Sermon: When the world overwhelms us (June 15, 2025)

Holy Trinity Sunday
June 15, 2025
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15

INTRODUCTION

Today, Holy Trinity Sunday, is a difficult one to preach or even talk about, because it is the only Sunday dedicated not to celebrating a particular event in Jesus’ life or the life of the church, but rather, a doctrine. And at that, it is a doctrine that is, by definition, impossible to describe, because as soon as you try to define God, you have limited God to something definable by a merely human mind. So, what our texts do today is present to us some of the ways God works. They each (except Proverbs) mention all three persons of the Trinity. And they paint a picture of some small part of who and how God is. As you listen, don’t try to figure out exactly how to explain God, how the Father relates to the Son, relates to the Holy Spirit. Instead, just let the images wash over you, and sit in them, and imagine how these images of a Triune God can feed you and give you life. Let’s listen.

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From Grace's book about the Trinity.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

I’ll be honest: this was a tough week of sermon-writing for me. Some of that was due to a lot of extra commitments both in work and in my personal commitments. Some is physical and emotional fatigue – I am simply overwhelmed and need some rest. And some was watching what has been happening in Los Angeles and around the country this week, and worrying about what it all means for the state of our country. 

All this together led to me being rather out of sorts about the appointed texts for this Trinity Sunday. As I sat down to generate some sermon ideas, I was full of questions and angst about these texts – texts that sometimes feel so comforting, but this week seemed only to agitate me. Like in the Gospel, this Spirit of truth who is supposedly guiding us into the way of truth: how do we know if what is guiding us is truly the Spirit of God, versus our own ego or personal desires masquerading as God’s will? How do we discern that? What is truth, anyway – I know, I know, Jesus is the Truth and the Way and the Life, but what does that really mean? What do we do, for example, when two self-proclaimed Christians fall in two very different places on the same issue, both insisting that they have followed the Spirit guide to that conclusion? (This is also something that happened in one of my interactions this week!) 

Or take the passage from Romans, and these beautiful words about how suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us. I love these words, and they have gotten me through many-a danger, toil and snare over the year… but they are more helpful in hindsight than they are when we or someone we love is currently suffering. In the midst of suffering, they can sound more like a trite platitude. And what about when hope does disappoint us? When we try and try to hold onto hope, but keep getting knocked down, and hope just slips through our fingers? What then?

Friends, I’ll tell you a secret about being a pastor: it is really hard to authentically preach good news to others, when you are struggling to find it for yourself. 

But, it is my job to do this, to proclaim the gospel to you each week, and so that is what I am going to do. So here is the first thing, that started to lift me out of my angst this week: Jesus said, “I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now.” What a relief! Some other week, this might be frustrating to me, because Lord knows I want to know all the things, and know them right now! And there is a lot of pressure on us, isn’t there, to have our act together at least most of the time – whether that pressure comes from within or from some external force. We should know things, know how to do things. But this week, it feels like a great load off to know: God does not expect me to know everything or bear everything all at once. So, my friends, if you are feeling like me – overwhelmed by your many commitments, your need for some time off, the demands racing through your head and keeping you from sleep – stop right now and take a deep breath. [breathe] God does not expect you to bear all the things, all the time. There is grace for that. It’s okay not to know just yet.

Now by itself, that gracious word might only provide fleeting relief. But Jesus then goes on. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” I hear two words of good news here. First, even the Holy Spirit himself is not doing it all on his own, like we so often think we have to. “He will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears.” Did you catch that? The Spirit speaks and acts in communion and community with the whole Trinity, and indeed has done so since the very beginning. In Genesis, God speaks with the plural personal pronoun: “Let us make humankind in our image.” In the text we heard from Proverbs today, written from the perspective of “Lady Wisdom,” another name used for the divine, we see the Creator with the Spirit in the form of Lady Wisdom by his side. God doesn’t act alone – so why do we think we should?

