Pentecost 2 Proper 5C RCL June 6, 2010

I Kings 17:8-16, (17-24)
Psalm 146
Galatians 1:11-24
Luke 7:11-17

Our first lesson this morning takes us back to around 870 years before the birth of our Lord. Palestine at that time was divided into two kingdoms. The northern kingdom was called Israel and had its capital at Samaria. The southern kingdom was called Judah and had its capital at Jerusalem.

The northern kingdom had had a series of corrupt rulers who lived lavish lives at the expense of the people, and most of the burden fell on the poor.
The current king, Ahab, had added insult to injury by marrying the infamous Jezebel, who was from Sidon and worshipped the god Baal, a fertility god.

Elijah has been called by God to hold up God’s standards to Ahab and, at God’s direction, has just announced that there is going to be a drought which will last three years. Scholars tell us that this is a direct challenge to Baal, who was considered to be in charge of sending water for the crops. Once he announces this drought, Elijah’s life is in danger. Ahab wants to silence Elijah so that he can silence the voice of God.

Elijah is on the run. First God sends him to the Wadi Cherith, where there is water for awhile. The ravens feed Elijah. But pretty soon the water runs out and, in our lesson for today, God sends Elijah to a widow of Zarephath, which is in Sidon, Queen Jezebel’s home territory.

When Elijah arrives, the widow is gathering sticks. Elijah asks her for some water. As she is going to get it, he asks her for some food, and she explains that she is gathering sticks so that she can use her last meal and oil to make a simple bread for herself and her son to eat before they die. Notice that she says, “As your God lives….” This emphasizes that she is a worshipper of Baal. God is calling Elijah to branch out into new territory.

Elijah could be very discouraged at her news, but, if he is, he doesn’t show it. He tells the woman not to be afraid, but to go and make a little cake for Elijah and then for herself and her son, for the oil and meal will not run out until God sends rain to end the drought. She makes the simple meal, and the oil and meal do not run out.

But then calamity strikes. The woman’s son became so ill that there is no breath left in him. The woman blames Elijah for causing the death of her son. Elijah takes the boy up to his room and places him on his own bed. Then Elijah blames God for killing the boy. Note how we humans like to find someone to blame. But then Elijah stretches out on top of the boy three times and prays to God to bring life to him again. The miracle happens. The boy is alive. Elijah takes him downstairs and gives him to his mother. She realizes that Elijah is a great prophet and that God speaks and acts through Elijah.

The situation of widows in Biblical times was dire. If a woman did not have a man to protect her, she was totally vulnerable. Identity in those days came from your connection to an adult male. Women and children were considered as chattel, possessions, like furniture. By reviving this woman’s son and giving him back to her, Elijah is restoring this woman’s protection and identity.

This story is paralleled in the gospel. Jesus has just healed the centurion’s slave. He and his followers reach the town of Nain and they meet a very sad procession. A young man is being carried out. He is his mother’s only son and she is a widow, Jesus sees her and immediately has compassion on her.
He touches the bier and says, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sits up and begins to speak. The crowd realizes that God has done this.

What are these lessons telling us today? First, no matter how bad things get, there is reason for hope and faith. Secondly, God cares deeply about the little people—children, widows, people who are about to starve, people who are losing what is most precious to them. Two widows are in the process of losing their sons, the worst thing that could possibly happen. But God cares about them, and we as a society are called to care for those who are vulnerable.

Theologian Charles Cousar writes of this gospel: “Jesus sees the woman, has compassion for her, acts in raising her son, and then gives her son back to her. The latter statement underscores her restoration, her return to a place of protection and security, the renewal of her future as a time of opportunity and not misfortune. As one who identifies with and has compassion for a marginalized person, Jesus also acts to remedy her situation. There is more than an understanding look and a sympathetic word. There is a resurrection that reclaims the future. In a sense, then, the raising of the widow’s son foreshadows the raising of God’s Son, where the power of death is defeated once and for all.” (Texts for Preaching, Year C, p. 379.)

Theologian Karl Allen Kuhn writes of this passage, “Everything that counters God’s will for humanity is targeted: oppressive social and cultic [rules], economic inequity, abuse of power, disease, illness, death, sin, as well as Satan and his minions—all these were treated by Jesus as that which the kingdom of God shall overcome.” Kuhn says that we often seem to think of God’s kingdom as “belonging to a time and place beyond our own. … But the kingdom inaugurated and proclaimed by Jesus…belongs as much to the present as to the future. It moves against those elements of our politics, economics, and social boundaries that rob people of life and blessing in the here and now, just as much as it is concerned to defeat the more ‘dramatic’ forces of evil arrayed against the faithful. It is about recognizing Jesus as Lord and opening the way for his saving grace in every aspect of life.” (New Proclamation, Year C, 2010, p.98.)

So this morning, we have two stories about widows, who were considered throw away people in their society. In God’s loving and compassionate view, there are no throw away people. Every one is precious. These passages call us to renew our commitment to the poor and vulnerable in our midst, especially during these challenging economic times. Amen

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Easter 7C RCL May 16, 2010

Acts 16:16-34

Psalm 97

Revelation 22:12-14; 16-17; 20-21

John 17:20-26

This Sunday we look in on Paul and Silas as they continue their ministry in Philippi. There are two dramatic encounters. The first is with a slave girl who has a gift of divination. Her gift is very accurate. She names Paul and Silas as representatives of the most high God.

