The 11th Sunday after Pentecost - Eat, Drink and be Merry?

So what did you think of the parable of "The Rich Fool?"  That was then; this is now?  Or given my situation, I'm never going to have to build bigger barns?  Or using what is called a "resistant" interpretation, we could ask what is so wrong with being a successful landowner or farmer?  What's so wrong with eating, drinking and being merry--especially since I worked hard to earn enough to do these things?

"Having wisdom" or "being wise" had a high value in the Jewish tradition--perhaps an even higher value than being rich.  We find several books in the Hebrew Scriptures that offer guidance in this regard.  Proverbs and Ecclesiastes give the most direct advice. Certain psalms contain information about living wisely.

In the eighth chapter of Ecclesiastes we find this advice: "So I commend enjoyment because there's nothing better for people to do under the sun but to eat, drink, and be glad.  This is what will accompany them in their hard work during the lifetime that God gives under the sun."  The writer continues by speaking about the futility of understanding what God is up to here on earth.

Since human life requires such hard work to sustain ourselves, then shouldn't we balance that with some pleasure.  So what the rich man does in building bigger barn, so he can later kick back a bit, doesn't seem that outrageous.  Yet in the twenty-second chapter of Isaiah, we hear an oracle or prophecy of Isaiah's decrying having a party in the face of an invasion by the enemy:  "The Lord God of heavenly forces called on that day for weeping and mourning, and shaven heads, and wearing mourning clothes.  But instead there was fun and frivolity, killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine. 'Eat and drink! Tomorrow we will die.'"  In contrast to these activities as part of a balanced life, they are placed in a context of denial and fatalism.  The attitude Isaiah described might go like this: "It isn't going to get any better--perhaps it get a lot worse, it may even be dreadful—so let's enjoy ourselves as long as we can.  God called for acts of contrition and repentance, but what would that get us?”

In the parable about the rich fool, Jesus puts slant on this behavior of eating, drinking and being merry that's different than either of these other points of view.  Jesus isn't speaking about balanced life.  He isn't speaking about escapism from a dreadful fate.  He's talking about how life should be lived with the wealth or gifts or talents we have been given.  He's calling into question what that rich man should call his own.

One the important issues in your life when you're two-years-old is what is yours and what belongs to others.  When my daughter-in-law prepared for my grandson's two-year-old birthday party, she made these amazing party favors. Each child got a plastic pail with his or her name on it and filled with tools to dig in the sand.  When I visited the day before the party, Jacob was saying, "Mine? Mine?" when his mother showed them to me.  His mother explained they were for Abby and Reid who were coming to his party.  He accepted that explanation sort of . . . Over the two months since the party I've noticed that he often classifies things by their owner: Mommy's shoes, Daddy's phone, Grammie's hat and so on.  He accepts that not everything can be his--although he will push the point if he really wants something.

In the gospel reading for today we heard about a man pushing the point about something he claimed as his.  He asked Jesus to speak to his brother about the fair division of an inheritance they were to receive.  This would have been a legitimate request to a religious authority.  But Jesus turned this request into an occasion for teaching people in the crowd about greed.  Jesus was looking deeper into the motivation of someone who had all that he could use and more.  Jesus' teaching defined greed in an unusual way.  In this parable greed wasn't trying to get more than your share.  Greed was holding onto more than you needed and failing to recognize that your abundance came from using the gifts God had given you--in the landowner's case, the good weather and the rich soil, and his talent in working the soil.  Not only did the rich man's lack of gratitude make him "foolish," but also his cluelessness about the transitory nature of life and his possessions made his desire for bigger barns seem all the more unworthy.

As we consider our own situations (which are not really like the rich man’s) in the light of this parable, what is the best we can hope for?  Perhaps it is this: to live in such a way that all people have the opportunity to use the talents God has given them in a society that allows them to earn enough so everyone can eat, drink and be merry--so everyone can, for example, have a wonderful celebration like Jacob's birthday party.  "Being rich toward God" in terms of this parable isn't talking about personal piety, but rather a spirit of generosity toward those who are in need.  For after all, in the end, the stuff or treasure that we clutch so tightly, whose will they be?  Jesus was teaching the crowd to open their hands as a different way to be rich--rich in giving, for nothing else truly lasts.

