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SAINT MARK RECENT SERMONS

O When the Saints....

Pastor Cheryl Hoffman's sermon for All Saints Sunday, November 3, 2024.

Readings: Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 24; Revelation 21:1-6; John 11:32-44.

The festival of All Saints is one of the church’s most precious gems. It is not loud and boisterous like Easter, nor is it observed with the gay festivities of Christmas. The Feast of All Saints carries with it an air of solemn, humble reverence that, at the same time, consoles and mystifies.

​I have come to cherish this high holy day of All Saints. It can be a difficult festival,

especially if you are a feeling person who is invested in the lives of others, and those others have died. There is no getting around the grief and pain that All Saints Day invokes, as we remember with determined purpose, those dear friends, spouses, parents, siblings, children and relatives that have died.

 

Grief is a cumulative reality, meaning that the weight of grief, experienced for any one given occasion, is added to the heap of grief accumulated over previous losses. This is why grieving never gets any easier.

 

And, yet, I cherish this day. Why? Because it’s a clear, bold reminder that at the end, there is God. At the end, the end of life, the end of the world, the end of all that is, there God will be. And, if God is at the end of these, God is, and will be, at all of our other ends as well, the end of a day, the end of a relationship, the end of a job or career, the end of a particular stage of life, the end of a trauma, the end of our trials, our fears, our hopes, our dreams, our prayers, our last breath.

 

This is the hope John extends to us through his visions of a new heaven and a new earth in the book of Revelation. Elsewhere in Revelation is described the pearly gates and golden streets we so often associate with heaven. But, it’s today’s reading that paints the picture of heaven for which I hope and long.

 

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear, and death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more.’ ”

 

Who doesn’t long for a reality in which crying, and pain, and mourning, no longer exist. But, even more desirable than this, is a reality in which God is continually present. A place, an existence, where God does not just visit in some form for a period of time, or intercede for a particular moment, but dwells, lives, and resides permanently.

 

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes have trouble feeling, grasping, and knowing God’s presence, while walking on this earth and flying through this heavenly sky. There are times I wonder if the stress and grief of life are worth it. At other times, I wonder if it’s really possible to live a godly life, as a mere mortal tainted by sin. Is it really possible to live in this world, and yet, not be of it; to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect; to love God with one’s whole heart, and our neighbors as ourselves?

 

This is where the saints come in.

 

As Lutherans we are not big on celebrating the saints. If a saint’s feast day falls on a Sunday, we might celebrate it. We might observe an anointing for healing, around the feast of St. Luke, or a pet blessing around the feast of St. Francis but, other than this, we do very little to commemorate the lives of the saints who have gone before us.

 

Neither do we pay much attention to the patron saints of our names, our vocations, our community, or our families. And, we don’t teach our children to pray to a certain saint for a particular help, like to St. Anthony to find something lost, or to St. Joseph to sell a house. But, this does not mean the saints are not important to us, or to our faith journey.

 

Do you know why the church beatifies saints? The priest in My Cousin the Saint said, “Why do we have saints? Because people know what the church teaches about faith and morals and behavior. We have the Holy Scripture, the foundation of our doctrine, for this. We have church leaders, instructors and the catechism. So, if someone wants to understand what the church is about there are plenty of means.

 

“But, there are accusations that church doctrine is utopian, spiritually unrealistic, and therefore, not feasible in which to live, according to the beliefs and practices of the church.

 

“The answer to these accusations is to present, to the faithful, a large number of people, who in their day-to-day lives, have lived out the faith in a radical, consistent, and joyful manner. This way, those who say it is not possible, actually see people who have done it.”

 

Now, this was a Catholic priest, talking about the Catholic denomination but, it applies to us Lutherans, as well. Only, we don’t rely on the church to identify who is, and who is not, a saint.

 

We believe in the priesthood of all believers. And, we accept and acknowledge that all believers are members of the community of saints; and that every saint, that is every person, has the potential to teach, inspire, and build up our faith, as we traverse this difficult journey of life. The icon on the front of our bulletin depicts this truth.

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But, let us not be bogged down by our sorrow. Let us celebrate the saints who have gone before us and the blessings their lives and deaths have revealed: the obliteration of death, the promise of new life, an end to all that was and has been, and a beginning to all that is yet to be. There, in the midst of it all, the welcoming arms of an ever-present, loving, forgiving, gracious God.

 

This is the heaven awaiting us and is among us, even now. Let’s rejoice with all the saints and be ye glad! Amen!

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© 2024 Pastor Cheryl Hoffman. All rights reserved.

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You placed more than 50 names on our Saint list. I don’t know all the people behind the names but, I know these names were written down because the people meant, and mean, something to at least one of us. In some way, shape, or form, each of these saints has taught, inspired, encouraged, or otherwise touched our lives.

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And, it’s through these touching moments, that we caught a glimpse, or experienced for ourselves, the presence of God in our midst, a little bit of heaven on earth.

