy and help. We depend on God.

And here, at God�s table, we will be fed, we will be strengthened, we will be filled both physically and spiritually. May we depend on God who made the world and everything in it, who is Lord of heaven and earth. May we depend on God who gives us life and breath and all things. Amen.

April 27, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Amanda Currie) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:09:00 +0000

The following sermon was written by the Rev. Amanda Currie and presented by Nicole Lindgren, David Ireland, Eva Anderson, and Allyssa deBruijn. Thank you to all the youth who led worship at St. Andrew's on Sunday April 27, 2008 and shared their experience from the most recent Synod Youth weekend in Weyburn, SK.

One: Last weekend our theme for the Synod Youth Event was �Talk the Walk: Putting our Faith into Words.�

Two: As people of faith of all ages, it�s important for us to work on putting our faith into words. And it�s not easy for any of us.

Three: Presbyterians can often be pretty quiet and reserved about what we believe. We don�t want to offend anyone, so we stay quiet about our beliefs.

Four: And the result is that no one is offended by us, but no one hears anything from us about the Good News of God in Jesus Christ.

One: No one hears how much God loves us.

Two: We can show people God�s love by our actions though, can�t we? We can �walk the talk.�

Three: Yes. It�s really important that we show God�s love by our actions. But when people wonder why we love, or when they ask where we get the strength to love, we need to be able to tell them�

Four: � �It�s because God loved me first.�

One: We can�t just �walk the talk.� We also need to �talk the walk.�

Three: Learning to �talk the walk� doesn�t just benefit the people around us who will hear about God through our words. It�s also good for us.

Two: How�s it good for us? It sounds risky to start talking about God. What if people think I�m weird or preachy?

Three: Talking about God is good for us because it�s a great way to grow in faith. You don�t have to know all the answers. You just might want to start asking some questions.

Two: You mean, we should ask our friends what they believe, or what they value, or what they think is important in life?

Three: Sure, that�s a good place to start. Then you can start exploring how you would answer those same questions and how your call to follow Jesus fits into the picture.

Four: I wonder how many adult Christians have conversations like that with their friends.

One: I don�t know, but we get to talk about stuff like that at youth group, and at SYC. And as we get more confidence, some of us might even start conversations like that with our friends at school too.

Three: I can�t help but think about Timothy�

Two: Huh? What do you mean?

Three: Well, he was a young person like us, right?

Two: Yes, I guess he was.

Three: And Paul gave him a really important position in the early church to be a leader while Paul was away in other cities.

One: Even though he was young, Paul encouraged him to set an example for the other Christians by the things he said and the things he did.

Four: Timothy had the job of reading scripture in the church, just like many young people do in our Presbyterian churches today.

Three: But he was also a teacher in the church. God had given him the gift of putting his faith into words, and Paul encouraged him to use it.

One: �Don�t let anyone look down on you because you are young.� That�s what Paul told him. And with practice, I bet Timothy got better and better at telling people about God and Christ.

Two: Timothy was gifted though, wasn�t he? I can�t imagine many of us managing to do the things he did.

Three: Yes, Timothy was gifted. He had the gift of the Holy Spirit to help him to put his faith into words.

Four: We have the Spirit too, don�t we?

One: Of course we do! The Holy Spirit was poured out on the whole church at Pentecost.

Three: The Spirit gave them the ability to speak in all the languages of the world. They could speak to the people from every country and background in their own language. And they could tell about all the wonderful things God had done. And everyone could understand what they said.

Four: The Spirit will help us too, as we try to put our faith into words and tell others what we believe about God.

Two: What would you say if you had to describe God in one word?

One: CREATOR

Three: FAITHFUL

Four: LOVE

Two: What would you say if you had to describe Jesus in one word?

Three: FRIEND

Four: FORGIVENESS

One: GOD-WITH-US

Two: That�s three words!

One: Okay, EMMANUEL

Two: And what would you say to describe how your life is changed or impacted by your call to follow the way of Jesus?

Four: I know that I�m not alone.

Three: I feel a responsibility to care for the people around me.

One: I appreciate and want to care for the world God made.

Four: I have hope, even when things are tough.

Three: I want to give of myself. I want my life to make a difference.

One: I know that I am loved.

