During this Lent, we’ve been and will continue to be, looking
deeper into the various aspects of Stewardship. We look at it
from this perspective: Stewardship is being responsible for something
that is placed in your care. We’re called to tend to, to care for…
something that’s not ours, but that’s entrusted to us.
Sort of like a baby-sitter, or a Nanny… and I say this in the
best possible way, not pejorative in the least… who is made responsible for, who
is placed in charge of, who is there to tend to… someone else’s living
treasure!
So this week, we’re looking at Stewardship of
Community. Let’s look at Stewardship of Community from this
perspective. So, when and how is community placed
into our care like that?... to be tended to, to be responsible for?
And more primal question would be – What is
Community? Is it our family? Our
friends? The people around us?
Family, I get! As a parent and husband, I’m all over
the whole “Family is placed in your care” thing. I feel very protective
of my family, like a Papa Bear.
So the first reading today – Exodus 19:1-8: Moses
and God are on Mt Sinai. Basically, “Obey my commandments, keep my
covenant… and you’ll be my treasure, my kingdom of priests!”
If they are faithful, they would be set apart – held
more responsible for sure, but set apart for a holy purpose.
Second reading – Ephesians 4:1-8, 11-13: Paul talks about
how we’re supposed to be together, says something to the effect of - “be
patient with each other, bear with each other – because of your love for each
other. Stay as united in the Spirit as you can. There
is one body… and YOU’RE IT!” Be the body of
Christ! Together as one in heart, Spirit, will and action!
And the Gospel reading is where Jesus is somewhere in some kind
of house teaching. His mother and brothers show up. They stay
outside, sending word through a messenger that they are there outside
waiting. Jesus gets the message that his mother and brothers
are outside waiting. He says basically, “Who are my mother
and brothers? Those who do God’s will are my mother and brothers
and sisters!” this seems pretty
self-explanatory. Insult to mothers noted… those who do God’s will
are united into community through Jesus.
This is pretty non-controversial! Too bad some
people didn’t like him! Those who didn’t like him, it
wasn’t for this! Those who didn’t like him, it wasn’t because he
spoke of doing God’s will, or blessed children, or healed crippled
people! Those who didn’t like him didn’t
like him for way more practical reasons! But I’ll get to that
in a bit.
God asks Caine – “Where’s your brother?” Caine
says: “I don’t know… am I in charge of him?” Well… sort
of!
This is the question we’re asked about those around
us: “Where’s your brother/sister? The one you don’t
like? The one you’re jealous of? The one you don’t
really care to be around?” I don’t know… am
I in charge of them? Well… sort of!
Here’s where it gets tricky:
It’s not my fault they don’t have health
insurance!
It’s not my fault they can’t get good
jobs!
It’s not my fault they’re not well
educated!
It’s not my fault they don’t speak
English!
It’s not my fault they don’t have a place to
live!
And there’s more, but you get the idea…
it’s not my fault!
This is all true – it’s not your fault!
But it’s not about placing
blame! But we make the connection that
since it’s not my fault… then it’s not my responsibility!
Am I my brothers’ and sisters’ keeper? Am I in
charge of them?
It’s not your fault… but they’re part of your
community. I’m pacing them in your care.
I’m entrusting them to your care.
It’s about doing God’s work!
See, now we’re drifting into politics! And the
church isn’t supposed to be involved in politics!
It IS politics in that there’s legislation around these issues,
and there are parties and factions disputing the finer points of fiscal policy
and social reform.
It’s NOT politics in that this legislation and the fiscal
policies are centered around real living people.
THIS is where Jesus goes bad! THIS is where he
goes off the reservation!
Jesus: What’s the greatest commandment?
Guy in the crowd: Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
mind, and your strength… and love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus: Very good!
– And in good Rabbinic style, the guy in the crowd wants
clarification
Guy in crowd: Who’s my neighbor?
Jesus: Let me tell you a story. This guy’s
walking on the road, going somewhere. He gets robbed, beat
up, and left for dead along the road. A priest walks
by. He says a
prayer or a blessing or something, but aside from that he
doesn’t really stop and do anything. Then a little while
later, a Levite comes by and sees the man too. He also says
some prayer or a blessing or something, but he doesn’t stop either.
– Now here we have to explain a little. The
sacrificial side of the Judean religion at the time was centered around their
temple. And the temple was served by
priests. The priests served on some sort of rotational
schedule. And the pool of men called upon to be priests came only from
one tribe, the Levites. And they followed the Levitic laws very closely.
It has been speculated that neither the priest nor the Levite could stop and do
anything because the Levitic law specifically forbade touching a dead body,
otherwise they would have become ritually un-clean, and would have had to go
through a very lengthy process to become clean again. But… they had
some social and religious responsibility towards they people.
Jesus continues…: But then a Samaritan walks by, and sees
the man lying on the side of the road. He tends to him, he takes him to
some form of shelter, and pays his
medical bills.
– Another break: Here, you have to understand how very despised
the Samaritans were in the eyes of the Judeans eyes. Samaritans
were like how some people used to see Gypsies (the Roma people). They
were untrustworthy, they would steal from you! They felt towards
the Samaritans like how we were taught to think of the Soviets during the Cold
War… they had no scruples, no morality like ours. They
basically were seen as uncivilized dogs! So for Jesus to say
this about a SAMARITAN in a crowd of JUDEANS was almost blasphemous!
Jesus continues: So, who was neighbor to the man
who got beat-up?
Guy in crowd: The one who showed mercy
In the text, the man couldn’t even say “The Samaritan”.
He’d heard how bad the Samaritans were for so long, that it wasn’t natural to
put Samaritan and Good in the same sentence! He says instead “the
one who showed mercy”.
Some people didn’t like Jesus because he held up a mirror to the
society. He reflected back their prejudices, their
intolerances, the parts of their hearts they’d closed off.
And some didn’t like what they saw. And
this is partly why some didn’t like him!
And this is why I think Jesus would STILL be rejected
today! If Jesus were here today, it wouldn’t surprise me if he were
involved with social justice issues, marches, civil rights issues,
etc. And maybe not on “our” side!
Jesus would still be making commentary on the political issues
of our day; but he would put light squarely on the people affected and the
lived changed by our policies and laws!
If Jesus came back today, and spoke on these issues, we’d either
agree or disagree with him. But I think based on history of the
church and the respect we supposedly would have for him, we have to acknowledge
that he’d be the arbiter of these positions, right?!
Jesus would make clear his position on any number of issues of
our day… and we’d either agree or disagree… right?!
See, here’s the thing… he’s NOT here!
But WE are! We’re here! We’re
here and we’re facing these issues!
But Jesus is reminding us – these issues aren’t about some
ephemeral, nebulous, “political” issue… they’re about REAL people, with REAL
lives, and REAL situations they are facing! That’s what
we have to remember.
Those who do the will
of God in heaven are my mother and brothers and sisters
Our question is… What’s the will of God?
That which brings hope and blessing and life!
That which changes not just other’s lives, but our lives… that’s
the will of God.
Prayer of Discernment from Thomas Merton – who was credited with
bringing contemplative prayer back to the western church:
My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me
Nor do I really know myself,
And the fact that I think I am following Your will
Does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please You
Does in fact please You.
And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this,
You will lead me by the right road
Though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust You always though,
I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for You are ever with me,
And You will never leave me to face my struggles alone. Amen.
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me
Nor do I really know myself,
And the fact that I think I am following Your will
Does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please You
Does in fact please You.
And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this,
You will lead me by the right road
Though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust You always though,
I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for You are ever with me,
And You will never leave me to face my struggles alone. Amen.
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