Grace to you and peace from God our creator, Jesus our Savior, and the Holy Spirit our guide. Amen.
Happy Reformation! The day we celebrate the start of the Lutheran Church. The day we celebrate change. The day we look at what makes us Lutheran. As I was thinking about how Reformation can be considered the start of the Lutheran church, I was thinking that we celebrate a lot of “starts” in our church. We celebrate Advent - the start of the church year; we celebrate Christmas - the start or birthday of Jesus; we celebrate Easter - the start of a new way of thinking about salvation; and we celebrate Pentecost, the start of the Holy Spirit among us and what some would consider the start of the Christian church. So, if nothing, we are certainly flexible, or we just love to celebrate the church.
When thinking about Martin Luther and the Reformation, I came up with 3 C’s that I will reflect on in today’s sermon. The first is “change” - reformation - re-forming - changing the church. Luther didn’t want to start a brand new branch of the church and he certainly didn’t want his followers to call themselves Lutherans, he simply wanted to change some of the practices of the church at the time that didn’t fit with what the word of God, the bible, said. He felt the church structure had become something that was getting in the way of people’s connections to God. One of the main issues was that the church 500 years ago was very focused on “doing the right thing” or doing “works as prescribed by law” in order to obtain favor with God and get into heaven. Then, in case you were concerned you didn’t have enough good works, you could simply buy indulgences as a way to guarantee your sins would be forgiven. Luther wanted to change the church and get rid of these practices since they were not what the bible was saying was the way to be right with God.
Yes, Luther changed the church, or ended up creating a division since the church didn’t want to change (not that a church today would ever be reluctant to change!) We might be tempted to think that because of what Luther did, the change part of the reformation is done. It isn’t. As noted as a footnote in the book “Baptized, We Live: Lutheranism as a Way of Life” it says “If we are faithful to the spirit of the Lutheran Reformation, we will ask ‘What are our indulgences?’ - meaning ‘What is there in our institution which hinders us from hearing the LIVING WORD?’”
So, yes - we need to constantly be thinking about our church and what is hindering us from truly experiencing and proclaiming God’s living, loving, redeeming word - the gospel - the good news. This can be many things from church structure at all levels of the church - ELCA, Synod, and congregational levels; our worship services; our physical buildings; ourselves; and more. This is part of what the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church, that the last churchwide assembly created, will be looking at for the ELCA. How do we need to change, how do we need to reform ourselves, to keep the focus on God’s Living Word.
We can’t use the excuse of “well, that’s the way it has always been” as to why we shouldn’t change. The church has changed a lot over the years, including if you think back to the start of the Christian church, it was focused a lot on community. Our second “C” for today. The start of the church was people gathering in each other’s homes - sharing stories, sharing the Good News, coming together to help those in need. All this, not because they were told to or had to, but because they wanted to - they believed in the message of Christ, the Living Word, and came together in community to support each other and share that message. Over the years, the church became more structured, more hierarchical, more bureaucratic. I personally think that the church as a whole could learn a lot from going back to a community focused approach, much like I see in many aspects of our congregation. Our food pantries, our parish house for refugees, our various food drives, our quilts and kits for Lutheran World Relief, and more - they all show how we support our larger community.
However, we also support our own community. I am preaching today as part of community. This is another thing that Luther was all about - lay people getting involved in the word. Luther translated the bible into German so that people themselves could read the Bible and learn from it directly instead of having the priest be the go-between for them. In fact, when I was telling someone this past week that I would be giving the sermon today, they were a bit surprised, thinking that only a pastor could give the message. So Lutherans, and some other denominations, are still unique in that aspect, that the message, the Living Word, belongs to everyone and can be shared by everyone.
The past week and upcoming weeks are a very strong example of how our own community support each other. As we continue to support and hold in prayer Pastor Ellen, Ken, and all of Dorothy’s family - this community of Faith continues to come together to share our gifts with them, so that the work that needs to be done is shared. This happens over and over again in our congregation - with people rotating to share leading Sunday School, with Deb or Kathy stepping in to play when Bruce is gone, with Pastor John filling in for Pastor Ellen when she needs to take care of other matters. The church isn’t the pastor, the church isn’t the building, the church isn’t any one person, the church is all of us coming together in community.
And this leads to the 3rd “C” - we gather in community to share our common confession. I’m not talking about confession as confession of sins - I’m talking about our confession of faith - what we deep down believe - the core of our faith and beliefs. Now many of our confessions are covered in the creeds, the one we are focusing on today is the confession that makes Lutherans Lutheran. The confession that we are saved by grace through faith, not by works. This was the core of what Luther found in his studies. There is no way to earn our way to Heaven, to be in God’s good standing, since it is gift from God.
In our reading from the Gospel of John, we hear Jesus say, “...you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” and the disciples, ever confused, asked, “What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?” Just like we often ask in the Lutheran tradition - “What does this mean?” So a story.
This past May I was on vacation using a rental car, and at one point, I backed the car into a larger truck which was not damaged, no one was hurt, and the only damage was part of the back end of the rental car was crunched a bit. Now, since this is church, I am being live streamed and recorded, and there are children present, I will not share what I said right after I had the accident. However, it was the feeling I had next that I want to share - I was consumed by this. I was trying to figure out what to do, what did I do wrong, how did I miss the truck, would this cost me any money, who do I need to report this to, where do I find a number to call, etc. I tried to focus on my visit with my family, but my mind kept getting drawn back to the accident and what I needed to do to make it right. I was certainly not free. I could hardly focus on anything else.
So, when the Gospel talks about being free, it isn’t just in the physical captive sense, it can be our mental state and how we live our lives. And this is how it can be if we had to keep focusing on making sure we are “right” with God, that we have done everything to make sure we will be saved and make it to Heaven. It would be hard to focus on the community part of our faith, hard to focus on living our lives, if with everything we did we were worried about if this will please God and will we be rewarded or punished. We would start having to add up and keep track of everything we did during the week to make sure we did enough. Now, based on how I felt after my accident, and the thought of tracking everything I do - that doesn’t sound like a fun way of living.
This is the good news, we don’t have to do that - we have been made free by the Son, by Jesus, by God’s Living Word, as John says “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” - and the Son and God have made us free. And this isn’t just a New Testament message. Our loving God is consistent through the Bible, always loving us and forgiving our sins because of God’s commitment to us. As it says in our reading from Jeremiah today, “No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” Let’s focus again on that last part, “I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” Yes - our sins have been forgiven, not because we ask or do the right thing, but because it is God’s will and God has already done it.
Our reading from Romans shares the same message, “For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Our sins are forgiven and remembered no more, not because of anything we do, but because it is a gift from God. We are forgiven, saved, justified, by our faith. Again from Romans, “For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.”
This would be a nice place to stop, but there is always that pesky question that remains. If we are justified by faith and not by works - then why should we or why do we do good works? We were just told that we aren’t justified by our works, so why bother?
We should note that nothing says that good works and the law aren’t important, it says that “works prescribed by the law” isn’t what gets us into Heaven. As noted in Jeremiah the Lord says, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” The law, the urge to do good works, is part of who we are as Children of God, our very being. It is our calling to show our faith, show who we are as God’s children, by working to live into the law, live into what brings forth God’s kin-dom of love for all.
Back to my rental car this past May. Long story short, my insurance covered all of the damage, I paid nothing out of pocket, overall it was easy to deal with, and nothing bad happened. You could say all was forgiven. Had I known this would be the outcome, maybe I wouldn’t have been so consumed by it when it happened, and could have felt more free in that situation. So, since in the end it all turned out OK, I could really go out and do it again and again, since I have the insurance and they’ll take care of it, aka “forgive” me. (We’ll ignore the part of my insurance premiums skyrocketing and then probably canceling coverage). But I won’t purposefully go out and do it again, because I know it isn’t the right thing to do, it doesn’t provide benefit to people. I don’t avoid accidents because it helps me get further in life or gain me any favor, but it is simply the right thing to do, and is part of who I am - to be a safe driver and work to do everything right, not because I have to, but because I want to.
It is the same with good works - we don’t do them to gain favor with God, we do them because it is part of who we are, part of having God’s law being written in our hearts, part of our faith, our desire to bring forth God’s kin-dom to all, part of our calling as people of God. We recognize that this can be a struggle at times, since while we strive to do good in the world, we know there is evil, the forces in the universe that draw us away from God’s love and kin-dom - so we follow Jesus, not because we have to be perfect and do all the right things like Jesus did, but as an example, a role model, a reminder of the way God wants us to live into our faith and God’s kin-dom.
Our church is changing and needs to continue to change, so we can focus on our community, and live into our confession of faith - the good news. The good news we are justified by grace through faith. Our sins are forgiven and remembered no more as gift from God and there is nothing we can or need to do to earn this favor. We are freed from focusing on ourselves and our sins, so that we can focus on bringing forth God’s kin-dom into the world, yes - often by good works. We could simply not do any good works and we still receive God’s gift of salvation, but is that the life you want to live? I leave you with this question to ponder for the week, “Why do you do good works, when you aren’t required to?” Amen.
This is a special musical performance of Offeratory sung by Bob Nelson at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
From time to time our grandchildren stay with us for a few days. A few years ago, when our granddaughter, Vivian, was five years old, she loved to run, as most children do. And, when she stayed with us, she would continually run through the house with Ken chasing her. She would start at the front door, run past the kitchen and dining room, run through the living room, run around the table in the three-season room, and then head back, running through the living room, past the kitchen and dining room and back to the front door, where she would start in all over again. As she persistently ran this course, she kept saying, “Vivian never gives up, Vivian never gives up!”
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells the story of a persistent, stubborn widow who simply never gives up. I think, far too often, when interpreting this parable, an assumption is made that the unjust judge is God, and we are to relentlessly badger God with our prayers and requests as did this widow who was so persistent with the corrupt judge. When such an understanding is asserted, we get far too preoccupied with the unattractive comparison of God as an unjust judge and consequently we don't get into the deeper meaning of what Jesus is communicating. God is not like this corrupt judge, and he is NOT unjust! This story is a parable, and remember, when we hear a parable, we can place ourselves in any one of the characters. Also, Jesus’ parables are meant to be cognitive time bombs that shock us into new understandings as we think about them over time.
The scene of this parable unfolds in a place that is something like a hall of justice where a judge is seated on his judgement seat and throngs of petitioners are gathered about, some represented by lawyers while others are just shouting their requests from the crowd. And, this widow is in that crowd every single day when the court convenes. She wants vindication against an unnamed adversary. She wants justice! She relentlessly pleads for justice! Day after day after day, she is present shouting out for the justice she deserves. And, every single day the harsh, unsavory, immoral, corrupt judge, who “neither fears God nor respects people,” ignores her. Yet, this poor, defenseless widow obstinately badgers the corrupt judge until he finally relents and renders a favorable judgment.
