Luke 19: 28-40

Wow! Who thought the crowd would be that large. I know Jesus is popular with the common folk; those who want a different kind of leader; someone who will give them hope, but still. They think Jesus is the one. He is quite a legend with his miracles and all that. His message does have an appeal for those with no power; those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, justice, respect; those who live on the fringes. Then again, it's easy to be that way when you are from the outside; not a part of the mainstream.

As a Pharisee, I see it all differently. The issues are more complicated. There is much that these people do not understand; much that goes over their heads. We are not opposed to Jesus. We enjoy our debates and conversations. Jesus has a good mind, and he is knowledgeable about the law. One has to respect that. His call to be compassionate has its appeal. The problem is, it's just not that simple.

Jesus doesn't understand or appreciate the political ramifications. The truth is Pilate is in charge. He calls the shots in this region, no one else. Pilate is ruthless. He kills the innocent all the time. Jesus doesn't understand, Pilate needs to be appeased.  Any change that comes has to come slowly. Like it or not, we are under Roman rule. We need to work within the system. People may be oppressed, but at least they are alive. In many ways we have it pretty good. We are free to practice our faith provided we don’t ruffle too many feathers. It is a balancing act; we try to be good Jews and remain faithful to God. At the same time, we try to be good Roman citizens. It is true you can’t serve two masters, but we do live in this world. We have to live under Roman rule, Romans authority.

Jesus either doesn't care or appreciate this reality I'm not sure which it is. The things I am sure of are these. Jesus doesn’t appreciate the position he puts us in.  He doesn’t understand that it is not that simple. He doesn't seem to fully grasp what could happen. It doesn’t know how cruel Pilate is. Hasn't he seen the crosses that line the roads? What does he think they mean? Who does he think they are for?

Despite what some are saying, trust me, jealousy is not a part of this.  We are not jealous of Jesus' appeal. When he told Jesus, "Teacher order your disciples to stop", we said it out of concern. They were words of warning. We are not the enemy! We don't dislike Jesus! We are actually trying to help him. We are trying to save him, maybe from himself. The crowd who loves him today doesn't see it the same way.  One thing I have learned over the years, crowds are fickle. They quickly and easily move on to their next hero.

I am really concerned. Jesus comment, "the very stones would cry out", worries me. Those words tell me this is beyond Jesus' control. This has been our fear all along. This whole thing has become way too big. It is taking on a life of its own.  Mock me if you want. I know how Pilate operates. As I said before, I know how cruel he can be. If Jesus is not careful the next stone will be the one used to close his tomb! Where will Jesus’ followers be then? You can’t follow a dead man!

You may think I am being harsh or insensitive. I understand you and others have a specific belief when it comes to Jesus; a particular way of seeing things. Trust me I have seen this kind of thing before. It is not that simple! Pilate has no conscience.  The only thing Pilate cares about is being in control. Pilate needs to look good to his superiors. He doesn't like rebellion. He doesn’t even like disruption. As for insurrection, forget about it. You are just looking for trouble. Pilate will stop at nothing to keep order.

I don't know if you noticed it, or not, but after that big parade, Jesus was crying over Jerusalem. I'm not sure what that was all about. I do know there is turmoil in the air. I can feel it. I've been around a long time. I can sense these things. I promise you before too long this is going to get ugly. In the long run it is better to make small changes. It is better and wiser to try to keep the peace. Slow change is better than no change. I know that this isn’t always the popular view. It is however the prudent view. Most times you pay a heavy price for quick change. I'm afraid that this is one of those times.

When all is said and done, I just hope Jesus' followers aren't the ones left crying.   

John 12: 1-8

"You will always have the poor with you…" This line from scripture has always bothered me because I don’t want there to always be the poor and poverty. I want to believe that we can and will overcome poverty. And yet there is a part of me that knows; given human nature and selfishness, the poor will always be a reality, and given God’s nature, we cannot be satisfied with this.

Scholars recognize that these words attributed to Jesus are not his words. They are the writer of the Gospel of John's words. While I am not sure of their original intent I have come to see them as describing a struggle or paradox that we cannot deny. There are more than enough resources to go around. The problem is most people don't live believing this is so. The challenge for me and I believe us is trying to live as God calls us to live in a world that does not support our doing so.

