Proper 12 June 29, 2007
Church of Jesus Christ Reconciler
The Rev. Laura Gottardi-Littell, preacher
Gospel: Luke 11:1-13
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In our gospel passage from Luke, a disciple asks Jesus: “Teach us to pray.” Such simple, small words. Such a huge request. The disciple must have seen clearly that prayer was essential to Jesus, that he lived a life soaked in prayer. Luke records many instances of Jesus praying. The disciple likely hungered for some of that prayer action. In Jesus’ time, there were some set prayers that devout Jews could say several times daily. And apparently John the Baptist taught his followers a set prayer. Jesus’s disciple seems to want something like this, but something that comes straight from Jesus.
Teach us to pray. These words reveal a longing. A hunger to communicate with God, and an eagerness to know the right way to talk to God. Perhaps they speak of the disciple’s longing to have the kind of intimacy Jesus had with God.
Teach us to pray. These words jumped out at me when I was reading over this gospel, to prepare for today’s sermon. Because I too long for a deeper and richer prayer life. And I know many Christians, both ordained and lay people, also long for this. It can be tough to develop a steady, rich prayer life in which to ground our action. Many of us live like Martha, a life of doing. It’s hard to make time to just be with God. To sit at the feet of Jesus and listen, like Mary. Because much of praying is hanging out with God, and listening.
Once we do make time to pray, it’s hard to know exactly how to pray. Questions come up. Questions like, if the universe is completely in God’s hands, how can our prayer affect the outcome? That’s one question. Another question is what should we be praying for? For example, is it OK to pray for our own financial health? Yet another question: What words, what methods should I use when I talk to God? There are so ways to pray – which is right? Perhaps some of these questions lie behind the disciple’s request to Jesus:
Teach us to pray. So, how does Jesus answer? In Luke’s gospel, Jesus responds: “When you pray, say this: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.”
These simple words Jesus offered his disciple are now the most widely-used prayer in Chistianity. Last Easter, an estimated 2 billion Christians read, recited, or sang the Lord’s prayer in hundreds of languages in churches of all sizes around the world.
Luke’s version of the Lord’s prayer is a bit different from what we usually say in church. It’s shorter. It lacks the doxology added later: “For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever.” In Luke’s version we ask God to “forgive us our sins” where in Mathew’s gospel we ask God to “forgive our debts.” There are some other differences between the prayer as it appears in Luke and Matthew.
For now, let’s just look at the text given us in Luke’s gospel, and unpack, it OK? Let’s take it line by line, and see what it tells us about how to pray.
Father
Jesus starts by addressing God as father. When we pray, we are to talk to God as to a loving parent, with all the intimacy and trust of a healthy relationship between parent and child. That doesn’t mean “father” is the only way we can think or speak of God. But it’s how Jesus speaks to God in this prayer. Out of a childlike (but not childish) trust in God, we are emboldened to ask God for what we seek.
Hallowed be your name.
Hallowed means holy, sacred. “Hallowed be your name” means “May your identity be set apart as holy.” In ancient Israel, name and identity were closely linked. “Hallowed be your name” is a double-sided request 1) we’re asking that God establish god’s own sovereignty on earth and 2) we’re asking that all people will come to revere God.
Your kingdom come completes the thought “Hallowed be your name.” This is an example of Semitic parallelism, where a verse restates, or completes, the verse before it. We see this type of parallelism all the time in the psalms. If God is making God’s name holy on earth, then by extension, God’s kingdom is coming on earth.
“Hallowed be your name” and “Your kingdom come” both mean that we want God’s will to be done, and want to align ourselves with God’s will. When we’re serious about prayer, we increasingly seek to know and conform ourselves to the mind of God. With this goal in mind, we can pray with confidence that a loving God will respond.
Give us each day our daily bread
The first two lines of the Lord’s prayer were about God; the next three are about us. We ask God for sustenance, forgiveness, then deliverance.
First, sustenance. Our daily bread. Luke’s gospel shows us a Jesus who is concerned for the poor, who gives people bread, and partakes in shared meals. Given all this, Jesus is most likely talking about earthly bread here, not the bread of the heavenly banquet, or communion bread. Why should we pray for bread? Well, obviously because we need food to live. Also, it clarifies who we are and who God is. To pray for something as basic as bread reminds us of how tentative a hold we have on life, how dependent we are on God for what we need. It’s humbling, in the sense of humus, Greek for ground. It’s grounding to remind ourselves of our basic needs and who provides them. It’s the opposite of hubris, acting as if we are God. Asking for our daily bread puts us in the position of children, or beggars, with all the dependence that connotes, but not a negative dependency. The God we depend on loves us, and wants to meet our needs.
What does “Give us our daily bread” tell us about prayer? It tells us to ask God for essentials, for the most basic things we need, and not take them for granted. Thanks be to God that you and I have our basic needs covered. At the same time, I think the Lord’s prayer compels us to work for a world where others also get what they need. Paul says in 1st Corinthians 3 that we are co-laborers with God. We work with God to determine the outcome. If that’s the case, then making sure all people have daily bread is a joint project between us and God. Let’s both pray and work for a world with bread for all.
And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who are indebted to us.
