LUKE 2:15-20
THE FIRST CHRISTMAS AFTER JOAN AND I WERE MARRIED, WE DECIDED TO SPEND WITH OUR PARENTS. MINE LIVED IN MONTANA AND HERS LIVED IN MARYLAND, SO THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS WE FLEW FROM MONTANA TO MARYLAND. JOAN'S PARENTS LET US KNOW THAT MAYBE THE NEXT YEAR WE SHOULD SPEND CHRISTMAS DAY WITH THEM. SO THE SECOND CHRISTMAS WE FLEW FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO MARYLAND WITH OUR NEW DAUGHTER, AND THEN FLEW TO MONTANA ON THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. MY MOTHER SAID IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT US BEING THERE. SO THE THIRD YEAR, WE DECIDED TO SPEND PART OF CHRISTMAS DAY WITH EACH SET OF PARENTS. WE LEFT MONTANA ABOUT TWO HOURS LATE, GOT INTO LAS VEGAS TO CHANGE PLANES, AND I REMEMBER RUNNING THROUGH THE AIRPORT WITH A LITTLE GIRL UNDER EACH ARM, AND JOAN RUNNING BEHIND ME WITH A LARGE BAG FULL OF DIAPERS AND BOTTLES AND TOYS. THAT WAS THE LAST CHRISTMAS WE SPENT WITH EITHER FAMILY. BABIES CHANGE LIVES.
THIS LAST YEAR GABRIEL AND JACK BECAME OUR SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH GRANDCHILDREN. GABRIEL'S FAMILY ALREADY HAD FIVE CHILDREN AND JACK'S HAD THREE, AND YOU CAN BE SURE THAT THERE WERE MIXED FEELINGS WHEN THEIR PARENTS LEARNED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER BABY. TWO MORE YEARS AT LEAST, OF DIAPERS, OF GETTING UP AT NIGHT, OF VISITS TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM, OF CRYING – AND AT LEAST TWO MORE YEARS BEFORE THEIR MOTHERS COULD RESUME THE PLANS THEY HAD PUT ASIDE TO RAISE THEIR CHILDREN. AND OF COURSE, THE CONSTANT WORRY -- HOW ARE WE GOING TO AFFORD THIS? WHERE WILL WE PUT HIM? AND BABIES PUT STRESS ON A MARRIAGE. YOU DON'T THINK CLEARLY WHEN YOU ARE EXPECTING A BABY OR WHEN YOU HAVE ONE. BABIES ALWAYS CHANGE LIVES.
TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO A TEENAGE GIRL FOUND HERSELF EXPECTING A CHILD, AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES BY WHICH THAT CAME ABOUT WERE TOO UNBELIEVABLE TO TELL ANYONE. HER NEW HUSBAND WAS DEEPLY HURT, BUT BECAUSE HE LOVED HER, HE DECIDED TO DIVORCE HER AND PRETEND THAT THE CHILD WAS HIS, SO SHE WOULDN'T BE CONDEMNED. AND THEN HE HAD A DREAM. IT WASN'T EASY. THE PEOPLE IN THEIR LITTLE VILLAGE COULD SEE THAT SHE WAS PREGNANT AND SHE HADN'T EVEN MOVED OUT OF HER FATHER'S HOUSE. AND THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF OUR SAVIOUR AND HER DEVOTED HUSBAND WOULD GO THROUGH LIFE LOOKED DOWN UPON BY THEIR NEIGHBORS, WHO WOULD ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT THEIRS WAS A SHOTGUN MARRIAGE. BUT IN BETHLEHEM, IN A STABLE, A BABY WAS BORN, A BABY WHO CHANGED THEIR LIVES; AND GOD BROKE INTO OUR WORLD, AND ANGELS SANG IN THE HEAVENS AND SHEPHERDS CAME DOWN FROM THE HILLS TO WORSHIP THIS BABY; AND THE ANIMALS WHO SHARED THE STABLE LOOKED ON WITH DUMB WONDER AT THEIR CREATOR, THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE. AND THIS BABY CHANGED OUR LIVES, FOREVER.
IN THE CHRISTMAS SEASON, EVEN IF YOU AREN'T RELIGIOUS, YOU CAN'T HELP BUT NOTICE THAT THE WORLD IS CHANGED. THERE ARE LIGHTS EVERYWHERE – BRIGHT LIGHTS, LIGHTS ON TREES, INSIDE AND OUT; TINY LIGHTS DOING THEIR PART TO MELT AWAY THE DARKNESS. AND GREEN AND RED DOMINATE, EVEN IN THE STORES, AND EVERGREENS FILL OUR HOMES WITH A WOODSY SMELL. IN OUR HOMES WE SET UP THAT OLD MANGER SCENE THAT'S BEEN IN OUR FAMILY FOR YEARS AND YEARS, AND THE ADVENT CANDLES SIT ON OUR MANTLE OR OUR DINING ROOM TABLE. AND HERE IN THE CHURCH, EVERYTHING IS CHANGED; THE SCENE IN FRONT OF THE ALTAR, THE FOREST OF FIR TREES AGAINST THE WALL, THE POINSETTIAS EVERYWHERE. AS WE MOVE TOWARDS THE CELEBRATION OF A BABY'S BIRTH TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO, SOME IMPULSE IN US CALLS FOR CHANGE; WE FEEL AN URGE TO CHANGE THE WORLD, BECAUSE THE BABY CHANGED THE WORLD.
BUT IT WILL SOON BE ALL OVER. A WEEK OR SO FROM NOW, EVERYTHING WILL BE PUT AWAY, THE WORLD WILL BE BACK LIKE IT WAS BEFORE, AND WE WILL SETTLE DOWN TO WAIT FOR SPRING AND MOST OF US WON'T REALLY BE CHANGED.
BUT A BABY IS MEANT TO CHANGE LIVES, AND THIS ONE IS NO EXCEPTION. HE WANTS TO DISRUPT OUR ROUTINE, HE WANTS TO SHAKE US UP. HE WANTS TO TURN A CHURCH FULL OF STRANGERS INTO A FAMILY, WHO SHARE EACH OTHERS' JOYS AND SORROWS, WHO CHEER EACH OTHER ON, WHO RUSH TO HELP FAMILY MEMBERS WHO ARE SUFFERING. HE WANTS YOU AND I TO BE HIS BROTHER AND SISTER, MOTHER AND FATHER; HE WANTS GENUINE AFFECTION TO FLOW FROM EACH OF US AS WE EXCHANGE SMILES AND KIND WORDS ON CHRISTMAS. BUT MOST OF ALL HE WANTS US TO GET TOGETHER EVERY WEEK TO SHARE IN THE BANQUET HE OFFERS, THE BANQUET OF HIS BODY AND BLOOD, THE FOOD HE GIVES US TO MAKE US A FAMILY, WITH A FATHER WHO LOOKS ON US WITH LOVE.
MY GRANDSON GABRIEL NOW TEN MONTHS OLD, IS THE HEART OF HIS FAMILY. HIS BROTHERS AND SISTER HOLD HIM AND PLAY WITH HIM; HIS MOTHER WATCHES HIM WITH JOY IN HER HEART AS HE DOES ALL THOSE SILLY THINGS THAT BABIES DO. HIS FATHER THROWS HIM IN THE AIR AND LAUGHS AS HE SQUEALS WITH DELIGHT. AND JACK, ONLY THREE MONTHS OLD, CAN'T DO MUCH YET, BUT HE SURE CAN SMILE, AND YOU SHOULD SEE HOW HARD HIS FAMILY WORKS TO GET THOSE SMILES. NEITHER FAMILY CAN EVEN IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE WITHOUT THEIR BABY. GABRIEL AND JACK CHANGED THINGS FOREVER IN THEIR FAMILIES. BABIES CHANGE LIVES.
REAL CHANGE IS HARD. NEW BABIES BRING SLEEPLESS NIGHTS AND DIRTY DIAPERS AND OLDER SIBLINGS SOMETIMES SHOW A LITTLE JEALOUSY, AND EVERYONE HAS TO MAKE A LITTLE MORE ROOM AND A GIVE A LITTLE MORE TIME. BUT THE CHANGE IS SO WORTH IT. AND THIS CHRISTMAS, DON'T LET THINGS GO BACK TO NORMAL. GIVE BIRTH TO THE CHRIST CHILD IN YOUR HEART AND LET HIM CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER. A BABY MAKES A FAMILY, A BABY MAKES A HOME, AND THIS CHURCH IS HIS HOME AND YOURS; THIS FAMILY IS HIS FAMILY AND YOURS.
I WATCH WHAT BABIES DO TO PEOPLE; HOW MUCH JOY THEY BRING; HOW GREAT THE REWARD FOR THE DISRUPTION IN THE LIVES OF THEIR PARENTS AND BROTHERS AND SISTERS. AND I WONDER HOW MUCH YEAR AROUND JOY THE BABY JESUS WILL BRING TO EACH OF US IF WE LET HIM CHANGE US ON THIS CHRISTMAS DAY, CHANGE US INTO A FAMILY THAT GATHERS EVERY WEEK AROUND THE SUPPER TABLE TO BE TOGETHER FOR A SHORT TIME BEFORE GOING BACK OUT INTO THE WORLD. BECAUSE BABIES CHANGE LIVES, CHANGE THEM FOREVER.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle A
MATTHEW 1:18-24
CAN YOU THINK OF THE VERY BEST CHRISTMAS YOU EVER HAD AS A CHILD? I CAN'T. WHAT I DO REMEMBER ABOUT THOSE CHRISTMASES SORT OF BLURS TOGETHER. I DON'T REMEMBER HOW OLD I WAS WHEN I GOT THE TOY GAS STATION THAT OUR NEW KITTEN THOUGHT WAS A LITTER BOX; OR THE TIN BULLDOZER THAT REALLY RAN WHEN YOU WOUND IT UP. I REMEMBER THOSE CHRISTMAS SUPPERS WITH MY GRANDPARENTS. MY SISTER AND I WERE VERY SMALL, AND IMPATIENT. I WOULD RUSH THROUGH MY FOOD SO I COULD GO BACK AND PLAY WITH MY NEW TOYS. SHE DIDN'T LIKE TO EAT AND WOULD LINGER OVER HER FOOD UNTIL MY MOTHER WOULD START TO GET UPSET. BUT IT SEEMED AS THOUGH CHRISTMAS WAS ALWAYS MAGICAL; SOMETHING I REALLY WANTED WOULD BE THERE, AND SOME SURPRISES THAT I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I WANTED WOULD SHOW UP AS WELL. OF COURSE THERE WERE SOCKS AND UNDERWEAR.
CAN YOU THINK OF THE WORST CHRISTMAS YOU EVER HAD? SO FAR, I HAVEN'T HAD A BAD CHRISTMAS, THANK GOD. SO I'LL HAVE TO HOPE AND PRAY THAT I WON'T, BUT I PROBABLY WILL, THAT'S LIFE.
WE THINK OF THE FIRST CHRISTMAS IN GLOWING TERMS. BUT WHEN YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT, IT WAS A VERY BAD CHRISTMAS. WE HEAR PART OF THE STORY IN THIS GOSPEL. JOSEPH DISCOVERED THAT HIS BRIDE, WHOM HE HADN'T EVEN KISSED YET, WAS PREGNANT. WE HEAR THE WORDS, WE SORT OF APPRECIATE THIS INTELLECTUALLY, BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE THE HORROR THAT JOSEPH FELT, THE SHAME THAT MARY FELT? JOSEPH DIDN'T LEARN SHE WAS PREGNANT BECAUSE SHE TOLD HIM. SHE COULD HARDLY BELIEVE IT HERSELF. JOSEPH LEARNED BECAUSE MARY LOOKED PREGNANT. AND EVERYONE KNEW IN THAT LITTLE TOWN. AND THERE WAS GOSSIP, AND WHEN MARY WOULD WALK PAST A GROUP OF PEOPLE, THEY WOULD SUDDENLY BECOME SILENT AND STARE AT HER; AND THE YOUNG MEN WOULD LAUGH AT JOSEPH – EITHER MARY HAD MADE A FOOL OF HIM, OR HE AND MARY COULDN'T WAIT TILL THEY BEGAN LIVING AS MAN AND WIFE. EITHER WAY, JOSEPH DESERVED SCORN. NAZARETH WAS A SMALL TOWN, AND GOSSIP TRAVELED FAST.
AND JOSEPH TOOK MARY INTO HIS HOME AFTER A DREAM. THEY BOTH KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON, BUT IT DIDN'T HELP MUCH. THERE WAS STILL A CLOUD HANGING OVER THEIR MARRIAGE, AS FAR AS THE NEIGHBORS WERE CONCERNED. WE THINK OF MARY'S PARENTS, SAINT ANN AND SAINT JOACHIM. WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THEM OF COURSE. BUT THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE SAINTS TO BELIEVE THAT MARY HAD CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT WHEN AN ANGEL APPEARED TO HER. I SUSPECT THAT JOSEPH DID NOT FEEL WELCOME IN THEIR HOME.
AND THEN THE DECREE CAME FROM CAESAR AND THEY HAD TO GO TO BETHLEHEM. WE PICTURE JOSEPH LEADING MARY RIDING ON A DONKEY, BUT MARY PROBABLY WALKED MOST OF THAT DISTANCE, NEARLY NINE MONTHS PREGNANT. AND IT IS ABOUT 80 MILES FROM NAZARETH TO BETHLEHEM. CAN YOU IMAGINE WALKING FROM SPRINGFIELD TO BOSTON? AND THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. AND WHEN THEY GOT THERE, THE ONLY SHELTER WAS A CAVE USED TO SHELTER ANIMALS. AND JESUS' BIRTH WAS MESSY AND PAINFUL, WITHOUT BENEFIT OF PAIN MEDICINE. IN THIS DAY AND AGE, WHEN A MOTHER GIVES BIRTH TO A CHILD IT'S USUALLY IN A STERILE HOSPITAL UNDER THE CARE OF TRAINED PROFESSIONALS; IN THAT TIME, TO GIVE BIRTH WAS TO RISK YOUR LIFE. IN SAYING YES TO GOD, MARY LITERALLY OFFERED HER LIFE.
SO THE FIRST CHRISTMAS AND THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE WORST CHRISTMAS.
BUT INTO THAT WORST CHRISTMAS EVER A BABY IS BORN, WHOSE NAME IS CALLED “EMANUEL”.
MOSLEMS BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO STANDS APART, WHO IS SO HOLY, SO POWERFUL, SO OTHER, THAT WE ARE NOTHING IN HIS EYES. HINDUS BELIEVE THAT WHEN GOD IS AWAKE, WE DON'T EXIST, BUT WHEN GOD SLEEPS, HE DREAMS US. WE ARE FIGMENTS OF GOD'S IMAGINATION. BUT THE CHRISTIAN GOD IS GOD WITH US, GOD WHO SEES US NOT AS WORMS, BUT AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS. OUR GOD IS WITH US, AND OUR CONCERNS AND PREOCCUPATIONS ARE REAL TO HIM, NOT FIGMENTS OF IMAGINATION. OUR GOD IS WITH US, SHARING OUR HUMANITY. AND THAT IS AMAZING, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT.
