Good News? Yes, Good News!

After today's Gospel lesson (Mark 6:14-29) we had the audacity of saying the above words, but is this story of the beheading of John the Baptist really good news?

2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19
Psalm 24
Ephesians 1:3-14
Mark 6:14-29

 

During Holy Week we hear the Passion of Our Lord. We read an account on Palm Sunday and hear the Evangelist John describe Jesus’ suffering on Good Friday. During those moments the Church mercifully leaves out the traditional introduction and the congregation’s response. Today though, we did not have that luxury.

After hearing this brutal story of a corrupt, powerful, and witless figure I said, “The Gospel of the Lord.” And, you all responded—perhaps sheepishly—“Praise to you, Lord Christ.” How are we to offer our praise after hearing this? What about this is good news? Can we even describe this as positive? Is there any good news in this passage at all? Maybe. But, first we must hear the bad news. (Buechner: The Gospel is bad news before it is good news)

This bit of Mark’s Gospel account opens so strangely. King Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, a man who reported directly to the emperor, was worried. Herod’s anxiety arose because he began to hear of Jesus of Nazareth. This upstart rabbi reminded him of someone else—John the Baptizer. And, Herod had just beheaded John. But, this is where the story gets even stranger, for the next anecdote—the longest in Mark’s Gospel account—is a flashback. This recollection depicts how Herod’s family used his power against him to murder John the Baptizer. This is bad news indeed. 

Now even though Herod answered directly to the emperor, most historians depict him as a blundering, weak fool. A colleague described him as a “murderous, lecherous, gluttonous, incestuous enemy of God.” That about covers it. But, this long flashback sequence still deserves a little more scrutiny.

At the beginning of this remembrance the Baptizer had spoken an unwanted truth to the king. John said one is not to take his brother’s wife. Leviticus clearly outlined this rule. Now, this ought not be confused with caring for a brother’s widow. No, what Herod did was steal his brother Philip’s wife. So, John the Baptist told Herod and Herodias that God did not approve. 

Herod, the worm of a man he was, made a weak compromise with Herodias. Herodias wanted John the Baptist killed. Herod, although he was perplexed by John, enjoyed hearing him speak. So, Herod decided to keep John alive, and under lock and key. But, then came Herod’s ill-fated birthday party.

Mark tells us that an opportunity arose when Herod threw a birthday party for himself and invited a bunch of his powerful friends. The word opportunity stands out here for two reasons. First, opportunity means “happy day.” Herodias saw the day when she could kill John as a joyful occasion. Murder then or now is antithetical to the abounding joyfulness of God’s peace! Second, opportunity is the same word used later in Mark’s Gospel account when Judas betrayed Jesus turning him over to his death, which brings us to a larger parallel. 

This story of John’s betrayal and death at the hands of the systems of power prefigures Jesus’ own betrayal and death. It is sounding more and more like bad news, right? Back to today’s story and the opportunity.

Herodias in a ghastly move of desperation sent her daughter into the birthday party to please Herod and his guests. Herod was this young girl’s step-father and uncle making the entire encounter disturbing enough. However, the foolish king quickly gave the girl a chance to make this party even more sadistic. For Herod promised the younger Herodias she could have whatever she wanted, up to half of the kingdom. In the midst of this disgusting birthday party, the Herodiases had the king right where they wanted him.

The mother-daughter combination pounced on the opportunity, as they asked for John the Baptist’s head. The girl added the gory detail of “on a platter” to her request. Then, the deed was carried out by a hapless soldier. When the man of the guard returned with John’s head on a salver he did not take it to the powerless king, but straight to the girl who promptly and proudly displayed it to her mother. This cannot be good news. Right?

This story has to fall under the category of bad news. Jesus is nowhere to be found. The terrible triumvirate of Herod, Herodias, and Herodias never reappear in Mark’s story. And, perhaps most horrifically this flashback to John’s death is truly a foreshadowing of what Jesus would face on Good Friday. So, why are we to face Jesus’ death, our Faith’s darkest day, here in the middle of the summer? Why are we thrust into the despair of Holy Week during this long season after Pentecost? Why must we endure this bad news and where is the Good News?

