This is the sermon I preached for Fathers' Day. Sorry it took so long to post.
Stories of Our Father
By MJ Buist
Diaconal Minister
June 20, 2010
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you God our Father and to the memory of my earthly father, Dick Wennerlind, Amen
There’s a funny story we like to tell about my own father. It involves a mug, chicken and stars soup and a bad dishwasher. You see my mother likes to drink her soup out of a mug. Now those of you who have ever had Chicken and stars soup know that it has noodles shape like little stars. Now combine this with a not so thorough dishwasher and my father grabbing a mug and pouring himself a cup of coffee. Looking into his cup he saw the stuck stars on the bottom glowing back at him. So he began to shout, “There are stars in my coffee!” My mother and I realizing what had happened decided to play along with both of us looking into the cup saying, “I don’t see any stars, do you see any Mom”. The story rings with a bit of irony since in later years my father died of Alzheimer. At his Memorial service all 9 of us –yes count them – 9 of us siblings took turns telling stories of our father.
My brother Mark told how my father on a family vacation could keep a station wagon in perpetual motion for 3 days. My youngest brother told for the first time how my Dad had been kicked out of one of his basketball games for getting in the referee’s face and how he had begged my brother, to not tell your mother. I told how my father by being a teacher and a deacon at the church had taught me servant leadership. We all told about the ways our father had always been there for us over the years. People at the church told how he had ministered to them and for weeks later my mother would receive letters from his former students saying how his influence had helped to change their lives.
My father took us to church each Sunday where we learned the Bible Stories about God our heavenly Father. The Old Testament is full of stories of God the Father. The lectionary reading from the Old Testament for today which we didn’t get to, is the story of Elijah running for his life from Jezebel. It tells how God sends his angels to feed him and provide a place of rest.
Hebrew is a much more emotion felt language than the cognitive Greek of the New Testament. The Hebrew Scriptures have the Psalms which praise God for the work he has done. The Psalmists remember how God has delivered them and even when the Psalmists are asking where God is, they still express confidence that God will provide for them. The Old Testament ends with the prophets who tell it like it is while prophesizing about the Messiah to come who will put an end to the law.
In our Galatians reading today you have the apostle Paul who was once a zealous Jew who sought to destroy Christians. But a funny thing happened on the road to Damascus, he has a conversion experience where Christ calls out to him and Paul realizes that the Messiah has come in the person of Christ. So in this passage Paul tells about how we are no longer ruled by the law but by faith through Christ which is opened to all whether Jews or Gentiles. It not only belongs to the biological descendants of Abraham but Paul declares that if you belong to Christ, you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs to the promise. So through Christ we are all children of God the Father and we can all share in telling stories about how God our father has saved us.
I love the song, So Many Times which the choir graciously allowed me to sing with them because it is somewhat of a modern Psalm. I love the part where God welcomes her home not asking where she’s been – like the father in the Prodigal Son, I choose to view God in this loving way versus an angry punishing killjoy. The writer tells how God has been there for her, for so many times. Along with St Julian of Norwich’s mantra,” All Will Be Well” this song, has gotten me through many nerve racking times. I would sing it over and over again every time I had to face a stressful situation like my Diaconal Interviews, claiming like the Psalmists claimed, that no matter what the outcome, God would pull me through.
In our Gospel Reading we have the Messiah Jesus Christ driving out a legion of demons from a man. Now while many of you were enjoying the sunshine of the weekend I have been studying about demons and the abyss. It reminded me of doing research for papers in the 2nd basement of the Fuller Library nicknamed the dungeon. In this passage demons were known as unclean spirits who would dirty up your own spirit. They were called noxious spirits which could be spirits of delirium or my favorite spirit of melancholy that enter a man. Demons were always cast out by claiming the power of God the father. Well here you have Jesus who the spirits recognize as the Son of the living God. And they beg him not to torment them. Very strangely Jesus doesn’t just zap them but he asks them their name. After telling him they beg not to be sent into the abyss. This is translated into “the deep” meaning a bottomless, unfathomable deep or underworld which is mentioned in Revelation where it is opened up and Satan gets locked up there. Christ show compassion here by allowing them to go into the pigs, note he didn’t send them into them but allowed them to do so. Now my whole life the big emphasis on this story was not only the miracle Christ performed but also how Christ was somewhat punishing the Jewish people who were violating the Levitical law by raising pigs. Thus the angry pig farmers asked him to go. But in verse 37 it says they ask Christ to leave since they were seized with great fear. They were terrified at his power. He gave them the hemi gimmies. Due to these preconceived notions, I wondered how this passage could work into a Father’s Day sermon until I noticed the last verse. This is where I believe the true emphasis should be. The cured man begs to stay with Christ but Jesus sends him away telling him to go home “and declare how much God has done for you” So it ends with this man proclaiming throughout the city over and over again how Jesus had saved him from the demons.
