Heaven on Earth Project: A Systemic Overhaul pt. 1

The Heaven on Earth Project: A Systemic Overhaul, pt. 1

One of my all-time favorite teachers was Mr. Middleton, 8th Grade earth science.  He was 5 - 6, African American, with long dripping jheri curls.

To be honest, I don’t remember much of the earth science part.  But I remember him climbing on top of his desk to get our attention.   

He would hold his prepubescent audience captive captive by espousing life philosophies which have stuck with me even after all those years. 1990.

Might, might not, you can never tell, more than likely, not hardly.

Don’t talk about anybody, unless they are famous or a politician.  

My favorite:
You don’t have to do anything!  (that was great for an eight grader who didn’t do his homework. Middleton had no problem flunking anyone - teaching there are consequences for not doing)

Unless he taught us that the earth was round, I don’t remember much of earth science, but I remember those things.
We remember our favorite teachers.  
But sometimes, we don’t always remember the purpose of their teachings.

Who are some of your favorite teachers?  

Do you consider Jesus one of your favorite teachers?  
Well, what was the point of his teachings?

[What follows draws heavily from Cynthia Beaurgault’s Wisdom Jesus:]
We may remember:
The good samaritan. prodigal son, lords prayer.
some beatitudes.

What was he trying to teach?

One texas theologian who remembers after growing up going to sunday school week after week, coming away with the whole of Jesus teaching in this way:
“Jesus is nice, and he wants us to be nice, too.”  

Is that what Jesus wants from his followers? To be nice?

I wonder why we don’t know more about what he taught.  

Well, most of Jesus’ teachings were in parables.
And sure, a few of his parables are easy to understand.
But, most really are difficult to understand.  

Jesus said: The reason I speak to them in parables is that "seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.' (Matt 13:13)

No wonder we don’t spend must time on his teachings.  
We’re just being obedient, we don’t understand.  

And aside from parables, Jesus taught hard to and impractical lessons such as love your enemies; yet, our country, where the majority say they are Christian, loves to make war.

Jesus taught: Do not Judge,

yet the American Church is infamously known as being judgemental.

Jesus taught: “it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.”  
Yet, the American Dream implies accumulation of wealth and things.

As a result of the difficulty of understanding and much less applying Jesus’ teachings,
for the past 1600 years in the church, there seems to have been a lot more emphasis teaching about Jesus, instead of what he taught.
Many Christians have been trained fairly well in systems of belief.  
having the right belief. Doctrines and dogmas.  
If we can believe the right things, That will save us.    
So we make sure we call Jesus God and human,
affirm his birth by a virgin
His Suffering under pontious pilate.  His crucifiction, death, burial, and on the third day, her rose again from the dead.  He assended into heaven.  And sittith on the right hand of God the Father almighty!
We have learned pretty well teachings about Jesus
But, the earliest followers of the way of Jesus seemed much more focused on what Jesus taught, than on right doctrine.  

And maybe we should, too.

The rubber hits the road not in what we can affirm about Jesus, but in putting his teachings into practice.
Jesus says this himself:

"Not everyone who says to me,
"Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven..”


So today, and in the following 5 weeks we are going to look at some of these evidently intentionally confounding teachings,
with a specific emphasis on when Jesus teaches about “the kingdom of heaven.”  
The kingdom of heaven.

Quite often, when we think kingdom of heaven, we think of that home far away, up in the sky. sweet by and by.  Heaven.  The place of the afterlife.  The place where we one day hope to go.  
But, is that what Jesus is talking about?

At the beginning of matthew’s gospel, John the Baptist appears in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming,  "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." (Matthew 3:1-2)
Jesus, [too] proclaimed, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." matthew 4:17
that doesn’t sound like some place way off in the distance?
It has come near; it is at hand.
Even, it is within--something accessible to you right here an now.


Another way in which people have understood the kingdom of heaven is that is it is some kind of political utopia. An earthly utopia.  
realm in which there is an equal distribution of goods - a sign of God’s justice.  
But, Jesus seems to deny this as well.
His own people wanted him to be the Messiah who would establish this earthly utopia--

A political system which would re-establish the reign of David.

But Jesus rejects that understanding, and instead accepted the cross.

But perhaps what Jesus is getting at in his teachings, is a systemic overhaul within the minds of his students.
He teaches, so that our system --the system of our minds--experiences a complete overhaul.

It has been suggested that “kingdom of heaven” is a code word for a state of consciousness.
Not a place you go to, but a place you come from.  

A transformed consciousness.  

Non-dual consciousness. Or unitive consciousness.   
Non duality is a state of no separation.
No separation between God and humans,
no separation between humans and humans,
No separation between humans and creation.  

We are one. Somos Uno.  

