What are we invited to ask as we consider the widow and her mites?

Good morning good folk of St. John’s, Parsons. 

[introduction of my role as Campus Missioner; acknowledge The Rev. Susan Terry’s time here; kudos to “Laundry and Latte”; and highlight that I’ll be here this afternoon talking about campus ministry at the SE Convocation meeting]

There’s so much we could cover this morning: an important intimate moment in the story of Naomi’s and Ruth’s struggle to survive; the ‘widows mites’; Veteran’s Day (as an examination of honoring sacrificial service); and how themes from today can tie into stewardship and sacrificial giving of our finances to the mission of the church.  Don’t worry, I’m not going to try to cover all this.

I’d like to narrow in on the Gospel story we’ve heard about the widow’s mite (or, more precisely, her two mites), represented by the chosen image for the front of your worship bulletin today.

Often, people hold up this story as an illustration, and even celebration, of sacrificial giving to the church and perhaps even use it to encourage or guilt people into giving more during stewardship season.  However, I don’t believe that’s what the Spirit intends for us to hear or see in this Gospel lesson.  Before we’re too quick to imagine a smile on her face as she joyfully deposits everything she has into the temple coffers, we’re invited to consider what’s going on from the perspective of our Lord, who invites us to look over his shoulder and consider what’s really going on here.

First, consider these points:

 

1.    We don’t know what’s going through her heart or mind as she makes this offering, but we do know that offerings to the temple were expected. Think of it like paying taxes. 

2. She’s not tithing – she’s not giving a tenth. Jesus tells us “she put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (v 44) – essentially, she has put in her life. It’s hard to imagine that she’s calculating how she can give as little as possible while still meeting the letter of the law, or that she’s being self-serving, expecting people to notice her or otherwise get a social benefit from having been seen as being a ‘major gift’ giver.

3. Jesus doesn’t praise her offer, nor does he say to the disciples that they should follow her example of giving. He doesn’t comment on our faithful giving as supporting the valuable mission of the temple as a religious institution. Jesus simply draws their attention to the fact that this widow – this already impoverished and otherwise overlooked person who is already vulnerable to exploitation – has put in more than others who have given out of their abundance – her effective tax rate is higher than those who have much more than her.

4. In the verses just before mentioning this widow, Jesus has condemned the pretentious and hypocritical religious who “devour widows’ houses” while seeking to appear holy and righteous. In the verses following his mention of this widow, Jesus says that the very temple that the she is giving her money to will be destroyed.

5. Just one chapter earlier, Jesus called this temple/institution a “den of robbers” (Mark 11:17) after he attempts to cleanse it of gross commercial exploitation of the faithful. Then, at the beginning the chapter we’ve heard from (chapter 12), Jesus tells the story of greedy vineyard tenants who even result to violence and murder to get what they believe they’re entitled to (vv.1-

8. What are we to make of this?  What might the Holy Spirit being inviting us to see?

Some questions to consider – take a silent, prayerful moment to listen for what you might hear in your heart….

a)    Is Jesus pointing to the woman as an exemplar of faithful stewardship, or might he be lamenting her being compelled to offer all that she had left as a tragic example of how too much is being expected from those who have little already, for the benefit of those who already have much?

b) Given what Jesus says before and after drawing attention to this widow’s offering, might he be pointing out that she’s giving so much of herself to a corrupt institution, destined for destruction, that otherwise is enabling wealthier people to take advantage of her faithful participation in the temple taxation system?

c) Why would someone give all they have left for others apparently so underserving?

d) Who would be so unreasonably and extravagantly generous as to offer something so precious to others who will only take the gift for granted and use what they want from it for their own self-preservation (rather than the benefit of others)?

e) Might the faithful folly of this scene with the widow and her mites be foreshadowing of what Jesus, in the remaining chapters of Mark, is about to give on behalf of so many who are otherwise undeserving and unappreciative? In his earthly mission and ministry since baptism, did he not put in everything he had, all he had to live on? For what? For who?

f) As we approach the beginning of the Advent season, might this story of such an unreasonable and extravagant gift from an otherwise unknown nobody resonate with a gift God is about to offer the entire world through an otherwise unknown rural couple who otherwise don’t have any standing with the ruling institutions of their day?

Through noticing the widow and her mites and consider her circumstances, is the Holy Spirit calling us to examine collectively the integrity and fidelity the institutions that we support.  Are they providing shelter and opportunity more for robbers, or are they providing protection for the vulnerable as well as healing and rehabilitation for the sick (in all sense of that word)?  Who are we expecting offerings from and why?

Certainly, Jesus does challenge us time and again to re-consider how we’re utilizing our time, talent, and treasurer.

Are we settling for a faith that has Jesus doing the sacrificing while we reap the rewards?  Or, have we been inspired by his gifts to be equally gracious toward others, providing for their needs out of all that we have to offer?

What is the evidence in our lives that we are generously and otherwise unreasonably giving what we have, truly trusting in God’s abundant provision for our future?

If Jesus were to sit by any of our treasuries (the offering plates we’re about to pass, the budget of this parish family, our nation’s storehouses of wealth and debt, or our personal bank accounts), what would he notice about the transactions?

Is it ours to judge or worry if others are deserving of our gifts offered in faith, hope, and charitable love?

What example do we have in Christ?

“God of fierce justice, you close the mouth of those who devour the poor and hide behind their prayer: humbled by the giving of those who have so little let us live from your abundance; through Jesus Christ, the judgment of God. Amen.”

(Shakespeare, Steven. Prayers for An Inclusive Church (NY: Church Publishing, 2009) p.76)      

Believing and Seeing – which is first?

