Follow that star.

Today we celebrate the Epiphany.  Twelve days after the birth of Jesus.  This is the third week that we have surrounded ourselves with narratives concerning the first month of Jesus’ life.  Today’s story concerns the coming of the Magi, the ‘Wise men’ or Sages who saw a star and left home and hearth to follow a dream.  We’ve been told all our lives that these were Gentile astrologers, and I’ve preached that in the past, but that is not the understanding given in my new study Bible.

It is the Jewish Study Bible, a Bible written by Jews for Jews, Messianic Jews - those who believe in and follow Yeshua Messiah, Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior.  Many of the leaders of the Jewish leaders had been carried off to exile in Babylon around 600 BCE when Judah and the first temple fell to Nebuchadnezzar.  

Many years later (60-80), after the Persians had conquered the Babylonians, King Cyrus allowed the Jews to return home, but not all of them did.  Probably close to half remained in Babylon where they had become established with homes and jobs and families.  They were still Jews and they studied the Torah and worshiped Yahwah, the God of the Jews.  So according to my new Bible, these sages were members of the Jewish community established and led originally by Daniel in Babylon.

We celebrate the coming of these sages or Magi 12 days after the birth of Jesus.  We don’t know exactly when they came, but our scripture today says, “after Jesus was born...”  After, not when.  Tradition says it was 12 days later, but from scripture we know that it might have been as much as 2 years after his birth.  After all, it takes time to see the star, search and interpret scripture, prepare for a journey and then travel.

Many of you will remember that on Christmas Eve, I talked about the Son of God lying in a manger and those who heard and who cared enough to go out of their way to see this child.   These Magi saw the star and went out of their way to see this thing that the Lord had prepared.  500 miles out of their way - by donkey, or horse back, or camel, it doesn’t say.  It is estimated that it would have taken them any where from 25 to 50 days to travel one way.  They had to prepare and take their own supplies, there were very few inns or restaurants on this trip.  This was not a small undertaking.  

The important thing is that they saw this star and said “yes” to this journey.  Too many of us might consider this to be a fool’s journey.  Well, today’s gospel lesson is a prime example. Here we have a number of people – the gospel doesn’t tell us how many – tradition says 3, because there were three gifts. Anyway, the Magi are people maybe Jewish, maybe not, who have seen a sign in the sky, who go out of their way to discover what that means.  

But these wise men, sort of like university professors of today – single focused – continued on their journey until they came to the Christ child in a house (not a manger) and knelt down before him. They also brought him gifts – gold and frankincense and myrrh – gifts for a king. According to tradition the gifts had special significance – gold represented his deity and purity; frankincense represented the fragrance of his life, and myrrh represented his sacrifice and death. 

But the most important part of today’s lesson is the light – the Magi followed the light and we live in that light.  St. John tells us, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” The Magi followed that light and Herod tried to snuff it out, but it wouldn’t snuff. 

Our first lesson today says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come.” Jesus had come into the world.  And Jesus has come into our world, too. And the question is, what are we going to do about it?  These Magi said ‘yes’ to God, to following the star.  How can we as individual, and as a church, say ‘yes’ to God?

There is a study in improv where one person throws out an idea.  The next person must say, “yes” and add to that idea.  And this continues around the room with each person saying ‘yes, and...’  We can do that same thing here in church.  When someone comes up with a new idea, instead of shooting it down or listing reasons why not, say, ‘yes’ and think of ways you can help or expand on the idea.  One woman said when her church decided to have a health fair, she immediately thought, I’m not a doctor or nurse, how can I possibly help?  Then she remembered to say, “yes, and...” and she found ways she could be involved and help to make it a success.

Grace needs new ideas on how to expand our fellowship with one another to help us become a solid community in Christ. and to work together to reach out to others.  Several new ideas have been put forth that I believe are worth pursuing.  I would like to see Grace church begin to develop a closer community life through fellowship and working together on projects beyond the Fish Fry and the Pumpkin Patch.  What can each of us do to further a closer bond that brings people in and furthers the life of the parish?  As ideas are put forth, follow the example of the Magi by saying, “Yes, and ...” And find ways to help, expand or promote to begin to make Grace Church a thriving community of Christ’s love once again.  In 2018, as we call a new rector, prepare a place that is welcoming and alive.    

Amen

Are you ready?

When I was a student at Sam Houston University, a friend of mine named Nancy had a date with an Aggie.  Well, Nancy and her date came in early and so we found a fourth and played a game of Hearts.  Contrary to my normal performance at Hearts, I actually won that night.  Several days later, I got the card from A & M from this guy.  It said, "Someday your ship will come in."  You open it up and it continues, "And you'll be at the train station."  

