Matthew 5:38-48...What am I?

For those of you who don’t know, I grew up in Hagerstown, Maryland. Life took me into New England as I was discerning my call to ministry. I ended up coming through the New England Synod. There was this unusual language that I often heard when my wife, Robin, would talk to her clergy friends. They would get together and joke about how they are ENTJ’s or INTJV’s. I often still hear it among colleagues.

            I constantly asked, “what is that language you are speaking?” The response was that it was their results from a test called Myers-Briggs. It is a personality test. They would eventually look at me and say, “what are you?” The only thing that I could come up with was that my psychological test was done at the Massachusetts Hospital for the Criminally Insane, so, I hope I am okay. I never had a Myers-Briggs test before; yet, I felt like I got left out of some club or insider thing. What was I?

            This last verse that Jesus says in today’s Gospel reading got me really thinking. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” That is easy for Jesus to say…”be perfect!” This is our fourth week in the Beatitudes. We started out with those blessings. We heard about the manner in which we are called to live out the blessings by helping each other. If we would have been here last week, we would have heard Jesus proclaim that he had come “not to abolish, but to fulfill the law.”

            Today, we hear Jesus tell us to be perfect! That is absurd isn’t it? How can we be perfect? Here’s a hint…if you think you are, wait 5 minutes because someone will come along and tell you differently…and we all know we are not perfect! There is only one that is perfect and without blemish…and that is God’s Son, Jesus. So what is this perfect about? Without getting too “Greeky,” the word can be translated as perfect. The word can also imply “completion, an intended goal, or determined end.” In those three cases, Jesus could be asking us to be persistent. Be persistent, work to completion, work toward the intended goal…Jesus is telling us to keep working at “IT.”

            What is the “IT.” Let’s go back to our beatitudes. Blessed are you the poor in Spirit…all those blessings are goals that Jesus has. “that the kingdom of God is brought here on earth and not left to some place far away. Two weeks ago we heard that the blessings for the hungry, the poor in spirit, the meek, the peacemaker…all those blessings are the goals that Jesus sets for us. Remember, “Blessed are you…” when we lift up and help one another then the blessings that Jesus talks about helps us to bring that slice of the kingdom of God into our earthly world!

            Jesus calls us to be persistent! Keep working and don’t stop! Keep trying to bring my kingdom here to the earth! That puts a whole different perspective on things, doesn’t it? Jesus is telling us that it is not going to be easy to bring peace, feed the hungry, help the meek! It can become frustrating, and tiring, and so many other adjectives we can throw in.

            But we are called to persist. Why? Because it can put the very last part of this Gospel…this Good News we call the “Great Commission,” in jeopardy! If we stop trying to bring God’s Kingdom here to the earth…if we stop feeding the poor, caring about the poor in Spirit (ourselves included); if we stop trying to lift each other up and just continue to tear down, then we are putting the Commission that Jesus tells, “go and make disciples…baptize…and forgive,” then all of what Jesus tells us is for naught. In fact, if Jesus hadn’t persisted in telling the women to “go and tell” the disciples to meet him there…THERE WOULD BE NO GREAT COMMISSION! There would just be “the end.”

            Jesus persists throughout this Gospel of Matthew! He persists in trying to teach, to reveal who he is, God’s Son, and tell his disciples that death will not have the last word. Even at the point of his crucifixion, he persists in seeking forgiveness for others. He persists in forgiving Peter who denied him, AND he persisted in appearing to the disciples to call them to go tell anyone and everyone that the Son of God is ALIVE!

            Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we are called to be persistent. To set out on the goal that Jesus has for us in making sure that God’s Kingdom is here on earth. We have a mission statement that has been around for quite some time. It is a statement that is clear and calls us to be persistent in our faith and in our love for Christ. We are called to Unite in Christ, Grow in Faith, Serve in Love, and Share the Good News of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

            I still never figured out exactly what I was; a E(xtrovert) or I(introvert) but I do know that I am a persistent person at times. And I know that we all possess that persistence quality and may we be persistent in our lives of discipleship of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord: AMEN!