The 10th Sunday after Pentecost - Live Your Lives in Jesus (The Lord's Prayer)

"Live your lives in [Jesus], rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."  Prayer is part of our life in Jesus.  (Colossians 2: 6)

Prayer comes in all sorts of forms: spoken or silent; petitions for ourselves or intercession a for others; holy reading (lectio divina) or ecstatic utterance (speaking in tongues); foxhole prayers or reading the daily office; and perhaps the most common form are described by writer Anne Lamott as "Help, help, help" and "Thank you, thank you."

Although Teresa of Avila recommended that we be friends with God by spending time with God in silent prayer, unoccupied by our own thoughts or words, waiting for God to reveal God's self, many of us, like the disciples of Jesus, most often use words.  What should those words be?   We can think of them as three movements of prayer in our lives with divine encouragement.

The first movement concerns God:  When asked by his disciples how they should pray, Jesus said: Address God as the Holy One for whose reign we pray.  We often cast God in our own image, but God is other--although personal in that God cares and loves us, but not a person as we are people.  Modern theology also depicts God as containing all existence within God's self--panentheism--a way of saying that our words are weak attempts to talk about the mystery of our Creator who has redeemed us and constantly endeavors to draw us to God's self.  Paul writes in Colossians, "For in [Jesus] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him. . . "

So - "Live your lives in [Jesus], rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."

The second movement concerns ourselves:  Jesus told the disciples to make this request for themselves:  "Give us each day our daily bread."  Daily bread - for ourselves, what we need to sustain our lives - not for a week or a month or a year, but for today. Yesterday has passed; tomorrow isn't here yet.  We need to be strengthened today for whatever lies in our path.

Our request for daily bread isn't for "stuff" in our lives. Our petition grows out of our recognition of our "need."   In the New Zealand prayer book on version of this prayer says, "With the bread we need for today, feed us."  Our bodies need nourishment, and our spirits do as well.  We pray to God for all that we need.

So - "Live your lives in [Jesus] rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."

The third movement concerns how we live in community:  Jesus told the disciples to ask for forgiveness when they has messed things up, "And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.". Whether it's in this parish or in your family or in the larger community, someone will mess up something that you feel is important and will "owe" you something.  Maybe that something is greater respect, maybe that something is an apology, because we have been offended in some way.  In these instances, for the well-being of the community and the establishment of God's reign, Jesus calls on us to forgive as God forgives.  We're not talking about big offenses here, but daily moments--as in recognizing in the moment that the well-being of the community demands our not requiring the person to pay the "debt."  We can say "no problem" about the issue and the person to ourselves and truly mean it.

So - "Live your lives in [Jesus], rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."

And finally, divine encouragement to pray: "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you . . ."   Be persistent in opening what is on your heart to God.  Praise God for your life and all creation.  Ask for what you need to be strengthened today.  Offer forgiveness to make the communities where we live--the family, parish and larger world--more respectful and peaceful. Never give up; never give up.

So - "Live your lives in [Jesus], rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."  Thank you, thank you!

The 9th Sunday after Pentecost - Listening to God and Standing Our Ground

Two weeks ago we heard Jesus instruct the seventy people [or seventy-two] he sent out to preach and heal in the cities where he was planning to go to say this:  "The kingdom of God has come near to you."   Another version of the Bible translates his instruction this way: "God's kingdom has come upon you."  As chapter 10 of Luke's gospel continues, Luke gives us glimpses of how God's reign will appear.  The theological concept of "already, not yet"--as in "already seen, but not yet fully realized"--should be used to interpret many of Jesus' parables and teaching vignettes.

Today's story of a crisis in hospitality at the home of Martha and Mary offers such a vignette.  Although Martha and Mary have become iconic figures in Christian thought, this is the only time they appear in Luke's writing.  They don't appear in either Matthew or Mark.  In John's gospel they do appear in the story of Jesus' raising Lazarus and speak forcefully to Jesus about their grief.  John's narrative shows Martha as the one with theological insight.  Martha says that she believes Jesus is the "Messiah, the Son of God, who has come into the world." She also affirms her confidence in the resurrection of the dead "on the last day"--in other words when God's reign is fully realized.  John describes Mary as having anointed Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair--a story which appears in the seventh chapter of Luke's gospel. John also states that Jesus loves Martha, Mary and Lazarus.

