The 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the LORD said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; 9 the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword." 10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said, 'Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.'" 12 And Amaziah said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; 13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom." 14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, 15 and the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' 16 "Now therefore hear the word of the LORD. You say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.' 17 Therefore thus says the LORD: 'Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.'" (Amos 7:7-17 NRSV)

 

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7 This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  (Colossians 1:1-14 NRSV)

 

“BLUE RIBBON”

 

            Here we are again at the county fair.  It has been a memorable week for many.  People were honored for their contributions to our communities and for their achievements.  Together we have celebrated our history.  There are the rides, the games, and many good things to eat.  People have shown us their talents.  And there are people who are going to be taking home those coveted blue ribbons for the animals they showed, or the food they prepared, or the produce they grew.  That blue ribbon is the sign of being the best.  It is a source of well-earned pride.

To get the blue ribbon, something must be the best.  To win it, a person has to learn how to do things.  To get that prize, a person has to be willing to try things.  To produce the best, a person must be willing to know where they have gone wrong, see what is not up to standard, and correct that which is not.  For some, this is the beginning of a way of life.  It can become the direction for our lives.  It becomes part of how we live, seeking to produce the best.  Shanyn Silinski of Brandon, Manitoba, talks about the lifestyle of the farmers and the ranchers in her family in a poem.  The joke behind its first line, of course is, “What is a farmer?  A man outstanding in his field.”

 Out standing in their field, the old joke goes.

Farmers are their own breed to be sure.

Growing boys, and girls, strong and true.

Raising food, caring for the land – in their blood.

Outstanding in their fields, doing what they love.

Farmers are true to one thing, and one thing only.

Growing it better, one eye to the sky and one to ground.

Raising hopes, raising dreamers – in their hearts.

Out standing in their fields, eyes to those they love.

Farm wives washed in blood, sweat and tears.

Growing it at home, in the field and in their souls.

Raising it generation after generation – in their DNA.

Outstanding and insane, outstanding and obscure.

Farmers are a special breed, and so it should be.

Growing it started in God’s own first garden after all!

Raising hands deep in soil, blooded on the land. Forever.

 That describes an approach to work and life: Doing it right, doing what matters, doing it the best.  It talks about the hard work involved.  The farmer has one eye to the sky and one to the ground because, it requires faith, but also a keen sense of reality.  It also talks about the struggle involved in that way of life.  It is part of a lifestyle because it does not end with one season.  It goes on season after season.  It becomes part of our character.

            The first reading this morning is from one of the prophets to Israel in the Old Testament.  Prophets, too, have one eye to the sky and one to the ground.  They heard what God told them and then relayed it to the people.  They had faith to listen to God and then make that message known among God’s people as they actually lived, right or wrong.  They saw both worlds.  The prophets simply reminded the people of what God had already said and done.  It is necessary because people forget those things.

            In the reading we hear about Amos.  He was a farmer, not one of the career prophets, and God took him and used him.  In the reading, God gives him a vision.  It is of a plumb line.  God tells him the meaning of what he saw.  It is that judgment will come upon Israel.  They have forgotten how they are supposed to live.  The plumb line tells you whether your walls are straight and here it says that their lives are not right.  If you have a bad wall, that wall will fall.  The point of the plum line is so that you can correct the mistakes to make a good wall.  The prophet is the reminder to those who have become careless about faith and life.

            In the Letter to the Colossians, Paul, addresses the saints in Colossae, not those of special honor or accomplishment, but as the word ‘saints’ is used in the New Testament, those who have entrusted their lives to Christ.  Paul has heard of their faith, and is overjoyed that it is bearing fruit and growing in the world.  It began when they experienced the grace of God, God’s forgiveness of our sins and favor towards us.  It started with the gospel, God’s good news of this favor, and will continue in their lives and good works, because they are willing to live what they believe.

