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Author Archive: Fred Heard : Return to Main
January 20, 2008
1610Fred Heard - January 20, 2008
January 20, 2008
My Grandfather keeps coming up in my life. When I was running for my first term in the Oregon Legislature in 1968, I went door to door in tiny Lake County, Oregon. I ran into people all over the county that new Brother Heard—he baptized them, he married and buried them, and he stayed in their homes. Soon the word spread among them that Brother Heard’s grandson was running for the Legislature. Well, my Grandfather greatly influenced that election. I don’t mean that he was pulling strings up in heaven, but his reputation and work were factors because I won that race by 94 votes.
Last Friday, the lady told me she came to meet Brother Heard’s grandson. My Grandpa Heard died in 1964 and still his “little light shines on.”
I know a lot of people here at Trinity who have lights that shine brightly. We all remember the little song from our childhood. It was fun to sing and we sing it almost every week in chapel at Trinity School. We are going to sing it here on the last Sunday of this month. "I'm gonna let it shine." In this song from our Sunday school past, we pledged to let our light shine for Jesus. It was at this point that a teacher always started talking about promises and this little song is a promise—and I knew it was important for me to keep the promise!
During this season of Epiphany, we might ask ourselves how we let our little lights shine. At Trinity, some of you have public roles, like the organist and choir director and youth director and the family ministries director—but many of you shine your lights in quiet ways. Some teach Sunday school or sing in the choir. Some serve as ushers or as members of the Altar or Flower Guilds. Some serve on committees. Some do our publications. Some invite friends and neighbors to come to church with them. Some pledge their treasure generously to support the work of the church. Some visit Mississippi on missions. Some drive young people to their events. Some lead Bible studies. Some just have a kind word and a smile for everyone they meet. Some people cook. Some people visit Christians who are homebound. Many of you do several of these things. There are some who light many lights because perhaps twenty percent of the people do eighty percent of the work of the church.
At stewardship time we often hear our leaders suggest that we need to give more money to make the church run. But you see, that is the key—the entire year is really stewardship time. Remember stewardship is what you do with what you have all year around. What would happen if we gave our money only? The church would collapse because our treasure includes our time. What would church be like if we could have thirty percent of the people involved—or forty percent? After all, every Christian ought to be letting his or her light shine for Jesus in some way.
John the Baptist was not even a Christian, but he let his light shine. John was not called to be one of Jesus' disciples. God called John to point others to Jesus. That is what John is doing in today’s gospel.
He was a prophet—the first Israel had known in 400 years. He was a real attraction—perhaps bordering on what we would recognize today as rock star mania. John went to the desert to preach—and people came by the thousands to hear him. He had many disciples.
One day John was standing with two of his disciples and Jesus walked by. John said to his two disciples, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" John's two disciples left him—and began to follow Jesus.
You see on this day, John was letting his little light shine and he lost two of his disciples to Jesus. This happens. Jesus calls us and we follow. I remember so well, the anxious feeling I had when I realized I would be walking away from the home church I had loved for so long in Salem—probably never to return for any length of time. Lincoln left Springfield in much the same way in 1861, telling his neighbors that he might never return because he must go elsewhere to let his light shine.
There is no indication that John was disappointed when his disciples left or that he was jealous of Jesus. Whenever we hear about John, he is telling everyone how wonderful Jesus is. John knew that God had sent him to prepare the way for Jesus, and he was happy to do that. One of the disciples this day was Andrew and the second disciple’s name has been long lost to history. We really don’t know much about Andrew. He was always that disciple in the background. He did only one thing that is recorded. He went to get his brother and told him they had found the Messiah. That brother’s name was Simon Peter and Peter became the leader of Jesus’ disciples. Andrew—the quiet one—let his little light shine. You see that is the way it works. We let our little light shine and that light changes another person’s life. That is what I experienced at my Uncle’s funeral. He was a man who was a good father and grandfather and a good mentor for many because of his work ethic. His little light shined. He called me to do his service. I went. I met the lady and found that my Grandfather’s little light is still shining.
A stone is thrown into the water and the ripples keep going. How many lives do they touch? God keeps the ripples going for a very long time. They are endless. A teacher let’s her little light shine. When do the ripples stop? Never.
Have you ever heard of Mordecai Ham? He was an evangelist. In 1934, he conducted a revival meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. One of the people who came forward was a tall, gangly boy who had just turned sixteen. Like the story of Andrew, we don’t know a lot about that day and we don’t know how many other people came forward. We don’t even know if Mordecai felt that he had conducted a successful revival. He probably didn’t even remember that 16 year old boy from so long ago. But that boy was Billy Graham, who is still carrying the light that Mordecai Ham gave him nearly 75 years ago. When do the ripples stop? Never.
So what do we have to do to let our little light shine? That depends on what God calls us to do. God calls us to be Christians -- people who try to live as Jesus would have us live. That, in itself, can be a powerful witness. Philip Yancey, the Christian author, asks: "What would happen in the national consensus if these nine words came to mind when you said the word, 'Christian': --love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?" Those are the nine things that the Apostle Paul listed as the fruits of the Spirit in his letter to the Galatian church.
As I was preparing this sermon, I received a note from our daughter Robin up in Oregon. She addressed it to her mother and me. Robin said, “I think both of you know about my household New Year’s--Lenten Resolution to “GO GREEN!” My idea is to make small changes through the next few weeks, so that by Lent, our household is in tip top shape. The latest change involves Casey’s pudding that he eats everyday. I am making it and putting it in containers that we can wash and re-use instead of using the pre-packaged containers that we either throw out or recycle each day. He’s pretty picky about pudding, but he told me yesterday that he likes mine better than any of the other stuff. Cool, huh? On to my next way to SAVE OUR PLANET!”
And so Robin’s little light shines. And also remember she has a little guy named Jack who is watching his mom and dad as they carry their little lights. The ripples go on and on and never end.
ALL of us -- ALL of us --are called to bear the fruits of the Spirit. What could God do with your life if the people who know you best would think of you as a person filled with: "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?" May God bless us all everyone—with very bright lights. AMEN
October 14, 2007
1486Fred Heard - October 14, 2007
Luke 17:11-19
It’s Thanksgiving—at least in this morning’s gospel. During bible study last Thursday most of our discussion centered on the idea that we should always remember to say thanks to God. Reality is that we do not. Are we more polite with our family and friends when it comes to saying thank you than we are with God? Did anyone ever fail to say thanks to you? How did it feel? The Trinity School children gave me a beautiful picture of St. Francis in my garden last Thursday. It truly is a magnificent photograph…but instantly they looked to me for my reaction and I smiled and said, “Thank you” several times. That is what they were looking for and they have been taught that they should expect that response.
In this morning’s gospel there is a story of ten lepers who were healed of leprosy and only one of them, a foreigner, remembered to thank Jesus. Lepers lose all feeling in their bodies. Their hands and faces are horribly disfigured. They cannot feel cuts or burns. In earlier times they wondered around in search of food. They begged for food and money. They were excluded from their own towns and homes. Only Christians were willing to care for them. The disease was very contagious and often the caregivers ended up getting it. They would often settle in with their former patients and there they would also die. There were no cures. Today there are very good drugs to treat this condition. In biblical times, lepers gathered around garbage dumps looking for food scraps. When they were in groups, they were required to shout “unclean” so people could keep away from them. So when this group of ten lepers heard that Jesus was coming to their area, they called out from a distance "Have mercy on us." There were times, according to the gospels when Jesus would touch and heal the leper. But in this case he told the ten men to go to the priests whose job it was to check and confirm that people did or did not have leprosy. As they went, they found that feeling had come back to their hands and feet, and they knew they had been healed. Nine of them went home.
One of them went back to Jesus and praised God with a loud voice. He fell at Jesus' feet and thanked him for saving him. Jesus asked "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they?" Jews despised Samaritans for not being religious enough—pure enough—good enough—Godly enough. But this not-so-good man was the one who praised God—who praised God with a loud voice—who prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. The other nine were Jews, who should have known the Psalms of Thanksgiving. Like many people who are healed from dreaded conditions in our hospitals, they took the miracle of healing for granted and never thanked God for their healing. Jesus pointed out that the one man who gave thanks was a despised Samaritan.
Why does thanksgiving make us whole? If you think about it, faith which we discussed in last week’s sermon is being thankful to God. When you look at the beautiful leaves of fall or the flowers in the meadow, or a beautiful mountain or a stunning water fall, you can’t help but feel a sense of thankfulness and often we hear ourselves saying, “Thank you” to no one in particular. But you can't say thank you to chance, or to matter, or to energy. You can only say thank you to a person. And the Person you are thanking is God!" A very simple prayer is “Thank you God.”
During my political years, I spent a lot of time working with our prisons. I wrote the Oregon Community Corrections Act and founded Eastern Oregon Prison in Pendleton. I learned early on that the stability of a prison comes from those who are doing life terms for murder or others who will be in prison for 30 or 40 years. Once I had to go inside the walls representing the Legislature because they were about to riot and it was thought that I could reflect what we were doing in the Legislature. I met with the Lifer’s Club.—these are the meanest of the mean. But the prison is their home. They care about stability and do not want their home to burn down in a riot. They told me they had learned to live a fairly normal life because they know how to say, “thank you” and “excuse me.” I learned much the same thing when I did my Clinical Pastoral Education inside the Forensics Unit of the Oregon State Hospital. When “thank you” and “excuse me” are missing from the vocabulary—severe problems develop.
It is truly a bummer that our new rector has brain cancer. As we pray for him however, I wonder if we are thanking God for sending Mike and Julie, and Brendon and Kim to us. Obviously, this family is demonstrating on a daily basis what courage is all about and I find myself wondering if I could do the same thing if it was me. I wonder if we are thanking God for the leadership Mike has provided our parish with these new services and this new direction that is bringing new members through our doors each week? Much of what we have done since September 9 was long overdue. Many of us believe we were headed for some dark hole in the not too distant future. It took this man with the funny accent and great optimism to pull it off. The staff believes God was leading us in this direction. It took Mike’s vision and openness to pull it off. This man Father Mike is a very special priest and he is proudly our rector. 1 Thessalonians directs us to "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God." Thanksgiving makes us whole.
Thankful people look radiant. They are nice to have around. Grouchy, complaining people have a scowl on their faces and after a time it gets etched into the skin of their face. You can see across the street that they have a sour, crabby look.
I was at someone’s deathbed a couple of days ago and as I watched his wife she was filled with radiance, she was calm, she was rubbing his hand and his arm—she was a presence. She was telling me she is so thankful for his life and what he has done for his community and for her. I have watched his daughters as they walk their dad to the gates of heaven and they too are expressing great thankfulness for this good man and what he has done during his lifetime. He has made his mark. "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God."
Thanksgiving can become a way of life—and as I tell the children of Trinity School about prayer, it can be done at home or on the playground or in bed at night or in the office or while walking in the beautiful fall air. When we see someone we don’t like, think about something or someone you do like and be thankful. Smile to yourself and see what happens. In Alcoholics Anonymous we talk about “giving someone free rent in our head” and I guess I would add our heart.
Often when we are in a good mood and things are going well, we find it easy to give God thanks for this wonderful life. But where is God and where are you when things aren’t going so well? We might also think that it would be easy to thank God if we were healed of leprosy or cancer or some other horrible illness—but since we don’t have those health issues, we can thank God on another day. How is it possible to be thankful when our house burns down or a child dies, or we have financial reverses? In the middle of the crisis, you might have difficulty thanking God for anything. But see what happens if you begin thanking God even in the middle of the disasters in your life. You might have to force yourself—but do it. “Thank you God for seeing me through this mess.” “Thank you God for keeping my family whole.” “Thank you God for the sunshine today.” And this week, “Thank you God for the rain.” When we do this, we begin to change from the inside.
Thanksgiving is really free and so liberating. The alternative bitterness, anger, and grouchiness and complaining to all who will listen is not healthy for you or anyone else. Thanksgiving will turn you into a beautiful person.
Soon we will baptize a child and welcome with thanksgiving the newest member of our family to God’s table. We will follow that with our celebration of the Eucharist. Jesus took the bread and the wine and he gave thanks. The next day he would be condemned, tortured and hung on a cross. Jesus gave thanks…for this ministry that was to turn the world on its axis. In Greek Eucharist means to give thanks. As we take the bread and the wine, we are going to be thankful for all that God has given and provided for us.
Have you truly looked at your life and all that you have to be thankful for? Is there anyone that you could lift into a state of thanksgiving by simply saying thank you—I am glad you are in my life—I am thankful what you have done for me—I am a better person because you are in my life—Thank you for what you have given me or what about a special thank you to that teacher from long ago who made such a difference in your life? Is there someone at Trinity who deserves a word of thanks? People give time and money and effort to minister to the children of this congregation—to provide music—to take care of the buildings—to serve on committees. Could you bless someone here today by saying thank you?
Thanksgiving is the heart of our faith. It is the key to our wholeness as Christians. It is the heart of our church. Let us give thanks to God. AMEN
October 07, 2007
1485Fred Heard - October 7, 2007
October 7, 2007 Sermon
Luke 17:5-10
And there is faith in God but what about faith in each other? We often express faith in each other or the ones we love—but find it hard to accept faith in God and we can’t see either kind of faith.
2 Timothy tells us in today’s reading: “I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands, for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” Could anyone tell us what this gift from God looks like? If we were to wrap it in a box—what would we wrap? This reading also talks about grace and that it was given to us in Christ. What does it look like? What does the Holy Spirit look like? In fact, aren’t most of the things that count in this life—impossible to see?
As the disciples ask for more faith, Jesus does not respond by dishing out invisible faith on the spot…like so much oatmeal. He tells them about the power of faith, even a very little faith. “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” That is a lot of power for something that is invisible and small as a mustard seed.
So……if a child came to you and said, “What is faith?” What would you say? First of all you have faith when you believe in something that you cannot see and cannot prove. You have faith when you believe in something no matter what might happen or what anyone tells you. You feel faith and you feel it inside.
That is one of the reasons that I take such great joy in doing weekly chapel at Trinity School here on our campus. The children ask deep and penetrating questions like who is God and where is God. I give them my best answer and they accept it because for now they have faith in Chaplain Fred; and if I say something is so—it certainly is in their minds. They then take that information or bulletin home with them and their parents tell me they repeat what I have said. When I tell them God is everywhere, and that He is at their dinner table, and that they can talk to him anytime even in the middle of the night, they believe that. They believe God goes on vacations with them, and they believe God is with them when their Grandma or Grandpa dies, and they believe it because I told them it is true. Our Trinity children know you cannot see the wind, but we know it is there because we can see what happens when it moves through the trees and the wind blows our hair and it touches our faces. We can’t see germs unless we look under a microscope—but when we get the flu we know there is some kind of a germ inside us. We know we should wash our hands often because they carry germs. We have faith that the sun will come up tomorrow and lighten our world. The children then translate all of this, and faith becomes a gift from God.
