Pentecost 23 C Sermon: Zacchaeus

Luke 19:1-10

 1 He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”   Luke 19:1-10 (NRSV)

Sermon

All who saw it began to grumble.

        When I was young and single working at my first job…in North Battleford…many of my co-workers were also young and single.  We spent a significant amount of time together…after work.  At least once a week we ate out at local restaurants.  We got to know the serving staff and they got to know us quite well… Because of this the service was generally quite good… However, one of our group was never completely satisfied… Before we could even settle ourselves he began grumbling…He grumbled about the service… about the food…about anything else he could think of… He always had to modify to menu items or give detailed instructions on how it should be prepared… Frequently he sent food back to the kitchen when he was not satisfied… He made a point of wiping the dish washer spots off of his cutlery…and he talked out of the side of his mouth about the service…and refused to leave a tip.

        I suspected that he thought that he was making constructive comments which improve the quality of service.  But course the grumbling had an unintended effect… It did not improve service for him…in fact it did just the opposite… Even if he was the first to order…often he was the last to get his meal…sometimes the order was forgotten… or it was mixed up… He got mashed instead of fries…gravy or no gravy.  In sharp contrast… service to the rest of the group was very good… food was delivered quickly and with a big smile… And often everyone was almost done eating their meal… when his finally arrived.

        Because of his constant grumbling the rest of our group attempted to distance ourselves from the grumbler.  We tried to sit at the far end of the table…so we would not have to hear the grumbling.  And we never grumbled about our meals even if something was not quite right.  And because we felt embarrassed for the server… we all left more generous tips …then we may have on different occasions… For us being in the presence of a grumbler… was an uncomfortable experience.

Today Jesus too hears from grumblers… Many are the people who have spent a large amount of time with him. They have answered his call and are following him on his journey to Jerusalem…  On the way…they have heard him tell parables about Lost Sheep and Lost Coins… about an unjust judge and the poor widow … about poor Lazarus and the rich man…about the Pharisee and the poor tax collector.  They have accompanied Jesus….who heals forgotten shunned Lepers even a foreign one.  They think that they have it all figured out… Jesus is a David and Goliath personality… He forgives sinners while being critical prominent religious authorities…He is on the side of poverty against riches… he sides with the insignificant against the prominent…

With this wonderful knowledge…they follow Jesus through the streets of Jericho.  The come upon Zacchaeus a prominent chief tax collector…”bad”…he is rich…“bad” … He collects tax for the evil Roman Empire…  Therefore this is an easy one…it is easy to know who Jesus will side with… To their astonishment Jesus speaks with Zacchaeus and even invites himself to his house.  How can he do this?  Jesus has jumped outside of the boundaries that he seems to have been building.  He crosses over to the side of the very people who have drawn his criticism.  “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Shame… Shame… Shame…

Note…different to other encounters that Jesus has with other grumblers…today he seems not to hear them… All of his attention is focused on Zacchaeus… We can imagine him sighing contentedly and smiling broadly… as he pronounces; “Today salvation has come to this house,” while the grumblers are left to wonder about this new revelation about Jesus.

Sometimes we too wonder about Jesus… As his followers do… we too assume that we have it all figured out… We too assume that Jesus’ love is limited to those who need him most…the poor… the oppressed…the sick…to the widow.  We also assume that Jesus also has a special love for those of us who have been especially faithful disciples.  But today Jesus surprises us… and shows us one more time that his care is not limited… It is not limited to Jesus’ followers… It is not limited to the disadvantaged…

While his care is for everyone close to him… it is not limited to us… In fact Jesus’ care has no limits.  Jesus has come to seek out and to save the lost.  Jesus is on a constant mission to seek out and save all of the lost…not just some of the lost… and they don’t to be a member of any group to make their salvation more assured. Today even though a curious Zacchaeus climbs a tree trying to see who is passing…it is Jesus who opens the conversation between them… It is Jesus who invites himself into his home and then into the heart of Zacchaeus.  The attention and smile Jesus gives drowns out the grumbling noises.  Jesus silences the noises… Jesus cares… Jesus honors… and Jesus brings salvation today.

Being called down and given the honor to host Jesus in his house… is a life changing experience for Zacchaeus.  Suddenly the usual things of his life can no longer be the same.  Suddenly he is able to see things differently than before.  He sees his own riches…in relation to what others have around him.  He is moved to compassionately share with the poor.  He is also moved to rectify any harm he has caused people.  Not only does salvation come to his house today… but salvation also comes to his community.

