A Gentle Nudge

 PROPERS:          THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT 

TEXT:                EXODUS 3:1-15  

PREACHED AT ST. PAUL’S, MOBILE, ON SUNDAY, MARCH 23, 2025.

 

ONE SENTENCE:        God’s movement is frequently subtle and awaits our need for him.

 

 

            The first lesson today, from Exodus, is certainly one of the most familiar scenes in all of scripture.  The calling of Moses.

 

            Moses… rescued from the bullrushes… former prince of Egypt… is now tending the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro in the desert wasteland of the Sinai.

 

            You likely know this scene well – even from childhood. After all, a talking, burning bush is hard to forget. God is acting very dramatically to touch Moses.

 

            Would that all divine nudging would be so dramatic.  Usually, it is subtle. Here and there. Now and again. A faint whisper in our hearts, which can easily be denied.

 

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            As Paul Harvey said, “page two”: 

 

A thirty-year-old woman lived a secluded life near the North Sea in England.  She was a nun who took her vows seriously and would be secluded in her cell throughout her life. 

 

These were dark times in her community.  The Black Death had ravaged her town. She found herself ill… desperately ill.  Near death, she had a divine vision.

 

Against all odds, she survived.  Years later, Julian of Norwich would write these words: “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” The year was 1373. Her account of the darkness of that experience became known as Revelations of Divine Love – a classic which transcends the centuries.

 

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            Now, “page three”: 

 

The 32-year-old Anglican priest had been educated at some of the finest schools, including the prestigious Lincoln College in Oxford.

 

            He answered a call to foreign lands and set sail for Georgia – with instructions to evangelize the indigenous people.  He fell in love with a young woman in his parish, but refused to marry, believing in a call to clerical celibacy.  When the target of his affections married another man, he excommunicated her – and soon felt the wrath of the law.

 

            He sailed back to England, a failed pastor.  When he got to London, he attended a prayer meeting on Aldersgate Street.  Hearing the preface to Paul’s Letter to the Romans read, he felt his “heart strangely warmed.”

 

            In his failure, the Second Great Awakening was born – as was the Methodist movement. John Wesley’s life pivoted.

 

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            “Page four”: 

 

Drafted into the Nazi armed forces at age 16, the teenager knew little of faith.  His German family had not been religious.

 

            When World War II ended, he was taken prisoner of war in Belgium at age 18.  He and his fellow POWs were confronted with stark images of the horrors of Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. They were devastated by what had been done in their name.

 

            Soon he was transferred to another POW camp, this time in Kilmarnoch, Scotland. In the depths of his despair, a chaplain gave him a small New Testament.  He read it voraciously, and his life changed.

 

            Some years later, Jurgen Moltmann, one of the greatest theologians of the 20^th century, wrote A Theology of Hope.Hope emerged from the ashes.

 

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            In hearing the account of Moses’ call, we are tempted to expect God to move in something akin to a burning bush. Yes, sometimes – but typically, not so.  God’s movement is usually much more subtle, nuanced.

 

            One of the great spiritual movements of the past 100 years has been the 12-step programs. For healing to be true and deep, a person needs to “hit bottom.”  Like the struggling father said in the Gospel according to Mark: “Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!” 

 

Tired. Frustrated. Broken. Shattered relationships. At wit’s end. At that point, the addict is open to God’s movement in his or her life.  New life is available.

 

            Addicted or not -- we are no different.  It is when we are most lost, tending our father-in-law’s sheep at Mount Horeb, in the daily grind of life, we are most open to God’s movement.

 

            It happened with Julian of Norwich, John Wesley, and Jurgen Moltmann – it can happen to you.  No flashing lights… no lightning strikes… no burning bushes.  It is in the midst of human brokenness that God can move. Just the subtle, quiet nudge of God in your life.

Beyond the Community

 

PROPERS:          SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY 

TEXT:                LUKE 6:27-38     

PREACHED AT ST. PAUL’S, MOBILE, ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2025.

 

ONE SENTENCE:        An essential lesson of the Gospel is to treat one another with respect.

 

            I want to share a secret with you.  I know you can keep it.

 

            We clergy are not perfect.  Big surprise, huh?

 

            Garrison Keillor once said that if a minister made such a confession, you immediately start wondering who he is having an affair with and for how long.

 

            But let me burst your bubble.  No such confession is forthcoming.

 

            I merely wanted to say that we are not perfect. But we are BIG projection screens.

 

            In my prior vocation as Canon to the Ordinary, I worked closely with clergy. I tried to impart to them some semblance of wisdom distilled from many years in the ordained ministry.  In many cases, it was worth exactly what they paid for it.

