Sermon for Sunday, June 13

Day of the Church Year: 3rd Sunday after Pentecost

Scripture Passage: Mark 4:26-34

Each Sunday morning, Lutheran preachers around the world set out to proclaim both the law and the gospel.  The law is what God calls us to do, the gospel what God does for us.  The laws calls us to action; the gospel declares God’s action.  Through our Lutheran lens, the gospel always trumps the law for we worship a gracious God.  Most weeks for me as I prepare to preach and probably for most of us when we read scripture, the law arises with ease as we study a passage.  What is God calling us to do?  Even when we don’t like the answers, even when we would rather not do the thing God commands, the law can be like a pair of comfortable old slippers.  We are accustomed to scripture commanding, teaching, guiding; we are accustomed to musts, shoulds, and oughts.  The gospel, on the other hand, can make us squeamish.  Being loved just because we are, goodness poured out for no reason, freedom, forgiveness, and grace when we don’t deserve it—and all of this not just for us but for every single person.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is downright uncomfortable, confusing, and astonishing.

Dear friends in Christ, prepare to be uncomfortable, confused, and astonished this morning.  For when Jesus teaches in parables to describe the kingdom of God, it’s all gospel.  In today’s first parable, Jesus tells the crowds who gather around him that the kingdom of God is like scattered seed that sprouts and grows mysteriously, the farmer does not know how.  The earth produces of itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain.  In Greek, the original language of the New Testament, the word we translate as “of itself” where the earth produces “of itself” is actually the Greek word automate which is where we get the English word automatic.  The kingdom of God, Jesus says, sprouts and grows automatically.  And the farmer does not know how. 

Two thousand years later, farmers know a little more about how seeds sprout and grow.  Still, placing a seed in soil, in the sun, watering it, and then discovering sprouting and growth still feels like a miracle, out of our control, mysterious.  About two months ago, I carefully followed the detailed instructions I found online about how to plant ginger.  You know, that funky shaped root sold in the produce section of grocery stores that you dice and add to east Asian food.  Or if you’re me, you add to nearly any food.  As described in the article, I purchased organic ginger, cut off the required pieces, and sat them in the fridge for 24 hours to scab over.  Then, I excitedly and carefully placed them in the soil on the other side of chicken wire from my ravenous chickens.  Every other morning for three weeks, I watered the spot and hunted for signs of sprouting.  When something green popped up in the general vicinity of my planting, I got excited only to realize it was an arugula volunteer.  But I purchased another bag of organic ginger and tried again, this time in a pot in the front yard.  Again, I watered every other day, and lo and behold, within just a few days, the ginger sprouted and grows to this day!  This morning, even after yesterday’s 111 degree heat, it stands 8 inches tall with half a dozen leaves.  The kingdom of God is like summer-planted ginger that sprouts and grows, the gardener does not know how.

And neither do I or any of us know how the kingdom of God grows among us.  How is it possible in a culture plagued by individualism that ordinary people would take not an insignificant portion of their time to dig up the entire sprinkler system here at Grace and replace it (that’s a true story!), sing or play in the choir or praise band, deliver food boxes every Saturday, or get up early in the morning to make pancakes for someone else’s breakfast?  How is it possible in a city as large and diverse as Phoenix—especially political diversity that usually leads to division—that neighbors would watch out for neighbors, neighbors would share garden produce and even groceries, and neighbors would help one another whenever help is requested?  How is it possible that at a time when people engage in physical conflict over mask use as just one example among many that so many people also go out of their way to care for others in small, concrete ways?  The pharmacy tech who figures out how to lower the cost of a prescription not covered by my insurance, the friend who offers a ride to another friend for a medical appointment, the brother who flies across the country to help out during a difficult time.  Sometimes, it seems this world could not be more fully saturated by bad news, and then, grace and kindness, generosity and forgiveness spring up, unexpectedly.  The kingdom of God sprouts and grows, we do not know how. 

The kingdom of God is the work of God.God shows up here, in our world, right in the middle of this mess, a mess of injustice and brokenness, illness and death.God shows up here, in our fear and anxiety, in our anger and sadness.God shows up here, in what we can’t fix. God shows up here—in and through us. Why there is so much injustice and brokenness, that’s a sermon for another day, questions Jesus addresses with other parables. But today, it’s all gospel, and the gospel is this: the kingdom of God has come near, sprouting and growing even in the heat of summer. Thanks be to God! Amen.

