Lost

          Have you ever been lost? I mean really, really lost. So lost that you had no idea where you were and no idea how to get back to where you’d started; so lost that you had lost your sense of direction. Have you ever been that lost?

          I’ve been lost like that a couple times and it was really scary. I wasn’t lost in the way that Daniel Boone was, just wandering around until I found my way out. No, lost like I didn’t think I’d ever find my way out without divine intervention. Has that ever happened to you?

          I was just talking about being lost physically, without a map or a GPS. Thinking about being lost in a different way, have you ever been lost spiritually, in the same way, not knowing how to find the light or a way out?

          In both instances it takes, I believe, divine intervention, help from God, the creator to find our way out.

          Now some folks never, ever, get lost, never. They have an innate sense of direction and they just know how to get back home without any help. Wouldn’t that be great? Sadly, I’m not one of those people.

          Think about what you do when you discover, or finally admit, that you’re lost? Do you call a friend for help? Do you take out your smart phone and call up the GPS app? Do you open the glove compartment and pull out and unfold the paper map to get your bearings and find your way home? What’s your fall back plan for when you get lost, if and when you do, get lost?

          Okay, what if you discover or find out or admit that you’re spiritually lost? What do you do? What’s your fall back plan in that event?

          What do I do? My first reaction after I’ve said, “Shoot, I think I’m lost,” I pray. I pray when I’m lost in my car and I pray when I find myself lost spiritually. Prayer is my fall back plan in both cases.

          But what about those folks who never get lost or never know they’re lost even when they are in fact so lost they’ll never find the light without help? Could the folks who never take a wrong turn be lost?  Could the people who never know they’re lost actually be going in circles? How will either one ever get un-lost?

          They may not realize they need to pray because they don’t know they’re lost. And if somehow they found out they were lost they might very well not know what to do.     

          Someone has to do something, but who? That’s a very important question, who will help.

          Let’s look back at the very beginning of what we heard in the gospel this morning. The Pharisees and religion scholars were grumbling about the folks Jesus was associating with; they were “sinners and (he) eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.”

          What’s with that? Doesn’t he realize he could become contaminated by their sin? But, on the other hand, who else is going to help them, the Pharisees, the scribes? That’s not likely is it? So, their only hope is Jesus.

          And therein lies the answer, the only hope is Jesus. Our only hope is Jesus. And how can Jesus help them…or us?

          The two stories Jesus told what do they have in common? Both stories are about something being lost and someone who goes searching and finding the lost.

          So, if we’re lost who comes looking for us? Luke says that Jesus was eating with sinners.

          Does Jesus eat with us? Do we invite him to join us at our tables? Will he come even when we don’t invite him?

          Friends, the lesson God has been trying to teach us is that he’s been looking for us forever. He came here in the person of Jesus the Christ. He took all our sins upon himself and died for us on the cross. He was the ultimate sacrifice for us. He took all the blame for the wrongs we’ve done and the wrongs we will do tomorrow.

          Jesus took them with him to the grave and through him we’ve been made clean, spotless before God, our Father.

          Jesus is knocking at the door of our hearts and is waiting patiently for us to open them and invite him in. Even though we are sinners he comes looking, searching endlessly for us. He wants not one of his children to be lost forever.

          And when one more sinner is found the angels throw a party. There’s a whole of rejoicing going on when one more fallen person opens the door and Jesus comes in.

          Friends, we’re all lost and we need a new GPS to find our way back to the Light of the world, Jesus. God is calling you today. We’re all lost and we all need Jesus to help us find our way back.

          How’s that going to happen? It will happen when we pray for each other and ask for that divine intervention I mentioned earlier. God hears our prayers and he’s there with the answer, His Son, Jesus, the Christ, our Redeemer.

          That’s God’s grace my friends. We can’t pay for it, we can’t earn it, and we can’t pay him back for this gift. We just have to hold out our hands and let him lay his grace on us.

          What are you going to do now? Are you going to admit that you’re lost and you need, you desperately want someone, anyone, to find you?