Now most of you know that my name is Nan.   It's not Nancy, it's not Nanette, or any of the other possible variations.  Now, the problem was, this card was addressed to "Nancy Lewis."  So we never figured out if it was intended for me or for Nancy, but we both decided that he was the one who missed the boat.  He just didn’t pay attention – not unlike the five foolish bridesmaids in our gospel lesson today.  They just didn’t pay attention either.

You know, today’s gospel lesson could be compared to when a hurricane comes through.  Let’s say there were ten guys who bought new generators, but when the hurricane came along half of them realized too late that they forgot to buy extra gasoline to run them.”  So by the time they finally figure out that they need more gas than what’s left from when they tried it out, and they go to the station, the power’s already out and the pumps don’t work, and regardless of how sorry they are, or how much they are willing to pay, they can’t get the gasoline. 

Our five foolish maids came with that same mindset where they believed that all they needed was the lamp because this occasion would be just like all the other weddings they had been a part of.  It just never even crossed their mind that this time it might be different.  But it was different and they didn’t adapt to the change – they were unprepared for change.  And even when they began to get an inkling that this time might be different, they did nothing.  They could see that the others had brought extra oil – and now, with the groom’s delay, they had time to go get oil, but they still didn’t use this time for that purpose.  They waited until the end when the reality of the situation was unavoidable and then it was too late.

These were young women from the groom’s household who wait at some distance from the house to escort the groom and his new bride back to the house when he comes from collecting her from her father’s house – and according to one source, they not only light the way, but they also perform a welcome dance to honor the new bride who will be living among them.  

While these maids wait for the groom they grow drowsy and fall asleep.  Someone likened the five foolish maids to everyone’s worst nightmare…  Well, maybe not nightmare – but that common dream so many of us have – each our own versions – about not being prepared at the appropriate time.  My particular dream usually has to do with going to class to take a test – in my dream, not only have I not studied for the test, but I’ve never even attended the class and I’m not sure where it is.

These young ladies have participated in other weddings and they don’t expected this to be any different.  Like the foolish maids, we, too, may be resistant to change.  We often expect everything to stay the same – like there’s some kind of status quo that’s never going to change.  We do this in our personal life, in our professional life and even in our church life.  Maybe we have a good thing going, and we expect it to stay the same.  Then it doesn’t and like the five foolish maids, by the time we recognize that there is a problem, it’s too late to reverse the situation.  It’s like a wife (or husband) who doesn’t realize there’s a problem with their marriage until their spouse asks for a divorce.  Or like parents who overlook the signs of alcohol or drug abuse by their child until they are called by the police.  There could be any number of scenarios that we could imagine or name.  

Churches can be just as blasé about what is going on in their parish.  They can be just as resistant to change as individuals.  They like to see new people come in – but that causes discomfort if the new people are different.  One of the churches in our diocese decided that they needed some way to incorporate new people into their church family.  And sometimes it’s just too long to wait for the bishop to come, so they’ve come up with a service of “inclusion” – they call it the “Liturgy of Belonging.”  We have actually used this here in the past.  There is a little service after The Peace when a family has expressed a desire to become a part of the parish family.  Patterned somewhat after the Baptism service near the end, the priest turns to the congregation and asks:  

Will you welcome (name/s) into this family, embrace their gifts, their needs, and their dreams?  Will you recognize that their presence and participation will change the shape of the body and help it grow in new ways?  Will you support them in their journeys, and assist them in their ministries?

And the answer is:   Yes! Yes! Yes!

This is very intentional in the realization that when new people are added to a congregation, there will be change.  And it is very intentional in recognizing the need for new blood in the church and the change that will occur and the intention to accept that change.  I guess that you could consider it to be something like a marriage ceremony.

Like the maids in our story, maybe we’re waiting for something to happen in our lives.  The five wise maids anticipate a future that involves them and they want to be prepared.  We may be anticipating a change in our lives also.  We may be waiting for the birth of a child, or for a phone call that offers us a job…  maybe for our child to graduate from high school and leave for college...   news from the doctor’s office…  that special person to pledge to share our life with…  All these circumstances are going to create change in our lives.  We have to be prepared to face that change regardless of what it brings.  If we are not willing to grow and change, then we will stagnate and die.  

It reminds me of one of my favorite sayings: “all you have to do is suit up and show up and the Holy Spirit will take care of the rest.”  Well, maybe sometimes that doesn’t quite get it.  You have to be accepting of whatever is going on, and willing to fulfill your part, whatever that might be.  But it’s about being prepared and ready to do your part.    

