Chris Yaw

Did you ever hear the story about those marijuana dealers out on the East Coast?

These guys had a weed business, but there was a lot of competition, so they decided not just sell the marijuana, but deliver it, there's nobody doing that!

The reason there was is because it was illegal deliver it.

But these guys didn't give up, they got creative.

They opened up a cannabis detective agency.

Call them up, tell them where you lost your weed, what kind it was, and how much you lost, and the detectives would go out, find it, bring it to you, and charge you a finder's fee.

When the cops came to arrest them, they first had to admit this was pretty freaking clever.

We get an old-timey version of this in Sunday's gospel about a dishonest manager who acts just as shrewdly.

These are stories about getting stuck, and finding a way out - when there are seemingly intractable situations, like the war in Gaza, and the split between right and left in American politics today.

Jesus is trying to teach us that we need to get creative, we need to have faith, there is a way out.

I don't care about the apathy and the hopelessness out there, if those weed sellers and a dishonest manager did not give up and throw in the towel and found a way to break through the log jam, I think we can use our imagination, intelligence, and creativity to find a way out of ours too.

See you Sunday

Have you ever noticed that unlike the death of a parent, the last day as president of a beloved politician, or the retirement of a favorite celebrity or sports star, the Ascension of Jesus into heaven prompted an entirely different reaction.

We look at the beloved disciples who were present, and we see none of this bittersweet feelings of celebration of the past amidst the morning of the loss!

No!

The gospel of Luke tells us that as Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples worshiped him, then returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

There is excitement and anticipation for what's happening! Why? Three reasons.

First, the disciples knew exactly what to do. During 3 years of ministry with them, Jesus had shown them everything they needed to do and they were confident they could do it.

Second, Jesus did not leave his disciples alone. Time and time again he told of the Holy Spirit's arrival, and the disciples knew it would happen soon, which it did.

And finally, Jesus promised he would return. Just as he had miraculously fed, healed, and risen from the dead, his promise to one day reunite, gave them confidence to live and die for the faith.

It is now the eve of my departure from St. David's for a 3-month sabbatical. I will be gone from June 1 to September 1. No, it's not like Jesus is leaving you. But I would like to challenge us to take this time of leave as a way to draw closer to Christ. God has a lot planned for St. David's - there is much work to do.

First, let this be a time to trust in Jesus' guidance. We find this in his Word, the lives of the Saints, and our church community. Your wardens are well-equipped for what's ahead. Let's thank God for their devotion and care. We will be well cared-for.

Second, let us make time for the Holy Spirit, God is not going on sabbatical. God is present to help us grow during this time. Let us invite the Spirit in through prayer and meditation. The Spirit is the one who is with us to comfort, guide, and empower us. We are not alone, but have that little light of direction shining in our souls.

Finally, let us trust in Jesus' return. Just as he has been present for us, to provide, protect, and give purpose, having faith that we will be reunited can bring us through more difficulties than we may know. This is not all there is, We have eternity with God and our loved ones awaiting. I look forward to being with you come fall and know that we will be kept in God's loving hands.

So let us consider not only how reunions bring great joy, but the ways that departures can as well.

It is like the moment you let go of the bike and see your little one cycling on their own, witnessing a whole new world of mobility opening an even bigger window into exploration and possibility!

In the Christian story this did not happen at Creation, the Incarnation, or even the Resurrection as profoundly as it does on Thursday, Ascension Thursday - 40 days after the Resurrection, when Christ ascends to heaven, essentially taking his hands off the bike, and giving us new mobility that opens up bigger windows for exploration and possibility.

Ascension Day is a day of responsibility and ownership. No longer can we call upon our leader in the same way and for the same things.

Now it's up to us.

Our partnership with God in the ongoing repair of the world takes on a new dimension as Christ ascends to the Father's right hand, not a geographical place but an authoritative one.

And that authority, which will come to us writ large in 10 days time with the drama of Pentecost, is what we need now more than ever to face the problematic landscape before us.

For we have been given moral authority for clarity and power to stand against injustice and oppression. We need to speak up for the immigrant, impoverished, and marginalized.

Ascension Day means that we no longer have for the excuse that it's God's problem, that thoughts and prayers are enough, no!

We have been given all we need to do what Christ calls us to do.

Let's get on the bike, embrace the journey, confident that the one who taught us how to ride knew what he was doing.

Once I was waiting in a grocery store line, chatting with the elderly woman in front of me who had a walker.

