The Scripture for Sunday 10/31

Protestants chose October 31, the day Luther posted 95 Thesis on Indulgences to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, to celebrate the beginning of the Reformation. The reformation was the movement that articulated many doctrines and liturgical practices of the church in new and often controversial ways. And the movement resulted in the formation of many of the churches that we now know as Protestant, and the divisions that were created at that time remain in many cases to this day. As important as it is to retrace and celebrate the history of our particular churches, it is also important to acknowledge the fragmentation of the church, the body of Christ, and yearn for the day when God might reign over a dominion not divided by walls. It is possible to celebrate the good of the Reformation and at the same time express sorrow over our inability to heal the deep divisions in the body of Christ. For Presbyterians it is also important to not simply see the reformation solely as an historical event in the past, but as a living movement. One of the Presbyterian Church’s foundational statements is, Ecclesia remormata, semper reformanda…The church reformed, always in need of reforming.

Where is the church called to reform today?

Becoming a fully welcoming church?

Open to ordination and full inclusion (marriage) of the glbt community?

But how do we do with people of special needs…dietary, hearing, seeing, in wheelchairs or not able to make it to church?

What percentage of our budget is for administration? Property? Helping others?

How might worship need to be reformed?

Or our thinking and speaking of God?

Matthew Fox wrote a modern day  “95 Theses or Articles of Faith for a Christianity for the Third Millennium” you might find interesting as you ponder a modern reformation.

John Shelby Spong also has written an article titled A Call for a New Reformation that is very interesting.

Scripture

·       Gospel Luke 19:1-10

¹Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. ²A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. ⁵When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today." ⁶So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. ⁷All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner." ⁸Zacchaeus stood there and said to Jesus, "Look, half of my possessions I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I always pay back four times as much." ⁹Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because Zacchaeus is also a child of Abraham and Sarah. ¹⁰For the Human One came to seek out and to save the lost."

One last outcast on the way to Jerusalem: Zacchaeus, whose name means "clean" or "innocent," is, assumed to be , unclean and a sinner by those in the story and those listening.  Jesus is really the main character in this story about Zacchaeus. While the tax collector is seeking him, Jesus is seeking Zacchaeus, this "non-person" shunned and hated by the crowd. The people and the listener, of course feel, have good reason for their judging the tax collector, since tax collectors are traitors, instruments of Rome's oppression, and this is a "chief" tax collector. (We may all be sinners, but this one is a really bad.) He's also rich, so he has presumably extracted his wealth from his own people. A few chapters back, though, we learned that "the lost" are dear to the heart of God, in stories of lost sheep, lost coins, a lost son, all worth going after and looking for because they are so greatly valued by the seeker. "Not simply clever or perplexing stories," these accounts "live at the heart of God's purpose of salvation," Sharon Ringe writes (Luke, Westminster Bible Companion). Zacchaeus may be hated by the crowd, but he is loved and valued by Jesus, who has come to find him. It is "who Jesus is" to seek the lost, including us: it is his mission.

This is also a story about joy, a theme that runs through the Gospel of Luke just as much as the theme of reversals. Zacchaeus is happy, not afraid, to welcome Jesus into his home. It's a new day for the tax collector, who feels God's mercy and love reaching him through the love and acceptance of Jesus.  Zacchaeus joyfully welcomes Jesus, and gives away extravagantly more than what is required, "symbolizing his independence from his money," writes Charles Cousar (Texts for Preaching Year C).

What kind of trust is necessary to offer half of our possessions to the poor?

What sort of experience would inspire that kind of trust?

Bt is it Jesus' visit, and the grace of God, that moves Zaccaeus to promise to give away half of his money to the poor and to make lavish restitution where needed. They translate his verbs in the future tense. Others claim that a present tense is appropriate, and that Zacchaeus is honestly claiming to be an observant Jew. Richard Swanson presses this case persuasively, writing about the ritual of separation and exclusion necessary to mark off a faithful Israel, the ritual of hospitality that makes it an honor for Jesus to visit; and the ritual of caring for the poor, which is really "binding the world together." The surprise in this story is that the outcast is the observant one. "This is a scene of revelation, not of redemption" (Provoking the Gospel of Luke). Yes, it's the grace of God at work, but perhaps God has been working on Zacchaeus for quite a while. And John Pilch believes Zacchaeus is describing his "repeated, customary practice," not something he's going to start doing now: Zacchaeus "converted earlier and was misjudged by the grumbling Pharisees. Even in antiquity the only exercise some people got was jumping to conclusions" (The Cultural World of Jesus).

