Christ, Peace and Division

13 Pentecost, Cp15, August 14, 2016
Jeremiah 23:23-29  Psalm 82
Hebrews 12:1 – 14  Luke 12:49-56

 Lectionary Link

  Jesus said, " Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son  and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

   How do these Gospel words attributed to Jesus jive with your other more favored notions of Jesus?  He was declared to be the Prince of Peace.  His preferred greeting was "Peace be with you."

   So how do we make sense of these seemingly contrarian words of Jesus?  How can we understand them to be inspired and relevant within an actual human context and within our situation today?

  First, I think we need to learn how to read the Gospel or the bald commonsense cruelness of the words might turn us off.  As if families needed Jesus to cause them discord and division.  Most of the time, we can manage to find things other than Jesus to divide our families.  Why add religion and Jesus as the reason to be divided?

  I would like for us to ponder how the members of the early churches understood how the Risen Christ communicated to them.  I would call the method of communication as the method having access to the oracle of Christ.  The Gospel writers understood that they acted, spoke and wrote in the Name of Jesus.  This meant that they believe their deeds, words and writings were to be regarded as actual words of Jesus, as though he was still physically with them.  You remember St. Paul wrote that he had the mind of Christ and that his words came directly from God's Spirit.

  How many of you have ever been to a Pentecostal or charismatic church?  Within these churches they practice the continuing oracle of Christ in their liturgies.  In their worship, one of their gifted and inspired members will offer a prophetic utterance.  Such a person will actually preface their utterance with this disclaimer: "Thus says the Lord.....or Our Risen Christ says to us....."  So the inspired prophet denies authorship of the words by saying these words come directly from Jesus.

  The early churches were charismatic churches.  They spoke in tongues and they prophesied in the name of Jesus and they regarded those words to be the actual words of Jesus.  And these words were written down and they became a part of the Gospel as the words of Jesus, even though they were the oracle words of Jesus by prophets within the early churches.

  So how is it that all of the charismatic ministries of the church seemed to get discontinued by the institutionalization of the church into the fourfold ministries of laity, deacons, priests and bishops?

  The churches found that there were difficulties with a completely charismatic notion of ministry.  It became obvious that Jesus was inspiring people in one place to think and believe things differently and even in contradiction from other places and times.  As the church grew, the church could not be consolidated with contradictory inspired utterances of Christ in different gatherings.  The institutional church had to copy the organizational methods of the Roman government and military to bring uniformity and standardization to be able to evangelize and spread the Christian message.  Totally charismatic institutions do not seem to connect with each other geographically; they tended to be isolated geographically.  So, one can understand how a more standardized form of Christianity was compatible with the kind of uniformity which characterized the government and military of the Roman Empire.

  Charismatic churches work well for isolated community; but not too well for unity across the geography of the world.

  The Gospels represent the standardization of Christianity, but they also record the charismatic moments of the oracle of Christ within the early churches.  And by writing these oracles down, the words became voted by the church to be a final standard in the church's textbook, the New Testament.

  So now we return to the literal significant of these difficult words of Christ within the early churches. 

  How might we understand a literal context for the words which we have read?  An extended Jewish family might have members who were Pharisees, Zealots, followers of John the Baptist and followers of Jesus.  Those who followed Jesus would have been ostracized by family members who did not follow Jesus and so Jesus was not bringing peace to the families; the experience of the Risen Christ was bringing division.

  Can we understand how descriptively true and accurate this "word of Jesus" becomes once we pierce the literal context from which this oracle derived.  It make complete logical sense.  This oracle of Christ was delivered within a community where division was occurring and it expresses the truth of every paradigm shift.  When old answers do not provide meaning for new life questions, sometimes a person has to move on to the new paradigm and members of the former paradigm will feel jilted and rejected.

  Yet the call of living a faithful life sometimes mean making decisions of creative advance for the benefit of one's life.

