Nov. 13, 2011 22nd Sunday of Pentecost

Matthew 25:14-30

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

   19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

   21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

   22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

   23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

   24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

   26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

   28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“Afraid To Risk”  

What we do not use we waste.  Money is no good unless it is used.  God’s gifts of

grace, love, forgiveness are of little good if they are only kept to ourselves.  In fact, they create self-righteousness in us which leads to no good.

“In this one sense, we human beings are akin to the battery in a flashlight; unused, it corrodes.  What we do not use is wasted; what we do not share we cannot keep.”

Earl A. Loomis, “The Self In Pilgrimage” p. 7

What we fear to risk we loose.

“A child who fears he won’t be liked never finds out how likable he could be.  A young girl who believes she’s so unattractive she’ll never have a date actually contributes, by worry , to the poor appearance that fulfills her fears.” Dr.  Loomis p. 6

When we are so afraid of making a mistake that we do nothing, we loose more than if we risked, and made a mistake.  God has a cure for mistakes.  It’s called forgiveness.  

Dare to risk making a mistake and discover what God can do with what little you might have to make a big difference in someone's life, a difference which makes a big difference to God!

Therein lies the abundant life Jesus promised.

 “Doing Something With Our Talents” 

The emphasis of this parable is on the servant who did nothing - who was afraid to fail so didn’t try.

The parable warns us against doing nothing with the Gospel...our talents...our uniqueness...our creativity...our ideas and skills...our unique self.

When we don’t use it we lose it!  

It is okay to fail; make a mistake, have a flop.

It is not okay to do nothing.

What ever God has created in us, that is our talents.

What ever we do with it, that is the measure of success in life.

As Paul Simpson Duke suggests: 

“Jesus’ point seems to be that the worst we can do is nothing.”  

“The parable proclaims joyous freedom under great grace.”

Nov. 6, 2011 All Saints Sunday

Matthew 5:1-12

1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

    He said:

   3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, 

   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

4 Blessed are those who mourn, 

   for they will be comforted. 

5 Blessed are the meek, 

   for they will inherit the earth. 

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 

   for they will be filled. 

7 Blessed are the merciful, 

   for they will be shown mercy. 

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, 

   for they will see God. 

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, 

   for they will be called children of God. 

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, 

   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

   11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 “Rejoice And Be Glad”

“I’m no Saint!

I’ve made some mistakes.

I’d do some things differently.

I’d not do some things I did, and do some things I didn’t do.

I’m no Saint!”  Gerald Ford as he was being considered for appointment to V. Pres.

Most of us do not consider ourselves to be saints.  In fact, it is almost an insult to be called a saint.  It means you are not in touch with real life.  As the agnostic Robert Ingersoll describes, you are someone who is “...not quite sick enough to die nor healthy enough to be wicked.”

This is a gross contradiction!  A saint is someone who is very human. 

 A saint is someone who wants much out of life but refuses to crush life to get it.  Who is passionate enough to not hurt others as he/she drinks deeply of life. 

A saint is someone who dares to live as a human with an eye towards heaven.  Who can be “poor in spirit” because he/she doesn’t have to pretend.  Who can be “meek” because he/she doesn’t have to always be right.  Who can be” merciful” because he/she doesn’t have to judge others.  Who can “hunger and thirst after righteousness” because he/she doesn’t have to have all the answers all the time.  

A saint is a very human person who can “rejoice and be glad” amidst persecution, suffering, grief or pain because he/she lives on earth with an eye on heaven; and the love of God which comes from above.

“Enjoy The Luxury Of Doing Good”

We usually think of a saint as someone extraordinary.  A St. Francis of Assisi, a Maximillian Kolbe - the catholic priest who took the place of a condemned polish Jew at Auschwitz and was canonized a saint in l971, or a Mother Teresa.  A Raoul Wallenberg, Martin Luther King, or Dietrick Boenhoffer.

We don’t often think of ourselves as saints.  Yet this is what we are - all of us!