Sundays Sermon Reflection

Scripture from Sunday: Luke 18:10-14a
Sermon: Walk Lightly

While I had planned on focusing on prayer for a second Sunday, the sermon had a life of it’s own. As I researched for my sermon I was struck by how many commentaries pitted the Pharisee against the Tax Collector, bad Pharisee vs. good Tax Collector. Oh how we love to pile it on those bad Pharisee’s and love finding a tax collector with a heart of gold. But by judging the Pharisee, “At least I’m not like you.” , are we not like the Pharisee. 

 

I especially enjoyed this reflection from Paul D Duke is pastor of the Kirkwood Baptist Church in Kirkwood, Missouri, and coauthor of Anguish and the Word: Preaching That Touches Pain

THE PARABLE about the Pharisee and the tax collector neglects to mention that the Pharisee was singing "Amazing Grace" on his way to church that day. Or that as he said his prayer, there were tears in his eyes. He feels this stuff. He is awash with religious emotion, truly moved to gratitude for the life God has blessed him to live. Ask him on his way out what he thinks of the tax collector, and he will tell you, "There but for the grace of God go I." He will even think that he means it.

The parable also neglects to point out that the tax collector, when he has wiped his eyes, blown his nose and gone home, will not be quitting his shady job. He can't see any options; it's a nasty business, but he's stuck in it. Tomorrow he'll again take money from his neighbors, hand some of it over to the empire and put some aside for himself.

To see the Publican as honorable and the Pharisee as a creep makes the story false, curdles it to a dishonest (and easily anti-Semitic) morality tale and sends us straight into the trap of saying, "God, we thank you that we are not like this Pharisee!" Better to see him as he is—a thoroughly decent, generous, committed man—and to see the Publican as a compromised, certified stinker.

I know which character my church depends on. I know which one pays the bills, teaches the lesson, visits the sick, feeds the hungry. I'd love a churchful of people with his commitments—people who care enough to fast, people who tithe on all their income and who thank God that they can. As in Jesus' day, it's people like the Pharisee who hold the community together and keep the faith with diligence and passion. We can't color him sinister. He's not J. R. Ewing in a choir robe. He's a better man than I am, and probably better than you.

And is his prayer really so bad? It's very close to some classic prayers of gratitude from that time, including: "I give you thanks, O Lord my God . . . that you have not set my portion with those who sit in street corners," and "Praised be the God who did not make me a heathen . .. [and] who did not make me an uneducated man." Is the psalmist wrong to pray, "I have avoided the ways of the violent"? (17:3). Why not gaze on the mystery of having been spared a certain lot or a certain sin, and give honest thanks?

But there is a word in his prayer that is outside the Jewish form, and that one little word gives him away. He doesn't give thanks that God has spared him from being a thief, rogue, adulterer or tax collector; he gives thanks that he is not like them. "God, I thank you that I am not like other people ..." Really? Here he crosses from the grammar of gratitude into the grammar of elitism. It can be a very subtle line and we almost never notice when we cross it, but we do it all the time. What betrays us is an unexamined refusal of kinship. It shows every time we use us-them language. 

I decided I wanted to focus on that confidence of the Pharisee, so sure he is that he knows the mind of God and how this still seems to be the sin of the church, of religions and faiths. Too often we are convinced that we hold the truth to what God is saying, and yet all too often the words we put in God's mouth contradict the words others put in God's mouth. So let's stop saying, "Thus sayeth the Lord" and start saying, "It is our opinion." Nicholas of Cusa's Learned Ignorance is an interesting theological stand. In Nicholas' scheme - the dumbest people are those who think they know, their certainty about what is true, not only pits them against one another, it also prevents them from learning anything new.  That is truly dangerous knowledge. They do not know that they do not know.  And their unlearned ignorance keeps them in the dark about most of the things that matter. To know that you do not know is the beginning of wisdom.

Wouldn't it be amazing, I found myself thinking if religious leaders everywhere called a press conference and joined hands in a confession of learned ignorance. A humble, graceful act of theological modesty before the infinite mystery that is God.

 If just Christians stopped using concepts of truth against one another.  Stopped saying, “Thus sayeth the Lord.”  And instead learned to say, “It is our opinion that…”

On Using Inclusive Langauge with Reference to the People of God and Expansive Language with Reference to God

Language is powerful. Language is one of the major ways that we convey meaning and influence thought and behavior. Gender inclusive language recognizes that all people, irrespective of gender identity, are full and valued participants in our society. It does not portray women or men as being dependent, or in a stereotyped manner. It does not trivialize, denigrate or hide the experiences of a particular gender.

The General Assembly adopted publication, Definitions and Guidelines on Inclusive Language,  explains it this way, “A concern for inclusive language bespeaks the church’s emerging conviction both that the diversity of the people of God is to be acknowledged and embraced in such a way that all may feel included, as well as the realization that every reference to God is limited in its capacity to express the reality and mystery of the One who has so variously encountered us.”