Believing.  Seeing.  Which comes first?  Do you need to see it to believe it… or does believing something enable you to see things more clearly?  We’re called to consider both.  Our doubting disciple (Thomas) says about the resurrection, “I’ll believe it when I see it”… Jesus does show him his wounds.  Then Jesus says to other (and to us), “blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” 

Sometimes we just don’t see what’s right in front of us.  It’s not because we’re physically blind, but because we’re pre-occupied with our own concerns, with what we want to pay attention to, with what experience has taught us to expect / to look out for.  We know this as tunnel vision, as selective seeing, etc..  It’s what causes to say, startled, ‘I didn’t see you there’, enables us to be ‘blind-sided’, or leads us to proclaim, ‘I didn’t see it coming.’

Sometimes, when we change our mind or think differently, we begin seeing things differently… noticing anew.  With new beliefs will sometimes come new behaviors.

We’re on the look-out for data/evidence to support our new perspective. When we get a bigger mind about something, we perceive patterns and connections that we hadn’t noticed before.  We might even begin acting contrary to what our circumstances or convention suggest because we believe we’re part of a something yet unseen or unrealized… and have hope or faith that what we’ve come to believe in will be shown to be true, despite the present predicaments.

The relationship between seeing and believing – between preconception and action – is very relevant to our relationship with the stories in our Holy Bible as well as our Christian discipleship.  Some prayerful reflection on the relationship between what is seen and what we believe is prudent as we observe where we’ve been as a community and envisions possibilities for our future ministry here in Christ’s name.

Now let’s engage our imaginations through an exercise inspired by Ignatianspirituality.  Putting ourselves into scriptural stories to see them from the inside from multiple perspectives is a wonderful way to feast on the Word and taste new things form stories that we’ve heard many times before.

As a little exercise, let’s consider different points of view in today’s Gospel lesson (Mark 10:46-52 – ‘blind Bartimaeus’).  We’re in the last major stop of Jesus’s tour of healing and teaching before he enters Jerusalem.  The section of Mark’s telling of the good news is bookended by stories of Jesus restoring sight to the blind – of helping people ‘see’ (Mark 8:22-10:52).  So, let’s consider ‘seeing’ anew.  How might changing our point of view help us to see things differently?

First, we’re in the crowd of followers, following this charismatic prophet / teacher / miracle worker who seems to have emerged out of a very unexpected place (ordinary, rural town).  This Jesus of Nazareth and his posse have come through our town (Jericho) and we’re crowding around them to see if we can catch a glimpse of him doing something to justify his reputation.   Further, perhaps some of us have come to believe, based on what we’ve heard about him, that he’s been ordained by God to lead a revolution against the Roman establishment and we want to get caught up in the zeal of this possibility.  We’re huddled around them, fascinated and curious.  From somewhere on the margins of the crowd we keep hearing an obnoxious voice crying out “Son of David, have mercy on me.”  Oh, great it’s that no-good panhandling beggar who’s always at the side of this road.  He ought to be ashamed of himself being such a nuisance.  He ought to be quiet – if he’d behave better, people might not be so put off by him and have a little more pity on his poor existence.  We certainly don’t want this potential messiah to believe that we tolerate this beggar’s obnoxious behavior.  “Be quiet!” we insist.  That is, until Jesus stops in the middle of the road.  What?!  Jesus has heard this particular beggar over the roar and rush of the crowd?!  He’s calling for the beggar?!  Some of us begin to suddenly change our tune.  Toward that no-good nobody that we were just trying to silence, we now suddenly smile and seem supportive – perhaps Jesus will notice us trying to help.  “Come here beggar.  Be happy.  He is calling for you.”

Mob mentality.  Following the crowd.  Circling the wagons to protect those on the inside from those on the outside.  Leaving behind, or leaving out, to fend for themselves those who we believe to be problematic or otherwise not worth our effort.

Yet, Jesus stopped the action and called our attention to that unlikely one – the one who has been begging his whole life.  The one who we’ve presumed must have done something wrong to have received such curses from God.

We’re seeing this.  Do we believe it?

Then, what must have this scene have looked like from the beggar’s perspective?  Blind, perhaps from birth, you’ve been marginalized by a society that doesn’t have the resources or concern to offer to special consideration or support.  There is no ‘Citizens of Jericho with Disabilities Act” that requires society to accommodate you or your needs.  Most people probably assume there’s something fundamentally wrong with you in the eyes of God to have suffered this fate.  In fact, even your family has abandoned you to beg by the roadside for your daily sustenance.  Thought you can’t see, your hearing is very acute and you’ve learned a lot by listening what others say.  Lately, you’ve been hearing a lot about this amazing Jesus from Nazareth who might be of royal lineage and seems to be fulfilling prophecies that you’ve heard about.  You’ve heard of miraculous healings taking place in his presence and how he has restored people to standing in their communities by offering special attention to them, even against prevailing prejudices.  What if he can do the same for you?  This might be your one shot.  You’re not going to let this pass you by.  You need his attention – you need Jesus to notice you.  You will not listen to the wannabe-in-crown telling you to be quiet.  You’re not to going to listen to those presuming to protect Jesus from the like of you – to those who you’ve heard belittling you and whispering things like “but for the grace of God there, go I” when they pass you on the street.  You believe that it’s entirely possible for this Jesus to heal redeem you, despite the prevailing pressure of the large crowd.  You are using all the strength left in your voice to cry out to this Jesus, Son of David, to have mercy on you – hoping for him to just nod in your direction, acknowledging your existence.  But he does so much more.  Jesus stops the action in the streets.  He turns and asks for you.  This is it!  You believe this will change your life.  So, you throw off your cloak – the quiet-literal ‘security’ blanket that has been your means of protection from the elements as well as your way of collecting coins thrown in your direction.  You don’t want anything to weigh you down at this point – you need to be totally exposed and available for even a brief touch from this healer.  Perhaps you even believe that won’t need that cloak anymore when Jesus is done with you.  And the moment has arrived, you’re face-to-face with Jesus and he asks, ‘What do you want me to do for you?” (pause – repeat)  It comes out of your mouth with conviction and all the hope you have left, “My teacher, let me see again.” (pause)  He has heard you and has sensed the intensity of your belief.  He says to you, ‘Go out!  Your faith has made you well, has saved you, and has rescued you.’  You can’t “go” away from this teacher.  He has just given you new sight, essentially a new life.  You can’t help but leave behind you old life – it’s dead to you now.  You will continue to follow Jesus on his way – both in terms of where he’s literally headed and in terms of ‘the way of life’ that he teaches.  You’re his now.

