"Then he said to them: ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven…" (Luke 21:10-11)

The text for Sunday comes from the 21st chapter of Luke where Jesus talks about the signs of the end of the age.  Really upbeat and happy stuff 😉 … (especially the text I started with today).  But I do have a point so hang on a second.

As I was pondering this text I started thinking about Christmas…Yup that’s right…Christmas.  Next Thursday is Thanksgiving – the unofficial start of the Christmas season (or as far as I am concerned…THE official start of the Christmas season).  For the past couple months I have been wanting to shout out at the likes of Wal-Mart and Target for putting out Christmas stuff already and playing Christmas music.  "Christmas hasn’t started yet!!!"  But of course no one would listen to me.  But once Thanksgiving is here…watch out.

For many people this means the "unofficial" start of Christmas shopping (even though my wife has been Christmas shopping for months now).  For my wife and I Thanksgiving weekend means putting up the Christmas tree, decorating the house and loading the CD player with Christmas CDs.  It means starting to plan for our holiday open house, thinking hard about Advent and pulling out my Santa hat.  Thanksgiving weekend is a HUGE sign for me and for many people that Christmas is coming.

But the problem comes in when we focus too much on the signs and not enough on what the signs are pointing to.  We focus too much on finding the perfect gift, planning the perfect Christmas party, planning the family gathering at grandma’s house, and running the kids to Christmas program practices.  Many people experience stress, depression and maybe even anxiety.  The signs of Christmas are there, but what are the signs pointing to:  The coming of the Christ Child.  God’s love in the form of a little baby.  God coming to live among us.  God hearing the cry of creation.  Thanksgiving weekend is more than a sign to begin preparations, it "unofficially" points us to the greatest gift of all…JESUS CHRIST.

"All people will hate you because of me.  But not a hair on your head will perish.  By standing firm you will gain life." (Luke 21:17-18)

After all those signs Jesus tells the disciples about…in the end is life everlasting.  Our thoughts, words and actions should be focused on that.  Our LIVES should be focused on that.  People have been saying for centuries that the signs of the end are here so repent and believe.  That is fine and dandy, but focus not on the signs but on the gift of life we have in Christ; the love of God and eternal life.  As for me signs can come and go, but I will life for Christ and see that as many people as possible know Him.

Begin, continue or whatever, your preparations.  But know this…Christ is coming and that is GOOD NEWS.  Let’s celebrate THAT!

Praise be to God and Amen!

-edh-

The Gospel text for this Sunday (21st Sunday after Pentecost) is from Luke 18:1-8.  This is a parable told by Jesus about a persistent widow and an unjust judge.  It is also a parable that contains a haunting question.

We have a judge who neither feared God or cared about people.  Basically, he was in it for the money; looking out for number one.  We also have a widow who is experiencing an injustice of some kind perpetrated by another.  So the widow goes to the judge, but the judge does not want to be bothered with petty things.  But unfortunately for this judge, this widow is feisty.  She keeps bugging him until finally he grants her the justice she is looking for; just to get her off his back.  Jesus then tells his disciples to notice what the UNJUST judge does.  Now…how much more will God give justice to His children who cry out to God day and night?  "I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly." (18:8)

Now comes the haunting question – one that has always bothered me:  "However, (don’t you just hate it when you hear that word) when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (18:8).  I hear this nice parable about prayer and not giving up.  I am reassured that God does hear my prayers and that they don’t fall on deaf ears.  Justice is proclaimed to God’s children.  "However… (there’s that word again) "…when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth."  Now what?  Is this a warning not to give up?

I am wondering…

In the Old Testament text, Jacob is wrestling with God and in the end, his persistence is rewarded with a blessing.  Had Jacob given up after his hip was "wrenched", I am willing to bet he would not have received the blessing he was looking for.  In the Gospel text, the widow is experiencing an injustice, so she cries for help.  Had the woman lost faith and given up, the justice she was seeking would not have been given.

So…

Is this a statement about persistence in our faith, not just prayer?  I think it might be.  Hear me out here.  It has been 2000 years since Jesus died and rose and promised to return again.  People have prayed and waited for Jesus.  But now, are we growing too complacent?  Have people grown tired of waiting?  Have we grown sick of praying for world peace only to see wars and conflicts escalate?  Maybe this text is a reminder that God has not forgotten about us.  God has and is granting justice for us through Jesus Christ.  And in due time, will we receive the ultimate blessing that has been promised to us.  But when Jesus returns, will he find people waiting for him, or will he find people who have given up; who have stopped being persistent?