          God loves you, my friend, and his grace is all you needs. Thanks be to God. Amen.

The Cost

          All of our lives we've had to make choices. Part of the decision-making process of making choices is determining the cost. Can we afford to make this choice? 

          Sometime the cost is minimal and doesn't really come into play in the decision making process. But other times the cost is extremely high and we look at all the options and consider whether the cost is worth it. We count the cost of making the choice.

          Jesus was pointing that very thing out to the crowd surrounding him, those who were weighing the cost of following him.  He was letting them know that in order to follow him they would have to give up everything that was dear to them, mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife, son and daughter, everything.

          That’s the question before us. What’s the cost to follow Jesus? Is the cost to follow Jesus the price of a new HD flat screen television? Is the cost to follow Jesus the price of 4 weeks of vacation in the Bahamas in February? Jesus says it isn't.

          Some folks hear the story about God’s love for us and the sacrifice of Jesus, his Son, on the cross and then they hear that they have to give it all to Him and they hesitate. The cost sounds too extreme.

          Is the cost to follow Jesus the price of a new car? Is the cost to follow Jesus what we’d spend every week at the bakery or at garage sales or at Target or Sears or Kohls? Is the cost to follow Jesus the price of a new outfit? No it isn't.

          What is the cost to follow Jesus? I’ll tell you what the cost is. The price for following Jesus is saying to your neighbor, “I love you,” and meaning it. The price for believing in Jesus is allowing God to renew us through his Spirit and providing us with the energy to do everything he calls us to do.

          The price for following Jesus is letting go and trusting when we read, “Behold, I make all things new,” and then participating in the renewal. The price for following Jesus is “not storing up riches for yourself,” but sharing the lives and gifts we have with all the folks we meet.

          The price for following Jesus is turning the other cheek and then walking away even as others laugh at you. It’s not storing up riches for ourselves but sharing what we have with others. It’s coming to the realization that we don’t live by bread alone but divide and share what we have with the wealthy and the hungry.

          It’s not turning away anyone who comes for help but giving to everyone who asks and finding a new way to live together.  To do that the price we pay is to love our enemies and work to bring justice to all.

          The price of following Jesus is being a disciple, picking up the cross, and traveling the journey of the Word into flesh.

          Sisters and brothers, we are children of God and heirs of the Kingdom. Thanks be to God. Amen.

The Reward

          Why do folks go to church on Sunday? What goes on inside these buildings that keep people coming back Sunday after Sunday? Why do we come here to sit and sing and pray and listen? Is there some reward for coming to church? Is there some prize awarded for coming to worship every Sunday? And why do folks always sit where they sit? Is there something special about the pew cushion in that particular spot? Are people going to receive some special reward for singing praise to Jesus and giving God thanks?  Are the ones who come to worship every Sunday better than the ones who don’t?

          Who are we? If we look around we see that we’re all human beings who are short and tall, young and old. Some of us dress up and some dress down. Some wear dresses, some wear shorts, some wear pants, and some wear whatever they touch first in their closet. Do the clothes we wear make us who we are? Who are we?

          What makes me different than you? What makes you uniquely who you are? What makes one person think that they’re better than another? And why?

          The wars going on in Egypt and Syria, why are they fighting? Is it because one group of people is better than the other group of people? Who are they? Who are we?

          We listen to the news and we wonder what all the fuss is about. Why is there so much anger and hate? Who are these people?

          I don’t know. The gospel lesson from Luke is about Jesus’ observations of people attending a banquet at one of the leading Pharisee’s home. Jesus pays attention to how people are jockeying for the most important, most prestigious seats at the table. And what does he say? He says, “When you’re invited to dinner, go and sit at the last place. Then when the host comes he may very well say, ‘Friend, come up to the front.’ That will give the dinner guests something to talk about!”

          So, is that why some folks sit at the back of the church during Sunday worship? They are just waiting to be invited to sit up front.

