Can Something Be Practical and Extravagant?

John 2:1-11

This miracle is an odd mix of practical and extravagance. It feels…contradictory in a way. Practical things aren’t extravagant- its like the difference between a need and a want. Can they be the same- isn’t that cheating? This miracle stumps me but also excites me. I love seeing Jesus acting almost frivolous. It seems like this miracle is about Jesus helping people get drunk not on 3 buck chuck from trader joes but on a top shelf bottle that I wouldn’t even know the name of because splurging on wine for me is opting for the $12 bottle. For them to run out of wine would have been embarrassing and stopped the celebration but why should Jesus care about that? I’m surprised Jesus was even at this wedding event having a good time. We don’t really hear of Jesus’ social life much but here we see he has one. We also think of Jesus as so serious but what is Jesus is just an average guy that also likes to have fun? Why was he at this celebration? It shows Jesus in a different role than the son of God. Is he there because he wants to be- a friend’s wedding- is he there because it’s polite- a relatives wedding. We all have social responsibilities- we are friends of people, family of people, we are members of our community and so we participate. I don’t think Jesus happened to be at this party in his role as son of God but in another role- a social role. And I think it might be important. For each parable, each scripture there are numerous take aways and new lenses to see it through. I rarely hear sermons though that aren’t serious or trying to be profound. What if the revelation here isn’t veiled but straightforward- Jesus knows the importance of enjoying yourself, having multiple roles, not taking things so seriously? If there were ever a lesson the HS was trying to unveil, I think it would be this one right now. It’s freeing and oddly permission giving to think that Jesus went to a party to relax, unwind, and put the burden of the world off until tomorrow. I’m not sure we believe we can do this anymore. I think most would say it’s irresponsible or selfish or naive.

What is the real miracle here? He didn’t raise someone from the dead for his 1^st miracle- he saves that for his last miracle- but he provided wine to keep a celebration going. In the book of John- Jesus’s opening scene is a miracle of frivolousness- he’s not feeding starving people or raising people from the dead and yet there has to be some importance to why Jesus began his ministry this way. Like any good campaign- your first big move lets people know what you are about- it’s all strategy. What is Jesus’ strategy here? I think its to say his campaign slogan or message is of Hope. God is in the everyday. God is actively working to right our wrongs through people. God is using us to be his miracles. Life isn’t just practical- it’s also extravagant- there are pleasures and joys and gifts here that we have been given. Not everything has to be dire all of the time.

We are almost 2 years into this pandemic and its hard to remember the carefree nature of going to parties such as this one- where you didn’t have to worry and plan and reschedule and spent countless hours talking and pondering whether it’s worth it to go to this event or that event. I am ready for a miracle. Maybe I am looking for the miracles in all the wrong places. Maybe the miracles aren’t happening in the practical ways we would expect but in celebratory, lavish ways. Maybe the miracle is that no matter what is happening in your life or the world- God still has gifts to offer you. Maybe these people weren’t going through a pandemic, but this wasn’t modern living. People were probably struggling for food and safety and there is no modern medicine and yet they still celebrate life. Things like drinking good wine at the end of the night- they matter. Maybe drinking isn’t your thing- but are you in a part in your life where that decadent dessert you splurge on at dinner brings you joy or that black label whiskey your friend brings over for a night cap is a real treat? Have we lost the ability to have our spirits brightened by the small stuff? I wrote this sermon on Thursday, so I tried to practice this idea on Friday. Jon went to Chicago to visit a friend for the weekend, so I tried to think of small things to indulge in. His mom had given us a gift card to trader joes and I decided instead of spending it on normal groceries that we needed- I wanted to spend it in a fun way. I wanted to spend it on the fun things you don’t really need, or the things you always wanted to try. It’s a pretty innocent act- I didn’t splurge on a $500 spa weekend but I chose to use the gift card for a want not a need. I got some fancy sparkling fruit water juice thing I would never have allowed myself to buy and those dark chocolate peanut butter cups and some fun cheeses.  I want the ability to improve my life ever so slightly by being a tiny bit frivolous and extravagant.

