Rebecca Sheridan
Sunday, February 17, 2019
Matthew 7:1-14, 24-29

Have you ever walked around with something stuck in your teeth? (Like right here, for all to see?) Poppy seeds, something green like spinach? Or maybe it was something smudged on your face? A giant stain on your shirt, or worse yet, your pants?!? Ever walk around like that, only to realize it much later – and then wonder how many people had noticed, like, “Just how many places had I gone around in public like that?” And I don’t know about you, but then I’m thinking about who saw me—and why no one said anything to me about it!
So maybe this is kind of a gross, kind of embarrassing thing to think about, but it is at the heart of Jesus’ teaching to us this morning when he says, “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt?…Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.”
This morning we’re finishing up Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount which we have been hearing for the last three weeks, starting with chapter five in the Beatitudes, and then hearing about storing our treasures up in heaven, and now, a strong reminder from Jesus to think twice about how we judge others. It’s hard to preach a sermon on Jesus’ sermon, because, well, who can compete with Jesus as a preacher? But as you read through these chapters of Matthew, there’s a lot to unpack, a lot to ponder. And today, I want to focus that idea of not judging, not criticizing…how Jesus exhorts us to use GOOD judgment, rather than BAD judgment.
A commentator I read this week, Dr. Warren Carter from Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth Texas, points out that the first verse in chapter seven of Matthew is somewhat unhelpfully translated “do not judge.” We make judgments all of the time in ways that are helpful – what clothes we will wear today, whether to take Dodge or the interstate, whether to put on our seatbelt or not, whether to come to church or not! What Jesus is asking us to refrain from more accurately is in our translation from the Message – do not criticize, or do not condemn.
Good judgment is using our God-given brains to think and reflect on our own actions and how we participate in God’s lifegiving work, God’s kingdom work, God’s will, rather than focusing on others and what they SHOULD do. You’ve probably heard before, for example, it’s helpful to have healthy communication by using “I statements.” It’s the idea that we can really only speak for ourselves. It’s not so helpful in conversation when we start with the other person, “YOU are such a jerk sometimes!” or “You know what her problem is…,” we generally just get defensiveness, anger, or arguing in return—and people typically don’t want to be around us for very long. As Christians, we might say that God is really the only one capable of truly knowing the thoughts and feelings of others, or of having that absolute claim on truth or rightness.
But it’s hard to do, and Jesus’ words pierce our hearts, because we ALL have condemned, criticized and judged others in this way, right, especially when it comes to those we are closest to: our spouse, our parents, our children. When we have a reaction to people and things around us, our first inclination is to draw conclusions or make statements about that and them. Think even about how we are physically built: Our eyes, ears, noses, tongues, and skin all give us feedback about the world around us. It is a much deeper, much more difficult, quiet, prayerful, even spiritual process to look within ourselves—at our inner feelings, thoughts, and motivations. To take in what others say about us—especially when it’s not the good, but the challenging stuff—to truly take it in and take it to heart, instead of just reacting against it, to look at what we need to change in ourselves. It requires deep soul searching, time to reflect, holding back those quicker, more instinctive initial responses and reactions. It requires prayer. After all, even to see that bit of spinach in our teeth or coffee on our shirt, we need something outside of ourselves—a mirror at least, if not a person, to tell us it is there.
Jesus cautions us to not be too critical of others, but in so suggesting, I don’t think he’s telling us not to be truthful—and that’s the hard part. Jesus warns us that a critical spirit can be something that tends to boomerang back in our direction—when we are harsh, mean judges of others, that makes others want to relate to us in similar unhelpful, unchristian ways. But even more than this, that kind of reactive, defensive posture—that kind of external focus (where we so often look at everyone around us but seldom at ourselves) prevents us from learning, and growing, and becoming the people God intends us to be. It’s as if we can hear very clearly that Jesus loves us, but so often ignore or run away from the ways God is calling us to change.
