Pentecost 18 (c) 2010

The Sky is Falling

Introduction

What is hope?

What do you hope for? Are there trivial things? Are there things that would change everything?

What would you do if things did not work out the way you hoped?

I truly believe that we are supposed to live “as if” ... “as if” good things are always going to happen; as if the thing we hope for is right around the corner... Some people call this positive thinking, another person made a fortune writing a book called “the Secret” and had some of her own hopes come true because of it.

However you look at it – there is some sense that life flows positively or negatively depending on how we approach it.

So our attitude truly makes a difference.

There was an expression once that said that faith is the assurance of things hoped for.... in other words, to have faith is to believe it is going to happen...

So what do you believe is going to happen?

Henny Penny

Once upon a time there was a dear little chicken named Henny Penny.

One morning as she was scratching in her garden, a pebble fell off the roof and hit her on the head.

"Oh, dear me!" she cried, "the sky is falling. I must go and tell the King," and away she ran down the road.

Turning up a shady lane they met Cocky Locky. "Where are you two going?" asked Cocky Locky.

"Oh, we are going to tell the King the sky is falling," answered Henny Penny. "How do you know?"

"A piece of it fell on my head," cried Henny Penny... and Cocky Locky decided to go along.

By and by they came to a pond where they met Ducky Lucky. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"The sky is falling and we are going to tell the King," answered Cocky Locky.

"How do you know?" asked Ducky Daddies. "Henny Penny told me," said Cocky Locky.

"May I go with you?" asked Ducky Lucky.

"Certainly," they answered.

By and by whom should they meet but Goosey Loosey, carrying a basket of gooseberries to market.

"Where are you four going?" she asked.

"The sky is falling and we are going to tell the King," answered Ducky Daddles.

(and what do you think Goosey Loosey did?)

Who do you think they met next but... Turkey Lurkey.

"Where are you going?" asked Turkey Lurkey.

"The sky is falling and we're going to tell the king," answered Goosey loosey.

"How do you know?" asked Turkey Lurkey.

"Ducky Lucky told me so," answered Goosey Loosey. "Cocky Locky told me," answered Ducky Lucky.

"A piece of it fell on my head," cried Henny Penny! "May I go with you?" asked Turkey Lurkey.

"Certainly," said Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky and Goosey Loosey.

(we could go on this way forever...)

By and by they became tired, and sat down to rest, when out from behind the rocks jumped Foxy Loxy.

"Where are you all going?" he asked, with a sly grin.

"The sky is falling and we are going to tell the King," they all replied together.

"You are not going the right way. Shall I show it to you?" said Foxy Loxy.

"Oh, certainly," they all answered at once and followed Foxy Loxy, until they came to the door of his cave among the rocks.

"This is a short way to the King's Palace; you'll soon get there if you follow me. I will go in first," said Foxy Loxy.'

Just as the little feathered folks crowded around the dark narrow hole, eager to follow the sly fox, a little gray squirrel, with very bright eyes, jumped out from behind the bushes and whispered to them: "Don't go in, don't go in, all your little necks he'll wring, and you'll never see the King."

Happy to escape from the wicked old fox, away ran Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, and all the rest...

By and by they came to the beautiful palace in which lived the wise King, and upon being brought before him, they all shouted at once; "Good and wise King, we have come to warn you that the sky is falling!"

"How do you know the sky is falling?" asked the King. "Because a piece of it fell on my head," said Henny Penny.

"Come nearer," said the King and leaning from his velvet throne, he picked the pebble from the feathers of Henny Penny's head.

"You see it was only a little pebble and not part of the sky at all," said the King. "Go home in peace and do not fear because the sky cannot fall; only rain falls from the sky."

Weary but wiser, the little feathered folks left the palace and started on their long journey homeward.

SO – WHAT IS THE MORAL OF THE STORY... and I have to warn you, there is more than one....

- Don’t believe everything you hear?

- Be careful who you ask for directions...

- Panicking only makes it worse... check out the truth...

A Little Bit Deeper Now

So – our sky is falling almost every day – global warming and a ruined economy might just be the cause... others would say it was Greed. After all, Timothy says that the love of money is at the root of all evil; and he is not so wrong....

