A Sermon for The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
August 26, 2007
by Pastor Laura Gentry
Luke 13:10-17
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing. (NRSV)
In Lansing, we’re pretty used to looking the people we meet on the street in the eye and nodding or saying hello. It is a simple thing, but it is a way of acknowledging others. River town people tend to be friendly like that. Even more so on the river. When we have out of town guests visit and we take them on a boat ride, they keep asking, “Do you really know all these people? Why does everybody wave at you?” It is surprising how courteous we can be, even to strangers.
It isn’t like that everywhere. I remember when I went to Nottingham England to study during my junior year in college. Not only was it a big city, but it was a British city. Everyone considers it good manners to keep to yourself. No where could I get a stranger to look me in the eyes, not even when I was squashed up right next to someone on the public bus! It astonished me. This was nothing like Iowa! So desperate was I to talk to strangers that I developed a set of silly questions like, “What’s your favorite blender speed?” and told people I was conducting a scientific survey and would they please answer a few questions. Almost nobody went for it. So much for trying to reach out and make connections.
Today's gospel lesson is all about making connection. Jesus is teaching in the temple when along comes a woman who is entirely bent over. Certainly, they see her, but do they really “see” her? Do they notice that she’s there? Do they even care that she is ailing? We so often walk around oblivious to the hurt around us, as if we’re the only ones that matter.
That’s not how Jesus operates. No, he sees the woman. He sees her as the beautiful daughter of God that she is. And he reaches out to her. We don’t know much about this woman, but I suspect that just being noticed by Jesus is already a healing thing. So many ignore a broken down person like this.
Jesus interrupts his own teaching to call her over. I imagine he looks her in the eye with compassion, giving her the dignity she deserves. She must have felt overwhelmed already. Then Jesus goes on to declare to her that she has been set free from her 18 year ailment. He lays hand on her brings healing to a person who has suffered so long!
And she stands right up after all that time of being bent over and she immediately begins praising God. In my mind’s eye, she’s singing and dancing. Clearly, she’s causing a ruckus because the leaders of the synagogue can no longer ignore her. It become apparent to them that Jesus has healed her. And they come to criticize Jesus for breaking a synagogue rule. Healing is so important to Jesus that he’s even willing to break the rules for the greater good of the people he’s called to serve.
What about us? We’re bent over too. Maybe it’s not physically, but all over us can get bent over with the burdens of our lives. People love to quote the cliché “God never gives you more than you can handle.” Personally, I don’t believe that one at all. We often have more than we can handle on our plates. At times, we feel so bent over that we could break. We cannot handle our lives on our own. We need the healing touch of Jesus. Just as he came and met that woman in her affliction, he meets us. He stoops down to pick our bend over selves off the floor time and time again. He treats us like the miracles that we are and he longs to heal us, no matter what the cost, even giving his own life to set us free.
And so it is our calling to offer this same compassion to those we encounter on our journey. And we have to do more than just wave at passing boats, we need to see people—really see them—and care for them. That’s a healing power that you and I possess.
In our reading from the prophet Isaiah this morning, we hear the timeless call of God to share our bread with the hungry, to bring the homeless into our homes, when we see the naked to cover them. And what if we answer this call and we reach out generously? This is such beautiful poetry—he says “ Then will your light break forth like the dawn and your healing shall spring up speedily." (Isaiah 58:8) Isaiah understands that it's not just the healing of those poor disenfranchised people that are at issue here, it’s OUR healing. When we heal others as Jesus did, we ourselves are healed. We can’t afford to just walk by those who need us, we’ve got to care, we’ve got to help.
May these scriptures inspire us to allow God to heal us and to lavish that kindness upon others, that we may be healed at an even deeper level.
Let us pray:
Dearest Jesus, in your loving gaze, heal us and free us from all that forces us downward and bends us over. May we experience the touch of your presence and be raised up to find the delight you share with all people. Teach us to see others in this same light and to share your love with them. Make us into a community that unleashes your healing power to the whole world. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
Now may the peace of Christ, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
© 2007 Laura E. Gentry
Monday, August 27, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
LET'S GET FIRED UP!
