Rev. Dr. John Judson
September 11, 2016 Listen Print Version Proverbs 8:32-36; John 1:1-6 You, yes, you can control the weather. I know that sounds pretty amazing, yet in a recent interview, a politician turned theologian said that we could control the weather. Now I know that many of you are asking yourselves, how can we do this. I would love to be able to make it rain only at night, sort of like Camelot, so how do I go about it? The answer according to the author is that we can control the weather if we live perfectly according to God’s will. That’s right, if we live perfectly according to God’s will, God will do whatever it is that we ask. Thus, politician turned theologian intoned, we will be able to control the weather. What this also means is that we can control nature such that there are no more hurricanes, earthquakes and the like. In fact, this individual has said on numerous occasions, that all of the misfortunes to befall our nation, floods and the like, have happened because we have not been faithful to God. Some of you I realize, may be a bit unconvinced, perhaps even skeptical, because this does not appear to be Biblical. Yet, in some ways it is, if we look directly at what scholars have called Wisdom in the Old Testament, a bit of which we read in our first lesson this morning. Now just to be sure that we are all on board let me explain Wisdom. Wisdom, according to scripture, is not simply having good judgment, or applying what we have learned to make smarter choices. Instead Wisdom is a part of God…a creation perhaps of God. In the middle of Proverbs 8, a little before our reading we hear, “The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.” In other words, Wisdom is the essence of how God wants the world to work. And the way wisdom works is that when one lives wisely, or how God wants you to live, you are rewarded. When one lives opposite God’s wisdom, one is punished. As we read, “For whoever finds me, wisdom, finds life and obtains favor from the Lord. But those who miss me injure themselves; all who hate me love death.” Thus if we live wisely we can get from God exactly what we want…including controlling the weather. In some ways, I have to say, this seems logical…it is the way the world works. After all, at work, when we do well we expect to be rewarded. We expect a raise, a promotion, a bonus or at least a pat on the back. When we do something nice for someone else we expect a thank you, or I appreciate that. When we show love to our children, spouse or significant other we expect that love will be returned. On the other hand, at work, when we mess up, when we do not do our jobs, when we do not follow the rules, we expect there to be negative consequences. We expect a demotion, a fine or some other painful event. When we bring harm rather than good, we expect that there will be punishment, or condemnation. When we are mean to our children, we ought to expect little if nothing from them, except dislike. This is the way the world works. This is the logical way of things. So why shouldn’t we expect God to work the same way? Why shouldn’t we expect God to be logical? This is the heart of the Wisdom tradition. This is what proverbs implies. This is what our politician turned theologian believes. Which is great except for one little thing, and that is that according to the Gospel of John, Jesus turns this entire idea on its head, meaning Jesus comes as illogical Wisdom. First Jesus comes as Wisdom. The Gospel of John opens with John’s account of creation. In this account he speaks of the Word being in the beginning with God and being God. An easy way to translate this text would be see that the Word equals Wisdom equals Jesus; thus in the beginning was the Word that was Wisdom that was Jesus. This echoes Proverbs where we read that Wisdom was in the beginning with God as the very first of God’s creation. John wants his readers to make this connection between the Word and Wisdom and Jesus. He wants them to see that just as Wisdom was an essential part of God showing people how to live according to the will of God, so is the Word and so is Jesus. Therefore, Jesus is the one in whom the world will see what it means to live according to the will of God. At first glance this might then say that it is now Jesus who does the logical thing; the one who rewards or punishes us according to how well we live…except this is not what is at the heart of the Gospel of John…or Jesus’ ministry. Jesus comes instead as illogical wisdom. Jesus is illogical Wisdom because Jesus does not offer the love and grace of God based on one living perfectly according to the will of God. We see this illogical wisdom when Jesus forgives people who do not deserve to be forgiven; people who have been caught in adultery, or who have cheated others, or who have betrayed their nation. We see this illogical wisdom when Jesus chooses his followers which include people who have problems with anger management, who do not understand him, who fight for place of privilege and who will betray him. We see this illogical wisdom when Jesus teaches his followers to forgive seventy times seven, to love their enemies and to pray for those who persecute them. We see this illogical wisdom when Jesus forgives those who crucify him. Jesus’ illogical wisdom is one that as John puts it at the end of Chapter one, allows us to know that “…from Jesus’ fullness we have all received grace upon grace. The Law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” This is the illogical wisdom of God that called Abraham, that freed a slave people, that brought people back from exile and that sent the only Son into the world to save everyone and not simply those who were above average. The challenge for us is that we are to be people who live by this illogical wisdom. As Jesus puts it we are to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, give to all in need, forgive more times than we can count and otherwise be illogical…giving people not what they deserve but what grace provides. This is never easy because our tendency is to judge; it is to hold people to higher standards than we hold ourselves. We want to use logic rather than illogic as the basis for our interactions with others. Yet Jesus calls us to be those who offer illogical grace instead. On this fifteenth anniversary of 911 my mind has been returning to the images that will be forever embedded in my mind. One of them is of the people running away from the buildings; away from the dust and terror that were there. They were doing the logical thing; running from harm. The other image I carry is of the first responders who rushed toward the burning towers. Their actions were illogical. They were rushing into buildings which might not stand. They were rushing in risking their lives. And they were doing so in order to save people whom they had never met; who might not be citizens; who might not be nice people; who might not be ethically upright people; who might not deserve the lost life of these responders. Yet in they went. It was illogical wisdom that sent them; wisdom that said those people in the building were worth saving because they simply were. This is our task; to live by illogical wisdom. It will not allow us to control the weather, but it will allow us to help others see that they are beloved of God; that they are precious and that their lives matter. My challenge to you then is this, to ask, how am I living by illogical wisdom in such a way as to show God’s amazing grace to all that I meet? Rev. Dr. John Judson
September 4, 2016 Listen Print Version Genesis 2:4-25, Mark 12:28-34 She was gathering a crowd. Cindy had gone out to wash the windows at our home in Pampa in the Texas panhandle. We had not lived there long and since Cindy is not a fan of dirt and dust, she decided they needed cleaning. As she wiped the windows a number of our neighbors wandered over, watched her for a few minutes and then asked, “So what are you doing?” A bit surprised by their question, she answered, “Cleaning my windows.” “Why?” they responded. “Because they are dirty, “Cindy continued, “why do you ask?” With a bit of a smile they said, “You’ll see.” We were both a bit perplexed about their response, until a few days, or maybe weeks later, I was out in the backyard with the kids when I looked at the horizon and all I could see was this massive, grey-red wall. I wasn’t sure at first what it was. Then I realized that it was a wall of dust; a dust storm barreling down on us. Cindy and I went into action trying to ensure that our house was sealed…but to no avail. The dust came in under the window sills, the doors…everywhere. And those clean windows … well they were not very clean any more. At that moment, Cindy was even less a fan of dust than she had been before. I would guess that many of you feel about dust the way that Cindy does…not a fan. It bothers our sinuses. It gets all over our furniture. It is irritating. Even so, this morning I want to offer you a different perspective on dust…that dust matters in a way most of us never considered possible … that dust is the stuff of connection. It is what connects us with everyone and everything in the world around us. First, dust connects us with