The transformation of consciousness is the repentance that Jesus may be talking about.
The word “repent” comes from the greek: metanoia -
Repent may not really mean:
feel bad or feel sorry for yourself for all the bad things you’ve done.

Instead meta noia - literally means go beyond the mind,

or go into your larger mind.  

See with the eye of the heart,
JEsus is the master of repentance,

as he leads followers see with the heart.   

For those who know computers, think of it like upgrading your operating system.
From OS Binary to OS Unitive

we’re calling this series on Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom of heaven:

The Heaven on Earth Project: A Systemic Overhaul

This title, suggested by Holly Roach, a new comer to WPC, gets to exactly what I think Jesus is trying to teach.  

For starters, we’re going to get a glimpse of these kingdom of heaven sayings and parables.
A sampler plate of Jesus teachings.  
And then week by week, we’ll look more in depth.  

Jesus talks about the Kingdom of Heaven throughout Matthew sometimes in short phrases,
sometimes in parables,

to describe what the kingdom of heaven is like.

This morning six different people or groups are going to present on these parables in their own creative and fun way.  

Each narrator is saying the words of Jesus but,
most of the translations they will be using come from the Message Translation.  
So it may sound a bit different from what you’re used to for more familiar parables.

The Heaven on Earth Project: A systemic overhaul.


Hear what Jesus teaches his followers:

9"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"


Cindy: Matt 13:25-30
Jesus told a story. "The kingdom of heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too.
27"The farmhands came to the farmer and said, 'Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn't it? Where did these thistles come from?'
28"He answered, 'Some enemy did this.'
  "The farmhands asked, 'Should we weed out the thistles?'
29-30"He said, 'No, if you weed the thistles, you'll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I'll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.'"

"Are you listening to this? Really listening?

Mike and Keri:
From Matthew 13:44-51

31-32Another story. "The kingdom of heaven is like a pine nut that a farmer plants. It is quite small as seeds go, but in the course of years it grows into a huge pine tree, and eagles build nests in it."

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.
45-46"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.
47-50"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That's how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won't do any good."

Another story. "the kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman works into the dough for dozens of loaves of barley bread—and waits while the dough rises."

"Are you starting to get a handle on all this?"

Three: Chavez/Nadell   Mt 18:23-35
23-25"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn't pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.
26-27"The poor wretch threw himself at the king's feet and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.
28"The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, 'Pay up. Now!'
29-31"The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' But he wouldn't do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.
32-35"The king summoned the man and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn't you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?' The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy."

"Are you listening to this? Really listening?

Four: Trasie, Bruce, Little
Mt 20:1-16
1-2 "The kingdom of heaven is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.
They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work. "Later, about nine o'clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage.
They went.
"He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o'clock. At five o'clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, 'Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?'
"They said, 'Because no one hired us.'
  "He told them to go to work in his vineyard.
"When the day's work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, 'Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.'
"Those hired at five o'clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more.
But they got the same, each of them one dollar.
Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, 'These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.'
"He replied to the one speaking for the rest, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn't we?
So take it and go.
I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can't I do what I want with my own money?
Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?'


"Are you listening to this? Really listening?


Five: Holly, Mt 22:1-14
1-3 Jesus told still more stories. "the kingdom of heaven is like a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son. He sent out servants to call in all the invited guests. And they wouldn't come!
4"He sent out another round of servants, instructing them to tell the guests, 'Look, everything is on the table, the prime rib is ready for carving. Come to the feast!'
5-7"They only shrugged their shoulders and went off, one to weed his garden, another to work in his shop. The rest, with nothing better to do, beat up on the messengers and then killed them. The king was outraged and sent his soldiers to destroy those thugs and level their city.
8-10"Then he told his servants, 'We have a wedding banquet all prepared but no guests. The ones I invited weren't up to it. Go out into the busiest intersections in town and invite anyone you find to the banquet.' The servants went out on the streets and rounded up everyone they laid eyes on, good and bad, regardless. And so the banquet was on—every place filled.
11-13"When the king entered and looked over the scene, he spotted a man who wasn't properly dressed. He said to him, 'Friend, how dare you come in here looking like that!' The man was speechless. Then the king told his servants, 'Get him out of here—fast. Tie him up and ship him to hell. And make sure he doesn't get back in.'
14"That's what I mean when I say, 'Many get invited; only a few make it.'"

Are you starting to get a handle on this?