A Sermon for The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
August 19, 2007
by Pastor Laura Gentry
Luke 12:49-56
Jesus said to his disciples, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (NRSV)
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Today’s gospel lesson is considered one of the “hard teachings of Jesus” for obvious reasons. He says, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” Fire? He came to bring fire to the earth? What can this possibly mean? Of course, we remember the powerful Pentecost story. In it, Luke tells us how the Holy Spirit roared loudly and filled the upper room. The Spirit then rested upon each disciple with tongues of fire and drove them out to share their faith in Jesus Christ in all the languages of the ancient world. Perhaps it is this fire that Jesus is alluding to in this passage—the consuming fire of the Holy Spirit which dwells inside and stirs people to action. After all, John the Baptist warned Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire! (Luke 3:16).
Jesus tells the disciples that he wishes this fire were already kindled. He cannot seem to wait for the Spirit’s fire to rage out of control within the hearts of God’s people. The early Christian Church showed signs of this kind of spiritual wildfire. They risked their lives to gather for worship. They set out to foreign lands to spread the good news, even though many ended up in prison. They did not withhold their blessings, but shared freely with the whole community. They were as zealous as a blazing forest fire! This is the fire Jesus is so desperately longing for! This is the fire that he wants kindled. But before it can be kindled, Jesus must pass through another kind of fire.
Jesus tells his disciples: “I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!” This statement may sound confusing because we assume Jesus is talking about Holy Baptism. At this point in the Jesus narrative, he’s already been baptized, so why is he talking about more baptism? Well, you see the literal translation of this Greek verb is “to dip” or “to be immersed in.” Jesus must be talking about the experience of the cross, in which he will soon be immersed. He must go through this terrible experience in order to triumph over death—the reason for which he has come to the earth. Though Jesus is fully God, he is also fully human and is under tremendous stress about his impending death. Yet this “baptism” is what is necessary to bring fire to the earth and to set the world free from the sin and death.
But then, Jesus goes on to say something extremely disturbing. He tells them, “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” Then, he goes on to describe the various factions which could form within one’s own household. “They will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” This is not a bible verse you’ll find on any refrigerator magnets or greeting cards, is it? It’s not a very popular one because it is difficult to swallow such talk of division from the one whom we call the “Prince of Peace.” Why on earth would our beloved Jesus bring division?
It wasn’t safe to be a Christian in first century Palestine, you see, because it was a state under Roman control. Jesus gathered large crowds was hailed as the “Messiah,” a messiah many thought would lead the Jews to military victory over their oppressors. This was a threat to Roman rule and so hundreds of thousands of religious people—both Jews and Christians—were crucified by the Romans in order to suppress any rebellion. Therefore, following Jesus was a dangerous thing. The decision to follow him meant that you were risking your life for his sake. This is the kind of important decision that families like to agree upon. When families can’t agree, it arouses passionate feelings. If a son, for example, announced that he was going to follow Jesus, his parents would fear for his life and try with every ounce of effort to talk him out of it. If they couldn’t, they would probably disassociate themselves with him for fear of their own safety. Jesus does not want such division, but he knows that it is inevitable in such a hostile environment. This is why he warns his disciples not to take their decision to follow him lightly. It may cost them everything!
Though we live in a country that has freedom of religion and we can worship freely, without fear of arrest, following Jesus is a costly decision for us too. Christianity is not a safe, “feel good” religion by any stretch of the imagination. The vision which Jesus gives us of God’s agenda for our lives is just the opposite of our cultural values to make money, take care of ourselves and our families and try to remain as comfortable as possible. This is not God’s agenda at all. Look at our second lesson for today where Paul names off all kinds of people of faith. None of them had an easy time of it. Following God took all they had.
God demands total—not partial—allegiance to his cause and this is a threat to people who do not share such commitment. Our relationships with others, even those closest to us, are affected by our commitment because it shapes our values, priorities, goals, and behavior, and forces us to change old patterns of life. Yes, change! It’s frightening that our faith can stir up such change and it may well alter or even terminate our important relationships with others.
This is radial material that our lectionary invites us to contemplate this morning. Jesus came to kindle the Spirit’s fire on earth, a fire which has been raging these two thousand years. It beckons us to look at the Spirit’s fire in our own hearts. Have we allowed it to take control of our lives, to redefine us in such a way that it changes our lives and even affects our relationships?
The passion and power of the Spirit is uncontrollable—with power and fury, it is like fire. It seeks to crucify our old selves with Christ. And as our old, selfish ways die, so may some of our relationships. It takes such commitment to allow this kind of transformation to take place! It requires fiery, passionate faithfulness to Christ. But this faithfulness is infinitely worth it because with the death of our old selves, comes the rebirth of our new selves. Out of the ashes of our broken lives, God brings new life, new beginnings, new peace.