Luke’s gospel says “Forgive us our sins” where Matthew’s says: “Forgive us our debts”
In Aramaic, sin and debt are the same word. At Reconciler, we’ve been talking about which translation we want to use –sins , debts, or trespasses? Whatever language we use, the Lord’s prayer says we’re meant to keep a clean slate in life, not forever tally up what people owe us or dwell on how much they’ve trampled on our turf, spiritually or materially. And we likewise need to accept the forgiveness God and neighbors offer us.
Just as we need daily bread, we need of continual grace. Each day, we’re capable of making mistakes, missing the mark. Grace is a clear flowing stream always available for us to bathe in. And we need that as badly as we need food.
How do you feel when someone holds a grudge against you, or you hold a grudge? Either way, it feels bad, right? How many relationships have ruptured, how many acts of violence committed, how many wars have been fought out of the inability to forgive?
For our own peace of mind, and spiritual wholeness, we need forgiveness. Some things are hard for us to forgive. Sometimes we need to claim and work through our anger first. But if we stay there too long, we can become consumed with bitterness, which destroys us. We have to try to move on, and let others move on. It’s the only healthy way to live.
The grace God gives us and the grace we extend to others flow from the same channel. It’s a simultaneous, interconnected thing, somewhat mysterious. Not quid pro quo, but maybe cause and effect. That is, if we accept God’s grace for ourselves, we find it easier to forgive others. And if we forgive, we find it easier to accept that we too are forgiven.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.
There’s some question about what kind of trials Jesus is talking about. Is it best translated as trials or temptations? And is God the one who tests us? Or Satan? Would God intentionally lead us into trials or temptation? The book of James says no, but the Scriptures are full of examples of God testing his chosen ones (Abraham, Job, Jesus, to name a few). Perhaps “save us from the time of trial” is best understood as “save us from anything that would threaten our allegiance to God or threaten our physical and spiritual survival.”
Trials may mean different things to each of us, but I think most of us can resonate with “Save us from the time of trial” on a gut level. There are trials we would not want to endure. And it’s OK to ask God to deliver us from that which is too great to bear. Jesus asked to be spared, as he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. Yet he also said: “Lord, not my will but thine be done.”
So that, my friends, is a walk through the Lord’s prayer, as found in Luke’s gospel. A model prayer Jesus gave his disciples, handed down through nearly two millennia to us.
Although it’s a giant in Christian prayer, is it the only way we are to pray?
No. There are many kinds of prayer: prayers for healing, guidance, for the welfare of others. There’s contemplative prayer, in its many forms. These prayers are just as vital.
Jesus wasn’t suggesting this is the only way we should pray. In fact, we don’t know whether Jesus was suggesting his disciple say the Lord’s prayer verbatim, or use it instead as a guideline for how to pray. There are no other instances in the New Testament where Jesus or the disciples pray the Lord’s prayer. But whether Jesus meant us to say those exact words, or was simply offering a model for the kinds of things we ought to pray about, The Lords’ Prayer without question teaches us several vital things about prayer.
These are: 1) Speak to God as to a loving parent who knows you. 2) Try to align yourself with God’s will and help bring about God’s will on earth. 3) Remember your dependence on God for the simplest, most basic things in life: bread, forgiveness, deliverance.
The parables that come after the Lord’s prayer are little sketches that further illustrate how we should pray. In the first parable, Jesus compares God to a dutiful neighbor who will give us bread, even if we wake him in the middle of the night. We may have to be bold and persistent in knocking. God may not answer right away, and may be grumpy, but if we keep knocking, God will answer because God is faithful. The second parable shows us a God who, like a loving father, who knows how to give his children good things. If we ask for a fish, he’s not going to give us a snake. I like that. God loves us and wants to give us what we need.
The danger comes when we act like prayer is a blank check on which we can write whatever our hearts desire (New Interpreter's Bible, Vol.IX). I think of an old Janis Joplin song: “O Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz…” Don’t go there. But as an equally old Rolling Stones song says, “If you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.”
Today’s gospel says: “Seek and ye shall find. Ask and it shall be given. Knock and the door shall be opened. Seek God’s kingdom before seeking your our own selfish desires.. Pray for God’s will to be done first, and let your anxieties about how you’ll get your daily bread met be secondary. Speak to God as to a loving parent, with humility and honesty. Knock on God’s door and be persistent, like a secure child who expects a loving response. Be tireless in prayer. Don’t give up. Live a life soaked in prayer, as Jesus did.
Teach us how to pray. Prayer is not about saying exactly the “right” words. It’s about being willing to do the will of God, having our priorities straight, and being in right relationship to God, neighbor, and self. Prayer is not about being perfect. Learning to pray is the task of a lifetime, and we are free to experiment and to make mistakes.
Bishop, theologian, and author William Willimon says:
“The Lord’s Prayer is one of the few things that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them, and he graciously responded. A Christian is someone who is engaged in lifelong training in how to pray like Jesus. Thank God, Jesus does not leave us to our own devices when it comes to prayer. If I were praying on my own, would I pray for something as mundane as daily bread, or I would have the guts to acknowledge that I had actually trespassed against someone? No. There would be no way for me to pray faithfully in Jesus name if he weren’t there every Sunday coaching me, prodding me, saying, “When you pray, say this….”
Teach us to pray, the disciple asked Jesus. And Jesus did. Thanks be to God.
