Timothy 6: 6-19
Luke 16: 19-31
A colleague of mine, brave soul that she is, decided to preach a “Choose Your Own Adventure Sermon.” the last time this text came up in the lectionary. She polled her congregation about what they would like to hear her preach about first concerning the parable, money or hell. Overwhelmingly they chose hell. I wonder why? Jesus had no problems talking about money. He was very clear about his views on the economy and how God call’s people of faith to be good stewards of God’s blessings. The issue was not so much about how much wealth one accumulates but how one gets their wealth and what one distributes their wealth. For Jesus the problem wasn’t about money, but the love of wealth. Being so wrapped up in money that it becomes an idol and greed overcomes compassion.
Gordon Gekko, the fictional fat cat of the movie Wall Street had much to say on the subject. As a person who profits from the free market he believes that “greed for lack of a better word, is good.” He states, “ Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed in all its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge for mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save [your corporation], but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA”
But has greed been good for Gordon…not so much. In the recently released sequel to Wall Street the movie opens with Gordon Gekko’s personal life in a shambles as he gets out of prison for insider trading. He has lost everything, his money, his limo, his relationships. His wife has left him, he is estranged from his daughter, his son has committed suicide. On the day that he leaves prison, there is no one waiting for him outside. In the six short years he was in jail all the wealth he has aggressively accumulated through lying, cheating and stealing has dissolved and he is left standing alone at the gate of the prison.
It could be said that the reversal of fortune for Gordon Gekko was foretold in many ways through the morality tales of our history most especially in the Judeo-Christian scriptures which inform the American ethic. The scriptures concern for justice center upon the faithful stewardship of God’s creation. In the older testament God’s covenant with the people of Israel emphasizes how they are to care for each other, most especially the poor, the widow, the stranger and the children. When the people turn away from the covenant and ignore the care of the widow, the stranger and children to pursue the false idols of wealth, power and nationalism, they self destruct and their beloved Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians.
In the New Testament, most especially the Gospel of Luke, money and possessions are a central theme. Before Jesus was born, Mary his mother sings the song the Magnificat that promises a reversal of fortune where God has “filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:53) In his ministry Jesus does not mince his words as he preaches against the injustices of the economic structure of his time where a small elite class controlled all the production of wealth, resources and land. Those who were not of the elite class, which was most of the population of Palestine, lived in wretched poverty.
In the Gospel of Luke we continually hear that in God’s kingdom everything will be reversed, the last shall be first and the first shall be last. The poor will be blessed and the rich shall walk away empty. The powerful will be brought down from their thrones and the lowly will be lifted up. The poor outcast will be given a place of honor in paradise and the rich and famous will be suffer torment in Hades such as we see in this morning’s parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Some note that as Jesus tells this parable we hear many reversals and contrasts. For instance, the poor man “Lazarus” is named, whereas the rich man is not. The rich man is dressed in purple and fine linen whereas Lazarus is dressed in sores. The rich man feasts sumptuously everyday whereas Lazarus cannot even eat the crumbs that fall off the rich mans table. The rich man is given a proper burial whereas Lazarus is carried away by the angels. By the end of the story, Lazarus the poor man, is looking down from heaven, and the rich man is the one looking up, begging.
Biblical scholars note that Jesus is directing this parable towards those he accuses of being “lovers of money.” (v. 14) That is those who are so wrapped up in their greed that they “loved their money more than people, their possessions more than the poor, their clothes more than compassion and their extravagant feasts more than sharing food with the hungry. Perhaps Jesus had been a guest at one of his listener’s homes and had witnessed a scene similar to the one with which he begins his parable.” Imagine the discomfort his words would have created for those in his audience who were wealthy.
The rich man in this story is not necessarily evil. It is just that he is so far removed from all the realities of the world, living in his gated community, enjoying his sumptuous feasts that he is unable to see the poor man laying outside his gate. When there is such a gap between the rich and poor, such as it was in Jesus’ day, such as it is in our day, it is easier to not see the suffering of those who are not of the same socio economic class as we are. This parable not only challenges us to share our wealth but also calls to us see how our consumeristic lifestyle might be affecting the world around us. To realize that we need to be aware that if we keep using up the earths resources the way we are, that we will be tormented like the rich man was in hades.
