Sermon: Luke 16:1-13

Few fans of reality television have not heard the name, Donald Trump. Donald Trump is a real estate tycoon who first came to prominence in the 1980’s. Daring deals, extravagant spending, bold personality, and a colorful personal life, have ensured that “the Donald” has not strayed far from the limelight. Through fortunes won, fortunes lost, and fortunes regained,  many have followed this man’s career. It is no surprise that his own television show,  The Apprentice, has gained a widespread following, and earned high ratings in North American television markets. The premise of the show is simple. Young, aspiring, entrepreneurs, are given the opportunity to show Mr Trump what they have-- in terms of  ability, intelligence, and business instinct. They must work co-operatively, but must also compete against each other to succeed. Those who don’t must hear those dreaded words come from the mouth of the boss himself: “ You’re fired!” Those who succeed hope to go on and enjoy careers with the endorsement of Donald Trump himself.

            Today’s gospel lesson, is, in many respects, a surprising text, because Jesus provides quite a surprising story to his disciples. Yes, we see how parables like the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son, fit into the message Jesus was making to the world. But the message he provides in today’s reading has, at first glance, a decidedly worldly ring to it. It almost sounds like it could be taken from an episode of the Apprentice. 

Here we hear the story of a rich man. A wealthy land owner, who surely would have owned much property. The rich man wasn’t happy, the  land-lord wasn’t pleased.  He wasn’t happy because the man he hired as his manager wasn’t doing a very god job. To understand why, we have to put the story in its proper historical context. We realize that we are looking at an ancient economy based mainly on agriculture. Goods, rather than money, was the main medium of exchange between tenants and land-lords. The tenants of this rich land-owner were evidently over-due on their rent, and the manager in whom he had placed his trust had not done a very gone job of collecting his rent. It would therefore be understandable that the manager would be let go.

            His response to this news was exactly what we would expect: bewilderment, fear, even some panic. But instead of accepting the bad news of his dismissal, the manager went about showing his boss that he was worth keeping around. What he did next was shred, it was calculating, and it was  risky.  In fact, it required a high level dishonesty. The manager went around to the people that owed his boss and he gave them a twenty percent discount on their rent. This what you call “an offer too good to refuse”. How many times are people late on their rent given a twenty percent discount? Not very often. In this case, it had its desired effect as each person paid.

Now there were two ways the rich man, the manager’s boss, could have responded to the news of the deal which he had no idea about. He could have run his manager out of town and annulled, cancelled, the arrangement. The second option was to do exactly as he did. He let the deal stand. This had a two-fold benefit. First, it meant that he got  most of the rent which he was owed. Yes, it wasn’t the entire amount, but it was better than what he had from them so far, which was zero. Moreover, to annul the arrangement would have been a very unpopular move. But to let the deal stand, would have surely increased his popularity in the eyes of his tenants. In the end, the rich man appreciated the shrewdness and brilliance of his manager. Donald Trump would have been proud.

            But what can Christians get out of this story? What is the lesson for us today? Why is Jesus upholding this example of dishonesty and shrewdness? Well, the first thing we need to understand, is that our Lord is not telling his disciples to engage in dishonest business dealings. He is not providing this  story as an example, but as a way of admonishing and motivating his disciples. In effect, through this story, Jesus asks a great question of his disciples. If worldly people who serve money are able to bring so much talent and imagination  in  managing material wealth, why are you not able to do the same with the great wealth which has been entrusted to you?  

Many of you know far better than I what it takes to be successful in the business world. It takes hard work, it takes drive and it takes determination. But it takes more than that. It takes intelligent and imagination, and a vision of the possible. Donald Trump may not be on your heroes list. But you have to give him credit. He is enormously wealthy for a reason. But his fortune, ultimately, means nothing. His fortune is nothing compared to the great bounty which has been given you, given us. This is the great gift of eternal life, which comes to us through faith. The gift God has given us through Jesus Christ is truly precious. Yet this is not a gift  which we are to keep to ourselves. It is meant to be shared.

