We Lutherans love our paradoxes, don’t we? The 15^th anniversary of September 11. God’s Work, Our Hands. National Day of Service. Grandparents’ Day.  Sorrow and joy all rolled into one day.

Memories of what was lost on September 11 made our hearts sorrow. Service as water was handed out, quilts were tied and we were found with hearts full of joy.

Sorrow at being lost.  Joy at being found! Mourning turned into dancing…Jesus has a way of doing that for us! Party time!!

And yet…we don’t party. Rather we grumble, don’t we? It’s hard not to sometimes especially when things don’t go our way.

The Pharisees were grumbling – not because they were in a bad mood. They were not happy with what they were seeing. They did not like the kind of dinner parties Jesus gave, they didn’t like who was on the guest list. As Pharisees, they just couldn’t understand – how could Jesus eat with people like those.

The sinners and tax collectors were coming near.

The sinners were the outcasts, the ones no one wanted to be seen with. These were the people who did dirty things: pig farming for example; these were the people who were immoral such as liars and adulterers; these were the people who didn’t keep the law or live up to the standards of the religious authorities – does that sound like me? Like you? Let’s not leave out the gentiles and the worst of the bunch: Samaritans.

And the tax collectors get special mention.  Well they were nothing more than traitors to their own kind. They were the ones who helped the Empire collect taxes and of course, skimmed a bit off the top for themselves. They did the work of the oppressors.

And Jesus was sharing table fellowship with all of them and the Pharisees couldn’t understand that. These sinners and tax collectors were the people that NO ONE wanted anything to do with and there sat Jesus in the middle of them and eating with them.

So Jesus told them – the ones that were grumbling, the ones that did not understand – three parables –ridiculous stories with foolhardy answers that prove a point, offer an insight into just what the kingdom of God really looks like.  The stories offer insight to God’s heart.

The first is about a shepherd who has a lost a sheep. One sheep out of 100 and he has left 99 of them unguarded, unpenned, just to go look for the lost one. And Jesus asks the rhetorical question, “which one of you would go look for it just leaving the other 99 to their own devices in the wilderness”. And we all want to answer, “we would, we would!”

But wait a minute – would we? Would we really leave the 99 to wolves just to find the lost one? The truth is that I wouldn’t leave the 99 unattended to look for the one that couldn’t keep up with the flock, who didn’t have the good sense to keep up. That is not fiscally prudent. The truth is I would be happy that I just lost one – just one percent. That’s a loss that can be absorbed. To look for the lost one and leave 99 – well that is just foolishness!

And that woman – spends the entire day looking for the coin – and finds it! OK, so I might look for lost money, especially if it equaled  a day’s income. And I would be mighty glad when I found it.  But throw a party? A party that costs twice the amount of the lost income now found? It is best saved or spent on something that is needed. To throw an extravagant party – well, that is just foolishness!

And let’s not leave out the parable of the Lost Son. An ungrateful son who asks for his inheritance BEFORE dear old dad dies, squanders it, and when the ingrate shows up one day offering to be treated like a slave, Dad throws down a HUGE shindig, complete with party clothes, the finest food and friends. There’s no punishment for the son, rather Dad rewards him. That is the epitome of foolishness!!

Foolishness! That’s what God is all about! And God is intense about it. You might say God displays a desperation that is unbecoming of a deity. That’s really foolishness! And it makes no sense.

But here’s the truth of these: there are no lengths that God will not go to find the least, the last, the lost, the lonely and the left behind. God is desperate to find you. To find me.  And when God is looking for us, God makes no sense either. God’s heart rules God’s mind. Because when just one of us is missing, the kingdom is not whole.

The sheep belongs to the flock; the coin belongs to the purse; the lost son belongs to his family. God is seeking to make the family whole again. God is committed to finding all of us!

It’s the shepherd that leaves, finds, lays on his shoulders, rejoices, comes home, calls his friends together, PARTYS! The sheep, the lost one, does nothing.

It’s the woman who lights a lamp, sweeps the house, searches carefully, finds, calls her friends and PARTYS! The coin, the lost one, does nothing.

It’s the father who keeps vigil, who watches for his son, who calls the family together and PARTYS! The son, the lost one, does nothing.

God is the subject of active verbs.

God searches, God finds, God redeems, God calls his people together and PARTYS with great joy!!

And the more lost we are, the more joy at our being found, the bigger the party! Because not only is the community restored, but most importantly, relationship is restored.

About that repentant sinner? Let’s look at the Greek on this one. The word is metanoia, which means a change of mind and purpose. As God finds us he transforms us – and we begin to see like Jesus. And love like Jesus. And party with all the wrong people, like Jesus.

Because as we are transformed, God then uses us to find others. The lost, the lonely, the least, the left-behind are everywhere no matter where we are – work, home, school, with our faith community, in our servanthood and service to others. Sometimes we have to look hard to find them, to recognize them. They are not just the refugee, the homeless person. They can be right beside you in Starbucks or working the cubicle next to you. And they are waiting for an invitation.