Or at least it can be said we are called to be saints!  We are called to live out our faith in the places where it makes a difference in our lives and in the lives of others.  Even as we are called saints numerous times in Scripture.  See Ps 31:23; Ps 31:4;Rom 1:7

This is what we are - saints!  Sinners who have not yet given up and thrown in the towel.

Real alive, vibrant, passionate, gutsy human beings who struggle to make faith “ a power and passion in authority among the powers and passions of life” (P. T. Forsythe) and not just a little frosting on the cake.

The Beatitudes are our marching orders.

“poor in spirit” - humble enough to laugh at our own foolishness and not claim to have all the answers.

“mourn” - feel the sadness of life and grieve deeply.

“meek” - Not weak, but strong in a gentle way.

“hunger and thirst for righteousness” - who desire something more than the easy life.

“merciful” - compassionate; walking with those who suffer; the luxury of doing good.

“pure in heart” - living from the inside out;  genuine; trustworthy; real.

“peacemakers” - something every one wants and seems to evade us all.

“persecuted” - to be a saint is no easy calling; it will mean conflict;  dangerous calling!

God calls us to be saints and God is with us, empowering us in this calling.  Nothing can keep us from being happy; Nothing can keep us from enjoying the luxury of doing good, loving justice, and walking humbly with our God!

Oct. 30, 2011 Reformation Sunday

John 8:31-36

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

   33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

   34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

“The Three Principles Of The Reformation”

Faith alone - by grace through faith we are saved,

Word alone - The freedom we have to believe according to the dictates of our conscience, bound only by the Word and guided by the Holy Spirit.

The Priesthood of all believers - we are all priest called to serve God in our living.

“FREE INDEED” 

Reformation Sunday is a powerful Sunday which reminds us of how great our God is, and how good it is to be loved by God!

Our reformation is to discover the truth that Jesus is hidden everywhere, even where we expect him least. It is also to recognize change as the driving force of God’s Word.

God’s Word is an instrument of change and will, if we let it, change the way we look at things. It “is the source of all that is creative in the life of the Church.”  (Luther)

It sets us free to be new and different people.  People who put love at the center of life and let nothing keep it from doing its thing.

There is a place for good works.  (In spite of what Luther said and experienced in his day.)  Deeds done because of faith.  James is a good book.  (In spite of what Luther said.)  Faith must be active in love.  

We are to be little Christ's who go about doing good, not because this is the way to earn heaven but because this is the way to show that we are free from the fear of losing heaven and to show not only that we love God, but that God first loved us

Oct. 23, 2011 19th of Pentecost

Matthew 22:34-46

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

   37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”

   “The son of David,” they replied.

   43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,

   44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord: 

   “Sit at my right hand 

until I put your enemies 

   under your feet.”’

   45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

 “Loving Others”

The righteousness Jesus is talking about is the righteousness of love, which is more than being right and doing what I have every right to do.  It is being redemptive so that something forgiving and creative and good has a chance to happen within me and between us, and even through us.

To love others begins with loving ourselves.  If we don’t little good can happen with us.

A black Methodist minister in Mitchell, SD in the early ‘60’s put it this way:  

“When I gets up in the morning and I looks in the mirror;

If I don’t like what I sees, you’re in trouble.”

We are to love others as we love ourselves.  That is, to want what is best for them even as we want what is best for ourselves.  This means tough love - not doing for them what they must do for themselves as well as tender love - being a helpful hand when they cannot do what needs to be done.

To love others is to act redemptively in their lives.  Sometimes it means to say no; sometimes it means to put our lives on the line and suffer, and always it means to love as we have been loved.

The Pharisees were not willing to be loved as God would love them, and live with love as the driving force of their lives.  Neither are we!

Martin Niemoeller, a German Pastor from the World War II days gets to the heart of what Jesus is saying about loving our neighbor.

  

“Love our neighbor in place of, instead of yourself.