Almost two thousand years ago, the resurrected Christ commissioned his disciples to baptize in the name of the Triune God,  to spread the Gospel, to make disciples of all nations. Almost two thousand years ago, Jesus sent down the Holy Spirit on that most Holy day of Pentecost to form his church. His church was and is entrusted with the most precious wealth of all—the gospel, the good news of eternal life and salvation. We have been entrusted to be productive with that wealth. Every Christian has been called into that service. Jesus has entrusted us to be the managers of His great and glorious mission to the world.

            Yet, as we look at the city, this province, this country, this continent, we see a troubling trend. Over the course of the last century we have seen a great falling away. The church, across denominations, is shrinking instead of expanding.  Members across denominations speak of restructuring  and downsizing and survival.  Do you see something wrong with that picture?

            Through the words we hear in today’s gospel lesson, Jesus is giving us a wake-up call. Most people work hard  for their employers, want to do the best job possible to please their bosses—will use every once of brains and muscle necessary to get the job done and get the job done well. Why not, then, for God? Why, not, then, for the interest  of advancing the Gospel? Let’s be clear. We are not called by God to work for our salvation and new life. That has been given to us freely through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. But we are called to advance the kingdom of God.  This does not mean, necessarily, within the walls of the church building. In fact, most of this work will be outside of it.

            A popular question these days is: How do we get people into the church? This is actually the wrong question. The better question is: How does the church be a presence where the people are? And we speak here not only of congregational outreach projects, but also about the lives of individual Christians who make up the church, who are members of the body of Christ. 

An important part of the Protestant reformation of the 16^th Century entailed a new understanding of Christian vocation—actually it was a return to  the lost biblical understanding of Christian vocation.

You see, during the middle ages in Europe, Christian vocation was associated exclusively with priests and nuns. Almost over-night, that understanding changed amongst those who would become evangelical Christians. All Christians are equal, and all Christians are called to ministry. All Christians are called to ministry in the name of the Gospel—and not just ordained clergy.

All Christians  have been entrusted with Christ’s mission of sharing the Good News. Yet, still, the perception remains among some that this is principally the work of the pastor. Yes, it is indeed the work of the pastor to share the gospel. And it is also true that the pastor ministers in a way that is the special. But it is equally true that non-ordained people minister in ways that are special and unique, and as important as the pastor. The questions we need to ask ourselves are “How do I bring Christ’s mission directive into my everyday life? How do I carry out ministry to those around me?

All Christians have been entrusted with the great task of sharing the gospel in their time and place through words and action. And in this time and place in history, this requires tremendous determination and imagination and risk. It is so because there will be a tremendous resistance. And no one wants to offend others. But let us not worry so much about pleasing other people, but instead affix our attention on pleasing God. We cannot afford to be quiet. Fifty years ago, the Christian church held a privileged place in Canadian society. This is no longer the case, and it is a fact which can no longer be taken for granted. The church is in a mission mode. This congregation is in a mission mode. But the fact is, the truth is, that a church regardless of its size, regardless of its material wealth, regardless of its programming, must never stop being in the mission mode—in mission for the God who, in the words of St Paul, desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Doesn’t this most important mission deserve our best effort possible?

            This afternoon, this congregation welcomes the neighbourhood, which is an extension of Christ’s mission to the world. It is easy to overlook this, and see the party as something the congregation is doing in addition to its mission. But this isn’t the case. The great communication theorist, Marshall McLuhan, years ago asserted that the “medium is the message”. What we do, tells others who we are and what we stand for. And what we stand for is the Gospel of salvation and new life, that all would have life and have life abundantly. This afternoon we invite the folks in this neighbourhood to share in a part of the abundance which has been so generously poured upon us. 

            We live in a world where people are hungry, people are in pain, physical and emotional, where people grope and claw in rhe darkness for answers to the deepest questions of life. And we, as disciples of Christ, have real food to give them. We must never lose sight of this fundamental mission.

We are in the last weekend of summer. The signs of fall are here. It will not be long before we are in the grip of winter, and the year will be winding down. But in a very real sense, life is winding up. Children are back in school,  families are in new programs, university students are hard at it again, and mid term exams will soon be approaching. Amidst all of this, God is at work, too—moving us to proclaim his word of life to a world  desperate need to hear it. All Christians are called to proclaim the life giving word of the gospel in spoken word and visible action. All Christians are called to use their gifts in proclaiming in this time and place—for we have been entrusted with the greatest treasure of all, the eternal life which has been given us through the life death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Amen.