Carefully listening to and learning from what is said by those around you.  Humbly doing what you need to do in order to make ends meet.  Persisting toward a relationship with Christ, even when those who presume to protect Jesus tell you to sit down and be quiet.  Faithfully casting off what you believe has been keeping you safe in order to more fully encounter Christ.  Coming to ‘see’ truth and then deciding to continue following it, even if it means leaving behind your previous way of life.

What does the Spirit want us to see?

And finally, what about from Jesus’ perspective?  Look at all you’ve been through since your baptism (by your friend John, who has now been callously executed).  You’ve called simple people, from common walks of life, to be your followers and students.  You’ve demonstrated for them time and again your desire to heal and restore even those who are considered lost causes, untouchable, and sin-laden.  You’ve fed multitudes, exorcised demons (who seem to see you more clearly than anyone else around you), been transfigured on a mountain top with no less than Elijah and Moses, opened the ears of the deaf and at least once before given sight to the blind.  You’ve taught and you’ve even been explicit about your destiny and the destiny of those who choose to follow you. Yet, your motives and ministry has been constantly challenged by political and religious authorities who you know are now conspiring against you.  And, surrounding you are beloved, but thick-headed and short-sighted disciples who don’t seem to be getting the bigger picture – they’re so fixated on their preconceptions about restoration to earthly royalty and salvation through dominant power rather than seeing and seeking God’s mercy and grace through humble service in spiritual kingdom that is already at hand, if they’d choose to see it and believe in it.  These crowds!  They keep asking for things that are so short-sighted; yet I have compassion for them, each and all.  Look! There is one – one who despite circumstances is maintaining faith and hope; one who is not seeking status or security; one who is willing to surrender what little self-made security he has left in order to follow me.  All he asks is to ‘see.’  I’m going to tell him the same thing I told that hemorrhaging woman.  Let’s get him in here… let’s bring him on our way with us.  Perhaps his story, like hers, will help others ‘see’ my power working through faith, what salvation is really about, and how to follow me.

Now let’s consider seeing and believing about where we are today as a community.  I understand this is stewardship season and that Fr. Seville and the Stewardship Committee will be speaking with you soon about how your perceive your own wealth and to see anew opportunities for faithful giving your time, talent and financial resources.  Also, I’m told that this afternoon, the St. Paul’s family is invited to join in some story-telling and creation of a timeline of our history – looking back to notice where we’ve come from, see how we got here, and envision together what might be in the future. 

So, let’s consider three perspectives on where we find ourselves today, with Jesus here in our midst.  First, from the inside of this place looking out into the word.  Them, from out there looking back at the church.  And finally, from the point of view of person-to-person connections, face-to-face encounters with Christ.

Here in the St. Paul’s community, what are we used to seeing?  What has experience taught you to expect / to look out for?  Do we crowd around Jesus, more focused on preserving and protecting what we believe to be true than on turn our attentions inside-out and inviting in those who are still along the roadside, perhaps risking that their faith will challenge us to see and believe things differently in here?  What do we see as possibilities for our future in ministry here?  Are we being too short-sighted?  Are we blind to potential that Christ wants us to see?

What about those outside our church family – what do they see?  How do those not ‘in the crowd’ perceive us and our mission?  Seeing what we focus on, what continues to occupy our attention, where we invest our resources, what are they lead to believe that we’re really about in Christ’s name? 

And, in each of our lives?  Caught up in our sometime frantic lives, what are we too often turning a blind eye to?   What might we not be seeing that is right here in front of us as an opportunity with Jesus?  What cloaks ought we consider casting off in order to approach Jesus with more faithful vulnerability?  In what ways do you need Jesus to open your eyes to see more clearly?  If Jesus asks you, “What do you want me to do for you?” what would be your first answer?  What do you imagine Jesus wants to do for you?

As the Rolling Stones once sang, “you can’t always get what you want.  But if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need.”

“Beggar God, you call us from the roadside to see ourselves in you: let us take heart and come to you, though your road leads to Calvary and absent sun, to love revealed for lightless eyes; through Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God. Amen.”

(Shakespeare, Steven. Prayers for An Inclusive Church (NY: Church Publishing, 2009) p.74)      

Defaulting when we’re afraid vs. following the call with faith and hope

[sermon notes - incomplete]

[posted on Facebook this morning before arriving at St. Andrew’s, Emporia, KS] reflecting on self-centered ambitions and intentions rooted in fear and desperation -versus- promises of ultimate liberation and new life, following Christ with faith and hope and acting with charitable love (accepting that it initially involves suffering, surrendering, and letting go)

We’re walking with some of Jesus closest followers back toward Jerusalem, where we’ve been told pretty clearly several times that what lies ahead, at least initially, includes humiliation, suffering and death as we seek to heal, serve, and share as Jesus call us to do. Perhaps like those first followers, we too remain a little confused about, and fearful of, what following this messiah really means.

AND, there is hope of grace-filled liberation, just reconciliation and restitution, and resurrected peace in store as well, if we will faithfully continue this journey focusing less on our own status and more on the needs of our neighbors, humbly and lovingly serving each other as Jesus called us to do.

