The promise of resurrection

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; Luke 20:27-38

The Sadducees have a preposterous way of asking the question, “Why do you believe there is life after death?” The question comes from the Sadducees’ stance that there is no resurrection. The Sadducees were in charge of maintaining the temple, making sure all went well every day with the sacrifices, with cleanliness, with proper obedience to all the rules. They are focused on the here and now, based in the past.

So, they imagine a story challenge for Jesus based on the ancient rule called levirate marriage. Levirate marriage was intended to do several things. Primarily, it was designed to ensure a man had a son, to carry on his name. If a man died, his brother would marry his widow, and the first son would be credited to the deceased man.

This could be good for the man, but since the woman had no choice, it would not necessarily be good for her. The widow could end up as a second wife, with second-rate accommodations, and the resentment of the first wife.

In proposing this scenario of seven childless marriages, these men are not thinking about the woman. They are thinking about trapping Jesus. After all these marriages, to whom does the woman belong in the resurrection? Jesus’ response assures them that life in the resurrection is not like life on earth.

Then he uses the ancient story of Moses encountering the Divine at the burning bush. Moses asks, “What is your name? Who are you?” And God responds, “I am that I am.” And, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Jesus points out that God did not say, “I was the God of Abraham, etc.” When he said this, God used the present tense, indicating that God is still the God of these men, because they are still living. Jesus means that Abraham and his descendants have all been resurrected.

… Our tradition – Jewish and Christian – is not the only one to believe in life after death. Ancient burials from prehistory have food and other supplies in the graves to support the deceased in the next life. Egyptian tombs include many precious items, and some of them include a book of the dead, a guide to finding one’s way through the afterlife to eternal life among the gods.

… Because we don’t know what the resurrection looks like, we feel free to use our imagination. The Sadducees tried to do this, but they were limited to thinking only of what they already knew. Even today, we like to think concretely because it’s easier for us to understand things we can see and touch. So, when we think of the resurrection, we think of the sky, the heavens, or places where we feel what we imagine it will feel like ... peaceful, beautiful, whole, healthy, love. And, we name the resurrection as “Heaven.”

Robin Williams’ movie What Dreams May Come imagined heaven as a place with lots of colorful flowers.

… Whatever it looks like, we believe heaven is where God lives. When we die, we go to be with God. … And, Jesus taught us that God is also present with us, now, on earth, in this life. Jesus spent his whole ministry teaching us that the reign of God is present, near us, with us. He taught that God loves us, and we are to love others the same way. Sometimes it takes some imagination to love certain others, or groups of others. Even so, that’s what God asks of us.  

… The Thessalonians were facing some confusion in interpreting what it meant that Jesus died and was resurrected. Paul advises them to stick to the original story about Jesus and God our Father who loves us, and offers grace, comfort and strength to all of us. As for any future rebellion or destruction, that is up to God. Continue to be faithful and trust the Jesus you first heard about.

… We would think that after 2,000 years, everyone would believe that Jesus loves us all, no matter what. And that everyone would believe in the resurrection, because the tomb is empty. There were hundreds of witnesses to it.

It’s up to us today to continue telling the story of Jesus so that it can be good news for those who don’t believe yet. The Council is reading and discussing a book called Leading Faithful Innovation. Previously, I mentioned the story from the book of group of church leaders who entered an unknown building and discovered it was a residence for HIV/AIDs. The congregation and the residents developed a trusting relationship, giving witness to Jesus in many ways.

A theme running through the book is to try something to share Jesus with the community, or a small portion of the community. So far, we’ve tried a couple things. We’ve had a fourth of July picnic, with brats and snow cones, and some of our neighbors came to join us. And we’ve had a Pet Blessing, with lots of our neighbors bringing their pets for a blessing and some fun conversation with each other. The Council has talked about some other occasional or regular events as well, trying different forms of worship, and maybe a Bible study in a public space.

… Knowing we have Jesus’ promise of resurrection, we can be free to try new things, without worrying that our attempts to reach people will fail. We can trust that God’s Holy Spirit will guide and challenge us as we try some new things. And we remember, despite the Sadducees’ doubts, that the tomb was and is empty. If God is that powerful, we can trust in God to help us do anything. Amen

 

Living like saints

 Luke 6:20-31

 All Saints Day in Church tradition is a day to remember those who have been recognized as having had a memorable life. We remember the first followers of Jesus, like Peter and John and Mary Magdalene. We remember those who demonstrated a particular passion for ministry, whose words and deeds strike a chord in our hearts. For me, it’s Sts Francis and Clare of Assisi.

