THY KINGDOM COME

November 23, 2014

Pentecost Last

Ezekiel 34:11-16

Matthew 25:31-46

(prayer)

The realm of a God is like a grand wedding banquet where some wise bridesmaid's lit the way for the groom.

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The realm of God is like an unbelievable bonus that an investor receives for exceeding expectations.

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When Jesus taught about the Realm of God (Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew), he spoke in parables: stories filled with day-to-day images and metaphors. Today, we finished reading chapter 25 from Matthew's gospel.  The explicit story is a king sitting in judgment over his people. The image in the story is that of a shepherd dividing a flock between sheeps and goats. 

Now, I am no rancher, but I know enough that goats and sheeps are completely different species of animals.
The might be similar in size; it's possible that a shepherd could have animals with similar coloured coats, but - really - how hard can it be to figure out which ones are sheep and which ones are goats.

It seems to me that Jesus wants his audience to be thinking that this is not a very complicated sorting.  This parable is about the king making what should be some 'no-brainer' judgments.

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As with the other two Matthew kingdom-choice parables, I believe that Jesus wanted his hears (and Matthew wanted his readers) to see themselves as the characters who were faced with the choices.
In parable #1, we are to imagine ourselves a bridesmaid; in #2, we are to wonder what we would do with the master's money; today we are to see ourselves as one of the king's people who has been put into one of two groups - are we sheep or goats?

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Let's imagine what it would be like to be divided in this way.  It reminds of some of the early rounds of a competition reality show (like American Idol), where the judges would call to the stage a group of half a dozen - have a few of them step forward and then announce that either the front row or the back row was moving on and the other group was eliminated.  Until the announcement is made, people don't know what the result of the sorting is.

I imagine that there would be whispered-converstions within the groups: 
·     Do you know what's going on?

·     What do these groups for?

·     Hey, how come Joe and I are in different groups?

I imagine, although from the throne that the sorting was an easy task, that among the sorted, the situation wasn't so clear.

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Then the king explains things: "Everyone in your group has something in common.  You (on right), when I was hungry, you fed me; when I was thirsty, you gave me drink; you welcomed me even when you didn't know who I was; when I was sick you cared for me; you gave me clothes when I was not dressed; when I was not able to move about freely, you visited me." 
"Now you (on left), when I was in need you just ignored me."

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"Now, wait a second", said someone from the second group, "you're the king - I never saw you in need.  And if I had, I never, never would have ignored you!  You're the king!  I'd have to be stupid not to help you when you need it.  With all due respect, you've made a mistake.  I don't know about anyone else, but I'm in the wrong group."

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In group number one, I imagine the comments were whispered under the breath more than yelled outloud: "Do you know what the king is talking about?  Did you do any of those things?  I don’t think I did.  I think I'm in the wrong group."

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After the murmurs settled down, the voice from the thrown made it clear - "When you did this to anyone - especially the weak and vulnerable, it was like you were doing it for me."

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So that was the division: one group was made up of people who showed compassion for the benefit of others; and the other group only showed compassion when it would benefit themselves, if at all.

Another way of saying this is that when we are dominated by our selfish choices and our greed, we find ourselves blocked from knowing God in our midst.  It was the prophet Micah who reminded us that one of God's expectations of us is that we will nurture our spirits in an atmosphere of humility.

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I don't know if Jesus could make it any more clear - how we care and who we care for, matters.

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The prophet Ezekiel was among the exiles who were forcibly moved from Judea to Babylon in the 7th century BCE.
After centuries of stability for Jerusalem and the people of Judea, it all came crashing down as the Babylonian Empire annexed their homeland.  The people felt that they had lost everything... including their God.  Into that dispair, Ezekiel promises them that God has not given up on them.  Like a good shepherd who searches high and low for lost sheep.  God will find them - even in Babylon and heal and strengthen them.

There is another section in Ezekiel where the prophet envisions seeing the Spirit of God rising out of the ruins of the Jerusalem Temple and traveling over the wilderness to join the people in Babylon.

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When Ezekiel speaks negatively about the fat and strong sheep, he (like Jesus) seems to be referencing selfish greed.  Imagine, most of the flock growing weak with hunger, which a privileged few, hoard what is available for themselves.

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The Realm of God (The Kingdom of Heaven) is where the lost are found, the weak and; vulnerable are cared for, and where selfish greed has no place.

