No One Dared to Ask Questions -- (Reformation/Pent 23B)

 

Mark 12: 28-34

After that no one dared to ask Jesus any question. 

[exaggerate the action of going to ask a question, then not, then ask, then not]

 

… So Luther turned to writing statements. Thesis followed by disputations, prefaces, articles, confessions, sermons, translations, and letters. Although not technically questions, Luther’s body of work questioned the church of the time.

 

Perhaps you are shaking your head at the jump from Jesus to Luther, the disconnect of time, and the anachronism of Luther responding as if present with Jesus, the scribe, and the Temple folk. Through Living Word – scripture that is as alive today as when the events recorded happened - Luther was very much present in the crowd, wrestling with the question, “which commandment is the first of all?” Luther was present and involved, as are those who read Living Word today --- we, by hearing the text, are involved and participating in this fundamental foundation of faith as described by Jesus.

 

Not asking questions baffles my innate curiosity and sense of wonder; and roughly scratches my Lutheran sensibilities. In my faith experience, questions have always been welcomed and encouraged. One of Luther’s writings -one of the first that I was introduced to - asks a question, one that countless generations of Lutherans have learned. The Small Catechism is a small booklet written for parents to teach their children, pastors to teach youth: the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Sacraments, and evening and morning prayers.  Working through the Commandment section, each commandment is stated followed by a question.

It reads like Luther is standing in the crowd, beside the scribe in the Gospel. No one dared to ask Jesus any question. Presented with the combination of commandments to love God and love neighbour, Luther in the Catechism asked – not of Jesus- but of the hearers, the crowd, the scribe, the disciples, himself:

What does this mean?  

What does this mean for me? For you? For us?

…

 

The Gospel text that we heard is a continuation of strategy and defense – an interplay that began with Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem via donkey in chapter 11 of Mark. Jesus confronts the people and authorities in the Temple, overturning tables, condemning practices of unequitable disbursement of God’s abundance and pointing out the failure of covenant people in covenant living.  Afraid, and with the crowds spellbound by Jesus’ teaching, the authorities look for ways to kill Jesus.  The next day chief priests, scribes, and elders approach Jesus with questions of authority and power, where Jesus’ counter questions entrap and expose a lack of authority on their part with the populace. Next comes a parable where fingers are pointed at the establishment as being absentee landlords of God’s vineyard. This is followed by a rebuff trying to entrap Jesus in a dissertation on taxes and Empire. Then a nitty-gritty argument is presented by another group about marriage, death and resurrection.  Then comes the scribe we just read about asking which commandment is most important … In this game of chess, Jesus once again out maneuvers the scribes and chief priests; adhering to the rules of discourse, but, adding refreshing new plays to the game.

The pieces in play are all on the same board and are not positioned as far from each other as hearers of the story may anticipate. Jesus’ answer is within the realm of scripture, faith practice, rabbi-esque teaching, and reinterpreting texts through the lens of others. Jesus uses the well known and used:

Shema –the foundation of Jewish faith and practice -as the starting point: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” From this foundation, and versed in scripture, Jesus extends the concept of love for God and what that means for faith and practice by adding Law from Lev. 19:18: “love your neighbour as yourself.”

 

… So Luther, still in the crowd, and pondering the question of the scribe and Jesus’ response – hears the Gospel loudly ring in the combination of ‘Love God’ “Love neighbour’.  This is a new move where loving God transforms how one lives covenant with one’s neighbours. At this point, Luther turns to ask the question --- generations of those who read his catechism turn to ask the question: What does this mean?

Luther’s Small Catechism gives a response every time this question is asked. For each commandment the reply begins:

We are to fear and love God…

In other words, continuing the faith and practice of addressing and acknowledging God as God. And once loving God the heart re-forms, transforms:

We are to fear and love God … so that we… this relationship, all of a sudden has responsibility, consequences, actions; power – where Living Word moves off a page of sacred text, meanders through hearts and minds, and changes fear and love of God into living action towards one’s neighbour.

