Reminding God to do the Right Thing!

Jack Miles’ book, God: A Biography, was first released in 1996.  In it he examines what the bible says about God through a very specific lens; not one used by a theologian to ponder lofty ideas or one used by a historian to check for accuracy and verifiable details, but a lens used by a literary critic to ask how God as a character is developed as the story unfolds.  Such an approach is not easy to take, says Miles, because of our tendency to read into every chapter the knowledge of God we already have from episodes in the bible’s future.  When you first read a book, attend a play, or watch a movie, each character develops from scene to scene as more and more information and insight is shared.  But if you have read the book before, already attended the play, or are seen the movie multiple times, you bring to each scene all that you have learned about a character from previous readings, performances, or showings.

So, according to Miles, when we hear today’s reading from the Book of Genesis, which occurs only 18 chapters into the bible, we bring to it everything we know of God from the Exodus and the Psalms and the prophets and the Gospels and the writings of Paul and the Book of Revelation.  Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but Miles wanted to explore what the bible tells us about God if we approach it as an unfolding work of literature.

And what he sees in these early chapters of Genesis is a depiction of God who calls forth creation and then creates human beings not for company and not to receive worship, but to be an image of God’s own self.  Initially, human beings express this image chiefly through procreation and productivity.  The effort, as you no doubt know, sours quickly with the story of the apple, Cain slaying his brother, and a general state of wickedness that culminates with the flood where only Noah and his family are saved. 

God, as a literary character, always seems to be surprised by these turn of events; caught off guard by human behavior, if you will, and placed in a position of having to respond ‘on the fly.’  This is not the picture of St. Paul’s God who, from before the beginning of time, has been working out a cosmic plan of salvation.  It is a picture of God with strong feelings for creation that swing between passionate love and deep regret.

And at this point in the story’s development we come to Abraham – a person God deems as righteous.  It is during this act when Abraham’s character is on the stage that we read today’s Old Testament lesson.  God “hears” of the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, but must see in person whether it is true or not.

Now, it might be worth noting how, in the Book of Genesis, God’s character appears on stage in ways that are different from the acts that follow.  Here God visits Abraham in the form of three men who are in fact angels who somehow are God.  The men leave for the notorious cities in order to discern what has been going on and Abraham is left standing with God in conversation.  Believe me, at this point, it is refreshing to read the Bible as literature rather than theology (where you have to make sense of what it means) or as history (where you have to figure out how it actually happened).

Abraham posses a very simple question: “Suppose the men down there are as wicked as you have heard.  Will you sweep away the righteous just to get rid of the wicked?”  “What if there are 50 righteous people?  45?  40?  30?  20?  10?”  Finally God seems to tire of Abraham’s line of questioning and simply walks away.  But in the process Abraham has born the image of God; an image yet to be revealed in the literary development.  Abraham reminds God that God is just, measured, and merciful.

All in all, I think it is fair to characterize the conversation between Abraham and God as being a forerunner to prayer, but it does not look much like the kind of prayer we offer this morning or that I, for one, typically pray.  In worship we offer collects and Eucharistic liturgy.  They are reasoned, articulate, and adoring expressions of our gratitude, our intercession, and our awe.  My own personal prayers tend to offer loved ones to God’s care and keeping.  What I ask for them and for myself is the strength and ability to accept all that comes our way.  But Abraham’s prayer is different.  It is more akin to a debate and in this debate Abraham gets the better of God. 

At the very least, Abraham assumes the future has yet to be determined and even if God is bent on going down a particular path God still can be persuaded to change course and move in a different direction.  I grew up in a faith setting that saw God as sitting beyond time and time itself was something like a giant movie.  For us, we live in the moment; seeing only the particular image as it is being played out on the screen of human history.  But for God the film is unrolled and every image is laid out beginning to end before God.  This perspective creates a spiritual challenge.  How and why should one pray?  If the next scene is already set then what is the point of praying for anything other to happen?  Within this spirituality the most effective prayer, and perhaps the most pleasing prayer to God, is “Thy will be done” – “As you wish” – “Let it happen.” 

Think how differently Abraham approaches God early in the human drama: “God, let’s talk about what is going to happen next because I have a few ideas on the matter.”  And through this prayer Abraham is able to convince God to act in a way different from what God intends.  This perspective on God and prayer gives a unique and empowering emphasis to the teaching Jesus offers to His followers, “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” 

Why should you pray?  If you ask someone who conceives of God as being like the person with the entire film rolled out before him, he will tell you to pray because God likes it when you ask… even though it won’t change the outcome.  But if you were to ask Abraham, he would tell you to pray because it makes a difference in how things unfold.  “Sometimes,” he might say, “God needs to be reminded to do the right thing.”