Notice that this is a wedding feast – not a funeral.  It is a joyous occasion – an occasion for celebration.  And also notice that the participants are not alone – even in the waiting.  When things go slow, when nothing appears to be happening – when you wait for the future to reveal itself to you – you are not alone.  There is always someone there with you – with similar questions or doubts or struggles – but ready to sit with you and share what is happening.  It is not unlike what is happening here at Grace.  We know that a new rector is long in coming, but knowing that the vestry is now receiving names and preparing to go out, even this month to visit and interview, we have to be prepared.  We also know that a new rector is going to change the dynamic of Grace, and we each have to be prepared for that change. 

This whole story is considered to be somewhat allegorical.  Scholars are very careful to point out that we are not to consider it a complete allegory.  The difference between the two groups of bridesmaids is said to be their faith preparation.  It takes faith to wait – faith to sustain us during the long night watches.  It takes faith and courage to change when that is needed.  It takes knowing and believing that when the Lord calls us to wait or to make changes in our life, that he will give us the strength and the tools to accomplish what needs to be done, or to survive the changes that are made.  We prepare our lives, our hearts and our minds so that when the Lord comes, we may go in with him, rejoicing and may feast at the table that he has set for us.  Are you ready for the changes that are coming?

For all the Saints

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son…  Today we are celebrating All Saints – so we might ask the question, “Who are the saints?”  Some of you will begin to name people like Saint Paul and Mother Theresa, and Joan of Arc and any number of those recognized by the church as being saintly.  Others of you will begin to name people you have known who had a special heart for God and a spirit of love.  St. Paul always used the word in the context of the believers of Jesus Christ.

In our reading from the Book of Revelation today, we get John’s vision of the saints in heaven worshipping around the throne of God.  And I just absolutely love that it says that there are “a great multitude. . . from every nation, tribe and people and language. . . all robed in white worshipping God and the Lamb.”  That means we don’t all have to look and sound alike.  This is one of the readings often used for funerals.  It’s very comforting to believe that we will not be alone when we die, that there is something bigger than we are, that all those things that have tormented us in life, will be overcome and destroyed in death.

In the same way our Epistle gives us much hope:  We are God’s children now (in other words,  we belong – we belong to something bigger and better than we could ever ask for.  We belong to the one who matters.) What we will be has not yet been revealed.  (Lot of wisdom in that statement because we really don’t know.)  What we do know (the one thing that we can be sure of – the one thing that we are promised) is this: When he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 

The way I see it, is that we are given two promises.  

In this life, we are not promised happiness, riches, health, love, or any other thing that most people desire in this life.  The promise we have from God is that regardless of what happens to us, regardless of what state we find ourselves in – God will be here with us!  That is his promise for this life – our life on earth.  God will be with us – to encourage us, to strengthen us, to comfort us, to fill us, to love us.  That is his promise for our life here on earth.  When we are going through tough times – when we are in pain, when we are alone, when we grieve, God is there with us.  He is there with us in both the good times and the bad times.  He laughs with us, he cries with us, he rejoices with us, he grieves with us.  He is there to share with us.  We don’t see him, but we can feel his presence.  We are never alone.

That’s the first promise and the second is like it…

The second promise is that in death, we will be with him.  Our lesson from 1^st John says, “we will be like him – for we will see him as he is.”  Even Genesis says that we are made in his image – and that means we will see ourselves as we are – the spirit that lives within us.  

Our lesson from 1st John also says that those who live in this hope “purify themselves, just as he is pure.”  My commentary said this meant that we are required to live virtuous ethical lives… emulating the essential goodness, purity, of God.  Well, that would sure be great if it were that easy, but too often our human emotions get in the way.

I think we would love for our heroes to be heroes and our villains to be villains – that way we can always tell them apart.  But more often than not, the lines get blurred.    One of the popular shows on TV a few years ago was called “Heroes.”  In the first season, you could sort of tell who the heroes were and who the villains were.  But by the time the third season came around, the lines became so blurred between hero and villain that they began to all look the same and the heroes began to disappoint.  I think that’s the reason it didn’t last past the third season.  It portrayed that mixing that takes place in humanity – but it also took it much too far for cultural tastes.

In the Matthew’s beatitudes Jesus turns the world upside down with his idea of who is blessed. . .  In the Hebrew society blessedness was seen in those who had everything – money, power, position. . .   One commentator called these the Be-Attitudes – the attitudes we need to have to BE right in this world.  So we hear Jesus say “blessed are the poor in spirit – for they know their need of God. . .  Blessed are those who mourn – we will all mourn at some point in time and God will comfort us. . . Blessed are the meek, those who don’t force their will on others  . . . Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for the Lord will fill us with good. . .  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy in return. . . Blessed are the pure in heart, for when you seek God, you will find him. . . Blessed are the peace makers, as you seek to help others find peace you will be seen as children of God. . . And when you are persecuted, remember that I am with you.  And great is your reward in heaven.

