August 22, 2010
STAND UP STRAIGHT!
Luke 13: 1-17
At the beginning of our worship service this morning I
introduced to us a little of the liturgy that a Jewish family uses as they usher in the Sabbath, or Shabbat. In the
10 Commandments God instructed the Jews to honor God by keeping the Sabbath, the 7th day, holy – separate and set apart from the rest of the week. One refrains from doing work, even to the point of cooking; one refrains from using transportation. Depending on how
observant one is, even refraining from turning on and off light switches, the television or radio. It is a time of
festive celebration, dressing up, special foods, honoring God in setting aside the Sabbath as sacred time.
We cannot begin to grasp the context of our passage of scripture today unless we begin to understand the significance and importance of keeping the
Sabbath holy for the Jewish people. It was the most sacred thing you could do – and you did it every week. Very strict and rigid traditions developed around Sabbath, including the synagogue worship and study.
It was in that kind of context that Jesus found himself on this one Sabbath in a small village in the northern part of Israel. He was expounding on a passage of scripture when he noticed a woman enter who was severely bent over at the waist. Now, we must remember that in the Jewish synagogue, men and women did not sit together.
Men sat in front and the women sat in back, often times behind a screen or in a balcony. Jesus calls the
woman forward and announces to her, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” And then he touches her and
immediately she stood up straight and praised God – 18 years of being bent over.
Now, here is where things get interesting. The leader of the synagogue became indignant because as far as he
is concerned Jesus just violated the holiness of the Sabbath. Jesus did work that could have waited another day and
not bothered anyone. The sacredness of the Sabbath is paramount. It is
the job of the synagogue leader to make sure that the community upholds the traditions. You dishonor God when you
break the sacred time and space of the Sabbath. I wonder if there is anything within our “Christian” culture
that we hold sacred today?
But Jesus challenges the leader of the synagogue, and in doing so, challenged the religious culture of his day. In
the Gospel of Mark 2:27 we hear Jesus say, “The Sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath.” So,
Jesus had a different understanding of Sabbath. Jesus sensed that the tail was wagging the dog. The Sabbath is to be honored but it is not there to put you in shackles. The
Sabbath is a way for people to find wholeness in life; find rest and to recognize God as the center and source of all of life.
As sometimes happens, the honoring of the Sabbath became so legalistically rigid that the purpose for the Sabbath was lost.
Marcus Borg, in his book Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time (HarperSanFrancisco, 1994), argues that what we have in stories like this is the major conflict that Jesus faced when he challenged the religious leaders of his day.
It is the politics of purity vs. the politics of compassion. The religious community in Jesus’ day was
focused on the importance of purity – the purity code, holiness code – to be set apart from. It meant not
associating with Gentiles, it meant not associating with “sinners” and unclean people.” It meant a rigid,
legalistic interpretation of the Torah. “You shall be holy as God is holy.”
Society was structured around this purity code. Physical wholeness was associated with the purity code. (Borg, chpt. 3, p. 46-68)
If we examine the life and ministry of Jesus carefully, we will observe that the primary focus of Jesus’ life and ministry was not purity but
compassion. Compassion trumps the purity code every time. When Jesus saw
the women bent over, he had compassion on her that he wanted to release her from that which bent her over, whatever it was.
If this broke the purity code of Sabbath, so be it. Isn’t the life and health of a person more important
than legal traditions? If we take seriously the understanding that in Jesus we see the very heart of God lived in
human flesh, then we must conclude that compassion is at the core of God.
Jesus started his ministry as recorded in Luke 4, in Nazareth by quoting Isaiah when he announced, “The Spirit of
the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release
to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” That is exactly what Jesus did right here. He set her free, the oppressed
free. And what better time to do that than on the Sabbath, in worship!
We must not forget another element that we often take for granted. This was a woman. This took place in a culture in which women were second class; where a man did not approach a woman not of his family in
public, let alone touch. Jesus called the woman forward, in front of the entire community, touched her and
proclaimed her a “Daughter of Abraham!” Wow! In that very moment
Jesus raised the status of women to that of men. That was significant. That
was empowering! That was radical. That is the politics of compassion
lived out in real life. Equality. Justice.
Who in our culture today longs to be included as equal? We have made big progress in recent decades on women
and African Americans; what about those with mental illness issues? Physical disabilities? Homosexuals? Hispanics? It is the
role of the people of God to have the heart of compassion for people in our community and world – compassion for the poor, the oppressed, the neglected, those
with no voice or power in the halls of government. That was the role of the prophets in the OT.
When our son, Michael, was in high school, there were a couple of boys that really gave him a bad time. It
was really on the edge of bullying. I think they were in band together as well as other classes. They constantly were putting him down. Mike was glad to graduate from high
school. At Christmas break during his freshman year of college Kathy and I noticed that he seemed much taller. Kathy asked him, “Have you grown?” He replied, “No, Mom, I’m just
standing tall.” He was being affirmed in college; he was away from the hurtful language of those guys. His self esteem was strong. He stood tall, all 6’ 5” of him.
We don’t know what it was that bent this woman over for 18 years. Maybe it was something physical; maybe it
was a terrible self image. Maybe it was the result of abuse – physical or psychological – over her lifetime. We don’t know, but Jesus had compassion and he set her free.