Now, I am not suggesting (nor does Jack Miles suggest) that we view God as being only a literary figure or as being only like the literary figure of the early Genesis stories.  Holy Scripture provides a multi-faceted image of God who is, among other things, both immutable and open to change.  What I am suggesting is that in our prayer life we have permission, though I personally do not often take advantage of it often, to approach God with very specific, concrete proposals and ideas:

Ask: Lord, my friend is in the hospital following a massive heart attack and his daughter is going to be married in two weeks.  Will you, who hears the cries of all, please grant him relief and make it possible for him to be at the wedding.

Seek: Lord, my brother has caused me much harm that he can neither see nor acknowledge.  Will you please teach me how to confront him that he might amend his life and not do wrong to others as he has done wrong to me.

Knock: Lord, so many innocent people are dying on the streets of our country and hatred and violence are on the rise.  Please watch over us and send forth your Holy Spirit to impart peace, respect, and understanding.

Today’s readings invite us to embolden our prayers, believing the future is open and God is interested in our input.

Listen Up!

Martha!  Martha!  Martha!  Why is everybody always picking on Martha?  She is a doer in a world where things need to get done.  In today’s reading from Luke we are told she has many tasks to accomplish after visitors arrive unannounced.  There is food to prepare, dishes to serve, accommodations to arrange.  We saw in the reading from Genesis a wonderful example of how hospitality is highly valued in the culture.  Martha is doing something as old as the bible itself – making her guests feel welcome. 

But her sister Mary?  Well, not so much.  She is sitting at Jesus’ feet – a traditional posture for a disciple.  She is not doing anything, only listening.  By praising her over her task-oriented sister, Jesus says the most important thing any one of us has to do is to listen to him.  Mary gets what Peter had to be told on the mountain at the Transfiguration: “While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.  Listen to him!’”

Bishop Hollerith, in a communication with our diocese this week, highlighted the importance of listening in today’s world.  He wrote, “it is not always clear what, if anything, we might do to make a difference” in response to the shootings in Orlando, Minnesota, and Dallas.  He goes on to suggest three ‘spiritual postures’ which are helpful when “faced with social tragedy and conflict”:

·   First, he says, pray!  “Prayer,” our bishop writes, “is the stance we Christians take in the face of our own powerlessness.  It is our unceasing faith in the power of God to create healing opportunity.”

·   Next on his list, listen!  Bishop Hollerith contends (as do I) “we live in a society where people are generally far more interested in asserting their opinions than listening to what others have to say.”  He instructs, “As Christians, we must demonstrate an alternative way of being in the world, one that values openness to the experiences of others and acknowledges that the truth is usually a multifold reality.  In particular, deep listening involves paying close attention to the stories of those who differ from us.  And a listening posture helps create an environment where healing and reconciliation are possible.”

·   Finally, Bishop Holly says we are to speak!  He writes, “God calls every one of us to speak against injustice as we experience it in the day to day, ordinary contexts of our lives.”  “This is especially important to do,” he says, “when we hear others - even those who are close to us - articulate hate or indifference or prejudice - the very tinder of social violence.”

So lets spend some time thinking about the value of listening. 

It seems to me one of the best compliments a person can be paid is this: he/she is a good listener.  Scott Peck, the author of The Road Less Traveled, holds “you cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.”  Far from being a passive endeavor, now more than ever listening is hard work.  It requires us to turn off our multi-tasking mentality, to set aside our own personal agenda, and to suspend our own judgments in order to be completely available to another person. 

Stephen Covey, who wrote The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, observes “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”  Turn on any news talk show and you will discover people of differing opinions talking at (and over) one another, but never listening.  Our encounters with one another should open up our world and enlarge our perspective because it is only through listening we learn.  If we listen only with the intent to counter our world remains smaller and our perspective more narrow.  It stays confined to our own experience and understanding.

The most valuable thing we do at our monthly meeting of Suffolk Clergy United is to listen to one pastor tell his or her story.  And because we are an interracial group founded after the church shooting last summer in Charleston, we invite each person to focus on his or her experience of race. 

At last Monday’s meeting an African-American pastor shared his story of growing up in Jefferson Davis’ hometown in Kentucky.  Years and years ago his grandfather’s brother was charged with looking at a white woman and arrested.  That night a mob descended upon the jail, took him out into the public square, and lynched him.  He talked about what it was like to be a star basketball player on a high school team whose mascot was a rebel who ran around the gym waving a Confederate flag.  He spoke with pride about enlisting in the Marines and being placed in charge of his platoon.  He talked about his call to the ministry and the great clergy he served under before coming to the church he presently pastors. 

The simple act of “sitting at his feet” has changed how I will view him going forward and it has changed me.  He gave a gift to me and to the other pastors present and all we had to do to receive it was to listen.

The psychologist Karl Menniger observed,

“Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force.  The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward.  When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.”  

