the way out, part 1

Scripture: Exodus 1
⁶Then Joseph died, and all his brothers, and that whole generation. ⁷But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.
8 Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. ⁹He said to his people, ‘Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. ¹⁰Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.’ ¹¹Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. ¹²But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. ¹³The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, ¹⁴and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.

Observation:

Exodus is a word that literally means "The Way Out".  The first chapter begins where the book of Genesis left off. Joseph was the great-grandson of Abraham and Sarah--the one's to whom God promised descendants as numerous as the stars and a land flowing with milk and honey as their home.  God promised to be with them in times of trouble and to bless all nations on earth through their faithful obedience to God.  (See Genesis 12-39).  Joseph's story (Genesis 39-50) is a powerful story of sibling jealousy.  His own brothers, envious of Joseph's special relationship with their father, sell Joseph into slavery and tell their father he was killed.  Joseph becomes a servant in Egypt, but because God is with Joseph and gives him the gift of dream interpretation, Joseph rises to the rank of Pharaoh's assistant in charge of the whole agricultural economy of Egypt.  He later reconciles with his brothers, who come to Egypt for food during a time of famine.  Joseph rises from slavery to power, using his power to serve the nations--including both Egypt and Israel.
Now, the story continues several generations later.  And the numerous people of Israel, now immigrant workers in Egypt, are enslaved for purposes of political control.  Their status as respected foreigners is denied and they are forced to make bricks and build Egyptian walls.  In spite of the ruthless Egyptians harsh treatment of the Israelites, they continue to multiply and spread.  The population growth was alarming to the Pharaoh, who feared that they might become an opposing army and a threat to his rule.

Application:  The fear politics of Pharaoh persist today in our own country.  As we hear Presidential candidates talk about deporting hard-working immigrants from this country;  as we hear Donald Trump say that as president he would force Mexicans to build a border wall; As we realize that the mass incarceration of people of color in the U.S. is a new form of white power and control over them; As we hear anti-Muslim rhetoric and the suggestion that a proper use of power would be to round up, identify, or even ban Muslims from the U.S., we hear this Exodus story and don't have to wonder whose side God will be on.  Empire will protect itself at its own destruction.  (As we will witness in the Exodus story).  God provides a way out for those who are oppressed, enslaved, and abused.  We see the growth in the Hispanic population in the U.S. over the last few decades right alongside the fear politics.  Reading the bible alongside current events can reveal God's mind and intentions in the present day, as in the past.  The bible is not a self-help book on personal growth, contrary to what many evangelical leaders might suggest (Joel Osteen, in particular).  It has political stories in it that reveal divine justice.  It tells these stories from the perspective of the marginalized, the oppressed, the bottom of the human pyramid.  We see a God who lifts up those who are pushed down by the powerful and privileged.  For us, the sign of God's grace is found in the multiplication of his people.  Even in times of suffering, God's plan to spread his promised blessings persist and overcome.  No ruler on earth can deny God's power.  All we can do is surrender to it.  So, do not be afraid.  God will establish justice, sometimes with us and through us and sometimes in spite of us.  May it come to us and through us and for us all. 

Prayer:  Lord, we pray for immigrants and their families; we pray for Mexicans and Muslims.  We pray that you would raise up faithful leaders in this nation, who will treat all people with dignity and respect.  Amen.  
          
    

restored

Scripture: Psalm 126

¹When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
  then were we like those who dream.
 ²Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
  and our tongue with shouts of joy.
 ³Then they said among the nations,
  “The Lord has done great things for them.”
 ⁴The Lord has done great things for us,
  and we are glad indeed. 
 ⁵Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
  like the watercourses of the Negev.
 ⁶Those who sowed with tears
  will reap with songs of joy.
 ⁷Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed,
  will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves. 