Six. Avery, Mt 25:1-13
Jesus taught: "the kingdom of heaven is like ten young virgins who took oil lamps and went out to greet the bridegroom. Five were silly and five were smart. The silly virgins took lamps, but no extra oil. The smart virgins took jars of oil to feed their lamps. The bridegroom didn't show up when they expected him, and they all fell asleep.
6"In the middle of the night someone yelled out, 'He's here! The bridegroom's here! Go out and greet him!'
7-8"The ten virgins got up and got their lamps ready. The silly virgins said to the smart ones, 'Our lamps are going out; lend us some of your oil.'
9"They answered, 'There might not be enough to go around; go buy your own.'
10"They did, but while they were out buying oil, the bridegroom arrived. When everyone who was there to greet him had gone into the wedding feast, the door was locked.
11"Much later, the other virgins, the silly ones, showed up and knocked on the door, saying, 'Master, we're here. Let us in.'
12"He answered, 'Do I know you? I don't think I know you.'
13"So stay alert. You have no idea when he might arrive.

Are you listening?

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Repent, go beyond the mind, and move into the heart.  
Let us learn from Jesus’ teaching and be transformed so that as we go, we may proclaim the good news, for "The kingdom of heaven has come near.' (10:11)


Daniel 2:44 NRS

And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom be left to another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever;

What do we think of when we hear the kingdom of heaven. Different from the other gospels of Mark Luke and John who speak of the kingdom of God.  Jesus, in matthew when talking about a certain kingdom, he says the kingdom of heaven.  
At bible study Wednesday, we thought that Kingdom of God makes clear who is the ruler...God.
And kingdom of heaven seems to refer more to a geography.  The place where the kingdom is located.


Maybe we can think of it in this way (again Beaurgault)
How many computer geeks are out there?
Well, how many of you use computers?
Do you know what an operating system is?
If your a PC user it’s called Windows
And if your a mac user its called Lion, or Tiger, but not yet Bear.
The computers we buy come with an operating system; and if we have them for a while we usually need to upgrade that operating system in order for them to work better with the latest and greatest apps. Are you with me?  

So think of us humans being born or at least growing up with a particular operating system.
The binary operating system.  The ability to see difference. To separate.
To distinguish between one thing and another.
We learn how to think in terms of good and bad, right and wrong, up and down, before and after.  That is the binary mind.
But, perhaps when Jesus is teaching about the kingdom of heaven, he challenges us to install a new operating system. That of unitive, non-dual thinking. That of seeking one. Of seeing wholeness.  That it no longer is about right and wrong, right and left, but,
that in Christ there is no east or west, north or south...
IN christ there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, ...
We are one.

Our Days Will End

Many in our society struggle to let go and say goodbye.  The Christian Tradition, while providing us healthy optimism for resurrection hope (so long as we, of that Tradition, aren't going around condemning everyone not like us to hell in the process;).  

Perhaps because of this anticipation of eternal life, we struggle to let things go and acknowledge that we don't understand what the reality of resurrection means for our lives, nor, because of the resurrection, escape the inevitability of death and its consequences, namely separation and loss, particularly for those we leave behind.

The Buddhist Tradition has language that helps to come to grips with the reality of life's finalities.  I think it could be very healthy for us Christians to pay attention to this language so that we may be better suited to face that reality.  We affirm life's sacredness. Might we affirm the sacredness of death as well.  We celebrate beginnings, might we also learn to celebrate endings.  A breathing practice (from Larry Rasmussen's forthcoming book: New Kind of Creature):

Breathing in, I know that I am of the nature

to grow old.

Breathing out, I know I cannot escape old age.

Breathing in, I know that I am of the nature

to get sick

Breathing out, I know that I cannot escape sickness.

Breathing in, I know that I am of the nature

to die.

Breathing out, I know that I cannot escape dying.

Breathing in, I know that one day I will have to

let go of everything and everyone I cherish.

Breathing out, there is no way to bring them

along.

Breathing in, I know that I take nothing with me

except my actions, thoughts, and deeds.

Breathing out, my actions comes with me.

  

Psalm 105 - Just Making Memories Grounded in God

Sermon - Psalm 105:1-11, 45b

Topic: Just making memories grounded in God - give thanks. Call on God’s name. make known God’s deeds, sing, and tell of God’s wonderful works.

Today will last 86,400 seconds. How many of those seconds will you remember? It’s likely very few.  

Yet, without memories, who are we?
It’s interesting to think about how are memories made?

In our family we use a nice concept pasted down from Trasie’s parents.  Whenever anything doesn’t go according to plan...which is a lot in life....we say: “Just making memories”
When you’re on a road trip, and you realize you’re driving the wrong way and are hours from your destination - Just making memories.
When you get stood up for a date...just making memories.
When you stub your toe while trying to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and find out you broke it! Just making memories.
When I got beat up in the sixth grade in a fight that I instigated...Just making memories..ouch.
Memories come from joyous moments -  like the birth of a child.  Getting that first job.  
Memories come from unusual occasions - Like when it rained this summer. June 30.  It rained hard and we danced!  Just making memories
Memories come from tragedy. The loss of a loved one. A terrible fight.   The falling of the twin towers.   
Memories shape us into who we are and what we are about. Just making memories.