Today as Zacchaeus does…let our curiosity open our eyes to look for our Savior… And let our ears be open to the invitation from Jesus to fully enter into our lives.  And let us open our hearts to understand our world differently.  Then let us open our selves to be used to bring salvation to our world.  Thank be to God.  Amen

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Pentecost 22 C Sermon: The Tax Collector and the Pharisee

Luke 18:9-14

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Sermon

What’s in a label?

When Sylvia and I were a much younger married couple… we attended a few Shivery celebrations for other couple who were married.  One of our favorite activities was to bring gifts of canned goods with the labels removed…  We always brought a variety of cans…fruit, soup, pork and beans, and so on… We also liked getting into their pantry to remove the label on their cans.  Of course we can imagine the adventure … when they opened them for a meal.

This morning I want us to consider labeling or brand name products in another way:

Soup:  Campbell’s tomato vs No Name or Harmony Tomato

Jeans:  Gap, Levi Strauss vs No name Jeans

Tools:  Lee Valley Tools or Makita vs King or Superior tools.

If the products are side by side and are the same price which do we choose first? Why?

Similar to the way we label products such as; clothing, tools, or food products… people are often also labeled.  Recently we have had a significant number of stories about refugees who are seeking refuge in Canada.  During the last two years two boats of Tamil refugees from Indonesia have come to our country… In Indonesia… the ethnic Tamils have lived in certain areas of the country for centuries…and have never wanted to be assimilated into the Indonesian population … For many years the Tamil people have wanted an independent state.  Their desire escalated into armed conflict…with the Indonesian government.  Last year the Tamil people’s resistant movement was finally defeated by the Indonesian Government soldiers… 

Their government has labeled all ethnic Tamil people as terrorist enemies of the state…and has displaced them from their traditional territory…  Individual Tamil people are all painted with the same brush… In the view of their government: Being Tamil is equated to being a treasonous terrorist…and in their traditional homeland they live in constant fear of their own government.  Some have chosen to spend all of their savings desperately hoping to find new and safe places… like Canada… to raise their families… But many Canadian people have heard the descriptive labels these people carry…and are afraid that they will contaminate our land.  Without much thought they want to refuse entry to them.

        Members of this congregation…have been involved with other refugee families…from different parts of the world.  In Shell Lake; a Bosnian family… in North Battleford; Vietnamese, Bosnian, and El Salvadorian families… in Calgary Somali families have all sought refuge…and they have become our friends.  We have visited and helped them settle into our country.  We have also discovered that most of them do not fit the descriptions with which they have been labeled…in their countries of origin…  We have found them to be honest hard working members of our society when they settle in Canada.  

        Today Jesus reveals a similar labeling experience.  A respected and prominent religious leader…with a strong clear voice…prays a prayer of thanksgiving… However, prayer does not thank God for the gifts which God gives him.  He does not thank God for giving him opportunities to serve God or his fellow man.  He uses lot of words about his own goodness… In addition to proclaiming his own goodness… the Pharisee cannot contain himself.  Seeing the tax collector on the fringe… trying not to be noticed…ready to flee from the temple… but desperate for a word of forgiveness… the prominent “Holy Man” instead contemptuously points him out and labels him with names like rogue, thief, and adulterer… With his insulting labels…he hopes the tax collector…this shameful sinner … will flee and not return to God’s Holy house.  

        Before we become too hard on the Pharisee…we ought step back for a moment and consider our own evaluation of him.  As we listen to the story we may just be praying our own thanksgiving prayer; “Thank you God for teaching us about humility… and for appreciating your love for us.  We thank you that we are not proud and arrogant like those Pharisees.”  In judging him…we have become him.  By labeling him with labels which make him unworthy of God’s love…we are no different…from him.

        Like the Pharisee…as members of the Christian Church …we have often considered that our relationship with God is better than people from other faiths.  Like the Pharisee… we make comparisons… We say that we are not war-like as those Muslims…but our armies occupy their lands… limiting their freedoms… and imposing our will on them.  Like the Pharisee we judge people…in our community… in our country… and in the world… We have labels for many of them…  Like the Pharisee… labels as with soup and tools they are applied for the purpose of drawing distinctions between valued and non-valued… In human terms…they are intended to shame and silence… to put people in there places.