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Matthew wants the early church to hear Jesus saying that to be part of the realm of God, you chose to be aware of the moment you are in and what is needed to move you into the future; the church is to chose risking engagement in the world so that faith can be known and grown; and people of faith will not ignore the needs of the weak and vulnerable: people of faith will care beyond themselves as a natural and normal act.

One thing I notice about these parables is that they call for wise and just choices... now.  Aspects of the Realm of God, that Jesus describes, are supposed to be known... now.

Virtually every Sunday here at St. David's, we include in our service prayers a special prayer recorded Matthew, chapter six - commonly called The Lord's Prayer:

Our father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven... (NRSV)

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Hear again is that promise about the Realm of God:

"Your kingdom come... on earth! Your will, God, is that this be done."

The Realm of God is more than a heavenly hope.  It is a present mission.  Your kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven.

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Today's parable gives us hints on how to make know God on earth - work for the dignity and safety and health of all - whether the need be food or drink or clothing or... ; treat strangers like friends (and they will become our neighbours and kin); be open to the changing face of our communities; and when there are people who find themselves isolated (by illness, or by prison
wall, or simply because they are lost) don't forget them - go to them - remind them that they are more than their illness or their past actions.

When we do this, we are helping usher in the Realm of God - we are highlighting the Holy within our midst.

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Later... when we pray, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven", let's be
mindful that we are not just praying for God to act - we are encouraging ourselves to act.

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Let us pray:

Holy God, we pray that we may be instruments of your peace; where there is injury, may we bring healing; where there is despair, may we bring hope; where there is darkness, may we shine your light.  Following Jesus, we pray, Amen.

#210VU  “Christus Paradox (You, Lord, Are Both Lamb and Shepherd)"

IN THIS MOMENT

November 16, 2014

Pentecost 23

1st Thessalonians 5:5-11

Matthew 25:14-30

(prayer)

Today is the second of three consecutive Sundays when we are looking at teaching stories of
Jesus (parables) from Matthew chapter 25.

These stories all centre on an attitude that Jesus' followers are encouraged to have so that they can live in ways that are consistent with what God intends.  They are all stories that aim to help us sort out choices.

Last week was a parable of bridesmaids and lamp oil.  Next week, we will hear a parable of sheep and goats.  Today, it was a parable of three servants' investments.

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The realm of God will be like this:

A very rich man was going away and he called three of his servants in to discuss a very important task.  “While I am away, I want each of you to manage my money.  I’ll give you each what I think you can handle.”  The rich man gave each servant more money than any of them had ever seen in their lives. Two of them decided to invest the money for their master.  It was risky, and it required a lot of work making trades and managing the portfolio but each hoped to increase their master’s riches.  The third servant knew that his master was a harsh man and didn’t want to risk losing any of his master’s money, so he buried it in a safe place. When the rich man came home he called in each servant.  The two who had invested the money had managed to double their investments.  The master was pleased and rewarded them greatly.  But he was not pleased with what he called the laziness of the third servant.  “I gave you a job and you didn’t do anything - get out of my sight!”

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This is not my favorite parable.

I say that because I know that some people use it to justify out-of-control greed.  Some people take this parable literally, instead of metaphorically.  Forgive me if this sounds silly, but I have actually heard people quote this passage in Matthew to justify why they can be so greedy in the business world and not have that conflict with the gospel call to see others as neighbours, each as valuable as yourself - Love thy neighbour on Sunday and take advantage of every opportunity to make money at those neighbours' expense from Monday to Saturday.

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Money is not the subject of this parable of Jesus!

It is not an invitation for the followers of Jesus to all become venture capitalists.

We have to be careful how we read metaphoric language and remember that every symbol has its limits and that no one story of Jesus gives us the whole picture of his message or of God’s grace and justice.

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It is fair to assume that Jesus chose his words carefully - so that the central message he wanted to impart could catch his audience’s attention.

It is probably a good guess that most of the people who first heard this parable could relate their lives more to that of the servants than to the master.  Now, Jesus’ message did breach all barriers of class, but he spent his times in the villages squares, where he was more likely to find a more ‘non-master class’ crowd of people.  And that may be Jesus intent - he wants the hearers of his parable to see themselves as the 'servants' in the story.  Jesus wants people to be thinking about how they might react if faced with a similar situation.  In an ironic twist (given what I said earlier), Jesus’ style was to get them to hear the story literally, before he confronts them with the more-than-literal metaphoric meaning.