 

It’s important to remember, even meditate upon these moments. For these moments are the foretastes of the feast to come. These experiences of love, life and grace are experiences of God in flesh and blood, dwelling among us.

 

Yes, All Saints Day can be a difficult day, as it rekindles the grief and loss we so tenderly carry in our hearts. It’s also a humble reminder that one day, perhaps not too many years in the future, our name will be included on the Saint’s list.

The Great Pumpkin & Reformation

Pastor Cheryl Hoffman's sermon for Reformation Sunday, October 27, 2024

Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 46; Romans 3:19-28; John 8:31-36.

‘Tis the season for the Great Pumpkin. You know about the Great Pumpkin, right? On Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch it deems the most sincere. Then Great Pumpkin flies through the air to deliver toys to all the good little children.

 

The Great Pumpkin is not like Santa Claus. You don’t send the Great Pumpkin your wish list of toys, but, rather, you wait for whatever gift the Great Pumpkin deems worthy to give you. And, if you’re not worthy, if you’ve not been good enough, the Great Pumpkin will pass by without giving you a second thought.

It is this all-knowing Great Pumpkin who measures out rewards to the good, ignores those whose behavior is less than stellar, and dismisses those who don’t believe. This is what came to mind as I thought about Martin Luther and the Reformation this past week.

 

Much as Linus sat in his pumpkin patch, believing in the Great Pumpkin with all his heart, and hoping, with all his might, that this year, he would be worthy and sincere enough to have the Great Pumpkin rise from his patch to shower him with gifts, so Martin Luther, before the 95 Theses, knelt on his knees, believing in God with all his heart, and hoping with all his might, that he might be good and sincere enough to experience God’s blessing.

 

You see, at the time, the church extolled the judging and wrathful nature of God. Even meaner than the Great Pumpkin, the God of Martin Luther did not simply ignore or dismiss guilty unbelievers; he destroyed and punished them.

 

Martin Luther was far more persistent in his pursuit of goodness than Linus. Linus returned to his pumpkin patch once a year. Martin sank to his knees several times a day. Neither received the approval they desired.

 

And, Martin Luther had an additional stumbling block to overcome on his quest for blessing, the church. The church stood in as the earthly representative of Christ, with the sole power to pronounce God’s forgiveness, or damning judgment, and to dole out God’s blessing or punishment.

 

The problem was that all had sinned and gone astray, every day, and every hour of each day. So, no matter how hard he worked at it, no matter how he punished himself, no matter what punishment his confessors prescribed, no matter how many good works he performed, Martin Luther could not make himself good enough to escape the church’s, and, therefore, God’s, judgment and wrath.

 

Of course, he could have bought God’s forgiveness with the purchase of an indulgence, but how many indulgences would it have taken to clear his name forever? All this bad news and guilt mortified Martin Luther. How was it, he wondered, that anyone could ever have been declared righteous?

 

When in one such despairing stupor, he read today’s lesson from Romans (3:19-28). And, as if for the first time, he heard these words ring in his ears, “...the righteousness of God has been disclosed through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” There was no distinction; all have sinned, and all were justified by God’s grace as a gift.

 

Martin Luther was ecstatic. He read the text over, and over again, before he fully believed. For years, he had taken the church at its word. But when he read the Bible for himself, he discovered that, not only was God not a judging wrathful ogre, God also was not a stingy, spiteful monster. In fact, just the opposite was true. The God of the Bible was, and is, eternally generous and abundantly gracious.

 

And because these are God’s true attributes, Martin Luther’s sins, as well as, everyone else’s, were forgiven, right there on the spot, without any penance, without any punishment, without any humiliation, without any purchase of indulgence, or without any other necessary work or deed.

 

How freeing this truth must have been for a young man committed to being the best he could be for God. True, his best would never be good enough to clear his name, but Jesus’ name was good enough to clear everything.

 

Can I get an “Amen!” ? Thank you, because Jesus’ name is, indeed, good enough to clear everything for everyone.

 

Amen! And, Alleluia!

 

It is probably no surprise we humans continue to struggle with being good enough for God. Along with Martin Luther, we read our Bible, say our prayers, and do what good we can, trying to exact approval from a God, whose judgment can send us to hell for all eternity. And, many of us spend a lot of time worrying, that our best is not going to be good enough.

 

You’re right! Your best is not good enough to erase the consequences of sin in your life. But, don’t despair, because Jesus’ best IS good enough. And, through baptism, Jesus’ best becomes your best. At your baptism, the water drowns your sin, and you emerge cleansed and clothed with righteousness. And, in that moment, God declares, “You are my child; with you I am well pleased.”

 

This is the good news of Jesus Christ, coming to us through the Reformation, and it’s true, each, and every, day. Amen.

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© 2024 Pastor Cheryl Hoffman. All rights reserved.