I have just fallen in love with the musical Sweeney Todd who they call the demon barber of Fleet Street. Sweeney has earned this title by the terrible deeds he does in the musical. What I found most interesting, however, were the demons within him. Sweeney had been falsely arrested and thrown in jail away from his wife and baby daughter so years later after breaking out of jail he returns to London with the demons of revenge and vengeance for how unfair he has been treated. It got me to thinking about all the modern day demons we have in our own lives. Exterior and internal issues that dirty up our spirits. It’s easy to come up with addictions such as alcoholism, drug addiction but what about other demons that keep us from living a life of wholeness. Demons of unforgiveness, resentment, jealousy, fear, and unworthiness. You probably know your own demons. In AA addicts call to a higher power who can pull them out of the bottomless pits of despair. Another one of the 12 steps is to name you addiction, name your demon, like the man in the story. Numerous now sober people will talk about how God gave them the power over the demons of their addictions. Christians believe in the power of Christ helping us to name the demons in our lives. We believe in the Holy Spirit who will overcome and cleanse our unclean spirit. We join then with the Jewish people, the Apostle Paul, and the man Christ delivered from the demons in sharing the stories of salvation that God our father has brought into our lives.
I close with a story about my own children which started in this very church. My husband and I were attending a Wednesday night class and our children were in the Childcare, John was 7 and Benjamin 4. Well I got delayed in picking them up since I was gabbing with some people, whom my children will tell you is one of my demons. So their father picked them up and when little Benjamin asked where Mommy was his older brother teasingly said, “Oh the aliens got her”. Now I who have worked hard on making my children feeling safe in “God’s house” was not happy to hear that my oldest had created aliens in the church yard. When I finally got to the car Benjamin hugged me and started telling me this elaborate story about how I had been abducted by 5 aliens who took me to their spaceship. He had raced after them and he went into great detail how he had body slammed the first alien shouting you’re not getting my mommy and how he fought all the rest to rescue me. I wish I would have put it on tape. But the story didn’t end there. Each day of the following 2 weeks he would still tell his story embellishing it more and more. He would tell it to classmates, friends, and even strangers in the supermarket. Till finally I was getting a little tired of it and I asked him, “Benjamin– why are you telling this story over and over – why is it so important to you?” To which he simply said, “Cause Mommy, I saved your life.”
We love to tell the story; will be our theme in glory, to tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love.
_____________________________________________________________________
Song John sang:
“Nothing’s going to harm you
No one’s going to dare.
Others can desert you not to worry
Whistle I’ll be there.
Demons will charm you with a smile
For a while but in time
Nothings going to harm you
Not when I’m around”
Stephen Sondheim
By MJ Buist
Diaconal Minister
June 20, 2010
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you God our Father and to the memory of my earthly father, Dick Wennerlind, Amen
There’s a funny story we like to tell about my own father. It involves a mug, chicken and stars soup and a bad dishwasher. You see my mother likes to drink her soup out of a mug. Now those of you who have ever had Chicken and stars soup know that it has noodles shape like little stars. Now combine this with a not so thorough dishwasher and my father grabbing a mug and pouring himself a cup of coffee. Looking into his cup he saw the stuck stars on the bottom glowing back at him. So he began to shout, “There are stars in my coffee!” My mother and I realizing what had happened decided to play along with both of us looking into the cup saying, “I don’t see any stars, do you see any Mom”. The story rings with a bit of irony since in later years my father died of Alzheimer. At his Memorial service all 9 of us –yes count them – 9 of us siblings took turns telling stories of our father.
My brother Mark told how my father on a family vacation could keep a station wagon in perpetual motion for 3 days. My youngest brother told for the first time how my Dad had been kicked out of one of his basketball games for getting in the referee’s face and how he had begged my brother, to not tell your mother. I told how my father by being a teacher and a deacon at the church had taught me servant leadership. We all told about the ways our father had always been there for us over the years. People at the church told how he had ministered to them and for weeks later my mother would receive letters from his former students saying how his influence had helped to change their lives.
My father took us to church each Sunday where we learned the Bible Stories about God our heavenly Father. The Old Testament is full of stories of God the Father. The lectionary reading from the Old Testament for today which we didn’t get to, is the story of Elijah running for his life from Jezebel. It tells how God sends his angels to feed him and provide a place of rest.
Hebrew is a much more emotion felt language than the cognitive Greek of the New Testament. The Hebrew Scriptures have the Psalms which praise God for the work he has done. The Psalmists remember how God has delivered them and even when the Psalmists are asking where God is, they still express confidence that God will provide for them. The Old Testament ends with the prophets who tell it like it is while prophesizing about the Messiah to come who will put an end to the law.
In our Galatians reading today you have the apostle Paul who was once a zealous Jew who sought to destroy Christians. But a funny thing happened on the road to Damascus, he has a conversion experience where Christ calls out to him and Paul realizes that the Messiah has come in the person of Christ. So in this passage Paul tells about how we are no longer ruled by the law but by faith through Christ which is opened to all whether Jews or Gentiles. It not only belongs to the biological descendants of Abraham but Paul declares that if you belong to Christ, you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs to the promise. So through Christ we are all children of God the Father and we can all share in telling stories about how God our father has saved us.
