The Freedom of Truth John 8:31-36

Truth. Does anybody know what truth is these days? Is truth a simple collection of facts? Is truth what I accept from my personal filters – what is true for me may not be true for you. Everyday we are subjected to information that ranges from spin to direct lies. “Fake News” is the accusation against what I consider to be reality. So is truth really nothing more than my personal take on reality or can truth be found that turns out to be liberating?

This coming Sunday many churches will be celebrating the Reformation led by Martin Luther challenging the abuses of the Catholic church in that day. Set free from those abuses have we abandoned them only to take on a different bondage? If so, then we haven’t come to know the truth that enables us to be free.

Jesus was having a debate that was concerned with identity. Some of the Jewish folk in the crowd were listening to his teaching and starting to believe that he just might be the Messiah. Jesus said that if they continued in his teaching they would be his disciples (learners) and come to know the truth, the truth that will set them free. They protested that they were descendants of Abraham and were never slaves to anyone. Apparently they had forgotten about their ancestors slavery in Egypt and the Roman soldiers currently having a powerful grip on them now. They were starting to believe but their bondage was tied to their identity as children of Abraham. The desire to kill Jesus proved that their bondage was to a way that Abraham would have never supported. Their perceived identity was false.

Jesus said that whoever sins is a slave to sin. Sin is more than doing bad things. Sin is rebellion against God. The bad things we do are symptoms of that rebellion. So what is the truth that sets us free from our slavery? The truth is not a set of doctrine. It is not tradition. Truth is not grabbing select Bible verses that support our political philosophy. It is not nationalism. Truth is not repeating memorized lines. It is not longing for an idealized past. The truth that sets us free is a person. Jesus is that truth.

If we take the time to listen to the things Jesus taught. If we observe his compassion for the sick and the outcast and the poor. If we take notice of how he forgave and showed mercy. If we understand his rejection of the world’s take on power for fidelity to the kingdom of God. If we begin to notice these things then what opens up to us is holy and Divine. If we take these things into our being, then we come to know the One who is truth. Jesus sets us free. The result is that freedom in this world of slavery no longer is an obscure concept but a gift from God.

Peace.

Determined Prayer Luke 18:1-8

Prayer and the religious life go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. Vitality of one increases the other. We have our own prayer times and routines. We pray for others and ourselves. We pray for health. We pray for wisdom. We say prayers that reflect our thankfulness. We pray for the well being of creation. Again, we pray for these things in the lives of others as well as ourselves. So for Jesus to talk about prayer shouldn’t surprise us. Also for Jesus to connect prayer and faith shouldn’t be that surprising either.

As we look at the headlines of the world, what do we so often see? We see images of refugees fleeing brutal regimes, poverty and war. We see the powerful doing just about what ever they want without being held accountable for their actions. We see the weak so often being used with few coming to their defense. What does a life of prayer have to offer in a world like this?

Jesus is telling of a widow seeking justice from an unresponsive judge. This judge has no respect for anyone, not even God. Concern for the widow has strong support in Scripture and so the judge’s behavior is even all the more shocking. However, the widow will not be denied justice. While the reading describes the judge giving into the widow because of her pestering or bothering him, the meaning is far closer to her giving the judge, ‘a black eye.’ The widow was not passive in seeking justice. She would not be stopped even in the face of an unjust world. The life of prayer isn’t passive either.

The world may be slow to bring justice or even seek it. The message from the reading is that God is very different from this world. God will listen and respond quickly to his chosen ones who cry out day and night. This Jesus connects to his finding faith when he returns. Faith is fully believing that God and his kingdom have a strongly contrasting understanding of justice to the injustice we know full well. Prayer is not a passive but aggressive pursuing of God’s justice to come. Even, if it means giving the injustice of the world ‘a black eye.’ As Jesus taught us all to pray, “…thy kingdom come, thy will be done…”

The life of prayer is a privilege to know that God listens and responds. It is a privilege to be given the opportunity to bare the soul to God and know that we’ll find grace and justice. So take advantage of the life of prayer. When it comes to praying for God’s justice to be known, be like the widow and be unrelenting even to the point of giving the world’s injustice ‘a black eye.’

Peace.

More Faith, Please! Luke 17:5-10

This past week Amber Guyger was sentenced to prison for the shooting death of Botham Jean. By now, many of us have seen the picture of Botham’s younger brother, Brandt, give her a forgiving hug at the sentencing. We find Brandt’s act of grace inspiring. What an amazing act of faith to show the redemptive nature of forgiveness. Deep down we wonder how we would respond if we were forced to face the same experience. Would our faith hold up in the same way?