I think this is exactly what is happening in our group of clergy. 

Brené Brown says, “If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can’t survive.”  To shame I would add naked racism.  What our country needs to do right now if stop, pray, and listen to one another.  If we do this then how we speak and how we act will change.  Don’t take my word for it.  It comes straight from Jesus.  He said to Martha that Mary has chosen the better thing, so quite busying yourself with all of your distractions and make some time to listen. 

I agree with President Obama when he says America is not as divided as it appears, but I would add we are more distant one to another than we imagine.  It is possible to be more emotionally connected to a person a thousand miles away who you have never met than to any person living within a thousand feet of you.  As I said last week the most effective place for us to make change is right here in our local community. 

I hope in the coming weeks and months our interracial clergy group will continue to grow together and then find ways to invite our flocks to join us as we grow in authentic Christian fellowship.  Do you know what our next big move is?  Can I let you on our grand idea to begin the transformation America so desperately craves?  It does not involve translating original Greek, chanting biblical laments in the public square, or channeling the lives of saints who have come before.  No.  It is even bigger than all this.  We have rented a park shelter to come together on a Saturday afternoon in September for a cookout!  “What should we say” one pastor asked, “when people ask us what we are doing to change Suffolk?”  I said, “Tell them we are planning a cookout!” 

Pray for us – not because we can’t get along.  We can.  Pray for us because we clergy are used to showing up at parish pot-lucks and feeding off the casseroles of others as we listen to the cares and concerns of the various members of our flock.  I dare say for me it will be the first cookout in years where I better bring something good to eat!  Pray for me!

The writer Ralph Nichols contends, “The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood [and the] best way to understand people is to listen to them.”  Bryant McGill adds, “One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.”  So yes, I hope folks like the salad or side dish I bring to the cookout, but even more important I hope they sense I want to listen to them.

Where and when can you listen to another person, especially a person whose experience is completely different from yours – especially and including the experience of race?  One of the great opportunities of our time is how the horrific events of the past few weeks, months, and years, have opened the door to honest conversation and listening.  This kind of conversation is not about proving I am right while you are wrong.  Rather, it looks like the honest sharing of one’s story and respectful, empathic listening.  Who might you reach out to to invite into conversation?  Now more than ever, people are open to the risk of being honest if and when they sense even slightly the other person sincerely wants to listen in order to learn.  Where can you begin?

Forty Doors

Who is my neighbor?  Did you know every religious tradition explores this question?  What does that tell you?  It says to me we sense deeply the importance of our connection to one another.  It says we are trying to figure out what we owe to each other (when do I give too much of myself and when do I give too little?).  And it says we believe God has a stake in all of this – that God cares about how we treat one another.

The Quran has much to say about one’s relationship with one’s neighbor. 

“Do good: to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbors who are near, neighbors who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer” that you meet.  (Quran 4:36)

Years ago I heard an Iman speak and remember him saying the Quran teaches your neighbor is anyone who lives within forty doors of your house in any direction.  A Muslim’s duty to a neighbor includes the following:

§ You must help him if he asks for your help.

§ Give him relief if he seeks your relief.

§ Lend to him if he needs a loan.

§ Do not block his air by raising your building high without his permission.

§ Do not harass him.

§ Give him a share when you buy fruits; if you do not, quietly bring inside what you buy and do not let your children take them out to excite the jealousy of his children.

§ You must visit (and take care of) him when he is ill.

§ You must attend his funeral when he dies (and take part in burial arrangements).

§ If he commits a sin, prevent it from being known.

§ Congratulate him if he meets with good fortune.

§ Grieve in sympathy if a calamity befalls him.

A part of me warms to the specificity of these teachings and it certainly would be a challenge to treat everyone within forty doors of my house in the manner put forward by the Quran, but at least I would have a prescribed area on which to focus.

It fascinates me that Jesus took a much more nebulous approach with his answer to the question “Who is my neighbor” – especially given he was responding to a lawyer (and we all know how lawyers like language that buttons down the details of every possibility).  I think the lawyer would have loved it if Jesus’ answer was every person within forty doors.  The teaching method of the parable doesn’t do that.  It is fluid, even shocking.  It cannot be contained to one single instruction.  Parables have the remarkable ability to speak in a new way to every new situation.  We are not left simply to count doors, but rather must always ask what the Parable of the Good Samaritan might say to a specific event in our lives.

We gather this morning as the names Philando Castile and Alton Sterling have been added to a list that includes Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and Darrius Stewart.   And we gather today remembering…

§ Brent Thompson, age 43.  He was a grandfather, of whom one teacher at middle school where he worked said “he was simply one of the best human beings I have ever known.” 

§ Patrick Zamarripa, age 32.  He was a veteran of two tours of duty in Iraq.  One person described him as “a ‘gentleman’ who loved America.”