all of humanity. In our story this morning we read of God taking dust and forming man, and here I mean man, since God forms Adam, or man of the ground, first. For many of us this is a nice throw away story. Sure, sure, we say, God formed man from the dust of the earth, now let’s get to chapter three and talk about the snake and the apple. Yet if we do this, if we pass by this story of the dust, then we miss one of the most important aspects of the scriptures; and that is that all human beings are people of the dust; of the same dust. Rabbinic tradition tells us two very important things about the dust. First it tells us that God gathered dust from all four corners of the earth in order to form man, so that no person could say, “My father is greater than yours.” Second, the writer of the story does not describe Adam’s color. It is said by the scholar Rashi that “the first human being is neither white nor black nor brown nor yellow. Rather drawn from the whole earth, Adam’s dust represents all the variegated colors of the human species. No one is prior to another, neither higher nor lower. Every human being is created equally in the image of God.” (*) See dust is what we all are … the same dust. Thus we are all equal. We are all connected. We are all God’s. Second, dust connects us with the creation itself. When we read this story, we are often focused on the creation of Adam or Eve, or perhaps on the order of creation since it is different from the first story, or that man is given the responsibility to care for the garden (some things never change…we have to go to work). Again when we do so we often miss that Adam is not the only thing that is created out of the dust. Right after Adam is created the writer tells us that, “Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Later, when God decides Adam can’t hack it on his own and needs an ally, God forms from the dust all of the animals of the field, and the birds of the air. God then forms Eve from Adam, so that as the rabbis say, man and woman would be formed from the same material, thus making them one; neither superior and neither inferior. Where all of this points us is to the fact that we are not above creation. We are not greater than creation. We are part of it. It is from the dust that all of creation comes; humans, plants and animals. We are all one. Where this leads us then is to Jesus and his discussion about the greatest commandments. When asked to name the greatest commandment Jesus offers the standard rabbinic answer, that we are to love God with all of our of heart, soul, mind and strength. And that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. His questioners agree with him…and they do so because these commandments are based in the creation story we read this morning. First we are to love God because it is God who formed us from the dust of the earth, breathed into us the breath of life and set us in the world; in other words, we love God because of what God has done for us. Second we are to love our neighbor as ourselves because, well, our neighbors are us. They are of the same dust as are we. There are no distinctions. I wish I could say that loving God and neighbor was easy; that it was easy to look at all other human beings and see them as being of the same dust as are we. Yet I know it isn’t. It isn’t because the cultures in which we grow up teach us to make distinctions; to see some people as better than others; some people as more worthy of our love than others; some people as more important than others. Yet if we allow the dust to speak; if we allow the scriptures to speak, we will find ourselves called to see and to respond to the world differently. We will see ourselves called to all people as made of the same God-created dust. My challenge for you this week then is this, to ask yourselves, how am I striving to view every human being I meet or see, as made of the same stuff of which I am made; the dust of creation, and therefore helping me love them as my brother or sister in God? (*) Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki 1040-1105), quoted in The Torah of Reconciliation, Sheldon Lewis, Green Publishing House, 2012/5772 Rev. Dr. John Judson
August 28, 2016 Listen Print Version Genesis 1:1-2:4, Matthew 6:25-34 The scene from The Lion King opens with Pumbaa, Timon and Simba all lying on the grass, after dinner, looking at the stars. Simba, “I’m stuffed” Pumbaa, “Me too. I ate like a pig.” Simba, “You are a pig.” Pumbaa, “Oh, right.” They all sigh. Pumbaa, “Timon…” Timon, “Yeah?” Pumbaa, “Have you ever wondered what those sparkling dots are up there?” Timon, “I don’t wonder. I know.” Pumbaa, “What are they?” Timon, “They’re fireflies; fireflies that got stuck up here is that blueish-black thing.” Pumbaa, “Oh Gee, I always thought that they were balls of gas burning billions of miles away.” Timon, “Pumbaa, with you, everything is gas.” Pumbaa, “Simba, what do you think?” Simba (hesitantly), “Well I don’t know…” Pumbaa, “Oh come on…give, give, give. We told you ours.” Simba, “Somebody once told me that the great kings of the past were up there watching over us.” Timon, “Really. You mean a bunch of royal dead guys are watching us?!” They all begin to laugh and the scene fades. The Lion King makes it clear what Pumbaa, Timon and Simba saw when they looked at the stars; when they looked at creation. So what is it that we see, or perhaps what is it that we are supposed to see when we look at creation. I ask because just like these three friends, human beings across the last ten-thousand years or so have seen many different things when they looked at creation. Like Simba, many saw gods, goddesses or ancestors living in the sky, the sun, the moon, the trees and the plants. Others, Like Pumbaa, looked at creation and saw a mechanical universe which was like a pocket watch, all wound up and running eternally on a set of mechanistic principles; principles that today we learn about in physics such as gravity, electromagnetism, strong force and weak force. Still others, like Timon (who saw the stars as his food source) saw creation as a giant piggy bank of minerals and materials waiting to be exploited for the money that could be made, regardless of the consequences. And the materials were not simply what one could take out of the earth, but were the human beings that were to be enslaved, used up and then cast aside. Others saw only awe and beauty, a gift to be explored and about which one could write great music and produce amazing works of art. But what is it that we, the people of the Book; the people of God in Jesus Christ are to see, when we look at creation? The answer is twofold, and both answers can be found in this morning’s lesson from the opening of the chapter of Genesis. First we are to see creation as God’s creation. The writer of Genesis 1 makes it clear that the universe and everything in it is God’s. Now to be clear we as Presbyterians are not Creationists. We don’t believe that Genesis either explains the mechanics of creation…the actual how it was made, or give us an exact timeline for the creation event. Even so, what it affirms is that God was somehow mysteriously behind all of this; all of creation; all of life. Whether that life came through God casting a seed of energy at the Big Bang that was filled with the potential and possibility of life, or whether God insured that the potential for life became the reality of life doesn’t matter to the writer. What matters is that God is the creating force behind this creation. The writer also reminds us that God created all that there is but that God cared and cares for all that there is. God said that it was good and very good. In a sense whatever God creates, God cares about. When we look at this creation then the first thing we should see is that it is God’s; that it is God’s very good creation. Second, we should see it as our creation. When I say that I don’t mean that it is ours as a possession. Even though many people have and will read Genesis that way; that we are to have an exploitative dominion over creation, that is not the essence of the Hebrew. The original wording of dominion refers to the dominion of a king who guides and protects his people. It is the dominion of a shepherd who cares for the sheep. Walter Brueggemann implies that the image we ought to use in understanding dominion is that of Jesus who lays down his life for his sheep. In other words, the dominion we are to have entails a responsibility for the creation; so it is our creation because we are the ones whom God has tasked with taking care of it. This is in fact the meaning of the image of God. The image of someone, say a king, referred to the authority given to an individual who was commissioned by the king to serve in the king’s place when the king could not be present. Thus when God addresses humanity in these opening verses of Genesis, God is saying that this is our creation to care for, nurture and assist in becoming the wonderful, awe filled place that God created it to be. These understandings lead us to two conclusions. First they lead us to become those who care for and appreciate the environment, which is appropriate this year as we celebrate the Centennial of