But God, That's Not Fair! - Sermon

Luke 15:1-32

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. ²And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” ³So 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? ⁵When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. ⁶And 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.’ ⁷Just 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? ⁹When 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.’ ¹⁰Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

¹¹Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. ¹²The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. ¹³A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. ¹⁴When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. ¹⁷But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’ ²⁰So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. ²¹Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ²²But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; ²⁴for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate. ²⁵“Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. ²⁷He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. ²⁹But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ ³¹Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”

But God, That’s Not Fair

It's probably a good thing that Jesus was telling the Parable of the Lost Sheep to Pharisees and not to Shepherds. I'm sure a real shepherd wouldn't have just taken this parable at face value and for the intended purpose - that is that God seeks out the lost.  Think about it - I don't know much about sheep, but I do know that if you have 100 of them, and if 1 wanders off, and if you leave the 99 to find the 1, well, what you come back to isn't going to be 99 sheep.  

Maybe in a more modern context we can compare this to toddlers.  First of all, let me point out that if your job puts you alone with 100 toddlers, QUIT YOUR JOB! But, to be faithful to the Parable, let's run with this anyway.  If you have 100 toddlers, and 1 wanders off, and you leave the 99 to find the 1; when you find that 1 and get back, well, I'd hate to see what you find when you get back.

Yeah, that wasn't Jesus' point. His point again, was that God cares about the salvation of 1 person - God is that personal and yet that caring and loving of all of humanity at the same time.

Then we get to the Parable of the Lost Coin. I have to ask, how many of you have cleaned house over 1 lost coin?  Maybe this illustration is antiquated to our present time, but what if we use the TV Remote as an example.  Have you ever noticed that even though the TV still has buttons, no one will use them?  They will search high and low for the missing remote instead of using the buttons on the TV.  And just like in the Parable of the Coin, when you find that TV Remote, it is the same feeling of all Heaven Rejoicing when one sinner repents. What was lost now is found!

But let’s focus on the story of the Prodigal Son.  Most of you have probably heard this parable a million times. Quite possibly, most of you could probably preach your own sermon on tis parable and give me a "day off," but,  I want us to try to look at this from a different angle, or through "different eyes.  Let's see if we can make this old parable somewhat "fresh."

We have the youngest son feeling very sure of himself.  I once heard an expression a parent used when her child was acting like this - as if he were grown while he was still a child - that he was "smelling himself.  I'm still not sure if I fully understand what that means, but I'm pretty sure it applies to the youngest son Jesus' parable.  He was definitely "smelling himself."  He wanted his inheritance and he wanted it NOW!  Ironically, the father didn't give a fight or even argue.  He gave him what would be his and let him go.

The youngest son left home to make a big name for himself.  Maybe today, we'd say he wanted to be a "rock star."  The problem is that he didn't want to do anything to get there.  He just assumed he deserved it.  He wasted his money and soon he was without everything.  He was flat broke with nowhere to go.

So, the youngest son made one of the worst possible decisions that a nice Jewish boy could ever make -  He worked for a pig farmer.  We can assume these were not "pets." These pigs were to be eaten.  So, not only was he violating dietary laws, he was stuck in the lowest of the lowest position.  And to make matters worse, that job didn't even take care of his basic needs.  The pigs were eating better than he was.  He wanted to eat what they were eating.

I'm no farmer, but I've been around pigs on a farm and I've seen pig slop.  The word "slop" really does describe what pigs eat!  They eat what we won't.  They eat our leftovers with whatever else farmers throw in there. And the son wanted to eat that!  Yuck!!!  And then, the son had a profound realization - his father's servants were eating better than he was.  They had food to spare.  Probably, their leftover food was going on to be slop for the animals while he was wishing to eat the slop.  He just wanted to go home.

How do you go home after you insult your own father the way this son did?  He made his mind up that he would go home and be a servant.  He insulted his dad so badly that he could never be a son.  He could only hope that his dad would let him work for him.

Dad had other things in mind.  Can you imagine the surprise the father felt when he saw this son walking toward the house?  I would guess that if I were in his shoes, I would have a mixture of anger and relief.  I'd be glad my son were home, but it would take time to regain the trust.  There certainly wouldn't be a party in my house...But that's not how this father worked!  This father not only welcomed him home, but he threw the party of the century for him.

And that's when the oldest son - the one who was always faithful - the one who was always there - the one who was always doing what he was supposed to - that's when he essentially said - "THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

We can learn a few lessons from this.

LESSON # 1: FAIR IS NOT THE SAME AS EQUAL

*      If it were, Men and Women would have the same public restrooms

*   The father didn't treat the sons equally because the each had unique needs.  God doesn't treat each person equally because we each have unique needs.  Does that mean God isn't fair? I don't know, but that does mean that God doesn't treat us equally - and I'm glad that is the case!

