Many are called ...

This morning’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew (22:1-14) contains a parable which I find disturbing on multiple levels.  Jesus is telling those who are gathered about him that God could be compared to an earthly king who has thrown a big pre-wedding party for his son, and that the invited guests – the chosen ones from society – would not come.  Not only would they insult the king by not coming to the banquet, but when the servants where sent to remind them that they were invited by the king – those elite ones made excuses that they had more important “worldly” things to do.  Some of the chosen ones even decided that they had the right to seize the king’s servants – beating them and even killing them!

This kind of conduct does not really surprise me.  The actions of any society’s elite over the course of centuries has taught many of us that their “self-centeredness” and their “sense of entitlement” can blind them to the reality of almost any situation.  A mob of poor people are in the streets crying out in desperate hunger for bread to eat, and the elite respond, “Let them eat cake.”  Those individuals whose loved ones have been arrested, beaten, or killed because of their race are walking in the streets in protest, and the elite of the society call for them to be washed away with fire hoses.

The king’s reaction in this morning’s parable was to send out his troops to destroy all of those who had murdered his servants and refused to come to his son’s party.  The king even had his servants burn their city to the ground.  But what of his son’s wedding party?  Who would now be attending this event?  The king sent his servants into the streets to gather all that they could find.  Everyone, the bad and the good, were gathered so that the wedding hall would be filled to the brim with guests to honor his son.

And now comes for me a very disturbing thought.  The king discovers an individual within the hall who is not dressed in the proper clothing to celebrate the wedding of his son.  The man is directly questioned, but he is speechless, and so the king has this man bound and thrown into the outer darkness.  For some this is a disturbing thought, and it may even appear that the king is merciless, but we should remember that this is a parable being told by Jesus.  I believe that the issue is not the type of physical clothing that the individual wore.  Rather the type of clothing is a metaphor for the individual’s attitude toward being at the event.

We are all called by the Creator to a time of celebration.  Some will come to truly celebrate, they express their unbridled joy for all that God has created and shared.  Some will come out of fear; fear of being punished by God or by others for ignoring the call, and so they come only out of a sense of “social duty” to be observed and not to truly celebrate.

Others will not come to join in the time of celebration.  But we must be very careful of becoming judgmental for they have many reasons.  True, there are those who do not believe in the Creator, but there are also others.  A few of them may have “pressing responsibilities” that MUST be attended to: some may have an ill loved one for whom they are responsible for, another has finally – after many years of struggle – gotten a chance to become gainfully employed, and yet another is being held against their will.  And yet there are those who have become so lost that they can not even remember how to celebrate.

I hope I have not put any of you to sleep, for it is possible that these thoughts can also be applied to those of us who for years have been attending these gatherings of celebrations.  May be they are the ones who are sitting next to us, or may be it is we who have forgotten how to celebrate. 

Paul is writing to each one of us as well as to the faithful worshiping community found within the church at Philippi, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  Let your gentleness be known to everyone.  The Lord is near. … the God of peace will be with you.”[1]

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[1] Philippians 4:4-5, 9c NRSV [Philippians 4:1-9]

Becoming like him

Today is World Communion Sunday, and in a short while we will be joined together sharing in a service dedicated to commemorating the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples.  This is the Sunday that has been set aside each year by most of the world’s active worshiping Christian communities to celebrate our unity.  Though there are differences in each of our worshiping communities, yet we are still united in our dedication to following the teachings of Jesus.  Each one of us is encouraged to freely engage in our thoughts and responses to the stories that have been passed down to us throughout the ages.

Our reading this morning from the Gospel of Matthew is known by many as the Parable of the vineyard.  Jesus is continuing to engage both his followers and the chief priests and the Pharisees.  Parts of this Parable are very easy to inteperate; the vineyard is either the Promised Land or the entire earth, the landowner is God, the slaves sent to collect the produce are the prophets, and the son is Jesus.

As to who are the tenants, that’s a different question.  They can be seen as all of humanity, all of the Israelites, or maybe they are to be seen as the chief priests and the Pharisees.

