The Other Guys

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on Sunday May 1, 2011, the 2nd Sunday in Easter.

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Acts 2:14a, 22-32

Psalm 16

1Peter 1:3-9

John 20:19-31

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer.  Amen

A movie came out last year called “The Other Guys” starring Will Farrell and Mark Wahlberg as two detectives who aren’t the cops Hollywood makes movies about. In this Police Department, the Hollywood cops are Christopher Danson and P.K Highsmith. These are the guys who get the job done in the most overdramatic chaotic way possible. They make the big arrests. They get the girl. And they smash a classic car into a double-decker tour bus, a Cadillac Escalade and Trump Tower. They are the rock stars in the police department.

Of course, not everybody is a rock star. Every rock star needs a fleet of roadies to support the tour. The stars do their thing a couple of hours every night, but it’s the other guys who take care of business every hour of the day and night. Along with the Danson and Highsmith, the squad room is filled with veteran cops, jokers, chop busters, and the other guys. Will Farrell and Mark Wahlberg are the other guys.

Among the disciples there are rock stars. The apostolic rock stars are (say it with me) Peter, James, and John. Among the disciples these men are “the rock upon which my church will be built” and “the sons of thunder.” These are the three who see the transfiguration. These are the three who accompany Jesus to the garden of Gethsemane. These guys are front and center.

As for the other nine disciples, the only one who comes close in the number of mentions is Judas, and frankly, that’s not good. We can all agree that he got his ink for all the wrong reasons. As for the rest, they hardly get mentioned at all. In the synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, most of the disciples are only mentioned in the list of disciple’s names. In John’s gospel this changes. Yes, like in the synoptic gospels Peter, James and John have significant roles, but in John’s the other guys also have special roles.

It’s in John’s gospel where Philip and Nathanael have the conversation about anything good coming from Nazareth.[1] It’s Philip who asks Jesus how they are going to feed the 5,000.[2] It’s Philip and Andrew who bring the message that the Greeks want to see Jesus.[3]

When Jesus decides he’s going back to Judea after Lazarus’ death it’s Thomas who says, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”[4] When Jesus says “You know the way to the place where I am going.” it’s Thomas who says “Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”[5] And today, it’s Thomas whose words drive the action.

We hear in the beginning of this passage that almost all of the remaining disciples see Jesus. Jesus says to them “Peace be with you.” What a joy to hear these words. There’s a reason I begin worship saying “May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.” It’s because grace and peace are wonderful, glorious gifts. The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ is a delight. It’s a reassurance. The Hebrews call it shalom. These gifts are from the best God has to give us.

Then, as is normal in scripture, after being given a gift; the disciples receive their call, their vocation. Jesus charges them with these words, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” But he doesn’t leave them hanging with his peace and a job, no. Jesus gives them the tool they need to do the job he has given them. Jesus empowers them breathing on them and saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

But not Thomas, Thomas wasn’t there.

So when Thomas gets back to where they were staying he receives the wonderful news, “We have seen the Lord!”  I imagine the disciples thought this revelation would be met with the same excitement that filled them. Think again.

Thomas answers back, “Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

I ask, which of us wouldn’t have reacted the same way in this situation? We can laugh at Thomas because we know the rest of the story, but first, let’s put ourselves in his place. How would we have responded?

Within the biblical timeline, our reading begins earlier in the day when Peter and the beloved disciple see the empty tomb. Mary Magdalene returns later with the word of the Lord saying that he will return from the Father. Later that day the Lord appears to everyone. Was Thomas in the room at anytime during the day? He wasn’t there when Jesus appeared. As for any other time during the day scripture doesn’t say, so we don’t know.

But imagine yourself in this situation. Imagine you just got back from Wal-Mart. You were the one who went to get pita bread and wine for everyone and by the time you got to the house, woo-hoo! The Lord had arrived sharing his peace, and empowering them with the Holy Spirit. I don’t think snubbed would be a bad word for how Thomas felt.

Thomas isn’t asking for anything the rest of the disciples hadn’t already received. Peter, James, and John were the rock stars, but suddenly everybody sees Jesus and everybody’s a rock star, everybody except Thomas. Thomas is the last remaining “other guy” in the room so I can’t blame him for being miffed.

Is this Thomas doubting the resurrection?  Scripture thinks so. Is this Thomas being jealous because everyone else got what he didn’t? I think this is probably true too. Jealousy would be a very human reaction.

We know the rest of the story, Jesus hears Thomas’ cry. When he returns the next week, with Thomas present, he says “Peace be with you.” Then he gives Thomas what he needs. He says “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side.” Then Jesus rebukes him saying “Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas cries out, “My Lord and my God.”

After the resurrection and before the ascension there were many who would see Jesus, but he knew that many would not see him and would believe. Jesus declares them, Jesus declares us, more blessed than this first generation of believers. We are more blessed because we believe without Thomas’ assurance.

John’s gospel and this passage in particular show us several things. The first is that there are rock stars. There is Peter, James, and John. There is Billy Graham and a whole flock of men and women who have received Elisha’s double blessing of God’s Spirit. And there are even more like us, the other guys. We’re the folks who set up before and follow up after the Billy Graham Crusade leaves town.

We all called by the Lord to do God’s work in the world, and there is no such thing as small ministry. There’s an old nursery rhyme that goes like this:

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the battle was lost.

For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.[6]

It just goes to show, there’s no piece so small that it’s unimportant.

