Tag Archives: christian

March 12, 2011 · 8:15 pm

Why L’Arche for Lent?

Logo of L'Arche ("The Ark") Communities, downloaded from larche.org

Despite the heated language in our polarized world, justice and peace are Gospel values. People too often use such words like a weapon for their political agenda (conservative or liberal, believer or non-believer) rather than listen to them with a holy fear. These words are powerful, spoken from the mouth of God to our hearts. Lived out, they change us and the world. We are to love the poor, the oppressed, the widow and the orphan. We are even to love or enemy. We should never let ourselves be led away from these words and who first spoke them just because they are sometimes misused. Instead, we should seek their depths in the wellspring which is Christ and his community, the church. We should strive to live them out every day, so we and the world can be transformed by love.

One of the most powerful ways to grow into love is to experience it in the real world. Recognizing our own need for love, we must allow ourselves to be rooted into the gospel message as the Spirit moves. Through situations, people, and places, as well as our own weakness, the Spirit intends to drive us into the wilderness. The Spirit calls us to experience new life there. I believe Gospel stories become Gospel realities as we seek to live them out concretely in our lives; sometimes in places where we are not so comfortable. Through sacred but small moments, our relationship to the world and each other will be transformed.

As a community of faith over the last few seasons of Lent, Messiah has been examining the Christian life and witness of well known figures of the last century. We do so hoping to grow as individuals and a community. As pastor, I have tried to identify people who shared different yet compatible visions of community: Dietrich Bonheoffer, Brother Roger of Taizé, and this year, Jean Vanier and the community members of L’Arche. Each has been given a vision by God of what community can be. Through their lives, they exemplified what Br. Roger so often described as a “parable of community” that teaches us and the world new possibilities.

L’Arche literature and websites proclaim that community isn’t an ideal but you and I. Despite our differences in politics, theology, or ability; we are called to be one with each other and with God. A local L’Arche community describes their shared life in this way:

L’Arche Blue Ridge Mountains mission is to create fully-accessible homes where people with and without disabilities share life in a spiritually based community. We strive to make these homes places of caring and faith, where individuals’ unique callings and abilities are brought out.[1]

Through their words, I can hear an invitation of what “church” can become in a real and too often difficult world. I first became fully aware of L’Arche while volunteering with the Community of Taizé. (I had heard of them and a famous member of their community, Henri Nouwen, but I hadn’t gotten to know them well.) A group from the original home at Trosly-Breuil came to visit, and a young man proudly and joyfully told me about his life there. Pasquel (I still remember his name, a name which means Easter) ended his witness by offering me a new beginning. He invited me to live with them. I was unable to accept the invitation at the time, but I remain deeply touched by his testimony and openness. Somehow, I still feel in communion with him and his hope and vision for tomorrow, even as I feel called in the here and now to be at Messiah Lutheran in Mechanicsville. Who knows what tomorrow might bring? Yet, I believe we all can live that hope out no matter where we are.

Personally, I know his vision can be a reality. Long before I knew Pasquel, I knew the love of my grandmother. Her firstborn, my aunt, was born with a serious mental disability. At the time (the 1930s), people encouraged her to put my Aunt Theresa into an institution. She wouldn’t hear of it. Instead, she chose to respond to her call to love. With time, patience and effort, Aunt Theresa grew to be a beautiful lady with much love to share. She held a job, learned to drive, and even helped care for my grandparents as they grew older. I believe my grandmother, my aunt, and my family were transformed by grace; a grace that saw past the dark realities and allowed us to live in the light of hope. I never saw my aunt as disabled although I couldn’t avoid her disability. Only love stands out when she comes to mind.

With these varied experiences now part of me, I hope to nurture that similar love which is already active at Messiah by sharing in an exploration of the Christian life and witness of Jean Vanier and L’Arche. During Lent, we’ll read Jean Vanier’s writings, watch some videos, discuss our impressions, but most importantly (if things go as planed), we will worship and fellowship with members of L’Arche Blue Ridge Mountains to help celebrate the season of Easter. Both communities have much love to share and much more to learn about love. Together, I think our Lenten journey will be a true adventure; an adventure more deeply into the love which is Christ. We will be blessed to share in the resurrection more concretely through a new life with God and each other.

To learn more about L’Arche, visit:

L’Arche International                            http://www.larche.org/

L’Arche USA                                                http://www.larcheusa.org

L’Arche Blue Ridge Mountains           http://www.larchebrm.com

Or, listen to “Jean Vanier: The wisdom of tenderness” (radio interview, American Public Media): http://being.publicradio.org/programs/wisdomoftenderness/

© 2011 The Rev. Louis Florio. All contents not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.

[1] L’Arche Blue Ridge website at http://www.larchebrm.com . Downloaded on March 12, 2011.