In his letter to Timothy, Paul tells him to take hold of a life that is eternal rather than a life that chases after the false idol of materialism. There is godliness in contentment, which means acquiring only what you need and being a good steward with the rest. It is not money that is the root of all evil, but the love of money, what we call greed, that can lead to destruction. When one puts greed above all things Paul states, “they fall into temptations and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” (1 Timothy 6:9) What some believe Paul is saying is that “Those who are caught up in the inordinate desire for wealth risk becoming ensnared by their own greed and ultimately sink into destruction. The warning that they will eventually face is not necessarily financial ruin, but [the ruining of their soul].” Sin is a turning away from God’s aim of well being for all of God’s creation and hell is the destruction that happens when one puts their faith in the master card rather than the master God. Our culture pressures us to do more, be more and acquire more, yet if we maintain our faith and hold fast to the life that is eternal we can rest assured that God is our refuge and our fortress. We can know that God has blessed us abundantly with more than we need so that we can be a blessing to others. Do not set your hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
May it be so.
Amen
(1) Bridges, Linda McKinnish, "Preaching the Parables in Matthew's Gospel in Ordinary Time: The Extraordinary Tales of God's World," Review & Expositor (2007): 325-362.
(2) Feasting on the Word. Pg. 117
(3) Feasting on the Word. Pg 119
(4) Feasting on the Word. Pg. 113
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
There is a Balm in Gilead
Jeremiah 8:18-9:1
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Luke 16:1-13
The parable of the shrewd manager is very confusing to me. Yesterday while writing my sermon I agonized over this text, wondering just what is Jesus trying to tell us with this rather odd story. So here we have a manager who is in charge of a rich man’s property and it is his job to go out and collect the rich man’s debts. The manager squanders his master’s property and he is about to lose his job.
Anxious about what his future might hold, he decides to win the favor of the debtors by reducing what they owe to his master. The manager thinks that if he cuts the master’s debtors a break that they will feel obligated to help him out when he loses his employment. You know the old saying, if I scratch your back, you’ll scratch mine. Now some have said that the discount in the loan is the manager taking out his commission and all things being as they should, the manager would keep his job as well as get a pat on the back from his master. However this is not the case. The text does not tell us if the manager gets his job back. Instead his master commends the manager for being able to milk the system to his advantage. But Jesus tells us this is only a short term fix. The moral of the story that Jesus gives is this, “Whoever is faithful in very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” In bible talk what Jesus is saying is that little things mean a lot.
Throughout the summer we have explored how Jesus used the method of storytelling to preach about what God’s Kingdom will look like when God’s reign on earth is complete. The purpose of the parable was not to make Jesus’ audience feel good but rather to make them think, to even make them feel a little uncomfortable. Jesus provides in each of his parables a twist so as to make his listeners scratch their heads and go “huh?” The twist in the end of this parable is Jesus talking about the difference between being faithful or being dishonest. Sure the manager garnered the obligatory support of the debtors but how long will this last.
The challenge for us in this text centers upon acquisition and the use of wealth. Throughout the Gospel of Luke, Jesus continually warns his followers to not make an idol out of wealth. Here he is telling his followers that there are people who know how to acquire and use wealth to weld power and influence and that it might a good idea for his disciples to be wise to how the rich and powerful play the game. However, the bottom line is always the building of God’s kingdom here on earth. How are we sharing what resources God has blessed us with so as to continue the realm of God on earth? Are we just running after the next quick fix or are we looking for sustaining change toward the good of all God’s creation?
Today the world seems to be spinning out of control with violence, corruption, poverty and despair. We are still deep into the “great recession.” Our nation’s leaders are still unable to come to a consensus as to how to use our nation’s resources to solve our problems. Drug use is on the rise, violent crime is on the rise, poverty is on the rise and we wonder how we got into this mess. Like Jeremiah we cry out, “For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me.”