There are two places in which you and I can stand in this story; we may be standing in both. First, we may
find ourselves identifying with the woman. She didn’t enter the place of worship seeking wholeness, but Jesus had
compassion and offered it. So, who among us today is bent over – bent over from sin held silently, bent over from
abuse over the years, bent over from burdens that weigh you down, bent over from worry, from family relationships that wear you down; bent over from low self
esteem or guilt?
Stand up straight! For you are a daughter of Abraham! Stand up
straight, for you are a son of Abraham! Stand up straight, for you are set free from the burdens you have placed
upon yourself! Evil has no power over you; you are a child of God! Your
sins are forgiven! You are loved as you are! Stand up straight! You are made whole!
Last Sunday just before worship, Terry Cawdery came up to me and challenged me to work into my sermon a phrase that he had read in a book I had loaned
him to read. He offered me a buck if I could. Well, I didn’t; but
I’m putting it in today, because it fits. The phrase was, “participatory eschatology.” We all understand “participatory” – participate. Eschatology comes from
“eschaton” which has to do with the end times. Eschatology is the study of the end times. What Jesus was doing in releasing this woman from her ailment was bringing in the Reign of God, the Kingdom of God. Jesus was living, and ushering in, the Reign of God where there is wholeness, healing, forgiveness, compassion, justice
and equality. The Reign of God is the breaking into this world God’s way of living and being. It is the end times breaking into this world and transforming it. That is
what Jesus was about. That is eschatology. What makes it participatory is that Jesus is inviting us to have
compassion for this world and invite people into the wholeness of the Reign of God where forgiveness is offered, where peace and justice are lived and where
every human being is set free from that which confines them and we look them in the eye and say, “Stand up straight!”
Maybe it is a child at Gilbert School who wants to read; maybe it is the dignity that is offered to a family going through the line at the food bank;
maybe it is a family who receives a Habitat for Humanity house in which to live. Maybe it is the way the farmer
treats the field workers, not as hired labor but as a human being. I sensed it this past winter when the homeless
men came into our building for the night. They haven’t showered in some time; they reeked of cigarette smoke and
possibly some liquor; but we stood there, looked them in the eye, and said, “Welcome to Englewood!”
Stand up straight! You are a daughter of Abraham! Stand up
straight! You are a son of Abraham! Stand up straight for you are a
child of God! Stand up straight for the Reign of God is in your midst!
August 15, 2010
"READING THE FINE
PRINT"
Luke 12: 49-56
What’s with this passage?
We proclaim Jesus as the Prince of Peace and now he is saying, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; but I tell you division.” He talks about families being divided; two against three; three against two; father against son, mother against daughter. This doesn’t sound like a joyful and happy thing to be a follower of Jesus.
But, maybe it is not all that uncommon. I have a cousin who shared that she is a strong Democrat and her
husband is a strong Republican; they have a wonderful marriage and three grown children who are doing well, but there are topics that they agree not to talk
about. A guy in my Monday hiking group was sharing one time about his family. I
think he said they have four children but they have a very difficult time having a family gathering. Because of
religious differences among them some of the siblings can’t be in the same room together. He said that they
definitely can’t talk religion or politics, and they can’t even talk sports. So, what do they talk about without
blowing up at each other? A family gathering is not enjoyable but painful.
Let’s look at the context of this passage in Luke 12. First, I remind you again that Jesus is on his way to
Jerusalem; and he knows what he will be facing. He has caused too much trouble; the religious and political
leadership want to get rid of him before he causes any more problems. Reform is not always popular or easy. Living the Reign of God forces people to rethink their values and priorities. The
established powers wanted to preserve their stronghold. Jesus was a threat to Jerusalem; Jesus was a challenge to
Rome. Jesus’ face was set toward Jerusalem; he was on a mission. He
wasn’t pulling any punches. Prophets are seldom popular among those in power.
The Gospel of Luke was written around 80-85 CE. Jerusalem had been destroyed; persecution of Christians had
already begun. I’ve read that in certain areas, if a person decided to become a Christian, his/her family would
hold a funeral and declare that person as good as dead. They were cut off from the family. You would think long and hard about deciding to become a Christian if it meant being cut off from your family. You would also think long and hard about following Jesus if it meant being shunned by the other business people in town,
neighbors turning you in to the authorities for not worshipping Caesar. You are not patriotic; you are not loyal to
country. You are an atheist because you don’t worship the right god.
The reality is that to become a follower of Jesus demands that you make a decision, make a commitment. Jesus
is Lord; Caesar is not Lord. You give your ultimate allegiance to God, not to country or the commander in chief. And to make that kind of commitment is costly. The values of the Kingdom of
God are different from the values of this world.
“I have decided to follow Jesus; I have decided to follow Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus; no turning back, no turning back.
Though none go with me, still I will follow; (3x)
No turning back, no turning back.”
In the Gospel According to Thomas, the new document of the teachings of Jesus found last century that many scholars consider authentic to Jesus, we find
this phrase, “Whoever is near me is near fire; whoever is distant from me is distant from the Kingdom.” (Thomas 82) Listen
to the words of Simeon who blessed Jesus, Mary and Joseph when Jesus was dedicated in the temple at age 8 days, “This child is destined for the falling and
the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own
soul too.” (Luke 2: 34-35)
Jesus stated in the Sermon on the Mount, “The gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction and many will take it. But the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life.” (Mt. 7:13) “Whoever
puts their hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
We generally think of Jesus as the one who brings peace; we generally think of Jesus and the Reign of God in terms of reconciliation, compassion,
forgiveness, mercy, equality, justice and love. And that is true. Yet,
to take a stand for truth and justice can be extremely costly because they may not be popular and may challenge deeply held prejudices and opinions imbedded in
the culture. That is what Jesus represented, and there were those who wanted to get rid of Jesus and there were
those who wanted to get rid of his followers.