            

BLOCK PARTY THIS SUNDAY!

We are hosting a block party, this upcoming Sunday, September 19th. Please join us(12noon-4pm) for free food, refreshments, and family fun (including pony rides, and a balloon artist)!

God loves sinners. Luke 15:1-10

They saw themselves as the holy ones. They were the religious elite of Jewish society. They were the men determined to restore holiness to Jewish life and society. A central aspect of this restoration was the clear recognition of sin, and the definite and utter  separation of those who were holy from the unholy, the sacred from those who would profane the sacred by their words and actions, by their very being.This was the message of the Pharisees. This was their mission: to restore holiness.

            But then Jesus came along with his own message and mission, his own characterization of what it meant it be holy, his own way of doing things. Instead of separating himself from sinners, he ate with them. Instead of shunning them, he welcomed them to his table. Instead of separating himself from them, he invited them to join him. Instead of pushing them away, he pulled them closer. Instead of berating them and pointing fingers at them, he drew them into relationship with him.

            As followers of Jesus, Christians are called to be like him—in fact, to let his light within them shine forth as a witness to him. This means thinking as he thinks, and doing as he does. This means to be radically inviting to sinners. This does not mean condoning sin, or overlooking sin, or taking sin lightly. But it means loving those who sin—loving those who sin not in some, detached intellectual fashion, but in a real, concrete way. There are many examples of this unhesitating love of sinners.

         Some of you are aware of the work of Wes Wagner, a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Vancouver. Some years ago Wes established a powerful ministry to people overcoming harmful addictions. Wagner Hills now operates two 45 acre farms, one for men and one for women, located in Langley. Here those whose lives have been torn apart by addictions to alcohol and drugs are given new life and new hope through a direct encounter with the love of Jesus. It is space where people caught in the bondage of addiction can repent and experience the unconditional forgiveness of God. A man by the name of Jamie Smyth has recently given testimony of God’s forgiveness and unhesitating love of him. As  child at about age 10 I stopped going to church and stopped following God. I was messed up in my thinking, in who I thought I was. I felt alone, abandoned. I felt I was a misfit, that I didn’t measure up. So I figured the best way to solve this issue was to become a people pleasing performance based person who was trying to do everything perfectly in order to gain approval and love. Even as life moved on I was not willing or able to receive the love others and God had for me. I cut myself off from reality, thinking that if I could control everything or those around me(my circumstances, situations, and people) life would be just fine. I tried playing god. I began serving myself. If things didn’t work out I would run or try to change my environment. If life got tough I would seek relief and pleasure in food, drugs, sex, or entertainment. I was in bondage: to the lies, to addiction, and to a life of self destruction. I came to the Lord over twenty-five years ago. However, I was still doing it my way. Through my years of knowing about God, I came to realize I had to die to myself in order to gain life. Over a year ago, it was put on my heart to come to Wagner Hills. I was finally completely willing to lay it all down so God could do the work in me and bring me what I had long searched for: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. During my year at the farm I was able to ome to know what it is to have a relationship with Christ. I was able to learn about and receive His love. I was able to walk in faith, to trust and to let God guide and direct me. I understand His plan and purpose for my life, one that is so much different and better than the life I had bought into.”(quotes from the Wagner Hills newsletter)

Loving  a person struggling with drug addiction is not easy, and people do not naturally take this harder road, less traveled. The reason it is so difficult for Christians to love sinners is because Christians are sinners. If this were not the case, then we would be able to do as Christ does—love the sinner without hesitation. It is far easier to travel the safe and easy path of stamping labels on people thinking that sinners are “out there somewhere” and we are the holy ones. How easy it is to assume the posture of a grumbling Pharisee or scribe, pointing fingers and condemning. But remember this--and many have heard it-- that every-time a finger is pointed at someone else, three others point back at the pointer.

            This last week, as many of you have heard, a pastor in the United States  and his congregation garnered widespread international attention with plans to burn the Koran, the book holy to Islam, on the anniversary of the 911 attack. The only thing this managed to do was show-case this pastor as an aggressor and instigator of hatred—the very things he accuses his enemies of.  Where is Jesus in that message?

Yet, it is also easy to step up on a pedestal and point an accusing finger at Pastor Jones, taking great delight in mocking him, all the while thinking we would never stoop to his level.