The older testament text this morning is a conversation between Jeremiah and God. Some note that God is like a heartsick parent, seeing that God’s children are heading for trouble, but must helplessly stand by while they suffer the consequences of their bad choices. God recognizes and embraces the pain of God’s children and God promises to continue to be present, however God is not going to swoop in like a superhero and save the people from their own demise. (1) Indeed, the nation of Jerusalem is on the road to self destruction because of their disobedience to their covenant that they made with God. In her commentary on Jeremiah, biblical scholar Kerra Becker English states, “The Temple that was supposed to be a place of peace had become a palace for the powerful here on earth. No longer were the orphans, widows, and foreigners shown the hospitality of God’s love. No longer were the warnings against stealing, murder and adultery heeded. No longer did God have primary place in the people’s worship or in their lives.” (2) Jeremiah was sent to deliver the message of God’s tough love and he was distressed. Even though he pleads with the people to “break ranks with this earthly authority and be subject to the divine will” (3) the people did not listen and now they are facing eminent destruction. Jeremiah asks the rhetorical question “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored?”
In a competitive culture that pressures us to serve the master card rather than the master God it is hard for us to transcend our own needs to survive at any cost and to work towards God’s aim for the good of all creation. So many of us are living close to the edge, for example Americans are working harder in this decade than in any other time in the modern age and yet many people are only one paycheck away from becoming homeless. We have become a divisive nation where we live in a culture of Red States and Blue States, Liberals and Conservatives, the haves and have nots. We are entertained by television shows that vote people off the island until a lone person is left to collect their reward for being able to “outwit, outplay and outlast” the other players. We live in a world where people live in isolation, unable to find meaningful connection with other human beings, easing the pain of alienation through self medicating with alcohol, drugs and other forms of addiction. “Is there no balm in Gilead?”
Smalltown Cong. is that balm for many of us. Every week we share with each other our joys and concerns and pray for each other, not only during Sunday worship but also through out the week. Whenever one of us is struggling, this church community is quick to surround that person and take care of them through their difficulties. However, while we are extraordinary in our efforts to provide for the needs of each other we still need to reach out to those whose are in need of spiritual growth. This morning’s epistle reading reminds us that everyone is in need of prayer, from our most powerful leaders to our least powerful and everyone in between. God “desires that everyone will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.” My brothers and sisters in Christ, there are many people hungering to hear that they are beloved children of God not because of what they own but because they are God’s own. There are people who are hungering to belong to a community of faith that knows who they are and whose they are. All these things can be found in this community of Smalltown Congregational Church.
Yes, there is a Balm in Gilead. Come and find comfort here.
May it be so.
Amen.
(1) Walter Brueggemann, A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming. (Grand Rapids, W.B. Eerdmans: 1998), 92.
(2) Kerra Becker English, “Ordinary Time 25 or Proper 20” The Abingdon Women’s Preaching Annual, Series 3, Year C. Beverly A. Zink-Sawyer ed. ( Nashville, Abingdon Press: 2003), 143.
(3) Ibid., 143.
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Luke 16:1-13
The parable of the shrewd manager is very confusing to me. Yesterday while writing my sermon I agonized over this text, wondering just what is Jesus trying to tell us with this rather odd story. So here we have a manager who is in charge of a rich man’s property and it is his job to go out and collect the rich man’s debts. The manager squanders his master’s property and he is about to lose his job.
Anxious about what his future might hold, he decides to win the favor of the debtors by reducing what they owe to his master. The manager thinks that if he cuts the master’s debtors a break that they will feel obligated to help him out when he loses his employment. You know the old saying, if I scratch your back, you’ll scratch mine. Now some have said that the discount in the loan is the manager taking out his commission and all things being as they should, the manager would keep his job as well as get a pat on the back from his master. However this is not the case. The text does not tell us if the manager gets his job back. Instead his master commends the manager for being able to milk the system to his advantage. But Jesus tells us this is only a short term fix. The moral of the story that Jesus gives is this, “Whoever is faithful in very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” In bible talk what Jesus is saying is that little things mean a lot.
Throughout the summer we have explored how Jesus used the method of storytelling to preach about what God’s Kingdom will look like when God’s reign on earth is complete. The purpose of the parable was not to make Jesus’ audience feel good but rather to make them think, to even make them feel a little uncomfortable. Jesus provides in each of his parables a twist so as to make his listeners scratch their heads and go “huh?” The twist in the end of this parable is Jesus talking about the difference between being faithful or being dishonest. Sure the manager garnered the obligatory support of the debtors but how long will this last.