Lesson #2: GOD GOES TO THE DEPTHS TO REACH US

*     Some of us have dramatic conversion stories while others are less dramatic - God has pulled some of us literally out of the ditches and others of us have always been with God.  Either way, God has reached down to all of us whether we know it or not.  God loves all of us whether we know it or not.

*      God reached from the highest imaginable place to down to humanity to let us know we are loved. Each of us is a special creation of God. Each of us is a hand made creation of God. No matter what the world tells us, God loves us.  The world made the son feel he needed more, but the father's love was all he needed.  The same is true of us. Are we willing to recognize that?

Lesson #3: IF GOD DOES THAT FOR US, SOMETIMES WE ARE GOD’S VEHICLES TO DO THAT FOR OTHERS

*     God went into some dark places to reach people, and sometimes, if we are "those people," God uses us to be the vehicle to reach others.  Our story may be the story which reaches others.  But let's not get too boastful.  It's not any one of us who reach someone else.  It is God's work through us that reach others.  Even if your story isn't dramatic, that doesn't mean it is not relevant.  People need to hear it.  God can and will use any story. We may not always see how the seeds grow, but we are told to plant them anyway.

*      The Church is called to be disciples, not just admirers and worshippers – Disciples learn and imitate.  We come to church on Sunday mornings to worship. We must worship. But it doesn't stop with worship.  We are then called to serve.  We all have different gifts and talents. We can use them for God's glory or we can use them for our glory, or we can complain about them.  It's our choice. Here's an example - God gave great relational skills, but no skills with helping when someone is hurt (such as bleeding or having a gaping wound).  If there is blood, hopefully there is a medical professional to take care of me while the bleeding person takes care of him or herself as I pass out.  I absolutely cannot do much in terms of medical healing.  But, God has given me relational healing gifts. I can see various view points from a neutral perspective and help others to do the same.  Others don't have this gift, but they have the gifts I don't.  God has given Christ's disciples different gifts for a reason - The world needs a healing presence, but there is not one method of healing.  There are many methods.  We are all vehicles of God's healing.

*      If we accept that we are sometimes God's vehicles, are we willing to go to the darkest places for the God who did that for us? – No conditions, No compensation, No expectations of success, No thank-you – except from God.

None of this is Fair! None of this is Equal! But if God were Fair, where would you be?  I know where I'd be, and it wouldn't be here.  I wouldn't have the blessings I have if God were fair.  And I can knowingly say that I never did horrible things, but I've done enough things that I shouldn't have done.  But compared to God's perfection, my imperfection is great.  I, for one, am glad that God is not fair!

Why Tony Blair is Right about Paul Kagame (and clueless on everything else)

For all references to Tony Blair's remarks, unless otherwise noted, please see THIS STORY (Tony Blair defends Rwanda's role in DR Congo) from the BBC.

For other references to Paul Kagame's war crimes directly look up the United Nations Group of Experts Report linking the M23 Militia in DR Congo to Rwandan Government Officials and the DRC Mapping Report.  These are linked in several previous blog posts and are readily available online.

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Tony Blair recently told the BBC that Western Nations should not withhold aid to Rwanda because of alleged acts of supporting militia groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo because "Kigali [the capital of Rwanda] should not be singled out for blame" and that the conflict in the Congo is complex.

Blair, in the above cited article, then goes on to tout Rwanda's President Paul Kagame as having remade the African nation through good use of the foreign aid.  Blair praised Kagame for dropping the malaria rate by approximately 60%, massive poverty reduction, virtual elimination of measles, and now,  President Kagame, to whom Blair is a personal advisor, is moving on to tackling rubella.

It seems almost inconceivable to withdraw aid from such a benevolent nation. So, maybe Tony Blair is right!  Maybe Western Nations should continue to aid his regime.  Of course, in Blair's and Kagame's world, the individual person, or for that matter, entire communities are not important.  Neighboring nations are not important.  Only the ends are important - The means of getting to those means are not important.

The fact that Kagame has sparked 2 Congo Wars which have "officially" killed 4-6 Million (and most likely more) is irrelevant to Blair or Kagame.  If Kagame says he was invading the DRC (once named Zaire) out of self-defense, then we might as well take him at his word. Remember - the suffering of the common people does not matter - the only thing that matters is the end result. Rwanda appears successful, so therefore it is.

The fact that Blair, while Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was right at the side of President George W. Bush of the United States to make a preemptive war against Iraq over non-existent "weapons of mass destruction" should give us a sign. At the end of his Presidency, President Bush refused to say that the Iraq war was a mistake. In fact he said that the people of Iraq were better off after being "liberated."  In a recent interview played on NPR, former Prime Minister Blair said basically the same thing.  The fact that countless innocent Iraqi civilians suffered for no stated reason is immaterial in this line of thinking.  The end result is all that matters.  In this case, Iraq was liberated from Saddam Hussein. Change the rhetoric, change the objective, change the "game."  Suddenly the "weapons of mass destruction" did not matter. Now the Iraqis are free.  I wonder how they would respond to their freedom and the process leading up to it?