But let’s forget about blame – I want to talk about attitude... that is what today is all about. Henny Penny, the Little Engine that Could, Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Lattes... and a thousand other examples talk to us about how the positive can turn around the negative.

What we are really talking about in all this is hope... and there is no better story about that then Jeremiah buying the field.

Everyone in the world says that Israel and Judah are going to be taken over... some army or other will march in and destroy them in just a few days.... so what does the King’s prophet do? He buys a field; plants a garden...

It is as if Al Gore suddenly bought property and moved lock stock and barrel to the sea shore. Or Ken Tobias moving back to his home town of Saint John.... it is a powerful statement of ‘believing in.’

And it is a practical example of it... Jeremiah puts his money where his mouth is; he does not just say that God will be with them in the future – he buys land, he plants crops – he puts effort and energy into something that a lot of people might think is dumb – the sky is falling after all... But essentially, he models hope.

Jesus always Takes it Further

Jesus always takes things further - right? Too bad too – because he is always making it harder... Ten Commandments tell you to honour your father and mother? I tell you not to even think bad things about them... as if.... Lusting is adultery, wishing is coveting.... in Jesus world we have to try and be perfect and that is just not a lot of fun....

Of course, Jesus was answering the question – always answering the question – that we keep asking: How can I be happy? How can I do what God wants? And his answer is to work at it... BUT... and this is a big interjection – to work at it in the here and now.

It is not like you can “hope” to get around to it one day – and that is the cautionary tale of the Rich Man – who has his hopes set on the future, and fails to see Lazarus sitting in his doorstep.

It is not enough to know that one day you will get around to repenting, to acting properly, to noticing... because what if you die – and find yourself unable to get around to all those things you wish you had....

This Lukan passage is essentially the story behind A Christmas Carol – where the Ghost of Marley comes back and gives his business partner Scrooge a chance to repent...

But in the original – in Jesus’ version – there are no second chances....

Conclusion

You see, what matters is how we live our lives. There is no second chance. And to live our lives properly is to live them not only with hope, but with expectation.

I want to invite you to live AS IF every good thing has already happened – as if God was right this very second helping to bring your hope to fruition – as if the good always wins.

This is the way we are intended to live, and it is the counter to the negativity that surrounds the world each and every day.

Pentecost 17 (C) - 2010

My Heart is Down, My Head is Turning Around....

Introduction

I said over the summer that I am reading a book on Philosophy. It is actually a novel that tells the whole history of Philosophy as the story unfolds – it is called Sophie’s World.

Now what is really neat in the book is that for the first two thirds, Sophie, our heroine, has no idea what is going on... a lot of the things that happen don’t make sense... There is this mysterious girl, Hilde, who could, or could not exist, who might or might not be Sophie herself... It is quite confusing to her – and the reader genuinely has no better idea what is going on.

Then – two thirds of the way through we switch narrators – Hilde becomes the heroine... and almost immediately we are told the answers. All of a sudden we have this “AH HA...” moment when it all makes sense – and is so easy... such a simple solution....

But until that point nothing made sense.

Do you ever wish God would explain some things?

Ever wish that there WAS an answer that made it all make sense?

Ever wish you could yell at God about the things that don‘t?

Well – perhaps some times we should....

Are We Saved

So – here is an interesting question: “The summer is over, the harvest is ended, are we saved?” Why not?

Why is it that no matter what we do, no matter how faithful we are – there are still so many problems? You know, this week I honestly thought I would have to resign my membership in the Christian church. There was this guy down in Florida, Terry Jones, who is a Pastor of some unheard of evangelical church; who decided he was going to burn all the copies of the Qu’ran he could get his hands on on September 11^th.

Luckily common sense, God, and the President of the United States talked him out of it... but still, my gut reaction was, do I want to be associated with this guy? Are he and I, as pastors, thought about in the same way by people? And the reason I considered leaving for a day is that yes, to many people, we are....

Most people see Christianity as pretty ineffectual. It doesn’t do a whole lot of good. We pray for rain and there is still a 50/50 chance of sun. We live according to our faith and we are no more likely to live long lives, or get rich, or be happy than anyone else.

So what good is God?

Is it enough that God would weep for the people who lost their lives on 9/11? Is it enough that God is there silently loving us when we are in pain? Is it enough?

