“Humiliated King”

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 25th 2007
Christ the King/Stewardship Dedication Sunday
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Humiliated King”
Luke 23:33-43

In preparation for Thanksgiving, I made sure to get a jump on my sermon for this Sunday. As a result I had a chance to head into the holiday without worrying too much about being prepared for today. However, that sense of contentment did not last very long. I was all ready to preach about the crucifixion of Jesus and how that connected with stewardship. (And, it is not what you might think, Give till it hurts.) But the more I paid attention the cultural cues around me the more I realized that a sermon about the cross and stewardship did not fit with the consumer orgy which began on Friday. To better experience the disconnect I was and am feeling let us take a closer look at what is going on in this passage.
In this passage we come face to face with the crucifixion of Jesus. Since most of us know the story the temptation is to move quickly through the event. Yet, we must resist this and take a moment to reacquaint ourselves with the central event of our faith. (That is not an overstatement. After all, Paul, the author of most of the New Testament, focuses his entire theology on the cross while saying nothing about the birth of Jesus. It gives us some clue as to the importance he places upon the nativity.) With that in mind let us now turn to the crucifixion.
While one might call crucifixion capital punishment, it was so much more. After all, the modern form of execution is done in private, at least giving the illusion of decency. The Romans however were under no illusions as to what they were doing. It was a very deliberate public spectacle meant to humiliate and ultimately kill the accused. It was also meant as a powerful message about who had the power and what happened to anyone who stepped out of line.
Crucifixion was the Roman liturgy which let people know who was in charge. It began when the accused was stripped naked, mocked, and beaten, but not so badly as to kill them. The event would loose its power if it ended too soon. In fact, even the way in which they nailed someone to the cross was done carefully so that the person would not die too soon. Even the taunting by the crowd was also part of this elaborate ritual. From the commoners, to the rulers, all would come out and heap abuse on the dying as a way of showing their allegiance to the power of Rome. It was unusual for someone to die quickly as well as to be removed from the cross. Most times the Romans would leave the victim on the cross so the vultures and dogs would finish them off and all the people would know who was in charge.
It was in the midst of this elaborate Roman liturgy of torture Jesus has compassion upon the people who were participating. It is a horrifying yet amazing scene which could not be more out of place as we begin the great consumer holiday season. How in the world do they relate? What is it that they have in common? How are we supposed to make the gospel relevant to the culture on this one?
Well, if by being relevant we mean that the message of the gospel and the messages of our culture will fit seamlessly together the answer is: We can not. If however, what we mean by relevant is something that will speak to our culture and help us live more faithfully than I believe that the crucifixion is relevant to both our consumer holiday and our stewardship dedication Sunday.
In fact, I can think of no better way to prepare ourselves for the holiday season than to begin by recommitting ourselves to live our lives like Jesus is our Lord. Before we find ourselves neck deep in a season which teaches that love can be found in a neatly wrapped package and disillusioned when the unwrapped gift simply cannot live up to the hype, we must pause and take a step back. In order to live more faithfully during this hectic season I believe we must focus on two things.
The first thing to keep in mind is what the heart of stewardship is all about. In learning about stewardship we find the simple yet scary truth that the way we spend money and the way spend time is a reflection of what we believe about God. And particularly at this time of year we can give no greater witness to our faith than to give feet to our beliefs and words. In other words, it might mean that this year we choose to spend money on fair trade items or on alternative forms of gift giving. Or, it might mean committing to an act of service, study, or prayer during the days leading up to Christmas. Whatever it is, know that being good stewards does not mean simply being a good consumer. Instead, we are called to be deliberate in our holiday practices giving witness to the way in which our faith impacts our lives. In doing so, we might just find ourselves just slightly out of step with the season, which might not be so bad. However, whenever we seek to take these sorts of steps, we must be careful not to become overzealous. Nothing creates a poor witness to the love of God in Christ than demanding that people follow our lead. And that is where the second thing we must remember comes into play.
Celebrating, or remembering Christ the King Sunday always points us back to the foot of the cross. The one we call Lord of Lord, King of Kings, acted like no other person of power in history. As he was being tortured and executed, Jesus had compassion upon the people who brought him to death. Instead of calling us to ignore the ways of death, and violence in the world it is a call to compassion because we are all trapped by the systemic violence all around us. We are called to live differently and never to become the evil that we struggle against. When we remember, or are confronted by, the reality of the cross it keeps us humble as we seek to practice of faith. So let us practice our faith and even our pronouncements with love, letting go of the guilt for where we might not measure up, but instead continue to look for ways to put our faith into practice. Amen? Amen.

Jesus Attacks Marriage?