As Christians we are to continually pray for peace and justice.  "Pray without ceasing" we are taught.  Seek God.  Be still and know that God is God.  Don’t grow tired of waiting, but rejoice in the promise.  Rejoice in the blessing.  This life is but a fleeting moment compared to eternity with God in heaven.

"However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" — I sincerely hope so.  This haunting question is now beginning to serve as a proclamation of Good News.  Jesus IS coming.  God HAS NOT forgotten about us.  So…be persistent and know that God is listening.  Justice is indeed on the way.  Praise God always and forever!  Amen!

-edh-

The Gospel text for this Sunday (20th Sunday after Pentecost) comes from Luke 17:11-19.  This is the story of the ten healed of leprosy. 

Jesus is traveling along, on his way to Jerusalem, along the Galilee/Samaria boarder, when he comes across 10 individuals suffering with leprosy.  Unlike Naaman in 2 Kings 5, these lepers had to keep their distance and shout out to get Jesus’ attention – "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" (Lk 17:13)  Being a leper, you were an out cast.  If anyone came close by you had to shout out, in warning, that you were a leper.  To come in contact with a leper would make one "unclean" whether you contracted the disease or not.  So people kept their distance.

Upon hearing these ten lepers call out to him, Jesus says (maybe from a distance – we don’t know) to "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  This was to be in compliance to the Jewish law.  If you were unclean, and were healed or made clean in someway, you had to show yourself to the priest and "officially" be declared clean.  So…the lepers did what they were told…or least 9 of them did.

One of the healed lepers came back.

Upon coming back, this healed leper (who had not been "officially" declared clean) threw himself at Jesus feet.  [I like that phrase, "threw himself" — I picture Jim Carey grabbing himself and throwing himself to the ground in a comical, Gumby-like style :)]  Anyway…the leper threw himself at the feet of Jesus to thank him (praising God in a loud voice while on his way to Jesus).  At this display Jesus wonders where the other 9 are.  "Were not all 10 cleansed?" (Lk. 17:17)  After Jesus finishes pondering he says to the healed leper, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (Lk 17:19)

Thoughts from my pondering brain:
(1) Didn’t the other 9 do exactly what they were told?  Yet Jesus is saddened by the fact they did not come back to praise God.

(2) In Matthew 8, Mark 1 and Luke 5 Jesus came across a leper but this time he touched him in order to heal him.  In this text there is no indication that Jesus came close to the leper, but rather gave an instruction (Naaman was healed in a similar way).  This seems to indicate something significant to ponder…hmmm…

(3) The healed leper who returned to praise God and thank Jesus received an additional healing: "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."  I think this healing took place as soon as his physical infirmity was healed; as soon as he realized that it was God who healed him.  Jesus just affirmed that fact and sent him off as a disciple (I say disciple because I am willing to bet this healed leper went out to tell people about this Jesus).

(4) I think Luke is going after the Jews of the time.  Of the ten lepers that were healed, a Samaritan (foreigner) come back to praise God and thank Jesus.  In Luke 10 it is a Samaritan that shows mercy to the beaten traveler.  In Luke 4 Jesus says that during Elisha’s time there were many people who had leprosy, but only Naaman, a foreigner, was healed.  I see this as Luke’s way of saying that God’s gift of faith is for ALL people – not just for a select few.

What are some of your ponderings?  What did YOU hear in this text? 

Common threads (Between 2 Kings 5 and Luke 17:11-19)
(1) Naaman and the 10 lepers were healed through a word and obedience.
(2) The gift of healing came to two people who "should not have been healed" – "foreigners".  God’s grace is for all.

These two texts give us a lot to think about.  But what ever you come away with, know this:  God’s grace is sufficient FOR YOU.  Have a joyous and blessed day.  Amen!

-edh-

The 19th Sunday after Pentecost brings with it the scripture texts from:  Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Psalm 37:1-9; 2 Timothy 1:1-14 and Luke 17:5-10.  I am not sure what text I will be preaching on but a number of questions and thoughts came to mind this morning in reading (and discussing) Luke 17 at text study.  I am sure others will pop up during the week but for now this is what I am pondering.  Please leave a comment and let me (and everyone else who stops) know what you are pondering in relation to Luke 17 or the others listed above.

First let’s read the text from Luke 17:5-10:
"The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" 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. "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’? 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’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 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!’" "  (Citation: Luke 17:5-10; NRSV)

(1) "Increase our faith" — This is a curious request by the disciples.  Right before this request Jesus is talking about forgiveness.  Jesus says, "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.  If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent’, forgive him." (Luke 17:3-4)  I wonder if the disciples were thinking, "Forgive him?  I don’t know if I can do that.  Hey Jesus…help us out and increase our faith".  I mean…an increase in faith would definitely help in forgiving a person who sins against you seven times in ONE DAY.  Right? 

