"Sleeper, Awake!" Sermon for Sunday March 26th, 2017 by: Rev. Nicole A.M. Collins

The Holy Spirit had me hear the words from the Prophet Isaiah in shaping this morning’s message, he says: “¹⁸Listen, you that are deaf; and you that are blind, look up and see! ¹⁹Who is blind but my servant, or deaf like my messenger whom I send? Who is blind like my dedicated one, or blind like the servant of the Lord? ²⁰He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear.”

I thought about these words this past week spinning out of a conversation with a colleague about the idea of service, being serving one another; how it is seen or interpreted today in the 21^st century? What has become a priority, sadly, is not only not God’s priority, in how we should treat one another but is devoid of all gracious fruits in favor of what is seemingly logical, practical and financially sound. What about compassion, hospitality and kindness I ask?

Are we becoming so wound up in our rules, regulations and agendas that we don’t even go there any more to be “lights” in the world?  As I was remembering the beautiful sunset this past weekend across the Las Vegas landscape, I wondered and prayed even further—have we let the Son go down into the darkness of our hearts to truly change? Or are we in essence claiming to see the light of many things but are truly spiritually blind to the beauty that is the Gospel and its call upon us?

So many questions this season of Lent leaves that first church, the heart, to ponder.  Lest we forget though, Lent is that spiritual time of introspective “house cleaning.”  Last week we saw and heard about the living water and the well of the soul accepting and converting through the wonderful testimony of the Samaritan woman at the well.  With this week’s Gospel, we see Christ actively healing a man who was not only born blind but was to a certain extent, spiritually blind.  The Pharisees and their entourage however, are completely blind to the spiritual truth of loving God and neighbor and are immersed within their own justification for their darkness and distortion of the purpose of the law.  They are compassionless, hostile, self-righteous and curved inward towards their own blind agenda. I would simplify this further in saying that they exampled graceless behavior.

Those are a lot of loaded words but we are, at times, on our journey, guilty of this attitude towards our neighbors ourselves. Graceless behavior is fueled first and foremost by the Old Nature, the ego—remember our fascination with the world revolving around ourselves? The Amazing Grace of God is seen throughout our lives when we find ourselves at that same spiritual pool alongside the blind man washing away not only our sin, but washing away the past to build upon a brand new future!  Let me tell you, there’s been a lot of that going on. Speaking for my husband and I, instead of washing, it has been packing away the past and preparing the pathway into the future to come and answer God’s will—to love and serve my neighbor in what has become titled in jest as “Sin City,” or best known as Las Vegas.

That’s probably a really unfair title for a city in America, why was it even given such a jab?  Is it because of their past, the gambling, etcetera?  What about their future? Truth be told, my favorite depiction of Jesus in action is from the classic 382 minute movie, ‘Jesus of Nazareth,’ from 1977.  Today’s Gospel has Jesus look with loving compassion and understanding upon this poor blind man who was pan-handling outside of the temple.  Through His most loving and gracious heart, Jesus thought about the blind man’s future and wanted him to truly know what it means to SEE.

“Seeing” things through, is that spiritual aerobic or internal surgery God is calling our hearts to be faithful to.  God is calling us to live into our promise to Him to become children of light.  Seeing things… however, the way God needs for us to, requires us to wake up!  We have to wake up to the reality of sin, death and evil, more than alive and well practiced, all around us…  How do we remain faithful? Especially to the future yet to be realized—something “unseen,” and for the most part, “unknown?”

The Gospel writer John doesn’t really say what happens to the former blind man after Jesus heals him. I bet a part of you would love to see the story continue to hear exactly what happened but that, right there, reveals our constant, “want to see” attitude without harboring or holding enough faith and hope in the details we can’t see or truly know.  The other day on social media I ran across a very old acquaintance from my art and poetry days.  He was still pretty much the same as he’s always been. After about 15 one liners jabbing at everything and anything I mentioned in regards to what I have been doing within a New life immersed in ministry… I think he gave up and finally began to share where his life had been going.

