Soul Food Sunday, the Super Bowl, and the Kingdom of God

Sadly, we have to cancel services tomorrow because of the inclement weather.  I hope everyone will come to Soul Food Sunday next week Feb. 8th, 2015.  It is as close to the heavenly feast as we will ever get here on earth.  Nonetheless, here's my sermon for tomorrow, and in case you are wondering, I edited this sermon with Rev. John Adams at Krug Park on Friday.  I got to try the Espresso Oak Aged Yeti, and the Zymaster No. 5.  Both are delicious but they are completely different.  I could smell the coffee aroma of the Yeti while the glass was still sitting on the bar.  It's taste is dark and rich like a a great french roast coffee.  The Zymaster is bright and herbal, but not bitter.

The readings for the sermon are 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, and Mark 1:21-28.

“Food will not bring us close to God.”

May only God’s word be spoken, and may only God’s word be heard. Amen!

So when St. Paul writes, “Food will not bring us close to God,” it’s obvious he’s never been to Soul Food Sunday here at Church of the Resurrection.  I mean truly if it is even possible for a meal to rival the Eucharist as a foretaste of the heavenly banquet, it’s Soul Food Sunday.  Truly in both the spiritual sense and in the hardening of arteries sense, we are brought in closer communion with God through Soul Food Sunday.  Truthfully, I can’t tell you how glad I am that this reading is not happening next week on Soul Food Sunday. 

However, it is quite interesting that we have this reading, where Paul writes about idolatry is falling on Super Bowl Sunday. 

Now, y’all do not get me wrong, I love football.  I never played organized football, but even in my “band geek” days I watched the game closely, and remain quite enthralled by the sport.  But, let’s be honest.  We are in God’s house, and it just will not do for us to lie to ourselves.  Football is an idol in America.  It is even beginning to compete with soccer as a worldwide phenomenon.  In addition to idolatry the super bowl brings a host of other sins along with it.  Did you know that wherever the super bowl is held that city becomes a hot spot for sex trafficking the week of the game?  Not to mention that worldwide some estimate that over 10 billion dollars will be gambled on this one game.   Last, but the one I actually practice every year during the game is gluttony.  How much fat and cholesterol-ridden food and alcoholic beverages will be consumed tonight in celebration of the game.  But that is not the gluttony that I am bothered about.  The real gluttony is the NFL’s gluttony for profits, which we have seen exposed a lot this year.  Despite the commissioner’s critics calling for firing, despite his active mishandling of domestic violence situations while being quick to fine players for wearing the wrong color shoes or wearing the wrong brand of head phones, despite all this the commissioner remains safe in his job because the owners are pleased by the billions of dollars of profit he has brought in.   The abuses that go along with a glutton for profits, so prevalent in American Corporate culture, is no more evident than in the NFL. 

So, what makes Soul Food Sunday so great and the Super Bowl the height of idolatry?  Could it be argued that I am contradicting myself by praising one and critiquing the other? 

Well, it will come to without a shock that Paul and Jesus give us answers today.  It’s almost like I was setting us up via rhetorical devices to make a point.  Anyway, Paul writes, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.”  Here he is talking about the knowledge of God, but cautions that being “puffed up” by ones own knowledge is dangerous. He’s counseling against arrogance.  Paul contrasts arrogance with love writing that “Love builds up.”  Soul Food Sunday builds up.  It builds up community because so much love is put into the food that people are literally consuming love.  It builds up because I can thing of several people who are currently members whose first impression of Church of the Resurrection was Soul Food Sunday.  It builds up because it is really easy to invite someone to Soul Food Sunday who has never been here before.  It builds up this community because it is an evangelism tool that enables us to share our best selves our love for God and each other.

Jesus exorcises the demon in our gospel reading today, but what wraps around this miracle in the text is even more important. This story sets up an ongoing and increasing conflict in the Gospel of Mark between Jesus and the ruling classes, in this case the so called “scribes”.  Jesus’ critique is ultimately about economics.  Being ritually pure enabled one to participate in the society in the Jesus’ day.  If you couldn’t participate, you couldn’t make a living.  The scribes were one of a handful of classes involved in the temple system that controlled access to purification rituals.  They were ones who could say who was clean and who wasn’t.  Overtime this power had gravitated not to the most devout but to the economically powerful.  Sound familiar?  Similarly the excesses of the super bowl are endemic of an unequal power structure.  For example and in addition to the things I have already mentioned, the NFL will fly members of both political parties to the super bowl and I promise you they won’t be sitting in the nosebleeds. 

