August 29, 2010
Luke 14:1, 7-14
Jesus, observing the maneuvering going on for the places of honor at a dinner he’s attending, shares with the other guests the wisdom of ‘being humble.’ He says, “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." Still, the guests went for the best seats because position influenced what others thought of them. The same jostling for position and attitude was true in the synagogues – and perhaps that was the point.
Some would say that today, we are the Pharisees. We are the faithful and active church members who are trying to live virtuous lives. We are the insiders who anxiously shift in our seats when outsiders come into the dinner party we know as church. Yet, who are the ones Jesus holds up as worthy of inviting? Those on the margins, right. So, let’s imagine they came, those on the margin. Where might they sit if they were here today?
Someone once said that as human beings we are by nature a bit tribal. And as such, we are most comfortable with people who are like us. Joining a group of which we are not naturally a part or having them join us is difficult and takes effort on our part. That is how it was in Jesus' day as well. There were all sorts of groups, and groups within groups, that tended to congregate only with “their own.” People of different groups did not normally eat together. And the poor and homeless were often absent altogether.
Jesus instructs his host, as well as the church, by saying: when making up the guest lists and deciding how to share the blessings that has been received, don't be strategic. Don't think about what you might get in return. Be extravagantly generous. Invite the most unlikely, most unexpected guests into the life of your “church” and share that most necessary, most enjoyable experience of eating together. "You will be blessed,"
Who is missing from the table here? Who is excluded? Who would Jesus have us invite? The Reverend Kate Huey suggests the common problem of many churches is that, “We have domesticated hospitality, …that keeps (us welcoming only) our "own kind" of people, or at least those we can feel comfortable around. Our generosity toward strangers and all those we might consider "strange" is often offered from a distance, without personal contact.” However, Jesus' challenge calls us to be more aware of those “on the margins” and to follow him in including them at our tables. It is then we catch a glimpse of the way things will be in the reign of God, when those “beneath” us are not only welcomed but also become honored guests. “For Luke, the kingdom is not present where some eat and some do not.” (Fred Craddock)
In Hebrews 14, Paul writes how Christians ought to express faith through how they live their lives. He says be hospitable to strangers; be faithful to your spouse; be content with what you have; be empathetic to the suffering of others; and be mindful of the those imprisoned or without hope. The first Methodists — brothers John and Charles Wesley and the small group they gathered with at Oxford University in England — had the same idea. Along with their regular meetings for prayer, Bible study, and the reading of spiritual classics they held one another accountable to living out their faith, which included feeding the hungry, comforting people in grief and visiting those in prison.
Were John Wesley here today, he would probably put us all on the spot by asking, “Have you ever had one of those moments when you realize you have missed something by not being able to be present for others? Have you this last week not just counted your blessings but have actually hungered to be a blessing to others? Have you ”
Emilie Townes has written a beautiful reflection on today’s passage from Luke that includes just such an awareness: "Being a blessing is not easy, but trying to jump-start it by scurrying into places we think will shower us with blessings or display the blessings we have received is much easier. In all these cases, the deep theological meaning of blessing is lost…." She then challenges us to "mine (or dig) for how we seek blessings,” – be a blessing by putting others ahead of yourself. And move up to a higher place.
An article by Frank Rich appeared in the New York Times earlier this month about the recent death of a wealthy, prominent woman, Judith Dunnington Peabody, who enjoyed the highest place at the tables she graced. She could have chose to remain in her own circle of privilege and comfort, but she didn’t. Several accounts of her life reveals a woman who understood deeply what it means to be a blessing, and what it means to love the strangers in our lives, not from afar, but sitting right down, next to them. Besides the traditional fundraising (among her "own"), Judith Peabody worked with and for those in need, those whom most folks would have avoided, including a Hispanic youth gang in East Harlem that she invited to her apartment for dinner – all of them. During the 1980's she became a caregiver for gay men with HIV/AIDS, consoling and holding their hands. What made her so unusual one person said was: "She was always going into areas where polite society didn't go… friends would tell her: 'I can't believe you're doing that. We don't know people like that.'"
In this week's Gospel, Jesus tells us to surprise everyone, even ourselves, by a guest list that comes from the margins – turning position on its head. Become a blessing – give and you will receive. The good news is we can be a blessing. May it be so!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Sabbath Lesson
August 22, 2010
Luke 13:10-17
The woman in Luke’s story has been unable to stand up straight, seeing only the ground around her feet, for many years. She has dealt with it for a long time. There is no reason for Jesus to have done something ‘right away.’ He could have waited until the Sabbath was over to heal her, and everyone would have been happy – but, he didn’t. Instead, he makes a statement. It isn't the only time Jesus has healed on the Sabbath, or healed while teaching in the synagogue (or both) or the first time he's provoked the religious leaders. For him, it was a teaching moment and another lesson about God.