And all of a sudden, our god starts looking an awful lot like us. And we’re lucky if we ever realize what we’ve been worshiping all along is ourselves! That is what Jesus is trying to warn against when he says, “Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life – to God! – is vigorous and requires total attention. These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on.”
In other words, the subject of the whole sentence is God. And God’s object is us. We are the ones God is striving to help challenge, teach, and grow—not some other person or group. We are the ones God is striving to redeem, and to save. And when we become frustrated with others—with their stinginess, their selfishness, short-sightedness, impatience, flakiness, their tendency to judge, criticize, or complain—God is calling us to work on ourselves, not spend our time trying to fix others! Only God can change us, through prayer, through listening for God’s guidance, through responding to the challenges he brings to our attention. Only God can change others…we can’t.
It is easier said than done to let go of what we want for others and even what we want for ourselves (our will) and to let God do the work instead. That’s why we keep reading the Bible, and praying, and coming to church, and confessing, and receiving Communion. That’s why we don’t live—or die perfect! Only God is perfect, as Jesus says. We can help and support one another in using good judgment to follow the Golden Rule of doing to others as we would want to have done to us. These words are offered by a tough Teacher – following Jesus is not always easy, but thanks be to God Jesus is also our Loving Lord. In the end, when we really look hard at ourselves, we know that all of us stand condemned before God and deserve God’s harshest judgment, yet instead God in Christ Jesus chose to give everything for us so that we might live free from that condemnation, free to love and serve one another. Because God believed and believes we are worth saving and we can grow, and learn, and be challenged, and be redeemed. We are free to use GOOD judgment in choosing life, in living a life as best we can with grace and forgiveness for one another. Lord knows, we have enough bad judgment to go around. Because of Jesus, God is able to judge us with grace, mercy, forgiveness and love. May we also follow in this way of judging others with the wideness of God’s mercy. Amen.

Rebecca Sheridan
Sunday, January 13, 2019
Matthew 3:1-17

If someone were to ask you to tell them more about Jesus, what would you say? We know from scripture and from our own experience that Jesus is a lot of things – healer, friend, master, savior, Lord. How we feel about Jesus and who we know Jesus to be for us probably has changed depending on our age and life circumstance. Probably more important than what we say about who Jesus is, is how we say it, if our love for Jesus comes from the heart. But it can be helpful for us to think about who Jesus is for us so that we can articulate that to others. Starting with this new year, we have begun walking through the gospel of Matthew from the beginning with Jesus’ birth and ending post-resurrection with Jesus’ great commission for us to go baptize and make disciples in chapter 28. I would encourage you to try reading larger chunks of Matthew throughout the week to get a sense of who Jesus is for Matthew, because he emphasizes particular aspects of Jesus’ character just like we do when we tell people about Jesus. If you try reading a chapter a day of Matthew, it’ll take you about a month, or a chapter a week, 28 weeks. This kind of practice could help you expand your own understanding of who Jesus is.
In chapter three of Matthew that we heard this morning, we meet Jesus for the first time as an adult. We hear who Jesus is from three people: Matthew (the gospel writer), John the Baptist, and God. Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises to the people of Israel through the prophets in the Old Testament. He quotes from Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah in the first two chapters alone to emphasize that Jesus is the fullest representation of who the prophets spoke about throughout the history of Israel, the Messiah. God’s kingdom is coming through Jesus’ presence on Earth, and Jesus’ ministry of healing, teaching, and forgiving here on Earth will begin with his baptism, Matthew tells us. Jesus will give us a glimpse of what God’s kingdom is like.
There is a lot of fire involved in John the Baptist’s description – Jesus is like a purifying fire. He describes Jesus as the main character who will ignite God’s kingdom life within us. John says, “He’s going to clean house – make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.” John’s picture of Jesus is of a strong, powerful judge – a little scary, but certainly someone we want to pay attention to. But the best description of who Jesus is comes from God himself at Jesus’ baptism: “This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life.” Jesus is God’s son, chosen and marked by God’s love, the delight of God’s life, God says. This is who Jesus is for us.