We are reminded by these words that we, too, are called to grow in faith, in understanding, in following the Lord, all throughout all our lives.  We sometimes begin to think in our churches that learning and developing character, and gaining greater faithfulness in our lives, is something we are supposed to do until Confirmation, and then it is all forgotten.  Or we do it until it becomes difficult, or until something more entertaining comes along.  To have a living faith it should not be forgotten; it should be part of daily life.  The true blue ribbon winner has more than an award, they have a way of approaching life that seeks the best always, not just in the summer or for the fair judges.

The way to growth begins by trying.  Not all our efforts are successful at first; that’s where forgiveness comes in, as Daniel Schantz found out when he ended up upside down in his dentist’s chair.  The new assistant did not know how to work the controls.  This led to thoughts about all the things he tried and how they led to similar mistakes: knee scars from roller-skating; a fishhook in the neck; -nick from an errant; a white, numb spot on my forefinger from woodcarving.  He concluded that they all happened because he was trying to learn new things.  He writes this: “As a college teacher, I daily watch my students fumble while learning projects.  The ones who laugh and try again are the ones who eventually graduate with pride.  They know that mistakes are lessons.”  The prophets and apostles call us to remember God’s direction for our lives.  Sometimes that requires that we renew our determination and efforts to have growing lives.

            Those who win the blue ribbon at county fairs are those who work hard and with intelligence to make the best product possible.  That requires an attitude of dedication.  Without it, our efforts are half-hearted or we might not even try at all.  That is a danger with the life of faith as well.  Amos warned the Israelites about forgetting their faith.  Paul praised the Colossians for their growing faith.  That is an example to us, too.  The story of the church is filled with such women and men, who had that conviction and attitude.  Their goal was to follow God’s direction for life through all their lives.  Today, July 14, is the birthday of Francis of Assisi.  He, too, stood in two worlds; he could see both the glory of God and reality of life among the poor of the earth.  That defined his faith.  He is an example for all Christians of the life of faith.  Here is a thought from Brenda Grace from Celtic Daily Prayer:

There have been thousands of footsteps

     around Assisi, but through them all

the footsteps of Francis seem freshly there, unaltered,

     calling out for us to walk in them,

          and learn.

The 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.

6 Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." 10 He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." 11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.  (2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 NRSV)

 

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53 but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 Then they went on to another village. 57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60 But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:51-62 NRSV)

 

“VISITORS”

 

            Traveling can be exciting.  When you go to Canada, you fill out a form for the Customs authorities—who are you, where are you from, how long are you going to stay, and just why are you visiting—is it for business, or is it personal?  They look very serious when they ask this. Also, are you bringing large amounts of money into the country?  Everyone on the plane to Canada fills out a form.  Some are coming from the U.S.A. or another country and fill out the part marked “Visitors”.  Others fill out the section marked “Citizens”.  Those are the one returning home.  There are those who live there and others who are just visiting.

There is something about home.  It is a familiar place with things and people we know. Traveling lets you see other ways of doing things, new ideas.  The Canadians got rid of pennies recently.  They round up or round down when they give change back.  Sometimes it is interesting to see which way it goes.  Who gets the benefit?  But life is possible without pennies.  I didn’t think that was possible.  You can see new things and try them out.  That is the advantage to travel.  But in the end you return home.  It is where one’s roots are, one’s possessions, it is a place where you belong.

The Gospel reading talks about Jesus making some controversial statements.  As he turned to go to Jerusalem.  At a village of Samaritans who would not welcome them, some of the disciples wanted to rain fire down on them.  Jesus told them off about that idea and they went on to another village.  And when a person said that he would follow Jesus wherever he went, it turned out Jesus has no place he calls home.  Even the animals have homes compared to him. And he told another to follow him but he first wanted to go back home and wait until he was free of family obligations.  Jesus said that he wasn’t to wait before proclaiming the kingdom of God.  In fact, Jesus says that those who set out to follow and look back are not fit for the kingdom.