Assuming that both Luke and John are talking about the same people, Jesus knew these sisters well and was comfortable interacting with them in the same way he did with his male disciples--as a teacher.  But in her eagerness and haste to prepare for a highly honored guest, Martha acts out the traditional role of hospitable host.  In the Genesis reading we heard this morning we saw Abraham ordering his wife and servants to prepare a feast for three highly honored guests--whom he believes are messengers from God.  Abraham's hospitality could not be faulted!

But, despite the tradition and despite the affection and apparent respect that the sisters have for Jesus and he for them, Jesus addresses what's missing in this frantic hospitality.  Jesus calls it "the better part" that "will not be taken away."  What is this better part?  And why does Jesus insist that it not be denied Mary?

Sometimes this narrative has been interpreted as Jesus placing the contemplative life above the active life.  Sometimes folks have suggested that Jesus wants to make the point that works do not save a person.  But I see this narrative as Jesus' affirming the importance of listening to his teaching and including women in the group of people he hopes will receive his message.

We know the gospels were written long after the events occurred--some 40 to 60 years, in fact. John's account offers proof that indeed women, including Martha and Mary, were important recipients of the gospel message. In Luke's account we heard how that might have taken place on at least one occasion--in the home of beloved friends.  This intimate, domestic scene offers a contrast to the crowd scenes where Jesus has to flee to a boat or up a mountain to get away from being mobbed after he teaches and heals. We see Jesus in a setting where we might be able to imagine ourselves listening to him and preparing to eat a meal with him.

Already, not yet--in many ways our lives are very different from the people who lived at the time of Jesus, but in one way we are in exactly the same place. We believe that God became fully human to initiate God's reign in which creation will be restored to the fullness God intended, but we have no idea when God will complete this work of drawing the whole world to God's self.

For centuries, each time we have said the "Our Father," we have prayed for God's kingdom to come and God's will be done on earth.  And for centuries, we have--in the words of Eucharistic Prayer C--"turned against [God], and betrayed [God's] trust; and we turned against one another."

This week in Wilmington a five year old girl, Jazmine, was shot in the leg as she went outside after dinner to retrieve her scooter.  Her wound was so bad that eventually she was sent to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for surgery.  How far we are from a peaceful and just society!  How far we are from God's reign!

Carolyn Gillette, the co-pastor of Limestone Presbyterian Church, writes hymn texts to familiar hymn tunes, some of which offer theological commentary on events in the news.   Through her Facebook page I found a new hymn Carolyn has written, and I want to share it with you this morning.  It speaks to the problem of violence on our streets, especially as it injures or kills those who are in the wrong place at the wrong time.  It also speaks about the nature of God’s reign. [I read it at the end the sermon.]

We Pray for Youth We Dearly Love

Solo:

"If I should die before I wake,
I pray thee, Lord, my soul to take....
And if I die on violent streets,
I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep."

Congregation:

We pray for youth we dearly love
Who still await each bedtime hug,
Yet — when they hear of violence — cry
And ask, "Will I be next to die?"

O Lord, forgive our nation's sin:
We judge the one with different skin.
We turn from those we should embrace;
We count on guns instead of grace.

Forgive our blindness to the way
Some live in fear from day to day.
Forgive us when we cannot see
That all are bound till all are free.

God bless the youth who live in fear,
And may we seek your kingdom here.
May love be where we stand our ground
Till justice, peace and joy abound.

Tune: Traditional English melody - LM
Text: Copyright © 2013 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.

The 7th Sunday after Pentecost - Lambs in the Midst of Wolves?

"See," said Jesus, "I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves."  One wonders after a statement like that why seventy people were still willing to go out and proclaim the reign of God.  Did they think Jesus was using a rather exaggerated figure of speech?  Perhaps it's like the expression I've heard folks use when they're trying to accomplish something difficult, and it's not going well--"I'm up to my ears in alligators."

But I think that in his statement about lambs and wolves Jesus emphasized the nature of the lambs and also how ministry feels.  One word comes to mind: vulnerable.  Yes, vulnerable--but with a strategy.  And that strategy is  "travel light," trust in God, and don't be deterred by rejection.  If a person can follow the example of there seventy disciples, then his or her vulnerability becomes an asset, because it leaves room for God to act.