WHEN THE TERRORISTS DESTROYED THE TWIN TOWERS AND CRASHED A PLANE INTO THE PENTAGON, OUR GOD WAS WITH US; WE GATHERED IN CHURCHES AND HOMES TO PRAY AND MEDITATE BECAUSE WE SENSED THAT GOD WAS WITH US WHEN WE WERE FRIGHTENED, UNCERTAIN.
WHEN A LOVED ONE IS SICK, WE TAKE REFUGE IN PRAYER, ASKING GOD TO HELP, BUT PRAYING THAT GOD'S WILL BE DONE. IF GOD IS WITH US HE IS WITH US IN SICKNESS AND PAIN AND SUFFERING, AND IF HE IS WITH US, WE KNOW THAT IN SOME WAY, EVERYTHING WILL WORK OUT.
WHEN WE FEEL ALONE AND ABANDONED, GOD IS WITH US. GOD HAS EXPERIENCED LONELINESS AND ABANDONMENT, AND KNOWS HOW WE FEEL. AND BECAUSE HE LOVES US, HE OFFERS HIS PRESENCE SO THAT WE DO NOT NEED TO FEEL ALONE AND ABANDONED.
SO THAT IS WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT OUR FAITH; WE BELIEVE GOD IS WITH US, WE BELIEVE THAT IN OUR WORST MOMENTS HE DOES WHAT HE DID SO MANY YEARS AGO; HE COMES INTO THOSE MOMENTS BODY AND BLOOD, SOUL AND DIVINITY. HE DOES NOT DREAM US, HE DOES NOT DISTAIN US. HE LIVES FOR US LIKE A MOTHER LIVES FOR HER CHILD. HE SACRIFICES FOR US LIKE A FATHER SACRIFICES FOR HIS CHILDREN.
WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO GET AHEAD. ONE IS TO WORK HARD, TO ACHIEVE, TO ACCOMPLISH. AND MANY OF US WORK TOO HARD, AND WE COUNT OUR DEGREES AND OUR BANK ACCOUNTS AND OUR HOUSES AND SUV'S AND THEY ARE THE MEASURE OF OUR WORTH. AND THIS IS EASILY TRANSLATED TO OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, WHERE WE COUNT OUR PRAYERS AND GOOD WORKS, AND MEASURE OUR WORTH IN HIS EYES BY HOW MANY AND HOW MUCH. THE SECOND WAY WE GET AHEAD IS THROUGH GOOD LUCK; OUR PARENTS LEAVE US MONEY, WE WIN THE LOTTERY; WE GET BREAKS WE DON'T DESERVE. AND ALL OF US HAVE EXPERIENCED GOOD FORTUNE AT SOME TIME OR ANOTHER. AND WHEN WE DO, THERE IS SOMETHING IN US THAT REMINDS US THAT WE DON'T DESERVE OUR GOOD LUCK, AND WHEN SOMEONE TELLS US THAT GOD LOVES US BEYOND ALL TELLING, WE SECRETLY SUSPECT THAT THAT CAN'T BE TRUE; WE DON'T DESERVE IT, WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING TO WARRANT IT.
BUT IF WE COULD GET INTO GOD'S MIND, WE WOULD SEE THAT NOTHING MATTERS TO GOD MORE THAN YOU, MORE THAN I. THE VERY DEFINITION OF GOD IS LOVE. GOD DOES NOT LOVE, HE IS LOVE. GOD WANTS TO GIVE US EVERYTHING, HE WANTS TO GIVE US HIMSELF, NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT WE DO, NOT BECAUSE OF WHO WE ARE.
WE MAY LOOK OVER OUR CHRISTMASES AND PICK OUT OUR BEST, AND SHUDDER AT OUR WORST. BUT THERE REALLY CAN'T BE ANY BAD CHRISTMASES, OR EVEN BAD DAYS, BECAUSE IN EVERY MOMENT OF OUR LIVES, IN MOMENTS OF SORROW AND SICKNESS AND LONELINESS AND PAN, GOD IS ALWAYS THERE, GOD IS WITH US, AND GOD WILL NEVER ABANDON US, NEVER LEAVE US ALONE.
CAN YOU THINK OF THE VERY BEST CHRISTMAS YOU EVER HAD AS A CHILD? I CAN'T. WHAT I DO REMEMBER ABOUT THOSE CHRISTMASES SORT OF BLURS TOGETHER. I DON'T REMEMBER HOW OLD I WAS WHEN I GOT THE TOY GAS STATION THAT OUR NEW KITTEN THOUGHT WAS A LITTER BOX; OR THE TIN BULLDOZER THAT REALLY RAN WHEN YOU WOUND IT UP. I REMEMBER THOSE CHRISTMAS SUPPERS WITH MY GRANDPARENTS. MY SISTER AND I WERE VERY SMALL, AND IMPATIENT. I WOULD RUSH THROUGH MY FOOD SO I COULD GO BACK AND PLAY WITH MY NEW TOYS. SHE DIDN'T LIKE TO EAT AND WOULD LINGER OVER HER FOOD UNTIL MY MOTHER WOULD START TO GET UPSET. BUT IT SEEMED AS THOUGH CHRISTMAS WAS ALWAYS MAGICAL; SOMETHING I REALLY WANTED WOULD BE THERE, AND SOME SURPRISES THAT I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I WANTED WOULD SHOW UP AS WELL. OF COURSE THERE WERE SOCKS AND UNDERWEAR.
CAN YOU THINK OF THE WORST CHRISTMAS YOU EVER HAD? SO FAR, I HAVEN'T HAD A BAD CHRISTMAS, THANK GOD. SO I'LL HAVE TO HOPE AND PRAY THAT I WON'T, BUT I PROBABLY WILL, THAT'S LIFE.
WE THINK OF THE FIRST CHRISTMAS IN GLOWING TERMS. BUT WHEN YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT, IT WAS A VERY BAD CHRISTMAS. WE HEAR PART OF THE STORY IN THIS GOSPEL. JOSEPH DISCOVERED THAT HIS BRIDE, WHOM HE HADN'T EVEN KISSED YET, WAS PREGNANT. WE HEAR THE WORDS, WE SORT OF APPRECIATE THIS INTELLECTUALLY, BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE THE HORROR THAT JOSEPH FELT, THE SHAME THAT MARY FELT? JOSEPH DIDN'T LEARN SHE WAS PREGNANT BECAUSE SHE TOLD HIM. SHE COULD HARDLY BELIEVE IT HERSELF. JOSEPH LEARNED BECAUSE MARY LOOKED PREGNANT. AND EVERYONE KNEW IN THAT LITTLE TOWN. AND THERE WAS GOSSIP, AND WHEN MARY WOULD WALK PAST A GROUP OF PEOPLE, THEY WOULD SUDDENLY BECOME SILENT AND STARE AT HER; AND THE YOUNG MEN WOULD LAUGH AT JOSEPH – EITHER MARY HAD MADE A FOOL OF HIM, OR HE AND MARY COULDN'T WAIT TILL THEY BEGAN LIVING AS MAN AND WIFE. EITHER WAY, JOSEPH DESERVED SCORN. NAZARETH WAS A SMALL TOWN, AND GOSSIP TRAVELED FAST.
AND JOSEPH TOOK MARY INTO HIS HOME AFTER A DREAM. THEY BOTH KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON, BUT IT DIDN'T HELP MUCH. THERE WAS STILL A CLOUD HANGING OVER THEIR MARRIAGE, AS FAR AS THE NEIGHBORS WERE CONCERNED. WE THINK OF MARY'S PARENTS, SAINT ANN AND SAINT JOACHIM. WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THEM OF COURSE. BUT THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE SAINTS TO BELIEVE THAT MARY HAD CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT WHEN AN ANGEL APPEARED TO HER. I SUSPECT THAT JOSEPH DID NOT FEEL WELCOME IN THEIR HOME.
AND THEN THE DECREE CAME FROM CAESAR AND THEY HAD TO GO TO BETHLEHEM. WE PICTURE JOSEPH LEADING MARY RIDING ON A DONKEY, BUT MARY PROBABLY WALKED MOST OF THAT DISTANCE, NEARLY NINE MONTHS PREGNANT. AND IT IS ABOUT 80 MILES FROM NAZARETH TO BETHLEHEM. CAN YOU IMAGINE WALKING FROM SPRINGFIELD TO BOSTON? AND THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. AND WHEN THEY GOT THERE, THE ONLY SHELTER WAS A CAVE USED TO SHELTER ANIMALS. AND JESUS' BIRTH WAS MESSY AND PAINFUL, WITHOUT BENEFIT OF PAIN MEDICINE. IN THIS DAY AND AGE, WHEN A MOTHER GIVES BIRTH TO A CHILD IT'S USUALLY IN A STERILE HOSPITAL UNDER THE CARE OF TRAINED PROFESSIONALS; IN THAT TIME, TO GIVE BIRTH WAS TO RISK YOUR LIFE. IN SAYING YES TO GOD, MARY LITERALLY OFFERED HER LIFE.
SO THE FIRST CHRISTMAS AND THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE WORST CHRISTMAS.
BUT INTO THAT WORST CHRISTMAS EVER A BABY IS BORN, WHOSE NAME IS CALLED “EMANUEL”.
MOSLEMS BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO STANDS APART, WHO IS SO HOLY, SO POWERFUL, SO OTHER, THAT WE ARE NOTHING IN HIS EYES. HINDUS BELIEVE THAT WHEN GOD IS AWAKE, WE DON'T EXIST, BUT WHEN GOD SLEEPS, HE DREAMS US. WE ARE FIGMENTS OF GOD'S IMAGINATION. BUT THE CHRISTIAN GOD IS GOD WITH US, GOD WHO SEES US NOT AS WORMS, BUT AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS. OUR GOD IS WITH US, AND OUR CONCERNS AND PREOCCUPATIONS ARE REAL TO HIM, NOT FIGMENTS OF IMAGINATION. OUR GOD IS WITH US, SHARING OUR HUMANITY. AND THAT IS AMAZING, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT.
WHEN THE TERRORISTS DESTROYED THE TWIN TOWERS AND CRASHED A PLANE INTO THE PENTAGON, OUR GOD WAS WITH US; WE GATHERED IN CHURCHES AND HOMES TO PRAY AND MEDITATE BECAUSE WE SENSED THAT GOD WAS WITH US WHEN WE WERE FRIGHTENED, UNCERTAIN.
WHEN A LOVED ONE IS SICK, WE TAKE REFUGE IN PRAYER, ASKING GOD TO HELP, BUT PRAYING THAT GOD'S WILL BE DONE. IF GOD IS WITH US HE IS WITH US IN SICKNESS AND PAIN AND SUFFERING, AND IF HE IS WITH US, WE KNOW THAT IN SOME WAY, EVERYTHING WILL WORK OUT.
WHEN WE FEEL ALONE AND ABANDONED, GOD IS WITH US. GOD HAS EXPERIENCED LONELINESS AND ABANDONMENT, AND KNOWS HOW WE FEEL. AND BECAUSE HE LOVES US, HE OFFERS HIS PRESENCE SO THAT WE DO NOT NEED TO FEEL ALONE AND ABANDONED.
SO THAT IS WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT OUR FAITH; WE BELIEVE GOD IS WITH US, WE BELIEVE THAT IN OUR WORST MOMENTS HE DOES WHAT HE DID SO MANY YEARS AGO; HE COMES INTO THOSE MOMENTS BODY AND BLOOD, SOUL AND DIVINITY. HE DOES NOT DREAM US, HE DOES NOT DISTAIN US. HE LIVES FOR US LIKE A MOTHER LIVES FOR HER CHILD. HE SACRIFICES FOR US LIKE A FATHER SACRIFICES FOR HIS CHILDREN.
WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO GET AHEAD. ONE IS TO WORK HARD, TO ACHIEVE, TO ACCOMPLISH. AND MANY OF US WORK TOO HARD, AND WE COUNT OUR DEGREES AND OUR BANK ACCOUNTS AND OUR HOUSES AND SUV'S AND THEY ARE THE MEASURE OF OUR WORTH. AND THIS IS EASILY TRANSLATED TO OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, WHERE WE COUNT OUR PRAYERS AND GOOD WORKS, AND MEASURE OUR WORTH IN HIS EYES BY HOW MANY AND HOW MUCH. THE SECOND WAY WE GET AHEAD IS THROUGH GOOD LUCK; OUR PARENTS LEAVE US MONEY, WE WIN THE LOTTERY; WE GET BREAKS WE DON'T DESERVE. AND ALL OF US HAVE EXPERIENCED GOOD FORTUNE AT SOME TIME OR ANOTHER. AND WHEN WE DO, THERE IS SOMETHING IN US THAT REMINDS US THAT WE DON'T DESERVE OUR GOOD LUCK, AND WHEN SOMEONE TELLS US THAT GOD LOVES US BEYOND ALL TELLING, WE SECRETLY SUSPECT THAT THAT CAN'T BE TRUE; WE DON'T DESERVE IT, WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING TO WARRANT IT.
BUT IF WE COULD GET INTO GOD'S MIND, WE WOULD SEE THAT NOTHING MATTERS TO GOD MORE THAN YOU, MORE THAN I. THE VERY DEFINITION OF GOD IS LOVE. GOD DOES NOT LOVE, HE IS LOVE. GOD WANTS TO GIVE US EVERYTHING, HE WANTS TO GIVE US HIMSELF, NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT WE DO, NOT BECAUSE OF WHO WE ARE.
WE MAY LOOK OVER OUR CHRISTMASES AND PICK OUT OUR BEST, AND SHUDDER AT OUR WORST. BUT THERE REALLY CAN'T BE ANY BAD CHRISTMASES, OR EVEN BAD DAYS, BECAUSE IN EVERY MOMENT OF OUR LIVES, IN MOMENTS OF SORROW AND SICKNESS AND LONELINESS AND PAN, GOD IS ALWAYS THERE, GOD IS WITH US, AND GOD WILL NEVER ABANDON US, NEVER LEAVE US ALONE.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Third Sunday of Advent, cycle A
MATTHEW 11:2-11
JOHN THE BAPTIST AND JESUS ALMOST CERTAINLY KNEW EACH OTHER WHEN THEY WERE GROWING UP. AFTER ALL, THEY WERE PRACTICALLY THE SAME AGE AND THEIR MOTHERS WERE RELATED. JOHN CAME FROM A WELL-OFF FAMILY. HIS FATHER, A JEWISH PRIEST, GOT A SALARY AND OTHER PERKS. BUT WHEN JOHN GREW UP SOME INNER COMPULSION CAUSED HIM TO LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND AND GO OUT INTO THE DESERT. AND EVERY CHRISTMAS SEASON WE HEAR THOSE WORDS OF JOHN: REPENT! THE MESSIAH IS COMING, AND HE WILL SEPARATE THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF, AND THE CHAFF HE WILL CAST INTO THE FIRE. EVEN NOW THE AX IS AT THE ROOT OF THE TREE; BEAR GOOD FRUIT, OR YOU WILL END UP AS KINDLING! AND JOHN SAID, YOU THINK I'M SPECIAL? WAIT FOR THE ONE WHO IS TO COME, I AM NOT WORTHY TO UNFASTEN HIS SANDAL. I BAPTIZE WITH WATER, HE WILL BAPTIZE WITH FIRE. AND ONE DAY, JOHN TELLS HIS DISCIPLES, AS JESUS WALKS BY, “BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD” AND MANY DESERT HIM TO FOLLOW JESUS; AND HE SAYS, “HE MUST INCREASE, I MUST DECREASE.”