Now, we must remember the writer of Luke is communicating to a Greek audience, people who would picture a typical Roman judge. Judges in that culture had vast power within their jurisdiction. If they wanted to, they could decide cases based on personal whim alone and they frequently did just that. The judge in this story is such a judge, and he is depicted as having no concern for justice. Jesus says the judge felt no “reverence” for people, but also no sense of “shame” in how he treated them. And, the contrast in the story is between this powerful magistrate who can do whatever he feels like doing and a poor widow who must simply take what she can get.
It is significant that Jesus portrays this woman as a widow. Widows, at that point in time, were powerless and the poorest of the poor. On the “power scale,” the judge is at one end and the widow at the other. Widows in the ancient world were incredibly vulnerable. And, threaded throughout Hebrew scriptures we find widows listed along with orphans and resident aliens (immigrants by the way) as those persons deserving special protection. The fact that this particular widow, unattended by any family, daily goes to beseech an unsavory judge who neither fears God nor respects people, highlights her extreme vulnerability. Her single-mindedness drives her to, on a daily basis, stubbornly persist in her pleas for justice. She keeps haranguing this judge, apparently making a public spectacle of herself...and him. She mercilessly bothers the judge. And, in fact, a more vivid and accurate translation of the judge's complaint when he says, “she keeps bothering me,” would be “she is giving me a black eye." She's embarrassing him and calling into question his reputation by persisting with her case. She is speaking truth to power. When discussing this brave widow’s actions, one theologian suggests:
Like all black eyes, the one the widow's complaints threaten to inflict have a double effect, representing both physical and social distress. That is, the judge complains that the widow's relentless badgering not only causes him physical harm but also risks publicly embarrassing him. For this reason, he says -- perhaps justifying his actions to his wounded sense of self? -- that he relents not because he has changed his mind but simply to shut up this dangerous widow.
This judge finally decides that if he doesn't grant the widow's petition, she will wear him out - either figuratively or literally. So, eventually, despite his callousness and his lack of integrity, he gives the woman what she wants.
In our own time and in our own culture, we have been experiencing a steady drumbeat of news, giving us reports of injustice after injustice. And what has been done? The fact of the matter is that what we do as we work for justice is a form of prayer. Many of us do work for justice in a variety of ways and, when that longing for justice burns in your bones as it does in mine, seeking justice becomes part of the fabric of your life. In this country, over time, civil rights laws were established; and they have brought some progress, though such progress often comes quite slowly, and now it alarmingly seems to be regressing. Many organizations like ELCA AMMPARO, the ONE Campaign, Bread for the World, and ELCA Advocacy have been working to raise awareness regarding human rights, equality, and poverty. And these organizations have been working hard to encourage lawmakers to enact policies that will help the poor, feed the hungry, and treat immigrants in humane and compassionate ways. But, quite frankly, there are too many who, seeing such things, speak words of lament but then go right back to doing whatever else it was they had been doing. They then become complicit in the outcome. So, I wonder and I ask: what does this parable mean for us today?
If this parable offers a mirror for our lives, then maybe the face many of us will see when we peer into that mirror is the face of the unjust judge who daily hears the cries of the poor and vulnerable and does not respond. Or, are we like that vulnerable woman, tirelessly petitioning the judge for justice? For me, I must say that the desire for justice calls me to never give up naming the injustice, denouncing the injustice, and working and calling for change in our culture, our country, and our world. You see, part of our baptismal calling is all about working for justice. It is also an active form of prayer.
When Jesus told a parable, quite often the deepest meaning in the story is the message of what God is like, what God is about, and what God is doing in this broken world. So, as we hear the gospel in this parable, just maybe the really good news for all of us is that God is the one who is like that widow – unrelenting, persistent, assertive, and tenacious. God is the one who does not and will never give up. God has not, does not, and will not ever give up on us, even when we have acted as though we "neither feared God nor had respect for people." Just maybe, the real message in this short little story is that, because of God’s great love for us, God became vulnerable like that poor widow, even to the point of being nailed to the cross like a common criminal. And, in the death and resurrection of Jesus, God’s reign has broken into this world and continues to break into our world, bringing forth justice for all people. Now that is the kind of good news worth sharing. That is the kind of message each one of us can daily live as we relentlessly work for justice while proclaiming this very good news!
This is a special musical presentation of I Will Awaken the Dawn by the chancel choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
We have heard a great deal about boundaries over the past few years. And, while I believe some boundaries are necessary, very needed, and extremely healthy, I also believe that far too often we impose boundaries and build walls that not only keep others out of our lives, but also fence us in, isolating us from others and the world. And, quite frankly, too often, as we have seen in our current political climate, we simply draw a line in the sand, create unreasonable boundaries, and then refuse to cross those lines to seek common ground.
When we meet up with Jesus today, he is continuing his journey to Jerusalem, his journey toward the cross. As he and his disciples continue that cross-bound journey, they move into a border area, the boundary between Samaria and Galilee. This boundary was a scary and uncomfortable place. It was a boundary the Jewish people did not like to cross because it took you into that place where those hated and despised Samaritans lived. And, look who Jesus meets at that border – ten lepers who raise their voices and cry out to Jesus saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” These lepers, knowing they are unclean, keep their distance from Jesus, because that is what the law stipulates. By law, they are not to go near those who do not have leprosy. Enduring the labels of “outcast” and “unclean” they are required to live apart from the rest of society. They are required to live within yet a different kind of boundary, one that keeps them totally estranged from all others. Considered ritually unclean, they were quarantined and treated as objects of revulsion and fear on the part of their neighbors. So, as these ten lepers cry for mercy, not one of them breaks the social conventions that surround their disease as they cry to Jesus from a distance.
The writer of Luke’s gospel tells us Jesus sees these lepers and tells them to go show themselves to the priests. This was also required by law because the priests would have to inspect the lepers and verify their cleanliness. Only then could they be readmitted to the temple and be freed from their status as unclean. So, they go, and while on their way, they become clean. All ten are healed, but only one comes back to say thank you to Jesus for the healing. This one leper, when he realized he had been healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude and glorifying God.
So, why did only one leper return to offer thanks? Part of the answer may be found in the identity of this healed man. He alone is identified as a Samaritan. He was considered an outcast, not just because of his disease. He was considered an outcast because he was a foreigner, a hated Samaritan. As such, he was twice scorned, twice rejected, and twice removed from community.
It really is interesting that this despised Samaritan is the one who expresses gratitude and stops to say thanks. The writer of Luke’s gospel again chooses a Samaritan to make a point. And, as he does, we can pretty much assume his point is not about the proper etiquette for saying thank you. Luke is not giving his first-century listeners a lesson in proper protocol for receiving healing. No. Again and again, we find Luke’s Jesus teaching in parables and living in ways that disorient his followers with the shock of something new. Again and again, Luke’s Jesus shows the people that God is close at hand, in your neighbor, in those you don’t consider neighbors, in an act of compassion and in a touch of healing.
So, why did the Samaritan, the foreigner, come back to thank Jesus? Jesus had not made a formal thank you part of the bargain. He simply told them to go and show themselves to the priests. Well, we really do not know why the Samaritan is the only one to return. However, just maybe the writer of Luke was more interested saying something about faith and also interested in describing the boundaries, or maybe we should say lack of boundaries, when it comes to God’s grace. You see, when it comes to God’s grace, imposed boundaries will ultimately expand to include even those the world defines as unclean, immigrant, alien, foreign, and impure. Luke seems to be telling us a story about faith and a very daring boundary crossing. A crossing that is daring on the part of Jesus, and also on the part of the Samaritan.
So, the Samaritan alone returns and, if we look at his posture, we discover that he comes close to Jesus and humbly lies down at Jesus’ feet. Of the ten who were healed, he alone – a despised foreigner - breaches the boundaries and moves from an experience and life of isolation to one of grateful intimacy. While the other nine perform the necessary rituals and practices, he alone feels obliged to say thank you. And maybe, just maybe, in his need to say thank you there was a yearning for intimacy with God, a sense that faith cannot simply mean performance of ritual. Faith requires relationship. Faith – something that in itself is all gift – lures us, grasps us, and draws us into relationship with God, a relationship that is healing, intimate, humbling, and yes, even dependent.
I cannot help but wonder if part of the illness we are seeing within our present culture and broken society, is due to a deep self-centeredness, a viewpoint that assumes we are right, that assumes we are entitled to what we have. We draw deeply entrenched boundary lines, and we do not want to cross those lines. We become so preoccupied with our own needs, our own wants, protecting what we have while attempting to justify our unwavering position and perspective, that we maintain our distance from others while holding on to an illusion, yes an illusion, of absolute independence. In doing so we continue to create divisions among people, cast others aside as unclean, and attempt to make others appear as outcasts.
“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back.” One turned back from maintaining the protection of distance, turned back from going his or her own way, turned back from self-justification, turned back from the illusion of independence, and knelt down at Jesus’ feet, proclaiming ultimate dependence on God. And, in doing so, gave thanks and showed deep gratitude. It is worth noting that Jesus does not remove the gift of healing from the other nine. However, he does reinforce the statement he makes so often, “Your faith has made you well.” This seems to suggest a deeper level of spiritual or existential healing that this grateful Samaritan will enjoy, a level of wellness that goes beyond the physical.
Gratitude! Honestly, to “have faith” is to live it, and to live it is to give thanks. It is living a life of gratitude that constitutes living a life of faith – this is the grateful sort of faith that has made the Samaritan truly well, wholistically well. And gratitude is an expression of our need for others, of our need for God. We cannot live within our deeply entrenched boundaries, live at a distance, and become truly healed at the same time. The fact of the matter is, all that we have, all that we think we are entitled to, all of our stuff, our health, our position, our job, the list goes on and on, all is gift.
When we begin to grasp and understand that all is gift, we begin to know gratitude. And, it is gratitude that teaches us about the truth of our very lives – the truth that we live in a profoundly interdependent world. The strength and health of our communities, our country and our very selves comes to us as gift when we live in relationship to others.
The healthiest people I know are those whose lives are not lived as the self-made man or woman, living within their protective boundaries, and thinking they are so very independent. The healthiest people I know are those whose very lives express deep gratitude as they have reached across boundaries to enrich and embrace others and be enriched and embraced by others. The healthiest people I know are those who understand that to be truly well, to become truly whole, requires the embrace of the alien grace of Christ’s daring love, the embrace of the God who crosses all boundaries to love us where we are and as we are and make us God’s own.