The second bit of good news I hear in Jesus’ promise that the Spirit of truth will guide us into all the truth, declaring to us the things that are to come, is this: it is a reminder to me to listen. Like many of you, I’m sure, I often fall into the trap of believing I am a pretty smart and capable person who can figure things out if I just think hard enough about it. But Jesus’ promise here reminds me that – once again, I don’t have to figure it out on my own. The Spirit has already been in conversation with the Trinity about all the things, even the things we are personally dealing with. And the Spirit of truth is trying to share that with us. The only thing stopping me from hearing it, is that I’m not open to receiving that guidance. That’s not to say I don’t want the guidance. I do! But sometimes when I want something really badly I just hold on so tightly and want to force it to be revealed…. And that is not a posture that is open to hearing the gentle voice of the Spirit. As my mom, our cantor today, has tried to tell me when she has, on occasion, given me voice lessons, and I’m working so hard to do everything just right – she says, “Johanna, you’re overthinking it. Relax.” When we are uptight and overthinking, trying to figure out the solution to everything… it is really hard to listen and to hear that Spirit of truth. But that does not mean that the Spirit is not trying to talk to us, and declare to us the things that are to come.

And what are those things to come? Well, we don’t know yet. And that can very easily throw us right back into the cycle of angst I found myself in this week. But there is something we can know, and it comes right after Paul tells us that hope does not disappoint us. He writes, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” God’s love has been poured into our hearts. I hear that, and I hear: you are full of God’s love. God’s love has been poured into you, even in abundance. And so when we might start toward that angsty place of worry, dread, fatigue… we can trust that God is filling up our emptiness with love. We could even stop, breathe, and visualize God doing exactly that – pouring love directly into us. We can trust that God has a never-ending supply of that love, and will never fail to provide. And when we are seeking to hear the Spirit, to see and know where the Spirit guides us, we can trust that if the direction we are headed is the direction of love, especially love in community, then that is most likely the way of the Spirit of truth. Because love, love in community, is the essence of who God is and how God acts. And God is always drawing us into that communion of love.

Let us pray… Loving Spirit of Truth, the world and our lives and struggles so easily overwhelm us, and try to block out your gentle guidance. Remind us to stop, to breathe, to listen, trusting always that your hand is guiding us, and your love supporting us. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sermon: Diversity reflects the vastness of God (Pentecost, June 8, 2025)

Day of Pentecost
June 8, 2025
Joint service with Bethlehem, Fairport

Note: this is only the first part of the sermon, which I gave. The second and third parts of the sermon were offered by my colleagues at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Fairport. 

Based on Genesis 11, Tower of Babel

         A loooong time ago, before time even existed, God had this great idea: to create a diverse universe, with planets and stars and sunshine and rivers and trees and animals… and, with humans. That was God’s favorite part of all – humankind, made in God’s own image. God had this beautiful hope that these humans would spread across the whole wide world, filling it up, each showing a different aspect of God’s image. Humans over on that side of the world might make one kind of art, and humans over there would sing in a really special way, and these humans would interact with God one way, and those in another way, and when taken all together, this diverse humankind would reflect God’s own image.

      One day, the humans figured out how to make bricks out of mud. Then they used tar to pile and hold them together to create walls. And those walls could become buildings – tall buildings that made them feel very safe and powerful! And so, they built. They built up and up and up… 

…and consequently, they stayed put. Just like that, God’s idea that the humans would spread far and wide to better reflect the vastness and complexity of God’s image was brought to a screeching halt.

      Well, the humans were clever… but God was cleverer, and knew just how to solve the problem. God mixed up their language! So when they came back the next day to keep building, they found that they could no longer understand each other! Sure enough, once they could no longer understand each other, the humans started drifting away. They filled the whole earth, and many diverse communities arose…

      The Tower of Babel is often framed as punishment for people’s pride. And maybe it is, but stories seldom mean only one thing, and so I wonder if another issue God is dealing with in this story is that the people want uniformity, and God instead pushes them toward diversity. Because uniformity gets us nowhere, leaves us stuck; but diversity is what causes us to grow, and what brings richness to our lives! 

I mean, look around – our God is a God who values and celebrates diversity! Just look at the variety of butterflies, ice cream flavors, and smells in the world. Look at the creative minds that have given us everything from indoor plumbing to the Sistine Chapel, from Pride and Prejudice to space travel. 