The challenge for us in this text centers upon acquisition and the use of wealth. Throughout the Gospel of Luke, Jesus continually warns his followers to not make an idol out of wealth. Here he is telling his followers that there are people who know how to acquire and use wealth to weld power and influence and that it might a good idea for his disciples to be wise to how the rich and powerful play the game. However, the bottom line is always the building of God’s kingdom here on earth. How are we sharing what resources God has blessed us with so as to continue the realm of God on earth? Are we just running after the next quick fix or are we looking for sustaining change toward the good of all God’s creation?
Today the world seems to be spinning out of control with violence, corruption, poverty and despair. We are still deep into the “great recession.” Our nation’s leaders are still unable to come to a consensus as to how to use our nation’s resources to solve our problems. Drug use is on the rise, violent crime is on the rise, poverty is on the rise and we wonder how we got into this mess. Like Jeremiah we cry out, “For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me.”
The older testament text this morning is a conversation between Jeremiah and God. Some note that God is like a heartsick parent, seeing that God’s children are heading for trouble, but must helplessly stand by while they suffer the consequences of their bad choices. God recognizes and embraces the pain of God’s children and God promises to continue to be present, however God is not going to swoop in like a superhero and save the people from their own demise. (1) Indeed, the nation of Jerusalem is on the road to self destruction because of their disobedience to their covenant that they made with God. In her commentary on Jeremiah, biblical scholar Kerra Becker English states, “The Temple that was supposed to be a place of peace had become a palace for the powerful here on earth. No longer were the orphans, widows, and foreigners shown the hospitality of God’s love. No longer were the warnings against stealing, murder and adultery heeded. No longer did God have primary place in the people’s worship or in their lives.” (2) Jeremiah was sent to deliver the message of God’s tough love and he was distressed. Even though he pleads with the people to “break ranks with this earthly authority and be subject to the divine will” (3) the people did not listen and now they are facing eminent destruction. Jeremiah asks the rhetorical question “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored?”
In a competitive culture that pressures us to serve the master card rather than the master God it is hard for us to transcend our own needs to survive at any cost and to work towards God’s aim for the good of all creation. So many of us are living close to the edge, for example Americans are working harder in this decade than in any other time in the modern age and yet many people are only one paycheck away from becoming homeless. We have become a divisive nation where we live in a culture of Red States and Blue States, Liberals and Conservatives, the haves and have nots. We are entertained by television shows that vote people off the island until a lone person is left to collect their reward for being able to “outwit, outplay and outlast” the other players. We live in a world where people live in isolation, unable to find meaningful connection with other human beings, easing the pain of alienation through self medicating with alcohol, drugs and other forms of addiction. “Is there no balm in Gilead?”
Smalltown Cong. is that balm for many of us. Every week we share with each other our joys and concerns and pray for each other, not only during Sunday worship but also through out the week. Whenever one of us is struggling, this church community is quick to surround that person and take care of them through their difficulties. However, while we are extraordinary in our efforts to provide for the needs of each other we still need to reach out to those whose are in need of spiritual growth. This morning’s epistle reading reminds us that everyone is in need of prayer, from our most powerful leaders to our least powerful and everyone in between. God “desires that everyone will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.” My brothers and sisters in Christ, there are many people hungering to hear that they are beloved children of God not because of what they own but because they are God’s own. There are people who are hungering to belong to a community of faith that knows who they are and whose they are. All these things can be found in this community of Smalltown Congregational Church.
Yes, there is a Balm in Gilead. Come and find comfort here.
May it be so.
Amen.
(1) Walter Brueggemann, A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming. (Grand Rapids, W.B. Eerdmans: 1998), 92.
(2) Kerra Becker English, “Ordinary Time 25 or Proper 20” The Abingdon Women’s Preaching Annual, Series 3, Year C. Beverly A. Zink-Sawyer ed. ( Nashville, Abingdon Press: 2003), 143.
(3) Ibid., 143.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Gotta Love Teh Lil' Guy
Here is little guy wondering what it's like to be me for a day. He's sitting in my favorite chair studying a scripture passage.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
From Despair to Rejoicing
Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28
Luke 15: 1-10
For some grumbling, or as we commonly call it complaining, is an art form. We are a nation of grumblers, in the midst of the primaries we hear candidates grumbling about their opposition. We also hear grumblings from the different generations, the younger generation grumbling about how the older generations doesn’t get them and the older generations grumbling about why the younger generation doesn’t do things they way they did them.