 

            But I hold on to one bit of insight: We clergy are not as good or as bad as people might think. We are human beings.  As such, we have certain faults – all of us.  We also have certain gifts – gifts that we try to exercise for the good of the Body.

 

            Honestly, people tend to either put us up on a pedestal or see us as the devil incarnate.  And face it – some of us are uniquely gifted and some are just plain duffeses. Regardless, there is a tendency to either project our fondest thoughts or our most scurrilous suspicions onto clergy.

 

            Neither is accurate.  Even the most gifted among us has shortcomings. And even the most misbegotten have some gifts to share.  I know that, after consulting with congregations and clergy over 16 years. There may be real problems, but almost certainly there will be projections of our own personal perspectives involved.

 

            Trust me.  It’s a fact of life.

 

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            Bishop Sean Rowe, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, preached recently at National Cathedral – some two weeks after Washington Bishop Mariann Budde set the internet on fire with her sermon at President Trump’s National Prayer Service.

 

            Bishop Rowe, who I knew when he was what we call a “baby bishop”, told a story I have told many times.  Jody probably heard it when he was in Fresh Start in Mississippi.

 

            It goes this way:

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            It seems that an old monastery had fallen on hard times.  Whereas many years earlier it had been a thriving monastic community in the countryside.  Many prospective monks had made their vows and exercised their vocations there.

 

            But no longer.  Only three or four monks remained.  The abbot – the head of the monastery – was bereft.  No matter what he tried, hard times continued.

 

            At a loss as to what to do, the abbot decided to go talk with a wise of old Jewish hermit who lived near the village.  He would seek the wise old man’s wisdom.

 

            When they met, they shared a drink, and the abbot unburdened himself.  Then they both wept.

 

            “I’m sorry”, the old man said, “but have no advice for you. I do not know how to solve your problems.”

 

            The abbot stood to leave. As he walked to the door, the old man said, “I do have one insight for you.  You should know this: The messiah is one of the monks in your community.”

 

            Walking home, the abbot thought: “Curious.  Who could it be? Not me. O God, not me! And certainly not Brother Bob!  But who?”

 

            Befuddled and mystified, he got back to the monastery and told the remaining monks what the old man had said.  They, too, were curious. They wondered. They looked at their colleagues differently.

 

            Something strange happened.  In the days, weeks, and months ahead, the monks treated one another with great kindness, gentleness, and courtesy. After all, the messiah was in their midst.

 

            And as their perspective changed, they began to attract new novices to their order. Families came from the nearby town to picnic on their grounds.  The monastery flourished.

 

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            St. Paul’s is a very loving community.  As a result of the respect we show one another, our parish flourishes. Trust me – I’ve seen the dark side of many a parish’s life.

 

            But we don’t dwell here 24/7.  We all have our lives.  We walk out of here after service on Sunday, and that is when the rubber of our faith meets the road.

 

Jesus said, "I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

 

            Those are the first words from our gospel lesson today – from the Sermon on the Plain, Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount. They are Jesus’s words to those who would be citizens in the kingdom he was introducing.

 

            They are a high standard.  They go against our very nature.  But they are words of life.  Words of hope. Words for a New Creation.

 

            Our various communities.  Our circles of friends.  The strangers we encounter.  Our families.  All would flourish and prosper if we went against the norms of the world and lived the words of Jesus. Forgive. Turn the other cheek. Give freely.

 

            His words… his life… his example… are the way, and the truth, and the life.

From Out of the Whirlwind...

 

PROPERS:          THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY 

TEXT:                NEHEMIAH 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10  

PREACHED AT ST. PAUL’S, MOBILE, ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 2025.

 

ONE SENTENCE:        We look through a glass darkly at the movement of God in our lives.   

 

            This past Thursday was a little-acknowledged feast day in the church year.  It was our annual commemoration of the man who was, perhaps, the greatest preacher in the history of the Episcopal Church.

 

            Philips Brooks was the rector of that well-known parish in Boston – Trinity Church, Copley Square.  It is a massive edifice in downtown Boston, and Philips Brooks preached there for 22 years.  He was elected bishop of Massachusetts in 1891 – a post he held for only two years before he died.

 

            It should be noted that one contribution he made to our tradition is that he wrote “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” He is a towering figure in our church history.

 

            Another, lesser-known fact is that this past Thursday, the feast day of Philips Brooks, was also Jody Burnett’s birthday.

 

            O rector, my rector – happy birthday!

 

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            We come face-to-face today with another little-known fact – the first lesson, from Nehemiah.