I love the song, So Many Times which the choir graciously allowed me to sing with them because it is somewhat of a modern Psalm. I love the part where God welcomes her home not asking where she’s been – like the father in the Prodigal Son, I choose to view God in this loving way versus an angry punishing killjoy. The writer tells how God has been there for her, for so many times. Along with St Julian of Norwich’s mantra,” All Will Be Well” this song, has gotten me through many nerve racking times. I would sing it over and over again every time I had to face a stressful situation like my Diaconal Interviews, claiming like the Psalmists claimed, that no matter what the outcome, God would pull me through.
In our Gospel Reading we have the Messiah Jesus Christ driving out a legion of demons from a man. Now while many of you were enjoying the sunshine of the weekend I have been studying about demons and the abyss. It reminded me of doing research for papers in the 2nd basement of the Fuller Library nicknamed the dungeon. In this passage demons were known as unclean spirits who would dirty up your own spirit. They were called noxious spirits which could be spirits of delirium or my favorite spirit of melancholy that enter a man. Demons were always cast out by claiming the power of God the father. Well here you have Jesus who the spirits recognize as the Son of the living God. And they beg him not to torment them. Very strangely Jesus doesn’t just zap them but he asks them their name. After telling him they beg not to be sent into the abyss. This is translated into “the deep” meaning a bottomless, unfathomable deep or underworld which is mentioned in Revelation where it is opened up and Satan gets locked up there. Christ show compassion here by allowing them to go into the pigs, note he didn’t send them into them but allowed them to do so. Now my whole life the big emphasis on this story was not only the miracle Christ performed but also how Christ was somewhat punishing the Jewish people who were violating the Levitical law by raising pigs. Thus the angry pig farmers asked him to go. But in verse 37 it says they ask Christ to leave since they were seized with great fear. They were terrified at his power. He gave them the hemi gimmies. Due to these preconceived notions, I wondered how this passage could work into a Father’s Day sermon until I noticed the last verse. This is where I believe the true emphasis should be. The cured man begs to stay with Christ but Jesus sends him away telling him to go home “and declare how much God has done for you” So it ends with this man proclaiming throughout the city over and over again how Jesus had saved him from the demons.
I have just fallen in love with the musical Sweeney Todd who they call the demon barber of Fleet Street. Sweeney has earned this title by the terrible deeds he does in the musical. What I found most interesting, however, were the demons within him. Sweeney had been falsely arrested and thrown in jail away from his wife and baby daughter so years later after breaking out of jail he returns to London with the demons of revenge and vengeance for how unfair he has been treated. It got me to thinking about all the modern day demons we have in our own lives. Exterior and internal issues that dirty up our spirits. It’s easy to come up with addictions such as alcoholism, drug addiction but what about other demons that keep us from living a life of wholeness. Demons of unforgiveness, resentment, jealousy, fear, and unworthiness. You probably know your own demons. In AA addicts call to a higher power who can pull them out of the bottomless pits of despair. Another one of the 12 steps is to name you addiction, name your demon, like the man in the story. Numerous now sober people will talk about how God gave them the power over the demons of their addictions. Christians believe in the power of Christ helping us to name the demons in our lives. We believe in the Holy Spirit who will overcome and cleanse our unclean spirit. We join then with the Jewish people, the Apostle Paul, and the man Christ delivered from the demons in sharing the stories of salvation that God our father has brought into our lives.
I close with a story about my own children which started in this very church. My husband and I were attending a Wednesday night class and our children were in the Childcare, John was 7 and Benjamin 4. Well I got delayed in picking them up since I was gabbing with some people, whom my children will tell you is one of my demons. So their father picked them up and when little Benjamin asked where Mommy was his older brother teasingly said, “Oh the aliens got her”. Now I who have worked hard on making my children feeling safe in “God’s house” was not happy to hear that my oldest had created aliens in the church yard. When I finally got to the car Benjamin hugged me and started telling me this elaborate story about how I had been abducted by 5 aliens who took me to their spaceship. He had raced after them and he went into great detail how he had body slammed the first alien shouting you’re not getting my mommy and how he fought all the rest to rescue me. I wish I would have put it on tape. But the story didn’t end there. Each day of the following 2 weeks he would still tell his story embellishing it more and more. He would tell it to classmates, friends, and even strangers in the supermarket. Till finally I was getting a little tired of it and I asked him, “Benjamin– why are you telling this story over and over – why is it so important to you?” To which he simply said, “Cause Mommy, I saved your life.”
We love to tell the story; will be our theme in glory, to tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love.
_____________________________________________________________________
Song John sang:
“Nothing’s going to harm you
No one’s going to dare.
Others can desert you not to worry
Whistle I’ll be there.
Demons will charm you with a smile
For a while but in time
Nothings going to harm you
Not when I’m around”
Stephen Sondheim
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