Fearless Giving

Luke 6:32-38

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            Once I read a parable about a man lost in the desert, dying from thirst.  He wandered aimlessly through the burning sand for many days and was growing weaker by the moment.  At long last he saw an oasis far in the distance.  Palm trees indicated a source of water!

            Finally he might find something to drink.  But when he arrived he noticed something strange about this particular oasis.  Instead of a pool of water or a spring bubbling up from the ground, he found a pump.  Next to the pump was a small jar of water and a note.  The note said the leather gasket within the pump must be damp or it will not work and that the water in the jar was just enough to get it to work.  He had to prime the pump.

            So, this thirsty man faced a dilemma.  Drink the water and quench his thirst or have faith in the written word which promised that if he gave he would be given in return; all that he would need, pressed down, shaken together and running out all over.[1]

            That’s the dilemma we all face when we write a number on a pledge card or place an offering in the plate and the question we’ll seek to answer today.  Let us pray:

Lord, you have shown your love by the giving of your only begotten son, that who ever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. So we see giving and living and loving as being so intertwined it is hard to know where one ends and the other begins.  Grant us the same spirit of generosity so we may express your love within these walls and without.  Amen.

            Do you remember the first time you ever gave a gift to someone?  Chances are you were three or four and you gave your Mom something made with Popsicle sticks and Elmer’s glue.  It didn’t cost very much, a few pennies maybe and a little time and effort, but she gave you a big hug and a smile and told you how much she loved it. You felt all warm inside but, then went out to play and promptly forgot all about it.

            Years later after she passed away you were going through her belongings and you discovered an old box and inside was everything little thing you ever made and those childhood memories came rushing in and that’s when you realized that what real treasure that childhood gift was.  The memory of that moment brings a smile to your face and a tear in your eye.

            Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together, running out all over.

You may not know the name, Dick Hoyt, but you may have heard his story. It began in Winchester Massachusetts.  When Dick’s son Richard was born he was strangled by the umbilical cord, leaving him brain damaged and unable to control his limbs.  Dick and his wife Judy were told Richard would be a “vegetable the rest of his life” and should be put into an institution.  Well, they weren’t going to do that. They took him home only to discover that though his body was not working his mind clearly was.  Eventually they rigged up a computer that allowed him to communicate and attend classes.   After a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Richard typed out, “Dad, I want to be part of that.”

            There was no way Richard could run, but his father could. Dick was never one for exercise and carried more weight than he should, but he could not refuse his son, so he loaded up Richard in a wheel chair and pushed him for that five mile run.  Afterwards Richard typed, “Dad, when we were running, it felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore!”  That sentence changed Dick’s life.  He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could.  He ran and pushed him everyday and eventually entered the 1979 Boston Marathon.

            Since then this father and son have entered countless marathons and 212 triathlons which encompass swimming, running and bicycling.  When asked why he does it he says simply, “It is for the smile I see on my son’s face when we run and swim and ride together.”

            A few years ago, Dick got something else out of this other than the smile on his son’s face.  He had a heart attack and afterwards the doctors told him that one of his major arteries was almost completely blocked and if he hadn’t been in such great shape he would never have survived.  All that running paid off for him as well.

            Jesus said, Give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together, and running out all over.

In the winter of 1971, Larry Stewart was working as a door-to-door salesman. The company he was working for went out of business, and he quickly ran out of money. Stewart hadn't eaten in two days when he went to Dixie Diner and ordered a breakfast he eventually admitted he couldn't pay for. Ted Horn, the restaurant owner, sympathized with Stewart. He acted as though he found a $20 bill on the floor underneath of Stewart's chair. "Son, you must have dropped this," Horn said.

"It was like a fortune to me," Stewart reflected. "I said to myself, 'Thank you, Lord.' Right then, I just made a promise. I said, 'Lord, if you ever put me in a position to help other people, I will do it.'"

He kept his promise. He made his fortune in the cable and communications industry. Over the years, Stewart estimates that he has given away around $1.3 million. He says he has been amply rewarded in return. "I see the smiles and looks of hopelessness turn to looks of hope in an instant," he says. "After all, isn't that what we're put here on earth for—to help one another?"[2]

Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given, pressed down, shaken together, running out all over.”

While working as a journalist for the Chicago Tribune, Lee Strobel was assigned to report on the struggles of an impoverished, inner-city family during the weeks leading up to Christmas. A devout atheist at the time, Strobel was mildly surprised by the family's attitude in spite of their circumstances:

The Delgados—60-year-old Perfecta and her granddaughters, Lydia and Jenny—had been burned out of their roach-infested tenement and were now living in a tiny, two-room apartment on the West Side. He said, “As I walked in, I couldn't believe how empty it was. There was no furniture, no rugs, nothing on the walls—only a small kitchen table and one handful of rice. That's it. They were virtually devoid of possessions.” In fact, 11-year-old Lydia and 13-year-old Jenny owned only one short-sleeved dress each, plus one thin, gray sweater between them. When they walked the half-mile to school through the biting cold, Lydia would wear the sweater for part of the distance and then hand it to her shivering sister, who would wear it the rest of the way.

