The Story of the Unbalanced Lawyer

The Holy Gospel According to St. Luke, the 10th Chapter

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Here’s the story:  “A guy is beat up and left for dead.  Two guys just drive by the scene.  A third guy stops to help.  Be like the guy who stopped.”  Alright!  We’re done here.  I can get the 10:30 a.m. Cape Air flight to vacation!  Amen and...... BYE!  

EXCEPT.  Except, that would leave me sitting in Boston longer AND the WiFi there is terrible, AND more importantly, that’s not the point Jesus was trying to make.  Don’t get me wrong, Jesus does want us to be nice.  Jesus DOES want us to be the ones to stop and help, but that wasn’t the question Jesus was answering.  My dad, whom I’m going to visit, has passed on a wide variety of knowledge to me, from grilling, to fishing, to wild flowers to water pumps, but for today, the bit of my dad’s wisdom we need is to RTFQ, which of course means, “Read the Funny Questions.”  That is TOO what that means.  Don’t argue!  

Anyway, we need that bit of wisdom, because that lawyer has asked a trick question, so the answers Jesus gives are even trickier.  The lawyer asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  What happened after death was a hot-button political debate at that time and the lawyer was trying to pull Jesus into the middle of a fight.  Jesus side-stepped the attack by answering with another question, “What is written in the law?”  

With that move, Jesus left the lawyer slightly off balance.  His attack didn’t land as expected and maybe, just maybe in that one unbalanced, less guarded moment… maybe the lawyer would be able to hear something new.  Listen again to the question the lawyer asks.  “What must I DO… to INHERIT.”  When you INHERIT something, what do YOU do?  Well, YOU don’t do anything, do you?  When you inherit something you receive a gift.  The only person who DOES something is the person giving the gift and the thing that person does, is DIES.  Eternal life is an inheritance… it’s a gift.  Period.  There is nothing for us to DO to get it.  It is a gift which we receive upon the giver’s death.  The giver of eternal life has died (and been resurrected) and we have… all of us… all of creation has, inherited that gift.  Like the song says, “The Strife is O’er the Battle Won!”  It’s a done deal.  The will has been read and the inheritance has been given.  The question at this point is not whether or not you HAVE it.  You have it.  The question at this point is can you SEE it?  Can you SEE the inheritance you’ve been given and HOW LONG will you go before you pick it up and start enjoying it?

The story Jesus tells next, about the Samaritan and friends, is Jesus telling the lawyer and you and me, two hard truths about this inheritance that we’ve been given.  First, just SEEING the gift we’ve been given is really hard.  It’s not shiny or fashionable or wrapped up in pretty paper and tied with a bow.  The gift we have been given looks as inviting as a broken, bleeding, body left beside the road.  The hard truth Jesus is telling us is that the way most of us are finally able to SEE our inheritance is through our own brokenness, hurt, pain and the suffering we encounter in our lives.  God doesn’t make us suffer so that we might see the gift, but it is a hard truth of being human, that the light of God’s love can most often only be seen through the cracks that life deals out.  

The other hard truth in this story is that we often don’t PICK UP our inheritance even if we see it… we don’t often begin to experience eternal life NOW… even though it’s ours to live now.  That's because to pick that up, requires setting down all the other STUFF we carry.  The Priest and the Levite had so much baggage:  Concerns about their own safety… Who might be lurking, waiting to attack them too?  Worries about purity and prejudice, responsibilities and status, career and family and on and on.  They were walking that road piled high with ALL the baggage of their lives.  The same way we all walk the paths of our lives, piled high with ALL our own baggage too.  

When Jesus told that lawyer to, “go and do likewise” Jesus wasn’t telling him to go and be nice to people in order to get some reward, but to go and SEE like the Samaritan saw… open your eyes and REALLY SEE the gift of eternal life you have ALREADY been given.  It's right there in front of you, but you're likely to miss it still, because it won’t be wrapped in glittery paper and bows but in the least, lost and last of the people we find in our neighborhood along the way.  

And when Jesus said to “go and do likewise” he was telling that lawyer to set down ALL the baggage he was carrying… career, traditions, status, prejudice, fear and all the rest so that his hands and heart, his spirit and his mind and his entire life might finally be free to pick up his inheritance… the gift of eternal life and LIVE!

