5th Sunday after Pentecost C

Luke 8: 26-39, 5^th Sunday after Pentecost C, June 23, 2013

            Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

What is in a name? Well, a lot, actually. A name is identity, and with a name comes a personality. So, when someone asks you, “What is your name?” the answer may not always be so simple. Depending on the context, the question may be loaded. Sure, we are often expected to respond with our first and last names. That isn’t always so simple, though.

Another example, during my field education experiences in seminary, because I was not an ordained pastor yet, my title was “Vicar Julie.” Of course, some people called me “Vicar,” and others called me “Julie.” One time, one of my beloved parishioners had a slip of the tongue. Instead of calling me by all four syllables of my title, she dropped the inner two syllables. Instead of calling me “Vicar Julie,” she called me “Vickie.” But if one of her friends asked me my name, would I say that my name was “Vickie”? No, of course not. My name is Julie.

The man possessed by demons in the gospel lesson today is not so lucky to have his real name confused with a nick name. This man has so little control over his body and mind that when Jesus asks his name, the demons reply, “Legion,” for he had many demons in him. This man did not share his name given at his birth because he no longer had control of that identity. This man’s name is Legion.

David Lose says, “I find it devastating that he has no name, no identity left, except for what he is captive to. It’s not Elijah, or Isaac, or John, or Frank, or Jo-Jo; it’s Legion. He has been completely defined by what assails him, by what robs him of joy and health, by what hinders him and keeps him bound, by all those things that keep him from experiencing life in its abundance.”

We may not be plagued by demons like the Gerasene man was. Yet, sometimes our lives are flung out of control just as if we were possessed by demons. Evil spirits may not be taking over our lives, but something else is – sin. Our sins keep us from experiencing life in its abundance.

Today, if Jesus asked you your name, would you say, “Sinner”?

We know that we are sinners, and that is why we confess our sins often and receive the forgiveness that only God can give. We cannot remove our sinful thoughts, words, and deeds, but God can – and does – forgive us from our wrongdoing. Jesus sends out the demons inside us, so that our name is not Legion. 

During our baptism, God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, washes us with water, and cleanses us from all our sins. From our baptism on, our name is no longer “Sinner” but now is “Child of God.” God has claimed us as God’s own, freeing us to live out our lives faithfully.

Just as the Gerasene man did, we can live out the life that Christ has set before us. Freed from our demons and claimed as Christ’s own, we also can embrace our families, do God’s work in the world, and be a positive influence in our communities.

Like this Gerasene man, we are no longer labeled as "Legion" or as "Sinner," but as "Child of God." We have our own names given at birth, and with each name comes a different calling in life. God calls each of us to beautiful ministries. 

When asked, “What is your name?” I do not reply by saying, “Vickie,” “Legion” or “Sinner.” My name is Pastor Julie, child of God.

When you fill out a name tag, you do not write, “Sinner,” but you do write down your name. Next time that you write your name down on a name tag, I want you also to write “Child of God,” for that is who you are.

In worship, we will continue to confess our sins, and we also will continue to give thanks to God for our baptism. Each time we do so, we proclaim that our names are no longer "Legion" or "Sinner" but "Child of God." When we leave worship, God sends us home, now known by our own names, and charged with proclaiming the good news to all who will hear. Amen.

Pentecost Children's Message

During Pentecost Sunday, the Holy Spirit was truly moving through the church.  Five of our confirmation students affirmed their baptism. The church was packed. Communion was wonderful. Overall, the service ran well - except when the sound system started to crackle loudly during the offering. Even then, someone said, "It's the Holy Spirit!"

For the children's message, I created an acrostic spelling HOLY SPIRIT using ten translations of "Holy Spirit." The languages are, in order: Old English, Swahili, Norwegian, Polish, French, Spanish, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and German. I could pronounce seven of the ten. I hope I didn't mess up the other three too badly!

The Body of Christ

Julie Monnard, Zion Lutheran Church

1 Corinthians 12:12-31, 3^rd Sunday after Epiphany C, January 27, 2013

Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

One of the joys of a Mr. Potato Head doll is that you can mix up the parts, putting his eyes where his ears should be and putting his nose where his hat should be. In Toy Story, after switching his body parts around, Mr. Potato Head said, “Look, I’m Picasso!” We love Mr. Potato Head because we can make him look ridiculous. But he is just a kid’s toy. Real bodies don’t work like that, and the body of Christ doesn’t either.

