Church on the Hill, UCC Lenox

Written and preached by Rev. Natalie Shiras                     

February 19, 2012  Mark 9:2-9

Today Michael Cohen consciously took on the way of Christ through his baptism. When an adult is baptized he has taken his own journey to this place. How many here were baptized as infants? We came to be part of the family of Jesus Christ because that is what our family wanted for us. As infants we were not conscious.

 The way of Christ is conscious. It is not simply trying to do good and avoid evil, though that is a great start. Rather it is an intentional path of righteousness with a love that refuses to dominate or be greedy or deceptive. It is a way in which our personal life is lived out everyday—knowing that God loves us and living Jesus’ Great Commandment, to love God with all of our heart and soul and strength and mind and our neighbor as ourselves. It is the everyday recognition that to love like this is the way of salvation, healing, and eternal life.

When Jesus was baptized in theJordanby John the Baptist, a voice came out of the heaven and said, “You are my Son, the Beloved”. Jesus claimed the beginning of his ministry on that day, and he walked the way of Christ.

Today in the transfiguration story, half way between Jesus’ baptism and Jesus’ resurrection, a voice comes out of the clouds and reiterates the testimony at the baptism, “This is my Son, the beloved. Listen to him!”

It is no accident that Moses and Elijah, representing the law and the prophets, stand there with Jesus. Jesus’ way now is on the same footing as the law and the prophets. The new story stands in continuity with the old story.

The point is made that Jesus’ clothes become dazzling white. We will see this echoed again in the resurrection story on Easter morning when a young man sits where Jesus’ body lay, all dressed in white. These white clothes are the new garments, symbolic of the way of Christ.

As they descend the mountain, Jesus warns the disciples not to tell anyone about what has happened until after the resurrection. Jesus does not want his divine power to be used for magic and miracle making. The disciples are terrified and do not know what he is talking about. They do not know that Jesus is about to begin his walk toJerusalemand the cross as we enter the season of Lent next week.  There is a tension between the power of Jesus’ presence and the suffering that will occur.

Jesus remains an enigma to the disciples all through his ministry. He heals and proclaims the gospel, journeying through the countryside, surrounded by his disciples and sharing people’s experiences. He answers people’s questions and extends a healing hand. His hearers experience an all-embracing and inclusive love. This love is even more marked when his words evoke hatred from his detractors who are threatened by his all embracing love. Then a deeper radiance flashes forth and everyone is amazed.

That is the amazement that the disciples Peter and James and John experience on the mountain top when Jesus’ garments become transfigured and radiant and dazzling white. The heavens open and a voice speaks, as a bridge between heaven and earth. The disciples gaze at the Christ consciousness revealed in this transfiguration moment. It was the Christ consciousness that would be coming to them through the Holy Spirit after Jesus’ resurrection that empowered them to carry the good news into all of the world.

Last Sunday during the dialogue sermon Tom Sherman started a conversation about the Christ within each one of us. What he was asking about is this Christ consciousness that the disciples witnessed, that they experienced themselves after his resurrection, and that we can experience in ourselves and one another. It’s a flash of recognition that there is something greater going on, that God is close. I know that many of you have experienced moments of something greater because you have told me. It might have been a moment when a loved one who died came back to you in a vision or a feeling sense or even spoke to you. It might have been a coincidence, a moment of providence when you received exactly what you needed, even when you did not realize it in the moment.  It might have been a whoosh or wave of spirit moving through you in a moment of wonder or awe that caused you to get goose bumps. Some of you have told me that these experiences can be fearful because they are beyond your usual routine and recognition. You are left speechless.

Jesus tells us over and over again—“Do not be afraid”. We do not need to be afraid of these experiences, even when the going is rough, even when we are brought back down the mountain into our ordinary lives.  Jesus has been teaching that each of us is the human incarnation of Christ consciousness, of God’s purpose for us in our joys and in our sorrows, in our high moments and in our low moments. As such, Christ penetrates us so that even that which brings us sorrow or grief can be transfigured, can be transformed!

Today is the beginning of Michael Cohen’s journey as a conscious Christian. He is beloved by God. Today is the beginning of all of our journeys toward Christ consciousness. We are beloved by God. The essence of this consciousness is to live Jesus Christ’s Great Commandment as a bridge between heaven and earth.  It is to follow in the way of Jesus through the rest of the week, into the rest of our lives.  When we are confused or out of sorts, we are to remember God’s love for us, for whatever is going on. We are called to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Amen.

