Sermon onJohn 12:20-33

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

During Lent this year, our readings from the Hebrew Bible remind us of some of God’s promises.

1.    We started by reading about Godsending the rainbow as a permanent covenant of peace.

2.    Then, we read about God’s covenant that Abraham and Sarah’s numerous descendants would be God’s people forever.

3.    Two weeks ago, we read a third covenant: the 10 Commandments, which illustrate right relationship for God’s people.

4.    Last week, God brought healing to the complaining Israelites in the wilderness.

This week, we’re wrapping up this series of God’s promises as we progress on our Lenten journey to the cross.

In our reading from Jeremiah today, God declares a new covenant—not one that’s written on stone tablets that can be broken, but one that’s inscribed on the hearts of God’s people, where it will last forever.

Just because it says it’s a new covenant doesn’t mean it replaces what came before. As the organization The Salt Project put it earlier this season, each of God’s promises are like petals on a single flower. The older petals don’t go away because there’s a new petal. Instead, we get to see more of God’s beauty as each petal unfurls.

That’s why I’ve been listing all the promises we’ve been looking at all season at the beginning of each sermon, even though it’s gotten to be a long list. We’re getting to see a fuller, more stunning picture of God’s relationship with humanity with each additional promise.

Today’s promise reminds us that God has always been about forgiveness and reconciliation. When Jesus came, he wasn’t instituting anything new—he was fulfilling what God was already about and had been at work toward from the beginning.

And Jesus reminds his followers of his mission of forgiveness and reconciliation in our Gospel reading today.

The Gospel of John tends to show us a very divine Jesus, but we see a glimpse of his humanity in this reading. He admits that his soul is troubled at the prospect of what he’s about to undergo.

It’s a little strange to read this part before Palm Sunday next week, because in the Gospel of John, this scene actually happens shortly after Palm Sunday. Jesus had already raised Lazarus from the dead, which made the religious leaders decide that Jesus was too much of the threat to their power and that something would have to be done about him.

Then, Jesus rode into Jerusalem in a parade that essentially mocked the Roman authorities. The people watching were like, “Yeah, this guy’s going to kick out the Romans and make things better for us!” And the religious and political leaders were not going to sit back and let that happen.

So, Jesus knows in our Gospel reading today that he has made powerful enemies, and that his time is running out. He’s honest about the fact that he’s not looking forward to what’s about to happen, but he also declares to his followers that he is completely committed to his mission, which will lead to his execution.

His mission is expansive—in being lifted up, he will draw all people to himself. He will be lifted up on the cross, lifted up in resurrection power, and lifted up into the sky in his ascension.

That lifting up is for the healing of the world, as we talked about last week when we read about Jesus comparing himself to the bronze snake sculpture that Moses put on a pole so that anyone who had been bitten by poisonous serpents could look on it and live.

Jesus’ mission is to bring healing to the world, and that mission involves being lifted up to death, resurrection, and eternal community with God. Jesus talks about a seed that cannot be fruitful unless it dies to its current form in the ground. The new life of Jesus’ mission will not come to be without death.

It's only after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension that the Holy Spirit lights up the hearts of Jesus’ followers and spreads the Good News of God’s love far and wide. Shortly after our reading today, Jesus will gather his disciples over a Passover meal and tell them, “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.”[1]

Despite what the authorities hoped, Jesus’ mission would not end with his death, but would instead spread beyond what they could imagine.

And it was already happening: our reading today opens with some Greek folks asking to see Jesus. It was not just Jesus’ own Jewish kindred who were interested in him. He was gathering attention from Gentiles.

And of course that was only the beginning of Gentiles’ involvement in the Jesus movement. We see that expansion and inclusion throughout most of the letters in the New Testament and in the book of Acts. And, unless you have some Jewish heritage, you and I would not be in this room today if it weren’t for that expansion and inclusion.

This scene with the Greek folks is really interesting, because it’s kind of a reversal of the story of Jesus calling his disciples at the beginning of John. Toward the end of chapter 1, Jesus goes to Philip (the same Philip from today’s reading) and says, “Follow me.” Then, Philip goes and tells Nathanael to “come and see.” And then Nathanael has an encounter with Jesus and becomes his disciple.

In today’s reading, the Greek folks approach Philip asking to see Jesus. Philip then goes and tells Andrew, and they approach Jesus.

Where Philip was approached by Jesus to become his disciple, the Greek folks approach Philip. They’re seeking out Jesus, instead of him seeking them. The Good News is getting out about the Beloved Community that Jesus is working toward. The message will spread throughout the world and will be embraced by a beautiful variety of people. The Beloved Community is big enough for everyone.