And so today the disciples said to Jesus: "Increase our faith!" So where did this request come from? Jesus had said: "Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck, and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble." And so it was at this point the disciples said, "Lord, increase our faith." They were probably thinking, “That is really tough. How do you ever avoid causing one of these little ones to stumble? That's a lot to ask! And who are these little ones? Certainly the children can be counted—but we are also included in that number of little ones. Little ones probably meant those who are vulnerable among us. All of us have been vulnerable at some time or another; and often as adults, it passes and if we are healthy mentally and physically we are pretty steady on our feet. But having been vulnerable as children, and for the most part moved away from it as we grew to adulthood, it often returns during old age. And so as we meet the challenges Jesus places before us we say, “Increase our faith so that we can do it. We can't do it on our own." Sometimes, it would appear that Jesus’ standards are impossible.
Sometimes Jesus’ ministry is overwhelming. The Sermon on the Mount is a good example. Jesus said: "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Help us, Lord! "Increase our faith."
Jesus also said: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be children of your Father in heaven." We can't love our enemies. Help us, Lord! "Increase our faith!"
And I wonder where ambition enters into this story of the mustard seed. We strive and we teach our children to work hard and they will be successful. One of the worst things we can say about someone is that they are lazy. But is the definition for laziness wrapped up in my goals and what I think you should be doing for yourself? In other words, my cup of tea might not be your cup of tea. How far will you go for success? Who will you step on to move up the ladder? Thomas a Kempis put it this way. "The devil is continually tempting thee to seek high things, to go after honors." What is your price?
When the disciples said, "Increase our faith," Jesus responded with these words, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree.' Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." Perhaps, as Bishop Marc recently said the story of the mustard seed is really about how we grow and what we do with it.
When the disciples said, "Increase our faith," they wanted Jesus to increase their faith. They wanted him to wave a wand over their heads and endow them magically with great faith. They wanted him to say something clever that would "buck them up"—that would give them sudden insight— that would increase their faith.
But Jesus didn't do that. Instead, he told them what would happen if they grew in faith. He told them that they wouldn't have to become spiritual giants. They wouldn't have to possess towering faith. All they would need is faith the size of a mustard seed, one of the world's smallest seeds. If they could develop even that tiny bit of faith, they would tap into God's power so that they could figuratively say to a tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and the tree would do that. Jesus was suggesting that faith could give the disciples great power. As I look at our Trinity community, I see powerful people—and no it isn’t just money and possessions. I see powerful people who do have money and possessions. I see powerful people who do not have money and possessions. What they both have in common is that they have faith. With that faith, they are tapped into God’s pipeline. I see these people and so do you. I respect them and love them and so do you.
Jesus did not give these disciples faith on the spot—but he did give the disciples the great faith they wanted.
Their faith was shaken when Jesus was taken from them and crucified. After they saw the risen Christ, they became people of great faith—the faith that led to them putting their lives on the line. What did they do right after the crucifixion? They locked themselves in a room because they feared they were next. They denied they knew Jesus because they were afraid. After the resurrection, they went out into the streets, baptizing and preaching, and saving. They built churches. You see they tapped into God’s pipeline and were the leaders we follow even today in Menlo Park. These were ordinary people and we don’t even know their names—but they became saints of the church. Were they powerful? You bet. They had God’s power and they have God’s power today in 2007. At Trinity, we see the people who stand at our welcome table, we see our ushers and our altar guild and our flower guild, and our musicians, our custodians and gardeners, our commission members, our staff, our children going to Sunday school to be with our teachers, our lectors who proclaim the word of God—these are all people of faith—these are all powerful people—these are people with the faith of at least a mustard seed. Jesus did not wave a wand over them or over us. He has helped us all grow in faith. Sometimes growth comes after we have failed and that is part of the lesson of growth in the faith. If you but open your hearts to Jesus Christ, you will be given the opportunity to grow in faith, and remember once we have faith even the size of a tiny mustard seed, Jesus promises: "You can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you." This world would be empty if we did not have faith. Most of the richness that we have in our lives, we accept on faith. We cannot see those riches. AMEN
July 29, 2007
1379Fred Heard - July 29, 2007
July 29, 2007 Sermon - Father Fred Heard - Luke 11:1-13
Prayer works! If it doesn’t, we are all wasting our time because Jesus set the example throughout his ministry. And you want to be careful what you pray for. For instance, more than once people have advised me they have prayed for patience and God leads them to patience school!
In today’s gospel, Jesus is teaching us how to pray. But when we pray, we cannot fall into the trap of bargaining with God. “God, you do this for me and I will do this for you.” No that is not the way it works. Think about it, it doesn’t work that way in interpersonal relationships, and it doesn’t work that way in the world of employment, and it doesn’t work that way with God.
We live in a time when communication is often instant. It wasn’t so long ago when telephone answering machines appeared; and oh, how I remember some people calling and swearing as they hung up in disgust. They weren’t going to talk to some blankety blank machine. Now, we hear—“Well I wanted to leave a message—but you didn’t have a machine.” Cell phones, while maddening and sometimes dangerous, are a way of life. I was thinking the other day as I was reading Harry Potter #7 how much we have changed since I read Harry Potter #1. It was so interesting to observe framed pictures on the wall in #1 and see the people actually moving. Today, my cell phone takes pictures of people, and they are moving. We are forgetting much of our family history as we communicate daily by email with family and friends. It is true that sometimes we save those messages—but in reality most of us leave them in a computer file and don’t actually print them.
How many times do we find unwanted messages on our telephone message machine or in our email files? Every once in a while, there is an important message—but in reality most of what we receive either in writing or by recording is junk or even spam.
Lady Bird Johnson, who recently died, called our attention to the fact that billboards do not have to dot the country side—but still there are plenty of ads along the way. Some days, our lives are consumed by advertising.
A long time ago, I was anxiously waiting for word about a possible job. A friend reminded me that the employer was not on my time schedule when I was told I would hear the next day and a week went by and still no word. When I was in a position to notify potential employees myself about employment decisions, we were prompt and my personnel manager always came back and told me how pleased people were when they heard from us-- even when the answer was negative because then they knew. So how many times do we leave messages—telephone, email, or letter and there is no response? How many times have we telephoned someone only to be told that the person is busy or in a meeting or on another line and they will get right back to us and they don’t? One of the most infuriating telephone inquiries for me is when I have called to talk to someone, and I am asked the nature of my call. My feeling is that it is none of their business, and I will never tell the person the nature of the call.
Sometimes, it appears that human communication is a losing proposition. Sometimes we transfer these human communication concerns to God when we need to communicate with Him directly. We worry that we won’t do it just right—we don’t know where thee, thou, and thy go. You know we don’t even have to use those words. Have you ever heard me pray using thee, thou or thy? My prayers are conversations with God…and what is really neat is that God is always in—He is never on another line—an angel never asks the nature of my prayer and that is good because sometimes, I don’t know where I am going with God—God is never on vacation—He never closes his office. I don’t even have to keep a record of my calls to God and I am never going to get into trouble because of something I tell God or don’t tell God. And you know what else? I can never wear out my welcome with God. He wants me—indeed He invites me to return to prayer time and time again.
The entire salvation plan is so simple, and we try to make it difficult. Prayer is simple, and we try to make it difficult. Do you get the idea that God is not asking us to be rocket scientists to walk with him. As a teacher, I have heard many students over the years say, “I just don’t get it.” I have heard people say that about stories or passages in the Bible. But then we get to God’s grace and eternal life. Sometimes a person who lies on a death bed, stumbles because they don’t realize it is so simple to reach out and take God’s hand, and that is all there is to it.
Alcoholics Anonymous teaches that things come to us when we put ourselves in God’s hands. “Follow the dictates of a Higher Power, and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances.” Jesus realizes that this generous gift is difficult for our minds and tough hearts to accept. Jesus recognizes that most parents try to be good parents, even if they sometimes fail. If our children ask for fish for supper, we don't throw a live snake at them. If children ask for popsicles, we don't hand them scorpions.
On this last Sunday in July, we are suddenly met with substantial medical emergencies within our parish and it is so tempting to say, “Why now, O Lord? Let us just do our work.” On this day, we might be reminded as we pray for healing to say, “Thank you O Lord for the ministries and blessings that Father Mike and Alecia, and Jicky and all of the other saints of this place who cannot be with us at this moment have brought to us in the name of Jesus Christ.” Thank you God.
Over the years, I saved the “While You Were Out” slips and placed them on a spindle. It was always a good way to find a needed telephone number at some point in the future. Well, I always have God’s number; and what’s more, our Lord does not crumple up the “While You Were Out” slips that are marked with my name.
As we pray for those we love, we try to make it complicated. God keeps it simple and so should we. We want it our way. God has a better way. We may be fearful. God leads us to trust. We may be out to lunch. God's waiting by the phone.
The Book of Common Prayer contains many ancient prayers. This book is a source of comfort, and I want to call your attention to one prayer in particular: “Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. AMEN. This prayer reminds us that we are not trying to keep God on good behavior. It tells us, very simply, that God has neither a distracted mind nor a small heart.
Believe this, my Brothers and Sisters, that Jesus is telling us often what we ask of God is too small. We ask for what might be a part of our lives rather than life itself. At the conclusion of today’s gospel, Jesus promises the heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who but ask. In the light of that Holy Spirit everything starts to look different. As we pray, God will give himself in response to our prayers. May your receiving and your giving be abundant, for what we receive and give—all of it is God or comes from God. May our receiving and our giving be abundant? Thank you, God. AMEN.
July 15, 2007
1352Fred Heard - July 15, 2007
July 15, 2007 Sermon - Father Fred Heard - Luke 10:25-37
Like you, I have recited the first and great commandment thousands of times: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And the second is like unto it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” It is the combination of the love of God and our neighbor that reveals that we truly understand and accept the scriptures. The essence of this great commandment is community. There is something about loving God that leads us also to love our neighbors.
At the same time, Jay advises that he is increasingly struck that we are living in a time that many observers, in the press, academia and the church, are calling "post-Christian." The author of one article in Congregations Magazine refers to the "end of American Christendom." In this context it might be more accurate to refer to a "post-religious" era. The normal Sunday morning is not "going to church" these days, and we appear to be raising a generation who say the words "God" or "Jesus" only when uttering a curse. As people of faith, we ought to feel called to respond to this development in some way. As an aside, it is interesting to note that many who no longer place the church in the Sunday morning equation go elsewhere whether to the soccer field or Starbucks or the shopping mall, seeking community.
In this morning’s gospel, Jesus tells the lawyer that he has given the right answer to his own question about what he must do to inherit eternal life…and the lawyer thought that it is pretty easy to love God. But what about this neighbor business? He probably started thinking about who his neighbors were. Like a slide show, their faces probably started flashing before him. Perhaps if he hadn’t asked, Jesus wouldn’t have mentioned the neighbors. That made it really awkward.
The lawyer is now in a box, and he placed himself there. As a teacher, I have watched children try to turn discomfort into a discussion or even a disagreement; and I think that is what we have going on here. Who is my neighbor? The discussion begins. It would be really easy if the neighbor was only the person who lived next door.
Jesus told a story. He often did that and this is the first parable in Luke. The traveler was a rather careless man because he wasn’t paying attention to the danger that lurked behind each bend on the winding mountain road between Jerusalem and Jericho. There were often thieves in hiding. He should have known better, and he brought his troubles on himself.
The priest had to be careful. He was responsible for handling the holy things in the temple, and it was necessary to keep himself pure. For instance, if he touched a dead body, he would be suspended from his duties for a time…because he would no longer be pure.
The Levite also worked in the temple and assisted the priests. For the same reasons, he had to keep himself clean.
Samaritans were Jews who had married a member of the pagan tribes. They were looked upon as half breeds. Jews hated Samaritans even more than pagans. Samaritans had been among God's people -- they had been People of the Promise -- but had turned their backs on God and that made them worse than pagans. They had despised their heritage! They had despised God! The Jews hated them. So—we have a priest, a priest’s helper and someone who was shunned by the Jews…that is the list of characters in this parable.
Also, those who were injured might not be what they seemed because sometimes they were thieves waiting in disguise for someone to stop and offer aid so they could rob them also.
The priest and the Levite might have been concerned about purity—but given the times, they might also have been afraid. Whatever the reason, they ignored the injured man.
The Samaritan stopped. He bandaged the man's wounds and took him into town. There he assumed financial responsibility for the man's care. He gave the innkeeper money to feed and house the man for several days, and promised more if needed. That sounds like community to me.
At the end of his story, Jesus asked, "Which of these, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"
The lawyer did not say, "The Samaritan!" He could not bring himself to say, "The Samaritan did the right thing!" He said only, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said, "Go and do likewise." That's a pretty tough standard. We can mechanically do what is right—but what do we really feel in our hearts. Intellectually, we know what is right…but can we do like Mother Theresa and really get down into the goooo of human life and misery? In spite of the lawyer’s reluctance to say the word “Samaritan,” the Parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the most popular stories in the Bible, because it tells about a good person—the Samaritan who helps the wounded man—and calls us to be good people. However, this story stands in judgment of me every time I pass by on the other side of the road.
When I was younger, I did not often pass by on the other side. When I was younger, I was more daring and even perhaps foolish. I used to stop to help stranded motorists. I used to pick up hitchhikers. I would spend hours working with alcoholics and drug addicts—people I did not know... I would go where the addicts were, and I was not particularly afraid of circumstances or places. Today, I am more likely to pass by on the other side. And the Parable of the Good Samaritan makes me very uncomfortable.
Today, Holy Trinity is being called to community. Initially, it will be structured kind of like a blind date—but hopefully, the time will come when we get to know each other, and we genuinely learn to love each other. Formerly, proclaiming something about being a child of God was enough to draw community together. Jay quite accurately points out in his note to me that our changing times mean we can no longer assume that everyone is a Christian by default; that everyone comes from a childhood in some mainline Christian context. Jay suggests that our community needs to be re-evangelized from the start, but we are not "missionaries" to some remote third-world country. We are preaching, like the earliest apostles, to the center of wealth, power, learning and culture, the new "Rome," in a way. But you know what, if they were able to make Christianity exciting in Greece and Rome, we can do it in the Silicon Valley. It is Christ’s command that we should love one another, and we should love those who are outside these walls who really are hungry for the experience of the living Christ. However we cannot reach out to the world that awaits us until we understand how to walk with each other in community. The September 9 changes, and particularly the forum hour, ignore the question, “What’s there for me?” and suggest instead a new question, “What are we doing for community and where do I fit into this community?” We have important work to do. Jay adds, “People in this town, despite the money and all that comes with it, need a way to connect to the Spirit and be renewed.”