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Sunday, July 29
Friday, July 27
fish chalice
One of the things we did for the Celebrate Clark Street festival was put together some interesting pamphlets and the like. Someone somewhere thought we might need a logo. This sketch is the beginning of a logo for Reconciler. The "fish chalice" is one of the most ancient symbols of the Church. I think it is worth musing over. I am not sure what I think about a logo for the church, yet, but there you go.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
Sunday, July 22
Reconciler Update
As we began the summer I encouraged us to see the connection between our reflection and action. I am thinking more about this especially when various aspects of reflection and interpretation such as meditation, theology etc. can be seen as at best getting in the way of action. Certainly we are called to act in the world, we are called to compassionate action and live out our lives justly and righteously (I say both though the way we tend to divide these terms into the political and the moral this division is not one we get from the Scriptures). Yet what we do, who we act needs to emerge out of relation and being. If we are called to be neighborly, it is because we are to find in ourselves through the Spirit of Christ being transformed and our hearts opened up to the triune life of God. It is my firm conviction that if we truly seek after God, and open ourselves up and meditate together on whatever is good and true, and through this renewing our minds so that we have the Mind of Christ, neighborly action in the world will follow. I do not believe the problem is Christians fully reflecting on the meaning of the Gospel and finding themselves in God but never acting, rather the problem is that Christians and churches have failed to truly be renewed. The problem is a putting the hand to the plow and then looking back and never allowing God to bring us out of the world into the abundant life. Yet , even for those who understand this is a constant struggle, and so we must both act and reflect, move between the two and reject that one prevents the other but we must all seek together the mind of Christ. I believe this means some of us may be more active in the world others of us more reflective and we need each other. This is being the Body of Christ with many members and differing functions, it is together finding ourselves in God, who then sends us transformed again and again into the World.
Announcements
In the fall our worship time will change to 5PM starting September 9th. The hope is that this change of time with providing childcare will make our congregation more welcoming for families with young children.
Shared Worship with Immanuel Lutheran Church -- Sunday morning 10:30 August 5. No worship service at Reconciler that evening. Come worship with us Sunday morning, as we seek to deepen our connection to the Immanuel and St. Elias congregations, on our common "Campus of Discipleship."
We will be at the Glenwood Arts Festival August 25 and 26th. The focus will be on art from our artists in the congregation . Talk with Chrissy and Larry about displaying your art at the festival. Chrissy will be also organizing the staffing of the booth.
Potluck Supper and Reading of the book of James at Charity and Jeremy’s house July 27th at 7:30 PM. RSVP to Jeremy. Also Invite your friends who might not come to our worship.
'Nidge North (AKA Tripp and Trish's house) Potlucks and Movie nights TBA.
Pastoral Care - The Pastoral Team will be divvying up pastoral care duties. Each pastor will be "on" for a month at a time. Laura is available to handle any and all pastoral care needs at Reconciler for the month of July.
In Christ,
Larry
Announcements
In the fall our worship time will change to 5PM starting September 9th. The hope is that this change of time with providing childcare will make our congregation more welcoming for families with young children.
Shared Worship with Immanuel Lutheran Church -- Sunday morning 10:30 August 5. No worship service at Reconciler that evening. Come worship with us Sunday morning, as we seek to deepen our connection to the Immanuel and St. Elias congregations, on our common "Campus of Discipleship."
We will be at the Glenwood Arts Festival August 25 and 26th. The focus will be on art from our artists in the congregation . Talk with Chrissy and Larry about displaying your art at the festival. Chrissy will be also organizing the staffing of the booth.
Potluck Supper and Reading of the book of James at Charity and Jeremy’s house July 27th at 7:30 PM. RSVP to Jeremy. Also Invite your friends who might not come to our worship.
'Nidge North (AKA Tripp and Trish's house) Potlucks and Movie nights TBA.
Pastoral Care - The Pastoral Team will be divvying up pastoral care duties. Each pastor will be "on" for a month at a time. Laura is available to handle any and all pastoral care needs at Reconciler for the month of July.
In Christ,
Larry
Wednesday, July 11
Reconciler Update
Reflection
Summer is often a time to do church differently. I have wonderful memories of Communion in the pine forest, at church camp. I love church at the beach, also known as "Mass on the Grass." It's good to sometimes shake up our preconceived notions and expectations of what constitutes church.
Now at Reconciler, you might say we're always doing church differently. Every week a different pastor celebrates communion according to his or her denomination's tradition. There's always something new at Reconciler. It's not like we have to strive for innovation.
Yet even for Reconciler, we're doing things a bit differently this summer. Instead of a traditional Bible Study, we're reading the book of James and watching theological films over potluck. We're taking part in neighborhood festivals and letting people know about our uniquely wonderful funky upstart of a church. We're working with Immanuel and St. Elias Lutheran Churches to increasingly become one "Campus of Discipleship." Larry, Daniel, and Jeremy attended the Jubilee Conference. Tripp attended the Baptist Church's Biennial in D.C. Charity came back from her conference in Spain, having listened to families of the "disappeared" in Latin America. This summer I've had the opportunity to preach and/or preside at several churches other than Reconciler, and will do a Baptism at Immanuel Lutheran Church in August. It's important to explore how other congregations do church, and how others are trying to live out the Christian life.