 

            We regularly read or listen to scripture passages on Sunday that we do not understand.  Their background, their meaning, their significance are lost on us.  We don’t know how to unspool them to find the meaning deep within.  This passage from Nehemiah is just such a lesson.

 

            Let me place it in historical context for you.

 

            There are two deeply significant events in the Old Testament. One is the original Passover in Egypt and the deliverance at the Red Sea.  Anyone who has watched Charlton Heston as Moses in The Ten Commandments is familiar with that event.

 

            The other event is much less known.  It transpired in 587 BC. King Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army laid siege to the Holy City of Jerusalem and leveled it – including the sacred Temple built by Solomon. Stone from stone.

 

            Blood ran in the streets and the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile.  It was the beginning of the Jewish diaspora, when the Jewish people were dispersed throughout the Western World – especially Eastern Europe. Sadly, it laid the early foundation for the Holocaust. It was a turning point in Judaism. The nation of Judah was ravaged and ceased to exist.

 

            The scriptural perspective is that the people had turned away from God’s law and the result had been divine, retributive action by the Babylonians.

 

            But history has a funny way of turning on worldly powers.  Babylon was defeated by Persia – modern-day Iran – and the fate of the Jews rested in the hands of Cyrus the Great, King of Persia. I would note he was the predecessor – by 2,000 years – of the ayatollah.

 

            Cyrus released the Jews to return to Jerusalem.  And they did.  Nehemiah, the governor, and Ezra, the priest, were responsible for reintroducing God’s law and rebuilding the city.  It is at that point that we find them today. They are reintroducing the Law to God’s chosen people in the Holy City of Jerusalem.

 

            Ultimately, they will succeed.  The city will be rebuilt.  A magnificent Temple will be constructed – a Temple where Jesus will teach 600 years later.  It will be that new Temple – originally built by Nehemiah’s workers and made grand by Herod – from which Jesus would eject the money changers.

 

            And it is that Temple that will fall to the Roman legions in AD 70.  They, too, will raze it, stone from stone.  Once again, the people will be vanquished… and weep for the loss of their holy place. Forty years after Jesus’ crucifixion.

 

            One would not blame the Jews for the ultimate theological question of theodicy – why is there injustice, tragedy, loss in God’s creation?

 

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            In 1948 the nation of Israel came into being.  The Temple Mount and the adjacent Wailing Wall were recaptured in 1967. I was there on the 50^th anniversary of the nation’s founding. Israel lives today – despite the horrors of history.

 

            We will endure losses – personally, as a people, as a nation. When the winds of change or loss hit us as individuals or sweep through us as a people, we can and should grieve.  That is a reasonable human reaction – it is not to be dismissed or minimized.

 

            But neither should we vanquish hope.  Despair is not our friend in faith. While we may question the justice of the loss of a loved one, the seeming triumph of an unjust cause, or some sort of cataclysm which rocks our community.  We need to recognize that we do not understand the trajectory of history; we do not see the end result off in the mists of the future.

 

            We do not fully understand or grasp God’s ways.

 

            My point?

 

            All this reminds me of two things…

 

First, in the book that bears his name, Job bitterly complains that bad fortune had befallen him, and had lost family, flocks, crops, fields, and wealth.  He had lived a sterling life.  Is there no justice?

 

In the 38^th chapter, God answers Job’s accusations of the lack of justice in life: 

 

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:

² “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
³ Gird up your loins like a man;
    I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

⁴ “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
    Tell me, if you have understanding.
⁵ Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
    Or who stretched the line upon it?
⁶ On what were its bases sunk,
    or who laid its cornerstone
⁷ when the morning stars sang together
    and all the heavenly beings^[a] shouted for joy?

 

            This is core to my theology – we see through a glass darkly. Now, we do not understand.  Our vision is limited. Neither we nor Nehemiah could understand what would transpire in the coming years, decades, or centuries.

 

            At the same time, though, I embrace the hope of faith that is found in Martin Luther King’s sermon at Washington National Cathedral five days before he was assassinated in Memphis: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

 

            Job, Chapter 38, and the quotation from Martin Luther King. They summarize my faith.  That is my hope. On Christ the solid rock I stand…

A Very Special Word

 

PROPERS: CHRISTMAS 1, YEAR C

TEXT:       JOHN 1:1-18

PREACHED AT ST. PAUL’S, MOBILE, ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2024.

 

ONE SENTENCE:        “The Word” expresses the evangelist’s best effort to describe what the young church had experienced in the person of Jesus.