Two: Well, that�s what it means to �talk the walk.� It means putting into words what we believe about God and Christ, and speaking about what difference those beliefs make in our lives.

Three: May God help us all, young and old, to put our faith into words.

One: May our words point others to God.

Four: May our conversations deepen and strengthen our faith.

Two: And may our words bring glory to God.

All: AMEN.

April 20, 2008 (Mission Awareness)

noreply@blogger.com (Dineke Kraay) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:08:00 +0000

Acts 7:55-60
Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
1 Peter 2:2-10
John 14:1-14

Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ! On this Mission Awareness Sunday, the members of the Hildur Hermanson group intend to emphasize the mission work of our national church and the work of the Women�s Missionary Society. My first idea was to give you a lot of Mission information. It would have gone on like this: according to the latest statistics, in 2006 Canada Ministries created Fourteen New Ministries. It supported Twenty-six Specialized Ministries. In addition it gave funds to Eight Renewing and Eighteen Sustaining Ministries.

These are awfully dry statistics. But they come to life when the people involved tell their stories as they do in Stories of Mission. And I could probably have provided you with similar statistics about International Ministries. But again, it is the stories that count. So, I urge you to pick up your free copy of this booklet after the service. They are on the table in the Narthex. And do read the additional mission information in the bulletin.

I would like to highlight, however, the mission work in Eastern Europe. The Presbyterian Church in Canada supports: The Reformed Church in Hungary, The Hungarian Reformed Church and its Theological Seminary in Romania, and The Reformed Church of Sub-Carpathian Ukraine in Ukraine. The work here includes education, healthcare, work among the Roma people, formerly called Gypsies, and refugees. The national office of the Women�s Missionary Society is planning a Mission Exposure Tour to these countries in October and I hope to go on that tour. And I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with you.

We, together with many other Presbyterians across Canada, support the mission work through our offerings. We may well ask why? What is it that drives us? Is it Scripture? When I read the Lectionary readings for this Sunday, I found myself drawn more and more to the passage in 1 Peter 2: 9,10. But the other readings lingered on in my mind.

We heard about the stoning of Stephen, one of the seven deacons, in the reading from Acts. Stephen is a man �full of faith and the Holy Spirit�, who did �great wonders and signs among the people�. But he got into trouble with the authorities. Preaching about the risen Christ costs him his life. Just before he dies he prays: �Lord Jesus, receive my spirit�. Is Stephen an encouraging example for us to engage in the mission work of the church?

The writer of Psalm 31 is in deep trouble. He has been faithful to the Lord, but people around him try to trick him, they even plot to take his life. He pleads with God to save him, but he is also willing to die for God and thus he says: �Into your hands I commit my spirit.� Was Stephen echoing these words? And Jesus when he spoke from the cross? Dying for God? Hardly an encouraging example either, I would say. Doing mission and risking one�s life?

Then in John 14 we heard about a place Jesus is going to prepare for his followers. And that place is none other than to be with God. Stephen knew he was going there, the psalmist longed to be there. Is an abiding place with God what we are hoping for, what gives us courage to be active in and support missions? Or is it still something else?

The author of the First Letter of Peter addresses the believers in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, the five provinces of Asia Minor. The writer calls them �the exiles of the Dispersion, who have been chosen by God�. Why? Why does he call them exiles? They are gentile Christians, still living in their own country. But something has changed. They used to be part of the pagan culture; they were just like their neighbours, who now reject them and make life difficult for them. Thus, as one commentary suggests, they really feel like exiles. They no longer belong. They have emerged from the larger culture and become a minority group, strangers in their own land, which has become a strange land.

The big challenge for them is how to live as a Christian minority. How does one act and behave oneself? These were questions the gentile Christians struggled with. And these questions should concern us as well. Throughout this letter the writer gives the new believers advice on how to live and behave among their pagan neighbours. He tells them in chapter 1 to be holy in all their conduct and to love one another deeply from the heart.

In chapter 2: 9, 10, however, the author makes a profound statement. It must have shocked these exiles, who felt like aliens in their own country, when they heard these amazing words. Listen to his statement:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God�s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God�s people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
He tells them what their true identity is, who they really are. They may feel like exiles, aliens, but they are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God�s own people.

