Questions, Questions and More Questions.

Today's gospel, Matthew 21:23-32,  is one of those kinda crummy text to preach.  First Jesus' authority is questioned and then Jesus tells a parable of two sons.  There were a lot of comments in my pastors bible study this week about the lack of unity between the two parts and just general confusion of the text.  (It also doesn't help that neither the 1st nor 2nd lessons were all the great of preaching options either, though all three text are wonderful bible study text as they have quite a bit of depth and bring up many questions).


But there was one thing that struck me about this text: the chief priest and elders asked Jesus a question. 


We have many questions for Jesus and we don't always want to ask them or get to ask them.  So I decided to ask my congregation what their questions are, which I have included in italics, and there were a lot of questions.  The questions were asked by people ages 4 to 80 plus.  Some light hearted, some profound. Some I laughed when they were asked, some my heart broke when they were asked.  I will keep this list and refer to it and while I probably am not able to answer the questions, I hope in the future I will at least help people explore the answers for themselves. So what are your questions for Jesus?

Enjoy!

Our gospel starts with what could be a simple question posed to Jesus by the chief priest and the elders: “By what authority are you doing these things?  Who gave you this authority?”

But we all know that not all questions are asked purely to seek information.  Yes you can ask questions solely out of curiosity “Why is the sky blue?”  “What makes up light?”  But you can also ask questions to inform someone “Did you know that the men of Bethlehem are meeting tonight at 6pm?”  And you can even ask questions to entrap someone.  We do it all the time.  “Did you do your homework?”  “Did you eat the last piece of cake?” “Who took my stapler?” When we ask these questions, most often we know the answer, no you haven’t done your homework, yes you ate the cake even though I said I wanted it, I know you have my stapler even though I told you not to take things from my desk. 

And occasionally when we ask these entrapment questions, no matter what the answer is we are ready to pounce. 

This is the case for the elders and the chief priest.  Really they didn’t need to hear the answer because no matter how Jesus answered the question they were ready to attack him.  If he said God gave him the authority, they would have called him crazy or accuse him of blasphemy.  But on the other hand if Jesus said that he performed miracles, healed the sick and drove out the money changers from the temple on his own authority, they would have accused him of being above the law. Either way, Jesus’ response would have gotten him into trouble with the law and possibly even put to death. 

This is why Jesus avoids the question by asking a question of his own.  If the elders and chief priest truly wanted to know who gave him the authority to drive money changers out of the temple, perform miracles and heal the sick, he would have answered it. 

Questions are part of faith.  We all have them.  Questions about scripture, questions about the nature of God, questions about how to understand and practice our faith in our daily lives, at work, at home, when hanging out with friends, when running errands.  Throughout the gospels people are asking Jesus questions, and most of the time he actually answers them.

So I’m going to give you an opportunity to write future sermons and possibly some bible studies.  What are your questions?  About faith, scripture, theology, the afterlife.

Why do horrible things happen?  

Why do people hurt each other?

How do we understand scripture?

How are we to reconcile scripture with science and everything?

Who goes to heaven?  How about animals?

How should we celebrate Jesus' birth and resurrection? 

What is heaven like?

What is Jesus' favorite color?

Will we meet our loved ones in heaven?

Why does it often seem like evil "wins"?

Why does God allow so many innocent people to die on September 11, in war, etc?

How are we to tell tell others about Jesus?

Who goes to hell? 

What is hell?

Can you get to heaven from hell and vice versa?

Why is there pain in the world and why do some people suffer so greatly before death?

Why do people look asleep when they are dead?

Why is there hell?

Why do some people think certain people will go to hell?

Why do we worry so much about heaven and hell instead of this earth?

When will the world end? 

Will the world end?  If so how?

Why is there doubt? Why do some people not believe?

Is there life on other planets?

What is Jesus' favorite denomination?

What does Jesus think about the church today?

Now I’m not going to answer them now, because well we would be here all day for one, and two I’m not prepared to answer these questions right now.  But also I can’t answer these questions for you.  I can tell you what I believe.  I can tell you want the ELCA believes or at least where they lean on some of the answers.  With some research, I can tell you want different theologians and religious leaders have said about the topic over history.  But I cannot answer these questions for you. 

Part of growing in your faith, maturing in understanding, is to explore these questions for yourself, for everyone on this planet has questions about faith.  And Jesus invites us to ask them, as long as we are asking out of curiosity and not to entrap him.  God has given us scripture and theologians and church bodies and religious leaders to help us explore these questions for ourselves.   And when these human means are not enough, faith is relying on Jesus to help fill in the gaps and faith is what causes us to continue to ask questions. 