However they are seen, Jesus is once again giving them a chance to see the reality of the consenquences for their actions in the past and the choices they have for their future.  We are called upon by our Creator to remember that we do not own this world forever.  Rather we are here but for a short time as the “care takers” of God’s creation.

How would we answer the question possed by Jesus?  Would we be as blood thirsty and sanctamonious as the chief priests and elders?  When we believe that someone has sinned, do we always demand that they be punished or do we really believe that forgiveness is possible for anyone?  If we believe that we are worthy of compassion and forgiveness, than why would we not accept and believe that compassion and forgiveness is available to all? 

And so we hear the words that Jesus spoke to those who would not allow forgiveness to be extened to others, “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.”[1]

In Paul’s letter to the faithful community in Philippi, we heard how much Paul desires to become like Jesus.  But what does it mean when an individual says that they want to become like Jesus?  This seemingly simplistic statement is in reallity an extremely complex one with an almost endless maze of possible courses of actions and desires. 

Was it Paul’s true desire to be rejected by the religious authority to the point of being arrested, beaten, and crucified so that in three days he would also be resurrected?  Or was Paul truly encouraging others to be more deeply embracing of the teachings of Jesus?  Maybe Paul really desired to become an even more encouraging, loving, healing, embracing, and humble teacher.  Or could it be that Paul’s true desire was to become a confrontational prophet, speaking out against those who claiming to be the true agents of God’s judgements?  Is it also possible that Paul had a vision of some combination, of a few or many, of the other terms which could be used to discribe the life and the actions of Jesus?

I believe that Paul was a man gifted with a clear vision of the task of helping all of our brothers and sisters to return to the loving embrace of our Creator.  We are called not to being set apart so that we may be considered special, rather we are called to action.  We are called to help bring our brothers and sisters back into the loving embrace of the family of God.  It is never the desire of a truly loving family to create or enforce isolation.  Rather a loving family truly wants to remain fully connected to each other and richly healthy.

Jesus came to remind us of the truth, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that eveyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”[2]

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[1] Matthew 21:43 NRSV

[2] John 3:16 NRSV

"Words ... or actions?"

Today’s Gospel reading contains a short but very interesting parable which many of us here today have experienced as reality.  The truth is that most of us have, at one time or another, been in one or more of the three principal roles of this parable.  Maybe we were the individual who was responsible for assigning tasks to others, or maybe we were the one to whom a task was being assigned. 

While I was an adult member of the Boy Scouts of America, in the former Adirondack Council, I would on occasion be asked to help with the many spring-time tasks of preparing Camp Bedford for the coming summer camping season.  I remember that one time I had said yes, but then for some reason I didn’t show up.  I can also remember the several times that I had said I was not going to be able to attend, but in the end I was able to work on those days.  And I can also remember the few times when I was asked to organize a work party.  It was really amazing to experience the differences between the feelings felt when seeing someone show up who had at first said no and the feelings felt when not seeing someone who had said yes.

And so we do understand the difference between the son who had said, “’I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went”[1], and the son who had said, “’I go sir’; but he did not go.”[2]  The reality is that each individual had told his father a lie, because their actions did not match their words!  But, there is a sense of reality that allows the first son to experience a “change of heart” in a positive manner, and at the same time does not allow the second son to experience a “change of heart” in a negative manner.  Our common sense of “decency” tells us that the second son should have gone to the father and let him know that he was “changing his mind.”  When I can not show up to an event that I have said I would attend, I have the responsibility to inform the other party of this change.

Without saying it directly, Jesus implies that the chief priests and the elders are not doing the real tasks that God has asked them to do, and that they had promised to do.  At the end of this reading Jesus tells them that they have fallen in the eyes of God far below what these priests and elders would have considered to be the dregs of their own society … they are lower in the eyes of God than the tax collectors and the prostitutes! 

In this reading there is still an interesting point to be made; there is the genuine hope to be found in the presence of God!  Our responsive reading of Psalm 78 verses 1 to 16 reminds us of the many times that God continued to call to the people of Israel to come back into covenant with God self.  Even at the moment of this confrontation between Jesus and the judgmental and sanctimonious individuals he was confronting, there is the clearly implicit opportunity for salvation.

