Pentecost XVIII

By The Rev.  Martha Frances+
Year C,  Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 21
30 September  2007 

Text: Luke 16: 19-31. Other Reading: Jeremiah 32:1-3a,6-15; Psalm 91:1-6,14-16; 1Timothy 6:11-19

      Quite a drama we have here today in our parable of the rich man & Lazarus.  All today's Bible readings talk about reversal of fortunes.  We'll focus on the play we have acted out in Jesus' parable.

      The 1st act opens in the home of a filthy rich man.  History has called the rich man "Dives" but that simply means "rich."  We don't know his real name.  We know from the description, however, that he lives in what we call today "conspicuous consumption."  Only royalty can wear the purple he is covered in, & he eats "sumptuously," we're told. 

      Separated from him by table & gate, & out with the dogs lays the beggar Lazarus who has one thing the rich man doesn't have:  a name which means "God helps."  I'll bet Lazarus has to grimace at that name since it must not seem like God helps him at all in life.  In fact, we learn that Lazarus doesn't even choose where he's to beg; he has been thrown out at the rich man's door to beg with the dogs.  Now many of you know Sebastian, my 4-legged child whom I adore.  These dogs aren't pets; they are wild dogs that we would call "curs."  Even they have it better than Lazarus.  Lazarus longs to satisfy his hunger with what falls from the rich man's table, & I'm reminded of that gospel song which describes God's actions, in part, with "You satisfy my longing as nothing else can do."  It is with just such yearning that Lazarus must ache in his belly.  Actually, we have to guess how Lazarus feels since we aren't privy to his thoughts or feelings.  In fact, no action happens at all in Act I except for the rich man's pigging out.

      Act II opens when Lazarus dies & is carried by angels into the bosom of Abraham, as our song this morning tells us.  The bosom of Abraham is a place of intimacy, and Lazarus is finally getting the care & nurturance he needs.  The angels choose Lazarus' eternal resting place, & this sounds to me like a heavenly banquet.  Finally, Lazarus has it made!

      "The rich man also died & was buried."  That's all the text tells us, except he ends up in Hades being tormented, at least partially by having Lazarus in full sight at the bosom of Abraham.  Poor man!  All he can think of is his own selfish needs.  There's still no action in either scene except for Lazarus' being fed.

      As Act III begins, the rich man begs Abraham to let Lazarus dip his finger in water to cool his tongue.  I guess he assumes that Lazarus' purpose even in the after-life is to serve him.  This conversation with Abraham—notice that no one talks to Lazarus at all—assures us that the rich man had been aware of Lazarus at his gate with the dogs; he even knows Lazarus' name. 

      Abraham shows compassion to the rich man, calling him "Child" in this translation.  Abraham simply states the obvious—the tables are reversed from their situations in life.  Further, such a yawning abyss separates them that there's no crossing over.  At this point, we know that the judgment is final. 

      Finally, the rich man shows some uncharacteristic concern for someone else, albeit his 5 brothers!  Can Lazarus just go warn them so they won't make the same mistakes?  Lazarus is still the rich man's errand boy.  Clarence Jordan who wrote a version of the gospels in deep Southern accents, has Abraham respond to this request, "Lazarus ain't gonna run no mo' yo' errands, rich man."  In addition, Abraham explains that, if the brothers don't listen to the expectations for all observant Jews written in Moses & the prophets, they certainly won't listen to Lazarus. 

      The sin of the rich man is that he puts his trust in the world instead of God, not heeding God's basic call to God's people to care for one another.  Do you remember the admonition we heard last week, "We cannot serve both God & money"?  Here, Jesus makes his own expectations pretty clear in 3 short acts. 

      I think we can see that this rich man is plenty frustrated, isn't he?  Of course, this is a parable so it's a story to make a point.  God expects us to be neighborly towards others.  It's more than just pity; it's an attitude of the heart.

      It's interesting that Jesus told this & other stories to poor people as well as rich.  Jesus clearly expected all of us to learn this attitude of the heart which involves our finding ways we can be Christ for other people.  Each has something to give, & it's not always a material thing.  There's a common adage that 20% of the people do 80% of the work in a church community, & around here, there's enough for everyone to do something.  Just what kind of community would this be if every parishioner took on the responsibility to even one ministry of the church?  All of us are called to grapple with the scriptures, pray for one another & the larger world community, & thankfully receive Christ's body & blood in the sacred meal of the Eucharist. 

      When you sing & pray & listen & respond with enthusiasm & vigor, you display your trust in God.  When you take the prayer of confession which we'll say in a few minutes seriously & believe the absolution which I offer to you in God's name, when you put those sins behind you & intend to lead a new life, then you open yourself to being nurtured by the bread & wine of the communion & to be strengthened to respond sincerely, "God, transform me, convert me to be the person you created me to be."  At Hope, we sing & pray & celebrate, welcoming Christ into your life all over again today, assured that you are indeed bathed in the Christlight which Christ invites you also to show forth in your life to others. As Doug will share with you in a few minutes, we are all called to be the hands & feet & heart of this community. 

      Afraid you can't maintain the attitude of heart & strength of character which Christ calls you to?  Of course you can't; not alone!  The parable reminds us that Abraham nurtures Lazarus with the food he needs, bread for the journey.  And none of us is expected to travel alone.  We're a community here.  Come & celebrate & rejoice with us.  Come study the scriptures with us daily.  Be present at Christ's table regularly to receive Christ's body & blood.