Everything in Mark’s Gospel connects. Right before this nightmarish flashback the twelve were sent out to do the work of curing the sick and preaching repentance—and they did it well. Right after this story Jesus takes the disciples away to rest, but ends up feeding the five thousand. This gross story we heard today then points simultaneously in multiple directions. 

First, the power of Jesus’ name was spreading. As Jesus sent out his disciples there were consequences. The power of his name had not only reached those people who yearned for God’s Kingdom to come, but also to those who were threatened by this Good News. We are to share in Jesus’ Good News—that God’s Kingdom has come to all—even with those in power.

Second, when the disciples brought healing and word of God’s Kingdom coming to the towns where they visited, they were attended by success. This was not the case with John. For the Baptizer also shared the Truth of God, but he was killed for it. Those in power could not handle what John had to say. We can—when we speak truth to power like John—undergo resistance, persecution, and even harm. God still calls us to preach this Good News even if it gets us into good trouble. 

Third, most of this ghastly flashback story took place at an exclusive banquet for the elite. As we look forward to next Sunday’s Gospel lesson we see another gathering. Jesus’ feeding of the Five Thousand was a counter-banquet to the murderous, lecherous, gluttonous, and incestuous birthday bash for Herod. All were invited to take part in Jesus’ mass on the grass—everyone got to attend the outdoor, pop-up party with Christ.

Thus, we see in these directions our own opportunities, our own happy days in which God transforms even this gruesome story into something more. God switches what we are sure is bad into what God knows is good. But, God yearns for us to be a part of this.

We are called to be like the disciples. Friends, we must make Jesus’ name known. For this world needs his message of healing and hope and love. And quite often it will be like the disciples in last week’s Gospel story. We will be met with peace and smiles and hospitality. Sometimes though it will be different.

We will be called to share God’s Truth like John the Baptist. God desires for us to share Good News, and not just with those whom we know will like it. There are countless examples of Christians like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Edith Stein, Óscar Romero, Jonathan Daniels, and Martin Luther King Jr. who in their day spoke truth to power, even though it led them to death. They were people not unlike us, they were folk like you and me. They and John help us to know that we cannot sit on God’s truth—why would we keep Good News all to ourselves?

Finally, we are called to make our gatherings ones that look like the feeding of the five thousand, not like Herod’s birthday party. God showed us through Christ Jesus that all are welcome to feed at God’s Table—and yes, that includes the elitists from Herod’s own gathering. How will you invite EVERYONE—and I mean everyone—to be part of God’s banquet where all are welcome? 

Make Jesus’ Good News known in all the world. Share God’s Truth with all even those in power who may be threatened by it. Let us invite everyone to God’s Table where we will all feast together. Amen.

Find Opportunities To Trust God

Happy 15th birthday to my niece who features prominently in today's sermon.

 

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
Psalm 48
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Mark 6:1-13

 

©2024 The Rev. Seth Olson

 

Holy God, let my words be your words, and when my words are not your words, let your people be wise enough to know the same. Amen.

 

Listening for God’s call in our lives requires patience and perseverance. I bet you know what I mean. Sometimes it feels like we strain and strain and strain to understand what God is saying to us. Perhaps that is why we hear in the Psalms of God’s still, small voice—and not God’s booming, obvious speech. Or why Elijah met God not in storms or earthquakes, but in shear silence. But, even when we hear God’s call, even in the stillness, in the silence we may discover a host of obstacles standing between where we are and where God is calling us to be. These challenges can be giant and unfamiliar, or they may confront us when we are eating lunch with our family.

 

One day I went out to lunch with my mom and sister right before an important meeting with the Rt. Rev. Henry N. Parsley, who was the 10^th Bishop of Alabama. The meeting was about my discernment for priestly ordination. After driving down from Sewanee where I was working, my family and I ate lunch at Jim ’N’ Nick’s Barbecue in Southside Birmingham. My niece who turns 15 today, was only a few weeks old at the time, and she came to lunch also.

