Go and sin no more

 John 8:1-8 (9-11) is the Gospel Lectionary text for Lent V on next Sunday.

Jesus was teaching all the people at the Temple.  The Chief Priests and Pharisees had been questioning His authority and teachings.  They were threatened by Jesus because of His message of Good News, something they could not twist for their own benefit or refute.

Now Scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who was caught in the act of adultery.  They made her stand before all the people, and they announced what she had done.  Where was the man?  First of all, women had no power or status in that time and place.  They were often victimized because men did have all the power and status.  So, these men were looking out for one of their own - perhaps another man, perhaps even one of them?  If she was caught in adultery, why was not HE caught in adultery?  Why was HE not standing before this crowd, being accused of scandalous acts?  The system was rigged against women by men.  These men were working under a system that benefitted them, and they used it to further abuse this woman and others.

So, now they had a very clear-cut case of the Law and condemnation.  They were chomping at the bit to throw the book at her.  Isn't that just the case, though?  We love to point out others' sins, even publicly shame them for their sins, assume the worst and get all punitive about how they should be treated.  We get very black and white when it comes to someone else's sins, while judging them.  We get all Law and Order on others when they have done something wrong, and we love to see them get what's coming to them.  When it is us, not so much, because we know that we are good people who just did something wrong. But THOSE PEOPLE, when they do something wrong it is just proof that they are BAD PEOPLE.  A young pastor who spoke to an AMERICA'S PRIDE rally in Pittsburgh years ago, said, "We tend to judge ourselves by our intentions, while judging others by their behaviors." When we, or one of us does something wrong, we call it a mistake.  When someone else, or one of those people does something wrong, it just proves our prejudices against them.

Jesus saw what they were doing.  He knew the Law, He knew how it was being used to abuse women and He knew what God wanted, as He said, "Mercy, instead of sacrifice."  His answer cut through all the pretense, all the unequal treatment, all the underhandedness and all the testing of Him by these corrupt religious leaders who were threatened by Him.  "Let the one who has not sinned throw the first stone."  

Maybe Jesus was talking about this particular sin of adultery.  He may have known more about these particular Scribes and Pharisees than we know.  Maybe Jesus was referring generally to sin.  Either way, it is a moment of looking at oneself regarding sin.  If I am ready to get all mercilessly punitive with someone else who sins, do I not have the same thing coming to me?  As Anthony Campolo said, "I know what I deserve.  Give me Grace, baby, I need Grace."  And, quite simply, who am I to judge?  I may not be a corrupt religious leader who twists the Word of God into a weapon with which to punish other people and keep them under my heel, but I am still a sinner, am I not?  One of Jesus' more clear Imperatives for us is, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Forgive, and you shall be forgiven."  Do I know who I am?  Do I see my own sin and need for God's Grace?  If so, should I not apply the same need for Grace and Forgiveness to my sister or brother, and apply their right to have it applied to their lives?   I am not God.  I am not Jesus.  Jesus alone, from what I have read, is to be judge of the living and the dead.  Who am I to want blood when someone else sins?  "There but for the Grace of God go I!"

They slinked away to regroup and come at Jesus another day.  The woman stood there alone.  Jesus simply said to her that those who had condemned her were gone.  He stated that He did not condemn her.  He told her to go her way and not sin again.  She, too, was a sinner.  No better or worse than those who would have stoned her to death.  She could do better in her life.  So can we all.  Jesus encouraged her to strive to do better.

Sin is a breach of covenant with God and/or Neighbor.  It is a betrayal of trust.  Sin does damage to loving relationships.  "We have ALL sinned and fall short of the glory of God," wrote Paul.  Therefore, we are "saved by Grace through Faith apart from works of the Law," wrote Paul.  "We have all received Grace upon Grace," we read in this very Gospel of John.

Now, if we have all sinned and have all received Grace, should we not be willing to GIVE IT to one another and others who are not less or more sinful than are we?  Jesus, quoting Isaiah informs us, as we have witness in Matthew's Gospel, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice."  Let us be people of Jesus' Way - people of Grace and Love, not of mercilessly punitive judgment, lest that be the sin for which WE are not forgiven.

We are nearing the end of our Lenten journey for this year.  Our time specifically set aside for self-examination, repentance and self-sacrifice for the sake of others.  What have we learned so far?  How have we been changed so far this year?  Are we more loving and less judgmental?  Are we more Gracious and less intolerant?  Are we more like Jesus in how we live, and less like our sinful selves apart from Jesus?  Are we more likely to Forgive than to punish?  Are we more loving of Neighbor as self, even if Neighbor has sinned?

"Let the one without sin cast the first stone."

The Lost Ones

 

Luke 15:1-3; 11b-32 is the Gospel lectionary text for Lent IV, next Sunday.

 This is Grace.  We may not like it when it is given to others who we deem “undeserving,” but that is precisely the point of it – undeserved loving-mercy given freely.  We certainly appreciate it when we receive it, knowing that we are not deserving, but also knowing of our need for it.

