advent 1. #GivingTuesday

"He began to tell the people this parable: ‘A man planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenants, and went to another country for a long time. ¹⁰When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants in order that they might give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹Next he sent another slave; that one also they beat and insulted and sent away empty-handed. ¹²And he sent yet a third; this one also they wounded and threw out. ¹³Then the owner of the vineyard said, “What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.” ¹⁴But when the tenants saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, “This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours.” ¹⁵So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.’ When they heard this, they said, ‘Heaven forbid!’ ¹⁷But he looked at them and said, ‘What then does this text mean:
“The stone that the builders rejected
   has become the cornerstone”?^*
18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’ ¹⁹When the scribes and chief priests realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people."

Today is GivingTuesday.  It is meant to inspire generosity in the aftermath of Black Friday and Cyber Monday--consumer shopping days to fulfill the Christmas wish lists.  My wife and I have done very little shopping since Thanksgiving and even less spending.  I think it's good to remind people to give.  Studies have shown that giving makes people happier than receiving.  Generosity is a way that we deny the self and think of others.  It comes out of and builds compassion and empathy.  Inviting children to give is great formation and teaches the power of greed and the need to let go in order to live a fuller and richer life.  Too often giving is an annual event or an end-of-the-year holiday expression, rather than a way of life, a habit or a routine.  The bible suggests that God is constantly giving and apart from daily divine generosity we cannot live.    
This parable of Jesus reminds us that God entrusts God's things to people.  God is like an absentee vineyard owner, who entrusts the vineyard to people.  When harvest time comes, the owner expects fruit.  But the tenants are greedy and willing to resort to violence in order to retain what does not belong to them.  Possessed by our possessions, we are unable to give freely and liberally to others.  We are afraid.  We believe in the myth of scarcity, despite our wastefulness and misuse of the abundance around us.
I struggle with time management.  I waste time sometimes.  I do not budget time wisely, spending too much on somethings and not enough on others.  I think time is a gift from God that I take for granted.  How much time do I really have?  The time I do have, I should use well.       

Some Christians believe that government is a function of God's provision, a way in which God orders human community.  Responsible government, according to the bible, looks after the innocent, the weak, the vulnerable, the poor, and the displaced.  Irresponsible government is greedy and self-serving. We have seen and heard governing authorities abuse their leadership and abuse the people they are supposed to protect and govern.  Like Jesus, we are called to speak against abusive powers and "bad tenants" who have been given authority, only to abuse it for selfish gain.  Jesus suggests that their power will be taken away from them.  Moral advocacy that holds leaders accountable to those they are required to serve is a work of public witness or faith in action.

We know that there is a cost to public witness, to accountable stewardship and faithful living.  Jesus paid it on the cross.  We will bear crosses, too.  But, the promise is true.  Those who pour themselves out, who give themselves away, put others before themselves, who love their neighbors and their enemies, will be rewarded.  The reward may be the act itself, since generosity brings joy to the heart.  The reward is also eternal life, a home with God, and everlasting peace.  So, on GivingTuesday, be generous with what God has given you; yourself, your time, your possessions.  Signs of God's gracious love.  God the giver gave all that you have to you, so that you might join God in that work. Don't squander it, hoard it, or keep a little for yourself.  Don't believe in scarcity.  Believe in abundance.  Believe in the reward of a generous life.  And look to Jesus as the best example of how to give.  Wholly.  Selflessly.  Lovingly.     


  

What is Advent?

"Though Advent (literally arrival) has been observed for centuries as a time to contemplate Christ's birth, most people today acknowledge it only with a blank look. For the vast majority of us, December flies by in a flurry of activities, and what is called the holiday season turns out to be the most stressful time of the year." 

If this is your experience, then we need to talk.  We create stress.  We let the holidays overwhelm us and we forget why we're celebrating in the first place.  Look, I get that you may not be that religious or pious.  These festivals and seasons are not that important anyway.  We don't have time for these things, that are clearly for religious insiders, right? . You've gotten on fine without knowing about Advent or Lent or the Christian year.  Did you know the Christian year is marked differently than the secular calendar? Did you know millions of people observe the Christian year as the rhythm that keeps them connected to the life of Jesus and the ongoing creative work of God?  A lot of evangelical Christians have rejected the traditional Christian calendar.  They do not observe the seasons.  Roman Catholics and some Protestants, however, continue to keep an annual cycle of holy days by which they mark the passing of the weeks.  Both Jews and Muslims also keep a religious calendar of seasonal observances and holy days.  You've simply never participated as religiously or faithfully before. 
But, here's the thing.  In your rejection of some Christian traditions or your ignorance of them (and I mean that in a gentle way, like you just don't know what you're missing), you are not getting the whole meal.  Its like skipping the hors d'oeuvres and the salad and going right for the meat and the dessert. Many Americans will celebrate Christmas without knowing why.  What it means, whose birth we celebrate, why we celebrate Jesus' birth, or how to celebrate it apart from the consumer model.  There is another way! 

Advent starts on Sunday, November 27th this year.  Advent is the church's way of marking time, of slowing things down, of preparing for the things that matter.  Advent has been observed for centuries and consists in the four Sundays that precede December 25th.  It is basically the month before Christmas.  It has been mostly supplanted by a consumer calendar marking the number of shopping days until the 25th. 
Christmas, as you know, is one of the two major festivals of the Christian year.  It is a twelve day celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  The stories of his birth appear in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. 
Easter is, of course, the other major festival.  One could say that it was the resurrection of Jesus that made his birth so important.  No Easter, no Christmas.  But I think we can make a case for the significance of Christmas, primarily by living Advent. 
Advent is all about anticipation and hope, watchful waiting, and expectation.  It is about the longing of the human heart, the human community, for justice--the setting right and straight the things that are wrong and broken in this world.  Biblically, Advent is Messianic promise and fulfillment.  Jews longed for a just ruler, an divinely anointed King who would set them free from oppression.  The Messiah began to be seen as a divine man who would transform the earth, humanity, and all the creatures.  From winter to eternal spring.  From despair and desperation to hope and comfort.  From exile to homecoming.  From war to peace.  From death to life.  The expectation was that a Messiah would save the people from sin and death.    The Jews, long awaiting a savior, kept watch by prayer and Torah observance.  They practiced the law of God found in the books of Moses and the prophets.  They hoped, in times of slavery and exile, for a ruler who would vanquish enemies and restore their dignity as the chosen people of God.  A Messiah, which means anointed one or King.  Christ is the Greek form of Messiah. It is a title not a surname.  Jesus Christ means Jesus Messiah, or King Jesus.