The lesson of the Good Samaritan is not that we should “be nice so that one day we might be rewarded with eternal life” but rather that eternal life is ours already and we will see that truth most clearly, deep within the eyes of our neighbors… the most broken, the least, the last, and the most persecuted of our neighbors.  There... in amongst that brokenness, we will see our inheritance and in setting down all the baggage we have been carrying, we will be able to pick up and live into the gift of eternal life which has been ours all along!  Amen. 

Bound and Determined!

The Holy Gospel According to St. Luke, the 9th Chapter

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Jesus “set his face” to go to Jerusalem which is Bible-talk for Jesus being BOUND AND DETERMINED and being that bound and determined to go to Jerusalem made the Samaritans pretty grouchy.  You see, there was disagreement between the Jews and the Samaritans about which mountain was THE holy mountain and with Jesus headed to the city on top of the “wrong” holy mountain, the Samaritans didn’t want anything to do with Jesus.  He was obviously not “their” messiah.  

They didn’t understand who Jesus really was, which seems bad, but then neither did his own disciples.  They thought he was a “rain hellfire” sort of Messiah.  They just didn’t understand that Jesus was an “I’ll go through death for you” sort of Messiah, not a “rain hellfire” sort of Messiah and the sad truth is that people still have trouble with that today.

But Jesus being BOUND AND DETERMINED and the disciples not understanding what Jesus was all about is only part of the story.  The rest of this story is about discipleship.  Now, discipleship has been made out to be an intellectual exercise, but really it’s more about living, doing, walking and working in the same way Jesus lives and walks and works.  It’s more arm and leg work than brain work.  But this lesson isn’t so much focused on what discipleship IS.  This lesson is more about what discipleship is NOT.  

First, it seems, discipleship is NOT about finding Jesus.  The first man in the story wanted to follow Jesus without being called, but you see, nobody finds Jesus.  Jesus finds us.  This man wanted discipleship to be HIS idea, but Jesus wasn’t ready for him just yet and simply leaves him beside the road with his head spinning and his mouth hanging open.  

Second, discipleship is apparently NOT just part-time.  When Jesus does call, it’s all the way… to come and die.  To die to our preferences, our comforts and our time tables.  The Apostle Paul says that as a disciple, “it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” and dying isn’t something you can do just part-time.  That second man wanted to follow, but just part time.  The other part of the time he wanted to take care of his family.  Honestly, not a bad thing really.  But when Jesus calls, it means EVERYTHING else is swept aside.  You just can’t follow the Jesus Way some of the time and work’s way or the country’s way or even mom and dad’s way the rest of the time.  When Jesus calls, it’s for ALL of our time!  

Third, it looks like discipleship does NOT allow for conditions.  The third man would follow… BUT… with one condition… he wanted to go back and say good-bye.  Conditional discipleship is just not discipleship.  It’s doing your own thing, making your own decisions and setting your own agenda.  Discipleship is doing what Jesus calls you to do…letting Jesus completely set your agenda.  

All that makes discipleship seem REALLY hard.  And there’s a reason it seems really hard.  Because it is REALLY HARD!  You heard St. Paul, “it’s no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me.”  That’s really hard!  Are you ready… am I ready to be a disciple on Jesus’s timeline, or maybe we’d rather be a disciple when it best fits our schedules?  Are we ready to be a full-time disciple or is part-time all the time we have?  And when we’re called to follow are we ready to follow unconditionally or are there some “buts” in the way… is there an asterisk or two… or maybe three?  Like, * when it feels good… * when it goes my way…  *when it fits my schedule?

We all want to be in control of deciding to follow.  I know I want to be in control of deciding!  But the truth is that Jesus calls us, not when we’re ready for Jesus but when Jesus is ready for us!  

We all want to keep at least a part of our lives for ourselves.  I know I want to keep a part of my life for myself!  But the truth is that Jesus doesn’t call us to part-time work, but to a new, full-time, life in Christ!  

