"Distracted?"

Worship Leader's Message for Sunday, July 18

When I was teaching my daughter to drive, in addition to talking about and teaching her how to navigate the road, when to turn on signals and lights, and how to park, we spent time talking about the dangers of using a cell phone while driving, listening to music while driving, and talking to her sister while driving. In other words, we talked a lot about all the activities that can distract us from driving safely. Of course, being a teenager, she knew everything there was to know about the dangers of driving while distracted by the panoply of stuff that can distract a teenager these days. I knew how much she knew by how much more drawn out the “Oh, mom” got every time we talked about it.

Nonetheless, just a few days after getting her license, she decided, while alone, that she was experienced enough to navigate through the thousands of songs on her iPod and drive at the same time, or at least wait for the traffic signal to turn green. Imagine her embarrassment when she was honked at because she had become so absorbed in picking the right song she didn’t realize the light had turned green. Fortunately, the only damage done was the annoyance of the driver behind her and the wound to her pride at being a safe driver. But the fact is we all have done to one degree or another what my daughter did, whether it’s fiddling with the radio, taking just a quick call on the cell phone, or zoning out while driving long distances. However, distractions don’t just happen when we’re driving. In fact, in this day and age we are surrounded by distractions of every kind. Many of you likely remember a time when, if your phone rang while you were out of the house, you were blissfully unaware that anyone was trying to reach you. Or a time when, after midnight or so, the TV only showed a screen of snow static.

We have to admit that the distractions of this world leave us unable, or unwilling, to find time for what’s truly important. How often have we scolded ourselves for not spending more time in Bible study, more time playing with our children, more time walking and talking with our spouse, more time having lunch with friends?

So, at first, we may understand Jesus’ rebuke of Martha, to not busy herself with preparing a meal but to spend her time as Mary did at the feet of Jesus. But wait a minute, just what exactly is Jesus advocating here? Yes, we admit that there are unnecessary distractions that take us away from what’s truly important. But fixing a meal for a guest in our home? Doing work that benefits our community and contributes to others’ well-being? Cleaning up after a potluck or attending a knitting group that makes prayer shawls? Are these symptoms of a Martha attitude rather than a Mary-like devotedness? It is more than curious that this story of Jesus seeming to chide Martha for her hospitality appears where it does in the gospel of Luke, because the last two Sundays we have heard, at least in the background of the gospel stories, the importance hospitality plays in the reign of God’s kingdom. Two weeks ago, we heard the story of Jesus sending out 70 disciples telling them, in addition to not worrying about the distractions of clothing or money, to rely on the kindness of strangers. If you enter a house and are welcomed, stay there until you leave. If you are not welcomed, shake the dust of that town off your feet and go on to the next place. In other words, the message of God’s coming kingdom will only be heard by those who first respond with hospitality. Then, last week, we heard the parable of the Good Samaritan who not only showed the grievously injured robbery victim mercy, he also showed him hospitality by opening his purse to pay for the man’s continued care. In fact, the often-overlooked innkeeper also showed hospitality by accepting this injured stranger and providing for his care on the word and promise of a Samaritan, who, remember, was not exactly welcome in that part of Judea.

So, does Jesus, when he comes to the home of his friends, simply abandon his emphasis on the need for hospitality as a foundation for proclaiming the word of God? That certainly seems to be the case on the face of it, doesn’t it? But let’s look a little deeper at this story. What, first of all, is the better part that Mary has chosen?

In his book, The Practice of Godliness, Jerry Bridges defines godliness as a desire for God. He sees having a desire for God as the pinnacle of human experience for a desire for God will diminish or eliminate all those desires that lead us away from God and will enhance the relationships and heighten the experiences that God has chosen for us to enjoy and grow from. But desire for God is not something that just happens. The author of The Practice of Godliness says that desire for God is arrived at through acknowledging the fear of God and the love of God, which lead to a devotion to God and ultimately results in a desire for God.

Now “fear of God” is a tricky term. Does it mean we should be afraid of God, of His judgment, of His disciplining us? While that certainly occurs throughout the Old Testament, through the new covenant made by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, the judgment of God has been covered by the blood of the Christ. We have been brought into a new, intimate relationship with God as His children and have nothing to be afraid of. However, and this is a big however, we cannot let this new relationship diminish in any way how we view God. For He still is almighty, immortal, transcendent God. It is His glory alone that illuminates heaven. We cannot, no matter how hard we try, fully comprehend God. In the end, we have to come to terms with the reality that God is God and we are not. And in that reality we can acknowledge God as Who He is and give him the appropriate reverence and awe — the fear — that is His alone.