          Is that what’s going on with all these wars? They’re all pushing and shoving to get the best seats in the kingdom. And for what? What’s the reward for winning? What’s the reward for annihilating an entire generation? What’s the reward for wiping off the face of the earth an entire ethnic group of people?

          Control and power, that’s what it’s about. The people at the party want the places of highest honor so they will be viewed as the most important, the most influential people there. It gives a boost to their ego.

          And what about those who are seated at the very last seat, the lowest seat? How do they feel about their position? What’s their reward?

          So, back to the original question, “Why do folks go to church on Sunday? Why don’t as many come now as used to come?”

          Have you ever noticed that when there’s a meal served the count at worship is considerably higher? What if we hosted a sumptuous banquet every Sunday? If we laid out a fancy feast on the Communion table every Sunday would there be pushing and shoving to be the first in line?

          Good friends, there is a banquet here every Sunday, even when the table is bare. This table is bursting with the promise of a feast. And as Jesus said, “The misfits are those who’re invited to partake of the bounty.” Those who can in no way return the favor are the ones who’re are first at the table. They’re the ones who receive the service of a 5-star restaurant. 

          And their reward, it’s the same as yours. God forgives all for our sins through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross. All our sins, the ones so small that we don’t think about them and the ones so large everyone sees them, they’re all forgiven. Jesus took them with him to the grave.

          And the reward…its God’s grace, the gift of eternal life, a life of freedom that we can hardly imagine.

          So, who are we? Look in the mirror, look in your neighbor’s eyes, maybe then you will discover who you are.

          Sisters and brothers, we are children of God and heirs of the Kingdom. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Released!

          Have you ever been held captive? I mean, have you ever been held down by someone or something for so long that, with tears in your eyes, you begged them or it or God to give you some relief?

          If you haven’t, then you probably never had an older brother or sister or cousin or a bully at school who liked to hear you beg for mercy.

          Maybe you haven’t ever been physically restrained but have you been enslaved by a job you hated or a physical ailment that restricted you or an emotional trauma that had you in its clutches or maybe you’ve not been allowed to do something you desired to do because of some prohibition by the laws of our country.

          If you’ve experienced any of these restraints then you may have some idea how this crippled woman in today’s gospel felt.

          These restraints, these restrictions are about us not being able or allowed to do something that we really wanted to do, and believed, was our right to be able to do.

          We understand all that but what if this parable was about more than the things which bind us physically, mentally, and emotionally? What if it was about unbinding, releasing the Sabbath?

          You’re probably asking, “How can the Sabbath be bound?” That’s a valid question. How could the Sabbath be restricted or bound?

          In the gospel lesson for today Luke tells first about the women who had come to the Temple who had been suffering from this arthritic condition for 18 years. For 18 years she hadn’t been able to stand up straight and look people squarely in the face.

          But on this day Jesus changed all that when he said, “Woman, you’re free!” She straightened up immediately. She was able to stand tall and all she could do was give God all the glory and praise.

          But there were those in the Temple who weren’t celebrating her freedom. There were rules for what people could do on the Sabbath and being healed was one of the things that were allowed, apparently. After all there were six other days of the week that she could have come to the Temple and Jesus could have healed here without causing the Temple religious folks any grief. At least that’s what they’d have us believe.

          But, Jesus didn’t interpret the law that way. If anyone could untie their donkey or ox and lead them to feed and water on the Sabbath then, in his eyes, this woman could also be released of her bonds on the Sabbath. Wasn’t she of more worth than these beasts of burden?

          So, how do we have the Sabbath bound? Do we have rules, written and unwritten, that put restrictions on our Sabbath?

          Maybe we should ask, “Why is the Sabbath so sacred that the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were upset when he healed this woman?” Why did they hold the Sabbath as a holy day? What made it so special?

          We first hear about the Sabbath in Exodus 20:8 when the Israelites were told to keep it holy because in six days God created the heavens and the earth and on the seventh he rested. The other OT passage that explains the Sabbath is found in Deuteronomy as it recalls the story of the Exodus from Egypt and their release from slavery by God. In chapter 6:20 Moses says to the people, “When your children ask you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ then you are to say to your children, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. The Lord displayed before our eyes great and awesome signs and wonders against Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household. He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land that he promised on oath to our ancestors. Then the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our lasting good, so as to keep us alive, as is now the case. If we diligently observe this entire commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, we will be in the right.”