Paul wrote to the faithful community of Philippi, “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.”[3]  We do not live alone; we live within a community, and we are called to continue to live within a community.  We are not to give up hope that any individual is lost to God; rather we are called to reach out to those around us … just as Jesus reaches out to all of us … to all of those who have come before us … and all of those who will come after us. 

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[1] Matthew 21:29b NRSV

[2] Matthew 21:30b NRSV

[3] Philippians 2:4 NRSV

"What was promised to you?"

The standard practice for paying day laborers is to pay first those individuals who were hired at the beginning of the day, and then to continue down the line until you have paid the last people … those who were hired for less than the full day.  But the parable that Jesus was sharing (Matthew 20:1-16) with those who had gathered to hear him was a story which has reversed this long standing practice.  Can you imagine being one of those individuals who was hired at the very start of the day?  Just after the sun rises you are sent into the field to harvest the crop.  When the day’s work is finished and you have lined up to receive your day’s wages, you discover that the owner is going to make you wait until all of the others have been paid.  How dare this owner to pay first the ones who have only work a single hour before he has paid you.  It is an insult that you are made to wait until those who have not worked a whole day are paid before you … and on top of that they are paid a full day’s wage!  If this is true, than the owner must be prepared to pay you so much more … for it would only be fair!

But no … You discover that there is an additional insult; for he is going to pay you the same exact wage as he has paid those who have worked far less than a full day!  Being forced to wait until the lazy ones are paid may have seemed insulting, but now to have the added insult that they have been paid the same as you … this is truly unbearable.

However, at the end of the parable the owner does share a very interesting point with them.  He reminds them that not only did he pay them what he had promise to pay them, but that what he paid the others was not any of their business.  He was reminding them that he had not cheated them, that the payments where made with his treasures, and that he had the right to give away his treausers as he wanted.

After studying this parable, some of us have discovered an additional point to be shared with you.  Had any of those who were hired at the beginning of the day, or any of us, ever consider the fact they had a reward that was in additional to their promised daily wage?  They had the assurance of a day of being paid a full day’s wage.  They knew that they would be able to feed themselves and their loved ones for another day.  Those who were hired at the end of the day, most likely only believed that they would a chance to come back the next day.

With these thoughts behind us now, we can look more closely at what the real intent of the parable is about.  It is all too easy for some within a faith community to believe that there should be special rewards and or privileges for those who have been faithful members for so many years.  After all, if I’ve been a faithful Christian since I was baptized as a child, then I should have a set of honor at God’s banquet table in heaven.  There are those who may even believe that since their grand-parents where founding members of their local house of worship, then they must be entitled to special considerations.  Some individuals even might feel that “outsiders” should not have full membership rights … maybe if their children grow up in the church, then they might be allowed some of the benefits.

Jesus reminds us in this parable that at the end of our time here on earth there will be only one reward … there is no gradation in reward … everyone who has been a faithful believer in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit … everyone who is judged by God as being faithful, will receive eternal life in the presence of God.  That is the reward.

How often should I forgive?

In this morning’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is asked a seemingly simple and straight-forward question by Peter, “How many times should I forgive another member of the church?”  Now, I know for certain that on several different occasions in the past this same kind of question has gone through my own mind.  “How often must I forgive another individual?”

I’m also very impressed that Peter makes a direct reference to the limit of seven times that is mentioned in the Jewish code of ethics.  But then I’m sure I’m not the only one who has trouble forgiving someone who has “sinned” against me more than once.

The answer that was given by Jesus seems at first to be both direct and challenging, but upon reconsideration it seems confussing.  Did he really say to forgive 77 times?  Or are the other transations of this text correct when they claim that Jesus said 70 times 7?  Oh my!  Am I required by the Lord to forgive someone’s trangressions 7 times, 77 times, or 490 times?  And here I thought that forgiving them once might be in certain occations a challenge!

The reality is not about the number of times that we are to forgive, because it’s not about “keeping score.”  It’s all about the real meaning of forgiveness.