But despite their poverty and the painful arthritis that kept Perfecta from working, she still talked confidently about her faith in Jesus. She was convinced he had not abandoned them. I never sensed despair or self-pity in her home; instead, there was a gentle feeling of hope and peace.

Strobel completed his article, then moved on to more high-profile assignments. But when Christmas Eve arrived, he found his thoughts drifting back to the Delgados and their unflinching belief in God's providence. In his words: "I continued to wrestle with the irony of the situation. Here was a family that had nothing but faith, and yet seemed happy, while I had everything, but lacked faith—and inside I felt as empty and barren as their apartment."

In the middle of a slow news day, Strobel decided to pay a visit to the Delgados. When he arrived, he was amazed at what he saw. Readers of his article had responded to the family's need in overwhelming fashion, filling the small apartment with donations. Once inside, Strobel encountered new furniture, appliances, and rugs; a large Christmas tree and stacks of wrapped presents; bags of food; and a large selection of warm winter clothing. Readers had even donated a generous amount of cash.

But it wasn't the gifts that shocked Lee Strobel, an atheist in the middle of Christmas generosity. It was the family's response to those gifts. In his words:

As surprised as I was by this outpouring, I was even more astonished by what my visit was interrupting: Perfecta and her granddaughters were getting ready to give away much of their newfound wealth. When I asked Perfecta why, she replied in halting English: "Our neighbors are still in need. We cannot have plenty while they have nothing. This is what Jesus would want us to do."

Strobel said, “That blew me away! If I had been in their position at that time in my life, I would have been hoarding everything. I asked Perfecta what she thought about the generosity of the people who had sent all of these goodies, and again her response amazed me.” "This is wonderful; this is very good," she said, gesturing toward the largess. "We did nothing to deserve this—it's a gift from God. But," she added, "It is not his greatest gift. No, we celebrate that tomorrow. That is Jesus."

To her, this child in the manger was the undeserved gift that meant everything—more than material possessions, more than comfort, more than security. And at that moment, something inside of me wanted desperately to know this Jesus—because, in a sense, I saw him in Perfecta and her granddaughters.

They had peace despite poverty, while I had anxiety despite plenty; they knew the joy of generosity, while I only knew the loneliness of ambition; they looked heavenward for hope, while I only looked out for myself; they experienced the wonder of the spiritual, while I was shackled to the shallowness of the material—and something made me long for what they had. Or, more accurately, for the One they knew.[3]  It was not long after Lee gave his life and all that means to Christ.

Give and it shall be given, pressed down shaken together, running out all over.

All of us hear two voices:  One tells us to hold onto what we have because we do not know what tomorrow may bring, so it’s better to be prepared, better to be safe than sorry.  The other voice tells us that we are here for a purpose and that purpose lies somewhere beyond ourselves.  It tells us to step out in faith and try to make a difference even if it means we must let go of a little money, a little time, a part of ourselves that we were keeping to ourselves.

Jesus tells us that when we do that, when we give we’ll find we’ll get something back, even if it only in the satisfaction we feel when we become part of something greater than ourselves.

Everything we have has come to us from God.  We merely take care of it for the next generation.

God has given and asks that you give as well and that when we give the pump is primed so that all of his blessings may flow.

Our next hymn was written by Thomas Chisolm. Thomas had a difficult beginning in life. His health was so fragile that there were periods of time when he was confined to bed, unable to work. Between bouts of illness he would have to push himself to put in extra hours at various jobs in order to make ends meet.

After coming to Christ at age 27, Thomas found great comfort in the Scriptures, and in the fact that God was faithful to be his strength in time of illness and weakness, and to provide his needs. Lamentations 3:22-23 was one of his favorite scriptures: “It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.”

Great is Thy Faithfulness was published in 1923. This hymn was not written for stewardship, but it contains a promise, assurance I’d like you to remember the next time you think about what you should hold onto and what you should let go.  Pay attention to the words, “Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed thy hand has provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!”

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[1] Discipleship Journal, Issue 35, 1986, page 15

[2] USA Today, December 20, 2006  Santa Shares His Secret.

[3] Strobel, Lee:  The Case for Christmas. Zondervan

When Weddings Don’t Go as Planned

Matthew 22:1-14

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            Every pastor can tell a story or two about a wedding that didn’t go as planned.  My favorite is a wedding I performed years ago on a hot August afternoon in Irwin Pennsylvania.  Although the Bride and Groom and I had carefully worked out every detail so that the wedding service would run smoothly, none of us had consulted the community calendar.