 This is a miracle of extravagance. We get a very detailed description of this miracle from John which is unusual because john is the heady one- he’s philosophical not logical. Starting at verse 6, John becomes unusually detailed in his description of what is taking place. He states that there were 6 stone jars- each that could hold 20-30 gallons, so we are talking big jars here and he makes sure that we know these jars were filled to the brim. With these details this story went from Jesus saving the bridegroom embarrassment because they ran out of wine to a story where Jesus acts in lavish and extravagant ways for the enjoyment of the wedding guests. Wedding events such as this lasted anywhere from 3-7 days. It would it have been an embarrassment to run out of wine during these festivities as well as something one could potentially be sued for but Jesus just didn’t provide enough to hold them over or provide them with any old wine. He provided them with top notch wine and probably over 120 gallons worth! Extraordinary amount of wine. Practical things in extraordinary amounts. Why this magnitude?  This is the first of Superabundance of gifts through Jesus- feeding of the 5 thousand. Extravagant.  First glimpse of the greater things.

I think this is Jesus’s opening act to show indeed this is a glimpse of greater things to come. To show that this symbolic transformation from water into wine is not what you think. We will actually be the ones transformed. We will be the ones to transform the world. New wine is made in old jars- symbolizing old forms are given new content. Creation of something new. His message is practical and yet extravagant. Transformation comes in both small ways and in big ways

I’m not going to lie. It was hard writing this sermon. This text is about transformation and hope and a proclamation that God is indeed intervening in the world. But I look around and I see the news and there is a flicker of doubt. I know he must be here but where? When will this all chaos end? I feel like a hypocrite and like my faith has failed me and then I remember the words of the psalmist which say, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Or “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.” 

I am reminded that doubt is a normal thing. I am reminded that my questions and frustrations are not new- they have been wrestled with for centuries. But I am also reminded that I am not alone. I am reminded that mixed in with these psalms of lament are words of praise and gratitude and trust. I am reminded that maybe the transformation is coming in the unexpected small ways. I am reminded that maybe the miracles are found in the extravagant and not the practical.

Maybe we are like Jesus’ mother Mary in this story, and we have no doubt that Jesus will come through- even if it looks different than we thought. Maybe we are Nathanial, and we already believe and seeing God work just enhances that faith more or maybe we are more like the servants in this story and we aren’t totally convinced. The servants realize the water was turned into wine but they do not realize the significance of this or what it points to. They think the greatest part is that now they have fancy wine to drink. The real truth though is that this is a sign that while comes in the form of an extravagant gift is pointing towards Jesus and his final hour. The hour when the transformation that changes everything will take place. In this story, the greatest enjoyment is not the copious amounts of fancy wine to drink but that just like this wine, Jesus is in the process of transforming us.

2 parts to this- extravagant gift giver and transformer. Both can be true and happen at the same time. If you are like me you have become so serious and focus solely on the transformation and how to make that happen and forget about the gifts we are given on this earth. I have forgotten to celebrate. I have forgotten to splurge on something better than 3 buck chuck. I have lost sight that transformation can be fun and light-hearted. Not everything has to be practical. It would be sad if God gives us these gifts to enjoy and we just completely miss them if we didn’t enjoy them.

Where have you stopped celebrating? Where do you need some extravagance?

I’m watching this show, Emily in Paris- where the main character Emily is always trying to work because she likes work but her colleagues keep telling her in France its illegal to work on the weekends. She’ll be at these lavish parties and trying to network and people look at her like she’s crazy because they don’t want to talk shop at a party- they want to party. It actually starts to detract from her work because that’s not their culture. The French stereotype that this show portrays is that they put a lot of emphasis on pleasure, enjoyment, and going after what they want in a way that many Americans would think was irresponsible but in it’s attempt to make fun of American work culture and our uptightness, I think there is some truth or at least a balance. This girl Emily is so practical she can’t enjoy the extravagance that is literally all around her- in the champagne, food, parties, celebrities. Maybe there is something to balance- having a good mix of practicality and extravagance. We forget Jesus is a mix of both- Jesus encourages both. Let our text today inspire and remind us to celebrate more and find frivolous ways to enjoy this world we are given. Amen.