Just as we are members of this church, we also are members of the body of Christ. To be members of this church, we are baptized, we receive communion, and we give gifts to this congregation. We have each met these “requirements,” yet like the body’s organs, we have special qualities as well. We each have different spiritual gifts that we share with Zion.

Unique Spiritual Gifts and Talents

Some give in large amounts, and others give in small amounts, yet all of us give as we are able. Some have the gift of vision. Some of you can look into the future, one, five, even ten years ahead, and see what this church might look like. You have ideas for how this congregation can prepare this building and these people for the joys and challenges ahead. Others of you are doers. Some of you can take the ideas of the visionaries and make them happen. You have renovated this worship space, fixed the building when it breaks, and sustained vital ministries. Each of you has special gifts for ministry, and Zion needs both visionaries and doers.

Some of you have the gift of art. Some of you can take a few skeins of yarn and transform them into a beautiful prayer shawl. Some of you can take simple ingredients like apples, flour, sugar, and butter and make a delicious pie. Others of you have the gift of numbers. Some of you can count our offering, enter it into our records, and set our church’s budget. You understand complicated things like taxes, insurance, and loans. You have helped keep our church running.

Some of you have the gift of compassion. We all care for each other, yet some of you go out of your way to send cards, make phone calls, and visit. You represent the church as you spread God’s love. Others of you spread God’s love by teaching. You are dedicated to the children of our church. You share the gospel to children who need to hear it most. Others of you are organizers. You planned the Harvest Feast, the Christmas Party, and the 160^th anniversary celebration.

Some of you have the gift of music. You sing in the choir and help to lead hymns. Some of you accompany our worship and share special music. You enliven this space every Sunday. Others of you help lead worship by reading lessons, acolyting, and serving communion. Others usher and greet people as they enter and leave the sanctuary. Others provide flowers and food for fellowship.

None of these categories is exclusive of others. The Lord has blessed each of you with a unique set of spiritual gifts that you can share with this church. I encourage each of you to discover what gifts you have that you might not already be sharing with us. The Lord can work through you in wonderful ways that you might not yet have realized.

We are the body of Christ.

Paul says, “If the foot would say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body.” He means that we each have special roles in the church, and we are not to be jealous of each other. For example, if a knitter would say, “Because I cannot bake pies, I do not belong to the Women of Joy,” that would not make her any less a part of that group. If a visionary would say, “Because I cannot run a committee, I do not belong on council,” that would not make him any less valuable to council.

Paul continues, “If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as God chose.” If the whole church were made up of readers, where would the ushers be? If the whole church were made up of communion preparers, where would the singers be? We at Zion need everybody to share their gifts with the church, as you are able.

Paul also says, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.”

The one who fixes the pipes cannot say to the teacher, “I have no need of you,” nor can the pastor say to the sick, “I have no need of you.” For even the oldest and the youngest have important roles in this church. Even those who may feel useless are valuable. The children brighten the lives of the elderly, and the elderly share their wisdom with the children. These people may not be able to serve on committees or lead worship, yet they still have a valuable place in this church.

United in Mission

Just as we are unique in our gifts that we share, we also are united. Because we all know each other so well, we care deeply for each other. When one of our members is in pain, we suffer as well. When one of us grieves, we all grieve. When one of us receives bad news at the doctor’s office, we all worry and weary together.

We are united in our suffering because we also are united in our joy. We celebrate birthdays and anniversaries together. We celebrate during fellowship and in our prayers. The bulletin board in the back is covered with newspaper articles of how our members are being recognized in the public.

Most of all, we are united through worship. Together, we confess our sins and are forgiven. Together, we hear God speak to us through our readings and our hymns. Together, we receive Holy Communion, and we pray. We each have experienced the love of God, and we share it with each other. Every Sunday, we leave this place to go out into the world. We use our spiritual gifts in our work places and in our homes just as we do in this church.

We are the body of Christ. No matter who we are, where we come from, or how old or young we are, we are the body of Christ. No matter how long we have been members, how often we attend, or how much we give, we are the body of Christ.