This is a special musical presentation of Precious Jesus by the chancel choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan with a solo from Richard Triemer.
I invite you to again listen to the beginning verses of our first reading in Habakkuk, as we find them in The Message translation of the Bible:
The problem as God gave Habakkuk to see it:
God, how long do I have to cry out for help before you listen?
How many times do I have to yell, “Help! Murder! Police!”
before you come to the rescue?
Why do you force me to look at evil, stare trouble in the face day after day?
Anarchy and violence break out, quarrels and fights all over the place.
Law and order fall to pieces. Justice is a joke.
The wicked have the righteous hamstrung and stand justice on its head.
When we read those verses at our Tuesday Noon Bible Study, everyone in the group felt as though the prophet Habakkuk was writing words for us in our present time and current cultural context. The truth is our present context is one in which we sometimes find ourselves feeling as though we are trying to cling to our faith. The people of Judah were trying to cling to their faith. The prophet articulates their fear and their questions as they are facing military threats from their neighbors in Babylon and Egypt. And, after articulating their cries for help, Habakkuk then urges them to be faithful to God who will in time save them. The fact of the matter is that all of today’s readings are about clinging to our faith when everything around us seems to be (pardon my expression) going to hell in a handbasket. In our New Testament reading, Timothy seems to be losing his grip as a leader of the early church. And, in our gospel reading, the disciples – those who are closest to Jesus himself – seem to be wrestling with some crisis of faith. So, I find it hopeful that we hear these words today because they are so relevant for us in our present context.
Over the past few weeks, we have heard some rather perplexing and harsh stories from Jesus. And it is easy to read today’s gospel passage and receive it as yet another harsh message of condemnation. However, it seems to me Jesus is communicating something else. So, listen again to the beginning of this passage with new ears. When the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith, listen as Jesus answers the disciples with words of kindness, love, tenderness, and maybe even a bit of a smile. Jesus replied, “Why, you do not need more faith. Even this much faith (his thumb and forefinger pinching together) is enough!” You see, if we hear Jesus speaking with love it totally changes our hearing of his remarks. This passage is not really about quantity and having more faith. It is all about understanding what faith is, what faith means, and what faith does.
So, what is faith? In his famous 1 Corinthians 13 words, Paul understood faith as one of the three greatest gifts – faith, hope and love. In the New Testament, especially the writings of Paul, faith is often paired with love or said to work in conjunction with love. Furthermore, in Hebrews we read, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
If we think about what faith is not, we understand that faith does not equal security, and faith is not assurance that all will go the way we want. Faith does not mean that we are assured of going to the holy wishing well and being given exactly what we think is in our best interest.
No. Faith in God seems to really be about a kind of surrender, a kind of letting go, a kind of commitment and a conscious recognition of where we place our trust. In his Large Catechism, Luther provides an explanation for the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me,” and I think his words might be helpful. He writes:
A “god” is the term for that to which we are to look for all good and in which we are to find refuge in all need. Therefore, to have a God is nothing else than to trust and believe in that one with your whole heart. As I have often said, it is the trust and faith of the heart alone that make both God and an idol. If your faith and trust are right, then your God is the true one. Conversely, where your trust is false and wrong, there you do not have the true God. For these two belong together, faith and God. Anything on which your heart relies and depends, I say, that is really your God. (The Book of Concord, p. 386)
It is so very difficult in our “do it yourself” culture to just let go and place our faith and trust in God. I really wonder if this lack of willingness to let go, to let go of our need to control, is more often the problem than the amount of faith we might have. When talking about this challenge, Richard Rohr writes:
A common saying is, “God helps those who help themselves.” I think that phrase can be understood wisely; but in most spiritual situations it is not completely true. Scripture clearly says, in many ways, that God helps those who trust in God, not those who help themselves.
We need to be told that very strongly because of our “do it yourself” orientation. As educated people, as Americans, as middle-class people who have practiced climbing, we are accustomed to doing it ourselves. It takes applying the brakes, letting go of our own plans, allowing Another, and experiencing power from a Larger Source to really move to higher awareness. Otherwise, there is no real transformation, but only increased willpower. As if the one with the most willpower wins! Willfulness is quite different than willingness. They are two different energetic styles and normally yield very different fruit.
The reality is we already have the faith we need. God gives us the faith we need. But, as Richard Rohr has said, we must show a willingness to allow God to be the one in charge, to trust in God even when this might seem so very hard, even when it seems like everything is going to hell in a handbasket.
Yes, God gives us the faith we need. However, we must be willing to actually use it, to actively live it, to allow God to use us and that is so very countercultural. As I hope all of you are aware, we use our faith to serve God, not to earn God’s love or salvation. We use our faith to serve God through our actions and the way we live together in community for the sake of the world because that is what faith will expect of us. As theologian, Kimberly Long, suggests, “You already have the faith you need. Now fulfill its purpose: live it!” And, this is where the second part of this gospel comes in.
To understand faith in this way is to understand faith as a way of life. And, it is important to remember that we do not do this alone. We do it as we live together in community as the broken body of Christ. I think, the issue at stake is how we live together in community. God gives us what we need to flourish abundantly in faithful community. As the second part of today’s gospel reading suggests, in the economy of faith, we who serve depend on a benevolent master who not only expects us to obey but gives us all that is required to do so. And, much of that comes by living together as the community of the baptized. The Rev. Dr. Anna Madsen, in her book I Can Do No Other: The Churches Here We Stand Moment, writes about this baptized community and the life of faith. Her words are helpful as she remembers what she learned from seminary Professor Walt Bouman. She writes:
You see, as Bouman taught many of us, baptism only “works” if it is “used,” that is, if it is trusted. Our God is that in which or in whom we trust. Baptism initiates us into a life of trust in God, of our participation in the community God, into the risen Jesus. The word community is key here, for baptism is not only an individual matter. It is, of course, a promise to each individual person (we are known by name). But baptism initiates us into the community of the baptized. We are, in a sense, baptized into a community of trusters. (I Can Do No Other: The Churches Here We Stand Moment, p. 22)
Yes, we are “baptized into a community of trusters,” the community of faith. And, when we live together and work together as the broken body of Christ, the faith we have been given enables God to work through us and do some amazing things. We have seen such faith at work in our own congregation as we joined other congregations to create Michigan Refugee Hope, an organization that has enabled us to provide life and hope to young refugees. In fact, through this effort, this congregation has taken in over fifteen young refugees. We will likely be taking in more yet this year. That is what faith does.
When Jesus speaks to us today, he is not so much talking about quantity of faith. He is talking about what faith is and what faith does. Faith is not stockpiled in a storehouse for the working of spiritual wonders. No. Faith is lived out as obedience to a just, merciful and loving God. And, as we walk together in community as the broken body of Christ, we find that the God who expects much from us also promises much and does provide all the faith we need. God provides all that we need to live into God’s call to do the work of justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.
This is a special musical presentation of Open the Eyes of My Heart by the chancel choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan with a solo from Tammy Heilman.
Last week we received one of Jesus’ most bizarre and perplexing stories. Today, we receive one of his harshest stories. It is interesting that we are given this reading just days after we have seen world leaders gather for the UN General Assembly and address the multitude of problems facing this world, the biggest of which is climate change. The UN Chief did not mince words as he prophetically sounded a global alarm, warning leaders about the survival of humanity and the planet. For those of us who follow the teachings of Jesus, we discover God calls us to compassionately act in response to the many crises in our present context. Now, as we respond to Jesus’ message, some may say his teachings are just for our private lives, not for our public behavior, or he is irrelevant to our times. But, as the Rev. Jim Wallis writes in his book, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus, he says, “That is hard to do for those who call themselves Christians, if God so loved the world.” You see, if the gospel has no meaning for our current, present context and does not inform the way we respond to injustice, the gospel really has NO meaning.
In all of today’s readings, we hear words about justice and faithful stewardship, messages that are very relevant to this present moment. In the reading from Luke’s gospel, justice is presented as an eschatological (meaning end of time) balancing of the scales: those who suffered in need are made full, and those who have reveled in excess are left empty. This story is all about a call to live a certain way in the here and now of everyday life. Jesus has been having a conversation with the Pharisees about the love of money and the desire for riches and, today, we find him continuing that conversation. He tells the Pharisees yet another story, another parable that is rather difficult to hear. Borrowing from what scholars believe was an Egyptian tale, Jesus tells the story of two worlds: the world of the haves and the world of the have-nots, the world of the rich and the world of the poor, the world of the comforted and the world of the afflicted. And, the boundaries between the two are very clearly defined.
The writer of Luke’s gospel was extremely concerned about the proper use of wealth, something that is not only the focus of all three of our readings today, but also something that is threaded through the entirety of Luke’s telling of the Jesus story. As we dig into this story, we need to understand that, in this parable, Luke is not trying to settle issues about the afterlife or eternal punishment. No. Luke is addressing the way we live our lives, here and now in this present moment. As Jesus tells this story, he uses a good deal of hyperbole to address those who love 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. And, it is very clear that Jesus has no pity for those who should know better. The rich man in this story has no way of pretending that he did not know the plight of Lazarus in this life, since the poor man was brought directly to his door, presumably by friends, or fellow beggars. And, the tale of the afterlife tableau is one of merciless pain suffered by the rich man, pain which cannot be alleviated. Even when the rich man asks for his family to be warned and spared, he is told that all they need to know is already available, and even if Jesus would be raised from the dead, they would not mend their ways.
The themes presented in Jesus’ parable stand as powerful indictments of our present context. The ever-widening chasm between the rich and the poor is one of the most important issues of our day, not just for residents in this country but also for residents around the globe. This is already impacting migration issues. And this gap or chasm is going to become greater as we continue to see the effects of climate change. Climate change is going to create increased migration challenges throughout the world. How are we as a country going to respond?
The great divide between Lazarus and the rich man didn't spring up upon their deaths or after the last judgment; it was created by the rich man while both of them were living. There is no escaping this indictment in Jesus’ story. This is a parable urging “the haves” to do justice now, for there will be no opportunity later.
The message that is implicit in this story is that those who help create the economic divide by greed and selfishness will not be able to right it for themselves in any other life than this present one. And, as we look at the present and necessary focus on issues like immigration, war, global hunger, and climate change, as we look at the call to care for the poor and needy, and the call to care for the creation we have been given, the rich in this world control resources like land and money, and the rich control systems of taxation that perpetuate the “great divide,” this chasm. As we look at climate change and its increasing effects upon people, the poor of this world are the ones who already face the greatest risk. They are and will continue to be the ones who suffer the most. Warnings and messages are coming in every form. Climate change is already happening, but too often these warnings remain unheeded.