Today we also remember those saints who have had an impact on us. Often, we remember parents and grandparents, siblings, children, and good friends. We may also remember some church members: someone who welcomed us, who taught us about Jesus, or about living faithfully.

I suggest that saint-life can be defined by living the beatitudes. Usually, we study the beatitudes from Matthew, so these similar words from Luke may surprise us. Instead of blessings for the poor in spirit, in Luke Jesus says, blessed are the poor.  We also note that this is not just a generic poor, but the very specific “you” who are poor. Jesus goes on to name more groups who are blessed. He includes the hungry, the grieving, the persecuted.

There have probably been times when we have been poor or hungry. Most of us have dealt with the grief of loss, of a pet, of a special person, of a job or dream goal. Some of us have been persecuted, or at least experienced limitations because of who we are or what we look like. For all of us, Jesus promises us blessings, and comfort, and satisfaction, and future consolation.

 But Luke’s Jesus also warns us. If we are wealthy, and our lives are filled with laughter instead of tears, and we have a good reputation, we need to take care. Our blessings may not last long. There are plenty of role models for famous people who have wealth with a commitment to keep as much of it as possible. There are a few famous people whose voices are a contrasting message: start or contribute to foundations so their funds can help needy people.  The point Jesus makes is that wealth and public status don’t make us worth any more in God’s eyes than a “regular” or poor person.

Even if we don’t have a lot of wealth or status, we can still have some of the attitudes of wealthy or important people. We can still believe we are better than some folks, because we have more than they do. We can still believe we are better than some folks because of our rank or position or experience in an organization. How easy it is, especially in these days of social media, for us to be important one day and shamed the next.

For everyone, then, Jesus gives these instructions: “Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you.” This one verse summarizes the rest of Jesus’ instructions to us. A life shaped by following Jesus is filled with kindness for all others, and a refusal to play the tit-for-tat game, offering instead a willingness to listen and learn from each other.

This is a lesson our country needs to learn, right now. The partisanship that categorizes our lives and politics and media and conversations, the “I’m right and you are wrong” attitude that pervades everything, is not God’s plan for our families, our community, our state, our country, or the world. The stalemate in Congress is the fault of everyone in Congress – and hurts the people Congress is supposed to be protecting.

What can we as individuals do? First, pray for good solutions. Then make phone calls, send emails, use the representative’s and senators’ websites to send messages. Make it known that as a follower of Jesus you urge them to sit down together and find solutions that work best for all. Tell them to be open to compromise, and to remember the delay hurts the poorest folks the most.

… Here is a fun example of finding a solution that works for all happened in Heflin, Alabama. Every year for about a week at Halloween, the local teens “decorate” a few houses with TP, toilet paper. This year, they got a little crazy and even TP’d the police station and the police cars. Because of cameras catching them in the act, the Chief of Police knew who the kids were. He could have had them arrested and given community support or some other punishment. Instead, he had a different plan.

First, he called on all the parents of the teens involved. And then, he worked with several organizations in town and developed a fun response. One night, they gathered at the houses of the teens involved and TP’d their houses.

Then, the community became fun partners, leaving stacks of TP in front of their stores so everyone could engage in the fun of TP’ing the town. The Chief and his staff were excellent examples of people who live the way Jesus wants us to live.

 … Finally, Jesus gives us simple instructions on how to live a good life. “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” This message applies to our whole life, whatever we are doing. How do you live it out? How are you a saint for those in your life? Amen

Free to try something

 Jeremiah 31:31-34; Romans 3:19-28: John 8:31-36

Today Lutheran congregations around the world recognize today as the anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. It’s a celebration of the day Brother Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses against the sale of indulgences to the door of the City Church in Wittenburg. He proposed some changes in the way we are assured of God’s forgiveness, based on today’s readings and some others. Not all were happy with his changes.

The word “reformation” often causes anxiety. It implies that change is coming, and change implies that we have been doing something wrong. Our egos tell us that being wrong is shameful, so we resist change, we resist reformation.