Here’s the best part, and I should probably say, SPOILER ALERT! Matthew will run with this statement from God coming from the heavens at Jesus’ baptism and show how Jesus’ baptismal mission is to declare that same good news to us…we are God’s children, chosen and marked by God’s love, the delight of God’s life. This is why Jesus came – to show us that God keeps his promises to us because God loves us that much. Jesus wants us to know that we receive the same love that God has for his own son through our own baptisms.
What this means is that not only do we learn about who Jesus is through Matthew’s recounting of his baptism, we learn about who we are in Christ. John the Baptist also gives us some hints about who we don’t want to be. I’d rather not be like a brood of snakes slithering down to the river, as John describes the Pharisees and Sadducees. I’d also rather not be deadwood that is thrown into the fire. This might be the part that confronts us like a punch in the gut two weeks into the New Year, when we’re reviewing how well we’re sticking to those valiant New Year’s resolutions. Or maybe some of you are thinking, “I can’t be compared to Jesus – how could God possibly love me the same as he does his only begotten son?” To be clear, I don’t think Matthew or John is suggesting that God makes the same as Jesus in baptism. No one can be Jesus, that’s part of Matthew’s point, Jesus is the only Son of God, a unique fulfillment of God’s promises.
At the same time, God does make us Christ-like through baptism. Like the Sadducces and Pharisees, we can tend to use outward habits or things we DO to somehow justify our actions and behaviors, rather than thinking first of who God calls us to BE. This time of year, it is really easy to focus on all the things we have to do – well, we have our congregational meeting next week and there are council members to elect and a budget to approve. We have groceries to buy for our new healthier diets, exercises to implement, new books to read, family visits to schedule, you name it. And we could all name things we do that we’d rather not do so often that are not Christ-like – angry outbursts, hurtful comments to those we love, road rage and cursing out perfect strangers, binge-watching on Netflix rather than exercising or getting out and volunteering with our free time.
Matthew and John the Baptist’s emphasis that Jesus is the Son of God and the fulfillment of God’s promises reminds us that we start with who we are, not with what we do, in our relationship with Christ. The Pharisees and Sadducees are trying to rely on their outward actions to somehow fit in or save themselves – they come to be baptized by John because everyone is doing it. But they haven’t allowed God to change their lives or been open to that change. In contrast, Jesus starts by humbling himself and being obedient to God the Father through baptism. He hears those words, “This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life.” THEN he goes out to do ministry, serving others rather than serving himself. Before we do anything, whether we’re overweight or in pretty good shape, an emotional wreck with broken relationships or in a pretty good place with family and friends, whether we’ve tackled everything on our to do list or are overwhelmed with all that’s not done…we start in our relationship with God by knowing who Jesus is and therefore who we are in Christ. We are chosen people of God, sinful and broken as we may be. Through our baptisms, we are marked by God’s love. And because when God looks at us, he sees his beloved son, because we are clothed with Christ in our baptisms, we, too, are the delight of God’s life. Strengthened by this good news from God, then we can go out and serve with the heart of Christ and strive to be Christ-like, seeking God’s forgiveness when we don’t quite measure up, seeking God’s strength and not our own. Amen.

Rebecca Sheridan
Monday, December 24, 2018
Luke 2:1-20

When I was ten years old I was able to travel with my family to my dad’s ancestral homeland in Kvingo, Norway, a fishing and farming village off the Masfjorden on the west coast of Norway. The house where my great-great-grandfather and great-grandfather were born is still in the family. We got to visit the church cemetary where many of my ancestors were laid to rest. To this day, I believe it is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and I have been able to go back once since that first time. Sometimes I get asked the question, “If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?” Or “What is your happy place?” and that is my answer – that picture in my head of the house, the boathouse, the saw mill, and the beach on the fjord. In meeting third and fourth cousins and seeing the places where my ancestors grew up, I felt connected in a deep way that is hard to describe. If you have ever been able to travel to your ancestral home, maybe you have felt something similar – I hope so.