            The media has eaten up this story, and the enemies of the Christian church surely love it. What we are less likely to hear about is occurring across the globe. We are less likely to hear about the response by Christian communities around the world to the devastation which has struck Pakistan. Churches, including this community in Christ, have sent aid, have prayed. Christians have volunteered on the ground, have extended hospitality to a largely Muslim population, even while they may vehemently disagree with its faith position. But in that extension the love of Jesus has been  extended, the love of God had been made manifest.

            Such love gives hope in hopeless circumstances, and  promises forgiveness to repentant sinners without condition, without demand. It is given freely, and where it is given and received, new life is made possible. What an extraordinary love this is!

            This kind of love is something about which the Pharisees did not know. And in response to their grumbling, Jesus provides two illustrations of God’s love for the sinner. The first is the parable of the lost sheep.  In this parable Jesus invokes the imagery of the sheep and shepherd. The imagery is lovely and pastoral, but as modern people living in the industrialized world, the power of this imagery may not be fully appreciated. But to the audience who first heard these words of our Lord spoken, the image of the lost sheep would have been overwhelmingly powerful: for sheepherding was a staple of the economy for those living in 1^st century Judea. To leave a flock of ninety-nine sheep in search of one  would have been a huge risk. Just imagine that, putting your entire livelihood on the line in order to recover a small portion of it? How many of us would take that kind of risk?  God does it, and God has done it. God loves sinners.  If God  patiently waited for them to come to Him, we would consider that, in itself, to be an extraordinary love. But he goes further than that. He seeks the lost.  God gave his Son so that the lost might be found. God finds the sinner.

And God rejoices when the sinner repents—for to repent is to accept this extraordinary love which is freely offered. It is to bask in the warmth of God’s glorious light.  You see the call to repentance is not the all to a cosmic guilt trip, or  some kind of a downer. Repentance is the frank admission of being a sinner, and utterly in need of God’s love and God’s forgiveness. It is to admit powerlessness over over  the power of sin apart from God. It is to admit how others and ourselves have been hurt by behaviour which results from sin. Some theologians and pastors may want to down play the role of repentance. But to do so is to rob the people of the precious fruit which it leads to—which is freedom, peace, and joy.

Jamie, the fellow I spoke about moments ago repented when he realized that he could not do it on his own, that his own way led to brokenness and pain, that he needed God. In a very real way Jamie’s life embodied the words we hear today in Psalm 51. The Psalm concludes with the words, “ Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”  God has promised to deliver on this plea, and has done so through his Son. As Martin Luther said, where there is forgiveness of sins, there is new life and salvation—there is the extraordinary new life God wants us to have, God yearns for us to have, which God has given to us if we would only take it. This is why Jesus welcomed sinners, ate with sinners,  not so that he would keep them company as they dwelt in the  misery of their sin, but so that they would experience the great gift God has given to them. It is the same gift God has given to you. It is the same gift God has called all Christians everywhere to share with every sinner, which means everyone. And there is not one sinner whom God does not love and sees as precious.

Just as the woman in the second parable we read today searches tirelessly for the lost silver coin, God continues to search for those lost in sin, those who have chosen to follow their own paths.  Sadly some will turn away from the life giving message of the gospel. But  the Christian church has been entrusted with the great responsibility of reaching them with this great message of hope.

How are we to do it? What are we to say?  First, Christians must always realize who we are: we are forgiven sinners. We are not just people who make mistakes every once in a while, but are otherwise perfect. We are sinners determined to do it our way, and not God’s way. There is a great impression out there that the church is filled with perfect people. This impression has, as a matter of fact, prevented many people from coming to church. They simply feel that they are not good enough to attend, and be with all of those perfect people. This impression must be challenged and corrected. Just before he died, Martin Luther was quoted as uttering the sentence: “ We are beggars, this is true.”  In other words Christians, as forgiven sinners, are constant need of God’s  word of forgiveness and new life. We can never outgrow that. For to outgrow it is to outgrow God, which we can never do. A second popular impression is that the church is just full of hypocrites. To this  charge the answer is clear: yes, its true. It’s true because every-time we sin, we do not live up to the standards which we not only ascribe to, but confess. That’s the nature of sin.