They are waiting for an invitation to party with Jesus, to party with us. It’s God’s work to redeem the least, the last, the lost and the lonely. It’s our hands that throw the party every Sunday.

It’s time we start inviting people to enter into the joy of being found every single week that we experience in the light of the God who will stop at nothing to find us. Everyone – you, me, the refugee, the homeless person, the barista at Starbucks, the co-worker – is cordially invited…TO PARTY!! And when God says all, he means ALL!!

Using 21^st century accounting, Jesus is the picture of success in the 14^th chapter of Luke: large following, huge church building, bulging parking lot, THE messiah. But he was a 1^st century rabbi and it was time to thin the herd. He wasn’t the messiah that they were looking for. And following Jesus was, is and will always be a life-style not a hobby. You have to “all in” to be a disciple of Christ but don’t try it on your own.

To be sure, Jesus is not into the church growth movement, not into the trendy praise music much less a glitzy building. Jesus expects the same from these new arrivals on the journey as he does from his first 12 called disciples. Jesus called, they dropped nets, or coins or whatever they were doing and they followed.

These crowds have joined the “Jesus train” because of the blessings and healings and everything else that comes with kingdom living. But wait, there’s more…much more!  Hate your family; bear your cross; do the math and give it all up! That’s what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

What Jesus was trying to get them to understand that following him was not going to be easy, there was a cross involved, a crown of thorns and a whole lot of other stuff before they got to the glory and eternal life part. So he helps them out by doing a cost-analysis Jesus-style.

Listening to 1^st century scripture with 21^st century ears requires discernment and a bit of explanation, not to soften the call to discipleship but to understand it in its original context and how we can relate to it at this time and in this place.

Requirement number one seems simple enough…and dramatic! Hate your mother, father, brother, sister wife, children, even your own life. The 1^st century ear would have heard the word “hate” as literally detaching oneself from or turning away from someone or something. This was drastic when you consider that in the 1^st century without a family you were nothing.

There was no such thing as “I” and blood ties were important. No family equaled no social existence. That is what made being a widow or orphan so bad. There was no one on whom that they could rely. That’s really radical and counter-cultural stuff when Jesus says they should detach themselves from their families.

Requirement number two: carry the cross. What does the cross mean to you? There is no “correct” answer to this one because it can mean so many different things: see the one that world overlooks, loving the marginalized even if the world will punish you for that action. Yes, the cross is salvation for sure but this story is situated BEFORE Jesus gets to Jerusalem and Golgotha. To carry the cross can mean that we will carry the results of our choices, burdens and realities of kingdom living and living the gospel out loud.

Requirement number three is “do the math.” In using the two analogies of the builder and king considering a battle, I believe that Jesus was addressing the character of our Christian lives. It is a way of living, a way of being, that we are called to be and do certain things as disciples of Christ.

We already have grace and forgiveness through the love of God in Christ. The reality is that the Christian life is expensive – we are called to expend time, talents and treasures for the good of the kingdom of God.

Do a cost analysis. Who doesn’t do a such an analysis in the 21^st century? Before we signed our youngest up for baseball or scouts or rowing, we always calculated the cost: missed family outings, investment in equipment, time and money spent shuttling to and from events every Saturday. And we decided that it was worth it, especially given the enjoyment, exercise and relationship and team building opportunities that each provided. Even if that meant sometimes missing church and Sunday activities. As a parent, I get it. I really get it. It’s hard.

As a parent of now young adults, I hope and pray, that in the long run that they have a life marked by relationship with God in Christ and that they know that they are beloved children of God and that they will always consider the cost when making important decisions. That they will imagine that church is just as important as a sport or career that might take them away on Sunday mornings.

Requirement number four: Give it up! Be all in! Does being a disciple the number one priority in your life? This requirement is so radical because Jesus is asking the question of us, “who and whose are you?” There is a baptism tie in here: when we are baptized our last name is not used. Why? So that it is clear that, even though we are not renouncing our familial ties, they are no longer the most important. Being called “child of God” is now the most important. Our relationship with God is priority and all else is secondary. We dead in sin and risen in Christ.

Yes, Jesus expects us to be “all in” as a disciple. An interesting aspect gets lost in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. We read “not able to be my disciple” when it could be read as something that we really, really want to do but are not able to do.

Does that mean that we will never be able to be disciples no matter how hard we try and no matter how deep our desire to be one? Yes, however there never was, never is and never will be a requirement for us to do it alone.

Consider the words of the angel Gabriel in the first chapter of Luke when he was breaking the good news to Mary that she was pregnant with Jesus, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” The same holds true with our ability to be disciples. For nothing is impossible with God. We can’t be disciples on our own or in a vacuum. It can be done in relationship with God.