AND NOW, AS JOHN IS IN PRISON, WAITING, IT TURNS OUT, FOR HIS EXECUTION, IS HE HAVING DOUBTS? IS THAT WHY HE SENDS HIS DISCIPLES TO JESUS, TO ASK HIM, “ARE YOU THE ONE, OR SHOULD WE LOOK FOR ANOTHER?” BECAUSE CLEARLY, JESUS DID NOT FIT JOHN'S IDEA OF A MESSIAH. JOHN, IN LINE WITH THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS, EXPECTED A KING LIKE DAVID TO COME AND SAVE ISRAEL AND MAKE IT A GREAT COUNTRY, AND MAKE THE JEWS A GREAT PEOPLE. JOHN EXPECTED A HIGH PRIEST, WHO WOULD FINALLY LEAD THE PEOPLE IN WORSHIPING GOD THE WAY HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE WORSHIPED. AND JOHN EXPECTED THAT WHEN THE MESSIAH MANIFESTED HIMSELF, THE WORLD WOULD BE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. CERTAINLY IF JESUS IS THE ONE, IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE IT; JESUS IS GOING AROUND HEALING PEOPLE, TELLING THEM THAT GOD IS LIKE A FATHER, EATING WITH TAX COLLECTORS AND SINNERS, LEADING A BAND OF FOLLOWERS FROM GALILEE OF ALL PLACES – OUT IN THE STICKS. “ARE YOU THE ONE, OR SHALL WE LOOK FOR ANOTHER?”
JESUS, IN HIS ANSWER TO JOHN, GENTLY REBUKES HIM. LOOK, HE IS SAYING, WHAT DID THE PROPHETS SAY ABOUT HOW THINGS WOULD BE WHEN THE MESSIAH CAME? THOSE VERY THINGS ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO FITS YOUR IDEA OF A MESSIAH, WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN LOOKING TO SEE WHETHER MESSIANIC THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
JOHN HAD GOTTEN HIS PROPHECY PARTLY RIGHT, BUT LIKE YOU AND I, LIKE ANY HUMAN BEING, HE COULD NOT SEE BEYOND HIS OWN IMAGINATION. IF YOU ARE IN CHURCH TODAY, YOU CAME HERE HOPING TO ENCOUNTER THE LIVING GOD. AND MANY OF US DO, WHEN WE COME TO CHURCH. BUT DID YOU ENCOUNTER THAT SAME GOD DURING YOUR WEEK OUT THERE IN THE WORLD? BECAUSE GOD IS ALWAYS BREAKING THROUGH, SHOWING HIMSELF, SPEAKING TO OUR HEARTS – COMMANDS, CONSOLATION, SUGGESTION, REVELATION – IT IS ALWAYS GOING ON, WE'RE JUST NOT TUNED IN. AND HE IS ALWAYS SHOWING US HIMSELF – HIS BEAUTY IN NATURE, HIS LOVE IN A FRIEND OR A SPOUSE, A CHILD OR A PARENT; HE OFFERS UNION WITH US WHEN HE COMES TO US IN THE PERSON OF SOMEONE IN NEED, SOMEONE POOR, OR SICK, OR DISTRESSED. OH, YES, GOD IS PRESENT IN THIS CHURCH. BUT HE IS OUT THERE IN THE WORLD AS WELL, IF ONLY WE OPEN OUR EYES, IF ONLY WE LOOK BEYOND OUR PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS OF WHAT GOD IS LIKE.
BUT JESUS ISN'T THROUGH. HE TURNS TO THE CROWD, THE PEOPLE WHO JUST HEARD HIM SEEM TO CRITICIZE JOHN. TO THE JEWS, PROPHECY WAS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THEIR RELIGIOUS LIFE. EVER SINCE ELIJAH, PROPHETS HAD RISEN AMONG THE PEOPLE, TO CRITICIZE KINGS AND TO SET THE PEOPLE STRAIGHT. AND EVERYONE KNEW THERE WERE FALSE PROPHETS. A FALSE PROPHET WAS LIKE A REED, SAYING ONE THING ONE DAY, ANOTHER THE NEXT DAY, DEPENDING ON WHO WAS PAYING HIM. A FALSE PROPHET DIDN'T GO FOR LIVING IN THE DESERT EATING LOCUSTS; THE FALSE PROPHETS THEN, AS NOW, LIVED IN LUXURY. THEN THEY WOULD GO OUT IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE AND MAKE THEIR PROPHECIES; NOW THEY APPEAR ON RADIO AND TELEVISION. JOHN IS A REAL PROPHET, JESUS SAYS, THE GREATEST OF ALL THE PROPHETS. JOHN REALLY DID MAKE THE RIGHT CALL, HE REALLY DID POINT OUT THE MESSIAH, AND PREPARE THE PEOPLE FOR HIS COMING. AND LATER IN HIS CAREER, JESUS WILL CONFIRM WHAT JOHN HAS PREDICTED WHEN JESUS DESCRIBES HIS OWN SECOND COMING. FOR JOHN IS RIGHT, THE MESSIAH WILL COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, TO JUDGE, AND TO SEPARATE, AND TO SAVE AND TO CONDEMN. ONLY NOT YET.
THERE ARE NO PEOPLE GREATER THAN JOHN, NOT SO FAR; BUT ANYONE WHO IS IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN WILL BE GREATER. AND THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS ALREADY HERE, AND THOSE IN THE KINGDOM ARE JESUS' BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THE ONES WHO CAN WALK DOWN THE STREET AND SEE GOD, THE ONES WHO CAN LOOK AT A FLOWER AND SEE GOD'S BEAUTY, THE ONES WHO CAN SCRUB A KITCHEN FLOOR OR CHANGE A DIAPER, AND SEE HOW THAT IS PART OF GOD'S GREAT ONGOING CREATIVE WORK; THE ONES WHO CAN LOOK AT A BEGGAR ON THE STREET, OR SEE A PICTURE OF A KILLER IN A NEWSPAPER, AND SEE THAT SOMETHING OF GOD STILL SHINES THROUGH THAT PERSON.
JOHN HAD A VERY CLEAR IDEA OF WHAT THE MESSIAH WAS ALL ABOUT. HE WAS NOT WRONG, BUT HIS VISION WAS INCOMPLETE. ADVENT IS A TIME FOR US TO RE-ASSESS OUR OWN VIEW OF THE MESSIAH, WHO WAS NOT FOUND IN A CHURCH OR A PALACE, WHO DID NOT BURST ONTO THE SCENE LEADING AN ARMY OF ANGELS, WHO DID NOT HURL LIGHTNING BOLTS AND SPEAK WITH THUNDER. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT THE MESSIAH WAS THAT BABY BORN IN A STABLE, TO EXHAUSTED PARENTS TRAVELING FROM A LITTLE FARMING COMMUNITY IN THE NORTHERN PART OF ISRAEL, SO FAR FROM JERUSALEM? AND WHO WOULD THINK THAT THIS COMING WEEK YOU AND I WILL MEET THE MESSIAH – GUARANTEED – BUT MOST OF US WON'T RECOGNIZE HIM. UNLESS WE ARE MEMBERS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
JOHN THE BAPTIST AND JESUS ALMOST CERTAINLY KNEW EACH OTHER WHEN THEY WERE GROWING UP. AFTER ALL, THEY WERE PRACTICALLY THE SAME AGE AND THEIR MOTHERS WERE RELATED. JOHN CAME FROM A WELL-OFF FAMILY. HIS FATHER, A JEWISH PRIEST, GOT A SALARY AND OTHER PERKS. BUT WHEN JOHN GREW UP SOME INNER COMPULSION CAUSED HIM TO LEAVE EVERYTHING BEHIND AND GO OUT INTO THE DESERT. AND EVERY CHRISTMAS SEASON WE HEAR THOSE WORDS OF JOHN: REPENT! THE MESSIAH IS COMING, AND HE WILL SEPARATE THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF, AND THE CHAFF HE WILL CAST INTO THE FIRE. EVEN NOW THE AX IS AT THE ROOT OF THE TREE; BEAR GOOD FRUIT, OR YOU WILL END UP AS KINDLING! AND JOHN SAID, YOU THINK I'M SPECIAL? WAIT FOR THE ONE WHO IS TO COME, I AM NOT WORTHY TO UNFASTEN HIS SANDAL. I BAPTIZE WITH WATER, HE WILL BAPTIZE WITH FIRE. AND ONE DAY, JOHN TELLS HIS DISCIPLES, AS JESUS WALKS BY, “BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD” AND MANY DESERT HIM TO FOLLOW JESUS; AND HE SAYS, “HE MUST INCREASE, I MUST DECREASE.”
AND NOW, AS JOHN IS IN PRISON, WAITING, IT TURNS OUT, FOR HIS EXECUTION, IS HE HAVING DOUBTS? IS THAT WHY HE SENDS HIS DISCIPLES TO JESUS, TO ASK HIM, “ARE YOU THE ONE, OR SHOULD WE LOOK FOR ANOTHER?” BECAUSE CLEARLY, JESUS DID NOT FIT JOHN'S IDEA OF A MESSIAH. JOHN, IN LINE WITH THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS, EXPECTED A KING LIKE DAVID TO COME AND SAVE ISRAEL AND MAKE IT A GREAT COUNTRY, AND MAKE THE JEWS A GREAT PEOPLE. JOHN EXPECTED A HIGH PRIEST, WHO WOULD FINALLY LEAD THE PEOPLE IN WORSHIPING GOD THE WAY HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE WORSHIPED. AND JOHN EXPECTED THAT WHEN THE MESSIAH MANIFESTED HIMSELF, THE WORLD WOULD BE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. CERTAINLY IF JESUS IS THE ONE, IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE IT; JESUS IS GOING AROUND HEALING PEOPLE, TELLING THEM THAT GOD IS LIKE A FATHER, EATING WITH TAX COLLECTORS AND SINNERS, LEADING A BAND OF FOLLOWERS FROM GALILEE OF ALL PLACES – OUT IN THE STICKS. “ARE YOU THE ONE, OR SHALL WE LOOK FOR ANOTHER?”
JESUS, IN HIS ANSWER TO JOHN, GENTLY REBUKES HIM. LOOK, HE IS SAYING, WHAT DID THE PROPHETS SAY ABOUT HOW THINGS WOULD BE WHEN THE MESSIAH CAME? THOSE VERY THINGS ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO FITS YOUR IDEA OF A MESSIAH, WHEN YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN LOOKING TO SEE WHETHER MESSIANIC THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
JOHN HAD GOTTEN HIS PROPHECY PARTLY RIGHT, BUT LIKE YOU AND I, LIKE ANY HUMAN BEING, HE COULD NOT SEE BEYOND HIS OWN IMAGINATION. IF YOU ARE IN CHURCH TODAY, YOU CAME HERE HOPING TO ENCOUNTER THE LIVING GOD. AND MANY OF US DO, WHEN WE COME TO CHURCH. BUT DID YOU ENCOUNTER THAT SAME GOD DURING YOUR WEEK OUT THERE IN THE WORLD? BECAUSE GOD IS ALWAYS BREAKING THROUGH, SHOWING HIMSELF, SPEAKING TO OUR HEARTS – COMMANDS, CONSOLATION, SUGGESTION, REVELATION – IT IS ALWAYS GOING ON, WE'RE JUST NOT TUNED IN. AND HE IS ALWAYS SHOWING US HIMSELF – HIS BEAUTY IN NATURE, HIS LOVE IN A FRIEND OR A SPOUSE, A CHILD OR A PARENT; HE OFFERS UNION WITH US WHEN HE COMES TO US IN THE PERSON OF SOMEONE IN NEED, SOMEONE POOR, OR SICK, OR DISTRESSED. OH, YES, GOD IS PRESENT IN THIS CHURCH. BUT HE IS OUT THERE IN THE WORLD AS WELL, IF ONLY WE OPEN OUR EYES, IF ONLY WE LOOK BEYOND OUR PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS OF WHAT GOD IS LIKE.
BUT JESUS ISN'T THROUGH. HE TURNS TO THE CROWD, THE PEOPLE WHO JUST HEARD HIM SEEM TO CRITICIZE JOHN. TO THE JEWS, PROPHECY WAS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THEIR RELIGIOUS LIFE. EVER SINCE ELIJAH, PROPHETS HAD RISEN AMONG THE PEOPLE, TO CRITICIZE KINGS AND TO SET THE PEOPLE STRAIGHT. AND EVERYONE KNEW THERE WERE FALSE PROPHETS. A FALSE PROPHET WAS LIKE A REED, SAYING ONE THING ONE DAY, ANOTHER THE NEXT DAY, DEPENDING ON WHO WAS PAYING HIM. A FALSE PROPHET DIDN'T GO FOR LIVING IN THE DESERT EATING LOCUSTS; THE FALSE PROPHETS THEN, AS NOW, LIVED IN LUXURY. THEN THEY WOULD GO OUT IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE AND MAKE THEIR PROPHECIES; NOW THEY APPEAR ON RADIO AND TELEVISION. JOHN IS A REAL PROPHET, JESUS SAYS, THE GREATEST OF ALL THE PROPHETS. JOHN REALLY DID MAKE THE RIGHT CALL, HE REALLY DID POINT OUT THE MESSIAH, AND PREPARE THE PEOPLE FOR HIS COMING. AND LATER IN HIS CAREER, JESUS WILL CONFIRM WHAT JOHN HAS PREDICTED WHEN JESUS DESCRIBES HIS OWN SECOND COMING. FOR JOHN IS RIGHT, THE MESSIAH WILL COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, TO JUDGE, AND TO SEPARATE, AND TO SAVE AND TO CONDEMN. ONLY NOT YET.
THERE ARE NO PEOPLE GREATER THAN JOHN, NOT SO FAR; BUT ANYONE WHO IS IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN WILL BE GREATER. AND THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS ALREADY HERE, AND THOSE IN THE KINGDOM ARE JESUS' BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THE ONES WHO CAN WALK DOWN THE STREET AND SEE GOD, THE ONES WHO CAN LOOK AT A FLOWER AND SEE GOD'S BEAUTY, THE ONES WHO CAN SCRUB A KITCHEN FLOOR OR CHANGE A DIAPER, AND SEE HOW THAT IS PART OF GOD'S GREAT ONGOING CREATIVE WORK; THE ONES WHO CAN LOOK AT A BEGGAR ON THE STREET, OR SEE A PICTURE OF A KILLER IN A NEWSPAPER, AND SEE THAT SOMETHING OF GOD STILL SHINES THROUGH THAT PERSON.