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First, let’s understand how much money we are talking about.
The master was handing out “Talents”.  
A talent was unit of measurement that originated in ancient Babylon and was commonly used in Israel - it was a weight that could define the size of any commodity: grain, metal, water.  A Talent was relatively large amount compared to smaller measures like mina, shekles and giru.  In the context of this parable, the Talent referred to a monetary measurement of silver coins (approximately 26kg or 57pounds worth).  It’s a lot!

It was equal to several years worth of wages for a skilled labourer.  I couldn't find a consensus in the research I did this week: seven to thirty years worth.

To Jesus' audience, it would be an unbelievable number.

[insert Dr Evil impression, here]

Just imagine how that measured up in the mind of a slave-servant - who was likely only paid wage enough to provide for daily bread.

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Five Talents was more than a labourer in Biblical times could make in a lifetime.  Maybe, if times were good and you remained healthy, you could earn two talents for a life of work.  One talent might be more of an average lifetime wage.

That’s where this parable of Jesus starts - even the third servant, who was entrusted with the smallest amount was given like what must have seemed to be ‘all the money in the world’.

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When their master explained what he wanted them to do, I picture three servants with their jaws wide open.

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Although there are three servants, there are only two reactions:

1.    To carefully work with what was given;

2.    To hide and ignore what was given.

In the end, the master rewarded the wise choice of working with what was given.

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The allegory in today’s reading is that 'we' are entrusted, by our God, with something of incredibly great value - the gospel writer may have meant his audience to think about the ministry of Christ’s church.
This ministry is (at the same time) both ours to hold and not ours at all - it is part of us and beyond us.
And even though it is more wonderful that we could ever hope to achieve on our own, we are tasked with the advancement of this gracious gift.

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Our own faith is what motivates us - to serve the greater purpose or to serve ourselves.  That is the main difference between the servants in the parable: the first two seek to do work that will bring benefits beyond just themselves.  The third one only thinks of the impact on his own life.
His focus is on doing as little as possible, taking below the minimal risks and hopes to simply survive the task, breaking even. 
When we hear this metaphorically, we hear that this 'third servant response' is one where we have no desire to grow or nurture our faith - we hang on tight to what we have, hoping that it will be what we need when the moment comes.

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What about all the moments between now and then?

To me that is a central aspect of this parable: that we are to care not just about the beginnings and the endings, but the life journey that spans the distance of time.

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If we read this parable too literally, God (the master) comes across as an overly greedy businessperson.  The third servant noted that the master "reaped where he did not sow and gathered where he did not plant".  A literal reading of that might suggest a less-than-ethical master.
That is not likely what Jesus is trying to say about God.  I like the way that Douglas Hare puts it in his commentary on Matthew: the master is “a sharp dealer, who extracts far more from a business transaction than is his proper due.”

We can say that, in the business of gospel, God is able to go beyond expectations - to achieve the maximum impact because of God’s gracious nature. 

God is very good at what God does!

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This second Matthew 25 'choice parable' speaks the the wisdom of living an active faith, moment to moment.  To extend the journey imagery, it is not so focused on the destination, but all along the way.

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The other scripture reading (from First Thessalonians) also lays out a choice - open faithful living or hiding away in secret, hoping no one will notice.  The verbs in the last verse of what David read today are key: encourage one another and build up each other.  What really stands out to me is that the Apostle Paul notes that this is not something new: 'indeed you are [already] doing [this]'.

Encouragement and Building Up are activities to do in this moment, not down the road.

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Faith is not something to be hidden.  It is not to be stifled.  This is true because we are not
in ministry alone.  Faith grows as we connect with each other in the work of our Christ in the world.

So, lets find encourage in each other and let our spiritual longings find fulfillment.

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Let us pray:

It is easy, O God, to become complacent and comfortable.  Help us to risk what will help us grow into our potential as Jesus' disciples.  Amen.