Matthew 5:13-20 What does it mean to be salt or light?

A Collaboration

            Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ: AMEN!

            “What’s on your mind?” It sounds like a fairly simple question doesn’t it? It is not an easy question. It is not easy, because it depends on what time of day you are asking it, what kind of mood the person is that you are asking, and a whole slew of other things can go into that answer.

            I am taking that question from a very well-known source that does intend the question to be easy, but is also using it for marketing purposes. “What’s on your mind?” is the question that pops up every time you log onto Facebook. Sometimes I really feel like writing “what IS on my mind; AND I DO! Sometimes it may be a joke that I find funny, something, ironic, or something that is going on in the world that I am not too happy with. No matter what you post, I can guarantee you that one of your “friends” will find it objectionable or want to start a debate about it…especially if it does not fit their opinion. Full disclosure – sometimes I get caught up in responding to other people in the same manner.

            This past week someone posted a picture of a homeless man sitting on a bench. The gist of the picture was “shouldn’t a veteran be housed instead of giving refugees priority.” Now, I am not getting into the whole political debate over this.

            The point is that this is the second part of the beatitudes. Last week, we heard the blessings that Jesus declares for the hungry, the poor in spirit, the merciful, the persecuted, and the peacemakers. We heard these words last week. They are words to lift up all of God’s children. Jesus words last week to give hope and promise to those who have been beaten down by the garbage that living in the broken world experience. The words of Blessings are not to be taken lightly because, Jesus the Son of God, all will be lifted up and that there is the reward of eternal life in God’s Kingdom…that this, the hard knocks, the oppression will only be temporary. I would like to think that all those people sitting and listening to Jesus are not there waiting to add or interjecting commentary to what he is saying.

            So, now we are at part two of the blessings. These aren’t blessings though. In fact, Jesus is telling us who and how those blessings are going to happen. He starts off with an emphatic “you.” “you are the salt of the earth.” We know what happens if salt loses its flavor and Jesus is quick to remind us that it is thrown out and trampled “under foot.” Being salt means that those people sitting there bring their different experiences and lives to the great gathering. No two experiences are the same because they aren’t the same. All these experiences shape who they are and how they respond and so many other aspects of life. My favorite part of this reading is when Jesus talks about being a light.

“We are the light of the world,” Jesus says and then utters those words that we here in baptism and that Jesus is actually commanding “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven.” It is here in this part of the Gospel that Jesus reveals their role and ours in this world. We are to be light. I am sure that we have all sat in a dark space or had the power go out and sat there in the dark. When we light a candle, like we do on Christmas eve, this room becomes draped in light. It is that soft light that can lead the way. It is that soft light shine and show others around us…proving we are not alone. It is that light that helps us to sing from our hearts about the birth of Jesus Christ, so that there is no darkness. I don’t know about you but that is my most favorite time of any worship…when we welcome Jesus by candlelight.

Being light also means something else. Being light means that they and we have become a guiding light. Because of that light, people…those people who hunger and thirst, the poor and the mourner, the merciful and meek can now find their way out of those times and places that bring them down. It also means that we are in that spot, when we are feeling alone, down, trampled on, or just plain forgotten that we all have a light to focus on to help us out of those times.

What I am saying is that Jesus is our ultimate light. Jesus is that person we can all look to for our faith, forgiveness of our sins, and so much. Here, today, Jesus tells us that we are also light. We are the beacon that can help someone out of those pits and chains of despair. In basic, clear terms Jesus is telling us, “I am calling you to be the hands and feet of God…not the mouth!” Jesus is telling us “help my children!” and I think that is important for all of us to hear!

In the picture I talked about earlier of giving a choice between the homeless vet or the refugee, I responded “Can’t we do both?” That was not too well received by some…and that’s okay; But IF we are salt…and Jesus says we are, then we are called to different areas of ministry in life to where some of us can help take care of one of the issues while another group of talented and gifted people handle the other issue or we work on the together. It means that where there is hunger, some can feed, those who seek justice, some can offer legal services, and the list goes on and on. It means that we all have different approaches to solving problems and issues and maybe (here’s a thought) we work together to bring peace, to provide justice, to help those who mourn, and lift up the meek.