That is hard to hear.  It is not that Jesus is against home or family.  We live in homes and grow up in families.  We like to know where we will lay our heads, even if only as a visitor.  The danger of home, though, is that we can get too stuck in the familiar and comfortable.  When we do that, that is, make comfort most important in our lives, we forget to follow Jesus.  How does following Jesus make us uncomfortable?  We love our families and friends.  Jesus talked about welcoming all, even the stranger, and doing good to people we do not already know.  Sometimes Jesus challenges our cherished views.  For many people, the goal of life is having the most, having bigger and better things than everyone else.  Jesus says that there is more to life than that.

            When Jesus says that he has nowhere to lay his head but that he moves on to Jerusalem, he is on a trip.  That is where he will die for us; that is where his life’s purpose will be fulfilled.  It is a reminder that while he is in this world, he is not staying in an earthly sense.  It is a reminder that we, too, journey through life.  While we cherish home, we must not forget that we have another.  It is too easy to start to think that this life is permanent.  The reading from the Old Testament talks about the time the Lord took up the prophet Elijah in a whirlwind.  As he goes in stages toward it, Elisha, like his apprentice, will not leave him.  But finally the point comes and he is taken up into heaven.  Before that point, though, Elijah asks him what he wants him to do for him.  The answer is that since Elijah had the spirit, Elisha would like to have twice as much of that spirit.  Through Elisha, God will continue to speak to the people of God. 

            Of course, we do not hear Jesus’ words as commands to leave our homes.  Once in a while there are those who do.  My friends Paul and Laura have been missionaries in Bolivia for 18 years now.  They left what was familiar in Iowa for South America.  Now they are returning home.  While there they raised their three daughters.  We see that home is not just where you live, it is also how you live.  Christopher de Vinck tells the story of the day his father brought home a metal icon with the figure of Christ at the center and four angels, one in each corner, outlined in blue enamel.  It was hung above the fireplace over the years. 

“You see Christ there?” my mother whispered to me one evening as she pointed up above the fireplace.

“Yes” I whispered back.

“He loves you very much.”

            We can live lives following Jesus, knowing that we are here only for a time.  That idea can make us fearful, or can free us to find what following Jesus can do for our world.  Elizabeth Sherrill talks the end of trips, packing, the journey back.  She says that what makes it possible for her is to think of being at home the next day.  She recalled a friend in an area ministry who had a terminal cancer diagnosis.  But instead of only seeing the tragedy saw how this led to his being fully, finally home.  She ends her thought with this prayer:

Lord of the journey, help me to end my little earthly trips the way I want to end the longest one: looking ahead to the best of homecomings.

 

            We like to be on the go, but also like it when that comes to an end and we come home.  Home can be a place of great comfort, but also where we live our lives of faith. We are reminded that we follow Jesus who had no home here.  His serving God was his home and life.  It turns out that we are visitors to life, we are “a-just passing through”, as the old song goes.  We will be asked questions on our journey.  Where do we live?  That changes over the years. What are we bringing into this life?  Only what we were given.  How long are we going to stay?  That varies with each person.  Why are we here?  That is a very important question.

 

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The 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

Later the following events took place: Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. 2 And Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money." 3 But Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance." 4 Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, "I will not give you my ancestral inheritance." He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat. 5 His wife Jezebel came to him and said, "Why are you so depressed that you will not eat?" 6 He said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, 'Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it'; but he answered, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'" 7 His wife Jezebel said to him, "Do you now govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." 8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 She wrote in the letters, "Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the assembly; 10 seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them bring a charge against him, saying, 'You have cursed God and the king.' Then take him out, and stone him to death." (11 The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly. 13 The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king." So they took him outside the city, and stoned him to death. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.") 15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, "Go, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead." 16 As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab set out to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. 17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: 18 Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria; he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. 19 You shall say to him, "Thus says the LORD: Have you killed, and also taken possession?" You shall say to him, "Thus says the LORD: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood." 20 Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O my enemy?" He answered, "I have found you. Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD, 21a I will bring disaster on you.  (1 Kings 21.1-21a NRSV)

 