Leave a comment

Filed under Liturgical Year

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 8, 2011 · 10:13 pm

Repent & Rejoice – This Lent and Every Day

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” (Isaiah 30:15) 

Repentance is good for the soul, or so the Lord teaches. Yet, we often resist. It is hard to admit our frailty. It is hard to sometimes see it. Like sour medicine, our hearts tend to resist surrendering our individual sovereignty to the sovereignty of God. So, the season of Lent proves a reminder of and exercise in repentance.

Serious business, repentance need not always be a somber act, but it is necessary each and every day. We are getting right in our relationship with God after all: a Lord who created us, a Savior who died for us, and Spirit who comforts us. We are asked to pay more attention to our relationships and a world entrusted to our care. God is love, and we should rejoice at the opportunity to become more loving. Repentance always seeks out forgiveness and reconciliation, and our hearts should rightfully celebrate.

And so, I join Teresa of Avila in praying, “From silly devotions and from sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us.” Instead, I invite you with a smile on my face to join us for our many life affirming (and yes, sometimes even fun) events this Lent. I encourage us all to seek out deeper worship, meaningful service opportunities, and other appropriate Lenten disciplines. As individuals and as a family of faith, we might come to better understand what it truly means to rejoice and be glad.

Many blessings be upon you and your Lenten journey,

Pastor Lou

 

This piece was originally published in Messiah Lutheran Church and School’s monthly newsletter, The Messenger. You can view current and recent issues of The Messenger at: http://www.mlcas.org.

Photo in public domain: Balaska, J. (February 25, 2009) Ashes imposed on the forehead of a Christian on Ash Wednesday.

© 2011 The Rev. Louis Florio. All contents not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.

Leave a comment

Filed under Liturgical Year

Tagged as , , , , , ,

March 6, 2011 · 11:11 am

Rejoicing in the Light of Christ

Transfiguration of Jesus, Carl Bloch (d.u.)

On Transfiguration Sunday, we remember a very special miracle. Jesus is transfigured – his appearance changes to clearly reflect his divine persona. With him stands Elijah, the greatest of all prophets, and Moses, who was given the law. As Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets, the importance of their presence should not be overlooked. Through this miracle, we and the apostles catch a glimpse of heaven breaking into the real world with all its promises. This foreshadows the new heaven and new earth which will surely come through Christ.

Recalling Jesus’ baptism as the season after Epiphany began, we heard God’s voice affirm Jesus as his Son. This last Sunday of the season after Epiphany, God’s voice is again heard proclaiming, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him (Matthew 17:5)!” Throughout the weeks ahead, we will hear how the apostles failed to do just that. Over and over again, they will fail to listen. They will fail Jesus; the one they claim to love.

We all fail Jesus at times. Thus as we leave that mountain behind after our services for the Transfiguration, we are asked to descend toward Lent, a time designated for repentance and renewal. Lent helps lead us toward a day of resurrection, Easter, and the promises of a new beginning available now. As we strive to worship Jesus this Lent – no matter what we have done or failed to do, even as we might struggle with significant shortcomings and sin – Jesus will say to us just as he does to the prostrate Apostles (in the Greek), “Be raised. Do not be afraid. (Matthew 17:7)”[1] Let nothing stop you. Repent, rejoice and be glad, for all of us who trust in Christ will be made new through faith alone – never by our obtaining perfection. Basking in his light, we can go forward with trust that forgiveness and new life is ours to receive. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him (John 3:17).”

 

Bibliography

Bloch, C. (u.d.) Transfiguration of Jesus. As downloaded from Wikimediacommons (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transfiguration_bloch.jpg) on March 4, 2011.

Keck, L.E. (Ed.). The New Interpreter’s Bible: Matthew – Mark (Vol. 8). (1995). Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.

Mays, J.L. (Ed.). (2000). The HarperCollins Bible Commentary. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Meeks, W.A. (Ed.). (1993). The HarperCollins Bible: New Revised Standard Version. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Tunseth, S. (Project Dir.). (2009). Lutheran Study Bible: NRSV Translation. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress.

Lose, D. (2011) Commentary on Matthew 17:1-9. As downloaded from workingpreacher.org on February 28, 2011.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.

 

This piece is adapted from an item created for the Sunday bulletin at Messiah Lutheran Church, Mechanicsville, VA.

© 2011 The Rev. Louis Florio. All contents not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.

[1] Lose, D. (2011). Commentary on Matthew 17:1-9. As downloaded from workingpreacher.org on February 28, 2011.