February 5, 2012         Mark 1:29-39

written and preached by Rev. Natalie Shiras

Last Wednesday the youth group, along with two parents and me, met with Mike Knybel, principal of Lenox Middle and High School and Ed Costa, superintendent of schools, to discuss bullying and drinking. This meeting was initiated by the youth as a result of the recent death of a junior at the school that involved drinking and driving.

The students spoke about the continued shock and grief they were experiencing. They spoke about the need for a clear policy about both bullying and drinking beginning with the leaders of the school and of the town, including school administrators, teachers, police, and town shop owners. The students asked for respect and involvement in any policy that was written and implemented, so that everyone could claim ownership of it. They said that kids would not listen to adults unless the policy was backed up by kids.

Mr. Costa and Mr. Knybel really listened to the students’ concerns. Everyone came up with a plan for both student involvement and for training for adults in leadership positions throughout the town about how to model respect and work more effectively with youth. It was a restorative meeting because the students felt heard and respected and there was a way to go forward. It was healing.

After the meeting at the school, church members met in the chapel parlor for the weekly centering prayer as rain beat on the windows and then the sky turned pink in the waning light. People spoke about the gift of stillness. It was another restorative moment.

In the gospel reading, Mark races us through a day in the life of Jesus.  Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law from a fever, taking her by the hand and lifting her up. Word spread about the healing.  Crowds came in the evening to Simon’s house to receive healing. The last verse of the passage makes clear the connection between what Jesus proclaimed and what he did.  Jesus preached what he practiced.

Jesus’ healing was about wholeness, the Jewish understanding of shalom which means peace, completeness, wholeness.  Jesus was helping people reclaim their health and restore their wholeness.

Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law. She was restored.

Jesus healed those brought to him. They were restored.

Everyone was restored in the context of the community. These were not isolated incidents of random healings. These healings occurred with everyone gathered together. The love that poured out created an atmosphere that allowed everyone to be bathed in healing power.

When Jesus took Simon’s mother-in-law by the hand, Jesus touched everyone so they could be healed. Everyone felt his presence, his nearness, his love.

Today we are the incarnation of God’s love. We come close to one another when we gather for worship, when we have fellowship, when we pray for one another.  When somebody is hurting or grieving, we let that person know we love them. When someone is in the hospital we sit with that person and stroke his or her hand. When someone feels misunderstood or unappreciated, we listen. When someone offers the gift of music, we gather to dance and celebrate as we did last night at the jazz concert. This is what incarnation means. We are restored. We become whole.

The next morning Jesus went away to a deserted place to pray quietly so he might be restored. He needed time to be refreshed with God’s presence and stillness. These were precious moments for Jesus in the midst of his busy ministry. The disciples came quickly to pull him away from his prayers because the crowds were asking for him.

Think about what it is that restores you to wholeness in your everyday living—your responsibilities, at work, at school, at home, care giving, or serving.  (Pause)

Take time now to look at the restorative quote of the day at the top of your bulletin.

“Teach me, Lord, to sing of your mercies. Turn my soul into a garden, where the flowers dance in the gentle breeze, praising you with their beauty. Let my soul be filled with beautiful virtues; let me be inspired by your Holy Spirit; let me praise you always.”  Teresa ofAvila

What ways are you restored?  How does God help you restore others?

How does the congregation restore itself and others in the wider community?

What if restoration to wholeness were our mission? Restoring those who are hurting or grieving? Restoring those who are hungry? Restoring love? Restoring joy?

Find a restorative rhythm that sustains you, a rhythm that includes both  action and reflection and prayer. So you will not grow faint or weary. Restored, you can go out and be the one God calls you to be—in joy!  Amen.

Written and delivered by Barbara Sims

Mark 1:21-28         January 29, 2012

We are fascinated with powerful, authoritative people. Those with authority can enthrall us, or terrify us. They can move us to create and they can move us to destroy. I learned this in my 6^th grade History class. We were studying two men who came in to their own during the 1930’s -the rise of Adolph Hitler inGermany, and the rise of Franklin Roosevelt in theUnited States. I remember my teacher’s name because it was Mrs. Snodgrass, of all things, and I can still see her standing at the front of the classroom –I remember this so clearly- she held out her hand and cupped her palm and said to us “I am the authority in this classroom, I hold your minds in the palm of my hand. Right now you will believe whatever I tell you because you are young and I am the authority. And if you don’t begin to search for the truth and question what you don’t understand  now and from all those who will teach you in the future, then you might be used and manipulated and herded just like cattle.”