our National Parks. This is in some ways an obvious outcome. The second is a conclusion that we might miss; but fortunately Jesus points it out to us…and that is that we get to live a life of “hakuna matata”, or a life where there are no worries here. (And by the way, even though most of you probably heard this phrase first in the Lion King, it is a phrase used by Kenyans). We hear Jesus saying this to those who had gathered around him for what we call the Sermon on the Mount. He asks them why they worry about life, clothes or food and then implies that they need not worry. This is a remarkable ask considering how difficult life was in the first century. People were small farmers scratching out a living. They were day laborers hoping to get hired in order to feed their families. They were small merchants who were heavily taxed and who might be robbed at any turn on the road. So how could Jesus tell them to live by Hakuna Matata? He could do so because this is God’s and our creation. Jesus reminds them that in God’s creation God not only takes care of the birds of the air and the grass of the field, but God takes care of those who are made in God’s image. Jesus says, “Are you not of more value than they?” Thus Jesus says, God will take care of the needs of human beings and so they do not need to worry. In our study book, We Make the Road by Walking, the author speaks of the awe and wonder that we should experience when we view God’s creation. Like many of you there have been many times in my life when the beauty around me has left me virtually speechless. Yet for me, the greatest aspect of awe and wonder, is that the God who created the heavens and the earth, cares so deeply for this creation and for all of us in it; for every bird, and tree and human being who draws breath, that God will work that we have all that we need, now and always. My challenge for you then for this week is this, to ask yourselves, where do I see awe and wonder in God’s creation and how am I fulfilling my role as one who has been created in the image of God? Rev. Dr. John Judson
August 21. 2016 Listen Print Version Exodus 20:8-11, Luke 13:10-17 Good guys and bad guys; they are usually easy to spot on the movie screen. The good guys are generally better looking than us, inventive, indestructible and almost always do the right thing. They do not have to be perfect, in fact many of them are flawed, yet we know that they will save the damsel in distress, or in the case of Disney’s Frozen, the damsel will do the saving. They care for the weak and powerless and they keep evil at bay. The bad guys are those who look slightly off, slightly evil. Often they have foreign accents or they look scary and mean; just consider the orcs in Lord of the Rings, or the aliens in well, any movie. They look like we should be afraid of them and so we are. In a sense these types of guys and gals in black or white hats are caricatures of human beings, set apart in order to make the story easy to understand. For many of us this is the way that we read this morning’s story about Jesus and the head of the synagogue. We know who the good guy is, it is Jesus. We know that Jesus is the good guy because, well first off because he is Jesus. We also know Jesus is the good guy because he is going to heal the crippled woman regardless of anything thought or said. Even knowing that he might irritate some people he went for it. He knew that she had been crippled for perhaps, most of her life and so as we see it, love must be love in action and so he liberates her…he sets her free. The bad guy is the president of the synagogue. We know he is the bad guy because he appears to be a legalist who does not care that this woman has been crippled for 18 years. Even though it might be her only chance of being healed, he does not care. He is so stuck on the Sabbath rules and regulations he is willing to see this woman left as she is. So there you have it, the good guy and the bad guy face off and the outcome is that love wins out over law; good over evil. Except…except that is not what is actually going on here. And if this is where we leave it then we miss the heart of this story. In order to understand we need a bit of background in how Jewish religious life actually works. First Judaism was and is a living tradition. What this means is that Jewish teachers are constantly arguing about what God desires. And in so doing they bring to their arguments, arguments from the scriptures, especially from the Torah. Rabbinic literature refers to this as Arguments from Heaven, meaning each side is trying their best to do what they believe God would have them do. In this case the president of the synagogue is not being a legalist, he is instead arguing directly from the Torah that the Sabbath is to be holy. There is to be no work done on it, and even healing is work. If one reads the Old testament, time and time again, the people of Israel are criticized for not following the Sabbath rules. He is not the bad guy. He is striving to do what the Torah tells him to do. Jesus is doing the same thing. Jesus is arguing from the Torah that liberating a cripple is a greater good that keeping the Sabbath. I realize that for many of us here this morning this seems like a strange thing to say because we don’t know of any Old Testament rules about healing. But what we need to understand is that the Torah is not just the rules of the Old Testament but it is the entire narrative story of the first five books of the Old testament. And because of that reality, Jesus is arguing that liberation, setting God’s people free is greater than the Sabbath because the Exodus, God’s greatest act of liberation comes before Moses and the people are given the Sabbath. Thus liberation makes Sabbath possible…for both animals (leading an animal to water so it can rest) and for humans (allowing a woman to be healed so she can rest). The end result is that the leader is shamed because he understands that he had missed the clarity of Jesus’ argument, and the people celebrate because liberation has arrived. This story then is not about good guys and bad guys. This is a story about God’s desire for liberation. This story is at the heart of all that Jesus says and does. At the beginning of the Gospel of Luke Jesus describes his ministry as proclaiming release to the captives and letting the oppressed go free. And we see Jesus do this throughout his ministry. He frees people from hunger by feeding them. He frees people from spirits by casting them out. We see Jesus freeing people from sin by forgiving them. We see Jesus freeing people from the power of sin and death by going to the cross. Liberation is what Jesus is all about. And so this story is one more episode where he lives into his mission; into the vision that God had given him. And this is what we were about these past two weeks in Kenya. On the surface our trip appeared to be a construction trip. We went to complete the building of two classrooms on an existing school in Olongai in Maasai Land and a church in Tala, which is in the Kamba region of Kenya. Yet what we, and all of you by extension, were involved in were acts of liberation in the name of Jesus Christ. The school in Olongai offers Maasai children an opportunity for an education they might night otherwise have received. This brings liberation because it offers them a glimpse of a life beyond the customs of child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). It also prepares them for life in the wider world which is slowly but surely moving in upon them. We saw liberation when we met with Faith Kasoni. Faith is the first girl, now a young woman, to refuse to be circumcised by her tribe, the Samburu. And even though she was an outcast from her village she returned to other Samburu and taught health practices, and became an inspiration to other girls to say no to FGM. Our part in Faith’s life and work is that First Foundation is helping her to receive an education so she can continue her work with the Samburu, and we delivered the money for this while we were there. The church in Tala offers liberation in that the Kamaba are a largely unchurched tribe, some of whom still live in the fear and superstition of their ancestors. By offering a permanent church we offer them liberation through knowing the love and grace of God in Jesus Christ. We also visited a girl’s rescue center in the Maasai Mara that takes in girls who have been rescued from child-marriage, for some girls as young as eight, girls whose parents cannot feed them, and girls who do not want to undergo FGM. We pooled our money so that they could be hooked into the electric grid, thus enabling the girls to study at night…and through education break free and become whatever it is that God is leading them to become. Liberation is what God is all about. Liberation is what Jesus Christ came to offer us; liberation from fear, need, hate, ignorance and all that keeps us from becoming the full human beings were are created to be. Liberation is then what we are to be about. My question to each of you then, my challenge to you, is to ask, how am I being an agent of liberation, helping my friends, my family, my city and my world become the kind of creation God desires and longs for us for all human beings? Rev. Joanne Blair
