I’ve said that line more than once. And when I do, I’m always comparing myself to something much worse than what I am experiencing, have done, will do, have to contend with, you name it. And thanking God that I didn’t have to deal with “that”, whatever “that” might be. I confess to feeling a sense of pride. I believe that I am on safe ground when I say that I’m not alone.

There has been at least one individual in history who has shared my plight – the one in the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18. The Pharisee goes to the temple to pray, tells God how great he is and looks over to the tax collector and says, “thank you for not making me like him.” In other words, “there but for the grace of God go I…”

“Comparison is the thief of joy¹.” Teddy Roosevelt said that. It took a bit of a google search to find out to whom it is attributed but it is quoted a lot and many articles begin it with it. I don’t know if the Pharisee was feeling particularly joyful or if he was actually complaining as he compared himself to others…I tithe EVERYTHING, I fast TWICE a week…and I am NOT a sinner, like HIM.

And the Pharisee is very aware that he ranks high above the tax collector. After all, the Pharisee is standing IN the temple and the tax collector can’t even cross the threshold. But what we don’t get to know about is how joyous the Pharisee feels in his self-proclaimed righteousness.

The reality is that as humans we are hard-wired to compare ourselves to others. Facebook and just about every other social media outlet bear this out. We get the “photo-shopped” version of other people’s lives that seem to be going so much better than our own, are filled with fun when ours is not, whose kids are doing so much better than ours, whose jobs are fabulous when ours are drudgery and on and on.

And the comparison thief has done its job. We’re left without joy and filled with despair.  OR the opposite happens, “but for the grace of God go I…”

Oh snap! Not a trendy saying but the sound of the parable’s trap. It gets us coming and going. We draw lines of comparison and find God on the other side. Every. Single. Time. When the truth is that God wants to us to be on God’s side. And not the other way around.

And the way that God wants us to be on God’s side is to trust in God’s ENDLESS grace and mercy rather than in our limited view of the comparative world. The good news is that God ranks no one. God makes no one stand outside of the temple. God says to everyone, you are enough, come inside.

And leave the human ranking system at the curb. Because what God gives us is justification, not righteousness. Love, not hate. Mercy, not judgment. Faith, not fear.

God already knows the hateful and dark thoughts that we hold inside and reaches right past them to touch our very hearts with God’s love. It is God who redeems, not our own actions. There is nothing that we can do to make God love us more or less. God just loves. That makes all the difference in your life, in my life, in our lives together as church in this place and at this time. And say, “There because of the grace of God go I.”

¹http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/comparing

The Pharisees have asked Jesus a question, “When is the kingdom of God coming?” Jesus answers them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.”

In other words, you are looking for something in the future that is here and now – present reality. And with these words, Jesus has set the stage for understanding the parable of the unjust judge and persistent widow. And a direct question from Jesus.

A judge who is afraid of no one, nothing and not even God. And a widow who would not take no for an answer.

Widows – in ancient times were vulnerable, regularly listed with the orphans and aliens who deserved special attention. Without a husband, widows were left to the care of the closest male relative and were seen as a liability.

In this remarkable scene, she is standing before the judge – and a system that would not have trifled with her. The best that she could  expect was the shaft. The significant absence of makes it possible that the closest relative is not doing his job and that the problem is financially based.

But she keeps coming back. She will not be deterred.  This woman is beginning to make him look bad. She is pestering him to the point that he fears personal injury if he doesn’t get her off his back. Contextual notes include “so that she may not finally come and slap me in the face” or literally in the Greek: “to strike under the eye.” – a black eye.

Jesus holds up the unjust judge as the antithesis of God – the complete opposite of God.

Bad judge; moved by neither mercy or justice, just fear. Representative of the powers and principalities that do not care and yet can be compelled to do what is right.

Good God: acts out of unqualified mercy and justice. Whose kingdom is filled with grace. Who will stop at nothing to save the ones he loves. Who never gives up in his relentless pursuit!  

Are we giving up?

The call committee prepares to review its third slate of candidates. Just when we think we’ve found a candidate, the candidate slips right through our fingers. Stuck with an interim for God knows how long.

Are we in danger of losing our heart?

Was it difficult to fill out the pledge cards? Is it difficult to come to worship more often than not? Are we holding back? Are we scared?

Jesus tells us to pray always and not loose heart.

Right.

This is all well and good when things are going so well and good. But when things are falling apart? When I loose heart and can’t even pray? Then what?

Because that is the reality – I pray and sometimes God seems so far away and things are getting scary and I loose heart. All. The. Time.

