Young at Heart Message

This past week, I had the opportunity to attend the morning session of a workshop put on by the Calgary Alliance for the Common Good.

I will admit that when I showed up there, I was not expecting to be participating in this workshop.
​
I was expecting it to be a conversation with my Lutheran colleagues around the concept of “welcoming the stranger.”
 
It turned out to be an ecumenical gathering of Christians from a number of different denominations, including a Deacon in the Catholic Church.
 
The topic was still about “welcoming the stranger,” so at least I got that part right.
 
I was only there for a few hours, but what I took away just from that morning session was priceless – it gave me a lot to think about in terms of our ministry here at Good Shepherd.
 
We began that session by introducing ourselves and answering a few questions about our faith and our churches.
 
I thought it might be of value today to take a few minutes to answer some of these questions ourselves.
 
We won’t have time to go around the whole room and ask everyone here the questions, but as we have done several times before, I would love to hear at least some of your answers to these questions.
 
I would also like to ask our AV team to summarize our answers for us so we can mull over our answers, perhaps another day.
 
So I have three questions that I want to ask today. I will ask one question at a time. I’d like to give one minute of silence after I ask the question for you to think about it before I ask for responses.
 
The first question is this:
 
Why does this church matter to you?
 
What does our church do well?
 
What could our church do better?
 
Wonderful, thank you to everyone who responded!
 
These questions aren’t necessarily easy questions, and the final question especially requires some significant self-awareness among our membership to be able to really dive into the things we could do better as a community.
 
And of course, these are questions we can continue to ponder and wonder about together as we move forward as a community of Christ followers.
 
The Message
 
But, now that we’ve answered those questions for ourselves, let’s talk about why these questions matter.
 
Many of our answers to these questions beg more questions.
 
For example:
 
·       What is the role of the church?
·       Why do we need it?
·       What is our responsibility to it?
 
And, perhaps the most important question we must ask is this: what would Jesus think about the way we do church?
 
In our scripture passage today, Jesus’ words were clear:
 
Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
 
That’s it.
 
And yet, within those fourteen simple words derives a tremendous amount of complexity and uncertainty, it seems, in our world today.
 
We don’t always love one another, do we?
 
There are some people in the world who seem incredibly difficult to love.
 
But Jesus didn’t say “love one another… except…”
 
He said “love one another…” period.
 
I wonder, then, if this is the guidance we need to determine the answers to some of the questions we asked earlier.
 
·       What is the role of the church?
·       Why do we need it?
·       What is our responsibility to it?
 
It seems to me, the answer must have something to do with loving one another.
 
One of the things that came up in the workshop this week was a phrase I hadn’t heard before, but which really resonated with me.
 
It is the idea of “poverty of experience.”
 
What does this mean?
 
Well, I took it to mean that, very often, we lack perspective on things we have not personally experienced before.
 
I could give you many, many examples of this, but the one I want to specifically address today is poverty of experience around the plight of immigrants and refugees.
 
We currently have at least five people who have been coming to our church regularly who are dealing with the immigration process in one way or another.
 
And, as we know, two of our new members specifically are refugees.
 
Most of us have significant “poverty of experience” when it comes to what immigrants and refugees deal with when moving to a new country.
 
And now, our church has a slightly better idea because we personally know people who are going through the process.
 
And, because we have heard at least part of their story and have had the opportunity to get to know them, we have learned a bit more about their experience and what is involved in the process.
 
And, we have grown to love them as part of our community.
 
But, I want to point out a significant element of “closing the gap” on our poverty of experience around these issues:
 
They found us. We did not seek them out.
 
They became a part of our community, and we got to know them and love them and learn about their experience because they found us.
 
But, going back to our questions again about the role of the church, why we need it, and what our responsibility is to it, I wonder what it would mean for us to step outside of our comfort zone and reach out to others in similar situations?
 
Who are the people in our community that we have a responsibility to (as part of Huntington Hills, Calgary, Alberta, or Canada) that we have not yet met?
 
Stick with me here for a minute, because it does come back to love.
 
Do we have a responsibility to anyone other than ourselves and those who find us?
 
When we ask who we might have a responsibility to that we have not yet met, I am talking about anyone in the surrounding community who has not yet walked through our doors.
 
And, I’m talking also about the next generation of people who aren’t yet born.
 
Can the love that Jesus commands extend to all those we have not yet met?
 
If so, how?
 
I know that it can sound overwhelming. And, we cannot possibly address every concern within our own community, let alone the entire city of Calgary or the entire province of Alberta.
 
But, as we think about what Jesus meant when he told us to love one another, we do have a responsibility to think outside the walls of our own church community.
 
And I know what many of you are thinking.
 
There are only so many of us, and we only have so much energy, and that energy seems to be waning.
 