JOHN HAD A VERY CLEAR IDEA OF WHAT THE MESSIAH WAS ALL ABOUT. HE WAS NOT WRONG, BUT HIS VISION WAS INCOMPLETE. ADVENT IS A TIME FOR US TO RE-ASSESS OUR OWN VIEW OF THE MESSIAH, WHO WAS NOT FOUND IN A CHURCH OR A PALACE, WHO DID NOT BURST ONTO THE SCENE LEADING AN ARMY OF ANGELS, WHO DID NOT HURL LIGHTNING BOLTS AND SPEAK WITH THUNDER. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT THE MESSIAH WAS THAT BABY BORN IN A STABLE, TO EXHAUSTED PARENTS TRAVELING FROM A LITTLE FARMING COMMUNITY IN THE NORTHERN PART OF ISRAEL, SO FAR FROM JERUSALEM? AND WHO WOULD THINK THAT THIS COMING WEEK YOU AND I WILL MEET THE MESSIAH – GUARANTEED – BUT MOST OF US WON'T RECOGNIZE HIM. UNLESS WE ARE MEMBERS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Second Sunday in Advent, Cycle A
MATTHEW 3:1-12
JOHN THE BAPTIST TELLS THE PEOPLE WHO ARE FOLLOWING HIM TO REPENT. TO MANY OF US, REPENTANCE MEANS THAT WE SHOULD BE SORRY FOR OUR SINS AND RESOLVE TO DO BETTER. OF COURSE WE SHOULD DO THAT, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT JOHN HAD IN MIND. JOHN SPOKE IN ARAMAIC, BUT THE EARLIEST COPIES OF THE GOSPELS WERE IN GREEK, AND THE WORD USED HERE IS “METANOIA”. METANOIA MORE OR LESS MEANS “ABOVE OR BEYOND ONE'S MIND.” THE GREEKS USED THE WORD TO DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF THINKING A NEW WAY OR ADOPTING A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT THINGS.
SO IT'S NOT BEING SORRY FOR YOUR SINS THAT JOHN WANTS, IT'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT. HE CALLS US TO CHANGE OUR POINT OF VIEW. BUT TO WHAT? ONCE I HEARD A TALK IN WHICH THE PREACHER SAID THAT WE HAD TO ALWAYS REPENT, REPENTANCE WAS A LIFELONG PROJECT. BUT HE NEVER ANSWERED THE QUESTION – WHAT IS THE GOAL OF REPENTANCE, OF METANOIA? HOW CAN WE DO THIS IF WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE SUPPOSED TO END UP?
OFF THE COAST OF MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA ARE TWO BARRIER ISLANDS. EVER SINCE THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY THERE HAVE BEEN HORSES ON THESE ISLANDS. THEY THINK THEY MAY HAVE GOTTEN THERE FROM A SPANISH GALLEON THAT SANK NEARBY. OVER THE YEARS, THESE WILD HORSES HAVE GOTTEN SMALLER AND STOCKIER. THEY CAN'T GET OFF THE ISLANDS, AND THEY LIVE ON THE LOCAL VEGETATION, WHICH IS NOT A VERY GOOD FOOD FOR HORSES; SEA GRASSES AND VARIOUS WEEDS LACK SOME OF THE NUTRIENTS THAT HORSES NEED, SO THE WILD HORSES DEVELOP SOFT BONES AND ARTHRITIS. SANDSTORMS ARE FREQUENT, AND BECAUSE SAND DUST IS EVERYWHERE, THEY WEAR THEIR TEETH DOWN FASTER THAN HORSES ON THE MAINLAND WOULD. THEY ALSO GET DENTAL PROBLEMS. AND FLIES AND FLEAS AND VARIOUS OTHER PESTS ARE ALWAYS BITING. HORSES THAT ARE PLAGUED BY PESTS WILL SOMETIMES DIVE INTO WATER TO DROWN THE BITING INSECTS. THESE HORSES CAN ONLY IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN SALT WATER, AND WHEN THAT DRIES, IT IRRITATES THEIR SKIN EVEN MORE. IN OTHER WORDS, THESE WILD HORSES HAVE KIND OF A LOUSY LIFE.
EVERY SUMMER SINCE 1925, THE HERD OF HORSES ARE CHASED ACROSS A SHALLOW BODY OF WATER ONTO THE ISLAND OF CHINCATEAGUE, WHERE SEVERAL OF THE FOALS AND YEARLINGS ARE AUCTIONED OFF USUALLY TO BECOME PETS. IN THEIR NEW LIVES, THEY GET FED REGULARLY AND ARE GIVEN THE RIGHT KIND OF DIET; THEIR NEW OWNERS GROOM THEM AND KEEP THEIR COATS CLEAN; AND THEY HAVE SHELTER FROM THE WIND AND THE RAIN, AND ACCESS TO FRESH WATER. AND THEY ARE “BROKEN”, A SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT PROCESS IN WHICH THEY LEARN TO OBEY COMMANDS AND CARRY A RIDER, OR PULL A CARRIAGE.
IN SUMMARY, THE HORSE ON THE ISLAND LIVES FOR ITSELF, BUT THE HORSE THAT BECOMES DOMESTICATED LIVES FOR SOMEONE ELSE.
I KNOW THAT'S A SILLY EXAMPLE, BUT THAT IS WHAT JOHN, AND LATER, JESUS, MEANS BY REPENTANCE. WE STOP LIVING FOR OURSELVES, AND WE LIVE FOR SOMEONE ELSE. WE QUIT TRYING TO GUIDE OUR OWN LIVES AND WE LET GOD GUIDE US. AND THAT IS A LIFETIME'S WORTH OF WORK, BUT AT LEAST WE NOW KNOW WHERE WE ARE SUPPOSED TO GO, WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN WE GO THROUGH “METANOIA” WHEN WE CHANGE OUR POINT OF VIEW.
JOHN'S CALL IS NOT A NEW ONE. THE CALL TO REPENTANCE IS AS OLD AS MANKIND. ADAM AND EVE WERE CALLED, BUT CHOSE TO LIVE FOR THEMSELVES. ABRAHAM WAS CALLED, AND CHOSE TO LIVE FOR GOD, TO LET GOD LEAD HIS LIFE FOR HIM. AND THE CALL CONTINUES DOWN THROUGH THE PRESENT DAY; EVERY PERSON IS CALLED, AND EVERY PERSON CAN MAKE THE CHOICE – TO CONTINUE TO LIVE FOR HIMSELF, OR TO ALLOW GOD TO TAKE OVER HIS LIFE.
THINK BACK TO THOSE HORSES FOR A MINUTE. WE HUMAN BEINGS STILL FEEL A LITTLE UNEASY ABOUT THOSE HORSES WHO GET DOMESTICATED. AFTER ALL, THEY SEEM TO BE GIVING UP THEIR FREEDOM. PROBABLY THIS DOESN'T BOTHER THE HORSE, BUT WE HUMAN BEINGS TREASURE OUR INDEPENDENCE, AND IT SEEMS AS THOUGH IF WE GIVE OUR LIVES TO GOD, WE GIVE SOMETHING UP. BUT THAT'S AN ILLUSION. IN SOME MYSTERIOUS WAY THAT IS ONLY APPARENT TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS, LETTING GOD LEAD YOUR LIFE IS REAL FREEDOM; JUST ASK A SAINT. WE LIKE FREEDOM BECAUSE IT ALLOWS US TO CHOOSE WHAT WE SEE AS GOOD. BUT IF GOD IS LEADING OUR LIFE, WE ALREADY HAVE THE GREATEST GOOD. LIKE THE HORSE THAT NEEDS TO BE BROKEN, TO LET GOD LIVE OUR LIVES IS GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE PAIN AND READJUSTMENT, AND THE MORE WE OPEN UP TO GOD, THE MORE WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS BREAKING IN PROCESS.
TO A DOMESTICATED HORSE, NOT ONLY IS THERE A GREAT IMPROVEMENT IN HEALTH, BUT POSSIBILITIES ARE OPENED UP WHICH WOULD NEVER OCCUR TO THE WILD HORSE. AND THE DOMESTICATED HORSE WILL LIVE ABOUT TWICE AS LONG AS HE WOULD HAVE IN THE WILD, ON THE BARRIER ISLAND OFF THE COAST OF VIRGINIA.
REPENTANCE, METANOIA, CHANGING OUR POINT OF VIEW; IF WE STOP LIVING FOR OURSELVES AND BEGIN LETTING GOD LIVE IN US, LIVING FOR GOD, OUR LIVES WILL CHANGE FOR THE BETTER; WE WILL FIND OURSELVES CAUGHT UP IN A CAUSE GREATER THAN ANYTHING WE CAN IMAGINE; WE WILL BECOME POWERFUL AND ABLE TO DO WHAT WE COULD NEVER DO BY OURSELVES; AND WE WILL HAVE ABUNDANT LIFE. IT'S ALL THERE IN THE WORDS OF JESUS.
JOHN CALLED ON HIS FOLLOWERS TO REPENT. HE WAS A GOOD PSYCHOLOGIST. HE KNEW THAT MANY WHO HEARD HIM WOULD DESIRE TO REPENT, TO ENTER INTO THIS WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP SO FAR BETTER THAN ANYTHING THEY COULD ACHIEVE ON THEIR OWN. BUT DESIRE IS NEVER ENOUGH, DESIRE DOESN'T MAKE A CHANGE. IT'S NECESSARY TO DO MORE, TO PRODUCE GOOD FRUIT. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO LET GOD TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE, IF YOU WANT TO ACCEPT THE WONDERFUL INVITATION GOD HOLDS OUT TO YOU, YOU HAVE TO LIVE AS THOUGH YOU ARE ALREADY THERE. ONE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF LIVING FOR GOD IS THAT GOD BEGINS TO USE YOU TO BRING ABOUT WHAT GOD WANTS TO HAPPEN. THAT MEANS GOOD WORKS. SO JOHN TELLS HIS FOLLOWERS, “PRODUCE GOOD FRUIT AS EVIDENCE OF YOUR REPENTANCE.” WE WILL NEVER GET TO HEAVEN BY DOING GOOD THINGS. BUT IF WE BEGIN TO ACT AS JESUS ACTED, WE WILL BEGIN TO CHANGE, TO GIVE OUR LIVES TO GOD.
SO ACCEPT JOHN'S CHALLENGE. CHANGE YOUR LIFE, TURN AROUND. STOP LIVING FOR YOUR SELF, AND GIVE YOUR WHOLE SELF TO GOD. AND DO GOOD WORKS AS EVIDENCE. AND YOUR LIFE WILL BE BETTER THAN ANYTHING YOU HAVE EVER IMAGINED.
JOHN THE BAPTIST TELLS THE PEOPLE WHO ARE FOLLOWING HIM TO REPENT. TO MANY OF US, REPENTANCE MEANS THAT WE SHOULD BE SORRY FOR OUR SINS AND RESOLVE TO DO BETTER. OF COURSE WE SHOULD DO THAT, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT JOHN HAD IN MIND. JOHN SPOKE IN ARAMAIC, BUT THE EARLIEST COPIES OF THE GOSPELS WERE IN GREEK, AND THE WORD USED HERE IS “METANOIA”. METANOIA MORE OR LESS MEANS “ABOVE OR BEYOND ONE'S MIND.” THE GREEKS USED THE WORD TO DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF THINKING A NEW WAY OR ADOPTING A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT THINGS.
SO IT'S NOT BEING SORRY FOR YOUR SINS THAT JOHN WANTS, IT'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT. HE CALLS US TO CHANGE OUR POINT OF VIEW. BUT TO WHAT? ONCE I HEARD A TALK IN WHICH THE PREACHER SAID THAT WE HAD TO ALWAYS REPENT, REPENTANCE WAS A LIFELONG PROJECT. BUT HE NEVER ANSWERED THE QUESTION – WHAT IS THE GOAL OF REPENTANCE, OF METANOIA? HOW CAN WE DO THIS IF WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE SUPPOSED TO END UP?
OFF THE COAST OF MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA ARE TWO BARRIER ISLANDS. EVER SINCE THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY THERE HAVE BEEN HORSES ON THESE ISLANDS. THEY THINK THEY MAY HAVE GOTTEN THERE FROM A SPANISH GALLEON THAT SANK NEARBY. OVER THE YEARS, THESE WILD HORSES HAVE GOTTEN SMALLER AND STOCKIER. THEY CAN'T GET OFF THE ISLANDS, AND THEY LIVE ON THE LOCAL VEGETATION, WHICH IS NOT A VERY GOOD FOOD FOR HORSES; SEA GRASSES AND VARIOUS WEEDS LACK SOME OF THE NUTRIENTS THAT HORSES NEED, SO THE WILD HORSES DEVELOP SOFT BONES AND ARTHRITIS. SANDSTORMS ARE FREQUENT, AND BECAUSE SAND DUST IS EVERYWHERE, THEY WEAR THEIR TEETH DOWN FASTER THAN HORSES ON THE MAINLAND WOULD. THEY ALSO GET DENTAL PROBLEMS. AND FLIES AND FLEAS AND VARIOUS OTHER PESTS ARE ALWAYS BITING. HORSES THAT ARE PLAGUED BY PESTS WILL SOMETIMES DIVE INTO WATER TO DROWN THE BITING INSECTS. THESE HORSES CAN ONLY IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN SALT WATER, AND WHEN THAT DRIES, IT IRRITATES THEIR SKIN EVEN MORE. IN OTHER WORDS, THESE WILD HORSES HAVE KIND OF A LOUSY LIFE.
EVERY SUMMER SINCE 1925, THE HERD OF HORSES ARE CHASED ACROSS A SHALLOW BODY OF WATER ONTO THE ISLAND OF CHINCATEAGUE, WHERE SEVERAL OF THE FOALS AND YEARLINGS ARE AUCTIONED OFF USUALLY TO BECOME PETS. IN THEIR NEW LIVES, THEY GET FED REGULARLY AND ARE GIVEN THE RIGHT KIND OF DIET; THEIR NEW OWNERS GROOM THEM AND KEEP THEIR COATS CLEAN; AND THEY HAVE SHELTER FROM THE WIND AND THE RAIN, AND ACCESS TO FRESH WATER. AND THEY ARE “BROKEN”, A SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT PROCESS IN WHICH THEY LEARN TO OBEY COMMANDS AND CARRY A RIDER, OR PULL A CARRIAGE.
IN SUMMARY, THE HORSE ON THE ISLAND LIVES FOR ITSELF, BUT THE HORSE THAT BECOMES DOMESTICATED LIVES FOR SOMEONE ELSE.
I KNOW THAT'S A SILLY EXAMPLE, BUT THAT IS WHAT JOHN, AND LATER, JESUS, MEANS BY REPENTANCE. WE STOP LIVING FOR OURSELVES, AND WE LIVE FOR SOMEONE ELSE. WE QUIT TRYING TO GUIDE OUR OWN LIVES AND WE LET GOD GUIDE US. AND THAT IS A LIFETIME'S WORTH OF WORK, BUT AT LEAST WE NOW KNOW WHERE WE ARE SUPPOSED TO GO, WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN WE GO THROUGH “METANOIA” WHEN WE CHANGE OUR POINT OF VIEW.
JOHN'S CALL IS NOT A NEW ONE. THE CALL TO REPENTANCE IS AS OLD AS MANKIND. ADAM AND EVE WERE CALLED, BUT CHOSE TO LIVE FOR THEMSELVES. ABRAHAM WAS CALLED, AND CHOSE TO LIVE FOR GOD, TO LET GOD LEAD HIS LIFE FOR HIM. AND THE CALL CONTINUES DOWN THROUGH THE PRESENT DAY; EVERY PERSON IS CALLED, AND EVERY PERSON CAN MAKE THE CHOICE – TO CONTINUE TO LIVE FOR HIMSELF, OR TO ALLOW GOD TO TAKE OVER HIS LIFE.
