Gospel text for Sunday 2 October 2022

Luke 17:5-10        The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

"Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, `Come here at once and take your place at the table'? Would you not rather say to him, `Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink'? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, `We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'"

Reflection       “Jesus, what are you saying to us? How can you possibly call us slaves? Our ancestors were slaves in Egypt and God sent Moses to free them. (Deut 24.22) Our country is splintered by its lamentable history of slavery and we cannot figure out how to heal and move on. We cringe when we think about the fifteen to fifty thousand women and children forced into sexual slavery in the United States every year. Jesus, how can you call us slaves?”

Rather than toss out this text let us take a deep dive into the Biblical Greek. Doulos. In addition to being translated as slave or servant, doulos is also understood to mean one who gives him or her self over to another's will,  or, those who act to advance God’s mission and ministry among people. Doulos, or slave,  can also mean acting without regard to one’s own self interest. The feminine version of the word is doula. Doula actually refers to a midwife, a woman who serves women in childbirth. 

The first time we bump into the word doulos in Luke’s gospel is in the first this familiar scene. The angel of God bursts into unsuspecting Mary’s life and stuns her with the news that “the Lord is with you, has found favor with you,” and that she will give birth to a son destined for great things.  Young, unmarried, peasant Mary questions the Angel, “How can this be?”  The Angel assures her, “With God nothing will be impossible.” Then we hear Mary’s astonishing response, “Here I am, a doula, a handmaid, slave or servant of the Lord. “ (Lk 1.38) 

Mary consents to be a slave “with God.”  She agrees to give her self over to the will of God in order to advance God’s mission. Think about this. Being an unwed pregnant girl in the ancient middle east was a stoning worthy offense so clearly, Mary is acting without regard for her self interest. Mary is choosing to be a slave, doulos, with God.

Like our sister Mary, every one of us is called to conceive and give birth to the utterly impossible;“uprooting and planting a mulberry tree in the sea,” lavishly giving shelter to the homeless, food to the hungry, healing to the sick, wholeheartedly offering welcome to the stranger, freedom to the prisoner, love to the enemy, all of which add up to; unequivocally giving birth to the presence of God with us by subordinating our self interest in order to advance God’s mission in the world; being doulos.

Being doulos, slaves of God, demands we have faith even as small as a mustard seed, faith in the angel’s assurance that, “Nothing is impossible with God.” Still, immediately our minds leap to sit on the fence and make excuses.  “This is too hard. There are too many homeless and hungry and sick, scores of strangers and prisoners and frightful enemies. Climate is changing, politics are degrading. Soon we will have no fresh water to drink nor clean air to breath. What can we possibly do?”

The key is hidden in a seemingly insignificant word. With. “For with God nothing will be impossible.”(Luke 1.37) With God. 

The little word “with” is rich with meaning in the Biblical Greek. Para, with, refers to something that proceeds from one's sphere of power, or from one's wealth. When we accept the angel’s annunciation, “For with God nothing will be impossible,” we are affirming that with our will aligned in the will of God, all that proceeds through us is impregnated with the power and the wealth of God’s presence. Para, “with God, nothing will be impossible.” 

As soon as we wrap our minds and hearts around the idea of being slaves with God we trip over another stumbling block in the final sentence for today’s gospel text. “We are worthless slaves!’ Worthless? 

Turning back to the Biblical Greek achreios is understood to be a hyperbolic reference to pious modesty. We humbly acknowledge that all the good that we do arises, not from us but, from the wealth and power of God’s presence with us. As doulos or slaves of God we call ourselves achreios, not deserving of merit, because we have done nothing more than what we ought to have done; lavishly providing shelter to the homeless, food to the hungry, healing to the sick, wholeheartedly offering welcome to the stranger, freedom to the prisoner, love to the enemy, which all together add up to; unequivocally giving birth to the presence of God with us. 

Is it not just like our wise teacher Jesus to turn things upside down so that rather than being offended when called worthless slaves with God we smile knowing that by the power of God with us “we have done only what we ought to have done?” Brilliant!

