Sunday, March 24, 2019

The Kingdom in Two Parts


For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.

Isaiah describes for us a beautiful image of the kingdom. Everyone who thirsts is invited to the waters. All are invited to come and eat, even those who can not pay.  There is free flowing wine and milk; an abundance of bread. Readers are encouraged to eat what is good, delight in rich food. Here one is satisfied.
It is God’s everlasting covenant, full of God’s steadfast love; there is mercy and abundant pardon.
I have read this passage with various groups this week.  People expressed a feeling of comfort, assurance, and peace through the words of Isaiah. How could the kingdom of God not be all this and more?

Likewise, with the text from Luke. Luke describes a beautiful image of the kingdom. He starts by asking listeners to ponder why bad things happen, countering popular belief that bad things happen to those who for some reason have brought it on themselves.  Luke’s Jesus tells a parable where the gardener convinces the landowner to give a fig tree one more year to bear fruit.  The gardener has hope that with time, manure, care, the fig tree will bear fruit.  God -the gardener- extends patience and mercy, steadfast love to the fig tree. Listeners interpret themselves to be the fig tree in the story; feeling a sense of comfort, assurance, and peace.  How could the kingdom of God not be all this and more?

Ho. Listen. See.  The kingdom IS more. But you are not going to like the image of the kingdom about to be presented.  You will not experience the warm fuzzy feelings of comfort, assurance, and peace.

In Isaiah 55, the prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people of Israel as they return to the land of Israel from a time of exile.  Isaiah speaks of the restoration of the covenant with God and the daily implementation of that covenant, the Law, within human interactions. There is a sense of comfort, assurance, and peace.  The people come home and turning to God are satisfied.  This is only part one of the kingdom.
God’s people return to the land; they are the landowner. This is important to note. 
Everyone who is thirsty comes…to the land, more specifically the landowner.
The hungry who have no money come…to the land, more specifically the landowner.
It is in the purview of the landowner to share the wealth of the land with those who come seeking. The people who come are from a vast array of places – some sought out by the people of the land, others (unknown, foreign, enemies) who have come of their own accord.
There is only water, wine, and milk for the refugees, IF the people in the land will be generous and hospitable with their resources. The hungry will find food IF the people will be generous and hospitable with the food they have.  The hungry will only find satisfying food – the bread of life- God- IF the people invite the newcomers to listen as faith stories are shared, as people are invited to participate in worship, prayer, study.
The landowner has been coached to eat what is good and delight in rich food; it is not so much about eating as it is about sharing the abundance of the land. It is about generosity and hospitality. This is part two of the kingdom.

In the fig tree parable consider the gardener to be the prophet.  The prophet speaks to the landowner, as Isaiah spoke to Israel, God’s people.  The prophet pleads with the landowner to return to the essence of the covenant, to be patient, offering mercy, hospitality, generosity.
The landowner -for a year- allows for the hope of the gardener to be fulfilled. The idea is that this small amount of mercy from the landowner is the beginning of softening the landowner’s heart. It is hoped that over the year the landowner ‘s heart will change to a place where mercy is its default setting.
The fig tree is God. God drawing the landowner into the responsibility of the covenant, the essence of the covenant which is to be patient, offer mercy, hospitality, and generosity.  Unbeknownst to the landowner, God circuitously confronts them, to participate in part two of the kingdom of God. Part two is the responsibility of   God’s people, where the landowner is welcoming, inviting, sharing the abundance of God with all.  The kingdom comes – only comes in fulness- when the people extend generosity, hospitality, and abundant pardon.
The landowner is treated with a balm of patience. Just as the people have been shown over the centuries. Prophets came and went, calling the people to return to God and the covenant. Jesus has come calling the people to return to God and the covenant; to live as kingdom people. God has shown great patience.

Part one of the kingdom plan is in the hands of the Creator. It has been executed through the centuries. Not only has the earth produced resources to sustain physical life, God has made God’s self known to satisfy the spirit, the seeker, with bread that is true bread. In a variety of ways God has been present and people have experienced God’s abundance and mercy.  The trouble is that like Isaiah’s image of the kingdom where we are the ones coming to satisfy our thirst, or see ourselves as the fig tree receiving mercy, we get stuck in receiving ---we are hoarders of  God’s abundance- and forget that the fulness of God only comes when we release what we receive back into the world.
God has extended copious amounts of patience, waiting for us to wake up, to divest, to clear the storage barns, to open our land; to get that the kingdom can not, will not, be fully present until we practice generosity and hospitality to all.

