Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 17, Year C, Aug 31 2025

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 17, Year C, Aug 31 2025, 

Christ the King and Holy Nativity, Door County, The Rev. Dr. Kathy Monson Lutes

Jeremiah 2:4-13, Psalm 81:1, 10-16, Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16,Luke 14:1, 7-14

When I receive an invitation to a party, or a picnic, or any gathering of friends, relatives, neighbors, I am thrilled - I don’t get out much. Especially to a wedding or a wedding shower, or a baby shower. I feel like someone wants me, what I can add to the conversation, maybe even my humor. And yet, those social situations continue to challenge me - I was what we called a wall flower in my younger days, today just an introvert. But I love getting the invitation by phone, email, hardly ever a card in the mail though, and I anticipate and prepare, what will I bring, what will I wear.

So I was recently at a social event that causes an introvert apoplexy. And to top it off, I volunteered to be the chair of the event. My 50th high school class reunion. I decided to chair the event because I was in a new place in my life, newly moved back to my hometown, newly retired, still fairly newly widowed. I figured I might as well make new friends - all those whom I had attended high school with and never even spoke to - we return again to the wall flower status. I figured after 50 years we could probably drop our pretenses and expectations, and just catch up on life. So, one of my responsibilities was to get all the information on the website and extend the invitations to our classmates, and then to maintain the list of growing classmates who intended to come to the reunion. I found my excitement rising as I watched with anticipation all those who were registering - people I had remained friends with, and people I only knew by name. I’d never had so much fun throwing a party. 

What we read about in Luke’s gospel today are parties with all sorts of social and cultural expectations attached to them   

Luke, whose main theme is hospitality, tells us a story about Jesus who is going to eat Sunday dinner at the house of a leader of the Pharisees. This is the Sabbath, a day that is held in high esteem, a day set apart from all other days. In the story that Luke is telling us, Jesus observes how the guests take their places, and in response Jesus tells a story about an invitation to a very special meal, a wedding banquet, and another rather ordinary meal, like a luncheon or dinner. So we have before us, a story within a story, and then, another story.

A wedding banquet in 1st century Mediterranean culture would have been nothing like the weddings I’ve been at. It would have gone on for days, and the celebration was always public, everyone in the whole village would have come to the celebration at one time or another. And in fact, there would have been multiple meals all week long. So after Jesus talks about the wedding, he then goes on to describe meals and hospitality sort of generally, giving an accounting for who should be invited. There are many things going on here.

Remember, Jesus tells this parable when he is at a meal in the house of a leader of the Pharisees. You gotta believe the leader of the Pharisees have an agenda in inviting Jesus over, usually, they want to test him, they want to see what he's made of, they want to find out if he is righteous before the law. And so far, in the eyes of the Pharisees, Jesus has failed miserably. He heals on the Sabbath, he eats with sinners and outcasts, and now, he's telling everyone in hearing distance not to invite the important people over for a meal but invite those who cannot return the invitation.

So what is it about? 

What does the kingdom look like in this story?

Who do we invite to come eat with us here at this table? In Hebrews we hear “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

In Jesus’ culture, of the 1st century, the greatest good was one's honor. Of course, you sat at the head of the table, of course you expected those less than you to sit at the lowest place. Of course, you invited the important people, the people who could do something for you, the people who had something you needed. You would not have considered any other way. That's the way the world works. It's really not so much different today. Jesus came among the first century people, as Jesus comes among us and says there is a new way, a way of God's kingdom. And in that kingdom, everyone has honor, everyone has status, and that is based on God's love, that is based on being created in God's image. It is not about who you are, it is not based on how much you have, it is not based on anything you can do. In God's kingdom, we are all related, and what we do matters. In God's kingdom it is love that wins and love that blesses.

What do you hear in this story? I hear a story of abundance and of enough. Do not be worried about who comes to the party, it is enough, you are enough, there will be enough. In God's kingdom there is enough, share what you have. Jesus is inviting us to stop counting and start giving and blessing. What would it be like to live into the freedom to stop calculating our social prestige and stop worrying about what others think and simply be kind to everyone around us, particularly those who are not often the recipients of kindness? What would it look like at work, at school, and at the places we volunteer or play sports or socialize, to look out for those who seem off on the margin and to invite them into the center by inviting them into our lives, inviting them to the lunch table? Jesus invites us to experience the joy of playing “God’s helper” in handing out the abundant gifts of dignity and worth and value with which we have been blessed. There is joy that comes from blessing others with our regard.

We are called to this hospitality, we are called to this invitation, we are called to build this kingdom, where no one is an outcast, where all of us sinners are welcome. We are called to the table to feed and be fed. As we feed and are fed, we are sent into the world to be the heralds of this kingdom. We are sent into our work, and our school, we are sent into our communities, bearing this new reality. We are sent into the world to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so we entertain angels. By doing so we are the agents of God's kingdom. By doing so we bring God's healing and reconciliation to all who are broken, which is each and every one of us.

