Sermon on Matthew 1:1-17 Narrative Lectionary 1/1/2023

Have you ever even noticed before that this is how Matthew starts his gospel/how the NT starts?

Not exactly the “hook” that writing coaches advise people to start with…

More like a snore for most of us,

          Although it makes great fodder for a test passage to give student pastors to read aloud

          And one these “begat” passages shows up in an account of a Bible memorization contest

          Where this is the one the little boy learns, and he learns it well enough to win the prize.

Yet today there is a renewed interest among some folks in our ancestry, our genealogy

From ancestry.com to places to go to do research to DNA tests to tell you your ethnic origins

          There is a movement afoot to figure out who we are by looking at who we are from

If you look at a Bible that has footnotes,

you can find more information on most of these characters—

And some of them are really characters

          There are a host of powerful people who abuse their power

         those who lie casually and indiscriminately

                             bullies and thieves

         idolaters and adulterers

         powerful people who abuse their power

And there are those whom God has given wisdom and riches (Solomon)

          Who do what is right (Hezekiah)

          turn to the Lord with their whole heart (Josiah)

          praise God with beautiful words in the psalms (Asaph)

So that saints and sinners are both represented

And, in fact, a single person (think David!) can and does represent both categories

As it is human to do

The Bible study group just did a series of lessons on the women in this list—quite an interesting list

A list that seems to go with the idea that Matthew the Tax Collector authored this gospel

In that the women are all suspect, unpopular, likely condemned in their contexts

          Matthew, who would know something of scandal and rejection and exclusion

                repentance and conversion and transformation

The first woman on the list is Tamar, perhaps the only Israelite on the list

          The death of her first two husbands, who were brothers

Made her a pariah to her husband’s family

So that they did not follow through on having her marry the next brother

Instead, she took to subterfuge to make her husband’s family live up to their obligations

masquerading as a prostitute so that her father-in-law, Judah, begat a child with her    

with the eventual result that he declared her to be more righteous than he was

and inserting her—and her child—into the Davidic lineage

Then we have Rahab

a foreign prostitute, who helped Joshua’s spies in Jericho

revering and honoring Israel’s God

and saving her own family

and then becoming the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth

Ruth, herself is another foreigner

whose faithfulness to her mother-in-law & her mother-in-law’s God

brought her to into the land of Israel marry Naomi’s kinsman Boaz

and enter into the Israelite fold and the lineage of David

And then “the wife of Uriah,” likely also a foreigner

A way of talking about Bathsheba that highlights David’s adultery

          An adultery that resulted in a pregnancy that in turn resulted in David’s murder of Uriah

          Since when he brought Uriah back from the war front so the baby might be considered his

          Uriah’s loyalty to his men meant that he didn’t go home to sleep with his wife

          With that baby dying and the next baby, Solomon, becoming King after David

Not exactly cozy and comforting happily-ever-after narratives

Yet words of hope for us—

Telling us that no matter how messed-up our families are

And no matter how messed-up we are

We are included in the family of God

And, between the lines, we also have evidence of the openness of the family of God

Especially since all this genealogy traces down to Joseph who is not Jesus’ biological father

And while some resolve this by assuming that Mary was related to Joseph in some way

The only resolution Matthew gives to this is in the final verse of what we read on Dec 20^th

Joseph names the baby Jesus, just as the angel told him to do

          Reflecting his belief in the angel’s message

          And also his acceptance of Jesus as his adoptive son

While we were made in the image of God by God, our adoption goes in the other direction

Children of flesh and blood, and of this world and its powers, we are adopted by God

And this adoption comes hand-in-hand with participation in the Spirit of God

          In Romans 8(:14-17), the Bible says those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God

          And in Galatians 4:6, the Bible says because we are children of God, God sent the Spirit

          In John 20:17, Jesus refers to God as his father and our father

          Eph. 1:5 notes we are predestined for adoption as children of God by Jesus Christ himself

And 1 John 3:2 (my husband’s favorite verse) says

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! … And that is what we are! 

That is what we are.

That is who we are.

That is whose we are.

Whatever our backgrounds,

                   our foibles and faults and failings

                   our fractured families

         our hurting–and hurtful—selves

God brings us into the family.

God brings us into Jesus’ lineage.

God makes us part of the Kingdom.

How do we know who is family?

One of the ways we know who is family is when we gather…

Something some of us (still) didn’t get to do this year

But we know who belongs, who should be there, when we gather

As the church, as the family of God, we gather

We gather in prayer in church and from our homes

in worship here and online and in other places/spaces for worship

in fellowship in the social hall and across phone lines and texts and emails

at meals we’ve made, meals made by others, meals given to others

at this holy meal, offered to us to join us to Christ and to each other

making us know that we belong

          to God and to one another

               God’s family

Let us pray…

Gathering for Healing: Sermon on 2 Kings 5:1-16, Narrative Lectionary for 11/6/2022

How’s your geography?

I have to admit mine’s not too good

In fact, when Bush was running against Clinton and made a gaffe about the location of Arkansas

my own geographical knowledge was being similarly tested

as we had just moved to Arkansas, a state I’d never been to before

and couldn’t really locate on a map…!

But geography is important to today’s story

By the time of today’s passage, Israel had become divided following the death of King Solomon

(The king whose wisdom was the focus of last week’s passage)

It was divided into a southern kingdom (Judah)

      and a northern kingdom,

which kept the name of Israel

but was also called Samaria

And Aram is what has become modern-day Syria

And these neighboring countries had been at war

Thus, the encounter between Naaman and Elisha

        is a confrontation between enemies

        two people from warring countries

        representatives of kings of warring countries

So that, in today’s story, we witness that countries at war are still in contact

                                                                                                                           conversation

This is true in Ukraine where, alongside of (despite?) the war,

conversations and negotiations are still happening

          From negotiations regarding Brittney Griner

the basketball player sentenced to prison in Russia for smuggling hashish oil

to the grain deal, in which Russia is (again) allowing grain exports from Ukraine 

In our story today, the kings are involved

The king of Aram readily agrees that Naaman should go to Israel to seek healing

                                sending him with a kingly letter of introduction

Naaman adds to this intro his own pomp and posturing

                                taking with him great riches, perhaps as presents

                                and a military entourage of horses and chariots, perhaps as a threat

And the king of Israel,

who receives Naaman with his pomp and posturing, presents and power,

                                suspects that, since he is “not god” and cannot grant Naaman’s request

                                                          this all a pretext for more warfare

But Elisha can. And Elisha does.

