Sermon Notes for Christ the King Sunday

Nov. 20 Lk.1:68. Col. 1:11-20 Lk. 23:33-43

2 different views of Christ the king in Luke-I like the long prayer of Zechariah after he has been mute for so long when he questioned the birth of his son in old age. When he speaks he speaks words of blessing tender mercy peace-Mute Zechariah regains his power of speech, and he uses it as a blessing on the future and the realization of hopes so old that they had been forgotten or dismissed. When Zechariah envisions god’s reign it is one of light and peace and that great old phrase tender mercy/tender compassion.

Christian revelation sees Christ at the center of the world.Colossians is the astonishing entry of a cosmic christ for a small group.Sally Brown :the cosmic, creation-centered Christology of the first set of claims (verses 15-17). t all created derive from him their coherence. Notably, we find here no mention of a "fall" or of creation corrupted; there is only the allusion to powers of darkness from which humanity is liberated. All the emphasis falls on the claim that creation makes sense because of the Son; and this has been true from before the beginning of time. This must shape our attitude toward creation as well as persons of other faiths. Their fulfillment, like ours, flows from the firstborn of creation. Christ as glue as coherence hold the world together The parallel structures of verses 15 and 18 imply that the resurrection initiates a new creation. The Church, the Son's body, is the agent of reconciliation, declaring to the whole created order its emancipation from the powers of darkness. image/icon of god-fullness is a word easily missed in this cascade of titles and powers

If God is in control, God needs a new map and plan. God and control and in charge-see recent posting see PODs No matter what good or bad decisions leaders or nations make, the Church believes that Christ will not stop working until all creation has been redeemed. it is in this sense that we can say "God is in control." God will not quit until he has brought all things to his glorious conclusion. But that is different than saying, "God is controlling all things." God does not seem to be a divine dictator. God will use events and respond to them. see God’s Power certain things cannot be done-square circle- in control is kicking tyranny upstairs-look Jesus went to trial-the judge of all went to capital punishment at the hands of an oppressive regime Does God dominate or does God care for God empowers God shares power -power of divine love power in divine different in degree and kind from our view of power god’s power and loving purposes enacted If we call it god’s plan or God is in control, we are in the same place God works through mediating people and organizations.

Instead God is free to act as God may desire in the steadfast love that defines the divine. God seems to love surprises. For Christians this would mean that Jesus of nazareth carried the hopes and fears of all the years in his life. Instead of elevating him on earth, he lived a humble life. Elevation is made clear only after the vindication of resurrection and ascension.

Communion and different royal feast small gifts contain a world, they are shared-they are doubly transformed-god’s power is through more than over. God’s power is less coercive than an invitation to join in.Animating power, life giving power energizing power, power of the Spirit that does indeed pervade all of creation. Jesus is the image of the invisible god, and in this service that love is physical as we participate in communion.

Thoughts for week of Nov. 20

Sunday-Lk. 1:68-79 The great prayer of Zechariah at the birth of his son replaces the Psalter reading today. I love some of its words at the end: tender mercy. Those who dwell in darkness, guide our feet in the way of peace. What circumstances would lead you to pray in this fashion?

Monday-Chief Seattle: "Teach your children that... all things are connected, like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth, befalls the sons and daughters of the Earth. We did not weave the web of life, we are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves." Often I sign my emails: "Holding you in the web of my prayers"--meaning not just mine but those of the ancestors, the communion of saints.

-Kent Ira Groff

Tuesday-John Philip Newell-For everything that emerges from the earth-thanks be to you, O God, Holy Root of being,-Sacred Sap that rises/ Full-bodied Fragrance of earth’s unfolding form.

May we know that we are of You may we know that we are in You -may we know that we are one with You-together one.- Guide us as nations to what is deepest/open us as peoples to what is first-lead us as a world to what is dearest/ that we may know the holiness of wholeness that we may learn the strength of humility/that together we may live close to the earth and grow in grounded glory.

