October 27, 2019

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

 

Luke 18:9-14

 

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’

But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

 

Prayer.

 

Jesus tells a parable;

a parable that sets a trap.

The best traps are camouflaged in simplicity and in plain sight.

Do not be fooled by this simple parable!

 

Jesus sets this trap for any unsuspecting or uninformed disciple following him.

This parable is a trap set for you and me.

 

Wake up!

Pay attention!

Less the trap of this simple parable spring

and convict us of heresy and contempt.

 

Heresy and contempt.

You heard me right.

One wrong step and

you or I can step into the cow pie of heresy;

of violating two of the big ten commandments:

“I Am the Lord your God. Thou shall not have any gods before me.”

(Exodus 20:2-3)

 

One wrong step in a different direction will actuate the trap door;

dropping us into the dungeon of contempt;

unredeemed confinement,

exposing the disdain we harbor for others.

 

……

 

First, let’s deal with Heresy.

Heresy is a belief or opinion contrary to orthodox Christian doctrine.

Where is the heresy here?

and how can I learn to spot it, and

avoid stepping in it?

 

Pharisees in the time of Jesus often get a bad rap.

They aren’t villans, not hypocrites, nor necessarily adversaries of Jesus.

Scripture tells us that some are even sympathetic to Jesus.

The Pharisaic movement in ancient Israel sprung up in an effort to

emphasize obedience to the law of Moses.

It was a movement of both lay and rabbinical clergy.

 

Righteousness according to the law ensured

healthy spiritual disciplines,

healthy families and communities,

and for keeping the rites of kosher and cleanliness,

a way to encounter God’s holiness.

 

You or I could easily be Pharisees.

 

This Pharisee in today’s parable attends Temple.

Wonderful, we should attend worship, too.

The Pharisee prays a prayer of thanksgiving to God.

Great, we should offer to God prayers of thanksgiving, too.

So far, so good.

 

This is when the wheels come flying off.

He begins with the pronoun, “I”.

I give thanks

I’m not like that thief,

that rogue,

that adulterer,

THAT tax collector.

 

Three more times the Pharisee starts with “I”.

I exceed the minimum requirement to fast once a week.

I fast twice a week!

I exceed the minimum requirement to tithe 10% of my net income.

I tithe 10% of my gross income!

 

In fact,

the Pharisee is so full of himself;

He’s so full of his own righteousness

that he has lost the desire to place his whole trust in the Lord.

“I trust in myself and my own righteousness!” he’s thinking to himself.

 

He doesn’t need the Lord.

His trust is in his ability to follow the law of Moses without fail,

making his self-confidence greater than

his trust in the Lord.

 

This is the height of heresy.

 

The Lord reminds us, “I Am the Lord your God.”

You and I? We are not the Lord.

Living a good, clean life does not rocket us to the front of the line

Displacing God.

 

……….

 

Second, lets deal with the trap of contempt.

Because of the Pharisees self-imposed righteousness

He has developed a chronic disease known as spiritual superiority.

 

Spiritual superiority.

Oooh.

We all shift uncomfortably in our seats.

 

The Pharisee believed others were beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn;

Especially those who intentionally broke the law of Moses,

Like thieves, rogues, adulterers, and tax collectors.

His disdain is exposed for all to see.

 

Contempt is a delusional belief that we know better than God

who should or who should not receive God’s mercy.

 

We do not.

We do not know better than God.

 

The Lord knows better than anyone

Where his mercy and grace are to be spread.

Mercy is the Lord’s prerogative and

Ours is not to judge.

 

Jesus is criticizing those who distinguish

Ourselves and our values from

“one of them.”

 

In God’s worldview

All are sinners, loved anyways.

All are fallen, redeemed anyways.

Even the most righteous still come up short of perfection, are saved anyways.

 

When we think of ourselves as holier than thou,

Better than “one of them,”

Our exalted contempt is flipped upside down by Jesus

And we find ourselves humbled.

 

Who are the “one of them” people in your world?

 

Are they communists, socialists, or a member of the opposite party?

Are they drug addicts, street people, or crazy people released from the asylum?

Are they owners, administrators, managers, or workers in the trench?

Are they officers, enlisted, or civilians?

Are they people with HIV, members of the LGBTQ community, people getting welfare handouts, or people with developmental disabilities?

Are they convicts, inmates, or felons?