You Are My Beloved

Luke 3:15-17,21-22

I had a student from Georgetown reach out to me this past week to see if we could meet up. I’ve been meeting with this kid for a year and a half almost weekly. He wrote me an e-mail saying that this break has shown him that he has an intense fear of rejection and that it is causing him to miss out on things. He wanted to know if I had any advice. This kid has great self-awareness for a college student- I wish all people could be as forthcoming with the things that hold them back in this world and to have the courage to want to change it. I really wish I had a psychology degree to help this kid but I don’t so I turned to what I do know- theology. I started thinking about what have I learned about God has to do with rejection. What has the Bible narrative given me to help me understand why we are rejected and how to not let it overcome us. I did what Jesus was so infamous for and asked him some questions- where does your fear of rejection lie? Are you fearful of not being liked, of people thinking you are different, of not getting all the things you desire? Was there a time you had previously felt rejection that feels similar to what you are going through now? In asking him these questions, I realized that those who feel confident in their identity or find belonging within themselves or outside of human authority don’t feel that rejection so strongly. I think that if you have this- when someone rejects a part of who you are it becomes an opinion you can take or leave rather than a meaningful claim that you are good or bad, right or wrong, cool or uncool. Being confident in who we are and where we come from helps us overcome many things this world will throw at us. We will not be so persuaded by fear (something that plagues our country), we will not be so governed by what other people think of us, we will not let doubt keep us from achieving.

In our text today, Jesus is baptized- Jesus is claimed and named by God as his beloved son. Jesus knows who he belongs to and why he is here. This baptism starts his ministry because the end of his story is the greatest rejection of all time. He needed this beginning in order to withstand his ending. Last week we see Jesus in a manger in his birth scene and aside from a teenage Jesus causing chaos in the temple, this is the next time we see Jesus in the narrative. He is 30 years old. We get this big exciting- earth-shattering event and then radio silence for the next 30 years. It’s also interesting to note that Jesus is baptized when his ministry begins and not when his life begins. To me, this says that belonging is a journey. Knowing who you are, coming into your own, learning to love yourself outside what other people say about you takes time. Jesus- God in the flesh was not ready to begin his ministry until he was 30 years old. Jesus still needed to be told at 30 that he was the beloved. Even Jesus felt rejection- doesn’t mean you won’t feel these hurtful things but it means they won’t overwhelm you or keep you from who you were created to be.

I want to take a minute to talk about why this is the first scene of Jesus’ ministry. What is the importance of baptism? The church sees baptism as a big deal but why? Here it seems crucial that this baptismal act happened before Jesus embarked on an extremely exhausting, dangerous, and emotional journey. Its as if this event needed to happen to equip him for what was ahead. So what happened in this act. Well, the church like we have today did not exist then so it didn’t have anything to do with becoming a part of a church. Considering Jesus was God in the flesh, it doesn’t even seem like it’s about believing in God. There also isn’t any claim that Jesus is making about God. What we do see are 2 things: God makes a claim about the one baptized and the holy spirit descends on the one baptized. Before Jesus embarked on the world it was important that he knew his identity and not only that but that he would always have a guide to bring him back to that identity- the holy spirit. The second part of this- the guide, the holy spirit- shows us that we will need help. We will need a guide to bring us back when we wander away or get lost or forget who we are and whose we are. The interesting thing about the HS is that of those that identify as Christian only 58% believe in the HS as a living, being which the Bible describes it as. Maybe this is because we don’t do a very good job at talking about what the HS spirit is in the church so people don’t understand it. The thing is, the Bible doesn’t tell us much either- it’s purposefully vague and seems to find importance in its mysterious nature. Things humans don’t love. Believing in something they don’t understand. What we do know about the HS is that it is part of the trinity- the father, the son, and HS- all three of which are different from each other but are also God. We have a better understanding of Jesus as God in the flesh but the HS is also God. It’s the way in which God is alive now and working in our world. It is just hard for us to grasp something that is not a physical being. The HS sometimes portrayed as a woman or feminine being/spirit I like to think of as kind of an interpreter. You know how in other languages there are words that there is no English equivalent? We have friends from Puerto Rico and sometimes they will try and describe a word in Spanish that connotes something you just can’t adequately do justice with using the English language but they try. I feel like God tries to communicate with us and the HS interprets for us what God is saying so that we can have a relationship. The HS reveals how God relates to us. And I think this shows up everywhere- anywhere where you feel love or express love- that’s the HS helping us know what God feels like through ordinary, everyday things. I think there are things God wants us to understand or feel or know that we can’t quite yet because we don’t have the language but the HS uses the language, understanding, and things we do have to make God manifest throughout our lives.

