@EUCC Sermons

Amos had an unenviable job. He was called to prophesy doom and gloom in prosperous times. Amos said that Israel would face divine retribution for the people’s unfaithfulness—especially for their mistreatment of the poor, and for their arrogance.

El profeta Amós tenía un trabajo poco envidiable. El fue llamado por Dios a profetizar pesimismo y fatalidad en tiempos de prosperidad. Amós dijo que Israel enfrentaría retribución divina por la infidelidad del pueblo, especialmente por su maltrato a los pobres y por su arrogancia.

No persons of influence wanted to hear what Amos had to say—not even the local priests—and little evidence existed to substantiate the prophet’s proclamations of judgment.

Ninguna persona de influencia quiso escuchar lo que Amós tenía que decir, ni siquiera los sacerdotes locales, y existía poca evidencia para sustentar las proclamaciones de juicio del profeta.

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This summer, we’re exploring the role of leadership in the Judeo-Christian tradition, and learning more about the variety of leadership styles that have been exhibited in our tradition. We’re also reflecting on our own leadership styles, and striving to learn and diversify our repertoire of styles in order to meet the leadership challenges in our time.

So far, we’ve studied four ancient Hebrew leaders and their respective leadership styles including two judges, Eli and Samuel, two kings, Saul and David, and a fifth leader, who resided in Israel, but who practiced magic and who purportedly was able to speak with the dead. 

Today, we continue this exploration of biblical leadership and leadership styles by examining Jesus’ role as a leader, and the style of leadership to which he called his first followers. 

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There is no sermon manuscript at this time.

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The news out of New York City (10 days ago) was epic. Never in the history of the United States government has a former President been convicted of 34 felonies. In baseball speak, Donald Trump is batting 100% 

Telenovela got nothing over on the Trump trials. And we’ve only just begun. According to an article in the May 31, 2024 issue of The Atlantic titled The Case Against Trump, Donald Trump is still facing an additional total of 59 felony charges in the State of Georgia and two other federal courts. 

That’s impressive. In a bad way. Donald J. Trump has become the first President in the 246 year history of the United States to be convicted of even a single felony. 

More troubling is the fact that (according to The Atlantic) despite all of these convictions and the likelihood that he will be convicted on most--if not all--of the others, the former President’s name will appear on every state ballot in the the land this fall. 

Furthermore, according to a recent Tweet released by Congressman Swallwel’s office that same evening, these rulings are unlikely to be influential in how most voters will vote when they/we go to the polls this fall. 

This situation begs the question: how is this possible in a moral nation? 

How—with this much evidence of moral turpitude—can any US Presidential candidate's name go on any state ballot—with this many felony convictions? 

It seems to me that 1) we have a lot of voters who don’t let the facts confuse us, 2) we are primarily an immoral nation, or 3) both. 

If one or both are true--we have a lot of soul searching and confessing to do--and a deep need to get right with God and realign our values and voting with the vision of God, the guidance of the prophets, and the example and teachings of Christ.  

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Welcome to “Bravo! Sunday,” everyone! #Bravo!Sunday is Eden’s answer to what my people in the flyover states call “baccalaureate.” This is the momentous occasion when academic communities circle up for worship, or people of faith gather in their respective houses of worship and thank God that the school year has come to an end, and that some of us are moving on to higher education and employment opportunities—or, thank you Jesus!— retirement. 

If you’re stressing about this transition, reach back to me after worship or send an email or text to me this week. Let’s talk. Let’s walk. Let’s paddle. Nobody needs to go through these rough patches alone. Eden Church is here to accompany you. 

Conversely, if you’re hiring, or looking for a summer interns, or are a seasoned empty-nest-er or retiree, and are willing and available to mentor someone else through one or more of those experiences, see me after worship--or raise your hand--so I know who I can count on for Eden’s version of “speed-dating” accompaniment through the silly-season of summer.

We teach our youth these skills in leadership classes and Eden’s own ChYLI program, but not everyone gets this hand or leg-up in life. So at Eden, we teach and preach to give back. Now we are able to do that not only one-to-one, but institutionally. 

For example, Eden’s Empowerment Team, which offers employment navigation and micro-business development services, and provides a space and introductions to help you build your personal and professional network for economic success here in the Bay Area. 

The most challenging piece of work in other settings has been convincing employers to hire the jobseekers in our network.

Here in the Bay Area, by contrast, the most challenging work has been trying to dismantle the draconian immigration policies that keep capable job seekers from obtaining work permits, so that they can participate in background checks, complete their W-4 form, complete their orientation, and fill one of the numerous vacancies in our labor force. 

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Anxiety. If there is one word that can best describe the mood of the apostles in both the gospel and epistle lessons for this last Sunday in the season of Easter, today, that word is anxiety. 

Consider the setting for both passages. Matthew 28:16-20 is the final episode in Mathew’s gospel. Jesus has died. He was buried in an empty tomb. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary had gone to the cemetery to do what mourners do. But instead of a sealed grave, they experienced an earthquake, and encountered an angel who appeared like lightning, descending from heaven, who had rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 

The soldiers at the cemetery were so freaked out that they fell to the ground and played dead. But the women, the Marys, had a bit more courage. They stood their ground, and listened to the angel who led them into the empty tomb, interpreted these earth-shattering events, and explained that Jesus had been raised from the dead and that he had gone ahead of them to Galilee, where they should go and see him. 