May this fire consume us, whatever the cost! May our faith take priority over all other allegiances and bring us to new life in Christ. That’s what we want in our hearts—new life. So set’s get fired up this morning! Let us hear Christ’s words and allow them to move us so deeply that we get fired up enough to give the Spirit permission to set our hearts ablaze with love, and welcome the changes this brings.
Now may the peace of Christ, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
© 2007 Laura E. Gentry
August 19, 2007
by Pastor Laura Gentry
Luke 12:49-56
Jesus said to his disciples, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” (NRSV)
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Today’s gospel lesson is considered one of the “hard teachings of Jesus” for obvious reasons. He says, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” Fire? He came to bring fire to the earth? What can this possibly mean? Of course, we remember the powerful Pentecost story. In it, Luke tells us how the Holy Spirit roared loudly and filled the upper room. The Spirit then rested upon each disciple with tongues of fire and drove them out to share their faith in Jesus Christ in all the languages of the ancient world. Perhaps it is this fire that Jesus is alluding to in this passage—the consuming fire of the Holy Spirit which dwells inside and stirs people to action. After all, John the Baptist warned Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire! (Luke 3:16).
Jesus tells the disciples that he wishes this fire were already kindled. He cannot seem to wait for the Spirit’s fire to rage out of control within the hearts of God’s people. The early Christian Church showed signs of this kind of spiritual wildfire. They risked their lives to gather for worship. They set out to foreign lands to spread the good news, even though many ended up in prison. They did not withhold their blessings, but shared freely with the whole community. They were as zealous as a blazing forest fire! This is the fire Jesus is so desperately longing for! This is the fire that he wants kindled. But before it can be kindled, Jesus must pass through another kind of fire.
Jesus tells his disciples: “I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!” This statement may sound confusing because we assume Jesus is talking about Holy Baptism. At this point in the Jesus narrative, he’s already been baptized, so why is he talking about more baptism? Well, you see the literal translation of this Greek verb is “to dip” or “to be immersed in.” Jesus must be talking about the experience of the cross, in which he will soon be immersed. He must go through this terrible experience in order to triumph over death—the reason for which he has come to the earth. Though Jesus is fully God, he is also fully human and is under tremendous stress about his impending death. Yet this “baptism” is what is necessary to bring fire to the earth and to set the world free from the sin and death.
But then, Jesus goes on to say something extremely disturbing. He tells them, “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” Then, he goes on to describe the various factions which could form within one’s own household. “They will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” This is not a bible verse you’ll find on any refrigerator magnets or greeting cards, is it? It’s not a very popular one because it is difficult to swallow such talk of division from the one whom we call the “Prince of Peace.” Why on earth would our beloved Jesus bring division?
It wasn’t safe to be a Christian in first century Palestine, you see, because it was a state under Roman control. Jesus gathered large crowds was hailed as the “Messiah,” a messiah many thought would lead the Jews to military victory over their oppressors. This was a threat to Roman rule and so hundreds of thousands of religious people—both Jews and Christians—were crucified by the Romans in order to suppress any rebellion. Therefore, following Jesus was a dangerous thing. The decision to follow him meant that you were risking your life for his sake. This is the kind of important decision that families like to agree upon. When families can’t agree, it arouses passionate feelings. If a son, for example, announced that he was going to follow Jesus, his parents would fear for his life and try with every ounce of effort to talk him out of it. If they couldn’t, they would probably disassociate themselves with him for fear of their own safety. Jesus does not want such division, but he knows that it is inevitable in such a hostile environment. This is why he warns his disciples not to take their decision to follow him lightly. It may cost them everything!
Though we live in a country that has freedom of religion and we can worship freely, without fear of arrest, following Jesus is a costly decision for us too. Christianity is not a safe, “feel good” religion by any stretch of the imagination. The vision which Jesus gives us of God’s agenda for our lives is just the opposite of our cultural values to make money, take care of ourselves and our families and try to remain as comfortable as possible. This is not God’s agenda at all. Look at our second lesson for today where Paul names off all kinds of people of faith. None of them had an easy time of it. Following God took all they had.