Reflecting on these words, I wondered about the reaction of these early Christians. Were they surprised, did they doubt these words? Did they feel like saying, well, now, wait a minute � Maybe we better talk about this: a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God�s own people???

We believe that God speaks to us through the scriptures. Thus, these words apply to us as well. So, how do we react? Do we accept these words? Do we really believe that we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation? Yet, this is our new identity as well. We are God�s people, called out of darkness into God�s marvelous light. I think it would be good for us to repeat these words over and over again, to make them our own.

Before we get too comfortable with our new identity, however, we must realize that claiming this identity includes accepting the responsibilities that come with it. We have been called out of darkness into God�s light. We have become God�s own people, says the writer, in order that we may proclaim God�s mighty acts. That is the vocation, the calling which comes with our identity.

Proclaiming God�s mighty deeds is what mission work is all about. God has accepted us, we are a forgiven people. Therefore, we are to share this message of love, forgiveness, hope and new beginnings in our community and with the wider world.

We do this through our daily living, through the many acts of kindness, the concern we feel, not only for those within St. Andrew�s, but for those outside as well. And our financial contributions to Presbyterian World Service & Development, to the mission work of our national and local church, and to the Women�s Missionary Society are all part of that.

The more we accept our new identity, the more it will inspire us to behave as God�s people seeking the welfare of those around us through prayer and action. May Christ Jesus, who showed us the Father, and the Holy Spirit, who encouraged Stephen and the writer of Psalm 31, give all of us the confidence to accept both our identity and vocation! Amen.

April 13, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Amanda Currie) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:04:00 +0000

Acts 2:42-47

The book of the �Acts of the Apostles� is a unique book within the new Testament. There are four accounts of Jesus� life, ministry, death, and resurrection. And there are many letters written by Paul and other church leaders to fledgling Christian communities all around the known world. But the Book of Acts is different. Its topic is the early church at its beginning.

Jesus ascends into heaven in the first chapter, and then we have the stories of the birth and growth of the church. Like the Gospels, its form is historical narrative, and its author is likely the same person who wrote the Gospel of Luke. And though the stories in Acts are about �what happened� among the first Christians, their purpose is greater than simply to record a historical moment. In fact, like in the Gospels, historical accuracy may often be discarded in order to relate to the readers (the next generations of the church) what was the purpose and mission and character of being the church together at the beginning.

Today�s few verses, from the end of the second chapter, are some of my favourite verses in Acts. They are a beautiful description of the Christian community as it is meant to be. At this point, the church has only just been formed. Chapter two begins with the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The followers of Jesus are filled with God�s powerful Spirit and equipped to share the Good News with all the people of the world. Next, Peter preaches a sermon, and some 3000 people are �cut to the heart� and join the community of Jesus� followers.

And then we have the lovely description of the quickly growing community. Day by day, they worshipped together in the temple. Day by day, they grew more numerous. They devoted themselves to the apostles� teaching, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers. And they shared everything in common � not only common beliefs and practices � but they sold their possessions and distributed the proceeds to all who had need. There was no one who was poor or rich. There was no one in need, because they held everything in common.

It�s that last part of the description that seems to be the most difficult for the church in later years to emulate. We live in a society in which private ownership is the norm and the expectation. We spend a great deal of time and energy accumulating �things,� and our children learn the word �mine� very early in life.

Picture the place where you live for a moment. Close your eyes, if you want to, and go into your house or your apartment, and look around at all your stuff... Furniture, books, games, nick nacks, appliances big and small, clothes, computers, TV�s, gadgets of all kinds, cars, bikes, tools, and so much more... things shoved in closets and cupboards that you haven�t used in years. And all these things belong to you...

All of these things... that you can keep, or sell, or give away, or share. If nothing else, perhaps the scriptures today might call us to reconsider how we are stewards of all these things. Perhaps we can begin to think about our stuff as gifts � gifts to be used for the good of all, and not so much as our personal, private property.

The same person who wrote this morning�s description of the early church also wrote a wonderful description of the purpose and goal of Jesus� ministry. In the fourth chapter of Luke�s Gospel, the author of Luke and Acts has Jesus stand up to read from the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue at Nazareth.