In essence, since the DR Congo has multiple militias, according to Blair, one more is immaterial.  Look at Paul Kagame's success.  Ignore how this success was obtained.  Ignore that it is a crime to say that the Genocide of 1994 included more killed than just the Tutsis (this is called a Double Genocide Ideology and is punishable by imprisonment).

Ignore the fact that the ONLY political part that is viable in Rwanda is the RPF.  Ignore the fact that any opposition is jailed on trumped up charges or assassinated.  Ignore the fact that the Rwandan constitution allows for 2 Presidential terms and Kagame, now in his second term, will not say that he has served his tenure and will step down.  Ignore the fact that journalists in Rwanda.  Ignore the fact that sources have said that they never know when they are being listened to on their phones. Ignore the fact that Rwandans live in fear that saying the wrong thing may lead to imprisonment or disappearance or death.

Ignore the fact that Kagame has supported the M23 militia which has terrorized the Congolese people. Ignore the fact that Kagame has been the Puppet of the Western nations in Africa. Even to this day, Western nations will not name Rwanda or Kagame in the United Nations Security Council Meetings as an aggressor in the conflicts in the DRC. Ignore the fact that one reason that people in the DRC live in perpetual fear is Paul Kagame.

After all, Blair has pointed out - Kagame has helped lower the malaria rate in Rwanda by 60%...Mosquitos Beware!

Selling the Congo for 30 Pieces of Silver

All quotes and citations are from IIP Digital Article “State’s Carson Calls for Global Effort to Help DRC” accessed from http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/article/2013/02/20130212142470.html#axzz2LNMf7V99 on February 21, 2013

On February 12, 2013, FINALLY, it was reported that SOMEONE in the US Government said that the international community has a “’moral imperative…to break the cycle of death and suffering in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.’”

The person who made that statement was US Assistant Secretary of African Affairs Johnnie Carson.  “No other conflict or act of violence since World War II has come close to taking so many lives” as in the DRC, Carson said in Washington February 11.

I wish I could stop right there and give the people of the Congo some hope.  I wish this person with a resumé builder title Johnnie Carson was actually speaking about true peace for the human population that has suffered horrific losses and yet continued to go on because they had no choice.  I wish I could say to the Congolese that their suffering was not in vain and that the international community (meaning international governments) do care and that a meaningful peace process is on the way.

Unfortunately, people with resumé builder international positions often make grand statements while being victims of the Idolatry of Power.  They are so caught up in what title they can obtain next that they forget that they hold real power now.  Instead, the powers of this world overtake them to where they gain a type of “tunnel vision” that can only see one worldview – that is some artificially constructed worldview by which the realities of this world are only determined by the way things are now, not the way things can or should be, because such a view would be too time consuming and too risky.

Carson said that the Democratic Republic of the Congo should go through a stabilization program similar to the processes that ended the wars in Yugoslavia and Sudan.  I’m not a geography expert, but the last time I checked, Yugoslavia ceases to exist, and Sudan is now divided into two separate nations – and even that division is still contentious at best.  And if I’m not mistaken, the leader of Sudan is a wanted war criminal by the International Criminal Court.  Mr. Carson – In the future, please check your RECENT history before making such statements.

Carson did make one very true statement.  “The Congolese people are courageous and resilient.” In this statement, I find no error.  Of course, the Congolese have no choice but to be that way.  They have survived as a people through corrupt dictatorships, inadequate rule, low food security, bloody and devastating wars, foreign nations invading their territory through military or corporate means, militias attempting coups, and so forth.  And I should note that this is only in the past 10-20 years.  I haven’t even discussed times before that.

Finally, Carson ends with a very disturbing, but telling narrative of WHY the world should come together to help stabilize the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Is it because the people have suffered so long?  No!  Is it because they are human like the rest of us and have a God-Given Right to live? No!  Is it out of compassion for one’s neighbor? No!  Carson says the world should care because the Democratic Republic of the Congo could become a “leading exporter of natural resources, agricultural products, and scientific research that could attract substantial U.S. and other foreign investment.”  Yes, my friends, the world should care about the Congo because of money.

Judas again has sold Jesus for 30 silver coins.  Carson is not suggesting that anyone should care about the humanity or people of the Congo.  He is suggesting that people care about the Congo because there is something for the rest of us to gain.  And out of the world’s gain, hopefully the people there will find some peace. 