God demands total—not partial—allegiance to his cause and this is a threat to people who do not share such commitment. Our relationships with others, even those closest to us, are affected by our commitment because it shapes our values, priorities, goals, and behavior, and forces us to change old patterns of life. Yes, change! It’s frightening that our faith can stir up such change and it may well alter or even terminate our important relationships with others.
This is radial material that our lectionary invites us to contemplate this morning. Jesus came to kindle the Spirit’s fire on earth, a fire which has been raging these two thousand years. It beckons us to look at the Spirit’s fire in our own hearts. Have we allowed it to take control of our lives, to redefine us in such a way that it changes our lives and even affects our relationships?
The passion and power of the Spirit is uncontrollable—with power and fury, it is like fire. It seeks to crucify our old selves with Christ. And as our old, selfish ways die, so may some of our relationships. It takes such commitment to allow this kind of transformation to take place! It requires fiery, passionate faithfulness to Christ. But this faithfulness is infinitely worth it because with the death of our old selves, comes the rebirth of our new selves. Out of the ashes of our broken lives, God brings new life, new beginnings, new peace.
May this fire consume us, whatever the cost! May our faith take priority over all other allegiances and bring us to new life in Christ. That’s what we want in our hearts—new life. So set’s get fired up this morning! Let us hear Christ’s words and allow them to move us so deeply that we get fired up enough to give the Spirit permission to set our hearts ablaze with love, and welcome the changes this brings.
Now may the peace of Christ, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
© 2007 Laura E. Gentry
Sunday, August 12, 2007
GET DRESSED!
A Sermon for The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
August 12, 2007
by Pastor Laura Gentry
Luke 12:32-40
Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. "But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."(NRSV)
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
When you know that company is coming to visit, it is amazing how much you can get done in a few hours. The house can get dusted and vacuumed, the plants watered, the junk mail thrown out or tucked away, the beds made, the laundry put away and whatever other cleanup tasks are necessary. You can be all ready and dressed appropriately, awaiting your guests—that is, of course, if you know that they’re coming. Of course, not all guests announce themselves ahead of time. I hate it when someone pops by and my house is not ready to receive visitors, or I still have bed head and look a mess and have no food or beverages to serve. During the week our youth were at camp, I rode along with Ethan and Matt and the rest of the “River Boaters” for a day. On our boat, was the Bible camp counselor, Marlene, from the African nation of Liberia. She told me that in her country, unexpected house guests always stop by. Africans have a great sense of community and so one should always expect the unexpected and have some extra food on hand to serve.
In Jesus’ day, servants were to be ever ready for their master’s return. When a householder went away, the servants were supposed to get the house in perfect order and have their lamps lit, anxiously awaiting his return. If he had gone to a wedding banquet, he may be gone for days, as such occasions were celebrated for up to a week or more. If he returned and found the servants sleeping, or their lamps extinguished, he would think little of the servants and they would not be given positions of favor in his household. So good servants would keep a constant vigil, with their lamps lit and their eyes fixed upon the door—absolutely ready for the master’s return.
In today’s gospel text, Jesus tells his disciples a parable of slaves that are, indeed, ready for their master’s return. He says, “Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.” This is a shocking role reversal—for the master to fasten up his belt and serve the servants! The rich will serve the poor! This was unheard of. Yet Jesus tells them that this is the reward for being prepared, dressed and ready for action. Obviously the point of this story is to be ready.
Then, he urges the disciples to also be ready—dressed for action, with their lamps lit. He doesn’t mean this physically—he means it spiritually. For Jesus is going away after his resurrection, but will return one day to claim his followers and so they must be ready. He tells them a secret: he will come at a time that no one is expecting him. Therefore, we should always expect him.
Books like the “Left Behind” series get very caught up with Jesus’ return—fictionally imagining exactly what it will be like. Other groups and televangelists try to pinpoint just when we should expect Jesus’ return. Obviously, all the previous predictions have been wrong. So why do people keep predicting the exact time of the end of the world? Probably because we’re afraid. We want to know when it will be so we can be ready, so we won’t be “left behind”! But Jesus has told us that he simply will not tell us the precise time that he’s coming back so we’ve got to expect him when we’re least expecting him. In other words, we should always be ready.
What about you? Are you dressed and ready for action? If Jesus showed up, or you were to die this very day, would you be ready? Really ready? How are you going to get dressed for this eventuality? What does God expect of us? The good news is that Jesus tells us in this scripture. In fact, he gives us a specific checklist.
