November 18, 2018 Casting the First Stone John 8:2-11

Our gospel reading is one of the most famous of all the stories of Jesus.  Interestingly it isn’t included in the lectionary at all, so we never read it in worship.  This famous text is also mysterious at a couple levels.

First, it isn’t an original part of the gospel of John.  The oldest copies of John that exist all omit this text.  Interestingly it sometimes shows up inserted in very ancient copies of Luke’s gospel.  All the biblical scholars I’ve read all agree that it was not written by John, but that it is an ancient, and probably original account of something that happened in Jesus’ ministry.  And despite not being part of John’s gospel originally it fits very well where it is.

Commentator Gail O’Day notes that it provides a real world application of teachings Jesus gave earlier.  If you were here last week you may remember that we set the scene for today.  The annual Festival of the Booths was coming up.  Jesus and his family were in Galilee.  His brothers were going to travel to Jerusalem for the festival, which was encouraged by all Jews.  At first Jesus says he will not go, but later he does go, and we find him then and there in today’s reading.  You may remember that last week’s gospel posed a basic question:  Do you use your categories for life to define Jesus, or do you let Jesus define your categories?  The obvious answer is that Jesus should define our categories, not the other way around.  Obvious as it is, it is much harder to live out.

I think that takes us to the second mysterious thing about the text, and that is the story itself.  We’ll see that when we remind ourselves about its historical context.

It is early in the morning and Jesus is teaching in the temple, the religious center of Jerusalem.  By “the temple” we mean the vast courtyards surrounding the temple itself.  No teaching ever took place in the temple proper.  Jesus, and probably others would talk and teach in the courtyards to the crowds that were there for the holidays.  By this point Jesus is becoming well known and has a following.  He’s also had some run-ins with the religious leaders.

The scribes and Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery to him.  It’s a trap to ensnare Jesus.  They had to bring her here into the temple complex.  While she was apparently caught in the act, it’s hard to believe there would have been any place in the temple where she could have gotten away with it.  Most likely the offense took place somewhere in the city or surrounds and they drag her here into the temple.

They say, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of the adultery.  Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women.  Now what do you say?”  Interesting, that’s not what the law taught.  We read one of two places in the law where the punishment is given.  Both the man and the woman are to be stoned.  So where is the man?

Further, the law requires that any death sentence be corroborated by witnesses.  Where are the witnesses?  Are these leaders the witnesses?  Their case is sloppy and their knowledge of the law is suspect.

Notice what Jesus does.  Pay attention to his body during this scene.  He was sitting when they approached him.  Now he bends down and starts writing in the ground.  Many people have speculated what he wrote.  Ultimately it doesn’t matter.  What does matter is that he doesn’t say anything.  By bending down and writing on the ground he is clearly refusing to engage in the situation. 

They keep questioning him – basically badgering him for a response.  And look at his body movement again.  He straightens up and says as is most famous in the King James translation, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

I cannot imagine the terror this woman felt while all this was going on.  There is certainly the embarrassment, the shame, of being caught and then drug through the streets to be placed in front of this out-of-town preacher and used as a manipulative tool.  There is the also the great likelihood that within a couple hours she will be executed.  Definitely terrifying.  Interestingly the religious leaders who drug her in front of Jesus don’t seem to care.  She is an object to them, an object to be used for their own ends.

And speaking of being an object to be used, often this woman is portrayed as a prostitute.  But there is nothing whatsoever in the text to suggest that.  She has no back story.  We know nothing about her past.  Anything is possible.  She might have been a prostitute.  Or she might have been a woman who came into Jerusalem as a pilgrim along with others for the festival.  She may have just met the guy she was caught with – and again, interestingly he does not show up in the story at all – or he may have been a pilgrim too and this was a long time thing for them.  Maybe she was caught in an arranged marriage to a highly abusive man.  That doesn’t justify what she did, but it does affect how we feel about her; and about how Jesus treats her.

The point is, the story gives us nothing about her.  And if it gives nothing about her, then whatever it was about her doesn’t really matter to either the story or to Jesus.

Look at what Jesus does right after he says that whoever is without sin could cast the first stone.  Verse 8, “And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground.”  He is refusing to engage in the situation again.

Those who heard it they went away, one by one, beginning with the eldest.  It is suggested that this eldest leaving first signifies that not even the most senior and revered members of the community are without sin.

Keep watching Jesus.  They leave, and when he was left alone with the woman standing before him, Jesus straightens up.  He says to her, “Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?”

            This is the moment of resounding grace in the text.  Jesus stands up, I imagine looks her in the eye, and speaks directly to her.  He, and he alone, is treating her in the fullness of humanity.  She has his undivided attention.  He asks her a genuine question.  “Has no one condemned you?”  She replies, “No one, sir.”  And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.”