Today’s Psalm calls us to “Save the weak, and the orphans; defend the humble and needy; Rescue the weak and the poor; deliver them from the power of the wicked.” I submit that the entire Trinity community should find a place somewhere in this Psalm that describes them.
One of the principal ingredients of community is love and some will find it as difficult to express love for another person as they do talking about their love for God. I read a letter recently in Dear Abby that really talks about the core of community. The letter read, “I, like so many others, became caught up in the details of my own life and forgot that I was a part of someone else’s life—my mother’s. I forgot to chat with her about nothing when she called me. I forgot to visit her for no special reason. I never bought her a Mother’s Day gift because I never seemed to have the money. Of course, I always had a good reason; and I thought tomorrow would bring another opportunity. My mother committed suicide March 24, 2004.” In community, we never know just who we are going to touch. In community, we never know how we are going to touch someone. In community, we never know when our time will end together.
But I do know this, come September 9, we will have the opportunity to all come together—to reach out and truly meet this Trinity community.
The question of community is one of inclusion, not exclusion. What our Senior Warden is calling for, and indeed what Jesus commands us to do, is very radical. The Parable of the Good Samaritan shows us just how radical Jesus Christ is. It also tells us something else—being a Christian is radical. And at the same time, it is easy to emasculate this parable by saying, "It is a different world today! It has become too dangerous to stop and help." It was too dangerous for the Samaritan to stop, but he did.
Don't emasculate this parable by saying, "Some people make their own troubles; they don't deserve help. The wounded man had made his own troubles; he didn't deserve help.” The fact is that most of us make our own troubles; most of our wounds are self-inflicted; most of us don't deserve help. The Good Samaritan helped anyway!
When Jesus talks about those difficult topics like neighbors and community and love, we are always tempted to remake Christ in our own image in 2007 because he surely wouldn’t have done those things he did during his ministry if he had lived in modern times. It is just too dangerous to be “out there too far.” That really is a foolish thing to say about Jesus—the one who died on the cross. We are always tempted to remold him so that he supports our political views—our prejudices—our special interests. We are always tempted to emasculate Jesus—to make him safe.
The most dangerous thing we can do as Christians is to hold that Jesus believes as we believe. Jesus doesn’t always make sense. Paul says in 1 Corinthians “…the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart. Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”
As a priest of the church, I invite you to embrace community. I invite you to be radical. I invite you to follow in the radical footsteps of Jesus Christ. During the coming weeks, help draw the link between Trinity parish and the work of Christ on earth. AMEN
July 08, 2007
1351Fred Heard - July 8, 2007
Father Fred Heard - Trinity Parish
Fear can kill. Fear can paralyze. Fear can destroy all that we hold dear. As I begin my fifth year as your Associate Rector this Sunday, I note we are all in a time when as a community we are being summoned to pull courage from a place that is deep within each of us because you see, we are not launching some big drive to build a building. We are not balancing the books. What we are doing will take more than our financial treasure or our building skills. We are challenging everything we have grown accustomed to and that includes our comfort level.
Our first reading quotes Naaman, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot and cure the leprosy!” Also, in Kings we read, “his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.”
Psalm 30 says, “…you restored my life as I was going down to the grave. For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, his favor for a lifetime. Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning. While I felt secure, I said ‘I shall never be disturbed.’”
This morning’s Gospel is particularly compelling, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest…Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road…Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me…The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!...See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you.”
We have heard today’s scriptural message so many times and yet today on this Sunday in July, 2007, it speaks to us as a community—as a Trinity Community. Today, I beg you to take the roots of these readings and let them bear fruit.
We are all aware of Trinity’s history. Two California Governors and a United States Senator have worshiped here and yet if we are to be relevant in the 21st Century, we must pay close heed to the words we read this morning from Kings, the Psalm, and the Gospel. Sometimes a message is so important we must hear it over and over and that is why I chose to talk about it in today’s sermon. We must remind each other that we are all preparing Trinity’s future for the day when even the youngest person in this room is no longer here.
We are being asked to give up what we know for sure for something we haven’t seen. We are being asked to simply jump into God’s arms and trust that He will be there. Do not be afraid! Jesus repeats this message time and again. It is a message those around him need to hear. It is a message all of us need to hear. Do not be afraid!
Late one night, Jesus walks across the lake and climbs into a boat. In Jesus’ company, the storm is nothing to fear. Do not be afraid.
Jesus comforts the sick child’s father. Do not be afraid. “Your Father knows every last hair on your head,” Jesus tells his disciples. “He delights to give you the kingdom.” Do not be afraid.
Fear is as easy for us as breathing. Jesus knows we need to hear this message over and over. Do not be afraid.
Jesus calms his disciples as they go out in his name. He calms them as he prepares them for the unknown. In today’s gospel Jesus sends out seventy to do his work. These are ordinary folks—there are no big names. They are anonymous; their names are not written in the Bible. They are not prominent. But yet, these seventy disciples represent wholeness and completion. They represent everybody. When we came into this world, we had nothing. When we leave this world, we will have nothing. In between, we accumulate. But the seventy have been told to leave their possessions behind. They are specifically told to leave their purses, bags, sandals behind. They are equals. There are no checkbooks. There is no money. There are no college degrees. There are no name brand shoes.
Come September 9, you will be asked to touch each other spiritually and prayerfully. You will be asked to spread joy. You will be asked to spread peace. You might have been at Trinity 40 years or even 40 minutes and you are being asked to spread a bold message. You are being asked to carry Trinity and the Good News of Jesus Christ on to the ages yet to come…and in those ages to come, our work will not be judged by our names—but like those seventy anonymous disciples—we will enter a new community and welcome all who come—all ages and genders—and we will assure our Brothers and Sisters that “The kingdom of God has come near.” What do you think that day will feel like on September 9 as we enter unfamiliar places, entering uninvited with a bold inclusive message to proclaim?
Jesus is calling you and he is calling me. We are sent forth. In the book Oh, The Places You’ll Go! Dr. Seuss says it so well: “You are the person who’ll decide where to go.”
Jesus is calling us to go to a lot of places. It is not easy being a Christian. In so many ways, we are like those early Christians. We will go forth and we will return to each other for nourishment. We will make sure that with each step we take, we leave our footprint in the sand of time. We must remember something I learned in AA years ago: Yesterday is past. We must be in today because that is something we can do something about. If we are in today, tomorrow will never come because tomorrow becomes today. Do not be afraid!
There are four fears from which Jesus wants us free. The first is the fear of people. We are to heal the sick. We are to call down a blessing on all we meet. We are to increase wholeness and health throughout the world.
Some will like what we do and support us. Others will not. These others will reject gifts we offer. They may even scorn us. But we're free from fear of people when we recognize how in everyone there appears deep brokenness. What others reveal to us may not be the glad truth of their existence, but the pain that boils and bubbles there.
The second is the fear of failure. Jesus does not announce that success is all that matters. He does not tell us to counter resistance to our good efforts simply by pushing harder in the same direction. He says that when people in a town welcome us, we're to stay and work among them, but when they do not welcome us, we're to get up and go elsewhere. In each case, we've brought God's kingdom near. Easter frees us from the fear of failure.
The third is the fear of things. Jesus tells the seventy not to take certain things they may think they need. The problem does not lie with the items themselves. The problem lies with what may be our attitude toward things. Lacking these things but wanting them may make us feel inadequate for what we're meant to do. Possessing such things may blunt our sense of urgency about service to the kingdom and may bring about separation between ourselves and others. Such things may seem too important. In this consumer culture we are even taught that what we have determines who we are: I own, therefore I am. Limitless desire becomes a virtue. The way to the kingdom is different. We are released from the fear of things. What's important is not what we own, or even what we abstain from owning, but whether we travel light and that is the issue, whether we get where we need to go.
The fourth fear is the fear of needs. Not once, but twice Jesus tells the seventy that in their travels they're to eat what's set before them. They might become so zealous, so impressed with themselves, that they would forget their hunger and become afraid of their needs. Not only are the seventy told to eat, but they're told to eat what's set before them. They're to acknowledge their empty stomachs by eating in the presence of their hosts, in the company of their hosts. Thus they will declare their need, their dependency, in a public fashion. We all have the same needs—among them food and shelter, affection and support, and a feeling of accomplishment and a feeling of inclusion. Do we conceal our needs? Are we afraid of them? It's part of what it means to be human to admit our needs. It's part of what it means to follow Jesus, who was not afraid to seek hospitality and support, who was not afraid to be dependent. Come September 9, we will acknowledge weekly our need for community—our need to share—our need to touch each other—our need for companionship—our need to be spiritually nourished—our need to be one community.
Any one of these fears: -- The fear of needs. -- The fear of things.
The fear of failure. -- The fear of people. can disrupt our spiritual journey. It can kill us as a church and as a community and it can set us apart from the Good News of Jesus Christ.
To our friend Naaman, Jesus Christ is not exclusive and just about me…This community is not about me. The church is not about me. The Good News will transcend all of us. The love of Jesus and the salvation Jesus offers is for me and for you.
On that bright morning to come we will remember the lines from this morning’s Psalm, “you restored my life as I was going down to the grave. For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, his favor for a lifetime. Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning. While I felt secure, I said ‘I shall never be disturbed.’”
And finally from this morning’s Gospel, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me…The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!...See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you.” Do not be afraid!
I have spoken to you in the name of the God who is our reason not to be afraid: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. AMEN
April 01, 2007
1278Fred Heard - April 1, 2007 Palm Sunday
During this past year, I have had the unique opportunity to watch as the search committee has done their work. I have observed the vestry as they have grappled with their issues. I watched Mother Anne take hold as our interim and now I have witnessed Father Mike’s arrival. While a confidant of all, I have had no central role in any of this process. I have plugged along and accomplished what I set out to do. I have touched those who need pastoral care. I have opened my heart to our Trinity children. I have been a presence as your continuing priest and find myself in many meetings these days as the resident Episcopal historian…with one leg in the past and the other in the future. There has also been the arrival of a new bishop in our diocese and also a new Presiding Bishop at the national level.
Through it all, Jesus has been here. This morning our Hosannas should be affirmations of our faith in and discipleship with Jesus…and they should reflect that the church continues in changing times and even in times of strife and in some cases, outright brokenness.
In years past I have talked about the tendency to “sanitize” holy week and make it less bloody. Today, I ask you which Jesus has been with you at Trinity and in your lives? Jesus in Blue Jeans, Malibu Jesus, Jesus CEO, Jesus of the da Vinci Code?,. or the Jesus of the gospels? If it is the Jesus of good news, some will ask if Jesus’ ride on the donkey into Jerusalem is still relevant in the 21st century? The answer is simple: Jesus of the gospels is good news for the poor and not good news for establishment ways. Jesus preaches compassion and forgiveness and vulnerability and service and economic and social justice and peace and non violence. This describes Jesus’ first passion—his ethic of life and his passion for life led to the passion of his suffering.
Soon these joyous Palm Sunday Hosannas will change to cries of “Crucify him.” But you know that really isn’t so strange because it is often a picture of how we live our lives. Love and piety on Sunday and as the week goes on, the last Sunday is forgotten. To follow Jesus faithfully is to be stretched and to be made uncomfortable with the limits we set for ourselves or have learned from our culture. W.H. Auden says it well, “We would rather be ruined than changed. We would rather die in our dread than climb the cross of the moment and see our illusions die."
This Palm Sunday we are called to live for ourselves, our families, and for our neighbors, near and far, known and unknown.
Walk the way of the cross and as you do so, you will be following Jesus faithfully and you will be transformed by Jesus and in so doing, you will transform our world through your loving, wounded, vulnerable presence.
As we prepare for Holy Week, let us love Jesus without limits. He will give us the strength to continue the journey so that we might return again and again to a love which knows no bounds and we will surely be transformed into his servants in all that we are and all that we do. AMEN
February 21, 2007
1193Fred Heard - Feb 18, 2007
Mountains are very important in the Bible. God made himself known to Moses on Mount Sinai. Elijah called down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel (kahr’muhl). Jesus revealed his glory to his disciples on the mountain. In this case, no specific mountain name is mentioned because it is thought that the site is unimportant. The important part of this story is the fact that it happened.
This is interesting because today we often suggest that Christians set aside a special place in the home for God-encounters or meditations. I often tell people to pray quietly and then listen for God’s soft response. Mother Anne just concluded a series of weekly Epiphany Meditations. We believe and encourage the quiet and the calm.
Several weeks ago, I asked a group of senior citizens to think about what God wanted them to do today. The follow-up came this last Wednesday when I asked them where God is and where they encounter God? Our own Allan Greenland said that God is everywhere. Someone else said God is inside us and another lady suggested that we put it all together.
Folks who enter recovery often seek out special places where they may be in conversation with their Higher Power. They often choose God as their Higher Power and many times 12-steppers go to a monastery or some other remote place for meditation. I sense, in most people’s minds, that a place with noise is not perhaps the most satisfactory place for meditation. Many of us are encountering the labyrinth as a special “top of the mountain.”
The view from the top of a mountain is often spectacular and it would be more so if Jesus took you to the top himself. Jesus wanted to pray. Do you think he wanted company? Well perhaps—but more importantly, he wanted them to glimpse God…and also to experience his glory. How would he let them know he was more than a great leader? He was like God—He was God—He is God. Now that is really special—on a mountain top or anyplace else.
Jesus took Peter and John and James to pray. While he prayed, his facial appearance changed. His clothes became dazzling white. “Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah—the great men from Israel’s history. They weren’t the only visitors. A cloud descended on the disciples, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"
Turning back to the beginning, those who awaited Jesus before his birth expected a King—a royal king like David…a king clothed in purple. They expected a king that would raise armies to drive the Romans out of their land. This mountain top visit with Jesus was not what they expected. The events of the mountain top demonstrated in no uncertain terms that Jesus was more than a “usual king.” There would be questions all along about his greatness. They would not fully understand how different Jesus was until the crucifixion and resurrection and still there would be doubts. On this day on the mountain a seed was planted.
Have you ever experienced a transfiguration? Is their a religious event in your life that so transformed you that it shook you to your core? Have you ever come face to face with God and completely turned your life around? I have seen such events while I have been a priest at Trinity. Recently in one of my sermons, I referred to the man who was dying a few months ago and professed to be an agnostic. Only reluctantly, he accepted a blessing and then the tears rolled down his face. On his death bed he was face to face with God and he went to be with God at 5:00 am the next morning. I have looked into the faces of parishioners at Trinity who are dying and watched as a perfect peace came over their faces. I watched as a very advanced Alzheimer’s patient sat on the edge of his bed as I gave him communion—just days from the end—and he recited the communion service word for word. He saw the face of God.