For each commandment the actions that follow the ‘so that we’ phrase vary based on specifically addressing the ‘you shall not steal, murder, bear false witness, and so on.’ The explanation of what does this mean? discourages certain behaviours and offers positive ways to live out in one’s life love for the neighbour.

What does this mean? We are to fear and love God, so that we…

Do not – use God’s name as curse or to practice magic; despise preaching or God’s word; despise parents or others in authority; endanger or harm the lives of neighbours; use shoddy merchandise or crooked deals; tell lies or destroy reputations; trick or use legal means to claim property or someone’s inheritance; entice or steal away workers or employees.

But instead – use God’s name to praise and in gratitude; gladly hear and learn scripture; honour, serve, respect those in authority; help and support neighbours in all of life’s needs; help to improve and protect their property and income; come to a neighbour’s defense, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light.

Love God. Love your neighbour.

What does this mean?

 

The crowd that day had little understanding of what this meant for Jesus. Jesus out of love for God and love of neighbour is preparing the disciples for his death. Jesus is expressing the kindom as an outworking of one’s love in ‘the Love’- “Hear, O Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one, you shall love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.”

Jesus’ last days in Jerusalem specifically address covenant living and what love of God looks like in terms of loving the neighbour: faith is not just about rituals or the Temple or religious authority; loving God is manifest in loving neighbour -heard in Jesus’ arguments that include prohibition against exploiting and oppressing the poor, encouragement of a redistribution of God’s abundance, and a reconsideration of ties to the Empire and its systems.

 

We are to fear and love God, so that we…

Live the kindom; transform and reform with Living Word working in, through, and around us. …following Jesus even unto death.

 

The question asking is not directed at Jesus; the question is one that we ask ourselves.

Jesus connects two commandments, first love God and second love your neighbour.

The question remains for you to ask yourself: What does this mean?

The Suitcase (Pent 22B)

 

Text: Mark 10: 46-52

A regular church-goer once told their pastor that going to church was like being a travelling sales rep. A travelling sales rep packs a suitcase on Sunday, filling it with clean socks and underwear, ironed and folded shirts, toiletries, a book, and anything else they might need for their week on the road away from home. At the end of a long and tiring week the sales rep returns home, to empty the suitcase of its dirty, worn, and crumpled clothing, and throw out empty toothpaste tubes and whatever other garbage has been collected. The whole process is repeated on their next trip.

The church-goer explained to the pastor that on a Sunday a person comes to church to empty their suitcase, dumping their week before God: all the stains, dirt, wrinkles,  the could-have- should-have- would-haves, the things left done and undone. During worship, the empty suitcase is refilled with words of forgiveness, Gospel, hope, peace, joy, scriptures to ponder, challenges to build kindom, encouragement from the Christian community, and love. Leaving church clean and filled, the church-goer goes to faithfully live a week of following Jesus' example, to share and grow God’s kindom.

 

The travelling sales rep came to mind when reflecting on the story of Bartimaeus. The rep comes to church on Sunday and by opening the suitcase says, "Son of David, have mercy on me."

Jesus asks, "What do you want from me?"

The sales rep replies, "Teacher, let me see again."

Immediately sight is regained and the travelling sales rep follows Jesus on the way. 

 

This morning at the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, in Halifax, NS, the congregation is celebrating confirmation.  Two young men are affirming their faith.

It is exciting that this year, because of the sermon being shared across the country, that the whole church is invited to the celebration; the whole church participates in the affirmation of faith by remembering the promises we each made at confirmation or when joining the church.

This is important because confirmations are not about one person or one congregation. Confirmations remind us of the importance of continued discipleship and telling the story of Jesus.

The affirmation of faith service is not a one time deal. There is a first time -Confirmation- to make the promises for oneself with God, but, there is a need to return again and again to affirm faith and relationship with God. It is like the traveler bringing their suitcase home, and like Bartimaeus saying, “Teacher, let me see again.”

Every day living makes it so easy to forget who we are and whose we are. Promises tarnish, they get left on the proverbial shelf accumulating dust, they are buried under other priorities, and they are forgotten as they are pushed to the back of the closet of life.