N. T. Wright, former Bishop of Durham says that Jesus is admonishing us to strive for these qualities.  We may strive for these things, but no matter how good we try to be, no matter how hard we strive – when we live in this world – it is going to impinge upon us – and we will often fall short of our expectation of ourselves and other’s expectation of us.  And by the same token, those around us who we love and sometimes depend on are going to fall short of our expectations of them.

Some of you may remember the TV series M*A*S*H.  In it, Dr. Hawkeye Pierce is a surgeon with a mobile army hospital.  He is an excellent surgeon who is disillusioned by war and the atrocities of war.  There is another character, Corporeal O’Reilly – better known as “Radar.”  Radar looks up to Hawkeye and thinks he can do no wrong.  And in one episode, Hawkeye gets drunk and when a rash of wounded are brought in, he has to leave the patient he is working on to go throw up.  It totally crushed Radar’s image of Hawkeye and Hawkeye tells him, I don’t want your worship – I can’t live up to the image you project on me – I can’t live up to your expectation.

No matter how hard we strive, we are human.  Part of the human condition is that we make mistakes, and we are not perfect.  In that, we can hardly be called saints if saints are those who live perfect lives.  But according to Paul, saints are those who know and love the Lord – who strive after him living the best life they are capable of.  And hopefully, in death, we will be remembered for our love of God and those things we did which pleased him.  And we trust we will be forgiven for the sins we committed and the unholiness we may have harbored in ourselves – because the truth is that we don’t have to live up to someone else’s expectation of us - (and not even our own expectation) – we simply have to trust that God will accept our meager efforts because of our love of him and that he will forgive us the rest.

Remember the two promises: In this life God will be with us, and in the next life, we will be with God. Amen.

Love is being interdependent

Paul, in writing to the Thessalonians says, “We had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the face of great opposition.”  I like that.  He gives us a perfect example of giving credit to God rather than acknowledging any praise for himself for his work at Thessalonika.  He could have said, “Hey, look at what we did...”  But he didn’t - he gave the credit and the glory to God.  And in doing this he also acknowledges the reason for speaking so, “we speak, not to please men, but to please God.”  

In our gospel lesson when the lawyer asks Jesus, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”  He just might have a reason to ask.  The Pharisees prided themselves (remember Paul in the second lesson who didn’t take pride in himself...) on following all the laws...   All 613 of the laws handed down through Moses.

And of those 613 laws, 365 of them are “Thou shalt not’s...”  With that many to remember NOT to do, it just might be hard to remember what you are supposed to do.  The Pharisees were always determined to “get it right”.  Now I don’t know about you, but I have often been plagued with this burning desire to “get it right”.  Especially on tests.  I remember when I first started running into open-ended questions that had no specific answer.  Almost drove me crazy trying to find out what I was supposed to do.  Remember that I taught mathematics, and I like nice logical problems with exact answers.  You know, it’s either right or it’s wrong - with partial credit if you showed your work.  So I understand wanting to get it right.  

Lots of people want to get it right when it comes to worship.  I’ve seen people panic over the slightest little thing - you know, wine spilled on at alb or the fair linen, or a skipped lesson, or the wrong song played.  I’ve come to the conclusion that God probably gets a good laugh at some of the things that we obsess over.  So this lawyer wants to know which of the 613 laws is the greatest.  He’s asking a legally complex question.  Now according to Matthew - this is a confrontation - they are trying to trap Jesus into saying something that can be used against him in trial.  And Jesus once again sidesteps his antagonists as he sweeps away the legal implications by calling the people to love. 

  You see, I don’t think God is so much interested in our ‘getting every little detail right’, as he is interested in our understanding the big picture.  In other words, it’s not the “things” that matter - it’s the condition of the heart that is important.   That is what Jesus is trying to tell us in the gospel today.  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and with all your mind.”  But, it’s very important that we don’t miss the second commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  

You see, even though they are really two separate commandments - they are interdependent.  They have something like of a symbiotic relationship.   Does everyone know what interdependent means?  It’s claimed that there are three stages to life.  Stage one is when you are totally dependent on others – as a baby or small child, you are dependent on your parents and other adults to take care of you - feed you, clothe you, keep you safe.  As you grow up, and especially into your teen years it becomes important to learn to be independent – to be able to take care of yourself and not need anyone else.  That is stage two.  Unfortunately, we all know people who never make it out of one or the other of these two stages of life.  The third stage of life is when you learn to be interdependent – this is usually understood to be the fullness of adulthood.  This is the stage of life where you know that you are fully capable of being independent, but you also realize (or learn) the value of being interdependent with other people in this life.  