All of us gathered here today have forgiven some individuals in the past.  I know that it is often easier for me to forgive total strangers than it has been to forgive someone with whom I have been a fellow employee.  After all, most likely I will never see the stranger again, but I will have to see my fellow-worker time and time again.  A stranger may have brought harm to me without any malace of forethought, but it will always be a question that will fester deep within my thoughts when the offender is someone that I will be seeing day after day.

However, even this rule is not carved in stone, for if the one who has offended is a member of our family then the rules may be different. But even then there is a limit!  Unless of course we are talking about my wife, or one of my children … for they have not even begone to reach the “490 count” yet.  And while we are on this topic, my grandchildren are truly exempted from the issue of counting times that they are forgiven by Poppa … there is no limit for my grandchildren!

Jesus makes it clear that holding a grudge or keeping a record of the times that we have forgiven another is not our task.  Do you remember in this story he shares that the King’s servant owed the King 10,000 talents?  It’s interesting to me that a Talent is 44.9 lbs of refined silver.  This would mean that the servant owes the King 449,000 pounds of silver.  By the way, Herod the Great was only able to raise a total of 900 Talents in taxation a year while he was in power.  And so, the servant owed the King a debt that could not be paid.

After the King forgave the servant, we learn that the servant had another man thrown into prison until he should repay the servant the 100 denarii that he was owed.  Now if a “denarii” was a day’s wages for a common laborer, then this fellow’s debt was but 1/2,000,000^th of the debit that the forgiven man had owed.  And now the real point of the parable is becoming clear … when we have prayed to God for forgiveness of our sins, and received forgiveness from God … how is it possible for us to not be willing to offer forgiveness to any of our brothers or sisters? 

In the parable, when the King learned of the servant’s cold hearted unwillingness to “forgive as he had been forgiven” … the servant was punished to the fullest extent of the law.

How often have we said the word’s of the Lord’s Prayer?  Have we really paused to think for even a moment about the real depth and meaning of those words as we say them?  “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”[1]

In his letter to the faithful community in Rome, Paul wrote, “Why do you pass judgement on your brother or sister?  Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister?  For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”[2]  We are all children of God.  We will all be held accountable for our actions and our inactions by God at the final judgement.  If you’re going to keep score, then be very carefull … and be very ready to pay your own debit.

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[1] The Lord’s Prayer, United Methodist  Hymnal p. 270

[2] Romans 14:10 NRSV

"Live honorably & love your neighbor"

In the reading from Paul’s letter to the faithful community of believers in Rome (13:8-14) we hear an excellent summation of the Ten Commandments, and indeed the entire code of ethics and conduct found within the Hebrew Text and the expanded teachings of Jesus Christ.  Paul wrote, “The commandments … are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” [1]  At first blush these words may sound far too simplistic; almost too easy to be the culmination of centuries of study of cultural and inter-personal relationships … but they are the summation of a deeply thoughtful study and a very complex directive.

I will begin by telling you that my understanding of love is like looking into this tangled web.  I love my wife, I love my children, and I love my grandchildren.  But what does that mean?  What does it mean to love someone?  Loving someone means more than just feeding them when they are hungry, washing them when they are not clean, caring for them when they are sick, or providing them with clothing and shelter.

Loving someone also means more than just embracing them even when there are differences of opinion, reaching out to them even when they are upset with us, or helping them when we believe that the cost may be more than we can endure.

Loving someone can also mean that we are willing to invest in the emotional cost of having to be honest with them when we believe that they have made a mistake.  Loving someone means that we are called upon to reach out to them in the same manner that we would want others to reach out to us; with honesty, with compassion, and with love.

And so we can see that all of the teachings of the Torah, of Jesus, of the Bible, and of all of the other codes of genuine ethics and love are based on the concept of treating others as we would want them to treat us.  Each of us is looking to being treated with dignity, respect, and love even in times of conflict.

And so we may ask, “What is the proper protocol for dealing with a fellow member of the church when we believe that they have done something wrong?”