All of that may be true. But Jesus didn’t say “love one another, except… when you’re tired and your energy has depleted.”
 
We do a wonderful job of welcoming the stranger who walks through our doors.
 
Jesus would approve of that, I think!
 
And yet, he might push us to stretch our notion of love beyond ourselves.
 
To look at the resources we have and the assets we hold and wonder together how we could use them to best serve people beyond the walls of our church.
 
Are there other ways we could help immigrants and refugees, for example?
 
Instead of merely welcoming the stranger when they walk through our doors, could we invite them to walk with us in community?
 
Could we accept Jesus’ pat on the back that we have done a great job welcoming the stranger, and also walk with him as he pushes us to take the next step?
 
And what might that look like?
 
As we close today’s message, I would ask us all to just ponder these questions. 
 
There are a lot of questions I’ve thrown out today.
 
And some of it is my own way of mulling these things over myself.
 
As a pastor, it’s my job to ask these questions and wonder if there is more we could be doing in our ministry and if so, what that might look like.
 
But it’s not just my job. It is our job. Jesus certainly didn’t expect only pastors to be thinking about these things.
 
Pastors come and go from church communities, but the community itself remains to serve and love one another.
 
What that service and love looks like evolves and changes over time.
 
But we must continue to ask these hard questions in order to bear witness to evolution and change, and in order to bear witness to the love we are consistently called to share with others.
 
Jesus invites us each and every day to love one another as he loved us.
 
His love extended well beyond the boundaries of his own people and his own community.
 
And, it extended far beyond the generation of people he met. His love extended through time and space to meet us here.
 
So, as we go from this place to love and serve one another, may we wonder together how we can love as Jesus loved us and extend that love beyond the boundaries of our church community.
 
May we continue to welcome and love the strangers who walk through our doors.
 
And, may we consider how we can extend that love to all of those we have not yet met, and what that might mean in our context.
 
Amen.
 
Let us pray:
 
God of welcome, God of the stranger. We come as strangers. We come as those who you welcome. We come as those called to welcome.
Christ, who reached across all lines, Messiah who looked the “other” in the eyes with love. Challenge us with your radical example of love. Stretch us to engage the way you engage. Humble us to receive and be.
 
Spirit who challenges, Spirit who connects, Urge us to compassion, Break down our resistance, Strengthen our resolve, Tear open our hearts, Mobilize our minds, Flow through our bodies, as Your vessels who will be conduits of welcome, compassion, justice and love. Amen.

​Young at Heart Message
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It occurred to me as I was preparing for this week’s message that you all have not been blessed with a pastor who talks too much about her dogs.

I need to remedy that!

I know that Psalm 23 is very often associated with death.

People often request Psalm 23 be read at their bedside when they are close to death, and it is often requested for funerals.
 
And don’t get me wrong – I love using Psalm 23 in that capacity. It offers comfort and hope to people as they transition from this life to the next.
 
But, Psalm 23 is not just a Psalm for the dying. It is also very much a Psalm for the living.
 
And each time I hear this Psalm and think about the Lord as a Shepherd, I think about my dog Lacey.
 
Lacey is a Great Pyrenees.
 
Those of you who have seen Lacey recently know that her hair has been shaved. As she’s gotten older, this has become necessary for her.
 
But, in her prime, this is what she looked like:

​For those of you who don’t know, Pyrenees are livestock guardian dogs.
 
They are bred to watch flocks of sheep or goats, particularly in the mountains.
 
They watch, defend, protect, care for, and fiercely love their flock. Kind of like mothers!
 
Now, Lacey has never had a flock to guard, per se.
 
Unless, of course, you consider her household her “flock.”

​Or maybe this actual flock she encountered at camp a couple summers ago…

​One of the traits of a Pyrenees is that they can appear to be sleeping or resting, or even lazy.

​But they are ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice:

​Taking a break to care for your human…

​Lacey has taught me a lot about working hard and playing hard. She’s taught me about balance.
 
And, she’s taught me a lot about God.
 
I can relate to the imagery of the Lord as my shepherd because I have had the joy of sharing my life with a “shepherd.”
 
And now, you all have had a little glimpse into what being a shepherd means. Lacey doesn’t know it, but being a shepherd also means being a teacher.
 
The Message
 
Now that we have a “real-world” example of at least one type of shepherd, I want to look a bit more closely at Psalm 23.
 
You might be wondering what I could possibly say about this well-known passage.
 
It’s a good question, so let’s explore it a bit more.
 
The versions most of us are familiar with are either the King James version, or the New King James version.
 
The version we heard earlier was the New King James version. The King James version uses “thee” and “thou” but otherwise sounds mostly the same.
 
But, what happens if we read a different version?
 
The version I’d like us to hear now is from a version of the Bible called The Message.
 
If you have never read this version before, it is a very accessible, easy-to-understand version of the Bible.
 