As Christians, we often say that God will always take you to his bosom and that it is never too late. I have had people say, would he really take a despotic madman? Well yes if there was a true conversion. Many of us who grew up in the 1950’s and 1960’s remember Eldridge Cleaver. As a young man, Cleaver was involved in various kinds of crime. In 1957 at age 22, he was convicted of assault with intent to commit murder. He admitted to raping a number of women. He advocated violence as a way of redressing racial injustice. In 1968 he was involved in a shootout with Oakland police. He jumped bail and lived for a number of years in Algeria and Paris. Then Cleaver had one of those dramatic conversion experiences that we hear about. He had a vision. This is how he reported his vision in his book, Soul on Fire. He said: “I saw all my former heroes paraded before my eyes...Fidel Castro, Mao Tse-tung, Karl Marx, Frederick Engels, passing in review--each one appearing for a moment of time, and then dropping out of sight, like fallen heroes. Finally, at the end of the procession, in dazzling, shimmering light, the image of Jesus Christ appeared.
Cleaver became a Christian--turned on to Jesus as fervently as he had been turned on earlier to violence. His life was never the same again. In one moment, he was a man of violence. In the next moment, he was a man of peace. Eldridge Cleaver had a dramatic vision of Christ. It was not expected, it was dramatic and life changing and so like the experience of those three disciples who were with Jesus on the mountain during the transfiguration.
Most of us will not experience the drama that I have mentioned this morning because many of us grew up in the church and knew of Christ from the beginning or we came to our faith slowly and deliberately over a period of time. Perhaps our mother’s knee was our mountain top but perhaps it was a bar where nothing seemed to work. Perhaps our mountain top was a broken marriage or a traumatic death in our family. The transfiguration of Jesus might be something foreign to us or difficult to understand—but if we search within our own lives and soles perhaps we will be comfortable with what that lady said at the nursing home—that God is within us and in our minds and all around us and we should “just put it all together.”
Jesus took his disciples to the mountain to pray. They went there to place themselves in the presence of God. They went to the mountain to talk to God. Even more however, they went there to listen to God. Prayer is a conversation with a loving God that helps to align us with God's will. The times when we invite God to guide us--and sit quietly listening and talking with God are our most important prayer times.
In the famous painting of Christ painted by Holman Hunt more than a century ago, Christ is knocking at a closed door. There is no handle on the door. We must open the door to Jesus. The handle is on the inside. When we ask, “Where is God?” Did we remember to open the door?
When we pray and when God presents Himself to us let us experience that as our transfiguration. Mother Theresa said: Love to pray.
Feel often during the day the need for prayer, and take trouble to pray.
Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God's gift of Himself. Ask and seek, and your heart will grow big enough to receive Him and keep Him as your own. AMEN
December 25, 2006
1131Fred Heard - Christmas Day 06
Christmas Day Sermon 2006
Trinity Parish - Father Fred Heard
This Christmas, 2006, I invite you to hear the words of Jesus again—the words of Jesus, the man, after he was grown. He said:
The king will say to those at his right hand,
"Come, you that are blessed by my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world;
for I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you gave me clothing,
I was sick and you took care of me,
I was in prison and you visited me."
Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord,
when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food,
or thirsty and gave you something to drink?
And when was it that we saw you a stranger
and welcomed you,
or naked and gave you clothing?
And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison
and visited you?"
And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you,
just as you did it to one of the least of these
who are members of my family,
you did it to me."
So people say we should put Christ back in Christmas. Well Christ never left Christmas. More importantly, we should seek Christ in our lives. Is Jesus lost? No—are we?
This last Thursday, I was reading my newspaper and was really struck by the stories that made the news. Tens of thousands have left California because they can no longer afford to live here. Love story hinges on finding a lung donor. Three plead guilty to church arsons. Virginia lawmaker stands by anti-Muslim letter to constituents. Many Latinos lack access to healthy food, study says. Same sex marriage law goes to high court. Sign in controversial Iraq war memorial is vandalized overnight. Strippers pitch in tips to bring Christmas joy to children in need. High court may take up question of Scouts religious status. Girl, 6, victim of random shooting—hit twice inside home. Jury gets case of mom who killed sons.
Where would Christ be if these events had happened in his neighborhood last Thursday? Would he really care if an elected lawmaker took the oath of office on the Koran instead of the Bible or would he be more concerned about the housing and food issues? Would he be more concerned about the state marriage laws or would he be most concerned about the abuse and killings of children? Where is Christ this Christmas? His heart would break with this headline: Christians see little future in little town of Bethlehem. Palestinian uprising and Israeli security have reduced tourism and people cannot support themselves. Unemployment is at 60 percent. A generation ago Christians made up 80 percent of the population. That is now 15 percent.
You will remember Jesus’ anger with the money lenders. He would certainly not have patience as he sees his people starve—as he sees them ill and unable to afford medical care—as he sees them killing each other in war—as he sees religion fighting religion. Jesus loved the people and really did not distinguish between rich or poor or upper class and lower class or sick or healthy. He was there and he touched them and he let them touch him.
When I did Trinity chapel last Thursday—a little boy brought a baby Jesus that he had made out of some scraps of cloth to chapel and he brought a piece of cardboard and that was the manger. Most of the little kids were talking about the birth of the baby Jesus and they understand that is what we celebrate. We closed chapel after they heard and contributed to the story of the Nativity and we sang Jingle Bells and Rudolph because those kids have perspective…even at those tender ages of two, three, and four, they know where Christ is—they are not looking for him because he is truly in their hearts. And then as they came up quite spontaneously and gave me a hug and wished me a Merry Christmas, there were tears in my eyes.
Nobody was looking for Christ that first Christmas and nobody was looking for Christ in Chapel last Thursday on Trinity’s campus. The innkeeper wasn't looking for Christ. The shepherds weren't looking for Christ. They were just taking care of their sheep. The angels brought the good news—"Do not be afraid; for see -- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people; to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
It is easy to get caught up in lesser things at Christmas. We want so badly to get just the right presents for everyone—and to get the perfect tree and to have the house just so.
We run out of money before we run out of friends and we get tired.
Sometimes, we invite Santa to our homes for special family occasions at Christmas and that is all right—but do we invite Jesus to our homes every day of the year? Are we looking for Christ this Christmas? Or is Jesus just a two-thousand-year-old story? Has Christ just come and gone?
Where do we look for Christ this Christmas? The children gave us a clue. If we are doing Christ’s work and truly being his people—he will find us and bless us.
Merry Christmas everyone—Merry Merry Christmas!
October 22, 2006
1073Fred Heard - October 22, 2006
October 22, 2006 Father Fred Heard
Mark:10:35-45
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So many people are concerned about the future of the church and the road that will lead them to heaven. Many people lay awake at night worrying about these two points. And now there is something else to think about: a new book has just been published which discusses the sudden growth of the mainline church: Christianity For the Rest of Us by Diana Butler Bass. She suggests that mainline church tradition is more like the clay from which you make a statue. We can rework it and play with it. She compares the clay to scripture and suggests that each successive generation is called on to take that same body of scripture and make it look beautiful in and for our own time. A church and its doctrine and a Christian can be reflective of the past or it can be relevant to our time and Ms. Bass suggests that mainline churches are beginning to recognize that fact. It was in seminary that I decided to take a class called Biblical Archaeology and it was in that class that I learned that biblical history is changing and it is changing because we are learning how to read history more accurately and we also are recognizing that the entire picture is still really an incomplete puzzle and new artifacts are being discovered almost daily.
But certain truths never change. Too many people spend all of their allotted time on this earth trying to become rich and famous or rich and powerful or maybe just rich or maybe just influential. Reality says that only a few people get to any of these slots. The lot for all the rest might be to envy them. But Jesus tells us not to envy because God will judge by different rules. One’s possessions or position do not count. What matters is what we give of ourselves. God encourages people to give the most of themselves. God’s plan does not honor the people who wield power, but people who love their neighbors and help those in need. It is how we use that power. God won't reward the people with great talent only, but He will remember the people with great hearts. It is how we use that talent. Is Bishop Tutu remembered for his power (which he does possess) or his heart? Is the Sister or Brother who calls in time of need and pain remembered within our parish because of their role in society or because of their heart?
Our new Bishop, Marc, only yesterday at our convention called on Episcopalians to become green and truly be good stewards for the planet earth. He called on us to end the war in Iraq. He called on us to end discrimination and truly open our arms to all God’s children.
What made George Washington great? Was it the fact that he was our first President? If that is the case, remember that had George Washington not been President, there would have been someone else—another first President. But would that person have contributed the precedents that President Washington left behind like declining to serve a third term? Would another 16th President have freed the slaves and offered his hand to the South as did Abraham Lincoln following the Civil War?
An athlete is chosen by the owners to bring points to the team. Does this make that athlete great? David Robinson is honored as a basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1990 ––Defensive Player of the Year in 1992 ––Most Valuable Player of the Year in 1995. When he is eligible, Robinson is probably headed for the Basketball Hall of Fame. In almost any conversation about sports, David Robinson is considered great…but that is an earthly measuring stick. In 1991 he visited the Gates Elementary School in San Antonio and challenged the kids to go to college, promising each one who did a $2000 scholarship. Many of them took him up on his offer –– and he ended up giving each $8000 instead of $2000. He and his wife then started the Carver Academy in San Antonio. They donated $9 million to get the school started. This is believed to be the largest charitable contribution ever made by a professional athlete. Carver Academy is dedicated to academic excellence—but because Robinson is a Christian he wants the kids to understand that spiritual values are as important as academics or athletics. David Robinson is a great human being. As our Articles of Religion put it, these good deeds are the fruits of David Robinson’s faith. His belief has motivated him to do good works—not the quest for power.
Today’s Gospel discusses greatness and how God defines greatness and you know what, it has nothing to do with points on a scoreboard. It is all about how we live our lives. Perhaps we think we have never lived near human greatness—but maybe we just haven’t thought of it in this light.
James and John ask Jesus for permission to sit with him at the head table when he comes into his kingdom…one at Jesus right hand and the other at his left hand. In most meetings, the boss sits at the end or like the President in a Cabinet meeting—he sits in the middle with the Secretary of State on one side and the Secretary of Defense on the other and the remaining cabinet officers sit in the order their positions were created. In any event, the most trusted or senior members of the team are closest to the head person and this allows them to prompt the boss discreetly as needed. People of lesser rank perhaps do not sit at the table but are placed around the outside wall. The boss is front and center in any arrangement and the trick for everyone else is to get as close as possible.
James and John thought that Jesus would become king once they reached Jerusalem…and they wanted the two most honored seats. Jesus, you will recall, had already chosen three disciples as favorites and the three included James and John. Peter was the third. Since James and John were brothers, it was easy for them to bond. In this case Peter was the outsider and he was being pushed to the side. "Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" Translated, he was asking James and John if they were able to share his fate. Imagining Jesus at the head of the table, they assured him they were able. Jesus then told them that they would share his fate, but he couldn't promise them the seats at his right and left.
Do you remember all that talk at the beginning of the sermon about power and wealth and influence? Jesus was lifted up and it was on a cross and there was a thief at his right hand and a thief at his left hand.
That was one of God's ways of warning us to expect some surprises in his kingdom. In God's kingdom, the old rules –– the world's rules –– won't apply. We will have to learn a whole new set of rules.
God gives all of us a glimpse into His kingdom. Jesus explains the new rules. He begins by talking about the rulers with whom James and John are familiar. Those rulers lord it over people. The ones whom people usually count as great are really only tyrants –– oppressors –– people who exercise power cruelly and unjustly. Jesus tells James and John –– and us –– that the kingdom of God isn't like that.
So who will be the great people in God’s kingdom? "Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all." Episcopalians are smart—but we can’t be just head-smart. We must be Christians—but we must take seriously what Jesus says here. We can have a lot of money and we can be famous but that cannot be our first priority…we must devote our lives to the betterment of others. When we get to heaven those who will be sitting with Jesus will be the people who have devoted themselves to service—to giving—to others.
I know you pretty well and there are people in this congregation who I expect to be sitting pretty high up at Jesus’ table. People here on earth might not consider them as great and most importantly, they don't think of themselves as great. Not many people know their names, but God knows their names. These people show all of us the way. They give themselves in quiet service to our church or our children. They are here at church whenever there is a need at here or in the community. There will be a look of surprise on their face when Jesus says, "Come and sit with me."
"Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant,
and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all." AMEN
August 31, 2006
999Fred Heard - August 27, 2006
Sermon—August 27, 2006 Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
Father Fred Heard
Ephesians 5:21-33, John 6:60-69
It is always interesting to me to enter into a discussion when people start quoting their favorite Bible verses. Sometimes, their favorites are really from the Declaration of Independence or one of Shakespeare’s plays.
It gets awkward when they turn to you and insist that you provide the scriptural citation and with a straight face you must tell them it’s Romeo and Juliet!
And so today, we confront the elephant in the living room! You remember a few weeks ago when I quoted the bumper sticker that reads, “It’s in the Bible and I believe the Bible, end of discussion.” Mary Lambert has been a member of a First Baptist church in Watertown, New York for the past 60 years and she has been a Sunday school teacher there for 54 years. Last Thursday she was dismissed because the Diaconate Board adopted the scriptural qualifications which prohibit women from teaching men. The letter suggested that women should learn in quietness and be in full submission to men. They said Adam was formed first and he was not the one deceived. It was the woman who was deceived and became the sinner. The letter was signed by the wife of the pastor who is also a city council member in Watertown.
In this morning’s second reading we read, “Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord.” Misinterpretation of our second reading has actually led to women’s deaths over the years and has certainly played into the thinking that led to Mary Lambert’s dismissal as a Sunday school teacher. Interpretations of this scripture is one of the reasons that former President Jimmy Carter moved his membership to a more accepting and open Baptist church. But lest you think it is a Baptist problem, Adair’s mother, a devout cradle Episcopalian, had taught Sunday school for many years in Oregon and was told when she was pregnant with Adair’s youngest brother that it was “unseemly” to be around the children while she was pregnant and it would be best for her to take the year off from teaching. She never returned to church.
Unfortunately, there are Christian women whose husbands abuse them and then cite Ephesians 5 as their authority for the abuse, “Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord.” Something is wrong when a portion of the Bible is used as justification for abuse of anyone.