Leave a comment

Filed under Lectionary

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

March 2, 2011 · 8:24 pm

A Fistful of Movies

With the Oscars recently behind us, I continue to think about some of my favorite movies. Perhaps I find myself a bit like Binx Bolling, the main character of Walker Percy’s wonderful novel, The Moviegoer. Binx was trying to make sense of his changing world within an often conflicted and troubled personal life. With his past wounds, he found it difficult to connect to real people and real situations. As he tries engaging the real world, he finds books and movies more stirring and real than his own life. As he embarks on his vague search for meaning, he often gets lost. The lines between books, movies and reality become blurred, but real life keeps butting in. He is constantly forced to redefine who he is and his place in the world.

Unlike Binx, I don’t think I get lost in movies, but they certainly do help impact who I am and will be. I often discover a clearer and more hopeful vision of reality because of the better books and movies I encounter. I might come to understand myself and society better. I can even meet God. We all need to seek meaning in our lives at times, for life is hard and answers are not always black and white. Believe it or not, movies can help root us to a more sacred reality; one filled with possibilities. What makes a great film isn’t necessarily the awards received, the box office gross receipts, or other marks of popularity. A great film will challenge our biases and help build us up morally, ethically or even theologically while it entertains. Even when no clear answers are possible, our wrestling with issues raised by great films can encourage us as seekers and help guide us on our way. In my opinion, a truly great film has the power to touch our hearts, enrich our lives, and help transform our interaction with others and our world. Such films don’t separate us from the world as they tended to do with Binx. Instead, I argue a great film can help root us into a deeper, more sacred story; one which touches us all. Whether a secular film or explicitly religious, science fiction or biographical, such films can inspire us to seek out and cooperate with the breaking in of the kingdom of heaven into our ordinary world.

Thinking about such things, I decided to share a fistful of movies; five of my favorites. I am sharing older and perhaps less well know movies from a very long list. They might be hard to find, but they are available in the United States. The list isn’t in any order other than alphabetical, nor do I suggest they are the greatest of the great or perfect in any way. These movies only serve to exemplify my belief that movies can enrich one’s material and spiritual life. They have done so in mine. If you see them, I hope they enrich your life too.

1. Cold Fever (Á köldum klaka), 1995: This Icelandic movie follows a modern Japanese business man as he travels to Iceland to honor his deceased parents. His grandfather has asked him to forgo his Hawaiian vacation in order to perform a religious ritual at the site of his parent’s death. Unfortunately, the site is a remote spot within the Icelandic interior and the trip during winter. Along the way, he certainly experiences many misadventures within this curious foreign culture and harsh landscape, but he also finds himself; reconnecting with his parents, culture, and his faith along the way. Throughout, one encounters our modern struggle to find meaning, build and maintain relationships, and believe in something greater than oneself. It is a quirky but wonderful movie with incredibly haunting landscapes and a subtle but poignant spirituality. (Icelandic and Japanese with English subtitles, along with English sections.)

2. I accuse! (J’accuse!), 1939: Jean Diaz is a scientist who has witnessed unspeakable horrors during World War I. Haunted by the memories of his dead compatriots, Diaz becomes obsessed with using his talents to end war. He develops an invention that could do just that, but with war clouds forming, the government usurps his invention for its war machine. Made as World War II was about to begin, this sci-fi movie seems somewhat prophetic. As political leader defends the move towards war and the need for military buildup, Diaz makes a passionate plea that accuses those who have forgotten the dead and not learned from history. Rather than needing defensive tools and patriotism, Diaz shouts that what the world really needs is a heart. Although the special affects and script might seem dated in places, this movie continues to challenge us who live in a real world facing real threats. (English subtitles.)

3. The Mission, 1986: In the 1750 Treaty of Madrid, Spain ceded part of Jesuit Paraguay to Portugal. As a result, the indigenous mission communities of Guarani and Jesuits were oppressed and disbanded. Rather than be disposed of their land and enslaved, the Guarani War began. It is within this context that we encounter a group of missionaries headed by Father Gabriel. He loved and respected the Guarani, and the Guarani them. Together, they created the mission community of São Miguel das Missões. Soon after in a nearby city, a slaver, Rodrigo Mendoza, kills his brother in a fit of jealous rage. Unable to forgive himself, he is helped by Father Gabriel to truly discover what it means to be loved and to love. In the process, he powerfully experiences the forgiveness of his former enemies, the Guarani, and it helps transform his life. As the Treaty of Madrid goes into affect, the Jesuits wrestle with how to respond to protect the people they love. Father Gabriel along with some other Jesuits desires a peaceful resistance. Mendoza and still others take up arms to help defend the defenseless. As a former soldier and police officer, I am moved and challenged by this moral and ethical conflict. Who is right? At the end of the movie, I am not sure we will ever know. In a final exchange between a Catholic cardinal that approved of the transfer of lands and a Portuguese official, the official laments that what happened. He explains it and his responsibility away as “we must work in the world; the world is thus.” The cardinal powerfully replies with repentance and regret, “No, Senhor Hontar, thus have we made the world. Thus have I made it.” What more can each of us do to love our neighbors as ourselves in such a world? The music and scenery adds to the powerful affect of this film.

