The Space Between

In the midst of these Holy-days, I haven't had time to upload a written version of my sermon from Advent 4. But no worries, you can always go to Messiah Lutheran Church's podcast site on iTunes. My sermon from Advent 4 is entitled "The Great Reversal" . As we continue in these days of Christmas, may you be graced by God's great reversal, Immanuel, God With Us!

(The following sermon was preached at Messiah Lutheran Church, Knoxville, TN on the First Sunday in Advent, December 2, 2012. The sermon arises from the Year C pericope for the day, specifically the gospel reading, Luke 21:25-36 .)  Most all of us have some sort of peculiar habit. Come on admit it. You know you do. We all, most everyone, have some little thing that we do - and yet don't realize we’re actually doing it - that after a while can really begin to annoy the people around us.   Take my mom for example. [Shhh, don’t tell her I talked about her.] She has this peculiar habit, as she’s riding down the road, of reading signs...out loud!     “Knoxville 120 miles” “Cracker Barrel next exit” “See Rock City” And this doesn’t happen just on the interstates. US and State Highways work just fine too... “Oh, look there, Turkey Creek Mall...” “Hey there’s Messiah Lutheran Church...Did I ever tell you that time I went to that Lutheran Churc...

(This sermon was preached at Messiah Lutheran Church  on Sunday, October 21, 2012, on the occasion of the installation of the Reverend Pauline Pezzino as Associate Pastor. The sermon derives from the first reading for the occasion, Jeremiah 1:4-10 .) The theologian of rock music, Bono of the band U2, in the song, Magnificent , sings: I was born,  I was born  to sing for you I didn't have a choice  but to lift you up And sing whatever song  you wanted me to I give you back my voice from the womb My first cry,  it was a joyful noise... 1 I think you, Pauline, like U2’s Bono, were born to sing for God, to lift God up and sing the song God has called you to sing, to give back your voice, from the womb your first cry, a joyful noise. But this is no allusion to your gift for singing - as great as that gift is -but to your gift and calling for proclamation, the sharing of the gospel.  Yes, preaching is a form of singi...

(This sermon was preached at Messiah Lutheran Church , Knoxville, TN on Sunday, October 7, 2012, the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 22B. The sermon derives from the RCL pericope for the day, predominantly the Gospel text, Mark 10:2-16 ) M. Scott Peck begins his best selling book, The Road Less Traveled with three simple words. Three words that when put together feel like a punch to the gut. They take your breath away because in that moment you know they are true. What are the three words? Life…is…difficult . 1 The first time I picked up Peck’s book and saw those words, it was almost enough to make me set the book down again. I didn’t want to hear those words. Rather, I wanted to continue in my ignorant bliss. I wanted to naively trust that life was only and mostly joy, fun, adventure, and love. But...we all know the truth don’t we? With the joy of life - and there is most certainly joy - but, with that joy comes our share of trip-ups, poor choices, misjudgments, regr...

(This sermon was preached at  Messiah Lutheran Church, Knoxville, TN on Sunday, September 2, 2012, The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 17B. The sermon derives from the RCL pericope of the day, specifically James 1:17-27 and  Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 ) “Funny the way it is, if you think about it”   sings Dave Matthews , "Somebody’s going hungry and someone else is eating out. Funny the way it is, not right or wrong Somebody’s heart is broken and it becomes your favorite song.” 1 Of course, by funny , Dave Matthews does not mean humorous . He means something more like fascinating , interesting , perplexing , or maybe even ironic .   Funny the way it is, if you think about it. Like, for example, this past week’s tropical storm turned hurricane, Isaac. As you know initially there were concerns the storm would hit Tampa and interrupt the Republican National Convention. But then, interestingly, it missed. A Florida pastor, the Rev. Jesten Pete...

Deliver me, O giver of Breath and Life,                   from the fears that beset me;           help me confront the inner shadows That hold me in bondage, like a prisoner                   who knows not freedom. They distract me from all that I yearn                   to be,            and hinder the awakening of                   hidden gifts            that I long to share with others.      For I desire to be a channel of peace ;            to reflect the beauty of                    creation! O, that I might manifest your love                   to all whom I meet,   ...