The first thing on the list is “Sell your possessions, and give alms.” Now, I am sure you’ve given alms—you’ve put change in the Salvation Army bucket at Christmas time when you heard the bell ringer and your probably give things here and there when you run across someone in need. Giving alms is no sweat—we usually have a bit of extra change to give. The problem is that Jesus prefaced the “give alms” commandment with “Sell your possessions.” Do you know anyone who ever sold all their possessions?
As I thought about this command, I thought, “no one would ever do that.” But then I remembered about an art project called “All My Life For Sale.” Filmmaker John D. Freyer did exactly what Jesus tells us to do here, he sold all his possessions. Upon completing his graduate studies at Iowa State University, he invited his friends over to his house to help him tag all of his possessions, which he systematically posted and sold on the popular Ebay website. His point was to explore our relationship to the objects around us, their role in our identity, as well as the emerging role of the internet. To date, John Freyer has sold more than 600 items including his favorite records, a full size office copier, personal photographs, his side burns (in a plastic bag), the Christmas presents he’d bought for his family (and hadn’t yet given them), and his winter coat (in the middle of the winter). Every item began bidding at one dollar. When the auction had ended, he sent each buyer details about his project and requested updates from them on their new object and posted these updates—including written feedback and photographs of Freyer's former possessions in their new homes—into his website, www.allmylifeforsale.com, which he also ended up selling.
As I read about Freyer’s project I didn’t find any reference to this Lukan passage, but I am rather impressed at the level of media coverage Freyer got—he was all over the talk show circuit, written up in presses around the world and got a book deal out of it. Freyer simply did what Jesus suggested everyone do. But since most people would never dream of selling all their possessions, especially the ones they love, Freyer is considered a visionary—an outlandishly creative artist. Museums have purchased items he sold on Ebay and put them in their permanent art collections. At the University of Iowa, I saw his false teeth!
Many people have discussed this mandate of Jesus’ to sell our possessions and give alms. Does he mean we have to be like Freyer and literally sell everything we own? I think the heart of what he was getting at is that he doesn’t want us to just give our spare change. He doesn’t want us only offering our leftovers. He is talking about giving a significant amount to those in need—enough that the sacrifice can be felt.
Do you ever stop and take a close look at your bank statement at the end of the month? Where does your money go? Probably most checks written are for your bills, but how much is given to the the work of God through church and charities? Is there a balance between your needs and your neighbor’s needs? They say your checkbook is your financial faith statement, which means to say that where you spend your money demonstrates what you value. If you love traveling, then you spend money on vacations, if you like collectible items, you spend money on those. This is what Jesus meant when he told them, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What you truly love—there you will spend your hard-earned cash.
But it also works in reverse. What you spend your money on, you will come to love, with the one exception of taxes. That’s why the bible recommends tithing to the church—giving ten percent of your income. That is a significant enough portion that you can usually feel it. And when you give this portion of money to God, your heart will follow. In time, it causes your priorities to shift from earthly to heavenly ones. God’s will, not our culture’s values, will be what matters to you. If you haven’t tried tithing yet, then give it a shot. See for yourself how God can use this act of faith to change your heart in a most magnificent way.
The next thing on Jesus’ get-dressed checklist is: “Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven.” Again, Jesus is on about letting go of our treasures of earth. That’s how to be dressed and ready for his return. That’s how we can make room for the Spirit in our hearts.
There is a legend from the first century about the disciple Thomas—you know, the famous doubting Thomas. After he got over his doubt, he went off to do mission work in India. Thomas was employed by the local king Gundaphorus to build a new palace, and he was given money to buy materials and hire workmen. Thomas gave the money to the poor, but always assured the king that his palace was rising steadily. The king became suspicious when Thomas kept putting off his requests to see the work in progress and finally sent for Thomas. "Have you built my Palace?" he asked. "Yes", Thomas replied. "Then we shall go and see it now," said the King. Thomas answered: "You can not see it now, but when you depart this life you shall see it. I have built you a palace in heaven by giving your money to the poor and needy of your kingdom."