Why do we use expansive language with reference to God?

Again, from Definitions and Guidelines on Inclusive Language, “Our language about God should be as intentionally diverse and varied as is that of the Bible and our theological tradition. This diversity should be reflected in the language and life of the church. Rather than using only a very small number of terms referring to God (e.g.,“Father,” “Creator,” “Lord,” “Almighty”), we should seek to employ the rich reservoir of imagery to be found in the New and Old Testaments”

“What is the right way to speak about God? This is a question of unsurpassed importance, for speech to and about the mystery that surrounds human lives and the universe itself is a key activity of a community of faith. In that speech the symbol of God functions as the primary symbol of the whole religious system, the ultimate point of reference for understanding experience, life, and the world. Hence the way in which a faith community shapes language about God implicitly represents what it takes to be the highest good, the profoundest truth, the most appealing beauty. Such speaking, in turn, powerfully molds the corporate identity of the community and directs its praxis” (Johnson, Elizabeth A. She Who Is (New York: Crossroad), 1992, pp. 3–4).

At Madison Square language is important to us. Many in our congregation have experienced language used in exclusive ways often with the purpose of judging or demeaning. In our education, curriculum, publications, liturgy and sermons we strive to use to use language that is inclusive of the People of God and expansive with reference to God.

General Assembly Actions

The General Assembly (GA) took action in 1971, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1998 and 2000 encouraging the use of inclusive language in worship, education, publications, and theological and biblical reflection.

1979 GA 191 received the paper “The Power of Language Among the People of God and the Language about God” and commended its use to the Church as a resource document.

1985 GA 197 adopted “Definitions and Guidelines on Inclusive Language.”

1998 GA 210 asked moderators of governing bodies to renew their commitment to “Definitions and Guidelines” and the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns

requested that the Office of Theology and Worship assess the current status of the

church on inclusive language policy.

2000 GA 212 reaffirmed “Definitions and Guidelines on Inclusive Language” and requested the Office of Theology and Worship make it available churchwide.

Scriptures for Sunday

Scriptures for Sunday

·       First Reading Joel 2:23-32

·       Psalm Psalm 65:1-13

·       Second Reading 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

·       Gospel Luke 18:9-14

Primary Focus: Luke 18:9-14

⁹He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ¹⁰“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ ¹³But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” 

The scholars of the Jesus Seminar, in the The Five Gospels, point out that the introduction (v.9) and concluding remarks (v.14b) are editorial remarks against self-righteous pride and in favor of the virture of humility. The parable itself (vv. 10-14a) compares and contrast the prayers of two people...one seen as righteous by the traditional religious practices of the day. The other would be seen by most Judeans of the day as unrighteous, dishonest, disloyal and disregarding of religious duty.

Whether the parable itself was told by Jesus is an unsettled debate. Many feel the story is a product of the Jesus Movement. This is the only parable that has one character be a Pharasee. This is also the only time the term "justified" is used in the gospels with reference to an individual. Paul, on the other hand, loves to use the term "justified" in his letters, so this, it is argued, indicates that the parable is more reflective of the early Christian movement.

Raymond Bailey draws an uncomfortable comparison between Pharisees and "good elders, stewards, or deacons. They are the ones who do the work of the church and provide the financial support necessary to support religious institutions.  Pharisees were devoted to God and righteousness, and most of their faults were the result of overstriving for holiness. Their zeal was often misguided, but at least they had zeal in their desire to please God". When religion became the end instead of the means (as it so often can) these leaders could easily lose their way, as the Pharisee praying in the Temple evidently did. The same pitfall on the journey of faith endangers us in the church today.

Who are those, in our churches, in our denomination, in our society, from whom we stand apart when we pray? 

Whichever side we are on, in any question raging in the life of the church, how is God calling us to find that common ground of radical dependence on God’s grace that enables us to pray together, recognizing ourselves, whether Pharisee (religiously righteous in our practices) or tax collector (living outside the bounds of proper society and rules)? 

What issues divide us and keep us from this kind of shared prayer, this kind of shared recognition tha we all belong to God? 

And if we do belong to God, how can we leave church this day, thanking God that we are not like that prideful, self-righteous Pharisee?

Posting a Comment

Some of you who have tried to post a blog have run into the problem of needing to sign up with one of the providers before you can post.
I apologize. Because this is a trial version and we weren't sure how the final version will look, we chose to go with a service that offers blogs instead of creating something and finding out we aren't bloggers at Mad.Sq.

To sign up for one of the options, click on one of the links below:

Google - When you sign up you will get a new email account - gmail. I think this is the quickest and simplist of all the options.

LiveJournal - Helps you organize all the blogs you go to. Probably not for most of you.

