Heaven?

Lately I have been emphasizing in my teaching at Trinity Cathedral and Zuda Yoga Studio that there is very little (perhaps nothing) in the teachings of Jesus that refer to our popular notions of Heaven or Hell. Here’s an article in the Huffington Post that addresses at least the Heaven side of the equation.

N.T. Wrights Asks: Have Christians Gotten Heaven All Wrong?

By John Murawski
Religion News Service

(RNS) The oft-cliched Christian notion of heaven — a blissful realm of harp-strumming angels — has remained a fixture of the faith for centuries. Even as arguments will go on as to who will or won’t be “saved,” surveys show that a vast majority Americans believe that after death their souls will ascend to some kind of celestial resting place.

But scholars on the right and left increasingly say that comforting belief in an afterlife has no basis in the Bible and would have sounded bizarre to Jesus and his early followers. Like modern curators patiently restoring an ancient fresco, scholars have plumbed the New Testament’s Jewish roots to challenge the pervasive cultural belief in an otherworldly paradise. Read more »

The Episcopal Church Welcomes All

Here’s what I wrote today for Trinity’s weekly enewsletter:

I remember when I was younger seeing “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You” signs outside every Episcopal Church. I thought they were helpful markers for people who were looking for an Episcopal Church. I never thought about how they could be a revolutionary statement of the gospel. The “you” in the sign meant everybody.

I never gave this much thought because I never imagined I could ever NOT be welcome. Of course I was welcome in church. To me the sing meant, “Here’s an Episcopal church.” I was an insider. But from the perspective of an outsider, a person who has been repeatedly been told they don’t belong, the sign could possibly mean so much more. It could mean, “Although other places reject you, here you are welcome. Here you will be embraced. Here you can be loved for who you really are.”

I think we, in the Episcopal Church, and specifically at Trinity Cathedral, have been making the transition from the first understanding of the sign to the second. We are growing into a community that truly welcomes and embraces all people. I remember former Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning saying “Baptism unites us in solidarities not of our choosing.” At Trinity Cathedral these solidarities are becoming more diverse.

I am convinced of the importance of us proclaiming our welcome. There are people who have been so beaten down by life’s circumstances that they can’t imagine being welcome anywhere. There are messages from our culture that tell them they are worthless or evil. I am thinking specifically now of people who are in poverty/homeless and people who are gay, lesbian or transgender, but I am sure they are others. At Trinity Cathedral, we are called to be a sanctuary of welcome that can literally save people’s lives.

Being this sanctuary is neither easy nor tidy. We are united in solidarities that can make us uncomfortable. But I believe that if we are faithful in our following Jesus, while we may not be comfortable, we will be given abundant life that is filled with the eternal love of God.

The vestry is in the middle of considering whether or not to become a “Believe Out Loud” congregation. Doing so would put us on record as fully welcoming people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. It would be a public statement of our welcome. This would communicate to LGBT people that our “Episcopal Church Welcomes You” sign really does include them. It would also be a witness to the wider world that there are churches that do not condemn people who are gay or lesbian.

Another topic we discussed at length at our vestry meeting was safety as it relates to ministries on our campus, and particularly our ministries to the economically disadvantaged. One of the challenges of being a congregation that welcomes everybody, is the fact that we welcome everybody. We don’t screen people who walk on our campus. We don’t know if someone is dangerous or violent. This has always been true. I remember in the 90’s when we began to struggle with how to keep children safe from sexual predators. Because there is no way screening out pedophiles, we had to come up with procedures and education that can help us be vigilant. (Nancy Tennyson is an expert in this area.)

When we first increased our ministries to the economically disadvantaged, it took us a while to figure out appropriate boundaries. We now have clearly stated rules that apply to everybody on our campus. We have installed lighting in the courtyard. We are smarter about when we schedule programs so we don’t overwhelm the facility. We called the police when necessary. Consequently we have a very calm and respectful campus. I don’t know of any incidents where parishoners were threatened or assaulted by any of our guests. (We did have a parishoner who’s pant-leg was nipped by a dog when he was in the courtyard. We now no longer allow dogs when people come for dinner.) Not only is our campus safe, there is a respectful caring atmosphere during our programs. This is evident at our Thursday night dinners. We have enough “regulars” now that we have a good sense of community and people help clean up afterward. Of course there are exceptions, and for those we need to be prepared. Last Thursday, in the afternoon (not at dinner), an argument broke out between two of our guests and one person stabbed the other. The argument moved to the sidewalk and the police were called. While this is an isolated incident, we are taking it very seriously. The vestry is looking at whether or not we need to make any changes to our policies or procedures. They also intend to hold forums in the coming months so people can be more informed about our ministries and voice their concerns.