I guess this week I am feeling a little like raging against God. Just wait till we get to the Psalm...

How Long O Lord?

It used to be, in almost all of our lifetimes, that the church was the centre of society. Heck I have even talked to people who chose Saint John’s over Central just so they could be seen by the right sort of people....

That is not the case now, is it... my how the tides have turned in a few short years. The truth is, we are back to being much closer in societal position to the people who wrote the Bible... Those guys who wrote the Psalms... they felt a whole lot of neglect.... they felt like outsiders.... and they never got the respect they deserved.

So they cry out to God, HOW LONG! How long are you going to sit by and let the good be punished? How long are you going to stand idly by while the wicked prosper?

If ever there was such a thing as a bolt of lightning from God, I have a few suggestions...

Of course, that is probably why I am not in charge of the lightning bolt aiming device...

But seriously... the church seems to be relegated to the sidelines, Christians are dismissed as lunatics, mainly because the craziest of us get the most press; and what exactly is the point of all this?

Why do we come here every week? Why do we say prayers? What difference does it make?

Just because I know some things stick in our heads and we get distracted by them; I want to remind you, this is a rant. This is me being upset with God for all the bad things I have seen in my lifetime. And like most of you, I suspect, there have been a ton of them. Instead of pretending they don’t exist, I am bringing them out into the open and asking God, what are we supposed to do in light of all this....

Did I ever tell you the story of the starfish?

There was this old man, walking the beach at dawn, who noticed a young man ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. Catching up with the youth, he asked what he was doing. The answer was that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun. 'But the beach goes on for miles and miles, and there are millions of starfish,' countered the man. 'How can your effort make any difference?' The young man looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw it to safety in the waves. 'It makes a difference to this one,' he said."

The Parable that Makes no Sense

Let me re-tell this story according to someone who wrote a Master’s Thesis on this parable, Dylan Breuer, an Anglican Priest in the states...

A very, very rich man lives in a big city (like Jerusalem), with a lifestyle of luxury made possible from the income of the estate he owns in the countryside. He's hired a manager (steward) to run it while he parties in Jerusalem, and all of the work of planting and harvesting is done by peasants whose grandparents might have owned the land but lost it in payment to a debt. Now the peasants work the land as tenant farmers, buying what they need from the company store (at prices far above what their grandparents paid for the same goods), with whatever is left over after the exorbitant rent is paid to the landowner. The harvest is never quite enough to pay the rent plus what the family needs, so the family is slipping further and further into debt.

The landowner fires the steward because of rumours that the steward was squandering the landowner's resources. So the steward is no longer authorized to do anything at all in the master's name. The farmers from whom he probably came aren't about to take him in either, given that up until now he's allied himself with the landowner by taking a job that involves collecting exorbitant rents, running the company store, and generally dealing unjustly with the farmers.

So what does the steward do? Something extraordinarily clever. He gathers all of the farmers who owe him money, and he declares that their debts have been reduced from the rough equivalent of "a million bazillion kajillion dollars" to something that maybe could be repaid, (maybe) freeing the family to make choices about next steps. With quirks of how records were kept, this involves a few subtle strokes of the (forger's) pen -- much like what students do in changing a handwritten 'D' to a 'B' on a report card.

The steward doesn't tell the farmers that he was fired any more than he tells them that the landowner didn't authorize any of this generosity. The result is that the farmers believe the landowner is more generous than just about anyone else in his position would be. The landowner is now a hero in the farmers' eyes -- and the steward is also, by extension.

The landowner comes for his customary visit to pick up the wealth the steward has collected for him, and he gets a surprise... The streets for miles before he reaches the estate are lined by cheering farmers. They're shouting his name, telling him he's a hero.

He finds out (probably when he arrives at the estate house) what the steward has done in telling the farmers that the landowner forgave their debts. Now he has a choice to make. The landowner can go outside to the assembled crowd -- the people shouting blessings upon him and all his family -- and tell them that it was all a terrible mistake, that the steward was just making it up.... or... he can go outside and take in the cheering of the crowd. He can take credit for the steward's actions, in which case he'll be a hero.

