Saturday, October 27, 2007

Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:19-31

19“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24He 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.’ 25But 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. 26Besides 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.’ 27He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31He 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.’”

This is a scary passage. It is uncompromising in its judgment on the rich man (often named "Dives" which is Latin for "rich man"). This parable offers no explicit reason for the rich man's condemnation other than the fact that he was wealthy and Lazarus was not. However, the contrast between these two people living side by side is so stark and graphic (dog's licking Lazarus's open sores . . . ugh . . ), that we cannot help but come to the conclusion that it was the rich man's lack of care or compassion for Lazarus that causes him to end up in Hades.

This seems a very straight forward, but it is not. First, it should be remarked that the reason for Lazarus' salvation was not his faith, but his poverty. Similarly in this passage, the rich man's ultimate fate is not linked to his wealth, but how he used it. The implication of the angel's statement to the rich man that he had received his good things in this life and now is experiencing the suffering that Lazarus went through, seems to me to indcate that if he had shared the good things of his former life, then he would be sharing the good things of Lazarus in the present one. This passage makes clear that what we do and how we treat others has eternal consequences. There is no "do over". There is no "extra life" that we can get like in a video game. What we do with our lives in the here and now matters, not only to those around us but also to God.

Now, we live in Elwood a place where we do not currently have people sleeping on the streets. But we do not live too far from places where people do. One of the things we need to remember about this story, is that their welfare is linked to ours. Theologians from South America speak of God's "preferential option" for the poor. This does not mean that God hates rich people, but it does indicate God's care for them. As Christians we are to care for the poor because of the compassion that it engenders in our own hearts. When that compassion grows in us, then we begin to understand more fully the compassion that God has for us. In so doing we are transformed, we are born again into the image that God has us his people.


Saturday, October 20, 2007

Jeremiah 31:27-34

Jeremiah 31:27-34

27The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. 28And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord. 29In those days they shall no longer say: “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” 30But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge. 31The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

Today's passage concludes the Jeremiah readings in the lectionary. Over the past two months we have walked with Jeremiah as his people face the destruction of their nation, their captial city, and the temple, the place where they believed that God resided. We have also seen how God assures those that are still faithful to God that God has not completely abandoned the people no matter what it looks like. Israel will not suffer forever. God will restore the people.

This passage is part of the assurance that God is giving to the people as they face all the terrors before them. Now, not much of the book of Jeremiah is devoted to assurance. Chapters 30-33 are commonly refered to as the "Little Book of Consolation". Jeremiah, in his call back in the first chapter, is given authority to pull down nations and to rebuild them. Much of Jeremiah has been devoted to the pulling down of Israel, but here we see him planting and rebuilding Israel by bringing hope to those who are to go into exile.

Now personally I hate waiting for anything. If I find out that one of my favorite authors has a new book coming out, I become so impatient. When there's a movie that I want to see but my schedule won't let me go see it, I get impatient. We all have things that we become impatient over. We all have to wait. These prophecies are things that Jeremiah tells the Israelites and us about God's intentions for his people and creation. And then we are called to wait for these prophecies to happen.

The prophecy deals with three actions that God will do. The first is the restoration of the population of the houses of Israel and Judah. This is not simply a restoration of physical population, but also will be a restoration of their economic fortunes (see the restoration of livestock in verse 27). God will work on behalf of the people to build them up.

The second action is that the consequences of the sins of parents will no longer fall on the children. People will be responsible for their own misdeeds and will not be held accountable for the shortcomings of their parents.

The third action is that God will make a new covenant with the people, one that will be written on the people's hearts. This is to be, not a replacement of the old covenant, but the fulfillment of the old covenant. Remember that the covenant of Sinai was established not to be a burden to the people, but a way of keeping God as foremost in their hearts and minds. Jeremiah foresee a time when, through the indwelling of the law in the people's hearts, they will no longer need to be taught because of the closeness of their relationship with God.

One of the things that must be noted about these prophecies is that they have not yet been completely fulfilled. While the people of Israel were reestablished, the reality of our situation is that we know that children do suffer for the sins of their parents. Every child that dies of AIDS, every time a parent beats his or her child bears witness to this. And we all know that we still need teachers to teach us the way of the Lord. God's law is not yet written on our hearts.

So how do we live in the meantime, when we know that there is more still that God can and will accomplish? In Luke chapter 18 we have the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, a parable of persistence. The widow keeps bugging the unjust judge who, just so she will leave him alone, gives her a just judgment. The key to this passage is the reason why Jesus tells them this which is found in verse 1. "Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart."

