This verse about two or three gathering in the name of God…it’s not a Bible passage meant to convince us that any small crowd will do in place of a larger one; it’s a verse about how much we need God in our most personal and communal face-to-face relationships because those are the places where we struggle.
Totally indebted to this amazing commentary on Workingpreacher.com by Audrey West. You’ll hear the resonant themes on listening and reconciliation as well as her view-changing insight.
Bishop Guy Erwin led his final synod worship service on July 26th before departing for a new post as president of United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia. His sermon covers the familiar territory of Romans and will not sound new if you have been following along each Sunday or in Bible Study. But it’s a lovely address nonetheless and a service full of sweet farewells and lovely music. Enjoy a little uplift in the midst of these distressing days! And pray for him as he settles into a vibrant new ministry. And pray for our transition as we welcome a new interim bishop.
Just as Isaiah spoke in his own time centuries before, the days of Canaanite genocide are over. It’s time to be a house of prayer for all peoples. And how do the disciples react? Tell her to go away, they say.
Place Finders
Readings 12:12 Sermon 15:50 Prayers 33:26
Some helpful links to explore some of the social science studies and some of the historical context. In addition, everyone should know about he Doctrine of Discovery and how this Christian edict shaped global history.
For some Bible background on the Canaanite woman, check out this ARTICLE — it reminded me of Jesus’ blood line.
For some modern applications of this Gospel story, check out an LA Times Op-Ed written by Hal Printup, father of one of our members about the Doctrine of Discovery and its shaping of our global history and where we begin redressing the wrongs done in its name against indigenous peoples
A testy explanation of a series of 500 year old papal bulls establishing the Doctrine of Discovery — the author is not religious (she lets you know it) but don’t let that detract from the history she lays out
“ The boat is an incredibly sturdy and reliable and holy place. Only missing church as much as I or any of us do…helped me hear these words anew: when they got into the boat, the winds ceased. That’s what it says. And boy, do we know the power of the ship right now.”
"The journey to the census wasn’t just about Jesus or his blood relatives. What if it was the body of Christ being counted? What if it was everyone who goes unseen and unaccounted for? What if every at-risk invisible child or homeless wanderer or anyone living out of reach of the community goes with Jesus into that census? "
See Megan MacKenna’s book Not Counting Women and Children for more reading on this biblical miracle. To read the full Bible study on Numbers and the persistent sisters, take a look at the ECLA study HERE.
“Some people love the butterfly to describe the Christian life. I do too. But the dragonfly…somehow the shock and revulsion of their change from their nymph bodies to their winged selves is a bit more like how it really is for us.
“Our character, our hope is seeded in suffering. So when Paul says to focus on the things of the Spirit, it’s not about avoiding our pain. Sometimes we make that mistake. But rather it’s about focusing on life eternal within the pain. ”
And so Paul figures that if sin is this powerful… that we can know what is good, we can know how to be unified, we can know how to pursue the voice of God instead of our idol worship, we can know we need to sacrifice for love of the enemy… if sin is so powerful that we can know all this and still not choose the righteous path nor even yearn for the righteous path, then we are going to need something stronger than sin, stronger than the human will in order to overcome its power, and that something is actually a someone…Who will rescue us from this body of death? Paul cries And the only answer he has is the crucified and risen Christ.
There are so many great resources out there that have informed this sermon. I rely heavily on our Bible study class for my Romans insights as well as the following scholarship: NT Wright’s commentary, the Jewish New Testatment, Luke Timonthy Johnson’s tome , The Writings of the New Testament. New research in neuroscience informs my understanding of fear and bias. Here’s a great interview on this relative to the pandemic with Jonathan Capehart and Jonathan Metzl. Keep in mind, this podcast has a center-left bend. Nonetheless, it doesn’t take away from the sociological insights. And Robin Diangelo presents some helpful ideas about knee-jerk reactions to racism conversations in her book White Fragility. None of these resources were not read uncritically with unquestioning acceptance of every idea or chapter. And I am happy to have conversation on them any time.
Your staff thanks you for the needed rest this weekend. You are so generous with us. We hope you feel empowered and nurtured by the Spirit through worship with our sister congregations throughout our Southwest California region. Blessings on this Father’s Day and thank you to everyone who made this regional digital experience possible.
“It is so very hard right now, but this will not last forever. It will end. I know you believe this too. Or if you do not, it’s okay because enough of us will believe for you.”
Place-Finders
Readings 22:00
Message: 31:32
Prayers: 41:44
Sermon Notes
Thank you, Rabbi David Wolpe, for you consistent inspiration during these trying times.
“Knowing you are worth something is everything. And we as a church are entrusted with that message – by Jesus we are called to bear the message that the most vulnerable are worth something, that the persecuted and punished, the broken and the beaten and the discarded are precious and foundational to the universe. ”
Place-Finders
Sermon 23:16
Prayers 38:09 Comm Time 44:01
Sermon Notes
The insight about abusive relationships and being black in America comes from this book — which I have yet to read but others recommend: James Cone — The Cross and the Lynching Tree.
Today is not just about reform or becoming more inclusive or becoming relevant or tweaking the worship to keep us all happy. Instead, it’s about the wholesale breakdown of every assumption of what it means to be church.
Sermon Notes
Thank you, Rev. Matt Keadle, for your ironical observations about our current Pentecost.
The story I quote today comes Rabbi David Wolpe and his minute long daily inspiration videos. To watch the whole clip, visit his project at Mt. Sinai Temple in Los Angeles.