It does not attempt to translate word-for-word like many versions do.
 
Instead, it translates based on concepts and the idea each passage is trying to convey.
 
So, let’s read The Message version. I’ll read it slowly and intentionally, and as I do, I want you to ponder the ways in which this version might resonate for you.
 
Particularly in your life today – not necessarily on your death bed. 
 
God, my shepherd!
    I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.
 
Even when the way goes through
    Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
    when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
    makes me feel secure.
 
You serve me a six-course dinner
    right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.
 
Your beauty and love chase after me
    every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
    for the rest of my life.
 
Does this version feel different to you?
 
God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing.
 
Right away, I bring to my mind’s eye the image of a shepherd providing for the flock’s every need.
 
Unlike the line “I shall not want,” which sounds a bit more like I am trying to convince myself that God has provided for me, this version confidently has me realizing that my needs are met already, here and now, by God.
 
You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. You let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.
 
Again, this version puts God right by my side. When I stray, God gently guides me back. When I need to rest or revive my body or soul, God provides for that, too.
 
Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side.
 
This line traditionally is why so many people like this Psalm read at their deathbed or at their funeral. The NKJV version reads, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
 
It wouldn’t have to be read as though one is dying, but it is often understood that way.
 
However, The Message version reads:
 
Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.
 
This imagery doesn’t invite us to think that “Death Valley” means the end. A valley might be a low point, but inevitably on either side of a valley, we can go back up again.
 
And, if we imagine being in that valley with God as our shepherd at our side, this invites images of hope for those of us who are very much still alive.
 
The last few lines of this version read:
 
You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head, and my cups brims with blessing.
 
Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.
 
This doesn’t sound like death’s doorway. This sounds like coming home.
 
This version would have God right with us, every single moment of every single day – within us, around us, through us, above and below us – protecting us, comforting us, guiding us, helping us to see the beauty all around us, and so, so much more.
 
It provides an incredible hope, even as we go through challenges, grief, pain, or suffering of any kind.
 
As we conclude this discussion on Psalm 23, I want to share with you a poem.
 
I’m sharing this poem because of the sense of “coming home” that Psalm 23 can provide – regardless of which version we hear or read.
 
The poem I want to share is called “Please Come Home” by Jane Hooper.
 
I invite you to close your eyes or soften your gaze and allow your body and mind to rest in the words as you hear them.
 
May you hear whatever it is you need to hear today in this poem:
 
Please come home. Please come home.
Find the place where your feet know where to walk
And follow your own trail home.
 
Please come home. Please come home into your own body,
Your own vessel, your own earth.
Please come home into each and every cell,
And fully into the space that surrounds you.
 
Please come home. Please come home to trusting yourself,
And your instincts and your ways and your knowings,
And even the particular quirks of your personality.
 
Please come home. Please come home and once you are firmly there,
Please stay home awhile and come to a deep rest within.
Please treasure your home. Please love and embrace your home.
Please get a deep, deep sense of what it’s like to be truly home.
 
Please come home. Please come home
For you belong here now. You belong among us.
Please inhabit your place fully so we can learn from you,
From your voice and your ways and your presence.
 
Please come home. Please come home.
And when you feel yourself home, please welcome us too,
For we too forget that we belong and are welcome,
And that we are called to express fully who we are.
 
Please come home. Please come home.
You and you and you and me.
 
Please come home. Please come home.
 
Amen.
 
Let us pray:
 
God of wonder and beauty, thank you for welcoming us home. Thank you for loving us just as we are. Thank you for being our shepherd - for protecting us, guiding us, offering us grace and compassion, and fiercely loving us such that we can take your love and share it with the world. We are grateful for every walk through the valley, and every climb toward the sun. May your fierce love and compassion surround us everywhere we go. Amen.

The Message

This week’s scripture readings follow on the heels of last week’s scripture, in which Peter responds to the accusations of the jury he had to answer to by saying, “We must obey God rather than human beings!”

Last week, I talked about the challenges to obeying God in a world where multiple power forces converge to try to stifle the teachings of Jesus.
​
And of course, those challenges existed in the time of the disciples, and they still exist now.
 
I mentioned that the challenge is that many humans are motivated by power, authority, money, and control. And, inevitably, the humans who end up in leadership roles are not usually an exception to this.
 
I want to remind us all of the example I gave last week for why obeying God is so difficult before we move into talking about this week’s scriptures.
 
Last week, I said the following:
 
I don’t like green peppers. I would be perfectly happy to see legislation outlawing green peppers.
 
If I were a single-issue voter, and there was a candidate who was prepared to outlaw green peppers, I would vote for that candidate no matter what.
 
But, other people like green peppers. They add flavour to foods, they are healthy, and they are inexpensive.
 
If green peppers were outlawed, it would be good for me personally, but it wouldn’t necessarily be good for everyone else.
 
