16 Pentecost Proper 21 Yr C Sept 29th 2019

Audio  16 Pentecost Proper 21 Yr C Sept 29^th 2019

Amos 6:1a,4-7, Psalm 146, 1 Timothy 6:6-19, Luke 16:19-31

Luke just doesn't let up on us, at all, ever. One parable more difficult and confusing than the last. The kingdom of God is like... layers of meaning, what it seems like on first blush may not be what it really is about. There was a certain rich man, who feasted luxuriously every day, and at his gate lay a certain poor man named Lazarus, all Lazarus wanted was to eat the crumbs the rich man dropped. Well, remember one of the themes of Luke's gospel is wealth, so is this parable about wealth, and its proper use?

Well, Lazarus died, and was carried by angels to Abraham's side, Abraham, the father of Israel. The rich man died and was tormented in the place of the dead. This is clearly a judgement about the proper use of wealth, and the rich man gets it in the end, right? There's more to prove that, Lazarus is being comforted, and the rich man is in great pain, the crevasse between is unbridgeable. There is a chasm between good and bad, rich and poor, it is all clear and easy to understand. Well now, that would not be a parable, would it?

So the rich man does not want his five brothers to come to this place of agony, and he wants Lazarus to warn his brothers to repent. It must be about repentance. Is it about wealth, judgement, repentance? It is about all of these things, it is a parable after all.

But in the end, is it about resurrection? In the end, is it about how life is to be lived while living? Abraham said, "If they don't listen to Moses and the Prophets, then neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead." In the end, is it really about living? It is not about the reward at the end, it is about the life that Jesus inaugurated on the cross and in the resurrection. It is about the whole new life and the whole new world that Jesus makes real for us, for God's creation. It is about the amazing and abundant love now, in this life, that causes us to be workers for justice, for peace, for healing, for compassion. And is it about Luke's counsel and concern regarding wealth.

It is about our riches, our wealth. A priest in the Diocese of Utah, Lyn, told me this story, it's a story about incarnation. It's a story about showing up with and for people. It's a story about the real presence of Jesus. It's a story about an embarrassment of riches, and it's a story of gratitude. Lyn says, one day she answered the phone at her church, and there was an unfamiliar voice at the other end. He said he needed some help. Now, in this business, when you get a phone call like that, you stop listening and wait for the ask. Sometimes you want to stop the speaker and just say, how much money do you need? Lyn listened, and was surprised that what the caller wanted was prayer. He had just seen a doctor and was afraid of what the doctor might tell him, he had a young daughter, but no one else. He just wanted someone to pray with and for him. Lyn did, she prayed with him. He told her he would let her know how it all turned out.

Rich and poor don't always look like we think they should look like. We are rich. We are rich in our community. Any one of you comes right here, to this place, and asks for prayer. And we, your community, envelope you in love, in prayer, in support. We accompany you on your healing journey. You have family, you have friends, you are rich. After your diagnosis, or after your surgery, you have a list of people to call to tell about how it's going. A whole list. This man, who asked for Lyn to pray with him, had one phone call to make after the doctor gave him the news, one phone call, to Lyn. And the news he delivered was good. Lyn could celebrate with him.

This is what incarnation looks like. It looks like showing up with and for others. It is bearing God's love and God's hope and God's dream for the world in our very beings. It is bringing healing into brokenness, and it is bringing love to bear when hate is all around.

It is seeing, really seeing, The rich man in our story never paid heed to Lazarus in life, never. Seeing, is a very big deal. And the rich man's eyes are blind to Lazarus. Before you can have compassion for people, you have to see them, look into their eyes, and see, acknowledge their presence, their needs, and gifts, and above all their status as a beloved and blessed child of God.

So I think this is Luke's point, Luke urges us to gratitude, and thankfulness for the abundant life that comes through Jesus' resurrection, the new life that Jesus affects. And that brings us to seeing, really seeing those around us and around our neighborhoods and around our schools, and around the world as God's beloved children deserving our care, attention, and friendship. And Luke says to us give, give out of your richness, whatever that richness looks like.