Now here is the big problem we always see in this story... the steward is clearly dishonest.... and we can’t figure out Jesus is praising him.

So here is a question for you... forget the ethics for a moment and consider: What, precisely, is it that the steward does?

The steward forgives debts.

The steward forgives. He forgives things that he had no right to forgive. He forgives for all the wrong reasons, for personal gain and to compensate for past misconduct. But that's the decisive action that he undertakes to redeem himself from a position from which it seem he couldn't be reconciled, to the landowner any more than to the farmers.

So what's the moral of this story, one of the stories unique to Luke?

It's a moral of great emphasis for Luke: FORGIVE. Forgive it all. Forgive it now. Forgive it for any reason you want, or for no reason at all.

Why do we complain about the way of the world? Why do we rage when things look unjust? Because we genuinely still don’t get it. This is the way God is... God is above all score keeping, above all our concepts of right and wrong... God is love. God is forgiveness. And if we could get there DESPITE how we feel about 9/11, despite how we feel about our neighbours cat, despite how we feel about people who irritate us... well... we would be commendable too.

Why forgive someone who's sinned against us, or against our sense of what is obviously right? We don't have to do it out of love for the other person, if we're not there yet. We could forgive the other person because of that whole business of what we pray in Jesus' name every Sunday morning, and because we know we'd like forgiveness ourselves. We could forgive because we've experienced what we're like as unforgiving people, and so we know that refusing to forgive because we don't want the other person to benefit is, as the saying goes, like eating rat poison hoping it will hurt the rat. We could forgive because we are, or we want to be, deeply in touch with a sense of Jesus' power to forgive and free sinners like us. Or we could forgive because we think it will improve our odds of winning the lottery.

It boils down to the same thing: deluded or sane, selfish and/or unselfish, there is no bad reason to forgive. Extending the kind of grace God shows us in every possible arena -- financial and moral -- can only put us more deeply in touch with God's grace.

Conclusion

SO what is the payoff to being Christian? Why aren’t we seeing it? Maybe because we aren’t there yet. Faith is a journey and it is a journey to the heart of God. That is not an easy place for us to get to. Almost every day I fail. But almost every day I start over. And yes, sometimes I do it for the wrong reasons.

Do you know, a scientific study shows that couples that kiss goodbye in the morning are more than 50 percent more likely not to divorce? Want to know the truly odd thing? The study showed that it made absolutely no difference whether they meant it or not.

So to quote Nike, just do it. Love, with all you can, forgive with all your heart; for whatever reason – eventually you will get where you are supposed to be.

Amen, and thanks be to God!

Pentecost 16 (C) 2010

Commitment

Introduction

Over at the day care at the YMCA there is a ‘fall’ lost and found. It is huge.... there are four large tables set up with hats and mittens, shorts and shoes....

Lost and Found bins always fascinate me. I almost always search through every one I encounter. I think part of it is that I like people and I like stories....

It is fun. You dig down and you come across one red snow boot. Ok; how did the person get home with only one boot? There is a story there, right? I have come across some odd stuff – stuff you are SURE the person would not have forgotten.

Curiously, though, a couple of days ago I found my daughters sun hat. I did not even know it was missing. You see, lost and found is strange like that...

There are two sides of losing things and finding things. Sometimes when we lose something it is no big deal... and other times, when you lose your keys, it destroys everything from plans to your day... on the other hand, finding something is an incredible feeling. It can be relief when you find those keys, or joy when you reach in a pair of pants from the dryer and find a twenty dollar bill.

We are starting a new year. Loss because the summer is over and joy because we are back together; sadness because it will not be the same as last year, and expectation about the future...
So this morning I want to begin by asking you have you ever been lost? Have you ever felt lost? It may sound like a gloomy way to begin the new year; but I prefer to think of it as constructive realism...

Finding Our Way

I think it is easy in today’s world to feel lost.

• Perhaps we feel lost because we are retired, or widowed, or our family has moved across the country...

• On the other hand, those who are working and have a family, running every day; week in and week out – perhaps they feel lost as well. .

• Living with an illness, out living your children, dealing with grief, living with mental illness, bullied, all of this can lead to a person feeling lost.

• For some we can even wake up one morning and ask ourselves, who am I? We have lost ourselves in the fray of life.

