August 8, 2010
Pentecost 11
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Luke 12:32-40
(prayer)
One of the ways that people talked about Jesus was to speak of him as a teacher, a rabbi. During one of the most well-known Easter passages (from John 20), when Mary Magdalene realizes that it is the Risen Christ standing in front of her not the gardener, she exclaims “Rabbouni” – Aramaic for Teacher!
As well, we most often refer to Jesus first followers as “disciples”, a word that means students. A key aspect of the relationship between Jesus and his followers is that of Teacher and Student; Mentor and Apprentice.
I like the word “disciple”. It is fraught with a sense of humility – there is more to known and experienced. It is filled with a promise for what will be. It also implies concentration and effort. And like it’s sister-word discipline, being a disciple can involve adhering to a program and practice that leads to transformation.
When I find myself embroiled in conversations about criminal justice, I am uncomfortable with people whose only interest is punishment, with not respect for the place of discipline. Discipline gets its strength from hope. And I am a fan of hope!
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And so, as I was preparing for this month’s worship services, I noticed that the Revised Common lection is suggesting New Testament letter (epistle) readings from the latter chapters of the book of Hebrews and the gospel lessons come from the heart of the Gospel of Luke.
As I looked at these various words of wisdom from our history of faith, I found myself thinking about what characteristics we might want to focus on, as we strive to be attentive, committed, authentic and humble disciples of our Christ.
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Both the letter to the Hebrews and the gospel of Luke are relatively late New Testament writings. Luke found written form in the mid-70s of the first century, some 40 plus years after Jesus’ life. Hebrews would have come from around the same time, perhaps even a few years later.
What that time tells us is that the early Christian movement had several decades to develop and grow and that this growth is reflected in the writings: even in the gospel which describes for year old events.
One of the themes that the early church needed to address was: how could they keep the movement alive now that most of the original followers of Jesus had lived their full lives and were now gone?
There was so much excitement in those first years. Jesus’ followers were buoyed by the direct accounts of people who lived and learned with Jesus. There were the few who even claimed to have witnessed the Risen Christ after he had been executed on the cross. There was so much hope: God’s redemption had been glimpse – it must be close – some of the early church members expected a dramatic divine action to re-order the world. They not only hoped for a Kingdom of Heaven, but the manifestation of that Kingdom on earth.
The Lord’s Prayer expresses that desire:
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
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The image of a kingdom is less relevant to us in our day. But we can see its value in the ancient world. They lived in the world of kingdoms and empires. The powerful lived in palaces and held all the wealth and controlled the destiny of the rest of the population who lived and worked and died at the whim of the kingdom. Some rulers were benevolent, but most ruled with a selfish iron fist.
So when they imagined God as being their sovereign, who was the one who had the power and it was motivated by a desire to love and care for the people … the same language was used.
In fact, it was this language that got Jesus killed. His followers touted him as a new King. We can recall Jesus’ answer to Pilate in the gospel of John: “My kingdom is not of this world”.
So I understand that “Kingdom” is not as relevant a metaphor for the modern age, but if we hear it the way the scripture writers use it, it can still have some value for us.
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As the New Testament story moves into its second and third generations, the call to be an attentive disciple becomes more prevalent.
“Faith is the conviction of things not seen.”
“You must be watching and ready.”
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As more and more time passed, complacency became a concern. A hope for the future began to give way to a concern only for today. A sense of community began to give way to a concern only for the self.
And so the new generation of Christian leaders began to try and bring back the focus that was easier in the early years. Being a follower of Jesus needed to mean that a person was concerned with the bigger, longer picture as well as who and where they were in that moment.
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The language of the scripture writers is that of “gift”: or more specifically a “legacy”. We heard inheritance language in both Hebrews and Luke this morning.
The author of Hebrews uses perhaps the ultimate inheritance story as his example: the ancient story of Abraham and Sarah. Abraham’s family lived well near the city of Ur along the mouth of the Euphrates River near the Persian Gulf. But there was a call to leave that settled live to begin something exciting and new.
There was a promise: I will be your God and you will be my people. The details were sketchy at best. Abraham who had no children was promised a great legacy. For a man in the ancient world, there could be no greater carrot on a stick.
Abraham didn’t argue the lack of details, he trusted – he had faith. And he watched for signs of the truth of the covenant as he moved along on his sketchy journey. Those signs certainly included a new land to settle in; the surprising late-life parenting of Isaac. Abraham likely lived to see his great-grandchildren. It was certainly a grand extended family, but hardly the mighty nation that was embedded in the promise – Abraham would have to leave that in the hands of future hope.
For the Hebrews writer, the metaphor is extended to the idea of the transformation of the nomadic settlements of Abraham’s time to a grand city. To the early church this was a symbolic way to express that hope for the Kingdom of God.
Luke also speaks of inheritance. God is the head of the household, who gives the kingdom. It is like a great treasure, this gift of God’s reign.
Luke wants the potentially complacent church to get excited about this promise again – be ready to receive it. Be like a servant prepared to welcome home the master of the house after a wedding feast. Or, Luke says, if that doesn’t work for you, think of a vigilant homeowner, who catches the thief before anything can be stolen.
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To learn what it means to follow Jesus, to be a learner, a disciple includes being attentive. Attentive to our lives and the way we are interacting with the world and attentive to our hopes - for where we hope to be and who we hope to become.
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This modern world makes that challenging. We are surrounded by so much that can distract us from discipleship. Our use of technology and our pursuit of perpetual economic growth fills our lives to the point where, I am not sure I know anyone anymore who doesn’t think their lives are TOO busy.
We are constantly making choices about how we will use our time. And we leave so much potential on the sideline. We live in a world that seldom values rest.
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And there is a sense of general unease, even unhappiness about this reality.
So, can there not be value for us to focus on a promise of fulfillment. To be reminded our calling to follow the one who welcomed the outcast, who loved the unloved – who brought children and women into the circles once reserved for only the men of the patriarchal society.
Yesterday, the Men’s Club was blessed to listen to wisdom about the United Churches involvement in the native residential school system. That wisdom focused on listening and learning and focusing on where we are going.
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Attentiveness is about being mindful of our surroundings and to find and focus on those things where the Spirit is active.
Attentiveness is about remaining faithful to our calling to Love God with our whole being (heart, mind and strength) and to love neighbour as deeply as we love ourselves.
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It may seem like it is hard to fit that into an already busy life, but it is already in our lives, we just have to take the effort to notice it.
Let us pray … (ad lib)
#567VU Will You Come and Follow Me”
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