Are they pimps, prostitutes, or people caught with their hand in the cookie jar?

Are they people with different skin colors, different accents, different faiths, from different lands?

 

Who are your

“one of them”?

 

We do love to paint people with a broad brush,

Lump people into stereotypes, because

Then, it’s easier to build a wall between us and them.

 

Contempt for “them”

does violence to the individual.

 

Every “one of them” has a name,

A story,

A history.

Every “one of them” is a child of God,

A person of worth,

Who is equally loved and cared for by the One who created

“them.”

Jesus died for every “one of them,”

An equal sacrifice,

Just as he died for me.

 

…………..

 

The traps of this simple parable are harsey and contempt,

But God’s gift of absurdly generous grace

Turns the world upside down.

 

Grace comes to none other than the foil of this parable:

The tax collector!

 

No one saw that coming!

The twist of this parable would have taken the breath away

from Jesus’ audience.

It should take our breath away, too.

 

Let’s talk about tax collectors,

People like Zacheus,

In the time of Jesus.

 

Tax collectors were notoriously corrupt.

They were hired contractors who worked on behalf of the Roman Empire,

The enemy occupiers of Israel.

These scoundrels would collect taxes

In neighborhoods, on highways, in markets, and at the dock.

Their take was anything they could collect above and beyond the Empire’s regulation.

They were dishonest, greedy, opportunist, collaborators;

Willing to victimize their own neighbors, family members, and friends.

 

Jesus, a respected Rabbi, associating with tax collectors would be scandalous in the eyes of every observant Jew.

Why would Jesus spend time with the likes of this?

 

(Mobster video clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nHNHIDduH4)

 

In the parable, the tax collector stands far off.

He was probably afraid the roof of the Temple would collapse on him if stepped through the door.

He beats his breast, begs God for mercy, and confesses his sin.

 

That’s it.

He doesn’t promise to repent or change.

He doesn’t offer to go get an honest job.

He doesn’t volunteer to join the underground and become a part of the resistance.

 

“This man went down to his home justified,” Jesus declared.

The Pharisee had written him off.

But God had not.

The tax collector could only speak of his own brokenness.

And he is exalted.

 

Unburdened.

Vindicated.

Fully restored by God.

Wow!

 

Such is the nature of God’s absurdly generous grace.

 

………..

 

Dearly beloved,

This parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector

Warns us of the dangers of righteousness.

Living according to the law has mostly an upside to it, but

Yet, it has dangers.

The danger is that our trust can turn away from God.

We can turn inward,

trusting in ourselves,

Not in God.

 

We are warned of contempt;

For it reveals spiritual superiority,

Unsightly disdain for children of God.

We’ve been warned.

Don’t fall into the trap.

 

Indeed, even the most righteous of us,

Myself included,

are in need of contrition, repentance, and forgiveness.

 

Dearly beloved,

This parable resolves itself,

Completes the square,

In God’s absurdly generous grace;

A core characteristic of God.

We are launched into the upside down world of Jesus,

Where those who exalt themselves will be humbled,

And those who humble themselves will be exalted.

 

So, be humbled.

Seek God’s mercy.

Confess sins; the big, the little, the intentional, even those unknown.

Abide in this upside down world of Jesus

known as the Kingdom of God.

Amen.

Luke 18:1-8

20 October 2019

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

 

Luke 18:1-8

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’

 

For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’”

 

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

 

Prayer.

 

Our Gospel for today

Begins with praying always and not losing heart.

It takes a pit stop into persistence and justice.

And it concludes with a question about where faith will be found.

 

Undoubtedly, across the land

exceptional sermons will be delivered on each of these three points.

 

I am reminded by the wisdom of one seminary professor

taught us that every parable

is meant to communicate Divine truth.

At the same time,

every parable has a limit,

a capacity of what can be revealed.

 

In other words,

search for what God desires us to know,

but, don’t push the parable beyond its capacity

such that you begin to read into the story

personal agenda

Jesus never meant to be included.

 

Across the centuries,

spanning the globe,

crossing multiple cultures,

enduring transitions from oral, to written, to printed communication techniques

as well as multiple translations from one language to another to another,

It’s obvious

well intentioned editors have had a field day with this Gospel before us.

 

It has become a diverse mess,

a spray of divergent topics

that could obscure the essential Divine truth hidden within.

