Sermon: "I've Got the Music in Me"

The Rev. Maureen R. Frescott

Congregational Church of Amherst, UCC

May 19, 2019 – Music Sunday (Fifth Sunday of Easter)

Colossians 3:16, Psalm 98:4, Psalm 104:33, Psalm 77:1, Psalm 57:7, Psalm 108:1, Psalm 144:9

“I’ve Got the Music in Me”

In a few weeks time, on Pentecost Sunday,

we’ll celebrate that spectacular event that the Book of Acts tells us took place after Jesus had ascended into heaven.

When the Spirit of God came rushing into the world,

moving through the crowd gathered in the city square

where dozens of different languages were being spoken,

miraculously giving each person the ability to understand everything that was being said as if every word had been spoken in their own tongue.

As we bend our brains trying to understand how this miracle might have happened in the ancient world,

and contemplate how it may be close to happening in our world with the advent of technology that can translate spoken languages instantaneously,

we may overlook the fact that we already have a single human language that is universal both in its ability to be understood by all –

and its ability to move us all – emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

The language of music.

This is not just poetic sentimentality.

There is actual science that shows that our brains are hard wired to hear and respond and move to music in a way that is common to us all.

Numerous studies have shown that music has a universal effect on our mood. It can help us to relax, to feel less anxious or fearful, and lull us to sleep.

Listening to music while we work or study can improve concentration, focus, and productivity.

Music can motivate us – to move more, to exercise longer, to clean the house more frequently.

And there’s a mounting body of evidence that shows that music is an effective therapy tool and serves an alternative to pharmaceutical treatment for a wide range of conditions – from PTSD to dementia to Parkinson’s Disease to opioid dependency.

An international biotech firm, called the Sync Project, has partnered with world-renowned scientists and musicians on the first-ever large-scale study to measure how music affects human physiology – specifically heart rate, sleep patterns, brain activity, pain perception, and the release of dopamine, the hormone associated with feelings of euphoria, bliss, and pleasure.

Biologists working for the Sync Project have used brain imaging to show that when our brain is exposed to music it isn’t just our auditory cortex that lights up, but a broad cross-section of different areas of our brain.

It’s the same patterns we see when the brain is under the effects of psychostimulants.

In other words, music lights up our brain in the same way that drugs do.

It was also discovered that we all possess a brain that is adept at interpreting music, even if we think we have no musical talent whatsoever.

The Sync Project’s founder, Marko Ahtisaari, writes:

 “…all people have the basic neural mechanisms needed to automatically perceive and analyze the structure and rules of music.

Even without any specific training, people very quickly learn the regularities typical for the music that they are exposed to: the keys, the ways that certain chords follow each other, and how melodies typically start and end.We learn to predict and anticipate the movements of the music."

Ahtisaari suggests, the pleasure we experience from music may stem from the way these expectations of particular movements and patterns are fulfilled or left unfulfilled as the composition unfolds in time.

We experience a tension while waiting for the resolution of the pattern  -

in the same way that we anticipate a crescendo, a hook of a chorus,

a particular blending of instruments or voices.

It’s been found that dopamine levels peak before the release of this tension, that special moment in a musical piece that sends chills down our spine.

There’s something to be said about a God who created us to be diverse creatures in a diverse world – yet also created within in us a common language that would draw us together.

As we left the metaphorical Garden of Eden, and scattered far and wide across the globe – developing different skin tones, different languages, different customs, different systems of social, political, and religious belief.

Looking at one another across a chasm created by geology, biology, and ideology.

Yet there is a language of rhythm and melody and harmony that has the power to connect us… To bring us together.

To bring us back to our Creator.

The Psalmist writes,

“My voice rises to God, and I will sing aloud;

My voice rises to God, and God will hear me.”

As we recite our litany of Psalms of praise and gratitude we can’t overlook the fact that nearly 1/3 of the Psalms in our Bible are songs of lament –

songs expressing sorrow, grief, anger, and despair.

Both individual and communal.

Few of us would deny that music provides us with an emotional release.

Beyond the dopamine rush of pleasurable melodies and pleasing patterns, there is delight to be found in soaring notes that lift our spirits,

and in familiar tunes that are forever tied to memories - of people we love, places where we experienced joy,

and events that give our lives purpose and meaning.

The same could be said for the music that carries us through difficult and desperate times.

When we immerse ourselves in minor keys, mournful melodies, and impassioned verses that mirror our pain and solitude.

Whether we prefer easy listening, Top 40, country, or classic rock…

there’s a reason why love songs and break up songs make up the bulk of popular music – regardless of era or genre.

