Audio Sermon, July 26, 2015

 

A Lesson in Grace

Genesis 45:1-15

Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo

July 26, 2015

Almost Everything You Wanted to Know about St. Marks But Didn’t Know Who to Ask

 

Audio Sermon, July 19, 2015

 

How to Have a Miserable Life; or Not

1 Corinthians 13

Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo

July 19, 2015

 

Audio Sermon July 12, 2015

 

THE PERFECT PRAYER

Text: Matthew 6:9-13

Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo

July 12, 2015

Audio Sermon, July 5

 

Advanced Citizenship

Text: Leviticus 25:1-10

Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo

July 5, 2015

 

Audio Sermon June 28, 2015

 

Living by Trust

Text: Mark 5:21-43

Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo

June 28, 2015

Audio Sermon June 21, 2015

 

A Non-Anxious Presence

Text: Mark 4:35-41

Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo

June 21, 2015

 

Sermon for Sunday, May 31

 

Ongoing Conversion

Text: John 3:1-17

Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo

May 31, 2015

Audio Sermon May 24, 2015

 

What Does This Mean?

Text: Acts 2:1-6

Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo

May 24, 2015

 

The Wisdom of Not Knowing

 

Today, on Facebook, author Rachel Held Evans observed that she often wrestles with a lingering sense that God punishes us if we are wrong about our theological beliefs. It is a fear and a reflection of what she learned at church growing up. Thankfully, her parents did not advocate this viewpoint at home. Her post was thoughtful and deliberative. As someone who has read a good bit of what she has written, this is not a surprise. Rachel Held Evans is one of the finest commentators on religious life we have and she is a treasure to modern day Christianity.

Years ago, when I was still Roman Catholic I began to contemplate ministry within the United Church of Christ. The idea was great and the pastor of the church we were attending, a really wonderful person, said that the first step was joining the church. In doing this I was going to be officially leaving being Roman Catholic and becoming Protestant. I was filled with dread and guilt. I remember joining the church on that one Sunday that I was going to go to hell. In fairness, by this point, the Roman Catholic Church was beyond teaching this, but still I was gripped with fear and guilt. Years later, a leader in the United Church of Christ expressed the exact same sensation I had so I knew I was not alone.

For a number of people there is the belief that our theological world view is going to determine if we are going to Heaven or to Hell. It may be what denomination or tradition we are in or boil down to our specific beliefs on specific topics. God not only judges us on whether we are sinful or not; whether we have faith or not; but salvation is based on a theological litmus test.

Years ago I had a colleague. He was a fellow United Church of Christ minister who disliked the United Church of Christ. I struggled with this person because he was pretty much anti-everything. He disliked our denomination and was very happy to share his dislike with other people. He retired from his church several years ago and encouraged them to leave the denomination-----they most recently did just that.

Over lunch one day, in a group, he talked openly about his belief that if we were wrong about things theologically we were going to Hell. Over the years I’ve come to realize this was a terrible burden for him to carry. He lived in fear that he was going to Hell unless he believed in a correct manner. Additionally, he had to face God for all the mistakes he made in his preaching and teaching. No wonder he was so anti-everything. Wow.

How cruel are we that we put this kind of pressure on people?

How arrogant are we that we think our viewpoint is so right that only the people who agree with us are going to Heaven?

How can be so certain that our God, a God who transcends all human understanding is so totally knowable that we can capture everything there is to know about God and that God is going to use this as a yardstick for our salvation or condemnation?

I like to think I have a reasonable understanding of Theology. I have advanced degrees in it and have read a good bit of Theology over the years. I can take part in a Theological conversation and can contribute to it and understand what is being talked about. I can discuss Theology with colleagues in ministry and they do not shake their heads in laughter as to how clueless I am. I can stand before people Sunday after Sunday and share my perspectives and they do not shake their heads in bewilderment at my total confusion.

In saying all of this, I cannot fathom to say that I have a clue. The mysteries of God still elude me on a regular basis.

I was often troubled with that and then I had an experience with an elderly Trappist monk several years ago. His name was Fr. Matthew Kelty and he had been at the Abbey of Gethsemani from 1960 until he died in 2011. I had a conversation with him about 2 years before he died. He was a very friendly and very humble man and had been the main preacher at the monastery for a long time. He had known Thomas Merton, who had been a monk at that monastery, quite well.

I asked Fr. Matthew after being a monk for so many years and praying in their Abbey Church close to 4 hours a day for 50 years, what he could say he knew about God. He looked at me, gently smiled and said, "After all these years I can only say that I don't know a damned thing."

One of the greatest piece of wisdom I have ever heard.

The greatest of all wisdom is knowing we do not know.

The greatest step of faith is recognizing we cannot ever fully understand God. In many ways the greatest spiritual gift is the gift of humility.