… Here’s one way to not do re-formation. Mike and I were watching a series of Egyptian archaeology TV shows. One of them was about Akhenaten, who decided to eliminate all gods but Aten, the sun god. He demanded that god statues be destroyed, and that worship of other gods cease. And his governance destroyed the economy. Akhenaten’s son Tutankhamun, who reigned for 10 years as a teenager, restored the old gods and revived his kingdom’s spirit and economy. An all-or-nothing approach definitely doesn’t work for re-formation.

… So, yes, re-formation can be about the congregation. It is also about us, and it’s about the people we reach. At heart, what Martin Luther was concerned with was the way the Church (capital C church) made people feel guilty for their sins and depended on the pope for forgiveness. Or, they could pay a “presumably licensed” vendor for a piece of paper that said they were forgiven. They could conceivably buy their way into heaven! And they could buy forgiveness for people who had already died and were spending decades in God’s waiting room called purgatory.

Luther studied the scriptures and discovered in the prophet Jeremiah that God is a forgiving God, a God who even forgets our sins. Our God loves us and abides by the covenant of relationship established with Noah, with Abraham and his family, with Moses and the twelve tribes. This covenant is not a legal document, filed with a court of law, but a promise written on the hearts of believers.

In the letters of Paul, Luther discovered that no one is exempt from this covenant of promised love and forgiveness. All fall under the gift of grace given to us through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.

And in John, Jesus talks about freedom. When we believe in Jesus as the Son of God, we have a place in God’s family, and we are free indeed. The question that arises, however, is free from what, free for what, free to do what? What does this freedom mean?

We are free from fear of condemnation for our sins. We are free from shame for things we don’t dare confess to anyone, even to ourselves. We don’t have to pretend to be perfect, because we can’t ever be perfect. We are free to love ourselves as God loves us, as imperfect and beloved children of God. And we are free for loving others the same way. We are free to love other imperfect, beloved children of God.

We are free to tell the judgment that arises within us to “shut up”. We are free to silence the self-judgment that happens when we compare ourselves to others and come up wanting. And we are free to silence the judgment that compares others to ourselves and finds them wanting.

…We remember we are baptized, loved by God, and forgiven. And we are free to reform ourselves daily by the power of that love. Because Luther knew he was baptized and free to speak up, the Christian world changed 500 years ago. With our baptism, we are not just free from guilt for our sins, from the ways we really messed up, but we have Holy Spirit power. We have power to discern what needs reforming in our congregation, in our community, and in the world that surrounds us

… Congregational Council members are reading a book called Leading Faithful Innovation. One of the stories in the book is about a few leaders who took a walk together in their neighborhood. They entered a building they hadn’t noticed before, and learned that it was affordable housing for HIV/ AIDs patients.

Over several months, the congregation began to build a relationship with the staff and residents. They started with the church providing winter clothing items, like hats and mittens. Later, it was a monthly meal in the community room hosted by a few church members. Then, another local organization contacted the congregation’s leadership asking for a way to help the HIV/AIDs folks. Eventually, some of the residents began to worship with the congregation, and the pastor was invited to lead a memorial service for a resident who died.

The congregation’s leaders trusted that God was leading them, and that the Holy Spirit had empowered them to make the connections. They were free to try something, and it worked.

… We are free to try things that express Jesus’ hands, voice, and love.  What do we see that needs more of Jesus’ kindness and love for all? What happens if we speak up? We are free to take risks because we know God loves us and forgives us.

I hope this week you will consider: What do you feel free to try that you have never tried before?  Amen

Praying for Justice

Genesis 32:22-31; Psalm 121; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8

My first thought about these texts is they present a variety of ways to pray to God. Jacob wrestles with an angel or some other being sent by God. Psalm 121 would have been prayed or sung as pilgrims processed from home to Jerusalem for festival days. Paul writes to Timothy, telling him how to trust the words of scripture and the testimony of witnesses. And Jesus tells a parable about a widow who pled her case persistently to a corrupt judge.

Often, praying includes wrestling with hard choices or difficult circumstances. Many folks pray for safe travels as they set out and as they travel, especially knowing there are impaired drivers on the roads and plenty of challenges when traveling by air. It’s always appropriate to pray before preaching or teaching, or even sharing Bible stories with children.

… These are all fairly easy stories and writings to figure out, But as usual, it’s the parable that has us scratching our heads. Typically, when we read a parable we try to discern which character in the story is God. But this interpretation would mean that God is a corrupt judge, or a pesty woman demanding we listen to her.