We can see that's the case when we find the seventy have come back expressing joy at what was accomplished.  But how hard this lesson is for us!  When we want a project to succeed, we invest so much of ourselves in getting the outcome we want.  We may call it "taking personal responsibility." But it also can become an obsession when the needs and feelings of those around us fade into the background.  It can become a perfectionist attitude, and the thought of criticism from others becomes unbearable.

And this sort of perfectionism can be found in really wonderful people.  When I was a teenager, a young minister, who related so well to young people, came to our church.  I was a Methodist then, and I used to tease him and call him Father Ellis (Methodist pastors were NEVER called "Father").  As I look back, I think I did this because he treated me like a loving father would--with appreciation and respect.  When I was in college, he was hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer. Now we know that such problems have a medical cause, but back then it was attributed only to diet and stress.

When I spoke with his wife, she made a statement I have always remembered: "It's not what he was eating, but what's eating him."  I believe she felt that, in the terms of today's gospel, he had not been able to accept his vulnerability and detach from the politics of pastoring an important church in a small town--despite his popularity with the congregation.  The outcome of this was good, though.  He survived and went on to pastor a larger church in the Pike Creek area.  Living in a more urban area gave him and his family some respite from the small town fishbowl existence.  When we met again, many years later, I found someone who had made peace with the demands of his vocation.

In the passage we heard from Galatians, St. Paul addressed the need for a Christian community in which there is both accountability and compassion.   When both of these are at work in the members of that community, then the temptation of placing success or the exercise of power above healthy community can be resisted.

Paul framed his teaching to the Galatians in the context of a "transgression" of someone in the community and the need to "fulfill the law of Christ"--which is, of course, to love your neighbor as yourself.  Paul described the compassion piece as restoring "such a one [who had transgressed] in the spirit of gentleness" and as bearing one another's burdens.  A person's difficulty in following Jesus (transgression) isn't an occasion for feeling superior or expressing condescension.  Rather it will be a time for each member of the community to engage in self-examination, or as St Paul said, "All must test their own work."  That's what he meant when he described the accountability piece as, "For all must carry their own loads."  It's interesting that Paul put the compassion piece before the accountability piece of self–examination in his letter.  Could he be making the same point when he said, "So then, whenever we have an opportunity let us work for the good of all . . .?”

"To work for the good of all" meant that St. Paul did not need to boast about what he had accomplished.  He said, "May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world."  That's the detachment Jesus asked those he sent out to proclaim the reign of God to maintain.  As lambs we don't have a position of power or status to maintain.  But if we know we will be traveling light, trusting God, and not concerned about rejection, even as lambs in the midst of wolves, we can proclaim boldly how Jesus has made everything, including us, "a new creation."

St. Teresa of Avila began a reformed branch of the Carmelite monastic order in 16th century Spain with the Inquisition raging around her.  As a woman who had mystical experiences and who wrote about them, she more than once fell under suspicion.  She was indeed a lamb in the midst of  wolves!  The code by which she lived--and required her nuns to live by as well--could be described as traveling light, trusting in God, and not worrying about the outcome.  She said that three things were important: detachment—as in the sense of not being emotionally needy for the good opinion of others, humility, and caritas/self-giving love. And these were undergirded by many hours of contemplative prayer in which she and her nuns were LISTENING to what God might say to them.  In their real vulnerability, but also in their deep trust in God, they could not only proclaim God's reign, but also show the world what living God's reign really meant.

Isn't that what we should be about today?  As a Christian community I believe we should not reject vulnerability, but we should recognize that God can act in the space of our vulnerability.  It isn't our how clever or perfect or powerful we are, but how lightly we can travel with a humble attitude and with self-giving love. And especially how detached we can be from clinging to one outcome or another as the only right one, because of what we hear from others!

As Luke reported Jesus saying, "Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you [that’s how the seventy had measured their success] but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."  Let us, fellow lambs, rejoice today knowing that God's grace will surround us, forgiving us our shortcomings and even our failures.  Yes, rejoice that God will indeed have taken down our names and, knowing each of us, will draw us to the divine light in life eternal.