 

 

            One of the challenges of being a person of a “certain age” is a frequent inability to come up with particular word or name, no matter how hard I try.  As a friend described it, the memory cells are there, it’s just the retrieval system that is lacking.

 

            I have read that a good escape from the discomfort of such a moment is to say, searching curiously, “I can’t remember the English word for it now…”

 

            That immediately does two things:  It get’s me out of an uncomfortable bind, and it causes the person to whom I’m speaking to think I am multilingual.  Which I am not.

 

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            Searching for a word or concept. That was precisely what the early church was doing as the writer of John’s gospel prepared to pen his testimony.

 

            The Gospel according to John is unique.  It is the latest of the four gospels, probably finalized about 100 A. D. – some seventy years after Jesus’ earthly life.

 

            It is also radically different.  It is profoundly theological.  It deals with the why much more than the what. Like the Gospel according to Mark, it does not concern itself with Jesus’ birth.  Like the Gospel according to Matthew, it seeks to explain Jesus’ origins – but in a distinctly theological way.

 

            The young church was seeking to explain this thing that it had experienced.  They wondered:  How do you describe his teaching?  How do you describe his healing? How do you describe his raising Lazarus from the dead? What about his humility… his battles with religious authorities?  What about his trial, execution, and resurrection?

 

            Why do we still sense his presence all these years later?

 

            Jesus’ followers had experienced all this.  And those who came to the movement later also knew of his mysterious transforming power – long after his earthly life.

 

            How do you capture this in a scroll?

 

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            This is what the author of John pondered.

 

            In Greek philosophy about that time there was a concept of logos – which we translate as word.  It represented logic and reason – the foundation of sound thinking, argumentation, and philosophy.  It was a simple but profound concept.

 

            But the author of John’s gospel saw much more in logos.  And he used that approach to what is known as the prolegomena to his gospel – the first 18 verses. “In the beginning was the word…”

 

            As the author saw it (and described it), this marvelous experience the world had known in this Middle Eastern man called Jesus, represented the essence, the creative power of God. “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

 

            And that essence of God was a part of God – and not separate of the divine being.  The logos touched and transformed people’s lives: “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.” The logos – like God – permeates creation.

 

            I love that simple passage: “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” Just as the logos is the essence of God, the child we worship this season is the essence of God’s grace upon grace.

 

Not of This World

PROPERS: LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B

TEXT:       JOHN 18:33-37

PREACHED AT ST. PAUL’S, MOBILE, ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2024.

 

ONE SENTENCE:        Scripture and experience teach us that the Kingdom is not of this world.

 

 

            Good morning.

 

            I want to begin this morning with a couple of points of personal privilege.

 

            First, our two grandsons, Wilt and Harris, are present in the congregation today.  They love to see it when their grandfather – they call me Bosco – is “on the stage”, as they refer to the pulpit. Welcome, Wilt and Harris.

 

            Second, nearly 37 years ago I was ordained priest.  I served parishes in various communities for most of those years. But during the last 16 years of active ministry, I served as Canon to the Ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi.  I loved it – but to be honest, I was a bit of a bean-counter, and frequently an unwelcome extension of the bishop’s office.  It was what I was called to do.

 

            I want you to know what I have discovered – discovered right here at St. Paul’s, Mobile.  I have rediscovered the joy that originally prompted me to enter seminary.  It is wonderful to sit with you and hear your stories… to connect with you. Even if I can’t remember everyone’s name.

 

            I want to express my thanks to Jody for calling me to this ministry, and to Brad for his friendship.  Just between you and me, Jody probably thought he would be helping himself.  Actually, he has helped this eight-year retired priest find joy in ministry again.

 

            My thanks to him, and to you.

 

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Just a couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Veteran’s Day.  It was originally called Armistice Day – commemorating the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of 11^th month in 1918 when the guns of the Great War fell silent.

 

The years which preceded that momentous event began the demise of a powerful theological movement – Theological Liberalism. But not the liberalism you think.

 

            It was like this. Ever since the enlightenment, optimism was on the rise. The march of human progress was seen as inevitable. Industry was prospering. Scientific insights were ubiquitous.  The standard of living was on the improving. Some theologians even believed that we might find perfection – the Kingdom of God – in the present day. That was a heady time.

 

            The Great War – also known as World War I – brought a cold dose of reality. Theological liberalism ended in a crash. The trench warfare, the fox holes, the chemical weapons, and 40 million dead pricked that balloon.  

 

Two decades later, World War II and all its horrors, including the Holocaust, would follow.

 

The world then and today is broken.

 

            It is utter hubris to think that we can usher in the Kingdom of God.  The flaws of our many cultures testify to that. Think of Ukraine.  Think of Gaza.  Think of the divisions within this culture.