        Today Jesus tells us what he thinks of this practice of labeling.  He tells this story for any people who trust in themselves and regard others with contempt… He is especially concerned when people doing the labeling are prominent citizens of the community, or prominent members of the church.  In his story Jesus illustrates that our outward holiness, our ritual piety, and our dedication to the church is unimportant in the eyes of God.  God does not set any one person aside or apart and bless them more highly from another.  In God’s eyes there is only one label… which is the same for all people… That label is; “You are my beloved”.  When we use any shaming labels for any of God’s beloved… God is grieved by our intent to hurt.  And even though God continues loving us…God is disappointed with our actions… and sometimes needs to get our attention.

        To his amazement the Pharisee learns of God’s disappointment.  The tax collector…on who he has heaped his scornful labels… knows that he is a sinner… and he accepts the Pharisee’s criticisms… knowing them to be true… However, he does the unexpected… He does not let the shame of his sins…push him away from God… He does not accept the labels in silence… and does not leave the temple in shame never to return.  Instead the tax collector finds his voice… and he speaks directly to God… the one who loves him saying; “God be merciful to me a sinner.”  God hears and God forgives him…and he went down to his house knowing God’s forgiveness…and knowing God’s true love for him.

        Today Jesus calls to live out God’s love in the world… and to think with care about the people around us.  He calls on us to see them as God does …people that God loves… and to label them as God does; “Loved by God.”  Jesus calls on us to find our voices… to speak for and support those who have received shaming labels.  And most certainly we are called to confess our sins though they may be many… saying “God be merciful to me a sinner.”  …knowing with confidence that our loving God will forgive.  Let this be so. Amen

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Pentecost 21 C Sermon: The Widow and the Judge

Luke 18:1-8

1 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:1-8 (NRSV)

Sermon

“Give me justice…Give me justice…Give me justice!!!”

This past Wednesday while getting ready for Bible study…on CBC radio I heard a most astonishing interview …which has a very similar story line to today’s gospel… The interview was with Eva Gabrielson… the widow of Stieg Larson… Some may ask; “Who is Stieg Larson?”…and it was also my question.  Apparently he is a famous Swedish writer… who wrote a number of best selling books…known as the Millennium Trilogy including “The Woman with the Dragon Tattoo”.  Apparently Stieg died suddenly at age fifty without a will.  Although they had lived together and were devoted to each other for more than thirty years…Stieg and Eva had never officially married. 

In our Canadian system… the widow… whether married or common law partner… is entitled to the estate… However in Sweden… which has the reputation of being one of the most socially progressive counties in the world… this is not so.  According to the law of the land… Stieg’s substantial estate was given to his closest relatives…his father and his brother… who have turned Stieg’s intellectual property into a fortune. 

With interest I listened how Eva had met with Government representatives…who expressed their complete disbelief that such laws were still in effect in their country.  Wherever she is and whenever there is an opportunity…Eva has not reminded silent … she continually calls out for justice…for women in her position…  In the interview it was unclear whether the law makers of Sweden have changed their laws to give property right to common law wives… But her opponents…Stieg’s father and brother…have been worn down by her continual call for justice… While not wanting to completely relinquish their windfall profits…hoping to silence her…they have offered Eva a modest cash settlement out of their earnings.  She has neither accepted their offer…nor has she remained silent…

        When considering the Biblical widow and her approach to her problem…the follow words have been used to describe her:  Doggedly determined, persistent, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, nag, stubborn, shrill, like a broken record… I am sure that we could come up with even more descriptive words based on her historical situation.  In her day women were not allowed a voice in the court.  Only men could speak…women were to await and accept the outcome …of court proceedings.  Because this woman speaks out of turn… and refuses to be silenced…the expanded list of descriptive words grow to include: brazen, she doesn’t know her place, shameless, shameful, forward, who does she think she is?…and so on.  Overwhelmingly the words which describe her have less than flattering meanings. 

These are the same words used to describe Canadian women Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, who continuously called on the Canadian Government for just voting rights … during the forty years… between 1878 to 1918…until women finally received the right to vote.  The women who marched for women’s liberation were described using the same words. And similar words were used to describe Martin Luther King Junior and other civil rights leaders who call for just rights for African American people.  In his letter from Birmingham Jail…Martin Luther King Jr. responds to words from clergy meant to shame him into silence.  Here is a very short excerpt of it.

My Dear Fellow Clergymen:

While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities “unwise and untimely.”