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. 37 And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. 38 She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him-- that she is a sinner." 40 Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher," he replied, "Speak." 41 "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?" 43 Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." And Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly." 44 Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little." 48 Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" 50 And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." 8:1 Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, 2 as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.  (Luke 7.36-8.3 NRSV)

 

“FILLING THE ROOM”

 

            Fans of the “Star Wars” movies know about the “Clone Wars”, but before those were the “Cologne Wars”.  Yes, that’s right, the aftershave wars.  Years ago, when I lived in Iowa City, my two roommates were trading insults.  They were good friends and so it was all good natured ribbing.  Well, it crossed the line a little and one took a bottle of some cheap cologne, Brut, as I recall, and flicked some of it at the other as a joke.  The other retaliated with some Pierre Cardin aftershave he had been given and soon it was no longer drops but big splashes all over the place.  There also may have been some Irish Moss involved.  The apartment smelled like too much of two scents mixed together for a week.  Oh, it didn’t help that there was another small battle the next day.  But before long we were laughing about it.

            The Gospel reading this morning is of another scent that filled the room.  It is a familiar story.  A Pharisee invited Jesus to dinner.  While there, a woman from the city, who was some kind of notorious sinner, came and wept on Jesus’ feet and dried them with her hair and then kissed them.  She opened a jar of ointment and put it on them.  It was in an alabaster jar.  This is not a screw cap, once it was opened all of it was used.  So all this ointment perfumed the whole house.  The Pharisee is critical.  Jesus knows what he is thinking and points out that when he came to his house he was not welcomed by having his feet washed or with a kiss, the customary welcome.  The woman has given him these.  He tells a story.  Two men owed a third some money.  The first owed a lot, the second owed a little.  The third man forgave both debts.  Jesus asks which one of the men would love the third more.   Because she is a sinner, and has been forgiven, she loves much.  There is another “scent” in the room, so to speak, it is love.  It is gratitude.

The Old Testament reading is an example of people who are the complete opposite of this.  The king, Ahab, wanted a man’s land for a vegetable garden.  It would mean that he would give up his ancestral land.  He would have some cash, but when that ran out his family would have nothing with which to make a living.  He said no.  The king moped around until the queen, had false accusations brought against the landowner, Naboth, and he was stoned to death.  The king takes possession of the land.  The prophet Elijah meets him in the vineyard and tells him that God.  The conclusion is that he has sold himself for a vegetable garden.  His sin will be remembered. The woman in the Gospel gives, the king takes.  The woman in the Gospel finds forgiveness and freedom. The king and queen find judgment.  The woman loves, the king and queen hate.

            No one knows what the sins were of the woman in the Gospel.  No one knows where the alabaster jar of ointment came from.  But it remains an expression of love and gratitude for what Christ had done in her life.  Around Christmas we sometimes hear the song “The Little Drummer Boy”.  It has this theme, that all he has to give the baby Jesus is his music.  All the woman of the Gospel has to give Jesus is this ointment, this gesture of love.  Maybe Simon, the Pharisee, the host, has no welcome to give.  Maybe he is too worried about his sins, or maybe completely ignorant of them, perhaps he is too wrapped up in pointing out the sins of others, but maybe he has no welcome to give because he does not know for himself God’s welcome. It was given to us in giving us Christ and how he changes our lives.

            The difference between the host and the uninvited guest is their knowledge of who they are.  Simon most likely sees himself as an upstanding citizen.  The woman probably has no illusion about her past.  Lillian Daniel tells the story of her family.  The Southern part of the family had great pride in being descended from John C. Calhoun, a defender of slavery.  She said that her family thought that the term “Civil War” was wrong.  They said that it should be called the War Between the States or the War of Northern Aggression.  This led to Lillian rejecting her heritage and her mother trying even harder to make her appreciate it.  So they went off to Scotland to trace their roots, found their tartan and clan motto something that sounds like “conocolation” which translated to “gather up on the hill.”  After asking a local about the word, they found that their clan was known as the most cowardly clan in Scotland.  They would forge letters to start fights and come down from the hill and gather up the spoils.  It can be surprising to find out who you really are instead of who you think you are.  What the host and the woman have in common is that they both need forgiveness.