It made quite an impression on me.

How do we know what is the truth? If someone speaks with authority does that automatically mean that what they speak is the truth? 

This gospel of Mark fascinates me – and though I feel that I am in no position to give a lesson from a place of authority, I hope you will let me share what I have discovered by doing what Mrs. Snodgrass taught me to do.

I searched for the truth and meaning of this gospel by going to the Hebrew and Greek translations of this text and by exploring this period of Jesus’ ministry.

Jesus is described in this gospel of Mark as “one having authority.” Already in Mark the authority of Jesus has been revealed- in His authority over the temptation of Satan in Chapter1 verses 12 and 13, In Chapters 16 and 20 we see his authority over the men he called to be his first disciples-“immediately they followed him.” Between verses 20 and 21 things happened over a period of weeks that are recorded in other gospels- The Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew chapters 5,6 and 7, where Jesus preached God’s word to hundreds who found in his authority their Messiah.

In chapters 21 and 22 Jesus and his disciples have moved along the Jordon toCapernaum.  It is the Sabbath and Jesus goes in to the synagogue and begins to teach. In my reading I discovered that a synagogue is different from a temple. During the years before the first gospels the concept of the Rabbis and the synagogue arose.  The Hebrews had a new passion for the Scriptures and they wanted to learn what God had to say. They needed a place where the Scriptures could be read and taught so they created the synagogue. This was originally a great idea- a place where people could come and learn the Word of God from men who had spent their lives teaching. But as with a lot of things, man’s views and opinions soon entered in and the synagogue service became regulated and then formal prayers written by men were introduced.  In larger cities likeJerusalemthere would be different synagogues catering to different classes of people. There were rulers of the synagogues. These Rulers could call on people to ask questions and speak. This is how Jesus could enter the synagogue atCapernaum.

When Jesus began to teach with authority, the people were struck with amazement Mark’s gospel goes on to say that Jesus did not teach like the scribes- when scribes would teach they would read the Scriptures and then quote the opinions of other Rabbis. The scribes were experts in the law- they would give their comments but their authority rested in the words of other men.

Jesus taught and explained the word of God by His own authority. Jesus taught the Scriptures by his own authority. And the people were stunned by that. In the synagogues, once the message was given people could ask questions -  “ And just then there was a man with an unclean spirit and he cried out, “What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? I know who you are – the Holy One of God.” 

Unclean is from the Greek word akathartos, which refers to evil. Spirit refers to an angelic creature that is a created being but without physical body. Angels were originally created by God with some form of personal will or choice. We know that Satan was once an angel of the Lord who fell from Grace and was cast out. There was a demon in this synagogue. But he was obviously able to hold his tongue until he heard Jesus teaching doctrine with authority. Then the demon in the man cried out. The demon recognizes both Jesus’ humanity and his deity. The unclean spirit calls him Jesus of Nazareth- he recognizes the human man; and he calls Him, Holy One of God, he recognizes the deity. The phrase “Oh Holy One of God” is used in the Old Testament – The Lord God is called Holy One in Isaiah, Job and the Psalms. This unclean spirit has recognized God in Man – and it also recognizes that Jesus has come to destroy it.

In Hebrews Chapter 2:14, “Since then the children share in the flesh and the blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil.”

And John 3:8- the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit – ”Be silent and come out of him” – the man goes into convulsions and the evil leaves him. Again, the people in the synagogue are amazed. The demon has obeyed the words of God made man. Jesus has taught and behaved as one with authority.  He has come in to the world to create –  He is proving that God is sovereign. Jesus is proving that Satan in his strength was being defeated and that this could only be by the spirit of God.