A colleague shared that when he heard this as a child he was very confused – he wanted to be a good follower of Christ and love God but not hate his family. This passage scares people. It’s important to remember that before Jesus was telling us to count the cost, to discern what it means to say “I love Jesus” and live like it, we heard Jesus say in Luke 12 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

In our baptism, we have the promise of God that he will always have our back. We can be “all in” and we don’t have to worry about doing it on our own!

“Sitting at the ‘right table’ was just as important then as now.” 

Schools started in Loudoun County, VA this week. From kindergarten to seniors, young people walked into a lunchroom for the first time wondering where and with whom they were going to sit. The decision that is made on the first day of new school has lasting affects for the rest of the school year and beyond.

Join the wrong table and “social cred” goes out the window. Marked for life.

Try to join the “right” table without the proper admitting credentials from the kingpins and queen bees who run the social structure, the shame will be quick and your dignity devastated. And marked for life.

But join the “right table”, to be accepted and belong — there is honor.

Sitting at the “right table was just as important then as now. I don’t know if I find comfort in that fact. In Luke 14 we read about Jesus’s visit a pharisee’s home. On the way he healed yet another person on the Sabbath. And while the pharisees were watching him closely, Jesus, too was watching them. He noticed how everyone gravitated to the places of honor.

Table fellowship in the honor and shame society of the 1^st century could be a mine-field. The inviting host held the position of “kingpin.” Those who sat closest to the host were carefully picked. They were the ones who help important positions or were influential in the local community. And, if per chance, a person of higher social status than the host would join the table, then you could expect to see a lot of sucking up going on.

And the last thing that anyone wanted to be in 1^st century was shamed. It could have devastating, life-long consequences. No one to marry your daughters or sons to, no one with which to barter. Being ostracized and treated like a social pariah would surely follow. And, marked for life.

We all try to teach our children some aspect of humility. In verse 11 when Jesus says, “…all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted,” we get that.

But wait, this is a parable. And a parable is a story told by Jesus that is not necessarily true BUT reveals truth about God, the kingdom of God or us.

So what’s not necessarily true about this tale? The humility part. Humility was NOT a virtue in the Greco-Roman world. To act in a humble way was to lower one’s social status and that just wasn’t happening. They always compared themselves to others. Identity came from what others thought of you, from the clothing you wore to the people you associated with. Like I said, not much different from today if we are being truthful with ourselves.

That makes Jesus’ statement of “humble themselves” a counter-cultural statement. Not exalt oneself? Yes, because that is what it means to be a part of the kingdom of God, right here on earth.

Jesus didn’t stop with the honor and shame system but rather moved right on to the “patronage system” or quid pro quo. I scratch your back; you scratch mine. You owe me; I owe you. And in the patronage system EVERYTHING counted.

Those who were at dinner with Pharisee now owed him retribution. They were expected to “pay him back” with political favors, undying loyalty or a personal audience. Again, not much different from today, especially around the political machine that is Washington.

So when in verse 14 Jesus instructs the host, “when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind…” they must have thought Jesus was out of his mind. What? Waste an opportunity for personal advancement? What good is inviting the least, the last, the lost, the lonely, and the left-behind when they absolutely meant nothing to them?

But this is the kingdom of God. This is how God treats us. Here. Now. He invites us to be in relationship with him. He created us, he cares for us, he forgives us, he redeems us, he loves us. And he likes us too!

And there is absolutely nothing that we can do to make him love us more. There is absolutely nothing that we can do to make him love us less. And that is something that we can never repay. Ever. So what are we to do?

Live the kingdom life! Live as if our faith matters. Live as if it makes a difference in our lives. Live the Gospel out loud. Give back all that God has given us.

So what might living the gospel out loud, living the kingdom life look like? First, take a seat at Jesus’ counter-cultural lunch table and invite someone to join you. While these ideas are geared toward our kids returning to school, it is not much different at the workroom lunch table, on a college campus, at church functions or bridge club, just to name a few.

Invite that kid who always sits alone to join you.

Stop someone from bullying someone else. It only takes one to make it done.

Pick the one who is always picked last, first to be on your team.

Value others simply for who they are, just like who we are, children of God!

And don’t expect anything in return.

And I can guarantee you, promise you in fact, that people will look at you as if you’re out of your mind too. And not understand why you’re doing it. And might even yell at you, as I found out in the Alexandria Aldi last week. But keep doing it anyway. That’s what living the gospel out loud and living the kingdom life is all about.

That’s living like your faith makes a difference in your life. And it isn’t easy. And you might get hurt. And it will be OK because God has your back on this one.

And for homework…hey, school started on Monday, right? For homework, share with someone what living the gospel out loud and living the kingdom life looked like for you this week.

Blessings on your week as you sit at Jesus’ counter cultural lunch table, where everyone is welcome and no one, no matter your sexual orientation or ethnicity, whether you are high in faith, low in faith, questioning your faith, or doubting that you have any faith. All are welcome at Jesus’ lunch table! Come, have a seat!