In other words, change places with your neighbor...

letting the other one enter the space where our love is.”

This we can only do as we first let God love us!  

There is no greater task on the face of the earth then to get people to smile because God loves them.  There also is no greater goal then this!

Martin Luther King when asked how he wanted to be remembered: “Let them say, ‘He tried to love somebody.’”

Mother Teresa: ”All gestures of love, however small they be, in favor of the poor and unwanted, are important to Jesus.”

Oct. 16, 2011 18th Sunday of Pentecost

Matthew 22:15-22

15 Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him (Jesus) in his talk.  16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Hero'di-ans, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God truthfully, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men.  17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?  19 Show me the money for the tax." And they brought him a coin.  20 And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"  21 They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  22 When they heard it, they marveled; and they left him and went away. 

 “A Loaded Question”  

A loaded question is one that has more hidden then revealed.

A loaded question doesn’t deserve a straight answer.  In fact it can’t be answered straight.

The issue at stake in this text is not simply the payment of taxes;  it is the issue of the plurality and priority of the claims on one’s life and substance.

The issue at the heart of the text is how much are we willing to struggle with our faith as a power and passion in authority among the powers and passions of life.  How much are we willing to struggle with putting our faith into action in love.

The answer Jesus gave left them with the struggle to be responsible for their own answer.  And to determine where the hypocrisy was in their lives.  

Each of us has the responsibility to determine as best we can where the hypocrisy is in our lives and then work at being more genuine, more truly human.  This is the struggle of faith.  To determine what is Caesar and what is Gods.  That is, what priorities are going to claim our life and all its substance.  How are we going to live?

If the image of Caesar is on the coin, then the counterpart to that which Jesus leaves unsaid, is that Gods image is on us!  All of life is to be lived in gratitude to God who created us and sustains us with His love.

 ‘No Pat Answers”

Life isn’t black or white.  It is made up of the shades of gray.  It is not just having the answers; it is living with questions, struggles, even dilemmas.  When ever we ask a question which begs a “yes” or “no” answer, we are either setting a trap or evading the struggle which is necessary to grow.

Jesus didn’t answer such questions.  When closed minded people asked him a closed question, he gave them a riddle or a parable which made them come up with the answer. 

It also showed their hypocrisy.

It is a dangerous thing to be closed minded.  It just might keep us from ever getting close to the Kingdom of God.

To be in step with Jesus Christ today is to struggle to be open with the issues which touch our lives...abortion, divorce, homosexuality, alcoholism and drug abuse.

It is to be open to the changes which are always a part of life.

It is to dare put people before principles, as Jesus did.

Healed on Sabbath

Ate with tax collectors and sinners

Talked to an adulterous woman in public

Went to the home of Zaccheus

To be in step with Jesus is to have a relationship with God which is real and alive and changing.  A relationship of faith which is a power and passion in authority among the powers and passions of my life.  A relationship which has room for failure and is open to surprises.  To live with Jesus is to have the surprise of our lives, not just once, not just once in a while, but many times as Jesus opens us up to the joys of life in Gods Kingdom.

Oct. 9, 2011 17th Sunday of Pentecost

Matthew 22:1-14

1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

   4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

   5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

   8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

   11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

   13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

   14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

“Changed By God’s Grace”

Two thoughts and a challenge capture something of the meaning of this parable.

The first is summarized in the words of Dr. Helmet Thielicke:

“Christian satiation is worse then hungry heathenism.”

Indifference and complacency are both dangerous to faith.  They take the life out of it.  

The second is pointed to by the words of Nietzsche: 

“If you expect me to believe in your Redeemer, you have to look more redeemed.” 

God expects to see something different in our lives because we have been to his banquet.

We are shocked and surprised by the treatment of the one who came to the feast without a wedding garment. We do want to have our cake and eat it too.  Again as Dr Helmet Thielicke says, “We seat ourselves at the banquet table without a wedding garment when we allow our sins to be forgiven but still want to hang on to them.”  