            So, when we arrived at the church we discovered that we had scheduled the wedding right smack dab in the middle of the annual fireman’s parade.  Fire trucks and high school bands from all over western Pennsylvania filled the streets on either side of the church. The only way in for all of us, including the bride in her long flowing gown, was to dodge between the fire trucks and high school bands.

            The church had no air conditioning so the windows had to be open and that meant I had to literally shout above the whirring sirens and trombones blaring.  “DO YOU TAKE THIS MAN TO BE YOUR HUSBAND?” And when the Bride and Groom exchanged their vows, they also had to yell, “I PROMISE BEFORE GOD AND THESE WITNESSES…”

            And at the end of the service, when I pronounced them husband and wife, the Norwin High School Band, as if on cue, began to play John Philip Sousa’s Prince Charming march.  Drums rolled and trumpets announced these two were now husband and wife.

Sometimes weddings don’t always go as planned, but they can still turn out all right.  I told the Bride and Groom that this was a wedding no one would ever forget.

           

Our scripture today is about a wedding like that. It did not start off as planned, but it finished in a way that may surprise you.  Before we follow this story, let us pray:

Lord, in response to your call we often feel inadequate and unprepared.  We are afraid we will fail and so never begin.  When we say, “I can’t, “ remind us again and again that through you we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.[1]  Amen.

Again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.”[2] In mid-eastern culture there is no bigger deal than a wedding and in the world of weddings none surpass a royal wedding.  The pomp and circumstance were unrivaled and the reception lasted a week. 

But, Jesus clearly had more in mind than an article for Bride magazine.  In his stories the king was a code word for God, and not a particularly secret one at that.  The Old Testament is rife with references of God as King, so everyone knew what he was talking about.

More than that, you find in the Old Testament prophets marriage used as a metaphor to describe the intimate nature of the relationship between God and his people.

The whole of the prophecy of Hosea is wrapped in this image of God taking on the role of the groom and the people as his bride.  The Apostle John later captures this image in the book of Revelation:

 Let us rejoice and exult

and give him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and his bride has made herself ready;

 to her it has been granted to be clothed

with fine linen, bright and pure"--

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.[3]

So, marriage, with its mystical “two become one” imagery, was seen as the one voluntary human relationship that comes closest to approximating the relationship between God and his people.  Faithfulness, honesty, commitment are the marks of a good marriage and of a good relationship with God.  The Wedding feast marks the beginning of that relationship.

So, in Jesus’ parable the King (God) sent out invitations.  “You’re invited, everything is prepared, and the barbeque is cooking. It’s going to be great!” 

Jesus audience understood this part.  The invitation had gone out long before to Abraham and repeated often throughout the Old Testament with eleven powerful words, “I will be your God and you shall be my people.”[4]  That was the core of their identity. They were God’s chosen people, so they clearly saw themselves at the beginning of Jesus story, but not so much in what followed.

The invitations went out, but then the excuses returned.  In Luke’s version of the story they’re spelled out.  “'I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.” Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.”' Another said, “'I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.”[5]   All are plausible reasons for their absence, but they didn’t really matter because people will do what people will do and any old excuse will do.

The problem with these excuses is that they filter in after the guests have already returned their R.S.V.P.’s. In that day there were two sets of invitations.  The first told you that you were invited and the second listed the date and time. They had already replied to the first invitation and told the king, “You can count on us.  We’ll be there.”  But, when the day came - they weren’t.  They didn’t show up.  They found other things to do.  Maybe it was such a nice day they decided to take a drive in the country instead.  Perhaps a football game conflicted, or maybe they just wanted to sleep in because they worked hard all week.  The reasons didn’t really matter because if you don’t want to do something any old excuse will do.

Anyone who has ever put on wedding knows how frustrating and expensive that can be.  At $75 a plate the cost of those no-shows can really add up. 

The King in Jesus’ parable expresses that same frustration and because he is the King he can do something about it.  Jesus said he destroyed those who snubbed his invitation.

This is not the only time Jesus spoke of God’s judgment.  There are at least a dozen more parables that raise the stakes and demonstrate how seriously God such rejection.

These stories conflict with the warm and fuzzy image many have of God.  They clash with our songs of “gentle Jesus meek and mild”.  So, most of us think about this harsh reality as little as possible.  You’ll see a lot of pictures in people’s homes of Jesus with a child on his knee and a lamb at his feet, but not many of Jesus with a whip-in-hand turning over the tables of the racketeers in the temple.

The reason these hard images of God are so difficult to take is because they are so much beyond our control.  We cannot manipulate the almighty with flimsy excuses or self-righteous boasting.

To say, “It’s my business to sin and God’s to forgive and doesn’t that work out well” diminishes the justice and righteousness of God.  It makes light of God’s desire to see people treat themselves and each other with respect. It turns the tables and flips the relationship upside down so that we become the masters and God becomes the servant.  God’s judgment is the can not be denied reminder that we do not create the universe or the rules that govern it.