To perform God’s work, to engage in ministry, everybody receives the same spirit. We all receive the same Spirit of God. We are all ordained to different types of ministry, but we are all chosen and we are all empowered to ministry, the Lord’s work, by the Spirit of God.  Jesus indwells us all. Even us, the other guys have the spirit, and the power and the vocation to do God’s work. Jesus gives us what we need to do his work. Nothing is so unimportant that it doesn’t require the power of the Holy Spirit.

The people who make the nails and horseshoes are important. The people who shoe the horses are important. The people who do the paperwork, cut the checks, and sort the mail are vital to ministry. I thank God Marie makes sure I get out of the house with my head firmly attached! I thank God for the work Georgia and Al and Brionna do in worship.

Thanks be to God for the people who mow the lawn and set up the Easter Egg hunt and clean up after it’s done. Thanks be to God for those who arrange the elements for worship and the sacraments. Thank God for the Elders who celebrate the Lord’s Supper. I even thank God for the computer that hosts the internet sites where this sermon hits cyberspace.

There is nothing that we do, inside or outside the church that is not ordained by God. There is nothing that we can do on our own that is worth doing without the Holy Spirit.

There’s an old story about the theme to the TV show “Gilligan’s Island.” During the first season, the black and white season, the theme song ended, “…and the rest are here on Gilligan’s Isle.” After the first season, knowing the show was a hit and knowing the network would be redoing the titles when the show began broadcasting in color, Bob Denver, the actor who played Gilligan, flexed his muscle.

He threatened the network brass that unless the characters played by Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells were mentioned by name in the credits he would move his name to the end of the credits, and he had the authority to make this demand too. CBS wasn’t willing to find out if their star was playing a game of “chicken” or not, so they agreed to his terms. For the last two seasons, the show’s credits ended, “…the Professor and Mary Ann, here on Gilligan’s isle.”[7]

In his own way, Bob Denver told the network brass that there is no such thing as “…and the rest.” Everyone in the cast was valuable and valued. This is what John’s gospel tells us. We are all useful. We are all empowered by the same spirit. We are all endowed and called by God. Jesus gives us holy work to do and the power we need to do it. Not just Peter, James, and John; but Philip, Nathanael, and even Doubting Thomas. We are all useful to the work of God.

Christianity is not just a faith for the rock stars; it’s also the faith of the veteran cops, the jokers, the chop busters, and the other guys too.

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[1] John 1:46

[2] John 6:1-15

[3] John 12:20-26

[4] John 11:16

[5] John 14:5

[6] http://www.rhymes.org.uk/for_want_of_a_nail.htm, retrieved April 30, 2011.

[7] All Gilligan’s Island notes can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilligan%27s_Island, retrieved April 30, 2011.

This Day and the Next

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Marshall, Texas on January 16, 2011, the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Isaiah 49:1-7

Psalm 40:1-11

1Corinthians 1:1-9

John 1:29-42

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen

Introductions are how we present ourselves to others. Sometimes we introduce ourselves by what we do or where we live. Sometimes we introduce ourselves by who our parents are or where we were born. This piece from John’s gospel begins with many and different kinds of introductions.

On this day, John begins by introducing Jesus to those around him. When Jesus walks past on this day, the Baptist says, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” How’s that for an introduction, you’re walking down the levee and suddenly your cousin, the guy in camel hair, introduces you to everyone within shouting distance, using the words from Exodus. “Here comes the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Using this image, John invokes the purpose of the Paschal lamb, the lamb slaughtered and eaten at the Passover. The lamb whose blood was placed around the doors of the sons and daughters of Israel so the specter of death would pass over their homes. John’s disciples along with the Sadducees, Pharisees, scribes, lawyers and pretty much everyone else at the river would have known exactly what John meant.

Then John tells the assembly “This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’” This seems mysterious as introductions go, but no more so than the introduction to the gospel itself, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”[1]

Separately, these introductions are mystifying, together they explain one another. Since Jesus was in the beginning with God, of course he came before John. And born about six months after the Baptist, Jesus has been since before the beginning. Again, in words the assembly would understand, John introduces Jesus the Messiah to the world.

Then John says something we don’t expect after last week’s reading. “I myself did not know him.” If you are thinking that just last week I said John knew exactly who Jesus was from a Messianic perspective; I did. We read that John did not want to baptize Jesus saying Jesus should baptize him, which implies at least to me that the Baptist knew Jesus is the Messiah.

Maybe you’re remembering that according to Matthew’s gospel John leapt in his mother’s womb at the Messiah’s presence while Jesus was still in utero, well you’re right about that too. So this leads to the question, why does John’s gospel report John saying, “I myself did not know him until the Spirit came and descended on him?” and you’re right, that’s a darn good question.

The quickest answer I have is that’s just one of the differences between Matthew’s and John’s gospels. Sorry, it’s not much but it’s the best answer I have in fewer than fifteen words.

But Matthew’s gospel aside; this is odd because John and Jesus are cousins for crying out loud. Of course they knew each other. But there’s knowing; and there’s knowing. It would make sense that John knew who Jesus was, but as it says in John’s gospel it was only when the Baptist saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and remain on him, only then did he truly know.

By these sayings; Jesus ranking ahead of John, Jesus coming before John, and John not knowing Jesus, we come to know who the Baptist is. John introduces himself to us. We know that he is not the Messiah, but rather the one who comes before him. John is not God; rather he comes as a witness to testify to the presence of the Son of God. He can do this because he knows first who he is. Not only does John see, he testifies. Not only does John discover, he shares. Not only is John called, he responds. This is how John the Baptist introduces himself on this day.