Sam used to write tarot readings and a sarcastic column for an art magazine back in the early 90’s.  He’s retired now but still fairly immersed in art, astrology, agnosticism, alimony and absinthe…  Yes, you heard that last word correctly, absinthe.  He and his girlfriend live in the northern most point of Minnesota just about within waving distance from Canada.  Not too much to do there, he claims, except for getting a “ride” from absinthe and painting life-size tarot card depictions… It was a sad story to hear, not just his dangerous problem with addiction, but that I felt I was talking with someone who is still stuck back in the “BoHo” Chicago of 1990’s—nothing has changed.

Nothing has changed, and his vision of the world has even become more clouded and murky due to his choices. I could have ended the conversation a lot earlier, sensing the hostility and misunderstanding he held against how much my life has changed by finding the Lord, but I couldn’t and I didn’t.  He needed someone to talk to, and perhaps share something that was more or less, a cry for help.  The Pharisees in today’s Gospel completely avoided the poor and suffering souls outside of their own temple doors!  They were so wound up in their self-righteousness and indifference, they really couldn’t see these people at all.  They only “saw” them when Jesus had the audacity to show compassion upon them and break their Sabbath day “rules…”

What I had said in last week’s message should echo here as our Lenten challenge and truth.  This challenge and truth is that life is unpredictable (gotta have faith to carry on), but it is not unchangeable. We have that light within us given as the reality, gift of Grace—we are called to let it shine!  Let it shine by believing not only in God, but believe in yourself.  Believe in yourself that God has truly given you New Life to tape into, and that His love is the new law and guide for our unpredictable, ever-transforming journey. Again, the Lenten season is so much about fine-tuning spiritually what faith is, does and becomes for a world struggling within a darkened wilderness. Winter is nearly over, get out there (spiritually that is) and get to work!

Sleeper Awake! Give heed to the cries of your neighbor and love them, bring them the gift of peace that your heart can shine upon them through Christ.  Wherever you are on the road of your spiritual formation as a disciple of Jesus… wash away the past by learning from it and moving forward.  Shake off the dust, rise up from the past and MOVE into a new future!  In regards to myself, I’m hearing that in my heart—the Living Word is speaking to me about a brand new life quite literally as well as spiritually.  For 48 years I’ve lived in Chicago and I’ve packed away just as much.  Thirteen years earlier, my life at that time completely changed upon my finding Christ.  Christ gave my life a whole new purpose and direction—He opened my blind eyes to truly SEE.  I laid down my paints and brushes and took up my cross to follow, love, trust and serve Christ Jesus and my neighbor with the gracious fruits of my live lived to His Gospel.

The Pharisees couldn’t stand Jesus’ freedom and preaching, teaching, living change… much like the man I talked about couldn’t or didn’t want to understand how someone else could change so much.  Welcome to being “human,” this isn’t an excuse, but think for a moment—Christ became fully human and was fully divine to take everything that was darkness, death and evil to that Cross.  He took all of our blindness, deafness, and inaction nailing it to that cross only to destroy it and pour upon us, amazing Grace—how sweet the sound of those living waters, saving many a wretch like me!  The fact is Christ continues to save us, strengthen us daily—this is our hanging onto the unpredictable roller-coaster of life. Faith is our bond—that tiny mustard seed of the New Nature pleading for us to come and see.  Come and see the King, Come and follow—share the Gospel within a weary, hurting world.  Serve your neighbor—love, peace and mercy—through Christ who shines eternal.

Let us Pray,

Gracious and loving Lord Jesus—

We are Your children needing to shine

Help to open the eyes of our hearts to truly see and know

What must be done for Your Gospel’s mission in the world

Let us each embark upon that unpredictable highway

Towards building a New foundation, New Future

Where the Son is always shining

Through our hearts, hands, feet and voices

Love, is not a difficult task, but requires faith and diligence

Help our weakened spirits become strong.

In Your most precious Name, we take refuge and we have New Life!