The other foundation that leads to a desire for God is love of God. Now, that may seem obvious. Of course, we love God. That’s why we’re in church on Sunday morning rather than out doing something else. God has created us, redeemed us through His Son and sanctified us through His Spirit. Yes, loving God is the right and good response to all He has done for us. But this is not all that Jerry Bridges means when he talks about love of God. No, he’s describing a top-down relationship. God loved us first. God will always love us better than we can ever love Him. No matter how far we try to run from Him, despite our sinful behavior and our failings, God loves us. Now, we may have to pay a price for our misbehavior, but that does not diminish or end God’s love for us.

It is these two building blocks — our reverence and awe of God, and knowing deep in our hearts that God loves us and always will love us — that allows us to build a life of devotion to God, a life that puts the troubles of this world in perspective and lets us focus solely on the lives God would have us lead. And by coming closer to that ideal, though because of our sinful nature we will never fully reach it this side of heaven, we gain a desire to truly live for God and God alone, a desire for God.

There is much more to discover along the way to a godly life, but I won’t spend more time on that now. If you are interested in pursuing these ideas, I commend to you The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges for your personal study.

But let’s return to Mary and Martha with Jesus visiting their home. The better part that Mary had chosen, we perhaps now can understand, is a devotion to Jesus. Though she may not have yet understood that Jesus was the Christ, she knew that he was a man of God and so she had reverence for him. She also knew that he loved her. And so, she was devoted enough to sit at his feet and listen to what he had to share.

Jesus’ chides Martha not so much because she is showing hospitality but because she is distracted and troubled. She is not enjoying the opportunity to serve Jesus. She is worried about doing the right thing at the right time. She is concerned that her efforts will not be enough. She is angry, and her anger has caused her to lash out at both her sister and their guest. Sound familiar?

Service in the name of God and for love of our neighbor is not a bad thing. But when we get troubled or worried or angry over how that service is being done, or not done, then our relationship with Jesus and with others starts to fray and can, in fact, be ripped apart if we let our emphasis on service rather than our emphasis on devotion guide us.

There will be times when we wish that more people would just see this service project or that endeavor that we have a passion for with the same perspective. They won’t.

There will be moments when we wish just one person would see how hard we’re working and offer to help. She won’t.

What should our response be, that of Martha or Mary? Should we become troubled and distracted and lash out at those whom we love? Or should we stop for a moment and remember the relationship with Jesus that gives birth to all our impulses to do good in this world?

We all will be Martha at some point. We hope that we also will find the courage to be Mary, too. The fact is there’s a lot that can and does distract us in this world. Some of those distractions can trouble us, worry us, and cause us to wander away from what God really has called us to do and be. But God loves us, always has, always will. And he will always call us back to sit again in His presence, to feel that love, to rest in that peace, and to know we are His for eternity.

To Him be all glory, honor and power now and forever. Amen.

“Your Choice”

Luke 10:38-42
Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.

Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."


A Message from the Pastor
Mary and Martha are the two famous sisters of the gospel. Mary and Martha, there is a story about them in each of the four gospels. This story is probably the most well known. Mary is the one who sits at the feet of Jesus. Martha is the one who is going about her many tasks.

While I was a layperson, I took the side of Mary often. I also sided with Martha. As an ordained minister, I have spoken of the virtues of Mary and have spoken well of Martha. Mary is the one who symbolizes listening to Jesus. Mary is the one who symbolizes the worker, the one who gets things done. However, as I have studied the texts, I have come to realize that neither of these is the focal point of the story. I believe there are at least two issues that we can think about.

The first can be considered as we hear what Jesus has to say about Martha. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted about many things,” said Jesus. And when we think about it, we realize that so many times being worried and distracted has to do with our own self-centeredness. We are concerned about what we are doing. Life is all about us, rather than about God. Look at the two sentences that make up the comments of Martha to Jesus. In our translation this morning, those two sentences have twenty-four words. Four of those words are in the first person – me, my, and myself. That’s where Martha is coming from.

In Martha’s actions, there is another consideration of this self-centeredness. It is call triangulation. Triangulation is the emotional dynamics involving three people. One initiates action, but rather than be involved with the one with whom the person has an issue, s/he directs her actions and/or comments to a third person. This is what Martha attempted to do. Jesus wouldn’t go along with it. As a transition pastor, we looked for triangulation, because many times when there was conflict in the congregation, triangulation was used to develop “sides” or to manipulate the issues at hand. Triangulation is another word for manipulation and manipulation is always self-centered.

The “better part,” or the “one thing” that Jesus was talking about was to direct our attention to Jesus. He is the primary consideration. Jesus is the one we are to focus on. This is what Mary was doing. Mary’s priority was Jesus. Mary was focused on Jesus. In fact, Mary and Martha could both be about their many tasks and yet focus on Jesus. That is what Jesus wants.