To follow Jesus is costly; if it is not costly then are we following Jesus? Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a
challenging book in the 1930s during the rise of Hitler. The title of the book is, The Cost of Discipleship,
and is one of the most challenging books I have ever read. He talks about cheap grace and costly grace. Cheap grace are those who want salvation, are baptized but don’t want to change their lives. Costly grace is where you decide to follow Jesus and it demands of you, your life, and soul. Too many people who claim to be Christians have never really heard the demand of the Gospel.
Did you read the insert in the bulletin today from the Los Angeles Times dated August 8? I didn’t realize
that the Yakima Herald-Republic was going to steal my idea and print the whole article in the Saturday paper. The
article by William Lobdell rings true to everything that I have been hearing and reading for the past 10 years. People are walking away from organized church in
a steady stream; many people, especially younger generations have no experience at all with church. This doesn’t
mean that they are not spiritual; many people are deeply spiritual but they have been turned off by the organizational aspect of religion – the politics, the
doctrines and creeds or the need to join some organizational structure with expectations and demands. But there is
one part of this that really disturbs me – essential to being Christian is being part of a community, the Body of Christ.
As I have said on numerous occasions, you can’t really be Christian and a hermit at the same time. To be
Christian is to necessarily be connected with sisters and brothers of faith. But all this is saying that what it
means to be church needs to be rethought for this Post-Christendom age in which we live.
What we are about in our transformation is right on. We are trying to move away from focus on the building
and “religion” to being missional, being focused outward in service and witness. As I commented a couple of
weeks ago, it is not about “come to church.” It is about “being church where we live.”
I think there needs to be some significant conversation around the topic of what does it really mean to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus. What are the values that define a Christian? How are those values different
from the culture in which we live? Is there a difference? Should there
be a difference? We frequently hear the statement that Jesus was counter cultural.
If you look at the life of Jesus, what do you see? Justice (caring for the poor, hungry, sick, homeless);
non-violence; equality (inclusion of women and Samaritans). He was driven by compassion and love, not selfishness
and greed. The goods of this life were to be shared with those in need, not hoarded so that the rich get richer. The American culture and the Gospel have been so closely tied together that for many people being a Christian is just
being a good citizen.
Do you remember a few years back when a deranged man entered the Amish school building in Pennsylvania and started killing teachers and children? Do you recall when the Amish women went to the home of the wife of the killer and sat with her? Do you recall when they went to the funeral service for the man who killed their children and prayed for him and his
family? As a community they extended forgiveness. Now, that is being
Christian, being countercultural – no desire for revenge or retaliation but forgiveness and community .
This past week a drunken man, who happened to be an illegal alien, hit a car with three Catholic nuns in it; one nun was killed and the other two were
seriously injured. The next day the women from the convent went to the home of the family and offered forgiveness. That part of the story was almost lost in the discussion of immigration.
Yes, Jesus calls us to a different way of thinking and living. The Spirit of Jesus calls us to deny
ourselves, take up the cross and follow him. If that isn’t costly, then what is?
Not everyone can do that. Some people get around to reading the fine print.
Making a decision to follow Jesus can be divisive.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-lobdell-religion-20100808,0,3621871.story
"THE 800 POUND GORILLA"
Luke 12: 13-21
August 1, 2010
“Jesus! Hey, Jesus!
I’ve got a problem and I need your help. My parents have died and my older brother won’t give me my share
of the inheritance. Would you come over here and tell him to get with it!”
How many of you have heard of families in which the siblings gather to take care of their
parent’s home and possessions after they have died and a big fight irrupts over who gets the grandfather clock, or the silver tea service, or the diamond ring
and necklace, or the antique china cupboard. And brothers and sisters don’t speak to each other for years. Maybe it was the way the money was divided; one sibling felt entitled to more than the others. Is it any different today than 2,000 years ago?
Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. I remind you
that we are in that journey section of the Gospel of Luke where “Jesus’ face is set toward Jerusalem” and by
that the original listeners of Luke, as well as us today, know that Jesus is going to Jerusalem to suffer and die. Jesus
knows that. His face is set. He has lived the Reign of God to the extent
that the religious and political leaders in Jerusalem want to get rid of him; he is a threat to their power and leadership.
Jesus replies to this man, “Who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” He was saying, “That’s
not my job; I don’t have time for that!” Go talk to the city fathers; that is their job.”
Jesus does here what he frequently did. Do you
remember the Sermon on the Mount? “You have heard that it was said to those in ancient days, ‘You shall not
murder… But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment.” “You
have heard, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ but I say to you that if you have ever looked at another in lust you have committed adultery in your heart.” “You have heard it said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,’ but I say to you, “Do no resist an
evildoer. If someone strikes you on one cheek turn to them the other also.” We
can go on.
The point being that Jesus takes the outward action, what can be observed and judged by rules
of conduct, and says, “That is not good enough. Let’s get to the root of the issue.” Outward actions all begin with an inner thought or value. And we need laws to
regulate actions. But for followers of Jesus, for those who seek to be citizens of the Reign of God, we need to
measure our lives by a higher standard, the heart.