 

For most of the meal we talked about discernment and being a parent and life. And, for most of lunch my niece slept peaceably in her car seat. Finally, as we finished eating and my meeting with the bishop drew nearer, my niece awoke. My sister brought her over to my side of the booth, so that I could hold her for a few moments. I rocked my niece for just a few seconds before feeling a warm sensation—no, not in my heart, but on my arm. At that precise moment a look of terror crossed my sister’s face and then my mother’s. I don’t remember exactly what was said, but suffice it to say the word “blowout!” was used. 

 

Quickly I rushed to the restroom to assess the damage and clean up. In the mirror I could tell quite easily that I could not go meet a bishop looking like this. As I began to panic, I remembered that I had an extra set of clothes in the car, and so I rushed outside to get them. When I arrived at my car another look of terror arose and crossed my own face. I observed in horror a traffic boot attached to my wheel preventing me from going anywhere, and in particular to my meeting with the bishop. In my nervousness before lunch I did not notice that I was parking in a private lot. 

 

Right then, in soiled clothing, with a wheel lock on my car, and proverbial butterflies fluttering in my stomach, I began to question whether I ought to be pursuing ordained ministry at all. Was this a sign? Did God not want me to keep going? Was this a test? What was God saying? You’ll have to keep listening to find out what happened, but what about you?

 

What happens to you when obstacles befall your journey? Do you stop? Do you think it’s a sign from God to turn around and go home? What do you do?

 

This morning, we heard a passage from a letter Paul wrote to Christians in Corinth. If you don’t know much about that church that’s okay. They were a conflict-ridden lot. They could not wait on each other to partake in communion. They fell prey to infighting, lust, and idol worship. They were to put it simply, a dysfunctional church—one that others in the area probably spoke about in hushed tones. 

 

While the church in Corinth is not identical to the Church (capital C) today, it is not entirely different from it either. What happens when Holy Apostles or the Church faces difficulties, dysfunction, and drama? Well, what happened in Corinth? Paul, perhaps at this point exhausted from all the Corinthian shenanigans took to writing of his own weakness. Huh? Not strength?

 

As he wrote of weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities what he urged his siblings in Christ to do was not to let those obstacles overwhelm them. Certainly on their own these things would stop them. Sure, if it was just about them pushing onward as individuals they would not make it. But, those weaknesses were the very place where Christ would strengthen them through grace. I know, that sounds odd, but it’s true.

 

Paul was right. In those places where he had been afflicted by a proverbial thorn, he might not be able to be strong on his own. But, with God’s help, those places of vulnerability become the place where God would show great strength. This was true not just for Paul, nor only for that the Early Church, but also for us.

 

We often get told things like, “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” “Keep your head down and work hard,” “Put in enough honest days’ work and you will achieve the American dream.” Sure, we are to be honest and hardworking. But, as odd as this may sound trusting only in ourselves, thinking we must make it on our own flies completely in the face of what Paul said. And, what’s more it runs opposed to the story of God’s love for us in Holy Scripture. 

 

When the Israelites fled their Egyptian captivity Moses told the people, “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.” When the people needed a champion to beat Goliath, the Lord provided David who then reigned for forty years as king. And, in today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus sent out his disciples without food, extra clothing, or money. Why? Because following Jesus and trusting in God is not about making it on our own—proving that we can overcome all the obstacles on our path. 

 

In this lesson from Mark’s Gospel account, God not only gave provision, but God also gave an opportunity to bring healing and wholeness to the places previously untouched by God’s love! The story of God’s love for us in Scripture reminds us of amazing grace that is not achieved, but freely given to us most abundantly through Christ. So, what about getting through obstacles like dirty diapers, traffic boots, or scary meetings with the bishop? 

 

Well, on that day almost fifteen years ago, I learned something very valuable. Those challenges that arose, that now are quite laughable, were opportunities for me to trust God. Eventually, I walked into the bishop’s office in clean clothes and on time. As you may have guessed, I made it through that meeting and one day did become a priest—I know surprise ending! But, what about when challenges arise in your life or in our communal life? How do we approach the obstacles ahead? How do we deal with our own physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental dilemmas? How do we as a church stay calm and healthy as we navigate the ups and downs of the life? 