[comments on the assigned lectionary readings - interesting things to note; themes]

• Isaiah 53:4-12
• Psalm 91:9-16
• Hebrews 5:1-10
• Mark 10:35-45

[anecdotes and illustrations of how I’ve grappled with status, control, fear]


What is the Holy Spirit calling us to re-cognize about following Jesus? 

• Glory and honor in God’s eyes come through humble and charitable service, not ruling with earthly power or prestige 
• self-sacrifice not as mere ascetic self-denial, but in service to others and some greater good 
• Fear and the quest for security vs. courageous and faithful risk-taking with hope 
• be alert to our motivations and projections about cozying up to power and authority – 
• lobbying/jockeying for positions of privilege and authority 

[examples of how we see this around us when systems/communities are afraid, including the church (of its own decline)]

What are some very immediate, practical implications of this in our life together? 

• be cautious and self-reflective of our motives 
• also cautious about projecting unrealistic hopes (messiah complex) on our earthly leaders, who too often are flawed as we are in the self-serving ambition 
• watch and listen for signs that we’re acting out of fear rather than hope 
• Holding on to nostalgic (cleaned-up memories) of the past 
• Command-n-control compliance to tradition 
• Strong boundary setting and divisions of in/out 
• Hasty, quick certainty rather than messier, longer-term discernment 
• Perception of ambiguity and ‘process’ as threatening 
• be gentle and compassionate with each other, including those who don’t seem to get it 
• remind ourselves, in community that it can initially hurt when we let go and surrender… and that eventually, there’s new freedom and life beyond the present suffering 
• commit to being a community of discernment to keep each other in check

                  

“Suffering God, in whose name we seek glory for ourselves: cast down the idols that serve our fear and guilt, our need for blame, for punishment; direct our angry hearts to Him who bears our wounds where there is no more need to fight; through Jesus Christ, the true God and servant of all. Amen.”

(Shakespeare, Steven. Prayers for An Inclusive Church (NY: Church Publishing, 2009) p.73)      

What is permitted vs. what is expected/commanded

[unfinished sermon notes]

What is permitted (easier ways out) vs. what is expected (faithful perseverance and integrity in our relationships, even when they’re difficult or we suffer)

Good morning good people of St. Timothy’s, Iola.  [personal introduction and invitation to talk at coffee hour about campus ministry for Allen Community College]

In today’s assigned lectionary readings, particularly from Job and the Gospel according to Mark, we can hear the Holy Spirit challenging our the freedom of will of our ancestors and ours today around matters of endurance, long-suffering, sacrifice, and maintaining trust, faith, and integrity (wholeness) amid unfairness and unpleasantness.  We’re also hearing about legal rights versus Godly intentions and responsibility; how our salvation has come through God’s own subjugation and surrender to human suffering; and how we are to humble ourselves, acknowledging our dependence upon God’s mercy and grace, like the dependence of a child on a parent.

That’s a lot to take on in a short homily this morning.  We’re not going to get to it all.  But I do want to follow a few threads through the readings that reveal wisdom about how we are to be in relationship with God and each other.

Job 1:1, 2:1-10

This is the first of four Sundays (all Sundays this month) that you’ll be hearing from this book in the semicontinuous track of the Revised Common Lectionary.   On one level, Job is grappling with ‘why bad things happen to good people’ or the mystery of why evil and suffering are permitted to exist if God is all-loving and all-powerful.  A preacher could spend the next four Sundays focusing just on this perennial dilemma and still not have resolved this matter.  What I hear the Spirit offering us out of this morning’s readings from Job, that connects with the other appointed lessons this morning, is a challenging wisdom about enduring and persevering in our faith in God’s providence even when it seems to make no sense (E.g., Job knows he is innocent, yet is being caused to suffer horribly. Satan has been allowed to strip him of everything, children, servants, possessions, and health – and yet Job does not falter in commitment to God)… even when trusted others try to convince us that our faith is silly and/or unwarranted.  Stay tuned in the coming weeks for how Job’s story evolves and if there is any hope in the story. Who here can relate to the questions that Job’s story raises? 

Psalm 26

This morning’s Psalm goes right along with the set-up in Job.  We can imagine that the Psalmist is suffering injustice.  We’re hearing the prayer of one who is asking for God’s pity, merciful judgment, and redemption.  The psalmist is pleading, making the case using proclamations of innocence, about having lived with integrity, and about having avoided evil doers and evil works.  The verse that resonates most with me this morning is verse 2,  the bold invitation for God to “test me… and try me; examine my heart and mind.”  Who among us believes that our inner house is so clean, so spotless, that we dare invite God to come in for an inspection, believing that we’ll be found without any blame or guilt – sinless?  And, yet, that’s what the Psalmist seems to be doing.  If we acknowledge that we are unable to fully clean all the dirt from our own hands, how are we ever to have hope of being cleansed and purified enough to stand before God?  As we recite in our Eucharistic prayers, we’ve been reconciled and made worthy to stand before God through the death and resurrection of Christ. 

Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12

Indeed, that’s what we’re hearing through the letter to the Hebrews (which you’ll be hearing from for the next two months, up until the Feast of Christ the King, which is the Sunday before Advent).  Likely written to Christians who might have been wondering if it was worth continuing to hold on to their faith amid growing persecution and temptations of seemingly easier philosophies, Hebrews proclaims that Jesus, the “exact imprint of God’s very being” (1:3), came down from the heights of heaven, became one of us mortals, suffered as one of us, and sacrificed himself ultimately to death itself in order to fully purify us once and for all and proclaim anew that we are his “brothers and sisters” – a part of his beloved family that he will not forsake.  This notion that an all-powerful god, creator of all things, would surrender or subjugate itself to human suffering was, and still is, considered a scandalous and even silly notion.  And, yet, therein is good news about how much God cares for us and instruction about how we should care for each other.  Amid our own sin and suffering, we can look to Jesus to see the victory that is promised also to us through baptism with Christ.  As God’s beloved, we’ve been purified,  crowned with glory and honor… now how to we live up to that standard, seeing that divine standing in ourselves and each other, even when it’s really difficult or unpopular.