How do we go about it? How do we make Jesus our priority? There is a book, Power Surge, written by Michael Foss. In the first chapters he talks about membership versus discipleship. In membership, the center of the universe is the member. They are concerned about what’s in it for them. They are concerned about dues. They are focused on themselves as members of the organization. Discipleship is following and focusing on the teacher. In that book, he suggests that there are six marks of discipleship. The first three have to do with our internal development as disciples.

The first is to be in daily prayer. Yes, intercessory prayer is important. We talk to God about those things that concern us. However, prayer is to be in conversation with God – the Father who creates, the Son who redeems, and the Spirit who sanctifies. We converse. We listen. We meditate.

Another mark is regular worship. We come together as a community of faith to share our faith with one another. We begin by acknowledging our humanness by confessing our sin and seeking forgiveness. Then, we praise and thank God for who God is. Next, we seek the means of grace to be nourished and fed. We seek the word and sacrament. We hear about God and God’s relationship with humanity. We then come to the table to be fed Jesus Christ. We are nourished and strengthened for our human journey.

We also read scripture. Oh yes, we seek to understand what God wishes us to do and not to do. However, that’s not our first priority. The number one reason to read scripture is to find Jesus in all of scripture. Let’s look at the texts for today. There is no problem in finding Jesus in the gospel. The second reading for today is a powerful statement about who Jesus is. The writer of the Letter to the Colossians talks about the body of Christ. He writes about the physical body that suffered death on the cross and the spiritual body, which is the church. But let’s also look at the first reading. Abraham meets the three persons. We Christians believe one is the Father, who creates, the Son, who redeems, and the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies.

There is another issue to consider in this gospel story for today. It has to do with culture. There is the culture of the church that desires to move into the world. There is the culture of the world that moves into the church; sometimes that’s a good thing, and sometimes it is not. Martha was part of the culture. She was acting very responsibly. In the culture of the time, the woman’s role was to do the many tasks. She expected Mary to respond in that way. Mary was acting counter-culturally. Women didn’t sit at the feet of the teacher, the Rabbi. That was for men. She was being a disciple. Disciples were men.

So what happens today because of the culture? As both a layperson and an ordained minister, I have often heard this comment, “We need to run this church like a business.” Admittedly, there are traits of the business world that are needed. There is marketing, stewardship, financial responsibility, and administration. All of those are excellent methods for a community of faith. But we are not seeking a net profit; we are disciples of Jesus Christ.

Whether it’s a committee meeting, a council meeting, or a congregational meeting, we need to be about the business of Jesus. I have talked to a few people, both lay and ordained, who have been part of a council or committee where there is more than the normal “book ends” of devotions, a short meditation at the beginning and a prayer a the end. There are twenty to thirty minute Bible studies interspersed with prayer. When good news is reported, there are prayers of thanksgiving. When there are major issues to be resolved, there are prayers of discernment. In fact, at times the members of the group will go into the sanctuary for prayer. What is interesting is that they speak in a way that says that they would like to continue in this experience. Moreover, the meetings, many times, last less than two hours. It’s because their focus is on the better part, the one thing.

Jesus said, “Mary has chosen the better part, which cannot be taken away from her.” The question is: What part do we choose?

“Being in the Ditch"

Luke 10:25-37*
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."

A Message from the Pastor (representing the man in the ditch)
I must admit that I used poor judgment. When traveling, one needs to go with a group and not at night. I knew that.

I’m a merchant. I deal in fine cloth, ointments, perfumes, and other items as incense. I sell those expensive items that people dearly love. I have a booth at the market in Jerusalem. As I was plying my trade, a person from Jericho told me about the situation there. I realized that, if I travelled to Jericho, I could probably do very well. So, I closed my booth and began the trip. I didn’t bother to take time to find out when a caravan might be travelling there. I didn’t pay any attention to the time and left after noon. I was still travelling when it was dusk.

Along the way, I was accosted by a band of highway thieves, common everyday robbers. They not only took all my merchandise and money, which was the greater part of my wealth, but they also stripped me of all my clothes. Then they beat me with their fists, rods, and sticks. But that wasn’t all. As I lay in the ditchm they kicked me and continued to beat me with rods. I could feel my life slipping away. They left me for dead.

As I lay there, going in and out of a blackout, I cried out to God, “Why God? Why me? I love you. I am a highly religious person. I observe all your laws. Please send me someone who will rescue me. Please help me so that I won’t go down into the Pit.” As I lay there in the ditch, I sensed someone coming close to me. I looked up, and there was someone standing over me. It was a priest. I cried out to God, “O God, thank you, thank you. You sent one of your own. You sent a holy man.” However, as I reached up a hand for help, he shook his head. No, he couldn’t help me. If he touched me, he could not serve the people in the temple. He went the other way.