          I believe this is what Jesus was referring to when he is telling the Pharisees that it’s right to release this woman from her bondage on the Sabbath. Jesus reminds them that they untie and lead their livestock to feed and water and wouldn’t think twice about it. Therefore isn’t humanity of greater importance than cattle and donkeys?

          So, the question for us is why is the Sabbath sacred or important for us? Who may come to worship or who may we encounter on the Sabbath that might need our help to be released from their bondage?

          Now, some of you may be remembering back to the days when there were more restrictions on Sunday activities. Stores were closed. There weren’t very many gas stations open. People went to worship and then spent time with their families and maybe even went back to church for Sunday evening study and worship.

          I read this week about play ground equipment that was padlocked so that the children couldn’t play on it until Monday. Do our Sunday’s feel like that today?

          Doesn’t it sound like Jesus is granting us the freedom and liberty to look for those who desperately need to freed and liberated from their bonds?

          Every Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, every Sunday is a little Easter celebration, a reminder of how God has liberated us from the bonds of death and given us a new life in Jesus Christ. Is this how you feel every Sunday?

          Let’s, this week, look for opportunities to help someone be free. Let’s see if we can cut the ropes that are binding them and keeping them from experiencing the joy of being released from their burdens. This is the good news that needs to be proclaimed throughout the whole world.

          Thanks be to God for grace. Amen.

Released!

          Have you ever been held captive? I mean, have you ever been held down by someone or something for so long that, with tears in your eyes, you begged them or it or God to give you some relief?

          If you haven’t, then you probably never had an older brother or sister or cousin or a bully at school who liked to hear you beg for mercy.

          Maybe you haven’t ever been physically restrained but have you been enslaved by a job you hated or a physical ailment that restricted you or an emotional trauma that had you in its clutches or maybe you've not been allowed to do something you desired to do because of some prohibition by the laws of our country.

          If you've experienced any of these restraints then you may have some idea how this crippled woman in today’s gospel felt.

          These restraints, these restrictions are about us not being able or allowed to do something that we really wanted to do, and believed, was our right to be able to do.

          We understand all that but what if this parable was about more than the things which bind us physically, mentally, and emotionally? What if it was about unbinding, releasing the Sabbath?

          You’re probably asking, “How can the Sabbath be bound?” That’s a valid question. How could the Sabbath be restricted or bound?

          In the gospel lesson for today Luke tells first about the women who had come to the Temple who had been suffering from this arthritic condition for 18 years. For 18 years she hadn't been able to stand up straight and look people squarely in the face.

          But on this day Jesus changed all that when he said, “Woman, you’re free!” She straightened up immediately. She was able to stand tall and all she could do was give God all the glory and praise.

          But there were those in the Temple who weren't celebrating her freedom. There were rules for what people could do on the Sabbath and being healed was one of the things that were allowed, apparently. After all there were six other days of the week that she could have come to the Temple and Jesus could have healed here without causing the Temple religious folks any grief. At least that’s what they’d have us believe.

          But, Jesus didn't interpret the law that way. If anyone could untie their donkey or ox and lead them to feed and water on the Sabbath then, in his eyes, this woman could also be released of her bonds on the Sabbath. Wasn't she of more worth than these beasts of burden?

          So, how do we have the Sabbath bound? Do we have rules, written and unwritten, that put restrictions on our Sabbath?

          Maybe we should ask, “Why is the Sabbath so sacred that the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were upset when he healed this woman?” Why did they hold the Sabbath as a holy day? What made it so special?