Christians are not Holy on the basis of anything which we have done. We are Holy because God has declared it so. Now that’s a different, a radical different understanding of what holiness means. For the sake of Christ, God has declared you Holy through his life giving word. We can see this radical declaration foreshadowed in today’s gospel lesson through our Lord’s extension of radical hospitality. We, in turn,  as disciples of Jesus, are called to extend the same hospitality to all people. We, too, are called to search the lost, and extend that invitation.

Just over two thousand years ago, Jesus ate with the sinners. Against the religious leadership of his day, he engaged in this radical act of hospitality In a moment, Jesus will invite the sinners to his table, and feed them his food of forgiveness and new life.

Now may the peace which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Interested in learning more about Lutheran Christianity? Join us for an adult catechism, beginning Thursday evenings this fall. Contact the church office for more info.

Sermon: Luke 14:25-33, Good News in a Difficult Text

Today’s gospel reading is what preacher’s refer to as a difficult text. This is because when we read through it the first time, we read little if any good news. The Gospel, the good news of eternal life through the life death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, just doesn’t seem to be present. In fact, some of the things Jesus says just don’t sound very nice. It doesn’t make sense that Jesus is calling us to hate our family members in order to follow him. Hate Father and Mother? Doesn’t that contradict the fourth commandment? Hate life itself? Give up all our possessions? This all sounds very disturbing. Could Jesus, who gave  and gives nothing but love, really have said thee things?

            Yes he did. Scripture doesn’t lie. Jesus said these things, and just as that large crowd did over two thousand years ago, we have to contend with them. We have to come to terms with these penetrating and disturbing assertions. In doing so, we need to step back, and keep a few centrally important considerations in mind. The first thing we need to attend to, above all things, is who is saying these words. It is Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ is the second member of the Holy Trinity. Jesus Christ is God. It was God who first said these words. In these words, God was not saying anything new. He had said them all along. In these  words, God proclaims his Holy commanding Word. And God’s Holy commanding Word is the primary Word which brought all reality into being. It is the Word proclaimed in the First Commandment: I Am the Lord your God. You Shall Have no other Gods. Notice in this Word there is no middle ground, no compromise. God is God, and we should have no other. In other words nothing should be elevated to the status of a god and be worshipped by us. Jesus says this in other places in the gospels. When he speaks about money, it tends to make sense to us, because none of us thinks that greed is good or would deny the idolatry that can be a part of material wealth. But parents? But siblings? But children? Isn’t this taking things a bit too far? No, it isn’t. God is God, and God is entitled to demand absolute and total loyalty. Anything else, can and should be hated, relatively speaking. You see, today’s gospel lesson is all about the alignment of priorities.

            You see, there is a reason the commandments are ordered the way they are. Without the First Commandment being the first, none of the others make sense. The first, second, and third commandments relate to each and every human being’s direct relationship to God. Following from these, the next seven commandments discuss how we are to relate to God through each other. But the primary fundamental foundation upon which all rests, is absolute obedience to the first commandment. In today’s Gospel Lesson, Jesus gives his audience a very specific understanding of what it means to follow the first commandment. It is to follow him in total and unquestioned loyalty. It means to follow what he says, and what he does. It means to carry the cross. To carry the cross means to do as he did. It means to face rejection, to face persecution, to face crucification. It means to give up everything for the cause of God.

            But when we  examine our hearts and minds, we know the truth. Who has been able to do this? Who in history has been able to follow Jesus utterly and totally? None have. Yes, there have and continue to be tremendous examples of radical obedience and mrtyrdom. But none have been able to follow Jesus exactly. The reason for that is that human beings, Christians included, are sinners. And sinners resist, that first commandment with every fibre of their being. Sinners want to be god and make the decisions and call the shots, and elevate people and things to the status of gods. This is why we find these statements of Jesus so disturbing.  The sinner reflexively rejects God’s command in favor of his or her own ideas. So with the words we read today, Jesus hits our knee with a rubber hammer, and our foot shoots up. These words convict us. God’s Holy Word of Law convicts us.

