More than just ruffling feathers

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; Philippians 3:17 - 4:1; Luke 13:31-35

God makes several promises to Abram / Abraham over the years. “Don’t worry, I still plan for you to have descendants and land and fame. I’m just waiting for the timing to be right. … I’ll tell you what, let’s do a ritual of commitment. Take some animals … etc, etc.”

From then on, that land was considered a legacy, a promise that can’t be broken. The land we call Israel today is viewed through this promise. It was that way when Jesus walked the land, too.

…The city of Jerusalem, especially, held that promise and the history of how that promise was lived out for centuries. But it was a troubled history. Some of the kings were faithful to God, but many weren’t. The city had been destroyed and rebuilt. It was currently controlled by the Caesar’s designated leader Pontius Pilate, and the puppet king Herod Antipas. Herod’s father had tried to kill Jesus as a baby, and this Herod was just as protective of his kingly power.

Jesus has been teaching and preaching and demonstrating that the way the leaders have been treating many people badly. Jesus insists that God loves and forgives all people and that it is against God’s will to disrespect people with disabilities, people with contagious diseases, people who are foreign, or people who worship God differently.

The crowds around Jesus continue to grow. The leaders are growing more wary of the power Jesus has over the crowds. And Jesus is growing bolder in his protests against the control the leaders have over the people.

In Lent, we read stories of how Jesus pokes the bear – or in this case, the fox – to accomplish his goals. The Pharisees are not Jesus’ friends, but at this point, it seems they are not trying to do away with him. “Be careful, Jesus. Herod is talking about killing you!”

Jesus’ response is anything but fearful. He throws the challenge right back. “Tell that old fox that today I am busy casting out demons, but tomorrow I am headed to Jerusalem because it’s impossible for a prophet to be killed outside Jerusalem.” It seems Jesus is daring Herod to kill him.

Today, we might say Jesus is speaking truth to power. Jesus is challenging Herod to do something about what he is saying and doing. Jesus is challenging the status quo, challenging Herod’s power and authority to grow wealthy at the expense of the faithful and powerless people of Israel. Jesus is saying that the power and authority Herod and other leaders claim for themselves rightly belongs to God, and only to God.

We know, of course, what happened to Jesus. The powers-that-be in Jerusalem put him to death. In the years that followed, Jesus’ followers continued to stand up to the powers of whatever land they lived in. And they were often martyred, killed, for their faith in Jesus.

… Paul admits he began persecuting believers and is still ashamed of that part of his history. Now, he encourages believers to stand fast in their faith, no matter what happens to them. At first, it was only the Jewish leaders who persecuted the Christians, but it wasn’t long before the Roman leaders were also on the lookout for Christians.

This is what the book of Revelation is about. When Christians stopped buying meat at Roman markets because the meat was dedicated to Roman gods, it made a difference in the economy. Neighbors turned them in, and in many cases the Christians were whipped, imprisoned, and sent to the arenas to be eaten by lions. In the end, the persecutions ended and Christianity became legal, and eventually the dominant faith tradition.

… In the US, our risk of being sent to the lions today is quite limited, but we still have opportunities to be persecuted for our faith. The partisan divide in our country is based in part on different religious beliefs: are all welcome in Jesus’ church, or are certain people too unclean to be welcome? Have we forgotten God’s command to care for the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner in our midst?

Other aspects of the divide have us questioning how to take care of people’s needs while balancing the national and state budget. As followers of Jesus, it should trouble us that many of the cuts in the national budget target relief to the poorest people, like access to fresh vegetables, medical care, child care, and transportation. As followers of Jesus, it should trouble us that wealthy people legally pay a smaller proportion of their income than middle class people do.

… We often hesitate to speak up because we don’t want to ruffle feathers, or have people think badly of us. But as followers of Jesus, are we not called to speak up as he did? Should we not risk offending the fox with our expressions of welcome and concern for all?

I hope Gloria Dei is a congregation that can have conversations about these questions and seek ways to reach out to:

1.      1.  Those who are being persecuted, and

2.      2. Those who are suffering because of budget cuts.

Can Gloria Dei be a place where all opinions are welcome, and at the same time, all people are welcome? Can Gloria Dei be a congregation which seeks new ways to serve those in need?

I hope so. Let’s talk about it. Amen