          We first hear about the Sabbath in Exodus 20:8 when the Israelites were told to keep it holy because in six days God created the heavens and the earth and on the seventh he rested. The other OT passage that explains the Sabbath is found in Deuteronomy as it recalls the story of the Exodus from Egypt and their release from slavery by God. In chapter 6:20 Moses says to the people, “When your children ask you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ then you are to say to your children, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. The Lord displayed before our eyes great and awesome signs and wonders against Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household. He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land that he promised on oath to our ancestors. Then the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our lasting good, so as to keep us alive, as is now the case. If we diligently observe this entire commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, we will be in the right.”

          I believe this is what Jesus was referring to when he is telling the Pharisees that it’s right to release this woman from her bondage on the Sabbath. Jesus reminds them that they untie and lead their livestock to feed and water and wouldn't think twice about it. Therefore isn't humanity of greater importance than cattle and donkeys?

          So, the question for us is why is the Sabbath sacred or important for us? Who may come to worship or who may we encounter on the Sabbath that might need our help to be released from their bondage?

          Now, some of you may be remembering back to the days when there were more restrictions on Sunday activities. Stores were closed. There weren't very many gas stations open. People went to worship and then spent time with their families and maybe even went back to church for Sunday evening study and worship.

          I read this week about play ground equipment that was padlocked so that the children couldn't play on it until Monday. Do our Sunday’s feel like that today?

          Doesn't it sound like Jesus is granting us the freedom and liberty to look for those who desperately need to freed and liberated from their bonds?

          Every Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, every Sunday is a little Easter celebration, a reminder of how God has liberated us from the bonds of death and given us a new life in Jesus Christ. Is this how you feel every Sunday?

          Let’s, this week, look for opportunities to help someone be free. Let’s see if we can cut the ropes that are binding them and keeping them from experiencing the joy of being released from their burdens. This is the good news that needs to be proclaimed throughout the whole world.

          Thanks be to God for grace. Amen.

Peace?

          How many times have you heard that God is love? How many stories have we heard about how loving, kind, and compassionate Jesus was, and is?

          Yet, today, we heard Jesus say, “I’ve come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now! I’ve come to change everything, turn everything right side up—how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I’ve come to disrupt and confront!”  That’s doesn’t sound like peace or love.

          We could choose to pass over this piece of text because we don’t want to believe it or confront it or…we could sit down and think about what it was that Jesus was trying to say.  So many times when we come upon a passage that hits too close to home or is too painful for us to consider doing we close the Bible and walk away saying it doesn’t apply to us today. That was only for that time when Jesus walked the earth in Palestine.

          But what if, we take His words to heart. Surely we’ve all experienced some division in our families because we don’t all agree philosophically or theologically or even politically. All of us have probably heard the saying about when people get together, “Don’t discuss religion or politics!” Both can be hot button topics and people can become very irrational over either of these or both.

          What if Jesus meant for us to take these words to heart and he meant that we’re to be intentional in our discussion of the Way, the way of Jesus Christ even if it’s going to make people angry? Suppose he knew some things that we don’t know, imagine that. Suppose he knew that we needed to meet these topics about God, Jesus, and the Spirit and their intentions for the church and us head on and embrace the conflict? Could it be that’s the reason our churches are dwindling in size and influence? Could it be that we’re supposed to be more confrontational to the ways of the world?

          Think about this. Jesus was an advocate for justice for all. Look at the world, the state it’s in, today. Is there peace?  Is there justice?  No, there’s conflict, there’s war, everywhere! People are being killed because they’re followers of the Way. Christian churches are being destroyed in Egypt. It’s not only there but that’s the part of the world we’re hearing about on the news right now. But it’s happening everywhere Christians are in the minority and still worship a God who loved the world so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, who after he ascended into heaven sent his Holy Spirit to be an Advocate, a Counselor, a Comforter for us. Because folks worship our Triune God so openly they are being persecuted, families are being divided, sons and daughters are being disowned, thrown out into the streets with nothing.

          So, what choices do we make concerning our faith in our community? How do we speak about our faith to our friends and family?  Do we make choices that don’t stir up the pot or make waves or ruffle any feathers? Or do we, will we, speak of what is true and honest about our faith? Do we hold our belief up against what the world offers?