Jesus proclaims: �The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord�s favour.� And then Jesus basically says, �That scripture is about me. That�s what my life and ministry is about. It�s a Jubilee � the year of the Lord�s favour.�

The idea of a Jubilee is a redistribution of land and goods. For 49 years, people work away at their occupations, and some get rich, and others struggle. But when the 50th year comes, things are evened out again. Wealth is shared. Debts are forgiven. The poor are raised up, and the rich are brought down a few notches.

In the course of Jesus� ministry, we can see this kind of thing happening. Jesus embodied the love and grace of God for all who were poor, or outcast, or rejected by the rest of society. Jesus challenged the rich and the powerful, and called them to radical generosity towards the poor. The coming kingdom that Jesus announced was once in which there would be no more poverty or oppression or hunger or need of any kind. And here, in the Book of Acts, we get a glimpse of what that kingdom will look like.

I don�t know if there was ever a Christian community as idyllic as the one described in the second chapter of Acts. It�s hard to imagine that a community made up of human people could be as happy, and healthy, and conflict-free as the one described here. With over 3000 people in the group, how could there be none who slipped through the cracks and got left out or didn�t have their needs met? With so many people to contend with, wouldn�t there have been some arguing, some bad feelings, or some lack of good will?

The first Christians, like us, were human. So I imagine that this little description of the church is less of a description, and more of a prescription. It�s a vision for what the church WILL be when God�s kingdom arrives in its fullness. And it�s a prescription for what the church can STRIVE TO BE more and more, each and every day.

Verse 42 states succinctly the activities of the first congregation, and the following verses go on to give more detail. The Christians devoted themselves to the apostles� teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers. These are all things that continue to be our focus in Christian churches today.

We devote ourselves to the apostles� teaching as we study the scriptures, and as we interpret them for our lives in bible studies and sermons. We enjoy fellowship together as we gather each Sunday, during the coffee hour after worship, and in various groups, at special events, and even during committee meetings as we carry out the work of the church. We break bread together as we share the Sacrament of Holy Communion, but also when we gather for pot luck suppers, Women�s League lunches, snack times with the youth and kids� club, and even when members of the church invite one another to share meals in each other�s homes.

As a church, we are not meant to be just a collection of people who share some common beliefs about God, and who enjoy worship in the Reformed Tradition. According to the model set up for us in Acts, we are to be a community of care and friendship. This is not a place for anonymity, but a community of loving caring relationships in which we are striving not to let anyone slip through the cracks, or get left out, or experience need.

I know that many people here have experienced St. Andrew�s to be just such a community. When you�ve been sick, there have been people calling and visiting and helping. When you�ve been lonely or grieving, your friends from church have helped you through. When you�ve had questions or struggled with faith, there have been people here ready to talk to you, or just to listen. And often, when there has been a physical or financial need among us, our church has tried to meet that too.

I remember one Sunday morning a few years ago, when a member of our church gave not only some money, but also her own winter coat to a visitor who was obviously in need. It seemed like a very generous and thoughtful thing to do that day. But perhaps, she was already thinking of that coat, not so much as something that belonged to her, but as a gift of God meant for sharing. Perhaps that moment too, was a glimpse of the church as it is meant to be.

But all of this takes work and dedication � not only from a few leaders, but from all the participants in the community. And we can�t do it unless we are willing to spend time together... Sunday by Sunday, day by day... we need to be together, to get to know each other, to pray for each other, and care for each other.

And of course, we need to keep the door open, welcoming in new members of our growing community. Because when we begin to be that church described in the book of Acts � praising God and having the good will of all the people � then day by day, the Lord will add to our number.

May God fill us with the Spirit, and help us to be that community of love and care for one another and for all the world. Amen.

April 6, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Amanda Currie) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 05:52:00 +0000

Luke 24:13-35

It�s probably not too difficult for most of us to relate to Cleopas and his friend, trudging along the road to Emmaus after what was probably the greatest disappointment of their lives. Like them, many of us have experienced the loss of dear loved ones � sometimes suddenly, and other times at the end of long and painful illness. Some of us have survived losing jobs or relationships that have come to an end. Others live through each day with the extra challenges of physical or mental illness. Some suffer from discrimination, abuse, or debilitating poverty. And all of us, no matter how care-free our lives may seem, are daily confronted by the realities of violence, and war, and hatred in our world that we feel powerless to overcome.