THINK BACK TO THOSE HORSES FOR A MINUTE. WE HUMAN BEINGS STILL FEEL A LITTLE UNEASY ABOUT THOSE HORSES WHO GET DOMESTICATED. AFTER ALL, THEY SEEM TO BE GIVING UP THEIR FREEDOM. PROBABLY THIS DOESN'T BOTHER THE HORSE, BUT WE HUMAN BEINGS TREASURE OUR INDEPENDENCE, AND IT SEEMS AS THOUGH IF WE GIVE OUR LIVES TO GOD, WE GIVE SOMETHING UP. BUT THAT'S AN ILLUSION. IN SOME MYSTERIOUS WAY THAT IS ONLY APPARENT TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS, LETTING GOD LEAD YOUR LIFE IS REAL FREEDOM; JUST ASK A SAINT. WE LIKE FREEDOM BECAUSE IT ALLOWS US TO CHOOSE WHAT WE SEE AS GOOD. BUT IF GOD IS LEADING OUR LIFE, WE ALREADY HAVE THE GREATEST GOOD. LIKE THE HORSE THAT NEEDS TO BE BROKEN, TO LET GOD LIVE OUR LIVES IS GOING TO TAKE A LITTLE PAIN AND READJUSTMENT, AND THE MORE WE OPEN UP TO GOD, THE MORE WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS BREAKING IN PROCESS.
TO A DOMESTICATED HORSE, NOT ONLY IS THERE A GREAT IMPROVEMENT IN HEALTH, BUT POSSIBILITIES ARE OPENED UP WHICH WOULD NEVER OCCUR TO THE WILD HORSE. AND THE DOMESTICATED HORSE WILL LIVE ABOUT TWICE AS LONG AS HE WOULD HAVE IN THE WILD, ON THE BARRIER ISLAND OFF THE COAST OF VIRGINIA.
REPENTANCE, METANOIA, CHANGING OUR POINT OF VIEW; IF WE STOP LIVING FOR OURSELVES AND BEGIN LETTING GOD LIVE IN US, LIVING FOR GOD, OUR LIVES WILL CHANGE FOR THE BETTER; WE WILL FIND OURSELVES CAUGHT UP IN A CAUSE GREATER THAN ANYTHING WE CAN IMAGINE; WE WILL BECOME POWERFUL AND ABLE TO DO WHAT WE COULD NEVER DO BY OURSELVES; AND WE WILL HAVE ABUNDANT LIFE. IT'S ALL THERE IN THE WORDS OF JESUS.
JOHN CALLED ON HIS FOLLOWERS TO REPENT. HE WAS A GOOD PSYCHOLOGIST. HE KNEW THAT MANY WHO HEARD HIM WOULD DESIRE TO REPENT, TO ENTER INTO THIS WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP SO FAR BETTER THAN ANYTHING THEY COULD ACHIEVE ON THEIR OWN. BUT DESIRE IS NEVER ENOUGH, DESIRE DOESN'T MAKE A CHANGE. IT'S NECESSARY TO DO MORE, TO PRODUCE GOOD FRUIT. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO LET GOD TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE, IF YOU WANT TO ACCEPT THE WONDERFUL INVITATION GOD HOLDS OUT TO YOU, YOU HAVE TO LIVE AS THOUGH YOU ARE ALREADY THERE. ONE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF LIVING FOR GOD IS THAT GOD BEGINS TO USE YOU TO BRING ABOUT WHAT GOD WANTS TO HAPPEN. THAT MEANS GOOD WORKS. SO JOHN TELLS HIS FOLLOWERS, “PRODUCE GOOD FRUIT AS EVIDENCE OF YOUR REPENTANCE.” WE WILL NEVER GET TO HEAVEN BY DOING GOOD THINGS. BUT IF WE BEGIN TO ACT AS JESUS ACTED, WE WILL BEGIN TO CHANGE, TO GIVE OUR LIVES TO GOD.
SO ACCEPT JOHN'S CHALLENGE. CHANGE YOUR LIFE, TURN AROUND. STOP LIVING FOR YOUR SELF, AND GIVE YOUR WHOLE SELF TO GOD. AND DO GOOD WORKS AS EVIDENCE. AND YOUR LIFE WILL BE BETTER THAN ANYTHING YOU HAVE EVER IMAGINED.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
First Sunday of Advent, cycle A
MATTHEW 24:37-44
SEVERAL YEARS AGO I TOOK CARE OF A PATIENT WITH A FATAL LIVER DISEASE. HE HAD A FEW YEARS LEFT, BUT IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE VERY MUCH SINCE HE WASN'T THAT OLD. THE ONLY CURE WOULD BE A LIVER TRANSPLANT, SO I ARRANGED FOR HIM TO SEE THE TRANSPLANT PROGRAM AT A BOSTON HOSPITAL. THERE THEY DID ALL KINDS OF TESTS, SOME TO DETERMINE HIS TISSUE TYPE – SOMETHING LIKE A BLOOD TYPE, SO THEY COULD SELECT A COMPATIBLE DONOR; AND SOME TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH DAMAGE HAD BEEN DONE TO HIS HEART AND LUNGS BY THE LIVER DISEASE, SINCE IF THERE WAS TOO MUCH DAMAGE, IT WOULDN'T MAKE SENSE TO TRANSPLANT A NEW LIVER. AND AFTER THAT, THEY TOLD HIM TO WAIT. AND WAIT HE DID. HE HAD TO CHANGE HIS WHOLE ROUTINE. IN THE DAYS BEFORE CELL PHONES, HE MADE SURE SOMEONE WAS ALWAYS HOME TO ANSWER THE PHONE, AND HE CHECKED IN EVERY HALF HOUR WHEN HE WAS AWAY. HE COULD NO LONGER GO ON TRIPS OUT OF THE AREA; HE HAD TO BE WITHIN AN HOUR'S RIDE TO THE HOSPITAL AT ALL TIMES. HE HAD TO BE ESPECIALLY CAREFUL ABOUT CATCHING COLDS, SINCE THEY WOULDN'T DO THE TRANSPLANT IF HE WAS SICK. AND TWO YEARS WENT BY, AND ONE NIGHT, HE RECEIVED THE CALL – A PERSON HAD BEEN IN A FATAL CAR ACCIDENT, HAD ARRIVED IN AN EMERGENCY ROOM BRAIN DEAD, AND HIS LIVER WAS BEING RUSHED TO THE TRANSPLANT CENTER. AND MY PATIENT GRABBED THE BAG THAT HAD BEEN PACKED AND READY, AND WENT TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE WITHIN A FEW HOURS, HE HAD A NEW LIVER.
WHAT IF, AFTER A YEAR OR SO OF WAITING, HE HAD SLACKED OFF, HE HAD STOPPED BEING READY? WHEN THE CALL CAME, WOULD HE SAY, “I CAN'T MAKE IT NOW, HOW ABOUT FRIDAY?” OR HE MIGHT HAVE MISSED THE CALL COMPLETELY, AND THE LIVER WOULD GO TO THE NEXT AVAILABLE PATIENT.
TWO THOUSAND YEARS HAVE GONE BY, AND WE ARE STILL WAITING. THE EARLY CHRISTIANS HAD A MUCH GREATER SENSE OF ANTICIPATION; WHEN YOU READ THE NEW TESTAMENT, THE MESSAGE SEEMS TO BE, “THE LORD IS COMING SOON!” AND WITH THAT IN YOUR MIND ALL THE TIME, EVERYTHING TOOK ON A NEW PERSPECTIVE. THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES DESCRIBE THE EARLY CHURCH HOLDING THINGS IN COMMON. WHAT GOOD WOULD IT DO TO HOARD UP RICHES IF THE LORD WAS COMING SOON? AND MARTYRS WENT TO THEIR DEATHS JOYFUL AND SOMETIMES EVEN SINGING – WHAT DID A FEW MORE YEARS OF LIFE MATTER IF THE LORD WAS COMING SOON? AND MEN AND WOMEN WENT OUT ON MISSION TO SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS, LEAVING THE COMFORT OF HOME AND FAMILY – THOSE THINGS DIDN'T SEEM THAT IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE LORD WAS COMING SOON.
TWO THOUSAND YEARS HAVE GONE BY AND WE ARE STILL WAITING. BUT JESUS TELLS US TO LIVE IN EXPECTATION, TO BE ALERT, TO BE READY, TO HAVE OUR BAGS PACKED. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO MEN IN THE FIELD OR THE WOMEN IN THE KITCHEN IS THAT ONE WAS WAITING, ONE WAS NOT.
ADVENT IS MEANT TO RESTORE THAT SENSE OF EXPECTATION IN US. THE OPPOSITE OF BEING WATCHFUL, BEING EXPECTANT, IS TO BE IN A RUT. AND WE ALL GET INTO RUTS. I GET UP IN THE MORNING, GO THROUGH A ROUTINE; I READ THE PAPER AND DRINK SOME COFFEE; I GO TO WORK, DO THE SAME THINGS DAY AFTER DAY, COME HOME AND ENTER MY EVENING ROUTINE. WHEN SOMETHING DISTURBS MY ROUTINE, MY RUT, I GET BOTHERED. AND I EXPECT TOMORROW WILL BE A LOT LIKE TODAY, AND NEXT WEEK LIKE THIS WEEK.
BUT IF I WANT TO RESTORE MY WATCHFULNESS, MY SENSE OF ANTICIPATION, I HAVE TO BREAK OUT. THERE ARE THREE STEPS.
FIRST, WE IDENTIFY TIME IN OUR DAY THAT IS BEING WASTED, OR THAT WE ARE DEVOTING TO TASKS THAT ARE NO LONGER NECESSARY. YOU MAY SAY THAT EVERYTHING YOU DO IS NECESSARY, BUT WHEN WE STEP BACK, WE ALL NOTICE THAT MAYBE WE COULD BE MORE EFFICIENT, MAYBE WE DON'T REALLY NEED TO VACUUM THE CARPET EVERY DAY NOW THAT THE KIDS ARE GROWN UP; MAYBE WE AREN'T REALLY GETTING TOO MUCH OUT OF THE TELEVISION PROGRAMS IN THE EVENING ANYMORE.
SECOND, WE CREATE SPACE IN OUR DAY – WE REMOVE A PART OF THE RUT WE ARE IN. IF WE NORMALLY TURN THE TELEVISION ON AT EIGHT, MAYBE WE TURN IT ON AT NINE.
THIRD, HAVING IDENTIFIED AND CREATED SPACE, WE CONSCIOUSLY AND PRAYERFULLY INTRODUCE SOMETHING NEW INTO THAT SPACE. NOW IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD USE THE TIME TO MEDITATE OR PRAY OR READ FROM SCRIPTURE; BUT IF YOU DON'T DO THAT ALREADY IT MAY NOT BE THE BEST PLACE TO START. INSTEAD, THINK OF SOMETHING YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO, BUT YOU'VE PUT OFF BECAUSE YOU NEVER HAD TIME. I LIKE TO GIVE MYSELF A PROJECT, USUALLY INVOLVING LEARNING A NEW SUBJECT. SOME PEOPLE MAY TAKE UP A NEW HOBBY OR RESUME AN OLD ONE. YOU MAY WANT TO LEARN HOW TO USE A COMPUTER OR PLAY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT IF YOU DON'T ALREADY KNOW; YOU MAY WANT TO DELIBERATELY SET OUT TO FIND YOUR OLD HIGH SCHOOL CLASSMATES, OR DIG INTO YOUR GENEOLOGY. THE IDEA IS TO PUT SOMETHING IN THAT SPACE WHICH ATTRACTS YOU, WHICH SHAKES YOU UP, WHICH MAKES YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT TIME. NOW OBVIOUSLY IT'S A GOOD THING AS YOU ENTER INTO THE SPACE YOU'VE MADE TO OFFER A LITTLE PRAYER OF GRATITUDE; THAT KEEPS IT HOLY.
WHAT I'VE DESCRIBED IS AN EXERCISE. IT ISN'T A SUBSTITUTE FOR YOUR PRAYER LIFE, OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT'S IMPORTANT. ALL IT IS IS A WAY TO BREAK OUT OF YOUR ROUTINE SO THAT YOU WILL BE MORE WATCHFUL.
MAYBE YOU THINK THAT THIS ISN'T VERY SPIRITUAL. ACTUALLY, GREAT SAINTS WERE ALWAYS SHAKING THEMSELVES UP, BREAKING OUT OF RUTS IN DIFFERENT WAYS. THOMAS AQUINAS COMPOSED POETRY AND HYMNS WHEN HE WASN'T WRITING THEOLOGY AND TEACHING. SAINT MARGARET OF SCOTLAND TAUGHT POOR YOUNG WOMEN HOW TO MAKE LACE SO THEY WOULD HAVE A MARKETABLE SKILL. JOHN PAUL II AS WE ALL KNOW, LOVED TO GET AWAY TO SKI OR HIKE OR CAMP UNTIL HE GOT TOO OLD AND FRAGILE TO DO THESE THINGS ANYMORE.
IN OUR ADVENT LITURGY WE CHANGE TO PURPLE COLORS. IN LENT, THIS SYMBOLIZES PENANCE, BUT IN ADVENT, IT IS A SIGN OF WAITING, OF HOPE, OF THE ROYAL PURPLE OF THE KING WHO IS TO COME. OUR ADVENT WREATH COUNTS DOWN THE WEEKS, ANOTHER SIGN OF ANTICIPATION. AND OUR READINGS ARE FULL OF SUCH THOUGHTS.
THIS YEAR, AS YOU BEGIN ADVENT, FIND A WAY TO SHAKE UP YOUR LIFE, TO RECOVER SOME OF THAT SENSE OF ANTICIPATION, SO THAT YOU WILL BE AWAKE, SO THAT YOU WILL BE READY. WE MAY HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR TWO THOUSAND YEARS, BUT AS SAINT PAUL TELLS US, “OUR SALVATION IS NEARER NOW THAN WHEN WE FIRST BELIEVED.”
SEVERAL YEARS AGO I TOOK CARE OF A PATIENT WITH A FATAL LIVER DISEASE. HE HAD A FEW YEARS LEFT, BUT IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE VERY MUCH SINCE HE WASN'T THAT OLD. THE ONLY CURE WOULD BE A LIVER TRANSPLANT, SO I ARRANGED FOR HIM TO SEE THE TRANSPLANT PROGRAM AT A BOSTON HOSPITAL. THERE THEY DID ALL KINDS OF TESTS, SOME TO DETERMINE HIS TISSUE TYPE – SOMETHING LIKE A BLOOD TYPE, SO THEY COULD SELECT A COMPATIBLE DONOR; AND SOME TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH DAMAGE HAD BEEN DONE TO HIS HEART AND LUNGS BY THE LIVER DISEASE, SINCE IF THERE WAS TOO MUCH DAMAGE, IT WOULDN'T MAKE SENSE TO TRANSPLANT A NEW LIVER. AND AFTER THAT, THEY TOLD HIM TO WAIT. AND WAIT HE DID. HE HAD TO CHANGE HIS WHOLE ROUTINE. IN THE DAYS BEFORE CELL PHONES, HE MADE SURE SOMEONE WAS ALWAYS HOME TO ANSWER THE PHONE, AND HE CHECKED IN EVERY HALF HOUR WHEN HE WAS AWAY. HE COULD NO LONGER GO ON TRIPS OUT OF THE AREA; HE HAD TO BE WITHIN AN HOUR'S RIDE TO THE HOSPITAL AT ALL TIMES. HE HAD TO BE ESPECIALLY CAREFUL ABOUT CATCHING COLDS, SINCE THEY WOULDN'T DO THE TRANSPLANT IF HE WAS SICK. AND TWO YEARS WENT BY, AND ONE NIGHT, HE RECEIVED THE CALL – A PERSON HAD BEEN IN A FATAL CAR ACCIDENT, HAD ARRIVED IN AN EMERGENCY ROOM BRAIN DEAD, AND HIS LIVER WAS BEING RUSHED TO THE TRANSPLANT CENTER. AND MY PATIENT GRABBED THE BAG THAT HAD BEEN PACKED AND READY, AND WENT TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE WITHIN A FEW HOURS, HE HAD A NEW LIVER.