The Rev. Sally Bingham, eco-minister and founder of Interfaith Power & Light, says that abuse of natural resources and pollution of your neighbor’s air is a sin against creation. If we love our neighbors, we don’t pollute our neighbor’s air. She fervently says, “The environmental crisis is a theological problem, a problem that stems from our view of God and how we relate to God and each other. And, that makes it important for the church to wrestle with this issue. You see, our view of God can be one that encourages and/or permits destructive, unjust behavior or one that encourages right relationship and harmony with all of the created order.”
Bingham considers scientists some of our modern-day prophets. Scientists told us decades ago that carbon dioxide was a heat trapping gas and too much of it would trap heat close to the earth, causing our planet and our oceans to get increasingly warm. We didn’t listen and became overly dependent on fossil fuels for energy. We are now paying the price for not listening. And, our children and grandchildren are going to pay a much greater price! But it isn’t too late. Scientists say we have a window of about eight more years if we intentionally work hard to prevent the worst scenario before us. Scientists say 2030 will be a pivotal year. So, hopefully, we still CAN still fend of the worst of what looms before us.
Addressing climate change is a moral issue, one that requires a change in people’s hearts and minds. Sally Bingham writes:
What institution changes hearts and minds? Churches and that is why the religious voice is so important in this dialogue as we look for solutions to climate change. As religious people we must do our part – and we have a big role in this. If we don’t protect creation, how can we possibly expect others to? Moral leadership sits right here with us…Our job then is to become informed, do our part and work so that people understand we will not be the healthy children that God intended and we will not live on a healthy planet unless we can get beyond partisanship and do what is right for the entire communion of life. The creation that God called good, the creation where God put us and instructed us to till and keep this garden, is the creation that sustains us and will sustain us if we do our part… We have a responsibility to each other, to the future and to God. [And, if we do our part,] we will be the people that God placed in the garden to till it and to keep it. We will be obeying the first and great commandment to love God and each other and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Christians cannot look at the current state of the world, including related issues of climate challenge, immigration, and so much more and claim ignorance. These are hard days, to be sure. In today’s reading, Jesus lays before us the importance of relational social issues as we live our lives right here and right now. This harsh story Jesus shares leaves us with a call to act, based on the visibility of the suffering face that is present to us in this very time and in this very moment. The suffering face of humanity and this very earth become for us, the face of Christ himself.
People of God, we are called to live into God’s dream of justice for this entire world, for the sake of the world. God created us to live in relationship with all others, and with the gift of this amazing creation we have been given. The abundant, eternal life, life that truly matters, the life Jesus calls us into comes through the community of creation, and that abundant life starts now, as we live into God’s call and seek justice and abundant life for our neighbors and for the all of creation.
Grace to you and peace from God our parent, Jesus our Savior, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Greetings to you from myself, from the North/West Lower Michigan Synod, and from the thousands of congregations and millions of Lutherans across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the ELCA.
This past August, from August 8 - 12, I served as a voting member to the churchwide assembly of the ELCA. During the sermon, we’ll be sharing pictures from the churchwide assembly on our monitors in the sanctuary and on the live stream. These are just a brief snapshot of the events that took place. Most of these photos come from the ELCA’s Facebook page, with some from the Synod’s community Facebook group. The primary focus of today’s message is a recap of my experiences at the churchwide assembly, but first, let’s take a look at today’s readings.
In the new testament reading from 1 Timothy today, we have a quick reminder of who the Gospel, the good news, of Jesus, of God is for - quite simply - everyone, all humankind, all. No exclusions, no exceptions, the good news is for all and to be shared and proclaimed to all. This passage also touches on the subject of church and government, or as we often refer to it as “church and state.” We are often under the impression that these two should be completely separate - the church not controlling the government and the government not controlling the church. There are certainly some aspects of that which we need to respect, so we can have freedom of religion, to worship as we please, but it doesn’t mean that church is completely disconnected from the government. It says in the reading that we should pray for our rulers and leaders, and not just prayers for guidance, but prayers of thanks. Luther has good thoughts on this, and the ELCA is working on a social statement on Government and Civic Engagement.
Moving to today’s Gospel from Luke - and let’s face it - we have another parable from Jesus, and this one is very confusing. In order that I have time to do a recap of churchwide assembly, I won’t be able to get into much detail here about this parable, but we can glean some keep points from it without having to fully understand what Jesus was getting at. And as with most of the parables, there are many ways to read them and to interpret them. And that can be the beauty of them - so much meaning in one simple story, so that it can speak to many different people across generations and provide guidance for life.
The first part focuses a lot on dealings with wealth and most of them appear to be dishonest, but at the end in verse 9, it says, “make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.” To me, this is saying that even if we make friends using dishonest means, we are still making friends, forming connections, and creating community. Community is important, because that will continue on, even when wealth is gone. The last part then talks about being faithful, whether it is with honest or dishonest wealth, since actions and community are what remain when compared to the actual wealth. Our community and actions will lead us to the “true riches”, which are not money or Earthly possessions. True riches are God’s eternal glory and eternal life. This isn’t saying that we earn God’s favor by doing certain things, or acting in certain ways, since the glory of God is gift to us. It is saying, that to fully be aware of this glorious gift of freedom and love, we need to share it with others, form community, and ensure that the poor and needy have what they need.
And this brings us to the Churchwide assembly recap, since we as a church, both locally and nationally, are all about sharing the gospel and doing God’s work for those in need. First, for those who aren’t familiar with the structure of the ELCA or need a reminder, a quick look at how the ELCA is structured. I like to compare it to the Holy Trinity. The ELCA is composed of 3 expressions of the church. While all 3 are separate from each other, all 3 cannot exist without the others and all are the church together. The 3 expressions are the local congregations, like we here at Faith; the synod level, which are mostly geographical regions across the country, our synod is the North/West Lower Michigan Synod, which is most of the lower peninsula, except the counties around the Detroit area; and the 3rd expression is the churchwide body, the ELCA, which works across the country and reaches out to the world. All three have governing constitutions and bylaws, they are all separate legal entities, they all have assemblies of voting members - congregations call this their annual meeting; synods have Synod Assemblies, typically yearly; and the churchwide has the churchwide assembly every 3 years. These assemblies are the highest governing body for each organization, they make the decisions on how these groups are run. Between the assemblies or annual meetings, all three expressions have councils that govern the organizations. Our local church council, a synod council for each synod (I am on the North/West Lower Michigan synod council), and a churchwide church council.
Another important note is that each of the 3 bodies cannot directly control the other. Each has ways to encourage the other bodies to do something, but only their governing bodies can take direct action. The way congregations and synods encourage churchwide to do something is to pass memorials at synod assemblies that get forwarded as messages to the churchwide assembly for action. Many of these memorials want synods and congregations to take action, but churchwide will only recommend or encourage action, they can never require it of synods, congregations, or members.
That being said, the churchwide assembly took actions that encouraged congregations to take certain actions, so as I go through various recaps - look for times when we, as a congregation at Faith, are called to take action. Consider these, are they something you are interested in, is this something you could help lead here at Faith? If so, reach out to me, pastor, the church council, and see how we can get involved and take action.
One of the themes of this assembly was repentance and confession. The ELCA is the whitest denomination in the US, and we often have sinned, knowingly or unknowingly, against many minority groups. The assembly included a special session for an Apology to Iglesia Luterana Santa Maria Peregrina. This is a big issue going on in the Sierra Pacific Synod (in California) that revolves around racism and harm that was done. As we often confess in our service “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins.” This is true not just at an individual level, but at an organization, and systemic level. Many of the worship services also focused on confession, forgiveness, and healing for the sins against many groups including women, Native Americans, BIPOC, Asians, and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
A total of 78 memorials were received by the churchwide assembly from synods. Most of these were dealt with en bloc or all at once without discussion, while others were considered one by one. I cannot cover all of them here, but all are available to read online. Some of the high level topics covered were Diversity; Nuclear Weapons; Salary Equity for women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other minorities; LGBTQIA+ Welcome; Substance Abuse; Roe v. Wade; Parental and Family Medical Leave; Holy Communion Practices; and Child Abuse and Protection.
Now a slightly closer look at a few other memorials, one being on Greenhouse Gas Reduction - this one I bring up because one of several similar memorials on this topic came from our Synod, and not only our synod, but many people here at Faith signed onto the memorial so it could be brought up at our synod assembly. Several of the approved actions are around churchwide working to reduce greenhouse gas usage and to advocate for it, it also calls on congregants, rostered ministers, and bishops to commit themselves to education about the urgency of the climate emergency. I’m proud of our congregation for taking action on this and living into this message, especially shown by our recent approval for our solar project.
The next memorial is called “Landback” which deals with recognizing that we all live on land that was originally Native American and was taken from them. This memorial had many actions that I feel our congregation could look into and take action on. With the rich Native American history in Okemos, I think it would be great if we could connect with that history, possibly working through the Nokomis Learning Center. Some of the actions that congregations are encouraged to take, are: to include land acknowledgements which center Native voices as part of their public gatherings; become educated about the Indigenous peoples who thrived, prior to European contact, on the land they currently inhabit; and support creative programs of restorative justice in partnership with Indigenous people, which includes returning land, when no longer in use, to the native people, or if direct return of the the land isn’t feasible or wanted, to return proceeds to Indigenous led ministries or organizations.
Another major memorial was about the Restructure of the Governance of the ELCA. The ELCA was created 35 years ago, with the constituting convention held in the room where we held worship at this churchwide assembly. 35 years ago the ELCA was a lot larger and had plans for growth. This has not happened, we have shrunk in size. One thing that has remained the same is that we are still very white. We have tried changing our governing documents here and there, we have made commitment after commitment to change and become more diverse, and yet it hasn’t happened. While people at the churchwide assembly and beyond may disagree about the exact reasons we need to look at the structure of the ELCA (you know, the “Holy Trinity” of 3 expressions that I talked about) to determine if this is the best structure for the church we have today, the vast majority of voting members agreed it needs to be done. A Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church will be formed to look at our structure over the next 3 years to bring recommendations to the next churchwide assembly as to the best structure for the church, so we can be sure the Gospel, the Good News, the work of God is best accomplished.
The last memorial talked about revising the social statement, passed in 2009 - the center of the “2009 decision”, called Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust. This is the social statement that allowed LGBTQIA+ individuals to be ordained, married, and welcomed in the ELCA and congregations. This memorial focused on revising some outdated language and to update parts of it to reflect that same sex marriage is now legal across the states (at least for now, and hopefully continuing). However, during a pre-assembly hearing on memorials, and what I read into this memorial and others; there are people, including myself, that want to see the “4 bound conscience” positions revisited and revised as well.