Wednesday-“The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained in sudden flight but, they while their companions slept, they were toiling upwards in the night.” ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Good Poems for Hard Times

Thursday-Martin Buber , said that our role in life was to help move the world just one inch in the right direction.

Friday-I think one reason many churches have become so anxious is that they have become utterly preoccupied with trying to become appealing to the ever-shifting tastes of popular culture,.. We are in real danger of trivializing ourselves into extinction in a relentless quest to be cool, or cute, or attractive to the lowest common denominator. Our freedom to be a people of God, our joy and our confidence rest in the good news of Jesus Christ, the power of his grace, forgiveness, mercy, goodness, justice and love. Christians have, as the old hymn says, "A Story to Tell to the Nations." That story isn't reducible to a bumper sticker. Despite the fact that it is the good news of the gospel, it will not be heard and accepted as good news by everyone who hears it. For some, it will sound like bad news, especially if they just can't let go of hatred or vengeance, self-righteousness or self-loathing. Nor will the gospel attract everyone, especially if we preach it intelligently and thoughtfully.Michael Jinkins

Saturday- With Thanksgiving, the homecoming cycle starts again. “Longing for home is more than a desire for a place or a pleasant memory or a dreamed-of future. Home is a state of being, of belonging, of becoming. The longing for home is the deep need to be anchored in a secure, restored past and pulled toward a transformed, fulfilled future.”  Duke’s Faith and Leadershipweek of Nov. 20

Thanksgiving thoughts

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude. Gilbert K. Chesterton 

When I was a boy, the first ecumenical service I ever attended was a community Thanksgiving service in our village, one filled with churches and bars. On November 20 afternoon at St Ambrose, at 4PM, a number of churches will join in a Community Thanksgiving Service.  I am grateful that people even think to have such a service. I am grateful to those who make this happen and even more for those who choose to attend. It helps us to become Psalm 100 people. I am grateful that we let differences between different religious traditions slide away on a Sabbath afternoon. It is a gift to see churches open doors to others. The Reformed Tradition has grace and gratitude as core values in its theology and ethics. It derives from life itself being a gift. It realizes that grace itself is a gift.

Gratitude is one of the least articulate of the emotions, especially when it is deep. 
Felix Frankfurter

Gratitude does not come easily.  When times are hard, resentment flows much more easily. We cannot force gratitude. At present, a culture of complaint has run amok. On the other hand, thankfulness is response to a gift. For those who work so hard, it may be difficult to receive a sense of gratitude when it comes. Gratitude pushes us to see how intertwined our lives are. Receiving a gift induces a desire to reciprocate. It then spreads a sense of gratitude.

Thanksgiving celebrations are more tenuous than usual this year. This Thanksgiving, people cannot face the fights around partisan bickering and are cancelling the grand tradition. Some are already plotting to upset people. At my mother’s funeral supper, one of our unstable relatives launched into a conspiracy-laden talk, so it is not limited to this holiday. It becomes difficult to nourish gratitude when surrounded by ungracious winners and losers around a table. One day we will have empty places around that table. I hate to make a table a politics-free zone, but if that is what it takes so be it. Maybe we can listen to understand a position more than trying to debate it.

In the face of this fear, Schnuck’s still has a poster in Upper Alton: nourishing gratitude. We nourish gratitude by practicing it. When we notice gratitude, or when we practice it, even when we don’t feel it, our hearts expand. One of my spiritual goals is to be able to see the ordinary as extraordinary, as astonishing, as seeing them with new fresh eyes. It is learning Thanksgiving is about celebrating what we have, not grieving what we have lost, or agonizing about what we do not have. Being thankful requires letting go of the things we can’t control.

While Facebook continues to be a forum for vulgarity, incivility, and whining, at times, it provides awareness of different ideas. I’ve noticed a posting on practicing 30 days of gratitude. Such a practice has the possibility of changing perspective. One way I have taken up this cause is to look at the history of my lifetime and be grateful for some of the advances made during it. For instance, immunizations have saved countless lives. Seat belts and air bags have lessened the constant carnage on our highways. Fewer than 1 in 5 adults in this country smoke. I am grateful at the drastic decline in violence in our country since the 80s.