One preacher observed, “What makes this judgment scripture terrible to me is what it exposes about a sovereign God who is radically different than me, whose mind I cannot read, whose decisions I cannot predict, whose actions I cannot control.”[6]  The writer to the Hebrews said, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.[7]  But, do we have a choice?  Those are the hands we are in.  Our only decision is whether we are willing to rest peacefully in the hands of God or continually struggle and try to wriggle out of them and so fall into God knows what.

Jesus described the surprising nature of God when he said, “The king told his servant to go out into the highways and byways and invite everyone you see.”[8]  That would include, of course, the deserving and the undeserving, the popular and the rejected, the powerful and the weak, rich or poor, black or white, they are all precious in his sight. 

In other words, you might be surprised at whom you meet in heaven.  You might bump into someone you never thought you’d see - and then discover they are surprised to see you as well.  In this world no walks around with a nametag marked with a halo or a pitchfork.  The minute you put someone in one category or another you break Jesus’ command, “Judge not lest you be judged.”[9]

This open invitation was a new feature to a world where religion was usually defined by geographical boundaries and ethnic backgrounds.  The idea that there could be crossover, that anyone and everyone might be welcome into your particular religious tent had never really occurred to many before that – certainly not to Jesus’ audience for whom faith and family history were virtually identical.  This Jewish version of karma created a caste system that placed you at birth in the front or back of the line that led to God.

Jesus said in this parable, everyone is welcome at the table.  It doesn’t matter who you are or from where you’ve come.  It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or what you wish you’d done.  All that matters is that you show up ready and willing to receive what the king will offer, and that is “grace upon grace.”[10]

But, not everyone is willing to accept the king’s hospitality, and that’s the meaning of the cryptic backend of Jesus’ parable.

“When the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”[11] 

On the surface this is a puzzler, because one minute the man is just hanging out at the market place, and the next he’s invited in to a sumptuous wedding feast only to be told he doesn’t pass muster because he hasn’t conformed to the dress code.

Parents, this verse is not to be used to get your children to wear a coat and tie to church.  It does not mean an usher will, if you are not dressed properly, throw you out into the outer darkness where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Dressing appropriately in church is certainly an act of respect towards God and those with whom you worship, but failing that will not result in your ejection from worship in this church.

The meaning of Jesus’ cryptic warning is better understood with an old story I heard about the television journalist, Hugh Downs.  It seems he once attended a function in Washington D.C. with his wife.  When the time came to return to New York, they discovered that their flight had been cancelled due to bad weather.  Downs immediately called the front desk and was informed that they could catch a five o’clock train, which was leaving in forty-five minutes. So, while Mrs. Downs was showering, to save time, Hugh hurriedly packed all their belongings, called the bell captain and asked that the bags be rushed right over to the train station and be put on the train.  A bellhop came and carried them away.

Five minutes later, Mrs. Downs stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, and said, “Honey, would you please hand me my green dress.”

Well, you know what happened next.  Mrs. Downs got a new dress – a nice new and expensive new dress.

In the Bible clothing is used to describe sin and sometimes it reflects righteousness.  The prophet Isaiah said, “all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags”.[12]  By that he meant that if you think some token of generosity or an occasional act of kindness will somehow force open heaven’s doors to let you in, then you’ve cheapened the grace of God.  It would be as if you asked your spouse after opening up your Christmas morning present, “how much do I owe you for that?”

Remember what the prophet said,

“For the Lord has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

 he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.”[13]

The man in Jesus’ parable was thrown out into the outer darkness because he likely refused to accept God’s garment of salvation or be clothed in his robe of righteousness.  He could not let go of the notion that he somehow deserved to be there and so he tried to justify himself by telling himself and others, “I may not be perfect, but I’m still better than a lot of people I know.”

Jesus closed this parable with this simple but sobering statement, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”[14]  This marks, I think, the balance between the sovereignty of God and our freedom to choose.  The invitations go out to everyone, but not everyone will accept.

I worry about that and maybe you do to. But before we struggle with the question of where Jews and Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus and everyone else stand before God; we ought to wrestle first with the question, where do I stand?  How many excuses have I offered?  How many invitations to serve have I turned down?  Am I relying on a token gift of generosity or an occasional act of kindness?  Or, am I relying upon the grace of God demonstrated and confirmed through Jesus Christ?  Am I relying upon God’s grace upon grace?  For that is the only way any of us will ever join in God’s great wedding feast.

Lord, w have come at Your own invitation,

Chose by You, to be counted as friends;

Yours is the strength that sustains dedication,

Ours a commitment we know never ends.[15] 

Grant, O Lord, your grace upon grace we pray.

Amen.

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[1] Philippians 4:13

[2] Matthew 22:2

[3] Revelation 19:7-8

[4] Leviticus 26:12, Jeremiah 7:23, 30:22, Ezekiel 31:28

[5] Luke 14:19-20

[6] Taylor, Barbara Brown:  Tales of Terror, Times of Wonder.