In the church we can hear grumbling from the pews and pulpit. This week we’ve heard the grumbling of a pastor in Florida about the building of a mosque near ground zero, we’ve heard grumbling from liberal churches that the culture of the conservative church has bred an environment of intolerance towards those who are not Christian and the conservative church grumbles that the liberal church’s actions and morals are different from their own standards which they base on the literal interpretation of the scriptures. And the press is all too eager to note every grumble in the newspaper, TV and the internet. What is with all this grumbling? Some note that “Grumbling is a reminder of sin, for sin occurs when God’s children are not in harmony with creation and with their creator.” (1)
This morning we have heard two texts of discontent. The Prophet Jeremiah despairs for the people of Israel. Because of their foolishness the people of Israel have broken the covenant with God and their promised land has fallen to the Babylonians. Through Jeremiah’s poetry we hear the pathos of God, that in spite of the people’s turning away from the covenant, God yearns to be still be in relationship with Israel. (2) “For thus says the Lord, the whole land shall be in desolation; yet I will not make a full end.” (Jeremiah 4: 27) Jeremiah is lamenting the losses of his people, he is demanding that God be faithful. Jeremiah is not complaining about the state of his people but is making a statement on behalf of creation, yearning for God to heal creation and to bring things back to wholeness. (3) In contrast when we read of the Pharisees and the scribes discontent with Jesus, they are drawing a line between who is in and who is out. They are seeking to divide rather than making whole, in essence what they are expressing dissatisfaction with a part of God’s creation and some of God’s creatures.
The previous story in Luke ends with Jesus saying, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen.” (Luke 14: 35b) and Jesus attracts quite a crowd around him. Along with the disciples who are there to receive instruction and Pharisees and the scribes who are there to keep tabs on Jesus’ radical teachings, now comes along the tax collectors and sinners to also listen to him. The Pharisees and scribes complain about whom Jesus chooses to associate with. We’ve all heard the saying, “You are only as good as the company you keep.” And for the Pharisees and scribes this was especially true in regards to in sharing meals. For people of the Jewish faith, of which Jesus was a part of, eating together was a way to celebrate their faith and Jesus offended this form of worship by eating with those whose lives declared their contempt for religion. I am sure that the Pharisees and Scribes weren’t the only grumblers in this scene, I imagine that some of the tax collectors and sinners who were caste out as “outsiders” probably grumbled about the hypocrisy of these religious leaders and used that as an excuse to distance themselves from the synagogue. (4) Jesus responds to all this grumbling with a parable.
Now we remember that when Jesus told a parable, his aim was not make sense, but to make his audience think. His aim was not to make those in power feel justified, but to make them feel uncomfortable. These parables that we read this morning I am sure caused much bewilderment in his audience. The first parable begins with the question, “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?” (Luke 15: 1-10) Now that is a perplexing question because his listeners would immediately wonder why leave 99 sheep unattended to go after the one sheep that is lost? But the shepherd in the parable seems to think that the 99 will be ok while he goes after the one who is lost. When the sheep is found, the shepherd then calls his friends to rejoice with him because he has found his lost sheep. Jesus preaches that God is like that shepherd with such a concern for the one who is lost that there is “more joy in heaven over the one sinner who repents then over the ninety-nine righteous persons who need repentance.” (Luke 15:7)
Then Jesus tells a story about a woman who loses a coin, searches diligently around her house until she finds the coin she lost and then calls together her friends and neighbors saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin I lost.” It’s like us losing our car keys and then throwing a party with our friends to celebrate our being able to find them. As silly as this sounds this is exactly how God operates “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)
“For the sinners and tax collectors these stories are about being found, for the Pharisees and scribes they are stories about learning to rejoice.” In his commentary on this gospel reading Scott Rader-Saye states, “The parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin both end by calling together friends and neighbors to join in the celebration. Indeed the movement of joy pulses outward from one to the many, from the earth to the heavens.” (5)
While contemplating the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, I heard on the news a story about a miracle meeting between a daughter and her lost father. Victor Peraza was admitted into the hospice unit of Calvary Hospital in New York City. He had no family to speak of when he was admitted. Wanda Rodriguez was one of the nurses on duty at the hospice that day and while she was filling out medical charts she heard a doctor talking on the phone about a “Victor Peraza” that had just been admitted. She completely froze when she heard that name because that was the name of her father who abandoned his family over 41 years ago when she was just an infant. She looked at his chart to find information that might verify his identity, age, family status, where he lived but she found nothing substantial. She then went to his room to look at him because her mother had told her that she had a great resemblance to her father. When she saw him she knew that he was her father. What is amazing about this story is the display of forgiveness that she gave to him. She did not grumble about him being a bad person for leaving his family, she did not lament growing up with out a father. Instead she rejoiced in finding him. She called together her whole family including her children to come to his bedside and to rejoice in finding the father that she had lost. When asked why she forgave him she said, “Because that’s the type of person I am. It’s not in my nature to hold a grudge.” (6)
My friends, this is the type of person God is. God’s nature is to forgive and restore God’s people. God’s nature is love, and love looks like one who goes out tirelessly searching and then extravagantly celebrates the finding of the one who was lost. This is the people we are called to be.