The King is furious and has Thomas thrown in prison. All night he considers how he should put Thomas to death. But that night, the king's brother dies and sees the kings palace in heaven which has been built by Thomas' charitable work. He makes a request to return to earth. His dead body is suddenly revived; he tells his brother of the magnificent palace awaiting him in heaven. Thomas is freed from prison and the king and his brother become Christians. This legend illustrates Jesus’ point here, that in sharing with those in need, we are building an unfailing treasure in heaven that the stock market fluctuations cannot touch.
“You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour." Jesus tells us. You must dressed and ready for action, like those servants who are ready for their master’s return at any time, waiting at the door with lamps lit. We don’t know when Jesus is coming back, we don’t know when our lives will end, but we do know that to be prepared, to be dressed and ready for action means that we must open our hearts to others and truly care for them, sharing our very possessions and wealth with them. For in doing so, we are storing up treasures in heaven that will last for eternity. What are you waiting for? Go get dressed!
Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
© 2007 Laura E. Gentry
August 12, 2007
by Pastor Laura Gentry
Luke 12:32-40
Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. "But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."(NRSV)
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
When you know that company is coming to visit, it is amazing how much you can get done in a few hours. The house can get dusted and vacuumed, the plants watered, the junk mail thrown out or tucked away, the beds made, the laundry put away and whatever other cleanup tasks are necessary. You can be all ready and dressed appropriately, awaiting your guests—that is, of course, if you know that they’re coming. Of course, not all guests announce themselves ahead of time. I hate it when someone pops by and my house is not ready to receive visitors, or I still have bed head and look a mess and have no food or beverages to serve. During the week our youth were at camp, I rode along with Ethan and Matt and the rest of the “River Boaters” for a day. On our boat, was the Bible camp counselor, Marlene, from the African nation of Liberia. She told me that in her country, unexpected house guests always stop by. Africans have a great sense of community and so one should always expect the unexpected and have some extra food on hand to serve.
In Jesus’ day, servants were to be ever ready for their master’s return. When a householder went away, the servants were supposed to get the house in perfect order and have their lamps lit, anxiously awaiting his return. If he had gone to a wedding banquet, he may be gone for days, as such occasions were celebrated for up to a week or more. If he returned and found the servants sleeping, or their lamps extinguished, he would think little of the servants and they would not be given positions of favor in his household. So good servants would keep a constant vigil, with their lamps lit and their eyes fixed upon the door—absolutely ready for the master’s return.
In today’s gospel text, Jesus tells his disciples a parable of slaves that are, indeed, ready for their master’s return. He says, “Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.” This is a shocking role reversal—for the master to fasten up his belt and serve the servants! The rich will serve the poor! This was unheard of. Yet Jesus tells them that this is the reward for being prepared, dressed and ready for action. Obviously the point of this story is to be ready.
Then, he urges the disciples to also be ready—dressed for action, with their lamps lit. He doesn’t mean this physically—he means it spiritually. For Jesus is going away after his resurrection, but will return one day to claim his followers and so they must be ready. He tells them a secret: he will come at a time that no one is expecting him. Therefore, we should always expect him.
Books like the “Left Behind” series get very caught up with Jesus’ return—fictionally imagining exactly what it will be like. Other groups and televangelists try to pinpoint just when we should expect Jesus’ return. Obviously, all the previous predictions have been wrong. So why do people keep predicting the exact time of the end of the world? Probably because we’re afraid. We want to know when it will be so we can be ready, so we won’t be “left behind”! But Jesus has told us that he simply will not tell us the precise time that he’s coming back so we’ve got to expect him when we’re least expecting him. In other words, we should always be ready.
What about you? Are you dressed and ready for action? If Jesus showed up, or you were to die this very day, would you be ready? Really ready? How are you going to get dressed for this eventuality? What does God expect of us? The good news is that Jesus tells us in this scripture. In fact, he gives us a specific checklist.
The first thing on the list is “Sell your possessions, and give alms.” Now, I am sure you’ve given alms—you’ve put change in the Salvation Army bucket at Christmas time when you heard the bell ringer and your probably give things here and there when you run across someone in need. Giving alms is no sweat—we usually have a bit of extra change to give. The problem is that Jesus prefaced the “give alms” commandment with “Sell your possessions.” Do you know anyone who ever sold all their possessions?