You can look both near and far to find them. Some are in your own household, it may be you.

I know I have felt lost, that deep empty feeling of not knowing where to turn or what else to do. That nothing matters, there is no way out.

I want you to conjure up those feelings for a second... For Jesus knew that this is a feeling that plagues us all...

Still – if you have ever felt truly lost, if you are like me... just hearing stories about how God loves us can seem like cold comfort... I wonder how often the line, “"Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?” actually brings us comfort?

I mean, really.... I have to tell you. I might just accept that lamb as an acceptable loss.

So I have sat with these readings this week, from the perspective of feeling lost and empty words and what I have learned is that these parables are not just kind words to offer encouragement rather these are stories that can help us to find what we have lost.

See, these parables do not exist in isolation; they are connected to a larger story, a more complete story of good news and how to live.

The one whom we follow, Jesus, taught his followers so much about how to live, about how to be in this world. When we are feeling lost, alone, frightened, isolated, abandoned – we can turn to scripture, stories about Jesus, these parables and discover a way of life, a way to live today that alleviates our loneliness, our isolation, our abandonment, our sense of being lost, and even when we forget who we are.

There is a shepherd – a woman – a God of love and creation- and knowing that starts to change everything....

I can’t tell you how... not in one sermon – not even in a year of sermons... because frankly, we all forget far more than we hear... and something is going to happen to you; maybe this afternoon, maybe in six months... and you will feel lost again...

But this is a starting point for our year. You are the lost lamb... you are the lost coin... and just because God might find you does not mean your life is going to be fine... the work of living is still up to you...

Conclusion

The tricky thing about Jesus was that he talked all about love – but he expected hard work.

God loves you... it helps; it really does... but the world is not the way it is supposed to be; and living faithfully is not easy. In fact, it can be really hard, it takes effort, commitment.

We are blessed to have Jesus as an example, and scripture that shares stories of how to live, how be in this world, how to find new life, and break free of isolation and how to be found. This is our journey every day – to seek and be found. Amen

Pentecost 15 (C) -2010

Commitment

Introduction

Today we will talk about commitment. We will talk about choice. We will talk about priorities. The passages from the Bible we have read this summer are not to be taken lightly. They are passages which define discipleship as costly; which speak of sacrifice; and ultimately call us to make choices that will affect our lives.

Of course, none of these words I am bandying about are very popular. We have become a nation of individuals and self made people. Even religious people say they do not need church – they find God on their own walking in nature.

What has come to matter most in society is how we feel; we are encouraged to choose things that make us feel better. Everyone is selling the quick fix. Happiness means getting what you want.

There is no sense that we are seeking to live first and foremost the way God wants us to; instead, we are living for ourselves.

Stuff

Let me ask you a question.... a serious one: Who are we without our stuff? Here in Canada we are citizens of consumption, mavens of materiality. We are consumers more often than we are voters. And Canadians are brand-identified. Our patterns of consumption define us, and project who we are. Some of us like to project success, and others of us like to project social responsibility with what we have purchased. We are PCs or Macs; Blackberries, Palms or iPhones; Nike or New Balance; fair trade or free trade. We are Toyota, Volkswagen or Ford car owners; we are supporting breast cancer research as we buy pink or AIDS research as we buy red. We know how cool we are based on whether we choose Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Explorer to surf the web. We stick to one preferred airline, West Jet or Air Canada – and we are either Rogers or Bell fans.

I'm not saying I am any different. I have my brand identification down to a science. I know which type of cereal I prefer, and I can justify my choice of big box stores. I know why I use the mobile phone service provider I do. I even know which fast food chain I would rather eat at. I buy as well as the next person.

Hurricanes and Global Warming warnings – economic downturns and the like have put this into sharp distinction for many of us – what happens if we lose everything? Who are we then?

... You know, we often use the words: “children of God” we even tell stories about our relationship to God – but what does it really mean? What if we strip away everything that defines us... what if we lose everything? Does that change anything about who we are in relation to God... the one who poetically is described as the potter who shaped us?

And what do you make of all the talk in the Bible of giving things up for the sake of God? Or for our own sake? What would you be willing to sacrifice? What matters to you MORE than God?