Hearing of Naaman’s request, Elisha tells the king to send Naaman to him.

(We are not even told of how that message gets to Naaman)

          Just that Naaman goes, with his presents and his power,

          To Elisha’s house

But his presents and his power do not gain him immediate access to Elisha

Instead, the great commander with his great need, is met by a servant and a message

          Go wash seven times in the Jordan River

          And Naaman is incensed by both the messenger and the message

By the way, it is likely true that Aram’s rivers were better than those of Jordan

          As the Jordan was more of a muddy creek than a river

          Kind of a backwater in a country that had been bested by Aram and Naaman in war

But once again the servants come to the rescue

Counseling Naaman in ways that combat his power, pride and position

So that he does go and wash seven times in the Jordan River

Likely feeling vulnerable and foolish and possibly dirty in that water

Stripped of power and presents and left just at the mercy of God

A (lack of) status further solidified by Elisha’s refusal of his gifts

Leaving him a great man in debt to an enemy and that enemy’s God

Resulting in Naaman’s vow to serve Israel’s god

                                         asking for some dirt from Israel to help him in that worship

                                         and for forgiveness when accompanies his king to worship other god

Over a year ago we had a worship/sermon series about gathering

                                                                                                    why we are here

This morning’s texts suggest that one reason we gather is in order to heal

And that, like raising a child, it takes a village to accomplish this healing

From the Israeli slave girl to the wife of the king of Aram to the king himself

From Naaman to the king of Israel to Elisha and the servants in Naaman’s entourage

          People of great, and no, status

          People who are considered important and people who tend to be ignored

          And people who are enemies

                    All participate in the healing of Naaman

Where are you hurting?

Where are you in need of healing?

From church conflicts to conversations gone wrong or not held

From losses due to COVID and its restrictions to divisive politics and policies

From physical illnesses and pains to emotional shocks and shudders

          We are in need of healing

And so we come with Jesus’ letter of introduction to

the King of healing

                 One with the power and compassion to heal

We come at the direction of a lowly carpenter

descended from glory to live among us

          as servant and washer-of-feet

We come into the presence of God

as those who have been enemies of God

          participating willingly or unwittingly in what wounds and deals death

                                                                                          works against love and compassion

                                                                                                                    mercy and justice

In need of healing as and with and through the community of faith

That stretches from a slave girl through kings to prophets to God Godself

In need of the healing, living water that forever slakes our thirst

In need of the water of baptism that makes us citizens

not of this party or nation, but of God’s kingdom

In need of the bread of life that confounds death

In need of the fruit of the vine that connects us to the giver of life

An ancient communion formula reads

O God, I am not worthy to receive you,

But only say the word and I shall be healed.

Let us pray…

Narrative Lectionary SERMON: Discernment 1 Kings 3/October 30, 2022

Cover image from https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/webp/dv_700/dailyverse-images/b3/1+Kings+3-9+Give+Your+Servant+An+Understanding+Heart+red.webp

As we continue on our way through some of the highlights of the OT via the Narrative Lectionary

we come today to the wisdom of Solomon

the best-known story having to do with Solomon

emphasizing his desire to be a good leader

despite the political intrigues that led to him becoming king

and the excesses that will subsequently characterize his kingship

The passages we have read this fall could serve as a litmus test for leadership—

          an important question as we prayerfully approach voting in the mid-term elections

because, while we live in a nation of many religions (and no religion at all)

          the question of what candidates represent the values of God’s kingdom is still of import

And while the church cannot be partisan, the church is called to address

Power—and therefore politics

          Ethics–that is, right and wrong

          and the well-being of all people

For the Gospel calls on us, in all we do,  

          to be representatives of Jesus

          to stand for what is right

                           and for the good of all people

          and to be the people of God in all we say and do

So we are called on to ask similar questions of our leaders  

Going beyond any religious claims made by candidates

to discern what—and who—potential leaders represent

         what—and who—they stand for

         and who they are                                       

And while we can also see that the biblical leaders are far from perfect

And that their wrongdoings have consequences both for them

                                                                                        and for the people they lead         

At their best, they not only seek, trust and obey God, but provide biblical examples of

the use of power and blessing to serve the people, all nations

       from God’s proclamation to Abra(ha)m that he is blessed to be a blessing

       to Solomon’s motivation in seeking wisdom, which is to govern God’s people well

transformative leadership in tough circumstances leading to salvation/new life

       Noah in the time of the Flood

       Joseph unjustly imprisoned

       Moses in slavery and in the wilderness

and just last week we saw David taking responsibility/being held accountable—and repenting

Now, if you find yourself less-than-hopeful

          cynical about our leaders and our elections

          uncertain that there is much a regular citizen can do

          let me point you to something else found in this passage—and those preceding it

That is, throughout these stories that we’ve read, (not just in Joshua as highlighted by Cindy)

          the focus is actually on God and God’s actions

          –and this is where we find hope

In the Flood narrative, we talked about turning the picture upside-down

                                                                        seeing things from God’s perspective

                                                                        participating in God’s hope

         God’s transformative action

In the promise made to Abram, it is God who swears to use Abra(ha)m’s leadership

                                                                        the blessing of Abram and his family

                                                                        to bless all people

In the story of the crossing of the Re(e)d Sea,

                                                                        God acts to free the Hebrew people

                                                                        acting on the behalf of the oppressed

                                                                                    against the oppressor

                                                                                    through Moses

In the giving of the manna in the wilderness, we ask with the Hebrews, “What is it?”

                                                                       “What is God doing?

                                                                        and “How can we become a part of what God is doing?”

In Joshua, we heard the litany of what God did for the people

                                                                      culminating in the question of who the people will serve

And it is God who made it possible for Nathan to call David to account

In today’s passage, although it begins by talking of Solomon

          of his sacrifices and burnt offerings

          in short order, God takes center stage

Moving the narrative focus from what Solomon is doing

                                                      to what God does

Making the story less about what Solomon does for God

                                and more about what God does for, and through, Solomon

This is the question we, as individuals and as the church, are called back to over and over again

          What is God doing?

          Where are we called to participate in what God is doing?

And while, for me, the most current, loudest application of this call is the upcoming election,

when Len read this sermon, he heard a call to the people of the church he is working with

to the hard work of truth and reconciliation.