            The one who has the power to condemn or acquit does not condemn her.  Those who were wrongfully claiming the role of judge, jury and executioner were the ones seeking condemnation.

            Jesus does not judge her in this passage.  He does not scold her.  He forgives her.

            Now let’s not overlook Jesus’ final line.  “Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”  There’s a lot packed into that line.  On the surface is the acknowledgement that what she did was wrong.  He’s not condoning it.  He’s not saying it was okay.  He’s just saying she’s escaping punishment for it.  She should not do it again.

            This forgiveness should however, need to a new life.  “Go your way…” is Jesus direction to live as God intended her to live – just like Jesus goes on his way – not the way others say he should go; like we read his brothers doing last week.

            We do not know this woman’s past, but this will impact her in the future.  If she is a, “woman of ill repute” that means a new livelihood for her in a culture which gives women little in the way of livelihoods apart from being married.  If she is not, however, she has been publically disgraced.  What will her family and friends say?  What will her husband say?  What will her lover do and say?

            We don’t know her back story, but her future story isn’t going to be easy.

            In this text Jesus brought the promise of freedom to all – scribes, Pharisees, the woman – but that freedom demands a renunciation of old ways and former claims; for all, not just the woman.

            God’s grace is a wonderful but puzzling thing.  Let us embrace it but not exploit it.  And let us not become jealous when God’s grace appears to forgive greater sinners than ourselves.  Our lives must be accountable, but they are more than accountability, and that is true freedom.

November 11, 2018 Jesus at the Festival of Booths John 7:1-18

            When I was near the end of seminary I was interviewed by former bishop, the Rev. Lee Miller Sr., about coming to this synod.  One of the first things he asked me was, “Who is Jesus?”  That’s an almost offensively simple question to ask someone who’s about to graduate with a Master of Divinity Degree, but it’s a very difficult question to answer.  He asked that of all potential pastors to this synod, and the way they answer give a lot of insight into how they will be as pastors.  I must have answered well enough because he decided he’d keep me!

            If I were to ask you the same simple question how would you answer?  I suppose with me you could just answer he was the Son of God, or the Messiah.  But that’s a cheap way out.  How would you answer a Buddhist …or an atheist?

            Lee Miller was succeeded by the Rev. Marie Jerge as bishop.  She would ask potential pastors who Jesus was too.  She’d also say, “Give me your elevator speech.”  It took me a while –probably too long- to figure out what that meant.  But it is basically, what is your faith in nutshell, using plain English?  If you just met a person in an elevator and all the time you’d have to spend with them was the time it took to go to your destination floor, what would you say about faith?

            Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t find elevators particularly stimulating places to have conversations.  And if the doors closed and I was sealed in that little box and someone starting in on me about Jesus, I’d start hitting the button of my destination floor for dear life!

            Talking about Jesus is hard.  We don’t like doing it, and we don’t want it to be done to us.  I suppose if I was in the Red Elevators at Strong Hospital coming down from the 6^th or 7^th Floors and someone stepped into the elevator sobbing, saw me wearing a clerical collar, and starting asking for help I’d come up with an elevator speech fast.  But otherwise I don’t have one!

            Who is Jesus?  It’s an easy question to ask.  It is hard to answer!

            We meet Jesus in the gospel reading today.  We also encounter his brothers.  I wonder what they would have said if you asked them, “Who is Jesus?”  The gospel tells us that not even his brothers believed in him.  And we’re seven chapters in by this point!  He’s been preaching, teaching, gathering disciples, and has performed several miracles – yet they don’t believe him.

            It turns out that nailing down who Jesus is has always been difficult.  Jesus goes to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Booths.  This was a seven day harvest festival in October where people would make pilgrimages to Jerusalem and live in tents for the week.  There the crowds are divided about Jesus.  Some say he is a good man.  Others say he is deceiving people.  The Jewish leaders have questions too:  “How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?”

            The entire Gospel of John is about answering who is Jesus and whether you believe in him - or not.  In our verses for today Jesus says, “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me.  Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.  Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.”

            There’s really a deeper dimension to the question of who is Jesus.  Do you bring to Jesus your categories of right and wrong and how the world is supposed to work?  Or does Jesus define your categories of right and wrong and how the world is supposed to work?  Do you see the difference?

            Jesus’ brothers bring to Jesus their categories of how the world is supposed to work.  They say, “Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing; for no one who wants to be widely known acts in secret.”  And we have to admit that what they say makes sense.  If you want to start a political or social revolution you don’t do it in secret.  If you don’t tell anyone no one will ever know.  No, you start a blog to spread your ideas.  You use social media.  You have email, phone, and other advertising campaigns. 

If Jesus can do miracles then he should be doing them in public – in Jerusalem, the religious capital, not Galilee.  That would be like having political ideas and instead of going to Washington D.C. you go to Penn Yan.  What Jesus’ brothers say makes perfect sense.

