"Welcome To Central Christian (DOC) Terre Haute! Central is blessed with an abundance of spiritual gifts and leaders. From the first time I met with our congregation, I experienced the presence, energy, and creativity of the Holy Spirit. I hope this will always be the experience of every member, friend, or visitor who comes through our doors. May Gods Grace and Peace be with you."
Rev. Rebecca Zelensky.

Luke 13:1-9 is the Scripture Text – March 11, 2007

Sermon for CCC, TH – Third Sunday of Lent

Rebecca Zelensky

 Once again, a very large crowd has gathered to hear Jesus. After covering everything from hypocrisy and worry to fearless confession and settling conflicts with opponents, (and throwing in a few parables for good measure), the crushing multitude asks Jesus to address one of the most profound questions of humankind. 

Read Luke 13:1-9

 Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

Why do people suffer? The question is as old as the human race. Something dreadful happens and we want an explanation. A tornado rips an Arkansas high school apart claiming the lives of 8 students and forever changing all those who knew and loved them. A man intentionally crashes a plane into his mother-in-law’s home, killing himself and his young daughter. An earthquake in Indonesia leaves at least 72 people dead and 2,000 homeless. Our souls cry out for answers. Why must tragedy be an element of life? Flip through the pages of scripture and we find our ancient faith ancestors struggling with this same difficult issue, although different writers come to very different conclusions. The author of Judges says it is simple: when people turn from God and break God’s covenant, they will be punished. In his time this was his answer to why the people endured warfare and harsh rulers. The writer of Psalm 37 claims, “Yes, evildoers may flourish for a time,” but we can almost hear his delight as he assures us that God will eventually cut off the wicked; they will fade like grass – just be patient. The author of Job, one of the most beautiful and poignant books ever written, doesn’t offer any concrete conclusions, but does insist that all the usual explanations given to suffering people just tick God off. The writer makes it clear that it is far better to offer a caring, silent presence to those in pain than offer the standard clichés we so often hear. Why do people suffer? Human beings are often obsessed with finding an answer. Go into any bookstore. Look at the titles on the shelves. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how books like Why Bad Things Happen to Good People become longtime bestsellers. Something terrible happens and we ache for an explanation.

Jesus, though, seems to grow increasingly frustrated by the question. Will they ever get it, he wonders? After all his preaching and teaching, healing and accepting, will the people ever understand the good news he is trying to reveal to them? In the midst of offering the word of God’s incredible, life-transforming love, he is stopped mid-sermon by those who shout out news of terror. Like live tabloid papers at the grocery checkout, they yell out the headlines to Jesus: “Pilate Kills Galileans! Blood of Worshippers Mixed with Altar Sacrifices.” They want Jesus to reassure them that although those killed were offering sacrifices at the temple, although it appears that they were being faithful and obedient to God, deep down they must have done something to deserve this outrageous end. If this is what happened, then they can rest easy that nothing like that will happen to them. Jesus, however, fires back with his own National Enquirer-type statement: “Tower of Siloam Collapses. 18 Fatalities.” “Do you think,” asks Jesus, “that those Galileans were killed because they were some kind of super-sinners? Do you really believe that somehow those 18 people suffered a terrible death because they had offended God so God zapped them?” Thornton Wilder’s novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey is the account of a priest’s efforts to prove that the reason a bridge collapsed with certain persons on it was to be found in the moral flaws of those persons. Of course, the priest’s efforts, and all such efforts, fail. While the crowd looks at him with confusion, Jesus refuses to offer any direct explanation as to why such things happen. Is he fed up because the people who should know God and God’s ways do not seem to know God at all? And what about us, 2000 years after this gospel conversation? What do we really think? Preacher and scholar Fred Craddock puts the whole thing in perspective when he says, “That Jesus of Nazareth, Anointed One of God, suffered at the hands of unjust people should have buried forever the argument that those who suffer are the worst sinners.” 