Jesus’ response to this man who asks for help in setting a personal family matter moves from
the outward settlement of a legal issue to what Jesus perceived was the root cause, but not just for this one man, but a root of much sin and idolatry that is
contrary to the Reign of God. It is the 800 pound gorilla sitting in the middle of the living room that we all talk
around and avoid but no one wants to name. Well, Jesus named it.
Jesus called it greed. “Be on guard against all
kinds of greed. Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” In
the Middle Ages this was listed as one of the 7 Deadly Sins, but it goes back into ancient times and the 10 Commandments when we read, “You shall not covet
your neighbor’s house or wife, or animals or servants.” In other words, this temptation is at the core of our
being.
It doesn’t make it any easier when we live in a culture that encourages greed. The economy is designed to encourage to consume, to purchase the newer gadgets, the bigger cars and to buy more clothes.
Two thousand square foot homes aren’t big enough; they need to be 3,000 or 4,000 or 5,000 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, a movie theater room,
pool room, exercise room and 4 car garage for two people. And then we go rent a storage building to hold the
Christmas decorations that won’t fit in the house. And then we hold yard sales or give away items to Good Will or Salvation Army. Clothes pile up by the ton; still good but just slightly out of date.
Tuesday morning I entered the church building at 6:00 am to drop some things off before going
to Ellensburg for a Kiwanis visit with the breakfast club there. I entered the parking lot of the church and found 6
cars in the parking lot – at 6:00 am. I walked down the hall and discovered that there was a Gambler’s Anonymous
group meeting. There are 3 or 4 different GA groups meeting in our facility now, and it is growing – people
needing the 12 Step program to deal with their addiction to gambling – the desire to see if you can strike it rich, hit the big one.
There is nothing wrong with having a business that makes a profit. There is nothing wrong with the desire to make a decent living. The
illustration Jesus uses is that of a farmer who does well one season; he has a bumper crop and has nowhere to put all his grain.
He decides to build a bigger granary. There is nothing wrong with that; that is good sense. He is probably a shrewd farmer who works the fields right, plants right and watches things carefully. But the twist in the story is not against him as a successful farmer but his attitude of self interest and the desire to
relax and enjoy all this for just himself.
We as a nation, and as a world, are struggling to get out from under a deep financial
recession. It all came loose nearly 2 years ago with the sub prime mortgage problems, the housing industry collapse;
big banking industries closing. People bought houses thinking the prices would continue to rise and didn’t think
about the increase in the loan payments that would make it impossible to pay. People were caught up in the idea of
bigger and better, making more and more money through means that were economically unsound and ethically wrong. But
it happened from top to bottom, from the big guys in the corner offices of the banks to Wall Street to individuals wanting to get in on a good thing and make a
big pile of money real fast.
A friend of mine whom I hike with is a former CEO of a local financial institution that has
done quite well over the years and chose not to change it’s practices and didn’t get caught up in the financial turmoil.
He commented on several occasions that the root of all this was greed – greed at every level of our economy and society – from the big guys who were
given millions of dollars in bonuses for a job poorly done all the way down to folk like you and me working the Stock Market or buying houses to flip to make
some quick bucks. Regulations were removed; people turned a blind eye to questionable practices and we got caught up
in the frenzy of wanting more and more.
The Apostle Paul called greed idolatry; and he is right. It
is the worship of the created rather than the Creator; it is putting allegiance in material things rather than in God. It
is trying to secure our future with material and financial things when true security and peace come from within, from being right with God. Grasping for security for one’s future by means of material possessions is like trying to satisfy your thirst on a hot
day by drinking salt water.
Nor is there is mention in this parable of any form of community or others. It is all about himself. There is no sense of giving to United Way or
Salvation Army or Cancer Society, or Union Gospel Mission, or Church World Service or Week of Compassion or the local food bank.
There is no sense of compassion for the homeless, the hungry, the sick, those less fortunate. Being a
follower of Jesus Christ calls us to live in a community, the Body of Christ, but more than that – to look outward, rather than inward; to develop compassion
for others rather than self interest. The fool is the one who lives completely to him/herself and is not willing to
help a neighbor in need.
The story goes that a well-to-do man asked a local carpenter to build him a house. He had the plans and details all drawn up. He was going to be gone for a year
on an extensive cruise and wanted the house to be completed when he got back. The man gave the carpenter all the
money he would need to build this nice, beautiful, spacious house.
The man took off on his journey and the carpenter got busy on the house. As he progressed he became more and more jealous of the wealth of this man who could take off and sale the world for a
year. It dawned on him that he could cut some corners here and there and the owner would never know. He could really make a bunch of money; much more than he imagined. So, he
began to put less lumber here, not as strong of bricks there. Pretty soon he was saving a lot of money, money that
he could pocket and no one would know the difference. The house looked wonderful on the exterior but it was not that
well built behind the walls.
The man returned from his world travels and admired the house that was completed – just the
way he envisioned it. He turned to the carpenter and said, “Thank you very much for the fine job you have done. While on my trip I decided that I want to do something else and live elsewhere, so I don’t need the house. You were so faithful in building this while I was gone I want to express my thanks. Here
are the keys to the house; it is now your house.”