That’s not to say that Jesus is illogical, or that God’s will is nonsensical, but that God defines your categories, not your categories define God.

In fact Jesus does then go up to Jerusalem.  However he does so secretly, at least at first.  He hasn’t lied to his brothers, but he is showing that his agenda is set by his relationship with the Father, not set by the expectations of others.

Timing is important in all of this too.  Numerous times in John’s gospel Jesus says, “My hour has not yet come.”  His hour is the crucifixion; or perhaps more like the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the ascension.  John links all three.  When that time comes, because it is not yet, Jesus goes on his terms in his own way and in his own time.  It is ironic because it looks like he’s out of control, when in fact he has planned it all along, and all is going according to plan.

Jesus calls us to have our categories defined by him, not us define him by our categories.  But living that way can be  hard.  In our second reading from Hebrews we meet people in a church who are struggling.  It appears as if when they became Christians they did so joyfully even as it cost them a lot in the way of possessions and relationships.  They were willing to make the sacrifice in light of the promises of eternal life.  But it appears that they thought Jesus would be returning soon and their sacrifices would be temporary.  Time is going by and they’re starting to wonder if it was true.  Where is Jesus, and when is his great return?

I think when there is a crisis we can all find the time and resources to pitch in.  When an ice storm takes out power or a blizzard snows us in, every able bodied person is out giving of their time and resources to help with clean-up and getting things back to normal.  But when things get back to normal you can’t really maintain that level of sacrifice.  It is in ordinary day to day life that being a Christian is a challenge.  Then is when the categories of the world start to define Jesus more than Jesus defines the categories of the world.

The recipients of the letter to the Hebrews were in some danger of losing their faith.  And after all, it was all new to them.  They had no Christian history to look back on.  But we who are blessed to look back upon centuries of Christian history have more roots for our faith.  We know that the world’s categories look enticing at first, but they ultimately lead us nowhere.

You know the world’s categories well.  They tell you that you have to be the epitome of popularity and cool and glamour and success if you want to live a fulfilled life.  That is to be whole.  But history shows that those categories leave people empty, frustrated and wanting ever more.  The categories of Christian faith give a different truth.  This is the truth that your IQ and your bank balance and your level of glamour have no bearing on your worth at all.  The categories of Christian faith call on us to ask the world if what it’s doing really builds up people and the creation.  Those things that do, even though they cost your money and your time, will fulfill you.

We are in our stewardship drive for 2019.   That’s much more than just how much money will we give to St. John’s in 2019.  That asking ourselves what categories we will use for all of our resources in the coming year.  For God does not want you to give a portion of your money away.  God wants you to direct all that you are in a way that will bring you peace and wholeness.  Directing yourself to God’s way probably won’t make you rich and famous, but it will bring you peace, certainly more peace than the world can give.  May you hear God’s voice and may it give you the guidance you need to grow and be content.

November 4, 2018 All Saints Sunday John 8:31-36

            Election day is Tuesday and I’ve never encountered this much hype over the mid-term elections.  Democrats are seeing it as a must win in order take some control of the congress and thus have a check on what the president does.  Republicans see it as a must win in order to keep the president’s agenda clear.  To everyone’s misfortune the public debate has become so polarized that people can’t and won’t listen to each other without prejudgment and practical application has gotten lost.  Many of the struggles and problems of our society will not be solved if one party or the other gets to have their way unopposed.

            While our president’s statements and agenda are in opposition to scripture and our church’s social statements, the secular humanist ideology behind the Democratic Party is also at odds with our core understanding of humanity.

            Perhaps it is easiest to just disengage from it all.  We’ll deactivate our Facebook and Instagram accounts.  We won’t vote.  We’ll just keep our heads down, do our work, get our paycheck or Social Security check, and let other people fight out the problems.

            However, we don’t have that option.  Living in a true democracy is both a privilege and a responsibility.  If we didn’t have representative government maybe we could just ignore it all.  But if you have the privilege of getting a say in your leaders then you also have a responsibility to be active in the political process.

            In an ideal world we wouldn’t have to worry all that much about politics.  We could simply say I’ll focus on my job – whether it is to produce things in a factory, or management, or offering care or services, or being a stay at home parent – and I’ll trust the elected leaders to focus on their jobs, and it’ll all work out for the best.  But that’s not the case.

            I think the roots of all of it are fear, power, and greed.  All of them are age old sins of humanity.