Luke says to us that this reality that we celebrate each time we gather for a meal, each time we come to this table, each time we say together, Risen Lord, be known to us in the breaking of the bread, we, crumb by crumb, drop by drop, live into the new creation Jesus makes us into. We see, we experience, the fullness of life God intends and offers, and we embrace the people God has set in our path.

Luke tells us in this parable that through the gift of Jesus, the gift of incarnation, the gift of resurrection, God with us in the flesh, God with us in the spirit, we are made new creations, and the character and quality of our lives today matter. Not because we do good things to earn a reward, but because first and foremost we are loved. Eternal life is not a distant reality, it starts now. It starts with Jesus’ relationship with us. Eternal life is life in its fullness now, given to us through God who loves us.

And we respond to that gift by giving from our richness, from our abundance. We respond to that gift by really seeing the people around us. Jesus is in our midst.

Always remembering, if it isn’t about love, it isn’t about God. Amen.

175th Anniversary Celebration at Trinity Episcopal Church

 



Audio The Rev. David Boyd, Keynote address, 175th Anniversary Celebration, September 21st, 2019

Audio The Rev. David Boyd, preacher, 175th Anniversary Celebration, September 22nd, 2019

14 Pentecost Proper 19 Yr C September 15 2019

Audio  14 Pentecost Proper 19 Yr C September 15, 2019

Exodus 32:7-14, Psalm 51:1-11, 1 Timothy 1:12-17, Luke 15:1-10

What does the kingdom of God look like? First the lost sheep, then the lost coin, and lastly the lost son. These three stories, taken together, show us that Jesus crosses boundaries to find and collect those who are lost, and they show us the exuberance and abundance of God’s grace and love, and the celebration when one is found.

Jesus hangs out with undesirable people. Or at least people the Pharisees thought were undesirable. The Pharisees were a group of religious people who kept some pretty rigid standards about who was acceptable and what made them acceptable. The Pharisees were what was called the purity movement. Not only were they the gatekeepers but they also were the rule makers. What was very important to the Pharisees was that standards were kept, therefore, those who did not meet those standards were not welcome, especially when it came to eating.

But something was different about Jesus. Jesus was raised in a good Jewish home, by good Jewish parents, but Jesus began to cross some lines, blur some boundaries, make people uncomfortable. The tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen, and Jesus was eating with them. In fact, large crowds of people would sit on hillsides and in parks to listen to what he had to say. The Pharisees were looking on, they were listening in on what Jesus was saying, and watching for who Jesus was eating with. This is the setting in which these stories, these parables, about the lost things takes place.

The sheep is lost. It has wandered off, ninety-nine sheep left behind, and the shepherd goes out to find that one darned sheep. The shepherd looks and looks and finally there it is. The shepherd wraps this sheep in his arms, cradles it across his shoulders, tucked around his neck, where the shepherd can feel its heartbeat, slowing with every step, calming with every assurance, you’ll be ok, I’ve got you now.

One coin, out of ten, was lost. The woman lights a lamp, sweeps the house, and searches diligently until she finds it. And when she does, she invites her friends to come and rejoice with her.

The third story is left out of our lectionary, the story of the lost son, most commonly known as the prodigal son. It’s probably left out today because it is the longest and most detailed of the lost stories, it actually has its own place and time. But the three really need to be considered together. The youngest son in the household demands his inheritance from his father, takes it and leaves. That effectively removes the son from the family and the community, he no longer really exists. After years of excess, the son realizes his mistake, and returns home. The father declares what was lost has now been found, and what was dead is now alive. The father rejoices at the return of his son.

Have you ever felt like that one who is lost? Have you ever wandered, wondered, if you would ever be found again, scooped up in the arms of anyone who loves you? You may know what that embrace feels like. But maybe not, maybe that return and embrace is yet to come. The one who waits, the shepherd, Jesus, anticipates your return.

