Luke 13:31-35 Who are we in this story?

           Does anyone here think this Gospel reading might sound a little weird? I mean if you listen to it…really listen to it. Some parts of it don’t seem to make sense. For instance, let’s take the very beginning; Pharisees coming out to warn Jesus! Up till now all we have heard is about how the Pharisees and Saduccees are the bad guys. Remember that they are keepers of the law. And they don’t want any attention brought to them by the Roman government…nor do they want this guy, Jesus, bringing any attention to their religious laws and ways. So are they acting out of caring or out of fear?

            Let’s take a look at Jesus statement to the Pharisees when they suggest he leave. They are telling him to get out because they know what Herod is going to do to Jesus. Herod is the one who was around when Jesus was born. He wanted to find this newborn King, but it was not so Herod could congratulate him. Now Herod is still hearing about this Jesus and still wants to get this Jesus and bring him down…and not in a polite way. Herod wants to kill Jesus because, Jesus, is doing things that Herod could not; Jesus is healing, sitting with the outcasts of society, forgiving people, and teaching them about one who is more powerful than Herod. Jesus is showing people the power, the blessings, and the gifts of God. He is showing them a God that IS to be feared because of all the things God has done; but he is also showing them that this powerful God is also full of compassion and love.

            Now we have this whole statement about Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Jesus says, cannot kill a prophet outside the town. He goes onto say that Jerusalem is a city known for killing its prophets and “stones those who are sent to it.” Jesus has some first-hand knowledge about this. Remember just several weeks ago, we heard the Gospel reading that when he finished reading in the Synagogue, the people took him out of the temple and to a cliff where he simply walked away. Jesus is not naming specific people in this Gospel. He is not saying that JOB or Zechariah, or Bob & Tom did things, but he is saying Jerusalem. In a way, he is making Jerusalem a character in his statement; as if Jerusalem were a person. That, too, can make this Gospel reading a little weird.

            There is a lot that we can gain from this reading. First of all, we can look at these Pharisees as people who care. Sure we could say that they were looking out for themselves. We could also say that there were some of these Pharisees who believed in Jesus…who cared for Jesus. How can I say that, its because we know the overall story of Jesus through our scripture. We know that Jesus transformed people. God sent a son into the world so that people would know that God cares. God sent Jesus into the world to transforms hearts, minds, and lives to know that God is not off in some distant world but in the here and now; to see how broken the world really is.

            Jesus calls Herod a Fox. Jesus tells the Pharisees to go tell Herod that he is not afraid. In fact, he tells them “go and tell Herod that I am curing and casting out demons. Jesus knows that Herod feels threatened about losing his power. Jesus knows that Herod wants to take out this threat to what Herod believed was HIS god given right to power and authority. Jesus also knew who had power and authority over God’s people; that God is the one with authority over all that God had created.

            And now Jesus goes after Jerusalem; calling it the city that kills its prophets and stones them.. It is ironic to note that the name of the city, Jerusalem, gets the last part of its name, “salem,” from the word Shalom which means “peace.” This city of peace is now being called a city of killing. Why would that be? It is because we know where - and Jesus knows where- He will be in the next few weeks. Jesus knows that the Son of man will be handed over in the city of Jerusalem to suffer on the cross. He knows that the people will finally recognize him when he comes back to the city and acknowledging Jesus as “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” This city…this character known as Jerusalem has a role to play in God’s ultimate display of love and compassion for a fallen people…a broken people; That display of love and compassion will come in the form of God’s only son hanging on the cross…for you and for me.

            So what does all this have to do with us? If we look at these three characters we may be able to see glimpses of ourselves and our world. How do we feel about Jesus? There are some people in this world that see Jesus purely as insurance; almost like a life insurance policy. They see Jesus in the sense that, “I better do what Jesus says so that I can get into heaven; or I can say I like Jesus and I will do what I want because Jesus has to love me; I won’t worry about his little sin until the end…then I will take care of it and all will be well.” There are people who intentionally try to follow Jesus in every way shape and form. They try so hard to live as scripture says. They might read this first part of the Gospel and say “Jesus please get out of town because I don’t like where this story leads to. I know this is what is supposed to happen but God I would like a different outcome.”