The diversity attributed to Babel is not a penalty – it is what allows people to see that God is much vaster than a single mind, language, or culture can grasp. And this is a very good thing! It keeps us humble, for one thing, and also reminds us just how mysterious our God is. God cannot be contained by a single viewpoint. Variety of language and culture is not a problem to be solved. Diversity is not a penalty; it is a value.

Unless… unless we allow it to divide our communities. We’re all too familiar with this reality! Just like those who were building the Silo of Babel, a place where they could remain static and relish in their sameness, we still find ourselves drawn toward expecting others to be, think and act like us, at least in the ways we deem most important. Even churches and other communities that imagine themselves to be “accepting and welcoming of all!” too often mean, “We accept and welcome everyone… except for those who aren’t as open-minded as we are!” I have a friend who says of himself, “I’m not a bigot, except about people who are bigoted!” I appreciate his self-awareness!

So is there a way to be a diverse community that reflects the vastness and mystery of God… while also working together toward the goals of God’s kingdom?

Enter the Holy Spirit on that Day of Pentecost….

Sermon: "That they may all be one." (June 1, 2025)

Easter 7C
June 1, 2025
John 17:20-26

INTRODUCTION:

We’ve made it to the end of the Easter season, though of course we will continue to celebrate the resurrection every day until Jesus comes again – that is, in fact, a day referred to at the stunning conclusion of the Bible that we will hear today from Revelation. “Amen! Come Lord Jesus!” It’s the same plea we make at the communion table, as we look toward the glorious day of Christ’s return. 

Also, on this 7th and last Sunday of Easter, we will find ourselves back in the upper room with Jesus and his disciples on the night of Jesus’ betrayal. Remarkably, we will have a chance to eavesdrop as Jesus prays for his disciples - and also for us (a.k.a. “those who will believe in [Jesus] because of [the disciples’] word”). Can you believe that we would be a topic of conversation among the Trinity?! So cool! So, settle into that, and hear Jesus’ prayer for you.

But first, we will hear from the Acts of the Apostles. Where we left off last week, Paul and Silas had just been led, to their surprise, to Philippi, to plant a church there. Things have been going well so far… but today, they will run into some trouble. So, let’s listen to see what happens next!

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Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleliua!

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

I’ve been asked to write some prayers for a project of Augsburg Fortress, our Lutheran publishing house. It’s a new resource for parents and caretakers, where parents can subscribe to receive one short prayer and prompt each day – prayers written by someone with kids the same age as theirs, that speak to the messiness and joy of parenting with authenticity and good humor, written by someone who really gets it. 

I was excited but also pretty intimidated to start this. But once I got started, I had a lot of fun! I sat on our St. Paul’s porch and started imagining these parents whom I’ll never meet, and what their lives are like in October (my assigned month) with kids in elementary school. As I conceived of prayers for them and for their kids, an affection for them grew in my heart. I didn’t wonder about the political affiliation of those who would read my prayers, or what mistakes they might have made in their lives, or their parenting style. I only thought of our shared journey, and what word of hope or grace I could bring to us both, through these less-than-100-word prayers. Though I have no idea who will read those prayers, my experience praying for these parents made me feel very close to them.

In his final moments before heading off to his death, Jesus prays this touching prayer, for people he never met: “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one.” That they may all be one. Doesn’t that prayer just ache right now? Because we could hardly be further from being one these days, as a world, as a country, even as a Church. It’s like we have been primed to look at one another with skepticism and doubt, wondering if any given person is “one of them or one of us.” It’s human nature, isn’t it, that when we feel fear and anxiety, our instinct is to decide upon a shared enemy – often it is the person or group who is newest, or who is most different – because that allows us to find an easy solution. If we just get rid of them (that word, “them,” is the antithesis of “being one”) – if we just get rid of them, everything will be better. 

Apparently, this has always been the way of humans. And that is why Jesus prays for us: that we may be one.

What would that take, do you think, for us to be one? In any given place where division exists, whether families or friend groups or churches or countries, what would it take to be one?