This introduction is heard as a personal invitation by two of John’s own disciples. When they were introduced, they leave their Rabbi and follow Jesus. And follow they did. They physically got up and pursued Jesus as he made his way from the Jordan.

Next, Jesus turns around seeing two men following him and asks, “What are you looking for?” That’s a loaded question, isn’t it? Does he ask it like he feels uncomfortable with them following? “What are you looking for?” Or maybe he asks them like he all ready knows? “What are you looking for?”

They ask “Teacher, Rabbi, where are you staying?” Then it’s like Jesus looks them in the eye and crooks his finger as he invites them to come and see. No mention is made about what happened that night. What we can imagine is that on this night, this special night when the first two disciples stay with Jesus, they are introduced to a way of life they will share together until their last supper.

But before the three left together, Andrew went to find his brother Simon. Andrew introduces his brother the to revelation that the Messiah has come.

The next day, Andrew brought Simon to Jesus for a proper introduction, but Jesus takes the initiative and makes the introduction instead. “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas.” Cephas is the Aramaic word for Peter. If you will though, the literal way to translate this name is Rock. In a stunning reversal, Andrew doesn’t introduce Simon to Jesus; Jesus introduces Simon to himself. Jesus knows Peter will be the rock, so the Messiah introduces Simon to Peter, the man he is and the new man in Christ he will become.

John the Baptist introduces himself as the one who testifies about Jesus. John introduces Jesus to the world and to his disciples. John introduces Jesus as the Lamb and who precedes all others. Then Jesus and two of John’s disciples are introduced to each other. The stakes are raised as Jesus introduces them to a taste of what it will be like to be his disciples. But first, Andrew introduces his brother Simon to the fact that the Messiah has come. Finally, marvelously, Jesus introduces himself to Simon and then in an amazing turn Jesus introduces Simon to Peter.

John points the way for everyone to know Jesus. Andrew responds to John’s prompting and tells his brother about the Lamb who will take away the sin of the world. We are fortunate, we have heard these stories. We know the Lamb who is the Christ. We know Simon who became the Rock upon whom the church was built.

Our reading this morning invites us back to a time before we knew, a time when we were like John and Andrew and Simon, not knowing who Jesus really is or what that means for our lives, but aching to know more.

The Reverend Rodger Nishioka tells this story about a member of his church’s youth group and her time of coming to know who Jesus is and who she is too:

Several years ago, when the “What Would Jesus Do?” campaign was at its peak of popularity among young people, I had a conversation with a young high schooler. She had been given a WWJD bracelet; while she was wearing it, she was also troubled by it. After youth group one night, she shared that she was struggling with the concept of the bracelet. I tried to explain that the bracelet is supposed to be a tangible reminder that we are followers of Jesus and that we are to be guided by his actions in every facet of our lives. She assured me that she understood all that. Her problem was that she did not see how it was possible for us even to know what Jesus would actually do in any situation, let alone to do it faithfully. When I tried to explain that we have the Bible and the wider community of believers to help us, she explained in an exasperated tone, “Yeah, but don’t you see? I am not Jesus! I am fully human,[2] but I am not fully divine. I just don’t think it’s fair to even assume that I could imagine what Jesus would do because I am not God.” She had a point.[3]

Reverend Nishioka contends the point is that we are not called to take upon ourselves some kind of Messianic identity for the world. As much as we are to act as Christ’s body in the world, we are not Christ. That job’s taken.

What we are called to be is like the others in this reading. We need to be like the others and marvel in the wonder and mystery of the new thing the Messiah does.

We need to be like John, know the prophecy and see Jesus when he appears. We need to be like the Baptist, and know who Jesus is when we see the Spirit light upon him and stay. We need to be like John and proclaim the name of Jesus to a weary yet hungry world.

We need to be like Andrew; once he is shown the Son of God he follows like a lamb follows its mother. The ewe leads her lamb and provides what it needs to live. We need to be like Andrew, and hear the voice of the one follow and eat the good food of the Lamb of God.

We need to be like Andrew and the unnamed disciple and follow Jesus into a new life of discipleship, even when we have no idea what that may be like. Even in times like in this passage when scripture doesn’t even tell us what their first discipleship experience was like.

We need to be like Andrew, and introduce the Lord to our brothers and sisters. We need to remember that evangelism begins at home. In the light of danger and insecurity, we need to speak the name of the Lord and announce he is the Messiah, the Anointed, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, the Son of God.

We need to be like Simon, and become Peter. We need to know who we are and when the Anointed makes us something new, we are to leave the old behind and embrace the new creation in God. And yes, we are bound to be like Peter who never made it easy on himself or his Lord. Yet through his rocky discipleship, he becomes the rock.

We need not only to be available; we need to make ourselves available to those in this world who need to hear the name of the Lord. We need to cry his name from the river and from the rocks. We need to cry the name of the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world to the modern-day Sadducees and Pharisees, the scribes and the experts in the Law. We need to cry his name in our homes with our families. We need to tell the world that may never have heard the name of the Lord who he is and that he makes all things new. Jesus has introduced himself; we need to continue to make the introduction to the world.

The important first step to making the introduction is to listen first as the Lord introduces himself to us in scripture. Then when like Simon Peter, as the Son of God introduces us to ourselves, we are to respond to the new life in Jesus Christ.