I again cried out to God. “What is more important God, your laws or mercy? What is more important, following the rules or caring about someone’s life? Oh God, I have obeyed all your rules. I have memorized the first five books of scripture. I read the Psalms and the Prophets. I obey the Sabbath. Help me, O God. I do not want to go down to Sheol. I will gladly serve you. Send someone to help me.”

As I came out of another blackout, I realized that there was another person standing over me. It was a Levite! I thanked God for sending me another holy man. I reached up with both hands, seeking help. He responded the same way as the priest.

I cried out one more time to God. “Please send me someone. I don’t care who it is. Just send me someone. My life is slipping away. I want to live.”

As I was lying there, getting weaker by the moment, I felt someone touching me. I opened my eyes. There was a man kneeling beside me. He was treating my wounds with oil and wine and bandaging them. He was also treating my bruises with ointment. I looked at him. “Oh my God,” I said, “He’s a Samaritan. I hate Samaritans. We don’t associate with Samaritans, we don’t talk to Samaritans, and we’ll go out of our way to avoid Samaritans. They don’t worship you the way we do. They don’t believe the way we do.” Then, he picked me up and put me on his animal. He walked the animal to an inn. I don’t know how long it took. He carried me into a room and gently laid me on the bed. Then, he stayed with me the rest of the day and night. He continued to dress my wounds, and he even fed me because I was so weak. He left the next day, and I found out later that he told the innkeeper that he would be back (and he did come back) and would pay whatever it was for any additional care the innkeeper gave me.

We talked a little when I was lucid. I asked him why he helped me. He said that it was simple: I needed help. He believed that God had sent him to do so.

Talking, as we did, I found out that he was not much different than me. He had the same understanding of God as I did. He desired to have a relationship with God. He had the same visions, dreams, and hope about life that I did. By the time he left, I considered him a friend and a neighbor – someone who was near me.

I found out some things about myself and about life. We will experience mercy and grace when we seek it and/or when we need it. When we are helpless and hopeless, we will let down our walls that we think protect ourselves from others and be open to the mercy and grace that others are willing to give.

I wanted to tell you this story for a couple of reasons. First of all, I became a Christian. I realized that to experience the grace and mercy of God, through Jesus and the cross, I needed to want what Jesus offered from the cross. I needed to be open, honest, and willing to accept the grace and mercy offered to me.

I also want to ask you some question. If you were in a ditch and a victim of Aids knelt to clean your wounds, would you consider her or him a friend? If you were in a ditch and an undocumented immigrant was willing to take care of you, would you allow him or her to provide you with mercy and grace? If you were in a ditch and a Muslim came to help by touching you, carrying you, and caring for you, would you consider him your neighbor?

I have heard a lot since becoming a Christian. I will always remember one of the comments said to us, “For God so loved the world . . . . . .”

“Bearing Burdens”

Galatians 6:1-16
My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor's work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads.

Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.

See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised — only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! As for those who will follow this rule — peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Luke 10:1-11,16-20
After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.' Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.

The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

A Message from the Pastor
Today’s gospel story is a mission pastor’s dream. What an opportunity it is to use it. After all, look at us today. There are about twenty of us. We know we need to grow. And, here, Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest.” What an opportunity for the mission pastor to share with the community of faith details on how to grow a mission.

However, I don’t think that’s what Jesus is talking about. I don’t think this story today is about that. A mission community, like all communities of faith, is organic. God created communities of faith; he created us, just like he creates vegetation and creatures. Organic systems grow “automatically” if they are healthy. So, the question is not HOW we will grow a mission, but what would we do to prevent a mission from growing? Our story today has some insights for that question.

Notice that Jesus begins by saying to them that he is sending them like lambs into the midst of wolves. We are being sent by Jesus into risking ventures. No, we won’t be eaten alive, but if we answer his call, we will be out of our comfort zones. We will be “pushing the envelope.” And, we will not depend upon ourselves. That’s why he said not to take a purse, bag, or sandals. And we are to remain focused on why he is sending us – not to talk with anyone along the way. We are to accept the people the way they are – we eat whatever they set before us.

I think the subject matter for today’s reading is humility. After all, life is about God, not about us.

Think about what happened when the disciples came back. They were ecstatic. They were overjoyed. They told Jesus that even the demons submitted to them. It was all about them. Jesus indicated that there was something much more important. What they needed to celebrate, even though power and authority were given to them, was the fact that God knew them, walked with them, empowered them, and guarded them. Again, it’s all about God.

Paul has much the same thing to say in the second reading for today.