4. Pathfinder (Ofelas), 1987: Based upon an ancient Sami account, this Norwegian film proves an excellent adventure for young and old alike. An invading warlike people have killed Aigin’s family. He flees, is captured, and then agrees to lead them to another escaping clan if only they will let his village’s captured holy man live. They betray that promise, and now, Aigin is seemingly alone in trying to save his fellow Sami people. Through this trial, Aigin will discover his life’s sacred call and rediscover the value and purpose of community. I appreciate the indigenous faith shared along the way to include the Sami belief in the White Reindeer – reminiscent to me of the White Buffalo and faith of the Lakota, a people I deeply love and who have taught me much about holiness and community. (English subtitles.)

5. The Spitfire Grill, (1996): A young woman, Percy, is released from prison and moves to the small town of Gilead, Maine. The kind but gruff owner of the local café, The Spitfire Grill, gives the young woman a chance to restart her life despite disapproval and suspicions within the community. As the intricacies of the story unfold, lives are changed and renewed, especially as Percy is faced with making the ultimate sacrifice out of love for another. The film explores the themes of redemption, compassion, interdependence, and more. Funded by the Sacred Heart League, keep an eye out for their popular Sacred Heart statue on a dashboard (as in country music fame). Proceeds from the film helped construct a school run by the Congregation of the priests of the sacred Heart in Mississippi. Their cafeteria is named the Spitfire Grill. (I served with these priests and brothers at another one of their schools, St. Josephs Indian School in Chamberlain, SD.)

As I said, this list isn’t meant to be all inclusive. I also number Babette’s Feast (1987; set within a Danish Lutheran/pietist community, people rethink what it means to truly believe, live, and love in the world), A Bridge Too Far (1977; a movie meant to be about the futility of war, but it inspired me through the honor and courage displayed within an imperfect system and hellish war), Joyeux Noel (2005; about the informal peace on the World War I front lines on Christmas Eve 1914), Smoke Signals (1998; a modern reservation story about reconciliation and healing), of course Luther (2003; about Martin Luther and the Reformation), and many more among my list of great films. I encourage you to create your own list.

Whatever movies or books you choose, I hope you will try to seek out our God who – just as in life – is often hidden within. Through that search, may you also be gifted with a new vision; a clearer ethical, moral and theological vision for your life ahead. Such “moviegoing” just might help free us all from the struggles of our everyday life, while, unlike with Binx, empowering us to see beyond our limitations in order that we may embrace all of life more fully.

“What is the nature of the search? you ask. Really it is very simple; at least for a fellow like me. So simple that it is easily overlooked. The search is what anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his own life.” – Binx Bolling

Note: If you would like help in viewing your movies through a theological lens, I suggest you visit http://theofilm.wordpress.com (The blog is written and supported by students, faculty and staff of Union Presbyterian Seminary, of which I am an alumnus, from both their Richmond and Charlotte campuses. Its resources are both helpful and free.)

© 2011 The Rev. Louis Florio. All contents not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

February 15, 2011 · 5:40 pm

Learning as we love

The following is a sermon I preached on Sunday, February 13, 2011. Touching upon the all too difficult issues of adultery and divorce, I had several requests for copies. I don’t usually post my sermons, but I am this week. I hope it sparks some healing reflections and conversations.

Lectionary lessons: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; and Matthew 5:21-37.

Each and every day we wake up, we face a number of critical choices to be made. In big and small ways, we must choose life and prosperity or death and destruction (See Deuteronomy 30). We do this over and over again throughout our day. Each choice we make affects us and our world. Our relationships are fragile. Life itself is fragile, and so even the little choices we make can sometimes break down or destroy the things and people we should love. God desires more for us…desires us to make good and godly choices…so that we can truly live. Too often, such a standard sadly proves beyond our reach, but we are never beyond the reach of God no matter how low we might sink.

Due to the reality of our human weakness, God gave the law to help and guide us (not condemn us to Hell or keep us down). First, the Ten Commandments and other such laws are meant to help restrain the wicked. They have a political and civil use. They have practical applications as a family or as part of a larger community. Second, such laws help us recognize our own weakness. They indict all of us, because we can never fulfill the law perfectly despite our best intentions. Therefore as we struggle with our sin, our eyes might look to the hills for help. Through this theological use of the law, we recognize our need to repent, and even more so, our need for a savior. The pain of sin helps break open our hearts as we recognize our need, and our hearts might open to welcome Christ and his grace. Third, the law teaches. It helps shape a vision and means of how we should live together. In Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s words, the law is provided “as God’s merciful help in the performance of the works which are commanded.” Simply put, God didn’t give us law to burden us or to destroy us. Our loving God longs for us to live, and so the law (as scripture itself attests to in both Old and New Testament) is meant as a blessing, not a curse.