I got this question in response to the sermon from a couple headed out the door to their Sunday activities this past week. My first reaction: I really blew that sermon. And the answer to the question: yes and no. While I don’t pretend to the know the heart of Jesus I have to wonder if that is Jesus’ answer as well.

This passage in Luke is not so much about the miracle of the bent woman made straight, though that is significant, but rather Jesus’ clarification of God’s law, God’s heart. Jesus doesn’t say that the laws are unimportant, because they are. The law keeps people safe, helps us make sense of life, encourages relationship living.

Jesus offers a different interpretation.  Laws might make living good but it is grace that makes life abundant and great. When asked what was the greatest law, Jesus said love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, love your neighbor as God loves you. The law of love is clear: love God, love people. Add in “make disciples” and you’ve got the three core purposes of the church. Love trumps law every time.

To make his point even clearer, he reminds the leaders of the synagogue that on the Sabbath they NEED to untie their ox or donkey to transfer it from the manger to the trough so that the poor creature wouldn’t die of bloat before sunset and their investment safe for another day.

This unnamed woman, whom no others but Jesus saw, was a daughter of Abraham, someone even more valuable than an ox or donkey. Of course, out of love, grace and mercy, so that she doesn’t have to suffer one more day, is Jesus going to heal her on the Sabbath. It was the kindest thing to do. This is the heart of God, that we should also act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.

And what better day than the Sabbath for setting us free from the bondage of sin, death and the devil! She’s waiting 18 long years. It’s never too early to be released from what holds us captive, what weighs us down, what keeps our head bowed in shame, what prevents us from being in relationship with each other. That’s what the leader missed. Laws are good but love – freeing, grace -filled, life giving, courage building love — is even better.

Love wins. That’s what the world really needs to hear. There is release for the captives. The church is willing to heal, even if it’s on the Sabbath, that evil can be named and that those who have bent backs from the weight of systems that are unjust, that perpetuate bondage, will be told “stand up!” beloved of God. You are made in God’s image and that makes you holy and good and worth it!

Stand up and keep on praising God!

We lost nice, pastoral Jesus somewhere between vs. 32 and vs 49 of Luke 12.  He’s done a 180, going from calling us “little flock” to “you hypocrites!” Has Jesus gone “off message” or simply just gone off?

Let’s catch up a bit. In vs. 40 Jesus tells us to be ready because the son of man is coming at an unexpected hour.” What we miss is Peter’s question in vs. 41: Are you telling this parable for us or them? In the verses that follow, you can feel Jesus’ frustration increase

I imagine that Jesus’ shoulders slumped a bit and then he continued with yet another parable about another manager who is hard at work or hardly working. The punch line is to whom much is given, much will be required and to whom much is entrusted even more will be demanded. So, in answer to your question Peter, YES!

Jesus goes on to say, “And not only that I’ve come to bring fire to the earth and I wish it was already burning.” Got it? I believe that what Jesus is not saying but is implied is, “I AM the son of man, the unexpected hour is NOW.” And that is why he says, “I am so stressed out!” in vs. 50. Like I said, cranky Jesus.

So, let’s unpack that word, “fire.” Fire, especially in the Bible, can mean all sorts of things but here it means passion, which makes sense. In Luke 3:16, John the Baptizer proclaims that the one is coming that “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Christ is baptizing us with passion. He wants us to be on fire, to have passion, for the heart of God and to be about God’s work in this weary land.

Maybe one of the reasons that Jesus is so cranky in these verses is that he is on fire to do the work of the Father and that he wished that this passion was already consuming the land. Jesus began this section with “have no fear” – bible-speak for “God is about to do a new thing and he will be doing it through YOU!” Could it be that Jesus wants us to be on fire for the Gospel, too?

Fact is that when God gets involved, really involved, things change. And when things change, someone’s homeostasis, someone’s status quo, is going to be upended and put on its head. And there will be pushback for Jesus all the way to the cross in Jerusalem.

And Jesus is so stressed out because Peter wasn’t getting it, the disciples weren’t getting it and we’re not getting it. So, Jesus puts his “prophet on” and becomes Prophetic Jesus. Prophets are not known for their subtlety. They have a job to do: cast out fear, challenge the status quo and defy convention in unseating the existing power struggle. These were the same things that momma Mary when she found out that Jesus was on the way, sang about in the “Magnificat” in Luke 1:46-55.

The life that Jesus calls us to will cause division and there is nothing to be done about that. Jesus will not bring peace, not the kind of peace where the powerful will remain powerful and the rich will remain rich. Certainly not the kind of “peace” that was the reign of the Roman caesars.

Jesus is not that kind of messiah where the earthly kingdoms will be returned to their “rightful owners” and only the voices of the powerful will be heard. This will be a kingdom where things are equitable, where the least, the last, the lost, the lonely are loved for who they are, no matter race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation or gender. This is a kingdom where sinners are accepted and even honored, where those who were once rejected are invited into relationship with those who once looked down upon them.

And their voices are heard.