The challenge is to clarify;

to fine tune what is presented

into a clear concise message

we can apply to our lives today.

 

“Pray always,” Jesus says.

Clear. Concise. To the point.

Number one

Take home application I can implement immediately:

Pray always,

Even in the supermarket.

 

Pray without interruption,

without ceasing.

Pray continuously.

Pray persistently,

like a persistent, stubborn widow who won’t give up and won’t give in.

Pray like there is no tomorrow.

Keep praying because the Son of Man is coming

and he is expecting to find us in prayer.

 

Prayer is not a new topic in Luke.

When viewed inside the larger Gospel

we know the story begins

with the whole assembly of people praying outside the temple.

Jesus prays at his baptism.

He withdraws to pray at key points throughout his ministry.

Jesus prays such that he sweats blood on the Mount of Olives.

He instructs his disciples to pray for those who abuse them.

Jesus teaches his disciples to pray when they ask for instruction.

And Jesus assures us that the Holy Spirit comes to those who ask.

 

As Jesus was persistently in prayer throughout his life and ministry,

as he illustrates in this parable a widow who is persistence in her petition for justice,

so, too, are we to claim

the same persistence

for our prayer life.

 

Time for some introspection.

Consider our life, our actions, our behaviors:

Is everything we think, say, and do

firmly anchored in persistent prayer?

 

Persistent means always;

never ceasing.

 

Are we praying when we are shopping;

that our choices will reflect our stewardship of God’s creation?

Are we praying when we are picking our kids up from day care, school, or practice;

that our attitudes and language will be tempered by God’s love and wisdom?

Are we praying when we face temptation to do something we know we shouldn’t;

that God would steal our heart

and divert our attention to more faithful endeavors?

Are we praying when we wonder if we should stand up and speak out;

for God to channel our passion, to give us His words, and help keep us faithful?

 

It’s easy to pray occasionally;

when facing a personal crisis,

when set in routine,

or when we step foot into the sanctuary.

Praying persistently is advancing the spiritual life one step forward;

filling the in-between time

with our intentional effort to listen and speak with our God.

 

Time for some Extrospection.

Consider the life of our community of faith,

our church:

Is everything we think, say, and do

also firmly anchored in persistent prayer?

 

Can we let go and let God;

Give up our agenda and listen for God’s agenda to be made known to us?

 

When we talk finance

is it in such a way that reflects our prayerful revelation of God’s grace?

 

When we talk missions and outreach

is it in such a way that recognizes the fact that God is telling us to be like Jesus

reaching out to the last, the least, and the lost?

 

When we are pouring coffee, waiting tables, selling brownies, or mopping the floor

are we asking God to work through us to bless and love

everyone who enjoyed our turkey dinner?

 

Persistent means always,

whether we are gathered,

or whether we are deployed throughout the community.

Are we prayerfully supporting one another,

and through each other,

our neighbors, community, state and world?

 

God already knows what’s going on.

God wants us to pray to him because

 

 

Prayer changes the heart of the one doing the praying.

 

…..

 

“Pray always,” Jesus commands,

“and not to lose heart.”

 

Do not lose heart.

Keep faith.

Don’t lose heart.

 

Keep faith that God is in control,

today, tomorrow, and forever.

Today, most of us have the faith to pray.

We’ve come to worship after all.

In the spur of the moment

just about every Christian is able to muster up an

“Our Father, who art in heaven,”

“Now I lay me down to sleep,”

or “God is good, God is great.”

 

When the petition becomes a little bit more personal

– like a plea –

and when the petition is made not just one day,

but for a succession of days,

it becomes an intimate, ongoing conversation,

placing ourselves in the hands and arms of the one who created and loves us.

 

Do not lose heart, Jesus injects his confidence directly into our souls.

In the short term,

the persistent widow’s prayers for justice were not answered,

yet, she came back day after day,

knocking at the door of stubbornness.

 

Keep faith that

God’s time is God’s time,

not our time.

 

We live in God’s time.

We think we live in our time,

but it isn’t true.

 

“With the Lord one day is like a thousand years,

and a thousand years are like one day.”

– Apostle Peter, 2^nd Letter to the Church in Greece, Turkey, and Asia, 2 Peter 3:8

 

When one talks resurrection and salvation

all talk is eternal.

All talk is God’s time.

It is according to God’s schedule that God responds.

 

Be there no misunderstanding;

God responds to every prayer.