We all want to have discipleship go our way.  I know I want my discipleship to go my way!  But the truth is that death does not have any room for asterisks, “buts” or conditions and nothing but death… the all the way dead kind of death… leads to new life in Christ.   

So, you see, THAT’s the reason Jesus is so demanding of us as disciples.  He KNOWs the path he laid out is the path to living the real and abundant life God created us ALL to live and Jesus is simply BOUND AND DETERMINED to have EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US really, really LIVE!  In fact, Jesus is so BOUND AND DETERMINED that not even DEATH could get in the way of him giving us God’s gift of new and abundant life.   Amen.  

Psalm 13 for Orlando

The Psalmist writes:

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

And we echo that tonight asking:  Oh MY God, HOW freakin’ LONG? Harvey Milk, Columbine, Stonewall, Aurora, Matthew Shepherd, Sandy Hook, San Bernardino and Orlando and an endless list of hate and death that goes on and on and never ends!  Have you forgotten us forever?  The music has stopped.  How long will this painful, silent, darkness go on?

The Psalmist continues:

How long must I bear pain in my soul, and endure grief in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

And we hear that too, asking:  How long can we live in constant gut-wrenching, heart breaking grief day after day, month after month, year after year, city after city?  How long will those who sell hate and weapons and pain and fear continue to win time after time after time after time?

And the Psalmist goes on angrily writing:

Look at me and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death

And we too demand:  LOOK AT US!  DEAR GOD, ANSWER US!  Our light… the life in our eyes is going out.  If you don’t answer us, the light will most certainly be swallowed up in all of this horrible darkness.  

The Psalmist writes:

My enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

And we too cry out:  We hear every, single, time, “there is nothing we can do but pray”!  And then those who spout those platitudes laugh as they legislate away freedoms, dignity, safety, and lives in exchange for profits and power!  

And yet, somehow, the Psalmist is able to write:

I trust you God, I trust in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

And miraculously, we too can somehow say:  That even when the LGBTQ community’s sanctuary has been invaded, desecrated and violated (and this their sanctuary because I confess, our sanctuaries have too often been unwelcoming or conditional) And even when Latinos and Latinas are treated as less than human… even with ALL OF THAT, Dear God, somehow we are able to proclaim tonight… even when reason says we shouldn’t… that Your never wavering, passionate, justice-demanding, all embracing love surrounds us, fills us, makes us holy, and shines a light that shatters even the darkest darkness.  

And then the Psalmist… and you and I, with the power that is love that is love that is love can boldly say:  We will not be quiet!  The music will not remain silent! We WILL sing and we WILL dance and we WILL be FIERCE for the Lord!  The Lord, who showers on us the wonders of this world!  Look at the people gathered here tonight.  Look in their eyes and in their hearts and SEE how generously God’s love has been poured out in them and through them on all of us!  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Clear Cut or Cracked Pots?

The Holy Gospel According to St. Luke, the 7^th Chapter

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table.  And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment.  She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment.  Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him--that she is a sinner."  Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher," he replied, "Speak."  "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?"  Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." And Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly."  Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.  You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet.  You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.  Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."  Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"  And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him,  as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

We all love the kinds of movies where the good guy is good and the bad guy is bad.  We like it clear cut.  Calming green light saber - good.  Angry red light saber - bad.  We like it that way in our movies, in our politics, in the Bible and in our churches… 100% good or 100% bad… THAT’S what we like.   

Because we like it, it’s tempting to do it here too.  The Pharisee is rude, arrogant, inhospitable and frankly… he’s kind of a jerk… 100% bad guy.  The woman is humble, thankful and respectful… 100% good, right?  Too bad life isn’t a movie, isn’t that perfect and doesn’t really fit so neatly into those boxes.  The Pharisee, in spite of his flaws, is actually a deeply, deeply faithful man.  He’s incredibly committed to God.  He does what he does, not because he wants to be a jerk but because he believes that a seriously strict following of a faithful discipline is THE best way to draw closer to God.  You have to admit, if a person has a deep desire to draw closer to God it makes it hard for them to be 100% evil.  