Listen to what he has to say as he suggests to his readers/listeners to restore a person who has offended you with gentleness. He suggests we bear one another’s burdens because that is the law of Christ. It is a way to love one another as Jesus has loved us. In that way, we are to test ourselves in what we do, we are to examine ourselves, our motives, and the way we act.

In all of what Paul writes in today’s reading, he also focuses on the priority we have. His focus is on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. And because we are baptized into a death like Jesus, we are crucified with him, then the world is crucified to us and we to the world.

Let me share a personal example of what I think Paul is saying to us as we live a life in humility. It has to do with bearing one another’s burdens.

Several years ago, in South Carolina, I was co-chair of a task force that studied the role of gays and lesbians in the church. That issue has always been highly sensitive and emotional. I came to that task force with my own ideas and agenda. I was, what might be called, the revisionist. The other co-chair might be called orthodox. We each selected participants, individually and jointly. As we began to meet, we started listening to each other. Without placing a label on it, we began to bear one another’s burdens.

I’ll never forget one experience I had. The other co-chair and I were driving around. He was behind the wheel. I was on the passenger side. As we talked about the issues, he shared his concern that if the church went “too far,’ he would have to deeply consider his ordination vows and his ability to remain with the church. I had never thought about it. My thoughts and perceptions on this issue did not change. My agenda did.

Part of that group was a lesbian and an ordained minister who was to extremely orthodox. The ordained minister died of a heart attack while we were active with the task force. The woman said to me, “He didn’t like my life style, but I knew he loved me.”

As we celebrate the independence of this country, it might be a good time to discuss this subject. The secular world, as we know it in this country, is highly polarized politically. There is little middle ground. It has even entered into the religious arena for there is now coming under question whether there should be a separation of church and state.

In all of my life, I have been taught and have heard that there are two things we never talk about in the community of faith: politics and money. Yet, those two things affect all of us each day of our lives as we live our human journey as spiritual beings. We all have our concerns about what is happening in our world.

You and I can’t change the world. This small mission cannot change the world. But what would happen if those who believe that the government needs to do more to shape how we live would bear the burden of those who believe the government has gone too far and is creating an uncontrollable debt? And, if those who are concerned about the level of debt our country has would bear the burden of those who believe the government should do more?

What would happen, if those who believe we need to be more flexible in affecting the lives of undocumented immigrants would bear the burden of those who believe we need strict laws, including the sealing of our borders. And, if those who desire stricter rules bore the burden of those who believe we need to be flexible?

What would happen if those who believe we need to do more for health care bore the burden of those that believe we have gone too far? And, what if those who believe we have gone too far, bear the burden of those who believe we have to do more?

We aren’t going to be able to change the world. But I think that people would sit up and take notice of who we are as children of God if we demonstrated how Jesus wants us to live in humility and recognized that life is about the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some people might begin to grasp that the reign of God is drawing near. We, ourselves, would begin to experience that the reign of God has drawn near.

“Free at Last”

Galatians 5:1, 13–25
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.


Luke 9:51-62
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."

A Message from the Pastor
“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we’re free at last!” We’ve all heard those words spoken by Martin Luther King, Jr. They were the last words of his “I Have a Dream” speech. And, no matter what you think of Martin Luther King, Jr., those words have to bring positive feelings to us. After all, we all want to be free. We all want to be able to do and experience whatever we choose and not be hindered by rules and regulations.

However, we all know that we are never completely free. There are rules and regulations. We need them in our secular world to provide order in our daily lives. We need boundaries to protect ourselves and others. However, we also know that with rules and regulations come the need for individuals who create the laws, administer the laws, and interpret the laws. People designated with this authority therefore have the power and control in our secular world. Many times we don’t like it. We don’t like laws being enacted, administered, and interpreted, no matter what our political persuasion.

In the religious world there are also the dynamics of power and control because there are those who have the same authority as those in the secular world. Paul knew this. He didn’t like it. He had been to Galatia and had proclaimed the loving gospel of Jesus Christ. He had told the people who had become Christians that they no longer were subject to the law. Jesus Christ, through no effort on their part, had been made one with God, because Jesus had been crucified died and rose again through the love of God. They, and we, are now one with God, justified by faith through grace. The law was no longer applicable. It had been our disciplinarian. However, Christ’s redeemed act had changed all that. We were free. However, after Paul left Galatia, people, who Paul named as the “Circumcision Party,” came after him to say that there were still laws they needed to follow.

Paul, in this reading today, provided a good comparison between law and gospel, Spirit and flesh, and the spiritual world versus the secular world. There was no need for law, as long as we did not become self-indulgent but, through love, were slaves to one another.