August 14, 2016 Listen Print Version Isaiah 5:1-7, Luke 12:49-56 Well, this passage from Luke certainly doesn’t sound like the loving, benevolent, compassionate and peaceful Jesus we like to talk and preach about, does it? Earlier in this very chapter of Luke, Jesus has assured and reassured his followers of how precious they are in God’s sight, and how they should not worry. Yes, just last week Amy started her sermon by reading these words to us from verse 32, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” This is the reassuring Jesus we like to think about. Now, only 17 verses later, Jesus speaks of bringing fire, being stressed, and dividing up families. These words have a bite to them. Jesus appears to be on edge. Instead of sounding like a peace-maker, Jesus sounds like a home-breaker. What happened? In preparing for this sermon, I learned that this is not a favored passage by preachers (shock!), and that many skip it when it comes up in the lectionary. And I must admit, I was tempted! But it’s important. And it’s important for us to remember that there is so much more to being a Christian than worshipping a “feel-good Jesus.” If we skipped this section of the lectionary, we would miss an essential side of Jesus. The side of Jesus that is demanding. Before we go any further, I think it is critical that we set this in context. Earlier in Chapter 9, verse 51, we are told that Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem.” This seminal phrase must be kept in mind. When Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem”, it marks the beginning of the end of his earthly life. Jesus is running out of time to talk with the disciples about living their lives in total commitment to God. Jesus says he came to bring fire, and how he wished the fire were already kindled. He has a baptism with which to be baptized, and he is under stress until it is completed. Jesus is moving toward the completion of his earthly mission. He knows what lies ahead, and he wants it finished…accomplished. Water and fire…two elements that each have the capability of destroying… and of purifying. Images that can lead to transformation. Fire can surely be destructive, but it can also be refining, and a way to transformation. This has been a very hot and dry summer, and the number of forest fires, especially in the west, has been staggering. And yes, some were caused by human error or intent. But many are burning as an act of nature. So much destruction. But some trees…like the Jack Pine found here in Michigan, and the Sequoia…regenerate by fire… The giant sequoias of California grow to nearly 300 feet tall, and 50 feet in diameter. They are the world’s largest trees in total volume. Their cones contain up to 200 seeds and mature in just two years. Once matured, those seeds remain in their cones and await a forest fire. The heat from the fire causes the cones to open and release their seeds. A dramatic, intense form of regeneration…and transformation. Transformation, real transformation, is most often a painful process. Anyone who has gone through a personal transformation knows the pain of the process. An addict, going through withdrawal to become clean. A wrong-doer, taking the difficult steps toward reconciliation. A hater, struggling to put aside their preconceived notions to open their heart and mind. It doesn’t happen in an instant. Transformation really is a lifelong journey. And Jesus asks us to take this challenging and demanding journey. The one we call the Prince of Peace knows that his own nonviolent efforts to proclaim the kingdom of God will soon result in violence. Violence that others will inflict upon him at the cross. And more violence will follow. Jesus has been preparing himself and his disciples. Christianity does not teach that we are saved by being martyrs. Few, if any of us, in 21st century North America will ever be in danger because of our belief in Christ. But Jesus does call for a loyalty so profound that we would be willing to make the most extreme sacrifice if necessary. Jesus talks of bringing division. It is interesting to note that the divisions he names in the family are generational. The core social values in first century times had the family as the fundamental building block of society. A person’s place in the family describes not only their personal identity, but their place in the community as well. Honoring one’s parents was viewed by many as the highest social obligation. To divide a family was to leave its members on shaky ground, both socially and economically. It cut at the very base of the social structure. Many of us hold the family structure as our most valued institution as well. So is Jesus saying that family is unimportant? Of course not. Scripture is very clear about honoring and loving one’s parents, one’s spouse…and even one’s neighbor. But Jesus is saying, quite simply, that our first loyalty should be to him. We, today, tend to determine our identity by our jobs, our families, our standing, our power. Jesus is calling us to define our identity by our relationship with God. My mother and father had a solid marriage for 62 years until my father died. They had actually gone to school together since eighth grade and started dating in high school. After college, my father enlisted in the Navy, and right before he was shipped out, my mother took a crowded train to San Francisco and they got married. Apparently my grandfather had quite a talk with my mom, reminding her that my father might not come back from the war, or might come back quite different from the man she knew. But my mom had made a choice. And my mom was committed. Earlier, when my parents were in college, my mom was mad at my dad about something and she gave his fraternity pin back to him. (My mom did later say that she kind of overreacted.) Anyway, I guess my dad came and found her and told her she needed to decide if she was, or wasn’t with him. And I guess he ended his little speech, cocked his head and said, “Iz you is, or iz you ain’t?” To which my mother apparently responded, “Ah Iz.” Right before he shipped out, my mom gave my dad this I.D. bracelet. His name is engraved on the front, and the inscription on the back says, “Ah Iz.” From then on, whenever my parents faced a tough situation like a job loss, or my father’s MS, or any number of other situations that come on life’s journey, they would look at the other and say, “Ah Iz.” They were committed to each other. As they grew together in life, as they stepped into the fire, their priority became God. God came to be first, and in the center of it all. God transformed them…as individuals, and as a couple. I came across the bracelet this past week and it made me think of today’s scripture. The silver had to be melted, to go into the fire, and be transformed. My parents had to be melted, and transformed. And the choice of a commitment was made. “Ah Iz.” Isn’t that what Jesus is asking of his disciples? Isn’t that what he is asking of us? We are offered a choice. We are offered the choice of choosing God to be the one primary relationship that determines who we are and what we do. To be first and foremost. And if we choose God first, it does shift things. It puts our careers, our nation, our possessions, this church, our family and friends…it puts all these things within the context of our relationship with God…with being disciples of Jesus. Jesus was not naïve. Jesus was aware not only of what lay before him, but what lay before those he asked to follow him. He was aware that it would bring violence, conflict, and division. Still he asked. And he’s still asking today. Jesus is letting us know that to follow him is not easy. The more we are transformed…the more we change and refine habits, behaviors, beliefs and values… the more conflict and division we may feel at times. But through our transformation…then will we know true joy. The joy of Christ. As Presbyterians, we say, “Reformed, always reforming.” As Christ followers, we are also always being transformed. As Jesus chastised those who predicted future weather but did not look around the present time, so he reminds us to not pick and choose what we turn a blind eye to. While we seek to make a better future, we are called to do it now. We turn our lives over to God, or we don’t. We follow Christ, or we don’t. “I came to bring fire to the earth…Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” There are some who hear today’s scripture and want to turn away, or tremble at the severity of the words. But I hear God’s promise. “Come with me. Let me transform you. The process may be painful. But it is rich…and it is good.” “Iz you is, or iz you ain’t?” It’s your choice. Prayer: Transforming God, Guide us to make you our priority. Give us the strength to choose you. Let your Spirit fall afresh on us. Melt us, mold us, fill us, use us. Amen Rev. Amy Morgan