            We may at any given time and place have all these feelings. We are human and sometimes we get so concerned about our own situation that we can get consumed by compassion, fear, lack of confidence, over-confident, power, success and all these can affect our judgement, at any point in time. We can even be Jerusalem. We can want this place to be a city of peace. We can want this place to be the place where one goes to find God’s deepest love and compassion. Yet, we can feel the sting of sin. We can feel it or be the delivery mechanism of the sting of sin in our words and our actions; we say things that hurt one another, sometimes unintentionally and sometimes intentionally. We do things in our lives to preserve our own interests at times and to make sure we get what we want. We are all capable of it because we are human. We are broken and can we can find easy excuses to try and justify our brokenness.

            But it does not have to be this way. Let us hear Jesus words to the Pharisees, “Go tell that fox that I am curing diseases and casting out demons, today, tomorrow, and the third day I finish my work.” Remember this three days that he is talking about. In these days Jesus is telling us that although we live in a broken world, we don’t have to let that be our reason for doing things. Jesus is telling us that God is the one who has all the power and authority; the power to create and the authority to make judgement. God shows the power of grace in allowing us to make our mistakes and the God shows the power to forgive in that God’s only Son went to the cross for you and for me; showing us that we are loved and forgiven.

            God calls us all to share that Good News of love and forgiveness. In those times when we are angry or hurt, God is there…God’s Son is there on a cross to show us that just as we are forgiven, we can forgive others. God is here, through the cross, to show us that we can do the difficult thing to seek forgiveness. God is here show us that we are cared for, not forgotten, and that we are special to God. God is also here to show us that everyone has value because it is God who created us all.

            So, as we continue through these 40 days of Lent, let us reflect on the power to be forgiven and forgive…to be loved and to love…to share all God’s blessings with one another in all that we do: AMEN 

Three Temptations and Since you are the Son of God

            Did you ever want something? I am not talking about just wanting something; I mean, you wanted whatever it was so bad that it’s all you thought about. It was in your mind when you went to bed, when you got up…I mean you thought about this so much that you would wonder how you could think about anything else in your brain because all the space was being used. I am sure we have all had one of those experiences whether we are younger or older. 

            Today’s Gospel reading brings us to witness the temptation of Jesus. The devil comes to Jesus and tempts him with three things; Food, Power, and what theologian Scott Schauff calls “The cross-avoiding spectacle.” These three temptations occur in our reading not long after Jesus was baptized; Jesus is praying and the Holy Spirit descends and God’s words can still be heard, “You are my son, the beloved, with you I am well pleased.” These words were just spoken not that long ago and now the Devil steps in and starts offering Jesus things.

            His first offering is for Jesus to turn a stone into a loaf of bread. The Devil is commanding Jesus to take care of himself. The Devil is saying to Jesus, “you haven’t eaten for days. I know you are hungry, so, if you just turn the stone into bread you can eat all you want.” By turning the stone into a loaf of bread, Jesus is able to take care of his immediate needs and do whatever he wants, because the secret of this text is not that the Devil does not know who Jesus is. The Devil does know who Jesus is. If we go back into the Greek language, the language of the New Testament, and read exactly what the Devil says this little word “if” is more important than we could imagine. We tend to think of the word “if” being a negative; meaning, if I were to jump out of an airplane. It doesn’t mean I am going to do it and probably won’t. But in this scripture is in what is termed “a first class condition;” therefore this little word “if” means “and let’s assume that you are…” So here we have the Devil saying, “if (and let’s assume you are) the Son of God…”

            That is a big piece of information. It shapes how we look at this temptation and the others. The Devil is commanding Jesus to feed himself…save himself since he is the Son of God. Sounds familiar doesn’t it.