Don’t you hate that feeling of losing someone in a crowd? The initial panic of “Where’d he go?” followed immediately by “Oh my God he’s lost!” Even when it’s just for a minute. We were at the Minnesota State Fair when the kids were very young, you all know what those kind of crowds are like. Up near machinery hill, playing on the Rainbow Playsets, and all of a sudden our son Tom is gone. We panic, and look desperately for him, convinced someone has snatched him and run off with him. And the god-awful longest minute later, there he is, running toward us, as panicked as we are, and we snatch him up and hold him tight never to let go again. There is never even a question of leaving the ninety-nine behind, of course I search for the one who is lost.

That one horrible minute of being lost, it’s not about anyone being at fault, it is about the love and compassion in the finding, and in the returning to the arms that enfold, and encourage, and celebrate our return.

Our State Fairs feel like the biggest party on earth. It seems like everyone in the entire state attends, all of humanity is there, all at the same time I am. And the food…the corn on the cob, and the cream puffs, and everything imaginable on a stick.

But the party held at the return of the one who was lost, is even bigger and better than any State Fair. Because, like the State Fair, no one is left out, every darn person is invited, even people I would never have invited to my party, there are people there I would never have eaten a pronto pup next to in any other place or at any other time.

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.

The story of the lost sheep, the story of the lost coin, and the story of the lost son, help us to see how deeply Luke believes that this great feast, this great banquet, this amazing meal, is the portrait of the kingdom of God. In those stories, what was lost is found, what was dead is alive, and the celebration begins. In the third story, the lost son, we never find out if the older son, the one who was loyal and never got himself lost, ever joined in the celebration. He may very well have missed out because he was so angry at his father for welcoming back his brother. Each story shows us an increasing measure of loss and pain. But the measure of that loss and pain is nothing compared to the immensity of the joy of the one who welcomes the lost ones back.

The joy of the one who welcomes back the lost, and the celebration that ensues, shows us what the Kingdom of God looks like. It includes the outcasts and sinners, it includes the expanse of time and space. It includes the fellowship we have around our kitchen tables, our Eucharistic tables, and our soup kitchen tables. It includes even the one who would rather not be included.

I’m reminded of a movie I watched with my kids, over and over. Hook, with Robin Williams, the kingdom table is piled high with all the wild and wonderful things that can be imagined. And the people sitting at that table, are lost boys, battered, bruised, lost, and found.

God’s kingdom table is populated with all those who have turned from God and returned to God. God’s kingdom table is populated with all those younger children who have been reckless, and all those older children who have been loyal. God’s kingdom table is populated with all those who stand on the margins and look in, and those in the center whose gaze is nearsighted. God’s kingdom table is populated with those who wish to be first, and those who are always last. God’s kingdom table is populated with all of us who are scooped up by the joyful, compassionate one, and ride on those shoulders all the way to the celebration. The table is set, the party is ready. Come.

13 Pentecost Proper 18 Yr C Sept 8 2019

This sermon departs from the lectionary on this day because I need to preach from Acts as an assignment for my Doctoral studies. 

Audio  Acts 16:25-34

Sunday September 8

I love a baptism. You all know that. I love the celebration. I love throwing the water around, I love the scent of the oil. I love that together, in the midst of community, we acknowledge that each and every one of us is a precious child of God, and that in some mysterious way that none of us can describe or imagine, God shows up with us, God makes us into community and we are made into a new creation. And I love the party, because, there’s always a party, with cake.

In this story from Acts baptism and hospitality are the response to many things that come before. Paul and Silas are wrongly accused and thrown into prison, they sing hymns, a miracle earthquake frees all the prisoners, the jailer contemplates suicide rather than face the dishonor of having allowed the prisoners to escape, Paul and Silas share the good news, and in response, the jailer and his entire household is baptized and the jailer takes everyone home and tends to their needs, including feeding and healing.

So much is happening in this story, but what I’d like to focus on today are two things, what did the jailer hear and see that caused his transformation and subsequent baptism, and what does that have to do with food and healing.