Advent gives us a month to contemplate the meaning of Jesus.  Here are some ways we can observe Advent:

1.  Get a calendar.  Advent calendars are full of daily reminders and simple practices that make us mindful of the presence of God. 
2.  Get an Advent wreath or a set of four candles to light at evening meals.  One candle is lit on each Sunday in Advent. The Jews get 8 candles on the Menorrah for Hannukah.  Christians get four candles for Advent. 
3.Get a devotion book.  Daily readings that teach us, that enrich the spiritual part of life, and give us pause to reflect can really enhance the meaning of the holiday season.  Maybe God has something to say to you to help you grow in your relationships, or in how you use your time.   Start the day in 5 minutes of intentional silence before a single candle as a point of focus.  See what that days to your state of mind, level of stress, and will to live.   
4.  Find a local charity to support or volunteer with a local community outreach.  Nothing refocuses us in the life of Jesus like tending to the needs of others.   
5.  Go to worship in a liturgical church that observes ancient Christian tradition.  It may be that engaging in ritual activity (prayer, song, listening, eating and drinking, light candles) that has been shaped by centuries of spiritual practitioners, who were devoted to a spiritual path as followers of Jesus Christ, can nurture your inner soul in ways that shopping at Target can't.
6.  Invite someone to eat dinner with your family that has not been in your home before.  Hospitality is a hallmark characteristic of Christian observance and something we suck at in the United States.  We tend to live in isolation rather than in community.  Nothing makes community faster than food. 
7.  Go to a free community concert.  Churches and community centers often host musicians during the month of December.  Many churches will host community singing of Handel's "Messiah".  Enjoying beautiful music and the arts reminds us of the best of what humanity can offer.
8.  Decorate in stages.  Rather than put up the entire Christmas display on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, delay gratification Clark.  Build a festive atmosphere in your home, adding a little more each week.  Delay decorating a Christmas tree for as long as you can.  After all, Christmas itself is the 12 days from December 25 to January 6.  Too often, we've put away Christmas too early because we started observing and celebrating too soon. Do Advent first!  Wait for Christmas!  The meaning is in the waiting!

Let's start here and see what happens.  Try on one or two new habits.  What is it like to intentionally and mindfully focus on the coming of Christ? 


          
 

the one about leadership

Based on Jeremiah 23:1-6; Luke 23-33-43.

Repeat after me, please:  There is a ruler. There is a leader. There is an authority.  There is a guide.  There is a shepherd.  There is a mighty protector.  There is a powerful Presider.  There is a King.  There is a Savior of the World.  And I know….it is not me. 

Two weeks ago, the Friday after the election, I wanted to clear my head, think prayerfully about Sunday morning, and get away from the constant drum beat of American politics.  I also needed to meet with a colleague to talk about a group exercise I would be leading, and led yesterday, with a group of church leaders on behalf of our synod staff.  Jennifer and some colleagues were meeting at Camp Kirchenwald for a morning prayer walk.  I asked if we could meet there and if I could join the walk.  That morning as I was preparing to go, Jen called and said that her 10 year old daughters were off school and wanted to know if my kids were, too.  They wanted to come to camp, but wanted something to do there.  I told her my kids were not off, but my puppy was available and would love to come and play with them at camp.  So I brought Katie along.  The plan was that I would lead the small group around camp on a silent prayer walk, because I knew the camp trails.  The girls would walk Katie on her leash to another part of camp to play.  We all started off in the same direction.  Suddenly, the girls unleashed Katie and disappeared.  Katie followed us, well, ran ahead of us and around as we walked.  I did not have her leash.  I figured she would stay with us.  Then we turned left to head toward the lake.  Katie didn’t.  I walked on about 50 yards and noticed her absence.  I told the group to continue down the trail, while I backtracked to retrieve my retriever.  I found her with a feather in her mouth just off the trail behind a large fallen tree.  I called to her sternly to come.  I approached her and she took off.  She ran back down the trail we came up.  I called her again, "Katie, come".  She took off.  I followed chase.  I was getting angry.  I had left the group and was running after her.  I called her again, "Katie, come".  She ran faster.  I ran after her.  Down the hill, across the log bridge, up the hill.  When I emerged, breathing hard, she was no where to be seen.  A little panic set in.  O God, I lost my puppy.  My wife and kids are gonna kill me.  I ran around calling after her.  Nothing.  I was thinking about how we disturbed the prayer walk.  I was thinking about the girls' promise to walk her and watch her.  What were the others thinking?  Were they annoyed that I brought her?  Were they concerned about us?  I projected my feelings on them.  I ran back to the lodge where we started.  There she was.  Huddled behind a chair.  When I yell, I scare her.  She usually runs into her crate at home.  This time, she ran back to the lodge.  I scooped her up, angry and relieved.  I wanted to kill her and hug her.  It was a cool fall morning, so I put her in my car with the windows down.  As I headed back down to find the others, I ran into the girls with the leash.  I told them they could get her out of the car and walk her on the leash.  They didn't.  As I headed the opposite way down the lake I felt anger, frustration, and anxiety.  What happened to the group?  Had they found their way without me?  When I came to the lake there they were. Sitting quietly, enjoying the warm sun reflected on the water, in the brightly colored leaves.  They were safe, at peace, resting.  I was a mess.  I sat by a tree and tried to let the earth and the sun take the toxic anger and anxiety out of my body.  Slowly, I began to recover and enter a place of quiet peace.  We got up and walked back to the lodge.  On the way, God spoke to me.  By the time we got back to the lodge I was practically in tears.  And I needed to share what God said.  The group convener asked us to share how we felt during the walk,  the intention was to spiritually center us in the beauty of creation.  I spoke. My experience on the walk resembled my current leadership.  I reflected:  Am I leading a community of people on a spiritual journey together or am I chasing after stray animals?  This is how pastoral leadership feels much of the time.  And it is lonely to be in front or to be the one who chases the strays.  Why does no one else feel compelled to help?  The girls left her off the leash.  They were complicit.  The group felt no need to stop what they were doing to help me retrieve the dog.  I was alone.  I felt the tension in myself, the occasional feeling of overwhelming responsibility, the insanity of going after those running in the wrong direction,  the constant nagging sense of failure.  I felt strongly that both those willingly going on the journey and the stray animal needed me. And for some reason, I loved that stray animal and would never think to abandon her, lest she get lost.  I thought of the parable of the lost sheep and the shepherd who abandons the 99 to find her and bring her home.  But I also thought of Jesus leading disciples.  He could somehow balance between investment of time with his disciples and going after the lost, the hurting, the broken, and the rejected.  I had not achieved this balance in my life.  And I was hurting because of it.  I thought that my faith community was struggling because of my leadership, too. 