We cannot deny that our faith calls us to help alleviate suffering; not just because it feels good to do so, but because it is a part of being faithful. Recently Rich Townsend introduced me to a book by Albert Brooks entitled Who Really Cares.  Using statistics, the author shows that there is a connection between religion and charity. Simply stated those who believe in some organized religion are more charitable. This is true not just when it comes to supporting religious charities. It is true when it comes to all charities. Their giving goes beyond financial support. It also includes volunteerism, helping neighbors and friends and even being more honest in their dealings with merchants and people in general. This benevolence transcends gender, age, race and economic status. It is also not tied to any specific religious belief. People of faith or religion are more charitable.

We can debate the best or right way to do our part to alleviate suffering, but we cannot deny that our faith calls us to be responsible stewards. This means:
making good use of the resources God has entrusted to us.
living a balanced life aware of the world in which we live.
responding to the needs of others including the lost, last and least.

This understanding affirms two of John Wesley's Simple Rules; do no harm and do good. The third rule is stay in love with God. Wesley believed that one's surplus was to be given to the poor, and he lived this belief. Trying to live a similar life leads to our asking, "How much are we to give? What is enough?"
In our attempt to do this, Renee and I have adopted what I call "the 10% rule."  When it comes to deciding to do something fun or recreational we make the commitment to set aside and then give an additional 10% of what we spend to help others. This is true if we spend $20 on the movies or $2,000 on a vacation. This giving is over and above what we give to the church and other charities that we believe in. I share this with you as a way of offering a concrete example of what it means to strive to be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us as we seek to "do good."

Some have and will point to this passage and use it as a rationale for not doing good. Despite what some may say there is nothing wrong with Mary anointing Jesus. Her act of love did not mean she lacked concern for the poor or needy.  There is a difference between care of self and others and being selfish. At that moment, Mary's actions were the loving, caring response. In a different context they may not have been. There are times when being a little extravagant is appropriate. It doesn’t mean we are insensitive to the needs of others. It doesn't mean we have lost sight of what matters.               

I suspect the power outages of this past week have taught us some things. There is a big difference between what we have and what we need. We all like our creature comforts. We can also all get by with a lot less. In a January 24, 2010 NY Times editorial, Nicholas Kristof talked about a different way of looking at what we believe we need and is good for us, and what we really do need. He tells the story of the Salwen family who made a decision to change their way of living. In this editorial, Kristof tells the story of a conversation between Kevin Salwen, his wife, Joan and their daughter Hannah that took place in 2006. While waiting at a traffic light, they saw a black Mercedes coupe on one side and a homeless man begging for food.  Hannah responded, "Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal." A conversation continued in which Hannah pestered her parents about the inequity, insisting that she wanted to do something. The family did do something which included selling their rather large home and buying a smaller one.  Their journey and discovery is told in a book entitled "The Power of Half." Commenting on their reason for writing the book, Kevin Salwen says, 'the aim wasn’t actually to get people to sell their houses. Rather, the aim was to encourage people to step off the treadmill of accumulation, to define themselves by what they give as well as by what they possess." (Kristoff, NY Times, Editorial, January 24, 2010)

Today's prayer of confession describes our situation and dilemma. "We think we are responding to God's love and mercy, but our preoccupation with what we want and think we need causes us to miss the opportunity. As a result, we hurt those around us because we do not listen, do not share, and too often remain passive when we could offer comfort and support." So what are we to do? How do we break the cycle? How do we not give up when the chances are very good that the poor will always be with us?

I think the answer is found in remembering why Mary anointed Jesus; what it was she was affirming in that loving act. Knowing God in Christ makes everything different. It changes the way we see people and the world. It calls us out of ourselves. It reminds us that we cannot be satisfied with the way things are because we believe when God is involved it can be different.

To better do this, we need to work at welcoming God into the process. While God is already involved, working in the world, we have to learn how to recognize God's presence. We have to trust that even when we can’t see the results, our not settling for what is, but instead working for what can be matters. Love feeds love.  Hope breeds hope. Faithfulness leads to more faithfulness. We cannot nor do we see this is true if we are standing in the center. We need to move ourselves out of the center and place God there, and this is what Mary was affirming and modeling.

