Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:1-25

1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2: And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3: And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4: And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5: And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

6: And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7: And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

8: And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9: And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

10: And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

11: And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12: And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

13: And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14: And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16: And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

17: And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18: And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

19: And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20: And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21: And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

22: And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

23: And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24: And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

25: And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

“What do you think of my sermon title?” I asked our office manager.  She got this funny look on her face, and I said, “Too boring?” “No, it’s not that,” she said. “I just wonder if they’ll read your title, To Be Continued, and think, ‘does that mean I have to come back next week?!’”

Of course, you’re welcome to come back next week, but rest assured that is not the point of my sermon!

Last week, I received an email of sayings on church signs around the country.  One would have been perfect to summarize the gist of last week’s Palm/Passion service: You are not too bad to come in; You are not too good to come in!  But the church sign that might be perfect for Easter is the one that wisely stated in big, black letters on a white background, “There are some questions that can’t be answered by Google!”

Personally, I love asking Google questions. Google makes me feel so empowered. And it was very helpful this week, when I queried, “what to do when your dog eats the hidden stash of chocolate Easter eggs” and “what to serve at a vegan brunch”.  However, Google is less than helpful with our questions about faith—

What is the purpose of my life?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
When we pray for healing and we don’t get better, is God listening?
What happens after death?
Why does a good God allow suffering?
What really happened at the Resurrection?

These are questions Google can’t answer. And, frankly, as far as what really happened at the Resurrection, I can’t answer your question either. We don’t know what really happened, and the Gospel writers all give us different details. Mark’s Gospel tells the story of Jesus as it was told around the year 70—some 40 years after the actual death of Jesus. And like all the Gospels, it is a combination of history remembered and history interpreted.

In Mark, the earliest Gospel written, there are no stories of Jesus’ birth. Rather, the Gospel begins abruptly and quickly. Jesus is baptized and tempted in the wilderness; then he announces he has come to proclaim the good news of God, calls the first disciples, enters the synagogue to teach, and casts out an unclean spirit.  All that in chapter one!  That Jesus casts out the unclean spirit in the very opening of the Gospel suggests to me that this is a very important, powerful act. Part of what it means to proclaim and demonstrate the good news of God (or the coming near of the Kingdom of God) is to oppose the forces of evil which rob God’s people of all that God hopes or intends for us.  This passage, situated so early in Mark’s Gospel, deserves our attention.

Demon possession?! For those of a certain age, it brings up images from the movie “The Exorcist.”  The movie was hard to take, and so is the idea.  It seems a first century problem – not a twenty-first century one.  So, we are likely to read the text from Mark 1, about Jesus casting out the unclean spirit and the man convulsing, and interpret it out of our more enlightened perspective.  Perhaps the man had epilepsy and was having a seizure; maybe a psychotic break.  But demons? We doubt it.

Blessed with food and life we offer thanks.
Thanks for the earth, sun, moon and stars.
Thanks for the streams of water, pools, springs, lakes and oceans.
Thanks for grasses, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and herbs.
Thanks for the wind, clouds, rain and snow.
Thanks to the Great One at the source of all:
Giver of breath, health and life.
May this meal be taken in gratitude.
May our lives be lived in gratitude.

and let’s not forget…
Thanks for one another!

Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap [Jesus] in what He said. And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away.

Render to God
Sermon by Rev. Jane Grady, October 16, 2011

In many circles, that five-letter word “taxes” carries the punch of a four-letter word! Consider all the heated conversation about whether taxes should be raised or lowered, and on whom, and what’s fair and what’s not fair, and who agrees or disagrees with Warren Buffet. With all this divisive bickering, wouldn’t it be great to call Jesus down from on high, and ask him to weigh in on exactly who’s paying more than their fair share, and who is not paying enough, and is there a more equitable tax plan out there? Except, as someone has duly noted, to ask Jesus to pass judgment on these matters would more than likely get him crucified all over again!

It was wonderful to see such a variety of critters at this year’s Blessing of the Animals service. We enjoyed the company of turtles to tabbies, along with cockatiels, chickens, and of course, lots of dogs! In honor of all the marvelous creatures we share this planet with, we offer the following prayer.

A Prayer for the Animals

Hear our humble prayer, O God,
for our friends the animals especially
for animals who are suffering,
for any that are hunted or lost or
deserted or frightened or hungry;
for all that must be put to death.

We entreat for them all Thy mercy and
pity, and for those who deal with them
we ask a heart of compassion and gentle
hands and kindly words.

Make us, ourselves to be true
friends to animals and so to share
the blessings of the merciful.

~ Albert Schweitzer ~

Many thanks for all the prayers and support these fostered puppies received. Even the Santa Cruz Sentinel pitched in with this story about them.