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Gospel text for Sunday 31 July 2022

Mark 6:14-29     Now King Herod heard of [the teaching of Jesus], for Jesus’s name had become known and some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead and that is why the powers work through him.” Yet others said, “It is Elijah” while others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets [of old].” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

         For Herod himself had sent men who seized John and bound him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for Herod had married her. For John had told Herod, “It is not right for you to have your brother’s wife.” Now Herodias had a grudge against him and she wanted to kill him. But she could not. This was because Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous man and a holy man and he protected him and listened to him, though greatly perplexed; yet it pleased him to listen to him. 

         Now an opportune time came on Herod’s birthday when he gave a banquet for his courtiers and commanders and for the leaders of Galilee. And Herod’s daughter Herodias came in a danced, pleasing Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish and I will give it to you.” And he swore to her repeatedly, “Whatever you ask me, I will give to you, even half of my kingdom.” And she went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” Immediately she returned to the king with haste and asked, saying “I want immediately for you to give me on a platter the head of John the Baptizer.” The king was deeply sorry, yet because of his oaths and the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier under orders to bring John’s head. And he went and beheaded him in the prison. And he brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl and the girl gave it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. 

 

Reflection           Worried about evil? Here is how it works.

Slave to his fear of people’s judgment King Herod does not have the courage to live his convictions. Although he knew John the Baptizer to be a “righteous and holy man,” when his pride and power are on the line, Herod orders John’s head be given on a platter to his daughter. Fearing his guest’s judgement were he not to satisfy his daughter’s egregious demand, Herod is subject to the work of evil through him.

By contrast, John the Baptizer, a wilderness wandering preacher,  dares to speak truth to power by calling out Herod for marrying his brother’s wife Herodias. Being a man who lives by faith not fear, John is confident in his convictions and  veritably glows in contrast to the cold footed King Herod.

Fearful people capitulate to social pressure to conform. Believing their source of strength is in themselves or with other people they bow to political squeeze  and aim to execute whoever threatens their sense of security, safety, esteem, power or control. Consequently the fearful become vehicles for the work of evil. It is not that the people are evil, rather, they are vulnerable to evil working through them when they live in fear.

On the other hand, when we choose to live in faith we find confidence and conviction in something greater than themselves. Finding faith with God (or Yahweh, Allah, The Light, the One, the Mystery...)  gives us the freedom to remain calm  in the face of threats to our security, safety, esteem, power or control. Being faithful we are free rather than slaves to the working of evil through us. 

Eight years ago we witnessed a show of faith in Charleston, South Carolina when the Emmanuel American Methodist Episcopal Church responded to the murder of their senior pastor and eight other church members who were gunned down during a Bible study. Rather than eat the bait of evil and set off riots and a race war, the leaders and people of the AME church chose to respond with calm confidence, which they were free to do because they live in faith, not fear.  

Four days after the tragic shooting during the Sunday morning service at the AME church, the Rev. Goff pierced the hearts of the people in his church and across the nation when he preached, “Some wanted to divide the races - black and white and brown - but no weapon formed against us shall prosper.” Outside the doors of the church hung a banner that read, “Holy City… let us be the example of love that conquers evil.” Choosing faith leaves no room for the work of evil’s hateful hand.

This is what the families in Lancaster, Pennsylvania did seventeen years ago following the hateful shooting of their ten young daughters in an Amish school house. This heart breaking incident shocked the nation, with strangers contributing more than  four million dollars to support the Amish families. For many of us, even more stupefying than the massacre of ten girls between the ages of six and thirteen years was the Amish community’s response to their tragedy.  

Almost immediately following the shooting the grandfather of one of the girls who was killed expressed forgiveness to the killer while other Amish folk visited and comforted the killer’s family. In the midst of unspeakable loss and grief, the Amish community refused to react with fear, anger, blame or seek retaliation. Instead they chose to respond with compassion which they were free to do because they choose to live in faith, not fear, which leaves no room for the work of evil’s hateful hand. 

In Luke’s gospel we see Jesus nailed to a cross, hanging between two criminals. We are stunned by his shocking words, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23.34) I believe Jesus’ remarkable words are intended not only for the criminals flanking him but also for the disciples who abandon him and all who participate by their action or inaction in his brutal suffering and death. Jesus chooses to live by faith leaving no room for evil’s hateful hand to work through him.