So let’s flesh this out for us and our day and age. Why is it so important we belong to God? As a society, we have been learning more and more the importance of knowing where you come from. Knowing your genealogy, the ethnicity you descend from, why you are the way you are- all these things are essential for a person to feel whole. To understand themselves and their place in the world. We have heard Jennifer talk about this the foster kids from COC- Until these kids can start putting the puzzle pieces together about where they come from and what their story has been- they can’t quite heal fully or move on in the way they could if they had more answers. You see this in people trying to get in touch with their roots of their family- how does your family story help make up your identity? We do this within our biological families but we also do this on a larger scale- with this greater family we have been invited into. We are not only sons and daughters of our biological parents but we are sons and daughters of God- a claim that should carry a lot of weight. So what does it mean that we belong to God? What does that say about our identity? If we are made in the image of God, that tells us we get some things from God- like we get certain genes from our parents. Fortunately- these are all good genes- so you bypass the baldness from your dad or the poor eyesight from your mom. These Genes come in the form of character. In the biblical narrative, we learn that we come from a God that is courageous, empathetic, brave, risk-taker, honest, bold, gentle, understanding, peace-keeper to name a few. All these things are a part of you. You possess the ability to be all these things- this is the makeup of a human. Unfortunately though if we don’t have other humans tell us that we forget- or maybe we never knew it. And unfortunately, it seems we have lost sight of telling each other that we are these things. It sounds too simple but if you aren’t told you are loved, you don’t know you are loved. If you aren’t told you belong- you feel like you don’t belong.

And this is where the second part of the baptismal event comes in-the presence of the Holy Spirit. In this scripture, the holy spirit is presented as a dove. In other places, it’s presented as fire, as wind, as water. The point is that the HS shows up in different ways, in different forms. This guide that exists to remind us who we are and that we are loved can look very different for me than for you. Maybe the HS shows up through other people. Maybe it shows up through nature, through your feelings, through animals, through silence.  We all need these reminders- more than we think. Way more than we think. We think people just know they are doing a good job or they have good character or that we love them- without telling them. But we are fragile, sensitive creatures even if we like to pretend we are not. We need to hear these words. As God said to Jesus and says to us- you are my beloved- with you I am well pleased. And this claim, this claim that God is pleased with Jesus came before he did anything- before he started his lifes work. This claim was based on being not doing. This claim was based on existing. Because you exist- you are pleasing to God. Because you exist you belong. Because you exist you matter.

This claim, this belonging, this identity- has the power to help us overcome rejection, shame, despair. This claim is bigger than who anyone else thinks we are, bigger than any amount of shame and again it doesn’t mean we won’t feel these bad things- but it means they don’t have to control us or keep us from being who we feel called to be. Most often I don’t think we live like this baptismal claim has any bearing on our lives- and it makes sense, how can this narrative that was written in what feels like another world have any real impact on our modern lives. We don’t live like God is pleased with us and we don’t have to earn favor- we don’t live as if we know we are loved. Because if we did, there would be a lot less pain, a lot less hurt. We would be able to tell other people they are loved. We would be able to move past rejection and shame and fear. So I say why not choose to live like it- why not choose to believe you are loved because you exist. Why not choose to believe that God’s claim on Jesus is a claim on all of us and that it does change things. We don’t have anything to lose- but maybe we have something to gain- maybe people feel more loved and slowly the world starts to heal. Maybe the journey becomes more bearable. Maybe we become equipped to handle what comes our way. Maybe God means what God says.