§ Michael Krol, age 40.  A family member said he was “a wonderful son, brother, uncle, nephew and friend.”

§ Michael Smith, age 55.  He was a husband and father of two young girls.  A member of the church he attended said Michael “exemplified Christ in the way he loved, cared for, engaged with and ultimately laid down his life for others.”

§ Lorne Ahrens, age 48.  He was a husband and father of 8 & 10 year old children.  Some time back a person posted this about him on the police review website RateMyCop: “You are doing a great job dectective Ahrens, keep up the good work and stay safe!!!!”

We hold in our prayers each of these Dallas police officers ambushed in the line of duty and we pray for those who were injured, including Omar Cannon, Misty McBride, Jesus Retana, and Shetamia Taylor.  And we pray for their loved ones who have experienced an unthinkable loss.

I suppose there are a number of ways to examine the events of this past week through the lens of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, but my focus is on priest and the Levite who saw what had happened and passed on by.  What does it look like to pass by the events of this past week?  Jesus’ parable suggests we have a neighborly obligation to engage these shootings, but how? 

Last month Suffolk Clergy United invited Thomas Bennett, Suffolk’s Chief of Police, to speak at our meeting.  We wanted to learn more about policing protocols in our own community and what the department is doing in the wake of Ferguson and other police shootings.  Chief Bennett talked with us about the department’s evaluation system, how it reviews questionable police work, discipline officers, and trains for appropriate behavior.  He told us the single best new “tool” they have is the individual police officer’s body camera.  Each officer knows he or she is being recorded and this helps with accountability.  It also moderates the behavior of citizens engaged by the officer.  They know they are being recorded and as a result are both more likely to behave appropriately and less likely to fabricate a complaint against the officer.  I came away from the conversation better educated and feeling comfortable with how Suffolk’s police department functions in our community. 

I now have a second question about policing, perhaps some of you know the answer.  What, if anything, is being done to educate citizens about the proper way to respond to a police officer, especially when you have been pulled over for a traffic stop?  Every citizen ought to know how to behave and this education needs to begin at a young age.  A mother in Suffolk – regardless of her race – ought to feel confident her child will be safe if he or she simply responds to a police officer in a courteous and cooperative manner. 

Here is another question: does the Suffolk Police Department promote culture of accountability?  By this I mean, are good police officers able to report on the actions of a bad police officer or are they encouraged to turn a blind eye?  Now, more than ever, the safety of good police officers depends on it. 

Many people are saying now more than ever we need to come together as a nation.  I share in this sentiment, but have little ability to affect what happens in cities and communities across our country.  The wisdom of the Muslim teaching suggests each of us can do much to influence what happens within forty doors of where we live. 

The characters Jesus chose for his parable had startling differences.  The priest and the Levite had much in common with the victim, but decided not to get involved.  The Samaritan was a shocking choice to be the hero of Jesus’ story.  Samaritans where hated half-breeds looked down upon by the Jews.  Their religion taught them to avoid Samaritans at all costs.  The lawyer asked Jesus “Who is my neighbor” and what Jesus gave him was not a teaching that says “him, him, her, and her, but not them”, but rather a timeless, instructive, vivid portrait of what it looks like to be a neighbor.

Karoline Lewis, a Lutheran biblical scholar, wrote a very thoughtful reflection on today’s reading.  Here is a part of what she posted:

What if the Samaritan was good because he simply made the choice to come near the [wounded man] in the ditch?  To approach him?  To decrease the distance between him and the man clearly in need of help?

What if eternal life might also be known, here and now and in this place, in nearness, not remoteness?  In proximity, not reserve?  In deciding to be closer, and not looking for ways to push away?

We expend a lot of energy in our lives toward decided detachment, disengagement, and disenfranchisement…

In the end, the Good Samaritan comes near as one who knows the Kingdom is near.  And the Kingdom of God comes near when we do the same.

What might it look like to come near to every person who lives within forty doors of your house?  What might it look like to create deeper, more meaningful experiences with churches within forty doors of our red doors?  As violence more and more permeates our society, what does it look like to choose to be not just a neighbor, but a ‘good’ neighbor in our community?  Isn’t this what we feel is slipping away in our country?  Isn’t this what our faith calls us to explore?  Isn’t this what Jesus calls us to do? 

The Invitation to Harvest

A woman is planning to visit her husband stationed in Germany with the military.  Checking in at the airport, the ticket agent asks the standard security questions.  “Did anyone give you a package you yourself did not pack?”  “Yes,” she answers, “My mother-in-law gave me a package to take to her son.”  The agent pauses, looks up, and gives her a thorough visual inspection.  “Just one more question,” he says.  “Does your mother-in-law like you?”