This is where you choose to entwine your life with others and allow them to help you even as you help them.  The first two stages are all about self – what others can do for me – and what I can do for me.  The third stage is where we reach out to include others in a healthy way – how we can work together to the benefit of both (or all).

It is this kind of interdependence that is set up with these two commandments.  Each one is stated separately, and in fact, each one has been acted on alone by some people.  Stage one: There are people who get so wrapped up in loving the Lord that they never make it outside themselves to see what He wants them to do in the world.  Stage two: There are also humanitarians who do wonderful work with the poor, or the sick, or the homeless, etc. – but who will tell you there is no God and that’s why we have to be responsible for those less fortunate.  Now that is independent from stage one.  Both of these stages are still about self – the first is what can God do for me?  The second is what can I do for others (I in place of God).  But God calls us to beyond stage one on to stage three – to understand a healthy relationship between the two commandments.

 

There are too many people who claim to love God, but yet they will go out and step all over others to get what they want, or ignore those who need a helping hand, or treat others less than kindly.  They don’t carry what they learn about God out into the world.  What they don’t understand is that our love of God is incomplete if it does not extend to those who are made in God’s image.  That’s what love of neighbor is all about.  It’s about treating those around us in the same way we would want to be treated if we were in their place.  

One of the things we did in seminary was the “Friday feeding” - we would make sandwiches, put them in a bag along with a piece of fruit and bottle of water and take them down to an area just off the drag in Austin where young homeless kids (high school age) hung out.  We pass them out, then if we had any left, we took them down to the Red River Street area where adult homeless could be found, and if there was any left then we would take them to the local shelter.  Putting into action what we were learning in school.

I really liked the way Grace came together right after Harvey to prepare and deliver food for those out working on flooded houses.  That’s the kind of thing God wants us to do - to reach out and help those in need. 

This kind of love is not about passion and it’s not about feelings.  It’s about treating other fairly and honestly and justly.  This love is a decision - a decision to show mercy, to lend a helping hand, to respond to the rights of others.  This kind of love means to be in relationship with the people around us - those who know God and those who don’t.  This kind of love is the fulfillment – the interdependence – the adulthood of the Christian life.  This is an invitation to live into the fullness of God’s love for us and through us.  It becomes a beacon shining out to those around us, calling others to a fuller life in Christ.  Not just obeying the laws of God, but living a life in Christ as well.  And living that life means being interdependent both with God and with the world around us.   Amen.

We bear the image of God.

Sometimes I wish I were more like Jesus.  You know, with the snappy comebacks, and always the right answers.  In general, I’m more like Moses, slow of tongue…   Three hours later, I think of the perfect response, the one that alluded me when I was asked the question.

Have you ever heard someone say that there are three things that should not be discussed over dinner or in polite company?  Those three things are politics, money and religion.  I guess Jesus never heard that expression because he hit them both in today’s lesson.  Of course to be fair, he was responding to a question concerning politics and money.  One of the dangers of reading the Bible, is taking what Jesus says out of context.  So I’m going to spend some time setting up that context.

Our Gospel lesson is an interesting study.  I was really surprised, for whatever reason, to read that this lesson has been used to support separation of church and state.  Once it was pointed out, I could see that in this lesson – I just hadn’t really thought about it before in that way.  I could see the stewardship lesson in it; I thought of it more like we need to pay our taxes and we need to support the church.  But Matthew isn’t so much focused on that as he is on Jesus’ ability to sidestep a trap that has been laid for him.  Matthew is more interested in the crafty way in which Jesus not only avoids the trap, but also turns the focus away from the political arena and brings it back to God.

Let’s take a closer look at what is happening here.  Jesus is approached by the Pharisees - with the Herodians.  A strange pairing, because politically they seem to be very different.  The Herodians (supporters of Herod) earn their living off the Roman taxes, because they are the local government that supports and is supported by the Roman governor.  So they have a vested interest in the continuance of the Roman tax.  However, the Pharisees have a much more tenuous position in relationship to the Roman government.  The Pharisees (and the Sanhedran) are given control of the Temple, but only under the circumstances that they keep the people under control and curtail any possible riots.  But the Pharisees resent Roman control and are against paying the Roman tax.  

Okay, exactly what is this tax?  It is a “head tax”.  It is imposed on every adult male from puberty to age 65.  It is a token of submission to Rome, acknowledging the Romans as your master.  It was a real thorn in the side of the Jews to submit to anyone other than God.

The Pharisees and the Herodians both see Jesus as a potential threat – politically dangerous.  Remember that both groups derive their power for the Romans.  Jesus is a charismatic teacher who stirs the imagination of the people.  The people want to follow him and if he decides to take a political stance, then the people would revolt, and both the Pharisees and the Herodians would be out.  So they team up to come to Jesus – knowing that regardless of his answer, he was going to run afoul of one group or the other.  