            We are convicted  by God’s command. Yes this is true. But we are not abandoned.  Consider carefully. Who speaks these words to us today? Who is doing the convicting? Well, it is the very same Lord who is doing the saving. It is the very same Lord who has undertaken the greatest rescue operation in the history of reality. It is the very same Lord who gave up everything for you—yes you. You see, without Jesus, humanity would be lost in sin. To be lost in sin means to be separated from God, who is the source of life and goodness.  It means to walk around with a distorted perspective of reality, and to not see things as they should be seen, to misalign our priorities and proceed as if we were god. God has given us tremendous gifts, especially including family. But sin has distorted, and in some cases destroyed those relationships. It is only through the forgiveness of God, which comes through Jesus Christ, that restoration is possible. It is only through Jesus Christ that humans can relate to each other as they were meant to. The resurrected and ascended Christ is alive and giving. Christ is the Word made flesh, who has a special word to proclaim. It  is the Gospel—the good news of forgiveness and new life. But the  sinner needs to be  convicted, and people need to realize their utter dependency on God. When that utter dependency is realized the good news shines through. And that Good News is transformative. Jesus calls us to love one another as he has loved. God intends families to be close and loving. But that can only happen when God is at the centre—when God is priority one. Many people today have laid the foundation for good family life. Many people start off in healthy marriages. Many people start off well into parenthood. But then something happens, the foundation which was built does not yield the promise of its design. Many people today embark upon building projects they are incapable of finishing because they are trying to do it without God. It is only Christ, the Lord who transforms our hearts, who can guide us to where we ought to go. We don’t have to do it on our own. We don’t have to. Our Lord is one who has done it all for us, and will show us the way. Amen.

Sermon: The Heart of Christianity, Luke 12:10-17

       

Luke 12:10-17

What is the heart of Christianity? This is a fundamentally important question, which Christians must always go back to. The heart of Christianity is Jesus Christ, and the great gift of eternal life and ultimate healing he brings us. Jesus Christ, eternal, and truly God, came into this world as a human being to save humanity from its sin. Jesus came into our world on the biggest rescue mission ever. This was utterly and entirely at the initiative of God. Jesus found and saved us. We did not save ourselves. We did not find Jesus. Jesus found us. God deserves the glory for our salvation.  We do not. God’s decision was outside humanity’s control. If you read the gospel accounts, a basic fact of Jesus becomes perfectly clear: Jesus cannot be controlled.

Throughout the gospel accounts Jesus resists efforts to intimidate, manipulate, bribe, or in any way dissuade him from his life-giving mission. The effort to pull him off course began in the wilderness with the voice of Satan, and finished upon the cross at Golgotha. Both efforts failed to suppress or contain the life giving word of God.

 In today’s Gospel lesson we  read about one of  the  many  confrontations Jesus had with the religious authorities. Today we read about the  indignant leader of the synagogue, angry at Jesus for healing a woman on the Sabbath. This man surely knew his Torah well, and had a clear, concrete, idea of right and wrong.  He was a religious expert who knew what the law clearly said—or so he thought. He was so confident that he had no problem using faith as a weapon. Jesus not only exposes the man’s hypocrisy, but ,through our Lord’s healing actions, also reveals the true nature of the Sabbath. He proclaims this same truth with words in Mark 2:27-28: “ The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” The Sabbath is a gift from God to humanity. It is a gift which comes from where all true gifts come—from the heart of God. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath because he himself is the greatest gift God has given to the world. But the religious authorities lost sight of the true purpose of the Sabbath and did not recognize its Lord when he was standing face to face with them.  As we read today’s lesson it is very easy to shake our heads over such blindness.

It may be easy to  shake our heads, but how often in the history of  the Church, have Christians lost sight of the true purpose of the Sabbath, and the mission of its Lord? How often has church life been defined by stringent rules and regulations which have nothing to do with God’s Law, but are the inventions of human beings?

I once new a man who grew up in a very strict church environment, where Sabbath was meticulously observed.  This not only included time spent at church, but the time afterward. No playing or entertainment was allowed. On a scorching hot day, he and his siblings were allowed to go swimming to cool off, but only with the understanding that they were not to have any fun. Fun was forbidden!  Unfortunately, the impression that Christianity is fundamentally about rules and regulations has not gone away easily. Many non-Christians, and Christians, in fact, believe that the adherence to a strict moral code is the heart of Christianity. Christianity, to many, is a dreary, heavy, depressing, no-fun religion. But this is not true. Jesus Christ, and the Grace and healing he gives, is the heart of the Christian Faith. Living by Grace means living in the liberation given by and through Jesus Christ.