AMEN

March 26th, 2017; Fourth Sunday in Lent; Year A; SOLA Lectionary

Sermon By: Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins

Psalm 142; Isaiah 42:14-21; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41

This sermon was delivered at the Grace Hub's 8am service
https://youtu.be/0Vt40ayi6jA 

"Liquid Grace;" Sermon for March 19th, 2017 by: Rev. Nicole A.M. Collins

Jesus struck that spiritual rock by striking a conversation with the Samaritan woman in simply asking her: “Give me a drink.” Whether or not, she would come to admit it in the beginning, she was deeply afflicted in her soul with a powerful thirst that only by dipping her bucket into conversation with Christ—she would come to know the truth.  A truth that is, this thirst led her to eventually realize that the genuine well of Promise and salvation was the one standing right in front of her—Jesus!

The Samaritan woman, in contrast to Nicodemus, was not only, out in the open, during the daytime hours, but Jesus sought her out to pour upon her heart, His Words of “liquid grace.” The Jews and the Samaritans had a long history of despising and quarrelling with one another about everything and anything since their lives were lived so differently. Both extended dialogues from the Gospel writer John, however, reveal to us how Christ Jesus radically went past all human barriers and exclusions to open their eyes of faith to bring them to bear witness, share His Gospel.

The concept of the well is a wonderful one, for no matter where you are, if you, indeed, dig deep enough… you will find water.  You will be striking through a lot of rocks, however, to get down to the actual source and this will take some time, some suffering endurance that creates the character of Hope—faith.  Here’s another complex nebulous word, Faith.  The truth is, though, we uses “little smatterings” of faith in carrying out many of the tasks that we do daily.  The secular world has buried the word and its’ spiritual encouragement, under a veritable desert of psychological and “feel-good” remedies… but the Living Water, we are so desperately thirsting for, can only be found through realizing God’s love, God’s gift to the world: Jesus Christ.

Realizing and incorporating that Living Water after an intense conversation with Jesus, led the Samaritan woman to even abandon her bucket to run into the Samaritan village to begin proclaiming Christ.  Isn’t this a wonderful story of God’s saving grace?  Jesus knew everything, and could see down the well of her heart, to know where she truly was.  She, like us all in reality, is a sinner, but more importantly, she was and is a child of grace and promise. Yes, you have heard that before but truly that is what the Christian faithfully is to be, become. Getting that to sink into our often “hardened-by-the world hearts,” takes being tested, and often, testing God’s patience, as well, with us!

That’s what’s so funny to imagine with this week’s Old Testament lesson… Here, were the “Chosen” people, belly-aching and giving poor Moses, their pastor, a very hard time.  They not only escaped Egypt with God’s help but even just got manna! They now were thirsty and impatient, and frankly, most importantly, not putting their hope, and trust that things will be looking up for them! Didn’t they realize that God was helping them through this?  We do this in our own wilderness of sojourning the world as disciples of Jesus.  That’s why our self-help culture makes so much money upon peoples’ worries, complaining and belly-aching about anything and everything, they have to be strong about to persevere. Who said discipleship would ever be easy though?  Has it been for you? I think here, we are all in the same boat…

In that same vein, who ever said that being and wandering the wilderness of the world, as the Body, would, as well, “be easy?” Just the other day, I was interviewed by a potential publisher for my thesis paper I wrote in finishing seminary called: ‘Discipleship Training incorporating Worship and Preaching,’ from 2014.  This paper was a wonderful culmination of reflecting upon my special two year internship with the Gathering for Christ, church plant.  Church planting sounds fairly direct—dig a place to lay down a foundation and “plant” your church.  Truth be told, it is very hard—gotta strike a lot of rocks to have that spiritual life come shooting up around you as the Body.

Sometimes as well, those rocks are people! What do I mean by that?  We come to gather as a community, as the Body to lead and feed one another with God’s Living Word.  Our gathering to worship and fellowship is not only a time and a place to stir the spiritual waters within the well of the soul, they are truly to build our hearts up to be just like that Samaritan woman.  Be just like her in dropping that bucket of all our emotional, sinful baggage down, and running faithfully forward to carry, deliver the Good News abroad! Wouldn’t you have loved to have been there and heard Jesus speaking to her, guiding her heart to realize who she really was in His eyes?