So, what can this parable tell us instead? The following verses give us a hint. This story is intended to give us a contrasting image of God. “Think about the corrupt judge. Imagine instead how much more God wants to give you whatever you need or want, whenever you ask for it.”

… Beyond ways or reasons to pray, these texts are also about justice. The stories in Genesis tell us that Jacob often tricked his brother Esau, and was afraid to meet with him again. Wrestling with his fears, and a being sent by God, proved to him he was still blessed and worthy of good things.

The name given to him, Israel, means wrestles with God. We can almost always identify a God portion in a Bible name because it has EL or YAH in it. So Isra - , wrestles with El, God, to form Isra-el. Throughout scripture, the name Israel refers to both the man Jacob, and to the kingdom of Israel – which even today is seen to be wrestling with God.

… We often pray for simple, maybe easy things. We pray with thanksgiving for what God has first given us – ourselves, our time, our talents and skills, and our financial wealth. We ask God to be present and guide us as we study and teach the Bible or give testimony about out faith experiences. We ask for safe surgeries, safe travel, safe baby deliveries.

But sometimes, our prayers are more serious. We pray for healing when we are seriously ill or caring for someone who is ill. We pray for safety when our lives, or the lives of our loved ones are at risk.

We pray differently when the reason we are praying is someone else’s fault. Then we pray for justice, as the widow in the parable did. We don’t know what her claim was, but we can imagine, based on the culture of the time. Let’s say she was older, and her sons were grown. Her husband dies, and when his will is read, it says she gets to keep the main home and some of the land. The older son is not happy to have just the secondary home and the rest of the land; he wants it all. And he makes life difficult for his mother, maybe even having the judge issue an eviction notice.

So the widow files a counterclaim with the judge, who doesn’t want to deal with this widow. Perhaps the son has paid the judge to side with him instead. And the widow doesn't have a larger amount to sway the judge her way. The woman is praying for justice.

… On a larger scale, you may be aware of a dispute between a coalition of Native American Tribes and Resolution Copper.  The goal is possession of an ancient holy site called Oak Flats, west of Phoenix, Arizona. It has been used “forever” by native peoples for a variety of sacred rituals. This land is as sacred to the tribes as Jerusalem is to us. In addition, it is a sensitive ecological area.

In a more than ten-year legal battle, the tribes have protested the takeover of the land by the US government and the mining corporation. Recent appeals have paused the takeover again. Over the years, Resolution Copper has reduced the size of the claim in its pursuit to gain enough of the land to proceed. They have also specified in writing that traditional worship sites will forever be protected.  

In an article in the August issue of Christian Century , Tim Nafziger suggests the land would have more status if there was an old church built on it. The thing is, native worship is conducted in connection with the land and all that lives on it. So, the trees and shrubs and critters are the church they are defending and protecting.

The Tribal Association of Arizona has been as persistent in its pursuit of justice as the widow in Jesus’ parable. The question remains, will the courts and judges provide the justice the members of the tribes are praying  for?

… There are many expressions of injustice these days: wars are de facto unjust. Many people find it hard to access to health care, affordable housing and healthy food. Humans have always struggled to welcome the stranger and those who look or act differently. The removal of trees for new houses means critters are moving into our neighborhoods and  lawns. Bullies assault those whom they perceive are lesser. And so forth.

It is never God’s will that injustice exists. But it’s not God’s job to stop it. It’s up to us as God’s people. God taught Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Micah and Amos to seek justice. Jesus taught dozens of followers to seek justice. And still we live with injustice!

… Here at home, your offerings help us fight injustice in many ways. We are a base of justice-providing as we feed hundreds of hungry people each month, and provide weekend food for hungry children at the local elementary school. We make donations to several local organizations that aid people suffering from injustice, and make quilts and kits that serve the needy.

As you prayerfully consider the amount you hope to give to Gloria Dei this year, consider how many ways we use that gift to serve the people of the congregation, the community, and reach out to share the good news of God’s plan for justice for all people. Amen

Healing and including

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c; Luke 17:11-19

Today we have two stories about healing. Not just healing, but the healing of Gentiles – non-Jewish people.  As we read today’s texts, you may have noticed that most recent translations of the Bible have replaced the English word “leprosy” with the term “skin disease” because it’s more accurate. The word leprosy itself is a Greek interpretation of the Hebrew word Tzara ‘at. In Leviticus, Tzara ‘at refers to a number of skin diseases, some of them contagious, some of them not.