Mark 10:2-16

And this notion of living up to, into God’s expectations of us as beloved family members brings us to this morning’s provocative lessons from Mark regarding marriage, divorce, and receiving the kingdom of God as a little child.  Given statistics these days, we can assume that most of us in here have had some personal experience with the reality of divorce in our families.  Dissolution of marriages is not a new phenomenon – clearly the Romans and the Jews were grappling with it as well.  This morning, I won’t go down a rabbit hole of talking about the pain and trauma of divorce.  I won’t grapple with all the potential perspectives on the sin of ‘adultery.’  And, I won’t expound on the cultural and historical contexts of our evolving understandings of marriage as a civic contract. I believe the Holy Spirit is calling us beyond accusations, guilt, and shame through what our Lord has said in this morning’s lesson about the divine blessing and intentions of covenant relationships.

Let’s be clear that Jesus’s teaching in what we’ve heard this morning is tough love.  But, let’s not be misled into understanding His words as legalistic proclamations about rules.  That’s how the Pharisees, who were wise to legal loopholes and rationale for justifying various actions, were trying to trap him.  Jesus acknowledges that Mosaic law permits divorce and offers instructions about remarriage for those who have been married before. 

What Jesus wants his disciples and us to understand, however, is that God’s intention, since the creation of a companion for the first human, is that we be in perpetual loving relationship with each other and not to presume that by own will, we can dissolve what God has joined together. As I remember one commentator saying, “Divorce is grounded in law, but marriage is grounded in creation.” His lesson is not about our rights and what is legally permissible, but about God’s ultimate will for our relationships and our responsibilities therein. 

Jesus’s lesson is tough love.  Love tough enough to endure hardships and suffering in the trust and hope of longer-term, everlasting relationships.  This is not to say that we’re called to accept abuse or remain in harmful relationships at all costs.  This is to say that were it not for hardness in our own hearts, we would not find ourselves in unhealthy relationships.  And, were it not for the hardness in our own hearts, we would be able to reconcile differences that often lead to separation.

We have been created and designed for heavenly unity, constancy, and peace.  We’ve been gifted, through God’s grace, unreasonable freedom of choice in how we live and love.  However, we so often choose poorly and too frequently fail to acknowledge and confess our responsibility; repent (turn-around / change our direction); seek, grant, and accept forgiveness for the sake of the peace that our Lord offers and the love that Christ commands.

By way of two quick anecdotes, I’d like to further highlight this matter of our freedom and our responsibility in our marital relationships...

[ANECODTES: The Rev. Hartshorn Murphy’s sermon at the marriage of his own son… the type of love that is required for marriage to endure – agape/caritas (self-sacrificial, charitable love).  Advice I was given by a married couple about what is necessary for the marriage to endure – both feeling as if they’re giving a little more than they’re receiving]

Taking a bigger look at what we’re hearing from the Spirit this morning, this is about more than the relationship between two individuals in marriage.  Matrimonial language becomes a metaphor, a symbol, of God’s relationship to us and a design for faithful relationships of all forms – between married couples, between family and friends, and between communities and God, Christ and his church… (E.g., lover, bride, bridegroom, etc.).

Our relationships, our marriages, our church – they’re all experiences of the depths of God’s unreasonable love and the mystery of enduring relationships despite hardships and traumas that would otherwise separate us.

DISCUSSION: What do you hear the Spirit saying to God’s people about the nature of faithfulness in God’s relationship to us, our relationship to God, and our relationships with each other?  How might we approach and discern our commitments to each other if divorce were not an option?

[if there’s time] Regarding receiving the kingdom of God as a little child… he’s not saying that the kingdom is about the pure and innocent, rather the kingdom is to be welcomed with vulnerability and dependence of God, like a child is dependent on a parent.  The kingdom belongs to those who have nothing to contribute, no other standing, other than faith in God’s mercy and redemptive love.

“God of the living law, whose will is to protect the weak and educate our desires: may we learn from you not to dominate or put aside but to give each other dignity and find in you our unity; through Jesus Christ, who makes us one household. Amen.”

(Shakespeare, Steven. Prayers for An Inclusive Church (NY: Church Publishing, 2009) p.72)      

Sharing salt through prayer and campus ministry

Continuing a theme of Christian hospitality and prayer that we’ve been hearing through some of our lectionary readings lately…

I don’t remember what age I was chronologically, perhaps 9 or 10, but I remember the opportune time that my maternal grandmother said to me, “don’t worry about anything… pray about everything… bring it all to God and an amazing peace will protect your heart and mind.”  I didn’t know she was quoting from Paul’s letter to the faithful in Philippi (Phil 4:6-7).  All I knew was that this motherly figure who I adored and admired was giving me more than just advice – she was conveying a life lesson about which she was fully convicted.  I believe it was at the end of my visit with her that time that she went over to her recliner, where she sat at read at night, and retrieved what looked like a bookmark from the big book she always had open there on the side of the chair she sat in every night before going to bed.  She presented to be a scrap of paper with a handwritten note, this verse from Philippians.  It would be years before I’d appreciated the verse citation on the note – for years I kept that scrap of paper as a sacred momento – a symbol of my grandmother’s love and what she wanted be to understand about the faith that had sustained her throughout life.