We live in a world at war with our selves and one another. We have tuned our ears to hear insult and offense. We have set our minds to mine for misdemeanor. We screw up our eyes to find someone to blame for our wounded feelings. We harden our hearts to the suffering that abounds around us. We engage litigious means to execute retribution. We fail to follow the way of faith driven conviction commanded by God and embodied by the folks in Charleston, Lancaster, and Jerusalem. 

I believe we are at a crossroads in our community, our country and our world. Evil seduces us in the marketing of excess and tolerance of abuse. Evil thrives when we shade our eyes to lies and bow to corruption. Evil succeeds when we choose fear rather than faith as the standard for our lives. 

The only way I know to overcome fear is to choose faith, faith in something greater than ourselves that some call God, Yahweh, Allah, Mystery, Light, Divine Presence. Here is the thing. Choosing faith is not a once and done endeavor. It is a day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute commitment to choose faith in the face of whatever shows up on this wild journey we call life, because when we choose faith there is no room for evil to work its hateful way through us.

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Gospel text for Sunday 24 October 2021

Mark 10:46-52        Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Reflection        “What do you want me to do for you?”

I will never forget the first time I heard those words spoken to me through human lips. An Episcopal priest whom I had been pestering for months to be my spiritual director kept saying “No, absolutely not. I am not a spiritual director.”  Several months slipped by and I decided to call one last time. He answered the phone and after a bit of small talk he asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” I felt passed through to my core. 

“How can I admit the deepest desire of my heart? I don’t deserve such a generous invitation. I am not good enough. I am not holy enough. How dare I say what I really want?” This one question, “What do you want me to do for you?”  pulled back the curtain veiling a malevolent chorus of authoritarian voices bent on keeping me cloistered and divorced from God.

I stuttered and stammered until I finally squeaked out “I want you to help me see how God is working in my life and help me discover what I am to do about it.” The twisting in my stomach and the knot in my throat waved a crimson flag, “Oh Debra, what have you done? Life will never be the same.”

Which brings us to the curbside, outside Jericho.  Jesus and the disciples are coming and going to and from Jericho. Contrast that to Bartimaeus whose blindness sandbags him on the curb outside city limits, not only because he cannot see but also because the authoritarian voices of his culture insist that being afflicted with blindness is evidence he or his family have done something terrible which renders him unworthy. He has no voice, no place.

But a flare of faith deep inside Bartimaeus rebells against the chorus of afflicting voices, “You are not good enough, not holy enough. How dare you speak up and admit the deepest desire of your heart?” because when he hears that Jesus of Nazareth is nearby somehow Bartimaeus musters his mettle and shouts above those sternly ordering him to be quiet, “Son of David, have mercy on me.”

His spirited shout stops Jesus in his tracks where he stands still and watches blind Bartimaeus spring to his feet and throw off his cloak. Without a hint of hesitation Bartimaeus cast off what was likely his only worldly possession as well as every limiting social proscription about who he was, a blind beggar with no place nor value in society who had no business calling out to the prophet, the Son of David. How dare he?

From our twenty-first century perspective blindness is a biomedical problem resulting in the sightless person’s inability to function. Healing involves restoring the person’s ability to function. Two thousand years ago in Palestine blindness is a social rather than biomedical problem, therefore healing involves being restored to a place in society. Throughout the Gospel according to Mark we meet Jesus as he heals people which restores them to a place in society. 

Jesus heals a man with a dreaded skin disease, sends him to a priest to be ritually cleansed and return to community. (Mk 1.40-45)

Seeing the faith of folks who carry a paralyzed man to him, Jesus heals the man and sends him home.  (Mk 2.1-12)

When a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years touches Jesus and is healed, it is her breaking the taboo about touching that heals her and Jesus affirms, “Your faith has made you well.” (Mk 5:25–34)

When townsfolk come to tell Jesus that Jairus’ daughter is dead he says, “Do not fear, only believe” and the child is healed. (Mk 5:21–42)

After touching and healing the blind man at Bethsaida Jesus sends him away to his home. (Mk 8:22–25)

The overarching message is, faith makes us well by restoring us to right relationship with God and community. When we choose to live by faith we are able to break through the physical, social, emotional and religious taboos that curb and constrain us, prohibiting us from participating in the fullness of life. 