The reality is that the call to find and join what God is doing is a larger lifelong call

A call that is both gift and obligation

(as the South African Belhar Confession puts it with regard to the call to unity)

a call to join God’s work that is made alive in us by the Holy Spirit

“yet simultaneously a reality which must be earnestly pursued and sought:

one which the people of God must continually be built up to attain—”

a building up that we seek to do as we gather together each week

When we gather, we proclaim and celebrate that

God never leaves us

                  never forsakes us

                  comes alongside us

        and is ever-present with us and among us

But the Christian life is not just about God being with us

        It is about us being with and following God

                                saying, in answer to Joshua’s question to the Hebrew people, we will serve God

                                vowing, in front of witnesses, to serve and obey God

                                                                                           have no other gods

Joining with God means taking up the cause of God’s kingdom

          A Kingdom where the rich and powerful serve the poor and the powerless

                               where every gift and advantage that we have is used to serve all people

                               where wisdom means hearing the grievances of those who are often unheard

Can you imagine a king hearing the case of two prostitutes?

          Talk about hearing from the voiceless, the powerless, those who are looked down on!

Who is denied a hearing today?

          Who do we cut off from discourse?

                                silence?

The lack of listening has reached epic proportions today

          Making us forget that others are people

                                                  their experiences have shaped them

                                                  just as our experiences have shaped us

          And that we are, all of us—leaders and ordinary citizens, us and them—are both

made in God’s image—and flawed

          And none of us can see the whole picture

          So that we need community

to hear from, to listen to, one another

And not just from those who are suffering here in the U.S.  (I’m sure you can make a list…)

but those who are unheard throughout the world, in places and spaces where the US continues to have an effect, an influence—sometimes by our lack of attention to their plight

So we’re talking not just about the big ones that we are aware of—

          Great Britain and Ukraine and Iran

But ones that are in our news for just a brief moment, for example:

          Pakistanis suffering severe floods

          Yemeni people experiencing war

          Somalians threatened with starvation

          Haitians at the mercy of gangs that have taken over

Today we have come, like Solomon before God

          Offering our sacrifice of praise and worship

          Reviewing what God has done for us

                    God’s great and steadfast love to us as God’s servants

                    Making us part of God’s kingdom

                                                                people

                                                                family

What do we ask for God to give to us?

          Solomon sought a discerning heart/an understanding mind

                                         the ability to distinguish right from wrong

                                                                                     good from bad, from evil                                 

We seem to have lost a national consensus regarding the questions of right and wrong

We no longer agree as to what behavior has occurred

           much less what is wrong

           and how to respond to it

And while it is tempting to point fingers of blame as to why that is—or who is responsible

As Christians we are in a position to ask God  for a discerning heart/an understanding mind

  to know good from evil

  and what it is we are to do

                                and who we are called to be

To not only see the good, but to do it

To not only recognize evil, but to resist it

To take responsibility for ourselves

And to practice holding ourselves—and others—accountable.                                            Let us pray…

Narrative Lectionary Sermon 2 Samuel 11-12 “You are the Man” October 23, 2022

Like the crossing of the Re(e)d Sea, this story has been the subject of several movies

In the 1951 Gregory Peck/Susan Hayward film,

     Bathsheba and David have a consensual adulterous affair

In the 1985 Richard Gere King David film,

     Bathsheba appears before King David in court claiming abuse by Uriah before becoming involved with him

Interesting how neither film wants to tell the biblical version of the story

Preferring to tell of an illicit and steamy romance

Do you remember the rest of the story?

That David’s response to Bathsheba’s pregnancy

is to bring her husband Uriah home from the front so the baby will be seen as legitimately his

but Uriah will not go home to sleep with his wife while his men are in the field

and so David sends a message with Uriah himself

to direct David’s commander to put Uriah at the front of the line

and then withdraw, so that Uriah will be killed by the Ammonites.

Of course others with Uriah are killed as well, but David brushes this away as the cost of the plan

And then, after her period of mourning, David marries Bathsheba.

And although later in the story of King David,

Bathsheba will stand up for their second son, Solomon, in his successful bid to become the next king

In this part of the biblical story, the only recorded words of Bathsheba are “I am pregnant.”

And, indeed, it hardly matters what she said or thought

The king sent for her and took her, and that was that

Meaning that, although the NRSV(UE) entitles this story “David Commits Adultery with Bathsheba,”

The story is really that of the abuse of power, of “Me Too,” of rape

David’s abuse of power more than fulfills Samuel’s prediction of how the Israelite king will act (I Sam. 8:10-17)

In fact, Samuel stops short of naming such sexual taking of women

While noting that the king the Israelites request will

take their sons and daughters to serve him in war and in agriculture and in his household

demand their labor and commandeer their lands

and make them serve him

And of course we still see this behavior among those with power today

Those who abuse their positions in a variety of ways

Hiring friends and cronies and family

Showing favoritism to those who can benefit them

To the detriment of those they are sworn to serve

And those who use their positions to force themselves on others sexually

From movie moguls to politicians to bosses

But instead of everyone turning a blind eye to this abuse of power, David has someone who holds to account

Of course the wily Nathan tells the story in a way that David can hear

Asking him to apply ethical principles to the behaviors of others

Which he readily does—apparently even without any prompting

He is outraged by the way the rich man exercised power over the poor man and his lamb

Taking the sheep (just as David took Bathsheba) and killing it for his own benefit

How often have we heard leaders apply ethical principles to those whom they consider their “enemies”

But changing their tune when asked to apply those same principles to themselves?

But here, in this passage, David actually listens to Nathan

Not excusing his own misconduct by somehow claiming that the rules are/should be different for him

Instead, David recognizes what he has done

Confessing and repenting of his sin

       Both in our passage

       And likely also in Psalm 51, used in our Call to Worship and Prayer of Confession

Perhaps Nathan had the king’s ear because he had been on the scene earlier in the account of King David’s rule

Responding to David’s desire to build a house for God

With the promise that God will build a house, that is a dynasty, for David

A dynasty that stretches so far forward

that “the wife of Uriah the Hittite” is named in Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew

alongside other suffering women whose are listed in the lineage of the One

who himself would suffer and die and then rise again

A dynasty that goes forward, but is disrupted and dysfunctional after David’s actions

For, despite his confession and repentance, Nathan tells David his actions still have consequences (v.10-12)

       “The sword will never depart from your house.”

Your wives will sleep with those who are close to you “in broad daylight.”

And the child you conceived with Bathsheba will die.

As we wish for more Nathans

And have the opportunity to use elections as a way to hold our leaders accountable

  to elect leaders who can recognize their own faults as well as those of others

We are also called upon to do the same—

Not only to hold others responsible, but to be accountable ourselves

There’s this challenging little thing called “agency”

A fancy way of saying that we are actors in our own stories

That being responsible for what we do means that we are in charge of our own changing

That we are called by God, with God’s help, to be the subjects of our own lives and actions

Were you taught in English class to avoid write in active, rather than passive, tense?