2021 Heat Respite

2021 Heat Respite officially kicked off June 7, 2021. Monday through Friday from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm, Grace opened the courtyard to people in the community trying to get relief from the heat. Participants enjoyed snacks and sack lunches every day. Thank you to the congregations that prepared the sack lunches and donated snacks! Donors have piled in the water; Devalyn, Christine, and Eileen prepared a delicious chicken meal on Friday. Participants doubled as volunteers, helping to set up and clean up. Thank you to all, who have made sure that Grace is a safe space for people this summer. Please enjoy pictures from the first week of fun at Grace’s 2021 Heat Respite. If you would like to volunteer or donate, contact our Outreach Coordinators (Phyllis and Adrienne) at outreach@graceinthecity.com or (602)258-3787.

Sermon for Sunday, June 6

Day of the Church Year: 2nd Sunday after Pentecost

Scripture Passage: Genesis 3

My first semester of seminary in one of the core required classes called Pentateuch which just refers to the first five books of the Bible, we essentially read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy from beginning to end.  I think it was on day one that Dr. Klein declared the story of Genesis 3, among others, a myth—which is a common understanding among contemporary biblical scholars.  While I didn’t disagree with him, I raised my hand and asked, “How do we know this is a myth?”  And Dr. Klein responded: “For starters, there’s a talking snake.”  Indeed.  As a myth, this story from Genesis 3 would have been shared at campfires and among circles of women spinning wool, part and parcel of the common, human story.  Myths surface as a result of big questions, both moral and historical.  Myths help us make sense of the world.  Myths are not meant to be read literally or historically, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t true. 

Genesis 3 opens with a discussion between the crafty serpent and the woman in the garden of Eden.  The woman, whose name we later learn is Eve, reports to the serpent God’s word about the danger of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  The serpent denies the danger and declares eating of the tree will open her eyes and make her like God, knowing good and evil.  So she eats the fruit of the tree and shares with her husband, and their eyes are opened.  At the time of the evening breeze, Adam and Eve are nowhere to be found, and God who is walking in the garden calls out, “Where are you?”  Adam confesses he ate from the tree but blames Eve and even God because, Adam says: God, you were the one who gave me this woman.  Eve confesses that she ate from the tree but blames the serpent.  At least the serpent is silent before God.  After describing the consequences of this betrayal of trust between God and Adam and Eve, God sends them out of Eden but not until God provides clothing for them and a capacity to “eat bread by the sweat of their brow.”  This capacity is named as part of Adam’s consequence, but it is also gift because it means he can survive in the world outside the garden. 

The questions and themes of Genesis 3 are wide and deep and the theological commentary on these questions and themes through two thousand years of Christian history even wider and deeper.  Within the church, Genesis 3 has traditionally been interpreted as the birthplace of “original sin,” the idea that humans are born sinful, not because newborns intentionally choose sinful action but because the inherent condition of all humanity is one of brokenness.  Still, this is not the only thing the church teaches about Genesis 3.  This story is also about God creating humans with a capacity to choose something God would not choose for us.

It’s about humans not taking responsibility for our actions but instead blaming others.

It’s about humans wanting to be like God.

It’s about humans’ vulnerability and limitations.

It’s about the brokenness of human relationships.

It’s about the brokenness of humans’ relationship with God.

Genesis 3 leads me to wonder: In history, why is Eve so consistently blamed for this transgression?  Or when she is not, why is the serpent blamed?  But so rarely Adam who does the same thing and rarely God for creating a world where such a transgression is possible.  Also, why is this story so often framed as being about who is to blame? 

Genesis 3 leads me to wonder: Why do we so rarely view Adam and Eve through the lens of compassion?  Why do we call their transgression “original sin” and not simply a mistake born of human vulnerability and limitations?  Why do we go so far as to say evil entered the world that day in the Garden of Eden instead of focusing on this very first biblical response to human error, namely a God who holds them accountable and also shows compassion?  This will be the pattern of God for the rest of the biblical story: accountability and compassion.

Finally, Genesis 3 leads me to wonder: to answer what moral and historical questions led the ancient people to tell this story around campfires?  For instance, I wonder if the people were wrestling with why bad things happen and what started the human journey of broken relationships. 

Our question of the day is: What do you wonder about this story from Genesis 3?  What questions does it raise for you?  To read the questions of the Grace community, go to the Facebook live stream worship for Sunday, June 6.