Amen. May it be so.
(1) Ross, Art. 2007. "Luke 15:1-10." Interpretation 61, no. 4: 422-424. ATLASerials, Religion Collection, EBSCOhost (accessed September 11, 2010).
(2) Brueggemann, Walter. A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans, 1998., pg. 5.
(3) Ross, Art “Luke 15:1-10”
(4) Ibid.
(5) Rader-Saye, Scott “Luke 15:1-10; Theological Perspective” Feasting on the Word. pg. 72
(6) Wanda Rodriguez, Interview with Harry Smith. The Early Show. CBS. 6 September 2010.
Luke 15: 1-10
For some grumbling, or as we commonly call it complaining, is an art form. We are a nation of grumblers, in the midst of the primaries we hear candidates grumbling about their opposition. We also hear grumblings from the different generations, the younger generation grumbling about how the older generations doesn’t get them and the older generations grumbling about why the younger generation doesn’t do things they way they did them.
In the church we can hear grumbling from the pews and pulpit. This week we’ve heard the grumbling of a pastor in Florida about the building of a mosque near ground zero, we’ve heard grumbling from liberal churches that the culture of the conservative church has bred an environment of intolerance towards those who are not Christian and the conservative church grumbles that the liberal church’s actions and morals are different from their own standards which they base on the literal interpretation of the scriptures. And the press is all too eager to note every grumble in the newspaper, TV and the internet. What is with all this grumbling? Some note that “Grumbling is a reminder of sin, for sin occurs when God’s children are not in harmony with creation and with their creator.” (1)
This morning we have heard two texts of discontent. The Prophet Jeremiah despairs for the people of Israel. Because of their foolishness the people of Israel have broken the covenant with God and their promised land has fallen to the Babylonians. Through Jeremiah’s poetry we hear the pathos of God, that in spite of the people’s turning away from the covenant, God yearns to be still be in relationship with Israel. (2) “For thus says the Lord, the whole land shall be in desolation; yet I will not make a full end.” (Jeremiah 4: 27) Jeremiah is lamenting the losses of his people, he is demanding that God be faithful. Jeremiah is not complaining about the state of his people but is making a statement on behalf of creation, yearning for God to heal creation and to bring things back to wholeness. (3) In contrast when we read of the Pharisees and the scribes discontent with Jesus, they are drawing a line between who is in and who is out. They are seeking to divide rather than making whole, in essence what they are expressing dissatisfaction with a part of God’s creation and some of God’s creatures.
The previous story in Luke ends with Jesus saying, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen.” (Luke 14: 35b) and Jesus attracts quite a crowd around him. Along with the disciples who are there to receive instruction and Pharisees and the scribes who are there to keep tabs on Jesus’ radical teachings, now comes along the tax collectors and sinners to also listen to him. The Pharisees and scribes complain about whom Jesus chooses to associate with. We’ve all heard the saying, “You are only as good as the company you keep.” And for the Pharisees and scribes this was especially true in regards to in sharing meals. For people of the Jewish faith, of which Jesus was a part of, eating together was a way to celebrate their faith and Jesus offended this form of worship by eating with those whose lives declared their contempt for religion. I am sure that the Pharisees and Scribes weren’t the only grumblers in this scene, I imagine that some of the tax collectors and sinners who were caste out as “outsiders” probably grumbled about the hypocrisy of these religious leaders and used that as an excuse to distance themselves from the synagogue. (4) Jesus responds to all this grumbling with a parable.
