The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost ---- 29 September 2019

Luke 16:19-31

19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24 He called out, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' 25 But Abraham said, "Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' 27 He said, "Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' 29 Abraham replied, "They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' 30 He said, "No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 He said to him, "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "

If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.

·       Do you notice anything odd about this parable?

·       Lazarus is the only named person in it. In fact, he is the only named person in any of Jesus’ parables.

·       In his suffering, the “rich man” in the parable –who has no name- recognizes Lazarus and calls him by name. That means that he knew him! Lying as he did at the rich man’s gate, he wasn’t just not seen; he was ignored! How convenient!

·       The man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to his five brothers so they don’t end up in Hades as well. (So now, Lazarus is only needed as and expected to be a messenger!) Abraham says that the 5 brothers would not repent if a dead man rose if they would not heed the words of the prophets and Moses.

·       So what do the prophets say? They spoke the Word of God, railing against idolatry and infidelity. However they more often spoke against injustice, pride, and lack of concern for the poor. For the prophets, all those things were related

·       Amos was our first reading and we heard what he said: Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall; who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music; who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!

·       Last week, we heard Amos say: When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat. The ‘ephah’ is a measure like a bushel, while the ‘shekel’ is either a unit of measure or a coin that could buy a measured ‘shekel’ of something. To make the one ‘small’ and the other ‘great’ means to cheat on the measure or inflate the price. Either way, justice is not done.

·       Moses was also concerned about the justice and life of the community. Idolatry, such as is seen in the worship of the Golden Calf, often when hand in hand with injustice and the oppression of the poor.

·       In our own day, we too can hear Moses and the prophets. We have the words of Jesus in the Gospels as well and the letters of Paul, John, James, and Peter. We have the writings of Christian saints and reformers… And we have poverty, injustice, and oppression. The same listening is quite necessary.

·       The words put in Abraham’s mouth about not even believing the testimony of one rising from the dead might make us think about those who have not heeded the words of one who did rise from the dead. If we truly believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose for our life, then his words and the words of the prophets that he echoes are ours to live out as well.

·       This parable carries more weight than we might think at first. It humanizes the poor by giving a name to the poor and places the rich who ignore the community around them in a place of suffering. It reminds the hearers – then and now – that the scriptures we revere hold the call to justice and true community. The parable also alludes to the Resurrection and the continued hard-heartedness of people in the face of the words of the prophets and of the Resurrection.

·       The Good News here is God’s concern for justice, for the poor, and in that for each one of us. Despite full pockets and a full belly, if we look at ourselves honestly, we know we are poor and utterly dependant on God’s grace for what is truly necessary in our lives. God has great concern for the poor and if we are honest, we are all among the poor and they are among us.

If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.

The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost ---- 22 September 2019

Luke 16:1-13

1 Then Jesus said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. 2 So he summoned him and said to him, "What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.' 3 Then the manager said to himself, "What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.' 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he asked the first, "How much do you owe my master?' 6 He answered, "A hundred jugs of olive oil.' He said to him, "Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.' 7 Then he asked another, "And how much do you owe?' He replied, "A hundred containers of wheat.' He said to him, "Take your bill and make it eighty.' 8 And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. 10 "Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13 No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

…for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.

·       In preparing this talk, one of the commentators helped me to understand what sort of business is going on here.

·       First off, the main character – the manager – is not trustworthy. We can’t say why. Maybe he was a cheat or corrupt or simply incompetent. In any event, he has to make one last report of his management. He goes to the master’s debtors and has them forge their receipts. The hidden agenda (although Luke makes it quite clear) is the master’s debtors are now indebted to the manager. What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.

·       This manager is crafty and corrupt and a cheat, but he knows how to look out for himself. Even his master – whom he had cheated and whose property he had squandered – respected him for this: And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly…

·       Please note that Jesus does not say Go and do likewise. He’s not recommending this sort of business practice or this sort of selfishness on the part of his disciples.

·       However he is saying something that we as disciples need to hear: …for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.

·       If this statement seems odd, I’d have to agree. Without complimenting the manager’s dishonesty, he does point out the singular focus the man had on what he needed to do. He looked at his possible options for his future and took the action needed in his here-and-now. Yes, he lied and cheated and he kissed up to his master’s debtors. But his focus on doing what was needed cannot be denied. The English writer Samuel Johnson was once quoted as saying “Sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.” A bit gruesome, but straight to the point. The manager did what he felt he had to do to keep from begging or digging ditches, even if it meant lying, cheating, and falsifying documents.

·       Jesus is telling his disciples that they might develop such a focus on their lives in the faith. He even says make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.

·       Our translation uses the word dishonest. That might not be the best word since it implies (to me) that the wealth was generated by dishonest, shady, or even criminal means. The original language says “unjust” or “unrighteous”, a better term and one that applies to just about all horded wealth. We hear in this a hinting that wealth could lead to the worship of wealth, which is often personified as “Mammon,” a good Biblical word. Note Jesus also says that riches will not be held by a person forever, reminding them that when it is gone…

·       So Jesus is telling his disciples and any who could hear him that money makes a great tool and a lousy god. He doesn’t deny that it has its uses, but warns us about allowing money to use us. Money and riches are powerful and a powerful distraction from the mission of each Christian.