And now this election said to me, we are in a national leadership crisis.  Half of the country is eager to follow.  Half of the country disavows the elected President. If it had gone the other way, the roles would be reversed and “Not my President” would still be chanted.  Congress, courts, state houses, Presidents.  Dems, republicans. We have a moral crisis in leadership and an erosion in trust, authority, and security. It did not begin in 2016 and it will not end on inauguration day.   There is a lot of fear and anger right now directed toward public leaders.         

But God also said to me, notice how the group ended up exactly where you wanted to lead them despite your absence.  Notice how content and placid they were by the lake?  Notice the stray dog ended up safe even before you could catch her and bring her to safety?  That was me.  My grace. My love.  My leadership.  My power.  My authority.  So you can rest.  Be at peace.  Trust me. Remember that you are a follower, too.  And you need to receive from me the Holy Spirit, again and again.  Or you will be led astray.  And lead others, too.  The blind often lead the blind.  But I have given you the eyes to see me.  The eyes of faith.  Do not take your eyes off of me.  I will lead you, give you rest, shelter you, heal you, forgive you when you fail, and welcome you to myself. You are mine. 

Here’s what I see on this reign of Christ Sunday.  When Israel’s rulers were corrupt and they faced a national leadership crisis, when their religious leaders were corrupted by power over people for selfish gain, God promised a shepherd that God himself would appoint and send.  This shepherd came in the form of a son.  He led people on a spiritual journey in the wilderness, offering grace and mercy and healing for all.  He went after the strays and the lost and the losers and invited them in to his life.  He was crowned as King and crucified on the same day.  Because authentic leadership rooted in love is dangerous and risky and unseen.  No President or congressional leader or pastor does what He did.  No one does.  On the cross, he is finally revealed as the one true shepherd King and savior of the world.  And the one who sees him for who he is, was hanging next to him.  A criminal.  Condemned by the world.  Sentenced to the ultimate punishment.  Death.  One we all face eventually, by the way.  And in that moment, King Jesus makes a promise to him, to me, to you, to all of us.  Today you will be with me in paradise.  The king has come.  His just and peaceful rule has already begun.  His resurrection confirms it and enthrones him forever.  Jesus is my Lord, my King, my master, my shepherd, my savior. And he is yours.  Forever and ever.  Amen. 

an uncertain future

"These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon...It said: ⁴Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. ⁸For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,^* for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says the Lord.
For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfil to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart,⁴I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile." Jeremiah 29.

Unsettling and unsettled.  These words describe how I have been feeling for awhile now.  Not just since the presidential election, which really intensified these feeling and thoughts.  I have been feeling like this for some time because life in American culture is unsettling today. 
My wife is a full-time teaching in a public school position that is stressful and exhausting emotionally, mentally, and physically for her.  My boys are growing up.  My oldest son is in middle school now.  Changes are happening with him that we anticipated, but feel ill equipped sometimes to address.  We want out kids to be well-adjusted, feel safe and secure, have good friendships, learn new and challenging things, and have activities they enjoy.  We want to them to feel successful in school and we want them to be compassionate and caring toward others.  We are well-intentioned parents, but sometimes feel like we don't devote enough time to the project of forming healthy adults.  We feel like we are still maturing, changing, learning, and struggling too.  And there are a lot of moving parts in daily life---Caring for ourselves, maintaining a calendar of activities, nurturing relationships outside our home and family, doing meaningful work, and maintaining a house are time- consuming and leave little room to pause.  We also don't want to project our anxieties and frustrations on our kids.  We want to breathe in peace and breathe out love.  We want to be consistent in our actions and show devotion to things and people we care about.  And sometimes we just want to check out.  We want our home to be a sanctuary and it sometimes feels like a production factory.  I see work every where I go.  Time set apart for reflection, rest, and relationship-building is hard to find.  I suspect we aren't alone in all of this.
Alongside these things, we are attempting to live in community with others who are called to be church, the people of God following the way of Jesus.  And not in a traditional congregation.  I am a mission developer helping a 128 year old congregation give birth to a new expression of Christian community.  And we are at a point in our development where both communities feel a little unsettled, uncertain, and tentative about their futures. Some people are moving on. Some people are experiencing life changes and challenges. Some people come and go.  Some people are finding their way, tentatively, into the community that gathers around an open table of welcome. It all feels very loose, unstable, and unsettling.  What if nobody comes to dinner church?  It sometimes feels like it could all just end.  And then it sometimes feels like its just getting started.  Its hard to know if we're on a right heading sometimes.   
Then I read this text from the prophet Jeremiah.  It is a reminder to me that when I feel unsettled, uncertain, and anxious I can trust that God is near.  I can trust that we will have what we need when we need it. I can trust that God has a future planned that I cannot see.  I can trust that God is at work to bring about that future. I can trust that I am where I am because I was sent, planted, exiled, and moved here by God for God's mission.  Though I sometimes feel like uprooting my family and moving on, I hear these words and trust that this is home.  For now.  And for now, that will be enough. 
  
 

the one after the election

Based on Isaiah 65:17-25 and Luke 21:5-19. 

In these weeks of November, we hear stories about the destructive ends of things as they have been and the promise of new beginnings.  A dying and rising, a decay and renewal motif embedded in the scriptures we read in the public assembly.  I think we would do well to pay attention to them as they pertain to our life together in America today. 