We all have things we would not give up... I invite you to take just a moment and think about them – then join me in our prayer of confession...

Slave for God

There is a story in the Old Testament – it is part of the Sabbath laws and Jubilee year passages, which talks about piercing your ears.

What it says is that you can only keep a slave so long – until the Jubilee year, when everything must be given back or set free. However, if your slave has come to love you so much that he or she would rather stay and work for you as part of your family – there is a ritual... you go to the door jam of your house, you have the slave stand there, and you pierce their ear, with an awl, into the frame; mingling the blood with your house.

Someone with a pierced ear is thus part of the household, a servant because of love as opposed to slavery....

They are there because of the relationship rather than the economic reality.

I read posts on twitter and facebook from people who can’t wait for five o clock. I have talked to people who work just so they can pay the bills. I understand that many people have to do that – and I understand the sentiment of looking forward to time off or the weekend – but I do not understand the attitude which would force you to publicly say you hate your job.

I am a big believer in the idea that we make our own reality – that our attitudes change everything....

Let me tell you what is really going on in the strange passage we just had read where Paul writes to Philemon about Onesimus:

Onesimus is a slave; a bad slave. He hated Philemon and he ran away... eventually he ended up with Paul in Prison; whether by design or because he was arrested I don’t know. Now, somehow, Onesimus, in hanging out with Paul, has become a Christian, and changed his mind about a great many things.

Paul writes to Philemon asking him to take Onesimus back; asking him to forgive him; asking him to accept him as a part of the household... I have to believe that it is the attitude that has changed here on the part of Onesimus – and because of that change Paul suggests that the owner concentrate more on the ideals of Love. If Philemon does this, he will see that Onesimus has much to offer.

But think of the other side – Onesimus is asked, because of his new found faith, to accept slavery... he is asked because of the values of God, to give up everything...

I would suggest to you that Paul is showing a concrete example of how god shapes our lives – just like a potter... if we allow ourselves to be shaped...

As we move into our offering, may we remember that there is reason to be thankful for what we have, but there is also reason to be generous in sharing our good fortune. May these gifts reflect the gifts of God to us. Our offering will now be received.

Leaving it all Behind

The Gospel of Luke passage we heard gives a series of renunciations. "'Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple." The first two are renunciations of family and of life. The third is a renunciation of possessions: "So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions."

Luke is always having Jesus talk about giving things up; about stepping away from things; and most fo the time we can see it. Stop trying to get rich if you want to follow God; ok. But walk away from your family? Give up everyone who loves you? This is a little harsh is it not?

Of course Jesus is talking in a different time and space. First off we have to remember that in the ancient world family is status... Jesus ben Joseph was Jesus’ full name – Jesus son of Joseph... of the tribe of David... family was everything...

And what would it have been like to be an orphan in this world? How could you even imagine getting through life without a family? It is, again, a question of what you are willing to give up for God

So what are your priorities? This is always Jesus question.

In the passages leading up to this one, Jesus has been speaking to potential disciples hanging out at the home of a prominent Pharisee. Those listening are described by Eugene Boring and Fred Craddock as "interested inquirers and admirers." These were not committed disciples; these were the seekers of the day.

Here Jesus is speaking to people who are considering commitment, and it sounds like he wants them to have a sense of the import of such a decision. This text is hyperbolic, but it gets the point across. Discipleship comes first, before family, before life, and before your stuff.

A decision to follow Jesus requires thinking all the way through the possible consequences of discipleship. Jesus wants us to do a cost-benefit analysis and a risk assessment. And the Gospel of Luke makes this message sticky by giving examples of what could happen when people don't plan ahead, and by using the language of hate. This dramatic language makes a point: that discipleship is beyond most experiences. It isn't convenient. It might cost us everything. After all, if loyalty to Jesus comes first, then everything, even the fundamental social structures of family and things, comes second.

Conclusion

Our Bible readings have essentially said - "Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Seriously, Jesus?

Yes, seriously. Because following Jesus is serious business.

I like a challenge as much as anyone, but I'm not ready to answer this challenge with a definitive yes. What about a definitive maybe? How about a definitive I'll think about it? Perhaps the life of Christian discipleship is a work in progress. We may still be pondering these words of Jesus as we decide, each day, whether we will be disciples.