 

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            As Jody reminded us in his sermon last week, it was Pope Pius XI who marked the end of that naivete in 1925 when he instituted Christ the King Sunday – the last Sunday after Pentecost and before Advent.

 

            But what does it mean?

 

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Jesus stood before the Roman Governor, Pilate, in Jerusalem’s Praetorium.

 

            Pilate challenged him.  “Are you the King of the Jews?”

 

            Jesus’ response is succinct: “My kingdom is not of this world.”

 

            A kingdom not of this world…

 

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            Tim Alberta, son of an evangelical pastor, has written a book, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory.

 

            You probably recognize those words from the Lord’s Prayer. But he writes that the way it is being practiced is a modern-day heresy.  He writes of the large portion of modern-day Christianity which has brought back the aspiration that the Kingdom of God can be forced into being. If we have enough power, we can bring it about.

 

            His perspective is that many have traded the eternal rewards we cherish for the earthly treasures, which Jesus tells us turn to dust. Throughout his book, Tim Alberta recounts his winding travels around the country, visiting with pastors of megachurches who see the promises this world is making to them.

 

            My point to you today is theological and not political. We are not tempted. We worship a Lord and look for a Kingdom that we celebrate today – a Kingdom not of this world.

 

            Let’s be honest. The many good works we do here do not build the Kingdom of God. Nurturing children, reaching out to others in a meaningful ways, touching lives, caring for others – these build Christian community, where we and others may be formed in the image of Christ.

 

            The King we worship transcends our limited view and knowledge of time and space. God’s Kingdom is over, under, around, and through all that we encounter.  In our best, most sacred moments we know it’s reality here and there, now and again, like a wisp of wind.

 

            But it is real, and as we have learned through ashes and bitter experience, it continues to resist our efforts to force it into our world.  We, too, are here but for the twinkling of an eye, but the King and his reign continue forever. 

Beyond Giving

 

PROPERS: PROPER 23, YEAR B

TEXT:       MARK 10:17-31

PREACHED AT ST. PAUL’S, MAGNOLIA SPRINGS, ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2024.

 

ONE SENTENCE:        The essence of the Gospel is not the Law – it is the transcendent manner in which we live our lives.

 

            This gospel lesson today is especially relevant.  And it is relevant not because we are coming to the conclusion of the fall financial canvass – what Bishop Greg Rickel called the fall begathon.

 

            This gospel is about true and deep conversion of the heart.  And it impacts how we will exercise our choices in coming weeks. As the lesson from Hebrews today notes, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

 

            Jesus goes from preachin’ to meddlin’ here.  A righteous and faithful young man – we called him the rich young ruler years ago – comes to Jesus and asks about requirements to attain eternal life.

 

            Jesus responds with a few of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.”

 

            The young man responds: “I have done these from my youth.”

 

            Jesus looks at him – and this is important – and loves him. Jesus knows he’s about to break the young man’s heart.  He will pierce his bubble. Jesus is speaking to a different eternal life than the young man asked about.

 

            “Go and sell all you have and give it to the poor.” The young man’s heart is broken.  He is a wealthy young man. He does not understand Jesus’ response.

 

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            I often wonder what literalists and prosperity gospel preachers do with this. It’s awfully challenging – especially to folks like us who have means (which I would translate as comforts), compared to the rest of the world.

 

            The truth of this gospel cannot be explained away by the notion that Christianity is like the Law, which can be fulfilled, or a golden ticket, which assures us of some heavenly destiny. Eternal life begins in the here-and-now, as we live our lives daily.

 

            There is an old saying: Virtue is its own reward. Christianity, fully lived, is its own reward.  When we give priority to the life which Jesus led and taught, with values different from the world around us, we find ourselves being transformed and the world around us seeing that transformation.

 

            A book I read years ago, Stages of Faith, categorizes faith-seekers according to various stages – from those who view faith as some sort of rabbit’s foot, to those who have deep and abiding faith and are able to embrace this mystery of the gospel. The latter folks relate to the world differently.

 

            There are all those types here today – from those who think if we check off the list of rules, we are okay; to those who live faith as the fullness of life.

 

            The young man who came to Jesus was of the first type – a follower of the Law. He did not know the fullness of the gospel of grace.  Yet. He was living the Law, and not living the Gospel.

 

            We live a rich variety of faiths – each of us. It’s important to note – and I do so here today – that as Jesus prepared to break the young man’s heart, he loved him.  Just as he loves each of us.  And he calls us forward -- to the fulness of life that the deep, profound journey of faith can bring us.