Pentecost XVII

By The Rev.  Martha Frances+
Year C, Seventeenth  Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 20
23 September  2007

Text: Luke  16: 1-13;  Other Readings: Jeremiah 8: 18-9: 1; Psalm 79: 1-9; 1 Timothy 2: 1-7 

      Luke includes several stories & parables which none of the other gospels recount, & this peculiar parable about the dishonest manager, also called the unjust steward, is perhaps the strangest.  Scholars are divided regarding this parable & what Jesus meant by telling it.  Frederick Buechner, an author I love to read & sometimes quote, tells us that parables are just like jokes; if we have to explain them, don't bother.  Further, he suggests the theme of this parable is that "it's better to be a resourceful rascal than a saintly schlemiel."

      What is clear in this parable is the manager finds himself in a tough position:  he knows he's going to lose his job because of his past poor management, so he figures he might as well do what he can to provide for his future.  Thus, he makes deals with the rich man's creditors so they'll look kindly upon the manager when he doesn't have a job & may need favors from them.  Jesus doesn't commend the manager for being dishonest but recognizes that he's clever & affirms his creative solution to his dilemma.

      Since the job market for middle managers who have squandered an estate is pretty abysmal, he has to use his wits to win friends & influence people or he'll have to dig ditches or beg alms.  He comes up with this scheme which sounds sleazy at first glance but may be a win-win-win situation.  Those who owe the landowner money are able to repay at a discount;  the landowner may not receive as much money as he has counted on, but he receives a sure deal sooner & is able to reinvest immediately; & the manager is probably not skimming any more off the top than his own commission which he foregoes.  Further, both the manager & the landowner come out looking like generous businessmen to those who owe the money.  When we learn the markup on some retail goods in our society & read about the exorbitant salaries top executives of oil or automobile companies pull down each year, this manager looks a little better in comparison.

      One clear message in this parable seems to be that Jesus' followers are to use the things of the world in the service of God as astutely as the finance wizards on Wall Street or elsewhere would handle their money. 

      Ironically, yesterday afternoon as I was reading the commentaries on "worldly wealth" and how its value is not eternal but rather, it's a tool to make life better for others, I was also in a showroom negotiating a deal on a new car.  I've been struggling with the electrical system in my little SUV recently & decided after a couple of frightening incidents in the last couple of weeks that it was time to trade-in my CRV with 112,000 miles on it.  The salesman & I were jockeying for position on the price of a new vehicle, so as he was negotiating with his manager in the back, I was reading about "earthly money" & how effectively we use what might be the "little" we're entrusted with so that perhaps we'll celebrate the "much" of heavenly treasures.  One writer says earthly money is like Monopoly money—it is how we practice being faithful.  Unless we give our children an allowance from an early age, how will they learn how to manage increased financial responsibility as they get older? 

      At any rate, at least yesterday, my reading & mulling helped me to balance my own need to get the best deal possible on my new vehicle with recognizing that the salesman needs to make a decent living too, & that maintaining a positive, pleasant relationship with the personnel in the dealership, even at the cost of a few hundred dollars, makes the whole experience a joy instead of tense & even acrimonious.  This parable tells us that God wants us to put our relationship with God & our community first & not the pursuit of personal gain.  Certainly, God holds us accountable for our actions in everyday life (after all, as far as we know, the manager still loses his job, even if the landowner commends his cleverness. 

      God also wants us, in being stewards of God's love & mercy, to be every bit as extravagant as God is.  The wise use of possessions is an important message in this parable & Jesus' admonitions following it.  The steward's methods aren't praised but, rather, his prudence in taking stock of his situation, using his business acumen, & acting decisively.

      A group of sayings close this gospel reading for today.  Jesus says we cannot serve 2 masters without hating one while we love the other, & I suspect all of us have struggled with where our priorities are with our time & talent as well as our treasure in deciding what is most important when there's not enough of "us" to go around.  We at Hope are having to make some similar decisions financially at the present time in order to be able to do the ministry we need to do here, even through the end of 2007 as well as in planning ahead for 2008.  I hope each worshipper in our community prays fervently about where your priorities are concerning your church community which needs your faithful offerings of love at the present time.

      Finally, Jesus tells us we cannot serve God & wealth. Though our translation omits "mammon," it is actually a better word than wealth since the word "mammon" actually means more than money but all a person's possessions, everything that has value equivalent to money.  Jesus calls us to stretch in order not to cling to mammon but rather use it for the benefit of others.

      At this 10^th anniversary of Mother Teresa's death, & with the publication (against her stated wishes, by the way) of her confidential letters to her spiritual directors, I'm reminded of the generosity at using so much for the benefit of others.  Even when she didn't feel the consolations of God's presence, she nonetheless continued to speak & lead & teach about serving Jesus by ministering to the poor & sick & downtrodden.  She wrote in Loving Jesus: 

      If we nourish our lives with the Eucharist,

It will be easy for us to see Christ in that hungry one next door, 

      The one lying in the gutter,

      That alcoholic man we shun,

      Our husband or our wife, or our restless child.

For in them, we will recognize the distressing disguises of the poor:  Jesus in our midst. 

Mother Teresa lived as a child of the light & was able to

offer what couldn't be bought, earned, saved, or protected, only given—the sense of dignity & value with which God sees each person.  Are these not the true riches of which Jesus speaks?

      The revelations in Mother Teresa's spiritual direction musings may help us remember that she was a normal woman in her feelings yet was able to move beyond the necessity to "feel good" in order to act lovingly & in a Christlike manner.  She may not have felt Jesus at prayer yet she had Jesus constantly before her to touch & to tend.

      A visitor to her hospice compound once observed Mother Teresa caring for a dying man, just a wisp of the man he once was.  The visitor quipped, "Why, I wouldn't do that for a million dollars."  Mother Teresa responded, "Neither would I."