August 7, 2016 Listen Print Version Isaiah 1:1, 10-20; Luke 12:32-40 It has just been one of those weeks. I knew it was going to be hectic. My son was in orchestra camp. The Kenya mission team, including two staff members, was leaving. A mission team from New York was staying at the church. There were meetings, and mission projects, and pastoral duties piled high on my plate. And so I had been preparing. Stockpiling my fridge and pantry, worrying about any last-minute things I could help the Kenya team with, fretting over details for the Back-to-School Rally in Pontiac. I thought I had the week all planned out. I thought I was ready. But, as often happens, things didn’t go according to plan. Visits ran late, meetings got added (and forgotten), circumstances changed. And as my days unraveled, I felt like I was watching my treasured plans spilling out of a gaping hole in my worn-out purse. I could try to justify my drive this week, and most weeks, to over prepare, to fret and worry over the tiniest details. Losing sleep over whether or not I need to wash my son’s camp t-shirt or respond to an email feels like I am “dressed and ready for action with my lamp lit.” But the truth is, I’m not compelled by virtue. I’m compelled by fear. Fear of judgement, perhaps. Or loss. Fear of whatever may happen if I’m not ready for it. And I know I’m not alone in this fear. We have come to translate “keep your lamps lit” as “burn the candle at both ends.” We feel it is our responsibility to prepare for every possibility. Whether the task at hand is raising our children or meeting our career goals or even trying to follow Jesus, we look up to those people who not only have a stellar “plan A” but also plans B through Q in place. We don’t want to be sidelined by surprises or derailed by missed details. And this is because we are all driven by fear. After every disaster, every tragedy, we comb through the evidence to sort out how this could have been avoided. Public judgement is pronounced on every missed clue, every minor flaw, every delayed response. “If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into” is not good enough. He should have known. He should have had a better security system. So then, what do we do with Jesus’ entreaty, “do not be afraid, little flock?” Just before the words of Jesus we read today, Jesus tells his assembled flock of disciples, “do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.” He tells them God knows what they need, and just like God cares for birds and flowers, God will take care of them as well. If you ask me, this sounds massively irresponsible. But then I think about this week. Would it have been the end of the world if I hadn’t washed my son’s camp t-shirt three times? Did I really need to worry about that? Would it have been a total disaster if we had run out of food for the youth group and had to go out to buy some more? Maybe Jesus had the right idea, after all. When Jesus describes the servants waiting for their master, they aren’t pacing the floor, scrubbing the kitchen, fretting over whether the master is going to want eggs or muffins for breakfast. Rather, they are waiting in joyful expectation. Their only job is to be awake and aware. To tend to their lamps, encourage the light so that they can see the master approaching. To open the door for him when he arrives. They are not fearing punishment if the master is displeased. But they do receive a blessing when their vigil is over. If they were afraid – of losing their jobs, their status, their shelter – whatever it is they treasure – if they were focusing on these fears instead of looking for their master, they would surely fail to be awake with their lamps lit when the master arrived. Because fear is exhausting. We are wired for short-term fear response, fight or flight. Our bodies can only sustain a racing heart, panting breath, and adrenaline rush for so long. And then we shut down. When my son was very young, he had a minor head injury that landed him in the hospital overnight. Everything looked fine, but the nurses would check him regularly throughout the night just to make sure. My husband and I were understandably fearful about our son’s condition, and determined we would stay up through the night to watch him. Neither of us made it. While it was a fitful and often-interrupted night of sleep, our bodies could not sustain that level of fear without rest. Unlike fear, however, sustained attentiveness can be regenerative. Think of children listening attentively for the bells of Santa’s sleigh. They manage to stay awake for an impressive length of time on Christmas Eve, do they not? And they seem to be full of energy when they awake on Christmas morning. They are waiting in joyful expectation. They are focused on one thing. And that is what Jesus encourages his disciples to do. Do not be afraid. Focus on one thing – the kingdom of God. And we do this through sustained attentiveness, joyful expectation of that coming kingdom, that time and place where what we treasure most will be eternal. Because if we don’t follow Jesus’ instructions on this – if we are afraid, if we lose focus, if we are anxious and distracted – we will miss the kingdom of heaven when it arrives. Now, I know this sounds like some far-off fairy-tale end-times babble. But I’m not talking about the end of the world, and neither is Jesus. For Jesus, the kingdom of heaven is always present and future. It is inaugurated in Christ’s coming and will keep coming until it is complete. The kingdom of heaven is not a place or an event or an endpoint. It is a process. Like evolution. Like fermentation. Like photosynthesis. The creation itself, it’s very operation, is saturated with the kingdom of heaven. And even in the center of my wild week, even as I kept pouring my treasured energy into that worn-out purse of earthly concern, the kingdom of heaven kept showing up. I saw it in the mission team from New York packing backpacks in Pontiac. I saw it in meetings with church members who are passionate in their love for this community and their desire to see it flourish. I saw it in folks in the hospital who are experiencing the healing power of love and prayers. I saw it in the Kenya mission team’s photographs. In all those places where God so clearly stepped in to take care of things, to work things out, to give what was most needed. The kingdom of heaven is not always experienced in a dramatic event. Often it is a slow unfolding. A long night of waiting. And so we will only see it if we are attentive. If we are nurturing the light. It may not come right away. There may be many hours of darkness ahead as you wait. Like any process, the kingdom of heaven is sometimes hard to see. Sometimes it is almost invisible. But if our lamps are lit, if we are awake and attentive and joyfully expectant, we sometimes hear a footfall, or catch a whiff of its scent on the wind, or see a faint light coming toward us in the distance. And we are reminded that it is coming. So do not be afraid. Keep your lamps lit. In the center of your worries, your fears, whatever anxieties plague you most, wait in joyful expectation for the kingdom of heaven to arrive. In your career, in your broken relationships, in your neighborhood, in your depression, in your illness or injury, in your boredom or apathy, wait in joyful expectation for the kingdom of heaven to arrive. For when it arrives, if you have not fallen asleep, exhausted by fear, you will be blessed. God will invite us to sit down, take a load off, as God Almighty puts on an apron and sets us a feast. And so we wait, in joyful expectation, replacing our fear with trust and gratitude, feeding the light that has been entrusted to us. Let us pray: Loving God, we are grateful that is has been your good pleasure to give us the kingdom. Keep us attentive in joyful expectation, ever watchful for signs of your kingdom on earth. Amen. The Rev. Dr. John Judson
July 31. 2016 Listen Print Version Psalm 107; Luke 12:13-21 So, how many of you here this morning ever had a piggy bank, even if it was not shaped like a pig? I had been thinking about piggy banks this week, for a reason that will become clear in a moment and so I asked my father if he had had one. Yes, he said, it was a small metal box. In the top was a slot for the coins. But that was about all that he could remember. Chances are, that growing up during the depression, his parents had given it to him to teach him the value of saving. Well if that was their purpose then it worked. My parents, like many of you, made saving an almost religious-routine part of their lives. They saved for cars…always paying cash. They saved to pay for my, and my brothers college educations…savings bonds. They saved for retirement. And in the process they passed that ethic on to their children and grandchildren. Which brings me to my second question, how many of you save? Great, that says that we all value saving when and how we can. Which raises the point…why does Jesus seem so opposed to saving in this morning’s story. To be sure that we are all on the same page…let’s recap. Jesus is out teaching. A man comes up to him and wants Jesus to insure that the man receives his fair share of his parents’ inheritance from his brother. A fair share is that to which he is legally entitled. We would think that Jesus would get the brothers together and help them work this out. Yet he doesn’t. And in fact he not only doesn’t intervene but he tells a story about a farmer who saves. The