Just last week this part of the Body of Christ responded to new life in Christ by ordaining and installing new Elders to the Session. In the Presbyterian Church it is usual that in baptism, confirmation, ordination, and installation; the children of God are referred to by their first names alone. The reason for this is wonderful and glorious. The reason for this introduction is that in the church we share the same last name. We are the children of God and by this miracle of grace the family names we carry are an earthly convention. The Lord does not need them to know whose children we are. We are the Lord’s children, the children of God.

So today, on this day, let us be introduced to Jesus again, sharing the newness and the wonder of the Lord. And on this day and the next, let us listen. Let us follow. And let us share. And in the grace and forgiveness of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us share signs of God’s peace and wondrous love with one another.

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[1] John 1:1-2, NRSV

[2] Actually, it is my contention that being without sin, Jesus is more human than we are. So as Christ is fully human, because of sin we are not. As important as I believe this point is, today it’s a footnote. For the purposes of this sermon, the point of discipleship this girl makes is more important that the point of theology I am making.

[3] Nishioka, Rodger Y. “Feasting on the Word, Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary.” David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, Editors. Year A, Volume 1. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, page 262.

Let's Start at the Very Beginning, A Very Good Place to Start

This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas on Sunday June 15, 2008, the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Genesis 18:1-15
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
Romans 5:1-8
Matthew 9:30-10:8

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen

“Let’s start at the very beginning; a very good place to start; when you read you begin with A, B, C; when you sing you begin with do, re mi.” This is the very beginning (a very good place to start) of the song “Do, Re, Mi” from “The Sound of Music.”[1] Sage advice in any situation, and a model for our gospel reading this morning.

The wonder of the beginning of this passage is the way it starts with a recap of Jesus’ ministry to date. It’s like watching the tube and hearing the phrase “previously on …”

Jesus went all about the cities and villages and teaching in their synagogues. Jesus is not traveling willy-nilly through the countryside. He is traveling with a purpose; he is going to cities with Jewish populations. He is going to synagogues to teach. He is not in the city square or in the marketplace speaking to the world, not yet. He is in the synagogues speaking with the people of God.

Remember, this is Matthew’s gospel, the gospel written to the nation of Israel. It makes sense that Jesus brings his message to the people of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob first; after all, it’s his community, these are his people. He’s starting at the beginning, with his people, God’s chosen people.

He goes and teaches in the synagogues. He brings the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom. He shares again and again the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. He shares again and again his grace healing disease and sickness. He restores people to their families and to right relationship with the Lord God.

He sees the people as sheep, harassed and helpless, distressed and dispirited. Without a shepherd, they are a people scattered, hungry for leadership. And Jesus has compassion for them. He cares for them more than they could ever hope or imagine. This is when he calls to his disciples “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”

In this one swift motion, Jesus goes from describing the people of God as a listless flock of sheep, to a bountiful crop ready to be collected. This is not an image of sheep to the slaughter; it is the picture of the people of God being called to worship. It is an image of the inbreaking of the kingdom Jesus promises his people. It is a look what is happening at that moment, happening in this moment, and still to happen in the future.

Jesus then makes a specific request of the disciples. He charges, he calls them to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out the laborers. He doesn’t tell the synagogue to go out and grab a scythe and start bringing in the crop. He tells the people to pray that the Lord to send out laborers.

This is an important turn; it isn’t a request to ask the Lord “what are you going to do with me?” It’s a solemn prayer that the Lord do what the Lord will do. This isn’t the prayer of Monty Hall and “Let’s Make a Deal” screaming “Pick me! Pick me!” This is the Lord’s Prayer, “thy will be done.” This is the call from Isaiah 6 asking “Is it I Lord?” Jesus doesn’t ask us to begin by giving directions; we are to pray to receive direction and to follow.

This is when Jesus makes the important distinction between disciples and apostles. In the gospel, most of the time when we read the word disciple, it points to any adherent of a particular movement or leader.[2] Even in the gospels, “disciple” probably doesn’t point just to the twelve unless the text specifically says so. So in the verse where Jesus tells the disciples to pray, he surely is calling on the twelve, but he also includes the multitude in the synagogue. Now, Jesus summons his twelve disciples and sends them out as apostles. After all, that is what “apostle” means, the one who is sent out.

He sends them out giving them authority, his authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and sickness. He sends them out to proclaim the good news saying the kingdom is at hand, the kingdom has come near. This is where starting our reading where we did was beneficial. We begin our reading with Jesus going out and about proclaiming the gospel and healing every kind of disease and sickness. Then he commissions, he ordains the twelve to do the same work giving them the same authority.

He calls and commissions the apostles. He doesn’t call just anybody; on second thought, yes he does. Jesus calls very ordinary people. He calls Simon and James and John who are partners in a fishing business with Simon’s father. John would become known as the beloved disciple and Simon would become known as Peter, the rock upon which the church is built.

Matthew the Roman collaborator was called to go out as was Simon the Cananaean, or as he was more commonly known the Zealot. Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.[3] He too was sent to tell the people of God that the kingdom is at hand.

The only qualification they share is that they are following Jesus. They not are called out because they are special. What makes them special is the one who called them out. He calls together people who probably would not share a meal together much less a mission if it were not for the one who calls them. They were very ordinary men, being called to do extraordinary things with the only authority that makes it possible.

Qualifications are an element of our Old Testament reading this morning too. It begs the question “What makes Abraham and Sarah so special?” Why are they selected to violate the rules of biology and bear children long after their tender years have passed them? We might assume it was because they followed the hospitality codes of the day, providing food and drink to weary travelers. As much as both of these statements are true, scripture makes no connection between the two. These are just as likely to be completely unrelated events as they are cause and effect.