            It’s All Saints Sunday.  Today’s theme and Bible verses have a lot to say about the current state of our country.  Let’s start by naming and avoiding the mistake Christians make all too often when they read Revelation 21:1, “Then I saw a new heaven and new earth; for the first heaven and first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”

            Too often people interpret this to mean that the earth and our present reality are of no real importance.  God will wipe them out completely and start over.  And so, if it’s all going away, who really cares?  Who cares about environmental destruction or exploitation of people or all sorts of things?  Just keep your head down.  Suffer when you must.  And know that God will make it all okay.  Basically saying, “Life sucks and then you die.  Deal with it because it’ll all come out okay in the end.”

            That can be a tempting thought, but it’s not biblical.  And it’s not what Revelation 21 intends to teach.  This earth, this creation, is vitally important to God.  God is not going to just chuck it out and start over.

            Christians make a huge mistake in their faith when they think life is just a test to see if you’re worthy enough to go to heaven.  Then God judges who is and who isn’t.  Those who are good enough get to go to the new heaven and those who aren’t, well, we don’t talk about that.  But, “To hell with them,” I suppose.

            In this way of thinking Jesus just came to be a good example to us of how to live in order to make God happy with us.  And the crucifixion is just Jesus being caught in bad circumstances, but since he was such a good guy God raised him from the dead on Easter.  Easter then becomes the center of this escapist way of thinking.

            But if you’ve been hanging around a Lutheran church for a while you know Lutherans take a far more biblical approach.  All four of the gospels in the Bible do this same thing.  Long before we get to Holy Week and Good Friday the shadow of the cross starts to loom over the story line.  We know it’s coming.  The whole story builds towards it.  The gospels climax at the crucifixion, not Easter.  And when all of them get to Easter, they are still pointing back to Good Friday.

            What does John 3:16 say?  Does it say, “For God so loved the world that he raised Jesus from the dead?”  No!  “For God so loved the world that he GAVE his only Son…”

            Perhaps the greatest teaching of the crucifixion we often overlook is the way it shows just how deeply God is committed to this world.  The world’s other religions don’t have that.  If we were Islamic we could just sit back and say: be good, do good works, act in love, and let God take care of the rest because heaven will be better.

            Christian teaching is that God deeply loves this world.  This world is God’s creation and humans have special abilities and responsibilities.

            I’ve never actually heard a parent say this, but I’ve seen it in movies and TV shows, when a parent disowns a child.  A father or mother breaks off ties to a child, disinherits them, and maybe never sees or speaks to them again.  It makes for good drama, and it happens in real life too, but it is rare.  And I’m sure even the parent who does disown a child still thinks about the child and worries.

            Will our loving God disown us or this world?  Not a chance.  God is deeply committed – so committed as to not only put his imprint into history in the form of Jesus but to also die to save it. 

            That’s all been a roundabout way of saying that if God is so committed to this world, so are we.  If God were not committed to this world the story of Lazarus would have a different ending.  Jesus would have said to Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha, “I know this is hard but wait for the resurrection from the dead to a new heaven and a new earth.  Then you will see your brother again.”  What does Jesus do?  He goes to the tomb, prays, and then yells out, “Lazarus, come out!”  He calls Lazarus by name and restores him to life.

            God cares about this world.  God cares about our joys.  God cares about our sorrows, even when we are not like Mary and Martha and do not see miraculous fixes to our problems.

            So let’s take the upcoming election, and the cross of Christ, and the theme of All Saints Day – which is death, and God’s love for the world and put them all together. 

            I think these words from Lutheran theologian David Lose sum it up well, “For on this day we do not merely acknowledge death, but we also place it in its proper context.  After all, we gather to worship the One who was given power over death; the One who raised Lazarus to life; the One whose own death and resurrection gives witness to the trustworthiness of the promise made.  In is from the light of Easter Dawn that we confront the darkness of death.  And it is from the other side of Christ’s resurrection that we gain the courage, not to deny death, but to defy it – to defy its ability to overshadow and distort our lives.  For the Risen Christ has promised us that death does not have the last word.  And this means two things for us and for our people.  First, death no longer terrifies us.  Promised a share of Christ’s resurrection, we can look death in the eye and not blink.  Second, and perhaps more importantly, life no longer terrifies us either.  For our whole life is now sanctified – that is, made holy and given a purpose – through God’s promise to be with us and for us and to use us to God’s own glory.”
            And so for Monday, and Tuesday when we vote, and Wednesday when hopefully all the political ads will be over – at least for a short while – and every day after, we are people made holy and given a purpose by God.  Because we can look death in the face and not blink we can live with boldness and confidence.  We do not let political parties define us.  We do not let them define how we will understand the world’s problems and issues.  We do not trust them to solve the world’s problems for us.  Vote yes, but then with the sight God provides see the broken world God loves and realize that God is tirelessly working to fix it. 

            We too can listen, build relationships, restore to health, and bring about God’s kingdom on earth.  Political agendas, party lines, and national policies solve nothing.  That’s not how God solves things.  God came to be with us face to face.  We go out and bring about wholeness and restoration the same way.