            The difference between Simon the host and the unnamed woman of the gospel is their response to hearing that story, that they are both in need of forgiveness.  The woman from the Gospel knows that Jesus cares about her life.  We don’t really know what Simon the Pharisee knows, but he seems to be more interested in judging others than in knowing forgiveness.  Or they both might know forgiveness, but only one of them shows it.

 

            When Jesus was a guest at a dinner, a strange incident occurred.  It was a woman from the town, not the host, who welcomed him.  She did it by giving an extravagant gift which filled the room.  These are signs of a heart that knew who he was, received forgiveness, and loved him.  It was not a joke or prank; it was serious.  It was not cheap perfume, it was a costly sacrifice.  It was not hidden, everyone knew it.  It filled the room.  Who are you?  What is your gift?  What fills your room?

 

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The 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9 "Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you." 10 So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink." 11 As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." 12 But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." 13 Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth." 15 She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah. 17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill; his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 She then said to Elijah, "What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son!" 19 But he said to her, "Give me your son." He took him from her bosom, carried him up into the upper chamber where he was lodging, and laid him on his own bed. 20 He cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?" 21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this child's life come into him again." 22 The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother; then Elijah said, "See, your son is alive." 24 So the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth."  (1 Kings 17.8-24 NRSV)

 

Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. 12 As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother's only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. 13 When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, "Do not weep." 14 Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, rise!" 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen among us!" and "God has looked favorably on his people!" 17 This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.  (Luke 7.11-17 NRSV)

 

“JUST RIGHT”

 

            Many years ago I was helping at the Dubuque Rescue Mission for a summer.  Don was the director.  The goal was for me to learn about helping others in need and also so that by the end of the summer, I would know enough to replace Don so he could take a week off.  The Mission offered people a chance to have a meal each day and for some to stay off the streets.  Don’s approach wasn’t the old style of making the people wait to eat while someone preached at them.  When it was time to eat it was time to eat and everyone who showed up was welcome.  So, much of the work of the Mission revolved around that noon meal.  Food would come in from various sources and whatever was not used for the meal was given away.  Sometimes, there was too much.  One year like this one, a huge picnic in Dubuque was cancelled because of the rain and they donated 1100 lbs. of potato salad.  That is over half a ton.  The problem is with a gift like that is that potato salad, as you know, does not keep.  We made calls and gave it to other shelters and programs, we stuffed every space in every refrigerator and freezer with it.  The next day, I overheard one of the ladies on the lunch line tell another, “Push the potato salad.”

Another time they gave us a roomful of bread.  A whole roomful of loaves of bread.  Again, the freezers helped.  Yet another time, about 50 cauliflower heads.  They set them out on the table by the door.  One man took five.  I said to Don, “He must sure like cauliflower.”  He said, “Just wait and see.  By nighttime he will have traded one for a pack of cigarettes, one for coffee, one for a sandwich, one for a drink, and so on.”  If you are resourceful, you can make too much into just right.

Don, years after I was there, developed cancer.  He retired and was going to fight it.  Some folks advised him to prepare for the worst.  He wondered where their faith was.  He fought it hard, but in the end it took his life.  Sometimes the days run out and there are just not enough.  It is very hard to work with too little.

This morning the reading from the Old Testament is one of the stories from the life of the prophet Elijah.  Many more years ago, God told him to go down to Zarephath to stay and a widow would feed him.  He found her and asked for bread.  The discussion revealed that she had only enough for one meal and then it would all be gone.  It is not a hopeful situation.  Elijah tells her to go ahead and make it but give some of it to him first.  Faith means that she will give up some of it first before she sees what God can do.  There will be no storerooms or freezers full of this food.  But we simply know that it will not run out.  They will continue to eat.  God has promised.  A small amount plus God is enough.