 

In the face of challenges, we always have more than one way to respond. One way we might respond is being like the townspeople in today’s Gospel lesson. They relied upon the way they had always seen things. They had put Jesus in a box. To them he was always a carpenter, brother, and son—not God come to earth. Instead of knowing the transforming power of God’s repentance, forgiveness, and love they let the obstacle of familiarity get in the way. They missed being part of God’s transforming love because they couldn’t see beyond what they already knew. The disciples though saw things differently.

 

Now the disciples were not paragons of belief—remember they doubted Jesus on stormy waters in our reading from a couple weeks ago. But, they had just seen Jairus and an unnamed woman trust in God, and they heard Jesus give them authority to go out bringing healing and repentance in his name. So, they went. They trusted. Even without food, extra clothes, or money, they believed! The challenges they faced were opportunities to trust.

 

When we face difficulties ahead, how will we respond? Will we let a soiled outfit, a traffic boot, or the fear of something important cloud our vision? Or, will we see the obstacles on our path as opportunities to trust God? God invites us to see these challenges like Paul did. When we feel weak, that is the moment when God shows strength. Our perplexing moments are opportunities to trust God. Will we see God’s strength in our weakness? Whenever we are weak, God is strong. God’s grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness! This life is an opportunity to trust in God’s grace! What will you trust? What do you believe?

Jesus Offers Systemic Healing

Deputies from the Missional Diocese of Navajoland and the Diocese of South Dakota offer a prayer for the Innocents

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27
Psalm 130
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Mark 5:21-43

©2024 The Rev. Seth Olson

This sermon was preached at The Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles in Hoover, AL on Sunday, June 30th (the Sixth Sunday after the Pentecost — Proper 8B) and video of it may be found here.

Holy God, let my words be your words and when my words are not your words, let your people be wise enough to know the same. Amen.

What a gift it is to be home! Thank you for loaning me out to the work of the wider Episcopal Church. General Convention 81 produced 393 resolutions, we elected the Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York to be the 28^th Presiding Bishop, the House of Deputies reelected our president Julia Ayala Harris, and my friend the Rev. Steve Pankey was elected to serve as Vice President of the same house. If you want to learn more about GC81 the resolutions, elections, worship, fellowship, and future of the Church join me starting next Sunday at 9:30 here in the nave. We will spend three Sundays unpacking General Convention, and I don’t mean my suitcase. 

Have you ever noticed something that once you see it or experience it, you cannot go back? Maybe it is something small, like a kernel of corn stuck between your teeth that you just have to get out. Or, it’s a slightly off-kilter picture hanging in your living room that you simply have to fix. Or, perhaps it’s something more serious, like discovering that a child not far from where we are right now is going to bed hungry every night, or that citizens in our own state have no access to clean water, or that our denomination and especially our boarding schools have a sordid history with indigenous people. What do you do when you cannot brush a problem aside or quickly straighten the picture, so that things feel right again? How do you heal a broken system? 

On the surface, today’s Gospel lesson appears to be two interwoven stories of Jesus’ power to heal individuals. However, there is more to these tales of salvation than meets the eye. Jesus’ interconnected restoration of a hemorrhaging woman and a religious leader’s daughter taken together point to something much larger at work. This Gospel lesson informs us that the systems in our world, like the people in our world, require God’s healing, and this restoration to wholeness emanates from trusting not in our own power, but in God’s perfecting love. Let’s dive deeper into this good news by focusing on these two instances of healing.

This lesson opened with Jesus crossing over again into Jewish territory. Immediately we realize this more fully as a synagogue leader named Jairus fell at Jesus’ feet begging him repeatedly and profoundly to help the leader’s daughter. I have no doubt that Jesus did heal a synagogue leader’s daughter—this is a literal understanding of the passage. And yet, at the very end of this entire passage we get a clue that points to a larger healing at work. Once Jesus healed Jairus’ daughter we learn that she was twelve years old. This is not an extra detail—remember Mark used as few words as possible, so every letter matters. 