We forget that we promise:

to live among God’s faithful people, to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s super,

 to proclaim the good news of God in Christ though word and deed,

 to serve all people, following the example of Jesus,

and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.

And at every confirmation and affirmation of faith, the people of God make a promise too: to support and pray for those who confirm their life in Christ.  

The crowd, around Jesus that day, included righteous and faithful people: God-fearers, disciples, and covenant-keepers. There were those who believed in the coming of God’s reign, those who were hoping for the Messiah, and those who prayed regularly. And yet, when face-to-face with a man calling out, “Son of David, have mercy on me,” they chose to react from dense vision-less hearts, from a place of preoccupied priorities, from tarnished attitudes, and hopes opaquely covered in grime. The crowd ordered Bartimaeus to be quiet. Talk about hiding the Gospel and putting a damper on God’s coming kindom.

I wonder how often in focusing on my plan to follow Jesus, in my plan as to how to go about living a godly life, that I grope and stumble, never hearing those calling to God or seeking God?  Do we as faithful people get stuck in the mud of life, closing doors to God’s vision, turning out lights of mission, and in words and deeds -both known and unknown- ask others to be quiet when they are seeking or calling out to God?  How inobservant have we been – to the plight of poor, those struggling with mental health, offering inadequate responses to people we deem ‘other,’ and quieting the marginalized? How willingly inobservant will be continue to be?

In the story it is the perseverance of Bartimaeus -and perhaps the volume of his voice-that penetrates through some of the mud, washes the eyes and hearts of those in the crowd so that they show hospitality.  It’s as if they all of a sudden wake up and noticing Bartimaeus, connect with him, embrace him, “take heart, get up, Jesus is calling you.” This sentence of encouraging hope and Gospel-filled Word is invitation and highlights a moment of clarity. Would that all our moments, words, and actions be so clear.

That day the crowd learned from Bartimaeus, his words, needed to be on their lips too:

“Teacher, let me see again.” Bartimaeus’ response speaks to the fleeting moment of clarity by the crowd, and about how it is that clarity can become a state of being.  Oh that the crowd, that the church, that those who confirm and affirm their faith will truly see – people, God, the coming of God’s kindom.

 

“Teacher, let me see again.”

Let me see you in the community of faith, hear your Word as it is proclaimed, experience your grace in the communion meal, see compassion and forgiveness at work in the world, feel hopeful, witness your peace, sense justice, give and receive your love, and touch your kindom.

“Teacher, let me see again.”

That this is not an individual pursuit, where the promises are for me alone to receive, to keep, or to make. Open my heart – the heart of the young men being confirmed today- all of us as we too affirm our faith and pray for our siblings in faith; that together we see, hear, and touch those who are seeking and calling to Jesus. On our lips place the Word: “take heart, get up, Jesus is calling you.” Let us not get so caught up in life that we get wrapped in disregard, ignorance,  inattention, or indifference for our neighbours.

“Teacher, let me see again.”

Let me witness the coming of your kindom, again and again, hope upon hope: for the healing of the world.

 

Let us pray,

Son of David, have mercy on us.

Give us new birth, cleanse us from sin, and raise us to eternal life.

Stir up in our people the gift of your Holy Spirit: the spirit of wisdom nd understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirt of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence.

Teacher, let us see again. Amen.

The Best Seat in the House (Pent.21B)

 Once upon a time, ‘the best seat in the house,” referred to a private box seat located above the stage in Elizabethan playhouses.  The seat allowed nobles to see more of the audience than the play itself.  They could hear the play and see the tops of the actors’ heads. The seat also kept the person in it from being plastered with vegetables or other projectiles thrown by the audience at the performers.

Today when going to the theatre, a show, or a sporting event, people opt to sit in seats with the best view of the show within a price range they can afford.

The ‘best seat in the house’ – this reversal of meaning – from what it was in Elizabethan time to what it is today; describes what is going on in the Gospel text.