[7] Hebrews 10:31

[8] Matthew 22:9

[9] Matthew 7:1

[10] John 1:16

[11] Matthew 11:11-13

[12] Isaiah 64:6

[13] Isaiah 61:10

[14] Matthew 22:14

[15] Green, Fred Pratt: Lord, We Have Come at Your Own Invitation. Presbyterian Hymnal #516.

Cornerstone Theology

Matthew 21:33-44

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Who owns your home?  If you’re renting, your landlord owns the property.  If you have a mortgage, then the bank owns part of it – maybe the biggest part. When you’ve paid off your mortgage you own it free and clear.  But, does that mean you can do anything you want with it? Well not exactly.  If you live under the covenant of a Homeowner’s Association there may be a long list of rules of what you can or cannot do with your house. If you don’t there are still zoning laws.  You probably can’t raise pigs in your backyard.  If your house lies in the path of the proposed a proposed baseball civic project like a highway or stadium, you may discover that the government can force you to sell your home through a law called “Eminent Domain”.  The “public good”, this law declares, supersedes private ownership rights.

So, who owns your home?  The answer you give will probably shape the way you treat it and how you live in it.

In Jesus’ story today we follow a conflict between a landlord and tenants.  They are arguing about ownership, about who is really in charge.  Since this is told in the form of a parable so Jesus obviously intends this for us all.  Before we decipher, let us pray:

God of all creation, we confess that each of us have carved out a piece of your creation and claimed it as our own.  We also have turned away from your prophets and even your son, because we cannot bear to give up our illusions of control.  Speak to us now through the truth of your word, the power of your spirit, and the love of your Son Jesus Christ, so that we might both receive the blessing and accept the responsibility to go and bear fruit.  Amen.

When Jesus came to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, one preacher observed, “He stood power and prestige on their heads.  They gave him a hero’s welcome, and he responded with tears.  They waved and shouted and sang songs, and he went into the Temple and created havoc.”[1]  Some saw this as a Messianic fulfillment of glory and power.  He sang a song of lament.  Life is not always what it appears to be.

Then Jesus told them this story and set the scene in a vineyard.  Now the vineyard had long stood as a symbol for the nation of Israel.  It was their eagle draped in a flag. Whenever visitors came to Jerusalem their eyes would immediately be drawn to Herod’s great temple.  Wrapped around the portico golden grapevines glistened in the sun.

The prophet Isaiah captured this vision in words to melody:

“Let me sing for my beloved a love song concerning his vineyard:  My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.  He dug it and cleared it of stones and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and he hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes…but it yielded wild grapes.”[2]   

This song evokes a peaceful pastoral image that is shattered at the end.  Only wild grapes grew and they were good for nothing.  When the prophet sang this song people turned their backs or changed the channel because they knew the wild grape reference referred to them.

Centuries later Jesus picks up this same image - same vineyard, same landlord.  When harvest time came, he said, the landlord sent servants to collect the rent. That was the deal.  Live and work in the vineyard and enjoy its bounty, but return in part the fruit of their harvest. Only they didn’t want to pay. They enjoyed all the blessings but wanted none of the responsibilities. So, they beat one servant, killed another, and stoned another.

With this description, Jesus’ audience, and especially the scholarly Pharisees could see the writing on the wall.  They knew their Bible, so this story was beginning to sound familiar.  They could name the prophets of old who had been treated in exactly the same way. They recognized Isaiah’s song, so their ears perked up.

Jesus continued his story. This happened again and again.  Each time the servants of the landlord came to collect the rent they were treated badly.  Finally, the landlord said, “ I will send my son.  They will respect him.” But, they did not.  They said, “This is the heir; come let us kill him and get his inheritance – the vineyard.”[3]  And so they did.

Again, Jesus audience picked up what he was laying down. It was as if he had somehow bugged their back room and eavesdropped on their forming conspiracy to have Jesus killed.  He seemed to know their plans before they even made them.  He predicted his own death while they were still bantering about the questions of when and how?

There was no nuance in this parable, no subtle meaning hard to understand.  The vineyard was obviously Israel itself.  The landlord is God and the servants his prophets.  The son was a clear reference to Jesus himself.  And the tenants represent initially the people of Israel, but finally anyone who reject the authority of God.

Now the tenant’s view of the vineyard is that “possession is 9/10’s of the law.”  Since they were the ones who lived in the vineyard and worked in the vineyard they quite naturally came to see the vineyard as their own.  They claimed squatter’s rights.

It’s like that old story about the Pastor who asked the owner of the bank next door if the congregation could park there on Sunday since the bank was closed anyway on that day.  He said, “Sure, you can use it 51 Sundays of the year.”  The Pastor asked about that last Sunday of the year.  The owner said on the fifty-second Sunday, “I will chain and lock the parking lot so that you will not forget who really holds the deed.”