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Promises, Promises

Pastor Cheryl Hoffman's sermon from October 6, 2024.

Readings: Genesis 2:18-24; Psalm 8; Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12; Mark 10:2-16.

A colleague starts their first premarital counseling sessions having couples read the traditional wedding vows to each other. You know, the ones where they promise to love each other no matter what until death parts them. After the couple has read through the vows, the pastor asks, “How serious are your intentions of keeping these vows?”

 

Almost always, the couple thinks they’re being asked a trick question. “Of course, we intend to keep the promises made in the vows, or we wouldn’t be getting married,” they usually say.

The rest of the conversation then goes something like this:

 

“So, you will love each other forever no matter what?”

 

“Yes, of course.”

 

“Will you love your spouse if they lose their job and become unemployed?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Will you love your spouse if they are diagnosed with a terminal illness?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“If they become paralyzed from the neck down?”

 

A little hesitation, but still, “Yes.”

 

“If they are diagnosed with a mental health problem?”

 

The couple is now looking at each other, and the pastor, wondering just what is going on. But still they answer, “Yes.”

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“What if your spouse suffers a brain injury and is incapacitated, say from an auto accident and needs round the clock nursing care for the rest of their life? Will you still keep your promise and honor your marriage vows?”

 

“I guess so.”

 

With the couple now rattled the pastor moves on, “What if your spouse gets a speeding ticket, will you still love them?”

 

With more confidence the couple returns to, “Yes, of course.”

 

“What if the ticket is for DUI?”

 

Still a sound “Yes.”

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“What if the DUI resulted in a death, would you continue to honor, trust and love your spouse?”

 

“Well, yes, I suppose.”

 

“What if your spouse is sentenced to jail?”

 

One says, “Probably,” and the other, “Maybe.”

 

“What if your spouse admitted to having an affair?”

 

Now, there are two maybes.

 

“What if your spouse was caught surfing the web for a tryst with a teenager?”

 

The couple responds with one, “I don’t know,” and a “Maybe not.”

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“How about a second affair, would your marriage survive?”

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Very hesitantly the couple answers, “Maybe not.”

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“What if your spouse became abusive?”

 

This results from each a quick and firm, “No.”

 

At this point the couple is encouraged to take a few deep breaths, hold hands and relax as the exercise is explained.

 

We all have our limits. We enter marriage fully intending, with all our heart, mind and soul, to fulfill the vows and promises we make on our wedding day. Couples want, and expect, to love each other, no matter what, until death do they part.

 

But the reality, for all of us, is that our “no matter whats” have limits and boundaries. Our love, no matter how deep or broad, has its conditions. We may profess an eternal,unconditional love, but as human beings, our love for others, even our spouse, is conditional.

 

I described this session because I think the point the exercise makes is also the point of today’s gospel reading. Jesus is asked about the law, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

 

Jesus responds, not by laying down the law, but by elevating God’s gracious gift of loving relationships.

 

Let’s update the dialogue a little.

 

“Jesus, is it lawful to get a divorce?”

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“You tell me.”

 

“Well, Moses said that it was permissible for a man to write a certificate of dismissal, which resulted in divorce.”

 

“And why do you think Moses instituted such a law?”

 

“Uh...we don’t know. Why?”

 

“You thick-skulled oafs. Moses allowed for divorce because men like you refuse to love your wives with the same mercy and grace with which God has loved you.

Let me ask YOU this, when your ancestors were in the wilderness, and they demanded water, what did God do?

 

“He caused water to spring forth from a rock.”

 

“And when your ancestors grumbled about meat, what did God do?”

 

“He provided quail.”

 

“So why then, when your wife quietly asks for what is rightly hers, or grumbles about her very real hardships under her breath, do you not want to respond lovingly to her, but instead want to cast her into the streets? Can you not see that your hearts are made not of flesh, but of stone?”

 

From the very beginning, God intended for us to be in relationship with others. Knowing that it was not good for Adam to be alone, God offered to him every animal for the purpose of finding a mate, but none was found. So, God created yet another creature directly from Adam. She was called woman. And, from the moment they both existed together, God intended for them remain together.

 

But sin spoiled this first relationship, as it has every relationship since. Yet, for those with eyes that can still see the kingdom of God, in the midst of sin, love is patient and kind, and endures all manner of things. But, for those whose eyes see only sin and imperfection, love is irritable, boastful and resentful.

 

So, what is it you see in your relationships with others? The need for a way out, or a reason to hang in?

 

Understand, Jesus is not advocating that all relationships should persevere no matter what. Sin has marred our world, and our human relationships suffer because of it. There’s a time to stay and a time leave; a time to fight to keep and a time to let go.

 

The question Jesus wants us to consider is, do we approach our relationships with the mercy and grace shown to us in our relationship with him, or do we use our relationships as opportunities to judge others? Do we look for the good others have to offer, or do we only see their faults?

