Forty Days

Luke 4:1-13 is the lectionary Gospel text for Lent I on next Sunday, March 6.

 It all starts with temptation, doesn’t it?  The temptation to put pleasure or comfort above what is right, the temptation to give up one’s principles for wealth, power and status and the temptation to manipulate God into special favor, just to see if God really cares about us are still the temptations we have away from a faithful life with God and neighbor.

 Jesus went through our temptation.  He was tempted.  It doesn’t say that the devil tried to tempt Him.  He was tempted by the devil.  After being physically deprived, hungry and weak, He was tempted to give in and provide for Himself that which would satisfy his belly.  Jesus chose to complete His spiritual discipline instead.

 Jesus was tempted to declare all to be His in the world.  The wealth, power and status were all laid out before Him.  Nothing would have been out of His reach.  He would be set.  He could have absolute power to rule over others, even to do good if He chose to do so.  He could have infinite wealth and do with it as He pleased.  He could have had fame, everyone’s ear and heart, and be lauded for being #1 in all things worldly.  Jesus chose to stay in humble form, struggle to feed Himself and His disciples and address abusive power instead.

 Jesus was tempted to test God’s love for Him.  If God really loved Him, God would intervene on His behalf.  God would want Jesus to get rich quick, have control over others in the world and be lifted up as a celebrity, unquestionably loved.  If God really loved Jesus, God would not send Him on this mission to the Cross, but rather just supernaturally appear and declare all things fulfilled.  The Temple in Jerusalem was the Holy place.  Certainly, God would act there to usher in the Kingdom through Jesus and for once and all time bring about utopia for all of God’s people.  Jesus chose to stay the course prescribed for Him, even to abandonment on the Cross.

 The tempter came with it.  It must have been sorely tempting to do away with all the nonsense and just take what Jesus could take for Himself.  It would be the easy way.  He had all power, all knowledge and all presence at His disposal.  Why not?

 Because of what the devil said twice to Jesus, He did not.  “If you are the Son of God,” stuck in Jesus’ mind.  It was a dare, to be sure, to prove that He is God’s Son.  Many are tempted to prove that they are children of God by speaking in tongues, quoting scripture, having the right social or political views and believing what the preachers say in complete submission to them.  Many are tempted to believe that their being children of God gives them some entitlement to a comfortable life, worldly pleasures, wealth and power, and even status above others who are not the proven faithful.  Many are tempted to test God to see if God will bless them more and favor them more highly.  But it is not about that at all, and Jesus was spiritually strengthened in His wilderness time of fasting and prayer.  Jesus valued the Will of God and the Kingdom Way that God sent Jesus to teach and model for all humanity.

 The Kingdom is not about worldly values.  Jesus came to teach, command and model Agape Love and Grace for one another, shared power in community, shared resources in the world, and equal status and value among all people.  That takes giving up some comfort and pleasure.  It takes valuing the Ways of the Kingdom above the ways of the world.  It takes trusting God’s presence and power in love for ALL people, including oneself, equally.

 Jesus was tempted.  He was tempted to give in to the ways and values of the world, as prescribed by the devil.  We are tempted with the same things, daily.  Under Empire, the evil worldly values of Greed, lust for Power and desire for Status drive people apart, hold people down and destroy lives.  God’s Kingdom values in Agape Love and Grace draw people together, lift people up and sustain life, life abundant and life forever.

 We are in the wilderness of Lent.  We are being tempted to give in to Empire’s values and ways.  Lent is not about giving up chocolate or desserts, meat or anything else.  It is about a deeper walk with God in the living of Kingdom values here and now, living the Agape Love and Grace of Jesus and the spiritual discipline of doing so until it becomes a way of life for those who follow Jesus, even to the Cross.  We have 40 days, a long time to devote ourselves to the Way of Kingdom, the Will of God anew, even as we follow the one who showed us how to not give into the temptations of the world around us, but instead remain faithful to God.  We have 40 days to repent – change our thinking so that our direction in how we live our lives will change.  We have 40 days to put our spiritual selves above our physical selves, and resist the temptations of the world.  We have 40 days, on our way to the Cross, where the ultimate act of self-less, unconditional Agape Love was made for us. 

It all becomes clear to me now

 

 Luke 9:28-37 is the Gospel text for Transfiguration Sunday, February 27

 This account holds many meanings, I believe.  All of them are pointed to the Cross of Jesus. 