The question is how are you going to define yourself... and discovering what you were created to be...

It is a challenge. But God knows we have it in us.

PENTECOST 14 - C 2010

The Head of the Table

Introduction

One of the advantages of my side gig as a newspaper writer is that i have interviewed some famous people; Great Big Sea, the Irish Rovers, and Tommy Hunter for example. My little brother Andrew is a movie producer and he has met some really famous people...

Here is something that has surprised me. How normal these people seem.

I have never talked to anyone who did not sound just like one of you.

In fact, there are some people in our congregation who are famous – we just don’t ask enough questions of each other or share our stories enough.

So what makes one person different than another? Is it wealth? Is it popularity? Is it social status?

What would make someone more important?

What are we supposed to be like?

Let’s think about that for a moment as we say a prayer together....

Jeremiah

I humbly suggest to you that life is about asking the right questions.

If you don't ask the right questions, you can't get the right answers. That's a basic principle of success in almost any endeavour. All of you who are gathered here today can more than likely think of times in your life when you had to ask the right questions. As a matter of fact, it can be devastating to not ask the right questions.

To the real estate agent, "Is this house on a flood plain?"

To the used car salesman, "Can I have the phone number of the little old lady who owned this car?

To the insurance agent, "Can you tell me what is not covered?"

What question do you imagine God would ask of you? Because that is essentially what is happening in this passage; God asks:

God asks all of Israel, "What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthless things, and became worthless themselves?"

Okay, so this is harsh... but this is Jeremiah’s twist on “you are what you eat.” He is saying, “you become like the things you seek;” or perhaps “you are what you worship.”

I will take it a step further and combine it with my opening – I believe we ‘worship’ what we ‘envy’ in society. So we want to be rich, we want to be famous, we want to be healthy, we want to be beautiful... and I know, some of us make peace with our lives – but envy is never far below the surface... even something as simple as thinking our grandkids spend too much time at the inlaws...

“What have I done?” asks God, “that you put all of these things first?”

We try though – we try to at least make God a priority; and God’s values important... and that is why each week we offer up a token of our lives and our love as we give back a portion of the bounty that grace has blessed us with.... May our hearts be opened to God’s will as we share in our offering.

All I ever really needed to know....

Have you ever read the book or seen the poster about “all I ever needed to know I learned in Kindergarten?” it is great, it is written by another minister, and writer, Robert Fulgham.

Here is the famous part:

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.

These are the things I learned:

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don't hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don't take things that aren't yours.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Wash your hands before you eat.
• Flush.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Take a nap every afternoon.
• When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
• Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
• And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere; the Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation; ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap; or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.

And it is still true; no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

There you are – the book of Hebrews and every other Biblical advice on how to live our lives explained... in a way that even a five year old can grasp...

Let’s listen to John and Daphne sing...

The Foot of the Table

I think I have told you about end stress analysis. It is a truism of Biblical writing – whatever is the last thing said in a particular passage is probably the most important.

Take for example, Jesus teaching here – there is a lot going on – parties and places of honour – choices to be made...

But the story ends... so when you throw a party, invite the people everyone else forgot... they can’t repay you, they often can’t throw you a party... but you will be blessed.

Jesus was always taking the wisdom passed down through the tradition and simplifying it... and he was always using the most basic examples to get people understand a “better way” to be.

This is the other side of Jeremiah – Jeremiah comes to the people and says, “Why are you always choosing the wrong things?” “Why do you fight so hard against God?”

Jesus comes to those who already know they are messing some things up and says, “it is easier than you think.”

I suspect that is why a lot of the people I talk to who have “made it big” are humble. Perhaps it is far easier to see how easy it is from the other side.... all of us could be the type of people that make a difference in the world – we just have to focus a little differently... and it means learning some skills we might not have – like humility and hospitality. Openness and kindness. Trust and compassion.

Jesus essentially says, God does not want all that much from you... so... are you willing to try?

Micah Brings Us Home

Long before Jesus summed things up for everyone, Micah did it in a very poetic way... the song we just sang is almost exactly what Micah says; but the prophet elaborates a wee bit:

With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God

That’s it... simple... go and do likewise!