Tuesday was election day and it was not the end of the world.  Nor was it the beginning of a new day of peace, prosperity, and justice for all.  No President will embody the hopes and needs of all the people.  The vision of Isaiah does not rest on the shoulders of Donald Trump.  Talk of unification, the wolf lying with the lamb, is hardly to be anticipated after the inauguration.  Far from it.  This campaign season was not benign.  It revealed an ugly underside to our political life, a dark cynicism, that we have not seen.  Clearly many people are not happy, are indeed angry with our leaders and the direction we are going.  No hopeful vision, but rather collective grievances elected our next president. I get that some people just thought he would do a better job. But we all have to admit that the campaigns were polemical, mean-spirited, negative, and sought to bring out the worst in us.   Both sides demonized the other and their supporters.  There needs to be a way for healing, reconciliation, and peacemaking.

This has been a confusing week in our country.  For some of us, the outcome of the election was a joyful surprise.  For others, a frightening and devastating sadness.  I have heard from neighbors who are afraid of what will happen to them or their loved ones. I have heard from others who think those people are overreacting.   This election season has revealed deep division in our country, in our communities, even in our own families.  No matter who won the Presidency, about half of the country would have been angry, concerned for the future, and dejected.  It betrays a dark reality in which we find ourselves as Americans.  These divisions were not only about big versus small government, or taxes, or the economy, or international relations. Something else played a role in polarizing the electorate. We all have thoughts and feelings about this election.  But what do we believe?  This is what matters.  What do we believe? Where is God present?  What is God doing?  Separation of church and state is not separation of God and politics. Separation does not mean that church has nothing to say about or to the governing authorities.  We bring our faith everywhere, even into the voting booth.  So what do we believe?  I can only point us to the Word to seek the heart and mind of God. 

First, I want to say that the demonization of minorities, women, Muslims, people of color, immigrants, and refugees is not ok.  The law of God commands Israel to welcome and serve the widow, orphan, and resident alien in their midst.  And the way of Christ calls us to welcome the stranger, care for the most vulnerable among us (Women and children), serve ethnic and religious minority groups, indeed love the neighbor and the enemy alike. 

Second, public speech and the use of language matters.  As a public speaker, who is called on to say a word every week, I think it is important to be careful about what I say and how I say it.  And the intention is far more than to avoid offending people.  In fact, I expect people have been offended by what I have said.  I myself have been offended by what I have said.  I am called to listen to the judgment voice of God, too.  God’s law offends us.  Jesus’ call to discipleship offends us.  Love is offensive in the face of hatred and fear.  Mercy is offensive in the face of abusive power.  But we must publicly denounce hateful speech and abusive language.  It is not ok for anyone to speak the way Mr. Trump spoke.  I don't want my sons to think it is ok to speak about anyone the way he spoke about women, minorities, Muslims, or immigrants.  We have to be accountable for what we say.  Words have power and meaning.  They inspire behavior.   
This is why Jesus foretold that his followers will be dragged before the authorities on account of their relationship with him. Not because they were blowing things up, but because they were healing the sick, feeding the poor, speaking the truth to power, and pledging allegiance to a crucified Jewish Rabbi.  In effect, they declared in their words and actions that Jesus was their King, not Caesar.  As a Christian, our primary allegiance is to Christ.  Not to a political party or any elected official.   Not to any nationality or human system of governance.  We are called to pray for, respect, and help our elected leaders so that they rule justly, wisely, and mercifully.  We are called to stand, speak out, and act against policies, laws, and ideologies that exclude, punish, and reject minorities and vulnerable peoples.  We advocate for protection and care for the earth.  We advocate for adequate and affordable health care for all people.  We advocate for excellent public education for all children. 

Jesus reminds his disciples that they must not put their trust in wealth, in institutions of power and privilege, or in any political leader.  These things will pass away, fall down, fall apart, self- destruct. Wars and earthquakes destroy the things we build. Instead, they are to trust God alone.  They will indeed go before Kings.  And they will suffer for the gospel, for what is right and good and true.  And by their endurance they will gain their souls. Faithful endurance characterizes the church’s work in the world.  We are not called to private hopes in evacuation from the world.  We are called to endure the world for the sake of the gospel and in the name of Jesus. Isaiah reminds us that a time will come when the healing of the nations and the peace of God will reach all people.  This vision, however, came to Isaiah after 70 years of Jewish exile from their homeland.  In which they were displaced refugees, foreigners in Babylon.  They must endure hardship before rescue. Because there is no real privilege. All will be thrown down.  Exile precedes homecoming.  Suffering precedes salvation.  These days signal that tumultuous change is afoot in public life.  But this is not the end of the world. It is a call to public witness.  This is not a time of silence nor of random acts of kindness to counter act bullies, hate, and fear.  This is a time of public witness when the church is called to be the church.  To declare the intention of Christ---healing, economic rights of the poor, release of prisoners, love for enemies, an end to malice, bitterness, and violent means of problem-solving.  This is the time when we say evangelical Christians are those who stand with undocumented immigrants and Native Americans fighting for their land.  Evangelical Christians stand with African Americans suffering under the weight of invisible, structural racism baked into American culture in ways we often fail to see and understand.   Evangelical Christians proclaim good news for the poor, not for the rich.  We follow Jesus to halls of power and we hold them accountable for the ways they use power to threaten and hold down the weak among us. We cry out in prayer for justice, freedom, and peace for all people.  And we work tirelessly toward the day that is promised when all God’s children will come home, enter the promised land, and be saved. Our hope is in Christ the savior.  May he come soon and find us faithful.  Amen. 

on religious hypocrisy and authenitic community

Gospel of Luke 11
"While he was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine with him; so he went in and took his place at the table. ³⁸The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not first wash before dinner. ³⁹Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you.
42 ‘But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practised, without neglecting the others. ⁴³Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honour in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the market-places. ⁴⁴Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing it.’"