 Jesus took three of His closest disciples with Him, those who had been with Him since the first day.  Three witnesses provide a true witness in that time and culture, and then some.  Luke’s Gospel wants us to know that this is an authoritative account of Jesus and God in Jesus.

 Jesus’ appearance changed.  His face and His clothing were luminescent.  Something dramatic was happening in and through Jesus in this moment, and whatever it was manifested in some very apparent ways.  Does the writer have your attention yet?

 Now, enter Moses and Elijah.  These young Jewish men knew Moses and Elijah.  Moses, the Law and Agitator of Emperors, the deliverer of the oppressed and speaker with God was with Jesus.  Elijah, the Prophets and confronter of corrupt leaders, truth-teller to the powers that be and persecuted servant of God for doing it was with Jesus.  They represented God’s leadership to God’s people for generations.  They represented God’s authority on earth, until this moment.

 In Luke’s Gospel, it is specified that they spoke to Jesus about what He was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.  The Agitator, Deliverer was now Jesus.  The confronter of corruption and truth-teller was now Jesus, and He was about to be the persecuted servant of God.  They passed the mantle to Jesus, punctuated by God’s own voice declaring that Jesus is the chosen authority now, even in the face of Moses and Elijah, and that the people of God should listen to HIM.  When this was pronounced, Moses and Elijah were no longer on the scene.  Jesus is God’s authority, God’s voice and God’s activity in the lives of God’s people.  He IS the Law and Prophets, and much more.

 Now, the reaction of Peter and the two brothers was predictable.  Out of reverence and awe, they wanted it to be a worship moment.  That was even before God’s voice was heard!  They wanted to bask in the vicarious greatness of Moses and Elijah and Jesus on the mountain, and stay there, even perhaps forever.  But that could not be.  The next line is critical.  “When they had come down from the mountain…” says it all.  This Good News is not meant to be cloistered in and soaked in by a few followers in spiritual ecstasy.  Their witness about that spiritually ecstatic moment was not even to be shared!  No.  They had to come down from the physical and metaphoric mountain to be with the people.  The crowd was waiting, as was the world.  There was work to be done.  Jesus had to be about the business of fulfilling God’s Will of Law and Prophets, Agitation and Deliverance.  He had to speak the truth to power, confront corruption and yes, be persecuted on behalf of God’s children.  The mission was not on the Mountain.  The mission was in the world.

 The Good News of Jesus is not meant to be kept in a “brick and mortar” box, and opened only in the comforting, moving or even ecstatic experiences of worship.  It is meant to be lived in the world to transform the world through a kind of love that the world has not seen apart from it, and which the world most needs.  The world needs the Good News of Jesus to confront the bad news of empire and offer God’s different and better way.  The world needs the Good News of Jesus to agitate those who abuse their power, to speak truth in spite of their lies and confront the corruption of those who only want good things for themselves.  The world needs the Good News of Jesus to transform hearts and minds and thus deliver us from evil and the fruits of evil in the world around us.  The world needs the Good News of Jesus that God loves us so much, that God’s only Son, the beloved, was chosen to teach us a better way – God’s Kingdom way – and die for us to deliver us from Hell on earth and Hell forever.

 If the announcements of Jesus in His hometown synagogue and sermon on the plain did not clarify what the mission of Jesus is in the world according to Luke’s Gospel, this should clear it up.  Jesus is ALL of God’s Word for the World, the Logos made flesh, who has dwelt among us to provide God’s Good News of a better way for us in this part of God’s Kingdom, here and now, and to die in order to take sin’s evil to its death with Him.

 It all comes down to this moment, but really to what will happen next, as Jesus goes to the Cross.  Let’s go with Him this Lenten season and usher in His Good News as our new way of living in this part of God’s Kingdom, here and now.

If you want things to be different...

 

Luke 6:27-38 is the Lectionary Gospel text for Epiphany VII.

 Jesus here describes how we behave under Empire until Kingdom comes.  Until the hearts and minds of God’s people have changed to see the wisdom, sustainability and glory of life together under Kingdom, we must resist Empire at every turn.  If we are people of the Kingdom, we will live differently and see life differently.  We will also act differently, so differently in fact, that it will seem strange to the world.  The world has been so heaped in the values of Greed, lust for Power and desire for Status, that to act in a loving fashion will seem like socially deviant behavior to the world.  The world has been so adept at bigotry and hatred, discrimination and exploitation, violence and abuse, that to live otherwise will seem unnatural to the world. 