But Abraham and Sarah can claim only one special status, they were chosen. They were chosen to go to from their homes. They were chosen to see the Lord appear at the Oaks of Mamre. They were chosen to entertain visitors. They were chosen to learn through experience that there is nothing too wonderful for the Lord.

The twelve were chosen, and this is what makes them special. They were ordinary work-a-day guys with day jobs and families. They had no special nature that caused them to be chosen. There was no glow. We need to remember this.

They were the twelve, no better or worse than any other human being. Yet while one of them was certainly willing to perform one of the most horrific acts of betrayal recorded in history, others became the first leaders of the church.

Returning to the reading, once chosen, they were given their commission. The commission gives them their call, their authority, and the power to fulfill his instructions. They were given what they needed to do the work of the Lord, including one additional instruction, they were also given limitations.

It seems odd to talk about the limitations, but their commission only went so far. They were told not to go among the Gentiles and they were told not to go to the cities of the Samaritans. In the end there are some reasons for this we can glean from history. The first, again, the Gospel of Matthew was the missive to the nation of Israel. It is only logical that the twelve would not send the Good News to the Gentiles, not yet.

Since the twelve were all practicing Jews, it would have further been unlikely that they would even want to go to the Gentiles. In Acts when Peter finally goes to the home of Cornelius and eats, it is only after a vision from the Lord repeats itself three times telling him to go and eat.[4]

Also in Acts, we learn of a third reason Jesus expressly limits the twelve from going to the Gentiles and Samaritans. Jesus sends another; this mission field belongs to Saul of Tarsus, the one who becomes the Apostle Paul.[5] The mission to the Gentiles and Samaritans wasn’t the work of the twelve because it belonged to someone else, someone who would come later. And as the Pharisee of Pharisees, Paul was more unlikely to go to the Gentiles than any of the other twelve apostles.

So it is only one more indication of the sovereignty of the Lord that the one who would be sent is the most unlikely one of them all.

So let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. Let us begin by remembering, knowing the Lord Jesus. We need to come together and share the joy of knowing who he is and what he has done. As the people of God we further need to see the people he sees, and see them, see us as both the scattered sheep looking for a shepherd and as the harvest ready to be gathered to the house of the Lord.

We need to begin by praying for those who will bring in the harvest. We need to pray for the people and organizations of the church that do missionary work both works of proclamation and works of service in the nation and around the world. Pray for the groups that have signed what is known as the Dallas Covenant, a group of Presbyterian Mission organizations from all political stripes of the church who have come together to do the work of mission in the church.[6]

Pray too for the nominating committee. It is their job to discern who will be called to shepherd this part of the body of Christ; to lead the church, local and universal, into the future. It will be their job to search from among us to discern who will be called to continue God’s work in the world. And as we pray, don’t be shy to pray “Is it I Lord?”

The last information Jesus gives the disciples before they are sent is that they received their call, their Christian vocation without payment and so they must give without payment. Honestly, I don’t like this translation because of our economic mindset toward payment.

Other translations say “freely you have received, freely give.”[7] And as they have freely received the freely given gift of grace through Jesus Christ our Lord, this is the message the apostles take with them. It is the message we have received and we take with us. Whether into the soul, the session, or the world, this is the word we are called to take with us.

As we have freely received, remember to pray for those who will be sent into the harvest. And also remember the Lord takes pleasure in having us respond, “I will go Lord, if you lead me.”

[1] Rogers and Hammerstein
[2] Disciple, Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible
[3] Random thought that doesn’t belong in this sermon: Often in the church and in church work you hear about individuals or even congregations with way too much conflict being called “clergy killers.” Every pastor wants to avoid the clergy killing congregation. Strangely, Jesus called a “clergy killer” to be one of his apostles. Honestly, I don’t know what this means, but I believe it must be considered—clergy killers exist and Jesus knows it better than any of us ever will. And no, I am fortunate—I have not met a clergy killer in my present posting.
[4] Acts 10:1-33
[5] Acts 9:1-18
[6] For more information about the Dallas Covenant, check out http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2008/08450.htm, retrieved June 14, 2008.
[7] New International Version, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation among others.

God's Little Instruction Book?

I was not in the pulpit this weekend. This is a sermon I delivered three years ago on the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, September 5, 2004, at Genesis Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas.
Scripture: Luke 14:25-33

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen

Over the last ten weeks of Ordinary Time we have been on the road with Luke as Jesus travels from Galilee to Jerusalem. In this time Jesus has been welcomed and rejected. He has commissioned and he has welcomed back the commissioners. We have been with Jesus as he has taught and healed in the synagogue and in homes. He has welcomed the outcast and rebuked the powerful. We have seen humility and hypocrisy. We have joined Jesus for meetings with Pharisees, publicans, and prostitutes. We have heard him speak of love, grace, and forgiveness. We have seen Jesus in action and we have heard him teach with authority. So by this time it is no wonder that there is a large crowd following him.

Because of the way Jesus turned and spoke to the crowd I will make two assumptions about it. First, I suspect that there were true believers in the crowd, those who believed they were ready, come what may, when they reached Jerusalem. But I am just as sure that there were people who followed because it was a great crowd.

Sensing the time was right; Jesus turns to the mass of followers and announces what it takes to complete the journey, what it takes to be his disciple. He begins by telling the crowd that to be his disciple they must hate their families and their own lives. And he ends by telling the crowd that to follow him they must give up all of their possessions. I can only imagine this must have come as quite a shock to the crowd.