You see, brothers and sisters in Christ, the Son of God tells us that we are light and we are salt. Because of those gifts that God has given us, we can make this world a better place and hopefully bring the Kingdom of God…as best we can…into this world until we reach that time when we see Jesus face-to-face.

I am reminded of what Ronald Reagan once said at the end of his term in office.

"I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still." - RR

Jesus calls us to be light and bring God’s light into our world. Called to be the light always pointing to Christ and to God who created us. Lifting each other up in God’s name to bring heaven to this place on earth.

And so, “let your light shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven: Amen!

Matthew 4: 12-23: Follow Me!

            I have a confession to make to you today. It is a unique issue that I confess to you but it has been weighing on my mind for a little while. Here goes: I have a bad habit of not finishing things at home. To be more specific, I forget or don’t put things in recycling when I empty the plastic container. I leave the wrapper or the entire emptied bag of popcorn on the counter after I have finished; and that really gets my wife upset! Whew! I am so glad I got that off my chest! I am certain most of the women in this congregation have not had that experience. Thanks for letting me share!

            I know it sounds ridiculous but there is something to this not following through. Our Gospel reading today is all about following…AND following through. Jesus is on his journey of ministry. He was born…God with us, the wisemen have brought him the gifts…this light of God shines in the world that was so full of darkness. AND, Jesus was baptized by John. So, his ministry has begun and he… Jesus…is on the move! He goes into Gallilee. The spirit of the Lord descended on him like a dove and he has all the tools he needs to proclaim God’s Kingdom…the Good News of God’s kingdom.

            Low and behold as he walks along the water he sees to brothers. Jesus doesn’t mince words. He asks them to follow and tells them they will be fishers of people. Then he sees two other brothers that are fishermen and gives them the same statement and immediately the four men set off to follow this guy that they just met! To be clear, fishing was not the noblest of professions. They could’ve been like the ocean version of the shepherd. Yet they made money catching fish and selling it. They may not have been rich but it was their livelihood!

            The four immediately drop what they are doing and start following. They left everything behind to follow this person that they just met! That doesn’t make sense! Why would they give it all up…two left their father in the boat and began following this, Jesus!

            We have the luxury of knowing why they left…Because he is JESUS! We have that part figured out because we have heard the stories before, we study them, and we know how this will all turn out! It will be good for them to follow Jesus, because Jesus will teach them so many things. He show them about healing, and loving our neighbors, he will teach them that God is all about the love.

            But they were not prepared for what would happen. You see when Jesus says “follow me,” they get up and go…no questions asked. They immediately leave everything behind and go. They don’t know what experiences they will have, they don’t know what or where they will eat…in fact, those questions aren’t even asked at this point. It’s just, “C’mon…okay” and they are off.

            But we know the road that lies ahead of them. Because we are the readers of this story of Jesus, we will find out all the things that happen along this path of faith. We will read about all the trials and tribulations that go on, the joys, the struggles, and the healing. We will also be witness to the Friday afternoon, before the Passover when what we might perceive as the “unthinkable” happens. When our Lord…the Son of God, the one who was to come and save us WILL save us through his sacrifice on the cross.

            It sounds like an epic novel sometimes. It sounds like something that happens to a fictitious character that has nothing to do with us, doesn’t it? But it is not a novel. It is not some fictitious character and it is not about someone else’s past. This story is the story…the real story of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a past that we are tied to over the span of 2000 plus years. It is the story that we are connected to and a witness to despite time and space. We are connected because of our faith in that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and it is Christ who comes into the world to be with us, heal us, and teach us; we are connected in our faith that Christ will go to the cross for us…without condition to give himself for our sake…for you and me.