So, what was Jesus trying to say? Was it something about his power to heal, something about the hypocritical Pharisees, or was it something else? Maybe the fact he mentions the word ‘Sabbath’ five times provides a clue. Maybe the point he is trying to make is about how Sabbath is observed – or why we do the things we do in ‘honoring’ God.
Looking back on my life growing up, an important part was my grandparents who lived right across the lane. Their house being only a short distance away, we spent a lot of time over their, playing in the yard (and in the barn), climbing mulberry trees north of the house, or listening to the record player. Sundays were a special day. Always after going to church (which grandpa and grandma never attended), was dinner at their house and an afternoon that began by reading the Sunday comics. Often relatives or friends would drop by and spend a good part of the afternoon visiting. For Grandpa and Grandma, it was a day away from ceaseless housework and the never-ending work of the farm. It was a day of rest; a day involving people, a day of connecting and a day for caring. This was their Sabbath. If only they had gone to church like they were suppose to.
Both Jesus and the leader of this synagogue took Law and Scripture seriously. Where they differed was in their understanding of God. For the leader of the synagogue, and for the Pharisees, God (and God’s law) was there to be obeyed. The law was to be followed – to the letter, no exceptions. God expected it. The key to his reality was: “Keep God happy, and everything will work out right.
But Jesus saw it differently. "The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:22) William Loader points out that "[Jesus’] basic teaching is that God's will is always... focused on people's well being. God's chief concern is not to be obeyed... God's chief concern is love and care for the people and creation." The key to Jesus’ reality was: “Look after God’s people and creation, and everything will work out right.” This is ‘the Sabbath lesson.’
Looking back, to an earlier time growing up, the Sabbath meant something. It was important. Stores were closed on Sunday and things you could do the rest of the week you couldn’t do on Sunday. In rural Iowa, breaking the Sabbath was frowned upon, it was something a person didn’t do. Keeping the Sabbath was a serious and sometimes costly badge of one's faith and faithfulness to God. Things were a lot different back then. There were more families in church, Sunday school classes were full, and everyone went to church on Sunday morning. People followed what the Bible said; they knew what they should do on the Sabbath to make God happy and they did it.
Or did they? Luke makes his point very clear in today’s gospel reading. It is Jesus, he says, who heals the woman. But it is the Lord who answers the leader of the synagogue and calls him a hypocrite. Imagine what that must have felt like, to be rebuked by Jesus because what you thought you had figured out was completely wrong and when it came to your own reality of God, you were exactly the opposite of what you wanted to be. Perhaps Luke’s story of Sabbath healing is intended to help us face our own reality of God and how we too sometimes get things twisted around. This is ‘the Sabbath lesson.’
I don’t know if it was clear or not, that my grandparents did not go to church on Sunday mornings. You see, church was not part of their Sabbath. At one time that concerned me a lot. However, today I realize they honored God every Sunday in ways every church could learn from – by making it a day of rest, a day to connect with family around the table and with distant relatives and friends who would ‘drop by’ for a visit. It was a day of hospitality and healing, a day of caring and connecting. As I look back on their reality now, it seems a lot closer to Jesus’ lesson of what Sabbath should actually be - ‘looking after Gods people and creation’ rather than just keeping God happy.
Sunday for my grandparents was a day of promise, a day they looked forward to, a day they truly welcomed. It was for them a sample of God’s dominion to come; it was a good thing, a gift from God. It was a day of hope in the midst of difficult times. The Reverend Barbara Brown Taylor writes of knowing “people who can do five things at once who are incapable of doing nothing.” Included in my grandparent’s day of rest was, by today’s standards, a lot of “doing nothing” yet in it everything that mattered.
Sabbath is not about keeping God happy. Know that God loves you and wants good for you... it isn’t a matter of doing the right thing... or God won't love you? God's chief concern has always been the love of God’s people and creation… not in our keeping laws. This is ‘the Sabbath lesson.’ As the bent-over woman's gaze was "lifted up," may our perspective, too, be raised to new and deeper faithfulness and praise of God.