Jesus was no lover of vain, empty religious practices.  Jesus was intolerant of hypocrisy, especially among religious people. They do what is expected of them publicly, but privately they are greedy and wicked.  They follow their religious rules in order to appear holy or better than others.  They go to church, but they have no compassion in their hearts.  They neglect justice and the love of God.  Jesus called them out for their hypocritical judgment, because they accused Jesus of abandoning right religious practices and habits.  Instead, Jesus practiced excessive mercy and radical forgiveness and selfless love.  He did this without the endorsement of the religious leadership.  He taught without their authority and consent.  He was more concerned about broken people than about broken rules.  He noticed that the religious system actually prevented people from encountering the God he knew as Father.  It actually replaced an authentic relationship with a living, speaking, acting God with a religious transaction---do these things and you will be blessed.  Fail to do them and you will be cursed.  The myth we still buy into today goes something like this:  If your life is hard, perhaps it is because you are not religious or faithful enough. If your life is good, it is because you are obeying God's will.  Suffering people may be faithful, but they are most likely in God's disfavor.  Doing what is right is necessary to have a good life. Blessed people prosper.  Cursed people suffer.   Jesus debunked this myth. A crucified man is supposed to be a cursed man, according to the Hebrew Scripture.  But he says the cross is the way of salvation. He says the poor are blessed. He says the sick and sinful belong to God. He says the vulnerable are our neighbors to whom we are called as servants.  We can see why religious hypocrisy causes so many people to reject Christianity and even God. 

Religious practices, including Sunday morning worship, can prevent us from living a God centered life.  Jesus implies that those who claim to have a relationship with God and have hatred for their neighbor do not really know God.  You can't claim to have an UP/DOWN relationship if you have no terrible OUT relationships.   We think that if we show up, are members of a church, pay our dues, and do the rituals then that satisfies God and insures us a place in God's care.  We can do our duty to God and never serve anyone else.  We can, in fact love God with our lips and hate our neighbors, especially those who are not like us.   

But, Jesus proposes an alternative to religious hypocrisy. For Jesus, the table was the place of radical inclusion, welcome, and encounter--where God is present in food and drink and human companionship.   He proposes an authentic life of love, mercy, and justice.  This takes place within the human heart first and extends outward through our actions and words.  Jesus shows us what it looks like to have an authentic relationship with God demonstrated in the ways we show love to other people. Jesus shows us authentic relational balance. It is costly.  It requires a lot of grace.  And he envisioned and established a community to practice it.  What if church was more like that and less like 1st century Pharisaic religion---a religion that drew very clear exclusionary lines between those who were in the club and those who were not?     

How have you experienced religious hypocrisy?  What about this alternative message appeals to you?    Who do you know that has been turned off by religious hypocrisy, exclusion, and bigotry?  How might you invite them to the table of grace?       



       

On the Difference between Right and Justified

Preached on October 23, 2016

gospel: Luke 18:9-14

[Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:¹⁰“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ ¹³But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Who are those who trust in themselves that they are righteous and regard others with contempt?  Not me. I’m not like those hypocrites, those self-righteous do-gooders who think they’re better than everyone else.  I’m a Lutheran.  We’re humble church folk. This is who we are and what we believe. Listen to these four statements: 

• Know the difference between right and wrong and choose what is right. Do the right things. 
• The bible teaches us the right way to live.  Follow the bible’s teachings and you will please God.  If you’re on the wrong track, turn around and get yourself right with the Lord. 
• A right relationship with God and others is the key to a happy life.
• God wants you to know that you are good, that you can do good things, and that doing good things for others is the calling of all Christians.   

Do these statements describe us?  I think we can all agree that these statements sound, well, right.  To a certain extent, this is what we believe isn’t it?  Christianity teaches us how to live the way God wants us to live, teaches how to behave, what righteousness looks like.  From the ten commandments to the Sermon on the Mount, from the prophets words of admonition to Paul’s Christian household codes, the bible is a manual for holy living.  Now, we Lutherans are taught that we are all sinners, incapable of following the law.  So Jesus was sent to die for our sins, freely taking my place on the cross, so that I can receive forgiveness and eternal life.  We call this amazing grace.  And it frees us from slavery to sin so that we can be the good people God intends for us to be.  As a result, we are encouraged to try harder.  We are free from the threat of punishment to work harder at doing God’s will, doing what is right.  Because of Jesus, we are able to confidently move toward righteous obedience.  We call this sanctification, becoming holier as we reject sin and follow Christ.  Our actions, worship and service to our neighbors move us closer and closer to sainthood.  The more we do, the closer we get.  The less you do, the further you get from God.  Non-practitioners of the faith are maybe more lost than unbelievers.  They don’t know any better.  Right>  but saved people should act like they are grateful.  Again, this sounds right in our ears.  This is the correct formula for a Christian life.   I suspect that most people who come to church do so to hear a positive message, an uplifting message and an encouraging message.  Mainly that God cares about you, that you are loved and capable of real goodness.  We love stories of people doing good things for others.  I suspect this is what we want Christianity and church to be about.  Feel good, do good, be good.  It is what we do or don’t do that counts for or against us.  Our behavior is a sign of our character.  Morality is the hallmark of the Christian life.  Salvation is the reward of a life lived well.  Either good people are saved or saved people are good.  This is what we have come to believe.          

So, Jesus tells a story.  Two men go up to the temple to pray.  One thanks God that he is a good man who does the right things.  He is upright, religious, faithful.  He brings no guilt or shame or remorse.  But he is grateful.  He contrasts himself with immoral people like the other man praying nearby.   The other begs God for mercy because he is not a good man.  He is a tax collector, a traitor working with the enemy occupiers.  He has guilt, shame, and remorse.  He is not right with God or others.  He is not a good person.  He has made bad choices.  Both men pray to the same God.  But only one man goes home justified.  Only one man goes home changed.  Only one man goes home lighter, freer, happier.  Only one man goes home with a new relationship with God, a clean heart and a clear conscience. 

To be righteous is to trust in our own ability, our own goodness, our own moral character.  To be righteous is to live in contrast to those around you who are not, who are wicked, bad, immoral, sick, depraved, etc…this is how we so easily ignore criminals, the poor, the addict.  Righteousness can become arrogant disassociation, detachment from those other people.  Righteousness divides people into good people and bad people.  And it is a false reading of the bible. 

To be justified is to experience myself as a sinner, to fall on my knees, to cry out for mercy, to hope for unearned acceptance, and to receive a great gift.  To be justified is to surrender one’s self to God, who might very well punish or reject you, and instead chooses to embrace you and welcome you home and restore you to your created self, child of God.  To be justified is to be clothed with Christ in baptism, fed by Christ at the table, crucified with Christ, and raised with Christ.  To be justified is to be seen by God in the likeness of Jesus.  We set nothing right.  When we try, we are more likely to sin.  Our work is to beat the chest and cry out for mercy and hope for God to listen and take action for you and for your neighbor.  Our work is to have faith enough to believe that God has the power and the glory forever.  Amen. 