            So. I have a question for all of us to think about this week. We don’t know what our future holds for us, AMEN? We might not know where God will call us in an hour, day, month, year. We change jobs, don’t always eat the same thing every day, or we might have a different friend or hobby and the list goes on and on; However, I think I do know what will happen if I don’t try harder to follow through with the recycling and leaving things on the counter at home. We don’t know what lies ahead in our journey of faith. So here is the question: ARE YOU WILLING TO FOLLOW JESUS? Are you willing to drop everything and here Jesus say, Follow Me.”

            Are you willing to ask God and listen to what God has to say about following? Are you willing to let God guide your life knowing that it may be difficult, there may be times of joy, and it will eventually mean giving your whole life over to God knowing that it will lead to the cross…to the death of our Lord and savior so that we may have eternal life? It is not an easy question because it might mean giving some things up and taking on new things. But the question, I believe, is definitely worth our time and energy: AMEN!

Epiphany 2017: Matthew 2:1-12 No place to hide

            Today, is the day that we celebrate the Wiseman, those three travelers come to meet this child who is a King. It is Epiphany! It is the season of light…the light of the world we know as Jesus is now visible to a wider range of people. This news of the birth of Jesus has reached far and wide. This is why it is Epiphany! One might equate it to that old picture of someone having an idea, in the movies, and it is signified by the little lightbulb over the head turning on.

            I know that sounds like I am trivializing the birth of Jesus, but I am not. This day is significant because Jesus is revealed to more witnesses. He is seen not as a little child but as this new King. This moment in time signifies that God’s truth and light is in the world! This statement of God being light means that there is nowhere to hide anymore. God was once seen as being in a far-off place…that God is merely an observer as to what goes on in the world. WE, tend to think heaven is where God resides and is in this far-off place and just watches what happens.

            Today, we acknowledge the fact that God is here in the world…in their world and in ours. That changes the dynamics of everything. It can be a comforting and scary understanding. It is comforting in that now God will finally see, through Jesus, how tough this world really is; that there are ways in which the world does not necessarily hold the same beliefs in who God is or how we are to live in this world. It is comforting to know that God is here with us, to walk with us and to get an understanding about the difficulty of living a life of faith…because it is difficult, especially today.

            Here is the scary part. With God in the world we don’t have the blessing of distance. Using the phrase “there is nowhere to hide!” God is in the world and will show us, through the life of Christ, that living a faithful life is difficult! We are held to account by God in what it means to be a child of God…to be faithful in our lives of discipleship. It means that “we may want to think that God is in some far-off place” or outside the room when we say or do something that may not be pleasing to God or that we ourselves question. It means that God is right here beside us.

            The Good News about this is that it can be transformative. Jesus is in the world, NOW! God’s only Son comes into the world…leading us, teaching us, guiding us, AND walking beside us. We are transformed just knowing that we are not alone in this world that is so broken! We are a changed people to know that God is no longer far off, but right here with us and among us!

                        So, you might be asking, “why would I want to be transformed?” What is the big deal?! Because transformation frees us to look to scripture as how we live out our faith in God. Transformation causes us to refocus our lives and put God and the words and works of Jesus Christ at the center of what we do in the world and the mark we leave on the world. It helps us define who we are; Children of God, claimed by God. It gives us the opportunity to look at our brothers and sisters in Christ and the stranger as one…not an “us vs. them” …and strive together to do God’s work in the world. It also helps us to witness the sacrifice of Jesus for you and for me, without condition, to know that we all matter and are loved by God.

            That may be all well and Good but what does it specifically have to do with us? Transformation comes in many different ways and actions. Transformation can be holding back that hurtful comment, despite our anger or disagreement. Transformation can look like taking the time to count to ten before reacting, asking ourselves if we really need this or that, or saying, “It might be what I want to do or say,” but not doing or saying anything. We all know or have some idea what it is like to blurt out a reaction and be the one either saying it or receiving it.

            Transformation, with Christ’s light…God’s light in the world can also look like bringing God’s love to the center of who we are; children of God. Reading God’s word in scripture to help us better understand who God is in the Old Testament and the New. Understanding who Jesus is, his mission, Title, and Job description (Yes, Jesus does have a title and will do something, unselfishly for you and me). With Jesus Christ now in the world, that little lightbulb might go off in our heads and we may ask ourselves “how can we bring God’s peace into a world so broken and divided.