Pentecost XVI

By The Rev. Martha Frances+
Year C, Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 19
16 September 2007 

Text: Luke 15: 1-10; Other Readings: Jeremiah 4: 11-12, 22-28; Psalm 14; 1 Timothy 1: 12-17

            What a strange comment we make to God in our opening collect this morning:  God. . . without you we are not able to please you!  At first this sounds nonsensical, but then, it reminds us that we are totally dependent on God if we are to be faithful disciples.  Then we ask God to have the Holy Spirit direct & rule our hearts in all things.  First, we've recognized that even our devotion begins with God's reaching out to us, & second, we turn to God's Spirit to aid us in continuing the faith journey daily.  Today's psalm assures us that God is looking down to see if we are wise to seek after God.  Today's scriptures are circular:  God's searching for us & our wisdom in seeking God.

      In Jesus' parables, the shepherd rejoices when he finds the lost sheep & the woman rejoices to find the lost coin.  Not only that, but they invite their friends & neighbors to rejoice with them because they have overwhelming joy to share at finding those who were lost.  These scriptures are a welcome break from weeks of emphasis on the cost of discipleship.

      What a far cry is all this rejoicing also from the grumbling of the Pharisees & the scribes over who Jesus chooses as his dinner guests! What a different atmosphere we experience when we focus on God's joy rather than the grumbling & murmuring of the religious establishment who seem intent upon limiting those who are worthy to come to the banquet table. 

      In today's epistle, the apostle Paul reminds Timothy of his background as a blasphemer, a persecutor, a man of violence who certainly wouldn't have been the first choice of most of us to represent Christ to the gentile world, would he?  I'll guarantee that Paul would have had a hard time passing all the requirements to become a priest in THIS diocese. 

      But Paul's gratitude pours out as he tells the younger disciple Timothy how Christ's grace overflowed on him as he was chosen to lead others to faithfulness.  Paul is joyous at Jesus' acceptance of him, unworthy as he is without God's grace.  Paul tells all of us when he tells Timothy that it was Christ Jesus' purpose to come into the world to save sinners.  I'll bet Jesus gets tired of being patient with us because of our obstinacy when we don't allow the Holy Spirit to truly direct & rule our hearts. 

      Saul's vehement & stubborn opposition to the message of Jesus Christ before his conversion was, indeed, the background Christ needed to turn his life around radically so that Paul used that same energy & enthusiasm to preach the gospel, the good news of Christ.  Christ changed Saul's name to Paul as an outward & visible sign that Paul's whole direction in life had turned 180 degrees when Christ found him on that road to Damascus & called him be a disciple & missionary to the rest of the known world.  In the last 80 years or so, the organization of Alcoholics Anonymous has been based on the same idea:  if you want to get sober, the person who can best show you how is another alcoholic who has used spiritual principles to get sober him- or herself. 

      As I said earlier, in our gospel Jesus tells 2 parallel parables—one about a man, a shepherd—the other about a woman—both of whom lost something precious, searched diligently for it, found it at last, & then invited everyone to rejoice with them.  God the shepherd takes the initiative to go out in search of the one lost sheep, leaving the 99 in some danger out in the wilderness because the lost sheep is so precious to him.  When the lost sheep is found, the shepherd takes it up in his arms, places the sheep over his shoulders, & rejoices.  Luke adds the detail that the shepherd intimately cares for the sheep by carrying it over his shoulders.  He is far too excited to celebrate by himself; he calls all the neighbors to come party hearty with him.  This shepherd God is truly joyous that the sheep gets another chance at life.

      Jesus balances the shepherd image of God with one which is truly astonishing: God the woman of the house who has lost a coin.  Now anyone would search after a large treasure, but this woman had only 10 coins & has lost one of them—a tithe, as it turns out.  This homemaker God also takes the initiative, getting her broom & flashlight to search high & low in the house until she finds the coin.  Now I can really relate to her loss.  Our senior warden Danita & I combed the church grounds Thursday night for one lens of my eyeglasses which had popped out.  I've also lost my duck umbrella & one of my favorite earrings this week.  None of these objects are in themselves irreplaceable, but I've certainly felt the pain of my losses this week.  When the householder finds her coin, she erupts with excitement & calls all her girlfriends in to dance with her in celebration of her discovery. 

      How many of us have ever felt so precious that someone would go to all that trouble just to find us?  I'll never forget the tears running down my face the first time I heard the song "You are loved."  The last line goes, "God danced the day you were born."  Well, I don't know about you, but I didn't feel like anyone ever danced on my birthday, so God's dancing the day I was born was an amazing picture in my head.  Today, I'm more ready to accept God's joy at finding even me.  In this parable, Jesus is telling us that God cherishes us so much that we can't stray so far that God doesn't search to bring us back into the fold. 

      When I was at Lord of the Streets, we watched regularly as people arrived beat up by life, terribly discouraged.  Horrible things had happened to them, some of which they'd done to themselves.  They'd had lots of Pharisees criticize them, certainly not wanting to share table with them.  Yet these are just the people whom Jesus sits down to eat with.  In fact, Jesus is the host throwing the festive meal for folk who've lost faith in themselves & in most of the world. 

      We, too, are called not only to welcome all who come to the table, but to actually go out searching for them.  That's why we're calling our new welcoming efforts "radical hospitality."  Church exists for those who haven't yet found it—or those who haven't felt welcome in church previously.  Those who most need church may never darken the doors unless we go out searching for them just as diligently as God the shepherd & God the homemaker searched for what was lost.  Belonging precedes belief for many, & our hospitality begins with finding those who don't presently feel part of a community.  One preacher suggested that church must be "loose at the edges & solid at the core." The membranes of a radical welcome must always be porous, open to those whom we find.  Have you been out looking?  God is with us to draw others just as God has found each of us.