Wordpress - Free download of software to create a website or blog - Great software, but not what most of you will be doing.

Typepad - A place to create blogs, for a price.

AIM - AOL Instant Messanger - requires downloading AOL's instant messenger. Very old school. But you might have an AIM from 5-10 years ago.

OpenID - You may already have Open ID and not know it, if you sign on to one of many  popular sites, you probably have Open ID. Open ID is a great service that can help you protect your online information. You might want to check it out.

Prayers of the Heart

Scripture for Sunday - Luke 18:1-8

Sermon - Prayers of the Heart

What does prayer mean to you?

Do you pray?

Why do you pray?

The scripture assures us that unlike the widow who must deal with an unjust judge, who cares not about God or people, "Will not God grant justice to God's chosen ones who cry to God day and night? Will God delay long in helping them?"

I fear that many would answer, "Yes, God has delayed long in granting justice."

What do we do with unanswered prayers?

Do we lose heart? The purpose, the writers of Luke give for Jesus telling this parable.

I believe the Christian tradition has misrepresented the purpose and trivialized the power of prayer.

Fred Craddock tells a story of being invited to attend a prayer meeting at a home in a wealthy suburb of Atlanta. He said the group shared "weighty" prayer concerns like a date coming up on Friday night and the purchase of a new car, and one man announced they had had 75 answered prayers since the group started meeting. Then one of them turned to him and asked, "What do you think, Dr. Craddock?" Craddock, usually more hesitant to criticize anybody's praying, was offended by the superficial and mechanistic reduction of Israel's God to what Paul Tillich called, "the Cosmic Bellhop." He couldn't help himself. He said, "Do you mean to tell me when people are starving in Africa and the poor are suffering in India and parents in Latin America can't sleep through the night wondering if the death squads will visit them, you folks are praying about dates and new cars?"

A rabbi friend once asked me why we Christians prayed about every little thing. I told him it was like his children asking for what they wanted. And while children might get angry and frustrated when the loving parent said no, over time they trusted that parent to know and provide what was best for them and to protect them from harm. But, I said, if your children are still begging you for candy bars and new toys when they are thirty, something has gone seriously wrong with their growth. In the same way, Christians ought to mature in what they ask for from God.

And many do mature, but still...from time to time people ask me why God hasn't answered their prayers. And, usually these aren't superficial, selfish prayers, but prayers for a loved one who is sick or prayers for justice in a situation at work. And usually, I find myself wishing God would answer their prayers and I join my prayers to theirs. And while I wish it were different sometimes, I do not believe prayer works that way. Prayer is not a means of forcing or enticing God to step in, even when it seems to us so clearly the right thing for God to do. Prayer is more than that. Much more.

I don't know about you, but a lot of things knock me off balance. And only a re-centering in the love of God returns me to the sense of well being and hope for healing which God alone can provide. Prayer is not getting God to run errands for us or to choose us over any other human being, for God loves no child more than another. No, prayer is putting ourselves at God's disposal, and submitting to God's will, and finding our peace in God's presence.

I have a lot of books on prayer, which is like having books on fishing. They don't do any good if you don't get out and fish. A lot of people struggle to establish a regular habit of prayer, but feel they have failed. The formulas they have been given don't work for them. One prayer book that has been helpful, and that I have read, is Prayer and Temperament which matches praying styles with personality types. It says different people pray in different ways, and can learn more about themselves from the way they pray and can learn to pray better by knowing themselves better. No one formula or style works for every person.

Some people pray with their heads and need devotional material that helps them think about God.

Some people pray with their hearts and feel their way into God's presence.

Some people pray with their feet and encounter God in the persons they serve.

Introverts prefer to pray alone, while extroverts pray better with another person or ten or twenty.

 The point is: find a way that works for you and pray your way into it. Keep your connection with God vital and active and discover the peace it produces in your soul.

And don't forget to listen, not only for what God says to you, but for what God says to you through the prayers of others.

In a chapter of Cry Pain, Cry Hope called "Who Hears Prayer?" Elizabeth O'Connor tells of visiting an overnight shelter for street women. Many of the women were old and infirm, some were addicts, and some were mentally ill. Because they had to go back into the street in the morning regardless of the weather, the mood often turned hostile at the break of day. O'Connor writes:

In the long narrow hall where the women were having breakfast, an old woman with a gentle face kneeled to pray. She was in the way of another woman who taunted her, "Get up woman. God don't hear your prayer." The praying woman did not respond and her taunter said again, "God don't hear your prayer woman. God don't hear your prayer."

I asked myself, "Does God hear her prayer?"

Then I remembered. God is in me and where I am God is. The real question was, "Did I hear her prayer?" What would it mean to hear her prayer?"