The reading begins with the apostles asking Jesus, “Increase our faith!” Jesus tells them if they had the faith of a small mustard seed, they could command a mulberry tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea and it would obey. So often we look at faith as having the power to accomplish great things. The reality is that we need faith more for ordinary life. “Increase our faith!” is the plea as we work to be supportive of a family member having a terminal illness. “Increase my faith!” is the plea if facing that terminal illness. “Increase our faith!” is also the prayer as we try to forgive when our ego has been bruised.

Jesus had just warned the apostles about sin that gets in the way of another person’s faith. If another sins against you seven times in one day and repents, and asks for forgiveness each time, forgive them. This is where the apostles ask for more faith. Jesus went on to say that this is simply doing what is expected of us. An act of faith is more than accomplishing dynamic moments to awe others. Faith is doing the hard work of restoring a broken friendship. Faith is moving beyond the bruised ego to accept another person’s repentance. Faith is so much a part of living out relationships. Our relationship with God was so central in Jesus’ teaching, crucifixion and resurrection.

How was Brandt Jean capable of showing such grace in that forgiving hug with Amber Guyger? Faith. Thankfully, few of us are put in situations where faith is challenged like the Jean family. Yet, each day we face situations where forgiveness is needed and broken relationships restored. Restoration and the redemption of relationships is so much a part of following Christ. For each and everyday, “Increase our faith” needs to be our prayer.

Peace.

Value of Money Luke 16:1-13

Money is a part of life. Nothing shocking about that statement. Money is needed to pay the rent and buy groceries. We donate money to support those organizations that we value for the work they do. Politics seems to be getting more and more dependent upon it and the influence gained is troublesome. Money gives us status. The car and house and boat and jewelry, etc. it buys makes people take notice. Money in many ways is power to be used for good or harm. Jesus is talking about money. He advises us to be wise regarding its use because money will either serve us and God’s kingdom or we will serve it.

Jesus told a parable. A man was placed in a crisis because he was about to lose his job. His status was changing from being a manager to hard physical work or begging and neither was what he wanted for his life. So he summoned his boss’s debtors and changed the financial books. The result was they were now indebted to him. In the end the man was still jobless but the boss praised him for his shrewdness. Jesus also seems to praise the man as well. So what gives?

Again, money is needed to purchase necessities and housing. Money also gives influence and power. Money is status. There are some people who understand this very well. Jesus commends the children of this age for knowing this better than the children of light. This is all about faithfulness with the wealth that we are given in life and knowing how to use it to further the kingdom of God.

Money can be used to keep people in slavery and indebtedness. Do we know how it can be used to set people free? Money can be used to the advantage of the powerful. Do we know how it can be used so the weak can find justice? Money can be used to exacerbate our desire for more. Do we know how it can be used to help those who don’t have enough? Money can be used to establish our importance. Do we know how it can be used to elevate the value of others?

Jesus wants us to know the real value of money. What is important falls under the category of faithfulness. What is important is to know who in the end we are going to serve.

Peace.

The Value of One Luke 15:1-10

I have always liked the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. They describe the passionate desire of God to reach out to one and all, even me. A shepherd has one of the flock wandering off. Leaving the remaining ninety-nine, the shepherd searches high and low until it is found. A party is held to celebrate. A woman loses a coin and searches the house from top to bottom until it is found. A party is held to celebrate. It is comforting to know that God values the one enough to face a cross, a grave, to have me securely in his kingdom. The great sadness is that I am more like the Pharisees muttering over Jesus’ behavior.

Jesus is being criticized. This was not unusual. The complaint was his willingness to socialize and eat with sinners. If Jesus did this, it meant that he accepted them. No self respecting authority on the Scriptures would allow themselves to be ‘tainted’ by association with sinners, would they? Jesus did. He socialized with them. He ate with them. He welcomed them. He celebrated their return as active citizens of God’s kingdom. We could learn a lot from Jesus.

We seem to be obsessed with division. We are determined to maintain the ‘purity’ of our beliefs and not be ‘tainted’ by association with others. The result is we accuse, nasty Tweet, undercut, spread lies, shun, etc. However if we follow Christ, we follow the God who is relentless until even the ‘one’ is restored in his kingdom. Jesus’ example would have the liberal and conservative stop the attacks and eat together. The white and black put away the distrust and eat together. The Christian and Muslim put away the fear and eat together. Radical behavior like this would be a tremendous threat to those holding power by keeping the divisions alive. In Jesus, we see God willing to face the cross, the grave and finally rise from death to defeat those powers and for us all to know the true power of his kingdom. The kingdom of God is where a great celebration is held for sinners who repent (this is all of us). So you see there really is value even of one. The end result is we get to party together.

Peace.