Do we live as if that’s true?

How do we show the inclusion of the Beloved Community today?

We, who are part of the whitest denomination in the United States, do we learn about cultures different from the one in which we grew up? Do we advocate for equal and equitable rights and dignities for people of every race and ethnicity?

We, who are part of a denomination that has ordained LGBTQ folks for 15 years, do we practice people’s pronouns and lift up and support LGBTQ leaders?

Do we say we want more children and families in the church and then get frustrated with the commotion that comes along with having real live children in worship? Or do we engage with people of different ages in church and get to know them as people—their interests, concerns, and hopes? Do we still engage with people who cannot physically attend our worship services but still want to be part of this faith community?

Do we get to know our pantry guests—learn names and ask about their families? Or do we just pat ourselves on the back for helping “those people over there”?

Jesus said in our reading today that, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.” Jesus knew what the path ahead would lead to, and though his soul was troubled, he did not waver from his mission of expanding the inclusive Beloved Community. And he instructed his followers to do the same.

As we approach Holy Week, be mindful of the inclusion of the Beloved Community that Jesus was willing to die for. Engage with someone who is different from you. That person is a beloved child of God and is a human just like you. The connection you form with others is the fruit of the Beloved Community. It ripens when we die to our fears of awkwardness and of saying the wrong thing.

God’s love and inclusion is written on our hearts. God’s promises are full of love. Let that love shine forth in all that you do. Go, Holy Week and beyond, and love each other.

[1] John 14:12

Sermon onJohn 3:14-21

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

During Lent this year, our readings from the Hebrew Bible remind us of some of God’s promises.

We started by reading about God sending the rainbow as a permanent covenant of peace.

Two weeks ago, we read about God’s covenant with Abraham and Sarah: that their numerous descendants would be God’s people forever.

Last week, we read a third covenant: the 10 Commandments, which illustrate how God’s people will be in right relationship with God and other people.

This week, in both the Hebrew Bible reading and the Gospel we have stories of God intervening to bring healing.

In Numbers, the freed Israelites were wandering the wilderness and getting hangry. They started griping about God and Moses and the situation they were in.I don’t blame them—I’d be pretty stressed out if I were them. It’s so very human.

Do you notice how even their complaints contradict themselves? “For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” It feels so much like when I open my closet full of clothes and go, “Ugh! I have nothing to wear!” How quickly we grow bored of what we have!

God had provided manna—divine food in the wilderness—for the Israelites, and yet they complained that there was no food and the food was miserable.

So very human. And that’s what sin is like—the sin that we are all subject to, that’s part of the human condition. Sin is missing the mark and curving in on oneself and turning against God. It’s a disruption of the relationship between humans and God, humans and each other, and humans and nature.

It's certainly not limited to the Israelites in the wilderness. That’s why Jesus referred to this story in the Gospel of John.

A religious leader named Nicodemus had come to see Jesus after dark to ask him some questions. Jesus gave him some confusing teachings about being born again or born from above, and Nicodemus wasn’t following. Then, Jesus alluded to our story in Numbers and used it to describe himself.

In our perpetual state of falling short and hurting each other, we humans couldn’t successfully maintain right relationship with God, other humans, and the earth. We couldn’t live up to the beautiful image of right relationship we talked about last week in the 10 Commandments and the rest of the Law. And we reap the consequences of those broken relationships.

I know our reading from Numbers says that God sent the serpents, and that’s troubling. I don’t believe a God of love who created the world and called it very good would do something so petty and vengeful. Surely complaining does not deserve death! That’s not the God of love that I know.

But God did create us as meaning-making creatures. It’s how we get art and science and so many amazing, beautiful things. But also, whenever there’s a natural disaster or a tragic accident, we start wondering if we did something to cause it.

From people cruelly theorizing that Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for people practicing the Voodoo religion in Louisiana to the mildly disturbing child’s rhyme about stepping on a crack will break your mother’s back, we make meaning about everything, but the conclusions we come to are not always true or helpful.

In our Numbers reading, I see meaning-making people interpreting the snake infestation as God’s punishment for their complaining and distrust of the God who rescued them from Egypt. This reinforced their distrust of God.

But the next thing the story says about God does line up with God’s character: God brought them healing. God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole so that anyone who was bitten by the poisonous snakes could look at it and be healed. There was no requirement to promise to stop complaining or even to apologize—they could just look at it and live. That’s our God. That’s the promise this week: a promise of healing.