Over the past two weeks, many people in the core neighbourhoods of Saskatoon, in some of our community agencies, and in the supporting churches, have felt a deep sense of disappointment at the provincial government�s withdrawal of funding for the �Station 20 West� project. As you likely already know, �Station 20 West,� at the corner of 20th Street and Avenue �L,� was to include affordable housing, a co-op grocery store, a public library, a medical and dental clinic, and space for a variety of other community agencies. And �Station 20 West� was a beacon of light � a sign of hope � in innercity neighbourhoods that are marked by poverty, ill-health, and hopelessness. We have a real reason to feel disappointed, to feel disillusioned, to feel rather hopeless in our efforts to care for all of the people who live in our city.

I think that all of these disappointments and struggles that we experience in life make it really difficult to believe in God. I totally understand if your teenage daughter is killed in a school shooting, that you might question the power of God. I think I get it that a single mother, living on assistance, who can�t figure out how to keep her kids well-fed and clothed and healthy on the income she receives, might start to wonder about the love of God. It�s not hard for me to believe that the most faithful and strong Christian might be thrown for a loop and question it all, when he gets a tragic diagnosis like cancer or AIDS or ALS, or some equally horrible news. Under those kinds of circumstances, I can picture myself trudging down the road with Cleopas too. I had hoped that Jesus was the one, but I must have been wrong. He�s dead, and I�ll soon be dead too, and that�s all there is.

But Cleopas and his friend were not alone that day as they commiserated with each other along the road. A stranger came along to walk with them, to listen to their story, and to offer them some hope. It�s not that the things that had happened in Jerusalem weren�t as terrible and awful as the disciples had described. It�s just that the story wasn�t finished when Jesus was tortured and died and was buried.

You see, they had misunderstood the kind of Saviour that Jesus was going to be. He wasn�t going to conquer the Romans by force. Violence and rebellion were never a part of God�s plan. Instead, he was going to be the suffering servant that the prophet Isaiah had promised.

In his life and ministry, Jesus embodied the amazing grace and love of God for all people. He taught about God�s forgiveness, and called everyone to turn their lives back to the ways of God � to live in loving relationship with the God that he called, �Daddy.� Jesus had a special care for the despised and outcast of society, for the poor, the sick, and the suffering. Both his words and his actions demonstrated God�s loving presence with those who were rejected or neglected by our human communities.

As Cleopas and his friend had witnessed, Jesus had the boldness to care for the least of society, even if it meant breaking some of the religious rules. Jesus had the audacity to claim a personal relationship with God that the religious leaders thought was impossible and arrogant. It was blasphemous, according to their understanding. And rather than continue to argue and to fight for his life, Jesus said what he had to say, and then he accepted their anger, fear, and violence against him. Can you believe that as he hung on the cross that Friday, he actually prayed that God would forgive them? �They don�t know what they�re doing,� he said.

But as Cleopas and the others would soon learn, that was not the end. The hatred and evil of the world that crucifies the innocent, that oppresses the poor, that causes all kinds of suffering and sadness DOES NOT WIN. Because God is more powerful than everything that seeks to hurt and destroy in our world. And though Jesus was dead � crucified by all the hatred, anger, and fear of humanity � God raised Jesus to live forever and to draw all people towards God.

On the road that day, two followers of Jesus were walking away in disappointment. They could not see any way for God (or for anyone) to overcome the setbacks they had experienced. They couldn�t see any hope. But the stranger who came to walk the journey with them was Jesus himself. Not only was he alive, but he was actually there with them, talking to them, walking with them, calling them to faith, to hope, giving them new purpose and even joy.

My prayer today is that each person who is struggling with sadness and disappointment would experience the presence of Christ along their journey. I have heard from many people over the years who have felt that kind of presence � something miraculous and holy that has carried them through extremely difficult times.

But I also believe that we are called to be that presence for one another. As individuals, and as the church, we continue Jesus� work of accompanying those who are sad, those who are hurting, those who are doubting or disappointed. We are called to walk together, continually pointing to the hope that we have in God, embodying the loving, caring, listening, encouraging presence of Christ in the world.