So I choose not to be cruel and tell others they are going to hell because they are wrong. To me, they are fellow sojourners and we are all on the journey together.

The Big Story No One is Talking About

I find myself increasingly thankful for DVR. I hate watching live television. When I watch live television I’m bombarded with incredibly dumb commercials selling medications I really want because they will make me feel sooooo good. Other than the side effects of partial paralysis, death, and/or projectile vomiting, these all sound very hopeful.

There are ED commercials that end up with a couple with his and her bathtubs that have no plumbing attached in their backyards. There are commercials for really bad pizza. You know the ones, “Better ingredients, better pizza, Papa”……hey, have you ever tasted that stuff?

 

It’s disgusting.

In the Louisville Metro Area we are bombarded with 1001 commercials from a young woman named Lindsay Schultz who has become a local celebrity. Don’t know who I’m talking about? She’s famous for the words, “The Kia Store. The best value in the new economy.” Yes, that’s her, the Kia woman.

Far, far worse, however, are the political ads. Over and over and over and over. Cliché after cliché after cliché.

I am against (insert what I am against here.) and I will oppose any effort that (insert effort of opponent) brings to you.

Ever notice that most of the politicians now are against things? They are pro-growth, pro-America, pro-God, country, American flag, and apple pie, but pretty much nothing of note. They will reduce spending----which they never do. They may or may not cut taxes whether this needs to happen or not. We will benefit by paying their salaries. That pretty much covers the benefit we are going to receive.

They profess faith in Christianity, but their reflection of Christianity sounds more like a party platform than it does a reflection of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s as if their faith in Christ is subjected to the political whims of the time.

Not to distract anyone from a really big news story like Tom Brady and deflated footballs, but has anyone realized how huge the derailment in Philadelphia is? It reflects a massive underlying issue our nation has right now and one that no one who is running for President, thinking of running for President, or is even pondering a run, is talking about. It’s the least sexy topic on the table and it’s infrastructure.

The United States’ infrastructure is rotting away. Bridges are rotting. Roads are rotting. Old trains are running over old tracks over old beds. People are driving over old highways. Water is coming to us through old pipes. Natural gas, oil, etc, are being pumped through old, and obsolete piping systems. We want to build a new pipeline but we are not even remotely interested in maintaining what we already have. What we already have is rotting away.

A train derailed in Philadelphia. It was going over 100 mph and it was supposed to be going half that speed. The train, the tracks, the undergirding of all of this, and an automated system designed to stop or slow down the train was never installed.  The rest,  however, is rotting away. Additionally, the discussion will be distracted into something else.

All the Presidential candidates will line up and guess what topic none of them will address? Infrastructure. It’s not sexy.

I’ve read a lot of books about World War II and I read a couple of books by Omar Bradley and he wrote about one of the most critical elements of winning the war in Europe.

It was not that. No that either. Nope, you missed it.

It was transporting stuff from the United States, to England, to mainland Europe, and to the front line. No matter how great the Army was (and they were pretty great), the Army could do nothing without ammunition, fuel, and food. There are all sorts of exciting movies made on World War II that show all sorts of heroism and greatness----lots of history books as well. None of it would have happened without the ability to schlep stuff.

What I worry about the United States is that we have a lot of wealth and a lot of foolishness at the same time. We worry about a lot of amazingly grand things and overlook something important and unsexy.

A train derailed in Philadelphia. The American infrastructure is rotting away. And no one is talking about it.

Audio Sermon for Mother’s Day, May 10, 2015

 

Love

Text: John 15:9-17

Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo

May 10, 2015

 

Audio of Sunday’s Sermon, May 3, 2015

 

Do You Understand What you are Reading?

Text: Acts 8:26-40

Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo

May 3, 2015

 

Frustration of Not Knowing Answers

I get frustrated by not knowing the answers. I find myself increasingly not knowing the answers.

Like so many people I’ve watched the events in Baltimore unfold with horror. It appears there was police brutality and/or gross incompetence. Baltimore has long been known as a rough city and this is a part of it. While there are racial elements to this I suspect, down deep, there are also socio-economic factors that have loomed large. The city has a very racially mixed leadership and they have taken racism seriously. While I understand people having a right, perhaps even a need to protest, the rioting and the violence is repulsive to me.

I do not know the answers in the Middle East. Last Sunday the show “Madame Secretary” was about signing a nuclear arms deal with Iran against the backdrop of people in Iran stoning a young gay man to death. The arms deal was signed and the young man was stoned to death. The question loomed big-----did we make a deal with the devil or not? If we don’t make a deal will this leave them the ability to run amuck and do whatever they so desire? If we do make the deal will this allow them to do research leading down a path that we will no longer have control of? These are large, difficult questions.