  It is easy to forget who owns what?  Since we spend our lives living in this world, working in this world, we quite naturally begin to assume that it is ours free and clear to do with it what we want.  We no longer see ourselves as tenants who are only passing through, but as landlords who are in complete control.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the way we treat the planet.  Short-term goals of profit and convenience always seem to trump long-term goals of preserving and conserving our environment - the only world we have.  So, if using fertilizer on Pennsylvania farms reap larger crops today, then concern for how the runoff will affect the Susquehanna River and eventually the Chesapeake Bay become secondary.  We let the next generation worry about the consequence a lifeless bay or the generation after that.

If we have a choice between a large V-8 that helps us go as fast as we wish or a smaller more fuel-efficient car, we often choose the former because we can afford it.  If we wish to live on a beach or in an area that requires us to drain a wetland, then that’s what we do, because we paid for it and so believe we own it free and clear and can do what we want.

 The world is ours we think to do with as we wish - until judgment day comes, when there are no more crabs or rockfish, and the price of gas goes through the roof, or a great storm ravages lands that are no longer protected by the marsh and wash away homes that had been built on stilts yards away from a crashing surf. 

When that judgment day comes we will then think about the choices we’ve made and how we’ve built our homes and lives, but by that time, Jesus said, it may be too late.  What we’ve built may be washed out to sea, what we’ve polluted may produce no fruit, what we’ve wasted may never be renewed.

That’s why Jesus’ warns us of this judgment.  For him it is as simple as cause and effect. “Build your house upon the rock and it will stand; build upon the shifting sands and it may wash away.”[4] Follow God and receive his blessing, ignore him at your own peril.  Better to think about the choices you make today than suffer the consequence tomorrow.

The foundation of Jesus’ parable is that we do not own or control as much as we think, that it is an illusion to believe that if you work hard and save, if you study and sweat, if you’re smart and prepared, you can avoid all of life’s unpleasantness.  Do so and you will find yourself disappointed and discouraged. For some this is too much to bear.

Some years ago I spoke with a member of the church I was serving at the time who had first-hand experience with those who suffered the trauma of Hurricane Katrina.  She mentioned something in passing that surprised me.  While this storm affected both rich and poor, black and white, Republican and Democrat she observed that those who had little before the storm seem to handle their loss better than those who had much.  Those who were poor never had any illusion that they were in control of much of anything.  They knew they were tenants and just passing through.  Those who were  wealthy were surprised and shocked at how quickly they could lose it all.

Perhaps that is why Jesus said, it will be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.[5]

The Bible says one truth endures forever and that is the love of God expressed through Jesus Christ.  “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”  This ancient prophecy was fulfilled in the events of Good Friday and Easter morning.  Build your home and life upon this cornerstone, and you will find it stands stronger and straighter when the hard wind blows.

In a few moments we will celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.  You will eat a small piece of bread made from wheat you did not grow.  You will drink from a cup filled with the essence grapes that came from vineyard you do not own.  But, that is only fitting, for the sacrament itself marks a sacrifice you did not make.  It is an expression of the love of God, of a gift freely given, so its meaning and blessing must be freely accepted.  See this as a ticket to heaven or a token you’ve earned and you miss the point completely.

This is a reminder that we are more connected to God and each other than to any property we might hold or any wealth we claim.  We are only passing through.  We are tenants, not the landlord; so if we are to receive this blessing, we ought also accept the responsibility. 

What is our responsibility?  Isn’t it to take care of the vineyard and each other – to conserve and preserve the environment in which we live, and serve those who are in need?  Are we not called to offer in part the fruit of our labors in the vineyard, what preachers call time and talent and treasure?  God is the one who holds eminent domain, so the Lord is the one we serve.

Let us pray:

Lord of the harvest, you have planted the seeds of the gospel, and tilled the soil of the Church, you have sent your Spirit to help tender lives grow, but so often the yield has only been wild grapes – good for nothing.  Grant, O Lord, your spiritual fruit in our lives, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.  Help us to both live by and be guided by your Spirit we pray.”[6]  Amen.

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[1] N.T. Wright, The Vineyard and the Farms, A sermon on Palm Sunday 2001.

[2] Isaiah 5:1-2

[3] Matthew 2138

[4] Matthew 7:24

[5] Luke 18:25

[6] Galatians 5:22-25

Follow Through

Joshua 24:14-24

Matthew 21:28-32

click to listen

            A few years ago my nephew gave me an impromptu golf lesson.  He had received a Bachelor’s degree in golf from the Methodist College in North Carolina. Now, I didn’t even know you could major in golf, but to my way of thinking, that has to be about the best course of study anyone can take.  It’s got to be more fun than learning theology and Hebrew and Greek.

With a new degree fresh in his hand he thought he could help me improve my score. Little did he know what a challenge that would prove to be!