It has been determined that the disfiguring disease we have long called leprosy, or Hansen’s Disease, was not present in ancient Israel, in the time of Elijah and Elisha, nor in the time of Jesus. So the word leprosy has been replaced with the phrase “skin disease”.

There is no direct concordance between ancient skin diseases and modern diagnoses, but here’s how we might think about it: Non-contagious skin diseases might be psoriasis or eczema. Contagious skin diseases might be scabies or impetigo. Also, some non-contagious skin sores like boils simply look bad, so the people in some communities might have been isolated as well to avoid embarrassing everyone with their appearance.

… First, the ancient story of the healing of Naaman, the Syrian General. Here’s the short version: There’s a slave, a captured Jewish girl, who tells Naaman’s wife that Elisha could heal the general of his skin disease. Of course, there was a lot of excitement, and they all made a road trip to see Elisha. At the door, Elisha’s servant told Naaman to go wash in the Jordan seven times.

Naaman is resentful. Elisha didn’t even come to see him, and he had to wash in the meager Jordan River. Didn’t Elisha know who he, Naaman was! But his servants insisted he try it, and he was indeed healed.

 … The second healing story involves Jesus and a group of 10 men with skin diseases. They are a mixed group, nine Jews with one Samaritan. They all plead for Jesus to heal them, which he does, adding that they should show themselves to the priest. This would prove that they were healed, and admit them back into the community. So, off they go, noticing as they walked that they had already been healed. Nine of them headed off to see the priest, but one, the Samaritan, turned around and went back to thank Jesus.

… Naaman saw the world from a position of power and privilege. He was famous, a celebrity, and although he had a skin disease, it was not a disease that isolated him from his community. People would have known his name throughout the region, either to praise such a good general, or to fear him. He expected that Elisha would come and bow before him, or at least want to spend a few minutes in his illustrious presence.

We teach little children the “magic words” please and thank you. Naaman and his entourage showed up at Elisha’s door with the expectation that he was “Somebody”, so he didn’t need to say please and thank you. Until he was truly healed. Then he saw that his skin was clean, and renewed. He returned to Elisha’s home and asked again to see him. Then he praised God for his healing. “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.”

… I like to give the benefit of the doubt – the nine were doing what they had been told to do. They were obedient Jewish men! They were going straight to the priest, without passing go and without collecting $200.  The Samaritan might have had the same rule – to show himself to the priest, but he saw something the others didn’t. He saw that he could put obeying the rule on hold for a few minutes while he went back to give thanks. 

Jesus comments frequently about the way wealthier leaders, men with privilege and power, focus on themselves and neglect the poor, so perhaps that influences the way they respond to the healing. Getting to the priest so they could get home to their families and lives and businesses was most important.  That doesn’t mean that on the way they weren’t celebrating and shouting with joy.

… The Samaritan man in Luke’s story is once again a model for those of his time and ours that Jesus intentionally includes outsiders, whoever the outsiders are. Back then, the outsiders were Gentiles – non-Jews. Today in the US, that insider/outsider role has sometimes been reversed, with Jews often being targets of prejudice and violence.

In the whole of the history of the USA, people have always identified some groups as insiders, and others as outsiders. People with dark skin have been mistreated, enslaved and believed to be not fully human. And then it was the Irish, and the Chinese and the Mexicans. In the late 1800’s, the Swedes and Norwegians were the outsiders, discriminated against as only smart enough for manual labor. During the World Wars of the 1900s, the Germans and Japanese were interred as not trustworthy citizens. Today it is the various Latino and Arabic peoples who are on the outside, even if their families have been citizens for decades.  

Or, the outsiders are those who are in wheelchairs, or who have speech impediments, or who are missing limbs, or who have Down Syndrome. Or those who are too thin, or too heavy. Or those who are of different political views. Or those who love differently. Or whatever, including a skin disease.  

… So, how are we to respond to these stories today? We can look at them as simple reminders to not take God’s gifts like healing for granted. We can look at them as reminders to use the magic words, please and thank you, with people and with God.  And we can look at these stories as reminders that with God there are no outsiders.