When we have no intention of being changed by God’s grace!

God’s intention is to change us into God’s likeness - like it or not.  If we refuse to be changed; we will not be welcome in God’s Kingdom.  Make what you can of that!

 “They Made Light Of It”  

When the Roman Emperor Constantine became a Christian, the Christian faith lost something.  It lost its cutting edge.  Nominal Christians appeared in vast numbers for the first time.  It no longer cost to be a Christian.  It became easy to make light of it.

We can see something of this today in:

Indifference  - “Christianity without Sweat.” No call to discipleship; no costly grace freely given.  No sacrifice in love until it hurts.  Just easy going, rocking chair religion which isn’t too important and doesn’t get in the way.

Insincerity -”Christianity without tears”.  No confession of sin; no tears shed for the wrongs of the past; no cross to bear in the present, just a name on a roll and a sometimes present body in a pew.

To be invited to the banquet is to fellowship with God at the Banquet table filled with grace; to share in the joys of being a part of Gods Kingdom, and to share in the work load of spreading this Kingdom on earth.  It is a high calling, a great gift, and a life consuming challenge.  

Oct. 2, 2011 16th Sunday of Pentecost

Matthew 21:33-46

   33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

   35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

   38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

   40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

   41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

   42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

   “‘The stone the builders rejected 

   has become the cornerstone; 

the Lord has done this, 

   and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

   43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

   45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

“The Parable of the Wicked Tenants - A Wake up Call to  God’s Love”

The setting of the parable of the wicked tenants is the “running oral controversy” Jesus is having with the religious leaders of his day.  For Jesus the vineyard is Israel and the rebellious tenants are its leaders, who are trying to “seize the inheritance” for themselves.  They are cast out and the vineyard is given to other tenants, who will give God the fruits in their season.  These other tenants are the tax collectors and harlots who will enter the kingdom ahead of the religious leaders.

When asked, “what should the owner do with these tenants?”, they give the right answer.  The right answer that is, for them.  Not the right answer for God. For God is not satisfied with  judgment, ever.  Not even with them.  God does not delight in judgment, ever!  This is not God’s nature and it is not God’s liking.  Judgment is always second to mercy and its purpose is only and always to prepare the way for love and grace to flow, full and free.  This is why Jesus tells this parable - to try wake the people up to Gods love, not Gods judgment.

We need this shock therapy to wake us up and remind us of our role in Gods Kingdom.  We are not owners.  We are tenants, stewards, servants, who are to ”give God the fruits in their seasons.”  This means we are not to “set our minds on earthly things”, but on “heavenly things”.  This is a real struggle for all of us.  It means we have to let go of trying to have it all, and be a servant to the least and the lowly.  It means we have to carry our faith into our daily lives in ways which make a difference even for those who do not  know the One we follow and are not interested in our religious beliefs.  It means we have to walk the walk, at all costs!

“Produce The Proper Fruits”

The Kingdom of God will always belong to someone, yet it is owned by no one.

We are tenants, not owners.  And the bottom line for a tenant is the crop produced.

Jesus is saying to the leaders of his day that “ the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and be given to a people who will produce the proper fruits” because:

They were adding to the burdens of the people rather then lifting their burdens.

They were more interested in being religious then in being merciful.

They were quick to cast the first stone as they judged others but could not

see the sins of their ways.

We, the Church, stand with the tenants.  We are to produce proper fruits.  If we don’t, we too will have it taken away from us. This is not a threat.  This is part of Gods promise!  God expects much from us because God has done much for us.  We are blessed so we can be a blessing.

The fruit God is looking for in our lives is that we love one another as God loves us.

This does not mean sweet sentimentalism but strong compassion.

It means “That inner disposition to go with others where they  hurt, where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and  broken.” (Nouwen)  It means to give up judging others, to stop measuring our meaning and value with the yardstick of others,  and thus to become free to be with them and allow God to be the judge. “Love does not insist on its own way.”