Another Way Home

Matthew 2:1-11

Who here knows how to get from your work to your home multiple different ways let’s say in the case of an accident or construction on the route you normally take? Without a gps I should add- because that’s cheating. Do you know multiple ways to get to your grocery store or the hospital- the back ways or short cuts that not many know about? Those of you who have lived here the longest probably know them the best. Those that have explored outside their usual route probably know multiple ways. It’s not until you start to branch out and make connections and let curiosity get the better of you that you start to understand there are multiple ways of getting to a destination.

The story of Epiphany marks an end and the beginning. Leaving their home, the Wise Men embark upon a pilgrimage, seeking the glimpse of the divine in the Christ child. Being warned in a dream, the Magi choose a different direction to journey back home. This leads them away from Herod’s deception, manipulation, and harm. The Magi make a subversive choice to disobey Herod. They listen to God speaking to them through their dreams. As our own journeys continue, we remember we must sometimes make bold choices to choose a different way.

The way home you take every day is easy- maybe it’s even memorized. Your mind goes on auto pilot. You know the landmarks. Maybe there’s safety- you know where the gas stations are and the fast-food places or the pharmacy that you always stop at on the way. You know the speed traps and where the cops sit. You know the traffic patterns. To go home a different way is not fun. It’s unknown. Maybe it will take longer. Maybe you will get lost. Maybe you will hit a pothole you didn’t know about and get a flat tire. It’s inconvenient and potentially dangerous.

God called the Magi home by another way. God warned them that in order for his will to be done, they needed to change direction. Have you ever felt God call you home by another way?

When have you chosen a different path? One that was less certain? Was it harder? What made it worth it?

What if we look at this from the church- as if the church were the Magi. We’re on a mission to do God’s will. We have been following this star- this sign from God- this sign that is guiding us. We learned of this sign from a dream- from listening to God speaking in our lives. So we follow this sign and we are met with the truth- we are met with the manifestation of God. The Magi saw the physical manifestation of God in the baby Jesus but as a church we come face to face with God manifested in other ways. As a church we have these epiphanies- these moments when what and who God is becomes very clear. In the Magi’s scenario God asks them to go home by another way because to go back the way they came would put in danger this new truth they found. What if we are called to do the same? What if Every time we have a epiphany or stumble across a glimpse of truth it is supposed to propel us on a different path?

Sadly, the church in the past century has not got 1 step forward 2 steps back but more like 1 step forward 5 steps back and I can’t help but think its because we keep going back the way we came hoping to find a new path. How can we find a new path though when we keep going the same way? If the church has been on a highway for the past century, there have been roadblocks and accidents and exits promising fuel and food and out of the comfort of being on auto pilot we have passed them all choosing to forego the call for what is familiar. We have been given ample changes at reconciling with humanity- different races and gender identities. We have been gives chances to connect with those who are hurting. We have been given chances to use our voice and prophesy that God loves all people and instead the church has sped past every exit and rest stop to fulfill their own will of getting home faster and safer. When faced with the question- when has the church chosen a different path, one that was less certain, I come up blank. I know certain pastors and individuals have done this but the whole of their community choosing to follow- few and far between. I know this sounds pessimistic, but I am allowed to be because I have dedicated my career and all my energy to the church. I have a lot of beef with the church, but I chose to be a part of making it become what it could be instead of saying no thanks which is what most people do. Right now, are what pastors are calling the great resignation- pastors all over are leaving because the task of convincing the church to go home a different way seems impossible and they are tired of giving energy to something that’s impossible. Those that stay are either young and Naïve or overly optimistic- I probably fall into both of those categories. But I am only optimistic if we are willing to try. And for me trying starts with being honest about our predicament. You might say- we’ve already been over this- im tired fo talking about how all the church’s mistakes. I get it but I wonder if we really understood would we keep passing all those exits, or would we get off? How much of God speaking in this world are we going to ignore before we start listening? Will we start listening before its too late? I’m not sure but understanding we have not been listening is a good place to maybe get us to start. As your pastor, I can’t be both the driver and the navigator- that is where you all come in. You are the navigators because this, this here is yours.