The Emmaus story points to two central ways in which we come to recognize the presence of Jesus. One is through the Scriptures, in which we learn of God�s love and grace, through which God guides us on our journeys.
The second is the Sacrament of Holy Communion. When we break bread and share the cup in the way that Jesus taught us, gathering around the table to remember him, we truly experience his presence and are strengthened to continue our journeys.

I don�t know what lies ahead for those suffering from illness or injury or grief. I don�t know when relief will come for people living in poverty, or for those being battered by discrimination or abuse. I don�t know when or how we will put an end to war and violence throughout our world. I don�t know whether the Saskatchewan government will restore funding to �Station 20 West,� or whether the people of Saskatoon will work together to make it a reality without government funding.

But I believe that goodness is stronger than evil, and life is stronger than death. I believe that light is stronger than darkness, and love is stronger than hate. Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!

May we walk together in that sure and certain hope. And may all our words and our actions reveal Christ�s presence to those with whom we travel. Amen.

March 30, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Rev. Amanda Currie) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 05:48:00 +0000

John 20:19-31

Early on the first day of the week, a friend of Jesus named Mary Magdalene went to the tomb where he had been buried, and discovered that his body was gone. Peter and another disciple went and saw it too. Jesus� grave clothes were there, but he was gone. Only Mary saw the angels that morning and spoke with Jesus in the garden, but she told the others that she had seen the Lord, that he was raised, and that he was going up to be with God.

The author of John�s Gospel doesn�t tell us what the other disciples thought of her report that morning, but when evening came they were huddled together, scared as could be, all of them in a house with the doors locked. But Jesus will not allow them to hide for long. Neither the locked doors, nor their recent failure to stick by Jesus when he most needed them, will stop Jesus from returning to them, and blessing them, and commissioning them to carry on his work.

Jesus came and stood among them and said, �Peace be with you.� It was a conventional greeting to follow a not-so-conventional entrance. But it was more than that too. It was Jesus bringing a gift of peace to a group of frightened and overwhelmed followers, for whom peace would not have seemed possible.

Then Jesus showed them his hands and his side, and they were overjoyed. I guess it was seeing those distinctive wounds that convinced them that this man was really Jesus. It was seeing those physical marks that let them know that he had truly died, and that he was truly standing in front of them alive. And their confusion, and sorrow, and fear were changed to joy because the Lord was with them.

But Jesus wasn�t just there to reassure his friends and make them happy. Instead, his purpose in appearing to them was to assign them a task. After repeating the greeting and the blessing, �Peace be with you,� Jesus tells his friends that he is sending them, just as the Father has sent him. And then, breathing on them, he says, �Receive the Holy Spirit.�

In the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, Jesus� followers have to wait until Pentecost before they receive the Holy Spirit and the mission to share the Good News about Jesus with all the world. But the author of John�s Gospel sees Easter and Pentecost as basically the same event. Even before Jesus disappears from their presence, he gives them the Spirit to inspire and empower them to carry out their mission, to continue Jesus� own work in the world. And with this Spirit, Jesus tells his friends that they will have the power to forgive or to retain sins. �If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.�

At times, these words of Jesus have been interpreted to mean that Jesus gives certain leaders in the church the authority and responsibility to judge others. By Jesus� own proclamation, they have the power to grant mercy and forgiveness, or to withhold grace and condemn the sinner.

Some are quick to point out, however, that the people gathered in that locked room were not just the leaders in the future church. There�s no indication that it was the 12 apostles that Jesus empowered to this role and responsibility. In fact, the text just says that �the disciples� were together with the doors locked. The group may have included Mary Magdalene and other women. It may have included children and older people. It probably included many who were not in leadership roles. And yet, Jesus breathed the Spirit onto them all � just as the Spirit was poured out on the whole gathered community on the day of Pentecost in Luke�s account.

In the past, I have tended to think of this puzzling verse as a clear instruction from Jesus that we are all called to be peacemakers and reconcilers. That�s a mission that makes sense for all the members of the church to participate in. Jesus is telling his first disciples that they have the ability to hold grudges and hang on to broken or dysfunctional patterns and relationships. And we do too. We don�t have to forgive. We can stay angry. We can retaliate, and hurt those who have hurt us. We can retain the sins of any, and they are retained. We remember them, and we keep on punishing them and making them pay.