Over the last few weeks, we have been reexamining Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Recall that this large body of teaching begins with Jesus going up that mountain like Moses, and yet he is not presented any laws. Instead, Jesus proclaims laws as God himself – for he is fully human yet fully divine. This new community being formed (his church) needs guidance like the people of Israel, and his laws and teachings will prove a blessing. The Beatitudes on their face are a series of blessings, but they speak of difficult ethical actions that all Christians should strive for during their life. These are both blessings and laws. Saved by grace through faith…empowered by the Holy Spirit…we will find the grace and opportunity to live them out. We are blessed to be a blessing, called to live out these ethical commandments further blessing ourselves and God’s world.

Then, Jesus commissions us. We are the light of the world. We are the salt of the earth. He declares this! Despite any imperfections, Jesus’ perfect love will work through us. Even our need for grace will witness to the world of God’s love. Yet, this doesn’t mean that all the old ways should be thrown away. Yes, Jesus came to make things new, but he clearly teaches that his way is God the Father’s way. He hasn’t come to abolish the law, but rather, he came to fulfill it. Our righteousness must be greater than that of the Pharisees and other teachers of the law. It must reflect who we are in our hearts. It must witness to the light of Christ within us and bring flavor, life, and healing to the world. The gift of faith is what makes us righteous (not our actions), but faith without works (we are reminded) is dead.

Building off of these teachings, we now come to what some scholars call an antithesis of the Beatitudes. The law is clearly taught, and so at this moment, the law can frighten us and even stop us in our tracks. How are we ever going to be so perfect? Like the people of Moses’ time, we can hear the law and think that we are cursed, but don’t be so fast! Again, remember the law is a gift. Jesus connects his newer, fuller teachings concretely to the laws shared through Moses. If we open our eyes from our fear of failure and self-condemnation just for a moment and calm down, we can hear love spoken to us. We need not get stuck in our sin. As he will do over and over again, Jesus reminds us that the fulfillment of all the law is love alone. Love God with your entire being (your mind, heart and soul), and love others as yourself (not better than yourself, but as yourself).

Looking at today’s lesson, note that Jesus begins with a shocking accusation; murder. To this very day, murder is commonly perceived to be among the worst and most dreadful offenses in society. It is so horrid that most of us believe ourselves free of that sin. Yet here, Jesus expands upon our simplistic understanding of the law. Just as Luther will mimic later in his Large Catechism, Jesus talks about murder in relationship to our anger and reconciliation. He expands our understanding. To follow Jesus infers that we must strive to be agents of peace and reconciliation whenever and wherever possible. To do otherwise can kill relationships. We become murderers. We can kill the spirit and love within other people through our angry words and self-centeredness if we are not careful. Anger itself is not a sin according to scripture, but we are not God. Righteous anger can turn into self-righteous, sinful, over reaching anger in a blink of an eye. Just like murder, the repercussions are severe for the individuals involved and the entire community. So, Jesus commands us, even when angry or when we have earned the anger of others, “Love others as yourself…always.”

After that, Jesus shocks us again. Even in the best and most appropriate of circumstances, adultery and divorce causes hurt, yet they are all too familiar in our fallen world. Just like murder, they are a scandalous indictment shared by each and every one of us. Among all the reasons for divorce, adultery seems the most acceptable. It is a terrible betrayal of a covenant made between two persons in love no matter why it happens. It often kills relationships and affects the entire community. Yet, look deeper. The charge of adultery is reflected in scripture to include any misuse of our sexuality and misdirection of our hearts. Jesus expands upon our understanding once again. Like murder, it is easy to say, “Well, I wouldn’t commit adultery. I wouldn’t ever cheat on my spouse.” Perhaps some of us wouldn’t. Yet in our sin, we are all at times adulterers. Doubt it? Than listen more closely to how Jesus teaches today. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (NRSV translation) Adultery actually occurs whenever our hearts wander. So, it shouldn’t surprise us that God accused the Jewish people of adultery through the prophets when the people made idols in their lives…when they made anything more important than loving God and their neighbor. Whenever we do the same…when we act unjustly or ignore the needs of others…when we don’t love those entrusted to us or love and respect our bodies…Jesus says (like all the prophets before him) that we are adulterers.

In relationships and life, such wondering happens. We are all imperfect despite our best intentions. So, we find divorce is practiced today much as with faithful Jews of biblical times. Throughout time, divorce reflects the fallen realities of our communal life in this world. Loving others as ourselves is hard. Even in what might be deemed the best and most appropriate of circumstances (cases of adultery, times when a spouse is being abused or beaten, circumstances where a person’s heart loves liquor better, their job better, or anything – even themselves – better than the spouse and family they have promised to love)…divorce can not truly be celebrated. It might be a relief and offer safety, but wounds remain for the family and community; sometimes for years if not a lifetime.