Without question the thing I dislike most about travelling is packing.  The bad news for those of us here today is no one invited us to a beach house for the holiday weekend.  The good news is we did not have to pack!  The fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg says, “I get ideas about what’s essential when packing my suitcase.”  Perhaps all of this is why I warm up to Jesus’ travel instructions: “Don’t carry a purse, a bag, or sandals.  Just drop everything and go!”

In last week’s gospel reading you will remember the text told us “Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem.”  Everything we will read from that passage forward – including today’s lesson – needs to be understood within this context.  Jesus is on a singular mission and now is the time to act.  He has touched the lives of thousands of people and now he needs his closest followers to fan out across the countryside to tell them the time has come to act.  The kingdom of God is coming near and word needs to get out for everyone to get to Jerusalem.

This effort will not be on-going.  It is a short-term project that requires a huge commitment.  Jesus compares it to a harvest where the community comes together to help a particular farmer bring in his crop.  The work has to be done now.  One or two people alone cannot get it done.  Others must join the effort if it is going to be successful.

You may find two Greek words in the text to be interesting.  The first sentence of the reading states, “The Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead.”  The word used here for “appoint” can also mean to ordain.  It underscores the importance of the task at hand.  The seventy have been set apart to do something vitally important. 

The other word is found in a phrase in the second part of that sentence: Jesus “sent them on ahead.”  The Greek word here for “sent” most often is translated cast out and is used to describe how Jesus commands demons to leave a possessed person.  Again, this unusual usage highlights the urgency of the work at hand.  It needs to be done now.

People in today’s society are becoming more and more reluctant to make a commitment to an on-going activity, but are willing to make a specific commitment to a short-term, intensive project with obvious value.  In church life, this manifests itself in specific ways.  People are reluctant to join the choir because it entails weekly rehearsals and Sunday attendance.  But, as we have seen in the past, we are willing to get our children to a week-long evening music camp.  While a dozen of us can be here on Monday evenings to serve in the Food Pantry, our volunteers swell four-fold when we have our Christmas basket distribution.  Norma Spain has found great success with offering a mid-week bible study program that runs four to eight weeks and then takes a break for a month or two. 

Whatever the down side of all this is, the upside is we are people of the harvest.  We are willing and able to contribute and get involved when it matters most so long as it does not tie us down in perpetuity. 

I see this at play in our capital campaign to raise money for kitchen renovation.  The Vestry, and especially Tom Coxe, have put a lot of time and energy into this project.  They have got us to a point where the harvest is ready and you all are responding with fantastic generosity and enthusiasm.

I also see it at work in our efforts to gear up for next year’s 375^th anniversary celebration.  About 15 of us got together last Wednesday to look at all the old photographs, newspaper clippings, and documents we have stored away.  After two hours of sorting, some organization began to emerge.  We have a lot more work to do, but the harvest of a significant anniversary in our parish’s life is energizing our work.  We have settled in on a slogan for this event and it draws on harvesting imagery: “Connecting with Our Past.  Cultivating our Future.”  This will not be just a trip down memory lane.  Rather, it will shape and mold us into the church we are becoming by reminding us how God has been with us and how the people of God in this place over the years responded to God’s call and presence.

And speaking of the past, here is this week’s nugget from long ago.  It is an announcement from a church bulletin dated April 11, 1948 when the Rev. John Winslow served as rector:

Report of Church Census to be made Sunday Afternoon: This Sunday afternoon at 5 P.M. in the Main Street Methodist Church there will be a service for the report from Mr. John Haloo who directed our recent Church Census in Suffolk.  This should be an interesting report and will probably be rather startling in some of the facts which have been revealed by the census.  It is hoped that we will have a good representation at the service in order to hear this report.

So apparently, area churches came together and our members fanned out across Suffolk knocking on doors to gather information about people’s religious affiliation and habits. 

The next Sunday’s bulletin summed up Rev. Winslow’s thoughts on the findings.  This from the April 18, 1948 bulletin mailed to the home of every member of the parish:

Church Census Shows Surprising Results:  The Church Census completed showed that less than one third of the folk of Suffolk do anything very real about their religion and that about one third of the membership of the Churches carries the burden of the work of the whole group.  Are you a worker or a parasite?  Do you do your share or do you let someone else carry on for you?

Does the word parasite strike you as a bit harsh?  It does me.  I would love to be able to sit down with Rev. Winslow and have a lengthy conversation about his thinking.  He seems to believe that the work of the church is a requirement for all who call themselves Christian.  His focus is on the church as an institution.  I believe the work of the church is an opportunity for a person to live out vows made at baptism.  My focus is on the church as a place of mission.  We center our spiritual life on invitation not demand and I think this is why so many of us at the 10:30 Eucharist are moved by the words, “This is the table of the Lord…  It is the Risen Christ who invites you.  It is the Risen Christ who seeks to meet you here.”

