Luke 9:51-62        When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Reflection        The Way of following Jesus to Jerusalem, the City of Peace, is opposite humanity’s impulsive inclination to react, get exercised, blame and exact revenge. The Way of Jesus is unswerving determination to proclaim the Kingdom of God’s peace for all in the face of human weakness, frustration, violence and tragedy. The Way of following Jesus to Jerusalem demands a peaceful response even, and perhaps especially, when we feel invaded, imperiled or insecure. I believe that is what the writer of Luke’s gospel means when he writes, “Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem.” The idiom, ‘set your face’  means being determined to do something despite forces to the contrary.

Jesus has “set his face toward Jerusalem.” He is single- minded and determined. Nothing will distract him from fulfilling his purpose – from fulfilling God’s purpose to be the living breathing revelation of peace on earth, to reveal to people then and now exactly what peace looks like… and what it will cost. 

Which brings to mind that fateful day in October of 2006 in Nickel Mines, PA, when a man burst into a one room school house, shot eight Amish girls, killing five, then killed himself. Since then we have suffered many scenes of senseless violence. But the situation in Nickel Mines is singular because of the way the families responded. Rather than react with outrage and blame, claim social, political or religious persecution, and seek retaliation, the Amish families went to the killer’s burial service and offered forgiveness and hugs to the killer’s grieving family. 

Even though the family’s of the dead girls were brokenhearted, they choose to express forgiveness and peace rather than blame and retaliation and in so doing touched the hearts of people around the world, even then years later. This is the image of transforming  peace revealed in the midst of violence and tragedy. This is The Way to Jerusalem, the City of Peace.

Which lands us in front of a very large mirror asking, “How are we individually and collectively living the peaceful way of Jesus? What ideas or beliefs are we clinging to that stand in the way of being the revelation of peace right now? How does our desire for safety and security prevent us from being peace in the world? Are we willing to change even those things that are as fundamental to us as our comfort, personal boundaries and rights, public borders, family units and identities to  propagate peace and a place for all people? 

Are we willing to restructure our social, political and religious institutions to insure peace and a place for all people? Are we willing to redistribute wealth and resources to insure peace and a place for all people? Are we willing to pick up our crosses and meet hostility with gentleness? Violence with kindness? Hatred with love?  Are we willing to “set our face toward Jerusalem” and be peace, right now?  

If you found this post meaningful, please share by clicking on icons below. Thank you. 

Gospel text for Sunday 19 June 2016

Luke 8:26-39      Jesus and his disciples arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me" -- for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.

Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. 

When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. 

Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

Reflection        When have we encountered people whom we might describe as “demon possessed?” In the intimidation spewed by bullies? in in scare-tactics of the self-serving?  the insolence of the arrogant?  in the heinous acts of the desperate? It is easy to be caught up in the blustery theatrics of these “unclean spirits,” easy to be swept away in a tide of emotion then paralyzed by fear. It is easy to decide to hide rather than confront the ill-willed histrionics.

I believe it would have been easy for Jesus to remain in Galilee, stay close to the Synagogue, continue his teaching and eating with sinners and steer clear of demon possessed territories. But he did not because “The Way” of Jesus is the way of bringing the Spirit of God to bear on the people possessed by the unclean spirit of ill-will and distorted relationships. When Jesus crosses over to the other side to “arrive at the country of the Geresenes” he leaves the safe sanctuary of institutional Jewish religion to engage full on with who or what ever opposes the Spirit of God not because it is easy or comfortable, but because his (and therefore our) mission is to intervene wherever the demonic spirit of ill-will acts out to distort relationships, subvert goodness, take advantage of the innocent or execute the stranger.

As people of The Way of Jesus I believe it is incumbent upon us to do more that worship God in our churches and do our well intended acts of charity. It is time for us to leave our safe church havens and identify the demon possessed. It is time for us to put our faith in the Spirit of God with us and refuse to be intimidated by bullies, refuse to capitulate to would be oppressors, call out the scare-tactics of the self-serving,  descry the incivility of the arrogant.

Reflecting on the relatively meagre response of Episcopal Church leaders to the Orlando tragedy and its underlying issues, in his weekly E-pistle Bishop Kirk Smith wondered if it is time for us to get out of Galilee and take action.” It got me to thinking, what if religious leaders reinstated the “Pax Dei.” What if we said, “Violence, and the means to violence (such as automatic weapons), are forbidden to believers.” What if we made it a policy, “It's your choice, AR-15s or Holy Communion?” What if we banned all guns from church buildings (a few of our Arizona congregations have done so)? What if we bishops wore our clerical collars and had a sit down in the entrance to the NRA headquarters? Maybe by taking such actions, instead of just praying for peace, people would begin to see their church leaders as the conscience of society instead of just chaplains to those in control. Maybe the American public would listen more carefully to what spiritual leaders, and not just entertainers, have to say.”

What if we lived as people of The Way of Jesus, full of faith, and refusing to capitulate to demonic histrionics? What if ….?

Read Bishop Smith’s entire reflection at  http://www.azdiocese.org/dfc/newsdetail_2/3179601 

If you found this post meaningful please share by clicking on icons below. Thank you. 

Gospel text for Passion Sunday 20 March 2016

Luke 22:39-46        He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. When he reached the place, he said to them, ‘Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.’ Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.’ [Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.] When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.’

Reflection       It is human nature to react and meet violence with violence. We are hard wired to protect ourselves. That is why when the disciples see Judas preparing to betray Jesus they ask, “Should we strike with the sword?” Should we counter-attack?  Jesus is unequivocal. “No,” but the sword has already injured the ear of a slave. Then Jesus responds in the extreme; Jesus touches and heals the injured slave’s ear. The kingdom of God does not operate according to the same rules of engagement as the kingdom of humanity.

The disciples do not understand this because, instead of following Jesus’ instruction to, “Pray that you may not be tempted,” they fall asleep, which is to say, they are unconsciousness. The question before each of us is, “Are we asleep or are we praying that we “won’t give in to temptation?” Are we praying to align our will in the will of God? Are we open to receive the spiritual strength to live in accord with God's rules of engagement? Or are we like the disciples, unconsciously reacting and willing to preemptively strike out against those who threaten or betray us?

Here’s the thing. It is down right painful to avoid the temptation to react to anger with anger or violence with violence. It takes an enormous amount of discipline forged of continual turning to God in prayer to resist the ways and temptations of the world. It is only in the grace of God, represented by the angel from heaven that strengthened Jesus in his fevered prayer, that we too can offer healing, forgiveness and peace to our world held hostage by fear mongering, power-hungry, self-serving individuals and institutions. 

The time is now to wake up and pray for the strength to align our will in the will of God and live according with God's rules of engagement.  Unless we stay awake and pray we will be swept into the sea of violence and the peace and reconciling power of God’s Spirit  that flowed through Jesus will fail to continue to flow through us. The kingdom of God depends on us and we depend on prayer so "Pray that you may not succumb to temptation."

If you found this post meaningful please share by clicking no the icons below. Thank you.