This morning, I feel my grandmother’s faith coming through the final words (the writing ends with verse 20) we’ve heard that are attributed to James (James 5:13-20).   Tradition is that this letter was written by Jesus’s brother.  And, some scholars believe that it is one of the earliest writings that we have record of, perhaps dating even a few years before the Gospel according to Mark (note: other scholars believe James was written much later).  We don’t know much about the context for his writing, other than that he addresses it to ‘the twelve tribes scattered’ (read: kin everywhere) and that he is presenting practical advice for how to live out Christian faith on a day-to-day basis. 

James is clear that for whatever ails us, we should pray.  And, not just pray privately ourselves, but involve the elders of our community in praying for us as they anoint us with oil.  Citing the efficacy of his ancestor Elijah’s prayers, James proclaims that “prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” 

James is commending a community of prayer.  He encourages us to be honest with each other about how we’ve missed the mark or gone astray and then have faith and confidence that we’re healed of the consequences of these sins through mutual prayer.  I don’t believe he’s saying that we have power; more James is pointing us toward the restorative power of God’s grace that we experience individually and collectively through our prayers.

His letter concludes with a compelling statement about the salvation found in seeking each other out when we wander from the truth, “whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”  What I’m hearing is that when we seek out those who are lost or wandering, and bring them back into the community of God’s Word, we’re participating in their salvation and restoration – both here in our earthly community and in God’s heavenly family.

The image of bringing back sisters and brothers who are wandering from truth resonates with what I believe we’re up to in our campus ministries. 

[anecdotes about our current ministries and the role of cultivating prayer practices.  E.g., weekly prayer services at KSU and KU; prayer request box; ‘praying in color’ exercise in Emporia; instinctively circling to pray in Wichita when we received word someone was in a car accident en route to our fellowship activity]

One of the greatest gifts we can provide young-adults is opportunities to cultivate their prayer life and help strengthening their prayer muscles through practice.

Lesson’s from today’s Gospel (Mark 9:38-50) also resonate with our mission in campus ministry.

[anecdotes to complement the following concepts]

“Whoever is not against us is for us” - radical openness we have to honoring people where they are on the journey in a relationship with God.  Most of our mission field is outside the boundaries of our Episcopalian tribe and is not following our particular tradition.  Just as Jesus encourages his disciples keep a wider view of who’s included in his mission, so are we encouraged to mission beyond our little clique and keep the boundaries that distinguish us permeable and charitably fluid.

‘Gives you a cup of water…”  We’re all thirsty and hungry for good news.  In our campus ministries, we begin building rapport and trust by satisfying physical hunger (hospitality meals) aware that we’re aiming to lead people to living water.

Remove stumbling blocks and things that cause you to stumble… Our ethos of reasonable and critical conversation about faith and discipleship encourages honesty about what stands in our way and distracts us.  Helping young-adults help each other grapple with stumbling blocks in the college years equips them with skills of discernment  and discipline for the challenges that continue to present later in life.

“Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”  Salt was an essential and valuable commodity at the time Mark was written (ref: preservative power and ‘salary’ used as payment to Roman soldiers).  Salt preserves skin from spoiling and protects flesh from rotting.  In like manner, through more authentic fellowship, where young adults are invited to share what is really eating at their hearts and troubling their minds, and prayer for each other, our campus ministries are seeking to preserve and protect against the corrosive elements that otherwise eat away at us and break us down.

[anecdote about Tisha Lynn May’s persistent invitation to me throughout our college years together to pray and to invite Christ into my heart… and her subsequent assistance selecting a Bible, etc.]

Modeling what James is commending to us, and mindful of what we’ve heard in today’s Gospel lesson, let us remember that at their best, our campus ministries provide a radically welcoming and safe space for young-adults to confess what ails them, pray about it individually and together, and renew faith in forgiveness and healing through demonstration of constant concern for each other.

A year and a half ago, I went to visit my grandmother (who celebrated her 94^th birthday this month) in the care facility where she’s been since the death of her husband and her suffering a stroke that has left her unable to speak well.  When I walked in to see her, it was the first time she had seen me in my clerical collar.  We were both overcome with emotion.  After a big hug, we sat down and I said, “I want you to know that your faith was one of the primary inspirations for me opening up to my own sense of God’s call for my life.  One of my earliest memories of your life instructions to me was ‘pray about everything’” (she grinned and nodded in recognition of what I was saying). “Thank you for setting the example of me and for being so persistent and consistent in your own prayer life… it has been a gift of love from you that I’ll always have with me in my heart and will want to share with others.”  We both started to tear-up again and gave each an even bigger hug.

Upon my ordination to the priesthood, nearly twenty years after her ministry to me in college, I put the word out to my network of friends that I was trying to locate Tisha Lynn May – essentially, through cyberspace I launched a message in a bottle for her, “And, finally, to my beloved grandmother, Frances Green, and my college friend, Tisha Lynn May (wherever you are today), know that you each have been angels in my life, showing me God’s love by example and teaching me to pray – may my life serve as such a positive influence on the lives of others.”

A little while later, I received a reply from Tisha (now Tisha Cottman) which read, “I just wanted to say "Hello" and offer to you my heartfelt congratulations on your upcoming ordination. Arlette Gilmore forwarded your announcement to me, along with your very kind comments. I am extremely happy for you, and I know that the Lord has wonderful things in store for you, your parish, and your ongoing ministry.” And she closed with a quote from Proverb 3:5-6, “ Trust in the LORD with all of your heart. Lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Our campus ministries are also an opportunity for us to renew our convictions of faith and exemplify what sustains and encourages us.  By so doing, we are able to scatter seed to this next generation and encourage them to cultivate their own faith and discipleship.

Thank you for your continuing sowing in the field of campus ministry.  It might be years from now, but some of those seeds will mature, blossom, and bear fruit for others in Christ’s name.

“God of welcome, your people are called to be distinct not by width of separation but by depth of hospitality and peace within our lives; root out our resentment and free us to welcome all who work for life and liberation, whatever path they tread; through Jesus Christ, the companion of many ways.”