Observation:

In 587 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (present-day Iran) led his army into Jerusalem and burned the city to the ground.  Many Jews were slaughtered.  Many were deported back to Babylon as forced labor.  Those who remained were left to starve in the barren city streets.  This initial crisis was followed by 70 years of exile for the Jewish people.  Uprooted.  No temple ( the location of their God and of their ritual religious sacrifices was destroyed).  The question, "Why has God allowed this to happen to us, God's chosen people?" generated a lot of creativity.  The Jews remained faithful apart from the temple by focusing on their sacred writings (the torah---1st five books of the Hebrew bible).  Rabbis and synagogues were established in exile to remember God's promises and mighty deeds.  Many of the prophets' writings (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) and a lot of the book of Genesis came out of this period. Their hope was rooted in their history.  God had rescued them before and God would rescue them again.  They trusted God's goodness and mercy.  And so they were resilient as they waited patiently for God.  And after 70 years, they were freed and sent home---a new generation.  They would be conquered and threatened again and again.  In the 1st century world of Jesus.  Even in the 20th century.  But they remain because they have experienced God's faithfulness, power,and liberating intervention on their behalf.

Application:

I love this Psalm.  The first line is poetry to me.  Zion is another name for Jerusalem, the holy city.  It is an endearing name for 'home.'  Exile and return, deportation and homecoming, wandering and settling, slavery and freedom.  These are major themes in the bible.  Because the bible was written from the perspective of the losers and not the winners,the defeated and not the victors; the weak and not the great.  These are people who have known suffering, oppression, traumatic violence, and despair.  But they have the most powerful weapon of all---Hope.  This Psalm is hopeful.  A season of weeping will be replaced by one of laughter.  Sowing seeds with tears will end with a  harvest of joy.  They will be restored.  They will go home again. The hopeful yearning of these people made them resilient.  The God of the bible doesn't prevent suffering, but shows compassion to those who suffer and brings justice to the oppressed by setting them free.  Death and resurrection is the gospel's version of this perpetual story.  Restoration and healing, justice and freedom don't always happen in a single life time.  Generational change is the way God works.  Dr. King said, "The moral arc of the universe is long and it is bent toward justice."  When we get discouraged in our part of Jesus' mission to end poverty and the world's many injustices, we remember this Psalm, the stories of exile and return, the story of Jesus the healer who is wounded and killed and raised from the dead.  His story will be ours.  We are invited to keep the dream alive, the dream of a restored creation.  Where do you see suffering and injustice?  What brings you hope? 

Prayer:

Lord we pray for refugees, and for any people separated from loved ones by war, incarceration, or borders.  Give them hope to trust in your promise to restore their fortunes one day. Amen.

the dogs

Scripture: Mark 7

24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre.^* He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, ²⁵but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. ²⁶Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ ²⁸But she answered him, ‘Sir,^* even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ ²⁹Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.’ ³⁰So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Observation:

Jesus has basically left Israel and entered a predominantly Gentile territory.  He is in what is now  Lebanon.  He has just finished teaching his position on Kosher cleanliness laws that set Jews apart from non-Jews.  Jesus rejects these laws as the basis of morality and religious exclusivity.  He says that what comes out of the human heart, not what one eats or does not eat,determines how faithful someone is.  Its not how badly you eat that determines what kind of a person you are, but how badly you treat other people.
And then he meets a woman whose daughter is possessed. Think of her daughter as a heroin addict.  Or struggling with severe schizophrenia. This woman somehow hears about Jesus (his message and mission precede him, he is known beyond the borders of Israel now).  She comes seeking help.  He flatly and rudely denies her.  Because she is a "dog", a non-Jewish woman---a nobody to a righteous Jewish rabbi.  He says, "the children are fed first."  Jesus is prejudiced against her.  But her humble and bold response lets him know that she believes he alone can and should help her.  So he does. If he had rejected her, would his mission fail to expand and welcome Gentile women?  And what would that have meant for the future of his movement? Jesus' teaching is put to an actual test.  How far does inclusion in God's kingdom go?  Who is eligible for help, for God's mercy, for Jesus' life-giving power?  Who is ineligible?     