Belief or faith is kin to hope in the possibility of what can be. Belief or faith foster a kind of fearlessness that enables us to get off the curb at the side of the road, and boldly answer the question, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Do you dare to pause and admit the deepest desire of your heart? Are you willing to cast off all constraints that limit your idea of who and whose you are? Are you ready to live by faith and be restored to right relationship with your neighbors, the world and God? What do you want me to do for you?

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Gospel Text for Sunday 7 February 2021

 Mark 1:29-39        Jesus left the synagogue at Capernaum, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

We hear a lot about doses these days. How many doses of vaccine do you need for some degree of immunity to the coronavirus? How many doses of vaccine are required to insure you will not transmit the virus to others? How many doses have you had? How likely is it you will need booster doses to deal with virus variants? Would it not be possible to take care of all these issues with one big megadose?

This talk about doses makes me wonder about prayer. How many doses of prayer do we need to live our lives with faith, hope and love, to  strengthened us to bow our heads with our brother Jesus and mean it when we say, “Not my will, your will be done?” How many doses of prayer do we need?

 It turns out that punctuating our lives with prayer is a widely accepted practice. It is the Anglican Episcopal tradition to pray the Daily Offices, at least three times and as many as five. Our Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and monastic sisters and brothers all teach the value of ordering our lives around regular periods of prayer every day. 

We are actually counseled to pray even more frequently than five, ten or fourteen times each day. In what may be the earliest letter to one of the first Christian churches, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy write to strengthen the new Thessalonian Christians as they face persecution.  “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thes 5.16-18) A theme continued in Paul’s letter to the Romans when he writes,  “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Ro 12.12) 

Apparently a single Sunday megadose of prayer is not sufficient to live a Christian life strengthened in faith, illumined by hope and manifest with love. 

“In the morning, while it was still very dark, (Jesus) got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” Following the frenzy of healings and exorcisms the night before, in the hush of predawn darkness Jesus rises and goes to a deserted place to refresh and replenish his strength and healing power in relationship with God.

All that Jesus says and all that Jesus does is a manifestation of his relationship in God. I believe Jesus goes off to pray alone to strengthen his faith, illumine his hope and embody his love. Jesus understands that his healings and exorcisms, his parables and preaching are outward and visible signs of the power and Presence of God with him. And so Jesus never stops praying, he never ceases turning toward God, the source and sustenance of his life and ministry. Which is how even in the midst of unspeakable suffering Jesus is able to pray, “Not my will but your will be done.”

As daughters and sons of God I believe we too must acknowledge our complete and utter dependence on God, God who is closer to us than our own breath, God who is the source and sustenance of all that we say and all that we do, God in whom we are to align our will.

It takes courage and faith that God really is with us to drop the weapons we deploy to keep other people and situations we do not relish at a safe distance. It takes courage and faith that God really is with us to walk church outside the building walls and powerfully manifest our interconnected, interdependent relationships with one another and 'those people' with whom we disagree.  It takes courage and faith that God really is with us to lay down our personal preferences and pray with Jesus, “Not my will but your will be done.”

One Sunday morning mega dose of praying “Your kingdom come, your will be done,” is not  sufficient to sustain my courage and faith in God with me as I navigate the moment to moment aches and agony, drama and disappointment, intrigue and injustice that constantly accost me. And so I find myself slipping away from the crowd to pray. I find my self pausing to pray before answering my phone, during zoom meetings, while waiting for my turn at self-check-out stations because one mega dose of prayer on Sunday is not enough to sustain me.

Let me ask you. How many doses of prayer do you need to ward off judgment, selfishness and greed? How many doses of prayer are required to strengthen your faith? give  you hope? free you to love? How many doses of prayer have you had? How likely is it you will need booster doses to deal with fear and temptation? Do you really think it is possible to live a life of faith, hope and love sustained on a single Sunday megadose of prayer each week?