Just as we individuals have special gifts to give, we as a congregation also have important gifts to give. We give financially to our synod and to other local organizations. We provide food and gifts to the poor around us. Every Noisy Can Sunday, we give to a group outside our walls. We as a congregation are the body of Christ.

In the end, I wonder if this church is more like Mr. Potato Head than we realize. Our church body is made up of a menagerie of people with a huge selection of spiritual gifts. I wonder what God thinks we look like. We are the body of Christ, but do we look more like a Picasso?

Psalm 86 paraphrase

^{Because there aren't many commentaries on the web for psalms, I was left to the Hebrew and my books for inspiration. I decided to write a paraphrase of the text that would remove some of the "Bible speak" from the text while maintaining the beautiful intensity of the message. This will be my sermon text for tomorrow.}

¹O Lord, I come before you asking for help.

I can’t make it on my own. I need you.

²Protect me, all of me; I do my best to be kind.

Save me, for I am yours. I trust in you – You are my God!

³Forgive me, O Lord. Use me for your good.

I am always praying to you, searching for your presence.

⁴Make me happy for your sake.

My whole life, indeed my whole self, is dedicated to you.

⁵I know, O Lord, that you are good and forgiving.

You are full of kindness for all who pray to you.

⁶Listen to me. Pay attention to the sound of my plea.

You can hear the desperation in my voice!

⁷When I need you most, I fall before you.

I know you will answer me; I know you will be with me.

⁸I have seen what others use to replace you–money, power, people.

These cannot be what you are for me–love, hope, peace.

⁹You deserve praise from every human that you have created.

Our thanksgiving can never compare to your blessings.

¹⁰We should praise you because you have great power.

You do awesome deeds. You are God, you alone.

¹¹Show me what you want me to do, and I will follow your lead.

I will worship you, Lord, wholeheartedly.

¹²O Lord, my God, I will praise you with every part of me.

I will honor you in all that I do.

¹³Your kindness toward me is so vast.

You have saved me from the deepest depths of death itself.

¹⁴God, the arrogant overpower me; they want to destroy me.

I don’t think they know you at all.

¹⁵You, Lord, are compassionate, forgiving, and ever patient.

You are overflowing with kindness and truth.

¹⁶Give me strength in all I do for you.

Come near to me and forgive me. Save your lowly child!

¹⁷I need a sign of your goodness, something for the world to see.

You, Lord, have been with me in my deepest need.

My "Eat Pray Love" sermon

Matthew 5:21-37
Epiphany 6A
February 13, 2011

Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. (Be seated.)

Elizabeth Gilbert writes in her book, Eat Pray Love,
“I don't want to be married anymore.
“In daylight hours, I refused that thought, but at night it would consume me. What a catastrophe. How could I be such a criminal jerk as to proceed this deep into a marriage, only to leave it? We'd only just bought this house a year ago. Hadn't I wanted this nice house? Hadn't I loved it?... I had actively participated in every moment of the creation of this life – so why did I feel like none of it resembled me? Why did I feel so overwhelmed with duty, tired of being the primary breadwinner and the housekeeper and the social coordinator and the dog-walker and the wife and the soon-to-be mother, and – somewhere in my stolen moments – a writer...?
“I don't want to be married anymore.
“...Let it be sufficient to say that, on this night, he was still my lighthouse and my albatross in equal measure. The only thing more unthinkable than leaving was staying; the only thing more impossible than staying was leaving. I didn't want to destroy anything or anybody. I just wanted to slip quietly out the back door, without causing any fuss or consequences, and then not stop running until I reached Greenland.”

These words from Elizabeth Gilbert show the complexity of marriage today. She writes from her heart, sharing her expectations of marriage, how she had hoped for so much more than her life turned out to be. She married her husband when she saw him full of potential. Yet she loved him for what he could be, not for what he was. I think to some degree we each can understand what she was going through. Many of you are divorced, probably many more than I know. But even for those of us who haven't personally divorced a spouse, we still have experienced it. My parents divorced when I was four years old. I never really experienced one happy family, but I had two wonderful families. It is with this divorced family on my heart that I turn to today's lessons.

Sometimes, the lectionary confounds me. On the day before Valentine's day, why do we have to hear about anger, adultery, and divorce? Doesn't this seem like the exact opposite of what we should be hearing from the Bible? Why can't we hear something else, anything else?

