Joy Conquers Fear: A Sermon

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Jason C. Stanley

A sermon preached Sunday, December 16, 2013 at Peakland United Methodist Church. Scriptures were: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18.

The wilderness. It was the place where the Hebrews wandered for forty years before reaching the Promised Land. It was the place where Jesus would go and be tempted for forty days before officially starting his ministry. And it was the place where John the Baptist lived and preached.

The wilderness is dangerous and inhospitable. It is barren, rough, and rocky. It is a place that is unstructured and chaotic. The wilderness is a place of fear. We have been in the wilderness this weekend. We were forced into the reality that the world is not safe and is unpredictable. We have roamed in fear, grief, and horror after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school.

Sometime Friday, a clergy person I know posted on his facebook, “WHY!?!?!” We have probably all asked the same question at some point. Why did this happen? Why does this keep happening? Will we be safe?

But if we let the words of John echo through our wilderness, we may find the next steps. John calls for repentance and change. He calls for the people of God to bear good fruit. It is not enough, he tells them, to claim your heritage to Abraham, you must act like who you say you are. To us we hear it is not enough for you to say that you are a Christian, you must act like who you say you are.

In the midst of the barren and inhospitable, John calls for reprioritizing. In the midst of chaos, John calls the people to focus their lives on God’s love. And we, like the people in the wilderness of John’s day, ask, “What then should we do?”

John’s answer is preschool worthy. What then should we do? We should share. John gives examples of what to do. If you have a lot, and your neighbor has nothing, you should share what you have. It reminds me of the saying, “Live simply, so others may simply live.” But this sharing goes beyond our material things. We who claim the Christ Child as our Lord and Savior are to share the love of God with others. We are to share grace and forgiveness. We are to share our hugs. We are to share our prayers.

In Philippians 4, Paul tells the church, “do not worry.” At a time like this, that seems like a tall order. If anyone knew anything about what it meant to worry, it was Paul. He had churches that were being bombarded with false theologies and pagan ideas. The churches were infested with conflict and confusion. They were looked down upon by the rest of the society. All of this is tough when you are responsible for one church, but Paul had them scattered all around. Oh, and Paul was in prison. Paul knew about worrying.

But Paul goes on to say in Philippians 4, “but handle everything in prayer.” For Paul, the opposite of worry is prayer. Instead of worrying and being anxious, Paul says, pray! Prayer should not be the last resort when we are panic-stricken. Instead, we should be so tight in our relationship with God, that we open ourselves up to God on a daily basis, so that when we are panic-stricken, we are in a place where we naturally hand things over to God. We do no worry, we give it God. Because, at the end of the day, God is in control, not us.

My Dad was an example of this for me. While he was in the hospital sick with prostate cancer, the meds were leaving him in such disarray that he did not always realize where he was. So, we took turns staying overnight at the hospital with him. On the night I stayed, I was a young 20, Dad thankfully was alert to his surroundings. During our conversation that evening, he lifted his hands as high as he could and said, “It’s in God’s hands now.”

It would be easy to say that my Dad was giving up, and to be honest, that’s what I feared was happening. But the reality was that he was opening himself up to God in such a way that it was natural and easy for him to say, “It’s in God’s hands. I’m not in control. God is in control.”

This experience was a wilderness one for me. It was a time full of fear and uncertainty. It was a time of sorrow, and a time of hopelessness. It was difficult to see my Dad, whom I had never seen sick during my childhood, in a hospital bed, barely able to lift up his own hands.

Every year during Advent we come to the wilderness to hear John’s story and his message of repentance and change. It is a message of transformation and renewal. There is no getting to Bethlehem and the sweet, little, baby born in the manger without first going through the wilderness.

There is a Native American proverb that goes like this. A grandfather told his grandson about two wolves who were constantly battling inside his heart. One wolf was greed, hatred, and fear. The other was love, peace, and kindness. “Which will win?” asked the grandson. The grandfather replied, “The one I feed.” When we open ourselves up to God and live in this tight relationship, we are feeding the wolf of love, peace and kindness.