(this exegesis draws upon Texts for Preaching, Brueggemann, Cousar, et. al. pp 419-420)

The Psalm 105 calls anyone who reads it to an act of passionate remembering.  The remembering, however is not an act of nostagia - it’s not a Garison Keilor monologue.  It is a remembering in such a way to define the present in a way different maybe from how we are currently defining it, because it is a present grounded in God; because the memories are grounded in God. It is a remembering that invites the community to a future that is given only by God who is being remembered.  

It is  written for a community - Israel - who had been rescued, chosen, redeemed.  But, those wonderful things... were a long time ago. Israel was forgetful.   This psalm is trying to help that  community, “which cannot remember anything important,” to claim its true identity, its true self.  Remembrance is crucial in any biblical community of faith.  When we forget what God has done for us - not only in our lives as individuals - that time when you first fell on your knees and sang amazing grace; but also our lives as a faith community - Westminster Presbyterian Church; When we forget what God has done for us:  We can slip into a pattern of self-sufficiency, even apathy or worse despair?

When we forget God, we become anxious, fearful, and unstable.   If we don’t seem to care about the past of this community of faith, its past gifts and miracles--or if we forget them... will we not “surely misunderstand, misread, and misconstrue the present?”

And really we are quick to forget.  How many seconds of today will we remember?  This psalm is seeking to battle for a concrete past and at the same time advocate for a different present.  It is calling for the redeeming of our memories, so that our present may be filled with hope.  God - Yahweh - so central and prevalent in the past.. appears to be irrelevant for these people of Israel... So the Psalm calls them to remember: “Deeds...wonderous works...miracles...judgements.”

Yahweh is our God.  In our very identity we are partners with God in covenant, God has made covenant, abiding, persistent, which is the overriding reality of our life. This covenant, to which we are bound, defines the relationship between GOd and God’s people. This is a promise that God will never leave us in our darkest hour. That we are in the care of God’s arms. And that God will help us to resist temptations.
So that we might remember...and be made free to be a blessing for others in our lives.

How do we remember God?  How do we remember God’s presence with us at this present moment?
At every moment...  We are a forgetful people.

As I thought about this passage, I thought about how memories are made. We have memories in our minds, yes. But we also hold memories in our hearts...those deepest sentiments of both joy and pain.
And we hold memories in our muscles...like riding a bike, or brushing our teeth.  Memories are present with us in different ways...and I think this Psalm invites us to capture memories in our minds, hearts, and bodies where God is at the center....

The psalm begins in “an enthusiastic summons to thank and praise.“ The first few verses simply repeat and reiterate in various ways the central act of Israel’s life: praise, and gratitude.  It says: “O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works.” Habitual and genuine acts that make memories.  

Give thanks -   If the only prayer you say in your whole life is ‘Thank You’, that would suffice. said Meister Eckhart.  Wake up and say thank you.  Leave the house say thank you. Get to where your going, say thank you.  Get home, say thank you. Go to bed say thank you. Memories of thanksgiving are formed.  

THe next phrase says call on his name - We do this quite well in our society. We call on God’s name a lot. What about when someone does something unbelievable. Oh. My. God!  And you remember that stubbing the toe episode in the middle of the night: Jesus. Christ!  I was trying to think of how calling on the name of God can be a positive practice: Not like calling to a pet in the evening before locking up the house...?  Jesus.
What about calling on the name of God like calling on the name of someone we love who is somewhere in a large crowd and we spot them but they don’t see us, so we’re trying to get their attention: God!
Or it could just be, Holy Spirit, come and fill this place!  We can work on that one.  

The next section: make know God’s deeds among the people.  This is evangelizing.  This is witnessing, this is testimony. Each and every moment, we can make known God’s deeds, by sharing love.  By working for justice. By living upright lives.  A saying attributed to St. Francis goes: “Preach the gospel constantly, use words if necessary.” Making known God’s deeds is about walking the walk. How do our actions show love.

The next ones are sing. Sing!  Sing!  The wonder and gift of song.  If I’m not in a good place, I can sing.  
African american slaves gave the world a gift of songs that were sung from a place of oppression in order to lift their spirits -
“I'm gonna sing, sing, sing,
I'm gonna shout, shout, shout,
I'm gonna sing, I'm gonna shout
Praise the Lord
When those gates are open wide,
I'm gonna sit at Jesus' side
I'm gonna sing, I'm gonna shout
Praise the Lord”

I’ve got this great image, when I called Monica and she answered and her radio was blaring..Sorry Chester, I was just jamming out to a WOW CD.  WOW is a compilation of christian music.   There are so many good Praise songs out there now. There are old hymns we remember.  There’s the doxology. which is basically what we’re trying to get at here.  Praising God. A Dios al padre celestial.  
songs make memories...