WHAT IF, AFTER A YEAR OR SO OF WAITING, HE HAD SLACKED OFF, HE HAD STOPPED BEING READY? WHEN THE CALL CAME, WOULD HE SAY, “I CAN'T MAKE IT NOW, HOW ABOUT FRIDAY?” OR HE MIGHT HAVE MISSED THE CALL COMPLETELY, AND THE LIVER WOULD GO TO THE NEXT AVAILABLE PATIENT.
TWO THOUSAND YEARS HAVE GONE BY, AND WE ARE STILL WAITING. THE EARLY CHRISTIANS HAD A MUCH GREATER SENSE OF ANTICIPATION; WHEN YOU READ THE NEW TESTAMENT, THE MESSAGE SEEMS TO BE, “THE LORD IS COMING SOON!” AND WITH THAT IN YOUR MIND ALL THE TIME, EVERYTHING TOOK ON A NEW PERSPECTIVE. THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES DESCRIBE THE EARLY CHURCH HOLDING THINGS IN COMMON. WHAT GOOD WOULD IT DO TO HOARD UP RICHES IF THE LORD WAS COMING SOON? AND MARTYRS WENT TO THEIR DEATHS JOYFUL AND SOMETIMES EVEN SINGING – WHAT DID A FEW MORE YEARS OF LIFE MATTER IF THE LORD WAS COMING SOON? AND MEN AND WOMEN WENT OUT ON MISSION TO SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS, LEAVING THE COMFORT OF HOME AND FAMILY – THOSE THINGS DIDN'T SEEM THAT IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE LORD WAS COMING SOON.
TWO THOUSAND YEARS HAVE GONE BY AND WE ARE STILL WAITING. BUT JESUS TELLS US TO LIVE IN EXPECTATION, TO BE ALERT, TO BE READY, TO HAVE OUR BAGS PACKED. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO MEN IN THE FIELD OR THE WOMEN IN THE KITCHEN IS THAT ONE WAS WAITING, ONE WAS NOT.
ADVENT IS MEANT TO RESTORE THAT SENSE OF EXPECTATION IN US. THE OPPOSITE OF BEING WATCHFUL, BEING EXPECTANT, IS TO BE IN A RUT. AND WE ALL GET INTO RUTS. I GET UP IN THE MORNING, GO THROUGH A ROUTINE; I READ THE PAPER AND DRINK SOME COFFEE; I GO TO WORK, DO THE SAME THINGS DAY AFTER DAY, COME HOME AND ENTER MY EVENING ROUTINE. WHEN SOMETHING DISTURBS MY ROUTINE, MY RUT, I GET BOTHERED. AND I EXPECT TOMORROW WILL BE A LOT LIKE TODAY, AND NEXT WEEK LIKE THIS WEEK.
BUT IF I WANT TO RESTORE MY WATCHFULNESS, MY SENSE OF ANTICIPATION, I HAVE TO BREAK OUT. THERE ARE THREE STEPS.
FIRST, WE IDENTIFY TIME IN OUR DAY THAT IS BEING WASTED, OR THAT WE ARE DEVOTING TO TASKS THAT ARE NO LONGER NECESSARY. YOU MAY SAY THAT EVERYTHING YOU DO IS NECESSARY, BUT WHEN WE STEP BACK, WE ALL NOTICE THAT MAYBE WE COULD BE MORE EFFICIENT, MAYBE WE DON'T REALLY NEED TO VACUUM THE CARPET EVERY DAY NOW THAT THE KIDS ARE GROWN UP; MAYBE WE AREN'T REALLY GETTING TOO MUCH OUT OF THE TELEVISION PROGRAMS IN THE EVENING ANYMORE.
SECOND, WE CREATE SPACE IN OUR DAY – WE REMOVE A PART OF THE RUT WE ARE IN. IF WE NORMALLY TURN THE TELEVISION ON AT EIGHT, MAYBE WE TURN IT ON AT NINE.
THIRD, HAVING IDENTIFIED AND CREATED SPACE, WE CONSCIOUSLY AND PRAYERFULLY INTRODUCE SOMETHING NEW INTO THAT SPACE. NOW IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD USE THE TIME TO MEDITATE OR PRAY OR READ FROM SCRIPTURE; BUT IF YOU DON'T DO THAT ALREADY IT MAY NOT BE THE BEST PLACE TO START. INSTEAD, THINK OF SOMETHING YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO, BUT YOU'VE PUT OFF BECAUSE YOU NEVER HAD TIME. I LIKE TO GIVE MYSELF A PROJECT, USUALLY INVOLVING LEARNING A NEW SUBJECT. SOME PEOPLE MAY TAKE UP A NEW HOBBY OR RESUME AN OLD ONE. YOU MAY WANT TO LEARN HOW TO USE A COMPUTER OR PLAY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT IF YOU DON'T ALREADY KNOW; YOU MAY WANT TO DELIBERATELY SET OUT TO FIND YOUR OLD HIGH SCHOOL CLASSMATES, OR DIG INTO YOUR GENEOLOGY. THE IDEA IS TO PUT SOMETHING IN THAT SPACE WHICH ATTRACTS YOU, WHICH SHAKES YOU UP, WHICH MAKES YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT TIME. NOW OBVIOUSLY IT'S A GOOD THING AS YOU ENTER INTO THE SPACE YOU'VE MADE TO OFFER A LITTLE PRAYER OF GRATITUDE; THAT KEEPS IT HOLY.
WHAT I'VE DESCRIBED IS AN EXERCISE. IT ISN'T A SUBSTITUTE FOR YOUR PRAYER LIFE, OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT'S IMPORTANT. ALL IT IS IS A WAY TO BREAK OUT OF YOUR ROUTINE SO THAT YOU WILL BE MORE WATCHFUL.
MAYBE YOU THINK THAT THIS ISN'T VERY SPIRITUAL. ACTUALLY, GREAT SAINTS WERE ALWAYS SHAKING THEMSELVES UP, BREAKING OUT OF RUTS IN DIFFERENT WAYS. THOMAS AQUINAS COMPOSED POETRY AND HYMNS WHEN HE WASN'T WRITING THEOLOGY AND TEACHING. SAINT MARGARET OF SCOTLAND TAUGHT POOR YOUNG WOMEN HOW TO MAKE LACE SO THEY WOULD HAVE A MARKETABLE SKILL. JOHN PAUL II AS WE ALL KNOW, LOVED TO GET AWAY TO SKI OR HIKE OR CAMP UNTIL HE GOT TOO OLD AND FRAGILE TO DO THESE THINGS ANYMORE.
IN OUR ADVENT LITURGY WE CHANGE TO PURPLE COLORS. IN LENT, THIS SYMBOLIZES PENANCE, BUT IN ADVENT, IT IS A SIGN OF WAITING, OF HOPE, OF THE ROYAL PURPLE OF THE KING WHO IS TO COME. OUR ADVENT WREATH COUNTS DOWN THE WEEKS, ANOTHER SIGN OF ANTICIPATION. AND OUR READINGS ARE FULL OF SUCH THOUGHTS.
THIS YEAR, AS YOU BEGIN ADVENT, FIND A WAY TO SHAKE UP YOUR LIFE, TO RECOVER SOME OF THAT SENSE OF ANTICIPATION, SO THAT YOU WILL BE AWAKE, SO THAT YOU WILL BE READY. WE MAY HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR TWO THOUSAND YEARS, BUT AS SAINT PAUL TELLS US, “OUR SALVATION IS NEARER NOW THAN WHEN WE FIRST BELIEVED.”
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Christ the King, Cycle C
LUKE 23:35-43
WHEN WE HEAR THIS FAMOUS GOSPEL, WE USUALLY CONCENTRATE ON THE INTERACTION BETWEEN JESUS AND THE SO-CALLED “GOOD THIEF”. BUT THERE IS ANOTHER VOICE HERE, THE VOICE OF THE OTHER THIEF. “ARE YOU NOT THE CHRIST? SAVE YOURSELF AND US.” THE GOSPEL WRITER TELLS US THAT THE OTHER THIEF “REVILED” HIM, WHICH IN SOME TRANSLATIONS, COMES ACROSS AS “MOCKED”. SO THAT BAD THIEF SPOKE THOSE WORDS IN A MOCKING VOICE, A VOICE THAT MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE DID NOT BELIEVE JESUS COULD DO ANYTHING OF THE KIND.
WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH THIS MAN'S MIND? HE KNEW HE WAS GOING TO DIE A MISERABLE DEATH. HE KNEW THAT BECAUSE OF HIS CRIMES AND THE WAY HE WAS GOING TO DIE, HE WAS AN OUTCAST FROM HIS COMMUNITY. IN THOSE DAYS SOME JEWS BELIEVED IN THE RESURRECTION; OF THESE, SOME BELIEVED THAT ONLY THE GOOD WOULD RISE. AND OTHER BELIEVED IN NO RESURRECTION AT ALL. WHAT DID HE BELIEVE, THIS MAN WHO MOCKED JESUS WITH HIS LAST BREATH? WHEN HE BECAME A THIEF, HAD HE ABANDONED ANY HOPE OF LIFE AFTER DEATH? OR HAD HE SORT OF FIGURED THAT SOMEDAY, AFTER HE MADE ENOUGH FROM HIS PROFESSION, THERE WOULD BE TIME FOR ATTENDING TO HIS SOUL?
IN OUR COUNTRY, IF A PERSON IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH, SOMETIMES IT TAKES YEARS BEFORE THE ACTUAL EVENT TAKES PLACE. WE HAVE APPEALS COURTS AND STATE SUPREME COURTS, AND MOTIONS THAT CAN BE FILED, AND APPEALS FOR CLEMENCY THAT MUST BE CONSIDERED. PEOPLE ON DEATH ROW ARE USUALLY THERE LONG ENOUGH TO COMPLETELY CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR, TO REPENT OF WHAT THEY DID, AND SOMETIMES, TO WRITE BOOKS. THE PERSON YOU PUT TO DEATH IS SOMETIMES A VERY DIFFERENT PERSON THAN THE ONE WHO DID THE CRIME.
IN JESUS TIME, AS WE KNOW FROM HIS OWN TRIAL, VERY LITTLE TIME ELAPSED BETWEEN WHEN YOU WERE CONDEMNED AND WHEN YOU WERE PUT TO DEATH. DID OUR BAD THIEF EVEN HAVE TIME TO FULLY APPRECIATE THAT HE WAS GOING TO DIE, THAT THERE WAS NO ESCAPE, NO CLEMENCY? OR WAS HE STILL IN SHOCK?
DID HE THINK THAT BY MOCKING JESUS, BY JOINING IN WITH THE CROWDS WHO WERE MOCKING HIM, SOMEONE MIGHT TAKE PITY ON HIM? MAYBE THERE WAS STILL TIME TO GET HIS SENTENCE COMMUTED; MAYBE THE AUTHORITIES WHO PUT JESUS TO DEATH WOULD LOOK FAVORABLY ON HIS OBVIOUS AGREEMENT WITH THEIR SENTENCE. WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH HIS MIND? WHAT WERE HIS THOUGHTS AS HE WRITHED ON HIS OWN CROSS, TRYING TO CATCH HIS BREATH, TRYING TO RELIEVE HIS PAIN?
OR AFTER HE MOCKED JESUS, MAYBE HE SLIPPED INTO A PLACE DEEP IN HIS MIND, A PLACE WHERE HE WAS A CHILD ONCE AGAIN, PROTECTED BY A FATHER, LOVED BY A MOTHER. IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR DYING PEOPLE TO DO THAT, TO WITHDRAW AND IMAGINE THEMSELVES IN A BETTER PLACE, A BETTER TIME.
THE GOOD THIEF SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE AWARE OF HIS SITUATION. HE KNEW WHY HE WAS ON THE CROSS, HE KNEW THAT HIS PUNISHMENT WAS DESERVED, AND HE KNEW HIS LIFE WAS OVER. AND MAYBE THIS JESUS REALLY WAS A PROPHET, OR AS SOME SAID, THE VERY SON OF GOD, THE ONE WHO PROMISED RESURRECTION, THE ONE WHO CLAIMED THAT HE HIMSELF WOULD RISE FROM THE DEAD AS EVIDENCE THAT WHAT HE TAUGHT WAS TRUE. AND HE IS THE ONE WHO FIRST OF ALL WITNESSES HIS FAITH BY HIS WORDS; HE RECOGNIZES THAT JESUS IS INNOCENT AND THAT HE HAS POWER, THAT HE IS A KING. AND WITHOUT MUCH HOPE, HE CALLS OUT, “REMEMBER ME WHEN YOU COME INTO YOUR KINGDOM.”
SO THERE ARE TWO THIEVES, EACH OF WHOM HAS REACHED THE END OF HIS LIFE. A DAY OR TWO AGO, THEY WERE FREE, THEY WERE PROBABLY ENJOYING A DRINK SOMEWHERE, PLOTTING THEIR NEXT CAPER. NEITHER HAD THE FAINTEST EXPECTATION THAT HE WOULD BE HANGING ON A CROSS ON THAT FRIDAY LONG AGO.
YOU AND I ARE NOT MUCH DIFFERENT. WE GO ABOUT OUR LIVES, ONE DAY LEADING TO THE NEXT. WE DON'T THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE MIGHT HAVE ONLY A DAY OR TWO. MAYBE WE CONSOLE OURSELVES WITH THE THOUGHT THAT THERE IS STILL PLENTY OF TIME TO GET RIGHT WITH GOD; THAT WHEN THE END COMES, WE WILL HAVE TIME TO REPENT, TO CONFESS OUR SINS, TO RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST ONE LAST TIME; WHEN THE END COMES WE WILL BE SENT OFF WITH THE SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH IN THE BOSOM OF OUR FAMILY, GOING TO SLEEP IN THIS WORLD, WAKING UP IN THE NEXT.
SO WHY DID GOD ARRANGE IT SO THAT ONE THIEF IS PROMISED PARADISE, AND THE OTHER – WELL, WE DON'T KNOW HIS ULTIMATE DESTINATION – BUT HE CERTAINLY RECEIVED NO PROMISE. BUT EACH HAD THE CHANCE, EACH HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROFESS HIS FAITH, TO ASK FOR MERCY. ONE CHOSE TO DO SO, THE OTHER DID NOT.