What??? Jesus is anti-family Luke 14:25-35

The words of Jesus are harsh, maybe too harsh for our ears to hear. Family is so central to what we are in life. What politician doesn’t carry the banner of being pro-family? Any organization seeking new members wants to be seen as supportive of family and uses family events as part of their recruitment efforts. Family Values may be a rallying cry but families do struggle trying to hold all things together. The addiction to screen time on the phone takes away family attentiveness to each other. Sports teams and other activities pull families in different directions trying to keep up with loyalty demands. Now Jesus is talking about hating family…hating life…the need to take up our cross to be his disciple…sell all possessions to be his disciple.

Jesus is inviting one and all to sit down and sort through the demands of discipleship. He is asking us to weigh the consequences of choosing a different way of life that he is modeling for us. The current way of life is consumed with possessions. We possess the things we purchase. We think we can possess people by seeking to control spouse, children, parents, etc. Life is something we assume that can be owned. In the end, we are possessed by things we think we control. This we call life. However, Jesus is telling us to give up possessions.

Jesus is inviting us to a different way of life called discipleship. Jesus is personally on his way to Jerusalem where he will find a cross in his future. The cross meant death for him in this world’s terms but to the glory of the Father, Jesus was raised to life in God’s terms. Jesus is telling us we must also take up the cross if we are to find life in God’s terms as well.

Will this cause a scowl as the phone is put down? Absolutely. Will there be division in the family over priorities? Of course. Is the coach going to be angry? You bet. Are you going to reconsider job and career goals? Very likely. Are you going to examine how you participate and support the ways that bring about injustice or violence to others or creation? For sure. How about ‘hating’ the ways of this world to know life as God gives — this is the cost that must be considered.

Jesus’ words are harsh to hear regarding the cost of discipleship. Yet to take up the cross is to discover family and life in a whole new way — God’s terms. For this, we must all weigh the cost.

Peace.

Social Etiquette Luke 14:1, 7-14

If you have ever been to a wedding reception, you know that there are assigned seats for guests at the meal. The main table is reserved for the wedding couple and their wedding attendants. Closer tables are reserved for the immediate family. There is nothing unusual here. This is how formal dinners function. The seats of greater honor are determined by relationship (family, business, etc.) to the host. If you don’t want to be embarrassed, then don’t sit in the wrong seat of importance.

Jesus was invited to a meal at a prominent Pharisee’s home. He recognized that the guests sat according to relationship with the host. Jesus then gave some advice on social etiquette. Don’t take a seat too high in status or you’ll be asked to take a lower seat, wouldn’t that be embarrassing? Instead take a lower place and when moved up, you’ll be honored. His advice wasn’t surprising, this is how our social connections work. We socialize with people like us. We use formal social events to get attention, conduct business, further spread our networking and define our place. Nothing unusual here. Then Jesus used the dinner party to get theological. He gave advice for social etiquette for the Kingdom of heaven.

When having a party, don’t invite guests that will build your business or define your status in the community. Instead, invite the poor and crippled and lame and blind. The very people who have nothing to offer in return. Why? They are people of value in God’s kingdom. Jesus takes our understanding of how relationships work and flips them upside down. Under God’s reign, relationships aren’t about using others for our gain but for grace to be shown. This is how our relationship with God is expressed, by how we live life now under his rules defining value. At the ‘resurrection of the righteous,’ God will decide the positions of honor at heaven’s banquet. Once more, Jesus takes life in a totally different direction by his teaching and how he lived life by the kingdom.

Peace.

A Sabbath Rest Luke 13:10-17

What is the Sabbath for? The word really means rest. So how are we to rest on the Sabbath (what we know as Sunday)? A day for sleeping in. Play a round of golf. A relaxing morning with coffee cup in hand. Watch the ball game. Attend a church service. Eat brunch at a favorite restaurant. A day to refrain from working. What is the Sabbath for? In the Ten Commandments we are told to ‘remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.’ Once more, what is the Sabbath for? The reading from Luke has Jesus giving a whole new spin on the Sabbath.

A spirit has left a woman crippled for the past eighteen years leaving her bent over and and unable to stand up straight. Jesus releases her from the infirmity. Set free, she stands up for the first time in eighteen years and praises God. Jesus was in trouble with the leader of the synagogue because this was the Sabbath. Why? The Sabbath was for rest and not for work. Jesus could have done the healing on a different day instead of violating the Sabbath’s command. However, Jesus called the leader and all on their hypocrisy. On the Sabbath, animals are led to water to be freed from their thirst and this is work. Shouldn’t she, a daughter of Abraham, be set free from Satan’s bondage? Now we are getting to Jesus’ point on the Sabbath.

Deuteronomy 5 directly connects observing the Sabbath to liberation from slavery in Egypt. The Sabbath was for liberating all from slave, servant, immigrant to animal from labor so they may find rest as God found rest from the work of creation on the seventh day. Jesus was living this out as he set the woman free and now fully free she could worship and give praise to God.