Jesus didn’t hesitate when asked the question, “is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?”  Jesus couldn’t be trapped by such a blatant question.  The questioners begin with such flattery – false flattery – trying to catch him off guard, “we know you teach the way of God truthfully, and do not regard the position of men.”  And they are right – Jesus doesn’t regard the opinions of men – only being faithful to God.  It is that faithfulness toward God that gives him the freedom to step outside the realm of men and to meet them with such authority and power.

Jesus sidesteps the trap they have laid for him.  He asks them to show him the coin used to pay the tax.  In the temple, only Jewish coins could be used – and some Jews would not even carry a Roman coin.  But one is found – probably from one of the Herodians – and Jesus asks them whose image and inscription are on the coin.  The answer, of course, is Caesar’s.  This actually shows a violation of one of the commandments.  Remember the one about not making any graven image?  That graven image is Caesar’s and the coin therefore belongs to him and should not be possessed by a practicing Jew. 

Jesus doesn’t mince words, he tells them flat out, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.”  That satisfies the Herodians, but now the Pharisees think they have him trapped.  I can just see the sneer on their faces begin to fall, as he continues: “And give to God what belongs to God.”  This puts all of them in an uncomfortable position.  They know the coin belongs to Caesar, because it bears his image.  

But what is it that belongs to God?  So many writers I read claim that he really leaves that hanging; leaves it up to them to figure that out for themselves.  He leaves it up to us to decide for ourselves.  And the first thing that might come to mind for us is the example of the Biblical tithe - and that is a valid point.  But think again, what is the Jewish understanding of God…  

The alternate Old Testament lesson for today is from Isaiah 45.  God says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other.  I form light and create darkness, I make (peace) and create woe… “  So, according to Isaiah, it all belongs to God -- there isn’t anything that doesn’t belong to God.  And we are back to “give to God what belongs to God.”

But if you bear out the analogy that things bearing the image of Caesar belong to Caesar, then what is it that bears the image of God? – that belongs to him?  Isn’t it ourselves?  Going back to the first chapter of Genesis, verse 27 

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. NRSV

It is we ourselves who bear the image and therefore belong to God.  That is what we are to give to God,  - It is stated explicitly in our Rite One Eucharistic Prayer that says:  

“And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, our selves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee…”  

If we live into the theology of that Eucharistic prayer, we give him ourselves.  Everything we are and everything we hope to be, we offer to God as a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice.   Amen.

Come to my wedding feast.

Listen to the sermon.    

There are some scripture passages that I take exception to and this is one of them.  I’m never quite sure what to do with it.  I wrestle with it – and maybe I want to judge it.  Somehow I have trouble reconciling the teller of this story with the Jesus I see portrayed in scripture – who tells us to turn the other cheek - who welcomes all to come in, who turns away none.  Jesus accepts tax collectors and sinners and heals the lame and the ill.  Even in the one incidence where someone (beside the Pharisees and other officials) turns away – it is still the free choice of the person who was invite in.  

Only two gospel writers tell this story, Matthew and Luke.  Luke ends the story with the people coming in and there is still room so he sends the servant out again to bring in more people.  Luke makes no mention of any killing or mis-treating- either by the invited guests or by the banquet giver.

In reading Matthew’s version of this story, he appears to be angry, and I don’t know what to do with his anger.  Luke was a gentile – Matthew a Jew.  I think Matthew is quite angry that his community is not welcome in the synagogue because they follow Jesus.  I think Matthew is like the author of Psalm 137 who wants to smash babies against the rock because Jerusalem was destroyed.

Most of the commentaries report that this parable tells of a king (God) who invited the people (the Israelites) to his banquet – to feast at his table.  But they turned away and even when he sent his servants (the prophets), they were ignored and mistreated and some even killed.  So he dis-invites his guests and reaches out to a new group – blood lines don’t matter – position, power and wealth don’t matter.  Anyone who will listen and come in is welcome.  

Now Luke stops his story right there and we get the wonderful picture of a God who is willing to fellowship with anyone – with everyone – everyone who accepts his invitation - no exceptions.  But Matthew – wants to exclude someone – Matthew, who was raised as a Jew - with the concept of a God who picks and chooses – a God who blesses and curses.  Matthew, as a Jew, wants to exclude certain people. He wants people punished when they don’t do things the way he wants.

Jesus himself invites the rich young man to come follow – he does set a condition – and the young man decides to walk away.  Jesus does not exclude him.