Our job is to pray without ceasing,

with mustard seed sized faith,

and to keep knocking on God’s door.

Be assured, Jesus tells us,

persistent prayers are answered

always according to God’s time.

 

Do not lose heart;

keep faith

that every answered prayer,

that comes from God,

comes to us

from the one characteristic of God

that remains eternal and unchanging:

God’s everlasting love.

 

When Jesus says,

“Ask anything and God will grant it,”

we conveniently leave off that part “according to his will.”

 

“And this is the boldness we have in him,

that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14

 

God’s will and motivation has always been for our personal and communal benefit.

Only a God who loved the world would send a son

to forgive us of the sins we’ve committed against Him and each other.

 

Only a God who loved the world would send His son

to win victory over death with a gift of eternal life.

 

When our persistent prayer

are according to God’s will to love us,

then, yes, every petition is granted.

When we believe our petitions haven’t been granted,

either it is because

what we’ve been asking for has been contrary to the will of God,

or,

what we’ve been asking for has yet to be revealed by God’s greater, long term plan.

 

Eventually, the persistent widow

was granted her petition.

She asked for justice and she got it.

Of course, justice is consistent with the love and will of God.

Why wouldn’t it be granted?

The point is

she was persistent in her petitions; and so should we.

She didn’t lose heart, she didn’t lose faith, and neither should we.

 

Jesus ends our Gospel for today

with what I believe is the perfect question:

“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (18:8)

 

The beginning of an answer is found in the Gospel

where numerous people are commended for their faith:

 

• the centurion who believes Jesus will heal his slave, even from a distance;
• the sinful woman who anoints Jesus’ feet and loves much;
• friends of the paralytic who are willing to cut a hole through a perfectly good roof;
• the bleeding, unclean woman who touches Jesus’ clothes in the crowd and is healed;
• the Samaritan with leprosy, whose gratitude turns him back to Jesus where he falls at his feet in thanksgiving;
• and the blind beggar later in this chapter who sees Jesus for who he is and calls to him.

 

Yes, the Son of Man will find faith,

but Luke suggests that it may be in unexpected places,

not among the religious professionals

or the ones certain of their own righteousness.

Faith is found among

outsiders,

the unlovely,

the unclean,

the ones who are certain of their sinfulness.

Faith isn’t found within; it’s found outside, in the community, among those in greatest need.

(Thanks to: Meda Stamper, pastor, Anstey United Reformed Church, Leicestershire, England, as found at workingpreacher.org)

 

Signs of faith today

are people and communities persistently praying

in everything that is said and done.

Signs of faith today are evident

when culture is wrapped so tightly in persistent prayer

that peace replaces violence

God’s love drowns out hatred and prejudice,

and grace leads to life lived completely in the Spirit.

 

Signs of faith today

can be seen

in people and communities who persistently pray

and who do not lose heart,

who keep coming back

and coming back

and coming back

until the prayer is answered in God’s time,

or, until the Son of Man returns.

Whichever comes first.

It’s all good.

 

Don’t stretch the parable too far.

It was good advice.

Jesus gives his followers better advice:

 

Pray.

Pray always.

Pray and do not lose heart.

 

Be the Gospel.

Be the Good News of Jesus.

Amen.

Luke 17:11-19

13 August 2019

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

 

Luke 17:11-19

 

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.

And he was a Samaritan.

Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

 

Prayer.

A Story of Kings

 

There once was a commander of the Syrian army

By the name of Naaman.

He was loved by his men, for

He was strong and

The Lord, Yahweh, our God, brought him victory,

Though Naaman was a pagan and knew him not.

 

Naaman developed a disfiguring, communicable disease.

He suffered in isolation and shame.

How could he lead men if none would come near?

 

There was a great prophet of Yahweh

Who had developed the reputation as a healer.

The prophet lived in Israel,

South of the Syrian border,

His name was Elisha.

 

Naaman had to see Elisha

Even though Syria and Israel were adversaries,

As they are to this day.

The healer was behind enemy lines.

 

The intersection of Naaman and the Lord was heating up.

 

King Joram of Israel was suspicious of the king of Syria,

Who requested safe passage for his commander to visit Elisha.

Was this a pretext for starting a war?

What should he do?

Fear, anxiety, and uncertainty overwhelms King Joram.

He tears his shirt in frustration.