"HOW MUCH MORE"
Luke 11: 9-13
July 25, 2010
Of all the sermons that I heard my father preach in the first 18 years of my life, there is one sermon illustration that he used that I remember very
clearly. It had to do with a newspaper reporter interviewing a boxer before he entered a championship match. The reporter asked him, “Do you pray before you enter a fight?” The boxer
replied, “Yes.” The reporter asked, “What do you pray for?” The
man responded, “I pray that we have a clean fight and that I do my best.” The reported was surprised and asked,
“Don’t you pray that you will win?” The man replied, “What if the other fighter prays to God that he win and
I pray to God that I win; then what is God to do?”
That is a rather simplistic answer but it does raise interesting questions. How does God answer prayers? In what way does God answer prayers? And for what should we pray? Just because we pray a particular way does that mean that it is God’s way? As
we talked about last week when we examined the Lord’s Prayer, a major part of prayer is not getting God to do our bidding but for us to be open to being
shaped by the will and Spirit of God.
Have you ever been around a couple who have been together so long that they can finish each other’s sentences before they finish them? They know what each other is thinking. “Dear, do you know
where….” “There by the sink in the bathroom.” “Honey, I was
just wondering…” “I was too; we need to go visit them tomorrow.” “Now
what year was it that we went to…” “It was the summer of 1956; Susan was 4 and Charlie was 2; we went to
Yellowstone National Park; we had a flat tire just outside Pocatello, Idaho.” “Oh, that’s right; how could I
forget.”
I’ve heard it said, and you probably have heard it as well, that the longer a couple is together the more they begin to look like each other. Well, I’m sure that is not quite true, but maybe it reflects the fact that they have been together so long that they
are inseparable. And maybe that is a characteristic of relationship with God and prayer that we need to consider.
The illustration that Jesus gives in this passage is that of a parent-child relationship. Yes, it is one of
greater and lesser; the parent having authority and supervision over the child, but what is central to the story is that there is a relationship that exists. There is trust; there is respect; there is caring. It is out of that
relationship that we must understanding the teaching of Jesus. Moses was close enough with God that they argued.
Yes, there are parents out there who have no clue to what is good parenting. The father doesn’t mind if the
kids drink or smoke at a young age; the mother is out partying and leaves the kids at home to fend for themselves. The
parents cuss and swear in front of the kids; there is physical and verbal abuse. No wonder the teachers have so many
problems with them in the classroom!
Yet, Jesus is assuming a loving and caring relationship of adult to child; one where the adult is concerned as to what is best for the child. I remember walking into the kitchen of our home when I was growing up and saying to my mother, “I’m starved!” as I
head for the cookie jar. My mother said, “No you don’t! It’s too
close to supper. If you want to eat something chew on this carrot.” That’s
not what I wanted. I wanted sugar; I wanted a chocolate chip cookie! I
wanted something sweet. No, my mother said we had to eat our vegetables and main dish first. Yes, sometimes you need to break the rules and eat dessert first, but my mother knew what was best for me. She didn’t give me what I wanted but she directed me to what I needed, what was healthy and nourishing.
For what do we pray? Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the
door will be opened for you.” Too often this statement by Jesus is used as a sign that whatever we ask for God
will grant us. As I mentioned last week, we often treat God like the genie in the bottle where God is at our beck
and call to grant our every wish. That is how we often treat God.
Yes, Jesus encourages us to ask, seek and knock; but for what? Do you recall the prayer of Jesus in the
Garden of Gethsemane? The disciples were asleep (so who heard this prayer, anyway); Jesus knelt and in all honesty
and passion said, “If it is possible let this cup be removed from me; but not my will but your will be done.” We
must recall that Jesus spent a lot of time in prayer during his ministry. This was prayed in the context of a deep
relationship, a relationship built on total honesty and complete trust. Jesus was asking, seeking and knocking to
find God’s will and then the strength to do it.
For what do we pray? We do need to be honest with God about our fears and needs. Our loved one is critically ill; yes, it’s right to pray to God that you wish your loved one to be well. That is being honest. You are having problems with a family member and it is
vexing you terribly; yes, you need to be honest with God. Your financial situation is precarious; yes, it is normal
and natural to pray to God and tell God your situation and fears. But we pray in the context of a relationship. And that relationship shapes that for which we pray. That relationship is not
just you and God; that relationship is also your family and the covenant community of faith to which you belong – the Body of Christ. So, how do you ask when you are a part of a larger relationship, a community? Prayer
cannot be self centered.
Would you please turn with me in our hymnals to #547, a prayer that we have all heard before. The
Serenity Prayer. “God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that
cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.”
(Reinhold Niebuhr)
The point Jesus is making in this paragraph is that God wants to give to us. The whole image of the parent
giving to the child what is needed is then expanded at the end, “If we human parents know the good gifts we are to give to our children, how much more does
God desire to give to us! But it is not about giving us what we want, but what we need.
So, for what do we pray? For what do we ask? Seek? Knock? Is it wisdom? Patience? Knowledge? Understanding? Forgiveness? Strength? Courage? Maybe it is being receptive to new ideas; maybe a different way of
thinking. Maybe it is removing our stubbornness or acknowledging our fears. Confessing
that we have been wrong and that we need to change? Maybe it is removing our prejudices. It depends upon the situation, I’m sure. But what is the focus? The direction? The spirit of our praying?
Turn again with me in our hymnal to #468 – The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. Let’s recite it together.