The woman too, it turns out, isn’t exactly 100% good.  No matter the details of her sin, being a sinner leads to pain for the person and others around her.  The reality of this Gospel story is that neither the Pharisee nor the woman is 100% anything… well… other than 100% human.  The other truth… an even harder truth, is that if we can come out of our all-or-nothing trenches for a minute, we can see that each of them had a unique insight on God that the other sorely needs... the hard truth is that they NEED each other.  

The Pharisee desperately needed to learn about the depth and breath of God’s forgiving grace and love.  He had the LAW part down.  He seriously needed some Gospel!  In other words, he knew the rules but needed to learn that no one is ever, EVER beyond God’s infinite and unconditional love nor can anyone ever be good enough not to need it!  He needed to learn how, out of God’s infinite love, we are empowered to be hospitable, compassionate, humble and caring.  She had that part DOWN!  She KNEW God’s love and forgiveness!  She KNEW how to respond out of God’s love and grace with hospitality, thankfulness and care of her neighbor.  Whether he recognized it or not, he NEEDED the amazing treasure of God’s Grace and Love.  Unlike the clean-cut Pharisee, her brokenness was easy to see.  She couldn’t fool anyone.  Not even herself.  She knew God’s undeserved love was all she had to lean on.  NOW, while that Pharisee didn’t have the easy-to-see sorts of flaws like she did, he’s still just as human… just as broken.  He too needed God’s undeserved love just as much as she did and her perspective could help him see how God’s love flows into cracks of our lives and through that love we are transformed in ways we never thought possible.  

But it wasn’t just him that needed her... she needed him just as much!  He had real gifts!   Passion, commitment and an understanding of the transformative power of following a holy discipline.  He knew that the rules of the law weren’t given to trick humanity but to help us have a way to live with healthy boundaries and live a less anxious life.  He knew the rituals and the practices could help her become more aware of God at work in her life and bring her peace.  Could the woman trust a member of a religious group that had judged her and hurt her before?  Would the leader of that religious institution become humble enough to be willing to learn from a “sinner”? 

The lesson Jesus was trying to teach at that dinner is a lesson the world needs now as much as it needed it back then.  We are all connected.  All saints and sinners.  All pharisees and sinners.  We’re all beloved children of God and imperfect creatures of the earth.  So whether we’re church folk or outside-the-church folk, we need one another!

Us church folk need the people out there.. and I’m not talking about for their numbers or dollars!  The people who are not here have a way of understanding God’s love and grace and a perspective on faith that we need to hear, honor and embrace and we have something powerful to share as well.  But an attitude of superiority in either direction won’t build that bridge because it simply isn’t true!  The Apostle Paul uses the analogy of clay pots to talk about us humans… and no matter if we have a glossy paint job or are just plain clay, we’re all a bunch of crack pots if we’re honest… no different from one another... 100% human… perfectly made and wonderfully flawed.

The truth is we NEED each other and to receive what the others have to give we’ll need to let down our guard and become vulnerable.  We’ll need to be honest with the world about our own cracks for the same reasons the Pharisee needed that woman and that woman needed the Pharisee:  Because the breath and depth of God’s love and grace at work in our lives comes at us and is in us and runs through us in just too many ways for us to see from our own perspective alone.  We need to be part of a mutual, vulnerable and caring community to more fully take in the wideness of God’s love, forgiveness and grace at work in our lives.  The question for us is will we be moved?  Will we be vulnerable?  Will we truly commit fully to our faith community? Are we willing to see ourselves and this world through new eyes?  Are we ready to really follow Jesus? Amen.

The Man Well Beyond Just "Mostly Dead"

The Holy Gospel According to St. Luke, the 7th Chapter

Soon afterwards Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. 

When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his people!” This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.

Last week there was a centurion who wanted Jesus to heal his slave.  He sent some local, Jewish, religious folks (folks who should know better) to ask Jesus to heal the man’s slave and when they got to Jesus they embellished a bit and said, “This centurion is WORTHY of having this done.”  THEN, as Jesus made his way toward the centurion’s sick slave, the centurion sent some of his friends and they told Jesus (without embellishment) that the centurion said, “I am NOT worthy.”  After that, Jesus declared that the centurion, who understood that God works by GRACE ALONE and did not ever, ever, EVER work off of what we DESERVE… Jesus declared THAT centurion (not the religious people) the most faithful person in all of Israel.  