On Reformations, personal and public

This weekend begins a year-long commemoration of the 500^th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation.  The Pope, once called the antichrist by Luther who was condemned by that Pope in 1520, is this week joining Lutherans in Lund, Sweden to kick off a year of commemoration with a joint worship service.  We are moving toward restored communion with Rome and historic levels of unity among Catholics and Lutherans.  499 years ago tomorrow,  Dr. Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on indulgences and the authority of the Pope on the doors of the Wittenburg Church.  Luther was a Black Augustinian monk, a Roman priest, and a university professor of the bible.  The result of his theses and the debate about them that followed was fuel on a fire that had already been lit.  By 1520, Luther was a heretic and by 1521 a fugitive from the law and both the Roman and German authorities.  In the years that followed, Luther and his colleague wrote the Augsburg Confession, a document outlining the principle assertions of the reformers.  What they said about God, Jesus, the human condition, salvation, and the church’s mission are not mere dogmatic statements, but a confession of what the reformers believed to be the truth.  Their rebellion was three-fold.  First they dared to believe in their own interpretation, their own reasonable understanding of the scripture.  They took as their primary authority’s scripture and faith and the grace of God.  The Pope didn’t like that.  Second, they dared to imagine and establish an alternative Christian community, a reformed congregation outside the confines of Roman authority.  Third, they dared to put the scriptures into the hands of peasants and ordinary people.  They took the great commission task of the church seriously.  As evangelical Christians, they saw as their mission to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them.  The Reformation gave the bible to the world.  Of course the danger in all of these things has been realized too.  There has been blood shed between Catholics and protestants, animosity, and discord. Only in the last century has some of that begun to fade.  Also, if you put scripture in everyone’s hands you risk its misuse, misinterpretation, and biblical idolatry. We continue to see how sin and the devil interpret the bible and use it to drive wedges between people.  But, Luther was a teacher of the bible who believed in rigorous study of the Word, in communal interpretation, and a theological education for all people.  This is, perhaps, what is missing.  Disciples, after all, are those called to be students of God’s Word. We are called to hear God’s Word speaking to us law and gospel, sin and salvation, death and resurrection, responsibility and relationship, failure and forgiveness. 

At its core the Lutheran Reformation is a daring, personal experience of the grace of God made known to us in the Word, the water, the bread and cup.  Faith is a living, daring confidence in Jesus Christ.  For Luther, the movement was always personal, always an inner struggle with God and the neighbor to live as Christ.  It was a struggle against sin, death, and the devil.  It was a struggle to love the neighbor, the enemy, the ignorant coworker, one’s wife and children. 

But salvation is given and received, it is not earned or rewarded.  The only condition of salvation is faith in God and in his son Jesus, a faith which is given by the Holy Spirit.  Faith is a particular way of seeing.  Even seeing God hidden in suffering, in struggle, and human failing.

 Zacchaeus was a Jew. Not a very good one according to most.  In fact, he had made full use of his privilege as chief tax collector, a member of the Roman occupation bureaucracy set to oppress his own people, by abusively forcing taxation and collection, with threats of prison and death carried out by Roman soldiers at his suggestion.  Luther said,  “The Lord commonly gives riches to foolish people, to whom he gives nothing else.” Zacchaeus was increasingly troubled in his spirit about the damage he’d done and about is own status among his people.  He was rich, but despised.  And his wealth was gained by exploitation and violent oppression.  He hated what he had become.  So when he heard about Jesus, teacher of mercy and forgiveness, he wanted to see for himself.  Some said Jesus was the Messiah, sent by God to restore Israel.  ON his way to Jericho, just hours before, Jesus had supposedly restored the sight of a blind beggar.  Recovery of sight to the blind.  So Zacchaeus climbed a tree to get a view from the back of the large crowd from Jericho who had come out to meet Jesus on the road.  Jesus must’ve asked someone who that little man was perched in the sycamore tree like a sparrow.  Zaccahaeus, our chief tax collector, a fiend.  Did the crowds boo when Jesus approached the tree, called him by name and told him to come down so that he could host Jesus in his house that day?  They grumbled, He’s going to that sinner’s house? Anger and envy swept through the crowd.    Whatever they did, didn’t matter.  Zacchaeus came down and stood before Jesus.  Something broke open inside and he declared, “  “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”  He will exceed the demands of the Law to set things right.  WHY?  To impress Jesus?  Or because meeting Jesus changed his heart?  We cannot know.  But Jesus declares, “Today Salvation has come to this house.”  In Christ, it is not your past or your future that are in question.  It is this present moment.  Salvation is both release from a troubled and sinful past and a promise of future glory in the coming kingdom.  But chiefly salvation is what is happening for you in the present moment.  What is God doing for you right now.  How is God’s Spirit changing the human heart right now, calming fear, bringing peace, offering comfort to troubled souls?  This is the ministry of the Gospel.  To apply the salve to the wounded heart. If the Zaccaheus’ can change, there is hope for everyone.  Salvation leads us to work that reconciles, work that heals, work that blesses others.  Salvation opens our hearts to serve our neighbors. 

Luther says that in Christ we are freed from sin to love and serve the neighbor.  It is this freedom that makes us disciples. The liberating grace of God that changes the human heart and makes us children of God and heirs of eternal life.  Today, the church is undergoing a season of reform.  Every 500 years or so, we need to do some housecleaning.  Freshen things up a bit.  Fix what’s broken.  In a divisive world, we see signs of healing of the old division between Catholics and Lutherans.  We are becoming something new.  As a church, we will not be what we were. We are becoming smaller, older and younger, and more attuned to the needs of our neighbors.  We must remain rooted in the Word as the source of our mission, faith, and life together.  And above all else, we put our trust in Christ who by the cross and resurrection has set us free from sin to serve all people with generosity and joy.  We do not celebrate schism.  We do not celebrate Lutheran doctrines that set us apart or make us more right than any other religious group.  We celebrate the grace of God made known to us by faith in Jesus Christ.  We celebrate that today salvation has come to this house as each of us here encounters the life changing Word, are fed and forgiven and sent to serve. Today, we are the church because we have heard good news that we have to share.  May we do so boldly, with confidence, for our neighbors.  Amen.        