I know what it does not take. It does not take everyone being the same, or even agreeing. God created a world full of beautiful diversity, and if we were all of one mind about everything, things might be easier, but we would miss out on such beauty and depth of perspective – and what a shame that would be! 

So, what does it take? A few things, of course. One baseline requirement, is to see other humans as humans, not as enemies or monsters or scum. As long as we fail to see one another as fellow humans, who experience joy and sorrow and pain just like we do, we will never be one. Beyond that, oneness requires listening with compassion – again, not to agree on everything, but to understand and seek to empathize with where someone might be coming from. And I’d say it requires a level of humility, and the realization that we might be wrong sometimes.

Any of those things would be well worth a sermon. But given Jesus’ prayer, and my experience this week writing prayers for parents I’ll never meet, I’d like to focus on another direction we can take toward realizing Jesus’ hope for oneness, and that is to pray for one another. Pray for unity more generally, sure, but specifically, to pray for whomever your “them” is. Whoever in your mind poses a threat to oneness. Whoever disrupts your peace. And, whoever you need to be a part of your desire, and God’s desire, for oneness.

Maybe it is other parents, known or unknown! Maybe it is teachers and administrators, police, or those in the military. Maybe, or certainly, it is politicians and world leaders, who have immense power to affect the effort toward oneness. Elsewhere in the Bible, we are instructed to pray for “kings and those in high places,” precisely because they have such power and influence and need our prayers no matter who they are! Maybe to work toward oneness, you need to pray for that jerk who left a scratch on your car in the parking lot, or the kid who bullies other kids, or your nosy co-worker, or your ex. Maybe it’s your spouse or kids.

Some of those are easier to pray for than others. And I suspect the ones that are more difficult are probably the ones we especially ought to be praying for in order to get closer to Jesus’ hope “that we may all be one.” So how do you pray for those who are more difficult? 

I’ll be honest, I don’t know the right answer, but here is what I have tried. Sometimes, when I don’t have any nice words to offer, all I can do is hold an image of them in my head, surrounded in light, trusting that God’s light extends also to them, and they are held there. Sometimes, my only prayer is, “God, move in their heart.” Or, “Help us to love one another with the love of Christ.” Or sometimes (and I probably should do this more often, though I frequently resist), I turn it back on myself and pray, “Help me to understand their pain, because right now, all I feel is anger, fear, or hatred toward them. Soften my heart, so I know how to love.”

And that, really, is the outcome of prayer. It teaches us how to love – not to agree, or to like, but to love. It creates connective tissue between our hearts and those of all the “thems” in our lives, those we consider outside of our own circle of oneness. And the more connective tissue that forms, the more threads that come together to create a tapestry, the closer we are to living into Jesus’ prayer, that we might all be one. 

It is such hard work. And sometimes, it is infuriating work, because why would we even want to love someone who executes or celebrates injustice, or who actively works against the safety and well-being of us or people we care about? We would rather condemn than pray for or certainly to love such people! They ought to be punished, not prayed for, and any prayers should only be for them to change their ways!

And yet Jesus’ prayer remains: “that they would all be one.” And so we continue to hold fast to the hope that if Jesus prayed it for us, then it is worth pursuing. Let us add our prayers to Jesus’ prayer – for it is the best hope we’ve got!

For my closing prayer today, we are going to do it. I invite you to think of one person or group of people to hold in mind, known or unknown, someone who you view as outside of or a threat to the oneness for which Jesus prays, at least from your perspective. I’ll give you a moment to think, and then we will hold these people in prayer together…

Let us pray… Jesus, you prayed that we would all be one. But there are so many people and forces and situations that make that oneness seem impossible. Hear us now while we picture and name silently those who seem a particular threat to the oneness you desire, holding them in your light… Lord, we don’t know all that pains them, all their personal hurts, but you do, and you know what they need, so that they might live more perfectly in your way. Grant it now… Gracious God, soften and move in their heart, so that they might see how best to love their neighbor. And soften and move in ours, so that we, too, can better learn to love… Finally, O God, we join your own prayer that we might be one. Help us to seek understanding, to see the humanity in one another, to approach one another with compassion, curiosity and humility, so that we might find ourselves all on your team, striving together for a better world for all. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.