All Saints Sunday

Jesus cried with a loud voice "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." [John 11:43-44, NRSV]

The story of Lazarus is one of the possible readings in the Revised Common Lectionary for All Saints Sunday. I've been walking with this text all week long and several observations come to mind:

1. All Saints is a difficult Sunday for some people to handle. The memory of lost loved ones is too recent or too painful for them to bear. This Sunday in particular stirs things up inside of us and we're not always ready to have things stirred up.

2. There are two ways we can observe this day. We can focus on what we have lost: The chair at the dining room table that now sits empty; the hole in our hearts that is unmended; the grief and pain we feel that is stuck to our souls like glue.

OR we can observe this day in another way. We can focus on what we've gained: A lifetime of memories that grow sweeter with age; the wisdom and faith that was passed down to us from saints of the past; the love of a Savior who tells us "I am resurrection. I am life. Believe in me." The choice is ultimately outs.

3. The last verses of the Lazarus story are especially poignant for the LGBT community. Jesus' call "Lazarus, come out!" is a call for all of us to walk away from anything that leaves us feeling trapped and bound and walk toward the new life that Jesus offers us. There is power in "coming out." As someone who has finally done this recently in all areas of my life, it is a liberating experience. All my burial cloths have been tossed aside. I am "unbound" and feel closer to my Savior than ever before. [Yes, you can be gay and Christian at the same time!]

So, my prayer for everyone this All Saints is that we will remember our departed loved ones fondly, focusing on what we have gained by their presence in our lives, rather than being haunted by their loss. Furthermore, I hope everyone will walk out of whatever closets entomb their lives and experience the freedom of living fully as LGBT people of faith with no apologies and no hesitations. Blessings to you all!

Luther and Vocation

Last Sunday, Lutherans around the world celebrated Reformation Sunday. My sermon focused on Luther's understanding of "vocation" which he refers to as Gottendienst or "godly service." Gottendienst is the German word for "worship." Thus Luther is telling his audience that what one does in this world is more than a holy calling or a vocation. It is an act of worship. The importance of everyone having a sense of vocation or holy calling cannot be understated. In fact, Jurgen Moltmann asserts that "next to Word and Sacrament, the recognition of the divine vocation of every Christian in his or her worldly occupation is the third great insight of the Lutheran Reformation."

What does Gottendienst mean for us? Well, one way I look at it is that God honors whatever work we do, be it great or small. Every conversation, every act of kindness counts. God blesses us whether we mop the floors or construct them. God blesses us whether we preach a sermon or take food to an AIDS patient. God blesses our fight for LGBT equality at a national rally as well as a casual conversation with a co-worker.

Each of us has a gift. Each of us is called to serve. Each of us has a vocation or, perhaps, it is better to say vocations since all of us have multiple callings to our families, our work places, our community and our world. My point is that I hope we will celebrate wherever God has placed us right this very moment. May we use our gifts in whatever ways we can and keep striving to introduce the world to the Jesus we know: The Jesus who loves us, redeems, and sets us free from the chains of hatred, prejudice and injustice.

Manna or Meat? Finding the Blessing

The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” [Numbers 11:4-6]

I preached on this text this past Sunday which is part of a larger Lectionary reading in Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29. One of the things I get out of this story is that the Israelites were so obsessed with meat that they missed the manna. In other words, they focused on what they didn't have instead of giving thanks for the blessings God had already given them. How typically human!

We do this al the time. We'd like to be prettier, more wealthy, straight, more popular, etc. instead of celebrating the unique persons God created us to be. We covet what we don't have and envy the lives of those we think are more fabulous than us. If my work as a hospital chaplain has taught me anything, it is to keep an eye on blessing. Life is tough for everyone at some point. Therefore we should all be looking for the manna God sends our way and give a resounding "Thank you God" for it.

What manna have we been ignoring lately? Perhaps we have a spouse you haven't said "I love you" to in a long time. Perhaps we feel unattractive because you don't look like those perfect bodies at the gym. Let's keep our eyes on the manna and stop worrying about the meat. God is blessing us all the time if only we have eyes to see it!