When I entered the seminary, one of the supplementary textbooks for Introduction to the Old Testament was Michael Joseph Brown’s, “What They Didn’t Tell You, A Survivor’s Guide to Biblical Studies.” This book offers twenty-eight “rules of thumb” for seminarians. Some of the information was useful, some wasn’t. But one of the rules has stuck with me like a stone in my shoe. Rule number ten says, “The Bible means what it says, and says what it means. Except when it doesn’t.” Luke’s discourse on hating family proves the value of this rule of thumb.

The original language of the text is an idiom, an expression unique to the culture. Fortunately for us, the parallel in Matthew’s gospel expresses what Jesus said in a way we can better understand. The disciple records Jesus saying “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” While it is probable that Jesus said what was written in Luke’s gospel, its meaning is better expressed in English the way it is rendered in Matthew’s.

Either way, Jesus calls for a radical realignment of priorities. What has been acceptable in the past… is no longer. Anyone who is not ready to make the sacrifice Jesus demands… follows at their own peril. The law isn’t changing, but its interpretation in Christ is new and different.

This is an example of scripture meaning what it says, except when it doesn’t. It’s not that we have to hate, loathe, despise, and scorn, our families and our lives. Rather it’s that to follow Christ we must love the Lord our God more than we love our families and our lives. In its place, Jesus put discipleship above all other obligations. We knew all along that Jesus did not abolish the law; but it is difficult to understand that from this passage.

The last sentence in this lesson was difficult for many in the crowd to hear then, and to us may seem even tougher for our culture. Jesus tells the crowd none of them can become his disciple if they do not give up all their possessions. Jesus doesn’t offer any wiggle room here, this is not an idiom. Just as we are called to put Jesus above all human relationships we are called to part from all things for the sake of discipleship. This reading points to a renunciation of all possessions as a part of the radical realignment of our lives. To be a disciple of Jesus, we must put Him above everything.

Jesus goes on in this lesson to warn us about what will happen should we fail. If we cannot bear the cost of discipleship, we stand to be mocked just as the builder is ridiculed when unable to finish building a tower. Downtown, across the street from Republic Square, at the corner of Fifth and San Antonio, stands the skeleton of what was a major construction project. Austinites know this corner; some know it more personally than as just an urban eyesore. It is technically known as AN-2. Locals know it as the “Intel Shell.” What was to be a major player on the city’s high tech scene is now a carcass, an icon for the bursting of the high tech bubble.

But its incompletion is more than a cautionary tale of what can happen when economic conditions go bad. It’s an example that Jesus was right, those who can’t finish what they start will be ridiculed. To make this point, the Austin Chronicle held a contest for what should be done with the empty shell. My favorites include a bird and bat sanctuary/guano factory with observation area. The simplest suggestion came from a man who wants to raise a banner covering the north and east sides of the building, overlooking what would have been a lovely courtyard—overlooking what is now a field overgrown with weeds—a banner announcing “No Intel Inside.”[1] Builders who are unable to finish will loose money and face, but this is not the end of the world.

The other cautionary tale, the one about waging war, is even more dire. Jesus warns that those unable to wage war successfully against another should send ambassadors to discuss terms of peace. While the first example is embarrassing, the results of this one are grim. If peace cannot be made, the advancing force will wreak havoc devastating life and property.

But I skipped one verse, and this sentence is the hinge pin between the two parts of this section. “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” We know we have to put Jesus first, above all other people and things. And we are warned about the results of following without being fully engaged in the way. But what does it mean to carry our cross?

Theories abound. Some New Testament language scholars see bearing the cross as the beginning of discipleship. We do in our lives as Jesus does on this journey. Others compare this to taking on a yoke, its mantle representing the horizontal piece of the crucifix. Others attribute this phrase to a popular expression which was originally applied to the zealots and later to Jesus’ followers; perhaps as a sort of curse or rallying cry. Some believe it has militaristic characteristics.[2] But there is one theory I find most interesting.

In ancient Israel, the Greek letter “Tau”, our letter “T.” was worn by some as a cultic marking, a sign of protection and possession. After the crucifixion, the Tau was related to the historical cross of Jesus as a seal of possession in Christ.[3] While scholars do not think that this was in the mind of Jesus, perhaps it was in the mind of the community that wrote this gospel. Now, don’t worry, this is not a call for tattoos for the people of Genesis and the body of Christ. The Tau is a sign, a symbol. Symbols communicate action; they do not perform the action.[4] We use another symbol to communicate this action.

We carry the cross in the waters of our baptism. As some took the Tau was a symbol, we accept the water and living wet as the sign that we rise and die and rise again with Christ. As Jesus called the followers to take up the cross daily, we are called by our confessions to improve our baptism.[5] In our baptism we accept Jesus’ call to faithfulness, rebirth, and covenant into the body of Christ.[6]

This year on a rainy Easter Sunday, the Reverend Doctor Ellen Babinsky began the service of the Lord’s Day by saying that it was a damp Easter morning and that in our baptism we are called to live wet. The morning was rainy and sloppy. We were never promised that living wet would be tidy; on the contrary, living wet is frequently sloppy. It calls us to forsake people and things that we might otherwise be attracted to. But if we do not fully commit to the life of discipleship in the water and the cross we stand to inherit the dangers of ridicule and worse.