      As Episcopalians, we welcome all to praise God with us in worship, to hear the scripture stories & affirm their faith.  It has often been said that we show our beliefs best in our worship.  We read 4 scripture lessons each Sunday in order that we may know the stories of our faith community & so we can relate our own story to the story—the story of God's ongoing relation with people who often disappoint but upon whom God never gives up.  Our individual stories & our community story affirm our belonging to God's community. 

      Have you noticed that we print next week's Bible readings in this week's pew bulletin & a whole month's scriptures in the newsletter?  Have you ever wondered why?  Those are teasers!  You can much more completely interact with the lessons read in worship if you've encountered them during the week.  We hope you read each of these scriptures during the week prior to the Sunday we read them in church, & you'll find that most of the groups meeting during the week here at the church will include a Community Bible Study previewing Sunday's scriptures.  Our public worship will be enhanced by our private & small group interaction with God's story on a regular basis. 

      We also choose music which we hope expands & enhances the scripture selections & the sermon.  It's curious to me how many hymns & other songs we have about God as shepherd.  I only know of one written about God the homemaker looking for the lost coin--& it's not in any hymnal! 

      Neither the shepherd nor the homemaker can contain themselves when the lost has been found, so they call in their community for a festive celebration.  We have a festival meal each Sunday (& Wednesday) here at Hope.  We prepare the table, bless the bread & wine, break the bread, & give it out to all present.  Everyone is welcome at the table for the body & blood of Christ, deepened in its meaning by the ancient act of hospitality—inviting the stranger to share a meal with us.  Holidays & holy-days are times for banquets when we often open our hearts & tables to guests.  As we break bread together, we look forward to that heavenly banquet to whom God invites everyone.

      A non-biblical story I cherish aptly sums up the breadth of the welcome which God offers us & which I believe we're called to offer others.  After the resurrection, both male & female disciples are in the upper room preparing a celebratory banquet.  As the meal & entertainment are being readied, Peter notices that Jesus is over in the corner staring longingly out an open window.  He chides Jesus a bit:  "Come-on, now, Jesus; why so solemn?  Tonight we're celebrating & you're the honored guest.  What's troubling you?"  Jesus replies, "We can truly celebrate only when Judas arrives."

Pentecost XV

By The Rev. Martha Frances+
Year C, Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 18
9 September 2007

Text: Luke 14: 25-33;  Other Reading: Jeremiah 18: 1-11; Psalm 139: 1-5, 12-17; Philemon 1-21

(Start by listening to my cell phone briefly)

      This just in from God!  At the passing of the peace today, everybody put your wallets and purses, your gold and jewels, even your Daughters of the King pins, on the altar and nobody gets hurt.  Auto registrations and deeds to your homes can be dropped off at the church office anytime between 8:00 and noon this week.  After all, none of us can be a true disciple of Jesus—according to Jesus in today's particular reading from Luke's Gospel—unless we give up all our possessions. (Adapted from Jim Melnyk)

      Thus, a literal reading of Jesus' shocking statement to the large crowd traveling with him toward Jerusalem—updated for today's congregation.  The followers must have been telling him they'll follow him wherever he leads them.  Jesus knows, however, that he is heading straight for the cross.  He knows that their being his disciples will not be easy—that they will also fear for their lives.  Remember Peter's insistence that he'll follow Jesus even until death, yet Peter denies him 3 times before the cock crows?  How many of his closest disciples stayed with him at the cross?  Only the beloved disciple & the women.  All the other men fled.  Where were the crowds then?

      Jesus must make this danger clear to the crowd moving from place to place with him, listening to him teach.  So he tells them they must hate father & mother, wife & children, brothers & sisters, even their own life itself.  Hate is a strong word, & we'd rather Jesus hadn't used it.  We're more comfortable with the translators who have softened his statement, but what Jesus tells the crowd—& us, too—is that following him means surrendering their whole life, not just the part that's easy to give up.  Before they sign the discipleship pledge, they must realize it means total commitment to a way of life that will sometimes feel like defeat.  He wants them to know they'll have to detach from all the ties that keep them from obeying Christ's command to love God & love one another.

      Is such radical adherence to the Gospel realistic?  Is this cost ever required in today's world.  I went to college with a young man from Iran who had become Christian several years earlier.  When Habib became Christian, he was disowned from his wealthy family.  He had made enough money to come to this country in order to study & make a living for himself.  He wasn't a bitter man; he was joyful to be a Christian though he missed his family terribly.

      When I was vicar at Lord of the Streets, I heard stories from men & women who made their way to our door early in their recovery from drug or alcohol abuse.  They were no longer welcome in their families if they didn't drink or drug with them.  One man told me tearfully that every time he went to see his adult children, he ended up stoned & broke.  We often encouraged men & women who left prison to find new, healthier playgrounds & playmates if they wanted to avoid going back to the TDCJ Hilton.  Some of us have families & friends who are highly supportive of our leading new, transformed lives, but others—sadly—have to take Jesus' admonition to forego family literally.

