I owe a debt of gratitude to Barbara Lundblad for her amazing commentary on this passage during the Goodsoil Worship service at Churchwide Assembly. I stole many of her ideas and adapted them to fit my congregation. It was the message my church needed to hear this week! Thanks Barbara!!!
CELEBRATION OF HOPE AND HEALING Mark 4:35-41 David Eck
08/30/09
I. Our gospel lesson for this morning begins with the statement
---"On that day when evening had come, Jesus said to them,
---"Let us go across to the other side."
For those of us who may be a little bit geographically challenged,
---The "other side" of Lake Galilee was the land of the Gerasenes
---Which, roughly translated, means "over against Galilee"
This was Gentile territory, the land of the "heathens."
---It was the place where God-fearing Jews
---Did not want to travel
It was the place where "those kind of people" lived.
---And so, I'm sure the disciples looked at Jesus a bit perplexed
---When he told them he desired to travel there
Over the past eight years the ELCA has been issuing a similar call
---For us to "go across to the other side."
---Some in the ELCA have been a bit perplexed
---As to why we would travel to such a place
Others listened to Jesus' request
---And even if they were hesitant
---Decided to get in the boat anyway
God's people often hesitate to go to the other side.
---Whether it's a call to minister the homeless,
---Victims of domestic violence,
---The poor, illegal immigrants,
---Those without the benefit of health care insurance
---Or the LGBT community
We like to surround ourselves with those who agree with us
---With those who look like us and think like us
We even select our newspapers and televisions stations
---Based upon our beliefs
---And rarely consult those
---Whom we view as being on the other side
However, if I've learned one thing about Jesus
---In my twenty plus years of ministry
---[Beside the fact that he passionately loves ALL his children]
---It is the fact that Jesus rarely allows us to remain
---In places that are comfortable and secure
He often calls us to places that challenge us
---And help us to grow.
---He calls us to places that are out of our personal comfort zones
---Because this is where he went while we has here on earth;
---Smashing through barriers of culture, class, sex and race
---In order to transform everyone with the radical, inclusive love of God
And so, this past week the ELCA decided to get into the boat
---And travel to the other side.
---Some of us not sure why were were going there.
---Others convinced that this boat trip was long overdue.
II. The story continues:
---"And leaving the crowd behind,
---They took him with them in the boat, just as he was.
--- Other boats were with him."
This is certainly an unusual detail in the story
---Mark is the only gospel to contain the phrase
---"Other boats were with him."
To be honest with you, I'm not exactly sure why it is there
---But I do know that last week several boats embarked on the journey
---With names such as Goodsoil and Lutheran CORE.
---Some who were in these separate boats
---Did not want to travel together at all.
---Others had hoped and prayed that we could "journey together faithfully"
---As many of our ELCA documents over the past few years have suggested
And so, there were many boats on the ELCA waters at Churchwide Assembly
---Some were tethered together
---Others were content to sail alone
III. The story continues:
---"A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat,
---So that the boat was already being swamped."
Those of you who read my blog while I was at Churchwide last week
---Know that Gary & I found ourselves
---Less than 100 yards from a tornado
---That traveled near Central Lutheran Church
---And ran through downtown Minneapolis for about 1.3 miles
We were standing outside in the car port of the Hilton Garden Inn.
---It was raining and the concierge had just handed us an umbrella
---So that we could travel across the street to the Convention Center.
I remember looking up toward the spires on Central Lutheran Church
---And saw debris floating through the sky in a circular pattern
---In that instant I remember thinking to myself
---"Something about that sky is just not right"
---One or two seconds later the circular pattern began to tighten
---And I either thought or yelled out loud
---"It's a tornado"
We both ran back into the hotel lobby
---As deeply as we could go
---Staying far away from the glass doors and windows of the hotel
As I looked back I could see that the wind
---Had whipped itself into a fury.
---I remember thinking if we had left the hotel 30 second earlier
---We would have been right in the middle of that storm.
Thanks be to God, no one was hurt in that tornado!