The line got long, and another clerk opened another cash register.

But instead of inviting the elderly woman in front of me to be next, she allowed the fastest, more able, and certainly less deserving people behind her to go.

I felt badly for the woman, who not only had been waiting a while, but whose frailty and advanced years surely should have put her first.

So, yes, the Episcopal church is making headlines because its immigrant resettlement organization is refusing to resettle white Afrikaners.

It's not because they haven't been in line, it's because others have been there first who have demonstrated much greater need.

What about the Afghan allies, persecuted religious minorities, and other populations facing extreme, life-threatening poverty, famine, and persecution, who have already been fully vetted and in line for years?

This Sunday our church will baptize a little baby and together we will recite our baptismal covenant, which reminds us to respect the dignity of every human being.

Of course it's difficult to determine which refugee is more needy than another, but it can, should, and is done,

So that the needs of those deemed most deserving should, in fact, go first.

And we should not be shy about making the case and taking action.

Following the election of President Biden in 2020, someone came up with the theory that the election had been rigged and President Trump had actually won.

People who believed these things refused to change their minds even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The problem was not the evidence - it was that people did not want to believe it.

This was at play 2,000 years ago when those whom Jesus came to redeem refused to believe him.

Not because the evidence was lacking, but because they just did not want to change their minds.

In a world filled with hoaxes, scams, and disinformation, how are we to make sense of things and make sure we're driving in the 'truth' lane?

We have to consider three things - 1) We're biased. Can we admit that when we look at anything, by definition, we look through a particular lens that is not all-encompassing? 2) Humility. Can we be open to the possibility we may be wrong? How willing are we to change our minds? 3) Community. Can we be in real relationship with a variety of people whom we respect and who have varied opinions, and not just hang around the safety of our own silos?

Being open to the vastness of God's possibilities means doing the difficult work of humility, respect for those who believe differently, and open-mindedness. When we refuse, the stakes are high - and we may find ourselves face to face with Jesus and not recognizing him.

When the risen Christ told Peter in the boat to cast the nets on the other side of the boat, guess what happened?

You know the story.

That's where the fish were, Peter struck it rich - so many fish, the nets were breaking!

And what did Peter do?

Abandoned the boat, he even left his clothes behind and he swam to shore, leaving it all, to be by Christ's side.

He choose what was more valuable.

He choose the giver of those riches, over those riches.

Don't take the bait and think that God's end game is making you rich,

No, God's end game is getting you closer to God.

Your stuff is pointing you to heaven, so jump out of the boat, and run as fast as you can toward what really matters.

Doing the impossible begins by believing it may be possible.

We start by surrounding ourselves with like-minded voices.

It's why future record-breaking Olympians go off to camp together.

It's why Henry Ford surrounded himself with a team of crack engineers and administrators.

And it's why those early disciples formed a community of faith that would believe what Jesus said.

Dear friends, the changes we're trying to make in our lives - to be more loving, caring, patient, forgiving, and kind, becomes much easier when we surround ourselves with like-minded influences.

This weekend we meet doubting Thomas, whom Jesus inspired to believe, and whose community came around him to nurture.

All this, to show us that the impossible is possible when we believe - which begins by surrounding ourselves with believers.

Eastertide is inventory time to ask> Who and what are the influences around us that propel us to do what's more than possible?

What was Jesus' favorite dessert?

Humble pie.

He had it every day in the marketplace, as the creator of all wisdom patiently listened to the misinformed and malicious try to manipulate God's law to their own selfish ends.

Jesus dined on that humble pie when the incarnate God of all truth invited liars to lunch and patiently listened and loved.

A heaping helping of humble pie was Jesus' dessert at the last supper, giving him energy first to wash the feet of the disciples who were about to abandon him, then stand calmly before Pilate, refusing to retaliate and rebuke - all the way up to his last breath!

And the wondrous thing about humble pie is that Jesus left plenty of it for you and me!

Our sin is that we've bypassed it at life's dessert bar - choosing instead the sweeter parfait of pride and the seven layer cake of vengeance.

But Palm Sunday pleads with us to make a better choice - by showing us the power, and victory of humility.

Jesus' rise to heavenly glory was equally proportioned to his descent into earthly frailty, where you and I remain to implement the only strategy open to a humanity that wants to survive.

You and I look at our stunning technology that has made the world a neighborhood, but whose lagging morality has yet to create a brotherhood. We must not yield to the tantalizing temptations of hubris. But reclaim the wiser and nobler menu option of humility - which begins with each one of us:

So, what are you having for dessert?