  If you are not a cradle Episcopalian, it means that you have probably gone through various paradigm shifts in your life of faith.  Sometimes the members of faith communities which you have left may be disappointed or angry and even call you traitors or heretics.  All of this is part of the creative advance of the life of faith.

  The message of Jesus within Judaism was a major paradigm shift, particularly because the followers of Christ no longer were required to honor the ritual purity of Judaism.  There was much anger and division over this paradigm shift, but this is the honest witness to the birth of Christianity out of Judaism.

  The further oracle of the words of Jesus asks us to learn how to read the signs of the present time.

  A chief task in life is to read and interpret the paradigm within which one lives.  The paradigm of one's life are all of the meanings that one just takes for granted without questioning.  But why do we begin to question certain meanings in our life?  They no longer provide for valid and relevant answers to new arising need.

  So the oracle of the Risen Christ is relevant to us today.   Paradigm shifts will cause division between people.  Does one go forth to new answers or does one stay behind to please the people who want to keep one within the familiar answers of the past?

  You and I need to know how to interpret the signs in our lives.  We need to know when we are being called to make a creative advance in excellence in our lives of faith.

  The oracles of the Risen Christ can still call us to many new things and one of the reasons that I am an Episcopalian is because our faith gives us room to grow into many new expanding paradigms of faith, which means we can disagree with each other but still appreciate the different stages of faith that people are in.

  I believe today the Episcopal Church is a place where we can reconcile both the peace of Christ and the division caused by new callings of Christ.  Let us not get "stuck" when the beckoning call of Christ is inviting us to creative advance in further excellence.

  I admit that I have always been a person named Phil Cooke and yet I understood God in different ways at 6, 16, 21, 35, and 50 than I do today.  Over time I am at division with myself but I live at peace with myself because I have grown into new meanings about God.  Some transitions have been rocky and some have been smooth.  My own family of birth has been a religiously divided family, but there has been love within the division.  There has been peace of personal conscience even when there has been significant disagreement.

  To follow the Risen Christ is not a static experience, it is dynamic.  The words of the oracle of Christ are true to the human experience of growth.  Today let us be true to the Risen Christ by embracing spiritual transformation and what that might mean for the kinds of decisions we might have to make, even if we might have to disappoint others.

   Let us learn today that the division which happens because of obedience to a new insight is compatible with the Peace of Christ.  Amen.

  

Sunday School, August 14, 2016 13 Pentecost C proper 15

Sunday School, August 14, 2016    13 Pentecost C proper 15

Sunday School theme:

Jesus said, “Why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”

Jesus wants us to learn how to interpret what is happening in life in a way that we can make the very best decision.

Another easier word to use for interpret is the word “read.”

If you see smoke in the air, how do you read this?  You see smoke and you think, there must be a fire somewhere close which is causing the smoke.

If you see lots of dark clouds, what do you read?  You think there are clouds and so there could be some rain.

We learn how to read “natural” signs in life.  One thing is associated with or causes another thing to happen.

We also have to learn to read our human lives in the ways in which we live with each other.

Like: if people do not do good things to others or say good things to other people, what will happen?  Anger and not friendship.

We need to learn how to read our human relationship to learn how to learn how to perform our very best behaviors for living in peace and kindness.

Sometimes we might wonder why other people are treating us in ways that we do not like.  And we must read and study our own behaviors.  Are we doing things that might make people respond to us in ways in which we don’t like?

We have to learn how to read other people’s behaviors and our own behaviors so that we can help each other live the very best lives of love and kindness.

If we see a big fire, we have been trained to call 911 and call for the fire department.

Jesus said that we need to learn to read everything that we do in our lives so that we can live healthy, loving and safe lives.

Jesus taught us that reading is not just about looking at words on a page; reading is also about reading the events of our lives and making the right choices to do the right things.

Sermon:

  This week many of you will go to school.  How many of you will be going to school?

  How many of you know how to read?  How many of you want to learn how to read?

  I think most every one, even little babies know how to read.  Why?  Because in life we have to learn how to read more than words.  We have to learn how to read the things that happen in life.