And the last tell. The people of Israel were commanded to tell the story of God’s redemption in their lives.  Over and Over.  Passover Feasts. Tell the story. We repeat the story as we celebrate Communion.  Jesus’ life, Death, and resurrection. It’s vital that we tell our own stories.  Whenever we can.  How has God redeemed you? How has God brought you up and set you free?  Look for an opportunity this week to tell your story of how God has been part of your life....   

The Psalm gives us good practices for just making memories grounded in God:  Thanksgiving, Calling on the name, making known deeds, Singing, Telling our stories. Our memories are redeemed, and our present reality transformed.

Just making memories grounded in God:
“Israel remembers in order to hope.”  We remember in order to Hope.
“Israel praises in order to imagine.” We praise in order to imagine!
“Israel learns” and we learn “that the truth of life consists not in security and achievement and power,
but in miracles remembered, in promises trusted, and a future that is given.”

By Just making memories grounded in God we become a  more present people, and in that presence we can rest in the assurance of that given future.  A given future full of old promises:  “Land...portion...inheritance.”  
With redeemed memories we remember God’s promises and we can “move beyond wilderness to land,
beyond exile to homecoming, beyond death to life, beyond marginality to well-being.  God intends that none shall live as displaced persons, none shall live without belonging in full membership.  And chosen people of God that belonging comes by just making memories grounded in God.  

I was with Sidney Brown before he died.  He had been suffering from memory loss for a long time.  
He didn’t know who I or anyone else really was.  As he lay there on his couch, fading away, did he know who he was?  I prayed with him before I left, and then began to recite the words of the Our Father.  His mouth began to move, and words were uttered as he joined me in saying that prayer:  He remembered so little, but somehow, in his mind, heart, body...he remembered. Who he was and whose he was.

That was just making a powerful memory grounded in God. Thanks be to God. Amen. 

Israel Palma - Que Descanse en Paz Siervo de Dios

I just received word from Pastor Daniel Izquierdo, with whom I did a pulpit exchange Sept 2010, that Israel Palma, one of the faithful, died at the age of 80, "after the long illness that was consuming his body but not his spiritual strength," says Rev. Izquierdo.

Israel Palma was one of the seven who consistently and faithfully attended the Presbyterian Reformed Church in San Antonio de Los Baños during the years of religious discouragement (1960s-90s) in that country.  He gathered with the other six week after week to read scripture, sing, pray, and ensure that there was a Reformed witness in that town.  Because of his courage and strength, there is to this day.
  He spent his career as a proud bee-keeper.  He and his wife, a Catholic, modeled tolerance in that differences of specific doctrines would not trump their love.

This is a short clip of one of my visits with him.  His daily practice was to read from a devotional, "Su Voz", and read from the Psalms. One verse from the Psalm he would write out and recite in English  This Psalm, 73:26, gave him strength as cancer ate away at his body: "My mind and body may grow weak, but God is my strength; he is all I ever need."  And see that warm smile and laughter at the end of the video..! (And notice the cigars...of which he gave me a few ;))!

I am so thankful to have met him, as his faith was one to be revered.   

Oil on the Rock

Genesis 28:10-19a

This morning’s topic is about recognizing God in our lives, and upon recognizing declaring, how awesome is this place.

Ruby Gene, now that she’s two and a half, knows well how to tell things apart.  
She knows that some things function for specific purposes, and for that purpose alone.
She knows that bracelets don’t go on ears.  
She knows that her hat doesn’t go on brinca’s head.
She knows her daddy shouldn’t use a sock to blow his nose.
She knows shoes go on feet, gloves go on hands, and diapers go on bottoms.  
Ruby knows what pillows are; she has a Dora pillow, and she has an owl pillow that I named Bury (playing on her name).  
So yesterday, I had to experiment,
in light of this passage, I had to try a rock.
I selected this one (show it)
brought it inside, and promptly lied down...and rested my head on it.  
And I asked, Ruby, do you like my pillow.  She went nuts.  
Esta no es almuada.  Papi. No!  
She pulled my hair as she lifted my head several times.
Then she went into the other room to get a real pillow and she said, here daddy, here. Esta es una almuada!  

Oh if only she could have seen Jacob out in the middle of nowhere using a rock as a pillow.  Esta no es almuada Jacob!  Jacob, evidently, had more to his imagination than a 2 year old.  

Jacob saw a rock, and said, that will make a great pillow!  Maybe not a great pillow, but a pillow none the less.
He was exhausted.#  He had left Beersheba a fugitive, fleeing for his life after deceiving his brother, Esau. He’s stumbling toward Haran. a vagabond, somewhere between a conflict-ridden past and an uncertain future. Far from his homeland; at the center of no man’s land.  The sun was setting there in that nondescript place. That rock looked like a good pillow to Jacob.