(Shakespeare, Steven. Prayers for An Inclusive Church (NY: Church Publishing, 2009) p.72)      

AMEN

Cravings at war within us

The prophet Jeremiah and the Psalmist are both lamenting to God and seeking God’s protection… and even God’s might against those who are doing them harm.

“Let me see your retribution/vengeance upon them…” (Jeremiah 11:20)

“save me / defend me / vindicate me…render evil… destroy them”  (Psalm 54:1, 5)

We can relate, no?  Who among us hasn’t wished that someone more powerful than us would step in and defend us against those who seek to do us harm?

Indeed, in cases of outright violence against us, pleading for protection makes sense.

But what about this notion of pleading with God for vengeance, retribution, evil, and harm against are enemies? 

Does Jesus encourage us to feel and pray that way?

No; of course not.  Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matt 5:34-48)… and to put away our swords, do not seek to return violence for violence (Matt 26:52; John 18:11).

So much easier said that done.

Why?

Because as the author of James says succinctly, conflicts and disputes among us come from cravings that are at war within us.… that we have devilish envy and selfish ambitions within us that lead to disorder and wickedness of every kind (James 3:14-16, 4:1-2). 

In our Gospel lesson, Jesus has exemplified unbelievable feats of charitable love and generous grace… so unbelievable and provocative, perhaps, that his disciples are having a hard time really getting what this means to them personally and the mission that they are each called to.  They seem to be instead defaulting to an easier question among themselves that is rooted not in concern and sacrificial love for others, but in love of self – who among them is greatest… more religious than… smarter than… better than… etc.

We can get relate, no?  How often do we have moments of spiritual insight about God really wants from us… only to find ourselves by the end of the day shaking our heads and wondering how we ended up so caught up in worldly stresses about what we don’t have and anxieties about self-preservation?  

What about what we notice going on in the world around us?  What about arguments and conflicts in our country right now? 

Eugene Peterson paraphrases of these verses (in The Message), “Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.”

Whew [wiping brow]… is it hopeless?  What’s the good news today?  What does the Holy Spirit want us to hear?

The author of James calls us to focus on wisdom from above that is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits… explaining that a righteousness is  reaped by those who make peace [not just talk about it].  (James 3:17-18) 

Or, as Eugene Peterson says it, “You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor."

In today’s Gospel lesson (Mark 9:30-37) Jesus pulls an innocent child from the crowd, puts it among his followers who are arguing about something non-essential and selfish, and says essentially, whoever welcomes and embraces the innocent, those vulnerable and without standing, also welcomes God.   

Jesus even says that if we want to be first of all, we should intentionally take last place and be servant of all.

That’s good news?! 

That I should willingly give up my privilege and standing and go sit in the back of the bus, the end of the line, the seats in the back with the worst view…

That I should serve others, even those boastful, proud, and arrogantly entitled people who I both loath and sometimes secretly envy… even those who are so difficult and so dirty that if I touch them, or am even seen with them, I might become unclean myself?

Ummm…. Yes!

Two of the verses from James that are skipped over in today’s lectionary selection are verses 4:5-6 which say, “…do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, ‘God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’?  But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ [quoting from Proverbs 3:34]

Jesus has shown us this way of humility in sacrificial service.

I invite you to close your eyes and seek, with me, to draw nearer to God in prayer…

God, we have seen what your love looks like in action through the actions of Jesus Christ. [imagine a scene in the ministry of Jesus that has always spoken to you about God's love for us]

It was shocking then, and it’s still troubling to us now, that you, the creator of all that is, humbled yourself to the point of serving us, even those who didn’t seem to deserve it… and that your counter-cultural, loving actions and lessons of radical hospitality and justice generating such resentment and bitterness among us that we couldn’t stand it and had to get rid of you.  We’re sorry our ancestors did that… and we’re sorry that we still do it every time we turn away from you and our neighbors, and focus only on ourselves.

Help us each day get more of a glimpse of the social order and type of society that you desire for us  - helping us hold that vision in bright contrast to the darkness we so often see taking place around us.

In our own lives – in the actions and opinions that we can influence among our family and friends – give us the strength and courage to speak about your will, even when that reduces our popularity / social-standing or causes others to want to silence us. 

Protect and defend us as we speak of your Word and act toward others with unreasonable love in your name.

Today, we’ve heard Jesus say to us:

1)    Whoever wants to be first [in God’s eyes] must be last of all and servant of all.  [Note that focusing on the needs of others more than self-serving aims is represented in all three synoptic Gospels: Matt 19:30, 20:16; Mark 10:31, 44-45;  Luke 13:30]

and

2)    whoever welcomes one such as this – a lowly, worthless, otherwise un-valued and invisible person – also welcomes Christ himself.  [Note also in Matt 25:40]

Today, James has reminded us, “draw near to God and God will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

“God, who draws near, who comes to our level, whose nature is revealed in lordship laid aside: give us grace to welcome you in the one who tests the bounds of our community: in the child, the outcast, the one who comes with no power, save that of remaking our heart…”

(Shakespeare, Steven. Prayers for An Inclusive Church (NY: Church Publishing, 2009) p.71)      

AMEN

Who do you say AND show that I am?

"Preach the Gospel at all times… and when necessary, use words”

(attributed to St. Francis of Assisi… who’s Feast Day is coming up in a few weeks)

“What you do speaks so loudly that I can’t hear what you say.”

(a common paraphrase of words of Ralph Waldo Emerson)  

Perhaps you’ve heard these phrases before.  Pardon the pun, they ‘speak’ to our awareness of the cheapness of hollow words in this day of buzz and spin.  They seem to ‘show’ us that actions speak louder than words.

Our biblical lessons lately, however, are reminding us that as Christians we’re called to both speak the good news with our words as well as show the good news with our actions. 