In 1993, Honor Books published “God’s Little Instruction Book, Inspirational Wisdom on How to Live a Happy and Fulfilled Life.” What the book does is couple little insights with scripture. I got to admit, a lot of it bothers me. (To repeat one of my professors, “I don’t do cute.”) For example, they write, “There is a name for people who are not excited about their work—unemployed.” This isn’t a pastoral thing to say, especially to someone whose livelihood depended on the completion of the “Intel Shell.”

Another is “the best way to forget your own problems is to help [solve someone else’s].” While this is not inappropriate in many circumstances, this advice would be a disaster for people with mental health issues. Sometimes, trying to help solve someone else’s problems could make matters worse for both.

When the authors remind us “If at first you don’t succeed, try reading the instructions,” I just hope the instructions don’t contain an idiom that has to be interpreted first. This is the problem with aphorisms. These guides to a “happy and fulfilled life” are so glossy that when forced to bear the weight of the cross they dissolve like sand castles. The way of the discipleship is more dear than these simple sayings.

Last weekend in the Olympic Marathon, Cornelius Horan, a defrocked Irish Priest, entered the marathon course in its twenty-third mile and pushed race leader, Vanderlei de Lima, into the crowd. Mr. Horan was wearing a sign which said, “The Grand Prix Priest, Israel fulfillment of Prophecy says the Bible.”

Horan calls himself the Grand Prix Priest because in July 2003 he ran onto the course of the British Grand Prix; staying on the track for more than 20 seconds, nearly being hit by several cars which had to swerve dramatically to avoid hitting him. Eventually he meandered close enough to the edge of the track for an official to grab him and take him away. That day Mr. Horan was carrying a sign saying, “Read the Bible—The Bible is always right.”[7]

As for me, I believe that the bible is always right; it’s me that gets things wrong. There are things we don’t understand and there are things we won’t understand. What we must understand is that we are called to live in community, in the assembled body of Christ, living wet, and bearing the cross.

Fortunately, we have the perfect role model for this relationship. We have the example of Jesus who as a person teaches us how to relate to one another with humility, love, grace, and forgiveness. We have the example of a God who models the perfect relationship; existing as one in three in an eternal dance of being in community. When we live wet, when we bear the cross of Christ, then we are able to follow and be his disciple. Amen.

[1] Intel Building Design Contest Winners, Austin Chronicle, May 11, 2001
[2] Kittel, TDNT, Vol. VII, page 577-578
[3].Ibid.
[4] Lewis, C. S., Screwtape Letters, The, page 125.
[5] Book of Confessions, 7.277
[6] Book of Order, W-2.3004
[7] ESPN.com

Try to Remember and Follow

This sermon was delivered at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas on the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 1, 2007

2Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Luke 9:51-62

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen

The travelogue is a classic form of literature and a Missouri man named William Least Heat Moon has written two. The first is a heralded compilation of stories collected as the author traveled for three months around the circumference of the U.S. avoiding big cities and taking the road less traveled. Based on the color of these roads in the old Rand McNally atlas this route was the source of the book’s title, “Blue Highways.”[1] This journey took him to among other places Nameless, Tennessee; Selma, Alabama; Dimebox, Texas; and Moscow, Idaho.

Least Heat Moon’s second travelogue, “River Horse” is an account of his four-month coast-to-coast trip across the U.S., using a variety of boats ranging from a cabin cruiser to a canoe with a trolling motor.[2] This travelogue retraces his attempt to recreate Lewis and Clark's expedition to find the Northwest Passage through the Hudson, Ohio, Mississippi, Missouri, and Columbia rivers along with many smaller tributaries. He estimated that in the end he traveled across country with less than 100 miles out of water. While this route forces him past many major cities including New York, Pittsburgh, Saint Louis, and Portland; Least Heat Moon again spends most of his time in small towns the world seems to have left behind when rails and roads took most of the freight traffic.

This part of Luke’s gospel, from today’s reading through the first half of chapter nineteen are Luke’s travel narrative. In this part of the gospel, Luke describes Jesus’ travels through Palestine as he gradually works his way through the holy land toward Jerusalem and the triumphal entry, and ultimately his crucifixion.

On the face of this reading from Luke’s gospel, there seem to be two stories in this lesson. The first is the story of Jesus being rejected in a Samaritan village, with its little additional piece of James and John wanting to use power to show the might of the Lord. This part of the piece helps us answer the question of whether we should destroy or have compassion for people who reject the Lord. The second is Jesus on the road and the people he meets along the way. In this part of the piece, we are called to wonder what Jesus is looking for in disciples and what discipleship truly means.

We start with Jesus on the road. Even this early in Luke’s gospel Jesus knows where he is going and what is going to happen when he gets there. Whether despite this or because of this, Jesus has his face set toward Jerusalem. He is resolute; he is determined to go to Jerusalem. Of course this made the Samaritans none too happy. And since the Samaritans and Jews were related like the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s were related, when it was clear that Jesus was destined for Jerusalem, the Samaritans would not receive him.

These peoples were on different roads, the Jews believed the Lord made Mount Zion home where the Samaritans believed Mount Gerizim was the house of the Lord. This difference is never clearer than the story of the Samaritan woman at the well from the fourth chapter of John’s gospel. But in this case, there was no woman at the well to hear the word of the Lord and the entire traveling party was left out in the cold. Here is a group of people, an entire nation of folks who were not ready to hear the word of the Lord because it was in such dire conflict with their society and its faith.

Boy, I can’t say things have changed much since antiquity? I’ve said it before and I’m about to say it again, everything that’s old is new again.