My sense is that when the Lord of the harvest calls for workers to go out into the field, each and every one of you responds.  But keep in mind, keeping the machinery of the church as an institution running – while being important and necessary – is not necessarily the same thing as harvesting.  God’s work is not contained within the four brick walls that frame our church property.  In fact, much of the harvesting we are called to do takes place after we leave this place.

I was reminded of this Friday evening when, in the midst of a drenching rain storm, I got a call from the church telling me water was leaking in from a particular window.  I looked out my front door at the deluge and noticed a mother with three small children taking shelter under the canopy in the Baptist Church parking lot.  As the rain eased up, I grabbed my umbrella and headed here to inspect the window.  But first I went over to check on the family, suspecting perhaps their car was nearby but it was raining too hard for them to get to it.

I learned this was not the case.  They had no car, have only been in town for a couple of days, and had been waiting for an hour for a friend who was going to give them a ride to McDonalds to get some food.  It was now after seven in the evening.  I got my car, brought them here, loaded them up with a variety of items from our Food Pantry, and drove them home.  They were very appreciative.  The mother told me that just before I arrived one of her children said a prayer asking God to stop the rain and help them.  That’s when I showed up.

Now you have to be in a pretty bad state of affairs for me to be the answer to your prayers!  But I can’t tell you how grateful I was to be able to do something so easy that meant so much.  Being a part of God’s harvesting work is like that.  Most often you get out of it much more than you put in.  That is certainly true of my experience on Friday evening.

St. Paul’s has been around for 374 years not because clergy shamed the “parasites” into participating, but because hundreds upon hundreds of faithful men and women responded to a call to the harvest.  One of the greatest blessings I can hope and pray for each one of us is that the Lord of the harvest might ask you to go out to work in the field.

All In!

In July of 2014, in an article announcing he was going to return to play basketball with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James stated “In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given.  Everything is earned.  You work for what you have.  I’m ready to accept the challenge.  I’m coming home.”  And last week, while I was on vacation in Ohio, the kid from Akron – my hometown – accomplished what he set out to do.  He won a championship for the people of Northeast Ohio.  The phrase “Nothing is given.  Everything is earned.” was everywhere: on billboards, t-shirts, and bumper stickers.  It perfectly describes the mindset of so many hard-working people in that area.  And while the theologian in me wants to criticize it as not accounting for grace, the Akronite in me understands no one is going to hand you a championship simply because you show up.  You have to earn it.

In this morning’s gospel reading we learn that Jesus has “set his face to go to Jerusalem.”  That is an interesting phrase, isn’t it.  Nothing will be given as he makes his way to the Cross.  Everything will be earned.  Jesus is determined.  He is resolute and focused.  He knows what it will cost.  Everything about his life from this point forward – what he eats, where he sleeps, the path he walks, the words he speaks – will be intentional; done to get him to Jerusalem.  His face is set.  Have you ever known a person like this, a person with a singular focus in life?  Have you ever had a mission like this yourself?

Jesus encounters three people on his way.  The first wants to follow him.  Jesus describes the cost: “You will have nowhere to lay your head” (You will never again have a place to call home).  He invites the second person to follow him, but that person says he must first bury his father.  “Let the dead bury the dead,” Jesus says.  “Go now and proclaim the kingdom.”  A third person promises to follow Jesus anywhere, but first wants to go home and say goodbye.  “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” 

These three sayings, peppered with hyperbole, suggest that when it comes to responding to God, as with life itself, nothing is given, everything is earned.  The path to success, the path to fruitfulness, the path to faithfulness is the path of hard work.  No one can do it for you.  You must do it yourself.  If you never apply yourself you will never succeed.  If you are not determined, you will not overcome.  If you are not committed you will never accomplish anything of significance. 

These are timeless lessons that speak to our faith as well as to our lives.  You cannot have a rich spiritual life if you do not attend to prayer, to worship, and to learning, and to reflection.  Your life cannot be a witness to others if you are not dedicated to being who God created you to be.  You cannot be a blessing to others if you do not allow God to bless you. 

In the weeks leading up to the Cavaliers winning the championship a second expression took hold among the people of Northeast Ohio: “All in!”  It became the way to proclaim you are completely invested in the Cav’s team.  And that is no small or easy thing to do for us who are Cleveland sports fans.  We have endured so many heartaches and disappointments over the years.  We have learned the hard way that the safest way forward is to keep yourself at arm’s length from your teams.  They can’t break your heart if you don’t give it to them.  “All in” exposes you.  It makes you vulnerable.  It opens you to the possibility of hurt.  But it offers you something you will never get playing it safe: the reward of being in relationship with those beyond yourself.

