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6After forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark 7and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. 8Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. 9But the […]

8Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk, 10and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.…-Isaiah 58:8-10

Listen to Rev Bryony's Easter Message based on this reading: John 20.1–18 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.' 3Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. 4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10Then the disciples returned to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?' She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.' 14When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?' Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.' 16Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!' She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!' (which means Teacher). 17Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” ' 18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord'; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

8Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10He answered, “I heard you […]

8Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9So the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?” 10“I heard Your […]

8Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9So the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?” 10“I heard Your […]

“7Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation. 2Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; 3and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth. 4For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.’5And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.11 In the six-hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12The rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights. 13On the very same day Noah with his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons, entered the ark, 14they and every wild animal of every kind, and all domestic animals of every kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every bird of every kind—every bird, every winged creature. 15They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. 16And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.17 The flood continued for forty days on the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18The waters swelled and increased greatly on the earth; and the ark floated on the face of the waters.6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7and sent out the raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8Then he sent out the dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; 9but the dove found no place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took it and brought it into the ark with him. 10He waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark; 11and the dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12Then he waited another seven days, and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him any more.13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and saw that the face of the ground was drying. 14In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. 15Then God said to Noah, 16‘Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.’ 18So Noah went out with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives.8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10and 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.* 11I establish my covenant with you, that 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.’ 12God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” — Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18, 8:6-18, 9:8-13 (NRSV) There are two pieces to today’s sermon: we are going to slow down and get into this story of Noah’s Ark, and then we are going to pull this thread of slowness and understanding through to imagination, taking a look at this ancient practice of Midrash – the making of stories about Biblical stories. Let’s dive in – pun intended! To be honest, I do not love this story, for a few reasons. One – there is a huge gap between the happy two-by-two rendition we tell children and the reality of God being so fed up with human corruption and violence that They decide to drown everyone and start again. Don’t get me wrong – I love playing with kids and boats and animals, and teaching the basics of it to children is important. But we skim past the predicament that got humanity to the point of God throwing in the towel in the first place, and we rarely keep reading to learn about the traumatized Noah after the flood who deals with his post-ark PTSD with generously flowing wine and questionable sexual choices. Now, many of us never got Noah’s full story after Sunday School, so if your understanding of Noah begins and ends with the colourful animals boarding the ark, we are about to go a little dark here, so brace yourself. In the Scripture leading up to our story today, in Genesis 6, we read, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.” (6:5). Yikes – though I’ll admit, that is an easy perspective to relate to these days if you are following the news at all. The Scripture continues: “it grieved him [God] to his heart.” Ouch. Dang, that’s some guilt y’all. Also, it is a stark reminder – you mean my bad choices don’t just affect me? “So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created – people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.’” What?! What about the God who knew me before I was born? The one who knit me together inside my mother’s womb? The one who calls me precious, beloved child? This is another reason this story chafes against me – this is not my experience of God. But someone wise once told me don’t stop at the bits you don’t like or don’t understand – keep reading until you get to love.Ok, lets keep going.Wait a minute, says God, wait – there is one, that Noah fellow – I could use him and his family. Go build a big boat Noah – and he does, with some very specific instructions. And then the ones on the guest list get in and the Scripture reads that the Lord – Yahweh, God – “shut them in” (7:16). I actually love that phrase – what a vivid image: God closing up the ark, like Morgan Freeman dressed in white casually lifting up the gangway. But we will get to the imagination piece in a few minutes – back to the Noah story. The door is closed, the flood waters flow, and the seemingly ceaseless rains begin. The waters swell and ark carried on its way floating about. And here, here it gets interesting: as this story continues, it so remarkably parallels the first Creation story in Genesis. This is something that we might miss but would be very provocative for the Hebrew people. Let me explain:In Creation, God said, “let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear,”(1:9) and in the Noah story, ‘the fountains of the great Deep burst forth and the windows of the heavens were opened; (7:11) – the image reminds me of God releasing the original dam – so to speak – he put into place to keep things in order, returning a sense of that primal chaos.Another parallel comes once the onslaught of water has ceased. The Creation story reads, “a wind from God swept over the face of the waters,” (1:2) and the Noah story reads, “God made a wind blow over the earth and the waters subsided.” (8:1).Once they’ve hit land, we have another of these parallels. God blessed Noah and his sons, the new ancestors of humankind, “and said to them, ‘Be Fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth’” (9:1) – the same words that God said to Adam and Eve” ‘Be Fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth’ (1:28).