What do I really think this story is about?  I think this story is about the relationship between God and the ones God created from the dust of the earth and Adam’s rib.  I think this story is about a disappointment and a betrayal in a relationship so close and intimate that God walks in the garden in the cool of the evening with them.  In the Garden of Eden, there is only one rule: do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  And they don’t follow it.  I don’t think God is angry so much as sad that these beloved creatures would cross the one boundary God had laid down.  God loves these first, mythic people so much that, even when they disappoint God, God provides for them.  In an imperfect, broken world, this myth tells a truth about God: that brokenness, sin, evil, disappointment, betrayal can’t keep God from showing compassion.  And for that we can say: Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Sermon for May 30, 2021

Day of the Church Year: Holy Trinity Sunday

A year ago on Holy Trinity Sunday, our nation was reeling from the death of George Floyd, a young man upon whose neck police officer Derek Chauvin set his knee for over 9 minutes in Minneapolis.  Not too long ago, Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder.  When I heard the verdict, I was in a zoom meeting, of course, and I burst into tears of relief and gratitude—not because Derek Chauvin was going to prison—because the usefulness of prison for anyone is something about which I am skeptical (a topic for another time).  I burst into tears of relief and gratitude because Derek Chauvin was being held accountable for his abuse of power.  This week, as I thought about Holy Trinity Sunday and listened to podcasts and news reports reflecting on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death, the Holy Spirit would not let me go.  I wanted to preach a sermon about wonder, about awe in the presence of a triune God, about how God enters into the world.  I really did. I had it all written and ready to go.  But the words I shared with you a year ago have arrested with me by their continued relevance for us and our nation.  And so, the following are many of the words I shared on June 7, 2020 which was also Holy Trinity Sunday.

The early Christians who first articulated the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, that is, God, Jesus, and Spirit eternally co-existent and in relationship one with the others, were people who remembered the persecution of their sisters and brothers in faith in the not so distant past.  For three centuries, Christians built community in secret, prayed in secret, studied in secret.  Those who practiced their faith publicly were imprisoned, stoned, thrown to the lions, crucified.  A few years after Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, people of faith publicly gathered to debate and discuss the nature of God—a debate and discussion that produced, among other doctrine, the doctrine of the trinity.  This was no ivory tower, no theological conference among professional theologians, no heady intellectualism.  To those who gathered to debate and discuss, the nature of God mattered.  The doctrine of the trinity mattered deeply.  People—and not just a few people—had died to proclaim and pass on to the next generation the good news of God in Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the world.  Perhaps most controversial, most powerful, most counter cultural was this: God did not deign to take a body.  God embraced a body in order to be with us in Jesus. 

God embraced a body, the body of Jesus who, like every other body, hungered and tired, yearned and ached.  At the very center of Jesus’ story is the story of his body, that he, his body, is delivered into the world at Christmas, that he, his body, fasts 40 days and encounters the tempter in the wilderness, that he, his body, is beaten and suffers and is crucified on Good Friday, that he, his body, is raised and transformed on Easter.  Christians disagree on many details of doctrine, but I think we all agree on this: that Jesus’ body matters.  Upon the ascension of Jesus’ body to the right hand of God, God pours the Holy Spirit upon all flesh.   On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is incarnate, is embodied.  As Lutherans, we pray for and trust that the Spirit takes root in us on the day of our baptism, that the Spirit reveals itself through spiritual gifts and leads us in lives of faithfulness and love.  The Holy Spirit, who on this Sunday in particular we remember is the very same creator God, takes up residence in us.  Our bodies matter because God has poured out the Holy Spirit on our bodies, all bodies—according to the prophet Joel and Peter on the day of Pentecost. 

In these troubling days, when we witness across our country what I hope will lead to lasting change, when we witness yet another black body murdered without a conviction, without a trial, I pray that the doctrine of the Holy Trinity inspires us and leads us to say: Black lives matter.  Not that others’ lives don’t matter because, of course, every life matters, every body matters.  But in our beloved nation that strives to be a land of equality and opportunity and greatness, we continue to live in the stranglehold of racism.  I say stranglehold because racism is not just about what individuals say and do but about a system that is larger than any one of us.  Unfortunately, racism is so deeply embedded in US history that doing something other than unconsciously perpetuating it is difficult and requires much of us.  What exactly healing from racism requires, I’m honestly not sure, though I imagine it will be some combination of humility and listening, civic engagement and advocacy.  No matter how much we stumble as we go about this healing process, no matter how we feel, today, I hear in scripture and in the theological tradition of this church God calling us to care for bodies because bodies matter.  And the collective sorrow of our nation is that black bodies have never mattered, at least not in the way white bodies have. 