The number twelve possesses a profound power within the Jewish Tradition. It represents the twelve tribes of Israel, and when it is invoked it can be seen as a way of standing in for the People of God. In other words, when Mark utilized the number twelve talking about a synagogue leader’s daughter, he might not have just been describing her age, but the entire state of the People of Israel. If we make this interpretive leap, we can see that according to Mark, God’s People were suffering—even to the point of death. The offspring of a religious leader was dying—what a religious leader was producing was not thriving but lying on a death bed. Recall also that Mark wrote right after the fall of the Temple in Jerusalem, so many were wondering existential questions: What will happen to us as the People of God? What will come of this new way of Christ? How are we going to live?

This passage, of course, mentioned the number twelve another time too. The hemorrhaging woman had suffered for twelve years. She also represented the People of God. The way the sentence in Greek portrayed the woman is heart-breaking and poetic: “having suffered, having spent money, having not benefitted, and having gotten worse, having heard about Jesus, and having come from behind … then comes the long delayed main verb: she touched [Jesus’] garment.”[1]  Long delayed in her healing—it finally comes, but not from the broken system. Her healing came from her faith in Jesus, and we see restoration materialize more fully when Jesus calls her daughter!

Put another way, the powerful in place objectified her and isolated her as religiously impure, then required her to spend her last coin without providing any relief or restoration. By the time she heard about Jesus coming she was so desperate. Still, she remained so hopeful and so faithful. She believed that healing would happen if she would just touch Jesus’ cloak. When she did Jesus used the familial description of daughter to inform her, she was a member of God’s family. In truth, Jairus believed like the bleeding woman did. Not that his daughter would be healed if he touched Jesus clothes, but that healing would abound if Jesus came into his house. 

Do you see what Mark is doing here? He was pointing to the brokenness of the systems that were in place. This was not to say that Judaism was bad or wrong or that Jesus came to “fix” this errant religion. Rather, Mark was informing us that all systems will be broken if they have at their center the power of man! In this example, both those with access—a synagogue leader—and those without access—a bleeding woman—do not have the ability to be healed. The People of God are suffering—and not just long ago. 

This week at General Convention, our deputation from Alabama was seated next to the deputation from Navajoland. This was quite a gift! Our siblings in Christ were part of several of the most moving moments all week. They were welcomed as a missional diocese—meaning they can finally elect their own indigenous priests to be raised up as bishop. They also, put forth a resolution remembering the innocent children who were taken from native tribes to be enrolled in Episcopal boarding schools. This included a prayer written by an indigenous deputy from the Diocese of South Dakota.

When this resolution came to the floor in the House of Bishops one rather old, white, male bishop stood to ask if he could change the language. He thought it sounded a bit clunky. At that moment, the bishop of Alaska, another white man, but one who has worked extensively with indigenous folk in his diocese, this bishop stood up and said, “Don’t you think we have been telling native people how to pray for long enough? Isn’t it time we listened to their prayers for a change!” At this the House of Bishops erupted in applause! 

In the face of the systemic ills of this world, our state, our households, and our Church we may start to feel overwhelmed and think, how will we fix all this? Jesus will not say these words for another five chapters in Mark’s Gospel account, but it is worth mentioning how he answered a similar question, “Then who can be saved?” To this inquiry, Jesus responded, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”. All things are possible for God…

For God, in Jesus healed a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years—simply by her touching Jesus’ cloak…

For God, in Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from death—just by telling that little girl to get up...

For God, in Jesus inspires us as a Church to confront the challenging chapters of our shared past…

For God, in Jesus all things are possible.

In our world it is easy to believe that things are impossible. We see all around us the signs of broken systems—problems too complex for us to see a solution. However, with God all things are possible. And in Jesus the healing of many starts with the healing of one. May we walk with Jesus into places where there is bleeding and death, so that the Holy Spirit may breathe new life. May we trust in God like the hemorrhaging woman and Jairus did. May we work with God to create systemic healing and restoration, so that all may be made whole. May each of us hear God calling us a son, a daughter, a child of God, like Jesus said to the bleeding woman. May we genuinely believe that with God all things are possible! Amen. 

[1] David Schnasa Jacobsen. “Commentary on Mark 5:21-43” https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-13-2/commentary-on-mark-521-43-8 [published 6/20/2021. Accessed 6/27/2021].

The Kingdom Comes Surprisingly

 

Where is the Kingdom of God surprising you?