[1] So here is where this story turns a bit for me - these parallels point out for us that the Flood story is not primarily one of God’s destruction, but rather of God’s RE-CREATION. When we read the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures as a long story about the relationship between God and God’s people we see patterns – not of angry wrath and destruction, but of broken people and second chances. When we stay a little while and take the time to notice these details, we can learn a lot about who God is. Almost nothing in the Old Testament – or the New really – is simple. Almost nothing can be understood by just skimming the top or letting our knowledge remain in Sunday School territory. The wisdom of these words demand us to sink deeper and deeper into the waters. Which is not really how we do things today. The culture of these ancient words does not fit well with our modern culture. These stories require a long chew and a slow process of digestion – rather than a protein shake in a blender that you slam back on your way out the door. Think of the way a cow eats verses a hungry puppy. And this is where Midrash comes in. Ancient Midrash is basically a collection of thoughts from Rabbis in history doing a slow cud chew on Scripture. And through time, this practice became ingrained in Jewish culture – I studied with a Rabbi who taught us that every reading has 70 faces, and you encounter a new face each time you greet it. And this is something that Christians – adopted into the people of God – also began to practice. It is why we refer to Scripture as the living Word, because we understand that God is still speaking to us through these texts by revealing more and new things to us with each generation. What Midrash does is respond to contemporary problems and craft new stories, making connections between new realities and the unchanging Biblical text. So – what does that actually look like and why is it important or helpful? The story I read to the children today is an example of Midrash.[2] It is a story about a story – one that we know well – in the Bible that gives us a perspective we might not have otherwise thought of. Had you considered the Flood from the point of view of the fish? Had the Noah story ever led you to the conclusion that God must be everywhere, as the Midrash story did? I have another example – have you seen the movie “Evan Almighty”? God – Morgan Freeman, dressed in white – gets in touch with Evan – an American Congressman – to build an ark in preparation for an upcoming flood. Much resistance and hilarity ensues as Evan finally capitulates and builds an ark, to the humiliation of his teenagers and at the great scrutiny of his neighbours…let’s take a look at what happens:__CLICK HERE TO SEE THE CLIP! This is a modern form of Midrash – these images and sounds help us unlock our imaginations to the fullness of this story – the water! The creaking boat! The violence of the water’s movement! The speed of the ark moving through that water! The animal sounds! The terror of those onboard! The Flood story is not a la-la-la (sing) “Noah and the animals” bedtime story only for children – none of our Bible stories are – they are vivid, shocking, and filled with sensory stimulation if we dare to notice. And if we let our understanding stay in the simplistic, surface level meanings, Scripture doesn’t change our lives. It doesn’t push into new depths of love and understanding. This practice of making something new from our Scriptural tradition – of holding the old and the new gives us the chance to step into and soak in the story and stay long enough for our fingers to get wrinkly. For our hearts to be changed. We have all been gifted with imaginations. I know this because I see it demonstrated in a thousand different ways: through art, play, music; through knitted patterns and quilted masterpieces. In carefully planned gardens, measured and organized toolsheds, tenderly crafted meals. In every novel we read or tv show we watch we are igniting our imaginations; of course we should use that gift in our faith as well! So I would invite you, this week, to pull out your Bibles and turn to a story you think you know very well – one you could likely tell to a child without the text. Jesus feeding the 5,000 with two loaves and five fish. The fishermen catching nothing after being out all night and Jesus tells them to drop their nets on the other side from which they haul in their biggest catch. The Crucifixion. Even if you are new to this church thing, or returning after a while away, you likely know the story of The Good Samaritan. So pull it out and read it. Then read it again. Then read it again, but this time be on the hunt for sound. Then read it again thinking of the smells all around. Then read it again – is there food? What would that have tasted like? Did the characters touch – what would those cloths have felt like? You don’t need to know the answers to imagine or wonder what those would be like. And I will guarantee that if you sit and bathe in the story just a little while, giving yourself time to get wrinkly fingers, something profound and holy will happen. You will notice details that you could’ve sworn were never there before. You see, when we enter into that creative place we are entering into a space with the One who created and is still creating. The one who yearns to share more with us, to draw us in, and who planted in us this terrific capacity to broaden and broaden and broaden. To learn and grow and be changed. The one who floods our hearts with love and second chances, who desires our re-creation, and gives us every new – sometimes painful – opportunity to begin again. And who promises – marked by that glorious colourful bow in the sky, never, never to leave us. Can I get an Amen? [1] Michael D. Coogan, The Old Testament (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011), 65.[2] Marc Gellman and Oscar de Mejo, “Water All Around,” Does God Have a Big Toe? (New York: Harper Collins, 1989), 27-29.

Psalm 61 For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David. 1Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. 2From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. 4I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah 5For you have heard my vows, O God; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. 6Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations. 7May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him. 8Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day.

