Taken Away

 Isaiah 5:1-7 and Matthew 21:33-46 for next week's lectionary.

They tried to take the vineyard away from the one who owned it.  They suffered the consequences of killing the Son in order to take what belongs to Him.

The Chief Priests and Pharisees knew it was about them.  They had been colluding with empire in order to get the trinkets that they could by serving empire.  They had twisted the Word, overstepped their authority and believed that they were the church of God, and therefore could do whatever they wanted with it.

It was the same under Pope Leo X in the 16th Century.  Thus the Reformation of the church.

It is the same in America since our Desolating Sacrilege in 1981 and following, when the Religious "Right" joined the Political "Right" to fleece God's children in America and across the world, in order that they might have power, wealth and status.  We are still waiting for the new Reformation to begin.  The false teachers and prophets of Prosperity and Church Growth and Personal Salvation, theologies designed to dupe, coerce and manipulate the desperate, greedy, power hungry and status driven in our nation, have had their way with God's children for far too long.  The political and religious leaders who represent empire here and now have taken their toll on the children of God.  It is time.  To this date, the prophets like Jeremiah Wright and Cornell West, among others, have been largely silenced or ignored, even by the "faithful."  The civil rights leaders of our past are dying, and the Rev. Barbers, Nadia Bolz-Webers and others are striving to bring people to see a faith that is faithful to the Gospel of Jesus, and are thus being vilified and devalued by many.  But folk still have itching ears to hear what they want to hear, and blow about in every wind of doctrine that will get them what they want as devotees to empire.

Miserable death, Jesus promised.

Destruction of the Temple, Jesus promised.

The Kingdom of God taken away from the false leaders and given to the people who produce the fruits of the Kingdom, Jesus promised.

The dashing of false teachings and those who promote them upon the solid rock of Jesus' Good News, Jesus promised.

I eagerly await.  I eagerly await.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as in heaven.

The Reagans and Falwells, Grahams and Grahams, Whites and Trumps, Robertsons and McConnells, Copelands and Millers, Dollars and Barrs, Osteens and Pences, Oyedepos and Pompeos have been promoting empire through this desolating sacrilege long enough.  They have tried to steal the Kingdom from you.  They continue to kill your Son in hearts and minds of many who are gullible, desperate and duplicitous, out of devotion to the gods of empire.

Oh, Stone that the builders rejected, be our cornerstone, here and now.  Make it amazing in our eyes!

Take it away from them and give it to those who produce the good fruit of Agape Love and Grace!

AMEN

Pastor Jamie

Is it of God or of humans?

 Matthew 21:23-32 is the lectionary text for Sunday, September 27.

The Temple Cult leaders of that time were corrupt and in collusion with Rome.  They questioned Jesus' authority because they were screwed up about authority.  Rome was their authority, but they had to give appearances to be serving God, while serving Rome.  They were heartless and cruel, forcing sacrifices of the people (sin offerings), stealing their lands and condemning them with harsh judgments over things that they, themselves were doing.  Does any of this sound familiar, yet?

So, when they demanded to know of what authority Jesus spoke, because He and His teachings were a threat to their absolute control over the people, Jesus played them and exposed their hypocrisy.  I had a similar experience with an assistant to the Bishop of a church body I was leaving years ago.  In anger, he said that if he could, he would take away my ordination.  I asked the question about whether our ordinations were of God or of a church body.  It did not quell his anger.

Jesus then gave the parable, the teaching, to these religious leaders who settled for an appearance of faithfulness to God while serving themselves and empire.  People genuinely struggle at times to live what God calls us to live, and sometimes folk blatantly walk away from the rigors of the faithful walk.  Others give lip service to God, pretend to be righteous and give their true devotion to themselves and empire.  There is hope for those who are genuine.  There is hope for those who truly struggle with their faith.  There is little hope at all for the duplicitous who try to serve two masters, those who believe that they are entitled to whatever they can get, to ruthlessly steal position and power, and the wealth that comes with them.  There is little hope for those who would beat others down with false expectations, and who themselves do whatever they want to others in order to get what they want.  There is little hope for religious leaders who claim to represent God, but serve themselves and empire at the expense of children of God.

Yet, there are those church leaders yet today, appearing righteous and having hearts far from God.  There are those church leaders today who look and sound like the real deal, but whose god is the belly, and who spin all manner of false teachings to make others blow in the winds of false doctrine in order that they, themselves might exploit them.  There are those church leaders today whose values are in alignment with empire instead of Kingdom, empire instead of God.  And there are plenty of folk with itching ears to hear what they want to in order that they might get some prestige above others, power over others and/or greater wealth for themselves by associating with them.

There are those political leaders who give lip service to Jesus and Kingdom, but who do not at all follower what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled because there is too much power and prestige to be gained, and too much money to be made by living empire values.  There are political leaders who say the right things about love for country, patriotism and Democracy, and who give their true devotion to the principles of oligarchy or even fascism that will help them get what they want, at the expense of their fellow citizens and others in the world.  Since our desolating sacrilege of 1981, when the Religious "Right" and Political "Right" joined in collusion to promote empire, their god has been their bellies at the expense of EVERYONE else.  Yet, appearing to be upright, righteous and even reasonable has worked for them in duping the gullible, the desperate and the hateful who love those empire values for which they stand.