The Colonial period of history is over.  Except for the very real secret slave trade, the overt slave trade is over.  We have now entered the Neo-Colonial period and the Neo-Slave period.  Essentially, Carson is suggesting that the Democratic Republic of the Congo becomes a Neo-Colony to the corporations of the world and the people become Neo-Slaves.

Is this peace?  I think not!

Open Letter to President of Emory University

Dear Jim,

I suppose you are used to titles such as President Wagner, but after reading your essay and subsequent “clarification” concerning the “3/5 compromise,” I know of other un-Christian names which would also apply, so we will “compromise” by addressing you with your first name.

For those unfamiliar with the essay and clarification, both can be read at this link:  http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_MAGAZINE/issues/2013/winter/register/president.html

As a pastor, I am willing to extend you grace and forgiveness for your mistake in your original essay saying that the “3/5 compromise” (i.e. to determine the population of the United States, and thus Congressional Power, slaves would be counted as 3/5 of a human) was “working toward the highest aspiration they both [the North and the South] shared.”  I am willing to grant you grace, however, your second “explanation” essay is nothing short of damage control. 

Your explanation was awkward at best.  Your explanations leave us with too many unknowns while your original essay suggests that the “3/5 compromise” was part of a “messy debate” that held the nation together.

We live in a sad reality where people who live in ivory towers, such as yourself, Jim, rarely face the consequences of their actions. Yes, you may feel guilt for what happened.  People may protest.  You may receive letters and e mails that your staff will read that you will most likely never see, but Jim, I doubt that you will face any real consequences.

For a moment, Jim, put yourself in the shoes of an African-American student on your campus.  Think of how this student had to struggle just to get to be a student at your campus.  Our society is filled with barriers for people of color, the poor, and those who come from unprivileged backgrounds.  Think of how that same student is looked at differently by the very professors whom you employ.  He or she may perform at the same level, but because of the color of his or her skin, there is suspicion and a hidden and unspoken standard of which I think you wouldn’t dare deny.  Jim, we all know that some college aged people who are experiencing their first taste of freedom will take full advantage of that and engage in parties where alcohol and/or drugs may be present.  Maybe you did so yourself, Jim.  I cannot claim to be innocent from my college days.  Let’s pretend that a white student and a black student on the very same night engage in underage drinking.  In your heart of hearts, should both pass before a police vehicle, who do you think would be suspected of wrongdoing more than the other?

As a university president, and as a president of an institution as prestigious as Emory, you should have known that this was not a good idea.   I have to ask you, Jim, at what point did it cross your mind that this topic was THE topic of “compromise?” 

I commend you for apologizing, but again, I question whether that is enough.  What would have happened if an African-American University President made a similar comment about white privilege?  I think we can agree, Jim, that he or she would face tougher consequences than you will face. 

I’m not a person who seeks revenge, but I am one who looks out for my neighbor.  Jim, you insulted and injured my neighbor.  Your explanation did little, if anything, to heal the wounds.  In one essay, you brought to life an institution that has oppressed millions of people since the 1600’s and continues to do so today.  What was once slavery in the United States (or in the 1600’s – colonial fields for various nations) is still alive and well as racism.  Rather than heal, you reopened the wounds.  If I dare use slavery terms, you added more lashes on to the backs of our African-American brothers and sisters – people I call friends.  You hurt people who are not here by choice, whose ancestors were forced to work in inhumane conditions, whose families were sold as property, and people who do not even have the ability to know their own history, Jim.

I honestly do not know what you can do to make things better.  Maybe you can volunteer some time in a homeless shelter or ministry to see what it is like to truly be oppressed. Get to know these people.  See their humanity.  See the face of God as you look into their eyes.  But, Jim, if you do so only out of guilt, you’ve lost the meaning and the effort is lost.  I pray, Jim, that you are not lost and this was only a dumb mistake.  I pray that you will do something more meaningful than this weak apology and weaker explanation.

In Christ,

TH

An Evening With Walter Brueggemann - Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks

Several weeks ago, all of us in the Divinity School received a 2 line e mail saying that Dr. Walt Brueggemann would be in Greensboro on February 7 giving a lecture titled, "Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks" starting at 7 PM.  There were no more details than that.

Generally, when things like this happen at night, I tend not to attend them.  It's dark, I have work to get done, I have a family to spend time with, or I'm just too lazy to go out for some academic lecture.  But, for some reason, this 2 line e mail caught my attention and I decided instantly that I was going.

I sent the information to people in my church and let them know that they could ride with me if they wanted.  I realize that Walter Bruggemann is not a name that one throws around at the dinner table, but in the Theology and Biblical Studies World he is the equivalent of the what the Beatles were to Rock and Roll.  In fact, he has been deemed the "Rock Star" of Christian Scholarship, and especially of the Old Testament of Modern Times.