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Gospel text for Sunday 24 November 2019

Mark 12:41-44        He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’ 

Reflection        There is nothing comfortable about being people of faith because it means standing up, saying “Yes,” and stepping out having absolutely no idea where we are going, never mind how we will get there. This in not merely uncomfortable, it feels fraught with danger. Ah, but we are people of faith. We hale from a long line of foolishly faithful risk takers. This is our story.

Consider our twelve times twelve great grandfather Abram who was later named Abraham which means “the Father of many nations.” An ordinary married man, at the ripe young age of 75, Abram stands up, says yes answering God’s call to leave his country to go to he had no idea where and be the father of many nations even though he and his wife Sarai had no children. For twenty five years he and Sarai wander somewhere between Syria and Egypt receiving repeated promises from God that his “seed will inherit the land.” What kind of faith does it require for Abraham to wait until he is 100 years old for his son Isaac to be born and then without hesitation obey God’s command to sacrifice him?  Which ultimately he is not required to do because God substitutes a ram. This is a story about faith.  There is nothing comfortable about being people of faith because we are asked to say yes and get moving and do what seems impossible. 

Or think about Jesus rising up from the baptismal waters of the Jordan river, hearing a voice from heaven, “You are my son, with you I am well pleased,” stepping out of the river and immediately being driven onto the desert where he fasts for forty days and then is tempted to create bread out of stones to relieve his own hunger, leap from a pinnacle and rely on angels to catch him and kneel before Satan in return for all the kingdoms of the world. All three temptations represent the use of power for personal gain, and how does Jesus respond? He puts his faith in God rather than himself. Jesus turns to the words of scripture rather than succumb to temptation. There is nothing comfortable about being people of faith because we are asked to resist temptations to hedonism, egoism and materialism.

Which brings us to the widow in Luke’s text. In the presence of a crowd of people putting large sums of money into the temple treasury a poor widow rubs two small coins together before putting “everything she has to live on” in the treasury. Immediately we protest, “How could she do that? This is neither reasonable nor far-sighted. Surely God does not want her to give up everything and starve.” But wait. The poor widow only gave up two coins. Surely she knows she has something more to live on, in fact something she no doubt is very much aware she depends on. Her faith, her faith in God with her. There is nothing comfortable about being people of faith because we are asked to rely on God for our lives.

Abraham, Jesus and the poor widow have no idea how they are going to do it but they definitely know what they intended to do. Each one choses to live by faith, not by fear. Each one of them is prepared to be surprised by God.

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Christian Testament Text for Sunday 26 August 2018

Ephesians 6:10-20        Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

Reflection      In the spring of 1963 following much nonproductive discourse, civil and otherwise, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference organized one of the most influential campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement, the Birmingham Campaign. It involved a series of lunch counter sit-ins, marches on City Hall and boycotts on downtown merchants to protest segregation laws in the city of Birmingham. These peaceful demonstrations were responded to by violent attacks involving fire hoses and police dogs. Ultimately President John F. Kennedy wrote,  "The events in Birmingham... have so increased the cries for equality that no city or state or legislative body can prudently choose to ignore them." This was a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and there is no question, embodying this new reality required engaging in more than polite conversation. It required courage, persistence and peaceful action.

Writing from his cell in the Birmingham jail The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. observed, “I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice.”

I believe this is our culture’s great failing. Most of us are the moderates and we are conflict averse. We do not want to step on anybodies toes and we do not want to compromise our privileged positions.  We prefer to sit in a shallow spool than swim upstream. Perhaps it is because we forget Paul’s admonition to the Ephesians, “Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness…”  In other words, our struggle is against the keepers of the status quo. Who better than Paul, the reformed persecutor of Jesus’ followers, knows how our struggles to embody the alternate reality of Jesus are condemned and thwarted by the rulers and authorities protecting the current order? 

To embody the alternate reality of Jesus is disruptive because Jesus is a revelation of how God is present and acting in the world; healing the sick, comforting the afflicted…. and…. this is the part we prefer to overlook…. afflicting the comforted. Jesus is a thorn in the side of government and religious officials. He upsets anyone who is inclined to protect the current order at the expense of justice. 