When we move toward making an offering in our worship service, we use the great phrase, with glad and generous hearts. As an aspiration, Thanksgiving may open clenched hearts and fists. Thanksgiving opens a door to finding the best in ourselves.

Some Initial Musings on the Way Forward

Look for the good-In Illinois, the only candidate to whom I contributed money who won is our new Sen. Baldwin. Most of my life, I have wanted a new  program to put people to work to rebuild America. It is possible that President  Trump will get such  a bill passed, one that could dwarf Sec. clinton’s proposals.

Watch creating catastrophe where none exists-Sec. Clinton did win the popular vote. She came up short in states she required to win the electoral college. Donald Trump may well be sui generis.

Drill into data Here we will need to rely on political science models and statistical skills, but  my point is to use data to assess different questions-did Sec. Clinton lose potential votes due to her gender? If so, why, among what groups? Are we able to disentangle  sheer prejudice from other concerns, especially economic among the electorate? To what degree did hints of isolationism in Trump’s record attract folks? (After all, we have not had a declared war in my lifetime, but we have poured blood and treasure ito half commitments. With a volunteer army, we send the children of the working class into those conflicts that have had such poor  results.

How could 30% of Latinos vote for Mr Trump?

What are the policy and candidate issues that had so many women desert Sec. Clinton?

How to present facts-social psychology-Look at the new Carville book for a guide to argument. -Social psychology experiments provide a gold mine of ways to see how we are prone to error in decisions due to a variety of factors. Some of the work even speaks to persuasion and the advantage of personal experience to move the issue from abstraction.Its terror management theory goes a way to explain the appeal of “tough” candidates.

On the other hand, it is clear that we have moved from the tyranny of the merely factual. Interpretive schema seem to  override factual presentations. Lawyers have known this for a long time. That is why they labor so on opening and closing trial statements. Frank Luntz has developed the focus group into a linguistic gold mine. Democrats can do the same. We need to seek ways and test them of framing a convincing and cohesive story that helps to frame issues and candidates.

Interest group activity I just contributed to Sierra Club and the ACLU again.Small acts like this not only have cumulative significance, but they help stem the onrush of political despair and passivity.

Candidate recruitment-One of the reasons  democrats choose lousy candidates. Yes, i know that the primaries select to keep the selection out of the hands of the party insiders. Political parties exist to recruit candidates for nomination. Keeping an eye out for potential candidates contributes to the process.

Look to states in 2020-republicans are in control of at least 33 states. In part this is due to Republicans doing the hard work of selecting candidates and supporting them in local and state races. Democrats need to  help with the drawing of the new legislative districts after the census.

Arrogance and condescension-In discussion much of the liberal left is insufferable.Dogmatism afflicts us. Language White privilege v. community. Trump struck on nerve on political correctness, in part, because it is a language preserve of the liberal left. I do not think that critical race studies are a good tool in political debate and discussion.  The privilege argument often turns stereotypical, ignores cross cutting privileges and obstacles and  creates defensiveness and denial more than dialogue. I do wonder if particularism is a tactic for elections as opposed to integration. I fear the ethical colonialism of trying to shield groups from agency and criticism.

Painting extremism in the Republican Party. Some data analysis would point us to Americans being moderates.  The republican Party is unrecognizable to me from what I grew up with.  It is most difficult to find  moderates in the party at all. We call those few people who would consider compromise on occasion to be moderates. How? When  was a child the the John Birch Society was laughed into becoming an isolated  fringe group.  2) The Khan family’s moment wa effective in painting the  bigotry of Trumpism by demonstrating commitment to values. 3) Pick battles, already the leadership is planning to go after Medicare and maybe social Security. This will not succeed if opposed well. It could be a cudgel in the 2018 elections.

Working class-Since I was a kid in 1968, I have seen the erosion of support for Democrats for the party of their natural constituency. Some of it is cultural. I recall sitting in a bar u (udnerage of course) back in PA when one of the miners saw McGovern on TV-and I will clean up the language but it went:L I ain't voting for anybody who sounds like Liberace.Environmental movements have turned to job creation, but the history has been willingness to close down jobs  for the sake of the public health.In some ways, the liberal left is a beacon of the future of white collar workers, but it ignores pink collar and blue collar labor to its peril.