A couple of weeks ago, Dave Roberts, pastor of First Baptist Church, called to ask if he could borrow my pickup; he needed to get some plywood for a
project at their church. I said, “Sure.” If that had been a person I
didn’t know, I would probably not have offered it. But I know Dave well; we have shared a lot and prayed together. I know him; I trust him; I respect him. He asked because I had what he needed
and was pretty sure I would grant it; but it was all grounded on a relationship.
As we grow in our relationship with God, our asking and seeking and knocking changes. Our agenda changes; our
perspective changes. We no longer see just from our perspective but we begin to see the larger picture, a picture
from the perspective of God. We ask for that which we know we need, not just what we want. So when I pray for our country, I seek the mind and spirit of God who is Lord of all countries. When I pray for loved ones with cancer, I pray from the perspective of my interest but also keeping in mind that nothing
can separate us from the love of God. When I pray for our youth and children in Yakima, I realize that Jesus is
pushing me to get involved and not remain isolated. When I pray for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan I pray not only
for our troops but also the people of Afghanistan and Iraq who believe in God like I do and whom God loves as much as God loves me. I must realize the larger picture. When I pray about the immigration issues,
I must pray with a more global picture than my own selfish interest. My relationship with God forces me to have a
different perspective; to think and act with the heart and mind of God and not imposing my limited interest onto God.
Luke concludes this passage differently than does Matthew; the Matthew passage concludes by “giving good things to those who ask.” Luke changes it; Luke promises the Holy Spirit to those who ask. That is
significant. For Luke, the Holy Spirit is that which empowers. It is the
Holy Spirit that empowers Jesus at his baptism and leads him in ministry and the journey toward the cross. It is the
Holy Spirit that empowers the disciples to go out and live the risen Christ. Without the Holy Spirit, there would be
no church, no Body of Christ.
When I was finishing seminary back in Enid, Oklahoma, I put out my Search and Call papers hoping to find a church in the Northwest that was open and
would call me to be their pastor. I prayed and prayed. I wanted to get
back to the Northwest. I got calls from churches in Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Missouri, Illinois, but none from the
Northwest. There were no churches open at that time that seemed anywhere right.
I finally had to pray, “God I really want to go to the Northwest; but I’ll go where you want me to go.” Just
then one of my professors, Howard Huff, approached me and told me of a small congregation in northwest Oklahoma that would be just right for me. I listened to him and I applied and we found ourselves in Laverne, Oklahoma. After
moving there I realized that this was the best situation for me. I missed family like crazy, but starting my
ministry in Oklahoma was right for me.
How do you pray? For what do you pray? God does desire to shower
upon us much. Are we asking for the right things? The right direction?
TEACH US TO PRAY
Luke 11:1-4
July 18, 2010
When you were growing up and your parents or teacher told you to bow your head and close your
eyes to pray, did you ever open your eyes to peek a little to see what your parent was doing or if everyone else had their eyes closed? I did. That was the way I learned that my parents really did close their eyes
and bow their heads. I studied my mother’s face as she prayed earnestly. The
intensity on her face impressed me; the sincerity in her voice told me this was a very meaningful conversation.
I remember when I was a Junior Camper and we were told to go out and sit alone by ourselves for
15 minutes for Morning Watch, read a Bible passage and pray. I dutifully did it; but that was the longest 15 minutes
I ever experienced. I don’t know if I accomplished anything.
As a pastor, I have had members of the congregation come up to me privately and say, “How are
you supposed to pray? Is there a formula you are to use? I don’t want
to mess it up. Would you help me how to pray?” To be honest, taking
the time to pray is sometimes very difficult for me; my mind is going on twenty different things and I have to really work at slowing my mind down in order to
be in an attitude of prayer.
The followers of Jesus came up to him and said, “Teach us to pray, as Jon taught his
disciples.” “Teach us to pray” – prayer is not something that may come naturally. But it also says that prayer is not just talking and talking and talking on whatever comes to your mind that you think
God might be interested in. It’s not a one hour therapy session.
So, what is prayer? Simply, it is conversation with
God. Conversation is normally two sided; so one of the first lessons we learn is that prayer not only involves our
talking but also our listening. Prayer is not one sided conversation where we dominate the conversation.
What is the purpose of prayer? It is to establish a
relationship. But more than that, I believe prayer is about seeking to bend our thought and will toward the heart
and mind of God. This is the opposite of what we often do in prayer where the goal is to get God to do our bidding. We pray to God to heal our loved one, to protect our family from the flooding, to get God to cause rain to fall on the
crops or to stop the rain from falling on the ripe cherries. It is normal and natural to tell God what is on our
hearts and minds, but to use God as our Genie in the bottle who obeys our every wish and command? I have hear
ministers pray together, proclaiming that since they all are in agreement as to what should be done then God is obligated to do their bidding.
Would you take your hymnal and turn to #594; this is a hymn that I can remember from my youth,
singing in worship in the Chelan Christian Church. Join me in reading these words; they are a prayer, aren’t they!
Let’s read verses 1,4 and 5 together. (Dear
Lord and Father of Mankind)
You may have noticed that in this hymn there are alternative words printed below for the first
phrase, “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind” to “Dear God, embracing humankind.” The reason is that we are
trying to move away from language that is strictly male in orientation. Yes, in the Bible Jesus clearly spoke of God
as “father” precisely because of the patriarchal culture in which he lived. We know that God is not male nor
female since God created us both equally and in God’s image, yet the male domination language still controls that image. I
personally try to avoid using “father” language for God because I believe God is as much mother as father, and for many folk today, especially women, the
male language for God continues to keep women is a secondary role, less than equal.
