of snakes and crosses...

I don't know what possessed me when I promised to start posting my sermons. First of all, I usually speak from notes, and second, I never have the time to edit the aforementioned notes to make them intelligible for reading... anyway, last Sunday, after I preached at the early morning service, Scott (our music director) complimented me on my sermon...so I must have done something right. Here goes...but remember, you are missing all of the add-lib!

Lent IV B

Numbers 21:4-9

John 3:14-21

Sometimes the lectionary is really tricky.

Today the Gospel reading begins in the middle of a conversation, which makes it hard to follow. So, let’s catch up with the most recent events.

Nicodemus, leader of the Jews, visits Jesus at night.

He doesn’t want his peers to know that he – Nicodemus – wants to spend time with this strange man who has authority and power. He doesn’t want them to suspect that he finds this man intriguing.

What follows is an interesting exchange that shows how Nicodemus’ preconceived ideas about God and the Messiah are a stumbling block for his understanding of what Jesus is about.

Nicodemus is a bit of a literalist and he is very well versed in Jewish tradition and Scripture. Jesus speaks in parables and is bringing a radically new, radically different message.

They are not on the same wavelength and communication is stalled.

So Jesus brings into the equation a very well known example from Hebrew tradition. It’s a familiar story for both of them and it establishes common ground and a platform for better communication. The story comes from the time when the people of Israel, led by Moses, escaped slavery in Egypt and were in the desert on their way to the Land of promise.

Persecuted by poisonous snakes, they ask Moses to intercede with YHWH and Moses is told to make a symbol, a poisonous serpent, put it on a pole and place it in the middle of the Jewish camp. Every time an Israelite is bitten he/she will simply have to look up to the serpent and will be restored to health.

In the same way – Jesus says to Nicodemus – the Son of Man (Jesus himself) will be lifted up on a pole (the cross). Whenever a child of God is attacked by what is evil, he/she will simply need to look up to him and be healed.

That is the way in which God loves the world: by bringing healing to the sick, or if you want, salvation to the sinners – in the form of the Incarnation.

Two things then come into play on our journey to salvation:

First of all, the cross is not a freaky accident. It is not God letting the worst happen to some scapegoat. The cross is the clearest expression of God’s love for humanity. The choice of becoming one of us – fully human – yet retaining God’s divinity and selecting to suffer and die to bring healing to a bunch of beloved creatures too sick to even realize what was happening.

Second, we can respond to the cross choosing to trust. Trust even when what God is ordering may seem counter-intuitive. Trust even when what God is doing may seem completely insane. Trust even when others call us crazy because we follow a fool who ended up really badly.

Note that God did not smite the snakes. God did not remove evil from the world – as God would be perfectly capable of doing. Instead God, the supreme healer, gives us a way to deal with the snakes, to deal with suffering, to deal with what is evil.

A very special gift awaits those who trust in spite of everything; those who keep their relationship with God. Not a perfect life without evil, not the end of suffering, not immortality, BUT a way to respond to all this through the love of God.

Salvation through Faith is very simply that: look up to Christ, God Incarnate, even when it is hard because your circumstances are unbearable or because the mystery of the cross is too much to intellectually digest.

And God’s grace will give you the strength, the courage, the peace you need.

Amen

A holy Lent?

This is my Ash Wednesday meditation for the church newsletter. As we approach the end of Lent, I wonder whether anyone has attempted to answer my questions...

Dear People of God…I invite you…in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. (BCP p.264)

We hear these words every year on Ash Wednesday, but what do they really mean for us today? What are we being invited to?

Self-examination. Let us take a good look at ourselves and our lives. What is important and what is not. What are my priorities? To whom and what do I give most of my time, energy, and money? Whom do I love and who loves me? How do I express my love for God and neighbor?

Repentance. When I look at myself, at my heart and soul, do I like what I see? Do I treat others the way I want to be treated? Do I love my God and my neighbor? Do I need to make changes? What changes can I make? Who can show me a better way?

Prayer. Do I pray? Why do I pray? How do I pray? And when and if I pray do I listen to what God is saying to me? Are there ways to be connected with God I may find more helpful that the ones I am accustomed to? Who can help me in my spiritual journey?

Fasting. Do I need to avoid meat until April 8? Or are we talking about something else? Do I need to get out of unhealthy habits? Where am I going to find the strength to do that?

Self-denial. Am I the only one I need to satisfy? Is my own happiness the one and only goal? Can I do without another pair of cute shoes? Another car? A new i-something? Can I use my resources in a way that gives life to someone else instead of me?

Reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. Shall I read a chapter of Scripture every day? Or maybe learn a psalm by heart? What if ‘Word’ meant Jesus, the incarnate Word? What if I chose to make a real effort of modeling my life on his?

We hear these words every year on Ash Wednesday, and every year many of us take them seriously enough to make a number of choices that will characterize the season that goes from now until Easter. Some of us will forgo chocolate or wine, some will choose to give some time to serve the needs of the community, some will purchase a collection of meditations and read one every day.

Whatever we chose to do, if we do it right, will operate a transformation in our life. We will find ourselves, 40 days from now, in a slightly different place from where we are at this time. We will see the world in a new light, through the lenses of our Lenten experience.

Transformation is what Lent is about. So that we may be ready to welcome the resurrected Christ and the restoration he brings. We prepare for joy. We prepare for new life. Therefore, I invite you to be changed and renewed. I invite you to the observance of a holy Lent….alleluia!

Look at what I've found! An old sermon preached at the Cathedral years ago...
I am speaking so very sloooowly....


http://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HqkCJb

Body theology

Today I spent some time at the gym, and now I am once again "painfully aware of every muscle in my body". It reminded me of something I wrote for the parish newsletter last summer and never shared here.

Like many of our parishioners I am a member of the Family Fitness Center across the street (a.k.a. the Jesus Gym) but during the school year, between my ministry and my family commitments, I can never keep up a regular exercise regimen.
In June, I discovered a new studio downtown where a fantastic instructor gives classes in Pilates and Yoga. Being a woman in my early 40s (there, I said it!) I need all the “core strength” I can get, so I happily bought 20 classes confident that through the summer I could find the time to take care of my “physical self”.
Well, I am proud to share that last Saturday I ended up going to the studio twice.
First at 9 am, for my regularly scheduled class; then at noon, for a private, very special class I shared with the other women of the office staff.
To begin with, let me tell you that nothing, nothing builds “esprit de corp” and “bonds of affection” like spending one hour together sweating and groaning on yoga mats.
Then, let me add that after two hours of work-out in the same day, I am painfully aware of every muscle in my body…especially the ones I didn’t really know I had!

We become mostly aware of our body when we are in pain or discomfort. Most of the time we take this amazing gift for granted. And of course we are also aware of all the things we don’t like about our body, the details we would like to change, the pounds we’d like to get rid of.

One of the reasons for Episcopal Pew Aerobics (the fact that we kneel, stand, sit in church, expressing our relationship with God not just in word and music, but also in action) is to keep us aware of our bodies. We are embodied creatures, wonderfully made, and God took on a body in Jesus to face the whole of human experience.

Sacraments, being the outward and visible (tangible, edible) signs of inward and spiritual grace, affect the body just as they affect the soul, demonstrating clearly the importance of the physical component. And why not? God created us in God’s image. God created bodies that are both doing redemptive work and being redeemed. God gave us our bodies to cherish, to nourish, to enjoy, and to love.

On Sunday it will be my privilege to baptize two babies, to pour water on their heads, to anoint them with oil. I will be expressing – on behalf of our community – the love that we share with God, for their minds, their souls and their bodies. This year I want to pay more attention - more theological attention - to my body and how I use it in my daily service of God. I will pay more attention to the taste of the bread and wine on the altar, to the feel of the hands I hold in prayer, to the ache in my heart when I face injustice and hatred.

God gave us these wonderfully made bodies. God talks to us also through them.

Last Summer

I haven't been posting here in a very long time, yet this doesn't mean that I haven't been writing... just as a reminder that I can actually find time now and then to "ponder the mysteries of the universe", here is a little reflection from last summer.

This week we celebrate the feast of St James the Apostle, the son of the famous mom who approached Jesus and asked for a major favor: “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”
What a wonderfully ambitious parent! Sure, she didn’t really know what she was asking for, but still…
Parents have always considered their kids to be special and have always loved to brag about them. We want them to be seen as exceptional, to be given special recognition in school, in sports, in life. And what’s wrong with that? Nothing, if it’s done for the right causes.
In these times of helicopter dads and tiger moms who are ever present and push so hard, it is important that we ponder our ambitions for our children.
According to author Wendi Mogel, parents are becoming more and more anxious to be raising perfect children for two reasons that are not entirely “pure”: pride and fear of the future. Two feelings that, like almost everything, are good only in moderation.

Pride in our children’s achievements can make our hearts swell, but we need to avoid what psychologists describe as achievement by proxy syndrome. Do we want our children to be “the best Timmy or Holly they can be” or do we want them to make US look good? Is my child going to become a professional pianist because God has given her that talent or because I wanted to be one but could never make it happen?