The crown’s concerns spread throughout the kingdom.

 

The prophet Elisha hears the news.

He sends for Naaman,

That he might come to know Yahweh;

The source of his victories,

The Lord of prophecy,

The God of healing.

 

Naaman comes.

Elisha tells him

“Go, wash in the Jordan seven time, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean,” (2 Kings 5:10)

 

You’ve got to be kidding.

 

Desperation overcomes skepticism.

Naaman washes himself just as he was told.

He is healed of his leprosy.

 

At the intersection of Naaman and the Lord,

There is healing.

He renounces his former pagan god and

Claims the God of Israel,

Giving praise:

“Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel!” (2 Kings 5:15)

 

Naaman comes to the Lord and

Finds himself

At the intersection of faith and praise.

 

……………..

 

800 years later

Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem

Through the land of Elisha.

 

Leprosy was a disease of legend,

So easily transmitted and feared,

It left its victims in forced isolation.

 

Ten people with leprosy like Naaman approach Jesus.

All the while, they keep their distance.

A touch means becoming unclean and a time-consuming trip to the ceremonial baths and coming before the local priests.

 

Jesus was Jewish.

They were Samaritans.

They shared a common belief in Yahweh,

As do we.

Jesus was widely known throughout the region as a healer.

He attracted large crowds.

Jesus had something

These ten people with leprosy wanted:

To be cleaned, healed, and restored to normal life.

In short, to be made well.

 

“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us,” they cried. (17:13)

If Yahweh can heal Naaman,

So too, can the Lord use Jesus to heal us.

 

The region between Galilee in the north

And Judah and Jerusalem in the south

Had changed in the 800 years between Elisha and Jesus.

Samaria had been dominated by faithful Jews

From the 12 tribes of Israel,

Namely Ephraim and Manasseh.

 

About eighty years after Elisha

The region fell to the conquering Assyrians,

Who deported the best and brightest of the population to exile.

 

Assyrians settled in,

Intermarried with those who remained behind to tend the land.

To the Jews in Galilee and Jerusalem

The Samaritans became known as mixed raced collaborators with the enemy.

 

To talk about Samaritans

Is to bring up the topic of racism.

 

The divide deepened.

Most Samaritans remained faithful to Yahweh,

Yet were prohibited to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem.

They established their own local Temple first in Shechem,

Then to Shiloh.

Judaism schismed.

To the faithful Jews in the time of Jesus,

Samaritans were treated as pagans.

 

Samaritans.

Discriminated because of their mixed race;

Hated for their collaboration with the enemy;

Dismissed as pagans.

It is in this cultural context

Jesus enters when he stops in a village between Samaria and Galilee.

 

“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us,” they cried. (17:13)

 

Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan,

Also unique to the Gospel of Luke? (10:29-37)

When held in contrast with this narrative of Jesus healing ten people with leprosy

It is as if this

Miracle of healing becomes secondary.

When held in context with the narrative of the healing of Naaman

It is as if the Gospel is painting a far greater trajectory

Of God’s intervention in salvation history.

 

Imagine that.

A miracle may be pointing us to something more profound.

 

This story of healing

Reveals a deeper message of unlikely gratitude.

 

…………..

 

Allow me to bring laser focus on the one Samaritan

Who returned to Jesus.

 

“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan.”

(17:15-16)

 

The text appears relatively simple and straight forward.

But, consistent with Luke, let us pay attention to details.

 

The first detail is the healed man

Came to an immediate awareness of God;

A display of God’s presence, power, and mercy.

He saw that he was healed.

 

For us today,

Are we as self-aware of God’s presence, power, and mercy?

Or, have our spiritual senses been so dulled by the world

That we’ve lost most of our situational awareness of God?

 

Have our spiritual senses been dulled by our passive approach to discipleship

That we’ve grown distant from the only source of healing,

The only solution to the fractures of the world

And the brokenness in our life?

 

Beloved, let us adjust our sets and tune our spiritual antenna.

Let us be aware of God’s presence, power, and mercy.

 

The second detail

Is that the man healed of leprosy changes his orientation towards God.

He walked away, but then

He turned back.

He returned to Jesus.

 

Oh, it is so easy to be healed by the Lord

And to simply move on,

As did the nine others who were made clean

But who failed to return.

 

Experiencing the presence, power, mercy, and grace of God’s healing intervention in our lives

Is an opportunity to repent

And to engage in the hard work of discipleship.