1 Samuel 15:34-16:13
Psalm 20
2 Corinthians 5:6-10,14-17
Mark 4:26-34

©2024 The Rev. Seth Olson

This sermon was preached on the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 6B) at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles, Hoover, AL. Video for the sermon may be found here. 

Holy God, let my words be your words and when my words are not your words, let your people be wise enough to know the same. Amen.

The Kingdom of God is like… well, we will get there. Did you know that in today’s Gospel lesson we hear the only parables that we get on a Sunday this entire year? Shout out to my friend, Evan Garner for pointing that out on FaceBook. So, soak up these parables, my friends. 

Parables serve as analogies that Jesus drew to help listeners—including us—decipher what God’s reign truly looks like. They aren’t exhaustive doctrinal statements, so much as they are roadsigns that point to the Way of Christ. I had a New Testament professor, the Rev. Dr. Jane Patterson, describe parables with her own analogy. 

Dr. Patterson said that parables share their root word with parabola, that arch shape described in mathematics. Parables, she argued, have this shape too—they do not end in the same place where they start, so we have to move to receive them. Dr. Patterson then said the following:

Parables are similar to something that happens with my dog. She’s a good girl and loves catching popcorn. When I throw the popcorn it makes an arch, like a parabola that she has to watch, and for her to get the treat she has to move. Parables are similar. We have to move to get the treat—we have to shift our way of thinking, knowing, and being, so that we can more fully understand what treat Jesus has for us. 

That’s right, Jesus has a treat for us too. Are we willing to pay attention and move to catch something worthwhile from these saying about the Kingdom of God? 

Christ’s Reign or the Kingdom of God is often challenging to spot in our world. It’s not as loud as politicians clamoring, entertainers rocking, athletes performing, or everyday life persisting. In our midst though, God’s way is bursting through, like a sprout blossoming between the cracks on the sidewalk. God’s Kingdom pops up like a thunderstorm no meteorologist projected. Christ’s Reign emerges like an old friend making a surprise visit. And, I know this because it’s happened in my life. 

When I was a junior in college, I was Mr. Religious at Sewanee. That’s not an actual title, but suffice it to say, I was heavily involved in all things related to All Saints Chapel. I was a sacristan, a small group leader, a regular at multiple services throughout the week, and even served on the call committee to find the next University Chaplain. At that time, I had a great group of brilliant friends, was running well for the Cross-Country team, and I was dating a woman from the camp I grew up attending. Then, everything came unraveled.

The person I was dating was unfaithful to me. I had a serious bike accident that left my face badly bruised. And, after some outreach trips to suffering parts of the world, I began to struggle with whether or not I believed in God. In that moment, to me there was no way that God’s Kingdom existed, and it certainly was not popping up everywhere. I was like a dog unmotivated to catch the popcorn or even move. Eventually, as I stewed in heartbreak and reflected upon all the suffering that persists in this world, I began to think that God must not exist.

Not wanting to be a phony, I went to the Associate Chaplain to quit my official positions as small group leader and sacristan. I scheduled a time to meet with the Rev. Annwn Myers (first female priest ordained in the Diocese of Mississippi) about stepping down from these roles. I sat in her beautiful office and told her all that had been happening. She listened compassionately. 

After I had raged at God and lamented my heartbreak, we sat in quiet for a few moments. Then, Annwn told me that she had been in a similar place. She had doubts, even as a priest. She informed me that I don’t have to have a lot of faith and I can even rage at God. God can handle it. She told me that even if I slam a door in God’s face, God will still be there with me. All she asked was that I keep a window cracked, just a slight opening in my life, so that if God did show up I might see God.

I reluctantly agreed. I stayed on a sort of agnostic sacristan. I went to hear atheist speakers as well as Christian scholars the seminary had invited. I debated with friends. I dated someone new. All the while, imperceivable to me, God was working. God’s Kingdom was at work unnoticeable to me.

After my junior year, I traveled out in the Southwestern United States on a geologic expedition. The professor leading the trip, Dr. Bran Potter, was a devout man of faith who lived his beliefs more than speaking them. What we witnessed was God’s handiwork in the beauty of Creation. Science explained how it happened, but seeing the Grand Canyon, Canyonlands, Zion, and Arches (as well as many others) opened my eyes to see something much larger at work in our universe than just me. 