I wonder though…do we really want Jesus to "increase our faith"?  On the Crossmarks Christian Resources website, Brian Stoffregen comments on this request from the disciples (page to the bottom of the page).  What would happen if Jesus were to "increase our faith"? We would be more dutiful servants; more dutiful in attending worship; more generous in giving, etc.  Do we really want that?  Do we really want our lives to change that drastically?  Its an intriguing thought.

(2) Jesus response to the disciple’s request.  Jesus said that if they had the faith the size of a mustard seed (the smallest of all seeds) then they could uproot a mulberry tree (a tree with strong roots and nearly impossible to uproot) and toss it out in the sea.  So I am wondering:  If we had even a little faith, does that mean we could easily forgive our neighbor if they sin against us seven times in a day?  Does this indicate that our faith is not big enough; that our only hope is to rely on the grace of God in Jesus Christ?  Maybe if we had faith the size of a mustard seed we would not need to rely on Jesus – we would be able to handle the requirements of the Law on our own.  Hmmm…any thoughts on this?

(3) 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!’"  The question that was asked this morning is this — What do we really expect for being faithful to Christ?  This got me thinking:  Are there people around us (maybe even ourselves) that serve Christ expecting a reward of some sort?  This would imply that discipleship is a choice of some sort and if you choose to "do it" then a reward will be given to you (eternal life, maybe a corner room in God’s mansion, or a life time membership at the Holy Heaven Links and Country Club).  But Jesus says, "Do what you are commanded to do. You are unworthy, but guess what, that’s fine because I have done the hard work for you already.  I have died and risen from the grave so you can have eternal life.  Now…go out there and "Just do it".

Maybe it is not a matter of wishing we had more faith but just doing what we have been commanded to do; living in the knowledge that nothing we do will ever be good enough to merit salvation.  But that is fine because we live with a God of grace.  Our faith does not need to increase to the size of a mustard seed because we have Jesus.  We will slip and fall.  We will make mistakes.  We will hold grudges.  And we will turn away from Christ.  But in the end…God still loves us and offers us forgiveness.  God’s grace is indeed sufficient for us.

So…maybe the phrase for the day is:  Just do it and place your hope in Jesus.  Hmmm…

Those are just my initial ponderings.  What are yours?

-edh-

It has been way too long since I wrote a "text study" post.  It is not because I have not been doing text study each week it’s because…well…I don’t know why.  Oh well…I guess I won’t try to explain.

The Gospel text for this coming Sunday (18th Sunday after Pentecost) is from Luke 16:19-31.  Here Jesus tells the story (parable) of a rich man and Lazarus (not to be confused with the Lazarus Jesus raised from the dead in the Gospel of John).  Actually the name "Lazarus" means "Helped by God".  Maybe this is something that helps…I don’t know.  In any case, there is a rich man (Notice:  The rich man here and in other parables of Jesus are not given names, but the poor are given names.  I wonder if this is significant) and Lazarus (a poor man).  The rich man treats Lazarus with contempt during their lives and refuses to show any kind of mercy and love.  Upon their deaths, Lazarus is "…carried away by the angels to be with Abraham." (Luke 16:22) and the rich man was buried and ends up in Hades. 

The rich man sees his predicament and Lazarus across the way with Abraham on the other side of a great chasm.  All of a sudden roles are reversed as Abraham points out verse 25 in response to the rich man’s plea for mercy.  After Abraham points out the great chasm the rich man then pleads for his brothers to be warned.  Abraham indicates that they have Moses and the prophets but the rich man pleads for Lazarus to be sent to warn them.  Abraham then replies "If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." (Luke 16:31)

This story gives me a few things to ponder and I offer them to you:
(1) "Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed…" — What are the "great chasms" of today?  What separates people from the Kingdom?  a) Despair over sins/past life that people feel can not be forgiven; b) Pride — notice how the rich man continues to look down on Lazarus expecting Lazarus to serve him. Being corrupted by wealth; c) Unbelief — People simply do not believe Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior; d) Intellectual faith — People try to rationalize and reason their way to heaven, but get tripped up.

What are your thoughts on this "great chasm"?

(2) Throughout the Gospel of Luke, money and wealth is a very popular topic for Jesus.  Maybe this needs to be addressed.  During text study this morning, someone asked the question "How do you minister to the wealthy" and then answered by saying, "Give them opportunities to give/serve".  Obviously the rich man in this story knew Lazarus; he had to step over him almost daily.  The rich man had many chances to give and show mercy but did not.  How many chances have we missed — because after all, we are among the wealthy?