 

James and John are requesting ‘the best seat in the house.’ They are competing for who will sit closest to Jesus.  Jesus, however, focuses on a reversal of values in God’s kindom and in God’s vision.  Power, dominance, and importance are seen by the dominant culture as the ‘best seats in the house.’ Jesus says this is not so.

 

This morning I would like us to think about the ‘seats’ that we sit in.

Consider where you sit: at church, at school, at work, and at play. Do you sit on a board of directors, as a member of a community, or in a volunteer position?  Do you have seats – seasons tickets- for the theatre or sports games?

Are the ‘seats’ you sit in privileged? Do the seats bring prestige? Do the seats come with expectations and responsibilities?

 

 Pastors are often asked to name what ministry is happening out of the church where they serve. Pastors make a list: rhyming off the groups using the church building, participation in collection projects for community organizations, food or shelter services, refugee resettlement sponsorships, and so on. My understanding of ministry happening from a church is much bigger. I take into account each and every ‘seat’ in God’s house.

 Each of you come to church and choose a seat – those of you tuning in from home likely have a softer seat than your siblings sitting in the church pews. Each seat – has a person – you. And as a sitting member of the congregation, or of God's family, you are in ministry; your seat comes with responsibilities. 

If you turn and take a look at the upper seats in the house, you will note that each week we sit under the words of our working mission statement: “God is on a mission and we want to be part of it.” These words rest on us and they give us direction as we get up from our seats and move into the seats we sit in in the world.

When asked what ministry happens through this church... the best response - is follow everyone and see where they take their seats in the world: parent advisory committees, board members of non-profit organizations, advocacy group members, donors to a wider-range of causes, coaches, Guide/Scout leaders, tutors, meditation teachers, caregivers, Lifeline installers, petition and letter writers, Kid’s helpline counselors, volunteer firefighters ...

I’m not saying that one has to have a seat here to participate in the short list just given, but, I do believe that faith and living in faith community encourages us not to loss hope, and compels us to offer what we have in sharing God’s grace in the world.

German poet Novalis wrote that “the seat of the soul is where the inner world and the outer world meet.”

 

Where is it that we choose to sit?  Where is the seat of the soul – the piece of soul inside of you – where does your inner world and the outer world meet?

For me my inner world and the outer world meet in two ways: one in comfortable seats – pleasant interactions, giving without much risk, providing aid, offering prayers and blessings, being kind, hospitable, and grateful; the other seat is uncomfortable, the places in the world where my heart breaks, where relationship is costly, when sitting down means getting dirty, being scared, not knowing what to do, and being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the worlds’ uncharitable and injustice systems.

 

I wonder if James and John felt like their seats were uncomfortable and getting too hot. I wonder if they were afraid on the day that the Gospel captured their conversation.  I say this because Jesus has been having hard conversations with the disciples, the crowds, and the leaders of the day. Finally the disciples are walking from one place to another with Jesus and have a moment to breath. It sounds to me like the two brothers are letting off steam – letting their nervous minds rest and their fear of Jesus’ talk of death to subside – so they start yacking, joking, and getting carried away.  They say things without thinking and get into questions that come out of left field, annoying the other disciples, who are also getting uncomfortable in the seat of discipleship. 

Do James and John really care about who sits where in the next life? Is the question about seating in a future time a distraction to relieve pressure about considering the seats in which they currently find themselves? After all the seat that Jesus is pointing to is  - a cross – not the hope of a Messiah seated on an earthly throne. If Jesus dies seated on a cross, what seat is left or chosen for the disciples?

 

I came across a helpful practice this week – perhaps it is even a description, a new meaning for the term ‘best seat in the house.’ Entrepreneur and founder of Amazon, Jeffrey Bezos, frequently places an empty chair in the room, at the table, during company meetings.  The chair represents the presence of the customer. The customer is always in the room.

 

God is on a mission and we want to be part of it. To be part of it, we need to think about, who sits in the empty chair? Who isn’t sitting in the chair and could be? Who has not been invited to come and sit, and should be?  Who has left the seat or has no interest in sitting here... and entices us to follow to seats out there?