In Jesus’ kingdom, love and forgiveness are the order of the day and as such we are expected to do the same, especially with those who are different from us.

The most important part of Jesus’ message is that the time is NOW. It’s time to imagine what this world would be like and then go live into that reality. Love God, love people, make disciples! Live differently now! Love, honor, listen, hold space for and care for God’s children now, not as souls to be saved or threats from which to hide. And when we come together for worship, not only is it a time to give thanks and praise to the most high God, but also take seriously the learning and fellowship that encourages us to live and love like Jesus.

Jesus asks in vs. 56 “why don’t you know how to interpret the present time?” It’s because we’re scared. Who wants to change? Who wants their homeostasis and status quo up ended, especially if we find ourselves at the top or middle of the heap rather than lost somewhere at the bottom.

Also in our heart of hearts, we want our faith to matter. We so desperately want our faith to make a difference in our lives, in the way we think work, deal with our families, hand money and influence the decisions we make. We want the faith that we have on a Sunday morning to still be there on the following Saturday evening. That’s authentic Christianity.

And I for one will tell you from personal experience and counting myself sinner-in-chief, that it’s really hard to do much less do alone. That’s why it’s important that we come together weekly. Here we are equipped, encouraged and engaged to be sent back out into the world (This could be another shameless plug for our upcoming study Real Faith for Real Life: Living the Six Marks of Discipleship – #2 weekly renewal through worship but I won’t.)

Living authentic Christianity, living the marks of discipleship, loving God, loving people takes courage. People will not care for hearing that black lives really do matter because they are hurting so very badly. People will not want to know how the justice system in American doesn’t work for everyone in an equitable fashion. People will not want to hear that 1% of the population has the majority of the wealth and refuse to share with those who have none. People will not want to hear about children who go to bed hungry every day in this country because they are food insecure.

Living into our Christianity authentically mandates that we advocate for the least, the last, the lost, the lonely and the left behind. Be bold in speaking out against in justice. And to welcome in all those that society has chosen to leave out. Expect push back.  People just don’t like prophets all that much.

Let the fires of justice burn. It’s go time, love like Jesus, get your prophet on and change the world.

Many in our country have been glued to the television to watch history as Americans bring home gold in swimming, gymnastics and many other sports. The competitors ready for the race when they hear a whistle blow. Then “on your mark” for the competitor’s to set themselves and summon their focus for the race to come. Finally GO! as a tone starts the race.  And then gold!!!

In Luke 12:32 and following, Jesus strings together phrases, many of which have found their way onto our walls in cross-stitch, photos and paintings and onto our facebook pages and vehicle bumpers as well.  “Have no fear little flock,” “Where your treasure is, there is your heart also,” and my personal favorite, “Jesus is coming…look busy!” (a paraphrase of vs. 36).

Jesus is preparing us for the race of a lifetime, a race filled with promise, focus and running! When we hear the words “fear not” that is bible-speak for God is about to do a new thing! And God is inviting God’s creations that would be us, to partner and do it in a unique way. God shares God’s heart and let us know that God has our back to be mentor, provider, encourager and champion.

God has made us ready for this race of a lifetime. Jesus tells us that God invites us rather than commands us with the promise that “it is the Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” It is this promise that frees us to accept or not and in accepting we will have everything we need to win the race and that gold medal. Because God gives we can give and care and serve with wild abandon.

A command, on the other hand, is coercive and invokes fear: do it or else. Fear is a liar and a cheat. It makes us do crazy stuff, limits our vision, clouds our thinking that there is no future and no hope.

With fear out of the way and love and hope backing us up, we can get set for the race. Where we put our treasure that where our heart ends up. What happens when you purchase a car? Suddenly everyone on the road has the same car! Because we have invested in that particular car (put our heart into it) then we see that car and only that car.

Giving our hearts away to the least, the lost, the lonely and the left behind transforms us. The homeless are now our homeless, the hungry are now our hungry. They are our treasure, our hearts. Where are our hearts for ministry? What are our passions?

It’s “GO-time!” Jesus tells us “be dressed for action and have our lamps lit.” Stay in your work clothes because this is not “jammie time.” The time for service is NOW. Ok, shameless plug number three for our congregation reading this fall, Real Faith for Real Life: Living the Six Marks of Discipleship by Rev. Michael W. Foss. “Call to Christ-like living, serving in and beyond the congregation” is the fourth mark. In the book of James we are told, “faith without works is dead.” Jesus never stopped giving. Neither should we. It is God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom.”

I would be remiss if I didn’t unpack “the kingdom” and the “second coming.”  When it comes to kingdoms we think of castles, crowns, thrones and streets paved with gold and place where you have to qualify in order to get in. That is NOT the kingdom of heaven. God’s kingdom is NOW, here on earth though not fully realized. We are to actively, deliberately, and intentionally create and hold space for the least, the last, the lonely and the left behind so that all can experience God’s love through us. We do that by recognizing, listening, advocating for those whom society has deemed less than.