      Further, in Paul's only personal letter which survives in our Bible today, Paul is choosing to send the runaway slave Onesimus back to his master.  We modern readers would be much happier had Paul sent Timothy with a letter to Philemon ordering the master to give up his slave.  Perhaps the institution of slavery would have ended generations earlier had Paul chosen that way.  However, Paul chooses not to attack the slave system & instead, returns Philemon's slave to him.  Paul encourages—does not order—Philemon to alter his relationship to Onesimus, to treat him like a brother in Christ.  Paul asks Onesimus to choose to return to his master, accept the consequences of his action, & behave as a Christian, even when that might mean he is severely punished.  At the same time, Paul asks Philemon to be gentle, to transform his attitude toward Onesimus even if he remains a slave.  Living within even hard circumstances of our lives with a changed heart is a lot tougher than fleeing the circumstances, but that's facing life on life's terms.

      Granted, most of us don't have such drastic decisions to make regarding our whole way of life.  When we look around at our neighbors, some of whom are devout church-goers or practicing their own form of spirituality, & others who choose to mow the lawn or engage in other pursuits on Sundays, our lives are similar to theirs in many ways.  One adage asks if you were accused in court of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?  It seems to me that Jesus is asking us here to choose the bottom line.  By what criteria will we, finally, live our lives?  Will we strive for justice & peace in the world & respect the dignity of every human being, day by day? 

      We come to Rally Day today, & a lot of people have gone to tremendous creativity & trouble to display ministry areas at Hope, & I especially celebrate Joyce Moss-Clay for the leadership she has shown in pulling this together.  Ministry is a mixture of our commitments here within the church community and also beyond it.  I encourage you to listen to the Spirit's leading on where your time & talent should be expended this year.  None of us can do it all, so choose several ministries you can pour yourself into.  We laugh about the fact that 20% of a community does 80% of the work, but if we want to increase our volunteers & spread the joy as well as the work of ministry, we need to reach out & invite someone or perhaps several to join us in the areas we've chosen.  Sometimes we can only pray for or contribute financially to a certain ministry, but we can encourage & support each other as we come together in hope.

      Meanwhile, let's ask what Jesus' admonition to the large crowd might be asking us to forsake at this time in our lives so that we may focus on what God would call us to.  Many of us have chosen in the past to live our lives our way, even when we found that very damaging or at least less fulfilling than possible.  We chose to hang onto our possessions even if those were only possessions of the mind—stinking thinking, we sometimes call it.  We know those patterns of thought & action aren't working for us, but we haven't been willing to let go & let Christ's way of living take over.  Sometimes it's our own crazy thinking or behavior that we need to give up. 

      What may keep us from the radical kind of love Jesus requires of disciples is an old resentment or hatred of someone or some institution we haven't been able to let go of.  Those hurts which follow us from childhood, those deep pains, are much more damaging to us than to the person we refuse to forgive.  You know, sometimes that person is myself.  We may not be able to let go & forgive by ourselves.  We may have to let Christ's forgiveness work in & through us.  But that's what Christ offers us:  Christ's love is available to allow us to give up whatever we have been holding onto.  Jesus says that's the way to discipleship.

      I invite you today, in this Eucharist, to get honest with yourself & identify just one possession you've been holding onto that you're willing to let go of & let God heal.  Just one barrier that you have that keeps you from being the disciple Christ calls you to be.  There may be others, but choose just one for today.  And when we pray the confession in a minute, I want you to take that bad habit or nasty attitude or whatever your possession is & in your mind hang it right up there on that cross where Christ can take it.  Give it to God.  Then listen to the absolution which I will say in Christ's name, & take it into your heart like a balm to heal your heart's brokenness. 

      Then, when you come forward to receive communion today, you can receive Christ's body & blood free of one possession that has held you back from true discipleship.  Now I have to warn you:  once you hang that possession up there on the cross, it's no fair to come back & pick it up.  Giving that possession up isn't a gift if you pick it back up again.  Pray for the strength to leave it up there on that cross when you leave here today.  As you let go of that possession—& later more & more, you will be choosing life.  Then we can say together, "Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine."  Amen.

Pentecost XIV

By The Rev. Martha Frances+
Year C, Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 17
2 September 2007

Text: Luke 14: 1, 7-14; Hebrews 13: 1-8, 13-15; Other Readings: Jeremiah 2: 4-13; Psalm 81: 1, 10-16
       

      When Jesus went to a Sabbath meal at the chief Pharisee's house, our Gospel says that they were watching him closely.  The passage then says Jesus noticed the guests choosing the places of honor, so he was watching them pretty closely too, wasn't he?  Have you ever felt like you were being observed closely?  My granddaughter Amelia watches me very carefully when we're together, & that certainly makes me want to set a good example for her.  I wonder how often I'm the only Bible other people will ever see; what do they read of how a Christian should act by my actions? What kind of Good Book do you make?

      As Jesus continues his journey toward Jerusalem in today's gospel, the Pharisees are trying to catch Jesus breaking religious laws.  They are particularly critical of anything Jesus does on the Sabbath since Jews are prohibited from doing work on their holy day.  I wonder if that's why they invited him to dine with them in the first place this Sabbath day.

      Not only is Jesus' conscience clear at this meal, but he sees the other guests behaving in a particularly selfish manner.  Jesus challenges the eagerness of the dinner guests to grab the best seats, the places of honor & wonders if they'll be embarrassed to be asked to move over for someone more important.  He suggests they instead choose the lowest places whereupon the host might honor them by inviting them to a better place at table.

      Jesus isn't really talking about good manners in this passage, however.  In fact, this close to the time of his crucifixion, Jesus is telling the Pharisees—& telling us, too—what life is to be like when we're living in the kingdom of God, in the reign of God.  The reign of God isn't simply a future event to look forward to after death.  Jesus tells us over & over again that God's reign is breaking into our daily lives whenever we allow it, & even sometimes whenever we acknowledge its presence.