 

Jesus’ ‘best seat in the house’ was a cross.

For the disciples the ‘best seat in the house’ was uncomfortable.

For us – the best seat in the house- is wherever the cross takes us, as we participate in what God is doing in the world.

How Are You? (Thanksgiving Sunday)

 How are you?

Sunday Oct. 10^th is World Mental Health Day, an international day for global mental health education, awareness and policy advocacy. Thank you for tuning in – by setting aside this time, you are actively supporting your spiritual well-being and mental health. This does not mean that any of us are 100% well; joining in community is an acknowledgement that we are in community to support and encourage each other through life. If you are in need of mental health resources please do not hesitate to ask  - you are not alone – around you there is a church family with various gifts and life experiences to enable walking along side you. Together, through the love of God, we embrace each other and the brokenness of this world.

How are you this morning?

In the Gospel text, Jesus addresses an all too familiar head space – worry. Make a quick google search of ‘worry’ and you will discover a host of mental health sites and resources.  Words on the pages speak of anxiety disorders, depression, suicidal thoughts, paranoia, anger, restlessness; the inability to focus, memory problems, decision overload, being emotionally overwhelmed, and stressed beyond one’s ability to cope alone.  Who among us has not worried?

 

Jesus’ audience lived with no health care plan, no insurance, no retirement funds.

Sickness, the inability to work, being widowed or orphaned spelled disaster. One hoped for righteous land owners to provide work and relied on family, friends, or community to be the safety net. There was a lot that one could worry about. Jesus’ words of advice ring true for the audience: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Jesus also commends the audience to a mental wellness practice -  look beyond individual circumstance and be active – putting energy into striving for the kindom of God and God’s righteousness.

 

How are you this morning?

 

Before COVID when asked this question, the go-to answer for many was ‘fine thank you’ or simply ‘good.’ That was the anticipated answer in public conversation, more of a polite conversational construct then an actual listening to how another person really was. To answer ‘fine’ or ‘good’ did not mean that on the inside one was all put together; appearances were deceiving.

Early on in the pandemic, when asked the same question, answers changed. It was okay to say that you were ‘okay, but, not okay.’ It was acceptable to admit that you were anxious. One could easily say they were on the Corona-coaster, where emotions were all over the map, with bouts of breaking into tears for what seemed like no reason. Mental health was seriously talked about as people were isolated and distanced from each other. More people accessed mental health resources than ever before.

The past couple of weeks I have been on a number of Zoom meetings. The first few minutes of each gathering was spent checking-in with each other.  How are you today, in this moment?  I have noticed another shift. Before saying anything else, there has been an uptake in answering, ‘I am grateful’ or ‘I am filled with gratitude.’

The statement is followed by a pause, a breathe, a smile, or all three.

When I hear others use this response, I feel good inside.  I feel like I am basking in something wholesome. I get a sense that the person is sharing with me: time taken in  personal work, priority setting, devotion and reflection time.  ‘I am grateful’ is a deep thought and rests in the inner being. To be grateful expresses a transformation of heart and attitude.

 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving Sunday and drawing on the purpose of the liturgy, to offer our thanks and praise to the Creator, I would like to commit to carrying gratitude with me every day, and articulating it as often as possible.  To answer, ‘how are you?’ with the statement ‘I am grateful,’ changes the polite, but, fake, pre-COVID conversational convention. I am not returning to being ‘fine’ or ‘good.’

I am going to live into being grateful; filled with thanksgiving.

Consider the reply, ‘I am grateful.’ The statement can be true in whatever circumstance one is facing, despite worrying, no matter how one is feeling, and regardless of one’s current well-being; gratefulness can still be present.

 

Within the Christian tradition this should not come as a surprise. The early church gathered in community, in the courtyards of patron’s houses. When the community gathered in the a house of a land owner, the community included a diversity of the society of the time: God-fearers, Jews, Gentiles, Greeks, Arabs, mixed gender, intergenerational, families, widows, slaves, the sick, and others. As part of the gathering the liturgy was a singing of hymns, songs, and spiritual psalms; praise and prayer were offered to God; scripture was read; Jesus’ stories were told; testimony was given; and Eucharist was celebrated.