On the other hand, everyone who shows up to Soul Food Sunday gets fed.  It doesn’t matter if you have been a long time member, or a first time visitor, the mayor or a junkie walking in off the street, everyone is welcome to Soul Food Sunday table.  Not only welcome, but please take a plate home with you too.  That expression of abundance, this holy sacrifice of time, talent, and treasurer to lay on a spread, the gift of those who labor to set the table and clean up afterward, these holy endeavors are emblematic of the kingdom of god. 

Now, let me be absolutely clear.  I am not saying you can’t enjoy the Super Bowl.  However, we do need to be aware of all that comes with the game and the NFL.  Furthermore, we should be just as excited for Soul Food Sunday in particular, and for sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in general as we are for the Super Bowl.  So, I will tell the world, and I hope you will too, to come practice the Kingdom of God at Soul Food Sunday.  Amen!

Sabbatical Preparations

I am 8 days away from sabbatical and decided to do a little prep work for it at my watering hole.  I have actually been here several times recently, but I haven't had a chance to blog about it.  One of my intentions on Sabbatical is to write more in this blog; therefore, why not start today?

For no particular reason I decided to have a German beer day.  If you are into flavor, you can't go wrong with German beer, especially if it's made by monks (please note my professional bias in that last statement).

Today I had the Ayinger Maibock and the Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel.  Okay so Franziskaner is made by Spaten and not technically monks, but it still holds the tradition.  Also, I'm Irish so I'm not going to let the truth get in the way of a good story.  Both were delicious, however I prefer the Franziskaner.  It is a tad bit darker, creamier, and with more flavor.  The Germans have realized that flavor is more important than just hop level and a high ABV.  So you really can't go wrong with either of these beers.

More importantly, I had a great conversation with my barkeep Alex.  See, he's a Boston Red Sox fan, and I am Yankees fan.  There are two reason why we are able to maintain a really positive bar tender-customer relationship: Boston fans and Yankee fans know they don't exist without each other, and, more to the point, we both love really quality beer.  In an earlier post, I wrote about a good brew's ability to create community.  Therefore, I would like to posit today that if beer can bring a Red Sox fan and a Yankees fan together, does it have the power to bring Michigan and Ohio State fans together.  I believe it does, and that it is a sign of the kingdom of God erupting into and reconciling the world.  You should probably note my professional bias again on that last sentence.

Look forward to more posts on great beers here while I'm on sabbatical.

Matt's Burning Rosids and the art of Community

So on March 6th, I had this beer almost pictured here:

It was so delicious I almost forgot to take a picture of it.  I also didn't know what to write about it.  Words just seemed to fail to describe the complexity of this beer.  Every sip was literally a different delicious developed flavor, but everything was in balance as well.  

This beer is the Matt's Burning Rosid's from Stone Brewing.  They brewed it in honor of one of their brewers that died and it was his recipe.  It is a Imperial Cherrywood Smoked Saison--told you it was complex.  Anyway, you should definitely check out the story behind this beer on Stone's website--AFTER you finish reading this post!

Earlier this week it dawned on me what to write about this beer in particular and beer in general.  I was talking with one of my interns, Alyse, who has a passion for coffee.  She is not a mere caffeine addict.  No, she knows techniques and processes to draw out and develop complex flavors in a cup a coffee.  It dawned on me that her feelings about coffee mimic mine about beer.  I have written here before how I would be just fine if beer didn't have alcohol nor calories but could keep the complex flavors.  Also, I have ranted about trends in beer, specifically the Let's-Throw-As-Many-Hops-In-A-Beer-And-Call-It-An-IPA trend where the art is sacrificed for flash.  Furthermore, I believe sharing a pint with friends and family is indeed sacred.  It builds community and bonds of shared experience.  To take those ideas a step further, or rather to explore why beer has this quality let me hypothesize that the care, patience, and skill it takes to brew a quality beer or a kick ass cup of coffee infuse the conversation shared over a glass or a cup.  This infusion deepens the conversation and builds community.  

It's not unlike the communion at church (note the similarity in communion and community), maybe that's why Jesus spawned a radical table ministry.  When we gather around simple things like water, malt, barley, and hops or coffee beans, or bread and wine that have been shown much care and attention, then the bonds between us become more cared for and more intentional.  