---The cross on one of the spires of the church was bent,
---Trees were uprooted and limbs were broken,
---An outdoor cafe where tables and chairs once stood
---Was utterly demolished
---Along with the dining canopy where the food was served
Later, I would learn that some of those chairs and tables
---Were tossed onto the roof of the Convention Center
---And I remember thanking God that I was not tossed onto that roof myself
And so a a great windstorm literally arose in Minneapolis.
---But there was also another windstorm that arose
---On the Assembly floor during the Plenary Sessions
---And it lasted for days on end
It was a cacophony of words:
---Some were gracious and passionate,
---Others were hurtful and self-righteous
I sat through that storm and witnessed every word of the conversation.
---It was a LONG week
IV. The story continues:
---"But Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the cushion;
---And they woke him up and said to him,
---"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"
How many times I heard these words
---Spoken from the Assembly floor this past week:
"Do you not care about tearing this denomination apart?
---Do you not care about what the Bible says?
Do you not care about the pain of gay, lesbian and transgendered Lutherans
---Who have felt unwelcomed for far too long?
---Do you not care about the pastors whose gifts have been rejected
---And whose ordinations have been revoked?
Do you not care about MY feelings?
---Do you not care about MY church?
---Do you not care?
And so the windstorm of words continued at a furious pace
---Until all of us were a little bit frightened
---No matter where we stood on the resolutions
---That were brought before the Assembly
Yet, in the midst of this word-storm we also prayed.
---We prayed a lot; in small groups and as individuals.
---We prayed our way through daily services of Holy Communion
---We prayed every 20 minutes during the debates
---We prayed before and after each and every vote
---On the Assembly floor
We prayed just like those frightened disciples prayed
---One Lake Galilee, perhaps wondering if Jesus was asleep
---While we were being battered by the wind and waves
V. The story continues:
---Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,
---"Peace be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.
---He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"
---And they were filled with great awe and said to one another,
---"Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
This text was read at the Goodsoil Celebration of Word and Sacrament
---The night after the tornado hit downtown Minneapolis,
---The night after the Sexuality Statement passed by a 2/3 super majority
Central Lutheran Church was packed.
---People were hanging from the balconies
---And as I processed down the aisle during the opening hymn
---The love and joy and spirit I felt in that room
---Almost knocked me over
I processed with gay and lesbian pastors like myself
---Who are still on the rolls of the ELCA
---And are pondering what the next step will be
---As we journey to the other side of the lake
I processed with others who were forcefully, and often ungraciously,
---Removed from the roster of the ELCA
---And are now discerning if they want to get back in the boat again
---And wonder who will welcome and call them
---And celebrate the gifts they have for ministry in our church
I processed with straight allies
---Who fought so passionately for us on the Assembly floor
---And who have discerned that, indeed, Jesus was calling the ELCA
---To journey to the other side of the lake
I processed surrounded by the love and prayers of
---Delegates and visitors who represent people like you;
---Who believe the time has come for full equality in the church
---For our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters
Who believe that we should be included in all ministries of the church
---From pastors to janitors, from Council presidents to ushers,
---From committee chairs to choir directors
Brothers and sisters in Christ, that day has come!
---Words cannot possibly express how much I love
---Each and every one of you
I thank you for your love and support.
---I thank you for believing in me
---And continuing to reaffirm my call as your pastor.
I thank you for supporting my family,
---Gary, Jason & Michael Dawn,
---Even though we may look a bit different from yours
I thank you for being Christ to me
---And constantly reminding me
---That I, too, am a beloved child of God
---And have a place in the ELCA along with everyone else
I would not be standing here today
---If it was not for your love and support.
---I would have left the ELCA a long time ago
But for whatever reason, you heard Jesus' call
---To get in the boat and go to the other side.
---You invited me to journey with you
---And I am eternally grateful
VI. Our gospel lesson tells us that
---Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,
---"Peace be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.