February 7 came along, and it was one of those evenings that was just not pleasant.  The temperature was not quite cold, but just south of comfortable.  It wasn't raining enough to call it rain, but it was wet enough to be irritating if you wear glasses.  People who have "weather issues" like arthritis or migraines and such definitely felt it that day.  In fact, I second guessed myself, and considered not going.  But go I did.

A lady from my church was going with me, and we were meeting another pastor friend of mine who knew her way around Greensboro so that we wouldn't be hopelessly lost.  Yes, I can get lost.  I can travel the same path 20 times, and there's something about my sense of direction that if one thing about that path changes, I will get lost.

We showed up to Greensboro College at Finch Memorial Chapel at 6:30, and we were the first people there...literally.  We actually turned the lights on.  The security guard in charge of the place followed us in to unlock the already unlocked building.

We found prime seating, and we sat, and we talked, and we waited.  A few minutes later, another pastor that I know came in with a friend.  We had a grand total of 5 people there.  I was somewhat shocked by the small turnout.  Then, the host of the event brought in the sign to put next to the podium stating that the lecture began at 7:30.  We were slightly peeved, but only slightly...and not for very long.

Soon after 7:00, the chapel literally filled up to a standing room only crowd.  When I use the word chapel, do not think "small."  This chapel was the size of a decent sized church that would hold about 4-500 people.  Though I'm bad at estimating, I'm sure we had at least that many people.

At 7:30, people were still coming in, and they brought out the folding chairs and delayed the lecture for a few minutes.

Finally Dr. Brueggemann was introduced.  Dr. Brueggemann retired from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2003.  He also taught at Eden Theological Seminary and Cambridge University.  Dr. Bruggemann earned his Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary in New York.  He has written over 58 books and hundreds of articles.  He is also an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.

Then the lecture began.  It was nothing like I expected it would be!  I was expecting either dry academic speak or interesting academics with no practical application. I was wrong!

Dr. Brueggemann began by saying that at the center of the Old Testament we find a strange group of characters called the Prophets.  They are un-credentialed, and they have no pedigrees.  They speak a strange language of metaphorical poems, and they rally around the destruction of Jerusalem.  These Prophets seem to walk into crises and out of crises.

Many people, he said, wrongly depict Prophets as predictors of Jesus - as fortune tellers, or as social justice advocates.  Both views are wrong.  They are poets - poets of their volatile situation.  If we were to compare them to current events, they would be the people who speak to the events of 9/11, or of the Fiscal Cliff, or of the Newtown Massacre, or they would piece all of this together and speak of the world as falling apart in some poetic manner relating to God.

The Prophets of the Bible performed 3 basic tasks that can and should be imitated by the Church.

According to Brueggemann, the first reality is that the Prophets confronted the Ideology of Ancient Jerusalem. Although God made an unconditional Promise to the line of David, God never proclaimed how this would "play out."  When things were going badly because of Israel's and Judah's choices, they continued to hold to this ideology.  

They continued to recite Psalm 46: ¹God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

²Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;

³though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah

⁴There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.

⁵God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.

⁶The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.

⁷The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

⁸Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth.

⁹He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

¹⁰“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”

¹¹The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Brueggemann said this is similar to how America acted after 9/11.  For a little while, we realized things were not right, but very quickly we went back to our regular lives.  We were told to confront the terrorists by "shopping."  We believed God was on our side.  Wether or not that is the truth is not the point.  The point is that things were not right.  Our nation fell into the trap of losing its identity to National Identity over Christian Identity.  

The First Prophetic Task is to Subvert the Ideology that Ignores the Historical Reality - Bear witness to the actual Historical Reality.

Brueggemann cited texts from Jeremiah 8: "Is there a Balm in Gilead?" - This is poetry reaching into the heart of God.  He also cited Jeremiah 4:  "I looked...I looked..." - This is the undoing of Creation through the policies and practices of Jerusalem that were so damaging.

The church should bear witness to the undoing euphemism.  What is that euphemism today?  Brueggemann pointed out that the undoing of God's creation is in part US exceptionalism - That is to say that God has specially blessed America above and beyond all other nations, and that America has divine right to dominate other people at will.  There is the Marked Ideology that says that everything is a commodity.  People are commodities in this system - the very few should treat people as objects and have them work for as little as possible so that they can gain as much as possible.  Bruggemann said that this produces individualism (which finds very few if any Biblical support - that is my observation, not his, though I doubt he would disagree), racism, and it refuses to recognize the poor, the widow, the immigrant, the prisoner, and those who can't produce.  He called up on us to be Prophetic to artistically (through song, art, poetry, word, sermons, letters, etc.) bear witness to this reality and to declare that it is not the true narrative of our lives.