This evening, we remember how Jesus was born: his adoptive father, Joseph, had to travel to his ancestral town of Bethlehem, the city of David, for the census, to be accounted for. I don’t know if Mary or Joseph had ever been to Bethlehem before, or if this was the first time Joseph was in his ancestral home. We don’t know if he was able to connect with relatives, see family resemblances, or relate news of family back in Nazareth, but my prediction is, probably not. It seems that rather than a warm welcome, great food, and a free place to stay like I have been offered each time I visit relatives in Norway, Mary and Joseph were shown the back door. I can only imagine the shame, the fear, the disconnection they must have felt with Mary, about to give birth for the first time, forced to stay in a barn and lay their newborn baby in an animal feeding trough, rather than in a relative’s home.
I debated about what version of the Bible to use tonight, as the familiar NRSV version is so comforting to hear this time of year, or even the King James. Many of us may sort of know it by heart as it is read and we start to say it along to ourselves. I chose the more modern version of the Message Bible in the end because I think it’s good for us to hear this very familiar story in a different way. I encourage you to go home and read your favorite version aloud with family tonight or tomorrow – it’s an easy and meaningful spiritual practice to remember the true reason for the season and our celebrations. We’re hearing the Christmas story a little differently tonight to remember that the first Christmas event, the birth of Jesus, the son of God, our Messiah, Savior, and Master was a SHOCK! I can imagine Mary and Joseph feeling like they were walking in a dream, and maybe sometimes a nightmare, as they tried desperately to find a place to stay, and again and again were turned away by THEIR OWN FAMILY. Angels appear to shepherds with God’s glory blazing around them to tell them that the Savior of the world has just been born in the town they have happened to set up camp by. This was not normal, people. This was extraordinary. Every person in this story from Luke experiences a range of emotions: rejection, doubt, fear, amazement, joy, confusion, wonder. Having given birth twice myself, I am quite sure the scene was not as idyllic as our nativity scenese portray – let’s remember animals were also there who do not smell good, nor are they very quiet for long, like babies. God turns the world upside down in one evening in the birth of a baby, lying in a manger and we ALL are forever changed because of this shocking, miraculous event.
The Message version of the Christmas story we heard tonight caused me to pay closer attention to the rejection that those who first received the good news of our Savior’s birth felt immediately before this blessed event. Joseph and Mary, alone, young, and afraid in a town that while unfamiliar should not have been isolating – it was their ancestral home. Yet, instead of feeling the deep connection to the line of King David like I felt in Norway, they were dismissed, cast aside, without much sympathy even with Mary’s condition. The shepherds were working overtime – no Christmas holiday for them, camping out with a night watch over their sheep. They were subsistence-level farmers, nomads, at the bottom of society, but angels first appeared to them to ask them to spred the word of “a great and joyful event.. meant for everybody worldwide!” It is very significant that Jesus begins his earthly life this way – rejected, lowly, yet connected from birth to his ancestral homeland, the line of King David. It is very significant that the Savior of the world appears first to the ones most easily rejected by society: unwed teenage peasant parents and shepherds camping on the outskirts of town. In the NRSV, the angels share this blessing from God, “And on earth peace among those whom he favors.” God shows his favor to the whole world in turning everything upside down, in appearing to the least and the lost, in accepting the rejected that first Christmas night. His son, this baby Jesus, will continue to be rejected by some to this day: but first, rejected by King Herod as a baby, he and his parents will flee to Egypt. Back in Nazareth as an adult, he will preach in the synagogue and be rejected by those in his hometown. In Jerusalem, he will be betrayed and denied by his closest followers, his own disciples. On the cross, he is rejected by all worldly powers who put him to death. This is how God saves – God turns the world around, so that the rejected are the first to hear the good news and receive peace and joy. God favors the lowly, the least, and the lost. The one most despised and rejected is the Messiah, our Savior, Lord and Master, who calls us to do the same. Whether you have found peace and acceptance in your own family line, in your ancestral home, around your Christmas dinner table or not; God declares tonight and every night that God has come to make a place for you. You belong to God. Wherever you go, no matter how displaced or disconnected you may feel, God in the flesh, Emmanuel, God with us, goes with you.