The 6th Sunday after Pentecost - Keeping Your Hand on the Plow and Your Priorities Straight

         Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

         What do we plow with these days? A tractor? A rototiller?  Certainly anyone who starts running either one of those pieces of equipment and doesn't look straight ahead will quickly get into trouble.  So putting our hand to the plow and not looking back can be understood as a way of saying something like "Keep looking ahead . . . don't lose your focus . . . make sure your priorities are correct."

         In the gospel reading Luke shows us what Jesus' priorities are.  Jesus rebuked James and John for suggesting that the Samaritans who refused to show Jesus hospitality needed to be destroyed.  He didn't want to use power to make his point that God's reign had begun with his ministry.  He also said that following him and being part of the reign of God must come first in his would-be followers lives.  Keep looking ahead . . . don't lose your focus . . . keep your priorities straight.

         Jesus sounded a bit cranky, because he knew the journey ahead for his followers would be difficult and require real commitment.  We know that even the disciples closest to him failed the test of keeping their hand on the plow and not looking back.  After he was arrested, they either denied knowing him or ran away.  Until the Holy Spirit came upon them and gave them the spiritual power they needed, they were fearful and unable to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, the long awaited Savior.

         When you begin a family and bring a child into the world, you start on a challenging journey.  No one is truly prepared for this commitment.  We have put our hand to the plow to use the image Jesus did.  To not look back, but to look ahead and plan how you want to nurture your child--this is critical!  How important it becomes to not lose your focus on what seems best to do!  And, yes, you must figure out what's most important for your child and set that as your priority.

         Today B-- and K-- have chosen for D-- to become part of the Christian community here at St. Nicholas.  She's too young to understand the promises they are making on her behalf.  But K-- and B-- do understand them and are making a commitment to teach her what they mean.  "Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior?  Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love? Do you promise to follow and obey him as your Lord?"  These are the questions I will ask.  The parents and godparents, speaking for D--, will answer, "I do."  She will learn about God's love in Jesus through her family's teaching and example.  When they bring her to St. Nicholas, she will also learn about God's love in Jesus from us as well.  This must be a priority for D--'s family and for us.

​         I want to share a story with you about how this happened for one child and one congregation.  It comes from a book called Godparenting: Nurturing the Next Generation by Nancy Ann McLaughlin and Tracey Herzer.  The story was told by an Episcopal priest named Debra Kissinger:  “When I was the vicar of a small church in Connecticut, there was a three-year-old boy, Jeffrey, who came to the altar rail week after week with his mother . . . Jeffrey’s mother was reluctant to allow him to receive the sacrament ‘until he was old enough to understand.’  Week after week, the little boy would extend his hands to receive, and week after week his mother would pull his hands back to his chest with a thump.  But one Sunday Jeffrey was not to be denied.  He extended his hands.  His mother pulled them back. Not once but three times . . . And then it happened:  Jeffrey yelled at the top of his lungs, ‘Jesus, Jesus! I want Jesus, too!  Give me Jesus!’ and thrust his hands forward again to receive the host.

​         You could have heard a pin drop.  The [Holy] Spirit silently danced through the church.  I looked at Jeffrey’s mom, both our eyes brimming with tears.  She nodded her consent.  I barely choked out the words: ‘The Body of Christ’ as Jeffrey took Jesus into his hands and pronounced a loud ‘Amen!’ for all to hear . . . Jeffrey knelt in awe before Jesus that day, and we were each filled with awe as we searched our own hearts and shared his experience.”

         From this story we see how important a community can be to helping a child to get his or her priorities right. Let us be faithful in our following Jesus, so D-- can see the light of Jesus Christ in each of us. In doing this we are keeping our hand on the plow and our eyes securely on Jesus.

Pentecost 5 - June 23, 2013 Who's worthy of God's blessing?

Today our readings seem barely related.  The reading from Isaiah mentions swine and tombs, as does the reading from Luke. And during the Pentecost season the Epistle readings--like the one we heard from St. Paul's letter to the Galatians--are read straight through the epistle without trying to relate to either of the other readings.  Recently I found out that one of the priests in my clergy Bible study group has a parishioner who rates his sermons each week.  She gives him a number--5.5, 8.0, etc.--as one might score a gymnast's or an ice skater's performance. In large part it is based on how well he is able to tie all three readings together.  The degree of difficulty for him this morning is rather high, I think.