Jesus never said it would be easy to follow him. (In fact he said it would involve a cross.) I am grateful for the members of the vestry who have taken on the responsibility of working out many of the details that allow us to follow Jesus more faithfully. Being on the vestry is certainly not easy. Please pray for them and thank them.

Human Sexuality Consultation in South Africa

In 2006 The Chicago Consultation was created to provide scholarly resources and opportunities for civil engagement as the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion continued to wrestle with issues of LGBT inclusion.  In the few years of their existence, they have done a remarkable job.  Last fall they hosted a gathering of 50 African Anglicans, Episcopalians and members of other churches in South Africa.  Here’s a video report of that event:

Tibet House California Launches at Trinity Cathedral

On May 1, 2012, Trinity Cathedral hosted the launch of Tibet House California. Its mission is to help preserve Tibetan culture as well as promote the study of Tibetan culture and religion. While we expect Tibet House will have its own facility in the future, Trinity Cathedral will host the public events and lectures until this happens. You can read more about Tibet House California, as well as see a video of the Dalai Lama encouraging the extablishment of Tibet House California on their new website https://thcal.us/

Pruning Dead Ideas/The Ethiopian Eunuch, Sermon 5/6/12

Pruning Dead Ideas/The Ethiopian Eunuch, Sermon 5/6/12 (11:15 version) from Trinity Cathedral on Vimeo.

For some reason the 11:15am sermon was 5 minutes longer than the 9am version. Perhaps I was caught up in the Spirit. (I guess this is like the producer’s cut.) It was a powerful morning and I got such strong feedback that I decided to post the longer version. This sermon weaves together three lessons: Acts 8:26-40, 1 John 4:7-21, and John 15:1-8 and responding to Pastor Sam Harris saying this:

So your little son starts to act a little girlish when he is 4 years old, and instead of squashing that like a cockroach and saying, “Man up, son! Get that dress off you, and get outside and dig a ditch, because that is what boys do!” you get out the camera, and you start taking pictures of Johnny acting like a female, and then you upload it to YouTube, and everybody laughs about it, and the next thing you know, this dude, this kid, is acting out childhood fantasies that should have been squashed … Can I make it any clearer? Dads, the second you see your son dropping the limp wrist, you walk over there and crack that wrist. Man up. Give him a good punch. OK? “You are not going to act like that. You were made by God to be a male, and you are going to be a male.”

This sermon was inspired by Susan Russell’s article in the Huffington Post, The Bully in the Bully Pulpit.

The Good Shepherd, Sermon 4/30/12

The Good Shepherd, Sermon 4/29/12 from Trinity Cathedral on Vimeo.

Created for Joy, Sermon 4/15/12

Created for Joy, Sermon 4/15/12 from Trinity Cathedral on Vimeo.

Based on John 20:19-31

¹⁹When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Read more »

Reflection on John 20:19-29

Every year, on the Sunday after Easter, we hear the same story.  It is the second half of what John tells us happened on Easter Day.  In the morning Jesus appears to Mary Magdeline, who runs to the disciples to tell them, “I have seen the Lord.”  Here’s John’s account of Easter evening:

20:19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

It is evening.  It is dark.  In John’s gospel, this always means it is a time of non-understanding. It is the firs day of the week – the first day of a new creation.  The first day, when God said, “Let there be light.”

The disciples are locked in a tomb of fear.  Jesus came to bring abundant life, to bring joy.  The disciples are trapped by their fear — not a bad diagnosis of the human condition.  We were created for joy.  We live in fear.  Despite the locked doors, the risen Jesus stands among the disciples.  I believe this is an important point of John’s gospel.  We are limited by our physical seeing.  Physical things are either together or they are apart.  To us, physical separation means ontological/real separation.  We think if someone leaves us physically (and ultimately in death,) they are gone.  In John’s gospel, there is a way of being present, a way of being connected that transcends the physical.  That is how Jesus & the Father & the disciples can all be “one.”   Jesus in now present with them in a way that transcends the death of his body and his ascension to the Father.