Last Sunday I had the good fortune to preside at Immanuel. Bob Lesher was the preacher. Bob works at Uptown Ministry, a ministry to and with the homeless and disenfranchised in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. In his sermon, he encouraged us, as Church, to be less like our society as a whole. To view the poor not simply as recipients of our charity (at best), but listen to them respectfully, draw out their stories, and in the process receive as much as we give. To be among and with the poor, and do what the early church did as described in Luke-Acts. Early Christians formed communities in which the wealthy sold property and goods to be on an equal par with their less well-off brothers and sisters. These Christian communities "turned the world upside down." Bob left us with this challenge: What are we doing in church these days to help turn the world upside down?
Some folks at Immanuel Lutheran Church are active in Uptown Ministry. We too are invited to join Bob and the people of Uptown Ministry at their morning worship services, Friday 9:30 a.m. and Sundays 11:00 a.m., and to learn more about their varied ministries. That might be one way for some of us to do church differently.
Uptown Ministry's mission statement: "Through steadfast love and honesty, it is the Ministry's mission to build community between people from all walks of life to bring about self sufficiency, hope, and justice."
See their website for more information.
Bob's sermon challenged me to think: "How might I/we do church differently? And how can we, as a Christian community, make a difference in the world at our doorstep and beyond?"
Blessings and peace,
Laura+
The Rev. Laura Gottardi-Littell
for The Pastoral Team
The Church of Jesus Christ, Reconciler
Announcements
Pastoral Care - The Pastoral Team will be divvying up pastoral care duties. Each pastor will be "on" for a month at a time. Laura is available to handle any and all pastoral care needs at Reconciler for the month of July.
Denominational News– The American Baptist Churches had their Biennial last weekend, and Tripp was in attendance. If you have any questions about the Biennial, talk with Tripp. June 21-23, the Evangelical Covenant Church had its Annual Meeting. At the Annual Meeting a paper on Human Sexuality was presented by the Board of Ordered ministry affirming and giving the theological grounding for the 1996 Annual Meeting Resolution on Human Sexuality. If you have questions about the Annual meeting or the 1996 resolution on Human Sexuality or the Boards report talk with Larry. Copies of the report can be made available to those who are interested.
Celebrate Clark Street Festival July 14 & 15: This weekend, folks! We still need people to sign up to staff the booth. A good time is sure to be had by those present. Chrissy will be letting us know where to meet. Brochures/fliers will be available to hand out.
Also we will be at the Glenwood Arts Festival August 25 and 26th. The focus will be on art from our artists in the congregation . Talk with Chrissy and Larry about displaying your art at the festival.
Council Meeting: July 19th, 7:30 p.m, at the 'Nidge.
Potluck Supper and Reading of the book of James at Charity and Jeremy’s house July 27th at 7:30 PM. RSVP to Jeremy. Also invite your friends who might not come to our worship.
Potlucks and Movie nights...'Nidge North (Tripp and Trish's house...TBA.
Shared Worship with Immanuel Lutheran Church - Sunday morning 10:30 August 5. No worship service at Reconciler that evening. Come worship with us Sunday morning, as we seek to deepen our connection to the Immanuel and St. Elias congregations, on our common "Campus of Discipleship."
Change in Worship Time....The church council is considering a change in our worship time to 5:00 p.m. starting September 9th. The hope is that this change, along with providing childcare, will make our congregation more welcoming for families with young children. The council would like feedback from the congregation on this proposed change.
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Summer is often a time to do church differently. I have wonderful memories of Communion in the pine forest, at church camp. I love church at the beach, also known as "Mass on the Grass." It's good to sometimes shake up our preconceived notions and expectations of what constitutes church.
Now at Reconciler, you might say we're always doing church differently. Every week a different pastor celebrates communion according to his or her denomination's tradition. There's always something new at Reconciler. It's not like we have to strive for innovation.
Yet even for Reconciler, we're doing things a bit differently this summer. Instead of a traditional Bible Study, we're reading the book of James and watching theological films over potluck. We're taking part in neighborhood festivals and letting people know about our uniquely wonderful funky upstart of a church. We're working with Immanuel and St. Elias Lutheran Churches to increasingly become one "Campus of Discipleship." Larry, Daniel, and Jeremy attended the Jubilee Conference. Tripp attended the Baptist Church's Biennial in D.C. Charity came back from her conference in Spain, having listened to families of the "disappeared" in Latin America. This summer I've had the opportunity to preach and/or preside at several churches other than Reconciler, and will do a Baptism at Immanuel Lutheran Church in August. It's important to explore how other congregations do church, and how others are trying to live out the Christian life.
Last Sunday I had the good fortune to preside at Immanuel. Bob Lesher was the preacher. Bob works at Uptown Ministry, a ministry to and with the homeless and disenfranchised in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. In his sermon, he encouraged us, as Church, to be less like our society as a whole. To view the poor not simply as recipients of our charity (at best), but listen to them respectfully, draw out their stories, and in the process receive as much as we give. To be among and with the poor, and do what the early church did as described in Luke-Acts. Early Christians formed communities in which the wealthy sold property and goods to be on an equal par with their less well-off brothers and sisters. These Christian communities "turned the world upside down." Bob left us with this challenge: What are we doing in church these days to help turn the world upside down?