The women did as the angel said. They ran to tell the other apostles what they had seen and heard, and invited them to go on to Galilee. Somewhere between Golgotha and Galilee, somewhere between their encounter with the angel and their testifying to the apostles, these women named Mary, met Jesus. 

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Jesus’ healing of an anonymous woman with a flow of blood is found in all three of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). I don’t have a Ph.D. in New Testament, but I did pay attention to what my professors said—especially when they made comments that could be applied broadly. 

For example, NT Professor Pheme Perkins, who I studied with at Boston College School of Theology, said more than once in class, “If a story is mentioned in all three of the synoptics, you can trust that there is an historical basis for the events described in the story, and whatever happened had profound meaning to the first followers of Jesus and the early Christians.” 

Today’s gospel reading is one of those stories. So is the story of Jairus’s daughter, which envelopes it. Note, that the healing story about the healing of this anonymous woman is a story within the story about the healing of Jairus’s daughter.

So what’s the buzz? What exactly is so important about these two stories in general, and the healing of the anonymous woman in particular?

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We are fortunate that Denise Cuevas and Javier Orea and their families have joined us for worship and fellowship today, so that we can share in their joy, offer our prayers for God’s blessing on their life together, and congratulate them in person on this happy occasion. 

Javier and Denise were married in a small family wedding ceremony at a winery to the north of us about two and one-half weeks ago. Stephanie and I were pleased to make the guest list, and I was honored to preside over their vows.

As I said to Denise and Javier during their wedding, “It’s not every couple who’s had the same boss much less asked the boss to marry them.” People have choices. I don’t take theirs for granted. 

It was a blessing to be part of their wedding ceremony and wedding reception. I’ve attended quite a few weddings over the years. There are many similarities, but no two are the same. One of the nuances for me about the Orea’s wedding was watching them play a game to test their knowledge of each other. 

The bride and groom were instructed to take off their shoes, sit back to back and hold one shoe of their own in one hand, and one of their partner’s shoes in the other. Javier’s favorite sister Andrea served as quiz master. The point of the game, ostensibly, was to see whether they knew each well enough to be getting married. Fortunately they passed. In fact, they both nearly got 100% of the questions correct. They better. They were high school sweethearts.  

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Most of you know about my rural upbringing and that most of my relatives have been and still are engaged in agriculture. But what you may not know is that most of the women in my family have been teachers. And, much to the surprise of many of our contemporaries, some of us women have become elders and preachers in the church. True story. 

My grandmother taught country school even though she only obtained an eighth grade education. My mother taught second grade before she was married to my father, even though she only completed two years of higher education. And she started teaching preschool when my sister and I were in high school, even though she did not have schooling in early childhood development. 

Two of my aunts were teachers. One has been the go-to substitute teacher for the Garwin, Iowa school district. Another taught English at Iowa State University for the country version of students featured in “Welcome Back, Kotter.” 

My twin sister went to college to become a high school science teacher. Her first teaching job was for the Tahlequah Nation in rural Oklahoma. Soon after, her children were born and she stepped out of the public school teaching for several years. When she went back, she switched from teaching the natural sciences to teaching English Language Learners. Now in “causi-retirement,” Professor Schwerin teaches ELL theory and methodologies to undergraduates and master’s degree candidates at a private university in Northwest Arkansas. 

The classroom settings and the subject matters that my people have taught have varied, but all of them agree--and I concur--that reading and repeating stories to our children, from infancy to adulthood, is fundamental to brain development, language learning, and faith formation. 

If we do not read to our children, they will never reach their full potential. They will have a much more difficult time learning to speak, and they may never fully come to know Jesus or the power or importance of the Easter message. 

I know that I am not only “preaching to the choir,” this Easter Sunday, but I am also blessed to be preaching to a large number of people who have given their lives to the education of others. So I don’t have to wonder where there is agreement about the importance of reading and repeating stories to our younger ones. I trust that I’m getting an “Amen” on that. Amen? 

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We talk a lot about being linguistically and culturally competent around Eden Church, and the Eden Area. 

These conversations are important—not only in dynamic international situations and within immigrant communities—they are also important within cultures and churches and families. Examples follow.

When my sister’s girls—both of whom are pushing 40—like Pastor Marvin and Yuliana—were learning to talk, I experienced a great awakening, not unlike our forebears in the faith who were part of the “camp meeting” style of worship that forged the Methodist, Disciples of Christ, and Christian tradition (within the UCC). 

For the churches, the great awakening—particularly the second great awakening—had to do with the realization that God could be experienced in the flesh—by the unschooled, around a campfire, and the out of doors—and not just in the academy, from reading books (especially the Bible), or the institutional church, which had become quite institutionalized and all cozy with the establishment. 

My first and second great awakenings with my nieces, Susie and Chrisie, were a little different, and on a microscale compared with frontier religion in the US, but no less riveting and transforming for me. My awakenings had to do with the fact that I now—almost 40 years ago—had to embrace the fact that there were at least two people in my family who spoke “Southern.” 

This may shock you, given all of the Southerners who now count as “family” for me—and you hear about me if you show up for more than one sermon here—but it was quite a revelation back in the early 1990s. 

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