We are followers of Jesus. We are invited to the table where there is no preference of place. We are invited to be builders of the kingdom. We are equipped to meet every person with mercy and compassion, for by doing so, we entertain angels. Amen. 

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Yr C, Proper 16, August 24, 2025, Grace Episcopal Church, Mpls

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Yr C, Proper 16, 

August 24, 2025, Grace Episcopal Church, Mpls
Hebrews 12:18-29, Luke 13:10-17
 
When I watch anything streaming or on actual network television I have the mute button on the remote close at hand, and I wait impatiently for the skip button, for the ads. They drive me crazy. If I were one to believe anything I see and hear in those ads, or anywhere on social media, these are the things that I think are important to Americans, in no particular order: we have to buy the right pharmaceuticals to sleep better, to feel better, or to have better sex; we have to buy a sexy car or a big truck; 
we have to buy the right investment product to have financial security; we have to drink but do so responsibly; we have to wear the right clothes; we have to buy the right toys, etc. etc. etc. Even the feel good ads that make me cry, aren’t there just to make me feel good, somebody wants me to buy something. 

It seems to me that so much of life is a transaction. And it seems to me that transaction has become the dominant world religion, and we freely hand ourselves over to it. And, when we begin to believe in the religion of commodity, the religion of transaction, a gospel of prosperity, it’s a pretty short step to start seeing yourself as the most important person in the room, the one who is most deserving, so fulfilling your needs becomes the most important endeavor you can be about. I think this is part of what we are witnessing today in our country.

Enough about everyone else, here we are, in these pews, today. Why is it that you get up on Sunday morning and come to church? You've got other places to be, the lake place, or just drinking coffee in your own kitchen, soon and very soon it will be football. And yet so many of you attend vestry meetings as leaders in this church, 
you clean and tend the yard, you make sure spaces are ready for us to gather, you read scripture, you serve at this altar, you sing in the choir. 

You do all sorts of other things none of us see, you make meals, you give rides. Here we are, honoring the Sabbath; here we are, worshipping God. Here we are, listening to stories of faith in Jesus, we are not at home, watching TV drinking our coffee. Here we are, eating the bread that is body broken to make us whole, and drinking the wine shed for us, making us into the body of Christ, why do we do it? Why do we come here?

I think it is because we are the same as the woman in our gospel today. This woman whom Jesus set free. This woman who was bound up, enslaved, for all of her adult life. This woman whom Jesus released. We are here because somewhere inside us 
we know this good news we hear today is true. You and I know it is true because it describes our lives, each one of us is set free, each one of us is released from the bonds that hold us at a distance from each other, we are released from the bonds 
that keep us believing that ultimately our needs, real or perceived, are the most important needs in the room. You see, unlike what we experience in so many places in our lives, God's relationship with us is not transactional, God's relationship with us is loving, giving, emptying.
 
We find ourselves here today not because we have to be here, or we are obligated to be here, but because we are free. We are free from the bonds of selfishness, from the bonds of self-absorption and egotism. We are free from the religion of our culture 
that preaches our worthiness is in a transaction - you must buy, you must have, you must consume, you must be the most important or most good looking person in the room.

This is keeping Sabbath and keeping Sabbath matters, your being here matters. We bring all our brokenness, we bring all our hurt, and we are healed. And in the healing and being made whole again, being put back together, we are freed. We are freed to show compassion. And in reaching out, showing compassion, we participate in bringing God’s healing, freedom, joy and peace to those in need, and that is what new life, eternal life, looks like. We are free to be transformed into the persons we are created to be. So what’s really important here? God's dream is healing and

reconciliation, God's dream is love and compassion. Keeping the Sabbath is about keeping God’s dream the main thing. It is about the nearness of the kingdom.
 
The woman in our story today was released from the bondage of her ailment. We too are released from bondage, but you and I both know that we tend to choose to stay in bondage. We tend to believe the religion of our culture that says to us either “you are like God” and deserve to have anything and anyone you want, 
OR 
“you are worthless” and deserve only what happens to you, both of which are lies.
 
The truth is so very different from any of that. The truth is that we are God’s beloved creation, and that God loves us whether or not we love God, and that God came to be part of creation, to live, love, suffer and die, so that we may be reconciled, or joined together with God, and with one another. The truth is that the story is not about any one of us, but the story is about God’s relationship with us, and our relationship with God and our neighbor.
 
That’s the main thing, and what flows from that main thing, what flows from God’s amazing and abundant love for us is the freedom to love others, regardless of approval or disapproval, regardless of whether or not they deserve our love, regardless of whether or not they brought life’s circumstances upon themselves 
or if they are a victim of circumstances. What flows from God’s amazing and abundant love for us is mercy and compassion.
 
So this week as we reflect on the gospel, as we get ready for a new school year, or newness at work, it might do us some good to linger where Jesus lingers, to begin in a moment of Sabbath, to start from a quiet place within, and remember the main thing. The main thing, that it isn’t about you today, it isn’t about any one of us, it is about what happens outside the walls of this church. It is about meeting others with God’s compassion, God’s mercy, and reminding ourselves of the dignity, the freedom, and the blessing that is God’s desire for each of us as God’s beloved child.
Amen.  
 