Some folks at Immanuel Lutheran Church are active in Uptown Ministry. We too are invited to join Bob and the people of Uptown Ministry at their morning worship services, Friday 9:30 a.m. and Sundays 11:00 a.m., and to learn more about their varied ministries. That might be one way for some of us to do church differently.
Uptown Ministry's mission statement: "Through steadfast love and honesty, it is the Ministry's mission to build community between people from all walks of life to bring about self sufficiency, hope, and justice."
See their website for more information.
Bob's sermon challenged me to think: "How might I/we do church differently? And how can we, as a Christian community, make a difference in the world at our doorstep and beyond?"
Blessings and peace,
Laura+
The Rev. Laura Gottardi-Littell
for The Pastoral Team
The Church of Jesus Christ, Reconciler
Announcements
Pastoral Care - The Pastoral Team will be divvying up pastoral care duties. Each pastor will be "on" for a month at a time. Laura is available to handle any and all pastoral care needs at Reconciler for the month of July.
Denominational News– The American Baptist Churches had their Biennial last weekend, and Tripp was in attendance. If you have any questions about the Biennial, talk with Tripp. June 21-23, the Evangelical Covenant Church had its Annual Meeting. At the Annual Meeting a paper on Human Sexuality was presented by the Board of Ordered ministry affirming and giving the theological grounding for the 1996 Annual Meeting Resolution on Human Sexuality. If you have questions about the Annual meeting or the 1996 resolution on Human Sexuality or the Boards report talk with Larry. Copies of the report can be made available to those who are interested.
Celebrate Clark Street Festival July 14 & 15: This weekend, folks! We still need people to sign up to staff the booth. A good time is sure to be had by those present. Chrissy will be letting us know where to meet. Brochures/fliers will be available to hand out.
Also we will be at the Glenwood Arts Festival August 25 and 26th. The focus will be on art from our artists in the congregation . Talk with Chrissy and Larry about displaying your art at the festival.
Council Meeting: July 19th, 7:30 p.m, at the 'Nidge.
Potluck Supper and Reading of the book of James at Charity and Jeremy’s house July 27th at 7:30 PM. RSVP to Jeremy. Also invite your friends who might not come to our worship.
Potlucks and Movie nights...'Nidge North (Tripp and Trish's house...TBA.
Shared Worship with Immanuel Lutheran Church - Sunday morning 10:30 August 5. No worship service at Reconciler that evening. Come worship with us Sunday morning, as we seek to deepen our connection to the Immanuel and St. Elias congregations, on our common "Campus of Discipleship."
Change in Worship Time....The church council is considering a change in our worship time to 5:00 p.m. starting September 9th. The hope is that this change, along with providing childcare, will make our congregation more welcoming for families with young children. The council would like feedback from the congregation on this proposed change.
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Sunday, July 1
Sermon
Proper 8, Year C July 1, 2008
Gospel Luke 9: 51-62
The Rev. Laura Gottardi-Littell
Sermon preached at St. Giles Episcopal Church, Northbrook
and Church of Jesus Christ Reconciler, Chicago
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Have you ever felt like arguing with Jesus? Sometime I wrestle with certain passages from Scripture and want to say: “Hey, Jesus, did you really mean that?”
Take today’s gospel passage from Luke.
Jesus has set his face toward Jerusalem. He knows what’s going to happen there. He’s facing his own death. He has left everything behind for the sake of the kingdom and now he’s going to leave even his own life.I think knowing what he’s facing must give him a certain edge, and edginess. That’s why he sounds so…cranky here. He must be profoundly afraid and sorrowful, at least on some level. He has been talking with his disciples about how he is going to suffer. So when people come along and want to follow him, he talks to them in the starkest terms imaginable, because of what he is going through and is about to go through. Perhaps on some level he is also talking to himself.
In today’s gospel, three men seek to follow Jesus. Jesus has a radical message for each of them. He pulls no punches.
Jesus tells the first man that foxes have holes to sleep in and birds have nests, but he, Jesus, has no permanent home. There’s no security in being a Messiah. And followers of the Messiah must likewise be willing to give up security. There are real risks and sacrifices.
Jesus asks the second man to follow him. This man is willing but first wants to bury his father. This was a hugely important duty in 1st century Palestine. The family was expected to provide a proper and timely burial. Jesus’ response to this man is again extreme. “Let the dead bury the dead. You concern yourself with telling people about the kingdom.” Jesus most likely means: “Let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead.” Let others who don’t know Jesus carry out the necessary rituals of Jewish law. But if you have the opportunity to be with Jesus, the bread of life, the living water, grab it and run. Leave what is dead and dying behind.
The third man says: “Let me say good-bye to my family first.” And Jesus again makes harsh demands. There’s not time for that. There’s no looking back, when we set out to do God’s work. Anyone who puts a hand on the plow and turns back isn’t fit for the kingdom.
On one level, I really get what Jesus is saying here. I agree with him. But another part of me feels troubled by this gospel, and wants to present another side of the picture. I think we can honestly wrestle with Scripture. Try it on. See where it fits and where it pinches. Wrestle with it as Jacob wrestled with the angel. Like Jacob, we may emerge from our encounter with both a wound and a blessing.
Here’s where I agree and resonate with Jesus’s message in today’s gospel.