TO ME THIS IS A FRIGHTENING GOSPEL. I THINK IT FRIGHTENS ME SINCE I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH DEATH. I'VE SEEN SO MANY PEOPLE DIE OF CANCER, AND I'VE SEEN VERY FEW DEATHBED CONVERSIONS. THE WAY YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE IS GENERALLY THE WAY YOU DIE. LIKE THE BAD THIEF, VERY FEW PEOPLE CAN ACCEPT THAT THIS IS THE END, THAT THERE WILL BE NO MORE CHANCES.
JESUS IS THERE, OFFERING THE MERCY OF GOD TO ANYONE WHO ASKS IT. THAT IS SOMETHING TO HANG ON TO; HE WILL BE THERE AT YOUR END AND MY END AS WELL. BUT WE HAVE TO ASK FOR THAT MERCY. AND EVEN THOUGH JESUS IS THERE, EVEN THOUGH THE BAD THIEF HAS NOTHING TO LOSE, HE CHOOSES TO MOCK JESUS RATHER THAN BEG HIS MERCY.
THE GOOD THIEF, IT IS SAID, STOLE HEAVEN. HE RECOGNIZED THAT THE MAN ON THE CROSS NEXT TO HIM WAS TRULY A KING, THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE, THE ONE WHO WOULD REIGN FOREVER. THE BAD THIEF SAW ONLY A MAN, SOMEONE WHO HAD GONE ABOUT DOING GOOD, BUT ULTIMATELY MEETING FAILURE AND CONDEMNATION. TO HIM THIS WAS NO KING, NO LORD, NO ONE TO PUT YOUR TRUST IN.
THIS IS THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING, CHRIST WHO HOLDS THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM, CHRIST WHO WAITS FOR YOU AND I TO RECOGNIZE HIM RIGHT NOW, AS WE OURSELVES JOURNEY TO OUR OWN CALVARY, OUR OWN MOMENT WHEN THERE WILL BE NO MORE CHANCES. HOW ARE WE RECOGNIZING HIM? HOW ARE WE TURNING OURSELVES OVER TO HIS WILL? GOD FORBID THAT WE WILL BE LIKE THAT BAD THIEF, FAILING TO RECOGNIZE HIM WHEN THAT MOMENT ARRIVES IN OUR OWN LIVES.
WHEN WE HEAR THIS FAMOUS GOSPEL, WE USUALLY CONCENTRATE ON THE INTERACTION BETWEEN JESUS AND THE SO-CALLED “GOOD THIEF”. BUT THERE IS ANOTHER VOICE HERE, THE VOICE OF THE OTHER THIEF. “ARE YOU NOT THE CHRIST? SAVE YOURSELF AND US.” THE GOSPEL WRITER TELLS US THAT THE OTHER THIEF “REVILED” HIM, WHICH IN SOME TRANSLATIONS, COMES ACROSS AS “MOCKED”. SO THAT BAD THIEF SPOKE THOSE WORDS IN A MOCKING VOICE, A VOICE THAT MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE DID NOT BELIEVE JESUS COULD DO ANYTHING OF THE KIND.
WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH THIS MAN'S MIND? HE KNEW HE WAS GOING TO DIE A MISERABLE DEATH. HE KNEW THAT BECAUSE OF HIS CRIMES AND THE WAY HE WAS GOING TO DIE, HE WAS AN OUTCAST FROM HIS COMMUNITY. IN THOSE DAYS SOME JEWS BELIEVED IN THE RESURRECTION; OF THESE, SOME BELIEVED THAT ONLY THE GOOD WOULD RISE. AND OTHER BELIEVED IN NO RESURRECTION AT ALL. WHAT DID HE BELIEVE, THIS MAN WHO MOCKED JESUS WITH HIS LAST BREATH? WHEN HE BECAME A THIEF, HAD HE ABANDONED ANY HOPE OF LIFE AFTER DEATH? OR HAD HE SORT OF FIGURED THAT SOMEDAY, AFTER HE MADE ENOUGH FROM HIS PROFESSION, THERE WOULD BE TIME FOR ATTENDING TO HIS SOUL?
IN OUR COUNTRY, IF A PERSON IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH, SOMETIMES IT TAKES YEARS BEFORE THE ACTUAL EVENT TAKES PLACE. WE HAVE APPEALS COURTS AND STATE SUPREME COURTS, AND MOTIONS THAT CAN BE FILED, AND APPEALS FOR CLEMENCY THAT MUST BE CONSIDERED. PEOPLE ON DEATH ROW ARE USUALLY THERE LONG ENOUGH TO COMPLETELY CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR, TO REPENT OF WHAT THEY DID, AND SOMETIMES, TO WRITE BOOKS. THE PERSON YOU PUT TO DEATH IS SOMETIMES A VERY DIFFERENT PERSON THAN THE ONE WHO DID THE CRIME.
IN JESUS TIME, AS WE KNOW FROM HIS OWN TRIAL, VERY LITTLE TIME ELAPSED BETWEEN WHEN YOU WERE CONDEMNED AND WHEN YOU WERE PUT TO DEATH. DID OUR BAD THIEF EVEN HAVE TIME TO FULLY APPRECIATE THAT HE WAS GOING TO DIE, THAT THERE WAS NO ESCAPE, NO CLEMENCY? OR WAS HE STILL IN SHOCK?
DID HE THINK THAT BY MOCKING JESUS, BY JOINING IN WITH THE CROWDS WHO WERE MOCKING HIM, SOMEONE MIGHT TAKE PITY ON HIM? MAYBE THERE WAS STILL TIME TO GET HIS SENTENCE COMMUTED; MAYBE THE AUTHORITIES WHO PUT JESUS TO DEATH WOULD LOOK FAVORABLY ON HIS OBVIOUS AGREEMENT WITH THEIR SENTENCE. WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH HIS MIND? WHAT WERE HIS THOUGHTS AS HE WRITHED ON HIS OWN CROSS, TRYING TO CATCH HIS BREATH, TRYING TO RELIEVE HIS PAIN?
OR AFTER HE MOCKED JESUS, MAYBE HE SLIPPED INTO A PLACE DEEP IN HIS MIND, A PLACE WHERE HE WAS A CHILD ONCE AGAIN, PROTECTED BY A FATHER, LOVED BY A MOTHER. IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR DYING PEOPLE TO DO THAT, TO WITHDRAW AND IMAGINE THEMSELVES IN A BETTER PLACE, A BETTER TIME.
THE GOOD THIEF SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE AWARE OF HIS SITUATION. HE KNEW WHY HE WAS ON THE CROSS, HE KNEW THAT HIS PUNISHMENT WAS DESERVED, AND HE KNEW HIS LIFE WAS OVER. AND MAYBE THIS JESUS REALLY WAS A PROPHET, OR AS SOME SAID, THE VERY SON OF GOD, THE ONE WHO PROMISED RESURRECTION, THE ONE WHO CLAIMED THAT HE HIMSELF WOULD RISE FROM THE DEAD AS EVIDENCE THAT WHAT HE TAUGHT WAS TRUE. AND HE IS THE ONE WHO FIRST OF ALL WITNESSES HIS FAITH BY HIS WORDS; HE RECOGNIZES THAT JESUS IS INNOCENT AND THAT HE HAS POWER, THAT HE IS A KING. AND WITHOUT MUCH HOPE, HE CALLS OUT, “REMEMBER ME WHEN YOU COME INTO YOUR KINGDOM.”
SO THERE ARE TWO THIEVES, EACH OF WHOM HAS REACHED THE END OF HIS LIFE. A DAY OR TWO AGO, THEY WERE FREE, THEY WERE PROBABLY ENJOYING A DRINK SOMEWHERE, PLOTTING THEIR NEXT CAPER. NEITHER HAD THE FAINTEST EXPECTATION THAT HE WOULD BE HANGING ON A CROSS ON THAT FRIDAY LONG AGO.
YOU AND I ARE NOT MUCH DIFFERENT. WE GO ABOUT OUR LIVES, ONE DAY LEADING TO THE NEXT. WE DON'T THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE MIGHT HAVE ONLY A DAY OR TWO. MAYBE WE CONSOLE OURSELVES WITH THE THOUGHT THAT THERE IS STILL PLENTY OF TIME TO GET RIGHT WITH GOD; THAT WHEN THE END COMES, WE WILL HAVE TIME TO REPENT, TO CONFESS OUR SINS, TO RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST ONE LAST TIME; WHEN THE END COMES WE WILL BE SENT OFF WITH THE SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH IN THE BOSOM OF OUR FAMILY, GOING TO SLEEP IN THIS WORLD, WAKING UP IN THE NEXT.
SO WHY DID GOD ARRANGE IT SO THAT ONE THIEF IS PROMISED PARADISE, AND THE OTHER – WELL, WE DON'T KNOW HIS ULTIMATE DESTINATION – BUT HE CERTAINLY RECEIVED NO PROMISE. BUT EACH HAD THE CHANCE, EACH HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROFESS HIS FAITH, TO ASK FOR MERCY. ONE CHOSE TO DO SO, THE OTHER DID NOT.
TO ME THIS IS A FRIGHTENING GOSPEL. I THINK IT FRIGHTENS ME SINCE I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH DEATH. I'VE SEEN SO MANY PEOPLE DIE OF CANCER, AND I'VE SEEN VERY FEW DEATHBED CONVERSIONS. THE WAY YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE IS GENERALLY THE WAY YOU DIE. LIKE THE BAD THIEF, VERY FEW PEOPLE CAN ACCEPT THAT THIS IS THE END, THAT THERE WILL BE NO MORE CHANCES.
JESUS IS THERE, OFFERING THE MERCY OF GOD TO ANYONE WHO ASKS IT. THAT IS SOMETHING TO HANG ON TO; HE WILL BE THERE AT YOUR END AND MY END AS WELL. BUT WE HAVE TO ASK FOR THAT MERCY. AND EVEN THOUGH JESUS IS THERE, EVEN THOUGH THE BAD THIEF HAS NOTHING TO LOSE, HE CHOOSES TO MOCK JESUS RATHER THAN BEG HIS MERCY.
THE GOOD THIEF, IT IS SAID, STOLE HEAVEN. HE RECOGNIZED THAT THE MAN ON THE CROSS NEXT TO HIM WAS TRULY A KING, THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE, THE ONE WHO WOULD REIGN FOREVER. THE BAD THIEF SAW ONLY A MAN, SOMEONE WHO HAD GONE ABOUT DOING GOOD, BUT ULTIMATELY MEETING FAILURE AND CONDEMNATION. TO HIM THIS WAS NO KING, NO LORD, NO ONE TO PUT YOUR TRUST IN.
THIS IS THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING, CHRIST WHO HOLDS THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM, CHRIST WHO WAITS FOR YOU AND I TO RECOGNIZE HIM RIGHT NOW, AS WE OURSELVES JOURNEY TO OUR OWN CALVARY, OUR OWN MOMENT WHEN THERE WILL BE NO MORE CHANCES. HOW ARE WE RECOGNIZING HIM? HOW ARE WE TURNING OURSELVES OVER TO HIS WILL? GOD FORBID THAT WE WILL BE LIKE THAT BAD THIEF, FAILING TO RECOGNIZE HIM WHEN THAT MOMENT ARRIVES IN OUR OWN LIVES.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Thirty second Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C
LUKE 20:27-38
OUR ANCESTORS IN FAITH DIDN'T ALWAYS BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH, AND WHEN THEY DID, IT WASN'T WHAT WE BELIEVE. THERE WAS AN EVOLUTION. WHEN YOU READ THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE, WHICH THE PEOPLE IN JESUS TIME CONSIDERED TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY MOSES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN HOPED TO LIVE ON THROUGH THEIR CHILDREN. GOD PROMISED ABRAHAM THAT HIS DESCENDANTS WOULD BE AS NUMEROUS AS THE STARS IN THE SKY OR THE SAND ON THE SEASHORE; HE NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT LIFE AFTER DEATH. SARAH REFERRED TO HERSELF AS DEAD, BECAUSE SHE WAS BARREN; AND SHE REJOICED WHEN SHE FINALLY LEARNED THAT SHE WOULD BEAR A CHILD. YOU LIVED ON IN YOUR CHILDREN. BY THE TIME YOU GET TO KING DAVID, THERE WAS A GENERAL CONSENSUS THAT THERE WAS A LIFE AFTER DEATH; YOU WENT TO A PLACE CALLED “SHEOL” WHERE THINGS WERE KIND OF LIKE THEY ARE ON THE EARTH, EXCEPT EVERYTHING WAS GHOSTLY, SHADOWY, WITHOUT COLOR, WITHOUT HOPE OR IN FACT WITHOUT ANY EMOTION. THAT BELIEF IS REFLECTED IN THE STORY WHERE KING SAUL HAS A WITCH RAISE THE SPIRIT OF THE PROPHET SAMUEL, AND IN THE PSALMS, WHERE THERE IS FREQUENT REFERENCE TO THE IDEA OF SHEOL. BY THE TIME THE LATER PROPHETS COME AROUND, THERE IS BELIEF IN RESURRECTION, WHICH MEANT THAT YOU DIED, AND AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE, GOD RESTORED YOU TO LIFE, BODY AND SOUL. ONLY IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES DO WE SEE PEOPLE BEGINNING TO BELIEVE IN A HEAVEN, WHERE YOUR SOUL WOULD GO WHILE YOUR BODY WAITED FOR THE RESURRECTION.
THE SADDUCEES FIGURED THAT THE ONLY SCRIPTURES WORTH READING WERE THE ONES WRITTEN BY MOSES, AND IN THOSE BOOKS, THERE ISN'T ANY OBVIOUS REFERENCE TO LIVING ON AFTER DEATH IN ANY FORM. AND THE LAW THAT SAYS A MAN MUST MARRY HIS BROTHER'S WIFE IF THE BROTHER DIES WITHOUT CHILDREN WAS A LAW GIVEN BY MOSES; AND SO OBVIOUSLY MOSES DIDN'T BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH, BECAUSE AS THEY POINT OUT, THE WOMAN HAD BEEN MARRIED TO EACH BROTHER, BUT SHE COULD ONLY HAVE ONE HUSBAND, SO WHAT HAPPENS IN THE RESURRECTION? THE ONLY WAY THE LAW OF MOSES COULD MAKE ANY SENSE IS IF THERE IS NO LIFE AFTER DEATH.
THE SADDUCEES WERE VERY CONSERVATIVE; MOST OF THE WORLD IN JESUS TIME BELIEVED IN LIFE AFTER DEATH, ESPECIALLY THE PHARISEES. WHEN WE READ THE BIBLE THE PHARISEES GET A BAD RAP, BUT THEY WERE MOSTLY VERY GOOD PEOPLE. IN ORDER TO OBEY THE LAW AS WELL AS POSSIBLE, THEY STUDIED IT, ARGUED ABOUT IT, TRIED TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT; IF IT CAME FROM GOD, IT HAD TO BE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY. OH, THERE WERE EXCESSES, AND THERE WAS HYPOCRISY. BUT THE PHARISEES FOR THE MOST PART WERE ABOUT AS GOOD AS YOU CAN GET ON YOUR OWN, WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY JESUS PICKED ON THEM. HE FIGURED THAT THEY WOULD BE THE ONES WHO WOULD GET HIS MESSAGE, THEY WOULD BE THE GROUP WHO WOULD BE HIS MOST ARDENT FOLLOWERS. (AND HE WAS RIGHT; MANY OF THE FIRST CHRISTIANS, INCLUDING SAINT PAUL, WERE FORMER PHARISEES) AND THE PHARISEES, WHO ACCEPTED ALL THE SCRIPTURES, DID BELIEVE IN RESURRECTION.