We talked last week about how this example is silly, of course, but it is how many people think about much bigger issues.
 
Peter, for example, was a devoted follower of Jesus, and if we could ask him, I think he would probably say that he was doing his best to “obey God.”
 
But, it is no secret that Peter struggled to trust Jesus and obey him completely.
 
Peter had a lot of questions and doubts. And I appreciate that about Peter because he helps many people to feel better about the fact that they have a lot of questions, too.
 
Peter also, as we just heard through Lent and Easter, denied Jesus three times. So, despite his very best efforts to obey and trust Jesus, he still failed when it mattered most.
 
Today, we see Jesus offer Peter grace despite his failures. And I appreciate that, too, because Peter receives from Jesus the grace that we all need from time to time.
 
Perhaps the more interesting passage from today’s readings is the passage about Saul.
 
Saul, as we know, becomes the incredibly devoted Paul who wrote many letters to various communities which have been recorded in the Bible.
 
But in today’s passage from Acts, we see a totally different Paul. We see him before he becomes Paul.
 
Before his encounter with the risen Jesus, Saul is devoted to fairly aggressively threatening and persecuting Jesus’s disciples.
 
The passage uses the phrase “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.”
 
That’s not such a great look, admittedly.
 
Saul believes so strongly in his cause that he was blinded by rage.
 
Interestingly, what he is really fighting for is his own spiritual cause. He’s fighting to preserve the Jewish laws and customs, and he’s fighting against the idea that Jesus was the Messiah.
 
If we go back to my green pepper statement for the sake of discussion, it would be like me going out publicly and trying to ban green peppers.
 
If I believed that I was doing God’s work by trying to get green peppers banned, and there were other people out there trying to make green peppers required with every meal because God told them so, we’d be in a similar situation to Saul.
 
So, how do I know if I’m right, of they are right?
 
Unfortunately, for many people, including Saul, it might take a really big “sign” to change the mind of someone who believes so passionately about something.
 
Saul got a visit from the resurrected Jesus.
 
That’s a pretty big sign.
 
But most of the rest of us don’t get those kinds of signs.
 
For me, I might need to personally know someone who can explain to me how banning green peppers might affect them personally.
 
Maybe my sister would need to tell me that green peppers are the only peppers she can eat.
 
Banning them would mean that she wouldn’t get to enjoy the flavour that peppers can add to her food because she can only eat green peppers.
 
The point here is this: Peter and Saul both demonstrate for us this notion that obeying God can be difficult and complex.
 
And, sometimes, we believe so strongly that we are right about something that it takes a very big “sign” to help us realize we may not be right, or that we may need to evolve our thinking.
 
Or, at the very least, to help us realize that other people might have different opinions and very good reasons for feeling differently than we do.
 
Jesus didn’t reprimand Saul. Jesus offered him an olive branch and let Saul make his own choice.
 
Saul could have chosen to continue his persecution. He could have chosen not to believe his eyes and his ears.
 
Many people make that choice because it is easier than confronting their possible biases.
 
But, Saul chose to obey. Saul chose to trust. And, he ended up changing his mind. Or, more accurately, he ended up evolving his thinking.
 
Instead of feeling ashamed for defending what he thought was what God wanted, Saul opened his mind and heart to another possibility.
 
He welcomed the change, and recognized that he didn’t know what he didn’t know. He received the proof he needed that prompted him to walk a different path.
 
It is the case for us, too, that God confronts us in ways that might make us uncomfortable initially.
 
I am sure that Saul was thinking “oh, crud. I was wrong.” He was probably trying to figure out every way possible to ignore this new information – this proof.
 
I am sure he was uncomfortable. But he opened himself up to the possibility that he was wrong.
 
And we must sometimes do the same.
 
I will admit… I might be wrong about banning green peppers. It might not be as black and white, or as “all or nothing” as I thought it should be.
 
So, may we all consider opening ourselves to new possibilities and ways of thinking.
 
We all have our “green pepper” issues. And we all struggle sometimes to understand the perspective of other people.
 
May we consider opening our eyes to the ways in which God might speak to us – perhaps through a big “sign,” but more likely through our relationships with other people and through listening to the lived experiences of others.
 
May we listen for God, wonder with God, and invite God to open our hearts to a better understanding of the world and of those around us who are different than we are.
 
May we work to trust God and the ways that God works in our own lives. Amen.
 
Let us pray: Gracious God, we do not always know if we are obeying and trusting in you, or in our own wants and desires. Forgive us when we stray from your path, and help lovingly guide us back when we wander.
 
Help us to feel your presence in our lives and to discern what it is you want from us in the ways we will understand. This may look different for each one of us, but we pray that with your guidance, we will be able to walk the path you wish us to walk. In your loving name we pray. Amen.