February 21, 2016
Lent 2
Philippians 3:17 - 4:1
Luke 13:31-35
(prayer)
The longest hour I used to experience when I was a child was the time
right after lunch while on our annual family vacation in Penticton.
Although, it is now almost universally debunked as a summer myth, in the 70s, my parents
dutifully enforced the rule that you had to wait for at least an hour after
eating before you could go swimming.
Those hours were long.
And boring.
And I probably spent most
of that time sulking and complaining.
I am sure that my attitude
while being on the mandated hiatus from
the lake and pool made my parents question their resolve.
But... the purpose of this
time was not to make my life miserable.
Regardless of whether modern thinking agrees on the necessity or not, at
that time (with the best of
intentions), my parents were looking out for my best interests - they were
taking a very practical step to keep me safe.
It is one of the most
sacred (and sometimes thankless)
tasks of parenthood. To keep their
children safe - even if the kids don't appreciate the potential danger.
//
By extension, it is one of
the duties of care among members of a community - to create societies that
nurture safety and... give people peaceful contexts in which to live, learn and
grow.
The 'shiny desires' of the
moment don't necessarily support the larger goal.
//
We heard Paul share the
same insight with the early Christians in Philippi.
Paul expressed his
passionately held belief that our selfish focus on short-term gratification
serves to do little more than distract us from enriching our connection with God
and allowing our spirituality to deepen and change us.
This is so central to
Paul's thesis that he is brought to tears thinking about the faith of the young
church a few miles from the head of the Aegean Sea.
Paul (and his associates)
established the Philippian church. He
clearly felt a duty to nurture and tend the developing faith of these new
believers. Paul set himself as their mentor
and guide.
Join
in imitating me.
Watch
others who follow my example.
Do
what they do.
The approach Paul wants the
people to have is to make their relationship to the God of Jesus Christ central to
all aspects of their lives.
//
At couple of weeks ago,
here at St. David's, we told the story of Peter, James and John experiencing a
manifestation of the glory of God in Jesus.
That story directly followed after a conversation between Jesus and
Peter about who Jesus was and what it means to be a disciple (or follower) of
Jesus.
In that conversation, Jesus
accused Peter on setting his mind of human things, not divine things. In other words, "Peter, you are too into your selfish desires (here and now) and, as a
result, you are not able to see the bigger picture that God focuses on."
The Apostle Paul is saying the same thing to the Philippians: Don't let
shallow selfishness distract you from the holiness around you and stay focused
on your God.
Stand
firm! Paul
wrote.
//
//
//
Jesus was manifesting
holiness as he travelled throughout Galilee.
His words inspired.
His skilled hands and
caring heart healed.
He was enveloped with a
respect and joy from the people. They
valued Jesus' influence on the quality of their life and faith.
//
In Luke today, we heard the fact that Jesus' popular authority had warranted the unadmiring
attention of the King of Galilee: Herod (who was named after his grandfather,
who was the Hebrew sovereign (thirty or so years earlier) when Jesus was very
young).
//
Out of concern for his
safety, local religious leaders from the town where Jesus was at the time, told
Jesus that Herod wanted to harm (even kill) him. They advised Jesus to leave.
Jesus followed the
advice. He did move on to other
towns. But that was nothing new. Jesus had always been a travelling rabbi. He may have learned a valuable lesson from
the experience of John the Baptist. John
was a settled teacher. He set up shop by the river and people came
to him. Of course, when the authorities
wanted to arrest John, he was easy to find.
Jesus chose a different style: people didn't come to him, Jesus went to
the people.
Even so... this time, there
did seem to be some urgency in the Pharisees' warning - "You should probably leave sooner than later,
Jesus."
But before moving on, Jesus did
ask that a message be given to the king of Galilee: Tell that 'fox' (nice insult, Jesus) that I will not stop or slow down my ministry. People will continue to be made whole and
healed. Tell Herod that "I"
will decide when I am finished, not him!
//
Then the gospel writers includes
a little foreshadowing of how and where Jesus will finish his work. [Remember... the first readers of Luke knew
the end of the story. Jesus will not end has ministry in the towns of Galilee
at the hands of a puppet Hebrew king, but in Jerusalem at the hands of Empire
leadership.]
Jesus laments Jerusalem'
pivotal role throughout history as a place where prophets have been
opposed. Like lots of important places led by important
people, Jerusalem hasn't always responded well to challenges to the way things
are. The powerful seldom
"like" their power being questions.
'That may work in the sticks,
but
not in Capital City.'