  Let me test your reading ability.  If you see some very dark clouds in the sky, what do you read?  What do you predict?

  If you see smoke in the air, what you read?  You say,   “There must be a fire.”

  Even a baby can read?  When a baby keeps dropping a spoon from the high chair and he knows that mom or dad is going to keep picking it up?  How does he know that?  He already understands gravity and he understands how he can get mom and dad to do things for him.  So even a baby knows how to read the things that are happening in life.

  If I hit my hand hard against this chair, what will happen?  It will hurt my hand?  How do you know this?

  How do we come to know things?

  We read.  We interpret.  We learn.

  To read the things that happen to us means that we are learning more than written words in our life.  How do we learn?  We learn by trying and making some mistakes and having some success.

  The better that we are at learning, the more successful we will be in our lives.

  Jesus encouraged his disciple to learn how to read the things that were happening in their lives.  That means learning what is happening right now and making the best decision in our lives.

  Are you too young to read the events of your life?

  No, many important things are happening for you, so it is very important that you learn.

  What you learn now will help you for the rest of your lives.

  What should you learn now?

  1-Learn the commandments. Learn the rules.  If you learn the rules then you can avoid lots of mistakes.

 2-Make friends who are going to help you and friends that you will help.  Your family can help you and you can help your family.  Your church can help you and you can help your church.  It’s important in good times and difficult times to have the support of your family and church.

  3-Trust in God.  God has lived before us and God lives after us and it is only God who is great enough to take care of our lives forever.

  As young people let us learn to understand what is happening in our lives now, and learn how to make the right decision, for our own success, to please and help our friends and family, but most of all, to please God.  Amen.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

August 14, 2016: The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Songs: O Come, Let Us Adore Him;  Hosanna; Wait for the Lord; The King of Glory

Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever.  Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.

And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.

Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: O Come, Let Us Adore Him,  (Renew!, # 1)

1-O come, let us adore him; O come, let us adore him; O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

2-We’ll give him all the glory.  We’ll give him all the glory.  We’ll give him all the glory, Christ the Lord.

3-For he alone is worthy.  For he alone is worthy.  For he alone is worthy.  Christ the Lord

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Liturgy Leader: In our prayers we first praise God, chanting the praise word: Alleluia

Litany of Praise: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 80

Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, * the son of man you have made so strong for yourself.

And so will we never turn away from you; * give us life, that we may call upon your Name.

Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; * show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

. 

 Liturgist: Before we offer our thanksgiving, is there anything special you are thankful about today?

As we thank God, let us chant, “Thanks be to God.”

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God!

Litanist:

For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!

For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.

   Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, `It is going to rain'; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, `There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?"

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon:

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.

Since God is so great and we are so small,

We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.

We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.

We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.

And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.

Liturgist: As we offer our prayers for people in need, let us chant: “Christ, have mercy.”

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.

For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.

For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.

For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.

For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.

For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Youth Liturgist:          The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

People:                        And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering

Offertory Song:           My Jesus, I Love Thee, (Renew!  # 275)

My Jesus I love thee, I know thou art mine.  For thee all the follies of sin I resign.  My gracious redeemer, my savior art thou.  If ever I loved thee, my Jesus tis now.

I love thee because thou has first loved me.  And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree;  I love thee for wearing the thorn on thy brow, if ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ‘tis now.

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

Liturgist continues:

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;

You have made us in your image

And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:

Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.

And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph

And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat

  the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

The Prayer continues with these words

And so, Father, when we will bring you the gifts of bread and wine. We will ask you to bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory

 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,

(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments) 

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.

Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Let All That Is Within Me, (Renew! # 269)

1-Let all that is within cry holy.  Let all that is within me cry holy.  Holy, holy, holy is the Lamb that was slain.

2-Glory   3-Jesus

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.

And His Presence has been known to us.

We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers

    and sisters in Christ.

Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the

     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,

As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: Lord, Bid Your Servant Go In Peace, (Renew! # 295)

1-Lord bid your servant go in peace; your word is now fulfilled.  These eyes have seen salvation’s dawn, this child so long foretold.

2-This is the Savior of the world, the Gentiles’ promised light, God’s glory dwelling in our midst, the joy of Israel.

Dismissal:   

Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.

People: Thanks be to God! 

We Become the Words that Form Us; A Baptismal Sermon on Prevenient Grace

13 Pentecost, Cp15,August 18, 2013

Jeremiah 23:23-29  Psalm 82

Hebrews 12:1 – 14  Luke 12:49-56

  Everyone take a deep breath?  Why do we breathe?  We need oxygen to live.  We take it into our lungs and it goes into our blood and carried throughout our body.  So air becomes us when we breathe.

  Why do we eat and drink?  We need food and drink to run our bodies just like a car needs gas to run.

  When we eat and drink, food and water become us.  So if you’ve eaten lots of pizza, how come you don’t look like a pizza? 

  Well, pizza gets changed into energy; pizza has sugar, fats, carbohydrates and protein and these are the kinds of fuel that we need to make our bodies healthy.

  So we become our breath and we become our food and drink.

  Do you know what else we become?

  We become our words.

  We don’t eat or drink words.  We don’t breathe words but we do hear words and we read words.

  And words go inside us  and they make and they form us.  We become words.  Words educate us and teach us.  Words take over our bodies because our bodies speak a language through our actions.  If I hit you with my fist, what is my body saying to you?  If I hug you or smile at you what is my body saying to you?

  Today, we are baptizing Hailey and we are promising to help form her life by the words that we give to her.  The words that we give to Hailey will become her.  So it is very important that we give Hailey our very best words because we want to help her become the very best person that she can become.

  What good words are we giving to Hailey today?  First we are telling her that God loves her and cares for her and so we are going to love and care for her too.  We are telling her that God forgives her so that she does not have to be perfect from the start of her life.  We are telling her that God has given her some very special gifts that she can develop and when she finds her gifts she will help make us better.  We are telling her that her life has special meaning and purpose.  We are telling her that she has freedom and that she can choose many wonderful things in life.

  Hailey can not understand all words yet but she can already understand the body language of the people who care for her.  She can see their smiles; she can feel their touch; she can know that people who love her are giving her food and bathing her and protecting her.  Hailey is already receiving the good body language of the people in her life.

  So do you see how Hailey is becoming the words that she comes to hear and take in?

  You and I are the words that we take in.  We need to take in good words so that we give out good words to Hailey and to each other so that we help each other perform the best body language of all.  The language of love and care for each other.

  So this is what we’re doing today.  We are promising to give Hailey and each other the best words in life.  Why?  Because we become the words of our lives and we want to become the very best words of life.  And we become the very best words in life when practice love and kindness and care.

  Let us say together: Hailey, we give you our very best words today.

We give you love.  We give you kindness.  We give you care.  Welcome to the family of Christ.  Amen.

When There Is No Peace

13 Pentecost, Cp15,August 18, 2013

Jeremiah 23:23-29  Psalm 82

Hebrews 12:1 – 14  Luke 12:49-56

Lectionary Link

  There are all sorts of bad occurrences in life and if we are fortunate we are able to have an abundance of good things happen to us that not only even the score with bad occurrences but also tip the scales in favor of lives where we can have liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

  As people with basic actuarial probability common sense, we can see in our world what seems to be an uneven distribution of good and bad occurrences in the lives of the people of this world.  In America, we think that we’ve been fortunate for the most part in that we come to a place in our national experience where we get more than our fair share of the good occurrences that can happen to people.  We either feel proud of our heritage or blessed by sheer good fortune.

  We know that our country may sometime seem like a divided family, in political and economic terms.  And as bothered as we get in our own country, we cannot help but feel the divisions on the streets in the Egypt, in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, in various African countries and other parts in our world.  And lest we feel too isolated from this world pain, we need to remember that perhaps as many as 750,000 Americans died in our greatest family dispute, the Civil War.  We dare not be too proud about the ways in which we have handled our own country’s internal disputes.