      Do we hear echoes of the 2nd great commandment in Jesus' parable today:  to love our neighbors as ourselves? Jesus is encouraging us to look at ourselves & to behave as givers who welcome others to the table with us, giving them places of honor.  Today's gospel & epistle readings insist on the ancient gift of hospitality.  When Canon Jaime Case visited several weeks ago, he was excited about the life we're living here at Hope, yet he also encouraged us to do all in our power to grow the church.  Those goals which we have set which we feel God is calling Hope to do can only be accomplished if we are larger & stronger.  Although the primary purpose of hospitality is not church growth, it will certainly be a by-product.

      At Rally Day next week, we'll have a table marked "Welcoming!  Radical Hospitality", & we hope a lot of you choose to make that part of your focus in the following year.  In fact, we're all called to reach out to others, but this group will study & be focused on how we as parishioners of Hope welcome others & incorporate them into community should they choose to join us.

      Speaking of Rally Day, next week we hope all of you return & bring a friend or two to our worship & to Rally Day.  Our new youth group, Youth About Christ, will be holding their first fundraiser, & you will want to buy a sack lunch or a sweet from them.  If you are involved with a group at the church, we hope you'll display your information about your group at a table, but we also hope you ask God to guide you to the ministry opportunities which are best for you this next year.  As you are inviting folks, you might include Hope parishioners you haven't seen here in a while.  It would be great to have a large turnout for Rally Day.  And the 1st task of hospitality is to be alert to invite people who might not be church-goers to join us.

      Since worship is at the heart of how we Episcopalians identify ourselves & form our faith, making sure folks are comfortable with our worship service is essential, too.  You might choose to sit next to someone you don't know & help them with the Prayer Book & hymnals we use regularly here at Hope.  If they are visitors, you can encourage them to sign the visitors' book in the back, introduce them to several other folks, & walk with them to coffee hour.  Remembering their names the next time they are here will make them feel really included, too.  What are some of their interests?  Finding a group they can relate to & including them in the next church activity you attend is wonderfully welcoming.

      In case we believe that it's only high-classed people who have a place at God's banquet table, look at Jesus' instructions to the host.  He tells the host not to invite people to the banquet depending on who can return the compliment.  The host is told not to invite his friends, relatives, & rich neighbors who will invite him to their own banquet later.  Who should he invite?  How often do we include those Jesus suggests for the guest list:  the poor, the crippled, the lame, & the blind.  All of us are included, but not because of any fine qualifications we bring to the table.  We're invited because of the graciousness & the love of God—unearned & undeserved.  We're invited to the banquet because God is good, not because we are.  Jesus' ways are not human ways, are they?

      Jesus gave us the guidelines in the gospels for how to behave in community, but each of the epistles, the letters to the 1st Christian churches, show us that from the beginning, Christians have had a hard time living together as loving brothers & sisters, as caring neighbors.  Notice that none of this behavior is about how to act to earn salvation.  Jesus' life, death, & resurrection have already won for us the victory; Jesus is the gold medal winner in conquering death.  We can't do anything to earn God's love.  God has already given us that—free for all, undeserved.

      The advice the writer of Hebrews gives us is about how to act toward one another out of gratitude for the love which God has already given us, gratitude for the salvation which Jesus offers us.  Jesus expects us to grow & mature as disciples in community, not as lone rangers.  So, here in Hebrews, we're given a whole set of guidelines for living together faithfully.  He starts with "Let mutual love continue."  There may be some folks in the church community whom we like more than others, but regardless of our personal likes & dislikes, we're supposed to love each other the way Christ has loved us.  Sometimes, we are stellar in showing Christ's love through our actions toward others.  At times, however, our nerves get frayed & the person who gets on our last nerve receives the pent up frustration we have so righteously stored up from many small slights.  I've observed such behavior even at Hope just recently.

      I think it's curious that, before we're told how to act toward one another, we're encouraged to show hospitality to strangers.  We're not to be a closed, elite community.  The stranger is always to be welcomed as one of us.  Have you ever thought the person coming in to ask for a helping hand might be an angel that you don't even recognize?   I've been doing some serious thinking about how we treat those who come to us in need or our neighbors across the street who park on our property.  What does Jesus call us to do in those situations? By the way, look at some of the choices Jesus makes for his companions—Zaccheus, Levi, the Samaritan woman, even Judas Iscariot.  Jesus always chooses those who are the have-nots according to the world's values.  We're also called to include everyone, even those who don't behave the way we think they ought to act.  And Jesus always reminds us that we're not to judge.  Only God can judge.

      This week I had the opportunity to watch a rerun of an Oprah show which showed the results of her "pay it forward" challenge to her audience.  She had given a previous audience $1000 apiece with the understanding that they would give it away within the next week.  They were also given video cameras to record their donations.  The usual group of people handed out bills of varying amounts to people in parking lots & gave generous tips to delivery persons coming to their homes.  Even a woman whose baby was delivered during that week figured out a way to distribute the money personally to those she felt needed it.  However, I was fascinated by the number of people who, like the man given 10 talents in Jesus' parable who used them to make 10 talents more, figured out ways to provide much more than the original $1000 for those in need.  Some launched phone-a-thons, solicited help from radio stations & retailers, & challenged whole civic groups or children's classes to grow that money.  They were able to provide surgery for a woman shot in the face by a crazed boyfriend, furnish an apartment for a single mother, send a Downs Syndrome child to camp, furnish a whole middle school basketball team's athletic shoes for that year.  My mind boggles at what support might be possible for our own St. Michael's Day School or Black Middle School if we & other churches in the neighborhood were willing to "pay it forward."