As we find as much comfort in songs about losing love as we find in songs about gaining it.

You may have heard the old joke,

“What do you get when you play a country music song backward?”

You get back your wife, your job, your horse, and your truck.

The healing properties of music might be thought of as miraculous at times.

I witnessed it myself in a senior center where I served as a volunteer in CT, where a man who spent his days sitting in a wheelchair mute and immobilized from a combination of ALS and dementia,

would suddenly come alive when he was wheeled into the recreation room every Wednesday, when visiting musicians and singers would offer up songs from the 1930’s and 40’s and he would sing along loudly, word for word from memory.

Lifting up a voice that came from a place deep within him

that time and illness could not touch.

There’s a reason why a good portion of our Bible is devoted to the songs that our ancestors once lifted up to God.

The melodies may be lost to time, but the words still speak to us in the ‘sung from the heart’ way they were written.

In these words we find comfort, kinship, and peace.

Music is the way we find connection with an ancient people who lived in a very different world than we do,

and it’s the way we find connection and kinship with the people who live in a very different world than we do today.

Perhaps the miracle that occurred on the day of Pentecost didn’t come in the sound of the wind or the cacophony of a thousand tongues speaking at once. 

Perhaps the Spirit of God came rushing in with the sound of trumpets blaring, flutes singing, and voices raised in harmony…

And it was the music that filled our spirits and brought us together, as one. 

Thanks be to God and Amen.

Sermon: "Woke"

Introduction to Acts 9:36-43

The book of Acts was written by the same author who composed the gospel of Luke, as it chronicles the story – or the “acts” - of the disciples after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Apart from the letters of Paul, the Book of Acts is the only source we have for stories about the early church -

The church built by Peter, James, and Paul and the growing number of disciples who joined them to carry the message of Jesus into the world.

In this post-Easter world, we find yet another resurrection story.

This one carried out at the hands of Peter,

who raises a woman from the dead.

But not just any woman – we’re told she’s a fellow disciple.

This is the only time in the entire New Testament that the Greek word for disciple – mathaties – is applied to a woman.

This disciple also happens to be a much beloved seamstress,

who spent her days making clothing for widows and those in need.

The woman’s name, in Greek, is Dorcas –which means Gazelle.

But we’re also given her name in Aramaic – Tabitha.

What’s striking about this story is how closely it resembles the story in Mark’s gospel, where Jesus raised a little girl from the dead.

In that story, Jesus’ words are recorded in his native Aramaic:

He took the girl by the hand and said, “Talitha, cuum.”

Which means, “Little girl, get up.”

Here, Peter, using the woman’s Aramaic name, says, “Tabitha, get up.”

And then as she awakens he takes her by the hand.

Duplicating the miraculous healing that Jesus once did.

Demonstrating that despite Jesus’ passing,

God is still acting in the world.

The Rev. Maureen R. Frescott

Congregational Church of Amherst, UCC
May 12, 2019 – Fourth Sunday of Easter

Acts 9:36-43

“Woke”

How many of you are early risers?

If you are, then you may know the joy of waking up at this time of year, around 5:00 a.m., and hearing the birds singing outside.

If you’re a parent, you may have experienced the delight of awakening early on a Saturday morning, before the kids have stirred – and just lying there, even just for 5 minutes, reveling in a rare moment of peace.

Conversely, if you’ve experienced a deep loss, you may know what it’s like to be awoken each morning by the shuddering realization that it wasn’t a dream, and as the pain washes over you, you wonder if you’ll ever wake up feeling alive again.

We often associate resurrection stories with that feeling of being woken up – to joy, to peace, to new life, even in the shadow of death.

If you open up a Bible to the story we just heard from Book of Acts – more often than not it appears under the heading, “Peter in Lydda and Joppa.”

Lydda and Joppa are the two cities where Peter performed two successive miraculous acts, first healing a man named Aeneas,

who had been bedridden for 8 years, before moving on to the home of the disciple named Dorcas (or Tabitha, which is her Aramaic name), where he raised her from the dead.

Traditionally, the names of those being healed here are viewed as incidental,

because this is a story about Peter.

Which is why his name appears in the heading.

This is a story that establishes Peter as a conduit of God’s healing power,

and affirms him as the one destined to build Christ’s church in the world.

But this is not a sermon about Peter.

This is a sermon about Tabitha.

Because Tabitha is not just an incidental character who appears as an extra in the Peter story.   

She did not rise simply to prove that Peter had the power to awaken her.