The rest of the summer, I worked at the Yale Child Study Center, as I thought I wanted to be a child psychologist at the time. There researchers completed longitudinal studies looking at outcomes for children—and showed that more than prenatal exposure to drugs parental involvement was a determining factors in a child’s success. By the time I returned for my senior year, I had a much different perspective. Even if I had not fully grasped the treat that God was throwing my way, I was at least open to see where it was going. And, I was yearning to have my Heavenly Father involved in my life.

Throughout the next year, I reopened to God’s love, discerned and accepted a call to serve as college lay chaplain, and reaffirmed my baptismal vows with Dr. Bran Potter as my sponsor and the Rev. Annwn Myers as one of the priests. What was amazing though was not that I somehow managed to do all these things, but it was just how much of a passenger I was in this unfolding process! “The seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how,” is the way our Gospel for today puts it. 

We may struggle sometimes to see God’s Kingdom at work all around us, but that does not mean God isn’t growing a garden right underneath our feet. We may not see Christ’s Reign at first, like a tiny mustard seed, but that does not mean that Christ is not there working in our midst. Annwn told me in that turning point conversation that all I needed was faith the size of a mustard seed. At that time, I don’t think I had even that much. 

But, that is the beautiful thing about God’s mysterious ways and this journey we are collectively on as followers of Christ. Even when we have little or no faith—God is still faithful, God still believes in you, Christ’s Reign still germinates. 

The Kingdom of God is like that—surprising, grace-filled, profound, and yet often undetectable. The Kingdom of God is like a spiritual retreat called Cursillo happening not on center stage, but in the woods of Navoo, Alabama at Camp McDowell. The Kingdom of God is like people from 50 states gracefully supporting our fellow Alabama Episcopalian, Lulu Gribbon in response to the terrifying shark attack she endured. The Kingdom of God is like a popup Vacation Bible School called Sawyerville, which appears out of nowhere in Hale County every summer. I bet you have caught glimpses of this kingdom too!

The growth of God’s Kingdom is not solely up to us—thanks be to God! Christ Jesus though challenges us to understand his in-breaking reign through parables that cause us to move. Although I did not know how God’s Kingdom was growing all around me, encouraging me to grow, I am thankful that it was. The Good News is that even when we struggle, God is with us, persisting. Even when we doubt, God believes in us. Even when we shrivel and are pruned, God is growing us. We may not always know how, but God’s Kingdom is vibrant, alive, and blossoming. May we move to receive the treat as we witness the beauty of Christ’s Reign here and now. Amen. 

Resurrecting Sabbath

Where do you find holy restoration?

1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20)
Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17
2 Corinthians 4:5-12
Mark 2:23-3:6

© 2024 The Rev. Seth Olson

This sermon was preached at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles on June 2, 2024 and a video of it may be found here. 

Holy God, let my words be your words and when my words are not your words, let your people be wise enough to know the same. Amen.

When I was about 10 years old, I accidentally practiced Sabbath. It was the summer time, and I had already attended my camp sessions, soccer camp, and the like. A good friend had spent the night, but he had to go home. It was a Saturday morning, and I had nothing to do. I went to my parents to figure out something to do, but that didn’t work. I was bored. 

I was so bored that I said to my mom, “I am going to die of boredom.” Spoiler alert: I did not. Instead I tried to find something to do. There was nothing on TV. I had no new toys. I felt stuck. So, I did something unusual. I did nothing. 

Well, I say I did nothing, I was looking out a big picture window in my childhood home. I saw birds soaring, squirrels bouncing, insects hovering—later the trees would sway as a thunderstorm rolled through. I cannot say that I enjoyed my accidental dabbling in Sabbath at the time, but nonetheless something in me shifted because of that experience. At that time I was not familiar with our Gospel lesson for today, but even then I was learning that though we humans are not made for the Sabbath, the Sabbath is made for us and for our healing. 

