May 29, 2022 – Easter +6C

“[Jesus prayed:] “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
 “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:20-26

Cicadas noisy critters that appear every 7 or 17 years to give summer one of its signature sounds. When I hear a cicada as the day is waxing and waning and nightfall is just coming upon me, I know it is summer. Now, cicadas are mistakenly called 17-year locusts – and I say mistakenly because they are not a locust at all – like those nasty bugs that hounded the Pharaoh and the Egyptians so long ago. These are actually Brood X Cicadas, and they are an interesting bug. Most of their 17 years of life are spent underground—about twelve inches underground. While there they are eating and surviving on the roots of trees. Entomologists do not really know how these nymphs count off the years, but they do. And when it is time, they surface from below the ground to complete their life cycle. They mate, and lay eggs—billions of eggs. They lay them in the twigs of young trees. After four to six weeks, the eggs hatch, and the new nymphs drop to the ground, burrow twelve inches into the ground, and begin another seventeen-year odyssey.

Let me ask you a question:

Are you someone who needs to be taken care of? Or are you someone who takes cares of others, at least more than you take care of yourself? Of course, we know that the world has both – and more than likely, your status of “being a care giver” and “needing to be cared for” will vacillate wildly throughout your life. Sometimes we need to be taken care of – and sometimes we are taking care of someone. Sometimes we are up – other times we are down. It is the cycle of life – sort of like the life cycle of the cicada – whose life is a cycle of being up, and then down, and then up again.

So, let me spin this with you just a little…..

The life cycle of the cicada, if you will walk with me for just a minute, is one of birth – life – death – and resurrection. They are born on the twigs of trees, their life depends on being buried for seventeen years, and then they rise to new life. It is a cycle we Christians know very well, thanks to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His birth, life, death and resurrection — and ultimately his ascension – well this sets up for us the model of being – or becoming…..

Again, I said let me set this up for a spin…….

We run the risk of becoming “Cicada Christians” – well, we run the risk of being the bad kind, when we should always we looking to be the good kind. Let me explain….

The “Cicada Christian” we want to avoid becoming is the kind that appears and disappears with the regularity of the cicada – you know, those people who seem to appear every 7 years of so. You know who they are: they surface for worship every so often, make some noise, and then disappear again for some time. And some of these “Cicada Christians” expect others to take care of them – you know they expect us followers to know intuitively that they are in need, or in trouble, or are hurting, and so they dig a hole in the sand and firmly plant their heads in it – surfacing once in a while to chirp loudly at G-d. That is not the kind of unity or relationship with G-d the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that Jesus is praying or seeking within his followers. This is especially NOT the kind of relationship Jesus wants between his followers.

Now, the “Good Cicada” Christians are the ones who live into the life cycle of Jesus – his birth, life, death and resurrection. This is the “daily life-cycle” Jesus models for us. His followers know their sinfulness – they know their own needs – but they also know that it is through the Grace of Jesus Christ that we face the world without burying our heads in the sand. Every morning we rise with new life – every day we die to sin but are saved by Grace to live the Christ-like life. And every night we give ourselves over to G-d, trusting that if we die, we are G-d’s – and if we rise again, we renew the “daily cycle” – facing the world empowered by G-d’s love, mercy, forgiveness and Grace. This is the unity Christ was praying for – the oneness – the joy of living in relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Pastor Dave

May 28, 2022 – When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chodron

The Wise and the Unwise

 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27

“…the Dalai Lama describes two kinds of selfish people: the unwise and the wise. Unwise selfish people think only of themselves, and the result is confusion and pain. Wise selfish people know that the best thing they can do for themselves is to be there for others. As a result, they experience joy.

Chodron, Pema. When Things Fall Apart (Shambhala Classics) (p. 115).

The Wise and the Unwise

Wise and unwise. We make judgements every day about people and actions – those we think are wise and others we think are unwise. We see someone riding a bike without a helmet and think “That is not very wise.” Or we hear one of our friends comment that they have been putting money aside just in case the economy continues to weaken, and we think “That is a wise thing to do.” Of course, the definition of wise and unwise will vary from person to person. While I may think it is not wise to jump off a bridge with a bungee rope tied to my ankles, others will see it as the bravest and wisest thing they have ever done.

In the verses of Matthew chapter 7 preceding 24 to 27, Jesus is drawing comparisons: between the narrow and wide gates, the true and the false disciples, between good fruit and bad fruit, good trees and bad trees, and the wise and the foolish builders. He is making a comparison between those who hear his words of love, mercy and forgiveness and follow them, and those who hear the same words and choose not to listen. We could also think of it as a comparison between those who are selfish and those who are selfless. The selfish think only of themselves – their own wants, needs and desires. The selfless think of the others in their lives – what the other needs, wants and desires. The unwise selfish believe they will find joy in building bigger barns to hoard all of their stuff. In the end they will have nothing to stand on before the Lord but their selfishness. The wise selfish find joy in loving, serving and caring for the others in their lives. In the end they will be standing on the treasures they stored up for themselves in heaven.

Which do you choose to be like: the wise selfish, or the unwise selfish?

Let us pray,

Lord Christ, it is easy to think only of myself. It is exhausting to make sure I have everything I desire. Help me today to think of the others in my life and to find joy in serving and giving to others. Amen.

Pastor Dave