For me it’s the same way.  This lesson ends with “Many are called, but few are chosen.”  Boy, did that ever do a number on me!  For far too long I believed that I was one of those who would never be chosen.  And that was a mantra for me, “Oh yes, I’ve been called, but I’ll never be chosen.”  

What I had to finally understand was that we are all called – each and every one of us.  God is not willing for any of us to perish and he gives us every opportunity to come in.  But we are the ones doing the choosing.  Do we choose to follow or like the rich young man, do we choose to turn away?  

I guess the part I have trouble with is the weeping and gnashing of teeth – the being bound and the cast out.  I think the older I get, the more trouble I have with this.  I suppose I get my vision of heaven and hell from C. S. Lewis.  In his book, “The Great Divorce,” hell is depicted as a dank, dark and dismal place – a place that is continually dusk and where it is always raining – where people wander aimlessly and no one speaks kindly to another.  Lewis posits a place in the midst of this darkness where people are given a last chance to visit bright heaven and to cast off the darkness that keeps them separated from the presence of God.

The other vision of heaven/hell that he gives is from the Narnia series in “The Last Battle.”  As the battle is raging the world begins to crumble and the sky begins to fall in.  Aslan encourages and ushers everyone who will come to enter the ‘hut’ on the hill which is the gateway to the new kingdom.  It is a bright and bold and happy place but the dwarves who had been thrown into the hut earlier sit around the fire with their eyes closed refusing to see the glory that has appeared around them.  They remain in that self-made hell because they have convinced themselves that that was all there is.

So we are back to the man who is cast out.  And why?  Because he wasn’t wearing the proper clothes.  There are places here on earth that there is a ‘dress code’ and if you are not wearing the proper attire, you are asked to leave.  But here we have a guy (Jesus) who is advocating radical hospitality and he tells a story where he invites everyone in and then kicks out one person because he didn’t wear the right clothes.  

What is being said here is that there is a cost - a price - for following Jesus.  We have to be willing to accept him, not only as savior, but also as Lord.  And we have to allow him to come into our life and begin to change us - to mold us into his own image.  We are to put on Jesus Christ and his righteousness.

This is an easy parable, I guess, if you are certain that you have the proper garment, but for those who struggle with faith or what they see of Christianity, it’s not so easy.  The point is that Jesus accepts us right where we are, but he doesn’t leave us there.  All through the gospels we see him healing people and driving out the demons that hold them captive.  He will do that for us also - we simply have to allow him to work within us.  

I remember a young man (college student) in Huntsville who showed up at church one Sunday morning in dirty running shorts, a muscle shirt, with his tattoos and various body jewelry standing out.  He said he only came to borrow a prayerbook and he obviously didn’t meet the dress code for church attendance, but he was encouraged to come in and once there he was treated like everyone else.  The following Sunday he showed up in clean cutoffs and a regular t-shirt.  Once again he was accepted just as he was.  Eventually his dress improved as he came back Sunday after Sunday.  He was looking to be accepted – and he was met where he was, in the condition he was in, and he was accepted.  

Radical hospitality accepts people where they are – and allow them the time and space to grow into the grace that has been extended to them.  And in the process, the rags they wear will eventually become garments of praise.   

And the invitation still goes out even today:

Come, won’t you come, for the banquet is laid.

Won’t you come, for the feast is prepared.

Won’t you come, won’t you come.  

Amen.

Stewards in the Vineyard

Listen to the sermon.   

The sign outside says that this sermon is about the “workers in the patch.”  I would encourage those of you who have not yet signed up for the Pumpkin Patch to check the sheet in the Narthex.  We can all be considered workers in the Patch, stewards of the vineyard, and citizens of the kingdom.  But I want to go back and start with our first lesson.

Exodus 20 – the Ten Commandments is somewhat familiar.  The Ten Commandments were the first laws – handed down from God on the Holy Mountain.  They are really about how to maintain a relationship - both with God and with people.  They can be divided into 2 groups - relationship with God and relationship with others.  

The first group (commandments 1 – 4) has to do with our relationship with God.  This covenant tells us our responsibility to God; we are to love God only; we are not to entertain other gods; we are not to idolize anything other than God; we are not to use his name improperly and we are to spend time with him every week.  

This laws about Sabbath and parents are actually a bridge between the laws describing our relationship with God and our relationship with others.  It’s the beginning of how we are to live our lives here on earth.  We take time to rest – to re-create – to commune (or communicate) with God so that we can begin the new week with renewed vim, vigor and direction.

The second bridge law is about relationship with your parents.  You are to honor your mother and father – they were co-creators with God in bringing you to life.  Without them, you would not exist — you would not be you.

The rest of the laws have to do with our relationship with each other here on earth.  You shall not murder, nor commit adultery, nor steal, nor bear false witness, nor covet your neighbor’s possessions or their spouse.  