He identified the works of the flesh versus the fruit of the Spirit. (Please note that the “works” are something we are in control of.) The fifteen works of the flesh that he named can be classified into four categories. The first three can be identified as sexual immorality. The next two can be identified as idolatry. The next eight – that’s right – eight can be identified as communal discord, or conflict. (Whenever there is conflict, power and control are involved.) The last two can be identified as self-indulgence. They all involve power and control.

Then, there is the fruit of the Spirit. These are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Please note that fruit comes of its own accord. We cannot make the bush or tree bear fruit. We can work the ground, nourish and feed it, and tend to it, but the fruit is beyond our control. Sometimes, when I wake in the morning, I commit myself to being patient, gentle, and exerting self-control. If you are like me, before the day is over, you find out that you can’t do it. It is beyond your control.

While the works of the flesh are experienced in the secular world, the fruit of he Spirit is experienced as the reign of God draws near. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control occur with the reign of God. It’s what we all desire.

The gospel reading gives us an idea of what we can do to nourish and tend to that which bears fruit.

The author of Luke gives us an idea. I love his imagery of Jesus. Here, in today’s gospel reading, we find that Jesus has “set his face” to go to Jerusalem. He knows what he is going to face, agony, brutality, pain, torture, and death on the cross. But nothing will prevent him from going to Jerusalem and following the will of God. Yet, when we read the story, we find how he acts and responds. Jesus is not received in this one village in Samaria, because of his determination to go to Jerusalem. James and John, “sons of thunder,” want Jesus to reign down fire and consume them. Do you hear the enmity, anger, and strife? Jesus rebukes them and moves on to another town. Then, Jesus faces three people. The first wants to follow him, Jesus accepts this but lets him know that where Jesus goes might not be where he wants to be led. Jesus asks another to follow him. While I don’t fully understand what it means for “the dead to bury their own dead,” I believe Jesus is saying not to let ritual and rules get in the way of proclaiming the reign of God. The last one wants to follow, but has some things to take care of first. Jesus told him that we don’t look back or we will not be able to experience God’s reign. Jesus mentioned to them, and to us, that the highest priority is following Jesus. The importance of family, social priorities, religious significance, business obligations, and, yes, patriotism – as we get ready for Independence Day – are all secondary to following Jesus, on Jesus terms.

The are at least six steps for following Jesus, or six marks of discipleship. We need to be in daily prayer; that’s daily conversation with Jesus in hopes of strengthening our personal relationship with our brother. Next, we worship regularly. We come into communal relationship sharing with one another our desire to thank and praise God, after acknowledging our character defects and shortcomings. We come to worship to receive the means of grace, word and sacrament. We come to be fed for our human journey as spiritual beings. Thirdly, we read scripture. Yes, we read the Book of Faith to find out what God wishes for us to do, but, more importantly, we read the Bible to find Jesus. Wishing to follow him, we look for his presence in history and in our lives. Being fed by these three, we joyously serve. As Paul said, through love we become slaves to one another. We generously give. As people have said to me, “Pastor, I know that everything I receive comes from God; therefore before I do anything else, I give a proportion of what I receive back to God. And then, the sixth mark is to seek spiritual friendships. We come together to worship, we enjoy fellowship after worship, we experience get-togethers, such as “The Lunch Bunch,” we work together on our parade entry, we participate in the vision retreat, and we consider being in the spiritual retreat. All of these are ways to set our face toward Jesus Christ.

We all desire to experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These help us to experience the reign of God. When we are able to do so, we can shout out, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last!”

“Chaos”

Luke 8:26-39
Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me" — for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.

Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you. So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

A Message from the Pastor
This is a strange gospel story. It would make a good plot for Hollywood. Picture what is happening. Jesus has just stilled a storm on the Sea of Galilee. He and the disciples are landing on the other side. Jesus steps out of the boat and he is immediately greeted by a crazy man. You could picture a man with wild hair who is totally naked, calling out to Jesus not to torment him. We know that he has been shackled and chained. We know he lives in the tombs. And there, at a distance, is a herd of swine with the swineherds. Because of the demons’ request, Jesus sends the demons into the swine. Can you just see what Hollywood would do with special affects as the demons leave the man and enter the swine? Then, the entire herd of swine rushes down a steep hill and drowns in the Sea of Galilee.

The thrust of this story is not that Jesus knows how to make deviled ham!

The thrust of the story is multilayered, confusing, and difficult to embrace. It is the story of Jesus facing chaos. First, he faced the chaos from the powers of this world with the storm. Then he faced the chaos from spiritual forces. Jesus is here, for us, to face chaos.

First of all, we don’t experience demons like they were described in this story. We don’t see naked men running through the streets or coming out of tombs. It’s difficult to connect with the story or imagine what could possibly be happening. Yet, ask someone who has clinical depression about demons. Ask the family of a schizophrenic about demons. Ask anyone who deals with an anxiety disorder or a compulsive obsessive disorder about demons. Or ask any addict – alcoholic, drug, sex, or gambling – about their demons. And if we need to think about something more “normal,’ think about the times we have grasped thoughts, resentments, or reasons for anger, and how they have engulfed our minds to such an extent that we can’t sleep or think about anything else.

