Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10 Ordinary 24C; Proper 19 Oh Jeremiah, you are in touch with God’s anger like seemingly no other! This week we get the word that we are stupid children, skilled at doing evil. As a result, God will rightfully bring desolation to the whole land, no relenting, no turning back. Is this a word we are willing to share? The only bit of relief comes with this short sentence, “Yet, I will not make a full end.” A glimpse of hope remains. God destroys in order to build up, but what of those living through the present-day wrath? I spent a lot of pastoral breath assuring people that God does not give us what we deserve, but rather extends a grace and mercy that belies reason and human imagination. Hence, this text from Jeremiah causes me pause. Does God sometimes drop the hammer on our misdeeds and let us suffer the painful consequences of our actions? I think of this more in terms of our corporate harm to creation and others, … [Read more...]

Jeremiah 18:1-11; Philemon 1-21; Luke 14:25-33 Ordinary 23C; Proper 18 Can any of us, really, live up to Jesus’ expectations in the gospel reading this week? Are we truly to hate life itself on account of our discipleship? Is this an example of Messianic hyperbole, or are we literally to hate those with whom we have the tenderest, closest ties? The trajectory of Jesus’ admonitions seems off, too. Hate mother and father, carry the cross, calculate the cost as if evaluating the viability of a massive building project, take stock of all the resources needed in order to wage a war. Also this: If you cannot give up your possessions you cannot be my disciples. Is Jesus setting us up to respond: “Oh, you mean all we must do is give up all our stuff, I’m into the Marie Kondo method already, I’m all set!” In that litany of disciple requirements, giving up our possessions sounds lightweight compared to the other instructions. And yet we rarely do even that. Perhaps the root of the … [Read more...]

Jeremiah 2:4-13; Hebrews13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14 Ordinary 22C Proper 17 DIY discipleship never turns out well. When left to our own instincts, ideas and attitudes, we inevitably make choices that hurt ourselves and others; that create lives and worlds far less joyful, abundant and beautiful than God intends. As Jeremiah puts it, we trade fountains of living water for shoddy, humanmade cisterns that don’t hold water. As Luke tells it, we think more highly of ourselves than we should, and end up embarrassed and ashamed when our cover is blown and our real lives don’t match our Instagram ones. What Hebrews admonishes against doing, we do liberally – neglecting to show hospitality to strangers, forgetting those in prison, dishonoring relationships, loving money and hoarding resources. Sometimes do it yourself leads to disaster. And yet, over and over again we think we know better than God. Each of the texts this week shines a spotlight on our hubris. Note that Jeremiah … [Read more...]

Jeremiah 1:4-10; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17 Ordinary 21C Proper 16 Bent double. For 18 years. Unable to stand up straight. Relegated to looking down at the ground, at others’ feet. Eye contact denied. The dignity of seeing another face to face impossible. This woman who entered the synagogue that day and discovered, or was discovered by, Jesus, sits in worship throughout the ages. The elderly woman dismissed due to her age and creeping memory loss. The homeless person who entered the service late, sat in the back row, and left before the benediction. The young mother nodding off in the third pew, exhausted from working two minimum wage jobs while raising her children. The long-time member with bruises hidden by fine clothes, feeling trapped and afraid in an abusive relationship. The many with #MeToo stories too painful to voice. Every week in virtually all of our sanctuaries, there are those bent in half by the burdens they bring to worship; outside the church doors, … [Read more...]

Isaiah 5:1-7; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Luke 12:14-56; Ordinary 20C Proper 15 Hebrews feels like an outlier this week. By faith - the litany goes - by faith the Israelites walked through the Red Sea, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down, Rahab was brave and Gideon defeated the Midianites. By faith lions' mouths shut and even flames of fire did not consume God's faithful. Therefore, we, too, ought to live by faith, remembering the witness of this pantheon of people and God's power bestowed upon and around them. Any questions?   The Hebrews reading this Sunday bolsters our waning energy for working for the Lord, our creeping despondency about the way things are, our growing helplessness with each news story of hate, violence, natural disaster and human-made tragedy. Keep the faith! The writer of Hebrews shouts. Remember! Look at all God has done and know God still works, in your age and through you. Such an encouraging word is welcome, needed. But what do we do when … [Read more...]

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40 Ordinary 19C Proper 14 Cease to do evil. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Rescue the oppressed. God, according to our reading from Isaiah this week, cares not for our religious rituals if they are uncoupled from real-life interventions on behalf of vulnerable people. Showing up on Sunday morning is not enough. In fact, showing up on Sunday morning and then leaving to exploit others any other day of the week elicits God’s anger. Consider for a moment what this might look like in our day. We get up early Sunday morning and put on our church clothes. The most pious among us reads a Bible verse and says a prayer before we leave the house. We go to Sunday school, maybe even teach the class. We sing hymns with gusto in the sanctuary and drop money in the collection plate. Then, feeling good, we head out to the local restaurant to enjoy the tasty brunch. We drive past fields of peaches, where migrant workers perform … [Read more...]