And that’s the story Jesus pointed Nicodemus to when he was trying to explain who he was and why he was here. Nicodemus had come to see Jesus, thinking there might be something special about this guy but he wasn’t sure. Jesus tried to explain to him the kingdom of God, the Beloved Community, but Nicodemus was thinking too literally. So, Jesus used scripture to illustrate his mission to Nicodemus:

“just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

Jesus came so that we complaining, ungrateful humans who go around hurting each other could be healed. And Jesus went on to explain why and what that healing would look like. It’s John 3:16, one of the most famous verses in the whole Bible.

Why did God send Jesus? Because God loved the world—the whole cosmos.

How would that healing happen? By giving us complaining, ungrateful humans eternal life.

And contrary to how John 3:16 is often used to talk about individual salvation, John 3:17 goes on to say that Jesus was there so that “the world might be saved through [him].” Jesus was there to restore right relationship throughout the cosmos.

God became human in Jesus to bring healing and reconciliation to the whole world and everything in it.

That’s what Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection accomplished. And still, we don’t see it in its fullness yet. The Beloved Community is both now and not yet.

For now, we still complain and hurt each other, ourselves, and the earth.

One of the ways we do that is by breaking the Sabbath commandment. I’m not talking about being lax about upholding a specific 24-hour period of not doing specific things. I’m talking about when we don’t honor our need for rest, our neighbors’ need for rest, or the earth’s need for rest. It damages our relationships—the way that God created us to be in community.

I preached on this text the week before the 2020 stay-at-home orders. My internship congregation and I pondered how best to care for our neighbors in a time of COVID before we knew what that was going to mean.

I remember Facebook posts saying that if you didn’t use your two weeks of staying at home to flatten the curve to learn a new skill, write a book, or lift weights until you were ripped, you were lazy and undisciplined.

This, beloved, is “grind culture.” Grind culture is the opposite of Sabbath. Grind culture says that we are what we do, that we are not worthy unless we accomplish things.

It gives no grace for life circumstances, lack of resources, chronic physical or mental illness, or the ebbs and flows of being a human. It convinces us that if we are not operating at maximum capacity 24/7, that we are weak, lazy, and worthless.

It is a lie.

It wants to keep us exhausted, shame-filled, isolated, and striving to consume more and more in hopes that we will live up to its impossible and ever-changing standard.

During the stay-at-home order, we didn’t need to learn a new skill; we were navigating a frightening new reality. What we needed was healing, rest, and gentleness.

Grind culture will never let us have those things. It will continue to whisper in our ears that we are not enough.

Sabbath is how we quiet that voice. Sabbath gives us time and energy to listen to God instead. The voice of our God of love and healing says,

“I made you. I love you.

You don’t need to do anything to make me love you.

You are more than enough just as you are. You are my beloved child.”

God’s voice is always there telling you these things. It’s easier to hear it when we’re practicing Sabbath.

Practicing Sabbath will look really different for each of us and our life circumstances—whether we’re recovering from surgery, or going to school, or caring for loved ones, or working fulltime. And grind culture is everywhere, making it hard to practice rest.

But we’re not meant to do it alone. Jesus came to reconcile the whole world’s relationships. We’re not meant to be islands—we’re meant to be part of rich ecosystems that share and support each other. Church should be about living that out.

Grind culture resists that level of connection, because we’re supposed to be “self-made people” who can “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps.” But grind culture is full of lies.

Our God is Triune. Godself is a community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are created in God’s relationship-loving image.

Jesus came for our healing, to restore the harmony God intended for creation from the beginning. He accomplished that healing in his life, death, and resurrection, and we will experience its fullness in the completion of the Beloved Community at the end of time.

As we await that completion, resist grind culture. Practice Sabbath. And look to Jesus, who was lifted up on a cross and rose again to reconcile the whole world that God loves so much. Look to him and live.

Sermon on Exodus 20:1-17 & John 2:13-22

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

Focus: Just as Jesus showed righteous anger, we can discern whether our anger is righteous by rooting ourselves in the ways God shows us to live in right relationship with God and other people.

Function:This sermon will help hearers learn to befriend and learn from anger.

During Lent this year, our readings from the Hebrew Bible remind us of some of God’s promises.

Two weeks ago, we read about God promising to never again flood the whole world, creating a permanent covenant of peace.

Last week, we read about God’s covenant with Abraham and Sarah: that their numerous descendants would be God’s people forever.

This week, we read a third covenant: what we know today as the 10 Commandments. They’re the big ten among the over six hundred instructions in the Law given to God’s people.