While we may have learned this about grammar, we sometime miss it in regular life

 If we say, “The glass broke,” we avoid the reality that someone (likely the speaker!) broke it

            I was talking to Len about this sermon and noted that this was something my mother tended to do

            He pointed out that was an understatement!

            Good, bad or indifferent, she had a hard time making “I” statements

            Instead, the world revolved around what others did

                       and what had somehow just happened

The newspaper article about the pickup truck that landed in our side yard was masterful in this

            Beginning with police finding the driver about 500 feet from the crashed vehicle

And saying things like “The crash happened” about 2:30 pm

And “two homes were evacuated.”

But there were agents for all these action—

There was a driver to whom one could say, “You are the man”

            A driver who was no longer with the truck when it crashed

            But who is not thereby absolved of any responsibility for what happened

We are called on to take the log out of own eyes before we take the speck from our neighbor’s eye (Mt 7:5)

Where is it that we might be blind to our own actions?

                                                                                      power?

                                                                                        bias?

                                                                                        part in the problem?

Where can we take responsibility

                                      action

                                      be accountable

Makemie is a “Matthew 25” congregation

This PCUSA initiative focuses has three foci:

Building congregational vitality by deepening and energizing our faith and growing as joyful leaders and disciples actively engaged with our community as we share the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed

Eradicating systemic poverty by acting on our beliefs and working to change laws, policies, plans and structures in our society that perpetuate economic exploitation of people who are poor

Dismantling structural racism by fearlessly applying our faith to advocate and break down the systems, practices and thinking that underlie discrimination, bias, prejudice and oppression of people of color

Now the first response to the question of racism is frequently to state that one is not a racist

And, while this can be a great starting place, our Matthew 25 commitment means this is not enough

Matthew 25—the initiative and the Scripture itself asks for greater action than not being racist

Matthew 25—the gospel overall, asks us to take action for those who are hungry

                                                                                                                                              thirsty

                                                                                                                                              strangers

                                                                                                                                              naked

                                                                                                                                              sick

                                                                                                                                              imprisoned

Meaning that it’s not enough to refrain from being racist

Calling us to go beyond that to be anti-racist

To take actions, to be active, in combatting racism

I’m taking a class on combating racism sponsored by the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice

Last week a new person showed up to our class

And it turned out he was there to see if we were the real deal or if we were full of [fill-in-the-blank]

He himself was full of examples in his own life where he had gotten along fine with black people

And didn’t buy that there was racism in the world, much less in him

But this is as if David held the parable of the sheep at arm’s length

Blaming the problem on that rich man

Demanding justice for that situation

But not seeing the parallel to his own situation

This kind of attitude belies the Christian gospel, which is predicated on the understanding we are sinners

So that we are asked to see our own part in it all

            Do we hear those crying out for justice?

            Do we see how our lives have been easier because of who we are

            And harder for others because of who they are?

            And how are we working to change this?

Because, when it comes to change, we are the ones God works through to make  a change

            A change that can then radiate beyond us to our church

                                                                                                       community

                                                                                                        country

                                                                                                        world

Let us pray….

Narrative Lectionary Sermon Genesis 39:1-21 September 25, 2022

Image from https://www.gracenorthridge.com/resources/sermons/sermon/2019-03-17/2-in-the-pit-genesis-37:12-28

Today we have a part of the story of Joseph

A story that is one of the longest sustained narratives in the OT

Likely you know the story

          Joseph is the youngest of 11 brothers

He is a favorite of his father, Jacob

Because “he is the son of his old age”

(and likely also because he is the only son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel)

And Jacob gives his son Joseph a “coat of many colors”

(Hence the show “Joseph and the Technical Dreamcoat”)

There is bad blood between Joseph and his (half-)brothers

In addition to being Daddy’s favorite,

Joseph brings a bad report about his brothers to their father,

And he has two dreams about his brothers bowing down to him

And so his brothers decide to get rid of him—first planning to kill him,

but instead selling him as a slave to the Ishmaelites.

And this is where we pick up the story

Joseph is sold to Potiphar, an official in the Pharoah’s court and commander of the guard

And the slave Joseph rises in the ranks to become the most trusted person in Potiphar’s house

And then, at the false accusation of Potiphar’s wife, falls from that position to become a prisoner

And, in both locations, God is “with Joseph, causing all he does to prosper”—a “mixed blessing”?

The story of Joseph belies the success gospel—are you familiar with this version of the Gospel?

That’s the belief that if you are a Christian, you will have a great life

Usually portrayed in terms of fame

                                                 and fortune

                                                 and happiness

The story of Joseph also belies some versions of the American dream

          That if you just work hard, you will do well

          Never mind your personal resources, from money to education

          It’s really just all about how hard you work

But the Bible doesn’t support either of these stories

          Not the idea that being a follower of Jesus saves you from hardship

          After all, Jesus went to the cross

(even though that eventually ended better than most of us would’ve expected)

Not to mention the Psalms, decrying the success of the wicked

     Job, declared righteous by God but still losing it all

     Israelites, who spent hundreds of years enslaved

and 40 years wandering the desert

Or the broader American narrative that what we get is what we deserve

                                                                                                                              earn

          So that if you are not “successful,” it is your own fault

In fact, the story of God’s grace is a counter-story

to both the Gospel of Success and the story of the American Dream

          as ways to guarantee results

     to control one’s own destiny

                         that result in not only giving people credit, but sometimes in blaming the victim

Len and I are (no surprise!) in another show

This is a kids’ show, called “Big Bad Musical”

          It’s a civil trial for the Big Bad Wolf accused of

eating Red Riding Hood and her granny

blowing down the house of the 3 Little Pigs

                    scaring the Boy Who Cried Wolf and eating seven sheep

The Wolf reveals his family raised a human baby girl and that he’d been a vegan all his life

He claims he only went astray because of society’s already-formed assumptions

assumptions that he’s a bad guy

assumptions that prevent him from even getting close enough to anyone to prove otherwise

assumptions that eventually were self-fulfilling

The play has three potential endings, all of them problematic or at least problematized

In the version where the wolf is found guilty, he cannot pay the damages assessed

                                                                                  and is sent to prison

          Have you seen the stats, or heard the PCUSA actions taken, regarding cash bail?

          How truly poor people awaiting trial are in prison, sometimes for quite a while

          Where people with more money get out on bail

          Furthering the already large gap between the have-and-the-have-nots?