I would like to quote a comment by an author of a commentary I frequently read. He has provided ministry to addicts. (I added my own “spin” to his comments:) I have frequently heard the word "demonic" used in reference to the shootings and killings in our schools; it was used in reference to Timothy McVeigh. It could be used of the Columbine killings and at Virginia Tech, of Saddam Hussein's regime, of the actions against Iraqi prisoners, and I'm sure many other "demonic," dehumanizing, destructive behaviors. We could also think about events that occur that could be identified as “powers of this world.” The difficulty I often find is how do we present Jesus as the cure for such evils in [or the powers of] the world? I have not been able to tell an alcoholic or addict, "Be cured in the name of Jesus" and have their cravings cease or cease experiencing the powers of this world. How does Jesus exorcize the demonic today? To that question, I do not have a good answer. Nor do I.

However, I would like us to consider some things that this story might reveal. First of all, did you notice that Jesus asked for the demon’s name? He named the demon. That’s a beginning. We need to name that which we are facing, whether it is a demon or the powers of this world. Have we named the real demon of the oil spill? Have we named the demon of the Afghanistan and Iraqi wars? Have we named the powers of the world that created Katrina and the demons that fed it. Have we named the powers of the world that have made us face disease, life threatening illnesses, broken relationships and economic difficulties? Have we truly named them? We need to in order to face them with the power of Jesus.

Let’s look at the baptismal rite for Ken in which we just participated. It’s a beautiful rite. We heard Martin Luther’s prayer as water was poured into the basin. We baptized him in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I anointed him as I placed the sign of the cross on his forehead. He received a candle to remind him to let his light shine. But, in the midst of that we are reminded of what we face. We name it. I began by asking Ken, “Do you renounce the devil and all the forces that defy God?” He answered, “I renounce them.” Then, getting closer to home, I asked, “Do you renounce the powers of this world that rebel against God?” Again, Ken answered, “I renounce them.” Finally, getting more personal, I asked Ken, “Do you renounce the ways of sin that draw you from God?” Again, Ken said, “I renounce them.”

Now, let’s look at what happened in the story. The swineherds went into the city and countryside to tell everyone what happened. When they came to see for themselves, which could have taken many hours or even a day, they found the demoniac sitting at the feet of Jesus, fully clothed, and in his right mind. What happened? They were filled with fear! You would think they would be praising God and thanking Jesus for what happened. After all, there was no more demoniac.

I’ve thought of three reasons that they were afraid. First, the swine were in a Gentile country where pork could be eaten. That was money on the hoof. Their economic livelihood was destroyed. Jesus created this new chaos when he healed the demoniac. And, after all, isn’t economics the god of us all? Second, think about their relationship with the demoniac. They knew where he was. They knew what he did. They could expect what might happen. Not any more. He might want to get even for them shackling and chaining him. They don’t know if the demons will return. Jesus, again, created a new chaos with the exorcism. Finally, do we ever think about what happened when the swine went into the sea. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of swine which were now floating as carcasses in the water. Can you imagine the stench? And, there were the fishermen who made a livelihood by fishing off of the shore. That industry could have been destroyed. (Is this shades of the Gulf Oil Spill?) That is another new chaos.

Then, let’s think about the situation with the demoniac. He is in his right mind. Jesus cured him. He’s had time to listen to this charismatic man and probably hear thoughts that impress him greatly. No wonder he wants to be with Jesus. Besides, the people back in the city chained and shackled him. What would happen now. Ask any recovering addict about his/her family. It’s not a matter of instant trust when he begins recovery. That would be a new chaos to deal with. Jesus sends the man back into the city where he was, and the chaos continues. Jesus wants him to tell the people what God has done for him.

Jesus can create new chaos as he changes the old dynamics. There are two sayings with which we are well acquainted. They are diametrically opposed to one another. We all love to realize that, “Jesus accepts us just the way we are.” The other saying is, “Jesus transforms us.” We have difficulty with the second one. We don’t like change.

In the midst of all of this, let’s remember our baptism and what we know. Paul said in the Letter to the Galatians that was read today that we are clothed with Christ in our baptism. We have Christ within us. Paul has also said that we were crucified with Christ and were raised to a new life in Christ. It is not we who live, but Christ who lives within us. Now, if someone commented to me in the midst of a chaotic time, “Don’t worry, it is Christ who lives within you,” I don’t think that would help much. To help us embrace the reality that Christ walks with us in the midst of all this chaos, whether new or old, we need to be in prayer, read scripture, worship, and be in fellowship with others who support us to realize that this is true. We need to know for ourselves, through the power of the Spirit, that Jesus gives us his strength and his capability to face the chaos.