We live today in a culture where it seems as if everyone has become an authority on something. Right now we are being inundated with political messages from those who are running for public office. As we listen to these messages, the truth seems to change depending on whom you listen to at any given moment. And these people who want us to believe them have become very good at manipulating themselves and their words to serve whoever they happen to be speaking to. They manipulate their dress, their manner of speech and the context of what they proclaim to fit what they believe we want to hear. And they all claim to be the authority. People are searching for truth but it becomes easy to become cynical with the belief that there is no absolute authority or truth- everything is relative. We should just take what we can get and move on. But do we leave all the work to Jesus, or do we have a job here too? As Christians, I believe it is our job to seek the truth and the best place to find it is in the Gospels of the Bible. Jesus was speaking the absolute truth. Jesus was speaking as God because he was God made flesh. The word of God motivates me to seek God and to follow Jesus in his teaching. I want to create, to be in covenant with God. 

These days when I can’t take the noise of all the self proclaimed authorities on everything from politics to toothpaste I find security and peace and joy in the words of the Sermon on the Mount:

 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

And in John 14: Jesus said, “ I am the way, and the truth, and the life”; no one comes to the Father but through me.” No subtext, no reading between the lines. The Gospels. Amen

Written and preached by Rev. Natalie Shiras           

January 15, 2012    1 Samuel 3:1-20

Dramatization of Hebrew scripture:

I wonder:

What is God’s purpose here?

What is happening for Eli? For Samuel?

How are we to distinguish the call of God?

In this text from the Hebrew scriptures, the old priest Eli had given up hope. The word of the Lord was rare. The work of the temple continued, the lamp of God still burning, but without vitality. Eli was exhausted and almost blind. He was lying down and could no longer see.

In contrast to the old man lying down, the boy heard his name being called, “Samuel, Samuel” which means in Hebrew “God has heard”.  The boy jumped up and ran, three times!  There was much that the old priest knew.  He finally recognized that it was God calling. There was little that the young boy knew.  But he responded to what he did know. He replied, “Here I am”.

God knows us inside and out.  God is getting close. God wants us to get close. God wants us to know ourselves. How do we get to know ourselves? Like Samuel we listen to that often still small voice of God, the Holy Spirit whispering to us to draw us out. Sometimes we need other people around us to help interpret, like Eli did for Samuel.

January is a time to turn inward, sit by the fire with a cup of tea and be still for inner listening. What is God whispering to your heart? Is there someone who already has recognized something particular about you and values you in a way that rings true.  How are you being called by God?

There had been no youth group at Church on the Hill for quite some time when I came for my first interview of the Search Committee on March 1, 2003. Unbeknownst to me the Search Committee had discussed the need to build up the activity of the youth. Youth work was not my strength. In fact I had not even listed it as a possibility for my ministry on my resume.

Young Brooks Sherman was serving on the search committee. I asked him this week what was his sense of the need of the church at that time.  He replied, “The church intended to build a youth group. And I was looking for something beneficial for my spiritual growth as well as that of the youth—that they needed to be involved in the life of the church. I was 15 at the time. It opened my eyes to where people in my age group were. It definitely nourished me.”

Brooks went on to be a catalyst and a leader of the youth group. He would stop by the chapel after school and we would talk. He got kids to come to church. He remembers saying to his classmates, “Hey, buddy, you coming to church? I’m not doing it alone”. Then he said the youth got invested themselves and came to church on their own.

That first year we graduated six youth from the confirmation class. There would be 28 more confirmands in the years following and many service projects and several missions both domestically and abroad. It was that first call that young Brooks heard that began this youth ministry.

 I give thanks to Brooks and Bob and Michael for their dramatic reading and all of you. God called you into this place and time.

How did you get here? How did you hear your name called? What are the plans God has for you?

(Pause for sharing testimonies of call within the congregation)

The circumstances of our lives are a way God communicates with us. God opens some doors and closes others. God may be telling us to slow down or reorder our priorities. The happy coincidences or frustrating impasses are often messages for us. Inner listening and prayer are ways to decode, “What is God saying to me in this situation?”

We often know what God is saying because we tingle. God said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something inIsraelthat will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle.” That is the body’s wisdom. Is it a tingle of fear that is telling us ‘no” or is it a tingle of hope that is telling us “yes”?  Sometimes it is both a tingle of fear and a tingle of hope.