The problem is that her owners are using her for their own selfish financial gain. Paul antagonizes her owners by removing this gift so that they can no longer grow rich by keeping her as a slave.

This causes a general uproar. The crowd beats Paul and Silas, and they land in jail, securely bound, even placed in the stocks. Paul and Silas sing hymns and pray to God, and the prisoners listen to them. Around midnight there is an earthquake, the doors are opened and the chains are unfastened. But Paul does not want the jailer to be blamed for an escape, so he and the other prisoners stay.

When the jailer arrives, he thinks the prisoners have escaped, and, in shame, he is about to kill himself. Paul stops him. Although the earthquake is a natural event, all present clearly attribute it to God. Paul’s concern for the jailer and and the fact that the prisoners  have not fled touches the jailer’s heart deeply. He washes the prisoners’ wounds. He is so compelled by the prisoners’ faith in God that he and his family are baptized immediately. In a wonderful and moving paradox, the prisoners, by not escaping, free the jailer and welcome him into newness of life. This is yet another account from the Book of Acts of the powerful work of the Spirit in the early Church. It is so important for us to remember that the Holy Spirit is just as active today in our own lives and in our world.

The gospel for today is once again from Jesus’ high priestly prayer just before he goes to his death.

Barbara Rossing, of the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, writes of this passage, “We should read this text, first of all, as a prayer, a window into the very heart of God. How powerful it is to know that Jesus has prayed to God on our behalf. There is no one for whom Jesus did not pray on his last night.  Like the prayer of the parent overheard by the child for whom one intercedes, what this prayer reveals is Jesus’ deep love for his disciples and his deep trust in God as he prepares for his death. Love is at the heart of this prayer.” Rossing, New Proclamation, Year C, 2001, pp. 65-66.)

Jesus is praying that we may be one as he and the Father are one. This is a prayer for every Christian community and for all Christians around the world.  Beyond that, I believe this is a prayer for the whole human family. We all know that the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion are deeply committed to ecumenical and interfaith work. Possibly because we are the via media, the middle way, we are open to all the expressions of the Christian faith as well as to other faith expressions.

This unity does not mean uniformity. This unity is not of Christians walking in lockstep. It is unity amidst great diversity and richness founded on the kind of love which is rooted in respect for each other as children of God.

It is the kind of unity we see in the blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. Each person of the Trinity is  distinct and unique, yet they are one in the love which they share and express to the world. It is that quality of love which Jesus calls us to share in our own faith community and beyond. And he promises that he will abide in us, and we in him. Jesus is in us and we are in him.

We see that quality of love and trust in Paul and Silas and their company as they sing and pray, as they rest in faith and complete trust in God, even to the point of staying there in prison so that they can reach out to their own jailer and set him free.

May we always remember that Jesus abides in us.  Jesus is in us. May we have the kind of faith that can set us and others free. May we all be one as Jesus and the Father are one. And may we remember that the Holy Spirit can work just as powerfully now as two thousand years ago.

                                                           Amen.

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Easter 4C RCL April 25, 2010
Acts 9:36-45
Psalm 23
Revelation 7:9-17
John 10: 22-30

This morning we begin with the story of Tabitha, also known as Dorcas, a name meaning “gazelle.” This is one of the passages assigned in our new Revised Common Lectionary. Tabitha is a disciple; she is known for her ministry to widows in the congregation at Joppa, modern Jaffa. She has helped many of these widows, and they have formed a community around her to do the same for others which she has done for them, sewing clothes, sharing money and resources and support.

Tabitha has died, and Peter is called to minister in this situation. Peter goes to the room upstairs, and the widows are heartbroken at the loss of their leader. They are weeping and showing examples of the clothing which Tabitha has made. Peter puts them all outside, as Jesus often did, so that there can be quiet. Then he kneels down and prays. Peter then turns to the body and says, “Tabitha, get up.” This parallels many of the healings of Jesus. When he raised Lazarus, for example, he called, “Lazarus, come out.” And Lazarus walked out of the tomb. When Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus, he took her hand and said to her, “Little girl, get up.” And she did just that. Now Tabitha opens her eyes, sits up, and Peter takes her hand and helps her to stand up.

Saul has just been converted to the new faith, and now Peter has healed a man named Aeneas and Tabitha. All of these events show us that the new community of followers of Jesus was growing and continuing our Lord’s ministry with works of healing and new life.