Several decades ago there was a national campaign in our denomination to call local churches “The Welcome Place.” Some of you may still have the red T-shirt: Bethel – The Welcome Place. I like the idea. It reflects the character of God for us to strive to extend radical welcome, hospitality, and love to those who are often overlooked. It also challenges us to ponder what genuine welcome really requires, when a guy who doesn’t smell the best shuffles in with a suspicious looking backpack, or when someone who doesn’t speak English very well tries to follow along in worship. And then there’s always that sin question – “well, if we accept that, are we avoiding confronting someone’s sin? God doesn’t tolerate sin.”
In our Christmas story tonight, we are reminded of how easy it could have been for any one of us to be that relative, that innkeeper, who rejected the holy family, who rejected Christ unknowingly for a host of reasons but most especially the result of sin, which seeks to separate and divide us from each other and God. Over and over again in the story of Jesus which we will be retelling here at Bethel in the next year, God reminds us of Jesus purpose to restore what is broken, to save what was lost to sin, to bring together people in relationship which never otherwise would have happened. Old and young, rich and poor, every language and race, regardless of occupation, citizenship status, station in life God’s good news is meant for everybody everywhere. In hearing this Christmas story anew, perhaps the greatest shock for us tonight, or the message we have yet to fully grasp is how God could possibly be in love with us, with me, sinful human being that I am. You have a place here. God has accepted you, just as you are, no exceptions. In Jesus Christ, the son of God, the Word made flesh, our Savior and Lord, God is working to reconnect our lives to return us to our ancestral home, where all belong, where everyone fits in, where the shocking becomes normal, where the world is not just turned upside down, but made right again. Merry Christmas! Amen!

Rebecca Sheridan
Sunday, January 20, 2019
Matthew 4:1-17

Does anyone in this room actually like tests? Would you say you are a good test taker or a bad one? I have a good friend who almost didn’t get into college because of her low ACT scores…she got good grades in school and is an intelligent person, but test-taking caused her such great anxiety she would freeze and not be able to get through the test. On the other hand, I have another friend who got a perfect score on the ACT but never graduated from college – due to some personal issues he struggled to make it through the long haul of four or more years of classes, although again he is one of the smartest people I know. Different tests challenge us in different ways – temptation to eat another piece of chocolate for me? Definitely a hard test, while some of you may not even really like chocolate! Whether we’re good or bad facing some tests in life, the reality is, all of us can name tests that have been difficult for us, whether it was getting through school academically, surviving a major health setback or living through a huge loss like the loss of a spouse. Our faith in God helps us get through trying times and look back to see how God’s strength helped us persevere in whatever test we were facing.
Today, we move to chapter four of Matthew where Jesus is tested by the devil after forty days and forty nights of fasting. I don’t know if even Jesus was looking forward to that test, which was both physically and psychologically demanding. The devil is tempting Jesus to abandon his obedience and faithfulness to God by serving himself, by being selfish in three ways: misusing God’s miraculous power by feeding himself and therefore breaking his fast, deviating from God’s plan and purpose by jumping off the Temple, and finally, claiming earthly power for himself by worshipping the devil instead of worshipping God. And of course, Jesus passes the test – he does not waver in obeying God and serving God instead of serving himself or giving into the devil’s temptations.
There are some good questions that come to mind when we hear this story of Jesus being tested by the devil. WHY did the Spirit lead Jesus to the wilderness to be tested by the devil? Why did Jesus have to fast for forty days to be ready for this test? And there’s the big problem of evil question, “if God allows Jesus to be tested by evil, why does God also allow us to be tested by suffering and evil, too?”