 In the Kingdom, we love.  We do not just love those who love us or with whom loving will bring us a return somehow.  We love strangers and enemies.  If we want to stop hatred, we must show something other than hatred.  We must get beyond our hatred and apathy to love those who hate us through our committed actions even on their behalf.  We must bless those who curse us and not retaliate violence for violence, but defiantly refuse to be violent and thus give a clear, strong alternative to the ways of hatred.  We must defiantly pay what is owed to those who exploit and show the world that this is not a sustainable way.  We must also help those who have been victimized by the systems of Empire that have destroyed their lives, showing mercy and compassion for those who have been beaten down, held out and pushed back by Empire and its adherents.  We must LIVE this Agape Love that we are commanded to live in order to welcome Jubilee – God’s great turn-around in justice, equity and peace.  We must do for others as we would wish it be done for us, an empathy that is all but lost under Empire’s warped values.

 Empire is all about how we can benefit from others, even through manipulation and exploitation.  It is about being on top or being next to those on top who have the wealth and power.  It is about gaining some status with them in order to rise above others in the hierarchical social stratosphere of dog eat dog.  It is about showing love for those who can do something for us, doing good things for those who can benefit us and giving to those who can give us a return on our investment.  The Kingdom is all about committed action on behalf of the other, even strangers and enemies and especially those who are most vulnerable and in need.  The Kingdom calls us to live the values of the Kingdom – the values that will counter Empire in every aspect of life.  The Kingdom calls us to resist Empire by living differently from it, so doing the right things for the right reasons.  Our reward for doing so is the favor of God.  Our reward for doing so is that it makes us faithful children of the Lord we say we love.  Our reward is that it makes us people who live in alignment with God’s values.

 You see, it is not about money or power or status.  It is about faithfulness.  If we emulate Jesus in our walk with God, we are being faithful.  Just as God is merciful with us, so we are to be merciful with others.  Just as God is forgiving of us, so we are to be forgiving of others.  If we judge, we will receive judgment.  If we refuse to forgive, we will not be forgiven.  If we manipulate, exploit and abuse others around us, we are participating in a set of values that run contrary to God’s values, and we help sustain a world that is predatory and unsustainable.  If we help others, give to others and lift others up, we are participating in a set of values that are faithful to God and God’s values.  We cannot serve two masters.  We must choose how we will live in the world, in every aspect of our lives.

 If we make money at the expense of others, exploiting them while holding them down for our own gain, that is Empire and not Kingdom of God.  If we gain positions of power so that we can control others and force our will on them, that is Empire and not Kingdom of God.  If we build ourselves up to greatness and notoriety by pushing others down, that is Empire and not Kingdom of God.  If we hate others and discriminate against them because they are different from us, that is Empire and not the Kingdom of God.  Empire does not sustain life.  It destroys the lives of the many for the unhealthy gain of the few, even ultimately destroying the planet for them.

 But God’s Kingdom come and God’s Will being done will mean generosity, even if it means our security is in God’s provision and not our own ruthless ability to gain more than we need as our sisters and brothers struggle to survive.  God’s Kingdom come and God’s Will being done will mean we share power with others so that they can live their best lives and thrive.  God’s Kingdom come and God’s Will being done will mean us lifting others up in humility and genuine love.  God’s Kingdom come and God’s Will being done will mean us actively committing to the well-being of people we do not know and those we do not like, because they need our committed action on their behalf.   Kingdom of God sustains life.  It builds up the lives that have been broken down and gives all humanity a sustainable way to live and move in the world.

 So, if you want Shalom, be about the things that make for Shalom.   If you say that you love God, then you must love your neighbor as yourself.  If you want a different world, live differently.  Resist the evils of Empire and live the truth and goodness and faithfulness of God’s Kingdom.  It really IS that simple.

Pastor Jamie

Where do you stand?

 

Luke 6:17-26 is the lectionary text for Epiphany VI on February 13.

 After praying, Jesus selected the twelve Disciples (student followers) who would help Him carry out His mission in the world.

 Then, Jesus offered the Sermon on the Plain, in Luke a level place.  The people came to hear Him, be healed and encounter God.  His reputation was well established.  He taught things, different things than they were used to hearing under empire – things of life, of sustainable life and well-being for all.  And He did things that restored lives and brought Shalom (completeness, wholeness and well-being) to all.