 

Just how intent are we on keeping our vows? Our wedding vows, our baptismal vows, the vows we make with ourselves, friends, or family members?

 

It’s easy to say, “Yes,” or “I do,” or “I will,” when asked about faithfully living out our lives. But, the actual living a faithful life is much more difficult. Like it or not, we all have our limits. Even when our spirit is willing, our flesh is often weak.

 

And so, in the church, when answering questions about our intent to love, work, serve, be and do, that which is according to God’s intended purpose for us, we will often add the words, “I ask God to help me” when we say, “I do,” or “I will.” It’s an acknowledgement that without God, we can accomplish nothing, but with God’s help, anything is possible.

 

In a rite with such promises the presider often ends by saying, “May the God who has given you the desire to do these things, also grant you the ability to complete them.”

 

Again, it’s an acknowledgement that we can successfully live out our promises ONLY by God’s grace.

 

May that grace, which is the foundation of our relationship with God, also guide all our other relationships, with family, friends and strangers. Amen.

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© 2024 Pastor Cheryl Hoffman. All rights reserved.

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Love Our Neighbors

Pastor Cheryl Hoffman's sermon from July 14, 2024,

following the assassination attempt on former President Trump.

When major events happen like the one that occurred last night at the rally for our former president, pastors are caught in a predicament. Do we quickly change our sermon, so that we can, in some way, address what happened, or do we stay the course, & continue with the planned message. It’s a difficult choice, especially when the event involves politics, & is fraught with strong emotions on all sides.

​Usually, I choose to stay the course, because the gospel speaks truth with a capital T into all situations, but today, it seems sacrilegious to talk about the beheading of John the Baptist, when yesterday someone took aim the former president’s head, & others took the bullets instead, & lost their lives.

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And truthfully, I think prayer is a better option today, than a bunch of words. But before we pray, I will leave you with this truth from the gospel. No matter what foolishness people plan and do, God will not be silenced. Jesus followed John, the disciples followed Jesus, Paul picked up with the Gentiles, somewhere along the way, there were Sunday school teachers & pastors & camp counselors, who spoke to us. Now it is our turn to speak to others.

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The world today is not anything like the Garden of Eden described in Genesis, but God is not dead, & in this, we rejoice. In him we do live, & move, & have our being.

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PRAYER: Holy God, of the living, the dying & the dead, we give you thanks for all of your goodness. We place into your hands all that is ours & all that we are. We include our nation, & its divisions. We have forgotten that we are all brothers & sisters, & that we are each other’s keeper. We have replaced love with anger, we have replaced goodness with winning.

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In this very delicate time, we ask that you turn hearts of stone into flesh & that handshakes replace anger. We ask that we lose our desire to fight. Instead, seek to serve you as you have served us, & love others as you have loved us.

Remember that our greatest command is to love our Lord, our God, with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds. The second command is to love our neighbors as ourselves.

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Loving God we pray for all of those who were present yesterday, those who have watched the news non-stop. We pray that you would treat them, & heal them of their trauma. We pray that you would show us our footsteps forward, as individuals & as a congregation, as we seek to be the body of Christ, in this community & in our world.

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We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord & Savior. Amen.​​

© 2024 Pastor Cheryl Hoffman. All rights reserved.

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Trinity...the Very Mystery of God

Pastor Cheryl Hoffman's sermon from May 26, 2024.

Readings: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29; Romans 8:12-17; John 3:1-17.

You may know by now that Holy Trinity Sunday is not my favorite festival. In fact, it is probably my least favorite festival. There is no story to tell, no facts to deliver, no history to recount. Well, I guess I could recount the history of our creeds, but history is not my forte. This means many Holy Trinity pericope studies are reduced to pastors brainstorming ideas about how to best explain the concept of the Trinity – three persons one God.

I’m a widow, I’m a pastor, I’m a daughter, but there is just one me. Ice, water, steam. Apple seeds, flesh, and skin. A three-legged stool or three-leaf clover. You get the idea. These all work and yet none of them really explain or capture the true meaning behind One God in three persons, blessed, holy Trinity.

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And then I thought, maybe the festival of the Holy Trinity should be my favorite festival precisely because our trinitarian God cannot be captured or explained or described. Because the Trinity is, in its essence, the very mystery of God. And rarely do we take the time to sit with and in the presence of the mystery and holiness of God.

Let’s take time now to sit a moment with the God of today’s Psalm. Try to imagine these words as you hear them. Close your eyes if that helps. Imagine the God these words describe. You don’t have to see a being. You don’t have to solve the mystery. Just be present.

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“The voice of God is upon the waters, upon the mighty waters. The God of glory thunders.

“God has a powerful voice. A voice of splendor. A voice that breaks the cedar trees and bursts forth in lightning flashes. A voice that shakes the wilderness and causes the mountains to skip like a calf or a young wild ox. A voice that makes the oak trees writhe and strips the forests bare.

