The Psalm and Gospel text for Sunday 29 June 2020

Psalm 89.1-4, 15-18

1 Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing; *

from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.

2 For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever; *

you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.

3 "I have made a covenant with my chosen one; *

I have sworn an oath to David my servant:

4 'I will establish your line for ever, *

and preserve your throne for all generations.'"

15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout! *

they walk, O Lord, in the light of your presence.

16 They rejoice daily in your Name; *

they are jubilant in your righteousness.

17 For you are the glory of their strength, *

and by your favor our might is exalted.

18 Truly, the Lord is our ruler; *

the Holy One of Israel is our King.

Matthew 10:40-42

Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple-- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

Reflection          Today I want to tell the story of how the God of Surprises showed up for me wearing the brown skin and baggy jeans of three Native American teenagers some twenty years ago. During one of my several career incarnations I consulted with a program that provided an alternative to incarceration for adjudicated Native American sex offenders between the ages of thirteen and twenty-two. From time to time I would invite several of the group home residents to my office to check in on them and learn how their program was going.

When things were going well or if one of the residents was having a difficult time I would invite them to walk the arroyo with me (in Arizona these dry river beds are called washes) from my office to a downtown convenience store and treat them to a soft drink and a snack.  On the day in question we were anticipating the upcoming graduation of one of the three residents with whom I was meeting, so the spirit was light and playful. All the way to the convenience store we joked, teased and told stories. But leaving the convenience store everything was changed.

All three residents were, what they call, “talking shit,” looking down at the ground, and sneering at me. I stopped walking. “What is going on with you guys?” “Nothing.” “Don’t tell me nothing. It is as if some demon got into your skin. What is going on?” “That dude and the manager were mad doggin’ us. Followed us all over the store. Watched everything we did. They thought we were going to steal stuff, as if they have anything worth stealing.” 

I was stunned. I had not noticed a thing and I was not certainly not aware of being followed around the store. Something clicked inside me. “This is wrong.” Without thinking I said to the three residents, “Come on. We are going back to the store.” After a fair amount of push back with language I will not repeat, they grudgingly assented. 

Inside the store I asked the clerk to speak with his manager. When the manager asked if these “boys” (referring to my three residents) were giving me trouble, I assured him, “No, sir. My friends here are fine. But your clerk and you seem to have a problem. We were just in here purchasing soft drinks and snacks. The thing is, the whole time we were here you followed my friends around but you did not follow me. You were so busy mad doggin them I could have stolen anything I wanted. Would you please explain to my friends what you were doing?” 

After a long silence the manager muttered something about kids and trouble and having to take care. I looked the manager in the eye and assured him, “These young men are not trouble. But not to worry, none of us will darken the doorway of your store again.” Turning to the guys I said, “Let’s get out of here.”

The three residents were as shocked by what had just transpired as was I. 

The God of surprises opened my eyes to invisible injustice, that is, injustice that was invisible to me, but not to my three residents. The God of Surprises showed up and compelled me to step way outside my comfort zone. The God of surprises empowered me to act boldly on behalf three misjudged and mistreated young men, in Jesus words, “to offer a cup to…. these little ones.” And let me assure you. All that transpired was completely spontaneous and contrary to my preference to avoid confrontation. 

The question is, “Why are we surprised by God?” As I ponder this question the song of our psalmist rings through me. “Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing; from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness. For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever; you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.” I wonder if we are surprised by God because we forget God’s faithfulness? I wonder if we are surprised by God because we expect God to show up in a pressed suit,  yarmulke, thobe or alb speaking with authority from a temple, mosque or pulpit and instead God of Surprises  shows up as “one of these little ones,” the hungry, the thirsty, the misunderstood three young Native American men? 

Until the day I just described I had no idea it was my white privilege to go into a convenience store (or any other store for that matter) and not immediately be a subject of suspicion. Until that day I had no understanding of why my young Native American friends could instantly flip a switch, become sullen, affronted and spew obscenities about white folk or anyone in a position of power. Clearly this day I was surprised by God to feel anger and indignation with my three Native American friends. It not only drew me closer to them. It soundly convinced me of God’s faithfulness.