And what about our fear? Fear of the future will make us cautious and lead us to instill in our children some healthy habits of discipline, respect, and perseverance. But we have to avoid inspiring them too much of a holy terror. First of all, who knows what kind of skills our kids will really need twenty years from now, and secondly…wait, haven’t I read somewhere that we can trust God to know even the number of the hairs on our heads?

As we get ready for the new school year, one week from Sunday we will be blessing our children’s backpacks asking God to protect and guide our children in their journey of education and growth.
What do we really want from them? What do we really want for them? And what do they really need from us?
Let us all remember that it is our mission as parents to encourage our children to explore the gifts that God has given them and to come to terms with their imperfections.

What are we going to put in those backpacks? Our human misdirected pride and fear? Or the joy of knowing that they are loved (even when they are not at their best, even when they fail, even when they miss the mark) both by their earthly and by their divine parents?

Prima di tutto facciamo luce

In Luca 15:8-10 leggiamo di come una donna che ha 10 monete ne perde una. Cosa fa? Mette tutto da parte, accende la lampada e spazza tutta la casa finche' non la trova e poi chiama amici e vicini e celebra gioisamente con tutta la comunita'.

Stamattina in cappella, mentre riascoltavo questo passaggio coi bimbi della scuola, mi sono improvvisamente ritrovata meditare sulla lampada.
Se scegliamo di interpretare questa parabola in maniera personale e ci mettiamo nei panni della donna, siamo chiamati ad andare a cercare i nostru fratelli e sorelle che si sono "perduti".

E cosa fa la donna? Prima di tutto accende la lampada.
Vuole vederci chiaro.
Cosi come e' nostro compito vederci chiaro, capire cosa e' davvero successo e come mai l'altro si sia perduto.
Come possiamo ritrovare cio' che e' perso altrimenti?
Come possiamo recuperare la relazione interrotta tra il nostro fratello e Dio e tra la nostra sorella e la comunita' se non ci sforziamo di fare luce sui fatti?
Come possiamo incontrare l'altro dove e' se non lo ascoltiamo, se non ci sforziamo di vederlo "davvero"?
Ritrovare l'altro che si e' perduto e' faticoso.
Dobbiamo accendere la lampada e indagare.
Dobbiamo spazzare il pavimento e guardare sotto i mobili.
E poi dobbiamo assumerci la responsabilita' di quello che troviamo...

Ma Gesu' ci chiama proprio a fare questo.
Perche' lui e' sempre pronto a venirci a cercare.
Lui e' sempre pronto a fare tutta la fatica necessaria.
Sempre pronto a morire e rinascere affinche' noi si abbia la certezza di essere amati.
Sepre e comunque.
Indipendentemente da come e perche' e dove ci siamo persi.

Anno nuovo...Licia nuova

Domenica scorsa era la prima di Avvento.
Il che significa che abbiamo appena cominciato un nuovo anno liturgico.
Eh si, perche' semmai non lo sapeste la Chiesa conta il tempo in maniera leggermente differente e la prima stagione dell'anno comincia ora.
Anno nuovo e, si spera, una Licia nuova.
Una Licia piu' attenta a come gestisce il tempo, una Licia che ricomincia a tenere un diario, una Licia che si ritaglia degli spazi per quello che in Inglese si chiama self-care...e una Licia che ha imparato almeno una o due cosette durante questo anno e mezzo di ministero alla Cattedrale e adesso magari, finalmente, riesce a organizzarsi diversamente nel pubblico e nel privato.

Anche perche' questa Licia ( e poi giuro che smetto di parlare in terza persona!) ha deciso di cambiare posizione e all'inizio dell'anno prossimo (quello solare, mica quello liturgico...) lascia la Cattedrale per diventare Sacerdote Associato presso la Chiesa Episcopale di Tutti i Santi a Phoenix.
http://www.allsaints-phoenix.org/

Ieri ho dato l'annuncio allo staff della Cattedrale, ma ancora nessuno lo sa nella congregazione... con tutti i cambiamenti in corso (e senza una precisa data d'inizio in mente) il mio capo ha ritenuto opportuno centellinare le informazioni... ed evitare traumi????

Comunque sia, cambio chiesa, cambio casa, cambio ritmi. E chissa' che questo non significhi davvero piu' tempo da dedicare a questa pagina e magari anche la possibilita' di usare questo spazio per stare in contatto con piu' amici e conoscenti....