Luke 13:10-17
The woman in Luke’s story has been unable to stand up straight, seeing only the ground around her feet, for many years. She has dealt with it for a long time. There is no reason for Jesus to have done something ‘right away.’ He could have waited until the Sabbath was over to heal her, and everyone would have been happy – but, he didn’t. Instead, he makes a statement. It isn't the only time Jesus has healed on the Sabbath, or healed while teaching in the synagogue (or both) or the first time he's provoked the religious leaders. For him, it was a teaching moment and another lesson about God.
So, what was Jesus trying to say? Was it something about his power to heal, something about the hypocritical Pharisees, or was it something else? Maybe the fact he mentions the word ‘Sabbath’ five times provides a clue. Maybe the point he is trying to make is about how Sabbath is observed – or why we do the things we do in ‘honoring’ God.
Looking back on my life growing up, an important part was my grandparents who lived right across the lane. Their house being only a short distance away, we spent a lot of time over their, playing in the yard (and in the barn), climbing mulberry trees north of the house, or listening to the record player. Sundays were a special day. Always after going to church (which grandpa and grandma never attended), was dinner at their house and an afternoon that began by reading the Sunday comics. Often relatives or friends would drop by and spend a good part of the afternoon visiting. For Grandpa and Grandma, it was a day away from ceaseless housework and the never-ending work of the farm. It was a day of rest; a day involving people, a day of connecting and a day for caring. This was their Sabbath. If only they had gone to church like they were suppose to.
Both Jesus and the leader of this synagogue took Law and Scripture seriously. Where they differed was in their understanding of God. For the leader of the synagogue, and for the Pharisees, God (and God’s law) was there to be obeyed. The law was to be followed – to the letter, no exceptions. God expected it. The key to his reality was: “Keep God happy, and everything will work out right.
But Jesus saw it differently. "The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:22) William Loader points out that "[Jesus’] basic teaching is that God's will is always... focused on people's well being. God's chief concern is not to be obeyed... God's chief concern is love and care for the people and creation." The key to Jesus’ reality was: “Look after God’s people and creation, and everything will work out right.” This is ‘the Sabbath lesson.’
Looking back, to an earlier time growing up, the Sabbath meant something. It was important. Stores were closed on Sunday and things you could do the rest of the week you couldn’t do on Sunday. In rural Iowa, breaking the Sabbath was frowned upon, it was something a person didn’t do. Keeping the Sabbath was a serious and sometimes costly badge of one's faith and faithfulness to God. Things were a lot different back then. There were more families in church, Sunday school classes were full, and everyone went to church on Sunday morning. People followed what the Bible said; they knew what they should do on the Sabbath to make God happy and they did it.
Or did they? Luke makes his point very clear in today’s gospel reading. It is Jesus, he says, who heals the woman. But it is the Lord who answers the leader of the synagogue and calls him a hypocrite. Imagine what that must have felt like, to be rebuked by Jesus because what you thought you had figured out was completely wrong and when it came to your own reality of God, you were exactly the opposite of what you wanted to be. Perhaps Luke’s story of Sabbath healing is intended to help us face our own reality of God and how we too sometimes get things twisted around. This is ‘the Sabbath lesson.’
I don’t know if it was clear or not, that my grandparents did not go to church on Sunday mornings. You see, church was not part of their Sabbath. At one time that concerned me a lot. However, today I realize they honored God every Sunday in ways every church could learn from – by making it a day of rest, a day to connect with family around the table and with distant relatives and friends who would ‘drop by’ for a visit. It was a day of hospitality and healing, a day of caring and connecting. As I look back on their reality now, it seems a lot closer to Jesus’ lesson of what Sabbath should actually be - ‘looking after Gods people and creation’ rather than just keeping God happy.
Sunday for my grandparents was a day of promise, a day they looked forward to, a day they truly welcomed. It was for them a sample of God’s dominion to come; it was a good thing, a gift from God. It was a day of hope in the midst of difficult times. The Reverend Barbara Brown Taylor writes of knowing “people who can do five things at once who are incapable of doing nothing.” Included in my grandparent’s day of rest was, by today’s standards, a lot of “doing nothing” yet in it everything that mattered.
Sabbath is not about keeping God happy. Know that God loves you and wants good for you... it isn’t a matter of doing the right thing... or God won't love you? God's chief concern has always been the love of God’s people and creation… not in our keeping laws. This is ‘the Sabbath lesson.’ As the bent-over woman's gaze was "lifted up," may our perspective, too, be raised to new and deeper faithfulness and praise of God.
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