When I was in seminary, the day came when the New Testament professor was to lecture on Paul…great groans came from the class members. I will never forget the professor’s comment. He said, “Don’t be hard on Paul—he really was a liberal and has been given a bum wrap…by misinterpretation.”…and so what about this misinterpretation—well let’s look at it and I hope you will take this message and spread it throughout our community.
In Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia, Paul says without qualification that in Jesus Christ there is neither male nor female. He says that in Christ men and women stand on level ground. Where do society and Paul come from in reaching this point where Paul is so much inclined toward liberation of women? Ancient Greece followed the teachings of Socrates. He maintained that being born a woman is divine punishment and that a woman is halfway between a man and an animal. Socrates did suggest that a woman could serve in the armed forces because a female dog is as useful to a shepherd as a male dog. Aristotle noticed that a swarm of bees is led by one bee…a king bee, since males by nature are more fit to command than are females. Aristotle maintained that men show their courage by giving orders, while women show their courage by following orders. In ancient Athens women took no part in public affairs, never appearing with men at meals or social occasions. Things were better for women in Sparta and Egypt but neither influenced the world as Athens did.
In the Roman era which followed the Greeks, women were permitted to accompany husbands socially but were still regarded as humanly inferior. It was little better in the Jewish world. It was improper for a man to speak to a woman in public, even if she were his wife. If a married woman spoke to a man on the street, the rabbis said her husband could divorce her on the grounds that her conversation was insipient adultery. Now this is the background that Jesus and Paul emerged from as they conducted their ministries so think what a revolutionary Jesus was—every day he spoke to women in public! They even spoke to him! Women—married and unmarried were included in Jesus’ group of disciples. It was a woman who wiped his feet with her hair. Don’t you think Paul knew what Jesus was doing? Paul mentions female supporters by name. In the gospel, there are two women who struggled “beside me.” He doesn’t say under me. Paul refers to a married couple as fellow workers in Jesus Christ. He refers to them as Prisca and Aquila with her name first—which just wasn’t done. At the end of his Roman letter, Paul mentions several church leaders by name, and that list includes eight women.
One qualification for being an apostle was to have been an eye-witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Women were the first witnesses. Women preached and prayed and traveled with Jesus and it truly makes one wonder why they were good enough to minister in the company of Jesus Christ—but not, in the minds of some, good enough even today to be ordained and even serve as Bishop and Presiding Bishop in the Episcopal Church.
Notice that verse 21 precedes verse 22 in today’s reading: “Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.” This is for everyone…mutual subordination, mutual subjection, mutual self-denial. “Be subject to” does not mean obey. Paul never says that a wife or a husband is to obey the other.
In Ephesians, the theme is the unity of Christ and his people. Paul emphasizes this same unity between a husband and a wife and Christ and the church. In Ephesians 5:31-32 we read, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one.”
English is a difficult language because one word can have so many different meanings. So when we read that the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church—the key word is head. We turn to English and for our purposes the head is either a part of the body attached to the neck or a political head or chief boss or governor. Just as English has different words and meanings, Greek does also and that is the case with the words obey and head. In Greek and Hebrew, there were different words and meanings for head and obey.
The Old Testament was first written in Hebrew and later translated into Greek. Most of the Jews did not know Hebrew. Paul did—but he always quotes the Old Testament in Greek so that he might be understood. In Hebrew Rosh is the word for head when describing a chief, ruler, or a boss or commander. In Greek, the word for the same definition for head is ARCHON. Indeed, the President of my Greek fraternity in college was called the Archon.
When speaking of the “force of life” the word for head was KEPHALE. Paul speaks of the husband as the Kephale of his wife, not the Archon. In military parlance, Kephale is also used to speak of the front line soldier who is the first in line of fire. Paul often used military metaphors and compared the Christian journey to soldiering. Paul, then, believes the husband is like the soldier who incurs great vulnerability—the great risk— and is self forgetful…all for the sake of others.
The theme today in Ephesians is the unity of Christ and his people and the unity of husband and wife—it is not the hierarchy of either. “Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Recognize each need in the other and help each other at whatever cost. Jesus said in today’s gospel, “I am the bread which came down from heaven…the one who eats this bread will live forever.” The “one who eats this bread”—neither male nor female is designated—but the one. Jesus has the words of eternal life. Those words do not include abuse or superiority…They are the words for all for all of the ages. AMEN
August 13, 2006
995Fred Heard - August 13, 2006
Sermon—August 13, 2006
Holy Trinity
John 6:37-51
Father Fred Heard
This summer, I have really gotten to preach on some interesting topics: Jesus feeds the 5000 and then two weeks ago he is walking on water, last week we talked about transfiguration and then today, “I am the bread that came down from life.”
I hope I never become one of those people who thinks that changes in our world or life or fads of our young people mean that the world is surely coming to an end within the next week or so…and you know it will someday, but not when we predict it and not because of some fad or style we do that wasn’t done in Grandpa’s day.
Our world has changed a lot during our lifetime and it will continue to change. There are a few people who are still living that have lived in three centuries: the end of the nineteenth, all of the twentieth and these six years of the twenty-first century. Imagine what they have seen. My young grandson—Christopher—will soon leave Texas and head up to Oregon to begin his college education at Linfield. One of his grandfathers gave him a nice new computer for high school graduation. I was thinking when he received it that I went from first grade on through high school and college and earned two degrees without a computer. I didn’t turn to the computer in my education until I went to seminary. I found it was indispensable during those seminary years and I marveled at how fast I could write a term paper or do research when the entire Bible and numerous commentaries were at my fingertips on my computer. How well I remember typing papers into the wee hours and wrestling with carbon paper and later white out and counting up from the bottom of a page to place footnotes just where they should go when I started college nearly fifty years ago. I even typed papers in college for others to earn extra money. The world today does seem to be a stretch from the one we have left behind. We conduct our telephone conversations in public today and if we don’t turn away, we will get that dirty look implying that the person wants privacy. Our kids spot dial telephones and wonder what they are.
And what about food? Food and our consumption of it is a major tool today in keeping us healthy. At a recent meeting of the board for Pacific Church News, we talked about the spirituality of food and how we can make a statement within the pages of our church newspaper. One day in frustration, I told Adair I was so tired of being told what I could eat and what I couldn’t eat—when what I really wanted was some fried potatoes and steak. I was thinking of some of that comfort food from my childhood. I loved wilted lettuce salad—hot bacon grease poured over lettuce. What would the food police say about that? Now so many things are not on this diet or that diet. Meat is the enemy. Eat your vegetables. Don’t eat rich deserts. Don’t drink sodas. But you know what? You really are what you eat.
Much of the Bible talks about food. In Deuteronomy this morning, we are fed with manna and God has brought us into a good land flowing with water and where wheat and barley and fig trees and pomegranates freely grow. There are olive trees and honey and it is a land where you may eat bread and you will lack nothing. We are told we may eat our fill and bless the Lord our God for the good land that he has given us. In the same reading, we turn to one of the most familiar quotes from the Bible, “one does not live by bread alone…” and often overlooked, the rest of that quote reads, “…but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” This reading is thought to be a sermon given by Moses. So you see while God feeds us physically—that is not enough…and so we must be fed spiritually and emotionally also.
And now in this morning’s gospel, Jesus takes us to the next level. Plain bread will sustain our physical bodies for everyday chores. But there is higher nourishment and it gives us strength to move from ordinary humans into beings reflecting the image and likeness of God. This new life is one that moves us beyond everyday existence to one of eternal hope. Episcopalians are reminded of this each time they participate in the Eucharist. With this meal, we are eating with a community we know and also with people we don’t know throughout the world. In a few minutes we will consume bread and wine and we will acknowledge our common journey deep into the heart of God. My liturgics professor Louis Weil said, “When we hold the bread and drink the wine, we are touching the most sacred things on earth” and that is what we believe as Episcopalians…and over the years we, by custom, have come to make the Eucharist the central part of our liturgy. In taking the Eucharist, we invite Jesus Christ into our beings.
Many people believed the Messiah would come as the King of Kings to live in great luxury and privilege—instead; he came to us in a manger. When Jesus asked us to remember him, he didn’t use prime rib or some other elegant food. He chose the mundane. He chose bread. Jean-Pierre Caussade wrote in Abandonment to Divine Providence: "God speaks to individuals through what happens to them moment by moment… The events of each small moment are stamped with the will of God…we find all that is necessary in the present moment. So often we are bored with the small happenings around us, yet it is these trivialities—as we consider them—which would do marvels for us if only we did not despise them. "Bread, he wrote in the 1740s, is a perfect example of God speaking to us through the mundane. Ordinary bread, something we know well, becomes divinely significant and sustaining when people gather together and share it in recognition that all of us start in the heart of God and spend a lifetime journeying back there together.
A very wise priest friend of mine, Jay McMurren once said, “Wow! This is big stuff—this is church.” Well Jay, this is ordinary stuff. It is stuff we know. It is enduring stuff that will carry us through the ages. I know there are divisions within our church. I know there are brothers and sisters with differing views and positions and I know their hearts are breaking—but it is the Eucharist that binds us together and moves us through this life to the next. God is here—He is here this moment and He will be at the altar rail as you take communion today. There will be new interpretations of the Bible, there will be new Prayer Books, there will be new hymnals, we will ordain or not ordain, we will experience human conflict—but always remember: the tie that binds us together is Jesus Christ who we encounter each time we take the Eucharist. And that is ordinary stuff we know as Episcopalians. It is strong enough to endure shifts and bumps and fights and disagreements…because we share in the bread of life. Some people will try to make it more than it is. Some want it to be more because it is ordinary. In its simplicity it is magical, powerful and glorious.
Remember that very special hymn we sing:
I am the bread of life—
They who believe in me shall not hunger;
They who believe in me shall not thirst
No one can come to me unless the Father draw them
And I will raise them up, and I will raise them up. AMEN
July 30, 2006
994Fred Heard - July 30, 2006
Sermon—July 30, 2006
Mark 6:45-52
Father Fred Heard
Holy Trinity
Last Sunday, we saw Jesus feed the 5000 and you will remember, that is the only miracle mentioned in all four gospels. Immediately after that event, Jesus walks on water. This is one biblical event where we often joke about friends or family members walking on water. It can be a compliment and evidence of our high regard for that person or to the contrary—our judgment of the size of their ego.
With today’s gospel, Matthew, Mark, and John write about Jesus walking on water. As I was preparing my sermon, I was once again reminded of that bumper sticker: “It’s in the Bible; I believe the Bible, end of discussion.” Well I believe the Bible too—but I also recognize there were different writers and different memories, and different interpretations and different times. In the same Bible, but depending on which gospel you read, the disciples cross the water from east to west or from west to east. Jesus sees them on the water, in trouble, or he starts out across the lake without seeing them in distress. When he gets to them they are in the middle of the lake, or they are at the shore. He does or does not climb into the boat. The disciples are convinced by what they see, or utterly clueless. Which will it be? It is in the Bible and I believe the Bible. The writers of this story are not very detail oriented…and if this is a recruitment message, I should think they would want to make sure the story “sticks” together. Obviously, no editor has gone over every detail because there are rough spots and pure conflict from one story to the next.
Over the last several weeks, I have been reading emails between Adair and her cousins about their grandparents. They are trying to compile a story about their grandparents. Adair remembers that Grandpa spoke with an accent because he was born in Norway. Several cousins do not share that recollection and finally one of the cousins said, “Adair remembers what she remembers.” In today’s lesson, it is much the same. This is not an invented event. Everyone remembers that something happened on that water. It is the core they remember and they are telling it with three different memories…and different versions of the same story. They are writing years or even decades later, so maybe their memories have gotten a little fuzzy around the edges, and some of the details vary from writer to writer. Some of the differences we find in these stories can be traced to that fact.
This is also the place when our 21st Century minds take over and we start looking for explanations of events that happened two thousand years ago that fit our concept of scientific proof. Sometimes we simply try to make something fit and we have to adopt an explanation that isn’t plausible to make our concept believable. It was interesting to listen to the question put to our new Presiding Bishop when reporters asked her about creationism at her first news conference. Her explanation was that she is a scientist and she does not find God and science incompatible. If we seek the most rational explanation for Jesus walking on water, we should probably go with John. Jesus reaches the disciples at the very moment that the boat gets to shore. They want to take Jesus into the boat but didn't because the boat reached land. So maybe what they see, in the middle of the storm and danger and confusion, is Jesus walking out to them from the land. Jesus is not catching up to them from behind, he's wading out to them, since he got there first. It is not hard to find that as a perfectly reasonable explanation in the writings of creditable Bible scholars. There are only two problems with that version of the story—Matthew and Mark must be ignored and there is no second boat for Jesus.
Our intellect is what so often trips us up when we ponder our faith or our relationship to God. We spend all our time trying to make logical what is not logical. We don’t spend equal time worrying about the earth being flat or any of the other truths we were teaching up until a few years ago like the importance of a lobotomy in treating mental illness. Maybe we need to move beyond the idea that there is a logical explanation for miracles or that they even need to be explained. Again, we constantly try to understand or measure God in all of his glory with our intellect and our limited knowledge. Most of us are quick to agree that we are not on an intellectual level with God. If that is the case, there will be events we read about in the Bible and things that surround us that we will not comprehend.
We do not have the eyes or the ears or the understanding to explain or perceive the God that surrounds us. Did you ever take time to ponder the grandeur or greatness of God or how long eternity is? Acceptance by faith is important to us as children of God. With faith, we can truly understand what God would have us do in this world. But if we have a good healthy dose of faith, will we have a complete picture of what God has done and what is coming? The answer must be no. But with faith God speaks to us more clearly and our path is more in focus. No matter which version of Jesus walking on the water, we read—the clear message is, “It is I, do not be afraid.” With this comfort we learn that Jesus Christ is with us and that he comes to us in stormy times and that the wind will recede. And one more thing, Jesus comes to us even when we doubt.
You see we really don’t have to be able to walk on water ourselves. Jesus was asked to perform miracles to save his life. He refused. The important thing is for us to believe without miracles. Jesus talks constantly of the need for faith.
It is both easy to love God and to have faith when all is well. It is easy to thank God for good fortune, for money He has given us, for good relationships, for the sunshine in our lives. It is even easy to turn to God when things are going badly. It is at this time that we pray—illness—Pray!—family member in trouble—Pray!—job not going well—Pray!
When things progress beyond bad, it is easy to hate God—a child is drowned on a family outing—“How could God let this happen?” Most of the time however, bad times remind us to call out for God’s help.