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“God sits above the flood, enthroned as king forevermore. And in the temple of God all are crying GLORY!”

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Let us be in that temple now with Isaiah who himself saw this very thing, God sitting on a throne, high and lofty. And this temple, however you imagine, it is filled with the hem of God’s robe. See what Isaiah sees, “...and the hem of his robe filled the temple.”

Above, God was attended to by Seraphs, each with six wings. “With two they flew, with two they covered they feet and with two they covered their faces – calling out to each other ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ And their voices shook the thresholds and filled the space with smoke.”

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Now, take a few breaths and come back to this temple, to this sanctuary. Do a quick assessment of your feelings. Isaiah felt overwhelmed. The glory and greatness of God only reminded him of his sin and smallness. He’s concerned that he has laid eyes upon the glory of the Lord in his fallen state. Surely, he is not worthy to live. Surely, he is lost forever.

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But not so. The seraph cleanses Isaiah with a coal, his guilt is removed, his sin blotted out.

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And, now what? What difference does this make? Isaiah doesn’t have the words of Paul, but we do. “Brothers and sisters, we are children of God. Can you grasp that truth – that we are children of God, that Jesus is our brother – our sibling. And as children of God, we are beneficiaries of the richness of God’s kingdom.” We are inheritors, heirs, co-heirs with Jesus. And so, we dare cry out, Abba, Daddy, Father, Pappa.

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Does this make sense to you? If it does, then you are wiser than I, than Nicodemus, than are most of us, who know only, God is good, all the time. And, that all the time, God is good. Even this we sometimes find hard to grasp. But, we hold onto it as tightly as we can, with both hands, because this is what we believe deep down.

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It doesn’t matter if it’s Father, Son, or Holy Spirit, one in three, or three in one. God is God, and we are forever God’s children. It’s not about a theology, it’s about a relationship. It’s about being in relationship, with God as beloved children, with each other as siblings, with the world as neighbors.

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And, the one thing that holds it all together is love.

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“Love the Lord your God with all your heart.”

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“Love one another as you have been loved.”

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“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

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“For God has so loved you, that he gave his Son to die for you, that you might have eternal life.”

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Let it be so. Amen.

© 2024 Pastor Cheryl Hoffman. All rights reserved.

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Efficient, Prolific, Adaptable & Tenacious

Pastor Cheryl Hoffman's sermon from April 28, 2024

Readings: Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:25-31; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8.

My trip abroad was more than just a sightseeing trip. In fact, sightseeing was not its primary focus. It was primarily an educational experience, geared toward understanding the world at the time of the Apostle Paul, the Roman Empire, and the early converts to the Way, or faith in the resurrected, Jesus Christ.

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For the first time in my pursuit of education I found history to be fascinating. I still don’t remember dates and who was emperor when, but I have a much better sense of the bigger picture, and why Greek gods and Roman imperialism matter. I also have a better understanding of Paul, and what he likely did and didn’t write, and why.

Context is everything. This I already knew, but now, the contextual puzzle has a few more pieces, and makes a lot more sense.

 

In our study time, both before and throughout the trip, we discussed more than just Paul and his letters. We also discussed the gospels, including when and why they were written. We looked at each gospel through the same lens, by asking the question: If Jesus is the Messiah, then what does it mean us (meaning the group of people for, and to whom, the gospel writer is writing)? And, of course, each gospel writer writes to a different group of people.

 

When John wrote his gospel, probably sometime between 95-100 CE, the people were starting to divide into camps: those who believed Jesus was the resurrected messiah, and those who did not. No longer was “The Way” a movement within Judaism. It was becoming its own way, without requiring one to follow any Jewish traditions or practices.

 

People were being persecuted, thrown out of their synagogues and families, for their lack of loyalty to the old faith. And, the believers of Jesus wanted, needed to know: if Jesus is the messiah, then is he enough – on his own? So, John writes a series of dialogues and stories to show that Jesus is not just enough, but indeed, more than enough, in and of himself.

 

So how does this help us with today’s gospel lesson? The primary image for today is the vine. And, because John talks about the vine producing fruit, most of us see, in our head, a grape vine when we hear this text.

 

But, when I think about vines, grapes aren’t the first thing I think of. I think about ivy, and morning glories, and Virginia creeper, zucchini, watermelons, pumpkins, and the weedy vines growing in gardens and flowerbeds (that no matter how much you pull out there is 3x as much still there the next day).

 

In general, vines are efficient, prolific, adaptable, and tenacious. There are some that are temperamental, like perhaps the grape vines grown for wine. This vine’s health and thus the quality and quantity of grapes, and subsequent wine, depend upon any given season’s temperature, rainfall, pruning, mildew, pest, and disease exposure. If everything is just right – cheers! If not, better luck next year.