Preaching on one, two or all three lessons should not be considered a matter of theological or homiletic gymnastics, but on whether doing so aids us in understanding where the Spirit of God is leading.  "So what difference will this make in our lives?" I should always ask this question in preparing to preach.  Of course, what we do, what we say, what we think, what we feel--all these parts of our lives are important.  Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a 20th century French theologian claimed, "We are not physical beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a physical experience."  So what we discern about God through reading and thinking about scripture, praying, participating in the speech act we call preaching and in receiving Christ at the Eucharist--all these can and should make a difference in our lives--each day and each week.

So as I prepared this week I began to realize that these three readings are like snapshots taken to answer the same two questions. They are: Who are we? (and) Who are we in God's eyes?  After we have answered these questions, then one more arises: How should I pattern my life based on what I have learned after I have answered these questions?

Our scriptures in the first chapter of Genesis teach us that God creates; God blesses creation, and God calls creation good.  The Garden of Eden represents this harmony between God and humankind--a harmony that was lost and that God seeks to restore.  We humans may well be ambivalent about that restoration, for God's gift of free will allows us to make choices--even the choice to pattern our lives with no regard for God's blessing and God's grace.

So, despite our ambivalence, let's try to answer our questions--Who are we? Who are we in God's eyes?--in the light of these three lessons.  Isaiah depicts God calling humans rebellious, "who walk in a way of that is not good, following their own devices."  The activities he mentions are associated with idol worship, such as the worship of the Canaanite gods, often called Ba'al. Isaiah describes God's displeasure and desire to repay humanity's rebellion by abandoning them.  But God could not bring God's self to abandon his creation.  God remembers his promise in the covenant he made with Abraham to give him many descendants who would bless the whole world. God vows to remain faithful to those he chose.

St. Paul's letter to the Galatians deals with a problem that plagued the early church, one that has never been solved. Members of the church, the body of Christ, make distinctions among them selves--who is the sort of person with whom God desires a relationship and who is not. The enormous question for the church at that time was whether one must become a Jew first before one could become a Christian.  Paul argues that God sees all sorts of folks as worthy of God's blessing and grace: "As many of you were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ.  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise."  Faith in Christ, according to Paul, should offer human beings freedom from the bondage of society places on them because of their birth status or their economic status. We now should perceive a much larger circle of folks to whom God will be faithful and whom God loves.

Although our Gospels describe an earlier time than Paul's letters do in the development of Christianity, they were written much later.  Sometimes stories from the Gospels speak to an issue that concerned the church in its life in the latter part of the first century.  For example, how would those folks who might first appear quite far outside the circle of God’s love view the life and teachings of Jesus?  The land of the Garasenes and the man suffering from what we might describe as serious mental illness fit the bill.  These folks lived on the "wrong" or Gentile side of the Sea of Galilee, and the man was a terror even in that community. 

We know the details of the story are tied to the culture and beliefs of the time, yet we can still recognize a man who is rejected by everyone--a dangerous misfit and totally outside respectable human society.  He even rejected the possibility of help from Jesus. We have only to look at our prisons and some of the homeless on our streets to find such folk today.  And to be completely honest with you, as I considered over the week what this story truly means, I came to the conclusion that we have only to look at ourselves to see this sad human figure.  In modern terms, this man may well represent what Sigmund Freud labeled our "id."  And our id will lead us to deeds of selfish power and destruction without the mediation of our superego, imposed on us by our cultural norms.

What Jesus does in this narrative is to give this man back his true self, his ego in Freudian terms.  Luke describes the healed man as clothed and in his right mind, sitting at Jesus' feet.  Jesus, through the healing power that came from God, restored this man--who no one would have considered worthy of God's blessing and grace--to wholeness of life.  The circle of folks to whom God is faithful and whom God loves has grown again.  If God blesses this wild, destructive and mentally ill man, can we imagine anyone whom God will not include in God's circle of blessing?