Followers of Christ do at times face hard choices. I think about times I’ve had to stand up and identify myself as a Christian. I have family members and friends who are not believers. When making my adult decision to be Christian, I had to say to myself, here’s what I believe and where I’m making my stand, no matter what they think, even if they make fun of me. And you know…nobody laughed. My family and friends are very supportive of my faith journey, even if they’re not all on the same path.
You too may have family and friends who don’t believe as you do. Some may even challenge your beliefs. Sometimes we have say respectfully and politely: “Here’s where I stand.” And let the spiritually dead alone, in order to nourish seeds of faith in our own souls. We may have to separate – or individuate --from certain places and people, at least for a time, to make our own stand. Shake the dust off our sandals for the sake of the kingdom.
Sometimes we have to leave everything, or almost everything, to follow Jesus. Most of my peers in seminary, myself included, left a job, home, or family, or all of the above, in order to go to seminary. Sacrifices, risks, and goodbyes were required, as people gave up security and relationships to follow Christ.
So those are the ways in which I experience Jesus’s words today as truth.
And here are a few reasons why I wrestle with it.
My grandfather left everything behind for the gospel. After being ordained in the Episcopal church at age 26 he said goodbye to his parents and siblings in Delaware and set out for China, to be a missionary. He faced a long boat passage to China, many risks, not much security. A relative begged him not to go, sure he would encounter terrible diseases and dangerous heathens. Despite the risks, my grandfather served well and faithfully in China. He helped build schools and hospitals, brought many people to Christ, and was honored by the Chinese Red Cross for rescuing many widows and orphans. After serving in China for 30 years, he became Bishop of Hawaii.
My grandfather and grandmother had 8 children. Those 8 children didn’t get a lot of attention from their parents, who were very busy sharing the gospel and building up the kingdom. Yes, the kids had good nannies and were educated in fine schools. But they didn’t get a lot of face time with mom and dad. They were left behind for the sake of the kingdom. My grandparents didn’t intend to neglect them, but that was the net effect. And I wonder, did my grandparents read today’s gospel passage and take it literally?
So you see I am wary, for good reason, of Jesus’ call to leave it all behind for the sake of the kingdom.
Sometimes we can’t just cut and run. We can’t leave our families and other responsibilities to follow Jesus. And we shouldn’t. Today’s epistle reading talks about our responsibility to our neighbor. Paul says that through love we are to become slaves to one another. He says the entire law is summed up in one commandment “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” And who are our neighbors if not our families?
In today’s gospel, Jesus says we shouldn’t put one hand on the plow and look back. But as both priest and mother of small children, I sometimes wonder which is the plow? My vocation or my family? Aren’t they both ways of building up the kingdom? Aren’t they both sacred responsibilities? Aren’t I yoked to both of them?
But as I wrestle with it, I come to some peace. Because I think Jesus is talking in extremes and enigmas, as he often does, to make a point.
I think we have to look at today’s gospel in light of some of Christ’s other teachings Elsewhere in Scripture, Jesus says we should honor and accept children. He criticizes the Pharisees for not honoring their fathers and mothers. And although Jesus leaves his mother, he comes back to her. He calls out to her from the cross. She becomes one of his disciples.
I think the heart of Jesus’s message today is that we need a spirit-centered life. It’s ABOUT BEING FAITHFUL TO OUR MANY COMMITMENTS IN LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL.
Someone once said to me, “You’ll be a much better mother because you’re a priest, and a much better priest because you have children. “ That’s my hope. It’s not an either/or for many of us, as we seek to follow Jesus. It’s a both/and.
What is the purpose of working for the kingdom? Not to be escapist and isolated, not to desert those around us, but to recognize the kingdom within and around us. To increase it in the here and now. These realities are reflected in Benedictine and Celtic approaches to spirituality, that view the whole of life as spirituality. Chopping potatoes, hugging a child, writing a sermon, planting a garden, saying prayers – God is in all these arenas. We can find God in the balance and complexity of life, in the world of flesh and blood. Especially when we are guided by the spirit.
So maybe I don’t have to choose. Maybe Jesus is saying that a spirit-centered life clarifies and prioritizes our relationships. When God is at the center of our lives, we have more to give, not less. And when God isn’t at the center of our souls, anything we love can become an idol.
So I end my wrestling with today’s passage concluding it’s a both/and. There’s a place for that radical urgency – sometimes we are called to cut and run. To give it all up – or at least some of it up -- for Jesus’s sake. And other times…it’s the better part of valor to follow Jesus by building up the kingdom where we’ve been planted. Sometimes we need to run off in search of the kingdom, and sometimes… we’re called to bring the kingdom home.
AMEN.
+++
Proper 8, Year C July 1, 2008
Gospel Luke 9: 51-62
The Rev. Laura Gottardi-Littell
Sermon preached at St. Giles Episcopal Church, Northbrook
and Church of Jesus Christ Reconciler, Chicago
+++
Have you ever felt like arguing with Jesus? Sometime I wrestle with certain passages from Scripture and want to say: “Hey, Jesus, did you really mean that?”
Take today’s gospel passage from Luke.