 

Wild grapes, however, will grow with the resilience of most other vines. And what vine is more fruitful than a zucchini? This tendency and tenacity of vines got me thinking a little differently about today’s gospel lesson. “I am the vine. You are the branches.”

 

The vine’s ability to adapt, to climb to reach sunlight, to spread out to increase its leaf or root base, even to become carnivorous, if it must. And, its prolific tenacity. Do you know anyone who is more tenacious than God? Or more generous or gracious?

 

And, the more you try to ignore and avoid God, the more he finds ways to reach out, and wind a tiny tendril into your day and life, then another and another. You can forget trying to chop the vine down. It inevitably comes back again. The vine just keeps hanging around, reaching out. Until one day you realize, you are so intertwined with the vine that it’s hard to tell where the one of you ends and the other begins.

 

This makes it sound like vines are predators, encircling its host until it smothers and takes over. But, this is not how most vines work. Most vines use their host, whether it be the ground, a tree, a fence post, or the side of a house, to help it grow either up or out, or both. This doesn’t mean vines can’t be irritating or pesky, or just a downright pain. But, let’s be honest, God can be irritating, pesky and even a downright pain at times, too.

 

It’s actually the vine who needs the host, the tree the trellis, the fencepost. Does God NEED us? Need? Maybe not, but God has ordered the world in such a way that he is counting on, even depending on us, to help spread the good news of the gospel, to help grow the kingdom, to be the branches to his vine that will bear the fruit to feed the people of God.

 

I don’t think that there is any other plant alive, besides the vine, that could even hope to accomplish all that.

 

So, is Jesus enough? This is what the gospel of John has to say: “I, Jesus, am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.”

 

Amen.

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© 2024 Pastor Cheryl Hoffman. All rights reserved.

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"I Will Forgive Them & Remember Their Sin No More"

Pastor Cheryl Hoffman's sermon from March 17, 2024

Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51:1-12; Hebrews 5:5-10; John 12:20-33.

I thought I was going to go down one path when I began to pull together today’s sermon, but as I started to read through the lessons again, I felt myself pulled in another direction.

In fact, I never got past the reading from Jeremiah.

 

This brief lesson contains one of God’s most awesome promises. If John 3:16 is the gospel in a nutshell, like Pastor Marschhausen claimed last week, this promise sums up God’s saving grace, “I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.”

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We say, and I like to believe that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, but there are places in scripture that indicate God does indeed change: God changes his mind about Nineveh, Jesus relents and heals the Canaanite woman’s daughter.

This lesson from Jeremiah is another text that suggests some growth, if not change, on God’s part, when it comes to God’s relationship with his people.

 

But if we want to fully grasp the breadth and weight of this change, we must go back a few weeks. Four weeks ago, to be exact. Now, I know this is a challenge, but I believe in you.

 

I want you to think all the way back to the first Sunday in Lent. I want you to think back to the Old Testament reading on that day. At the beginning of the reading we heard God say, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you.” Do you remember this reading?

 

To whom was God speaking? Does it help if I tell you the reading was from Genesis? Let me finish the verse: “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you ... as many as came out of the ark.”

 

Now, what was the covenant that God made with Noah and his descendants?

 

Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.

 

And what was the sign of this covenant?

 

The rainbow.

 

And, what is supposed to happen when the rainbow appears?

 

“I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

 

I will see it and remember.

One more question about this very first covenant between God and all of creation. What started this whole Noah thing? You know, the ark, the flood. .

 

Now let’s move on to Jeremiah and the lesson we heard today. In this text the Lord mentions two covenants. The first is the one he made with the Israelites when he brought them up out of Egypt. This was the Old Testament lesson on the third Sunday in Lent, two weeks ago. You didn’t get the covenant language, just what was necessary on the part of the Israelites. Do you remember, or want to take a guess?

 

These are the words that God spoke to the people through Moses regarding this covenant. “Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.” Now what is it the Lord spoke that the people must obey, what covenant do they have to keep? Right, the Ten Commandments.

 

Do you hear how this covenant differs from the one God made with Noah? With Noah, the burden is on God to remember the covenant, and promise not to destroy all of creation again, at least not by a flood, even if he does get fed up with the people’s sinful behavior and godless rituals.

 

But now, now the people have some skin in the game. God had brought them out of Egypt and freed them from slavery. But, if they wanted to remain in Yahweh’s good graces, they were going to have to pull their own weight, and clean up their act. I mean, it’s only ten commandments, right? How hard could it be?

 

You know enough of your Old Testament. How did the Israelites do? What grade would you give them on fulfilling their part of the covenant?

 

You might think, at this point, the Lord might throw up his hands and say, “Enough is enough,” or “You made your bed, now lie in it,” or maybe, even trade the Israelites in for a newer model. But, instead, we find him making yet another covenant with his people. A covenant that will not be like the one he made with those he led out of Egypt, a straight forward covenant they agreed to, but, nonetheless, broke.