In Christianity we speak of God as a Trinity of three in one.  Essentially we say that we know God as a community, not as individuals but in relationship.  Things that bind us in relationship can bind us in God, can cause us to be caught up in the glory and expanse of God.  Therefore in the immortal words of Martin Luther, "I drink this beer to the glory of God."

Go forth my friends and raise a pint (responsibly, of course).

Do do that VooDoo

This is the VooDoo American Stout

It's really good.  It has a dark rich charcol flavor but it is not overly bitter.  There is only a hint of sweetness.  It's a mad crazy windy day today in Omaha. I just had a guy from Chicago tell me it's too windy in Omaha today.  So this beer fits perfect.  The chocolate aroma followed by the bitter (but not hoppy middle) with its clean finish is perfect to cut through the wind today. 

I've noticed that I pretty just rave about the beers I drink on this blog.  I don't think I have ever done a negative review.  I actually get tasters of a lot of beers at my water hole, but I only buy a full glass of beers that I'm likely to really enjoy.  My brothers and sisters life is way too short to drink cheap beer nor beers that don't favor your pallette.  I know IPAs are REALLY trendy right now, but just throwing hops at a beer is not artistry.  A well crafted beer has balance and depth, it's rich and smooth.  I'm still searching for an IPA that really emboys that flavor profile, but until then I'm going to stick to malty beers.  

Up next is the Schokolade Bock from Millstream Brewing.

This beer, some how, smells like dark chocolate, but tastes like milk chocolate and carmel.  Its Delicious!!!!  Where the VooDoo was simple this beer is complex the flavors are layered and balanced.  Each sip contains a new flavor to discover.  

Brewing beer is an art form.  It is not about the alchohol!  Just producing a beer with a high ABV is like the pop music scene where reaching adolescence is considered an achievement.  Brewing a well crafted beer, mastering a complex process that takes timing, patience, and precision on the other hand is equivelant to the craftmenship of Bach, or Amish Furniture, or cooking really good Soul Food.

I feel the same way about preaching.  Words simply strung together are at the best a speech.  While words combined with a sense of rhythm and form delivered with attention to volumne and drama can rise beyond motivational to become a sermon.  They can become an expression and incarnation of the living Word of God in the midst of the community.  This is the standard to which I aspire.  I don't know if I will ever reach it, but I believe the aspiration and effort, the prayer and the sweat, are pleasing to God.  Furthermore, like horse shoes, close counts in Preaching.  If I apply my whole being to the art of preaching yet only come close to incarnating the word of God, that is still efficacious to the community, the body of christ.  So, I shall continue to aim for the highest heights even if I only succeed in discovering a new height to conquer.

Advent IV and Founder's Dirty Ba&@/rd

This is the Dirty Ba$@/rd by Founders Brewery in Michigan.  It's a hearty, rich beer, dark but not over powering, full bodied but with a clean aftertaste.

I'm drinking this beer because it tastes good, but the name is apropos to the season.  This Sunday is Advent IV and next week Christmas begins.  It seems we rarely focus on the questionable parentage of Jesus, but anyway you slice it Jesus was in fact a Ba$/@rd.  Mary and Joseph were not wed at his conception and possibly not at his birth, as the story goes.  By definition he was of illegitimate birth.  The nativity, like the cross, is evidence that God goes into the messy circumstances of our lives.  We need not transform ourselves into perfection for God to come; rather God comes into the mess and transforms us.

May you have a blessed Advent IV and welcome the Christ Child on Christmas.

Funeral Sermon for a Friend

So, last week I was drinking bitter beers for my bitter mood over the death of a friend.  I was honored to preach and preside at her funeral.  It was a testament to her love for this community that over 275 people showed up to her funeral.  It was a  particular challenge to preach this funeral because I needed to personally grieve, but also not make it about me.  When I sat down to write, I stared at the screen for a long time.  I didn't know what to say.  Finally, I realized that I could only tell what I knew.  Below is the text of this sermon, interspersed with the Beers I am drinking today at my watering hole. The Gospel Passage was John 6:37-40.

“This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.” [John 6:40]

I speak with you in the name of God who will never lose us, never let us go, and never forget us. Amen!

So, I woke up every morning of the last week to a world without Chrissy Simmons in it. I don’t know how that is possible. How does the earth literally keep moving without Chrissy’s sheer force of will driving it ever forward? I don’t know the answer to that question, and I don’t know if I ever will. But I want to tell you somethings I do know.