            The Good thing about this Christ light in our world is that it can bring out the best in us. Following Christ is difficult but not impossible, we know that. But when we share God’s light with our brothers and sisters in the community and in the world, we can be transformed. When a person needs food, clothing, and/or shelter and we all band together so that people aren’t left without because Jesus teaches us that…it is living out our transformation. When we lift each other up when tragedies of unemployment hit, natural disasters, medical diagnoses, mental illness, addiction, and the list goes on…when we take time to help those in need there is a transformation of inner peace…God’s peace in knowing that we answer God’s call through Jesus to help all our brothers and sisters.

            Today the light of Christ is revealed to a new group of people in the magi. The news of God in the world is spreading. I am going to ask you to consider two things from this scripture and from the light now shining in the world:

1)      Knowing that God is now in the world, take time before reacting.

2)      Do one random act of kindness this week and write down how this transformed you (did you see God’s light? Did you feel God’s warmth? How did it feel knowing God was beside you?). We will take time next week to share who we were transformed.

May this light of God’s Son who is now in the world shine on us and lift us all up. May we feel strengthened and excited about spreading God’s love in the world, and may we be transformed in our lives here in this world and may we bring God’s love and light to all whom we come in contact with:

AMEN 

Matthew 1:18-25 The Message to Joseph...Confusion

    The following is the second Sunday in a sermon series. Last week we dealt with the Fear of Zecharias when Gabriel told him that Elizabeth would have a son named John in Luke. Today the theme is confusion when Joseph receives the message that his wife is with child.

            Last week we heard about Zechariah and his fear; specifically, that he was so “overwhelmed” with fear that he questioned the Angel Gabriel. It was the fear of an answered prayer and the fear of what was to come. This week, we hear the story of Joseph, the man who was betrothed to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

            This story is the unusual story about Jesus. You see, there are only two Gospels that describe the birth of Jesus. It is here in Matthew and, of course, the one we traditionally hear at Christmas time for the Gospel of Luke.

            This story can lead us to our next reaction in this series of Confusion. Mirriam-Webster dictionary for English learners states the definition of confusion as: “a situation in which people are uncertain about what to do or are unable to understand something clearly.” That is a lot of what we are dealing with in this Gospel reading for today. It was the culture, at the time of Jesus’ birth, that parents were betrothed to one another. Meaning, that the year before the actual wedding, they were considered “husband and wife.” The woman would stay with her family until the marriage and the man would stay with his family. So, these two did not even live together; again, there were considered husband and wife.

            This also kept the door open to any problems. This meant that if there were problems, the male could call off the marriage and issue the certificate of divorce. It was a male dominated culture and the man had lots of power when it came to the relationship.

           

Well, as we all know, something did change. Mary was found to be pregnant. And here is where the confusion begins. In the time of Mary and Joseph, it would be perfectly natural for Joseph to issue the divorce decree, walk away from this marriage, and if Mary was shamed so be it; because it meant (one might think) that Mary was not faithful to Joseph so she got what she deserved. It would mean that she would now be a woman of disgrace and shame.

But our story is different. Joseph was not one to go around shaming. In fact, he was willing to do it quietly so that she would not be shamed. Joseph was willing to show mercy to Mary and just quietly end the whole thing and move on. Joseph spent time with this decision. It was a big decision for him to make; does he do what culture says is okay OR does he go his own way and do things in a merciful way.

Joseph’s decision was not the end of the story either. Just when he thought his mind was made up, God steps into the picture. More accurately, the angel of the Lord. This angel appears and tells Joseph not “to be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” The angel sets Joseph straight in that Mary did not betray him. The angel tells Joseph that this child is from God! The angel goes on to state who this child is, what his name will be and what the Son named Jesus will do; AND that it was to fulfill the scriptures.