If you think the power of privilege is to buy anything you want, eat anything you want, wear anything you want. and travel everywhere you want.

Then you're missing out.

Because your privilege is to serve.

Your privilege is to be humble, empathetic, and forgiving. Your privilege is to use your resources to heal the pain.

On Sunday we will hear that epic story of The Prodigal Son, that immature and selfish squire, who squandered his privilege, then came to his senses. He stands in comparison with his older son - who protected his privilege, and became judgmental and entitled, refusing empathy, forgiveness, and humility.

It's a cautionary tale that reminds us to use our privilege for service - that we help ourselves by helping others.

How are you as a person - and we as a nation - using our privilege?

For the greatest among us is the servant.

Are you suffering because you sinned?

It's possible - you may be in jail because you were drunk driving, or have a broken leg because you tripped over a fence while stealing a TV.

But is God raining down awful things on you because you did wrong?

This question comes to mind as we contemplate our Gospel for Sunday, which deals with the eternal questions of bad things happening to good people. Does God torture to teach? Has God purposely created punishment to keep us in line?

No. Never.

God's default setting is not condemnation and punishment, it's forgiveness and grace -

And when we refuse that, choosing to move away from the source of light and life, guess what's left?

Darkness and death.

So when we do bad, as hard as it is to work through the shame and embarrassment, move toward the light, make things right, don't keep moving towards the darkness.

That wonderful, pure heart of yours was made to bring God's light, keep it burning by embracing humility, getting over your mistakes, not burying them.

When you take up the cause of the weak and the marginalized, expect to be commended to a point.

"You're opening a food pantry, holding a clothing drive, that's so nice!"

But watch what happens when you go from asking for donations for poor people - to asking why the richest country in the world has poor people?

When you take a stand for justice, liberation, and disruption of an injurious status quo, don't think, for a minute, there won't be pushback.

This is what we will find in Sunday's gospel when Pharisees come to Jesus warning him that King Herod is out to kill him.

"Oh, that Fox," is Jesus' reply, as he goes on with his business as usual.

His example is our example; Don't be swayed by the threats of the powerful and the intimidation of entrenched forces that seek to silence you.

Standing for Jesus means standing with Jesus who is always on the side of the weak, poor, persecuted, and marginalized.

Rise up, then, and take the outstretched hand of Jesus to that higher plane, where persecution and oppression are vanquished by truth and liberty.

Jesus' way is never the easy way, but it's always the right way.

Fellow pilgrims on the dark and difficult road of faithfulness and charity.

We gather on Ash Wednesday to be marked with the ashes of our mortality, to claim our humanity as touched by divinity, on this uniquely holy day of reflection, repentance, and possibility.

And we are so blessed to have our parish family!

Not just to gather as friends and kindred in the nurturing fellowship of the saints -

But to mark the day - to set aside this hour - to call upon this moment - as a touchstone to the great reforming, redeeming, and restorative work God has embarked upon in the world - as we renew our calling and determination to follow that Carpenter from Nazareth - to continue the greatest rehab project the world has ever known!

For the Christian religion is one of universal scope and unfailing hope.

We are a people of purpose of possibility, that humanity can overcome its primitive urges and selfish persuasions, and work side by side with our better angels, co-laboring to bring to Earth that heavenly vision of the prophets, martyrs, and Saints, that 'thy kingdom come, they will be done - on Earth as it is in heaven.'

This grand and glorious vision of God that originated in the heavens, comes to pass through earthly means - something, of which, you, in your selflessness and generosity, are very familiar.

It calls each one of us to task - in the intimacy of our hearts - in the still, small, place of conviction and commitment - to make the way, clear the path, pave the road, and set the scene - to play our parts in this oh-so-serious task of ushering in this blessed Kingdom.

And so we come to hear the clarion call of Mother Church - to observe a Holy Lent - on this day of reflection, repentance, and possibility.

Chris Yaw

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St. David's

Disarmory Ministries

ChurchNext

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Hyacinth Fellowship

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If Weed Dealers Find a Way...

Why Was Jesus' Ascension into Heaven so Joyful?

Goodbye Training Wheels

Who Should Go First?

How to Change Your Mind

God or Stuff?

Believing Made Easier

Jesus' Favorite Dessert

The Power of Privilege

Are you suffering because you sinned?

Rising Above

Reflect, Repent, and Transform

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