October 28, 2018 Reformation Sunday John 8:31-36

            I think it is safe for me to assume that you all want to be good people.  You may have to work hard at it, and what hard work it is!  A good person is an upstanding citizen who works hard and tries to contribute to the community - more than he or she takes from it.  It’s likely that you have a job, or if you’re retired, you did have a career that you worked at for years and years.  You try to live with integrity, being good, sincere, and honest.  You don’t abuse other people. You don’t abuse drugs or alcohol.  You try to make decisions that are good and healthy.  You respect and follow the laws.  Well, maybe you don’t follow every law every time.  You might ignore the 30 mile per hour speed limit signs on Lynaugh Road, unless of course you see a police officer parked by the side of the road.  Then you obey the signs.  But even so, you are a safe driver.  While you may go 30 you know very well that it’s a neighborhood and it isn’t safe to travel at Thru-Way speeds on it.

            If you’re an environmentally conscious person you may try to make purchases that support sustainability.  You own a hybrid car, or the most fuel efficient car out there.  You pay a premium for electricity to support renewable energy resources.

            Or maybe you choose American made goods over those from other nations, believing that is the best way to support fairness and integrity.

            If you’re a good person you try to keep your house or home in good order – relatively clean and tidy.  You keep things in good repair and in a way that your home is not lowering other home values in the area.

            If you’re a good person and you have kids, you know you have a big responsibility on your hands.  You want your kids to grow up to be well rounded.  You want them to have a good shot at life, which is ever so complicated.  You want them to grow up to be good people too.  But kids’ lives are super busy.  How much is too much?  And in the midst of all of it, there is their faith development.  What priorities do you set when there is the inevitable conflict between faith and activities schedules?  And if faith is the key to their development, how do you not have it come off as second place when you put something else above faith development?

            Some good people are in the “sandwich generation.”  Not only do they have kids, they also have parents to take care of.  That’s another big complication.

            Or maybe you’re retired and a senior citizen and you’re depending on your grown children for some things.  You don’t want to be a burden on them, but you don’t want to take unnecessary risks.

            Saying you want to be a good person sounds so simple.  Living out being a good person is not so easy! 

            And is being what our society calls a good person really being a good person?  You may remember me saying this before.  We all sin all the time.  Our sins are just things that are socially acceptable, even socially commended.  When I sit back and reflect on the American way of life since World War II I realize it is so consumptive it is appalling.  We consume far too much energy and material goods in our lifestyles to be healthy and sustainable – healthy and sustainable for the planet’s environment, and our bodies as individuals.  Yet over-consumption is part and parcel of being “a good person.”  You can’t meet all the social obligations of being a good person and at the same time live a lifestyle that is truly healthy and sustainable.

            In the gospel reading Jesus was talking to some Pharisees.  We chortle at their ignorance of their own history when they say, “We are descendants of Abraham.  We’ve never been slaves to anyone.”  As if!  We’ve just read the Exodus story.  Their history as a nation starts in slavery!  Plus they’ve been conquered and basically enslaved by just about every major empire that ever dominated the Middle East.  In the days of Jesus they may be technically not enslaved but they have little in the way of freedom and self-rule under the Romans.

            We laugh at them, but then realize that we too aren’t technically enslaved by anyone.  But how much freedom do we really have?  Isn’t “being a good person” basically a life of enslavement to sin?  Oh how social expectations can crush us!

            Times have changed, but I think being a good person in Jesus’ day was pretty complicated too.

            When I think of the trap most of us live in St. Paul’s words in Romans 7:22-25 come to mind, “For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.  Wretched man that I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord?”

            I think we first have to recognize the tension we live in, and we have to acknowledge that the state of our lives in one in which sin has entangled us.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be a good person!  But being a good person in our culture’s eyes will exhaust and kill you – and you’ll do a lot of damage besides!

            I don’t think we should ever lull ourselves into thinking that it is all okay.  Then we’re just as blind as the Pharisees unable to see our own failings.  We should certainly always feel the tension.  We should resist all that harms us, others, and the world.  But let’s also learn from Jesus’ words.  “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

            Here is the good news.  While God does not like seeing his creation or humans hurting, God’s love is bigger than any trap sin sets for us.  God’s ability to fix things is greater than our ability to break things.  God’s strength is stronger than any fortress that can ever be built.

            We can be freed from the slavery of being a good person.  We are free from all that would bind us to sin.  I don’t think in this lifetime we’ll ever fully escape the conflict.  St. Paul certainly didn’t.  But he did know the answer.  “Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ!”  It is Christ who rescues us ultimately and surely.

            Our next hymn, Praise to the Lord, the Almighty affirms that.  And perhaps even more so, our final hymn, A Mighty Fortress proclaims it.