This week, I hope you give thanks to God for all you have, and praise God that we are all equal in God’s eyes, in God’s desire for us to be whole, in God’s heart, and God’s love. Amen

You have faith enough!

Luke 17:5-10

Today it’s my turn to talk about measuring what matters. Faith matters. Is your faith larger than a mustard seed? Is it large enough to move a tree?

We could think about a mustard seed’s size. You get 5 mustard seeds to the inch, if you lay them side by side next to a ruler. There are smaller seeds, and larger seeds, but these are the ones Jesus mentions because the plants can grow quite large if left alone.

Or we could talk about the size of the mulberry tree you could move. Jesus says we could move one from here to there, no problem.

But what the disciples are measuring is the amount of faith they have. Jesus, they say, increase our faith. And Jesus responds that they all have enough faith to do amazing, unexpected things, like moving trees.

… Amazing, unexpected things happen when we have faith, no matter how little. Francis of Assisi heard a message from God: rebuild my church, which is in need of repair. It wasn’t the building Francis was called to rebuild, but people’s faith in God. Through simple preaching, he brought the truth of God’s love to those who had stopped paying attention.

His determination to depend fully on God attracted the attention of others, who joined him and soon formed a community of like-minded brothers. Beyond that, women heard the message and formed cloisters, totally dependent on God and the community to provide for them, even as they provided for those in need. It wouldn’t have happened if Francis didn’t have the faith to pay attention to God’s message in the first place.

… Amazing, unexpected things happen when we have faith, no matter how little. Yesterday when I got home from the pet blessing, I watched a few segments of the service of Installation of the New Presiding Bishop of the ELCA. It is with faith that the Churchwide Assembly elected Yehiel Curry as the new Presiding Bishop. He is a younger – as bishop standards go – Synod Bishop. And he’s African American. In this Church that has been known to be a bit racist, the election of a Black man to lead the denomination is nothing other than amazing. Congratulations, Bishop Curry! We have faith that you are called by God to lead us into the future.

… Amazing, unexpected things happen when we have faith, no matter how little. Yesterday, we had 35 people and 17 dogs at our pet blessing. There were, of course, dogs from Gloria Dei homes, but there were also canine guests from the community. And some of the visiting pet owners were interested in worshiping with us. We weren’t sure anyone would come, but we had faith God was leading us to try it.

… What do you think the size of your faith is? Is it at least as big as a mustard seed? Then you, too, can do amazing things. And how much faith do you think there is in the whole congregation? If our collective faith is the size of our membership, then let’s say with 100 people in the congregation, using the mustard seed measurement, we have 20 inches of faith. Or, with our faith, we could move 100 mulberry trees.

It doesn’t make sense for us to move mulberry trees unless we want to start a silk fabric business, or make a gallon of honey mustard dressing unless we are serving a lot of salad, so let’s think about what else we could do with that much faith.

* Everyone tells the story of how Jesus helps them get through each day. Ten families join Gloria Dei because of this.

* Everyone gives 10% or more of their income to the ministries of Gloria Dei. As a result, the congregation has enough money to support a full-time pastor and their family.

* At least half the congregation gives extra, beyond the 10%, to make sure every student at Leesburg Elementary School has enough to eat every day. The news of our generosity leaks out and we receive 10 families because of our reputation as a generous congregation.

Our faith, our generosity, reaches others, and brings them to faith, and soon they, too, have enough faith to share God’s love and give to the ministries of the congregation.

… This past week, I heard three presentations by Dr Mark Allen Powell, a New Testament scholar. One part in particular caught my attention. He talked about the value of pretending. Jesus says we are supposed to love our neighbor, but it can be hard to love certain neighbors. Powell says, Pretend to love them, and see what happens. You may not end up best friends, but you can at least smile and be kind to each other.

It works the same with faith. Pretend you are brave enough, have faith enough, to tell your neighbor or someone you know that Jesus loves them. Pretty soon, you will be wondering why you were afraid. The conversation that you end up having is amazing for both of you.

So, I want to suggest we apply the same idea to our giving to Gloria Dei. I know that your income may be finite, and it feels even more finite with inflation and other factors that affect the cost of everything we buy and pay for these days.

I suggest you pretend you have the faith to be more generous this year than you were last year. Pretend you won’t miss the extra $10 or 20 you put in the offering each week. Pretty soon, you will realize it’s true; You don’t miss it!