Sadly, many have turned  from the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath. We live in a place and time where honouring the Sabbath is rare. The Sabbath has, to use the words of Isaiah, been “trampled” on in modern society, as people use God’s Holy day to pursue their own interests.

“ Hold on a second”, some might exclaim, “ didn’t Jesus say that the Sabbath was made for humankind?” “Doesn’t that mean we can do what we like?”

Clearly, we need to be very careful about how we interpret these words of our Lord. That the Sabbath was made for humankind, does not mean that humans should do what they like with it. Rather the Sabbath is the special space in which God’s glorious and gracious gift to humanity is to be received.  We need look no further than the woman in today’s gospel lesson  for a role model of proper Sabbath observance. This woman , who had had struggled with a serious disability for eighteen years, was called over by Jesus. She answered the call and went to him. When she went, Jesus healed her, set her free, from her ailment. To be set free means to live in the light of eternal life, which shines perpetually. Being set free does not necessarily mean physical healing, but it means spiritual liberation from the bondage of sin from which we cannot free ourselves—a bondage which causes us to be turned in on ourselves, and be less than who we were created to be. Jesus gives that liberation, and it is a totally free gift! To celebrate the Sabbath is to celebrate that gift. That gift comes to us especially through hearing the Word proclaimed, and through receiving the sacraments. But we must also know that God’s gracious gifts extend beyond the walls of the church. God’s Sabbath gifts reach us everywhere. Sabbath keeping is truly marked by an attitude of gratitude.

The Sabbath is a gift from the Lord who has given the greatest gift of all. All Christians are called to proclaim this good news. How are you going to do? How are your going to get the message across in your time and place? Perhaps one good place to start is by refuting the popular stereotype of Sabbath keeping, and the popular and convenient stereotypes of contemporary culture. Lutherans are known for the politeness. But there is nothing rude about gently challenging popular and inaccurate perceptions. The best way to do that is by sharing your own faith story, and about what Sabbath has meant, and continues to mean, to you. All Christians are called to share the good news of Jesus Christ, so that others will  also be transformed by it!  So let us go forth today proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ!  Now may the peace which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Why Greed Isn't Good: Sermon, Pentecost 10

August 1: Pentecost 10

 Luke 12:13-21

It would not be an overgeneralization to say that money is a significant source of worry for most Canadians. A recent Reuters survey found that 65 percent of Canadians regularly lost sleep over finances during the last year. As these folks were tossing and turning their heads were filled with worry about paying off debt, not having enough for retirement, or an emergency fund.

The wealthy or extremely wealthy are not out of the woods as far as worry goes either. The financial crisis which swept across the US almost two years ago demonstrated how precarious the economy can be. Fortunes can be won, but fortunes can also be lost, and with the loss of fortune go the loss of identity, self esteem, and reputation.  It would not be an overgeneralization to say that more money you have, the more money you have to worry about.

          In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus is confronted by a worried man. We don’t know much about him, but we do know that he was worried about money or material wealth. He was worried about his  inheritance, worried that he would not receive his share--that his brother was withholding what should rightfully belong to him. So the man enlisted the aid of Jesus to get him what he thought he deserved.

There are many today like that young man. How many people turn to Jesus in order to get the money they think they deserve? How many television evangelists have come and gone promising that if you turn to Jesus you will get wealthy beyond your wildest dreams? This is called the success gospel, and it is very popular. But as we read today, Jesus affirms that he is not what many would like him to be—the  cosmic candy man, who dispenses goodies at the behest of the pious. 

Instead of complying with the man’s request,  Jesus issues an admonishment: “ Be on your guard against all kinds of greed!” All kinds of greed has been a  constant throughout human history. What is greed? Greed is defined as an excessive desire to possess wealth or goods.  In the 1986 film, the fictional character Gordon Gekko, a corporate raider, proudly proclaimed that “Greed is Good”. It is a sad reality that much operation in the financial world follows this ethic, and it is a fundamentally truth that greed has infected human relationships at all levels—from the  ruthless cigar chomping corporate raider to the  sulking child who deprives his little sister of a chocolate cookie out of an insatiable desire to stuff himself with another. Greed comes in many different forms—greed for money, greed for power, greed for control over another.