Application:  

Have you ever been ignored, rejected, or disqualified from anything because of your race, ethnicity, culture, language?  If not, you experience privilege.  Many people experience daily ineligibility and denied access because of those things.  Because of skin color or metal illness.  Prejudice and privilege seem to be natural expressions of the human condition.  And yet, we are called to a higher way.  Jesus' heart and mind was changed by a mother's tenacious, pride-swallowing insistence that Jesus help her daughter.  Dorothy Day, activist, said "I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least."     Being on mission with Jesus will take us to new territory, outside of our safe, comfortable, suburban worlds.  We will encounter people who are not like us.  Will we embrace and help them?  Or will we deny and reject them?  Who do I love the least? Who are the "dogs" God intends for us to welcome and serve? 

Prayer:

Jesus, as a Lebanese mother once challenged and changed your mind, so now challenge and change us so that we might see the person or people you need us to love and serve.  Open our eyes to see and our arms to receive with mercy those who are suffering on the margins of community.  Amen.   
   
    

majoring in the minors

Scripture: Mark 7

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, ²they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. ³(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands,^* thus observing the tradition of the elders; ⁴and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it;^* and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.^*) ⁵So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not live^* according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’ ⁶He said to them, ‘Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,
“This people honors me with their lips,
   but their hearts are far from me;
⁷ in vain do they worship me,
   teaching human precepts as doctrines.”
⁸You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.’ 9 Then he said to them, ‘You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! ¹⁰For Moses said, “Honor your father and your mother”; and, “Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.” ¹¹But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, “Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban” (that is, an offering to God^*)— ¹²then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, ¹³thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this.’

Observation:

An initial read of this story suggests that there is some internal conflict or debate within first century Judaism having to do with interpretations of Scripture (the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament) and human-formed religious traditions or rules.  Like most religions and cultures, there were purity rules that were followed to one degree or another.  These cleanliness laws protected people from disease (thought to be related to evil spirits and the power of sin in the world).   We know a lot more about the spread of infection now.  And we know that washing hands is important for prevention.  No one today would argue that purity rules are important in avoiding the spread of infection.  So, what's Jesus' point?  Apparently, Jesus' followers were not participating in the routine purity practices around meals.  They were ignoring these traditions and eating with dirty hands. This disobedience marked them as "unclean" or "impure" and kept them outside the "safe community".  But Jesus turns the matter onto their accusers,  the religious leaders. He suggests that they are living as hypocrites, ignoring what truly matters in order to follow their "human traditions". They validate their own sense of "holiness" or "righteousness" as God's people, while excluding people who do not observe the way they do.  Jesus is intolerant of traditions and routines that create insiders and outsiders.  He's even angry about the way they use the rules to ignore greater responsibilities. 

Application:

We can get stuck in routines, patterns, and habits that distract us from doing the things that truly matter.  Churches (late 20th century American congregations) have too often "majored in the minors"---focusing energy and resources on things that matter only to a few "insiders" but mean nothing to the rest of the neighborhood, community, or world.  Church buildings and pipe organs became religious idols that determined a congregation's financial stewardship.  I have heard congregational leaders say, "We can't take care of the community until we take care of ourselves first".  It's no wonder so many people have abandoned American religion.
But Jesus' movement did not have a building (not even the temple) or a fancy instrument.  The only instruments were the voices and the healing hands of his followers.  We need to be discerning and critical of any religious requirement that threatens to take us off mission and message   The mission and message are reconciliation, forgiveness, healing, and inclusion of those who have been rejected, cast out, or marginalized in any way.  We are called to embrace those as beloved children of the one God.   And when routines, rituals, or religious activity gets in the way of the people we're supposed to care about, then we ought to stop doing them. 