Yes, we might try our best and still fail. Things might happen in this fallen world beyond our control or beyond our ability to repair, but we are asked to love anyway. So, Jesus teaches us of these laws and consequences clearly, but at the same time, we should never forget his words to the adulteress long ago. Similar words are also spoken to us in all our failings and imperfection. “Get up. Go and strive to sin no more. I do not condemn you.” (Paraphrase of personal translation for John 8: 1-11) Continue to love as best as you are able even in your brokenness. Make amends as possible. Try to seek and offer forgiveness. When you sin, repent and ask forgiveness form God and others. Such love will change our lot even when relationships cannot be mended.

In the Ten Commandments, the community, family, individual, and God are always intimately linked. The other ethical, communal commandments about stealing, false witness and gossip, as well as coveting…they all relate to what Jesus reflects on today. Our witness to Christ isn’t meant to be just with our mouths. If we are truly the body of Christ through faith, everything we do or fail to do matters. If our hearts are oriented inward upon ourselves and our self interests rather than God and neighbor, we dishonor God. So, Jesus connects all our oaths, actions and relationships back to the first Mosaic commands to honor God. How we live should reflect who we are called to be…who we are created to be through faith. Let your yes be yes, and your no mean no. Let all your actions and statements reflect your love for God and neighbor as yourself. Doing so, people will see an authentic witness to faith by the way we love one another. If we can forgive others and treat others as we would want ourselves treated, we honor them as God’s creation, and thus we honor God. When we seek to act as if we respect and honor our own lives and bodies as the children of God, we honor God. So Jesus teaches us to be authentic in our faith. Jesus might as well have said, “Love God. Love your family. Love others as yourself (not better than yourself but as yourself).” That is how I often summarize the Ten Commandments for children, and it echoes Jesus’ own teaching in scripture on how to fulfill the law and the prophets.

Today’s lesson is indeed a difficult one. Hearing the law spoken so clearly, the law reminds us that love is hard for mortals. Yet, Jesus asks us to love anyway. We can never succeed in being perfectly like Jesus, for we are not God. So give up that vain hope, but never give up on God. Believe as Jesus teaches that God has not and will not give up on you. Instead, God gives us more than the law. We are given Jesus Christ. He offers us grace and forgiveness. His love is at work in our lives in a way that will not fail to help us grow. Never perfect in this life, we will be empowered to progress in his ways. We are given what we could never deserve or earn on our own…the perfect, life giving love of Christ. You see, both the law and gospel remain proof of God’s love for us. They cannot be separated…ever. Together, Christ will use them both to make us and all things new. Not even sin or death will ever separate us from such a love. That’s the promise of Christ to each of us as his children, and he does not lie. Amen.

Bibliography

Bibleworks for Windows (Version 7) [Computer software]. (2006). Norfolk, VA: BibleWorks, LLC.

Engelbrecht, E.A. (Gen. Ed.) (2009). Lutheran Study Bible: English Standard Version. (2009). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.

Keck, L.E. (Ed.). The New Interpreter’s Bible: Matthew – Mark (Vol. 8). (1995). Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.

Kolb, R., and Wengert, T.J. (2001). The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (2d edition). Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress.

Mays, J.L. (Ed.). (2000). The HarperCollins Bible Commentary. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Meeks, W.A. (Ed.). (1993). The HarperCollins Bible: New Revised Standard Version. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Tunseth, S. (Project Dir.). (2009). Lutheran Study Bible: NRSV Translation. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.

Thanks also to Messiah Lutheran’s Daily Discipleship Group. Their honest and wise insights and personal stories of faith and struggle always inspire and teach me.

© 2011 The Rev. Louis Florio. All contents not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.

Leave a comment

Filed under Law and Gospel

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

February 3, 2011 · 10:25 pm

Waking from the dark

Recently, I had the good fortune of attending a momentous and joyous event. A past coworker and forever dear friend of mine was retiring from the City of Alexandria (VA) Police Department. I arrived in the city early, so I visited all the old haunts from my patrol days. The neighborhoods I used to patrol have really changed, but the memories linger. Faces, emotions, and more vividly came back to me as I drove – not all of them bringing joy: the place where I handled my first homicide; a telephone pole where two college students died tragically; a courtyard where a brave fellow officer was shot and killed. For a police officer, such memories reflect much of one’s life on the street. It is often frustrating, sad, and sometimes even briefly terrifying. Such memories tend to linger in your days and sometimes even during your nights.