Now, if that is not confusing, I am not sure what would be. Here you have a culture telling you it is perfectly normal to do one thing…the supposed “right thing,” and then you have the angel of the Lord telling you do go against this culture that is firmly in place. Joseph had enough going on with the “what to do decision” he found out about Mary. Adding this angel message to the mix surely was a situation where Joseph would question what the right decision would be like the definition that I gave.

But scripture says that Joseph was a “righteous man.” Joseph was faithful in his belief in God. He was so faithful that amid the confusion of his initial decision to quietly divorce Mary, his heart was still open to what God wanted him to do. His mind was open to allow his faith to guide his decision and change his mind; to go against what would be the norm of shame and embarrassment, not only for Mary, but now for himself.

Joseph found clarity despite the confusion. Joseph found clarity in the angels message of taking Mary as his wife. He relied on his faith to listen to the angel’s words and not allow shame or embarrassment to come to Mary. Joseph was a man of mercy and faith and demonstrated his faith in action toward God and toward Mary.

All of this would not have happened without God’s intervention. God is changing the whole dynamic here. God is showing that just when you think something is all figured out or planned, expect the unexpected! We know that feeling, don’t we? How many times have we planned something and, at the last minute, things change? You’re having a holiday meal and someone decides to bring a friend. It throws off you plans but you have extra plates and welcome them in. For a while it is confusion until you can get your bearings and it works out.

We live in a time of great confusion. The last two weeks have the media going crazy about “real” news sites and “fake news” sites on the internet. It is a bunch of yelling back and forth, one story says its true, another says it is a lie…what was down is now up, and day seems to be night, and so on.

Today’s Gospel reading gives us some clarity about the days to come in our lives. Just as the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph, the angel appears to us. The angel speaks to Joseph and us in telling us that a child is about to be born. This child shall be named Jesus and will save us from our sin. We are told that the scripture will be fulfilled in that the child shall be called Emmanuel, God with us. This message is that despite the confusion that is so penetrating our daily lives, hear the words of the angel sent by God. Know that this child…this Savior is coming to save us and SHOW us how to love one another. This child comes to show and do mercy, forgiveness, and love.

In this time of confusion, let us take our cue from Joseph. Set our hearts and minds open toward God…our hearts and minds open to not bringing on shame to one of God’s children…even when society might say that it is okay to do. May we turn our hearts toward the angel’s words to bring clarity and share the mercy, forgiveness and love that Jesus will show with others: AMEN!

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

            At this time of the year and in this season, I have become a fan of “fact-checking.” As I was reading the Gospel this week, a story came to mind. I did a little fact checking at snopes.com and found this story to be a mixture between truth and fiction.

            The story goes like this: There was a pastor who was going to his mega church with 10,000 members. He showed up to church and walked around while people were going inside. He asked for food, change, and sometimes just said “hello.” Out of those 10,000 people, only 7 gave him the time of day…seven. He then went into church and wanted to go down to the front row. Ushers stopped him, parishioners stopped him and gave him a seat in the back of the church. When it was time to begin the service, the leadership, who were in on it, said, “we now introduce our new pastor!” there was clapping and everyone was excited. The homeless man began walking down the aisle, then up on the stage, took the mic and began to reveal who he was…the new pastor.

            Imagine the judgement that went into ignoring that man! Think about it! All those 10,000 people just walking by him, denying his request for food, change, or not even saying hello. I can almost hear their voices: “don’t bother me, I am going to church. What a scruffy guy. He might get my clothes dirty. THANK GOD, I AM NOT LIKE HIM!

            This is where our Gospel reading comes into view and reveals something very telling. We have this Pharisee…this important person who is in the hierarchy of the religious leaders standing at prayer. This guy is lifting himself up all over the place! He starts going over his list of good things that he does. He fasts and he gives of his income. I might add he is also praying. This Pharisee in the parable is telling God of the basic things that need to be done in order to be righteous! He has got the checklist down pretty well, doesn’t he? It would seem so.