            Think again about the slavery of being a good person and what it would cost you if you truly bucked up against the pressures of our sin-filled culture, then hear these excerpts mixing verses 3 and 4:

Though hordes of devils fill the land

All threat’ning to devour us,

We tremble not, unmoved we stand;

They cannot overpower us.

Were they to take our house,

Goods, honor, child, or spouse,

Though life be wretched away,

They cannot win the day.

The kingdom’s ours forever!

            Do you hear the defiance and confidence of Luther’s words?  They are words that empower us for the battle.

            Election day is coming up.  Forget what each side is saying.  From the perspective of faith, both sides are lying and being deceptive.  Both will not hear the truth of God’s will.  Both what to tell you to follow their party line and all will be okay.  Not so.  No one dares to speak the truth of the hard work, the discipline, and the sacrifice necessary to truly bring about God’s kingdom.  I’d like to hear the Lord’s Prayer start off a stump speech sometime.  And then have the candidate lay out his or her strategy to bring that prayer’s words into reality.  Do you see how far from truth we are?

It is Reformation Sunday, and we realize that our lives, our culture, remains in need of massive reform – constant reform – because sin is constantly attacking; often in clever ways, seeking to enslave us.

May the truth of God make us really free, and may it protect us in the battle that rages around us.  May it encourage us to face what we need to face and handle the consequences when we do it.  And may Jesus our Lord, the champion fighter, win the day so that we may rejoice.

October 21, 2018 Joshua's Leadership Begins Joshua 1

It is said that the best way to truly learn something is to teach it – and for today let me add, or to preach it.  Back when we started reading Exodus at the beginning of summer I felt there was a nice theological storyline taking place.  We start by meeting the Israelites in Egypt.  They’re enslaved.  They’re powerless.  They have no organization and no hope for the future.  But God hears their cries of despair and sends Moses.  God sends plague after plague upon the Egyptians.  Eventually they set the Israelites free.  It is clear that the Israelites did not free themselves, it was God’s work.  Through Moses God provides for them, leads them across the wilderness and to the Promised Land.  Along the way they receive God’s laws, they learn what God wants and they develop a leadership structure.

            By the time we get to today’s reading an entire generation has passed.  They’ve arrived at the Promised Land and are ready to take possession.  However, since leaving Egypt they’ve matured and now God will not drive out the people for them.  No, they will work along with God to lay claim to the Promised Land.

            It makes for a nice story.  And it makes a nice parallel to our own lives as Christians.  If we see ourselves starting as helpless and ignorant at baptism.  God then comes to us, chooses us, and saves us.  We then learn and grow and as we mature we are then ready to be in partnership with God working side by side for God’s kingdom.

            It all works out so perfectly, except that’s not what the book of Joshua is really about.  As I prepared to preach on it I realized something different.  Perhaps biblical scholar Robert B. Coote sums it up well when he writes, “First God commissions Joshua.  Then, in an orgy of terror, violence, and mayhem, God takes the land of Canaan west of the Jordan away from its inhabitants and give it to Israel under Joshua’s command.  Joshua, with the help of the priest Eleazar, distributes the conquered land to the tribes of Israel.  Having aged, like Moses he bids his people farewell, dies, and is buried.  Thus the book of Joshua explains how under Joshua’s command Canaan was conquered, the Canaanites were slaughtered, and their lands were expropriated and redistributed to the tribes of Israel.  It forms a triumphant finale to the Bible’s foundational epic of liberation, the savage goal toward which God’s creation of Israel and delivery from slavery in Egypt appears to point from the start.”  (New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 2, Pg. 555)

            And indeed when you start to really study Joshua you get just such a feeling.  I remember one of my biblical studies professors in seminary say he focused on studying Joshua while on a sabbatical.  He said the text often gave him jolts because in Greek the name Joshua is the same name as Jesus.  And so it was as if he was reading about Jesus doing this, and destroying that, and leading a slaughter here there and everywhere.

            Like all of these oldest history stories in the Bible the story as we have it today is not in its original form.  It is entirely possible that a guy named Joshua did lead the nomadic Israelites in a military conquest of Canaan and settled them there.  But the story we have in our Bibles most likely took shape under the reign of King Josiah.  Josiah became king of the Israelites in 539 BC at the age of 8 because his father was assassinated.  As he matured he began a great reform campaign reducing government and economic corruption and purifying the religion.  In my opinion he was one of the best, if not the best and most faith-filled, king Israel ever had.  We Christians often overlook him preferring to focus more on kings like David and Solomon – both of whom were corrupt leaders by comparison.  Josiah was killed in battle by the Egyptians in the year 509BC at the age of 38.

            In the context of Josiah as king, the book of Joshua calls people to faithfulness in God and God alone.  It reminds them that they are God’s people and that God has been with them all along.