In what seems like a second chapter, the son of the woman died and she accused Elijah of punishing her.  He prayed for him and brought him back to life.  At this, the woman knew that Elijah spoke God’s word.  In the Gospel reading we hear how, in a town called Nain, Jesus brought back to life a young man and gave him back to his mother, a widow.  This incident reminds us of the one with Elijah.  In both there is compassion for the woman.  In both, the woman who received the blessing was a widow and so the son would be crucial to her survival.  In both the miracle is described as giving the son back to the mother.  The miracle leads the people to declare that Jesus is a prophet.  He, too, has God’s power.  He too, speaks God’s word.  God’s presence in the world goes on.  After 700 years, God still cares for God’s people.  There is a blessing of abundance.

If we can make too much into just right, it is much harder to work with too little.  Perhaps that is why we fear that so much.  Perhaps that is why we tend toward excess.  Excess does not require faith, though, because we can trust in what we have on hand.  The problem with excess is that while some have more than enough, others do not have enough.  Perhaps that is the time to live more modestly so that others may have some too.  What is required is faith; that whether we have much, or just enough, or too little, we still have God’s blessing.  That can give us the kind of peace in the midst of life.  And finally, with our lives themselves, since we cannot stockpile them, we have to trust in God who can even give us back to our loved ones, on this day or on the last day.

 

            Few of us live with extraordinary abundance.  Oh, we might have a few things put away, perhaps to enjoy later, or perhaps for the rainy day, but most of us live closer to having enough or a bit more than that.  Faith in God’s goodness can help us live in that state.  Mary Lou Carney found this while a counselor at a summer camp.  They would “weigh the waste”, the food scraped from the campers’ plates.  It was to make them aware and encourage them to waste less food.  It reminded her of the other things in her life that she wasted time on resentments, not using opportunities to listen to others, or not using time to spend with God.  Perhaps by being more grateful for what we have, and having the promise of God’s continuing care of us, we can free ourselves of the habits of taking too much and wasting what we are given.  We can learn to value God’s gifts rightly.

            The oil and flour did not run out.  They are symbols of God’s care that far exceeds our expectations.  Oscar Greene learned that God’s care can at times seem miraculous.  They were away from home when Hurricane Bob hit.  The wind and rain were ferocious but the host of where they were staying saw a triangular spider web clinging to the window and an outside shutter.  After the storm they saw that it had survived Hurricane Bob, and so had they.

 

            Instead of fear, God gives us peace.  Instead of scarcity, God gives us enough.  Instead of death, God gives us life.  That is the lesson of these two stories about prophets.  It comes to us in our world.  If we have none, we are urged to cast ourselves on God’s care.  If we have enough, we are challenged to use God’s gifts fully as the miracle of God’s care.  And if we have far more than enough, we are given a vision by God’s compassion to consider the needs of others.  That will be enough.

 

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The 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

The goodness of God continues on to God’s people, even in exile.

 These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 4 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.  (Jeremiah 29.1, 4-7 NRSV)

 

God’s goodness comes to the outcast through Jesus.

 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."  (Luke 17.11-19 NRSV)

 

“GIVE AND TAKE”

 

            “Where are the nine?”  The first Presbyterian pastor I knew had a story about this phrase.  He had several long and fruitful ministries and for one of those churches, the vote to call him was some large number to nine.  So he used to joke, “Where are the nine?”  It was said with humor, but if you didn’t know him, you could think he meant it as saying, “Take that, you nine, who voted against me, where are you now, ha-ha-ha?”  That is not what the phrase means.

            In the Gospel reading Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, between Samaria and Galilee.  Ten people with leprosy approached him and called out for mercy.  He saw them and told them to go show themselves to the priests.  There, they would be declared healed and fit to return to society.  One came back, praising God, and thanked Jesus.  Jesus asked the question: “But the other nine, where are they?”  Some people think this is meant to scold ungrateful people.  “See the nine, you don’t want to be like them, do you?”  But I don’t think that is what the phrase means either.