As I arrived at the restaurant to honor my friend, I rejoiced at meeting several old comrades; many who I had not spoken with for sixteen years. The bonds of the life we shared were still strong, and it was like I had never left except for the many new (and younger) faces of police officers in the room. Soon, one younger man came up to me. I recognized the face, but I couldn’t quite place him. He was a captain now, but I had been his Field Training Officer for two weeks as he started his service just before I resigned to enter ministry. After some catching up, he pointed out that I might be back for a lot of retirements in the next few years, for all my contemporaries are at the age to retire. (Police work can prove hard on the body, soul and your family, so officers often retire at a younger age than other professions.) The bittersweet truth of what he said really hit home. My ties to this city and the brave men and women who served it would soon seem to be fully cut.

Along with a great lunch and fellowship, my friend entering retirement gave us some wonderful food for thought. As he sometimes tearfully shared about his many years with the force, the tears were of joy and thanksgiving. He didn’t focus on the bad times, even if he couldn’t forget them. He lifted up the relationships that had blessed him in his vocation, family, and life. We were officers together when violent crime was at its height in the twentieth century. It was an exciting time and a meaningful time. It brought us together in ways few people will ever understand. Together, love for one another had not only helped us survive but also thrive. Speaking to the younger officers, he shared the things that mattered most at the end of the day, especially going home safe to your family and friends. He lifted up those whose dedication to service had inspired him, and by honoring them, he hoped to inspire those who remained on the force after he left.

As I listened, I sensed the sacred at work in and through our shared life. As difficult as the past had been at times, I could see more and more clearly the light of Christ shining even among those many darker memories. Ours had always been a road of blessing, not curse. We were bonded to others of the past and the future through the service we shared. We are bonded to one another forever. The love of God at work, even when you don’t see it at first, has a way of unifying things and making them new. Although imperfectly at times, we had sought together to do our best out of love – acted justly, loved mercy, and walked humbly with our God – and it all mattered. The good and the bad times mattered. God had used them all. Now, the world and I will never be the same. Thanks be to God.

From Psalm 71 (NRSV translation):

16 I will come praising the mighty deeds of the Lord God,
I will praise your righteousness, yours alone.
17 O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18 So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might
to all the generations to come.
Your power 19and your righteousness, O God,
reach the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you?


© 2011 The Rev. Louis Florio. All contents not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.

1 Comment

Filed under Law Enforcement

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

January 20, 2011 · 6:17 pm

An Historic Day

I love history. It doesn’t matter if it is church or secular history, about peacemakers or warriors, I always seem to learn something helpful for my modern life when I look back in time. Beyond the many books I read and the movies and television shows I watch (often to my wife’s chagrin), I even enjoy those quick notes found in the “This Day in History” articles of my local newspaper. So sometimes (just for fun), I will look toward history when a significant day in my life occurs. For example, I was born on December 10. On that day in 1520, Martin Luther burned the papal bull (edict) demanding he recant from his critique of the Roman Catholic Church or be excommunicated. This would have been a death sentence back in his day. On June 1, the first written record of Scotch whiskey appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, certainly a day of celebration. Ironically, it also serves as the anniversary of another wonderful celebration for me – the day I married my wife. (Cheers to that!) On October 28, 2007, the congregation of Messiah Lutheran Church voted to call me as pastor. It was Reformation Sunday. (The Reformation actually began on October 31, 1517 when Luther posted his 95 Theses, but our denomination tends to recognize the anniversary on the Sunday before that date when October 31 isn’t itself a Sunday.) Now to be clear, I don’t plan events based upon historic dates. I enjoy looking backward after the fact; just to see if I learn any fun tidbit or maybe even something helpful. So by now, you get the idea. I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to history. I confess it to you freely.

Consequently, you probably won’t be too surprised to learn that I looked toward history after opening this blog on January 14, 2011. (Hopefully, my decision to write a blog will not become a day to live on in infamy.) In our denomination, we have days where we commemorate special witnesses to God’s love at work in our midst. We recall the Christian lives and witness of fellow saints. These saints aren’t perfect, for no human ever was, is, or can be perfect. As Luther pointed out, we are at best sinner-saints, truly saved but in constant need of our Savior’s grace. I often find people listed who I hadn’t previously known; at least not well. This was such an occasion, for by looking at our liturgical calendar, I made the acquaintance of Eivind Josef Berggrav (1884-1959), deceased Primate of the Church of Norway. Examining the life of Bishop Berggrav, we find the classic case of the right person being at the right place at the right time. Although special in many ways by most accounts, he perhaps wouldn’t have been more than a footnote to history if he hadn’t been the presiding bishop in Norway at the time of the Nazi occupation.