            Though Josiah made many reforms and strengthened Israel greatly, it was still a very weak country in the Middle East.  Powers like the Assyrians, the Egyptians, and the Babylonians all loomed large on the horizons.  The book of Joshua in the hands of a weak and struggling nation seeking to improve itself is one thing.  The book of Joshua in the wrong hands, however, can lead to horrible things.  Heavily weaponized modern day Israel uses the territorial claims of Joshua to justify just about anything.

            Scripture is powerful stuff.  We need to keep it in context.  And by context I don’t mean simple context like not cherry picking individual verses to suit your tastes while ignoring others.  I mean the context in which the entire piece of scripture was written.

            The gospel of Matthew has been used by Christians to justify all sorts of abuses of Jews.  Matthew would be horrified that his words have been used that way.  Its original readers were Christians who were scared, hurting, and their families and friends were being torn apart on religious lines.  Matthew speaks very differently in that context than when Christianity became stable and powerful.

            The New Testament contains all sorts of writings about slavery – about how slaves should obey their masters and not cause trouble.  That meant something very different from when Americans in the south were using those same texts as a theological justification for one race permanently enslaving another.  The role of women in the Bible is another such example.  On and on it goes.

            Know that when you read the Bible you are reading something very powerful.  I don’t think we give scripture enough credit or realize the power it has.  Therefore, like with anything powerful, we should use it with respect when called for, and not abuse with it.

            Always ask yourself what is the context of what you are reading.  Why was it written?  It almost certainly had a purpose on its own before it became part of the Bible.  That will help guide you to the intention of the writing.

            What does Joshua teach us as the end of the Exodus story?  That God is working.  God is moving.  God has an overall plan for this creation and we are a part of it.  We are to use our power along with God’s purposes.

            We read the most famous snippet of Joshua as our second reading, where Joshua says, “…as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  (Joshua 24:15)

            That is a good and important verse for us to live by.  Who will Joshua and his household serve?  What will be their interests?  Is it to take ever greater vacations, or to build their retirement savings, or to own every more luxurious cars, or to conquer ever more land?

            No.  As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.  It shows an ongoing singularity of purpose focused where it is supposed to be – on God.

            It is hard to believe but every aspect of earthly power is a lie – money, land, possessions.  If you use scripture to justify your desires for accumulations then you are missing scripture’s point.  Scripture will point you to God.  It will make you realize your brokenness, and it will witness to God’s grace.  From there we then engage the world – not fearing or rejecting things like money, land, and possessions, but for seeing them for what they are – tools… capabilities… things that can help us, until the time comes when we can lay them down and enter fully into God’s care.

October 14, 2018 Moses’ Death Numbers 27, Deuteronomy 34

You’ve heard me preach before that I consider things like the state lottery to be a tax on the stupid.  The government’s already taking a big bite out of the proceeds to fund things, and then if you win – especially if you win big – you still have to pay taxes on the winnings!  It’s a win-win for the government.

Of course all gambling is frowned upon by the church.  Oh, I’m not talking about things like making a friendly wager with a colleague over the outcome of a Bills game – although if you’re betting on an outright win the odds aren’t in your favor.  I’m talking about big organized gambling.  The root evil is the desire to gain without properly working for it.

If you bring to mind an image of a big casino with blackjack, and dice games, and roulette wheels you might find some of the verses from our Numbers reading a bit confusing or maybe even funny.  We read in Numbers 27:20-21 God saying to Moses, “You shall give [Joshua] some of your authority, so that all the congregation of the Israelites may obey.  But he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the decision of the Urim before the Lord…” 

Now what does that mean?  Nobody know exactly what this Urim was.  Most places in the Bible it is mentioned along with the Thummim, and both together used by the high priest to discern the will of God.  The best guesses are that these things were something like dice.  The priest would do something like say a prayer, toss them, and then interpret the results.  The idea being that since God didn’t speak directly from the sky, God would direct the Urim and Thummim to turn up the divine answer.  We’d call it chance, but they’d call it divine intervention.  Then again, how often have people prayed to the dice on the craps table to give them what they want.

Perhaps the whole tabernacle and early form of Judaism was the first recorded casino and the priests were the staff!

Actually, records of the Urim and Thummim are scarce.  Historically it appears that their use fell out of favor by the time of King David.  From that time on the prophets were consulted to learn the will of God.  That was probably a good thing.  How would like it if business or our political leaders used a Magic 8 Ball to guide their thoughts?!?

The key issue for all of this is knowing the will of God for individuals and for the nation.  Up until this point God spoke directly to Moses.  God told them right from wrong.  God gave them literal direction their travels.  God set the time frame. 