         So if we have come to believe that God abandons no one, how should we pattern our life to reflect that belief?  Who do we believe is so unworthy that we can reject their needs without a second thought?  Each of us has our own list.  Then should we start by realizing that God loves each of us--despite what darkness lurks in our souls?  Should we reconsider our attitudes and behavior toward those we have always rejected as unworthy people?  Perhaps in our prayers we need to ask Jesus, as did the expert in Mosaic law in the 10th chapter of Luke--which will be our gospel reading in three weeks--"And who is my neighbor?"

Pentecost 2 - June 2, 2013 God Acts, Crossing Boundaries!

The nature of Jesus as healer, social commentary on the relationship between the Roman Empire and Second Temple Judaism, earthly authority v. divine authority--all these would make interesting approaches to the study of our reading today from the Gospel of Luke.  But preaching isn't Bible study.  Rather I believe preaching involves finding a nugget of meaning within the scriptures offered by our lectionary for today and asking how might we use that nugget to understand more about God and how our lives can respond to that understanding.  

To expand the nugget metaphor a bit we might consider how that nugget might be extracted from the ore of the biblical text.  Then we might want to turn it over in our minds--tumbling might be the metaphor here--until it becomes a lustrous gem of truth for today.  Eternal truths are a bit trickier than this to discern and may well take centuries to refine by many thoughtful folks, such as this one: the arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice.

But for today our task will be to extract of nugget of meaning from the gospel reading and to turn it over in our minds. For this we need a tool. Tools might come from a moments in one's life this week, from the news, from a conversation with a friend or anything that can direct our thoughts more deeply. For me, this week as I read the gospel passage, the words of Pope Francis helped me find that nugget of meaning.  

Here are his words as reported online: "The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone,” the pope told worshipers at morning Mass on Wednesday. “‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!”  Francis continued, “We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”

The key words for me were these:  "But do good: we will meet one another there."  Some folks were ready to explain away what he said.  Oh, he really didn't mean that it was unimportant whether you were an atheist or a Catholic. He knows that all must eventually come to God through the Roman Catholic Church.  But no, I disagree—Pope Francis seems to be a man who isn't afraid to take a new and fresh look at how to communicate the gospel.

This is what his words mean to me:  Jesus' healing of the centurion's slave allowed disparate folks to meet and experience God's redeeming love. Jewish elders, an alternative rabbi whom many considered the long-desired Messiah, a Roman centurion with some disposable income, some friends of the centurion and the centurion's slave would not have sat down for dinner together, but they did meet one another in doing good.  And in that space of their "meeting" healing happened, redemption happened.

Lots of social, political and theological boundaries were crossed in this event.  The centurion cared for the well being of a trusted and valued slave above and beyond what anyone would have expected of him.  The Jewish elders--with some financial ulterior motives perhaps--agreed to assist this representative of the Roman occupation with a mission of mercy.  Jesus agreed to help with this mission of mercy--even though he must have realized he was being "used."  The friends of the centurion probably would not have wanted any dealings with this alternative Jewish rabbi, but they cared enough about their friend's need to do as he asked. 

The first sign of God's redeeming action was the centurion's humility.  As a god-fearing Gentile he had been attracted to Judaism by its monotheism and by the ethical living spelled out in the Torah.  He recognized a special authority--one might call it divine authority--shown by the life and teachings of Jesus.  In his humility the centurion did not require Jesus to come to him to heal the servant, "but only say the word."  And Jesus acknowledged the centurion's great faith, a second sign that God's redeeming love was operating in this moment.

Our nugget of meaning in all of this, I believe, is God's boundless love and God's ability to act redemptively across all boundaries we humans choose to erect.  As we turn this nugget over and over again in our minds, do we feel comfortable about it, because that was then and this is now?  Jesus directed his closing comment about the centurion's impressive faith at the Jewish elders, not us, right? Let us not get too comfortable!  I believe we must ask ourselves whom would we be uncomfortable sitting down at the table with?  As Jesus was willing to be "used" to allow space for God's redeeming love to act, can we find room in our hearts for compassion toward folks that make us feel uncomfortable?  And as the centurion in humility laid aside the power society gave him, will we be able to step back from our need for power and control to allow God's healing love to flow into our lives?

Let's consider the words of Pope Francis again:

"The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone."

 'Father, the atheists?' 

"Even the atheists. Everyone! We must meet one another doing good."

 ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’

 "But do good: we will meet one another there.” 

And to this let us respond with a hope-filled "Amen."