---He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"
The interesting thing about the day the Social Statement passed
---Is that some crazy preachers said that the tornado
---Was a sign of God's displeasure with the Lutheran Church
All I can say in response to this is how do you explain
---That after the vote was cast and the Sexuality Statement was passed
---The winds ceased, the sky cleared and sun began to shine? Hmmm.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is a new day in the ELCA;
---A day when our denomination decided
---That it is the cross of Christ that hold us together
A day where we have proclaimed that
---The love and forgiveness we have experienced in Jesus
---Extends to everyone and not just a select view
It is a day when we can truly live out the words of welcome
---That are found on the first page of Abiding Savior's web site
---And on each and every bulletin we print:
---"We believe that everyone is welcome at Abiding Savior
---No matter who they are or where they are on life's journey"
As a community of faith, we have always lived by these words
---And now we have a denomination that embraces those words as well
---All I can say to that is "Thanks be to God!"
VII. I'm sure that most of you are asking the question
---"What does all this mean for us as a congregation?
---What does this mean for us as a denomination?"
There are several observations I'd like to make
---As I try to discern where the Spirit may be leading us
---Both as a denomination and as a congregation
First of all, I ask each and every one of you
---To commit yourselves to daily prayer
---For Bishop Hanson and his staff,
---As well as Synodical bishops and their staffs
---As they navigate the challenging days ahead of them
I also ask you to pray for our conservative brothers and sisters
---Who see this as the end of the ELCA rather than a bright, new beginning
They are going to meet in September
---To decide whether they will leave the ELCA
---Or attempt to form a conservative Synod within our church
They have already asked those who support them
---To withhold their benevolence to the ELCA
---And their pain is deep and visceral
I ask you to pray that in the midst of their emotional windstorm
---They would hear Jesus' words "Peace, be still."
---I ask you to pray that they would hear the call to get into the boat with us
---And journey to the other side
I ask you to pray that they would understand that
---It is the cross of Jesus Christ that holds us all together in love;
---That we can journey together as one
---In spite of differences of opinion on many issues
---And not just the issue of human sexuality.
Secondly, I need you to know that I have already come out to our bishop
---And while I don't intend on taking out an ad in the newspaper
---I do intend on being a resource for our denomination and our Synod
---As they make the journey to the other side of the lake.
That being said, you also need to know
---That I am not and never will be a "one issue" pastor.
In fact, I long for the day when we don't have to talk about this issue any longer.
---I am committed to being a voice for all oppressed people
---Who long for justice, mercy and understanding.
---It is my goal to live out the words of Matthew 25
---Where Jesus reminds us that when we love and serve the "least of these"
---It is as if we are loving and serving Christ himself
Finally, I believe this is a unique opportunity for Abiding Savior
----To become more fully what God has called us to be
Our Guiding Principles are a wonderful way to articulate
---What it means to journey together as the Body of Christ
---In spite of our differences
Our gracious welcome to everyone who walks through our doors,
---As well as our commitment to social ministry,
---Finally makes us leaders in the ELCA instead of rebels
We are in a place where we can attract a number of people to our church
---Who may not have considered coming before
Some of them will be from other Lutheran churches
---Who are looking for a congregation
---That supports and lives out the new ELCA policies
Some of them will be people who were wounded or kicked out
---By churches of all denominations because they were gay or lesbian
---And are hearing the Spirit's call to give the ELCA a try
Some of them will be unchurched who have read about the ELCA
---And are curious to find out "What's up with those Lutherans?"
Over the next few months, I'm committed to working with the Church Council
---And various Committees to figure out how we can best tell our story
---And seize this unique opportunity in the life of our denomination
I believe our future is bright, very bright
---And I hope that each and every one of you
---Will commit yourselves to jumping in the boat with me
---And see where Jesus will lead us as we set sail
---For the other side of the lake.
Let us pray, God of Wind and Waves, change is never easy. Guide the ELCA as it begins a new chapter in its ministry to the world on behalf of Christ. Calm our fears. Help us move beyond our differences. Unite us in love and remind us all that it is the cross of CHrist that hold us together and makes us one. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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