      The epistle today ends "Do not neglect to do good & to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." Jesus concludes "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, & the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."  Who are our neighbors?  How many ways can we show hospitality to strangers?  What hope can Hope provide today?  This season?

Pentecost XIII

By The Rev. Martha Frances+
Year C, Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 16
26 August 2007

Text: Luke 13: 10-17 Other Readings: Jeremiah 1: 4-10; Hebrews 12: 18-29; Psalm 71: 1-6

      Today I'd like you all to keep standing for a moment.  Those of you who are willing to try an experiment with me, I'd like you to bend over at your waist, bending as close to a 90 degree angle as you can & still keep your balance.  Now, without standing up, try to talk to the folks still standing straight.  Those of you standing, how easy is it to communicate with the bent over folks?  Try it!  Not easy for either group, is it?

      Now you may be seated.  Thank you so very much for being such good sports.  Those who were bent over, how would that have felt for 18 years?  In how many ways would your being bent over have limited your life?  What must this woman's life have been like?  About the only profession which would suit her physical limitations would be as a jockey in horse-racing, & the chances of her having that opportunity are pretty slim.  Yet the bent-over woman had not come to the synagogue that day expecting any life-changing encounter.  She did not approach Jesus.  Jesus called out to her.  Jesus took the initiative.  Jesus set her free.

      The woman stood up immediately & began praising God.  Her immediate response is gratitude.  Imagine for a moment how this woman's life will be different from now on.  Although women were not generally valued highly in the society of Jesus' time, he affirmed her dignity when he gave her new life.  What burdens weigh your life down, keep you from living to your fullest?  If you were freed from them, how would you celebrate?  Can't you just imagine the joyful atmosphere in the synagogue that day?

      Not all were thrilled with this woman's transformation, however.  The leader of the synagogue was really ticked, wasn't he?  After all, he has offered this young rabbi the courtesy of teaching in the synagogue, & all of a sudden, he is blatantly bypassing Sabbath rules, some of the most-honored laws which maintain the community stability, & working on the Sabbath.  Who does he think he is?

      However, the synagogue leader doesn't confront Jesus directly.  He attacks the woman via a challenge to the crowd.  He shows no regard for the woman at all, but only concern that the law be enforced.

      Jesus responds directly to the synagogue leader, calling all those who hold the law above the care of human beings hypocrites.  Jesus cites a usual Sabbath practice:  any good Jew would care for his domestic animal, his valuable property, yet a woman's affliction is not valued as much as the animals.  Once again, Jesus has put those in authority on the spot, showing their lack of compassion, while gaining the affection & support of common people.  In fact, Jesus' actions are just the work which cries out to be done on the Sabbath—what more appropriate time could there be for God's chosen people to be resurrected to new life?

      Lest we assume complacently that such care & affection was only inaugurated by Jesus, we can take a peek back at the first two lessons today to see God's loving care & loving-kindness poured out both in the psalm & also in the reading from Jeremiah.  The psalmist praises God by saying "I have been sustained by you ever since I was born; from my mother's womb you have been my strength."  Jeremiah recounts his own call to be a prophet.  He describes God's own words to him, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, & before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."  If we pause a moment to wrap our minds around it, it's pretty awesome to imagine the God of the universe present & choosing each of us, strengthening us as God's ministers from even before we were born.  Breathe that in & treasure it!

      Now Jeremiah doesn't respond by praising God & rejoicing.  Jeremiah's initial response was, rather, "Who, me?  You must have the wrong fella, God.  In the first place, I'm just a kid, & on top of that, I don't know how to speak."  Of course, God is pretty persuasive, reminding Jeremiah that God doesn't choose the equipped but equips the chosen, so God will tell Jeremiah what to say.  In this passage, God even tells Jeremiah that the message to the people won't sound like good news; Jeremiah must warn the people of destruction & exile—& people aren't thrilled to hear of the death of their whole way of life.

      News reports as recently as last night hastened to inform us that one of this week's murders in Houston was done by a young man from New Orleans.  As concerned as many Houstonians are by the influx of New Orleanians since Katrina, I still shudder at the extent of the loss suffered by people already struggling to survive in New Orleans before Katrina.  Not only have those most vulnerable lost all their possessions, their homes, & the part of town they knew, but the whole system of social services on all levels has failed them.  Yes, it's a complicated situation, but with whom would Jesus be present in this on-going travesty?  God promises Jeremiah that there will be a time to build & to plant, but that sort of rebirth can only come after an acknowledgement of death & destruction.  And new life takes time & energy & the strength of which the psalmist speaks.

      I'll be taking time this next week to remember my husband Bill's death a year ago tomorrow, & commemorating what would have been our silver wedding anniversary this Wednesday.  As much as I wish I could tell you the grieving were already past, that's simply not true.  Emotionally, rebirth can only come as I mourn Bill's death & the death of a dream of our growing old together.  We've been going through much of the same experience together for over two years in this community, & many of you have suffered other personal deaths as well, so we still have grieving to do together.  Only as we fully recognize the death of the past can God plant & build anew.  It's not a linear process.  It takes time & is painful.  But we're reminded throughout scripture that God is ever-present to sustain us, to comfort us, & to strengthen us for new life in which there will be much rejoicing.  As our weights are lifted from our shoulders & we stand straight with new life, may we respond with the formerly bent-over women, praising God & crying out, "Hallelujah!"

Pentecost XII

By The Rev. Martha Frances+
Year C, Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 15
19 August 2007

Text: Luke 12:49-56 Other Readings: Isaiah 5: 1-7; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Psalm 80:1-2, 8-18

      I must confess to you that the scripture lessons assigned for today have not been easy ones for me.  I'm glad we have a lectionary & don't just preach on our favorite passages, but on Sundays like this, I'm tempted to ignore the inevitable.