Post election column

I’ve been interested in American politics and history all my life. Maybe the long-promised perspective of age is finally dawning on me, as my younger self would have been crushed by the results of the recent election. Almost immediately, I started jotting down some ideas about the path ahead, and perhaps it is good to share some of those musings. This piece is directed, mostly, to those on the center or leaning left on our political spectrum.

I counsel patience, both in the sense of watching events unfold and giving oneself and others time to work.  It is fine to be sad for a while and not to jump into fevered blaming  or lashing out in frustration. When down, we often move to extreme reactions. We have seen spates of gloating that has already mutated into  I have no problem with the protests concerning the election, but I do have resentment against the recourse to violence. I am willing to bet that many in the streets could not be bothered to vote at all, but they seem to have the time to go into the streets.

As time passes, we owe ourselves some space to reflect. We do well to rely on political scientists to drill deeply into the data to try to tease out answers to questions such as: how many votes were denied Sec. Clinton due to her gender?  Did Mr. Trump, the President –elect, receive or lose votes due to his personal qualities, for instance, his brashness?  What were the salient issues that impelled people to switch parties in their voting?

I would like to see how it is that Democrats have squandered their support in the working class during my lifetime, at least since 1968.  Put differently, how do Republicans get working class people to support a party that usually does not support their economic interests?

Part of the answer may lie in the image that the parties project. At times, liberals in this county are insufferably arrogant. They have taken on a mantle of intellectual and moral superiority to those who deign to disagree with them. In other words, they look down on the very people they claim to represent.

It is time for Democrats to start to recast some of their arguments for people to vote for them and not against opponents. We may well be at a new juncture on political opinion. It seems to me that we have a world of information at our disposal, but we choose to ignore it. Instead our reading of material, our interpretation, our narrative, as some call it, seems dispositive now. Of course, some facts are selected as being proof of a set of beliefs. To a large degree, we are ignoring facts and replacing them with mere opinion across the political landscape. In that light, how points of view are framed seem crucial.

At the same time, a basic role of a party is to recruit good candidates at all levels.  Knowing that the electoral maps change every ten years, Republicans have made huge gains at the state levels.  These  are vital  sources for future national candidates and testing grounds, laboratories, for different policy proposals.

Finally, the future is always uncertain. Instead of predicating doom find signs of hope. If opposition needs to arise, then may it be effective and civil. I do not trust my forecasting skills any more. I missed the wave of Tea Party activity as an emblem of the future. I predicted in the summer that Mr. Trump would garner no more than 38% of the vote.

After any election, I remind myself of the words of Max Weber,: politics is the slow boring of hard boards. 

Nov. 13  Is. 65, Is. 12 Lk. 21:5-19

New heaven and new earth-start from scratch-transform the world? This sounds to be a nature transformed.Apocalyptic material is about the revealing of God’s work, now and in the future. Our passage from Luke is an example of the dark side of the end times vision, but they do not end that way.For a dispirited people, it is an antidote to despair. It is a powerful act to imagine that the future is not consigned to be a repetition of the past. To see god intervening when we feel powerless or even hopeless is a valuable religious resource. Trend lines can change.At this time 8 years ago, we were racing toward a global financial collapse (use garden image from Brown)-

Fretheim creative significance of events but they also burst forth into new realms, especially violence-a new improved Eden?possibly a worldwide Eden-an expansive vision of not a garden within a piece of the world, but the whole world a garden (Hiebert)\ Moltmann sees God on the move toward a future yet unfinished. So the kingdom of his righteousness does not merely embrace poor human beings. He brings peace to the whole of creation, peace between man and beast, and peace among the beasts themselves “Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.” ― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Carvalho-Isaiah’s  poem points to the reality behind worship, and creates a picture of what that virtual world looks like. God creates a new reality;creation is God’s on-going activity. That ideal world is being created “new” every day. God’s creative work turns the profane world of the city into holy space, God’s territory. Divine blessings radiate out into the steppe and the wilderness, the abode of wild and dangerous creatures. Every day, God recreates this cosmos: a world of harmony, prosperity and joy.