Christians though normally do not uphold Sabbath as a laudable practice. This stems from those in the Early Church rejecting the Jewish mandate of a total prohibition of work, specifically on Saturday. When Christ came, early Christians argued, the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament had been fulfilled. And, while this makes theological sense, what our forebears did was throw the baby out with the bath water. Certainly, we do not need punitive laws restricting work—like how the Pharisees were deriding Jesus for his disciples’ picking the heads off of grains—and yet, we as human beings benefit greatly from intentional rest. Let’s examine some ways to incorporate Sabbath into your life, but first let’s clarify what Sabbath is and why it is useful.

The day known as Sabbath, which we inherited from our Jewish siblings is Saturday. According to Exodus 23:12 there was to be a complete prohibition on work. As Christians, we observe the Great Sabbath on Holy Saturday when Jesus either rested from his work of salvation. When Christians proclaimed that Jesus had fulfilled the law freeing them from following all the ceremonial bits of the Old Testament the religiously significant day became Sunday, the Day of Resurrection. Except to some Christians.

There are some Christians for whom Sabbath practices still apply. Seventh Day Adventists and a few other Christian groups still worship on Saturday. Plus, there are some called Sabbatarians (yes, that’s a real word) who still apply many of the Old Testament commandments about Sabbath in their own lives. These are typically Scottish and English Calvinists who have prohibitions on work deeming Sunday to be the Christian Sabbath. Even in our own culture many of us will recall a time when not much was open on Sundays because of “blue laws” meant to restrict activity on the Day of Resurrection. 

Historically, these have been some practices of Sabbath within the Judeo-Christian Tradition. And yet, these do not seem to capture the essence of what Sabbath is or what it can be in our current age. When I say time is ____, how do you fill in the blank? Money, correct? Our culture often proclaims, cash is king and time is money, so let’s fill every second of every day with opportunities to earn more dollars. This is the way of our world. Now, I am not against work. Purposeful work, sometimes called vocation, is crucial to the health of our souls, but consumerism and capitalism have made it such that even most of our pastimes come with a price tag. 

Want to watch something? It costs money. Want to go somewhere? That costs money too. Want to have a fun experience, like a concert or sporting event? These will cost you even more. And, if you think, well I will simply do something free like see how my friends are doing on social media, even here there is a cost. Often now, when you do not see a price tag associated with an app or service, the companies are making money off of you. You are the commodity that is being sold. Your information is being auctioned off to other businesses. 

When the point of a system is to make money, then of course there will be insidious ways that people use to get an advantage. I am not against entertainment or events, nor do I think social media is without its merits, nor should we throw out capitalism off hand. Still, our relentless ways require an overhaul. Sabbath provides an alternative way. It is a salve in which holy rest provides for our entire selves—body, mind, heart, and soul—an opportunity to experience restoration. 

The way I imagine Sabbath, it is a period of time, up to 24 hours, when we reset our lives, recalibrating our internal compass, such that we are attuned to God and God’s way of living, moving, and being on this journey of life. For some it may mean abstaining from screens, for others it may mean intentionally sitting down to enjoy a movie with the whole family. For some Sabbath might be taking a break from cooking, for others it may mean preparing a meal intentionally. What I am saying is there is no one way to sabbath. 

With that said, here are 3 ways to help in establishing Sabbath times: 

+Begin and end your Sabbath period in prayer. Ask God to help you to experience restoration.

+Prepare ahead of time for this time period. Those in the Jewish Faith will prepare all week to ensure that the Sabbath happens. This can be helpful too. For us to enjoy restoration requires to offload those nagging worries that may hound at us if we do not attend to them in some way ahead of time.

+Finally, be gentle and open. Sabbath is not a competitive endeavor. It is a gift God gives to us, even if we are not good at it. So, as you experiment with Sabbath be kind to yourself and open to how you might need restoration. One week it may be actually doing nothing. Another it might be reading something that fills your soul. Another it might be reconnecting with a soul friend. 

Jesus tells us that Sabbath is not something we humans were made to excel in practicing. Regardless, God gifted us with Sabbath. God even modeled for us a period of rest when laying the foundations of Creation. When we follow in this way taking time to experience restoration of body, heart, mind, and soul we practice Sabbath. May we find times to rest, so that we may continue to work together to reveal Christ’s Reign already present among us. Amen.