As I thought about this command, I thought, “no one would ever do that.” But then I remembered about an art project called “All My Life For Sale.” Filmmaker John D. Freyer did exactly what Jesus tells us to do here, he sold all his possessions. Upon completing his graduate studies at Iowa State University, he invited his friends over to his house to help him tag all of his possessions, which he systematically posted and sold on the popular Ebay website. His point was to explore our relationship to the objects around us, their role in our identity, as well as the emerging role of the internet. To date, John Freyer has sold more than 600 items including his favorite records, a full size office copier, personal photographs, his side burns (in a plastic bag), the Christmas presents he’d bought for his family (and hadn’t yet given them), and his winter coat (in the middle of the winter). Every item began bidding at one dollar. When the auction had ended, he sent each buyer details about his project and requested updates from them on their new object and posted these updates—including written feedback and photographs of Freyer's former possessions in their new homes—into his website, www.allmylifeforsale.com, which he also ended up selling.
As I read about Freyer’s project I didn’t find any reference to this Lukan passage, but I am rather impressed at the level of media coverage Freyer got—he was all over the talk show circuit, written up in presses around the world and got a book deal out of it. Freyer simply did what Jesus suggested everyone do. But since most people would never dream of selling all their possessions, especially the ones they love, Freyer is considered a visionary—an outlandishly creative artist. Museums have purchased items he sold on Ebay and put them in their permanent art collections. At the University of Iowa, I saw his false teeth!
Many people have discussed this mandate of Jesus’ to sell our possessions and give alms. Does he mean we have to be like Freyer and literally sell everything we own? I think the heart of what he was getting at is that he doesn’t want us to just give our spare change. He doesn’t want us only offering our leftovers. He is talking about giving a significant amount to those in need—enough that the sacrifice can be felt.
Do you ever stop and take a close look at your bank statement at the end of the month? Where does your money go? Probably most checks written are for your bills, but how much is given to the the work of God through church and charities? Is there a balance between your needs and your neighbor’s needs? They say your checkbook is your financial faith statement, which means to say that where you spend your money demonstrates what you value. If you love traveling, then you spend money on vacations, if you like collectible items, you spend money on those. This is what Jesus meant when he told them, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What you truly love—there you will spend your hard-earned cash.
But it also works in reverse. What you spend your money on, you will come to love, with the one exception of taxes. That’s why the bible recommends tithing to the church—giving ten percent of your income. That is a significant enough portion that you can usually feel it. And when you give this portion of money to God, your heart will follow. In time, it causes your priorities to shift from earthly to heavenly ones. God’s will, not our culture’s values, will be what matters to you. If you haven’t tried tithing yet, then give it a shot. See for yourself how God can use this act of faith to change your heart in a most magnificent way.
The next thing on Jesus’ get-dressed checklist is: “Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven.” Again, Jesus is on about letting go of our treasures of earth. That’s how to be dressed and ready for his return. That’s how we can make room for the Spirit in our hearts.
There is a legend from the first century about the disciple Thomas—you know, the famous doubting Thomas. After he got over his doubt, he went off to do mission work in India. Thomas was employed by the local king Gundaphorus to build a new palace, and he was given money to buy materials and hire workmen. Thomas gave the money to the poor, but always assured the king that his palace was rising steadily. The king became suspicious when Thomas kept putting off his requests to see the work in progress and finally sent for Thomas. "Have you built my Palace?" he asked. "Yes", Thomas replied. "Then we shall go and see it now," said the King. Thomas answered: "You can not see it now, but when you depart this life you shall see it. I have built you a palace in heaven by giving your money to the poor and needy of your kingdom."
The King is furious and has Thomas thrown in prison. All night he considers how he should put Thomas to death. But that night, the king's brother dies and sees the kings palace in heaven which has been built by Thomas' charitable work. He makes a request to return to earth. His dead body is suddenly revived; he tells his brother of the magnificent palace awaiting him in heaven. Thomas is freed from prison and the king and his brother become Christians. This legend illustrates Jesus’ point here, that in sharing with those in need, we are building an unfailing treasure in heaven that the stock market fluctuations cannot touch.
“You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour." Jesus tells us. You must dressed and ready for action, like those servants who are ready for their master’s return at any time, waiting at the door with lamps lit. We don’t know when Jesus is coming back, we don’t know when our lives will end, but we do know that to be prepared, to be dressed and ready for action means that we must open our hearts to others and truly care for them, sharing our very possessions and wealth with them. For in doing so, we are storing up treasures in heaven that will last for eternity. What are you waiting for? Go get dressed!
Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
© 2007 Laura E. Gentry
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