When we are surrounded by pink hearts and candy cupids, we hear such hard words from Jesus. Maybe the lectionary isn't so off the mark, though. Yes, Valentine's Day is all about love, but it is about romantic love. When some are celebrating this love, others are reminded of the fact that they don't have that someone special. Or in my case, Valentine's Day reminds me that my love is half a continent away from me. While thinking about Valentine's Day may make you more grateful for the person sitting next to you today, it also may remind you of who isn't sitting next to you. Either by death, divorce, or other break-up, we all are missing somebody today.

And so with heavy hearts we all turn to today's Gospel lesson. Jesus' words don't seem to have much grace. Where is the forgiveness and the love that we know God is full of? With each sentence, Jesus takes a Jewish law or commandment and intensifies it. Not only are we not to physically murder or commit adultery, but we shouldn't do any of this from our hearts either. Not murdering isn't good enough. We shouldn't be angry either. Not committing adultery isn't good enough. We shouldn't think lustfully either. Moses allowed divorce, but that doesn't fit into God's plan. Not only should we not lie, but we shouldn't swear by anybody's name, either. Most of us can accept that we shouldn't murder, be angry, commit adultery, think lustfully, or lie, but divorce is a sensitive issue. The problem of divorce often hits a lot closer to home than these other rules do. As Chris Haslam writes, “Jesus' intention was not to cause pain but to set out a clear and high ideal of human relations.”

Before human laws were made, God created humans to be together. God created man and woman to love each other. Moses allowed divorce, but this was not God's will for humanity. God commanded unity of the flesh which is a glimpse of the wholeness found in God. God wishes us to be whole, no matter how broken the world is. Yet despite God's best wishes, we are a broken, sinful people. We cannot keep all of God's laws no matter how hard we try. Even when marriage is taken most seriously, some problems cannot be overcome. Some sins cannot be overcome.

Let us now go back to Elizabeth Gilbert's story. While she was traveling the world trying to understand and accept her divorce from her husband David, she had a conversation with a man named Richard that she met in India.

Elizabeth confided in him, “Please don't laugh at me now, but I think the reason it's so hard for me to get over this guy is because I seriously believed David was my soul mate.”
Richard responded, “He probably was. Your problem is you don't understand what that word means. People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave. And thank God for it. Your problem is, you just can't let this one go. It's over, [Liz]. David's purpose was to shake you up, drive you out of that marriage that you needed to leave, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart that you had to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master and beat it. That was his job, and he did great, but now it's over. Problem is, you can't accept that this relationship had a real short shelf life. You're like a dog at the dump, baby – you're just lickin' at an empty tin can, trying to get more nutrition out of it. And if you're not careful, that can's gonna get stuck on your snout forever and make your life miserable. So drop it.”
“...You're just afraid to let go of the last bits of David because then you'll really be alone, and [Elizabeth] Gilbert is scared to death of what will happen if she's really alone. But here's what you gotta understand, [Liz]. If you clear out all that space in your mind that you're using right now to obsess about this guy, you'll have a vacuum there, an open slot – a doorway. And guess what the universe will do with that doorway? It will rush in – God will rush in – and fill you with more love than you ever dreamed. So stop using David to block that door. Let it go.”

I love this idea of a soul mate. Maybe soul mates are meant to come into our lives for a short time, reveal who we can become, and then leave as we become deeper, better people. But a soul mate does not need to be a married partner. God upholds the sacredness of life, the wholeness of marriage. No matter how soul mates enter our lives, divorce may not be the best way to let them leave.

Because Jesus knew what hardships were involved in divorce, he did not accept divorce. In first century Palestine, divorce caused even more separation and suffering, especially for the women and children. Sometimes, divorce was also used as an excuse for legalized adultery – a man could divorce his wife only in order to have sexual relations with another woman. These are two reason why he did not accept Moses' allowance of divorce but upheld God's first law – that man and woman should become one flesh. That wholeness is found in marriage.