Many of us can relate to sleeping on a rock pillow.  Certainly many of us have questioned actions of our past
decisions we made; things we’ve done; We were sleeping on a rock pillow.
And what about our futures?  How many of us have had feelings of uncertainty about the future?

And yet we run run run, trying to get somewhere, but where? It’s exhausting, and rocks look like good pillows after a long day of running to no where right? Some of us may be sleeping on rock pillows right now.
And where is God? Do we see God?

The sun is setting on Jacob’s life that was. He falls asleep on his rock pillow....he dreams.  

He dreams of a ladder that reaches to heaven with angels of God going up and down on it.
A stairway to heaven connecting heaven and earth.  Jacob dreams and God speaks!

God speaks to Jacob where he is; God is not distant and far away, God is immanent, close, present. God speaks, and reminds Jacob of the promises God made to Abraham and Isaac and now to Jacob. God speaks when Jacob is most vulnerable, and reminds Jacob that God is his God.

God speaks and transforms a desperate man into a purpose filled man.  God speaks and tells Jacob his future is one in which his life will not be governed by self-interest, but rather he and his off-spring are to be a blessing for all people.  

Jacob hears God speak:  Then he wakes up.  The place has changed.  Jacob is a changed man.  

Jacob wakes up from his dream, And says, God was here the whole time, I just didn’t see it.  
His once bleak desolate world has all of a sudden become AWESOME! How awesome is this place!  

So, Jacob’s not through with that rock. Jacob, sees that rock.  That rock that he made into a pillow.
And he says, that Rock is going to mark that God has been here. He pours oil on it. And names the place, Bethel - house of God.  

I love the imagination of Jacob. Taking something so ordinary. A rock, and seeing a pillow.
Taking something so ordinary, a rock, and seeing an alter for God.

So much of what we see depends on how we see the world.  So much of what we see depends on how much of God we recognize in the world. Our imaginations can be holy. As we see what is, and yet, recognize that God is.   

Is that just a rock, or is it a pillow? Is that just a rock or is it an alter? Is this just a desolate place, or is it a place where we can find God? Is my life without purpose, or is it a life purposed for God?

We, as human beings, are so creative. Creatures of the Creator, we create some amazing things: from the wheel to the iPad we see materials in certain forms and creating something new.  But, I think we can sometimes limit ourselves in this process.  Our society has become known as a throw away society.  Items and materials that once were purposed and functioned in a specific way, like a can opener, or a spray nozzle for the watering hose; end up in the trash can after they grow dull, or break. We love our well functioning material, until, until, they no longer work well for us.

As creative as we are, so often we have limited visions, limited imaginations, so often we see a rock, and that is all we see. But Jacob saw a rock, and saw a pillow. Jacob saw a rock, and saw an alter for God.

In the middle fleeing anxiety, Jacob saw God’s presence. In the middle of an unknown future, he saw that he was called to be a blessing for others.    How awesome is this place!  He says.

I love that Jacob pours oil on the rock.  No one is watching him.  He is just there, but he has experienced God in a profound way.  He has to do something. Something to mark the occasion.  

He could have used the rock to give himself a haircut - do any of you do that, get a hair cut when a something big has happened.  Getting a tatoo was not really an option for Jacob - I know some of you do this when you go through something big. But he does have oil, so he pours that oil on the rock, and declares it sacred. Bethel.  The house of God. How awesome is this place!

How awesome is this place.

How awesome is this place?  

I think a lot about this church. This church, the people, and this church the physical building.  When I see the people gathered here, coming by, calling, emailing, do I just see people, or do I see children of God - heirs as Paul calls Christians? When I see this building, do I just see bricks and mortar, or is there something else that is happening here? Do I see God’s sanctuary?  A holy place?

In the 1950s, key leaders of the congregation, iglesia segunda presbyteriana de santa fe (hispana) had a dream, they had a vision. They saw more than just meeting in some space designated to them by people at First Pres.
They saw a place, a building, a gathering of people who would experience God.  They built this building, installed pews, built a chancel; hung a picture on it.  Brick upon brick, the sanctuary, the social hall, the rooms were formed, and given purpose. Dedicated to God.

Can you see past generations of people working hard to make this place special? They had experienced God, and wanted to share that experience by building.

And, since then, many have experienced God in this place.  In the midst of change and transitions, people have experienced God in this place. Through prayers, through gatherings, through Christmas Pageants, and Easter Sundays.  Through music, yes even through session meetings.  God’s presence has been felt has been so many:  

Have you experience God here?

In a hug when you were lonely, in a smile when you were down. In a bible study, or a Spanish Supper?