Imagine a preschool where children can play safely. Imagine a church that is filled with people doing service in the community. Imagine good things and believe.  God loves this community and wants us to tingle.  The way to tingle is to open both your eyes and ears and watch and listen.   Amen.

written and preached by Rev. Natalie Shiras 

January 1, 2012           Matthew 2:1-12

Epiphany is the festival of light, the festival of the three kings finding the light! Caspar is portrayed as a Moor fromAfrica. Melchior is portrayed as a European. Balthasar is portrayed as an Asian fromIndia. Black, white and brown skin representing the world. They came bringing gifts of gold, symbol of wisdom, frankincense, symbol of universal unity, and myrrh, symbol of death, rebirth and resurrection.

Epiphany means manifestation, a sudden realization.  These three kings came to manifest to us the light of Christ and his message of love. They were guided by the star to a tiny stable inBethlehem.  As they gazed on the baby, the stable was so bright with Christ’s light, that it lit up all the sky.

What does this Epiphany, light of the world, look like in a more contemporary setting? There is a well known short story by the American author, O. Henry called “The Gift of the Magi”.

Mr. James Dillingham Young (“Jim”) and his wife, Della, are a newly wed couple living in a modest apartment. They each have one possession in which they take pride: Della’s beautiful long, flowing hair and Jim’s gold watch, which had belonged to his father and grandfather.

On Christmas Eve with only $1.87 in hand, and desperate to find a gift for Jim, Della sells her hair for $20, and eventually finds a gold chain for Jim’s watch for $21. Happy to have found the perfect gift at last, she runs home and begins to prepare dinner.

When Jim comes home, he looks at Della with an expression that she cannot read, and it terrifies her. Della then admits to Jim that she sold her hair to buy him his present. Jim gives Della her present — an array of expensive combs for her hair. Della then shows Jim the chain she bought for him, to which Jim says he sold his watch to get the money to buy her combs. Jim and Della are now left with gifts that neither one can use.  They both realize how far they are willing to go to show their love for each other.

The story ends by comparing the couple’s mutually sacrificial gifts of love with those of the Biblical Magi. They relinquish their cherished possessions to make manifest the love in their hearts through their generosity.

Thirty years ago I was led to become an ordained pastor in thechurchofJesus Christat this time of year, Epiphany.  I was drawn by Jesus’ message in the Bible of love and by his generosity.

His generosity and extravagance are everywhere in the gospel stories: feeding the five thousand or receiving expensive oil from a poor woman who anoints him with her hair.

He seems not to count the cost. “Do not store up treasures on earth”, he teaches, “for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

He welcomed everyone and told a parable about a Samaritan, enemy of his people, who became the good neighbor, helping a victim of robbery. (Luke 10:25-37)

At the end of Jesus’ life, he even let go of life itself. “Not my will but yours be done, O Lord”.

Jesus poured himself out as the ultimate in love. This is the path I chose, this path of love that Jesus taught and walked, a path he called me to follow.

And what was that path? A series of illuminations in the first thirty years of my life that led me closer and closer to Jesus. A vision of Jesus when I was six years old smiling upon me. Another brighter vision of Jesus when I was fourteen that scared me in its intensity. Hearing the stories of Jesus over and over.  A spontaneous attraction to music about the stories of Jesus (“I Love to Tell the Story”).  Working with my parents in the Episcopal Church for the integration of Black people and white people into the fabric of society as a contemporary response to Jesus’ call to love one another.

God, where would you have me go?

What would you have me do?

It was a call, at first faint and then clearer, to the ordained ministry in the United Church of Christ. I had left the Episcopal Church and was drifting in my faith—when in 1978 the Social Justice and Mission Committee of the First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, California encouraged me to use my gifts of leadership and ministry. Three years later I was ordained in that church. In the last thirty years I have been a campus minister, a hospital chaplain, and now a church pastor. All have prepared me for where I am today.

Nearly two years ago, soon after my father died, Jesus came to me again in the summer of 2010, gazing tenderly upon me for four consecutive mornings. I was unnerved. I went to the Rev. Jerry Judd, a wise retired UCC pastor now in his 90’s.

He asked me, “Did you gaze back?”

“Not really”, I replied.

“Gaze back and gaze at your congregation. They need you. But you also need them to learn about love”.

I realized I had been holding back my heart. Expressing love can be dangerous. No wonder so many people find Jesus’ path of love so challenging. I released my fears to God and remembered the words of Jerry Judd to gaze back. I opened my heart. I’ve been practicing ever since to express and spread that love!