            After he watched my swing, and after he wiped a sly smirk off his face; he said I needed to follow through, that I was not completing my swing,  that I stopping it before I struck the ball and that’s why I kept slicing and ending up in the woods.  He told me I  needed to follow through.  If I did that, my ball would fly straight and true.  Of course, there is a world of difference between knowledge and practice, between knowing and doing, but that was his point – everyone needs to practice their follow through.

            Both of the scripture passages we read this morning are about following through, finishing your swing, running the race through the tape.  Stop short and you may find yourself lost in the woods. You may never get to where you want to be.  Before we turn to these stories so that we walk the talk, let us pray:

            Lord, long ago in the Gethsemane you asked Peter and James and John to watch and pray with you.[1] Though willing in spirit, their strength was weak, so they fell asleep leaving you alone.  We know the feeling, for we also fail in our follow through.  While our intentions are good our actions are weak.  Grant us both understanding and power so that we might both know and do your will.  Amen. 

            Joshua and his people came at last to the end of a long journey.  It had begun generations earlier in the mud pits of Egypt with a contest of wills between Pharaoh and Moses, and an exodus that was marked only by faith.  That’s what led them through the wandering years in hot sands of the Sinai and into the Promised Land. 

            It had not been easy.  Along the way they endured the elements, with days so hot and dry every mirage looked as real as the free flowing Nile and nights so cold they thought they’d never end.  They wrestled with the temptation to give in and give up and go back to their dull existence that promised no future but did guarantee a meal at the end of the day.  They faced enemies who claimed land they believed God had given to them through Abraham and battles they saw them outnumbered at every turn.

            Their journey had not been easy, but with each step of faith they experienced some small victory, some piece of hope that would keep them until the day they would make a home in the place God had given them.

That day had at long last come. They had defeated their enemies. They were ready to turn their “swords into plowshares”.[2]  But, as someone once said, “You can win a war, but still lose the peace.”

           

That was Joshua’s fear.  He knew the challenges of the desert and their battles had forged a bond of faith that held them together and brought them close to God.  Crisis can do that.  We saw it the day after 9/11.

When facing overwhelming obstacles people will pull together and they will turn to God.  I don’t know how many times when watching the news I’ve heard the name of the Lord invoked by a victim or rescue worker.  “But, for the grace of God, I would not have survived that great storm.” 

During the battle prayers come fast and easy, and Joshua knew that.  But, he also knew that when the battle was over, when the storm has passed, when the sun begins to shine again, people would drift apart and drift away from God. 

So, before they scattered to build their homes and plant their fields Joshua gathered them together for one final pep talk to encourage them to remain faithful to the Lord.

Joshua’s motivational speeches were not like those you hear in a locker room before the big game.  He did not shout, “Keep hope alive”, or send them out with “win one for the gipper”. 

What did Joshua say?  “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt and just serve the Lord.  So, choose this day whom you will serve….as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”[3]

            It was as if he took his sword and drew a line in the sand and said, choose where you will stand. Get down off the fence on one side or the other. Jesus pretty much said the same thing, “Anyone who is not for me stands against me.”[4]

            The people answered Joshua by saying, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods.”[5]  It was almost as if they were insulted by the question.

            Joshua was not so sure.  He knew promises whispered in the middle of the night are not always remembered or kept when the day breaks. He knew they needed more than just good intentions.  So, instead of patting them on the back for answering rightly he throws a bucket of cold water over them and says, “You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God.  He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.”[6]

            When they heard that they probably blinked as many of you just did.  We have no problem at all with the concept of God being holy because we don’t really understand what holiness means, but jealousy we get.  We know what that means. Jealousy is possessive. It is unwilling to share and that is not usually a quality we revere.  To speak of God like that make him appear petty and small. 

 

Joshua goes one step further.  Not only is God jealous, he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. There is no “Assurance of God’s Forgiveness” in Joshua’s worship services.  He is no believer in cheap grace.  If you don’t follow through with your commitment, he said, if you turn from the Lord to follow other gods, you’ll end up so lost no one will ever find you.

And that’s why the Lord is jealous.  It’s not because he is possessive or petty or small.  This is really any expression of the love of God. He doesn’t want you to get lost.  He doesn’t want you to follow a dead end trail, or end up walking over a cliff, but God knows that’s exactly what will happen if you turn to the gods with a small “g”.

            So Joshua wanted his people to think seriously about this choice, “Choose this day who you will serve.” Don’t be too quick to answer.  Count the cost before you sign the bottom line.  Make sure you are able to follow through.

            Jesus’ parable of the Father and his two sons carried that same thought.  “A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.  He answered, “I will not, but later changed his mind and went.” The father went to the second and said, the same, and he answered, “Yes sir”, but he did not go.  Jesus then asked, “Which one did the will of the Father.”[7]

            This was a trick question, because neither of the sons really did the will of the father.  The first disobeyed his Father by his initial refusal, the second by his actions.  Better to trust and obey, to say “yes sir” and head out to work; but since neither of the boys did that, Jesus’ audience rightly concluded “actions speak louder than words.”  Talk is cheap and won’t fill the basket with grapes.  The first son’s initial refusal was redeemed by his willingness to finally do what his father had asked.  The second son never did anything.