This week, Jesus, knowing that last week a lot of people were on vacation for Memorial Day weekend AND knowing that even 2000 years later we STILL have a HUGE problem believing that God’s grace is not somehow linked to us doing something GOOD or not doing something BAD… This week, Jesus makes that EXACT SAME point again, but THIS week makes it even MORE dramatically.  

Look carefully at the presumed primary recipient of God’s grace in this story.  He’s much worse than simply very ill like last week’s sick slave… This guy is dead.  He’s shuffled off the mortal coil, he’s pulled the pin, he’s bit the dust, he’s kicked the bucket, he’s pushin’ up daisies, he’s absolute gravy, he’s brown bread… which rhymes with DEAD (those are for our visitors from London), he’s taking a dirt nap… in short… he’s dead.  

So, in his current delicate condition of being… well, dead, what has he DONE to get Jesus to raise him from the dead?  NOTHING!  He just lies there being, not just MOSTLY dead, but the kind of dead where even Miracle Max says the only thing left to do is to look through his pockets for loose change.  So being all-the-way-dead, he can do NOTHING to get Jesus to act.  

Which all sounds pretty bad, but wait, it’s actually much, much worse than that.  You see, in practical terms there were two dead people at this funeral… not just one.  The son had bought the farm for sure, but without a living male relative in that day and time, his mother had no legal status, no means for income or support, could not legally own a home and would be completely dependent on the charity of others.  And in a time where almost everyone continually struggled to even feed their own families, her prospects were grim.  She was walking and leading the funeral procession but in a very real way, she was just about as dead as her son.  She too, though, did absolutely NOTHING… nothing “right” and nothing “wrong”… she too did NOTHING to get Jesus to act.  

So if neither the son nor the mother did anything to “deserve” Jesus to act… heck they didn’t even NOTICE that Jesus was there let alone ASK Jesus to do something… so WHY did Jesus do what he did?  The story says that when Jesus saw her, he had COMPASSION for her, but that’s way too tame a translation for what really happened.  A more raw translation is “seeing the woman weeping, Jesus was emotionally gut-punched in the bread basket... HARD.”  The Greek root word for “compassion,” you see is the word for bowels… for guts, because for folks back then, the guts were where pity, compassion and love lived.  

Jesus felt her pain in his guts… deep, deep down in the core of his being, Jesus felt her pain, her loss, her hopelessness and it twisted his guts into a knot.  In short, SHE did nothing.  She, like her son, COULDN’T do anything.  Her son was dead and she was basically the walking dead.  What happened was simply and only that Jesus loved her.  Not for what she had done or not done, but because the God who loved each and every one of us into being, continues to love us... feels our joys and pain, our losses and triumphs, our hopelessness and our hope, our worry and our courage, and feels it all deep down in the pit of God’s Divine guts and LOVES us.  THAT Divine love has the power to dry our most desperate tears.  THAT Divine love has the power to change the world.  THAT Divine love even has the power to raise the dead.  

LOVE is the way of our God.  Not deserving and undeserving.  Not earning or not earning.  Not being worthy or unworthy.  LOVE.  JUST LOVE.  Just deep down in the pit of the stomach, gut wrenching, never ending, unconditional, unlimited and perfect Divine LOVE for you… for you… YES YOU and for all of creation.  Amen.  

I Can't Even!

The Holy Gospel According to St. Luke, the 7th Chapter

After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy of having you do this for him, for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.” 

And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

Because I said so!  If you were a kid, you’ve probably heard those words.  Because I said so!  If you’re a parent, you’ve very likely SAID those words, even if you promised yourself as a kid you never, never, NEVER would!  Because I said so!  Whether you’ve heard those words or said those words or both, “Because I said so” is at the core of this Gospel lesson.  

Look carefully at what happens in this lesson.  There’s going to be a quiz.  Seriously, there’s a quiz coming.  OK, First, a centurion (that’s like an army major in charge of a Company) sends a group of Jewish elders to talk with Jesus about healing his slave.  