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Gospel text for Trinity Sunday 7 June 2020

Matthew 28:16-20        The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Reflection       A voice with an accent foreign to us responds to our call for tech support and the thought that accompanies our rising impatience is, “Oh no.”  It is evening and we cross the street to avoid walking past a couple of dark skinned men. A man of color asks a white woman to leash her dog. Instead she calls 911 and accuses him of violating her. A police officer shoots an unarmed person of color because the officer believes this person threatens his life.

When biases and beliefs are translated into action, racism happens.  In spite of our best intentions,  regardless of our desire to be broadminded and open hearted, we stumble over unconscious biases or beliefs that people who do not look, talk, pray, eat or  vote like us are more likely to be dangerous or a threat to us.  Though we do not want to, we feel anxious around them and before we know it our unconscious beliefs or biases are translated into action and racism happens.

A heart rending conversation with a parishioner this week makes the point. I will call him James. James and his wife Sophia are white. They have two biological daughters and an adopted son whom I will call William. William is biracial, clearly of black heritage. Between semesters during his junior year in college William was home and asked his parents if he could drive their new Acura downtown to meet friends. James shuddered at the thought and proceeded to warn William. “If you are stopped by the police who are likely to wonder why a black skinned kid is driving such a nice car,  keep your hands on the steering wheel. Do not move quickly. Do not act smart. Be careful.” Here is the thing, James never felt fear when his white skinned daughters drove his Acura downtown and found no need to give them similar warnings. 

Racism happens not because we are bad but because throughout history (the telling and retelling of our human story from a particular perspective) we have grouped people according to perceived differences. These groupings support practices like colonialism, slavery, segregation, genocide, racial profiling and voter suppression. Each of these expressions of racism is based on deep seated and destructive bias or beliefs that certain groups of people are fundamentally different than others, not only different but in some sense inferior or with particular behavioral tendencies. 

It is hard to admit our biases and beliefs about groups of people. This not only applies to issues of race and ethnicity. Republicans, Democrats, Greens and Rainbows harbor disparaging beliefs about one another while maintaining a sense of their own moral or intellectual superiority. Let us be honest with ourselves. We are imprisoned by our biases and beliefs and when they are translated into action, as we see across our country today, all hell breaks loose.

What are we to do if blaming is not the answer? I must confess I have spent all week asking myself and consulting mentors. This is what I hear. Stop. Stop thinking you can fix it. Start listening. Listen to peoples experiences of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability and class discrimination. Allow yourself to be touched by their stories. Participate in honest discussions of these difficult topics. No need to be defensive. Admit you do not know.

Today I stand in utter unknowing. I have no idea how to lead through this violent wilderness. What I cling to is Jesus’ final promise to the disciples and us, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” God is with us so let us have the courage to listen, to learn, to be touched and transformed into people who act consciously and conscientiously for the dignity and care of every single person. 

I just received an invitation from Bp Reddall for this evening. Please consider joining me tonight  attending the bishop’s online Vigil for the Dignity of Black Lives at 6:00 p.m. 

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Gospel text for Sunday 19 August 2019

Luke 12.49-56         Jesus said, "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother,

mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law

and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, `It is going to rain'; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, `There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”

Reflection        It seems we are still living in the times Jesus proclaims, end times during which division has no bounds. What if this is actually good news? What if the divisions we are experiencing are an essential ingredient of our journey with Jesus? What if the apocalyptic prophet Jesus is calling us out saying “People, this journey we are on is no cake walk. It is not about sitting on my lap like dotting toddlers. It is not about making nice with one another, professing love and worshipping me. It is not even about being enlightened by my tutelage. It is about following me. It is about exercising justice and offering amends.”

Oh dear, we know where this lands Jesus. Crosswise with everyone and nailed to a tree. Now division is driving even closer to home, drilling itself right into my heart. “Yes Jesus I want to follow you. No Jesus I do not want to follow you.” Division burgeons, within me. 