#575VU "I'm Gonna Live So God Can Use Me"

BE READY

November 9, 2014

Pentecost 22

Joshua 24:14-15

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Matthew 25:1-13

(prayer)

We have come to the final three Sundays of the church year. November 30th is the first Sunday in the season of Advent, which is the beginning of the ecclesial calendar. Over these next three weeks, we will be reading through a key section of the gospel of Matthew: chapter 25.  Three parable stories that all centre on an attitude that Jesus' followers will want to have for living in ways that are consistent for the way God would like things to be.  They are all stories that aim to help us sort out choices - each section of Matthew 25, talks about the benefits of wise choices and the folly of foolish ones.

Although, sometimes these passages are read with a focus on the negative, they are all intended to centre around the positive - these three stories were told in the early church to express how life would look the world worked exactly as God desires.  The kingdom of heaven/God is like this...  With God as our sovereign, it would be like this...

Today, a parable of lamp bearing bridesmaids.
Next week, we will hear a parable of some servants' investments; and on the last Sunday of the year, a parable of sheep and goats.

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The realm of God will be like this:

Ten bridesmaids are waiting for the groom to arrive so they can escort him into the wedding feast.
But the groom was delayed: so much so that the bridesmaids' lamps became low on oil.  Now, five of these maids were smart enough to bring extra oil. They talked about sharing the extra oil amongst ten lamps instead of five, but then everyone might run out before the night was over.  So, five of the bridesmaids had to leave and go get more lamp oil.  Wouldn't you know it, while they were gone, the groom arrived. He and the five wise bridesmaids went into the wedding banquet and (presumably) had a great time.  When the other five returned, they rushed to the banquet site, but found the gates locked and no one there to let them in. They missed out on the party.  The realm of God is like that!

God's vision is that of a joyful celebration - honouring the relationships we forge.

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This parable is wonderfully allegorical about the early church.  The original audience of Matthew's gospel read this story some 45 years after Jesus' life time.  They were what we might call a second-generation church - most, if not all of them, had no living memory of Jesus.  And they were losing (to old age) the elders with that first-hand experience.

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Do you remember the Seinfeld episode when the gang all went to Joe Mayo's party?  Every guest was given a job: Elaine was in charge of the coats, Jerry was to protect the stereo speakers from having drinks placed on them, Jerry's girlfriend was to keep Jerry from playing the music.  Well, the ten bridesmaids were entrusted with a valuable task at their party - they were to light the way for the groom, so that the groom would be able to join all the guests and the celebration could achieve its greatest potential - a celebration that included those bridesmaids.

Although the bridesmaids parable ends with the tag line: "you do know the day or the hour, therefore keep awake", the problem for the five foolish ones was not that they were drowsy (the wise ones slept too); it was not that they did know when they needed to be ready (the wise ones didn't know exactly when the groom would arrive, either).  The problem was that did not take the necessary steps to be ready, long before their task was needed.

In the allegory of this story, the oil represents faith.  Within Hebrew tradition, 'oil' often was a metaphor for righteousness or faithful, good deeds.  I can't get credit for someone else's good deeds. If you have faith, it is not possible to just give some of it for me.  I need to develop my own faith.  And living out that faith is something only I can do.  The metaphoric oil is non-transferable.

What is transferable is the light!

You may be able to help spark my faith, even re-ignite it when it grows dim, but I need my own oil.

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When we lit Rhaya's baptism candle today, we did not take wax and wick from the Christ candle.  Her baptism candle has its own fuel - the Christ Candle gave it the spark it needed to glow brightly.

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A message of this parable is this: having an active faith, now, provides us with the faithful fuel we need to fully experience the joy of God in the time to come.  What we do now (how we live now) will help us be ready as we move into a mysterious future. 

That is what Matthew wanted his second generation church to know.  They had evolved to the point where they could no longer bask in the direct glow of the faith of their forebearers; they needed to find new fuel for their time and place.

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This coming Tuesday is Remembrance Day.  November 11th has been chosen for this recognition because it signals the end of war.  The sad irony of history is that when the Great War ended (with the signing of the armistice agreement on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 96 years ago), no one at the time knew that a lack of lasting peace would result in the renaming of that conflict as only the first world war.  Some of the Great War veterans even found themselves back in uniform during another great war only a couple of decades later.

Although there were no doubt exceptions, I would hazard a guess that the vast majority of veterans are glad when peace comes and they have no desire to make war anymore.

By in large, the rank and file military members of the first and second world wars were not professional soldiers - they felt it was time for war - they left farms, factories and home towns during the war, and returned when peace was declared.  They were not ready and waiting for the ‘next’ war.