Paul goes on to say, in Philippians 4, to rejoice! That too seems like a tall order in moments like these. We can rejoice, however, because the Lord is near. One Bible translates as “God lives among you.” This is a word of comfort, no doubt. In the midst of our grieving, God is with us. In the midst of our sorrow, God is with us. In the midst of loss and tragedy, God is with us. In the midst of healing, God is with us. These are all causes for rejoicing. Because God is with us, we discover joy.

This is perhaps why the words from the prophet Zephaniah are so profound. The Israelites of this generation were surrounded by destruction and exile. They had failed to listen to God; they had strayed; they had not trusted God. They were need of renewal and change.

What Zephaniah pronounces is that the crises we face are best addressed in community. Change and transformation, healing and renewal happen best in community. Nurturing our relationship with God as well as with others is essential to the Christian faith. We need each other. The Christian faith is not a solo, rather a choral arrangement. And at the center of this community is the God who comforts.

Despite the conditions and challenges we face, the pain and disappointment, God is a God who comforts, consoles, and nurtures. God is a God who hears the cries of God’s children. God has not abandoned God’s people.

The events on Friday showed us that in a moment everything changes. In a moment 15 first-graders were taken from us.

In a moment a teacher, protecting her students, lost her life. In a moment the lives of ten individuals in Chicago ended.

In a moment, a father loses his job and a family struggles. In a moment, an accident leaves a mother in a wheelchair.

In a moment a light begins to shine. In a moment we discover joy.

And it only took a moment for a baby boy to be born. A baby boy who will change everything.

Go from this place and share. Share the love and grace of God. Share your prayers. Share a hug.

Amen.

Advent Prayer

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Jason C. Stanley

Merciful God, you sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation. Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may celebrate aright the commemoration of the nativity, and may await with joy the coming in glory of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen.

from the United Methodist Hymnal, #201

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Jason C. Stanley

If you have not seen Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, you should before you see Rises. Nolan brilliantly weaves themes and characters from the first two films into Rises, much to the delight of Bat-fans. Rises picks up months after Dark Knight. The lie that Batman created for Gotham that Harvey Dent was the hero, despite his transformation into Two-Face. Thanks to the Dent Act, in memory of Harvey, the streets of Gotham have been swept clean of organized crime. For the first time in decades, the city knows peace. It is a city without the need for Batman. As such, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has secluded himself in the east wing of Wayne Manor.

With the city and Bruce Wayne vulnerable, Bane (Tom Hardy of Nolan’s Inception) enters the story. Bane is quite possibly the epitome of evil. His presence alone is intimidating due to the way he carries his physical bulk. And never mind the Hannibal Lector-like mask he wears. He speaks in a calm and thoughtful manner, that reminds you of a great philosopher, yet he can break a neck in a single twist. A mercenary who speaks of revolution, Bane exploits the class warfare already in existence for his own means; for his own power.

As Bane and his goons wreak havoc in Gotham – which looks more and more like New York – Bruce must decide if he will rise from the self-inflicted daze to regain his vocation as the Batman. The question, however, shifts from, “Can he?” to “Should he?” The answer, as is true for most of Nolan’s films, is nowhere near simple. In a Jonah-in-the-whale kind of way, Bruce is imprisoned in Bane’s prison where he heals physically and emotionally. As Bruce catapults out of the prison’s hole, he claims his mission and sets out to wear the mask and cape.

In the midst of all of this, there is a mysterious woman in a cat costume. Catwoman, or Selina Kyle is played by Anne Hathaway. Hathaway handles the role of Catwoman in such a casual way that it makes us think, “Of course she’s the Catwoman.” Her morality is as flexible as her body, which is no wonder she and Batman seem to have a kinship.

The Dark Knight Rises does what every great film should do – spark conversation on the drive home. And I don’t mean conversations about how awesome the special effects were. I mean conversations about the themes and statements the film is saying about humanity.