It can be so hard to wait, particularly when we have been wronged, particularly when we want something very badly. What God calls us toward in these life situations is an open relationship. We are called to bare our souls and our desires to God. In being open like this with God, we open ourselves to God's spirit in our own lives. God begins to write God's law in our hearts. We begin to live in ways that cause less harm to ourselves and others in the world. And in so doing the world is changed by God's grace into a world where God dwells more and more deeply.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Jeremiah 29:1-7

9These 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. 2This was after King Jeconiah, and the queen mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the artisans, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem. 3The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah sent to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It said: 4Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6Take 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. 7But 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.

Anyone who has ever moved can tell you that moving to a new place is always stressful. But the people that Jeremiah was writing to had to move and did not have any choice in the matter. These were people who had been deported from their homeland to the land of the conquerors of their nation. It is very possible that they were held as hostages in order to insure good behavior of those still back in Israel. This passage is a letter to the exiles. For many exile is a difficult concept to grapple with. The vast majority (if not all) of us were not forced to live here. We moved here for a variety of reasons, but regardless we had a choice in the matter.

Jeremiah's recommends two things to those who are in exile. First, continue with the "normal" rhythms of life: work, marriage, birthing. All of these are a throw back to the very beginning in the first two chapters of Genesis where God tells Adam and Eve to tend the garden and to be fruitful and multiply. This basic pattern of creation in which God sends people to be the image of God for the creation is not diminished by the people being in exile.

Secondly, he tells the people to pray for the city that they are in, and to work for its welfare. This would have been difficult for the people who Jeremiah was speaking to. This would have been so difficult. To pray for those who worshiped other gods, who had forced them to live in foreign land, who would eventually attack and overthrow and sack Jerusalem was probably farthest from their minds. Because when we pray for someone, the way that Jesus tells us to do, we are called to pray for their benefit, not for them to be like us. Doing this changes us. We begin to see these others as people who are created, loved and cherished by God.

In doing this, Jeremiah is encourages the people not to let their present difficult circumstances determine how they relate to the world around them. It is understandable why we can become bitter and angry with the world when things do not go the way that we believe they should. But God shows the people the way of life. Even in the midst of tragedy life goes on. We can let the brokenness of our lives warp us. Many do. But what God calls us toward is the life that is shaped by God's vision of the future and not the past that is filled with our own shortcomings. This is not the act of the power of positive thinking. This is the aligning of ourselves with the vision of the One who wishes and wants the best for all of humanity. When we do this we raise thankful hands to God in Christ who makes all things new, who takes us out of exile and takes us home.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

World Communion Sunday Luke 17:5-10

Luke 17:5-10

5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. 7“Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? 8Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? 9Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”

We all want praise. We all want to have recognition. We would really like for others to look at what we do and tell us how amazing we are because of it. And this makes sense. It's why God has given us each other, to encourage us in the Way that is Jesus Christ.

But sometimes I feel like we have a tendency to pat ourselves on the back for doing things that we should be doing anyway. I mean we've probably all heard of people who have left a social group because they didn't get the recognition that they felt that they deserved. We may have done this ourselves.

The Luke passage explodes the myth of that in our relationship with God we deserve some kind of reward for following Jesus. Luke does this in a way that we might find repugnant, dealing as it does with slavery. After all, the parallel that Jesus draws here is that we are the slaves, something that many of us do not like to think about- we wish to be free. Free people are people who do deserve recognition, recompense and thanks. But Christ's contention is that in our relationship with God, we are utterly dependent upon God's grace. There is nothing that we can lay claim to with pride and say "Look! I did this without the help of God!"

But I believe this is the deeper point here. Having God be so present in our lives that we cannot justly make the above claim is the gift. In becoming God's servant people we also enter the family of God, being able to call upon God as God's children It is a gift not based on what we do, but on who we are: beloved children of God. This is why Jesus takes such offense at the idea that anyone deserves a bonus prize on top of that. Anything else on top of that would only cheapen what God has already given to us.

This is why we celebrate World Communion Sunday. The feast that God has prepared is not bound by race, language, nationality, gender, or any other false pretense that we might set up to separate "us" from "them". It reminds us of the gift that we have been given in this sacrament, the sealing of God's love in our hearts. Christ came to us. Christ came for us. Not the narrow "us", but an "us" that is as broad and boundless as God's mercy and love. It is in this that we rest our hope. It is in this that we have peace. This is the good news.