Jesus says not to but I do. The silence frustrates me. And I long to hear something, anything. But there is only silence. Perhaps I am not alone in this particular longing.

In the face of all this, why shouldn’t we just throw in the towel and walk away? Because there is kingdom work to be done right here in Leesburg and God says we’re not finished yet.

Just keep praying…

Jesus asks us a direct question: when the son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?

YES! Just don’t give up…

Remember that faith is the opposite of fear. Jesus is wondering when he comes back will he find a world filled with fear. And let’s face it, this election has been filled with fear-mongering.

Because just like the persistent widow who keeps pestering the judge so too does the kingdom of God keep pestering us to what is right. Faith conquers fear every time.

Jesus said, the kingdom of God is here, it is now even though it is not yet.

And the kingdom of God is pestering us to do the right thing, to live out our baptismal covenant, to work for peace and justice in all the world.

We can’t give up because the kingdom of God won’t give up. We have no choice.

Justice for all is a sign of the in-breaking of the kingdom of God. And we are to be striving always, advocating on behalf of those who cannot advocate for themselves.

We are to take seriously the issues of discrimination and honestly ask ourselves where we have been guilty of contributing to the pain of others.

This is what we are called to faithfully do now, in the days leading up to November 8 and on November 9 and everyday afterward. No matter the outcome of this election. It’s time to give fear the black eye! Pray unceasingly. Worship weekly. Give generously.

Will Jesus find faith on earth? You better believe it!

As long as we together strive for justice, pray unceasingly and never stop, you better believe he’ll find faith on earth! And he’ll find it right here in Leesburg, VA!

Last week, you were invited to take out a dollar to think about what is written on it. “In God we trust…” Is that really true? Do we trust in God? Do we take to heart God’s calling of us to have compassion on our neighbors? Are we able to see God’s face on the face of our neighbor’s need?

And then you were invited to think about what you will do with that dollar. How will you spend it? Does it reflect our trust in God? Do our choices make a difference in the wellbeing of others?

Thank you to those who shared your personal dollar stories publicly with the assembly this past Sunday. We heard your struggles as some of you talked about the difficulties of deciding what to do with that dollar.

Make no mistake – all of this is hard to do. Some of you might be sitting here thinking…uh, oh … I forgot to do that. Perhaps even feeling a bit of shame. Put it back in your pocket, went on with life and didn’t think any more about it. Like I said – this faith stuff all is hard to do.

The disciples were finding that to be true as well.  They are walking with Jesus to Jerusalem and the walk is getting more challenging because the talk is getting harder.

Jesus had just finished talking about the forgiving as many times as it takes and that it is better to drown yourself than to cause someone to stumble. That was enough for fear to creep in and to send the disciples running to Jesus.

“Increase our faith!” The disciples have begun to think, “we can’t do this, we don’t have enough faith, add to what we have, please…”

In other words, Jesus, we don’t have enough faith to handle all of this forgiving and anything else that is coming our way. We just can’t do this.

As we endure yet another week of school shootings that injure and claim lives, violence perpetrated against law enforcement as well as by law enforcement, senseless accidents that injure hundreds, terrorism threats both real and imagined, racial unrest, and the list goes on and on.

And the same plea falls from our lips, too:  Jesus, increase our faith…we just can’t do this…we don’t have enough… it’s not going to be enough, add to what we have.

Fear has crept in again… fear that is opposite of faith.

Perhaps this request surprises Jesus a bit. Perhaps he’s taken aback by both the disciples and us.

The original Greek isn’t always the easiest to translate and convey meaning into English, but there is a conditional clause here. Scholars dispute just how to translate it. …if you had the faith of a mustard seed…and you do! And. You. Do.

It might be the size of this tiny mustard seed but you do have faith. And it is enough.

Mustard wasn’t a welcome addition to any Jewish garden. It was considered a weed, useless and even forbidden to plant – but prolific just the same. So you would find these weeds outside of the acceptable 1^st century garden gate.

This is the kind of faith that Jesus is saying is enough, it will get us through.

Faith doesn’t have to be huge or flashy or prominent. It just has to be.

Look at whom Jesus commends for having faith –those outside of the “acceptable” garden gate of the time – a Roman centurion concerned about a sick servant, a diseased woman who knows that just a touch will heal her.

Looking ahead in Luke, a leper will turn back to give thanks and a blind beggar will receive sight. Again all people who would have been found outside of the “acceptable” gate.

And here’s why it’s enough.