And Jesus is calling us to help others ask the questions.  To help others realize that church is not a place that you go when you have all the answers but a place you go when all you have is questions.  We are called to help others ask their questions and also to point to Jesus for the answers. 

For we do not need to know the answers for salvation, we just need to be willing to ask questions and look to Jesus for the answers.  

MMC: Great News!

Good Morning Bethlehem

I hope you all are enjoying this beautiful Monday morning.  

A Few Quick Announcements

• Join us this Friday for Family Fun Night.  If you are available at 4pm, meet at the church and we will go apple picking at Blue Jay Orchard in Bethel. If not come at 6:30 for a light dinner, and apple related fun: apple treats will be made and we will bob for apples and play Apples to Apples.
• Grow 2 Gather will be meeting on Sunday at 9am.  We will hear about the life of Abraham and then you can either play a game, participate in a small service project or help prepare the church grounds for fall.
• All men are invited for the first meeting of the men's group this coming Sunday at 6pm for a grill out.
• Thank you to everyone who donated items for the health kits.  All 50 kits were put together yesterday and will be shipped off shortly to Lutheran World Relief.

Book of Faith Puzzler

The last weeks question was: The first lesson starts after Joseph’s father had died.  Who was Joseph’s (from the Genesis) father?  A) Noah B) Isaac C) Jacob D) Joshua
Jacob, Joseph’s father, had 12 sons of which Joseph was the favored being the first born of his favorite wife, Rachel.  You can read about Jacob & Joseph’s lives in Genesis starting at the 37^th chapter.  Congratulations to Nancy Beck for winning this week's puzzler
This week’s question:  What did God create on the 4^th day?  A)light B)animals C) sun, stars and moon, D) land  If you know the answer, email me your answer by noon on Wednesday to be entered into this week's drawing.

A Personal Announcement

As Bob announced in worship yesterday, he has received a fellowship to study cuneiform math in a PhD program at University of Paris Diderot.  I am so proud of my husband and look forward to all that he will be able to accomplish.  However we are both committed to the ministry at Bethlehem, so I will be staying here in Connecticut and remain serving as Bethlehem's pastor but you can probably guess where I'll be taking my vacations.  

Serving this Sunday

The following people have signed up to help lead worship in the following ways this coming Sunday:

Worship Assistant: Ellen Grunsell

Reader: Paul Degener

Communion Assistant: _________

Usher: Bob Middeke-Conlin & ______

Bread Baker:____________

Offering Counter:__________

Communion set up & clean up:_______

Coffee Hour Host:  Apparently there is going to be some celebration for the 2nd anniversary of my ordination

If you would like to sign up for one of the areas currently blank, please let me know.

Sunday's Texts:

The first lesson is Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32.  Ezekiel challenges his hears who think that they cannot change to change because God is constantly inviting us to turn from our sin.  When have you done something that you thought you could not do?  Is there a certain sin that you would find especially hard to stop committing?  How can you use the first experience to help you find strength to stop sinning?

The second lesson is Philippians 2:1-13.  This reading includes one of the earliest Christian hymns (verses 6-11) which talks about Jesus humbling himself and being obedient to the point of death.  What can we learn from Christ's selflessness?  As of the result of Jesus' death, he was also exalted, when have you been praised for doing what is naturally in you to do?

The gospel lesson is Matthew 21:23-32.  The gospel starts with the religious leaders asking Jesus what authority he has for teaching and he turns it back on them by asking if John's baptism came from heaven or from human origin.  Answering questions with questions, is older than Socrates and can be quiet effective in getting people to think in a different mindset, but it can also be unnerving to others.  When have you been pushed to answer your own question?  Were you flustered like these religious leaders or were you able to answer yourself?  Jesus then tells a parable about 2 sons, one who tells his father he will not work but changes his mind and does, the other tells his father he will work but does not.  We all have been both sons at points in our lives.  When have you said one thing but done the opposite?  Why did you change your mind?

Hope you all have a great week and see you on Friday

~Pastor Becca

It's not fair, but you decide why

Yesterday was Rally Day at Bethlehem, meaning that it was a busy day with LOTS of (almost too much) stuff before, during, and after worship.  But it was a festive day which always makes worship wonderful. 


At the beginning of worship, I pointed out two note cards stuff into each bulletin.  I asked people to write on one something they hold a grudge against or are envious of.  On the other I asked them to write a blessing they have received.  We then used these note cards during the sermon which was based on the gospel Matthew 20:1-16.