Eucharist is a Greek word that means thanksgiving. The Great Thanksgiving was a meal -communion- a celebration of Christ’s life and death and life, where bread, sometimes fish, and wine were shared in community; everyone ate enough to be fed both spiritually and physically. The community celebrated Eucharist, not alone, always together.  Giving thanks for the grain of the field and the fruit of the vine, for the life of Jesus and God’s unconditional love and grace given for humankind and all creation; the community of faith experienced abundance and their hearts were filled with gratitude.

 

Weekly, when we gather as community, we are fed in Word – hymns, liturgy, scripture, prayers; in Sacrament of bread and wine, water, confession; in community – sharing Christ’s peace, faithfulness, joy in each other’s presence and in God’s presence. Today Eucharist -thanksgiving- is extended into singing together in person for the first time in 19 months.

 

How are you today?

I am grateful. I am filled with gratitude.

Blessings to you my faith community on this Thanksgiving Sunday; for being kind, encouraging, for continuing to show up and be present; to share what you have with the neighbourhood and the world. Thank you for being you.

Do not worry about tomorrow – turn your energy towards bringing the kindom of God to the present. Be well. Be blessed with eucharistic hearts and attitudes filled with gratitude.

 

How are you today?        ....We are (I am) grateful.

 Thanks be to God.

 

 

 

 

Then Gospel Happened (Pent 19B)

 

The past few weeks we have engaged with Jesus in ‘hard conversations.’  This morning  another ‘hard conversation’ is presented in the Gospel text. Let me begin with a true story from my ministry and then reflect through it on the text.

Years ago a young couple -just out of high school- came to me asking to be married. The couple had known each other most of their lives, had dated through high school, and were going to have a baby. The bride-to-be was connected to  the church and the groom-to-be was connected to another church in the community; not that either church saw them as they lived outside the community.  The parents of the couple were known to the church communities and to me.

When I received the phone call from the couple, I set a date for our first pre-marriage conversation together, pushing the date as far into the future as possible without looking rude. To be honest I was not so comfortable with the thought: both bride-and-groom-to-be were immature, not just young, but, emotionally all over the place, flippant in attitude, unable to settle in their own being -let alone as a couple, and living in fantasy worlds of their own creation.

Then the Gospel appeared.

Both sets of parents came to me to talk; they had already talked with each other; and assumed I had reservations too.

The parents asked that I proceed with the marriage even though it was far from ideal. Neither set of parents expected the relationship to work; no one in the community felt it would work. Both sets of parents regardless of the outcome were committed to picking up the pieces, being there for their children, and for the little one yet to be born. The reason they were in favour of letting the marriage go ahead was in order to keep relationship with their children and future grandbaby.

The bride-and-groom-to-be were stubborn and were going to get married regardless of the acceptance of family or friends; to try to stop them would be to cut off relationship – the young couple would simply walk away, sever ties, with those who loved them.

Out of unconditional love, the family stood with their children and the children’s decision, prepared to live the wedding vows that the couple were unlikely to fulfill: in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.  The parents would work to keep relationship and commit to offering love and healing through whatever brokenness arose in the future.

 

The Pharisees came to Jesus asking, Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? 

Jesus’ response: because of your hardness of heart Moses wrote this commandment for you.  According to the Law, interpreted in a black and white kind of way, the answer is ‘yes.’ But, how often in matters of relationship is the answer all yes or all no.  The Law was not as simple as, ‘a man can divorce his wife.’ Addendums to the Law included: a list of circumstances or reasons why, the process of how to do the paper work (so to speak), rules around the division of assets, and ramifications for future marriages. Although technically the answer is ‘yes,’  there is a whole lot of in between that is grey and murky.  The Law addresses divorce with a set of rules to be applied and administered. It doesn’t take into account the human component or address broken relationship.