Since this memorial wasn’t “written correctly,” this memorial couldn’t be used for that, but a resolution was submitted to talk about revising this social statement to look at the 4 bound conscience positions.
Time for a quick lesson for those not familiar with the ELCA’s social statement on Human Sexuality. This was approved in 2009 by the churchwide assembly in response to how would our church handle LGBTQIA+ people and same sex relationships and marriage. In short, we couldn’t agree, so we agreed to disagree. One of the big issues some more progressive and inclusive people have with this document are what we call the 4 bound conscience positions. For those not familiar with them, here they are, this is what the ELCA officially states as to what we as a church believe. As a trigger warning for people, some language here is quite harsh to members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Taken in reverse order of how they are included in the social statement, here is a summary of the 4 positions that are all “On the basis of conscience-bound belief”
Over the years, this has led to people, individually and through systemic and organizational ways, being allowed to discriminate against LGBTQIA+ people and allow harm to be done. During discussion on the resolution, the Bishop of the Southeastern synod, who is gay, shared that sometimes when he shares communion and says “The body of Christ broken for you,” the response he gets is “not from you Bishop”. I spoke in favor of this resolution as this has become a passion of mine to guide our church as a whole to be more inclusive, since not all parts of the ELCA are like our congregation, and it means people like me have to be careful where we go to church, since just because it is an ELCA congregation, doesn't mean I’ll be fully welcomed there as I am. This resolution passed by a large majority and will be looked at, following the revision process for social statements, over the next 3 years. During this process, there will be time for study, reflection, and input from individuals, so that is something our congregation should follow and look toward leading studies and conversations on.
This is the same for the Government and Civic Engagement social statement that is being prepared. For more information about the social teachings and documents of the ELCA, please talk to me for more details, otherwise we’ll be here all day if I get into it now.
Other items that passed were budgets and income projections for the next 3 years, constitution and bylaws changes, and various other resolutions thanking people for their service in the ELCA. The changes to the constitution and bylaws include changes to the models for congregations, so once the updated models are released, we will work here at Faith to ensure our constitution and bylaws are up to date with the needed changes.
In addition to electing people to the churchwide church council and various other committees, we elected a new Vice President of the ELCA. The Vice President is the highest lay leader of the ELCA. They are elected every 6 years by an eccliastical ballot, a process that allows room for discernment and the Holy Spirit to guide us. After 5 ballots, Imran Siddiqui was elected as the new Vice President. Just as “last words” are often important, I think first words are important too, so thus I share with you the first words of Imran Siddiqui after he was elected as the next Vice President of the ELCA - and I quote; “Holy Crap, Ya’ll”.
Throughout the assembly we also had various reports from different parts of the ELCA and their ministries, various guests, including various interreligious guests from various faith backgrounds.
Several fun items from the assembly include having someone with a melodica playing random church songs while we waited in line for the elevator at our hotel; me learning what “Um, Ya, Ya” is all about (if you want to know - ask Deb); and having the last day of assembly coincide with Matsuricon, an Anime and Video Gaming Convention, where we had a nice wide diverse group of people all walking and mingling together.
One thing I noticed at this chruchwide assembly, compared to what I remember at past ones, is that more younger people are getting involved and speaking out, there is passion there to ensure the church continues, in whatever form. I’m not sure if more young people are getting involved, or I’m just getting older and I consider a wider range of people “young”, but it was good. While at other assemblies we’ve talked about the change we need to make to solve the issues of racism, our severe lack of diversity, etc., this time I left with a better feeling of “we are actually going to do it this time” which I certainly hope is true. However, if we are truly going to do it, minorities need their allies to speak up and help lead the change. So often when we were talking about issues impacting women, it was primarily women who spoke up; when it came to racial minorities, it was typically BIPOC people who spoke up; for the LGBQTIA+ issues, it was members of that community. We need the allies to speak up for us as well and work to take the action, don’t leave it to the minorities to do all the work to reform the church.
One other thing that I noted, is that while we did a lot of confessing and working toward greater diversity, we still excluded talking about people with disabilities and ensuring activities, including the churchwide assembly, were accessible for them. We need to do better. This is a good time to remind you about our Synod’s Disability Learning Day on October 22. Information about this learning day is available on a table in the narthex after the service, where I’ll be as well with other materials from assembly, including a copy of All Creation Sings, the newest hymnal supplement, which we’ve been using songs from here at Faith. Some of these items are for you to review, others are available for you to take as we had extras. I invite you to stop by after the service to pick up some items or ask questions for more details or to be directed where you can get more info.
All this work we do in the name of Jesus, our guide as to how to live life and to share the good news of God’s love for all God’s creation. Amen.
This is a special musical presentation of Jubilation by the Faith Bells at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
This is a special musical presentation of Come Taste the Goodness of the Lord by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan
This is a special musical presentation of Holy Manna by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
This is a special musical presentation of Character Pieces for Clarinet No.2 played by Michael Fox at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
I don’t know about you, but I am increasingly appalled by some of the public rhetoric we hear these days. I find it disconcerting the way name calling and verbal attacks on others have become a mainstream component of public discourse. In fact, every day brings a new barrage of verbal bullets that dominate the headlines and take this vocal warfare to a new, unprecedented level. And, quite frankly, I don’t see it getting better over the next couple of years. This war of words does nothing but categorize and diminish others, and at the same time create increased brokenness in our culture and society. And the brokenness spreads like a virulent virus into other facets of life, into our communities, organizations, our schools, our local governments and even our families. All the name calling, the vicious verbal attacks, and the spoken forms of assault only breed violence, hatred, fear, and contempt.
In the depth of this present cultural context, one name calling word used all too frequently is the word “loser.” And in a culture which places high value on winning and succeeding, a culture in which being on top and gaining first place are what we teach our children to strive for, the concepts of losing and lostness are not only looked down upon, but they are also truly despised.
Well, today, Jesus has something to tell us about losing and being lost. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and he has been teaching about discipleship. He has much to say about the way we treat the least of those among us and, in that context, he has a great deal to say about what it means to be a disciple. All along the way he has been saying things like, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” Or, “He who is the least among you is the one who is great.” And, just last week we shockingly heard him say, “Anyone who does not carry his cross like a common criminal and follow me cannot be my disciple.” None of these words describe winning as perceived within our current cultural context.
Today, we find Jesus associating with those who were considered losers. The despised tax collectors and sinners were coming near to him, gathering around him and listening to him. And, the Scribes and Pharisees, the most religious of people, did not take kindly to this. After all, the Scribes and Pharisees would never do something as questionable as hang out with losers. No. They attended church every Friday night, or at the very least once a month. They tithed and were big supporters of the synagogue. They did not use four letter words, they didn’t eat pork, and they were always there for Rally Sunday and other important events. They were a very committed bunch of so called “good” people. They considered themselves winners. And here Jesus was, attracted to the so-called outsiders, the losers, the sinners. Furthermore, he seemed to be enjoying the company of the tax collectors, the camel and donkey drivers, the tanners, the prostitutes, and all those that elite society labeled as losers. What’s more – he not only welcomed them, he seemed to value them. Well, the Scribes and Pharisees began to grumble extensively about Jesus consorting with such losers saying, “This guy welcomes outcasts and even eats with them.”
So, Jesus, knowing their attitude toward the outsiders and toward those considered losers, told them this story: There once was a shepherd who had one hundred sheep, but one got lost, and so the shepherd left the 99 to find the one. The Pharisees smiled pleasantly to themselves because they agreed with the story; God always goes out to find the lost; that is, those people outside their church. Jesus continued; the shepherd found the lost sheep and returned, carried it home on his shoulders and was so full of joy he called for celebration. Jesus said there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who truly repents than over 99 good people, who don’t think they are lost, who don’t think that they have any need of repentance. Hmmmm. The Pharisees sensed that this parable was directed at them; but they weren’t sure. So, Jesus told them a second parable. There was an old woman who lost a precious coin, not just any coin, but the most precious coin that she had. She quickly and carefully swept her house, looking for that lost precious coin. She finally found the coin and was so happy that she called all her friends and threw a big party. Jesus continued by saying, “And so it is with God. There is great joy in heaven over one sinner who truly repents.”
Well, the turn of the phrase at the end of these stories with words about repentance were challenging. The Pharisees sensed that Jesus was somehow talking about them and they didn’t like what he was implying because it was so clear to the Pharisees that they were part of the found. They were the insiders and the “good” religious folk.
We live in a world in which we, like the Pharisees, too often use our differences as a means of delineating ourselves from others, and as a means of underlining our supposed superiority. We are blind to the fact that we are incomplete without the very people of whom we disapprove. We are only 99. The truth is, we are incomplete without the lost. And, true repentance happens when our minds are changed to such a degree that we cannot see a community as whole until all are included, and none are “lost.”
Like the Scribes and Pharisees, we say God is a God of love, but we tend to make that love so conditional. We tend to make it conditional on our keeping the rules, rules which are too often somewhat arbitrary habits that support our local prejudices and personal perspectives. We use these rules to bolster our own status and position. This sense of conditional love leads us toward, or allows us to live in, a mindset of disapproval. For some reason, fundamentally at our core we seem to think that God disapproves of us and loves us only when we fit in with what we imagine to be God’s expectations; expectations that have an alarming correlation with our own social expectations of what is acceptable. Consequently, our imaging of God determines the way we treat others. And, far too often, our image of God shows that we have created God in our own self-image.
But, today, all our readings tell of a God who loves unconditionally, a God who has a heart for losers, a heart for all who are lost. In our reading from Exodus, God reconciles with the idol-worshiping people of Israel. In our reading from 1 Timothy, Paul bears witness to the risen Lord who calls even the violent, blasphemous persecutor that Paul once was to become a disciple and spread the good news of God’s unconditional love. And, in our gospel reading, we discover a God who will never ever abandon the lost. In fact, in the stories Jesus shares, the entire cause of the rescue and recovery operation is the shepherd’s and the woman’s determination to find the lost. They tell of a God who is determined to find the lost. The reality is neither the lost sheep nor the lost coin does a blessed thing except hang around in its lostness. And we learn from these stories the startling reality that it is precisely our sin, our lostness, and not our goodness, that most commend us to the grace of God.
Wow! The fact of the matter is we are all losers! We are all lost and all broken. But God’s heart is so full of love for all that God sent us Jesus. And, in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we see the overwhelming, unconditional love and overflowing grace of God written large for the world to see. The cross and resurrection testify to God’s faithfulness in loving and rescuing all that are lost. In the person of Jesus, we meet a God of abundant grace. And, words like “losers” are gone because all are welcomed at the party God is throwing – the party Jesus hosts where he welcomes sinners and eats with them. This is the party where we all are called “guest,” “graced,” “gifted,” “loved,” “cherished,” and “empowered.” Come to the party, celebrate and join the feast.