What was Jesus about in this model prayer he gave his disciples?
There were some things for which we ought to intentionally pray, or else prayer becomes a rambling or a “wish list” for Santa to fill on Christmas
Eve. Luke’s version of this prayer is quite different from the one we are familiar with in the Gospel of Matthew. This one is not as refined - simple, short phrases. “Your Kingdom come.”
Jesus was not about getting us out of this world but rather the Reign of God coming into this world. Jesus’ entire
focus was on announcing the Reign of God has come near. We are called to embody the way of God. The Kingdom of God is different from the Kingdom of this world. “Give us
each day our daily bread.” When Jesus sent the 12 and the 70 out in mission, he told them to take only
small pack; trust in those who you stay with to take care of your needs. Give us today what we need for tomorrow. It is a position of dependence on God; not a position of abundance which then allows us to be self reliant and trust in
ourselves. No, depend on God to give you what you need for tomorrow; nothing more.
What kind of a lifestyle would that look like? We would probably call it poverty, or welfare or homeless. What would it mean for you to really trust in God for your lunch for tomorrow?
“Forgive us our sins as we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.” You notice that this prayer is communal; it is not a personal prayer. In
order to live in relationship, we have to be willing to forgive. Whether that is a husband/wife/ or siblings or
coworkers or nations. What would it have been like if we had asked for forgiveness to those who chose to do violence
against us on September 11, 2001? What would it be like if we chose to forgive those who have verbally abused us
rather than seeking revenge? Seeking forgiveness causes one to examine one’s own motives and attitudes. If we are to live in community we have to forgive and be forgiven.
From the New Interpreter’s Bible we find, “Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done,/ and then your sins
will be pardoned when you pray” (Sir 28:2). One who will not forgive cannot receive forgiveness; mercy flows through the same channel, whether being given or
received. There is no quid pro quo here; however, the ability to forgive and to be forgiven is part of the same gift. We stand in need not only of daily
sustenance but also of continual forgiveness.
“And do not bring us to the time of trial.” There
is a history of God putting us to the test; not tempting us to fall short, but testing us to build our lives up. Luke
was writing to believers who already had heard about or were, themselves, facing actual persecution. The listeners
to this Gospel could totally identify with the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Lord, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, but
nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.”
“Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter; I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Have thine own way, Lord! Have
thine own way!
Search me and try me, Savior today!
Wash me just now, Lord, wash me just now,
As in thy presence humbly I bow.
Have thine own way, Lord! Have
thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me I pray!
Power, all power, surely is thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!
Have thine own way, Lord! Have
thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway.
Fill with thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.
Prayer is about opening ourselves up to the movement of God’s Spirit in and through us, to
change us, transform us; that we might be shaped as clay is in the hands of the artist, bringing out gifts and shapes that only the artist can see.
Some of my most powerful moments of prayer have been total silence. And the most powerful word I have ever uttered to God has been a groan – a groan that can’t be put into words but
speaks volumes. At other times, it is “O God, help!” That is all I
can utter; and God understands. Sometimes a prayer is a picture; sometimes a word; sometimes a look, a tear, a hug,
a smile. Sometimes a prayer is something we don’t want to hear, but we need it for our wholeness of life.
Prayer is communication with God, not to shape God into our will but for us to be open to
grasping the heart and mind of the One who created this universe in all its diversity and blesses us with life.
The last thing a prayer needs to be is lengthy. It
is about honesty and relationship.
WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?
Luke 10: 25-37
July 4, 2010
As I mentioned two weeks ago as we started this series of sermon in Luke, Jesus has set his face toward Jerusalem. He
knows what awaits him. The trip is filled with intensity and passion; there is no time for trivial matters. When you know your time for living is short, everything matters. You get
right to the point. You don’t have the luxury of time.
Jesus is confronted by a lawyer (a person trained in the Torah – applying the Torah to life). In Jesus’
day religious life and social life were one and the same. In Luke, the lawyer confronts Jesus while he is still on
the journey; in Matthew and Mark, the lawyers confront Jesus just two days before his arrest and crucifixion. The
question is different: in Matthew and Mark the question is, “What are the greatest commandments?” (a trick
question). In Luke, the question is, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Completely different questions.
I have been intrigued and fascinated in recent years at the obsession of some folk who want to demand that the 10 Commandments be tacked to the walls of
public buildings and erected as monuments on the court house lawns. I personally believe in the need of a strong
separation of church and state, but there is another question. The 10 Commandments, while very important in
understanding the covenant between God and the Jews, and to that extent how we are to live today, are very much Old Testament.
Jesus, on the other hand, recognized the 10 Commandments, but actually focused on something else from the Torah: Love
the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself – two statements from the Torah. I believe the fascination with the 10 Commandments is partially due to the specificity of them: don’t kill, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal; don’t bear false witness; don’t covet, honor your parents, etc. They are specific; it is easier to follow the specifics. These are also,
however, in the negative: “don’t!” Isn’t it interesting that
what Jesus focused on was: “Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself.” It is not as specific and appears to
some as soft and weak; yet, I would argue that what Jesus did was raise the bar of expectation significantly higher. It
demands much more thought and a much higher standard of living. Instead of measuring the outward actions of a
person, Jesus’ commandments force us to look at the heart, the place where all good and evil thoughts and intentions begin.