            Shel Silverstein has written The Giving Tree.  It is a children’s book.  Well, sort of.  It is the story of a tree which loved a boy.  He made crowns from her leaves and climbed her trunk and swung from her branches and ate her apples and even rested in her shade.  As the boy grew older he did not have time to play anymore.  The boy wanted to go to the city and have fun so needed money.  The tree did not have money and gave him her apples to sell for money.  And so he left the tree.  He returned later when he wanted to build a house.  And the tree was glad to see him.  The forest was the tree’s house, but she gave the boy her branches.  He left again and returned much later, too old to play.  But he was tired of life and wanted to get away in a boat.  The tree gave him her trunk to build a boat.  The boy sailed away.  The tree was happy to give, but not really happy this time.  A long time later, the boy, now an old man, came.  All he wanted was a place to rest.  He could no longer eat her apples, but she didn’t have any more anyway.  She had no braches, but he could not swing from them.  He could not climb the trunk which she didn’t have.  All she had was a stump.  So he sat down on the stump.  And there they were together.  And the tree was happy.

The first time I heard this story I felt some sadness and a little anger because of a boy who only took.  But now, years later, I can also see now that there is another side.  There are those who are fulfilled by giving and as we go through life we are takers, whether we want to be or not.  Living requires that we get what we need.  Blessed, though, are those who know what their taking costs others.  The greatness and sadness of our lives is that childhood comes to an end.  At the end of the book, the boy is with the tree again.  It ends as it starts, and maybe there is not the joy of the beginning—maybe that is replaced by contentment—but the boy and the tree are together again.  But gratitude is missing from the story.

            I think that is what the Gospel reading is about as well.  “Where are the nine?”  They are on their way to the priests.  They have been given the same gift as this Samaritan who returned.  Jesus seems glad to grant this blessing to all ten.  He reminds us that God is generous beyond our imagining.  We can go off on our own way with what God gives us.  God gives us that freedom.  We are not obligated or forced to recognize the gifts.  We do not have to look up.  But the Samaritan, the one of out of ten, knows where the gifts come from.  This awareness leads him to praise God.  And this awareness brings him back to Jesus.  It is not that being thankful heals him and not the others.  Gratitude, we find, is a blessing in itself.  And it connects us with the giver.  The greatest gift is the relationship.  Gratitude, knowing where things come from, it turns out, is very rare.  Rare, but precious.

 

            As we go through life, we are the recipients of much blessing.  God sends us on our own ways, like children, with many gifts.  And it is good when we see where those many gifts come from.  Then we can appreciate them better.  Then we can know who we are.  And then, we see more about God who loves us more than we can possibly know.  That, is why we are truly grateful.  Amen.

The 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

 

After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. 3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. 4 When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy of having you do this for him, 5 for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us." 6 And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; 7 therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and the slave does it." 9 When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.  (Luke 7:1-10 NRSV)

 

“DESTINATION HEALING”

 

            A number of years ago I had a dream.  It was that there was a pain in my head.  Well, it turned out that it was more than a dream.  I woke up and everything sounded like I was under water.  I went to the doctor.  She said, yup, your eardrum ruptured.  Just blew right out.  She prescribed an antibiotic for me.  With time it healed and my full hearing in that ear returned.  When we are sick or injured we want to go to a doctor.  It can be a world-famous medical center that wants many more people to come to it or it can be like my first doctor as an adult, Dr. Guy Carlson, who charged $8 an office visit and did his own lab tests right there in the office in front of you.

The Gospels have numerous stories of healings.  Jesus healed people and word got around.  And so they sought him out.  The Gospel reading this morning is such a story.  A centurion had a slave who was very ill and so he sent people to Jesus.  When he approached, the centurion sent word that Jesus only had to speak the word and the servant would be healed.  The reasoning is simple.  The centurion has great authority.  He commands people and they obey.  Therefore all Jesus has to do is command this illness.  This is no magic.  It is a recognition of the great power Jesus has in the world.  He relies on a greater authority.  That takes faith and so Jesus tells the crowd that it is faith such that he has not even seen in Israel.  The slave was healed.