This is a special musical presentation of He Knows My Name by Tammy Heilman at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
The Cost of Discipleship is the title of a book by German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In it, Bonhoeffer spells out what he believes it means to follow Christ, what discipleship really is all about. Bonhoeffer understood that following Jesus is not always easy. He wanted to honestly communicate the message that, if you live into a life of discipleship, there will be costs to living such a life. And, ultimately, toward the end of World War II, Bonhoeffer was killed because of the choices he made and his commitment to faithfully follow Jesus.
In our gospel reading for today, we find Jesus bluntly teaching about discipleship and what it means to follow him. And, I have to say, his words regarding discipleship are daunting and uncomfortable to hear. Today, we find Jesus speaking to a large crowd of people. Among the throng, there were some who were contemplating the possibility of becoming disciples. Jesus’ response to them communicates the seriousness of discipleship and his words make it clear that faithful discipleship is not for the faint of heart.
The stakes have been rising throughout this chapter in Luke, and it is becoming ever more clear just what lies ahead as Jesus faces the future. So, Jesus spells out the high cost of discipleship. To better understand the blunt nature of what he is saying, think about this. Just imagine inviting someone to come and be part of our community of faith and saying to them, “Come and check us out this Sunday and we’ll tell you how hard it is to join our church. First, you’ve got to hate your family. Then, you must carry a cross like a condemned criminal. Along with that, we expect you to give up everything you have worked so hard to possess. Do these things and you can call yourself a member of our community of Faith.” Now, that sounds like a sure and certain way to grow a church! Right?
Well, I think we need to unpack what Jesus is saying and take a deep dive into exploring the meaning of this passage. First, Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple.” Now, most of us, when we think of Jesus, usually connect his message to themes of love and not hate. “Hate” is such a strong word and it seems contradictory to our understanding of the Christian life. And, in our nation, a culture that often elevates “family values” by placing them higher than almost anything else, the idea of hating family is offensive.
When unpacking this word, pastor and theologian, John Petty, writes:
The word "hate" is laden with emotion in our cultural context. It suggests repulsion at a visceral level. In this case, in the context of first century middle eastern culture, to "hate" [one's family or] one’s own self means that the person disconnects from everything that has heretofore defined that person. To put it another way, one's past no longer defines who they are. One's identity is no longer formed by one's former allegiances, nor one's experiences in life, nor even one's genetics. These are part of the old world which is giving way to the new world of God. Followers of Jesus are not defined by the past, but by their work in the present and their future hope.
Jesus uses hyperbole to get across the seriousness of what it means to follow him. Jesus understands the transformation that takes place in the life of a disciple. Once a person decides to follow Jesus, then life, relationships, time, and possessions are all viewed through the lens of Jesus. Even family relationships pale in comparison to our relationship with God. Our relationship to God is our first priority and our ultimate concern.
Yes, Jesus’ words are surprising and daunting. But he is not yet finished. He continues saying, “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Well, this demand had to hit some of the people like a ton of bricks and take their breath away. It is likely some of them had witnessed the public shame and humiliation of a condemned criminal carrying his cross through the city streets to the place of execution, just as Jesus himself would eventually do.
Quite honestly, we hear so much about the cross and cross bearing that I don’t think we are able to always grasp what Jesus is saying. In fact, the language of cross bearing has been corrupted by overuse. Bearing a cross has nothing to do with things we often reference like living with chronic illness, painful physical conditions, or trying family relationships. It is instead what we do voluntarily, because of our commitment to Jesus Christ. Cross bearing requires deliberate sacrifice and exposure to risk and ridicule in order to follow Jesus. And, this commitment is not just a way of life, it is a commitment to a person. A disciple follows another person and learns a new way of life. [Luke, New Interpreter’s Bible, p. 293]
It is interesting to note that the term for “cost” appears only once in the New Testament, and it is in this passage. When Jesus talks about the cross and the cost of discipleship, he gets down to the meat and potatoes of what following him really is about. The cost inevitably has to do with what you give up, what you sacrifice, what you deny, and the choices you make.
Life is always full of choices. Life is about counting and weighing the cost of the many things, events and opportunities that vie for our attention. Sporting events, family events, work events, the list is endless. But, to carry your cross is to carry the choices and burdens and realities of a life that has made a certain commitment to living into and bringing forth the Kingdom of God right here and right now. That’s certainly what it meant for Jesus. When commenting on this, theologian, David Lose, writes:
Jesus isn’t inviting meaningless sacrifice. He isn’t inviting door-mat discipleship or a whiney Christianity (“that’s just my cross to bear”). Rather, he’s inviting us to a full-bodied Christian faith that stands over and against all those things that are often presented to us as life by the culture. Jesus invites us, that is, to the kind of abundant life that is discovered only as you give yourself away. The kingdom of God Jesus proclaims is about life and love. And just as love is one thing that only grows when it’s given away, so also is genuine and abundant life…. The choices we make, the relationships we decide to pursue, the way we spend this life we’ve been given, may cause not just puzzlement but dissatisfaction, even upset, among those we care about. But the question before us, as put so fiercely by Moses in the first reading, is whether we will choose life or death.
Well, after Jesus says these things, and being the consummate teacher that he is, he then uses two parables to emphasize his point. First, he describes building a tower and the process used to build it. Using a form of cost-benefit analysis, he says, “A wise person estimates the cost. Is it worth it? Can I complete it? In the same manner, a wise ruler calculates the cost of the war before going into battle. Is it worth it? Can I complete the war?”
Our vocation and call as disciples is always played out in our daily lives by the choices we make. The decision-making process often requires an aspect of cost-benefit analysis, and sometimes choosing life – life that truly matters – is very costly. As my dear friend Bill Uetricht says, “To follow Jesus, you have to count the cost. It isn’t going to be easy. It’s going to take you to some uncomfortable places. It is going to challenge some basic assumptions you have about life. It is going to unsettle all your little pet projects.” Yes, it will unsettle you and unsettle all your pet projects! However, we weigh our choices in light of the gift of love and grace God has given us. And, for those who hear a call to discipleship, Jesus himself becomes the sorting principle – Jesus, the embodiment of self-giving love, of mercy and compassion, the one who is our “true north.”
We follow the one who loved this world so much he went to the cross. Following Jesus is not easy, but His word is still the best news this world has ever heard for bad times or good, and that is what you and I are called to remember together. Discipleship is demanding. Discipleship is very rewarding, and it is a joy-filled experience. Discipleship is also an intentional, determined thing – an intentional choice. If you would follow Jesus, come with all that you are and with all you have. The promise of life, abundant life, life that truly matters, is always in front of us. And, the promise of God’s unconditional love, forgiveness, and grace far outweigh whatever the cost discipleship might bring. May God’s love free us to choose life and daily center our lives in Christ, beginning right here and right now.
This is a special musical presentation of Zion's Walls sun by John Graham at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
Once Covid hit us in 2019, many things changed in our lives. One of the things that changed for us is having dinner parties. I love to have people over for dinner, and I really have missed this experience. I love to set the table with my good dishes and have it look beautiful and inviting when people gather to eat. I especially love it when everyone sits down at the table to simply enjoy the food, the conversation, and the entire experience of table fellowship. I really believe that extending hospitality to others by eating together is a vital, deeply meaningful aspect of what it means to be human.
The writer of Luke’s gospel understood meal-time hospitality and table fellowship. Luke’s gospel contains more meal-time scenes than any of the other gospels. In fact, meal-time experiences and dinner party gatherings were one way in which the writer of Luke described and portrayed a vision of the Christian life. In Luke, Jesus is frequently eating, drinking, partying, and participating in table fellowship with all kinds of people. Eating with people from various backgrounds and walks of life was a frequent occurrence for Jesus whether it was in Emmaus, in an upper room, in the fields along the road as his disciples plucked heads of grain, in the home of a despised tax collector, in the homes of respected religious leaders, or as we see today, in the home of an unnamed Pharisee who offers Jesus hospitality for a Sabbath dinner.
The highly respected, social climbing, religious Pharisees are watching Jesus very closely, watching his every move. And Jesus has been watching their behavior. Having observed how they chose banquet seats and noting how they elbowed themselves into the place of honor, Jesus begins to give advice on table fellowship and hospitality, Jesus’ style. He says, “When someone invites you to dinner, don’t take the place of honor. Somebody more important than you might have been invited by the host. Then he’ll come and call out in front of everybody, ‘You’re in the wrong place. The place of honor belongs to this man.’ Red-faced, you’ll have to make your way to the very last table, the only place left. When you’re invited to dinner, go and sit at the last place. Then when the host comes, he may very well say, ‘Friend, come up to the front.’ That will give the dinner guests something to talk about! What I’m saying is, if you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face. But if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”
Referencing verses in the book of Proverbs, the same verses which were our first reading this morning, Jesus advises the hustling guests to not rush to the head of the dining room but sit in a humbler location on the happy chance they should be invited closer to the attractive host. Well, Jesus’ words would have been very disconcerting and offensive to these guests. They lived in and were the embodiment of an honor-shame culture in which issues of status, recognition, and score keeping were of utmost importance. Jesus’ words would have been humiliating because moving to a lower position would mean a drop in prestige and a loss of social capital.
But this was not all Jesus had to say. There is more to come because Jesus is not done with his critique. After criticizing the group regarding guest etiquette, he daringly turns to the host and gives a lesson in hospitality. Jesus says, “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be to others a blessing. And you will also experience a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned – oh, how it will be returned! – at the resurrection of God’s people.”
In this scene, the writer of Luke’s gospel inverts traditional, cultural banquet etiquette and table fellowship. First, he criticizes the behavior of the prestige seeking guests, then he lectures the host about how he should have invited all those they considered losers in the community. I have to say Jesus’ words and methods were not going to win friends and influence people. But Jesus was never a candidate for the congeniality award. Theologian, Robert Capon, writes this about Jesus’ response:
Jesus is at pains, as [at this point in Luke’s gospel] he has been all through his final journey to Jerusalem, to set forth death and lostness, not life and success, as the means of salvation. And at this dinner party he has found himself in the presence of a bunch of certified, solid-brass winners: establishment types who are positive they’ve got all the right tickets, religious and otherwise, and who think a fun evening consists of clawing your way to the top of the social heap. Therefore, when he addresses them, he is principally concerned to redress the imbalance he feels all around him, to assert once again his conviction that a life lived by winning is a losing proposition. (The Parables of Grace, p.125.)