As for the “Second Coming”, know that Jesus was, is and is to come. Jesus IS!! Jesus is NOW. Jesus is HERE! Quoting from Rev. Rolf Jacobson of Luther Seminary:  “Any time that Paul or the Gospels talk about Jesus’ return, the motive is NOT to scare or try to freak you out into a certain kind of behavior. Rather it is a call to action because your life matters, your time here matters, and the work you do here matters. It is not a call to hang out on the top of the mountain and scan the horizon.

“Therefore, get busy, not to prove yourself worthy, but to participate in the work of the kingdom, the call to Christ like living, serving in and beyond the church [mark of discipleship] and live it out NOW. “

It is God’s pleasure to have us around not to shun, shame or condemn. God created us. God loves us. God LIKES us! God’s heart so much desires to be in relationship with us.

So have no fear little flock, God is loose in the world and God is doing new things! Ready, set…GO!

Jesus was right in the middle a critical lesson with his disciples concerning the importance of the presence of the Holy Spirit (Luke 12:1-12) when this guy in the crowd yells out, “Tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me!” This was an incredibly rude public request to Jesus to settle a private family matter.

There are several words in the Bible that should immediately ring bells and one of them is when Jesus calls someone “friend.” Because when Jesus calls someone friend typically, they are not and what will follow is a “come to Jesus” moment that includes a huge amount of tough love.

Lessons interrupted by questions of money…again. And it’s not even Stewardship season – that’s NEXT month. It should come as no surprise that here in August we get this kind of lesson because in the gospels money is the number one topic that Jesus addresses. In fact, somewhere I read that 1 out every 10 verses deals with money. Perhaps the gospels speak to this because there really is no “stewardship season.” Stewardship of time, talents and treasures is a way of life, not a program.

In an effort to decrease your anxiety and to keep you reading for just a little bit longer, we’re NOT going to talk about increasing your level of giving, so take a breath and hang in there with me.

About that rich man – he’s not a cheat nor has he come by his wealth using unscrupulous methods. He’s a very good business man and has managed his wealth well. AND he’s been incredibly lucky with good weather, good soil in a land that can be harsh and unyielding.

With this abundance, he recognizes that he can retire and “relax, eat, drink and be merry.” But not quite yet – there is still more work to be done. Build bigger barns. Maybe then. But for now the construction begins.

“Fool!” That’s another bible word that should set the bells off, too. That was a fighting word and if you really, really wanted to insult someone to the max, in the 1^st century just call them a fool. And God just called him a fool and this guy has a really big problem.

Eleven times this guy uses personal pronouns. He’s a community of one and that does not a community make. That is this guy’s number one problem. He had isolated himself from the rest of the world. In a society that focused on relationship, family and community, the only one he had left to talk to was himself and no others. And now it’s too late.

His family whom he has alienated will never know he’s gone. The greater community which he didn’t want to be a part of will never miss him. And those neighbors, the ones with whom he couldn’t even be bothered to talk to, after a while, they will notice that the crops have not been harvested, the livestock have not been cared for and that the barns are in a state of disarray. And one day, someone will go over there only to find his dead and decaying body slumped over the counting table.

“So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

This guy’s problem was that he was filthy rich in possessions (treasures for themselves) but dirt poor in relationships (rich toward God).

God didn’t create us just to talk to ourselves. He created us to live in relationship with him in and among our family and community. Jesus never said that it was a sin to be rich. Jesus said that it was a sin to keep all of our time, talents and treasures to ourselves and not care for or to be in community and relationship with others.

In other words, this parable is not about what we have (or don’t have) but rather what we do (or don’t do) with the time, talents and treasures that we do have. It is meant to be shared, all of it, ourselves, our time and our possessions, ALL gracious gifts from God. And that is to be done in community.

And living in community isn’t easy. It means we have to talk to people we don’t like. We have to deal with those with whom we disagree, annoy the living daylights out of us and worse, have hurt us. Forgiveness and trust are vital components for a thriving community. And let’s face it, community is messy and it takes a lot of work.

But that is what makes us rich toward God – giving all that love and forgiveness.

So, here’s my shameless plug #2 for Real Faith for Real Life: Living the Six Marks of Discipleship. You guessed it. One of the marks is disciples live in relationship – with God, others and the community in which they find themselves.

Does that Pokémon Gym invitation sign begin to make more sense now?  We’re a part of this community and it is my hope and prayer that if something should happen tomorrow – the church burn down or worse – that the Leesburg community WOULD notice.

God’s will is that we are not alone but that we belong to the community of God. We are called to tend and nurture this community in which we gather around God’s word of grace, love and mercy. And in that sharing with our neighbors – the one’s we know and the ones we have yet to meet – we welcome all to the table.

There are a lot of exciting things going on here at Holy Trinity! Let’s get energized and excited for ministry and mission! Share with your neighbor and invite them to join you – this Sunday.