We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was “well timed” in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word “Wait!” It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This “Wait” has almost always meant “Never.” We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.”

We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God given rights.

Through the words of the Biblical testimony God continually instructs the people about their responsibilities toward those who are oppressed.  Moses reminds them that in Egypt they were slaves…and now that they are free it is their dutiful response to ensure that never happens within their new found freedom… It is their duty to look out and care for those who might be exploited or oppressed in their midst. (the widow, the foreigner, and the orphan)  In the parable Jesus tells today it is obvious that the judge and the widow’s opponent have forgotten or disregarded God’s expectations for them.  The judge even admits it in his words; “I have not fear of God, and no respect for anyone.”  Her opponent knows that she is a widow and has no husband to speak for her in front of the judge…so she cannot defend herself in court. He knows that in the absence of counter arguments… he can twist and use the laws of the court to treat her unjustly…and to shame her into silent acceptance.

But the words of God are fulfilled in Jesus.  As he read to the people of his home town; “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19 (NRSV)  He comes to proclaim the LORD’s favor, release the captive, and let the oppressed go free.  So today Jesus opens the mouth of the widow… She may sound shrill like a squeaky wheel, or like a nagging broken record…Or she may act outside the boundaries of her community; brazenly and shamefully speaking when her gender is supposed to be silent.  And through her persistence and dogged determination…God’s will for justice is done.  She is freed from the oppression of her opponent.

        This parable is a story about our world which is repeated.  Injustice continues on a daily basis.  People are still brushed aside and are expected to remain silent.  When they finally gather the courage to raise their voices they are ignored or shamed into silence.  We have the present story of Eva Gabrielson, past stories of women’s rights, past stories of American Civil Rights, and we continue hearing stories where injustice prevails today.  The parable is not about justice just for the one widow…here or there…

Rather it is about God’s expectation for justice for all who are oppressed…whether they are sons and daughters in our land…whether they are citizens languishing in foreign prisons…whether they are a foreigner looking for a safe refuge to live in peace.  When the oppressed are shamed into silence…God expects the rest to speak loudly… shrilly …and shamelessly saying; “Give Justice,” “Give Justice”, Give Justice.” Until those withholding it are worn down.  Amen

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Pentecost 20 C Sermon

2King 5: 1-4, 9-15

Psalm 111

2 Timothy 2:8-15

Luke 17:11-19

 Sermon

“Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

We like this story. It is a story of Jesus accepting and showing compassion for someone…who is not from the in crowd.  On a number of levels Jesus should not be concerned about him…he should not even be talking to the man.  This leper is from the unclean crowd… According to religious laws of the day…unclean and diseased people were sinful and therefore under God’s punishment…  In world of Bible times lepers were forced to live in separate communities apart from normal healthy citizens.  By law they were not to approach or touch a healthy person… In addition…to the disease this particular leper is a foreigner…a Samaritan…with a different religious history…and observances.  His kind…foreigners and diseased unclean… are unwelcome both by society and by the religious priests.  We like this story because Jesus shows compassion to this unfortunate man who has been rejected by everyone around him.  It is a story in which we can point to and say; “That is what our God is like…we are grateful to have a God who care so deeply…even for those who are less fortunate…even for me.”

We also like the Naaman story… It has many similarities… Naaman is also a foreigner.  He also has the dreaded leprosy… and he is also cured of the disease by the man of God…without having to be touched… And after being healed… he also praises God…  

Even though similarities are present…we like this story for different reasons! … We like it because…rather than Naaman’s faith that he could be healed by God… a little slave girl who has faith in God…and has courage to suggest a cure.  …We like this story… because… Naaman …the enemy general even with his arrogance and sense of entitlement… is still cured by God.  We like it because Naaman has to eat some crow… and recognize and give praise to the right God.  For us it is more about how God’s power is present in spite of the skepticism and anger…which Naaman directs toward God’s prophet.  We would want to say about this healing; “It would serve Naaman right if God did nothing to help him.”