The second reality happened as the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians became more imminent.  As the destruction came closer, denial rose.  The Prophet Jeremiah symbolized this destruction and foreshadowed the oppression to the people by wearing a wooden yoke.  When the false prophet Hananiah took the yoke off of Jeremiah saying that this would not happen and all would be well in 2 years, Jeremiah came back the next day wearing an Iron Yoke symbolizing the Babylonian Oppression to come.  

The establishment in Jerusalem practiced such denial saying that they could go on with business as usual and there was nothing to worry about.  They were wrong.

The Second Prophetic Task is to Engage in Grief Work in the Face of Denial

It's a fact that those who benefitted in our society have lost a lot - the financial market caused many to lose a lot of money, our society is less civil and less safe, and Christianity is on the decline.  There is still denial saying that this is all temporary and that we will get all of this back.  

The Prophetic Task we are to undertake, according to Brueggemann, is to be truthful to others and let them know that we must let go of what we can no longer have.  He gave a real life story of a friend of his.  His friend is getting old and only wants his life back.  The pastor of their church talked to Dr. Brueggemann about how to handle such a conversation, and the only way to handle this is through ugly honesty, but with a loving heart.  This old man will not have his life back.  He is on his way out of this life.  There's no easy way to say that. But, he's not alone and will be surrounded by friends and family.

The Prophet Micah used weeping for a world that is gone as did Jeremiah in Chapter 9.

Brueggeman said that we should find artistic ways to get in touch with the feelings of loss that we won't admit even to ourselves.

The third reality is that Jerusalem was destroyed and the prophets were correct.  Isaiah accounts this in 40:27, 49:14, 50:2, and Ezekiel accounts for this in Chapter 37 before the bones begin to rise.  All of this shows that God did not save Jerusalem...yet.

We live in a Despairing Society.  The greed and anxiety and hopelessness of our time leads to violence.  People feel that God has nothing to give.  People deny that God exists.

The Third Prophetic Task is that In the Middle of Exile - We must Explode with Positive and Hopeful Messages From God

As Israel was in exile in Babylon, Isaiah wrote the words later used by Handel in Messiah, "Comfort Ye My People."

All of this is counter-intuitive.  It goes against our total being and understanding of life.  In our deepest despair, God delivers the greatest hope poetry through the Prophets.  When all possibility is shut down, new possibility comes alive - just like the Crucifixion of Jesus!

Poetry stirs us from despair just as the Liturgical work of the Church does.  It shows us a new possibility - one in which the world has not yet lived by.

Brueggemann then asked the question of what hope looks like and answered it with these three examples:  Martin Luther King Jr. who fought on despite everything being against his struggle - yes, there is much more to be done, but look how far he came.  He also said that we should slow down, dream, and keep Sabbath.  Finally, we are limited only by what we can dream.

He ended the lecture by giving us concrete examples of ways to live into this new vision:

* Lower our own standard of living so others can raise theirs.  Don't be dependent on cheap labor that treats others as a commodity.  

* Be ecumenical in the sense that we can be one in Christ despite theological differences - Do we really need to profess the belief "in one holy catholic and apostolic church," and then scream absolutes at each other and threaten schism?

* Always remember the end of Isaiah 19 - God speaks of "My People Egypt and Assyria" (at that time enemies of Israel).  In other words, God has Many Chosen People - All people are God's chosen people - God created all people, and we don't know how God is working in others.

Dr. Brueggemann concluded the lecture by reviewing his points through the giving of this illustration and relating it to Holy Week.

Prophets speak truth to the world's ideology (Crucifixion - Good Friday).

Prophets speak grief to the world's  denial (Holy Saturday).

Prophets speak hope to the world's despair (Easter Sunday).

Ash Wednesday 2013 Sermon- Ashes and Dust

Genesis 1:7, 21-23 

⁷then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.²¹So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²²And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. ²³Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.”

Genesis 3:17-19 

¹⁷And to the man he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; ¹⁸thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Sermon – Ashes and Dust

         What a quick transition God made!  In the first scripture from Genesis 2, we have God creating Man and then Woman from the dust of the earth.  Essentially, God is blessing the dust.  God is breathing life into the dust.  If you use your imagination, God isn’t just breathing into the dust, but God is putting mouth against mouth to the human formed dust.  The last time I checked, that was called “kissing.”  Of course, this is a holy kiss – a kiss we probably can’t imagine ourselves – a kiss that only God is capable of giving, but it was a kiss nonetheless. 

         In Scene Two in Genesis 3, the dust now becomes a curse.  It becomes a source of labor.  The very dust that humans were formed from will now be the very dust that they will toil over as they farm, build homes, build cities, and make lives…all of this because of sin.  The sin was eating of the fruit.  Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent, and God being God knew that Adam and Eve had much better sense than that – They had to face their consequences. 