In a wonderfully poetic
way, Jesus expresses a desire to embrace the central city of his faith. "Even though you do have a history of being hard on those who challenge your comfort, I still longed to hold you close, protect you, " The words paint a wonderful picture - the
mother hen gathering her chick's under her wings.
//
//
Any time our hope and
desires and passions are faced with opposition, we naturally question how
strong we can be.
In most (if not all)
situations, there is a breaking point... where we are unable to move forward.
Is it worth it carrying on?
Am I strong enough?
Am I committed enough?
//
The early years of the
Christian movement - the times into which the Apostle Paul and the author of the
Gospel of Luke were sharing written insights - were a time of extreme challenge
for the first generations of Christians.
They were involved in matters of a deeply personal nature - matters of
the heart, mind and soul.
And, of course, the very
nature of an emerging and evolving faith impacted how the people related to
their wider communities and culture.
They were naturally
beginning to wonder about what about their new worldview fit well within the
world they have known? What conflicts and
dilemmas were rising to the surface?
In fact, several times in
his various letters, Paul has cause to address issues of cultural
conflict. In the end, he encouraged
people to not sweat the small stuff
(particularly the traditions and practices of their old lives) but to hold firm
to the basic faith that... they are held and protected in God's love: which is
known in Christ crucified and risen - and is the greatest of all gifts of God.
//
//
Today, we heard Paul's
concern that short-term selfish endeavours can distract us from our eternal
relationship with God.
And, in Jesus, we saw his
steadfast ability to remain focused on his mission and ministry - in spite of
threats and opposition.
//
//
We live in an increasingly
busy world. Instant communication and
lightning fast access to information has made it easy for us to attempt many
levels of multi-tasking.
Some of us are better at it
than others. But all of us are in danger
of losing sight of what is truly important to us.
I have embraced (as much as anyone
my age) the convenience and connection that comes with a smart phone. And I admit that along with the benefits, is
the loss of down time.
Example: yesterday morning,
while I was watching a junior high basketball tournament, I received almost
simultaneous requests from two different funeral homes for me to conduct funerals later this week: one funeral director contacted me by email,
the other by phone. Both found me (via
my smart phone) in the bleachers. In fact, I was in the middle of typing a reply to the email, when the phone call came in.
After first determining
that these were (in fact) seperate funerals, I was able to set
up times for both services and make arrangements to have meetings with both
families before this weekend is out. I
was also able to check the church calendar on-line and to book the necessary
rooms for both funerals and receptions, and begin to contact the church caretaker and recruit AV and music people - all from the sidelines of the basketball
court.
Just a few years ago, people would
have only been able to leave me a phone message at the church (or at home) and
I would have had to make a physical trip into the church office to check a
paper calendar to see if the church was free.
What is also true is that I
missed a lot of my son's game yesterday.
And that makes me feel
guilty.
I feel like I not be as
faithful to the big picture of the priorities of my life as (maybe) I should
have been.
And yet, I am grateful that the families were able to begin to receive care in their time of grief as quickly as possible.
And yet, I am grateful that the families were able to begin to receive care in their time of grief as quickly as possible.
//
//
The modern world (whether
we like it or not) forces us to examine our priorities.
And - perhaps ironically -
we can turn to the ancient world for advice.
//
To set out minds solely
(soul-ly) on earthly things is to ignore the very basic nature of who we are: spiritual
beings ... children of God.
Paul reminded the
Philippians (and us) that we are at home in God - our citizenship is in heaven; stand firm in that knowledge.
//
So, what can that mean for
us?
For me, I continually find
myself coming back to two particular scriptures to guide me.
Micah 6:8
What does God require of
us?
Do justice. Love kindness. And walk humbly with God.
Mark 12:30-31
Jesus quoting Deuteronomy
and Leviticus:
Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength.' And ‘Love
your neighbour as yourself'
And I making fairness, kindness,
humility and love central to my life?
When others are watching me... is this
what they authentically see in me?
//
//
Jesus stayed firm to his mission, even
when it was challenged.
Paul encouraged a big picture focus to
life and faith.
//
These are lofty goals.
They are not easy.
But... We are not alone!
God's compassion and support covers us
like the protecting wings of a mother bird.
My god does not abandon me... even when
I see ways to improve the priority setting of my life.
My god is patient.
Thanks be to God.
Let us pray:
God of Promise,
May we find ourselves open
to trusting you.
May we find ourselves
living into the possibilities you lay before us.
May we hear your promise in
our souls. Amen.
#116VU “Giver of the Perfect Gift”
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