 

To turn back requires the intentional desire to change and grow in spiritual depth

Even though every one of us naturally resist change.

Repentance and change always begins with the self;

It always begins with me.

 

The third detail has much to teach us.

As the cleansed and healed man made his way back to Jesus,

He praises God with a loud voice!

 

Praise is recognition:

The source of healing is the object of praise,

None other than the Lord, our God.

Praise is reassurance:

Instilling confidence of faith within

And bearing testimony to others of

God’s greatness, glory, and mercy.

Praise is admiration of

God’s power, grace, and love.

 

And he did it loudly!

Shouldn’t our praise be loud, too!

Perhaps the cry room in the back should be reserved

For those who want to praise God in silence,

Because this sanctuary should be rocking!

 

The fourth detail is instructive.

The healed man prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet.

 

Do we place ourselves in a position of submission before Jesus?

Do we listen to his teaching at his feet?

Do we make our selves vulnerable before the Lord,

Placing ourselves completely, whole, utterly in the mercy of God?

 

The final detail is all about gratitude.

The healed man,

Mixed race,

A former foe,

One who had been considered a pagan like Naaman,

Gave thanks for what the Lord had done.

 

None were more unlikely to extend gratitude to God

Than this Samaritan man.

Yet, he did.

So, too, can you and me.

 

Beloved members and friends, guests and visitors,

The Gospel invites us today

To fill our hearts with gratitude.

 

Thank the Lord,

For all that has been, and

For where our spiritual journey has led us

To this day and time and place.

 

Thank the Lord,

For his faithfulness.

God keeps his covenants.

The One who created us stays in love with us.

 

The Lord’s faithfulness gives us assurance,

That if we follow wherever God is leading,

We will remain in God’s presence,

Strengthened by God’s power,

Blessed by God’s mercy and grace.

 

In this season of thanksgiving,

Let us thank the Lord

That, yesterday I may have been at war with God,

Emotionally and spiritually scared as a man with leprosy,

But today, I’ve been given a second chance

To turn back, and

Return to the feet of Jesus,

Cleansed, cured, and restored,

With a heart at peace.

 

“Get up and go on your way;” Jesus tells us.

“Your faith has made you well.” (17:19)

 

Our Lord’s invitation to us today

Is to place ourselves at

The intersection of faith and praise and gratitude.

That’s where we meet the Lord.

Amen.

Luke 17:5-10, Proper 22 C, 6 October 2019

The Rev. Todd R. Goddard, Pastor

Rush United Methodist Church

 

Luke 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

“Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”

Prayer.

 

Our Gospel lesson is a continuation of the past couple of Sundays.

You may remember

We left Jesus first teaching the disciples,

Then teaching the Pharisees

(who were lovers of money),

And, last week

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

 

Today, Jesus again turns to his disciples

And begins to teach

Four seemingly unconnected sayings

That are found in the first ten verses of chapter 17.

The first two are not included in our reading this morning;

Yet it is important to mention them.

 

The first saying

Is a warning to anyone who would cause someone to stumble,

That is, to temp someone to sin.

Jesus warns

“It would be better for you

If a millstone were hung around your neck

And you were thrown into the sea.”

– Luke 17:2

This is familiar for most of us. It’s also self-explanatory.

 

The second saying

Is Jesus giving instructions about

How one disciple is to treat another disciple who sins.

“You must rebuke the offender,”

Jesus instructs them,

“and if there is repentance,

You must forgive.”

– Luke 17:4

Again, straight forward.

 

Allow me to leapfrog the third saying and go right to the fourth.

The fourth saying of Jesus

Was read this morning and is found in verses 7-10.

Jesus makes his point with an illustration that causes us to shutter today,

Yet, this was a common cultural reality in the time of Jesus.

 

I doubt if any of Jesus’ disciples owned slaves.

At the same time, it was a slave holding society.

Slaves came primarily from military expansion, victory, and settlements.

Only the wealthy, politicians, and members of the military would have owned slaves.

Everyone would have been exposed to slavery

And known the ins and outs of how it worked.

 

The slave’s time and labor belongs to the master,

Therefore, the slave has no claim on the master

Even after a period of obedient service.

The point being,

 

We cannot put God into our debt.

 

God never owes us.

What we receive from God is kindness,

God’s grace,

Not reward for what we should do in the first place.