During this week, I have spent much time in the company of Trinity saints who are recovering from serious surgery or illness. In each case, we have prayed and we have said simply—thank you, God. You see, my Brothers and Sisters, what I have seen in the faces of those recovering is faith. I thought of that as I read this anonymous commentary on faith:
Count your blessings instead of your crosses; count your gains instead of your losses. Count your joys instead of your woes; count your friends instead of your foes. Count your smiles instead of your tears; count your courage instead of your fears. Count your full years instead of your lean;
count your kind deeds instead of your mean. Count your health instead of your wealth; count on God instead of yourself. AMEN
July 23, 2006
993Fred Heard - July 23, 2006
Sermon—July 23, 2006
Mark 6:30-44
Holy Trinity Parish
Father Fred Heard
And so, we come back to where it all began. Three years ago, this last week—those crows led me to this special place called Holy Trinity. The crows are still here. You are still here. I am still here. We have faced ups and downs and we have grown together. You have taught me much and I hope I have reflected what our Lord would have me say to you. I have learned that we are all spiritually hungry and that is part of the excitement in welcoming our new Bishop Marc Andrus. Change can be threatening but it can also be invigorating. I have seen change and excitement come to Trinity as the search for a new rector has moved into the application process. I feel that change coming with the approaching November investiture of a new Presiding Bishop, The Right Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori.
There is much to take with you from today’s Gospel, “…they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” “And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.” This is a miracle. The people are hungry spiritually and physically. The people came and Jesus didn’t send them away as the disciples suggested. Instead he offered hospitality.
Sometimes, I have been hungry emotionally, physically, or spiritually and have politely declined an offer for food because I wanted to be polite—but I have also thought if they offer one more time, I will accept and then the offers stop…and I think, “if only…” Jesus is the bread of life and we are entrusted with making that known—and I have seen people in my ministry who are desperately hungry spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
It isn’t always a prayer or a sermon that will draw people closer to Jesus Christ. It can be a smile as they enter the church or a warm welcoming hand or someone telling them they are glad they are here or someone inviting them to coffee. You see, if you have been coming to Trinity for awhile, you have probably felt or witnessed Christ’s presence. If someone is new it might not be so obvious. There might be no points of comparison—there may have been no lives in which to observe Christ. And so my Brothers and Sisters, when we issue stewardship calls for time or talent or treasure if that is the first rung on your spiritual ladder, that call might mean something entirely different than if it comes to the ears of someone who has witnessed first hand what was done in outreach last year or what the youth did on their recent mission trip or what has been done in spiritual care.
We are not all on the same page in this spiritual journey and we never will be. Our challenge is to level the “playing field” and to always remember that Jesus Christ is at the center of it all. If you have never eaten an artichoke, you don’t know what you are missing. Looking at that strange thistle, you might stop eating before you get to the miracle of the heart. If you have never experienced the wonder of Jesus Christ or seen him in the lives of others, it is difficult to understand what “all the fuss is about” and you might stop eating before you get to the heart.
Jesus’ disciples were tired. They were worn out. Jesus invited them to rest. “And they went away to a deserted place by themselves.” People saw them and a great crowd followed. There they were, thousands waiting for a word from Christ to encourage their impoverished spirits. Isaiah tells us this morning, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people’s way.” Additionally in Isaiah, “Peace, peace, to the far and the near, says the Lord; and I will heal them.” In Psalms, this morning, we are reminded, “They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn the saving deeds that he has done.” In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he says, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.” Just as it is today, there was a profound hunger for spiritual food. As we look to grow the church, we must be very careful that we don’t get involved with “techniques for growth” over feeding the hungry.
The people we try to reach are not units, they are saints. This week, there was an item in the news which stated that vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor…but like theology we make distinctions between butterscotch, strawberry, and chocolate and this is where we find little agreement. In the church we need to remember we are vanilla or Jesus Christ. Jesus recognized the spiritual hunger of the crowd. He taught them for long hours. No miracle seems to have made such an impression on the disciples as the feeding of the 5000, because this is the only miracle of Jesus which is told in all the four gospels. It has been interpreted in a number of ways. Albert Schweitzer believed that it perhaps anticipates the great feast to be held in the coming Kingdom of God. Probably there was different emphasis as the story was handed down by tradition preceding Mark. But yet we can clearly see that the disciples had been hesitant to share their limited resources and then when the meal was finished, there were enough leftovers for each one to have a full basket. Here we see the two reactions to human need—the disciples noticing the hour, wanted to be rid of the crowd and Jesus wanting to do something about the problem. The plain fact is it is always easier to let someone else take care of those in need. In these days, it is always easier to let the government raise and handle money for the poor instead of the church.
God is great and we are small. Do we dare to undertake his work? In comparison to God, our efforts are negligible. Our resources are limited. Yet God knows this and he still calls us to his side. Jesus shares knowledge and his ministry. We are called to a hungry, crying and needy world. We are asked to share what we have and in the final analysis it is faith that sustains us. God recognizes that we are lost sheep without a shepherd and yesterday He gave us our new shepherd with Bishop Marc. Soon he will give us two more shepherds—a new Presiding Bishop and a new Rector. There will be new programs—new visions—new leadership with Jesus Christ as the foundation and you my Brothers and Sisters as the saints of our faith. AMEN
July 02, 2006
942Fred Heard - June 25, 2006
June 25, 2006 Sermon - Father Fred Heard
Mark 4:35-41
It is summer and countless people will be out fishing and spending time around the water all over this beautiful state and all over this special place in the world we call the west.
Even though it is summer, these beautiful days can quickly turn from beautiful to treacherous. Temperatures change, black clouds appear, the wind picks up, and the rain can come. It is time to drop the fishing poles and head home…but delay can close paths of escape and the whole situation can become life threatening. For the inexperienced, this can be an exciting adventure—very much like a snow storm in the winter. But we can learn that wind and water or snow, are powerful allies. This whole outing can turn into an adventure filled with terror. Ultimately, most people will survive and those terror filled moments will fade into memories. The Lord has brought us through a storm and we are safe. God’s care can be a lesson about life. I told you sometime ago, that I am not a fisherman and perhaps this is not on your list of things to do either and so let’s just forget about this whole fishing thing and the storm and all.
But you know what? Even on this beautiful California summer day, many of us are encountering storms. They take different forms—emotional, physical, spiritual, economic, relationships. Look at scripture and note that: Jesus calms our storms. We can recognize our human frailty in the midst of a storm and when we pray that the storm be calmed, we can see his loving concern.
In today’s Gospel, when the lake was calm, the disciples felt safe in the boat. They noticed however, as the storm took form, the boat offered them little security. Jesus was with a crowd. He spent time with those who needed to be healed and with those who needed to hear of his kingdom. Jesus was their safe boat and he offered them refuge. He often spoke in parables to help them gain insight. Jesus’ kingdom is one of grace. He gives his love to the world that we might believe in him and be saved.
Jesus is in his Galilean ministry. He has picked his disciples. He is now teaching them spiritual truths. I was a teacher for a lot of years and sometimes my students missed the point and this was true of Jesus’ disciples. Sometimes learning comes from practical experience and that is the purpose of today’s Gospel. The disciples were looking to Jesus to save them and in doing this, they were showing some faith and hope in him…while, at the same time, they were demonstrating the “littleness” of their faith. On another occasion, the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith. The Lord replied, “If you had the faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Once a man asked Jesus to heal his son, “If you can…” Jesus replied, “If you are able!” It is easy to identify with the problem of having a little faith but needing more faith than we have.
It took three words to calm the storm, “Peace! Be still!” This is a demonstration of his power. Some have said they have a problem with the idea that someone could calm the storm. This isn’t “someone” we are talking about…it is Jesus Christ. Jesus did demonstrate his power on many occasions and most certainly when he rose from the dead. We hear many people in our time say they have supernatural powers, but the next time you hear that, ask them how many times they have told a storm to hush and have the storm actually obey their command?
Many of these disciples were fishermen and they had encountered rough seas on numerous occasions. Even the veteran sailors lost control of the ship. When they cried out however, Jesus heard them and he responded even though he taught them a lesson at the same time. You see Jesus hears people who call out for help in the middle of the storms of their lives…and the question, I guess, is do we—do you—hear people who call out for help in the middle of the storms of their lives? Or even more importantly, as the storms form in our lives who is there to offer us security and to lend a helping hand? N. Graham Standish writes in Discovering the Narrow Path, a Guide to Spiritual Balance, “…the mystical life is not a life spent only in prayer and seeking. It is a life of service. The mystics all were grounded in love, and their love needed to be expressed in their service. Mother Teresa served the poor in Calcutta. George Muller served orphans in England. Francis of Assisi served the poor in Italy and around the Mediterranean. Brother Lawrence humbly served others in his community by working in the kitchen. Frank Laubach served by teaching reading to the poor in the Philippines. The particular service is not as important as the actual act of serving.
Thomas a Kempis has said, “Without love good works are worthless, but with love they become wholly rewarding no matter how small and insignificant they may seem. Jesus did care for the disciples. He still cares for each of us in our stormy lives. What storms are out there in your world? There are storms that strike suddenly, without warning—hurricanes, fires, earthquakes which as we learned with Katrina bring destruction to property and death, to friends and relatives. There are the storms of failing health and old age which frustrate the mind and reduce the effectiveness of the body. There are storms in our households which threaten families—unrest between children, disagreements between husbands and wives, unpaid bills and unproductive jobs. There are storms which threaten our faith— when we grow tired of living and think about ending our life, when God seems distant and uninterested in our welfare. Jesus cares. But do we as the Christian community?
It is easy to care about the victims of Katrina or the victims of a tsunami—these are the disasters of headlines. But what about the old lady who needs a ride to church? What about the person who needs a ride to the doctor’s office? What about the brother or sister who needs to go to a grocery store? What about the person who is confined to home who just needs a visit? What about the person who signs up for “meals on wheels” simply because that means someone will deliver the meal and they will have company once a day? Do we dismiss these Brothers and Sisters because they are simply “too needy?” Do we even know they exist? Do we care? Some months ago, I was preaching and I think the topic was stewardship and a younger person whispered to his mother that I was getting ready to ask for money and I never did and boy was he surprised. Well today, you might think I am going to ask for your time and you are right.
You know a study was announced this week which showed that the word “time” is the most used noun in our vocabulary. “We don’t have time to do this”…There isn’t enough time…I ran out of time”…”You must get this done on time”…”Time is running out”…time…time…time.
My dear Brothers and Sisters, time is running out. The examples I have just given are real—they are not imagined and they are real within our community at Holy Trinity. We build buildings. We go on mission trips. We sing songs. We plan Sunday School Curriculum. We plan the future for our Memorial Garden. We eat. We play. We learn. We preach. We also hurt. We are needy. We need boats to save us from the storms in our lives. This week, I have gone to the cupboard looking for volunteers to meet needs within our community here in Menlo Park and it is bare. Soon and very soon, we are going to have to decline requests for rides to church or the doctor or the grocery store. Jesus answered the disciple’s frantic prayer with a definite, decisive command, “Peace! Be still.” Jesus’ commands were followed by a great calm. Then he asks the soul searching questions, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"
Those who call on us for help should not feel the pain we are feeling as we attempt to meet their needs. If they believe they are a burden, we will never hear from them again and that is why it is so easy to abuse and mistreat this part of society’s community…because ignored, they will simply retreat and that is what insincere politicians have discovered. Unlike younger people there will be no protests and the end will come and we can just put it out of our minds. Please accept these words as your call to ministry. Ask yourselves if you as God’s people have faith to completely trust him as he presents his power and divine will to you in your lives. It is not good enough to mouth the words of compassion—Jesus calls you to believe with total trust. Jesus calls for passion when working with his community. When the storms of life approach you or your neighbor, turn to Jesus Christ. Rely on him always…and always remember as you pick up your brothers and sisters, He is there to help you carry the burden. I am reminded of that old theme from Father Flannigan’s Boys Town as one boy is carrying the lame boy he says, “He ain’t heavy Father, he’s my brother.” AMEN
June 04, 2006
908Fred Heard - Pentecost 2006
Pentecost Sunday, 2006 Holy Trinity
Father Fred Heard John 20:19-23
In our Thursday Bible Class, one of the members asked me what they could take away from that class for Pentecost 2006. I said I wanted to hear the other class members respond to the question before I gave my opinion. She probably thought I was dodging the question.
But Pentecost is a time when we receive a very important promised gift from Jesus…the Holy Spirit. This third part of the Trinity is one of the least understood of our gifts. Think for a time about water as a metaphor for God. Water can be solid as it is in the ice of a glacier. Representing God, the glacier ice can create valleys and even pull rocks apart. It can re-create the world. Water can be liquid when we drink it from a glass. Jesus is the water springing up from the earth bringing life and sustaining us. Jesus washes away our sins. Water can also be the steam in a turbine engine. In this story, the Holy Spirit is represented by steam and it has unlimited power. It can take the heat of fire and like God the Holy Spirit; steam is a source of unlimited power and potential. That is quite a gift.
A traditional Jewish holiday, Pentecost called for a huge celebration. Faithful Jews were summoned from around the world. It was full of ceremony and tradition but in a modern sense, rather boring. But, suddenly with a great rush of wind the whole world changed. The Spirit came and filled Jesus’ disciples with the Holy Spirit. A very small Jewish sect was transformed into a world religion during that Pentecost moment. The apostles were empowered to bring the good news of Christ to every nation on earth.
This is a day of baptism and new birth: a day when we are visibly reminded that what happened to those disciples happens to us all. Today we celebrate with balloons, banners, flowers, and red clothing in churches throughout the world. Today’s scriptures are read in many languages and it is not just one big language lesson. It is a day to symbolize the miracle of Pentecost when everyone who was there could hear God’s word in languages they could understand.
Speaking the language of the people is one of the great accomplishments and goals of the Anglican Church. More than 400 years ago, the Book of Common Prayer and the King James Bible were published in English so the people could understand their worship service. The reason for the change was forgotten and as each succeeding generation has attempted to keep the language of our liturgy and music current and contemporary, there is always great opposition to those update changes.
Today at Holy Trinity, we baptize Devon during our 9:10 service and next Sunday in Oregon, I will baptize my grandson, Carter. Those two children will grow up in a world that is much different than this world of 2006. Pentecost, 2006 asks us questions—first are we up to the challenges that lie ahead of us? Can we preach and teach and share the gospel in a language familiar to us in this sanctuary—but also in the language of our workplace, in the language of the computer and the classroom and the mall? Can we share this gospel in the changing language of our culture and our streets? And, oh yes, can we make ourselves understood in the language of Devon and Carter? You see, one of the great challenges of Pentecost is that we share the Good News of Jesus Christ in all of the places where God’s people gather. The message is we can fulfill our baptismal covenant as modern disciples and evangelists only if we can communicate the care and the love of Christ. The world is not static—it does change…and the language changes and our tools of communication change. I am currently reading a book about John Adams, the second President of the United States…that wasn’t that long ago—only a little more than 200 years. Some of President Adam’s official statements or the letters between him and his wife Abigail are not easy to read because the language is different. Think for a moment about how the language has changed from when you were a child and today—now take that and ponder how communication tools have changed during your lifetime. It is up to the church and the 2006 disciples to communicate the Good News in whatever way it will be effective and understood.