While Luke, the author of the book of Acts, may have chosen to include Dorcas’ Aramaic name, Tabitha, because it sounds so similar to Talitha –

and it helps us draw a neat connecting line between Jesus’ power as a healer and Peter’s power as a healer – there’s so much more going on here than that.

This is one of the few miraculous healing stories in our Bible where we’re given additional background information about the one being healed,

beyond the details of the condition that needs healing.

We’re told that Tabitha is devoted to good works and acts of charity.

And after Peter is summoned and rushes in to see her,

rather than jump right to the healing,

Luke takes the opportunity to allow his readers linger in the room.

Telling us about the widows who were gathered there

shedding tears over Tabitha’s loss.

And describing the clothing that this disciple had lovingly made for others.

We may not fully appreciate the art of apparel making in our modern times.

Even if we have some sense of the time and talent it takes,

after watching TV shows about the fashion industry’s top designers,

for most of us, acquiring clothing is as simple as taking a trip to the mall

or clicking “Buy it Now” on the internet.

If we split a seam, or lose a button, or need a larger size to accommodate our larger size, we simply go out and buy something new.

We also are not lacking for choice.

Very few of us wear the same outfit every day – unless our work requires it.

And even if that’s the case, we likely have more than one of whatever is we’re required to wear – whether it’s a uniform shirt, a pair of scrubs, or a business suit.

Most of us likely have more pieces of clothing in our closets that we don’t wear, than pieces that we do.

This was not the case in Tabitha’s world, where anyone lower than royalty likely had only one or two sets of clothing to put on each day.

We see this reflected in the communal laws that appear in our Bible,

where it explicitly states, if you take someone’s cloak as collateral for a loan, make sure you return it to them each night, when the temperature drops, because it may be the only covering they have.

In a world where clothing is difficult to come by, laborious to make,

and expensive to own, anyone who has the time and talent to create it

and the compassion to give it away,

is a true gift to the community.

Making clothing is not completely a lost art in our time.

Many of you love to sew, or at least know how to mend a tear.

My mother spent many hours at her beloved Singer sewing machine.

With ten children to clothe, and with hand-me-downs only going so far before they completely wore out,

at Christmas we were often gifted with a new pair of pants or a new dress - that was conspicuously lacking any labels,

and was inevitably made out of some itchy fabric that had us begging to take it off before the days end.

When one of my older sisters got married,

my mother very ambitiously made her wedding dress.

She also made the bridesmaid’s dresses for all the girls in the wedding party.

Somewhere there’s a photo of 12-year-old me looking very unhappy in pink taffeta, with very puffy sleeves.

At the time, I may not have appreciated my mother’s gifts as a seamstress,

or the effort, energy, and love that she stitched into each piece of clothing that she made.

Thankfully, Tabitha’s gift was appreciated in her time.

Not just for the obvious necessity of her particular gift, but for the way she used her gift to support, sustain, and care for her community.

The Tabatha story is a story about resurrection healing.

A story about God’s ability to awaken us, and heal us in unexpected ways.

But Peter wasn’t the only conduit for Tabitha’s healing.

Her awakening was also made possible by the presence of the members of the community gathered around her – who cared enough to summon help in her time of need, and who stayed with her, in her dying and in her rising.

What’s happening here is a form of communal healing.

As the people Tabatha loved and served became a healing presence for her –

and for one another – in their grief, and their joy.

The unexpected result of this particular communal coming together

is that Tabitha was given new life, the gift of more time, to stitch her love – and God’s love - into the garments she created for those most in need of feeling that love wrapped around their bodies.

You may have heard it said that we can’t be a Christian in isolation.

That being a follower of Jesus hinges on our ability to live in community -  

to care for others, to be the presence of Christ for one another,

and to allow others to be that presence for us.

This is not something that comes easily for some of us.

Especially if we’ve been raised to believe that depending on others is a sign of weakness, or a personal failing…

because we’re supposed to be able to pull our own weight,

and not become a burden to others.

Or, if we’ve been taught that our own needs are not as important as the needs of those around us, therefore the needs of those we care for should always come first, even if our own needs are great or are rarely met.

This emphasis on personal responsibility, self-sufficiency, or self depreciation – which we project on to others or take on ourselves –

can greatly hinder our ability to be the presence of Christ for one another.

And hinder our ability to bring about communal healing.

We may wonder what stories like this one about ancient healings and resurrections have to do with our desire for healing in our time.

New Testament Professor and Lutheran Pastor, Rolf Jacobson,

shares the results of a survey that he helped facilitate, that was intended to measure the influence of the Bible on people’s lives.