I wonder whether the Pharisees come to Jesus with this query in an attempt to diminish marriage to a contract subjugated to law, and in so doing , to assuage the crappy feelings that go along with broken relationship. How many of the Pharisees gathered around Jesus on that day where wrestling with broken or breaking relationships with their wives? Who felt guilty, betrayed, angry, hurt, spurned, unloved, disrespected, or powerful, in control, ready to move on...

Then the Gospel appeared.

Jesus draws the conversation back to the beginning: What God has joined together, let no one separate. Going back to the beginning is the reminder of creation and that God called it good, male and female God created them and called them good. From there, because the Pharisees have mentioned the Law, Jesus points to Moses. Jesus’ argument hinges on the purpose of the Law, covenant living between God, people, and creation; where love of God and love neighbour are spoken of in relational terms. To ask the question, the way the Pharisees did, was to negate the intent and spirit of the Law, and what it means to live in covenant.

Jesus is not writing a rule book for the Pharisees, there is already an adequate Law; it is the interpretation of that Law where work is to continue and humans are to take responsibility.  This is a hard conversation wherein, as Prof. Luis Menendez-Antuana of Boston University School of Theology says, ”Jesus advocates for a theology that reinforces the durability of the marital bond.”  Jesus advocates for a theology saturated in the hope that broke relationships and broken people, can experience healing, compassion, forgiveness.

For the family I spoke of earlier, the marriage tanked, but the families stayed in relationship. The grandchild was part of both sides of the family.  The couple although not speaking to each other for a period of time, remained civil with each other and in time, had shared moments with their child, and could have coffee conversation to agree on parenting approaches.  This would not have happened without a family who counseled, mediated, stayed in touch, and continued in conversation with the in-laws.

The reality is that separation and divorce are very much a part of human experience. Broken relationships affect all of us.

 

In my last year of high school I took a sociology course. I vividly remember one class: a class of 30 teenagers had just read a chapter on the various ways adults choose to group themselves into partnerships and relationships. The book covered everything from swingers, polyamory, singlehood, through monogamy (same sex and heterosexual), continuing into the next chapter with conversation about household units and family groupings.  Needless to say, the class participated in a lively conversation that included the pros and cons to various partnerships, with added stories of watching the adults in our lives and dissecting their relationships.

Then Gospel happened.

The last word came from a student whose family had emigrated from China. She shared with us that her parents were an arranged marriage.  When her parents were married, they did not know each other, other than having tea together in their family homes with relatives all around. There first private conversation was after the wedding ceremony.  What the student shared was a story of two people having to work together to form and grow a relationship --- they had continued support from their families. In the end, although she admitted it was not always the case for arranged marriages, her parents grew to love each other deeply. When asked if she  would marry someone she chose or enter an arranged marriage, she said that she would be comfortable with either; because partnership started in either manner would be a commitment to conversation, friendship, and working together on relationship.

Then Gospel happened.

Jesus’ conversation about divorce, Jesus’ conversation about and with children- also heard this morning; was Jesus’ advocating that followers of Jesus were committing to live covenant lives, lives that focus on connection.  Jesus was saying that laws, at least in the way they were being applied, were lacking. The standard for God-fearers, God-followers, and God-bearers is much higher than the law prescribes. 

 

I started with the story of the young couple whose marriage broke part because despite their divorce, relationships were protected, advocated for, healed, given compassion, forgiveness, mutual respect, hope, and a future with promise for all members involved. In-laws became family who worked together, support was given to the broken couple, a grandchild had all their relations to help them grow, the couple learned to respect each other, and in time work together for the sake of their child. Amidst a broken relationship, there was abundant hope, healing, and love.

Then Gospel happened.

I hope it appears in you. I hope it appears through you. I hope it is worked out of you.

...that everywhere you, ... and I go... 

that our encounters heal some of the brokenness found in human relationships; our own relationships and the relationships of those around us.  

In all our interactions with others, may we leave in our wake, hope, healing, and love.