All the Saints

Today is November 1st, All Saints Day.  Christians have observed this day for centuries, perhaps since the first millennia.  (Before 1,000 AD).  It is a day to remember the Christian faithful who have died, or fallen asleep, and now await the day of resurrection.   We often associate saints with people like Mother Theresa, Francis of Assisi, and Augustine.  And they are.  The Apostles of Jesus, early Christian martyrs, and desert monks are Saints, whose devotion to Christ accounts for the spread of Christianity in the first 500 years.  There are hundreds of saints, whose lives of very public faith, witness, and service demonstrate Christ to the world.  Roman Catholicism venerates saints, prays to saints, and celebrates saints throughout the Christian year. 

But, sainthood is not an unattainable condition merited to only the most devoted practitioners of Christianity.  Saints are not perfect people, or those who attained some special place because of their virtue.  Beyond the martyrs and holy ones who led exemplary lives, saints include all baptized Christians.  Saints live ordinary lives of faith and doubt.  Saints go to the bathroom and house the homeless.  Saints worship God weekly, pray daily, and eat at McDonalds.  Saints follow Jesus and follow the Chicago Cubs.

In my life, my parents and my pastors and Sunday School teachers were my saints.  They guided me, taught me, loved me, and called me into a life of Christian faith.  Bernie Gigliotti was one of the first people to encourage me to think about becoming an ordained pastor.  I still see him sitting on the pew in the narthex of Our Saviour Lutheran in Utica, NY.  I still receive meaningful counsel and inspiration from the compilation of Daily Readings from Luther's Writings given to me as a gift from Pastor Bill Preuss at a church assembly in 1994---two years before I graduated from college and seven years before I would be ordained.  I believe that assembly, filled with the saints, inspired me to serve the church as a pastor and evangelist. 

My wife and sons show their devotion to Christ every week as they share their gifts with the faith community.  My friends who gather around the table every Sunday, hungry for God to speak and give life to them, embody the life of ordinary saints.  We drink beer together.  We care about and for one another.  We struggle with each other.  We encourage each other.  We pray for each other and for the world.  We hope for things to get better and strive to be part of that hard healing work.  We feed hungry neighbors.  We grow food.  We accompany people through hard decisions, through illness, through seasons of suffering.  We try to live in community, to serve our neighbors, and to do things that matter. 

Martin Luther had this to say about ordinary saints:  "You say that the sins which we commit everyday offend God, and therefore we are not saints.  To this I reply;  Mother love is stronger than the filth and scabbiness on a child, and so the love of God toward us is stronger than the dirt that clings to us."   

If you're reading this, you are probably a saint who has inspired me in some way.  So, thank you.  You have shown the love of Christ to me and to others.  You are blessed.     

Reluctant Messenger

WORD: Jonah 3-4

"The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, ²‘Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.’ ³So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. ⁴Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, ‘Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ ⁵And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. ⁷Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. ⁸Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. ⁹Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.’
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it."

I haven't written in a while.  I've been neglecting or avoiding this part of my call.  I know that I am called to write, to share a message of hope that comes from a heart and a mind of faith.  I have a lot to say.  But I have not wanted to say it.  I have been discouraged.  I have been tired.  I have been weary.  I have felt indifferent.  I have wondered why I am called here.  I have been frustrated with church, with myself, and with the uncivil national public debate. We are living in dark times, people.  We do not know right from wrong, good from bad, up from down.  There is mass confusion caused by a deep mistrust in institutions that used to be sources of truth.  Religious institutions are so divided that they are not trustworthy. There is political gridlock and real animosity.  The election of 2016 is symptomatic of some deeper problems.  Let's call it a crisis on every level; personal, communal, and national.  I have been reluctant to speak against the current situation.  Not unlike Jonah.   

Jonah is a reluctant prophet.  A prophet is someone who speaks a message of truth, a message from God.  The message is often discomforting, a little scary, and hard to hear.  It usually deals with infidelity and disobedience in the relationship between God and God's people.  Often social, racial, and economic justice are themes of the prophet.  Some prophets suggested that God is more interested in human equality and the ethical treatment of vulnerable people than in religious ceremonies and rituals.  Also, there are false prophets.  And discerning between true and false ones is important.  True prophets are often reluctant, unexpected, humble, and yet powerful in their delivery. Jonah is an authentic prophet. 
Jonah did not go to Nineveh the first time he heard God call and send him there.  Jonah despised the people who lived there.  He saw them as evil people, unworthy of God's mercy.  And because he believed that God was merciful, he feared that God was going to use him to announce mercy to those who didn't deserve it.  Jonah wanted God to destroy Nineveh. 
God will have God's way with us, though.  Eventually, after a stormy night and a fishy rescue, Jonah reluctantly goes to Nineveh.  He walked into the city and gave the least inspiring message that he could possibly give.  "In forty Days, Nineveh will be overthrown."  That is the entire message.  Seven words of pending doom.  Notice, Jonah does not say that God will destroy Nineveh.  His delivery was simple, powerful, and effective. 
Upon hearing this word, the people receive it and undertake a massive city wide day of humility. Even the King gets involved, decreeing a day of repentance, in the hope that God's mind might be changed by their changed behavior.  They hope to avoid the path of destruction by heeding the warning and taking public action.  As a result, God does change God's mind and does not bring calamity and destruction upon them.

Words matter.  Jonah announced a hard truth to the people.  They were not living in a way that was good, just, or pleasing to God.  But, people can change. The Ninevites publicly shame themselves.  They want to avoid divine wrath.  They fear that they are indeed destroying themselves.  I suspect people know when things are going in the wrong direction.   
God shows mercy, undeserved forbearance.  God changes from anger to compassion. 

We are called to speak hard truths.  God is not responsible for our self-destructive ways.  There is no one to blame but ourselves.  But there may be another chance.  We may get to try again.  We may get to make amends.  Guilt that leads to positive change is healthy guilt. Sometimes, hearing the truth is both painful and necessary. 