And so we join “a lawyer (confronting) Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ what must (we) do to inherit eternal life?’ (Jesus says), ‘What is written in the law? (We answer), ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ And (Jesus tells us), ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’ (Luke 10.25-28) This is the infallible way that insures we ‘live,’ this is the way we are meant to participate in the creation of “the kingdom come.” 

But do we really love our neighbor as much as our selves? Do we insist that all sick people are cared for even at our own expense? Do we offer refuge to the frightened and oppressed foreigner? Do we feed the hungry and give shelter to the homeless regardless of how they came upon hard times? Do we protect and give preferential treatment to children and the most vulnerable even when it means paying higher taxes for education and mental health care? Do we treat people who think or vote or have lifestyles unlike ours with respect and consideration? How well do we love our neighbors as ourselves?

Jesus expected the imminent end of history as he knew it and he purposefully, even zealously, participated in the creation of a new reality. If we desire the end of history as we know it, history fraught with division; father against son, son against father, friend against friend, neighbor against neighbor, race against race, religion against religion, leader against leader, nation against nation, if we desire the end of this detonating divisiveness, it starts with us.  

We begin by admitting we could do better,  then dig into the work of living our faith. When we choose to put down our proverbial nets, walk away from our predictable lives, and act deliberately to put meat on the bones of our faith we will encounter division. People will judge and misunderstand us. Like Jesus, our families may call us crazy. Some will call us weak, others over zealous. Friends will see us as sell outs. Neighbors as outliers. When we turn our backs to the status quo and join Jesus on the way to Jerusalem, we can count on division. And, when we answer the call of the Jewish Apocalyptic prophet from Galilee we actively participate in the creation of “the kingdom come” right here, right now.

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Gospel text for Sunday 4 November 2018

John 11:32-44        When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go.”

Reflection        In the company of several parishioners and twelve hundred broken-hearted Tucsonians, I had the privilege of attending the Monday evening Prayer Vigil at the Jewish Community Center to remember the people murdered in the Pittsburg Synagogue. There we all were, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Protestants, Buddhists, Catholics, Atheists, and none of the above.  We were every color and every age, we were refugees and immigrants, women, men and children, each one and all of us suffering at the hand of hatred  dealt by the unconscionable racist belief that white people are superior to people of other races or ethnicity and therefore are entitled to social, political and institutional domination over others.  

It is right and good that we should come together in the wake of tragedy and loss to weep and wait and watch for a glimmer of light to pierce the darkness. It is right and good that we should be greatly disturbed in Spirit and deeply moved because there, in the depths of our darkness, we find God, we find God weeping with us. And so we each carry a flickering candle as a testament to love in the face of hatred, as a commitment to hospitality in the face of hostility. 

We cry out together, “O God, if love is indeed stronger than hate, where are you in all of this? If you were here, they would not have died.” And even as the words slip from our tongues we let our eyes dance across the sea of mourners and we see the glimmer of light in the darkness. Yes, there is God, there is God in every face. There is God, weeping with us.

Tucson’s Mayor Rothschild implored the community of the gathered to live the principles this country is founded on by voting and “recognizing the humanity in each other.” But as people of faith I believe we are called to an even greater commitment, to vote and to recognize both the humanity and the divinity in each other. We are utterly vulnerable expressions of the unspeakably exquisite divine. We are born of the star dust that is from before beginningless time and is for ever. We are One, One infinitely diverse expression of Divine creativity. We depend on one another the way light depends on darkness and dry land depends on the sea. 

Where bigotry, racism, mysogyny or any form of hatred prevails we are as good as dead. Our hands and feet are bound with grave cloths, our hearts are hindered by the weight of a stone. We are not free. Violence and hatred directed against one of us is violence and hatred directed against all of us. Hate speech and gun violence are a misuse of human rights. We do not have the right to harm one another. In fact, when harming another we are harming ourselves.