Some people will say, “But, I have no tools or talents or gifts to communicate as you are suggesting.” One of the things I asked the Thursday Bible Class to do was think of five gifts you have been given as a Child of God. For some it was easy and others it was not so easy. Many are modest—but you really cannot help someone if you don’t know what you can give. For instance, I am not going to offer to tutor a young college friend in civil engineering because I know that is not my bag. I will offer to make lunch however, if someone else does the tutoring. I am not going to offer to drive someone to the doctor if I have no car or driver’s license—but I will offer to water their plants and feed their cat if they have to go into the hospital.
In today’s second reading, Paul reminds us there are “varieties of gifts and talents” and that we are more prepared than we might think. “…it is the same God who activates all (gifts) in everyone…To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.” What we sometimes forget is that these spiritual gifts are given to us for a spiritual purpose. These gifts might manifest themselves in sports, science, art or music, finances or faith. Through our baptism we have been given our special way to serve as a part of the body of Christ.
But always, let us remember as Douglas Wood tells us there is a secret in life and the world is full of secrets. Some people know them and others do not. The best secrets are the ones that make us happy. We might find the secret in life when the best times come on a beautiful sunny day and we remember to say thanks for that day…or when we see a flower almost like it was for the first time and remember to say thank you…or when we are dreaming as we lie under an old tree enjoying the cool shade on a hot day…perhaps we hear a bird sing and remember to say thank you for that gentle music…or we remember to say thank you for all the creatures whether fur or feathers or scales or shells because they remind us of the mystery and beauty of life on our small blue planet…and then there are the stars and the moon in the sky that light our way on a dark night and we remember to say thank you and perhaps the secret is there or maybe it is in our homes as we sit at the table with the people we love and we say thank you to them—
But then Douglas Wood in his book for children: The Secret of Saying Thanks suggests you might feel the secret when someone is holding your hand, or kissing away tears, or hugging you close, or reading you a story, or tucking you into bed at night and reminding you to say your prayers…Ultimately we will find the secret is: “The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time. The more we say thanks, the more we find to be thankful for, and the more we find to be thankful for, the happier we become.” --We don’t give thanks because we’re happy. We are happy because we give thanks…and that is the message my Brothers and Sisters on this Pentecost 2006. The issue is not whether you have been given spiritual gifts. You have. Paul makes that perfectly clear in this morning’s reading. As a priest at Trinity for nearly three years, I hear people praying thanksgiving prayers all of the time for the many gifts that abounds in this place. Others are praying for you and about you and your gifts. On this Pentecost, acknowledge and celebrate what you have been given by God. The Holy Spirit has visited you and is a part of you. Use your gifts and give those gifts to those who need to hear the Good News. Proclaim the Good News in the language of the people who call you to their side and never forget that Devon and Carter are depending on you and God has given you the tools to reach out to them. AMEN
May 14, 2006
885Fred Heard - May 14, 2006
John 14:15-21
Father Fred Heard - Holy Trinity Menlo Park
May 14, 2006
And so in today’s gospel, “Jesus said if you love me, you will keep my commandments…They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” It occurs to me, we use this word love rather loosely. You are to love your family and you are to love your friends and you are to love Jesus and you are to love your God. But how many of us can honestly say we love God and we love Jesus? Is our love really a deep respect…like we really do like them…or is it “on fire” love?
My mother did her best when I asked her what love was. She pointed out there is a difference in one’s love for family and romantic love and love for God. Love in the minds of many is only an emotion…it is a feeling that cannot be forced and is not love if you only love someone because you feel you must or you should. Over the years, I have counseled many who feel they must love a parent and there is something wrong with them if they do not...even though perhaps that parent abused them years before. I have also known a couple of parents who felt they needed to divorce their children—one family saying, “But I do love him” and the other, not saying that at all. Love, in the minds of some, can be an emotion that comes and goes…even to the point perhaps of saying in a divorce—I don’t love you anymore. Or perhaps there is a time when one of the partners realizes they are in fact gay and they acknowledge that they continue to love that person they married so long ago.
Yet, we are commanded to love. In the Bible, we hear of Agape and Phileo love. Yet, as I found out when my mother tried to explain love to me, it is not always so clear-cut. Certainly Agape and Phileo love is often used interchangeably in the Bible and on many occasions the two are used to express love in the same sentence.
I have come to the conclusion that my love for Jesus Christ is on going and something that I can develop in more depth as I learn more about Jesus…how he was sent here by God…how he was willing to die for me…how he loved his disciples and everyone with whom he came in contact…how he taught us to walk in love. But one thing I know is that church and Jesus Christ is not something we do for our children like ballet lessons or soccer practice—it is for real—it is not something on a list that we check off at the end of childhood like we did braces or music lessons. Church is a part of our children’s lives—it is truly something that will grow with them…just as it grows with each of us even if we are 103 years old. Our love for Jesus will be tested—we will test it—and at times we may doubt that love. It is not easy to explain or to understand our love for Jesus Christ.
Love itself is not an easy concept to understand and sometimes to accept and it offers many meanings to many people. Now, this is Mother’s Day and a day when I could speak eloquently of the Dick and Jane mother appearing in pearls and high heels as she jumps rope with her children...and almost always when she is not jumping rope, she is in the kitchen making cookies. My children’s mother would certainly say, “Well you are not talking about me.” Truth is I would be talking about some mothers perhaps and be missing the boat on many others.
There are traditional mothers and there are non-traditional mothers…and who are we to say today what is traditional and what is non-traditional? There are mothers with careers outside and inside the home. There are male mothers just as there are female fathers and these are the parents who have had to slip into the role of the other as single parents and many are doing extraordinary jobs in these roles. There are people in our society who are not biological parents but still they are contributing in very special and significant ways to our children as uncles and aunts and stepparents and foster parents, God parents, nannies, and just members of the village…and they too should be remembered on days like today. There are still others who struggle as parents and perhaps some of us and we should do all that is within our power to walk with them and be there for them.
There are also those who simply don’t care and are sorry the title was ever thrust on them. We have come to recognize that it takes a village to raise a child and accordingly, we have passed laws in our state that allow parents who do not wish to raise their children for whatever reason to leave a child at a fire or police station or at a church. This is a good law.
Hopefully, we are entering a time when it is understood more and more that it is not necessary to have children if that is not your priority. We are also beginning to recognize throughout this land that some people would make very good parents and it is not possible for them to give biological birth. Our Book of Common Prayer offers recognition to this fact with its service of “Thanksgiving for the Birth or Adoption of a Child.” The church asks that this service be done as soon as convenient after the birth of a child or after receiving a child. The purpose of this service is to welcome the child into the church community and to give thanks to Almighty God.
On this day, I am thinking of the Eleventh Step in Twelve Step programs which reads in part, “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscience contact with God as we understood Him…” It is said that you accept a Higher Power of your own understanding…and while we obviously all started with mothers—some were sainted and some were not—and it might very well be that we have had to grasp a motherhood of our own understanding and I would add—acceptance…because the fact is no matter what our experience, motherhood is how our civilization continues.
We need to confront this thing called love. For our own growth and peace of mind, we cannot ignore a difficult relationship…and make no mistake about it, our relationships with parents and Jesus Christ can be difficult. A relationship will not be built in a day or a week or even years but we need to work at it. Perhaps we need to write, perhaps we need to pray, and perhaps we need to have a conversation with a human being even if that person is no longer living. Perhaps we need to write a letter and then burn it and let the smoke carry our resentment away. Perhaps there is someone in our lives—our birth mother—or the mother who chose us—or someone else who we dearly love because they gave us what we needed and the time to thank them is now and every day…because you see when we can tell someone we love them, we can give them the greatest gift of all. “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Grow in your love for Jesus Christ and share that love with someone else. AMEN
February 26, 2006
738Fred Heard - Feb 26 2006
February 26, 2006 Sermon - Transfiguration Sunday
Father Fred Heard
Mark 9:2-9
Many of us have been out with friends and in today’s Gospel; Jesus is out with Peter, James, and John. We can relate to his need to be with friends. In this story, so far, nothing is particularly extraordinary. It was not unusual for Jesus to get away from the crowds so he could pray or be by himself.
So they are alone—but after that, things are not so ordinary. Jesus is transfigured. The dictionary defines transfiguration in this way: “the change in the appearance of Christ on the mountain.” Transfigure is defined: “to change in outward form or appearance; transform, change, or alter.” I explained Transfiguration to our children at Trinity School a couple of weeks ago and we came up with the idea that Jesus glowed like a light bulb. But let’s get a little more theological and look at The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church and what it has to say about Transfiguration: “The appearing of the Lord in glory during His earthly life…” Transfiguration is considered one of the more difficult sermon topics because frankly, it is hard to explain. The kids are satisfied with the light bulb and perhaps we should be also—but wait—lets explore this topic for a few moments. “His clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.” You know my mother and many mothers spent their whole lives washing clothes on Monday morning and soaking them the night before and on those Mondays putting just the right amount of bleach or bluing in the water to make sure the clothes glowed and here we learn that Jesus’ clothes were so white that no amount of bleach or bluing could equal them. That is really out of the ordinary and out of this world. On top of it, the White King lady or the FAB mothers didn’t even drop by—out of this world and that is the intent of the story. While the famous celluloid laundry room helpers didn’t come by, guess who did? It was the great law giver, Moses and a top prophet, Elijah. They are there to show just what a big deal Transfiguration really was. They paid their respects to Jesus. Peter, James, and John were terrified. Even though Peter is afraid, he does speak up. He suggests erecting three shrines to commemorate the event! This is getting to be a big deal. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”
And isn’t it interesting that as humans, we always need some story of our own choosing like mine about my mother to put God’s work into perspective? Do you think God finds that strange? Do you think God finds it unusual when we need proof that he really is among us and that he sent his son as our Savior? Well, I don’t think so when we consider the fact that he sent references for Jesus in the persons of Moses and Elijah…and for good measure he spoke to the three witnesses: Peter, James, and John…”This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” And this is not the first time God sent a messenger to proclaim Jesus ministry—recall John the Baptist and his ministry.
And then as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus said to his three friends that they should not breath a word of what happened until after the “Son of Man had risen from the dead.” In this morning’s epistle, Peter announced they had been eyewitnesses of his majesty as they stood on that mountain and they had heard the voice of God as he proclaimed that Jesus was his Son. That is a big deal.
Transfiguration had changed forever the lives of Peter, James, and John…and even though it is often not understood, it has changed the lives of all of those who are Brothers and Sisters in Christ in 2006. Peter, James, and John had been given a glimpse into the future and through them, so have you. Jesus suffering and death were ahead. Our Lord had predicted his death a few days earlier. There was doubt—there was fear about what was ahead. Transfiguration allowed them to look beyond. It would all return—but they were being given a foundation for all eternity. For only a brief moment, God had opened the door to the end of time. They looked through that door and were never the same again.
If you could see how everything turns out in the end, would it affect your view of the present? Many doctors, nurses, hospice workers, EMT’s, clergy have reported that certain people appear to have died and later come back to life—having had what is called a “near death experience.” Perhaps someone in this room has either known a person who has had such an experience or they have personally been a part of a near death event. Some people have reported visits from Jesus or family members who have died. Almost always, these folks report a great sense of peace and an overwhelming wish to stay where they are. These experiences have no regard for denomination or any other earthly classification.
Some years ago, the television show “Murphy Brown” had an episode where Murphy asked the staff about their God thoughts. There were different responses. But the comments of the character Jim stand out. He said he was a Presbyterian and went to church every Sunday with his wife. He said, "I haven't had any experience of God. I go because it is obvious to me that the people who attend are experiencing God, and I am hoping that one day I will too." I wonder if we have any “Jims” in our pews.
Great things have happened on mountains. We encounter our Almighty God. We encounter our faith’s heritage. We hear God’s voice. The Glory of God is revealed. So how can we arrange to be on that certain mountaintop to experience these incredible events? The answer is we cannot. We must wait just like Jim. But remember this, Peter, James, and John were invited. Nine of the Disciples were not invited…perhaps some were ready and some were not.
Just like children who hear talk about what the dessert is going to be after dinner and who want it now, we must wait for what comes at the end. We must do our work, we cannot second guess God. If we can go right to the mountain, we have missed the preparation and our work. Our faith will be unhealthy…and that is why those who are always predicting the end of the world or who are actually selling their worldly possessions and going to some field or mountain top are still out there waiting. Transfiguration is a part of our preparation. It is a part of the dessert.
One day, we will be invited to the mountaintop. But first we must be available. Peter, James, and John were already in the company of Jesus—they were ready. You can be in the company of Jesus right here in Trinity church with your community. We must learn all we can about our faith. Lent begins soon. There are plenty of opportunities to study the Bible and to experience the spiritual life during these weeks of Lent. We do not know how Peter, James, and John recognized Moses and Elijah—but they did. Much of the mountaintop experience would have been lost if they had not been well grounded in their faith. They knew how important these men were. Only twice in the gospels do we have evidence of God speaking—once at the Baptism of Jesus and once during the Transfiguration. We continue to hear God though as we study scripture and as we hear the voice of other Christians and as we listen to Jesus. Our work is not on the mountaintop—it is surely in the valley…and that is where the church is because we exist primarily for those outside our walls. Jesus says…”Go…make disciples.”
Finally, as you prepare to climb the mountain, come to this place each week with joy as you prepare to meet Jesus Christ. Do not come to His holy place with the idea of meeting someone you would rather not see. Do not come with the idea that you are tired of that creed that does not speak to you. Do not come with the idea of not singing a hymn you don’t like or mumbling through a prayer without thought, or suffering through a sermon. Be available in mind, body, and spirit for our Lord Jesus Christ.
Martin Luther King, Jr. preached his last sermon about the mountaintop the night before he died April 3, 1968: …and I close with his prophecy: “I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountain top. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” AMEN
January 01, 2006
704Fred Heard - Jan 1, 2006
New Year�s Day 2006
Father Fred Heard
Holy Trinity Menlo Park
Luke 2:15-21
(Audio Recording available here)
The first Sunday after Christmas. The first Sunday in the New Year. The eighth day of Christmas. New Year's Day then is happening and in the eyes of most of the world Christmas is over. Many Christmas trees have come down. Gifts have been returned and exchanged. There are after Christmas sales and even January white sales. Commercialism continues at full force. But as you can see in our worship this morning, Christmas is not over. It is time for us to look beyond December 25. On both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I said in my sermon that December 26 would also come, and it has.