It gives me pleasure to know God’s love for you and for me expressed through our love for one another. I love you. I am happy to be your pastor.

As we come into this new year on this New Year’s Day let us remember the love and generosity of the three kings and of the couple who gave up their cherished possessions. Let us remember Jesus’ message of love. What are you longing for this New Year’s Day? What star are you led by?

We recognize that it is love that we truly yearn for and are led toward.  We are the living Christ, manifesting our love for one another.  Let us together walk the path of love which Jesus calls us to follow.  Amen.

January 8, 2012 Mark 1:4-11

In today’s gospel of Mark, a large crowd of people stood at the side of theJordan River. They had come to hear John the Baptist preach a message of repentance, challenging the people to change their ways.

John waded into the water. He spread out his arms and proclaimed there was one coming even more powerful who would not only baptize with water, but also would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

There he was—Jesus! Jesus stood in line too to be baptized. Imagine that! There he was with everyone else. Jesus kneeled down in the muddy water of the riverJordanto be baptized by John.  The clouds parted and a dove hovered over their heads. Deep down and all around Jesus heard God saying, “You are my beloved. With you I am well pleased.”

This is the defining moment, recorded in all four gospels, that marks the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.

Consider what it might mean to be called “beloved”. What does it mean to be chosen by God, to be called by name? 

God has chosen you, every last scrap and atom of you, to manifest yourself as a child of God. If we thought we were off the hook now that Christmas has come and gone, we are off the mark. God is abundantly clear that we are not spectators. We are participants in relationship with our Creator.  God chooses us and calls us by name.

When I first was clear that God was calling me as a minister, I thought it was a big deal and that I would be doing big things. But it’s really about the small things—the committee meetings and running to the hospital, talking with someone about their family, preparing for Bible study, going with a group to this or that. Don’t underestimate these small things we do—a card, a note, a phone call, a meeting. They all add up.

I went to the memorial service of Remy Kirshner this past week, the girl who died tragically in the automobile accident last weekend.  I went at the invitation of the Lenox Superintendent of Schools, Ed Costa to support her classmates.  I spoke with some of them—just a word, so they knew someone was thinking of them too. This is one of the small things.

At church a few Sundays ago a visitor asked who was that nice man who greeted her last Sunday. I indicated and she went up to speak to him and thank him for his kind greeting, another small thing.  This is what ministry is about.

In the United Church of Christ we understand that we are all ministers, helping each other along, supporting one another, caring for one another.

But sometimes it’s just downright tiring. You think that other people understand what you’ve been through and they really don’t. You are doing your ministry for Christ but instead you find battle and opposition and tension. People who you think could be encouraging and supporting are opposing. It happens within churches. It happens among churches. It happens within denominations battling with one another. It happens within the United Church of Christ where we are all supposed to be united. And the funny thing is– people will complain about one another but won’t take it to God in prayer, won’t remember that the scriptures are filled with stories about complaining people who learn to take it to God–God who is love and mercy and forgiveness.

This scripture is meant for us. It’s not just about other people’s complaints and repentance. It’s about our complaints and repentance. It is not just about Jesus’ baptism.  It is about our baptism. It’s not just about the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. It is about our ministry. Our ministry right here at Church on the Hill and in the surrounding communities. Our ministry here that we may not always feel like doing but we do it anyway because that is what it is to be church! What a joy that we can be with one another!

Were you baptized? Christian discipleship begins by submitting to God’s grace for you. You cannot baptize yourself.  When you stand to proclaim the good news through hymn-singing or praying or confessing, does your baptism claim you, claim you as a gift from God? Claim you even when you are tired and think you have no more energy or no more faith. The claim of your baptism is powerful and meant to be passed on!

We are in the Epiphany season, the season of light.  You are God’s delight. You are God’s chosen. You are God’s beloved. In your baptism God meets you where you are, embraces you, comes to you. And God commissions you to be about God’s work. Remember this and claim your baptism in all you think and say and do.  Amen.

                   written and preached by Rev. Natalie Shiras

                   November 6, 2011 Matthew 25:1-13 Mark 12:28-34

All Saints’ is the church’s great day of remembrance.  We remember the saints, all of them whose names we can remember, and those whose names are known only to God. We remember their noble deeds and their witness. 