         The wonder of Scripture is that it’s not just a story of Ancient events or even just words of wisdom.  It’s a living and breathing text that speaks to us in modern times!  We are dust.  That is a scientific fact.  We will return to dust. That, too, is a scientific fact. 

         Of course, the first part of what I just said – that we are made of dust, is something that we don’t mind thinking about.  In fact, when we imagine it, we are God’s special creation.  We are God’s sculpture with God’s life breathed into each of us.  The second part is the part that most of us wish I would not mention, or that I would mention just in passing.  If you want complete honesty, I would love to avoid this topic myself!

          Everyone in this room (and for that matter, everyone out of this room) has a 100% chance of dying.  The reality is that no one escapes this life alive.  Not one of us knows the day nor the hour nor how it will happen.  All we know is that it will undoubtedly happen.  We will die!  For some of us, it will be painless.  For others of us, it may be painful.  For some of us, it may be unexpected.  For others, it may be after a long life.  None of us are promised another day, or for that matter, none of us are promised another minute on this earth. 

         For a moment, let’s dwell in that tension between life and death.  Even those of us who know Christ as Savior, in the back of our minds, we’d probably be lying if we said we didn’t harbor at least a little fear of death.  But, what exactly do we fear? Do we fear that we don’t believe exactly the right thing? If that’s the test, then none of us have hope.  Do we fear that the day we die, we may harbor a little resentment against God or be in a state of sin? Then again, none of us have hope.  Being saved is not about getting every belief perfect, but it does involve serious belief and reflection.  It doesn’t involve never sinning, but it does involve doing your best to avoid sin.  God is gracious enough to know that we are human and to know that we have flaws, but we still are required to cooperate with God's Grace in our lives.  

         The good news is that what we call death is not the end.  Though our body turns back to the dust of the Earth, our soul will be reunited with our Creator.  And one day, when Christ returns to redeem the world – notice I didn’t say “end the world” – When Christ comes to redeem the world, our bodies, in some sort of “heavenly state” will be reunited eternally with our souls.  What this "heavenly body" will look like is a mystery.  I sure hope (for my sake) that it will be better than what I see in the mirror each morning, but whatever it looks like, it will be what God intended.  This dust will be made new again in the form that God first intended that humanity destroyed through sin.

         As we enter the Lenten season, this is a time to reflect on our sins to prepare for the new reality made possible through Christ’s resurrection on Easter.  Some people give something up.  I’ll confess that I’m not good at that because I’ve never seen the point. It does my spirit no good to give up chocolate or meat or bread or TV.  If that works for you, then by all means, do it – but remember WHY you do it.  It won’t make you more holy. God won’t love you more. If you fail, God won’t hate you. And remember what Jesus said about practicing piety and holiness and good works in the book of Matthew Chapter 6.  I’ll summarize – If you’re going to show off or make the rest of us miserable by your complaining – eat the darn chocolate because you’re missing the point and you’re sinning and you're plain being irritating.  Another practice – one I’m going to try this year is something that was thought up by a group called Rethink Church.  (At the bottom of this sermon is a list of what Rethink Church proposed).  On this handout lists each day of Lent.  It gives a theme for each day.  In some way, you can represent or live out that theme.  They recommend you do a photo challenge where you take a picture of that theme and be creative.  But, if you are a poet, why not write a poem?  Why not find a scripture? Why not draw a picture? Why not find a picture and glue it to a notebook?  Your choices are limitless. 

         However you decide to observe Lent, remember that the focus is God – not you. God is always the subject.  We are merely the actors.

         But for a moment, let’s go back to tonight’s them – Dust and Ashes.  Chemically they are very similar.  Ashes in Biblical times represented mourning and grief.  Tonight, we dwell in the land of grief, but again, we know that we don’t stay here.  We grieve our own mortality.  We grieve Christ’s Sufferings.  We grieve our Sins.  We represent all of that by receiving the mark of ashes. 

In a few moments, we will receive the ashes as a symbol of our mortality and repentance of our sins, but first, Let us pray together Psalm 51 as we confess our sins to God.  As an anecdote, it was 5 years ago, not to the date, but to this particular service, that through this Psalm, this prayer that I received a confirmation from God that I was indeed called to the ministry.  It was the assurance that I needed to know that it wasn't just a passing thought or a mere "good idea" to serve the church more deeply but rather a true calling to dedicate my life to God's Church.

Psalm 51

¹Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

⁴Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.

⁵Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.

⁶You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

⁸Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.

⁹Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.

¹¹Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

¹⁴Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

¹⁵O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.

¹⁶For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.

¹⁷The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

¹⁸Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,

¹⁹then you will delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Rethink Church's Lenten Challenge

What if We Took Jesus Seriously?