I believe Jesus has the courage to persist with healing the sick, comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comforted in the face of pervasive opposition because he finds his strength and power with God.  Empowered with God, Jesus puts on the “whole armor of God,” speaks truth out loud, demands fairness and respect, seeks reconciliation, and “with all of these, (takes) the shield of faith”

“Taking the shield of faith,” means standing in the conviction that God is with us rather than wallowing with uncertainty and cowering in fear of those that resist change. You see, when we put our faith in God with us rather than in our uncertain selves, we have the courage to embody Jesus’ alternate reality; healing the sick, comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comforted.

History reminds us that change comes as a result of unsettling the status quo and that tends to require more than persuasive civil discourse. But the majority of folks are indifferent, if not overtly hostile, to conversations about change. Rather than slaving for persuasive civil discourse, perhaps it is time for us to take seriously Jesus’ revelation that actions are more powerful than words. Let me be clear. Jesus is not a proponent of violence. Rather, he exemplifies living for an alternate reality that begets dignity, respect and access to decent lives for all people. 

How can we embody the alternate reality of Jesus? This week we can take time to learn about the candidates running in the primaries. Find out how their behaviors line up with the behaviors exemplified by Jesus; healing the sick, comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comforted. Then vote for the candidates we believe best represent Jesus’ values - regardless of whether they are Republican, Democrat, Independent or Green. Rather than capitulate to partisan politics, let us have the courage to live Jesus’ alternate reality using actions that are stronger than words; healing the sick, comforting the afflicted and, yes, when necessary afflicting the comforted. 

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Gospel text for Sunday 13 August 2017

Matthew 14:22-33       Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Reflection The earliest Sunday School memory I have is sitting cross-legged on the floor amidst a bevy of four year olds  watching our buttoned-up Sunday School teacher bounce Jesus’ cut-out felt figure across pointy pretend waves toward a small brown boat. Though I harbor no recall of what she spoke to our unsullied minds, I can almost feel my tiny pudgy arm waving before I was called upon and protested, “Jesus cannot walk on water. I know because we go swimming in the ocean.” 

What a great teaching moment, but alas, it was lost on the intransigence of my stone-minded Sunday School teacher. Rather than help me wrestle with the Gospel story or remind me that sometimes we love stories that are real in a different way than a table or the felt board or our shoes are real, this supposed purveyor of the Good News passed on the bad news to my parents that I was no longer welcome in her Sunday School class. Post haste I was moved to a class full of big kids and that was the last time I spoke in school.  

Why do we tell stories? We tell stories to make sense of our world and to pass on wisdom from generation to generation. We tell stories because they engage our listeners’ whole selves, body, mind and spirit, and are easier to remember than an exhausting speal of information. 

According to a 2015 Huffington Post article by Mitch Ditkoff, “neuroscientists, psychologists, theologians, sociologists, advertisers, linguists, and marketers (concur)… Storytelling is the most effective, time-tested way to transmit meaning from one human being to another. It’s been going on since the beginning of time when our first ancestors stood around the tribal fire. It’s how civilizations pass on their wisdom to the next generation. It’s how religions pass on the sacred teachings of their faith. And it’s how parents, via the telling of fairy tales, transmit the values they want to impart to their children.”

Rather than consider the story of Jesus walking on water as a supernatural feat reserved for the only chosen one, my stymied Sunday School teacher might have invited me to to remember a time that I was really, really scared. Once she saw the lightbulb go off in my face then ask me how it would feel if I knew that Jesus was with me even when I was really scared? I have every reason to believe if that had been the case, a smile would have lighted my eyes, turned my frown to a smile, and I would have been content to keep on listening to her story. This is the Good News. 

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Gospel text for Sunday 11 December 2016

Matthew 11:2-11        When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Reflection     In lock-step with the law and the prophets of his Jewish tradition, John is looking for a king in the line of David to exercise power over all people, to enforce the Jewish law and establish a consolidated political-religious state. It is no wonder he sent his disciples to question Jesus, “Are you the one who is coming or are we to wait for another?” There is every chance that John heard about “all the things” that Jesus was doing; giving sight to the blind, restoring the lame to walk, cleansing the lepers, healing the deaf, raising the dead, and bringing good news to the poor… (Matt 4.25) Not the expected list of skills and accomplishments for a messiah king.