  It is a fact of history as long as we can remember that people have disagreed and people have ended up harming each other for the beliefs which they held to be the most important for their well-being.

  We have a doctrine of sin to give us a great causal explanation as to why people and even families come to internal strife.

  Churches, mosques, synagogues, families, countries and nations all have come to strife.  And we do not really know how to come to meaning regarding the strife when it happens.  Historians with 20/20 hindsight views believe that they can find reasons and causes as to why people have come to strife with each other.

  One of the meanings that people find within strife is a belief that we are under discipline as students of the God of life.  Painful things happen as lessons to make us better.  Life in part is an ordeal for growth.

  In the early Gospel communities, one could find people who believed that they experienced an incredible excellent event; they believed that this teacher and prophet, Jesus of Nazareth, had been cruelly killed.  But they also believed that they experienced the risen Christ as a reality which created a new community experience.

  Fire is a biblical symbol for purification.  The Risen Christ, as an oracle within the Gospel communities spoke insights through their leaders about the situation of the early Gospel communities.

  Families were divided by faith, religious practice, religious beliefs and doctrines.  The Jewish religion had parties that followed the teachings and practices of various prominent rabbis, scribes and religious figures who had inherited their teachings from earlier teachers.  Each rabbi took from a former rabbi the teachings and applied those teaching in a way that gained a following or maintained certain traditions.  Rabbi Jesus had a sort of established school and set of practices within Judaism.  What would the teaching of Rabbi Jesus become outside of Palestine?  And how would Judaism become altered by the followers of Jesus who were not Jews?  Certain innovations would make the followers of Jesus unacceptable to the existing strands of Judaism.  Dispensing with circumcision and dietary laws and Jewish feast days, were innovations that would cause family members to to become divided.

  The Gospel communities had to account for the pain of division within Judaism and from the  pain of the separation of the Gospel communities from the synagogues.

  This is the fire; this is the division not peace that the oracle of Christ gave to the early Gospel communities.

  Why is a family divided for religious reasons?  I thought religion was about peace.  I thought that Jesus was the Prince of Peace; I thought that angels said “Peace on earth” at his birth.

  Is this purifying fire a satisfactory metaphor of explanation for us as to why people are not at peace?

Sometimes we are naïve about the Gospel and Scriptures.  Since we believe they are inspired we wrongly believe that they actually cause things to be the way that things are; we should rather believe them inspired because they are written by persons who looked for profound meaning to the recurring issue of division within every community that has ever existed.

  Let us come to the insight today regarding division and the purifying fire of life experience.  In freedom each of us has arisen in our situation as unique persons on unique educational paths.  And we seem to share some education paths more closely with some and less closely with others.  Unique education experiences mean that there can be such uneven educational paths in human experience that we truly seem to be unable to understand each other and we can come to painful disagreements and divisions.

  Faith means that we come to accept the uneven patterns of educational developments in the lives of people, even to the point of knowing that pain, disagreement and division are inevitable.  What we have hoped for in our country is to preserve the right of people to be on different religious and educational paths.  I think we have learned this better in our country than was known by the early Gospel communities; we have learned it  better than when religious communities have united the sword and interpretations of  holy books to force uniformity and persecute and burn heretics.

  Let us appreciate today, the struggle of faith and honor the uneven development in how people come to know reality of God and the practice of the insight that God is love.  Let us honor the freedom of people being different in their faith experiences as well as different in all manner of human experience.  Let us honor difference with laws that protect the freedom of everyone while at the same protecting the vulnerable and those without the means to protect themselves.  We hope that the fire of division in our world is a purifying of people learning to be educated away from ignorance and selfishness which causes the suffering in our world.

  In faith we pray again today that suffering will have redemptive outcomes for people to become better able to practice love and justice.  I believe that the Risen Christ as an oracle for us today would inspire us to the further practice of love and justice.  Amen.