^{The following is the "meat" of the sermon I preached on February 10, 2013.  Since I preach with notes rather than a manuscript, this is not the exact sermon, but rather, an adaptation of it.}

Luke 6:27-28

²⁷“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

·   What would happen if we actually took the words of Jesus seriously?  What would happen if the Church actually thought Jesus meant what he said?  Would we act differently? Or, would we tell Jesus that we just don't think His way would work?

I  If we're going to believe the things we say we believe, then we need to at least give the words that Jesus said a chance.  Notice that Jesus never said we'd walk in a "rose garden" for being his disciple.  He never said we'd never suffer.  He never promised that we wouldn't even be killed for being his follower.  But, the rewards he promised us are greater than any suffering.  

I  I'll be the first to admit that when someone is an enemy to me, I don't want to "love them."  I don't want to pray for them, I don't want to be nice to them.  I don't even want to have good things happen to them in most cases. My first thought is that I want "karma" to hit them.  I want what they did unto me to be done unto them, and I want it done now!  

   But then this bothersome Jesus gets in the way and whispers in my ear - You have to love them.  I feel like a little child.  "Daddy, do I have to???"  The answer is obvious.  Yes, I do.  Yes, WE do.

   Now, let's face reality, the enemy who waves to us on the highway with less than 4 fingers (think about it...it'll come to you what I mean) is easier to love than the enemy who attacks our country.  We can love someone rushing to work, but can we love bin Laden?  Well, obviously, some people couldn't.  I admit, when I heard he was killed, I didn't mourn. But then I realized that as evil as he acted, God still loved even him.  So should I.

   The problem is that English only has 1 word for Love.  I can tell you in the same conversation that I love my car, I love my wife, I love my church family, and I love my children.  Think about that for a while, and you'll realize that my love for each has to be different.  If it's not, we have some serious problems to address.

   

   Usually when I say, "love your enemies," (or rather quote Jesus saying that), people think Jesus means there should be no justice.  But God is a God of justice.  But in this simple, yet profound statement, Jesus is calling us to re-imagine justice. Many of us have been raise to believe that justice is punishment.  Yes, sometimes there is an element of punishment in justice.  Evil cannot go unpunished.  But, Jesus is calling for justice that also rehabilitates.  In Luke 4, part of Jesus' reading of the scroll of Isaiah says, "[he has sent me to] release the captive." The people that day thought it was in reference to those captive by the Roman Empire - Jesus meant something completely different.  He meant those who were captive by oppression and sin.  Justice does not just oppress and punish the person who does evil, but it rehabilitates them as much as possible.  THAT is justice. Obviously, depending on the crime, that will take a different amount of time. A person who says something mean to you can be rehabilitated with an apology.  A person who murders will take much longer.  But all the same, Jesus tells us to love our enemies.

^{Luke 6:}

³⁷“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven;

·      

  Jesus is on a roll!!! He now tells the people not to judge.  But what does that mean? Does that mean that we are to tolerate sin in our very midst?  Does that mean that anything goes?  

  Churches are great Judges...no wonder people avoid us! Let me add onto say that we do it wrongly too often.  Judging is not saying that something is a sin.  Judging is saying that we know the eternal destiny of someone.  Judging is also making the church so exclusive that only certain types of people are welcome.  Remember - the church is not a show off place for saints.  It's a hospital for sinners.

  Too often, people in the church will start off a sentence by saying "I'm not judging, but..." - stop them there if you hear those words...They are judging.  Or, there's the famous "Hate the sin, love the sinner."  Unless you've gone on to perfection, I promise there is enough sin in your own life to hate that you don't need to worry about hating someone else's sin. 

 Luke 6:

⁴¹Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? ⁴²Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

At this point, Jesus is telling us well meaning Christians in a very polite way to "know our place."  In other words, don't worry about someone else's house being a mess until your own is clean.   We must also remember Jesus was speaking to a group.  Is there division in your church? Has anyone in your church sinned today? Is everyone fully reconciled to everyone else?  Is everyone fully worshipping God to the best of their ability?  Is everyone fully loving God and Neighbor?  If not, then you have a log to deal with - let others deal with their own dust.  

BUT, if you feel led to help others deal with their problems, remember that you do it as equals and walk side by side.  One sinner cannot tell another sinner how to walk a better Christian life and be the moral compass of another.  But, any Christian can partner with another Christian and together they can help each other walk through life holding one another accountable and guiding one another through struggles. 

·      

    What is your primary label – Mom? Dad? Grandparent? Son? Daughter? Your Job? Republican? Democrat? American? Or is it CHRISTIAN? Until we can fully say that we are NOTHING but Christian, according to Jesus’ own words, we are hypocrites if we condemn others, judge others, or be anything but equals with others.  We are called to love others.

Not only will that help us in this life, but it will also help us on Judgement Day, because, we definitely do not want to hear Jesus say an adaptation of what he said in Luke 6:46 -   ⁴⁶“Why did you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and did not do what I told you?