            His first words are more revealing than this checklist. Hi first words are, “God, thank you that I am not like other people.” What a compliment! This Pharisee, and I am not trying to paint Pharisees as evil, has already assumed that he is on the righteous list! He thinks he has it all figured out. As long as I am not a thief, rogue, or adulterer then he has hit the mark! He even pulls the “or even like this tax collector.” This guy thinks that salvation is now his…he thinks he hit a home run by doing the fasting, alms giving…and praying. So, he is pretty puffed up. I am sure he can stick out his chest and walk proud as a peacock.

            But Jesus tells us about this…this…tax collector. He, too, is in the synagogue. He, too, is praying. Jesus tells us that his head is bowed. He would not look to heaven, beats his chest saying, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” This man is acting quite different. He is praying for God’s mercy. We know that tax collectors were not looked upon too favorably. They were considered low-life’s. They took from people, took a cut for themselves when it came to taxes. They were loathed in the world.

            The tax collector brings himself before God, humbly. He is not walking around like any kind of proud peacock. He realizes the nature of who he is by his profession and places himself before God asking for mercy and not so sure that he is going to get the mercy he is looking for. Yet, he pleads to God. This tax collector pleads to the only one who decides righteousness. He pleads to the only one who can offer the mercy he seeks.

            Jesus gives us two examples of what it means to be a child of God. We have the one example of the person who thinks that he has checked off all the boxes to attain God’s favor and yet the Son of God tells us that checking off the right boxes is not enough. He then shows us the example of the one who comes to the temple and is not sure if he is in God’s favor. He shows us the person, that we know to be questionable because of his profession, and lifts this person…this uncertainty, this person who stands before God humbly, and confesses himself a sinner…a broken person; a person willing to throw himself before God’s judgement not knowing what to expect as justified…as worthy of receiving God’s grace.

            So, where do we fit on this scale, if you will? What are our experiences? Well, I do believe there are times when we make that “Thank God I am not like him or her,” statement. We make judgements everyday about something, whether it is good or bad, right or wrong. I would even venture to say that we all make a decision that serves our own best interest on any given day. We make judgements about how someone dresses, acts, talks, eats, haircuts, piercings, and the list goes on.

            We can even make judgements about worship, faith, and religion. How many times a person attends worship. Is there religion one of good or evil, are their religious garments acceptable? All these things and one traits mentioned above cause us to judge a person’s value, worthiness, and even righteousness. Based on all those things, do we really want that person in our community, neighborhood, or church?

            The truth part of this story from the beginning was that there have been several pastors who have been disguised as homeless and living around their church to gauge reactions. The results varied between helping to judging and rejecting.

            And that is where we get caught in the trap of judgement. That decision of righteousness is not ours to make. It is not up to us to decide who is in and who is out. Jesus tells us that it is God and only God who makes that call…NOT US! Through this parable Jesus shows us what it means to be a child of God. It is not about checking off boxes, showing up to make sure you meet what you believe are the expectations of being righteous.

            Jesus tells us that it is about not knowing what our outcome is. Through this tax collector, we see that life as children of God is walking humbly. Living the life as God’s child is realizing the brokenness in our own lives and laying it all at Jesus feet at the foot of the cross! Admitting that we are not worthy of God’s love because of our sinfulness and hoping, praying, and pleading for God’s mercy to forgive us our sins (as it says in the Lord’s Prayer).

The Good News is that God’s mercy comes in the form of Jesus on the cross. Jesus went to the cross for our sins and NOT out of some propping of himself. Jesus went to the lowly cross as God’s son to take away the sin of the world! I hope we all find it humbling that Jesus was hung on a cross…that the Son of God died for you and me. He died to show us the mercy that God has for us; so, that we know the length and the breadth of God’s love which can be very humbling!

AMEN!           

Luke 17:11-19 Giving Thanks

Luke 17:11-19

ercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ: Amen!

            This story is pretty amazing! 10 lepers are healed. I picture them across the street yelling at Jesus “Hey Master! Have mercy on us! “as they were told to go tell the priests, they were cleansed.” Pretty amazing! Kind of like a healing on the go.