 

“I am going to try yet again,” says God. “Clearly, starting over didn’t work. I just ended up with different people in the same chaotic throws of sinfulness that existed before the flood. And, I promised not to do that again. And, laying down the law hasn’t worked either. Now they know what they are doing is wrong. Even so, they are just as sinful. Any way you look at it, we end up in the same place.

 

“The people sin. I am frustrated, at best, or furious, and ready to smite the whole lot of them.

 

“There is only one solution. I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more. I will create them with hearts that instinctively know how to love and be children of God. But I know that over time they will fail and fall and sin yet again, and so, there is only one answer. I will forgive them, and remember their sin no more; because always I will be their God, and they will always be my people.”

 

There are no more glorious words, no more life-giving promise than this, as we bring Lent to a close and approach Holy Week.

 

“I will forgive them and remember their sin no more; because always I will be their God, and they will always be my people.”

 

Amen.

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© 2024 Pastor Cheryl Hoffman. All rights reserved.

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                    Careful What You Ask For

Pastor Cheryl Hoffman's sermon from January 28, 2024

Readings: Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 111; 1 Corinthians; Mark 1:21-28.

​There are any number of roads we could travel down with this week’s texts. They all have something to offer us. But I’m going to take us down “be careful what you ask for” street.

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For those of us in Bible study, today’s text from Deuteronomy should sound familiar. It is one of the texts the authors held up as a Messianic prediction text. A text that foretells of the coming Messiah.

 

What I learned this week, that I’m not sure was made clear by the authors of our book, is that it was first a “Jewish reinterpretation of this text that understood it as a promise of a single, messianic prophet at the end of time that the Christian church later accepted and not the other way around." Jewish Study Bible

 

The Israelites trembled in fear before God and they demanded an intermediary. “Ask, and you shall receive.” Moses was appointed God’s spokesperson. The first of the great prophets.

But be careful what you ask for. The Israelites weren’t always all that fond of the words Moses spoke on behalf of their God. And, there was the boring manna, the poisonous snakes, the rules – oy vey, the 613 mitzvot (or laws) – , the wandering (40 years of wandering). All of this when Israel was on God’s good side.

 

By the time Israel is exiled from the promised land, and the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah are on the scene, they are longing for a return to the days when God spoke to them directly. “Ask and you shall receive.”

 

But be careful what you ask for. Enter Jesus, Son of God. Fully human, yet fully divine. Emmanuel, God with us.

 

Jesus came to speak for God, to speak as God, and boy, did he have a few things to say. Some things were really cool. “Your sins are forgiven, your faith has made you well, take up your mat and walk home, today these words have been fulfilled in your hearing, take and eat, Lazarus come out.”

 

But other things – “you fool, you hypocrites, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor.”

 

Those are some pretty hard sayings coming from the mouthpiece of God. And, it wasn’t just what the Messiah, for whome they had prayed for, said. It’s also what he did.

In today’s gospel reading we find Jesus doing what all good rabbis do on the sabbath, he goes to his local synagogue. And, there he teaches the gathered congregation. And, they are astounded! Astounded.

 

I’ve had some good sermons. Maybe even some outstanding sermons, but I’m not sure I’ve ever astounded anyone. They were astounded at his teaching. Astounded, because it was different from the scribes who relied on the teachings of others. Astounded, because it had its own authority. Astounded, but they still unaware of who stood before them.

 

With the exception of one. One cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”

 

And, who was this one who cried out? An unclean spirit. It is, also, an unclean spirit who first introduces Jesus to the wider population in the gospel of Mark. “I know who you are Jesus of Nazareth, Holy One of God.”

 

Jesus doesn’t seem to be too thrilled about this impromptu introduction. He silences the spirit and casts it out. The people are so amazed by the exorcism they don’t seem to have heard the unclean spirit’s words. But, they had seen, and heard, enough from Jesus to spread the word, making him a super star in Galilee.

 

But their astounding amazement will only last so long. Soon, Jesus will be the one labeled “Beelzebub” and his hometowners will be the ones doing the casting out. The very people, who had been praying and asking to once again hear the voice of God, will begin plotting to silence it because this Messiah is not the one they wanted.

 

We have a pretty short epiphany season this year, which is sad. I say this because epiphany is the season, in which the texts are set, to reveal or give light to just who this Jesus of Nazareth is. And like today’s gospel congregation, we are meant to be astounded by the things Jesus says and does.

 

Have we ever seen or heard anyone with such authority? One who can draw others to him with a simple call to, “Follow me!” One who can silence and cast out demons. One who next week will demonstrate the power to heal.

 

This God of ours is truly beyond anything we have ever seen or known. And, sometimes we forget this. I often think our biggest sin is not that we doubt God exists, but that we make the God, in whom we believe, too small.

 

If you remember our “breakfast church,” back in November, we were told to pray until something happens. But, that kitten story was also a reminder to be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.