What he found is that the Bible comes alive for us most often during times of crisis.

In the course of the survey, Jacobson met a man whose son had died.

The man shared that he was not overtly religious but he turned to the Bible to help him make sense of something that he could not wrap his head around.

The man said, “Every morning I would wake up and my very first thought would be, 'My son is dead.' But eventually, after reading the Bible everyday, my first thought upon waking became, 'I’m alive.'”

Stories of resurrection, renewal, and healing are the voice of community.

Even if the members of the community sharing the stories have long since passed, they still have the ability to awaken us,

to change our perspective,

to reassure us that we’re not alone in our need for restoration.

The point of resurrection stories is to show us that God has the power to heal us in unexpected ways.

And more often than not,

it’s the community that holds us as we slumber

and is there to greet us when we’ve awoken.

Talitha, cum!

Tabitha, get up!

We are all blessed by your return.

Thanks be to God, and Amen.

Sermon: "The First Breakfast"

John 21:1-19  - Scripture Intro

There is some speculation that this last chapter of John’s gospel was not a part of the original manuscript but was added some time later, as an epilogue,

either by the original author or by an entirely different author.

If we look back at Chapter 20 we see that it already has a rather tidy ending that concludes the gospel as a whole.

The chapter begins with Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene outside the empty tomb, which is the story we read on Easter Sunday,

and continues with Jesus appearing in the locked room to all of the disciples and then finally to Thomas, which is the story we heard last week.

And then the chapter ends with a final paragraph, which most bibles title:

“The Purpose of this Book” – and which goes on to say:

 “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”

I’m not an English teacher, but that certainly sounds like a concluding paragraph to me.

But then we have Chapter 21 – Which weaves in yet another story of the resurrected Jesus appearing to his disciples –

this time he shows up on a beach and cooks them breakfast after they’ve spent a long night out fishing on the sea.

The story makes a good epilogue, whether it was intended that way or not, because it feels like it may have happened some time after the events of Easter week.

The disciples have returned to their work and their lives 

(as many of us do after we've lost a loved one...)

and oddly, they don’t seem to have been moved to go out and spread the news of the risen Christ – even after having witnessed him appearing to them in the flesh. Perhaps because they’re still carrying their grief and uncertainty.

Another thing worth noting about the post-resurrection story we’re about to read, is that it contains a number of unusually specific details that may have us wondering – why did the author choose to mention that? 

As you listen to the passage, see if you can pick out some of those details.

And as you listen, also ask yourself, why was it important that this story of Jesus serving up breakfast on the beach be included in John’s gospel,

preserving it for all time.

John 21:1-19

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples.

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”

They said to him, “We will go with you.”

They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.”

He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.

That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn.

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

The Rev. Maureen R. Frescott

Congregational Church of Amherst, UCC

May 5, 2019 – Third Sunday of Easter

John 21:1-19

“The First Breakfast”

So.

Did you catch the unusual details in this story?

The ones that may have you wondering why they were included?

Like the fact that the disciples were gathered by the Sea of Tiberius –

the same place where Jesus fed 5000 people with just 5 loaves and 2 fish?

Or, the particular disciples who were named as being present – Nathanial, Thomas, and Peter – all of whom had previous encounters with Jesus where they struggled with belief and then experienced a moment of conversion?

Or, the fact that the disciples were fishing at night – a time consistently mentioned in other stories that centered on confusion and questioning?

Some details in this passage from John have baffled even the experts –

as biblical scholars and theologians have spent centuries arguing over the meaning of particular references and their context.

Why did Jesus tell the disciples to fish over the right side of the boat?

Why are we told they caught 153 fish? That seems oddly specific, doesn’t it?

Why are we told that Peter had stripped naked, but then put his clothes back on before jumping in the water?

And why did Jesus ask Peter if he loved him – not once, but three times?

As any good storyteller knows, details matter. 

Some details are contextual – to help us plant a story in a particular place or time.

Some details are symbolic – to help us connect a story with another that came before.

Some details are metaphorical or allegorical – to help us think of a person, or place, or an event in a new way.

And sometimes the details of a story are just incidental or just plain wrong.

Which can throw us off – as we speculate and pontificate on a meaning that was never intended to begin with.

At times, there is humor to be found in some unintended or unclear presentations of details.

Just google ‘Church bulletin bloopers’ and you’ll find lists of announcements that have actually appeared in church bulletins and newsletters - shared by well-intentioned clergy and congregants whose choice of words created more confusion than clarity:

“Potluck Supper, Saturday at 5pm. Prayer and medication will follow.”