And it says the people witnessed the lightning and thunder and trumpet and smoke and they were afraid.  Well, here on the Texas Gulf Coast we know firsthand about the forces of nature that are very scary and the effect they can have on our lives.  No wonder the people told Moses – you speak to us – but don’t let God come anywhere near us.  And Moses told them, “Do not be afraid.”  

And then in our second lesson we see Paul talking about being a born and bred, card carrying, law abiding Jew, righteous under the law – and he goes on to say that he doesn’t want the kind of righteousness that comes from the law – but only that which comes from faith in Christ.

Those ten are only the beginning fo the laws that Jews had to follow.  Now, I admit that I have made fun of those 6 hundred 15 laws that a righteous Jew was supposed to follow.  When you think about it, a lot of those laws dealt with the same kinds of things that today’s laws deal with.  Would anyone here like to give a guess about how many laws there are in America today?  There are whole libraries dedicated to stating and explaining the laws that have been passed by the national and state legislatures.  The reason we have to have laws is because there are always people who are going to do things that end up hurting others – and without laws there would be chaos and anarchy.  

In a perfect world everyone would be kind and courteous to everyone else and we would need no laws.  Problem is we don’t live in a perfect world.  When I taught school, we usually ended up the year with many more rules than we started with – because each time a student would do something (that we had not anticipated) that injured someone or caused some kind of trouble or disruption, a new rule would have to be made.

So could you imagine living without laws?  Even traffic laws – something as simple as coming to a full stop and treating a non-operating traffic signal as if it were a stop sign – can be important if there is a power outage.    

And then we come to one of those gospel stories – it is a parable and it is an allegory.  There are many different layers and we are going to look at several.

 This is a story about stewardship.  This is a story about faithfulness.  This is a story about relationship.

A landowner planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.  

This allegory is telling the story of what is happening.  The landowner, of course, represents God, the vineyard is the kingdom of God and the tenants are the religious leaders of Israel.  The slaves are the prophets and the son is Jesus.  Jesus is telling the story of what has happened in the history of Israel and projecting it into the future concerning his own fate.  

The thing I find interesting as we examine this parable is the patience of God.  He sends his slaves to collect the portion of the harvest that belongs to him - their rent, so to speak.  When the tenants beat one, stone one and kill one, the landowner doesn’t immediately rush in and punish the them.  He sends more slaves to collect the tithe owed to him, and the tenants treat them the same as they had the first.  

So the landowner finally sends his son, the heir to the property.  And the tenants seem to think they can kill him and then the property will be theirs.  We see the patience on the part of the landowner, for he is willing to give the tenants a chance to do the right thing – not just one chance, but multiple chances.  Notice that Jesus leaves the parable there – he does not complete it.  He poses the question, allowing the religious leaders to draw their own conclusions.  They know -  

So if we are the new tenants of the vineyard that means we are the ones responsible for producing new fruit and presenting it to God.  How are we going to respond as the new tenant of the vineyard?   How are we going to be different from the original tenants?  It is now our turn to give back to God from what he has given to us.  

This says so much more about the way we are to live our lives and conduct our affairs. How do we tend our vineyard?  God created this wonderful place for us to live and he filled it with all good things – all the things that combined with the knowledge and wisdom and willingness (or ability) to work – can be used to provide us with a really good life.  Are we careful with the things that God has given us?  Do we tend this vineyard and take care of those things which God has provided for us?  Do we give credit to God for those things which make our life worth living?  Do we have an attitude of gratitude for the things that God has placed in our lives?  That attitude of gratitude can be developed - each day, remember to name one thing for which you are grateful.  Today, I am grateful for the music that Paul provides for us.

So, if God give this earth for our use, what kinds of stewards are we of it and all those things that God has provided?  Do we give back to him from the first fruits of our bounty?  Do we honor that which God has given us?  Those are questions that each of us have to answer for ourselves.  

Just to recap - the law that Moses brought down from the mountain helped to define who the Israelites were – and Paul tells us that we can’t earn salvation simply by obeying the law – and Jesus tells us that we need to be good stewards regardless of the law…  So we follow the laws because we understand that 1) they teach us about relationship [with God and with others] - and 2) they bring order to our life and are for our good and our protection.    We also give God praise and thanksgiving for caring about us and giving us good things in this life, and we need to remember to give back to him from what he gives to us.  

Please pray with me:  Oh Lord God, we praise you for your love, for your gifts, and for your generosity.  Open our eyes to recognize these gifts on a daily basis.  Keep us mindful that it is you who have created this vineyard - this world - in which we live.  Help us to remain faithful stewards in all that we do and to give thanks for all that we have.  In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.  Amen.