In the version where the wolf is found innocent

He rejects his human sister

who has shown up at the trial as a psychiatrist who’s a wolf expert

And immediately goes off for a steak or some lamb chops

Leaving his defense attorney wondering if she’s done such a great thing after all

In the third, perhaps most realistic ending, it’s a hung jury—

          Meaning that the evidence of the wolf’s crimes

          Hangs in the balance with his mistreatment and criminalization by society

          Things that made it much more difficult for him to remain the good guy he’d been

In today’s story of Joseph, we have a crazy set of drastic life changes

          The favored son becomes a slave

          The slave becomes the trusted overseer of the household

          The enslaved, but greatly trusted, overseer becomes a prisoner

          And that imprisoned slave then becomes the overseer of the jail

Makes me wonder how Joseph felt about this odd juxtaposition of enslavement and blessing

Did he know

Could he believe

Was it solace for him

that God was with him?

Did he wonder how, if God was with him, these bad things kept happening to him?

We all know that there are times when

God’s people suffer

                         fall prey to family intrigues

                         experience a loss of fortune

                         are falsely accused

                         experience accident or natural disaster

                                              physical or mental illness

                                              loss of loved ones

This question of how this can happen to people who belong to God

                                       to reconcile God’s goodness & mercy with the evil in the world

         is so big it has a name: theodicy

                         that, writ large, it remains unresolved

But in the stories of individuals—both in the Bible and in life, people find their own answers

   Almost always undergirded by God’s presence and care even (or especially through) tough times

   And even sometimes, when it’s beyond us, being held up by others who represent God’s care

  Sometimes through a final reversal of fortunes

  Sometimes through an understanding of solidarity with Jesus’ suffering

                        and his victory over suffering

    Sometimes through solidarity with other sufferers

          Not in a “I know how you feel” kind of way, since that is almost never true

          But in a “Suffering hurts and I feel for you” kind of way

          Note that this flies in the face of comparative suffering

                    Y’know, the “You think you have it bad” response to others’ suffering

                    And the pitting of oppressed groups against each other

                    Instead of against the sources of their similar oppressions

Sometimes through a different (rainbow) perspective

          Where we focus on God’s faithfulness in the past

                                              God’s promise and presence in the future

                                              And the future joyful banquet

There was a study a while back of people with disabilities and faith

This study discovered that people with disabilities took a variety of views of their disability

          Some seeing it as an accident of nature or circumstance

          Some seeing it as how God made them

          Some seeing it as the work of evil

But none of these views prevented the person with a disability from being a person of faith

When we are undergoing trials, we often want to know why

And, when others are going through trials, we might try to explain things saying

          About someone who has died,” God needed them more than you do”

          “God won’t give you more than you can handle”

          “All things work together for good…”

But often what is most needed is love and time

          Space to grieve

                          find one’s way through the tough times

                          search out one’s own understanding of how God is with us

To pursue the belief that, as one verse of O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go puts it

          O Joy that seekest me through pain

          I cannot close my eyes to thee

          I trace the rainbow through the rain

          And feel the promise is not vain

          That morn shall tearless be

Let us pray…

Sermon: A Rainbow Perspective Narrative Lectionary for 9/11/2022 Genesis 6:11-22, 8:6-12, 9:8-17

Photo by Barb Hedges-Goettl, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. August 10, 2022.          

We are now entering into the fall cycle of the Narrative Lectionary

In the fall, this lectionary always makes its way through the stories of the Old Testament

          This year beginning with the Flood narrative

                           then taking up the call to Abraham

                                                             imprisonment of Joseph

                                                             the Israelites crossing the Re(e)d Sea and so on

          In Advent, the Narrative Lectionary picks up one of the gospels—this year, Matthew

          And in the spring, it provides us with passages from Paul’s letters and/or Acts

The Flood story is likely one of the best-known stories of Scripture

But teaching of the story of the Flood to children is a bit like the reality of fairy tales

In that the original Grimm fairy tales were, in fact, quite grim

Containing blood and lust, infanticide and incest

Recently expurgated and Disney-fied to be more child-appropriate

In recognition that the originals are not as fitting for children as we assumed

This is pertinent in that the Flood is actually a violent story

          The near-total destruction of humanity by God

          Has been occasioned by the destructiveness of humanity

In fact, the Hebrew word for what humanity had done and what God does in response is the same:

          A word meaning to destroy, to do something with violence, to harm, ruin, lay waste 

         So that what the people have done and what God subsequently does make a complete circle

         Bookending the Flood itself in violent, destructive actions on both sides of the equation

As a friend of mine puts it, “It was going good until human beings got involved.

                                                   Then things just get messed up.”

This is the reality of our world—in the time of Noah and in our times

That our hopes for ourselves, for our families, for our world

Are frequently disrupted by things that humans do, by how humans are

Especially in these politically fraught times, it is difficult to have—and maintain—hope

          Signs that seem to portend change for the better

          Come alongside of signs that indicate otherwise

          A turn in what one views as a positive direction

          Is rapidly followed by a turn in the opposite direction

And we will see through our OT readings this fall (and likely our NT readings as well)

          That this reality continues

          That despite the Flood’s almost full-stop cessation of human activity

          It is not long before humans are back at it again

          Although God vows never again to take this kind of action in response

And so where does this leave us? Where is our hope?

Our hope is, our hope remains, in God

Our hope lies in understanding God-at-work no matter what

This means that our hope is a matter of our perspective

          That our hope comes from believing that God can redeem any situation

          That what looks to be our demise, our death, our crucifixion

                   Can be turned on its head by new life, by rising-from-the-ashes, by resurrection

At the Makemie lunch on Wednesday, pastors had a real conversation about faith

                                                                                                                                           hope

                                                                                                                                          life in Christ

Where we asked one another, and ourselves, if we really believe in resurrection

That when we think we can’t do it

                                     it’s over

                                     it is–we are–dead-and-gone

God offers us resurrection

          Not just pie-in-the-sky-by-and-by, but here and now

          Belief that the death of the way we’ve always done it can result in rising again

          So that when we think we are can’t do it, we hold onto the resurrection that’s already begun

          Knowing ourselves to be children of God’s promise

                                                                            the earth washed by flood

                                                                             sins washed away by baptism

And God’s promise is signified to us in multiple ways

          Not only in the rainbow

                  but in baptism

                  and in the Lord’s Supper

Giving us not only the spoken promise, the Word, but something more tangible to hang onto

And this hanging onto the promise can make all the difference

        re-framing our reality in small ways that have big results

        cracking open our tired old stories to offer a new ending

Much of the work of therapy can be encompassed under the category of “reframing”

This means learning to see the glass as half-full instead of half-empty

                                          look for the “silver lining” (or the rainbow) in the cloud

                                          rather than the cloud in the silver lining

On our recent trip to Niagara,

Len had (as he usually does) researched what was there

                                                                                           open when

                                                                                   could fit together on a single day’s road trip

                                                                                   and how much it all cost

And one of our party liked to raise possible impediments to our plans—

          Maybe it will rain

          Maybe we won’t find parking

          Maybe we’ll get there too late

As you can imagine, this was exasperating to Len, who’d put a lot of time and effort into planning

But eventually he learned to respond, “Or it could all work out!”