But  the ethic of greed is based upon a faulty premise, a flawed starting point. This is the point of the parable we hear in today’s gospel lesson. In this lesson, Jesus does not use an exaggerated example to  illustrate the end point of greed.  He doesn’t  provide an example so far removed from common experience that we could never possibly relate to the motivation of its main character. Rather he uses the  example of a  rich farmer. And as we read what Jesus tells about his behavior, we might, if we are truly honest with ourselves, even say that this man was  prudent—that we might under the same circumstances do the  exact same thing. In fact, what this wealthy man does, is exactly what many people do—invest, and save, with the hope  of living off their fortunes.  So what is the problem? Well, first of all, Jesus isn’t speaking here about prudence and wisely setting aside resources for the future. He is, rather, speaking about idol making. The fortunes which many have amassed have become that in which they place ultimate trust. Their fortunes become, for them, god. Herein lies the root sin of greediness. As Paul points out in today’s epistle reading, greed is idolatry. Greed turns money and possessions into gods. Greed must therefore be condemned by the true God who  issued the first Commandment: “ You shall have no other gods.”

Since the wage of sin is death, a death sentence has been pronounced upon all greediness. You will nowhere encounter a more succinct  description of where greed ultimately leads than that given in today’s Old Testament reading from Ecclesiastes. This comes from the section of the Old Testament referred to as wisdom, and for good reason. In these pages of scripture you will encounter Holy fundamental wisdom concerning the human condition. The teacher of the lesson set out to see the end point of all human accumulation, and what he discovered was not a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but emptiness. All of that work, all of that effort put into gathering was an effort put forth in vain.  He concludes by asking, “ What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest.”  Death has been called the great leveler, and for good reason. In death, accumulated material  wealth means nothing. Even the best adorned casket cannot  erase that stark reality.

It is quite evident that the young man to whom Jesus speaks in today’s gospel lesson does not have a rested mind, and surely experienced much vexation But he is not left without hope. Jesus tells him plainly what it truly means to be rich. To truly be rich is to be rich toward God.

What exactly  does it mean to be rich toward God? The first thing we need to know about being rich toward God, is understanding where our wealth comes from, and what true wealth is. Being truly wealthy is living in the reality of God’s great gift of eternal life. This is the only enduring source of wealth we can ever enjoy. But it is not something we have earned, acquired, or own—it is a gift which comes to us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is given to us in baptism.

In today’s epistle reading, St Paul reminds the Colossian Christians about  what true wealth means. He reminds them that they are raised with Christ, and being raised with Christ means a radical reordering of values and priorities. It means setting their minds on things that are above, not on earthly things. Paul is not telling them not to enjoy God’s physical gifts, or to enjoy what is offered in the physical world. To believe this is to misinterpret his message and to downgrade God beautiful creation. Rather he is telling them not to treat earthly things as idols. Therefore he admonishes them to put to death the idolatrous pull to the earthly—to put to death fornication, which is sex outside of marriage, put to death impurity, put to death evil desires and greed. With these things must go anger, malice, wrath, slander,  abusive language,  and lying. For these things are all remnants of the earthly way of doing things, all built on an orientation which does not see beyond the physical and trusts ultimately in that which is earthly. But this is the way of vanity.

Christ brings transformation, and a new self and a new orientation to reality, and a new way of thinking which is in accordance with our creator. With this new knowledge comes a new attitude toward possessions, toward saving, toward giving. With this new knowledge we are capable of seeing at length what we would otherwise be incapable of even getting a glimpse at—the eternal. With the eternal perspective in mind we need not toss and turn at night about our investments. With the eternal perspective in mind, we can share freely, knowing that we are guided by a higher vision and purpose. With the eternal perspective in mind we can be who we have been called to be, the ambassadors of Christ to a world which desperately needs to be transformed by His word.  Jesus has fed us and sustains us. We in turn are called to be rich toward God, and being rich toward God means being rich toward those whom he loves, and whom he loves are all people.  Jesus calls us to be bold in this love. So let us always and everywhere pray for the strength to be so. Now, may the peace  which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.