"There’s no such thing as ‘my relationship with God’ except as mediated through accountable community, friendship with the poor, and challenge to the powerful."Does the shape of your life reflect your longing to see God set people free?//Mark 1:10-12And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.Mark 9:6-8Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.Mark 15:39Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”//This episode was written and recorded by Sam Wells. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms, Theme in G, and Afterglow by Podington Bear and We Call this Home by Alex Fitch.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

"There’s no such thing as ‘my relationship with God’ except as mediated through accountable community, friendship with the poor, and challenge to the powerful."Does the shape of your life reflect your longing to see God set people free?//Mark 1:10-12And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.Mark 9:6-8Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.Mark 15:39Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”//This episode was written and recorded by Sam Wells. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms, Theme in G, and Afterglow by Podington Bear and We Call this Home by Alex Fitch.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

1 Kings 17:8–16    8Then the word of the Lord came to [Elijah], 9“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14For thus says the Lord the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” 15And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

There Is An Atmosphere Around You. Either It Is Shaping You Or You Are Shaping It. What Atmosphere Around You Is Making You Sick And Causing You Pain? Change The Atmosphere With One Word. Call It What It Is. Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 1 Kings 17:1 Their Word Was Drought. What Word Is Around You? What Word Is In You?(Fly In) Receive: Find Your Force Field. And the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 3“Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4“And it shall be that you shall drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” 1 Kings 17:2-4 The Opposite Of The Atmosphere Is Always Available.(Fly In) In The Atmosphere Of Drought Elijah Received Abundance.(Fly In) Become: A New Identity Means The Old Rules Don’t Apply. 8Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.” 11And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” 12But she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first, and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. 1 Kings 17:8-13 In An Atmosphere Of Drought Elijah Became Abundant Food & Water. You TEACH What You Know, But You IMPART Who You Are. You Keep Changing Until Your Atmosphere Does. Protect Your NO, So You Can Release Your YES. Giving What You Need Creates Freedom To Receive. Remember, I AM… Becoming Is Identity! Release: Expectation Is Everything. 14“For thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth.’”15So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah. 1 Kings 17:14-16 Abundance Is The Belief That There’s More. Without The Belief That There’s More You’ll Always Stop. (Fly In) Like A Doctor, God Is Calling you to RELEASE the OPPOSITE of the sickness and pain in the atmosphere around you.(Fly In) Treat Them Based On Their Destiny, Not Their History. Act Like Everyone You Meet Can Have What You Have. Arguments Never Alter Atmospheres. Demonstrations Do. Looking For Fire Or Becoming A Fireplace. (Carmel) Become A Fireplace And God Will Provide The Fire!

GENESIS - Exclusively God’s. 05.23.17, The Good Book Series TEMPTED AWAY… TESTED TO STAY. Genesis 3:2-5, 8-13. 2And the woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.’” 4And the serpent said to the woman, “You surely shall not die! 5“For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 8And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10And he said, “I heard the sound of Thee in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” 11And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12And the man said, “The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” 13Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Temptation Is Satan’s Way Of Reducing Us To Our Worst. Pedal To The Metal…Or Pull The Emergency Brake Testing Is God’s Way Of Bringing Out Our Best. Why? Christlikeness Has No Cruise Control. RISKING FOR RELATIONSHIP Genesis 12:1-9. 1Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; 2And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. 6And Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. 7And the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him. 8Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. 9And Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev. Genesis 13:14-18. 14And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; 15for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. 16“And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. 17“Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.” 18Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD. The Only Way To Discover The End Of The Story Is To Take The First Step.