And the person raising the objections was able to laugh and say, “Yeah, it could.”

It could all work out

Of course, God’s promises are even better than this

It’s not a question of whether it will all work out, but how and when

Of finding the chink in the fog

                   the rainbow in the storm that allows us to trust God

Recent storms have given us some chances to look for rainbows

During one of them, the people I was with were looking for a rainbow

But the storm was at noon and so the rainbow was nowhere in sight

This is because the rainbow shows up in the sky opposite the sun

                                      and at noon there is no sky opposite the sun

                                                             only the ground is opposite the sun

That is, the ingredients of the rainbow are there, but they cannot show themselves

Feels a bit like how life is sometimes, doesn’t it?

                           when we have to wait for hope, for the rainbow, to show itself

                           because it’s the wrong part of the storm to see it

When we cannot see the rainbow

 When it’s not visible

we can nonetheless hang on to the promise of the rainbow

This “promise of the rainbow,” this rainbow perspective, is twofold

          we can remember the last time we saw this symbol of hope

                                                                   we found hope amid storms

          and we can remember its accompanying promise

                                                                            the promise that we will see it again

                                                                                   once again we will find hope despite the storm(s)

Sometimes the rainbow perspective comes from others

bucking us up with their testimony of hope and of God’s faithfulness

          holding us in hope and faith and prayer when we can’t do it ourselves

Sometimes hope comes from letting go

          turning our cars into the skid instead of against it

          swimming with, instead of against, the tide

          riding things out instead of fighting them

My husband tells of a client whose perfectionism threatened to overwhelm her other values

          This was a woman who, after the kids decorated the Christmas tree

                                                      with the younger child covering the lowest branches

                                                      and the older one decorating the mid-level branches

                                                      re-decorated the tree after the kids went to bed

                                                      resulting in a hew and outcry for them when they saw it the next day

Len invited the client to gain some perspective on this by asking what kind of tree it was

Upon discovering it was a live tree, he asked the woman to think about what it means

          That we take a live tree and cut it down, killing it

          And drag it indoors to put stuff all over this dead piece of wood

                    Given all this, what does it mean to have the “perfect tree”?

                    Maybe it has more to do with the joy people take in it than the tree itself

When storms come (and go), remembering the covenant of the rainbow

          Offered not just to Noah and his family but to the whole world

          Every living creature that is on the worth—you and me and all that lives on earth with us

          Giving us a chance to take God’s perspective on it all

The perspective of the rainbow, making beauty out of storms

          Offering hope amid disaster

          Believing in resurrection in the face of death, even death on a cross

          Knowing that the God of the rainbow can—and does—overcome it all

          Even when it is the wrong time of the storm for us to be able to see it clearly.

Sermon on Act 16:16-34 (RCL May 29, 2022)

As noted last week,

the Narrative Lectionary uses the time between Easter and Pentecost to focus on the early church,

this year telling the story of Paul, using passages from Acts and (this year) from Philippians

Acts is, of course, the continuation of the story of Jesus’s followers as told by the author of Luke

And so, although last week we saw some resonances with the Gospel of John in our Acts passage,

the themes and context for our readings are better found in the Gospel of Luke

In today’s reading, the theme

the reality, that makes the authorities attend to Paul & Silas is financial

It is when their actions interfere with the take,

the livelihood of the masters of the female slave

when they hit ‘em where it hurts—in the pocketbook

that they get brought up on charges…

And this financial theme is evident in Luke as well

In Luke, it is after Jesus clears the temple (chapter 19) that the leaders set out to destroy him

And the stories around that event have financial themes as well

Jesus clearing the temple is preceded

by the story of the Pharisee who bragged about himself to God

and the tax collector who confessed his sin

as well as the story of the rich young ruler told to sell all he had

and of Zacchaeus, the tax collector

and the parable of the 3 servants given talents to invest by their master

And after the temple is cleared

Jesus tells a parable of 3 servants who come to collect the master’s share of the vineyard’s produce

And the scribes and the pharisees ask him about paying taxes to Caesar

And Jesus notes the offering of the widow’s mite, of “all that she had to live on”

Perhaps all this money talk is related to the fact that money decisions clarify our values

That is, when we are called upon to make financial decisions,

we “put our money where our mouth is”—or not!

This is part of what one can see if you watch the endless home sale/home remodeling shows

That families who say they want this-and-that in their next or current house

have to decide whether that desire is worth what it costs

whether they are willing to put in the money needed to back up that wish/want/need

Of course there is a degree to which there is a real bottom line there—

even Lottery Dream Home buyers usually have a proposed budget,

although it likely can be more flexible than for the rest of us

But the question remains–given what money we have, how do we want to spend it?

Jesus at the temple

and Paul with this slave girl

are interfering with free enterprise

They are intervening in systems of commerce

Their actions are not only not appreciated

They put them in danger for their very lives

Money talks

Or at least how we use it does

We have seen/are seeing companies and consumers make decisions to influence policy

From the weighing in of GA companies like Coca-Cola and Home Depot on state election policies

to Disney objecting to Florida’s prohibition of teaching about gender identity

and FL’s push-back regarding the property exemptions Disney has held

from sanctions against Russia and subsequent inflation and gas price increases

to companies taking stances to protect access to abortion

in the face of potential Supreme Court action

Individual consumers have a role to play in such actions as well

From historic boycotts of those using underpaid migrant labor to pick lettuce

to baby formula companies encouraging formula over breastfeeding in poor countries

from divesting from stocks in companies with poor human rights track records

to choosing which energy products to buy in accord with taking care of the earth

What we buy and why matters

Today’s passage provides a study-in-contrast regarding the commodification/worth of human beings

From the unnamed female slave whose appearance seems only to serve the story line

to the jailer who, although also unnamed, has his own story told

The female slave’s role is often forgotten,

although she sets in motion the better-known story of Paul & Silas’s imprisonment and release.