·       So we are warned to keep our eye on what is really important every bit as much as the manager kept his eye on what was needed for him to thrive. The focus of the Christian is on the good news of the Gospel and the coming of the Kingdom of God. We live in a distracted time in a distracted world, but we are not left to our own devices. We live in the grace of God and in that grace we do whatever we do. Jesus gave us words to remember in the face of one of our life’s biggest distractions:

You cannot serve God and wealth."

The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost ----- 15 September 2019

Luke 15:1-10

1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." 3 So he told them this parable: 4 "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? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. 8 "Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

"This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."

·       It’s often said that we are known by the company we keep. This would hold for Jesus as well. The scribes and Pharisees were grumbling because a rabbi, a teacher, was often in the company of those they felt were not worthy of the rabbi’s attention. So they grumbled: "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." They wanted him to spend his time with the “good” people, the “right” people, the “worthy” people… with them.

·       It is possible that these folks were concerned about Jesus reputation and how the tax collectors and sinners might destroy it. They also might have been concerned that he wasn’t doing what he should have, that is, spending time with the “right” people, the “righteous” people, those who had not sinned, since that was what a proper rabbi should do: stick with the proper people (where he could be controlled?).

·       In the face of this, Jesus relates three parables. The so-called Prodigal Son is our Gospel for next week. In the first two parable, the ones we hear today, the meaning might be easy to catch. How it would be received by the “sinners” and the “righteous” would be quite different.

·       In the first parable, a shepherd has 100 sheep and one gets lost. Now I have a degree in Business Management and to me, 1% wastage written off isn’t that bad. However this is not a lesson in business or shepherding. It is a lesson in the Kingdom of God.

·       The one lost one is really lost. If we consider the terrain of Judea (the wilderness), the chances are slim to none of finding that one sheep. There are lots of places to hide or to get caught in. There are also wolves, hyenas, even leopards around and they’d be looking for just such a lost sheep. But as I said, this is not a story of actual shepherding. The parable’s shepherd is as concerned for all the other sheep as he is for the lost one; he just HAS to find the lost one… even if it cost him his life.

·       In the second parable, the woman has lost one of her ten silver coins and proceeds to turn the house upside down to find it.

·       The lost coin – a Greek coin called a drachma – was possibly a day or a half day’s pay for a worker of the time. (In that time, it had the same purchasing power as about $50 today.) Again, she doesn’t wait for the coin to turn up and she doesn’t write off the 10% loss. She aggressively cleans until she finds it… and then throws a party.

·       Really now, people just don’t act like that.

·       But God does. God seeks out the lost sheep and the lost coin. For the tax collectors and sinners, that must have been such good news! For them to hear that they were cared for that much, that their apparent sin did not hinder the Lord of All Creation from loving them would be such a freeing message.

·       They were made in the image of God and God would recovery God’s image in the ones so many considered lost. The “Lost” hear the parables with joy; however, the Pharisees might hear the message with annoyance since their “righteousness” would be challenged.

·       There is a lack of understanding here. The so-called sinners might have felt that no grace would reach them, while the so-called righteous might have felt that no grace was needed. Yet they – and we - all need the same grace (and the same amount if it could be measured) to be saved.

·       Paul wrote to Timothy: the saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. We can’t really comment on Paul’s self-understanding, but the statement that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners is good news to us! Rather than spending time beating ourselves up for our past or spending time wondering why we confess and ask forgiveness since “none of us really sin” as one member of another congregation once said to me, we can rejoice in the grace of salvation. Every… last… one… of us… no matter whom we welcome and eat with.

the saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost ---- 8 September 2019

Philemon 1:1-21

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, 2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God 5 because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. 7 I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother. 8 For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, 9 yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 10 I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. 12 I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13 I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. 15 Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17 So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

{I had written a sermon based on the Gospel of the day - Luke 14:25-33 "So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions." However, when the congregation member reading the Letter to Philemon was speaking, I realized that so little is known about this letter and it speaks to our present so much, I decided to throw out my original sermon and speak "off-the-cuff" on Philemon. I asked the people which they wanted to hear and those who expressed an opinion said "Philemon!" I have no notes so I'm doing bullet points as much as I can remember.}