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 11th 2007

Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Jesus Attacks Marriage?”
Luke 20:27-38

I like to imagine that if Jesus had an encounter with the Sadducees today he would have been in real trouble. Given the current state of news programs just image what they could do with this story. The headline would be: “Jesus Attacks Marriage!” (With an exclamation point and not a question mark.) After all, in this encounter when faced with a deeply troubling theological dilemma, Jesus seems to take an unfair swipe at people who choose to get married. Listen to what he said:
Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage (Luke 20:34-45).
There is no good way to spin this sort of talk. This is particularly true since this is not Jesus’ only swipe at good old fashioned family values. Earlier in this gospel it was reported that he insulted the very notion of family ties. In case you have forgotten here is the exact quote: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26) As you can see, there is more than enough fodder in this gospel to paint Jesus as anti-family and anti-marriage, at least by some standards. If this could be so easily done with Jesus… Well, since we do not believe this about Jesus, what are we to do? I believe the answer lies in our starting point.
What I mean by this and what I think Jesus is getting at in the encounter has to do with the questions we ask. If we begin with a flawed premise our questioning will be flawed and our final result may be rather unpleasant. In other words, if we begin with asking; “Was Jesus pro-family or anti-family?” Our questions miss the reality that Jesus cannot fit into these narrowly defined categories. Instead of having any interest in our narrow definitions regarding family Jesus teaches that the family of God is so much bigger than we can even imagine. As such, these sorts of questions are the ones Jesus wants asked.
When the Sadducees come to Jesus and ask him this hypothetical question they are really interested in seeing where he fits in their narrow understanding of the world. But before we get to their question, we should first spend a moment getting to know this group of folks. It turns out, that the Jewish community of Jesus’ day was not a unified block. To the best of our understanding there were really two dominant groups or schools of thought, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees. And these two groups did not see eye to eye on much.
The Sadducees were the conservatives of their day. They were strict interpreters of the five books of Moses. If it wasn’t in those five books, then it wasn’t scripture. As a result they said that no evidence for belief in the resurrection or in angels because it cannot be found in the first five books of the bible. This was the biggest difference between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Pharisees believed that the oral tradition and interpretation of the first five books also carried the weight of scripture. And, on top of their theological differences the Sadducees were also the wealthy aristocracy.
So, when the Sadducees approach Jesus, it is likely that they had heard about his struggles with the Pharisees. Maybe, just maybe, they saw Jesus as a potential alley in their struggle with the Pharisees. As the saying goes the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Here was an opportunity to use this very popular preacher to get a leg up on the ever growing strength of the Pharisees. So, they pose a rather erudite question expecting either to expose Jesus’ ignorance or to get him to admit that there is no resurrection. But, as always, Jesus does what no one expects.
Instead of choosing sides in the ongoing debate, he engages the question on his own terms. He uses references from the first five books of the bible to point to proof of the resurrection. So, Jesus uses their methods of interpretation to engage the question and show his disagreement. But this is not the end of the story. Jesus goes on, after showing his intelligence, and makes it clear that the question itself is misguided with some rather shocking words: “those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage” Jesus answers the question while at the same time exposing it for what it is; question more interested in the ways of death instead of the ways of live. The simple, yet challenging answer is so impressive that even those who study the law, the scribes, are really impressed. It is so impressive that the Sadducees are let speechless.
As we come near to the end of our journey through the book of Luke such encounters may longer surprise us. After all, Jesus is always challenged people to see the world in new ways and embrace the way of life. For the Pharisees, Jesus is always reminding them that their strict adherence to the law must be driven by love. For the Sadducees, Jesus invites them to move away from mere intellectually curiosity and to engage a deeper journey of faith. The invitation extended to all people by Jesus is always a call is to a deeper engagement in the life of faith. It is a call to give up the ways in which we are so certain about the way the world works and entertain the radical notion that we might just have it wrong.
November is the month each year where we spend some time seeking to understand the concept of stewardship. In some circles this might be called our annual campaign. And while it is true that we do need money to continue our mission in this way, it is so much more. In fact, if we leave thinking that stewardship is about how much we give to the church we have cheapened what stewardship is all about. Stewardship is first the simple reality that all we have and all we are is a gift from God. So, instead of seeing this focus on stewardship as what we will give of our time and money to the work of Westminster, we need to see it as a recommitment of our whole life in the service of God. Like the Pharisees and Sadducees who had to give up their rigid understanding of faith we are being called to give up that to which we so tightly cling. Jesus’ challenge and calling to each one of us is to move beyond mere involvement or curiosity in the life of faith and give our whole lives to God. This month, as we reflect on how we will make pledge commitments regarding our time, our gifts, and our money it is my prayer that the process is one which helps us to remember that ultimately all we have and all we are is a gift from God. In response to these gifts we then commit those gifts back to God as a sign of our commitment to the ways of life. In this way we will move from this month as simply an exercise meant to help the church and instead as a time to help us get our lives in order. So, over the next few weeks let us take these forms and pray about how we will commit our lives to serving God with all the gifts we have been given so that we will continue to grow deeper in the life of faith and the way of life. Amen.