I know that Chrissy was loyal. She was loyal to Carl, loyal to this congregation, and above all a loyal faithful servant of God. There are few people whose life touched as many people as Chrissy’s. You just have to look at this packed room and know that she touched a lot of hearts. She did this not through power or position; rather through service. She truly loved her neighbor as herself, and she did it to a degree to which few can compare. 

Time for a beer break:

This is the 2011 Imperial Russian Stout from Stone Brewing.  It is fantastic!!! There is little bit of spice up front, but it is malty smooth almost like a milk shake. The flavor is rich but balanced with a clean finish.  Even though it is 10% ABV the alcohol is not overpowering.  

Back to the Sermon:  

I also know for sure that I was a little afraid of Chrissy. She was, most likely, the most intense person I have ever met. She was passionate. She felt nothing lightly, every emotion was intense, every opinion strongly held, and she shared her opinions and emotions with everyone. She quite possibly was more intense than another Matriarch of this Congregation who I loved deeply and was also a little afraid, Mrs. Lorraine Sailes.

Most importantly, I know that God loses nothing. Chrissy is most certainly caught up in the risen life of Christ today. She is most certainly a driving force of the Kingdom of God this day, and she is most certainly raising Cain with Mrs. Lorraine over the heavenly potluck.

But where does that leave all of us? While we most certainly rejoice that Chrissy is caught up in God, we are left with a gaping painful wound as well. What will we ever do without her?


Time for one more Beer before I answer that...

This is the Jubelale from Deschutes Brewing.  It is a little hoppy with medium body.  Interestingly enough there is almost a celery aftetaste.  The aroma is really light.  All in all its a good beer, but not my favorite holiday beer.

Alright, time to finish the sermon:
  This question leads me to what I know next. No one person can ever replace Chrissy, in our hearts, in our community, and in our life together. However, I have an idea, and I think it is important. No single one of us could do it alone. It will take all of us together. What if we all let our light shine just a bit brighter today? What if we all loved a little more today? What if we made our loved ones smile one extra time or laugh at one more joke? What if we made a stranger smile one extra time or laugh at one more joke? What if we all served our neighbors, this congregation, and our community just a little more. Maybe....just maybe...if we all do this together then we can approach, maybe even come near, the amount of Light and Joy that left us last week. 

Finally, I know this without a shadow of doubt, if we don’t try our very best--I mean our absolute very very best--you better believe Chrissy will have something to say about it. Amen!

Bitter Beers, Dark Beers, Comfort in a Glass (to the tune of Soft Kitty)

My apologies for not blogging more lately, but life happens.  I made it out to my watering hole this week, and finally found an IPA that I could swallow (forgive the pun).  I know IPAs are REALLY trendy at the moment, but I don't like them.  I keep trying them every now and again, because folks just keep raving about hops.  The problem is that when I pick one up to drink, they generally smell like feet then taste worse.  I have probably tried fifty IPAs in the last year with the same reaction.  Except this week I tried the Mountain Standard Time, Double Black IPA from O'Dell Brewing company.  As you can see, it is a beautiful dark beer with a light tan head.  The aroma doesn't reak of gym socks so we were off to a good start.

Now truth be told, this beer still leads with bitter.  There are a lot of hops in this sucker, but bitter isn't the only flavor.  There is a depth to it with hints of carmel and a smoothness that buffs off the rough edges of the hops. 

Maybe it was because I was in a bitter mood (more on that later) but I liked it enough to drink a whole glass of it.  I can't say that about any other IPA I have tried.

I also had Lucky Bucket's Certified Evil (did I mention I was in a dark mood, no pun intended).   This is a fine beer.  It is both smooth and strong, like me.  The flavor is rich and well balanced.  Lucky Bucket blends some Certified Evil aged in Cabernet barrels with some aged in oak barrels. There is a hint of bitterness just to remind you there are hops in here too, but the oak and Cabernet aging give it a rich, hearty flavor.  Plus, since I am such a loyal patron of my watering hole, they gave me not one but two of these commemorative glasses from their Halloween Party.

I also tried this new beer from Guinness last night at home. We might have lit the grill for the last time this season; so it seemed fitting to open a harvest themed beer to go along with the burgers and sausages. Now Guinness claims this beer is different. I couldn't really tell. It tastes like Guinness, which is by no means a bad thing. However, the only difference I noticed was that it was a bit thinner than a regular Guinness. That might make it more drinkable for those few who find Guinness to be too thick for their tastes.