They are our ancestors.  They are the members of our primary families and the members of the church family and members of any family we know.   We say thanks to those who go before us and for the gifts they have provided.   The candles you have lit are burning for your ancestors who helped to shape who you are today, who loved you, or has been a companion on your faith journey. 

Their glory and companionship fill us with joy!

Today’s gospel text is also about keeping the light burning. It’s about the five wise bridesmaids and the five foolish bridesmaids. The wise ones were ready for the coming of the bridegroom with oil in their lamps but the foolish ones did not have oil for their lamps and were thus not ready.

In Jesus’ time people used oil lamps to light up the night. They had to have the oil to light the wick to keep the flame burning. When Jesus told stories to his disciples he liked to imagine what the world could be like. He might help them imagine what the whole world would be like filled with God’s light. Then he would say, “God’s kingdom is like this… an oil lamp” and begin telling a parable that people could relate to.

Once there was to be a marriage and the whole village was invited to celebrate. Ten of the young women in the village were asked to be the bridesmaids. It was their job to wait for the groom, who had gone to the bride’s house to bring her and the family to the groom’s house where the wedding celebration would begin. When the bride and the groom and all the wedding guests arrived, the bridesmaids would light the way into the wedding hall. But first they had to wait for the groom. And that is when some of the oil lamps went out, when they were waiting for the groom.

In Biblical times oil was associated with anointing and indicated the light of God within a person. This story is a metaphor for being ready, being ready with enough oil, with enough faith to stay awake. But you can’t make somebody have enough faith. You can’t make somebody stay awake.

I have performed over two hundred weddings in the thirty years of my ministry. I can count ten, maybe fifteen couples who keep in touch with me. They have not only stayed married but they also have been going to church. They either already were church goers or they were inspired by our pre-marital conversations and subsequent wedding ceremony to find a faith community. Most of the weddings I perform now are for couples who do not go to church.

Some of my clergy colleagues have given up doing weddings for non-members because they get discouraged that the couple is not ready to commit to going to church. They have no church background. They know nothing of Christian scripture. They know nothing of church. They are not ready to be married in a church. I can understand the position of some of my colleagues. It’s like the five wise bridesmaids refusing to share oil with the five foolish bridesmaids because they were not ready.

I require three one-hour sessions of pre-marital counseling for every couple to be married at Church on the Hill so that they might be better prepared for marriage. That is like putting oil in their lamps so that they might be awake and ready for their wedding day—the bride for the groom and the groom for the bride.

But here’s the point. We do not know when someone really will be ready. They now have a little oil in their lamps. It might not be enough for them to stay married. It might not be enough for them to get to church. But it may. I figure I have between a 3 to 5% success rate for couples getting to church. I think that is better than nothing.

How do you add oil into the lamps of your lives? How do you prepare yourselves? Each time you come to church you prepare yourself. You are obtaining oil for your lamp. You are adding to your faith. You are getting ready for the night so that the light will shine.

When I was a hospital chaplain, those who had faith, those who went to church were often more ready for coping with illness or coping with impending death than those who had no faith. When I tried to speak to the ones with no faith about God or about Jesus Christ, they had no preparation for such discussions. I wanted to speak in a way that was helpful. I wanted to give them some oil. But for many of them it was not helpful. They did not know how to receive the oil.

It is almost impossible to give someone a little of your faith. They have to experience faith for themselves. Those with faith, even a little faith, have enough oil in their lamps to be prepared for death and eternal life. I listened to patients talk about their faith when they were going through a threatening time. They talked about what they learned in Sunday School or they quoted a verse or asked for a verse from the Bible that they liked.  They talked about their experience in church, someone they remembered who had faith and who had helped shape their faith.  You see, they had enough oil in their lamps.

As we come to the Lord’s table this morning, we eat the sacrament of bread and juice in remembrance of Jesus.  We practice this remembering each month.  When Jesus broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, he said, “Take and eat this.  This is my body.  Do this in remembrance of me”.  He knew that if the disciples would eat this bread in readiness, they would have real life.  In remembering Jesus, Jesus would become present and real to them.  When we eat the bread, we are remembering that we are one body in Christ as the church. We are adding oil to our lamps so that we are ready to shine, ready to face whatever befalls us, even death, and ready for eternal life.  Amen.