We are a people who specialize in winning, score keeping, and bookkeeping. We like to strive to be first, to be important and be winners. And we do this by keeping records and keeping score, by focusing on being on top and being front-runners, by constantly juggling accounts in our heads. We are enslaved to our bookkeeping, our ladder climbing and our scorekeeping. And, in the person of Jesus, God has announced that God has once and for all, forever, pensioned off the bookkeeping department! God has in fact rejected our bookkeeping. Jesus warns the host and each one of us to not consult the records we keep on people: not the Friend/Foe ledger, not the Rich/Poor volume, not any of the Nice/Nasty, Winners/Losers, or Good/Bad journals and books we keep on people. I have to say, letting go of that is hard, very hard. But, as far as God is concerned, that way of doing business is over and done with. As Robert Capon says, “It may be our sacred conviction that the only way to keep God happy, the stars in their courses, our children safe, our psyches adjusted, and our neighbors reasonable is to be ready, at every moment, to have the books we have kept on ourselves and others audited. But that is not God’s conviction because God has taken away the handwriting that was against us. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, God has declared that God isn’t the least interested in examining anybody’s books ever again, not even God’s own: he’s nailed them all to the cross.”
Jesus is saying to each one of us, “Listen, you are mired in your scorekeeping lives. You are so busy trying to hold the world together by getting your accounts straight that you hardly have time to notice that it’s falling apart faster than ever. Why don’t you just let go? Why don’t you just let that die? Thumb your nose at the ledger! Drop dead to the accounting! Because it’s not just one more thing that can’t save you; it’s the flypaper that catches everything else that can’t save you and leaves you stuck with it forever. Look, I’m on my way to Jerusalem to die so you can be saved, free for nothing. I’m going up there to give you a dramatic demonstration of shutting up once and for all the subject of divine bookkeeping. What’s the point, then, of your keeping records when I’m not?” (Robert Capon)
Yes, meal-time experiences and parties were one way in which the writer of Luke described and portrayed a vision of the Christian life. And the banquet is a symbol of the reign of God. Table fellowship becomes a metaphor for the kingdom of God, where social boundaries and unjust divisions in human community no longer exist. Jesus embodies radical hospitality. Jesus invites us to stop the bookkeeping and let go of all imposed boundaries and distinctions we try to create. Jesus invites us to be the hospitable, welcoming community of God’s people we are called to be. Jesus’ words reach across boundaries of place and time and call us to bear witness to the fellowship that truly exists between God and humanity. Jesus’ words call us to let go of our score keeping and live into the joy and freedom of fellowship with God and all others. Such fellowship is all about grace, the grace and love in which God holds not only us, but the entire cosmos. That is table fellowship Jesus’ style!
This morning I share with you the story of a woman who had a life-changing, transformational experience. One morning, this woman decided she would attempt to get up, get ready, and go to morning worship. As she did this, she was again reminded of how twisted and broken her body had become. The pain in her back was at times excruciating and, when she moved to get ready, she knew the pain she was feeling meant she would be moving quite slowly. Her back always seemed to hurt, and she was so bent over that when she looked at other people she had to look out of the corner of her eye. She could only see others by looking sideways because she could not lift her head to look up. The truth of the matter was that she spent most of her time looking at the ground. And, if she was finally able to actually see someone face to face, other people’s eyes quickly turned away as though they did not want to acknowledge the fact that they had been watching her.
She had lived like this for eighteen long years, and after all this time, she could hardly remember any other way of seeing the world. Her body was so stooped and twisted she often felt ashamed of the way she looked and frequently she just did not want to go out in public. Truth be told, sometimes she just wanted to disappear. She felt nameless, a person living lost amidst the crowd.
However, on this particular Sabbath, there was a special excitement at the synagogue, so she decided she would attempt to go to worship. On this particular day, a preacher from Galilee, a prophet called Jesus of Nazareth, had arrived in town and he would be doing the teaching. She, along with many others, had heard reports about this man called Jesus – how he talked about God's reign arriving soon and how he healed sick people. Truthfully, she was rather skeptical and not sure how many of the rumors could be believed. However, she decided to go and was trying not to get her hopes up. Her life already had too many disappointments to count.
When she entered the synagogue, the place was abuzz. She stood in the back of the room. She really did not want to be noticed. As Jesus began to teach, however, the room was hushed. After a few moments, his words turned from teaching to invitation. He had somehow caught her eye, and this was no mean feat, given that he had to lean over and incline his head to do so. Jesus saw her! And, he did not look away, he stayed looking into her eyes. He seemed to be looking deep into her being with such compassion. In fact, he had stopped teaching and he was talking to her! "Come here," he said to her. He really wanted her to come over to where he was in front of all the people. She could not believe what she was hearing – he wanted her to come forward. She slowly made her way to the front of the assembly, wondering what he was going to say.
What happened next amazed the whole congregation. "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." When this man, Jesus, spoke those words with such compassion and put his hands on her broken, bent body, she felt power surge through her. It was a power that seemed to bathe her inside and out, a power that embraced her, engulfed her in a healing balm. And then the most amazing thing happened, that power transformed her entire body, and the pain was washed away, it just disappeared. Without hesitation, she straightened her once crooked back. She stood tall and praised her God . . . She had not asked for healing; she really could not even have dreamed this would happen to her. She had lived in bondage to a broken body for so many years, and this prophet, this Jesus, called her forth, and set her free.
Well, the leader in the synagogue was not impressed with Jesus’ actions. He reprimanded Jesus for doing such healing work on the Sabbath. But Jesus responded saying, “You show compassion to your bound and tethered animals on the Sabbath by untying them and leading them to water and you think nothing of it. So why is it not all right for me to untie this daughter of Abraham, a person and not an animal, and set her free from the stall where Satan has had her tied for these eighteen years?”
Wow! Jesus not only had set her free, but he also gave her a name and status, calling her a daughter of Abraham, making her truly feel like a member of the community. Well, after Jesus said these things, his critics were left looking quite silly. But the congregation was delighted, and the people rejoiced.
People, this story is not just another story about a woman in the Bible being healed and transformed. This story is our story. This is the story of you, and the story of me. Jesus looked at this woman in such a way as to embrace her whole life and being. He looked at her, put his hand on her and communicated the message of his entire ministry – the message that the reign of God is at hand, and He is the one who is ushering in the reign of God in healing power to those who need it most. He communicated the message that God loves us and names us as God’s own. He communicated the message that we have value and infinite worth, and in Christ, God sets us free, free to be who we are called to be.
Most of us, if not all of us, have heard messages about ourselves. We have endured actions and attitudes toward ourselves that hurt us badly. And some of these messages and attitudes have often caused us physically and mentally to stoop our shoulders, to be bent over, and to be held in bondage. Some of these messages and attitudes prevent us from living fully into relationship – relationship with God, with others around us and with our very selves. Some of these messages have at times caused us to be disappointed in ourselves, perhaps even lose hope in our possibilities and hope for the future. We are the ones who are in need of that same healing power, and it is as available to us as it was to her.
I stand here and bear witness on this very morning as I tell you these words: it is because of Jesus that I know God to be a God who not only loves me beyond measure, but loves me enough to grasp me, to hold me and not let me go, to heal me, and to change me into the person God created me to be. And that is true of you as well. Opening ourselves to the loving gaze and healing touch of Jesus changes us and transforms us. No matter who we are or where we are in our lives, we need not just some changes – we need transformation, and we need to be made new.
And so, I ask you, what has you bound or keeps your life in bondage? What keeps you from fully living into eternal life – life that truly matters – in this present moment, in this present time? Is it mistakes of the past? Is it anger or hatred? Is it fear? Is it anxiety? Is it an ideology? Is it cultic ideology that has a grip on you? Is it conspiracy theories? Is it a failed relationship? Is it memories – do you live in your world of memories and a past that no longer exists? Is it an addiction? Or is it grief and suppressed anger that keeps you living in the tombs of loved ones who are no longer alive? What is it that is keeping you from fully living into relationship with God, with others, and with your very self?
Jesus is always calling and inviting each one of us saying, “Come forth, come and enter into life in all its fullness.” Jesus is calling each one of us to a new vision of the way things ought to be with ourselves and with the world. Jesus wants to set you free! In the person of Jesus, God says to you, to me, to each one of us, “The Kingdom of God is at hand, it is within you, it is in your midst.”
Jesus came preaching the kingdom and announcing the good news that grace, mercy and love constitute the abundant life he proclaims. And it is only the self-giving love of God that changes us from the inside out. It is only the self-giving love of God that sets us free from the many forms of bondage that hold us and imprison us. It is only the love of God that can enable us to live into wholeness and new life.
Live into that love!!
Tonight at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan, the Chancel Choir shared special music with special soloists as the church worked to raise over $35,000 for a new roof on the church. Watch to experience and appreciate all of the music and cheer on the church as they work on raising the needed money for the project!
This is a special musical presentation of Shall We Gather At The River by members of the Faith Bells, Deb Borton-McDonough, Elaine Harrison, Annie Mayer and Addie Thompson at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.
I must be honest with you this morning. There are days when our scripture readings present us with words that cause clergy to cringe when, after reading, they have to say, “The gospel good news of our Lord.” Today is one of those days. Today, I truthfully say to you that I am finding the gospel of Jesus Christ increasingly countercultural in our present context. Following Jesus takes courage. Jesus addresses this in our gospel reading today as he talks about discipleship. It would be so easy to gloss over this reading and say Jesus really did not mean what he is saying here. It would be so easy to simply water down his words and sugar coat them. It would be so easy to use another reading, one that provides us with a sugar-coated Christianity; but that would also leave us with a sugar-coated cross. Quite frankly, eliminating what this passage is all about would mean eliminating an honest, lay it on the line call to discipleship. So, today we are going to wrestle with this gospel reading and tackle this call to discipleship, Jesus’ call for us to follow him.
Listen again to what Jesus is saying:
“I’ve come to start a fire on this earth – how I wish it were blazing
right now! I’ve come to change everything, turn everything right side up – how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I’ve come to disrupt and confront! From now on, when you find five in a house, it will be –
Three against two, and two against three;
Father against son, and son against father;
Mother against daughter, and daughter against mother;
Mother-in-law against bride, and bride against mother-in-law.”
These words are challenging but, Jesus never shies away from challenge. Jesus’ words are strong, urgent words that name what is going on. He lays it on the line and his words are an honest call to live a life of discipleship.
The late Rev. Harry Emerson Fosdick once said, “The world has two ways of getting rid of Jesus. The first is by crucifying him; the second is by worshiping him without following him.” Discipleship means worshiping AND following. It means living a life that is complicated because it is totally countercultural, increasingly unpopular, and sometimes even divisive. You see, it is quite easy to worship Jesus on Sunday, but it is all together something else to follow Jesus out there in that world on Monday. Quite frankly, it is very easy to say you are a follower of Jesus and attend worship only occasionally. However, discipleship in community is a much more difficult and demanding proposition. Discipleship is about following Jesus, living by his teachings, working together in community, and living in the Spirit of Jesus’ very life. Discipleship is a summons to faith and a call to daily live that faith, whatever the context. This is not easy!
Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, puts it
this way. He writes:
Yes, membership in the church is easy, but discipleship in community and actually living a life of faith is another matter. Why? Because, what the world looks down on and considers wretched, Jesus calls blessed. Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the meek and humble. Blessed are the merciful and the compassionate. Blessed are those who work, speak out and make for peace in this world. Blessed are you when you are persecuted just because you stood for love, just because you showed compassion, just because you speak out for justice, just because you live a life that strives for justice, just because you live a different way, just because you live a life that is counter to all that culture tries to sell you. Blessed are you.
Yes, membership in a church is easy but living a life of discipleship is hard, tough stuff. Yet, it is the way of working for justice, even when justice seems impossible. It is the way of love, even when we work to love those who are so difficult to love, even as we love our enemies and all those who are considered “other.” It is the way of forgiving, even when forgiveness seems unwarranted, or circumstances are harsh and cruel. It is the way of compassion and welcome for the least of those among us, for the widow, the orphan, the resident alien, the immigrants and refugees, and all who are in need. It is the way of real, meaningful life, life that truly matters. And, such a way of life requires faith, active, living faith, the kind of faith that perseveres even in and through struggle. This is the kind of faith described in our reading from Hebrews today, the kind of faith lived by Rahab, Gideon, David and Samuel.
There is a story about English politician and philanthropist, William Wilberforce, who worked tirelessly to abolish slavery. It was Wilberforce who introduced legislation in the British Parliament to end the slave trade. In 1779 when he first introduced the bill, he was shouted down and laughed at. He was ridiculed and ostracized from polite society. But he continued. He continued year after year from 1779 until 1807 when the tide of public opinion had in fact changed. And he continued after that to argue and fight for an end to slavery itself – not just the slave trade, but the end of all slavery, something that finally happened in the British Empire in 1833, just a few days before Wilberforce died. At one point, in the depth of his struggle, things seemed hopeless. Then, Anglican priest, John Wesley, sent a letter to Wilberforce saying, “Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them stronger than God? Be not weary in well doing! Go on, go on in the name of God and in the power of his might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish before it.” Wesley’s words were encouraging and a summons to faith for Wilberforce, a summons to live a faith that perseveres because faith and discipleship are never easy.
The great temptation of Christianity is always to have a sugar-coated Christianity with a sugar-coated cross and eliminate the great call to discipleship in this world. Our greatest temptation is that the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life become more important than the call of Jesus Christ. And so, worship of family, our jobs, sporting events, our homes, our vacations, all become more important to us than Christ and God’s mission in this world. The result is faith that is like a watered-down wine; it is middle class Christianity; it is complacent Christianity; it is comfortable Christianity; it is what so much of American Christianity has become.
Yet, a life of faith and discipleship is a very real daring act of courage. In fact, one of my favorite theologians, Paul Tillich, in his book The Courage to Be, teaches just that – faith is a daring act of courage. And, I would add that in many ways faith is a verb, faith brings forth action. You see, faith is the courage to affirm being in spite of the threat of non-being, the courage to affirm life in spite of death, the courage to affirm hope in spite of despair, the courage to stand up and speak up when everyone else just shuts up. Faith is not proof. Faith is not certainty. And, faith is not an insurance policy, especially a fire insurance policy for the next life. Faith is about boldly entering the struggles of life and that kind of faith and discipleship are risky. That kind of faith and discipleship cannot be detached from our everyday experience and our daily pattern of living. And, yes, it can mean struggle and making hard choices.
Jesus was no stranger to struggle and making hard choices. He entered the struggle. Faith and discipleship mean participating in Jesus’ mission and following the way of the cross which takes us into a reordering of our very lives. The cross is the sign of growth through struggle, and it is our willingness to enter the struggle that determines the pattern of our faithfulness as disciples. Discipleship happens when the cross is woven into the very fabric of our lives. When that occurs, our faith is defined by our response to the very demands and choices that are pressed upon us. This is the way in which God calls and invites us into God’s mission of love, forgiveness, compassion, justice, and grace for the life of this world.
We are not called to live a sugar coated life of faith. We are called to participate in Christ’s mission. And, as God works through us, Christ restructures us; Christ breaks down walls of division; Christ repairs us in order that we might become repairers of a broken world. God takes us into God’s ongoing work of reconciling, binding up, and making whole. And, yes, it is demanding, and it can be costly and risky. However, we do not do this alone because it is Christ who is with us, Christ who is our peace as we continue to run with perseverance the race that is set before us.
This last week during Bible School, we learned about the story of the Good Samaritan, what it means to be a good neighbor, and how we are to love others even if they are very different from us. And on Wednesday, we focused on perfect love that casts out fear, the perfect love of God, that enables us to look at people who are different from us and not fear them.
Yes, do not fear! We need to hear this message which is also found in our gospel reading for today because one of the realities of present day twenty-first century life is that fear and anxiety seem to increasingly shape our lives. All we need do is look at the mass shootings that happen on a weekly basis or think about the past 2 ½ years of COVID and the anxiety that has grown in people’s lives due to isolation and fear of this virus. And think about climate change. If we take an honest look at the facts, the science and the statistics, while thinking about the growing threat of a changing climate, it is daunting, and we cannot but feel a sense of fear. The twenty-four-hour-a-day newsfeed instills all kinds of fear in people’s lives. The newsfeed communicates political voices spewing forth rhetoric that incites fear, especially fear of others. Quite frankly, fear seems to be a driving force in too much of present campaign rhetoric. There is fear of terrorism – both foreign and domestic, fear of a volatile economy and our financial situations, fear of unemployment, war, hunger, poverty, homelessness, disease, and death. The effect these forms of fear have on our culture and our lives at times seems overwhelming.
Consequently, I think many of us have deep concerns and ask questions like:
In the depth of these concerns, we desperately need to hear the words Jesus is speaking in Luke’s gospel. Into our fear, across centuries of human experience, Jesus’ teaching to us today offers an extraordinary word of comfort. The precious words Jesus speaks to us today can never be heard too often. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is God’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” These words are some of my favorite words in Scripture because I believe they are a perfect summary of the Gospel. These words provide the absolute assurance we need to hear if we are to resist the extensive fearmongering and the many voices of doom surrounding us every day.
In this passage from Luke’s gospel, we hear proclaimed in no uncertain terms that God loves us as only a parent can love, and God has not only promised we will belong to God forever….but Jesus says it is God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom. God loves you! It is God’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. You are accepted and loved as you are by God, your loving parent. Do not fear! These are words of comfort and reassurance in an increasingly threatening world. And, they are not whistling-in-the-dark comfort, but rather the reassurance that what is seen is not all that is, a reminder that the fear and anxiety associated with earthy living need not have the last word in defining one’s life. Oh, yes! We desperately need to hear these words.
Now, quite honestly, for those of us in this faith community who really have more than we need, one of the fears that besets us has to do with our “stuff,” our treasures and possessions. Fear often causes us to hold on tightly to what we have so that we can protect ourselves against what might happen. Fear leads us to believe that our treasures and wealth will protect us against some dark and terrible day. However, Jesus’ words remind us that even our “stuff” and our earthly treasures can be destroyed. Jesus reminds us that our earthly treasures are not ultimate. Earthly treasure is not where our true treasure is. Jesus really challenges us to go to that deeper place in life and examine what our hearts hold dear, what is truly ultimate. He challenges us to embrace the true treasure God desires to freely give us, because it is God’s “good pleasure” to give us the kingdom, a treasure that is imperishable, a treasure that does not fade or fail.
Yes, wherever there is fear in our lives, Jesus speaks a surprising word of comfort to us, “Do not be afraid little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” It is all gift! And, simply said, what comes as a gift does not have to be purchased with one’s wealth. Jesus’ words invite us to trust our future to this benevolent, gracious God because our future rests in the gracious promises and presence of God to us and with us. Our life rests in the God who totally accepts us as we are, and, again, it is all gift. Jesus’ words are powerful and timely and merit our reflection. God does not want to condemn us or punish us…. God wants to give us good things….. and the best thing is the promise that we will belong to God forever. You see, God is not an impersonal force behind the universe but one who has been revealed to be very much like a loving parent. And, as with all loving parents, it is God’s pleasure to give. What parent among us cannot understand the meaning of those words. What brings more pleasure than to give or to do for your children or other loved ones. That is how God loves us and accepts us, giving us God’s kingdom of peace and joy with God’s very self.
Now, quite frequently, people tend to see the end of today’s gospel reading as threat when they hear the words about a thief breaking in. However, I really appreciate Richard Rohr’s understanding of these words. He says these words are not threat. In fact, the opposite is true because God’s kingdom is given to us and it is free. In the latter part of this reading, what we need to hear is this: God is like the loving, divine thief that breaks into our very soul because God loves us so very much. And this God who breaks into our lives, our very soul, comes in surprising ways at surprising times in life.
I think the message for us on this day is such good news. It is the message that you are to radically accept that you are radically accepted. Jesus even says that God will come and wait on you. As Richard Rohr says, “God is the servant of the soul, the deepest self. But you need to go to that deep place, that place where God is always working to break into your life. Quite honestly, if you don’t go there, everything you do is quite superficial and nothing in your life of faith is going to change.” And, by the way, that is another reason why I encourage you to participate in some form of Christian education this Fall so you are taken to that deeper place.
Jesus’ words to us continue as he tells us we need to be vigilant. We need to keep alert and look for signs of the kingdom breaking through in our lives and in the world, signs of love and compassion and justice. We must learn to read between the lines and see what is really happening in our lives, to intentionally look at what we are really doing. We need to see and accept and learn from what we are doing, and maybe even change or be transformed! But, to do this, we must go to that deeper place in our soul. We have to ask, is what we are doing of ultimate importance? As Richard Rohr says, “Most people are on cruise control and nothing in their life changes. So, God has to break in like a divine thief.” You see, God is always and forever giving. Any change in this equation between us and God only comes from our side. God is the divine giver.
So, are you ready to receive and accept that you are totally accepted? Are you ready to go to that deep place within yourself, to spend time focusing on the God whose pleasure it is to give you the kingdom? Are you ready to let go of your fear and place your faith and trust in this God who delights in you?
Oh yes, I really needed to hear these words on this day.
Have no fear little flock, have no fear, little flock,
For the Father has chosen to give you the Kingdom.
Have no fear, little flock!
This is a special musical presentation of Keep Your Lamps by the summer choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.