 When we walk away from God, there are consequences.  It may feel like freedom and independence at first, but what we are missing is not just a safety net for our over-indulgences, but the connection to one who is our resource for life itself.  God is everything.  God is life and God is love.  God is the source of joy and peace.  God is all things.  Separating ourselves from God does not bring liberation in life, but bondage to a life without the source of life and all that is possible in it.

 We have walked away from God in empire.  We have given our devotion to the god of self, and have over-indulged not only our egos, but also our immediate gratification, our baser passions, our childish oppositional rebellions, our hatefulness and our desire to be all things for ourselves and others around us.  We have charged off to follow the gods of self – greed, lust for power, desire for status and hatred.  We have taken God’s love and grace and run with it, trying to keep it for ourselves and necessarily withhold it from others.  We have re-created a world that divides people, damages the lives of others and destroys community because of our focus on self.  Empire does that.

 What we have walked away from is life with the source of life, love, joy and peace.  We have walked away from our place in community, our responsibility to others, our mental and spiritual health, our comfort and accountability from being in relationships of love and grace.  What we have walked away from is God’s Way in Jesus – the way of Agape Love and Grace.  We have also walked away from helping to maintain a sustainable way in life for ourselves, others around us and the creation of which we are a part and upon which we depend.  We have walked away from the one who is wholly other, the only true God, to try and be our own gods, flawed, self-serving and destructive to all around us and within.

 We are the prodigals. 

Many of us are also the ones who have stayed in relationship and have striven to continue the work of the Good News of Jesus in the world.  We say we believe in Grace and the Way of Agape Love, so we have continued to live in relationship with the Source and with one another, and we continue to follow the Way. 

 But when the prodigals come home, and many of them, I pray will come home, how will we receive them?  Will we welcome them home with open arms, as does the Source?  Will we celebrate their return and recognize that their lessons have been learned the hard way, and thank God that we did not go that way?  Will we open our hearts and lives to them again, or will we begrudge God’s Grace because we hold a grudge against them for their arrogant venture into unfaithfulness?  Will we hold it against them forever and use it whenever we can to punish them for the damage they did to our world, to the church, to the community and to many of us individually?

 Perhaps the answer lies in how they come back.  Perhaps, if they come with a confession and in humility, asking to come back without special recognition of any kind, we will welcome them back with open arms and engage in restorative justice, re-building the relationships and the world together.  Or, perhaps we will then be the ones who wander from the Way, and exhibit the same prideful ego, belief in entitlement and privilege and justifications for abuse that they did.  We will be the ones addressed by God to repent – change our thinking so that our direction changes. 

 Clearly, the only one in this parable we are NOT is God.

Manure

 

Luke 13:1-9 is the Gospel Lectionary text for Lent III  

 Some Galileans were slain by Pilate while sacrificing in the Temple.  That would be big news under a people oppressed by a horrendously vicious force.  Jesus also pointed out that eighteen died when a tower fell on them.  He used this to talk about sin.  First, Jesus pointed out that they were no worse sinners than the people bringing this to Him.  I believe there is also a lesson here in quelling the idea that God pulls strings or pushes buttons to make things happen to specific people in the world.  Jesus used it as an opportunity to call them to repent, pointing out that it could happen to them, for those referred to perished suddenly and unexpectedly, particularly without being ready or perhaps right with God.  And, as is frequently true in the Gospels, Jesus told a parable to underscore the message.

 This is the manure story.  A fig tree did not produce for three years, and the owner wanted it cut down.  The gardener convinced him to dig around it, put manure on it and see if it produced the following year, before cutting it down.

 God gives us every opportunity for growth and to produce good fruit in the world.  If we are not producing good fruit in the world around us, we are not doing what God has planted us here to do.  It would seem that God may be of two minds here.  On the one hand, the vineyard owner wants good fruit to be produced and when it is not, he is ready to cut down the tree.  On the other hand, the gardener (Jesus?  The Holy Spirit?  Abraham with God over Sodom and Gomorrah?) says, “Let me work on this a little bit and give it some time, and maybe it will come around.  If not, then cut it down.”

 The point is repentance.  Now is the time for repentance.  Life is short and things happen to us.  Life is finite, and we do not know how long we have.  We can see that as a threat if we want, that perhaps we will either intentionally be killed or accidently die, and that we have no control over that. We need to see that we need to be right with God because of that, or we can see it as an opportunity to do the right thing here and now.  We need to work at it, do what it takes and change our thinking and direction.

 As an individual, I need to be mindful of my sinfulness and repent of those things that cause harm to my sisters and brothers in the world, because they cause harm to my relationship with God.

 As the church, we need to be mindful of our sinfulness and repent of those things that cause harm to our sisters and brothers in the world, because they cause harm to our relationship with God.

 As a nation, we need to be mindful of our sinfulness and repent of those things that cause harm to our sisters and brothers in the world, because they cause harm to our relationship with God.

 As a world, we need to be mindful of our sinfulness and repent of those things that cause harm to our sisters and brothers in the world, because they cause harm to our relationship with God.

 Right now.

Our time may be short.  We do not know how long we have on this planet.