Now we remember that when Jesus told a parable, his aim was not make sense, but to make his audience think. His aim was not to make those in power feel justified, but to make them feel uncomfortable. These parables that we read this morning I am sure caused much bewilderment in his audience. The first parable begins with the question, “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?” (Luke 15: 1-10) Now that is a perplexing question because his listeners would immediately wonder why leave 99 sheep unattended to go after the one sheep that is lost? But the shepherd in the parable seems to think that the 99 will be ok while he goes after the one who is lost. When the sheep is found, the shepherd then calls his friends to rejoice with him because he has found his lost sheep. Jesus preaches that God is like that shepherd with such a concern for the one who is lost that there is “more joy in heaven over the one sinner who repents then over the ninety-nine righteous persons who need repentance.” (Luke 15:7)
Then Jesus tells a story about a woman who loses a coin, searches diligently around her house until she finds the coin she lost and then calls together her friends and neighbors saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin I lost.” It’s like us losing our car keys and then throwing a party with our friends to celebrate our being able to find them. As silly as this sounds this is exactly how God operates “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10)
“For the sinners and tax collectors these stories are about being found, for the Pharisees and scribes they are stories about learning to rejoice.” In his commentary on this gospel reading Scott Rader-Saye states, “The parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin both end by calling together friends and neighbors to join in the celebration. Indeed the movement of joy pulses outward from one to the many, from the earth to the heavens.” (5)
While contemplating the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, I heard on the news a story about a miracle meeting between a daughter and her lost father. Victor Peraza was admitted into the hospice unit of Calvary Hospital in New York City. He had no family to speak of when he was admitted. Wanda Rodriguez was one of the nurses on duty at the hospice that day and while she was filling out medical charts she heard a doctor talking on the phone about a “Victor Peraza” that had just been admitted. She completely froze when she heard that name because that was the name of her father who abandoned his family over 41 years ago when she was just an infant. She looked at his chart to find information that might verify his identity, age, family status, where he lived but she found nothing substantial. She then went to his room to look at him because her mother had told her that she had a great resemblance to her father. When she saw him she knew that he was her father. What is amazing about this story is the display of forgiveness that she gave to him. She did not grumble about him being a bad person for leaving his family, she did not lament growing up with out a father. Instead she rejoiced in finding him. She called together her whole family including her children to come to his bedside and to rejoice in finding the father that she had lost. When asked why she forgave him she said, “Because that’s the type of person I am. It’s not in my nature to hold a grudge.” (6)
My friends, this is the type of person God is. God’s nature is to forgive and restore God’s people. God’s nature is love, and love looks like one who goes out tirelessly searching and then extravagantly celebrates the finding of the one who was lost. This is the people we are called to be.
Amen. May it be so.
(1) Ross, Art. 2007. "Luke 15:1-10." Interpretation 61, no. 4: 422-424. ATLASerials, Religion Collection, EBSCOhost (accessed September 11, 2010).
(2) Brueggemann, Walter. A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans, 1998., pg. 5.
(3) Ross, Art “Luke 15:1-10”
(4) Ibid.
(5) Rader-Saye, Scott “Luke 15:1-10; Theological Perspective” Feasting on the Word. pg. 72
(6) Wanda Rodriguez, Interview with Harry Smith. The Early Show. CBS. 6 September 2010.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Vacation Update
The garden has been abundant this summer and we've given away more food than we've eaten. Anytime someone comes over, they are required to leave with a bag full of vegatables. Anytime I run into a neighbor, I give them food. It's gotten so crazy that neighbors run away from me as I approach them with a bag of vegies. (heh heh).
 |
| A Cornucopia |
And so in our abundance, I've been learning a lot of new recipes. I've made pesto, tomato sauce, swiss chard fried, baked and even in a quiche. However the newest skill I've learned has to do with an interesting carrot I found in my garden.
 |
| An interesting speciman....oh what shall I do with it? |
Well being the techie I am and having the gift of a warped sense of humor, a trial version of photoshop and lots of time on my hands, I animated it! Enjoy!
I was unable to edit the black stuff cuz the photoshop trial expired. My beloved partner still can't believe that I spent so much time making this movie. And thank you to Sandra Bullock for providing the eyes and mouth for my carrot.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)