Why would the Gospels be so concerned with healings? It is because that is where we live.  It is because most of us at some point or other in our lives have the need for it.  But it might be rather risky to do so.  Many want healing and having that as an example might have inspire their faith.  We live, though, in a world with medicine alongside of faith and sometimes that is the route we should take.  It is common sense to go to those who might be able to help us and those people who reject that and rely only on faith, such as the couple in the news whose child died recently when they did that, seem willful, naïve, and abusive, rather than faithful.  And those who reject faith, putting their trust solely in science, seem somehow to be missing something.  Medicine, as valuable as it is, does not have every answer.  We know that part of the reality we live in, whether we use medical expertise or faith, or both, is that some healings do not occur.  A friend of mine was a chaplain in Wisconsin when he met a woman in the hospital whose fiancé just had a massive heart attack.  Things were not good.  The woman, understandably, wanted a miracle.  They prayed.  He did not make it.  But while the outcome was not what she wanted, the idea is not a bad one.  Jesus helps us in the impossible situations in life.  It might just be that the impossible situation is one other than the one we were thinking of.

            The healings in the Gospels are wonders, and they certainly show us God’s power, but they do more than that.  One of the things they show us is the scope of God’s mercy.  Jesus is shown in the Gospels as responding to those who come to him for help.  There is never a time when Jesus says that he can’t be bothered, or that he can’t heal a certain type of illness, or that the people who ask for healing are not the right kind of people.  All those who have had healing, whether from the most ordinary malady or miraculous intervention, have had some of the power that God places in the universe.  The centurion was an important person and even had sent people to Jesus to get his help.  This is a man with influence and God heard him.  And yet, this story can be laid side by side with the other healings in the Bible which have people from very modest means.  Social standing does not seem important to Jesus in who is healed.  And yet for all the importance of the centurion, he has this humility.  He tells Jesus that he didn’t have to come, that he could heal with simply a command, because he is not worthy that Jesus come into his home.  We are reminded that none of us is so important that we can command life.  All of us are in some position at some time to seek some help.

            The centurion is remarkable, too, in that he is seeking this for a servant.  It is not for him.  There are others in the Gospel healing accounts who seek Jesus power on behalf of another person.  That is a wonderful and kind thing to do.  It reminds us that our service is to those around us as much as it is to us.  We become like the Jewish leaders, relaying the needs of others to God.  That is not a bad role to have in a part of life in which there is so much that we cannot do.

 

            The healing miracles demonstrate the faith of individuals.  They show that they have heard about Jesus, and based on that simple faith come to him.  Jesus often comments on that faith.  Faith can continue to direct us to God.  The healing miracles of the Gospels often have a dimension other than the physical healing.  Sometimes the mind and the soul as well as the body are involved.  Sometimes Jesus tells the person that their sins are forgiven as well as their body is healed.  God is more than a doctor.  In all the facets of life, God is present and faith can provide help.  Perhaps the healing becomes part of a greater healing.  Marilyn Morgan Helleberg tells the story of her father, a doctor who had been cheated out of a large sum of money.  Her father had a hard time putting it out of his mind.  One night, this man was brought to the hospital hemorrhaging critically.  He said to her father, “I wouldn’t blame you if you’d let me bleed to death, Doc.”  Her father asked what his blood type was and proceeded to donate the needed blood.  She says that her father felt a peace and closer to God than he had ever before.

 

            The healing stories of the Gospels point us to Jesus.  That is a good direction to go.  Every one of us makes a trip to the doctor or a journey in life to seek healing.  This morning, let us lift up those things we need for ourselves or for others.  We can trust in God’s power and goodness.  We know the One who holds all things in divine hands.  When we come to God, we might find more healing than we even imagined.  For our lives, our whole lives, are in God’s hands.

 

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