“Uninvited Guest”

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 4th 2007
Communion Meditation
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Uninvited Guest”
Luke 19:1-10

When you hear the words of this scripture; where do you see yourself in this story about Zacchaeus? This may seem like a rather odd question but I believe it is critically important to ask. If you are anything like me, when I read any story or see any movie, I find myself indentifying with characters or even imagining myself in the story. That is the goal of most stories, to draw us in and invite us to become part of the action. Those stories of our faith and the stories outside of the scripture which enduring legacies is precisely because they touch us so deeply that we realize the story is really our story.
However, in my limited experience, when it comes to the stories of our faith, we are less conscious of this reality. If you listen to most preaching, and as a preacher I certainly hope that happens from time to time, you might notice how often the preacher identifies him or herself with the role of Jesus. How often do you hear or you have even said: Look at those foolish disciples! Or, those foolish Pharisees, don’t they get what Jesus is trying to teach them? Each time we do this, what we are doing is placing ourselves, often unintentionally, in the position or role of Jesus. While that is certainly the ideal, the risk of such identification is that we become rather self-righteous.
So, in the interest of challenging our unintentional arrogance, let us seek to identify with the other people in this gospel story. I believe if we allow ourselves to be honest and vulnerable, we may just find out that the teaching from Jesus is meant for us. In this encounter, there are three main players. They include; the crowd, which also consists of disciples, Zacchaeus, and Jesus. Since we are suspending our inclinations to be Jesus, at least for the next few minutes, we will only hear from the crowd and from Zacchaeus.
I imagine that a witness from the crowd, not necessarily a disciple, might have had this to say…
‘Despite the heat the turn out was so large I could barely get a glimpse of Jesus. The stories about him were spreading like wildfire. Trouble seemed to be his constant companion, at least when it came to the religious leadership and the politicians. I think it was probably one of the reasons he was so popular among the rest of us. It was like we finally had someone who was on our side. However, our certainty on that day changed when Jesus talked to him. Everybody knows him. After all, He sold us out to the empire and is rich because of it. So, when Jesus called out his name we expected, we hoped that Zacchaeus was finally going to get what he deserved. But, we heard something no one expected.
When Jesus called out his name and made dinner plans at Zacchaeus’ home we were all stunned, and frankly, I was a bit angry. Didn’t Jesus know? Was Jesus a sellout two? Or, was he pandering to the rich and powerful like the so many of the religious leadership? You could hear the anger. But then, something surprising happened, again. Zacchaeus was not the person we thought. It turns out he could actually be a generous guy. All it took was for Jesus to treat him with the same respect and welcome he offered to the rest of us. It was a powerful witness. It turns out that God’s grace and welcome is not only meant for everyone, including those we assume should be excluded.’ Now, let us get a witness, a testimony from Zacchaeus…
‘I am someone who everyone knew even before Jesus called me out. But now that I have encountered Jesus the attention has taken a dramatic turn. But until that day, most of my adult life I was lonely and frankly miserable. It is not because I was in need of anything material. After all, I had or could get anything that money could buy. But, surrounded by a world of comfort I still felt so empty inside. No one wanted anything to do with me so I was really all alone.
Over a period of time I had been listening to stories about Jesus and how he was welcoming tax-collectors and sinners and eating with them. It was a little hard to believe. After all, I may be a tax collector but I learned well from the faithful that God was most concerned with figuring out who to exclude. However, when I heard he was going to be near I decided to take a risk and see if what I heard was true.
Since I am rather short, and I knew no one would let me move to the front, I found the nearest tree to get a better view. As he approached I was filled with a mixture of hope and fear. Then, he spoke my name. What was he going to say? Was he going to humiliate me like the rest? Call me sinner? But instead of a lecture about the law, or sin, or repentance he invited himself my house. Instead of condemnation or condescending help offered to a sinner, I was invited to welcome him. I was so moved inside I cannot fully explain my actions, but I knew what I had to do: Give away all the stuff I didn’t need, and help others with all that I had accumulated. Because of this simple invitation people no longer know me as the miserly tax collector but the generous guy who Jesus acknowledged as a child of God.’
While I appreciate your indulgence into what I image might have been going on inside folk’s heads, I believe that these brief interviews show the powerful and transforming power of God at work. But, it does not end there. I believe these witnesses are inviting us to be honest and to acknowledge the places we are the angry and judgmental crowd which underestimates the limitless nature of God’s grace. Likewise, it is also an invitation to admit our deep alienation, loneliness, and hunger for the acceptance and welcome Jesus offers to all the tax-collectors of the world, including us.
In just a moment we are going to gather around this table and celebrate the feast at which Jesus is the host. It is my prayer that we will all be reminded of the simple truth that we are not Jesus but instead folks who are carrying baggage that keeps us from not only extending God’s limitless grace, but from fully encountering God’s welcome embodied in this sacrament. Let us all pray that God will grant us the grace to let go of the baggage and break free of all the chains that bind us and to which we cling. May we be set free to live our lives and tell the story of how we too have been welcomed, loved and affirmed buy the God we know in Jesus. Amen? Amen.