… The disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith. He responded by assuring them that they already had enough faith. All they had to do was to act as if they did have it. With the faith they had, they preached, healed, invited, and changed the world. We all have this same amount of faith – at least a mustard seed’s amount. It is enough.

… I hope this week that you will consider the many ways in which you have enough faith. And when you doubt that you do, try pretending. It just may work. Amen

 Amos 6:1a, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31

Who do you notice?

Once again, it’s pretty hard to miss the message in the Amos reading. Don’t go bragging about your wealth, if at the same time you are not reaching out to help the poor. This text matches well with the gospel reading about a certain rich man and a poor man named Lazarus.

It never ceases to amaze me. When I read the Bible, there is always something new to see in these familiar stories. This time, it jumped out at me in the Gospel reading that the rich man knew Lazarus’ name, and he still refused to see him, to notice him, to help him. Until it was too late for it to make a difference.

Let’s give Lazarus a back story. This is totally my imagination, but it will help us get the point Jesus is making. Let’s suppose that Lazarus had been doing well enough for himself and his family. He worked every day, he gave the right offerings at the right time, even gave some alms to the poor.

One day, his family grew ill from the flu and died. Then, distracted by his losses, he suffered a workplace injury,  maybe a building stone fell and broke his arm. The arm didn’t heal right, because he couldn’t afford a doctor, and he was unable to work. Which meant he was unable to feed himself, and with no family to care for him, he ended up living in the homeless camp outside of town. Every morning, he went to sit outside the gate to the rich man’s house, hoping for a coin or two, or a chunk of bread, to ease his hunger.

But he rarely received anything, and after a year or two, his body had no resistance, so any slight bump developed into a major wound. The dogs came to lick his wounded body, and he wasn’t strong enough to defend himself against them.

In the meantime, the rich man went in and out past Lazarus, 2 or 3 times a day. He knew him by name, because Lazarus had worked for him, and was injured at his worksite. But he chose to ignore him.

You see, the rich man believed that he was wealthy because he was so righteous. He followed the laws as closely as he could, and God blessed him, rewarded him with wealth. He deserved what he had because he was so faithful.

And, Lazarus, well, he had nothing because God saw how he didn’t obey all the laws. He must have been disobedient, that’s why his family got sick and died, that’s why he broke his arm that day. He was not blessed by God. So, he didn’t deserve to be noticed or cared for.

… This story has often been used to caution – or more, threaten – people to behave or they will be punished, sent to hell. The description of the rich man suffering in hades is a warning to keep many people behaving well, following the rules.  Behave or you’ll go to hell!

But Jesus didn’t tell this story as that kind of warning. He told the story to say that just because you have wealth doesn’t mean you are specially blessed. And, just because you are poor doesn’t mean God doesn’t bless you.

Jesus doesn’t want us to be distracted by the story about Hades and Heaven. Instead, the point of this story is to value everyone as God does, to treat everyone kindly, respectfully. The point of the story is to see that there are hurting people in our midst, and God wants all people to have enough. 

… Paul’s letter to Timothy echoes these thoughts. “Those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped … by their desires. … For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” And then Paul tells us what we should do instead of chasing wealth. “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, ¹⁹ thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.”

If we spend less time thinking about money, accumulating it, managing it, spending it, we have time for other things. We have time for daily prayer. We have time for Bible study. We have time to make sure our Facebook posts are kind and respectful. We have time to make sure our generosity is truly generous, and supporting those causes that please God.

… At University Lutheran Church in Gainesville, there is a bench in the covered walkway between the sanctuary and the office/fellowship building. Frequently, people who were unhoused sat or slept there. Often, they were connecting to our internet / wi-fi on their phones.

As long as they were not using illegal substances or leaving inappropriate stuff there, I had no problem with them being there. I usually greeted them and asked if they needed anything. Usually, they ignored me, or simply nodded a greeting. But I still felt good because I had not ignored the Lazarus at my gate.

It doesn’t take much to be kind to someone. It doesn’t take much to pay attention to our surroundings and the folks who populate that space.

I hope that this week, you consider the ways in which you typically see or ignore the people around you. They are all children of God, your sisters and brothers in God’s family. Notice them. Be kind to them. Give them a gift if you have a dollar or more to spare. Amen