In today’s Old Testament lesson we learn of Elisha, a farmer who becomes “all in”.  Over the past few weeks we have been reading about the prophet Elijah and we have seen how for him nothing was given, everything was earned.  Today he approaches Elisha and casts his cloak upon him; signaling to the plower he is now to be a prophet.  How “all in” is Elisha?  He slaughters his oxen, breaks up the wood of their yoke and plow, starts a fire, boils the meat, and gives it his neighbors to eat.  Clearly he is not going back to plowing.  He is “all in”.

When you called me in 2007 to serve as the rector of this parish, the stock market had crashed and the housing bubble had burst.  The economy was in rough shape and everyone felt it.  Many of you had to cut back and make sacrifices in all areas of your life.  It impressed me greatly how every person here without fail made it a priority to maintain a commitment to giving to the church.  If you had to scale back you did it with other charitable contributions, but not here.  It is a sign you are “all in.” 

We are only a few weeks into to our capital fund drive for kitchen renovation, but already it demonstrates what “all in” is all about.  Gifts and pledges are closing in on our goal and we should be able to raise additional funds to handle the inevitable unforeseen expenses of a project like this one.  Our slogan has been “Working Together We Can” and because you are “all in” “We Will!”

Here is my favorite little nugget from reading Vestry minutes this past week.  It comes from the September 10, 1980 meeting:

John Cross reported that coffee expenses for the summer months were less.  He suggested that the use of instant coffee be continued for a while to eliminate the wasted coffee that is always thrown away when coffee is made in the big coffee pot.

Now, to the uninitiated eye, this may seem to be trivial, like nit-picking, like focusing on the tree at the expense of the forest.  It may hardly seem like the high call to put but your hand to the plow and not look back.  But I see it as an example of what “all in” looks like.  It recognizes that the principle work of the parish is to worship God.  Hospitality – how we welcome people as they come to worship – is essential.  Coffee makes people feel welcome.  It is also a resource of which we are called to be good stewards.  And Mr. Cross never would have thought about saving money on coffee if he didn’t care about the church.  Sure, it is a small thing, but small things matter.  You get this if you are “all in”.  You get this if you know everything is earned. 

And, by the way, this was recorded in the Vestry minutes seven months later:

Stanley Leicester reported that Folger’s, a new brand of coffee, was purchased and now [is] being served in the fellowship hall.

Apparently, the cheapest way is not always the best way, but this sounds like a theme for another sermon.

Cleveland is a different community today than it was just one week ago.  We who are from there now refer to it with new pride as “Believeland.”  Northeast Ohio has found a new faith in itself and what it can accomplish.  People of all ages have a role model who demonstrates how hard work and commitment pay off. 

Jesus was right: you can’t put your hand to the plow and look back.  Elisha knew what he was doing: don’t even allow yourself to be distracted.  In life, nothing is given.  Everything is earned.  Are you “all in”?

 

The Steward of a Vineyard

Today’s Old Testament reading continues to focus on the life and times of the prophet Elijah.  Today’s story about Naboth’s vineyard is a cautionary tale about the misuse of power.  It is contemporary in every sense of the word as we still live in a world where despots (and/or those close to them) will use the authority entrusted to them (or, in some cases, taken by them) to get what they want by any means necessary.  Surely Naboth stands as a victim.  But there is much more to him and that is what I want to explore with you.  To me, before Jezebel manipulates his stoning, Naboth is an inspirational figure who embodies what it means to be a godly and goodly steward of what has been entrusted to him. 

Ancestral land was deeply valued in Israel.  It was a gift from God who commanded the people to “take possession of the land.”  The book of Deuteronomy describes the land of Israel as an “inheritance from the Lord.”  If you want to twist your tongue into a knot, go home, open your bible to the Book of Joshua, and read aloud chapters 13-21.  It describes with great specificity the boundaries between one tribe’s region and another.  This exacting detail points to the sacred nature of the land given by God who orders a census be taken and the land divided among the people.  The Book of Numbers describes which person received what lot (again, it is a tongue twister to read aloud).  It matters to God that each and every person has a plot of land.

If you own the deed to your property, it indicates on it that the land is not yours.  It may surprise you to learn you are leasing your property from the state.  The people of Israel owned their land.  It passed from one generation to another.  It was understood not so much to be a legal right as it was held to be a gift from God.  The writer of the 16^th Psalm says:

O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; *

it is you who uphold my lot.

The Old Testament contains several admonitions against moving a property marker because it was both a theft against the owner and a sin against God.  God directs Israel to have a Jubilee every fifty years where land that had been sold for purposes of survival was to be returned to its original ancestral owner.

So at one level, when Ahab approaches Naboth about trading or selling his land he is asking him to forsake what God has entrusted to him and Naboth will have none of it.  His commitment is to what God has given to him.  It is more important than money or moving up in the world.  He does not want cash nor does he want to trade up for a better lot.