Life is short, my friends,
and we do not have too much time
to gladden the hearts of others.
So be quick to love,
and make haste to be kind.
And the blessing of God Almighty,
who created you in love,
who walks with you in love,
and who will bring you home in love,
be upon you and all whom you love,
this day forth and forever more. Amen.”
 

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Yr C Proper 14 August 10 2025, St. Martha and Mary, Eagan MN

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Yr C Proper 14 August 10 2025, St. Martha and Mary, Eagan MN

Genesis 15:1-6, Psalm 33:12-22, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16, Luke 12:32-40

Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid God assured Abram, do not be afraid, the angel assured Mary, do not be afraid James and John, for now on you will be fishing for people, do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Do not be afraid we must be assured as well, do not be afraid.

Fear is a powerful motivator, for good or for ill. It seems that the world in which our sacred stories originated, and the world in which you and I live are not so different. Our ancestors were afraid of the same things we are afraid of, not having enough: food, water, clothing, housing. They were afraid of persecution, afraid of being teased and bullied for being different. They were afraid of death, afraid of the unknown, afraid of the dark, afraid of mortality and absence, afraid of natural disaster and human made disaster. They were afraid of those who seemed a threat, those whose ways are so different, those who believed in a God who seemed so foreign.

Today we live in a culture of fear. We are afraid of not having enough, and we are afraid of those we think may take away what we do have. We are afraid of hearing the news because we don’t want to hear of the sadness, violence, and tragedy all around us. We are afraid when our investments are doing poorly and cutting into our retirement. We are afraid of getting sick because we don’t have enough health insurance to cover the hospitalization. We are afraid of getting old because we are unsure of what our bodies will become and what they will do, and the value of our lives until we die. We are afraid of people who think and do and believe differently from ourselves. We are afraid of dying and so we forget to live.

We are afraid of losing, losing our money, losing our lives, losing our house. And when we are so afraid of losing we hold on tight, we become greedy, we worship idols. We heard all about greed and idols in the parable we heard last week of the Rich Fool. Fear leaves us insecure and paranoid. Fear breeds intolerance and suspicion. Fear causes our relationships to be conditional and abusive.

No fear. Be not afraid. These are words of comfort, and they are words of action. How do we follow Jesus in a culture of fear? What is the fitting response, the ethical response to fear? Now, fearlessness is not always a good thing. But that is why God chooses to be known to us, so that we may stop being afraid of the wrong things. Putting fear in its place is being freed from fear to being empowered by love to love. The quieting of fear is required in order to hear and do what God asks of us, and yet in our culture, fear seems to make the loudest noise.

Quieting our fear is not easy, but these overwhelming fears need to be overwhelmed by bigger and better things, by a sense of adventure and fullness of life that comes from locating our fears and vulnerabilities within the larger story that is ultimately hopeful and not tragic. It is the story of God’s abundant and amazing love that resides with us in the life and love, in the pain and suffering, in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And only by facing death, our most primal fear, can we move ahead to embrace life with the great nevertheless that is God’s gracious word to a broken world.

At our baptism, we were united with Christ and marked as Christ’s own forever. Through baptism we have already faced death, and seen it overcome. Every time we gather together here to celebrate Christ with us we acknowledge the work that God does in Jesus on the cross. Be not afraid, you are not alone.

Following Jesus in this culture of fear is to offer hospitality, and then we are no longer strangers. Following Jesus in this culture of fear is to be compassionate instead of safe. Following Jesus is to transform this culture of fear into a culture of hope.

And this is what it looks like to follow Jesus, it is our work as baptized people. Bringing the kingdom near, for the gospel writer Luke, is all about the amazing grace of God. We are followers of Jesus who express openhanded mercy to others, especially those in need. Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, extend hospitality to those who cannot reciprocate, give without expectation of return. Such practices are possible only for those whose dispositions and convictions and commitments have been reshaped by the transformative encounter with God’s amazing grace.

And we continue to hear, Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. How do we live as kingdom people and live without fear? Sell your possessions, and give alms. In other words, be generous. The call of discipleship is to live as if we mean it, not as if we are afraid of it. The call is to live as if God is our priority. Eugene Peterson’s translation in The Message is, Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out.

The call is to live our transformed lives in the world, and when we do that, we can change our world, we can transform our world, and the kingdom will be near. The call of discipleship is to no longer be afraid to be yourselves, to be the person God created you to be, to live your life as the beloved of God. When God is the priority, when God is our treasure, there our hearts will be also, and there will be no fear. There will be courage, we will be dressed for action and have our lamps lit. There is nothing we miss out on, instead, we are emboldened and encouraged to live our lives as agents for change, as revolutionaries, we are participants in bringing the kingdom near.

God gives us opportunities for discipleship, God gives us opportunities to minister with the least, the lost and the left out. God gives us opportunities to live boldly and courageously. God gives us opportunities to live as if we mean it, to live with no fear, and to witness to the nearness of God’s kingdom.

Be not afraid.

Be an outrageous expression of hope.