Jesus then meets three travelers along the road after leaving Samaria. The first wants to follow Jesus. I’ve said before that Jesus had two types of followers, those who wanted to follow Jesus and those who wanted to follow a great crowd. This man seems to fall into the latter group. “I will follow you wherever you go” he says. So Jesus tells the man “go” is the operative word. They have everywhere to go and nowhere to stay. Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man was just kicked out of a Samaritan village.

This time there is less than no room at the inn, now there isn’t even an inn.

The next man’s case is a little different, “Follow me” our Lord cries. But this man has plans; he needs to bury his father. But Jesus tells him in no uncertain terms this is not his job, his job is to go and proclaim the kingdom of God.

Finally, the last man who didn’t receive the second one’s invitation says he will follow, but wants to bid his family farewell first. Jesus tells him that looking back is no way to go forward into new life. Looking back makes him unfit for the kingdom of God.

You know, maybe Jesus got a lousy night’s sleep because he wasn’t welcome in the Samaritan village; but for whatever reason, he’s more than a little cranky this morning.

In this passage, Jesus is dealing with foreigners and with his own people. He is dealing with people in a strange town and he is dealing with his entourage. He is coping with being rejected by people who don’t want him and by people who do. He also seems to be ignoring people who don’t want him and rejecting people who do. There seems to be a lot of differences between the two halves of the passage, yet there is a very important connection. Jesus is teaching all of these people what it takes to be his disciple. We learn that we must accept the Lord into our community, follow the Lord for his sake, choose life, and move forward. Through this we receive God’s grace and peace and bear the fruit of God’s Spirit.

Unlike the people in Samaria, we need to welcome Jesus into our community, into our village, our homes and our lives. Life in Jesus is completely unlike life without him, it is wholly different. All change is frightening, but we are called to change and welcome the Lord to our lives. In the Lord we go from doing things our way to doing them his way. The way Jesus shows us to be.

Unlike the first man, we aren’t to follow Jesus because of what’s in it for us; we are to respond to God because God has all ready responded to us with the offer of free grace. Often we hear of people who join organizations like Rotary or the Optimist club to make business connections. Jesus reminds us we are to follow him to glorify him. We do not follow for our profit, but for the Glory of God.

Unlike the second man, we are called to choose life over death. The way Jesus puts this is shocking, especially in a society that has such rich and deep family traditions as the Jews. But where in last week’s lesson the Gerasene was told by the Lord to stay at home and share the Gospel, here the Jewish man is told by the Lord to go and spread the Gospel. In the end, both of these men are called to respond to the Lord, not to their own needs. Our joy is that in the Lord, grief and suffering are valued and shared by the Lord and through Him is new life, not old death. Through Christ, even our grief is redeemed.

Finally, the last man wants to follow, but first he wants to say good bye to his old way of life before embarking on the new. Jesus tells him about how spreading the Good News is like plowing a field. Straight lines cannot be plowed by someone looking back over their shoulder to see where they’ve been. Looking back shows the old mistakes that can’t be changed; looking forward is the only way to prepare the field for harvest properly.

But there is one more very important thing to note about the three men Jesus speaks with, scripture does not tell us Jesus left even one of them behind. Jesus doesn’t send anyone away. Jesus doesn’t reject anyone. Jesus doesn’t say “no,” instead he says “now there is a new way.” To each of these men Jesus describes what he would have them do now. Jesus gives them each a new command.

Oh, and further, Jesus shows James and John that there is a better way to deal with people who disagree, disregard, and disrespect the Lord than to call down fire upon them. The son of Man did not come to destroy people, but to save them.[3]

Maybe, just maybe they did not change their ways immediately, but they continued with Jesus until they were fit for the kingdom of God, the old “fake it ’til you make it.” Maybe, just maybe each of these men chose the new life Jesus offered instead of the life they were living. And maybe, just maybe, each of these men repented. And hopefully, quite hopefully, the lives of each of these men began to bear the fruit of the Spirit Paul shares in Galatians. Through the love of the Lord, the free gift of his grace and peace, and their life in the Spirit, life bears the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. And against these things there is no law.

The Eureka Theater Company recently finished its six show run of Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones’ (no, not that Tom Jones) long running Off-Broadway musical “The Fantasticks.” The opening number is called, “Try to Remember.”[4] The first two verses end with this line:

Try to remember and if you remember then follow.

This is our call. We are to remember the new life of peace and love and grace which is ours through Jesus Christ. He calls us to put him first, before all things. And through the fruit of the Holy Spirit, his grace opens us to new life. It allows us to live and to love and even to mourn in a new way; a way that shows the love of God in our lives, a way that puts God first; not our priorities, but the Lord’s.

The last line in the song offers advice for remembering and putting the Lord first even in the dark and cold times:

Deep in December our hearts should remember and follow.

In the days of the harvest of joy and glory we should remember and follow. And in the coldest and darkest days of our December we should remember and follow. Be in Christ, remember, and follow.

[1] Least Heat Moon, William, Blue Highways: A Journey Into America. Fawcett, 1982.
[2] Least Heat Moon, William, River Horse: The Logbook of a Boat Across America. Houghton Mifflin, 1999.
[3] Reference to verse 9:56a which is not found in the oldest of transcripts and was probably added as a commentary by later scribes. (Metzger)
[4] “Try to Remember” from “The Fantasticks.” Music by Harvey Schmidt, lyrics and book by Tom Jones, The Fantasticks Company, 1960.