 

Today, we’re invited to remember, and consider, the astounding things God has done; to dare to ask, and be open to any answer which may come our way. Open ourselves to be astounded.

 

Now to him, who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to his power at work within us, to him be glory in the church, and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever.  Amen

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© 2024 Pastor Cheryl Hoffman. All rights reserved.

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Follow Me!

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Pastor Cheryl Hoffman's sermon for January 21, 2024

Readings: Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:5-12; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20.

 

Jesus said, "Follow me!" Immediately Simon and Andrew left their nets and followed him.

 

Jesus said, "Follow me!" James and John left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

 

Every time I hear this story I’m amazed at Simon, Andrew, James and John's willingness to leave what was and, without question, walk obediently, and blindly, into the unknown.

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Fishing was their vocation. Fisherman was their identity and, it was probably the identity of their family members for generations. As fishermen, they knew who they were and what was expected from them. They cast their nets by night and mended them by day. Their labors provided food for their families, as well as, for others in the community. Fishermen described these four men and they, in turn, helped define what it meant to be fishermen.

Then, on some unimportant, otherwise unidentified day, they heard a man's voice saying, "Follow me!" and they left it all behind. And, it appears they did so without weighing the pros and cons, without second guessing, and without looking back.

 

When is the last time you heard anything so compelling you were willing, with or without weighing pros and cons, to give up the very things that define who and what you are? When was the last time something happened, or someone came along and convinced you that your identity needed redefining?

 

Before we pursue these questions, let me clarify a widely prevalent misconception. While Peter, Andrew, James and John left their nets, their vocation, and all those things they had and identified who they were, they did not jump ship, abandoning everything, and everyone, they knew.

 

All four fisherman were from Capernaum, a town in the Galilee region. This town became a home base for Jesus' ministry in Galilee. The town will come up several times in the remaining weeks of Epiphany, including a story about Peter's mother-in-law. There are also later texts, in which we find the disciples back in a fishing boat, meaning that while they were no longer fishermen, they were still men who fished.

 

This clarifies Jesus' call, "Follow me!" His words are best understood as an invitation to change identity and purpose, rather than a call for reckless abandonment to start over. I must admit, for me personally, starting over, even when not done recklessly, has the bigger appeal. I’m one of those people who likes the idea of a clean slate, redefining my destiny. I was in college when I realized "starting over" isn't really possible. It was a sociology professor who put it into words, saying, "No matter where you go, there you are."

 

No matter where you go, there you are. You can pick up and go anywhere you want, any time you want, but when you get to where you’re going, the same you will be there. The only thing that will have changed are the surroundings. It’s one of the easy, more obvious lessons in life, but its truth can be frustrating when you really do want things to change.

Enter Jesus and his call, “Follow me!”

 

We readily hear this text as a call to be a disciple. We accept, with our mind, at least, that Jesus calls us to follow and be a disciple, just as he called Simon, Andrew, James and John. But, then we move on, as if that’s all there is to it. In reality, however, the call to follow, when heeded, is an extraordinary disruption in a person's life.

 

Jesus' call, “Follow me!” is a call to change, not the place of action, but the person and the action itself. Being a disciple isn't about the travel and physical following of Jesus. Being a disciple is about what you do and why you do it.

 

Note that Jesus doesn't politely ask the men, “Will you please consider leaving what you think you know about who you are, and follow me, so I can show you the real you?”

 

No, he imperatively says, “FOLLOW ME!” Jesus' call to discipleship is an imperative to be something other than we are.

 

Over the next couple of weeks, the two sets of brothers will learn about what they’re being called to by observing Jesus. Those same observations speak to us. They are not just nice narratives recorded to be bedtime stories. They’re examples of what lies ahead, for these one-time fishermen, and for us.

 

The call is to gather, teach, cast out demons, heal the sick, feed the hungry and raise the dead. But, the call starts here, not out there.

 

“Follow me!” Jesus says, and be changed from the inside out. But, the change won't happen overnight. The gospels include stories of the disciples’ fights, denials, betrayals, lack of faith, misinterpretations and total cluelessness. Sometimes you wonder if they are ever going to get it right. But, by the last chapter, through the gracious mercy of God, they are transformed from fishermen into apostles and disciples of Jesus Christ.

 

This same gracious mercy which transformed Simon, Andrew, James and John, is the gift of light God offers us today.

 

“If you wish to be my disciple you must change who and what you are. If you wish to change who and what you are, you must be my disciple and follow me. The journey will require you to experience betrayal, denial, and death on the cross. But, it’s the only way to change who you are, wherever you go.”

 

Jesus said, "Follow me!" Immediately Simon and Andrew left their nets and followed him.

 

Jesus said, "Follow me!" James and John left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

 

Jesus says, "Follow me!" And you…. Well, you fill in the blank. Amen.

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© 2024 Pastor Cheryl Hoffman. All rights reserved.

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