Always Working the Angles

Luke 15:1-2, 11-32
There is something very sneaky about the younger brother in the parable of the prodigal son. He takes his father’s money, squanders it on a hedonistic lifestyle, and then comes crawling back home. But even in these destitute circumstances that he has brought upon himself, the younger brother has conditions. “How many of my father's hired hands,” he asks himself, “have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands’” (Luke 15:17b-19). The younger son has come looking for a job! Even though the father owns slaves (see verse 26), and servitude would have been by far the more humbling offer to make, the young man asks for gainful employment.

I’m not sure, but I think the actions of the younger brother may be intended to reflect the bargains we sometimes try to make with God. We, too, have squandered much of what God has given us; we, too, find ourselves in need of mercy and grace; we, too, find ourselves turning to God; yet we, too, try very hard to make a deal, one that is more advantageous for us. We could accept the lowest level of servitude, because we deserve nothing more, nothing better. But why not ask for a job instead (and would a corner office be too much to expect?).

It’s called working the angles, and it’s what the prodigal son was all about. It’s what we do, too, pushing God to give just a little more, be just a little more forgiving, and a little slower to anger. Like the waiting father of Luke 15, God is willing to hear us out and to give us more than we deserve. How thankful we should be! The challenge we face is to think of God’s patience and generosity every time we pray, “forgive us our debts/trespasses as we forgive our debtors/those who trespass against us.” If God is giving us more than we deserve, even more than our audaciousness leads us to expect, we simply must show the same regard for others and cut each other some slack.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for your endless and abiding love and ask for help in forgiving and loving one another. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It’s Not What You Know…

Mark 4:21-34

Much has been learned about agriculture in the centuries since Jesus taught about the kingdom of God, but the value of Jesus’ parables has in no way diminished. "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground,” Jesus said, “and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come” (Mark 4:26-29). The farmer in Jesus’ parable had no idea how seeds become plants. All he knew was that there was a time of growth and development at the end of which the crops would appear and need to be gathered. Nowadays it is not uncommon for elementary school students to study the growth of plants or for science fair participants to demonstrate how various factors affect the process. To say that we do not know how the seeds sprout and grow would not be truthful.

But what we know or don’t know is not really the point of the story. Jesus’ parable is really about trust and patience. To plant a seed is to anticipate that which is to happen at some point further on. While there are things to be done while the plant is growing the process is ultimately dependent on the work of God in creation. So it is with the kingdom. To look forward to God’s reign in its fullness is to anticipate a future event. There are things to be done in the meantime, work to which we are called, but ultimately the process is dependent on God alone. Indeed, the more we learn about growth and development in nature the more we marvel at the intricacy of the process. And the more we attend to Jesus’ words about the kingdom the more active we become in our waiting.

The beauty of Jesus’ parables is that they remain vivid as they continue to offer guidance for our living.

Prayer: Lord, we depend on your grace alone, for which we give you thanks. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jarring Time

Matthew 21:33-46

According to our gospel reading for today Jesus’ opponents were able to grasp the meaning of his words, but only to a certain extent. “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them” (Matthew 21:45). The problem was that while they understood that Jesus was talking about them, they were not able to grasp the validity of what he said. To them Jesus was a nuisance and not the Son of God. The chief priests and Pharisees considered themselves devout people of great faith, but they were so wrapped up in their own expectations that they missed the fact that God was standing (and speaking) right in front of them. What they needed was an attitude adjustment.

In the film version of John Grisham’s novel A Time To Kill, Jake, a young defense attorney, makes his closing argument to the jury. He begins by asking the twelve men and women to close their eyes and to imagine the scene he is describing: the brutal assault on a young black girl by two white men, the various horrific things they did to her, the fact that they ignored her pleas for mercy and how they left her for dead. “Can you see that?” Jake asks the jury. “Now, imagine that little girl is white.” The impact of Jake’s words is instantly apparent. The jarring change in perspective makes all the difference in how the jury members perceive the case at hand.

The chief priests and Pharisees might have been jarred into a change of perspective by Jesus’ parable, yet they were not receptive to what Jesus was saying. What about you and me? Are we receptive to God’s word in such a way that we can hear it and be moved by it? Are we willing to be corrected of our false assumptions, to at least entertain the notion that God’s will is other than what we may expect? It is so easy to condemn the chief priests and Pharisees for their hardheartedness, but unless we are open to God’s word we may miss the chance to be jarred into a change of perspective ourselves. During Advent, as we await the arrival of Jesus Christ, it is important to allow God to speak to us and then to really listen to what God is saying. Otherwise we may well miss the chance of a lifetime. We always have more to learn; but are we really willing to be taught?

Prayer: Lord, allow us to be moved by your word, and when we are reluctant to listen jar us from our complacency that we may live as your people, guided by your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

On Spreading Mustard

Mark 4:21-34

To be honest, I wouldn’t know a mustard seed if I saw one. I don’t know how big they are or what size plant typically grows from them, or whether it would be a bush, tree, plant, or vine for that matter. But I still have an appreciation for one of Jesus’ most famous parables about the coming reign of God, Mark’s version of which we read today. “[Jesus] also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade’” (Mark 4:30-32).

Here is the meaning that I find–and which is not original to me–in these words. The coming reign or kingdom of God may begin in the most insignificant of ways. An act of kindness, for example, may seem almost meaningless to the one who performs it but may convey tremendous meaning to its recipient. Not to trivialize Jesus’ image, but think of the number of contacts you make each day, the number of people with whom you interact at the store, at work, at school, on the bus, in person or by e-mail, by text or by Skype. Consider how you as an individual might affect any or all of those people. Think of each contact as setting off ripples through the lives of others. Kindness–godliness if you will–can spread and grow and develop and take new shape all because we choose to reflect God’s love in the world instead of sharing messages of gloom or anger, rumors or innuendo about others and the struggles they may or may not face. Even the slightest gesture or comment may make a great deal of difference in a life, may help to enliven the good news for others while a slightly different word or gesture may impede God’s will from being done.

A mustard seed may be as big as a walnut as far as I know, but as a parable of the coming reign of God it demonstrates the importance of all we do, for at the end God’s will is done and God’s glory shines all around. Do we wish to plant seeds of goodness in God’s field, or are we willing to plant something else?

Prayer: Lord help us to live in such a way that our actions help to spread the good news instead of deterring it. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Give It Some Thought

Mark 4:1-20

Generally speaking, I prefer for prospective church members to take time in deciding whether to join a church or not over those who come a Sunday or two and then make a quick commitment. Why? Let me use a part of Jesus’ parable about the sower from Mark’s gospel to explain.

“And these,” Jesus said, “are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while…” (Mark 4:16-17a). Let me stress that I am making only a general statement here, not one that I believe to be absolutely true in all cases. The fact is that faith is serious business. It does not work best when based on a quick response time or on knee-jerk reactions. Faith deserves thought and, above all, prayer. What is God doing in my life and how can this particular congregation can help me with it? Is this a community of faith where my skills and talents can best be put to use? Am I making a decision on what I wish were true, or what God is really saying to me? These are the sorts of questions that help one develop roots, to find endurance for the ups and downs that every gathering of God’s people will go through from time to time.

This is why I, as a pastor, do not object to a family or an individual taking time to decide about joining a church. God deserves thought and care. Questions like which congregation to join are important. We should try, to the best of our ability, to be planted in good soil so that we may produce much fruit to the glory of God.

Prayer: Lord, help us to consider our lives of faith carefully and not make hasty decisions based on arbitrary factors. And as communities of faith, may we learn to respect and to nurture the thoughtfulness of others. Amen.