Paul, annoyed/harassed by the slave’s constant proclamation of who they are,

casts the spirit of divination from her

And while some commentators call this a healing

And some speak of Paul and Silas being endangered by the slave’s proclamation.

The text says neither.

After this exorcism, the slave ceases to be of use to her masters or to the story.

Her role is not elucidated in court.

Instead, her masters claim Paul and Silas are disturbing the peace.

They accuse Paul and Silas of pushing Jewish customs onto the Romans.

There is no follow-through and no follow-up regarding her story.

We do not know if she thinks of herself as healed.

if she becomes a follower of the Way, maybe joining Lydia.

if her masters cast her out.

if she is beaten.

if she is sold.

if she is starved.

if she is forced into prostitution to make up for her lost income.

Beyond our pericope, we find that Paul and Silas are even Roman citizens (v.38).

They are part of the majority culture, of the powers-that-be.

They are the heroes of the story, placed center stage.

While the slave girl is cast as a bit player, an accessory, to their story.

But we have, in this same passage, another way of dealing with an employee, a functionary

The jailer, defined by his role to such a degree that he pulls his sword to kill himself

when he knows that this will be his fate for failing at his job

is treated as a person, not just a tool of the Empire, by Paul and Silas

And, interestingly, saved from death, he asks further what he must do to be saved

Fulfilling the slave’s words as themselves slaves of the Most High God,

Paul and Silas tell him the way of salvation

to believe in the Lord Jesus

and to be saved (along with his household)

I dated a guy whose treatment of waitresses and gas station attendants spoke volumes

(It actually reminded me of my grandfather, who was also good with the “little person.”)

Both believed that people who worked such jobs are not just functionaries, but people

That they not only have a somewhat menial role to play

But are real people, deserving of regard and attention as people

Rather than being treated just as someone who serves us

John even gave me a tie tack with a string of little people on it to remind me of the fact

Our two contrasting stories call us to look for who has been bumped offstage

Whose story, like that of the female slave, gets lost in the telling?

Whose narrative is disrupted, ignored, not heard?

Have you ever told someone of your woes only to have them elbow you out of center stage?

They say, “That’s nothing. You should see my (fill in the blank).”

But another person’s pain, another person’s struggle, another person’s reality,

is not presented to us so that we can re-assert our pain, our struggle, our reality.

Instead, we could receive a fuller picture of pain. Of the world. Of God. Of love. Of reality.

Sometimes listeners justify butting into someone’s story by saying, “I know just how you feel.”

But do we really?

The first-person narrative belongs to the storyteller.

Listeners should keep their hands off,

instead of grabbing the story and retrofitting it to apply to them.

Making room for others can be hard work.

We forget that the story isn’t all about us.

We act as if there are no other characters.

We neglect the other plotlines.

We refuse to permit any other narrators.

But God’s story gives us each a starring role.

God follows all—and each—of the characters.

God honors all the plotlines.

God lets each of us share in the narration.

God reminds us that we aren’t the only people in the world.

Our point of view is not the only one.

Others are not here to serve as extras for our big scenes.

We must let the slave tell her own story, instead of just being a prop for Paul’s story.

We must seek the lost lamb

the lost coin

the lost child

For this is God’s family.

And no one is left out or left behind.

Thanks be to God! Let us pray…

Narrative Lectionary Sermon: John 9:1-41 In the Business of Transfiguration February 27, 2022

Cover image from

https://images.knowing-jesus.com/i/john-9-25-once-i-was-blind-but-now-i-see-windows07-09-10007

We have here another (‘nother) miracle story from the Gospel of John

As you may remember, the pattern for these stories is

          Jesus does a miracle

          People marvel, respond, discuss, and dialog with Jesus

          And then Jesus tells them more about the miracle

Note that here the miracle itself is actually the shortest part of the pericope/passage (7/41 verses)

The rest of our passage is taken up with how people respond to this miracle healing

And, in fact, Jesus’ response to their response doesn’t end with chapter 9

          But spills over into chapter 10, the “Good Shepherd” chapter

          In which Jesus notes that his sheep know his voice and follow him

          While also stating that he is the gate or door by which the sheep enter

          In contrast to the thieves and robbers who try to lead the sheep astray

The audience of this healing of the man blind since birth is obsessed with the details

          Who sinned—the man or his parents? that he was born blind

          Was he really blind since birth?

          Who healed him?

          When was he healed?

They are, like many of us, trying to make meaning of what’s happened

They are asking the big questions

          Theodicy, the two bit theology word for the question of why bad things happen

          Identity, who is this Jesus? Where is he from?

          Tradition, what about the Sabbath?

But Jesus’ answers don’t directly match the questions—

At least, they don’t seem to be directed at exactly the same things that concern his interlocutors

With regard to why the man is blind, Jesus dismisses the question of who sinned

          Instead pointing to how God will work in this situation

This can be a tough example to follow

          To lay aside the question of “Why”—Why me?

                                                                            Why them?

                                                                            Why this disease/accident/situation?

          And to instead try to answer the question of “What is God doing now?

                      “Given a man blind since birth, what works is God doing?”

Those around Jesus are left scrambling to try to figure out who he is

We saw this last week, when the opinions ranged from

          “He must have a demon” and wanting to kill him

           to wondering whether he is the Messiah

Such conversations continue now into chapter nine

The Pharisees ask the man who had been blind since birth who healed him

          And when the neighbors ask him, he tells his story

                   and says that his healer is “the man called Jesus”

          And when the Pharisees ask him, he tells his story

                    and says, with his newly opened eyes, that his healer is a prophet

It seems that this is the wrong answer, and so they go to speak to the man’s parents

Who, while affirming that he was blind since birth, do not want to get into this line of questioning

Realizing that this is how one gets thrown out of the Jewish community, by believing in Jesus

          (as those in the Johannine community experienced for themselves)

So they go back to the man himself; after all, he is of age

And he asks them why they are asking him to tell his story again again

          Do they also want to be disciples of Jesus?

          That part of the answer to who is Jesus is that he is a person who has disciples

          (It’s not clear if the “also” refers to Jesus’ disciples present in 9:1

          Or if it might already refer to the man-born-blind-who-has-received-his-sight)

And he declares that this man who healed him, who is a prophet, and who has disciples

must not be a sinner, because God doesn’t listen to sinners. And that although they know where Moses came from and are his disciples and although they do not know where this healer came from and are not his followers, this unknown man has, nonetheless done what has never been done, healing a man blind since birth. And this is still the wrong answer—so much so that they “drive him out.”