  Sisters and brothers in Christ, we long for explanations when horrible, awful, so-painful-you-can-barely-breathe things happen. Often times, though, there simply are no rational explanations. Human beings do unspeakable things to each other. Perfectly healthy people get cancer. A small electrical spark destroys an entire house. A deer darts out in front of our car and we just don’t have time to stop. And contrary to what some insurance companies say, the consequences of natural disasters are not “acts of God.” Now this doesn’t mean we don’t do what we must to stay well, healthy. This doesn’t mean that we don’t so what we can to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. The reality, though, is that “we live in a world where much is not in our control.” (Craddock) So what advice does Jesus offer in the face of this? What instruction does he give in such a world as ours? Jesus urges us to avoid constructing an explanation for the evils and tragedies of this world. Instead he calls us to “see such calamities as reminders of the fragility of life. Anyone, relatively good or bad, could find himself or herself standing before God without any advance warning.” (Craddock) ‘Repent,’ says Jesus. ‘Turn to God and God’s ways again.’ As we are reminded in the parable of the fig tree, bear the fruit of God’s reign. And what are God’s ways? God is merciful to all. God’s concern extends to all. God’s love is intended for all. When we are thirsty for reassurance and comfort, God’s love surrounds us. When we are starving for strength and hope, God’s love reaches out to us. When we long for God to tell us that we are not alone, when we cry out for God to give us some sign that God is truly with us even in the middle of the scariest situation - God’s love is already there. And God is already at work to bring healing, wholeness, and something good and better to us. The apostle Paul got it right. “Nothing in life and nothing in death can separate us from the love of God.” We are to go and practice these same acts of love in the manner of our loving God.  

John 12:1-8 is the Scripture Text – March 25, 2007

Sermon for CCC, TH – Fifth Sunday of Lent

Rebecca Zelensky

The table is set with the good china and fancy crystal. The pillows where the guests will recline have been vacuumed and plumped. The candles about the room add a warm glow as laughter floats from the kitchen. On the refrigerator is a copy of the invitation: “Please join us in celebrating the new life of Lazarus as we honor our friend, Jesus. Sincerely, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.” With a summons like this, how can we refuse?

Read John 12:1-8

 Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

 Mary anoints her beloved friend Jesus. Why such an extravagant display? Seated with family and the best of friends, enjoying good food and lively conversation, Mary gets up and carries a jar back to the table. She then pours a very expensive perfume all over Jesus’ feet and wipes them with her hair. What motivates Mary to such a lavish act of generosity? Now dinner party hospitality in the ancient world is a bit more involved than our practice of coat-taking and beverage-offering. But even in good old Bethany, a servant would typically clean the dust from a guest’s feet – with water and a towel, not fragrant nard and hair! Why this over-the-top expression of devotion? Perhaps Mary is simply showing her gratitude to Jesus. Thanks to him, Mary’s brother, Lazarus, lives again, called out of death’s tomb to be reunited with his family. (I mean, what do you do for someone who has raised a loved one from the dead?) Perhaps Mary is anointing Jesus for burial. Mary is well aware that danger lurks right outside this cozy gathering – for Jesus and for Lazarus. A growing conspiracy threatens the lives of both men. Those who oppose Jesus worry that his popularity will cause the Romans to attack the people; the soldiers will cut them down if there is even the hint of a rebellion. Granted, care of the deceased’s body ordinarily occurs after death, but nothing is ordinary with Jesus. Or maybe, Mary’s act is even more significant. Could this be a royal anointing? Is Mary anointing Jesus as the king so many claim he is? But worldly rulers are anointed on the head, not the feet! Ah, but Jesus is not a king like others in this world, is he? Mary pours the fragrant perfume all over Jesus’ feet. For any number of reasons, she loving and generously anoints her friend.

 Yes, Mary’s actions at the dinner table are extravagant. Her behavior is over-the-top. And yet, are we really that surprised that Jesus would inspire such excessive generosity? In Jesus, Mary knows that she has encountered the very nature of God unlike anything she has ever known before. In Jesus, Mary experiences the authentic and overflowing love of God unlike anything she has ever experienced before. Mary sees in her dear friend a flood of new hope God’s people have been praying for and anticipating for centuries. In Jesus’ words Mary happily swims in the divine promise of old limitations and boundaries being broken down and washed away. In Jesus’ presence Mary feels the power of transformation and the possibility of new life for any and all. What better and more appropriate way to show her appreciation and unswerving faith in Jesus than by anointing him? What better way to celebrate all he is and all he reveals about God than by anointing him? Being in relationship with Jesus has forever changed her life, and Mary’s joy for him bubbles up inside of her until it spills over, spraying everyone who is near. Mary lets her admiration and gratitude pour everywhere. She anoints Jesus so lavishly that the house is filled with the cascading fragrance. No need to worry that the smell of death might linger on Lazarus; the aroma of extravagant love engulfs them all! Mary, faithful and true disciple, anoints Jesus. She bathes his feet in perfume in the same way that Jesus will later wash the feet of his followers, to teach them how to love and serve in his name. Are we really that shocked by Mary’s gift? Like disciples in all times and places are called to do, she is simply loving Jesus as he has loved her. 