We believe that love is stronger than death and that nothing can separate us from the love of God, not even death. Thus the stone is rolled away from our hearts and we are free to see the glory of God reflected in the tears of the countless people gathered in Tucson and across the globe weeping for the tragic deaths of Joyce, Richard, Rose, Jerry, Cecil, David, Sylvan, Bernice, Daniel, Melvin and Irving. May they be a blessing.

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Gospel and Collect for Sunday 8 July 2018

Collect of the Day        O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Mark 6:1-13        Jesus came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Reflection        A Judean peasant, a carpenter, the eldest son, Jesus should be making tables and providing a subsistence living for his mother and sisters and brothers.  Based on his childhood friends and neighbors purported knowledge, Jesus can not or should not be doing the things he is doing. In the eyes of the people who think they know him, Jesus is something more than expected, living beyond the bounds of his berth.

But wait a minute. Are not all of us more than meets the eye? Are we not more than the tidy categories defined for us by mid level bureaucrats on  US Census forms? Are we not more than gender, age, race, ethnicity, profession, social status, education, religious preference and political affiliation? And, if we are more than meets the eye, then logically other people must also be more than we can see. 

A few weeks ago I attended the celebration of a dear friend’s daughter’s marriage. Born of affluent, southern and Dallas stock the porcelain skinned WASP bride glowed in the arms of her brightly tattooed, chestnut skinned, Mexican husband. This striking couple offered me the opportunity to recognize that, much like the people in Jesus’ hometown, I was wearing a pair of glasses that prevented me from seeing beyond the surface appearance of our groom. Here is what happened. 

The young man, whom I will call Edward, stood in the middle of the cathedralesque great room of the bride’s family home addressing the guests.  “I want to thank all of you for being here. You have no idea how much it means to me to see our two families and friends together in this beautiful place. Whoever would have imagined this is possible?” Tears escaping the dark saucers of his eyes, Edward paused to compose himself. “Thank you, thank you….” I cannot remember more because I stumbled upon a block in my heart. I was surprised to hear him speak so well, so gracefully, so confidently. And I was horrified. I had no idea that I was wearing racist, classist glasses and I felt ashamed. 

However can I be devoted to God if I am wearing glasses that separate me from others? I cannot be devoted to God if I stop at what I think I know about a person and fail to recognize the depth and breath and beauty of their being? I cannot be devoted to God with my whole heart if I am not united to each person I meet in pure affection.

The good news is, by the grace of God that tender moment at the wedding celebration my heart broke open. Hot tears washed over my stumbling block, transfigured my guilt and the smile that arose from the ashes of my shallow vision, joined me to a room full of well wishers, united in bonds of pure affection because, you see, mine was not the only tear cleansed heart. 

What if  instead of taking offense the people in Jesus’ hometown were willing to be surprised, to be overtaken by something new?  Might the sick have been healed and the possessed liberated? Might Jesus have been fruitful, opening the eyes, the minds and the hearts of friends and family to be devoted to God and united in bonds of pure affection?

What about us? What if instead of reducing people to what we presume to know about them, what if we humbly assume that just like us they are much more than meets the eye?

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Gospel text for Sunday 20 August 2017

Matthew 15. 10-28        Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and  understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Reflection     Bishop Eugene Sutton of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland writes, “Racism, anti-Semitism and violence rear their ugly head once again, this time in Charlottesville, Virginia… and another example of the collective failure of our nation to expend the moral and political capital needed to stop our spiral into racial and violent madness.”

“Now more than ever, we need people of good will to speak out clearly and courageously against the disturbing tide of white supremacist rhetoric that wants to divide and prevent us from coming together.”

And there it is. An invitation to people of good will - hopefully that is us - to speak out because, words are powerful. Words are windows into our hearts. And those of us with hearts tempered by compassion must open our mouths and speak out. I believe Jesus might well have said, “What goes into our mouths does not make us holy, but what comes out of our mouths makes us holy.”  