We are like this woman. A spirit seems to have crippled us. We are unable to fully observe the Sabbath. How? We are crippled by our refusal to recognize our pollution, waste and damage to God’s amazing creation. We are crippled by our prejudice and hate. We are crippled by our economics that reward only a few. We are crippled by our demand for power over others. We are all crippled and under bondage unable to fully praise the One who is our maker.

So how do we observe the Sabbath? Repentance is a good start. A repentance from the ways we keep those who also share in the image of God and the rest of creation under bondage. A repentance that admits we are in bondage to a spirit that keeps us all from being fully human and fully able to worship God. As Jesus was pointing out, the Sabbath is for all to know the liberation that allows all creation to be fully alive to sing the praises of God. This is what the Sabbath is for.

Peace.

Jesus against peace? Against family? Luke 12:49-56

Peace. We all want peace. We want peace in our family relationships. We want peace within our neighborhoods and towns. We want to peaceably go about our lives without the worry of violence. We want Jesus to give us the peace we seek. Unfortunately for us, this peace is not what Jesus is talking about in this reading. Instead he is talking about division, even in our most valued relationships of family.

So what gives? Why can’t we have what we want? Why won’t Jesus give us what we want? Jesus said he came to bring division instead of peace. He wanted to bring fire upon the earth and couldn’t wait for it to be lit. This doesn’t sound much like peace. The fire is the active presence of God establishing the kingdom’s presence over everyone. When God’s rule of forgiveness and mercy comes into contact with our understanding of peace, we start building crosses.

The trouble with wanting peace is that we want peace on our terms. We want peace that comes with being in control. We want peace where we have the power. We want the peace that prefers us over them. If we don’t get the peace we want, we blame our spouses, parents, neighbors, immigrants, those of a different race, the other political party. In reality this isn’t peace, it is abuse and violence of the powerful against the weak. This is not the peace that Jesus has come to support.

If we seek peace then we have two choices. One is the fake peace of violence, abuse and crosses. The other is the peace that comes from God who raised the crucified Jesus to life. This is the real peace that brings life in the place of death. This kind of peace asks of us to repent and seek the ways of the kingdom of God. We die to the old ways of violence and crosses so God can bring a new life that is peace. This change is going to be met with division, even within family.

Jesus called those in attendance a bunch of hypocrites. They could tell by the wind patterns if it was going to rain or bring a hot day. Yet, they could see what Jesus was doing and teaching but not recognize the action of God bringing his rule, his kingdom to the earth. The great challenge for us is to look at the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and see the work of God bringing his kingdom to us. This is the hard work of seeking peace on God’s terms.

Peace.

Where Your Treasure Is Luke 12:32-40

This last week has been a tough week. There were the shootings in El Paso and Dayton. Cries are going up to bring an end to this senseless loss of life that is becoming too ordinary. The month of July was the warmest recorded. Some deny that our activity is having any affect on climate while scientists are warning that this is only the start with much worse to come in the future. The hate-filled words that divide this country will not grow silent. This last week has been rough.

The message from the Scripture reading is really filled with hope with Jesus saying, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” It is God’s good pleasure to give us his rule. Note that it is not God’s good pleasure to support our bias, our prejudice, our hate, our violence, our greed, our self-serving nature, etc. God’s good pleasure is to bring about his rule which will allow life and all of creation to flourish. It may be God’s good pleasure to bring his kingdom but Jesus on the cross is our opinion regarding God’s kingdom. However, Jesus’ resurrection is God’s relentless work to bring life instead. So the hope-filled message is to not be afraid. The invitation is to invest ourselves in the kingdom which does bring life.

Jesus gives this message of hope with a couple points. He does this with the statement to sell our possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. The result is to have a treasure in heaven that won’t be taken away. He is inviting us to divest ourselves from the ways of the world that create poverty in the first place. We are to invest ourselves in the ways of God’s rule which bring life. This won’t be taken away from us.

The second point is one that we get backwards. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What we want to say is, “Where my heart is, there my treasure will go.” The problem is that our heart is not focused on God’s kingdom. Jesus was correct: the heart follows where the treasure is invested. If we invest what we treasure to alleviate poverty, that is where our heart will be. If we invest what we treasure in caring for creation, that is where our heart will be. If we invest what we treasure in reducing the hate, that is where our heart will be. If we invest what we treasure in these things of the kingdom, then our hearts will be focused on God’s kingdom of life which is God’s good pleasure to give.

The rest of the Scripture reading is about being watchful and ready for Christ’s return to bring the fullness of God’s kingdom. How will we be ready? Invest the things we treasure in the reign of God now and our hearts will be ready.

This has been a rough week. Remember Jesus words of hope, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

Peace.