Jesus has set his face toward Jerusalem. He knows what’s going to happen there. He’s facing his own death. He has left everything behind for the sake of the kingdom and now he’s going to leave even his own life.I think knowing what he’s facing must give him a certain edge, and edginess. That’s why he sounds so…cranky here. He must be profoundly afraid and sorrowful, at least on some level. He has been talking with his disciples about how he is going to suffer. So when people come along and want to follow him, he talks to them in the starkest terms imaginable, because of what he is going through and is about to go through. Perhaps on some level he is also talking to himself.
In today’s gospel, three men seek to follow Jesus. Jesus has a radical message for each of them. He pulls no punches.
Jesus tells the first man that foxes have holes to sleep in and birds have nests, but he, Jesus, has no permanent home. There’s no security in being a Messiah. And followers of the Messiah must likewise be willing to give up security. There are real risks and sacrifices.
Jesus asks the second man to follow him. This man is willing but first wants to bury his father. This was a hugely important duty in 1st century Palestine. The family was expected to provide a proper and timely burial. Jesus’ response to this man is again extreme. “Let the dead bury the dead. You concern yourself with telling people about the kingdom.” Jesus most likely means: “Let the spiritually dead bury the physically dead.” Let others who don’t know Jesus carry out the necessary rituals of Jewish law. But if you have the opportunity to be with Jesus, the bread of life, the living water, grab it and run. Leave what is dead and dying behind.
The third man says: “Let me say good-bye to my family first.” And Jesus again makes harsh demands. There’s not time for that. There’s no looking back, when we set out to do God’s work. Anyone who puts a hand on the plow and turns back isn’t fit for the kingdom.
On one level, I really get what Jesus is saying here. I agree with him. But another part of me feels troubled by this gospel, and wants to present another side of the picture. I think we can honestly wrestle with Scripture. Try it on. See where it fits and where it pinches. Wrestle with it as Jacob wrestled with the angel. Like Jacob, we may emerge from our encounter with both a wound and a blessing.
Here’s where I agree and resonate with Jesus’s message in today’s gospel.
Followers of Christ do at times face hard choices. I think about times I’ve had to stand up and identify myself as a Christian. I have family members and friends who are not believers. When making my adult decision to be Christian, I had to say to myself, here’s what I believe and where I’m making my stand, no matter what they think, even if they make fun of me. And you know…nobody laughed. My family and friends are very supportive of my faith journey, even if they’re not all on the same path.
You too may have family and friends who don’t believe as you do. Some may even challenge your beliefs. Sometimes we have say respectfully and politely: “Here’s where I stand.” And let the spiritually dead alone, in order to nourish seeds of faith in our own souls. We may have to separate – or individuate --from certain places and people, at least for a time, to make our own stand. Shake the dust off our sandals for the sake of the kingdom.
Sometimes we have to leave everything, or almost everything, to follow Jesus. Most of my peers in seminary, myself included, left a job, home, or family, or all of the above, in order to go to seminary. Sacrifices, risks, and goodbyes were required, as people gave up security and relationships to follow Christ.
So those are the ways in which I experience Jesus’s words today as truth.
And here are a few reasons why I wrestle with it.
My grandfather left everything behind for the gospel. After being ordained in the Episcopal church at age 26 he said goodbye to his parents and siblings in Delaware and set out for China, to be a missionary. He faced a long boat passage to China, many risks, not much security. A relative begged him not to go, sure he would encounter terrible diseases and dangerous heathens. Despite the risks, my grandfather served well and faithfully in China. He helped build schools and hospitals, brought many people to Christ, and was honored by the Chinese Red Cross for rescuing many widows and orphans. After serving in China for 30 years, he became Bishop of Hawaii.
My grandfather and grandmother had 8 children. Those 8 children didn’t get a lot of attention from their parents, who were very busy sharing the gospel and building up the kingdom. Yes, the kids had good nannies and were educated in fine schools. But they didn’t get a lot of face time with mom and dad. They were left behind for the sake of the kingdom. My grandparents didn’t intend to neglect them, but that was the net effect. And I wonder, did my grandparents read today’s gospel passage and take it literally?
So you see I am wary, for good reason, of Jesus’ call to leave it all behind for the sake of the kingdom.
Sometimes we can’t just cut and run. We can’t leave our families and other responsibilities to follow Jesus. And we shouldn’t. Today’s epistle reading talks about our responsibility to our neighbor. Paul says that through love we are to become slaves to one another. He says the entire law is summed up in one commandment “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” And who are our neighbors if not our families?
In today’s gospel, Jesus says we shouldn’t put one hand on the plow and look back. But as both priest and mother of small children, I sometimes wonder which is the plow? My vocation or my family? Aren’t they both ways of building up the kingdom? Aren’t they both sacred responsibilities? Aren’t I yoked to both of them?
But as I wrestle with it, I come to some peace. Because I think Jesus is talking in extremes and enigmas, as he often does, to make a point.
I think we have to look at today’s gospel in light of some of Christ’s other teachings Elsewhere in Scripture, Jesus says we should honor and accept children. He criticizes the Pharisees for not honoring their fathers and mothers. And although Jesus leaves his mother, he comes back to her. He calls out to her from the cross. She becomes one of his disciples.
I think the heart of Jesus’s message today is that we need a spirit-centered life. It’s ABOUT BEING FAITHFUL TO OUR MANY COMMITMENTS IN LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL.