Given human nature, sadly I suspect the poor will probably always be with us.  Given God’s nature, we cannot be satisfied with this. We need to respond which means asking, "What is enough?" Our culture and world will not give us the wisdom we need to answer this question. To find that answer, we need to embrace how Mary responded; with a loving act of humility and grace that truly made good use of the resources with which she had been entrusted.

Can we afford to do any less?  I do not believe we can. Amen.  
   

Luke 13: 1-9

"Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans?" I suspect those who heard this question were hoping the answer was, "yes", because if those who died were worse sinners then maybe the others would be safe. Jesus response is interesting, "No, I tell you; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did." The question or concern that follows sounds something like this. 

Surely Jesus can't be talking about you and me.  Jesus can’t be calling us to repent. After all we may not be perfect but we are far from a bad person. We care about others. We do good things. We try to be a positive role model for those around us. We can think of a whole bunch of folks who need to hear the call to repent more than we do.

And herein lays the problem.  This is exactly why we and all people need to repent.  There is a part of each of us that wants to believe:

"If I work hard, I will succeed. If I live a good life, I will be rewarded. If I pray hard enough, work long enough, live a regulated life, God will help me, guide me and work life in my favor." (Joan Chittister, Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope, pg. 8)

This very thinking puts the focus on us making it all about what we do.

The call to repent is really a call to see the world differently. It is a call to view life from a different perspective, because while God will help and guide us; God does not work life in our favor. We are no more important than anyone else. The call to repentance is an invitation to enter into a dialog with God; one in which we hear not what we want to hear but what God has to say as we take to heart those words we sing:

Lead me, guide me, along the way, for if you lead me I cannot stray.
Lord, let me walk each day with thee. Lead me, O Lord, lead me.

What would happen if we repented, if we changed and…

let God be more a part of our decision making?
prayed not for what we want, but for God to show us what we need?
let God guide us when it comes to being good stewards of all God has entrusted to us, including our time and financial resources?

I suspect we would find some of our priorities changing. We would probably discover that we have more time to spend in prayer and reflection; more time for good works. I suspect we would spend our money differently and we would do so joyfully, giving thanks for what has been entrusted to us.

Psalm 51 reminds us "the sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart." These words remind me that God desires for us to surrender our pride, ego and will. God desires for us to listen more closely to how God desires we live.

It is hard for us to do this.  A recent editorial in the NY Times talked about a privatization of human existence.  Too many live in a lonely chamber of self-absorption a kind of narcissistic neurosis as we connect through social networking and the ala-cartelife as defined by 600 TV channels and a gazillion blogs.” (Roger Cohen, NY Times 2/23/10)

The result is no real human contact. We don’t see people as people.  We see them for what they can give us; how they can serve us.

"Unless you repent you will all perish as they did."  These are words of warning.  I don’t believe God seeks to break us down as a way of belittling or punishing us.  I believe God seeks to build us up by showing us a more loving way. We can't see this more loving way unless we repent; unless we let go of some things. I suspect you know what those things are for you. Certainly those who know you and love you best would be willing to share these things with you. The question is; do we have the courage to ask them? Do we have the courage to sit and listen to their loving responses?

This morning's scripture ends with a parable which asks the question, "Why this barren tree should be wasting the soil?" This leads to my wondering, "Are we wasting the soil? Are we making good use of our lives?" This is another way to hear the call to repent; not because we are so bad, but because we have lost sight of what is important. In the process we are foolishly wasting the time we have. 

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on in the end.
It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?  How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what you got but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success but your significance.
What will matter is not your learned but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice
that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew,
but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter is not your memories but the memories of those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It’s not a matter of circumstances but of choice.
Choose a life that matters.
(by Michael Josephson)

The message is clear.  Now is the time to repent; the time to change. Life is unpredictable; guarantees are few and far between. We don't know what tomorrow will bring.

Remembering this let us hear again Jesus concern; unless we repent we will perish having missed an opportunity. Don't waste the soil. Instead choose to live a life that matters.