I was in college when I first read the work of Audre Lorde, a poet who taught at New York University, an activist, a mom, a black women.  In both her prose and poetry, she was a powerful, articulate writer.  This week as we communally grieved the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others, I have not been able to get Lorde’s words out of my head from a paper she wrote and delivered in 1980 about the different experiences of black and white women.  She wrote: “Some problems we share as women, some we do not.  You fear your children will grow up to join the patriarchy and testify against you, we fear our children will be dragged from a car and shot down in the street, and you will turn your backs upon the reasons they are dying.”  Dear friends in Christ, as we give thanks to God for meeting us in the body of Jesus and in us, the body of Christ, through the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, let us not turn our backs on the reasons black bodies are dying. 

On the only Sunday in the church year where we lift up a doctrine, the doctrine of the trinity surprises us with its relevance.  Almighty God showed up in the body of Jesus, shows up in the body of Christ, and having met God in the beloved bodies of humanity, the doctrine of the trinity sets us on a path towards healing.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.  

The GLOW Show: A New Heaven & A New Earth

What does the Bible say about creation and humans’ role as part of creation? During the season of Easter on The GLOW Show, Pastor Sarah explored biblical stories and passages that reveal God’s posture towards Earth, God’s call for humans as part of creation, and the ways Jesus’ ministry was deeply embedded in creation. In this last episode, we explore Revelation 21 & 22 where John of Patmos shares a vision of a new heaven and a new earth. While we normally think of Revelation as a book detailing destruction, Pastor Sarah lifts up contemporary biblical scholarship that instead celebrates John’s vision of the healing of the nations through the tree of life and a God who makes God’s home on earth with mortals. Open your Bible to Revelation, and listen along!

Sermon for Sunday, May 23

Day of the Church Year: Pentecost Sunday

Scripture Passage: Acts 2:1-21

On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit blows through Jerusalem where Jesus’ disciples and Jews from the entire known world are gathered.  The Spirit rushes like a violent wind, burns like flames, and is heard in many languages speaking about God’s deeds of power.  The Spirit is poured out on all flesh, Peter preaches, a quote from the Old Testament prophet Joel.  The Jewish people had gathered every year for Pentecost and still do, celebrating the first fruits of the harvest and the giving of the law to Moses, and of course, Jesus’ disciples are Jewish.  They are gathered with everyone else to celebrate Pentecost in Jerusalem, but this year’s Pentecost is different than any Pentecost before.  This year, the followers of Jesus are moved to action by the Spirit, and the church is born.  After 50 disorienting days of Jesus risen and ascended, after 3 life-changing years of following Jesus, the disciples might have been ready for a little normalcy, a regular festival, like is done every year.  But that’s not what they get.  They get the Spirit instead, and then, instead of going back to the way things used to be, their lives change again.  Again and again and again.  For the Spirit moves them to preach and teach, to form communities of worship and study and prayer, to share all they possess with one another and to especially tend the needs of the most vulnerable among them, to even change their religious practices because the Spirit compels them to do so.

Sometimes on this Sunday, we sing Happy Birthday to the church.  We buy a cake and light candles.  We count the number of years we, the church, have proclaimed the good news of God in Christ.  The pouring out of the spirit births the church—and not only births the church but guides the church.  Just yesterday, a young couple were married here at Grace, and after the wedding, the mother of the bride commented to me, “When you walk into Grace, you can just feel the Holy Spirit.”  I heartily agreed with her; the people of Grace are a spirit-led people.  And while Pentecost is the birthday of the church, the pouring out of the spirit is not restricted to the church, not restricted to the disciples, not restricted to men, not restricted to Jews, not restricted to adults, not restricted to people of certain languages or certain lands.  On Pentecost, the spirit is poured out on all flesh, no restrictions.  So, besides the church, what else is born?  What else is the spirit doing? 

I ask the question because I think we forget that the Spirit of God is less concerned with whether something is “sacred” or “secular,” whether something is “spiritual” or “worldly.”  The Spirit of God is poured out on all flesh, on church folks like us, yes—but also on everyone else.  Now more than ever before in the history of the Christian church, at a time when the church needs radically to change or else will die in its present form, it behooves us to remember that the Spirit of God is not limited to what we do in this building of altar, organ, and stained glass windows.  On this, the birthday of the church, perhaps it is fitting to celebrate that we will find the Spirit of God at work wherever we go—not just at Grace Lutheran Church or First Presbyterian or Central United Methodist, but in schools and workplaces, in hospitals and libraries, in cities and small towns, in deserts and countrysides, and even in governments.  I know everyone was with me until that last one...