We are not surprised by the thought that birth from a Jewish mother makes one a Jew. But a male is not truly a Jew until he has become a son of the covenant God made with Abraham through the rite called circumcision. This was a joyous occasion which was celebrated with blessings and feasting by the parents with their family and friends. By this rite, a son of Abraham's tribe enters into the special relationship which God established between Himself and Abraham.
Circumcision was and is a big deal in Judaism and this makes it all the more striking that three of the Gospels make no mention of the circumcision of Jesus, and that the one which does, the Gospel according to Luke this morning, does so only in passing. Circumcision is not only just mentioned in one verse; it is only a dependent clause of that one verse, as the occasion of something else, the naming of the baby, Jesus.
According to Jewish custom then, a birth really isn't complete until the rite of circumcision and naming on the eighth day. Most of the stories of Christmas leave out the naming ceremony. According to Hebrew custom, names weren't just names, they meant something and they told who the person was. Benjamin, for example, means 'son of my right hand' Because of this, the 8th day naming and circumcision is more than a ritual. Baptism to us is more than symbolic and the naming ceremony is the individual's connection with the covenant, and to God himself. Just like Baptism, the 8th day is a time of new birth and the taking on of identity and vocation in relationship to God. That is why Abram's name was changed to Abraham, why Jacob's was changed to Israel, why Saul's was changed to Paul and why we name children during baptism. Names, and the act of naming, were and are important. "Jesus" came from the Hebrew "Joshua"or Aramaic "Yeshua" and means "the one who saves", thus showing what the one who is also called "Emmanuel, God with us" was to do.
This morning's gospel which reveals the name of Jesus is paired with one of the rare occasions that the Old Testament reveals the name of God. The name of God was used very rarely in Biblical texts. In order to avoid blasphemy, God was usually represented instead by four dots, one for each of the consonants, and derivations of the word "Lord" were used instead. The four consonants Y-H-W-H (pronounced "Yahweh" or "Jehovah") are usually translated in English as "L-O-R-D" or "G-O-D." The use of God's name was so powerful that it was to be avoided. In today's passage, the name of God is used to solidify the covenant made with Moses through the Ten Commandments. God's name, it seems, was important to make this, the second set of tablets cut to replace the originals, valid.
As shown in the condemnation of the guilty and in Moses' action of falling on his knees, the use of the name of God brought up feelings of incredible fear. Notice how the reverse is true with the name of Jesus. Jesus' name is equally powerful. It is in Jesus' name that we are taught to pray, that healings and exorcisms occur, that life is given. It is in Jesus' that the old covenant is replaced with the new, that sins are forgiven, and that we are saved from the fate implied and implicit in the Old Testament. That is why Jesus' name means in Hebrew, 'the one who saves.' That is why Christmas is not just a day but also a season and not just a season but also a way of life.
Today with the naming and the covenant dedication of Jesus we know for sure that the Christmas story does not end with the shepherds and the angels and sheep. For all of us who were and are made a part of the covenant of faith, the story goes on, we are made part of the covenant of faith. We are Christians. We have been called to be apostles worthy of that name, set apart for the gospel of God.
It is customary on this day to plan New Year's resolutions. How many times have we made those resolutions only to break them by sun down on New Year's Day? As Christians how about a new one? How about truly connecting with God? Why not make living the covenant as you understand it your own? How about reclaiming the identity and vocation that connects us with God? We know that God knows each hair on our heads. We also know that God has something special in mind for each of us. So..if God has a given name and identity and vocation for us, why not take some time during 2006 and find out what those are for you?
Merry Christmas-----------Happy New Year.
December 24, 2005
705Fred Heard - Dec. 24-25
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Sermon 2005
Holy Trinity, Menlo Park
Father Fred Heard
I was at a holiday luncheon this week and one of those present asked us what our favorite Christmas present was of all time. One person said, “Oh that is really hard.” Others mentioned a bicycle or a special toy. It is funny that a particular incident will mark our memory and tag a gift as our all time favorite or a particular Christmas will bring memories back like, “Oh that was the Christmas that ---- someone died or that was the Christmas that someone was born or two people were married or engaged. Consensus was that probably the “all time favorite gift” would be something from childhood…unless perhaps someone can remember an engagement ring or something of that caliber. I was drawn back to the sixth grade when my folks had placed all the presents under the tree and when they weren’t around I opened every single one of them and re-wrapped them. Needless to say, I learned that part of Christmas is the mystery. On Christmas, I had to fake surprise—about every single present. Strange, though I remember almost every present to this day. When I was in government, I used to tell my staff that I wanted to know what was going on and that I only liked surprises at Christmas or on my birthday.
Christmas is a really big deal. I was reminded of that as I did chapel with our wee ones at Trinity school. I tried to talk about Advent and asked if they knew what season we were in. Several excitedly raised their hands and told me it was Christmas. I then talked about the seasons of the year and soon we would be in winter and then I told them the church had seasons and that Advent was the first season of the church year. I even covered the altar with a purple cloth. We talked about the colors of the church. We talked about gifts and that Jesus Christ was the great gift that God gives to each of us…and that Christmas awaits us after we plan and prepare during Advent. Last week, I went back and one little child remembered that it was Advent. I told them that this would be their last chapel before Christmas vacation and that we could now talk about Christmas. I suggested we sing “Away in a Manger.” We did that well and then they—by consensus—wanted to sing “Jingle Bells” and so we did. Then the head teacher suggested we close with “This Little Light of Mine.” The children told me they made gifts out of recycled materials and then they sang “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” to me and then, one by one, they came up and wished me a Merry Christmas. That was a very special 2005 Christmas gift. Another came when I saw a little boy that morning walking across campus on his way to school. He was holding his Dad’s hand and he quite spontaneously reached up and took my hand too and we walked to the front door—the three of us—hand in hand …and then in chapel he made sure he sat next to me and our knees touched. That was special
I have a lot of very special Christmas memories as I know you do. I also think after living for more than 60 years—that I have reached a perspective about Christmas. There was a time when Christmas meant everything to me and there was always that awful let down after all the excitement and then nothing but the prospect of a very long and cold January. Well certainly, the birth of a son on December 30 and our daughters on January 14 and now a son-in-law on January 8 and the addition of Martin Luther King’s Birthday weekend have helped change my thoughts about January. But not far behind Christmas and our Epiphany season, comes Lent and Easter. And so you see, I have come to believe that the birth of our Savior is a beginning of a life that will lead to resurrection and God’s great gift to us of eternal life. That is really what Christmas is all about…and yet this is the most dangerous time of the year for suicides and domestic violence. And still we read on the greeting cards: “Peace on earth and good will to all.” There is war, there is sexual violence, there is hunger, there are homeless people, and there is corruption. Peace on earth? The story of Jesus’ birth is beautiful and it is sweet. It is also very simple and plain—no royal purple, no palace. In fact, taxes have displaced a family from their home. A poor family has to take shelter in a barn because there is no room in the inn. Common people have a great celebration. There is a murder plot to protect power. A family flees to protect their child. Many children are murdered. Gifts are offered by people who don’t know each other but they bring gifts because of a shared sense of hope. This is Christmas. This is Christmas in the real world. This is also the story of Jesus’ birth and it is how God chose to come to earth. God chose to anchor with humans as a human…without pomp.
This Christmas, let us remember that Jesus searched for peace by becoming a part of a world without peace. The headlines we read in 2005 are the same headlines Jesus lived. Our Christmas music is truly beautiful and often sentimental. Christmas however, is more than a sentimental journey. It is a reminder that God came with human skin to face human challenge so we might find peace in him.
God sent his son. He gave us scripture. He does not want us to tear ourselves apart over his teachings. God wants us to respect the value of other faiths. I believe God wants us to serve the poor and protect our environment. Scripture belongs to all and it must not be ceded to one over another…and what is important this Christmas is not whether one store says Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas but what is truly in your heart.
God’s blessing to his troubled children is “Peace on earth, goodwill to all.” Don’t just look for God’s grace in the twinkling lights and the sweet smiles of the children at Christmas. December 26 is coming…and so are March 1 and July 16 and October 20. Hear the bad news of the headlines and be reminded of His grace because he has lived with those same headlines…so that we will not be bound to them.
And so my brothers and sisters—what is the greatest gift of all? God has graciously accepted us as living members of his Son our Savior Jesus Christ…and that is the gift for all seasons and all ages. The Messiah has come! Merry Christmas.
December 04, 2005
667Fred Heard - Dec 4, 2005
Sermon—Mark 1:1-8
December 4, 2005
Father Fred Heard - Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
The Lord Jesus Christ is coming and John the Baptist tells us so this morning. He is coming. “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Probably very few people understood what John was saying. Fewer understood, “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The Lord Jesus Christ is coming and John is the perfect voice for Advent and alerts us of his coming to earth to bridge the relationship between God and ourselves. John’s message was the beginning of the Good News for the world. The old Chinese proverb tells us that “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” and it is this first step that John points to today. You see today’s lesson is the first step for all those who want to follow Jesus. The wilderness is so lonely and so forsaken and John tells us what must be done to embrace the love and the comfort and the life and the spirit of Jesus Christ. John points the way for all who want to walk out of the wilderness to the promised land. My brothers and sisters, a highway out of the wilderness can offer much comfort—but what John proposes is through baptism we can build a highway into our hearts. This is a direction and the all important step we must take to get ready for Christ’s coming.
There is a Zen story about a university professor who went to visit the great master, Nan-In. “Master,” he said, “teach me what I need to know to have a happy life. I have studied the sacred scriptures, I have visited the greatest teachers in the land, but I have not found the answer, please - teach me the way.” At this point Nan-In served tea to his guest. He poured his visitor's cup full and then kept on pouring and pouring so that the tea began to run over the rim of the cup and across the table, and still he poured, until tea was falling upon the floor. The professor watched this until he could no longer restrain himself. “Its overfull, stop, no more will go in” he cried out. “Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “You are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you the way unless you first empty your cup?”
And so, you see, that is how we must welcome Christ. We must make room for him in our hearts. During this Advent we can prepare for his coming…it is possible to do so. It would have been relatively simple for John the Baptist to build a highway out of the wilderness—but his task was much more difficult. John was driven to prepare the hearts of the people. He believed it was necessary to take action in order to meet the Messiah and to walk with him. John called on the folks to repent. Sometimes the word “repent” is one of those gooshie words that make Episcopalians uncomfortable. But what does repent mean? Quite simply it is to turn around or change direction or to leave the old way behind.
We can create our own wilderness by turning away from God…and that wilderness is so profound that it robs us of hope and when hope is gone—all is lost. Sometimes, when counseling people, I have suggested that things are so much worse when we wake up in the middle of the night and think about our problems…sometimes even, our hearts are so filled with sadness or worry there is no room for Christ—that my Brothers and Sisters is our choice because Christ will be with us always if we but open our hearts to him. We create our own wilderness and we keep it closest to us and that is in our hearts. Just like the professor in the Zen story, we must empty our hearts if we are to truly turn to Jesus Christ.
Sometimes during these days of the year it seems that everyone else is so merry and happy and all we feel is total despair. It is during these days of Advent when we can prepare if we will only do so to receive the Christ child once more. Our lives during these barren times do not have to lack hope and they do not have to be unfruitful. Just as there are plenty of reminders about the joy of the season—there are tools, if you will, that can not just get us through the holidays—but can move us along with substantial satisfaction. Unprepared, the Christmas season, can remind us of what we lack and more vividly paint our need for God or for anything that will ease our burdens. This can be lonely. But we must remember that loneliness is not just the lot of those who are by themselves because we can be lonely in crowds of 500…and we can be filled with a sense of community or togetherness by ourselves. It can be lonely for those who think they will find what they are missing at the office Christmas party, or in having the perfect Christmas tree, or by giving or receiving the perfect Christmas gift, or in having the most spectacular Christmas decorations in the neighborhood. We can also feel together and happy by sitting and reading a good book or by watching a good movie by ourselves.
But also remember, my Brothers and Sisters that even those who value the good news of Jesus Christ might feel a sense of unrest during this time of the year because perhaps we are looking for a new way of doing old things. There may be something we need to forgive or forget. Perhaps we need to empty our cups or simply switch to another brand of tea or fill our cups with the water of life.
It is not un-Christian to feel spiritually empty or dry or disconnected from time to time. What is wrong is to leave it there. We leave it there by trying to fill that emptiness with shopping or more parties or more noise and sometimes we try to drown out the silence with noise. Silence is not our enemy. Silence is really the natural state of the world and we have tried to overcome it and eventually, it all goes back to silence. The music can’t keep playing, the voices can’t keep talking, and the cars can’t keep chugging along. Eventually, there is silence…and this is when, if you listen, you will hear God. God, during this Advent, is not pressuring you to be happy and full of good cheer. God is not telling you to “shop until you drop.” God does not want you to remember the birth of his son with exhaustion or panic or questions of self worth because you didn’t do thus and so. God is not telling you to mark Christmas by spending more than you should. Working too hard and long, exhaustion, short tempers, lack of organization, charging beyond means—none of these things bring joy and happiness to our family and friends. This is a wilderness and it is one we have created—it truly is not from God.
My dear friends—march to your own drummer. Build an Advent that includes rest and hope for you and time for love for family and friends, and joy and peace for all. This is where God is. Remember John in this morning’s gospel and prepare your way during Advent. December is a good time to enjoy the cold days, to turn to family and friends, and your church community. It is really a time to do less—much less. It is a time to relax. Accept invitations that you really want and don’t resent when the day arrives. Spend time trying that Christmas punch or cookie or bread recipe. Write letters to friends and family. Call a person who has dropped out of your life. Sing those beautiful songs of the season. Be sensitive to those around you. Read the beautiful scriptures and pray during this time. If you don’t pray, you can always begin with “Thank you God.” Pray for your church and the world. Spend some time alone. Walk the labyrinth. Take a walk in the cold air.
Those of us who are here today know more about the world than those who listened to John the Baptist 2000 years ago. We know the King of Kings is coming. We know Jesus Christ will die for us and will be resurrected from the dead and with that life will triumph over death. We know that. John’s words, spoken so long ago call us to that life that Jesus revealed. John asked us to plan and look ahead. He asked us to change direction. Those words do not seem out of date on this day. Indeed John is talking to us on this Advent day, 2005…John invites us to the light and leads us out of the darkness. AMEN
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