The Jewish elders say to Jesus… This is the first part of the REALLY important part… “This centurion is WORTHY of having Jesus do this because he’s nice and built us a synagogue.”  The KEY here is the Jewish Elders… the religious folks, the folks who have been members of the synagogue for 30, 50, 70 years, the folks who should, by all rights, know how God works… those sort of people… clearly thought that the centurion being WORTHY was what was important.  Being WORTHY was what mattered.  Being WORTHY was necessary to crank Jesus up to do a miracle.

Second thing to look at carefully…  The centurion hears that Jesus is on his way and sends out another message to Jesus, but this time by way of some of his friends, so the message got through unembellished.  The centurion says, “I am NOT worthy.”  NOT, as in the negative of being worthy, as in having NO worth, as in deserving of absolutely NOTHING.   

So, on one hand you have the religious, pious, leaders who you would think would know God well and how God works the best over here saying, “Jesus, do this because he is WORTHY.”  THEN on the other hand you’ve got a non-religious, pagan, leader of a big, intimidating chunk of the oppressive occupying army who we would think does NOT know God or how God works best saying, “I am NOT worthy,” as in having NO worth as in deserving absolutely NOTHING.

So, now is the time for the quiz.  I told you a quiz was coming so don’t look surprised.  On one hand you have religious leaders who want Jesus to act because the centurion DESERVES it and on the other hand you have the centurion who wants Jesus to act but says he does NOT deserve it.  Which one does Jesus declare as more faithful?  It’s not a trick question.  When Jesus turns to the crowd he says of the centurion, “Not even in Israel” not even among all of God’s chosen people… the people who have been hearing about God their entire lives, who SHOULD, better than anyone else on the planet, KNOW how God works “Not EVEN in Israel have I found such faith.” 

How often are we those religious elders?  How often are we the people who have been members of the church for twenty, thirty, fifty, seventy years… How often are we the people who SHOULD, better than anyone else on the planet, KNOW how God works… How often have we heard from St. Paul that we are saved by GRACE through faith, apart from WORKS?  APART from what we DESERVE?  How often have we heard those words echoed by Thomas Cranmer, the original theological thinker of the Episcopal church in the 39 Articles?  How often have we heard from Martin Luther, the original theological thinker of the Lutheran church, that “I CAN NOT, by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him?”

But how often, in spite of all of that, do we treat God like nothing more than a vending machine, plugging in our being nice to people, our moral high ground, our avoiding of mistakes and our years of membership, like coins until we have enough credit built up and can hit the button and MAKE God send what we DESERVE out the bottom of the machine?  

The religious elders were WRONG.  That centurion, in spite of doing some very nice things, did not DESERVE anything.  The centurion was RIGHT.  He knew, in spite of doing some very nice things, he did not DESERVE anything.  The religious elders had reduced God to an unfeeling vending machine to be manipulated into action by people doing good things or avoiding bad things.  But while the religious elders blew it, the Holy Spirit blew as well, and that centurion understood.  God was no vending machine to be fed until what we “deserve” falls out the bottom.  God was and is, filled with Grace... our Heavenly parent, who loves us so much that God came to be with us in person so that we could hear first hand from Jesus… so that we could all hear the words of Jesus spoken right to each and every one of our faces in our Baptisms, at the Table and in the Word read and preached each week, that “You… YOU… YES YOU are loved beyond all measure.  NOT ever because you deserve it, but you are loved and cherished and worthy and wonderful simply and only God says, “BECAUSE I SAID SO!” Amen.  

Trinity Sunday? Make the Deacon Preach!

This sermon was written and preached by the Rev. Rebecca Grant, the Episcopal Deacon at The Church at 209 for Trinity Sunday, 2016.  

Today is Trinity Sunday – the Sunday after Pentecost when we celebrate the unity of God the Father, Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit – our advocate. 

Down through the centuries, theologians have argued how best to explain the Trinity. If you Google “what is the Trinity?” you’ll get just under 12 million hits ranging from

• ·      The Biblical explanation of the Trinity
• ·      The Trinity is not Biblical
• ·      The Biblical proof of the Trinity
• ·      The origin of Trinity doctrine from Pagans
• ·      The explanation of the Trinity in Christianity

·      And my personal favorite = Understanding the Trinity for Dummies

In the Episcopal Church there is a long standing tradition for dealing with Trinity Sunday and explaining the mystical nature of three in one – MAKE THE DEACON PREACH!