Catwoman embodies one of the many themes in this film: grace. She is searching for ways to clear her slate, erase her record. She was made promises by Bane’s people that never came to fruition. Wayne/Batman offers her the same BEFORE she does anything. As a result, she offers assistance to help him find Bane. But, it turns out to be a trap. Even so, Wayne/Batman offers her grace and a chance to be a part of the redeeming of Gotham.

“Born in hell, forged from suffering, hardened by pain.” That line from the film is about Bane. It could easily be about Bruce Wayne as well. Both men have been forged from suffering and hardened by pain. The difference is how the men response to this tragedy/crisis/struggle. Like Jonah, Bane prefers vengeance to those who have done wrong. Like Jonah, Bruce Wayne rises above his own struggles to reclaim a commitment he has made to do good. And like Jonah, grace is the lesson learned. We rise because we have grace.

The film is the home to many more themes and theological ponderings. Too many to name and discuss here. One question remains, though, what will the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences do with the Batman?

Faith Fumes

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Jason C. Stanley

Have you ever driven your car and pushed its limits on its gas? “I can make it a little bit further before I have to stop and get gas,” we rationalize. That gas needle gets lower and lower and we keep going and going. We say that we are running on fumes. Don’t we do that with our faith? We go and we go and we go running on our faith supply, all while our faith needle gets lower and lower and lower.

Lots of things cause this to happen. Words with friends (and not the game) can cause us to distance ourselves from others and faith. Choices we make like drinking from a red solo cup, or taking a hit off that joint, or joining in with the name calling, or ignoring someone on purpose, or hanging out with questionable people can lead us down the wrong path. Someone says something or does something to us and we get angry at that person. Our anger blinds us to see that person in any other way.

All of these (and many more) are like a dark cloud hovering over us distancing us from God, from holy living, and from the community of faith. Yet, we tend to keep going rather than stop and refill our spiritual tank. And when we do that, we find ourselves getting weaker and weaker. So, how do we refill our tank?

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, provided Christians with these General Rules for living in the Christian community:

Avoid evil of all sorts (or do no harm)
Do good of all sorts
Attend upon all the “ordinances of God” (or stay in love with God)

Professor Ted Campbell talks about these Rules as a “kind of contract by which Methodists held each other accountable from week to week for their moral conduct.” In particular the community held each other accountable when it came to the “ordinances of God”. This included public worship; reading, studying, and preaching/teaching of the Scriptures; Holy Communion; private and public prayer; and fasting. These practices are also known as “means of grace.”

United Methodists understand means of grace as the ways in which God channels grace to humanity. When we come to the Table and receive the bread and the juice we are experiencing God’s grace. When we study the Scriptures alone, in a group, or during worship we are experiencing God’s grace. When we spend time in prayer we experience God’s grace.

When we participate in these private and public spiritual disciplines – when we really participate in these disciplines – we refill our spiritual tank. In essence the more time we spend in holy time with God, the more our spiritual tank will stay full. Because we need a full tank when it comes to choosing between what is right and what is easy.

The Lion King (1994)

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Jason C. Stanley

The theater lights slowly dim and the dark screen slowly comes to life with rich, brilliant colors. The African landscape spreads out before us on the big screen, and we are reminded that this is how we are supposed to view The Lion King. Walt Disney’s 1994 animated film is currently in theaters (only one week left!) in 2D and 3D.

As the tribes of African animals migrate to Pride Rock to witness the baptism of young Simba, we are filled with peace. There is order in the land. As Simba grows up, his innocence deteriorates. After a lively musical number (“I Just Can’t Wait to be King”), Simba and Nala roll playfully into the elephant graveyard. The bright colors have suddenly left us, and we are filled with the darkness of the graveyard.

The graveyard is the place Simba is not supposed to be. Yet it was the elegant temptation by Uncle Scar that raised Simba’s curiosity that seeks this place out. And no matter how brave Simba attempts to be, this dark place is too much for him to handle. Cornered by the hyenas, there seems to be no hope. Refuge from the graveyard is only found when Mufasa shows up and scares off the hyenas.