I have seen God do some amazing things in this community. I have seen people experience healing and wholeness. I have seen people freed from addiction. I have seen lonely people make friends and live out their calling in confidence. I have seen broken relationships restored. Here in this place, among this people, I  see God at work. How awesome is this place!

Right now, this building, which was beautifully and accurately described by Louise Singleton in a recent letter as a dear elderly grandmother who has loved us well and given and given; this beloved building needs some help. The session has approved a 15k capital improvement plan to give the building some help.  So, the session is asking for all of us to pitch in and help out.

Building and grounds care group have identified: Getting a stove and a dish washer, doing some energy improvements, some electric work and some roof repair, and hopefully, a history display to honor and celebrate those who had the vision long ago for this place.

We are quick to discard things in this society that no longer function to meet our needs.  In the 21st century, life has changed, and this church continues to transition, I believe God is present here, and is calling us out of our past, and constantly re purposing us and giving us a future, to witness to the reality of God in the world, and be a blessing to the nations.  So we can exclaim, and future generations can exclaim: How awesome is this place!

I’d like for us to use our imaginations.  If you have experienced God in this place, I’m asking that you give a gift to the capital campaign, as your able, which will be like the oil Jacob poured on the rock. Put some cash or a check in an envelope and mark it Capital campaign - oil for the rock.

That’s what I want to call the campaign - oil for the rock.

I also want to encourage us to recognize God’s presence in many places. ON the communion table, are small rocks.  I want to invite you, when you come up for communion or before you leave, to take one, take it home with you, and carry it with you each and every day, until a time when you say, Hey, God is present here and I didn’t know it! And place that rock there, and leave it, as a reminder that God is present. I’d love for you to email me or call me when you put your rock some place; and to tell me about that experience, we could have running list of where we saw God.     

How awesome is this place.  God is present here, There, in our hearts, Everywhere.

And calls us to a future which is a blessing for the nations.  

Thanks be to God.

Who Can Change the World?

"Margaret Mead once said, 'Never underestimate the ability of a small group to change the world. Indeed, they are the only one's who have." - From Tracy Kidder's Mountains Beyond Mountains.
Erik, Barbara and others around the country are in solidarity with Colombian brothers and sisters fasting this week while praying for a more just trade policy. Oh Lord, hear our prayer!