If you are, as I am, appalled by the degrading, debasing, dishonoring words you hear echoing across our nation please take seriously your covenant with God and remember the ageless wisdom that underlies the Holiness Code in Leviticus, “For I am the LORD your God. You must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. So do not defile yourselves…” (Lev 11.44)

To consecrate ourselves, to make ourselves holy, we must dedicate ourselves to  divine purpose. One way to do that is to consider and measure our words as they betray the state of our hearts.  When our words (or texts or twitters) are drenched in enmity, antagonism and disgust they are like flaming swords inciting hostility and hatred. This will do nothing more than continue and exacerbate the tragic violence and hostility that besieged Charlottesville. 

Returning to Bishop Sutton’s reflection, “Too often in our nation’s history people of goodwill have chosen to remain silent in the face of bigotry, refusing to risk having unpleasant conversations that might disturb colleagues, friends and the ones we love.” It is time for us to initiate those difficult conversations. Remember, even Jesus had his mind changed by the persistent Caananite woman who broke every social, political and religious boundary to plead for mercy for her daughter. Had the woman remained silent the demons would have continued to torment her daughter.

Imagine how Charlottesville might have looked if a group of us people of good will approached those protesting the removal of the Robert E. Lee stature and respectfully asked, “Would you join us for a meal? Tell us about your concern? How does this stature affirm who you are? How would removing it harm you? Does your claim to white supremacy stem from your experience of seeing how minorities have historically been mistreated? If so, it is no wonder you feel vulnerable and want to protect yourselves. What can we do together to insure this will never happen to you or anyone else?” And there is every chance we would have to keep asking, and asking and asking, persistent as the Canaanite woman.

This is hard, in fact, we cannot accomplish it by sheer will. Like the Canaanite woman we must depend on our relationship with God. We must ask to be fed with the spiritual food of compassion to enable us to live in holiness of life.

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Luke 14:1, 7-14

On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, `Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, `Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Reflection        In this season of political theatrics it is clear, God’s version of political power is not getting much media coverage because God’s political power exalts the humble and the meek. Jesus’ mother Mary knew this when she sang Hannah’s song “He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly….” (Luke 1.45-55) and apparently Mary effectively communicated this wisdom to her son whom we hear unequivocally,“For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." ( Luke 14:11)

The social political structures that support domination and oppression; racism, classism, agism, nationalism, sexism, elitism, all of the ‘isms’ or ideologies that support domination and oppression will be replaced by God’s political power which is expressed in humble self-giving love – servant love. As Jesus firmly informed the  disciples who were disputing about which one of them was to be the greatest;  “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves….I am among you as one who serves.” (Luke 22:24-27) We, the people of God, are to become new as Jesus, to be and to lead the new way of the kingdom of God by serving others, especially the least and the lost and the lonely.

Essentially Jesus is saying, “This is how to subvert power that intends to dominate or oppress. Be humble. Refuse honor. Serve the oppressed. Do this rather than buy into the established social political structures that dominate and oppress.” Arguably the single greatest expression of political power in history is the Incarnation. God emptied God’s self, humbled God’s self to become fully human, not only consenting to the human condition, but consenting to suffer with all of humanity. Not only refusing to call upon divine power to escape evil and suffering, but holding nothing back

 God gave God’s self to be with and for humanity even in death.

This is noble power. This is humble servant power. In Luke’s gospel text, in fact in most of his teachings and parables Jesus seems to be saying, “If the law, if power is an instrument of dominance and oppression, if the law, power is used to give advantage to some at the expense of others, If the law, power excludes some people from full participation in God’s Kingdom, ever so humbly refuse to comply. Go and sit down at the lowest place. Sit on the bench with homeless women at Sr.José’s homeless shelter. Help set up St. Andrew’s Medical Clinic to serve suffering children. Help care for the pets of our penniless neighbors by supporting Paws With a Cause. Raise a cup and share a meal to support our friends stricken with HIV/Aids at the Pink Party in Tucson next Sunday evening.”

Where shall we sit? Shall we elbow our way to places of honor with great media coverage or humble ourselves, refuse honor and sit with the least and the lost and the lonely?

Paste this link into your browser to read a contemporary psychologists reflection on “The Paradoxical Power of Humility.”  https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brainsnacks/201501/the-paradoxical-power-humility 

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