So why the tendency toward dark and bitter beers this week? Because a pillar of my congregation died suddenly this week. She was young, only in her mid-forties, and collapsed out of the blue Tuesday night. She was one of the most loyal, dedicated, talented people I have ever known. A gifted baker and cook she expressed her love for people through food. Her carrot cake is the only carrot cake I ever enjoyed, but her chocolate mocha cake with peanut butter frosting was a religious experience. It preached! One bite of that and you would give your heart to Jesus all over again. She was also a musician, with a fine voice. Over the last year she had begun taking voice lessons and her tone had acquired a new depth and richness that was capable of lifting our hearts to heaven. In a couple of hours the congregation will gather for our 'regular' Sunday worship. It will be the first time we are gathered without her, and it will be hard.  We will grieve. We will also take heart in the promise of Resurrection.  Rest in peace and rise in glory Chrissy Simmons.  We will miss you.

The Persistent Widow and the Winter Ale

Today I am starting with the Jubelale by Deschutes Brewing. 

It's a very balanced winter ale.  Clove, Chocolate, and Hops are held in balanced harmony like a nice meaty chord from a symphony by Brahms.  Its full flavor and hearty texture it well suited to get through a hard winter.  This beer, a roaring fire, a thick novel with a romantic period symphony blaring from your stereo is the way to go.

Preaching wise the Gospel this week is the parable of the persitent widow from Luke's 18th chapter.  It is paired with Jeremiah's vision of the "the days [that] are surely coming".  I can't read that passage without hearing my favorite band Tangled Blue's rendition from their advent album.  Check that track out!  It's good stuff, and also a good compliment to the Jubelale Winter Ale.  

The challenge with this reading is to not make God seem like a concierge that is at the ready to answer half prayerful whims.  Rather the story is about being faithful to God even when there appears to be evidence against a loving God.  Paired with the Jeremiah reading which promises divine amnesia toward our sins, and we should be inspired to be faithful and respond with persistent trust and striving for justice for the oppressed. 

Next up is the is the Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale.

This one hits you with a lot of pumpkin on the front end.  The spice is all on the backend, but the finish is clean so the allspice and clove are discernable.  Shipyard suggests pairing it with pumpkin pie.  I think that would be way too much pumpkin.  They also recommend a BLT which makes way more sense, it needs a salty food to compliment the sweet of the beer. 

Well, I didn't get to do the side by side comparison of Odell's Eugene and the Samuel Smith Chocolate stouts. BUT, I did float the idea with the bar tenders and hopefully that will happen this winter.

Shine-Stroud Wedding and Chocolate Stout

We had a wonderful time at Lara Shine and Daniel Stroud's wedding this weekend.  I got to hang out for a bit at 1823, the campus pub of Virginia Theological Seminary.  It's no coincidence they have an Englishman for a Dean and recently opened a "proper pub" on campus.  It was great to visit with alumni from Resurrection House, one of my old Profs from Seminary, and try this Double Chocolate Stout from Wells and Young Brewing in the UK.  It's good, but I wouldn't say it is as good as the Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout by O'dell Brewing which I have written about here. The chocolate flavor is prevalent but not overwhelming.  However it was a little thin, almost watery, as opposed to creamy.  Nonetheless it was a decent beer by which to raise a glass to Lara and Daniel's Happiness!  Congrats to the happy couple.

 

Tonight, I also had this pint of Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout.  It's supremely delicious! I would put it up there with the Lugene Chocolate stout mentioned above, maybe even a little better.  I would have to put them both side by side to be sure...hmmm that's a really good idea.  Hopefully Krug Park will have both on tap soon.  I paired this beer with a grilled hamburger from B & B Meat Locker of Wynot, NE, one of our favorite vendors at Omaha's Farmer's Market.  We also roasted some root vegetables and onions.  This beer fit perfectly with the menu, a hearty beer for hearty fair.

 

I didn't preach this weekend, a well needed break.  I love preaching week in week out.  The rhythm of prayer, study, and preparation is life giving and might be the best way that I am a disciple.  Nonetheless, having a week of not preaching on occasion helps keep the creative ground fertile.  It's like resting a field for a season so that the soil can regain nutrients. So, I am excited to gear up for next week's sermon.  Prep begins tomorrow and culminates with editing at Krug Park on Thrusday with, hopefully, a side by side comparison of the Lugene and Samuel Smith Stouts.