            Now we turn to the second temptation. Since you are the Son of God, the Devil says, I have all this authority and power over the world and I will give it to you. IF, you just worship me. All Jesus has to do is bow down to the Devil and he will get power and authority over the world. The Devil is appealing to Jesus’ human side. It is that side where a person might want to feel that they have control over what they want and what they want to happen. This power can be pretty enticing; people having to do what you tell them. Anything you want can be at your fingertips. You even get to control who is in and who is out. Again, it is all about YOU, YOU, YOU. Wouldn’t that be great?

            And then there is the third temptation. The Cross-avoiding Spectacle. The Devil takes Jesus to the Pinnacle of the temple, “Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself off,” says the Devil. Don’t worry, because of who you are, God will send angels down to scoop you up before you hit the ground. No Problem. Why the Temple, why would Jesus be taken up there. A few reasons; this is where the people worshipped. This was the centerpiece of life for the people of Jesus time. Everything revolved around the temple. There was probably always a large crowd and so there would be many witnesses to this. If Jesus did this and the angels came and did scoop him up, then Jesus would achieve “Rock Star” status. Witnesses would know who Jesus is and the world would change in an instant. If this happened, there probably would not be a cross because they would get who Jesus was.

            Jesus doesn’t respond to any of these temptations the way that the Devil would like him to. Jesus doesn’t turn the rock into bread, doesn’t bow down to the Devil, and does not throw himself off the temple, because Jesus knows that these commands from the Devil would only take him away from who God called him to be. As in our early chapters of Luke’s Gospel, Mary’s told us of God’s purpose in bringing Jesus into the world. It was to bring the Good news of God’s love, salvation, mercy, and grace to God’s children. Giving into the Devil’s demands, takes Jesus away from the relationship with God and with the people that Jesus came to serve.

            By not throwing himself off the temple, Jesus is able to fulfill God’s promise of mercy and forgiveness. Jesus is called to be more than just an observer in this world for God. Jesus is the Son of God who is to restore our relationship with God. Jesus is the one who will teach us and show us how to lift up one another through prayer, through action, and through showing us the ultimate act of God’s love by sacrificing himself on the CROSS for the forgiveness of our sins.

So let’s take a different approach to this whole “IF” word. How would that look to us using the phrase “Since you are the Son of God.” We can use this phrase to turn our worlds inside out. It is a phrase that can give us confidence in those times when we may feel a sense of weakness. It can lift ourselves and one another up in those times of crisis. So, let’s try it: “Since you are the Son of God, and showed us how to pray, we will pray for our brothers and sisters in need. Since you are the Son of God, I will give myself to you. Since you are the Son of God who went to the cross for the forgiveness of my sins, I will forgive those who trespass against me. Since you are the Son of God, you profess God’s love and mercy to me, when I may seem unloveable.

This the season of Lent. It is the time that we are called to look into our own hearts, reflect on our faith journey as well as our lives. It can be easy to look at our failings and faults and really beat ourselves up over some of the things we shoulda, woulda, or coulda done. It is the time when we come to the cross with our broken selves; broken from the world, from one another, and from those things that distract us from our relationship with God. We come to this cross and can say, Since you are the Son of God, you have gone to the cross for me and saved me…I am yours God: AMEN!

Transfiguration Sunday Sermon

 This was a mostly spoken sermon. Some nuances may not have been inserted into the written sermon.

There is a lot packed into this Sunday’s Gospel reading. Today, I am going to focus on the following: Location, action, Down in the valley

First is Location, Location, Location…

-          Jesus goes up to the mountain top. What do we know about mountain tops?

o   Mountaintops were important places.

o   God was believed to reside on mountaintops and it was the way that people could get closest to God in the heavens.

o   In our scripture, Jesus goes up the mountain. He takes three others with him.

o   The mountaintop is important to Jesus. It is his place to be closer to God.

-          Jesus is changed.

o   The Disciples see Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah. The most high prophets, the one to whom God gave the Ten Commandments.

o   They even hear God’s voice, “This is my son, my Chosen. Listen to him.”

o   Imagine what they heard and saw…the only way that Luke is able to describe what they saw was to use the word “Glory.” They saw these prophets who are the pillars of their faith and they heard the voice of God. Luke is the only one to describe this as “glory.” It means a lot because we can look at the word as a time of seeing so much; having their eyes opened to who Jesus is and getting that glimpse of Jesus, God, and the kingdom of heaven.

o   Maybe we could describe it as a euphoric sense of wonder and awe. Breathtaking and surprise, Jubilation and contentment might be words we could associate. It is feeling that experience and never wanting it to end.