God’s love is a very hard thing for us to own up to.  We either cheapen the reality of His profound Grace given through Christ, or we turn it into a legalized system of judgment and condemnation upon one another… when we really, need to spiritually get down to work!  The seed in the heart has been planted by Christ Jesus’ redeeming and restorative Grace—it is now our task to live into it.  “Gotta live it, to give it,” is an old discipleship model to motivate you to see God’s work active in your life and how it teaches and sustains you. 

Moses is our Old Testament example of a pastor. In the New Testament, we know that is St. Paul.  Both figures were not only obedient to God through faith but were justified by God’s grace.  The Grace in the Old Testament comes from God as the “helicopter parent” and instructor for Moses to continually bail out the grumbling Israelites to wander their way home to the Promised Land.  In the New Testament, as we well know, but perhaps still truly struggle to understand, Jesus Christ died for us to free us from our sin and restored us to a right relationship with God—justification.

Justification by faith through Grace has many a writing composed in trying to understand just who we are and what we are called to do, become.  Sounds easy? Nope, another paradox of that same nebulous word—Faith. The Samaritan woman at the well, probably came nearly every other day, dropping that extended bucket down a seemingly endless tunnel… hoping something soon would draw up.  The Body or community gathered plays into both of those roles. We are both seeking to be led and fed, as well as we are still persevering dropping that bucket even further down into that well to bring us New Life!

New Life, being building communities—making sure that a planted organic community of believers sees shoots rising.  A beautiful and hopeful Advent image comes to mind here, as well, in regards to established church bodies seeking New Life.  This image is from the Prophet Isaiah: “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of His roots.”  In today’s Gospel, we have the tree of life, Christ, extending Himself, showering His liquid Grace, to lead and feed a Samaritan woman to become His disciple!

Why this Gospel is our Lenten challenge, is that we are called in many ways.  We are not only called to transform into the children of Grace and Promise, God is hoping for us to be, but we are called to reconcile and realize.  Reconciliation is a hard word for us to own up to.  If we can barely wrap our hearts in realizing what Christ Jesus gave us at the cross; how on earth can we even look inward enough to DO the spiritual work needed that God is calling us to do to know what love and grace really mean?

Realizing God’s love and grace is the reality of the Kingdom of God.  It is the reality of everlasting peace.  It is a life-time’s journey that we will all be wandering upon.  It is a pathway through the wilderness to that well-spring of all life. It is a glorious hope that is humbly realized in the heart, that first church…  A lot depends on whether you’re open to see, hear and experience God in your very midst, on that journey with you. Faith is a lot like the weather though, it is nebulous, unpredictable, stubborn, and often dark…  Sometimes, you just can’t understand what it’s up to, at least in Chicago anyway…  Chicago enjoyed really weird, snowless days and vaguely teasing Spring-like temperatures throughout January and February.  Just this past week we got 5 inches of snow and it’s been a steady 20 something degrees out with seemingly no end in sight! The greater point is, life is unpredictable but not unchangeable.

There is a bright New journey ahead for this family of Christ, as we prepare to bring the Good News into the world, together. Let us embrace this goal side by side, in the spirit of God’s everlasting peace and love that we, ourselves become founts of blessing and graciousness to one another.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus,

You are our loving and ever-flowing fount of Grace

May our hearts sing to You joyfully

That You are our rock of Salvation, our Living Fount of liquid Grace

May we drink in all that You have to feed and lead us

To be and become disciples in mission

May we grow to reconcile and transform our lives to Your Gospel

May our hearts come to know it is well in our souls.

AMEN

March 19^th, 2017; 3^rd Sunday in Lent; Year A; SOLA Lectionary

Sermon By: Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins

Psalm 95:1-9; Exodus 17:1-7; Romans 5:1-8; John 4:5-30, 39-42 

~This sermon was delivered at First Congregational Church of Las Vegas on Sunday March 19th.

The video below was filmed at the Grace Hub's service which was held on Saturday March 18th:

https://youtu.be/DeL0ttCCgE4