If we are going to be Christian, we put on our walls, “Love God and Love your neighbor.” We are called to
look at our hearts, the inward motivation.
Who is my neighbor? Is my neighbor Leslie, the single woman who lives next door to us on Westover Drive? Is my neighbor the folk who live in Willow Springs across the fence from us? Is
my neighbor the new Hispanic family that moved in across the street from Englewood Christian? Is my neighbor you
folk whom I know and love? Is my neighbor the gang members who live on South 6th Street in Yakima? Is my neighbor the illegal immigrants who are picking the cherries and thinning the apples?
Who is my neighbor? Those who look, think and act just like me?
When the lawyer asked the question, “Who is my neighbor?” he was really asking, “Who do I have to be nice to and who don’t I have to be nice
to?” Who do I have to love and who can I hate? Who must I be treat
kindly and who can I kill and ignore and despise and get away with it? In other words, define “neighbor.”
Let’s take a moment and define the word, “love.” It is so misunderstood, and our English language
doesn’t help us in that matter. The word Jesus is using here does not mean a feeling of emotion or a gush of
feelings. You love your husband or wife; you love your children and grandchildren; you love those close friends with
whom you have shared meaningful relationships. That is not the kind of love that Jesus is talking about here. Love of neighbor means acting in ways that show respect to the other person as a human being, a child of God, whether we
know them or not, whether we like them or not, whether we despise them or not. You treat them as you would want to
be treated. When we raised the $1,100 for the Yakama Christian Mission the last two weeks, it was love; we don’t
know those children. But we acted in a manner of love – the way we would want to be treated.
When Jesus started to tell the parable, he began by describing a person who was beat and robbed; he doesn’t say who this person was or anything about
him – he is a human being. Then we have the priest and the Levite, both of the religious class in Jerusalem. They are good folk; they are dedicated folk. They are torn between wanting to
help someone fallen but also their religious duties. If the man is dead and they touch him, they cannot fulfill
their duties at the Temple, a sacred responsibility. Let’s don’t knock the priest and Levite. How many of us have passed someone along side of the road and wondered, “Oh, should I stop and help them?” But we drive on.
The listeners of this parable anticipate who the third example will be. Back then, like today, you set up a
story or a joke with two people, and the punch line comes with the third. The people anticipate that the third
character in the story will be a common person like them. The priest and the Levite don’t do it, but “we” will
– is the thinking. Jesus’ parables are always grounded in real life situations that the folk can grasp the
story; yet, there is always a twist, an unexpected element, that forces the audience to rethink things. In this
case, when Jesus mentions the third person as a Samaritan, he completely takes everyone by surprise. Samaritans were ceremonially unclean, socially outcast and
religiously heretics. The Samaritan represents the opposite of the lawyer who asked the question as well as the
priest and Levite in the story. Common Jews wouldn’t associate with a Samaritan; they walked two extra days to get
to Jerusalem by walking around their territory rather than walk through it. The idea of using a Samaritan as a
positive example of being a neighbor was offensive to them. Jesus stopped preaching and went to meddling. The talk television and radio commentators would have had a hay day with that one! Jesus
is not Jewish enough! He uses their despised neighbors as a positive example! You
can hear the vile responses already, the red faces, the blood pressure going up. But Jesus’ face is set toward
Jerusalem, and he is speaking about the Kingdom of God, whether they like it or not. How often prophets have been
killed for speaking a greater truth.
At the end of the story, Jesus asks the lawyer a question, “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hand of the
robbers?” The lawyer was so taken aback and offended, that he could not even say the word, “Samaritan.” He mumbled, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Jesus turns the issue around – instead of dealing with the boundaries as to who are my neighbors, Jesus talks about the essential nature of being a
neighbor. Boundaries: Christians vs. Muslims or Jews. Caucasians vs. Blacks, Hispanic, or Native American. Men vs. women (100th
anniversary of women’s suffrage here in Washington State). Heterosexual vs.
homosexual. Legal vs. illegal. Boundaries.
Who is in and who is out? Who is my neighbor that I am suppose to love? And
who can I treat with less respect because they are not like me or not one of us? By using a Samaritan as the
positive example of being neighbor, Jesus completely demolishes any use of boundaries as an excuse for treating other humans as less than equal and human.
The Apostle Peter confronted this personally a few years later when he entered the house of Cornelius, the Roman centurion, to share the Gospel of Jesus. “You know that we Jews are not suppose to associate with Gentiles, but God has shown me that I should not call anyone
profane or unclean.” Later in the story he says, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality…” (Acts 10:28, 34)
Jesus was challenging the rules and boundaries of the culture in which he lived. To love God completely and
to love one’s neighbor as one’s self, one must often reject society’s rules and attitudes in favor of the commandments of the Realm of God that Jesus
lived. His face was set toward Jerusalem, and he didn’t pull any punches. To
be a follower of Jesus is never popular and often costly.
What does this story tell us about how we are to treat the homosexual who lives down the street? This country
needs to have a serious discussion on the topic of immigration. My question is:
how do the teachings of Jesus instruct Christians to approach these issues? What does this Samaritan parable
tell us about being neighbor? Who is my neighbor?