 Of course, there’s always one in every crowd...Someone who is suspicious of others’ motives; someone who takes a beautiful gesture, a Spirit-inspired act, and tries to turn it into something with which to find fault. Judas objects. He questions Mary’s actions. “Why was this perfume not sold and the money given to the poor?” he asks. The writer we know as John accuses Judas of thievery, of having less than honorable intentions, that his protests are a cover-up for sinister purposes. Could be. And yet, it’s too easy to make Judas the villain, to throw the bad guy hat on his head. My guess is that the other disciples are probably wondering the same thing; they’re just not quick enough – or brave enough – to voice their opinions. As Jesus’ hour approaches, lines are being drawn and sides are being taken, and not just with those who wait in the night to do away with him. Sides are being taken among the circle of followers, although most of them don’t even realize it. Throughout his ministry, Jesus tries to explain over and over again what he is about. He teaches it, preaches it, lives and breathes it. But not many people get it. Even among the 12, how many truly understand and accept Jesus for who he is? They all have their own ideas and dreams about what Jesus is going to do. One says, “He’ll be a warrior who will throw Rome out of Israel on its ear.” Another says, “He’ll be a powerful ruler, leading God’s people to a new era of might and wealth like the days of Solomon.” “Jesus is king!” they will shout triumphantly. He is! But like Judas, many do not understand what this means.

 Truth is, we struggle with what it means that Jesus is king. We struggle with how to work together and with the Holy Spirit to build the kingdom Jesus says God desires. Jesus the king spends his days feeding those with empty stomachs and starving spirits and his nights offering people like confused Nicodemus a light to see their way past midnight. Jesus the king is more interested in conversing and commissioning women with bad reputations to go and preach his good news than hanging out with the religious elite in the temple. Jesus the king would much rather heal an invalid who hasn’t walked for 38 years, give sight to a man who has been blind since birth, and rescue a woman condemned to death after being caught in the act of adultery than to have others shower him with accolades or accept a place of honor at the Jerusalem Chamber of Commerce. Jesus wears the title ‘king,” but lives the life of a servant. In Jesus’ kingdom the law of the land is “Love one another as I have loved you.” In Jesus’ kingdom every citizen lives the command of God: “There are always poor in the land; therefore, you shall open wide your hand to your brother or sister, to the needy and the poor.” In Jesus’ kingdom, Mary is the model of discipleship because she doesn’t need a lesson in foot washing to understand what kind of king Jesus is or what kind of followers he wants. She’s already got it! What about us? As the days of Lent quickly pass and Jesus walks steadily to Jerusalem, the lines are once again being drawn. Sides are being taken. Will we accept and follow Jesus as the servant king he is, or are we going to make him into the image we want him to be?

 I’ve often wondered what the room smelled like that night in Bethany. Some believe the sense of smell evokes the strongest memories, stronger even than sound or sight. I have a wrap I used at Myrtle Beach last summer that I washed before flying home, and let dry on our balcony overnight. Every once in a while I still get it out to breathe in the scent, and I am immediately transported to sand, sea air, and ocean waves. Do you have experiences like that? Smells that bring to mind other places and faces and memories long buried? How long did the smell of sweet perfume linger in that Bethany home? How long did it cling to Mary’s hair? How long on Jesus’ feet? Did Jesus remember its sweetness as he washed his disciples’ feet a few days later? Did any of the powerful scent swirl around Judas as he led the soldiers to the garden of betrayal? Later, the aroma must have filled the tomb where they lay Jesus’ broken body. But when the stone was rolled away, the fragrance could not be contained. And it lingers in the air still, embracing all who know Jesus, the servant-king, anointing all his obedient and passionate disciples. It is the smell of compassion and mercy, the scent of justice and holiness, the fragrance of overflowing love – given to us so that we might give it to others.

 Sisters and brothers in Christ, take a whiff! Breathe it in! That is the perfume of Jesus’ kingdom!