So how do you know when God is calling you to go home by another way?

You might call me crazy but What if God still speaks in dreams. The magi were warned to go another way through a dream- some texts say vision, but they mean a dream- they awoke from a dream. Dreaming is when our mind enters into a state of subconsciousness so it makes sense that when are senses are dulled enough- there is finally an opportunity for those thoughts and feelings that we suppress to rise to the top. A dream might not mean exactly what it looks like  you know how they say the fights never really about the fight well the same is true for dreams- you have to ask yourself what’s the essence of the dream? Why did you have the dream? We dream about things that bother us- things that are just not quite right. Someone who has passed, an estranged relationship, a worry we have, our own self-doubt. We can learn a lot from dreams if we want to. Have you ever had a dream that you knew had meaning? Maybe it attempted to uncover something you try so desperately to keep hidden. Something that you would rather ignore than work through?

All three of the Magi had the same dream- this wasn’t an individual thing but a communal thing. What are our dreams as a community- not just the hopes and aspirations for the future but the dreams that speak truth and prophetically beg for us to listen. Each of your voices individually make up one together- it’s called discernment.  God speaking through each person- their personal stories, hurts, convictions, hopes- through this authenticity and honesty- when the conscious is dulled so epiphany can happen- God’s voice becomes clear. In Ignatian spirituality they have some main components to the process of discernment. They are- 1. Ready to move in any direction God wants – Radical freedom ž 2. Open to sharing all that God has given me – Radical generosity ž 3. Willing to suffer if God’s will requires it – Radical patience/ availability ž 4. Questing for union with God in prayer Radical spirituality. Yikes. This list sounds intense, so I think it’s helpful for us to remind ourselves why we are doing this. For a long time, I’m not sure how long church has been a center for consumerism- people come to get something- they want something. But in the book of Acts the early church was supposed to be a movement- something people were a part of, something they could give something to. It didn’t “offer” them anything. What they “got” , or their consumereable“good” was getting to be a part of something. Over the centuries, church has become like anything else in America- created and curated for the consumer. So with that in mind when we hear things like we are expected to suffer and be generous and patient and be in prayer whether you admit it or not you might be thinking- what’s in it for me. Why would I do all that- what for? And you are right. If you want something besides the feeling of being a part of something bigger than yourself then you are in the wrong place. If we begin to reframe what Church is then this discernment process becomes a regular movement of life and choosing to take those exits doesn’t feel so difficult.

Personally, for me- even though I have beef with the church it gave me a lot. It gave me confidence and self-worth and mentors and friends and social skills and direction. I loved going to worship- youth group- my Christian university- the church life I had felt blissful- but somewhere along the way God graced me with ears to listen and eyes to see and the courage to ask questions and I realized that wasn’t church. That was me finding an easy way to benefit. I realized that the church as it was intended could actually offer me a lot more- the chance to be a part of something. I had to grieve what church had been to me. I grieved what I had thought was this beautiful sacred individual relationship with God. I had to grieve the ways that I enjoyed worship that were harmful. I grieved a lot of that first understanding of church. I used to be ashamed, but I am not anymore because I realize it’s normal to go through phases- what you think church is, marriage is, parenting is, and so on and so forth. It’s part of the process. The key is to continue going through the process.

Friends, we can’t go back the way we came. You’ve lived here. You know this place. What are our other options? What are the other paths back home? Can’t think of any? Then start exploring and we can find them together. My hope for this next year is to commit to going through the process- grieving our initial understanding of church if it means the church is here to give you something and deciding to discern together how as a church, we can journey home by another way.