Personally, I found Bishop Berggrav interesting on several levels. First, he was a man of courage; a courage that appears to stem from his simple trust in God. Despite the threat of execution, his imprisonment in isolation, and the darkness of the times surrounding him, he remained prophetic in word and deed. He did his best to do what he felt called to do by God. He strived to act in love rather than react out of fear. This admirable quality was nurtured by his interaction with and his understanding of the catholic church (read “universal church,” note the small “c”). Despite differences in theologies, Berggrav believed there was only one church, and we should all strive together to answer Christ’s call to be the reflection of his light in a dark world. Like Nobel winner Nathan Söderblom after World War I, Berggrav believed that doctrinal agreement wasn’t crucial for Christians to live out this shared call. From his prior work to unify the church, his ecumenical contacts became an inspiration and support for him during World War II. The Confessing Church in Germany served as a model for his own leadership and action when the Nazi supported government attempted to take over the Church of Norway. Messages of support and news of public prayer on his behalf at Canterbury and other places helped sustain him during his imprisonment. Even in Norway, this attitude of openness and acceptance helped draw religious minorities (such as independent pietistic Lutheran churches and Roman Catholics) closer together in opposition of the fascist regime. Despite the oppression and challenges he faced, he learned to trust that he was never alone.

According to D.M. Yeager, he apparently was blessed with a charism of grace. Humble in his own self-assessment as sinner-saint, Berggrav tried to find the good in others. This was partly shaped by his past prison ministry. While not being blind to the realities of who he dealt with, he saw in them ordinary, fallible people where the goodness of God was still at work. In relating with others, people recognized his knack to be a compassionate, empathetic, bridge builder. After first taking on the role of bishop, he wrote in a letter, “My first objectives is to find something good, partly because I know there is always some good everywhere, and partly because I have to feel kindly toward a group before I can speak any words of admonition to them.”[i] Yet, such relationships were not to be maintained if they enabled or encouraged evil. When it was clear that the occupation government was committing atrocities and would not be true to its promises, he took actions against it.

Despite the personal costs, Bishop Berggrav found he had a Christian duty to disobey. He began to lead the institution of the church in its peaceful resistance. The church would seek to become a protective barrier between the illegitimate government and the citizenry. On Easter Sunday 1942, all but 64 of the 861 pastors of the Church of Norway read at worship The Foundation of the Church, a document primarily prepared by Berggrav explicitly stating that “the requirements of religious faith now made it impossible for Christians to cooperate with many of the laws and policies of the civil authorities.”[ii] The pastors then resigned simultaneously from the state church. Congregants responded as well, sheltering the pastors and refusing to participate in the state church. Reminiscent of the two kingdoms theology of Luther, he recognized that both church and state had parts in God’s ultimate plan. So while he argued that the church’s opposition should be and must remain peaceful, he remained a realist. He believed that when a government began to perform as a murderer, citizens must act in the government’s stead to protect themselves and fulfill God’s call for justice. Thus, some may indeed be called to take up arms for that purpose. This armed opposition isn’t purely political, nor is it to be self-serving. Violence is only entered into for the purpose of restoring a proper, just government, protecting the defenseless, and for calling others to repentance. Reconciliation must remain the goal.

There is much, much more to be said about Eivind Josef Berggrav, more than I could ever say here. For those interested in learning more, I would commend to you D.M. Yeager’s article, God, Church, and Country: Berggrav’s Leadership in the Norwegian Resistance in the Journal of Lutheran Ethics (available through elca.org). As for me, I recognize a bit better how his life has somehow touched my own through the communion of saints. I will be challenged to live up to his legacy as I think of him. For certainly all of us will face opposition in this fallen, imperfect world. Recalling of Baggrav’s own response in troubled times, we might be encouraged to look for the good in our enemies and to seek reconciliation where possible. We might find the courage to apply our faith as best we can to the troubles of our day. In all things, maintaining a simple trust in the eternal providence of God, we might see past our own immediate fears or suffering to realize that we just might be the right people at the right time and right place, sent by God, for these troubled days that surround us. We could even find ourselves inspired enough in our daily lives to risk acting in love no matter the cost. With such grace active in our lives, the course of history will certainly change for the better. Each day will prove historic and a blessing.

[i] Yeager, D.M. God, Church, and Country: Berggrav’s Leadership in the Norwegian Resistance. Journal of Lutheran Ethics, Vol. 6, Issue 5 [on-line edition via elca.org]. May 2006.

[ii] Yeager (on-line, ¶42) As noted by the author, the figures are according to a work by Odd Godal. In some documents, the number of pastors reported as resigning varies slightly.

Bibliography

 

Anonymous. (n.d.) Eivind Berggrav. Wikipedia.org as downloaded on January 15, 2011.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Evangelical Lutheran Worship: Pew Edition. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress.

 

Yeager, D.M. God, Church, and Country: Berggrav’s Leadership in the Norwegian Resistance. Journal of Lutheran Ethics, Vol. 6, Issue 5 [on-line edition via elca.org]. May 2006.

© 2011 The Rev. Louis Florio. All text and images not held under copyright by Word Press or another entity may not be used without permission of the author.

1 Comment

Filed under Church History

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,