(3) The name Lazarus means "Helped by God".  Is that significant?  Jesus could have used any name or not even used a name for the poor man.

Now if we go back to the other texts for Sunday – Amos 6:1a, 4-7 & 1 Timothy 6:6-19 – we get more talk about the misuse of wealth.  The 1 timothy text has the popular verse (10) that says, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…"  Paul does not condemn the rich; saying that wealth is "bad", but rather the misuse of it gets people in trouble.  He warns the rich not to fall into temptation; thinking their wealth will save them (just ask the rich man in Luke 16).  Amos also goes after "those who are at ease" (Amos 6:1)

There is plenty of food for thought in our texts for Sunday.  Does any one have any other thoughts to throw into the mix? (Not that I need to be confused even more – but I guess that doesn’t take much)

Update
This Sunday is "Bible Sunday" at Salem and Belmont Lutheran Churches.  Third graders will be presented their Bible along with the Salem congregation receiving their pew Bibles (but don’t tell Salem for I have told them that the pew Bibles are a "surprise" — which I probably totally ruined by typing this 🙂  Oh well… if people have read the council minutes, they know this is coming.

Anyway…thanks for "listening".  Take care and God bless!

-edh-

Personal side note:  My pastoral care issues just got a little more intense today.  Obviously I can’t go into details but I can tell (since it is out in the news around here) that D and J’s daughter was arrested for 1st degree possession and selling of Meth.  This daughter,K, faces some serious jail time.  The family is really struggling right now trying to understand K’s actions.  Please remember them in your prayers.  Thank you.

*******

The Gospel text for this Sunday (14th Sunday after Pentecost) comes from Luke 14:1, 7-14.  It is the story of Jesus attending a dinner party at the home of the leader of the Pharisees — obviously a ploy to gather more evidence against Jesus.  During this dinner party Jesus is tested and subsequently offers a couple nuggets of wisdom about humility and hospitality.  But first…

…The lectionary here surprisingly leaves out some important verses.  Sometimes I don’t understand what these lectionary authors were thinking — verses 2 – 6 are left out.  This section tells the account of Jesus healing a man with dropsy.  On the surface it seems kind of strange that this man would be invited to such a prestigious dinner party.  But William Barclay in the The New Daily Study Bible commentary series suggests that this man was invited by the Pharisees in order to see how Jesus would deal with him.  Seems to make sense.  So in the discussion of humility and hospitality it seems somewhat incomplete to leave these 5 verses out.  Unlikely conversation: A lectionary blog also agrees that these verses are important to include. 

Jesus sees this man with dropsy and questions the dinner guests if they would help their ox or donkey that has fallen in a well (the Law says that would be alright).  Nobody answers Jesus, so he heals the man then tells a parable.  The parable is about seating assignments at a dinner party.  Jesus suggests that you take the lowest seat so if the host asks you to move up, you will be exalted in front of everyone instead of being made to look like a fool if you are asked to move down.  It is a lesson in humility.

The second teaching deals with WHO you should invite to a dinner party.  Jesus says you should invite those who are not able to pay you back, for if you invite only your friends and/or family and they return the favor, where is your reward.  It is a lesson in hospitality.  This lesson in hospitality is then expanded on in verses 15 – 24 when Jesus teaches the parable of the Great Banquet.  Maybe we should include those verses as well on Sunday.

So as I ponder and reflect on this text, a couple thoughts linger within me:
(1) Jesus says "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind" Just like last week I am drawn back to Luke chapter 4 where Jesus says he was anointed to bring Good News to the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind and release to the oppressed.  In this text he is living and teaching this proclamation.

(2) There is some irony here.  The Pharisees invited the man with dropsy to the dinner party not because he was welcome, but to trap Jesus.  And this man is the very person Jesus is saying you need to invite to something like this (and more).  I wonder what the Pharisees were thinking when Jesus said what he said in #1.

(3) Taking the "lowest seat at a banquet" in the hope that you will be exalted in front of others is NOT humility.

(4) Welcoming only those that you like is NOT hospitality.

When have you experienced "true" hospitality?  Who is the humblest person you know? Who are the "poor" in spirit; those who are "crippled" in their faith; the ones who are "lame" and unable to move foreward in life and the ones who are spiritually "blind" that we need to reach out to and welcome?  How can we live this proclamation better?  These are but a few things I am pondering.  What comes to your mind when you read this text? 

May God bless your day with a love and peace that surpasses all understanding.  Take care.
-edh-