This parable is not about what we have (or don’t have) but rather what we do (or don’t do) with the time, talents and treasures that we do have. It is meant to be shared, all of it, ourselves, our time and our possessions, ALL gracious gifts from God.

Share the excitement, share the energy, share the good news of Christ’s life, death and resurrection, share what difference that has made in your life. Just share!

“How do you do that?” The disciples traveling with Jesus are noticing that he prays – a lot! Obviously it’s important and they realize that it makes a difference. They want to know how to do it, too! It is, after all, the most important mark of a disciple¹.  Click on the link above to continue reading… 

In Luke 11, when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray he answered with an invitation into relationship. Follow the typical Jewish prayer form that you’ve heard spoken in the temple – food, forgiveness and self-preservation BUT start it intimately, with “Daddy.” To God “abba” recognizes that to enter into prayer with God is to enter into a sacred space with the creator.

Most importantly, to do is persistently and shamelessly, as demonstrated with the parable of the friend at midnight.

Given the horrific deaths at the hands of terrorists all over the world coupled with law enforcement under siege, prayer is the first thing that we should be doing, does it do any good? Is it ever answered?

There are times when life is overwhelming, God’s must be on vacation because he certainly doesn’t feel in the midst of all this mess so why even bother to pray? Does God answer prayer?

Oh, I can throw all sorts of clichés out at that one: “yes, but not that way you would like” or “you’re just not praying for the right things” or my personal favorite: “of course he does, sometimes the answer is “no.”

Borrowing liberally from colleague Dr. David Lose, president of Philadelphia Lutheran Seminary, in his blog “In the Meantime”, he recognizes that prayer is really a passive act. You pray, then wait for something to happen – like sending an email and then waiting for someone to answer.

So think about this: God beckons us to “see, draw near and get involved” (my interpretation of the parable of the Good Samaritan). Prayer is relationship, an intimate conversation with the Creator.  When God gets involved things happen (and God is never NOT involved!)

What is stopping us from being bold, audacious, over the top confident and shameless in our requests? Do we not have the promise that God will respond and much more generously at that? Because it is not enough just to pray (yes, it’s the best start) but, like the lawyer was told in the Good Samaritan, seeing is not enough. We are called to draw near and get involved. Likewise with prayer!

As Lose asks in his column, “what is stopping us from living into the reality that we just prayed for?”  In other words, prayer is a way to get involved!

We pray for those who are lonely, and then we visit them. We pray for the end of gun violence, then we go to work to eliminate the loop holes that allow military-grade assault weapons on our streets. We pray that law enforcement would not use unnecessary force and then we tell a police officer THANKS and pray for his or her safety.

Imagine. Imagine the future for which we pray. Imagine that future is now. The work we do is prayer, when we work to preserve the dignity of the least, the last, the lost and the lonely. The work we do is prayer when we comfort the needy and feed the hungry.

We are being used by God to answer someone else’s prayer and to be a God-sighting for someone else no matter their gender, sexual orientation or Christian or not.

Prayers are words that we share with others. Prayers are doing the things that we prayed for.

We know how to give good gifts…how much so that God gives us. God gives us Christ and the Holy Spirit, to empower us to live into our prayers, to be bold, to be audacious, to be shameless! Just do it.

¹ Real faith for Real Life: Living the Six Marks of Discipleship. Michael Foss, Augsburg-Fortress, 2004. The entire congregation Holy Trinity has been invited to join the council and staff in reading this book. Groups forming in the fall.

² “In the Meantime…” David Lose http://www.davidlose.net/2016/07/pentecost-10-c-shameless-prayer/

The story of Martha and Mary – you know the one, Martha is doing all the work and Mary just sits there, at the feet of Jesus and receives praise for doing it. I must admit that I really, REALLY don’t like this story. Martha gets a bad rap.

Wasn’t it just a few verses before that Jesus implores the lawyer to “go and do likewise” and now we hear that Mary who is staying and sitting at the feet of Jesus has “chosen the better part.” So which is it?

It’s both/and. It’s both ‘go and do’ AND ‘stay and sit.’ And it’s finding that sweet spot and balance between the two.

For the lawyer, who sat around doing nothing except making sure that he had tittles and jots all in a row so that he KNEW if anyone asked that he would be saved, needed to “see, draw near and get involved.” For Martha who, in the original Greek (and I love this) was described as having a “spasm” or “spastic” and the on the verge of a panic attack because the pressure of the savior of the world and 12 of his buddies showed up unannounced for dinner, needed to just chill out.

In the Gospel of Luke, both learning AND service are important. Even better, ANYONE can stay at the feet of Jesus and sit in rapt attention, hanging on his every word. You see, in the 1^st century women weren’t considered disciple material and yet Jesus welcomed Mary to take the place of the disciple and stay at his feet. And he invited Martha to do the same. Step outside of the social expectations of being a woman and the hostess. Come, be a disciple and stay and sit at the feet of the master.