But remember, Jesus gives us new chaos to face. He says to all of us, “Go to your home and tell everyone what God has done for you.”

“Are We Any Different”

Luke 7:36—8:3
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.


A Message from the Pastor
I don’t know if any of you in this holy space are like me, but when I read stories from the gospel like the one for today, I have a difficult time relating to the story. There are 2,000 years of difference, along with the cultural and custom differences. Therefore, it’s difficult to get an understanding of the context and significance of the circumstances surrounding the story. It has a tendency to go over my head. To help us, I would like to take the story, keep the customs and culture virtually the same, but move the story into the twenty-first century.

Imagine that you and I are hosting a dinner party. Imagine that we have invited several guests, including the pastor. Now, when we have a dinner party, we usually sit around for a few minutes catching up on things in each others’ lives. As we do that, the door bell rings. You, and I, as hosts, answer the door. There at the door you/I greet a woman. She’s probably about five feet four inches tall. She is in her mid or late thirties. As she walks in you/I can’t help but notice the false eyelashes, the mascara, and the other cosmetics that she uses. She has on a mini shirt that is tight fitting. She wears stiletto shoes and has a blouse, or shirt, that we might say is loosely fitting. She sees the pastor and rushes over to him, burying her head in his feet. She begins to sob, notices her tears on his feet, and takes the comb from her hair, letting her hair tumble down. After shaking her hair out, she begins to dry the pastor’s feet with her hair. Then she takes a jar from her purse, containing oil, and massages the pastor’s feet. All the while, the pastor is compassionately patting her head as she sobs.

What would you be thinking? What thoughts would come into your mind about the woman and the pastor? Personally, I would be asking myself, “Pastor, where have you been?”

While this little exercise does not provide the message from Jesus, it helps us to set the context in which Jesus is talking to Simon the Pharisee.

While Jesus does not say this directly, and we may not consciously think it, we would probably be considering ourselves better than her. Aft all, we worship regularly, pray, and read scripture. We are good people, obeying the Ten Commandments and helping others. She is much worse off than we are as a sinner.

Jesus then presents the Pharisee, Simon, with a question. Who loves more, the one who is forgiven more, or the one who is forgiven less? What Jesus could be saying is, “Who is forgiven more, the one who sins more, or the one who thinks s/he sins less? We’re all guilty of it. We have a wall of denial about our sinfulness. We have a fortress built up with our self-centeredness. We look at ourselves and rationalize the insignificance of being sinful.

However, God looks at all people as God’s children. God recognizes that we are all made in God’s image. God knows we are all sinful and are not different, one from another. Jesus saw a child of God in that woman.

Martin Luther said that in order to experience grace, we must know sin. This is very significant. We must know sin in order to experience grace. In addition, in order to experience sin, we must know grace. Grace and sin go hand in hand. To love, then requires the experience of forgiveness.

Furthermore, when I read scripture, worship, and pray, there is the possibility that through the Holy Spirit I might sense, from time to time, a more personal relationship with God. It is then that I will also experience greater sinfulness. I come to realize that I cannot love like Jesus. I cannot be in relationship with the Father, like Jesus. I cannot live a sacrificial life, like Jesus. With all that being said, however, what I might do, many times, is use rationalization and acknowledge that since I am only human, I will be imperfect, and therefore discount the depth of my sinfulness.

We are now in the period of the church year when we focus on the church, what it is and what it is called to do. There are two things that differentiate the church from the world. It is not the Ten Commandments. You can see a plaque of the Ten Commandments on many court house walls, just like the one on the outside wall of the old Jonesborough courthouse. It is not being good. Most people are good. It is not being nice or responding out of necessity to those in need. We see that in the world all the time. The two basic differences of the church are forgiveness and the desire for reconciliation. We are ambassadors of reconciliation. This all comes from our desire to love because of God’s forgiveness for us through Jesus Christ.

An editorial in the Jonesborough newspaper noted that twenty percent of our children will be hungry this summer because they are not in school availing themselves of the school’s food program. Many people will help them because it is the good thing to do. We, the church, help because we love them. We are called to love all people: old and young, rich and poor, women and men, gay and straight, black and white, economically disadvantaged and those who are not. It doesn’t matter. We are all sinful. We are all forgiven.

Paul, in his writing for today, reminds us of this forgiveness. We have been crucified with Christ. In our flesh, it is not we who live, but it is Christ who lives within us. It is through Christ’s presence in our lives that we are able to forgive and to work for reconciliation with all those who cross our path of life.