If we make the reasonable presumption that the text of Numbers and Deuteronomy don’t come to exist in the form that we have them today for about 1000 years from the history they present, we see the problems.  Who has authority?  Who speaks for God?  What is God’s will?  Does the king have that authority?  Is it the chief priest?  Is it an official prophet employed by the king, or some hick from the sticks like the prophet Amos who claims God gave him a message?  How can you tell what is God’s will?

By the time books like Numbers and Deuteronomy come to have the form they have today you have at the center of authority the law as God gave it to Moses.  And Moses’ words were ultimate words.  What are the final words of Deuteronomy that we read, “Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face-to-face.  He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh, and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.”  (Deuteronomy 34:10-12)

Moses was the key authority for the Jews.  By Jesus’ day the sect called the Sadducees recognized the law from Moses as the only authoritative scripture and no other – not like the Pharisees who recognized the whole of what we call the Old Testament.  Even for them though, Moses was the all-time ultimate authority – the standard with which all decisions were made.

Moses’ authority and closeness to God were central.  Perhaps that is the best explanation of why Moses is not allowed to enter the Promised Land, but just glimpse it from afar.  No one knows for sure, but it is rooted in Numbers 20:12.  There the people need water.  God tells Moses to command a rock to yield water.  But Moses does not do that.  Instead he says to the Israelites, “Listen, you rebels, shall be wring water for you out of this rock?”  Then he takes his staff and hits the rock, just like he did once before.  While water does come from the rock God then tells Moses he will not enter the Promised Land because of it.

To me it seems trivial that Moses hit the rock rather than speaking to it, and then it is absurd that God would tell Moses he can’t enter the Promised Land over it.  But from the perspective of Moses being the key authority on God – that Moses was seen as always doing and carrying out God’s will perfectly – here Moses let’s his temper with the situation.  Here Moses acts to solve the problem in his own way and on his own authority – not God’s way and on God’s authority.  So, for the key authority on God to so disobey was a major breach of trust.

Perhaps this may seem like an abrupt turn for a sermon, but I think the key thing for all of this is what is authoritative in your life?  To where do you turn for truth?  Where do you turn for leadership, for life guidance?  And maybe more importantly, what does it take for you to change your mind about something, or change course in life?

Perhaps a simple trivial example is if you’re driving into Rochester and you hear on the radio that 490 Westbound is all backed up.  You’ll use that information to immediately plan a different path.  But what about more substantive issues?

A hundred years ago there were pretty clear places to go for truth and reliable information.  The local lawyer could give you solid legal advice.  The Bible was the authority for morals.  Medical doctors were considered authoritative, as were pastors.  Though everyone knew politicians and business leaders could be corrupt there was still a trust and respect for government leaders.

Today what is authority?  Where is our Moses?  Do you believe the news?  Our president has made the term “fake news” a daily part of his vocabulary.  Of course many side with the president’s views and throw stones at most mainstream media.  And many believe mainstream media and throw stones at the president.  What about scientific authority?  What about scientific findings?  Do you believe those scientists who claim the planet is warming due to human activity or do you reject it?  Maybe that gets at the deeper question.  What makes you believe or reject?

My theory about what is authoritative is this:  people are inclined to believe what they want to believe.  They tend to believe those things which make them feel good about themselves and their lives.  They tend to reject those things which make them feel bad or guilty.  They tend to reject those things which call for a drastic change in life that will make life harder for them or more painful.  They embrace things that make life easier and more convenient.

Does that fit you?  It fits me!  I’m all for anything I want to hear, and if I don’t want to hear it I immediately start to try to pick it apart.

Into that does come God’s truth, and it comes to us in many and various ways.  Certainly the words of the Bible teaches us basic morals and the principles of living by giving of ourselves for the betterment of others. 

But there is a lot more.  We learn that lot more through Jesus, who is the new Moses.  Jesus taught us just how broken and imperfect we are, but in the midst of that brokenness God still loves us and empowers us.  Jesus taught us that though we may fail in technical righteousness God is interested in something deeper – relationship with people built upon love. 

What is truth?  God is love and God loves you.  God wants to empower you not for an easy life of convenience and luxury, but for a fulfilling life of work, purpose and meaning.  I think we need to ask ourselves in our world of all sorts of information and things clamoring for us to call them “true” this: Not, what is God’s will, or what does God want me to do, but, What builds the goodness of God’s creation and the value of the people around me.

In fact it’s very simple.  If it hurts, diminishes, tears down or destroys someone -or the earth’s goodness- we should work against it.  If it builds up, enhances, empowers or celebrates without tearing down someone else -or the earth’s goodness- then we should embrace it.

Our goal in life is this – to have our life’s story be God’s story.  God will not then bless us because of good behavior, but God’s blessings will come to us because we are in sync with God’s own designs which are eternal.  May you have the insight you need and the trust in God to follow God’s will.