story goes like this. A farmer has a bumper crop. Rather than waste it betting at the chariot races in Capernaum, he decides to save. He hires a contractor; builds a bigger barn; stores his grain and then relaxes. It is time to enjoy the sweat of his brow…something that the book of Ecclesiastes says that he ought to do. As soon as he does so though, God shows up in the story and says to the farmer, surprise, you are dead. And guess what! All of that stuff that you saved is going to someone else. Somehow this does not appear to jive with the lessons we have been taught about saving…especially for retirement. So what gives? The answer comes in a single word…re-gifting. Let me explain. When Cindy and I got married, everyone knew that we were headed off to seminary and that I was going to become a minister. They also knew that if there is one thing that all ministers do, it is to go to potluck suppers. They also knew that the one thing people who go to potluck suppers need is casserole dishes. What that meant was that when Cindy and I began to open all of our wedding presents, it seemed as if every other one was a casserole dish. Cindy estimates that we received between twenty-five and thirty casserole dishes. We had several choices. We could return some of them. We could save them all for that one potluck dinner where we needed to make twenty-five or thirty dishes. Or, we could re-gift them. For those of you unfamiliar with re-gifting, it is the process of taking what you have been given, usually in excess of what you need and you give it away to other people, which is what we did. I would guess that we were covered for wedding gifts for about ten or twenty years. I realize that some of you may think that we were cheap…but no…we were actually demonstrating two profound Biblical principles, which are: everything that we have in life is a gift and our task is to give away to others from our excess. The first Biblical principle is that everything we are and everything we have is a gift from God. It is a gift because we didn’t create our bodies, our intellects, the rain, the earth or even the seeds that grow into what we eat. Those are all gifts. I realize that unlike the birds of the air and beasts of the field we have to work for a living. We have to take what God gives us and transform it into something useful. But still, what we do is manipulate…not create, thus it is gift. The second great biblical principle is that since these are all gifts, we are to re-gift the excess of what we have been gifted. We see this in the Torah where God’s people are commanded to not harvest to the edge of their fields but to leave the excess for those who are in need. This second principle tells us that on a regular basis we are to share what we have with widows, orphans, the poor and the stranger. There is even something called the year of Jubilee in which all debts are forgiven so that no one finds themselves forever in debt. We are to re-gift the excess of what we have. This is what is at the heart of Jesus’ story about the farmer. The farmer thinks that he has created his bounty and he believes therefore that the excess is his, therefore he does not need to re-gift. We know this because Jesus carefully crafts the story. Jesus begins by making it clear that the land produced abundantly…not the farmer. Thus what was produced was a gift from God. The farmer misses this as we can see in his use of “I” and “my” in verses 17 and 18. “And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.” Thus the farmer is not criticized for saving. He is criticized for ignoring the two great Biblical themes, namely that all is gift and we are to re-gift. He assumes that the gifts of God that have come his way, the earth, the rains and the crops, are his and his alone and therefore do not need to be re-gifted. They do not need to be shared with those around him who are hungry and struggling for food. Re-gifting - this is what we are called to do. And this is what we, meaning the Kenya mission team, will be doing over the next two weeks. We will be sharing with a congregation and a community in Kenya, some of the gifts that we as a church community have been given…by you and by us. We have been given gifts from the Vision Fund, First Foundation, individual donors and we are using our own funds as well to participate in this endeavor as we help to build a church and school. But we are not the only one’s re-gifting. The church members in Kenya have re-gifted sacrificially to pay their portion of the construction. The community where we will build the school has re-gifted a portion of the cost of construction. And in so doing we are all re-gifting for generations to come; generations of children who will learn; generations of worshippers whose lives will be changed by their relationship with Jesus Christ. Re-gifting - it is what we are supposed to do. So here is my challenge for you for the coming week, to ask yourselves, how am I re-gifting from the abundance of gifts that God has given me; re-gifting so that this world looks more and more like the world God desires it to be? Peter Miller, Julie Wagner, Wendy Wilkinson
July 24. 2016 Listen: there was no audio from Sunday, July 24 Print Version Scripture: Psalm 121, Matthew 5:13-16 Dr. Peter Miller: Reflection on the medical component of the Mexico Mission Trip The 5 prior YPM medical missions I had been on were in conjunction with and run by the San Antonio First Presbyterian Church (SAFPC). The team usually was made up of approximately 25 adults. Physicians ( divided into specialties Gen med, GYN, and pediatrics), pharmacists, opticians (reading glasses), translators & a team ran simultaneous VBS type children's activities. The last SAFPC trip this past Feb provided for 600 pts. This summer's trip was much lower keyed. I performed dual roles as the physician and the pharmacist. I joined up with the church’s very welcoming construction mission team. It actually worked extremely well in my opinion. Backtracking; Why just me? I had been unable to participate with last 2 SAFPC trips. This spring I decided to try to do a mini med mission targeting diabetes, a highly prevalent disease of the Mayans in the Yucatan. YPM was happy about the plan and Amy welcomed me aboard this summer’s mission team. Now the last task was to acquire medications and supplies. I was expecting this to be a big hurdle. I recollected a local charitable organization World Medical Relief (WMR). They were a Godsend. I submitted my application. They were enthusiastic in their support. I was trying to limit the weight of what I would be taking in to Mexico. WMR provided much more than the oral diabetic meds, anti hypertensive med, Glucometer and test strips that I requested. Without an additional charge they added more, and it weighed 125 lbs. (While telling you of WMRs generosity. I want to also acknowledge the spontaneous generosity of the church and a friend's donation to WMR that covered the entire cost of the med supplies.) I had acquired far more meds and supplies than I had expected; and fortunately was with a team able help with transporting them into Mexico. Being a guest in a foreign country when you're bringing in a lot of medical supplies: Psalm 121 says "the Lord is your keeper" but you still need to get thru Mexican customs. Unfortunately SA FPC had up to half their supplies confiscated at customs on their last 2 trips. I tried to be diligent with the paper work for the donation. Our documentation wasn't perfect, but fortunately not totally inadequate. We got everything through. It took time and a lot talking. Keep in mind that I don't speak or understand much Espanol. So clearly the Lord was our keeper on this trip through customs. What was the light? Provided care for 50 persons in 4 mornings of clinics. As well as ace wrapping Alex of Esperanza's mild ankle sprain sustained playing soccer at VBS. Many diabetics in Leona run out of their medications. They have regular access to medical care and are given samples which is not enough to last a couple of months. They can’t afford to purchase their meds. Blood glucose checks confirmed their diabetes was out of control. We had taken plenty of Metformin and Glipizide to supply their meds until their next clinic appointment (up to 2 months forward). We dispensed 3000 tablets. On this type of med mission I treat a chronic disease hoping that today will be better than yesterday for the patient, with the clear knowledge that I don’t have the long term solution for the problem. I know the cycle is bound to repeat itself. But, for today the patient’s medical situation is better than having no meds at all. Thanks to WMR’s generosity we had plenty of Acetaminophen, vitamins, and cough meds for the other patients. (Dispensed 2000 Acetaminophen, 4000 adult vitamins, and 4500 children's vitamins) We left behind plenty of diabetic, antihypertension and antibiotic meds that won't expire for a year or two. (Good for two more medical mission trips) I now have a better understanding of Mexican customs regulations for the importation of “in kind” medical supplies and equipment. I know we need to be more diligent in properly complying with the regulations. If we do that: clearing