These are questions that have no easy answers, but we can find hope in Jesus’ response to these tests. We may not be able to explain why we experience hard times, but Jesus shows us ways we can cope and respond to be strengthened by God’s spirit and supported by angels when we face sin, death, the devil and all his empty promises. First, we can prepare ourselves by fasting. Fasting is a spiritual practice that doesn’t have to be going without food, but going without something that allows us to pay attention to God more fully – so we could try a screen fast for one day a week, or a sweets fast for a month, or a day without purchasing anything. I just saw an ad for an app called “Calm” which reminds you to take 30 seconds out of your day to not do anything. I think even that would be a fast from the busy-ness of life that opens us to God. Going without something we usually do by habit opens up our eyes and ears to listen and draw strength from God.
Secondly, Jesus knows and uses Scripture against the devil. He has fed himself on the word of God and not just on physical food so that even when the devil tries to use scripture against him, he can speak powerful words of God back to the devil. The word of God in scripture gives us strength to withstand hard times, too. It may be a verse you’ve memorized, or a passage you just happen to turn to, a quote you see on social media or something you hear today in worship, but surrounding yourself with words from God allows you to hear God when you most need to hear him for strength, support and wisdom to do what is right.
Finally, Jesus refuses to worship anything and anyone except the Lord God. “Worship the Lord your God and serve only him,” he quotes from Deuteronomy. Regular worship of God helps keep our priorities straight – it’s where we hear God’s word and receive Jesus’ body and blood in the sacrament of communion for strength for our journey, it’s where we have fellow Christians to support us when we’re going through hard times. We live in a world where many people are tempted to worship themselves rather than God – there are many other important things people think they have to do on Sunday mornings than worship God. We are so enslaved to the god of busyness that we think we can’t obey God’s commandment to worship the Sabbath day and keep it holy – every store and every person has to be available 24/7 with no rest for the weary, including ourselves. Yet that is how evil can wear us down when we are not being buoyed and strengthened in worship.
Worship, prayer, and fasting are spiritual tools Jesus uses to stay connected to the source of his strength, God the Father, during his times of trial. I believe one reason Jesus is tested by the devil is to show us that we have those tools, too, to stay connected to God for our times of trial, too. We tend to think of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness as the only time that the devil tested Jesus. We call it The Test with capital letters. But from the time he was born, Jesus endured trials and had to rely on God for wisdom and strength – his escape to Egypt from King Herod, being rejected from his hometown in Nazareth, being betrayed by his disciple Judas and ultimately, crucified on the cross. The religious authorities will continue to test Jesus with questions to trap him, Matthew will tell us. But Jesus never fails those tests, even the ultimate test of facing an innocent death on the cross, dying for those God loves.
This is the good news – Jesus aced the test for us; Jesus, crucified and risen defeats all those who seek to challenge God and God’s authority, namely sin, death, and the devil. When we come to times where we feel like we might be defeated, like the test is too hard, like we’re going to fail, Jesus points us to the cross and reminds us that there’s nothing to be afraid of, we already passed the test. God has won, the devil has lost. This is why Matthew ends our chapter this morning with words from Isaiah: “the people sitting in darkness have seen a great light.” And Jesus begins his ministry of healing, teaching, and preaching by saying, “Change your life, God’s kingdom is here.” Here and now, already done. This year, we have undergone some significant challenges as a congregation. Our relaunch efforts in some ways has been like a test – there have been temptations certainly to put our own agendas before God’s will, temptation to give up or leave, temptation for us to take the easy way out. We still face significant challenges, primarily financial – we are maintaining a small membership of people who invest a lot financially and with their volunteer time. What I think is important for us to hear from God today as we go into this annual meeting and continue to wrestle with the difficult situation our church finds itself in, is that God’s got it. God has triumphed over evil, and even if our efforts should fail, God will not fail us. Scripture, prayer, and fasting are the lifeblood of the church – refusal to participate in the world’s way of operating so that we can confidently say along with Jesus “Change your life, God’s kingdom is here.” Amen.