Fear not, this deacon is not about to undertake what brilliant minds struggle to address. Rather than torture you with any effort I might make in that realm, let’s embrace and accept the existence of the Trinity in God’s love for us that led to the gift of Jesus’ walking among us, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – our guide.

Now, what’s up with the chairs? Remember this configuration? In January of 2015, this is how the churches of Prince of Peace and St. Mark’s began their shared journey:

·      Chairs turned toward the center of the church – some people loved the change and others wanted to know how soon we could turn those chairs to face the altar once again.

·      There were strangers among us or we found ourselves among strangers

·      A large and very old baptismal font sat in the center of the room

·      A priest-in-charge/Lutheran Pastor wondered just what he’d gotten himself into.

·      And amid all this strangeness is the Trinity – the three in one and us – joined together by the waters of our baptism and the symbolism of that font.

Our emotions ranged from excitement for the new thing that God was doing among us to anxiety because what was familiar and comfortable was no more. Our journey began and hope was running high. The hospitality offered by the people of Prince of Peace created a safe and welcoming place for the people of St. Mark’s. Over time and with a great deal of effort on the part of everyone, two distinct bodies of people – two separate churches began the evolution of becoming one – just as Jesus is one with the Father and through them the Holy Spirit is one in us. The excitement about the great experiment that was happening at Church at 209 spread far beyond these walls and the outreach ministries we share. Wherever I travel in the Diocese, people ask me what it is like and whether we are happy. Pastor Erik continues to be contacted by other clergy asking about what is happening here and how it is working. Last year at this time hope for the future was running high.

In the fall of last year, St. Matthew’s decided to join us in September followed by St. Barnabas in October. Suddenly, we found ourselves planning for welcoming and integrating two other churches into our midst. Good people looking at a new home with other good people. The people of Church at 209 wanted to provide the same hospitality offered and experienced in January and worked hard to create a plan for throwing open the doors and embracing the new life that awaited us. Surely, the Holy Spirit was doing new and wonderful things among us. Four churches becoming one. We considered ourselves blessed by wonderful music, teaching, and certainly there was energy. Again, people were excited by the future, yet behind the scenes all was not well. People tried to find common ground, to be nice, to be fair and respectful. Yet just like when we set out to bake our favorite recipe and find we don’t have all the ingredients, something was missing in our four church recipe.

We could spend weeks, even months, trying to dissect what happened, who to believe, and what to do, but the bottom line is that the EXPERIMENT FAILED. Does this mean that we’re failures? That the people of St. Matthew’s and St. Barnabas are failures? NO! Experiments can and do fail.

When asked about failure, scientist and inventor Charles Kettering said:

Every great improvement has come after repeated failures. Virtually nothing comes out right the first time. Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success.

Failures hurt but that’s where we are called to lean into our faith and rely on the gift of the Trinity in our lives. St. Mark’s has experienced what some would call failure in a very public way. On November 14^th of 2012, St. Mark’s Church was thrown into the headlines because of the actions of its then priest-in-charge. He made a bad decision, got caught, and we found ourselves as one of the lead stories on the evening news. As we gathered the following Sunday, the prevailing question was what does this mean for us? The answer rested not in the actions of one misguided priest but rather recognizing that we are not defined by another person but rather by our own words and actions. We took time to reflect on who we were then and knew that we were far more than a media story on the evening news. We looked at how we made a difference in each other’s lives and the lives of those we encounter along the way. Our relationship with a priest had failed but not because of anything we’d done but rather poor decision-making on his part. Out of that failure, we had the courage to move forward knowing that the Holy Spirit was guiding our path and that our ministries that reached so many people needed to survive. The path that we followed led us to this time and this place with the people of Prince of Peace.

Last week, Pastor Erik described what we’ve been going through as the doldrums. He reminded us that just as God had more in mind for the disciples when the Holy Spirit came upon them, God has more in mind for us as well. Our very nature is not suited to living in the doldrums – we are a people blessed by the gift of the Trinity – the three in one – the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us, lift us up, and sometimes nudge us when it’s time to move.