If I was told that I was going to lose everything unless I stopped doing something, would I stop doing it?  Would you?  What if I did stop, and my life got somehow better?  Would I tell others my story?
As we stand together on a precipice, what do we do?  What do we believe?  What matters to us?
I believe in the power of mercy, forbearance, and the prospect of justice.  I believe our political life can get better, if we learn to trust one another and see one another as brothers and sisters and not enemies. I believe that God sends messengers to tell us the truth, to wake us up, and call us to acknowledge our weaknesses and explore the possibility of our better selves.  I believe I am sometimes called to be that prophetic voice.  And so are you,  So pay attention.  Someone greater than Jonah is coming.

Reluctant Messenger

WORD: Jonah 3-4

"The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, ²‘Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.’ ³So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. ⁴Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, ‘Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ ⁵And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. ⁷Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. ⁸Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. ⁹Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.’
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it."

I haven't written in a while.  I've been neglecting or avoiding this part of my call.  I know that I am called to write, to share a message of hope that comes from a heart and a mind of faith.  I have a lot to say.  But I have not wanted to say it.  I have been discouraged.  I have been tired.  I have been weary.  I have felt indifferent.  I have wondered why I am called here.  I have been frustrated with church, with myself, and with the uncivil national public debate. We are living in dark times, people.  We do not know right from wrong, good from bad, up from down.  There is mass confusion caused by a deep mistrust in institutions that used to be sources of truth.  Religious institutions are so divided that they are not trustworthy. There is political gridlock and real animosity.  The election of 2016 is symptomatic of some deeper problems.  Let's call it a crisis on every level; personal, communal, and national.  I have been reluctant to speak against the current situation.  Not unlike Jonah.   

Jonah did not go to Nineveh the first time he heard God call and send him there.  Jonah despised the people who lived there.  He saw them as evil people, unworthy of God's mercy.  And because he believed that God was merciful, he feared that God was going to use him to announce mercy to those who didn't deserve it.  Jonah wanted God to destroy Nineveh. 
God will have God's way with us, though.  Eventually, after a stormy night and a fishy rescue, Jonah reluctantly goes to Nineveh.  He walked into the city and gave the least inspiring message that he could possibly give.  "In forty Days, Nineveh will be overthrown."  That is the entire message.  Seven words of pending doom.  Notice, Jonah does not say that God will destroy Nineveh. 
Upon hearing this word, the people receive it and undertake a massive city wide day of humility. Even the King gets involved, decreeing a day of repentance, in the hope that God's mind might be changed by their changed behavior.  They hope to avoid the path of destruction by heeding the warning and taking public action.  As a result, God does change God's mind and does not bring calamity and destruction upon them.

Words matter.  Jonah announced a hard truth to the people.  They were not living in a way that was good, just, or pleasing to God. People can change. The Ninevites publicly shame themselves.  They want to avoid divine wrath.  They fear that they are indeed destroying themselves.  I suspect people know when things are going in the wrong direction.   
God shows mercy, undeserved forbearance.  God changes from anger to compassion. 

We are called to speak hard truths.  God is not responsible for our self-destructive ways.  There is no one to blame but ourselves.  But there may be another chance.  We may get to try again.  We may get to make amends.  Guilt that leads to positive change is healthy guilt. 

If I was told that I was going to lose everything unless I stopped doing something, would I stop doing it?  Would you?  What if I did stop, and my life got somehow better?  Would I tell others my story?
As we stand together on a precipice, what do we do?  What do we believe?  What matters to us?
I believe in the power of mercy, forbearance, and the prospect of justice.  I believe our political life can get better, if we learn to trust one another and see one another as brothers and sisters and not enemies. I believe that God sends messengers to tell us the truth, to wake us up, and call us to acknowledge our weaknesses and explore the possibility of our better selves.  So pay attention.  Someone greater than Jonah is coming.      

family detention

22 women are conducting a hunger strike in Leesport, Berks County.  They are Los Madres Berks.  They are being detained with their children by immigration and customs enforcement---the federal government---along with about 43 other women and children.  Many of them have been detained for over 200 days, some for as long as a year.  Their crimes?  They fled violent, impoverished Central American countries with their children and traveled thousands of miles to seek asylum and assistance in the U.S.  They have experienced trauma, abuse, and mistreatment.  They have not experienced protection or merciful justice.  They were arrested at our southern border and brought to the Berks Family Detention Center, one of three family detention centers in the U.S. They are in federal custody in a facility run by Berks county.  They are appealing a court order that blocked their application for asylum, because the process of determining “credible fear” was improperly conducted.   There living conditions are poor.  Children cannot attend schools.  Pennsylvania revoked the facility’s human services license in February because of the conditions under which the children we living.  The county is appealing.  In the meantime, nothing gets better for these women and children. Family detention was started in 2014 as a result of an influx of unaccompanied minors into the U.S. from central America.  Specifically, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. 

On September 6^th, 2016, Christina Smoker, Michael Kelly and I attended an interfaith prayer vigil on the grounds of the detention center.  We joined about 250 others in song, prayer, and protest.  We were joined by Lutheran Immigration and refugee services staff and other Lutherans concerned for immigrants and asylum seekers.  Muslims, Buddhists, Unitarian Universalists, Lutherans, other religious groups, and human rights advocates gathered in unity and solidarity with the madres Berks and their children.  We stood on one side of a fence, on one side of a street.  The women and children stood together opposite us, about 200 yards away.  We were divided by space, but our hearts and voices were united in a common hope. They stood hand in hand and sang in Spanish as we stood together, with candles lit, and sang in English.  They seek freedom, asylum, compassion, mercy, and just treatment.  They fled dreadful lives in their home countries.  They came here.  They were forced to flee because of gang violence and economic poverty.  They want what all mothers want for their children.  They want their children to live, to get educations, and to thrive in safety with opportunity. 

The biblical witness calls the people of God to a stance of welcome and hospitality toward the foreigner, the stranger, and the resident refugee.  Leviticus 19:33-34 and 24:22 says,  "When the alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien.  The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt:  I am the Lord your God.”  Jesus said, "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." Matthew 25.   

As Lutheran Christians, we are called to practice solidarity with and public advocacy for vulnerable peoples.   We are called to demonstrate hospitality and mercy for the least among us. We are called to serve as Christ served us.  Family detention is unjust and unmerciful.  We must call on our government to do better for the sake of these mothers and their children.     

To learn more about family detention and a Lutheran response please go to:  http://lirs.org/immigrationdetention/