In last week’s lesson from James, we were told “faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17).  In this week’s lesson from James (James 3:1-12) we’re vividly instructed to be a good stewards of our tongues and the words they articulate because they are very much related to the fidelity (or lack of it) in our actions.

And, our readings from the Gospel of Mark up to this point have really been emphasizing the demonstration of who Jesus really is through his actions.  A few weeks ago we heard Jesus himself invoke the words of the prophet Isaiah to call out the hypocrisy of those who honor God with their mouths while really being more obsessed with what we put into them rather than showing a true heart for God through their actions.. and Jesus went on to say that our cleanliness is really better determined by what comes out of our mouths, because that reveals the truest intentions of our hearts (Mark 7:1-23).

In today’s lesson from Mark (Mark 8:27-38), at the midpoint in Mark’s narrative, there’s a critical shift in focus – Jesus moves from showing to telling…. from showing who he is to saying explicitly what his mission is about.  And, we hear with words the profound profession of Peter who finally says aloud what he believes to be true about Jesus – “You are the Messiah” (Mark 8:29).   This of course is followed immediately by Peter attempting to persuade Jesus away from the dangers of the mission Jesus has articulated… and then Jesus using strong words to rebuke the temptation that Peter’s words represent.

James Tissot, Get out of my sight, Satan, Brooklyn Museum, 1886-96

Jesus teachings and the verbal professions of the disciples are important… yet, as the disciples’ actions will reveal, they still don’t quite get it – they’re saying the right words, but their actions initially don’t reveal that they understand the implications of what has been said… at least not in light of the meaning of Jesus’s teachings as revealed his own actions.

Yes, Jesus is the Messiah… but, not the militant leader who will redeem chosen people through military or political force; rather, he’s a suffering servant who will save people through joining with them in humiliation, suffering, and even the ultimate sacrifice of himself through surrendering to a brutal execution on their behalf.  He calls people to follow his example of compassionate and just actions demonstrable of the ultimate love of God and promise of new life especially for the ‘least of these’ even when doing so diminishes our own status in the eyes of the world around us.

Preach the good news at all times… and, it’s necessary to reveal the truth of our words through the fidelity of our actions. 

Christian discipleship is far more than an intellectual exercise in which we ‘get it right’ by properly articulating our beliefs out loud using a specific formulation of words.  It is about sharing the good news as we understand it AND continuing to evolve our understanding of it through getting our hands dirty doing the work of Christ with and for our neighbors. 

Talk the walk while walking the walk, being open to talking a new talk or walking in new ways as we learn more about what it means to truly follow our Lord.

It is the faithful words of our ancestors recorded in our sacred scriptures, accompanied by the profound witness of their actions – what they did to demonstrate their faith – that speaks to our hearts and shows us ‘the way.’  Our lives – in actions and words - should be models for others.

So, which comes first in our lives?  Hearing or speaking the truth… or acting according to the truth?  Both are necessary – faithful words and faithful actions – but which influences which more?

Though there’s something compelling about focusing on actions speaking louder than words.  In this post-modern age of deconstructive relativism and subjectivism, it’s often easier for us to believe in what we see in action rather than what we hear people say, no matter how convincing their words may be.

And, there is real power in words… particularly in this age of globally shared social networking technology.

Rather than simply concede that words are cheap and focus more on actions, what if we hold fast to the truth of this morning’s Epistle lesson and become more vigilant in our use of words, exhibiting more determined discipline around the use of words believing that they have power to influence actions in profound ways.

The author of James uses many metaphors to illustrate the role of our tongues in shaping the reality around us: a horse’s bit/bridle directs the animal; a small rudder moving a ship slowly; a small flame that can stoke larger fires; like poisonous creature (restless evil, full of deadly poison); a wellspring that either gives forth living or toxic waters.  Using contemporary images, we might speak of a single virus capable of turning into a pandemic or a single atomic shift capable of producing a widespread radioactive meltdown.

And, just as “loose lips can sink ships”, it’s also true that a single word spoken at just the right time can alter someone’s sense of worth and purpose for the rest of their lives.

Let’s try an exercise to help us get closer to the power of our words and what they reveal about the conditions of our hearts as well as how they can influence our perceptions and actions. 

If you’re comfortable, I invite you to close your eyes and participate in this as a form of prayer.

[1: Words that hurt or destroy- do you remember what was said? If you had to summarize the feeling or intention in a single word, what word would you use?  Speak that single word either silently or aloud as an offering up to God – please lift this from us and forgive the trespass and sin.]

[2: Words that heal or build – do you remember what was said?  If you had to put the power of that transformative moment into a single word, what would it be?  Speak that single word either silently or aloud as an offering up to God – we offer this as thanksgiving for the power of words spoken in love.]

[3. Words of faith and praise - Jesus stands here with us, telling us who he is and the mission that he is on.  It might be difficult initially to believe what he’s saying to us or to accept that he’s calling us to.  What one word represents the fear or the hope that you have in who Jesus is and what he calls us to do?  Speak that single word either silently or aloud as an offering up to God – we offer this as prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to work with what this word represents in our lives in order to bring us close to knowledge and love of God and neighbor.]

God, you know what is on our hearts even before words come out of our mouths. 

Please use the words we’ve offered, and all that they represent, to help draw us close to true knowledge and love of you and our neighbor.

-or-

We ask in the name of your Son, our Messiah, that the Holy Spirit shape our hearts… breaking them open at the right times so that we can feel more deeply the suffering as well as share more freely what you’ve so freely given us.

We ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in greater discipline of our mouths, being more mindful of what we speak, to whom, when, and where.  In a word, let our lives be exemplary of your living Word, exhibiting your love incarnated through sharing the teachings and actions of Jesus our Christ.

AMEN.