 Then, He turned to His disciples and shared how life in the Kingdom IS and IS TO BE.  Those who have been accursed under empire are blessed and shall know the extent of God’s blessings as life is turned around for them.  He laid out God’s plan, after having proclaimed His mission in His hometown Synagogue already.  It would mean a turn-around in this part of God’s Kingdom, as God’s Will was being done on earth as in heaven.  This turn-around would mean great change, a re-distribution of resources and a change in the values of people and their consequent behaviors with one another.  It would mean life restored for some, life renewed and life saved for many.

 Because in the Kingdom of God, according to Jesus... 

    The poor are blessed.  God’s Kingdom belongs to them.  They have suffered enough under empire, and God will restore all that has been kept away from them and taken away from them by the ruthless.

    The hungry are blessed.  God’s Kingdom will provide enough, finally.  Empire kept them hungry, took all their resources and made it impossible for them to feed, clothe, house their families adequately.  But in God’s compassion, they would finally have enough.

    The weepers are blessed.  Those who themselves, and whose sons and daughters had been marginalized, disenfranchised from having a decent life, abused, falsely imprisoned, cut down in their youth are blessed by God, and God’s justice will prevail.

   Those who are dismissed, discriminated against and discarded for sharing the Good News of Jesus in the face of empire are blessed.  God blesses those who preach, teach and live Love and Grace in the world, and this Good News of Love and Grace will change the world.  Like the prophets of old who were dismissed, ignored and mocked, even killed by those who did not want to hear God’s Will or live it, those who share the Will of God with the world are blessed.

 But if things get turned around, some will not be happy.  Those who have been on top will NOT be happy.  Those who have exploited, manipulated, ruthlessly abused and litigated through their power to promote themselves at the expense of God’s children will not be happy when God turns things around.  That is why they fight so hard to stay on top, to desperately hold on to false claims of their superiority, their entitlement to privilege and their positions of power and wealth.  When God’s Kingdom comes and God’s Will is done on earth as in heaven, ALL will have ENOUGH… so, they will lose their positions of privilege above others and have the same levels of power, equal status and similar wealth in order that ALL of God’s children may have enough and have Shalom.  They fiercely attack those who would see just, equitable and fair life conditions for all, because they have benefitted so much and for so long from the systems of empire that have been unjust, inequitable and unfair.  They have been the beneficiaries of complex systems of economics and politics that have been created to keep them in positions of power and wealth above others, and the purveyors of those systems.  When God’s Kingdom comes and God’s Will is done on earth as in heaven, that is all gone.  They must learn to be satisfied with enough, equal power and equal status.  Woe is them.

 They have had it so good for so long, that it will seem as if they have no consolation when Kingdom comes.  It must change, and they will not be happy.  They have had abundance at the expense of others for so long, that they may actually sometimes have some hunger, and will certainly hunger for their opulent abundance.  They have laughed at the weeping of others for so long, but will now cry tears of shame, and perhaps for the first time in their lives experience real loss.  They may even weep because they feel the losses of other human beings, having the objects of their obsession with wealth and power stripped away.  They may weep because they actually have a value for other human beings and feel it when they are lost to them.  They have had empire society’s admiration and adulation for so long, but now will feel the loss of their status at the top, because people find the value for one another more fully, and stop valuing some above others for their ostentatious excesses of power and wealth, and their false superiority over others.

 How will you feel about it?  When God’s Kingdom comes and God’s Will is done on earth, as in heaven, will it seem like a breath of life to you, or a devastating loss?  Under empire and the systems of empire, there are those with wealth, power and status and those at whose expense they have been gained.  Where you are in empire’s insidious “pecking order” will determine how you receive the Kingdom of God.  Will you be relieved?  Will you be happy for those who are finally having a good life restored or for the first time established for them?  Will you be resentful that your privilege has been stripped away?  Will you be horrified that you are equally valued among God’s children?  Will you be mortified that you have less opulent wealth on which to sit, or the limitless means by which to gain always more?  Or will you be jubilant because there is justice, equality, equitability and the well-being and peace that come with them?

 Jesus promises to turn things around in this part of God’s Kingdom, here and now.  Does that make you want to follow Jesus and welcome the turn-around, or reject what Jesus stands for in the Gospels and continue to give devotion to empire and its gods?  Will you welcome God’s Kingdom come and God’s Will done on earth as in heaven, or fight it tooth and nail while claiming to love God out of a belief that that is enough to get the ultimate reward in the end?  Where do you stand on Jesus’ Way, on God’s Way in this part of God’s Kingdom, here and now?

Pastor Jamie