        How we like or are partial to these two similar but very different stories… describes conflicting ways in which we view the world.  When we hear stories from distance…the distance of the past…or even from a distant location… we have similar reactions as we do for these two stories.  We have compassion for those poor people living in poverty in the horn of Africa…Central America…or India.  And we revere those who like Mother Theresa…who have dedicated their lives to working among those poor souls…who are suffering.  We contribute to the ‘Grandmothers for Grandmothers’ campaign to help African grandmothers raise their grandchildren… who are orphaned by AIDS… These world situations stir in us similar feelings of sympathy and compassion found in the story of the Samaritan leper and Jesus.  We are proud and happy about missionaries and activists…who have answered God’s call and have faithfully lived their vows of service…

        In real life…we also have similar reactions to the reactions we have for Naaman … We view celebrities and world leaders with skepticism and a certain amount of distaste.  We object to their arrogance…their superiority… and their expectations of other people…especially their expectations for those who…in their eyes… are less important.  We smile when a rich heiress or movie star gets into trouble for driving while impaired.  We are drawn to stories…about the prim and proper English royal family… stories which show them not to be so proper after all.  We celebrate when rich and powerful Corporate Executive Officers of large companies are caught with their hands in the cookie jar.  We like seeing people who have flaunted their power, their riches, their fame, or heritage… put into a more humbling place… And we find ourselves saying; “It serves them right!”

        But our reactions to these two stories are not as simple as that.  When the distance of time or the physical distance of these stories are taken away…often we have very different reactions.  When we see poverty and disease from a closer perspective…quite often we are less compassionate.  We are not as nearly thankful that God is giving us opportunities to live lives of service.  Instead, we see people who for one reason or other are the authors of their own misfortune… we see people too lazy to work… We see people who have allowed alcohol or drugs to take control of their lives.  While we have compassion for AIDS victims in Africa…at home we blame it on life-style choices…which are undeserving of our help.  When it is close we are not so compassionate…about poverty or disease.

        Our reaction to the rich and powerful is also not always as clear either.  When distance is removed when the powerful and influential are close by… Thousands come out to see the Queen or other spoiled members of the royal family… We sometimes try getting closer or to impress powerful and influential people hoping for a job…or hoping that in our closeness to them… some power and influence may rub off on us.  Even though we dislike the entitlement and arrogance… which often accompany power and riches…we allow our pursuit of money to change the people we are.  When it is close we are drawn in by the prospect of power and riches.

        When it comes to relationships with God…another story is prevalent.  Often we assume that our relationship or the way we understand God is better than other people’s.  We think that the way we worship is better than the way others worship.  We think that God loves people like us best.  But today in both the story about Naaman and about the Samaritan leper…we are surprised and astonished by God’s actions.  Naaman…a successful commander… is from Damascus in Aram or present day Syria… Naaman is a commander for the enemy armies…of God’s chosen people in Israel.  And the story read today…his success has been because… because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram.  In one of his successful raids he had even stole a young girl from Israel.  Now…even though he shows no faith… God heals him…so that he will be able continue having success.

        Secondly, the Samaritan leper who comes from a different faith background…having a different way of worshipping…according to Jesus’ words is healed because of his faith. 

        God gives victory and healing to an enemy commander with no faith.  And God gives healing to another insignificant foreigner whose faith practices are different.

        Today…through the work of Jesus… we see God’s narrative about our world… in a form we sometimes forget. Today God surprises us on all accounts… According to God’s narrative the unexpected ones…the alien/foreigner …the widow…and the orphan… are people worthy of God’s attention.  Those who have not standing within the circles of power and influence…within a community… within a country… within the world…all have standing with God.  They are all important members of God’s kingdom… And God gives us opportunities to live according to God’s story for the world.

        Today let us open our hearts to God’s narrative for the world… Let us be ever thankful for all the blessings we have been given.  Let us also see to opportunities God give us to be generous with our blessings.  And let us open our hearts to imagine what is on God’s mind for everyone.  And let us open our hands to be the hands of God.  Thanks be to God. Amen

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Pentecost 19 C Sermon: Faith of a Mustard Seed

Luke 17:5-10

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. 7 “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? 8 Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? 9 Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'” 

Sermon

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 

Christians are quite preoccupied by having faith.  Having faith implies that we trust in God.  When Martin Luther was a young monk in a monastery he struggled hard to trust God.  Worried about whether he could ever do enough to please God… He rose early each morning and worked hard each day…until in a state of complete exhaustion he fell again into his bed… But even though he worked very hard…and even though he tried very hard to do all the right things to please God… Martin never felt that he had done enough.  He was unable to have faith that his hard work was enough to please God.  He knew that God is merciful and kind…but he was really worried about whether he would ever be able to do sufficient number of good works to measure up to God’s expectations.