          If we choose to do nothing we’ve made a choice, albeit the wrong one in my opinion. If we would choose to speak honestly about our faith, our belief, what would that lead to? What kind of church would this be? Are we willing to be that kind of church and if so, how do we prepare for that kind of faith?

          I don’t believe this means that we’re all going to agree about every little thing theologically, politically, or philosophically but we can agree to keep our minds open to different possibilities and let God lead and guide us along his Way. 

          Friends, if we continue to follow the way of the world eventually we’ll all be the same, monochrome, instead of a real, colorful community where diversity thrives and everyone finds their place.

          Fullness of life in Jesus Christ is found in debate and discussion and in the sharing of different ideas and arguing over all of them. Maybe not with sword but definitely not with feathers either.

          May God continue to stir us up. May we continue to come together to learn and discuss and worship the Prince of Peace even when we don’t all agree about how God does everything he does.

         

         

          Thanks be to God for his wisdom and grace. Amen.

Prepared: Ready or Not

          Last weeks lesson was about planning for the future, the eternal, heavenly one, not our future here on earth.

          Today let’s think about being prepared. Part of being prepared does involve planning, gathering resources, and maybe even double checking to see if we have everything, checking to see we haven’t forgotten something.

          Let’s say we do that, plan, check, and double-check.  It’s all done, then what? Do we just sit and wait?

          I don’t think so. Jesus said, in our gospel reading today, that the disciples, and I believe that includes you and me, were to, “Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on.” And before Jesus made that statement he said, “Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

          What’s that mean, give you the kingdom? What does Jesus really mean when he says, “Sell your possessions, and give alms?” 

          Last week Jesus reminded his followers, and us, that it is futile for us to build huge nest eggs for ourselves because “we can’t take it with us.” And none of us can possibly know when God will call us home.

          No one knows, and that’s why he said, “You must also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” 

          So, the question or questions are, “Are we ready for the Son of Man to come?” Have we been storing up treasures in heaven?

          If the Son of Man appeared right now and separated the sheep from the goats, which group would we find ourselves in? If we look in Matthew 25 beginning with verse 31 we’ll find that the Son of Man, Jesus, will be seated on his throne in glory and all the nations will be gathered before him and they’ll be separated just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

          On one side will be those who cared for the hungry, the thirsty, the strangers, the naked, the sick, and those in prison. On the other side will be those who didn’t. And so, the question, “If the Son of Man arrived today, where will we be found?”

          The question is are we ready for the Son of Man to arrive or have we been saving for the wrong things?

          To help us in our discernment Jesus said, “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Where is our treasure, that’s the question?

          How have we been saving for our salvation?  You see, what we are saving for is the real focus of our lives. What we are focusing on is where our heart is.

          So, how far out are we looking? Are we looking too far into the future? It would seem so to me.

          Jesus, I think, is telling us we need to focus on the ‘now’ doing things like caring for the poor, the naked, the hungry and thirsty, the sick and the imprisoned. And not doing these things begrudgingly, judging them every second that we’re helping them but performing these tasks with genuine love, love like Jesus did when he healed and touched and taught and forgave.

          The Nike slogan comes to mind right about now, “Just Do It!”  Just do it and don’t count the cost or worry about the future. Just do it and help that person who doesn’t have anywhere else to turn. Just do it and ‘Don’t be afraid.’

          Easy for me to say, but it’s not so easy to ‘just do it.’ What if we did ‘just do it?’ What do you suppose would happen? Would the earth stand still? Would the plight of the poor and the homeless change? Would there be fewer folks in need?

          Maybe not, but is that the point? Jesus said that the poor would always be with us. Our focus should be on God’s kingdom right here, right now.

          Focusing on that, and not on ourselves, frees us to love and care for those who desperately need love and compassion.

          God blesses us with so much every single day and all he’s asking us to do is to share the gifts with the folks we meet. By doing so we build a savings account that earns more interest than we could ever imagine. And that’s something we can take with us when God calls us home.

          Thanks be to God for his grace showered upon us every day. Amen.