John must have heard about the mind-bending sermon Jesus preached to large crowds on the Mountain proclaiming the poor and the hungry are blessed, the meek who understand their place in God’s kingdom are happy and those who are just and sincere are satisfied. (Matt 5.1-11)  And surely John heard what  Jesus said about the Jewish law, “Do not think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill…” (Matt 5.17) But (and this is a large ‘but’), “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees (that would be the religious folk) you will never enter” God’s kingdom. (Matt 5.20) What? Are not the religious leaders guaranteed a fast pass to the kingdom? 

The Messiah of what became the Christian tradition did not come to fulfill the letter of Jewish law. The Christian Messiah Jesus came to reform the Jewish tradition by fulfilling the Spirit of the law. “You have heard it said, you shall not murder…but I say to you if you are angry with a brother or sister you will be liable to judgement…” (Matt5.21-22) “You have heard it said, an eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth, but I say… give to anyone who begs from you…” (Matt 5. 38,42) “You have heard it said that you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be children of your father in heaven.” (Matt 5.43-44)

From the point of view of John and the religious Jews of his time, Jesus does not fit the messiah’s job description.  Where he should be paying attention to giving a proper “tithe of mint, dill and cumin,” Jesus is concerned with matters of “justice, mercy and faith.” (Matt 23) He even dares to turn the finger of judgment toward the religious leaders, calling them  hypocrites, “For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside (you) are full of greed and self-indulgence.” (Matt 23. 25)

Clearly John is perplexed by the antithetical position pronounced by Jesus. The one whom John baptized in the river Jordan, the one whose sandals John was not worthy to tie, the one upon whom the Spirit of God descended, the “one who is to come” and bring the “kingdom of heaven near” turns out to be the unorthodox dissident, Jesus. How could this be the one John is looking for?

Which begs the question, what are we looking for? What are we hoping against hope will arise in the wilderness of our lives? This Advent season are we preparing our hearts to receive a feudal King legislating power from the top of a pyramid? Or are we allowing our hearts to be transformed and give birth to the Spirit of the living God, full of “justice, mercy and faith?”

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Gospel text for Sunday 29 May 2016

Luke 7:1-10        After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy of having you do this for him, for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us." And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, `Go,' and he goes, and to another, `Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, `Do this,' and the slave does it." When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

Reflection        At first glance it seems we have encountered another Jesus healing parable, then something niggles when we see Jesus turning to the crowd and saying of the slave’s owner, “Not even in Israel have I found such faith.” Jesus finds the Roman soldier, a Gentile, to be more faithful than the Jews? How could this be?

I believe a clue to this mystery is in the endorsement the Jewish elders offered to Jesus on behalf of the centurion, “(This Gentile soldier) is worthy of having you do this for him, for he loves our people (the Jews.)” Could it be? The elders of the Jews who are the radical “others,” if not the outright enemies of the occupying Romans whose centurions lead battalions of hundreds of soldiers to insure Roman power over them,  the Jewish elders are declaring their oppressor legate loves them?

To appreciate the magnitude of this moment we must remember what Jesus was teaching his newly chosen apostles and a “great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon… (Luke 6.17) who had come to him to be healed and cured of their unclean spirits just before the centurion sent a delegation of elders asking Jesus to heal his slave. Jesus taught, “But I say to you that listen, love your enemies… (Luke 6.27) 

From the Roman centurion’s perspective the Jews were the enemy, the rapidly growing population of people who posed a threat to the rule and power of the Roman empire. Nonetheless, the centurion loved the Jewish people and one of the ways they knew this was he provided support for them to rebuild their synagogue. Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when he told the parable, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. (Luke 6.43-44)  

Because the centurion conducted himself as a good tree producing good fruit the Jewish elders could unequivocally endorse the enemy centurion as worthy of Jesus’ healing. Isn't it ironic, the person who lives out Jesus instruction to love our enemies is known as an enemy of the Jewish people. Which makes me wonder, am I producing good fruit sufficient that even my presumed enemies would deem me worthy of blessing?