This is an important point:

What we receive from God is grace, not reward.

 

It is God’s nature to love, forgive, and save.

There isn’t a thing we can do to earn it;

It is already ours to accept.

 

….

 

My primary focus for today is upon the third continuous saying of Jesus,

Found in Luke 17:5-6, which reads:

 

“The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

The Lord replied,

“If you had faith the size of a mustard seed,

you could say to this mulberry tree,

‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’

and it would obey you.”

 

Note the fact that

It isn’t the disciples who ask,

Rather, it is the “apostles” who ask Jesus to

“increase our faith.”

 

The use of the word “apostles” indicates the fact

That this passage was most probably first written down

Almost two generations after Jesus.

Think about this dynamic for a moment;

The Gospel of Luke was written down nearly 50 to 70 years

After Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection.

 

It goes to show that

For those who follow Jesus,

Be they the original disciples,

The faithful members of the early, first century church,

Or even for us today,

It is normal and natural to find the demands of life

Seemingly too great for the faith that has already been given us.

 

What they are asking is, “Lord, make us adequate for being your disciples.”

 

This reminds me of the old hymn

 

“When the storms of life are raging, stand by me. (x2)

When the world is tossing me, like a ship upon the sea,

Thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me.”

(Words and music by Charles Albert Tindley, 1906)

 

Sometimes we feel like the weight of the world is crushing us,

The responsibilities thrust upon us are more than we can bear,

The expectations of family, work, and life exceed our capacity to endure,

And we, like the disciples of old cry out

“Lord, increase our faith!”

We cry out like the old hymn

“Lord, stand by me,

because I can’t stand alone any longer.”

 

Jesus reminds us

 

The faith we already have is more than adequate.

 

Our natural tendency is to think this is a parable about us.

We want to measure and quantify our faith.

We do so to correlate life’s events,

Suggesting that times of great faith is a sign of God’s favor

And times of weakened faith is a sign that we’ve fallen out of God’s favor

(which is patently untrue).

 

I’d suggest, however, Jesus teaches this parable

To reveal more about the characteristics about God, our Heavenly Father,

Than to teach his disciples about how to increase our faith.

 

Our faith taps us into the unlimited power of God.

God’s power is unlimited.

When our faith is connected with God’s infinite power

There is nothing God can’t do through us.

All things are possible by God

When working through willing disciples of His Son, Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus’ response to his disciples petition is quite familiar;

Familiar much more so to us from Matthew and Mark

Where “mountain” is substituted for “mulberry tree.”

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,

You could move a mighty mountain.”

– Paraphrased from Matthew 17:20 and Mark 11:23

 

Mulberry tree or Mountain,

… Six and one-half dozen the other …

Both employ impossible tasks at the time of Jesus.

Yes, the top of a mountain could be leveled and a temple built on top of it;

But move a whole mountain?

Whoa! I don’t think so;

Not in an era before shovels, earth movers, dynamite and pan dump trucks.

 

Likewise, it would have been quite impossible

For a mulberry tree,

A middle-eastern blackberry tree with an extensive root system

Which thrives in the desert,

To be transplanted from its original growing place

And be replanted in, or near, the sea.

It would be quite the impossible task!

 

Another point.

From the original Greek,

Our Lord’s words,

“If you had faith the size of a mustard seed,”

Implies or assumes an existing level of faith.

 

Specifically, Jesus isn’t questioning

Whether or not his disciples had any faith,

He was simply saying,

“If the faith you already have is equal to, or bigger than,

The size of a mustard seed …”

 

Friends, a mustard seed is the very smallest of seeds,

Nearly microscopic in size.

 

When looking at the tiny mustard seed

And comparing it to the decision to leave life and family behind,

To lay down their nets to come and follow Jesus,

Every one of his disciples would have thought,

“Well, yes. I do have at least THAT amount of faith!”

 

Today, when considering the tiny mustard seed

And comparing it to the decision to roll out of bed

And to come to worship on a Sunday morning,

Every one of us can also proclaim,

“Why, yes. I do have at least THAT amount of faith!”

 

If faith is even teeny-tiny in size,

It is sufficient to do the seemingly impossible for God.

 

You heard me right.

The faith you already have

Gives you the potential

To do the impossible.

 

Faith in Jesus Christ connects us to the power of God.

It taps us into the Almighty,

The Creator of the universe.