Matthew 2:1-12 Introduction to Scripture: Today we are celebrating Epiphany, a day when something new was revealed. As we read this familiar text today, let us look for something to be revealed that we had not seen before. There is a rabbinical story that can help us in this task. “It is the story of the burning bush in the Hebrew Scriptures in which Moses sees a bush on fire, but the bush is not consumed. The rabbis say that the important thing about this story is not that the bush is burning but that Moses notices, because every bush is burning, every bush is on fire with the divine presence, everything in the universe shines because God is at the heart of it. So it is in our epiphany story. It is a story that invites us to open our eyes to the light that is everywhere.” 1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” 7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. For a number of years now, my bucket list of places to visit is Yosemite National Park. 2017 looks to be that year. My son, Stephen, heard of our plans and gifted me with a book of John Muir’s wilderness essays. Muir was a 19th century naturalist, His activism not only helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley but played a part in it becoming a national park. Among the essays in the book is one titled, “A Near View of the High Sierra.” There was something about the Yosemite Valley and the High Sierra that fed his soul. It just so happened that it was Epiphany day as I was reading about his travels in the High Sierras. Epiphany day is the day we as Christians celebrate the travels of the Magi to Bethlehem to pay homage to the new born king. As I enjoyed Muir’s gift for prose, I wondered if one of the magi had had the same gift for prose as Muir did and had recorded his or her travels, what a gift that would be to those of us who also in a vicarious way long to have the same experience as those magi did almost 2,000 years ago. What story would the Magi have told? How would they have described their journey? How did they explain to skeptics their willingness to invest more than two years of their lives and a significant amount of money to follow a star that supposedly might lead to a new king. To invest this amount of time and capital, there had to be something special about that star that they were following. As I was thinking about Muir’s devotion to the wilderness that gave him a focus for his life, and as I was contemplating what it might have been like for the Magi to devote several years of their lives to follow a star, I came across a poem by William Stafford that I believe gives voice to what it means to devote one’s life to a specific purpose. Stafford’s poem “The Way It Is’ takes a poetic image that William Blake used, that of a golden string, and builds upon it. Blake said this of the golden string, "I give you the end of a golden string, Only wind it into a ball, It will lead in at Heaven's gate Built in Jerusalem's wall." Stafford takers that thought and writes, “There’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn’t change. People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others to see. While you hold it you can’t get lost. Tragedies happen; people get hurt or die; and you suffer and get old. Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding. You don’t ever let go of the thread.” For Muir, something in the wilds of the High Sierra’s contained that golden thread. Clearly when one read his writings, one can tell that Muir is never lost for he is always holding on to that thread that binds him to heaven’s gate. For the magi, there was something about that star that became for them the golden thread. I am sure that the Magi had a difficult time trying to make people understand what it was that they were pursuing. Just like we wonder what they were pursuing, surely people then wondered just as well. Why would the Magi give up so much of their life to follow this star? In many ways, many of us here in this room are on a similar journey as that of the Magi. We caught a glimpse of that vision of what could be when the Christ truly enters our world and we became intrigued enough to follow that vision to see where it would take us. As we journeyed, as we followed that star, the vision unfolded before us was one that declared that all people, regardless of nationality, race, gender, sexual identity, etc..etc., that all people are children of God. The golden thread revealed to us that all creation is a gift to be cherished. Sadly as the biblical story suggests, not all people catch this vision, not all people grab hold of that golden thread. In the gospel story, we read of two groups of people that missed out of heaven for lack of eyes to see what was right before them. One group, those with power, this group was embodied by that of King Herod. Herod had no interest in any new King to come. He was all about holding onto the power that he held. Power had become his god. He could not imagine giving up any of his power or riches to consider joining the magi on their quest, even if, as Blake writes, it would lead him to heaven’s gate. The other group was the wise people of that day. The magi inquired of them as to where they might find the Christ, the light of the world. The wise people of that day, the chief priests and scribes, knew scripture and were able to tell the magi where to find the Christ. It is interesting to note that the magi went where the wise ones had told them, but not a single learned person went with them. It makes me wonder why not. What about their wisdom kept them from seeing the Christ in their midst? What about our wisdom keeps us from seeing the Christ that is in our midst? What is it about our understanding of faith that keeps us from grasping hold of that golden thread that will lead us to Heaven’s gate? Just as Muir saw in the wilds of the High Sierras something magical that fed his soul, and just as the Magi caught a glimpse of a star that not only held their gaze but beckoned them to leave the comfort of home and venture into the unknown, as we enter this season of Epiphany, we too are being called to grab hold of that golden thread that will lead us to Heaven’s gate. Granted, that thread may take us places that are out of our comfort zone. That thread may very well challenge us to love those whom others say not to love, or it may challenge us welcome those whom others exclude. That thread may very well pull us to give more of ourselves, our time, and our treasures than we had earlier planned. Despite the challenges that thread will lead us to Heaven’ gate if we are willing to follow it. The question is now before us. Will we be like Herod, and miss out on what could be because we are afraid to give up our power? Or, will we be like the learned ones of that day, full of knowledge but unwilling to step out in faith to truly place our trust in the truth. If we follow in the way of Herod and the learned ones of that day, we may very well miss out on what God is doing in our midst. But if we are willing to let go of those things and to grab hold of that “golden thread” that is before us, Heaven’s gate is waiting. The choice is ours to make. Will we hold on to it or not. ___________________________________________________________ 1From Day1.org, “The Light Within All Life,” by The Rev. Dr. John Philip Newell, January 06, 2013

March 30, 2014 Minister Favor Mitchell We Are What We Eat Genesis 3:1-19 1Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” 16To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” 17To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”