Is 12,Nobel prize winner Bob Dylan sees his lyrics as fluid sometimes. Like some other writers he makes songs by using fragments of notes and material and putting them together in new ways. It is possible that our little song from Isaiah does the same thing, as its words are sprinkled throughout other OT songs of prayer.

Webb -The wells of salvation, the water of God’s gracious presence, are bottomless, endless. These are the waters that give life, restoring vibrancy to a world that is dying of thirst, and seeking wholeness for those overwhelmed by the floods of destruction.The water of forgiveness, of liberation from all that holds us in captivity, of refreshment of souls that are parched for grace, .This is god’s vision for life: for life, for blessed life, for a rich and full life to be shared by all.One of the religious crimes of the newer churches is their  denial of this basic idea. Instead o they harp on the negative forces with undisguised glee.

Edward Hicks was a Pennsylvanian Quaker. He devoted much time  in making version after version of a painting, The Peaceable Kingdom.We have around sixty versions. Greg told me of an artist Hible   Look at the picture on the bulletin. It has Penn’s treaty with the Indians in the corner, but the scene from Isaiah dominates. Look at how the lighting makes the lion almost look as if an angel's wing is on it. Look at the sated sleepy cat in the corner. And the sleepy wolf next to the lamb. For Hicks it was a future vision and a glimpse into history. As agents of peace, we help form a peaceable kingdom, a life at peace.

Week of Nov. 6 Devotional Pts

Sunday-Ps.145-is one of the great praise hymns. Verses 8 and 9 are recapitulations of God’s identity form Ex. 34. The remainder is a great evocation of the compassionate active god. Write your own praise psalm today with this as a template.

Monday-In the ancient Celtic imagination, this was considered to be a "thin time" when the veil between heaven and earth grew more transparent and the wisdom of our ancestors was closer to us. We are reassured that we are not alone, that we share the world with a great "cloud of witnesses" and "communion of saints" just across the veil. These next several days are a threshold space and in thresholds we are closer to the other world which is always here. The communal honoring of the dead continues for the whole month of November.

Tuesday- Daniel 7-Daniel isn't sure what to make of this terrifying and confusion vision, so he asks an "attendant" who helps make the message clear.Who are your "attendants"? Who helps give you a sense of clarity in your life? Who is present with you as you sort out your faith and what it means for your life? As we celebrate this holy night and the approaching All Saints Day, how can you honor those who have been and are "attendants" in your life?Amanda Kempthorne,

Wednesday-Luke 18:9-14-Comparing yourself to someone else is usually not very helpful. Sometimes we do it without even realizing it. Jesus' parable calls us out on this behavior, helping us realize what we are doing, what we are thinking and how we are viewing others. This passage is just a few verses long but truly they have a depth of meaning which can lead us into better relationships and a healthier frame of mind. It takes work on our part to realize what it is we are doing. This is not something that will happen in a moment, but by may take us some time to realize, adjust and, by God's grace, change to reflect the likeness of God.

Thursday-Hold plans and expectations lightly and notice where your energy and prayer are taking you and being fluid like the element of water.  It means being open to the subtle ways that God shapes and transforms us moment by moment, listening deeply for the call of the Spirit leading us forward into our lives.Abbey of the Arts

Friday-"From ev'ry bliss that earth imparts we turn, unfilled, to hear your call." St. Augustine made the same point in his Confessions: "You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you." We long for so much, and much of what we yearn for is good: purpose, direction, relationships. But finally even such good things are among the treasures moth and rust consume and thief breaks in to steal. We remain restless, unfilled, longing for what we know not. We remain unfilled until the one we were made for, the one who would share with us all that he is and has, finds us.God Pause

Saturday- “The creation of the world did not take place once and for all time, but takes place every day.” ― Samuel Beckett, Proust