Jesus says, “Peace be with you.”  He will say this phrase three times.  Three times.  Peace be with you.  Perhaps it is particularly important.

They don’t rejoice when Jesus appears.  They don’t rejoice when he says, ‘Peace be with you.”  It isn’t until he shows them his hands and his sides do they rejoice.  In John’s gospel the cross defeats the powers of evil, the cross frees us from sin (which is separation from the Father.)  The peace the “world” gives is temporary. It is contingent; dependent on external circumstances.  The peace that Jesus gives is present always.  It is a result of our communion with God, that exists even in the midst of human suffering.  Jesus’ peace is “credentialed” by his wounds.  We think we will have peace/joy when things are going well.  Jesus, through his wounds, shows us a peace that is ever-present.  It is present even when we are suffering.  It may be particularly present when we suffer out of love for others.  The powers of evil are defeated through sacrificial love.

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

The first “Peace be with you” was spoken to resurrect them — to restore their joy.  The second “Peace be with you,” was to send them out to the world.  ”As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  Can there be a more powerful commissioning that this.  Jesus is sending his disciples into the world to be Jesus, to love the world into communion with God.

Then he empowers them to do this task, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  In language reminiscent of God breathing life into the first humans, Jesus breaths life into the restored humans.  God’s Spirit is en-fleshed in the disciples; they become the incarnation of God’s Spirit.

Jesus tells them one thing, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.  If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”   They have the power to free people from their bondage to the forces of evil.  WE have this power.  The power to love people into wholeness, and this power is centered on the act of forgiveness.   We have this power.  And if we are to follow Jesus, we have the responsibility to do so as well.  We are sent as the Father sent Jesus.  The corollary, of course,  is true as well.  We have the ability to keep people in their sins, to hold them in bondage, by withholding forgiveness and love.   We have the ability to fail to use this power of forgiveness.  We have the ability to stay in our locked rooms, trapped in our fear.  We do have that ability.  But if we are really going to follow Jesus, we don’t have that choice.

24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

Thomas is not with the disciples at the first appearance. He is told “We have seen the Lord.”  This was the same thing that Mary Magdalene had told the disciples.  It had the same effect.  Thomas did not understand.  He was still trapped in the belief that death of the body meant separation.  He did not understand that there was another way of being connected or being in communion.  He demands to see the physical body.

26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

Once again, it is the first day of the week.  The community has gathered.  Jesus appears in the locked room and says, “Peace be with you.”  He offered is wounds to Thomas.   Once again it is the wounds that are necessary to believe.  In some mystical way, the wounds overcome evil.  In John’s gospel, there is particularly beautiful significance in the wound in Jesus side.  When the soldier pierces the side of Jesus, water and blood flow.   In the second creation myth, Eve is created out of the side of Adam.  Blood and water flow at human birth.  There is a way in which the new humanity is born out of the side of Jesus on the Cross.  Jesus offers his wounds to Thomas.  Thomas does not need to touch them.  He no longer needs the physical confirmation.  A switch goes on in Thomas head and he cries out, “My Lord and my God.”  Thomas proclamation loops back to the identity of Jesus in the prologue.  ”In the beginning was the Word . . . and the Word was God.”

29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Jesus concludes this encounter by emphasizing the distinction between our physical way of seeing (things are either present in front of us, or they are absent) and the reality of eternal presence — eternal connection/communion.

In John’s gospel, Jesus mission is to overcome the forces of this world that create division and separation.  Separation is darkness.  Jesus connects humans with the divine.  This is a connection that we cannot see with our physical eyes.  This is a connection that is not limited by locked doors or closed rooms.

This story begins with the disciples locked in a tomb of fear.  They believe that because Jesus physical body is dead, that Jesus can no longer be present with them.  They also fear for their own physical safety.  The transformed, risen Jesus appears among them to show them what he had been trying to teach them all along – there is a connection, a communion and a joy that transcends our limited, material way of understanding our lives.  It is grounded in love and forgiveness.

Easter Sermon 2012

Holy Saturday: The Harrowing of Hell

One of the most powerful images in Christianity is that of Jesus descending to Hell after his crucifixion. After entering deeply into human suffering, he goes to Hell to free all people bound there. There is no place, no hell, that is so dark, so distant, so horrible that can keep Christ away. It is a powerful image of Christ who is so passionate about saving us from the hells we have created that there is no where he won’t go.

Here’s a beautiful interpretation of the harrowing of hell from Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Phoenix.