It is during Simba’s walk of shame home that he experiences grace. For as much as Mufasa is upset and disappointed, he is loving and gracious. And it is in this moment of grace that Mufasa tells Simba to look up at the stars. In an Abrahamic kind of way, Mufasa reminds Simba of all the kings who have gone before them. Mufasa tells Simba, “Whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you. And so will I.”

As the film progresses Simba is tricked into believing that he was the cause of his father’s death. Not able to handle what his mother would think, he runs away from home. His journey crosses the path of Timon and Pumbaa who share with him their philosophy of “Hakuna Matata.” Eventually Simba is discovered by Nala (cue Elton John love songs), and is challenged to answer his call as King of Pride Land. After receiving a few bumps on his head from the priestly prophet Rafiki he accepts that calling. And Simba returns home to challenge Scar.

Returning home to face Scar means Simba has to face the past he left behind, including his mother. We can see in his animated face all the guilt and shame returning to Simba as he meets his mother again for the first time. It’s a bittersweet reunion. But it is this reunion where Simba finally learns that the truth he has carried with him for some long was a lie crafted by Scar. Scar is the one who is responsible for Mufasa’s death, not Simba.

As the rain begins to fall on the barren and broken Pride Land, new life is bound to arise. And we are reminded that we are Simba. We are tempted into the elephant graveyard where life does not exist. We are cornered until there seems to be no hope. We are recipients of grace: a grace that reminds us who we are and whose we are. We abandon our callings in life for “Hakuna Matata.” And we find ourselves returning home to new beginnings.

The Lion King is one of the best epic films of our time because it is the story of all of us. Prodigal, but welcomed. Wayward, but returning. And so, let us all take our place in the circle of life.

This post was written for hollywoodjesus.com and can also be found by clicking here.

Full of Grace

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Jason C. Stanley

I received a text from someone volunteering at a camp that reaches out to underprivileged children. The text was asking for my prayers because this year the children attending the camp were more challenging than past years. Some of the adult volunteers were not recognizing them as challenging, but as disrespectful and difficult (and treating them as such).

This made me think of Brandon. I first started in ministry working in an after-school program at a church. Brandon was a 6-year-old first grader. He was a thin boy when tousled blond hair and full of energy.

Brandon’s challenged was that he did not like transitional moments of the afternoon. Every time there was a transition from gym to snack or from snack to Bible time or Bible time to playground, Brandon broke down. He couldn’t handle it. And as a result, the adult leaders couldn’t handle him.

I spent a lot of time with Brandon that school year. When the transitions got too rough, he’d run around the gym, arms in the air, yelling and screaming. Or he’d run to one of the bathrooms and lock himself in the stall. I always managed to talk it through with him, some days it took longer than others, and he’d go back to his group and join them in whatever activity they were engaged in.

Brandon was the youngest of two boys to a single mother. Their father had left the family and was long gone. Brandon’s mother hadn’t heard from his father in years and thus, was receiving no support from him. Brandon’s older brother learned to pin things he did onto Brandon so only Brandon would get into trouble. On top of all that, this 6-year-old was on a pretty heavy dosage of Ritalin every day.

The most important lesson I learned from Brandon in those early years of ministry was that each of us have to be grace-full. Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech always be gracious (full of grace), seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone” (NRSV). We, through each of our actions and words, decisions and lack of decisions, are representing Christ to the younger generations no matter where we are; whether it’s at Target, Camp, or Church. We are expressions of His love and his grace. Their little ears and eyes are listening and watching all that we do. Are we providing a good image of the love and grace of Christ?

Brandon would end the school year on a positive note. His mother and I would consult most evenings about his behavior and how he was doing. Upon my urging, she would take him to another doctor for a second opinion and would learn that he did not have ADHD but instead was dealing with some pretty heavy anxiety issues. His medication changed and so did his perspective of his world.

together

"will you be my neighbor?"

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