One day when reading in the Bible, he read his now famous enlightenment.  The righteous are justified by grace through faith…  To his shock he discovered that he just needed to have faith and believe in God and he would be saved.  A great weight of having to do something good to earn his salvation was lifted off Luther’s shoulders.

But having faith is still hard to achieve…especially the faith Jesus describes today…  We imagine what we could do…if we only had faith… even a little faith…the size of a mustard seed… like he describes for the disciples. “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

 However, his simple comparison only serves to illustrate the minute size and extent of our faith.  We have never seen a tree uproot and plant itself…without the aid of a very strong wind.  This reply of Jesus to his disciples is such a deflating reply.  It is pretty obvious for us that we don’t even have faith which is the size of a mustard seed… So like the disciples…we are worried about whether it is possible for us to increase our faith large enough and good enough to please God.

Our problem has become one of exchanging one good work for another work…called faith.  Similar to Luther’s worried about whether he had worked hard enough to please God…we now worry whether we have enough faith.  We have turned having faith into a commodity…

This is not Jesus intent…He does not intend for us to use this example for measuring our faith… Rather, Jesus uses this illustration showing us the complete difference… that having faith has for each of our lives and for the world.

For Luther when the light came on… he realized that he could not do one thing which would invoke God’s mercy toward him or anyone else.  He learned that God is already full of mercy… Rather than trying to work ourselves up to God’s level… God always comes down… In fact God has never been up there some place in heaven or at a distance…God has always been among us… and unbelievably Luther learned that God is thousands of times more ready to forgive than to punish.  Suddenly we have learned that faith is not just another work to try and get God’s approval.  Rather it is a state of being…trusting and knowing that God wants the very best for each of us…so we no longer need to worry about being punished.

When we no longer have to worry about our own personal salvation…everything changes for us.  It is comparable to the uprooting and planting of a tree… No longer having to worry about God’s punishment… we see our God…who loves… who saves… and who frees… As ones who are freed…we also see the world differently… If God’ is present and does all these things for us…will God not also do the same for all other people.

Today…besides this tree picture… Jesus gives us another more concrete glimpse of what true faith may look like.  Whenever he wants us to consider any questions… which apply directly to his listeners… Jesus begins with a question inviting us to think carefully about what he wants us to consider.  He invites us to sit up and take note asking; “Who among you would…”…”Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’?”  For us… the picture of the owner and the worker eating together is completely normal… We have grown up in Western Canada…where table hospitality is highly valued… We truly want everyone to feel welcome at our tables… But we also know that table hospitality is not always as equal as it appears… I know women who will not sit to eat until everyone has taken what they want… Their chairs are placed close to the kitchen so they can quickly get more food, salt and pepper, or the desert… Sometimes they will hover and not sit down to eat until everyone has had their fill.  Our catering women do get to eat at the events they cater for…but they are expected to eat after the guests have gone through the line… And on rare occasions not all the dishes are available when it is finally their turn… It is normal for even our culture to overlook and miss unequal table hospitality.

But Jesus is not just critiquing table hospitality… between master and slave… After-all he is answering the disciple’s request; “Increase our faith.”  Rather in his question…Jesus is challenging those listening…about what is normal for them…and to imagine the changes God desires.  And mostly he is challenging them… to have faith to change their system to match God’s imaginings.

Not only does God imagine the difference…but God begins this imagining process by sending Jesus into the world… which has not yet changed.  Jesus the son of God…is not born into royalty… but is born into a poor ordinary family.  Jesus the son of God takes on human form…and as a servant or slave is obedient…he is obedient… As he is speaking Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem…to his destiny with the cross.  Paul says: “Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave. In human form he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death… even death on the cross.” 

Jesus has faith that his work will lead to something good… He humbles himself showing us how passionate he is about his care and concern… And he has faith that God will lift him up for what he does for us and the whole world.

But Jesus does not just challenge his disciples.  Today he also challenges us asking the sit up and take note question; “Who among you/us…operate according to the norms of your/our society…without seeing how they are hurting members of it?  Who among us have faith to see things the way God sees them?  Who among us…have the faith of a mustard seed…and are ready to give up what enslaves us and what enslaves members of our society?

As the disciples ask…let us also ask God for our faith to increase… Let our faith be open to huge changes that this increased faith will make in our lives… And let our faith uproot the inequalities of our communities and plant new seeds of faith for the world.  Let it be so.  Amen

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