(This sermon was preached at Messiah Lutheran Church , Knoxville, TN on Sunday, August 26, 2012, The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 16B. The sermon derives from the RCL pericope of the day, specifically Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18  and John 6:56-69 ) Okay, so let me get this straight. Joshua, the great leader of the Israelites has gathered the people at Shechem, that holy, worship site where God first confirmed the covenant with their ancestor Abraham. Gathered in worship there at Shechem, Joshua gives the people his farewell instructions, calling them to renew the covenant partnership with God, saying “revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; [putting] away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.”    And the people, the Israelite people respond “Yes!.,..we...will!...Yes,...we will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” 1   No hesitation. No, we’ll try our best Joshua. No question...

(This sermon was preached at Messiah Lutheran Church , Knoxville, TN on Sunday, August 19, 2012, the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 15B. The sermon derives from the RCL pericope for the day, specifically Proverbs 9:1-6 and John 6:51-58 . The portions of the hymn "Come, Let Us Eat" from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, #491, indi cated by the bold and italicized print were sung by the preacher during the sermon.)  One of my favorite of many favorite memories from my time at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary occurred at the beginning of my second year. A classmate of mine had been married the Memorial Day weekend previous. With everyone going their different directions over the summer, my group of friends didn’t have the opportunity to celebrate properly. So once we were all back on campus, we decided to hold a dinner party in the new couple’s honor. Jill, the hostess extraordinaire and one of the primary ring leaders of our group, volunteered to hold ...

As I begin writing this blog post, Knoxville is experiencing a string of thunder storms and near flooding rains . It is very dark and gloomy. When I was in middle school, I had a crush on a girl by the name of Senn Sorrow. I was quite naive back then and a bit of a pollyanna, so I didn’t get the significance of her name at first. (I was slow like that. Maybe I still am.) But, eventually it dawned on me. Senn Sorrow....Oh!...Right!...Seen sorrow! Unfortunately, I never did ask Senn what was behind her name. (If I had that one to do over again, I most certainly would.) What was it in her life or the life of her parents that led them to give her such a name? Frankly, I think it is a beautiful name. I’ve never forgotten it. From time to time, I think of her. I’ve wondered how her life has turned out? Has life gone well for her, living out that name? Did her name serve as a self fulfilling prophecy? Has she seen sorrow? Of course, the truth is we all, every one of us, live to ...

(This sermon, based on 1 Kings 19:4-8 , was preached at Messiah Lutheran Church, Knoxville, TN on August 12, 2012, the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 14B) The prophet Elijah’s voice thundered fierce and confident, calling down fire from heaven to consume the water and wood, the altar and the animal sacrifice. He would show these so-called prophets, followers of Ba’al, who the real God is. Their so-called god was a no show. Elijah’s God, the true God, the God of Israel, he would show up. He would send fire. He would consume the offering. And he did. Fire rained down from heaven, and in an instant, all of it, the water, the wood, the altar and the animal, consumed. Now Elijah was even more confident, consumed with passion for his God and angered by Ba’al and his prophets. So, with a word, a thunderous, murderous word, he excited the congregation of Israel and they turned and slaughtered the Ba’al prophets, all 850 of them.  But, Jezebel, Israel’s pagan queen, ...

“It may be  that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled  is not employed. The impeded stream  is the one that sings.”  -Wendell Berry

I’ve been away from this blog for some time now. Like, 14 months. So, it’s high time I put fingers to keys and take it up again. We’ll see what fruit my writing may bear. Maybe it will bear nothing for you, whoever you are, reading from wherever you exist out there beyond the blogosphere. But, for me...maybe writing again will provide that sounding board, that place of contemplation in this space between.  ~~~~~~~ I was reminded today of one of my favorite prayers. I first saw it while on retreat at the The Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia. It was given to me by Fr. Anthony Delisi, OCSO, an earthy, irreverent, lovable old monk who has been at the monastery since 1948. The prayer comes to us from, like Father Anthony, a Trappist monk named Thomas Merton.   My Lord God,  I have no idea where I am going.  I do not see the road ahead of me.  I cannot know for certain where it will end.  Nor do I really know myself,  ...