President George W. Bush made the decision to invade Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein. I thought it was a bad idea and many other people did. Many still do. The fear I had was that the region would become destabilized. But having said that, we did the invasion and a lot of young Americans died for their country. The region is now destabilized and instead of lamenting what we did or shouldn’t have done or done, we need to find answers that are applicable right here and right now.

If you’re looking for a spiffy answer or observation, I don’t have one. I find so many of these questions difficult to ponder. I do not know the answer.

I guess that’s why I pray.

Audio Sermon April 26, 2015

 

The Joy of Being a Sheep

Texts: Psalm 23; John 10:11-18

Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo

April 26, 2015

 

Audio Sermon for April 19th

 

Faith and the Complexity of Being Human

Texts: 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15; John 8:1-11

Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo

April 19, 2015

David Brook and Britt McHenry in One Week and Character

 

This week has been a week of stunning contrasts.

 

David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times wrote a brilliant column entitled, “The Moral Bucket List.” In it he wrote, “It occurred to me that there were two sets of virtues, the résumé virtues and the eulogy virtues. The résumé virtues are the skills you bring to the marketplace. The eulogy virtues are the ones that are talked about at your funeral — whether you were kind, brave, honest or faithful.”

Mr. Brooks recently released a book on this topic and it’s a book about character and transformation. In his book and in this article, he writes about people overcoming their character flaws not so much to accomplish great things but to become great people. He realized that he wanted to understand how really good people become really good people. He concluded that these people are made, not born.

He came to understand the value of virtue----of inner goodness. It’s this kind of goodness that makes people kind and caring. It’s this kind of virtue that seeks to make people better and lift other people up. So much of it, he learned, was that virtuous people have embraced a sense of humility; an ability to apologize, at times, and listen to others. Virtue is not that people are without sin; none of us accomplish that. Virtue is, instead, learning to overcome our frailness and become loving and good and kindhearted. It is learning to be caring without an expectation of that caring being returned.

Mr. Brooks, as I said, just released a new book entitled, “The Road to Character,” and he explores the virtue of character.

 

Then there is the stunning contrast. A young woman, a correspondent for ESPN named Britt McHenry was filmed in a dreadful exchange with a worker where Ms. McHenry was picking up her car that had been towed away during dinner. Despite being warned that her comments were being recorded, Ms. McHenry berated the attendant in an ugly fashion.

This has not gone well for Britt McHenry. I know, great insight, isn’t it?

People have been piling on Britt McHenry in a rather brutal fashion. She’s had some interesting Twitter exchanges and had made comments on Facebook about a college classmate posting too many pictures of her classmate’s baby. Britt McHenry has a rather acerbic personality which isn’t good or bad, it’s just her.

In fairness to the young woman, the video was heavily edited. We cannot see or hear what is being said to her and what is prompting her commentary. Additionally, this is an independent towing company that, in doing a bit of research, is shady. They have been accused, on numerous occasions, of towing legally parked cars and charging patrons to have the cars returned.

But still, ouch. The video was brutal and this was beyond acerbic and it was beyond being angry over having her car towed. Her comments were personally insulting to the woman behind the counter. I suspect that Britt McHenry would love a retake on that one.

In one week one person in the media is on a tour of self-discovery in searching for character and a young woman finds herself in desperate need of character. For him it’s come after years of covering politics and seeing the slime of that; for a young woman her life turned into a mess over one video.

For Britt McHenry her life is not in a good spot at the moment. She’s been suspended for a week and many are calling for it to be longer while some are calling for her head on a silver platter. If she comes back after a week she will be the most famous or infamous of all of ESPN’s sideline reporter and people will be talking about that video for a long, long time.

Her mistake, of course, was to fail on video. We all, at times fail grandly, but we often do so in the shadows or just among a few. Nationally televised meltdowns are not something most of us have to deal with. I feel badly for her in the fact that while her behavior was horrible, it was horrible and broadcast to the world. It is now part of “You Tube” where it can be seen and heard without bleeping out her words.

David Brooks, however, spoke about humility and he realized that is one of the great virtues we all have to embrace at some point. So let’s put down the stones we all have aimed for Britt McHenry’s head. She messed up. We all mess up. She said stupid things. We all say stupid things. She was cruel. We’ve all been cruel. For her, it’s an amazing opportunity to do some soul search for humility and become a better person.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit….” It’s moments like she had that remind us all of how poor in spirit we are. For Jesus, being poor in spirit was an opportunity for us to see the need for God in our lives

Character is not something we are born with; we learn it. How blessed are we when we have the opportunities to see how flawed we are and to grow.

Midweek News from St. Marks

 

 

Audio Sermon April 12, 2015

 

No Small Commotion

Acts 12:1-18

Rev. Dr. John E. Manzo

April 12, 2015

 

Midweek News from St. Marks