Our question of the day is: What is one way you see the Spirit of God working in the world, apart from the church?  To read reflection by the community, go to the Facebook Live worship feed for Sunday, May 23.

Honestly, I am thrilled that the Holy Spirit is poured out on all flesh, that the Spirit of God cannot be limited to the work of the church, that I will find the Spirit working wherever I go!  If you know me, you know that Pentecost is my very favorite day of the church year, and it’s for this reason: that the universal pouring out of the Holy Spirit assures me that, no matter where I go, I can expect to find the spirit there!  I saw the Spirit of God at work yesterday morning when I volunteered with Sonoran Prevention Works, a harm reduction agency, people committed to love and non-judgment, healing and hope for people who use drugs.  I see the Spirit of God at work in my neighborhood where people know each other’s names, help each other, and actually share their resources.  I see the Spirit among those who gather to listen to others’ poetry at Lawn Gnome Publishing along Roosevelt Row on Wednesday evenings, an audience completely respectful, loving, attentive, without a single cell phone open, all eyes on the brave poet at the microphone. 

Even though the Spirit is poured out on all flesh, we the church have a particular call on our individual lives, on our collective life: to be the hands and feet of Christ, to do God’s work with our hands. While the Spirit is poured out on everyone, everywhere, we who actively seek the Spirit’s guidance, on the birthday of the church, we get to have the cake and eat it too. We receive the Holy Spirit, and then, we get to do what the Spirit compels us to do.In this unique moment in the life of the institutional church, I wonder where the Spirit will lead us next, how the Spirit will bring together us church folks with all other folks, how the Spirit will bridge the gap between sacred and secular in order to bring about the world God desires. I wonder. I don’t know how that will work, but I’m sure the Spirit will lead us. Thanks be to God!Amen.

The GLOW Show: Jesus, One Embedded in Creation

What does the Bible say about creation and humans’ role as part of creation? During the season of Easter on The GLOW Show, Pastor Sarah will explore biblical stories and passages that reveal God’s posture towards Earth, God’s call for humans as part of creation, and the ways Jesus’ ministry was deeply embedded in creation. Today in particular, we explore how Jesus was profoundly embedded in creation and how he used elements of creation in his teaching and preaching.

Help Wanted: Social Worker!

After nearly two decades of serving as our Sunday morning social worker, Jeff Jirak is stepping aside. We will miss you and your family, Jeff!

We are looking for a social worker who can join us three Sunday mornings per month in order to connect our guests with health and human services. Interested? Please see the job description below and then reach out to Pastor Sarah with your resume and references at pastorsarah@graceinthecity.com.

Grace Lutheran Church

Social Worker Job Description 

Mission Statement: By God’s grace, we are in the city for good!

5 Biblical Guiding Principles

1. Jesus is Lord!

2. Pray, seek, and follow God’s will

3. Share the good news of Christ

4. Embrace God’s challenge to love and serve others

5. All are welcome

Supervisor: Pastor

Salary: $85 per Sunday

Hours: 3 Sundays per month, 7:15 am-9:30 am

            Available for occasional phone consultation, weekdays

Job Summary

The social worker refers pancake breakfast guests to human services and creates a safe, hospitable environment at the breakfast.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in social work or related field

• An awareness of human services in Phoenix for people experiencing homelessness

• Integrity and Trust: Is seen as trustworthy by others; practices direct, honest, and transparent communication; admits mistakes; responds to situations with consistency and reliability; respects the autonomy of each individual

• Interpersonal Skills: Works well with people; uses diplomacy and tact; is approachable; avoids triangulation

• Emotional Intelligence: Demonstrates strong and appropriate personal boundaries in relationships; can maintain a non-anxious presence in the midst of turmoil; can stand in the presence of others’ strong emotions without taking responsibility for them or reacting to them externally or internally

• Personal Resiliency: Can shift gears comfortably; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty; is flexible

Principle Accountabilities

• Inform and educate pancake breakfast guests about services available to them, including but not limited to housing, medical concerns, and addiction

• Keep a count of how many community members for whom s/he provides referrals or with whom s/he is in intentional conversation or counseling

• Help create a safe and hospitable environment for the pancake breakfast

• Answer Grace staff questions about community services and help Grace staff problem-solve about how to best support guests struggling with homelessness, addiction, and mental health concerns when requested

• Help orient new Grace staff to our homeless community

• Other duties as requested

To Apply

Send your resume and at least two references to Pastor Sarah Stadler at pastorsarah@graceinthecity.com.  For questions, you may reach Pastor Sarah at the Grace office at 602-258-3787.