“Martha, Martha” Jesus says in a way that makes this conversation just between her and him.

He didn’t call her out in front of the others. Jesus never says that Martha is wrong, irrational. But he does say that he is not going to stop Mary from being at his feet. She belonged there! And so did Martha.

“Martha, Martha” is an invitation, not a rebuke. And Jesus calls our names, too! Come, sit at the feet of the master, be fed by the word made flesh and be the disciple that God has intended for us to be. No matter what. Aged 2 or 92, high in faith, low in faith, questioning everything about faith, man or woman, slave or free, gentile or Jew, straight or LGBTQIA, and the list goes on. Because when Jesus and God for that matter, say “all” that is exactly what is meant – “all means all” and all are welcome to sit at the feet of the master.

Believe that you are God’s precious and beloved child. No one is outside of the grace, love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen one. All means all!

Stay or go? It’s up to God! Just ask him…

First, Jesus admonishes James and John for wanting to bring down a hell-fire and brimstone end to the Samaritans for not being nice to them. Then Jesus tells a would-be follower that anyone who looks back isn’t fit for the kingdom of God. What happened to ‘nice Jesus’?

Jesus has set his fact to Jerusalem and the cross. I can understand why Jesus was frustrated with James and John. And they quickly forgot that hell fire and brimstone was NOT the Jesus’ way of doing things when people didn’t fall lockstep with Jesus’ message.

I bet that Jesus gets frustrated with us, too. We have got to be in control. When things don’t go our way, when people don’t think just like us, act the way we think they should follow our version of God, well then THEY and certainly not us will be deserving of an unsavory end.

Being in control makes us feel safe and when things don’t go our way, well then we have a meltdown that surpasses the maelstrom created by from a determined two or three year old who was told “no”.

The need to be in control is a fear response. It was the disciples’ fear that drove their response. It’s the Jesus way to respond with courage, compassion and trust. And Jesus bids us to leave the power trip and all that goes with it beside the road and follow him.

Jesus is telling those who were following him that he didn’t have time for all that foolishness and neither should we. Time is of the essence. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and there was still much to do. And lessons to be learned.

Three people approach or either approached by Jesus to follow him. Each time there is a reaction from the people.

“but first let me…”

These are legitimate requests – bury a parent, say goodbye to family and friends. No one could argue that they were not very good reasons for not immediately embarking on the Jesus’ journey, for not wanting to be a disciple today but perhaps tomorrow, when it’s just better timing. When I’ve got all ducks in a row, when I have all my stuff figured out.

There is no perfect time to tell someone about Jesus – the planets don’t have to align and what we say and do might make a difference in the life of one of the least, the lost, the lonely and the left-behind.

Right before I went into worship I posted on Facebook about where I was and that the community would be offering prayers. Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting anything. But I did it just the same and gave anyone who was reading the post just ½ hour to respond. And I received three prayer requests – heart wrenching and poignant prayer requests from outside of the state.

As Caroline Lewis, a leading Luther seminary scholar and professor, pointed out, “Perhaps Jesus simply says stop making excuses and start imagining experiences that invite “let’s see what happens” instead of “I need all my stuff figured out.”

Because the call to discipleship, the call to grow in faith, is a call TO follow Christ, a call to something. There will always be other things that will compete for the priority in our lives. Yet, that is what discipleship requires – prioritization.

That requires us to give up the illusion of control. Looking at the responses that Jesus gives, it’s all about control.

The son of man has nowhere to lay his head and neither will you. That’s life on the journey with Jesus. It takes courage.

You go and proclaim the kingdom of God because death is a part of life even though God never wanted it to be. That takes compassion.

Don’t look back. Trust that God is on this journey with us, that he’s part of the adventure, that he has our back, even if our plowing isn’t exactly straight because his promise of eternal life is eternal. That takes trust.

That’s the life of faith. We won’t always get it right or perfect, just like Jesus’ first disciples.

But unless we get on the road, get on the journey with Jesus, be a disciple, get our feet wet in the waters of baptism and live out our baptismal covenant, then we will never know what we can do, what kind of adventure through this chaotic thing called life will be like and where we will see, feel, hear, sense, or touch Jesus along the way.

Yes, some of the choices that we make have been, are and will indeed be heart-wrenching. That is what the transformative power of Jesus feels like. When courage, compassion and trust coalesce.

We might find ourselves with the courage to speak justice, call for righteous rather than waiting for someone else to do it.

We might find ourselves with the compassion to stand up for the least, the lost and the lonely – those that world would rather not think about.

We might find ourselves trusting in God as we risk telling the truth about the kingdom even if no one seems to be listening.

We too, are called with urgency, by Christ, to be on the journey, to be about his mission, to love God, serve our neighbor and grow in faith.

Jesus set his face to Jerusalem and never looked back. Jesus reminds us that now is the time to act.

Luther said, “Be little Christs in this world.”

See like Jesus. Do like Jesus.  Love like Jesus. And don’t look back.