What has God entrusted to you?  Your spouse, if you are married.  Your children and grandchildren.  Parents, if they are still alive.  Siblings.  It is easy to let other things get in the way of family.  Perhaps you have received an inheritance or a trust fund.  While resources such as this should be enjoyed, good stewardship demands you do not consume it, but rather shepherd it wisely so that it can be passed on to the next generation.  The good you can do with what you have is more significant than the myriad of ways you might spend it frivolously.

As I have mentioned, I am in the midst of reading through our church’s historical documents and as I do so I come away with a deeper sense of how this parish has been entrusted to us by 18-some generations of faithful people before us.  We are stewards of an impressive legacy of faith and far from being a burden, it gives us a sense of perspective and purpose.  What we do here matters, not only for today, but also for generations to come.  What has God entrusted to you?

God entrusted a vineyard to Naboth.  We are not told if the vineyard was started by Naboth or by one of his ancestors, but surely it required a great deal of work and care.  The PH of the soil has to be just right.  There is planting and pruning and training and trimming.  It can take up to three years before a new plant can yield grapes.  It is no small undertaking, especially when compared to the vegetable garden the king wants to plant.

The writings of Wendell Berry reminds me of the importance land holds for each of us.  Listen to his poem The Man Born to Farming:

The grower of trees, the gardener, the man born to farming, whose hands reach into the ground and sprout, to him the soil is a divine drug.  He enters into death yearly, and comes back rejoicing.  He has seen the light lie down in the dung heap, and rise again in the corn.  His thought passes along the row ends like a mole.  What miraculous seed has he swallowed that the unending sentence of his love flows out of his mouth like a vine clinging in the sunlight, and like water descending in the dark?

Berry writes about how when we are thinking about ‘the environment’ we have made a division between it and ourselves:

Our land passes in and out of our bodies just as our bodies pass in and out of our land; that as we and our land are part of one another, so all who are living as neighbors here, human and plant and animal, are part of one another, and so cannot possibly flourish alone.

Naboth is a person who understands this: the spirituality of place – how a specific place shapes and sustains us.  Just as it cares for us, we have a responsibility to care for it.  Without this connection we are diminished; we are lost.  Do you have a place like this? 

We live in a transient society that creates a sense of rootlessness.  I have moved a staggering twenty-six times in my life, and while several of these involved going to college and coming back ‘home’ for the summer, I sense how modern mobility has had an affect of me – some for good, some for ill.  Are you spiritually connected to your ‘place’?  How might you build and deepen a relationship with where you?

Naboth’s ‘place’ meant something to him spiritually and this, as well as an allegiance to inheritance, were factors in why he would not sell or trade.  There is one more component.  Ahab’s palace in Jezreel was a rather new addition to the community and served as his winter headquarters.  No doubt others sold their land to the king so he could build it.  Far from being a private transaction, this kind of decision affected the entire community.  The sale or exchange of property altered the social fabric of Jezreel. 

We are not told, but let’s assume, Naboth’s vineyard is the only one in the region.  He supplies wine not only for his household but for many of his friends and neighbors.  They, in turn, give to him from what they produce – wheat and honey and milk, etc.  If it isn’t produced locally it is brought in either from far away (at a cost) or done without.  Who knows what the community lost when the king bought the land for his palace, but it definitely had an impact.  Naboth was not willing to have his vineyard removed from the local economy and life of his friends and neighbors.

To be a good Christian steward is to have a place in the community.  This encompasses the work you do and the integrity with which you do it.  It involves how and where and why and when you connect with others.  It involves how you use what is yours to benefit others.  Christian stewards gratefully and faithfully accept their role in the community.  Where and how do you fit in?

Ahab is the antithesis of all this.  He has no respect for the inheritance God has given to each and every person he rules.  He wants Naboth’s lot merely because it is convenient, sitting next to his winter palace.  He cares little about the spirituality of place as he pouts and refuses to eat.  And he wants to isolate himself from the community around him: if he grows his own vegetables he will not need to go to the local farmer’s market every Saturday.

And Jezebel, well, she is even worse.  Her most obvious offense is setting up the scheme to take Naboth’s life.  Less obvious, but equally as telling, once Naboth is out of the way, she implores Ahab to “take possession of the land”.  It mimics the very phrase God speaks in promising the land to the people of Israel and thus usurps God’s rightful place and promise.  

In the end this sad story is a reminder that goodness is not necessarily a protection from evil and harm.  Naboth’s reward for being a good and godly steward is found completely within the context of being a good and godly steward.  He is not delivered from his enemies.  Still, he lived his life in a way which was holy and admirable and marked with integrity – qualities no amount of money or power can procure.  He used well what was entrusted to him, connected deeply with the place where he lived, and was a part of the fabric of his community.  You may only have a single dollar in the bank or $100 million dollars or more, but the only way to be truly rich in life is to live as Naboth did.