Even though Christ came and died on the cross, we are still trapped as sinful people, broken people in a broken world. We cannot live by all of the ethical standards that Jesus gave us, including the standard to marry once and only once. Divorce is a reality of human sinfulness, a reality that we cannot escape. So no matter how we try, we cannot rid ourselves of divorce in this world. Sometimes marriages are not recoverable, and divorce is necessary. No matter the circumstances, divorce is a sign of human brokenness.

In the gospel lesson today, Jesus calls us to live better lives and to follow God's laws more closely. Going through the motions of not murdering is not enough – we need not to anger our neighbors. We need to come clean with our enemies before we can come before God. Through all of these laws, God is calling us to lead lives of integrity and compassion. God is calling us to show the world and ourselves how we are God's beloved children. God calls us to right relationship with Him and with everyone else. Loving God is a whole body and soul experience.

Now we can hear a few last words from Liz Gilbert when she was in Indonesia:
“On my ninth day of silence, I went into meditation one evening on the beach... I said to my mind, “This is your chance. Show me everything that is causing you sorrow. Let me see all of it. Don't hold anything back...
“Then I said to my mind, “Show me your anger now...
“Then came the most difficult part. “Show me your shame...
“When all of this was finished, I was empty. Nothing was fighting in my mind anymore. I looked into my heart, at my own goodness, and I saw its capacity. I saw that my heart was not even nearly full, not even after having taken in and tended to all those calamitous urchins of sorrow and anger and shame; my heart could easily have received and forgiven even more. Its love was infinite.
“I knew then that this is how God loves us all and receives us all... Because if even one broken and limited human being could experience even one such episode of absolute forgiveness and acceptance of her own self, then imagine – just imagine! - what God, in all His eternal compassion, can forgive and accept.
“I also knew somehow that this respite of peace would be temporary. I knew that I was not yet finished for good, that my anger, my sadness and my shame would all creep back eventually, escaping my heart, and occupying my head once more. I knew that I would have to keep dealing with these thoughts again and again until I slowly and determinedly changed my whole life. And that this would be difficult and exhausting to do. But my heart said to my mind in the dark silence of that beach: “I love you, I will never leave you, I will always take care of you.” ...
“I love you, I will never leave you, I will always take care of you.”

Just as Liz found peace with her brokenness, I hope that we each can as well. No matter what happens, though, remember this: God loves you. God will never leave you. God will always take care of you. Amen.

Peer Support

During early October, I went to two events – the Gathering of the Ministerium of the Virginia Synod and the Intern Cluster Meeting. I realized at those meetings how much I missed being surrounded by my peers and colleagues. Fred and I are a bit alone on the lake. We don't go to synod conference meetings because they are so far away. Going to one of those meetings would take a whole day out of our busy schedules. We don't even gather with local ministers. The local pastors meet on an irregular and rare basis as far as I know. Although I would love to meet with other pastors on a regular basis, I don't have the time or energy to either go far away to the Richmond conference or to create a pericope group in town.
I also would love to keep in touch with my seminary and college friends, but I don't have the time or energy to stay in touch. At the end of the day, I often am too tired to do much of anything. Even my days off get too busy. Facebook is the most communication I have with friends and family on an average week.
I continue to love and miss my friends. I hope to communicate better. I have a bunch of letters to write and some phone calls to make. Now that some of the conflict at my internship site is resolved, maybe I will have more energy to keep in touch with those I love. Please feel free to contact me, too!

My New Dog!

I have had Kavod now for about a month, and she is a delight. She is the light of my life. I love to see her little butt wiggle as she wags her tail when I come home. She makes coming home worthwhile!

Kavod enjoys spending her time on the couch. She is so cute when she chews on her stuffed moose! As we get more comfortable with each other, she is becoming more spunky. Her true personality is showing. In a sense, she is coming out of her shy “shell” just like I did after CPE!

As she is becoming braver, she is also more of a challenge. She has run out of the door without her leash and slipped out of her collar. Thankfully she has never run too far away. I am learning that as she becomes more difficult, I need to become more assertive. I think this will be good for both of us.

I am getting up a half hour earlier so that we can take a mile-long walk every morning. We also take the same walk every afternoon when I get home from work. That exercise is also good for both of us. Fred has even encouraged me to bring her to work on occasion, and I do. I really enjoy having her with me when I am at work alone. She makes working on sermons more fun! She also is great meeting parishioners.

I think Kavod is the best fit for me!