In this morning’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew (18:15-20) we clearly heard the answer that Jesus gave to his disciples.  If we have been wronged by a fellow member of our worship community, then we are to go to them privately and discuss the matter.  I would also remind us that Jesus is not talking about such things as, “If you think that they may have offended you …” nor did he say, “If they have sinned against another member of the community …” No, we are only to be concerned about those stumbling block which are genuine and the ones that are between ourselves and another person.  

We are encouraged to take positive actions to correct the division rather than allow it to fester until it becomes a wall between ourselves and another member of the community.  And we are encouraged to begin the process in a one on one environment rather than seeking to divide the entire community over a private issue.

And wouldn’t it be truly wonderful if every time we come into such a one on one confrontation it would be resolved?  But the reality is that they are not, and so Jesus tells us that rather than brewing discontent within the community that we should bring one or two others with us for a conference with the one who has sinned against us.  And yet again Jesus reminds that the reality is that even these steps at attempting to deal with conflicts within a faith community are not always going to be successful … and so Jesus instructs that at this point the issue should be brought to the attention of the entire community … “and if the member refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”[2]  Interesting … Did you notice that Jesus did not say to “Throw them out!”  Do you remember with whom Jesus was spending most of his time ministering?  The gentiles and the tax collectors: those who were the outcasts of the Jewish society.

When such a one refuses to listen to us, or two or three of us, or even the entire Church, we are called to continue reaching out to them … to bring them back into the congregation … into our fellowship with each other and with God.  Let us pray …

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[1] Romans 13:9 a&c NRVS

[2] Matthew 18:17b NRSV

Overcome evil with good!

              Upon listening to this morning’s scripture readings, it would seem that we are all too often caught up in a paradox.  The dictionary informs us that the definition of paradox is, “a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true.”[1]

Two of the most critical lessons being taught through-out the history of the world and even still into this present day are: (1) Those who control the most wealth have the most power over everyone else. (2) We are to absolutely show no mercy to those who would dare to oppose us, for they are the true source of evil, and they should be repaid “an eye for an eye!”  And so through-out the centuries humanity has struggled with the concept of one individual controlling vast wealth and resources while thousands or millions of others have starved to death … and I will not even try to recount the millions upon millions who have suffered in the cruel hands of war and ethnic cleansing all in the name of revenge and trying to “keep the evil at bay.”

However, greed and revenge do not have to have the last word.  Nor do they even need to be the driving force within our lives.  We truly do have a choice; we can choose to follow the teachings of this world or we can turn our back on them and chose to follow different goals.

Jesus is asking us a very interesting question this morning, “For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?”[2]  Paul also seems to be addressing the same thought when he wrote, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”[3]  Both of these teachings would seem to placing us at odds with our everyday world for they do not match with what the world has been teaching everyone for centuries. 

I have recently had the pleasure of seeing a movie with my wife and some friends.  If you have not seen the movie or read the book entitled “The Help,” I highly recommend that you take the time to see the film.  There is little doubt about the “clash between the haves and the have nots” in this story.  The image of those who are actively striving to collect as many “things and honors” in their lives is in deep contrast with those who at first blush appear to have nothing. 

However, as the story progresses it becomes very apparent that those who are “holding tightly to the symbols of worldly wealth” are all too willing to use some of the most vile, dispicable, and evil means to gain what they believe to be the greatest treasures of this world.  At the same time, we are shown time again how the love of a child, the encouragement of family, and the trust of companions far out-weigh the all to fleeting treasures of this world.

In closing I would share with you three thoughts.  First, the next time you are at the calling hours for a “wealthy person,” look closely into the coffin … do you see their vast storehouse of treasures going with them?  Of course not; but then why should they be there?  What can any one buy in heaven?

Second, for many of us the greatest treasures in this world are the love and the respect of our family and friends.  For me there is no greater treasure in all of this world than seeing the smile on the face of one of my grandchildren when they see Poppa!

Third – I would remind all of us of a statement that has been attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”  I have discovered that the truest form of grace is to always trust and believe that we can overcome evil with good.

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[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paradox

[2] Matthew 16:26a NRSV

[3] Romans 12:21 NRSV