      The gospel lesson for today is a series of sayings which were probably not originally spoken at one time.  They are scattered in various parts of the other gospels.  They seem connected here by the urgency for preparation for the future which Jesus expresses to his disciples in their journey toward Jerusalem.  He knows there isn't much more time before his death, so he urges the disciples to wake up, pay attention, and commit to Jesus' new way of life, no matter the cost.  Jesus knows crises are ahead for the disciples, not crises in the sense of emergencies, but moments or occasions of truth when they must make decisions about the meaning of their lives & how they will lead them.  Jesus wants his disciples to be ready, strong enough to face the crises, even when Jesus is no longer physically present.

      Thus, he uses the images of baptism & fire.  Jesus' own life following his baptism has been anything but easy or even successful.  Indeed, due to the degree to which he has lived into his baptism, he now faces suffering & death.  Many of his disciples face the same future—experiencing the fire that will reveal whether they are true disciples or cheap imitations, for fire can determine the difference between real & fake metals.  We know that metals placed in extreme heat are strengthened by that heat.  Living in Houston all these years, I've often wished I were strengthened by the summer heat here, but instead, I think I've just melted.  At any rate, we in Houston certainly understand the hardships of heat, especially with no air conditioning in the church this summer.

      Jesus says he has not come to bring peace to the earth but rather division.  Ouch!  I really don't want to hear that.  I want to hear that things will be easier for me & my family if I follow Jesus as my savior & guide.  But Jesus knows that if we follow him, life won't always be easy.  Life as the disciples know it will be forever changed; what we call the "status quo" will be turned upside down, & others didn't like the priorities chosen by the disciples then any more than they do now.  In Jesus' prediction of the separations which would occur within families where one but not all were his disciples, he was simply describing the reality.  What may be hardest is for the disciples to have to choose their life in Christ above the life they've always known.  Family may be important, but it can no longer be more important than obedience to Jesus' way of life.

      Over & over again, I hear people in prison tell me that, as much as they miss their families & would like to be with them when they come out of prison, their returning to the old haunts & the influence of their families & friends often returns them to temptations which led to their imprisonment in the first place.

      I had to laugh at Jesus' comments on weather predictions in today's passage since every newscast these days begins with the latest update on where Hurricane Dean is headed.  We all know that, regardless of where the hurricane makes landfall, any more rain in Houston will certainly cause more severe flooding.  Even with our sophisticated weather tracking systems, our ability to predict the path of the hurricane is limited.  At this point, I don't even know HOW to prepare, especially now that I live in a new house & in a new neighborhood.

      Jesus is talking here, I think, about people's ability to make good choices.  We don't use the same abilities in preparing for a hurricane that we do to recognize the evils of the present & turn away from them.  Probably our biggest danger is denial.  Jesus' disciples were in denial about his upcoming death, even though he predicted it 3 times.  Isn't it interesting that some people think disasters will never happen to them, only to others?  People who choose to drive while intoxicated believe accidents happen only to the other persons.  It's often the people whose young lives were torn apart by their parents' abuse of alcohol or drugs who follow in their parents' footsteps & repeat the cycle with their own children, all the while saying they didn't want to be like their parents.  Jesus cuts through all that petty gambling with life & says the disciples need to listen up, that life as they have known it is almost over.  The reign of God will require that their allegiance be to the priorities Jesus taught.

      Let's look at the commonalities to be found in all the scriptures for today.  Isaiah describes the bridegroom's preparation of the vineyard, his bride, which, despite the loving care the groom lavishes upon his vineyard, it still yields wild grapes—sour grapes.  God, the groom, is willing to let the vineyard be ravished—to let it lie fallow, be left for dead, if the people are not capable of choosing justice & righteousness as a way of life.  The psalm tells the same story—God's care & love for the people of Israel which God transplanted from Egypt, even when they disregard God's protection & turn away from God.  The people plead with God to restore them that they may be saved.  They are unwilling to turn to God & call upon God's name until their way of life has died.  Only then can there be rebirth.

      The Preacher who wrote the letter to the Hebrews catalogues those who lived by faith, who chose Christ's way of life, but who may not have lived to see the results of such faithfulness.  Death does not have the last word, however, for Christ is raised from the dead.  We, too, often undergo small deaths in our lives before resurrection can occur.  We're invited to gain strength from the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us to persevere in running the race through death to be able to celebrate the resurrection with Jesus Christ.

      Four of us from Hope have just been through training in Los Angeles so we can lead our community beyond simply being multi-racial & multicultural into the place where we genuinely celebrate the diversity among us & are progressively inclusive, both between ourselves & with others.  We'll begin to include some new exercises & processes in our various groups this fall, & I encourage you to embrace the opportunities for us all to grow among ourselves as well as to become more open to new folks, offering radical hospitality to the outside world.

      As I began to pray with these scriptures this week, I realized they are pointing us in a direction which I often deny because I avoid acknowledging things dying in my own life as long as possible.  It's been almost a year since my dear husband Bill died, yet I'm just now dealing with that grief.  Many of you have lost folks close to you since we've been together as one church, & further, part of coming together as one has meant that both groups have had to die to much of the old in order to accept the new.  In some ways, our grief process has only just begun.  We'll be offering opportunities this fall for living into that bereavement more fully, recognizing its appropriateness and gently closing some doors so that we are open to the resurrection offered by Jesus Christ.  I pray you are able to enter this process with me in order that we may move forward as one—surely surrounded by that great cloud of witnesses—into a new, stronger Hope.