BUT THE SADDUCEES HAD A POINT. AND JESUS ANSWERS THEIR ARGUMENT IN TWO WAYS. FIRST, HE SAYS THAT THE NEXT LIFE WON'T BE ANYTHING LIKE THIS LIFE; ALL THE LAWS, ALL THE RELATIONSHIPS, THAT EXIST IN THIS LIFE WILL BE NULL AND VOID. THERE WON'T BE MARRIAGE, DEATH, HUNGER, ONE PERSON BELONGING TO ANOTHER. IF YOU THINK IT WILL BE ANYTHING LIKE THIS LIFE, YOU ARE WRONG. AND SECOND, IT WASN'T LOGICAL TO SAY THAT THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF LIFE AFTER DEATH IN THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES; TO GOD ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB WERE ALIVE, BECAUSE HE TOLD MOSES, “I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB” AND IF THEY WERE DEAD, IF THEY WERE NOTHING BUT DIRT, HOW COULD GOD BE THEIR GOD RIGHT NOW? AND I THINK THERE IS ANOTHER POINT HERE AS WELL; GOD MADE PROMISES TO THESE PATRIARCHS; IT WOULD SEEM FITTING THAT THEY WOULD BE AROUND TO SEE THOSE PROMISES CARRIED OUT.
BECAUSE THE SADDUCEES DIDN'T BELIEVE IN RESURRECTION, THEY DIDN'T TAKE THE LAW VERY SERIOUSLY. AFTER ALL, WHETHER YOU WERE GOOD OR BAD, YOU'D END UP IN THE SAME PLACE. MIGHT AS WELL GET WHAT YOU CAN OUT OF LIFE. MIGHT AS WELL FORGET ALL THOSE SILLY JEWISH RULES AND REGULATIONS, AND LIVE LIKE THE GREEKS AND THE ROMANS, WHO HAD THE POWER, AND WHO WERE SOPHISTICATED AND KNEW HOW TO ENJOY LIFE. FOLLOWING THE JEWISH LAW WAS FOR THE BUMPKINS; MOST OF THOSE 613 RULES DIDN'T MAKE MUCH SENSE ANYWAY. I MEAN, YOU CAN'T EAT A LOBSTER? YOU CAN'T PUT CHEESE ON YOUR SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS? YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SEPARATE SET OF DISHES FOR DAIRY AND FOR MEAT?
THE PHARISEES BELIEVED IN THE RESURRECTION. THEY ALSO BELIEVED THAT THOSE WHO WOULD ENJOY BEING RESURRECTED WERE THE ONES WHO FAITHFULLY KEPT GOD'S LAW. THE PHARISEES SAW THE BIG PICTURE, AND IF IT MEANT BEING PERSECUTED, OR DENYING ONESELF VARIOUS PLEASURES ON THIS EARTH, IT WAS ALL WORTH IT IN THE LONG RUN. AND SO IF THE LAW SAID YOU COULDN'T WORK ON THE SABBATH, THEY WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANT; WAS WALKING “WORK” AND IF SO, HOW FAR BEFORE YOU BROKE THE LAW? COULD YOU COOK FOOD? OR WAS IT BETTER TO PREPARE ALL THE FOOD THE DAY BEFORE? AND THEY DID GET A LITTLE BOGGED DOWN IN DETAILS, BUT THEIR HEARTS WERE IN THE RIGHT PLACE, MOSTLY.
AND FOR JESUS, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION. IT COLORED YOUR WHOLE LIFE, IT KEPT YOU POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION; IT GAVE YOU THE STRENGTH TO PERSEVERE EVEN IF THE WORLD SAID YOU WERE A FOOL. AND BELIEF IN THE RESURRECTION MEANT THAT YOU OBEYED GOD'S LAW EVEN WHEN IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE, EVEN WHEN IT WOULD GET YOU IN TROUBLE. JESUS WANTED HIS FOLLOWERS TO HAVE THE BIG PICTURE.
IF YOU WERE TO WALK DOWN THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM, YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE ROMAN EMPIRE. AND YOU COULDN'T TELL A A SADDUCCEE FROM A GREEK. BUT YOU COULD ALWAYS PICK OUT A PHARISEE. THEY WORE DISTINCTIVE CLOTHING OF COURSE; BUT THEY LIVED THEIR LIVES ACCORDING TO THE LAW, NOT ACCORDING TO THE TIMES.
AND THAT BRINGS US TO NOW. DO WE BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION? DO WE REALLY BELIEVE, STRONGLY ENOUGH TO FOLLOW GOD'S LAW EVEN IF WE DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND IT? ARE WE WILLING TO BE UNPOPULAR, TO STICK UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT EVEN IF IT MEANS LOSING FRIENDS? DO WE SPEND ANY TIME WORRYING ABOUT WHETHER WE ARE ON THE RIGHT PATH, WHETHER OUR LIVES ARE GOVERNED BY JESUS CHRIST? DO WE WORK DILIGENTLY TO OVERCOME THOSE HABITS OF THE HEART THAT LEAD US TO SIN?
OR DO WE NOT BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION, ONLY GIVE IT LIP SERVICE? AND CAN ANYONE TELL WHETHER WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY LOOKING AT OUR LIVES? LET'S RESOLVE TODAY TO SEE OUR EVERY ACTION, OUR EVERY THOUGHT, IN THE LIGHT OF THE RESURRECTION WHICH AWAITS US. NOTHING ELSE REALLY MATTERS.
OUR ANCESTORS IN FAITH DIDN'T ALWAYS BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH, AND WHEN THEY DID, IT WASN'T WHAT WE BELIEVE. THERE WAS AN EVOLUTION. WHEN YOU READ THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE, WHICH THE PEOPLE IN JESUS TIME CONSIDERED TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY MOSES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN HOPED TO LIVE ON THROUGH THEIR CHILDREN. GOD PROMISED ABRAHAM THAT HIS DESCENDANTS WOULD BE AS NUMEROUS AS THE STARS IN THE SKY OR THE SAND ON THE SEASHORE; HE NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT LIFE AFTER DEATH. SARAH REFERRED TO HERSELF AS DEAD, BECAUSE SHE WAS BARREN; AND SHE REJOICED WHEN SHE FINALLY LEARNED THAT SHE WOULD BEAR A CHILD. YOU LIVED ON IN YOUR CHILDREN. BY THE TIME YOU GET TO KING DAVID, THERE WAS A GENERAL CONSENSUS THAT THERE WAS A LIFE AFTER DEATH; YOU WENT TO A PLACE CALLED “SHEOL” WHERE THINGS WERE KIND OF LIKE THEY ARE ON THE EARTH, EXCEPT EVERYTHING WAS GHOSTLY, SHADOWY, WITHOUT COLOR, WITHOUT HOPE OR IN FACT WITHOUT ANY EMOTION. THAT BELIEF IS REFLECTED IN THE STORY WHERE KING SAUL HAS A WITCH RAISE THE SPIRIT OF THE PROPHET SAMUEL, AND IN THE PSALMS, WHERE THERE IS FREQUENT REFERENCE TO THE IDEA OF SHEOL. BY THE TIME THE LATER PROPHETS COME AROUND, THERE IS BELIEF IN RESURRECTION, WHICH MEANT THAT YOU DIED, AND AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE, GOD RESTORED YOU TO LIFE, BODY AND SOUL. ONLY IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES DO WE SEE PEOPLE BEGINNING TO BELIEVE IN A HEAVEN, WHERE YOUR SOUL WOULD GO WHILE YOUR BODY WAITED FOR THE RESURRECTION.
THE SADDUCEES FIGURED THAT THE ONLY SCRIPTURES WORTH READING WERE THE ONES WRITTEN BY MOSES, AND IN THOSE BOOKS, THERE ISN'T ANY OBVIOUS REFERENCE TO LIVING ON AFTER DEATH IN ANY FORM. AND THE LAW THAT SAYS A MAN MUST MARRY HIS BROTHER'S WIFE IF THE BROTHER DIES WITHOUT CHILDREN WAS A LAW GIVEN BY MOSES; AND SO OBVIOUSLY MOSES DIDN'T BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH, BECAUSE AS THEY POINT OUT, THE WOMAN HAD BEEN MARRIED TO EACH BROTHER, BUT SHE COULD ONLY HAVE ONE HUSBAND, SO WHAT HAPPENS IN THE RESURRECTION? THE ONLY WAY THE LAW OF MOSES COULD MAKE ANY SENSE IS IF THERE IS NO LIFE AFTER DEATH.
THE SADDUCEES WERE VERY CONSERVATIVE; MOST OF THE WORLD IN JESUS TIME BELIEVED IN LIFE AFTER DEATH, ESPECIALLY THE PHARISEES. WHEN WE READ THE BIBLE THE PHARISEES GET A BAD RAP, BUT THEY WERE MOSTLY VERY GOOD PEOPLE. IN ORDER TO OBEY THE LAW AS WELL AS POSSIBLE, THEY STUDIED IT, ARGUED ABOUT IT, TRIED TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT; IF IT CAME FROM GOD, IT HAD TO BE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY. OH, THERE WERE EXCESSES, AND THERE WAS HYPOCRISY. BUT THE PHARISEES FOR THE MOST PART WERE ABOUT AS GOOD AS YOU CAN GET ON YOUR OWN, WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY JESUS PICKED ON THEM. HE FIGURED THAT THEY WOULD BE THE ONES WHO WOULD GET HIS MESSAGE, THEY WOULD BE THE GROUP WHO WOULD BE HIS MOST ARDENT FOLLOWERS. (AND HE WAS RIGHT; MANY OF THE FIRST CHRISTIANS, INCLUDING SAINT PAUL, WERE FORMER PHARISEES) AND THE PHARISEES, WHO ACCEPTED ALL THE SCRIPTURES, DID BELIEVE IN RESURRECTION.
BUT THE SADDUCEES HAD A POINT. AND JESUS ANSWERS THEIR ARGUMENT IN TWO WAYS. FIRST, HE SAYS THAT THE NEXT LIFE WON'T BE ANYTHING LIKE THIS LIFE; ALL THE LAWS, ALL THE RELATIONSHIPS, THAT EXIST IN THIS LIFE WILL BE NULL AND VOID. THERE WON'T BE MARRIAGE, DEATH, HUNGER, ONE PERSON BELONGING TO ANOTHER. IF YOU THINK IT WILL BE ANYTHING LIKE THIS LIFE, YOU ARE WRONG. AND SECOND, IT WASN'T LOGICAL TO SAY THAT THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF LIFE AFTER DEATH IN THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES; TO GOD ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB WERE ALIVE, BECAUSE HE TOLD MOSES, “I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB” AND IF THEY WERE DEAD, IF THEY WERE NOTHING BUT DIRT, HOW COULD GOD BE THEIR GOD RIGHT NOW? AND I THINK THERE IS ANOTHER POINT HERE AS WELL; GOD MADE PROMISES TO THESE PATRIARCHS; IT WOULD SEEM FITTING THAT THEY WOULD BE AROUND TO SEE THOSE PROMISES CARRIED OUT.
BECAUSE THE SADDUCEES DIDN'T BELIEVE IN RESURRECTION, THEY DIDN'T TAKE THE LAW VERY SERIOUSLY. AFTER ALL, WHETHER YOU WERE GOOD OR BAD, YOU'D END UP IN THE SAME PLACE. MIGHT AS WELL GET WHAT YOU CAN OUT OF LIFE. MIGHT AS WELL FORGET ALL THOSE SILLY JEWISH RULES AND REGULATIONS, AND LIVE LIKE THE GREEKS AND THE ROMANS, WHO HAD THE POWER, AND WHO WERE SOPHISTICATED AND KNEW HOW TO ENJOY LIFE. FOLLOWING THE JEWISH LAW WAS FOR THE BUMPKINS; MOST OF THOSE 613 RULES DIDN'T MAKE MUCH SENSE ANYWAY. I MEAN, YOU CAN'T EAT A LOBSTER? YOU CAN'T PUT CHEESE ON YOUR SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS? YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SEPARATE SET OF DISHES FOR DAIRY AND FOR MEAT?
THE PHARISEES BELIEVED IN THE RESURRECTION. THEY ALSO BELIEVED THAT THOSE WHO WOULD ENJOY BEING RESURRECTED WERE THE ONES WHO FAITHFULLY KEPT GOD'S LAW. THE PHARISEES SAW THE BIG PICTURE, AND IF IT MEANT BEING PERSECUTED, OR DENYING ONESELF VARIOUS PLEASURES ON THIS EARTH, IT WAS ALL WORTH IT IN THE LONG RUN. AND SO IF THE LAW SAID YOU COULDN'T WORK ON THE SABBATH, THEY WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANT; WAS WALKING “WORK” AND IF SO, HOW FAR BEFORE YOU BROKE THE LAW? COULD YOU COOK FOOD? OR WAS IT BETTER TO PREPARE ALL THE FOOD THE DAY BEFORE? AND THEY DID GET A LITTLE BOGGED DOWN IN DETAILS, BUT THEIR HEARTS WERE IN THE RIGHT PLACE, MOSTLY.
AND FOR JESUS, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION. IT COLORED YOUR WHOLE LIFE, IT KEPT YOU POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION; IT GAVE YOU THE STRENGTH TO PERSEVERE EVEN IF THE WORLD SAID YOU WERE A FOOL. AND BELIEF IN THE RESURRECTION MEANT THAT YOU OBEYED GOD'S LAW EVEN WHEN IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE, EVEN WHEN IT WOULD GET YOU IN TROUBLE. JESUS WANTED HIS FOLLOWERS TO HAVE THE BIG PICTURE.
IF YOU WERE TO WALK DOWN THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM, YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE ROMAN EMPIRE. AND YOU COULDN'T TELL A A SADDUCCEE FROM A GREEK. BUT YOU COULD ALWAYS PICK OUT A PHARISEE. THEY WORE DISTINCTIVE CLOTHING OF COURSE; BUT THEY LIVED THEIR LIVES ACCORDING TO THE LAW, NOT ACCORDING TO THE TIMES.
AND THAT BRINGS US TO NOW. DO WE BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION? DO WE REALLY BELIEVE, STRONGLY ENOUGH TO FOLLOW GOD'S LAW EVEN IF WE DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND IT? ARE WE WILLING TO BE UNPOPULAR, TO STICK UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT EVEN IF IT MEANS LOSING FRIENDS? DO WE SPEND ANY TIME WORRYING ABOUT WHETHER WE ARE ON THE RIGHT PATH, WHETHER OUR LIVES ARE GOVERNED BY JESUS CHRIST? DO WE WORK DILIGENTLY TO OVERCOME THOSE HABITS OF THE HEART THAT LEAD US TO SIN?
OR DO WE NOT BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION, ONLY GIVE IT LIP SERVICE? AND CAN ANYONE TELL WHETHER WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY LOOKING AT OUR LIVES? LET'S RESOLVE TODAY TO SEE OUR EVERY ACTION, OUR EVERY THOUGHT, IN THE LIGHT OF THE RESURRECTION WHICH AWAITS US. NOTHING ELSE REALLY MATTERS.
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