Enjoy the sermon!

Can you blame the first for being upset?  If any of us were in the same situation wouldn’t we each be upset that we did not get more?  We worked a full day, 12 hours under the hot sun.  Meanwhile those others just worked an hour and yet they got the same pay as us.  So what if we agreed to the pay that we received before we ever started the job?  So what if what we were given is enough for us to support our families by putting food on the table and a roof over our heads?  What we care about is that it is not fair!  It is not fair that we worked 12 times the amount as the last hired and yet we got the same pay.  It is not fair that the landowner decided to be generous and let all the people under his care to be give enough to survive.  It is not fair!

It is not fair that some of us are struggling to pay our bills while others get multi-million dollar bonuses each year.  It is not fair that some people have been unemployed or underemployed for years and yet others easily jump from one job to another.  It is not fair that some people have to study hard and still only get B’s and others never open a book and so how manage to get an A on the exam.  It is not fair that life seems to constantly dump the worse onto some people in the form of illness, deaths, financial and relationship problems and others never have problems and breeze through life.

Life is not fair!  It is not fair that some people who are good Christians there entire life, always trying to do what is right, and others who come to believe in Christ on the last day, will both receive the same reward of heaven.  Heaven is not fair!

The early laborers were upset that they did not receive more for their work.  They did not think about how depressing it could have been to be waiting for work all day and have perspective employer after perspective employer choose someone else over you.  They did not think about those hired last who spent all day calculating how they will be able to stretch what little they have to feed their families for one more day without an income.  They did not think about how those hired last did not give up hope for finally being able to find work.  Instead as the last hired were receiving their pay, the first were seeing dollar signs in their eyes.  They were already thinking about all the ways they would spend their extra money.  So when they did not receive what they expected, and instead just received what they had agreed upon, they resented those who were hired last.  How dare they get an equal reward for unequal work? 

But if you are able to step out of this parable and look at it from a different point of view, you can see that the first laborers can either hold on to the things that they resent about the last receiving equal pay, or they can rejoice with the last and count their blessings and be grateful that their fellow workers, their neighbors and friends, are also taken care of.  Because the last were paid for a full days work, the first will not have to take of their food in order to help feed their neighbors, those who were only paid for part of the day.  Because the last were paid for a full days work, the first will not have to open their homes in order to allow their relatives, the last to get hired, to have a place to rest their heads at night.  Because the last were paid for a full days work, the entire community is fed, the entire community is cared for, the entire community is blessed.  But the first must choose, they must choose to either hold on to the things that they resent or they must choose to focuses on and lift up their blessings, they can’t do both.

And the same is true for us.  We cannot hold on to both things we resent and to our blessings.  When we hold on to resentment and grudges that we have against others, family members, friends, community members, neighbors, even people who live on the other side of the planet our hearts and minds start to focus only on those negatives and as a results we are not able to celebrate and rejoice in the many blessings and abundances that we are giving.  When we focus on the resentment and grudges we see the world as unfair and we are the ones who are getting the short end of the deal and so we hoard onto what we do have and become inward and me focused.

But when we focus on the blessings and abundances that both ourselves and others have been given, well then we see that the world is unfair, but we are not the ones getting the short end of the deal.  And instead we work to make sure that our abundance, our blessings are given to those who are given less.  Through focusing on the blessings and abundances of this world, we are not only much happier but we also end up with a life-giving sense of justice. 

So you should each have with you two pieces of paper.  I asked you earlier to write one a resentment or grudge that you hold, or something you are envious of.  And on the other I asked you to write something you are grateful for or a blessing you have received.  Now flip them over.  Physically they look much the same on this side. Yet one of these cards is weighing you down spiritually.  One of these cards is like chains wrapped around your heart, keeping you from loving you neighbor and in some cases keeping you from loving God.  And the other card is light, it is something that you want to tell others about, something that you want to share.  Now you have a choice, I’m going to pass a basket around and I’m going to ask you to keep one of those cards and give away the other – I’ll burn them after worship.  The card that you keep, I hope that you hold on to.  I hope you use it as a reminder that you can focus on either the negative or the positive but not both. 

Unfortunately choosing to count blessings instead of holding grudges is not as easy in real life, but remember those who were holding a grudge, the first laborers who were hired, received the landowners grace and generosity.  And even if we end up holding grudges instead of counting our blessings, God still gives us grace and gives it to us generously and with abundance. God is fair because God is just!  God is generous!  God is abundant and God is loving.