Someone once said to me, “You’ll be a much better mother because you’re a priest, and a much better priest because you have children. “ That’s my hope. It’s not an either/or for many of us, as we seek to follow Jesus. It’s a both/and.
What is the purpose of working for the kingdom? Not to be escapist and isolated, not to desert those around us, but to recognize the kingdom within and around us. To increase it in the here and now. These realities are reflected in Benedictine and Celtic approaches to spirituality, that view the whole of life as spirituality. Chopping potatoes, hugging a child, writing a sermon, planting a garden, saying prayers – God is in all these arenas. We can find God in the balance and complexity of life, in the world of flesh and blood. Especially when we are guided by the spirit.
So maybe I don’t have to choose. Maybe Jesus is saying that a spirit-centered life clarifies and prioritizes our relationships. When God is at the center of our lives, we have more to give, not less. And when God isn’t at the center of our souls, anything we love can become an idol.
So I end my wrestling with today’s passage concluding it’s a both/and. There’s a place for that radical urgency – sometimes we are called to cut and run. To give it all up – or at least some of it up -- for Jesus’s sake. And other times…it’s the better part of valor to follow Jesus by building up the kingdom where we’ve been planted. Sometimes we need to run off in search of the kingdom, and sometimes… we’re called to bring the kingdom home.
AMEN.
+++
Update
Last year at this time we were in the midst of the call process for our Episcopal priest. Laura has now been with us as our Episcopal priest for six months. I find it beneficial to regularly stop in the midst of activity and see where we have been. It is easy to get caught up in the moment or in our projections into the future. In so doing it is easy to forget. Easy to forget God's provision for us both as individuals and as a congregation. It is easy to forget why we are called together as a people as members of Christ body, and as its particular manifestation in our small congregation. As we are present at some summer neighborhood festivals and as we continue to invite people to our worship and other events, let us remember that all we do as a congregation is intended to invite people into a place to receive the love of God, made known to us in Jesus Christ. We have been gathered together by that love and it is our life. Out of that deep reservoir of the love of God we offer to others this gift of God's love, which we have received through others who have offered us that love.
Announcements:
Denominational News– The American Baptist Churches have had their Biennial this weekend, and Tripp was in attendance. If you have any questions about the Biennial talk with Tripp. June 21-23the Evangelical Covenant Church had its Annual Meeting. At the Annual Meeting a paper on Human Sexuality was presented by the Board of Ordered ministry affirming and giving the theological grounding for the 1996 Annual Meeting Resolution on Human Sexuality. If you have questions about the Annual meeting or the 1996 resolution on Human Sexuality or the Boards report talk with Larry. Copies of the report can be made available to those who are interested.
Celebrate Clark Street Festival July 14 & 15: We need people to sign up to staff the booth.
Also we will be at the Glenwood Arts Festival August 25 and 26th. The focus will be on art from our artists in the congregation . Talk with Chrissy and Larry about displaying your art at the festival.
Potluck Supper and Reading of the book of James at Charity and Jeremy’s house July 27th at 7:30 PM. RSVP to Jeremy. Also Invite your friends who might not come to our worship.
'Nidge North (AKA Tripp and Trish's house) Potlucks and Movie nights TBA
Shared Worship with Immanuel Lutheran Church -- Sunday morning 10:30 August 5. No worship service at Reconciler that evening. Come worship with us Sunday morning, as we seek to deepen our connection to the Immanuel and St. Elias congregations, on our common "Campus of Discipleship."
The church council is considering a change in our worship time to 5PM starting September 9th. The hope is that this change of time with providing childcare will make our congregation more welcoming for families with young children. The council would like feedback from the congregation on this proposed change.
In Christ,
Larry
Announcements:
Denominational News– The American Baptist Churches have had their Biennial this weekend, and Tripp was in attendance. If you have any questions about the Biennial talk with Tripp. June 21-23the Evangelical Covenant Church had its Annual Meeting. At the Annual Meeting a paper on Human Sexuality was presented by the Board of Ordered ministry affirming and giving the theological grounding for the 1996 Annual Meeting Resolution on Human Sexuality. If you have questions about the Annual meeting or the 1996 resolution on Human Sexuality or the Boards report talk with Larry. Copies of the report can be made available to those who are interested.
Celebrate Clark Street Festival July 14 & 15: We need people to sign up to staff the booth.
Also we will be at the Glenwood Arts Festival August 25 and 26th. The focus will be on art from our artists in the congregation . Talk with Chrissy and Larry about displaying your art at the festival.
Potluck Supper and Reading of the book of James at Charity and Jeremy’s house July 27th at 7:30 PM. RSVP to Jeremy. Also Invite your friends who might not come to our worship.
'Nidge North (AKA Tripp and Trish's house) Potlucks and Movie nights TBA
Shared Worship with Immanuel Lutheran Church -- Sunday morning 10:30 August 5. No worship service at Reconciler that evening. Come worship with us Sunday morning, as we seek to deepen our connection to the Immanuel and St. Elias congregations, on our common "Campus of Discipleship."
The church council is considering a change in our worship time to 5PM starting September 9th. The hope is that this change of time with providing childcare will make our congregation more welcoming for families with young children. The council would like feedback from the congregation on this proposed change.
In Christ,
Larry
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