One Love - John 17:1-11

This morning's sermon is about the mystery of oneness - What does Jesus mean when he desires that disciples be one as he and the Father are one? What would a world of oneness look like? What would it be like to be one? Often times our first tendency as human being towards a vision of one ness is to wish that everyone saw the world like each of us do. If everyone could see things my way; then the world would be just right... That would be making ourselves God. That is far from the mark of Jesus' vision. What would it be like to be one? And it's certainly not a world in which everyone is the same.... What would it look like? Dream with me for a moment.... What: Politicians that don't bicker to gain power and ideological favor? can you picture that? There may be Republicans and Democrats, but they don't put each other down, and slice and dice one another up: rather with different perspectives, say, "We are Americans, let's work to provide adequate health care for the people..." We're americans, let's figure out how to get our country out of debt and create a more equitable system. What: We are one so We don't need a wall across our souther boarder... We are one so we don't escape regulations to make cheaper stuff... We are one so we don't drop bombs on people... that they May be one, as we are one Can we even conceive it? we have a long way to go: Part of what many perceive as our difficulty in realizing this vision of Jesus is that we operate out of what is called a dualistic mind. Or a binary mind. We easily see differences. And out of these differences, we easily conceive separation. Cookie monster sang merrily to many of us growing up or he sang it to your children growing up.... : "One of these things is not like the other.." One of these things does not belong" Children are complimented by how well they can tell things apart. This is a cat (Meow) and this is a dog... (woof!) very good!! And so the dualistic mind forms....and our binary brain creates our separated world. thinking patterns distinguish, and we learn to put labels on things, Jesus' words, Do not judge has also been translated Do not label. In our binary minds we are able to distinguish ourselves, and we understand ourselves by thinking about ourselves in terms of our own characteristics. WHo am I? I am a cancer, a christian, a minister, an anglo, a man, a father. And as I distinguish myself, I formulate an understanding of me. The dualistic mind easily sees opposites: black white, hispanic anglo, male female, right wrong, Christian Muslim Heaven hell red blue red or green us them, U.S. them Pay attention today to how many times you say something is good or bad. or that you like one thing but don't like another. Or that is right and this other things is wrong. what do those words even mean? But Jesus says: Protect them, ....so that they may be one, as we are one. As the father is in me, I am in you, Abide in my love. IN our world, we share one planet...that could be an easy mark of oneness. We live off of it's resources, and where it is polluted in one area, other areas are affected. This week I enjoyed participating in a tour at Los Alamos National Lab. One of the presentations given to our group was on Climate Change:. Yes, our planet is warming, and no prediction says that this will result in anything positive for our future...but our appetite for energy is not yet satisfied.... And, of course, the rest of the world wants to consume as much energy as we do in this country.... so a Billion Chinese are building one Coal Fired Power Plant a week. One a week...and the contamination goes up up up, into the atmosphere, the wind blows it east across the ocean, and then it comes down down down in polluted rain and a compromised ozone layer over North America. And what are we going to do: Pressure them? Sanction them? HOw many billions do we owe? Threaten not to buy from them? Ha! back to the lazy boy, change the channel to another mind numbing program, and turn on the air conditioning cause it's getting hot in here! .... But I digress: The global climate is a drastic issue that demonstrates more than anything else how connected we are. that they May be one, as we are one. Even in our church we are struggling with differences. Members...and friends...and visitors. Old timers, new comers...separation Spanish, Anglo..., Immigrant, Native born...not necessarily including Bruce. And Jerome.. Sherl...Shin....Where do you fit in? Maybe there is an "other" category...o thank goodness! division...even when the intention is to unify.... We are one in the spirit we are one in the Lord. Can we sing this song with integrity? Even when we invite someone to church (something all of us do, right?) or to some activity: we may say, please join us. And by doing so there is a distinction made. There is a subject (you) and an object (us). I am an insider, you are an outsider, And we struggle to even think how to phrase things differently. Protect them....so that they may be one as we are one. We are even divided selves: Am I a good person or a bad person? Am I a lovable person or someone who cannot be loved? Do people like me or not? Am I worthy or unworthy? What does it mean that God so loved the world? Protect them, so that they may be one, as we are one. How do we begin the conversion? How does the transformation take place? So that we can live into a world of oneness? See a world with NonDual awareness. a Unitive consciousness. - - No separation. No separation between humans and God: . What is the greatest commandment? "Love the Lord your God:" There is no separation between God and humans. It's all one. There is mutual abiding. God abide in us and we abide in God. The vine is part of the branch and the branch is part of the vine. This is love No separation between humans and humans: Love your neighbor as yourself. Not love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. Which is sometimes taken to mean : I have to love me first before I love my neighbor. there is not an "as much as." Love as yourself. The same. Your neighbor is you. There are not two people in competition. One seeking to better herself at the price of the other or to extend charity to the other. The free flow of love is between people who seem themselves as one. No separation. The fulfillment of Jesus prayer begins with disciples It is not up to Obama to unify this country. It is up to disciples And anyone who in humility follows Jesus in the Way can live into Jesus vision for oneness... this is what Jesus calls us to when he calls us to repentance. when he calls us to conversion. when he beckons us Jesus's ministry was one of compassion, love, and empathy. When we are able to live humbly with compassion, empathy, and love...one of the unique and most defining characteristics humans are capable of, we become one: Protect them so that they may be one, as we are one: One of the key aspects to unity, is the radical understanding of divine protection. Jesus prays, Father, protect them. Protect them. God's protection gives us the confidence to view the world as one. It is when we attempt to protect ourselves that we have to put up walls, and draw lines, and make distinctions, and, litigate policies in our best interest, even if it is harmful toward others and the environment. Protect them. Trusting in God's provision, and trusting in God's love. Protect them, so that disciples can be one, one with each other, one with God. This is not protection from death. This is protection from falling into the trap of isolation and difference because of fear. Protect them so that they may be one, as we are one This week, Erik and Barbara sense that they are one with sisters and brothers in Colombia who will be fasting this week praying the US and Colombian governments may agree upon a more just trade policy, as the one currently in place has led to displacement, violence, and unrest They may be one as we are one : I love the powerful scene in the movie Gandhi, the factions motivated by among other things, religious differences, divide into separate nation-states Pakistan and India. And when Gandhi attempts to cross the new boarder he is stopped and asked about his religion: Gandhi boldly says, ''I am a Muslim and a Hindu and a Christian and a Jew and so are all of you.'' We are one: Last night, we ate at a little hole in the wall mexican joint. When another couple came in with a child Ruby's age, Ruby's eyes lighted up. and after a bit of hesitant interaction She and the other child begin to play, It was easy to see the differences: One had short blond hair, the other long brown hair. One had blue eyes, the other brown. One wore a pink shirt the other a white shirt One was born to immigrant parents, the other to parents whose family has lived in the US for generations.... One was deaf and one could hear. Their language was play, and run, and squat, and the downward dog yoga pose And when it was time to go home they said goodbye and hugged, and when we were in the car, Ruby cried, Quiero a la nina. I want to play with the girl. Trusting children can be our best teachers. Protect them, so that they may be one, as we are one. Let us begin to see the oneness that exists between us all. TUrn to someone sitting near you and say....we are one... Amen. May it be so.