Here at 209, one experiment failed, yet never forget that we had the courage to try, to reach out, to love, and when the time came, we let go of the experiment while holding all the churches in prayer. Just like St. Mark’s assessed its life in 2012, now it is our time to move – we have much to tend to and many who are watching us to see how we’ll move forward. We are making a difference in our church and in the world around us. Think about all the places the Holy Spirit leads us:

·      Christmas Day we open our doors and welcome people to dinner

·      We fill baskets for Thanksgiving dinners

·      A plea to help a young person go to camp last summer resulted in so many donations that he went to camp twice.

·      We host Vacation Bible School

·      We respond to the needs that we see around us within 209 and outside of 209.

·      We gather to pray on Tuesday mornings

·      We visit prisoners in jail – we remind them that they are beloved children of God.

·      We seek to understand the Old Testament teachings through the lens of Judaism with shared study with the local Synagogue 

·      The people of Prince of Peace had the courage to found a ministry that became Bread of Life Ministries which feeds the hungry, shelters the homeless, and seeks to help people change their lives.

·      Recently, Bread of Life turned to us for help in celebrating the life of one of its volunteers when she died unexpectedly. The service held in the stone church on Pleasant Street recognized the gift of generosity that was the essence of this woman’s life. The people of St. Mark’s founded a free clothing bank, naming it Addie’s Attic after a beloved parishioner – Adelaide Tschamler.

·      Free public suppers began as a shared ministry between the people of St. Barnabas and St. Mark’s. Over time this ministry has evolved to include the Unitarian community, members of 209, and this collaborative approach made it possible for the Synagogue and the Catholic Parish of St. Michaels to join in providing meals.

·      Seven years ago, St. Mark’s opened an essentials pantry to provide essential items that food stamps don’t cover. Today, we the Church at 209, serve close to 300 people whenever we open our doors.

·      We help children begin the school year with new backpacks and school supplies recognizing that education is vital and all children need a helping hand from time-to-time.

·      Earlier this year, we, the Church at 209, received a grant from the Diocese of Maine to work toward Bridging the Gap for the Iraqi community settling in the city. Our relationship with the Iraqis is one of mutual respect and friendship.

·      In partnership with the United Way, we became home to the Warming Center during the winter months.

·      Guests at the Warming Center gave back to us by sorting, folding, and hanging clothes in Addie’s Attic.

·      The Warming Center’s end of season cookout saw people from 209, the Iraqi community, and warming center guests gathered together to share a meal.

·      We are the home for Mustard Seeds – a non-traditional approach to Christian education for children and their families.

·      Today, we, the Church at 209, are a vital center for both inreach and outreach ministries – even in the doldrums, we make a difference in the lives of the people around us.

All these things are a manifestation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our relationship with them flows directly from our baptismal covenant.

We may have failed in melding four churches into one – yet, even that is not without blessing - we had the courage to recognize that the situation was becoming unhealthy and sought to suspend the experiment. Never underestimate the importance of wellness. A failed experiment only defines us if we allow it to do so.

We have the courage to look at what happened and realize that even in the middle of strife, the Trinity is intimately involved in our lives – individually and collectively. Will the separate paths of the four churches become one in the future? Only God knows the answer to that question.

It is time to bid the doldrums farewell – embrace the potential for success and the discovery of what God is calling us to become.

God has not brought us this far to see us die but rather has taken us through the refining fires of conflict and failure so that we might learn more about who we are and how we respond to all that we are being called to as children of God. Each one of us is an important part of the Church at 209 and the world, and community in which we live.

The chairs were turned for this worship to remind us and center us back on our shared beginning – surrounding the font – immersed in the waters of our baptisms. We are blessed and are called to live our lives in that knowledge.

Whatever the future holds, I challenge you to remember the words of Henri Frederic Amiel:

My friends, life is short and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us, so be quick to love and make haste to be kind. And rest assured that God is infinitely more concerned with the promise of our future than the mistakes of our past…”

We are blessed.

Amen