Jesus talks about a servant who does what is expected of him, just going about his job and not expecting any great rewards for doing. The servant is simply doing what has to be done, the mundane work that is right in front of him. The ordinary, everyday tasks of being a servant. Just doing the job.

Faith isn’t a commodity that can be added to, saved, or spent, used only when we think we need to. It is a prolific, humble gift to be passed along, shared, nurtured. Faith is found in the mundane, in the doing of what needs to be done. That is what Jesus is saying is faithful.

Nothing flashy, just going to work and doing a good job; listening when someone needs to talk, even if it’s about the weather; sitting with someone at lunch and being a friend to the friendless; cooking breakfast, feeding the dog, letting someone in front of you on the highway, writing a letter of thanks.

These are indeed acts of faith.

And what if, tomorrow, you didn’t do any of this stuff, and the next day, and the next day… What might the world look like?

Bleak to say the least.

This week there will be more gun violence, there will be hatred, there will be more computer hackings, there will be more of this contentious election.

And yet among all of this there will be signs of hope. Because God will continue to love and care for this world – using our hands, and hearts and voices, and time, and treasure and talents.

God will use all those mundane, simple, ordinary, everyday tasks that we do to help spread that love and hope and grace and joy in this world.

So you might think that you are not enough, but Jesus thinks that you are enough. You do have faith and at the end of our days it will be Jesus that will be saying to us,

Well done, good and faithful servant, well done.

Make friends by means of dishonest wealth, learn prudence from your corrupt neighbor…did Jesus really say that? I don’t know about you, but this is really confusing to me!

One of many focus of Jesus in Luke involves “seeing” the least, the lost, the lonely, the left-behind, the last. And many times these people were in these predicaments because of people just like the ones described in the parable.

A parable is a story that is not necessarily true but reveals truth about the kingdom of God, Jesus or about us. Because they are closely tied to the ancient setting it is helpful to listen to them with 1^st century ears.

There are scholars among us who believe that through the centuries of transmission that there is missing text that helps to contextualize it. Others speculate that 1^st century sarcasm might be at play as well. I can believe that Jesus has a dry sense of humor, especially when you consider his post-Resurrection conversations with the disciples on the shore and on the road to Emmaus.

That Jesus uses wealth as a frequent example should come as no surprise to us. It is the second most talked about subject in the Bible and the writer of Luke does most of that talking!

The powers sought to separate the illiterate peasants from their family lands by charging incredible amounts of interest (forbidden in Deuteronomy and Leviticus) and hidden fees. A 21^st equivalent is the predatory pay-day loan companies that have sprung up all over the country. Simply put, the land-sharks of the day were getting rich at the expense of the poor. That is NOT what a disciple of Christ does.

Also at play is the patronage system of “I scratch your back, you scratch mine.” Everyone owed something to someone. As explained three weeks ago when Jesus challenged the Pharisees to invite those to dinner who cannot repay the favor, a disciple of Christ does not look to be repaid here on earth but rather celebrates the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of God. There is no need to court favors with God and he owes us nothing.

So what are we to do with these statements by Jesus, especially as we begin our annual stewardship focus at Holy Trinity? Let the scriptures speak to us, especially about our wealth. The children of the light have a lot to learn. Could it be that this parable turns on this statement of Jesus: “If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?”

Could it be that Jesus was in fact commending the dishonest manager for the lesson that he has painfully learned? That wealth is a blessing and a responsibility. That it is more important to amass relationships rather than money. In the end, the manager learned that you love people and use money and not the other way around.

What about learning prudence from the corrupt neighbor? Jesus recognized that while we are not of this world that we are definitely in it. However, it is very hard not to get caught up in it, especially when it comes to the economy of the world vs. the economy of God. We need to know how the economy of God works, what living in the kingdom right now looks like and that it won’t look like what is going on in the rest of the world. God’s love and care are constant and eternal. When money is your god is fleeting, unpredictable and temporary.

And finally, the realization is that everything that we are is not our own but of God. And as such we are to be “faithful with what belongs to another” and that we are to love God, love people—God’s people – and make disciples.

Throughout Luke, God shows up exactly where we don’t expect him to – in the faces of the least, the last, the lonely, the left-behind, all children of God. These are the ones God loves. We are to be faithful and to care for our neighbor and love them rather than to use our status to separate ourselves from them. What is true for them is also true for us. We too are the least, the last, the lonely and the left-behind.

Following our baptismal covenant let us “…live among God’s faithful people; hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s Supper; proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed; serve all people following the example of Jesus; and strive for justice and peace in all the earth.”

We are freed in Christ to do just that.

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!