• Paul is writing to a Christian named Philemon, a man of some means who appears to have a Christian congregation meeting at his house. Paul has something that "belongs" to Philemon - his run-away slave, Onesimus. Paul make a play on words, calling Onesimus "useful" after being "useless", because the word for 'useful' in the Greek of the time is "Onesimus."
•  Slavery at the time was not what we conceive of slavery in our time. Slaves then could make money, buy their freedom, and even own slaves while being slaves themselves. Paul is sending Onesimus back to Philemon with the hope that Philemon will welcome him back into his household. It appears that Paul is not questioning the existence of slavery, something we can't really understand in our time. Yet there it is.
• Paul puts a sort of guilt trip on Philemon - "If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self." (Paul often wrote a 'post-script' to his letters in his own hand, the rest of it being written by another.)
• Paul insists that Philemon no longer treat Onesimus as merely a slave, a tool, a thing, but treat him as a brother in Christ. He is not a tool or an object for Philemon's comfort or profit; he is a human being and now a brother in Jesus Christ. Their whole relationship has changed! We don't know what became of either Philemon or Onesimus, but we can hope that things changed for both of them.
• We know of slavery from our history studies. We know that many enslaved people from the United States made their way to Canada by way of what was called "the Underground Railroad." A slave could still be hunted down in the non-slave states in the north of the USA, but once they reached Canada, a part of the British Empire, they were free. Britain had outlawed slavery and those folks were beyond the legal reach of the slave hunters. 
• Sad to say, many believe that there are more slaves living in the world now than there has ever been in history. Many places in Asia and Africa have slave populations, no matter what they might be called.
• North America and Canada are not exempt. There are slaves here, especially here in south-western Ontario. The "401 Corridor" from Windsor to Toronto is know as a hot-bed of human trafficking - young women and young men trapped into lives of prostitution. Slavery is very much alive.
• Paul asked Philemon to see Onesimus as a brother. In that, he asked Philemon to see his slave as a human being, not an animal, not a tool, not a source of income or comfort or work, but a human being, like him. Their common faith would draw them closer still.
• So it is in our day. Even though we might not make a dent in the human trafficking that is taking place, if we treat everyone around us as a human being, no matter what their religion, race, or whatever, we are fighting the attitudes that lead to the horrors of slavery.
• Many among you here today may have worked in almost slavery conditions; you know all about this. There are only humans around us and Jesus died (and rose) for each and every one of them.

The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost ---- 1 September 2018

Luke 14:1, 7-14

1 On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.

7 When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. 8 "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; 9 and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, "Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, "Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. 11 For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." 12 He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

·       Jesus sure seems to be invited to a lot of dinner parties! Today we hear the account of him going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees for a Sabbath day meal. In some verses left out of today’s reading, Jesus heals a man suffering from what’s called “dropsy” which is a swelling of the limbs. He asks if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath and the only response is silence. So Jesus heals the man after noting that saving a child or an ox who has fallen into a well is permissible on the Sabbath… even though such an action might be considered work.

·       Jesus then notices the scuffle to get to the best seats at the table and remarks that this is not the real way to get ahead. He goes on to tell the host and all those listening that the next party should be thrown for the poor and the suffering, the handicapped and the disabled, who cannot reciprocate. The reward will not be in status and reputation but in blessing.

·       After this, the story takes another twist, which might be best left for another time. What we have before us is still a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. Jesus once again turns everything on its ear and goes against the common wisdom as well as the common standards of behavior.

·       He lays aside the common understanding of the Law to heal a man who suffers. He laughs (maybe not aloud) at the striving of the guests to grab the most prestigious seats. He turns over the expectations about who should be at the banquet.

·       These are all glimpses of the Kingdom that is coming. Expectations and interpretations of the Law will not stop the healing that is needed. The struggle for status and position will be less than important and will be known for the false concern that it is. Who will be invited to the great banquet, who will attend that banquet, and why the invitation went out will set the whole world topsy-turvy.

·       This whole thing might not be to everyone’s liking. It could disrupt our well-ordered lives and mess with our self-image and our seating charts. We are constantly on a journey, a pilgrimage toward the Kingdom, and I, for one, know I’m not there yet. Yet this is a preview of the Kingdom and we will have to adapt ourselves.

·       There is a lesson in humility here with Jesus noticing the striving of the guests to choose the places of honour. The lesson is not to think less of ourselves, but to think of ourselves less, as C.S. Lewis wrote. The reality is this: Humility is not hating who you are, but being who you are. Humility is an exercise in truth telling and gratitude. If we are good at something, it would be false humililty to deny that. If we're not so good at something, we can apply the saying "Anything worth doing is worth doing badly." If it's worth doing, do it any way you can! 

    God made us what we are, often with blemishes and all. What we’ve done with that gift is something to be decided at some other time. What we are and what we might have made of ourselves does not hinder the coming of the Kingdom. It’s on the way and maybe –like good, experience farmers- we can smell it coming. (My father and I could "smell" snow when it was on the way - which amazed my wife!)

·       I mentioned both “truth-telling” and “gratitude.” Recognition of the truth leads us to see that the Kingdom and all grace is a gift and a gift that we do not deserve. Martin Luther’s last known words are said to have been (here translated) “We are beggars. This is true.” Grace and the Kingdom of God are given, not bought or achieved, let alone deserved. This is the truth. Gratitude come in when we realize that, just like Luther, we are beggars and the Kingdom is ours, bought, paid for, and given in the blood of Jesus… and it will not be taken from us. We know where our seats are, and all the seats at the table of God’s own banquet are the right ones.

·       When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. "… For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."