 “This Sunday, our Pastor will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, Break Forth Into Joy.”

“The Low Self-Esteem Support Group meets Thursday at 8:30 p.m. Please use the back door.”

“We continue to pray for Barbara as she remains in the hospital. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of the pastor's sermons.

"Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It is a great chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands."

"Last Sunday the stewardship team unveiled this year’s campaign slogan: 'I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours.'"

Thankfully, Andrea, our church administrator, rarely allows such inattention to detail in our church publications.

Although earlier this week I did find her sighing over the final printed copies of the church's Annual Report. 

She said, “There are two typos in here…but it’s too late to do anything about it.”

We both agreed that it was unlikely the mistakes would even be noticed because how many of us actually read the annual report?

Now, we could spend a month’s worth of sermons and bible studies parsing through all the details of this one passage from the last chapter of John’s gospel.

So today we’ll focus on just one detail.

The last interaction between Jesus and Peter.

Where three times Jesus called Peter by name, saying,

“Simon, son of John, do you love me?” 

and three times Peter, responds,  

“Lord, you know that I love you.” 

Then Jesus says, “Then tend my sheep.”

It’s been said that this was Peter’s opportunity for redemption.

After he denied knowing Jesus three times on the night he was arrested,

here Jesus gives him three chances to make it right –

to ask for and receive forgiveness.

This could easily be a sermon about that.

As we ask ourselves in what ways have we denied knowing Jesus,

and how might we make it right.

But the problem with this interpretation of what’s going on here – is that in John’s gospel Peter never denied that he knew Jesus.

In Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s gospels Peter is asked three times –

“Do you know this man?” and three times he says, “I do not.”

Yet in John’s gospel, Peter is asked a different question. 

He's asked, “You are one of his disciples are you not?”

And three times Peter says, “I am not.”

It’s one thing to say that you don’t know a man…it’s another to say that you don’t belong to him – don’t follow him – or hold his teachings in your heart.

The difference here is found in the identity that Peter claims for himself.

For Peter, the first denial may have come out of fear.

John’s gospel tells us that Peter was standing outside the courtyard where Jesus was being held, warming himself by a charcoal fire with several members of the police, when he was asked if he too was a disciple.

Given where he was and who was listening, he nervously said, “I am not.”

And as the words left his mouth he must have realized he had spoken the truth.

What kind of disciple would deny his own teacher?

What kind of disciple would be so bold to claim to live by the commandment of love and at the first sign of risk choose instead to be driven by fear?

These thoughts may have been tearing at Peter’s mind when hours later, he is asked once again, “You are a disciple, are you not?”

And he said once again, this time likely in guilt and defeat, “I am not”  -

perhaps knowing that he no longer deserved to claim that precious identity for himself.

How many of us struggle with claiming this identity of disciple?

Denying that we are a true follower of Jesus – because we don’t think we’ve earned it.

Because we can’t seem to follow in his footsteps without taking a whole lot of missteps.

Because we struggle with loving our enemies, and forgiving our transgressors, and offering grace to those we think don’t deserve it.

Because we’re not even sure what parts of this Jesus story we actually believe and what we should believe to be able to rightfully claim the identity of Christian.

When Jesus called Peter by his given name, Simon, there on the beach,

and asked him if he loved him, he wasn’t testing him -

he was giving Peter the opportunity to reclaim the identity of disciple.

To recognize that he did not need to ask for Jesus’ forgiveness,

but instead needed to offer forgiveness to himself.

And understand that he had within him the love that was needed to not just be a follower of Christ but to also be a tender of the sheep that Jesus had left behind.

When we thought the story was over, 

when we thought the joy of the resurrection surely had overwritten the painful memories that Peter carried with him of the night of that last supper,

the meal where Jesus revealed he would both betrayed and denied,

and hours later Peter would stand around a charcoal fire and do just that…

Here we have Jesus stoking yet another charcoal fire,

and this time serving up a communion meal of bread and fish – 

a First Breakfast to heal the tainted memory of that Last Supper.

If we love Jesus, we are by default disciples of Jesus.

However imperfectly we express our discipleship in the world.

It is an identity we live into whenever we love and care for one another.

And it’s not an identity we lose, when we falter in our fear.

As Rachel Held Evans once wrote,

“This is what God's kingdom is like: a bunch of outcasts and oddballs gathered at a table (or around a campfire),

not because they are rich or worthy or good,

but because they are hungry, because they said yes.

And there's always room for more.”

Thanks be to God, and Amen.