Israel was devastated under empire.  Much of our nation and many across the world have been devastated by empire again/still.  The Greed, Hatred, lust for Power and desire for Status of a few has meant struggle for the rest, even as it is now.  It is getting worse.  In the midst, we have Jesus, who confronts the disingenuous appearances of those who claim uprightness and faithfulness, and who lifts up those who they have disenfranchised and marginalized.  The Good News of Jesus still exposes the evils of empire and reveals the truth, light and hope of the Kingdom.  

As long as the people are willing to live under the oppression and occupation of empire, they will.  Liberation will come when folk who know Jesus and love Jesus begin to follow Jesus in resisting empire's oppressive systems that are built on the few having all the wealth, power and status, and the hatred that fuels those systems by dividing the people.  We have the Good News of Jesus in the midst.  My prayer is that we will genuinely learn it, apply it and normalize it in the world around us, so that the children of God are liberated from this evil.

Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven... For Yours is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory forever.  Amen

Pastor Jamie

Working for God's Good Pleasure

 Philippians 2:1-13 is the lectionary text for September 17.

This is what the Gospel is all about.  Paul here offered a theological treatise on Agape Love as taught, commanded and modeled by Jesus.

We are to be of the same mind and heart, unified in faith and Agape Love.

It is not about individuals being above or against one another, some over and above and some held down, back and out.  It is about community coming together for the benefit of all, and not a few over the many.  That is what distinguishes God's Kingdom values from empire values, against which the Gospels are an indictment and in spite of which the Gospels are a Way, God's Way in Jesus.

Agape Love is active commitment on behalf of the other, even stranger and enemy, and especially the most vulnerable (best described by the Jesus of Luke in 10:25-37).

If we would like to be in a alignment with God's Kingdom values, we must live what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for the living of faith, as we have witness in the Gospels.

If we would like to be right with God, we must have the same mind in us that was in Christ Jesus as He gave it all away for the sake of humanity, rather than live in glory or seek more for Himself.  

If we would like to walk with God, we must give up the hubris, arrogance and prideful ignorance that is living within empire - the greed, lust for power and desire for status that is life within empire - in order to humbly lift up one another AS OUR EXPRESSION OF LOVE FOR GOD.  

If we would like to work out our own salvation, we must be receptive to the Holy Spirit of God working within us to bring us to follow Jesus - what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled as God's Way for us.  It is about pleasing God by loving neighbor, and not pleasing self by loving self.

It is about giving of any abundance we have, submitting our power to God and sharing any power we have with one another for our mutual benefit and lifting each other up in mutual love with equal value.

Jesus taught and commanded it.  The First Century believers lived it.  Paul theologically developed it and clarified it.  When, O when, will we live it?  In the church?  In the world?  When?

Pastor Jamie

Forgiveness and Privilege

Matthew 18:21-35 is the lectionary text for next Sunday, September 13.

Forgiveness is required of Jesus.  It is a command. (Luke 6:37, 38)  If you forgive, you will be forgiven.  We even pray that in the Lord's Prayer - "Forgive us our trespasses AS WE forgive those who trespass against us."  Please, Lord, please - if I do not forgive them, please do not forgive me.  Our relationship is all tied up in our relationships with sisters and brothers.

Jesus gave a parable, as usual, to drive this lesson home.

The one who owed the King 10,000 talents owed big because he had big bucks.  That is how the world of empire worked then and still works.  The one who owed that one a hundred denarii was deep in debt for him, because he was struggling.  Empire rules say that it is a "gentlemen's agreement" over large debt owed, that those in the game are afforded certain considerations.  He was forgiven the debt.  The poorer one who could not pay, however, would have the book thrown at him, thrown in jail, where inability to pay one's debt gets you more time, still today.  The difference from today?  The King.

These are Kingdom of GOD values.  God forgives and expects US to forgive.  It is not about merit, status, standing, position, prestige, privilege or entitlement.  It is about need.  Those who need forgiveness need it.  We are ALL in need of it and must ALL be willing to share it.  Whether it is about debt, offenses, inability to pay bills or desperate acts out of desperation, we ALL need forgiveness.  For some to get that or slaps on the wrist penalties and others to get long sentences, lengthened by inability to pay fees and court costs, is unjust.  For some to get different sentences for the same crimes because of their wealth, position, race, gender, religion or sexual orientation is unjust.  For some to be profiled, entrapped and hunted down for the profit of prison corporations, or executed in the streets because their race is unjust.

Kingdom values are different.  Forgiveness is given because we need it.  Mercy is given because we need it.  It is given equally, equitably and graciously out of Agape Love. 

Last time I checked, I believe that we as followers of Jesus are supposed to live what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us as Kingdom values in this part of the Kingdom, here and now. 

Until we do, we are promised torture until WE can pay what we owe to God, which of course we can never repay.  Jesus' karma, baby.  Let the torture begin until empire ends.

Pastor Jamie