            The next question is obvious.  Which are you?  Are you the kind of person who is quick to raise your hand and promise,  “if there’s ever anything I can do”, but when that day rolls around you’re nowhere to be found; or are you the kind of person who perseveres, who hangs in there, who sticks to it, who gets the job done?

            Chances are you’re both.  Some promises you’ve kept and others you have not.  Since we all feel bad when we let someone down and especially God, it’s better we think about the promises we make before we commit, and count the cost before we pledge.  Jesus and Joshua were on same page in that.  Where they seem to differ is what happens if and when you break your promise and don’t follow through on your commitments. 

            Joshua believed that following gods with a small “g” would lead you down a river of no return and over a waterfall that will leave you smashed upon the rocks. “The Lord is holy and jealous and will not forgive your transgressions and sins.”[8] That was the view of Jesus’ audience as well.

You see, the Pharisees and Temple priests were the ones to whom this parable was directed, and they were stronger and righteousness than they were on grace. They were the ones who rightly answered, “The first son did the will of the Father.” They got the answer right, but they missed the meaning completely.

 Jesus believed there is no place you can go where God is not.  No one is ever so lost God cannot find them.  God’s grace always trumps humanity’s sin.  So, he said straight to their faces, “the tax collectors and harlots will go into the kingdom of God before you because they believed and repented.”[9]  They are the ones who are like the first son about whom you think so highly. These folks picked up what the Pharisees dropped and that’s a sense of humility and recognition that while “we all fall short of the glory of God, we are still justified by grace as a gift through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”[10]

Miss that great spiritual truth and you invariably end up serving a god with a small “g”, a god you can create with your own hands, a golden calf you can manipulate or an idol that can change with the times, with fleeting fashions and philosophies of your own devising.[11] Miss that promise of the Gospel and you will with confidence wander off into the woods with no notion that you are lost at all.

The only way you’ll ever know you’ve drifted from God is by looking in the mirror and watching your follow through.

If you’re a member of this church, you stood up one Sunday morning before God and this congregation and declared, “Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior.”  You acknowledged your trust and pledged your intention to be his disciple, to obey his word and show his love. You promised to be a faithful member of this congregation by giving of yourself in every way.”[12]  If you have ever been in worship when we celebrated the sacrament of Baptism you’ve probably affirmed our corporate responsibility to nurture the children in our congregation, to tell them about Jesus.

So, how are you doing on your follow through?  Are you more like the first son who went into the vineyard to work or like the second who makes the right noises but is nowhere to be found when the sun gets too high in the sky?  Are you doing the will of your heavenly father?  Are you working in the vineyard?

If you think you should be doing more, but don’t know what we have a long list around here.   There’s something you can do to follow through on the promise you’ve made to God and to his people.  Certainly, when you receive our Stewardship packet, you’ll find a commitment card that will measure in dollars and cents your follow through of faith, your willingness to express your faith in real and tangible ways.

At the end of the Gospel of Matthew there is a familiar verse usually identified as Jesus’ “Great Commission”.  “Go therefore and make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey all that I have commanded.”[13]   Notice, what is to be taught.  It is more than just information.  We are to teach more than Bible stories or doctrines or theology.  Knowing the Truth is not enough.  We need to follow through.  We are to teach “obedience to all that Christ commands.”  How do we do that?

There’s only one way, and the old Nike shoe commercial sums it up – “Just do it!”  That’s the only way obedience can be taught.  We learned from Jesus’ parable that talk is cheap and not enough and actions speak louder than words. Those who truly do the will of the father are those who roll up their sleeves and walk out into the vineyard with a basket in their hands and then just pick some grapes. 

Are you ready?  Are you ready to roll up your sleeves?

Let us pray:

With the words of an old hymn we sometimes sing, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”[14] Like Joshua we encounter the same choice: to follow you or not.  Help us to echo his response, “As for me and my house, we will serve you.”  Lead us Lord into your vineyard so that we might roll up our sleeves and get to work.  Amen.

           

           

           

           

           

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[1] Matthew 26:36ff

[2] Isaiah 2:4

[3] Joshua 24:14-15

[4] Matthew 12:30

[5] Joshua 24:16

[6] Joshua 24:19

[7] Matthew 21:28-30

[8] Joshua 24:19

[9] Matthew 21:31-32

[10] Romans 3:23

[11] Exodus 32, Isaiah 44:9ff

[12] The Worship Book UPUSA, pg 49.

[13] Matthew 28:19-20

[14] Sammis, John & Toowner, Daniel: Trust and Obey.