 I believe the boots-on-the-ground soldiers, even in our day, once they have experienced the reality of combat up close, that they long for the end of war.  When peace comes, they want that peace to last: for themselves, AND for the next generation.

Even for those who have known a time that they believed was for war, when it is time for peace, they do not long for more war. 

They tell us the stories of their experiences - lest we forget.

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If only the far-from-the front generals and the munitions manufactures felt that way too, our world might actually know real peace.

You see to those behind wars (far from the front lines, Peace is not profitable - it does not distinguish military careers. Arms makers need war (somewhere) to remain a going concern.

Can you imagine how hard it would be for some countries and wannabe states to wage war and terror, if they had to produce their own instruments of war?

I’m sure, in retrospect that we all can appreciate the sad reality that Al Qaeda (who planned the 9-11 attacks) grew from the Afghan mujahideen fighters who were funded and supplied by the US when they were fighting the USSR invaders in the 1980s.

It is also true that the lastest terrorist group of note (ISIS) owe some of their origins to Sadaam Hussien's army, who for many years were supported by western arms manufacturers during the Iran-Iraq war (also in the 1980s).

The old adage:  the enemy of my enemy is my friend, is seldom true in the long run.

What if the standards of warfare insisted that if you wanted your arms to be used in what you might view as a just war, only your own soldiers could use them.  What if we weren't able to simply sell weapons to a third party and let them take all the risks on the battlefield while we merely advised or trained, but, if instead, we had to risk our own sons and daughters, do you think Prime Ministers and Presidents would be so quick to authorized deployments or lawmakers would allow the munitions industry to choose its own clients?

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We say "Lest We Forget" not so that we remember how to wage war, but so to remember that the goal is for war to end.  Lest we forget!

When there has been a time for war, we learn the real value in that time of peace.

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Like the church that Matthew wrote to who were losing the first hand experiences of Jesus, we are losing to age, those with the experience of World War - the WW1 generation is gone, the WW2 generation is only for a little while longer.  We need to hear their story that peace is the goal, before we forget and wage war again.

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The bridesmaids' oil is a reminder to nurture and grow our faith all along the paths of our life, because when we need to rely on it, we want it to shine brightly so that we know we are not alone.

Faith in action for me is:

·       love not hate,

·       peace not war!

Everything I have come to know about Jesus tells me that.

We don’t want to be left out of that!

Let us be ready, lest we forget!

Let us pray:

God of all time and this time, when I’m tired of waiting for your realm to be here, kindle the flame of faith into action. Remind me of the life-giving choice that peace, mercy, and hope bring into life. Amen.

#169MV "When Hands Reach Out”

SINGING WITH THE SAINTS

Today at St. David's we sang... and prayed... and shared a sacred meal in honour of the legacy of faith we have received.  We were also mindful of the legacy we are in the process of leaving.

A “legacy” as ‘anything handed down from the past - as from an ancestor or predecessor.’ We all receive legacies in varying ways. Faith is personal and a present reality for each one of us, but in some way or another that faith was nurtured by the legacy of others. Our scriptures are a written legacy from the faithful past.

The lives we live based on the faith we develop will be part of the legacy for the generation to come. We are leaving our legacies right now. It is a good question for reflection, before it is too late: “How do I want to be remembered? What will my legacy look like?”

FOR ALL THE SAINTS

Mary Frances Long

William George Peters

Sherrill Jean Brown

Emilie Storeshaw

Margaret Elizabeth Taylor

Charles Ewen McDonald

Beatrix Mary Brown

Alexander Allen Sklarenko

Marvin William May

Lloyd Thomas Greenwald

Annie Clark

John Hancar

Sebastian Leonardous Sweep

Hilda Cummins

FAITH OF OUR FATHERS AND MOTHERS

Ann Mertyl Kuzmak

Rose Marie Mathilda Bradford

Carolyn Anne Brennan-Lemire

Chenesa Levine Lagace-Deisting

Edna Glencora Weller

George Reginald Weller

Alfred Edwin Horner

Milton Cameron Holmes

Jodi Elizabeth Ekkebus

Mary June Jones

Evelyn Delmary Degenais

Janet Louise Zubka

Gina Marie Lindberg

Jaqueline Helene Erskine