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Hebrew Testament text for Sunday 4 October 2015

2015 10 01 Job 1.2, 2.1-10  God’s faith… 

Job 1:1; 2:1-10        There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason." Then Satan answered the LORD, "Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives. But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face." The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, "Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die." But he said to her, "You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Reflection      Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do good things happen to bad people? This question looms large among us as yet again we are confronted with the senseless violence expressed in the shooting of innocent people in Oregon on Thursday morning. 

The story of Job begins with a wager between God and the satan. Apparently God has a lot of faith in Job because God is essentially betting on Job’s faithfulness. God is betting that nothing the satan can do, that none of the circumstance that are part of every life on earth will be sufficient to turn Job away from God.

According to God Job was a good and faithful man. He was the richest man around. He owned lots of property, animals and businesses that not only supported his family of ten children and a wife, but also employed lots of people. He was well respected in the community, The people loved him because he treated them fairly and was generous and just. 

Nonetheless, Job's crops began to fail and his livestock died. He lost his property and businesses and with that, lost his status in the community. And if that was not enough, one at a time his ten children died, and then his wife. Suffering loss upon loss, Job then contracted an excruciating disease, boils all over his body, making him unclean and fit only to sit on the ashes in the dump. Life does not get much worse than that. 

Through all of this, Job never stopped calling out to God, demanding that God listen to him. Job pled his case of innocence… “I do not deserve this,” even when so called friends came to taunt him, “Surely you did something to cause all of this harm to befall you.” Job never lost faith in his own goodness and worth and never stopped calling out to God.  Which is to say, Job never lost faith in God's faithfulness. 

At the end of the day God was right to bet on Job’s faithfulness. You see, that is what faith is. Faith is stronger than any circumstance; loss of property or business, death of children or spouse, even sickness and living in pain and squalor. Faith is stronger than all of that. Faith is like a two edged sword that cuts through all that is impermanent to that which is permanent - God’s faithfulness to humankind. 

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Mark 6:14-29        King Herod heard of the demons cast out and the many who were anointed and cured, for Jesus' name had become known. Some were saying, "John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him." But others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old." But when Herod heard of it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised."

For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it." And he solemnly swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom." She went out and said to her mother, "What should I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the baptizer." Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

Reflection             On June 21st we witnessed a show of love conquering evil in Charleston, South Carolina when the Emmanuel American Methodist Episcopal Church responded to the murder of their senior pastor and eight other church members who were gunned down during a Bible study. Rather than eat the bait of evil and set off riots and a race war, the leaders and people of the AME church, as well as the entire Charleston community, chose to respond with peace and unity which they had the courage to do because they put their faith in God and left no room for evil.

Presiding at the first Emmanuel AME Sunday service just four days after the tragic shooting, Rev. Goff pierced the hearts of the people in the church and across the nation when he preached, “Some wanted to divide the races - black and white and brown - but no weapon formed against us shall prosper.” That same morning outside the doors of the AME church hung a banner that read, “Holy City (Charleston’s nickname because it has churches on virtually every corner) Holy City… let us be the example of love that conquers evil.” 

Which begs the question, what does love that conquers evil look like? I believe it looks like red, brown, black, yellow and white people praying together and refusing to sink to the lowest common denominator, fear, especially fear of the other. By contrast evil that conquers love looks like the fearful King Herod. Although he knew John the Baptizer to be a “righteous and holy man,” when push came to shove and his privilege, pride and power were on the line, Herod was afraid, put his faith in himself and opened the door for evil. Evil works through fearful people to destroy whatever they fear threatens their security, safety, esteem, power and control. Acting out of fear Herod allowed the working of evil to execute John even though he knew John to be holy and righteous. 

Evil arises when we succumb to fear that our safety, security, esteem, power or control is threatened, and our faith is thereby undermined. You see, the opposite of faith is fear. Therefore, the way to overcome fear is faith in God that is Love with us, no matter what. When we are filled with Love there is no room for evil.