customs with our donations can be a problem solved rather than a potential vignette for a border security reality TV show and potentially turning off the light. Mexico Mission Trip Reflection by Julie Wagner The passage that Grace just read was our theme for the mission trip. We were charged with being the salt and the light. “Sal con colores . Sal con colores. That is me and my limited Espanol, standing over my open luggage, opposite customs officials, at the Cancun, Mexico airport. I’m attempting to explain to the customs officials what the granular substance in the plastic bags is, amongst all the other Vacation Bible School supplies. While in Mexico we truly experienced the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. The Mexican workers, hired by our Yucatan Peninsula Mission hosts, Willian and Erly, shinned their light upon us constantly. With Lucio, it was his infinite patience. He taught us how to build walls with mortar and cinder blocks. Lucio was cheerful and bright with each lesson and his eyes never rolled, but smiled even when sections of our wall needed to be taken down and re-built. Juan’s light shown through his infectious friendliness. He forged a unique bond with Robert and Eddie. They were able to joke constantly, not hindered by their limited command of each other’s language. Juan watched out for us all, fearful we may fall asleep on our shovels, he asked Erly for the English words necessary to change the music, and liven up our work site tunes from mellow to danceable. At times, our team was the salt of the earth. We were a well-oiled machine, manually mixing cement, no easy task, passing buckets along the chain to elevated Jevahirian boys pouring columns. There was so much light and power, the Electric Slide made its debut in the cement line. Between buckets, Christina was able to master the dance moves of the Electric Slide as expertly as she had mastered wall construction. Our youngest team member worked hard and demonstrated a lot of leadership, much to the delight of his mother. On the work site, he mixed cement and worked well with our host, Erly guiding us on the placement of each wheelbarrow full of sand. On the play site, he singlehandedly convinced all of us to experience the pool slide. This was quite a challenge, as we were all aware of the bumpy design of the slide and the pain it would inflict on our weary bodies. There was no wasting of salt and a keen respect for resources. We diligently watched out for one another, conscience of dehydration and muscle fatigue. On the material side, once the concrete columns were set, we disassembled the forms, saved the nails not too bent from extraction, and repainted the boards with diesel, ready for the next set of columns. Not only could we see the light and taste the salt, but they could also be heard. Amy’s most genuine laugh told us all how loved we were and how unique this trip was, even though she has been on numerous mission trips. During our nightly devotions, hearing thoughtful prayers and beautiful voices singing Sanctuary, reminded us of God’s presence. The brightest lights and tastiest salt may have been at Vacation Bible School. The smiles on the children’s faces were contagious. The language barrier was absent in the crafts and games so expertly designed by Jen and Heide. Collin became a movable playscape with the children climbing on his limbs. They were thrilled to have someone so tall, so blonde, and so eager to play with them. At times it was difficult to ascertain whom was having more fun, the Mayan village kids or us, especially Dr. Peter, who shifted from his daytime doctoring to VBS craft expert. Increasing the volume of my phrase “Sal con colores” did not seem to help with the customs officials. So to explain that the granular substance in the plastic bags was salt, I tasted it for them to see. As said in Matthew 5, this salt had not lost its taste. The text of Wendy’s meditation was not available at the time of publication: we will include it when it is submitted. Rev. Dr. John Judson
July 17, 2016 Listen Print Version Genesis 1:26-31, Luke 10:38-42 Her name is Homa Hoodfar. My guess is that few of us know who she is. She is the professor emeritus of anthropology at Concordia University in Montreal. She holds dual citizenship of Canada and Iran. Over the years Hoodfar focused most of her work on the democratic rights of women in Islamic societies and how religious symbols and interpretations of those symbols have been used to both support and repress women’s rights. With family in Iran she often traveled back and forth from Canada to Iran for both work and pleasure. This past March, however something unexpected happened. The day before she was supposed to leave to join her family in London, Hoodfar’s computer, passport and her research papers were all confiscated by the Revolutionary Guard. They refused to allow her to leave the country and would regularly bring her in for questioning asking her, “Are you a feminist?” She has now been formally arrested and charged…though no one is sure with what since the indictment is sealed. Since her arrest she has been sitting in the infamous Evin Prison with no access to family, friends or an attorney. The official Iranian media has hinted at the charges by accusing her of fomenting a feminist revolution. My guess is that to many of us this kind of behavior seems archaic and odd. In the 21st Century it might boggle some of our minds that a person could be arrested for being a feminist. Yet it ought to be a reminder of the power of culture and tradition. As Americans we live in a culture that has been in flux from the moment the first settlers arrived on this continent. We have in fact become a powerful mix of cultures which often clash yet somehow manage to hold together. As a recent Syrian immigrant said, as he travels on the subway to and from work in Boston, it is unfathomable how we as such a diverse nation hold together. That being said, this ability to hold together causes us forget just how powerful tradition and culture can be. In places like Iran, Afghanistan, India and elsewhere the culture and traditions clearly outline the boundaries for men, women and children. To step outside of those boundaries means one runs the risk of punishment by family, society or both. With that in mind then we have the background necessary to understand our story. Mary and Martha understand clearly what their culture and tradition expected of them. They were Jewish women living in the first century. What this means is that they knew their place. As women they were to cook, clean and watch over the children. They were not to speak to or be around men who were not their relatives. When men come to the home, women were to stay outside unless they were invited in for a particular task, such as serving food or wine. To do otherwise was scandalous and was to invite not simply the anger of their spouse but the condemnation of the community. Only women of ill repute would violate these cultural boundaries. These were the culture and the traditions which guided Martha and Mary as they prepared for the visit of Jesus and the other men of the community. They knew what they had to do. And Martha did it well. She lovingly and carefully fulfilled her end of the societal social contract. Her sister Mary, on the other hand, decided to not only break that contract with tradition and culture but to shred it to pieces. Mary’s actions were scandalous, revolutionary and so completely outside of the norm that it is remarkable that Luke would tell this story. Here’s why. First Mary did not fulfill her role as hostess. She should have been helping Martha to cook and serve. Second Mary refused to stay in the background. She placed herself in the presence of men who were not her relatives; in the presence of men who were strangers. Third, she placed herself at the feet of Jesus. What we need to know about this description of her location is that it is about more than simply the geography of the seating arrangement. To sit at the feet of a rabbi is to sit where not only where disciples sit, but where rabbis in training sit. It is the language used by the Apostle Paul when he describes his rabbinic training. He sat at the feet of Gamaliel the rabbi. What this means is that when Martha comes to Jesus says, “Make Mary help me,” she is not simply asking for help because she is overwhelmed in the kitchen. She made a plea for Jesus to put Mary in her appropriate place; to right the ship of culture and tradition; and to insure that the house of Mary and Martha will be respected in the village. Yet Jesus refuses to do so and in the process said that Mary had chosen the better way. It is at this point that people go off in multiple directions trying to explain what Jesus meant by the “better way.”