This jailer lived in a world in which his career and professional prestige are based in his job performance, and this thing that happened that set all the prisoners free, laid all of that to ruins. As far as he was concerned, he was already done for and was contemplating suicide. Paul stopped him, and the jailer asked Paul and Silas what he could do to be saved. Most likely, he wasn’t asking about eternal salvation, he was asking them how he could get out of this disgrace alive. But Paul and Silas must have answered him with a compelling story about Jesus, because at its conclusion, the jailer chose for himself and his entire household to be baptized.

What do you think that jailer heard?

Just imagine Paul, inviting the jailer and all who were related to him, to sit down, and listen. And then Paul tells them everything about Jesus. Maybe Paul’s story went something like this. “There once was someone who did such amazing things and said such wonderful things that people followed him. As they followed him, they heard him talking about a kingdom, but it surely wasn’t like the kingdom that they lived in. It wasn’t like any kingdom they had ever visited. It wasn’t even like any place they had ever heard of. So, they couldn’t help it, they just had to ask, what is this kingdom of heaven like? And Jesus said, it’s a kingdom in which people love their neighbor and even the one’s they do not know. And it’s like when we all sit down at table together, and everyone gets enough to eat and to drink. And Jesus said, share this meal of bread and wine and know that I am with you and among you, do this in remembrance of me, and know that in this meal, in this bread and this wine, in my broken body and blood which is raised up, you are healed.”

We can’t ever really know what Paul and Silas said to the jailer. But surely it was about God’s power and God’s faithfulness. It is a story that changed Paul. It is a story that Paul tells that changed that jailer’s life. He was freed from the shackles that held him prisoner. He heard the good news that the value of his life did not depend on the manner in which the Roman government regarded it. For this jailer life was all about honor and prestige, not anymore. He heard the good news that includes the freedom to be obedient, to be authentic, in spite of all that society may expect of him.

How do we hear the story of Jesus, who is God in the flesh, who lives and dies and rises from the dead? Does it change us, as it changed Paul, as it changed the jailer in this story? Because what Acts narrates for us is a story about being freed to live an alternate existence as an alternate society, today we call that the Jesus movement. Acts shows us that the Roman empire does not offer a community of care, and of healing, of mercy and justice, only this community of followers of Jesus does that. And this new community is a community of rejoicing.

Hospitality, in Acts, is a response to the glory and love of God, and hospitality includes everyone, citizen and foreigner alike. Hospitality here, in this place, in this community, is a response to the glory and love of God and includes everyone. Not only is there body and blood, bread and wine, there is enough for all who come, all who come from the ends of the earth, and from the neighborhood that surrounds us.

This good news caused the jailer and his whole household to receive Jesus. What a great thanksgiving that party must have been. Baptism and hospitality, thanksgiving, sacrament, healing. They are linked. Rejoicing is a response to the gospel. The word Eucharist means thanksgiving, and so what we do together, in this community, every time we gather and even when we are far apart, is to be thankful that we are transformed, made new, in our relationship with Jesus and with others. And we give thanks that we are made in God’s image, that we are baptized into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And we are freed to dine at the table of hospitality, to eat the broken bread which is broken body, and the spilt wine which is blood poured out, the body and the blood, the bread and the wine that makes us whole, that puts the fragments of our lives back together again, that heals us. What other essential activity could be more profoundly sustaining and healing?

Peter and Paul, in the book of Acts, were called to proclaim the Good News of God in Jesus to the ends of the earth. And there was much rejoicing, eating, feeding, healing, and even partying in response to that Good News. Peter and Paul were some of the earliest Jesus followers, they were some of the first of the Jesus movement. You and I are part of that Jesus movement, 2019 years later, and as followers of Jesus, we too are called to proclaim the Good News of God in Jesus. Inside these walls, we proclaim that Good News by welcoming all to this table, to be fed, to be healed. And, outside these walls, where being church is actually lived out, we do the same. We feed people, we feed them with meals delivered, we feed them with meals cooked and served, we feed them with our donations to ECHO and Salvation Army. And we feed them with love, and care and compassion. And in the feeding, we are all made whole once again, our broken lives are put back together, our broken hearts mended. Thanks be to God.