God gave the newly freed Israelites a new way to live in right relationship with God and with one another.And, as we’ve been talking about all year, that way of life includes Sabbath.

The Sabbath commandment reminds them of who created the world by using God’s own Sabbath rest as the basis for the instruction.God rested after working for six days, and we should rest too.

God also uses the Sabbath commandment to remind them of their freedom and who freed them. Every week they took a day off to remind them that they were no longer enslaved in Egypt. They were free people who reveled in free people’s rest.

By remembering who created the world and freed them, they remained in right relationship with God: a relationship of love, gratitude, and joy. They also remained in right relationship with each other and the land by taking a day off from their labor. They had time to enjoy each other and gave their land and animals a break.

We’re focusing on Sabbath, but all God’s instructions here provide a framework for right relationship with God and other people. Respect God’s name and put God first. Don’t murder, steal, or lie about others. And between those: remember to take a break to enjoy God and each other. It’s all about relationship, and rest is the centerpiece between the instructions about how to love God and those about how to love neighbors.

I want to share a recent story of how I did not uphold the Sabbath commandment. I’m not sharing this story to humble brag about how much I do or to make anyone worried about me. I love my work, and in general I take very good care of myself. I’m just also human and sometimes misjudge how much rest I need.

The week before last was a busy week. Not unreasonably busy, but busier than usual. I took my usual Friday off, hung out with friends, and did things that fill my cup. Then, Saturday was our church council retreat, which was wonderful—it was exciting to spend time with our amazing leaders discerning what God is up to in this place for this next year. But it was still work on a day when I normally don’t.

By Monday, after a joyful but very loud family birthday party on Sunday afternoon, I was done. I woke up on Monday morning tired and cranky. I should have taken Monday or at least Monday morning off, but I didn’t think I could afford to because of what needed to get done this week.That was a poor choice, because what happened instead is that I spent Monday morning getting very little done and being angry about it. I was angry about stuff in the news. I was angry about not being productive. I was angry at myself for not listening to my needs.

The problem was that I did not give myself rest when I needed it.

It wasn’t my anger that was the problem, though I spent many years trying not to show anger. I was afraid I would hurt people with my anger.

But we see an angry Jesus in our Gospel reading, so surely anger itself isn’t bad. It’s part of the beautiful variety of human emotion. Emotions themselves aren’t bad—they just are. What matters is how we react to them.

If in my anger, I had picked a fight with my spouse or started insulting people on the internet, those wouldn’t have been good choices. I would have been hurting my neighbors.Anger can be used to hurt others, but it can be used for good, too.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus turned his righteous anger into something like a street performance, a form of protest decrying systemic religious problems. I admit I was unsatisfied with the information I found about what exactly Jesus was angry about. What I found relies too much on speculation or could easily drift into anti-Jewish thought. So, I’m not going to spend more time today trying to explain something I don’t fully grasp.

But what I do see is that Jesus’ act of righteous anger here either commenced his public ministry, as John portrays it, or was the beginning of the end, as Matthew, Mark, and Luke portray it. Jesus’ anger was a tool that he used to defy the authorities who opposed his message of Beloved Community.

Again, anger itself isn’t bad—it just is. Anger can help us recognize when our boundaries are being violated. Anger can let us know when our expectations are unreasonable or not clearly communicated. Anger can energize us to defend our hurting neighbors or work to right an injustice in the world.

For me this week, there was some righteous anger about things going on in the world, but for the most part, my anger was letting me know that I hadn’t respected my own need for rest. I wasn’t in right relationship with myself, which made it harder to be in right relationship with the people around me.

But even though I didn’t fulfill God’s instruction to take rest and honor my relationship with God and other people, God sent me love, in the form of my best friend. I had messaged her during the day, complaining about the state of the world. So that evening, I got a text asking if I was up for getting ice cream. My best friend knew what I needed, and so did God. It wasn’t about the ice cream (though it didn’t hurt). It was about my need for connection. God was bringing me back into right relationship with the world, even when I missed the mark.

That’s what the 10 Commandments are about—not an ultimatum that threatens punishment, but a description of what our lives look like when we’re in right relationship with God and our neighbors.

1.    If we’re in right relationship with God, our love for God comes first.

2.    If we’re in right relationship with each other, we’ll be looking out for our neighbors’ needs instead of coveting, stealing, or lying.

And when we inevitably fall short of those perfect relationships, God is there, loving us no matter what.

So, do your best to take the rest you need. Let that fill you up with love for God and your neighbor. And trust that God is there to catch you in God’s arms when you fall. Rest well, beloved.