Prayer:

Lord, you are critical of religious people who care a lot about minor things, but are indifferent toward major things; congregations and churches that care about furniture and instruments, but do not care about racial or economic injustice.  Keep us focused on the people and things that you care about.  Give us hearts that beat like yours.  Amen.  

an adverse wind

Scripture:  Mark 6:45-52.

45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
47 When evening came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. ⁴⁸When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by. ⁴⁹But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; ⁵⁰for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ ⁵¹Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, ⁵²for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

Observation:

After a day of teaching and feeding hungry people, Jesus spends time alone in the mountains in prayer.  He sends the disciples on ahead of him.  They experience an adverse wind on the lake.  Without Jesus, they struggle to make headway.  I always wondered about Jesus' intention to pass them by.  But they do see him walking on the water and are afraid.  As soon as he enters the boat, the wind stops.  I also wonder about the last sentence; "they were utterly astounded for they did not understand about the loaves, but their heart were hardened".  What did the mutliplication of loaves have to do with their astonishment about Jesus' power to walk on water?  And what does hard heartedness have to do with this story?  Are they struggling to comprehend his power?  Are they failing to understand his identity as God's anointed messenger?  They fail to perceive the truth about Jesus. 

Application:

It's difficult to understand Jesus' actions and abilities.  He is fully human like me and you; and he is somehow different.  He is able to do things we cannot do.  He walks on water.  He calms waves.  He multiplies loaves of bread.  He has enough energy to teach, heal, and feed thousands of people and then abandons his disciples to remain alone on a mountain to pray.  He causes fear and says "Don't be afraid."  The disciples are entering D2, a season of conscious incompetence.  They will fail to understand or believe Jesus, even while they watch and listen and experience him in action every day. 
Think of a time when you struggle to comprehend something that was taking place; when you had a hard time learning something.  We all have these challenges.  They are part of any learning process.  We hit a wall, a point of uncertainty, a moment of doubt when we fail to comprehend.  Any life of faith that is real will encounter a D2 period, when one does not know or understand.  God is gracious and patient with us when we do.  It is necessary for growth to go through these times.  We must face the harsh headwinds of uncertainty and ignorance, in order to experience the calm and peace of new understanding.  This moment on the water will begin to prepare the disciples for another experience, in which they will see Jesus and not know how he is alive with them.  Perhaps then they will remember this time and trust that what they are seeing is possible and real.  Sometimes God gives us experiences we don't understand that will only become clear to us in the future.    

Prayer:

Lord, sometimes we don't understand you, what you're doing or what you're teaching us.  Be gracious and patient with us. Encourage us to keep following you, even when we fail to perceive your powerful presence.  Amen.

rebels, rule-followers, and rescuers

Based on Luke 15 and the story of the Father and his two sons.

Grace and peace from God the Father and the savior Jesus Amen.

Two people.  Two very different worlds.  The rebel and the rule-follower.  The rebel resists authority; the rebel is self-indulgent, following his or her passions or cravings; the rebel is not typically religious unless it benefits him or herself; the rebel is not concerned with the law, sees himself as above the law, is willing to break the law for selfish gain.  They are not interested in rewards or entitlements, they prefer to take what they want; The rebel values personal freedom above all else, even if the exercise of that freedom hurts others; The rebel likes chaos; the rebel is often not a planner; The rebel takes risks, chooses adventure over stability; they want to have fun; and thinks rule followers are hypocrites.  The rebel lives excessively and love extravagance and likes to share it with others; They think everyone should be a rebel.

The rule follower despises the rebel; they value obedience above all else; they follow authority whether they agree or not; the rule follower is self-righteous and judges others based on the rules they follow; non-compliance is a betrayal, treasonous; rule-followers believe in conditional rewards and entitlements, they expect to be rewarded for good behavior;  the rule-follower is religious because it’s right to be so and because they anticipate a reward for fidelity; They think you get what you deserve; they practice stability, consistency, hard work, thoughtful planning, thriftiness, discipline. Think boy scout.  They appreciate simplicity.  They think everyone should be a rule-follower and those who are not should be punished. 