. Some, who are “Marthas” in this world, want Jesus to send Mary back to the kitchen because they understand what it’s like to have to do all of the work by themselves. They understand that there is something wonderful about working hard to show hospitality. Those who advocate for equality between the sexes see this as Jesus advocating for a first century feminism, releasing women from having to always be the perfect hostess and instead inviting them into the religious community as equal partners. Still others see this as simply reminding people that there are different kinds of spirituality. Unfortunately, all of these interpretations miss the key word in the story. And that word is “distracted.” In other words, when Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen the better way, it is that Mary has chosen to be focused on what matters; on the presence of Jesus and the kingdom that he offers. Mary has chosen to risk everything, her reputation, her place in the community and possibly even her life in order to discover this kingdom of love and grace that is unfolding in Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus did not criticize Martha for following the traditions of her culture. He criticized here because she was so distracted by them that she could not see what was right in front of her…the messiah who was offering a peace that passes all understanding. What this means is that Martha did not need to quit serving, but that in the process of serving she needed to pay attention to the message that Jesus was bringing. Being distracted is something to which most of us can relate. We live in a world of distractions: television, computers, tablets, phones, all of which bring us constant stream of entertainment and information. We live in a world of meetings, activities, schedules and obligations, all of which keep us in constant motion. It becomes difficult for many of us to stay focused on any one thing, for any period of time. And thus we run the risk of becoming “Marthas” who miss what Jesus has to offer, not because of custom and tradition but because we are those who are distracted from focusing on Jesus Christ and the lives he calls us to live. We find ourselves not being distracted drivers, but being distracted believers. For many it is hard to focus long enough to pray, to worship, to serve or to sense what God is doing in our lives, church and world. The challenge then becomes for us to intentionally focus our faith through practices such as regular prayer, Sabbath observance or scripture reading. The challenge is to stay focused enough that the love of Christ might be made real within us that it might be made real within the world. My challenge to all of us this week then is this, to ask ourselves, how am I focusing on my faith such that I am not missing the love that Jesus Christ offers through the kingdom that is unfolding all around me? Rev. Dr. John Judson
July 10, 2016 Listen Print Version Psalm 82, Luke 10:17-24 It was the original Mission Impossible. Jesus had sent seventy of his followers out on an impossible mission. Their mission, which they chose to accept, was to go throughout Judea and essentially tell people to love more and hate less. They were to go ahead of Jesus and offer the people of Judea the very peace of God. The peace of God that is possible regardless of the circumstances. And this mission was seemingly impossible because, as I explained last week, the people of Judea were in no mood to hear it. They were filled with anger and hatred toward their Roman oppressors and their Jewish lackeys. They were filled with hate because Rome and its allies were introducing a culture which was diametrically opposed to that of observant Jews. They were filled with hate became Rome and its allies were buying up all of the agricultural land and making people refugees. They were filled with hate because Rome taxed the people for the benefit of Rome and not for the local populous. And so it was into this moment of rising hatred and rebellion that the disciples went with a message of peace; of love more, of hate less. What is remarkable about this story is that it would appear that they were successful. They return to Jesus all pumped up, filled with joy, saying, “Look Jesus even the demons submitted to us!” Meaning that the demonic forces of hate and anger had given way to the very peace of God, to the love that God had to offer. Jesus’ response was right in-line with their excitement. He said, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a bolt of lightning. See, I have given you the authority to tread on snakes and scorpions as well as over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you.” Jesus then reminded them that their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, in heaven itself. Who could ask for more? Who could ask for a greater victory. Let’s hang the championship banner, bring out the band and have a parade. Victory is ours, they seem to say. We can now retire because all is well with the world. Unfortunately, there is only one thing wrong with all of this…and that is, well, the last two-thousand years. For the last two-thousand years appear to have been about more hate and less love. The last two-thousand years have seen hatred turn into mind-numbing violence. We have witnessed wars of conquest in the name of religion, national pride and ideology. We have witnessed genocide over and over again in every continent, driven by hatred of the other; of those we see as inferior or as a threat. We have watched the industrialization of slavery and the denigration of entire races of people because of the color of their skin. And even when we think like the disciples that we can celebrate because somehow we are beyond that, we are brought back to reality in the present moment. We are brought back by the death of five Dallas police officers who were killed because they were white policemen. We are brought back by the shooting of a Muslim physician on his way to prayers, the beating of two Muslim youth outside their mosque and the painting of the words, go home terrorist on a Muslim woman’s car. We are brought back by the attack of ISIS inspired slaughters of LGBTQ persons, and other innocent Americans in similar attacks. We are brought back by the often unjustified killings of people of color. We are brought back by anti-immigrant attacks in Great Britain following the Brexit. We are brought back by Buddhist attacks on Muslims in Myanmar. We are brought back by the attack of Palestinians on Jews in Israel…and of ultra-Orthodox Jews on Palestinians and on their own soldiers. We are reminded that in this world there often seems to be more hate and less love. So what, we might ask, could Jesus and his disciples have been thinking when they were celebrating two-thousand years ago? What they were actually thinking and saying was that while they may have achieved a few small victories, the need for their proclamation was going to continue. I say this because all of the language in this story points us to the future, even though the church may have wanted to see it as pointing to the past. When the disciples returned they spoke of demons submitting using language that implies it will continue to happen…not just that it happened in the past. When Jesus says he saw Satan fall, he is speaking of continuing action, that Satan, that evil, may be down but it’s not out. When Jesus says he has given the disciples power, it is a reference to power that is intended for use in the future as they continue their mission to proclaim more love and less hate. Jesus understood that the mission was just beginning. He would still need to go to the cross to break the powers of sin and death. He knew that a new community based on more love and less hate would need to be created. He knew that he would have to send the Spirit in order to empower this mission. It was not over; it was just beginning. Unfortunately, what happened was that the church forgot its main mission; the mission of the seventy; the mission to invite all persons into the Kingdom of God centered in Jesus Christ, who offers us peace and where there is to be more love and less hate. Instead we got busy seeking power and privilege. Instead we spiritualized our faith such that heaven mattered and earth didn’t. Instead we found it easier to hate than to love; to condemn rather than to forgive. And so if there was ever a moment in recent memory when we need to remember; when we need the seventy, this is it. In a time in which the shrill voices of hate seem to be all around us. In a time when love seems to be in short supply. We need to remember. We need the seventy. So where will we find them? Since you asked I will tell you. First, look at the person sitting next to you or near you. Second, say to them, “Hi I’m one of the seventy.” Yes, you and I, we are the seventy. We are those who are being sent on what seems like an impossible mission to teach more love and less hate. To offer the peace of God to all. And even though this may seem like a mission impossible, it is not. We know it is not, not only because of the disciples’ success, but because we know that love of God is the most powerful force on the face of the earth. It has the power to change lives, nations and the world. That then is our task. It is to show in word and deed more love and less hate. My challenge to you then is this, to ask yourselves, “How am I, in word and in deed, proclaiming to the world more love and less hate, such that people will want to be a part of God’s new kingdom of peace. |
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