And Jesus finds him

(the same word is used here for “find” as when Jesus found his first disciples

and they found each other to come and see Jesus)

And Jesus asks him the ultimate question: Do you believe in the Son of Man?

          A phrase bespeaking Jesus as Messiah, Jesus as healer, miracle-worker, God incarnate

          Alongside being “the man called Jesus”

John is forever holding together the human Jesus and the divine Jesus

          The man who uses mud and spit, earthy elements, transforming and transfiguring them

          To act as God, doing God’s work, bringing healing and wholeness

                                                              and membership in a new community

                                                                                                                                and worthy of worship

And then there is that timing thing, for all of this happens on the Sabbath

          Further confusing and confounding the religious leaders

          Who expect even miraculous saving works to follow the sabbath-keeping laws

The questions of the disciples, of the Pharisees and Jewish leaders, and of the blind man himself

          Are questions of the people of faith today

In the face of questions of why, we are called to focus on the question of “Where is God at work?”                       

Given the pandemic, where is God at work?

          Maybe, with God’s help, living without so many distractions

                         we learn to live with and govern ourselves         

          Maybe, with God’s help, by doing without so many ordinary things

                        we understand those things differently

          Maybe, with God’s help,  

                         crisis and threat clarify what is most important

Given a world engaged in armed conflict, where is God at work?

          God is shining a light in the darkness

          God is calling us to hear and obey, to be sent as the blind man was

          To let God apply earthy elements to us (bread and cup) to open our eyes

          And God is increasing our understanding of who Jesus is

God moves our understand of Jesus

          From the man called Jesus

          To healer  

          To prophet

          To someone who has disciples

          To someone we ourselves can follow

          To the Son of Man, worthy of worship

And God defies conventions in the service of compassion

          Opening the eyes of the blind

          And pointing out the blindness of those thought to be in the know

          Calling us with the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd

          Opening the gate to us to let us in

          Calling us to follow him instead of the crowd

May we have ears to hear!   Let us pray….

SERMON: John 6:1-21 Above and Beyond

Image from https://devotionsbylv.blogspot.com/2016/11/john-61-21.html

We have been making our way through the Gospel of John where, among other things,

          Jesus is doing signs–mysterious, miraculous signs, that raise a lot of questions

In today’s passage we have the recounting of two such signs:

          The feeding of the 5000 (one of the few events recounted in all 4 gospels)     

          And Jesus walking on water (also familiar from other gospels)

Like John’s telling of the story a few weeks ago

          of Jesus overturning the money changers’ tables at the temple,

          where that event begins, rather than ends, John’s Gospel,

John tells these stories in his own way to illuminate his understanding of Jesus

          Accentuating the contrast between darkness (Nic coming at night)

                                                                       & light (the Samaritan woman at the well at midday)

          Addressing what it means to meet Jesus

                                                                        be with, and remain with, Jesus

                                                                        & for Jesus to be with, remain with, us

          And to help us to understand who Jesus is   

                                                                who is this true light that enlightens everyone?

Later in John 6, Jesus is the bread of life

          But not yet; not in the first half the chapter that we have today

Instead, we have almost another “prologue”—               

          an intro/prelude/lead-in/foregrounding of what will follow

          to Jesus as the bread-of-life

                    which we will address next Communion Sunday

                                                           for the 1^st Sunday of Lent

Did you catch the communion-type words in this passage?

          “Jesus took the loaves,

          and when he had given thanks,

          he distributed them to those who were seated.”

Although the stories of the feeding of the multitudes are named in Presbyterian theology

          as significant for understanding the Lord’s Supper

And although I included them in my dissertation on the Lord’s Supper

          I don’t think I have ever preached on them at communion

And this reality goes to the fact that most of us were raised

          with a cross-oriented understanding of communion

          with a focus on the Supper as happening “on the night when Jesus was betrayed”

          with an emphasis on the Last Supper more than on the Wedding Banquet

          with an air of penitence rather than of celebration and thanksgiving

          centering more on crucifixion than on resurrection (or the incarnation)

But one of the gifts of ritual, of communion, of the gift of bread and cup is that it is “multi-valent”

          That is, ritual means more than any one thing

           It even means more than can be expressed in words

          (Or maybe we would just leave it in words and not do anything)

And this morning we take up the superabundance side of this ritual

          The more-than-enough

                  overflowing

                  abundanza aspect of it

And, frankly, this is not often where we live

          We are well-schooled in scarcity and frugalness

          In not giving too much

                 or asking too much

                 or taking too much

What would it mean to take seriously this story of more-than-enough

          Of 5 loaves and 2 fish(es) feed 5000 with 12 basketsful of leftover after everyone’s full

          Of the One whose very presence; whose very essence banishes fear

          “I AM—do not be afraid.”

The word for “left,” for “leftovers” in vv 12 & 13 doesn’t mean things just accidentally left over

          Instead it means more than enough to begin with

          It means so much to begin with that even after 5000 people have eaten their fill

                    There’s more

It means to superabound in quantity and quality

                     go/be above and beyond

                     go beyond the expected measure/fixed number/measure

                     to be/have extra; to have more than enough; to have enough and to spare

                     to exceed, excel, redound

As in Debra Latture’s Lavish Buffet at Christmastime

As in Ephesians 3, where God gives more than all we can ask or imagine

As in Babette’s Feast, where a refugee French chef spends her unexpected windfall to feed the town that has received her

What do you think of when you think of the word “Prodigal”?

Usually used to name describe the son who recklessly spends his early-received fortune

          the story actually holds up the Prodigal Father

The Father who celebrates the return of the lost

                              goes way beyond just receiving his son back as a servant

                                        receiving him as a son, an honored one, a celebrated guest

                              gives without counting the cost/asking in return

What if we meet the cries to protect our own interests, our own resources, our own ways

          by giving generously?

          by participating joyfully?

          by sharing lavishly?

Not because we are martyrs or saviors of the world

                       or because we believe we are the only ones who can help

But because we believe in a Prodigal Father begetting a Prodigal Son

A Son who gives himself to and for us

A Son who give himself to and for the world

A Son who gives so lavishly

                                    profusely

                                    generously

                                    and abundantly

So much so that it can be critiqued as too extra; as giving

           too wastefully

           too recklessly

           too extravagantly

So that what we have

              what we share

              who we are is blessed and broken and distributed

                       that all may eat their fill

                       with more than enough. Amen.

Let us pray….