A number of years ago Yiru Sun was to be married. Two months before the wedding day, Sun, called it off because she refused to sign a prenuptial agreement. She had put down a nonrefundable deposit on a luxury hall. She could have decided to let the deposit go, to wallow in the unfairness, to be embittered by the situation.  She could have decided to throw a party for her friends.  Instead she participated in part two of the kingdom. Working with nonprofits, she threw a luncheon for 60 underprivileged kids and their families, none of whom she’d ever met. As host, Sun wore her wedding dress, welcomed her guests, mingled and watched the kids eat ice pops and have their faces painted. She reflects, “I cannot be the princess of my wedding day, but I can give the kids a fairy tale.”

There was a jailbreak in Parker County, Texas.  A correctional officer is alive because of it. Inmates participated in part two of the kingdom. They were awaiting court appearances in a holding cell when the officer watching over them collapsed. The inmates called out for help. When none appeared, they used their collective weight to break down the cell door. Rather than making a run for it, they went to the officer’s aid, still yelling for help. One tried the officer’s radio. Eventually, guards heard the commotion and came. After placing the inmates back in their cell, CPR was performed on the stricken officer, saving his life. “It never crossed my mind not to help, whether he’s got a gun or a badge,” inmate Nick Kelton said, “If he falls down, I’m gonna help.”                                                          -----stories found on the internet----

How could the kingdom of God not be all this and more?
These true stories are comforting, reassuring, and peaceful; they are filled with hope for humanity.  I chose these two stories from the millions found on the internet when googling “stories of generosity and hospitality,” because in each case the actors had the option to not demonstrate generosity and hospitality – and based on their circumstances we would understand why they would choose not to do so.  But they did and furthered the kingdom of God by living the covenant whose essence is mercy, compassion, patience, generosity, hospitality without question. 
Christopher Hays, professor of Ancient Near Eastern studies describes the circumstances of the people to whom Isaiah was speaking in chapter 55.  He says, Despite the allowance of Cyrus and the Persian Empire for them to return, it was not a prosperous time. The city had not been rebuilt since its destruction by the Babylonians fifty years earlier, social and economic structures were weak, and there were struggles for the most desirable land between the returnees and those who had been in the land in the meantime. Later, in the fifth century, Nehemiah would report that common farming families were having to borrow money and grain to pay their taxes, and even selling their children into debt slavery.  And it is in the midst of these circumstances that the prophet calls the people – the landowners (whether they own the land or not)- to be abundantly generous and hospitable to all.
This is where we are this morning. No matter our circumstance, or the situation of the world, whether rich or poor, landowners or not, the prophet calls – God asks of us- that we participate in bringing the kingdom of God. Return to the Lord, live the covenant.  Because you feel comfort, assurance, and peace in the words of Isaiah, turn the texts upside down, and become the landowner to redistribute the same comfort, assurance, and peace.


For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts [says the Lord].

Sunday, March 10, 2019

This is the Gospel according to...


The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart.

This is the Gospel according to whom? …
We heard the Word read a few moments ago from the Book of Romans, from Paul’s lips, via Flemming’s lips. This Word did not originate with Paul; it was written in the Book of Deuteronomy – from the Torah- the reiteration of the five books of the Law:
Surely, this commandment [that’s all the Law recorded in Deuteronomy] that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?”
No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe. Deut 30: 11
This is the Word spoken, passed down from generation to generation, from lips to hearts, observed, through to Paul, through to us.

The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart.  Love God, and love your neighbour as yourself.
This is the Gospel according to whom? …
We have heard this Word on the lips of Jesus. This Word did not originate with Jesus; it was written in Deuteronomy, and Leviticus, as the summation of the Law.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Deut.6: 4-7
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. Lev. 19: 18