We continue our glimpses into the Book of Revelation with the vision of the multitude gathered before the throne of the Lamb. They come “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.” There is a multicultural multitude that is beyond counting. Scholars tell us that the ordeal referred to is persecution by Roman emperors. These people have survived the persecution and now “they will hunger no more and thirst no more.” Their suffering has ended. The Lamb has now become their shepherd, and “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

In our gospel for today, Jesus has already described himself as the Good Shepherd. He has said that he knows his sheep and his sheep know him. In this passage, he is being questioned by the authorities, who are trying to entrap him as usual, and he tells them that they do not belong to his sheep. He says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Jesus is talking about the very close relationship which he has with each of us and with all of us as his flock. In biblical times, the shepherds would put their flocks together for safety at night. In the morning, when they were ready to lead the flock out to pasture—the biblical shepherd went ahead of the flock—each shepherd would call his sheep, and the big flock would split into the several flocks because each sheep knew its shepherd’s voice. Each sheep would follow its own shepherd.

Jesus is our shepherd. Each of us knows his voice. We know when he is calling. We can tell when he is nudging us to follow him. We have had a long and strong relationship with him, and we know that we can trust his leading. He is not going to lead us into danger. He is not going to let us perish. He is not going to let something or someone snatch us out of his hand. He is going to lead us to good fresh water and wonderful lush grass. He is going to take care of us.

He knows each of us so well. He knows our gifts and our strengths, and he knows our weaknesses and our places of vulnerability. He knows that we are human. And, most of all, he loves us; he cherishes us. And that leads us back to the fact that he will take good care of us. The biblical shepherd goes out ahead of the flock, scouting out danger, finding the good water and the best pasture. The good shepherd will give his life to save the sheep from wild animals or other dangers.

For us, the spiritual journey can seem full of unknowns and places of confusion, and, for us, it is. Because we do not know the mind of God. But we do know that God is full of love for us. God walks ahead of us and beside us. God surrounds us with love and protection. All we have to do is trust in God. Jesus says in this part of the gospel that he and the Father are one. This means that God has gone through all the experiences that Jesus went through. God knows what it is to be born in a stable in Bethlehem in less than the best circumstances. God knows what it is to be scorned and marginalized and, finally, to be nailed to a cross and to go through agony and to feel alone and totally rejected and to be buried and to rise to new life. Our God is as close to us as the best shepherd is close to his or her flock, knowing each of us intimately, calling to us, and keeping us safe through all the challenges of the journey. May we listen for the voice of Jesus. May we follow him faithfully. Amen.

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Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James and John, and two others not named are fishing on the Sea of Galilee. After the shock of Jesus’ death, thinking it is all over, they have gone back home, back to what they know. They fish all night and catch nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus is standing on the beach, but they do not recognize him. He calls to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” He knows the situation. So he tells them to cast to the right side, and, sure enough, the net is full to bursting. John intuitively knows it is Jesus. Peter puts some clothes on and jumps into the water. He is so eager to get to Jesus. Typical Peter. Impulsive and full of love. The rest of them come in the boat, dragging the loaded net.

When they get to shore, there he is, with a charcoal fire going. There are fish cooking on the fire, and there is bread for them to eat. Just waiting for them, almost casually, as if there had been no Cross and Easter. Jesus has cooked them breakfast. It is almost as if nothing had happened, but a great deal has happened, and he has come through it all. He is risen. And he is here. He asks them to bring something to the meal. He asks them to contribute their gifts. “Bring some of the fish you have just caught,” Jesus tells them. This is very important. This is a mutual thing. This is one of the birth scenes of mutual ministry, baptismal ministry. This is where it all began, with Jesus and the apostles.

“Come and have breakfast, ” he says. They share a simple meal. He takes the bread and gives it to them, and does the same with the fish. They know it is he. They have gone from a night of discouragement, a night of no fish, to a net brim full. Because of him. He is leading the way to new life.

Then comes one of the most moving and significant dialogues in the gospels. He turns to Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” And Peter says, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus says, “Feed my lambs.” A second time Jesus asks, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter answers, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus says, “Tend my sheep.” Then a third time Jesus asks, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” And Peter is hurt that Jesus is asking yet again, but he answers, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” And Jesus says, “Feed my sheep.”

In Hebrew thought, the number three signifies completion. Peter denied Jesus three times, Now, when Jesus asks Peter whether he loves him, Peter answers three times. Complete denial is forgiven, healed and transformed into complete loyalty and love. Peter will become the leader of the apostles.

We have all known discouragement, like the night of no fish. We also know what it is like to be in the presence of the risen Christ and to hear his guidance and follow it. Everything changes. We know the spiritual abundance that comes when we follow Christ. We know the difference in our lives when we turn from our own ways as Saul did and are given new life. We know the forgiveness and healing which our Lord gives to us and to others.

We have seen the risen Christ. We have gone to that shore where he was sitting quietly waiting, with the fire already built and the fish already cooked. We have been so glad to see him again. The word is spreading that he is risen and people have seen him, but to see him ourselves and to eat with him—and the net full of fish. Well, it is all true.

And he is calling us to spread the good news, to share the healing and joy of new life in him. And he feeds us, with fish cooked over the fire and with himself, the bread of heaven.

And he calls us to be his body, to feed his lambs, his sheep, his flock. May we look at others through his discerning and compassionate eyes, seeing the potential in every precious person. May we reach out to others with his healing and welcoming hands. May we embrace others with his loving arms.

 Amen.

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Easter Sunday RCL April 4, 2010

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Good Friday April 2, 2010

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Maundy Thursday April 1, 2010 Year C RCL

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