But the first disciples, and all of us who follow the way of Jesus, also have the power to forgive the sins of any, and they will be forgiven. Just as God, in Christ, has forgiven us, we also can forgive. We can refuse to hold grudges, and we can choose to offer new beginnings. We can let the past go, and work towards a better future instead. Though it may seem unbelievable, we can forgive our friends or even our enemies, even seven times seventy times, because God�s Spirit will give us the strength and the peace to do it again.

I think that�s a pretty important thing to learn about ourselves as followers of Jesus. With the gift of God�s Holy Spirit, we are given the power to forgive or retain sins. And in following the way of Jesus, we are called to mercy and forgiveness, to be peacemakers and reconcilers, just as God in Jesus, has made peace with us and reconciled us to himself.

But in my reading this week, one commentary cautioned me to be careful to read this tricky verse within the context of the Gospel of John. What difference does it make that this verse and this story is in John�s Gospel instead of one of the others? Well, it makes a big difference! Because each of the Gospels carries a distinct theology coming out of a particular experience in the first century church.

Here, we need to pay attention to what John�s Gospel means when it talks about �sin.� Although this is the only place where the Gospel mentions forgiving or retaining sins, there are many references in John to �sin� � hamartia, in the Greek. We need to understand what John means when he talks about �sin� if we are to understand what he means when he has Jesus give the power to forgive or to retain sins.

�Hamartia,� in John, does not refer to a simple error or bad thing that someone does. It�s not about a moral or behavioural transgression. Instead, �hamartia� is a theological failing. To �have sin� is to be blind to the revelation of God in Jesus. �Sin� is to fail to recognize and believe in Jesus.

God sent his son into the world, and John�s Gospel makes the distinction between those who rejected him and those who accepted him, recognized who he was, and believed in him. Remember the blind man who received his sight from Jesus, and the Pharisees who would not believe. They were the ones who were judged to be sinful because they claimed to see, but they refused to recognize God in Jesus.

According to John�s Gospel, the essence of Jesus� work in the world is to reveal God to people. Remember these words from the opening chapter of John�s Gospel: �The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him�But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.�

Today�s passage suggests that the Christian faith community is to be a people shaped by Jesus� gift of the Spirit, and the mark of that gift will be the power to forgive or retain sins. But John�s concept of forgiving sins is not primarily about forgiving moral transgressions. Instead, it involves bearing witness to the identity of God as revealed in Jesus. The power to forgive sins is the ability (by the Spirit�s power) to reveal God to those who have not seen him. It is the gift of being able to make God known to those who have not recognized God in their midst. It is the opportunity to invite others into relationship with God, to have their lives transformed by letting God be God in their lives.

Jesus� purpose in John�s Gospel was to reveal God to the world, and this is the work that the first disciples, and all of us who follow today, are called to continue. But if that is our call and our mission, the question may arise, �How do we do it? How do we reveal God in Jesus to the world?�

Well, if we continue to follow the model set up for us in John�s Gospel, then we might turn back a few chapters to the story of that last Thursday evening when Jesus washed his disciples� feet and invited them to do the same for one another. Jesus said to them, �I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.�

By loving one another as Jesus loves, the faith community reveals God to the world; by revealing God to the world, the church makes it possible for the world to choose to enter into relationship with this God of limitless love. And it is in choosing or rejecting this relationship with God that sins are forgiven or retained.

It�s not only the apostles, or the bishops, or the other church leaders that are given the power to forgive or retain sins. It is the Spirit poured out on the entire faith community that empowers them to love one another, to reveal God to one another and to the world, and to invite others into a forgiven and reconciled relationship with God.

Our mission, as the church, is not to be the arbiter of right or wrong. Jesus does not set us (or our leaders) up as judges over our neighbours with the power to either show mercy or to keep on punishing them for their mistakes. Instead, we have the call, and the responsibility, and the privilege of bearing unceasing witness to the love of God in Jesus Christ.

May God�s Holy Spirit fill us, and inspire us, and equip us to fulfill this great calling. May our words and our actions, and our very lives bear witness to God�s love and grace in Jesus. And may our friends, and families, and neighbours, and even our enemies, see the light of Christ and turn, and follow him. Amen.