The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart.
This morning we encounter Jesus in the desert confronted by the devil who tempts him. Jesus response is to speak the Word:  One does not live by bread alone; Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him; Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
This is the Gospel according to whom? …
Once again, the Word on Jesus’ lips is the Word that resides in his heart; it is the Word he has observed since the time of his birth. The Word is from Deuteronomy, passed down from generation to generation:
God humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.  Deut. 8:3
The Lord your God you shall follow, him alone you shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey, him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast. Deut. 13: 4
Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. You must diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his decrees, and his statutes that he has commanded you. Deut. 6: 16-17
Jesus resists temptation with words that he has read, memorized, prayed aloud, and lived his whole life. In the encounter with the devil, Jesus only uses the Word from Deuteronomy.  The Word of Deuteronomy is Gospel; it brings life. Throughout Jesus’ ministry it is recorded that he quotes Deuteronomy 10x, Exodus 7x, Isaiah 8x, and the Psalms 11x.  Deuteronomy was an important Word in the formation of who Jesus was and what Jesus was about.  The book was sacred text that described relational living and shared abundance.

Full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was led into the wilderness for forty days. This passage is read on the first Sunday of Lent to turn our thoughts to the task of our forty day journey to Holy Week and Easter.  The Word we hear is to cleanse our lips, adjust our hearts, activate our observance. We are to turn our attention to God’s way of relational living and shared abundance.
The Gospel according to Paul, the Gospel of Jesus, reiterate the Word as articulated in Deuteronomy.  Again and again the scripture speaks of God’s word being near, present. It is the Word that is to be spoken and taken to heart.  It is a code of rules to learn, to teach, to shape one’s life by. Love the Lord your God and your neighbour as yourself.
But, it is also more than that.
The word is near you, … on your lips …  and in your heart. The specific scripture that we heard from Deuteronomy via Romans reveals the interconnection of the three parts.

The word is near you.
A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
In the recitation of family story the words are a recognition of the historic relationship of the people with God and recognition of God as the Source of life. The Word is near because it has been passed down from the time of Moses. God has walked in covenant with the people, from wandering times – times of being lost, times of getting stuck, being all over the map; in times of slavery, affliction, toil; times of exodus and settling down.
And because of the Word being near, because God has continued to keep covenant with the people,
On your lips… are the words:
Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.
This is a statement of thanksgiving. This is a statement of the fulfilled promises of God. This is a statement of being in relationship with God. And it is not empty words. Accompanying the words is an offering:
When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, you shall make this response before the Lord your God: “So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.
The offering is one of observance. It has been commanded in the Law, yet is to be practiced from the heart. The offering was given not to support the temple, rather, the offering of first fruits was to go to support those who were landless, or lacked-self sufficiency like widows, orphans, alien residents, and Levites. Practising the offering was a ritualized and practical way to love God and love neighbour.
What is interesting is that, the word is near you, on your lips and in your heart, is not about one person.
It is about a people on a communal faith journey, from generation to generation, who continue to testify to God’s faithfulness, deliverance, and provision.  The offering is not offered in silence.  It is offered with words that sound like a confession of faith.  The prescribed words spoken on the lips, remind the speaker and hearer who they are and whose they are, and because of this how it is they are to live. And it is an inclusive confession. The wandering Aramean confession was to be recited in Hebrew; those who did not know Hebrew or were unable to learn the words in Hebrew, repeated the words after the priest; eventually to avoid putting anyone to shame everyone repeated the words following the priests lead.

Once the thank offering was collected, faith confessed, it was time to live from the heart.
You shall set it down [the offering of first fruits] before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.


Brian Jones, a retired Biblical studies professor wrote that the, “Presentation of offering, liturgical recitation of sacred history, celebratory meal – Christians will recognize this sequence.  Sharing the fruits of our labour with those on the margins is obedient, perhaps even sacramental.”

Giving to the landless and those lacking-self sufficiency is how the faithful give to God. When we live from the heart, giving is part of every day life. We speak and confess it in public spaces. We tell our children.  Together we continue to turn our hearts to loving God and loving neighbour by remembering who we are and whose we are, and because of this how it is we live. In being obedient to the Law – the Gospel- we are participating in sacrament; an event where Christ is present, through Word and action.

For the next 40 days of Lent the Spirit takes us to the wilderness.  In the deserts of our days we are confronted by the devil; tempted to live contrary to the Law and the Gospel according to Deuteronomy.
For the next 40 days, return to the Lord, return to the Word, live obedient to the Law – the Gospel- that Christ may be sacramentally present through you.
May the Word of Deuteronomy be near you, on your lips and in your heart.

Advent Shelter: Devotion #11

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