The faith you already have

Connects you directly into the power of God,

Enabling that power

To be put to use for God’s useful means.

 

Faith grows when we take God at his word.

God has been tugging at you all your life.

God has been whispering in your ear all your life.

God has been speaking to your conscience all your life.

 

It is God’s initiative,

God’s persistence,

God’s urging

That brought you forward to the baptismal font

And cleansed you with

Your baptismal waters.

Jesus has led you to the foot of his cross

To be washed clean of sin by his blood.

 

It is God’s prompting you,

Nagging you,

Urging you,

Longing for you to step forward again,

To partner with our Creator in this great endeavor,

To follow his lead and to expand his kingdom

On earth as it is in heaven.

 

….

 

So, what are the implications of this passage for our church family today?

Let’s call it “Mustard Seed Sized Faith”

 

Let’s take them one-by-one.

 

1. It is normal and natural to find the demands of life

Seemingly too great for the faith that has already been given us.

God’s vision is far greater than ours.

We get so focused on the here and now

And our personal challenges

That we are blinded to the possibilities of what God is creating.

 

We see our life and our church as broken, as limited, and vulnerable.

This is based upon the past and present.

But this is not the future reality to which God is calling us.

 

Take heart!

Be of good courage!

Wherever God is leading, let us follow,

Knowing in the depth of our bones

That God has given us all that is necessary for this journey.

The church of tomorrow

Will be what God wants it to be.

 

2. The faith we already have is more than adequate.

The particulars of doctrine don’t matter to God;

What matters to God is that

“we live by faith, not by sight.”

– 2 Corinthians 5:7

The fact that you are here right now,

In front of this altar and the cross of Jesus Christ,

Surrounded by this cloud of witnesses,

Tells me that though

None of us have seen Jesus,

Each of us live with Christ living in us

( – Galatians 2:20).

The breath of his Holy Spirit filling our lungs.

 

That’s sufficient.

That’s all you need.

Your faith is more than adequate.

Stop complaining and making excuses.

Move on.

Move this church forward

And bring it into the fullness of all that God wants us to be.

 

3. Our faith taps us into the unlimited power of God.

“With God all things are possible.”

– Matthew 19:26 and Mark 10:27

Jesus is claiming,

The God who created all there is,

All there ever has been,

And all there ever shall be,

Is a God of infinite power and ability.

Faith is like hooking in a power cable directly into God.

God’s will is the future’s reality for this congregation

 

Whether we like it, or not.

Whether we’re on board, or not.

Whether we cooperate, or not.

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.”

– Luke 11:2

 

Grow this church two-fold in the next year?

Of course this is possible.

If this is God’s will, our faith can make this happen.

 

Though the opposite may be true,

It is important to recognize that

God is in the expansion business!

 

Faithfulness is the ability to pray,

“Use me, O Lord, …

Use this church, O Lord …

That Thy will may be done.”

 

4. If faith is even teeny-tiny in size,

It is sufficient to do the seemingly impossible.

Beloved friends, you’ve got this!

God’s future for us is not dependent

On how smart we are,

How creative we are,

Or how much money we have.

We’re tapped into the greatest power in the cosmos,

And through this power

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

– Philippians 4:13

We’ve got this, if we want this

And if we are willing to be faithful.

 

5. Lastly, Faith grows when we take God at his word.

Disciples of Jesus,

Stop complaining and stop obsessing about all that distract our attention from Jesus:

Size, status, past mistakes, promises unfulfilled.

 

Let it go.

Let it be.

With Christ by our side,

There is no reason to be anxious about the future.

Our future is God’s to give,

For us to confidently claim.

 

Stop trying to quantify faith.

Faith will take care of itself,

Just so long as we continually attempt to seek God’s will

And follow God’s ways.

 

Living the quest to discern and follow God’s will

Normally, naturally, grows faith.

Instead of petitioning Jesus to increase our faith,

Perhaps we should spend more time asking our Heavenly Father

What he would have us do

And spend more time getting it done!

 

….

 

Dearly beloved,

Because of God love

The reality of God’s tomorrow is more wonderful than you or I can imagine.

In the meantime,

Take heart in the faith that you have been given.

Know that your faith is sufficient,

Because it connects us,

It binds us together with God,

Tapping us into God’s unlimited power.

 

Together, we can complete God’s will.

Together, we can do anything.

Amen.