-          Have you ever experienced Glory?

o   Have you ever been to a mountaintop and had a feeling of looking down at what God created or that you felt closer to God? I have done some hiking and typlically the mountaintops were bare at the very top and you could look out and there were times when I felt God was there beside me or saying, see what I can do?

o   It does not have to be a mountaintop experience. Is there a time when you have experienced the sense of wonder and awe, jubilation and contentment? It could be at any time in our lives.

-          Second is Action:

o   What does Jesus go up to the mountain and Do? Jesus prays. We don’t know what he is praying about but he is having a conversation with God.

o   This brings us to the question; how are we supposed to pray? There is the formal way to pray as Jesus told us in Matthew and it is called the Lord’s Prayer. There is another way to pray. Quite often I find myself praying in the car, walking down the street, going into the house or hospital. I find myself praying more than I ever thought I would. I can hear myself talking to God, sometimes out loud or silently. Prayer is having that conversation with God. It is asking for things for yourself as well as asking for things for others.

o   But there is one thing that can make prayer unique. Prayer is a way for us to communicate with God. It is a way for us to continue the relationship with God. But we are also given the gift of being God’s children together. So that if we are praying together we are strengthening our relationship with God as well as our relationships with one another.

o   Prayer is powerful. We see Jesus praying and, in fact, Jesus prays more in Luke than any other Gospel. Luke tells us that Jesus knows the importance and power of prayer. We have seen medical studies about prayer that say there is something to this praying. One theologian states that “what is powerful about prayer isn’t the words we use but that we care enough to pray for someone else.” Prayer is important and can transform us and our lives in ways we may never imagine.

-          Lastly, it is down in the valley time.

o   These glory experiences that the disciples hear and see are very nice. They get consumed with this experience and want to build temples to Jesus, Elijah, and Moses.

o   Yet, this time has to end. It is time to come down from the mountain. So what is next? We saw Jesus in God’s glory and do we now have to leave it on the mountaintop? Is it only “up THERE” that we get to experience this sense of awe and wonder, jubilation and contentment?

o   The answer to that is NO! just like what you heard in the story I read; The rabbit wants to know who Spring is. The rabbit is looking all around but cannot see Spring. The young boy walks around looking for God. They both need to see Spring and God.

o   For these two, the only way to see is through their own eyes, ears, and nose so that they have the experiences and can hold onto them.

-          What they don’t realize:

o   This is all around them. Spring is literally in the air; it is in blooming of the flowers, the greens of grasses and plants, the sound of birds chirping or seeing the thaw of the winter.

-          So, too, is God:

o   God is all around as well. God is in the creation of all these things just mentioned. God is in those moments of feeling the awe, wonder, jubilation. BUT, God is also there in those moments when there is suffering, pain, addiction, illness, and at those times when we have to say goodbye to someone very dear to us. You see God’s glory does not always mean happy times. God’s glory means that when we are at our lowest times, down off the mountain, or in that valley of despair, God’s glory is with us to know that we are not alone. God weeps with us, mourns with us and walks with us.

-          So what does that mean for us?

o   We have all experienced times in our lives of happiness and great joy. We have also experienced these ups and downs. Just like the two characters in the story, we know what it is like in search of something…that one thing that will bring us some form of awe and wonder, jubilation and contentment. My hope is that this place would be one of those places for everyone. A place where you can come and leave the pains and pressures of the outside world outside those doors.

o   Come to this place to know that you are loved, prayed for and can feel safe. A place where we can pray for one another and help one another so that we can share one another’s joys and pray for one another when things to seem to not be going well. Friends in Christ this is how we become transformed from our human existence to being children of a loving God who sacrificed his only son for our sake. AMEN