We do not know how long the planet has.

All we have is right now, so we need to repent – change our thinking so that our direction changes to be in alignment with God’s Will.  We need to stop doing those things that hurt the creation of God and the people of God right now.

Each of us, all of us.

Now.

A Time to Mourn

 

Luke 13:31-35 is the lectionary Gospel text for Lent II, on next Sunday.

 Jesus was a threat to Empire and all those who participated in Empire, including religious leaders who had sold their souls to hold onto some power over people, wealth and status.  People were struggling to survive, and that brings out the best in some and the worst in others.  Some of the Pharisees were clearly down with empire and its values, even twisting their teachings to encourage the greed, abuses of power and status above others to accommodate their way of life.  These Pharisees were evidently at least sympathetic to Jesus’ cause.  When particularly Christian believers start painting all Jews in this time and place through their bigoted stereotypes, it is important to remember that Jesus is a Jew and that His followers and others sympathetic to Jesus’ Way were Jewish as well. 

 These Pharisees warned Jesus to leave the place where He was because Herod, also threatened by Jesus’ message, wanted to do away with Jesus as he did with John.  Jesus sent word back to Herod to let him know what Jesus’ itinerary was.  He was going to Jerusalem.  He still had people’s lives to touch and restore for a couple days, and then He was on to Jerusalem to fulfill His mission.  Jesus was coming to Herod.  The showdown was going to happen.  Jesus offered Herod His intent – to die in Jerusalem as the prophet of God.

 Then Jesus lamented over Jerusalem, as a mother for an impossibly wayward child.  Taking on feminine imagery as God, Jesus calls out Jerusalem for her history of rejecting God’s messengers, and reiterates God’s whole desire to gather God’s children together with God in Jesus.  The people said, “No.”  So, now their house is left to them, empty of God.  Then Jesus predicted that Jerusalem, God’s holy city, would not see God again until she could say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”  That is born out in Luke’s later chapters.

 When the people say, “No,” there is nothing left to do.  You can offer what is wise, what is sane, what is sustainable, what is intelligent, what is reasoned, what is faithful, what is helpful and what is moral, but the people may say, “No.”  We are in such a time.  Empire, this iteration in our own nation coming to fruition since 1981, rises and twists ideologies, theologies and practices to suit its love for its gods, and thus creates a climate of abuse, exploitation and false superiority for the few and the victimization, oppression and demoralization, even destruction of the many.  Autocrats increasingly rule.  Economic systems still function to benefit the few at the expense of the many.  Position and prestige come for being the most ruthless and intolerant among us.  The Good News of Jesus came into such a time.  The Good News of Jesus is still with us in this time.

 But just as in that time, when the people say, “No,” there is little more to do than lament over their own destruction and that of everyone around them.  They had the Word given to them, even in the Word made Flesh who dwelt among them, and they still said, “No.”  Pointing out what faithfulness, wisdom and hopefulness are in this climate only brings cries to “kill the messenger.”  Jesus came to teach and show God’s children God’s way, and the way out of the despair that they had suffered for two generations under empire.  Many of the people followed Jesus and believed.  Many of them remained faithful to the Good News Way of Jesus until empire coopted their movement by joining it and changing its whole focus.  Others, who gave their loyalty to the gods of empire, rejected the Way of Jesus because it did not sound like the established norms of empire and therefore would not get them more wealth, power or status for themselves.  And they had to conspire to kill the messenger, because He threatened to expose the unsustainable insanity of their way, and thus rally enough people to say, “NO” to empire itself.

 It is time for lamenting, my sisters and brothers.  The Good News of Jesus has been coopted by the church of empire in this nation and across the world, so that the Kingdom values of Jesus have been dismissed as unrealistic, flawed and even communistic.  The people are saying “no” across the world to Democracy as well as the message of Jesus.  Empire is having its way in the world again, or still. 

 It is time for lamenting, my sisters and brothers.  This nation has fallen under empire’s horrible spell, including our political and economic and religious leaders.  The people have been led to believe in empire’s hateful, selfish gods, and that they will give them what they want.  It does not matter that most of them are truly victims of empire, because they have been duped into believing otherwise.  They have said, “No” to Jesus’ Way.

 It is time for lamenting, my sisters and brothers.  But what did Jesus do after this lament?  He still healed and restored lives.  He went to speak truth to power, even knowing it would mean the Cross.  He called them out, made fun of empire in His triumphal entry, overturned their money tables in the Temple of God, told them how little they truly knew about power, forgave them and willingly died for them.  Even after we see the writing on the wall, and after all the signs of the storm have been witnessed, even knowing what is inevitable, still those who would be faithful in following Jesus must heal and restore the lives of others to the last, proclaim the truth of the Kingdom to the last and go to the Cross.

 To quote my favorite Christian song writer and performer, Ken Medema, “Come down with me to the weapin’ tree and cry with me a while.”  It is time for lamenting, my sisters and brothers.  We may lament over what could have been all we want, but the work is not yet done. So, we lament AND go to Jerusalem, to the Cross.