            But there is this one guy who notices that he is healed. He stops and comes back. This person is so moved that he runs back to Jesus, praising him, falls at his feet (giving thanks), and is told to go, by Jesus, “your faith has made you well,” he says. So this man does some key  things: Turns back, glorifies, prostrates, and thanks. Quite a nice little checklist of things to do when it comes to God and the blessings he received. Wouldn’t you say so?

            It would be nice to lift up this person’s experience as one that we should all copy when it comes to God, right? I would like to give you this little checklist and send you on your way. But I can’t because I think we lump all these responses into this one word, thanksgiving. This guy gives thanks for being made clean and being healed. It is all wrapped up in one little buzz word, Thanksgiving.

            This man is not the example of how we should live our lives in our journey of faith. To wrap all his actions into one word causes two challenges: 1) we lift this person up, who is a Samaritan by the way, and start thinking “why cant I be more like him?” 2) It limits us to thinking that we are not even measuring up to a Samaritan who is an outsider. He is not of the chosen people and he is looked down upon by the entire community; AND if we can’t measure up to that; then what does it say about us?

            Let’s think of this person, this leper, this Samaritan in a different way. How about we look at all his actions is one BIG and different response to how Jesus…God heals this man. Let’s take away the buzz word of “thanksgiving” and think of his responses as varied and unique. He is the only one who stops to notice that he is healed. He turns back to Jesus…to God. There is a response. He comes back praising God. That is another response. Falls at Jesus feet. Yet another response. Finally he thanks God. All those responses are what he does. This is how this former leper responds to God’s blessing and healing. All these responses are what this man chose to do…chose how to show his response to the blessed gift he received!

            So how do you match up? That is a trick question. We are not supposed to be this Samaritan. We are not supposed to do everything he did because we are not this person. If I were to tell you to practice what this guy did, some might laugh, reject the suggestion, or just ignore it; and for good reason! You are YOU!

            Let’s think of this story in another way. Think of your favorite song; It has a flow to the song. The music has a certain rhythm to it that sparks your interest, makes you feel good, and may bring smiles to your faces. Rhythms have peaks and valleys, slow spots and quick spots. Our faith is the same way. We all have been at a place in our faith where faith might be strong. We may have experienced something in our life that remind us that God is present and with us…walking right beside us. How do we respond to that strong conviction? We might start singing praises to God, get a hymn in our head and begin singing it, or just get a smile saying “I knew you were there God!”

            There are times when we might see God’s sense of humor, We might know we want something but we don’t get what we want…maybe we get what we need (to steal a line from the Rolling Stones) and we end up laughing about it. Maybe our response is laugh and give thanks to god. Maybe we stop and take notice and just sit for a while in knowing that it was God who gave us blessings.

            The same is true when our faith is shaken to its very core. When we hit that valley of nothing seeming to go right, that time when we question the bedrock of our faith. Whatever that valley looks like, how do we respond to receiving God’s blessings? Maybe we come to the cross bringing the tears of our heart, the pain of our words, and cry in relief. Maybe we fall to our knees to give thanks. Maybe it is reciting a prayer that Jesus taught or that we learned in our faith journey.

            The point is that this man does not give us a checklist of things to do in order to give thanks to God. We are all different. What worked for this man may not work for us. What this man does is provide many different ways for us all to consider giving thanks and praise to God. Giving thanks and praise to God cannot be summed up in a buzzword because all our responses differ.

            So how can we respond to God’s blessings in our life? There are plenty of ministries going on here at church to give you some options. We have quilters, Victor’s Vittles, confirmation, Sunday school, bible studies, book studies, and if you want to introduce a different way to give thanks to God, let’s talk. There are ways to express and glorify God, prayer, going out and sharing your witness to God’s blessings with others (Like Jane Bowie shared with us this morning.).

            Next week we will be having Consecration Sunday. It is a time where we will be praying about what and how God calls us to share what we have been blessed with in the ministries of this church. Another expression of how we can express our thanks and praise for the blessings that God has given. But it won’t stop there. We will be working to make all this giving thanks and praise to God in varied expressions a regular discussion and action a year long process. Because like our Samaritan, there are so many different ways to give thanks to God: AMEN!