Now, a show of hands---who self-describes as a rebel?  A rule-follower?  Neither?  Then you’re a rebel.  Unless you don’t think you are…then you’re a rule follower. 

Some of you might think, I’m a little of both.  These are generalized caricatures, to be sure. And there’s a dark side and a light side to both, right?  We can identify people who conform to these persona though, can’t we?  There are people who rigidly follow the rules and people who go their own way.  We admire people who are purists in both camps.  Superman is a rule follower.  Batman is a rebel.  You can be either of these and be rich or poor, educated or uneducated, black or white, man or woman.  These types cross cultural, social, economic borders.  Because they speak of the human condition.  Think of famous pairings; Cain and Abel.  Jacob and Esau. Laverne and Shirley; Bert and Ernie.      

The whole gospel is contained in the story we heard this morning.  It’s a story told to self-righteous rule-following religious Pharisees and rebellious tax collectors and sinners; It’s a story about these two brothers; the rebel and the rule follower.  The younger son demands his inheritance, one third of the family property.  He wants it immediately, thus abandoning his place as a son, and rejecting his father.  You get an inheritance after all when a loved one dies.  And his father divides it up.  He had to sell off a third of his livestock and land to pay off the younger son. This will affect retirement and the elder son’s inheritance. No one in their right mind does what the father does.  But people do.  More often than we care to discuss. 

The younger son takes off to another country.  Spends all the money on lavish living. He goes broke and a famine strikes; when he runs out of everything, he gets a job slopping pigs on a farm.  This is rock bottom for the Pharisees in the room. Can we get a collective “EW”?  Thanks.  When he’s finally realized how bad things are, he comes up with a plan.  Highly unrebel-like. He rehearses a speech. He doesn’t expect entitlements.  He’s willing to be hired as a laborer. He’s still not willing to be the son.

He makes his way home.  And then the father runs out to him.  He does not wait for the son to come groveling.  He meets him on the road.  The son starts his routine.  I wonder if he thought the father might beat him.  Instead he embraces and kisses him.  Go get the best robe in the house (his own robe), the ring and prepare a feast.  The son is reinstated, restored, welcomed, received.  He hardly apologizes. He shows up dirty and broke.  And the Father throws him a party?  What? No consequences?  He says, “he was dead and is alive again, lost and has been found.”

The elder son catches wind of it and refuses to join the fun.  Not sure this guy would know fun if it bit him in the you know where.  He’s angry, bitter, indignant.  When the Father leaves the party to beg him to come in, the elder son says, “All these years I have slaved for you and never disobeyed you but you never gave me even a goat to have a party with my friends; but when this son of yours (denying brotherhood) who spent all your money on prostitutes comes home, you through him a party?  He sees himself as a slave, not a son.  And he doesn’t want a relationship with the father either, just enough reward to enjoy a dinner with friends.  Of course reinstatement means the elder’s inheritance will be divided with the younger again, so he’ll get less than 2/3 of the original estate.   

The Father is concerned about only one thing; Coming home.  My sons are with me.  He is willing to share everything with both of them.  He is mostly concerned about the younger, who was dead and is alive, lost and is now found.”  Will the elder son come around and embrace his younger brother? Will they live happily ever after? What does this teach us?

Jesus represents a third person, another way.  The reconciling rescuer.  He stands between the two groups, the two brothers.  He welcomes the younger rebels home with open arms (he eats with them) and invites the elder rule followers to open their hearts and do the same.  Jesus comes to rescue us from ourselves and to reconcile us to one another and to the father who loves us all extravagantly, absurdly, and unconditionally.  Jesus represents the rule-follower who loves to be with the rebels. He restores the only condition of our humanity that truly matters; we are one family to the God and Father who loves us all. Come home, he says.  Come home.   Amen.